Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy Christmas!!

I'm going to sign off for a few days & wish you all a wonderful Christmas. I really wish you & yours joy, peace & love!!

baha! I love this photo, it expresses my Christmas sentiment!

(I've been searching the internet for the original source of this photo but I can't find it. I found it here, but as far as I can discover it's a gap ad from 2007). 

12 days of a camera christmas - day 12

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


twelve characters of the Christmas story

Evie loves her nativity scene, especially baby Jesus, I often find him tucked up in her bed, or attending a party with the wise men! At our place we believe that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth, so we're pretty excited about the whole thing. Evie's getting a real understanding of the story now, and is sooo in love with baby Jesus!

Friday, December 23, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 11

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


eleven freshly harvested tomatoes

There's nothing like the taste of tomatoes grown in your own garden! We've also been enjoying fresh strawberries, peas, cucumber & kale lately. I've been eyeing off our carrots & beetroot that are almost ripe for picking too! I love having a productive garden (mind you, it's alot of trial & error!).

I must also give credit to our chooks here for producing lovely big eggs (although we only get one egg a day from three chooks, it should be a big one!) We recently added three more chooks to our brood & they fight so much! They've been together for four days now & wake me each morning with their kerfuffle. I'm really hoping they settle in to be friends soon!


Thursday, December 22, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 10

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


ten treasured pieces of jewellery

I don't wear alot of jewellery, but the few pieces I do wear I love! Ok, they're a bit random, but so am I!

top row (L-R): my mums old necklace, Elk broach from a friend, another of my mum's old necklaces, broach my sister made
mid row (L-R): broach from an old lady at craft, Elk broach from my sisters, broach I made at craft group, badge (with Roger's initial) from a market
last row (L-R): Naomi Murrell necklace from my birthday last year, Tiffany & Co necklace from my bro-in-law

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 9

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


nine expectantly waiting presents

Evie & I have spent some lovely afternoons this week wrapping Christmas presents. She's gone crazy with her textas, stamps & glue to create some unique wrapping paper. I let her choose the ribbons from my collection (I save them from every present!) and I help with the finishing touches. I've loved spending this creative time with her.

I also love presents! I love giving & receiving. I would love to be the person that finds or makes the perfect give for each loved one, but I'm afraid that lack of motivation & laziness gets in the way! I read a cool quote somewhere on a blog the other day about needing less inspiration & more creation. It's so true, I'm constantly inspired by other blogs & Pinterest, but I really need to sit down & bring all these ideas into reality!


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 8

On the eighth day of christmas my true love gave to me...


eight tasty varieties of tea

I really love sitting down to a cuppa, it's got to be one of the most relaxing things, and goes so well with biscuits! I was given the above tea chest for my 30th this year, a perfect present!

Inside are some yummy varieties of tea: camomile, chai, peppermint, coffee bags (I know, not actually tea), white, green & jasmine, green & black.



12 days of a camera christmas - day 7

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


seven classic reads

I love reading & I've always been a big reader. I'm getting back in the habit of reading in bed at night, so lovely! There's nothing like being transported to another time, life or story!

Here's some of my faves that I have re-read countless times:
Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Far from the Madding Crowd - Tom Hardy
The Trumpet Major - Tom Hardy
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

Sunday, December 18, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 6

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


six sewn up items

I love sewing! I really got in the swing of it after Evie was born, although I've still got lots to learn! There's nothing more satisfying than making something from scratch, especially practical items like those shown above. (Which were completely free to sew thanks to material & elastic from my craft group & nanna!).

Clockwise from top left; 9 month trackies for baby, trackies for Evie, nighty for Evie, trackies for baby, pj pants for Evie & knickers for myself! (Just have to blow my own trumpet here, these were all sewn in the last two weeks, so productive!!)

12 days of a camera christmas - day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


five fixings for a gingerbread house

We're making an Ikea gingerbread house today! This represents one of my loves, doing things together as a family. I know it doesn't really matter if we end up eating the house or not, the fun is in choosing lollies, spending an arvo decorating & keeping it until Christmas as a reminder of the fun we had. Together time is awesome!

ps - playing along with 12 days of a camera christmas are:
little adelaide kate
Neenish Arts
gretel girl draws
Mama's Alphabet Soup
Blossom Heart
HD Photography
Studio Vivid
Photography by Miss Sarah El

Friday, December 16, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 4

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


four little animal cuties

I love having little animals around the house on various shelves, they bring a smile to my face! The piggy bank & deer are from oxfam, and the hand-carved giraffe & bear are from aqua living.

ps - I won a blog giveaway the other day on ecomilf, a really cute robot backpack from Kindred Gifts. Evie loves robots & is very excited about her new backpack, & is taking it everywhere with her at the moment!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 3

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...




three delightful prints

I love filling our walls with artwork that makes us happy - we don't buy expensive art, we just get things that make us smile!

