Blogmeet & A Finale

My blogmeet gift is all packed up and ready to go!

The lemon slice is ready to be eaten.....although I still have a real problem with making icing correctly. It's too runny again! I just can't seem to work it to the correct consistency when I'm mixing it. Of course, I never realise until I've already tipped it out and then it's too late....lucky it still tastes nice.

Yippee! Today is the 31st of May so I made it all the way through 'A Post a day in May'. I have posted every single day for 31 days in a row.....phew! Did anyone notice that the posts were getting very short and sweet towards the end? Somedays, I was really running out of things to say.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.....I'm off to see some other crafty chicks!

Twins Pressies

I promised a photo when I posted last week..... it took a while but here it is....
This is the gorgeous pressie that Corrie made for my sisters twins who are now due to arrive on June 10th.

Beautiful appliqued singlets and nighties....aren't they cute!

More Giveaways Galore

Wowee, there are some more lovely crafty giveaways happening so go and check them out!

Hollabee
Sadie and Lance (get in quick)
Meringue
Anna Laura
A Home Far Away

Happy Headbands

These headbands are for a little girl named Grace.....they're reversible, so there's a front side (above) and a back side (below). They have a length of elastic attached underneath.

I hope she likes pink!

A Happy Sunshiney Day

I went out for lunch with some lovely friends today.....check out the review over at Craft City Melbourne!

A Thankyou Gift

This is a thankyou gift for my friend Chris who knitted me the lovely scarf last week.

The denim is from an old pair of wide legged jeans that I chopped up, and the floral is from the remnant bin at Spotlight. I thought my sewing machine would struggle with the heavy denim (especially when sewing through four layers to make the handles) but there were no hiccups at all!

I might make another similar one for blogmeet....

On My Desk.......on a Wednesday

Photos above and below courtesy of Anna Laura.

Wow, the week is flying along and it's time for On My Desk already!


On my desk (kitchen table) today is a beautiful piece of hand screen printed fabric that I bought from Anna Laura. My photo doesn't do the fabric any justice (as you can see I haven't even ironed it yet)! I love the simplicity of the design and the combination of black and red.

My plan is to take the left hand section of three branches and stretch it over a frame to make a piece of wall art, and then I have one branch left which I will probably use for a bag.

If you haven't checked out Anna Laura's blog then head on over. She also contributes to the Made It blog.

Exciting News!

Have you heard the exciting news yet?

There's a new crafty place to go and check out thanks to these lovely girls!

Knitting.....part 2

Look! It's amazing! I actually managed to knit few rows (and apart from some lumpiness at the beginning, it doesn't look so bad)!

Aunty Pat returned to Brown Owls last night to teach us knitting beginners. She taught a really easy way to cast on using our thumbs (I just hope I can remember it).

I had to really concentrate so that I didn't drop any stitches, but at least this was easier than crochet (for me anyway).......

.....and then lucky me ...... I won one of the door prizes! This gorgeous zippered clutch purse made from vintage fabric. I love the contrast of the green material with the red zipper!

Knitting

My sister and I met up with Corrie and Kiera for lunch on Friday in Williamstown. It was a lovely day so we sat outside in the sunshine and fresh air.......

Keira was wearing the beautiful pink jumper that Corrie had knitted......she looked so cute!

Corrie had also made a beautiful gift for my sisters twins (I don't have a photo at the moment), and I was finally able to give her the knitting pattern book that she won in my giveaway! I can't wait to see what she whips up with her knitting needles!

After lunch, my sister and I popped into Vinnies in Newport where I found another couple of craft / sewing books........

......and knitting needles and wool for Brown Owls tonight!

This is......something I got but still haven't used

I bought this on Ebay over 12 months ago but I just haven't had time to sit down, read the instructions, and work out how to use it! It's still on my 'To Do' list.........

Thanks to Flossy-P for this weeks theme.....it may be just the motivation I need to get cracking!

Sunday Supper - Roasted Pumpkin & Rice Soup

This week I'm joining in for Sunday Supper hosted by Pip at Meet Me at Mikes!

Roasted Pumpkin and Rice Soup

1kg raw pumpkin
1 brown onion
3 cloves garlic
1 litre chicken stock
1/2 cup basmati rice
salt and pepper
olive oil

Peel and cut pumpkin, onion, and garlic. Toss in olive oil and then slow roast in the oven at about 160 degrees celsius for about 2 hours.....

Put cooked pumpkin in a large saucepan and mash.
Put cooked onion and garlic in the food processor and wizz, then add to mashed pumpkin.
Add chicken stock to saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Add basmati rice and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until rice is cooked through. Stir a few times and keep an eye on it so that the rice doesn't stick.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

If soup is too thick, just add more water.

