Yikes - how can it be March already?

  

I cannot believe it's March already!  Summer has officially ended although you'd never believe that judging by the beautiful days we are still having.  Long may it continue!!  So my unplanned blog break was due to being outdoors and making the most of a stunning summer.  On one hand I've missed blogging but on the other hand it's been really lovely to leave the computer tucked away out of sight.  I have however been having lots of sneaky peeks at Pinterest on my phone as I am finding it so very inspirational.  Now I just need a bit more time to actually sit down and make some of the things I've pinned!!

A word of warning - this blog post will be all over the place because my mind is so full, I am going to just go ahead and blurt it all out!  I will start with Christmas ...

Christmas Day was utterly amazing - in fact it was the hottest Christmas since 1934 - how fantastic is that.  We hosted Christmas at our house this year and if it wasn't for an oscillating fan strategically placed near my kitchen door - I think I would have passed out over the turkey.  It did make for a very long night with overly tired small folk not being able to sleep in the humidity (something we in windy Wellington are not very used to!!).  So the whole holiday break was just perfect.  Lots of beach visits, lots of playing in the paddling pool on the deck and lots of scooter and bike rides.  

There have been a few chances for crafting amongst all the hot weather.  First of all I had to have a jolly good tidy up in my crafty space as it was looking like an absolutely shambles.  I couldn't get motivated as a cluttered desk means my head feels cluttered too.   Look at the state of it in the picture below!  Yikes.  One good thing about having a tidy up is the fact that you find things you'd forgotten about.  These lovely wee pink and orangey/red squares were made so long ago and had been packed away.  It was brilliant to find them as now they are going to be stitched together and made into a little blanket.  Miss 5 has suggested it will be just the right size for her doll's bed.

There were piles of half made projects all over the place.  Not only was I making my bits and pieces - but there were a whole other lot of pieces being whipped up for our school fair, so double the mess really.  Our school fair is on this coming Sunday so it will be amazing to see all of the gorgeous craft projects us mums have made, all together in one place.  I must remember to take some piccies of it all once we set up the stall.  We have been getting together every Wednesday for months and making all sorts of goodies - cushions, gift tags, hair clips, bags, covered pegs, bunting, garlands - and so much more.  I'm really looking forward to it.

This week saw us having fun at home with fluffy pom poms.  I had made a garland with big pom poms to drape over a boring blackboard in our kitchen.  Miss 5 spotted it immediately after school and wanted to make one for her bedroom too.  I love that she is crafty - it's nice to sit and chat while we make stuff.  Here she is with her mini pom pom garland in progress. 

 

The mini pom poms were so darn cute I had to make one too.  It looked sweet draped around some of the kids' art from when they were smaller.

 

Loads and loads of tea cosies have been made in the last few months too.  Some of them have ended up at a shop in Petone!  How exciting.  The lovely owner has also taken a few of my other makes - baby hats, mini paper bunting and hair clips.  I was so proud to see the cosies in the shop window!!   I had the overwhelming urge to yell "I made these" to anyone in the near vicinity!!

 

There have also been quite a few fabulous op shop bargains found recently.  This stunning tablecloth was only $6 at a market in Paekakariki last weekend.  We escaped the city for a night at the beach and we timed our arrival by fluke to sneak into the local market just before it finished for the day.  I couldn't believe my luck to find this beauty.  

 

I also bought this gorgeous old chair on Trade Me for $10.  It was in a dire state and needed missing chunks to be filled, rough bits sanded and knocks and dings dealt to.  I then mixed up a few different test pots and happily sat outside in the sun painting it.  What I should have done was take my sunglasses off to check the colour - it turned out a lot more pink than initially planned but I love it now.  I really love the shape of these chairs and will keep my eye out to try and find a few more to pop around the dining table when we have extras for dinner.

I should have popped this picture up a bit higher in the post when I was talking about Christmas.  Not only did we have stunning weather on the actual day but the first of my Christmas lilies actually chose Christmas Day to flower!  How utterly perfect.

It has been a busy season in the garden - and it's not a past time I love but I really enjoy the results.  My husband fought a very hard battle to remove a huge hedge of agapanthus - a nightmare of a job.  But it was well worth it as we now have a brand new vege plot which is currently full of lettuce, spinach, rocket and sweetcorn.  These wee beauties above are feijoas and they should be ready in April/May.  We have only ever had one single fruit in three years but this year we have quite a few of these little stunners growing happily on the tree.  Fingers crossed they don't get blown off in a howling southerly!!

