Ten random things...

...that have happened since my last post.

1: I went to the amazing Doily exhibition at Gleaners with Charlotte. Fun! Liz had set up the exhibition so beautifully and each item was exquisite. I was so happy to see my doll, Doilores, perched on a ladder right in the middle of the wall. If you get a chance to visit Gleaners in Ballarat St, Brunswick, you really should.  I  know you will love all of the fabulous hand made treasures that are on sale. I can't wait to go back for another look myself. I really fancied Liz's love heart earrings..and just about everything else there too! I saw the exhibition made it into the Herald Sun on the weekend, did you see it?

2: Sewing, sewing and more sewing. I'm still working away on getting my online store updated. Bear with me, life is sometimes (always) super busy round here. I hope to launch my new look shop with a giveaway later this week. Stay tuned!

3: A lovely friend and I took our girls to see Taylor Swift last week! Oh my! It was a fabulous show and we all had the best time ever.

The icy strawberry daquiri's for us grown ups went down a treat too. Oh boy, what a fun night!

4: I've have taken lots of photo's for the bunnies and bits that are going into my shop.

Beautiful Sunday has been helping me out.

She did an amazing job last night as she was SO tired after a sleepover party..yawn..

5: I managed to dangle the end of my dressing gown cord into the toilet. Not fun. Does that ever happen to you?

6: I wrote and sent off an application for a job! Exciting!

7: I set up the school footy tipping competition..we are going online this year so no more lost footy tip sheets, no more adding up of tips, and hopefully a fun competition!

8:  I made an All Together Cake (Frankie's Afternoon Tea)  and managed to drop it while transferring it from the rack to the plate. Uh oh. Still managed to salvage enough for school lunches today. It's a great recipe..here it is

Preheat oven to 180 C (160 for fan forced). Combine all ingredients in a bowl & beat for about 6 minutes. Grease cake tin, pour mixture in & bake for 40 minutes. How easy is that?
Ingredients: 1/4 cup of milk, 125g butter, 3/4 caster sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon plain flour, 1 cup S/R flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence.
Icing is 3 tablespoons of icing sugar and a blob of butter. Love this easy, peasy cake.

9: I've started on the speech I'm supposed to be giving for my dad's 75th birthday this weekend. This is some challenge, let me tell you. I'm going with the theme of Ten Things you Don't Know about Muzz. Could be interesting...

10: I ate gnocchi two nights in a row and over 100 k's apart. Friday night with Char at our fave restaurant, Woodstock in Nth Fitzroy and then on Saturday night with Mark at Darmagi in Hepburn Springs. Both freshly made, both delicious, both lovely dinner companions & both great places to eat! (Not sure I could have eaten gnocchi three nights in a row though..well..maybe..)

So there..phew. Lots going on. And now it's Monday and the start of a brand new week. What's happening with you this week? Any birthdays or fun things? Hope it's a beauty, see you soon xo

What's happening in my world

Lamingtons with homemade flags on Australia Day. Swedish ones too, to celebrate Mark & the children's Swedish heritage.

A trip to the Big Smoke. Macaroons, so many colours on display. A visit to Melbourne always includes a stop at Laurent in the Causeway Lane.

Coffee too and lots of chatting with my newly enrolled daughter! We also visited her new accommodation which looks great, yay!

True Grit followed by a crazy night at the Vic, not much sleep and a rather strange breakfast. 

Back home under a swirling sky,

to chocolate sponge cake,

red hot pokers,

a lone donut peach &

the cool shade of the quince tree.

 What's happening in your world? It's the last week of school holidays for us, school starts on Friday. What a long break it has been. I'm looking forward to getting back into some kind of routine, having some walks, decluttering after two months of cluttering, seeing friends for coffee and thinking about what comes next. Hope all is well with you lovely friends, see you soon xo

My Creative Space

My space is all about colour,

& texture this week.

And spots! I had fun with Charlotte on Tuesday night at Borders. She found some sweet lantern lights for her room & I picked up this book and pen for Official Dandelion Business.

I'm loving this colour card from the Australian Tapestry Workshop! They have so many colours to choose from and it's a good way for Mum & I to co-ordinate cardi's & fabric.

I'm also loving the greenness of the country side since all that rain, and the sparkly, shiny water in the dams. It's so amazing to see full dams full , and sometimes over flowing, after years of drought.

I love the colour of Sophie's cardigan, and the pretty roses on her skirt.

