Don't ya' Just LOVE a New Bag!!!

Last night I cut into some more Heather Bailey fabric to finally make MYSELF a bag. I always seem to be making them for everyone else...so it was my turn. And I was sort of experimenting with a few 'new to me' techniques, so I wouldn't want to pass that on to anyone else in case it didn't work. As it turns out though, the bag was a success. I used the same pattern from 'Last-Minute Fabric Gifts', but I tried lining it with interfacing to stiffen it a bit. I also lined the straps too and did some extra rows of stitching on the straps to make them stronger. The only problem I've had, is the interfacing doesn't seem to have stuck to the fabric properly in a few areas. There are a few lumpy spots. I've never used interfacing for bags before so it's completely new to me. Perhaps I've used the wrong thing? Does anyone have any suggestions or a better type of interfacing to use?

I've had a very productive 'home' day today. It's amazing how good you feel after getting stuck into some dreaded housework and washing (it's just the getting started bit that I have trouble with). This morning was spent cleaning the house, followed by a quick trip to Coles for some groceries. Then this afternoon I've done three loads of washing and made dessert for tonight. I made an English recipe (I'm assuming.....well, it came from an English lady anyway!!!) called Syllabub??? No idea how to spell it but it tastes amazing. But then, I am a sucker for anything citrussy. It's basically made up of lemon and orange rind and juice, a little caster sugar and a tub of double thick cream, all poured over some sponge finger biscuits and left to set in the fridge. Yum, Yum, Yum!!!

Check These Out!!!

A quick photo-free post today to let you know I've added a few new blogs to my list of 'Blogs I Love To Read'.

Tree Fall Design has some fabulous, beautifully made goodies.

I Love Milk and Cookies is obviously all about food. There are some great recipes and fantastic photography.

Of Paper and Thread is a lovely WA (Bunbury) based blog. Lots of beautiful handmade things.

And lastly, Elemental Stitches is a GREAT blog for tutorials. There's so many on her blog, from making children's clothes to housey bits and pieces. Megan, you'll love this one.

So just in case you had absolutely nothing to do over the weekend, this should keep you busy for a while. Enjoy!!!

'My List of Stuff I Did'...

I was struggling for a title for today's post so who better to ask than a seven year old!!! And of course, her suggestion was...'My List of Stuff I Did'!!!

1. My sister and I swapped kids for the night last night...I had her boy, Conor (eight years old...sleeping over with Will) and Chloe slept at my sisters house with her eleven year old girl, Cayley. It's a lovely swap where the brothers and sisters get a break from each other. We often do this in the school holidays. This morning, the boys and I decided to bake a chocolate cake. I had to search lots of recipe books for a recipe. I suddenly realised how I get so caught up with cooking the 'fancy food', that I seemed to have forgotten about the everyday goodies. Soooooooo, we found the perfect recipe and got to work. With a bit of icing and sprinkles, it turned out delicious.

2. My lovely cousin Carolyn (who was one of my bridesmaids when I was married twelve years ago) had her first baby just before Christmas...a little girl called Madison Sienna. I can't wait to meet her tomorrow. So last night I embellished a couple of plain singlets with some cuteness to go with a few other gifts I bought for her baby a while ago. And I couldn't help but feel some yearning for when Chloe and Will were small, delicate little babies. How life changes so quickly. But the cruel irony is that when you're stuck in the middle of a baby keeping you up all night, rarely sleeping during the day, demanding your attention every minute, you feel as though it's NEVER going to end!!! But it does!!! And although I wouldn't wish those sleepness nights back again, I would do anything to cuddle my own helpless, beautiful, little baby again. Oooooohhhhh, am I sounding just a bit clucky???

3. And finally, a spunky hairdo I did in no more than three minutes today for Chloe with our new Trash Ties (it's the really long Trash Tie). As I've said before, they're great!!! Chloe has picked this hairstyle as the winner for her first day back to school this year!

Hope you all got through 'Your List of Stuff You Did' today too!!!

My 'BLOB' called Blossom...

Aren't little kids adorable with the way they interpret things. This afternoon, I set the kids up with some flat little wooden popstick style people for them to decorate with fabric, textas etc. Will decided he wanted to take it a step further and make a bed for his wooden doll (actually, it originally started out as a skateboard, then he changed his mind and made it a bed). He asked me to make a tiny little pillow for it. When they had both finished decorating, Will asked me if I was going to write about it on my....."B-L-O-B". I love it when they misinterpret things. I always ask them to repeat themselves, just so I can have an extra giggle to myself. Yep, I was right the first time....he called my blog, a blob!!! So cute.

