Craft is the new black

Look what arrived on my doorstep today..



This screen printed bag is from Aunty Cookie.

Tom was looking through one of my crafty magazines the other day when he spotted this bag. He pointed it out to me as something I might like (Yes, he knows me well). So of course, I interpreted that as "go ahead and buy this bag my darling wife.."

Merry-go-round (and round)

We spent hours at this park in Glebe on Sunday..











After all that playing we went home and made a big vegetable pie and this salad..(which was growing in our garden just a few minutes before this photo was taken!)




(P.s Did you notice that my 2 year old daughter has pink nail polish on her toes? I would just like to add that I had nothing to do with this.. She came home from PRE-SCHOOL with nail polish.. PINK nail polish.. Is that normal? I am a little concerned.)

Peachy keen

(Tom just walked past me and asked if I was "blogging again tonight?" Well, yes I am.)

Have you got the latest issue of Frankie?



If not, then you should go and buy it right now, because my super clever friend Bron has a story published in it! Bron interviewed Somaly Mam, who was sold to a brothel in Cambodia as a young girl but was lucky enough to escape.

There is also the usual selection of cool people and crafty folk.

Maximilian

If I had a dollar for every time Sophie said "Mummy, Max is my best friend" I would be a very rich girl (Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum).



So it was about time that I made something for little Max (aka the resident Baby Space toddler) and had my first adventure in making boys clothes..



I made him these super easy little shorts, and a matching linen toy bag.



Sophie and I are on our way to see Max now, hopefully he likes them (Although, I suspect that running off to the giant slippery dip with Sophie will be far more interesting!)

P.s Sorry, I have had fiddler on the roof in my head all week.. Help!

NPG (National Portrait Gallery)

My Mummy..



By Sophie.

(Isn't that sweet!)

Papier Mache

Have you seen this super cute online kids magazine?





I saw it for the first time the other day and fell in love with the beautiful clothes inside. Although it seems to be full of French brands, which is great, but a little annoying because we have loads of lovely Australian designers right here (and they deliver for half the price!)



Apparently the next issue is coming out in print. Yippee.. that means I can cut it up into little bits for my inspiration board*





*Otherwise known as the fridge.

The big fat hen

The weekend started bright and early on Saturday morning (read: 6.30am) with a little dance in the hallway..



We spent the whole day at home cooking, cleaning, gardening and sewing (well actually, Tom did lots of cooking and gardening and I did lots of cleaning and sewing)..



On Sunday we headed off to Featherdale Wildlife Park about 40 minutes out of Sydney.







As we were driving home we asked Sophie what her favourite part of the day was and she replied "the big fat hen". So much for the long drive out there.. we could have just looked over the neighbours fence!

The good, the bad and the thrifty

I am getting excited. I can almost small it in the air.. Yes, Spring is just around the corner! The trees are all starting to grow new leaves, every flower in our garden has decided to bloom and yesterday I was at the park in a t-shirt!

But despite such a beautiful day, nothing could turn my little girl into a bundle of sunshine. No sir, she was a very grumpy little girl yesterday.
It was one of those days where the slightest thing would send her into a hysterical fit of crying and screaming on the floor. (She wanted green socks not blue, cheese on her sandwich not avocado, the book that we took back to the library months ago, not the one I was reading her..)

The poor little thing was just incredibly over-tired after a few nights of being sick and not sleeping properly, but I am sorry to say that if 'mothering' was my paid job.. yesterday I would have been close to handing in my resignation! I would have left crying and blabbering on about the 'unsuitable working conditions'. (In the same fantasy I take an 8 hour flight all alone, because the idea of being able to read my book uninterrupted for 8 hours while someone brings me food and tea sounds divine!)

So I thought I would calm my nerves today by sharing some of the cool flea market finds I have acquired in the last week (Ahh.. so that's why Sophie was so grumpy.. she was sick of being dragged around op-shops!)

I have already showed you my new picnic basket, but here it is again, because it may well be my best ever flea market find..


I found some more retro patterns (think play-suits and shoulder pads!)


And some cute little clothes for Sophie.. $2 each..


I'm sure some of my homemade washing powder will get the stains out of this one..


Now, excuse me while I spend the day drinking chamomile tea and practicing deep breathing..

My Creative Space

I bought a couple of new fabrics this week..
(Okay, maybe more than a couple).



These are my favourites..



And this one is going to be a cute little summer dress for Sophie with red bias binding..



