Showing Tag: "craft" (Show all posts)

LOL cats (in felt)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Thursday, September 29, 2016, In : Creativity

If you follow me on Instagram or Flickr, you might remember seeing these guys earlier in the year ...

I created these LOL cats for a 3D typography assignment. I was (and still am) really happy with how they turned out. I think they're colourful and cute and fun :)

I also enjoyed the whole process of making them - coming up with the designs, brainstorming different ideas for construction, creating the pattern templates, choosing the colour scheme, drawing and stitching the embroidered details, a...
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A lovely last day

Posted by Sally Cummings on Monday, November 9, 2015, In : Professional

Last week I finished work at OCLC, having been there for just over 18 months. It's been a great experience, doing something different to any library-related job I've had before. I love to learn and take on new challenges, and I'm proud of the work I did at OCLC.

One of the best parts about working there is the people. Such a fantastic team of professionals who really care about providing high quality service to libraries. People who are intelligent, dedicated, passionate, knowledgeable and gen...
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Stitching Snoopy (24 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, In : Creativity

I loved Snoopy and Peanuts when I was young. In fact, I still love them. So when I saw a sweet cross stitch pattern of Snoopy and his doghouse on eBay, I snapped it up.

I completed the stitching in January this year, and found a neat little blue photo frame that suited it just right - it matches his collar :)

The pattern had called for 14 count Aida fabric, but I decided to use 16 count instead. This reduced the design down to just the right size for a standard photo frame. The stitches were sm...
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Stitching on the train

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, January 18, 2015, In : Creativity

I didn't do a lot of crafting in 2014 - my emotional and physical energy was sapped, and it was an effort to engage my creativity. There were a few brief spurts, notably my short participation in #ICAD last year, but overall I struggled to find the time or inspiration.

Towards the end of the year, I decided to change all that. It might sound like a cliche, but I felt like I was only living half a life when I had nothing creative going on. So I made a deliberate effort to make the time and oppo...
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25 Christmas decorations in 25 days

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, January 11, 2015,

I put my Christmas tree up early for a change in 2014. When I posted a photo of it on Instagram in late November, I mentioned that I had more ornaments than space on my tree. My friend Jo suggested that I post photos of individual ornaments each day, so that people could get a closer look. I thought that was a great idea, so 25 Christmas decorations in 25 days was born :)

Each day in December, up to and including Christmas Day, I posted a photo of an ornament on Instagram. Some were decoration...
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Origami Mother's Day card (2 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Monday, June 2, 2014, In : Creativity

It's only the second day of #blogjune, and here I am at 10pm trying to scrabble a post together! I have lots of drafts in progress, but all need more work than I have time for tonight.

So a simple post about something that I created recently. I made my Mum her Mother's Day card this year, using origami paper lined with writing paper, and a strip of floral tape. I bound it with a ribbon, and of course added a personal message inside. I was quite pleased with this effort, understated but pretty....
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The problem with pom poms (28 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Thursday, June 28, 2012, In : Creativity

A Christmassy/crafty post in June - why not? ;)

Each year for the last few years I've made little ornaments for my sisters' Christmas trees. Photos of some of my previous efforts are on Flickr HERE. For Christmas last year I didn't have much time to put something together, so I decided to make something I'd been wanting to try my hand at for a while - pom poms! It sounded so simple :)

I soon learned that there are a few important things to take into consideration when making yarn pom poms. The ...
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Found treasures (27 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Wednesday, June 27, 2012,

While I was out walking this morning, I came across some startling red seeds amongst the leaf litter. I just had to collect a few, they were so pretty - hard, shiny and very colourful!

I asked a friend on Twitter - @lokilovesyou - who makes beautiful seed jewellery if she knew what they were called. She told me that the seeds are from Adenanthera pavonina, also known as the Red Bead Tree (fitting!), Saga Tree or Red Sandalwood.

I'm not sure yet if I'll try making jewellery with them in future. ...
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Vintage craft book: "Creative Needlework" (27 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, In : Creativity

I know, I know! You've been waiting *all year* for another instalment of vintage craft! Well, I try not to disappoint ;)

"Creative Needlework" (1974) by Jo Springer is another gem from my Mum's collection. It has some fantastic retro styling that is quite on-trend at the moment.

But then it starts getting a little iffy ...

Until eventually - dear God, won't someone please think of the children!?!?

Luckily, there are a couple of dapper chaps playing with model trains to rescue us all at the end ;)...
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Pretty paper flowers (22 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Friday, June 22, 2012, In : Creativity

A couple of years ago, my Mum was in hospital and I was planning to buy her some flowers. Then I remembered an online tutorial that I'd come across for making carnations using tissue paper. I'd never really been one for paper crafts before, but these were really pretty - they would last longer than real flowers, and my Mum would always know that they were made with love.

