likechalkandcheese

Crafty Bits and Bobs: More Felt pages - well one more!

2008-10-28T02:26:00.000-07:00

Crafty Bits and Bobs: More Felt pages - well one more!

Just do it!!!

2008-10-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

A cool 60's curtain made great cushions for my friends new house.I have a half finished quilt, half stuffed softie and girls skirt waiting in the wings. Let em' wait I say! I am so determined to make clothes, however keep getting distracted with birthdays, gifts for friends of friends and alterations (for the next door neighbour, for example). Not that I begrudge doing those things...I remember saying to my friends three years ago now that I wanted to make all my clothes. Three years later I have finally cut a pattern out for a grown-up's top. Not kiddies, not cushions or softies... No more distractions! It's time to just do it!!

Terrific T- shirts!

2008-10-04T02:42:00.000-07:00

Regarding those t-shirts I made last weekend...
I backed each number with some iron on interfacing (even though it didn't seem to stick). I used quite a stiff cotton for the number two and a thinner cotton for the number four. The two was easier to sew.I made one a few years ago for a friend with fur fabric. I found this was actually easier to sew. Maybe because the fur allowed me to do a messier job!!
I've had trouble loading the photo's so here is a photo of my pooches to keep you happy.

It's been a while...

2008-09-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

Back into crafting again and have purchased a new camera.I have (as always) a million projects on the go. Here are just a few of them. I gave the doll to my little cousin. Pretty soon I am going to get back into making adult clothing. It's so easy to get stuck in making bits and pieces, especially when there are so many little people around to make things for!! This morning I have appliqued some numbers on to t-shirts for my son's little friends birthdays. They are two brothers of the ages of four and two. I'm a bit rusty at it. The fabric used on the bag was from an original roll of 60's material that I purchased in a small, cluttered antique shop in Windsor. Best of all, it was only $5!!

It's been a while....

2008-05-03T04:52:00.000-07:00

Oooooh, I love this time of the year. It's so inspiring and of course I love the Autumn colours. I have just planted some flowering gum trees around my property and have some onion and silverbeet seeds propagating in trays on top of the piano in the sunroom.I went to a jumble sale today but resisted buying too much crap as I have made a pact to chuck stuff so I have room for my new creations. I have made one doll and cut out another. I have also cut out a number of fabric squares. This has been the case for two months. I progress very slowly. When I work most of the week, I tend to procrastinate and say;
"I'll sew once this is all tidied up." Then it's too late and I'm too tired. I always seem to look for distractions. I guess I just need to get into 'plodding along' mode again.

Not complete yet!

2008-03-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

I am slow!!! My doll is half complete. I'm quite happy how she looks so far. I have stuffed her arms and legs and sewed her body bits together. I just have to hand sew on the eyes. My last week of school next week. I cannot wait to have some time out to get crafty!!!

I've started something!

2008-03-04T01:22:00.000-08:00

I have started making this 'ruby doll' pattern from: . Please tell me someone if you can't see this link!! I am hopelessly slow at putting things together at the moment. My energies are scattered everywhere! I aim to have her completed by this weekend. I shall keep you posted.

There was a 50 cent sale at the opp shop on Monday (my day off). I went bananas! I got a whole box of patchwork sized bits for 3 dollars! Ha! I do worry a little sometimes at my adrenallin levels when I come across a good opp shop sale! I am an opp shop/ garage sale addict!!

New housey bits

2008-02-24T01:47:00.000-08:00

I got the idea to paint my cupboard with chalkboard paint from REALLIVING Magazine. Of course, my son doesn't seem to be very interested, but I use it all the time for lists,lists and more lists!!! The table, I bought for $100 dollars from an antique shop in the hills. It's great for having breakkie on, or just for dumping stuff somewhere when it's on it's way somewhere else. The beauty of it is that it doesn't take up alot of room and is asthectically very pleasing.The mirror came from my Nan's house. I am finally starting to get organised.

Blackberries- one of my favourite things about summer....

2008-02-16T02:24:00.000-08:00

I love blackberries. They are growing in abundance at the moment, up the lane and down the lane. There aren't many juicy ones available though. It seems everyone else has the same idea...

