Still waiting...

I go to bed each night thinking maybe tonight will be the night - but so far the most disruption to my sleep has been the hourly toilet trips!

I had a doctor appointment yesterday, and it looks like my blood pressure is creeping back up again (after it went normal for a few weeks there). So I've been booked in for an induction on Monday afternoon. If nothing happens spontaneously before then.

Be warned - the following photo is pretty full on! :P Last time I gave you my perspective of The Bump - this time it's Chelsea's perspective!!!

Maybelle

This is the Big Bear I've been working on - around my belly! It was actually a little tricky assembling her with a 'beach ball' under my shirt! But we got there in the end.

She is a lovely big thing, but is probably going to be a bit of a challenge to post I'm imagining. But I'll cross that bridge when I have to :P

Meet Maybelle in all of her fluffy furry goodness!

Beagalier puppy chases bubbles and steals toys

Now that I've figured out this whole 'uploading videos' thing, I thought I'd share this one of Chelsea and Oliver yesterday afternoon. It's nothing amazingly exciting, but cute enough.

Oliver LOVES bubbles, and will dance around and try to pop them all in his mouth. When that gets boring he decides to steal some of Chelsea's toys. There are certain toys that she knows he's not allowed to have!

Later today I should have some photos of my latest bear up too. He's a BIG BIG boy, standing in at 26" tall, and when sitting he spans a massive 22" from side to side!

And the winners are....

Janie Karr wins Shelby!

and 'annie2006' wins Wombat!!!

WooHoo! The excitement is too much :D



I had so much fun writing down everyone's names, cutting out the little pieces of paper, making sure they were all even... I should really get a job as a raffle drawer! :P If you are Janie or Annie and you didn't get my email, could you contact me at eleb2000@hotmail.com please?

And a big thank you to everyone who participated and put links up and commented. It means a lot to know that you guys are out there actually reading what I post!

(oh - and still no sign of baby :P)

Give Away is Drawn Tomorrow!!!

Oh my goodness - time really does fly. It's the 24th tomorrow. The final day of my latest giveaway draw. Woo Hoo!

Any last minute entries are very welcome. You can read about the two critters being offered here. You can choose to go in the draw for one or the other - or select a preference.

Good luck!!!

39 weeks pregnant, the ever expanding belly and cabbage patch dolls

You've probably noticed on my little ticker thing on the left hand side that I'm 39 weeks this week. I was quietly hoping I wouldn't make it this far, that bub might have decided to come a little earlier for me. But it doesn't look like it will be the case. Chelsea was late, so he might be following in his big sister's footsteps.


These are some quick belly shots I grabbed this morning - this one is what I see when I look down! I feel like it is so big now that it's getting to the comical stage. I keep bumping into doorways with it, or knocking things down. Or (as happened at the shops yesterday), if I think too much about it and overcompensate for the belly, I just end up bumping things with my ever expanding buttocks!

No bearmaking has been done since Jindalee. I think I might have used the last of my energy reserves on her. Sewing up her seams was quite a challenge as well with all that fur and leather. So instead of cutting out and sewing bears during Chelsea's sleeps over the last few days, I've been trawling the internet for cabbage patch dolls!

For those of you who know me (or who have been reading this post long enough), you'll know that my interest/attention span is quickly taken up with a new idea, that I then have to exhaust, before moving on to the next idea. This manifests itself in new patterns that I never quite perfect, new techniques that I try a handful of times then move on from, a new fabric that I just have to have, that gets pushed aside by the time it arrives... :P

With the cabbage patch dolls it is because of this photo:


Chelsea is about 3 months old here, and this is her first introduction to a baby doll - my cabbage patch doll that Mark had bought for me some Christmas prior. (I went
through a brief cabbage patch obsession back then too). She still loves this doll, and demands that I undress it all the way down to its tiny nappy so we can poke it's belly button and count it's toes, then dress it back up again! She has lots of dolls, and doesn't really 'need' another one, but as is the way of my obsessions, I've decided that she does. And it needs to be a cabbage patch. Preferably a boy (so she can have her own baby when bub no. 2 arrives).