The tutorial for tissue paper carnations was from the Folding Trees blog. The blog authors have stopped posting new material...
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Experimenting with origami (4 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Monday, June 4, 2012, In : Creativity

I'd never tried origami before this year, but in the space of a few months I picked up the bug! I bought a book on origami for beginners (oh alright, it's actually called Origami for Children), some lovely origami paper from a couple of Japanese shops in Melbourne, and an origami-a-day calendar for 2012. A friend of mine also gave me some origami paper that she'd bought in Japan.

My origami paper supplies are still boxed up in the craft room / home office - I can't wait to unpack them! - but I...
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Taking a stab at needle felting

Posted by Sally Cummings on Monday, September 26, 2011, In : Creativity

Do you see what I did there?

Well if you don't, maybe you haven't come across needle felting before ... :)

It's a craft technique that involves shaping wool roving into, well, shapes. And then stabbing it again and again with a small barbed needle until the wool sticks (felts) together to become a solid mass in whatever shape you desire. There are many different colours of wool available, and different needles (fine or coarse) allow you to control the amount of detail.

Needle felting is most com...
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Vintage craft book: "Celebrity Needlepoint" (18 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Saturday, June 18, 2011, In : Creativity

Ever since our last #blogeverydayofjune adventure I've been meaning to post another instalment of vintage craft :)

Last time I blogged about one of my favourite vintage craft books, "Crafts for Fun and Profit". That book is part of my own craft book collection, but originally belonged to my Mum. Today's book is one that my Mum has hung on to - I took these photos when I visited at Christmas.

The book is called "Celebrity Needlepoint" (1972) by Joan Scobey and Lee Parr McGrath. It doesn't have a...
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Kumihimo revisited (13 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Monday, June 13, 2011, In : Creativity

Last year I blogged about trying kumihimo (Japanese braiding) for the first time.

Since then, I've bought supplies and set to work making a number of braids using this technique. I find it very enjoyable and relaxing, and easy to do while travelling or watching TV. I've learnt about colour combinations and patterns, and my technique is definitely improving.

I'm planning to use these braids to create bracelets. I've bought the jewellery findings, but turning the braids into "wearable art" is a w...
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Scrapped!

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, February 13, 2011,

So, I'm still taking part in the Daily Image 2011 challenge on Flickr. I'm slightly surprised that I'm still going, and haven't missed a day yet. Even when the last thing I've felt like doing was taking a photo of myself, I've still managed to give myself a little push and do it. And I'm glad, because although I'm getting sick of the sight of myself ;) I'm really enjoying being part of this community activity and seeing the interesting photos being posted by all of the participants :) You can...
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Happy New Year 2011 :)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Saturday, January 8, 2011,

My best wishes to all of you for a happy and healthy 2011!

The last few months of 2010 were pretty tough for me, for a variety of reasons that I won't go into here. And I'm pretty sure that 2011 will also throw a few challenges my way. I generally try to blog in a positive frame of mind, so posts have been few and far between while I've been in struggle-mode. But it's a new year, and I'm ready to get back on board :)

I've got plenty of blog posts in draft mode, just waiting to be polished and ...
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Vintage craft book: "Crafts for Fun and Profit" (27 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, June 27, 2010, In : Creativity

Well, I missed another #blogeverydayofjune post yesterday due to illness. I don't know if I can make up for it in the few days left, but I'll do my best ;)

I love flicking through vintage craft books. Occasionally I will buy one to add to my book collection, but there are so many out there that I have to restrain myself! I try to only collect books that have continuing appeal, but I must confess to having picked up a so-bad-it's-good book from time to time :)

This book is one of my faves. It wa...
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French knitting (20 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, June 20, 2010, In : Creativity

I was a bit surprised that I hadn't written more craft-related blog posts this month, considering how much I talk (and think) about it, but then I realised that I've spent so much of my spare time blogging that I didn't have much time left over for crafting!

Despite that, I did find some time to play with my new crafty toy. It's a French knitting bee, also known as a knitting nancy or a spool knitter (remember those cotton spools with nails hammered into the top?). Most people come across thes...
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Crochet lesson (13 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, June 13, 2010, In : Creativity

Thank you so much to Kim for giving Ruth, Zaana and I our first crochet lessons on Saturday!

