botas 66

Back to school today for the boys, which means lots of running around: drop offs, racing from the car park (usually risking a 2 hour zone) to work, change shoes, work, change shoes and reverse order.  Racing around with work clothes and sneakers on always makes me feel a bit Melanie Griffiths in Working Girl (but without the hair!).I do love these sneakers though.  I got these botas last year when we were in Prague.  I got two pairs.  These and a white pair.  I would have bought more but it seemed excessive and my suitcase was already full.  Check them out here and here.  

30C Tree Hugger

 P.S my outfit photos for Me Made Me will probably be sans the botas!

Me-Made-May'12

A little while ago, I signed up for 'Me Made May' and now, with only 2 days to go, I've decided to raise the bar a bit by adding in the 'no repeat outfits' to my pledge! Yikes!  31 days wearing at least one item I've made and no repeats!  Just to be clear, I'm not going all out and saying no repeat items... the same top might get a run, but with different bottoms!  So, everyday in May, I will post a photo of me in hand made item and I'll explain a little bit about the outfit too!

moved mat

We still haven't moved any furniture but I did change the direction of the mat. Just that has made a big difference!

glow in the dark skeletons

This fabric is very funny and has cute little skeletons dancing - which glow in the dark. Yes, glow in the dark!  I bought a metre of it last year on a whim (of course!) and have used the fabric for badges, little draw string bags and a hot bag for O (we love a hot bag in our house).  So today, after spending most of the day out - at the gym (yes, still going!) and elsewhere, I made the boys this quick and easy cushion for their playroom and new couch! They love it. I'd like to be able to take a picture of the skeletons glowing in the dark but don't think my camera (or phone camera!) is good enough! 

nani IRO tablecoth

On ANZAC day a very good friend of mine and her two little girls came over for some ANZAC biscuits and lemon tart.  She made the biscuits and Ben made a lemon tart (by his hero Heston Blumenthal. I won't go into details of the cooking of the lemon tart - which turned out to be superbly delicious - but with just a "small" amount of stress by the chef).  Having Sarah over for afternoon tea made me think about how I was going to "dress" the table.  We have a small round table which fits the four of us perfectly, which we can fold out when we have more people over.  Often at night we just use the orange table mats which I bought some time ago and if we unfold the table, then I have a big white tablecloth.  But I didn't have anything to cover the table with for a little afternoon tea.

For the occassion I just folded up the white tablecloth (dodgey), but that night I got to work on a new tablecloth.I have had this nani IRO (Fuwari fuwari) material in the stash for a while and a year or so back I was making lots of things with this heavy stripe and still had a bit of it in the stash.  I made the table cloth square rather than round because it seemed easier.  To finish it off I hand sewed around it in a bright pink.  I had thought I might do some embroidery in the centre as well but Ben said that it would be too busy.  So, Voila, we have a new tablecloth.

new couch bad position

A couple of months ago, we moved O and E into the same room and turned O's old room into a playroom (with big thanks to my sister and her husband who did most of the heavy lifting and came up with all the good ideas).  It's been a great move and the boys have loved it.  We also decided to get a sofa bed for the playroom - which arrived today.  It's good...  It's the right colour, the bed is comfy and the couch is nice and deep.  But.. those red drawers are now definitely in the wrong position!  This photo is what you see as you walk into the room.  I'm itching to get in and move things around but I need to wait until tomorrow to get Ben's help.  Aaaarg.

a quick trip to the fabric shop for some embroidery thread

This afternoon after picking O up from zoocation we snuck by the fabric shop so I could get some more embroidery thread to continue my tablecloth I started in a flash last night.  More on that to come.

So, before I was able to escape with only a minor purchase, I saw this fabric: Monsterz by Michele Brummer-Everett (Adventurez) and couldn't resist.  What a cute pattern, lovely colours - and I particularly love the little pops of orange.


Of course, I also saw this Liberty fabric and had to buy it too.  The fabric is called Kara's Trees and is from the 2011 Summer collection. It is "a design inspired by Quentin Blake's 'L for Legs' illustration for his 'ABC'.
Well, one thing is for sure it isn't exactly winter weight fabric!

facing the zipper head on

Back when the fabulous Polly from polbymade was in Canberra I would often  utilise her skills to help me out of a bind with something I was attempting to make.  I learnt a lot from Polly but the patterns I always chose (and still do!), were from Japanese pattern books and usually shied away from the evil zipper.  Well, in line with my new years resolution to face the zipper head on, I have enrolled in a zipper class in September with the wonderful Nicole Mallalieu from You SEW Girl. Yah!  I will be stacking up zipper projects from now until then.

