at my house.....

Well, first official day of school holidays, and although neither of my kids are at school and spend a lot of time at home anyway, it still means that there is no Kinder, Gymbaroo, or Playgroup so I'll be busy trying to schedule in some activities for them to keep them occupied (and me sane).

This morning was a bit of joint activity as I wanted to take part in this little project that Pip has running over at her blog.

So I got the craft box out and some of my supplies and the kids help me put together a little package to send off to Pip.  The kids helped me pick some fabric, an old iron transfer I've had for ages, cute paper bunting, a flower i made of scraps of silk, some fabric yo-yos, cute little pegs, thrifted doily, and an inspiration tag.  We decorated the envelope (with the kids leaving just enough room for the address!!) and I shall post it this afternoon!

If you want the link to this project, just visit Pips blog or click on the button on the left.

And if you want to see what others are doing today head over to Lou's...

(i'll sadly be without my computer for probably a few days as it's a bit sick and needs to go and get fixed!!)

this is where i'll be today....

Great indoor venue - heaps of stores selling handmade and vintage items

Lovely cafe's to grab a coffee, some breakfast or lunch

Please come and say hi if your there! 

handmade christmas challenge

Well, it certainly feels weird to be thinking of Christmas shopping in June, but I really like the idea of starting the whole process now, being organised, and more importantly searching for handmade presents for those I love. So I joined this challenge from Knicky Knacks and each Saturday will posting some handmade items that I have been admiring (or purchasing) in the lead up to Christmas

So whilst I have not purchased anything as yet, I thought I would start searching for my Dad.
Here's the brief:
 - 69 years old
 - lawyer
 - lives in country victoria
 - and loves to play golf and work on his hobby farm sounded by olive trees!

So here are a few idea's i came up with searching Etsy and Made It.

These include cuff links from Buttonsbyloulou
Vintage book with hidden flask compartment by pommesfrites
Vintage manual winding clock from ClockworkUniverse (i know, not handmade but really nice!)
And golf marker (personalised) from jcjewellerydesign

I would love to hear your opinion on what you think about my selections!

Want to join in the Handmade Christmas Challenge?  Join here! 

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

A little person who likes shower time...

join in with soulemama

my creative space...

Numbers! numbers! numbers! My son loves numbers - for a while now I have noticed an interest he would take in numbers, any numbers of any kind.  You know, at the supermarket he would look and comment on what isle number we were in, what price something was, and out and about there are numbers everywhere!   I even make up activities for him that are all about numbers....

As a mother of two young children I like to get out and enjoy some fresh air and exercise so, with a 4 year old keen on numbers, I put my daughter in the pram and we all walk around the neighbourhood in search of numbers....

Yesterday I suggested he take his camera (an old one that is a bit temperamental) and take pictures of numbers he likes.  So all of these (besides the very top photo)  are his pictures....

He does the whole - hold the camera right up close - thing at the moment, but when we got home we downloaded them all and he was really excited about seeing what pictures he had taken.  

What creative things have you been up to?  Want to join in?  Head over to Kirsty's great blog here! 

honey jumbles

When i popped over to have a look what Cathy at m.e had been up to - I was drooling over these Honey Jumbles so much so that I just had to make them this morning.

So with kids standing on little chairs up at the kitchen bench or on the floor playing chef, we baked...

And they are delicious.

I would write the recipe here for you, but why not go and check out Cathy's photos of her honey jumbles - they are exquisite!  I only made the vanilla icing as time was becoming an issue (and I didn't have strawberry paste)

I'll have to make another batch soon - I took these to playgroup this morning and dropped a small batch off in my friends letterbox so she can enjoy some too.  I've got enough for afternoon tea though! 

Have a great day! 

crochet corner....

I love to sit and craft the night away, some small little project that can be held in hand, done in small doses and packed away easily...perhaps something to work on whilst watching Master Chef or when sipping on a glass of wine and wearing some cosy slippers.

So, I grabbed one of the two chairs I picked up for a bargin a while a go and covered one with the crocheted granny sqaure rug made by my mother-in-law when my husband would have been a little boy. She gave it to me a few months back when I couldn't stop admiring it!! I knew that it would take me ages to get cracking on the project of doing up the chairs and finding the right fabric to recover the cushions, but now, i think i really like this little crochet corner, a place to sit and today it was used by me and the kids to pile upon to read and cuddle!

at the market.....

