kitty's kaboodle

my creative space...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:14:00 +0000

Today has been a crazy busy day, but we still managed to squeeze in a few moments of craftiness. Straight after brekkie this morning we did a spot of potato stamping. I carved the potatoes yesterday, but we ran out of time to play with them. They aged a little overnight and the shapes weren't as crisp as intended. But lots of fun nonetheless. Huckle thoroughly enjoyed the messiness of it all and soon had paint up his arms, on his face and in his hair.

I couldn't help but do a bit of stamping too. My paint stayed on the potato and the page, I don't like getting dirty.

I snuck in a bit of sewing this afternoon too. I think I was in the studio for about half an hour and managed to get a good start on another teeny quilt. I am yet to finish the other one I started, but all in good time I say. You can't rush these things, can you.

I hope you're fitting in a spot of craftiness too. It keeps me sane. How about you?
We're off uptown tomorrow. I'm off to Jess's opening, maybe I'll see you there.

Joining in at our creative spaces.

belly...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:54:00 +0000

27 weeks. Feeling a tad lopsided (or lopfronted, as I like to say).

A lady in the bakery today told me I was going to have a monster. Thanks lady in the bakery. For your information, it won't be a monster. It will be a baby. I managed to birth Huckle naturally at 8 pound 15 ounces, I shan't be scared into this monster talk you speak of.

Samuel tells me I'm not allowed to run, or make any movement faster than a walk. After what happened when I was six months pregnant with Huckle (badly broken collar bone (still broken) & a shoulder blade fractured in 2 places), I guess he has reason to be worried.

So all is well and apart from a few minor niggles, everything is coming along swimmingly. Three more months to go until we meet our sweet bubba. Very exciting.

What exciting things are happening in your neck of the woods? I know one dear lady who is very excited about her exhibition opening this friday night! I'm trying desperately to figure out a way to be there.

a special visitor...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:28:00 +0000

The morning of my birthday was misty and drizzling with rain. We peered through the window to see this beautiful creature upon our clothes line. We often see Peregrine Falcons flying in the gully down the road, but never one so close to the house. It sat there for a good fifteen minutes before flying off to join it's friend.

I felt very lucky to witness such an amazing creature so close. It sure beat the Brown Snake encounter we had a few days earlier, just five metres from our back door! Needless to say, I didn't get a photo of the Brown Snake.

What creatures visit your place? Are they furry, feathery or scaly? I hope there's not too much of the scaly variety.

Wishing you a happy LOVE day too.
May we all count our blessings to have peeps to love and peeps who love us.

the week long celebration of the three-oh...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:03:00 +0000

This past week has been a lovely celebration, for last Tuesday I turned thirty. We celebrated lots and most of it (not surprisingly) involved delicious food. Here's a snapshot of our week.

Birthday eve we ate homemade pizza and sipped on some lovely Bordeaux.

Birthday morning was all about the crepes. I like a variety of toppings, we had Nutella and banana, lemon and sugar and don't forget the simple jam crepe. Are you a crepe fan? What's your favourite topping? Maybe there's something missing from my line-up.

Birthday afternoon, I snuck off to the city to buy myself a lovely Bison gift. Of course I had to stop into Journal for some Pumpkin Bruschetta. And who can go by Degraves Lane without indulging in a Belgian Waffle or two? Yum.

For birthday dinner, my love took me to Union Dining. This place is heaven. Nikki creates such beautiful food and Adam is a right charmer front of house. We feasted on Ortiz anchovies, mussels, prawns, snapper, crab risotto and finished off with some most delicious ice creams. It was a truly indulgent night out, one I shall remember for years to come. My favourite part of the evening was sitting on the banquette beside my beloved, sharing dessert and being lovers.

Wednesday morning, I had breakfast with my boys and bestie at Milton. Marty makes the best breakfasts, but sadly it was one of his last shifts.

On Wednesday afternoon we popped into the salvage yard to buy some timber for our next piece. Samuel is building me a big dining table for my present, so we did some research for that too.

Huckle loves the salvage yard. The owner lets him borrow a car to play with when he visits, so he's always very busy. The car drives on timber, in the dirt, gets buried under gum leaves and dipped in buckets of water. Hours of fun really.

