Journey to The Dark Tower

Lily's Magical Tea Party

2011-06-05T12:13:00.000+10:00

2011 is Lily's first year at school (prep), so for her birthday we did the unthinkable - we invited her entire class to our home for her 5th birthday! Now, we decided only 3 weeks out from her birthday that we'd do this, hence the complete silence from me on my usual forums and here on the blog - I've been working like a demon to put this 'Fairy tea party' themed do together (with a little help from the amazing Mr J of course ;) ) The party was yesterday, and while we are still in clean-up mode, it all went really well! Lily had a wonderful time with her classmates and family (around half of her class came - that's a lot of 5 and 6 year olds!) and we had loads of positive feedback from parents and kids alike :) My favourite part of the day was definitely the pinata - I almost split my sides from laughing so hard, it was just adorable! I over-catered of course (lets face it, it beats the hell out of under-catering), so the fridge is full of party goodies :P We have another birthday coming up in a few weeks time (Jackson is turning 2! ), but I do believe we'll keep that one a nice sedate family do! I'm thinking a dinosaur theme....any cool ideas appreciated! Pictures definitely speak louder than words, so here's some pics of Princess Lily's magical tea party.

It's been a busy couple of months

2011-06-05T08:53:00.004+10:00

But it's finally done! I mentioned in my last blog post that I had a big project on....well, I actually had *two* big projects on. The first one was my commitment, as part of a fantastic swap organised by the lovely Kelly, to make 17 items for a swap. All 18 swap fiends do the same, we send them all into Kelly and receive 17 different items. It's a fabulous idea of course, but I did find it quite challenging for a number of reasons. The first reason being that I find it *very* difficult to do simple :P Anyone who knows me is quite aware of this of course! I'll start out saying 'I'm going to keep this really simple', then start justifying why I 'need' to make things more elaborate and before you know it, I'm doing 17 entirely unique hand-dyed and hand-painted bags, and panicking that I won't be done in time! I'm very pleased to say, however, that I did in fact get them all done, in plenty of time. This is a minor miracle in itself, because of my second big project. I'm going to save that one for another post however, and complete this post with some pics of project number 1 - I hope that the new owners love these, I was tempted to keep some of them myself!

A new focus

2011-04-02T23:22:00.002+10:00

Yep, I've been a slack blogger again, blah blah, slap on the wrist :P Anyway, I've been a little sidetracked - but not by crafty goodness this time. I've been cheating on my crafting.....with the gym. And the treadmill. Oh yes, I'm really getting around. It's been a long time (years in fact) since I last had a gym membership, but now that I've returned, I can remember just why I used to love it so much :) I've been having a fantastic time, and am feeling so much fitter and healthier. I'm even doing the C25k program (squeezing that time in on the treadmill *very* early in the morning). That's not to say that I haven't been doing any crafting - there has been some dyeing action, in preparation for my first ever 'production line' kind of crafting. I've cheated a little and have dyed up a few different colours, so my items won't be *identical*, just similar. Thankfully, I won't be the one deciding who gets what (hehehe Kelly). Though, I suppose I should really get a move on - I have a lot of 'things' to make before the deadline.

It's been awhile....

2011-02-12T10:08:00.004+10:00

Yep, that's right - I'm a slack blogger. There, I said it. I have been doing quite a lot of *other* stuff though, which may redeem me a little.

Not to mention, I haven't been feeling terribly great, of late. I had a somewhat disastrous experience with a dentist in mid December, the end result being that I now have damage to my inferior alveolar nerve :S Which basically means numbness, tingling, burning and pain in half of my chin, lower lip and teeth. The really bad bit? Feeling like my teeth are being crushed in a vise, a lot of the time. Oh yeah, and the occasional sensation of bugs crawling under my skin. Worse bit? This could last for 6 months, or 2 years, or forever. Though I'm hoping for a somewhat shorter time than forever, you know? Because that doesn't really bear thinking

about now, does it? There has been some improvement lately, in that I can now make it through some days without having to resort to pain relief. lol. How awesome is that, I ask you? I'm very hopeful that this problem will resolve soon.

Or now even.

Anyway, onto happier subjects. There's been quite a lot of arty and crafty goodness happening here.....I think I might just post a couple of pics, a little show and tell ;)

Christmas crafting

2010-11-28T17:15:00.003+10:00

Oh boy, it's full steam ahead on the Christmas crafting! I've done a heap of *making*, with loads more yet to do. But I'm not panicking..... *shifty eyes*

Anyway, here's a bit of what I've been up to this weekend. Some dyeing that's currently batching, and some yarn for a swap. I think I'm in love with this one, which I've dubbed 'Dawn's first light'. It's soft and lovely. Wonder if it would be wrong to keep it for me?

Swaps....

2010-11-18T07:37:00.003+10:00

how I love thee. I have a couple on the go currently ;) One I'm taking part in is within a great group on Ravelry - we always have the most awesome swaps, thoroughly enjoyable! And.....I've now also received a secret santa brief - I'm so excited! This one will be fun :P

Here are some piccies of what I've been working on for my rav swap....anyone who is averse to yellow, you may like to look away.....right about now.

I'm a guest on Gossamer Dreams :)

2010-11-15T11:22:00.004+10:00

Once again, I'm in great company! Some beautiful work up for grabs tonight, currently previewing here

Here is what I created for the stocking - two sets to celebrate the arrival of a new baby, with

colours inspired by the elements and a mythical mother and child theme.

Awesome Retro Mummy giveaway!

2010-11-13T22:35:00.002+10:00

Another awesome giveaway from the lovely Corrie here!

More crafty goodness.....

2010-11-02T17:28:00.007+10:00

A special opportunity has had me crafting my little heart out :P Here's some of the goodies I've been working on......some of these might just be spotted soon, at a stocking near you ;)

Still not 100%

2010-10-31T13:21:00.003+10:00

but I'm crafting away, nonetheless. Today I've been making soap, yesterday was sewing, applique, fabric painting, stencilling.....about to do a little more embellishment on a bag, but more on that later :) Here's some pics of what I've been working on, plus a shot of where the little guy decided to fall asleep today....very unusual for him, not to mention super cute :P

Blergh...

2010-10-29T22:15:00.002+10:00

Well, it appears I may be coming down with something again *eyeroll* The aches and pains set in tonight.....how wonderful, just in time for the weekend :P Nevermind, I'm keeping myself busy *snicker* sketching a bag idea and cutting a stencil (the second time ever!) for another 'sort of' bag idea. Hopefully it works :) Will be back with details once I know.

