picklesticks

Hungry Jacks for breakfast!

2012-01-30T16:57:00.000+10:30

Almost. I am not the biggest fan of bacon and eggs for breakfast, but I quite like the brekky wraps that HJ's do. Well, it occurred to me that since I have learnt to make tortillas I could make brekky wraps! I made four with eggs, cheese, bacon and bbq sauce and it took me 20mins. Completely doable I think and yummy too.

Just like me

2012-01-27T19:11:00.002+10:30

Not completely like me but nice little bits. I sing to myself a lot. Even while reading. While my little woman and I were wallowing in a fresh pile of library books I noticed she was reading exactly the way I was - and singing the same song. It was one of those little moments that made me smile. We haven't had too many of those of late. It has been hot and that has been turning me into some kind of horrible monster. I don't do summer very well. I keep thinking I need to buy some new fabric or books to cheer myself up. Maybe I need a new jelly roll or two?

Playing at the beach

2012-01-19T06:49:00.002+10:30

We went to the beach to cool down one evening.

It has been hot which means I haven't done much of anything. I did have a lovely friend come over yesterday and we chatted and played with her new sewing machine - so lovely! I am now feeling quite cheerful and feel the need to do something. I bought a great book from Hetties, maybe I will sew clothes?

Thank you Mister Maker!

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000+10:30

And ABC TV! I have to admit that we don't watch 'real' television much (if ever) but we do love our iView! Mister Maker hasn't been on for ages but recently came back. My little man loves that show and always wants to make something that Mister Maker has just made, and as he has just been shown how to do it can do most of it himself. Bubble pictures is one that took his fancy and after his mass of prints dried we turned them into a book. This boy is so much like me. All his making makes him so happy!

A post all about food

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000+10:30

Preparing food is hard for me. In order for dinner to appear at an appropriate time in the evening I usually have to start thinking about it at breakfast time. Even when I plan meals out at the beginning of the week I still need to spend a significant portion of my day talking myself into it. I realised this past week that I am bored with the whole thing and not really appreciating the fabulous blessing of having enough food to feed my family. When things in life are too easy I am quick to forget how great they are. No real work goes into getting and preparing our food (and no, I don't count taking three small children to the shop as hard work) and very little creativity is need. Well, I am a creative person so I need to change how I think about dinner in order for me to appreciate it more and make it less of a burden. I have signed up to get an organic box of fruit and veg and want to buy less prepared things and more basic ingredients. Making dinner can be fun! Well, so far it has been less of a burden. I have been involving the kids more and have tried things I have never done before (hooray for tortillas). I am also loving getting random seasonal fruit and veg. Makes life more exciting.

Fabric! Like chocolate, but less fattening.

2012-01-13T09:18:00.001+10:30

My favourite thing this week is fabric. When I am feeling sad chocolate is usually my go to medication, but I have decided to pour less money down my throat and so am sewing when I need to cheer myself up. I have been wanting to quilt for ages, and now that have some clothes off my 'to do' pile I declared I was going to quilt no matter what and got to it. Above are my before, during and after pictures. I still have some binding to sew down but that doesn't really count, does it? It is just a little quilt and has only taken me bits of time over a couple of days to make. I used a jelly roll of It's A Hoot with a bigger piece for the back. It is the perfect size for little people to use in the pram, in the car or on the couch and already has a waiting list of kids wanting to use it. Once it is done I am thinking of tackling one of my larger UFO's!

Making Pizza

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000+10:30

We had pizza for dinner and the kids did most of it themselves. I was impressed. Pretty soon they will be making dinner for me while I sew - lol.

Pants for the little man

2012-01-09T19:23:00.001+10:30

No clothes sewing for weeks and then four finishes in 24 hours. How does that work? I love this pattern by oliver + s. It always goes together so well and just makes me happy to sew it. Tomorrow . . . buttons and buttonholes!

Three year old driving

2012-01-06T16:06:00.002+10:30

Hooray for Favourite Things Friday! It's very good for me to reflect on the thing that make me happy - especially on days like today when it feels like I have had three children screaming at me all day. One of my favourite things at the moment is my boys playing Mario Kart Wii! It is so fun to watch their faces while speeding round the track (tongues sticking out and everything) or to hear my little man's squeals of delight as he crashes multiple times into the water.

On a side note I am really trying to sew this week. So far I haven't managed to even sit at the sewing machine. Maybe I will sew tomorrow. Who knows?

Cheese burgers

2012-01-05T15:34:00.003+10:30

The other night I had a dinner planning session with my family. The most suggestions came from the three year old. He said things like pizza, cheese burgers, nuggets and chips, etc. Not really the suggestions I wanted. To please him I thought it would be good to make some of his suggestions. This was our cheeseburgers with bread and burger patties made by us. It was yummy, not too hard and best of all - the boy at it without threatening to throw it on the floor! I must make burgers more often.

It's 2012!

2012-01-01T08:50:00.001+10:30

2011 was an interesting year. I had a baby, got my licence, bought a car and started editing a homeschooling newsletter. I also sewed, played, baked, etc. Sometimes life felt so terrible I wanted to cry (and did). Other times it was the most wonderful thing ever.I am a list maker and have lots of things I want to accomplish in 2012. My 'to do' list is already very long! I want to sew more of my kids clothes, make more quilts, de-clutter and organise everything, work in the garden and many more. Generally speaking though I have three goal for the new year.

simplify

live more purposfully

be happy

If I manage to do these even half the time I think we will have a good year.I hope all you lovelies in blog land enjoy starting your 2012 and I leave you with some pics of my favourite people!