Last night we went to the school concert which was full of colour & life & creativity & fun! The kids had a ball, it was a great celebration too of our little school community. Lots of hustle & bustle afterwards supper, and lots of delicious food. Our cupcakes were snaffled up quickly, yum!

So that's my space this week sweeties, a little bit more colourful & a lot less wild and stormy than the weekend, thank goodness. I"m off to Kirsty's now for a peek, see you soon xo

My Creative Space

...is all about our Bill turning 8...! It's so lovely to be celebrating our boy today.

I'm thinking back eight years ago to the night he was born and remembering how happy and relieved I was when he was safely in my arms. The biggest baby with dreamy eyes and black sticking up hair. He was a quiet and happy baby who slept like clockwork and had the sweetest smile. And then when we moved to Daylesford when he was a little three year old with a big voice. He wore a pirate scarf for about six monts, day and night, and was obsessed with skulls and crossbones. Now he is into Lego, his DS, climbing, running, his mates (six of whom will be sleeping over on Saturday night...!), making things, having fun and mucking around. Later on today I'll be making sausage rolls with Rosie for a special birthday dinner followed by a good old homemade chocolate cake.

Bill getting a makeover

Bill's hair smells like hay, his sense of humour makes me laugh, his big smiles and big hugs always make my day. He's kind, he loves to read and he wants to be a builder. He's impatient (wonder where he gets that), impulsive (hmmm) and a great cuddler. He wanted a tool box for his birthday so that's what he got, and a lavender filled turtle of course.

In my creative space today I'm thinking about Bill and how he loves to make things. When he was in kinder he was keen on painting and would carefully cover the whole of the white page with paint. Like most kids he loves colour and isn't afraid to use it.

I love my girls and the things that girls like but I really love boys and boy things too.

I was talking to a friend recently about sons and we came to the conclusion that maybe we are close to our sons and relate to them well because in some ways we are like little boys ourselves. Maybe it's not so much a gender thing but more a love and appreciation of the innocence and freedom of children. That outdoorsy, climbing trees, running in the wind, laughing at silly things kind of thrill. That fresh & new, uncomplicated magic they carry with them, like stardust. I know I haven't ever really grown up so the child in me connects with the child and person that he is. Isn't this the beauty of having children in our lives?

Also in my creative space today is a bag full of offcuts from bunny/loveheart making. It's off soon to the childcare centre where it will be put to good use at the pasting table. I might keep a basket of it for Rosie. If you have these scraps yourself they are good to hang onto as kids love the different colours and shapes. I'm so happy to have orders for ten more bunnies so I'll be collecting lots more scraps along the way. Hope your day is tootling along well, for more creative spaces pop over here xo

Lavender, birthdays & random hugs

On Tuesday I popped out to the local lavender farm to catch up with some lovely friends for lunch and a bit of peace amongst all the end of year/pre Christmas craziness. It is such a nice place to visit & how fun is it to be with good friends and have a chat & a laugh? A little willy wagtail kept darting past and the resident doggie cuddled up on the bench next to Sam. It is so green and beautiful & there are photo opportunities aplenty!

Lovely Michelle

Phippala & Sam in the flowerbed

Lots of goodies in the shop

Other exciting events of the week have been, Billy's 7th birthday - yay!! He has recovered well from the dreaded chicken pops and enjoyed tucking in to his cake and pressies. The birthday preparations began in earnest earlier in the day with the girls making cards and presents for their brother.

"can I lick the bowl??!!".

I think he was pretty happy with the end result.

So, another busy week has flown by - Number Four finished up her school transition program and had a hoot of a day. Boy is she ready for school! The kids are enjoying all the Christmas hoo- hah. Charlotte put up The Tree yesterday and it's looking fabulous & festive.

Before I go I have to tell you a quick Happy Christmas story - yesterday I received a great big hug from a sweet lady who was pushing her mum in a wheelchair through the crowd at Big W. She stopped to let us through and as I smiled & thanked her she threw her arms around me and said "Merry Christmas & God Bless you darling". What a gorgeous woman she was and her mum was too. I could feel myself starting to cry (doesn't take much anyway) at the simple beauty of that random hug. Honestly, it's people like her who make Christmas what it should be - about love, kindness, togetherness and joy.

Off to the Big Smoke with L & S tomorrow, should be fun! Have a lovely, shiny, happy weekend, x