I'm a very lucky lady ...

I've been very lucky recently so thought I would share with you.

Last week I was lucky enough to win this giveaway on Craftykin - my first ever blog giveaway so I was very excited to hear the news and can't wait to receive the brooch!

Then I found a surprise package in the post box:



A box of crochet patterns and wonderful written letter from the lovely Julie over at Dreaming of Daisies. Not expected, total surprise and I absolutely love it! Many, many thanks. x

The garage sales have not been very forthcoming recently, in fact there haven't actually been many in our little town. So on Saturday when I saw 5 advertised I was quite excited. I trawled around 4 in the cold, early morning and wondered what on earth I was doing - should I go to the last or not? Of course I should and thank goodness. I got a wooden blackboard/whiteboard easel which I am going to repaint and give to Maia for her birthday (hence no pics!) and some lovely linen.


Two aprons - the one on the left is actually quite marked on the white fabric but I will re-use the the floral applique and ties on another one.

And if you saw this post you'll know I've taken rather a liking to linen teatowels so was very pleased to find this little lot!


The one with 1967 was in brand new condition, you can just imagine someone being given it for Christmas and then not wanting to use it, to keep it for best! So in 2009 it is finally going to be used for its intended purpose.

A very cheesy colourful one. "It starts when you sink in his arms and ends with your arms in the sink"! And my favourite:

"Oxford Street Illuminations" - when we were younger my Mum and Dad used to take us down to London before Christmast and I used to think the lights were amazing so I just love, love, love this one! x

A granola recipe

Back here I made some granola and finally I've got the recipe up! As far as it is a recipe - I must have orginally had one to follow but that's been lost in one of the many moves. It's a very 'fluid' recipe - by that I mean you can really use what you like and what you have in the cupboards. I know that's not much help to those who like to follow a recipe but it'll give you an idea.

For this particular batch I used:

1 cup of rolled oats

dessicated coconut - a little shaken over the oats

slivered almonds

chopped apricots - what was left in the packet

sultanas

Mix these all together in a bowl

a knob of butter - about 20g

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

2 tbsp honey

Gently heat these ingredients until combined

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix

Spread on baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 at 160 degrees

The basic ingredients are oats and then build from around there. Alternative dry ingredients are:

sunflower seeds

pumpkin seeds

sesame seeds

walnuts

pecans

macadamia

For the wet ingredients you can use the following:

instead of butter I have used cold pressed veg or nut oil - hazlenut and wlanut oil are particularly nice and grape seed oil works well too - the finished granola has a slightly different texture but if you're worried about saturated animal fat it's a good alternative

sugar - you can use as little or as much as you like, I think you do need some but the choice is up to you

the honey can be replaced by maple syrup which works really well and I guess you could use golden syrup but I've never tried this

When I've tried to write down what I put in and the measurements it always turns out that the batch is OK but not one I'd want to repeat! And when I've tried to make double the measurements, because it really doesn't last that long, it's not been that nice either!

If anyone has any other ideas for ingredients or methods then I've love to hear them because I love making this - it's a sweet tasty treat that's easy to make and not 'bad' for you - what more can you ask?!

Curtains, curtains and a little something else

So these are what I spent all day yesterday making and they kept us nice and cosy last night.

After much messing around with this material here I decided that I would just have to go out and buy some curtain material. I have been looking for second hand curtains or suitable material since February and it's just not turning up! So I went to Spotlight, they had 20% off everything last week, and I bought the fabric for the lounge and our bedroom. It's not really what I wanted but then I figured that sometimes you have to compromise on your principles, and if that compromise is going to keep you warm and keep you sane then it must be worth it right?!

Craig was working on his parents' new house today and his Mum said that she'd have the girls so I have had a whole day to myself (they left at 7am and they're not back yet - 6.30pm!). I decamped to the kitchen and set about making curtains for our bedroom.

There's 1 large window and 2 small, high windows so I concentrated on the small ones today. American Idiot by Green Day got me through the cutting and side hems. The Offspring/Ixnay on the Hombre took me to fully hemmed and ready to have the pleats in.

The music then went off whilst I concentrated on getting the pleats right. One of they things I dislike about making curtains is the amount of pinning required so I was very pleased today that I didn't use one pin until this stage!

Once the pleats are sewn they are stuffed and then pin hooks put in. Ta da!!! Two pairs of finshed curtains - by 12.15pm. How much can you get done when you don't have two hinderers, sorry helpers, with you?!!!!

Sorry no pics of them up and in place but there's no curtain poles up yet. I could have put them up but Craig had all the tools with him so that's a nice job for him tomorrow!!!

And now for something completely different! The idea is from Creative Family by Amanda Soule and I love how it's turned out. Maia drew straight onto the fabric and then I stitched around it. I think it will become a small pillow for Maia's bed. Lots more of these planned - just got to get Maia drawing.

I've done it ...

It's cold, wet and windy outside but I don't care because we have curtains in the lounge!!! After a long day making them I am looking forward to sitting down with the fire going, some Whittakers chocolate and Grey's Anatomy. Some photos tomorrow. x

A couple of sneaky peeks!

Some linen found this morning at a local garage sale

Something that's been in my head for a long time and may almost be at fruition!

Crocheted winter warmers

Obviously Cassia wasn't really in the mood to model - you're supposed to be looking at her feet not her bum!



Here's a slightly better shot:


Though why I made them in grey and blue - I don't know! Maia then wanted a pair so I made some in much more respectable girly colours of purple and pink, and she was a much more willing model!




I guess this is why I will always favour crochet over knitting - because I know what I'm doing! I can alter patterns, I can size patterns up and down, I can even make up my own patterns and when something goes wrong I know how to put it right. I know I could learn to do all this with knitting but right now it seems a step too far.

And finally, some winter warmers for Cassia.

We have one child scarf in the house and it gets argued over almost daily so I thought it was high time to make Cassia her own. However Cassia has (how shall I put it nicely?) a bloody clumsy streak so I thought a neck warmer as opposed to a full length scarf would suit her better. A quick and easy double crochet neck warmer with a button hole and wooden button from my stash. But it was just calling out for a companion so a matching hat was called for!

And just so that you can see the set properly:

Hope you are all having a great weekend. x

I don't know what IT's called ....

but I know I definitely have IT!

IT starts at the op shop or garage sale. I see some fabric - vintage, pretty, curtain, remnant, kitchen or bedlinen). I get it off the shelf, I look at it, I feel it and, more often than not, I smell it too! I begin to imagine what I will do with it. And, at that moment in time, I do truly believe that I WILL do something with it. It usually comes with a pretty low price tag and I walk out very happy with my latest fabric purchase.

The fabric then gets washed, dried, ironed and into my sewing room (sometimes that can happen the same day whilst at others it takes much longer!).

And this is when IT happens. I didn't own the fabric until that day; it didn't cost me much; for goodness sake someone else has thrown it out so it's not really that precious. But it becomes precious to me, very precious. In fact so precious that quite often I don't want to cut into it!

What happens if I cut into it and my idea/pattern doesn't work? What if I make something with the fabric and then realise that it would have been much better for another project? What if, what if, what if?

I'm drowning in fabric (well that's a bit of poetic licence) and yet can't cut into it.

Does anyone know what this is called? And, more importantly, does anyone know how to solve IT?!!!!!