I have turned into a crazy woman and am on a murderous rampage.  Our poor broccoli and cabbage plants have been all but destroyed by horrid caterpillars.  I now spend each day searching every leaf for the little rotters then squashing them while swearing under my breath.  I have got the children involved now and they always have a quick look for any critters while they are outside playing.  I'm not usually a violent person but these caterpillars have made me furious.  I have no hesitation in squishing them and I have also been seen to be chasing the white butterflies around the garden with my jandal in hand ready to swat them!

Our strawberry patch has been taken over by giant stick creatures which freak me out completely so I've been too scared to stick my hand in and pick any fruit.  My neighbour has had to come and remove the creatures for me.  And I have to get the children to pick the strawberries.  What a big chicken I am.

Another project I am bursting to try sometime soon is this.  While I was shopping for other people for Christmas I spotted this pretty button covering set and had to get one for myself too.  The fabric is so pretty!  I have a cardi in mind that is going to get a button makeover soon.

 There has been lots of baking ...

 I tried out my homemade cookie stamp and a lovely heart stamp - the kids loved it!

And Miss 5 was given this cake pop set for Christmas and once I had made the cake bits for her - she made these herself.  Delicious!

But by far this has been the most successful baking experience recently.  I spotted this no-knead bread recipe on good old Pinterest.  It is the most simple bread recipe I have ever made and the result is amazing.  A gorgeous chewy crusty - hot from the oven with a naughty amount of butter - yum.  My tummy is rumbling just at the thought of it.  Here is the link if you want to try it - all you need is time not effort!  You won't regret it, I promise.

Crikey I really am jumping all over the place as I remember things we have been up to.  I promised Miss 5 that I would show some pics of her making a very special cushion.  We bought some cheap remnant fabrics and she chose the stripe for a cushion.  She wanted to sew a bird on to it so that is just what she did, very patiently.

 

I love it!  She is so proud of herself and her beautiful cushion now lives on her bed.  

We took the kids to an open day at our local port as Mr 8 is absolutely obsessed with ships of all kinds.  He was blown away to get a chance to sit in the police boat.  I was so proud to hear him asking the policemen such sensible questions and I was also chuffed that he totally understood the map on the screen in front of him.   He is still in love with all things Titanic related and finished building a model with his dad over the last few weeks.  We now have to buy a shelf to put up in his room so this precious model can stay safely above the carnage of a boys bedroom!!

It's that time of year again for the most stunning dahlias to bloom in my in-laws' garden.  I take photos of this particular one every year - it is just perfect in every way. 

Phew - well that's all from me.  I won't be leaving it so long again as it is really hard to remember what I've been up to.  Clearly my memory is suffering now that I've turned a year older!!

Have a fabulous week - see you again soon.

Leah
xxxx

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

Where the heck did November go?  I can't believe how fast the weeks have been passing.  I never intended almost two months to go by without doing a post.  That also means nearly two months of not popping in to visit other blogs so I have a lot of catching up to do!!  And a big hello to lots of new followers - it has surprised me to see how many new folk have discovered my little blog. 

It has been an utterly crazy few weeks in the lead up to Christmas.  There have been ballet recitals, end of year school celebrations, summer sports, a few health issues and some very weird weather to keep me on my toes.  It's meant to be summer but I am currently sitting here, very early in the morning, and all I can see out of my window is fog.  The airport is closed making Christmas travel plans a nightmare for many.  Thankfully we are staying home this year and I'm really looking forward to some time to slow down and just potter about for a while.  Not to mention the chance to eat far too many festive treats and start the diet in the new year!!  My small folk love these chocolate biscuit Christmas puds so they requested we make them again this year.  Not to mention the piles of white chocolate rocky road and bottles of caramel sauce I made for gifts this year.  Delicious!

There has been a wee bit of time for some crochet.  I'm still trying to use up my Stylecraft yarn but it just keeps on going!  I started this blanket ages ago and wasn't sure that I loved it enough to carry on.  But my gorgeous sis-in-law Sarah visited yesterday and she spotted it in my basket.  So I'm going to get it finished and give it to her.

There is something nice about a simple granny square isn't there?  I think I was worried it was a bit too simple though - that's why I hadn't fallen in love with it.

