Catching a moment

Hello! How are you dear friend. I was wondering if you might like to join me on a quick skip through my past week that was. I know it's a little self indulgent but it was a gorgeous week and I'd really like to catch it before it flitters off in the wind.

So here we go, this past week;

I visited a family with their new baby girl Holly, not even 19 hours old.

I sliced my thumb open on a pair of secateurs.

I saw blood clot and was impressed at my body, but not so much by the sight. 



I woke up one year older.

I thought a lot about what a wonderful place right now is to be.

I threw a little, last minute birthday breakfast in our garden and hired a coffee van. During the party I was serenaded by my family, the girls singing and Bren on the ukulele, on the steps of the cubby-house.

I wrote an article for one of my fave magazines.



I sucked honey out of honeycomb that we stole from the roof of one of our hives.

I planted 100's of seeds.

I started reading my first ever e-book - My Year Without Matches - which I am really enjoying, but still missing turning the pages.

I spent two whole days not knitting due to my cut thumb.

I sent the girls to school with yesterday's plaits due to my cut thumb.



I read through the 102 Clover crochet hook entries and loved every single one. I love how crochet unties us, calms our busy minds and enables us to make pretty gifts from scratch for ourselves and other people in our lives. Eventually I chose Dre at No Frills Mum because her story touched me. Dre please email me your postal details and I'll get gorgeous Renae to mail you your hooks ASAP.

I thought a bit about how cool it would be to run a yarn store like Yarn Haus and how we should support Renae by buying our yarn from her because she is brave and living her dreams and sourcing some really gorgeous yarns.

I spent an afternoon without house water when farmer Bren ploughed through a pipe.

I cleaned up another Mother's child's poo in our bathroom without any water (of course it happened when I had none).



I knitted a hedgehog Softie for Mirabel.

I did half of Indi's painting homework.

I remembered that I'm not such a great painter.

I remembered that I love couscous.

I felt overwhelmed and honoured and thrilled by all the birthday messages and calls and love.

I ate my first mango of the season.



I visited a bio dynamic sheep farm and fell more in love with wool.

I accumulated 246 unread emails.

I accumulated a kitchen table full of beautiful birthday flowers.

I donated to our community's Clay Space project.




I listened to this song and watched this film so many times and felt more than a little bit proud of our Indi, Tim and Geoffrey.

I think that's all the main points. I'll probably think of more once I press publish.

I have to now, my farmer boy is teaching the girls to make fire with a magnifying glass and I don't want to miss out.


So how about you?
What have you been up to this past week dear friends?
Tell me three or four things in the comments if you like, I'd love to know.

I hope you have the most wonderful weekend.

Love Kate xx

This week you might like to....

VOTE for My Bearded Pigeon in the Etsy Design Awards.

I met Cath, Ms My Bearded Pigeon, online a few years ago right after we had both just started blogging. Each Thursday we, along with a couple of hundred other craft bloggers, would share our creative spaces and what we'd been up to.

I liked Cath straight away. I loved her creativity, her parenting and living style, the fact that she'd also moved from the city to the country and I really admire the fact that she always stands up for what she believes to be right, always supports other people’s projects and is always enthusiastic, encouraging and kind.

A few years ago Cath came up with a gorgeous organic cushion design which she handmade in her lounge room at home and then started selling on Etsy. When the world fell in love with her cushions and she found she couldn’t make them all herself, she employed other mothers in her community to help her with the cutting and the sewing. Other mothers who could sit up at their kitchen tables stitching and still be there when their kids woke up or got home from school. I think that’s pretty awesome.

I also think it’s pretty awesome that Cath herself juggling motherhood, running a household, going to work, being a constant and supportive friend, fighting copyright issues and copycats, has grown her business, come up with loads of new designs while always sticking to her ethics.

Voting for Cath puts her in the running to win a mentoring session with Clare Bowditch and also a trip to New York.

Voting is quick and easy, it’s free, it gives you the chance to win a $250 Etsy gift card and it would mean the world to Cath.

Vote for My Bearded Pigeon here.

Sponsor Pottymouth Mama to wear a dress each day in October and raise some much needed funds for ovarian cancer research. Every cent she raises goes to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF).

