off to the city

with the hoppy legged one, but in the meantime, here is a teaser of a layout posted over at Simple Aussie Girls tomorrow.

And in the spirit of procrastination, I best go and pack our bag, fuel the car,  remove all grody things from the back seat, take the washing off the line, tidy the kitchen, bathe and dress the hoppy legged one, and perhaps the other two feral darling children as well (but maybe, seeing as I am leaving them in the charge of their father for the night - a rare, rare occurrence, I should give 'em both a strong drink of red cordial, just 'cause I am evil like that) not to mention myself, and be ready to hit the road, all before 6pm today. As that is when The Grumpy One assures me he Shall Return from the prickle farm and take up the parenting reins.

Hmm...red cordial...should I, or should I not....

sending happy mail

as much as its fun to get happy mail (you know, things other than window faced envelopes - like things you might have bought on ebay, or little surprises from friends) its just as nice to put together a little parcel and post it off.

I did that the other day, for my friend who lives even further in the back of beyond than me, and who had a chubby little bundle of baby girl not long ago (after three boys!)

I wanted to revisit the nappy wallet after the last fail (which turned into a very useful DS and MP3 player travel holder) and this time it was much more successful, fitting either a travel wipes container or a full packet of wipes, and a couple of nappies, quite comfortably. I wish I'd seen this when my kids were little, it would have saved much rummaging around in the nappy bag (and this would be so great to toss under the pram or in a handbag - a large handbag mind you!) I used this fabric just in case it didn't work out, and although its not my favourite, it turned out really well, and was really great to sew with.

I also included in the parcel:

burp cloths...back with chenille, which my sewing machine does not like.

and a shabby little bib, which after a few more washes, should be nice and fluffy around the edges, and interesting to touch for little fingers. with luck, the busy fabric should hide any stains that might appear with use!

Hopefully she has the parcel by now and this post has not ruined the little surprise!

my creative space...

is not clean, white, or slick. Or minimalistic. Its pretty messy actually. More than a bit disorganised. Made up of second hand bit and bobs. It needs a good overhaul really.

But I do have a space, and don't have to clean up in the middle of a project, and that is what matters most I guess!

Although I reckon a little more minimalism might be a good thing!

See more of my space, and the rest of the girls, over at Simple Aussie Girls .

a break in transmission

not as bad as it looks, just a precautionary back slab (or half cast). Not sure what is happening next, of course living in the bush means medical advice can be a slow process, so right now we are waiting for the orthopaedic people in Townsville to review the x-rays and decide if there is a fracture somewhere in her foot. After two trips to town so far (160km tally so far) and a bit of waiting around and hospital politics, my tolerance levels are getting low...however with the back slab on we have bought some time and I will bide my time and see if the system works before donning my cranky pants!

of course, this all happens in the lead up to our annual campdraft this weekend, of which I am former secretary, not that I am let off the hook, I have to oversee the new girls on the block and fill any gaps.

Oh, and that kid up there with the new foot accessory...its her birthday this weekend too.

God has a pretty dry sense of humour.

quick and easy - again

Look Nicole! a straight photo!

And again let me say how much I love using divided page protectors! hardest bit is having your printer print straight on the 4x6 card!

an idea I had....

that sort of worked...

My lovely friend Mel gave me a gorgeous tea towel as a gift - she knows me well and just what I would like - and I just loved it. Too much to simply put it in the tea towel drawer, even though being linen it would in fact be an excellent dish dryer.

Instead, I remembered seeing somewhere in a magazine how someone framed a lovely printed tea towel, making a cheap and colour bit of artwork.

Our walls are pretty bare (apart from cobwebs and dust, but that is another story titled Living In The Country) so I decided to give it a go. And fortuitously, when I went to Charters Towers the other day, I found the EXACT sized large (50 x 70 cm, so very large!)  frame I needed, for only $12! I bought three.

