RED LIZZI

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T15:55:00.000+11:00

With Christmas already upon us, I will be having a break from the blogging world.

I hope you and your family a wonderful christmas and a fantastic new year.

Have a safe and happy holiday and I will be back in 2011.

xx

sunday shopping

2010-12-17T10:34:00.001+11:00

Red Lizzi will be at Marlston Waterfront Markets, Bunbury this Sunday 19th December from 9am - 1pm. This will be our first market stall in Bunbury so if you are in the area, come down and say hello and pick up some great presents for family and friends.

from here

Hope to see you there xx

back on my bike...

2010-12-14T15:43:00.004+11:00

After recovering from lack of faith in humankind from the near bike stealing experience, Santa has arrived early and I am now back on my very inexpensive, back pedal brakes, lack of gears, no suspension, loud ringing bell, blue bike.

It is a definite shock to the system with no suspension but the hardest thing is dealing with the single speed factor. I tell myself it is a way to get fitter faster.

Does riding my bike to my day job through the week balance out all the upcoming festive season feastings?

time to vent...

2010-11-30T23:06:00.002+11:00

START VENTING HERE...
When I woke up this morning, packed my bags for my day job and got on my pushie for my commute to work, little was I to know how the day would end for me.
At about 4pm this afternoon there was an email sent round to the whole office building stating that someone had just tried to steal a certain bike from the bike rack which is right outside the staff entry to the building I work in.
As soon as I read the first few words of the email I knew it was going to be mine.
And of course it was!
As I got out of my seat and raced downstairs a few fellow cyclists were heading down as well to make sure that their bikes weren't damaged or taken.
What I found was this.

My bike chain/lock chopped by bolt cutters and they got a fair way through the heavy duty bike lock that I only bought 2 weeks ago.
Now I have many names for these two people that have done this and who potentially could now have my bike, but for this purpose I will be a calm and controlled adult and refer to them as Rotten Scoundrels (RS's).
If these RS's hadn't been disturbed by someone leaving the building while they were in the middle of this hacking they probably would have got away with the crime and I would be bikeless.
What cranks me more than anything is not that I could have had my bike stolen, but that I am going to have to drive to work (public transport is basically non-existent) until I save enough money up for a cheap "commuter" pushie so I won't be so out of pocket if the RS's manage to try and steal my bike and get away with it. I am not going to let these RS's get me back into bad habits - I am determined to get back on the bike and ride to work once again!
It's now in the hands of the police and the CCTV footage around the area which will hopefully help pin those RS's down.

... VENTING FINISHED

My Creative Space...

2010-11-26T00:21:00.002+11:00

For the last six months, since we moved over from the east, I have been reluctant to get out the big guns (DSLR). The trusty point and shoot camera has been serving me well on our travels. It is quick to grab when a memorable moment appears right in front of you, small and compact and does capture a pretty good image. It is also showing the signs of heavy use with sratches all over it from all the adventures it has been on with us.

But with some overcast days and a not so tidy yard to shoot in I have been forced indoors to find little nooks in the house to shoot my wares and needed the control of the big guns. And I am quite happy with the results.

I also love this fabric in two of my favourite colours - green and orange - They are journal and address books' handmade reusable covers (soon in my etsy store). The journal even has a space to hold your pen so you can get those ideas down whenever you need to!

I think its time for the point and shoot to have some rest and relaxation time while the real camera gets to work.

For more creative spaces pop in to Kirsty's

My Creative Space...

2010-11-18T09:40:00.000+11:00

Although the weather is getting warmer - I am warming to rummaging through my yarn stash.

I've finally finished that project - I just love the colours and the textured knit of the scarf - who would have thought all those colours just look so right!

the white i am using for this baby set of mitts and beanie is a stark contrast to the scarf buy my eyes are adjusting

and I have plans to knit a little surprise for my secret santa (at my day job)

Hopefully I don't get carried away into "making" all my christmas gifts this year!

Do you have any grand plans for a handmade christmas?

Don't forget to check out more creative spaces here

Red in a box

2010-11-09T01:22:00.001+11:00

On the weekend Mr and I and the 2 dogs went for a lovely walk around the Leschenault Inlet. Red and Lizzy also got to jump off the jetty and go for a big swim with the sea scouts in their canoes.
We didn't realise how much fun they had and how exhausted they were until we found Red fast asleep in the backyard.

It doesn't look that comfortable but since then we have found Red having his regular afternoon kip in the box.
Thank goodness we had finished with the spinach that was once growing in there!

What weird and wonderful places do your fury family members find to curl up in/on?

he has got the bug!

2010-11-07T22:50:00.001+11:00

Mr has never been one to take to new technology.

But recently he has gotten the bug.

image

He has moved on from hating me spending too much time on the internet to reading websites I show him to logging onto the net, searching online everything from bike trails to tyres and spare parts for anything and everything, sending emails and posting on forums.
I come home from work and he is there on the net, puts the computer down to eat dinner and then back on until he gets a bit tired! He is so addicted that this is the first time this week that I have had a chance to get on here at a reasonable hour!
So hope you all had a great weekend and hopefully I will back sooner rather than later!

fabric-a-holic!

2010-10-30T01:00:00.002+11:00

I have just opened a red lizzi store on CRAFTUMI and you can check it out here. Craftumi is a sister website to madeit! which has australian sellers selling art, craft and hobby supplies. I have some fabrics for sale on my red lizzi site and they are at bargain prices for a limited time! Here are a few of my favourites!

bad news sucks...

2010-10-26T01:02:00.000+11:00

I am still in shock. Last week my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. At only 38 it is not fair that anyone has to go through something so horrible. Soon after I found out about my bestie, I found out my sister's friend also has cancer.

I am over 4,000km away from her. I feel so helpless being so far away, so angry that something like this is happening to her, so scared for her and what she has to go through over the coming weeks, months, years and so frustrated that we (humankind) have no cure for such a horrible disease like cancer (yet!)
I feel like I am failing her for not being there - so like any rational, crafty person that is 4,000km away, I took solace in the hook and made a little something for her.

It may be tiny but holds a whole lotta love for her from me to help her through the tough times ahead for her and her family!

I am also selling these pink ribbons here and donating all money from sales to the Australian National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Today (Monday 25th October) is Pink Ribbon Day and October is Breast Awareness Month. It is a timely reminder to all women.

how time flies...

2010-10-25T23:02:00.002+11:00

I sat down in front of the laptop tonight and noticed it has been 2 months since my last blog post! Jeez sounds like confession... (but i digress)

I guess when I look back there has been a hell of a lot going on over the last while and with one thing after another i just haven't taken time to sit down and share with you what great and not so great things are happening in my life.

Then there are others out there in blog-land that have been blogging their hearts out for blogtoberfest 2010! Yes it's on again this year - You can read about the history of Blogtoberfest over here! Hang in there guys, it's the home stretch now and only a few days left.

But I took some time out today. It was my day off from my day-job and took the dogs down to the beach for a run and a swim in the sunshine. It was a bit windy so we took shelter in one corner of the beach. Lizzi was straight in the water while Red ran around the sand looking for a makeshift ball that I could throw for him.

