A Bit of Everything......

Look at what lovelies arrived in the post for me today.....
4 metres of lovely fabric and 6 metres of even lovelier ribbons from the Reprodepot Sale bin. I think that they'd all look great sewn up into reversible apron dresses like this one on my little princess..... I made it up on Sunday night while I was down at Cootamundra visiting my Mum for her B'Day. It was super easy and to start with we were following a pattern but then decided to change a few things about it and designed our own pattern. I think I might have to add this one to my list of 'to do tutorials' (along with the coasters) what do you think???

My basil is growing out of control at the moment, which I'm not complaining about, so I've been looking for some yummy recipes to make with it. Helen came up with a brilliant idea here and she also makes this great "poor woman's pesto" which sounds super delicious. You just blend kalamata olives, lots of basil, toasted sunflower seeds and olive oil together into a paste and stir it trough pasta or use it as a spread on sandwiches. YUMMO!!!! I have 3 huge bushes like the one below that need some serious de-leafing soon..... If anybody has a recipe idea I'd love to try it out. Have you ever grown little yellow cherry tomatoes like these before??I started growing them in my garden this year for the first time and they're absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!! I can't remember the name of them and would love it if someone could help me out. My current plant is yielding about a dozen little treasures a day which is just perfect!! Not too many, just enough for a salad or to roast up and stir through a pasta sauce.

On the doll quilt front, I finished, yippee!!!! I was just about to post it off when I thought I'd go check out my swap partners blog just one more time..... WELL!!!! It turns out that I've been checking out the wrong persons blog, BUGGER!!! It also turns out that my real swap partner REALLY doesn't like the country/shabby chic style of quilting which I've used here, she's more into a contemporary/traditional styled quilt.... Oh No!!!!!

So I set to creating a new doll quilt for the swap. Thanks to Amandajean and her fantastic quilt-a-long I decided to fashion this block into a traditional doll quilt with a contemporary feel..... This is what I came up with.....
What do you think???? Hopefully it's loved by my swap partner.......

I've been seeing this gorgeous Japanese website around blog land lately and just had to share it with everyone. All Buttoned Up made some of the paper craft for her son over the weekend and it looks like he had a great time playing with it all, she's posted a pic on her blog. I'd love to make some for myself, they're just SO cute. I think that my little princess is a bit small for them at the moment but I'll make them up anyway.

Patricia over at A Little Hut is also loving paper crafts at the moment and has came up with a creative idea to turn old egg cartons into a cute gift for Valentine's Day. I'm going to give it a go with my little princess, I'm sure that she'd get a hoot out of painting the egg carton for me..... What crafting ideas have you got on the go for Valentine's Day???? I'd love to hear all about them....

I've crammed a bit of everything into this post today, hope it hasn't blurred your vision..... LOL!!!

How did you spend your Sunday????

It was a beautiful Sunday morning so we decided to go visit my Dad at his property over on the river near Louth. We got about 80km out of town on a back road, 50km from Dad's place and this is what happened.....

We were bogged for 6 HOURS!!!! It was a long 16km walk in the heat to the closest farm house to get someone to help pull us out. Who would of thought, we've travelled on this road hundreds of times and never been bogged, but on Sunday there must of been just the right amount of rain and we must of travelled on just the wrong patch of road and what do you know.... We got bogged!!

It took 2 4wd's and a very long chain to finally move our car..... The 4wd's pulled.....

And they pulled......

And they FINALLY pulled us out....

Have you ever been stuck in the mud with your family before?? I'd love to hear about it if you have..... There's nothing better then looking back on situations like these and having a real good laugh. I can tell you now, DH won't be living this one down for a LONG time....

