I finally set up shop...

at Felt that is.  After alot of procrastinating I signed up, topped up the account and have just placed my first four listings.  Of course, I need to wait for admin to approve these so technically there is nothing showing on my page yet.  But you get a sneak peak of what is listed and I will need some advice, so feel free to let me know what you think.

ETA: this wee paisley outfit is not in the box!  I don't remember selling it or giving it away though eek terrible memory.  I have replaced the listing though with another boy's outfit - also with tie! (see above)

Yep, I'm the mean Mum that makes her two year old model girl's clothes!  So I have priced these at $20 a set - too much?  What would you charge/pay?  I made these in 2008 which is why Elijah looks so cute!

Wednesday's Weigh In - Week Six

I'm pleased to say that I didn't put on weight this week!  I lost 600gm and 4.5cm - not alot but I'm definitely noticing it in the waist.  I'm also finding out my trigger foods - the ones that cause my belly to bloat and go hard like a rock!  And I don't mean hard like a rock in a good way either.  It's quite obvious that white flour is like poison to me BUT I'm a sucker for punishment and eat stuff, like scones, anyway.

Easter this weekend!  I have a nagging 3 year old wanting chocolate and hot cross buns all the time.  Have I bought them?  Yes, we've had a few hot cross buns over the last few weeks and one pack of marshmallow eggs.  I went with the 15 pack Cadbury hollow eggs for an Easter egg hunt - outside weather permitting although that would mean getting up incredibly early.  Elijah is really looking forward to Easter this year which is nice, because I don't think he really got into it last year. 

I haven't seen any Easter crafts come home from kindy which is a bit disappointing.  His portfolio only has an introduction page, which wrongly states he threw a few tantrums in his first week.  Anyone that knows Elijah can vouch that he's not really a tantrum throwing kid - one of the benefits of learning to talk early.  I spoke with another mother and she actually does some of her own pages to add to it.  I'm actually quite annoyed that he has been almost a whole term yet I have no idea what he does there.  He even tells me he just plays around.

This morning he was up at the crack of dawn, so I had him hop into my bed to talk.  I asked him what he wanted to talk about and he said 'can you test me?'  So we played I Spy - he's fantastic with letters and their sounds so is quite good at I Spy.  And being a kid he sees things I neglect to notice.  He's also getting quite good at telling the time - normal for a 3 year old?  Maybe.

I did buy a few more fabrics yesterday.  I haven't decided what to use them for yet so they'll sit in a pile until I do!

My quilt is coming along nicely. I have decided to use a woollen blanket as batting as opposed to the batting sold in Spotlight. I like my blankets to have some weight and warmth. I'm still undecided on whether I will keep this one as it's pretty much a practise or whether I will sell it on Felt - yes I finally set up shop there (haven't listed yet but it's all ready to go).  I'm not sure it is something anyone else will like!  In the meantime I will be listing my sewing from 2008!

I doubt I will finish it today - I will need to finish it by hand and one of the things I don't really like is hand stitching!  Plus there is a load of housework to be done.

Family time...

Sundays are for family.  In my opinion.  We usually go out for lunch.  This week we decided on Denny's.

Elijah managed to eat his basket full of nuggets and curly fries

They had free face painting, but I didn't think Elijah would like that so he got a balloon instead.

Don't be fooled into thinking he's napping - I think I have a real actor on my hands.  Actually we were just bored waiting for Dad to pick up some DVDs.

Some pics from the ride home

I thought this one was quite random

Cafe Whare Kai - I wonder if there food stands out as much as their signage.

Parrs Park Market - we've been once but it's very small

There was a playground here.  I hope they replace it!

Trees for Babies, where families are invited to plant a tree on behalf of your baby

Then home again where I got all the housework done (we had left it in quite a state!), mowed the lawns, sprayed the weeds on the driveway and even managed to half make a wee doll

A change is as good as a holiday...

or so they say.  Once again I have changed my blog skin, although now I'm thinking it looks a little like a tissue box!

I've been working on various bits and pieces today.  We were meant to go to a birthday party but, after being up half the night, I really wasn't up for the long drive.  It looks like they had a great time anyway.

I finally reorganised my sewing area.

