Term 1 Begins "Oh what a feeling!!!"

Now that I have made them, which store do I want to sell them in? It will have to be an eeny meeny miny mo decision.

This is very froo froo and theyre multiplying.

This is a blanket. (for my son)

This is very lemon meringue

this is a paper weight and

a pin cushion which upcycles

old holden screws from

back in the days when I used

to need old holden screws.

and this one just looks foofy, chocolatey and pink

In between non business type crafting, I have been designing some tags. Practicing Photoshop. Experimenting with some labels. Cutting fabric for bags and working on some button designs from recycled wood.
I picked up a bag I was knitting and cannot for the life of me remember the stitch I was supposed to do. I hate that. Its so simple too. Anyhow, do I really need another string bag. Well, yes. What if my other ones are in the wash, hello!!!?

And here are my big fat totes that I actually make when Im not goofing off. Yes I really am making bags. These are the big ones that replace the polypropelene invasion. 100% cotton. You can throw them in your compost heap or use as weedmat when you are done after about 2- 3 years of heavy use at the supermarket.

Coming to my store very soon if I stop froofing around with my froofy cupcakes. But theyre so fun!

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Valentines CupCake Pincusion Give Away

This is my first give away and just in time for Valentines Day. All You need to do is leave a comment(1 per person) on this post and I will draw the winner at midnight on the the 4th of Feb AEDST. International entries welcome.

*Date was changed due to timezone difference and to allow for it

This is a faux mink cup cake pincushion in a sealed base and embellished with sculpey icing and a a hand made heart. Size is 3" x 3" .

Please remember to ensure you have an email address linked in your comment so that I can contact you if you win.Once you have done that jump over to bloggy giveaways carnival and see what other giveaways there are.

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Oh My!

I was given this sweet award by Samantha @ mumistitches and I feel pretty spesh! Thank you so much! Now, being a newbie to blogging, I see that its customary to pass the awards a long so this one was easy. I'm giving it to Knitty Bug because I love reading her blogs and she makes cool stuff for the people she loves. She also knits/crochets the most beautiful blankets and inspires me to carry on with my blanket knitting endeavours.

Just receiving and giving this token has given me my first sense that I am now part of our big wide blogging community. Thank you!

I hope every one had a fabulous Australia Day!

I spent it with my family. No work, no worrying about bags. Just me and my favourite people.

It doesn't get much better than that!

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Back to the nitty gritty

Christmas break is too long in Australia. Especially for year 11' business is being broken up between fights over Wii, reception for teenagers(who both have mobile phones grr) and just stuff. Whilst disrupted I have still managed keep as active with starting my business as humanly possible with 4 kids.

• I have been researching other peoples blogs and what direction I want to go in when I am no longer "creating nunde" and I move on to blog "nunde creations". All Things Metal Clay has brilliant views on this and very much what I want when I grow out of this blog and into a new one. Then there is some great tips from All Things Bright and Beautiful and last but not least Dummies Guide to Google Blogger I am far from the crossroad where I have to make a decision and turn in a new direction but I am heading that way.
• I am working on my original mission statement, aim and objectives. Tweaking them and refining them so I can refer to them when I get sidetracked.
• Labels are a hassle and I am working to resolve that.
• Patterns are a hassle, who would have thought you need a pattern to make bags. I just thought if you closed your eyes and prayed to the sewing goddess a bag would instantly form. I use Wild Ginger and it is a fabulous program but I am finding discrepancies in the print out measurements. Ill make my own from scratch until otherwise informed of what a noob I am. There is always someone to tell you a better way and I welcome that.
• I am working on my Header and some Avatars to look more pro which means learning photoshop more.
• I cleaned my shed where I will be working. Not just a little, a lot. Its totally functional.
• Signed up for 3 Online places to sell handmade goods(2 in Australia) and got them operational so that I can sell and became familiar with my old friend eBay.

So as unexciting as that all is, that's what this blog is about. Creating nunde. And so I am!

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Making Labels. Any Suggestions!

I got some pretty good suggestions already via email (thank you!) and I am in the process of thoroughly researching all options. More ideas are still welcome. Once I have accumulated all the information I will post it, should anyone else have this dilemma.

Stumbled on this and have to ling it before I forget it FUTUREGIRL , and what a clever girl she is!

HELP!