Although my crafting mogo hasn't been restored to its full capacity since returning from my Xmas adventure I did manage to sew up a couple of sets of coasters . This set is for a swap that I joined in on last week..... I bought both of these gorgeous fabrics from Spotlight at Wagga and have been dying to use them ever since but haven't found the perfect project. After checking out my swap partner I thought that they'd be right up her alley, fingers crossed I'm right.... I put the black leaf print on the back to hopefully help hide dirt that they'll pick up off the table. I also whipped up these ones for a beautiful lady I met a few years ago through a local patchwork group in rural VIC. She was a real inspiration to me when I lived in that area and I miss her dearly. I must make the trip back over that way to say 'hi' soon....For these ones I used the fabric that I bought from Japan. Navy on the back and cream on the front. I stitched ric-rac into the border of both sets of coasters, I love the extra dimension it gives....I was thinking about doing a quick tutorial for these coasters, what do you think??? They're super easy and super quick, in total 30-40 minutes from start to finish, tops....

The four seasons winter quilt swap deadline is fast approaching and thankfully after a night at the sewing machine Saturday night I'm now 3/4's finished.All that's left to do is hand sew down the binding and attach a label.... For a change this time I decided to hand quilt instead of machine quilt. It's hard to put together colour combo's for each of the seasons but I think I captured the warmth of winter with this one... What do you think?That about wraps it up for today everybody.... Happy crafting ;)

Deadly Creatures....

The most common snake around here is the Eastern Brown. Isn't it just HORRIBLE!!!You see..... Snakes are the hot topic of conversation around our house at the moment. On Friday evening, around 5pm, I had my very own 1 metre long Eastern Brown snake in my living room.... OMG I can hear you say..... Well the worst of the story is yet to come..... My little princess was playing right where it crawled out of not 20 seconds before I saw it..... Can you believe it????? She could of been bitten, then what??? My hairs stand on end just remembering it all.... It took DH and I just over an hour to catch it.

I think that my biggest weakness when it comes to snakes is the fact that I know nothing about them. So first thing Monday morning I went and talked with the Rangers at The National Parks office. They where really helpful and gave me loads of info on Snakes in my area. They also told me about these little kits you can make. I'll put 1 at the front door, 1 at the back door, and 1 on every vehicle just to be safe.... I'd love any advice that anybody has in regards to these 'deadly' creatures. Have you ever had a snake in your house???? If so what did you do???

On the craft front.... A friends daughter turned 1 over the weekend so I whipped her up a pencil roll....

Can you see my new labels???? I got them from here... They're really cheap, about 20 cents each, the only problem is that you don't get many colour combinations. So if you're really set on a certain colour, like purple, then you're out of luck... I think black and white looks just fine though, do you????I also made her up a set of these clips....I used the same basic 'sleeping bag' technique that Amy Karol used but instead of sewing the felt to the clip like she suggests I used my you bute hot glue gun and I think that work a treat!!

After reading about these YUMMY Calzones on Randi's blog I couldn't help but make some for dinner last night.....They don't exactly look like Randi's but mam-o-man they were absolutely divine!!!! I stuffed them with meatballs and grated cheddar cheese, served them with a creamy tomato sauce and had a green salad on the side that I made with fresh veges from my garden.... YUMMO!!!!

New Beginings....

WOW!!!!! Where have the past 3 weeks gone? It feels like only yesterday I was busily crafting away for Xmas and now I'm a week into a new year. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY I hope that you all bought it in with a bang as I know I sure did!!!!!

DH took the little princess and I up north to Moreton Island for 2 weeks over Xmas, hence the lack of posts on my poor neglected blog. We enjoyed a well needed break but are really appreciating being back home. Remind me to never travel at this time of year again the traffic is just horrible!!!!

With all of my crafting madness over the last month I've neglected to sit down and smell the roses. So with the new year comes some new beginnings, I've decided to try and make time for the small things this year like sitting down and reading a book or just laying on the grass and watching the clouds roll by. Don't get me wrong I'll still be crafting like crazy but I think a bit of reflective time needs to be thrown into the equation from time to time too.

I have a few new restoration projects that I would love to complete this year one being an old antique desk that my Mum gave me and another which is a bit of a secret at the moment. Yes the second project that I have in the pipe line has something to do with the big news I'm dying to tell you all!! Only a couple more weeks and I promise I'll let the cat out of the bag....

