Zips

I have a Love / Hate relationship with zips.... 10% percent of the time, it's love, and 90% of the time, it's hate!

I still keep collecting zips from the oppy, just in case I might need them one day. But then sometimes, I get the sudden urge to sew a zippered pouch - for no reason at all.

This time I decided to experiment by inserting the zip at the front instead of the top. I didn't quite get the dimensions correct for the zipper I was using, but it turned out pretty well other than that.

This one will be added to the present stash for upcoming birthdays.


*Dragster Dominoes fabric available here.

*Motorbike Zipper Pull available here.

The Apple Tree

A couple of weeks ago, I visited a giant apple tree...

.... and this week I swapped a basket full of empty jars, for a basket full of fresh home grown apples from that same lovely tree.

Cathie told me about her Apple and Berry Crumble recipe, and so I trundled off to the supermarket in search of the missing ingredients that weren't already in my pantry.

I searched and searched and searched for rolled oats in the baking aisle..... only to realise they were with the breakfast cereals (can you tell that I've never actually bought a packet of rolled oats in my life before)?

I retrieved my kitchen scales from the parcel packing bench (sadly, they're never used for cooking anymore, only weighing parcels) and measured out all that delicious brown sugar.

Tada! It's a pity that you can't insert an aroma into a blog post, because it smelled amazing when it came out of the oven. 

This was my afternoon tea yesterday.... and my breakfast thismorning.

Deeeeeeelicious!

Animation Friday - Animated HTML button

I haven't played along with Animation Friday for ages.... but today over at My Poppet there's a little tutorial on how to make an animated html button.

Now I have a little animated button on my sidebar which links to my shop - how cute!

Thanks Cintia

The Musical Collection and Little Shop Of...

Gosh it's been such an exciting week around here!

I've been so caught up that I'd forgotten to announce that I also have a brand new stockist.

You can now find CurlyPops goodies at Little Shop Of... at 8 Woorayl St, Carnegie - or you can also purchase from their online shop.

I also have this new range of pouches from The Musical Collection....

I haven't had a chance to put them in the shop yet (they're $25 each), and I'm about to dash out the door, so if you would like me to put one aside for you, just email me - mscurlypops@gmail.com

Have a happy Friday!

Just in case you missed it...

Shaynna looked gorgeous on the telly lastnight.

It's not easy to take a decent photo of a tv screen at night.

I caught Andrew mid-conversation on this one...

I think I'll have to watch it again tonight!

On the Telly - Part 2

I have very exciting news today... but first I must explain my little addiction.

I'm completely addicted to renovation and lifestyle shows - I love nothing more than ripping out the old and putting in the new, and slapping lots of nice fresh paint around the place.

I've had Foxtel since it's inception back in the 90's, except for three months when I went cold turkey after my last house move. I desperately tried, but I just couldn't live without my daily dose of the Lifestyle Channel.

 But now for the exciting news of the day....

One of my favourite shows on the Lifestyle Channel is Selling Houses Australia. This season it's actually called Selling Houses Australia Extreme as the houses are really in dire need of help.

In tonights episode, Interior Designer extraordinaire Shaynna Blaze will be wearing her CurlyPops Flower Brooch.

The episode airs:

• Wednesday, 23 February 8:30pm on LifeStyle 
• Thursday, 24 February 2:00am on LifeStyle 
• Thursday, 24 February 11:00am on LifeStyle 
• Saturday, 26 February 7:30pm on LifeStyle 
• Sunday, 27 February 6:30pm on LifeStyle

and of course, you can also catch it 2 hours later on Lifestyle + 2

* If you would like your very own flower brooch, the three above are currently available in the shop.

Spot the Difference (bad pun intended)

The lovely lady for whom I'm making the t-shirt quilt, also requested a couple of replacement covers for her Kitchenaid Mixer.

She already had the standard white Kitchenaid Cover (the one on the left), but wanted something in green tones.

I made myself a template, and whipped up a quick toile out of some scrap fabric.... and then had a little conundrum, because I really needed to test it out.

I remembered that when Nic from Yardage Design had blogged about her kitchen, she had a Kitchenaid Mixer on the bench...... so I popped the toile in the mail, and Nic tested it out for me - thankyou Nic, you're a gem!.

As you can see - with scrappy one sided fabric and no wadding, the toile was rather floppy, and it was just a little too long also.

After the testing phase, I got to work on the real thing.

I must say that I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Donate Life Week 2011

I'm a couple of days late, but this week is Donate Life Week in Australia.

It's the perfect time to not only join the official Organ Donor register, but to sit down and have a discussion with your family to ensure that they are aware of your wishes.

Just in case you don't know my story, there's a very good reason that I'm so passionate about this issue..... so here's the very short version:

I'm 36 years old and I've had a chronic lung disease since the age of 15. I was then diagnosed with panhypogammablobulinemia about 11 years ago which just added further complications.

At the age of 28, I was told that I would need a lung transplant at some time in the future. That was a huge bombshell and the first time that I really took the time to think about my future (or lack thereof). Well that was eight years ago now, and I've managed to keep plodding on with my own very dodgy barely working lungs, connected to a never-ending supply of oxygen.

I often think about what it would be like to be able to breathe again - to ride a bike, to go for a run, to walk up a hill, to go shopping, to pick up my nephews, even to mop my floors! All those normal things that I can't do.

At this stage, I need to keep my own dodgy lungs for as long as I possibly can. But, I'm hoping that when the time arrives that I can't go on any longer, I'll receive the ultimate gift.


There are over 1700 Australians waiting for an organ transplant at any time, and the wait can be anywhere between 6 months and 4 years.

The Donate Life website is a wonderful resource full of information, including the family discussion page.

Please spare some time this week and have that conversation....

