hARTylittlepeaces

MP&Y: On the Wall?

2012-02-14T08:55:00.000+11:00

joining in

My Place and Yours

thanks Vic

so what is on my walls?

we've been here 12 months & i have managed to actually commit

to a few hooks in the plaster

above above: birds paintings by me

i should paint more often

above: said birdies with pair of seed pods

i know i know they have been said to look like something else

hanging happily in our kitchen

you can see the edge of the fridge, pantry &

a corner of the bench

below: a tree created in printmaking

when i was in first year uni

all these pics that you see framed

i framed them

yep my parents one Christmas a long time ago now

gave myself & SIL the gift of framing classes

seriously one of the BEST EVER gifts!

i framed heaps for other people so if you need?

above: little mini prints or cards from somewhere

i like the retro 50's feel they have

outside Oscar's bedroom

below: to the left of our fridge

tiny piece

about 4"x3"

bought because i love it

at the Camden Market

outside of London

i love having items about home

that speak of our travels

above: more travel treasures

also framed by me ...

tiny chinese embrioderies

one is an interesting design but i can see birds in it

& the other i like to think of

as a phoenix ...

here they are in detail below

soul deep, reap, sow & sewn, blessed

2012-02-07T07:57:00.003+11:00

everyone feels loss

last week we said goodbye to a family member

the celebration was full of colour & great memories

it was an honor to have known her

in my first memories of her, she was a princess

the bride of my eldest cousin

she was someone with whom you could connect

in an honest 'true self' way
she was a woman who reaped what she sowed

no pretense or hiding behind histories & no games

just real thoughtful gracious caring heart-felt godly living

49 is too early when you look from the outside in

but she was ready to meet her maker

so many loved ones before her to greet her & welcome her home

& where she will revel in the celebration of her kingdom come

she has run the race & fought the good fight

she has kept the faith

God speed KGS

i choked & stumbled in my own humanity

in saying a humble goodbye

& watched in awe how her very near & dear

found such strength
A, R, M & E you are amazing
times at BH will always be cherished i am sure

so to this extended family of mine

who've 'had their moments'

let us get on with living

remembering & celebrating

but truly living ...

& to all my old & new friends
you are a gift in my life
treasured gold
lately i've been stuck with
a pounding in my ears ...
in a mix of the good & not so
of exhausted unnecessary energies,
sunshine-y days spent with toes buried in river sand & mud
that add up to the usual
summer creative slump
(PS: i saw another sausage dog ... are they reminding me?)
& of course the loss of the above mentioned
wonderful lady ...
but also grieving the
lost opportunities of family times
that could have been
& i haven't been able to focus creatively
on what 're-charges' me!
have you noticed some silence here?
last night i was able to make a start
i turned my overflowing
fabric scrap box out on the table
& pieced (while at SAY) ... piece by peace!
i see a kind of symbolism here:
in the taking the parts of the old
& making them into something new
it was good
today is a new day

music always swells my emotion & often surfaces

the essence of my thoughts in words

that i can't perhaps voice on my own

here's a current favourite verse

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you look for
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold
You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown

Edit: a great post over here all about KGS

Thanks for sharing Meridith

could a sausage dog wrench me from my sunshine-y slump?

2012-01-30T18:34:00.001+11:00

i saw a sausage dog today

later i saw an image ...

put the two together &

i have the beginnings of an idea ...

... lets see if i can turn the idea into something

don't hold your breathe just yet

as sometimes (no most of the time!)

i need the fledgling idea to simmer for a while

been in such a creative summer slump

this usually seems to happen

over january as we spend so much of the

summer sunshine-y days

at the 'riBer' ...

its all wonderful

full of the

glorious aussie summer sun

& blue skies

& friends

& ski ropes

& the Emmylou

& grass fires

& fun

& late night tennis viewing

& card games

& lake-side happy hours

& great food

& water play

& GandT's

& shimmering heat

& the murray river mud

& sun-kissed skin

... all new memories

for me, for years australia day

has marked the setting of these endless lazy days

(from now there are

only stolen weekend visits

to see out our summer on the river!)

& now its time ...

time to be clicked or kicked

back into the routine of my wonderful

full, busy, blessed life

... time for my creative vision to take me on another journey

we have some new journeys planned for this year

be sure to always enJOY your journey

as you just never know how long or short it may be

one year

2012-01-21T08:52:00.000+11:00

one year ago

we moved in to this wonderful house

that is now our home

we love it

we love where we are

we love the spaces

we love the light

we love the way we can see us 'growing up' within its walls

we love the possibilities

we love the trees & the birds

we love the quirky-ness & character

we love the way already our lives are the better for being here

we are so blessed ...

blessed to have that feeling of being settled & belonging

that is what its all been about

it just feels right ...

things of clay ...

2012-01-14T10:10:00.001+11:00

you wouldn't pick it from what i make currently

but i have a huge passion for all things of clay

yep - majored in ceramics actually

the hard thing is to get the clay from raw material to a fired finished piece

well ... i don't have the facilities ...

but i still adore items i have made

(most of these are still packed away in boxes... i'm sure i'm up to showing them about my home ... not what i'd make now!)

and i adore ceramics made by others
be it in the form of great design or the actual handmade!

here are two new treasures that have come into my life this week!

above is the gorgeous sweet leafy mug with surface designs by

yep you probably picked this - Orla Kiely

which is a be-lated birthday gift

(completely unnecessary but i LOVE it all the same! Thankyou Thankyou Sam xx)

and below is a very nicely hand thrown jug
that i picked up as a thrifty find this week

it has an ash glaze and has been fired in a wood kiln

yep ... all in the trained eye huh!

just wish i could decipher the stamped initial?

it has a really well balance weight in the hand

no heavy bottoms here & has that rough cut
chunky hand thrown style with a rolled foot
that i do really like ....
see as far as styling goes i am a torn woman
between the slick retro lines of the baby boomers era
& the hippy earthy approach of staying true to materials!!

but i marry the two ... it works for me

thrifty toadstools & more treasure

2012-01-09T10:11:00.001+11:00

been at 'our' riBer ... (translation from Oscar speak = river)

whilst north managed a now traditional shopping expedition ...

to 2 op shops ... my favorite ones ...

these little handmade toadstools just had to come home with me!

i have plans to polish them up a bit but they have already been well played with

this is the treasure hoard! i seriously only spent about $40

tupperware colander for sandpit play

& a slice n'store & a sweet keeper

& hamburger press molds that look like they have never been used

& a cool rusty brown butter container ... i have been searching for one of these for years
... my aussie farmers butter will live happily in this i am sure

and a single bed boys cars & trucks doona cover set
that is 100% cotton & is handmade as one large piece of fabric & way well become the backing to some wonderful quilt for my little boy

& a really groovy paisley printed patchwork design
double doona cover that actually matches some pillow cases i bought a while back
... perfect for a cabin!

a denim jacket & a pink top for me

t shirt & shorts & japara & a CR woolen jacket for Oscar

balls of wool ... that have already been attacked! (see next post!)

x2 awesome crochet hooks

a wiggly giggly game (not pictured) already been well played with!

dominoes

wooden bowl ... which will head straight to a studio ... one day!

a great bag full of little animals ... & an excellent pyrex mixing bowl ...

a new or almost new barbie-mate ...

yep i think that was all

whoo hoo!

thankyou to all the people who love cleaning out their unwanted items at new years ... they become someone else's treasures!!

buried treasure:

2012-01-09T09:08:00.001+11:00

my draft that has been patiently waiting to be un-leashed since the night before Christmas ...
it was supposed to be my 100th post for 2011 ... i wrote 99!
not a bad batting average i'd say!
(think i just never came upon the 'right' image & the day rolled on & we rolled into summer days!)
but hello .... i'm back:
day 12 of 12: gold, frankincense & myrrh
3 wise men spotted a star in the east ...

