Imagine Lovely

Le chef-d'œuvre!

2012-03-05T16:13:00.002-08:00

I don't know why I wrote that in french, but It's almost finished! Arrgghhh For the past two weeks I've spent every spare waking moment knitting and stitching, knitting and stitching. Actually that's a lie. For the first week I did nothing, but since then I've been knitting and stitching like a loon. The small people are thoroughly sick of it I'm sure, though they are very encouraging and can't wait for the 'party'. Gee, you really find out how little spare time you actually have each day when you are trying to complete something this big on a deadline. I'm so inspired though. I really want to make jumpers for all sorts of things that don't need them. The trampoline, for example. It's important don't you think? To tell you the truth I've actually already started two other projects as well- man I have such a small attention span! I am hoping to finish them by Saturday too, but I might be kidding myself. Especially if I sit here rambling for much longer! Anyway, if you are near to our fair town, come along on Saturday. There are other great local artists, Mr Lovely will be playing some sweet tunes and I believe that there is free booze...

I'm clearly crazy...

2012-02-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last few weeks telling anyone who will listen that I'm clearing the decks, ready for the start of our house building. I've been giving up my commitments to various groups, and trying to whittle down my craft projects to just those that relate to the house. Sounds sensible right? Except any of you that know me well know that that's not me. I'm a bit manic most of the time, I have a million projects on the go all over the place, I have more ideas than time and I'm always thinking of new things I want to do. So it should come as no great to surprise that yesterday, when I'd had a couple of ciders with the fabulous Mel of St Mel - I agreed to create a sculptural piece for a group art show she is organising as part of the Chillout Festival. And as the website states, it's only four weeks to go. This piece I'm talking about hasn't been started- it hasn't even been drawn, it's just in my head. Oh and it's also 2.8 metres high and requires about 8 metres of knitting and crocheting. And some welding. Oh and did I mention I don't even know now to crochet? Or weld?

Well we must aim high. We must dream big. This is how I like to learn- on the fly. Just work it out. Just do it. Expect to either see not a lot of me in the next few weeks as I work madly on this, or you'll hear a freakin lot of stressin out! Either way, it's gonna be rad. I do love a deadline, and it's nice to be so inspired and to be able to share (hopefully share) my creation with friends. Shit- better get to work!

Make!

2012-02-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

A wool wrapped bracelet! I've had lots of comments on these so I thought I'd share the process. Not that there's much to it, but hey, I like to keep things simple! It was inspired by a hair comb I saw on Pinterest, but didn't pin and now can't find- if anyone knows it let me know. It's a great way to rad up an ugly old bangle- maybe one you have or maybe you can thrift one or two. Anyways, heres what I did.

You will need: Old bangle/s, wool scraps, scissors & a hot glue gun.

How to : Choose wool colour, secure end to the inside of the bracelet with a drop of hot glue (flatten it out with your finger) wrap, wrap, wrap (nice 'n tight!) and secure end with more hot glue. Continue until totally covered, voila! The black & white one I did by wrapping two colours at the same time.

Easiest makeover ever? This get's me thinking about all the other things you could wrap- bottles for vases, earrings, necklaces, hair clips, rings.

Thank you Dita!

2012-02-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

4 1/ 2 years of breastfeeding, 28 1/2 months of pregnancy, and two tired boobs later, here I stand. Wow, they've done a lot my boobs. I'm proud of them. But I they've done so much, changed so much through these different stages that I don't even know what size I am anymore. None of my bras fit me, even though they are in about a million different sizes and shapes and they all make my boobs look saggy. It's the bra, not the boobs okay. I remember Oprah once telling us that we must have a good supportive bra, I think Trinny and Susannah may have said the same thing, so it must be true right?

So thank you very much Dita Von Teese for releasing your Target collection right at this very crucial moment. Very kind of you. So I'm off to Ballarat to brave the madness that is the designers for Target shopping chaos. A public apology in advance for any injuries I may cause in my quest for post child rearing perky-ness.

*** Edited to add- The people of Ballarat barely noticed the arrival of Dita, it's certainly not known for its fashiony-ness. I was all alone with racks of beautifulness. I've gotta say, I love her collection. The items I got are gorgeous, well made, supportive and a little different. Oh and very reasonably priced. Love it.

Rambly things...

2012-02-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

Well judging by how late we left the pub, our first book club was a roaring success! It was so divine to be sitting around with such an amazing bunch of women discussing things of an intellectual nature- hearing some different perspectives and sharing stories. Just divine. The only down side being how tired I was yesterday which narrowed my days achievements down to only the making of ginger ninja's.

Today however is the day to lodge our septic tank permit with the council, which means only one more permit to go (the building permit) and we can officially start building!! We have our owner builders license and we got our energy rating done (7 stars woohoo!) so it's all systems go! I'm really excited, of course, but also really apprehensive. God, I have to be the project manager of a house build. Me! While I still have breastfeeding brain and slight sleep dep and three kids to wrangle. Me who would rather be knitting! We'll I'd best get my head around it I suppose, and fast! Okay off to the council I go...

Yay for today!

2012-02-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

School holidays are over (a quiet yay!), No.1 is at school, No.2 is at kinder and No.3 is asleep. Ahhhhhhh.... bliss. Now I can be with you my dear blog and you my dear sewing machine! I can hold a continuous train of thought for more than 3.2 minutes. I can go to the toilet without interruptions! Gosh I could even make a phone call and actually hear the person on the other end. Amazing! I can eat chocolate openly and read my Sookie Stackhouse novel in the hammock. And speaking of books, tonight we have our very first book club meeting- another reason to be excited, so I made this bag to celebrate! Do you like it?

Are you in a book club? Our very first read was Indelible Ink- by Fiona McGregor. Have you read it? What did you think? I thought it was very insightful and I loved the descriptions of Sydney in the summer heat. Being a lover of tattoo art I enjoyed that aspect of the book as well, but I must say I didn't much like her horrid children. Poor woman.

Anyway, hooray for the new school year, and hooray for mama's everywhere having some time for themselves! Hope you have a wonderful monday.

Dear Summer...

2012-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

I love you so so much and I know you are going to leave me. I just wish there was some way to make you stay. You make me so happy with your bright bright hotness. Your days at the lake, your edible bounty, your balmy evenings. I love the way you make getting dressed so easy and how you keep the butter just the right softness for baking. I love your ability to keep me in the moment, just living, enjoying, savouring, devouring- unlike winters waiting, planning and dreaming. If you stayed I'd be good to you, really I would. I'd make you cups of coffee in bed, I'd let you let you drink the last cider in the esky (chilly bin, cooler, ice box). I'd even give you a nice long massage with that coconut oil you like? Whattaya say summer? Will you stay with me?

Zen Mumma & Cake

2012-01-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

I am zen mumma. Well, trying to be anyway.

Wee Otis is is teething and not sleeping so well. He was awake form 3 - 5.30 last night. He requires lots of cuddles. Which in turns makes Charlie want more attention and more action. I'm tired. I'm a little on edge. So that's today's mantra, I am zen, I am zen, I am zen. I will not fall in heap. I am zen.

Anyway, what I like to do at times like this is bake. It comforts me and keeps the little people busy. So just in case you too need a school holiday baking rescue recipe, I give you...

Charlie's Banana Blueberry and Yoghurt Cake.

This is a recipe based on Stephanie Alexander's Simple Banana Cake, adapted by Charlie. It's very moist and needs no icing or decorating. It keeps really well if refrigerated in an airtight container. It also freezes really well, so you could make a double mixture and freeze one for an emergency.

125grams unsalted butter softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

250grams plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

a smidge (technical I know) of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk and 1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons yoghurt (we used vanilla Jalna)

1 punnet blueberries

Grease and line a large loaf tin or cake tine of your choice. Pre-heat oven to 180. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, banana and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture, alternating with buttermilk (or milk with lemon juice). Add yoghurt, mix, then add blueberries. Spoon into pan and bake for 45 mins or until cake tests clean. Cool cake in its pan on a wire rack for a few minutes before turning out.

Yum :)

A housie update...

2012-01-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well things are moving along quite quickly now with the house. We are very nearly ready to actually start building... squeeeee!! Above is the final floor plan with a few changes. We are going to build the house in two stages now, adding the 'parents retreat', otherwise known as the East Wing, in a few years time when the kids are happy to be further away from us. So for now, we will divide their rumpus room (at the western end) into two rooms, one for us and a wee one for Otis. The East wing will attach to the other side of the entry vestibule and we will knock out the walls in their rumpus.

Now we are drawing the landscape plans which is such a lovely exciting part of the process because you get to imagine all those lovely bbq's and outdoor parties and just general warm weather relaxing time. Not to mention trying to plan the perfect garden. One of the joys of starting from scratch! We are also deep in research on how to build a natural swimming pond which is one of our must have items. Something like this...

So the last two permits permitting we are hoping to begin in the next couple of months. We really want to be living in here by Christmas. After all the very detailed planning we have done, we are hoping the build will run very smoothly... sound like Grand Designs much? What will go wrong I wonder... hmmmm, probably plenty of things, but I guess we will just have to wait and see!

PS- I'm taking names and numbers of people who want to help with some strawbale building... hint hint... :)

Inspired

2012-01-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

Been very inspired over here in recent weeks! less blogging, more crafting ;)

I recently found this amazing black heavy wool fabric, which was off-cuts from huge theatre curtains. It has inspired so many projects! I made the sweet cushion above for a friends engagement on the weekend, and they received it with such absolute joy I could've cried. So worth every second I spent making it and a million times more special than anything I could have bought. Go handmade!

So I've been crafting my little butt off in every spare second I have and trying to add the goodies into my Etsy store. You can check it out here. I will be adding lots more things in the coming weeks too including pot mitts, iphone cases and wall hangings so stay tuned!

Hope you are all feeling inspired by 2012 too my lovelies!

N.Y.E

2011-12-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

What did you do for New Years? I carved a succulent garden from corks... exciting huh?

Now that's dedicated crafting. Te he he. Hope you all had a good one!

The grand arrival of my very own vintage caravan! Hurrah!!