You probably notice that every piece of furniture is a different colour - this annoys me no end but it's one of those projects that I procrastinate about.  I love white furniture BUT the majority of my furniture is dark brown.  Don't know why - it just happened like that!  My sewing room is home to every piece of furniture in the house that doesn't match.

I attempted to make fabric easter eggs this afternoon.  I didn't do so well

They don't look much like the ones here - but thank you Retro Mama for producing such a wonderful blog!

I worked a bit more on the quilt but my machine seriously doesn't like me.  It keeps missing stitches when I use zig zag so I'll have to do a bit of troubleshooting.  On the up side, I have fixed my looping issue!

A work in progress...

Last night I started on a quilt - a very basic one.  I'm not sure where I'm heading with it because I'm incredibly impatient and want it finished...... yesterday.

Elijah loved helping me arrange the squares - oddly he likes to do 'jobs' for me

I have probably broken the first rule of quilting because I don't own an iron!

and I work in a big, big mess!  I need to find a chair for my sewing - this one belongs in the dining room which is looking a little lopsided right now.

I wonder how long this project will take me to finish.  I don't even have any wadding!  Ah well, it's pretty much a practise round.  What I really want is a nice quilt for Elijah, and clearly pink will not do.

Rock art...

You are probably wondering why I'm on my umpteenth post for the day.  Truth be, if I were organised enough I would have arranged them a bit better.  We are truly having a crafty day at home today.  The weather isn't great - although it's not bad either, just bleh.  Another post I found at Origami Mommy and thought it was a great idea to get the kids involved - at any age really. 

I sent Elijah out to find two of the biggest smooth rocks he could find.  Of course, the first two he came back with were rough stones from the driveway!  So after explaining why they needed to be smooth, he went and found some pretty decent ones.  I've cut little mushrooms out of some pretty ugly fabric from the Salvos.  Just glue and your away.  I will have to get something to seal them but at this stage I'm not too worried.  Elijah has yet to make his - he fell asleep on the couch before he had a chance to do anything.  Poor wee soul must be exhausted.

I wonder how Elijah will decorate his?

Pics from the floor...

We spend alot of time on the floor.  I find it more comfortable than the lounge suite.  This morning I snapped these

concentrating on the Lego - most likely building a car

the 'ooh there's a camera' smile

the face Dad taught him to use when the mean kid at kindy hassles him!

Butter free date scones...

Being lost for ideas for lunch I decided I'd bake something.  I scrolled through the many recipes for scones on the net but found alot of them a bit too involved.  I like to keep my baking simple and personally I think the less mixing the better - unless you're making a pav.

Usually when I bake I just throw it all in and hope for the best - everything usually works out fine.  But when I discovered I was missing a few ingredients, I was bummed.  I haven't really baked anything decent for over a month.  I was out of self raising flour AND only had half a teaspoon of baking powder left.

Well, I made them anyway.  And it wasn't until I pulled them out of the oven that I realised I had forgotten to use butter.  They turned out great anyway.

A pizza stone is a must in any kitchen - mine stays in the oven even when I'm cooking something else

who would have guessed they had no butter?

mmm ok I added a little Olivani and golden syrup - perfect with a cup of tea

So, for this simple recipe (if you don't have a favourite scone recipe already), you will need

2 cups flour (maybe a little more)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped dates

2 tablespoons sugar

Mix this lot together then add a mixture of 1 cup milk and 1 egg.  Gently mix ingredients to form a soft dough.  Add more flour if you need to - remember I am notorious for not measuring!  Shape and bake, on an oven tray or pizza stone, until golden.  Mine took about 15 minutes but then again I never time anything!

Petit Pincushions...

I came across a cute little blog yesterday called Origami Mommy.  I noticed she had a tutorial on tiny pincushions so I bookmarked it.  This morning when I checked my emails I notice Renee had sent me a link to Sew Many Ways, who also happened to have a tutorial for these wee pincushions.

A sign? or uncanny coincidence?

I have never really been into pincushions but thought I'd give it a go anyway.

So here is my attempt with very vague instructions

First, glue ribbon, ric rac, etc around a clean and dry drink bottle cap.  Peg and leave to dry.