Next thing I look up and there are about 5 dolphins no more than 20 metres off shore - at first i thought there may have been a sick dolphin in the group, but they seemed more concerned about taking shelter from the choppy water. Lizzi had no idea they were there and for a little while were only about 10 metres away from her. The dolphons were quite happy jumping up and swimming around and hung around for about half an hour. Pretty special sight! (Note to self: take camera when walking the dogs to capture these awesome moments!)

What a lovely day!

Hope you all had a lovely Monday too!

My Creative Space...

2010-08-19T23:30:00.000+10:00

The winter weather has found me rummaging through my wool stash for a little knit diversion (and to give me a break from the pink project).
I have had this Noro Kureyon screaming at me to knit up into a groovy textured scarf.

How long will this "little" diversion take?
A day? or two? or three?

For more diversions, come and play over at Kirsty's place too.

sew much fun

2010-08-09T22:50:00.000+10:00

On Saturday I went to a monthly sewing group hosted by Glenys at her patchwork/craft/quilt/fabric store Craft Collections. I was one of the newbies in the group for the day.
There were gorgeous quilts and sewing projects over the walls which found my eyes wandering to all day. Some of the ladies in the group had made these.
I am yet to make any quilts. I think I know deep down that once I start doing patchwork and making quilts I will be come addicted and won't stop. I guess quilts are like that packet of tim tams in the cupboard. Once you open the packet you can't stop eating them!

the sewing group in action

There were tasty home made treats all day to keep us motivated. My favourites were the scones.

There was lots of chatter, show and tell, sharing of ideas, skills and knowledge. I was on a mission to get some unfinished projects completed. To my delight this fantastic bag is finished - made from japanese retro style prints. It has been in the 'to do' pile for a while so I am glad to have it move onto the store rack. (Thank you Robyn for modelling the new bag) Pop into my store soon and you can see it there.

I met some welcoming and talented people at the sewing day. Thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome and a special thank you to knowledgeable Nikki who showed me how to lower my feed dogs on my sewing machine.
Would you believe that I have had my sewing machine for 16 years (and still have the manual) and hadn't managed to find the little lever (or read the manual) until now. (Note to self: read the sewing machine manual to find out what else the machine may be able to do! )
I have always wanted to try my hand at some free-hand sewing! How endless are the possibilities...

My Creative Space...

2010-08-05T20:59:00.001+10:00

is a bit wonky.
I have finally finished the wise old owl. Wish I was wise enough to know how fiddly it would be sewing all his bits and pieces on. Although he seems a bit wonky, I think someone will get a nice surprise when the mail man delivers him soon!

Now onto my next project. Can you guess someone's favourite colour is pink!

Taking some advise from Jenni and knitting in the round I hope to enjoy the lack of sewing up at the end!
For more (not so wonky) creative spaces pop over to kirsty's place.

the weekend

2010-07-25T20:53:00.001+10:00

A wonderful weekend with good friends, good food (great cheese) and good fun!
Here are a few other highlights...

Found 2 interesting recycled pieces of fabric at a garage sale on saturday for my stash

A local craft store had a 30% off sale on all things knitting and crochet on Saturday, so I bought a few more hooks, wool and little bits and pieces

I started and finished a little elf beanie for a special little mister back in Katoomba (off to the post office tomorrow for me)

Decided to make a blanket with some of the wool from the Saturday shop. At first I thought I would do a granny square blanket. My Gran made me one and I have always wanted to make one for myself but after knitting one square, I thought it may not be a very warm blanket. For this project, I am hoping for a warm blanket so I have decided to make the blanket a bit more snuggly and have started a different style. It has 150 stitches across and will be green, blue and white stripes (unless I buy more colours) I will keep going till I am happy with the length. I think I have bitten off quite a bit with this one and it may be a long term - behind the scenes - project when I sit down after dinner and relax and have no deadlines to meet.

the granny square

the striped (long term) blanket project

I also started to post my knitting and crochet projects on Ravelry. My friend Kel is there. She was the one that got me started on Ravelry. You can find me at redlizzi. Come by and say hello, share your projects and any pointers you have about starting out and getting to know your way around the site. I have only scratched the surface of the wonders that are hidden there! It does have some great people and great projects you can check out. I have also found a pattern there and am about to embark on an epic project for me.
But more on that later...

My Creative Space...

2010-07-22T23:13:00.001+10:00

I'm still hooking along and loving it.
Check out my new crocheted beanie in my Etsy store. (Thank you to Ms S for modelling).
It is an all year round beanie. Just right to wear in any weather. A perfect neutral colour that will go with anything!

What colour wool to use next? I could have a rainbow of beanies...
A different one for each day?

For more creative spaces, pop into Kirtsy's place.

sewday sunday

2010-07-18T21:22:00.000+10:00

I finally started sewing again and have finished the first skirt in the new series for girls. There will be sizes 2T - 6T (AU) available very soon.

No chickens were harmed in the making of these skirts.

I saw this chicken fabric a couple of days ago and just fell in love with it! I couldn't leave it on the shelf and ended up buying the rest of the bolt! I couldn't resist but to make little girl's skirts with it.
Maybe I was reminiscing about having chooks in the backyard as kids...
Maybe it's that I am driving past farms and farm animals everyday?

My Creative Space...

2010-07-15T21:46:00.000+10:00

This week I am tidying up loose ends - literally.
Mr Owl is getting stuffed and all sewn up.
The beanies are getting their final touches so they are wearable - one has already found a new home!
And I am sneaking in a bit of hooking practice here and there - check out my latest little feature...

Check out more creative spaces or share your own over at Kirsty's place!

I'm hooked...

2010-07-12T19:45:00.000+10:00

I have been trying to finish off a knitted animal for a special little person. (Yes, it is meant to look like an owl of sorts) But I have been having trouble with the eyes as they require reading a crochet pattern. Not happy with compromising with some form of knitting, I needed to learn how to read a crochet pattern, and soon.
This is the point I realised how much you depend on your circle of craft friends to help you at times like these.
So as I haven't met any crafters over here yet, it was off to the local fabric / craft store. I knew they had a sewing group that meets there once a month on a saturday so I headed down and found a couple of lovely ladies who showed me how it was done as well as a little more about other crochet stitches. After some very bog thank yousI set off home to finish those eyes! And here is the (nearly) finished product (he just needs stitching up!)

I went to bed that night quite contented with the knowledge I had gained and the endless possibilities...

Then on Sunday I knew I had a problem.

While the boys (we have a few friends staying with us from NSW) were out fishing I dragged out my favourite 20 ply wool from here and managed to hook a beanie, then another, and another and another as well as a few flowers! I love the purple flowers with the orange beanie! These and others will be in my store soon!

I had to go and make dinner so I would stop hooking. Unfortunately the boys didn't hook any fish for dinner.

My Creative Space...

