Love Hate Relationships....

I have a love hate relationship with those super organised woman out there...I used to work with a lady that would Dymo label you if you stood still too long. Believe it or not this lady actually Dymo labeled the photocopier..."Photocopier". BUT in saying that if you asked her for something it was in your hot little hands before you blinked! SOOOO I am a Stumbler and stumbled upon this the other day and I got all excited and nervious at the same time because I loved what I saw and then feared the logistics of keeping it that way for any length of time. I just got myself a new sewing desk and felt so liberated and free, the space was refreshing and then I found the desk was a bit sticky...it just seemed to be gathering S*#t before my eyes! I cut some fabric..the remant remained, I cut some ribbon...the roll remained...and so on until now it feels like I am working on a card table and not a 2m x 1.8m corner desk! Chaos = Creativity but Mess = Non-Productivity....so I have to clean up, and that takes time, and THAT = FRUSTRATION....I need to learn how to work neatly but still keep my creative flare that comes with grabbing this and that off a cluttered and crazy desk!
Anyway much to do about nothing really, but more to share this link of some really great organising ideas...my fav...actually two faves...the jars with the lids screwed under the shelf and the plastic basket with the ribbons in it!
http://pinterest.com/casabellaproj/organization-ideas
Mrs Woo xxx

Good Crafternoon

Actually it is crafter-evening, but I am brewing and bubbling up the idea of having a once a month 'crafternoon' here. I have a wod of patterns and a stack of enthusiams but am lacking in buckets of time and motivation! I am unsure exactly how to run it and where...should I charge and if so how much? I want to lend my 'untrained' self to others for the sharing sake of it and for the teapot tipping and biscuit dunking fun that comes with unbridled b*tching and nattering about much to do about nothing!
I would like to use my own patterns and patterns I have purchased to help someone make something they have dreamed of creating but have never taken that step forward due to fear of failure, lack of skill/inspiration/motivation etc.
I don;t think there is anything to be scared of, I am untrained and when I sew with my highly skilled friend I feel free...I do not know how you are 'meant' to do it and have bunny hopped and pig rooted my way through my sewing life disregarding the 'rules' and for this reason I have no boundaries that stop me from trying out new things. My highly skilled friend, lets call her... 'Jo' because that's her name...measures 50 times before cutting once, while I cut once, swear, throw something, breath in - breath out and then find a solution to my misake, which can ends in a pretty cool 'unique' creation. I do try to stretch the ropes and stand outside the boxing ring that everyone puts themselves in. They all stand in there and fight over who is copying who, when really they are all doing exactly the same thing as they are using the exact same pattern! It is a "who came first, the chicken or the egg" situation. Don't get me wrong, I don't pretend that I am cool about copying, I do spark up and fight like a wild cat if I feel I have been cheated as I 'know' my things are mine and if they arn't, then I credit the person I got it off! SOOOOO IF I do choose to run some workshop/crafternoon fun, I will have to relinquish my rights to my designs and ideas and roll with it, BUT I would like the people who join me to respect my intelectual property and at least credit me for it if they choose to make my patterns into 'things' and sell them...is that fair? Also I would never share the patterns I have purchased that ask not to be shared or sold...just the standard book and tissue paper or downloadable *free* patterns.
Anyway it is nearly Crafter-morning again and Wednesday is my only sewing day so I better be off to brew and stew over this a bit more...then wake to start a sew-a-thon of Wooohorses for my September orders and the sale night ont he 24th!

Mrs Woo xxx

WANT this style!

FOUND the perfect boot....check out Http://www.polyvore.com for what to wear with what shoe and when!
I am in LOVE with D.Co Copenhagen and Frye boots....sadly my bank account doesn't share my love and is telling me to wake up to myself!

