Just a minute......in June

Phew! Just made it!

I'm joining in a new meme over at Jen's August Street blog.

From Jens post

Interested in joining the 'Just a minute...' meme?

Pretty easy really - pick any day of the month to post (maybe when you can't think of a thing to blog about!) and give us a handful of highlights beginning with an action, like: reading... or eating...Give it a title, 'Just a minute... in (insert month)' so others can find them easily in your post list.Throw in a couple of pics if you feel like it.

Oh, and send me a note so I can keep a running list of players.

Enjoy!

So here goes:

Watching....... I actually went to the movies on the weekend and saw 'Don't Mess with the Zohan'. It was absolutely ridiculous, and completely far fetched but I laughed my little tushie (how do spell that word? I was trying to avoid typing bum) off. If you're a fan of Adam Sandler movies, then you'll love it. Definitely not one for the kiddies though!

I just watched the Project Runway finale and my favourite designer won so I'm really happy! The best bit is that I didn't find out who won until I actually watched it...there was no PR googling and definitely no watching Entertainment Tonight or other such show in case of spoilers.

I'm almost too scared to admit it but I have happened to watch far too many episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful lately. Plastic Donna is scaring me!

Reading.........The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. This is the book that Corrie gave me to read and I'm loving it so far. I just googled and found out that it's being adapted into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Eating...........Chocolate - my nephews school is having a fundraising drive so I've been eating Cherry Ripe, Picnic, Time Out, and Mint Chip Chocolate. Thisafternoon I also ate the yummiest custard slice ever from one of the local bakeries.

Listening.......to the new Vanessa Amorosi album...I really like it.

Drinking........too much coffee and tea - it's keeping me awake at night.

Making..........another scarf and dreaming about all the things on my list that I still want to make.

Changing.......lots of nappies but getting lots of hugs in return......

The Weekend

I went on a special shopping mission on Saturday to buy just four balls of yarn to knit another scarf.......

I picked out the plain grey, and my mum picked out the grey and brown fleck....

....but I couldn't help myself and I had to sort throught the remnant bins and search for bargains. I also bought some more pins and yet another pair of knitting needles for myself! Then of course, I received an email Saturday night letting me know that there was a 20% off sale today (just my luck).

Then at the local shopping centre, I just happened to park my car near the sewing machine shop....so I just had to go in (it was calling my name). I didn't realise that they sold fabric and haberdashery as well so I picked up a few fat quarters that were on sale for $1.50 each and some other bits and bobs.....

Then on Sunday we went for a lovely drive down to the Surf Coast to check out some holiday houses for summer. Now that I can knit, I have a car craft! Perfect for boring freeway driving (of course I wasn't driving, I was just the passenger)!

This is the beach at Breamlea....it was still beautiful even on such a dreary day.

What a lovely weekend!

A great big thankyou and some practicing

First of all, I would like to say a great big thankyou to everyone who left me a message regarding my Friday night post......

The fantastic thing is that most generous crafty peeps are already registered as organ donors and those who weren't have now signed up online. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart (and lungs). I've been laughing to myself all weekend imaging what my oxygen bottle would look like with a knitted or crocheted cover.....hilarious!

I've been practicing my knitting over the last week....I used some of the yarn that Cath sent me and I practiced changing colour, leaving the ends loose, knitting the ends in, and using 2 colours at once. It was fun to see what happened without worrying about wrecking something. I even remembered how to cast off and I didn't have to refer to the internet for help.....yippee!

I'm off to the post office now to post three little parcels.....I can't reveal anything yet. Have a happy Monday.

This is........my favourite op shop find

Thanks to Liz for this weeks theme.....it was really difficult to limit it to picking just one thing!

I bought these chairs from the Salvos in Deer Park in 1997 for $5 each. I've had many op-shop chairs come and go from my house over the years but these ones have stayed with me for a very long time......

We now have a one in, one out rule......if I bring home a chair, then I have to get rid of a chair. Only two people live in my house but I have seating for at least twenty five inside and another fourteen outside!

Head on over to Angela's blog to check who else is playing along....

I'll have some Truffle with my Meringue please...

This gorgeous piece of button art is my latest etsy purchase. I've been keeping my eye on this one ever since I originally saw it on Jodie's blog. I love the vintage material and the yellow and brown tones.

