Instructions for Crochet Wrap Vest

I have received permission from Leonie to post my version of her wrap vest.

I hope this makes sense, please ask if it doesn't.

Size 4mm (No 8) crochet hook.

6 balls of Soft Carnival 8ply

Finished, laid out flat, wrap 25.5" (65.5cms) wide x 35" long (89.5cms)

Make 94 chain, turn, skip 2 chain (these are part of your new row*) and start your dc's in the third chain. Continue with your rows until work measures 12" (31cms).

Armhole* - dc 30, chain 32, dc 30. Continue your rows until this section measures 15.5"(40cms).

Do another armhole as above and continue work until this last section measures 7.5" (19.5cms).

Tie in all ends.

*When I finish a row, at my last dc I do 2 x chain then turn. The 2 x chain become the beginning of the next row. I am not sure that this is correct, but it works for me and keeps my edging lovely and straight.

*My armhole is 8". The armhole sits exactly in the middle of the length of the work. To do this, I folded my work lengthways and then measured 4" from the middle fold. I then counted my dc out and that gave me the count I have put in as above. As for my length I measured the same way as Leonie did and added 4" to allow for my large collar.

You will also notice that one front panel is wider than the other. I wanted to get a slightly off-centre look for my wrap as the collar is angled as well and I wanted to compliment this. In the rectangle above you can see where my button brooch is pinned on the larger front panel. I left this here to show you how far down it is. Have a look at my previous post to see the vest being worn.

If you make this wrap vest, please let me know how it turns out as I would love to see and also let Leonie know as well and say thank you to her for sharing this lovely, cosy pattern.

You know you want to make one, so go, get your yarn and your hook and get started, you will be finished in 3 nights time if you begin now, just in time for snuggling over the weekend and showing off your fabulous fashion to all those envious soccer mums on Saturday morning while they shiver and shake and admire your wrap vest.

Crochet Wrap Vest

Introducing Moss, she is going to keep me warm all day today. What a perfect day for her too, with the extra low temps.

Gotta run, will be back here later today/tonight.

Hope you find something snuggly warm to wrap yourself in today - tell me what is your favourite wrap, jumper, scarf or woolly warmth for such a wintery day?

Wrap Vest

I am so excited to share this completed wrap vest with you. I love it, I totally love it. I do apologise for the dark photos, however I could not wait til daylight to share this.

I will take photos tomorrow when I wear it. I am currently in my jammies, *giggle* and well you know, the colours so totally don't match. Besides, I just couldn't submit you to photos of me in my snuggly jammies.

You will notice compared to here, here, and here, my collar is, well, rather large. I did plan for this in my casting on as I really feel the cold across the back of my shoulders and my neck. This turned out just perfect for me. Also I have constructed my front panels a little differently to those linked above. The overlapping top panel is quite wide and pretty much reaches across my body to almost the opposite sleeve opening. The panel below it, comes almost to the middle of my chest. I have a largish bust for my frame, so didn't want too much emphasis 'there'. I also like the slightly off-centre diagonal look as well.

Oh, you like my button?? Yes?? I thought you would, and you can get yourself this button and many more if you visit my new friend Rosie. She is into some sewing at the moment, but drop her a line and I am sure she will share her beautiful buttons with you too.

Oh tomorrow, tomorrow, I can't wait for tomorrow, so I can wear my new wrap vest. (Sorry Annie, I so love that song, but I just had to tweak it a tad for my new wrap vest joy)

Another project down and many more to hook on. Oh and by the way, I am going to make another of these vests, but first, leg warmers, beanies, and fingerless gloves for me. Yes, truly, I did say leg warmers.

Tomorrow I will post pics of my wrap vest, and with permission from the very talented Leonie, will ask her permission if I may share my version of her very simple, but WOW wrap vest.

Did you manage to finish a project recently and how much do you love it? Was it a gift for you, or for someone you heart dearly?

What's On Your Table - Tuesday.

There is not alot on my table this Tuesday. Actually other than this little treat I spoilt myself with just now, there is nothing on my table at all this Tuesday. I haven't been home until now, and just sat down to eat this, when I realised 'It's table Tuesday - what's on yours!'

I cannot share the recipe for this cake, its an orange cake with orange, coconut icing. What I can share with you, is the fact that it's very quick to make and tastes yummy, but I suppose that doesn't really help you at your place much at all.