If anybody passes by this way and has a suggestion please email me as I am now desperate.
I want to make my own labels for my items. The main reason is cost. I don't have $600 dollars for the smallest quantity of labels(500) which was the average quoted by local and major label makers.
If I had $600 I would buy an industrial machine so that it wouldn't take so long to produce 100 bags.

I am open to thinking outside the box as long as its feasible and looks good. It can be a flat sewn on label or a fold over that gets attached into seams. It can be something I haven't even fathomed before.

I have so far tried print at home labels on printable fabric. Good quality printable fabric too.
This is great as long as you don't wash the item. My items need to be wash eventually.
I don't mind tedious either. I am queen of tedious!

I hope some fabulous blogger passes by and knows the answer to my dilemma or can steer me to some one that does.
Until I figure out a solution I am at a standstill. Ahh the joys of creating nunde!
The funny thing is. This is my first true creating nunde post relating to nunde creations:)

Please feel free to email me melanie@nunde.com.au with your suggestions! Thank you:)

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Pin Cushion

100 % Froofy

and a giant jar of cup cake bases DONE

This is just my "do it for fun" Stuff. Every ones gotta do somethin' for fun!

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Say hello to my new best friend

No more poisoning the children when I burn the sculpeys in the house oven

And look what else I bought today. 26 metres(28 yards) of new fabric because I felt like I didnt have enough already...

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Absolutely Frou Frou V-day Handmade Pin cushion

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School Holidays Almost Nearly Over

Flat out like a lizard drinkin!I don't know how everyone else copes with working from home on school holidays but I would love to observe to see if I could pick up tips. Tomorrow we go hand in Connors library Summer reading competition at the Narre Warren Library and he goes into the big draw for some cool prizes.My son ran off before anyone was awake yesterday and was brought home by a nice man who explained he found him wandering around near the milk bar(1.2 kms from my house). The man asked him where he was going and Connor ( who thank goodness chose his good clothes and they all matched) told him " I am going to a secret Ninja meeting that is being held at Fountain Gate" So he brought him home and I thanked him a million times whilst rubbing my still asleep eyes and when I asked Connor what on earth he was doing wandering around with out at least telling anybody he was going he explained quite indignantly " I was not wandering around, I was going to my secret Ninja meeting at Fountain Gate and you didn't have to worry, LOOK mum, I left you a note" And so he did, on the mat by the front door....It was just too funny and so lucky and way to hilarious to scold him. He got a lecture on bad people to which he explained " I can use my Ninja powers on Bad people" So I persisted but he persisted back with all of his super powers.To the man who brought my 6 year old son home THANK YOU.Im flat out working from morning til night and I am days away from having a mass of stock complete. Today I had to go to Dr because apparently I have scratched inside of my ear canal and its infected and the whole side of my face hurts and some has no feeling at all. I also fell on a TOY Connor left at the back door step, twisting both of my ankles and falling backwards onto the brickwork, so I feel like a train wreck right now. I havent fallen since I was a kid and it shocked me how I was unable to stop it and had to wait to land to assess the damage. It was a weird experience and I have awesome bruises.I am so excited. I pick up my Sculpey oven tomorrow. Ok enough writing. Its pictures I want. We all want pictures dont we? So it shall be..tomorrow! Oh and I think I am brave enough to do my first give away soon. Oh now thats scary!

Blog ya later!
And once again
Thank you to that absolutely brilliant man who brought my son home.

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Relocating

Its just too hot in the shed. For days I have been slogging away in there, cutting and sculpting and I am too washed out to cook at night. So today I am moving my army of sewing machines inside to sew in air conditioned comfort like normal people do. It was 40(104F) yesterday and will be 38(100) today

Later that day

As soon as I set up, the cool change hit and it rained. Melbourne weather is known for having its 4 seasons in one day:)

I got these today out of My Spotlight voucher. My mum used to be a cake decorator before she became super exec for a large multi national company and she doesn't know it yet but she is going to teach me how to use these cake decorating tools to make fake icing.

Happy Friday!

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Your Quit Date was: Sunday, May 08, 2005 at 11:00:00 PM

I used to be a smoker and towards the end I was a chain smoker. That's what made me give up. I couldn't take a breath without a fag being in my mouth( for US folks we call smokes fags so don't panic )

Anyhow the Aussie quit line was garbage so I joined the US one QUITNET and even to this day they send me this info on the anniversary of each month.