... they traveled afar

to meet the new born king
i love a bit of boney m ...
a ray of hope flitters in the sky
a shiny star lights up way up high
all across the land dawns a brand new morn
this comes to pass when a child is born
a silent wish sails the seven seas
the winds that changed have whispered in the trees
and the walls of doubt crumble tossed & torn
this comes to pass when a child is born
and all of this happened
because the world is waiting
waiting for one child
its all a dream, an illusion now
it must come true, sometime soon somehow
all this & i just want to say that =
my cup runneth over
& how thankful i am to be so blessed
Happy Happy Christmas peoples!!

this pic of the 3 of us was taken yesterday
at am extended family bbq ....
so after 2 weeks of being in the hot summer echuca sunshine
my pink hair looks rather sunbleached!
& there was no blowdrying it straightish either!!
it's happy ...

day 11 of 12: gingerbread house

2011-12-24T22:25:00.001+11:00

happy christmas eve

to all

we've celebrated christ's birth with my family already today

what a great feast

i even made a pav for the first time ever & it was great!

i've made up my own little family gift tradition

some lucky person is given the gingerbread house!!!

it was for my brother andrew this year ...

lots of fun in the making ... & a great little 'helper' this year

"mummy, i need to have the 'colours!!" (translation = freckles!)

he was devastated when we didn't come home again with it!

right ... so it looks like i'll be making another in the near future ...

hey do you remember the other day i was lamenting over

the fact that i haven't yet made Oscar his own stocking

... well my mum made 4 ... very funky santa sacks personalised with names!

whoo hoo ... i'm off the hook ... yay roma!!

& of course it was laden with goodies

i hope you are spoilt too this christmas time with lots of loving family & great memories ...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

day 10 of 12: JOY to the world

2011-12-23T08:52:00.001+11:00

joy to the world

the lord has come

let earth receive her king

a carol usually saved until Christmas Day itself

just getting a jump on it ...

offering you an invitation

to 2 services at ABC

Christmas Eve Midnight Service @ 11.15pm

Christmas Day Family Service @ 9.30am

(at which i am doing a bible reading .... to a packed congregation!!)

... hey have you ever been to a african american church service

oh my ... if you ever have the chance you must must must ....

i love the big deep rich sound that black american vocalists can muster

this wonderful man Nat King Cole is no exception!!

let every heart prepare him room

and heaven and nature sing

while field & floods

repeat the sounding joy

so in your travels today & tomorrow before the big day arrives be sure to:

"Do nothing without JOY"

1 year ago: we were sort of homeless

... but excited as we'd just had the winning bid on our home!

2 years ago: i was enjoying preparing for Christmas

with no Tupperware on my mind (1st time in years) & was making lots of gifts!

3 years ago: was Oscar's 1st Christmas

4 years ago: we had just been to my brother's wedding in Washington

& then we had Christmas in PA with my other brother's extended family

Here we are in NYC ... @ the Rockefeller Centre

it was wonderful ... i was pregnant & we were very very JOYful

day 9 of 12: the making & giving

2011-12-22T16:17:00.001+11:00

i've written this post for all people who make & create personalised items to be intended as gifts:

.... you will relate to me on this today i am sure!

if you are someone in my life to whom i have given a handmade gift there is no need to be offended by these comments ... be complimented that i love you to give you something that i have spent time making just for you!!

i have made many many gifts for people over the years

in fact i have a secret hope that on the day they all celebrate my life after i'm gone i hope

that they all bring along the things i've made

& painted & sewn & pottered & designed & taught & crocheted & printed & framed & photographed & knitted & quilted & any combination of the above ... & loved making...

yes i have loved the creative process in every piece ...

i hope i'll be able to look down (?) & observe!! ...

(sorry not meaning to sound sombre but its the only time i can think that it would happen

i'm really not narcissistic!!)

i'm not sure however in the 'receiving' of gifts ...

if some of the 'intended recipients' have really understood what's involved

in making a handmade personalised gift!!??

you see it needs to thought of as a gift in the first place ...

then all options considered ...

then an item & design & pattern chosen to be 'perfect' for the intended ...

then the correct materials chosen & gathered ...

tools gathered & accessible ...

then the making ...

hands & heart at work ...

and the finishing ...

then it doesn't quite stop there :::

the maker holds their breath until a said 'look' of some sort of 'joy' is seen in the eyes of the 'intended' ...

its quite involved & the response by the 'intended' should be in line with their personality & be genuine & hopefully positive .... only thing is ... that many people don't quite get this as perhaps they have never really been involved themselves in hand made

& so i have learnt not to struggle with the seaming personal non-reaction but in some cases to simply not go back again to be wounded once more ...

... the making is so personal that to feel that its not been understood as a gift from the heart & perhaps seen as a cost saver (!!!!!?) is heart wrenching

... j'adore heartfelt handmade gifts ... in fact i was spoilt rotten recently with some ....

this is a gorgeous purse / pouch made by the very talented Karen from And so, I sew ...

whom i have been getting to know & adore ... in person!

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou Karen

i love this gift because i know she knows i love handmade & all my personal reasoning behind the why ... as well as they just simply make nicer gifts ... i love it because she has picked a favourite hue of greens ... & i'm not sure she quite knew at the time but i adore that fabric line too ...

i love it also because it was specially made just for me!

as for intended use ... its now home to my growing collection of crochet hooks ... so i can take it places & others can admire & comment!!

here's another handmade gift ...
again green ... noticing a theme here?
people must know me huh!!
this one was made by one of my SIL's
she's rather clever with a crochet hook ...
these covered coins are USA currency all adding up to 40 cents in total ...
... a quarter & 2 nickels & 5 cents
appropriate & i love it

these guys ... are going in those koala pouches shown yesterday .... they crept their way out of the scrap box & into my heart .... they should crawl into the hearts of some other little people ... & i've made Oscar another so he can join in all the creative play!!!

anyway when it comes down to it ... i love giving handmade ...

day 8 of 12: christmas gift bag decorations

2011-12-21T14:21:00.000+11:00

you may have got the idea that i really love the whole christmas decoration thing?

well yes i do ... i've really enjoyed getting out all our decorations & the tree this year

as last christmas they were all packed away in storage awaiting their time to be moved into our new home ... its been a great fun finding new 'places' for them all, as the last time i packed them away,

we seriously thought that we were going to move to atlanta, ga, usa ...

that fell through ... & with hind-sight, our lives are the better for it!!
we decided we were up for a new adventure in life ... well i did & it took a bit of coaxing but Craig finally agreed to sell our house & buy somewhere new ...
this time last year we were elated & were looking forward to moving in ...
we love where we are ... even another o/s offer wasn't enough of a carrot!!
be to christmas ...

the one decoration that i have not got myself into gear to make

is a christmas stocking for each of us
we even have a real fire place & mantel on which they can hang ...
... i'll get there one day

i have however managed some gift bags with the
clear intention that they be used by the owners for future christmas' etc
... i made the ones below for the local cousins last christmas
& for the international cousins a slightly biased aussie themed christmas print ...
pictured above ... the handle section kind of folds up to use as a bag
but looks kind of cute with the top folded down too ...

these bags have wonky stars as their patchwork center panel
both bags are lined properly to see out the test of time & childhood!!!
i did make Oscar a koala bag too ...
& he does have a giant draw string bag made of the same santa etc fabric from the other one that i made in a hurry for his 1st christmas ... its fits lots of loot so i'm sure in the years ahead he'll probably prefer to put that out rather than a neat little stocking anyway!!!

day 7 of 12: twinkle

2011-12-20T21:38:00.001+11:00

a twinkle of fairy lights around here

we have lots ... this is just some

love the twinkle & the little bit a magic they bring!

sorry not handmade today ...