2010-07-08T19:03:00.002+10:00

I have this fabulous green wool from here and have been trying to find the perfect thing to make with it - it's the last ball left!
So with a new niece arriving the other day, I was determined to find a little knitted animal I could make. Most of the animal patterns I find are crocheted and look a little fiddly and the fact I cannot understand a crochet pattern also doesn't help. I can crochet but it's more like freestyle crochet, hook it here and there.
After much searching I found a knitted animal that looked possible. The only catch was that it required 4 knitting needles! Not having ventured past 2 needles as yet, I pulled out Mum's old stash of needles and found four matching ones and set to work. After a few false starts I finally got the hang of it.

hoo am i?

For more creative spaces check out this place

are you one?

2010-07-07T22:36:00.000+10:00

Collector
Saver
Accumulator
Squirrel
Stasher
Call it what you will, I am one (ssshh I am a hoarder!). Well maybe that is a bit harsh (maybe not) but I do become attached to certain things that I struggle to part with and they are accumulating as the years tick over.

I thought I would share with you a few of those things that the dust has been swept away from as I unpack the boxes from the recent move...

Lollipop - my first and only doll growing up - I was a bit of a tomboy and loved playing with dump trucks and lego! My sister had all the barbie dolls - I just never went there. Even though Lollipop would have had a hard life being dragged around on family holidays and sleepovers (and maybe a ride or two in the washing machine) she has hung in there! I remember mum making all her outfits, PJ's, skirts, dresses, and even an evening dress! Ooh and I can't forget that hat - that is her hair under there!

My favourite plaster and stone decorated jar made by 3 year old Me with a little help from Mrs Duschane and Mrs Kerr at Preschool - the plaster is chipping away and stones are falling off every time i pick the jar up but it can still hold stuff and looks very cool - It has lived on my desk since forever!

My (old) collection of knitting and crocheting patterns - from way back when - this stash doesn't include the ones that were published since I was born!

A few highlights from the stack

I just love the cover of this book

and this - fabulous purple outfit but would you swim in it at the beach?

Fragrant crochet bag - it's been living in my undies drawer for at least 20 years. I had forgot about it until I started packing up the house in the Blue Mountains! It no longer has a lovely fragrance and the colours have faded slightly but I made it! It even has a chain stitch string to hang it up with!

I have only scratched the surface - Is it just me or do other people hold onto the little things from their past ...

cold as ice...

2010-07-06T00:19:00.003+10:00

Winter is really settling in now. Mornings are reaching zero and ice is formed think on the car windows each morning!

So Mr, being the industrious soul, thought we should get the fire in the house going to save on those rising electricity bills. Just one thing, we have no fire wood. Great news Mr says one day after work, 'I've found some FREE firewood'

Free?

But surely there was a catch?

Of course there was!

I was to be dragged out of bed one Saturday morning with chainsaws blaring and sawdust flying everywhere, so we could get this wonderful FREE firewood! Fantastic, the wood has been chopped in rounds, on the trailer, and eventually in our backyard. Then the hard work begins! To chop up the wood and stack it! (What a gentleman - I only had to stack the wood) After this lovely day out, we gather some kindling to get ready for a toasty night in front of the fire. Too easy right?

WRONG!

I leave Mr to light the fire only to find there is smoke oozing from the door of the fire, the fire alarms letting out their ear peircing shrieks, and eventually there is a thick layer of smoke forming from the ceiling nearly to the tops of our heads! After several persistent attempts to keep the fire going and finally a further inspection, Mr announces that the flue is blocked!

So, while we wait for the real estate agent to get things sorted (oh the joys of renting!) and try to rid the house of the smokey aroma we are curled up on the lounge wrapped in good old blankets and doonas!

I also couldn't resist in dragging out the trusty "purple people heater"!

Made me thankful we don't have to go to this much trouble anymore!

happy winter magic...

2010-06-23T23:05:00.002+10:00

This year's winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) on 21 June passed by with none of the usual fanfare we are used to in the Blue Mountains.
Even so I am still enjoying the earlier sunrises and more daylight which means getting more things done during the day (or really more time relaxing in the sun!) It means I am getting motivated, slowly, to get through unpacking all the boxes from our move.
Hopefully in another week or two I will be back on track and creating, cutting, sewing and stitching maybe some old favourites or maybe some new creations!
How did you celebrate your Winter Magic Festival?

My Creative Space...

2010-06-10T17:16:00.000+10:00

Now I have no excuses to not finish any project - I finally have my own sewing /craft room! One central location for fabric, yarn, sewing machine, overlocker, habby stash, books, patterns (and the list goes on...)

The only issue is that it looks like this...

This is what happens when you move from a house with plenty of cupboards, drawers and tables to hide things in, put things on or pack things away in. Only arriving less than a week ago in our new home in WA my motivation for unpacking the numerous boxes is quickly fading.

Our new house has little furniture as we tried to limit what furniture we brought over with us. This decision has now has left me with a big dilemma - Do I go shopping to find some lovely pieces of pre-loved furniture that would fit perfectly in my new sewing room and ultimately allow me more time to be creative?

What is your secret to keeping your creative stash under control in your special area?
For more creative spaces go and visit kirsty at kootoyoo

Day 6 Salmon Gums - Bunbury (new home)

2010-06-07T18:45:00.000+10:00

As I said yesterday Simo wanted to push on and get to Bunbury as quick as possible as we were so close (12 hours away). This included a "shortcut 4wd track" through the middle of nowhere but as usual (as simo says,) I got my way and we took a slight (300km) detour to Esperance to see a fantastic sunrise from the old timber jetty and munch down some beautiful pies from the local bakery which will be our last for the trip. We also met a couple of fisherman that had driven that morning from Kalgoorlie to fish which is a 5 hour drive each way (pretty keen huh?)

Sunrise at Esperance

We headed through some interesting towns including Wagin which has the Giant Ram, Lake King and Lake Grace which has produced more first grade AFL players than any other area in WA. Really don't know why they call the towns Lakes as it is a big flat sand bed with bugger all water.

Giant Ram at Wagin

And then there it was...

our first sign to Bunbury - how relieved were we!

We then pressed on seeing all the mines, mining trucks and mining towns. It really does impact the landscape. Although I reckon it would be cool to drive one of those massive dump trucks!

Simo decided to take me along the scenic route to Bunbury which included going over the mountain range at Collie and down the Ferguson Valley. Although these places are beautiful, we reached no more than 400m above sea level - we will have to get used to WA sizing, these were hills compared to the Blue Mountains.

He also showed me Brew 42, a micro brewery. After being in the car since 4.30am this morning and as Simo was driving I was "allowed" to have a few beers (how good that they came in 500ml bottles). Our favourite is the Blue Moon Lager. I was given the remaining beer in the bottle after the "tasting" to finish on the trip and we got a few for the road as well. Jack was there keeping guard of the secret brewing tips!

Jack at Brew 42

The first stop once we were in Bunbury was home. Seeing Simo had "lost" the keys to our house, we had to call past the real estate and get the spare keys! Luckily we arrived during business hours. The next stop was the Indian Ocean - Lighthouse Beach - for the dogs to have a swim. After they were fully drenched and grinning from ear to ear we headed to our home via one of Simo's mates place for a welcome beer!

