Toast and life

It was all yellow.

2012-01-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

If yesterday had to have a theme, it would have been yellow.
Sunshine, popcorn, and buttery yellow knitting. Lovely.

I also have a recipe to share with you. I had planned to do so earlier in the week, but it just seems to fit so perfectly with the 'yellow' theme, that it would be a shame not to share it today.
It is a recipe for Zucchini Loaf, given to me by my Mother-In-Law quite a few years ago now. It doesn't sound very appetising, but I swear it is one of the most moist and delicious things I ever bake. The 'healthiness' of the courgette is counter-balanced with a tonne of sugar, and even my kids will eat it. (Though, I confess, I did tell them it was banana until they'd finished the first piece..)

Charlotte's Zucchini Loaf

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1/2c oil

2c firmly packed grated zucchini (green or yellow)
1c walnuts or 3/4c choc chips (optional)

2 1/2c flour
4tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 177C (350F).
Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil.
Stir in zucchini and walnuts/choc chips.
Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Place in two loaf tins, and bake for approx 40 minutes.

I usually freeze one loaf and we devour the other, slathered in butter, quite promptly. Nyum.

Make my week, baby: Week 4

2012-01-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

This week, I decided to do things a little differently : in true Rhiannon style, I decided to start knitting on the hottest week of Summer we've had so far! I'm so smart. hah. But really, some amazing lady told me that I would knit baby hats on circular needles (because double points and I just don't get along..) and I had to give it a go. And then I had to try and do one with stripes.. and well, the cardigan? I don't have any excuses for that one. I just love the pattern so much, I found some wool at the op shop, and had two days left in the week : )
(Hat is this pattern, and the cardigan is another one of these.)

I don't know if you can tell by the pictures, but these wee sets are made from 70's stretch towelling. Am I the only one who has a thing for babies in towelling? It just seems like the perfect fabric for little ones. And these colours are too, so hard to find baby clothes in bright colours these days!
The hats are, of course, more Sweetpea Pilot caps. And the pants are made from the Kwik Sew pattern I used for the merino ones.)

Lastly, I think I nearly perfected a pattern for newborn harem type pants this week.
(They are, heavily, inspired by the pants by this incredibly talented woman. I take no credit at all for this design.)
I made these from light sweatshirting type fabric, and put ribbing bands on the waist and the cuffs. Ribbed waistbands are so wonderful for little new pukus (and for pregnant ones too..), much softer than elastic. I plan to make a few more pairs of these, in a bigger size, they seem like they'll be the perfect comfy pants.

In other news, I'm sure most of you saw that the first of our wee pregnant-bloggy-quartet welcomed her little one earthside this week! Congrats Stella, and welcome to wee Garland James. You are both very lovely, and have me feeling incredibly clucky!
Dee, who will be next, is going to be giving us some baby-related tutorials and posts over the next few weeks. I'm feeling so excited about all the babies at the moment! Eeee.

Make my week, baby: Week 3

2012-01-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

Don't you love those weeks where you feel like you haven't really achieved much, and then you realise that, actually, you've done much more than you think? This week has been very much like that for me, craft-wise at least.
I had planned a blog post in my head where I explained to you all that I've been too busy sorting the studio, ready for a bit of a room switcheroo, and hadn't actually managed much sewing at all. But when I went to take photos of things this morning, it turned out that some magic sewing fairies must have been at work, and my 'finished' pile was actually rather impressive!

(Sidenote: I have no idea why the grass is a different shade of green in every photo. Editing the photos was only making it worse, so you'll just have to forgive me. Please?)

I made three more of the newborn wrap tops this week. I told you they were addictive! I made a cream and brown one for our babe, another the same as a gift and a blue and brown one which I am swapping for a skein of the most beautiful wool I've seen in a long time. (With which I will attempt to knit one of those delicious hats with the little cords on the top.)

I finished my WIP from last week. A stretch'n'grow type suit, using the KwikSew pattern #3090.
I repurposed a merino turtle neck for the main part, and some merino scraps from a top for the binding.
I'm absolutely LOVING the press snaps at the moment. Despite them being rather pricey, I want to put them on EVERYTHING. Might have something to do with the satisfaction/stress release of hammering them on?

This was my first attempt at the Sweetpea Pilot Cap. So cuute! Why is everything little so, so much cuter? I made this from a recycled wool jumper, and some spare ribbing, and it came together in about 20 minutes. Yet another highly addictive pattern - I already have more of these in the works.

Lastly, this week I made these:

It's pretty much impossible to tell what they are from this photo, so I borrowed Aesop's friend, Froggy, to help demonstrate:

They are swaddling wraps! Pretty nifty, aye? I used the tutorial over at Prudent baby. I took a few liberties with the sizing, and also used wool blend knits instead of flannel. I'm not entirely sure how practical they will be, but they sure are sweet. I think they'd make very cool baby shower presents, too.

And with that, my week finishes. 3 down, 12(ish) to go!

Wardrobe Wednesday ( and a few other days..)

2012-01-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've been making an effort this week, trying really hard not to succumb to the temptation to wear super comfy (read: fairly ugly) 'maternity' clothing. Been trying to remind myself that dresses are just as comfortable, but look so much nicer, and make me feel a lot better about myself. Wanna see?

Outfit number one:Glasses - Sunglasses place at Bayfair
Dress- Red cross shop $4
Tan belt - The Warehouse $19.99
Grey flats - The Warehouse $17

Otto is wearing all homemade 'cept the jandals, of course!

Outfit number two:

Brooch - Croutons (me!)
Dress - Thrifted in Te Puke $6
Black belt - Salvation army $2
Flats - The Warehouse $15

And today's outfit:

Dress - Thrifted at St Vinnies Yesterday $2
Tan Belt - The Warehouse $19.99
Pink Flats - The Warehouse $12

Stuff (and things) of late.

2012-01-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

(Lazing and Lego playing...)

(A spot of doodling..)

(Baby growing...)

(A trip to Spotlight for fabric..)

(Delicious Summer food eating..)

(Goofing around..)

(Sewing a studio sorting..)

(Playstation playing, and Yo Gabba Gabba watching..)

(And even more goofing around..)

Make my week, baby: Week 2

2012-01-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I miiiight have gone a little overboard this week. Can I use the excuse that it is Abraham's last week of holidays? And that I'll have less time for sewing as of Monday? Or is extreme nesting instinct enough of an excuse for the fact that I seem to have made one thing per day this week?!

This was the WIP from last week. It's a bit of a funny one, totally not my usual style, but I love it all the same. I used the same pattern that I used for the bunting last week, and made it from olive linen and polka dot cotton. Abraham tells me it's like extreme 'casual wear'. Still working out if this is a good, or a bad, thing.

This set will, hopefully be one of the first outfits the babe wears. It's teensy tiny, and I estimate that it will fit for approximately 2 days, but I couldn't resist making it! I used two merino tops that I picked up at the Sallies, for a few bucks each. I'm so pleased with how 'professional' looking they are (I heart my twinneedle!), feeling much better about the fact that I just can't afford to splash out on Mokopuna/Nature Baby etc.
(Pants and bodysuit are Kwik Sew 3811 and the hat is from this tute)

Girly things. So weird to be making girly things! But, like I said, if by some strange chance this bebe is a girl, I want to have just a few 'pretty' things to put her in. I'm not big on pink, so these seemed like the perfect compromise. They're made using this tutorial, it was so easy I think there'll be a few more in the next few weeks!

I think there might be a few more of these little tops, too. I love wrap-tops on newborns - so easy to change- but they get a bit bulky if you're then also having to put another top over them (to go out etc), so making a wrap jumper seems like the perfect solution! I found this pattern, and then tweaked the sizing a little ( it seemed tiny, and my babies are far from tiny!). I still need to get another two snaps, but I love love it.

And this is a work in progress.. it's super close to being done, but needs snaps and a little handstitching. It'll be my number one for next week : )

Phew!

Frugal Fashion (and fringe!) Friday!

2012-01-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to get this post done yesterday (which would of made it an actual Frugal Fashion Friday..) but I went round to a friends house for afternoon tea, ate way too much cake (the pregnant woman's wine..), and somehow ended not coming home until dark. Whoops!

Yesterday morning, I decided it was time to go back to black - hair, that is. I've had black hair on and off since I was 15. And every year I debate whether I'm getting too 'old' for such a harsh colour, and then decide I can probably do one more year. (I'm not sure quite why I have put an age limit on it, maybe because it reminds me so much of younger days?)
One thing I really do need to grow out of, is trimming my fringe. I'm not sure if you can really tell from the photos, but I'm terrible at it. It is always left full of steps and strays. Why oh why is it such an effort to get to the hairdressers for a (free?!) trim every few weeks?

Anywho:
Top: Farmers $29.99
Singlet: Kmart $8
Belt: The Warehouse: $19.99
Skirt: homemade from a vintage one (probably about $2)
Flats: The Warehouse $12

Thought it would be fun to take a photo of all three boys, too. Getting a good one is easier said than done though, those three are crazy. Hah.

Aesop:
Shirt: op shop $2
Shorts: Farmers $24

Otto:
Shirt: op shop (about $1)
Shorts: homemade from a pair of $1 jeans.

Abraham:
Hat: A website (maybe Giantpeach?) - More money than I would let him spend on a hat. Hah.
T-Shirt: Lower outlet store $30
Shorts: Asian clothing store- $20
Shoes: Salvation Army - $3

Make my week, Baby : Week 1.

2012-01-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

I'm 26 weeks pregnant today. I know, holy! Time is absolutely flying.

So, in order to make the most of these last weeks (of my very last pregnancy!) I've set myself a wee challenge.

I'm hoping to make at least one thing for the baby, each week until it is earthside.

Don't get me wrong, we definitely don't need much for the babe, we have A LOT of things from the boys and I have also bought a few things. But there's something special about dressing a wee one (especially one you grew yourself) in things you have made especially for him or her.

I've decided to call my project ' Make my week, baby!'.
It is a homage, of course, to Dee's 'Make my week' project from last year, which I found really inspiring.

Soo, I started last Thursday (my pregnant weeks 'turn over' on a Thurs..) and I made two things this week.
I also sorted and printed most of the patterns I want to use over the next few weeks, and chose out some fabrics I might want to use. It's all go around here!

The first thing I made was a wee patchwork blanket. It's the perfect size for the baby to kick around on on the floor, so I used four layers of flannel in the middle to make it nice and soft, too.
As I've said, I'm finding it hard to make neutral things for our little surprise baby, so I made it double sided - with a slightly girlier side - just in case:

I also made a bunting/sleeping bag. I used a vintage pattern for this ( this one), and plan to use the same pattern for a few other items of clothing, too. I made it with vintage fabrics and used an old metal zipper. I had to change the top a little, to protect delicate skin from the scratchy zip, by adding a button on piece and covering part of it with fabric. (I figure the bebe will always be dressed underneath, otherwise I would have done a zipper cover the whole way down on the inside.)

I have a million ideas swimming round my head (and quite a few on my Pinterest), and it feels so good to have my creative juices flowing again. I've already started one project towards next weeks goal, here is a sneaky peek (I'm loving the colours! They feel so 80's):

Christmas- Part two: The handmade gifts.

2012-01-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

I had visions of the weather clearing, and of taking amazing photos of these things with natural light and cheerful happy kids. Instead, it remains overcast and very glarey, Otto is at homecare and Aesop had to be bribed into helping me out. Ah well - something is better than nothing right?

This one is a blatant copy. I feel a little stink about it, and almost didn't post pictures. But, in all honesty, if I had thought about getting him one sooner I probably would have custom ordered one of the real ones through felt (this one.), but I didn't. I hope that it might inspire someone else to buy from them though - they're so clever.