I am a little sad today, we farewell a little family as they move on to a new home and a new town. I had coffee with the mum and other friends this morning before my meeting, and I am really quite going to miss her. Her children attend school with my children, and although we know, we will still always be in touch, it's not the everyday miniscule things we will share, which usually end up being the little things that give us a giggle for our day or make us feel we are doing ok or it's not just my children that are going through that 'stage'.

We wish her and her little family all the love and joy they so rightly deserve, and send with them a little bit of our hearts as they travel the road south to their new home.

On that note, I am outta here, I have an idea.

I always believe when one door closes, then it opens another, yes, the door to my little itty bitty brain has just *pinged* like the oven timer - open.

*giggle*, so what is on your table this Tuesday.

Itty Bitty Pancakes

I am unable to share the recipe for these pancakes, sorry about that, however, if you google it, you will find many varieties to suit your preferences. I don't even know where I got my recipe from, we have had it so long.

What I can share with you is what my little monkeys just love, love, love for afternoon tea after a busy day at school.

Today we had 3 itty bitty pancakes (you can do pikelets, they are lighter than the pancake mixture) with fresh strawberries on top and drizzled with maple syrup. ohhhhh yummy, oh and not the fake maple syrup either, the really good, gooey REAL maple syrup. I know, it's a little more $$ than the 'pretend' stuff, but oh so much more worth it to savour the real thing.

Sweetness to you.

Back For More - Pasta

500g fettuccine pasta

8 pieces of shortcut bacon, cut into long strips

4 to 6 cloves of garlic, chopped very finely

500g button mushrooms, chopped

300ml thickened cream

*cracked black pepper

parmesean cheese to serve

Cook pasta as per packet instructions.

In a pan, heat a small amount of oil, cook bacon and garlic until browned, add mushrooms and cook til tender but not soft.

Drop heat to medium, pour in cream, stirring until thickens and all ingredients coated.

Turn heat off, add in batches the fettuccine coating each time until all added and coated.

*optional - add cracked black pepper (my children don't like the pepper so I add to my portion when I serve each plate)

Top with parmesean cheese and gobble up - oh and watch out, they WILL go back for seconds, I can never get 2 nights out of this meal, but it's well worth it.

You can add more bacon, more mushies if you like, that's the beauty of your own recipe, make to suit your tastes.

Enjoy!!

Australia Has A New Prime Minister - It's A Girl!

Ok, so what do you do when you leave your crochet hook, yarn and crochet flowers in the car (from collecting school children and getting a few dc's done in the few minutes between arriving at school and the bell), the whole soccer training rush, then home again, and hubbie takes that car to his own soccer game, and you sit down to watch the 7pm ABC news, which you NEVER get time to sit down to watch, but today you DO make time to watch it, because you want to witness this historic day in Australian Politics, and realise that it actually is true and has happened, and see where our new leader plans to take us, and your hands are empty - uh-oh, you have left your current crochet project in the car ! ! ! !

Well, what do you do?? I will tell you what you do, you get another hook and yarn and you start a new project is what you do. Well that is what I do, cause I can't just sit in front of tv, with my hands not moving, however, I felt it was too important a bulletin to be washing up in the kitchen with my head crinked over my left shoulder to 'squizz' bits of the news either.

I then even indulged myself to continue to sit in front of the tv to then watch the 7.30 report.

Below is the result of the last hour.

Canberra isn't the only place that has been busy today.

Mine is going to hopefully look like this when finished, and if you prefer a knitted version, you can make one like this, but wait, there is more, if you prefer the fabric version, here is the place you need to be.

I am using an 8 ply yarn, and 4mm hook. I cast on 94 chain which measured 57.5cms long (22.5 inches).

I would like to say thank you to Michelle, Leonie and Kirsty for their patterns, and sharing on their blogs to the rest of the community.

As for what's happening in Canberra, I will leave that to those that know what they are talking about.

My Creative Space

I have joined in with Kirsty from kootoyoo with her 'creative space Thursday'. It's a lovely way to see where I am each week with what I am making and watching it grow to completion. I also love checking out what other talented crafters are doing out there too. So very inspiring.

This is my only current crochet project at the moment. *giggle* yes, surprise, surprise, normally there is more than one hook wrapped in a part treble. Not this week, it's been a busy week, but more about that later.

