Poppy, Bean and Bloss

Preschool

2012-02-10T10:10:00.001+11:00

With much excitement, the small girl headed off to preschool today. She has been anxiously waiting for this day, and was thrilled that it had finally arrived.

Knowing that she will soon be at preschool two and a half days a week, we have made a few excursions this week.

We packed Baby in her stroller and headed off to the duck pond for a picnic.

Spent some time admiring the ducks (but not feeding them after I explained that giving the ducks bread was like feeding them lollies - not good for them at all).

And inspired by our growing collection of baby stick insects, spent some time looking for creatures in the garden.

I can't quite believe that my small girl is old enough for preschool, but am happy that she is so excited about starting.

Cross stitch magic

2012-02-09T13:03:00.001+11:00

I could not resist when I came across these cross stitch patterns on Pinterest. Not with a boy as mad for Harry Potter as mine is.

The pattern is from Wee Little Stitches on Etsy and she has a heap of gorgeous patterns. You can even get a custom family portrait done.

The boy did mention in passing this morning that he liked Star Wars better than Harry Potter now - lucky I bought the three Star Wars patterns too.

You can see what else is being created over here.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside

2012-02-05T21:12:00.001+11:00

We are just back from eight days camping at the coast with friends.

Lots of swimming, both in the pool and at the beach.

Long walks, scooter and bike rides.

Rock pools.

A lot of kids - there were twelve in the group we were staying with.

And a few big kids. They are launching water balloons, which the kids were trying to catch.

Weather for all seasons - hot, sunny days, winds strong enough to blow a neighbouring gazebo away, and rain. Our second rainy day turned in to a movie afternoon for the kids. It is very hard to entertain twelve kids in the rain - I don't think there is a tent in the world that is big enough.

Lots of wildlife.

Beautiful beaches.

A spot of fishing.

And of course, camping craft. The ripples are slowly coming along.

The only downside to the trip was having to pack up in the rain, which meant having to set everything back up again at home so it could dry.

The perfect end to a very full school holidays. The two bigger kids are back to school tomorrow, and the small girl starts preschool later this month.

This month I am reading

2012-02-03T15:30:00.001+11:00

(I do realise it is now February, but I ha this post all ready to go before we left for camping last week but hit save instead of post, so humour me for q minute or two)

Squeezing in at the last minute yet again for Bron's bloggy book club, this month I am reading The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory

This is the first book in her series about the War of The Roses. I have all three books lined up on my Kindle ready to go - wonder how far I will get in the last week of holidays.

The big girl is reading Enid Blyton's St Clare's series. She loved the Mallory Towers books, and is enjoying these just as much.

The boy and I are working our way through the How to Train a Dragon series. We are currently reading the third book - How to Speak Dragonese. I also got a few of the series as audio books for him - they are read by David Tennant (the tenth Dr Who) and are hilarious.

The small girl and I are reading The Children of Cherry Tree Farm. Again by Enid Blyton, this book is out of print but we picked up a copy second hand a few weeks ago. The book has really captured her imagination and she loves hearing about the adventures of Rory, Sheila, Benjy, Penny and Tammylan.

You can see what else is being read this month over at Bron's. Have you read anything good lately?

Now he is six

2012-01-26T14:16:00.001+11:00

But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
now and forever.
A A Milne

Yesterday, my beautiful boy turned six. I can't believe the years have flown by so fast (and am in complete denial about reaching double numbers with his big sister later this year).

We celebrated with some presents,

Lego,

More lego,

And still more lego. I am not sure that the saying 'many hands make light work' applies when it comes to putting Lego together. I am also not sure that Grandad will ever volunteer for that job again.

A Nerf war with friends. Amazing how those darts just vanish....

A gingerbread house instead of a birthday cake.

And because Harry Potter had to make an appearance somewhere, and I always want a handmade by me gift in the mix, a couple of cushions. Heavily inspired by these ones that I saw for sale on Etsy.

I made a Harry one for my niece's birthday and the boy immediately requested his own 'and Malfoy to please mum'. I may have bitten off more than I can chew though, as the small girl has now requested a Dobby cushion.

Happy birthday gorgeous boy!

Making Ripples

2012-01-24T21:23:00.001+11:00

A bit more than eighteen months after I started it, my circle-in-a-square blanket is finished. Well, almost finished. There are a few ends still to weave in.

While I still think the one that Jo and I made for our Grandmother a few years ago is stunning, I am quite happy with how this one turned out.

I hold Tania completely responsible for what happened next. As I finished the last of my edging, I looked into my basket and thought there was a fair bit of yarn left. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a ripple blanket started. I really should be further along but I seem to have to unravel two rows for every one I get right. Must pay more attention. This will be the perfect project for an upcoming camping trip.

We are also trialling a new paint colour, having lived with our bright blue walls for about as long as I can stand. We inherited the colour when we moved in, and the photo below really doesn't capture the full horror.

I think the new colour is much more relaxing, or will be when the whole room is done.

Quilted

2012-01-17T19:44:00.000+11:00

I think I set some kind of personal record this week. In less than one week I started and finished a quilt.

The pattern is Kate's Geometric Quilt pattern, which I love. Simple, but oh so effective. The fabric is Sandi Henderson's Secret Garden range, with a bit of linen thrown in.

Backed with some gorgeous Liberty. The quilt was a present for a friend and was gifted today.

I am itching to make another one....

Basting away again in Margaritaville

2012-01-14T09:20:00.000+11:00

Actually, there were no margaritas involved, which was probably a good thing, but Jimmy Buffet was on high rotation on our road trip and is still stuck in my head.

I am working on a quilt for a friend's birthday. Basting is my least favourite part of quilting - not just because it is tedious. I am always worried that the backing won't be flat or some other crisis will occur.

Still, the basting is done. Expect to see a finished quilt soon - her birthday is on Tuesday.

Summer Holiday

2012-01-11T13:22:00.001+11:00

After seven thousand hours in the car yesterday, we arrived home from a trip to the Sunshine Coast to visit family. I think that I am more likely to opt for a tree change than a sea change (although no plans for either), but we had a lovely time Swimming at the pool

And the beach

Feeding elephants at Australia Zoo

Cooling off in the water mist

Watching Bindi Irwin feed a crocodile

Visiting the most amazing second hand bookstore - who knows what treasures might have been buried on those bottom shelves...

Where I found all three of the Willow Farm books for the small girl (and The Children of Willow Farm is the exact edition I had when I was younger) and a few of the St Clare's books for the big girl. Unfortunately we found the first and fourth and she wants to read them in order so I will have to hunt around for some more.

And of course seven thousand hours in the car does mean there was some time for car craft:

And of course, hanging out with the Queensland replies. Hope the new year has been full of family, fun and sunshine for you too.

Playing around

2011-12-30T08:25:00.001+11:00

This week I have been playing with my fancy new DSLR camera that I got for Christmas. I still have a lot to learn.

Smallest girl with the amazing wooden barn that her grandad made for Christmas.

Loving that I can get such clear macro shots.

Sylvanian families and Lego were a big feature in our house this Christmas. It took me the best part of two days to put all the boy's Lego together.

And the continuous shot mode is awesome! Any photography tips for me? I would love to hear them.

We wish you a Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T15:37:00.001+11:00

Wishing you and your a safe and happy Christmas.

(And didn't I do a spectacular job of wrapping the guitar so you can't tell what it is).

A quick trip to Sydney

2011-12-22T21:28:00.002+11:00

The kids finished school last Friday and we bundled them into the car for a quick trip to Sydney. The countdown to Christmas had been given up in our house as the boy was busy counting down the days till we saw the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum.

The exhibition is fantastic and I would highly recommend it to any Harry Potter fan. The small boy was beside himself with excitement, and couldn't quite believe all the things he was getting to see.

Lucky for us, the gift shop had been restocked a couple of days before we visited so we left with a marauder's map, a couple of wands, t shirts, chocolate frogs and some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. After encountering a soap flavored jelly bean, closely followed by an earthworm one, I left them to the kids.

We also went by the QVB to see the Swarovski Crystal Christmas tree, which was beautiful, and Santa's Grotto. The kids were keen to visit Santa but a two hour wait was a bit much.

A visit to Books Kinokuniya was also on the agenda - easily the biggest and most impressive book store I have ever seen.

We also stopped off to visit my cousin - head chef at Zumbo's new patisserie at Star Sydney.

The macaroons were heavenly.

We ended a very long day with a visit to the Christmas Carols in the Domain. There was a huge crowd so we couldn't see the stage from where we sat, but the kids had a lovely time.

Not a bad start to the school holidays really. Of course, now we have seen the Harry Potter exhibition, the countdown to Christmas is well and truly back on.

Playing hooky

2011-12-05T20:07:00.001+11:00

I seem to have developed a small addiction - crocheted trim on pillowcases. So far I have limited myself to pillowcases that I make but I am finding it very hard to resist the urge to put trim on every pillowcase in the house.

At least these ones have a purpose - the purple one is a Christmas present for the big girl's favourite friend, and the other two are a very belated birthday present. You can find a tutorial to make your very own over here. Be warned, it is addictive.