... check my earlier post for what i managed

to sew up this morning ... & then deliver later today

tomorrow ... i will show you what i've been working on tonight!

happy bamboo

2011-12-20T19:48:00.001+11:00

new look bamboo baby

travel patchwork blankets

soft

gorgeous

hypoallergenic

anti bacterial

environmental

organic

ethical

pesticide free

absorbent

cool

warm

breathable

sustainable

i've amp-ed up the design of these just a notch

if you like or would like to give one as a gift

i can help you out

so a little package arrived on saturday

in the shape of a lovely little baby girl

welcome to the world little emily

you can spot the older version

back here ... still good-uns

day 6 of 12: angels proclaiming

2011-12-19T16:35:00.003+11:00

"Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!"

sung by a choir at Kings College, Cambridge

... we have walked about this magnificent chapel

with its fanned, ornate vaulted ceiling

that stretches to the heavens

why this carol?

well i like it

this version is a bit posh-er than what i'm used to singing along to

but its really sweet so enjoy the rendition

love the harmonies ...

& its about angels ... & we all know that the angels

lit up the night sky in the fields outside Bethlehem

to tell the shepherds of Jesus' birth ...

here are some i've made

that hang about at our place each christmas

(i've taken a while to find some 'right' spots for

decorations this year ... being in a new-to-us home!)

another pattern used ... yep!

but with some wild interpretations as you can see!!

day 5 of 12: purple-ly pink

2011-12-18T18:27:00.000+11:00

today is the 4th sunday of advent

we've had:

peace = blue

hope = white

joy = purple

& today is

love = pink

... each sunday the children have tied different coloured

ribbons on the tree to represent each one

... stay tuned for christmas day to see the whole effect ...

one of these advents i plan to make not the whole advent calendar of december

but 5 somethings

.... for the 4 advent sundays & christmas day itself

... an idea sitting in the back of my mind .... maybe next year ..??

i made this cute little tree a while back ...

its covered in purple ribbons

with a teeny baby sized angel teddy on top

this other tree is covered in mexican pressed metal decorations

which remind me of days long past

when i used to work near 'market import' in armadale ...

i love the feast of colour that shop is ...

... do you know where i'm talking about?

very very mexican with a touch of europe ...

day 4 of 12: piece-d at Christmas

2011-12-17T21:20:00.000+11:00

hey hey

happy happy christmas

has been a long day for me today

great day at the market

the little covered note books were a real hit!!!

yay

friends & kids around

then an early tea with the O/S family

great times

got to enJOY that journey remember

thought i'd show you a few little favourites of mine

that have hung on our christmas tree for a while now

above: really mini log cabin pillow decoration

in total they measure about 1.5 inches square

will make some more like these one of these years!!

little patchwork pieced tree pillow ornaments

this one is about 2 x 4 inches

is basically a grouping of flying geese triangles

here we go

this one is interesting

i only ever made 2 of these stars

& should dig out the pattern again

(yes shock horror i used a pattern! do you believe that Sam??)

um .... the star is

as you can see a little wonky

but i like it like that

somehow the pattern involved the background hexagon being formed

by folding in the points to the centre of the star

... confused

... its hand stitched too ...

for years i used to add a little handmade decoration

to all our family members' christmas gifts

... maybe i'll work on doing this again ...

they may however be crocheted??

piece to you & all mankind

(PS: my apologies for the poor photography

but in the twilight of the evening that was all i was up for!!)

day 3 of 12: christmas market

2011-12-16T17:27:00.001+11:00

i've been busy sewing up & hooking some

christmas-y decorations/ & gifts

for the little market i've been at

each month on the 3rd Saturday most of 2011

come along to see if you're local &

in need of some gift-y items ... i'd strongly encourage you

to find something handmade to gift!

its so much more satisfying than

having bought a mass-produced item ...

... & you'd be supporting all people's who handcraft ...

above: cute A6 sized notebooks
with fabric covers & crochet embellishments
i'm really quite proud of these ...
lots of different colour combos to choose from
& a great little gift for someone who has 'it all'
but still needs to write important stuff down on paper!!!

Surrey Hills Trinity Anglican Church

hosts

Tastes & Treasures @ Trinity

every 3rd Saturday

from March to December

177 Union Road, Surrey Hills

9am to 1pm

day 2 of 12: mini figgy puddings

2011-12-15T15:09:00.001+11:00

ho ho ho

i love really quick easy to put together ideas

i wish i could say this was my idea

its not

craig's cousin stephen brought them along to one

of our Christmas extended family afternoon teas

i loved them & have since made them twice for different events

what to do

mix some white icing so its quite thick

packet of malteasers

a few green musk sticks

(stephen used cut up mint leaf lollies but i don't like those lollies

& i like the way the musk stick gives a more holly looking shape!)

a pack or 2 of chocolate royals buscuits

its not rocket science

so off you go & put some together!!

good fun & a great novelty talking point

day 1 of 12: crochet baubles tutorial

2011-12-14T16:29:00.006+11:00

on the 1st day of Christmas ...

there are just 12 days until Christmas

not a partridge or a pear tree

but

how about a little look at some

Christmas-sy decorations

that i've made

some recently & some favourites from the past?

all true loves ...

this is the new-to-me

crochet baubles garland

that i've been working on just lately

(in-between event management!)

as mentioned, i've fallen for the

feel of yarn through my fingers again

& am really enjoying the crochet process

think in the new year i'm

going to ask a yarn-y friend of mine

to teach me a few more crochet tricks!!!

here's a little "how to"

what means what ... or what i understand it to mean ....

chain = ch = one loop on hook, yarn over & pull through first chain

slip stitch = slst = insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through (2 loops on hook), then through the loop on your hook.

double crochet = dc = yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (3 loops on hook), yarn over & pull through the first 2 loops on the hook (2 loops remaining on hook), yarn over & pull through last 2 loops.

half double crochet = hdc = yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (3 loops on hook), yarn over & pull through all 3 loops on hook

what to do ...

chain stitch 4 & join into a ring

first round is worked into the ring

round 1 - chain (ch) 2, then double crochet (dc) x11 times

then join with a slip stitch (slst) = 12 spokes on the wheel

round 2 - for this round you're working into the gaps between the stitches ...

join a new colour, i just tie a knot & the ends can be short because they will just be hidden & you won't need to sew them in ... nice huh!

pull the new colour through to the front

ch 2, then half double crochet (hdc) into every space x11 times

then join with a slst = 12 sections, creates a star affect with the first colour

round 3 - again you're working into the gaps between the stitches ...

join a new colour ...

pull the new colour through

ch 2, then half double crochet (hdc) into every space x11 times

then join with a slst = 12 sections

you'll notice with this round that the outside starts to curl up ...

this is what helps to create the rounded ball effect of a bauble

(Note: if you prefer them to be less bauble-y & smaller then leave them this size & skip to joining the 2 halves together)

round 4 - again you're working into the gaps between the stitches ...