Let the tags begin!!!

2008-02-09T01:25:00.000-08:00

This tag game is good stuff. Thanks .

Tag Rules
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

SEVEN FACTS.....
1. I have decide my favourite NO 1. cheap biscuit of the month award has to go to : Chocolate coated Scotch Fingers. Lovely with a cup of milky Earl Grey tea.

2. I'm not great at putting random or wierd facts about myself out there in any kind of sequential order.

3. I'm not a great coffee drinker. I love it but a little goes a long way and can keep me up half the night.

4. I, like many others suffer from O.R.A.O.M disorder. This is a direct result of starting one project and then starting another without finishing the first and so on.This acronym stands for: Occasional Random Acts Of Mess Disorder. Hey, gotta love those labels!!

5. I CANNOT STAND the way our society has a label for everthing!!! SAD,ADHD,BIPOLAR,ODD,ETCETCETC......It is so convenient these days just to go to the doctor and pop a pill and not actually deal with the problem that has caused the stress/depression in the first place.It especially saddens me when parents who may be going through a bad patch and their child is depressed, rush their child offf to the doctor to have them 'cured'. Anyway, I know there are SOME serious illnesses out there, but really, we have a responsibility to these children, not to turn them into craving drug addicted lunatics by the time they are adults.

6. I love chocolate. Especially Lindt balls and and dark chocolate with almonds or the like.

7. I have had two major career changes and lots of little mini random jobs in between.

ahhhhhhh....that wasn't so bad!

It's raining it's pouring!!!

2008-02-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

How beautiful is this rain? I'm a little confused though, isn't it supposed to be summer? I'm a little sad because I feel that my crafty spark has been completely zapped out of me. The 'work thing' has killed it. How can I reignite that spark again? I didn't make the Etsy meet over the weekend either.

Moving House....

2008-01-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, I totally concur with anna that moving house is a pain in the arse! I'm moving this weekend and have been in total denial that this weekend is approaching....fast! I have a few boxes here and there and have disposed of lots of stuff! The opp shops have been heaving at the seams!! However, change is always good; that's what life is all about; adapting to new and exciting situations. I've decided that I love semi colons, you may have noticed. I do tend to use them inappropriately at times, I must admit. Sorry about that. I start back at work next week. Usually, one would equate more work=less craft. However, I am hoping I will be even more inspired in my spare time. I haven't been as productive as I would have liked these holidays; but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I guess I'm going to take a step back this year and not place any unrealistic expectations on myself. False expectations lead to dissapointment. I plan on making a softie. I've sort of avoided it for a while, making clothes and other one dimensional items. I've never made one in my life. I did make a few bits and bobs of the kind in my youth; but not today's version of a wizz bang softie. And YOU people out there are so inspiring! I can't wait to get my new sewing room up and running. It's a sun-room with glass all around, so lot's of natural light will surround me while I work!

Doggie Bones!

2008-01-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

HA! Finally, got to borrow a camera, thanks mum. As a blogger, life without a camera can be a little disheartening. Our camera has simply dissapeared! I am convinced that our house ate it. Either that, or our son accidently threw it in a box, which then may have been carted to the opp shop. Oh well.... Anyway, I have a myriad of projects and ideas but simply dont know where to start! I have however, managed to bash out a few doggie bones. I first made one of these for Rudi our retriever about 3 years ago. I make them out of old corduroy trousers. He still has the original one floating about my parents garden somewhere. They will take a bit of 'mild' chewing. However, they are mainly for dogs who simply like to carry stuff about!!

'Anything Goes' pancakes

2008-01-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

Many moons ago, I worked in a childcare centre as the cookie. I produced a wee cookbook for the centre for parents to take home. This is one of my favourite recipies. The sauce part was purely my invention. In Japan, I used to buy 'okonomiyaki sauce'. God knows what's in it though.I used to go to this great Okonimiyaki place in a little town called Zeze, Japan in Shiga Prefecture. The guy/owner was an ex olympic swimmer(apparently) and smoked like a chimney whilst cooking our mouth watering pancakes before our hungry little eyes....Yummm. Personally, I haven't cooked these for a while. I also think it was one of the few recipies in my book that I didn't try out on the kiddies. So, let me know if your kiddies (or friends) enjoy these as much as I do! I will endevour to cook these this week!!