Sunday

2011-12-04T20:15:00.002+11:00

Waffles for breakfast;

A bird nest blown out of the tree;

Being serenaded by the small girl - off the top of her head she sang a song about each family member;

The aftermath of last weekend's dancing concerts (yes, it took me a week to wash the costumes);

A chair in the sun, some knitting and a good book.

Hope your Sunday was filled with good things.

Instagram

2011-12-03T20:28:00.002+11:00

I have been playing around with Instagram (and I am sure there must be an easier way to blog photos than the way I have just done it.)

The small girl decorated the stairs today. She just can't get enough tinsel.

Movie Night

2011-12-02T16:58:00.001+11:00

It is the end of a long week, filled with Christmas concerts and other goings on. Perfect night to curl up on the couch with a movie.

The kids and I have read Mr Popper's Penguins so it will be interesting to see how the movie compares. Hope you find a way to relax tonight.

Cutting it fine

2011-12-01T20:07:00.001+11:00

I bought what I thought was an Advent calendar the other day at the supermarket. Unwrapping it last night I discovered it was in fact a block of chocolate wrapped in an advent calendar-like box. A home made advent calendar has always been the plan, but I always leave it too late and end up grabbing one at the supermarket. After last night's discovery I decided I would finally make my own.

I downloaded the printable from draw! Pilgrim and spent a fair bit of time cutting and folding today. The finished (well, nearly finished as not all the boxes have their drawers yet) product is gorgeous. Much cuter than my blurry photo.

This month I am reading

2011-11-30T14:40:00.003+11:00

Nothing like sneaking in at the last moment, but I am joining in with Bron's This month I am reading... We have had a lot going on this month so not as much time for curling up with a book as usual but I did finally manage to finish Bleak House.

Originally published as a serial, Bleak House is a meandering tale full of interwoven characters and stories. I knew that if I stopped, I would have to start again at the beginning as there was no way I would keep track of all the characters and how they were linked. I think it took me about 6 weeks to read, but so worth persisting. Dickens at his best.

Needing a change of pace after Bleak House, I picked up Sophia's Secret. Don't be put off by the cover, it was a great read.

The big girl has started reading Kathryn Lasky's Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Must be good. She is already up to book four.

The boy has been engrossed in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We finished the last chapter last night so will be starting Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator tonight.

The small girl is fascinated with a book called Zoo Poo at the moment. Enough said.

Best Concert Ever

2011-11-07T23:02:00.000+11:00

Thanks Jo

Just saying

2011-11-01T20:20:00.001+11:00

Always pays to make sure there is nothing under whatever it may be that you are cutting with the rotary cutter.

Hectic

2011-10-27T12:54:00.003+11:00

Everything seems to be moving at a million miles an hour at the moment, with not enough time to get anything done.

A package of gorgeous yarn from Carol at Rainbow Wools and a cupcake with the small girl were a nice change of pace today.

Concentration

2011-10-13T11:06:00.002+11:00

Generally I knit to keep my hands busy while I am waiting. At swimming lessons, dance, Tae Kwon Do I can knit, watch the kids and hold a conversation.

This is not that sort of knitting. My first real foray into lace has seen me frog, re knit, mutter the stitches constantly under my breath, obsessively count and recount. No relaxed knitting in front of the television, I am sitting up straight and focused only on my needles.

Luckily the pattern is gorgeous (a test knit so I can't share it yet, but that does add a bit to the pressure of perfecting my lace) and the yarn is heavenly to knit with (Millamia from Suzy Hasfrau - who is having a 20% off sale till tomorrow) so the knitting is still enjoyable. More creative spaces over here.

School holidays

2011-10-11T10:56:00.002+11:00

We have been whiling the days away:

* painting, * making, * smiling, * Geocaching, * visiting Floriade with a friend, * enjoying leisurely breakfasts, * reading, crafting and drinking tea, * visiting Jindabyne to see water being released into the Snowy River. * car craft for the drive there and back.

Still a week to go.....

This month I am reading

2011-09-27T20:43:00.002+10:00

Kind of sneaking it in at the last minute - this month has been super busy with work, market prep, kids and just life in general. There is always time for a good book though, and this month I have read a few.

First up was When god Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman, a sweet story of a brother and sister growing up in UK in the 70's. This book has a wonderfully engaging cast of characters.

Next up was Leslie Cannold's The Book of Rachael, the fictional story of Jesus' sister. This book was beautifully written and one of my favourite reads this year.

The big girl has read and reread all the Harry Potter books, and now listened to all seven audio books as well. She has been struggling to find something as engaging, but hopefully her new book The Truth About Verity Sparks will fit the bill.

From the publisher's blurb:
Who doesn’t want them to learn the truth about Verity Sparks? An adventure/mystery with a dash of the supernatural thrown in; The Truth About Verity Sparks is packed with chases through the dark alleys of London, séances in high-class dining rooms, pet pythons named Anthony and Cleopatra, murdered opera singers and much, much more.

Sounds like a winner to me.

You can check out other reads over at Bron's.

Buttoned out

2011-09-12T12:57:00.001+10:00

Every time I buy a new piece of clothing I take off the spare buttons and put them in a zip lock bag that I keep in my bedside table. This bag is bursting at the seams and has buttons in that I no longer have the original clothing for.

Every spare button from every piece of clothing. Except for this old favourite. And of course the buttons are covered in fabric from the shirt so I have no chance of finding a suitable replacement. I guess I will be replacing them all.

On a side note, I almost set fire to my sewing machine on the weekend. If you are ever sewing non stretchy beaded ribbon on to Lycra (I know, why would you?) and need to heat seal the end of the ribbon so the beads don't fall off as the ribbon frays, secure your stitching and remove the whole thing from your machine before going near it with a naked flame. Otherwise you might find that the cotton threaded in your machine will go up in flames. Not pretty.

Working on

2011-09-08T13:59:00.001+10:00

a birthday present today. The small girl chose the fabrics so hopefully the recipient (also a small girl) will be happy with them.

If this works to plan I think I will be making a few more... You can see more spaces here.

Spring has sprung

2011-09-01T17:39:00.001+10:00

The first day of spring was a stunner here. Perfect for enjoying a cup of tea in the sun and blowing some bubbles.

Despite the fact that I could have happily spent the day in the sun reading Jane Eyre (off to see the movie tonight) I did mange to get another custom doll into the mail.

Complete with fairy wings.

You can find more creative spaces over here.

The ever-so-grateful gratitude giveaway

2011-08-30T13:31:00.002+10:00

Sometimes (in fact most of the time) I am amazed and overwhelmed at the response my dolls get.

I love making them and it thrills me to bits to see the dolls head off to new homes to be loved by someone else.

The interaction I get with so many lovely people through this blog, email, markets and Facebook is wonderful.

And so to say thank you I decided it was time for a giveaway. For a custom doll that will be ready for Christmas. But this giveaway has a bit of a twist - you can't enter now.

If you are a fan of my Facebook page, you are entered. If you entered one of the two fundraising giveaways that I ran earlier this year and did not win, you are entered. If you follow my blog, you are entered. Thanks to all of you for your support.

And so after tallying up Facebook fans, giveaway entrants and blog followers I had a total of 452 entries. And the winner was.....

Suzanne Everett. Congratulations Suzanne. If you can get in touch with me either through here or Facebook I will give you all the details.

Playing hookey

2011-08-25T20:33:00.001+10:00

It was a glorious day today. This afternoon, with the small girl at play school, I had an hour or so to myself.

Ignoring the call of all the things that needed to be done inside, I spent that hour sitting outside in the sun working on my latest knitting project and reading a book. (I really love that with my Kindle I can read and knit a the same time without the delicate balancing act I used to have). Hope you managed to find time to enjoy the sunshine today.

Wonderfully wooly

2011-08-21T20:54:00.001+10:00

We had a fantastic weekend with a perfect ending today. The very lovely Renae held a yarn viewing today to launch her new store - Suzy Hasfrau.

The organic wools were beautifully soft and squishy, and the baby alpaca is heavenly. The dark red skein came home with me. I have no plans for it yet, I think I will just pat it for a while.

It really was a yarn lover's paradise. I don't know how Renae can keep all this in her house.

And after perusing all the wooly goodness, we had a beautiful lunch.

A very nice way to end a lovely weekend. And if you are looking for the perfect yarn for your next project try Suzy Hasfrau.

Dressing up

2011-08-18T13:26:00.001+10:00

The small girl's play school are having a Royal ball today. The invitation said come as a prince, princess or your favourite Letterland character. As soon as she heard that, the small girl decided she was going to be Dippy Duck.

A metre of yellow fabric, and some bits of felt later, she was Dippy Duck. When I dropped her off today she was the only girl that wasn't a princess, and she was very cute.

Now I need to finish the boy's scarf before his book week parade next week. No prizes for guessing who he is going as.... More creative spaces over here.

Ah, Monday

2011-08-15T11:16:00.002+10:00

Today did not get off to a good start. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to make a batch of jam drop cookies at 6.30 this morning. The cookies are delicious, but this meant I was running behind this morning. Of course the kids then decided to do everything really slowly, and the small girl refused to get dressed or have her hair done.

We finally left the house and amazingly got to school on time. I talked to a few teachers and parents, said goodbye to the bigger kids and left to drop the small girl at family day care for the day. As I was leaving, her carer said 'I think the zip on your skirt is undone'. Sure enough it was.

