milk and bread

Well thats what I went to the shops for but somehow I also came home with a new dress (which I snuck into the house to suddenly appear out of my wardrobe on Sunday with the exclamation 'oh this old thing...had it for ages').


and this fabulous book......oh gosh its good!


look at these sweet dolls



and this lovely little lady


or how about this sweet sampler


and for the boys.....


I found mine at DJ's but you can also get it here.....I really recommend it as it has so many lovely projects and its beautifully styled and photographed....now I better stay away from the shops for a while I think!

Country Living

I love home magazines but limit myself to one a month and last month found my new favourite.....the british edition of Country Living.....


I get it for $7.99 a month and am so in love with it.....


I'm ready to move in to the pages.........

slow craft movement

Just as there is a slow food movement, I think there should be a slow craft movement and cross stitch is most definitely a slow craft. I was inspired by this lady's beautiful cross stitch and rummaged around my craft room to find unfinished cross stitch projects as well as lots of lovely cross stitch charts to start.....


So I started on these lovely ladies and 2 nights later this is my progress......slooooooow.....but very satisfying! The pattern comes from CrossStitcher magazine January 2005 if you can get your hands on a copy. I have a desk lamp balancing behind me on the window sill to give me plenty of light and my glasses to deal with the fine work but I am enjoying it.


And to share the love I have a giveaway of free patterns I've pulled out of magazines, some little handtowels, a little stitch organiser and a handtowel chart booklet....just leave a comment to win and I'll draw on Sunday! Come on all you closet cross stitchers....you know you want it!

Muesli Slice

Time for a healthy recipe that you'll love! I tried 3 times to get this recipe right and it was always dry but I found one of donna's muesli slice recipes and combined her technique with honey & oil and my recipe and voila...perfection!


4 cups muesli
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup choc chips (optional but I need chocolate in my recipes)
1/2 cup honey melted over low heat for a few minutes and 1/2 cup oil whisked in

Combine all dry ingredients and mix in honey & oil mixture and press into lined square or rectangle tin. Press it down nice and firmly all over, I use the back of a wet spoon. Bake in 170 degree oven (160 if fan forced) for 40 minutes. You want it golden on top but don't worry if it doesn't look cooked all over as it firms up in the tin. Leave to cool for about an hour in the tin and then cut and enjoy!

Heather Bailey at Spotlight

don't get too excited, you won't find her in person or her lovely fabric ranges but you will find her papercraft range and let me tell you its just gorgeous! Well priced and so lovely that I came home with a total of 10 products from the range today and was very tempted to buy more!


I don't scrapbook anymore (I briefly ventured into scrapbooking when keira was a baby) but the colours and the styles will be perfect for cards, presents, notebooks, bedroom decorations....I just need to restrain myself from going back and buying one of everything from the range....

another sunhat

last night I whipped up another sunhat...this time in Bendigo's Colonial in a sweet little pink colour.


my little miss loves it and is click clacking through the house in her barbie heels (she'd wear these out of the house if I gave her the opportunity)


I promise to share the pattern with you soon once I actually put pen to paper......but for now I better go and brush someone's hair, I wouldn't get smiles for the camera if I'd braved her hair beforehand!


and check out this lovely giveaway, but don't enter it please because I want to win (juuuuuust kidding!)

I need to get out more!

yes, I need to get out more! the thing is that since the twins arrived just leaving the house on an outing takes....like...forever...and thats before I've even finished packing the bag let alone getting everyone clean and dressed. Last week I realised the twins had never been out of the pram at the local playground or been on a swing....what poor deprived little children I'm raising....


so today I made the effort, we travelled all of 5 minutes in the car to a lovely park on the water.


we met up with some other mummies, the mummies that see each other twice a week but I manage to see them once every 8 weeks or so.....and the twins had a ball, ate leaves, dirt and grass, rolled over other babies and had fun....and here's the proof ...mind you Tillie always has a serious face for the camera....

simple sunhat

Its not summer yet, but I liked the idea of turning my simple crocheted hat into a sunhat! Since I've never written the pattern down I just made it up as I went along and added a ruffle at the bottom of it in a cute contrasting pink. The yarn is Lincraft's own brand, soft'n'cosy!


I might increase the ruffle more next time to make it more 'ruffly' but I'm happy with how it turned out and it hasn't been pulled off by my model......yet


but we hit the same old problem.....my model doesn't like sitting still when photos are being taken and we were all out of pink marshmallows tonight!!!

in the mood for some knitting

I've been so busy crocheting or making the debbie bliss bolero again (I think I've made it over 5 times this year) that I've been ignoring some great winter patterns out there! Today I left this new pattern book at the store and wish it had come home with me...I quite like the idea of this simple tunic with some jeans for winter....


or this one...I have so many knitting books I figured I better look through my own stash of books and magazines before I add another one to the collection! Pictures courtesy of the Cleckheaton site.


so I came home and found lots of cute free patterns through ravelry and am all motivated to get knitting......in japanese and english, cute little dress ,and another dress, a kimono top and this is not free but how cute.....

the week that was

I've been caring for 2 sick babies this week who are being kept away from the world for a couple of days.... but thankfully are on the mend! If I'm not washing or cuddling them I'm running around cleaning up after them or breaking up a fight over the remote.


and here are their little mug shots taken the other day for their passports......


