Where The Wild Things Lose The Plot

I love the book Where The Wild Things Are, and I'm kind of excited about the movie.

And then I saw this...

What in the world? Seriously? It's cute when a little boy wears it, but full-grown adults... really? And at $610 a pop, I think someone needs a check-up from the neck up.

For Your Professional Camwhoring Needs

An LCD screen on the front of the camera? Yes please!

I hate to play into the stereotype that Asians all walk around with cameras strapped to their hands, but I do love taking pictures of everything. And yes, I do the camwhore shot, made famous by MySpace. I wouldn't be a good Asian otherwise.

I do draw the line at the peace sign-kawaii thing though. Somehow when you're in your 30s, it just becomes sad.

Anyway, I immediately thought of my sister Averil when I first saw the ads for the Samsung DualView TL220, because the woman has taken camwhoring to a whole new level. I told her about this camera and she was suitable geeked out.

Not sure if this is a good camera because I'm not quite good at discerning specs and stuff, but I wouldn't mind it if Santa delivered this to me this Christmas. Just saying.

Just Say No

She's not wearing sunnies in the name of fashion. No, she's wearing them because she is embarrassed and does not wish to be recognised.

Someone needs to put all the Snuggies and Crocs released into the world in a big ol' spaceship and launch it into space.

I like to snuggle on the couch with my quilt, and I don't like my shoes to look stupid.

So ridiculous.

Oops

Have you ever finished your quilt top, looked at it and it goes "Hey, you think you're done, don't you? Well... yeah... no."? Mine did.

I spotted a placement I really didn't like after I'd finished the entire quilt top and I'm the sort that can't let it go. If I don't like something on the top, I can't move on to the backing, basting, quilting...

Not happy, Jan!

So out came the seam ripper. Ripped out the stupid piece smack in the middle of nowhere. Good job, me.

It all ended up fine... quilt's quilted and I've stopped hyperventilating. But seriously, I need to pay attention in the future!

Waffles + Bananas = Yum

The other day the hubs decided that we should start making a special brekkie every weekend. Which meant I had to make the special brekkie. I decided waffles would be it - you make the batter, pour, remove, eat. Works for me.

So today began our Weekend Waffle Brekkie tradition. No better time than a dreary, rainy Sunday morning, I say.

We ran out of strawberries, so we sliced up some banana instead. I much prefer the tartness of the strawberries but this was good too. Would've been really good if we have chocolate syrup... but maple syrup was juuuuust fine.

I believe this is going to be one lovely tradition.

Stars Align

I've finished my wonky star block quilt :) I have to say I really do love these fabrics together. So glad I decided to use them!

Like I said before, the level of wonk on the wonky stars is very low. It's a little difficult for me to embrace whimsy and wonk wholeheartedly... I'm that weirdo that stores all her cans and bottles with the labels facing outward. True story.

Anyhow, the fabrics for the stars are from Heather Bailey's Freshcut, Amy Butler's Charm and Moda Collections For A Cause: Legacy.

For the back I used Tina Given's Treetop Fancy and Heather Bailey Freshcut fabrics. Initially I wanted to just use the latter, but I wasn't sure it if it'd be too much, especially it being a baby quilt and all.

I was going to quilt it in straight lines, then after I did one line, I took the seam ripper to it and stippled it instead. Sometimes the quilt tells you what it wants, you know?

The binding is from Heather Bailey's Bijoux line and I wish I bought more of it because I think it's pretty cute.

It measures 35" by 42" and is currently available at the store SOLD.

P/S: I re-listed a whole bunch of handknit items in the store too. Do go have a look-see :)

Mini Designer Chairs

How cute are these miniature designer chairs?!

Ever since I read Nicole's post (at Making It Lovely) on the ones her husband gifted her for her birthday, I can't stop thinking about them. Want!

In The Works

I'd been hoarding my Heather Bailey Freshcut fabrics for the longest time and decided they need to be set free.

So I made some blocks for a baby quilt. I do believe I'm addicted to the wonky stars. (Although I have to say there's a lot less wonk in these blocks for some odd reason.)

Red Sydney

I heard about this on Tuesday night, and was completely baffled at the pictures I was seeing of Sydney, engulfed in red dust. Even my mum-in-law rang me to tell me that Australia was aglow. Apparently it's the worst dust storm the country's seen in seven decades.

You have to admit it's quite a beautiful sight but unfortunately horribly messy, and terrible for asthma suffers like myself. I hear the dust storm's died down now, so residents have the unenviable task of cleaning the red crap off their cars and homes.

Be Still My Heart

I innocently went to the Sweetwater blog... and my heart almost gave out.

Their upcoming line, Make Life... is just gorgeous!!! It comes in five colourways - red, green, blue, yellow and chocolate brown. The colours are just perfect, and don't even get me started on the text prints and dots. Too good!