An hour later I am at home working. I look down and realise that my shirt is on inside out. Beautiful!

Anyway, the gorgeous doll in those photos is for sale tonight as part of the Gossamer Dreams stocking. All the wonderful goodies available are previewing now, and will be available to purchase at 8pm.

Hope you all managed to dress yourselves properly today, and your Monday is traveling smoothly.

Science week

2011-08-14T18:21:00.004+10:00

One of the things I love about living in Canberra is the number of free or cheap family activities that are always going on. This month we have been to the National Museum to see Ned Kelly's armour, seen a model train exhibition, and visited Brick Expo (my tip is to go when it is raining - we queued for about 20 minutes on a wet Saturday afternoon, friends who went the next day queued for hours).

Today we went to the CSIRO Discovery Centre for the Family Science Spectacular being held as part of science week. We had a fantastic day.

The small girl battled her way through a room that was filled with balloons, the kids each made a Lilliputian garden (now sitting on the window sill hoping the seeds will sprout), we separated strawberry DNA, some of us watched a dinosaur show (and some of us were so freaked by the word dinosaur that we went and did other things), and we had a go at Geocaching.

The kids loved all of it, but especially Geocaching and I think we will definitely be doing that again. Did you have any adventures this weekend?

Sparkles

2011-08-11T13:10:00.002+10:00

It is a very cold, wet, wintery day here. Lucky for me I have million red sequins bringing light to my day.

Part of the big girl's dance costume for a competition in September. A long sleeve red lycra top. That needs to be sequined - front, back and sleeves.

Seems like dance sewing is taking over all my craft of late.

You can find all sorts of creative things over here.

This month I am reading

2011-08-08T10:54:00.002+10:00

I am going backwards a little as i am not actually reading this book at the moment, but it kind of fell between blog posts and I wanted to share it with you. I read a fair bit - somewhere around 50 books so far this year I think - but Someone Knows My Name by Lawerence Hill is easily one of the best books I have read this year.

Someone Knows My Name tells the story of Aminata Diallo, who is kidnapped from Africa by slave traders, sold into slavery in America and ends up in London sixty years later to help the abolitionists. This is a beautifully written, moving story that I highly recommend. I actually finished the book I was reading (Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson - another good read) last night so am between books at the moment. I think I am going to start reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I have been looking at this one for a while and keep putting it off because, although I have heard good things about it I have also heard it is creepy and, well, I am a bit of a chicken.

The big girl is reading Morris Gleitzman's Once and Then. These are available as separate books but are really the continuation of a story so it makes sense to have them both together.

Once and Then tell the story of a Jewish boy named Felix in Poland during the Second World War. Because of the subject matter I read them both before I let the big girl start. The books are beautifully written. There are some gruesome scenes described (as you would expect with a book about the Holocaust) but not in a gory way. The boy has finally made it to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with the help of the audiobooks. He can now listen when he wants instead of waiting for me to be able to read to him.

And the small girl is loving Imagine by Allison Lester at the moment. The pages are filled with gorgeous illustrations and lots of hidden things to find.

You can see what else is being read over at Bron's. Have you read anything good lately?

Early mornings

2011-08-04T13:37:00.001+10:00

The small girl and I were up early this morning, so we decided to make a batch of choc chip cookies.

The early morning air must have been working in our favor, as usually my cookies end up flat and spread out, but these kept their shape beautifully.

Later we stopped at a cafe for a strawberry milkshake. While we were there we had an impromptu celebration for the (imaginary) dog's birthday. Including a rousing rendition of happy birthday. Hope your day is full of cookies, milkshakes and imaginary friends.

Going Potty

2011-08-01T22:43:00.002+10:00

Much excitement in our house tonight. The big girl managed to score herself early entry to Pottermore.

(Image via Pottermore)

Now we just have to wait patiently for the welcome email.....

Circles of a completely different kind

2011-07-28T13:03:00.001+10:00

Work has halted on my granny circle blanket for the moment. The big girl has her first ever ballet exam on Sunday. Part of the uniform needed for the exam is a black, calf length circle skirt.

The five skirts are made, but three still need hemming. And each skirt needs three rows of ribbon sewn around it - to precise measurements of course.

So if anyone needs me I will be hunched over my sewing machine with a pile of ribbon. Will probably be there till Sunday at the rate I am going.

You can see more creative spaces over here.

The Rajah Quilt

2011-07-25T17:06:00.002+10:00

Not much happened around our house in the school holidays with the boy laid low on the couch for most of the time. Late last week he had rallied a bit so on Sunday we had a family outing to the National Museum of Australia.

Regardless of how you feel about the outside of the building (which I quite like), inside is a treasure trove of delights and wonders. We had gone mainly so that the boy could satisfy his Ned Kelly fascination and see his armour that was on display as part of the True History of the Irish in Australia exhibition. The highlight for me was unexpectedly finding the Rajah Quilt on display as part of the same exhibition.

(Image from the National Gallery of Australia website)

The Rajah Quilt was sewn by convict women on the convict ship Rajah in 1841, and was presented to the Governer's wife on arrival in Australia. Fabric and other supplies for the quilt were supplied to the convict women by the British Ladies Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners. The quilt is part of the National Gallery of Australia's collection but is rarely on display. For anyone in Canberra, the exhibit ends on 31 July if you are interested in seeing the quilt. Entrance to the museum is free but it cost us the princely sum of $22 for a family ticket to the exhibition.

Other highlights of our visit were the small girl discovering an interactive Wiggles display in the Eternity gallery, and finding Phar Lap's heart in the Landmarks gallery. I would highly recommend a visit to the museum for anyone visiting Canberra

Warming the heart

2011-07-22T07:47:00.002+10:00

Making me smile today:

* after two weeks spent sick and very miserable, it was so wonderful to listen to my boy giggle his way through The Gruffalo's Child yesterday.

* he was finally well enough to go to Tae Kwon Do, and came home with his yellow belt.

* finding lots of weird and wonderful photos on my iPad, courtesy of the same small boy. (The one above was one of his better shots).

* the big girl reluctantly going to a two day dance course (on top of half a dozen extra ballet lessons) and coming home having had a great time.

* the small girl waking up next to me this morning and saying "sorry mummy, I really did try to stay in my own bed"

What's making you smile today?

No crafting today

2011-07-21T08:12:00.001+10:00

There won't be much happening in my creative space today so I thought I would share what has happened during the week. The crocheted circles are coming along nicely - all circles done, and about a quarter of them joined.

I probably would have made it further with the circles but I decided on Sunday that the small girl really needed one of these.

I finished it off late last night which means she can wear it today when we go to see The Gruffalo's Child.. The boy and I saw The Gruffalo last year and loved it so he, the small girl and I are off to see The Gruffalo's Child today.

Can't wait. Don't forget to check out our creative spaces to see what is in the making today.

Pure Imagination

2011-07-18T12:33:00.003+10:00

'Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination'

My children have been blessed with very active imaginations. Since the big girl could talk we have lived in a house filled with imaginary friends and pets. When the big girl was small, she had 16 'ghosters' that went every with her. She also had (and still has I think, although we don't hear too much about him these days) Turkey.

For years we labored under the mistaken impression that Turkey was a chicken. He came every with us and was always allowed to roam free until the fateful day he got lost in David Jones. We finally found him after searching for a good half and hour (do you know how hard it is to find an imaginary pet in a department store? Every time you think you have found him, a small voice sadly pronounces 'No, that's not him'). From that day on Turkey was only allowed to come with us if he had a leash on. Years later we discovered that Turkey was a turtle who had just been pretending to be a chicken.

The big girl now uses her imagination to fill notebook after notebook with stories. As I write this, she is sitting at my laptop typing away on her latest story. She has let me include part of Chapter One of her latest story, The Book Thief Takes a Story here....(It is just as she has written it, I have not corrected formatting or spelling).

Alice Nelson was very nervous because she was starting at a new school the very next day, her mother had laid out her school uniform for the next day. Alice was a pretty girl so she didn’t have to worry about being teased because she was plain, she had beautiful brown curls and soft blue eyes, she was not tall or short but just right for her age and had no brothers or sisters so they would not bother her while she was doing her homework and she would not be teased for getting in trouble for bad work or any work at all for that matter for she had a very good brain and she used it well. She told her mother all this and her mother had just said well why are you worried about being teased then? And Alice had replied with I don’t know but I will think it out till I do know and that is what she was doing, she thought that she would have to think it over at playtime tomorrow while she was writing, you see Alice had no real talent but she was very good at writing stories and loved to write and work at school work as much as she could.

Imaginary pets have recently resurfaced in our house with the small girl. In the last week of term it was her turn for show and tell at play school. I always let her take whatever she wants, and we chat about it before hand so she some idea what to talk bout. On this day, she picked up a clear plastic container with a lid on. 'I'm taking this mum' she announced. When I asked her what was in there, she told me it was her pet chicken Ella.

Sure enough she took the container with her and stood in front of her whole class. Very carefully, she got Ella out of the container and handed it to her teacher to hold. Ella was followed by a dog, a cat, a duck and a turtle that were all sharing the container. The teacher had to hold each one while the small girl described them to the class. I do wish I had been a fly on the wall that day, apparently there were some very confused kids in her class.