Every year I grow most of my own veges, it's so rewarding and the flavours are just amazing. Here's what I picked from my garden for dinner last night.From left to right we have Italian parsley, Chinese basil, tomatoes, apple cucumber and silver beet.... I made a big omelet style quiche with a tomato, cucumber and balsamic vinegar salad on the side, YUMMY!!!!

This Xmas we welcomed a new member into our family. Meet our new little boy Ginger.....Yes Ginger is the cat not my feral little princess. LOL... This pic was taken at Granny's house on the weekend. Is it just me or can you see a beautiful friendship in the making too?? I'm a definite cat lover and think that they make wonderful pets. Ginger is toilet trained, thank goodness and will be an inside/outside cat. At the moment he lives in the laundry and comes out when we are all at home to keep an eye on him this is only until he finds his feet and then he will have a free reign over the place, by that time I think we'll be needing a cat flap.

O.K...... I can't do a post without at least 1 bit of crafting goodness!!! I thought that I'd try to design my very own handbag as a gift for my sister for Xmas this year. I knew that she'd get a kick out of the fact that I did the whole thing myself from scratch, pattern and all... It was a bit of a nightmare and I'll definitely use a print on the outside next time instead of a solid colour, this should help to hide the flaws that I make, gasp...... All in all I think that it looks just fine and by the look on Abby's face when she received it I think that she really loved it too.

I'm so glad to be back and am really looking forward to catching up on every one's blogs...

Xmas Spirit.....

It feels like everywhere I turn on Blog land I'm overwhelmed by amazingly creative women who are filled with an enormous amount of Xmas Spirit. Seen as though I only joined the big wide world of blogging early this year this is the first Xmas I've spent in blog land and let me tell you all now..... I'm definitely IMPRESSED!!!!!! I've found so many great downloads for fantastic gift tags and ornaments not to mention the great tutorials for gift making. Here's some more of the Nested bibs that I made here....
I've put my own little twist on the whole 6 bibs that I made....... Can anybody tell what it is?????

Also..... Here's another one of those purl frogs that I made back here.
I think I've just about made all of the handmade gifts that I had on my to-do list for this year. The only one that is left to make is my sister's.... Now this is a REALLY HARD one..... I've made something already but now that it's all completed I'm thinking that maybe it's not quite her...... I have another project for her in the pipe-line, oh what to do, what to do??????? Sorry that I can't share any pics as she frequents this blog often, so no sneak peaks until after Xmas...... SORRY.....

Our local Carols by Candle Light were on Sunday night and as of last year (my little princess' first year) I decided to dress up every year for the occasion. Last year my little princess was a reindeer and this year she's an elf. This pic is a bit blurry but you get the idea.....

I got the idea for the little elf hat out of the book 'bend the rules sewing' by Amy Carol, I just love this book!!!!! The little dress was super easy I just made the pattern up myself. I embellished it with felt and Ric-Rac. All up it took me about 2 hours to make and my little princess absolutely loved wearing it. I even put little bells on her shoes so that she jingled as she walked..... Too Cute!!!!!

Can't wait to share some of my very own homemade Xmas decorations with you all next post..... Happy Xmas Crafting...... ;)

YIPPEE!!!!! It's Finally Here......

Yes that's right, the Japanese fabric that I ordered last week arrived yesterday afternoon. Why is it that whenever you're waiting for something to come it always feels like an eternity before it actually gets to you?????

The following 4 fabrics are still $10 per metre and man-o-man they look and feel absolutely amazing in the flesh!!!!!

Now the next 4 are $12 a metre and are as equally divine.....The only fabric that I'm waiting on is Humpty Dumpty. My supplier accidentally mixed up Little Bow Peep with Humpty Dumpty and sent me out the wrong fabric, oh well I'm sure that I'll be able to find something to make with this gorgeous fabric, right????

Like I said in my previous post about this fabric, they're all 100% cotton Japanese prints measuring 115cm wide. If I haven't already been in contact with you via email and you'd be interested in buying some of this gorgeous fabric just leave me a comment or send me an email. I still have a couple of metres of all of the above fabrics left if anybody is interested in increasing their stash over the Xmas break!!!