Which is a good thing, as I have broken the glass on my first attempt to get this project underway. (stupidity on my part, as usual)

Firstly, I unpicked the hem all around the tea towel, and gave it a press with a hot iron. Of course, this would be easier if I chose a pattern without so many straight lines, an all over print would be smarter!

I laid the glass over the tea towel, trying to get things as straight as possible. Drew around the glass and then cut off the excess fabric, just inside the line I drew.

The frame.

I then placed the trimmed towel on the backing board (I flipped the bit of paper over so I had a white background to lay my white towel onto) keeping everything lined up as best as I could. Placed the glass directly over the top (try not to drag it over the area, it will disrupt the placement of your towel). Clipped the little silver things back into place, and done.

And its crooked. But cute.

Now, begs the question: my seamstress/perfectionist MIL reckons she can get the whole thing straight by trimming off and leaving a narrow white border and sewing a navy or black border around this, and then stretching around the frame.

Do we add the border? Or leave it as is, in its kitschy, crooked, loveliness?

I ask, as I have two others to do - same pattern, different colours (CZ each your heart out, symmetry and repetition!)

What do you reckon?

its gone into shock

my poor sewing machine!

Not actually what I really planned to make, but turned out handily non-the-less. Another failure  - or two - that at least are still useful! (like most of my projects, the intended purpose has to be adjusted due to lack of cleverness or sewing skill on my part!)

 

The spotty phone pouch was actually the pink and brown one on the right, until I turned it inside out...I do love the paler fabric, but my phone fits so much better into the inside out version!

And I love the lining of the one that ended up being the perfect size for my little handbag camera. Tis a pity that some of the seams don't line up, but my camera doesn't care, and its a bit 'o pretty for my bag.

I've got a couple of other things to share - I told you my sewing machine has gone into shock! but I have to wait for my lovely friend Juliane to let me know when she gets them in the mail - I don't want to spoil the surprise...(the same one that said - no pressure - but I have your blog as my home page!)

Over at Simple Aussie Girls we are sharing our Week In The Live albums, so do pop over and check them out. Love each variation, and seeing a bit of everyone's different everyday-ness. Very cool.

Sunday afternoon

The kids were outside, playing for the best part of the day yesterday - it really was a lovely sunny, not overly hot, day. They came and went for food, watched a movie, and then ran out again. Late in the afternoon  they came to me:  "MUM! come and look at what we did!"

I have to say, they had me in fits of laughter:

And yes, that would be the boy, with his "whip".....

urging his steeds to greater speed. Can't see quite what they are doing? Hang on a sec...

Two bikes, connected with lead ropes pilfered from the shed, and tied to the little old red wagon. Now, of course I could comment on the reasoning and thought process behind this activity, and how well they worked together to make it all come together, and how the girls must work as a team to pull the wagon and share the load...but mostly it just cracks me up. Especially with the boy yelling "yah yah" and waving his stick, as they peddle off around the paddock and down the back road (a whole other ,concerning topic is his role!)

I do fear for the longevity of the little red wagon, it does seem to be buckling in the back legs. It hasn't had an overly easy life, and its owner/s aren't as light as they used to be! 

I was reading a friends blog and commented on her dream for more/better things, and added my own dream of a slight change in lifestyle and circumstances...but this is a great reminder to be happy with what you've got, where you are right now.  

I think the kids had a great day yesterday, and so did I.

following through

Remember this post just a few days ago? well I got my act together and actually MADE it. Instead of just finding the tutorial and pinning it! ;-)

Meet Owlee (I just know that will be the original name it will be given, and she is clearly a girl) who is waiting, hiding, for a little girls' birthday in about 15 more sleeps. Not that she is counting or anything.

I think she might need a touch more stuffing, and needs her bottom sewing shut, but she is essentially done. I had to race to get her finished before school finished, as I didn't want any curious girlie looking over my shoulder (just goes to show, I should have gotten off the computer earlier!) Not perfect by ANY means, but still cute. Well I think. ( I decided to go with out the feet at the bottom)

Hope she likes her!