On Saturday we went to Melbourne again, under the guise of catching up with Samuel's cousin. When we turned up at their house, I was also greeted by my two best friends preparing food in the kitchen. That was just the start of the surprise. Over the next hour, all of my close friends walked through the door! I was so surprised, how on earth did they manage to keep such a secret from the girl who hates surprises? We laughed and drank (me mineral water) the night away. Such a beautiful present. Thank you to all my wonderful friends.

Sunday morning Huckle and I trotted off to Camberwell market. I scored some delightful vintage cottons, Huckle scored some old cars and we both soaked up the atmoshpere of the Salvation Army Brass Band. Huckle was speechless throughout their performance (see the below photo).

The rest of Sunday was spent chilling out and grazing constantly on leftovers. We also made a start on my box of Calendar cheeses from my gorgeous friends Marty and Selma. Thanks guys! I dare say it will take us a while to get through these.

So, it was a very busy week indeed. I'm looking forward to a quiet one this week.
I don't have any anecdotes on turning thirty. It wasn't scary and I don't feel any older. I do feel truly blessed to have such a gorgeous husband and Huckle and wonderful family and friends who are all on this precious journey of life with me.
Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes last week, you really made my day.

Phew, that was a long post! If you've made it this far and aren't family, you've done exceptionally well.
Have a happy week. x

a quilt for Clover...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:03:00 +0000

I recently finished this quilt, if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a sneak peek or two. It was a custom order for a friend of ours, who is gifting it to her sweet niece Clover. I am so pleased she was happy with how it turned out.

Trying to keep it a little muted, my inspiration was the gorgeous Liberty floral which I paired with the more modern designs. The backing is a vintage sheet from the stash and the binding is old stock from spotlight. I really wanted it to have that handmade, heirloom appeal, so I hand quilted along both sides of the seams and hand stitched the binding too. A lot of hours and love have gone into this quilt. I hope it will be treasured forever.

There's a few teeny quilts in the line up, so they're next on the list. I'm having a lot of fun picking the fabric combinations.

I hope you have a lovely weekend ahead of you.

Ironwood and Eaglesmith...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:39:00 +0000

There's been a little change in the air and we've decided to re-brand our furniture. Our new name is Ironwood and Eaglesmith and there's some secret squirrel developments on the horizon, which we're a little excited about too. I'll let you know as they begin to unfold.
But for now, here's our latest piece to be added to the website, the Jacksonville Side Table. We're also very happy to see our "sold" page growing in numbers, with the sale of our Butcher's Block Coffee Table last week.
Slowly, but surely we're progressing forward doing something that we both love - creating unique pieces of furniture. And best of all, we get together from our home studio. It's hard work, but it feels right and that's enough to keep us pushing on.
I'd love to hear from anyone else that runs their own business from home. How you make it work and how you got through the initial start-up period.
There's an awful lot to catch up on since I last posted. So I'm collating a flurry of posts to get myself all up to date. Got to keep the family happy. x

a good dough...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:52:00 +0000

Do you make bread? Do you make it how I do? It's super easy and really doesn't take that much effort at all. I decided I wanted to push my dough a little further, to see what it could become. So last night as my dough mixed itself about in Willow (my kitchenaid), I thought some thoughts and this is what I came up with.

Whenever I make dough, I make enough for two loaves. One is gobbled up that day & the next and the other is often sliced and frozen. But that's not all that exciting is it? So last night, I released half the dough into a seperate bowl and to the other half I added sunflower and flax seeds. This morning I settled the seedy dough atop sesame seeds instead of my usual polenta and ta da! A perfectly tasty, seedy loaf. Lookout John Dench! (The main reason I make my own bread, is because I sadly do not live around the corner from Dench anymore and no other bread has ever won my heart... until now of course.)

The other half of the dough became cinnamon scrolls. I rolled it out into a long rectangle, liberally coated it with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. I then rolled it up, cut the log into 4cm pieces and squashed them into a buttered baking dish. I winged all the quantities here. I just threw them on and stopped when it looked right. I baked these for just over half an hour. A simple icing was drizzled over while they were still hot. This was made using icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract. You want the icing to ooze down the cracks and sides. Were they delicious? Yep!

The good thing about these too, is that because they use my usual bread dough, they're denser and more wholesome (thanks to the wholemeal and rye) than the cinnamon scrolls you can buy at most bakeries. But yes, they still fall into the "treat" category, thanks to the sugar and icing.

What do you think? Will you make some? They're so good, we've almost finished them. Piglets, I know.