I could not decide which photo to use for my post today, so I thought I would share them all. I can do that, yes. . . . I can. The first pic you can see the granny squares that I shared in a previous post, I have used up all the yarn and ended up with enough to make a knee rug. (Unfortunately my ideas for my vencho or ponst did not work at all.) I then edged it in a plain neutral colour. The little flowers are going to go on the knee rug, cause I like flowers, and I am going to attempt a picot edge around the knee rug in the same yarn as the flowers to finish it off. I have only 7 flowers at the moment, but they are so quick and easy to do, I take them in the car to wait for the school bell each afternoon and so should have a few more done before the end of the week. Go here for this beautiful little flower. Thanks so much Marte for this lovely pattern. The only thing I do differently is I crochet 19 dc in the ring, instead of 20. This makes my flower petals on the next round evenly spaced, as I ended up with a gap as I come back to the first petal. I would like to make a necklace of these flowers, I really think they would make a lovely spring 'scarf'.

Thanks for checking out my creative space this Thursday, and I would love to know what you are making or in the middle of this week.

Keep Smilin' everyone will wonder just what you have been up to. *giggle*

Look What I Found Today.

Click HERE to read and do more.

What an awesome website.

The following is cut and paste from 'Get Informed' 5 Principles. I cut and paste it simply because I can't improve on what is written here.

Pass this info on, less is more, WE can make a difference, 1 shopping trolley item at a time, it's just that simple.

If you have a website that you would like to share, put it in the comments and I will do a whole list of them. The ball is rolling, I can feel it.

Thank you.

1. Avoid unnecessary consumption. Ask, 'Do I need it?'

Where possible, avoid unnecessary consumption. About 80% of all saleable products end up as waste, on average, within just 6 months. How we buy will influence directly what we buy so it is important to think about the way we spend money. Is the purchase based on need, importance, urgency, or impulse? Do I really need this? How much is enough? Can it be borrowed? Or sourced from a retailer with environmental credentials?

Make a preferred shopping list and keep to it. By planning ahead and anticipating the goods and services we will need - rather than making impulse buys - we give ourselves more time to find the most socially and environmentally responsible alternatives.

2. Remember, every purchase makes an impact, your choice makes a difference!

You make a difference. To shop with a conscience is to start to see the connections we have with the environment around us. Whatever the product, it will have or has had, some impact on the environment somewhere. However with each conscious choice we can minimise this impact.

Often you can feel that your small purchase doesn't really matter, you are 1 person amongst a world of 6 billion. In fact, it is because each small purchase does have an impact and there are 6 billion people that it adds up to one big difference. It is actually because each of our purchases do count, that we are in the environmental crisis of today.

3. 'What is the Real cost? Learn about the issues, see the connections, take on one issue at a time'.

Learn about the issues.
What are the issues or aspects of sustainability that relate to this particular product? See the chart as an example of some issues related to products in the supermarket.

Take on one issue at a time.
It's easy to be overwhelmed with the complexities of issues and the lack of adequate information. Remember that each positive choice makes a positive difference. By thinking about the issues and making abest choice you are taking responsibility for the impact of your purchase. This week start with one item, say milk, and find out the issues and best alternatives. It only takes 20 days to change a habit.

What is the real cost?
For most people, most of the time, 'cost ' and 'convenience' are the main reasons we buy what we do. These aren't bad reasons, but don't reflect the true cost to the environment and people of the things we purchase. It's worth asking, "how much extra am I prepared to pay today to minimise my impact?" Will it be 5%, 10% or more? Keep in mind too that each dollar spent on more sustainable products and services increases the demand for them.

4. Seek out the Best Buy according to what you value and the options available

There are no right or wrong purchasing decisions. Rather it depends on 'what you value' as to those you will find are most important. Mostly it is not possible to find a product that meets all the criteria that we could choose, so it's important to prioritise our values. You might decide to buy local over organic, or choose to buy with minimal packaging over local.

Often cost and convenience, taste and appearance are primary motivators for purchasing choices. However in reality most people value things that are much more fundamental. When asked to trade off the natural beauty and biodiversity of our forests for toilet paper, or clean air for that extra car trip, it's not a simple choice. However we often don't see the connections and are overwhelmed or paralysed by the complexities.

In finding a better choice you will need to consider what you value, but also what products are available from among the options on hand. Also it's no good choosing choosing an item with all the right "ethical" or "environmental" criteria if its not available at the particular store you are buying from. It's also important to make sure it will do the do the job you need it for.