Serve with toast and butter or some nice crusty bread....perfect for a chilly autumn night!

Just for me

I did actually manage to make something this week........although I probably should have ironed it before I took photos!

This was 'on my desk' on Wednesday........

It's just a simple little tote bag and I made it just for me.......which is something that I don't do very often. I like it.

Smarty Pants

Mr CurlyPops went out Wednesday night to fill my car with petrol (before the price skyrocketed), and I was having a bit of a choclate craving so I asked him to get me some maltesers and something peppermint (I just couldn't decide between the two)!

When he returned, all he had was a packet of maltesers so I decided to ration them.....half a packet on Wednesday night and half a packet for Thursday night. I had it all sorted.

He arrived home lastnight and while I was cooking dinner, he decided to eat some of my rationed maltesers! Disaster!!!

I complained that all he bought me was a measly small packet of maltesers when I had clearly requested maltesers AND something peppermint!

He had to go out again lastnight and when he returned, this is what he brought home.......

He found a family pack of maltesers and every different type of peppermint chocolate that was available at Safeway.....so now I'm happy again......chocolate fixes everything!

Post Script: I haven't seen a Mint Pattie for about 10 years....if you look closely, it states that it now has 50% less fat.....if I cared how much fat was in a chocolate bar, I clearly wouldn't be eating it....that is ridiculous! I haven't tried the peppermint kit kat yet...could be a little weird.

Greenolive Goodness

Look what I received in the mail this week......

A beautiful merino wool custom handknitted scarf from Martine at Greenolive.....

Amongst all the chaos of packing up and moving house, Martine still managed to let me choose the wool in the exact colour that I wanted and then she knitted it up and popped it in the post!

Then to my suprise, there was an extra little goodie in the package! A gorgeous felt flower brooch in a matching colour.....

Checkout Martine's Greenolive Etsy Shop for more scarves, beaded necklaces and flowers......

Thankyou so much Martine, it's absolutely gorgeous!

Clicketty Click

I've been clicketty clicking around blogland a lot lately and I've found lots of new (new to me, anyway) and interesting blogs so I thought I'd share them!

Reenie-Sue
Serena's Challenges
The Purple Giraffe
The Daily Snap
Take What You Like Take What You Love
Maybe It Was Patches
Little Arty Crafty Crow
Threads for Evie
Made It Blog

That should keep everyone busy for a while.......

Giveaways Galore!

There are a lot of lovely bloggers with giveaways at the moment. Go and say hi!

Two Cold Feet
Sew Funky
Big Cats Emporium - be quick, ends tonight!
Brown Owls
Mix Tape Zine

Phew!

On my desk .......on a Wednesday

On my desk (errr kitchen bench) today..... the beginnings of my next crafty project!

Friends!

I went out for lunch again today with some friends that I used to work with........ and I received a lovely gift all wrapped up in floral paper. When I opened it, it was this gorgeous multicoloured handknitted scarf!


The lovely knitter and I worked together for eleven and a half years.......and I had no idea that she could knit! She whipped this up for me on the weekend while sitting in front of the fire (it was very chilly in Melbourne last weekend).

We sat outside at Villa & Hut for lunch and I was lovely and toasty and warm with my new scarf around my neck. Thankyou Chrissy, I absolutely love it!

The plain black handbag

It's finally finished! Very plain, but that's what my mum wanted.

I had to quickly snap some shots yesterday as she was leaving with it over her shoulder.

I made a buttonhole strap again so that the length is adjustable. I also made the strap really wide so that it would be more comfortable if the bag was heavy. The buttonholes were an absolute nightmare yet again so I gave up in frustration and just used the zig zag stitch. I ran out of magnetic closures so I just used a simple black snap.

All three fabrics were remnants and the buttons were from the op-shop so the total cost of materials for the bag was probably about $3. What a bargain!

Bibs, Food & Sidewinders?

My youngest nephew was christened yesterday so I made him some handmade bibs for a christening pressie. He's about six and a half months old now and he's getting more dribbly so these are in a larger size (perfect for soaking up lots of dribbly bits)!

This was my contribution to the christening feast......choc truffle balls, caramel & choc chip slice, and lemon slice.....

In completely unrelated news, I saw this sidewinder on My Cottage Life blog. You can use it to fill bobbins away from the sewing machine. Susan found it at Walmart. Has anybody in Australia seen one of these in the shops?

This is......my way of recycling

Today's theme is recycling. We recycle and re-use in all the normal ways, we separate all the recyclables from the rubbish, we have 2 water tanks, we have grey water running into the garden, we have a front loading washing machine, a double drawer dishwasher etc etc etc.

