gingerbread house

For the last five or six years (I can't remember) I've made a gingerbread house with my friends two daughters to take to their family Christmas do.  In the early years I gave them help with the icing and sticking on the lollies.  Now I bake the house and 'glue' it together and leave them to it, this year they wanted to cover it in lollies.

They do a side each and take turns doing the front and back each year.  The weight of the icing and lollies have given the house a bit of a lean this year but fingers crossed it will stay together until Christmas day.

It's such a fun project for everyone, I stick with the same design as it works for me but would like to branch out one year.  I always love seeing what the White House comes up with each year, maybe a bit too grand for me but it's amazing what can be made out of gingerbread.

a bit of christmas

In the last week I've 'made' two Christmas trees.  As my flat is quite small I had to make something suitable so I've gone with some decorated sticks in a vase.  My niece was very worried that I couldn't afford a proper tree.

I made a tree out of books at work, it's a tad wonky.

And I made my first Christmas pudding in a cloth, it was time I learnt the family recipe.  This pudding is the spare to go into the freezer.  Looks a bit revolting but I'm sure it will taste good.

no gift tags

I tried a Christmas decoration instead, it's not really appropriate for an Australian Christmas so maybe I'll finish it and send it to my Nordic friends.

stitching

After reading about the book launch for 'Stitched Gifts' by Jessica Marquez on the Purl bee I felt inspired to try a bit of stitching.  So of course I bought the book.

By the way, the book is lying on a gorgeous quilt made for me by a friend.  I know it's Amy Butler fabric and I think the range is daisy chain, but I can't be sure about that.

Back to stitching, I think I'll attempt something easy to start with.  I really like these gift tags.

a tiny bit of sewing and gardening

Another week has passed with lots of thinking about doing things but not actually getting anything done.  But I did have a couple of lovely days in Sydney visiting a friend and her new, very sweet baby. 

I made another Nicole Mallalieu bag, the pattern is 'Hobo' - love that name.   This bag is for a friend because I was sick of the one she was using (another bag I made).  I really do have a problem with polka dots, I love them.  I lined it with some red poplin, the photo didn't turn out too well of that. 

And there was a small harvest from my garden, a crop of turnips.  Not so sure what I'll be making with them, someone suggested Cornish pasties.  Yum.

still no crafting

It has been one of those weekends of going out at 8 each day and getting home late, I've now got a spare hour to do some things before heading out to my allotment when it's a bit cooler.  My weekend started with a bit of junk shopping, I love it and have to remember I can't fit everything in my tiny flat.  I picked up a few things from a fete, a metal filing cabinet thingy, a couple of pottery canisters (I love the colour), two cake plates which remind me of crockery from my childhood and a sticky tape holder - I've been meaning to buy one for ages.

A friend and I went in the Tour de Femme this morning, it's a 20km ride in the inner south of Canberra.  Not be pro riders we weren't racing but in it as a 'participation event' - so the Canberra Cycling Cub calls us leisure riders.  The weather was glorious and it was loads of fun.

And I did some more shopping.  I saw a cushion ages ago at The Style Emporium and wanted it but thought I shouldn't buy it and didn't really need it.  I was out that way this afternoon so thought I'd pop in on the off chance it was still there... success!  It's made by La cerise sur le gateau (can't work out how to do the thingy above the 'a'), it's obviously French and I think the fabric is Liberty.

my first snow peas

It has been a quiet week on the crafting front, hopefully this weekend will produce something.  However, I discovered this morning that I have grown my first snow peas!

As well as my allotment at the community garden I'm growing a few things on my balcony.  The snow pea success is especially exciting because I love them so much I could eat them every day.  Happy Saturday.

more spots

My mother asked me to make a little baby gift for her neighbour.  I've made this elephant a few times, it's adapted from an applique pattern I saw somewhere.  The hardest part is stuffing it, I like it to be quite hard but it seems to take forever and so much stuffing for that to happen.  To make it as colourful as possible I use different fabric and felt on each side. 

sewing clothes

I have never been good at sewing clothes for myself, I tend to not follow a pattern properly, not buy enough fabric, don't iron as I sew and force fabric where it shouldn't be forced.  I haven't attempted sewing myself anything for years until today.  Inspired by top notch and some Salme patterns Kirsty had tried I thought I'd give it a go myself.  I bought the Kimono Top pattern and some cheap polka dot fabric to make it up and see if my sewing had improved.

The photo is less than flattering but I'm quite pleased with how the top turned out, all the pieces seemed to fit!  It needs a bit of tweaking at the side to give it a little more shape and less of a front verandah look for me, I think some softer fabric would help that.  The pattern was easy to follow, it was a beginner pattern and only had about four pieces.  I think my attempt was a tiny sewing success.

zippered purse

I seem to have a problem with zippered purses, I can't get enough of them.  I don't even use them all but I keep buying them.  The latest one is from bookhou, I love hand printed designs on natural fabrics.

a bit of crafting and cooking

My grand plans of making things this weekend were pushed aside for the gorgeous weather, lots of bike riding and gardening was done instead.  This afternoon I happened upon a Pippijoe pattern I'd bought years ago and it looked easy so I gave it a go.

