sneaky look....

Hello......just a quick sneak peak of something I have been working on this week. Nothing too earth shattering, just a scarf, but I think it will come out quite spiffy!
It has been nice to pick up the needles again and do a bit of knitting, as I have been a bit preoccupied with my new love, crochet, recently. I am going to make this scarf a bit of both and add some crochet to it as well.

(Please excuse my grubby chair, it has had a tough life!)

Hope to have some finished photos of this tomorrow, so see what you think then.

Have a great day!

Hand made Christmas Challenge......

It is really starting to feel like Christmas is on the way! I found a half done Christmas bunting that I started earlier in the year, and as always time has got away from me and now it is nearly Christmas time and my hand made decorations are not finished! Damn!


Sooooo... I am going to quickly finish these little flags and string them together for a cute deco across a doorway.


Also made the first batch of the season of shortbread last night, a bit early I know, but I love these bikkies and it doesn't take much arm twisting to get me baking them!

We did a bit of Chrissy shopping today, braving the crowds at DFO, didn't get much really. I think I'm going to fail on my Hand made Challenge, it will probably end up being a 70/30 split of shop stuff to handmade stuff, but I guess it's a start!

So feeling quite festive this weekend! Hope you had a good one!

Finished knitted bunting....

Sooooooo...... I finished a project last night and here it is - my knitted bunting! I am really happy with it and it makes me feel happy just looking at it floating across the corner of the family room. I need lots more of these!! I am really into the whole gypsy/carnival feel and these fit the bill perfectly! I think they would also look gorgeous in a babies nursery strung across a window or something.


The triangle bunting behind the new one was made earlier this year, but it is knitted in 100% wool and doesn't hang quite as well as the new cotton one.


Gee, hanging things are hard to photograph!

Have a great day!

I am putting a link to a great linky crochet/ kniting weekly thing that I have joined in over at Annemarie's Brieblog, have a look there are lots of lovely projects happening!

my creative space #15.............

......nearly finished my knitted bunting, sewn the flowers on, now just doing long long chains and slip stitching a cord to join them all together. Not much more to go! Yay!

Better get back to it!

Lots of other making places to check out here at Kirsty's.

Snowflakes...

How's your day been?

Mine has been spent working on my knitted bunting and playing with these little snowflakes.
(I probably should have photographed them somewhere other than my grotty ironing board). They were kind of squished up after crocheting, but blocking them has really helped show the patterns. I also tried a spray of starch to stiffen them a bit so they will dangle nicely, and it has really worked, they hold their shape well now. I have just got to chain them together and hang them in the window.

I have also officially turned down an out of the house "proper" job that I have been umming and arrrring about for a while, so I can have the time to try and make a little job out of making stuff.
Sooooo... there are no more excuses not to have a go and make, make, make to my hearts content. Sounds pretty idyllic, I get to be around here for the kids and get to do what I love to do for as long as I like! It would just be an added bonus if I could turn it into a little earner. The only catch is I am a bit slack on the self discipline side of things, so to actually produce any work I am going to have to treat it like a 'real' job and set some hours for myself. We'll see what happens.

Hope you had a fun day and tried to stay cool if you are in muggy Melbourne today!

Knitted bunting progress......

I've been working on this knitted bunting this week. I think it will be a nice addition to my little Madeit shop. (when I open it!). Or maybe a Chrissy present for someone. Not sure.
I am currently knitting the triangle ends onto the rectangles, I like mixing the colours and putting the combos together.


I think I might add some flower decos to a few of the plain flags. There are lots of possibilities here, I could try some with hearts or circles or anything really!

Hoping to have it finished by the weekend, so I'll show you how it turned out then!

What do you think?

Have a great day!

17 years and counting.....

The Boys and I, Winter 2006.

Feeling a bit nostalgic this weekend, It was our 17th wedding anniversary yesterday, and I'm wondering what we've done with all that time and where has it gone! 22 seems like a long time ago, but then the 17 years has gone quick as a wink!