These two were made using this (genius) tutorial and pattern : Here. I love it, and was very stoked with how they turned out. I can totally imagine all sorts of softies being made using this basic shape, definitely one to remember.

This 'Man Bat' costume was made using the tutorial over HERE.
For those of you not in-the-know (i.e you don't have boys/are not a comic nerd/don't play playstation..) Man Bat is different to Batman. He looks like this, and is a villain. We gave Aesop a pair of denim shorts to go with the costume, too.
(Note: I'm going to have to adjust the placing of the straps on this one, so hard to get it right without someone trying it on, but the back of the neck part sags at the moment. You know, in case you want to make your own..)

Abraham's presents are all on the line today. Typical.
But yeah, he had the usual boxer shorts (three pairs) and also had two t-shirts with floral pockets (made to look just like these ones he loves so much.). Fairly simple, but he was well pleased!

Lastly, my personal favourite, this is the doctors kits I put together for the kids.

I had some much fun making them matching scrubs, and amassing medical supplies! The blood pressure cuff, otoscope (ear thingy), and thermometer are all real ones, and the bandages etc are all 'proper' ones too. I wanted to make sure it was all stuff that was going to last ages and survive lots of play. Now to get them away from the masses of Lego long enough to actually use it..

So yeah, those were the handmade gifts this year!

Christmas - Part one: The festivities & family time.

2011-12-30T12:19:00.000-08:00

Our festive days were filled with food, family and fabulousness. I hope that yours were, too.

The weather has been very up and down, but I'll be back with a part two (the crafty part), as soon as the sun comes out long enough to take some photos. I've also got a new wee project to announce. Good times.
In the meantime, we're busy playing with our new toys, eating the leftovers (still!), and wishing there was more family around during the rest of the year! See you soon x

Sweetness.

2011-12-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a flurry of last-minute Christmas baking/food crafting. I can quite honestly say I've not been around that much coconut in all my days.
We decided to package up wee parcels of homemade sweets for the families on Abraham's side, and this is what we are putting in them:

- Apricot balls. Recipe is from Tiny Happy. (These are gluten free/vegan, such a good recipe to have up ones sleeve for family with allergies!)

- Chocolate truffles. Recipe from PaisleyJade. I made a double batch, adding choc chips to one batch, and covering those in melted dark choc, and adding choc and glazed cherry pieces to the other and rolling them in cocoa powder.

- Shortbread. Another recipe from Tiny Happy. I'd never made shortbread before (I'd never made any of these things, actually..) but I'm pretty stoked with how it turned out. Might just be added to the 'go-to' recipe folder.

- Peppermint bark. Another recipe from PaisleyJade. What can I say, everyone seems to be doing it - and now I can see why.

- I also made the Oddfellow log recipe on Paisley Jade, but those are still setting. Fingers crossed they've worked out okay.

- And, I also made some, very spicy, crackers. No intentionally. I was a little heavy on the cayenne pepper, resulting in crackers that reallllly need to be dipped, or cheesed. Hoping the Boxing day crew will forgive me for that one. At least they look good, right?

Today's last few jobs are tidying, and making lemon sour cream cake and roast veg salad, then I'm done and dusted! Woo! I can't wait.

Sooo, wishing you all a fantabulous Christmas with your beloved ones. May your festive days be filled with love, warmth and cake. I'll see you in a few days time xx

Beach weather.. finally.

2011-12-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

The weather has been decidedly un-Summery the past few weeks. We've had a lot of rain (though not as much as some place, poor Nelson..) and most days have had a bit of a cloudy gloom to them.
This hasn't been such good timing because my sister has been home from London for the month, and was really hoping to work on her tan. Hah. Perhaps she is to blame for it all? Murphy's law and all that?
Either way, we were stoked to have a sunny afternoon this week, and spent it wandering down on the beach. The boys (and the non-pregnant adult) did a lot of running and jumping, looking for sticks, and wading in the shallows. I did a lot of waddling behind, with the camera. It was all followed up with an ice cream, and some bare-bum swinging, just the way it should be.

I'm pleased to announce that I finished all of my Christmas crafting late last week, and have all but finished the shopping, too. I have a few things left to wrap, and then I'm all set! Phew!
(Not mentioning the one gift that hasn't arrived on the courier.. hmm.. not impressed.)
In a bit of a last minute decision, we've decided to make presents for all of Abraham's side of the family that we'll see on the day, too. So I'm preparing myself for an evening of baking sweets tonight.
Wish my luck, and hopefully I'll have enough success to show you the results tomorrow!

Growing. and Tiny happiness.

2011-12-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

My garden is bringing me so much joy at the moment.
I'm far from a green-thumbed expert, but I feel like I've made huge progress this season - good, edible, progress. I'm loving dining on brocolli (as big as my face! Yes, I am a nerd..), courgettes, peas, beans, lettuce, rhubarb, strawberries, basil, mint and pak choy. And I feel ridiculous amounts of excitement at the thought of the eggplant and tomatoes that are so close to being ready (and the Winter fruits that are just beginning their lives as flowers.. oh boy!).
This growing stuff is quite addictive!

Another thing that could get quite addictive, is Melissa's amazing printed fabric. Look at it! Squee!
I've been meaning to buy some, to use for baby clothes, for awhile now. So, when M announced a sale, I was there in a flash.
I envision little loungey pants, with this fabric as the cuffs and pockets. I'm pretty sure there will need to be matching onesies, too. I'll be making a girly set, as well as a slightly boyish one.. this whole not knowing thing is pretty exciting, but it sure has its disadvantages! So hard to know what to make!

Weekending.

2011-12-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Phew! It's Tuesday today, and I'm having another one of those weeks where I feel like I'm at least two days behind everyone else. I think the combination of December busy-ness and pregnant tired-ness has me struggling to keep up.

On Friday evening, we had our Playcentre Christmas party.
It was a glorious mix of food, festivity and crazy kids. We had a visit from a very Scottish-sounding Santa, trips on a vintage fire engine (during which Otto screamed at the top of his lungs to 'hop off now, Mama! Hop offffffff!), a sausage sizzle, and plenty of nibbles. Just the way a Christmas party should be.

Saturday continued with the festive activities, we watched the local Santa parade.
The boys rode the tandem trike (one of the best second hand purchases I've had in awhile!) and we wandered down to the end of our street, where the parade was set to pass by. We munched on the handed-out jelly beans, waved and yelled Christmas greetings to everyone we recognised, and then strolled home again.
I really hope all of our Christmas outings this year are as cruisy as these two!

We ended out Saturday up at my parents house. The boys ventured into the swimming pool, but I wasn't quite brave enough! The weather hasn't been particularly hot and Summery enough for me to shed my clothes yet, but I have no doubt it'll get there soon. In the meantime, I'm loving watching the growing confidence that the boys have in the water. Pretty neat, alright.

Frugal Fashion Friday - and an octopus.

2011-12-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

Sunglasses- Le Spec $15 from glasses place at BayFair
Necklace - $15 from For Arts Sake in Ohope
Singlet - $10 Glassons
Skirt - $25 Kmart

Bump - 22 weeks worth of baby.
Octopus - disguising the phone charger, and my unsightly broken drawers.

I'm loving the long-skirt trend that seems to be happening this Summer. I've never really been a huge maxi wearing (dresses, or skirts..) but with the combination of bump and heat, they seem to work so well. I'm very thankful that they're about this season.
(It sort of makes up for the fact that fashion seems to have done a u-turn on the length of tops, and made everything cropped... just in time for me to need tunic lengths. Typical!)

We've had a busy week with ultrasounds, Santa parades, Christmas parties and spending time with my sister. Hopefully I'll be back with photos of them in the next few days.
December just seems to be flyyyying by.

A little festive.

2011-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to get a little festive round these parts.
Well, as festive as they get! I'm not big on Christmas decorations, and these vintage ones are the only ones that I find myself able to get excited about.

The Christmas crafting is in full-swing, and I'm slowly getting things ticked off my list. I'm aiming to finish at least one thing every two days, but I somehow seem to also be adding about one new thing to the list every two days (?!) so time might still be a little tight. At last count I still needed to sew a further 8 or 9 things. Yikes.

How's your crafting coming along, ladies?

A rusty Puerperium.

2011-12-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

I made a wee cardigan last week.
Cause, you know, that's what I should be doing three weeks before xmas... nevermind about the mountain of things on my Christmas crafting list?!
But really, I couldn't resist. I saw a picture of one that another blogger had made, and was instantly sold on making one of my own.

I didn't have any money for yarn, so I used something I had in my stash already. I found a giant bag of this wool at the op shops some time ago. ( I'm guessing it used to be a very large men's jumper in a past life..). I decided it was 'unisex' enough, and set to work.

The pattern was wonderfully simple and knitted up really quickly. I can see many more of these in my future.

I did break my destash rule by buying buttons, for only the second time ever. Seven matching, wooden, buttons are hard to find in my stash.
But I think spending $7.50 total on a handknit jumper is still pretty a-okay. Can't wait to take pictures of the little munchkin all snuggled up in it.

Stuff and things.

2011-11-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

Phwoar, it's been a little quiet around here. There's good reason for that though - we've been busy:

- Busy getting naked and eating sweet treats...

-Busy growing some wriggly babies...
(21 weeks this week!)

- Busy knitting things for wriggly bebes.. and sewing things for bigger, wriggly people's xmas pressies..

- And busy growing, and eating, some delicious Summery food.

We just ate dinner outside - risotto with chorizo and courgettes and beans from the garden. Might go and steal a few strawberries for dessert.
So darn good! Best way to celebrate the first day of Summer!

Boy Style Friday.

2011-11-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning convinced it was Friday. Then the certainty turned to wishing. So, I've decided I'll still go on ahead and post a Boy Style Friday post anyway. You guys are okay with that, aye?

I tried really hard to get a decent picture of the boys together this week. This was as good as it got. (Don't ask why Aesop is pulling that face.. I asked him to 'smile normally'!)
This was what the boys chose to wear to the scan (or 'see baby, eat lollipop' as Otto refers to it).

Aesop:
Sunglasses - found them on the road.
T-shirt - Cotton On kids via Nana
Shorts - Farmers (1/2 price sale, of course!)
Jandals - The Warehouse.

Otto :
Sunglasses - mine from when I was 12 (and very into Kurt Cobain!)
T-Shirt and pants - made by me.
Jandals - The Warehouse

And because that picture wasn't super awesome, I took a photo of what Otto wore to his homecare yesterday.

Hat - Gifted to Aesop by Mum and Dad's neighbours son, about 5 years ago.
Sunglasses - I think there were my sisters when she was in high school (a little while ago now..)
T-shirt - made by me.
Shorts - T&T via Nana.

And, for good measure, this is what Otto wanted to wear to homecare. It's meant to be for a 9 month old baby, and was one of the very first items of baby clothes I ever owned, before Aesop was even conceived.
Funny little boy.

It's a...

2011-11-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a surprise, actually.
The wee one was feeling so shy at the scan this morning that he not only did he or she not reveal a gender, but we didn't even get a peek at a little face!
I have to go back to get a few more measurements in a few weeks (that's normal, right? I hope so!) but not we're thinking it might actually be nice to have a wee surprise. Funny how you can be so sure of something one day, and completely change your mind the next!

So, my big plans to sort through all the baby clothes, and make some room in the closet, has been
foiled. I also won't be splashing out on new gender-biased clothing in the near future! Le sigh.

But really, I've nothing to complain about - I counted two arms, two legs and the right number of everything else. That's far more important than any sorting and shopping I can, or can't, do! Feeling very lucky indeed x

Snippets of my week.

2011-11-20T16:15:00.000-08:00

Just popping in with a few wee glimpses of the past week. In no particular order:

Saturday night was our Playcentre 'Wine down' end of year party. We got dressed up, ate curry and had a few giggles. It was a much more, erm, sober event for me this year but I still managed to go to bed entirely too late and am still paying for it!