continue in 3rd colour

ch 2, then half double crochet (hdc) into every space x11 times

then join with a slst = 12 sections

this round will definitely pull the circular shape into being more 3d sphere like

you of course will need to make x2 of these half shapes ... matching colours or not ...

i have then made a set of 12 of these & joined them together as I have joined the halves together ...

join in the 4th colour (i've used an off white)

hold the two halves wrong sides together

hide all the ends, sandwiched between

with the yarn, pull through & then slst through a stitch on both halves on the edge... (2 stitches on hook)

then slst through the next stitch & repeat

continue all around the bauble shape

at the end join up the joining yarn ....

at this point you can make a loop for a single decoration

for this i have done 40 slst .... seemed like a good number at the time!!

if you wish to join them into a garland like i have here then you make a chain, again i did 40 slst

between & then join in the next bauble ....

i've enjoyed making cute flowers in the past

with the help of this excellent tutorial

so i can tell you that these

Christmas baubles were also inspired by lucy's style ...

with the help of her crochet definitions too!

um ... & if any of this does not make sense then ask me as

this is the first time that i've ever tried to write down a crochet pattern!!!

stay tuned to see what crochet goodies

i've been making for the Surrey Hills market this Saturday ...

age is just a number baby!

2011-12-11T22:36:00.001+11:00

aren't you like 40 already!

i kind of feel like i was busy living life

& suddenly the decades have slipped by ...

but you know it is all good!

had a little party last night with a few friends & family

was great fun
loved my gorgeous birthday cake
made by my super talented friend Naden ...
Thankyou so much!!
4 candles - one for each decade

i wanted to say some stuff to them all

about how much they mean to me

how much i love them

how i feel truly blessed having such quality people in my life

i figure they in their make up of the how i know them, actually reflects my life

see told you that i'd get onto a reflective post at some point!

its taken me 2 weeks to 'take' to the concept of turning 40

but i think i've done with style & a little sparkle!!

what makes the sum of us?

can a person's life be summed up with statistics?

this is kind of what i had to say last night...

in some interactive way i listed a bunch of my life's stats ...

i said the stat & everyone or those who knew chimed in with the answer!

it was fun ... & my way of remembering stuff ...

so here you go:

27 th of Novemeber 1971 .... the day i was born

123 ... the house number where i spent most of my childhood

6600 .... model number of my Janome

13+ .... number of years Craig & i have been married

1989 .... year i completed my VCE

10.5 ..... years teaching at Carey Junior School

504 .... model number of the old family Peugeot

RBW .... Tupperware's Record Breaker Week

ABC .... Ashburton Baptist Church

1973 .... year i arrived in Australia

NHA ... my pink car

16,452 .... $$$ my personal Tupperware RBW record

53 ... cm was Oscar's birth length

14,642 .... days old i was yesterday

13th August ... the Playful Market

703 ... ventura bus number

7.03 .... am Oscar time of birth

8 ... number of new dining chairs

3+3 .... nephews & nieces

4 SIL's

2 ... brothers

2 x 10 .... jacks ... 10 years old

250 .... hARTylittlepeaces blog posts ...

CH ... Switzerland

NGV .... National Gallery of Vic where we had our Wedding Reception

TEXEL .... my blow up boat/bath

and so it goes!!

how do your stats add up!

a photographic essay ...

2011-12-05T21:13:00.001+11:00

not sure how wise it was

to teach the 3.5 year old

how to use the photo app

but here are some of the results

i'm liking them lots!!

brush marks

pepper- one of our jacks

our reflections

sunflower seeds collage

Christmas decs

the 'flowers'

or 'colours' as they are sometimes referred to as

perhaps a little bounce-able

camera should be on a christmas wish list!

maybe?

+1 new neice +2 +3 = 6

2011-12-05T11:41:00.000+11:00

last tuesday Isabella Grace Victoria

was born ... isn't she sweet

welcome to the world little one

she has 2 big brothers so its a whole new world of pink

in my SIL's family home!!

so a very quick little quilty number

with my usual chunky pearle thread quilting stitches

sweet baby sized bunting

& my favourtie bamboo flannel wrap ...

(i make these for my market stall ... )

here's her uncle Craig having a cuddle

JOY of hearts desiring ...

2011-12-03T21:07:00.000+11:00

i know this is an ad at the end but

i just have to show you ...

see

handmade inspires the soul

it obviously still has a place

in our industrial revolution

we all know that

money makes those cogs revolve in industry

but how wonderful it is to step back & see

just how the handmade can cause you to pause ...

not sure a phone can do that!?

love the old wood forest & the sounds of stillness in this clip too

CH ...

2011-11-30T17:07:00.000+11:00

so who knew or surmised?

karen

nicole

sam

bron

= 4 answers

x1 per decade

.... seems fitting

the other day when I turned a year older

i promised a gift for the first person to remind me

where it was that i was born!!

i am completely neural

but of course!

not so cheesy

but may be gaining a few more holes as i grow older

am i as smooth as their chocolates ...?

anyway I have a little magnetic something for each of you!

if anyone else happens to like the look of these little numbers

then leave me a message & can arrange postage

only $6 AU ... great little teachers gift idea!!!

x3 fabric covered magnets 4.5cm diameter

transport infrastructure

2011-11-29T19:54:00.000+11:00

building the great transport infrastructure

road making essentially

just what you have got to have when your

Daddy works for a transport company

front & back strips

one a road colour & the other heavy traffic

sewn together length-ways

zebra crossing b&w striped fabric

binding on the ends

then some quick hand stitching

in a chunky pearle thread to mark the divided lanes

ready for play time

assemble in what ever format you wish

easy to roll up to take somewhere

or do what Oscar does with them & spend time in the kitchen

threading them through the drawer handles!!?

here's some more infrastructure at the ready

when you have roads you need city blocks hey!

these are mini play mats

to be played with however which ever way the heart desires

scraps in some kind of patchwork wonder of log cabin

cute backing fabrics

then add binding ...

pretend you have a birds eye view

now can you see it?

or use them to play with the animals

or whatever suits ... etc

i've also made a couple of larger play mats

with the aim to encourage play within that space to

create a focus & therefore room to imagine

its very Montessori really... with a burst of colour added

they're each made using 2 fat quarters ...

front & back

basically they are a whole cloth mini quilt

easy ... just make great fabric choices!

or better yet involved your child in these choices

so there is a sense of ownership!

prayer quilts

2011-11-29T12:31:00.003+11:00

at our church we have a great team of ladies

that get together every week

to create prayer quilts

'prayers & squares'

(although often they are more than just a simple square patchwork design)

they are intended for someone who needs a little love

& prayer for some reason

often due to medical reasons but sometimes not

it is a wonderful ministry that reaches far beyond

our direct ABC community

on sunday there were two quilts presented for a couple & their baby girl

i know these guys ...

they now live in India & are working as missionaries in the medical field

the bright fun very colourful half square triangle quilt is for them!

to cheer them & remind them of all the love, care,

interest & prayers that are 'back home'

you can see here all the little ties being knotted

& in the process a thought or prayer said

the gorgeous pink 9 patch one is for their baby girl

she (& her mum) have not yet made it back to India to live ... yet

this baby has had lots of health issues

& so far after many many tests there is still

no real clear understanding of what all these issues add up to mean

& what impact this will have on them as a family

& how best to care for this gorgeous smiley girl!

all this makes me think & praise god for the wonderful people

in our world who walk away from a safe, comfortable life in australia

& elsewhere to embark on a mission of their heart

somewhere else in the world

i've had a very small taste of what this must be like

& i know lots of people who have done this

they are brave & godly & i admire their sense of spirit & adventure

here's another action shot ... hey that lady in green is my mum!

