#she knits and crochets and enjoys cross stitching and flowers

[belovedblabber]

I keep staying up way too late and now I’m thinking about Seril my little curse of strahd gunslinger and how I need to talk about her more on here because I want to talk about her so bad

[thottyimagines]

hobbies hc's about konoha people?

Kakashi reads a lot, obviously. He also collects magnets. Whenever he goes somewhere new, he’ll get a magnet from a tacky gift shop. He doesn’t even put them anywhere; he just keeps them compiled in a cute little box. 

Naruto looooves taste-testing foods. He can convince just about any shop owner to let him try their food, and he’ll give an honest opinion. It’s actually helped a lot of businesses. 

Sakura likes to paint. It’s not always good, but it’s fun and relaxing and she has to actively work to not snap the paint brush. 

Sasuke used to collect toys from cereal boxes as a kid. When he’s older, Sasuke bird watches. 

Kurenai likes doing mind games and word puzzles. 

Kiba has three plants he keeps alive. They are succulents, so he doesn’t have to water them often, but he cares for them deeply. 

Hinata likes to cross-stitch and knit and crochet. She’s good at all of these things, and will make presents for those she cares about often. 

Shino really loves people watching. He’ll post up somewhere and watch people go about their lives and make up stories for them in his head. 

Asuma enjoys pestering Kurenai. That’s it. That’s his hobby. He likes coming up with creative ways to deny that they’re together. It’s just a running gag at this point, honestly. Everyone knows. 

Shikamaru plays games like sudoku all the time. He also is another one who likes people watching. He isn’t as involved as Shino, but if he has someone who wants to narrate what they think is going on, he is pleased. 

Ino likes looking up the meanings of rare flowers. She then comes up with creative bouquets that adequately explain her feelings for situations and people. They often sell for a lot of money. 

Choji enjoys trashy magazines and shows. He doesn’t care. It’s not a guilty pleasure at all. If he can find someone else who enjoys these things, he’ll talk about it for hours and hours. 

Might Guy is trying to get into gardening. He bought a lot of exotic plants that he doesn’t know how to take care of, but he’s trying. His local plants are faring better, to be honest.

Neji has a bullet journal. He creates plans for the day, week, month, and year. Everything is color coordinated and beautiful to look at. It’s soothing for him to map everything out. 

Tenten dances a lot. It keeps her limber, but more importantly, it’s so fun. She is a big fan of doing whatever she wants, but looser styles tend to appeal to her more. She is no ballerina. 

Rock Lee likes music so much. He listens to it, he analyzes it, and he picks up various woodwind instruments. The clarinet is his strong point. He’s so good. 

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Dat artsy mood

Lately I’ve been really getting into knitting again. Maybe it has to do with the weather getting colder and the holidays coming up. With the next few weeks being busy, it’s nice to have something to do as a side thing to keep your stress levels low.   

For me, one way I like to relax is to do something sort of repetitive like knitting. A simple pattern, like garter stitch or stockinette - and sometimes even seed stitch - don’t require too much focus so I can easily knit something while watching a video or listening to music. It’s a good way to keep your hands busy when you feel restless or stressed. Plus you get to create something - which is always a good thing in my book! 

Ever since I was young, I was always into arts and crafts. I grew up using cheap art kits that parents would buy for their kids and spend my days drawing pictures. My mom was into scrapbooking so she’d have lots of craft supplies in the office room. So sometimes I’d make up a scrapbook using scrap pieces of paper like a collage. 

Then when I was around eight my mom started getting into knitting, crocheting, and cross-stitching. Of course, I wanted to learn these things too. Out of the three, the one I got into the most was knitting. Crocheting was okay, but I couldn’t really get into it and my work ended up crooked while my mom was making doilies. Cross stitching was something I did for a while and enjoyed, but later lost interest in. Also my mom was a lot better at it than me since she knows a lot about sewing and embroidery. 

As for knitting, I stuck with it and eventually I surpassed my mom. Once I finally got the hang of it - which took me a while and I nearly gave up many times - I sort of became a knitting machine. In fact, that was pretty much the first thing that came up whenever relatives were talking about me. I was making scarves, headbands, purses, and even a blanket. My mom would buy me knitting books and magazines, so I was also making hats, plushies, and sweaters. And when I got older I downloaded free patterns online so I learned more complicated patterns like cable and lotus stitch. 