Last week Aesop's school had their production, to celebrate the opening of their new hall. Aesop had a narrating part and did SO well. He didn't even need his cue cards! Proud as punch!

On Friday I spent part of the day with these lovely ladies. We talked babies, of course.

Santa came early for us this year. My parents, very kindly, bought us a new outdoor table and chairs for Christmas and decided we might as well have them for the pre-xmas bbqs, too. Don't mind if we do, thanks!

I'll probably get in trouble for posting this one, but weekend-morning cuddles are a firm fave in our house. Aesop isn't often keen to take part, but Otto delights in the snuggling.. and the jumping, hiding, joke telling, etc of course!

Today, so far, has consisted of hanging out with Otto Snotto and listing things on Felt. I've finally managed to get a little organised, there are 8 new bags listed and loads of brooches and necklaces relisted. I may be a little biased, but I think they'd make great Christmas gifts : ) Hint hint.

We're off to have our 20-week scan tomorrow, so I might even back be soon to tell you how it goes. I'm not sure why, but I'm very nervous.

Pretty things - Part 3.

2011-11-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite parts of any home- the kitchen.

'Leave a note'

I don't think any table is complete without a seersucker table cloth.

And no elderly persons home seems to be without a lollie jar! There have been Minties in this jar as far back as Abraham can remember.

This has got to be one of my absolute favourite things in the whole house - the tea storer. The wee bottom piece measures out the tea!

How amazing are those owls?

And, in case any of you are as nosey as I am, I took a few photos of the contents of the cupboards too. I think sometimes the things that aren't on display are equally as awesome as the things that are. I'll have to do a wee extra post sometime with some of the packaging I found in the drawers too, so good.

There was a whole cupboard full of wine and brandy from as far back as the 60's. Not sure how well sparkling wine ages, but I bet this brandy is pretty awesome.

Index cards full of 'Handy home hints' and recipes!

A virtual fashion show.

2011-11-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

The title of this post could quite easily also be ' Three million awkward pictures of Rhiannon'. Because, frankly, they all seem a little that way. But it's all about the dresses anyway, right?

This one is actually not thrifted, it's from Glassons. I know you can't hear my tone of voice in typing, but if you could there would be a hint of surprise in that sentence. It's been quite awhile since I bought more then singlets from Glassons, the fashion the past few seasons has been unsuited to my body shape as well as to my taste.
I love the way this dress comes up at the sides though, leaving enough fabric at both the front and the back for a bit of modesty. Hoping it should fit right up until the last month or so.

I love the idea of this dress. The print is awesome, the button up front will come in very handy, the length is good.. but those sleeves might need tweaking. It came with shoulder pads (ick!), so the shoulders are cut a little too wide, and I feel like that length of sleeve makes me look a little boxy. Might resew the shoulders and halve the length, methinks.
This one was from an op shop in Te Puke, for a whopping $7.

I feel like this one could do with a little altering, too. The print is very overwhelming so I'm thinking it might be a case of a few inches off the bottom, and slightly shorter sleeves. You reckon?
It'll be more of a post-babe dress anywho, the fabric is a lil heavy for Summer and it's also going to be too snug in the, erm, chest soon.
This one was another from the Te Puke op shop, $6.

Love this one. Dresses like this are pretty much the ideal round-home-and-to-the-supermarket day attire for me. I love the someone has put heavy duty domes with faux-buttons on top, to avoid accidental gapings ( sewing them shut, ala Dee, works great too. But not so much when it comes time for breastfeeding!).
Also from the Te Puke op shop, $6.50

Another non-thrift job. I've been looking for maxi dresses for awhile now, without much success. They all seem to be either a) too flouncy b) a horrendous print or c) too short. This one seems to mostly stay out of those categories, and has a drawstring waist, which will come in handy as the belly grows.
I got it (on special) at Postie, $44.95.

Did you make it through all of that?
If so, I also have a quick question for you. I need a wee bit of advice.
Can/should pregnant woman wear high-wisted skirts? I'm still trying to decide if it works, seeing as, obviously, I'm kind of without a waist at the moment.
They seem to look great from the front, but I wonder if they just look a little 'tenty' from the side?

(Cardi from Abraham's Nana, singlet from Glassons, Belt from The Warehouse, skirt from Abraham's great Aunty and shoes, only in the first picture hah, The Warehouse.)

Pretty things - Part 2.

2011-11-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

Just a few more snippets of the house today - the next post will be the kitchen (so many photos, so much goodness, so hard to choose which to post!). I might leave that til after the weekend though, and delight (hah!) you with the wee fashion show tomorrow.
(I also have need to ask some fashion advice - put your Gok hats on ready, please.)

( Love the little handi-craft things like these flowers - must have taken so long to shape them out of the old chocolate wrappers!)

(A little bit creepy, but this is another this that must have been pretty magical to look at as young kids!)

(The phone corner!)

(A blue loo. Such great colour choices. Love it.)

Pretty things - Part 1.

2011-11-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

Last week Abraham had a few days off, so we took Aesop out of school (naughty, I know..) and headed to visit my Mother-in-law for a day.
Kaye is living in a house that has been in the family for a long, long time. It belongs to an elderly family member who has recently gone into a home. I think I've mentioned in on my blog before, the place is magical. It is like a museum, with very little touched (or thrown away) since the 50's and 60's.
I asked, and was kindly allowed, to photograph some of the things in the house this visit. I wanted to document it all before any major changes happen!
There are a million photos, but I thought I'd share a few. I'll do it in two or three parts over the next few days, just to keep things interesting. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do!

(A rainbow of petticoats, to change the look of the sheer-fabric 50's dresses. Oh my, style was so good back then.)

(I took a photo of myself in each of the mirrors in the house - I felt like it made the photos more personal, or something.)

(I love that the walls in the hallway are painted lime green - so unexpected!)

(Yes, a whole room just for pot plants. Apparently there used to be more plants and things, and it would attract lots of little skinks (lizards). Imagine exploring this room as a child!)

I can't wait to show you more, and also the huge garden that Kaye, and her Partner Chris, have put in. It's got me al inspired to change a few things around here. Hopefully it will inspire you too!

Bump - 18 weeks.

2011-11-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

Another thing that brings home the reality of a trio of kids - the bump is growing!
(or at least my stomach muscles can't hold my belly in anymore! )

I'll be 18 weeks on Friday and the morning sickness seems to have all but left me, my energy levels are rising (slowly), and there is definite movement happening on a more regular basis. Very exciting!

I've had to break out the 'maternity' wear much early this time (this is the much slimmer/smaller me at 19 weeks with Otto. Thanks, lack of stomach muscles.) and am working hard to adding to the collection. My pregnancy with Otto was mostly over the cooler months, so I find myself lacking mid-Summer gears. Safe to say this Summer will be ALL about the dresses.
(Note to self: I really much hurry up and find zipper/buttonhole feet for my Bernina so I can get sewing!)

Bunking up.

2011-11-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Last weekend our boys got new beds. Well, bunks actually!

Bunks were inevitable for us. We just don't have the space in our house for three single beds and, while we don't own the house, there was no chance of us doing anything tricky like hanging beds or lofts.
We decided against the tubular steel bunks, and opted for the more sturdy wooden ones. This meant it worked out easier (and not much more expensive) to buy them new, rather than second hand. We found a store in Tauranga that imports them for a lot less than the stores sell them for, which meant we could afford to just have them couriered to us. Handy!

The boys are well stoked with them. Otto has adjusted to being a new room without any hiccups, and Aesop is yet to fall down the ladder in the middle of the night (touch wood!). It's also kind of cute to hear them chit chatting away for ten minutes after bedtime.
I get the feeling sharing a room is going to be good for these two.

(You know what this means though, aye? We are actually having three children. EEEEK. It's all starting to feel a bit real now!)

Frugal Fashion Friday - four days late, or three early?

2011-11-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

I don't often find gems on TradeMe, not clothing ones anyway. All of the vintage dresses that I like seem to be sought after by the rest of the country too.
This one, however, no one else bid on! (Whaaaat? Are they crazy?) I almost started to wonder if everyone else saw something different than I did. But then it arrived and it is perfect. It's original 50's vintage, perfect condition and even fits wonderfully too (with plenty of room for the ever-expanding front!). Safe to say, I am over-the-moon.

I've had a wee bit of luck lately with finding dresses at the op shops, too. Maybe I'll have to have a wee virtual fashion show when they're washed and ready to go?

Vintage dress - TradeMe $15
Sunnies - Le Spec (from glasses shop at Bayfair) - $20
Belt - Borrowed/stolen from a friend.
Flats - The Warehouse $12

wishlisting.

2011-10-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

$28.00

$25.00

$26.00

$26.00

$25.00

$15.00

$15.00

$25.00

$17.00

$20.00

$25.00

$30.00

I've started dreaming of things for the new little one.

We have everything we really need, but a few more woollens certainly won't go astray with a mid/end of April bub. Just need to find some money now.

Luckily wishing is free....

(The wee hat/hood in the corner is obviously for the bigger small one, think Otto might need this, or something similar, for Christmas!)

Tick, tick, tick.

2011-10-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

The hormone-induced crazy has officially set in.
I walked past the window of the op-shop today (after going in, of course.. I can't pass a second hand store by!) and spotted this clock. It's beautiful, right? It had a tag on it that said it worked perfectly, had the winding key etc, and it was even fairly cheap. Any clock lover would have been sold on it.
And that there is the problem, I don't like clocks. I don't like the ticking! I can't stand it, in fact.
(And, to make things worse, this one chimes every fifteen minutes?!)
BUT I knew, the minute I saw it, that I needed this clock. It called my name. It was like fate. And I wasn't going to feel happy until I had it in my sweaty little mitts.

That, my friends, is how I know that the pregnancy insanity seems to have well and truly arrived.

Now that I have this noisy wee clock in my house, I need to figure out quite how on earth to get it to tell me the time. At the moment it seems to tick in double speed, and chimes a different time than it shows. Do of you happen to secretly be clock experts?

Busy Bee.

2011-10-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

After a lazy week, I woke up yesterday feeling productive. The most productive I've felt in some time.
I decided it was a good idea to get some baking done for the first week back at school/playcentre, and get a meal or two stocked in the freezer.

Our eating during this first stage of my pregnancy has been horrific, to put it mildly. I have had so many days where I was unable to stomach an evening meal, or even cook one. And as a result there has been a lot of takeout and easy-to-prepare pre-made food through our doors. Our grocery bill has gone up about $20 a week, with much less in the cupboards or freezer to show for it. We've spent more on takeaways each week than we normally would in a fortnight (or even a month, some weeks. Sigh.) It is time now for me to try and get this under control again.

Yesterday was a good start, I managed a double batch of pasta sauce and a huge meal of vegie soup. I baked muesli bar slice (which, even on my third different recipe, wasn't very successful. Guess it's just not a fan of margarine?), peanut butter choc chip cookies, and banana cake-muffins.

I also managed to get some of my 7 loads of wet washing dry, and turn over the compost. Phew. I hope this is a another sign that my routine is slowly returning to normal.

Oh, and just because it's cute, this is Otto's belly. He's 'got a baby in his puku', in case you were wondering why it's looking so gloriously rotund : )

Around the place.

2011-10-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

(A few snaps taken while I was tidying..)

The weather this week, and my mood, have mostly only been good for pottering around home. I've managed a bit of Spring cleaning, a bunch of crossword puzzles, and that is about all.
(Other than a lot of internetting, and worrying about devastating current events, of course.)

I'm having severe 'Aesop's school holidays have been pretty crap' guilt, so tomorrow we might have to do something super doooooper exciting. Any ideas?