Answer to travelling idea by bencawear featuring a round handbag

Woo-tastic Sale Details

First of all I have the say -X THANK YOU X-, to all the wonderful people who have liked my page, I do feel truly and honestly honored and I am sincerely grateful to each and everyone of you! XOX

I have been overwhelmed and flattered by the response to my WoooHorses and as you know if you have been to my page, there are no custom spots available until mid next year. I receive so many emails asking 'how do I get one?' and each and everyone makes me feel so humbled and honored and so, so sad at the same time! I hate to disappoint and hate to have to say that I am unable to make one for your little one/s. So for this reason I am offering ready made, extra special WoooHorses up on a one off sale night, and this allow some of these wonderful people to have the opportunity to get a WoooHorse. I was going to lock the sale to ONLY those that do not have a WoooHorse already, or are not already on a waiting list, but felt this was unfair so I have left it open to all! I understand that those that are on the waiting list may feel they are being stepped over, but please understand your custom spot allows for full control on your behalf in regards to fabrics, optional extras and packages, where as the sale horse will be what you see is what you get, and I am not compromising any orders by making these horses, all orders will be completed and posted on time as promised.

Ok so I need to let everyone know what the detail are regarding the WoooHorse SALE night, so here goes:

DATE: Saturday, 24th Sept
TIME: 7pm AEST
LOCATION: http://www.whimsywoo.com.au/

FINER DETAILS: 

The WoooHorses will be ready made, with lots of love and special touches to make them unique and definite one offs, they will NOT be able to be changed and are sold 'as is'.
Prices will reflect the quantity of optional extras and time and effort put into each one, but will start at the standard $70 with postage being $15.00 Australia and NZ, including registered post to ensure we can keep track of your treasure as it heads from the Woo Stables to your loving home.
International Shipping available on request.

At this stage I do not know how many horses there will be, and probably won't until sale night!

I have chosen to put the sale on my webby as I have read the new facebook policy and think that it is not worth the risk of being booted off FB, though I see sales like this everyday on FB, it would be my luck to be the sucker who gets in trouble! I will list the horses and a few pics of them on the webby (without the option to buy) a few days before to allow buyers to come and have a look and then if they see something they like, they can come back and buy it when the sale starts. There will only be ONE of each horse, so first in best dressed policy applies.

If you are the lucky buyer of a WoooHorse you will be able to pay via PayPal, Bank Deposit or COD (if local)

All orders will be processed and loaded on their floats within a week of the sale, express post can be arranged, but will be at your expense and is approximately $10 extra.

Good Luck,
Mrs Woo xxx

Oh hello weird and wonderful...

Today, 9:20am, quick dash tot he local Woolies to get staples. On returning to my car I see a lady sitting in her car directly in front of mine..cars nose to nose, and she is looking in her review mirror and flicking her fingers around her chin....what that? I sit and look harder, mouth open, squinting my eyes, screwing my nose up to try and see what it is exactly she is doing....No, she isn't ....really? She was pulling the hairs out of her chin with what I thought at the time was a rubber band....new found knowledge tells me it is plain old cotton sewing thread...in this 'snapping crab claws' kind of action, like two hand puppet ducks talking to each other!!! SOooo weird to witness in monotone, no explanation of what I am actually seeing and no freaking idea WHY at 9:20am in the woolies carpark this lady had the urge to pull the hairs out of her chin with a piece of string! LOL

By the way I have now been educated on the Indian art of hair removal called 'threading'...insert age old saying...'you learn something new everyday'

I 'personally' after watching a YouTube 'How to Thread' clip am NOT in a hurry to try it myself, I can just see me eyebrow-less, or at least eyebrow-less on one side because you would hope if I messed it up that bad I wouldn't attempt the other side...right? LOL....Reminds me of an incidence where I though 'Hey I can wax my own eyebrows...easy!' Pffftt Um No! I can still hear my husband dropping the pot in the kitchen to run to my aid after hearing me scream and life threatening scream from the bathroom, his thundering footsteps up the hall and the shocked 'WHAT HAS HAPPENED?!' look on his face. Only to discover I had waxed a 1.5cm strip right out of the center of my left eyebrow....
"BAHAHHHAAA!!!", was what he said followed closely by "It'll grow back" but it took a LONG time to grow back and I had to pencil that baby in each and every day till it did...lesson learnt, $15 is NOT a lot to pay for an eyebrow wax!

SO what have you seen someone do in public that freaked you out?

Emsah Moda...