So far, so good

2010-10-27T19:42:00.002+10:00

it appears that project dye painting may be a win! woot! a couple of rinses and some hot, soapy water later - colour still looks nice and strong, lines are nice and crisp (as crisp as it gets, painting with dye, anyway) and I'm feeling pretty confident. I deliberately did this experiment with turquoise, as I've found it to be a bit of a heartbreaker when dyeing. Starts off looking good, after rinse it's a bit faded, ends up looking totally washed out. It's notorious for being difficult to set. So, the plan is to use these as appliques or pockets on some stuff for the kiddies, or maybe on bags and see how they fare after some washing and wearing......fingers crossed!

some dye painting

2010-10-26T18:04:00.003+10:00

A little dye painting today......working on technique and using a new recipe. These aren't quite done, a couple more steps and I'll see if it's good or an epic fail :P

Some finishing touches added to my alien landscape

Twilight inspired on linen

And now some pics

2010-10-25T19:31:00.003+10:00

taken at the family gathering yesterday. It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny - just perfect for going to the park :)

Seriously huge day today

2010-10-24T22:43:00.002+10:00

The tribe rose early, heading into the city for the annual extended family gathering. Much fun was had by the littles and the bigs, after which we headed bayside for the opening of a fabulous new soap store :) Pics tomorrow ;)

Another picture post....

2010-10-22T19:32:00.003+10:00

because I'm starting to get that awkward silence feeling, you know - when you're trying to think of something to say :P Here's a couple of pics I took this afternoon, one of baby Jack and an action shot of the elephant skirt of a couple of posts ago.

The Dinosaur Dress

2010-10-21T16:10:00.004+10:00

Here it is :) A dinosaur dress, for my dinosaur obsessed 4 year old. It received the Lily stamp of approval 'I want to wear it for years and years, mummy'. The pattern is a freebie from Oliver + S - very simple lines and extremely generous sizing (A size 3 probably would have been better for Miss Lily). Relatively easy to make and other than the cutting out, I whipped this one up in one afternoon/evening.

Hmmmm

2010-10-20T07:56:00.003+10:00

Looks like I might have missed another day - oops! I have an excuse, of course ;) Yep. Sick 4 year old strikes again .....sigh. The already pitiful amount of sleep I normally get, just got even more pitiful. Ah well, nevermind. I have coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Father and son...

2010-10-18T12:27:00.004+10:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while. Take pictures of baby Jackson, in his daddy's christening suit. Yup, J's mum kept it and gave it to us :P So, here is my little guy, in baby clothes that his dad wore, over 30 years ago :)

Sick house....

2010-10-17T21:30:00.003+10:00

yep, it's a sick house again....sigh. Missed posting yesterday, too. Whoops! This weekend, in between tending to sickies, I did some scrapbooking! Well, really it was more updating of the kids memory books, but there was a little scrapbooking involved :P This led me down the slippery slope of searching out specific photos, which of course were stored on my *old* laptop. Enter - marathon transfer of photos to new computer, via 2gb memory stick :s Slow and painful, I tell you. But...I found some awesome pics that I'd forgotten about.

Lily and Jackson at the Cherub's Kiss photoshoot...

Jackson thinking he might eat the DS cord *eyeroll*

Lily's 4th birthday cake - Dinosaur Island!

A picture post......

2010-10-15T23:50:00.002+10:00

for someone who loves roses ;) Here's one I grew and took a picture of earlier *grin* Just for you Lesley :)

The skirt and some yarn

2010-10-14T19:30:00.004+10:00

Hot off the sewing machine and currently on the wheel. The skirt was entirely impromptu, I found what appeared to be part of a calico 'practice run' skirt, dyed it up and chopped it into two pieces - this is the small part, with a cute little elephant print to finish the hem. The larger part will become a skirt for me. On the wheel is some lovely hand dyed cotton - I have a few different pastel colours to spin, I'll be spinning them all together, one colour at a time and then navajo plying, to get a gradient yarn. Should be fun!

Self portrait....sure, why not :P

2010-10-13T21:32:00.002+10:00

I just saw that apparently there's a bit of a blogtober self-portrait thingy doing the rounds and thought - hey, that's great! Now I can just stuff around in Photo booth rather than thinking up something to blog about *giggle* I was going to blog about the cute little lime green/elephants skirt I whipped up for Lily this afternoon, but I simply couldn't find the motivation required to take a pic, so might leave that one for tomorrow ;)

And here I am, a couple of minutes ago - FAK, as per usual.

And finally....the pics

2010-10-12T16:35:00.003+10:00

Yep, I actually did get to taking those pictures today. So here they are.....Lily in her fabulous new top, which I *just* squeezed out of a half yard of some silky soft Alexander Henry voile. Plus, pictures of the fabric that I dyed over the weekend. My favourite is definite the limey green cotton velvet :)

Still no pics

2010-10-11T16:11:00.002+10:00

Yep....as above. No pics - it's very rainy, gloomy weather, my fabric is still wet and hanging up under the house and the complete and utter lack of sunshine is sapping all the happy right out of me. Never mind - it's the sunshine state, the sun will *eventually* return.....won't it? It's all good though. Tonight is my weekly belly dancing class - we've just started to learn the use of a veil....very, very tricksy, it is too. Better go and warm up my hips :P

I'm baaaack

2010-10-10T21:07:00.003+10:00

Home, that is ;) It's been a very big weekend, but we're all back, safe and sound (and absolutely stuffed!). Much dyeing was done at the lovely Carmen's house, my dyed bits and pieces are currently taking a spin in the washing machine, so no pics as yet. Tomorrow, I will attempt to have pics of both the dyeing and Lily's lovely new top (yes, it's completed! woohoo!). Here is a pic that I took on the way up the coast - the little man, with his usual cheeky grin ;)

Wild and Crazy Day....

2010-10-09T17:04:00.002+10:00

with some wild and crazy girls :P There's been food, drink, merriment, singstar, tantrums and brownies.........the fabric is soaking, getting ready for a big dyeing session! Pictures (hopefully!) tomorrow.

Whoops!

2010-10-08T15:55:00.002+10:00

Missed a day :S Ah well, you win some, you lose some. I'm about to start the marathon packing efforts that are required on the rare occasion that we *all* go away for the weekend. J is off to a golf weekend, the bigs are going to grandmas and the littles are coming with me, to the lovely Carmen's place, to hang with Carmen and Bek. Where we will no doubt drink copious amounts of coffee, talk endlessly and maybe even dye some stuff. Ahhhh, bliss ;)

Rainbows!

2010-10-06T20:08:00.003+10:00

Lookie what I caught on camera yesterday afternoon! Not just a rainbow, it was actually a double rainbow ;) So cool. And yes - I'm definitely in a better mood than I was yesterday, due not in small part to going on a huge cleaning binge today, and finishing the rather large task of mulching my gardens.

Meh....

2010-10-05T19:17:00.005+10:00

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Swimming in a great sea of 'meh'. Though, I did receive a rather fabulous package from Hawthorne Threads yesterday.....that was pretty ok indeed! Might post some pics tomorrow, when I'm feeling slightly more motivated. Actually, you know what....no - I'll post some cute kiddy pics now. Because cute pics of the kidlets always make me smile :P

Back to school!

2010-10-04T07:24:00.002+10:00

The cabin fever had well and truly set in by the middle of last week for the kids, so I think everyone is relieved that school is back today :P My biggest girl is also back to school, her first day at a new high school - good luck Dinie!

Had an awesome opshop find today - a silk wraparound skirt to wear to my bellydancing classes, for the princely sum of $6.00. I love op shopping!