 But the more I look at it now, the more it is growing on me.  Maybe I'll make another one for me later.

And there have been many, many more tea cosies made.  Quite a few sales and commissions in the lead up to Christmas which is fantastic!

I was a bit naughty this year and went a little but nutso with online shopping.  I had wanted this book for a while and it didn't seem to make it to the bookshops here so I ordered it from good old Book Depository along with a few other treats for gifts.  I love, love, love that website!!!  And I really love seeing a little (or large) brown parcel in my letterbox!!!

The very first pages the book opened to was this - I thought it was just gorgeous.  I have only managed a quick flick through the book - so can't wait for a sunny day so I can sit outside and read it properly.

Miss 5 has become a real little crafter.  She got this sweet little sewing kit for her birthday and it goes everywhere with her just now.  She was unwell recently so I cut out some shapes for her to sew.  She made this sweet little bear and today she is sewing more stockings to hang on the tree.  I am so proud of Mr 8 too, for a boy whose favourite part of school has always been lunchtime(!) - he came second in a poetry competition this week.  I didn't even know he had entered - so it was a huge surprise.  My little boy is really growing up to be a gorgeous fella.  

 

Even though the weather has been completely screwy, boiling hot one day and pouring with rain the next, we have managed to grow some yummy veges.  Broad beans are one of my faves and thankfully Miss 5 is keen to pod them with me and then peel them once boiled.  It certainly speeds up the process! 

And for the very first time, after trying for 4 seasons, we managed to grow a broccoli!!!  I actually squealed out loud when I spotted it!!  It wasn't huge but was enough to feed us for one meal.  It tasted beautiful as it was only a few minutes from garden to plate.

And another gardening success - well kind of - was this cabbage.  Again, we've been trying for years with no success and then one day it was just there, like magic.  It was tiny - but perfectly formed under those outside leaves!  My theory is that neglect was the perfect answer.  We'd had such terrible weather that the vege patch had been left unweeded for several weeks.  A theory I will try again because I hate weeding!!!

Our cabbage was tiny but check out this freakishly large strawberry.  I had to put my crochet hook in front of it show the scale of this monster.  So if you're going to be good and limit yourself to only one choc dipped strawberry then this is most definitely the one you'd want to choose!

And speaking of large - look at this gingerbread house.  Apparently it has set the record for being the largest ever made.  It is at Te Papa museum and the kids loved it.  The smell was just beautiful.

 Phew - that's a lot of butter!!

Another wee treat I bought for the family this week was these bright and gorgeous pudding bowls.  I had to go back and get another set so we have enough when friends visit.  A bargain at $5 and oh so bright and lovely.  I might just have to fill them with sweets and treats tomorrow and dot them about the house.

Before the fog set in, we went on a family walk around our suburb.  I wish I had taken more pics now as these Pohutukawa trees are blooming everywhere just now.  They are called a New Zealand Christmas Tree and the story goes that if they flower before Christmas then we are going to have a long hot summer.  Well where I live, there are beautiful red flowers on all the trees so bring on the good weather.

 

Miss 5 collected flowers on the way.

Telecom sets up this amazingly huge tree each year.  The children go into the old red phone boxes and call Santa.  Then their wish travels up the tree and lights up as it goes.  We took the children yesterday and it was just gorgeous listening to them leaving their little message for Santa. 

I love this pic - it is taken standing inside the tree looking up.  Just a shame it isn't dark until quite late here, so my small folk haven't had a chance to see it completely lit up in all its glory.  We might have to let them stay up late and go for a drive tonight for a Christmas Eve treat.

Well that's all from me!  Have a truly wonderful Christmas wherever you may be.  Thank you so much for popping by and I hope to see you again in the New Year.  I hope you all get thoroughly spoilt this festive season.  Merry Christmas!!!

Take care,
Leah
xxxx

In love with colour!

I know I have shown lots of pics of my tea cosies recently but I really can't get enough of them!  I have made so many lately that I can whip one up in about 30 minutes - the pattern is in my sidebar - then have them in a pile waiting to be topped with flowers or spots (my latest design - talk about cute!).  And it was a good excuse to play around with the photo mosaic!! 

These little spotty cosies were fun to make and look so cheerful.  It doesn't seem to matter how many I make out of this wool - the stash doesn't seem to get any smaller. 