Hope you have a day full of wonderful imaginings. I am off eat some play dough pizza and get beaten at checkers by the boy.

Going round in circles

2011-07-14T13:19:00.001+10:00

There hasn't been much crafting here this week. My boy came down with a bout of tonsillitis on Monday that saw three days of high temperatures, night time hallucinations and vomiting. He is feeling much better now, except the antibiotics have caused an outbreak of oral thrush and the poor kid can't eat. What you can see in the phot below has taken my just over a year - I bought the wool at Bendigo in July last year when my cousin and I did our road trip to Daylesford.

I have finished 160 circles - just 8 more to go. Then all I have to do is put the squares around them, join them, edge the blanket and I am done. Shouldn't take long right? My aim for today, in between games of Battleship, Checkers and episodes of the Brady Bunch, is to finish the last eight squares. I will worry about the rest later.

Irony

2011-07-12T11:52:00.001+10:00

Our smallest girl, who turned three in April, has slept through the night a handful of times in her life. Since she moved to a big bed last year she ends up in our bed, not so gently twirling my hair around her fingers as she sleeps. We have alternately threatened, cajoled, bribed and pleaded but all to no avail. (And to be fair, I don't think it is intentional on her part - she wakes up and just comes looking for us).

And so you would expect me to be bright and bubbly this morning given that the small one slept all night in her own bed - till after 7 o'clock this morning even. But no, the boy was struck down with another bout of tonsillitis yesterday, so I spent a good part of my night awake with him. I am off to curl up on the couch with him now, and read some more Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Hope I stay awake.....

In the shop

2011-07-11T16:09:00.003+10:00

There will be a few dolls for sale in the shop at 9pm tonight.

They are previewing now if you want to check them out.

Today is

2011-07-10T17:03:00.001+10:00

Cold, wet, blustery, snowy.

Perfect for sitting by the fire with a good book.

Oh look

2011-07-09T06:35:00.001+10:00

Her Canberra has been featuring projects from Handmade Living, and my journal covers have made the cut.

You can see the full article here. The things you find when you get up early on a Saturday morning....

Remember the Qld Flood Apeal Giveaway?

2011-07-08T07:49:00.001+10:00

from way back in January? Well, the lovely winner wanted the doll for a July birthday present. Always one for stretching a deadline as far as I can* a package was posted off this week. Now that she has arrived safely (although not gifted till later in the month), I can show her to you.

She left here in the outfit pictured with a quilt to keep her warm, a change of clothes and co-ordinating hair ties, and some pyjamas.

Thanks again to everyone who donated and entered the giveaway. *I delivered my last Christmas orders for 2010 at about 6pm on Christmas Eve, on my way to meet the rest of my family at a friend's place.

My creative space

2011-07-07T13:27:00.001+10:00

There has not been too much creating around here this week. I have had the eldest home from school with a mystery virus for nearly two weeks now. She is really hoping to make it back for the last day of term tomorrow. I did pop into Addicted to Fabric this morning and picked up some Liberty to bind the hem of my wool skirt.

I was initially planning on something that was more cream but I think the grey and cream combination will be perfect. You can see what else has been created over here.

This month I am reading

2011-07-04T20:15:00.002+10:00

I know I promised more photos of yesterday's doll but there are a couple of things going in the box that I want to keep as a surprise, so will share more photos once the doll has arrived at her new home. Instead, I will share this month's books with you.

A while ago I read Hillary Mantel's book Wolf Hall, which sparked a fascination with Henry VIII. Having lived in London for a few years, I had visited Hampton Court Palace, the Tower and other places and new the litany of Henry VIII's wives - divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived - but this book really bought it all to life. Then Jo lent me The Tudors on DVD and I was hooked. So when I was walking past Dymocks and saw the complete Tudor Court Collection by Phillipa Gregory for $45 how could I resist? I have already finished The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance so this month I am reading The Queen's Fool.

(Picture stolen from Jo's blog as I have lent a couple of the books to my sister and couldn't get a photo of the full box).

The boy and I are still working our way through the third Harry Potter book. He did try to tell me the other day that he had finished it all by himself and was ready to start the fourth one. Perhaps because we won't let him watch the movie until he has finished reading the book.

The big girl and I are taking a break from Anne of Avonlea (mainly for my benefit - that girl can talk!) and are reading The Penderwicks. This is a lovely story and we are both enjoying it - in fact she is banned from reading ahead without me. I was pleased to discover there are two more stories about the Penderwick sisters.

And the small girl has discovered a new favourite. We are big Graeme Base fans here, and she is loving Jungle Drums at the moment. There is also a fantastic iPod app for this book that I highly recommend.

You can see what else is being read over at Bron's. Have you read anything good lately?

In the making (a sneak peek)

2011-07-03T13:47:00.001+10:00

It has been a slow week here, with both my girls sick. The big girl had nearly the whole week off school and is still not well. I have slowly been finishing off a custom doll though. She is waiting for me to finish off her clothes so as been snuggling under a quilt to keep warm.

But did pop out to show off her new undies.

She will be back tomorrow to show you all her clothes before she heads to her new home.

Time for Tea

2011-06-27T22:28:00.002+10:00

Feels like it has taken me forever (and was over 3 months from when I first cast on till now) but I have finally finished my Tea Leaves cardigan.

I ended up making it short sleeved, otherwise it may have been next winter before I finished. I do think I will get more wear out of it with short sleeves though. Of course, the perfect finishing touch was some Liberty buttons.

Raveled here. No action shots today as I was home alone.

In and out

2011-06-20T17:08:00.002+10:00

Tomorrow is the last day for posting in the great Flowerpress brooch swap. True to form, I left it to the death knell, and posted my brooch today.

The red flower is made by me, and currently winging it's way to the other side of the world. I hope it doesn't take too long. The blue one is what I received - made by GemmaJoy. Perfect for brightening up a winter day. Thanks to Susie for organising such a fantastic swap.

Happy Birthday Poppy

2011-06-19T21:16:00.001+10:00

My big girl turned 9 yesterday. I can't quite believe we are only a year away from double numbers (and suggested we count backwards for a few years but she wasn't impressed). It has been a joy to watch our girl blossom over the years.

My plan for this year was to finally finish the kids quilts for their birthdays. I may have still been sewing at eleven o'clock on Friday night, and the binding is machine stitched rather than hand sewn, but I was able to give Poppy her quilt on Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon she had a few friends over for High Tea. With the table set....

and the fire blazing, we were ready to go.

The girls had cupcakes, choc-coconut slice, and chocolate croissants (there were also chips, party pies and sausage rolls but they didn't make the photo cut. The table looked much less elegant once they were added to the mix.)

Some tea light candles and flowers from the garden completed the picture.

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend.

The birthday quilt

2011-06-16T14:21:00.000+10:00

Can't talk, quilting. Trying desperately to finish this quilt before the big girl's birthday on Saturday.

Have only myself to blame - it was basted and ready to quilt about this time last year and has sat taunting me ever since. Must get back to it.

Check here for more creative spaces, you may even find a few that use proper sentences.

Creative Space

2011-06-09T13:50:00.001+10:00

Today I am wondering how much sleep I actually need between now andHandmade this Saturday. Everything is in a state of half-doneness at the moment.

But there's still time. And I would rather make sure that what I do have ready is quality, rather than rush to make a bunch of extra things. So if you see me on Saturday, I may not have a great load of stock, but what i will have will be well made, and full of love. More creative spaces over here.

Productive

2011-06-07T16:31:00.001+10:00

Amazingly for me, I actually achieved the sewing I had planned to get done over the last two days. Five pairs of pants (still needing elastic)

four tops, and three dresses.

I am a little bit in love with the yellow bird fabric. Still need to make five pairs of shoes and underpants, but that can be tomorrows job. Hope you are warm wherever you are.

In my workbag

2011-06-06T09:38:00.001+10:00

There are a few little faces peeking out. Hopefully today they will grow a body and maybe even some hair.

Hope you all have a lovely start to a the week. Looks like it is going to rain today so I am going to make the most of being home alone and get some more things ready for Handmade

A day later

2011-06-04T15:14:00.000+10:00

they arrived. Thanks again Ms Ric Rac for letting me try your boots on last year. You can get your own pair here.

In the making

2011-06-02T13:35:00.000+10:00

Today has been a comedy of errors. I got very engrossed in a new book I started last night and went to sleep far too late. This morning when the alarm rang I hit the off button rather than snooze and of course all the kids slept in.

Managed to get every body dressed, clean, respectable and out the door almost on time. Of course it was school photo day. The boy's hair was mostly tidy. We et out of the car at school and the big girl says "Mum, my tights don't feel right." Closer inspection revealed that she had managed to squeeze herself into the small girl's navy tights - there is six years between my girls so that is quite a feat.

Quietly wondering how she could not have noticed that the tights were several sizes to small, I drove back home and got her pair of her own. There was just time for a quick dash to the post office to collect a parcel that I was sure were my new black boots. Clearly, from the size of the parcel it was not.