2011-12-28T23:05:00.000-08:00

Oh happy happy day! My christmas present arrived yesterday not on a sleigh, but a huge trailer! Can you believe it? I'm finally the owner of my very own vintage caravan. Well maybe vintage, maybe classic. I'm using my finely tuned detective skills to try and to work out what year she was made. From what I understand Franklin started making this model, the Regent, in 1968, but continued to make them throughout the early 70's. She's cute huh? I especially love her little egg shape. She looks pretty good from the front, but the back side needs a lot of work and the interior, well, I dare not even show you a photo. I'll save that shock for a before and after later on. Lets just say she a 'restorers dream'. She suffered a bit on the ride home too (about 400 k's of vibration) and needs some immediate T.L.C. Never fear though, Mr Lovely is hard at work as I speak, fixing her frame and making her sturdy again. Which is pretty good of him really, since she was purchased on a whim by his cheeky wife, with not a thought to how much work she needed! I really don't know how he puts up with me ;)

So the plan is to fix her frame, completely strip the interior, paint and rebuild the bed, table and shelves, then mover her to the block as a site office while we build the house. Then after the house is built use her as a guest bedroom / parents retreat. Unfortunately I don't think she will ever travel the highways again, but she will have a lovely place to retire.

So this is christmas...

2011-12-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

Really? far out. I cannot believe how this year has just completely flown by. It's feels like I've not had a single moment to breathe or think or to really reflect and it's catching up on me now! I'm lying awake at night replaying the years events in my head, wondering if I've done okay. Have I been a good mother? A good wife? A good friend? Have I been good to myself? Have I made the right choices? I'm also reflecting a lot on how lucky we are to be together as a family, living in such beautiful place with such a fantastic community. I just completely adore living in the country.

It's been an amazing and um, what's the word... hmmm.... challenging year. Becoming a mother of three has been both ecstatically joyous and completely overwhelming. Children are so bloody amazing and wow I love them all so much, but far out it's FULL ON. I am totally amazed that I've managed to craft anything or post anything on this blog, but I am extremely grateful to my blog and to my lovely friends who read it for keeping that creative part of me alive. It very easily could have drowned in the deluge of housework, screaming children and annoying chores.

And as we reach the end of the year, excitingly we find ourselves very close to being ready to start building our super straw bale house. I am completely in awe of the wonderful Mr Lovely who has managed to keep a demanding full-time job, help to look after three kids and do all the research, drawings, paperwork and talking involved to get our project to this point. All whilst still being a completely fabulous husband. I love you darling.

So next year will be full of house building drama and excitement- think Grand Designs blog style, permaculture gardening- as I start to plan and plant out a completely bare 5000 square metres, hopefully lots of craft and also a new and exciting project which I will be letting you in on very shortly. Another year with a lot more plans than time, but hopefully we can see some of them through...

Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for listening to my vague sleep deprived ramblings. To everyone in blog land, Merry Christmas I have LOVED procrastinating while reading about your adventures :)

From champagne corks to toadstools!

2011-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

One thing we have a lot of that I've always wanted to reuse is champagne corks. Lordy knows I love me some bubbles, but the corks are a weird shape and they just sit there taunting me with their uselessness.

That was until Escher mentioned in passing that they look like mushrooms (duh Mum, isn't it obvious?) and we decided to make toadstools on sticks to put into pot plants and give as Christmas presents. This would have been really great, but some how they've ended up on our tree instead! You could do either. This is how we made them.

You will need:
champagne corks
Red and white paint & brushes
Skewers and or string
Sewing pins, glue gun

Place the corks on the skewers so they can be painted and dry easily. We used an empty tin filled with sand to hold them. Paint the tops red, then the stalks white. Then paint the dots. Easy. You may want to do a couple of coats depending on your paint. If you are using them to hang, Push a pin through a piece of string and into the top of the mushroom, then dab a dot of glue on to keep it secure. If you are using them as plant decor, you may want to spray them with a clear waterproof lacquer to protect the paint. How cute would these look in a terrarium? Oh dear, we need more corks, must drink more champagne...

Such an easy, fun craft to do with kids and you are reusing those pesky corks :)

Handmade Christmas presents....

2011-11-29T16:46:00.000-08:00

Do you hand make your christmas presents? I bet you do. I love the idea, but I'm extremely time poor at the moment. So I need some projects that rock, without taking hours. I'm thinking I could make up some of these gorgeous hanging terrariums for the special girlfriends in my life. Would you like to receive one of those? I might make a few for myself to keep while I'm at it ;)

But what about the kids? And the blokes? Hmmm... any suggestions? Perhaps I should consult pinterest. I'd love to hear about what your are making for Christmas... :)

life and stuff...

2011-11-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Well hello Monday. I just had the most wonderful weekend with my little family. For the first time in a long long time we didn't rush around trying madly to get stuff done, we just ignored it all. And it was bliss. We lazed in bed while the kids watched t.v (we NEVER do that). Mental note: we should do that. We had tickle fights and played games. We spent hours adoring our wee baby boy and marveling over his utter awesomeness. The kids played nice for most of the weekend and we even got to go out by ourselves, as a couple, no kids in tow. Amazing. Gosh, it's so nice to start the week feeling happy and relaxed... I can't wait until we are the kind of people who don't need to be doing a million things all the time. Will that ever happen? Is being crazy busy all the time what being a grown up with three children means? Or is it just because we have a wee baby and are trying to build a house to boot?

Speaking of the house... building planing is in full swing. We are focused, we are productive (except yesterday, and maybe the day before...) I spent all of last week pricing appliances and bathroom fittings. This week- more pricing and quotes to get for water tanks and landscaping and solar systems etc etc.

Hopefully we can lodge our building permit this week... then when that's approved, we just need the bank to say YES and we are off and running! It's so close now...

In other news I failed at no poo. I pooed my hair on the weekend. I had to. It was making my new linen pillowcases brown and I'm sorry but that's just not right. I wanted it to work I really did, but I'm too lazy with my beauty regime. It was too much effort to try and get the balance right. Still rockin the honey face wash though, that is the BOMB I tells ya. Seriously, amazing.

Almost finished the longest craft project ever, the knitted bed throw. I tried to cast off while watching a movie and got halfway through before realising I didn't leave enough wool. Doh. So, as I don't know how to go back, I had to order another ball of wool and I have to wait for that then finish casting off. Meh. Anyway, it will be awesome when it is finally done. Then I can move on to the next item in the trousseau, woven bath mats. Anyone know how to do that by the way?

The David Bromley Auction...

2011-11-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

Well... we popped down to the viewing for the David Bromley auction yesterday, and all I can say is, can someone please lend me fifty grand? It was an absolute feast for the senses. Awonderland for wee Charlie. Beautiful art, furniture, vintage and antique curios, buses (how good would that be as a studio?), cars, sculpture and best of all a wonderful insight into the life of this great Australian artist and collector. It's a real loss to Daylesford I feel. I hope this is not a sad sign of the touristification (great word huh?) of our wee town. I remember visiting Daylesford when A Day on Earth was on the main street and it was a rambling rabbit warren of pure amazingness. Beautifully crafted, unique items carefully chosen and curated. Now our main street is sadly full of tacky gift shops and bad bakeries. No one creative can afford a shop in our main street. This is the only thing I don't like about our town. Anyway, rant over. I will be at that auction, and I will buy something, even if I have to sell my first born son.

Dear Santa...

2011-11-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

I swear I've been a very good girl this year. All except from that time I went out with the lassies & drank too much tequila and vomited in the taxi on the way home. But surely Santa that's only a minor blemish on an otherwise spotless year? I've carried and given birth to my third child, and I've tackled with gusto the challenges that this addition brings. I think I deserve something good this year. Please Santa? I'm not above begging...

Can I please have anything from the David Bromley collection auction...

this antique stamp set...

this pretty picture...

and this, our house motto, from hello polly.

This necklace from Stone & Honey...

this bag from Cafe Press...

And most of all, this dress from Gorman.

That's not too much to ask is it Santy?

Charlie Style I

2011-11-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

I never really had dolls as a little girl, I was pretty deprived. I had smurfs that were a hand me down from my sister, and a tree I pretended was a horse. So I'm really enjoying playing dress ups with my wee girl. I am very conscious of not wanting to put too much focus on her looks though, god knows little girls get enough of that from everywhere else hey? So I try to put a bit of a 'life education' spin on it. We talk about the different colours and styles and what works with what and why. Then we put on the B52's- Rock Lobster (Charlies favourite song) and dance.

Dress: Vintage 70's from a Kongwak Market

T-shirt: Big by Fiona Scanlan (Thrifted)

Shoes: Flea Market Find.

Cardigan: Seed

Socks: Borrowed from her big brother.

Playing along with 'small style' over here :)

2011-11-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

No.1 is at school, no.2 is at daycare, no.3 is asleep- I really should be working on at least one of my five million craft projects right now. Or maybe I should be trying to make a dent in our Mount Everest of dirty washing. No, I should probably be vacuuming the floor that has not seen a vacuum since my mother-in-law last did it. Perhaps I should be collecting quotes and prices for the house? No I really should be in the garden planting out the last of the summer veges. Cleaning the chicken house? Organising something for dinner? Oh no, I really must get all my things sorted and priced for the market next weekend. The grass is really very long though, maybe I should be trying to mow it? No I really should be working the kitchen design...

My goodness that hammock does look good....

Flea Market Finds...

2011-11-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

1. The best shoes ever, by Elly Kishimoto (perfect for a spot of croquet), found at the Mill Markets. 2. Cute yellow sundress (unfortunately polyester), found at The Mill also. 3. Cute boots, found at Camberwell Market (my one purchase before the children went crazy).

See more flea market finds here :)

Just one ball to go...

2011-11-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

And my chunky bed throw is done! Woohoo!

My creative space...

2011-11-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

In my creative space the humble beginnings of a new project. Brushing up on my drawing skills!

Free Christmas Printables & DIY's Roundup..

2011-11-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I felt a wee whisper of the festive spirit stirring in my soul...

The big boy was telling me we are not allowed a Christmas tree this year, as it's wrong to cut down trees. Can't argue with that? So this year we've decided to build our own Christmas tree from sticks and willow... stay tuned for that project.

Ahhh I LOVE Christmas, so many crafty things to do!

To help you get started, here's my round up of free christmas printables...

Eat drink chic, Julissa Mora, Papercrave, Babalisme, Eat drink chic, CraftyJenny.

I used those beautiful reindeer tags from Eat drink chic last year and people loved them. The fabulously talented Amy has so many gorgeous downloads and diys over there.

