Some of our favourite things...

Miss K was in her bed ready for a daytime nap today (yes... at 4 we still get a nap at least a couple days a week) however she was most upset and told me while crying her eyes out that she couldn't settle herself down, so in desperation I gave her Rue in the hopes it would settle her down & get a decent sleep from her (she had her needles this morning, so I know she needs some downtime) Miss K knows just how special Rue is and how rare it is that I let her play with her - let alone have her sleep with her & she settled down real quick!!

So while Rue was off on her big sleepover adventure ~ Ally and I have hanging out in the craft room.

  

Even more exciting was a delivery from the post lady... a little parcel of goodies arrived from Amy (I finally got around to some shopping for the girls over the weekend) and we were really excited to open it all up and do a little mini photo-shoot!

First item was a Pentax Camera... who says a girl can have too many cameras? Of course she has been busy snapping away and I'm pleased to report - she takes a far better photo than I!



Our next little parcel excited me NO END! As you know I am a closet Tupperware queen from way back... one item I haven't managed to add to my collection are these picnic containers. Very excited that my 2 Blythes are lucky enough to have their own containers too! I really must hit the op shops soon and see what I can find in the way of vintage tupperware (and I really should clean out the cupboard as it is looking a lot like it was in that link again)

And of course... with new belongings you need good storage! These little vintage cupboards are delightful and will be a great addition to the girls house!

   

A board for hairclips & more knitting

Last week I decided the craft of the week would be a ribbon board for my daughters hairclips... with all the sickness of last week everything got lost in translation and transferred to this week. After an early phone call from Daycare yesterday morning to pick up a sick girl (this time with sinus related issues... who incidentally was 250% improved after one dose of panadol - she was bouncing off the walls; to the point I did think about sending her back to daycare for the remainder of the day) this afternoon I finally got some FREE time to whip up the board.

My good friend LWD kindly posted up some instructions on how she put together her hairclip board (much appreciate my sweet) but I was adament that I would be buying NOTHING for this little crafty endeavour of mine. So I pulled out an old art canvas board that I had in storage for one day (it was 18"x18" which is rather large... but as I said in a previous post, my daughter has A LOT of hairclips! Covered with some freshly laundered fabric I picked up years ago and utilising some spotty & stripy ribbons. I now have a rather large hairclip board and looking at the tin of hairclips underneath it, I am hoping I have enough space to put them all on with!!!

Though this fabric is very 'busy' I love the tones of the pinks and blues with splashes of yellows, purples and orange - very cute!

Night time has been spent knitting up this cable scarf, it is a very basic cable pattern on 12mm needles so it is knitting up rather quickly. I had picked the colour up for a friend a few years back (on special at Spotlight) I am hoping she still likes the colour... it is a bit too khaki for my liking :)

   

A spot of Blythe Sewing

With a case of Gastro (Miss K) the end of my week passed in a blur of washing & scrubbing. Three days in quarantine (I haven't wanted to share the germs and was keeping close to home incase I came down with it) I finally escaped to my sewing room this afternoon to do something... anything... other than nursing the sick!

I whipped up this pinafore dress for my Blythe Dolls and though the sewing is REALLY dodgy and I still need to sew a snap on the back; I am pretty happy with how it turned out (considering the instructions were non-existant and my clothes sewing skills are a wee bit dodgy) I think I will alter the pattern slightly before sewing up another one of these for Ally.

Anyhow - here's the dress; modelled by Rue.   

I used a piece of scrap fabric from the bag of scraps I bought from Anna in a recent online sale.

  

Lego... Just For AJ

Oh my, time simply flies when you are having fun :)
We built this city (pardon the pun) today! It took nearly 2 hours... There were 4 separate bags of Lego for it and at one point the little miss was helping me put it all together and handing me the pieces needed ;)


All was smooth sailing until the end, when I started cursing Lego for short shipping me a piece, but all cussing stopped when I realized miss K had kindly added a piece to the existing foundations and we were able to finish the 3 story house!


And my how Lego has evolved, they now have computers... A Mac no less ;)


A fun way to pass a cold winters afternoon!!!

Another finished item

I'm on fire! I finished the Queen Anne's Lace scarf last night and am pretty chuffed at how quickly I managed to do it and how well it turned out considering I have never done any type crochet other than Granny Squares and a Christmas Star / Tree. I'm feeling pretty clever right about now!

