in this hot weather.....

we've been waking up early, just as the sun comes up, so we can spend as much time as possible outside. 

 

We love sitting on my old couch out on the front verandah just simply 'watching'... I've enjoyed working my way through a super special gift over the past couple of weeks 

 

And am super excited that it is finished and now gifted to its new home... YAY!!!

 

Nothing is quite as refreshing as fresh fruit for smoko on a hot Summers day and we've been enjoying plenty of it - especially these little passion fruit-y treasures..

 

Juiced and popped in to the freezer we're also enjoying fresh fruit ice blocks almost everyday as a way to escape the heat....

 

When the temps drop, late in the afternoon, but it's still too hot to eat dinner I've been baking this - 'Cheese Dip'... OMG, it's amazing!!!! It's goo-y and cheese-y and herb-y and perfect with a crisp cracker and a glass of red, how could I resist - right??! Not exactly what you'd expect to be eating on a Summers day but I just can't help myself - it's that amazing!!!

 

And while I whip up a cheese-y baked treat my littlest girl has been busily learning how to make cakes ALL BY HERSELF!!!! - it's kinda her thing at the moment, cup cakes and big cakes and icing and all...

 

And while my littlest girl makes cakes my biggest girl is crafting away at something too - her very own craft-y venture that we launched on my Facebook page last night, super exciting!!!!

 

What Summer evening would be complete without a bit of musical fun with the family before the sun goes down,

 

it gives this mumma a chance to hook away on a little something for herself - a new cushion cover in some vintage hues using gorgeous organic cotton...

 

And to finish things off - I popped this little package in to the post for a special lady this week. 

I joined in with Jewel's Australia Day swap and it has been loads of fun!!!

my Connie wants to Swap too?

I have this girl, she's 7... Her name is Connie and she is super clever!

You know how I've been organising all of these 'washer swaps' of late?? Well, Connie was thinking, and wondering, maybe there might be another little 7(ish) year old out there that might just be interested in doing a little 'swap' with her?!

She is itching to make something for someone, put it in the mail, and send it off as a surprise! She's eager to find out what someone would actually think if they received something handmade from her in the mail and just as eager to get a little special something from someone in return too...

So... Who's up for it??? Do you have a 7(ish) year old out there who would be interested in 'swapping' with my eager 7yr old?? If so let me know and maybe we could work something our for the New Year - it would really make my Connie girls day(year!).

Xmas Themed Swap!! (sign-up's)

I'm joining in with Christina's made-by-hand 'meme' again this week and have loved putting the finishing touches on this new washer for a Swap that I've been part of...

 

I've also been whipping up a few of these super cute Xmas-y stars (kits can be found here). 

 

So, with all of the Xmas craft ideas buzzing around in my head of late it got me thinking - I'd love to do a little 'Xmas Themed Swap', what do you think?? If you'd like to join in, here are the details....

Jellywares Xmas Swap Guidelines

For this Swap you will be making 1 cotton washer and and 1 Xmas Ornament!!!

Your Washcloth: 
Each participant is required to crochet or knit 1 washcloth. 
Cloths are to measures between 6x6 and 9x9 inches square or 6 to 9 inches in diameter. 
Label each cloth with maker and care instructions - feel free to include yarn and pattern info.

Affix your label to your washer with a safety pin or tie it on.

YARNS:
- 100% Cotton or cotton blend yarn – 100% cotton yarn is awesome and is used often for dish/washcloths. Blends are great too but they need to be at least 50% cotton.
- Linen and hemp yarn – These yarns are yummy and last FOREVER. Feel free to use these yarns too.
- No boucle yarns – This stuff is awesome but not for dishcloths. It’s spun a little to loosely to take the abuse that dish/washcloths tend to take. Save this yummy stuff for hats and baby blankets!
- Worsted or DK weight yarns make very scrubalicious washcloths. They clean well and they rinse and dry well too.
- Colours – Gooooooo nuts! Solids! Variegated! Striped! Neutrals! Brights! Muted! It’s all good!!!
- Patterns – Have fun here and why not try something that you've never done before!

Your Ornament:

- this can be made from any material/medium that you choose.