Making after Christmas

2011-12-29T18:40:00.002+10:30

Christmas is done and gone. We have even packed up the tree. It was all good fun but we are all feeling tired and ratty here. We are getting back to regular days with gluing, sticking and cardboarding. It is good.

Right now though we are having a movie night. Liquorice all sorts, chicken nuggets and wedges, and Horton Hear A Who. What could be more fun than that?

Bath fizzers and gingerbread

2011-12-21T11:22:00.001+10:30

I have makers living at my house and each week we try to make something we have never made before. This week we made bath fizzers. They turned out a little crumbly - the mixture possibly wasn't quite damp enough before we pressed into the ice cube tray - but they are pretty good and we are trying them out in the bath tonight! I didn't put smelly stuff in because smelly stuff drives me insane.

And we also have done some baking. We made gingerbread people (eaten already) and a gingerbread house. The house fell down a few times while we were building it, but has held together and is getting eaten today! We are also going to make shortbread and Christmas pudding over the next few days. Yum!

Stitched paper cards

2011-12-19T17:37:00.002+10:30

We have all been sick at our house over the past week and are only really just recovering. I haven't done much sewing but have done quite a bit of making with paper. I was inspired to make this red paper dekkie while reading my favourite magazine real living. I really like how it turned out and the process was really fun and relaxing. I have also made some stitched paper Christmas cards. I just used random bits of paper I had, did some printing and typing (on my newest typewriter), chopped up all the bits and stitched them together on my machine.

As you can see I was having so much fun I took photos as I did it. I did forget to take a photo of the inside, which I lined with lined paper. I really like them and will make similar ones again. It was quite fun to stitch them together rather than glue.

While shopping today I stocked up on my necessities of Christmas baking, because we are planning lots of gingerbread, shortbread and puddings this week! Fun and yum, can't wait!

Favourite Things Friday

2011-12-16T09:11:00.002+10:30

It is Christmas at my house! Well, in my lounge room at least. Can you tell small children live here? This is my quiet room away from the toys and such, and I am just loving sitting in the evening with the tree lights on reading mags/blogs. I have a rule of no catching up on housework once the children are in bed. Not too much anyway.

Coloured Rice

2011-12-14T13:04:00.001+10:30

I am always on the lookout for something new and fun to do with my kids and pinterest is my favourite place to look. Coloured rice has been coming up again and again so we decided to make some for us! Most of the recipes pinned used rubbing alcohol but I found one that uses vinegar (couldn't be bothered going to the shops - needed to use something in the cupboard!). We found two saved jars put some vinegar in the bottom, put in some food colouring, then jasmine rice, screwed the lids on tight, shook them a bunch, let them sit for a few minutes, drained the liquid out and dried on newspaper. The kids think it's super fun and although it is quite messy it's also easy to vacuum up. SO far it has lasted a few 'plays' and I think we will make more in the future.

Christmas sewing

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000+10:30

More present making here. Some 'quiet bag' stuff for small people. Pictured is colouring books, pencil roll, marble mazes and treasure bags. My kids think all these are pretty fun, so hopefully they will be well received.

Favourite Things Friday

2011-12-09T15:07:00.001+10:30

Last Christmas I saved a precious piece of junk mail. It was this great Aussie version of Jingle Bells created for a Bonds ad. It has taken me a year but I have finally framed it and put it on my wall. It makes me feel happy looking at it and is one of my favourite things at the moment. Now I am super keen to fill the rest of my blank walls with more beautiful finds.

Cleaning

2011-12-08T21:45:00.001+10:30

Not exactly a streak free clean but an excellent summer activity for little ones!

For Christmas

2011-12-05T21:29:00.001+10:30

I made some enormous gift tags from old folders, buttons and ribbon. Why I made them so large I don't know. I do like them though.

I stitched a doily thing. My stitching is very wobbly (hey, I was helping people sew table runners at the time) but I like it and it makes me feel happy.

I made two prints to give as gifts. I really need to go to IKEA now, as the list of frames I need to buy keeps getting longer and longer. I decided earlier in the year to have a handmade Christmas (this is always my plan) but to keep it simple I would only give prints, plants and pillows. Well, I didn't grow anything so now it's down to prints and pillows. Hmm, IKEA have cushion inserts too, don't they . . .

Keep Calm

2011-12-04T14:44:00.001+10:30

There are always lots of things to worry and stress about. It can be hard sometimes to keep perspective and keep calm. The one certain way I know to acheive a state of calm and peace in the midst of chaos is to pray. It is an easy thing to forget when you have chaos coming at you full pelt, so I have made up a little reminder. As soon as I buy more ink for the printer (we are low on yellow) I am printing this off. Oh, and I probably need to got to IKEA to get a nice frame for it!

Digital Scapbooking!

2011-12-01T09:40:00.000+10:30

I have been having lots of fun creating pages with my memories digital scrapbooking software. I am going to print out a photobook with all the latest pics of my kids. It has been so much fun that I am now making up pages to print some photo books to give as Christmas presents. I am very excited!

Rainbow cupcakes!