But today there will be no sewing done. Its the warmest (winter) day in Sydney and Sophie and I are heading off to the park..

Pears poached in red wine: A love story.

Once upon a time there was a handsome young man who lived in a beautiful rambling terrace that was split into 2 apartments. One day a young girl moved into the tiny apartment downstairs and the young man popped downstairs to introduce himself to his new neighbour.. They had to share the outdoor laundry after all.



As the weeks went by, the boy and girl became friends and she noticed that he started doing allot more laundry than usual (perhaps, so he could walk past her door?).

One day he gathered the courage to invite her upstairs for dinner. She was (at the time) a very fussy eater and he attempted his first gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian dinner.. which was a success. It was followed by his signature poached pears in red wine and cinnamon.

I suspect the young girl was under the spell of those beautiful and fragrant pears.. because she fell head over heals in love with the young man.

A few short weeks later the two love birds moved in together and less than a year later they were married with a beautiful baby girl..



Once every blue moon he makes this beautiful recipe for her again. One can only assume its to keep her under this powerful love spell..

My bedside table..

These are the books that are sitting on my bedside table waiting for someone to read them..



(I have to admit that they have been waiting there quite a while. Every couple of days I come along and wipe the dust off the top and once every blue moon I pick one up and read a few pages.)

I really need to get back in the habit of reading. (I mean reading actual books, not just magazines, blogs and sewing patterns!) I used to read allot, but ever since I had Sophie all my spare time goes into other things and I struggle to find the time to read. Time to get back to it I think!

Another day. Another playground.

We seem to spend a large percentage of our weekend in the park at the moment. Or rather, in as many different parks as we can fit into two days.





On Saturday, We met some friends at the park (who are moving to London in a few weeks and I am going to miss them terribly). Tom made banana bread and tea, and I packed it in our new picnic basket that I found in the op shop last week for $6!



We spent the whole of Sunday in the garden, planting all the early spring veggies. We put beetroot, tomatoes and broad beans in our new wine barrel..



Until next weekend.. its back to reality..

The morning song..

You know what makes getting up on Monday morning so much easier?
Listening to this song at full blast and dancing around like a lunatic (while your 2 year old daughter stares at you, wondering what exactly her mother is doing..)

Moroccan chickpea and barley salad

I was going to post about some incredible flea-market finds I found this week, but I made this salad for lunch today and I had to share it with you.. so easy, so yummy and so good for you!



The recipe is from here. I used cashews instead of pistachios and sultanas instead of apricots, but it was delicious just the same.



I made the 'Ras El Hanout' spice mix myself (and when I say I made it, I mean that I found the spices in the cupboard and gave them each a random little shake into the bowl..) Yum!

My happy space

When Tom and I moved from our little apartment near the beach to a house in the suburbs, I knew there was one thing I would miss the most.. my favourite cafe.



I started going there when I was at uni. I would sit there for hours to study drinking copious amounts of coffee.



When I was pregnant with Sophie I spent days there reading and drinking chai tea, Stopping to chat to all the mums who came in about the highs and lows of motherhood.



When Sophie was born it was my little retreat when it all got to much.. When the house was a mess and I hadn't washed my hair for days, I would walk down to the street, park myself on the cosy teal couch and let Sophie entertain herself with the toy box..



Now, its no longer a short walk away but a long drive across the city..
But, you know what? I thinks it's worth the drive!

The Craft Room

Last month I attended a beginners sewing class at the craft room in Sydney. It was perfect for me because they went right through the basics, even showing you how to thread a machine, cut out patterns, etc. I walked out of the class having finished a little skirt for Sophie and feeling very proud of myself.



Since then I have been hooked. I now spend as much time as I can behind my sewing machine or cutting out patterns or in a fabric store. And I love the thrill I get every time I finish a new project.



Yesterday I finished a few projects I had been working on, including this little pinafore dress for Sophie. Now, if only I could get her to stay still long enough to take a photo..

Round and round the garden..

I have been so busy lately (sitting behind my sewing machine) that the garden has been a little neglected. So yesterday I was determined to spend the day in the garden weeding and planting..







Today, It is pouring with rain outside and Sophie has a little cold, so we are going to spend the day inside all warm and cosy. I plan to get a couple of sewing projects finished so that I can show them to you tomorrow, and I promised Sophie that we would make gingerbread men this afternoon.. Yum!