Currently there is no early detection test for ovarian cancer and the OCRF relies completely on the support of the community and business. 

Here are some stats I found on Lexi's blog;

• Every ten hours, one woman dies from ovarian cancer in Australia
• Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death of all gynaecological cancers
• Unlike other cancers, there is NO early detection test
• Over 50% of the community incorrectly believe a pap smear diagnoses ovarian cancer
• Ovarian cancer has a lower survival rate than both breast and cervical cancer
• When detected and treated early 80-100% of women will survive beyond five years compared with only 20-30% when diagnosed at a late stage

This is Lexi's third year of participating in frocktober and it would be great to help her make it the biggest yet.

Please sponsor Lexi by clicking this link.

READ this little interview I did over on Kellie's blog.

MAKE a soft toy for Softies For Mirabel

I love this one. Each year for the past eight years, Pip and the Meet Me At Mikes crew have encouraged crafters all over the world to make and donate a soft toy for The Mirabel Foundation, an organisation that cares for children affected by parental substance abuse. 

As an obsessive compulsive crafter myself, the thought of something I have created with my own two hands making a small difference to a child's life, warms my heart.

Softies can be stitched, crocheted, knitted, woven or felted. Above is the softie I made back in 2010, you can check out all the others in the flickr group.

I still haven't decided what form my softie will take this year but I think it's probably about time I took a break from my sock-a-thon, don't you?

Keep up to date with the softies project over at Meet Me At Mikes.


I think that's it from me for now.
So tell me, are you going to vote or sponsor or read or make?
Were you a creative spacer or have you made a softie before?
Do you have anything going on that you think I should know about?

I hope you have a wonderful week.
I hope your sun shines and that you find the time to do something that you love.

Big love

xx

Softie 4 Mirabel.

Well hello there!

Actually, truth be told its goodbye!

You see I am leaving the farm today and heading into the bright lights of the big city for a real adventure.

I am dressed in my fanciest outfit. I have my matching shoes, scarf and hat on and my designer handbag is filled with all the important stuff that a girl simply cannot live without. I've spent hours getting my hair just right, I just hope this rain doesn't make it frizzy. And I've been hiding from Miss Jazzy who wants to cover me with glitter and make me look like a rock star. You see, its just no good for my complexion.

A girl's got to look her best you know. She simply has no idea who she might meet on her travels.

I must be honest and tell you that I am most excited. This farm and all the dirt and green is OK for some, but you see I am a lady who appreciates the finer things in life. I love nothing better than shopping, gossiping and lots of long lunches.

I have my sights set high and I wont let anything get in my way on my journey to the top.

So its farewell from me for now.

I'm heading to Pip's and from there to my new best friend's place. I cannot wait to see what delights my new future holds...a star on the Hollywood boulevard? A hit music video? The new female lead on the next Twilight movie?...the sky's the limit.

So ciao ciao for now.

Oh and if you want my personal details so you can text me, I am Raveled here.

My creative space.

In my creative space today I am binding,

overlocking and gathering,

crocheting a trim,

and putting together surprising colour combinations.

I cannot believe that I am considering sewing with this orange trimmed table cloth but somehow this combination looks summery and fun to me today despite my dislike of the colour.

Oh, and I'm also still hooking away at my Softie for Mirabel, knitting my Tea Leaves cardi and my test for Tikki but I haven't got any recent photos of these. I also have a whole pile of projects that will realistically never be finished so I'm not even going there.

I know I should probably stop starting new projects until I finish some of these but that wouldn't be fun now would it?

Over to Kirsty's for some more creativity.

Happy Thursday y'all. XX

My creative space.

In my creative space today I am slowly, slowly knitting away at my Tea Leaves cardi.

I am making a start on my softie for Mirabel.

I am wondering how many times I can sew the shirring elastic onto the right side of the dress, unpick, sew the shirring elastic onto the right side of the dress, unpick...before I get it right.

And, as usual, I am trying to find creative ways to compete with the fancy packaging and heavily branded lunch box treats that my children think they are missing out on.

These chippies are made using Mountain Bread painted with olive oil, a sprinkling of salt, cut into squares and baked at 160 degrees for four minutes.

You should try them. My kids love them.

So what's cooking in your space today?