now i'd like to add to this little story about

how the 9 patch quilt came to exist

.... a very good friend of mine, a (blogless) friend ...

who should write a blog as she sews lots of great things & has two gorgeous little girls so plenty to talk about ... so that she can come to SIT

made most of this quilt top a while back

when she was first learning to quilt

... and so she had a go machine quilting

i had no advice for her at the time

about how to perfect the whole machine quilting thing

& now after some more experience i'm not sure what advice i'd give!

but to just keep trying & that whatever the result the fact is

that it is a handmade item

... to love & keep or give no matter

just enJOY the journey i say xxx

anyway she tried the masking tape trick to guide her

... and had some directional issues ...

result was that she stopped

folded the whole quilt away out of sight out of mind

to then a while later

commented to me that she was going to put it in the

rubbish bin!!

no ... ooooooo i cried

... i gave it to 'prayers & squares'

where there is a lady who regularly helps out with 'un-picking'

.... yep that is what she likes to do!

so all the little quilting stitches were lovingly un-picked

the quilt washed

... i saw it at this point &

you would hardly have know it had had stitching over part of it

unless you were really really looking for evidence!!

(mental note for the future - a rescue can be performed!!!)

it was then given a new border & backing

lots of colour coordinated ties & ta da!!!

so that's the story

& hopefully in the not too distant future

it will, along with its new proud little owner

wing its way to India

to be with her & her mummy & daddy, all together!!

1971

2011-11-27T20:18:00.002+11:00

four decades

that's how long i've been walking this earth

what is it about turning 40 that gets

everyone all retrospective?

1971 was a great year

it was the year that greenpeace was established

women got the vote in Switzerland

the australian & nz forces left vietnam

the uk & ireland went decimal

china was admitted to the un

the first cat scan was used

apollo 14 landed on the moon

cigarette ads were banned on tv

sadly the great man louis armstrong died

elton john released 'Your Song'

aretha franklin had the hit single 'Bridge over troubled water'

and it was a record year of births in Australia

& as far as i can work out that record still stands ...

only i wasn't born in australia .... where you ask?

and why? hmmm

if you know, then be the first to leave me a comment

(its been mentioned on this post!!)

& i have a little gift for you!!!

hmmm ... might get all retrospective on you later on!

are you wondering about these images?

today i loved being spoilt by my husband, my boy, my family & my friends

they know me well ...

see those chair legs

mate i have adored those for so long

i can't believe i have 8 ...

& that gorgeous red number ... looks awesome on my kitchen bench top

thankyou for your lovely thoughtful gifts

not required but i love them still

xxxx

turning 40 so far has been great!

as jacob says:

"age is just a number baby! what are you like 40 now?"

leaving you with the voice of louis armstrong on your mind:

(he didn't write this ... did you know?)

i see trees of green ... red roses too

i see them bloom .... for me & you

& i think to myself what a wonderful world

yarn-ee day-z

2011-11-25T08:23:00.000+11:00

my awesome new crafty kinder friend Cas

made me this!!

(Oscar was my photo image stylist ...

... hence the matching arrangement)

I love love this colour combination

exactly the colours i'm into wearing in spring & summer

i love it & thank-you thank-you Cas!!!

so it seams that Cas & i have swapped genre this week

that aussie crafty super store

has a spend this save this offer on ...

... so i went yesterday with a shopping list!!

i pretty much stuck to the list

new yarn colours were listed ...

to make more of these cuties

& i've made some of these too

for a new little noteworthy project

i'm really into the texture of crochet &

the feel of yarn through my fingers at the moment!

some solo tv viewing last night

& this came to be

think i'll add some cute flowers & wear at my markets

to remind people that crochet is cool

very inspired to make a whole blanket like this

more yarn-ee stuff ...

on wed at playgroup at our church

Oscar & I had the mighty long snakes out

he loved racing up & down the hallway space

trailing them behind him

they've been loving knitted by someone handy in the past & loved by many

i adore to watch this kind of play

i've actually knitted a giant anaconda

which my mum has been in the process of completing!

good on you mum ... stay tuned for that one!!

my baby quilts are growing up!

2011-11-22T19:17:00.000+11:00

this is a pic of my niece Verity

taken earlier this year

playtime on a certain whirly gig quilt

Charlotte a favourite little friend of mine

who gives the best cuddles

this pic was also taken earlier this year ...

see her cute matching bunting laid out all over her?

and here she is now!

ahhh!

boutique craft markets ...

2011-11-15T13:55:00.001+11:00

I'm involved this week with another 2 local markets:

"Twilight Boutique Craft Market"

Thursday 17th November

7pm - 9 pm

where a glass of wine awaits you to enjoy an evening of shopping in an intimate environment

... come along for a girls night out "in"

@ 23 Boronia Street, Canterbury

and

of course the wonderful atmosphere of

Treasure & Tastes @ Trinity
Christmas theme ...

Trinity Anglican Church

177 Union Road, Surrey Hills

9am - 1pm

... my boys

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000+11:00

being a little retrospective here ...

looking back at when Oscar was so little

i love this photo of my gorgeous husband

marveling at our baby boy!

priceless moment

power to the sketch book

2011-11-13T12:32:00.000+11:00

new blog post over

at littlesmARTys

my new other blog!

post is all about how i see a sketch book as an important tool

to aide the development of a child's visual experiences

with a range of arty-type materials ...

so if you're intrigued go on over & have a read!!

pop up market ...

2011-11-12T20:39:00.001+11:00

went to the East Doncaster Baptist Church Market this morning

it was almost like being 'at home'

knew lots of faces: family & their friends

little girls skirts were really popular

especially the non-pink fabric choices

need to make more as i'm now left with the mostly pink ones

also this week i had some great hard rubbish finds to help me

with my market display/ set up ...

i figure you have got to hit people in the face with what you've got!!

you have something like 3.2 seconds to grab their attention as they

scan from one stall to the next so SAY IT LOUD OK!!

2 of my great finds were

... 1 was a 3 wheeled bassinet stand:

that soon became not so wonky by the swift removal

of the remaining rotating items

& is perfect for the funky elmo red bassinet basket i use!

... & the 2nd a great clothes stand:

obviously for hanging cute toddler sized aprons on!!

that very groovy green display with the skirts all on was

a hard rubbish find from when i was about 21 ... yes i've been addicted

with finding things to 'up-cycle' for a very long time!!!

i have now given up on trestle sized tables as display

& opt for my collection of stands & mini folding tables!

still having trouble with how best to display the baby sized

bunting flags but short of a whole rack or backdrop display

... the thing is (most .... generalizing here!!)

people just don't seem to have the imagination of how to use them .... hmmm

whilst at market today i did my usual

make cute crochet flowers clips

while chatting to people ...

i've been doing a little thinking about the whole market thing

why i really like it

i get a buzz out of people liking my creations enough to buy them

i of course believe in the whole handmade = quality (usually) concept

i love the fact that handmade says that someone has taken

the care & time to consider all design aspects & executed it with skill

handmade speaks to me

does it speak to you too?

i also like the community aspect of people coming together to spend some time

in a common place to have 'communion' as such

oh & of course it doesn't seem to be a 'real' market

unless you have the animal farm there too!

are those guys following me around???

Oscar loved the goats this time!!

next Sat back at T&T@Trinity in Surrey Hills

love the Butterfield farm quince paste that Maureen makes!