This photo was taken in 2006, so only 4 years ago, but our family has done so much growing in that time. Gary was designated photogragher for this one so missed out on being in the family shot.
Back then the boys were happy, even excited, to hang out with us and go on little weekend family adventures, I feel that those days are nearly gone now and the time we have as a family unit is running through my fingers.. ....

Jesse is nearly 15 now(and taller than me) and friends are the main priority at the moment, so it is hard to fit into his busy social schedule, Facebook is such a time consumer!
Andre, now 12, is happy to do family stuff as long as it is something he wants to do, starting high school next year might soon change that a bit.(the skate park is becoming the destination of choice...hmmmmmm).
Luckily I might have a few good years of Mumming stuff with Max, who at 10 and the baby, is still looking for some good quality parent time. ( thank goodness)



This is them last week. (Sorry, crappy phone photo)

I can hardly recognize them! 4 years doesn't sound like much but things change so fast while your children grow up, it isn't long before they go out into the big wide world and they're not yours exclusively anymore. I know this is how it should be, and that we are creating independent, happy, well adjusted human beings, but I still miss those family activities that are no longer cool.
Do I sound a bit sad? I have to admit I'm feeling a bit sad.

Oh well..... I know we are lucky in that our boys are healthy, happy, bright kids who could be anything they like, they are safe in the knowledge we will always be here for them with welcoming arms, and probably a chocolate caramel slice!

Ok, time to stop wallowing and making myself emotional! I say well done to Gaz and myself- 17 years is a fair whack of time, that has gone sooooo fast! Heres to the next 17 babe!

Hope you all had a good week end!

my creative space #14.............

.......sorry about the dim photo, creating today hasn't happened until after dark, too busy in daylight hours!

Anyway... just a bit of knitting, little flags for a cute girly bunting for one of my nieces. Think I might sew some crochet flowers and hearts on the plain ones to make it a bit individual. Hope I get them finished for Xmas (3 nieces means 3 buntings, - I'd better get cracking!)



Also had a bit of retail therapy today. Robert Gordon Pottery had a big Xmas sale at their factory in Pakenham, so my mum and I decided to have a look, well worth the trip! See all the lovely baking goodies I bought, and the cute white and red enamel cups. Also some lovely paper lanterns for Xmas decos, and 3 pretty milk bottle vases ( a bargain at $5 each!). All in all, a good mornings shopping had by all (and there were heaps of people!).

Quite the day for new acquisitions actually, my sister rang to let me know that some deckchairs I had ordered from her work had arrived 2 weeks early, so off I went to collect 18 deckchairs
( they're not all for me!). So now I have all these great chairs with beautiful stripey colourful fabrics sitting in my family room. Looking forward to summer and lounging around in them with a good book and a cold drink!

Have a look at far more creative places here at Kirsty's place.

Pondering....and completing

Welllllll.......... what's been happening round here lately.......... life has been busy busy busy, I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like they could do with a 28 hour day to fit everything in, but then I get to the end of the day and can't actually articulate what I've done! ( I hope I'm not the only one!) 'Stuff' covers most of my daily activities these days. 'Things.'

I waste a lot of time. I sit and ponder. I daydream all the things I'm going to do. I write endless, ambitious, unattainable lists of 'things to do' and then feel flat when the day goes haywire or off on a different tangent to the 'plan' and the list is still sitting amongst the brekkie dishes at dinner time. I should be more realistic and STOP PROCRASTINATING and Just. Get. On. With. Something!!! Life is just like that, chaos and inertia. Must just flow with it. I'll try.

Soooooo.......I feel glad when I see my youngest is still able to smile for a photo, even when he is home from school with a puffy eye, snotty nose, stuffy head type cold, and forced to keep me company on the endless merry go round that is food shopping! I had also just dropped the camera in the carpark at Safeway, so was very happy to see his bleary eyed grin in that little display screen! (oops, but it seems to be working ok....for now...)


Anyhoo....onto more practical matters...... I got my mobile finished......this is kind of what it looks like........ pretty hard to get a good pic as the only hook I could find was in a window so lighting was a bit all over the place.