 

But this wee blue cosy is one of my absolute favourites.  Sometimes a particular colour combination really hits the spot.  

 

In my last post I showed a picture of some gorgeous old chairs I'd found.  Well in the same week I managed to find a retro coffee table and this lovely little vinyl footstool for an absolute bargain (the table was the grand total of $2.50 on Trade Me!!) - both of which will go nicely with the 70's chairs.

 

But as much as I loved it in its original condition - it had a wee bit of damage and was screaming out for a makeover.  I had the perfect fabric in mind after spotting it in the shop a few weeks ago. 

 

The colours are gorgeous and I loved that it looks like I've painstakingly joined all these squares together!!   Big fat cheat!

Ta-da - now that looks more like it!  I know it sounds tragic, but this little footstool has made me so happy.  It's a burst of colour in a fairly plain room and it lifts my spirits whenever I walk by.  I had a ridiculously great time playing with upholstery pins and my hammer.  When it was finished, I wandered around the house with hammer in hand trying to find other things that could be covered!!

And best of all there was just enough fabric left to make two wee cushions.  I have been waiting for the perfect project to use some of my pretty trims on and this was it. 

You might have spotted the chairs already but here's a better shot of them.  We will have them reupholstered professionally in the future but it's pretty expensive so I will have to save up for it.  In the meantime I have bought new foam for the seats and backs.  Then I spotted an amazing fabric that was reduced from $100 per metre to only $10 per metre!  How is that for a bargain!  And it was reversible so I've done one chair in each colourway, one with a pink background, the other with a green background.  When I say "I've done them" I mean I've wrapped fabric around each chair and fastened it to see what it looks like and to convince my husband that it wasn't too girly!!  Now I have the challenge of stitching it in place.  I am really happy with the result and am quite happy to have them like this until they can be covered properly.  This new little sitting area has become a favourite spot for the whole family.  Before, it was a space covered in toys but they have been moved to the other end of the room.  The children love sitting here to read, Bella lounges in the sun most days and the grown ups grab a quick sit-down whenever they can!

 

Oh look - there's Bella soaking up some sun.  She moves from one chair to another depending on which looks the warmest at any given time.  What a hard life she has!!  Did I mention that these chairs are perfect crochet chairs?  Lots of room to move my arms but also just the right height to rest my elbows on while my hands are busy.  I'm really proud that we've found these lovely older pieces and given them a new lease of life.  When I worked on the woodwork of the chairs I found the original labels underneath them with 'August 1975' on them!  They're almost as old as me!

And now for something not so old .... I sold a few tea cosies last week so with my earnings I treated myself to this adorable sundress.  The first thing I did after taking this photo was unpick that crazy huge bow on the front!  It looks so much better without it.  It was made with a huge piece of fabric so now I'm thinking of what I can make with it instead.  Now I just need the temperature to improve a bit here so I can wear this little beauty.  I've decided that this summer I am going to wear dresses as often as possible.  I have found some lovely vintage dresses over the last few months at the op shops and I can't wait to start wearing them. Bring on the sunshine!!

Oooh almost forgot - in the height of my current fabric obsession I found a sweet little spotty fat quarter when I was working at the market the other week.  It matches some of the colours in my curtains perfectly and I knew it would make a perfect top for another footstool we had here.  This lime green footstool has been well used, the children jump off it constantly and it has taken an absolute hammering.  So it was time for a bit of prettification (is that a word?).

And here she is - I love it!  Don't you love how a piece of material and a hour or so on the sewing machine can transform something completely.  As with all my sewing - it is by no means perfect.  Probably something to do with the fact that I don't like measuring anything or using pins!!!  I have an idea in my head of what to do and I just go for it.  Sometimes it turns out - sometimes it's a disaster.  Thankfully this one worked out!!

 

And amongst all the pretty colours and girly projects it seems only right to pop this picture in from Mr 8's birthday party.  He had a Trash Pack party and for his birthday cake I made him lots of slime cakes.  It was so much fun to make cakes that are meant to look gross.  The boys thought these were great - they decided they looked like pooh and slime - and they were a total hit.   Hilarious.

I am yet again very behind in my blog reading so apologies if I haven't popped by recently.  I feel as if I'm constantly trying to keep up and failing miserably!  I can't wait to see what you've all been up to.