The dogs first swim in the indian ocean - very happy (and wet)!

Day 6 – 945km (including a drive around Bunbury)

Total travelled for the trip – 4,380km

So we have arrived safe and sound in our new home town (on Friday afternoon - yes i was slack on the last couple of days plus internet access was barely available).

Now for a couple of days rest to recover and unpack the car...

Then...

Day 5 Eucla - Salmon Gums WA

2010-06-07T17:59:00.001+10:00

After breakfast and a shower (thank goodness for caravan parks) we fueled up at Eucla. It was the dearest fuel of the trip so far at $1.61 per litre for diesel but still fairly reasonable considering where we were and where it had to travel from to get here.
We headed out of the caravan park towards the coast to give the dogs a run in the dunes and check out the old telegraph station while we were there. I would tell you a bit about the place but there was no signage to tell us any more about the ruins. I think that it was this station that finally connected WA with the rest of the country when it came on line.
The dogs had a grin from ear to ear running around in the dunes with sand everywhere!

Old Telegraph Station at Eucla

At another one of our stops we saw this flash new road train at Cocklebitty Roadhouse - it was so shiny and huge compared to NED.

Today there was just driving and driving. We were getting a bit crazy couped up in the car for the last 5 days we just wanted to reach the west coast. To top it off we hit the longest straightest road in Australia. After the driving we have done already, this stretch of road really tested our sanity.

NED got a bit warm as well so we had to kill the air con and pull in and let him cool down for a while. The dogs were more than happy to run around and check out all the different plants we were seeing. There was also a couple of friendly coppers that passed by and gave us a wave.
We stopped at Norseman on dark to finally get some veges for dinner and fuel up again. I was planning stirfry. Simo was planning driving well into the dark.

So we pushed on for another 77km and reached a rest stop just outside Salmon Gums (on the road to Esperance).
Yummy stirfry and a good nights sleep in a million star room.

Day 5 - 793km
Total travelled - 3,435km

Day 4 – Kyancutta (Eyre Peninsula) SA – Eucla WA

2010-06-07T17:14:00.000+10:00

After a restless night with the dogs keeping us awake due to the surrounding wildlife we headed into Wudinna for breakfast and a coffee.

We continued along the Eyre Highway with a detour to Streaky Bay where we found a few people collecting Razorfish. After the dogs had a run we continued through to Ceduna where we fuelled up and met Tiza, an 11 month old cattle who just wanted to play all day.

From there we hit the Nullarbor Plains and headed towards the WA border. It is flat, flat, flat.

Along the way we passed a bloke pushing a wheelchair from Perth to Sydney to raise money for children with a disability. Check out Rolling Bones. After a donation and a quick chat we left the bloke to continue his trip and we continued driving.

With a few stops throughout the day, we stretched our legs at the head of the Great Australian Bite (no whales today), cooked up a few snags for lunch which the dogs weren’t complaining about and met a couple from Portland on a 5 month trip around Australia.

We stopped at a few lookouts along the Nullarbor and checked out the unique signs - unfortunately we haven't seen any camels along our travels - just heaps of wedge-tailed eagles and a few roos.

but as the sun set we just wanted to reach the border.

We stopped in for the border control check and the officer on duty came to greet us. After checking we had nothing to declare and a quick chat, the dogs were out and saying hello. She said that there were nearly as many dogs as people in the town of Eucla so a very dog-friendly town indeed. 10 out of 10 for Eucla! She even said to let them off the leash when we check out the old telegraph station tomorrow.

We stayed the night at the Eucla Caravan Park and met quite a few travellers. There were people moving from Geraldton to Coober Pedy, Sunshine Coast – Margaret River and Tweed Heads to Perth (via the coast roads) as well as a couple taking the long way from Geelong to Brisbane via WA.

After a few beers and spaghetti bolognese we were asleep before our heads hit the pillow!

Day 4 – 797km

Total travelled – 2,642km

Day 3 - Silverton/Broken Hill NSW – Kyancutta SA

2010-06-02T12:15:00.000+10:00

After a lovely restful sleep at Penrose Park (Silverton), a refreshing hot shower and a quick check of the vehicle, we headed back into Broken Hill for diesel and the mandatory bakery stop for a pie.

Not long after we crossed the NSW/SA border and fruit fly inspection stations.

We managed to see a lot of this…

Some of these…

Not many of these…

We stopped for lunch at Peterborough – a beautiful old town with old stone buildings, train monuments in the main street and several pubs. The dogs had a run on the local AFL field while we had our sandwiches.

As we passed through the town of Orroroo, Simo saw the sign “GIANT RED GUM”. Of course we had to check it out. It was a great tree with a huge girth of over 10metres estimated to be over 500 years old.

Our next detour was Hancock’s lookout – 7km off the main road and 40km out of Port Augusta and a sight to be marvelled. This was our first sighting of the coast on this trip and a great view of the Spencer Gulf.

Our travels were blessed by the Baptist Parish Chaplin of Collie and his wife who we met at the lookout. Collie is only about 30 minutes from where we are moving to in WA.

I tend to have a slight obsession when on trips to go into Visitor Information Centres (VIC) and collecting (very necessary) brochures and maps of things to do and see on our travels. But as we have been trying to get the distances covered and with an already full vehicle, Simo has been able to avoid these until today. This afternoon I was allowed to venture into Port Augusta VIC and got a map of the Nullarbor.

After having a lovely dinner of marinated lamb chops from a roadhouse on the ouskirts of Port Augusta we drove into the night. I got the graveyard shift to drive and followed a very nice truckie who chatted to us on the UHF for a while.

We ended up putting up camp about 5kms outside of Kyancutta at a travelling rest stop on the side of the Eyre Highway. There was plenty of stars in the sky and animals in the bushes nearby which kept the dogs on alert most of the night. Thank goodness they were tied up on the swags.

DAY 3 – 695km

Total travelled so far – 1,845km

Day 2 - Parkes - Silverton (Outback NSW)

2010-06-01T10:36:00.001+10:00

Day 2 saw a lot of driving and driving and driving - with a few rest spots in between - when ever we stop Simo always finds someone to talk to and we exchange travel plans and share a cuppa.
Found some gravel roads that were really slippery due to the unusual amount of rain and got a mega chip in the windscreen. Simo also found time to decorate NED so everyone would know where we are going and where we are heading.
DAY 2 - Distance travelled 891km
A few pics...

the chip

Blue Mountains to Bunbury

sunset near little Topar

Simo at our campfire cooking dinner

Roadhouse for sale 150kms out of Wilcannia - Simo thought it might be a good investment - NOT!

Camp NIght 2

Day 1 Katoomba - Parkes

2010-06-01T10:22:00.001+10:00

We started the trip in the dark with a stop at the doggy park at Bathurst to let Red and Lizzy have a run - finally made it to a rest area 10 km south of Parkes to camp the night - not much there but a few broken park benches under a shelter - thank goodness as when I woke up at 5.30 it was raining so we had a bit of shelter to roll the swags up under!

dog park at Bathurst

DAY 1 - Distance travelled 259km (heaps to go...)

The Mission has started.... finally!

