snap

I'm so excited. I stumbled onto a new creative blog and found myself absolutely and thoroughly entertained (yes I'm smitten). I wanted to share with you these incredibly adorable softies. Oh baby, it was love at first sight for me.

Anyway, what makes it really, really cool is that the author is from Adelaide (like me) and her name is Fiona (like me). SNAP!

Please drop over and check out her HOP SKIP JUMP blog. Fiona is a mum of 2 children (like me) with a boy and a girl (like me). She is a graphic designer (I'm an Interior Designer), a part-time toy maker (like me) and a lover of fabric (OK this is getting ridiculous now).

I think we must have been separated at birth. Spooky!

hello fabrics

Yippee!! I finally unpacked my fabrics. If you're reading this blog then it's highly possible you may also understand the joy of beautiful textiles. It's not something my husband "gets" and well, the kids are too young (but don't worry... they will be brainwashed to appreciate the art).

I feel like a kid in a lolly shop every time I walk into my workroom. Don't they look gorgeous all neatly stacked in their colour families. Oooohhh.... I could eat them!

contemplating beanbags on australia day

G'day mate.

It's Australia Day today and a hot 39 degrees. Glad we had our family BBQ yesterday when it was a little more pleasant.

Ruby has 5 ideas. Shall we go to the pool? Go to the beach? Go to the shops and buy some lollies (mmm... I could be convinced)? Go to the playground? Stay home? So after a family meeting, we've decided to go with the last option. The others are being left open for discussion later in the day when it cools down.

There is a Wiggles marathon on TV so that's keeping the little guy happy. Any Mum has just got to love the Wiggles..... oh yeah and they're Aussies!

One of my 2009 projects is to make the kids some beanbags. I've picked out these fabrics - all bright and cheery, some vintage, some new.

The plan is to panel them randomly into a big shabby patchwork. I've been searching for a beanbag tutorial to work from - this is the one I'm learning towards. I like the look of the finished product and the directions seem quite clear. I'd love it if you could point me in the direction of any other beanbag tutorials you may know of.

Cheers.

simple life please

It is great to wake up in the morning and have nothing planned for the day. I'm so not an organised person (yep any of my friends or family can vouch for that) but that's OK as I'm happy that way. The thought of having my days scheduled with the same routine week to week makes me feel twitchy.

Yesterday morning (Friday) Ruby came into our bedroom still half asleep (you know the get up before wake up thing kids do) and before she was able to open her eyes without squinting she says "Mummy, what are we going to do today?". Bless her! Dean replies with a little envy,"I wish I could ponder that every morning".

So, it seems to me that it's these days where there are no plans that often turn out to be the memorable ones. Yesterday was no exception. Please don't get excited. It was a very ordinary day - no outings, no visitors, no special treats, just me and the kids at home.

We cleaned out our old farm shed and found a few treasures left by previous owners of our house. Next week the shed is being demolished to make way for a more family friendly backyard.

Admiring a couple of our treasures.

Another of our finds. "What's this thing Mum???" Mmmmm.... am I giving away my age to say that I remember owning and using one of these??

We found an old rope. What were we to do but tie each other up and play prisoners!

We made yummy banana & raspberry smoothies and slurped them through straws.

I spent the afternoon sporting the latest trend in button necklaces, custom designed and manufactured for Mum by 3.5 year old Ruby




We ate fish and chips for dinner out on the balcony and had lots of fun with Dad when he came home from work.

It's days like this I learn from my kids.

Have fun.

Don't take things too seriously.

Happiness is contagious.

Laugh a lot.

Be imaginative.

Appreciate what you have.

Simple is good.

Thankyou Ruby and Sachin. I love you. xxx

swirly icecream hats

I know I know....2 posts in one day. If I don't pop this one in now I know I'll forget tomorrow.

While stopping by to read a little Madeline & Levi, AKA My Boy & Me I stumbled on these quirky felt hats designed by Amy, one half of the brains behind Baby Rocks Mohawks. You can find them in her Swirly Hats Etsy shop here for US$25 each.

Do you think Mums could wear them too???

frog cakes

Coming home to South Australia has been a rewarding experience for the whole family. For me, I love reminiscing about my childhood and seeing my kids enjoy the things I remember so fondly.


Let me introduce you to our Frog Cake.




It is made by a local bakery, Balfours, and was first created in the 1920s when tearooms were popular. It's made of a sponge cake square coated in jam (the frog's body) topped with cream (the frog's head) and finished with a sticky fondant icing. The original frog cake was green, but is now also available in pink and brown.


It really is an Adelaide icon. Check out the Facebook fan club here, especially the frog wedding cakes!


Yesterday Ruby tackled her first Frog Cake. First of many I suspect.

the runcible spoon

Runcible spoon.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A runcible spoon is a utensil that appears in nonsense poetry, which also uses the adjective "runcible" to describe objects other than spoons. It is fundamentally a nonsense word.

Edward Lear's best-known poem, The Owl and the Pussycat, published in 1871, includes the passage:

"They dined on mince and slices of quince,
which they ate with a runcible spoon."

Modern dictionaries have generally defined a runcible spoon to be a fork with three broad curved prongs and a sharpened edge, used with pickles or hors d'oeuvres, such as a pickle fork. It is occasionally used as a synonym for spork.

oops, upside down

So I'm over the renovations & moving (well not over as in completed, but over as in had enough) and say hello again to my Bernina - that's if I can find her! I have a swag of new designs and ideas swimming around in my head and can't wait to get started. Only one wee problem - the state of my work room (or should I say junk/storage room).

There really is no way one can be productive and creative in a space so full of clutter and mess, so today is going to be a day of sorting.

I'm making this Hammer & Spanner set for my Sister-In-Law's new little baby boy! Very cute, but a perfect example of the standard that comes out of a chaotic workroom..... things come out upside down. Oh well, nothing a little unpicking and re-sewing can't fix. Good one Fiona!

we're getting there!!

Do I have some tales to tell! However tonight is not the time - this I have learned from my break away. The old Fiona would have sat here into the wee hours telling you stories. The new Fiona will be more disciplined and realise the importance of sleep (won't she Fiona?....yes OK OK).

One thing goes without saying.

I'm in love with my new kitchen.

Not yet finished, but we're getting there.

I'll be back soon.....

Happy New Year to you all and thanks for stopping by in my absense!