2011-11-30T09:08:00.001+10:30

Well, splodges of colour cupcakes! When you have small people helping things never turn out quite perfect, but do usually turn out quite lovely. These in particular were quite delicious! Being the brain dead mother I am of late I have been turning elsewhere for inspiration of something fun to do. That place more often than not is Pinterest. I love it! I could spend all day - but can be quite happy with a few minutes. It's good like that.

Happy

2011-11-25T17:11:00.000+10:30

Shay over at Quilting in My Pyjamas does this thing called Favourite Things Friday. I like the idea very much so am joining in! I blog mostly about lovely nice things because it helps me stay cheerful (a hard task some days) and so blogging about something every Friday that just makes me feel happy is something I need to do.

This is a picture of my happy. My little girl calls it such because of candles on birthday cakes. It's a tea light in a lantern from IKEA. I saw a display with dozens of these hanging from the ceiling and knew I needed to do that at my house. So I don't freak my poor husband out I am going to buy them one at a time. This is my first.

Doll house

2011-11-25T16:48:00.001+10:30

I am a little addicted to eBay. This ark doll house is the latest acquisition. I don't buy junk like the Weird Al song, but lovely wonderful things. I have bought duplo, a hat stand, a typewriter, prams, etc. All lovely and useful things. I also like to sell things on eBay. You know, toys, prams, presents I have rejected (yes, I am that sort of person). I love that quote from William Morris "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". I have always thought this was the way to be, but recently I have been really thinking about the things in my house and evaluating everything. I am getting there, slowly.

Coleslaw and a winner!

2011-11-20T07:20:00.001+10:30

Coleslaw has always been one of the reoccurring salads in my life. This last one I made (to go with barbecued lamb - yum!) is more colourful than ever before. While doing our shopping the little man decided we needed red cabbage because 'it's pretty'. Our food has been so much more colourful for it. My favourite coleslaw has cabbage, carrot, apple, cheese and coleslaw dressing in it. Now I think red cabbage has to be on that list too!

In other news we have a winner for the my memories suite software! Thanks for the comment Lottie, I will be sending you an email soon to give you your prize!

Looking like Christmas

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000+10:30

We put up our Christmas tree last week and I have been playing around with some Christmassy making. I made a wreath last year that I wasn't completely happy with so I have decided to try a few different ones this year. My first attempt wasn't awe inspiring but I think it's nice. It's not the one though so I am still on the look out for different ideas.
And I did a little stitching.

Sponge ball

2011-11-12T11:30:00.000+10:30

I came across a great idea over at Martha Stewart a little while back and knew we would have to try it out once the weather got warmer. It was easy and cheap to do and the kids loved it! Next time I will give each kid their own water source though so one kid can splash in it and tip it out and the other can carefully use every last drop to make a picture.

Making playdoh

2011-11-11T14:06:00.001+10:30

We live for playdoh at our house, Well, some of us do. The little man will play for hours on end and my little girl loves to play too (when she is not eating it). We recently decided to throw out the old batch (it was starting to get yucky) and make some more. Blue was the colour chosen and all was going well until just before it was cooked and I broke the wooden spoon. I always knew it was hard work making playdoh and now I have proof.

Something pretty and a giveaway!

2011-11-09T09:06:00.000+10:30

Before I had children I never used to take photos much. Now I have three little ones to capture I take photos every day! I am not as prolific as some but even if you only take three photos a day it quickly mounts up. It's is good in some ways that I live in the age of digital cameras as I can take photos to my hearts delight and delete all the horrible blurry ones (trust me, there are hundreds) but it is also very easy to not print any out. Previously I have used Snapfish to print out simple photo books of the kids which was nice, but I have discovered something way better! Being a crafty person I couldn't resist the urge to try my memoreies suite digital scrapbooking. I had such fun and fairly quickly came up with some really pretty photo book pages.

Thanks to the kind people at my memories you could win a copy of their software! Just visit their site my memories and leave me a comment letting me know your favourite digital scrapbooking kit by Wednesday 16th November. If you don't win you can still enjoy making digital scrapbooking pages by using this discount code which will save you $10 off the price of the software and give you a $10 voucher to use for scrapbooking kits.

CODE: STMMMS51789

If you make something pretty with their my memories suite and blog about it let me know, I would love to come see!

Matching . . .

2011-10-30T16:20:00.002+10:30

Today I have been cutting out and sewing. Fabric is just so cheerful and so are clothes for my little ones! This pink one has just been finished. Well, not the buttons and buttonholes. For some reason I am having trouble doing that bit. So far I have five dresses and one shirt sewn, but none are completely finished all for the same reason. My kind mother has offered to help me with that. Anyway, back to this pink dress! As you can see I used the offcuts to make a dress for a dolly too! I used this 'nakey baby' pattern and it worked really well.

As a child I always thought matching clothes made from cutains was the ultimate, (Think The Sound of Music) and I guess I still think that way. Dresses for my girls and a shirt for my boy. Hopefully I will put buttons on them and have some great action shots soon!

Little girl dress

2011-10-24T12:02:00.002+10:30

Finished! Well, almost finished. It needs buttons and button holes and a good press but after that it will be finished. This is for my smallest girl and her sister has one cut out waiting to be sewn. I am hoping that this (almost) completion will inspire me to keep sewing. All my children have grown and the weather is changing so they are quickly running out of things that they can wear. I feel very anti shop bought clothes at the moment (you know, t-shirts for 2 year old girls that are shaped and figure hugging and boys ones with slogans all over them) and have grand ideas of making all three of them a completely handmade wardrobe. We will see.

