For Indi...just because...

Because the sheet I need for the quilt backing is still in the washing machine.

Because I have a gazillion things to sew for the caravan and this is not one of them.

Because Miss Pepper is playing quietly alone in the other room.

Because I am the queen of procrastination.

Because the scraps in my bin looked way too cute to chuck out.

Because I haven't made you a pillow case or doona cover yet and you haven't complained.

Because I hate the vampire t'shirt you currently uses as a hottie cover.

Because I made one recently for The Hottie Challenge and still had the pattern.

Because it often feels like I have no idea when it comes to the parenting of a 10 year old girl.

Because you let me hold your hand all the way to school today.

Because life sometimes looks complicated for a ten year old girl.

Because I adore you and think you are so ace!

I hope you like it. x

And my super duper brooch package arrived.

Aren't I a lucky duck!

Thanks Flaming Nora!

Thanks Susie.

See ya later hot potata! x

In and Out.

Out: My FlowerPress Brooch swap.

My doily brooch, some small love heart brooches, some Australian animal chocolates, a little purse I made and a Foxs Lane card.

Out: The Green Sleeves dress,

...a little appliqued t'shirt (it's always nice to add a little surprise) and Foxs Lane card, all tied up with a vintage sheet selvage ribbon.

Out: The Second Blue Flower dress,

...a little t'shirt surprise, a Foxs Lane card, all tied up with a vintage sheet selvage ribbon.

In: The most divine doily tea towel from gorgeous Susie at Flower Press. It's a caravan prezzie. Hooray!! Thank you so much Susie, I adore it. xx

Out: A bunch of interchangeable circular knitting needles Mary lent me when I was trying to decide on a brand. How ace is blogland! Thanks Mary.

Out: A doily brooch and a couple of love heart brooches for Miss Jennie just because.

I often wonder if the post office people draw straws when they see me coming.

Have you had any fun mail lately? Hope so.

And be honest, were you hoping this post was about something a bit more exciting?

See ya! x

Brooched.

After much agonising and researching and procrastinating and planning, I am happy to report that I have finally finished my doily brooch for Susie's Flowerpress Brooch Swap.

But before you go thinking it was easy and straight forward, let me take you on a bit of a brooch journey.

First off I thought I'd make it out of bits and pieces from my Farmer Boy's shed.

When that didn't come together, I started crocheting a multi layered and petaled flower. When that looked like it was going to turn out enormous, I ditched that idea too. I hope to go back to it and finish it at some stage because it'll look great as a corsage on a bag or jacket, but not really a brooch.

Then while looking at pretty pictures on Ravelry one night I decided to make a doily brooch. And after looking at hundreds of doily patterns and not loving any of them, I made up my own.

Or at least I thought I did, but when I came home and did a Pinterest search I came up with this. It looks so similar to mine it's scary. Wow!

It seems my pattern might not have been so original after all.

I crocheted five small doilies yesterday on the train to Melbourne and back. It took me that many goes to get the size and shape and pattern I liked. But do you think I wrote it down as I went along so I knew what I had done? Nope! This silly billy had to guess and count the stitches each time.

When I had finally come up with a pattern I was happy with, I decided the cotton I had grabbed that morning was far too white, so we soaked the doilies in my Mum's tea pot and then in a salty vinegary solution to set the new colour.

Mmmmmuch better.

After that all that was left was to stitch it onto some denim, glue a circle of denim on the back to neaten it up and then the brooch pin.

Raveled here.

Woohooo, I'm mentally ticking brooch swap brooch off my mental list.

What's next? Some caravan sewing I think.

Have a fab weekend y'all.

Close, closer, closest.

There is chaos in my head. I wonder if you might help me with any answers you might have. Please. Just one or as many as you know the answers to. Thanks.

If you were taking five people away on a caravan adventure for up to six months, how many sheet sets and towels would you take?

Do you sometimes wish your kids' friend's parents would just drop their kids off and leave so you could get on with what you were doing?

Did you have any idea that cutting fabric squares and then sewing them back together was such physical work? My back aches.

Do you prewash your fabric before you sew with it?

Do you ever read travel blogs?

Is there any way to join pinterest without having a twitter or facebook account?

Do you eat too much salt?

If you don't empty the washing machine and hang out the laundry, how long will the washing in the machine stay clean for before you have to wash it again? What's your record for amount of times washing the same load?

If you were completely up to date with the laundry, would there be enough room in the cupboards for all the clothes and manchester?

How is it possible that I ruined not one but two batches of cookies today by adding one tablespoon of bicarb instead of one teaspoon?

Would you eat carrot and coriander soup?

Do you take your camera every where you go?

Would you feel embarrassed if you were in a cafe and reached on the floor for your ball of wool only for the chair to come out from under you with a bang and for you to land on your bum with the biggest clatter?

Are your computer backups up to date?

If you had a three and a half year old and you went for a family bike ride, how would the three and a half year old be catered for? She is too big for a seat on the back, but probably a bit too unsteady for those handle and wheel contraptions behind the bike.

How come I know every single word to every single song on the So Fresh Hits of Winter 2011 cd, and yet I have no idea what music I like any more?

Why, when my to-do list is so long it almost induced a panic attack this morning, did I start a new crochet project to make myself feel better?

What excuse can I give a little one for the tooth fairy being over a week late?