Latest spinning efforts

2010-10-03T10:08:00.004+10:00

I've been doing quite a bit of spinning lately - it's incredibly addictive! I've been trying loads of different fibres, and have even managed to spin some 'not too bad' singles :) My fave so far has been spinning silk - a bit slippery and tricky, but oh so soft! I even spun some camel - super fine, soft and fluffy, but with a reasonably long staple (in comparison to cotton anyway lol) so quite nice to spin. Currently on the wheel is some hand dyed cotton top - nicely prepared and fairly long staple (for cotton), but a little frustrating to spin, after just spin some gorgeous tussah silk top :P

Oh dear......

2010-10-02T06:48:00.005+10:00

I believe that I've been a little *cough* slack, with updating my blog

*blushes furiously and tries to think up an excuse*

Nope, I've got nothing :P

I've been having one of those periods of time where months pass in the blink of an eye, leaving you asking 'wtf???? It's October already?'

So anyway, I've been doing *tons* of stuff - loads of arty, crafty bits and pieces and, after much reading and playing, have had that *lightbulb* moment where I get how to actually use my dslr *properly* - in full manual mode!

So, in the spirit of Blogtober, I plan to post everyday. Or at least post a picture everyday. Ok.....you can stop laughing now. Really.

Here are some pics of recent endeavours, and just some recent pics I've taken that I like :P

Some more of what I've been up to :P

2010-06-27T05:38:00.003+10:00

Just some pictures of what I've been working on lately......it's before 6am on a Sunday, (thanks kiddies!), pictures are somewhat easier than stringing words together when tired :P

dyeing mojo

2010-06-01T13:44:00.003+10:00

It seems that the dyeing mojo is in the house :P I may not have been blogging all that often, but I have most definitely been creating! I've been experimenting with different dyeing techniques, including dye painting using thickener for procion (sodium alginate, which I got from the wonderful Jill and Tracy of Fairy Fabrics ). Here's some of the results :)I've also been doing a little doll making - I'll hopefully have this Coraline inspired doll ready by Lily's birthday party on Saturday....just got to finish knitting her shrug :)

Happy 4th birthday Lily!

2010-06-01T13:40:00.003+10:00

I can't believe it was 4 years ago that you came into our lives....wow, the time has just flown by! Happy birthday, princess :)

Been a-dyeing

2010-04-23T10:14:00.003+10:00

Just some pictures of the dyeing fun I've been having! There's some procion dyeing and also some wool dyeing (cringe....my hands!). I know I've sworn not to dye wool, but these natural coloured wool interlock pants were in a bag of clothes gifted to me, so I had to 'pimp them' before gifting them to someone else....I mean come on! Natural colour wool.......the temptation was just too great :P And yes - I wore incredibly thick gloves while working with them......but still have slightly raw hands to show for it...sigh.

A guest on Gossamer Dreams!

2010-04-15T15:35:00.004+10:00

Yep, I'm in some great company again tonight, as a guest on Gossamer Dreams! This will be the last stocking for an indefinite period and there are some gorgeous items up previewing. My contribution to this stocking will be 'The Long Road Home'. Enjoy!

Tis the season to eat choccy

2010-04-04T14:55:00.002+10:00

falalalala
lalalala

Hope everyone is having a great easter! We've had a very full on, wonderful day - lots of family visiting, loads of good food and of course - plenty of choccy :P

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front of late - all my 'free' time at the moment is being consumed by a rav swap. I'm ever so close to finishing now.....will post some pics once this last item is done......off to do some FMQ on the machine ;)

Lovely goodies!

2010-03-12T19:32:00.003+10:00

I was recently lucky enough to win not one, but two blog competitions! My goodies have arrived and I've finally taken pics :) First up, I won a competition for some fabric, on Corrie's blog Retro Mummy, then only a week later, I won a competition for a nappy on the lovely Lesley's blog How lucky am I?!?

In other news, I'm taking part in a swap on Ravelry.....woohoo! It's been a while since I did a swap and I'm stepping outside my comfort zone, with actual knitting involved :O There will of course, be other goodies involved......I'll be racing to get this one done in time ;) A sneak peek.....

I've been a sewing.....

2010-02-16T07:27:00.003+10:00

pettiskirts! And yes, everything you've heard about making them is true. They are very labour intensive, time consuming and fiddly. Add in a ruffler that just won't do it's thing, so enter stage right - shirring elastic (how I love thee). You ruffle some nylon chiffon. Then some more. Then yet more. Hours and hours and hours of ruffling. *headbutt desk repeatedly* The results are pretty cool though. But please don't ask me to make you one....seriously, don't :P I have quilts and bags to make - you know, instant gratification stuff? *giggle* These ones are winging their way over the border, embarrassingly late birth and birthday presents, for my 6 week old and 1 year old nieces :)

Another giveaway!

2010-02-07T14:05:00.000+10:00

Right here at Sunny Street Designs! Awesome stuff!

Ooohh! Cherub's Kiss giveaway!

2010-02-05T20:14:00.002+10:00

Awesome! A giveaway by the incredibly talented Lesley :) Her nappies are most definitely TDF ;) Details are here on the Cherub's Kiss blog.

Happy birthday Bri!

2010-02-02T18:42:00.003+10:00

Wow, has it ever been a long time between posts! I haven't exactly been idle, but between Christmas, school holidays and a very nasty bout of illness for poor little Jackson, I've been, quite frankly, stretched a little thin. Hence, the blogging absence ;) I'm feeling the return of some crafting mojo though - woot! I've been playing with my new drum carder, spinning up some squishy soft alpaca, preparing to experience the joy that is sewing pettiskirts and also getting ready to make some new bags :) I've been playing with crochet and doing some piecing on Jack jack's quilt. Oh - lets not forget cake decorating.......very impromptu, I have absolutely no instructions or decorating utensils, cake needs to be done by this afternoon kind of decorating. It was......surprisingly fun. The birthday girl (11 today!) adores Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, so I found a picture of the cute little alien, baked a couple of chocolate cakes and....winged it. It's chocolate cake with buttercream icing, coloured with food colouring (lol) and decorated with some sprinkles and smarties. Simple but effective, I think. She knew immediately what the cake was meant to be, so I figure it's close enough *giggle*
And a recent photo of baby Jackson, now almost 7 months old (omg!) and racing around the house, pulling himself up on everything in sight :)

The bathroom and The Twins

2009-12-02T09:32:00.004+10:00

Sounds very cryptic, doesn't it? Perhaps because there is no relationship whatsoever between the bathroom renovation and my special mystery project, aka 'The Twins'

In bathroom reno news - we're almost done! woohoo! Here are some pics of the marathon effort by J, and our dear friend M, that is the new bathroom. I love it, of course- just a few bits and pieces to do, and it's complete :)
And The Twins. I first had the idea for this one some months ago - the picture for the centre panel of this quilt popped into my head and refused to leave. Hence, I had to put it down on paper, then proceed to make it. While in the process of making the centre panel, I realised that what it really wanted to be was a quilt. I then set about designing said quilt and making it. Needless to say, what initally was a 'relatively' simple project, became quite a bit bigger than I'd planned. Most of it is fabric that I hand dyed specifically for the project, there is fairly extensive applique (lol) and I quilted it (with the exception of the centre panel) in free motion stitching. I wanted a specific look for the centre panel, so did that in a straight stitch. I'm quite pleased with the result - this is my fourth quilt, so I'm just starting to get a handle on the process of making a quilt and do things my own way (as I do :P )

The Twins is now with a loving new home - it was inspired by and created for a most lovely lady, and her gorgeous girls - one with her feet on the ground, the other forever flying on butterfly wings.

