Snow White!

My daughter had a Princesses and Pirates themed birthday party to attend this weekend, so being the uber mummy that I am, I quickly whipped up a Snow White costume for the poppet to wear. The pattern I used is McCall's Costumes MP343. I did toy with the idea of making it in satin but wanted to be sane and not yelling at the fabric by the end of it, so went with cotton. And of course even Snow White has to be sensible in the middle of winter so she's got a long sleeved top on underneath! The cape is attached by press studs so that even Snow White can ride in the car seat with ease. It's a little on the large side so it will get lots of love and use for quite some time.

Crazy Dog Lady of our neighbourhood

I love dogs.

Most dogs I meet I greet with smiles and pats if appropriate. Sometimes full on, can't hold it back excitement and adoration. I go out of my way to see dogs, talk about dogs, read about dogs, go to dog shows just to watch.

And that's cool. In my world it is. I don't know many other crazy dog ladies apart from one woman who is both our dog trainer and local vet nurse. She rocks. She understands my enthusiasm for canines.

As does Kelly, who lives in my neighbourhood. She also owns a Pyrenean Mountain Dog called Beau. Beau is big (think 60 - 70kg), beautiful and slobbery. He is the reason that I chose the breed for my next dog Banjo.

Poppet and Banjo at 2 months old

Poppet and Banjo at 5 months old
(small side note: nice thrifted authentic kilt $2 and thrifted jacket 50c!!)

So now that you understand that I have given myself the title Crazy Dog Lady you may appreciate that I am always on the ready to help any runaway dogs that are wandering the streets in my area. Just as we left the house on Thursday on our way to kindy, I spotted two black dogs running helter skelter past our house, no owner in sight. I screeched to a halt and jumped out to be enthusiastically greeted by the smaller of the pair. Thankfully he had on a name tag with his owners' mobile number on the back. The other dog came running back for her brother and I herded them into my front yard to keep them contained.

After a phone call, a confused then worried then grateful owner agreed to come and pick them up from my yard. My daughter and I continued on our way to kindy with my heart full of happiness and gratitude that those puppies had run by my particular house so I could help them get back home. I had done my good deed for the day. Those dogs were safe, together and on their way back home.

When I returned home, I was greeted at my door with a very appreciative owner with this stunning vase of tulips as her way of saying thank you for saving her dogs. Shucks. I don't rescue runaway pups for any reason other than I know the heartbreak of having your dog run away. But these spoils are so nice!!

Blimey it's cold!

With such beautifully sunny days and clear nights, the weather is decidedly chilly of late here in little old Adelaide. I had a request for a new beanie in pink from my poppet so off to Ravelry I headed and found this pattern. It's the Granny Skull Cap and a very easy and quick pattern to whip up. I added an additional row to the length and in hindsight perhaps could have added another one. With some on and off again hooking, I made this up in two days in Moda Vera Harmony which I found at Spotlight for $2 a ball! This hat only took one ball of yarn to make. To finish it off I added a crochet flower in cotton using this pattern and a vintage button. My poppet loves it and I love it as it was so easy and cheap!

Sunshine on a rainy day

A very early progress pic of the Rainbow Dress I'm currently knitting for my daughter. The yarn I'm using is Gradient Dyed Four Bags Full Merino. As a rainbow fan, I'm in love with how the colours are so gradually changing as I work. Hopefully I can make some speedier progress on it. I'm a slower knitter than I am a crocheter. Maybe she'll be able to wear it before she's 16....

And just wanted to share with you a sweet corner of my studio from this afternoon. My favourite winter flowers, Paperwhites (Narcissus) and my favourite little donkey friend for the corner. The perfume is so strong from these flowers. They always make me smile.

Have a happy week everyone! May there be many sunshiny winter days for you this week.

Ticking things off the list...

A loooong time ago I attended a craft weekend away and began a project created by Melly & Me. It was a bag featuring some stitchery. I'm not a big stitchery nut so the gorgeous project kept being popped back into the WIP basket. This weekend I was determined to finish it. I think it might be a new knitting project bag!

Next in my radar might be some darning and mending items that may very well be outgrown by my daughter if I don't tackle them now.

And a secret squirrel project of my very own is in the works. I can say that it involves a new website for me!! More to come when it's all set up. I can see lots of late nights ahead working hard into the wee hours!

How do you follow an act like that?

After my rather serious last post, I have wondered how I would follow such a heavy post. I have a plan to approach next months' onslaught of seriousness and stress with ahem exercise. That's what the doctor ordered. Seriously. Can you imagine how that will cut into my crafting time!!?? The fact is, there is no easy way so I'll just note that right'o, that was a serious, real topic and now on with the show. More real to come though folks!