But you wouldn't guess how ridiculously hard they are to find!!! I've been to just about every department and toy story in the area and there are just none to be seen. One shop had half a dozen collector girl dolls at exorbitant prices, but not what I wanted. I've tried about 2 dozen online toys stores, ebay, gumtree - even etsy (don't know what I was expecting to find there though - there were lots of gorgeous handmade clothes for cabbage patch babies... :P)

In the end I bit the bullet and purchased a cabbage patch 'surprise newborn' from an online toy boutique. The question now will be who will arrive first - bub no. 2 or the cabbage patch baby!?

And the waters retreat...

The flood waters peaked yesterday, but are receeding now. People are starting to be able to go back to their homes, and the news crews are showing footage of all the destruction the water has done to so many houses. Power is apparently starting to be reinstated to the central business district of Brisbane, and to the 120,000 homes that were cut off for the last few days. And a lot of the major roads and highways are still impassable, simply due to the massive amounts of stinking black sludge the waters have left behind.







There have been so many sad sad stories to come out of this flood. The one I mentioned in the post below about the family trapped on their car roof that the rescue helicopter lost sight of, had a bittersweet ending. At last word they managed to find the mother and the son a few kilometers down stream, but no sign of the father yet. Another death occurred when a rescue worker was helping evacuate a family and a 4 year old boy fell from the boat. It really is quite horrendous. And kind of surreal for me. I know that this is MY city. I know all the places they show on TV - I've been there, had a meal there, done shopping there, taken Chelsea to the park there - but because we were up high and dry, and we didn't see the floods first hand, it feels like it is happening somewhere else. (These photos were taken from the Brisbane Floods facebook page - everyone got together and shared photos and information. It was pretty amazing.)

So while Mark has been home (the city went into a bit of a shutdown - people couldn't get anywhere, food was scarce, employees were told to stay with their families), and we've been watching the constant footage, I managed to get that Mongolian Wool bear done. I've named her 'Jindalee' after one of the suburbs that got hit really badly.




The weather is beautiful today, with just a slight breeze. But as Jindalee's stunning fur is so soft and light, it only took a slight breeze to make getting a good photo of her rather tricky! She's now on bearpile, ready to face the world!

A break from the Brisbane Floods

I'm not sure how many of you have heard, but Brisbane is in the middle of a bit of a flood crisis. (which may be a slight understatement!).

All the TV/radio stations have been broadcasting updates all day. The suburb where I grew up as a child, and the suburb that my mum lives in have been evacuated. The Brisbane River and surrounding rivers have risen so much that many of the main roads, bridges and highways have been cut off. Toowoomba (a city further inland and up in the mountains from Brisbane) got hit yesterday with torrents of rain. People have been killed and heaps are still missing. All that water is making its way down to Brisbane, joining up with the swollen river. And, to top it all off a king tide is expected for tomorrow! There has been footage of horrible scenes all over the TV today. Last night we watched helicopter footage of a family stuck in a car in the middle of what seemed like a lake of mud and debris. They climbed onto the roof, hanging onto the roof racks. Apparently the helicopter landed so the emergency crew could go rescue them, but when they got back out there they couldn't find the car.

I am sure many more reports like this will start coming in over the next few days too. Our place is fine. We're near the river, but high enough that we won't go under. Which is a relief. Mark went to the shops this afternoon to grab some milk, bread and supplies, and he said he has never seen it that busy. Apparently there were only three loafs of bread left, and all the bottled water was gone! (all the photos above were taken by a friend of mine).

So after a good 12 hours of solid news, I decided that I needed a break. I haven't been game to check my blood pressure today because I'm sure its high! In an attempt to take a break I did a bit of sewing. I found a stunning Mongolian Lambs Wool cushion in the sales after christmas, and decided to turn it into a panda. I've worked with this wool before and it can be a bit tricky. This particular piece is just stunning. Uniform, rich, silky curls and a very good backing. It always amazes me how much volume you get when you turn it right way out too! The arms show this really well. Hopefully this little guy will get completed over the next few days. (disaster permitting!)

New Bear - Hoot

This is my latest little guy Hoot. I drew up his design yesterday taking elements from Bilbo's pattern and elements from Junket and Pluto.