Used: 1 50g ball of Cleckheaton 100% Bamboo in Green. 6mm hook. It measures just over 60". Ravelled here

And just because... here's one of me and my gorgeous girl! Feeling a wee bit emotional today as we just started looking at schools for next year :o she is growing up far too fast for my liking! Don't mind our messy hair, we were on the waterfront today and it was so windy & bloody freezing! I was wearing 3 layers and my new scarf and was STILL cold!



  

Now I must fly, I've been commissioned to build the lego city that she got for her birthday (is there no end to my talents tee, hee, hee) not sure who is more excited - her or me???

Hooking - a Crochet Scarf!

After the great haul of wool bought at the shops yesterday, I thought it was about time I started actually making something with the excess balls I have lying around... before the ruthless de-clutterer in me starts to chuck it all out!!! I hooked on a Queen Anne's Lace Scarf last night and already have 19" hooked on. The pattern is REALLY easy, once you get the hang of turning your work (this is big for me, as I've only ever done squares & one flat crocheted item) I absolutely LOVE this 100% bamboo I bought a few years ago and I think this scarf will become a firm favourite during this cold snap we are currently having here in Queensland. It's only 19 degrees (celsius) today!!!

De-cluttering - Hair Accessories

I have my list and am diligently working my way through. The first cab off the rank - scared the bejebus out of me... Would you look at that mess :o {I'm highly embarrassed to be showing it to you even!} this cupboard in my daughters room has become a dumping ground for anything that doesn't have a real home. Yes that is a peg on top of a spare sock!!! My daughter is also a bower bird. She collects 'stuff' and it all ends up either on this bench, or in various bags around the house. It's rather annoying, but I think she gets it from me!

Disgraceful!  



Taking one box at a time, I have cleaned it all up and we now have one box for fake jewellery; one mini tin for hair clips (until I make a board myself) and one tub of hairbands.

And one ULTRA clean dresser - that MUST stay this way!



The tub of hair bands - now resides on the bathroom sink, ready for that mad daycare scramble first thing in the morning!!!



Such a simple idea - I don't know why I didn't think of it before!!! This has taken one little weight off my shoulders; I've been so bogged down, I just didn't know where to start and then started utilising 'small' containers that we had lying around. 5 small, messy containers was not helping the ever growing mess!!!

Cold = wool...

Finishing ONE scarf does not make me a seasoned knitter... It does however prompt me to buy more wool for the already overflowing boxes! Seriously I have issues. I have so many balls of wool now, that there is no way possible I could knit through them all in the next 25 years!!!

A trip to Spotlight today yielded these two balls of Moda Vera Beetle... destined to become a Gypsy Head Scarf (one day)

10x Balls of Cupcake to make a dress for Miss K... somebody stop me; I am forgetting that it took me FOUR months to finish her Milo last year AND TWELVE months to weave in the ends :o

And it only gets worse... These HUGE balls of wool were on special (ok they weren't on special, but I did save 25% off the above at Spotlight, so could totally justify these at Big W) but seriously... they are 400gms each. Destined to be crocheted into squares to make a blanket (far, far in the future)

Another 2 balls of grey... just because.

I am OFFICIALLY putting myself on a no-spend ban! I hereby pledge that I will NOT buy anymore wool, fabric or art supplies until I dwindle down some of what I have here already (I do NOT have the space for it all)

Does anyone else suffer this have to buy problem. I need help. It must STOP! Perhaps I need a new hobby :)   

Operation De-clutter ~ Part 3

Earlier in the year, I embarked on a little de-cluttering. I got as far as Part 1 followed a few weeks later by Part 2 and there it halted. Finishing work, operation & recovery had put a halt to that never ending job that is de-cluttering my home. After taking a break from all things 'house' related over the past three weeks, I am now back and raring to go. I look around and shudder and to make matters worse; the following has happened in quick succession rendering me breathless at the sheer enormity of the task ahead...

• A sparky came to put in new power-points, boxes got moved to the front room (currently known as the dumping room) so he could access the wall behind the desk
• While the sparky was here, the husband moved the toy rack into the dumping room (right smack bang in the middle, we can barely squeeze past it)
• Birthday girl turned 4 and with that came too many new presents that need to find homes... seriously she got TOO MANY PRESENTS!!! (not that we are not grateful & thankful for the gifts, it's just a bit mind boggling trying to think where to put everything)
• I am trying to combine a new room that will become a home office, sewing, crafting and scrap-booking (well art stuff) all in one, I am struggling to make it fit!!!   
• I started washing LOADS of fabrics the other day (due to a mouse problem) and now have an overflowing basket, blocking the doorway to the dumping room

It appears that the Dumping Room needs to be well... dumped? It is so bad, I don't want to take any before photos of it :( so over the next 6 weeks I am going to attack it. At this point, I don't care what the cost will be to get some semblance of order happening!!!