Note: The recipe in the link makes just one loaf, but the quantities are easily doubled.

feeling a little quilty...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:05:00 +0000

My DSLR is giving me grief at the moment, so I've been capturing life on my iphone using Instagram. You can find me at kittyspeer, or over here on Webstagram. Are you on Instagram? Leave me a comment if you are, so I can find you.

I've been sneaking out to the studio a few nights a week for a little sewing therapy. I'm currently quilting away at a few different projects. The first being a sweet custom order for a friends niece. I pinned it all up last night and started quilting only to run into some walking foot issues. I think I need to loosen the foot tension a bit, as there's a lot of puckering happening. I'm on the mad hunt for one of my three quick-un-picks to undo it and start again.

Meanwhile, I've got this little lovely on the go. I've called it the happy farmer. It's only teeny at 60cm x 70cm, but that's perfect for the carseat or pram. The farm fabric was a gift my sister brought back from Paris, the cherries and red gingham are both vintage, the rest are a mix of new brights. I'm debating whether to keep it or sell it... I'll keep you posted.

Forever one step ahead of myself, I've got two more bundles ready to go. Both of these will most likely become teeny quilts too. Both of these bundles are all recent fabrics, but I do like the vintage feel they create when together.

I particularly like this one below.

I'm off to stitch some more. Have a delightful evening, whatever you're up to.

an offering to the birds...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Huckle loves to make nests for the birds. I think it's so sweet, I just had to document it.

Often he will find bark off the stringy bark gums, or big gum leaves to create his nests. But after three acres of metre high grass had been slashed, it was decided that grass cuttings would make a fine nest indeed.

He set about gathering his grass and placed it on a log stool, he added gum leaves and flowers for a homely welcome. After building the nest, he called the birds (all birds are called ducks in Huckle language), "Duck duck, duck duck!" If after a certain while the birds still do not come, he employs the use of the mighty bird calling stick. His little (big) voice ringing out across the yard as he beats his stick upon a log.

What do you like to do, when out amongst nature? Do you build nests for birds? Or dens for wombats? Me, I like to sit back and observe my little man on his great adventures.

23 weeks...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Finally, the big reveal! Meet me and my bump.

23 weeks today. It's very busy in there, rolling over and kicking about. We had a scan last week and everything is looking great. It was so much fun to watch it kicking both it's legs so fast and rolling over and over. The ultrasonographer was pleased to see such movement, but really had to coax it to keep still long enough for the pictures.

Just so you know, I really don't like my photo being taken and can never figure out what to do with my extra long wingspan (arms). The first pic I'm pretending to focus on Huckle rather than the lens. Second pic, I thought gazing off into the distance might work. Third and fourth pics, I've thrown in the towel and shown my ability to be quite silly.

There were a lot of deleted shots that involved the blur of my wingspan across the frame, whilst I tried to find a good spot for my limbs to rest. I could never be a model, I think the photographer would bop me one.

finding rhythm in the kitchen...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:28:00 +0000

I feel like I've been chasing my tail a bit of late, which is why I haven't been about here much. Most of the time, I'm flat out exhausted. This bubba in the belly is really making me work. I spent a good few hours on the couch this morning, whilst Huckle busied himself with drawing, trains and whatnot.

This seems to be happening regularly. Our days seem to go like this... Rise and make breakfast; Mama rest, whilst Huckle plays; mosey about for a bit; make and eat lunch; Huckle has a nap whilst Mama mosies about or has another rest; play outside; then four o'clock comes around and Mama freaks out "what on earth are we going to have for dinner!"; convince Huckle to come inside; rush about like a mad woman to get dinner on the table in an hour.

Let's say I'm not enjoying this last minute craziness and after reading Kate's latest post, I've decided it's high time to get back into the swing of menu planning. I make the majority of our food from scratch, which doesn't really lend itself to last minute crazy town. So tonight, I have a date with my cookbooks, a cup of tea and the couch. I'm aiming to write a fortnight of meals. I like to get a vague idea for lunches and snacks too, as we have 3 meals at home as a family pretty much every day.

This does mean a lot of time in the kitchen, but I love cooking and have a few tricks up my sleeve to lighten the load. Some of my tricks are...