I LOVE bears with big eyes - especially little ones. But often find that my patterns don't suit the look. So with a completely different head shape, I tried my luck on Hoot. I think I might have gotten away with it too! I still have to try the pattern in a slightly shorter fur where design flaws aren't as easily hidden, but at this stage I think he's pretty sweet!

Amazing belly movement at 38 weeks pregnant

A short video I got of my belly movements last night. Baby does this nearly every evening!

Can anyone else tell I'm just biding time now...?

I was trawling through facebook last night, when I noticed that a couple of friends of mine had 'liked' this thing called Cubeecraft. I had no idea what it was, but quickly figured it out. And it seems it's nothing new either! I have obviously been living under a rock (or in a pregnancy induced state of self-absorption anyway!).

So basically, what I understand is that its a collation of a whole heap of different artists and illustrators designs for cute little paper creatures/people/cartoons that you can print out on a single A4 piece of paper, cut out and create yourself for free! All you need is a computer and printer, access to the internet, scissors and a bit of glue!


This is the little guy I made last night. I'd say he took about an hour to accurately cut out, fold, glue and assemble - but that is probably just because he was my first try. It is pretty addictive, especially with the HUGE range of different designs available. The cubeecraft website has a big archive of them. The facebook page has some pretty cool fan photos. Some people have made a lot of these critters!
(This is the direct link for the odd little panda if you wanted to have a go at him too)

Anyways, just thought I'd share this little find for you all. I know how easy it is to get stuck on one kind of craft, or even to just feel like you need a break from sewing for a while! And this is something quick, free and satisfying!

Just some more random updates!

I have been wanting to take Chelsea to the zoo for ages!!! But with the weather so bad we had put it off and put it off. But today was Mark's last full day at home with us before he has to go back to work, and before baby comes. So we bit the bullet and went anyway!

When we drove in the gate there was a big sign warning that the zoo was very muddy, and the lady we purchased our entrance tickets from explained that it had actually been closed for two days last week due to the lake surrounding 'Lemur Island' flooding right up to the back of the cafe! We were unperturbed!



I think (again) that Mark and I got more enjoyment out of it than Chelsea did. We saw sun bears and marmosets, red pandas and camels... plus all the usual Aussie animals - wallabies, kangaroos, emus, cassowaries, frill neck lizards at every turn!





This Koala looked like he was sick of the weather too!


It started to rain a little heavier at one point so we took refuge at the farm animals display. This was the only time Chelsea cried. The sheep was baa-ing very loudly as they could see we had the little packets of food, and I think it scared her a bit. After she settled down we patted some alpacas and feed a very large and very friendly cow. The sheep were a little too enthusiastic though, so I fed them myself. They were clambering over each other to get to the food. I laughed to Mark and said that at the rate they were going they'd climb out of their enclosure... and sure enough the biggest one got out! We're not sure what happened after that as a new group of people arrived for the sheep to pester for food!

My favourite animal of the day, and probably one of the least exotic, was the donkey! He was very friendly, and even though the sign said not to feed him as he wasn't well, he still came right up to us and said hello.

Something else from the 'to be completed' bag

Little Maximus here is another creation found at the bottom of my 'to be completed' bag of creatures. He was completely cut out, pinned together and half sewn, so I finished him off and decided to do his face a little differently (especially as there wasn't any scope to change his pattern like I've been meaning to at this stage!). So I gave him a slightly more Anime/cartoon look with his high-set nose and beady little eyes. He's also the first guinea pig to have whiskers - which kind of makes him look a little cat-like! :P





We got a brief moment of no rain this afternoon for me to take photos. Not exactly clear skys, but enough sun to get decent photos! Oliver was SOOOO excited to have someone in the backyard that he was rather difficult to control. Eventually he got the message that I was busy, and he backed off. And he didn't try to snatch Maximus once! (must be all the training I've been putting into his not snatching Chelsea's toys - mind you, that's still a bit of a battleground! If he thinks no one is watching he'll still quite happily sneak inside, grab whatever she's left lying closest to the door way and run to the far corner of the yard to munch on it. Usually resulting in the destruction of that particular toy, or the need for it to have a very good soaking/machine wash!).