I was lucky enough to have subscribed to Jodie's Meringue Mail mailing list and I received an email last week about a sale in her two etsy shops .......so yippee for me, I snapped it up quick smart before anyone else!

Then as an extra special gift, Jodie also sent me a gorgeous wristlet in the same vintage fabric. I'm going to test it out when I go to the movies tonight....

Head on over to Meringue Diary to see all of the other gorgeous and yummy delights on offer!

Too much information?

I've had ideas for this post swirling around in my head for quite a long time now....always thinking about whether or not I should post about it........is it too much personal information, or is it just sharing information and raising awareness of a very important issue?

Although I value my privacy very highly (hence why there are no names and faces on my blog), I also feel a responsibility to highlight an issue that is deep within my heart (literally)!

This has become more of an issue for me this year as I have been out and about meeting lots of new crafty people via blogging and Brown Owls. If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you've probably noticed that I've never really mentioned much about working. When I meet new people, I'm often asked the question, "What do you do?".......most people expect to hear that I work for such and such company or that I'm a stay at home mum, or something else similar which is considered normal.

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The reality is that I had to retire from my job in July last year (retirement sounds very weird when I'm still young). I have a chronic lung disease and I am going to require a lung transplant. I'm not on the waiting list yet, I'm just under regular review. I loved my job and I kept working for as long as I possibly could by reducing hours over the last few years that I was there but it came to a point where I had to choose between work and my health, and my health won.

So if you meet me and I'm huffing and puffing and a bit breathless, and if I can't get up the stairs, or the hill, or the slight incline, then that's the reason why! If you see someone wandering around a suburban craft market with an oxygen bottle then say 'HI' because it's probably me....just don't stare at me (which is what usually happens) because that's really really annoying.

The real reason for this post is to highlight the need for everyone to discuss organ donation with their families and sign up for the national register once you have made the decision to donate.

I have always had a link to the Organ Donor Register via the Medicare Australia website on my sidebar in the hope that some of my crafty pals would clickety click over there.

Think it over, discuss over dinner with your family, register, be well, and have a lovely weekend.....

I Love Hokey & Button Beauty

You may remember this post last Sunday where I was lamenting the fact that I couldn't find a nice warm beret for winter to fit my little head......

Well I'm lamenting no more! The lovely and generous Hollie from Hokey offered to knit me a beret and it arrived yesterday. How's that for speedy! It is absolutely gorgeous!

It's hard to get a detailed photo of the black wool but I love it already. This is now my favourite winter accessory.

Jess from Button Beauty also offered me help and sent me a pattern for a beret and a beanie so that once my knitting skills have improved, I'll actually be able to try to knit something for myself.......
Sorry about the photo quality on this one but it shows the perfect fit on my little head!

Hollie also included a pair of her gorgeous resin hairclips....they're so sweet and just my style (I have an addiction to anything floral)! If you're out and about in Melbourne tomorrow, Hollie will be at the Rose St Artists Market in Fitzroy..........go and pay her a visit and pick up some gorgeous goodies for yourself or just check out her Etsy shop!

Anna Laura on my wall

It's only taken me a month but it's finally on the wall......

This is the gorgeous piece of hand screen printed fabric that I bought from Anna Laura way back in May. I just stapled it over an artists canvas to create a wall hanging.

Twins Update

I spent the day with the twins today (Zane on the left, Noah on the right).......and they were wearing the gorgeous appliqued tops that Corrie gave them...they looked so sweet!

They spend most of the day asleep so it's very hard to get a photo of them both awake together at the same time.

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

It's the aftermath of making a softie with my nine year old nephew lastnight while cooking dinner at the same time.......

The result is Jack......a funny little fellow with a moustache and rather large ears.

Please go and visit Kirsty to find more 'On My Desk' goodness.

I woke up thismorning to find my knitted scarf over on Cuteable......considering it's only the second knitted item that I've ever finished, I was rather chuffed!

Brown Owls

Lastnight was another fun crafty night at Brown Owls and I learned something new and fabulous! I took my little sewing kit along......my scissors, needles, thread, pins, and my gorgeous little red pincushion handmade by Libby.....


Pip bought along Peaches the Piggy and Mirabel (Belle for short) so that we could wonder in amazement at the extraordinary talents of the two creative ladies that made them.....

I wore my gorgeous Betty Jo Owl Brooch to get into the owlie spirit.
I learned how to hand piece, and I actually managed to finish this sweet little pincushion (admittedly I was still sewing on buttons while everyone else was cleaning up)!