It's a 'Sling Bag' and as I thought was easy to whip up in an hour.  My only disappointment was the size, it will be perfect for my friend's 10 year old daughter.  I also missed the bit in the pattern which said to lengthen the straps....  The fabric I used is more from the Tokyo stash, including the lining.  Unfortunately my photography doesn't do it justice.

The little bit of cooking I did were some meat pies for my dad, he absolutely loves them but they seem to take hours and hours to make so I don't do them very often.

spotty brooch

I didn't get much crafting done today, just a little spotty brooch.  It was easy peasy, it's a self covering button I covered with more Tokyo fabric and super glued on a brooch back.

my allotment

In April this year I was lucky to get an allotment at a community garden, I'd been on the waiting list for 18 months and was told there were 17 people after me.  My allotment is for the 'beginner', it's the smallest in the garden at 25sq metres.  I was a bit disheartened when I was shown my garden as it was a big patch of weeds (that's my dad in the photo).

After much weeding it started to take shape and look like a veggie patch.

I've started to put a brick edging around the garden (it's still a bit wonky) and I've planted rhubarb, turnips, brussel sprouts, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, snow peas, spring onions, jostaberries and raspberries. 

I'm loving the allotment, everything is growing, touch wood.  I'm finding the weeding ridiculous, I have to spend at least two hours at it every time I'm there.  It'll all be worth it when I can eat what I've grown.

remember walk carefully

 

I saw this sign in the car park at the High Court today, it made me feel like I was back in Tokyo for a minute.

I've just submitted my last assignment for the year, just hope I pass now...  Very excited, I might have a glass of wine to celebrate now.  I can get back to doing things I enjoy now, a few crafty plans I have are to make some brooches, attempt a summer dress, finish my enormous granny square which will go in the cupboard for next winter and start thinking about gifts I can make for Christmas. 

one down

And one assignment to go, at least the worst one is done.  This weekend I've had some well earned crafting time and made a few purses.  Two purses are more Nicole Mallalieu patterns, as I've said before I love her patterns for their clear instructions.  The first is a biggish coin purse with box corners made with some fabric I bought in Tokyo earlier this year, I lined it with some yukata fabric I also bought in Tokyo.  The yukata fabric is great, it's cheapish and comes in 30cm rolls of about 10 metres. 

Next is a tiny coin purse I made for a friends birthday, I'm going to put some Acorn & Will earrings in it.  It's the first time I've made this pattern and my fabric choice wasn't the best, it's a bit bulky for this tiny purse.  Can't remember where I got this fabric but I know it's hand printed and I'm down to the scraps so a tiny project is perfect.

Lastly is an easy drawstring bag for my new Fuji Instax camera (which I'm loving).  Also made with some of my Tokyo fabric stash, some polka dot ready quilted fabric.  I thought the camera bag needed a bit of padding and why go to that effort if the fabric is ready quilted.

Better get back to that last assignment now...

procrastination

I finish Uni for the year on 19 October and have two assignments to do before then.  In my panicked state I'm doing anything but the assignments, crafting (my giant granny square is growing quickly), cooking and eating are favourite distractions.  I made this Italian Jam Tart and it is delicious.

I can't find a link to the recipe I used but it was in the Sunday Canberra Times of 16 September.  I'm not sure what makes it Italian either. 

subversive cross stitch

My friend in Sweden made me this, makes me smile every time I look at it.

call me nanna

One of my memories of my Nanna was she seemed to be always knitting coat hanger covers, they were the same pattern but in different colours.  Sometimes they had the plastic tubing to cover the metal hook, sometimes they didn't.  I only have one of Nanna's coat hangers in my cupboard now.



At Christmas last year I decided I'd make some of my own coat hangers but would crochet them as I'm not a knitter.  My friends called me Nanna but didn't say no when I handed them out, everyone is a secret padded coat hanger lover.  I finished a few more tonight and I'm keeping them.

public art

My favourite piece of public art in Canberra is 'Owl' and happily for me it lives in 2617.  It was made by Melbourne artist Bruce Armstrong, is eight metres high and sits proudly at the entrance to Belconnen town centre on Benjamin Way.

At night time a light shines on it and it's eyes sparkle, they look like they have gold painted around them.  I love the owl.

granny square update

My blanket is growing, could be because I have an assignment due.  I turn to craft when I'm procrastinating.  I love how the blanket is looking and the yarn is so nice to work with.

clasp purse

Last night I made a clasp purse using a Nicole Mallalieu pattern, I've been to Melbourne to do a couple of Nicole's classes and they are fantastic.  I learnt more in those classes than in any I've done and I'm a serial class/course attender. 

I used my last piece of Ink & Spindle Birch Forest in Deep Red, I love this fabric.  I lined it with natural coloured linen, I took a photo but it didn't turn out so I won't be sharing that. 

a little birdie

Look what I found in the post today, a friend in London made it for me.  I'm loving how it looks on my mustard cardi.

woolly gift

A friend emailed to ask if I'd like some wool she was going to get rid of, how could I say no?  This friend has excellent taste in wool and I was looking forward to her scraps.  She turned up with a garbage bag full of skeins!  The most beautiful merino, silk and cashmere mixes I've ever seen.

 

The first project is a crochet blanket, I usually make them for gifts but this time it's going to be for me.  I'm using Madelinetosh hand dyed yarns and the blanket is going to be an enormous granny square, well big enough to fit on my bed.  I've made a start...