2010-05-30T18:42:00.001+10:00

Well the day (well night-time now) has come for us to head off on our journey to Western Australia. Although 4 days behind schedule we are packed to the roof and more and ready to go oh yeah and the dogs are in the back in their cosy beds.
We managed to empty the house and tidy the back yard - its finally looking good!

retaining wall and garden

new retaining wall next to garage

the lovely view from the back door!

Leaving home for the last time, for a while!

One more stop at Paul, Vicki and Batu's place

Last stop in the Mountains is Mt Victoria Caltex service station for a sausage roll for dinner and a full tank of diesel and we are heading west.

Where will we end up in our swags tonight?

My 12 month holiday starts.... NOW!

2010-05-07T22:40:00.001+10:00

Well it's official. I am now on holidays (leave without pay) from my day job for the next 12 months.

I had a lovely last day with work mates and was given a great card with a hand drawing of us in our 4wd and a book to keep us busy for at least the next 12 months while travelling around Western Australia! Oh and a gift voucher for a seaside tavern in Bunbury - a great treat when we finally get to our new place to go out for a meal.

Thank you to all for your well wishes on our adventures west!

Hopefully it won't be long until I start posting some photos of our holiday starting with our trip across the Nullarbor!

My Creative Space...

2010-05-06T21:23:00.002+10:00

I have had a very creative and CHARMING day today stretched over 200km of travelling.

As my current creative space looks like this...

I was relieved when I boarded the train at 6.08am today in chilly Katoomba and found this to start my day....

I had prepared myself for a train trip of stitching and it was going to happen! It was fairly quiet for most of the trip so I was amazed with how much I got done.

It is free hand so it's a bit wonky but that's what hand made is all about. I should warn any of you thinking of stitching in trains that they are quite shaky and I had to make sure at times that I was placing the needle into the fabric and not into my fingers!

But today was really about screen printing! It has been nearly a year since I first met Cath and Kirsten from Prints Charming at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Show and sat in on one of their embroidery classes. Unfortunately I haven't picked up any embroidery since, until today. And what a most appropriate day to do it as I was heading down to Prints Charming Studio at Annandale for a screen printing class.

I must thank Cath and Kirsten again for a wonderful day of playing with fabric, paint shapes and colour! I was like a kid in a candy store grinning from ear to ear all day! Starting with plain white paper and plain white fabric I was amazed with the result! I can't wait to make it into something! The class showed us all how to design and print our own fabric as well as how to go about things if we wanted to set up and do some screen printing at home.

where to start...

more designs...

background...

some colour...

drying...

my finished fabric!

Christina was also in the class today. She designed and screen printed this fabulous peice today! It is amazing how there were four people in the class all using the same techniques yet we came out each with totally unique designs!

Cath and Kirsten are having a book launch this Saturday 8th May at their Sydney Studio with an open invitation to all. So if you are in the area you should pop by and say hello and check out their creative space!

So what's your creative space? For more creative spaces head to kootoyoo or share your creative space.

Birthday Brilliance

2010-05-06T20:13:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks have past but I am still in (my) happy birthday mode. Here are some of my birthday!

High Tea at Bygone Beautys and the Treasured Teapot Museum at Leura

My friend put up with my excitement over sugar cubes and the musical trolley that rolled out to serve High Tea with cucumber sandwiches and delicious sweets. It must be done, if only once! Plus you can check out the insane collection of teapots!

The Tea Rooms The musical trolley

What we started with...

The sugar cubes

What we ended up with...

Fab present from my Sister

"Sew Darn Cute"A great book full of inspiration and creative sewing projects. After a quick look I had to pack the book in the box straight away as we are packing up the whole house including all my fabric, books, sewing machines, needles threads - the cupboards are bare! Luckily Cath has already done a book review of Sew Darn Cute for you to check it out!

Flowers from a wonderful friend!

On Sunday I spent the day with Nat from Natalie Bailey Photography at Bathurst Bridal Expo. Nat is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Lithgow that I have been working with for a while. The following day I had a special delivery of flowers to say happy belated birthday and to say thanks for helping out at the expo. They are not only beautiful flowers but the fragrance is amazing and is still filling the house! It's not until someone gives you flowers that you remember how wonderful they are to have in the home - The just put a smile on your face! Go on, go out and get yourself some now!

A fabulous handmade card from a lovely friend, which has since been packed away for safe keeping until it is unpacked on the west coast!

My first granny square without my Gran...

2010-04-19T21:28:00.000+10:00

Since I was a little girl, my Gran (and my Mum) taught me about sewing, knitting and crocheting. I have always sewed. I don't know when I learnt to use a sewing machine, I always remember sitting in my Gran's bedroom sewing on her machine in school holidays. They also taught me how to knit and crochet.
Recently there has been a resurgence of knitting and crocheting at my day job. Friends get together at lunchtime and knit or crochet with their different projects or teach 'the young ones' the skills of the trade! It started off that we made squares for Wrap with Love which were all sewn together to make a blanket that gets shipped throughout Australia and across the world.
Once I got my energy for knitting back and had a few projects under my belt, I turned my focus to crocheting. And here is the result

my first granny square for some time....

It was then added to a collection of squares from people at work and sewed together to make a baby blanket for my friend who was having her first child.
This is it! The baby blanket looks fantastic and is a one of a kind! See my square second row in the middle!

I can't wait to make a whole collection of granny squares and sew them together for a blanket - hmmm another project to add to the list.........

Craft Swap - better late than never

2010-04-19T21:04:00.001+10:00

My appalling ability to post on my blog over the last 2 months (OMG has it been that long!) is for one good reason - Mr, the dogs and I are packing up and heading to Western Australia!

Yes all the way from the misty Blue Mountains of NSW to the salty sea breeze of the South West WA, a crazy 4,048km.

So the house has been in disarray for the last 2 months trying to pack up the last 7 years of our lives.

Finding my sewing machine, overlocker, fabric, yarn, my camera and my sanity is all being put to the test.

Looking at the STUFF around the house that I have been cleaning, boxing up or taking to the Blue Mountains Cancer Help Store it reminds you to think twice about ANY purchase!

More about the move to WA later.

Here they are the pics from my first DUST craft swap from Feb/Mar 2010.

This is the lovely package of goodies I received from Maddo - a fabulous necklace, 2 pairs of earrings, gorgeous gift tags and a beautiful handcrafted card!

Maddo was nice enough to send me through pics of the skirt I made for her as I forgot to take one before I packaged it up. The skirt goes great with her new red shoes!

brown paper packages.....

2010-02-23T21:13:00.000+11:00

Don't you love getting surprises, going to check the mailbox and finding a brown paper package tied up with string...

To satisfy my urge for packages I decided to take part in my first DUST "craft swap". If you haven't taken part in one before, it's where a group of people will list their name and their wares on the DUST forum. Once the list of names is finalised, you are matched with a swap partner and then you have the next month to work out what your swap partner likes, make something and then post it to them!

Alas it has come time to send my "surprise" to my craft swap partner, maddo.

