Saturday

This morning I woke up and had absolutely nothing pressing to do. 

The relief...

I think we all needed it. October's been busy; extra shifts at work, a home-stay student, a birthday and school camp to name but a few events going on... none of it blogged and although I feel a bit sad about that, I just lost my blogging mojo and felt stuck. Stuck for words and stuck for time. 

I just decided to concentrate on my family and be in the moment. I thought I would know when I felt un-stuck. But really, it wasn't until today, when Rubes asked me to find a particular photo, that I found myself trawling back through my blog and realising why I started it in the first place. Pure and simple, it's a record for me; just to chart my family's progress as we move through our days. So although I still feel sludgy and slow, I'm getting back on the blog-wagon.

So, as we head into November, this is what's going on at my place today.

Washing. Always washing. We're experiencing a heat-wave this week; not great for my new seedlings just gone in, but it does mean my laundry dries in record time; smelling sweet and fresh.

Quiet time on the day bed with Smokey this morning. A cup of tea, a good book and one whole hour to ourselves.

Coffee made on the atomic and savoured slowly.

Birthday lights giving Stella's room a lovely cosy glow at night.

Tomatoes, some planted, some self-seeding and some growing out of the guinea pig poo!

Bunting. It's going in the Christmas baskets for the teachers. It's not really Christmassy material, but it's red and green and I like it. And I think they will too.

Each one is 2 metres long. I've added some elastic rounds at the ends for hanging.

There's bits from old dresses, pillowcases and donated stuff, along with some good quality remnant offcuts.

My little craft guru Ruby is constantly making. Activity books are always a popular choice.  Gosh I love her stuff.

Go, on, tell me what you would draw...!

PK went grocery shopping, which was great because I just didn't feel like it. He came home with this whole watermelon which we cut into huge chunks and ate with spoons. Which makes me happy. 

Summer is coming and I am going to embrace it. There is so much goodness to be had in summer. Hot days, cool swims. Warm nights, gentle fan breezes. Mangoes. Holidays. Family.

Happy weekend. xxx

stills: holidays

 1.  hardy seaside plants.

 2.  my two...

 3.  holiday ear piercing (and a smattering of freckles).

 4.  softies for friends.

 5.  rock pools with family.

 6.  lettuce babies gifted from a friend.

 7.  another present from another friend..lucky me.

 8.  making anzacs...

 9.  just out of the oven...

10. tea and biscuits...delicious.

11. a "homework book" for me, courtesy of Ruby. Full of word searches and other creative tasks.

dress making

dress: 

made from an op shop find, two dollars for about two metres of blue and white striped cotton.

(swimming bag made from same material)

lace edging:

from think kids noosa.

pattern:

homemade pattern; it's copied from a dress we bought in Target some months back.

Stella likes simple dresses. Light and easy to wear, simple fastenings, not fussy; at most a lace trim. No doilies or pockets required. Can be worn barefoot on the beach or in the garden, or with sparkly sandals if dressing up is required. Not that we dress up around here very much. 

Barefoot is best, I think.

sew sweet swap surprise

Arriving in the mail on Tuesday was this lovely surprise parcel. From Louise at Life with Lou, this zippered pouch is delightful in every way. The material is just beautiful; the piping adds a professional finish and the shape of the bag is just so attractive.

Note the pleasing curve of the pouch...!

It's also beautifully lined and full of exciting treasures...

 I just love doilies. I actually collect them, when I can find them for a good price, and I've used them before on various craft projects, from decorations on my shopping bags to pockets on my daughter's dresses. So I was absolutely thrilled to find three pristine and beautiful doilies enclosed.

Also gifted; a beautiful piece of remnant fabric which has various crafty ideas buzzing round my brain... headscarf? I'm sure my mum has a dress like this somewhere...

But when I got to the edible goodies, I had a moment... It's like Lou already knows me. Chocolate coffee beans!!! OMG I love these! 

Super size Freddo Frogs.. I'm not ashamed to say these didn't last long...

Here's my cat ,Smokey, joining the action on this photo shoot.

 But wait! There was more...crochet hooks. Now I know Lou is reading my mind. Crocheting is on my to-achieve list this year. No excuses now. And this set is gorgeous. The handles with their gloopy bubble appearance is reminding me of lava lamps. Super cute.

Just had to put this in. On the card enclosed there's a cat which is very similar in appearance to Smokey (just orange eyes, instead of the green of hers)

Such a beautiful gift. Thank you so much, Lou. I love everything in it. And I love your blog. This was my first sew sweet swap and it was very special to be able to take part. 

Cheers to Cat for organising and executing this swap so smoothly. I'll definitely be back next year. (Hopefully with some improved sewing skills!)

back to crafting and other snippets

With the kids back at school and some deadlines looming, it was really time for me to get my crafting hat back on. First thing on the list was a clean and service of my sewing machine; which worked so hard over the pre- Christmas season. With that done, and a new needle in place, I'm addressing this project. Just got to pop a button on so I can roll it up. It's a handy shopping bag, pattern from Pinterest and I've made several of these now. It's in my swap partner's requested colours of green, blue and yellow. She's a modern gal, from the sounds of it, so I'm not sure what she'll make of these retro/recycled fabrics. We'll see...

So; just to fill with chocolate and post by Friday. Yep, that's possible.

On the birthday front (I turned 45 last week), my very special friend Cheryl gave me these divine knitting needles from House of Prentice. Handcrafted out of Australian hardwood, beautifully finished and wrapped, with a handmade card, this gift brought a little tear to my eye. 

 (apologies for the out-of focus snap..hmm )

(featured here with Zara's lovely cushion)

I haven't used such large needles before but I'm really looking forward to trying them out. I've been looking through Pinterest for some inspiration on large and chunky knitting, but I could really do with some advice too.

And just to round off, I'm back with enthusiasm into baking. This banana cake is a modified version of Kate's recipe, from her Vantastic book, which I also received for my birthday. I didn't have any almond meal on hand, so I just substituted with some oats and shredded coconut, and chucked in a generous handful of choc-chips for good measure. Just delicious and so very easy. 

Anyone else out these regularly knit with 12mm needles?

What do you make?

Where should I search for inspiration?

Please share!

making..

I made this dress yesterday. 

I cut the pattern from newspaper, using a top I'd bought for Stella some years back as inspiration.

And just kinda made up the sizing as I went along..

I left it hanging on her door last night. This morning she came wandering out in it, sleepy-eyed, with a huge smile. 

She likes it. And it fits perfectly...

material: 

main fabric donated to me by my Mum, when she moved up here and downsized.

sleeves and contrast material: an old beach dress of mine.

pocket:

a thrifted doily.

orange lace edging:

 from this beautiful shop.