& they have fabulous fresh veggies there from a market gardener ...

... come along & visit!

our 'riBer' ... quote: Oscar

2011-11-09T22:50:00.000+11:00

our VICtorian pseudo extra long weekend

there was a horse race ... ? oh yeah ...

@ the old port in echuca ...

we were there to see the 'steamers' that Oscar dearly loves

with this great crowd:

Tim, Kate, Bryan, Marie, Lucas, Izzy, Amanda

along with Andrew & Genna

awesome time away ...

got the boat out for its 1st run for the summer!

after all the flooding of summer 09-10

there is amazingly still a beach left of sorts

along with whole massive trees that are now not there

and new ones that are!

the river seems to be back at a level as we know it!

our favourite 'steamer'

the Emmy Lou

most of these pics were taken by Marie ... thanks Marie!

andrew taking the little girls out!

go sophie! - go lilly!

lovely photogenic moment of tayla & genna

go kate!!!

she made the switch ... but can she make it back??

come again you guys

loved hanging out, getting to know you all some more,

the games & cards & music ... fabulous!

our little cabin by a little lake next to a huge river

my favourite place for a 'consumed bouquet'

(hey Simon ... you can just still see "aririani" ...)

3 score & ten

2011-11-09T08:23:00.000+11:00

today my dad turns 70 years old

he has climbed the mountain & still going strong!

he's one of my heros

a couple of weekends ago we went as a family to Cradle Mountain in Tasmania

(we were not quite a complete family

as my youngest brother & his family live in PA, USA)

above: view of Dove Lake

below l-r: me, my husband Craig, SIL Betsy, brother Marcel

& mum Rhonda with Oscar in the pusher

we really should have asked someone else to take this photo my Dad, Ken took it

& believe it or not amongst the many photos taken

that weekend i do not have a close up of my dad .... it was for HIS birthday!!! ahhg

we were there for 4 days & had completely perfect blue skies everyday

we stayed at the Cradle Mountian Lodge which has been renovated

& I have to say that we had some of the best customer service

that we've had anywhere in the world

the drive from Launceston was glorious,

the mountains & trees were magnificent & the company spectacular ...

& can I rave about those "fresh pure waters"

(& i actually mean the water, yet Craig would rave about the hops & yeast version ...

the Lodge where we stayed is right next to the water fall where this was filmed ... familiar adverts in Australia!)

below: view from the Dove Lake Boathouse

which reminded me of being in Austria ...

... makes sense as the man who built the boathouse was from Austria!!

can you see the 3 most important men in my life??

my husband, my boy & my dad!

below: Betsy up on Glacier Rock ...

below: my boys ...

Craig was teaching Oscar to throw rocks into the lake ....

none were skimming quality but it was all fun anyway!

below: some of the many many quiet still ancient views of woodland

Cradle Mountain is above the tree line & they say that 60% of the indigenous plants

are found no where else in the world

with many of them dating back to the

time of Gondwanaland ...

it is enchanting & mysterious

had to include the amazing Tasmanian Devil ...

went to 'Devils at Cradle' ... which is a well designed,

caring sanctury aiming to educate the public about the issues

facing the endangered Tassie Devils

they are intriguing little creatures!

not at all menacing when you understand them .... how they pro-create

I do not understand as they are essentially solo animals

that seem to live in their completely egocentric worlds ...?

had a supurb time that we will remember always...

thanks Dad ... Have a very Happy 70th Birthday today!!!

... gladly being influenced again

2011-11-06T13:20:00.000+11:00

so here's my shopping from a little side trip yesterday

(a pleasure to do all on my own)

over to Rathdowne Fabrics & Remnants ...

i'd been busting to get there after watching our

2nd Aussie series of Project Runway ...

Yay Dylan ...
do you know they have a rewards card .... i'm impressed!
the lady who served me was ultra friendly & really helpful ...

should i have told them that their market advertising worked on me?

i had been to their previous store location when we were sewing up a storm with all the school mums making costumes but it wasn't personal shopping so i'm not really counting that!

... when i say i was busting to get there i was but
i hadn't quite processed the thought of sewing clothes again ...

i used to sew myself clothes all the time back

when i was at uni & early teaching days

... then somewhere in the mix of life it became

mostly more economical to just purchase & simply just easier ...

... i have however been a huge fan of up-cycled clothing ...

that all came about because i'd inevitably wear something new to the art studio

& there'd be little innocent gluey-painted-sticky fingers

that would tap me on the arm to ask something ...

so .... found some great denim to sew myself a wrap skirt

with some kind of patch worked panel

... not the same as Karen's "Sew What Skirts"

but along those lines ...

stay tuned for that one

& a remnant for a pair of Sandbox pants for Oscar in a light chocolate cotton

& a bargain from a wool previous used by SABA in a great charcoal stripe

... question is i've got nearly 2m is it too good to use on pants for my little boy

.... i think it may become another wrap skirt if i

can squeeze it into the pattern ... maybe a little shorter??

oh so excited ...

don't worry i'm not stepping away from sewing the bright kids stuff & my quilts ...

... top to bottom:
zesty green/yellow linen ... for something but couldn't resist the colour
printed linen that will co-ord with above linen
charcoal/blue with texture denim for a wrap skirt for me
r&w stripe and o&w spots for market sewing - both remnants
chocolate fabric mentioned above for pants for Oscar
and the SABA fabric again intended for pants for Oscar but we shall see ...
... before i get into these i have some 'must sew' tiny little preemie baby pin-a-fores to make for a friend ... stay tuned as i now have the bamboo fabric in hand to use to line these ...

...being influenced!

2011-11-04T16:53:00.003+11:00

... recently my future sewing project thoughts have been influenced by this lady ...

had my haircut today ... somewhere central....
near a park ...
not 5 mins drive from a patchworky place!
so i thought i'd support a real walk in & purchase place
.... was still cheaper amazingly to buy this pattern in person
than to order just the one pattern on line with postage ....

so here we go ... stay tuned on how to sew for a boy without it looking all

too 'home-made-hippy'

... see if i can pull that off ....

... catching my breath

2011-11-04T09:22:00.001+11:00

my blogtoberfest fell apart

our computer decided to have a melt down as its brain was just too full

ever had one of those dry coughs? hmmm

i was not well somewhere in there

neither were Craig & Oscar but we kept going - mostly

and we went away ... somewhere so far south that you'd think you'd almost set foot on Antarctica

... well almost close enough

spent some time working out these mini sized shopping bags

while they are very cute they are labour intensive & would not be worth my time to sew to sell but a heap of fun to make

finished out the month with an awesome long long weekend

spent with a great crowd of 20 somethings ... at 'our' river ...

so here i am catching my breath over October ... November is already rolling on

i missed Park City Girl's Quilt Festival ... again - it finishes today but you can still check out all the wonderful quilting creations from around our globe

and

until this week all year Oscar & i have headed out the door early every week day morning

but today ... today we slept in!

for the next few months we'll have slow easy friday mornings - today was the first

... i think we both need it!

when i left teaching i loved the no-time-table aspect of my life ...

somehow it seems to have snuck right back in ...

so 'cheers' for the rolling stone gathers no moss ...

if you didn't know Christmas is coming & the world will end if all those 'things' don't get done before (cough) ... seriously its the 4th of Nov tonight we are off to a Christmas party!!?

roll on ... we still have 2 months left of 2011 ... make every day count i say ...