Your Quit Date is: Sunday, May 08, 2005 at 11:00:00 PM Time Smoke-Free: 974 days, 20 hours, 20 minutes and 35 seconds Cigarettes NOT smoked: 73114 Lifetime Saved: 18 months, 18 days, 12 hours Money Saved: $24,862.50 AUD

Look at how much money I saved. I do believe I started buying wool by the truckload when I quit and took up knitting.

That is when I returned to craft. I had free hands and the time to use them. I added up the hours I smoked and when I smoked I always sat and in total it was 5 hours a day when all smoking time was totalled. Its a filthy habit. Makes us do awful things just to get one when you have no change to buy them.

I was always a tinkerer but found because I had a smoke in my hand so often towards the end, I had stopped tinkering, because it interrupted my smoking. So with that admission of being a vile dirty cigarette worshipping nicotine lover, I would take it up again tomorrow if in some magical world it became good for you. I smoked for 24 years and I still cannot believe I stopped, just like that, cold turkey.

The best informational site that I used that didn't namby pamby smokers who were quitting was this one FREEDOM FROM TOBACCO. These guys were serious. No girly "there there" type thing if you didn't take your quit serious.

I am not being one of those born again smokers. I mean I do hate the smell of it but I really struggled to quit for the first year so I have every right to be self protective. I couldn't care less though if people smoke and if they can smoke and not feel bad about it I envy them that. I just couldn't breathe and I quite like breathing.

So, anyway, because I quit smoking I took up craft again and started woodworking.

Because I took up craft again I went into the craft shoppe and asked if I could volunteer there.

Because I volunteer there I got the feedback and encouragement I needed to further my creativity and was taught many new skills.I also joined a club and was taught so many new skills to use with wood.

Because of these new skills I decided to make a career out of all of what I had learnt.

Because I wanted to make a career out of it I researched online activities in the craft movement and finally was drawn into the world of blogging.
And here I am. All because I quit smoking. Wow!
Now for a picture, because everyone likes pictures. Hers one of my library books that is filling me with inspiration

Oops there it is again, Past midnight. I have had too many 2-3am nights this week so I am having the night off.

8 more sleeps till Jazzy gets home!

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I heart Sculpeys!

Note to self: My oven runs too hot so new Fan forced oven rule. Do not preheat. Cook at 120 degrees not 130 15 minutes per 1/4"

Success!

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After Midnight..again!

Today was one I shall have to note because some things just have to be written somewhere and I don't keep a personal diary or anything like that.

This morning I spent a couple of hours with my lovely friend E, showing her a few tips on a computer she has acquired. E is an extremely intelligent woman and even though she is almost 70, in a year or 2 she will be showing me what to do but for now she gets really frustrated. Computers have a way of making people feel dumb when this simply isn't true.

As I walked to the computer room they had set up, I caught a glimpse of myself in a few years time and it gave me the warm fuzzies. You see E can do everything. Paint, sew, knit, crochet, you name it and all around her lounge where piles of projects waiting to be played with. I noticed a half done painting way over in the corner leaning against a desk which was covered in brushes and paints. Baskets of wool, dried peel in a pot on the gorgeous cast iron stove and knitting needles galore, all in their places ready for work.

E told me some sad news while I was there that someone we know has breast cancer and was undergoing treatment. Last time I saw this woman she was scroll sawing an intricate design piece her friend had requested. I don't know this woman well but she always left an impression on me as some one calm and devoted. She home schooled all of her kids and last we spoke she didn't know what she was going to do because her last child was finishing school that year so a whole world of opportunities were opening up for her. Not close enough to offer my help to her and her family but familiar enough to care all I can do is send her and her family warm thoughts because I truly do wish her well.

So with that in mind I drove to my doctors to make THE appointment to get this surgery I might or might not need sorted out because I keep putting it off . 24th of this month I go and I just dont want to. Last time I went to her when I had a gut feeling something was wrong I had a huge abscess on my spine. The real problem was me sitting still. For example, with the last surgery I had wire stitched in 4 places to hold bits in place so the other stitches didn't move. So as soon as I got home I go and paint a fence........well anyhow its not like I can see the scars I made that day :)

So if I can't sit for 2 weeks how am I going to manage 6 weeks.............................