Over the years one crafty medium I often find myself returning to is knitting. My interests usually come and go like the wind, shifting from one thing to the next. Other crafts I’ve gotten into were friendship bracelets, jewelry, charms, hair accessories, bookbinding, and sewing.   

I think right now the two mediums I seem to always shift back lately to are knitting and bookbinding. For bookbinding, it’s the stitching part that’s my favorite and it’s relaxing the same way knitting is. 

Right now I’m working on a lotus stitch scarf since I have colorful yarn that looks perfect for this pattern. I kinda have a love-hate relationship with this pattern because it looks so pretty but it’s a bit of a hassle getting the stitches loose enough to achieve the lotus flower appearance. But the effort’s definitely worth it! 

From experience, handmade knits and notebooks make great gifts!

[missleela83-blog]

An Introduction

Hello, welcome to my blog, a place where I plan to document & share with you my creative life. Thank you for finding your way to my little corner of the inter-world. I will be sharing with you my making, gardening, styling, adventures & explorations, as well as snippets of family life. So settle in with a nice cup of something & take a peek in to my creative world…

I thought I would start this blog with a bit of a ‘get to me’ post. I tried to cheat & did a google search on creative person questionnaires, but I couldn’t really find anything that wasn’t written in a deep psychological manner, so I guess I’ll make the questions up as I go!

Where do you call home?

I live in the beautiful Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. I love living in the mountains & being close to the bush. We have such a stunning landscape up here. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life (30 something years), there is still so much of the Mountains that I’m yet to explore.

Who do you share you Creative Life with?

I share my life with my Husband Tim, our daughter Matilda (Tilly, 19months old) & our Fur Children, a cat called Tink & a miniature dachshund called Indie. We are really fortunate to have a lot of our family living close by, including both our parents who live just in the next town over (perfectly convenient for babysitting!).

What creative crafts do you pursue?

My main craft is patchwork & I particular enjoy English Paper Piecing. I enjoy doing a lot of miniature patchwork using this method. I also enjoy crochet. I have mostly been making amigurumi toys, with a few blanket projects here & there.

Of the crafts you do what is your favourite & why?

English Paper Piecing is defiantly my favourite. I have been sewing using this historic method since my early twenties. Once I started using ¼��� hexagons my passion for creating miniature quilts was ignited! I love the slow, steady nature of hand sewing that EPP (English Paper Piecing) provides. I find it incredibly therapeutic, & I find I want to do nothing more than pick up my needle & thread at the end of a day’s work. I get major withdrawals if I go more than two days without hand sewing! I also love how portable EPP is, especially my miniature projects. They don’t take up much room & can easily be packed up & taken away on holidays, or just as easily be worked on sitting on the lounge watching TV.

What other crafts would you like to try?

I would really like to learn how to knit. My mum taught me ages ago & I made a very simple scarf, but I would love to knit myself some socks! I have been watching so many wonderful Knitting podcasts & seeing all the beautiful projects being made that I’m now desperate to join the Knitting Revolution!

There are more things I’d like to learn with Crochet, in particular I’d like to try Tunisian Crochet, & also garment making with Crochet. I’d also like to try weaving & I have started Yarn Dying & have plans to dye & print fabric also.

What other crafts have you tried, what was the first?

I think the first thing I ever learnt was how to Cross Stitch when I was in primary school. I also tried my hand at long-stitch, latch-hooking & Quilling as a young child. In my teen years I was mostly in to sketching & drawing & enjoyed working with chalk pastels. Aside from that I’ve dabbled in a bit of scrap booking but never really got in to, I prefer a more digital way to record photos & memories.

Who taught you your craft?

I learnt everything from my wonderfully talented & crafty mother. And I mean everything. She taught me how to cross stitch, use a sewing machine, everything she knows about patchwork I know about patchwork. She taught me how to crochet & has taught me once before how to knit, but I need some new lessons! When she isn’t around or available to answer my crafty questions, I turn to Google or YouTube tutorials to find the answers to my questions

Who are your Crafty Role Models?