There was no time to open the parcel before the small girl's ballet class but while she was happily dancing away I discovered my new business cards from Moo. I had been worried that they wouldn't get here before Handmade next weekend so I am pleased they are here. Just not quite as exciting as my new boots. Inspired by this clever lady, I put photos of some dolls on the back side of the card, rather than my logo. Very happy with how they turned out.

Now with the small girl safely at playschool I am going to squeeze a bit of market crafting in. I have a few cardigans on the go - there will be some red and blue added to balance out all that pinkness.

I have bound my first doll quilt, and half of a second. I am hoping to get at least one more made before next weekend's market but we shall see. I am very happy with how they look though, and love the flannel I have used to back them.

You can find lots more creativity over here.

Slow going

2011-05-31T13:23:00.000+10:00

I don't seem to be achieving much this week. I have lots of beginnings but then it all seems to stall, and everything takes about three times as long as I expect it to. As a result I have nothing of note to blog, and should probably be off doing something productive instead.

I did manage to finish this girl for delivery tomorrow. Something about her reminds me of my smallest girl - I don't know what it is, as she is a blondie. Must be the glint in her eye.

Creative spaces

2011-05-26T13:10:00.000+10:00

The next Handmade market is fast approaching so it is all about the dolls here. On my sewing table today I have some heads in progress,

My first 'for sale'doll quilt being bound. The backing fabric is a gorgeous flannel that I picked up locally. Love it.

And I am squeezing in a bit of knitting on a birthday present. The knitting came away with me last weekend although I do think a darkened auditorium is not the ideal place for this pattern. I am pretty sure that some of my slips got purled and some of my purls got slipped....

You can find lots more creative spaces over here today. I have been checking them out but blogger is having a hissy fit whenever I try and comment.

Comings and goings

2011-05-25T20:44:00.005+10:00

It has been a bit quiet on the blog for the last few weeks, but definitely not quiet around the house. The big girl competed in an Eisteddfod last weekend in Cowra which meant not only three days away over the weekend, but a full weekend of rehearsals before that together with her regular weekly classes.

The girls danced beautifully, and my girl got up on stage all by herself for her first ever solo performance. So brave! I managed to get all the costumes, shoes, tights and make up where they needed to be, but of course forgot the camera so you will just have to trust me, she was wonderful.

In amongst all of that, I finally managed to finish my cushion cover for Vic's swap. I managed to work four generations of my family into the quilt - the lace is from my grandmother, the prints are from a quilt I made for my mum last year, the linen is from the big girl's birthday quilt (meant for her birthday last year and still unfinished...) and of course it was all put together by me.

My cushion cover arrived in the mail on Monday too - a beautiful dreseden plate. It is on my sewing chair at the moment - one place I can guarantee it will be safe from any plans the kids may have for it. Thanks Brianna, I love it.

You can check out all the other cushion covers over here.

And in other goings, another little doll left the house this week - a custom order for a birthday this Friday.

Hope your week is going well, with lots of time for making.

Our creative spaces

2011-05-12T11:22:00.000+10:00

My creative space has a new name and a new home this week - you can find it here at Our Creative Spaces. In my space this week, my liberty quilt top is done. Time to baste and then quilt. I want to quilt this one myself so am thinking I will just do some vertical lines, having never quilted anything bigger than a doll quilt by myself before. Thank you Kirsty for being such a wonderful host over the years first at On My Desk, then My Creative Space. Look forward to seeing where your journey takes you.

This month I am reading

2011-05-10T13:12:00.004+10:00

Along with Maggie O'Farrell, Geraldine Brooks is one of my favourite authors and she has just released a new book. Caleb's Crossing tells the story of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the first Native American to graduate from Harvad College way back in 1665. Geraldine Brooks has taken the few details that are known about Caleb's life and crafted a wonderful story told from the point of view of Bethia, the teenage daugther of a missionary. The book is a wonderful story of two people trying to find their way in the world.

The story has faint echoes for me of Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible, I think largely due to the missionary aspect, but the two books are very different.

You can check out what others are reading this month over at Bron's.

Mother's day

2011-05-09T19:54:00.002+10:00

Hope all the mothers out there had a lovely day yesterday filled with cookies and handmade cards. This is a drawing of me holding flowers by my Kindy boy. He was very proud of himself and told me it was the best drawing he had ever done. One of the best parts of my week was that this girl was back home with us after a wonderful holiday with her Grandmother.

Now if only she would get over that jetlag....

My creative space

2011-05-05T11:49:00.000+10:00

There are more dolls in my creative space this week. I have two still waiting for their clothes, and two more custom orders to finish off this week. Then there are a few heads that need bodies, hair and faces.

I did manage to dress the dolls I had waiting on clothes last week - Toby is winging his way to the other side of the world right now. The little mermaid is still with me.

Lots more creative spaces over at Kootoyoo today.

Swap meet

2011-05-04T11:30:00.000+10:00

There are some great swaps going on at the moment. I have signed up for Vic's cushion swap already, and have some great ideas to work on. Sign ups for this swap are closed.

But if you are in a swapping mood there is still time to join in Susie's brooch swap. Sign ups are open till the 10th May and then you have until 21st June to mail your brooch - heaps of time!

I love swaps - the joy of making something that you know will be appreciated by the recipient and the excitement of receiving something in return. Of course, there is always a bit of performance anxiety too.

Are you a swapper?

Around our house - the small girl's bedroom

2011-05-02T10:48:00.000+10:00

We have been in our house for just over two years now, and while we still have a very long list of things that need to be done, some of the rooms are starting to come together. Today I thought I would show you the small girl's room.

Her bed was made by the man of the house for the big girl. When the small girl was on the way we needed bunk beds for the other two, and had no room for this bed so gave it to friends. Fortunately, right at the time we needed a bed for the small girl, our friends didn't need this one anymore and it found it's way home. Dad gave it a coat of white paint and it is like new....

I made the quilt and pillowcase for the small girl's birthday last month. Sitting on her bed are an elephant, made from one of Jodie's fabulous patterns and a Sweet Petite from The Red Thread.

Looking up, there is a lamp shade covered in some of Kristen Doran's ladybird fabric to match the quilt. (Very carefully photographed to hide the dodgy bits...)

On the wall abover her bed is a goregous embroidery by Gretchen. Every night after we have read a book, the small girl chooses a room and we make up a story about the room.

Books are a big part of our family. We are all avid readers (even those of us who can't read) and love books. This is a small selection of the many, many books in our house - some of the small girl's favourties.

'
Sitting on a chair I found at a garage sale (got two of them for $20 - the girls have one each) are a made by me cushion, a teddy bear that she got for her first birthday wearing a made by me dress, an Ooshka from The Red Thread, a made by me doll, and doll quilt.

A few of our favourite things from her shelves:

a gorgeous pixie made by the very lovely Megsie from Pint.

A sweet music/treasure box from Kirsty

And on her wall is a cross stitch that I unearthed when we moved. I remember buying this when we lived in London, and obviously finished it then but I don't remember ever hanging it up for the other kids. It was too cute not to use, so hangs near the small girl's room.

Hope you are all having a good Monday. First day back at school here, and my big girl will be home today too.

Nice day for a yarn

2011-04-30T15:23:00.000+10:00

The weather yesterday was perfect for a bit of yarn craft, one of my favourite things about winter.

Remember this blanket? Somewhere along the way I had a brain snap and thought it would be a good idea to make another one, this time for me to keep.

In those piles are 84 circles. I have 84 to go, and then I can start joining them all together. Should be done in time for winter some distant year in the future.... At least it is an easy mindless activity. Unfortunately, using Bendigo Woollen Mills has made it not very portable - the balls are too big.

I have also frogged and re-cast my Tea Leaves cardi. I am now past where I had gotten up to the first time, and have done all the increase for now, so should be okay.

Fingers crossed.

My creative space

2011-04-28T11:36:00.000+10:00

The house is quiet - the small one and her dad have gone to have a ride on the merry go round, and the boy is at rugby camp. The big girl is still swanning around Disneyland on the other side of the world. So while no one needs me for anything, I am finishing off a few dolls.

The two front dolls have been naked for a while, very patiently waiting for their clothes. I have had a bit of a mental block on how to dress the little guy at the front, but inspiration has struck and I think he will be dressed before the end of the day.

The mermaid tail is for the small blue haired girl. She is still waiting for a top, and a change of bottomw for those days when she just doesn't feel like being a mermaid.

And of course there are a few cardigans that need ends woven in and buttons attached. Wonder if I will get it all done before every one comes home?

Lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

The almost perfect travelling bag

2011-04-26T17:12:00.000+10:00

As I type, my big girl (and by big I mean 8 3/4, so only big in comparison to her 3 year old sister) is in an aeroplane winging her way to the other side of the world. She and her grandmother are on their way to Disneyland.

I am trying very hard to think about how much fun she will be having and not about how much I am missing her. The house has been very quiet today, even more so because the boy and his dad have gone fishing.

But of course every traveller needs a bag, so last week I made the almost perfect travelling bag. It had a magnetic closure on the flap, a pocket at the front for those things you need easy and often access to, and a zipper pocket on the inside for keeping important things safe. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? The only problem was that the big girl had been so worried about the bag being too big that it ended up being too small -she couldn't fit everything in.