*Put Some Pork on Your Fork

Sometimes markets are like tattslotto.... even though you played the game, you'll never come out a winner in the end.

My older sister came along to play donkey this time around. Lucky, because the cobblestones are a little bit of an obstacle for my trolleys.

The marquee and table set up was fantastic. The weather and site selection was terrible, and the signage was non-existent. We couldn't even find it to set up, and we had a map with the location marked!
 Then combine that with all of the lane closures around the Flemington area for the MS bike ride, and it's no wonder there were no customers.

We made the most of it by chatting to our lovely stall neighbour, and thankfully we also had some visits from wonderful peeps who braved the rain and wind and sunshine and humidity and rain and wind and........

Never one to miss an opportunity when we get to pack up nice and early, we headed off to Kensington where we visited Onabee.

I bought my sister a lovely Red Parka print as a thankyou for her donkey duties, and I found that they stock my favourite A5 size sketch books (so excited about that as the shop where I was buying them has since closed).

A day out just wouldn't be a day out without some good coffee and good food.

Next door to Onabee is a lovely cafe named The Premises. I had the Crispy Bacon and Egg Roll with Spicy Tomato Relish (without the eggs as I don't eat egg)...

.... and my sister had the Pulled Pork with Coleslaw and Spicy Apples.

I'll definitely be heading back there, it was delicious!

* Sorry about the post title, but I couldn't help myself. When else will I be including a photo of pork which warrants such a silly title?

Off to the Market

The car is all packed and I'm ready to go for tomorrow....

I'm all set for a day full of nostalgia.

When I was a little kiddie, we spent lots of time at saleyards in country Victoria. We mainly went to horse sales, but also the odd sheep or cattle sale too.

In the olden days before the freeways were built, we would drive past the Newmarket Saleyards every time we took a trip to Melbourne. 

Mobile phone pic

I had a little bit of play with my new stall set up on the kitchen bench yesterday, using an Ikea shelf that Cathie bought for me on one of her trips (I can't bear actually going to Ikea myself). My brother did a little Ikea hack for me to modify it, and now it's the perfect shelf for my pouches.

Now lets just keep our fingers crossed for no wind and no rain!

All Frocked Up

 Please excuse the very blurry mobile phone pic

I remember sending out a Twitpic of my dress design on the day that I was drawing it, so I went back and checked, and it was November 10th last year.

Sheesh! It's taken me a really long time to actually use it....

So, here it is, in lovely colourful tones (because I just can't do bland).

I won't have time to add these to the shop before the market, so if you would like to purchase one in either colour, just send through an email and I'll pop one aside for you!

My Creative Space

In my creative space today - a little production line of iPhone/Gadget Pouches.... in all the colours of the rainbow, including some yet to be released designs.

I'm gearing up for my first market of the year, which is happening this Sunday 20th February from 11 AM til 2 PM.

It's part of the 150th Anniversary of the Newmarket Saleyards, and it's actually on my side of town.

I don't have much time left, so it's heads down..... you know what up!

The home of My Creative Space

Ode to Houdini

A while back, there was a One-Legged Chicken and a Runaway Dog featuring over at Myrtle and Eunice....

It reminded me so much of my little puppy dog Houdini (not his real name).

Over the years, I've lost count of the number of times Houdini Dog has escaped and run away due to the *PO gene that he inherited from his daddy dog Riley.

On one of his most memorable escapes, he made his way to my mum's house, enticed her dog out onto the street, and then ended up in the dog catchers van. There was a huge fee to bail them both out of the dog pound, and then a council fine for me in the mail two weeks later for having a 'dog at large' (he's so scary that he might just lick you to death)!.

When I opened the parcel that arrived yesterday, I was thrilled to receive the beautiful piece of fabric. It took me a minute to realise that there was something actually wrapped in the fabric.

Tania, you've outdone yourself, it's brilliant and I love it!



*Piss Off

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

Some of my new designs landed in the letterbox on Friday, so I wasted no time in whipping up some iPhone/Gadget Pouches.

They make me want to kick up my heels and jump in some puddles!

Now available here:

A Big Weekend

I packed little Moo Moo into the car thismorning and we headed off to celebrate Amelie's birthday.

I only had my mobile phone to take this photo but, check out that amazing cake! It was the most beautiful teapot, covered in flowers... and inside was layers of chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. Moo didn't finish his piece, but it was so yummy that I may have had to finish his piece as well (luckily I was wearing a loose waisted pair of jeans).

Lets just say that after all of the delicious food, I nearly needed to roll out out the door.

Then we headed off to the wee girls house to meet her new kitty cat Cranberry Marmalade. Moo picked an afternoon snack from the apple tree, while I enjoyed a lovely cup of tea.

The perfect finish to such a lovely weekend!

Let's Rock

It's that time of the year again, when the council puts on free concerts in the some of the local parks.

Last year, it just happened to be on a 35 degree day. Thankfully, last night was the perfect cool mild weather to sit around and eat and drink and be merry!

The bloke with the coffee van was also much happier.

There was a young band who played first (not the one pictured) named The Indigo Children. I really liked them, so after they finished, I sent my sister off to chase them to ask if we could buy a CD. They gave us one for free which was very cool.

One of the guys in the band is also involved in another band that has a single on iTunes at the moment, where the proceeds are going to the Flood Relief appeal - so feel free to go and check it out and download it.

During intermission, there was a bit of Bollywood action, where the crowd could join in.... hilarious

The second band was The Hallmarks. They played covers of lots of my fave aussie classics - INXS, Cold Chisel, Dragon, AC/DC, and Hoodoo Gurus just to name a few. I think I managed to sing along with nearly every song.

Little Zaney was having so much fun that he had to go home and get his guitar to join in. If only we could have convinced him to get up on stage.....