What are you having for dinner tonight? Do your kids eat soup?

Do you have any questions you need the answers to?

Bye??

Mental list.

A while back Miss Indi declared that when the count down til the caravan adventure hit 30 days, then it was real and we could start getting excited.

This morning we hit the first day of winter, one of the hardest frosts I have ever seen, the first time all three of my children slept in until 8am...and 30 days until our departure date!

Along with all the squealing and high-fiving going on this morning, I felt a bit of panic in my stomach. My goodness have I got a lot to do in a very short amount of time.

So I thought a to-do list. I know most organised people write lists, but I am not one of them so I didn't.

The first thing on that list is to finish all my crafty commitments, starting with The Hottie Challenge.

Details for the enormous crocheted flower raveled here. I made the actual hottie out of an old grey blanket and bound it in black. For future reference, perhaps I should have considered binding it all together before sewing on the chunky, impossible to get through the sewing machine, flower. Just a thought.

This hottie will be winging it's way to Ms Curly Pops this afternoon and from there to the Open Drawer people where it will be exhibited between July 1st and July 24th and then hopefully sold to raise some bucks for research for heart and lung transplants.

Ok, next on the list is my brooch swap brooch.

I have no idea where to start.

Is it weird that something is making me sift through lots of washers and fittings in Farmer Bren's shed in hope of inspiration?

So that's me for this afternoon. One challenge done, one swap, one test knit and one crochet test to go and then the serious business.

Whatever you do do not let me partake in any more swaps or pattern tests or any other bloggy fun until I have ticked off if not completed my mental caravan list (pun intended).

I hope this afternoon finds you organised and inspired.

Bye now. x

Seal prints & found wool.

I've been screen printing seals onto t'shirts.

This one was posted off to Miss Muggins for her daughter this morning.

Apologies to all those having a quiet coffee at Breakfast and Beer this morning, who I must have completely freaked out when I spied my beloved wool and hook on top of the fridge and let out an almighty WOOP!

It appears it must have dropped out of the car door when I opened it to pop some take away coffees on the passenger seat earlier in the week.

Thanks so much for all your kind words regarding my loss.

I just read on their site that Craft Hope are about to close temporarily, so I am thinking I might auction the little bunny off when she is finished with all proceeds going to the Haiti relief effort a la' Leonie.

And look what appeared in my mail box this morning to brighten up my Wednesday. The lovely 'I heart handmade & Home' brooch that I won over at Her Library Adventures. Love it!

I hope you come across something you thought you had lost soon. It really is the greatest feeling. XX

Flowers finished!

The last few flower brooches have been crocheted and gifted.

I didn't wrap the flowers but let each recipient choose their own.

I've been enjoying watching them pop up on t'shirts around town over the past few days.

Now that I've finished the prezzies, let's hope the girls' new obsession with origami holds their interest long enough for me to have a bit of a go at some of the projects I've been putting off.

I've got a lot of crochet to play with.

And some screen printing.

And some playing with the contents of this wonderful giveaway I won over at Bec's lovely blog. Piles of knitting and crochet needles, some vintage patterns and some of Bec's wonderful handmade soap.

I hope things are happy with you and yours. XX

Brooches then trims.

What I should be doing is turning this bundle of wool into brooches for more end of year 'thank you' prezzies.

Even though its crochet work and I love to crochet, I never really want to make what I should be making.

The other day my wonderful friend Beck gave me this pile of old sheets and linens.

My head is full of ideas of what I can turn them into.

I'm not sure I can ever cut into this Holly Hobbie sheet though. Something about that girl makes me so happy.

For some reason this sheet, now dress, reminded me of the reason I wanted to learn to crochet in the first place.

Way back at the start of this year I had this idea to make crochet trims for the clothes I was sewing. So I learnt to crochet and then forgot all about the trims.

Until now.

But I am going to be good and put this future frill aside until I finish all the prezzies.

I really am!

No more school & a bit of baking.

The teachers' thank-you presents were finally finished late last night and then gifted this morning. One each for Indi and Jazzy's teachers and one for the music, art and Italian teachers.

I've got a few more to make but I work better under pressure, so I'll be making them at the last possible minute.

I love how these little stacks look.

I hope they understand the whole hand made wash cloth thing. Recently I was knitting one at a market and more than one person looked at me strangely when I told them what it was.

I had so many sewing plans for the last day before school holidays, but unfortunately Miss Pepper woke up from her nap just after I'd put the washing away, so not a lot got done.

Instead we made cup cakes.

And apricot and peach pies in these gorgeous little dishes we found at the op shop yesterday.

I hope you are having a lovely Thursday.

My creative Space.

With one week to go until the end of the school year, I am crocheting washcloths and flower brooches for teachers' thank you presents. I am adding a bar of gorgeous Cleopatra soap to make each package smell delicious too

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This Tulip Stitch washcloth pattern is from here.

I am putting the finishing touches on my softies. I am hoping to sew them a zippered pouch when Pepper has her sleep today and get them in an express post pack this afternoon.

I have taken delivery of two boxes of stale organic Himalaya Bakery bread.

I am slicing, toasting, crumbling and then toasting again to make bread crumbs.

I hope this Thursday finds you full of inspiration.

To see what lots of other crafty kids are up to click on over to Kirsty's.