Speaking of Xmas...... I joined an Ornament Swap this year. I've received 2 ornaments so far (I'll post some pic's later on in the week) and now my ornaments are finally ready to be posted, only 1 day late mind you!! 8 wonderful ladies out there have one of these ornaments heading their way to adorn their beautiful Xmas tree.

The initial of each lady is sewn onto the front of each ornament. I really hope that they all love them!!!

I made this little wrist pin cushion for one of my sisters for Xmas. She's wanting to learn how to sew so I'm trying to put together a little beginners sewing kit for her. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I should put in her little kit???? I found the tutorial on SewMamaSew, it's by Planet June. It was super easy to make I might have to make myself one.

Last but not least..... I made this little outfit for my little princess this morning before work, well I didn't make the shirt I just embellished it but I made the shorts.

Now all of you mothers out there of toddler aged children..... How the HELL do you take a pic of them standing still????? My little princess just wanted to go around and around and around in circles. It was as though she was doing it on purpose!!! So These 2 pics are the best that I could do in a bad situation.... LOL... Oh how I love my little darlin'...Take Care Everybody and Happy Crafting!!!!! ;)

Festive Frillies

Here's one of the pic's that I promised of one of the dresses that I made my princess for the festive season this year....I love this fabric!!!! I bought it from Spotlight about a month ago for about $8 a metre. It feels so beautiful to sew with I can't wait to sew something else up with the scraps from this dress. Maybe a little doll quilt to go with Dotty from this post.... What do you think??? Here's a view of the back of the dress and how it does up....I've always been SO SCARED of zippers but ever since I tackled the fantastic pencil case tutorial that Jodie from Ric-Rac posted a couple of weeks back I discovered that there really wasn't anything to be scared about. I have so many 10 cent zippers that I've purchased from Op-Shops that it's great to finally put some of them to good use....

Now........................... What will be my next zipper project????? Have any suggestions?????????????????????

On a very un-zipper related craft front I whipped this little wallet/purse up this morning before work. It's for one of my sisters to add to her Xmas pressy. I know that she doesn't frequent blog land very often so I feel pretty safe posting a pic of it....

I got the tutorial off the Sew Mama Sew blogs 'Handmade Holidays' gift list. The tutorial came from the Craft bits website originally. My sister just loves everything pink!!! So hopefully she'll fall for the cute red and pink combo of this monkey fabric that I bought from Reprodepot a couple of weeks ago. If I made this wallet/purse again I'd probably use some kind of button to close it instead of Velcro.

Guess what......................................................

It's only 18 days til Xmas..................Can you believe it?????

Done and Dusted.....

I made a couple of outfits for my little princess over the weekend for her to wear over the festive season to parties etc... but you'll have to wait til my next post for the pictures as my beloved camera has decided to go on strike for the afternoon. I did manage to save this blurred pic from my camera before it malfunctioned of some flowers that my DH gave me last Friday at work, isn't he just the sweetest...While I was uploading the flower pic I found this pic that I took and forgot to post of the storms we had last week...It's of the dam in my front paddock and as you can see it's VERY full. I just love Summer storms, we had 96mm of rain last week and then another 13mm last night and it's looking pretty promising again this afternoon so maybe we might get another storm tonight. My lawn has never been greener. Maybe this might be the start of the droughts end???? What rain fall has everybody else been having lately??

To update you all on the Fabric front.... I'll be placing my order with the supplier in the next couple of days. They have assured me that it only takes a couple of days to get to me, so when I receive it I'll post some pic's of it all to give everyone one last drool before I wrap it up and post it off to those of you who are wanting to purchase some with me.

I have some really exciting news in the pipeline that I'm dying to fill you all in on. I must wait til things are set a bit in concrete before I unseal my lips. So til then I'll leave you with a clue..... It's big, it's definitely a lifestyle change I guess you could say and last but not least I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!! So stay tuned for my surprise.... ;)