the young chef.....

Happy Birthday Busy! Looks like she had a great handmade 3rd birthday!  Her Mum and Dad have survived and all is good.  

Check out her Mum's (my sister) blog on what a great handmade day it was as well as her fantastic softies and baby rattles!

for the birthday girl....

I don't think it matters how old you are, you always love getting parcels in the mail. Whether it is new fabric, a gift from a loved one or a purchase from etsy or madeit it always puts a smile on your face as you open the parcel. 
With my niece's birthday soon, I wanted something special to pack-up and send off! She is turning 3! I have bought her a few birthday treats but I thought I would also make her something special - just for her, a one of a kind! And here it is!
An apron with a fabulous pocket to put all her treasures in and a matching chef's hat.

As my sister and her family lives quite some distance from us, and I didn't want to ask for measurements, I have made the apron and hat so she can grow into it (velcro and elastic are a wonder) and also have some independence as there are no ties, she can get dressed herself.
Hopefully there will be some happy birthday snaps sent through that I can share and you can see her dressed in her new outfit!

home grown

Mr and I have been marvelling at the success we are having with our latest vegie patch. We have been in the blue mountains for over 6 years and this is the first year that we have actually been able to eat the fruits of our labour. Spinach, carrots, parsley, coriander, basil, potatoes and tomatoes. Usually the frost gets the plants or the dogs dig through the garden. But this year we put some real effort in to make sure the plants all had a real good chance of survival!
Mr, being one to share our success was down the street talking to somebody telling them how the vegie patch is going. They were an avid gardener too but also knew of a gentleman who has his own vegie patch in his front garden and what he can't eat he puts in a box out the front of his house and with a sign that invites you to  help yourself.
Mr came home with a few surprises, a yellow squash and a green and yellow zucchini (which he couldn't wait to cook up - check out the photo he had chopped the zucchini before I got a happy snap!). He couldn't believe how big they were.

the squash and the chopped zucchini

Now Mr is carrying around one of his basil plants (it's legendary - survives in the blue mountains with frost!) when he goes to work, in case he passes by again and sees the guy to say thank you for his generousity and obviously find out how he got his squash so big!

A New Year reSEWlution

New Year's Resolutions - eat healthy, exercise more, make time to do crafty things, eat less chocolate........

I've learnt a thing or two over the years and one of them is that I am no good at making or keeping new year's resolutions. 

So instead I have found a project to get my teeth into. A Quilt for Charity. Its a Quilt Block Drive for 65 Roses Day to raise awareness of Cystic Fibrosis. Kathreen is looking for people to make blocks, which will be made into a quilt comprising of 65 blocks and then auctioned at the CF Australia annual gala event in Canberra later this year.  

In the craft world, I have avoided the lure to make a quilt. I know I already have too many projects on the go and know that my house could not withstand more bits and pieces if I were to get addicted to quilting, so I thought getting involved with this and supporting a great cause would be a way to starve off the quilt urge.

So now off to hunt out some wicked fabric and get my rose design sorted. Check out this fantastic project or join in.