I've been busy crafting things for my wee poppet, although I can't really call her wee anymore as she's not even four and a half years old and I'm shopping for size 7 clothes for her! Tall, thin, leggy and blonde. Oh dear, the teenage years are going to be hard.

My girl loves a hat so I crocheted this lovely snuggly number from some yarn I had in the stash. The pattern is free and is Olivia's Butterfly by Valerie Whitten available on Ravelry. I crocheted this up in a day and a half working now and then during the day. Easy for a beginner and a very simple pattern.

Over the Mother's Day weekend, my daughter and I visited the Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne. A lovely girls trip to Melbourne is fun but catching a 6am flight is not!! Anyhoo, we caught up with some of my very favourite bloggers, especially Jodie of Ric Rac. That woman is The Best. Absolutely. I love her style and recognise more than a little bit of her in me. During Jodie's talk about blogging the speaker next door came in to tell her to keep it down. This a) cracked me up to the point of hysteria and b) is so very familiar, the 'You talk too loud and are too silly' concept! Lots of lovely fabric was purchased at the Show and photos of that are to come.

Of course a young gal needs a new outfit if she is jetting off with her mum to Melbourne, the fashion capital. So before leaving I whipped up a new outfit using Rachel Measham-Pywell's It's Autumn pattern, recently featured on Quilt Fabric Delight's Creative Team blog. Forgive Nevada's look in the photo. It was cold and the poor poppet just wanted to get inside!

And I have been doing a bit of sewing for myself but it's top-level, secret squirrel, "if I tell you, I'll have to take all of your fabric" kind of hush-hush stuff. It has inspired me to delve into my stash and dare to use some of my vintage 1950's fabric and boy was it delicious to use something so divine.

So now my secret obligations are over, a little Silly Gilly crafting may take place over the weekend. New hair clippy ideas are forming and I can't wait to crack out the hot glue gun!

Till then!
Gillian.

The storm before the calm.

Sometimes things happen and make you think. About the real-ness of things. Like a very supportive email I received from someone I have badged a friend and refuse to let her think any other way. Like that same friend's talk she gave about the 'real-ness' of blogs. Like this last week that has just gone by. I have needed to stop and think and assess.

I live with PMDD - Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Well don't lots of women get PMS, you ask? Yes, PMS sucks elephant butts big time and I used to experience PMS and hated it too.

Since the birth of my daughter, after being challenged with Post Natal Depression, I experience, suffer, live through, hate, subject my family to PMDD. When I used to get PMS I would get a little cranky, get some belly cramps, eat maybe a little bit more chocolate in the week before I got my period, maybe get a headache too. Nothing too earth shattering.

Now the week before my period life is Absolutely Crap. To the point where I would much prefer to spend those 7 - 10 days holed up in a room by myself so I wouldn't have to deal with anything. I could just lie there and breathe in and breathe out and that would be it. I wouldn't have to deal with being a crap parent, crap wife, crap house keeper, crap friend, crap individual full stop.

Living with PMDD means the emotional and mindset changes are so overwhelming that my life is completely disrupted to the point that I get scared for myself. The emotional changes mean that I completely dislike, even hate, myself. My social world shrinks dramatically as I feel I'm not worthy of the friends I have. My eating patterns are completely disrupted (but that's another post). I manage to keep my parenting shuffling along on what I feel is a basic standard. After all, that is my main life measure. That is what I am here to do. To be a good parent for my daughter. I can lose my bundle on everything else but I can't lose it too much with her. That's just a tiny insight into what my experience of PMDD is like. I won't scare you all off at the starting post just yet.

And usually, the day after I get my period, my symptoms disappear and I'm back to normal. Well, as normal as I am which isn't so normal to start with! And life goes on until the next month...

So why am I talking about this on my Silly Gilly blog? As I mentioned before in this post and in my previous post, I have felt for some time that I have been wanting this blog to be more real. Less posts of the 'My house is always immaculately tidy, and I wear an apron all the time to keep my starched dress clean and I greet my husband at the door with delectable hors dourves every evening' type.

I have also been really inspired by Loralee who tells her story in the most honest and thought provoking way. Loralee writes without apology for her style or her words or her humour. I really admire her gumption. I respect that she tells others how her life really is.

So where am I at right now? On the slide out of PMDD week waiting for a doctors appointment (that was delayed a week due to a scheduling issue on the doctors behalf) trying to get back to some sense of normality and routine again.

Please know that this isn't an excuse. This isn't an excuse for anything at all. Simply an explanation as to why I do some things. Why there are lulls in my posting. Why I am not the friend I should be some times. And it's the start of me being honest. And real. And truthful to myself.

So how does one finish a post like this? Who knows!!?? Maybe I'll just end with that!