I've been a very busy girl.....

2009-11-24T06:05:00.002+10:00

I haven't been around all that much online, or here on my blog - huge chunks of my time and creative energy have been consumed by a large and somewhat ambitious project I've been working on. Having a deadline for this one, meant that I really had to put my nose to the grindstone, so to speak - but it has all paid off. I'm ever so close to finishing........just a little detail work left to do, and finito!
I have another project with a deadline now too, though I haven't worked out quite what I'm going to do for that one yet :S Better get decisive!

Awesome giveaway at Retro Mummy

2009-11-24T06:04:00.002+10:00

And wow, does she know how to do a giveaway, or what? :P

Here it is!

Works in progress....

2009-11-03T12:31:00.003+10:00

Yep, there's a few ...well, maybe more than a few :P

Brianna's quilt is nearly completed - just the binding to do on this one.Then there's my SSP, and I'm rapidly running out of time to finish it.....eep!

a couple of nappies to applique, spinning to be done, fleece to process, knitting waiting in the wings......if only there were more hours in the day!

I've also begun harvesting sweet pea and hippeastrum seeds from the garden ....there's heaps - plenty to keep and give to friends :P

The little man is now 4 months old....a lovely, chubby fellow he is too!

And then.... there's the bathroom renovation in progress. Oh yes - we're doing the bathroom. It's a very big job, I can tell you ;) Here's some work in progress pics.

And that's it, for now. More later. You can go now. No, really. :P

I've got a new camera!

2009-10-16T07:50:00.004+10:00

She's a Sony alpha DSLR with twin lens kit......I love her :) A very early, couldn't wait to give it to you birthday present from my fabulous husband :P And to celebrate, here's some of the pictures I've been taking with her :) Here's a November Lily from my garden...Brianna being her usual quirky self :P.........Peekaboo baby.......The lovely Nadine.... .......who is impossibly photogenic *giggle* Jackson and Johnny.....Lily playing football.....

The long road home....

2009-10-06T21:45:00.004+10:00

here it is :) This bag was pulled straight from childhood memories of living in the country, where we had what seemed like the longest driveway in the world. I have vivid recollections of making my way up that impossibly long driveway at dusk, after a full afternoon of playing, the sound of crickets and birdsong in the air. This one is a project bag, lined in cotton duck, with a couple of internal pockets and two different shoulder straps - one knitted in organic cotton, the other matching the cotton inner and fastened with snaps. The outer is hand dyed cotton/linen blend, embellished with a combination of cotton and wool material. I was sorely tempted to keep this one for myself, but alas! I used wool, so The Long Road Home will have to find a loving owner.

And some more pics of my squishy little Jackson (who is now 3 months old OMG!) and the fabulously cute Lily.

giveaway at Handmade Heaven!

2009-10-02T18:39:00.002+10:00

Super awesome surprise giveaway over at the Handmade Heaven blog :) I was thrilled to discover recently, that this store is *very* local for me :P

I've been quite productive lately, but will have to blog it later.....mundane chores are calling me *groan*

retromummy giveaway!

2009-09-17T09:35:00.001+10:00

The lovely Corrie has a great giveaway up on her blog at the moment - check it out!

Secret Squirrel Project is go!!

2009-09-15T09:05:00.002+10:00

'The Child Within' is up now on Gossamer Dreams! I've had an incredibly vibrant cut of hand dyed cotton/linen sitting in my fabric pile for a while, just waiting for the right project. When I heard that this months GD theme was 'Spring Hippy', I knew that the right project had just arrived :P And wow! I'm in some seriously good company - there is some gorgeous stuff up previewing at the moment :)

And now he's 8 weeks old!

2009-08-31T20:34:00.003+10:00

I'm actually updating my blog more, now that I have a newborn in the house.....go figure :P I wonder how long I can refer to my little guy as a newborn for *giggle* As long as I want to, I think ;) Here's my big guy and my little guy.

Things have been quite busy around here of late - we went out all weekend, which was quite tiring, but there were some great photo opportunities, hence I have some pics to show :) We went to Manly on Saturday to support a lovely lady who shaved her head to fundraise for cancer research, it was blowing a gale, which was actually quite a pleasant change from the 35 degree days at home. Then we toddled off to Bri's school fete on the Sunday, where Lily had her first face painting experience (a Fairy Princess, of course!).

I've been working on some crafty endeavours also - Bri's quilt top is all cut out and ready to sew, and my secret squirrel project is just waiting on some snaps for closure. (Excuse the pun). I may even post some pictures of it.....soon. I'm itching to do some spinning and knitting, but not enough hours in the day.......I think I might cast on a project soon though.

6 weeks old.....

2009-08-20T15:26:00.003+10:00

Well, he's actually 6.5 weeks, but who's counting? lol. I think it must be some kind of cosmic joke, that the times in life that we want to really savour, go by at warp speed. I cannot believe just how quickly the last 6 odd weeks have flown by. Little Jackson has grown out of his really teeny newborn clothes and nappies already :S Gosh, he's growing fast!

I believe Donna may recognise this shirt ;)

In other news, I've been gathering some fabrics, to get cracking on Brianna's quilt. I hope to have it done by Christmas (lol!). I also have one in the works for Jackson, but I think I'd like to get Brianna's done first. My first attempt was a flannelette scrappy quilt for Lily - it actually came out quite well. I used all of my flannelette leftovers, plus a vintage sheet I already had and one I scrounged from my friend Bek, of The Cloth Nappy Shop ;)

And finally, I've been working on bags again! I'm finding working with procion on cellulose fibres a little trickier than food colouring on wool, but definitely still a most enjoyable creative outlet. Two bags are nearing completion - The Long Road Home, drawn from my memory of the trek up our impossibly long country driveway after school each day, and butterflies at sunset, inspired by a butterfly loving friend. There's a third project in the works also - my secret squirrel project. The fabric is dyed and waiting, I know *just* what I'm going to do - time to sketch, and start cutting! I'm a little torn though - I'm trying to decide whether these three will be knitting project bags, or wetbags (pul lined). I suspect butterflies will be a wetbag - not sure on the others yet. Time will tell ;)

4 weeks already!