So that bag has turned into the things I will need in Disneyland bag, and another travelling bag was made. This one has no flap and no pocket on the front. It does have an inside pocket, but not a zipper one. The one thing this bag does have is enough space for all the most important things.

Including a change of clothes for Teddy.

This month I am reading

2011-04-21T14:05:00.000+10:00

I missed Bron's book meme last month, but am catching up now.

The boy and I are still working our way through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but adding in some of Enid Blyton's Tales of Brave Adventure every now and then too. The copy we are reading is mine from when I was in Year One, and it is a retelling of the stories of Robin Hood and King Arthur - the boy is especially taken with Robin Hood and keeps requesting his own bow and arrow.

The big girl and I have finished Anne of Green Gables, and have moved on to Anne of Avonlea.

I sobbed my way through the last few chapters of Anne of Green Gables, much to the big girl's bemusement.

She has also just finished reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. I think she is glad to be finished and have all her questions answered, but will miss the series. There as a small crisis on the last day of school when she went back to her classroom after lunch to find that all the desks had been moved and her book was trapped in her desk, which was against a wall. Luckily we managed to borrow a copy so she didn't have to wait two weeks to finish the book.

We are big fans of Julia Donaldson here - The Gruffalo, and The Gruffalo's Child are on high rotation. The small girl and I picked up Stick Man at the book store last week. It is the story of a stick who lives with his wife and twigs in a tree. One day a dog picks Stick Man up and he gets taken further and further from home. Things get a bit dicey when Stick Man falls asleep in the snow and ends up in a fire place, but it all ends well.

Finally, I think I may have mentioned Maggie O'Farrell before. This month I am reading The Distance Between Us. I love the way Maggie O'Farrell writes - she subtly reveals the story and leaves you guessing. After this, I have one of her older books to read and then will have to wait patiently for a new one.

Hope you find some time this long weekend to curl up with a good book.....

I should have known better

2011-04-14T10:59:00.000+10:00

than to walk into Addicted to Fabric to buy some elastic and think that was all I would leave with.

I did remember to get my elastic (I have been known to pop in there to grab something and coming away without what I needed, but with plenty of extras) but also grabbed some fabrics.

The white is a linen that I will use in my Liberty quilt, having decided that white was the way to go colourwise, but wanting the texture of linen. The top fabric will be a skirt and bag for my big girl and the stripes will be a skirt for me. Both of these are Echino, but wider than the standard 114cm. They are a linen/cotton blend but only 15% linen so they have beautiful drape.

Ribbit, ribbit

2011-04-13T12:07:00.000+10:00

The knitting frog will be visiting today. I started my tea leaves cardigan a few weeks ago and got this far. Then I set it aside to test a knitting pattern (pics of that to come, it is really sweet).

I went to carry on this morning but my stitch count is way off. I think I must have missed a row of increases. I could frog to where my stitch count is right (not exactly sure where that would be though) but I think I am going to go all the way back to the beginning and start again. This time I will work the button band as I go (the pattern says to pick stitches up at the end, which I am likely to never ever do).

Seeing as winter arrived all of a sudden (it was 11.5 degrees yesterday!) I have some incentive to get on with this so I can wear it. I am finding it very hard to follow the unwritten Canberra rule of no heater before Anzac day.

Hope you are all warm and cozy

My creative space

2011-04-07T14:13:00.001+10:00

After all the birthday craft this week there is not much going on in my creative space but having a birthday in the house means baking cupcakes to share at school - or playschool for the smallest girl. I knew that I should have baked the cupcakes last night but sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, my book and some knitting was much more appealing.

So this morning, my able assistant and I got to work....

I decided to make mini cupcakes as the kids are only small. Really should have halved the mixture.....

72 cupcakes later, I finally stopped spooning mixture in to wrappers. And with 5 minutes to spare (just enough time to slap some vegimite on a roll for lunch although she did valiantly offer to just have some cupcakes for lunch) I had iced twenty four of them, the small girl had added smarties and we were out the door.

The remaining bazillion cupcakes have been frozen and will come in very handy this weekend for the birthday party.

Lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's today.

Time Flies

2011-04-06T13:34:00.000+10:00

As I sat on the floor in the dark last night, willing my smallest small back to sleep, I was trying to work out where the last three years had gone. It seems like only yesterday that I was waiting for my due date, then watching as the calendar ticked over to April and wondering when this baby was ever going to appear.

She came in her own good time, fourteen days after her due date, and still travels to the ticking of her own clock. There is no rushing this child! She is gorgeous, funny, spirited, stubborn, cute, cheeky, non-sleeping, always-chattering. And we wouldn't change her for the world.

Happy birthday Bloss!

A 12" doll I made for her birthday, with a doll quilt -

very specific request of pink hair, purple eyes and a strawberry shirt.

A gorgeous hobby horse handmade by Tamara from Two by Two

Quilt made by using Kristen Doran's goregous Ladybird fabric.

This quilt was a long time in the making, but finally done.

And last night I decided that a matching pillowcase was needed so made this one with fabric scraps from the quilt and quilted it with straight (ish) lines.

My creative space - performance anxiety

2011-03-31T13:27:00.000+11:00

Having had the two older kids home sick from school all week (one with tonsillitis and the other with gastro) I decided that when I had them tucked up in bed last night I would do something for me.

I finally started cutting into my Lauren Child Liberty fabric. I have had a few false starts - planned on using Kate's Geometric Quilt pattern but with only a few fabrics I found it wasn't going to work for me. I then thought about strip piecing but wanted to do something else. I finally decided on these simple blocks.

Now I am trying to work out whether I should use white or linen for the sashing. At the moment I am leaning towards white, with an outside border of the tree fabric. Any and all suggestions welcome.

Lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

And for the person who wanted to know about the book fabric in my last post (you commented anonymously so I can't email you) it is part of the Victoria and Albert Grand Tour Fabric collection. I would love to get my hands on a fat quarter pack... I got my book fabric from The Cherry Tree

So you're back from outer space...

2011-03-30T10:16:00.000+11:00

I haven't been anywhere as exciting as outerspace, infact I haven't been anywhere at all - just absorbed in everyday life which hasn't seemed to leave much time for anything else.

There hasn't even been much time for making, although I did send some things down to Melbourne for the Canterbury Art Exhibition (the Gift Shop not the Exhibition itself). It is on this weekend for anyone in Melbourne.

I did try out a new way of putting eyes on monkeys - not sure if they are cute or a little bit creepy?

Some gorgeous piles of fabric have arrived in the mail here lately too. I have some great plans for these....

Part of which is a doll quilt for the smallest girl's birthday next week. With any luck there will be a doll to go with it by then too.

But at the moment I have two sick kids downstairs (and another who can't understand why no one wants to play with her) so I had better go and play nurse.

Promise I will be back soon though.

Right now

2011-03-15T12:58:00.000+11:00

Right now I am:

enjoying a cup of tea from my birthday tea pot,
happy that the small girl was excited about going to playschool today - have we turned a corner, or is she playing games with me?

cutting out and sewing dolls clothes,
wondering how many more frogs are lurking in the house waiting to be discovered. We found a dead one in the lounge room yesterday, then another one desperately throwing himself at the front window this morning trying to get out.
hoping the rain holds off for a little bit longer to let the sheets and doona covers dry,

listening for the postman just in case he has a parcel of Liberty fabric for me,
thinking about how hard it will be to finish all the things I have to do before I start cutting into my Liberty fabric.
loving that the boy has asked me to make presents for the two birthday parties he has this weekend.

pleased that I have finished the reports for tomorrow nights P&F Meeting already.
ignoring the two baskets of laundry waiting to be sorted, folded and/or ironed.
loving that it was a long weekend so, although it feels like Monday, it is Tuesday already.
hoping the rain goes away before Friday so the boy can actually have his last game of cricket - they have missed half the season due to rain.

And the winner is.....

2011-03-11T20:25:00.000+11:00

Thank you to every one who entered my giveaway for Molly. We raised $300 for the NZ Earthquake Relief Fund.

There were 35 entries in total, and using random.org to choose the number, the winner was Nina. Congratulations Nina. Molly will be heading off to your house next week.

My creative space

2011-03-10T11:01:00.000+11:00

It is a very wet and gloomy day here today. Perfect weather for knitting, so I have been contemplating this yarn.

I bought it nearly two years ago planning to make a February Lady Sweater, but about 10 rows in I started to doubt that I could knit something that would fit me and look nice and so gave up. Last year I pulled it out again and had a go at Leonie's wrap. Again something went wrong and I gave up.

Browsing Ravelry the other day I found the Tea Leaves Cardigan (having seen it on a few blogs) and was inspired. So my yarn gets to live again, at least for a little while as I plan to cast the Tea Leaves Cardigan on today.

Lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's today.

And don't forget - the giveaway for Molly ends tomorrow. I think we have raised $250 now.

Your chance to win Molly

2011-03-09T11:43:00.000+11:00

Just a reminder that there is still time to enter the draw to win Molly.

You can find all the details on how to enter here. We have raised $235 so far, which is fantastic!

Rethinking....

2011-03-05T12:40:00.000+11:00

I had great plans for this year - two children and school and the youngest was going to spend one day (5 hours) at family day care, and two afternoons at playschool. She had been busting to got to playschool on her own as that is what her brother did, and she did a session there with me last year.

