Lorri's having a birthday and bananana!

haha, more on bananas! I made my banana bread the other day, which requires 2/3 cup oil, and in my not-paying-attention, I put 2 CUPS of oil in my bananas... lucky the bananas had been on sale and I was planning on freezing some for future banana bread, I was able to puree an extra 4 cups of bananas to make up for the extra oil! Funny as usually I use apple sauce for this pair of breads I make, but this time I was lazy..... I think I would have tweaked at 2 cups of apple sauce!!!
Goodness... I made two huge banana breads, a banana bread cake and some banana muffins!!! And I'm happy to report our new oven seems to be behaving!

Could be too that I'm used to large quantities of oil, given my recent soapmaking venture!


Onto Lorri, who owns Scrappindipity with her daughter Bec, is having a birthday giveaway... so stroll on down to her blog to see the rules, and spread the love!!!
Lorri's Blog
The post in question

go have a look around, she's pretty darn talented :)

And I promise to draw my winner for the coffee soap in the coming few days ;) I'm feeling a bit chicken, but I have given some people at work some soap and they seem happy with it (either that or they are GOOD liars!)... Ah, let's make it Australia Day Draw!!! ... see you then!!

Electronic Copy of Beads Etc is available!

If you subscribe to the newsletter you can see the whole magazine for free, and have access to past issues too!
The mould is from Krafty Lady.
Although I did mention it when I sent the article to the magazine, they didn't print it (well I didn't see it when I read it quickly, must read it more in depth, but then I wonder why since I wrote it, after all!)... the idea for using only two colours to get the look, came from this faux scrimshaw tutorial. I credit the technique throughout the Krafty Lady site! So apologies to my inspiration, I did try to give you credit in the article!

Yet more talk of Faux Ceramic and some eye candy

After scouring the web to find a "free source" for a technique similar to this tutorial I bought on ePattern Central, a few weeks ago, as a friend wanted to know the technique and I didn't feel too right sharing the paid-for-tutorial-in-a-pdf-with-a-password-even, two more posts about Faux Ceramic popped up on the blogosphere! I just had to post about THAT :) good things come in threes!! I guess.

Crafty Goat who links to Laura Griffin who credits Patricia Kimle for the original tutorial in Step by Step Beads magazine... well... Patricia Kimle is the author of the tutorial I bought on Pattern Central.com (Bright Light Beads)!!!


Today we went to Point Walter and saw up to 9 black swans at some point! Some were funny, they'd swim with one leg, having the other one sticking outside the water. The first one I saw like that, I thought had a broken leg, but then I saw three of them do it, then put their leg back in the water. Strange habit ;) I think I saw a dolphin fin too, but never saw it resurface... then again, maybe it was the Loch Ness monster *VBG* (I'm pretty sure I saw a dolphin's fin!)

It was a beautiful day with a temperature of about 26°Celcius! Just so relaxing!!!

I uploaded a few new pieces on the Krafty Lady website:




------------------
Now I don't know if any of you got alerted to many new posts by me today, I'm sorry if you did. I decided to close my other blog (Stampamajiggies) where I planned on having tutorials, and place the posts here on this blog. This blog is such a mish mash of my whims and fancies that structure is the least of my problems, and then people don't have to go to two places. I still intend on updating (well, as up to date as it was about three years ago) the magazine index, to have it here on the blog as it's on a website that I don't even know if it exists anymore.... but that is SO different than what goes on here, that it's ok to keep it separated!
So they are all moved, all nine posts (as many as the black swans!) so this should be the end of mayhem! I hope :)

Pain in the butt (and a post sans-eye-candy)

Yes, that was me yesterday, started on Saturday afternoon, went on through Sunday... I have NO idea why, but all I know is that I had a lot of pain in my buttocks, on the left side, middle of the gluteus maximus... and it sort of went from my calf to my waist... Must've slept weirdly or sat in a strange position for too long on Saturday (did lots of work on the computer, for a certain update on a certain mould site)... but OUCH!!! Hurt when I sat down, or when I got up, wasn't too bad if I was just sitting or just standing, but doing the grocery shopping on Sunday was painful... never knew how much I use my butt muscles when I stroll around with the trolley!!! Also never really noticed how people tend to get in MY way! LOL! I always try to have a good attitude when I go shopping as most people are in a foul mood and also always in a hurry, but on Sunday I found most everyone very annoying (pain in the butt, remember??), I stuck to my left, like any good Aussie should but people still got in my way!! Did you know not every country goes to the left when you meet someone in a hallway or on the sidewalk!! I found that out the hard way!! *grin*

Anyway, on Sunday evening I had had enough... I wanted to go to work on Monday, I wanted to get better so I could take a day off later in the week when I could run my errands, or at least walk them without pain rather than take a sickie! (Sickies are SUCH a waste of time!!)

I bought some wheat a while ago, and finally got around to making my wheat bag! I wanted to know how long to microwave it for, so I looked around on the web and found this website, loved the instructions, though I made mine my own way with what I had on hand. There's also instructions for neck warmers there, and a few other "warming" things... Might make a nice one for the girls, as we had a bit of a sad accident last year when one of our waterbottles leaked, with rather hot water inside... NOT FUN!!!