- there are no restrictions with the size or dimension of your ornament, it is totally up to you!

The Actual Swapping:
- Sign-Up's close on the 1st of December.

- You have until the 15th of December to get everything all wrapped up and posted out to your partner..

- You MUST message me once your washer has been sent so that your partner can be notified.

- You also MUST message me once you have received a Washer. 
- After you have made your Washer please take a picture and share it with me via email. 

- After you receive a Washer you MUST take a picture and share it with me via email as well.

The goal of this swap is to produce and receive little pieces of fibre art. Use beautiful yarns, colour combinations, and patterns.

Don’t feel pressured to use teensy little crochet cotton. Thicker cottons like Cascade Sierra, Debbie Bliss DK Cotton, and Malabrigo Organic Cotton make great washcloths. Have fun!

Postage + Envelope: 
To keep the cost down with this Swap you will only be sending 1 washer and 1 small ornament and you will be able to fit it into a large envelope for Postage that should not exceed $3!

You are more than welcome to add a little card for your partner but that is totally up to you and not compulsory

Lastly, to join in with this Xmas Swap simply comment on this blog post and email your address to jellywares@bigpond.com

up to my elbows...

The end of last week saw me pack my little family up and head down the road for a quick road trip... We travelled a whopping 846km in less than 24hrs, on a mission collecting supplies for the farm - we had hay and steel and chook feed and thankfully after a stop in at a gorgeous nursery some olive trees! I've been itching to start an olive grove of my very own and now I am 3 trees closer to that dream (not many I know but it's a start, right?)...

Today, after being cooped up in the schoolroom for far too long, I hit the yard with my 3 kid-lids, determined (and excited), to plant my overgrown tomato plants which I've been growing from seeds for what feels like FOREVER!!! 

It felt so good to get up to my elbows in this rich soil... I like to scatter my vegetable patch throughout my garden and have approx 20 different beds on the go at one time. I do tend to spell certain beds at different times of the year though, and this particular garden bed has been empty since March - all that's been added is loads of manure and home-made mulch...

 

And yes, that's a HUGE cow pad right there next to my hand - simply gorgeous garden food!!!

 

Do you irrigate your veg?? I've found that drip irrigators seem to be the most efficient in my garden and I simply move them around from bed to bed as I need them - they're super cheap too... What works for you?

 

I have oodles and oodles of old galvanised rain water tanks in numerous sizes and this past week has seen me cutting some of the smaller ones up to make 8 of these little garden beds...

 

Today I added some tomatoes and next week I'm planning to scatter some basil plants (grown from seeds) round the outside too...

 

One thing my Miss Millie loves more than butterflies would have to be worms...

Yes, that's right, she loves WORMS! Every time we're out in the garden she can't help but get something to dig with and off she goes, collecting so to speak... 

 

And when she's through with that she plays on the grass with her cats...

 

And although this gorgeous girl of mine just loves to be out doors exploring her environment she also simply loves school and today she couldn't get enough of her 'spider' craft from the book 'Hide, Spider'...

 

Lastly, I hosted a little 'Spring Washer Swap' here on my blog back at the start of the month and today I was lucky enough to receive my parcel from Jules...

I was super spoilt with 2 washers and 2 packets of seeds and can't wait to use them all!!! Thanks Jules!!

Peas in a Pod??? - and a washer too...

This year my girls have taken a real liking to helping grow some of what we eat here on the farm... They have been growing beetroot, tomatoes, carrots, radish, lettuce, snow peas and peas in the pod.

By far their favourite plant over the past couple of months would have to be the common 'Pea'... 

There's just something about it - don't you think?? From a shrivelled up looking piece of nothing pushed down into the earth as a seed it literally shoots overnight, emerging full of life, and before your eyes an amazing structure of a plant towers up towards the sky with a flower show along its way. Then, just like magic, those gorgeous flowers turn into teeny, tiny, little pods that get fuller and fuller and fuller until suddenly (so it seems) bite sized treasures are found hiding inside...

 

I love growing 'peas in the pod' - have you ever grown them?? Traditionally they are a cooler climate vegetable (so I've been told) but here where I live I'm lucky enough to buck the trend and be able to grow them right up til (and sometimes through) Summer.