See you there, Zakka life, Littledollface, Maggiemakes, The blessed nest, babilisme

And some crafty diy's...

I think we will make the salt dough ornaments at our playgroup Christmas party this year- better than the bits of cardboard covered in glitter we did last year! Ooooh I bet there's heaps more great xmas diy's out there!

Yay! Happy chrissy crafting peeps :)

6 months...

2011-11-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Oh it's been a tough couple of weeks here. Sigh. No crafting, no creating, no blogging, no time to think. I have felt completely overwhelmed by all that needs to be done, by everyones needs and demands. There have been tears and fights and a lot of mess. But Mr Lovely and I have been in the trenches together, and that makes it all totally bearable, beautiful even.

And wee Otis is celebrating his half year birthday so it's time to cheer on up, make a cake, put on some music and dance around the house. Join me...

That strange expression on my face? That's because I happen to be walking on the beach at 5.30 in the morning with an awake baby, instead of snuggled up in bed with my husband. I remember when wandering the streets at that time was fun, te he he. Actually, we saw a few people who had obviously not been to bed, there was talk of searching for coconut trees...

But I digress, (yes I am in sleep dep exhaustion mode, my apologies) back to Otis. He's six months, boy has it flown by! He's huge! He's almost crawling, rolling both ways, eating and making a mess, all the usual stuff. And he's funny, really funny. He's always smiling and happy, calm and grounded, my little earth sign. I love you Oty Boty, happy half birthday!

Current house design musings...

2011-10-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

Two things I'm currently ruminating (I don't expect anyone to be particularly interested in this by the way).

1. Window frames.

Wood...

vs UPVC (in black)

Aside form the fact that the idea of plastic windows totally messes with my head, especially when building with straw, the UPVC is actually winning.

I think atheistically, they make the place less 'hippy' looking than the wood. Imagine that last photo with concrete floors and without the icky furnishings. The contrast of the white render and the black frames is really striking.

Then functionally, they are the most thermally efficient frames you can get and they don't require any maintenance. No painting, no oiling. Means more time for playing croquet whilst sipping a Pimm's & lemonade.

2. Wood heaters.

Mr Lovely's Cheminee Philippe

VS. My Contura

Very masculine vs feminine! As it's going to be placed in a corner, I think the tall sleek design is a winner. Though I do like that the Chimenee opens up to become an open fire. Realistically how often would you use that feature though?

Okay I've put it on paper, I can go to sleep without thinking about it now. Night night.

I'm going no poo!

2011-10-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I discovered this fantastic blog and had to share- it's got me so inspired! Crunchy Betty is all about 'food on your face'- getting rid of horrible chemical beauty products, and my all time most favourite thing of all, making things yourself. Oh and saving money. There are recipes for masks and scrubs and hair rinses and house cleaners, and things like how to make a solid perfume from beeswax and essential oils, like the one I made above. I went to our local honey man and for $5- I got enough beeswax to make a lifetimes supply of perfume and lip balm! Happy lady :)

The other thing I love about Crunchy Betty, aside from her witty banter, is her challenges. God knows I love a challenge! So I've taken on her no poo challenge. That's right I've thrown out my shampoo (actually we're using it as hand wash...) and I'm goin no poo. That means no washing with shampoo or conditioning for at least 3 weeks. Apparently it is important that you do at least 3 weeks to see good results. It's kinda like the spring cleaning, it gets worse before it gets better. It's gonna get gross, probably, but I swear to stick to it.

I will be using baking soda on my scalp and apple cider vinegar as a rinse on the ends a couple of times a week, as prescribed (see the blog for more info on how to do that).

I'm really not a fan of putting my face up on my blog, it makes me a wee nit queasy in fact, but hey, here goes...

That's is my 'before' photo. Yes that's my uneven fringe that I've been hacking at myself because it's too hard to get to a hairdresser with 3 small children. Anyway, we will see how it goes? If what they are saying is true (by they, I mean the people who have done it and commented on the blog) in a few weeks time my natural oils will have returned and I will have thick luscious hair and no need to purchase shampoo and conditioner. Hurrah!

I've also been doing the honey face wash challenge for past 5 days and I've gotta say, my skin NEVER felt better. It is truly amazing. I will never spend $60- on a Jurlique face wash again I tell you!! Seriously, try it, it's incredible. I have quite dry skin and I don't even feel like I need to moisturise after it. That has never happened to me. The other cool tip I picked up is- you can remove eye makeup with... olive oil. Can you believe that? Just olive oil. And it's so effective. And feels nice. Yep, another product I no longer need to buy. Anyways, go check it out, there is so much inspiration there- and maybe you'll wanna join me for a challenge or two?

This weeks Flea Market Finds...

2011-10-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

This week of thrifting has been a hoot. Ha ha ha. Sorry had to say it!

I found this sweet ceramic vase @ the Mill Markets.

And this money box @ the Sunday Market.

And this lamp shade frame @ the Op Shop.

And Mr Lovely found these great old rulers (badly photographed) at a Rotary Market in Melbourne. Can't wait to see what everyone else has uncovered :) You can too, over here xx

Spring clean makeover time...

2011-10-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Apparently winter is over, though I don't think the weather man here in Mordor got the memo- it's freezing today! We did have one sunny day though, which inspired me to embark on a huge spring clean of our bedroom. Once I started, I couldn't stop. It was filthy in there- the duvet cover has big rip in it, the pillows were old and ewwww, there were piles of no longer used/wanted items everywhere. So I decided on a complete makeover. All or nothing I say. Your bedroom should be a tranquil place of refuge right? Well, we just moved the last baby (sounds like I have 10...) into his own room, so refuge it is. A refuge from the growing mass of toys and art supplies, the piles of washing, the lego creation zone and the cubbies I absolutely can not destroy. I'm thinking clean, simple, uncluttered. I'm thinking black, white and grey. Oh and I don't want to spend much and would prefer not to buy anything 'new'.

First I ditched our old 70's solid wood bedside tables for something lighter. I painted two chairs black- the beautiful old bentwood chair that our son had committed to death by swinging (hereby ending Mr Lovely's need to yell at him every dinnertime, bonus!) and a chair I found laying randomly outside in need of some glue. The extra height they added made me think we needed a bedhead, which we don't have. So instead I made the heart shaped collage (above) using a mixture of photos I liked from pinterest & photos of us, printed on our little home photo printer and stuck on with some grey washi tape.

So now we need lamps (I'm hoping for timely cheap vintage find), and a new duvet cover. Off to scour the internets for a drastically reduced washed belgian linen one, in grey please...

My creative space... meets flea market finds... multitasking.

2011-10-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today I'm rallying a teensy bit of energy to tackle a wee up-cycling project with these vintage dipping crates. I found them recently at the market, and thought they'd be a great storage solution in the new bathroom.

Since I'm going for a bit of a black & white theme in the bathroom I've been spray painting them black. They will slide into a shelf under the vanity, three across, with their sides showing. The vanity will be made from an old modified workbench, so it will have a pretty rustic industrial feel and contrast with the beautiful sleek white basin sitting on top. Yes it will.

And it will join an older flea market find, this our best find ever, the 1940's optometrists light box as the medicine cabinet. We need to rejig it a little, but it already opens up and is the perfect depth for shelves. OOhh I can't wait to see it all together in the new bathroom when it's built! I hope my vision works!

Been making...

2011-10-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the energy or the brain capacity to make anything in a while, but I did manage to finish this pillow yesterday for my favourite chair. It's made from 100% alpaca wool blanketing- super soft and luxurious. Mmmm... yummy.

Thinking I might make some for my little shop? If I can find the time / energy...

Illuminating...

2011-09-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Taking it easy today & thinking about lighting for the house. Here's some inspiration.

1.desiretoinspire.net 2.lightyears.dk 3. designspongeonline.com 4. 1.bp.blogspot.com 5. ohdeedoh.com 6. orangepopdesign.blogspot.com

M.I.A

2011-09-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry to have neglected you, but I have been in hospital with pneumonia. Pneumonia! Can you believe it? Oh, no it was not nice at all, but I am on the mend and hope to be back to normal programming very shortly. Too many ideas & semi-lucid thoughts have been misplaced already.

Love Tania xx

My week with Instagram... II

2011-09-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

The week started out spectacularly, warm, sunshiney, & inspiring. Otis and I strolled around the lake and felt as though the whole world was smiling just for us...

Then Otis celebrated his four month birthday. He had a special boob cake to celebrate...

And by Wednesday the whole household had the dreaded lurgy and I was left taking photos of shadows on the wall. I eagerly await the departure of snotty noses, coughs, tummy aches and cranky children and the imminent arrival of sunshiney goodness.

My creative space...

2011-09-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

I've started on the first item for the house trousseau. A chunky knit throw for the end of our new bed in our new bedroom in our newly built house :) Hooray!

I'm using the biggest needles I could find, 20mm, 100cm Addi circular needles and the chunkiest yummiest wool I could find which is this beautiful 100% merino Rowan Drift. Here's a tip, after much searching I found an excellent bargain at Deramores in the U.K, which by the way, has $5- international postage ;)

Considering I took a gamble on the wool (not seeing it in person) and took a guess at the needles it's turning out really well so far. Its so lush and soft and textural and the colour is just divine. Happy times!

Can't wait to see what everyone else is up to :)

My week with Instagram...

2011-09-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday to you! I've been out enjoying the sunshine, so not much crafting or house planning happening here. But I am loving the Instagram so much, I thought I might make a regular friday thing of it. A nice round-up of the week that was ya know? A little visual journaling. Fancy joining in?

That last one's creepy I know, but I had to include it! It's Otis' placenta being planted on the block with a beautiful cherry tree :) Hope you had a fabulous week.

Ps- notice how happy I am now the sun is out? ;)

Escher's Jedi Costume...

2011-08-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Why do I always forget about school events that require a costume? Why do I always need to be reminded at the last embarrassing minute by another mum? Leaving me to madly try and assemble something using only materials we already have in the house...

Well, thanks to some left over calico from the wedding, a scrap of brown corduroy, an old pair of my pants (pinned on fisherman style) and a bit of pvc pipe, we have a Jedi! Apparently he's Luke Skywalker without the cape and Obi-wan Kenobi with it.

Glad I work well under pressure! :)

This week I'm obsessed with... Triangles.

