Saturday, January 31, 2009

Forget me not...


Loz and Dinny dresses are now hiding out here. So if you happen to be driving down Sandy Bay Road in Hobart, maybe you fancy stopping by number 169 in Sandy Bay, Hobart for a peek.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Happy Australia Day xx

Hope all the Aussie blog reading and writing contingent had a marvellous Australia Day. We spent ours in style with a picnic lunch at the beautiful Cataract Gorge - Gorge-ous! Steve my fine brother-in-law became an Australian Citizen last year (he is from the 'Motherland') - so this was his first Australia Day flying the green and gold. In honour of his new found nationality... he got to cut the Pavlova. We almost revoked his citizenship rights when he pointed out that the pav was from NZ... we had to set him straight by explaining that it is a great Aussie tradition to claim famous kiwis as our own (Crowded House, Russell Crowe and Pharlap)... get with the programme Stevie!After fighting off aggressive pav seeking peacocks we headed for the water. Edie donned her swimmers for a dip in the pool with Uncle Grae Grae...
and I got to finish these thank you cards for my sis and her beau .. you see they got engaged, had a party and now want to send a little thank you card... so I got lino cutting and came up with this...

But now the family from across the Straight have boarded and airplane and jetted back to their real lives in Melbourne. It all feel just a little bit empty in our wonky house...

Monday, January 26, 2009

May grey make your day

Guess what ... I'm an Aunty! I have a nephew. My sister-in-law has baby number one. Many say I can't be trusted in such a position but I did get so excited I made these bibs and a matching blanket. The blanket didn't photograph so well ... but it was backed with fleecy cotton and edged in ric rac and I was pretty darn pleased with myself. The bibs are made small ... for little ones. She said she was over the baby blue thing so when I saw this fabric I thought it may be a winner. I was excited. I made them weeks ago (Loz finished up the bibs) but couldn't put them here in case the secret got out. But they were posted off and now received so all's well.
I do have a thing for grey ... so I was stoked when I found this guy at the Mission Shop. He was sans saucer but I found one which I think was made for him. Complete again.

and continuing on the grey theme ... I was 'commissioned' (that's a posh way of saying 'asked nicely') to make an 'Event Belt'... you know ... somewhere to pop your phone, keys, notebook and pennies when you are on the job but not at your desk. Hope it worked - I was very nervous about it ... but was pretty happy with the result ... just a new spin on my kiddies aprons.


and in light of the pure delight I gleen from witty graffiti, may I leave you with this morsel of food for thought...


Sunday, January 25, 2009

Wish the weekend was longer...

Having such a wonderful long weekend. The sisters and brother-in-laws have all crossed Bass Strait and are doing an Australia Day Long weekend in Van Dieman's land. It's all laughter, bbq's, wineries and eating ... oh and tree climbing. Edie is basking in the aunty uncle love fest. Tomorrow it's pavlova. Good times.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Matchy, matchy

Not sure if you remember this dress. The little red dress. The Blythe dress. My favourite dress. The one with the tricycle. Well I don't think I ever got around to showing you it in this colour. I love blue.Anyways. I have had the most gorgeous sun bonnet pattern sitting on my desk for goodness knows how long and staring longingly at me saying 'sew me sister'. I even got all the ribbon and cut them out. I wanted them to be ready for the hobart market but me stitchin' fingers could not move at the pace required. Enter Loz. Saviour of the sewing sisterhood. She took me in hand and ....ta da!

a beautiful matching blue bonnet... and in red and grey ... and one in red and pink coming soon. All for the 'Blythe dresses'.
Then why stop there ... a girl can't be flashing her knickers or nappies - but she can be free to let her hair blow back in the breeze and flash these bloomers! Especially when they have a handprinted tricycle to boot.