My nest is getting a little squishy so I'll have to start searching for a new home for my little owlie friends before my next meeting in the clubhouse.....

Chunky Scarf

Life is slowly getting back to normal around here.......

The twins came home from hospital yesterday. We went to visit them in the afternoon and I gave my sister this scarf that I knitted for her on the weekend. My knitting is getting faster, this one only took about 4 or 5 hours in total.

I'm off to Brown Owls tonight , just the thing I need to get me back into the crafty groove!

This is......my most favourite outfit that expresses my individual style

This weeks 'This Is' theme was chosen by Kitty and it's a very very interesting one indeed!

I'm not a big fashion follower, I just like to be comfortable in what I'm wearing so I spend most days in a pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt. If I'm at home, I'll most likely be wearing my moccassins (to keep my feet nice and toasty).

I use accessories to express my style.....I love vintage leather jackets....I have green, red, black and brown....

I love funky glasses....I figure if you have to wear glasses, then they may as well match your outfit!

......and I also love shoes (as long as they're flat and comfy)!

....but I can't fit them all on my shoerack....

.....and then there's my addiction to handmade scarves, handmade bags, handmade purses.......etc....etc....etc.

One thing that I'm still searching for is a handmade beanie or beret for winter. I have a small head and all the adult sizes are too big for me.

Night Time

Inspired by Brooke's post here lastnight.......

Turn off the lights in your favourite room and take a photo......

Why it's a horse of course

I was reading this post on Pip's blog thismorning and it reminded me of my horsey days as a child........

So this is me and my little brother in about 1985 at a gymkhana somewhere in Western Victoria (we went to so many that I can't remember where this one was).

This was my horse, Valley Chloe (or just Chloe for short). My parents bought her for me when I was in about Grade 2 and I had her for 8 years. In that time, she had a foal that I named Malibu (are you feeling the 80's vibe yet)!

She was a beautiful horse.....we won lots of ribbons at shows and gymkhanas. We also took part in shetland harness racing in the 80's and we raced in an exhibition race at the Melbourne Show and also made it to the finals at Moonee Valley Harness Racing Track (but we didn't win).

Now I feel really old, it seems like sooooo long ago!

Brown Owls Project

We had Elisa Webb join in as a student visitor at one of the Brown Owls sessions earlier in the year and she has created a website as part of her studies. Go and check it out, it's really cute!

Thanks Elisa!

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A big thanks to Michelle for the tip on creating a link to a website via clicking on the photo.....I actually got it to work...yippee! Remember to check Michelle's blog each Tuesday for a new tip!

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New Glasses

I've been looking around for new glasses for a while now and I finally picked them up today. They were ready over a week ago but I just haven't had a chance to go to the shops to pick them up.

I wanted blue or green this time, but both of those colours really didn't look very nice with my skin tone, so I opted for purple.

Tooth no hurty no more

Sweet Tooth originally uplaoded by *ollie strutt

Well I made it to the endodontist thisafternoon, and thankfully, once he had a look and took an x-ray, he decided that he could save my tooth!

So that means that he has to remove the old root canal and start over. After four days with a toothache and hardly any sleep, I didn't particularly care what happened as long as it stopped aching.

So today, he drilled a hole up the back of the tooth, cleaned it out, filled it with anti-bacterial goop, and then put a temporary filling in to hold it in place and charged me $800 for the pleasure of his service (why didn't I become a bloody dentist).

I was going to stop off at SL and treat myself to some new pins and some new knitting needles on the way home, but my nose and mouth were still numb, and I couldn't really speak properly so I decided against it. Instead, I came home, made myself a lukewarm cup of tea (just so I didn't burn myself) and curled up on the couch ready to watch Selling Houses Australia and Property Ladder that I IQ'd lastnight, only to realise that I was going to spill it right down my front because I still couldn't feel my lip. Luckily, I keep straws in the cupboard for the kiddies.....and so I sat on the couch and drank my cup of tea......through a straw...it was heaven!

PIF Goodies

I forgot to check the mail yesterday until my nephew came from school ....... amongst the bills and junk mail was a cute little parcel all wrapped up in brown paper and tied up with a pretty ribbon and tag.

A few months ago, I had a pay it forward challenge on my blog and one of the recipients was the lovely Libby from Zoesquid.