We were all terrible fumble fingers to begin with, but one by one we started to get the hang of it :)

My first attempt is pretty wobbly looking. I accidentally twisted it at some point, so I'm pretending that it's a crocheted Möbius strip ;)

I've been itching to learn crochet for *so* long! The technique feels very strange, especially for an ex-knitter (though not a very good one). I can see a lot of pr...
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Creative Barter Mark II (12 June)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Saturday, June 12, 2010, In : Creativity

Today I spent an awesome afternoon with fellow Twitterers, librarians and crafters Ruth, Kim and Zaana when we met up for a #creativebarter swap session.

I've described #creativebarter in a previous blog entry - basically we swap items that utilise our own special creative skills. Kim creates amazing crochet pieces, Ruth makes gorgeous pottery, and Zaana is a talented artist and print maker. Oh, and I cross stitch amongst other things :)

I'd like to extend my personal thanks to Zaana for being ...
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Japanese braiding (Kumihimo)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Saturday, May 22, 2010, In : Creativity

A couple of weeks ago, I went along to the Stitches & Craft Show in Melbourne. I went on a bit of a shopping spree, but I also took the opportunity to go along to a class on Japanese braiding, run by Trish of TrishAlan Designs.

I'd never even heard of Japanese braiding (known as kumihimo) before doing the class. It's a bit like friendship bracelet making - which I never got the hang of in my school years - but there is a lot more variety to it. There are many different ways of making the braid...
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Hello again :)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, May 16, 2010,

Man, oh man, oh man! It really has been ages since I last blogged!

Whilst I won't go into all the reasons why I've been a bit quiet online lately (let's just say I tend to withdraw from the world when I'm under stress), there have been a few changes in my life lately ...

Our long-anticipated move north is on hold (again), this time due to family circumstances. We may still be looking at moving in July/August, but it will very much depend on what else is happening at the time. We'll just have to...
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Finding comfort

Posted by Sally Cummings on Tuesday, March 23, 2010,

The last month has very been stressful for me and my family, especially this last week. This isn't the place to go into further detail, so I'll just leave it at that. But perhaps it will explain the lack of blog posts - my mind has most decidedly been somewhere else!

I've got a backlog of half-complete posts waiting to be finished about VALA2010, the Tour Down Under, decluttering, and an assortment of topics inspired by Twitter conversations. Hopefully they will appear soon. In the meantime, t...
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Advent Calendar - Day 20 (Felt Christmas Decorations)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, December 20, 2009, In : Creativity

I love finding inspiration on the internet, and when I came across this Zakka Life tutorial for felt Christmas decorations, I knew I had to make some!

I gave these to some good friends of ours as a housewarming gift :)

If you haven't come across the term "zakka" before, I'll take a stab at describing it. Zakka is a design movement encompassing a wide variety of hand-sewn household items, usually functional. Their style is often a little bit kitsch or cute. You can view some nice examples at the...
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Advent Calendar - Day 17 (Creative Barter)

Posted by Sally Cummings on Friday, December 18, 2009, In : Creativity

Sorry about the lack of a blog post yesterday - I was stitching to a deadline and ran out of time!

I've been meaning to post here for some time about crafty stuff - crafts that I currently do and crafts that I want to learn. That blog post is still in the pipeline, but for now I'll show you my latest cross stitch project of robots mucking around in a photo booth :) (click on the photo to see a larger version on Flickr). The pattern was created by Krupp at Mr X Stitch. I loved the design as soo...
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Tumbling...

Posted by Sally Cummings on Saturday, November 21, 2009, In : Technology

If you've visited my site lately, you may have noticed a new entry on the left-hand menu. It's called "Tumblr" and it links to a web page with my latest ten Tumblr posts.

In case you haven't come across Tumblr before, it's a microblogging site, but it's quite different to that most well-known microblogging service, Twitter. With Tumblr, you can quickly and easily grab interesting things off the internet - web pages, photos, videos, quotes, blog posts, etc. - and display them on Tumblr with a c...
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Study angst

Posted by Sally Cummings on Sunday, October 4, 2009,

Ahem ... it's been a little while between blog posts, hasn't it? I can't believe it's October already! The time has been flying, but what have I been up to?

Well, at the end of July I went straight from work into full-time study. Surprise, surprise (not) I struggled to get back into the swing of it. Full-time distance study requires motivation and discipline, and I was lacking both.

One of the big differences between this time studying (to complete the Masters) and the last time (for the Grad D...
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Sally sets forth ... with first post!

Posted by Sally Cummings on Thursday, April 30, 2009,

Righto, I'll start with some information about myself...

I currently live in Melbourne (Victoria), Australia. I've lived there for most of my life, with the exception of four years spent in sunny Canberra (Australian Capital Territory). Later this year, my partner, Tim, and I will be moving to tropical Darwin (Northern Territory) - a place we've always loved.

I work as a librarian, and think it's a terrific profession to be a part of. I really enjoy helping others find information and resourc...