Link HERE if you want to make your own!

a page (finally)

More on this over at Simple Aussie Girls. I don't like to repeat myself, so pop over there and see why this page annoys the by-jingoes (this is a G rated blog, after all!) out of me.

decisions, decisions

and wasting valuable child free time in doing so....

which one?

or

hmm, leaning towards the first one....more cuteness factor.

boy I have a hard life.

why did I wait so long?

Our house is full of old furniture, some of it antique, some of just plain old. Old, but sturdy and useful. A bit like the house, and dare I say it, the owner (apart from the old part, of course!)

I've had this cupboard/sideboard thing for many years. Originally it lived in the saddle room at my parents property, painted a funny light green colour that was tinted with years of dust and saddle grease. It had a hutch bit on the top, which was very, very dilapidated.

So when I was in need of some storage space, my mum decided to give this cupboard a new lease on life. She removed the paint, found an old pine bookcase and attached it to the top, and it lived as a true "hutch" for a few years, until I decided that the bookcase was required elsewhere. Then the doors on the base wouldn't shut properly, so I took them off. One thing that bugged me, though, was the handles on the drawers.

Pretty boring, yes? And even though this is a functional, working bit of furniture (it houses the weekly newspaper - The Queensland Country Life - my magazine subscription and some other odds and ends ), it can still be a bit pretty!

Honestly, I don't know how I ever got on without e-bay before. Ta daah!

A four dollar ceramic handle (or two), and what a transformation. (less than the cost of a good coffee!)

And as you can tell, no styling was done for these photographs. I was SO excited about those handles. I may or may not have purchased a few more, to revamp a set of drawers that have been handless and bugging me for quite awhile.

I decided to go for an eclectic, mix and match look. Not sure about the orange ones now that I have them, but if I put them on the bottom, they won't be as noticeable.

Ah, sometimes small materialistic things do make one happy! 

for those who've been waiting

and specifically, I think Juliane, who has wanted to see more...

As I've been editing, I realise how difficult it was to get a decent shot of the groom (the bride is a natural!) but this one is I think my favourite. You know what a fan of candid shots I am!

And this one, of my friend (the grooms sister) and her husband (who is notoriously hard to take a photo of!)

  And if you are waiting for more, don't....I've been looking at these for awhile and they are all looking very alike.....one final one of the bridal party on the bright and glary beach. I might have shared this before, can't remember.

Hoping to have some discs of finished photos in the mail tomorrow to the happy couple and their family. Hope they like them - not perfect shots, but lots of personality! 

they sneak up so quickly

birthdays. And I'm not even talking about my own, which has become a number-less birthday. Its a pity the kids haven't read that memo.

Anyhow, due to my idiocy and non-planning when it came to the birth dates of my children, my two youngest have birthdays two weeks (and two years) apart. Which makes birthday gift shopping somewhat interesting, although as the middle is a girl and the little is a boy, this makes the gift choosing a bit easier.

The soon to be 7 year old girl has requested a "DS please mum, like Kate" and as I actually foresaw this happening, bought two of 'em back when I found a great sale on them.

And while that is a big ticket gift, when you are seven, just one small present is a bit....sad. Of course I have a couple of other little standard gift things (you know, the usual kiddy make-up, and a book) I have been at a loss.

Then I saw these:

Geisha Girl babushka's. I reckon she will love them.

Well, her mother does. And that is what counts isn't it?!

a start

Hoping to actually get this one finished and printed this week. Think I will print at home on my fancy smancy new printer. We'll see how that goes.

I wrote down a fair bit using the PDF supplied by Ali E, but I don't know that I need a blow by blow description of my day. Trying to keep it as simple as possible and let the photographs tell the story, with a little note about each one.

How are you fairing with your Week In The Life, if you participated?