A quilt for the medium-sized one.

2011-10-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make Otto a quilt for awhile now. Just like Aesop's, I had hoped it would be ready in time for him to go into his 'big boy bed'. Just like Aesop's, I'm rather late.
But better late than never, right?

I wanted to do something a little different than the other quilts I've made, which have either been patchwork squares, or string styles. But I also didn't want to do anything too tricky, because I knew I'd lose interest half way through (like I did with the first attempt at Otto's quilt - log cabin blocks.)
So, half 'n' half squares it was. It shows off the fabrics nicely ( I used a lot of my absolute fave prints) while not appearing too busy, I think.
Pretty stoked.

It is safe to say that it has passed the most important test - Otto was well impressed.
It is perfect for jumping on.

(And yes, two posts in one day - woah-zers Moses.
I never thought I would say it, but I'm going to be so busy watching the rugby this weekend, that I might not find time to post. I know. Mad, aye? C'mooooon Wales and AB's!)

Frugal Fashion Friday.

2011-10-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

I found this dress yesterday, while flicking through the racks at the Sallies. It has been awhile since I've found anything really decent in terms of clothing, so I was well pleased when the price tag said only $5.50. I had the boys with me, no time for trying it on, so I was even more happy to find it fit really well.
It quickly dawned on me though, that fitting really well isn't such a bonus when you have an ever-expanding belly and boobs. I figure it'll fit for about another week or two. Best make the most of it, aye!

Dress - Thrifted at the Sallies $5.50
Belt - Borrowed/stolen from a friend.
Tights - About 6 years old, from Farmers. About $12
Flats - The Warehouse $17

(I say it has been awhile, but I did find an ELECTRIC blue, shiny, 80's prom dress the other day. With huge puff sleeves and a puffy skirt. That, alas, I also didn't try on and it is at least one size too small in the bodice. Which is a shame 'cause, you know, I have so much need for one of those in my wardrobe...)

A birthday.

2011-10-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday I turned 27.
In all honesty, I expected it to be a bit of non-event. I've been feeling lousy as anything the past six weeks, and didn't see why my birthday would/could/should affect how I felt.
BUT, pleasantly enough, I felt the best I've felt in ages.
My day was filled with my first midwife visit (I love love my new midwife. Love her.), lunch with my SIL and the cutest niece in the world, presents, flowers and love. We were given some fresh fish, which Abraham crumbed and we devoured with some bought chips, down by the water. Delightful!
I also went out (!!) that evening and saw Anika Moa play. By golly she is wonderful, who knew?

Saturday was filled with in-laws and gardening. For me these two go very much hand-in-hand. My Mother-in-law and her partner have wonderfully green thumbs. I was privileged enough to receive their help getting our Summer garden ready. Will show you what went in in another post!
We also ate amazing food (pumpkin soup and scones, and roast chicken!) and chit-chatted the day away. Also glorious.

One of the most exciting things about my birthday though? Wee bump is now 12 weeks old! Second trimester here we come! Keeping my fingers crossed this means a few more 'good' days thrown in each week from now on. I'll take what I can get!

Double Cord.

2011-08-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

Ahoy!

2011-08-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-08-13T01:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-08-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

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..)

Findings and precious gifts.

2011-07-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

The last few times we have been op shopping in Tauranga have been really disappointing, so I didn't have high hopes for Friday. I thought I would be lucky if I found a few bit of fabric (I rarely don't find at least one piece!). But I was pleasantly surprised with my little bundle.
I didn't find any fabric, as such, but did find a wee stack of vintage sheets. I'm really picky when it comes to linen, but was really happy to see that these were in pretty much unused condition. Stoked! The pillow cases will find their way to our bed, and the sheets will be used as fabric.
The wallpaper is just handy to have around the place, for wrapping gifts and parcels etc. Especially at a dollar a roll!
The bag is super soft leather, with big stitching, and a really nice size. And I needed a new bag, I don't have many (aye, Abraham? haha). The jewellery was a bit out of my normal rice range, but seriously? A HUGE painted wooden necklace, and fur earrings? Who could refuse? (Sorry bunnies.)
The test tubes are a strange purchase, I know. I figure if Aesop doesn't use them for science experiments then I could always replicate this, and have a Real life pin!

Also during our trip to Tauranga, I picked up a wee basket full of goodies that were given to me by Abraham's Mum's cousin (what does that make her to me? I just call her cousin Cheryl!). She came to visit with us a few months ago and noticed my full china cabinet. She decided to add a few treasures to our family collection, from hers. So lovely!

She wrote me a wonderful card all about where the cups came from, and even included the little notes that came along with them, and a photo of the lady who gave them to her! Such treasures.
The glasses she won in a dancing competition as a teenager in the 60's! I especially love them and their little retro sayings 'Don't knock the rock', ' Rock around the clock', 'Giddy-up a ding dong' and 'See you later alligator'! I'm a very lucky lady.

'Hello!'

2011-07-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

I had a request, on the Facebook page, for brooches with my 'hello' applique on them.
Two requests, in fact, on the same day, from two different people!
Who can argue with that?

(Won't list them in my Felt shop until after the market, but if you'd like one then you can get the details on the FB page.)

Friday.

2011-07-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of Aesops school holidays, so Abraham took the day off and we went on a little adventure. A mini road-trip!
We hopped in the car first thing in the morning, and drove through to Te Puke, where we stopped for some morning tea and to visit their three op shops. Then we drove on through to Tauranga, where we did a bit more op shopping, and visited with Abraham's Mum and her partner.
The place they are staying is one of the most incredible, muesum-like, places I have ever been. They live with an elderly relative who, it would appear, has never thrown a thing out in her life. And she used to be a dress maker.. 'nuff said. It is like heaven.
It was also really fascinating for the kids, because as well as a tortoise shell and stuffed peacock in the lounge (?!) and a yard full trees to climb and pick fruit off, Kaye and Chris have put in a lovely big chicken run. I always feel a mixture of happy and sad when our kids visit places like that, they love it so much, but it's definitely not something we have at home. Part of me would love to live slightly out of town, with a sprawling yard filled with animals and plants... but I just can't see it happening.

Our day ended eating Burger Fuel, over-looking the water. What a treat. The whole day was such a treat.

(I'll post some photos of my few purchases tomorrow..)

Paper.

2011-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Do you remember these suitcases, that I bought a few weeks ago? It dawned on me this week that they would be the perfect wee display cases for the market I'm doing next month (this one!). There was only one problem with that though : the insides had seen better days. The outsides look okay/retro cool all scuffed up and well loved, but the linings were looking pretty rough and even had kids phone numbers written on them etc.
Fixing this involved doing something I'm reallllly not good at: maths.
Do you remember at school, when you had to make those 3d shapes and draw out the shape, add little tabs, fold them up and glue them etc? Well, it is safe to say I was not very good at it. Not at all.
But, somehow, I managed to draw out, and create, some pretty covers for the little cases out of vintage wallpaper, with only a few mistakes. I'm pretty pleased with them!

It's been a pretty maths-filled week actually, I also had to to grade my kids pants pattern. I started with the 2 year old pattern, that I use for Otto, and came up with 6-9m, 1y, 2y and 3y patterns.Old Mrs Leary from 4th form maths would be very impressed!

Can't say I hope to do more of it in the future though... would much rather stick to cutting and sewing!

Tuesday.

2011-07-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Playdough, and other activities that only seem to entertain for a few minutes. A wee paper project for me. Finally getting some washing dry. Boys moving so fast I can't photograph them. A row or two in between other tasks.

Add some delicious beef curry, an hour or two perusing pinterest, a walk to the vege store, and staying my my pjs til lunch time; and you'll have my whole Tuesday about summed up. Quite glorious, really.

50c mixture sort of day.

2011-07-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

(This picture is a, rather self indulgent, picture of my outfit for today. It's completely unneccessary to the blog post, and huge to help with the blurriness, but I like it. That's also a new skirt, yes it is. It's a little snug, but I don't mind.)

I'm not sure if I can say what sort of day it has been yet, it's only lunchtime, but I have a feeling I will be able to call it a bit of a muddly, 50c mixture sort of a day.
It's one of those days where the weather is on the verge of turning to custard, you're not sure whether to put washing out or not, the kids routine is all up the wazoo and you're in between projects and are not sure quite where to start. It's a day where things are so out of routine, that you even feel like blogging for the first time in donkey years! But, most importantly, it's a day that's perfect for op shopping.
I picked the kids up from Mum (they stayed with her last night. Glorious!), and drove alllllmost all the way home. We got to the end of our street, and I decided to detour to the oppies, just for a few minutes. Well, it's safe to say I'm glad I did.

Vintage crochet booties, in the softest yarn known to man. You know, for my imaginary third child.

The two most fabulous fitting skirts I have tried on for some time. No altering needed, and in relatively plain colours too. Jackpot!

A vintage Hanes tee for Aesop, and a gloriously patterned jumper for that imaginary child (oh shush Abraham, if it doesn't happen I'll open a retro kids shop or something. HA.)

Crafty stuff. Fabric, super lovely soft and thick wool, a pillow case and some doilies.

Men's jumpers in delightful patterns, for an upcycle project I have in mind.

As for the 'inbetween projects' comment, I'm not really.. only sort of. What I mean to say is that I'm busy stocking up for a market next month, making everything in batches, and I'm inbetween batches. The bags are done (photos later, maybe?) and I finished the rosette brooches last night. Now I need to finish scaling my pants pattern before making a few baby pants, tops and dresses. I am setting big goals for myself knowing that, if things don't sell, my Felt shop will lovely and full. (I'm considering opening a Crouton Etsy shop too. Thoughts?)
Anywho, it's nice to be around these parts, feels like it's been ages (wonder why?), it's nice to 'see' you guys again.

Give-away

2011-06-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

Pretty sure all of you are friends with me on either Flickr or Facebook, but I thought I'd post this here too. (Sorry if you're over hearing about it!)

I'm having a wee giveaway.
If you would like to win this lovely little flower brooch, all you have to do is head to my facebook page and comment on the giveaway post (extra points for sharing/blogging/twittering). I'll pull a name out of a hat/number generator on Sunday and pop the brooch in the post (anywhere in the world!).
Go forth, comment and spread the word. Love!

Croutons.

2011-06-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

I've been making stuff.

A lot of these things went over to the ever-lovely, local store Ruby Dunes. But I managed to add a few of the necklaces to my Felt store (and relist a few older items at a discounted price). I do hope you'll head on over and have a nosey.

There is plenty more to come in the next few weeks, heck I have FIFTY flower brooches on the go as I type! Madness!

Boy style/ Frugal fashion Friday.

2011-06-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I missed Wardrobe Wednesday this week, We'll just have a Friday catch up. This is what I wore yesterday:

(Is anyone else having trouble getting their images to look half decent in Blogger? I had to load these in Flickr first and they still don't look great?)

The dress is one that I picked up while visiting my Father-in-law in Te Puke. They have the most fabulous op shop that is so full you can hardly move. Everything is piled sky-high and you really have to rummage to find anything. This isn't always ideal, and it would be nice if the price reflected it more often, but it just makes the hunting so much more enjoyable. And, for some strange reason, they always have amazing dresses. This one was $3.50.
The tights were a nifty $12 at Kmart. They're a bit baggy in the knees, but oh-so comfy. The shoes are the same old style, from The Warehouse for $10. The belt is thrifted, and the brooch is Croutons, of course.

I have no idea what I'm doing with my hair. I wish it would grow faster.

Today is cold, wet and miserable. Otto has been up since the crack of dawn, like usual, and put all of our days plans out by going back to bed at 7:30. So I have both boys at home today, just blobbing. Oh, and making comics and sock puppets. Here's a glimpse at the boys in there trackie-dackie home gears.

Piles and piles.