This would have given me about 9 hours a week at home by myself to work. I have been working from home since my eldest was a bub and I realise how lucky I am to have been able to do this - keep in touch with my career, keep my knowledge up to date and still be home with the kids. One of the big disadvantatges of working from home is trying to actually fit that work in. I usually do my work between 8pm and midnight once the kids are tucked into bed. Much past midnight and I lose focus and end up having to redo what I have done later.

Four weeks into our new routine and the smallest has decided that she really doesn't like playschool and spending the day at family day care isn't much fun either. Both places have told me that she is really happy when she is there, but is it supposed to be so hard to leave her? Is she supposed to be so upset when I drop her off that I can hear her crying from the carpark?

I feel as though I should just give up and keep her home with me. She may well be happy 3 minutes after I have dropped her off, but I feel sick the whole time she is gone thinking about how sad she was as I left. She is still so little. And before I know it she will be off to school with the other two.

Looks like I will be back to working at night, and sewing when I can.

My creative space

2011-03-03T11:04:00.000+11:00

As always in my space there are dolls, dolls and more dolls. This little one is off to America today - my first sale there, so very exciting.

And if I can convice the smallest that she really does want to go to playschool this afternoon, this one will have hair and clothes before school pick up this afternoon.

But what I really wanted to show you today is what i worked on all weekend. I was lucky enough to book into a class with Kelly from Don't Look Now to learn her techniques for raw-edge applique, trapunto and free motion quilting. (and if you click over to her blog, that's me in the second photo from the top...)

If you ignore the fact that my spirals are not even (and not all that circular) you might be as excited as I am by the fact that I now know how to free motion quilt. I have all sorts of ideas bubbling including some quilt and pj sets for dolls. Just need to get a bit more practice in first.

I don't know if I have the patience for all the cutting that is involved in making one of Kellie's stunning quilts but a cushion was definitely achieveable, and great fun to see coming together.

Lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's today. And if you were looking for a way to donate to the New Zealand Earthquake Relief I have a giveaway going on over here.

A Giveaway for Christchurch

2011-03-02T13:57:00.000+11:00

In the last few days I have been wondering two things:

how I can help those people in Christchurch who have been affected by the earthquake - the stories I have been reading are just heartbreaking; and
what to do with Molly, the doll I entered in this year's Canberra show. It didn't feel right to sell her and I would have given her to my smallest who doesn't have one of these dolls of her own (she isn't three yet) but she is very specific in what she wants - pink hair and a pink cardigan.

A lovely lady on Facebook made a suggestion yesterday that linked the two together.

For your chance to win sweet Molly, a blue-ribbon winning doll, all you need to do is donate $5 to the Red Cross New Zealand Earthquake Appeal 2011 and then comment here with your receipt number. Every $5 you donate will give you an entry in the giveaway but please make every entry a separate comment and a separate receipt number. I know it is painful to donate each $5 separately but it does keep things fair and simple.

Molly is a 16" waldorf style doll. She is made from clean, carded sheep's wool and cotton tricot. Her hair is a wool/alpaca blend. Her cardigan is hand knitted from pure wool, and her clothes are cotton. The flower on her skirt is from some vintage lace that was given to me by my Nan. Her shoes are wool felt. There are small buttons on her shoes. These are purely decorative and can be removed without affecting the shoes at all. As well as the outfit she is wearing Molly will come with a change of clothes.

Entries will close on Friday 11th March at 8pm and I will announce the winner soon after.

Woot!

2011-02-25T20:51:00.000+11:00

The smallest girl and I went to the Canberra Show this morning. We had a lovely time checking out all the cakes and produce, and spent quite a while looking at the animals with her cousin (she was very pleased there were no rhinoceroses).

Of course, we had to go and check on Molly while we were there. Yes, that is a blue ribbon you can see in the photo! Very excited.

Please excuse the photographs. I did lug the big camera around with me all day, but discovered when I went to take my first photo that the memory card was in my laptop.

If you are planning a trip to the show this weekend, make sure you check out the vegetable sculptures in the produce pavilion - The National Broad Bean Network is fabulous.

My creative space

2011-02-24T11:31:00.000+11:00

Not much to share today - it has been a busy week with a school swimming carnival and lots of other running around.

Today though, I am getting ready....

My lovely cousin and I are booked in to do a course with Kellie from Don't Look Now this weekend so I am slowly getting my supplies together. I can't wait for a weekend full of chat and sewing. The colours we need are probably a bit pinker than I would usually choose, but it will probably end up in one of the girl's bedrooms, and they will be fine with that.

Off to have lunch with my sister for her birthday but before I go I will be checking out some other creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

This month I am reading

2011-02-22T18:00:00.000+11:00

I am a bit slow to join in with Bron this month, but I am reading Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth

I am not sure how I have avoided this one for so long - I love a good meaty book where you can really get sucked into the story and characters and it isn't over all too soon. I really only knew of Ken Follett as the writer of thrillers along the lines of the Bourne Identity books (although he didn't write those) so had never looked to hard at his books. I am really enjoying this one.

As for the kids, the big girl has been sucked into the wonderful world of Harry Potter and if she is not at school or dancing, she has her head stuck in a book. She is currently up to the fifth book - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

We have been swept up in the world of school readers so the boy and I aren't reading anyhing that particularly jumps to mind at the moment.

Join in and share what you are reading over at Bron's.

On with the show

2011-02-20T20:44:00.000+11:00

Handmade Market was great yesterday. I kind of missed being outside under the trees as the new venue is all indoors, but it did get kind of blowy and wet yesterday, so all indoors was a good thing.

I was on my own so no time to look around and no shopping (apart for a gorgeous hobby horse for the small girl's birthday in April that was at the stall right behind me) and no photos.

The boys went to the rugby last night and I was ready to collapse in a heap but the Royal Canberra Show is on next weekend and last year I had decided to enter a doll. Of course, the doll had to be delivered today and wasn't ready so I had to stay awake and finish her off.

This is Molly, my entry in the cloth doll section of the craft exhibition. I finished her clothes off this morning and we made the drop off window with about 10 minutes to spare. I get the feeling there aren't many cloth dolls entered - the lady accepting the entries said "oh, is she cloth?" and there were porcelain dolls as far as the eye could see.

Judging happens today and tomorrow and the small girl and I will drop in on Friday morning to see how Molly is going.

Hope you all had a weekend filled with sunshine and family.

My creative space - serendipitous

2011-02-17T11:06:00.000+11:00

Handmade market is on again this weekend so I was going to share pictures of all those things I have left to do - dolls still naked, sock monkeys in pieces, buttons needing hair ties, headless doll pegs, me melting into a panicked puddle on the floor.

I needed to get some stabiliser (for some reason the stuff I have keeps getting sticky and then I can't feed it through the machine) so I could finish off some doll hair so dropped the kids at school - with lots of tears from my kindy boy, I think he is starting to realise that this school gig is here to stay - and headed into my local patchwork store. As soon as I walked in the door I saw it....

I discoverd the other day via a link from Megsie that Lauren Child (author of Charlie and Lola, and Clarice Bean) had designed a range of fabric for Liberty. I fell in love with it when I saw it and have been dreaming of a quilt ever since.

It was obviously meant to be as this morning I found three of her fabrics, in the colours I would have choosen. I just need to pick up one more, and then design the quilt. So very, very excited!!

For now I need to stop looking at the fabric, and get back to my market prep.

Lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

My creative space

2011-02-10T11:27:00.000+11:00

There actually hasn't been too much crafting going on around here lately - lots of hanging out with the kids and not much else. So I am going to show off the boy's birthday presents. He was thrilled and didn't mind at all that the presents we had ordered hadn't arrived (the last one came on Tuesday, two weeks after his birthday).

First up is a set of Gryffindor robes, perfect for the budding young wizard. They are fully lined, with a hood and the all important wand pocket. Despite the fact that it was over 35 degrees for the last few weeks of the school holidays, the robes got a good work out.

I also finished the world's simplest quilt, which has embarressingly been a work in progress for about two years. The fabric is by Prints Charming and is beautifully soft and smooth. I outsourced the quilting which is the only reason the quilt is finished.

The backing fabric is hugs and kisses - perfect for the birthday boy.

There are lots more creative spaces over at Kirsty's today.

Holding my children just a little bit closer

2011-02-08T13:41:00.000+11:00

Feels like the school holidays lasted forever! It was lovely to have the kids at home for so long and not have to rush anywhere. The big girl went back yesterday - in to year 3 - and the boy started kindergarten this morning. We were ushered out of his classroom with a wave this morning after about 3 minutes and I am sure he will have heaps to tell this afternoon. The smallest one had her first ballet class this morning and is now at playschool for the afternoon, so for the first time in about 8 and a half years I am at home by myself (there may be a small exaggeration there, but only a very small one!)

Apart from a week in Queensland (where the weather was not at all like the photo - that is from January 2009) we spent the holidays at home - visiting friends, relaxing and just enjoying that we had nothing to do and no where to be.

