29 April, 2010

My Creative Space

More blocks are in production here this week. I have to get my Madeit shop filled again after it suddenly all disappeared. Also have to fill orders as well so there isn't much else for me right now. Well this is my day time play. At night I have a little embroidery for in front of the tv! (Very important as the new Amazing Race starts tonight!) Anyway, stay tuned for some more sets of puzzle blocks in there soon.


Today I also have to fit in a bunch of baking for a ladies dessert night fundraiser which I have tomorrow night. Should be good, or rather yummy. I can't post pics of the baking yet though as they aren't baked!


To check out some other more interesting creative spaces visit Kirsty.

24 April, 2010

I'm still about! Really I am!

I've been waiting to get a picture of my top for Spring Top week over at Made by Rae. It's taken a while. I did finish it last weekend. But I wasn't happy with it, so I needed to take it to mum's so she could pin the sides where I wanted it taken in a bit. It flares out on the pattern quite a bit & it was making it feel very maternity like. So I finally got it taken in & finally got a new picture today. It looks ok. I am glad I can put it away in the cupboard now until Spring as it is only Autumn here in Aussie right now. I won't be sick of it then I hope & maybe I will even wear it.


Info about it is that it is the Summer Fling pattern by Make it Perfect. I did a large size. I was hoping it would fit as the measurements didn't go up to my bust size. But it fits well. I did make the sash that goes with it but won't be wearing it. I can't wear it under my bust. Makes me look pregnant & I really cannot be bothered with questions about if I am or not! & I'm not! I can't wear the sash around my waist as it just slides up. Not a good look.


The fabric is Sunwashed by Sweetwater for Clothworks. I used the blue daisy version for the main fabric. Then needed a contrast. Was tricky to find something to go with the shade of blue so ended up with the white version of the same for the contrast. Looks ok.


I may see if I can find some other fabric now that is meant to be used for clothing & try another one to see if it hangs or sits better. Maybe if this one gets washed a lot & softens a bit it may hang better. It's not awful I don't think, but well, I don't really know. But I would like to experiment with some other fabric sometime. It won't be now for spring top week anyway. I have had the pattern for a while & Spring Top week was good motivation to get it made just because I needed to try it. The standard of the tops over there is very high so I was a bit reluctant but here I am all the same entering just for the heck of it.


Other than that, it has been a busy week with all sorts of house type stuff going on, plus a bit of work & stuff. It's all good.


I have Thai Pumpkin soup in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. I just made Anzac biscuits because it seemed appropriate since tomorrow is Anzac day & I made cheese sticks too which are for BJ to try. Something else to keep him interested in food, or get him to eat something else anyway. It's all good.


Happy Weekend!

15 April, 2010

Creative Space

This is my Creative Space for this week. I have been working on this colourful stripey crochet. Not far to go till it's done now!


To check out some other Creative Spaces this week check out Kootoyoo.


Red & yellow & pink & green,
Purple & orange & blue
Sing a Rainbow

12 April, 2010

Remember these flowers?

I made them the other week & I said they were destined to be something else....


Well here is one anyway!



My friend Karen is a scrapbooker. This is her card for this weeks Magnolia Down Under Challenge. She has put one of my flowers on it! Cute huh? The theme for their challenge this week is Olden Days - using only black, white & grey to colour the image & old looking papers. So crochet fits in with that pretty well (even though it is making a comeback)! lol


So there you go! I am now making scrapbook accessories! Hahahahaha...


I'll stick with you baby for a thousand years
Nothings gonna touch you in these golden years, gold
Golden years, gold
Golden Years - David Bowie

11 April, 2010

Five Favs

1. Coca Cola cupcakes - These are just the coolest thing.


Check out Bakerella for these & other terrific cool ideas! I need to go & find a bunch of Aussie substitutes for the stuff they use on all the cakes, but these cola ones are awesome. Being a collector of coke things I am really in awe! Also terribley jealous of these cool bottles. They were obviously only a special type in the USA in 2008. Oh well, another thing for me to find one day to add to the collection.