How cute is this zip-itself coin purse from craft passion

bill

via meetmeatmikes

Thanks to meetmeatmikes for this little piece of wisdom..

and the link to leaf embroidery which I might try later today.

let's swap days

 "Do you want to swap days?" are words that put the fear into me.  My day off, especially in school holidays is pretty precious so when asked by another mum if I want to take her children on my day off, for her to then taken mine on her day.. I reluctantly agree knowing that the kids  probably have a lot of fun on these days.  

So, the day started with the mandatory lego strewn everywhere, loud shouting and cushions being thrown everywhere.   We did sit down and do a bit of painting and mask making.  Big thanks to this site:  http://www.abirdandabean.com/2012/01/cute-owl-craft.html for the owl idea... though the big boys didn't finish theirs as they lathered them in so much 'toxic paint' that they weren't dry enough to finish in time.  

I love how the two littlies chose one big eye and one little eye for their owls.  The gold one is mine with the excess glue!   And E -holding his, the perfect host still in his pj's!

By 2pm when it all got too much - I took them to one of those hideous indoor play centres and we all 'whee'd away the rest of the day going up and down the big slide. 

A wardrobe full

a golden parcel

Today I arrived home to find a fabulous golden parcel on my door, containing the most wonderful 'happy notes' from tokketok.  I can't wait to start writing happy notes to those I know in need of a bit of cheer.  The quality is wonderful - the paper is wonderful thick quality cardboard and the writing is beautiful embossed gold.  Gold!!

sunday sewing

My new years resolution was to start to sew more complicated things - but today was not the day for something complicated, though with the start of Me Made Me 2012 imminent, I perhaps need to branch out past shirts and tops (in Liberty!).. pretty quickly. But not today.

Today, I made a start on a top using the same pattern as my clockwork orange shirt.  Ben said to me, why don't you make something different,  to which I earnestly replied that this will only be the second time I make this shirt AND I made up the collar last time.  But he probably has a point and again I use Liberty!

I used Powell B Tana Lawn from the SS12  Central Saint Martins collection, which I bought at Addicted to Fabric when I went in there for something else a few months ago..  It is from the same collection as the clockwork orange fabric. According to the Liberty website, the "print was designed by Timi Hayek who was inspired by Sylvia in 'La Dolce Vita' who wore a lacy provocative top and behaved in a feline manner."  Perhaps an innocent peter pan collar shirt wasn't the right choice for the fabric! Oh well, I like it.  Though, it isn't quite finished: I still have the sleeves to bind and the bottom to hem...

This is a photo of my little workspace.  Just when I laid the fabric out to cut, O decided that he wanted to look at the lego site on my laptop, E decided he needed to stickytape paper together (hence why the sticky tape is hanging precariously on my desk) and Ben decided that he wanted to play the keyboard which is squished in next to my desk.  All very cosy! So if there are mistakes with the sewing you can see why!

FINISHED! ninja finger puppets-part 2

nutters collection

I went to the gym today! Before O was born I used to run a bit (so that's over 7 years ago) and way before that I used to go to the gym a lot, but it has been ages since I set foot in one.  I did a group bike class with my neighbour and it was comforting to know the classes don't change so much in all that time... same crazy instructors, same burning legs, same booming music.  I did notice that a lot of people wear cleats to the class.  I have a pair gathering dust in the garage which I might take out!   Anyway, I'm feeling very virtuous and now that I have a free week pass - might go again tomorrow - if I can walk!
p.s.  the man on the bike is a little statue that my father gave to me (1993?)  for my birthday when I was doing a lot of riding. On the bottom reads 'nutters collection 1992'.

my new bag/s

Photos courtesy of www.claudiepierlot.com

I saw these bag on the CLAUDIE PIERLOT website this morning.  I absolutely love them!  
I must have some sort of curtain tassle thing going on at the moment as I adore the tassels on the bag on the left (and they are the same tassels on my boots!). 
I am also a big fan of the Pochette en cuir Olympia.  In fact all of the collection by Olympia Le-Tan pour Claudie Pierlot is right up my nautical alley!

autumn

This is the view from my office window... the colours of these leaves have had me mesmerised for days.

ninja finger puppets - part 1

Half made "Oh, Boy! Finger puppet pattern"from Such Designs

The thing that's even better than a long weekend is when it is followed up by a day off!