2011-08-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

This may be an extension of my prior bunting obsession, but I am so loving the triangles right now. I've been running into pointy products all over the place, so I'm obviously not the only one. I just can't get enough I tell you...

Black and yellow cushion, card, black & linen cushion, crocheted cushion, pink blanket, triangle earrings.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Flea Market Finds...

2011-08-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

The man who sold me this beauty at the Sunday Market told me he was going to paint it if it didn't sell today. Thank the thrifting gods I rescued her! She's divine the way she is I'm sure you'll agree, although she is need of a new tail. Think I could sneak into a paddock at night at snip some horse hair?

This pretty chinese flask was discovered today at the local tip shop- I know, it's kinda gross right? But I'm not actually going to drink out of it, I promise. It just looks so pretty on the shelf with the other tins. The lovely (if you can call hairy and smelly with a builders crack lovely) man even said I could have it for free. Nice :) Hope you've also found yourself some treasures this week.

You can see more Flea Market Finds here.

Grateful...

2011-08-27T02:55:00.000-07:00

for this beautiful town we live in, and the wonderful people we share it with...

The community wind farm, I feel so proud and inspired every time I see you..

The beautiful old buildings...

The country style...

The places to explore...

And I'm also grateful for the fantabulous Instagram, you do to photos what butter does to food, and I thank you.

More of the Gratitude please.

Some handmade wedding pic's... finally.

2011-08-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

My creative space...

2011-08-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Sometime in the wee hours of this morning, half asleep with a milky baby snoozing by my side, I hit on the idea of creating a house trousseau. There are so many things I want to make for the house (we are building a straw bale house), I thought why not start now and stash everything away in a special box, to be opened and used when we move in. So, I've started the first project, knitting some cushion covers on big needles with chunky wool (above) and I'm creating a list of things I can start to make. Imagine how lovely it would be to live in a house we've designed and built ourselves, filled with lovely things we've made ourselves?

I'm thinking I can probably make:

Rugs / throws- I've just orders some 20mm, 100cm circular needles and some beautiful chunky Rowan wool to knit a throw for our bed, and if it works out I will do one for the window seat in the lounge.

Bath mats- I'm thinking I can knit these from long strips of cotton jersey?

Knitted wash cloths.

Curtains- I'm thinking wool linen and rug curtains.

Cushions- knitted, printed and stitched.

Light fittings- I have a couple of old industrial shades I want to paint and I want to make these knitted covers and these mason jar lights. I also like this glass bubble chandelier.

Bedding- I'm considering sewing a quilt cover for our bed as I can't find any I even remotely like.

What else could I make? Maybe I could print some nice linen tea towels?

Oooh what about some pottery, I'd like to give that a go....

Mr lovely is building a recycled wood dining table, a new bed for us, bunks for the boys, a screen for the bathroom, two heavy recycled wood front doors fauxdenza to house the records and record players.

Geez, we have our work cut out for us!

See more rad creative spaces here...

Strawbale House Update..

2011-08-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

The sun is out and with it comes my other personality, the optimistic, energetic, ready for anything one.

This other me has been has been busy digging holes and drawing plans. Planting trees and choosing taps. Sewing, cooking, organising, playing and generally making things happen. Yay.

On Sunday I managed to organise the whole family so that I could get a couple of hours down at the block planting. I started a native windbreak to the south-west and planted a special plum tree that no.1 chose, next to where the children's play equipment will be built. I had planned to plant no.2's & no.3's placenta trees (a fig and a cherry) but we ran out of time. I think we will make a special ceremony of it this coming weekend instead.

This other me is the one we need to get this house project happening. We really want / need to start building before the end of the year and we still have so much to do. We are however making much progress. Bathroom decisions have been made. Concrete polishing techniques have been agreed on. Mr Lovely, who is always optimistic and energetic has been busy drawing up slab plans, electrical plans, plumbing plans and applying for permits. He has found people to custom make our double glazed windows, organised quotes for roof trusses and roofing. He's even found the concrete drain pipe offcut for the kids bath (yes, I convinced him!) for free. Yes free. We just have to work out how to get it here. Minor issue.

I'm loving all the problem solving that goes with this project, applying our selves to the question and finding an innovative solution. If we can keep going at this pace we will be on track to living in our toasty warm strawbale house before next winter.

I can see the pieces falling into place now and it's exciting. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

How I'm feeling exactly...

2011-08-18T03:58:00.000-07:00

From here via pinterest.

Amen.

My creative space...

2011-08-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

It's very wet and cold here today. Perfect weather for working with yummy, soft and warm alpaca wool. So I'm getting stuck into a new collection of scarves. This one is swiper the fox (from Dora the Explorer). Anytime something goes missing around here, wee Charlie will explain, it must have been swiper.

I think he looks rather sweet and innocent here though, I captured his good side ;)

What about this?

2011-08-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

I just saw this in the back of the latest Vogue Living, it's an old concrete stormwater drainpipe, tiled on the inside and used as a bath / shower. This has got me more excited than anything I saw at Reece, that's for sure! This would be perfect for the kids bathroom- I could plonk all three of them in there! And it fits with the house perfectly, it's re-purposed and we will have the polished concrete floors to make it work.

Now to convince Mr Lovely...

Bathroom designing sucks balls.

2011-08-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

image via OhJoy

Today has been all about the bathroom design. We are trying to finish a slab plan to get a quote from a concreter, but we can't do an accurate slab plan without an accurate plumbing plan and to do an accurate plumbing plan we need know exactly which, bath, shower, toilet, taps etc we are using and exactly where they are placed. Do you have any idea how much there is to choose from? Oh my god.. how are we meant to know at this stage? And it's so frustrating that you can't do anything without completing like a billion other things first. As we are building strawbale, there all sorts of limitations on how you can do your bathroom. No plumbing can come through the external strawbale walls for example, and we need to protect our render, and our concrete from water damage. There are so many things that we hadn't even thought of. Grrr... I fear this planning stage is all going to take so much longer than we thought.

So why are we doing this again? Please, because today I need to be reminded. Why are we not just regular folk who pick a cheaply built house from the catalogue of a project builder? Hmmm... I'll have that that and that please, and hello, a couple of months later it's built. Easy. No, no, we always do things the hard way (see handmade wedding...).

But I guess that's who we are. We want our home to be unique. We want it to be as totally environmentally friendly as possible. Once we move in we want to live without bills. We want our home to function in a way that suits our families needs. We want to it to work with the aspect of the block, for it to be designed perfectly for our own unique set of environmental factors. Yes, okay deep breath, we are doing the right thing. Nothing worth doing is ever easy right?

Yes, thank you blog, I feel better. Back to the bathtubs.

My Creative Space...

2011-08-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's all lookin a bit polka-dotty!

I have more jumper re-fashioning happening, this time into cushions.

A parcel all wrapped up and ready to post to my lovely giveaway winner.

And some fabric ready to cut the pattern for this fox lamp for little Otis. I need some 'stiffy' though. Does anyone know of an equivalent available in Australia? I asked at Spotlight, but once again there is no bloody point asking them anything because they apparently know nothing. Ning nongs.

Anyway, can't wait to see what everyone else is up to :)

How to make a cute baby toy from fabric scraps & old buttons...

2011-08-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I've been making these little baby chew / rattle toys for a while now and the littlies just love 'em. So I thought I'd share the how to. It's a quick easy project and even the least crafty amongst us could pull this one off! Great as gifts, these suit babies of about 3 - 6 months.

You will need: 2 x co-ordinating fabric scraps (at least 10 x 14 cm's), scissors, approximately 70cms of ribbon (mine was rescued from our family xmas table!), pins, measuring tape or ruler and buttons. They don't need to be fancy, these were just what I had handy, any old random buttons will do.

Cut your fabric scraps into 14 x 10 cm rectangles.

Cut your ribbon into lengths approx 10cms long, though I like to vary the length to create a bit more interest. You could also use lots of different bits of ribbon- babies love the different colours and textures.

Place your fabric pieces right sides together, fold your ribbon pieces and slot them in between them and pin down.

Two ribbons on each long side, and one on one of the short sides. Leave one short side open.

Stitch around the outside, leaving a third of the open side (in the middle) unstitched for turning out. I like to sew around twice to ensure safety for any persistent little chewers.

Turn out and (it helps to use a blunt chopstick to poke out the corners) half fill with buttons. Slide the last remaining ribbon piece into the opening and pin down. Topstich to close the opening and secure the final ribbon and you're done!

Hello happy baby! :)

3 Months.

2011-08-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, check me out, I'm three months old now! The coles vege scales say I weigh 6.7 kilos- but everybody says I'm looking older than my age. Hey, what can I say, I love boobies! I still love my vibrating bouncy chair, but now I'm trying to turn into a human catapult. I still love laying by the fire and I'm not a huge fan of going out. I heard Mum's friend say that this is because I am a Taurus Cat (whatever that means...) and my mum's gonna have a hard time getting me to leave the house, but I'm thinkin it might just be because it's bloody freezing. I have graduated from Oty Scroaty to Oty-wan Kenobi, I definitely like this better. I love it when my sister sings to me but not when she tries to lick me. My brother likes to spend ages telling me about his lego which is kinda cool at first, but then I'm like dude, what exactly is lego?

Oh and I love my Mum. She's awesome. Enough said.

And the winner is...

2011-08-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

Drawn from a boobie cup...

by a very excited (slightly demented looking) Mr Lovely...

Posie Patchwork! You are the winner, the winner, the winner, hooray!

Okay party's over, time for bed xx

A letter to Monday...

2011-08-07T17:28:00.001-07:00

Dear Monday,

Though I normally find you quite dull and somewhat repulsive, today I am trying really hard to like you.

I have decided this Monday is going to be awesome because:

a) Kids 1 & 2 are at their respective educational institutions and kid 3 is his smiley old sleepy self.

b) I don't have to do any housework. We now have a cleaner again who helped do it all on Friday, yay!
c) I am wearing my awesome cowboy boots I got for $20- at the Sunday Market.

d) I have started knitting this pretty honey cowl in a lovely mustard (my boyfriend) coloured wool I got on sale for $2- a ball and I'm going to get lots of knitting & tea drinking done in front of the fire.

e) Our best Daylesford friends are back from galavanting in Europe, so that means spring is on it's way and sunny fun times are just around the corner.

f) I have a million and one half finished craft projects lying around the house and today I am going to finish at least one of them! Now that I have my list (thank you Mr Management) I can achieve this!

g) Tonight I am going to get Mr lovely to draw the winner of my wee giveaway, and that's exciting.

h) Today I am finally going to start sorting through the thousands of photos from our wedding and pick some out to share with you all and of course some to print and share with the family.
i) Mr Lovely bought me 1/2 a kilo of baklava when he went to Melbourne.

and j) The sun is going to come out (really it is!) and I'm going to go out into the garden and prune all of the fruit trees, ready for a blossomy onslaught.