 

Do you grow things in your garden at times you 'shouldn't'?? Or, are you more likely to stick to 'guidelines'??

Do your kids like to get involved with what you grow too?

If you follow this blog then you'll know that I love me a good Swap, am passionate about gardening and I just can't get enough hand-made washers in my life - right!!! - Well, combine these 3 things and you've got a Spring Washer Swap!!! 

Here's what I sent out to my secret partner yesterday afternoon (her name has been blurred out - it is a secret swap, remember... LOL). 

2 packets of seeds (tomato and pea), both of which have been saved from my garden, and a bright Spring coloured washer using Cascade Sierra in the 'Tangerine' shade and the Tulip Stitch pattern (a freebie for here)...

What have you been making today?? xx

A Good Swap...

I love me a good Swap!!!!

Right from the get-go I get super excited about Swaps - I love finding out who my partner is, it's kinda like meeting a friend for the first time but you already know you have something in common, that always makes for an instant connection, right??! 

I love looking for the perfect pattern and then searching for just the right yarn to make it with. 

I love wrapping it up, picking out the perfect card and then posting it off - I'm always eager for the postman to deliver it ASAP!!!! 

I love hearing from my partner, imagining the smile on her face as they unwrapped my parcel for the first time - it's at this point that I totally forget that I too have a parcel making its way to me from someone, somewhere. 

I love collecting the mail and finding a plump little parcel waiting for me. My name is always handwritten on it in a way that tells me 'this must be from that Swap, it just must be'!!! 

I love tearing into my parcel, carefully of coarse, to reveal something that has been made by someone else's hands especially for me. 

And last but not least.... I love contacting my partner, full of excitement and appreciation, to thank them for taking the time to make me something as special and beautiful as they have...

This past couple of weeks has seen me host a simple 'Washer Swap' over on my Facebook page for a small group of like minded women (10 to be exact). Last night (our bush mail-man comes late on a Friday arvo) I was lucky enough to receive my gorgeous parcel from my partner Sharon and what can I say - it's just PERFECT!!!!!

 

Here's the washer that I sent out to my partner (for those interested)... This was one of the most enjoyable things I've worked on in a long time and I'm so thrilled that my partner loved it too...

So, as you can see, I love everything about a good Swap, from the signing-up right down to the contact made with partners at the very end...

Do you like joining in with Swap's too??

What's your favourite part of a good Swap?

note : : don't forget that the deadline for posting out  for my 'Spring Washer Swap' is this coming Tuesday (for those who joined back here of-coarse).

A Recipe and A Swap...

Thanks for all the interest in my yummy slice from my previous post... Here's the recipe... 

 

Jelly's Muesli Slice

ingredients : : 1 cup of organic rolled oats, 1/2 a cup of a sunflower/pumpkin seed mix, 1/4 cup of poppy seeds (sesame seeds are good too), 1/2 cup of coconut (dessicated of shredded - the choice is yours), 1/2 cup of white(or brown) sugar, 3/4 cup of organic plain flour.

Mix all these dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

Next - In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of good quality butter and approx 3 Tablespoons honey... You want to bring this mixture to the boil for approx 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the following; 1 teaspoon of bi-carb soda dissolved in 2 Tablespoons of boiling water. A reaction should occur and your butter mixture will froth up and become deliciously foamy. Pour your butter mixture into your dry ingredients while it is still frothing and mix well. note : : if a reaction does not occur your b-carb soda is no good!

You are aiming for a slightly sticky dough so add more oats or seeds if you think it is too wet.

Press into a lined slice tin and bake at 180'C for approx 30mins - let your nose tell you when it's ready... It will smell heavenly sweet and look deliciously golden brown when cooked. Allow this slice to cool completely before cutting. I think this slice tastes better the older it gets!

Sometimes I cut back the butter and add dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries or apricots... Sometimes I add nuts too.. The possibilities are endless with this slice which I love!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Also, for those needing a little crafty pick-me-up why not enter my 'Spring Washer Swap'!!! Sign-Up's close at the end of the month and you can enter here...