The big one in the middle is Apple Papple from Fine Little Day, and the two smaller are from Sandra Juto.


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

12 days of a camera christmas - day 2

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...


two thrifted tops for a darling boy



Cute, right! I love thrifting, there is nothing like the thrill of rummaging through an op-shop & finding the perfect 'something' for a couple of bucks! My favourite finds are usually children's clothes, crockery & housewares, books & craft supplies.



12 days of a camera christmas - day 1

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...



a lovely big pregnant belly!

Ok, so I'm a day late to join in, but this is the first in a series of '12 days of a camera christmas', joining in with my friend little adelaide kate and her crew.

I've decided to do my photo series on things that I love, so each day leading up to Christmas you'll get a glimpse into my mind & heart (scary!)

This first one is a self-portrait of my 30 week pregnant belly, not long till we meet this little boy now! I'm wearing a dress that I thrifted for $3.50 & cut shorter, gotta be happy with that!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Keeping it simple

Rog has been out tonight so I've had some time to myself, such a luxury! I'm in the midst of making some new bibs for our impending arrival (only 10 weeks & we'll have a baby boy, aah!) so I spent some time cutting them out. I'll show you pics when they look a bit more impressive.

Then I snuggled on the couch with a pot of tea, some dark chocolate & 'The Young Victoria'. Man I'm a sucker for period drama & romance, double whammy!

How has your Friday night been? Are you a party animal or do you like to keep it low key?

Monday, December 5, 2011

Perfect pendants

I came across these pendant lights the other day, and to me they look perfect! In my dream renovation of our dining room I can't decide whether to hang two single pendants or the chandelier over the table?


pics from here & here

In this fantasy renovation we would see wood floors throughout the dining/kitchen/living areas, a brand new kitchen, lovely white walls and big windows. While we're at it I'd probably also knock out a few walls, change the kitchen location & build a proper pantry. Aaah, to dream!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Yeah, I'm a book nerd

I finished reading The 'Caine' Mutiny last night, what a fantastic book, I learnt alot about the American Navy in World War Two! I really devoured the book towards the end, reading for a couple of hours before bed each night, I'm looking forward to no more dreams about ships and the ocean! I've found out that it's also a movie with Humphrey Bogart (which somehow I've never seen), I'm looking forward to watching it!

pic from here

Do you have any book recommendations for me?

ps - today is the first day of summer, crazy! I can't believe it's almost Christmas!!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Some random November photos

In lieu of something interesting to say here are some photos from the past month:


Here Evie is concentrating on her sewing. I got a felt teddy-bear-bag kit from a friend (with a child-safe needle & pre-punched holes). Evie is getting the hang of it and quite enjoys sewing. Hopefully as she gets older this will be an activity we can enjoy together!

It finally occurred to me that the way to tackle our unorganised & messy kitchen is one shelf at a time! Here's the contents of my tupperware shelf mid tidy-up, scary huh!


I finished sewing a set of 12 serviettes for us. I used this tutorial and some fabric from my stash. I really love them! I also love using something that I don't have to throw out & can chuck in the washing machine :)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Christmas cheer

Evie & I have been getting into the Christmas spirit & decorating our house!

Here's my favourite Christmas decoration this year. We don't have a Christmas tree, because Roger's not really into the whole fussed-up Christmas look, so I try to be a bit creative while still being festive enough for Evie & I! Usually I hang our select ornaments on a vase-full-of-sticks (prettier than it sounds!). This year I was inspired by this & this to create a hanging display above our dining table. I really love it! I'm hoping to add a few more decorations as we get closer to the big day & I'll keep you informed of any that I make! (Thankfully in this photo you can't see too much of our ugly lights!)

Please meet our Christmas Reindeer, I really love them! I scored these little guys from a local op-shop a couple of Christmas's ago for a few bucks. They have such haughty eyes!

Our nativity set. Evie loves playing with this and I'm always finding baby Jesus in odd places (tucked into her bed for example!)