2009-08-04T10:49:00.005+10:00

Since our gorgeous little man arrived :O I can't believe how quickly that has gone....waahhhhh! Unsurprisingly, there hasn't been a great deal of crafty goodness happening here - things are a little hectic. I have, however, been trying to make sure I capture plenty of the little guy on camera - you can't get that time back, after all ;) He's a super calm little guy still - makes me think of the sea turtle in Finding Nemo *giggle* Here's a couple of recent pics.
The other thing that has been consuming my attention for the last week or so, is the Twilight books. They really are quite.....captivating. I must say, a very pleasant surprise for me - I almost didn't pick up that first book to read it, because of all the hype. Very glad that I changed my mind now :P And I've got this great idea for a bag.......And finally, a picture of the lovely Lily - isn't she a doll!

Baby Jackson is here!

2009-07-08T20:32:00.002+10:00

Our little guy is here! It turns out that I was in early labour on arrival at the hospital on Monday and little Jackson was born into water in the RBH birth centre on Monday afternoon, just like his big sister Lily :) He weighed 7lb 10oz (3.45kg), 52cm long with a 37cm head circumference (ouch!). A very tough labour, but well worth it in the end!

Today is the day!

2009-07-06T05:06:00.002+10:00

It's time for me to grab J and head to the hospy - eviction time for the little guy ;) I had really hoped that he might decide to come before now, but it seems I'm super comfy to live in *giggle*. Hopefully, my next post will have some squishy newborn pics :) See you on the other side of the birth :)

Happy 'due date' to me.....

2009-06-22T16:16:00.004+10:00

Yep - it's that time :P My magical 'due date' - I love the sound of those things, as they go whooshing by *giggle* So, in honour of this momentous occasion, I thought I'd do a blog post, maybe pop a couple of pics up.

Here's my very first quilting project - A teeny bassinette quilt for the little one. I did a fair bit of free motion quilting on this - boy, is that trickier than it looks. I used organic cotton wadding and a natural colour organic cotton heavyweight flannel for the backing and binding. The front is assorted quilters cottons, with a cute little bunny appliqued on by hand.

And here is my new nappy bag! I made it from the Amy Butler nappy bag pattern, with the Amy Butler Nigella twill fabric. It's lovely and big - I pack a lot of stuff when I leave the house, so perfect for me!

And finally, a pic of Lily the baby girl (as she calls herself lol). Just because she's super cute!

Happy birthday Lily!

2009-06-01T21:13:00.003+10:00

Happy birthday gorgeous girl! Three today - wow, hasn't that gone quickly! We had a little celebration at home today - off to the island on the weekend, for celebrations with J's family. Here's the birthday girl about to attack her candles, assisted by dad ;)

And in unborn one news - it would appear that I've reached the 'even my maternity shirts aren't cutting it' stage. A bit of baby belly showing there, huh? :P Only weeks to go now - must finish off some of my projects, must rest.....hmmm, wonder which will win out *giggle*

Great giveaway....

2009-05-23T10:45:00.003+10:00

on Tanias blog at the moment! Got to love a good pattern and book giveaway ;)

Sewalongs and Knitalongs.....

2009-05-18T12:06:00.005+10:00

are fun! Here are a couple of items that I've been meaning to make for ages, but just never found the time. Crafting along with a bunch of others just gives that little extra push to actually do it! So, thanks to the Nappycino knitalong and sewalong, I can now present....

My first knitting project created from raw fleece to final product - a calorimetry, knitted from my handspun alpaca fleece. I had originally been going to dip dye this once knitted, but I'm quite taken with the subtle colour variations in the natural yarn. So, natural it stays ;) Not sure if I'll keep this one or gift it yet.....I'll have to think on it.

A group...ah bunch....hmmm what would be the correct term here for more than one pincushion? :P I made the flower one first - incredibly fiddly, but I quite like it...it's definitely staying with me ;) It's made from Amy Butler Nigella fabric for the base, with fuschia linen for the centre of the flower. The petals are a quilters cotton print, hand dyed linen/cotton and some more fuschia linen. The other three pincushions are made from a Heather Bailey pattern - considerably easier than the flower pattern, so I of course made more than one lol. Made from various combinations of denim and quilters cottons, I loved being able to use up some of my very interesting solo buttons that tend to accumulate in my sewing room. I'm not entirely sure that I require 4 pincushions, so am considering gifting one or two of these also ;)

Finally, a pic of my dear baby Lily, who isn't really such a baby anymore - she'll be turning three in a couple of weeks time (my goodness, where did that time go?) She's a real character, can you tell?

And we're not far off welcoming baby number four to the family now - around 5 to 7 weeks to go.....hasn't that gone quickly, too! And at last, I think we may have decided on a name for the 'baby guy', as baby has been dubbed by Lily. Phew.....I was beginning to think he'd have to be nameless until he could pick his own!

I've got a couple more projects on the go at the moment - hopefully I don't stall in the middle of doing them - pics to come soon....hopefully.

Busy times

2009-03-17T17:48:00.005+10:00

Well, even though I feel as though I'm getting absolutely nothing done, I've had a look at my recently finished projects and wips and I've actually been quite productive, in between helping J with our ongoing renovations :) I've finally got the camera out and have taken some snaps, so prepare to be assaulted with images :P

Here we have some recent spinning ...

Some nappy making.....

And some experimental dyeing on cotton yarn......

A teeny weeny spare ribs shoaker (love this pattern!) in acrylic of course.......

Some bell bottom longies......

And a sneaky peek at a special bag for a Ravelry swap :)

Bek and I had a big dyeing day yesterday, but I haven't got photos of the results just yet.....will update on that one later!

I'm back!

2009-02-16T11:28:00.005+10:00

I've been meaning to do a blog update for ages, but life seems to be getting in the way lately :P So much has been happening - we've bought our first home (yay!) and have been renovating, have been squeezing in some crafty time (as you do!) and have even found the time to start growing a new family member........*giggle* The latest in our little tribe is expected to make an appearance midwinter, so some of the already mentioned crafty time has been devoted to some knitting and sewing in preparation.

Well, the sewing so far has comprised some cloth wipes from fabric scraps, but I do have a few teeny nappies cut out.. The rest of my crafty time is being eaten up with my latest fascination - spinning. I'm totally hooked! And on the lookout for spinning equipment and (non-sheep) fibres :) Here's some of my handspun - handdyed and natural alpaca.

Finally, I have another of my woolen wetbags currently up for auction on Gossamer Dreams- I created this bag for the Nappycino Australia Day competition for 2008 and it is, in fact, the last of the wool wetbags, as I can't work with wool any more (working on alternatives though ;) ) All proceeds from the auction with be divided between Bushfire and Flood relief - I' m glad to be able to help out, even in a small way - every little bit counts.

A Wetbag for Jess :)

2008-12-06T10:19:00.002+10:00

One of my wetbags, amongst a veritable treasure trove of other wahm items, is currently up for auction to raise funds for a special little girl :) The auctions are here and you can read about it here. It's really heart warming to see everyone digging deep for such a great cause.

Back on the blog :)

2008-11-04T17:39:00.002+10:00

Wow! Great to be back blogging, after such a long absence. To say that my life has been utterly crazy for the last 6 weeks or so would be a HUGE understatement ;) Perhaps a little more Jerry Springer crazy, than Days of our Lives crazy *giggle* Hey, if you don't laugh, you cry, right?