My camera is still missing. It has been swallowed up, devoured and digested by my house. Naughty house!!

Vegetable Pancakes

2008-01-15T04:02:00.000-08:00

OKONOMIYAKI- JAPANESE STYLE VEGETABLE PANCAKES

These are so much fun! “Okonomi” in Japanese means “anything”. Therefore, you can use whatever vegetables you like, although cabbage is a definite good base. It is beneficial to have the vegetables cut as thinly as possible so that they work in nicely with the batter. If you are making a whole batch, you can keep them hot in the oven until they are all cooked. Also, if you don’t want to use milk in the batter, just use water.

Makes 10 small pancakes

The vegetables: The batter

½ a cup of bok choy leaves thinly sliced 1 cup of milk

½ a cup of cabbage leaves thinly sliced 1 cup of SR flour

½ a medium sized onion “ ” 1 egg

½ a cup of grated carrot salt and pepper

A handful of chopped parsley

1 tsp of chopped ginger

The Sauce Mayonnaise

¼ cup of soy sauce

¼ cup of honey

1 tsp of sugar

Cut up all the veggies and set them aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a small heavy based pot, get the sauce on the stove, bring to the boil and reduce, be careful that it doesn’t burn!

Make the batter:

Pour flour into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the egg and the milk bit by bit, slowly pulling the flour toward the centre of the bowl whilst continually whisking until a smooth and lump free mixture is formed.

Fold the vegetables through the batter until it is all mixed in. Heat oil to a medium heat and maintain at this temperature. Drop heaped tablespoons of the mix into the pan, flatten a bit if necessary.

Fry on each side till golden brown and cooked in the centre.

Spread on a thin layer of mayonnaise and drizzle over sweet sauce. Enjoy!

Flashback- My OLD wares

2008-01-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well, considering my camera has been (hopefully temporarily) misplaced, I am unable to show my latest creations! However, I thought I'd include some of the stuff I was doing a few years back when I went through my cushion and bag craze.
I had been given a whole heap of tulip upholstery material and decided to embark upon the 'tulip collection'. Three of my friends still have this some of this collection on their couches!
I did the cushions until my son came along and then it was study,study,study for a couple of years.
Then came the 'tree bags' when he hit about 18th months. I made four of these. The fabric was found in a Warburton opp-shop. I particualrly liked this as it was Australian made. I try to by Aussie made where possible and at least 90% of the stuff I use is recycled or re-claimed in some way.
It's great to be apart of this blogging world and being constantly inspired by all the amazing craft out there. There are so many creative people doing their bit for making stuff with love and good intentions.

Pics from Mt Buffalo

2008-01-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

A busy break...

2008-01-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was spent at my house this year for the first time ever. My mother kindly untied the apron strings this year. The free range turkey and ham was enjoyed immensley along with mum's icecream christmas pudding (the most beautiful tasting concoction ever!). My dad scared us all at the dinner table momentarily( we thought he was having a heart attack!) He tucked into his turkey just a bit too quickly! Our friends came down from Sydney for the next five days and we enjoyed showing them and their little boy around the hills and alot of bumming around to match! The next five days were spent in Mt buffalo, camping and swimming in the river. More details soon...

Flashback Friday

2007-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

Rewind......My bedroom 1985!
Check this out! 'Clutter Free' was far from the agenda in these days. Note artifacts of interest:
Brian Mannix poster, garfield postcard, cabbabge patch doll (Zacharay) macrame wall hanging, little paper parasols from large eateries such as 'Dennys', china doll, old style camera, clip on koala....

Owen's pirate party!

2007-12-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

My son had his big '03' party yesterday. There were party pies and cheezles all round, while the kiddies played pass the parcel, pin the bones on the pirate ship flag and a good old fashioned hunt for treasure. I don't advise doing BLACK buttercream icing though, one of the kids thought it might be licorice. It's also a bit messy; but hey, it's how it looks that counts. In typical, high strung pre-party fashion, I finished the cake 5 minutes before everyone arrived! I made Owen a little t-shirt out of a ladies stripey top. I couldn't convince him to wear his pirate hat though!

