I WON!

I have never won a single thing in my life- no raffle, no meat hamper, no lottery ticket, nothing.

So when Dana from Acoustich said she was have a giveaway if you left a comment about her new site, Twiglet, I thought I can have a look at her site and do that. I really didn't think any more of it, until I read that I'd won. WOW!



And here's what I'd won. A stunning cotton hoodie for Brooklyn. It is absolutely divine! Thank you so much Dana. It fits perfectly.

Head over to her Etsy store and check out her other gorgeous goodies. You'll love them!

Contemplation

Am I biting off more than I can chew????

I have a ball coming up on the 28 June and I need a dress to wear (there's nothing like the last minute!).
I have been eyeing this pattern off for quite a while now and am wondering if I have the skill, or the time to make it.
So I bought the pattern in case I was bold enough whip up such a wonderful creation. I was thinking maybe in a midnight blue colour. *cogs turning*
I'm still thinking about it and the clock is ticking away.....

If the shoe fits

And my fascination with red grows....


I made these adorably cute little shoes for 'B' after spying a gorgeous pair that Leni & Rose had made. The pattern is super easy and comes from Stardust Shoes.

The shoes look nice and comfy. I lined the sole with micro polar to keep Brooklyn's tooties warm in winter. They look like they're supposed to stay on really well- if you can get them on!
I don't know where I went wrong. I had a tiny seam allowance. So I'm assuming that 'B's' either got wide feet or the elastic is too tight. *hmmm*.
I'll try to make another pair later this week. A bit of pattern jiggling may be in order.

This is...

...something I've got, but still haven't used!

Thanks to Flossy-P for this weeks 'this is' theme. It's got me thinking, and now I've got the guilts on. It's a little embarrassing thinking of all the stuff I've got but never used.

There's the shoes I thought I fell in love with. I rang nearly every Myer store in Victoria for them and I trudged all over Melbourne trying to get my size. And now they just sit in the bottom of the wardrobe collecting dust. I think they must be about 7 years old.


Or what about the fitness books I bought in anticipation to get myself fit and back into shape after having Brooklyn. Hubby always said I'd never use them. Unfortunately, he's always right.


This dress I got when I was pregnant. I planned to wear it to any evening event and then thought I looked too frumpy in it. It fits ok now though.



But the worst sin is this- a complete series of Get Crafty magazine.

I've always been a crafty person, and the series provided tonnes of inspiration and 'how tos' on making jewelery, sewing, needlework, painting techniques, decoupage, sculpting, soft furnishings, baking, lead lighting, patchwork, confectionery making, fabric dying, wood work, and the list goes on....
I had mum and dad go down to the newsagent and collect every single edition for me ( I was only 14 when it came out). It's only recently been pulled out of mum and dads attic due to a clean out and made its way back to me. So 14 years later, I plan to use it.

123 meme

" The '123 meme'?" I hear you say. "What's that?"

Well, on my usual morning cruise of blog peeps, I stumbled onto 'The Small Stuff'. Back in April, Bec posted a meme about doing the following:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

I haven't been tagged, and I'm not going to tag 5 people. I just thought the idea looks like a bit of fun, and a change from my sewing posts. So I gave it a go.

I've recently picked up a new found favourite book to re-read, The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. I don't know where this book has hidden all my life. I love reading and cant believe I haven't stumbled upon this sooner, considering it was first published in 1980.



Anyway, this is the passage the book revealed on page 123:

That must be the trouble, he thought as they walked along a path beside a glinting stream. Either that, or she just isn't intelligent enough to comprehend the language. From his observations, he couldn't believe she lacked intelligence, for all that she was different.

The book is a great read, as is the whole series. Definitely a must read!

Share the literary love! Let me know if you do a '123' post.

Red Riding Hood meets Strawberry Shortcake

I recently stumbled across a great book 'Crafts for baby'. It has so many projects in there for little ones, from toys to clothes, teddies and nappy bags. For my first project, I thought I'd give the comfy fleece coat a try.

After spending over an hour at Officeworks trying to get the pattern copied at 400%, I was ready to go.


The pattern was relatively simple. And there was only 6 steps to the instructions, though sometimes I found them a little vague. However, I managed to get the coat finished.

TaDa.. here it is. (un-hemmed)


I used a red micro polar fleece for the outer layer and a cute strawberry print for the lining. The instructions have you make toggles for the front closure, but I couldn't get them right, so I covered some buttons with the strawberry material and used some matching ribbon for the loops. (I cant do button holes as my needle position is stuck for some reason- I make do).


I think 'B' looks quite warm and snuggly. A great coat for a chilly winters day!

This is...

.... my way of recycling.

We try and recycle & reuse, where we can in our household.

* We have the standard issue bins from the council- the green waste, the recyclables and the rubbish. Our rubbish bin is rarely full, meanwhile our poor recycling bin is always overflowing.

* Our washing machine water goes into a drum outside the laundry window. We bought a pump and attached it to the drum so I can now water the garden and lawn. I used to have to stand outside when the washing machine was going and lug the drain hoses around the yard. Not much fun in chilly winter!