....spring markets

2011-10-13T10:00:00.001+11:00

this Saturday

15th October 2011

are you in Melbourne?

come along for a feast of handmade & fun

2 locations ... yes I'm splitting myself in half!

how you ask?

well I have sewed up a storm

(& my Mum is a legend, is also creatively minded so she

is attending one of these markets with my stall!)

My computer has been having a meltdown so I can't add images at the moment without it crashing .... so please use your imagination & refer to previous posts ....

EXCELLENT GIFT IDEAS...

little kids cooking aprons & gadgets sets

baby suits

kids tops

bunting flags - short & party lengths

girls skirts

baby wraps

bamboo baby quilted travel blankets

fabric magnets

cute crochet flower hair pins

Where?

TASTES & TREASURES @ TRINITY

Trinity Anglican Church

177 Union Road, Surrey Hills

9am - 1pm

and also

WATTLE HILL KINDERGARTEN FETE

19 Livingstone Close, Burwood

& Rentoul Hall ...

behind Wattle Park

10am - 2pm

soap box tags ....

2011-10-10T19:47:00.003+11:00

made some little extra tags for all my market items .... its a little preachy but i figure i have something worthwhile to say ...

"THANKYOU for choosing to own or gift this HANDMADE item ...

... it seems that in our Post-Industrial world as humans we have 'sold out' to the mindset that we 'need' to have it 'all'
& that it must come at the lowest price possible ...

the true COST of this 'need' is usually out of sight ... often ending with the people behind the factory turnstiles ... so in light of these thoughts THANKYOU kindly for supporting the concept of HANDMADE ... made with care by one human who'd like to encourage all to seek out the handmade, the up-cycled, the ethically made, the kind to earth & the unique objects of our world ...

... not so that you have 'more' but so that you love what you have with an ethical & environmental mindset !!!"

I'm currently having ethical issues with where the cotton that makes the quilting fabrics I love comes from? how it is grown? use of pesticides? how the humans that help grow it are treated? & paid? & at what cost? how the cotton is transported? what kind of 'fabric miles' has it truly done & at what consequence? what other environmental impact this has & what kind of non-fair trade is evident? what kind of dyes & inks are used? how do they affect the environment? how do they affect the people using them? what kind of impact does this production cost have on water supplies? who & what issues are involved in the whole process? crikey .... we know more about eggs than any of this??

me thinks our chickens are more fairly treated than most likely the humans in this chain

... i still value of course our part in the world of handcrafts & art ...

that very need to create is innate & simply human at its roots

what do you think or know??

a handmade gift ... for Oscar

2011-10-09T20:29:00.000+11:00

a really good friend of mine .... (her name is Wendy also!)

made this quilt for Oscar for when he was born

I have got to share this little story:

I've made it a little 'thing' of mine that 1st born babies of friends & families are given a cot sized quilt made by me ... now that is no revelation!

you can see some of these here & here & here & here & here

so my friend Wendy decided that i or rather our 1st born should have a special surprise quilt also .... but Wendy didn't sew back then ...

she signed herself up for a patchwork course, bought herself a machine the day before, rocked up to the classes not even knowing how to thread her own machine ... she tells me that she probably made the quilt twice as she un-picked most of it .... remembering to sew the right side of the fabric facing was apparently the 'issue' .... she had a friend help her to bind it after she had it professionally quilted ...it was a truly wonderful surprise & a heartfelt gift & we love it

i promised myself that i would take photos of Oscar with said quilt to show how he grows ... here are a few to fill in the story ...

May 2008

10 days old

Aug 2008

10 weeks old

2008

Feb 2009

Aug 2009

layers ....

2011-10-08T08:40:00.001+11:00

you've got to just love layers of weathered thick peeling paint that has just as many stories to be told ...

... and more sewing

2011-10-06T12:46:00.000+11:00

made to order & for my markets

light weight baby blankets

.. and some more sewing

2011-10-05T08:47:00.000+11:00

pretty patchwork dribble catchers

thanks for the 'snaps' coaching Karen!

visit to Healesville Sanctury ... today

2011-10-04T18:45:00.003+11:00

these little mates ... thick as thieves

they loved seeing the wedged tail eagle

here they are at the entrance with a wonderful giant bronze sculpture of one

looks like Oscar is being pecked on the ear ...

she flew right over our heads .... twice!

i felt her wing on the top of my head

above & below are my efforts at trying to capture an action shot while holding down the 3yr/o who was starting to lose the plot!!

as you can see the camera had no time to focus ...
crikey she was close ...

magnificent creature

stunning sunshine

could have done without Oscar's major melt down

while waiting to see the Tasmanian Devils ...

but a great day ...

i have been sewing ...

2011-10-04T09:09:00.002+11:00

cute little simple skirts for my hARTylittlepeaces market stall ...

sizes 1-3 and 3-5

finished with french seams too!!

prayer quilt

2011-10-03T19:07:00.003+11:00

my SIL needs a little prayer her way today ...

my mum & her friends at

the ABC Prayers & Squares Group

made this quilt a few weeks ago for Betsy ...

we're all hoping for a 'negative' result in this case!
... this quilt is not 'quilted' with machine or hand stitching
its done with 'ties' that are attached & left loose until someone comes along,
says a prayer & ties the knot ...

BH ... family time

2011-10-02T15:22:00.002+11:00

Oscar with his "3rd" cousins ... Matthew, Rachel & Emma

whom we rarely see ... great times!

Thanks for visiting!!

... but we cheered so loudly!!?

2011-10-02T14:19:00.000+11:00

... the maggies may have gone down to a great team

but at least they went down fighting like lions - exhausted ones!

what a shame it wasn't quite the fairy tale ending for Mick ... ce la vie

there were x4 cute b&w skirts made for some little Collingwood supporters ...

(only 2 would be in the pic!)

my Dad even decided to back them!

... and those B&W bunting flags looked great!!!

They will be well used in the years ahead!!

... thanks Karen you made me laugh ... I do have all my teeth!!

I wasn't actually born & bred on the B&W

... i had a very interesting inspiring Eddie experience up close & personal and thus decided for the sake of a one team family it was a good choice!!

anyway it was a day spent with extended family & was a wonderful time

cheer on the black & the white....

2011-10-01T11:06:00.000+10:00

b&w bunting flags

made especially to cheer on the magpies today!!!

Blogtoberfest ... my first

2011-10-01T09:51:00.004+10:00

have held intentions to do this other years but alas

life & other things got in the way

so lets see if I can join in the fun

of actually posting everyday in October ...

if you too would like to join the crew

slide on over to Cathy's place

cute button on the left designed by the talented

Betty Jo ...

so 1...2....3

here we go!!

still call Australia home ...

2011-09-30T10:41:00.000+10:00

... seems we have found a new friend!

little kookaburra has visited us a few times this week

Oscar & I decided to see how friendly s/he might be??

we offered gifts of bread, strawberries & chicken!

all were considered by his majesty but none were accepted!

(but the hungry hungry maggies enjoyed the rewards later!)

s/he is hanging about alot today .... maybe s/he would like to play cars with Oscar?

so that's our wildlife encounter for the week ...

sweet sugary family ...

2011-09-28T09:06:00.001+10:00

last night we had over my cousin from Sydney

his gorgeous wife

& their 3 wonderful teenagers!

thanks for spending the evening with us!!

we had a great time ...

& there were sweet little treasures from their days' adventures

mmmm ...

they were not required but they were certainly desired!

chocolates from KOKO Black in Melbourne's Historic Royal Arcade

and

as the French say & spell it ...

