Pureprofile

You know how you hear about all those 'online survey' things where you supposedly get paid to answer questions? Well I've joined a WHOLE stack of them over the last few years to see which ones are worth anything. Of the many that I joined, only 2 have been worth my time, and one of those moreso than the other. Emailcash (which I think is now called reward central or something) is the one I've seen the most advertising for, and sure enough it really does pay real money for fairly simple things like web clicks. The issue I have with them is that unless you jump through rings they don't like to pay directly into an account.

Pure Profile, on the other hand, are fantastic. They send regular emails to tell me about surveys, which are generally short and easy, and pay up to a few dollars each. Then there's a whole bunch of web clicks you can get 10 - 15 cents for each, and when you want the money it's a simple matter of telling them which bank account to put it into. I got $40 into my account a few days ago, and already have another $5 built up on pure profile.

Anyway, I thought I'd add a referal link to it here, just in case anyone is interested in joining but hasn't been sure which ones are worth the time. So give it a go!

http://account.pureprofile.com/Login/?referrer=1319096

The dress fits!

Remember those first few dresses I did months ago? Well none of them fit because I measured my daughter while she was sleeping, so just went half way around and then doubled it. lol, thankfully they were too big not to small, so she's just now fitting into them! Anyway, finally, here's a fitting action shot or 2!

And more...

And some more, because apparently I can only add 5 per post.

Woops!

Okay, so a month and a half since my last post is pathetically slack, I know. Done heaps of crap since then, so I'll just overload the blog with pics tonight, eh?

Yay! New stuff!

Finally have some stuff done for Tiffy! Good thing too, given that she's 38 weeks today! Anyhow, here goes:

Wetbag, Wipes case and changemat:


































Matching small MCN and Newborn-ish sized kimono:










































Teddy bears for Coya and Ari:
































Plus a trial skirt I did a few nights ago for Addi. Didn't have any real idea of what I was doing, so kinda just made it up as I went. LOTS of things to change for next time, but it's all good. lol.

New and improved dress

It's been ages since I posted anything here, but after a holiday, a tummy bug, a baby with a tummy bug, a sister with a nasty virus who needed the house silent, and then a teething baby who is prone to frequent wakings because of her blocked nose, tonight I was FINALLY able to sit down and do a little sewing. So I made another summer dress for A-Train, but this time changed a few parts of my design. I added a belt (which is sewn in place so doesn't actually work) and fully lined it so the skirt would have a little more body to it. As always, learned a few things for next time, but I'm fairly happy with it given how those small things managed to change the entire design, so I was basically starting all over again. Anyway, here it is.

Wool dying

I dyed some wool tonight. Disgusting colours, but I'm happy with it. I knew it would look gross because I used the food dye we happened to have in the cupboard, just so I could see if I would be bothered doing it again! I enjoyed it, so I think I'll fork out for some proper dyes. But yeah, here it is!

New pics! Ysy!

I finally have some new pics of a few things I've made somewhat recently!

This is A-Train modeling my first attempt at a side snapping nappy, and a little vest I made her to match, and then modeling (with her interesting fashion sense) a baby beanbag chair thingo I've made for a friend's little girl's first birthday. I wanted Miss A to test it for me to make sure I'd put in enough beans so it wouldn't be difficult for Jazz to get out of. lol, making another 2 of them for other friends' with girls turning 2, so Jodes, if you're reading this don't look! =P

Fucking retarded logic

I need to have a major vent about my mother. I absolutely ADORE my mother. She's the most beautiful, loving, amazing woman you'll ever meet. But sometimes her logic is seriously flawed, and it gives me the shits.

We moved back to Adelaide around a year ago. Adelaide is home, and we thought we were GOING home, but it didn't work out that way. We all miss Canberra and regret moving back. The ONLY thing that's worth being back for is that we're able to spend time with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin whom we've always been very close to. Even they know we're miserable here and have said if we want to move back they'll visit heaps and we can visit them here too.

So simple answer is move back, right? Of course not. Because Mum has decided that they can't afford to retire there. Now, that would be fine, because they could live there while working and then move back here to retire. It's work that Mum loathes here so she'd be happy without that. It's the perfect time to do it at the end of this year because my sister will be finished year 12 and about to take a gap year, and A-Train wont be starting child care til next year, so if we could sort ourselves out in Canberra by February all would be good.