* Brooklyns bath water keeps my pot plants watered.

* I make little toys for Brooklyn using odds and ends that I have floating around the house. At the moment she has a fascination with lids. So I strung a couple of lids from old bottles onto some bright ribbon. She loves it!

* Egg cartons are great for raising seedlings in, as are old milk cartons.

* A friend and I swap some of our old clothes that are still in good condition and turn them into outfits for our little ones. A pair of my old cords recently turned into pants and overalls for her little man.

*And nothing beats going to an op-shop to rummage around for fabric and odds and sods. Here's a little skirt I whipped up for 'Little B' from a pair of woolen trousers.

Another makes a pair

I wasn't going to make any more soft play blocks for a while...but my husband suggested I make another block like a dice so 'Little B' can match the other one with numbers to the new one with dots. She's only seven months old, so I don't think she'll be matching dots to numbers any time soon!
This block was a bit rushed and wonky. Brooklyn doesn't seem to mind though- as long as she can chew on it and it makes noise, all is ok.

And I'm still having trouble with machine tension. Maybe it's time for a new machine *sigh*.

I'll be back for this weeks 'this is...' later.

Project of the Week

Play Blocks

I've found it's so hard to keep little people entertained for hours on end with the same old toys. And I hate toys with batteries- ahhh more noise! So here's a little something that I have whipped up for 'Little B'.

Before making them, I thought to myself, "these play blocks look simple to make". However, they turned out to be a little fiddly. Just trying to get the corners right and sewing the numbers on proved fun (something is wrong with my machine tension). They also turned out a lot bigger than I imagined too. Next time I'll make them a lot smaller.
I just used some scrap material I had left over from other projects, jazzed it up with some numbers, ribbons and buttons, put a little rattle inside and 'hey presto'- a cheap, educational and fun toy for Brooklyn. It has kept her entertained so far this morning, so let's hope she's still interested in it later!

The Best Ever Banana Bread!

Here is something that I am seriously addicted to-banana bread. "Sounds odd", you may say. But wait till you try it! I've tried many recipes and this one is truly the best.


Once cooked, it doesn't last very long in our house- because I eat it ALL -with lashings of butter! If I was allowed, I'd probably eat the whole loaf in one sitting. Not good for the thighs though.... It's great to munch on with a cuppa while trying to tackle with the sewing.
Oh-if you do try this recipe, I use only two bananas.

This is...

....my mum (& her mum)

Reminders of my mum:
* dirty hands from gardening
* sausage rolls. Mum makes the best. Every time I eat one, I think to myself "mums are better"
* Estee Lauder 'Beautiful' Perfume
* 'Days of our Lives' & 'The Young & The Restless'
* Sheltie dogs- mum used to show them.
* Saying, "Don't spend it all at once".

Happy Mothers Day Mum!



...my favourite book.

Being relatively new to 'this is' I missed one of my favourite topics- books.
This is my all time favourite book; The Classic Book of Fairy Stories'. It was given to me by my grand-parents when I was 6 years old.
The stories are all fairy tales that we know of, but are not the version we may normally remember. The illustrations in the book are absolutely gorgeous too.

The Tale of the Trouser Leg. Part 1

Over Easter, I bought a pair of mens woollen trousers from the local oppie for $3 (yep $3!), with plan of turning them into a shoulder bag for me. I love the fabric so much I decided I couldn't turn them into a bag, and have been reluctant to cut them up.
Fabric close up.


However, after getting up enough bollocks and many weeks later, I have now turned one of the legs into a cute skirt for 'Little B'.

From this:


Into this:

And a little bit left over to make a small something for me. A small purse maybe.


Hmmm.... I'm now left wondering what to do with the other trouser leg???

Sunrise Spectacular

When 'Little B' woke up early this morning- at 5:30am, I lay in bed moaning "you've got to be kidding! I need more sleep!". So after hauling myself out of bed and having fed her, I was welcomed with this beautiful sunrise. A small reward.

A bit of early morning research;
Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.
A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way. Information came from here.

This is....

...the pair of shoes that I would sleep in if I could!

I've joined in on the 'this is...' meme hosted by Three Buttons.
The theme for this weeks "This is..." comes from 'Hip Hop & Banana Bread'. It's a bit of a tricky one for me, as I am not really a shoe person. I have two pairs of shoes that I wear most of the time because they are comfy, but no means do I love them enough to wear to bed.

But this pair I love. They're bright and funky and always make me a have a skip to my step. They make me feel happy. I should wear them more often!

Sprouting

It's not very often I sow seeds. I'm normally planting seedlings as I want the herb or vege very now'ish. And since I've had this packet of rocket seeds floating around for.....I cant think how long, I thought I should give them a home.
One week later, and this is the result!


I'm stoked! It kinda feels rewarding knowing that I grew it from a little seed. Every day I'm out there checking how much they've grown, and that the nasties haven't got to them! They're chemical & pesticide free, so I'm constantly on grub patrol!