So first things first ~ I need a list to work to. One area at a time. Who's with me? Who wants to share photos???

1. Miss K's Hair accessories
2. Miss K's Toys
3. Miss K's Books
4. My Books
5. Garage
6. Old Clothes
7. Laundry
8. Dumping Room (to become play room)
9. Craft room / storage solutions
10. Tupperware cupboard

This should keep me busy for the next 6 weeks! I am intending on posting photos as I go, I think it will give me the push I need to keep on going!

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1. Hair Accessories {prep}

With any little girl it is a given that the hair bands, hair clips and pretty things for their hair just keep multiplying and I am getting a bit peeved not being able to find anything for her, when I need it. So this weeks organisation is getting that sorted! Although I want to help save the planet & limit buying more plastics, I also want to save my sanity so today I purchased this box at the reject shop for $5. A perfect place to store her hairbands and related paraphernalia. For her hair clips, I am tossing up making her a ribbon board? I am a little unsure how to go about this, but that can be my crafty project of the week.



Wish me luck!

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And on the subject of pretty hair things ~ check out these ULTRA cute hairbands my Aunty J made up for my daughter for her birthday!!! I LOVE that owl one at the front... do you think I am too old to be wearing them too?



She also included matching hair clips - gosh she is just too clever! I love, love, love them! And so does Miss K!



Thanks Aunty Jill :)

My Kitchen Messes - Cake Decorating

Practice must make perfect! After a perfect chocolate cake in the pudding steamer earlier today, it was just a hop, skip & a jump to decorate this one!

I got the idea from a mini mouse cake I saw online earlier in the week and with a bit of tweaking & winging it, to see where it would take me! I am absolutely loving the piping bag (now that I have the hang of it & know how to use it) how much fun is it to use? I think my next cake will be fully piped, so much fun! Makes me want to purchase a huge set of wilton tips ;) perhaps a good one for the Christmas list!

So this is for the girls 4th Birthday morning tea tomorrow morning! Strawberry shortcake! Didn't particularly like the dots on the cake, they need to be more redder (but no matter how much gel I used, I couldn't get the colour I wanted...) but no matter - the girl loves it & even daddy is impressed!

I can safely say that I will not be going into cake decorating, but hey I'm impressed that I managed something to this standard with my second ever attempt at fondant / piping (and 6th ever decorated cake) I'm very keen to muck about with some cupcake decorating now.

I am keen to know how people get their little designs to stay upright? This strawberry shortcake kept toppling over and messing my piping up... check out how I fixed that little problem :)

She is not going anywhere ~ quicksand anyone?

I still got it...

After Tuesdays cake disaster, I was a bit worried about attempting another cake today (this time in the pudding steamer) but I needn't of worried. One chocolate cake (2 cake mixes) and it has come out almost perfect! Ok so the top doesn't look all that great, but this will be cut off to make for a flat base!

All it needs now is to cool down, some fondant and a few decorations on the top and we will be ready for tomorrow's morning tea!



It appears I still got it!

Frenchy bag!

After sleeping on the little problem last night (see previous post) ~ I woke this morning inspired to fix my mistake and FINISH this Frenchy bag once and for all! I ended up sewing an extra piece to the top of the bag and re-cutting out the pattern - this time without the folded piece. By the time I had sewn together all the seams, the extra patch is barely noticeable *phew*

Fabric - Spotlight (the brown was in the decorating section and slightly heavier weight!

It is so cute, I was originally going to keep it for myself... but it's time I started giving back to the universe & this one is going to a special lady who is sharing a birthday with my baby girl - we can't forget that date!

I lined the inside with a vintage sheet from my collection. I opted to make just one pocket inside this bag and I decided to leave off the magnetic snap (too lazy and running out of time)

And I have quickly whipped up 2 birthday cards. Left one for my baby girl (who just loves Tangled!!!) and the one on the right is to go with the above present. I'm impressed that I have colour co-ordinated the card and the bag ;)

So that's a couple of this mornings list... I still haven't done the bookwork, nor have I started the cake - eek! It's nearly time to run out and do some errands and I'm thinking that dinner tonight will be the frozen pie instead of quiche. Oh well - can't be perfection every day now can we???