Not sure if it's the wheat bag's heat, the panadol, or a good night's sleep but I felt back to my regular self (still with plantar fasciitis and heel spurs and all, but at least no more pain in the bum!). If mine had been as nice as Angela's (and I do mean the wheat/corn bag, and not my bum!!), I would show you a picture, but in the meantime, go see her site and think about it... I heard you can make them with buckwheat too, and even add lavender to the mix. I also found this site from NZ Consumer Affairs, which talks about the dangers of such bags and precautions to take (for instance, I had no idea they could burn - i.e. combust!!).

---

Onto things beady..... I found Beading Time, where there's a few beading projects -- beading AND wire -- under Beading Project, and nice close up photos... now I know what to do with those charlotte crimps... all those things I needed to learn are there (or the ones I was aware of not knowing all that well)...
There was another tutorial site I'd found via an eBay shop... but I can't find it for the life of me. I think I found the URL but the site has all changed... *sigh* what a bummer... Anyway if/when I find it again, I'll try to remember to bookmark it (and post about it). In the meantime, I think Fire Mountain Gems have pretty cool tutorials.

---

Another fun tutorial I found (after Easter, but which I'm making sure I don't forget for next year!!) is this dyed eggs one. And while you're there, check out the bread pudding recipe. Looks delicious! She's got more eggs here

---

Still no eye candy today (wish I could show you some of the upcoming KL moulds... but I can't!! Join the group if you want to be amongst the first to see them!!, I'm still working on the same swap... and I realised that when I start blogging, I start thinking about things, and wanting to share links, and it takes me forever to find them sometimes (and sometimes I dont even find them at all!!!) and I forget the initial reason for my coming here to post. :)
hmmm, I'm sure there was something else I wanted to say... guess it'll keep (if I can remember it!)

Welcome one and all!!!

I installed a little Feedjit gadget to my blog recently after seeing one on Tina D.'s website. Curious I guess, wanting to know how people get here, and if anyone came!
WELL!!!! I had NO idea! I've seen places listed that warmed my heart, some that surprised me even! Today I started with a new counter, just for fun. Why not?

Welcome to all of you! I hope your visit is worth it, I don't blog very often, but I try. Thanks to those who link to me, that was really nice to see to "arrived from..." but even the "left via ..." were great to spot, nice to know people are following some links I thought were worth a mention!!!

Following on the Freebie theme from last time here's another one I forgot about Whatever . . .Whenever

Here's Artella's Free Treasure Chest, with goodies for papercrafters and a free e-Artella too as the first free offer on that page.

Dover, makers of clipart books, also offer freebies. Each week you get a newsletter with previews of their books, and there's free downloads, in all sorts of categories, from recipes to origami!

Pate'n'roll, another France doing polymer clay things (she does really lovely things, but if I'd said "Another France doing lovely polymer clay things" it would have sounded a bit conceited! :) ) has an amazing list of Polymer Clay links to tutorials, the list is in French, but it links to French and English tutorials. Just go to her Blog and click on the menu on the side which states "Bible des liens vers tutos". While you are there, have a look at her gorgeous little Kosheki dolls tutorials. If you don't have Polymer Clay handy, I'm cure you can improvise... marzipan sounds good!!! :)

Kokeshi Originally uploaded by Pate'n Roll

Julie has some beautiful new stuff, go have a look!

While I'm here, I just realised (to my utter deception *grin*) that Beads Etc is bi-monthly, so the issue in which I will have the priviledge of having my necklace published, is not coming out next month, but, according to my very (un)scientific calculations, it's probably going to be out at the end of June or sometime in July.... it's going to be a long wait, but if my (un)scientific calculations are correct, I think there's also going to be a project by Lisa Henderson/Lily Briar Studios in the same issue.... To be continued.....

Altered Arts Magazine's Altered Tin I submitted might be a few months as well, so I'd better learn some patience... REAL QUICK!!!!!

Off to bake some polymer clay to finish a few items for a swap on Oriental Stamp Art and finish working on the new graphics for the new Krafty Lady Moulds!!! Wait til you see them!!!!!! They are not up yet, but you can see new items by the Design Team if you want to go have a look around!

Again, thanks for taking the time, even if only a few seconds, to stop by my little blog!!!

Forgot to mention, freebies!

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that Altered Arts have a free electronic issue every month, the information is on their website, but this post by Clara Stacko, the managing editor of the magazine, has all the details (I think it's so cool how the staff of the magazine have their blog).

Another place where you can find free magazines (thanks to Ev for that one, but I think she's got a blog and I cannot find the info right now, so I will get back to you if/when I find it), is Creative Living Media (Formerly known as Pride Publishing). When you subscribe to their newsletter, you get access to 6 electronic issues of a magazine of your choice.

That's all I can think of at the moment... If you know of other such cool freebies, do let me know!!! I like free! Free is good.