Wow - what a day it was yesterday at the FIRST Sugar and Spice Children's Market in Woodend and only the second time I have had a stall!  First things first, Ali (organiser of the event) did an amazing job putting together such a wonderful market.  There was an area for kids to sit and draw, face painter, cupcakes from Cupcake Central the Coffee Man (much needed) and an array of creative, crafty stall to feast your eyes upon!

My friend an I headed to Woodend early and had so much fun setting up the stall and I got to meet Renee from Spunkee, Katie from 5 Star Baby, Melinda from Here We Go Loopy Lou and many others like Lark and Robin Street Market.



Of course I made a few purchases (for the kids of course).  Here is my son sporting his new hat from 5 Star Baby (doing the figures for me), and this little elephant now belongs to my daughter and was lovingly made by Renee at Spunkee.

It was a great day with loads of families streaming through the doors and David Cosma playing awesome music on stage!  As my stall was located right near the stage, David gave me his Debut Album - Hanging from Aldo, as a thankyou for selling some of his CD's and the fact that the speakers were only about a metre away from our ears! It's great easy listening music and the fact that we have such a talented Melbournian happy to come along and play at the Children's Market was such a bonus!

Thanks to my friend Sarah who was a great help on the day and thankyou to all that stopped by to say hello and those who made purchases - it was a great day and I hope to be back in September!!

sneak peak.....

"Sugar and Spice and all things nice.....kisses sweeter than candy,"

This song has been going around in my head as I madly prepare and pack for the first Sugar and Spice Market tomorrow in Woodend! I was getting my wooden ladder out of the shed (a great road side find) as it will be part of my display tomorrow, and I couldn't help but grab a few items and have a look as to how it will all look.

So you all get a sneak peak at what will be at the Mira Narnie stall....

 

Some quilts, clothes, scarves and heaps of accessories!  

I am look forward to being a stall holder (for only the second time EVER!!), but also I get to meet other bloggers like Here We Go Loopy Lou,  5 Star Baby and Lark! 

Hope to see you there! 

an heirloom in the making.....

My son received a handmade birthday present from his Great Aunty this week - a beautiful cross-stitch framed professionally with such stunning colours.  This is made by my Aunty on my fathers side and this part of my family has strong Latvian heritage with my father migrating to Australia with his parents after the war.  These striking patterns and combinations are very traditional to our Latvian culture and I have grown up with these types of beautiful creations around me in the form of wall hangings, table clothes, napkins, pillows, doilies, bookmarks and even on clothing.  And not to mention all the yummy Latvian food - but that will have to wait for another time...







I was really overwhelmed when I saw what my Aunty had created and it now takes pride of place in the hall way right next to my son's bedroom door - this way, everyone can enjoy it!  I truely do think that this is an heirloom in the making as one day I will pass this onto my son when he is an adult and explain the meaning and heritage behind it.

It is just so beautiful and when I called my Aunty to thank her she told me that she made it with love...

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend....

my creative space...

Today I got a lovely crafty surprise in my letterbox!  I won a giveaway over at one red fox last week, and my little parcel arrived today wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string!  oh I just got a warm fuzzy feeling just unwrapping it.

I knew I had won two vintage kitting patterns - both with adorable Aunty Mavis' name written one them in stunning script.

Kylie also included some gorgeous inspiration tags (each with a message) and a hand stitched felt bird!  I love it - it's so cute and can't decide where it should live!  Thankyou Kylie....

This afternoon, I am working on 'for the boys - part III' as I attempt to finalise some baby blankets to take with me to the market on Sunday.....

here's a peek at the stunning boys' fabric

See what other creative types are up to - head over to Kirsty's!

for the boys part II.....

I'm right into the boy zone at the moment!  I had so much fun making little scarves, that when I remembered I had bought some gorgeous duck cloth cotton in a dark mushroom colour, I knew I could create them into great pants for the little men in our lives.

I added little contrast detail to all of them in different ways, like cuffs and pockets.  They are simple wide leg, elastic waisted and will even make great 3/4 shorts....

 All of these goodies, plus more will be for sale at the Sugar and Spice Children's Market!   and possibly the North Melbourne Market! 
Hope to see you there - please come and say hi...

at my house.....

Oh dear...i almost forgot that it was Monday, until I sat down with my cuppa and glanced over at my Blog List!  Don't you just love public holiday's and today at our house, it really feels like a Sunday!

This morning, hubby and the kids headed off in the morning whilst I got some chores done and also a bit of sewing (will post some pic's tomorrow).  I am working on a few more items for the Sugar and Spice Market and these will be for the boys also!