Except Mum have this retarded habit of making decisions based on what could POSSIBLY happen at some stage in the future, should I fall in love with someone who doesn't fit her ultimate plans. So despite everyone being miserable here, she wont move us back because I could end up falling in love with someone in Canberra and then not want to move back with them when they retire.

She would rather us all be miserable, than risk a future that could possibly involve us being happy in seperate states.

How fucking retarded is that?

Machines hate me

I have a sewing machine to use now. My Aunty lent me hers til I can afford a new one. Course, I can't add pics because now my computer is fucked and I'm on the old laptop which doesn't have the right connection for the camera card. But oh well. No pics of them, but I've sewn 2 minky outer and microfleece inner vests for A-Train, one with a zipper and one with snaps because the little bugger wont leave zip ones on when she gets into a mood. I also converted my dress pattern to a reversible one, which I quite like, so I sewed one of those and have everything ready to sew another one for a friends's bub. I made a couple of side snap panel nappies, which are adorable. One is lilac minky with a panel of lilac cotton with purple and pink butterflies on it, and I made a dress out of the cotton to go with it.

Course, A-Train decided yesterday that it was time to ditch nappies during the day. So for the last 2 days she's been using the potty beautifully. I'm very proud of her, of course, but she's not even 20 months yet so I'm a bit sad to think that this might be the end of her MCN days! We're going away for the weekend, so there's a good chance she'll regress. If not, that's fantastic, but if she does I'll just take the extra time with nappies! :D We'll see how she goes I guess. She's too young to put pressure on, so I don't mind either way. I'll let her go at her own pace.

But yeah. God only knows how often I'll bother with this dumb laptop to update.

*le sigh*

Not usre when I'll have new pics to put up here. Sewing machine shat it's last shit last night. Before that it would work for little bits at a time, so I could still get things done. Now the pedal flatly doesn't work. So it's time for a new one, when I have funds.

Tonight's dress

Did another dress tonight, with a few changes to some of the more obvious design flaws from last night's attempt! This one has a zip at the back, as well as a few other little differences. I also did a matching headband to go with it, sized, of course, to fit my little one's gargantuan head!

And the rest!

A few more pics, just because I can! :P

Creations being modeled!

A-Train in last night's creations! :D

Woo Hoo! Some new firsts!

Used the sewing machine today! Can't read patterns for crap, so have to make my own, so tonight was all about trying out some new patterns I'd drawn up while the machine was being fixed. I made a little halter neck dress for A-Train, and a matching panel nappy. Never tried either of them before, and the nappy is also an AI2, which is another newbie for me. So here they are!

YAY!!!

Got my sewing machine back today! Lady says it'll only work for about 10-15 minutes at a time, which will shit me to tears, but it's better than not having one at all! I'm going to start saving for a new one, now that I know this one can't be fixed. Bit depressing; this one is a great machine!

Anyway, shal start adding pictures of things I make soon! Yay!

About fucking time!

FINALLY got the call today to say I can get my sewing machine. Guess what? Bloody thing can't be fixed. Not properly anyway. He's helped it a bit, which is costing me $60 because there was no point replacing the pedal and other bits when it wouldn't fix everything. The issue it seems is electrical, and boards for that model aren't available anymore, so I pretty much just have to put up with it randomly refusing to go, needing to be worked manually to 'roll' it into movement so it starts again, and if I use it for more than brief periods at a time it will get hot and stop working.

Looks like it's time for a new machine. Because I just have SO much money to throw away on that.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

STILL not finished with my bloody machine! I, of course, didn't get the call I was promised yesterday to tell me to come pick it up, so I rang again this morning. Now he's apparently got a problem with it, which he THINKS he can fix. If I don't get the call tomorrow to say pick it up I'll be going in on Monday and demanding my machine back as it is, and I'll find someone reliable. Or buy a new machine. I'm pissed off that they've already taken a week longer than I was told, I still haven't been given a time I can get it, AND by the sounds of it he's going to charge me a fucking fortune. I reckon he's broken something, and I'll end up paying for the parts to fix that too. Fucking prick.

Stupid unreliable mechanic!

I put my sewing machine in for a service on Saturday a week and a half ago. Silly thing decided to shit on me, right at the start of an evening that had MASSIVE amounts of sewing planned, all pread out on the table in front of me.

Anyway, took it in Saturday, the woman had a look and told me it would cost AT LEAST $120 because the pedal needs replacing, plus they may find more busted inside. She said she mechanic would pick it up on Monday, and she'd hopefully have it back Friday.