Trace around a glass (for a soft drink bottle cap) or a small bowl (for a milk bottle cap).  Cut out :)

Stitch loosely around the outer edge of the circle (sorry pic isn't clear).  Stuff and pull cotton tight to form a ball.  Stitch together and you should end up with something like

Put a dab of glue in the lid and press the ball you have just made (sewn side down of course!) and you should have

the finished product.

Second attempt...

at the Easter bunny.  They really are simple to make and I think even the most inexperienced sewer could manage one.

I added a plain face(so you can actually see the eyes and nose!) and a pouch to hold that surprise Easter egg.

Meet Easter...

That is what Elijah has named this little stuffed Easter bunny.

Great for using up scraps of fabric and although my machine is having tension issues (thanks Elijah for that!), it still came out ok.  You can find the pattern here, the instructions here and while you're there, take a look at the rest of the site. 

RevoluzZza has numerous patterns and tutorials for softies - robots, bunnies, monsters, even something for the kids to sew.  Somewhere on the page is a button to translate the page but this morning I can't seem to find it.  But English or not, it is a great site.

Wednesday's Weigh In - Week Five

*sigh* actually make that a really long *sigh*

I gained.  500gms.  I'm not surprised though, just disappointed.

I thought I would be ok not keeping a food diary this week.  I was wrong and I think what makes it worse is that my eating has been so erratic.  I go for long periods of not eating ie skipping morning tea and lunch, then making up for it in the afternoon.  And I know full well that the afternoon is my worst time of day for eating.  Plus Elijah 'made' me buy easter eggs yesterday.  Yeah right!  Like a 3 year can force his 32 year old mother to buy easter eggs against her will.  Proof that you shouldn't go grocery shopping on an empty tum and without a list!

So, from today I will be back to keeping a food diary.

I know I shouldn't have...

but I was driving past anyway.  I popped into the Salvation Army on my way home from having lunch with a friend while Elijah's at kindy.  In a way I'm glad I did because I found this duvet

that was my attempt at a close up

I saved a family!

And I now have a bookcase slim enough to fit in the hall (or it could be a good place for my fabric stash)

Now off to pick Elijah up, what a gloomy old day it's turned out to be.  I hope he ate his afternoon tea

Before pic - After pic to come...

not a bad attempt at afternoon tea, and the birds will be happy there are scraps!

Sunrise to Sunset...

If I had thought about it I could have taken pics of both sunrise and sunset, but I didn't, so the title is probably a bit of a misnomer.
I was up at the crack of dawn and had the house cleaned and organised for a change.  I even managed to sneak in a bit of sewing and finally finished another three nappy wallets I had started in 2008!

Mum and Nicky (I know she hates that spelling, but I can't bring myself to use an i instead of y) arrived around 2pm.  The plan was to paint the fence but after afternoon tea (in pretty cups with real tea and home baking), we decided to pop down to the New Lynn Red Cross store.  For those of you near there, they have a sale on clothing so everything is either $1 or $2.  My bag full was $7 although there was nothing too exciting.  Nicky, on the other hand, thought it was wonderful and came out with hundreds of dollars worth of clothes (Billabong, Esprit, etc) for less than $30 - bargain!

The op shop expedition turned into a bite to eat at the mall.  I had a so-so chai latte (I can recommend NOT to buy one from Hollywood in LynnMall - unless you really love warm milk).


Then a quick look around the shops.  Even into Pumpkin Patch to get something for a friend who was having her baby yesterday.  She wouldn't tell me what she was having but I was convinced it was a boy so bought 'him' a little tracksuit. 

I bought some much needed buttons and ribbons (well, maybe not so much needed, but thought they would be useful)

then home again to....

paint another length of fence

starting to look better

looks a bit junky here though

Yes, that's Granny doing the hard work under the tree

Elijah thought riding his motorbike was more useful than swinging a paint brush around

It was dark by the time we finished up, and we had takeaways for dinner while watching Desperate Housewives.  So much for my plans to join the local Weight Watchers (which meets Monday evenings), but I guess I can always start next week.

***
going to have another little moan about my camera in the hopes that 'someone' might get the hint and buy me a new one - doubt that's going to happen but worth a try
***

ooh and I totally forgot today is Toss Out Tuesday - we'll have to do that after kindy!