Yes Monday, you are going to be just lovely and don't you dare think otherwise.

Love Tania xx

Giveaway time!

2011-08-04T16:22:00.001-07:00

I have 100 followers... isn't that lovely?

Those of you who know me in real life know that I will use any excuse for a celebration, so I'm having a giveaway! I've fished out some goodies, and you can win them my lovelies, yes you can.

Just leave me a comment, maybe telling me about your day, 'cause I'm always interested in what other people are up to...

and you can win, some stuff made by me, a merino wool hottie cover, a couple of brooches, some button earrings, vintage trim hairclips, a few storybook cards and a bag of mixed awesome vintage buttons. I'm happy to post them anywhere in the world and you have until Monday :)

I'm also gonna send a bag of yummy vintage buttons to Em, who was my 100th follower. Congratulations Em :)

My Creative Space...

2011-08-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

A tiny house, for tiny people.

Tiny alpaca wool squares, for quilting.

And tiny feet, for kissing....

xx t

Today...

2011-08-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

is gonna be awesome.

Mr Lovely has been listening to Anthony Robbins a lot lately (he's in management, what can I say) and it's finding it's way into our home. This mornings breakfast table was like a motivational seminar in full swing. He had the kids getting excited about their day, doing high fives and asking (cue highly excited fast talkin voice..) 'who's gonna have an awesome day? Raise your hand! Yeah!'

So to honour my dear beautiful husband and his fanatical optimism (which sadly does not come naturally to me), I have decided to dub today, Wednesday, the day of Awesome. I'm going to use the power of positive to unslump my winter self.

So today, is going to be awesome. Why?

Well, one of my dearest and best friends who lives the incredible life of gypsy galavanting around the world, learning and dancing, is coming to visit. She's a tribal belly dancer. Here she is, gorgeous thing...

and here is her fabulous website.

And for me, there is truly nothing nicer than sipping cups of tea with a dear friend. Am I right? Especially one as interesting this :)

Who's gonna have an awesome day?? Raise your hands!

Wham bam thank you lamb...

2011-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Pretty excited today to have completed my first crafty thing in quite a while. The 'wham bam thank you lamb' neck warmer. You can find the pattern on Ravelry, here. So very easy- it's a great first time project thats more interesting than a plain scarf. Great for sleep deprived time poor mama's too :)

I'm loving it's warm cosiness, but I'm not sure about the wool I used- it looks a lot like it was spun from the stuff you pull out of the washing machine filter (I got it from a garage sale!), so I might have to give it another go in a yummy warm colour. Maybe mustard, who is my current boyfriend.

Yay, for finishing stuff! Hope you finished something fabulous today too :)

From the darkness...

2011-07-31T23:25:00.000-07:00

Dear neglected blog,

Last week was a very hard week. I doubted my ability to mother three children on more than one occasion. Multiple illnesses came to visit our house and at all times there was someone needing something. Oh how I felt like a slave, a very overworked and under-appreciated slave. I burst into tears frequently and at one point even felt like I might be suffering from post-natal depression.

Then yesterday the sun came out. Wow what a difference that made! We had a lovely morning at the market, where I acquired a copy of Devo's Freedom of choice on vinyl (you know it, Whip It!) and a couple of saucy looking historical novels that I know I have no time to read. In the afternoon I headed over to the block with a tribe of kids and our soon to be neighbours and planted another five olive trees.

It felt so good to be out in the sunshine and fresh air, my hands covered in that beautiful red soil, my head full of dreams for my future garden and I realised I am not depressed at all, just really sick of winter! The kids were a million times happier, running around in the fresh air, playing on hay bales and catching crickets, they slept well and woke up all bright and shiny.

I know winter's not over yet, but I can see the light at the end of the cold dark tunnel...

Here's to an illness free week, filled with crafting and fun!

Kitchen design...

2011-07-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Source- Style Files

Ahh... my most favourite thing at the moment for sure, kitchen design! This is easily the most exciting and enjoyable part of the house planning process so far. We spent all weekend discussing (arguing), measuring, imagining, drawing and problem solving. Even the kids got in on it and drew up little kitchen plans :)

source- blissful blogg

Our lovely friend and cabinet maker extraordinaire, Jen (who will be building our kitchen) came over and we got all excited and planned out the look and feel of the kitchen. It was very exciting to have my vision laid out and have Jen (and Mr Lovely) on the same page, coming up with ideas and getting crazy with it. Oooooooohhh yay.

source- my scandinavian retreat

So now that we've made some fundamental decisions it's time to get down to the nitty gritty and draft the plans in cad. Try to make everything fit and work the way it should work. Then on to the boring job of costing everything, so the bank will give us some money to do it all. Please bank, pretty please??

source- my scandinavian retreat

However we can also start on another of my favourite jobs... frequenting scrap yards and flea markets collecting old bits of wood and bits and bobs we can use in the design. Expect to see me hanging around the tip shop more often.

source- remodelista

Do you like the inspiration pics? Are you gettin the vibe? Can you imagine it.... polished concrete floor, pale rendered strawbale walls, recycled timber, plywood cabinetry, blackboard paint, white subway tiles, butler sink, huge reclaimed wood island bench.... lots of light... stools where friends will sit and drink wine and stare at the view while we cook and the children play happily off in the distance... Ah, lovely!

Vintage eiderdown quilts...

2011-07-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

I found these amazingly beautiful vintage eiderdown quilts at the op-shop last week- yes it's taken me that long to post them, damned precious tiny beautiful baby, sucking up all my blogging time!

I'm so totally in love with them.... and they were $5- each!

How rad are the fabrics? In perfect condition too.

I think I have my op-shopping mojo back! Yep.

I'm gonna hit a few favourites tomorrow if the small people let me. What will I find?

I hope you've have uncovered some goodies recently :)

7 weeks.

2011-06-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

I'm smiling and laughing.

I love to lay in my vibrating chair and stare at the fire.

My sister keeps calling me oty scroty, which makes everyone laugh, not sure why.

House design inspiration...

2011-06-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

All images via Remodelista, except the mason jar lights from BootsnGus on Etsy,

We are lodging the planning permit application for our house this week! EeeK!

We are actually really seriously going to build a house!
After three years of reading, researching, dreaming, drawing, re-drawing and re-drawing we have finally completed our house plans. Hooray!
Now it's time for the fun stuff. Poring through magazines and blogs to help define and design the inside of the house. I'm working on a mood board for our cabinet maker, so she can get an idea of what we are trying to acheive.

via Emmas designblogg

I'm loving this gorgeous kitchen. We want a big island bench on castors like this, and in summer we can wheel it out through the front of the house for bbq's and parties. So can't wait...

image via apartment therapy

We will be working with rendered strawbale (pale grey internally), polished concrete floors, recycled wood, cedar framed windows and a plywood clad ceiling. The kitchen cupboards and drawers will be custom made from marine ply.

Image from Kerf Design

I love the edge deatail of the ply. Plywood is my boyfriend.

Image from Dwell Magazine

Lovng this kitchen.
It looks like a place where lots of wholesome hearty food is created.

I really don't like waste...

2011-06-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

After Otis was born, there sat in our laundry a mammoth mountain of washing, one of the only negatives of a homebirth, cleaning up afterwards! Hiding somwhere deep inside that pile was my very favourite wool cardie, and somehow that gorgeous pure wool anthropologie lovely that I stalked ebay for months to get at a bargain price ended up taking a trip in the washing machine! Not good.

I do now feel slightly better to at least have put it's shrunken felty distant cousin to good use, as a pair of pants for Otis. It's easy peasy to do, as you can see. Cut off the sleeves with enough of the body of the jumper to for the pants part, and use the bottom of the jumper, normally a ribbed stretchy bit for the waistband. A quick stitch and wah lah as they say! Perfect this icy wintery weather.

Winter Gardening to chase away the blues...

2011-06-23T00:06:00.000-07:00

Having my hands in the dirt makes me happy. Getting out in the crisp air and pottering around is a lovely distraction from the pile of washing that keeps growing in my loungeroom. The dishes that need to be done, the dinner I should be cooking... blah... I don't dig housework.

I'd rather be picking carrots. My first crop of heirloom carrots. Pretty yes?

Yummy too. Even the kids got excited about the pretty colours. What's growing in your garden? Aside fom carrots we have lots of garlic, bok choy, spring onions, rainbow chard, beetroot and broad beans.

What else should we be growing? Kale perhaps? Not sure if I like it, but I hear it's good for you!

Kindness..

2011-06-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

Since Otis' birth we have been the receivers of so much kindness. We've had dinners cooked for us for the past four weeks. We've had Goat Ragu with merideth goats cheese and preserved lemon, slow cooked lamb, pasta sauces, homemade beetroot fettucine, a chicken pie to die for, amazing asian dishes, fritatta's and lasagne's. We've had vege bakes, bolognese, handmade gnocchi, casseroles and stews. We've had gifts of gorgeous stinky french cheeses, freshly baked biscuits and cakes. We've had drop off's of soups packed in single serves to freeze for my lunch. Freshly made dips and pasta bakes. It has been truly amzing. The people in our community are so incredibly generous and supportive. I love you all.

Then there's the gifts... including some divine handmade goodies. Beautiful toys from lovely Neen of Nettle & Brier and a quilt and lovey bunny from the fabulous Beck of Dandelion. Hand knitted booties from a clever mama of three.

Several hand knitted hats, including this gorgeous one made by our friend Clare, who by the way just gave birth to her first baby, Bertie and still managed to knit! Being modelled by a rather gorgeous baby boy...