In my usual fashion, I will look at pretty stuff so as to not think about yucky stuff.

Like this

and this

I absolutely love this Bloomsberry & Co Chocolate mum got me.

Must sleep now. I have to get up early to cook the next batch of sculpeys before it gets to 40 deg C

I love love love my air conditioner!

and I love sculpeys

and I love chocolate

and I love my husband because out of the blue, for no reason at all, he came home with a gift certificate for a local fabric store because he actually noticed I havent bought any fabric lately and when he asked me why, I said " I cant possibley justify buying more fabric so close to school fees etc being due when I have a whole shed of it"

I will cook his second favourite meal tomorrow.

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Uh Oh!

I burnt an entire tray of scupleys.... I must add that to my Blog Title - cutting crooked lines, baking burnt sculpeys.......
so I go, head down, shuffling feet unenthusiastically in a forward motion, back to the shed and I thank the stars I never ever pack things up because I am such a Mrs Messy and today I am glad.(insert smiley face here)

Airing out oven in the meantime.

Be back later

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What do I do after midnight?

I head to my shed, waving my arms about my head madly because we have an orb weaving spider colony sharing our property. Our first one was Charlotte. She was 2 years old when she died and for the time she resided here she hung on our arch by the front door before the wind blew it over a second time. She cleverly missed our heads but never truly moved out of the way because if we were to veer an inch to the right side as you left the house you got a face full of whatever was in Charlotte's pantry or a few thousand of her kids would hitchhike on your shoulder. So we were always grateful that she provided us with just enough room to pass and adhered to her designated path respectfully.

We hated that arch(pictured above) and when it blew over the first time and gave way to so much sunlight we wanted it gone permanently but there was Charlot to consider. She was family. So the arch went back up and we anchored it to every which thing we could. Charlotte continued to lay a zillion eggs before she became emaciated and died and for 2 years no orb weaving spider the size of a child's hand was seen on our property until this year. There is one outside every entrance and after some waving of arms and scream of horror in the dark, they eventually move out of the way but never truly moving out of the way, just like Charlotte. We never ever ever veer from the lighted pathways at night because by the looks of the broken webs in the early morning, there's enough to colonize the Battlestar Gallactica.

So I get to the shed with the approval of the Orb weaving colony and they have mine and I have to do a huntsman check. My step sister describes them as small animals and I agree. Some the size of my hand hide in between the a frame and the tin roof. On hot nights they decorate the walls because the tin is too hot and I totally accept that even if it makes my hair stand on edge.
But the ones I hate most are the messy spiders. The Daddy long legs and the little brown ones that make dirty webs that catch all the dust in between anything and everything and whenever my back is turned they giggle defiantly and touch my stuff, dirtying it up. I get really cross at them and ask them to leave but they are belligerent and move about their business, taunting me, always hiding just out of view and jumping out snarling when I go to grab a tool from the rack. *&^% Snarling arachnids.
Horrible, dirty, touching my stuff arachnids.
They better be grateful to the Orbs and the Huntsman's because it them who get the sympathy vote and delay us from calling the pest controller. I don't know if its the drought or what but those dirty spiders are becoming invasive.


So with all that arachnid sorting done this is what I do in my shed after 12am

I make sculpey pinheads.

Here's a batch ready for the oven

and I have a tray of sculpey icing ready

for my cupcakes and buttons

ooooh I love making buttons

At night I use my LED bike light as well as

a fluorescent mechanics light so that

I can see the detail properly.

I arrange things in jars and stare at them

Then I rummage. Last night I found fabric that must be old because its my friends mums and I don't know how to tell if its vintage or not. Even if it is, what do I do with it? The quality is too good for it to be recent.

If A reads this blog she will probably remember this fabric and know of its vintage. It has to go sorry A. I will put the proceeds of its sale towards my ticket to Darwin when I finally get to come see you.

So I rummage some more.

Then I stare at my jars full of things some more and wish I had more things to stare at and think of the things I will make with all of those things that I am staring at.

mmm Sparklies

And then I wish I had an entire room to devote to my kids art because I just cannot part with them. A room without spiders would be brilliant. This is one of my favourites.