2011-06-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

I have intended to write about 5 different posts this week. I've written them in my head, taken the photos, even started drafts for some of them.. it just hasn't happened for me.
The main reason I haven't blogged is because my life has been taken over by piles. Not the nasty ones that seem to prey on pregnant women, but the ones that seem occupy most of my waking hours.
Some of the towers are plesant ones, the op shopped treasures, and the sewing projects I've managed to actually finish. But other, especially the washing, just seem to keep growing and growing. It's so much easier to just blob on the laptop, procrastinating and 'pinning' pretty things, than deal with the NINE loads of washing that are either dirty or wet right now.

But I'm getting this shit under control now. Okay? So to make up for the posts I didn't make this week, I'm just going to make three posts today. This is number one.

Wardrobe Wednesday.

2011-05-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure entirely what is going on with the lighting in my house today. It would appear I have forgotten exactly how hard it is to take a decently lit photo in Winter. And well, it is the first day of Winter today.

I have also forgotten my self inflicted rule of not wearing leggings. It would appear that this Winter is going to be the Winter of leggings. I just need to find and invest in some more really cute patterned ones, because I'm not feeling the plain black ones.

Mustard cowl : knitted by me. ($5 worth of wool on TM)
Black dress: Pumpkin patch maternity section. Shame-o. I didn't even buy it when I was pregnant, I just got it because it is ridiculously comfy, and plain black dresses are so hard to come by. ($5 on sale)
Geo print leggings : Kmart ($5)
Grey ruffly shoes : The Warehouse ($15)

I'm on a mission to get some sewing done this week. So, fingers crossed, I'll back back tomorrow with some craftiness.

Boy style Friday - fashionably late.

2011-05-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Otto wears:
Stripy hoodie - Farmers
Thermal top (underneath)- Farmers
Pants - Me
Crocs - The Warehouse (I firmly dislike crocs, but for some reason they look okay on people under the age of about four.)

Aesop wears:
Swandri hunting hat - Salvation Army
Hip kid shirt - Farmers
Skinnyish jeans - Pumpkin Patch.

And, as a bonus, here is another outfit Otto wore this week.
Stripy top - Croutons
Monster pants - Farmers
Slippers - MEandREEKIE on Etsy. Best slippers EVER.
Teeth - $2 shop.. or being bitten by a vampire?

See more cute kiddies HERE.

Wardrobe Wednesday.

2011-05-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

The presentation of this weeks outfit is a little like the wearer of the outfit feels: not super enthusiastic.
It is nearly midday, and I have only been dresses about half an hour. My throat is raspy, and my 'let's get dressed and look amazing' levels are fairly low. It's one of those days where I wish I had remembered to photograph an outfit earlier in the week. But I'm not going to let that stop me.

Dress: bought from a friend who sells on Trademe ($15)
Tights: Farmers (about $15)
Shoes: Willowshoes.co.nz ($140)

So yeah, fairly basic (yet somehow expensive?) outfit today. But there's a bit of a story behind the dress.
My friend Cara and I, went to Bayfair (a mall..) on Saturday. We had money burning holes in our pockets, a day without menfolk and children and a need for lovely new clothes.
We searched high and low, only to find that fashion seems to have reverted back to the 90's, and not in a good way. Everything is grunge-tastic (think long skirts, thick knit jumpers and doc boots. Oh, and velvet. So much velvet.) and definitely not something I can work with. I came away with one brooch, a plain striped top, a pair of super cheap boots and a onesie for a small baby that I don't have. AWESOME.
I was feeling very bummed.
But yesterday, as I was picking up the mannequin from my friend Amanda, I spied her 'to sell on TradeMe' rack, and noseyed through it. Within just a few moments, I had two very wonderful dresses in my arms and a huge smile on my face.
Moral of the story? I need to stop trying to convince myself that modern fashion is going to get better, and face the fact that it is worth it to spend a little extra on 'retro' stuff. It's bad luck that I didn't find these dresses for $5 at the oppies, but even at $15 they are cheaper than the most of the ugly stuff I tried on at the shops. And probably better made too..
/ end rant.

The state of things.

2011-05-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or is thrifting really hard at the moment? For the last few weeks (or even months?) I have barely found a thing, which is mighty unusual for me. My bank account has been happy about it, especially with the recent price hikes at the Sallies, but my materialistic/bargain hunting soul just craves the goods.
Luckily, last week I was able to get my fill.

(From the $1 rack. It needs a little altering, the front facing is too high, and too tight.)

(Also from the $1 rack, I had planned to reconstruct it to fit Aesop, but Abraham has adopted it.)

I spent a grand total of $15. That is more than I would usually spend in one trip to the oppies, but I feel like I got a good amount of stuff for my money.
Stuff.. hmm.. I think Abraham would substitute that word for 'junk', and I would probably use the word 'treasure'. Ha.

Boy Style Friday.

2011-05-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Just one boy today - the other is dressed all swish for mufti day, but we were running too late this morning (not unusual..) and now he's busy having an epic Lego battle with his friend. Wayyyy to busy for photos, apparently.
Otto is, of course, rockin' one of his new 90 min tees. He's also wearing Mama-made trackpants (those long cuffs mean they don't drag on the ground, and also tuck into gumboots more easily!). The shoes are from the Warehouse, on sale.
The bag was a gift from my host Mother, for Aesop. It has 'Nijntje' on it, or 'Miffy' as she is known in English. I still struggle to call her that though, as I saw her for the first time while on my exchange in the Netherlands. I was instantly smitten, and she will always be 'Nijntje' to me!
Otto is now also smitten, not so much with the character on the bag, but rather just with the idea of having a bag. He must take it with him everytime we leave the house, usually with one of his 'snugglies' and a Thomas train in it. As soon as I pick up the keys he starts the yelling 'Otttttoooo baaaaaag! baaaaaag!'. Cute!

Once a year.

2011-05-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

In my little recipe book, I have some recipes that have been relabelled with their purposes rather than their names. For example : The devil food cake is titled ' THE cake', the potato and corn pie has 'Mums pie' scrawled next to it, and the zucchini loaf recipe is credited to my mother-in-law, Kaye.

The sub-title for my lemon sour cream cake recipe is ' Abraham's birthday cake'. I'm not sure how it ended up being his cake, but I know I have made it for at least 3 or 4 f his birthdays.And, well, long may it continue.. because it really is quite divine. (I admit, it's not as cute as the robot cake I made him a few years ago, but unfortunately taste has to win sometimes. It seems to be that the older I get, that more often that is the case!)

I thought, seeing as I couldn't share the cake, I would offer up the recipe for anyone who might want to give it a whirl. (Who knows that the subtitle might end up being in your book - 'rainy day afternoon'? 'PMS cake'? 'for the hell of it cake'? )

Lemon Sour Cream Cake - Abrahams Birthday Cake!

185g softened butter (I use marg, because well, that's what we always have.)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tsp lemon rind
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sour cream

Glaze:
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar

Pre-heat oven to 160C.
In a large bowl, cream butter/marg and sugar. Add eggs and rind.
Combine the flour and baking powder. Fold both the flour and the sour cream into the creamed mixture, alternatively. (I'm not sure that even makes sense? Basically add half the flour, then half the sour cream, and repeat.)
Mix gently until smooth, and pour into a greased cake pan (I have used both the spring form and a hole-in-the-middle tin. if you use a spring form, it pays to line it with baking paper.). Bake until a knife comes out clean.
Once cooked, wait about 2 minutes. Then pour the glaze over the cake and allow to cool. Apparently this is good served with cream or yogurt. We eat it with soy milk.

NOM.

A reaction and the reaction to the reaction.

2011-05-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

There was no rash. No scratching, itching or days of complaining.
Otto just woke up one morning and decided he HATES wool. He despises it like nothing else. I tried to dress him in it he screamed and thrashed around, like I was trying to harm him. After that, the reaction is the same even at the sight of it. He is, somehow, so traumatised that even acrylic jumpers get the no-go.

This posed a slight problem for me. You see, I spent the Summer amassing a huge collection of handknitted jumpers. And whipping up recycled wool pants, too. I think the boy had a total of nearly 20 wool or acrylic garments in his drawers! I had focused so much on the knits that I hadn't really bothered to stock up on anything else.

So the 'operation replacement' sewing has begun. I've got quite a few things done, but there's a way to go.
Want to see? Who am I kidding? Of course you do, it's a blog! Here you go:

There are a few others, but they're lost somewhere in the washing system. Isn't it darn near impossible to get on top of washing at this time of year? Guess that's one benefit to the war against wool.. far less handwashing!

Wardrobe Wednesday.

2011-05-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

Let's not speak of my absence. Let's just pretend it never happened, okay?
It's Wednesday. The perfect day to jump right back into Wardrobe Wednesday. So here I am.

From head to toe:
HUGE hair - not really sure. New shampoo?
Brooch - Croutons. (free)
Top - NESclothing. ($120. A million times more than I'd usually spend, but has been worth every penny.)
Grouchy child, who weighs a tonne but won't let me put him down (and is, somehow, smiling in this picture?!) - a nasty ear infection and a virus. (free, unfortunately.)
Skirt- Salvation Army ($3)
Happy Shoes - The Warehouse. ($6)

So, I'm a week ahead of everyone else who is getting back on the WW wagon. But you should join in next week! It'll be grand!

FFF! #2

2011-03-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Edition number two of Frugal Fashion Friday is here! Not sure where the rest of this week has gone though, I could have sworn it was only Wednesday. Anywho..

I thought I would start with Otto, because he is the hardest to photograph. He doesn't like to stand still and does his darnedest to be without shoes at all times. So, you'll have to just imagine the shoes in. The top is made by me and the shorts were bought for Aesop, from Farmers, many, many moons ago. I love outfits like these, where the most expensive thing Otto wears is his (second hand or hand-me-down) nappy!

Aesop, as you saw last week, is riiiight into the posing. (He also keeps his shoes on!). It's hard to get him to just stand still and not pull silly faces or insist on hamming it up!

This is the outfit he wore to mufti day at school:
Shirt - a hand me down from a friend, with a robot applique by me.
Shorts - $19.99 at Farmers, bought last Summer.
Shoes - $12.99 at The Warehouse.
Tattoo- a gift from his friend Isaac. Aesop tells me it is a 'DN Alien'.

And then there's me. I love love the colour of this dress, but I don't wear it as often as I should. It's one of those colours that takes a bit of confidence to wear, because everyone sees you coming from a mile off. Luckily, it's also a dress that gets me a lot of compliments, so the confidence (bravery?) pays off!

Dress: about $3 at St Vinnies
Silver flats : $6 at The Warehouse
Badge: $8 Cloud of birds. A lovely lass who used to do Craft2.0 and made the most incredible badges, toys, and other bits and pieces. I see her blog hasn't bee updated in years, I would love to know what she is doing now!

We're off to Auckland for the weekend, to celebrate Aesop's birthday. I'm really looking forward to it, but Auckland does always have the knack of making me feel very much like a frumpy, boring, small town girl. I'll be pulling out some of my favourite outfits, in an attempt to feel better about myself , so I'll be sure to take lots of photos for next weeks post!

Recently acquired.

2011-03-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

One of my other resolutions for this year was to carry on my de-cluttering. Last year I got rid of over 500 things, but didn't feel that much lighter. This year I want to get rid of at least another 500. I'm up to 360 so far, and feel like I'm getting a bit better at being ruthless now.

The only real problem is that I am constantly picking things up at the op shop, essentially replacing the things I'm getting rid of! Don't get me wrong, I'm getting better at leaving things behind at the oppies too, but by golly it's hard work. I was made to hoard.
These are some of the things that have made it home over the past few weeks.

