thinking back just a few short months
it's quite astonishing that we were enjoying this and now we are reluctant to leave our air conditioned comfort. i think i will have to find some quiet indoorsy crafty stuff to do and try not to venture out into the heat. stay cool and have a good day
not part of the fabric stash but i did see some beautiful buttons on the stash page posted by rabbit and the duck and i thought a button stash might make a nice change.
this is a special stash because it holds beautiful memories of a time and a childhood past.
as a wee lassie i spent many school holidays with a childless great aunt Dolly and great uncle Alex. aunty dolly had worked in a button factory post WW2 and had a delicious collection stashed in her garage. when she died two years ago at the age of 92 my sisters and i shared this collection and it's amazing that they have the power to transport you to a time and a place long ago.
this photo was taken on their wedding day about 60 years ago. my great uncle still lives independently in their home. he is 94
i have decided to play again this weekend. the super duper topic chosen by this weeks theme queen-my bricole is my secret weapon.
i pondered this topic for a wee while and then narrowed my arsenal down to three. at the risk of being labelled a blog hog i decided to share all three.
the first of three is my ingenious secret weapon designed to tame unruly children. it goes like this ::
on our kitchen bench top we have two jars. one is mine and it is filled with shiny treasures, the second is the childrens' jar and it starts off empty. each time one of the kids is generous, thoughtful or kind they get a treasure. each time they commit a heinous offence i reclaim a treasure (plonk-into my jar) then when their jar is full and mine empty they get a treat. usually a family activity chosen by them.
p.s. i lose treasures too. my crimes are yelling swearing and drinking too many of the next weapon
which leads me to weapon number two. shown below in a photo recycled from an earlier post
my freezer is always stocked with this weapon. i bring it out on particularly stressful days, usually around the time i am preparing dinner, supervising homework, folding washing etc. you know the drill. i fondly refer to it as suicide hour. i thought you might like the recipe ::
1 cup of chilled sugar syrup
the juice of 6 limes
2 cups of cranberry
2 cups of vodka
mix, cover, freeze. keep in the freezer and just pour yourself a tumbler as required. but never before midday and always drink responsibly. cheers big ears.
the third weapon really looks like a weapon. it is however a little hooky thing that i have had in my crafty stuff for years. it is indispensable for jobs like turning sewing in the right way and threading elastic or chord.
well that's it from this little crafting, tipsy, disciplinarian. there is a list of armed and not very dangerous at meet me at mikes
ok, where did monday and tuesday get to? shouldn't today be tuesday?
this short week ( that i need to be a long week ) i have ::
finished the dolls that appeared in dismembered pieces on last weeks post ::
and then ::
i started a new project. i am planning to make these into little over the shoulder bags designed for children to use as collecting satchels. my mr.8 comes home from walks on the beach or to the park with all manner of precious collectables stuffed into his pockets. i thought an easily carried bag with a narrow top opening might prevent my handbag from being stuffed with sandy shells and sticks or better yet might save the washing machine from choking on another pinecone. when i finish these to they are going to be gifted to a very nice mummy for her two boys.
check on what the other starters have been up to at kootoyoo
i came across this fun meme while visiting the lovely gina at clutterpunk
the leader of the game is jeneveve from august street
it is a game where fellow bloggers contribute a roundup of what they have been doing and post on the 29th of each month.
needless to say i got onto this a little late for october but in the absence of a more inspiring idea for a blog post i decided to jump onboard today and would love to come back on the 29th of november. so here goes::
making;; cookies for the cookie jar with the help of mr 8 who seems to eat them as quickly as we bake them.
sewing:: a princess dress for a 5 yo belle to wear to the ball.
enjoying:: time spent in the garden. spring in melbourne seems to be the perfect time to work in the garden, when it is not too hot and the place hasn't yet fried to a crisp in the summer sun.
trying:: to keep up a decent exercise regimen by going to the gym twice a week, playing tennis on wednesday and running on three other days. not always managing to fulfill the commitment but trying.
reading:: breath by tim winton. our book club book for the month. sadly i have only managed two out of ten books this year but a girl has to sleep sometime!
watching:: julie & julia at the movies with my eldest daughter and enjoying it so much that my cheeks ached from smiling. i adored it because i thought the over the top julia child as played by merryl streep was hilarious and amazing and i loved the foodie adventure that it was and i adored the whole bloogging aspect. great.
to see more of what other j.a.m ers have posted head over to august street and check out the list
my two youngest children were very keen to go trick or treating this year. given that it is not traditionally an australian practice we have a little discomfort around approaching local households and catching them unprepared or unwilling to indulge the kids.
our solution was to send out an invitation to our neighbors asking them if they were willing to have us knock on their doors or come out trick or treating with us. we enclosed a halloween balloon in the invitation and asked people to hang the balloon on their gate as a signal to let us know that it was ok to call.
the result was that a group of eleven local kids and their mums had a fun time marauding the neighborhood in various forms of scary attire
happy halloween
not precious, unusual, rare or expensive but brilliant for revesible baby shoes because ::
::and::
very, very cute i think
see the sunday stash collection at 1/4 of an inch
more often than not of late i choose a migratory approach in my creative life. i have very nice digs of my own but somehow i always manage to move back towards the hub of our home, the kitchen and family room.
the reasons are obvious -
:: the company of family and friends
:: the warmth in winter and the cooling in summer
:: the proximity to the fridge, kettle and cookie jar
:: the lovely feeling that these rooms have
:: the view of our garden
:: the big screen
and so, there you have it. you can spy many more hq's by following the rapidly growing list here
this fun saturday meme is the brainchild of pip
we don't seem to say that too often in Melbourne these days. but today really has been a lovely rainy day
the garden is loving it::
i love it from my cosy spot with the machine parked in front of the big screen and the view of the garden::
the washing does not love it but i don't mind because i love my victorian ceiling hoist drying rack thingy::
ps i do not love tissues in the wash
i'm heading into the festive season early. my creative space has been all about christmas preperation this week:
:: there were 7 pairs of shoes out marching
:: 6 little dolls in pieces
:: 5 paper bags i folded
:: 4 sock friends completed
:: 3 twirly skirts i started
:: 2 vodka cranberries i needed
:: and a scarf for a sock monkey
sorry, i couldn't resist
more creative spaces at kirsty's place