Our Christmas wreath. I made this last Christmas with supplies from Spotlight, easy peasy, but delightful!

I'll finish off with some photos of my Christmas elf (who only just stood still long enough for these shots!)




Are you getting into the Christmas spirit?

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Some lovely links - 16

- a festive twisted felt garland to make, from the Purl bee, via Going Home to Roost


- oh Darling Clementine, I so love your scandinavian design!! via Charlotte's Fancy

- ooh, lovely Christmas twine from whisker graphics, via Charlotte's Fancy

- gorgeous yet practical daily outfit from Darling Dexter

- mmm, delicious looking texan carnitas from Smitten Kitchen

- does anyone else get gross feet in summer from being barefoot all the time? I'm thinking these house shoes might be the answer! found via the happy home

- an interesting blog post on natural whiteners for laundry

- check out the halloween costumes this mum made for her daughters (completely drafted & sewn from scratch - amazing!!)

- thought provoking post on unschooling by Marvelous Kiddo, a subject that Gregarious Peach has also been writing on lately. Thoughts?

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Evie's ballet concert

On Sunday Evie had her first ballet concert, and it was adorable!

In the morning we dropped her off for a couple of hours for a dressed rehearsal. Rog & I went out for brunch which was delicious, and then spent some time just wandering & chatting, perfect. It's not often we get that sort of time together!

In the afternoon I did Evie's 'very neat ballerina hair' and put on her make-up (mascara, foundation, blush & lipstick, crazy, I didn't think I'd be doing that with her for years!) and a squirt of perfume at her request.

Here are some photos of our 'star of the show' (taken by Rog):





The concert went for a couple of hours, so we had to sit through alot of other classes doing their dances, but it was ok.

Evie's class is about thirteen 3-4 year olds, so as you can imagine there is a bit of anarchy (but in an adorable way!) I was so proud of Evie for remembering most of her dance moves, and she really looked like she was enjoying herself. My favourite part was when she spotted us halfway through & stopped to wave & yell out 'hello mum'!!

At the end of the concert the teacher sat them all on the stage with their certificates & gave out improvement awards. Of course Evie was the one child who stood right in front of the teacher throughout the awards because she was expecting to get one!!

Yes, I spent Evie's part of the concert grinning like an idiot & holding back tears because I was so proud!
Have you had a heart-bursting experience this week?

Saturday, November 12, 2011

26 weeks

finally got Roger to take another belly shot for me, so here I am at 26 weeks pregnant, definitely bigger than last time! (please excuse my wet hair, this was taken early Friday morning before Rog went to work)


And here's a shot of Evie for you, complete with nightie, unbrushed hair & cheesy grin!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Around the house

Sorry for my absence this past week. Evie had a cold & then an ear infection, and with all the time cooped up at home together I haven't felt very inspired!

Anyhoo, I've looked through our photos of the last couple of weeks & found a few to share.

Here's Evie dressed as a nurse (costume from our local toy library), she loved looking after Rog while he had a cold!



I've also done a bit of sewing lately;

These are pockets for two pairs of shorts for Evie, I'm pretty happy with them, I just have to make the rest of the shorts now!

Many pairs of breast pads, made from Evie's old flannelette wraps.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Wrist worms

I totally forgot to tell you guys how famous I am (ha!)

I don't know if you remember, but back in July I bought myself some wrist worms as a birthday treat. They're hand-made by Sandra Juto, one of my favourite blog ladies!

Recently Sandra asked readers to send her photos of themselves wearing her wrist worms. I only took one photo of them over winter and gladly send it to her, and was so excited to spot myself in her blog post!


Ok, so I'm not really famous, but I sure feel chuffed!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Backpack love

I've been thinking about backpacks...
After a day in the city this week lugging around a shoulder bag (you know what I mean, filled with Evie's spare clothes, snacks, drink bottles...) I started thinking that there's got to be a chic, yet more practical, way to do this.

This post from Cup of Jo is what got me first thinking about backpacks (Joanna says they're cool in New York!)

 Here's what I've come up with:

Brandy Melville (out of stock)

Ecote (out of stock)

Poketo (US $58)

Survey (US $49.99)

Dusen Dusen (US $110)

Jeffrey Campbell (AUS $140)

Eunice Han (US $69)

Poketo (US $48)

Pop Quiz (US $69.99)

ASOS (AUS $57.54)

opinions or suggestions??