Maddo, enjoy your surprise!
Check back here soon and I will post some pics of our craft swap! Maddo, please send me a pic as I was so excited I wrapped it before I took a snapshot!

our dirty weekend...

2010-02-16T08:46:00.002+11:00

Now I have your attention I thought I would share with you what Mr and I got up to on the weekend. Being members of our local 4WD club, you notice the negative press that is targeted on some of the 4WD community. In contrastm, our Club is very pro-active in educating new and old members about responsible behaviour while in the bush and being accountable for their actions while 4WDing.
So it came hand in hand when we signed up for Clean Up Australia Day. Yes, we are a couple of weeks early. The Official Clean Up Australia Day date is 7th March, so you still have time to organise a clean up in your area.
We had 10 cars and headed out to Newnes State Forest, near the old Zig Zag Railway. It is a popular area for 4WD's and motorbikes and is famous for camping weekends and having rubbish left everywhere.
Our clean up was focused around the Old Prison Camp site. We parked the cars, got the gloves on, armed with pick up sticks and off we went. It was amazing how much rubbish we collected in a couple of hours.

Some of the rubbish collected in the area as well as rubbish left in one camp fire area being picked up by club members

Hopefully the people that saw us cleaning up the rubbish will think twice and take their rubbish home with them next time!

the young chef.....

2010-01-29T19:03:00.000+11:00

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....

2010-01-22T23:09:00.000+11:00

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

2010-01-20T13:20:00.000+11:00

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

2010-01-08T23:35:00.002+11:00

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.

It's time for a break

2009-12-22T16:50:00.000+11:00

just signing off for a couple of weeks to get through and recover from the silly season
relax, be safe and enjoy the time with loved ones
until 2010.....

magic pudding

2009-12-14T17:21:00.000+11:00

Last Christmas I must have had a bit of spare time on my hands as I decided to make a traditional boiled christmas pudding - the way my Gran used to make it, as our contribution to Christmas day lunch.
As everyone was expecting a christmas pudding on Christmas day, I had to make sure I had a recipe that worked (My Gran's old pudding recipe has since long disappeared). I found a recipe, bought a bottle (or two) of rum, heaps of dried fruit, new calico and got the fruit soaking for about a week in the rum. After all the rum was dried up by the fruit, I made the pudding mixture, got it wrapped in the calico cloth and had it on the stove boiling for 6 hours. And the test run pudding was created.
What! Is she crazy? I hear you all say, making a test run pudding! Well it all worked out, the test run was a hit. So I went on to make the "real" pudding for Christmas day.
Alas, expectations have been set. So the pudding order for Christmas day 2009 was placed again. Of course Mr wanted the test run pudding as well, and as I don't trust his sweet tooth home alone with the Christmas day pudding, I have given in and already made the test run pudding. If only is was a magic pudding, my work in the Kitchen would be done!

My Magic Pudding

Going Bananas

2009-12-10T14:23:00.000+11:00

OK.

So I love to cook.

Maybe it's my captive audience of Mr and the 2 dogs. They love anything I cook, sweet savoury, you name it!

Maybe I find it therapeutic measuring, mixing and relishing in the finished product!

Maybe I enjoy the peace knowing that Mr will leave me alone while I am in the kitchen!

Maybe Mr will build me a new kitchen and buy me a new stove! (well a girl can dream huh!)

Even so, I am always on the lookout for quick, easy and wholesome (i don't think healthy is the right word) sweets, cakes, puddings and more, to meet the high demands of Mr's sweet tooth. I have several recipes that have become my favourites, (ie chuck all the ingredients in one bowl, mix with a spoon and put in the baking tray) in particular a carrot cake, but I will share this secret recipe with you another time.

The newest edition to my repertoire is this date and banana loaf that I was so impressed with I just had to share with you. To my surprise I discovered the recipe on the side of a weetbix pack (well it was a pack of no name brand wheat biscuits!).

My version of date and banana loaf straight out of the oven (note: Mr has already sneaked a slice when I went to get the camera) on my favourite Johnson Sunflower plate - always makes things taste better - but definitely not needed for this one - it was gone in a day!

The Recipe

5 whole wheat biscuits (eg weetbix)

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup finely chopped dates

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup low fat milk

1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Combine wheat biscuits, flour, sugar, dates, banana and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix in milk and egg until well combined.

Spoon into lined loaf pan (215 x 115 x 55mm) and bake for 45-50 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer. Serve warm or cold with butter!

After you have made this once, you will want to make it again! Next time try fruits that you may have around the home. I have used a mango and banana mush and dried cranberries which, like the original recipe, was a hit!

Go on, give it a try! And don't forget the butter!

Timing is everything

2009-11-29T22:48:00.000+11:00

I would like to share an adventure we had recently.

Mr, the 2 dogs and I decided on a long weekend of camping. Having found an awesome sounding place on the web called Riverwood Downs that was dog friendly, had reasonable camping fees and a river right next to where the swags would be swung, we thought it would be three days of relaxation and river swimming.

The dogs enjoying the ride

I should have known it was all too good to be true! (Especially as the weather forecast was for flooding in Northern NSW).

We headed down the mountain, took the back roads, the "scenic route" through Wiseman's Ferry, along the Old Northern Road, checked out convict relics, stopped in at St Albans Pub, again at Wollombi Pub (the home of Dr Jurd's Jungle Juice) where there was an added attraction of woodchopping, for the annual Wollombi Festival.

Depending on whether you are a glass half full or half empty person, fortunately or unfortunately, it was getting dark. We found a riverside camping reserve at Broke, set up camp, had a great dinner, a few beers and settled in for the night falling asleep to folk music drifting across the river from the nearby music festival.

The next morning we were up early and heading for our destination. The dogs were happy as ever - they could smell the river getting closer and we could see the weather closing in!

The lovely view from the vehicle

Needless to say it was a tad wet. But we soldiered on and made it to Riverwood Downs. There was a break in the storm. We checked out the place, pulled up next to the River and had a bite to eat. Little were we to know we were about 2 minutes ahead of the deluge. Soggy sandwiches in hand and our clothes soaked to the bone, we graciously admitted defeat and headed back home vowing to return when the North Coast is not in flood!

Although we were only there for a matter of minutes, we were impressed with Riverwood Downs, the property the people and hope there are others out there that check it out if you are heading that way.

Looking for something to do tomorrow?

2009-11-20T13:18:00.001+11:00

Why not head for the cool and fresh air in the hills, to Springwood in the Blue Mountains.
If you need to do some shopping in preparation for the silly season, or are just looking for someting special that is handcrafted, check out Celebrating Design this Saturday 21st November at Springwood.

Celebrating Design is an exhibition and sales of handcrafted works, direct from over 30 designers and artisans including gifts, jewellery, leather, woodwork, ceramics, glass, textiles, clothing and more!
It is at Springwood High School HALL, Grose Road, Faulconbridge from 10am - 5pm, Saturday ONLY!
There is a small entry fee of $5 adults, $10 family, $2.50 concession and children under 12 are free. There will also be a cafe running throughout the day. All proceeds go towards the Springwood High P&C

Hope to see you there....