Thursday... To Do

Have a lot on the next few days... here's my list - let's hope I can keep to it and accomplish some stuff!

• Fix and finish Frenchy Bag for Nanna S
• Bake 1 x chocolate cake in pudding steamer.
• If any chocolate cake mix left over, make some cupcakes!
• IF 1x choc cake is destroyed... go to woolworths
• Make Card for Nanna S birthday
• Make Card for Miss K birthday
• Bookwork - wages, pay bills, load programs on new/old computer
• Delete old computer files   
• Phone anaesthetist for bill
• Claim Medicare / MBF on hospital
• Spend the measly amount I get back
• Find Wrapping paper (or make some)
• Wrap the girls presents for Saturday
• Clean the house
• Bake Quiche for tea
• Wash the clothes
• Wash ALL my fabrics after a silly little mouse pee'd on some of them :( *sob, sob, sob*
• Tidy craft room
• Finish wrap skirt for ME

Why some WIP should stay hidden in the cupboard...

Sometimes there is a reason why some WIP (work in progresses) are relegated to the cupboard.

Sometimes there is a part of the pattern I just don't get

Sometimes it's a simple case of boredom

Sometimes the unpicking job seems to big to even contemplate

AND

Sometimes there is a glaringly obvious mistake that you just don't know how to deal with and you throw it in the cupboard in the hopes it will right itself...

why didn't I check that the pattern piece wasn't FOLDED over before cutting my main panels :(

Now I have a main panel that is less than a cm too small and not enough fabric left to cut a new panel. The way I see it, 2 options remain... cut another smallish piece and try to get both pieces the same and deal with the mistake and bulk later. Cut down the bigger piece and try and tweak the pattern to make it fit a slightly different shape.

And I had my heart set on finishing this one and gifting it THIS weekend!!! :(

  

My Kitchen Messes ~ Cake Decorating

A long day in the kitchen, this was AFTER I had cleaned up the majority of the mess I made... at one point hubby dearest came in and went "holy crap" he made a hasty retreat when I banshee screamed at him to get out of my kitchen and quit his bitchen (I was under extreme stress by that point and generally don't banshee scream at him. let's blame those darn hormones... or the lack of sleep ~ either or works for me ;)

Note: the coffee... fortification for the day, this was the 2nd store bought large I had today :o

Earlier in the day, I had been trying to channel a 60's housewife... I had the look, I had the music, it appears I didn't have the knack or know how in the kitchen :( Cake number 1 = Disaster!!! Note to self: Stick to the recipes you know of, do NOT attempt a white wings angelic cake mix EVER AGAIN!!!

By this stage it was 1pm... I had the choice of using the last box of cake mix left in the house, or hotfooting it back over to the shops (20 mins away) and hope like heck one of the local Woolworths had a plain double sponge. They did & I grabbed a few more boxes of BUTTERCAKE mix too. And some chocolate drops to make some cake pops with the above disaster.

2.5 hours spent slaving away ~ I finally produced my masterpiece! It is supposed to be a trampoline (I think I did pretty good - agreed???)   

My first ever attempt with fondant (well... ready made icing) it is a wee bit un-even in places and the sides didn't end up going on as I envisaged in my head. Actually upon closer inspection the fondant appears to be a bit streaky on this side. Butterfly candles from the shops!

My first attempt at piped 'grass' and fondant flowers. Actually for all it's wonky-ness and streaky and not smooth at all, I LOVE IT! and what matters most is my babe loves it too!

She is so excited about the 2 mini Blythes and can't believe they are all hers after we have cake tomorrow!

I got the idea from here (oh gosh, really don't click on the link... that cake looks PERFECT next to my sad attempt!!!)

I will try and get a better photo tomorrow in the sunshine!     

The Housewife

After a long weekend, half of it spent curled up on the couch in pain, today I am feeling nearly human again & apart from some residual cranky hormones earlier this morning (which could be blamed on a late night... finishing a 420p book at 11pm, that I only started yesterday afternoon at 3pm :O YES... I actually read a book in one sitting! Haven't done that for several years!!!)

This week is the busiest week of the year for me with my dear little girls 4th Birthday this weekend :) No party this year as I wasn't sure I'd be up to catering for everyone, so we are doing a simple morning tea cake and coffee... however I did promise her 2 cakes, one for her friends from mummies group which is tomorrow morning.