Here's some more FREE washer pattern inspiration for those joining in!!!

Washer's pictured left to right, top to bottom; Log Cabin, Scallops, Firestar, Fluffy Meringue, Grandma's Kitchen, Easy Crochet, Sunburst, Dishtowel, Shell Cloth. 

ENJOY!!!!

New Additions....

Over the weekend I received a phone call from a neighbour a couple of farms over. She's moving to Coolabah next week and had 10 little chicks and 6 hens that she needed to find a home for.... I love chooks and jumped at the chance to turn my tribe of 14 into one of 30!!!!

So I loaded the girls up in the car and we drove the 90km's to the neighbours to collect our new additions....Miss Connie nursed one of the chicks all the way home and insisted on calling it Polly.....

Polly and Connie spent most of the arvo together so when she decided that it was time for Polly to join her Mummy for a cuddle that afternoon I was very relieved....

Round 2 of the washcloth swap finished today with most of the ladies having sent their packages on time... It's great to see blog posts popping up, showing what swappers are receiving from their partners... Abby, Bec, Janice, Liz, Carol, Sue, and Tammy have all posted about the goodies they received...

What would you all think about an Xmas swap??? Leave a comment with some suggestions and we might be able to organise something to get started next month...

Take Care :)

A Little Swap....

This morning started off beautifully, the Sun was shining and there was only a slight breeze, it was a gorgeous day to be outside.... I harvested a heap of Italian parsley to add to my dry stocks....

And even managed to recycle an old rain water tank I found at our farm tip, turning it into 3 garden beds with the help of an angle grinder....With a little more soil and some mulch they'll be ready to house some lettuce, rocket and spring onions that I've been growing up in pots....

A day wouldn't be complete for me now would it without a little bit of knitting so here's another washcloth.....

This one's called 'Ears of Grain' and the pattern is a freebie from here.... I made it for a special blogger as a little thank-you for being such a sweetie, so Bec keep your eye on the mailbox as this one's headed your way.... *grin*......

With all of the washcloth making I've been doing of late it's made me think that maybe a little swap might be fun..... If anyone's interested here's what we'll do.... Swap 1 washcloth made any way you like. It can be knitted, crochet, quilted or sewn, the craft choice if purely up to you. Put a little bar of soap with your cloth or a treat costing no more than $5 and your swap parcel in complete.... Just leave a comment if you'd like to join in....

Take Care.... :)

Time to Knit....

All of the rainy weather of late has meant that I've been spending quite a lot of time inside with the girls. So with this inside time has come the completion of a couple of knitting projects... First there is this cabled washcloth (free pattern available here) for a swap I'm doing.....As well as this owl one (free pattern available here), also for the swap...
Then there was another one of these cardi's (free pattern available here) for Miss Connie. She loves the first one so much, I thought another was definitely on the cards...
I've also finished 1 fingerless mitten (pattern available for free here) with another yet to be cast on, also for Miss Connie..... Two yarn's were knit together for these mittens to get the right ply. I love how the light and dark blue's look together... Thinking of doing the same thing in a beanie to match....

Take Care *^_^*

WOWEEE!!!

I joined up for the Sassy Apron Swap earlier on in the year thinking that it would be loads of fun to make an apron for someone and even loads more fun receiving one from someone else that loves to craft just as much as me.... I was so surprised when I collected the post this morning.... Yep, that's right, a lovely big package from the USA.... I could barely contain myself from squealing with excitement!!!! In all of my wildest dreams I never imagined that my apron could look anything like this..... Or this......Yes that's right, it's reversible!!! So I really got 2 aprons, what a bonus!!!! Adrienne you're a genius!!!!! She even threw in a matching tea towel, a bottle of tabasco sauce and a divine recipe for some bloody Mary's that I just can't wait to try.... The theme to her apron was naughty but nice...... The apron that I've designed for my partner is very vintage, well I hope that's what my partner thinks anyway.... I'll post some picks once she receives it....

Here's a little skirt I whipped up for the little princess the other day..... Not a very good shot, I know!!!!! If anyone has any toddler photo taking advice I'd love to hear it... LOL!!

Take Care.... :)