5. Make lasting change – celebrate good choices, make them into good habits, give feedback

Celebrate good choices. Each good choice makes a world of difference. You are taking responsibility for the impact of your purchase.

Create good habits. It's looks like a huge task to change your shopping patterns, but once you've found a best buy, remember it and move onto the next product type on your list or issue to address. It only takes 20 days to change a habit, so take on one issue at a time.

Give feedback. Let those companies know, via letter or email, of the choices you have made. Real change can only come with communication and encouragement. You are not only supporting and encouraging sustainable practice, but also you are exercising your consumer power.

Share your discoveries. Change starts with you but it doesn't end there. Perhaps you can encourage those around you to review their approach to shopping?

What's On Your Table - Tuesday.

Not an iron that's for sure.

The slack chic didn't iron her tablecloth AGAIN!! On the up side of that, I am saving electricity, which is good for the environment. This cloth come from my hubbies Pops place. It's very summery, and has a lovely two-tone blue swirl all around the edge. I nearly didn't take it when hubbie's Mum asked me if I wanted it, but I am so glad I did. I could really see this in a wrap skirt with a little blue gathered hem and blue wrap ties.

(I can see everything being made into a wrap skirt lately)

Ok onto today's table. I have study books to the top left, yes, getting some done today woo hoo, (it's about time girlie - says the voice in my head). Then right in front of me, I have the NSW Foundation Font which I found last night, downloaded and also found the trace version which I have printed out for my little fellow. I tried finding the font so that I can share it here for those that would like it, however, can't find it. Grrrr, but if you would like it, please let me know, and I will see if I can locate it.

I am not sure if it's because I am left-handed, but my boys struggled with letter formation, I actually think that my eldest SHOULD be left-handed. I am about to put little arrows at the beginning of each letter to show direction and rule more lines. This set is for my youngest.

I have a cup of rosehip tea and my homemade banana cake for sustenance. The rosehip tea is divine, smells very pretty and looks very pink. It is in a cup that my youngest bought for me from the Mothers Day stall at preschool last year, there were choccies inside it (yes, THAT's the reason he chose that gift, aahhhh, my darling boy.) The plate it rests on I have had for years, bought at a garage sale, I got 2 of them they are made in England and have the stamp on the back of them. I have no idea how 'valuable' they are, I just know they are pretty and the perfect size for a piece of cake and cuppa.

So what is on your table this Tuesday?

It could be your coffee table, your side table, your studio table.

Is It Too Much??

What do you think of my make-over? Lol, it's rather quite 70's I think.

I had a play tonight with the new design tab. So pretty and very easy for even me to click and play with.

Have I gone too far, perhaps I will see this tomorrow and freak myself out.

I would love to know what you think. Is this easy to read, or is it time to move on from the big hair, flares and disco lights?

Please be honest.

Snuggles

Meet Snuggles.

Snuggles is my friend from next door.

When I am at the clothes line, Snuggles jumps the fence to say hello.

I love Snuggles.

Our neighbour told me that she knows when I am at the clothes line, if Snuggles is inside, whether sleeping or not, he bolts up from where he was, and bounds out the door.

I loved when my neighbour told me that. I don't even feed Snuggles, it's just pure simple hello and a chat, oh and a cuddle, and a scratch behind the ears, but you know, I think Snuggles knows how much I love him.

I have never taken photos of Snuggles before, but this day, was a lovely day. Washing just freshly hung on the line, Snuggles jumps the fence to say hi, and instead of me just having a quick pat and chat, this day, I put the washing basket down, sat myself on the grass, and we had a wonderful conversation lazing in the sun. When I got up to go, he looked at me like he had more to say, so I sat down again. We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us lazing in the sun, soaking up the warmth, feeling the cool of the winter air stirring through the garden. I got up again, to get the camera, I just so wanted to capture our few moments together.

Thank you dear Snuggles for my lovely piece of today.

Less Really is More.

Before I become a Mum, I never much really thought about the environment, where 'stuff' come from, how it was made and who (human and animal) or what was being harmed in the process of my 'love it, gotta buy it' attitude. Nor did I much concern myself with those less fortunate than I.