Cut and Paste in great haste!

2007-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

My boy did this this morning. This big piece of silver card is one of a pile of old smoked salmon boards I saved from my days in the kitchen several years ago. How's that for recycling!! This is hanging quite proudly in the hallway entrance.

Christmas Cheer!

2007-12-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

This advent calendar came over from England. It came from my boy's Nan, I think it has been made in Germany. Anyway, I love the idea of an advent calendar you can use over and over again. To be honest, as you might be able to see, we haven't been regular with our days. The bags are big enough to put in generous sized treats. So far he has had a feather, money, stickers, the odd lolly and a rather large marble.

A hot day at the market...

2007-12-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

My very first day with my newly made childrens clothes (made by yours truly and my mum). Arrived all ready for action. Unfortunately, there wasn't much action in the spot I was in. A few people poked and prodded. The sun was sooooo hot, and it seemed that I was in the only spot with NO SHADE whatsoever. I ended up packing up everything by 11am (the market was due to finish at 1pm). The good thing,however, is that I had no expectations of how the day would pan out. I spent the next two hours wandering around and chatting to some wonderful people.

PS. Note to self- need umbrella

Is anyone out there?

2007-11-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get the feeling that NOT ONE PERSON has read my blog. Anyway, it's been a hot hills weekend and I have enjoyed going to bed late and waking early. This is a great time of year for me energy wise. Thinking about getting some chickens. I have wanted to get some for quite a while. I don't know why I have been hesitant for so long and haven't just taken the plunge. It has to happen. Watch this space... If there is anyone out there, please comment!

Sewing Frenzy...

2007-11-11T01:32:00.000-08:00

I made the coolest dress yesterday(photo soon). It is a size 8 girls dress I copied from a cute dress I bought at an opp shop. It was really easy peasy. It has no facing. I simply ironed and sewed round a hem because the material is really heavy anyway.
I tried it on my friends daughter yesterday who is 8 and it fits perfectly! Although, it is kind of more like a dress over pants or a skirt as it's a little bit short. I I bought 3 paisley curtains from an opp shop at about 2 bucks each. I will make pants, skirts and dresses!
I have also been propagating tomato seeds which are ready to transplant. My son loves eating the lettuce which is VERY exciting!

Last years seeds...

2007-10-28T02:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the lettuces I propagated from last years seeds. They grow beautifully in heavily composted soil in these old asparagus boxes. Beautiful!

Oct 27- Spud Stamps

2007-10-28T02:34:00.000-07:00

I'd almost forgotten about good old spud stamps! I was about to compost my old potatoes when I thought about these. Luckily with a quick manoeuvre of the knife I managed to carve some simple designs for my eager boy. It adds a whole new dimension to the painting experience. You just need a very sharp knife!

Great Grandma's chest

2007-10-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

The latest of many projects is the complete makeover of my Great grandma's rusty tin chest. This apparently came over (with her) from America to Australia in the late 1800's. This poor forgotten relic was stored under my parents house for at least thirty years doing nothing. That is, until I came along! As I get older, I seem to appreciate these family artifacts more and more. Each year, my Nana will pass something on to my mum, who in turn will pass it to me. Anyway, here is a picture of the chest. As you can see the initials are still in full view.

Here I am

2007-09-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Firstly, I'd like to formally welcome myself to the wide world of blogging.
"Hi there...".
Ok, that's done.
Second, I'd like to tell you a liitle about what I hope to achieve with this space:

1. A forum to celebrate the best and worst of everyday living. Pretty simple really.
2.To share my views on collecting and resurrecting little treasures (and sometimes big ones).
3. A mish mash of bits and pieces on sustainable living, being thrifty (just like Nana) and creations of the fabric and food kind.
4. Relaxation. Don't we all need more! I'm planning to do as much relaxing as possible without feeling guilt ridden!
5. Thoughtful Contemplation. Ok, now I'm just sounding repetitive...

Anyway, I think that's about as much as I'd like to reveal for the moment!