In amongst all the bad bits, however - there have been some very good bits :) More on that later. Things do seem to be getting back onto a more even keel, which is a relief. And......I've been working on some 'stuff'. The very last of my hand dyed wool blanketing is being made into.......well, you'll have to wait and see. I've also been working on carding some alpaca fleece by hand (oh, what I wouldn't give for a drum carder, or even some decent hand carders. It's darn hard work, with slicker brushes)

My spinning is currently on hold, while I get my wheel into a condition where I can spin with it lol. The screws holding the maidens? are threaded, and the maidens move when I'm trying to spin, causing the flyer to fall off....argh! So, I've enlisted some man-help to put new screws in for me *grin* Hopefully will be spinning madly very soon!

I' m feeling the urge to whip up some nappies, so might get cracking on some newbie size ones for my sister - she's due with a baby girl in January - very exciting!

Tough times

2008-09-30T20:21:00.002+10:00

Another prolonged absence from my blog, this time with good reason. I' m currently going through an incredibly difficult time in my life and my blogging has taken a back seat, I'm afraid. I have been surprisingly productive, however, and have much to blog about, but the motivation is lacking at the moment :( I'm hoping to find some inner reserve of blogging motivation soon - stay tuned for pics of some recent wips.

Guest on Gossamer Dreams!

2008-09-15T08:10:00.003+10:00

Very exciting - I'm a guest on the Gossamer Dreams store this month, as part of their 'Animalia' theme! My 'Out of Africa' wetbag is previewing today and will go live this evening, along with of some of my applique, on Bek's MM fleece AI2 nappies. There's many other gorgeous items available at Gossamer Dreams this month also, of course - what a talented group of wahms!

She's here!!!

2008-09-11T19:53:00.002+10:00

She arrived today, delivered by my mum :) Yes, I am in fact referring to my new baby - the spinning wheel! I had a fair idea what she was when I saw her, but a little googling has convinced me that she's an Ashford traditional, circa 1975. Beautiful condition, but missing a few bits and pieces - can anyone point me in the right direction for spares? I think I need someone to help me put the bits on, once I get them *blush* Although, after having a look at the Ashford catalogue, the parts that are missing are relatively inexpensive *yay* Can't wait to get spinning!!

Oh dear, another prolonged absence

2008-09-09T17:13:00.005+10:00

:S Oops! With the beginning of spring, life seems to have become even more hectic than usual. I've had many things to blog about, but have been too busy doing them to blog about them LOL! I think a combination of J working a minimum of 50 hours a week and my rapidly growing crafty 'to do' pile (aka the mess on my sewing table) has combined to make my life absolutely crazy :P I've picked up old, forgotten projects, am finding pleasure in working in my sorely neglected vege and herb garden and have been preparing for a new obsession. Yes. A spinning wheel is coming to live with me....woot! We' ll just pretend that the many projects sitting neglected on my table aren't there, m'kay?

In super exciting family news, I went with my sister T to her ultrasound and she found out that she's having a little girl!! Yay, I get to make pink newbie nappies hehe. More projects....because you can never have too many WIPs...can you?

I have another project about to hit my desk - a little something for my little niece, Eb. She's turning 3 later this month and I thought I'd whip her something up. Better get cracking!

A Lily Car!

2008-08-23T21:48:00.002+10:00

J picked this beauty up today - so exciting! I'm hoping that I'll be able to get out and about on the bike lots now, with Lily in tow :)

Woohoo! Swaps all received :)

2008-08-22T19:24:00.003+10:00

Yay! Now that all swaps are in their respective homes, I can reveal that The Little Parcel that Could was for the lovely Tikki ! So, that's it - all done. For now......

And because I do love to post pics, here is a pic of the shorties that I decided to go a little 'freehand' on. To do this, you grab your shorties, your needle and wool.....and go nuts! These are pear tree merino and are looking for a new home. The short rows are hideous, but I think that my embellishing did a pretty good job of hiding them :P What do you think?

Forgive me blog....

2008-08-21T20:47:00.003+10:00

I have been neglecting you, I know. I do have an excuse though - I've been very busy, preparing and sending off packages :P Tracy, yours is on it's way, absolutely bursting at the seams lol, Donna - yours is coming too. There is another parcel on it's way - it will probably be a bit of a surprise for the recipient, as she isn't aware that it's coming - I've come to think of it as The Little Parcel That Could. It was only a small parcel, but it wanted to be a Great Big Parcel. So it grew, and grew, and GREW!

I've had some other bits and pieces happening, also. Operation 'No sheep for you' is well underway - I've been attempting to get rid of all sheepiness from my home. This has been moderately successful so far - although to assist in the timely removal of knitted woolies from my vicinity, I've been embellishing them (while wearing thick gloves!) to hopefully make them more appealing (and hide my hideous short rows). In super exciting news, I may have a spinning wheel coming to live with me, courtesy of my mum and stepdad! So, so excited, I'm practically jumping out of my skin. Not to mention sourcing some non-sheep fibre to play with. I'll get piccies of my embellishing efforts up, once the longies I'm working on are done. I'm doing something quite ambitious on them, actually - hopefully it works out.

More exciting news! (how much more excitement can I take before I just explode?) One of my wetbags will soon be up for auction on the Pookey Pockets Ozebaby store. Hopefully it will be well received :)

On the family front, Lily went to her very first Ekka. We all had an absolute ball, with no 2yo tanties even. Here's a piccie of Lily and J after going down a ridiculously high slide (for the second time!). My little daredevil - you wouldn't get me on that thing for quids :P

Smocky mail and Lily's dress

2008-08-04T20:42:00.003+10:00

I received an absolutely fabulous parcel today - the lovely Tracy sent me this pile of yarny/smocky goodness as her part of a couple of swaps - once she's back from holidays, I'll be sending her a pile of wooly fun - the second part of my end of the swap!

And here is Lily's dress - complete! It's fuschia linen, made from a 60's 'jumper' pattern and I decided to design a stencil and do a little painting. I'm very happy with the way the stencilling worked out. Expect to see more fabric painting here soonish ;)

A quick update....

2008-07-31T21:19:00.003+10:00

just a quickie, no pictures tonight. I've been having quite a productive week, with a little bit of everything going on :) I've finally finished the sewing portion of the pinnie/smock for Lily that has been languishing in my project bar forever :P It's a lovely fuschia linen, sewn from a vintage pattern - so simple, I love the lines of it. I'm planning on doing a little stencilling on it, so hopefully that works out. Just have to design and paint now!

I've also sent Karen's package off to her - I hope that she likes it. An applique and a little something extra.

I've been having a few woe is me moments lately, because I've discovered (finally!) that the ongoing and very painful skin problems on my hands are caused by an allergic reaction to lanolin. Very upsetting, as I love to work with wool. No more sheep for me, I'm afraid. Which in turn means that my woolen wet bags are going to be a 'very' limited edition item lol. Speaking of which.....one of them may soon be up for auction on Ozebaby, through the Pookey Pockets site. Very exciting! I'll be throwing on some very thick gloves soon, to complete three more bags, with some cuts of wool I already have dyed - then that will be it. No more woolen wetbags. However.....I'm not going to give up on creating usable art quite as easily as that ;) I have some great plans brewing, no wool required......