Sure I donated money to the Salvo's, bought raffle tickets for various charity groups, attended grand charity balls, (you know the kind, organise a table of friends, go shopping for a new dress, bag and shoes to match, get your hair done professionally, we all book a room in the city for the night and make a huge weekend of it) gave blood, raised money for my World Vision 40 Hour Famine each year, knitted scarves for those less fortunate.

Now I am older and possibly a little wiser (!), I look back to my 'youth' and think how blind I was to all that surrounded me. My parents brought us all up to be responsible adults, to think for ourselves, to respect others no matter how they look or where they come from, no matter how much is in their bank account, or if they even have a bank account. To not judge others by the way they dress, or speak, and to help those that need our help. To think of those less fortunate than we are, to not waste food, to respect our belongings and those of others.

I would like to say thank you to my wonderful parents, you see, I am now 40 years old, and finally their messages through my life are being lived, I have made many mistakes and I have much learning ahead of me, each day is a new day, a new lesson to learn in everything I do, but the lessons are there, in my mind, I have that knowledge, I have that power to make things happen for the good.

Since having babies of my own, I am very aware of the future for my children, I want to make the world a better place, I know I am only 1 small human in the world, but I know that with my contribution to the future, then my children will have a chance at having a wonderful adult life to pass onto their own children, and hopefully when they are 40, they can realise that the messages we give to them now, will help them make the world a better place for their own families. Being 1 person, I can teach 2 children, then when they have children. . . . just like the pebble that skims the water and the ripples that spread from that one tiny action.

There has been much going through my very small head this weekend, quite a few things that happened last week have kept my little brain churning. I will try to not bore you with too much detail, however, . . . . . After having a meeting in regards to one of my children and their 'development' last week, I made a comment towards the end of our meeting that 'I felt less is more'. I was totally and absolutely supported by all sides and felt very much like the world had been lifted from my skinny shoulders. There is so much pressure on teachers, schools, and worst of all, the children to 'perform'. To tick those boxes, become the perfect 'C' student (Here in Australia a 'C' student is a perfect student. Means they are meeting all criteria set for them that is required of their year.)

I had a wonderful conversation with a Grandfather through our parent helper reading groups. He is retired now, but started out as a primary school teacher, then moved on to be a high school teacher and then lecturer at University. He has also worked with students (adults included) that needed the extra help with their work. He totally agreed with me that 'less is more', and the increasing pressures that are placed on children at younger, and younger ages.

One thing I got told by 3 total strangers last week and another couple we met over the weekend, was we should be very proud of our children, they are an absolute credit to us both as parents. The couple on the weekend I met at a party and they said our children were so happy and such good kids and they were pleased to hear 'please' and 'thank you' from them. To have those you know and love say it to you is equally important, they are part of your life, your days, your family, they are part of the community that your children belong, but to have total strangers say it to you, for no gain at all for themselves for saying it, makes me sort of blush. The most popular follow from their comment was, 'it's hard work bringing up a family, you never stop.' Too darn right, as a parent, it's 24/7, but we wouldn't change it for the world. My kids are my best lesson in life, they are the air that I breathe, they are the reason my heart is beating. I would do anything in my power to give them the absolute best of the best of the best to ensure they are cared for in every way. It's the scariest darn job in the world, you only get one crack at it, you gotta get it right.

Anyways, getting off track here, back to my 'less is more' theme, and giving my children the best of the best of the best, I want to make a difference for my family, I want to make a difference for the future. I want there to BE a future. In small steps, I am going to improve our standard of living.

When I put our bins out to be collected last week, I noticed that our 'landfill' bin was quite empty. I had honestly never thought about our bins, other than the days they go on the curb to be collected. Our greenwaste bin was, I guess, average, and our recycling bin was quite full.

I am going to concentrate on our landfill bin for now, I want to reduce it even more than I had last week. Less packaging, less crap. When I shop this week, instead of just looking at where the item is made and thinking of travel miles, labor, etc and looking at the preservatives and numbers in brackets, I am also going to look at the packaging that the item comes in. I know, that is going to make my grocery shop even longer, but I need to be 1 person that starts to make a difference. I know you are out there with me, you are nodding your heads, I am sure many of you have written about same. I want to join you, I want to be with you and tell everyone what I know too.

If you have your own blog, or know of a blog that you love to visit that believes less really is more, then can you please let me know of them. I will check them out, and put them on my blog so that we can get that ripple going. It can be anything from homemade soaps, through to recycling, cooking, living. I want to know about it.