I see RED, I see RED, I see RED

2009-10-24T21:11:00.002+11:00

I have been having a blogtoberfest-free time for a few days. There were a few matters that needed tending to with no distractions.
But now I am back and look what I have found! THE QUILT PROJECT is a community friendship project based on redwork with everyone being asked to "work a square in red". There were 66 squares in total. At the Quilt Project site you can read about each of the creators and the story behind their "square".

image from kootoyoo.blogspot.com

After everyone had sent in their squares, the quilt was constructed, displayed for one day only, then dismantled with each square being returned to each of the creators. This is an amazing project and was initiated in Melbourne by Kirsty from kootoyoo. Well Done Kirsty and to all the red square creators. It has inspired me to start needlework again!

Day 21: Am I going batty?

2009-10-21T21:09:00.000+11:00

Halloween is creeping upon us. So when I stumbled across this green batty material I couldn't resist it.

I thought it would be perfect to make something for my friend's halloween party! Hmmm what to create.......

Day 20: and the list goes on.....

2009-10-20T19:01:00.003+11:00

UFO Number 4: Its a Wrap

I don't know what came over me when I bought this mohair yarn. It is soft and I liked the colours and of course I had no idea what to make with it. So I just started knitting a 4 row pattern. And this is it so far. It's knitted in the shape of a rectangle.

A friend today had on a wrap that was made from a simple rectangle of material and I thought that would be perfect for this knitted piece. Only a few more rows to knit before I can sew it up and it is a wrap!

Day 19: Have I let the cat out of the bag?

2009-10-19T21:43:00.000+11:00

Who would have guessed that the more I look the more I find...

(Unfinished) Project Number 3: Japanese Fabric Reversible Bag
I love these two japanese style fabrics (the rusty rainbows and dragonflies), and this reversible bag is just perfect - I can use both fabrics on the one bag! I also have a blue denim-like cotton fabric to make the handle bands. I have already cut out the fabric and it's ready to sew...

The hardest thing (once I have finished) will be what is my favourite side!
Now to sew it all together, and get it looking like this!

Day 18: Project Number 2

2009-10-18T22:21:00.001+11:00

About 6 months ago I had to travel to the city for an appointment and was taking the trusty public transport option. Having to leave home while it was still dark, I though I would snooze on the train and didn't bother taking anything to read.
After the appointment I made my way to towards Central Station and realised I had nothing to read or keep me busy during the 2 hour + train trip home. Next thing I know I was browsing in a beautiful yarn shop and a few too many $$ later had a new project to keep me busy for more than the train trip!
So here it is. It was the orange that got me. It is a lovely box pattern, but on 3.25mm needles it is taking me quite a while. The bamboo is lovely and soft too. I still need to do some research on bamboo yarn - I have been told that bamboo is not a good sustainable yarn due to the high amount of processing needed to get it to this stage!
There is still quite a few balls of yarn left to knit!

Day 17: The first of many...

2009-10-17T20:56:00.000+11:00

Here it is, the first unfinished project that needs to get off my to do list.

It is a hopscotch play mat. It rolls up like a mini sleeping bag, is tied with a ribbon and can be taken on picnics, to play at friend's place or to sit on and play in the garden. I have all the pieces cut and have started to pin it together. It is a big project that I thought I would do over a couple of days but the next day never came. So now it is on the "To Finish Before Christmas 2009 List".
Just in case you wanted to check out the finished hopscotch mat, this is the pink/green/blue one I finished 2 weeks ago.

Day 16: Hump Day

2009-10-16T17:21:00.000+11:00

15 down, hump day today, then 15 more to go...
With one slip off the wagon and for a blog-newbie I am glad to reach octo-hump day!

Thinking back on starting this challenge (what a challenge it has been), and how satisfying it is to get half way, it reminded me of all those unfinshed craft, sewing, knitting, crocheting, cross stitch...... projects I have lying around the house. Like Blogtoberfest, they were started in earnest and just never reached the finish line.

So to help me not let Blogtober fade away and to make sure I get across the blogtober-line, I thought I would share my discovery of those unfinshed projects each day until the end of the month.

Until tomorrow and what finds you may come across in the depths of yoru cupboards...

Day 15: The simple things

2009-10-15T23:23:00.001+11:00

I love where I live....
Working close to or at home, popping home to have lunch with Mr on a weekday, having friends only a walk away, living in fabulous extremes of weather (it feels like its going to snow) and living surrounded by world heritage area.
Earlier tonight there was a rat-a-tat-tat at the front door. Not knowing who would be calling at such a late hour I made Mr go and see who it was. I swear I could see someone through the glass....
Mr opened the door and found this above his head (excuse the gap in the wall, someone still has a job that needs finishing!)

It was very happy to have our attention and hung around for a little while until it ventured on the front lawn and then took shelter and checked us out for a while.

Day 14: Wednesday Inspiration

2009-10-14T22:21:00.000+11:00

I have been setting aside time in my october days and gradually been visiting other Blogtoberfest-goers, albeit after 9pm pretty much every day/night. So my goal by the end of Blogtoberfest is trying to post before it gets dark!

Today I found Punky & Me's Wordless Wednesdays. I may still have a few words, but I have also got some groovy tunes that I stumbled across...

so sit back and

to some groovy tunes

Day 13: A hard earned rest...

2009-10-13T20:48:00.000+11:00

After a hard day at the day job, a home cooked meal by Mr, and a visit to the gym, I come home to find Mr and Red snuggled up on the lounge.

Gives me peace and quiet to focus on my blogtoberfest commitment...

Where did yesterday go...

2009-10-12T19:10:00.000+11:00

Blogtober forgive me...
I've slipped up...
Yep, I didn't make it yesterday. But with good reason...
After a long day two at Leura Fair with rain, rain and more rain, I came home, unpacked the ute and curled up on the bed and snoozed until the sun rose this morning!
What a way to start my market venture! Lucky I am the eternal optimist as this was the view at 9am on Sunday!

By Sunday afternoon, everything had dried out and the sun began to shine as we were packing up. Isn't it always the way.
Apart from the soaking, I had a wonderful time, met some lovely people, had some great help and am still inspired to keep creating, making and growing....

I will survive!

2009-10-10T18:01:00.000+11:00

Well I have just made it home after a fab day at the Leura Fair Markets!
I met some fantastic local makers and interesting characters today. Thank you for all your support at the Red Lizzi stall and Vicki for helping me out - what a gem! And I am back to do it all again tomorrow. Thank goodness, there was only a drizzle of rain as we were all packing up and sunshine is forecast for tomorrow.
My etsy store is looking a little bare at the moment while I have been working on creations for the fair, but I will update it next week after I recover from this weekend.
Now it's time to put up my feet, grab a drink and relax until tomorrow morning! Cheers!

Day 9: The Perils of Housework

2009-10-09T21:36:00.001+11:00

I have been working hard recently sewing for the Leura Fair which is on this weekend and have been neglecting the house work. BUT to my surprise I have found an alternative to vacuuming up all those threads that make it to the floor that is much quieter than the Dyson. My Explorer socks!