I've also been using up the mountain of apples and pears that have been accumulating from my weekly fruit and veg delivery. I use about 8 apples or pears (or a combo of the two) with a couple of handfuls of raisins, couple of Tablespoons of raw caster sugar and a bit of water. I cook for over 30 minutes till the fruit is nice and soft. I like mine with yoghurt while keira and her daddy prefer ice-cream. Either way its perfect for a winter dessert and I love it cold the next day too!


And if you're keen to see my fabrics in person its an open day this sunday between 12 and 1. Just ask me for address details, all fabrics will be $10 per half metre and there will be books and patterns too!! And since I'm rambling on about nothing in particular who else is loving willie wonky's chocolate factory on the lifestyle channel...gosh I am loving this show! A reality show that I'm actually enjoying and itching to try the product....

Scrap Granny Square Blanket

The odds and ends leftover from my ripple blanket are now being turned into a sweet little blanket for my Tillie. I added a red/pink yarn to the mix and love it, it reminds me of the lovely colours of this lady who does some lovely crochet! Here is my pattern if you want to make your own.......


First chain 4 and slip stitch into a ring.
1st round - chain 3 then 11 double crochet into your ring. You should have what looks like 12 double crochet. Make sure you count these before you get started on the next round because they become 4 sets of 3 and you will crochet into the space between the 3 to create a little square in your second round. Slip st into 3rd chain you did at the beginning and cut yarn. Thread this through the loop on your hook and pull tight.
2nd round - with a new colour do a slip stitch into any space between your double crochet. Now do 3 chain's and 2 double crochet, chain 3 and do another 3 double crochet, chain 1. This is your first corner done. Skip 3 double crochet from 1st round and do 3 double crochet, 3 ch and 3 double crochet, chain 1. Repeat this so that you have completed 4 corners with 2 sets of 3 double crochet. Slip St into the 3rd chain you did at the start and weave in your end to that stitch.
3rd round - Slip st new colour into any space (you should do a slip knot of the new colour onto your hook then slip st into the space. Do 3 ch and 2 double crochet, 3 chain and 3 double crochet, chain 1. Skip the next 3 double crochet on the previous round and do 3 double crochet in that space, chain 1. Skip the next 3 double crochet and do your same corner stitches (3 double crochet, 3 chain and 3 double crochet). Repeat these around so that you have filled in your corners and spaces.
4th round continue as you have done before. In each corner you are doing 3 double crochet, 3 chain, 3 double crochet and have 1 chain separating each set of stitches. When you are in a space that isn't a corner you are doing 3 double crochet with 1 chain separating! When you are starting a new round your first double crochet is actually a 3 chain which gives you the height of the round!

Hope that makes sense and have fun! these are super addictive and you just keep going round and round till you are done. You could do a different colour in each round or just group your colours together beforehand and work out the best sequence. If you get stuck making a ring check out youtube for some videos to get you started...beware of the lady with the bad nails. I couldn't get past her bad acrylics!!!

rippled

Ohhhh I love finishing things...this morning I weaved in a few ends and breathed a sigh of relief that this baby is finished. Thank goodness I didn't make it too big or I'd still be doing it but cot size is definitely manageable.


here it is folded


and up close....


I think I'll keep it in the twins room for decoration rather than let keira's buttery fingers near it......

a few spots left

I have 2 spots left in my applique class next Sunday and can't believe its almost that time already! I thought I had forever before my classes started and thank goodness I have people booked in...!!!! Class details are here and I've still got 10% off all classes....I can squeeze another person in my afternoon bags class too!


I'm bringing all fabrics in stock to the classes for those attending as well as my scrap bags while I continue to declutter! Ok better start preparing as I honestly didn't realise they were next weekend!!!!! I also have a crochet class running at the end of July as it seems everyone wants to learn crochet right now!

free postage

I am woman on a mission decluttering and making space at the moment! Sooooooo,to make more room for new fabrics arriving later this month, I've got free postage within Australia on all orders at my store until Sunday night....go crazy........

the winner is

Here are your random numbers:

33 Timestamp: 2009-07-06 03:07:52 UTC


and 33rd comment is Melissa of mumble bumblings, congrats and please send me your address to retromummy@gmail.com and I'll pop this in the post for you! Only 3 metres left of this fabric in my store so be quick...its been very popular!

the mother of all....

stash clearouts! When you can no longer close the double wardrobe where you hide...oops I mean keep....your ever growing fabric stash then its time for a clearout. So my fabric stash is now neatly organised here in the spare room (piled 2 deep)...neat to me means not falling on your head when you open the cupboard by the way!


and here in the back room next to my sewing table


store fabrics are here in another room out back and I also filled 2 big plastic tubs full of fabric as well! And I haven't even started on the yarn and patterns!


I managed to fill 4 bags with fabric and notions which are now too heavy to lift but need a new home.................and totally unrelated to stash clearouts are my little miss keira's new shoes...picked up at magnolia square which was a crowded and busy affair when we got there. I must admit the $8 entry is a bit steep for such a small event but we got 2 passes for french movies which will come in handy and were welcomed by retro daddy. We went to see this lovely lady who maximised every millimetre of her little allocated space!

1 metre 2 skirts.....and another giveaway

Housework just had to wait this morning as I was itching to use the new fabrics! 1 metre of this adorable fabric made 2 quick skirts in under an hour and there are leftovers for some small purses or appliqued tops.


I love this fabric so much and since this is my 501st post (time flies when you're having fun) I am giving away 1 metre so just leave a comment here. To be drawn Sunday night!