Now I am unsure whether I am a matchy matchy kinda girl. But I think I could be swayed ... Anyways... I am in love with the bonnet, it does it's job keeping out that sun ...and Edie keeps it on her wee head so that has got to be a winner. It was even present and accounted for on her first ever pony ride - on Monty, the seasoned campaigner pony!!! She was a natural - even was doing the rocking in the saddle and making the horsey clip clop noise. Come to think of it, she would make a fabulous jockey - I mean she's already light, small so she wouldn't have to spend any time in the sauna and by gum she's as keen as mustard. Look out Damien Oliver!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Seven Years; No Itch


Today we celebrate 7 years married. Life continues to be an adventure hand in hand. We went for a beautiful walk ending up here. Dunc surprised me. So peaceful and a little mesmerising watching the wind move through the reeds. Time with my thoughtful, gentle, quiet genius. Sharing a tapas plate. Slow time. A rarity but cherished.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

New Dress

We headed into town today and decided to test drive a new hat, or rather bonnet. It wasn't quite finished but it matched Edie's outfit so it got a run. In the mall there are these cushions. They talk. I know. They say stuff like "Ouch" and "Get off me". It doesn't seem to work with the children playing there. In my observations it seems to spur them onto greater and greater acts of cruelty toward the cushions .. you know .. hard core jumping and stomping combined with maniacal laughter. Small people scare me sometimes.Anyways, Dunc went on Edie watch when we got home and that gave me time to finish a dress that's been sitting on my desk for yonks. It's for winter. It's a prototype. I used bibs and bobs from my stash. I had to settle for brown ribbon ... I'd wanted to pick one of the chirpier colours from the fabric...but...I am so happy with it, in a 1970s kinda way.

I think the hat is a bit much with this outfit ... she's a little too little house on the prairie ... what do you think?


But she is still my beautiful girl and any model that is happy to be paid in biscuits, makes this Mumma happy xx




Sunday, January 4, 2009

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year. 2009. Wow. 2009. When I was a kid I thought that by now our chief mode of travel would be intergalactic and fashion space suit inspired... We are already feeling the vibe for new beginnings in our house. Our wonky house. Our abode. We painted. The white room. It's KLF inspired - ah ha ah ha. Sorry. Obscure music references are my passion. There is a need for sunglasses, even at night it's so bright and well ... clean looking. As you can see Dunc carried out the instructions from the foreman to a 'T'.'You have to block that bit up, mate! Oh and by the way, mate's rates?'
'I sit, I sit' She looks so serene in this photo - she must have been taking a quick breather!

Now the room is complete (just some of our art works that need to be removed from the vault and hung - we like to keep our vast collection on rotation!) So today. Lovely Sunday. Sunshiney Sunday. Market Sunday.
Stepping out in the new dress. Beautiful linen teemed with some gorgeous vintage trimming scored at a cute wee recycling depot hidden off the main street in Latrobe - I think it is called the old bottle shop or something a rather - aladdin's cave, my friends. Open Sesame. Explore.
Flower for Mummy relocated from someone else's garden - she is her mother's daughter; her grandmother's granddaughter. The dress actually has three beautiful tucks in the front but it doesn't really show up in this photo. I am going to make a few of these dresses - but this fabric is just for Edie. Her special dress. Anyways ... to market. On the theme of new year's sprucing, I scored this tupperware ... to organise my pantry within an inch of it's life. and I just had to give these little beauties a new home. They looked so lonely on the $1 table....and then there was the 'real reason' we go to the market - we visited the special farmers stalls at the market. There are only a couple - but well worth ferreting them out. The produce was so beautiful I just had to take a snap when we got home.
All seasonal - all sunshiney... Edie has already devoured most of the raspberries but it will be a Sunday chook roast tonight with the new season dutch creams, parsnip, pumpkin and roasted beetroot. Dunc's loves having a fellow meat eater in the house to cook for. Only just now I caught him in a rather compromising position with aforementioned chook...inserting the stuffing I think he called it... I'll throw a lentil burger on for me xx