from basket to bag.

While it has been very wet and raining
for our last day of winter.
i decided to have another go at the basket pattern
and turn it into a shoulder bag.
it was so much easier to do the second time around
and i can think of lots of nice bags for summer
in the making.

i did each side slightly different
and a nice long handle to cross over my shoulder
so it doesn't slip off every time i lean over.
it has rained here so much in the past 24 hours that the creek
only 500 metres or so for our place, is already over the 2 metre mark.
unfortunately it is pitch black outside at the moment
so i though i would post a pic of last time it was that high so you can get a idea.
there is a road that runs parallel to the bridge and is about 2 and a bit metres
below the bottom of this bridge somewhere......

it's so amazing that by tomorrow it will have already reseeded
by more than half...and will be heading down stream...

favorite plate.

this is one of my favorite plates

it's by J & G Meakin
and it's from the sunshine series
and called "lost horizon"
i really know nothing about it
so if anyone does could you leave me a comment
that would be great...
the detail is magnificent and I'm thinking it
was a war time series thing as there is the plane at the top
of the plate and the man in the picture looks
like he has a uniform on.
i think they would have been made
for displaying not using as square plates
would have not be that "in" back then.
that's not to say i haven't seen a lot,
because i have seen some really nice square ones but i really
don't recall my grandmother using square plates on a daily bases.

tonight i still have our fire going
and it is rather nippy to say the least.
if spring is in 3 days time i think it's having a memory
laps or something.

comfort food?

This is tonight's dinner
fryed veggies on toast...
now I'm not a vegetarian but over the past 6 years
or so since I've ran our restaurant
i have a great appreciation for the good old veg...
i par cook mine in the microwave first
in freezer bags (speeds up the time)
but do remember to pierce holes in the bags!!!
it only takes about 3-5 mins depending on the size and type etc
i heat up some olive oil in a fry pan
toss in some wedges of onion then the par cooked veggies
add some chopped fresh mint and when almost ready
splash in some balsamic vinegar
serve on toast with feta cheese and more mint on top
done...
this only takes about 10 - 15 mins from start to finish
now the reason i question why it's comfort food is that the strange
thing is i do tend not to eat when i have a lot happening
or "stressing me" at the time...
my oldest and dearest has flown the coup so to speak
(well he is 19 after all)
but of course like all sudden move outs it was due to a tiff, initially...
of course i drove down today and delivered the first of what will
be many a "mummy" care package, you know the usual
more towels, clothes, kitchen utensils,
and the stop off at the supermarket
bread, milk, noodles, chicken tonight,
flour, sugar, something to cook for dinner
for the next few days.......
I'm sure it was cheaper to have him at home!!!

plus this is one of many things happening in my life at the moment
not all of which are sad
some really exciting thing are happening as well.

but i think any mum's out there who have sons
realize that when they leave home something different happens
and that is because you feel that someone else
(namely a girlfriend or special life partner - can't discriminate)
will now replace you and when you have daughters
they seem to stay around, ask advise, show you what their doing etc.
(i suppose not always thou) but in most cases!!!

I'm not ready to be replaced
and as much as i know my son loves me lots
and cares about me even more
he is now growing into a man...
and one minute I'm so proud and the next i want to cry...
(i don't know i think I'm prattling now)

anyway its something i needed to just say...
thanks for listening it means a lot.

stirfry

made up a stir fry last night
and haven't got a after shot as it went that quick
here's how i do mine

fry up some chicken (or beef)
in a little olive oil until brown then
chuck in some veggies
(capsicum, Spanish onion,broccoli, zucchini, etc)
fry up a bit more but not till its mushie
pour in some oyster sauce, soy sauce and honey
now how much you put in is a bit rough as i will test as i go
but as a gauge
2-3 tablespoons oyster sauce, 3-4 teaspoons soy sauce
and about 1-2 tablespoons of honey
at the same time cook up your udon noodles
and drain and throw them in at the last minute

hakubaku are the ultimate
and only take 8 mins in hot water
they taste very real...
i bought mine at woolworthsso happy cooking...

muffins

what to do on a freezing cold day?
crank up the oven and cook a batch of muffins
i found this recipe on nigella

chocolate chip muffins
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda
2 tablespoons quality cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup choc chips
put into bowl mix up
250mls milk 90 ml veg oil
1 egg
1 tspn vanilla essence
whisk up and pour into dry ingredients
mix both together
bake at 180 degrees for about 20 mins
makes 12

little miss prefers to lick the bowl...yum.
the finished muffins...
didn't last long though!