I took the kids to Spotlight this morning (of course, it was for very selfish reasons....I had a Christmas voucher to spend!!!). I told the kids they could choose a little craft each to do. That's where the wooden popstick people came from. I decided I wanted to spend my voucher on a cutting mat and a rotary cutter so I can learn how to make quilts. Of course, I spent three times the amount of my voucher, but I'm certainly very well set up now. Spotlight had a clearance table for all their quilting fabrics and they were marked down to $3.00 per metre. I found this gorgeous aqua and floral fabric that had originally been $18.95 per metre....BARGAIN!!! I've already used most of it making another table runner, a small coffee table mat, a cushion and a little drink coaster. I wish I'd bought more, but the kids were worn out by the time I reached the fabric aisle. And really, I'd spent enough!!!

Table Runner

I ordered some of Anna Maria's 'Bohemian' fabric and received it on Friday. I wasn't sure what I was going to use it for. I love that each of her designs incorporates so many colours.

Then it hit me...the perfect use for the fabric where I can look at it and admire it every day. I decided to make a table runner for our meals table. I love how it turned out. I used a plain linen for the middle piece and all the others are from the Bohemian range. I bought the fabric on sale from Quilt Fabric Delights. I might just have to order a bit more.

New Beginnings...

I can't believe two weeks holiday is over already and we're at the beginning of a fresh new year. I love the feeling of beginnings and all that lies ahead. We had a lovely family Christmas. Here are the kids on Christmas morning looking bright as buttons despite their VERY EARLY wake up time!!!

One of my favourite Christmas presents was Last-Minute Fabric Gifts by Cynthia Treen. It's a lovely book with some beautiful and inspiring sewing projects to make. I made the Twig-Handle Tote, but adapted it to suit fabric handles (although I am going to buy some wood handles to try out too). It's such a simple pattern and I had each bag made in no more than an hour. The first one I made using a lovely aqua and fushia floral fabric from Spotlight. It's a very heavy-weight fabric so it holds it's shape really well. The other bag was made using Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabric which I'm in love with at the moment. I'm going to try the bag again, using some sort of batting/wadding inside to stiffen it. Speaking of Heather Bailey, we received some of her Trash Ties the other day and they're fantastic. So much fun to use with endless hairstyles to try.

While Glenn has been on holidays, we've planted our vegetable/herb garden. Although we're on a fairly small block, we have the perfect garden bed for vegies and herbs. It gets almost full sun and it's a great size. All we have to do now is keep our rabbit, Roxy away from the lettuce!!! We've only had it planted for a week but already our beans and peas are shooting and everything is looking great. Very exciting!!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Just a quick note to wish you all a lovely Christmas. Glenn is on holidays for a couple of weeks so I'm going to sign off for a few weeks to spend time with family and friends.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Beautiful Art...

Finally, we picked up our painting for the family room the other day. And here it is on the wall.

I also picked up some beautiful photos that we had taken of the kids a few months ago. They look lovely in these beachy, white frames. Gradually, the house is coming together the way I was hoping it would.

Nothing to report on the crafty front today. Although I am in the process of making another crochet garland for the tree....I'm loving this crochet thing...it's so relaxing. I find I can't sit and watch tv unless I'm doing something with my hands, so crochet is the perfect thing. And anyway, tv is rubbish at the moment.

Childhood Memories...

And finally, I've finished the last of the three skirt and top sets. So now I can get wrapping and put them under the tree.

I've been teaching myself to crochet recently (I have lovely childhood memories, sitting with my dear Nana as she PATIENTLY taught me how to crochet....the first project I can remember making is a doll's carrier with a blanket for the little doll. We used the base of a plastic cordial bottle, then crocheted a drawstring style bag that the plastic base sat in and you could turn the top of the bag down at the sides so you could access the inside. And inside was a tiny little mattress, a tiny little doll and a tiny little blanket.....crocheted by me!!! And once you'd finished playing with it, you rolled the sides of the bag back up, pulled on the drawstring, slung it over your wrist and off you went to play, with your little doll close by. I wish I had a photo to show you, but unfortunately as a teenager, I didn't think I would ever play with something like that again so I must have got rid of it. It makes me angry to think that I would have got rid of something so precious. Chloe would have loved to have had a chance to play with it and admire it.) But thankfully, I do still have lots of my nana's other knitting and crochet work.