I'm heading over to Kirsty's to check it out.

Have a happy Thursday. X

ps. Today there are 2,630 emails in my inbox. That's 226 less than yesterday.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow.

Yesterday I sent these four little Kokeshi dolls off to Softies for Mirabel.

Today I got a package in the mail containing this gorgeous pouch and fabric I won over at Joanna's Chubby Hobby blog. I could not believe I had won when I saw that Joanna had 488 entries!

And today I am thinking a lot about love.

Ten years ago today Bren and I drove a tandem trailer full of hay bales (for seating) to a school camp site in Lillydale. That afternoon and night we played games and danced the night away with about 80 of our friends and the next morning set the place up for our wedding.

Ten years ago I was excited and nervous and overwhelmed.

Today I feel so lucky and blessed and loved and in love.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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

.
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.

Friday morning.

This morning I have been stressing about the gorgeous softies on Pip's blog and trying to make myself feel better by thinking that if I can get a few of these in the post on Monday then it wont be too late.

Is it my imagination or does that green one look less grumpy this morning?

The girls are back at school.

I adore my ducklings but I think its important to miss them too.

I am thinking about end of year 'thank you' prezzies for the teachers.

What do you like to give? I'd love some suggestions.

I am loving this gorgeous birthday bag from the wonderful Cath at Chunky Chooky.

And I'm making challah dough.

After I press publish, I am going to get into my work clothes and pick some veg for market tomorrow.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Black eyed softie.

Last night while sorting through the piles of stuff on the kitchen table, looking for the swimming notice, I came across the softie known as Blueberry Buttons.

Great I thought, I'll post her off in the morning, until I saw her face.

It appears she's either been in a fight and has the bruises to prove it or is baring the marks of a texta left with its lid off.

I had a quick try at cleaning her up with some warm soapy water but it seemed to make it worse.

With only days until the Softies for Mirabel deadline I have two choices;

1. Get her gear off and try my luck with a pot of dark coloured dye.
2. Start another softie.

Last night I made this Kokeshi doll but I am not thrilled with her. Perhaps if she had several different coloured friends in a pouch someone might love her.

I'm not sure what to do and I'm running out of time.

What do you think? Any advice is welcome.

Today is the last day for my giveaway. I was hoping to pick two winners and make the announcement today, but Miss Jazzy is so desperate to be the barrel girl that I'll have to wait until after swimming lessons to draw them, and make the announcment tomorrow morning.

If you would like a chance to have two of these Christmassy pot holders come to your house there's still time to enter.

Have a fabulous Monday and I'll see you back here tomorrow with the names of the winners.

My creative Space.

In my creative space this Thursday I am putting the finishing touches on my softie for Mirabel. Because the temperature is going to be in the high 30's today, she thinks she needs a hat.

I am thinking of creative things to do with broad beans. We are having felafel for dinner tonight.

I am planning and dreaming about all the wonderful places these shoes are going to take me. I found them in the children's shoe pile at the local op shop for 60 cents yesterday.

And I am trying to be creative with their hair styles.

Indi, Jazzy and sometimes Pepper are making Fimo shapes.

How divine is that purple crochet hook?

And Bren has been creative with this irrigation system. I'll try to explain it on my other blog at some stage if I can ever understand it.

Now you've seen ours, why don't you pop on over to Kootoyoo to see what everyone else is doing.

My Creative Space.

In my creative space this morning, I am baking mini chocolate chip cookies for my Mum's book launch tonight.

Her book Alzheimer's a love story will be launched at Readings in Carlton tonight and to say I am proud and excited is an understatement.

Since realising that I have been doing the wrong dc's, I am struggling to finish my softie for Mirabel. I am looking forward to crocheting her some outfits though. I think a bright red dress might fix her up a bit.

Opposite where I sit to type this are these two spools waiting to be played with. The one on the left is a paper twine with wire through it that I think would hold it's shape really well if crocheted into a large form. I have quite few ideas for experimenting with this twine. The baker's twine on the right is just lovely with its red and white stripes and I am dying to see how it crochets.

I am trying my hardest not to start any new projects until I have finished my softie and to be inspired by these potential projects. But it is really hard.

For lots more creative spaces and inspiration pop on over to Kootoyoo.