I have donned my CurlyPops apron, clashing red shoes (complete with a black & grey stripe shirt makes for a weird colour combo)

I am channelling my inner 60's housewife... the rock 'n' roll collection is blaring.

Cake decorating supplies at the ready while I await the cake that is baking in the oven.

And of course, no day at home would be complete without this little man getting under my feet and hoping that I drop some cake crumbs... you know cause he is so underfed *rolling eyes*

To pass the time while the cake bakes, I am off to make a skirt for me... cause I totally need the stress of another project THIS week!!! LOL

Sunday Journalling

I've not accomplished much on this grey, dreary, COLD Sunday (yes apparently QLD has realised it's winter and we have just had one of the coldest days recorded in 85 years or something!!! thank gosh I finished my scarf before that cold snap! This afternoon I have pottered about and finished off another journal page; an idea that came to me at 10pm earlier in the week. This one is all about the flowers, perhaps it's the influx of fresh flowers that arrived on my doorstep post operation, or the many boxes of Roses chocolates that ended up in my tummy. Either way, it's bringing a pretty splash of colour to an otherwise dreary week.

I love how Art Journalling can be ANYTHING, I had the idea to use the Ferrero Rocher wrappers as my flower basis - combined with button centres and ribbon stems, I think they came out pretty darn cute (even for a brown flower ;)

I love how my Art Journal is bulging at the seams. Filled to the brim with bright colours, buttons, ribbons, lace, paint, fabric, paper and words. It has been an epic journey of discovery for me and I love flicking back through my pages to see how I have evolved since starting it in April 2010.

I love that I have the confidence now to pull of a page by myself, without needing to look for inspiration. I still have lists of inspiration from all over the world wide web to use when I need that little oomph, but then days like today and idea just falls into my noggin and I get a page that I just adore!

I still have 20 odd blank pages to fill in this book, then I can move on to a new journal... I have found more online groups that I am dying to start, but for now I am content to keep pottering away with this book.

What has filled your Sunday with fun?

My Kitchen Messes - cake making!

Welcome to my first instalment of - MY KITCHEN MESSES!
A place to see what's cooking in my kitchen, while I'm doing it & as I have no rules, I thought I'd share the messes instead! Don't be misled, even though I make an absolute MESS when I cook, most things usually end up ok (I did say most things!)

Little Miss K turns FOUR next weekend and this year I made the decision NOT to have a party :( instead we are going to have 2 morning teas this coming week with her mums group friends and another with her family / close friends. Of course this takes the pressure off me - no invites, no party food and no stressing (though I generally do love throwing a good party) instead I am opting to make TWO cakes... yes - TWO!!!

The last few years of birthday cakes have been dubious, but the absolute joy on Miss K's face when she sees my finished creation is enough to make me want to come back and do more! Last years cake - the mushroom - was always going to be hard to top, but this year we have picked 2 that will surpass the one mushroom!

This year I am going one step further and using FONDANT - eeek... I tried using ready made icing last year and had an absolute disaster with streaky coloured stepping stones up the garden path. After seeing my friend colour some fondant a beautiful bright pink for her daughter last year I figured it couldn't be that difficult - right? So I raided the cupboard yesterday morning and pulled out a bar of almond icing (ick... not sure what possessed me to buy that one) that was slightly out of date. I figured it would be a good practice run on adding colour and seeing if I could get something decent... well I think I did it! One nice green piece of fondant made from that yucky coloured almond fondant and Green food colouring.

Miss K decided that helping me would be fun... and messy (thus the name of my meme!)    

Of course... being able to colour the fondant that glorious green makes me think I am now a cake decorator (*choke* I'm sure I will be singing a different tune come Tuesday afternoon!) and with any newly established cake decorator... you need supplies right? So I swung by the local cake shop (didn't even know it was there) and bought myself some new bits and pieces. I also bought myself a brand new round cake tin because when I pulled out this vintage cake cooker that was my late nan's I realised that it wouldn't quite fit my vintage tupperware cake storer (that was my mum's) and at 10" I thought it was a bit too large for what I'm trying to achieve.   

  

So why am I showing you the vintage cake cooker... no reason really except to show it off. Burnt bits and all, I love it!!! If I wasn't already booked in to make two cakes this week, I would be baking a cake for my family this cold winters day!!!