:: cook double amounts of dinner for lunch leftovers or to freeze for another meal

:: bake double quantity of biscuits or muffins to freeze and defrost when needed

:: use left over cooked vegies in omelettes

:: make and freeze pizza dough for quick pizza nights

:: bake two loaves of bread at a time, slice the second loaf and freeze to use for toast

:: make big batches of pesto, pasta sauce and pizza sauce and freeze in portions

Do you menu plan at your place? What tricks are up your sleeve?

I've had a little helper in the kitchen most days, which has been both fun and a little stressful. But the outcomes have been delicious. We've mixed bread dough, made bikkies, grape pikelets (as seen below), sweet potato chips (below) and salmon patties. He loves to try anything along the way and is particularly fond of bread dough. Mmmm.

I'm off to boil the kettle and fetch me some cookbooks. I hope your week is coming along just fine and you're eating delicious things.

2012...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:43:00 +0000

Let's hope you're full of blue skies and grant us smooth sailing.

One can dream, can't they?

Thank you for your kind words on my last post. It was hard to sum up all that has been going on. To find that fine balance between grief and joy, life passed and life to come.

As a young family, Huckle and Bump are the centre of our world and their constant needs and beauty have kept us well planted in the present. As that's what children do best isn't it?

This clearly wasn't today's sky, Summer is taking a little break around these parts. I do hope blue sky reappears tomorrow, for there's 3 acres of metre high lawn that needs a good slashing. Let's not mention the gum trees growing in the gutters! It's working bee day to get two months of growth under control.
My fingers are crossed.

2011...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:04:00 +0000

2011 wasn't our best year. Life just kept throwing us hurdles and all we could do was try our very best to jump them.
Just when we thought the winds were changing we learnt that Sam's Dad Peter was terminally ill with cancer. Sam spent a good part of October looking after him in Queensland, but the distance was just too much between us. So November saw us all drive up to care for him. Sam cared full time for Peter and it became clear that his condition was deteriorating faster than anyone could have predicted. He passed away on the 6th of December, just 8 weeks after being diagnosed. It was all very sudden.
December was spent dealing with estate matters. Such an overwhelming task.
It wasn't all bad though. We got to spend a lot of time hanging out with my Brother, Sister and Brother in law and in mid December we were joined by my Mum, Dad, 2nd Sister and 3 year old Nephew.
We celebrated my Sister's engagement and a Christmas full of good food and laughter.
We also celebrated a pregnancy... my pregnancy! I'm 21 weeks along and due sometime in May. How I managed to keep that a secret for so long on the blog, I don't know. I promise a bump shot soon, it's already so very round.
Well, that's all I can think of right now to tell you, so I leave you with my favourite instragrams of our summer adventures.
Happy Sunday to you.

home again...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:30:00 +0000

We're finally home after an unexpected two months in Queensland. Life has been crazy, hectic and at times quite overwhelming. Too hectic and overwhelming to find words or photos, hence the absence.

I'll catch you all up in the next few posts, but for now I'll share the first pics I've clicked in a long time (not counting instagram of course).

I hope your festive season was full to the brim of love, laughter and lots of good food.

We came home to metre high grass! Sheesh.

One lonely chook survived the foxes.

Our passionfruits are in bloom & fruiting. Hooray!

hello there, it's been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:26:00 +0000

Apologies for my long absence, life is really throwing quite a lot at us at the moment. Along with not being able to find the time to blog, I just haven't been able to find the right words to express all that is happening. I'm sure the words will come eventually, but right now I'm just processing everything and trying to be the best Mama and Wifey to look after my boys.

A few lovely folk (Hello Peter! Hello Alison!) have requested some action, so I thought I'd put up these pics from a date I had with my little man last week. There's a letter to go with it too.

I hope you are all well and happy. I'll be sure to return to my usual blogging self soon.

Dear Huckle,
Today I was a very tired Mama and I was struggling to come up with to cook for dinner. You were restless and needing my attention. So I devised a plan to drive to San Remo to have fish and chips by the shore and watch the pelicans. I bundled you up, jumped in the car and we hot-footed it to the shore.
Only to discover the fish & chip shop was closed and there wasn't a pelican in sight!
We strolled up the street searching for a worthy alternative and decided that Thai sounded like it could do the trick for a hungry Mama and Huckle. You sat on a big chair and sipped your water from a big cup. We munched on prawn crackers (which you loved) while we waited for our dumplings and fried rice. You gobbled up the rice with a big spoon. Such a dear little fellow you were, with lovely manners sitting nicely upon your chair. I felt so proud to be your Mama.
After dinner we played in the park, where you insisted on climbing the big rope ladder. The sun was shining as you scrambled about through tunnels and down slides.
Thank you for a most perfect afternoon.
All my love
Mama xxx

far north queensland :: the tablelands...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:20:00 +0000

We're back from our little adventure up north & are slowly falling back into the rhythm of home life. Huckle & I had such a fun time with Nanna & Grandad (my folks). We spent our days seeing the sights, swimming, eating & generally lazing about & relaxing.