The traditional family present of an embroidered cashmere baby blanket. Thank you to Nonni who steppped up and had a crack at embroidering his name on it! It's perfect and he loves it :)

And I had I had to include this gorgeous Milo vest (yes, Milo for Otis!) made by super clever Kate at Foxs Lane, even though we don't have it yet! I can't wait to see him in it :)

Then there's all the beautiful non- handmade gifts (including this awesome book!), the boxes of baby clothes from people I barely know, the childminding, the people who came and cleaned the house, the people picking Escher up from school, the massages, the pot of soup put on the stove, the extra arms to cuddle my boy and the shoulders to cry on when it all felt like too much.

It's been an amazing 6 weeks and you have all helped to make this the most special and beautiful time. The happiest time of my life. You make me believe there's hope for the human race yet. My heart is full. Thank you. You and all your kindness :)

Have you been receiving some kindness too? I'd just love to hear about it!

Mailbox Love..

2011-06-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

I just got this lovely book in the mail! I'm so inspired to find more time for knitting now. The lovely Hadley knitted me some goodies for Charlie girl when she was a baby, but now I can knit, I can do it myself! Hurrah hurrah.

Such a beautiful book. I think the pixie cap will be my first project :)

After I knit Mr Lovely's Beanie he keeps nagging me about, the booties for the two upcoming babies and the cardigan I promised myself I would start. Oohh better get knitting!!

My (tiny) Creative Space

2011-06-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

My creative space today: Otis' announcement & thank you cards.

I just realised that as our family has gotten bigger my creative spaces have gotten smaller.

I used to be a silversmith you know. I had a huge studio and a shop and I could use burning fire things and nasty chemicals with wild abandon. I sang loudly as I worked and created crazy crazy things. Then along came my first child, my beautiful big boy Escher and I had to downsize. I took up sewing (much safer for little people, though there were still a few incidences with pins), and starting creating dolls. Then I had had no.2, our wild Charlie girl, and I had to stick to smaller projects, scarves, hot water bottle covers and small dolls. Now with three my space has shrunk to teeny tiny quick creative bursts, knitting, writing and baking- but it's so very important to keep creating right? Even if it is something small.

Only five years util Otis goes to school, and maybe my creative space will be restored to it's former glory. Lol.

Aren't the cards cute? Oh how I love bunting! With my serious time deficiency, and my sleep deprived brain designing my own cards was gonna induce a nervous breakdown. Luckily I found this fabulous Australian website, Paper Posy.

They have some great designs (the only ones I could find that I loved) and it was so easy peasy. I just sent a pic and the lovely Leili did the rest. So now I can thank all the beautiful people who have been helping us out, sending gifts and listening to me cry about how intensely full on it is with three small people in my life :)

Want one of my doll patterns?

2011-05-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

Then check out this months Homespun Magazine!

My 'Charlie' Doll pattern is part of their Go Green issue.

Quite proud I am :)

Check it out!

xx t

Welcome Earthside #3

2011-05-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Otis Thierry!

Born Saturday 7th May at 1.54am safely at home, into water.

Not the girl I was expecting, but gorgeous and healthy none the less!

He weighed 3.6 kilos and has already out grown two clothes sizes and put on about a kilo! Liquid gold is my milk!

And here he is modelling his mama's knitting. As well as being cute, the pea pod turned out to be really useful as well... he loves sleeping snuggled up in it. Easy to knit too :)

Oh happy happy times :)

Hula Hoop Weaving...

2011-03-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm imagining making one of these with the kids for the new baby. Lovely don't you think? Such a fabulous recycling project and easy enough for them to get involved with. And all those stretched ugly t-shirts of Adam's can go to good use!!

You can find the full instructions here.

Then I'm imagining this chair sitting on the rug we made, with some lovely handmade cushions and a nice plush sheepskin on the seat. Now to work out how to get the chair from the U.S?

My Creative Space...

2011-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

In my creative space today.... this beautiful Noro wool that I'm knitting into a scarf for my big boy Escher. This will be my final 'practice' piece before I move on to my first pattern. Squeee! Exciting!

This is what I'm moving on to.... From Etsy, here. My lovely midwife informs me I am now 35.5 weeks pregnant so I better get knitting hey? Just waiting for the wool I ordered to turn up in my mailbox. I have the right needles and I just need to study the youtube video of the magic loop technique a squillion more times and I should be good to go!

I've also been cooking up a batch of zucchini pickle with the lovely zucchini given to me by Lindy. It's from a recipe in 'year in a bottle' and it was both easy and tasty :)

Looking at that pic now though, I think my next project is to make some nicer labels for my preserves. Perhaps in time for the upcoming quince-a-thon :)

And finally I am daydreaming that this is my bed- Isn't it divine?

Hope your spaces are creative ones today!!

The First Tree

2011-03-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

We planted our very first tree on our block of land yesterday. It's an olive tree, a fitting first tree I think. We went down there pretty excited about it all, but I had no idea how much it was really going to mean to me.

The concept of planting a tree and knowing that I will be there to see it grow is just so damn special to me! We never owned a home when I was growing up, always moving from one rented dive to the next and never really knowing how long we'd be there. As my mother suffered from mental illness, I also was in and out of 'home', staying with friends, kind strangers and occasionally foster homes. When I left home and left New Zealand I traveled and moved constantly, always feeling a little lost and searching for a place to call home, as I've never really had one.

Planting that first tree yesterday, I could see us living there. I could see our house, our garden, our orchard and our kids growing up. I could see us being so damn happy there and I know that I've found everything I ever dreamed of. The most awesome husband in the universe (you should have seen him dig that hole!) gorgeous healthy children and place where we can all be together :)

Carrot Cake Recipe, by request...

2011-03-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Queen would like this cake I think. Well, at least my guests over the weekend loved it so much they wanted the recipe! So here it is by request, the easiest, yummiest carrot cake ever. It's been adapted slightly from one printed in the New Zealand Edmonds Cookbook, a good old nanna recipe :)

The Perfect Carrot Cake Recipe:

3 Free Range Eggs

1/2 Cup of Oil (I use bran or sunflower)

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups grated carrot

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped

1 grated rind of one orange

3/4 cup crushed pineapple in juice

Preheat oven to 180 and grease & line a 23cm round tin. Beat eggs until nice and thick. Gently stir in oil. Sift dry ingredients into the mixture and combine, but do not over mix. Fold in carrots, walnuts, orange & pineapple. Spoon into tin. Bake for 40 mins or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave to cool in tin for ten minutes before turning onto a wire rack. When cool ice with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing:

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup cream cheese

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Sift icing sugar into remaining ingredients and beat until creamy.

Yum Yum Yum, Easy and kinda good for you cause it has carrots & nuts in it :)

Happening around here...

2011-03-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Everything is growing around here! Expanding at a rapid pace :) I'm still finding it hard to believe that in about 8 weeks we will have a wee baby! I've had such little time, this being no. 3 to think about my pregnancy. It's just all go go go- but I think it's time to slow down a little, and the weather seems to agree. Time to light the fire and knit and stitch and bake and make.

Time for autumn strolls around the lake which is SO beautiful at this time of year.

Time to tackle a new batch of cider with all the beautiful apples growing on our trees. We just bottled last years batch the other night and it will be ready to drink in a couple of weeks. Time for a cidery get together! Aaarrggghhh cider!

I've missed you blog!

2011-02-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

My favourite pic of the summer- Charlie and Daddy lovin the lake :)

Gosh I've not blogged in so long. I've been so busy! We moved house (during torrential rain and flooding), which was a feat of endurance to say the least. Been busy unpacking & settling in while enjoying the occasional sunny afternoon at the lake.

And we still haven't tackled the wedding photos.

It's been so long since I've blogged that I kinda forgot why I do it and I was wondering if I'd continue ya know? I'm sure all bloggers have that feeling sometimes right? Especially when you are trying to fit in so much in your daily life. Then the beautiful Kate from Foxs Lane reminded me the other night on the way home from Stitch & Bitch why we do it (well why she does it, and I agree with her). It's to keep a record of what we are doing/planning/creating/designing/experiencing/acheiving. To have a permanent record of all those things you are thinking and learning- the cute things your kids say that you eventually forget. Like the other day when Charlie (2) said to a friend 'I have a man called Daddy, he's at work' :)

Celebrating the settlement of our block of land :)

I use my blog a lot to keep me focused, to plan and stay on track- and believe me, this year, I'm gonna need it! Our third baby will be born in around ten weeks, hopefully safely and ecstatically at home. We are designing and owner building a straw bale house- hoping to have it finished around the end of the year. Then there is always the myriad of other projects and plans we have in store for ourselves. Bottling all the fruit dripping from the trees, learning to knit, planning my permaculture paradise on our block, learning to espalier, planting my wind break, designing my dream kitchen, taking my son fishing, cooking, eating, growing and nurturing my family.

So this year will be filled with all sorts of stuff, and realistically I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have blog about it, but I'd really like to try and keep a record of this absolutely inspired and exciting time in our lives.Yay for 2011- hope it's going great for you so far :)

Wedding Photobooth

2011-01-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

One of the best things we did for the wedding was definitely the photobooth. It was an absolute hit with all the guests, young and old.

We hung a line made of bakers twine for the photos to be clipped to so everyone could look at them and the guests took them home with them at the end of the evening. You are also left with them on file.

We used Sparkbooth and a Canon instant printer I got off Ebay for $50. We had some trouble setting it up because Adam had just got a new laptop and the program wouldn't work with Windows 7- so at the eleventh hour we were racing around trying to find a laptop to use! Other than that it was quite simple to set up- but I'd recommend doing the set up earlier than the day before!

We used a simple backdrop and left a few props for people to play with. The biggest problem we had was keeping the kids off it... we literally had to fight them for a turn!

Wedding Pic's Part 1

2010-12-28T00:21:00.000-08:00

The Bridal Party.

The entire wedding party.

And Le Bride!

Peony Bouuquet

2010-12-17T18:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, everyone has been calling and emailing and texting me about photos, but you're gonna have to wait! I am still waiting to see them and as soon as I have them I will share- I promise! It will probably be after Christmas now. We are busy getting ready for Christmas, as I imagine you all are- and we are also moving in a couple of weeks we have started the dreaded task of packing. You might have to be patient, but stay tuned as the day was amazing, and I'm sure the photos will be worth the wait.

All I have to offer you is a couple of photos from the set up the night before. We basically set everything up the evening before as MIL decided to do lots of last minute house renovations! Lucky we had an army of wonderful helpers.