One of my childhood friends, her sister and her mother are starting up a fashion label called Emsah Moda and I CAN'T wait till it is in production. The three ladies all have impeccable taste in fashion and interior design and I know what they come up with will blow our minds with vintage inspired fabrics, elegant designs smashed with rock chic and AmAzInG Jewelry by Debbi.
It got me thinking about my 'style'... mmeeehhhh what style! Sadly I know what I LOVE but just can't seem to 1. Pull it off with confidence or 2. Put it together so it looks good in the first place!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Nina Proudmans' style...looks effortless, layered and oh so vintage funk...on me...when i TRY and put something like this together...looks like I fell in the salvo bin, rolled around and came out with whatever stuck! I can't pull off the layered necklace and scarf...I look more like a tree has caught flying garbage bags, string and junk in a strong southerly wind! Then I feel like I an constantly pulling the 40 layers down as they all independently creep up my body to form a roll just under my breasts! AND while sorting the layers that are going UP, I am also pulling the layers that are going DOWN up!!!  I have small calves and find it hard to get boots that fit them without gaping and having that so not cool 'gumboot' look, but I JUST found a pair and have been wearing them like a second skin since they arrived. So how do you do it? Where to do you shop...do you go to one shop and get the catalogue and say I want 'that outfit' because that is the only way I could ever do it, I just can't get individual pieces from different stores to mesh together and look good. I have the most beautiful pieces in my cupboard....from vintage and antique shops that I would love to wear....what I need is a stylist...someone to say 'yes' or 'NO!!!!' to what I put together and my husband who thinks it is OK to wear your sheep skin moccasins to the pub is NOT the person to help me!
SO please let me know how you do it...where you shop and who helps you!

Mrs Wooofully Unfashionable! xxx

Copy Cat, Dirty Rat....

So A cyber friend had a dig at 'no one in particular' about buy and using patterns and NOT crediting the creator of that pattern....I thought it might have been a dig at me... So I had a look at myself, and what I have been making, and the patterns I have used, read them front to back and made sure there was no where on them that asked to be specifically credited....then I had a *gulp* moment and thought about the patterns that have been traced, handed on and gifted to me...were they all above board? Well it turns out one of them was NOT above board, and not only was it not above board in the sense that it should have been credited, WORSE....it says....'You are welcome to make as many of these as you like for yourself or for gifts but you are NOT permitted to sell them' .....EEEKKKK.....feeling pretty bad about using the pattern and selling the items now. The pattern from what I can see comes from over seas and the chances of the original person finding little me here in the sticks is low, however that isn't the point or what it is about, it is about being true to yourself and being fair on the person that created and sold this pattern, so I have made the decision to not make anymore to sell, but will stick to the guidelines and only gift them. I would just like to add here that I have seen another person selling the same item and NOT crediting the creator either, so it wasn't just my wrong...maybe they don't know either? One pattern that is getting absolutely *SmAsHeD* by people claiming it as their own is the WhimsyDolls, dolls and softies....there are a lot who DO credit her, but a lot that don't too.
NOW....my Wooo Horses are NOT a pattern, but are a melting pot of snips and chops until they were just right using free images, written instructions, trial and error....IF they were a pattern wouldn't there be other people out there making exactly the same as me!? I have seen a lot of the Melly and Me 'Giddy Up' horses getting around and not all people credit that pattern but you can tell plain as day that they have used it....anyway I challenge you to go through your patterns and see if you are being true to yourself and fair on the person/s that made your patterns. I truly don't care if you choose to not advertise it, that is none of my business or concern, I just think it is an interesting exercise as I would never have thought to do it until my cyber friend pointed it out.....Thanks Elizabeth! I feel better for being honest to myself.
I remember when I was making my 'Bibbles....the Bib for Dribble' I started to look into copy rights and licensing and found out very quickly that is it 1. Expensive 2. not fail safe...the slightest change to your pattern and it no longer is 'yours' and 3. Realistically a waste of time because WAS I going to hunt down someone who did copy me, take them to court and sue them....um no. AND if a BIG manufacturing company decided to run with it (dreaming I know) as if little old me is going to be able to say 'hey that is my idea', they are going to chew me up and spit me out and make millions (dreaming again) out of my idea.....so obviously I moved on! LOL

Rant officially over....for today!

Mrs Woo xxx