Op Shopped

More often than not I seem to walk away from op shops empty handed but during the week I managed to find this sweet plate.  I couldn't resist buying it, especially since I already own one exactly like it.  Now I have two.

New Year, New Direction?

Well it is a new year again, (I know I am a little late since it February already!) we are back from a very hot holiday in WA and the bike shop is open and in full swing, which means my bookkeeping skills are in demand.

I should be planning my year for ruby-jo but instead I am feeling a bit lost creatively.  I don’t think I want to continue in the same direction I have been for the past few years but I am unsure exactly what to do next.

So… I have decided to put ruby-jo on hold/hiatus for a while, to give me some time to figure it all out.  That means I won’t be making anything new for the shop for a while and I will be giving myself time to experiment and play around with some of the new ideas I have floating around in my head. 

I will be organising a sale in my shops soon to clear out old stock and in case you are wondering I will still keep blogging - hopefully a bit more frequently than I have been.

Against the Grain

I am mesmerised by the pencil animation in this music clip, so I thought I would share.

Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

Heart Gift Tags

New from me - crochet love heart gift tags.  I have had the idea in my head for quite a while now and finally everything has come together.

The hearts have been crocheted by me in 4ply cotton with my own pattern (which can I say took quite a bit of trial and error)

They come with white or kraft coloured card and you can find them in my etsy store or big cartel store.

New Shop on Big Cartel

I have just opened up a shop on Big Cartel...no joining necessary to buy.  

You can access the shop HERE or from the "Shop" tab at the top of the blog.  

More stuff coming soonish.

Infinity Scarf

 I learned to crochet late last year, something I have been wanting to do for ages. You might recall I made some Christmas decorations as my first proper project and then forgot all about crochet for a while.

Anyway I have picked up the hook again and thankfully I remember most of what I was originally taught.  My first finished project (and first scarf ever)  is the infinity scarf that you can see in the photos, which is basically a scarf that is one big circle.  To wear it you wrap it around your head twice.

It's so easy to make that you don't really need a pattern.  I have made mine in treble crochet  using Cleckheaton Country Silk 8ply, which is a wool that has flecks of silk in it, giving the yarn some texture.

It's very warm to wear so I will be making a few more once winter comes around again.  The only change I would make is to shorten the length a little.

Sweet!

I have wanted to visit the Birch & Purchese Sweet Studio ever since I watched Darren Purchese cook off against Kate on Masterchef, and birthday week in our household was a perfect excuse to do so.

I should explain that the desserts looked picture perfect when they left the shop but unfortunately got a little battered on the way home as you can see in the photo. Entirely my fault. Luckily it didn't affect the taste!

From the top clockwise is Dark Chocolate, Pear Hazelnut, then Pistachio, Strawberry Rose, followed by Banana, Caramel, Rum and finally Chocolate, Mandarin, Salted Caramel. And not shown in the photo was Coffee Smoked White Chocolate, Coffee, Aniseed Lemon.

Just as you would expect they tasted amazing. My favourite was a toss up between the Chocolate,Mandarin,Salted Caramel and the Banana,Caramel, Rum.

I am still here!

Just letting you know I am still alive and well : ) I seem to have taken an unintended blog break. There hasn't been much going on creatively in ruby-jo land over the past little while so I guess that is probably why.

Anyway I am back on board again so stay tuned for some more regular posting.

Sunday

I took a trip to the Camberwell markets on Sunday to buy some vintage buttons from the "button lady" who has a regular stall there, but to my huge disappointment she wasn't there. I am just hoping her absence isn't a permanent thing.


I did manage to pick up a few lovely vintage glass buttons and a needlepoint picture so I didn't come away empty handed.....oh and some hot jam doughnuts!

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

Here is a selection of vintage buttons I bought at the Camberwell market on the weekend for a new project that I am working on....

Find me at the North Melbourne Market this Sunday

I am going to be at the North Melbourne Market tomorrow Sunday the 20th of Feb. It runs from 10am to 3pm and has a $2 entry fee.

As mentioned earlier I am going to have some of my old stock on sale including clutches and the last of the brooches.

I hope to see you there!

PS. If you are wondering why the pictures of my etsy shop that are normally in the right margin aren't there anymore it's because I have put the shop in vacation mode. It will be up and running again next week.

Been Busy...

Sorry for the lack of posts of late. I have been busy getting ready for the North Melbourne Market on the 20th Feb.

The photo is a sneak peak of my new range of zipper purses which will make their debut on the day.

I will also have some old stock on sale....more about that soon.

Christmas Decoration Close Up

I promised you a closer look so here they are.

The decorations were my first proper crochet project after learning how to crochet.



I used DMC Pearl Cotton embroidery thread to make them with a size 2.5mm hook which was a little tricky for a beginner but I had a small tree and so I needed to make the decorations small as well.

I was going to stiffen them but ran out of time to experiment so just gave them a press with the iron to flatten them out. I finished them off with some grey/silver ribbon to blend into my silver tree.


I also made some hearts using 8ply yarn which were easy in comparison.

Oh and I know I am a little late but Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Well I hope you are all having a very Merry Christmas.

It is late afternoon/evening here and we have only just finished lunch! I guess we will be having a late dinner.

I should mention that I have found it nearly impossible to take a good photo of my christmas tree. The branches stick out in all strange directions and it's not symmetrical at all. It's a cheap $12 one I bought from Borders one Christmas eve when I was desperate to find something. I think I will have to remedy that next year.

Yes those are the decorations I crocheted! I will show them to you in a little more detail soon.

Christmas Baking

I have been doing a bit of baking the last 2 days in preparation for Christmas.

I made some gingerbread biscuits for the first time ever yesterday. I got the recipe from here. The only thing I changed was to use cinnamon instead of the mixed spice. They worked out well although the icing seems to take forever to harden. I iced them this morning and it's still not hard.

Today I have been working on cream puffs which are a Christmas tradition in our household. I have made the custard and shells and will assemble them tomorrow so they can be eaten fresh.

phew! Time for a cuppa I think.

100 Seinfeld quotes [Episode 1]

For all you Seinfeld fans out there. This clip never fails to make me laugh!

Christmas Decoration Sneak Peek!

I have been busy crocheting.

Brooch SALE

I am discontinuing my current line of brooches. It's time to move on to new designs. As a result I have put them on sale for $20 (including postage for Australian customers) until they all run out.

You can find the brooches in my etsy shop here. With Christmas just around the corner they could make good christmas presents.

I have already had a few sales so if you see something you like, grab it while you can. I have multiples of a small number of designs but if the listing says last one then that is it!

Vintage Crochet Patterns

Clark's and Coats Book No. 243 Pot Holders

This is one of the many vintage crochet patterns that I have purchased lately. Oops did I say many? Now that I can crochet I may have developed just a slight fascination with vintage potholders, vintage crochet motifs and crochet covered coat hangers.

The pattern booklet contains a variety of potholder patterns and was printed in 1948. At the moment I am dreaming of collection of potholders on my kitchen wall....

...but I must work on my Christmas decorations first!

Granny Squares

Granny squares made by me!

They are not too hard once you have mastered the basic crochet stitches, although I am still working out the finer details of an invisible finish.

I think I will save making a granny blanket until after summer. I want to try some smaller projects first and make some christmas decorations.