I think the most fun way to recycle is to re-purpose something that is no longer useful in it's original capacity. The picture above is my kitchen bench. I bought it on Ebay, it was originally used as a table in a clothing factory somewhere near Brunswick. When I bought it, it was covered in dirt and paint and the top of it had a layer of vinyl stuck down.

Mr CurlyPops sanded it back, stained it a nice chocolate brown, gave it a coat of high gloss floor sealer and added castors to the legs so it is moveable and at the correct height for a bench. The great thing is that it has lots of scratches, dings, holes etc and the high gloss finish really makes a feature of them so it looks really old and loved! The stools slide right underneath out of the way.

For more of my re-purposing adventures, check out here and here and here and here

Calling all Vintage Pillowcase Lovers

I found this on Whip Up - click here

Be a Part of The Pillowcase Challenge Book! The common pillowcase is experiencing a creative transformation - being repurposed into everything from fashionable clothing and accessories to chic home décor items. Lark Books are publishing a book tentatively called The Pillowcase Challenge, and they would like submissions from readers. Share your favorite memory of a pillowcase past: perhaps it’s the one you couldn’t part with as a child, a cherished heirloom piece created by a loved one, a delightful patterned number that you simply had to have. If Lark select your written reminiscence for inclusion in the book, you’ll receive credit in the book and a free copy of the book. Send your pillowcase passion in 200 words or less by June 7.
For pillowcase collectors: here’s your chance to shine a spotlight on your fabulous stash and share it with the world. Send Lark a snapshot or two of your prettiest, most beloved pillowcases: floral, striped, polka-dotted, embroidered, whatever. They will then select the best of the pillowcase bunch to be shipped to us, photographed and then featured in the book. Send your stash shots to Lark by May 21. Yes, that soon. To enter visit the Lark Books web site, and click on the Submissions page. (image show in via Bella dia)

Nest

It was really really windy yesterday morning and this is what I found at my front entrance......some poor little birdie is now homeless!

A new home

Esther Bunny arrived yesterday, all the way from Tassie! It's hard to tell from the photo, but she's only about 8.5 inches tall from the top of her ears to the bottom of her feet. There are going to be some new prints in the Little Black Crow etsy shop soon too....check out the Little Arty Crafty Crow blog for more details.

Here she is in her new home on my kitchen shelf next to Cath's little birdie!

In other news, I've been in contact with my long lost aunty who used to do a lot of sewing.

She doesn't sew anymore so she's been delivering fabric to my house. The first lot was 2 huge bags (the really bad photo doesn't show it very well)!

Yesterday she brought me this whole box full of stuff! I haven't had a chance to unpack it yet but it all looks very interesting!

Potato Fritters

I had lunch with a lovely friend on Tuesday at the Pancake Parlour.

We were discussing pancakes and she told me about this fantastically simple recipe for little potato fritters, so of course I had to try it!

Here's what I did......

Grate 1 large potato, leave it sit for a while and then drain the juice.

Add 1 beaten egg and mix. Add enough plain flour to make it into a porridge consistency.

Add pepper and salt to taste.

Shallow fry until golden brown.

I served them with a grilled porterhouse and green vegies for dinner.

The great thing is that the recipe is so simple, you could add virtually anything you want.....fresh herbs from the garden, some grated carrot or onion etc....

Another birthday gift

Here's a birthday gift for a friends little girl who is turning 2 next Saturday. This was 'On My Desk' last week.
Her brother received a Buzz Lightyear drawstring bag so she's getting a Princess drawstring bag (with drawstring sewn in and pull tags for the ribbon).
I also added a pom pom from my my pom pom making session a few weeks ago!

Inside the bag is a scrappy patchwork dolls quilt that I made way back in February and a princess pillow that I made this week. Her baby doll should be nice and warm for winter now!

Jackpot

The postie arrived yesterday with two lovely little parcels.......

The first is this excellent book...
Justine and Nichola (the lovely ladies behind MixTape Zine) were having a giveaway on the Mix Tape blog and I was the very very lucky winner! If you have been living under a rock and haven't heard about their ace zine, then get on over and buy one (or all 4)!

I had a quick read of the book yesterday.......if you love beaded jewellery, you will love this book. It's the most comprehensive book on beading that I've ever read and there are soooooo many great projects inside ranging from simple to difficult. I can't wait to get the beads out and have a go! Thanks so much girls!

The second package was some lovely Retromummy fabric that I bought from the Retromummy shop.
.....and a little bit extra (thankyou so much Corrie)! The twins are due on the 30th May so I'd better get cracking and whip up something right away from this little stash!

On My Desk.....on a Wednesday

On my desk today is the beginnings of a plain black handbag...... (I'm using a little bit of pattern on the inside though!)....and lots of lovely sunshine.....

....and outside my door is this little birdie who is flittering about and chirping!

For more 'On my desk' loveliness, go check out Kirsty's blog.....