Huckle decided that 4am was an awesome time to wake up (almost every morning) & I did my best not to go completely crazy. I did manage a few afternoon catch up naps on the couch, whilst Huckle was entertained (thanks Mum & Dad). So thankfully some sanity is still intact.

It was quite amazing to watch Huckle learn new things while we were away. New words, animal sounds, gestures & new forms of communication, like nodding. My little baby is changing before my eyes, he's turning into a little boy!

Here are some pics of our adventures. These were all taken up on the tablelands, a thousand odd metres above sea level. I've never been to Cairns before (even though I spent two thirds of my life in Queensland) & I was captivated by just how different this region is to where I live now. What an amazing country we live in. I'm really itching to see more of it.

Learning to climb with Grandad, with support from Mama

Cuddles with Nanny & Grandad (who likes to pull silly faces)

Giving a 2 tonne Rhino a scratch at the Safari Zoo

At Gallo Dairy

Millaa Millaa Falls & a very big Curtain Fig Tree

wednesday colour

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:51:00 +0000

A little colour to brighten your week.

Our weeping mulberry is beginning to shoot. Each year it gifts us a small bowl full of delicious berries. The rich red in the background is blurred pavers. Don't they bring a lovely autumn feel to the photo.

Happy Wednesday.

gathering my thoughts...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:03:00 +0000

The past few days have been crazy hectic, trying to catch my tail before I run off to Queensland. I have lists coming out of my ears to try & tame the chaos. Here's the inventory

:: packing list ::

:: S & K to do list ::

:: freezer meals to make list (so the husband doesn't just eat pizza & pasta for 10 days) ::

:: people I need to call/email list ::

:: shopping list ::

:: things to sew list (this one has been thrown out the window... who am I kidding?!) ::

:: a cleaning list (again, who am I kidding?!) ::

:: clothes to wash list ::

Some may call me highly organised, others may decide the term is neurotic. I don't mind either way. The lists really may not even be helping, but at least I have a piece of paper where I have gathered my thoughts so when I really do go off the rails I'll still know how many pairs of underwear to pack.

I think Huckle is feeding off my crazy listing & busyness, he has gone wild the past few days. Climbing chairs, standing atop his wheelybug to clamber over gate, pulling out the entire contents of my freezer, & the entire contents of all drawers & cupboards within reach, whilst pouring frozen peas into a cup & asking for milk in his bowl, all while I'm trying to cook (& not burn) dinner. CA-RAZY town. I think today alone, I have had 180 mini pretend heart attacks. I just need to lie down for a while... a long while!

My posting will most likely be sporadic for the next few weeks, while I soak up some warmth & serenity.

The photos have not relevence to this post at all. Although they do envoke a serene feeling when I look at them. Aaah, serenity. Rolling hills & golden sun how thee calm me.

my creative space...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:31:00 +0000

Well, I have to say there has been absolutely NO sewing here this week. I'm not very impressed, but there's been so much going on I just haven't had the time or the energy.

There's still another week before FNQ, let's see what comes of it.

The craftiest thing I've managed this week was a collage with Huckle. The lucky little man received a sweet Belle & Boo dinner set to eat from & the box was too cute not to keep. He grew quite fond of it & loved finding the animals, so we cut them out & stuck 'em down.

It is very rough, but that's what you get when there's a 16 month old squatting in the middle of your work. Huckle contributed too, can you see the light scribbles here & there?

Who doesn't love a bit of kiddy craft?

Pop over here if you're looking for some super crafty craft.

My favourites this week are

Christina's bump,

Jess' Bowie bear &

Susan's fish

wednesday colour...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:01:00 +0000

A little colour to brighten your week.

A little snapshot from 6:30 this morning.

I was up before the little man & was out before the rain came.

Standing under the tea trees, I gazed through my half open eyes at the beauty of the morning. The sun crept over the hills & cast a gentle glow over the endless green.