My lovely homemade peony bouquet, above- I gotta say making bouquets is harder than it looks, especially at midnight the night before your wedding! The peonies were so stunning though, it would have been pretty difficult to go too wrong.

The guest desk set up- we had a little library card box set up for people to write in (to carry on the book theme from the invites), though most people missed this- too busy drinking! And our little seed packet favours for guests to take. Watched over by my grandma and Adam's grandparents.

I will back with more as soon as they arrive! Love to you all :) And many many thanks again to everyone who helped and supported us.

Wedding Week!!

2010-12-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

Oh friends the time has come, it's wedding week!

I've been wrapped up in last minute preparations- Organising the wedding music (probably one of the most fun jobs EVER!), Locations scouting and planning with our photographic super team (our friends Sky & Dan, bless them), helping Adam's mum to do last minute fix it jobs at her house, allocating the remaining wedding day duties to friends & family and generally getting very excited!

I've had a hair trial run, and the beehive is definitely a keeper. I've written my vows, though I could have kept obsessing over them for days and I'm so so nervous about reading them. I've made and wrapped presents for my wonderful maids of awesomeness.

We still have a long list of last minute things that need to be done, but I think it will all happen nicely- today I'm feeling confident, tomorrow who knows!

I'm very very excited about picking my best friend (and bridesmaid) from New Zealand up on Wednesday and spending lots of time with her and her baby belly. First baby, I'm so excited to see her!!!

I probably won't be posting again until after the wedding and our mini honeymoon (two child free nights in the city staying here), when I will be back to tell you all about and share masses of photos I'm sure.

Thank you everyone for your ideas and support and listening to me ramble. I'll see you on the other side! Woop woop!

Love love love...

2010-11-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

These gorgeous creations from Etsy seller Lonkoosh.

Made from bits of recycled vintage jewellery and vintage inspired bits and bobs, they're just perfect for a wedding no?

Pity I've run out of time to get things posted!

Ah, they are just so pretty, I had to share :)

I wonder...

2010-11-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

The pretty gloves for the bridal party on are hanging on the line, flapping in the warm breeze. It made me think of that time just before you have a baby, when you're nesting, getting ready, and you wash all the little baby clothes and hang them out to dry. You gaze up at them and hey look so tiny and sweet.

You're trying hard to be prepared for something there is no way to really be prepared for. No matter how organised and in control you are, the experience will floor you, it will turn you inside out, make you feel things you didn't know you could feel, show you courage, strength and love you didn't know you possessed and change everything forever. It's healing and trans formative.

Is getting married going to be just a little bit like that I wonder?

Hard decisions....

2010-11-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Messy beehive....

Or set curls, with a birdcage veil?

P.S- Don't you think that Joan is just the sexiest woman ever to grace the television?

Jobs ahoy!

2010-11-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

Well I had a very productive weekend! I managed to cross quite a few things of the mega list with Adam entertaining Charlie most of the weekend. I found this hilarious jar yesterday at the market- quite ironic I thought, and perfect for my mineral water straws.

I made a simple little birdcage veil, using this tutorial. I made the flower from some antique lace and silk that belonged to Adam's grandma. I'm not sure I'm going to wear it, as I'm still tossing up between two hairstyles, but it's done if I do go that way.

I used the remainder of that gorgeous vintage atlas to make these sweet heart decorations. I think the new baby can have them hanging over his or her bed after the big day :)

I made individual name tags for everybody to tie onto the stem of their glass. I find at these kinds of things you are always misplacing and mixing up your glasses- I hate that! So this is my solution :)

I have a basket of vintage napkins wrapped in the lovely paper napkin rings my fabulous friends made at our crafternoon. Though I realised I'm about 30 napkins short.... oops back to the op shops!

I have my seed packet favours printed out, cut out stuck together and ready to fill. I used this ace free download. And I'm going to fill them with Peony Poppy Seeds.

I also made a backdrop for the photo booth, wrote my vows, sorted most of the music for the reception, and found time to my Kris Kringle contribution to our craft group Christmas dinner.

And I even found time to make myself a little skirt from a couple of pretty vintage aprons. I thought I could wear it this coming weekend when we are off to this festival for a child free weekend of music and relaxation. It's been SO long since we've done that! It's our way of reconnecting before the wedding. Life with children, whilst planning a wedding and the building of a house, not mention being pregnant and tired- has meant we've not had much time or energy for each other lately.

I'm so looking forward to a weekend of just us :)

How was your weekend? Fabulous I hope! Happy Monday morning :)

Three weeks to go!!

2010-11-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

And that's the list of jobs that still need to be done!

Arrrgghhhhhh!

Finally... the invites!

2010-11-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

At last you get to see what I did with the Mills & Boon collection, and no I didn't read them, though the back covers were pretty hilarious!

I tried to only collect the older ones, with these beautiful painted covers. Then I ripped out their inside pages so that I just had the covers.

Then using this garden stripes invitation suite- I made individual bookplates with the guests name on them (it says, this book belongs to...), and a center page with the wedding details. I glued on the bookplate and stitched in the center page.

Then I made the RSVP to look like a library card, with cute little envelopes to match.

I glued in a little library card holder and the RSVP and the return envelope tucked in neatly like this.

And lastly I made a little bookmark from a op shopped vintage atlas, to put some extra details on. I also made the envelope wraps from that atlas and have been able to incorporate it into some of my decor projects too. It's beautiful old thick paper with gorgeous colour.

I think they worked out pretty well in the end don't you?

My creative space... (handmade wedding ring)

2010-11-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

So, I went back to my old studio and made Adams wedding ring. I was having so much fun making it that I didn't take many photos, but here it is before I added the gold band. The gold band is made from Adam's parents wedding rings which were melted down and shared amongst the three brothers. So it's a bit special. The silver is recycled from past projects.

I rolled the silver out to the right size, beat it to add texture and soldered it round. Then I did the same with the gold, making it just big enough to slip over the top when I heated it. I soldered the gold onto the silver, then continued to beat it the right size.

Pickled it (acid bath cleaner), polished it and scrubbed it and voila!

I'm really happy with how it turned out, and how long it took me (only 5 hours). Adam absolutely loves it and said it's exactly what he wanted. And it didn't cost us (or the planet) anything :)

Check out many more super creative peeps here...

Things I've been tinkering with today...

2010-11-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

I pilfered this old fence paling from my friend Jen's woodpile the other day and discovered I'm quite handy with a saw. Charlie came along as I was making it and said 'what are you doing?'. 'I'm painting a sign for the wedding', I said. 'Holy moly' was her reply :)

While I had the paint out I fixed up this old box that was rotting in the shed. I put a new bottom on it and painted it white. I think I will put a bunch of matching jars in it and fill them with flowers. Can you see it?

And I finished a few more strings of doily bunting. I got a bunch of perfect round doilies from the masonic trash and treasure last weekend. I'm thinking we might have a few of these strung between two wooden poles dug into the sand, standing behind us on the beach for the ceremony. I can see them flapping in the breeze with the beautiful azure sea in the background. What do you think?

I also bit the bullet and purchased these shoes on Ebay to wear with my 'new' vintage dress. After spending many tired hours searching for the right shoes (it makes it a wee bit harder not being able to buy new!), obsessing and becoming deeply confused, I feel really happy with these. They are a typical Tania style and I think I will love them not just for the day, which was one of my main goals. I'm slightly concerned about the height, but at least the heel is nice and sturdy.

Lets hope they fit!

Mistakes...

2010-11-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with this post, but I'm loving this pic from HBO's new show Boardwalk Empire :)

Only six weeks to go.... and I have nothing to wear.

Honestly this wedding caper is not easy!

I started out with a specific plan and I knew exactly what I wanted to wear and how my hair would be, how the venue would look, the music, everything...

Then I go and get pregnant and hello, everything changes. Different venue, less people, on the beach, no band, can't wear my dress, different time of year....

And we are in the midst of buying a block of land to build our house on so money is limited.

It's like Ive had to plan two weddings.

And I've made some mistakes.

When I found out I was pregnant (with no.3!) I went into a bit of a tailspin and stupidly ordered a 'maternity' wedding dress from a Chinese website. I got the dress a couple of weeks ago and it was hideous. New, shiny, heavy and layers and layers of white. So not me! And I realised my belly won't even be that big, I don't need a maternity dress. Thank goodness they made a mistake and made the dress 2 inches too big, so hopefully I will get my money back.

I purchased shoes to match my original dress, 2 pairs in fact- one of which didn't fit.

I got a blue woolen shrug from the oppie the other day, thinking it would be a cheap ($3-) solution if it got cold. If only I could bleach it white. Well it won't bleach, and I got bleach on my favourite pants!

Sometimes trying to save money just ends up costing you more.

Okay, so that's what has been happening. It's not all roses- or peonies.

But I have found a simple, pretty vintage dress that will suit me much better and make me feel much more comfortable than the one I just returned. We've decided on a menu for the caterers, we've found a beautiful spot on the beach for the ceremony, we have an awesome celebrant, Adam has a vest (but no pants), 3 out of 4 bridesmaids have dresses and I think things are going to come together in the next few weeks.

This weekend however, I have a silversmithing studio to use to make Adam's wedding ring, so I promise lots of photos of that process next week. I will also be able to share the details of my invites with you finally. All we need now is a good weather forecast as some sunshine and refreshing swim in the lake are desperately needed!

Time to celebrate!

2010-10-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last week working furiously on a project for Homespun Magazine and I finished it and posted it off today! They asked me to design a doll & pattern for their 'Go Green' issue which will be out next May. I only had a couple of weeks to do it and to be honest I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it happen with everything else that's going on, but I did it! You can see Charlie sleeping with the prototype doll I made for the project- she's a lucky girl :)

In even happier news, I also finally completed the invites over the weekend. The weather was miserable (again!) so spent my time indoors cutting, gluing and sticking. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out and I'm amazed how much work was involved!

It was a joyous moment popping them in the post, until I realised that one of them, which was going to New Zealand still needed a stamp! Doh! Luckily the nice lady was working in the post office today, not the scary mean man that I dread getting when I go in there. She found it for me and popped the stamp on- woohoo. Done jobs done!!

Tomorrow I shall have a day off- don my fascinator, sneak a couple of glasses of champagne and channel my inner gambler for the Melbourne Cup! Hope your having a great long weekend (if you are in Melbourne that is, which most of you probably aren't). xx

The Origami Crane Chandelier... finished!