Ok, back to the sewing machine for me.....nappies to repair and all that jazz!

A catch up post

2008-07-23T14:43:00.005+10:00

Yep - it's been one of those fortnights....sigh. I've had a terrible flu, as have most of the family. However, I'm recovering (finally), so thought I'd do a post about some more dyeing I've been doing and the longies that Sharyn knitted for me (no action shots yet - elastic has to be put in). Here's a peek! I'm really happy with the way the colours knitted up (look ma - no pooling!).

Here is some dyeing I've been doing - from back to front they are wool, wool, rayon/cotton/silk blend, 100% cotton and wool. The wool was kettle dyed with food colouring and the cotton and cotton blend was dyed with procion, using the low water immersion technique (I find it almost as enjoyable as kettle dyeing!).

I just love the way that the different fibres took different colours in this yarn - my girls dubbed it 'Seaweed'.

This one has been called 'Jaffa' - I've now balled it up and will be teaching myself to crochet with it (washcloths, anyone? :P)

This yarn is lovely and squishy (too bad I can't knit with it :( ). It's a 4 ply 70/30 wool/nylon blend - would make great socks I think.

This is 4ply 100% wool - not too sure what to do with it though - there's 100 grams, I think?

Here is some mystery mohair that I dyed a while ago - no idea what to do with it...isn't it hairy!

J and the big girls got new bikes...

2008-07-12T16:32:00.004+10:00

so off we went today, down the road to the bikeways and park! We had a great time, with Lily insisting on going on the swing forever :P and the big girls test driving their new wheels.

Pictures of the special project ;)

2008-07-11T11:32:00.003+10:00

Now that I know it has been received, I can post pics of Carmens new laptop sleeve :) She approached me a little while ago about making this for her, to which I replied 'sure!'. Then realised that I had no clue what I was doing, lol! Thus ensued some creative thinking on my part and with the help of some dimensions from Carmen, I created a pretend laptop, from a breadboard and towel, to help me envisage what it was I needed to do. Here is the results of my efforts.

Fun filled op shop day today :)

2008-07-07T19:56:00.002+10:00

It was a great day - first a stop off at the post office to post some swaps off (not yours Carmen, but that will happen soon!) then a jaunt to the local op shops. I picked up some great material - red with white polka dots and a green batik. I also found a great pattern for a cheongsam style dress, or top and skirt. So, into the queue goes that pattern - Nadine wants a skirt :P Nothing much else happened today.....hoping to get a little knitting time in tonight and make the longies progress bar look a little more respectable.

It's done!

2008-07-06T17:59:00.002+10:00

Yes! That special project for Carmen - done! :) An executive decision on closures was reached, with a little input from the lovely Carmen herself. So, it's all done, ready to be packed up and sent. Now, I've got a terrible case of the what ifs. What if the size is wrong? What if she despises it and is too polite to say so? What if, what if, what if? Ack. I think it's pretty special - hopefully she will think so too! No surprise spoiling here either - pictures will be posted once I know it has been received.

Special project update...and a dilemma

2008-07-05T11:51:00.002+10:00

Well, as you can see in my project bar, my special project for Carmen has been receiving my undivided attention....hence, it is ever so close to being done! A little hand embroidery to go now....and the closures. Herein lies my dilemma. Do I use buttons, or snaps? Snaps would probably be more practical, but hunting for just the right vintage buttons would be ever so much more fun and if the placement isn't quite right, buttons are far easier to move than snaps. Plus, with buttons there won't be any hard snap caps on the inside. Ahhh, the drama :P Must think about this some more.......

More dyeing and still working on a special project

2008-07-03T09:41:00.003+10:00

Yep - kettle dyeing again! This time, 200g of treliske organic merino - the wonderful Sharyn of Virgo Knits is knitting this up for Princess Lily. I must admit, I was thinking 'argh, what have I done!' when I looked at my wool in the pot. I still wasn't feeling terribly happy when I took it out of the pot to rinse and dry. However, once I'd balled it up I was pleasantly surprised with the results :) Quite a soft and girly colourway I think, just right for some longies for my little girl.

Now, a special project update - my custom for the lovely Carmen is still moving along - the creative work is done! Just need to hit the machine and get it all together now. I must admit, I'm having moments of self-doubt. It's quite nerve-wracking really, doing a custom. I take my hat off to all the wahms who primarily do custom work - you must have nerves of steel! I'm also currently working on a (late!) gift for my sister Amy, who is celebrating her birthday today :) Happy birthday Amy! Back to the machine for me.

Dyeing, sewing, applique

2008-06-28T12:28:00.002+10:00

A bit of a mixed bag, this week. I had my first go at kettle dyeing and I must say...I'm hooked! It was so much fun :) Here are the results!

Brianna has a friends birthday party to go to tomorrow, so I thought I'd whip her up a skirt - but what's a skirt without a matching top? So, it was applique time again. She's quite thrilled with the results and I'm fairly happy with how it turned out, also.

Finally, a little dyeing I've been doing for a special project ;)

And here they are....

2008-06-24T09:42:00.004+10:00

Three wetbags - finally done! I've just had a big dye session, so have a few more projects to start on........

More finished objects! Wetbags this time :)

2008-06-21T10:53:00.002+10:00

Well, I've been working on them for a very long time, but they're finally done....well, almost. A couple of snaps to go on one still, but otherwise - complete! I'm not entirely sure where these bags will end up yet....will post some pics later on.

Pics of the turtles!

2008-06-18T15:26:00.002+10:00

Now that I know it has been received, here is a little something that I whipped up for a swap. I'm sure it will receive plenty of use in its new home!

I've been doing a lot of work on my bags lately also, as my progress bar shows :) Just snaps and handles to do now.....so close!

Faeries in the garden again!

2008-06-15T11:09:00.003+10:00

Every now and then, a faerie visits our garden. She's a lovely little sprite, full of mischief and cuddles.....

Turtles are done....

2008-06-14T19:17:00.003+10:00

I've been hellbent on getting my swap with Amy done in a timely fashion and...success! It's ready to post, bar a few little finishing touches :) I've even taken photos...which I won't be posting until the parcel arrives at it's new home *giggle*. I hope that she likes it, and that it fits her little man!

Another finished object....

2008-06-11T18:23:00.003+10:00

if you can believe it? I dyed a cut of hemp velour a little while ago and have had it sitting in the fabric pile, just waiting to be made into something special. So, here it is! A nappy with hand dyed and appliqued hemp velour outer and 100% organic cotton sherpa inner. The absorbency is a combination of bamboo terry and organic cotton sherpa. Super squishy and lush. The applique is 'goddess' in Chinese lettering (at least, that's what it's supposed to be - hope I haven't stuffed it up lol).

In other news, I received a couple of lovely parcels today - one was a rather large package full of fabric from Amy (thanks Amy!) who will be receiving a quite turtle-ish swap from me in return :) The other was a bit of a surprise package from Kelly - a nice piece of wool interlock for me to play with - thanks Kelly!