Macarons ... from the delightful La Belle Miette

... in another famous favourite spot ... Hardware Lane

(FYI: Macaroons are something different!)

and packaged beautifully

... for those who are into 'details' like I am!!

Hey Matthew - Oscar says Thankyou for playing 'trains' with me!!

13 & more than just lucky!

2011-09-19T17:53:00.002+10:00

... today 13 years ago I changed my name

& married a wonderful man ...my greatest love

in front of family, friends & God ...

(all before digi cameras were common

... so hmmm one day I will get our

Wedding photos converted .... )

so no pic of me all glamorous in white

... but will southern France do?

'the playful market' ... who played ...

2011-09-08T10:17:00.001+10:00

i know that the playful market was weeks ago now but i think its taken me this long to process all ... it was such a success & there was such an amazing positive energy on the day & that has since continued to snowball about ABC ... so many of the stall holders mentioned to me what a fun, happy, energetic, 'playful' market it was & what a delight it was to be involved ...

i'd like to introduce to a few stall holders ...

if you contact them for any reason please let them know how you

came to find out about them ...

Below:

so say "hi" to Nicole from

'Merry Go Round Handmade'

lovely hand knitted very 'now' wearable accessories

cute cute cute & she is so lovely too!!

Below:

this is Katrina from 'Kreations by Katrina'

& is a fellow T&T@T stall holder ...

love all her clever bag & purse sewn items & she is a wizz with crochet too!!!

Below:

meet Hollie and her fabulous 'ZZ Totz'

they are the cutest make & do kits for kids to put together

love your work Hollie ...

Below:

Hey Maureen (& Malcolm is there too somewhere!)

from the wonderful 'Butterfield Farm' in Emerald, Vic

love love their produce & friends of mine from T&T@T

oh & how delightful did all their daffodils smell!?

Below:

this is Natalie from

'Arthur's Circus'

really fell in love with here quirky styling & ethical attitude

look her up - she is well worth the visit!!

Below:

Meet Helen from

'Miss Ruby May'

...if you haven't met her elsewhere ??

i adore her dolls & other goodies

what a gorgeous display all her handmade pieces make!!

Below:

hey there Jackie ...

from 'Bliss'

i'm now the proud owner of a wrap skirt made by Jackie & I adore it!!!

its inspired me ... to make some clothes again ... one day!

(my skirt is actually at the time this pic was taken still hanging there ....you can just see it!!! on the left end right next to Jackie ... dark denim with the red empty bird cage!!)

Below:

Bron a new friend from Ashburton Uniting

sews up a storm ... & she is so enthusiastic about life & stuff

& we decided we could hardly believe how similar we were in lots of ways!!

thanks for all your support Bron ...

Below:

meet the very talented Marg from

'itchykoo'

i love Marg's quirky style ... very funky!!

thanks for coming along Marg ...

Below:

Megan & Vanessa

from 'Toys & Little Treasures'

gorgeous wooden toys to learn & play with

fun fun fun @ the playful market!!

Below:

two of our awesome ABC crafty team selling up a storm!!

Below:

my good friend & artist Tiffany McBroom

who sold lots of her small paintings & cards

well done Tiff ...

Below:

hey there Will...!!! ...of

'WELDesigned'

see her at some of Melbourne's markets!!

...I love you daddy!

2011-09-04T08:16:00.001+10:00

have a happy day daddy ...

xxoo
(Mosaic image by Oscar!)

this little piggy went to the PLAYFUL market ...

2011-09-03T07:51:00.005+10:00

....seriously ... at the ABC 'playful' market

we had an Animal Farm that was FREE for all ...

& the coolest little piggy came along too

he/she got their snout right in there ... fortunately we weren't at all precious about the so-called grassy area ... never quite survived the drought!

The animals brought an awesome sense of 'playfulness' to the market & was an excellent attraction for lots of families to come & visit to see what ABC is like ..

I made something like 50m of party bunting to hang up around the place ...

the trees were bare ... (now in a full snowy gorgeous spring bloom!)

but we needed a little colour & a party feel as well ... was fun & easy & I have them for the next party ... & importantly the next market too!!

Aretha & I loved getting this 'playful' market together & we have had such an amazing response to the event that we've had people wanting to host another before Christmas ... that actually isn't going to happen but we're looking at doing this 2 or 3 times in 2012!! Whoo hooo! We could not have made it all happen without the wonderful team of people behind us! Lots and lots of people contributed in some 'little' way but we also had quite a few people put in BIG time along side us to make it all work!!

Thankyou guys!

there was face painting (hey Lucy!) & lucky dips
& a quilting demonstration & fairy floss

& amazing food & great coffee
& personal service
& a fun, playful sausage sizzle

& 34 mostly handmade market stalls
& a little Art display & live music

& Marcella the clown & a kite making competition
& the ABC cafe & 2nd hand books

& kids activities & did I say great coffee?!
& the most amazing electric BUZZ of positive playful exciting energy about the place .... ahhh my cup runneth over!

I walked about at one point taking photos & soaking in the feeling & talking to people some more .... just absorbing this thing that we'd dreamed up & I was awe struck by the energy that had snow-balled ... so wonderful ...

'mate'... Lindsay & Kate worked hard ....

they made 1 coffee every 1.5 mins

oh & Kate makes the most awesome hot chocs too!

(see Rebecca in the background? She makes an awesome saleswoman!)

now these two .... Liz & Noelene I have known most of my life!

helped out with baking ... Noelene made the cutest little gingerbread people all done up in cello bags with sweet ribbons
& all ... they are helping here with our ABC Cake Stall ...

... we had so many baked-goods donations that we didn't really have enough room!

The Cake stall alone turned over a grand! Seriously & they were excellent prices!

here she is - the infamous Marcella ... balloon animals all over

... very playful for a very playful day! You're a gem ...

we had 4 'Best Offer' Auction items

all handmade & all gorgeous ...

This one above is one of the ABC Playgroup's contributions ..

a rainbow 'I Spy' quilt .... made by the Prayers & Squares Group
& was desperately wished for by quite a few!

here's the lovely Di working on another 'I SPy' quilt .... she having a chat with Alma

This is our Prayers & Squares Patchwork group at Church who make quilts for people we know of that need a little love & some prayers handed their way ...

the quilts they make are not 'quilted' but they are 'tied'

the ties are left long & un-tied until someone comes along to say a prayer & take a moment to give a personalised thought towards the recipient ...

I truly wonderful project that has world-wide chapters (808)

it was our ABC P&Sq groups' 3rd anniversary the next day!

... Matthew & Cameron ...

Tiger-rific sums it up I think!

... now these two are part of this amazing team

that worked really hard but had a tonne of fun in the Cafe ...

.. if you're wondering about the bandana?

well with our council permit to sell & make foods stuffs...

if you're preparing food then you have to wear a hair net or

....a bandana over the top is much cooler hey!!

Kate & Issy ... you are sensational!

Kate helped me cut out & make these aprons ...

started at SAY one Monday ...

they all looked pretty cool ... even Joe had one on!

& the up-shot of Kate helping me make these aprons is that she is now inspired to buy herself a more modern sewing machine than her Grandma's goodie but an oldie ... & she's been sewing things! I think I was lucky to have them all returned!!!
Next time I will make fun ones for the Sizzle guys & others too ...

the 'playful' market was the biggest thing I have organised in a long time & was so worth it all! It was great fun & we know how to improve for 'next' time ... stay tuned so if you're in Melbourne & you missed out ... I will be letting you know when it is that we'll be doing it all again!

I will have another Market post following

that will give you a round up on all our amazing stall holders!!!