I don't limit myself on buying fabric. It will all be used eventually and will probably pay for itself in the long run. Plates, on the other hand, won't. I should probably get a handle on that one!
The dress was just too amazing to pass up. It is minuscule, a mere 23" in the waist, and I doubt it would even fit one of my thighs but the thought of someone else buying it and selling it was too much for me. I initially thought I could pass it on to a verrry skinny friend, but I'm just too in love with it. Sorry Rozi!

I should really get motivated and list some of my 'things to get rid of' on Trademe. It's times like these I wish I was fancy and had an assistant. For that, and to clean my shower. Hmm.

Baking day.

2011-02-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

(Isn't it annoying how baking is usually all the same colour?)

As part of my attempt to keep our weekly spending at bay, I have been making an extra effort to make sure I bake each week. I try to crank out a few things in one go, put some in the cupboard and stash the rest in the freezer for later in the week (amazing how much longer things last when the boys think there are only a few left!).

For this week I made blueberry muffins, choc chip cookies, and apricot almond cookies. All from the Edmonds cookbook. I didn't have enough margarine to make the crackers yesterday, but I'll make those this afternoon from the usual recipe. Nom!

Part of my resolutions for this year (which I might tell you about one day..) was to start making our bread.
I really dislike the fact that bread costs so much, meaning we can only afford to buy the really budget brands. The cheap-o brands, for some reason, seem so much less nutritious than the other brands and don't really taste of anything much. We eat A LOT of bread in our house, so while it probably still works out cheaper to be buying the packaged stuff, I much prefer the idea of having something I KNOW has at least a little nutrition.

I can't remember where I found the recipe that I've been using (such an out-of-practice blogger!), but it is for a lovely part-wholemeal bread. It's a little bit sweet, and very scrummy. I am using the 'dough' function on the (borrowed) breadmaker, then rising, and baking in the oven. It is more time consuming but the loaf is a nicer shape and it just seems to work.

I should really try a few more recipes, but it's tempting to just stick with what you know is good! Anyone got any tried and true recipes?

FFF!

2011-02-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

(I know, it is Saturday. Just play along!)

I'm really, really loving Kristins new wee section on her blog at the moment ' Boy Style Friday'. It's all about stylish clothes for boys, that don't break the bank. It's perfect for me, with two boys and a very small-to-non-existent clothing budget. And Kristin is the perfect woman for the job, being such a stylish lass herself!

So, without stealing any of her limelight, I'm going to to use this as the perfect way to get back on the blogging horse. If there's one thing that always seems to get me inspired to sign into blogger, it's photos of outfits.
I've decided that I'll include myself in the post too though, just for a bit of difference. I've found myself missing our little 'Wardrobe Wednesday' posts, and neglecting to take so much notice of what I'm wearing. So, hoping noone minds, I'm going to attempt to tie-in with Kristin and do a Frugal Fashion Friday.

This is my outfit today. A fairly standard outfit for me at the moment, it's too hot to wear much else!

Sunglasses - $10 on sale at Just Jeans
Singlet- $8 full price at Kmart
Skirt- $2 at the Sallies
Belt - $1 at the Sallies when I was in high school
Shoes - $6 at the Warehouse

And these are outfits the boys wore this week.
Aesop chose his own clothes, he's getting to be quite the individual when it comes to clothes, his outfits are certainly not always to my taste, but they're very 'Aesop'. His modelling moves are all his own too, I told him I wanted to take a photo and this is what I got! NZNTM as.

Hat- a gift from a friend, originally op-shopped.
Scarf - an op shopped piece of gingham.
Singlet - about $6 at Farmers
Shorts - $17 at Farmers, bought by Nana.

Beads - mine, $2 at St Vinnies
Hoodie - bought for Aesop for a dollar or two at St Vinnies in Nelson
Shorts - bought by Nana, for Aesop.
Shoes - hand me downs from a friend (that stayed on only long enough for one photo!)
He also had a plain grey singlet underneath that was Aesop's.

Sweet! Oh, and thanks to those of you who are still reading! Thanks for hanging around!

Projects.

2010-12-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

I can't go into any detail, due to my husband and his blog-reading ways, but here are some sneaky peeks at a few of the things I have on the go in my sewing room right now.
I'm yet to actually finish most things, other than the three necklaces which were a custom order for someone else to gift. The gold spandexy thing is done too, but it's all hush hush until Christmas when I can take photos of it in use and have the full effect.
The list above my sewing machine is now, mostly, just finishing touches. Oh, and a few things for my nephew and niece-or-nephew-to-be, but they shouldn't take too long. Phew! And, luckily, most of the buying is complete too.

How are you getting on?

In more peaceful times..

2010-12-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

A few snippets of my house, taken before the madness of the school holidays. We're half way through our first day at home, and the place already looks more like an explosion in a toy factory crossed with the kitchen in a flat full of teenage boys. And that's after me doing the dishes. Oh dear.
Let's hope the adjustment back into having all three of us at home doesn't take too long this time round and we can just skip right on through to the fun times!

(Oh, and a picture of some hydrangeas, just 'cause.)

Looks like gold to me.

2010-12-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

As a mother of a child that doesn't particularly enjoy drawing, painting or even writing, I can quite happily say that this week has been a very happy one. The classroom walls have been emptied and Aesop has bought home little piles of absolute treasure.
There is very little that is more wonderful than children's art. So basic and so innocent at this age.
We also had his writing books and some more of his stories come home. These are just a couple of my favourites:

' I went to Ohiwa and bounced on the pillow and went to the harbour. It was awesome.'

' This is a person with rotten teeth. He is also riding a car. His teeth are black and his breath is very stinky.'

'Aesop said ' I love my mum because she is nice to me. Sometimes she tells me what to buy so I don't buy something for nothing.'

That last one cracks me up. So glad Aesop appreciated the fact that his Mum is an expert op shopper!

What she wears, what she wears, what she wears..

2010-12-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

A few quick photos, taken before heading out last night. Abraham's sister watched the boys while we headed out for an 'old-time-us' date: Burger King on the stopbank ala 2001. We also went for a drive out past our wedding venue and sighed big reminiscent sighs.
This dress is one that I bought quite some time ago, and it didn't fit me. It is still a tad on the tight side, but I've decided that it's now or never, and that I'm going to wear it this Summer regardless. I'm very pleased with my decision because it's such a pretty dress. I love the frills and the length, especially.

The title of this post is, of course, from the Brooke Fraser's song 'Something in the Water'. I've never paid any attention to Brooked previously, but this song has been stuck in my head from the minute I heard it. I love it to the moon and back. Part of me can't wait to hear the rest of the album, another part is a little concerned about how it could possibly live up to the first single. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-12-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Two, incredible, years ago today I was having the best day of my life, and marrying someone pretty darn awesome.

We stood under a giant Totara tree, promised to be each others number one fan, and to keep each other fed (me) and warm (him). We exchanged rings, and a bit of a pash, too. Then we partied it up with (most of) our loved ones, ate cake and smiled great big smiles.
The past two years have been wonderful, Abraham. And I still love you just as much, if not more, than I did on that day (and on the day we first started going out, nearly ten years ago!). You're my favourite flavour of chips, my best friend and my 'one'. Thanks for being the bestest husband, and father-of-our-kids EVER.
Love you, bro!

Slowly, slowly getting festive...

2010-12-09T23:06:00.000-08:00

It is, very slowly, starting to look like Christmas around here.
I'm not really a 'festive' person. I seem to find Christmas more stress than fun, all that buying and organising just doesn't really scream 'fun' to me. I get too frustrated when things don't go as planned and with a whole bunch of people involved it so often tends to happen.
But, despite my grinch-like feelings toward this joyous time of year, it is fairly impossible to avoid some hint of festivity sneaking in, especially with children! So yesterday I hauled out the box of decorations and scattered them around the house. I must confess, I actually think they look quite good.

I also, for the first time, let Aesop help decorate the tree. I know, I've been so mean not to let him do it until now, but I was convinced that it was for his own good, me stressing so much surely would have put him off forever! But I'm glad I got over myself and let him help because he really loved doing it, and I felt surprisingly relaxed. I even stayed perfectly calm as I watched a vintage glass Santa drop from his hand, onto the floor, and shatter into a thousand pieces... calm on the outside anyway!
I've been sewing and buying presents too, but you'll have to wait a bit before I can show you those. Not long though, only 2 weeks! Jeepers. I'd better get back to work..

December- 'tis the season...

2010-12-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

(7 Days, The United States Of Tara and The Big C. The only three programmes I will really miss.)

..for no T.V?

Well, in our house it is. We've decided that December, with its beautiful weather and larger-than-usual social calendar, is the perfect month to ditch the small screen.
We had a little protest at first, from Aesop, because not only does it involve missing the Simpsons and any morning programmes ( he is not allowed to watch during the daytime or afternoon anyway..), it also extends to the Playstation. He couldn't understand quite why we would opt to go with out gaming for a whole month.

But I'm happy to report that, yesterday, at one week in, he announced that 'This whole no-t.v thing is pretty good, really. I've had time for much more playing with my Lego!' Phew!

We've made big lists of all of the activities we can do in the holidays, minus the television, and I thought I might share some of that list with you. We have split our list into three sections.

Places to go:
- To the museum
- To the beach
- To the playground
- To the shops with some money from doing jobs
- To feed the ducks
- To the harbour- crab hunting
- To the library
- To a cafe for a fluffy
- To the dairy for an ice block
- Fishing with Dad.

Things to do when Otto is awake:
- Backyard obstacle course
- 'Find it' pictures. (photos taken around the house and yard using close-up, or on a funny angle, and Aesop has to find the spot they were taken.)
- Build a cardboard house
- Go for a walk/scooter
- Fill up the clam shell and splash in the water
- Dress up and play shop keepers
- Play 'post office'
- Have a picnic on the lawn
- Make gloop
- Draw on the concrete with chalk
- Kick the ball around the yard
- Fill Otto's bath and have a boat regatta.

Things to do when Otto is asleep:
- Read books
- Do some puzzles in the puzzle book
- Collage monsters
- Play Lego
- Find bugs in the garden
- Write a letter
- Bakes pretzels
- Make scones
- Sew a cape
- Draw and write a comic book
- Draw the craziest thing you can think of
- Play a computer game or look something up on Youtube
- Make toothpick and marshmellow buildings
- Host a snail race
- Make jelly

There are tonnes of sites dedicated to t-v free activites, but what I want to know is: What are your plans for maintaining sanity in the holidays? Any great suggestions for us to add to our list?
Oh, and what programmes would you miss?

Up the coast.

2010-12-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

On Friday afternoon, Abraham finished work early and we packed up the car. We drove across the road and met up with my sis-in-law Holly, her husband Ben, Abraham's cousin Hakopa, his cousin Richard, and Richard's partner Hayley. We had formed a little convoy and headed up the coast.

The weekend had a few crazy/not so cool times: Ben swallowed a blue bottle jellyfish (fear not, he was okay), the bed we slept in had the most impossible roll-together ever (in hot Summer weather this is especially not cool), Hakopa got stung by both a bee and a jellyfish, said jellyfish made it too hard for the boys and I to go into the water, the fish and chip store closed before we got there and Otto didn't sleep well in the port-a-cort.

But, mostly, it was fantastic times. I loved: The view, the food, Hayley's beautiful birthday cake that Rich made her, the sweet bach-y decor, rock pool jumping with Aesop and Abraham, playing a game of Cranium, the road trip on the way there (and the soundtrack I made for it!), watching Aesop's wide eyes as the menfolk cut up fish and shellfish, the shrieks of delight as Otto (and his bare-bottom) ran around the house and jumped on the airbed and, most of all, spending some good time with the family.

Thanks for a great weekend, team!

A gem.