Been sewing

2011-10-24T08:22:00.000+10:30

I have decided that my small children need some quiet books to help in those situations where they need to be still and quiet. You know, church, dr's, etc. I started by pinning lots of inspiration and am in the middle of making some flats. It's good fun. Obviously much more fun than the clothes sewing a should be doing.

Printing

2011-10-23T08:14:00.000+10:30

Painting is one of my kids favourite things and we recently bought kitchen sponges with the purpose of cutting shapes for printing. I quickly realised they didn't care too much about printing perfect shapes and resisted the urge to 'help' them. It turns out sponge shapes are really great for painting with and everyone had great fun.

Fun for lunch

2011-10-13T15:08:00.000+10:30

We decided we needed some fun for lunch today. In our house that usualy means a picnic outside! The weather here is quite warm at the moment so a picnic with the tent for shelter was a must. Sandwiches and strawberries, mmm yum!

Cut, paste, laminate!

2011-10-11T14:52:00.001+10:30

While I was pregnant with my first child I worried a lot. I worried that the pregnancy wouldn't stick, I worried that the baby wouldn't have the correct number of fingers and toes, I worried that he would be born too early, I worried he would be born too late. I worried about lots of things, including whether he would like making things with his mum. Luckily for me he stuck, grew 10 fingers and 10 toes, was born pretty much bang on time and is the best maker I have met in a long time. I am so blessed!

Today we got out a stack of old kids magazines and cut out good pictures, stuck them to card and then laminated them. So good. This is our making table after we cleaned up a bunch. And yes, the table is covered in sharpie drawings.

Pancakes for lunch

2011-10-10T14:28:00.003+10:30

We eat pancakes quite a lot at our house. Several times a week. I'm not sure what it is exactly about pancakes that make them essential to our weekly survival, but they are. Generally speaking I am not that into food and cooking. I am very keen on food magazines and books, but that is to help me with that never ending job of 'what's for dinner'. So what I am about to do here is weird for me.

Here is our pancake recipe:

1 cup self raising flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
some sugar

This is the recipe my mum used when I was a child and I love it because I can remember it. I also love it because you don't have to seperate eggs or do anything else tricky. Just chuck it all in and whisk. The other reason I love it is they are yummy!

Sewing at Ma's house

2011-10-07T20:45:00.002+10:30

My dream of sewing the other day stayed that, a dream. We are a house full of sickies at the moment so the sewing has been delayed a bit. Instead of being able to show some great new summer clothes, I am living in the past and showing a picture of my sewing from our holiday at Ma's house. My littlest sister had Mum's scrap basket down planning a project and the fabric was calling to me. It's nothing in particular, just pretty. At the moment it is on the kids little table being a place mat/doily type thing. Fabric just makes me feel happy!

Getting old

2011-10-05T12:22:00.001+10:30

My tiny baby girl is lovely as ever and growing up very quickly. She had the best smile just before I took this photo, but as always it disappeared before I could capture it.
We just got home from a holiday to Melbourne and Ma's house. It was fun and very inspirational. So much so that after I have fed my baby am gonna sew. Wish me luck!

Stickers

2011-10-01T12:30:00.001+09:30

The giraffe was running so fast he dropped his spots.

How to have a good day

2011-09-21T16:01:00.000+09:30

Make bikkies and little dudes.

Today started off with me being very disciplined and hanging washing. While I was doing that my children climbed a bookcase, got down my computer and pulled all the keys off. I wanted to cry, but decided to be awesome instead. We ditched the chores and made little dudes and baked bikkies. So much better.

A very good day

2011-09-13T07:37:00.004+09:30

We went on a picnic with my sister yesterday and spent the morning making all manner of delicious things to take with us, for that is the whole point of a picnic! Here we are making pizza scrolls.

And here we are making pasties. Dough (of all types) is my kids best thing!

Then, as we were leaving the house to head off on our picnic we discovered a package at the front door with this lovely present in it from my mum. It is so pretty and fits the table perfectly! Our picnic was lovely as well (as was my sister) and I have come home with a drawing project! All in all a very good day.

They Came From Aargh!

2011-09-09T14:14:00.000+09:30

'How long will it take us to get back?' said Blub.

'Seventy-five jars,' said Blob. 'But if we go into

hyperjam we can make it three times as sticky.'

'We'd better hyperjam it out of here then,' said Blub.

Reading to the kids is just so much fun!

A baby

2011-08-09T12:08:00.002+09:30

Things have been on a go slow here for a while, and my excuse is really good. I had a baby! She is lovely and we are all enjoying her a lot. Not much else is happening here except for playing with toddlers and baby cuddles which suits me fine!

Just a little one

2011-06-23T10:04:00.001+09:30

Finished a little quilt. I have been lacking somewhat in motivation to do anything so I really needed a quick and cheerful project to spur me on.

Playing

2011-06-22T15:48:00.001+09:30

We have been playing today. I have had a few Prints Charming fat quarters sitting around for a while and inspiration struck today and the now almost resemble a quilt - with help from some moda Bella solid.