Every colour you could ever imagine, nature gives to us. It all changes with the ever changing light of the sun. From the softest pastels in a sunrise, to the brightest neons in a summer sunset, the moody shades as night sets & the bold of hues of noon.

I'm so entranced by colour, I love it. I love capturing it through photography, studying it & creating little palettes. They inspire many other parts of my work. I hope they inspire you too.

a most handsome sideboard...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:18:00 +0000

Our latest piece is this most handsome sideboard & it's ready to find a lovely new home.

Thank you all for your encouragement to shoot it outside. We didn't quite make it out into the paddock (it is a heavy fellow), but we did manage to get it overlooking the Farmer Mick's paddock.

As well as consulting with the whole process, I had my own little part to do. Can you tell what it was? Do you see that gorgeous vintage wallpaper lining the drawers? I love putting individual touches on things, you know that no one else will own a piece like it.

Pop over to the S & K website to see more.

Happy Monday!

father's day...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 05:05:00 +0000

Just look at these two. My heart melts whenever I see them together. I can't wait to watch their special bond grow as the years pass. Getting up to mischief together, building forts, climbing trees, gardening in the vegie patch, playing the drums & guitar. Huckle has a life of wonder ahead of him & I know Samuel will be by his side gently guiding him.

Happy Father's day dear husband.

Happy Father's day also to my Dad.

The man who taught me how to catch a ball, play cricket & how to be absolutely ridiculous. He's a funny, silly, naughty man who's always getting himself into trouble... ANTHONY!!!

I hope you're all having a lovely restful Sunday.

my creative space...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:01:00 +0000

I'm officially on a mission. My shoulder op is a month away & after that sewing is going to be a tad difficult for a while. So, my mission is to sew like a woman possessed & crank out as much as possible in the next four weeks. Huckle & I are off to far north Queensland soon, for 10 days. That throws a little spanner in my mission. I might steal some time at my Mum's machine to make up for lost hours.

I've got the ball rolling already & I'm off to a flying start. If you read this post, you may have noticed how dapper Huckle looked in his plaid shorts & bucket hat. For the curious, the shorts are from the made flat front pant tutorial & the hat is from the Oliver & S book. The latest additions are a hoodie, using the Urban hoodie pattern & a backpack also from the Oliver & S book.

Huckle was so chuffed with his new get-up. As I put the backpack on him, he called out for Dada to have a look. He stamped about with such excitement, pointing & squealing away. It was such a sweet moment. I soaked it all up, as I know he won't let me dress him forever.

All of these patterns have been well written & easy to follow. I pushed myself a little & learnt some new skills along the way. Both have been made with fabric from the stash. I love having a stash to choose from. The hoodie used up some cheap knit offcuts that I purchased from the local sewing store a while back. I think they were less than $2 a piece from memory. The backpack was made from a vintage bed throw I discovered way back when & it's lined with red honeycomb left over from my nephew's quilt.

Seriously, how cute is this backpack?!? I only wish I'd added some interfacing to keep it's shape better. It's so cute, I might have to make another.

There's something else I've made too... well ok I helped with a tiny part. You'll have to wait until I photograph it though.

That brings me to something else... do you think it would be odd if I photographed our next piece of furniture in the paddock? You see it's quite large & we don't have a suitable wall to shoot it against inside. I'm thinking that we can pull it off, but maybe it would look strange. Thoughts?

We're off up town for treatment today.

I hope your day is lovely.

I'm joining in with these crafty chicks.

wednesday colour...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:31:00 +0000

A little colour to brighten your week.

a rainbow at my feet...

noreply@blogger.com (Kitty) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Sometimes we look for beauty in our everyday. Other times, the beauty finds us.

Huckle & I had walked up the drive to collect the mail. On our way back he stopped to collect some treasures from the ground. I stood & watched as he busied himself with the gravel & leaves. I was smiling, thinking how lovely it must be to explore & discover the beauty of gravel & leaves. As I was looking toward the ground, I noticed a rainbow. A wonderful, scattered leaf rainbow covering the whole driveway. I walk this driveway everyday & only today do I notice this great delight. I squatted down beside my little man & together we collected a rainbow.

It's truly a marvelous thing to find such beauty amongst the everyday. To know that no matter how rubbish the day might be, or how many times you've walked that path before; if you take a moment to look around, you're sure to find something special.

Do you think this way too?

What unexpected beauty have you discovered recently?