I think these three are my favourites, but honestly, they're all so lovely. I can't wait!!!

Gobble Gobble Table Runners... Done!

Two more Gobble Gobble table runners done! I just love this collection... the colours are so lovely, and the pumpkins are too cute.

I did a diagonal pattern and quilted it very simply with double diagonal lines. It remained nice and soft, and ended up measuring 42" by 17".

I used different bindings for these just so it's not all the same. I forgot how annoying diagonal striped binding is to line up! Still, I'm glad I went with it because I like how it came out.

Pumpkins! Love them :)

And I made another one of the disappearing nine patch pattern.

I really like this fabric for the binding... at the shop I wasn't too sure but I'm glad I went with it. This one ended up measuring 42" by 16".

And they're both available at the store! :) Both are sold!

Love Is Grand

Just gorgeous. I might need to borrow this idea when we get round to sprucing up our bedroom.

(By the way, that Dresden Plate quilt in the first picture is divine!)

Tough Luck

The other evening on TV I heard someone talking about how men might be attracted to Asian women because they're more subservient, compliant and docile than Western women.

I started to giggle to myself, then I realised my husband was glaring at me. And he says to me, "I. GOT. JIPPED."

Poor guy picked the bossiest, most opinionated and sarcastic Asian chick there ever lived.

Gobble Gobble Part Deux... Et Trois

Oh Moda Gobble Gobble, what is this hold you have over me? I made a table runner out of it earlier this month, and well, now I have two more in the works. Oh boy.

I made another one with a disappearing nine patch pattern. I quilted it yesterday and the binding will go on today (I hope).

And I pieced together the third one in a diagonal pattern. Didn't think I'd like it quite as much but I really kind of do.

(I know the colours look different in both pictures... the sun was playing hide and seek so there you go. I think the orange in the second picture is more accurate.)

Beautiful Bookshelves

As mentioned before, I love floor to ceiling bookshelves. One day, it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

Pictures from Home Sweet Home.

Vintage Button Picture

A dear friend of mine is celebrating her birthday on Sunday and she's just moved into a new home, so I thought I'd make her a couple things to decorate the house with.

I used a project from Sweetwater for a button heart made with buttons from my vintage buttons stash. Aside from the buttons, I used completely different materials. I had a frame and some linen, so I used those instead. Although in hindsight, I kind of wished I'd gotten a shadow box frame for it.

I'm also going to make her a table runner but I'm gifting her a voucher so she can choose the colour / shape / size since I have no clue what the new decor and colour scheme is in the new place. And I'd rather she choose so she gets exactly what she wants and likes.

Oh, and since we're having dinner at her place tomorrow night, I baked her a devil's food cake. I didn't get to eat much of the last one I made so I don't feel terrible about baking it again so soon!

Wonky Zoo Pool Quilt Is Done!

This was such a fun quilt to do. I'd never done anything wonky until I did a block for the Quilts of Valor, and after that I was itching for more wonkiness.

For the binding, I chose a dot fabric that had white, green and brown since those are the colours in the Alexander Henry print. Even when I was finishing up the binding, I wasn't quite sure I'd made a good choice with the binding but it's growing on me.

So I only realised I'd taken a picture of this up-side down after I'd put it in the washer. Yep, Observant's my middle name!

Here's the back of the quilt. I wanted to bring a little of the wonkiness to the back so I made those two blocks. The blue fabric is from Ikea... it had no tag so I have no idea what it's called.

Close-ups of the two blocks on the back.

I'm really quite happy with this quilt. I believe I'm going to have to make a girl version of this... and perhaps a gender neutral one too. Yay for wonky.

Fashion You Can Set Your Clocks To

A cute Japanese street fashion site that updates automatically every minute. The fact that they include information like blood type cracks me up.

2-D Zoo Pool Quilt WIP

So here's what I'm working on right now. A quilt for a friend's nephew made from Alexander Henry's 2-D Zoo Pool fabric. She saw it on another quilt I made and wanted that for her nephew's quilt. Other than that, she left me to my own devices... my favourite kind of client!

I didn't want to do something so similar to the other quilt so I went heavy on the blue for the borders. I'm doing wonky blocks so after I finish the 11" square blocks, I cut them without measuring and slap on a white border, which I'll cut again when I'm figuring out placement.

I love this blue check fabric but I have no idea who it's by because the fat quarter I bought didn't have a selvage.

And neither did this blue dot fabric. I just love dots.

Off topic, Martha had one of her food editors, Anna Last on her show today. Anna's Aussie and hearing her talk, I miss Australia all over again. And now that Qantas ad is playing in my head... "I still call Austraaaaaalia hooooome".