Day 8: Fabric Finds

2009-10-08T23:33:00.000+11:00

Garage sales are fantastic! There are great finds to be had - persistence pays off to find those little gems that you could not find anywhere else!
But if you are not careful, there can be a down side. You can end up having enough stuff to have a garage sale at your own place!
BUT I have learnt some control over the years. It has taken some time and refinement but I have...

And when I found this patchwork fabric (it looked like a quilt that someone had not quite finished) I knew exactly what I was going to make with it before I had even saved it from under a heap of kids games on the front lawn.
Having already made a bag like this previously (with japanese owl fabric which I take everywhere), I knew that my newly found patchwork would also work perfectly. And here it is.....

Cats & Dogs

2009-10-07T23:23:00.001+11:00

I was visiting one of my friends recently, and had taken a few things I have made for my first markets (which are coming up soon) to show her what I have been doing!
Being the cat person she is, I couldn't resist showing her this bag I had made with some fabulous cat fabric I found. My friend's Birman cat, Batu took a liking to it and managed to curl up in the corner with it! A little while later, after we made sure he was purring contently, we cautiously removed it from his clutches unscathed!

Although I have always been a dog person, Batu is slowly changing my mind on cats. After all he does have his own blog!

DAY 6: Short & Sweet

2009-10-06T21:42:00.003+11:00

I knew it was going to be a challenge when I signed up to Blogtoberfest but I am hanging in there ... just.

There are lots of new blogs to check out, fabulous people and creations to find as well as posting everyday.

It is also giving me time each day to reflect on the great friends and opportunities I have every day in my life!

Maybe, just maybe, blogging will grow on me and I will grow on blogging.....

DAY 5: Rain, Thunder, Lightning...

2009-10-05T23:28:00.001+11:00

Mr and I started the day off with a trip to the hospital in the flatlands, to see Irish and Baby Irish. Baby Irish is still in ICU so we could only see him through the viewing window with all the other tiny ones. He is gorgeous and hopefully he will be home in a couple of days and can have many huggles from us!
The rest of the day was just how a public holiday should be, relaxing and cosy, with Mr and the dogs (our two are on the right - Red & Lizzi; the third in the pack is Chrissy who is having a sleepover at our place while her owners are riding the Simpson Desert!)

With the fire roaring and the dogs soaking up all the warmth they can, an awesome (and not so uncommon) storm passed by. Chrissy, not being a mountain dog didn't like the storm and hid under my sewing table. Every now and then I had a helping hand paw with the sewing machine pedal.

Here is Mr holding the hail that showered upon us this afternoon. I managed to get the happy snap before the snow ball came my way! During the storm we had to go out and put a blanket over the vege garden to make sure the plants weren't damaged during the storm.
I can't wait till the veges are ready to pick. We have been in the house six years now and this is our best effort at a vege garden yet! So far we have managed to keep alive for the past 5 weeks, silverbeet, broccoli, chillis, carrots, rosemary, beetroot, coriander, basil, parsley, tomatoes, shallots and rhubarb!

DAY 4: tying up loose ends

2009-10-05T00:17:00.003+11:00

I'm still here! Day 4 and Blogtoberfest and I are starting to get it together. Today, apart from sewing for my first market stall next weekend (more on that later), I have been busy finishing off a project that I started some months ago.

It is a jumper for our friend "Irish", actually for her new baby boy. I wanted to do something different - not use baby pastels and I just love these bright colours. It is the perfect thing to keep "Baby Irish" warm on those misty mountain days. So I have finished it just in time for our trip to the hospital tomorrow to see them both!

DAY 3: "Ohhh" is for ORANGE

2009-10-03T22:26:00.000+10:00

Earlier this year we were heading through Northern NSW & QLD for a well earned break.
Having recently re-ignited my obsession with yarn and all things "knitty", I made sure we had time to take a detour and spend a few hours in Nundle , 60km southeast of Tamworth in Northern NSW.
Nundle is famous for many fab things, the Great Nundle Dog Race, Peel River, & Gold - but the main draw card for me was to check out the Nundle Woollen Mill .
From the observation deck that suspends above the factory floor you can view all stages of the mill processing, from when bales of scoured wool are opened, carded, spun, twisted and wound into balls or reeled into hanks. There is also a factory shop where you can buy all things wool. I tried long and hard to resist but I couldn't go past the fabulous chunky hanks of 20ply wool. I immediately fell in love with this retro orange, and along with a few accompaniments I knew what i was going to create. After a few crochet lessons from some very patient friends (I haven't picked up a crochet hook for over 20 years!), I have finally finished it!
So here it is! My crochet "retro" scarf. With my crochet hook, some chains, half chains and double chains, and no real pattern to follow I was on a mission!
If you can't resist the orange urge, you can buy Nundle Wool online.

ONE DOWN, THIRTY TO GO

2009-10-02T19:44:00.000+10:00

Yep, I've done it now - I have jumped in with both feet and it's a big ask for me as I have only just started blogging BUT I think I can, i think I can...
It's BLOGTOBERFEST time!
So what's it all about you ask? The simple answer is that you post everyday of October - but really there is a bit more to it and you can read all about it here - but to get you in the mood here's a little snippet of the good stuff from bellsknits :

"Blogtoberfest involves the ... task of blogging daily for the month of October and anyone can sign up. You agree to:
really give yourself permission to spend time on daily blog posts
sink your teeth into posting stuff you never thought you'd write about
come up with ways to keep yourself interested and motivated - after that the interest by other people is just a flow on effect
find yourself looking with fresh eyes at the world as each moment of each day may contain an image or a conversation or an idea that can be shaped into a blog post."

It's not too late to let yourself be immersed, ponder and post in the blogosphere.
Until tomorrow...

Good things come in small packages

2009-09-22T23:38:00.000+10:00

When I returned home yesterday, to my surprise there was a little package waiting for me. Yes, it was my new labels from Cash's in Vic http://www.nametapes.com.au

The price was very reasonable, the turnaround was fantastic and the quality is great! See for yourself

Could the Three Sisters be next?

2009-09-22T21:49:00.001+10:00

It all started with an email to our Katoomba weekly knitting group about this "craft bus". It was a great talking point at the next knitting day with the sky being the limit with possible future knitting projects!

So when I walked down Katoomba Street the other day, I was thrilled to see that the knitting / crocheting craze had hit the Blue Mountains!

I don't know what fabulous group are involved with stitching up these blue mountains "pole cosies" but if you want to find out more I have found these sites to give you a taste for more.

http://dneese.blogspot.com/

http://www.roguecosie.com/

http://www.knittaplease.com

Flat out like a lizard drinking

2009-09-15T13:13:00.000+10:00

Hi, my name is Sel and I have finally got round to starting my blog for RED LIZZI.
One reason for my renewed enthusiasm is I have my new logo! Check it out, I love it! A big thank you to Sandra, from idezine for her fabulous ideas and professional skills - Sandra is a Graphic Designer based in the Blue Mountains and you can check her portfolio of eye-catching designs at www.idezine.net.au/
If you are ever in need of a graphic design service I can highly recommend idezine!