So with my very faint crochet skills, I have recently been re-teaching myself to crochet. I made a VERY SIMPLE garland for the Christmas Tree. It's just a chain with little dangly bits all the way along (I'm sure there's some very technical name for the 'chain' and the 'dangly bits'). I like the way it's turned out, in all it's simplicity and uneven crochet stitches.

Totes...

I managed to find a spare hour this afternoon after picking Chloe up from school and before getting dinner ready, so I sewed up the tote bag for Chloe's teacher.

She's due to have a baby early next year so we thought we'd go with bright colours on the bag, for the baby to look at.

Finally got most of my Christmas shopping done today so that's one thing I can tick of my list.

Christmas Festivities....

The weekend is almost at a close and I have to say, I couldn't be happier!!! It's been way too busy for my liking.

On Saturday night, we took the kids in to the city to see the Christmas Pageant. Glenn, myself and the kids stayed overnight in a hotel close by so we could just wander down there and wander home again when it was all over. My sister and her family met us at the hotel and we all walked to the Pageant together at about 5.30pm to secure our front row spot...very important!!! They close the roads at 6.30pm so the kids could mess around on the road while waiting for the pageant to start. The lady next to us took some pavement chalk so the kids played hopscotch and drew portraits of each other. The pageant started at 8.30pm and finished about 9.30pm. The kids had a ball...it's such a fun night for them...and us!!!

Here are some pictures of my boy, Will and his cousin Conor (Will is the blondie) and Chloe (in the mauve jacket) and her cousin Cayley at the Christmas Pageant.

No sewing, crafting etc. to report of this weekend....but I must make a bag for Chloe's teacher that she has on Thursdays, so I'll post about that when it's done.

Thanks Dad!!!

Just a quick post today....some time ago, we were given a lovely old meat safe from my Great Aunty. It was beautiful but in need of some serious restoration work. I started to sand it back and realised it was covered in LOTS of coats of paint. I was talking to my dad about it one day (well, probably more like complaining) and he offered to restore it completely for me. Of course, I accepted his offer and only a couple of weeks later, here it is looking way better and more beautiful than I ever thought it would. And having said that, if I was restoring it myself, there is no way I could have got it looking this good. Right down to the original latches, dad has cleaned and scrubbed and sanded and painted and here is the end result. I LOVE IT!!! I'm still fiddling around with ornaments etc. to decorate it, but I'm happy with it like this for now. The outside is painted a semi-gloss off-white and for the inside I chose a very pale mint green. Have I already said how much I LOVE IT??? Well, I LOVE IT!!! Thanks so much dad.

This afternoon I made a couple of little things for Will's teachers at kindy. We've all put in money to buy them vouchers for a day spa, but I still like to do something else just from us. So, we've made tissue huggers and little Christmas decorations. Cute!!!

The Kitty Cat has a Moustache...

Oh my goodness...I've just checked my last blog entry and have realised that I've made a cute little kitty cat for Chloe that has a MOUSTACHE!!! I think I've sewn the 'whiskers' too close to the mouth/nose and now it looks like it has some serious facial hair!!! Woooooooooopppppsssss.

Luckily the little princess hasn't realised my mistake.....

'Tis the Season...

The tree is up, decoration making is in full swing....yep, Christmas is almost here. The kids have been niggling each other (to put it lightly!!!) for the past few days so a craft was in order this afternoon to distract them. Of course, even that started in an argument, but once they got into it, we had some peace and quiet. The result is the paper chain hanging on the Christmas tree. These are such a simple decoration that are easy for the kids to make without adult supervision and they really do look great.

The kids have been nagging me to make some little soft toys for them over the weekend....nothing too complicated for Will....just a TRUCK and a REINDEER. I think he's forgotten that I'm a BEGINNER to sewing. I got away with making a very small felt truck, but the reindeer gave me some grief this afternoon. Will had it in his mind exactly how he wanted me to make it, so instead of me forcing my opinions, I decided to make it as he wanted and it turned out ok. He's happy so that's what's important. And the cute thing is, whatever I make, the kids think it's wonderful and they want to take it to school straight away to show for news!!! Ummmmmmmmmm, I may have to do some explaining to the teacher about all these weird creations.

And for Chloe, I made a little kitty (based on the miny moopy design that has been floating around blog-land). It turned out pretty cute for a first attempt. I made it last night just before she went to bed so I let her choose all the fabrics, then told her I MIGHT get started on it when she's in bed. I actually finished it and put it at her bedroom door so she could find it when she woke up. She loved it.....so I'm happy!!!