The rest of the day has been spent in the kitchen with hubby making a fabulous lunch of freshly sauteed sausage that his parents made last week.  It's a family tradition that each year they make salami and the first few 'fresh' sausages need to be cooked before eating.  In a few months we'll have lovely homemade salami to eat!

Then I decided to make potato gnocchi for us for dinner and since it is quite a time consuming process, a Public Holiday is the perfect excuse!

Time to grab some books, find a cosy spot on the couch and read with the little ones....

What's going on in your house?  Visit Lou to join in....

for the boys.....

You know boys are pretty practical creatures - so totally different to us girls who need every accessory under the sun.  Nowadays you can't escape that anywhere, even in children's boutique's whereby the girls items dominate the store and the poor boys only get a quarter (if your lucky) of the space!  I know, I know, girls need tights, and clips, and pretty bracelets and bags whilst boys are happy with a pair of jeans, sneakers and a cap!

This is becoming infinitely clearer to me the innate differences between boys and girls.  My son, happy to wear whatever I chose him and ready to head out the door on time whilst my daughter (not yet 2) cries out "bag, bag, bag" and proceeds to fill it with all her essential items (at the moment they include a balloon - not inflated, a little container, a coin, and baby wipes).  She will not leave the house without her bag - even if it is just to drop her older brother off to Kinder!  I don't know where she gets it from, because I don't shout out for my bag, but it is quite cute really.

But this got me thinking about ensuring that my stock at the Sugar and Spice Market was as balanced as can be.  So last night I worked on some much needed winter accessories for the boys!

So I have made some cozy reversible scarves!  They turned out great with soft polar fleece and contrasting cotton.  I made a big button hole on one end, so the other end just loops right through - so fussing to tie it up or snap a closure!  Seeing as they were such fun to make, I might have to make some for the girls!

Hope your all having a fun weekend...x

my creative space...

Buttons - i've always loved them...there is just something about small bits of haberdashery that really make me smile and buttons are one of them!  I was lucky enough to get a part time job at Lincraft when at uni, and loved assorting through the buttons especially at stock take time, when all the stock had to be counted (yes all of it)...and I loved to just sit and count the buttons!  Even  as a little girl I would sneak into the spare room in our old home (which really was my mum's sewing and ironing room).  I would sit on the floor with my mum's button collection and just have fun picking them up, looking at them, admiring them, lining them up in matching colours or size.  Maybe a little doll would keep me company or sometimes my mum would be there whirring along on the sewing machine.

I asked my mum a while ago about that button collection.  She walked out of the room and came back with this and told me I could have them - ALL!  (ok, minus a few business shirt buttons but really who wants those??).  I was pretty excited at this stage, until she said "BUT."  oh no, has she changed her mind??  No, not at all.... she told me that she has had that tin since the 70's and I should keep all my buttons in there...phew...

So as I make things I love to rummage around my newly acquired collection of vintage buttons finding just the right match although there are some that are just so beautiful that it feels a shame to use them - i do really enjoy just looking at them!

for a dose of creativity head over to Kirsty's....

Happy Birthday!!!

 (2 days old)

Today my son turns 4!  Where did the time go? is the question me and husband asked ourselves last night as I worked on his cake for two hours!!! We remember bringing him home from hospital, first time parents, amazed at what we had created and then sat, the three of us in the lounge room, looked at each other....(both of us were thinking "what now??")

The last four years have been amazing, to say the least.  Watching you grow, nurturing you, teaching and experiencing the wonders of this world with you has been a joy and delight.  You have taught us so much and you are our greatest gift.  You are compassionate and kind, caring and thoughtful, inquisitive and have a zest for life that is infectious.   Happy Birthday my sweet son!

                                       

The cake took longer to decorate than first anticipated and I am glad I waited for the little ones to be in bed before I began as it was tedious and messy.  The ready made icing was so sloppy that I needed to add so much extra icing sugar just to get it to a consistency to roll with a rolling pin.  We deciding on a green number four instead of red, as last year my attempt to make red icing ended up looking a little pink and I wasn't sure how that would be received by the birthday boy! I was lucky enough to find the little traffic decorations at Go-Lo for $3.  All in all, i was happy with how it turned out and so was the birthday boy when he laid eyes of it this morning asking if he could eat it for breakfast!

He was so surprised to see balloons already blown up, and a few little presents waiting for him in the lounge room.  The best reaction was when he saw his new sign!

I'm off to prepare some food for our little guests and also some activities that they will be doing (like decorating their own biscuit, designing a jigsaw puzzle and pass the parcel!)

Thanks to you all for your lovely comments and suggestion - it's been great getting feedback and fun to share ideas around.