Definitely my Mum! Not only has she taught me so much, but we love sharing our crafty endeavours with each other. We enjoy spending time making together, as well as going on crafty expeditions to quilt shows, patchwork & wool shops. My Dad is also creative in the field of photography & so I call on him for opinions on that & other things. You are always guarded to get an honest opinion from him, whether you agree with it or not!

Aside from my parents there are many women in the making world I look to as Role Models. Amy Butler is a big one & I have admired her work since I first discovered her when I was getting in to patchwork quilting. Recently I have found new Crafty Role Models in the likes of Jooles from Sew Sweet Violet, Sandra form Cherry Heart, Melody from B Mandarines, Danni from Little Bobbin Knits & Molly from A Homespun House. And really I could go on naming so many more!

Where do you get inspiration from?

I find inspiration from so many places. Of course there is the obvious Instagram, Pinterest & Podcasts, as well as books & magazines. But I also get a lot of inspiration from my surroundings & travels. Be it from my local bush surrounds, a trip to the coast or a trip out in the country. Being in these places not only inspires me but rejuvenates me. I also find inspiration from simple things such as flowers, going in to a craft or homewares shop, & also from fabrics & yarn.

Tell us about your Crafty Business.

My business Miss Leela Handmade took many years to get off the ground. I held myself back from launching it for so long from a lack of confidence & feeling like I wasn’t ready. I also wanted everything to be perfect from the get go, my branding, my products etc. Finally I got the courage up & decided I was ready. I opened my Etsy shop on the night of my First Wedding Anniversary, October 13, 2013, so now I get to celebrate two awesome things on that date!

In my shop I sell my miniature patchwork wall hangings, as well as patchwork quilts, crochet amigurumi & décor items. I also in recent years developed my own range of cut paper pieces for miniature patchwork & I sell packets of these in my shop.

In 2016 I took Miss Leela Handmade out of the studio & did my first ever market, the Etsy Made Local Blue Mountains Artisan Market. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience which I shared with my Best Friend Rachael who kindly helped me out on the day. I also took part in last year’s Etsy Made Local event, both as a stallholder & organiser. I did a few other markets last year, & whilst it’s lovely to meet people out at markets, it’s bloody hard work! This year I’m not planning on doing too many markets & instead will be focussing more on my online Etsy shop.

What are you Making/Creative Dreams?

My big number one creative dream is to move to the countryside on a big rural property, with a lovely Australian country house & enough space to build a large studio & run a Making Retreat, where guest can partake in all manner of different creative crafts & stay in glamped up Yurts.

Other making dreams include writing my own patterns for EPP, writing a book, & to develop my own range of fabrics & yarns.

Aside from craft, what other creative pursuits do you have?

I have worked as an interior designer for the past 12 years. This has led me in to pursuing styling & photography. In particular I love styling crafty bits & bobs, & handmade items. I do also enjoy a bit of home interior styling. Last year I tentatively launched my own Styling Business, Miss Leela Styling. I am currently building up my portfolio & nutting out what my particular styling/photography ‘style & technique” is.

When you’re not making, what else do you enjoy doing?

Reading, colouring in, working in the garden & watching a good movie or TV series. I enjoy spending time with Tim & Tilly, as well as catching up with Family & Friends. Going out & exploring new places is also something I like to do.

What are some of your favourite things?

Tea! I love tea, pretty much any flavour tea except for anything liquorice flavoured, chai or green tea. One of my most favourite simple pleasures is making myself a pot of tea in one of my china cups. Also chocolate! Basically I need this to survive. Rarely is there a day that goes by when I don’t eat chocolate!

I love homewares & soft furnishings. I also like to collect things. So far my collections extend to cut glass vases, china tea cups & saucers, owl figurines, fabric & yarn (of course!), vintage sewing baskets, & vases of all different shapes & makes.

Well I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about me. I would love to connect with you so please don’t be shy in leaving me a comment below, or connecting with me on Instagram or Facebook. I also have a Podcast which you can find on my YouTube Channel.

I hope to be back really soon with more from my Creative Making Life.

Miss Leela xo