EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Describe yourself in five words or less. Intelligent, adventurous, odd, witty, ambitious Describe your worst attempt at craft. I did some pretty terrible oil paintings in high school, I can’t draw at all. But the worst was probably a scarf I tried to knit when I was younger. It was green and gold (I don’t remember why) and I think I made a bit and stopped, tried again later and gave up again, I dropped stitches, added more and overall it was a disaster. Not to mention I didn’t exactly live in an area that really required scarves so I think I ended up undoing it all. If you could master one new skill, what would it be? I’d love to learn how to fly a plane. What's your favourite project that's been featured in Handmade? This is a tough one. I get to see so many gorgeous creations as they come across my desk. But a favourite would be Butterflies in Flight by Julie McKenzie which we featured in Handmade Vol 25 No 5, and I also like Rhonda Thornley’s crinoline lady lilac wall-hanging in Vol 25 No 7. I love the colours they both used. Describe your greatest creative achievement.   I was really happy with some of the short stories I wrote when I was at university in America. I hadn’t written fiction in a long time and my work was well received. I have a few ideas for a book I might write one day, but it is still churning in my brain for now.   How is your home decorated? At the moment I’m still trying to figure out my style. I have quite eclectic tastes and it’s fun seeing what works together and what doesn’t. But overall I go for comfortable and homey – with a touch of Hollywood glamour. What’s your favourite colour and why? Blue is on top of the list, in any shade from duck-egg blue through to royal shades and even navy. It’s so versatile and can be mixed with many other colours. I’m also a big fan of red, but mostly in clothing and really gorgeous shoes that make a statement. Tell us about your earliest childhood craft memories. I don’t remember this but apparently I used to try to teach my younger sister to colour in when we were very little and I used to yell at her for going out of the lines. But I remember making a paddle-pop stick bowl in primary school that my mum kept in her kitchen for about 20 years. What's the best handmade present you've ever received? There are so many to choose from, my mum used to sew and make heaps of things for us when we were younger. She did a really good patchwork quilt once. But I think the best was probably a pair of earrings and a necklace a friend made from these really vibrant purple beads. I’ve worn them heaps and I love it because of the colour. Tell us an unusual or surprising fact about yourself. I used to perform in an amateur theatre company. I considered becoming an actress but then realised I wasn’t that good, but I enjoyed it and had lots of fun. What is your motto in life? Follow your heart and dreams, only you know what you want out of life and it’s up to you to get it. Describe any ‘what was I thinking?’ purchases. Where do I start, the shoes that were the wrong size but I bought anyway cause I loved the style, or maybe the couple of formal dresses that I bought because they were on sale and I loved them but I wore once and never needed again and went out of fashion as soon as I did up the zip. What music do you listen to while you work? I don’t usually have music on while I work, but if I do it is just mainstream pop. Friday afternoons is sometimes music hour in the office, where anyone from Elvis to Pink can be heard. If I’m at home the television is on for background noise no matter what I’m doing. Any amusing anecdotes you’d like to share? Hmmm, I’m somewhat of a klutz so there have been numerous silly incidents resulting in minor injuries. One event I won’t forget in a hurry happened while I was living in Japan. Some friends and I decided to climb Mt Fuji – thinking back I’m not sure why. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy or as warm as I was led to believe – I was expecting a clear path but instead I needed to be a mountain goat. Anyway, what was supposed to take seven hours ended up taking closer to 12 with quite a lot of effort involved. I finally got to the top and it was all nice, but I was exhausted and sore and just wanted to go home. The path down was much easier it, but it was gravel. As I mentioned I’m a klutz and I slipped and fell very unlady-like on my behind, right on a rock. I struggled to my feet and continued hobbling down.  After 36 hours of being awake I returned home to find that the fall had resulted in a fist-sized ugly bruise on my backside, which made it difficult to sit, sleep and walk. The story doesn’t end there though, I had a friend visiting from Australia and I had to show her the sights. So even though I could barely move I then proceeded to take her to the local temple, which just happened to be atop a hill that required you to climb over a hundred near vertical stairs. Let’s just say it ain’t easy climbing anything when your legs won’t bend and your butt is bruised. It looked like I was doing a weird impression of Charlie Chaplin, and I have the pictures to prove it. I won’t be climbing any more mountains that’s for sure.