The boy was watching me on Pinterest and was inspired by some little houses and just had to make some. Luckily we have offcuts of wood hanging around our house!

Oh, and peas are growing in our garden! Have to resist the urge to eat them a little longer.

Dinner

2011-05-14T21:22:00.000+09:30

Spinach, onion, zucchini and turnip pasties from our Foodconnect boxes. Super yummy! It is amazing the difference having fresh, organic vegies makes to the 'what's for dinner' question.

The dinosaurs were dancing . . .

2011-05-02T10:35:00.000+09:30

. . . but who knew the trees were the most ferocious!

My ideal job (other than being a mum of course) would be to be the person on playschool who makes all the fun stuff out of cardboard and yarn and paint. That's the best job ever. So happily, my boy loves to make things, and before he will go to bed he reminds me we are going to do 'fun stuff' in the morning. He tells me we need to watch kid shows, play with toys and make stuff. It's good. We have a 'useful box' where we keep anything that might have making potential. It's all pretty fun

In reading heaven!

2011-04-15T07:38:00.000+09:30

My tiny little girl loves reading books. Snuggled up on the couch or in a beanbag is usually her favourite, but recently she has taken to sitting at the little table. She feels quite clever and grown up that she can now climb up and not fall straight off.

Just to note this is a very restrained and small pile of books she is reading!

Sewing for my kids

2011-04-11T11:47:00.000+09:30

There was not much sewing here at my house for quite a while. That has been remedied over the past month and there has been much more sewing, knitting, etc. There haven't been a lot of finishes I have to admit. There are quite a few knitted things yet to be sewn up and several pairs of trousers without hems. There is this lovely pinafore above without buttons on the shoulders and bunches of things cut out in piles on my sewing table. I didn't really feel any urgency about getting the last jobs done as I am sewing for Autumn/Winter. Now that it's getting chilly around here I will have to do some finishing!

In a previous life I was quite happy to make up my own patterns, but find I don't have the available brain matter any more. So, my two new favourtites are Oliver + S patterns and Enid Gilchrist books. I was lucky to be given a couple of Enid Gilchrist books by my Grandma (my Grandma always gives me the best things) and got a couple extra off Ebay. My mum got me an Oliver + S pattern a while back (which I love) so I have been making beautiful clothes with patterns that really work!

Soon I will be starting on some sewing for this new baby of mine expected in July, and will be making flannel nighties and lots of knitted things. Hooray for winter babies!

Loving Cloth Paper Scissors

2011-04-07T08:32:00.000+09:30

You can tell my mum really likes me, because she bought me a subscription to Cloth Paper Scissors last Christmas! I just got March/April in the mail and am loving the front cover. My little girl and I are sitting reading mags as we often do. I think we will be continuing the addiction!

Being a mother of small children

2011-03-27T07:49:00.000+10:30

It can be hard at times when everyone is tired (me included) and no one can sleep. My solution for this situation that doesn't include going crazy is to strap my children in the pram and go for a walk. Hooray for the endorphins of exercise, for not having screaming children hanging off me and for the possibility of them both falling asleep! It is also good to walk to a secondhand shop and find mags and good books!

Another thing that is good to do when you are a mother of small children (for me at least) is when they are finally in bed, don't tidy or catch up on cleaning. Just knit. It is relaxing and calming and after a day when it feels like you accomplished nothing, it lets you see progress and is inspiring for the next day.

Out and about

2011-03-24T13:55:00.000+10:30

We went to the city today so we could visit the Jeanie Baker exhibition 'Mirror'. It was good and very short person friendly. If only a school group didn't rock up soon after we did we would have stayed longer. We also visited my sister at uni and had to stop and play on this piano on the way back to the train. It said Play me I'm yours, so we did. There has been a bunch of sewing at my house and I am on the verge of finishing things even! It's pretty exciting.

Kid art

2011-03-03T07:37:00.000+10:30

There is a little bundle of creativity at my house that just can't be contained by paper (just in case you can't tell, the wall is covered in red crayon). He also like to express his creativity on the floor with yoghurt and baby powder 'because I like footprints mum'. It's quite frustrating but sort of makes me happy too. I am glad he has such good ideas for art, just wish it involved paper, cardboard and canvas more often! I have been thinking about getting him an easel. Would it work, I don't know.

Knitting

2011-03-02T15:09:00.000+10:30

Lots of things on and off the needles at the moment. And lots of lovely yarn a can't wait to cast on! Maybe I should finish something first? Nah.

Tomatoes

2011-01-07T14:24:00.000+10:30

Tomatoes are not my thing when eaten raw, but these lovely little things are still exciting to me. Hot from the sun out of my garden. So fun!

Christmas Baking

2010-12-20T15:22:00.000+10:30

I have had a very slow month and have accomplished not much at all, but the last week I have realised that it's nearly Christmas and I need to get off my butt and doing some making! I have presents started, nearly finished and already given. Today the boy and I did some the baking. The start of our baking I hope. Christmas isn't Christmas if I don't make gingerbread and there are a few other things I have been thinking about making. The above pic is fruit mince pies (because my hubby loves them) and Christmas biscuits - with orange rind in them (because the little man loves cutters). They are both pretty yummy and will be eaten by us and given as gifts.

And just a note of how amazing I am (lol) I did baking AND have managed to make dinner. I feel pretty clever!