The big girl had three days of dancing school last week (to build their fitness back up after the holidays). Unfortunately we found out on the second day that one of the girls from her troupe had died the day before. This beautiful girl had a very rare platelet disorder that required a bone marrow transplant, and was also developing leukaemia. The bone marrow transplant did not work and her life support was turned off last Tuesday.

My heart is breaking for this family who have lost their beautiful child. She was so full of life it is hard to believe she is gone. The girls are dancing at a special children's mass tonight, and her funeral is tomorrow.

Over the last week I have definitely been holding my children closer - they are so very precious.

And the winner is.....

2011-01-26T12:32:00.000+11:00

A huge thank you needs to go out to Toni and Carli who have done an amazing job co-ordinating the auctions, giveaways and raffles. I can't wait to hear what the final total raised is - I wonder if we beat $50,000? The total should be up on Toni's blog later today.

My little giveaway raised $300 which is just awesome. Thank you to everyone who made a donation and entered.

You know, I used to be quite good with technology but the last few days have started to make me feel very technologically illiterate. I used random.org to do the draw but do you think I could take a screen shot to include here?

So you will just have to trust me. And the winner is.....

No 8 - Tania from Myrtle and Eunice.

Congratulations Tania. I am off to collect some new leaves for our stick insects, but will email you later today to work out the details.

Hope you are all having a wonderfully relaxing Australia Day.

Queensland (and Victoria) Flood Appeal Giveaway - an update

2011-01-24T14:34:00.000+11:00

Did you know that a few days ago, the total raised by this appeal was over $45,000 - amazing isn't it!

Most of the auctions are ending today so if you haven't got a bid in yet head over to the master list and get your bids in before 9 o'clock tonight.

If you do miss out on your chosen auction don't worry. The raffles and giveaways are not ending till midday on Wednesday. Plenty of time to get your entries in.

You can find mine here.

My creative space

2011-01-20T10:13:00.000+11:00

It is nice to see all the creative spaces again after a lovely break. I have been taking it pretty slowly the last few weeks, enjoying having all five of us at home, so don't have too much to show.

The boy's fifth birthday is just around the corner. Unfortunatly the few things he has asked for I can't find in the shops so close after Christmas (Harry Potter lego in particular - seems no one will have that in stock till February). I have ordered a couple of things on line but don't think they will arrive on time either.

I do have his quilt in progress that will be finished for his birthday (not sure how much that will impress a five year old?) but what to get a Harry Potter fan? His vey own Gryffindor robes! The hood and outside are finished, I just need to add the lining and all important wand pocket and they are done. Excuse the very crushed look in the photo - they were on my sewing chair and I sat on them for a while yesterday.

Lots more creative spaces at Kirsty's place.

Don't forget the amazing raffles, giveway and auctions that are part of the Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions. You can find the master list at Toni's, and enter my giveaway here.

Queensland (and Victoria) Flood Appeal Auction - a Giveaway of Sorts

2011-01-16T18:27:00.004+11:00

Edit again: At Toni's suggestion, entries to the giveaway will now clost at 12.00pm AEDST on 26th January. Most of the auctions are ending on the 24th so the later ending date means that if you miss out on your auction, you can still donate and enter the giveaway.

Edit: As more devestation unfolds across Victoria, the Red Cross is now taking donations to help those Victorians affected by floods in their state. You can donate here. Every $5 you donate to this appeal will also give you an entry into the giveaway - just comment below with your receipt number)

I am sure everyone is aware of the devestating floods that have occured across Queensland over the past few weeks (and spread into Northern New South Wales). There is now flooding in Victoria and heavy rain is expected in Tasmania too.

Toni from Make it Perfect has co-ordinated a heap of crafty people who will be running auctions, sales, raffles, and giveways through their blog over the next week.

I am going to be hosting a giveaway here over the next week for a custom made 16 inch waldorf style doll.

You an choose skin tone - fair, medium or dark - eye colour, hair colour and style.

The doll will come fully dresssed, inculding shoes and underpants, with a hand knitted cardigan and a change of clothes. You can see the range of clothing styles here, and fabrics to choose from are here.

How to enter:

The giveway is open to anyone world wide - I will cover shipping costs.

You need to donate to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal or to the Red Cross Victorian Flood Appeal 2011 - every $5 you donate will get you one entry in the giveaway. Or to the Red Cross Victorian Flood appeal 2011.

Please comment with your receipt number to enter the giveaway. If you donate $20, comment 4 times so that you get all your entries.

Please make sure I can contact you through your comment.

Entries close at midday Australian Eastern Day Light Savings time on the 26th January, and the winner will be announced soon after.

The doll will be finished and ready to post to you by the end of February

There are already a heap of auctions, raffles and giveaways up and running. Toni has a few auctions running on her blog now, and will have a list of everyone's up on her blog tomorow, but here are a few to whet your appetite:

Megsie is offering a custom long-legged Polly Dolly;
Jodie is offering an elephant and robot softie;
Tikki is donating proceeds from the sale of some of her patterns;
Jenny is offering a lovely waldorf doll
Corrie is auctioning a Don't Look Now pattern pack;
Cath is offering an awesome cushion;
Nic is offering some of her gorgeous fabric;
Melly is auctioning and year's supply of fabric; and
Rita is auctioning a stunning quilt over at Red Pepper Quilts.

If I have missed you off the list and you want to be added, please let me know.

If you are looking for other ways to help, Corrie is collecting quilt squares to make quilts to send to those affected by the floods. Steph over at Mon Petit Poppet is collecting softies for flood affected children. She is also raffling the sweetest doll.

And a big thanks to Jodie for having such a brilliant idea on how to run a giveway.

Bound

2011-01-13T11:10:00.000+11:00

Christmas 2009 I had planned on finishing off the quilt that I had started for my son when he was just a baby, and make one for each of my other children. Skipping forward to about September 2010 and I had quilt tops done for all three children, and a quilt basted for Mum's birthday (which had been in April) and made no further progress.

I gave up on the idea of machine quilting them myself and gave them to my cousin, who pased them on to a lovely lady who not only machine quilted the quilts for Mum, the smallest and my boy but attached the binding for me as well.

All I have to do is hand stitch the binding on the back of the quilt. Mum's was finished and gifted just after Christmas (she did get something else for her birthday). I forgot to take a photo so will have to do that next time I am at her place.

It is the boy's birthday in a couple of weeks so I am finishing the binding on his now and it will be a birthday gift. The smallest girl has her birthday in April and will be getting her quilt (and hopefully a matching pillowcase) for her birthday.

The big girl is a different story - I started to hand quilt her quilt and she wants me to keep going. Who knows how long that will take?

The car trip that could have been a nightmare

2011-01-11T16:18:00.000+11:00

We have just come pack from a week visiting my mother -in-law on the Sunshine Coast. Not surprisingly it rained nearly the whole time we were there, but we had a lovely time (although the smallest tells me she is never ever ever going to Australia Zoo again as it is too wet!) She soon changed her tune when I reminded her that she got to feed an elephant and go for a pony ride.

I also got lots of little baby cuddles with my new niece, which was super lovely. We just need to make sure that we see her again before she is not a baby anymore.

The big plus of driving from Canberra to the Sunshine Coast and back with a husband who likes to do the driving is that it leaves plenty of time for knitting (between attending to the needs of those in the back seat). Look at my pile of cardigans....

We left Queensland yesterday and the Mr decided we would make the whole trip in a day. A 5.30am start saw the day end at 1.30 last night. As nice as it was to wake in our own beds this morning I hopped in the car yesterday fully expecting the worst - three children in close quarters for that long was a recipe for disaster.

My kids were superstars! They endured the whole trip in good humour, played nicely with each other, shared toys and hardly whinged at all. I did wonder a few times whether we had infact packed the right children but they do look like ours.

On a more serious note, seeing all the rain that fell while we were in Queensland and knowing that a lot of it was falling on places that were already flooded made me really aware of what was happening there. Driving home yesterday there was water quite close to the highway on the way to Brisbane and a lot of the rivers we passed were as full as they could get.

Toni at Make it Perfect is organising flood relief appeal auctions. I will have an auction running here next week, and there will be lots of others around too. You can find the details here if you are interested in joining in, or bidding. If running an auction on your blog doesn't appeal, or if you don't have a blog, Handmade Kids are organising a Facebook auction. Check out their Facebook page here.

In the meantime, lets hope the rain stops soon.

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T20:52:00.000+11:00

Hi there, I didn't mean to disappear for the best part of a month. December disappeared in a blur of doll limbs and clothes. I had every intention of finishing my Christmas orders by mid December so I could sew a few things for my children but ended up delivering my last three dolls on Christmas Eve!

Here are just some of the dolls that left our place over the last six weeks. I have quite a big soft spot for the blondie in the top row.

We had a lovely Christmas day and since then have been making the most of having the Mr around (he travels a LOT). There has been quite a bit of this going on....

(and yes I did almost cry when I opened the box and found not one but three separate instruction books - all the size of a magazine, and again when I tried to move the finished product and dropped it!!!!)

Despite the enormous instructions booklet and the hours it took to build, if you have a Harry Potter fan I can't recommend the lego enough. The attention to detail is amazing.

Some of this....

and even a bit of this.

I will be fairly irregular for the next few weeks as we make the most of our summer holidays. I hope you all have a relazxing start to the New Year.