Friday came and went. Then Monday I called and asked how it was going. She said she hadn't heard from him about my machine, but she'd call and see what was happening and then call me back. No call back. So I called her again yesterday morning and she said it was due back that afternoon, and she'd call me when it came in. No call back. So I called again this morning and asked what was going on.

Apparently he hasn't even GOTTEN to my machine yet, but will try to do it tonight and drop it in to her tomorrow. So she says she'll call me tomorrow when it gets in.

GAH!!! Tomorrow is Thursday, almost a full WEEK after the machine was supposed to be FINISHED!

So I currently have 7 nappies, a wetbag, a wipes bag, a changemat, a blanket, a full sized beanbag and 2 dresses, cut out, pinned and ready to sew, and still no fucking machine to sew them on!

*sigh*

/rant

I'm being toilet trained! =/

My little girl has been using the toilet and potty a fair bit lately. She wont poo on it, but that's understandable given that she's only 19 months, and she can deliberately we on the toilet consistantly. She'll mostly only use the potty at home, but out in public she'll happily use the toilet, whether it's a kids sized one or a full sized one. So of course every time she uses the toilet I cheer and clap for her, so she associates toilet success with praise. Good ol' positive re-enforcement!

The last three days she's been doing the same to me! Every time I go to the toilet (she generally comes with me to avoid a spack attack at me leaving her) when I stand up she points to the toilet, says "YAY!!!" and claps for me! I'm being toilet trained by my own baby girl!

In other news, I went shopping with the intention of searching for some white snaps yesterday so I wouldn't have to order them online. No such luck, but I somehow came out with about $100 worth of fabrics! I have a problem. *le sigh*

Anyway, I've cut and pinned some pretty fabric ready to sew into a little halter neck dress for my daughter. I was a bit worried about a halter style being too grown up, and too 'sexy' for a child, but I've made the skirt of it go to her knees, the neck is fairly high and squared, and it's in a light coloured, extremely childish print cotton, so I think it will be okay. I'll put it on her when it's done and take a picture. If it's too grown up I'll get rid of it, or convert it to a simple shoulder strap dress.

I'm also going to try a few panel nappies with some of the cottons, and match them with dresses or t-shrts.

Stay tuned for photos!

Bloody Hell.

I am absolutely addicted to MCN. For those that don't know what that means, it's Modern Cloth Nappies. Seriously addictive. But I have more than enough now that I never need buy my daughter any more, and I also make my own now to feed my addiction. Generally that works well, because I love designing my own nappies and sewing them and seeing how they turn out, then changing something on the design and starting again. It's made it really easy to stick to my plan of not buying many more nappies, and if I have to buy some only getting unisex ones that can be put away for future kids, and only if they're under $30 including postage.

Somehow today I ended up spending $155 on 2 nappies. Admitedly they're CGR nappies, which are REALLY hard to get, but still. There was a stocking tonight, and HEAPS of people sit there refreshing the website in the hopes of being the first to click through and checkout with a nappy because they sell out in seconds. I was hoping to get a pretty unisex medium octopus one that was only $35 plus postage, which for this brand is easily worth it, but it sold out by the time I refreshed my page. With the massive adrenalin rush, I ended up snapping up a giraffe set, with a nappy, tshirt and babylegs. $80 later I'm sitting here thinking "What the FUCK have I done?!"

Then there's the charity auction. There was a cute CGR that had been donated to a very worthy cause for auction. It's girly, and came with a matching singlet. I would normally have resisted, but because it was for charity, and I already have a dress put away in the matching fabric, I decided I didn't mind paying the $75 that one cost.

So now I'm $175 out of pocket, and neither nappy actually fits my current child! I just have to hope like Hell I have another girl one day to wear the pink one with the dress!

Ah well. They're a good investment nappy anyway, so if I decide not to have more kids, or I have more but no girls, I'll sell it brand new with the matching singlet AND dress. That's how I make myself feel better about the money, anyway!

Hrmm. What to write?

I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here, or if anyone will ever read this. But I'm deleting my facebook account, and distancing myself from the forums I've become rather addicted to in the past, so I thought I should try out this blog thing so I can write up all my random bits of news about my life, and my daughter, and any other crap that comes up, without getting sucked in to spending hours every day doing nothing like I do with facebook and forums!

So basically I'll probably just be updating this thing with pictures of stuff I've been sewing, proud Mumma moments about my perfect little angel, and nasty bitching vents about people or events that have given me the shits.

And anything else I feel like writing at the time.