2010-11-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

I saw the fabric of this wee folder poking out of the toy bin at the Sallies recently. I picked it up, not expecting much, and found this absolute gem.
I can't imagine how much time someone put into this. knitting the wee people, sewing each page, cutting out all of the felt etc. I also can't imagine how someone could then take it to the op shop, but I'm so very pleased they did! Thank you thrift gods!

The garden.

2010-11-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

With all the warm and sunny weather we're been having lately, the boys and I have been spending a lot more time out in the garden. I've really been enjoying it, and they seem to have been too.
Aesop is a funny thing, always complaining if he has to do things outdoors. Often being heard saying things like 'oh maaaan, I haaaate sunny days, I wish I could just stay inside!', especially if it involves something like bike riding. I kid you not.
But the thing is, just like me and exercise, once he gets out there, and finds something fun to do, he loves it.
He's also a little bit of a, erm, sensitive soul. He's never liked to get his hands dirty, or try anything that might be deemed remotely 'scary'. Even as a baby he didn't even really like crawling on grass, and wouldn't investigate creepy crawlies etc. But times are a changin' round these parts.
Aesop has taken a liking to slaters.
He has a book, that his Nana sent him, all about insects and animals you find in the garden. It has been such a life-changer for him. He is out in the garden every afternoon turning over logs and catching the slaters and snails he finds underneath them. He puts them in a container, or holds them in his hand, and just watches them, fascinated. They are his 'pets'. I'm so, so pleased. I really should have realised that the way to get Aesop outside was through the very thing that was keeping him inside - books! ( Just need to find one about bike riding... hmm..)
Otto, on the other hand, has been head-first into anything mucky from the moment he could move! He spends his afternoons (and mornings!) up to his elbows in soil, tipping in on himself, filling up buckets, splashing in any water he can find, and pulling all off the leaves of my poor plants. There's no stopping him now that he can walk, and I'm feeling so glad that our section is fenced 'cause he's also the running sort! Mischief!

I prefer to spend my garden arvos following in Porridge's (our cat's) footsteps.. sitting in the sun, with the occasional walk to get a snack, or to check what the boys are doing. Pretty glorious.

I'll say it again... perhaps this summer won't be so bad after all!

Oh, and a few pictures of what's growing in and around the vegie patch too, since it seems to be taking off!

Snippets.

2010-11-26T00:34:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday morning tidying and sorting the boys room. I like to do it about once a month, go through and take out the 'too small' clothes, chuck out the bits and pieces that accumulate (ripped pieces of magazine, scribbled on pieces of paper, random bottles tops and whatnot) and have a general tidy up. This time I also packed away all the Winter clothes and hauled the rest of the Summer gear out of the closet.

Decorating a boys room on a budget of, erm, well.. nothing, is no way near as much fun as if we had money to throw at it. I have dreams of cute wallpaper, unbroken curtains, framed prints on the walls, a big set of wooden bunks and an adorable, bright, rug on the floor. I fantasise about simple-yet-amazing Ikea style drawers, ideally filled with equally cute scandinavian designed kids clothes.

Luckily dreams are free and little boys aren't too fussy about such trivial things. Aesop would love any room with enough books, and as long as Otto has his snugglies anything goes. I wish I was so easily pleased!

List #'s 7 and 10!

2010-11-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

In the weekend I managed to tick two more things off the list.
Abraham and I decided, nearly two years after the actual day, that maybe it was finally time to print some of our wedding photos. The girl at the shop couldn't believe I hadn't printed even a single one, she said most girls are in the next day! I guess I just didn't get round to it. We were going to have them printed 'properly' at the photo shop so I was waiting until the wedding bills were paid, and then Otto arrived.. and then it was last weekend.
I'm really stoked with our 14c Harvey Norman prints, and the cute $20 album from Farmers. Seems a lot more 'us' than the fancy pants option.

I also bought an external harddrive to back up all of our photos. My Dad was buying one, getting a good discount, and I thought 'if ever there was a time..'

Feeling very pleased with myself. Now to buy some shoes and plan a childless night...

Baby shower.

2010-11-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to a lovely baby shower for one of my best friends from high school.
Sarah lives ages and pages away, in Eketahuna, so it was really lovely to see her and her family. She's due to have her second son next month and it's all very exciting!
I remember, when we were pregnant with Otto, everyone asking us what we needed and us telling people that we actually didn't really need much of anything this time round. Sarah has also kept everything from when she had Cheyden and didn't really need anything. I was secretly a little bit pleased about that, buying practical stuff is great, but it's so much more fun when you can just make the fun stuff!
I ended up doing a little of both. I made some little merino pants, from a top I found at the Sallies, and a little envelope neck tee with merino for the ribbing. I got the printed fabric from Spotlight when we were there last week, again with the all over print love! I also couldn't resist making the bubba a wee horse soft toy, every wee one needs his or her own cuddlies!

I was also commissioned to make this lil tee as a gift for Sarah's brother and sister-in-law to give.
All of the gifts were very well received.

I realised, at the shower, that I don't think I had ever really been to a baby shower before the weekend. I mean, when I was part of a coffee group, we would just designate one of our regular coffee meet-ups as a 'shower' if someone was having a baby, but never a specific 'hey, you're having a baby' event! It was both lovely, and a little strange. Having only been to one (very chilled out) baby shower, and never having had one for myself or anything, I'm left wondering how common they really are, and if they tend to be just relaxed get-togethers or if most people go the whole hog and have all the american-style games/decorations/huge number of presents etc. What do you think?

Patterny sewing.

2010-11-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Three quick, recent, additions to our Summer wardrobes. I seem to be drawn to all-over patterns at the moment, which is interesting for someone who it seriously lacking in the plain basic tops and bottoms to wear them with.

The singlet was a bit of a half-success. The back? I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and it looks wonderful. The front? A bit blah, and pretty darn unflattering. If only they made cardigans that only covered your front, I'd be set.
The skirt was cut down from an early nineties surfie style dress. Wish I could have just worn it as it was, but I'll get much more wear out of it as a skirt.
And another wee envelope neck tee for Otto. I can't get enough of these! I've had this fabric for years, made one singlet for 'Toast' and have never found a use for the remainder.
It's perfectly cheeky for a wee one that has recently turned into a real little monkey!

(Please forgive the somewhat-crappy mirror photos, and my somewhat-grubby mirror in the top one! I was planning to take better photos but the weather is so dismal today that I decided to just post these ones. )

Weekly Croutons.

2010-11-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Quite a good 'Croutons' update this week, if I say so myself.
I'm really pleased with the first of the envelope neck tees. (Using the technique for the neckline from the 90min shirt tutorial makes them look really neat, that woman is a genius.) And am so pleased that everyone seems to like the necklaces as they're heaps of fun to make.
Thanks to everyone who has been looking at/ buying my stuff. I'm blown away and very grateful!

A day in the life of.

2010-11-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Clare, as I so often am, I decided to document one of my days. It was much harder than Clare makes it seem. I struggled to take photos of things that weren't food, struggled to find the time to write everything down and also wondered how on earth anyone is going to find my day interesting.
But, just in case you might, here it is:

6:45 - Otto awake and babbling/grizzling. Aesop putting on his dressing gown.

7:00 - We give in and get out of bed. Abraham showers while I make breakfast (marmite toast and weet-bix) for the kids. I also make Aesop's school lunch.
7:20 - Into the shower and then get dressed for the day.
7:45 - Get the kids dressed, quick check of the e-mail/facebook, Abraham leaves for work.
8:00 - Dry/straighten my hair, put the dishes away and put some washing on while Aesop packs his bag. We all brush our teeth together.
8:30 - Drive Aesop to school. Drop him off and head to the vegies shop to buy food for morning tea and Farmers for their big one day sale (two pairs of shorts and a singlet for Aesop and a few little things for Christmas, in case you were wondering!).

9:30 - To my friend Shelley's house. Haven't seen her in awhile so we hang out with her and her little one (and the little one she does home care for), eat morning tea and chat.

11:15 - Home again. Otto goes down for a sleep. I eat lunch, read through the updates on my blog reader (92! Holy Hannah! Must consider culling that.) and write a quick blog post.

12:10 - Photograph the goodies for this weeks Croutons update (which will be up later today). Curse the sun for it's inability to make up its mind whether it wants to come out or hide behind clouds.

1:10 - Otto awake, change his bum and give him some lunch. While he is eating I go around the house and have a general tidy, pick up toys, put washing into laundry etc and do the dishes.

1:40 - Hang out washing, debate whether it will rain or not and put some more washing on. Play with Otto outside, digging in the garden, rolling the ball around etc.
2:30 - Drive to pick up Aesop.
3:00 -Home. We all have afternoon tea (spaghetti and cheese on toast) and I do a quick email check.

3:30 - More washing in the machine. Fold and put away a basket of dry washing. Water the garden and lawn.
Boys play outside, Otto in the garden putting dirt in his bucket, and trying to splash in the puddles from the hose, and Aesop practising his climbing.

4:25 - Start making dinner ( honey soy chicken, potatoes and salad).
Also sort out and clean the fridge, wipe down the table, get the washing in and have another general tidy up.
5:15 - Get ready to head to bootcamp.
5:40 - Abraham gets home, too late for me to go to bootcamp. Take sneakers off and, grumpily, eat my dinner. Too annoyed to go out and do any other exercise.
6:30- 10:30 Watch t.v, resize and edit all of my photos for the update, eat a bowl of muesli and generally blob on the couch.
10:30 - Go to bed. Do a few clues on my crossword ( yes, I realise that makes me sound like a Nana!) and doze off around 11.

Phew! I feel both pleased and very exposed. (Also amazed at how much my day revolves around food and internet though I suspected that all along. hah). Maybe you could play along and even things out a little?

List # 20 a bbq with more than 10 people. And a list update.

2010-11-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

What: Early evening bbq.
When : Last weekend.
Who: B-side fm djs and families (essentially our 'xmas do'..)
How many : 11 adults, 5 kiddies.
Good times!

So, with another thing ticked off the list and only a month and a half to go, I think a list review is in order.
I've scrapped two of my goals, both knitting ones, so they are in grey like the completed ones, but not crossed out. The 'still to do' goals are in black.

1. ~~Fit into my favourite summer~~ ~~top~~. - Does up and not super tight- counting this as done!
2. ~~Sew myself at least one DRESS~~. - Done!
3. Knit myself a cardigan I love. -Am canning this goal. My knitting isn't improving fast enough to spend the dosh, and the time, on a cardi. Stink.

4. ~~Make Abraham a hoodie.~~ - Done! Pictures coming soon.

5. ~~Start sewing to sell again.~~ - Started this month!

6. List GIANT pile of thing on Trademe. - Have listed around half. Am calling it a day for now.
7. Print the majority of our photos. - have printed about 1/6th of them.. getting there! Still hoping to at least print some wedding photos.

8. ~~Plant a vege garden.~~ - Done in februrary Yay!

9. ~~Go to the movies.~~ - Done in March

10. Back up our photos on hardrive/ ~~preserve fruit, make jam.~~ Done in April. We haven't been able to afford another harddrive yet, this will carry onto my goals for next year, I think.

11. ~~Start blogging again.~~ 01/01

12. ~~Get business cards.~~ - Made my own in June!

13. Buy 2 pairs of decent shoes. - Will order a pair from Willow this week but won't be able to afford another for a little while now.

14. ~~Take Aesop to the zoo.~~ - Done in July!

15. ~~Send (at least) 2 parcels to Amy.~~ - done.

16. ~~Finish at least 2 duathlon type events~~. - Done!

17. ~~Sort out entire garage~~. - Done in April! With thanks to Abraham!

18. ~~Finish yoyo quilt.~~ - Done! phew!

19. Earn $1000 through sewing. - done!
20. Have a bbq/dinner with over 10 people. - done!

21. ~~See some live music~~. - Done Feb.