She had a pay it forward challenge on her blog to pass it on, but as a lovely suprise, she also sent me back a pay it forward gift.

The cutest little pincushion and some lavender sachets for my drawers.......and in one of my favourite colours! The lavender sachets smell divine (they might even encourage me to clean out my drawers first)!

Thankyou so much Libby, I absolutely adore all of my pressies!

I'm going to go and buy myself some pretty pins to match my pincushion after I've been to see the endodontist today. I think I deserve some crafty shopping after having a toothache for four days!

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

There is a complete lack of crafting action On My Desk today.....

My sewing desk looks exactly the same as it did last week .... I just put Moo Moo down for a sleep in my sewing / spare room ...... I can hear him chattering away to himself instead of sleeping!

The kitchen bench / craft desk has seen some kiddie crafting action this week. My nephew has been using my 'Things to make and Do' book and cutting up lots of pieces of coloured paper. I caught him using my rotary cutter last night to cut paper.....aaagggghhhhhh!

I'll be hiding that while he's at school today before he cuts his fingers off.

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For more On My Desk action, go check out Kirsty's blog!

Good news and Bad news....

I'll start with the bad news.
I was able to see my dentist. The tooth that is aching already has a root canal filling, so now I have to go and see a specialist in the city on Thursday to find out whether:

1. the root canal can be re-done
2. I take the tooth out and get an implant
3. I take the tooth out and get a plate

All three options are crappy and could cost anywhere from $1500 to $5000. I wanted to just start bawling when he told me....but that would have been very embarrassing, so I didn't!

I stopped in at the hospital on the way home to visit my sister and the twins and to pick up my nephew Moo Moo and bring him home for a sleep.

When I checked the letterbox, I found a lovely little package that had arrived from Liz at Betty Jo Designs......


A little vintage thankyou card (it's so sweet)


Gorgeous Betty Jo postcards.....


.....and a gorgeous lino Owl brooch of my very own!

Go check out Liz's blog where you find links to all of her online stores and real life stockists!

Thankyou so much Liz, you certainly brightened up my day!

Tooth Hurty

first tooth Originally uploaded by greetingarts

I have a toothache..... I have to wait until 9 AM before the dentist opens to see whether I can get in for an appointment..... in the meantime, ouch and more panadeine for me!

My first completed knitting project

I finally finished my knobbly scarf lastnight.......it's my very first completed knitting project!
I've tried knitting a few times before but I've never actually finished anything, so I'm glad that I've finally made something wearable (and I'm keeping it for me).

I added tassels at both ends.....I had no idea how to do this properly so I just made it up and seemed to work ok.

My nine year old nephew was nice enough to model it for me lastnight. I think it looks exquisite with his kung fu pyjama outfit...don't you think!

This is......the space in which I create

I missed last weeks This is and I haven't had time to catch up so I'm just going to skip it (sorry) and move on to this week.

The twins are going to be kept in hospital for another week until they can feed by themselves (they're still being tube fed intermittently), so I have my other nephews as house guests for another week. Mr CurlyPops has just taken them to the park to play footy so I can do some washing and put a nice roast topside beef in the oven for tea.

I have a new found appreciation for all the crafty chicks out there who can look after the kids, the household, work, and make crafty things as well...... I'm struggling to keep the house clean, and keep the washing under control (I've only tackled the kids washing, I haven't even looked at ours). The crafting has gone way out the window.

Just keep that in mind when you look at the photos that I'm going to post......

This is where all my crafty projects begin.....on my kitchen bench. At the moment, the cutting mat is completely covered in stuff but I've finally cut my piece of fabric that I bought from Anna Laura and I'm in the process of stapling it over a canvas to make a wall hanging.

Once things are ready to be sewn, they move along the production line to the sewing nook that is in the spare room.....this week the spare room is being used by the kids so the bunks and the port-a-cot are full!

My mum was getting rid of this cupboard last week when she was having a clean out, so I put my hand up and Mr CurlyPops bought it home for me. I'm going to use it to store my fabric stash.

At the moment, I just shoved everything in and put a child lock on it so it doesn't all end up being pulled out and strewn all over the floor. My intention is to go back and sort it out properly one of these days (notice I used the word intention - it will probably never get done).

So that's it, back to the washing for me....have a happy Sunday!

Whoop! I forgot to add.....for more of this is, go and check out Angela's blog and thanks to Quilting Mick for this weeks theme...yah!