Thank you for logging onto my blog, thank you for your thoughts. I never really started my blog with the thought that I would have such a wonderful community of people to share with. It was more of an online journal for my creative bits, but now it's so much more. I have learnt so much, and still I strive to learn more.

The Envelope Project

Here above are my 8 items for The Envelope Project.

Pattern for a lovely hat, beaded bookmark, sparkly purple organza ribbon, altered piece of jigsaw puzzle, pale pink crochet flower friendship ring, crochet rainbow coloured envelope and a little cloud (cause sometimes we need rain), and a little umbrella (sometimes we need a little shelter)

Pop over here → to join in.

Closeup of all the goodies, into the envelope.

Ready to be posted to Pip.

As for the vencho and ponst - *sigh* it's not happening, well it's not happening with this lot of granny squares in any case. It's not sitting just right, it's not looking good. Back to the original idea of the snuggle rug for me. That's ok though, because I had lots of fun, and I am still going, so promise to share when completed. All is not lost, that is the beauty of creating, step, by step, it comes together, whatever it ends up being.

Oh My Goodness, That Chic is wearing MY jacket, AND she is laughing at ME!!

Ellene Warren :: Kits :: Granny Takes a Trip Kit

Oh that's so NOT FAIR!! How I love this, how I totally love this jacket, it has Joycie written all over it in every single treble, chain and dc and picot/ruffle edge. Oh I NEED this jacket for the weekend.

I am currently sewing up a pile of granny squares that I have been putting together of which I now have 28 squares. (See photo below) Initially they were going to become a knee rug (bummer that I don't have more of this 'end of line yarn' to make it bigger) of which I was planning a contrasting coloured edge and flowers dotted randomly over the rug. Since I lay the little squares down tonight, I have since decided I want to make something that I can wear. Couldn't decide between a vest or a poncho. Poncho's I love, but a vest is more versatile and easy to wear in the classroom, especially at craft time.

After moving the pieces around and joining 6 of them together, I am now formulating the idea of either a ponst or a vencho. Pardon?? You have not heard of a vencho?? Surely you have, they are all the rage now darling. lol, ok, I will share - I made it up, yes, truly I made it up. I just played with the words, vest and poncho and come up with ponst and vencho.

Ok the difference between a ponst and vencho is this, a ponst has a 'V' shaped hem to it, ie, the granny squares are placed on the diamond, so you will have 4 V's around the base of your ponst, a 'v' in the sleeves over your shoulder. The neckline will then consist of the tops of your V's folding over as a sort of collar. As for the vencho, this is basically 2 x rectangles of about 9 granny squares, joined together with sleeve gaps left open for your arms to slide through. You could also make the vencho with a cardi style front opening using a toggle and plaiting or doing a length of chain to loop the toggle through to fasten, or leave open. Then again, your vencho could have a length of chain crochetted which you can weave in and out of your trebles to form a little belt at the waist to tie your vencho closed.

So I took a break from my sewing together to see if anyone else has done a vencho or ponst, or even just a crochet vest, and this here jacket (my jacket) is what I found. *sigh* back to my ponst for now.

Have you discovered any new wardrobe items at your place lately? Oh and p.s. I am totally stone cold sober, I promise, yes I am, this is me in my natural state.

I Like To Share.

Spotlight Australia have 20% off everything tomorrow, including sale items. Just thought I would share.

Upcycle

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - click here)

this is the upcycling symbol.

Last year I finished my term on the board at my children's preschool. I loved being on the committee, I loved fundraising, I loved learning about how a preschool works, and I so love the staff that worked so hard to make the preschool the wonderful little community body it is. When I finished up, myself and some of the other parents on the committee that were also leaving, were gifted some beautiful thank you presents from the staff. They were so totally wrapped with love and the above card is made from some of the wrapping and ribbon that adorned my beautiful present. I actually made 7 greeting cards from this beautiful floral shimmer paper. It was only a band around the gift, as the gift was wrapped in pure white glossy wrap and this band of floral went all the way around, as well as the lovely satin ribbon. (I would so love a wrap skirt in this pattern that I could wear with a lime green top.)

I just could NOT paper box this paper for the recycling bin, what a horrid thing to do to such pretty paper. So it went into my stash box, as I just knew it would be perfect for a card to send my love through the mail.

What have you upcycled lately, I would love to see.