22. ~~Save over $1000/ have an outdoor movie night~~ Done!

23. ~~pay off our laptop and~~ ~~buy a new camera.~~ -

24. ~~Sew 10 garments for the kids.~~

25. Knit Aesop a jumper. - Canning this one too. Will sew him a few instead. He was not interested and my knitting is just not fast/good enough.
26. Make the mix cd to end all mix cds. - Still hoping to get this done!

27. ~~Cover the cushions on the window seat.~~ - Done in August!

28. Get away for a night without the kids! - Not sure how much luck we will have with this one, funds are just too tight to fork out for accommodation. Do you think a romantic night at home, without them, counts?

29. ~~Get mentioned in a magazine.~~ - Does a local news magazine count? But it was about the radio station not sewing!

30. Make most of the gifts we give (this year). - A bit of a continuous goal this one. But going really well.

Wardrobe remix - Flashback edition.

2010-11-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I am going to post these for all the world to see, or that it was my idea. I guess sometimes I speak before I think! But yeah, high school was a time of interesting clothing choices for me. These ball photos are the perfect example of that!

The top is a photo from my high school's 7th form ball. I had just returned from a year in the Netherlands and decided not to return to school, but somehow was allowed to go to the ball. I wish I hadn't! I wore a hideous strapless (not a good look for me), beige (and again..) short dress with pink high top chucks and, for some reason, bumble bee antennae. Let's say it was a strange time in my life.
(Also, hehehe at Abraham's long hair!)

The middle is our 6th form ball. I made the skirt in sewing class, simply adored the sneakers and lived in that Glassons top. This is my favourite outfit. Man, I miss those sneakers so bad.

The bottom was in 5th form. I opted not to go to my schools ball, and went to my boyfriend-at-the-time's 7th form ball at the other high school instead. The dress was made terribly by the local dress maker (the bodice hardly fit and was all stretched and out of shape!) but I still love the design. Also, it was Summer and I danced too much before the photos were taken and ended up looking like I was completely wasted in all of them!

Now, to redeem myself after that, I decided to take normal WR photos this week too. This is me on Sunday, going to Abraham's work lunch.
Dress is from an op shop in Te Puke, Belt from the Sallies, tights from Farmers and flats from the Warehouse.
I love this nail polish colour that my friend Philly got me for my birthday, but it is always chipped beyond belief after the first day. I use a top coat but does anyone have any other suggestions to make it last longer?

For more stunning ball photos, head over to Clare's.

Things I'm loving - part 2.

2010-11-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

* Ben Talmi - For the dreamers.
Ben Talmi's EP is lovely. Not quite as easy going and dreamy as the album in my previous post, but still fab. It costs just US$1 to download the whole thing (though you can pay more if you want, I think I paid $3.50, the balance of my paypal account..) and I think it is very much worth it.

*My vegie garden.
It's full of lettuce, courgettes, cherry toms, capsicum and broccoli. It's so choc-a-block that I'm getting to the stage where I almost need a second one made. Wonder if I could do it myself?

* 'I am mumma hear me roar' tutorials.
The name of this blog is not my cup of tea, but this tutorial for a refashioned cardi, and a lot of the other tutorials on this blog are wonderful. I find it hard to find sites like these, full of instructions, that aren't also full of cheesy-as-hell clothes. This one has a few things that fit in that category, but also a lot that I actually want to try.

Okay, so even this has been hard. I guess I'm really just not 'feeling' blogging at the moment.

My days are filled to the brim with housework/housekeeping stuff, non-stop walking kids, downloading music for the radio station, attempting to sew enough stuff for Croutons updates, and trying really hard to drop a little weight before Summer. Often, throughout the day I will think 'this would work for an update', take photos and write it all in my head, but then by the end of the day I'm zonked and it just doesn't happen.

I do realise the importance of it though, blogging is my connection to a community the most amazing woman I've ever come across, and belonging to that group is essential for me. Surrounding myself in incredible, inspiring women does wonders for my feelings about myself, my creativity and my mood. I find it very hard to find enough women on a similar wave-length in my 'real-life' community to meet these needs, I'm not sure if it is a small town thing, or whether I'm just not as interesting off-line and therefor don't attract people in quite the same way, or what. But I do know that I need you lovelies 'around', and hopefully some of you feel like I meet those needs for you too.
So, for that reason, please forgive me for not being the best, and most prolific, blogger ever (especially at the moment..)!

Things I'm loving - Part 1.

2010-11-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to encourage some actual blogging around these parts, I've decided to spend the next few days posting about things I'm loving at the moment. Will do a few things a day and see if I can find my mojo again.
So, without further ado, these are some of the things that are winning at the moment:

* My new 'Croutons' labels.
LOVE love these. I ordered them, on advice from twinny, from fancyweaver.com. They are made in Hong Kong and I must confess that I was a little skeptical about how awesome they would really be. I emailed back and forth a few times before they understood exactly what I wanted (they were friendly and helpful, but the broken English did make it a little hard to specify things) but they are wonderful. Can't wait to get cracking on some kids clothes!

* Being a Playcentre Mum.
Never thought I would say it, but I'm really loving Playcentre. We had a big working bee on Sunday and even that didn't put me off! Heh. I'm only going one day a week, and will probably continue to do so until Otto is a bit bigger, but I really enjoying watching Otto devour the opportunity to do so many different things and play with so many other kids, spending time with other Mums and feeling of belonging.

* Avalanche City - Our new life above the ground.
This album is absolutely darling. It is full of indie, lovey, handclappy goodness. If you haven't already, download it (for free!) HERE.

* My husband.
Always.

An inspired Wardrobe Wednesday.

2010-11-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

I was very inspired by Clare's beautiful blue top today, and had to dig out my own.
I love this colour and think I need to keep my eye out for more things in this shade, to add to the wardrobe.
My skirt is from Shantons, top is from The Sallies (originally from JayJays), singlet underneath from Glassons and shoes (which I always seem to be wearing on a Wednesday..) from the Warehouse.
The brooch was bought from my dear friend Helen (of StripySock fame) many moons ago. It has been a firm favourite ever since, I love it so much. It is also the main inspiration for the rosette brooches in my last weeks shop update.

To see more lovelies, head over to Clare's place.

Wardrobe Wednasday.

2010-11-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, things have been very quiet around these parts. Sorry, will try to remedy that this week.. but in the meantime, here is what I'm wearing today:

Abraham has the day off so we have been running errands and pottering around.
I'm wearing nana-ish slip-ons from the Warehouse, a wraparound vintage skirt, a black singlet and cardi from Glassons. Also wearing a string of plastic pearls and some vintage sunnies. All-in-all a fairly standard outfit for me.
As a bonus, to make up for last weeks no-show, here's a picture of Abraham's outfit when we went out on Saturday night. He's always saying that one week I should 'do him' so, voila!

He's wearing Doosh jeans, vintage shirt and jacket, Hallensteins sunnies and Bada Bullet shoes that used to belong to my Grandpa.

The reusable bag contains Mac's Gold beer, crackers and hummus. We went out to a local cafe for the annual Playcentre dinner. We're quite new to playcentre (I held off as long as I could, was positive it wasn't my cup of tea, but got talked into it by a friend..) and didn't know quite what to expect, we thought we'd prob be home by around 11. Lo and behold, we had the most fabulous night, eating incredible food, drinking entirely too much, and didn't get home til three in the morning.
Playcentre and I might get along quite well afterall...

Anywho, for more stylish girls, head over to Green Valley Crafts.
I'm off to finish taking photos from the next Felt store update, most of last weeks one flew out of the store (thank you!) so I'm hoping to add a few more things this week.

Croutons!

2010-10-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Nine floral/applique fabric brooches in the 'Croutons' felt store today. All priced from $13-$18 including postage in New Zealand. Woo hoo!

Wardrobe Wednesday - Something floral.

2010-10-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

'Something floral' is a wonderful theme for me. It is a rare occasion that I'm not wearing something at least a tiny bit floral. And this week is no exception.
This was me on Monday.
I dropped Aesop off on Monday morning and then Otto and I went out for a walk along the river bank. On the way back I walked past a group of teenage boys, loitering around, and they decided it was necessary to make some very rude comments about me and remind me just how 'fat and gross' I am. Charming.
I came home, a little bit disappointed, but then decided 'F**k it' and put on a dress that is shorter that I would normally wear, and a little tighter too, and actually felt good about myself. Not sure where the logic is in that one, but it worked on the day.

I wore this dress nearly non-stop during my year-long exchange to The Netherlands (about 9 years ago..), and since then have not worn it much at all .I've either been too pregnant, too fat, too thin or it just hasn't brought back good memories. But I have decided that it's time to bring it back into rotation for a while.

It also perfectly matches my new $10 metallic purple flats from the Warehouse, and pretty much nothing else will. Hahah.

(The bracelet was from Juniper gallery a few years back. and if you'd like to join in, or see the other pretties, head over to Clares place.)

Croutons on Felt.

2010-10-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

(Edit to add: Forgot that Felt had to 'review' some of my products before they can be on the site, due to me being a new shop. The softies will be up by this evening. Sorry for the confusion!)

I have started a new Felt shop.
I'm struggling to get inspired to make adult clothing at the moment, after not doing so well at the last craft fair and being disheartened by the amount of time and materials involved in making enough stuff which may r may not sell due to the high price needed to cover those things.
Solution? Croutons. Small pieces of Toast.
I will spend the next little while (or long while, if it works out..) creating things from the small pieces of fabric and offcuts that fill FOUR big 80l containers in my sewing room. I will make soft toys, fabric jewellery, clothes for small people, bunting, quilted things.. whatever takes my fancy each week, and list them at really low/reasonable prices on Felt. I'm hoping to keep the majority of things under $30 including postage.

So, to start things off I've listed three soft toys and three (baby-proof) braided necklaces for $15 including postage. I'm aiming to add a few things each week so I'll be adding an update on here when I do. Hope you'll mosey on over and have a looksie.

(Side note: have ordered 'Croutons' woven labels but in the meantime anything that is listed will have a 'Toastclothing' label..)

'S' is for Saturday....

2010-10-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

'S' is for Saturday, skyping sisters, styley sons (+ seaweed crackers!), sparkling sunshine, sprouting seedlings, a spot of sewing, some time for myself and shooting photos for a shop update. 'S' is for smiling big smiles.

(It's also for slobby round home clothes, serious amounts of washing, sore arm (implant gone!), something wrong with my camera and super sleepy self.. but on a day as bright and sunny as today I'm not letting anything detract from my mood! )

Wardrobe Wednesday, woof and whine.

2010-10-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Wardrobe Wednesday is a bit of a let down from me this week, sorry.
It is dull and rainy outside, my mood is well below average and I really just don't have the energy to wear anything amazing.
I did keep my goal of wearing something I've never worn before, this skirt is one that I bought to alter and have never quite finished the waistband. I figured I would just wear it today and then decide if I like it enough to bother finishing it. I really like the print, but it's slightly longer at the front than the back, will need to remedy that before adding it to the rotation!
I'm wearing it with a stripy Glassons singlet, a Farmers top, a Glassons cardi (of course..) and a copper wire brooch that my Mother-in-law's partner made.

My face and hair are on strike today, due to being subjected to unfair hormonal levels. Pretty sure my husband and kids wouldd be on strike too, given half a chance. This whole implant thing is not really working out for me. But you don't want to hear about that, so here's a wee toy I made for my nephew:

He's made based on a vintage pattern, and filled with tiny pieces of chopped up scrap fabric. He's a bit heavier than his poly-filled pals, but I quite like him that way. Will see whether Albie likes him too, but thinking he might be a proto-type with many more to come. I love the fact that he cost next to nothing to make and I would be able to offer him, and his other animal friends, up for under $10.