Lots of flowery, leafy goodness, and quite vine like, which pleases me!

.....Thinking of putting it in my future Madeit shop.... I can see lots of little viney, flowery, floaty things being made quite soonish!

See you soon, have a great day!

something new to do.....

It's my birthday in a couple of days and my dear old grandpa sent me down some money, and I just happened to see this lovely book so I decided it was a great way to spend my birthday treat!
"Doodle Stitching" by Aimee Ray has me wanting to start covering everything I see in lots of embroidered cuteness! I have not done much embroidery, and don't know how to do proper stitches or anything, but I think I can see myself learning lots of great stuff from this book.
Thought I'd show you some of the yummy little projects and bits of inspiration....


.......loving these little trees, can see a whole forest being created here......



.......gorgeous little balsa wood embroidered charms/broaches , who would think to embroider wood? Looks very doable......


........ gorgeous fruit and veg for shopping bags.......



.......and super cute hand stitched gift tags, embroidering through card, something else to have a go at...


..... here's what you can do when you put it all together!



.....I love these tree motifs, I think they will be my first try things. So, do you want to have a go at embroidery now too? It doesn't seem too hard and it looks pretty hip!




And just a little sneak peak at the completed flower mobile thingamajig, hoping to find a good place to hang it and take some spiffy pics to show you soon!

Have a great day!

My creative space #13........

Yay! Computer happy again! My 12yr old did something and hey presto photos are up! Sorry this is such a poor quality shot, something has gone feral on the camera too and I'm having trouble getting a decent picture.

Anyway, this is what I'm working on at the moment - my little flower mobile thingamajig.
Hoping next photos will have leaves and vines attached and be nice and floaty and dreamy!

lots of creative places to check out here at Kirsty's.

Computer says no.....

Our computer seems to be playing up and won't let me access any photos, so I can't show you what I've been making over the last few days. Bummer. Hopefully it will be behaving itself soon.
This week has just flown, I have so many things I want to do and each day just seems to trickle away before I've achieved much. I'm sure you all know the feeling! Anyway I hope to be back giving my blog the love and attention it needs very soon! (with pictures I hope!)

Have a great day!

Madam is ready for new home.....

I've noticed that quite a few clever crafty lasses have been showing their contributions to the Softies for Mirabel appeal, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon too, and show you my 'knitted babe' that I have made to give to Pip at Meet me at Mikes for the appeal. She is quite a big girl with a nice frilly dress and cardi with a huge flower and spotty buttons, her hair is prone to dreadlocks if she's not careful! tee hee....



......Catching a few rays......


.....looking uber cool in her par-tay dress.......


.......action shot, ready to jump.......


.....and a formal indoor portrait.....


hope someone loves her and she finds a special new home!



(pattern from Knitted Babes by Claire Garland)

Have a great day! (it's so beautiful here today, perfect Spring day!)

My creative space #12........

......today I'm starting to think about a new project for Christmas. Involving snowflakes. I have found a heap of free patterns and I'm going to get cracking on making up a few. There are so many resources on the internet, it's just so ace! I'm loving working in this fine cotton at the moment and I think the snowflakes will work well in it.
It will probably be 35degrees here at Christmas, but I guess snowflakes are still a Christmassy motif. Also making more flowers for another flower vine.

I really don't know where this week has gone! I can't believe it's Thursday already! I have been on a little post-blogtober come down I think. It has also been Melbourne Cup week here, and I always find when the kids have a day off in the middle of the week somehow the whole week gets screwed up! We had a party at our place on Cup Day , so I spent Monday preparing, Tuesday partying ( we backed the trifecta!), and Wednesday cleaning up! So I hope you forgive me for a few days absence from blog land!

I have signed up for the Softies for Mirabel appeal over at Meet me at Mikes, so I 've got to get onto that as well. I have several almost done knitted babes, so this will be a good reason to finish them off!

Check out other creative places at Kirsty's .

Have a great Thursday!