Carrots

2010-12-19T14:32:00.000+10:30

Pickings from our garden. We planted baby carrots and they are reaching a good size now. The boy picked a tiny one while I wasn't looking, but they were all delicious!

Our second box!

2010-11-18T13:25:00.000+10:30

Here is the good stuff that came in our second Food Connect box. I am especially looking forward to eating the beetroot. YUM! Our last lot of fruit and veg was delicious and it helped bring some excitement to making dinner everyday. Our dinner last night was mostly from our garden (minus the pasta) which is also very exciting! Who knew I could get excited about dinner!

Dinner

2010-11-12T18:24:00.000+10:30

Dinner tonight was silverbeet, feta and tomato lasagne. The boy and I made it (he actually did quite a bit) and it was the first time in ages that I almost enjoyed myself. Was really yummy too! Silverbeet from our Food Connect box and parsley and oregano from our garden. Things like this just make me smile.

Rain and snow peas

2010-11-12T09:22:00.000+10:30

It has been very hot here and I hate the hot! The only good thing about the hot is my garden likes it a lot. Today is raining and there is a promise of some cooler days to come so that is keeping me cheerful. Oh, and the snow peas in the garden! They weren't there a few days ago and now they are looking good enough to eat!

Yummy mulberries!

2010-11-11T22:04:00.000+10:30

Thanks to all who helped me identify the mulberries in the last post. Once I felt I knew what they were we went to collect some and eat them!It was fun, they were yummy and we ended up with purple fingers!

In other exciting food related blogginess, I signed up with Food Connect Adelaide and picked up my first box of local, fresh, organically grown fruit and veg. It is beautiful and so far delicious! Can't wait to find out what is in my box next week!

Do you know what this is?

2010-11-08T15:49:00.000+10:30

Is it edible and delicious? There is a bush along the way we walk that is currently staining the footpath dark red with these little berries. I am ever so tempted to pick some but I am quite uneducated when it comes to berries and don't know an expert. I would like them to be something delicious. We are having a lot of fun in the garden and I have become obsessed with growing thing to eat.

We have been picking and eating broad beans for weeks now . . .

. . . and the snow peas and tomatoes have started getting flowers. Today we planted watermelon and pumpkin and I still have a long list of things I want to try.

We love the library

2010-11-08T15:38:00.000+10:30

We love the books, the dvds, and we love the toys! Well, some of us do. We have been going to the library a lot recently and have been borrowing lots of great books. Some of our recent favourites have been Oliver who would not sleep, Living the good life, and How to guzzle your garden. Sometimes we go once a week, and sometimes we go nearly every day, it's that good. The library is just so full of great information. I am a big fan of the internet but books will always be a winner with me!

It's Christmas!

2010-10-30T21:12:00.000+10:30

We put up our new tree, had Christmas music playing all day, the nativity is on the mantle and we started sewing Christmas-ness. So fun!

I hate making dinner!

2010-10-27T17:55:00.001+10:30

Ok, maybe I don't hate making dinner. I don't really like it, the same as I don't like hanging washing or mopping floors or changing nappies. Not really fun but feels good to accomplish it. What I hate is thinking of dinner! The worst part is you have to do it everyday. I have tried planning dinners in advance or having a regular night for things, but I guess I am a bit contrary and can't possibly have dinner I thought of a week ago! Silly I know. Every day that question comes to me again - what are we going to have for dinner? Now that we are getting close to summer it will get easier. In summer I like to have 'platter' for dinner. That just means quickly grab fruit, veg, cheese and meat from the fridge and call it dinner. Occasionally I turn in into a salad which is what I have done tonight. Chicken, cannellini beans, oranges and 'greens' with a little cumin for flavour.

After the market

2010-10-24T12:11:00.000+10:30

We went to the market. It was all pretty fun but tiring. Sold some stuff, bought some stuff. These will be going on Etsy over the next couple of days so go have a look at my etsy shop!

A harvest of sorts

2010-10-24T10:40:00.000+10:30

We harvested some broad beans today. There were only a few pods but that's ok as I don't really like the taste of them. It's is a bit silly maybe to plant something I don't like to eat, but I wasn't feeling very confident about planting anything. I was completely surprised that they grew and since then have planted heaps of other things. Even though they are not my favourite I will cook these up for lunch with a few other things and see how they go.

Handamde book

2010-10-16T16:48:00.000+10:30

There was just enough paper from the paper making adventure the other day to make a little book. The paper is just torn and then stitched with my trusty sewing machine down the spine. So quick, so simple and so booky! I am a big fan of notebooks / drawing books / writing books. Can never have too many in my opinion! This one belongs to the little man though, so I am sure it will be covered in drawings, have pencil holes in it and eventually be in tiny pieces all over the house!

Baking

2010-10-15T22:54:00.000+10:30

Little boys (and I am sure little girls) love baking - well they do at my house. A little while back I bought some of those new fangled silicone moulds from the supermarket and they have been used many times. The slack mother throws ingredients in and hopes for the best, the boy mixes and the gingerbread men cakes turn out delicious - if a little crumbled.

Making paper

2010-10-14T13:16:00.000+10:30

I had been making lots of paper off cuts and felt the need to use them in something - so this morning we made paper! It was all very spur of the moment and make do but was heaps of fun. We used a round splatter guard to make the paper, and while the paper is a little wobbly (as it gets when a 2 year old is helping) it worked quite well and we are excited to use it. After we packed up there was a bucket of water left over which the little man happily played with and is no drenched. So fun!