basket

i made this little basket after finding it on
spoon full of sugar

i then went to their link and found the tutorial
on pink penguin
it was very easy to follow
and the only thing i would change for my next one
would be to shorten the handles
and use something lighter to pad it.
i used cotton batting which while beautiful to touch
it did made it quiet thick and hard to sew through all the layers.
so i ended up putting a very funky trim around the top.

photo fun

i found this really fun site
here
and you can easily upload your
pics and place them in their "scenes"
i really like minis as our parents had one when we were young.
totally impractical having 2 kids
and the only mode of transport is a mini
very cozy as you can imagine.

and a billboard with your very own "ad"

check it out its lots of fun ...

Aunty cookie

where to start?

except!!!
I'm so loving these little cuties.
after receiving the fab material from
my new favorite designer
AUNTY COOKIE
i, begin the doll maker i am.
could not help myself but
take her wonderful design and inspiration
and turn it into a little treasure to hold.
of course this will only be for auntycookie and myself
as after all the true design is and will always be hers.this one in red is for auntycookie
as i know from many reads of her blog
that red is a favorite of hers.
she is now in the "safe?" hands of Aussie post

the burgundy is my little treasure
and takes pride of place in the house.
what i mean by this is she tends to get moved
around the house to where ever I'm plonking myself
down.
its always so nice to find original things
and fabric is something that is so mass produced
that sometimes we think its easier to pop into
a shop and grad whatever takes our fancy at the time.
but if we took a bit of time and sourced creative designers out
it turns a good project into something that is not only
treasured by the maker but the designer of it as well.

i love making my dolls but i will admit
that usually i start and they turn out the way they want to.
but as i made these i felt a need to represent the true unique
quality of someone else's creation,
which while tricky made it so much more rewarding.
so grad some fabric that really "makes your day"
and start sewing....

mail

just got some brilliant mail
i ordered these wonderful
things from
aunty cookie
she not only makes these fab screen prints
but she is very witty
and her blog is a must read
she was even in real living mag recently
and also has great flickr pics that you can check out.
and i love this little printed strip

can't think of what to put it
on as i want to put it on everything!!!

all of the little girls are just the cutest ever!!!

she is based in Melbourne and has a store on etsy

and ordering was very easy
and fast.

This Month

Three things that make me smile!
i took a leaf out of linoforests blog and thought i would
post 3 things that are worth a mention this month.
the first is of course little miss having a birthday
i love the look on kids faces as they open there presents.
it is also my nephews birthday
so a big birthday kiss to him...

the second is our wedding anniversary
yes what only seems like yesterday
has been over 15 years
WOW
i loved our wedding day
the dress, the flowers,the location,
and of course our family that shared it with us.

the third is my little sister arriving home from america
it has been a long 5-6 years since they have been gone
and so much in there lives has changed
but at least her aussie accent is still intact.
edit : so sorry but the idea came from
spin spin
but do checkout lino forest as well
she has very funky handmade things...

Four.

little miss turned 4 this week

wow four years has flown...
i made up these cupcakes for little miss
to take to pre-school
its a great idea as all the kids get to have
one without the hassle of cutting a big cake up etc.

she loves pink at the moment and like all kids
ate the icing off the top
luckily i made a few extras for when she got home.
on another subject
i want to thank everyone that leaves comments on our blog
believe it or not
they
brighten my day.
and inspire me to push myself a bit further
creatively and imaginatively.
THANKS!

Right Royal Betty

RIGHT ROYAL BETTY
Just thought i would come up with
a bit of a kitschy "queen"
the rollers in the hair was something I've wanted
to try for a while and could not resist
the colour combo.
she's very bright and cheery.
would love a little ditty to go with her
but I'm getting a bit stuck.
it will probably come to me later.
I could make a few with this style,
I'm feeling very 50's at the moment
you know the curlers,hills hoist,wooden pegs
fluffy slippers and my all time favorite
"I love Lucy"look...

My UFO

These are some pictures of my ufo
it has been at this stage for some 2 years "believe it"
i started it about 9 years ago and it only needs some backing
material and then i was planning on sending
it away to be quilted.
its a queen size and i know i should have ironed it
for the pictures but its to darn big!

it has 12 of the flower patterns and a pretty scalloped edge
i am hoping by blogging about it i will
"pull my finger out" and get it finished
here's hoping...