Double Cord.

Otto received a parcel last week.
In it was the most adorable little cord jacket I have ever seen.
It seemed only natural to pair it with some darker cord pants, and his red lady-bird boots (which I somehow didn't get in the photo).
He looked like a proper little old man, and by the end of the day he even had a bunch of old coins in one pocket, and a tissue in the other! All he was missing was a few lint-covered mints!
Thanks so much, Dee. We all love it.

Also, I heartily recommend that you all head over to Stella's blog, and enter her giveaway. That woman is one of the cleverest I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and she's generous to boot. You won't believe what she's giving away! (And, if you're not a reader already, I almost guarantee you will be soon..I LOVE that blog, and you will too.)

Let the crafting begin!

Thank you all for the lovely congratulations and well wishes! So kind!
Yes, we're VERY excited.
It still doesn't feel very 'real', but that is not enough to stop me from commencing with the craft.
I actually started this vest last month, thinking I would just pop it away in the 'for the next one..just in case..one day..' box (that box is VERY full!) but it's very exciting to have finished it and to actually already be growing a new little body to put in it.

Details on Ravelry.

Also...

Ahoy!

I have a certain order of things that I look at when I go to the Salvation Army.

I start at the cardigans. After a quick flick through, I head onto the dresses. This section takes a little longer, I make sure to look at each one so that no potential is missed. From there I go to the $1 rack, looking for things to alter or restyle, then onto the kidswear, kitchenware, linen, and then skirts.

I almost never look through the tops, I mostly only wear plainish tops and they rarely turn up in good condition. I also skip the undies, the toys, the menswear, and the pants.

Where am I going with this?

Well, another section I nearly always skip is the artwork. They have a strange pricing system at the Sallies, and even hideous 80's prints in plain glass frames are, nearly always, priced at $20 or more. The kitschy religious prints are usually more like $30. Not my price bracket!

Yesterday I was wandering through, doing my usual circuit, and I happened to see four huge paintings sitting by the backdoor, waiting to come out into the shop. A gold frame caught my eye, and I decided to hang around a few minutes and see what they were like.

The other three were not in such great condition, but this one I reallllly liked. (I expected it would be a case of just liking the frame, but I'm actually quite taken by the print, too. ) I was chit-chatting with the woman at the counter, and asked about the price. I joked that it was bound to be way, way out of my price range. She said she wasn't sure, headed out the back, and came back grinning.

'$20?'

UM, yes?!

I have no idea where we will hang it, our house is a little short of wall space, but I am determined.

Also, I think it would look absolutely amazing with a wee Dee-style modification, perhaps an octopus reaching out of the depths? Or do you think it should stay as it is?

Either way, I think I may just have to add the art section into my rounds from now on..

Boy Style Monday.

Seeing as I have all my days muddled up at the moment, thought I might as well throw a 'Boy style' day in too!

This is what my boys chose to get dressed in yesterday. Hard to believe I have two boys that are old enough to choose their own outfits!

Aesop wore:
Sunnies : Salvation army
Thermal (under jumper): MacPac
Hoodie: Farmers
Trackies: Farmers
Shoes: The Warehouse

Otto chose:
Sunnies: Mine from when I was a tweenager.
Thermal (under his jumper): Great outdoors
Jumper: Home made
Leggings: Squidgyums
Shoes: The Warehouse

Frugal Fashion Friday (on a Saturday)

Cardigan - Belonged to Abraham's Nana
Dress- The jumbly op shop in Te Puke: $4
Brooch - Croutons
Pink flats - The Warehouse: $6

This is my favourite dress of all time, the one that I always know I will feel confident and happy in. I pretty much want to clone it in every colour and wear it alllll the time. (Don't you love clothes like that?)

We spent today doing housework, going for a wander, visiting family and generally weekend-ing.
Then we had my parents round for a lovely roast meal, and Abraham made apple and feijoa crumble.
Now I'm blobbing.
Pretty much the perfect Saturday.

See you next week!

Crepe - planning.

Ever since this pattern (Crepe - by Collette Patterns) came out, I have drooled over it. I've added it to the shopping cart, and then decided against it, at least three times. It's always just been a liiiiittle bit too expensive to justify.
But, with the exchange rate at an all time low (or is it a high? I'm not good with these things), the temptation was just too much. I snapped it up and it arrived super speedily.
The only problem now is the fact that I have a million other things to be sewing, and it will have to wait until next month. Argh, patience is not my strong point, I just want to get going right now!

I plan to make the first one (because I need to make at least three to make it worthwhile. Ha!) out of this pinkish floral. I don't LOVE it, but I have enough of it. This seems to be the issue with the Crepe, the yardage is out of this world.
I hope to make the next two out of the other, more amazing, fabrics. I will probably have to make the facings out of something matching, or might even just make the whole dress reversible.. the possibilities are endless! Excited! This will be the first thing I've made with a bought pattern in years!

Do you sew with patterns often?

An opinion, please?

Looking at these pictures, you would think we have curtains in our dining/lounge area. But, unfortunately, it's all an illusion. These 'curtains' are actually just pieces of fabric, on ridiculously small curtain rails, that do not actually cover anything. Weird, right?
Well, truth be told, I actually don't mind the faux drapes. They are definitely 'in keeping' with the rest of the decor. But, here is my dilemma, does the area look less 'busy' and more spacious without them? I couldn't take photos of the room as a whole, because of the glare (and the mess, but shhhh!) but you get a bit of an idea.

So, dear lovely people, should I wash/mend and rehang them? Or should I pack them neatly in the cupboard with all the other weird curtains/blinds/ lightshades I've removed or replaced? Should they stay or should they go now?

(Also, is there a trick to cleaning blinds? Or do I just have to spend another 3 hours with a cloth and jif? Least favourite job EVER.)

Presentation.

I have been putting some thought into how my stall is going to look.
When the first few markets I ever did with Toast stuff, were called 'Craftwerk' and were down in Wellington. They were held in either the Paramount theatre, or a one of the pubs (Southern Cross, I think it was called? Something like that..). They had a fairly 'punk-rock-meets-housewife' feel to them, no one had super polished stalls and fancy-pants presentation.
When Craft2.0 started a lot of the people who went to the first one were sellers from Craftwerk. The venue, and the audience were quite a bit flasher, but the stalls were still quite simple.
Last year, when Kristin and  I went to Craft2.0, I was shocked by how much effort people had put into display. I mean, it makes sense, but I was totally taken aback. And felt quite out of place with our little table cloth and clothing rails.

One thing I knew I wanted this time was a banner. I want people to know who I am! I think these bunting sum me up pretty well.
The other mental note, that I took at the last one, was really clear pricing. (I especially noticed that at the Emma Makes stall. She is the queen of markets.) So I'm hoping these wee price cards will help with that.
(These are just the practise ones, the real ones will be a bit tidier..)

Now I just need to source a white table cloth and some brown paper bags. I'm feeling relatively organised!
(As long as I ignore the huge piles of sewing that seem to grow, rather than shrink..)