Thought I'd join in....

2008-06-07T08:58:00.002+10:00

this pretty little exercise has been doing the blog rounds :P I've seen it on loads of blogs now, so not really sure who to attribute it to lol. Anyway, here's mine!

Here are the rules if you want to play too:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker).

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name

Note to self...

2008-06-04T21:51:00.003+10:00

Decide you need embellishment, before sewing the pants! I made these little pants for Lily, then decided they needed a little jazzing up - so I designed an applique to match Lily's lovely Pint tee. Trying to applique minky via machine, onto an already assembled pair of pants is horribly fiddly, but I think it turned out ok in the end :) Lily seems quite pleased also.

Further note to self - take better pictures later, in the daytime :P

2 years ago today.......

2008-06-01T16:29:00.004+10:00

I was holding a gorgeous new bundle of pink and thinking 'wow, I made a baby!' :P With a little help from J, of course ;) So Lily, my darling princess, this post is for you. Happy 2nd Birthday!

A doughnut, cupcakes and a teeny loaf of bread.....awwwwww. Here is some super cute softie food I whipped up, to go with Lily's big birthday pressie - her wooden kitchen. I was absolutely thrilled when I managed to buy this little kitchen for her. She seems to really love it, too!

And here is the birthday girl, sitting in her pile of birthday loot, perusing a card.
And finally, Brianna and Lily having a little tea party - isn't that just too cute for words!

Boy, have I ever fallen off the blogging wagon....

2008-05-25T18:45:00.005+10:00

although I have a plethora of excuses ;) Combine the many projects I have on the go, with the horrendous pain levels I'm currently experiencing and something must give. So, back on the blogwagon, so to speak. I' ve been doing a little sketching for a friend and I'm also working on a special nappy. Not to mention making felt food for my little princess, who will turn two next Sunday. Will post some pics later in the week :)

A huge thanks to the lovely Tracy also, who sent me a wonderful package last week - a beautiful dress, a fleece soaker and a fleece skirty. We love them and Lily insisted on wearing her dress right away!

Swimming through a minkee sea......

2008-05-18T20:38:00.003+10:00

on route to a new home, is little Orkey the Orca. I was feeling inspired by Tracy's recent softie avalanche, so decided to design my own. Bek might recognise a theme here, as might Lesley ;) He's made from cotton velour and bamboo velour, stuffed with bamboo/hemp/cotton fabric scraps and embellished with cotton embroidery thread and a little organic cotton.

And.....drumroll........Moon Goddess is complete! I' ve lined her in pul, for practicality, which was very challenging indeed :S Another project that will soon be on it's way to a new home. I'm a little sad to see her go, but I think her eventual owner will appreciate her :)

Ooh, I've been tagged!

2008-05-16T20:33:00.003+10:00

Meg tagged me, with this thoroughly entertaining meme :P Here goes.....

This started at Smokey Mountain Breakdown and the rules are as follows. Answer each of the five questions. Tag five bloggers you would like to pass the meme to. Have them link back to you and to this post as the source meme.

1. What food do you consider the best “date” food? In other words, what meal or food item do you think is sexiest to eat in the company of someone you would like to look sexy around?

Sushi wins, hands down. After all, nothing says 'sexy' like seaweed stuck between your front teeth. *Wink*

2. What well-known person would you like to share a meal with—with or without clothing. (saying whether or not clothes are involved is optional).

Stephen King, without a doubt. I'm sure the conversation would be fascinating - for me, anyway.

3. What does your perfect breakfast-in-bed look like? (Food AND the details, please. Candles? Music? Flowers? Hot tub? Dancing girls?

blue eyes, athletic .....oh?? you mean food??

4. What do you consider the best application of whipped cream to be?

erm, you don' t really want me to answer that, do you? hehe

5. Oh-God-No, Biff, the yacht is sinking! You are sent to the galley to retrieve the food. What luxury food items do you snatch first? The champagne? The caviar? Smoked Salmon? Truffles? Chocolate? Or something else?

Well, it depends on where the yacht is, doesn't it? If the yacht is sinking out in the middle of nowhere, I'd grab the champagne. After all, every shipwrecked person needs a bottle to put a 'rescue me' note in, don't they?

And I think I'll tag Lesley, Donna, Tracy, Bek, and Mel :)

I'm uncommonly lucky

2008-05-15T17:20:00.007+10:00

when it comes to finding treasure in op shops. My sister now just shakes her head in disgust when I show her my latest oppy find and wills some of that luck to rub off onto her :P Here are some of my most exciting finds!

From left to right, we have a vintage Chanel bag (a real one even!), A Salvatore Ferragamo handbag, some lovely Salvatore Ferragamo shoes and a stunning vintage Emilio Pucci scarf :) Oh, lets not forget the two innocuous looking teaspoons, which turned out to be one of my most exciting finds.

Here is the telltale signature of Pucci

Now, you're probably wondering why on earth I have two teaspoons included in my exciting finds. Well, since doing some research on a few pieces of British sterling silver that we had inherited, I'd become quite interested in it and had been keeping an eye out while op shopping for anything that might be sterling. These two spoons were in a rather grotty bag of silver plate cutlery - I picked up the whole bag for $1.00. As it turns out, they are very rare Darby 'patent' spoons - sterling silver, made in 1785 and much coveted by collectors of spoons! Due to their rarity it was quite hard to get a real idea of their value - after much digging, I discovered that one of these spoons had gone to auction in 1993 and fetched a staggering 400 pounds. So there you go - how's that for an incredible op shop find?

Posting at warp speed

2008-05-15T07:58:00.002+10:00

because it's another day out of the house all day for me.......groan....... I will freely and openly admit, I'm a bit of a homebody at heart :P My idea of heaven is an uninterrupted day to work on my current crafty obsessions. Although, being a mum of three, that uninterrupted day....well - let's face it, there ARE no days like that in the forseeable future! Ah, well - one can dream. Anyway, I'll be spending the day with my totally fabulous sister, who loves op shopping as much as I do, so I think I'll do some pictures of previous incredible op shop finds when I eventually get home :)

Ahhhh, mothers day :)

2008-05-11T10:19:00.004+10:00

What a wonderful morning....a sleep in until 10am, my morning coffee in bed.......children gathering excitedly around while I open my pressies and cards......feel the serenity :P

Better warm up that snapping foot Bek ;)

2008-05-10T11:16:00.007+10:00

Because these babies are ready!

I've been a very busy girl, haven't I?

And because I'm in a photo mood today, here's some pics of my current WIP's.

Enjoy!

Lily in her prize :)

2008-05-07T21:31:00.003+10:00

Well, no chance to take pics of anything exciting today - I was far too busy chatting up a storm with Bek at her store :P So instead I'm posting a photo of my lovely Lily, in her tiKKi Pint outfit. It was part of my prize for being a winner earlier this year, in the Nappycino Australia Day comp, with this entry :) I also received lovely items from Karen (Girly Bits), Jayne (Nurture Nappies) and Renee (Cuddles n Cloth). How lucky was I?!?