2. Day-O by the Wiggles - Sad but true. If I could work out how to put the clip from youtube on here I would but that will be a job for another day. ICheck Spellingt's pretty cute though. We have just opened the dvd with this on it. "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - complete with special guest Leo Sayer (which isn't necessarily a favourite but it adds some more interest to it I guess!)


3. Sunny Days - bit of a lack of these at the moment but it is easier to let the kid play outside a bit during the day to use up some of that energy.


4. Clever people in blogland - the people that make pretty blog apparel for you to wear on your blog to make yourself look more interesting! Thanks to clever people in blogland!


5. Homegrown food - Just spent an hour juicing apples. How cool. Didn't make a dent in the apples we have though. Picked some capsicums & chopped them to freeze. Picked some spinach. Will probably have that with the Lamb Pot Pie out of the current issue of Donna Hay mag for dinner. Have the beetroot boiling on the stove right now.

To see some more favs visit here.

Raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles & warm woollen mittens.
My fav things - Sound of Music

10 April, 2010

Soggy Saturday

... so some baking was in order. Had a few very ripe bananas that were calling out to be made into bread so I tried this recipe for Coconut Banana Bread. It is really good. The coconut isn't strong but you can just detect it. Very nice fresh out of the oven. Tomorrow I will toast some for breakfast & see how it is then. Yum.


I also gave the blog a makeover which you will have noticed. I finally found something I was happy with to change it too. Still had to try on a few different things, but did this time! I hope it doesn't confuse you if you are used to seeing me brown & spotty! lol


A beautiful bunch of ripe bananas
Daylight come & me wanna go home
Day-O - Harry (& also the Wiggles! lol)

08 April, 2010

My Creative Space

I am in the middle of more sets of blocks! One set almost done, one set ready to go. Simple. I will have a couple of new sets on madeit in a few days or as soon as I get them finished - which ever comes first.


Check out other peoples much more interesting creative spaces this week at Kootoyoo.


05 April, 2010

Five Faves

Five favourites for this week? Tricky! Can I come up with 5 after the week I've had? Let's see...


1. Crochet - An easy thing to pick up & create inbetween other stuff, even for 5 minutes of R'n' R & sanity.


2. Books - that you can read while you have a kid laying on you for a few hours cos he is too grumpy or sick or just plain horrible & he can't do anything else right now!


3. The Library - for a new supply of Wiggles dvds for the long weekend for a bit of variety.


4. The Wiggles - ok, if you don't have kids & haven't really watched any of them, they really are quite a talented bunch, who really put a lot of effort into the more recent dvds they have out & they really are quite entertaining (the first time round - not so much after the 7th time) for big people too! & hey, we just watched the special one with the Pink Wiggle (Kylie!!!). A rather entertaining song! lol


5. Long weekends - Extra good is a long weekend with DAD home - Yay!!! Especially great with a sick, grumpy or just plain horrible kid so you have someone else to help you out. (when kid allows help from someone other than the mum that is!!! )


To see some other favourite things for this week check out Meet me at Mike's.


These are a few of my favourite things...
Sound of Music

04 April, 2010

Hope you are having a Happy Easter!

I am hoping mine gets happy!!! Too tired right now to do much though there is much to do with some people coming for lunch. The sickies are better but the kid has got major teething problems. Well we assume that. That is also probably what made him sick as well though the other day. Who knows! But we had a VERY long night. Even with the extra hour due to the end of daylight savings. So now I have sent the boys out to get some more teething relief which we had unfortunately run out of. Plus he took BJ to the park at the Bluff for a play. Hopefully he is getting worn out & will have a sleep this afternoon. He sure needs it. (makes two of us!)


Before the drama of the night though last night I did have a ta-dah moment myself! First picture is the cushion from the other week along with a stool I scored a couple of weeks back.