What's On Your Table - Tuesday.

*mehh* I would rather be cooking. Nowhere near pretty or decorative or exciting this Tuesday after our long weekend. It's my cleaning house, and 'determined to get some study done' day. The cleaning house bit is fine, that's easy, methodical, ritual, every Tuesday job. I have done the bathrooms, washing on the line, kids to school, bolt home removed washing from line, (impending black clouds), strewn over backs of chairs to finish drying, another load out of machine, bolt up to shops to get groceries, back home and unpacked, washing still draped over chairs (so glad I come home and brought it in, we had a downpour), ugg, I have a dryer but I dislike using it.

So now the study bit. Yes, section 2, made sweeter with a cup of Camomile tea in one of my favourite mugs. I have a few fave mugs/tea cups, and I like to share the love by giving them all a turn. I don't even have any cake/slice to go with my cuppa today. Things are grim, that's for certain.

What is on your table this Tuesday?

Green, Blue and Brown. . . . and, Counting Down.

Above handwarmers - crochet by me with 2 x 8ply yarn in a beige and blue.

No shape at all. 28 chain x 16 rows of treble. Leave a gap for thumb when sewing up seam.

(Next pair I make will be circular with shaping)

I did not realise until just now, how awesomely those beautiful colours of nature go so well together. Until I loaded these photos and thought of my Title, I realised the colours in all of them are the same. I love my camera and often discover something new in the picture after I have taken it. A camera course is on my list of 'to do', but it doesn't stop me playing in the meantime.

Something else I learnt over the weekend, I cannot wait for the school holidays, well actually, it's not really something I learnt, the yearning is just stronger now. It's something that I spend each and every school term counting down to. I love the school holidays, I love the days spent with my boys, lazing at home, down to the park, beach walks, snuggled on the lounge. Just our days together, no agenda, no clocks, no school. The long weekend has been a tease for me, giving me just a little more, but now we ready ourselves for a new week, a short week (hooray), but still a new week. On the bright side, a new week closer to the holidays for us.

We went away in our little caravan, (secretly, it's more like a little dolls house on wheels for me - shhhh, don't tell my boys that!) days spent hanging out with friends, watching the kids play soccer, cricket, riding bikes, walking. There was no reading, and there were no beach walks this weekend, but there was plenty of everything else, including rain. There were so many kids to play with and I love this so much about going away in the caravan. It has a huge community feel about it, especially when you know most of the other families there, however, you can still chill out and be alone when needed as well.

oh and we even snuggled up together at 4am to watch our Socceroos get beat by the very talented Germany, 4-0. There was no way we weren't going to see it live.

I hope your long weekend was heartwarming.

My little fellow pulled out this puzzle tonight and put it together. I couldn't help but laugh, he had this when he was a bub and used to love it. Of course tonight, he put it together in a flash, but still had just as much fun. Every now and then he will get his 'baby' toys/games out and go over them. His hands look so big on the pieces.

You know, I was planning on using this puzzle to alter. Using the back, a puzzle piece for each letter of the boys names, alter them and put them on their bedroom walls. I still want to do that, however, might leave it a bit longer.

It's a long weekend here in NSW to celebrate the Queens birthday. Happy Birthday your Majesty. Here's cheers to you. (I think her real birthday is in May, so belated wishes from Australia)

Have a lovely long weekend to those that get it. Plans for me include, a weekend with my boys, watching some of this - Go Aussies!!, snuggling, eating, drinking, crochet, sleeping, possibly reading, crochet, snuggling, crochet, cooking, beach walking, snuggling and a little crochet.

What's on at your place this lovely weekend?

Brooch Me

Don't you just love, love, love getting packages in the mail - I certainly do, especially when they look like this.

Then you open the wrapper to discover this.

The photo above and below are the brooches that I ordered from Rosie at notions. They are so pretty and there are just so many to choose from. She is doing some printing on fabric at the moment as well, so you really, really, really should check out her fabulous craftiness.

I so adore all the little treasures she has gifted me with in the little package, and I am going to add them to my papercraft stash. I can see some pretty little cards being made from these lovely bits.

As for my new brooches, they are going live at my place, and I so look forward to wearing them, attached to scarves, my new beanies, on my jackets, maybe even on my bag. I can wear them together, or singly.

Thanks Rosie for your very talented brooch craftiness.

I love the awesomeness of Aussie talent !!