I have had this pattern for quite a while and have been meaning to make up the ninja finger puppets for the two brothers of the baby who will (eventually) get the little man that arrived yesterday.  So, while there is still a bit of time before the baby is born, I figured today might be the day to embark on the finger puppets. It's school holidays, so O and E and I zipped off to Addicted to Fabric to get some felt before heading off to do other things (including getting new shoes for E and me saying at regular intervals to the two of them - 'keep your hands to yourselves'!).
On the way home I had a worrying thought that I might not have any black thread - in reality a near impossibility, but none the less, once the thought is in your head it won't go away, so we raced back to get some black thread.  On arriving home found, of course, that I do have black thread, but don't have the black embroidery thread for the eyes.  So.. finger puppets half done awaiting little eyes and then the back will be sewn on.  I love this pattern and the fact that the stitching doesn't have to be perfect...because clearly it's not!  Great fun -and I think this all lends itself to other possibilities. 

little man

This little man was on our doorstep when we arrived home today.  I bought him from ouistitine after reading about the shop on kickcan&conkers. I am in love with him and his little woolen shorts, his matching beanie and yellow body.  Yeah for little boy dolls. Unfortunately he is for someone else...oh it's going to be difficult to wrap him up and put him in the post...

long weekend in Sydney

We have just arrived home from a lovely few days in Sydney.  Ben had an appointment at St Vincent's hospital on Friday and then an appointment with the French Consulate on Monday for finger printing for his new passport (must be in Sydney of course - can't be done in Canberra- and of course the passport now needs to go to France so won't be ready for another few weeks - perhaps another long weekend in Sydney to pick up the passport!!?).

So anyway, with those two official appointments book ending our weekend we managed to fit in a lot of fun things, on as many modes of transport as Sydney could provide - including a last minute ride on the monorail while waiting for Ben to have his fingerprinting done.  

On Friday O, E and I had a lovely lunch with my sister, a nice rest in the park opposite the hospital and then a pizza dinner on Friday while Ben had and then recovered from his test.  

On Saturday, I snuck in a quick flit to Surry Hills for shopping with my friend Michelle where I found my new favourite shop, the Standard Store which fantastically stocks one of my favourite designers Sessun.  I bought the cutest leather locket which I haven't taken off since..although am still thinking about a pair of mustard pants and a blue cardigan with pompoms.. which might just be an essential part of my winter wardrobe. That night, we had a fun dinner with friends in the very very delicious but very very dark Spice Temple. 

Bus ride, play with friends, ferry ride, lunch at the Opera House, as many swims in the hotel pool as we could manage and a tired E who fell asleep at dinner on Sunday night (long live the bench seat in a restaurant) -topped of a top notch weekend.  

obsessive planner - in colour

NoticeLife planner in my office

chocolate olive

Delfonics pens - best pens ever! Bought from
(and photo credit) notemaker.com.au

I met up today with an old work friend who I have't seen for a very long time at a great cafe called the Chocolate Olive.  

It was so lovely to see her and  catch up on news of old friends, compare notes on balancing life and work and the expectations we put ourselves. 

what I liked about today..

A couple of weeks ago I saw these speech bubble white boards at 'smiggle' and decided to get one each for  O and E.  I made them both draw a picture of themselves and then we stuck the whiteboard above it on the big wall in the playroom.  The plan (!) was to have them each day put something up that they enjoyed during the day.  We must get back to it as I have let it slip..!  These are ones I captured from O: "I like mathematics" (with a Christmas theme!) and "I like playing at school" (with a number of Ninjago characters joining in!)

the hunt

happy easter

Later this morning we are having an Easter egg hunt with our neighbours, so yesterday we decided to make some rabbit easter egg collecting bags.  O has made his rabbit with holes in his teeth because he doesn't brush them and E decided his rabbit needed long long teeth.  I wonder how long those pom poms will stay on!

paper dragons

E has taken to scrunching up paper and making little puppets out of them (their mouths anyway)- usually dragons, snapping and breathing fire!  Every one of them  receives a name: Shoo Shi, Goo Goo, Ca Ca (!?) ...and some of them even get a coloured red tongue!

FINISHED! A clockwork orange

Good Friday sewing! A quick top made from Liberty of London Picardie from the SS12 Central Saint Martins collection. This print was designed by Phil Kim and inspired by the film ,‘A Clockwork Orange.’ Kim describes the design as an “hallucination of unexpected combinations”. This is one of five designs selected from an annual collaboration with the BA Fashion/Textiles course at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.I love this fabric and Mum (after a gentle push in it's direction) gave it to me for Christmas 2011 from Addicted to Fabric a2f.com.au.  I used the pattern from my Nani Iro book and this time, made up a collar for it. I love the kimono sleeves they are so easy. I'm happy with it.  It's loose but comes in at the bottom.....  And here I am wearing it with my new Scervino Street jeans bought from theoutnet. Not sure these jeans - or this top for that matter - are the most flattering things I own - but they are both very comfortable and I do love the look of the jeans with my boots.