It feels like we live at the beach . . .

2010-10-06T17:27:00.000+10:30

. . . what with all the sand at our house. And aside from when the little man brings shovels full inside I don't really mind. We have been doing a lot of existing with anything good to tell or show. Hope to change that tomorrow with something exciting.

To market, to market!

2010-09-28T16:15:00.000+09:30

Mum, some siblings and I are all busy making things for this market. I am so very excited, it is going to be a lot of fun. After I have finished sewing for the upcoming wedding I will post some progress pics!

Growing in my garden

2010-09-24T09:06:00.000+09:30

I am very excited to say that things are growing in my garden! The boy and I planted some seeds a little while ago and they have sprouted. Also, some of the existing plants have flowered. It must be spring. I can't wait to be eating more things from the garden!

My adventures in sewing for a wedding - part 1

2010-09-23T16:56:00.000+09:30

My brother is getting married and I have decided to make my children and I something pretty to wear. I am the queen of daggy so I am thinking of this as 'dress ups' to make it easier. I found a cardigan at a secondhand shop which is the inspiration for my outfit. I am making a blouse and a skirt and some pretty flower type things for my hair. For the little man I am planning some manly trousers, a pretty shirt, vest and flowers for his pocket. And the little girl you can see is going to wear a pink and fluffy pettiskirt. It was very scary to start making this thing but once started wasn't too bad. It is so bouncy and lovely and makes me wish I were about five so I could have one and prance around the house in it.

I'm winning!

2010-09-21T10:16:00.000+09:30

I have never played competitive sport but lived in a house full of basketballers and it didn't matter what you had just done someone would always ask "did you win?" Well, the past couple of days I have been winning! There had been a sewing drought here the past little while but I have made up for it over the last day or so. Sewing bags for a market (more details on that soon), fixing a bag that never worked, and sewing for my kids. Hopefully I can keep on winning the rest of the week, we will see.

Hapa-zome

2010-09-16T21:16:00.000+09:30

My mum has Foxtel and all the wonderful shows that entails. One of those shows that I happened to watch today was The Edible Garden. I am in the process of planting good things to eat in my garden and was very excited to watch Alys Fowler grown her own fruit and veg. In the episode I watched she made jam and did this Hapa-zome to make pretty covers for the jars. Well, it looked so great I had to try it. The above is my first go and I have to say I love it! It was fun, easy, instant and very addictive. I think the kids and I will have to go on a leaf hunt to find some more interesting shapes!

My quick and easy tote bag pattern

2010-09-14T09:32:00.000+09:30

I made this bag for the first time a long time ago, and have made quite a few since. It is great for making as a quick gift and can be easily adapted to different uses by changing the size of the bag and the length of the bindings. I love it so much I wanted to share it!

First off you need to cut two bag pieces and two top bindings (bag pattern here). If you want to line it you will need four bag pieces - two main fabric and two lining.

Next sew both sides of bag and bottom, leaving the cut out squares at the bottom edges.

Now match the side and bottoms seams and sew across opening.

At this stage if you are lining the bag place the lining inside the bag with wrong sides together. Mark the centres of the top edge and binding and pin with wrong side of bag to right side of fabric. Pleat excess fabric as needed and sew.

Fold over binding, tuck the edge under and sew down.

Cut out and join the handle/binding into a loop. Pin joins in handle/binding to side seams. Sew handle/binding sides.

Fold binding over and tuck edge in the same as with top edge binding. Sew all the way around over sides of bag and handles. Finished!

Quick, go make a bag. And if you do share a picture!

Loving this

2010-09-13T07:43:00.000+09:30

I love that my kids love each other. I love that being together makes them smile. I love that my little man helps my little woman. He gives her toys and plays silly games with her. I love watching them play next to each other. This is the moment I need to remember when I am sick and have to get up to little children multiple times a night.

Tenting

2010-09-09T20:44:00.000+09:30

Had another lovely day today. We stayed home all day and played and sewed and everything else fun. I finished the tent for the boy (and me). It isn't how I originally intended it to be, but I am happy with how it looks and functions. Now all it needs is a square quilt to go under and some pillows!

Baking and bubble machines

2010-09-08T20:32:00.000+09:30

Much fun was had today. Sewing, baking, eating, bubbles. It was a good day.

Making a tent

2010-09-08T08:22:00.001+09:30

I have always dreamed of making my own tee pee with bamboo poles and an old sheet or two, and yesterday I decided to do it! Me and my kids walked to the hardware store and bought all sorts of fun things including bamboo garden stakes. We were all having a pretty miserable day and tent building was just what we needed to cheer ourselves up. We did a test in the back yard and need to go op-shopping to find another sheet for it. The clown one is saved from my mum's house. I have always loved it and thought there would be a project for it one day.

The boy loves to be outside and wants his mum to come too, but am such an inside sort of person it is hard to spend as much time out as he wants.I think a tent with lots of rugs and pillows should be able to tempt me! I am also thinking I need an outside-y sort of couch thingy. I am not sure what it is yet but comfy-ness is at the top of my list.