Ta-Dah


One covered stool! I am a bit excited about it. I was using a pattern of Lucy's again... for the flat circle. Only problem was that it was too much circle. I had almost the whole top done. & I had way too much for the cover. I needed to remove 2 whole segments of the shaping to make it flat. So I undid it. Rolled all my little colours up & put them in a row to use again. Then I had to refigure it. I am pretty mathemically challenged at the best of times, but I finally figured out a new centre size & the additional stitches needed to make a not to much circle but an octagon. It went flat! Yay for me! I did follow the theory behind Lucy's circle though so I still did hdc all over. I actually like those the best I think. It is nice & filled in as a result. Then I stopped increasing at the top edge & it went down just nicely. Then I did a few extra rows below the bottom of the seat & added elastic through the second last row & voila.... one lovely fitted seat cover! It only took the week really. The week before I worked on the other top that was too big. This week I was also really busy so I think that is pretty good! Got to love the speed of crochet!

The pic below shows another granny square cushion cover on the back of the chair. I did that the weeks before the stool cover. I haven't been able to finish it off into a cover yet as I don't have a jumper to chop up yet for the backing. So eventually it will be done & they all match so pretty. If you haven't worked it out, they are all done in the same 8 colours. It's only acrylic but now I know I can do it I may need to go & try some wool crochet next! But not yet... Still stash busting. I was very good in March. I spent $5.50 on some wool at the op shop & that is the only stash I got all month! Well done me! It was hard at times.

Ok, I had better go & start some food prep. Actually I had better go & change the clocks so I don't keep giving myself a shock each time I look.

Happy Easter to you
Happy Easter to You
Happy Easter to everyone
Happy Easter to You.

PS... edited to add I think I have broken a toe too, this afternoon smacking it into the wall. Bugger & ouch! At least dinner was yummy!

01 April, 2010

It's been a funny couple of days...

...with sick boys at home. The big boy & the little boy aren't themselves. So when I do get a second with out having to hold the little fella I have been getting stuck into a bit of crochet again.


My carrot I started at mum's shop the other day when I had to go there for a little while. I had a pattern that I couldn't figure out so I just tried it out freestyle! Guess it kind of worked! I was pretty impressed with it anyway, & so was BJ who wanted to eat it of course. Better not let the dog have it as she loves carrots & she will run away with it. If I can find the pattern again I will link it, but I am not sure where it is now. I did follow the carrot top pattern that was there though. I found it just by googling crochet carrot.


The blue & green egg I did today. Um... well that is debatable. Is 6am really today or last night? Yes I was up by then, in fact I had already been up for an hour & had 2 cuppas so thought I had better do something productive but quiet. So I did the egg that I had seen the pattern for the other day. It's here at Kundhi. I think mine is a bit bigger than it should be but I just went with what I had in scrap & it's a good size anyway to play with!



Now I have become a florist. What do you think of my beautiful bunch of flowers? The 5 small ones on the right are from Lucy's cool blog. The big one under them is from a book from the library, Crochet Scarves. I probably won't make any scarves out of it but I had to do the flower. I think it is my favourite flower of them all. The rest of the flowers I just made up as I went so they are all a bit different. Some are good & some are ok... I don't think any of them are terrible at least.




Most of the flowers if not all are destined for a new home. They are going to be used somewhere quite different I think. We'll see, as they may be too big for their intended use. Stay tuned though as I may be able to show you sometime where they end up.


So that's my afternoon. Flowers. BJ has been sleeping & sleeping so that's good as that is the best for him. When he wakes up we have a bunch of The Wiggles dvds from the library to watch. Good timing with a 4 day weekend ahead! Hopefully he is better soon though. Also hope the big fella is better soon. It will be a crappy weekend for him otherwise but it may also be what he needs to get over this virus.


Photobucket


Flowers are red young man,
& green leaves are green.
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.
Flowers are Red - Harry Chapin