2010-10-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

The birdie chandelier is a reality! Thanks to some high school kids, a wonderful teacher, a girlie crafternoon and Tinkerbell (the movie) to babysit Charlie while I put it all together... here it is!

It looks really lovely in real life and it's so good to see an idea actually come to something! Hooray!

Knitting...

2010-10-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Oh my god, how much does knitting rock? I had my first knitting lesson at craft group the other night (thanks Mika!) and man, I am totally hooked! Why is knitting so bloody satisfying? I can't believe it took me so long to give it a go, but say hello to my new hobby!

God I can't wait until I can actually knit properly. I am already drooling over beautiful patterns online and dreaming of how dexterous and speedy my knit purls will be.

So today, when I am utterly zombified by being kept up all night by little miss Charlie's cough, I'm taking time out from the never ending wedding invite saga to practice my casting on and my knit- next week purl. Bring it on baby :)

To Wonderful Friends & Good Fortune :)

2010-10-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

Brina's comment about flowers yesterday reminded me to share with you two wonderfully fortunate things that have happened recently.

I wanted to have just a simple bunch of daisies as my bouquet, but when we changed the date, a wonderful thing happened! A couple of our guests have a peony farm, and the new date falls right peony season! So they very generously offered to give us flowers as a wedding present! How good is that? I feel so so blessed, thank you Nicky & Mac :)

And if you live around here, and you love peonies, they have an open day coming up. You can go down to the paddock and see them growing, you can even pick your own peonies. All the info is here.

The second wonderful thing is this. A friend and wedding guest of ours, the lovely Lou, is a teacher. When she heard about my paper crane mission, she realised her students had folded over 1000 paper cranes for harmony day. She asked if the school would mind her having them, to give to me! Can you believe that? Oh how my tired pregnant self breathed a sigh of relief! I won't get the 'wish' granted for personally folding them myself, but I'm pretty sure they are already bringing me good fortune.

Thank you beautiful Lou :)

My Creative Space...

2010-10-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

The good thing about living in a two story house is this. Half of the house can be hideously messy and so long as you don't take people upstairs, they don't see it. Hurrah! So, I've abandoned the chaos in my studio upstairs, taking over this nook under the stairs to get serious about completing our wedding invites. I feel like I've been working on these forever, and I can't wait for the moment when I push them through the postbox slot....

Free stuff...

2010-10-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Whilst searching for ideas for my invite envelopes I came across some great free downloads, I had to share, just in case.

A whole bunch of divine customisable designs over at Wedding Chicks.

Fill in your names and preferred colours and your design is emailed to you to use. And it's all free!

There's invites, monograms, photo booth signs, bridesmaid cards- how good is that? Thank you ladies!

I found some beautiful free envelope wraps too...

Damask Envelope Wraps

Schoolhouse Wraps

Cherry Blossom Wraps

Dot Envelope Wraps

French Postcard Envelope Wraps

Pretty Olive Wraps

And a great to tutorial on how to DIY a photo booth over at Offbeat Bride.

It's so simple and you can by a 6 x 4 printer on Ebay cheap as chips.

Maybe you could use this sign too?

Cute huh?

Hello hairdo...

2010-10-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist a pile of these pretty romance novels at the op-shop the other day and they inspired me to start thinking about what to do with my hair for the wedding. Their hair is always so perfect!

My hair is normally pretty unkempt, and I like to spend as little time as possible doing my hair generally. I always go for simple, easy to look after styles. So for the big day I'd like to go totally the other way and just for one day have perfectly set 1960's housewife hair. Shake off the country mama for a day and be elegant, glamorous and polished!

Betty Draper style?

Image from LoveCharlie on Etsy

Or perhaps more like this, as I have a pretty short fringe.

So I've got myself some rollers and I'm going to start experimenting... get ready for some major hair disasters!

Image from Super Kawaii Mama

There are loads of blogs and tutorials on the net that claim they can help you to create a sweet vintage do, but I'm loving Camilla DeVilles pretty blog, Super Kawaii Mama and am finding lots of tips and tricks contained therein. Isn't she divine?

Image from DIYBride

Then the other question is, should I wear a birdcage veil as I'd originally planned?

I just adore this beautiful wedding. I love everything they did! I love her hair and dress and especially her beautiful birdcage veil. I'm thinking it might be a bit formal for the new and improved low key and intimate event we are now having.

Maybe I need to relegate the veil to the 'in a perfect world this is what I'd do / have for my wedding' box. Like this dress.... the most perfect pretty dress...

Ahhh... swoon **

The dress is by Justin Alexander and if you are allowed to buy new things... you can find it here.

The easy part..

2010-10-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

The part of Dottie Angel's fantastic challenge that I've found the easiest is definitely homewares. I look around my house and I see very few 'new' things. Okay, there's a couple of things from Ikea, as there is in almost every home world over, but for the most part the things I love are old, worn and loved- with tales to tell.

Like this roulette board, my latest love and pride and joy- now presiding above my couch.

I'm feeling lucky, are you?

My 5 minutes!

2010-10-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yep that's me on the cover of Backyard Farmer Magazine :)

The recipe for my spicy tomato relish is inside, along with lots of other interesting articles.

I'm in good company with Costa there on the cover too!

Sorry I've not been posting much- I've been hard at work on all the really boring parts of the wedding. Making phone calls, organising, cutting and gluing and trying find my way around Illustrator to do do our invites. They are almost done though- the invites have been the most time consuming thing so far!

Once they are posted and everyone has received them I can let you have a look :)

Changes afoot...

2010-09-27T23:23:00.001-07:00

Did you think I'd disappeared? I did too! Ah, this baby seems to have an aversion to blogging :)

I have had a lovely case of all day sickness, complete with an early evening crash and fall asleep on the couch. Adam has had to carry me to bed most evenings!

I feel as though the metaphorical fog is starting to lift now though, which is a relief, let me tell you. Everything has been neglected and there is so much to do!

We have made some big changes to our wedding plans. For several reasons we have decided to kill our plans for a big elaborate wedding, and instead have a small intimate affair with just family and few of our closest friends. The reasons are (the obvious) I'm pregnant- tired, sick and somewhat lacking in focus- but also we have decided to accelerate our house building plans, so we need to save money and have the wedding sooner to make way for the time and energy we will need for the house. We didn't want to postpone the wedding though- we are so in love and so excited about becoming husband and wife, we don't want to put it off!

The wedding will still be handmade and vintage / secondhand. Except I have to confess, I purchased a new wedding dress. I was going out of my mind trying to find something vintage that would fit my belly, when my friend sent me a link to beautiful, very affordable 60's looking maternity frock. I fell in love, and I just wanted it to be organised ya know? There, I've confessed. Will you forgive me? I've forgiven myself. I blame the baby :)

So as the wedding will be much smaller (hooray!), with nowhere near as many projects, I've decided to join my blogs together. I've imported the content from my other blog Cheeky Little Monsters and from now on this blog will contain everything I'm working on, and my working label will become, Imagine Lovely. Another company that makes kids clothes (not at all my style by the way) has taken the name Cheeky Little Monsters, so I really wanted to stop using that name.

So from now on you can expect to see wedding projects and plans (the big day is 11th December by the way), dolls, toys, clothes and other crafty projects, a big belly followed by a new baby and our adventure building ourselves a strawbale eco home. That's provided I can find the energy to blog about it all!

For the boys.

2010-09-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

So, I decided Beck was right and the boutonniere look great as they are. Oh it feels so good to actually finish a project! Wrapped and ready to go. I think they are going to look fabulous pinned onto the boys vests.

photos: Alexi Lubomirski in GQ magazine, Ben Blood, Kyle Haye,

Ralph Lauren Rugby, (via Green Wedding Shoes)

I just love a man in a vest. Since nothing for the wedding is to be bought new, the vest is a great choice for Adam & his groomsmen. They will just need to find themselves a nice secondhand vest that fits, hey they might even already have one! Ohh can't wait to see them all looking spunky (especially Adam, of course)!

My Creative Space...

2010-09-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

In my creative space today is some half finished boutonniere for the groomsmen. They are so much fun to make! I just used some vintage buttons, feathers and wire. I will wrap them with florist tape when I'm finished, but I think they need something more. Maybe some dried flowers, or cool seed pods? Any ideas?

There is also a pile of colour coded Mills and Boon romance novels awaiting my attention. I have big plans for these... so stay tuned. I am hoping to get some work done on these this weekend when we have babysitters staying! Hooray for family :)

You can check out some more rockin creative spaces, or join in, over at http://www.kootoyoo.com

Barefoot and pregnant, but in a beautiful frock...

2010-09-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Dresses, listed from Left to right:

A Peaceful Afternoon Dress from Sarah Seven, Pickney St Dress from The Wedding Collection,Wonderland Dress from Amanda Rose Bridal, Parisian Princess Gown from Claire Lafaye, Grey Sparrow Dress from Makool, Draped in Lace- Vintage Dress from Vera Vague, Vintage Slipdress from KT Jean, Long Elegant Dress from Kalioseano, Romantic Afternoon Gown from Magnolija Dress.

Okay freak out over, nausea waning, it's time to get back to the task at hand!

Of course the first place my mind goes is.... what am I going to wear? What can I wear, being six months pregnant? I'm so lucky that my gorgeous friend and bridesmaid, Pascale is a textile designer and couture sewer / costume designer (so many talents!) and she has said she would love to make my dress. Oh, I'm so excited! It's so extra special that she is going to make it and I'm 100% positive it's going to be amazing.

So to get some ideas about what kind of dress I want, of course I turned to Etsy. Above are some gorgeous frocks that would accommodate a growing, glowing belly. I'm thinking, one shoulder, empire line, lots of ruffles and drapes and tacked together silk. I need to decide on a colour too, as white is not my thing. How do you decide on a colour? The bridesmaids are wearing mismatched bright pastel colours in a 50's style vintage dress, which worked really well with my other dress that I can no longer wear! But now I'm not sure we are going to work together at all?? Oh te he he... you have to laugh don't you?

Please forgive me if my posts are vague, or don't make sense or contain lots of grammatical errors or seem to rant... I have severe pregnant brain! I locked my keys in my car in the main street the other day and I've not done that since last time I was pregnant!

I hope it's sunny where you are.... :)