Two tops

2010-09-06T09:30:00.000+09:30

The first one needs another border but I ran out of fabric. I have another on the go that is also in desperate need of more fabric. Quick, need a patchwork shop! All three are basically the same thing with slight variations, and I am loving sewing them up. I think lap quilts are the best size. I can't seem to talk myself into working on one of the larger ones I have on the go. Maybe once these are finished I will feel energetic enough to finished something larger. Maybe.

Royal Adelaide Show

2010-09-04T08:39:00.000+09:30

Went to the show yesterday. It was cold, wet and windy and we had the best time! I really enjoyed the Police band and the Blooms. You can see live action pictures of the costumes on my mums blog.

Another warm day

2010-08-31T12:01:00.000+09:30

It is nearly not winter any more and here is proof with another warm day. I don't mind the in between weather but I hate summer. I feel like I have to quickly made quilts and knit because I won't feel like it when the heat hits. Today though, we are enjoying our grass outside without slippers, tights, sock etc.

2010-08-29T20:43:00.000+09:30

I was inspired by these lovely log cabins over here and here. I decided I needed to makes some, but as I was sewing them up I realised the fabric didn't want to be log cabins so I just made it into something. I used my goldfish in plastic bags fabric and love how it's turning out. Ah, sewing! Oh, and my sweet little boy brought me flowers!

A dress

2010-08-27T10:09:00.000+09:30

Sewing for little girls is such fun! I was making this dress at the same time as the pinafore and they are the same basic pattern with little changes. It was quite quick to make up and fun too, so there may be a few more dresses to come. The next lot of clothes I will be concentrating on will be for my boy though. Not the same as dresses but still fun.

Sewing for my girl

2010-08-26T11:42:00.000+09:30

It has been cold, windy and raining at our house the past week which is lovely! It's the sort of weather that makes me want to knit, quilt and sew. And there has been lots of hot soup and hot milo at our house too. I have just finished a pinafore for my little girl made from my own pattern. It wasn't working at first but after unpicking a couple of times is looking nice. Hooray for contrast bias binding!

Progress . . .

2010-08-21T14:37:00.000+09:30

It is the end of my second week of sewing for Christmas and so far I haven't accomplished this weeks goal. I am getting close though so not to worry. I think I have just had a slow week. I get to the end of the day with both kids in bed (sewing time) and just feel flat with no energy or motivation. What I manage most nights is a dvd and some knitting. I borrowed a bunch of dvds from my mum and just finished watching Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, which I loved.

I am knitting me a vest and I think it will be summer by the time I finish it!

And some new fabric waiting to be turned into clothes for my kids.

First finishes!

2010-08-16T09:31:00.000+09:30

Love letters and a troll are finished! I have four quilts on my handmade Christmas list and will be making the first one this week. They are all only lap sized so not too challenging. I might attempt some more little things for variety.

Fabric fortune cookies!

2010-08-13T14:33:00.000+09:30

I am getting all excited about making Christmas gifts and wanted to make a few different small thing I could give to friends. These fortune cookies are the first I've made and I think they turned out really well!

Secondhand shopping

2010-08-11T14:00:00.000+09:30

Fabric and books - my two favourite things! And of course another typewriter. It is a bit fancy and has lovely type! Hmm, I see myself writing a lot of lists and such.

This is just lovely

2010-08-11T11:08:00.000+09:30

This little lady and getting to hold her all day. I love being her mum!

Handmade Christmas!

2010-08-10T14:34:00.000+09:30

I think these small quilts are good for me! My machine quilting is improving quite a bit. And starting and finishing something quickly is very good for my ego. I feel like I can do anything now! And to prove it I have decided to have a fully handmade Christmas. August is the perfect time I think to start thinking about Christmas, especially if you want to make presents and decorations! I have a list of what I need to accomplish and to get it all done by Christmas I need to finish a couple of things a week. A little scary but do-able I think.

A new camera

2010-08-10T14:26:00.000+09:30

I am no longer camera-less! I never used to need a camera but now I can't live without one.

My camera died

2010-08-06T20:00:00.000+09:30

It is sad. I was so enjoying taking photos of my kids and taking photos for blogging, but now nothing. Hopefully I will get a new camera tomorrow.

I made this quilt for heart babies at RCH in Victoria. It's only small so was quick to make and because it has a purpose I was very motivated to make it. I have another top ready to go and I will hopefully quilt it tonight!

Softie sewing

2010-07-31T12:54:00.000+09:30

Did some sewing last night and made a crocodile and a lion. I am not sure if I like them or not. I think the pattern needs some more work. It is fun to be sewing toys again though. Today I am sewing notebooks. Isn't sewing just the best!

Sheep are yummy

2010-07-31T09:43:00.000+09:30

My little lady has discovered this sheep I made a while ago. She thinks he is hilarious and delicious. The boy is trying to be kind and sharing him a lot. I may have to make another one.

Pram quilt

2010-07-30T23:40:00.000+09:30

Don't you just love small, quick projects! Inspiration comes, you have fabric in your stash, and not too long after you have the finished product. So fun! Finished this a little while ago but only just got around to posting. At first I thought it a little silly to make a quilt this small but it has been really great and I have been using it lots. And of course I can't resist making toys.

Silly kid-ness

2010-07-29T12:47:00.000+09:30

I have been reading this much loved book to my son today. This is a new version I have only recently aquired, but it is a book that my parents had that I used to read and read. I think every household (especially Aussie ones) should have this book if only for this page - my favourite!