I hope you all have a fabulous week.  See you again soon. 

Leah
xxxx

She's finished!

Yes, she is finished and I am truly in love with ripples!  The rhythm of this pattern was just what I needed.  It was a pleasure to pick up my hook each evening and do a few rows.  I finished this blanket a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to do a post until now.  It's school holidays here at the moment and it is crazy busy.  But this morning Mr 8 (yes Mr 7 became Mr 8 on Tuesday - happy birthday gorgeous boy!!) and Miss 5 have friends here to play so I'm sneaking a few minutes on the computer.

I had to sneak a peek of my shoes into this pic - talk about colour co-ordinated shoes and crochet!  I had to replace those cute floral ones I bought recently as they were the most uncomfortable things I'd ever worn.  Cute - but painful!  Lesson learnt - sometimes a bargain is a bargain for a reason!!!  So on to a different brand and now my feet are happy.  Miss 5 got the same shoes too - which is easy when your mother buys her own shoes in the kids department - and she is loving being able to match her mum.  She has waaaay better style than me though!

My tea cosies are still keeping me busy too.  Lots of orders and a few extras to pop onto my wee online shop.  I have got so much of this wool to use up - I'm just glad that these rainbow stripes are so popular!!   I never get bored of making them - the pattern is now etched in my brain.   The one I have on the go at the moment is a plain blue which will be topped with flowers, then the next order is for a plain blue with hearts around the top like this one.   Just as well there is plenty of good telly on at the moment to plonk down in front of with my hook!

 

 Did I tell you that my wee girl used to ask me if I was making a jersey for the teapot?  Too cute.

I have been a very happy girl recently and have had a few days helping out in the Stitchbird shop.  It is impossible for me to leave that store without buying something!  I spotted this fat quarter of fabric and thought it was perfect to make a wee pin cushion.  To all you sewing pros out there - I apologise for my less than crisp corners!!  These are so much fun to make - I have had to make a few and give them to friends.  It was just the simple project I needed to get me motivated to sew again.  Now I have some sewing to do in preparation for our school fair.  Frogs and headbands!!

Oooh, oooh, oooh, do you remember that gorgeous little cafe I visit called Martha's?  There are a few pics of it here.  Well they have opened a new cafe just across the road from Martha's and it's called Arthur's!!

So where Martha's is all bright, white and girly, Arthur's is all dark wood, half pint water glasses and fry ups on the menu.  Instead of flowers on the table there are plants - just gorgeous.  I visited for the first time last week for a cuppa and it was stunning.  It's in an old 2 storey building at the top of Cuba Street and the main eating area is up a tiny staircase. 

Lots of old oak tea trolleys dotted about the place and antlers on the wall.  There were even a few crochet cushions on the chairs!

So it seemed a perfect coincidence that I had brought along a neutral crochet project to work on while I drank and ate (a beanie order) - as it went perfectly with my surroundings.  I can't wait to go back for a proper breakfast sometime soon.

 

Isn't this hilarious!  I popped into my husband's office last week and they have had these funny paintings done all around the place.  This giant mouse hole made me laugh.  Clever ay.

Want to see what I'll be working on tonight?

I have been looking for an old chair for ages so I squealed out loud when I spotted these two beauties in the Salvation Army store on Monday.  The upholstery is absolutely revolting but the wood and the springs are in excellent condition.  While they sit in my hallway waiting for me to work on them, Bella has decided that they are just perfect for her day long snoozes.  She flits from one to the other and is one very comfy cat. I am going to work on the wood myself then send them to a professional to replace all the foam and recover them.  As much as I'd love to do it - I think they are beyond my abilities. The hardest thing will be deciding what material to use!!  We also have a retro floor lamp and coffee table that we have our eye on - fingers crossed we win those online auctions.  We have cleared a space in our sunroom now that the children aren't playing in there so much and it will become a lovely, sunny reading spot.  Can't wait!!!  The best thing about them is that they are the perfect crochet chairs.  My short legs can touch the floor and my arms rest perfectly. 

Have a fab weekend everyone!  We are off to the WOW show tomorrow night and I am really looking forward to it.  I've only been once before and it was amazing.  It's soooooo cool.  There are some incredibly talented people on this planet.  Wellington is really buzzing at the moment with lots of out of town visitors and international tourists for this event.

See you again soon,
Leah
xxxx