It wasn't all discipline for poor Oliver though. We played fetch half a dozen times till he decided that wasn't doing it for him any more and went off to make his own fun! And here I was feeling all guilty that we weren't spending enough time with him... ! :P

Bessie (and the never ending rain!)

In my internet wanderings last week I came across a sweet little lady bear called Bessie, and just had to have her! She arrived today bringing with her the most amazing aroma! I am guessing this has to do with whatever it was she was dyed with - My husband thinks its cinnamon, but I can't decide what I think it is! It reminds me of those gorgeous handmade baked goods stalls at early morning markets, or the quintessential 'grandmother's house' of your earliest memories...



Bessie is made by Di Paulovich of Woollybuttbears, a fellow Australian bear artist. If you like little Bessie as much as I do, she has another little guy - Robin Love - in the same style available at present as well.

Bessie was such a nice surprise to wake to this morning, on yet another soggy, rainy day here in Brisbane. We're all incredibly sick of the rain that seems to have been here forever (well, at least the better part of the last 3 months anyway!), and I'm sure many of you will have heard of the devastating floods in the northern part of our state. There are many people here who would like to see some sun I think!




(Even Oliver seems a bit depressed by the weather! There's nothing else for him to do but sleep all day, only venturing out into the rain and soggy backyard when he needs to go to the toilet!)

Another hand sewn mini bear

This is Brokk, the mini I mentioned in an earlier post. He is not my best work, but has his own charm. I found him in my 'to-be-completed' bag of bear bits when I was looking for something else to handsew on new years eve. It has gotten to the point now where cutting out patterns is a little difficult (I like to sit cross legged on the floor and spread all my mohair and bits around me - its not so bad getting down there, but I can't bend or reach anything and usually require assistance to get back up again!), so I've had to resign myself to the bears I cut out a while ago but never finished for various reasons... probably not a bad thing at the end of the day though. At least those poor souls will get a chance! :P

Emma's Bears GIVEAWAY Clear-Out

In case you've been under a rock (or otherwise occupied like myself), you may not have noticed that its a totally New Year!! And as such, I was thinking that it's time for a bit of a clear out! Or maybe this is a bear-makers version of 'nesting'... who knows!

My 'available bears shelf' is spilling over with bears, bunnies, guinea pigs and baby toys, and it just feels cluttered and messy to me. I don't know about the rest of you, but my creations feel a little stagnant when they sit for too long without finding homes.

So, in a rather pathetic and small token gesture to make some space, I'm offering two of my longer-term resident critters up for giveaway - Shelby and Wombat.


Shelby was made in the last few months, but is a little badly portrayed in her photos. She is a less than 'cute' bear, but not as odd as she appears. I am hoping that whoever scores her for free will find some charm to her!




Wombat is a stylised guinea pig critter that was made quite a long time ago... probably about the time I found myself pregnant again actually! (yes, it has been that long!). He's quite a charming chunky fellow, but again, a little odd.





All I require you to do to go into the draw for one of these creations is to leave me a comment below (or email me at eleb2000@hotmail.com) with some way of allowing me to contact you in the event that you win, and an idea of which creation - bear or guinea pig - you'd prefer. (You can also specify that you'd like either of them as well which is probably the smartest move as you'll go in the draw for both, thus doubling your chances of getting something!). Postage will be completely covered by me and as a thank you for spreading the word you'll get an extra entry for telling a friend/posting on your blog/ leaving a facebook comment/ twittering etc etc. (just let me know you did this or your efforts will go unrewarded!).

I plan to draw the winners on the 24th January 2011 (my due date) - this is subject to change depending on whether or not I'm in hospital giving birth that day etc etc... (they do say that less than 5% of babies are born on their due date though... so chances are low!).

Gelli Baff!!!

I love this stuff! It feels amazing. It was one of Chelsea's 'Santa' gifts - but was probably more for me than her!



You take a normal everyday clamshell wading pool and half fill it with water...



...sprinkle in the blue powder (which smells like blueberry jelly crystals!)...



...wait a few minutes...



...and you have some goo to play in!!! Oliver even got in on the action! Chelsea didn't stay in it for long. She wasn't impressed. So I took over and used it as a foot-spa for a while! Just divine!