And then so tired, I turn everything off in my shed and fight my way back through the spiders and I grumble at the ones I am leaving behind saying" argh I'm so sick of you things, stay off of my stuff "(last night referring to the cheeky monkeys that have spun webs between my lathe tools as if to mock me because they know its not like I ever use them lately anyhow. My Dear M and the spiders would both agree on that matter and I say to them "Well I will one day and one day when I will they will be there when I do so ner"

So I turn off my mp3 player, sneak inside to bed and think about all the things I am going to do tomorrow.

And while I sleep

those spiders touch my stuff
and giggle

as snarly belligerant dirty spiders do.

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Buckeye Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar ( Icing sugar)
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I use Coles brand milk chocolate cooking buds mmmm)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth. ( I put in a little bit of oil)
Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.
Makes 30

Links to this recipe are on side bar and contain pictures.
A fun recipe for kids of all ages.

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Found this while cleaning!!

Some one gave me this flyer to give to my teens when they were being a little too "teen-ish"

CHILDREN

TIRED OF BEING

HARRASSED BY

DUMB ADULTS?

ACT NOW

Move Out, get a job,

pay your own bills,

do your own housework,

laundry and cooking.

Do it now!

WHILE YOU STILL KNOW EVERYTHING!

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Books Books Books

I would have borrowed more but my bag wasnt big enough. Like his mum and dad, Connor filled his bag too after he joined th Summer reading club. My creative bone is tingling in anticipation at what future project these books will inspire

Connors Blankey is underway. His Birthday is March 16th. Maybe If i get my sausage fingers busy I can surprise him with it.

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Incoming Lame slogan for the New year..but first

Christmas Eve and the rains have stopped.

What is this, a safari reserve?

Yes, that's my 3 tigers basking in the sun.

My husband spent about 4 hours on the phone to different members of his family in the US and HE says women YAK alot.

Christmas day.

Nope, no snow for us Aussies, its all sunshine and swimming WOOT!!!

That's my 4 babies.

Father Christmas brought us a Wii.

I took it to mums and between her and Jazzy we couldn't get a look in with the 10 pin bowling. Nothing funnier than a proper dainty English woman elbowing her kids out the way when they interfere with her Wii swing.(Not very British indeed)

She even insisted on making her own Mii

Guess who got this with her spotlight voucher from

the kids??? Me and oh my god, how could I not.

I also got a Bunnings voucher. Don't my kids know me so well. I also all the parts necessary for a new computer. Incoming boring stats (AMD Athlon(tm) 64x2 Dual Core Processor 4000+ 2.10 GHz 2.00GB of ddr2Ram Nvidia 7600ps grafix card) So this means I can raid in game without fearing the blue screen of death because my comp can handle every thing I ask of it now....(no one asks you to play with them if you crash, specially if you play a priest ) ok enuff geek speak

********

The kids bought Guitar Hero for their new Wii. The one thing that makes this game pretty cool is for some reason all the songs are from my era. Totally weird and of course, even though the songs are "like way cool mum" there's no way you are cool mum. (I will beat them at this game too one day :P)

And then my baby left for Tasmania......

only 13 more sleeps til she is home again.

And here it is

Yep every year I have one and this year is just as lame as the last

but oh my goodness I do mean every lame word of it.
ITS GONNA BE GREAT IN 2008

No need for me to write my goals etc in here.

Instead I came with a pic I prepared earlier of the notice board

for this year with every ones goals, wishes and wants.

If you look closely I have put a few humorous ones in there just to see if the kids actually do go back and review. One such one is "Give Connor away for Scientific Research in exchange for an Iguana"

My husband wrote one out for Jazz " Send Jazz to an all girls boarding school" which was OK but then he wrote ..which is so blokish "Send Zack to an all girl boarding school" /boggles mind

So, because our list of things for 2008 says so, we went to the park where Boy and Father blew up balloons that fart when you let them go and aimed them at me and who ever got one to explode closest to me was the winner.

Clearly Connor wanted to win

Then Dad showed the boy how to use a mitt ( um baseball mitt?) and after a few body shots from both Dad and Son which was veering more towards olden days cricket than Baseball, we walked home.

So what is that big board of lists telling me I am going to do?

I am free of all commitments now and will be full swing into making stuff and making money from making stuff. How cool is that???

Its time for this little black duck to earn an income to contribute to my family

and this year is all about trying to do just that.

And so it will be.

ITS GONNA BE GREAT IN 2008

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