Fun stuff...

I have found some great things online in the past few days...

Firstly, four tutorials for making some super cute felt flowers.  Once I have posted this I am going to go and make these.
http://www.howjoyful.com/?s=felt+flowers&x=0&y=0

The next is a website with a tonne of various sewing projects on it...
http://sew4home.com/


And finally my last fun find is a recipe for apple crisps.  I am going to make these soon...
http://vittlesandbits.blogspot.com/2011/06/apple-chips.html


ENJOY!!

Things I am loving...

I am loving green right now...

The green of the cabbages that are growing in my garden...  

 The green of broccoli (my favorite vegetable) sprouting...

The green of my Pops (Grandads father) daffodil bulbs popping up in their pots...

The green of my fancy double daffodils popping up (I was worried they were not going to grow)...

I am loving the green of the hyacinth bulbs...

I am loving the green of my freesia bulbs ready to be brightened up with beautiful fragrant flowers...

I love all these things because they show that there is life in my garden.

Hopefully in a few months in my 'I am loving post' it will be, I am loving beautiful flowers from my garden!!!

On a side note other green things I love...
The grass that is growing on our back lawn.  Ties all of the gardens and fancy new deck together and Edamame...  delish

Other things I am loving at the moment that are not green related...

Global Fabrics, OMG!!!  My first visit to this wonderland of all things fabric.  I finally found the perfect fabric to make a tunic dress!!  And on special at $8 a meter, I felt like it was Christmas!!  I was so happy I got 4 meters of the stuff!!  Enough to make a dress AND a skirt.  Not bad for $32 of material. 

I love my little fuchsia plant in a pot at the front of our house.  Every time I look at it, it makes me smile.   It is a mini fuchsia and it is just so cute...  Reminds me of my Nana, she had larger ones in her garden.

And possibly the biggest, most ginormous, massive thing I am loving is that this time in three weeks I will be in Singapore.  Looking around and taking in the sights and sounds before jetting off to Bali!!!!  My husband and I got married in January and decided to take our honeymoon later in the year when it is cold and dreary here. 
We are in Singapore for 3 nights then in Bali for 10 nights. 
I am soooooooo EXCITED about Bali, I am like a kid counting down until Christmas. 

18 days and 18 hours until our flight leaves!!!  Hahahahahahaha, if I have counted right that is...

Famous??

I had just finished a bit of school work and decided to check out updates on my favorite blogs.  I clicked on Mousehouse because Megan had updated her blog 12 hours ago.
I read about a lovely email (her words too!) she received from someone called Melissa and how she (Melissa) had shared a link to a website with a template for making momma bird cards. 
Well...  that was me people!!!!
Megan had blown up the template and had made a large version of the mother bird and it looks awesome.
I featured these on my blog a while ago. 
I thought they were a great idea and am glad someone else thought so too.

Weekend crafts...

I have been playing around making some small items because I cannot find the fabric I want to make a tunic dress and skirt.  I am going to try and get into New Market next weekend to see what they have at Centrepoint Fabric.  I have not been there is years and years, fingers crossed they have what I want.

Zip purses (front and back)...

Another mention of the gift tags (I like them that much)...

A cuff I made this afternoon...

Following instructions from this site, http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2010/11/23/diy-fabric-cuff/

Another mention of the cute table runner...

Following instructions at, http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2009/12/16/diy-doily-table-runner/

A flower I am going to make into a broach...

I keep looking at two fabrics I have in my pile.  I love them so much and I don't know what to do
with them. Any ideas????

Happy crafting!!

Loving the weekend!!

I am loving that I had a crafty wee weekend!!

When at Mums on Saturday I nabbed her doilies she no longer uses.  I was going to make the table runner I attached in my previous blog.
I spent my Saturday evening near the heat pump with a cup of weight watchers hot chocolate sewing doilies together.
I am loving this!!!  Not only is it super cute but the doilies were made by either my Mum or my Nana who passed away 25 years ago.

I am LOVING Pinterest!!  I am loving spending hours pouring over the pictures and pinning things onto my boards.  I also have one follower which is exciting!  I would promote my boards on here but do not know how to do that yet.  Maybe I will figure it out one day...

I have two words for you...  Davids Emporium!!  This shop has been in Hamilton since the dawn of time and has opened a new fancy shop at the Super Centre in Manukau, Auckland.  I could spend hours and hours and hours in that shop I tell ya!!  They have a huge range and all at really reasonable prices.
I got a basket full of goodies which included some fabric at $4 a metre, perfect for lining aprons...

I got some more felt to add to my collection of colours.  I love felt...

While on the subject of felt I made some tags to tie onto gifts on Friday night.  They have dried lavender in them.  I wrap gifts in brown paper, tie a bright ribbon around it and tie one of these cuties to the and it looks great!

I got some very cute fleece ($8 metre), I could not walk out without getting some, even if it was just half a metre to satisfy my urge.  Not too sure what I am going to do with it but it is super cute!

I got a selection of ribbons.  There were so many to choose from.  The majority of these were only 60 cents a metre.

I will most definitely be heading back soon to get some supplies.  I have decided I need to buy a set of shelves or draws to store all of my craft goodies.  Will be keeping my eyes peeled for something funky.

I am also loving the fact my lunches are sorted for the week. I have just made a batch of pumpkin soup and have bread in the bread maker.  Saves me having to waste too much brain power during the week deciding what to take to work for lunch.

I am loving the fact my car passed its WOF without needing a heap of work (and money) spent on it.  My car is not an overly old one but after years of having a mini in my teens I always get worried.  I would love a new car one day (Holden Captiva being my car of choice at the mo) but unfortunately money does not grow on trees.

Right enough loving for the moment, I am off to get my nightly fix on Pinterest.  I will be keeping my eyes peeled for crafts I can rustle up at some stage.

Oh no!

I have a new addiction...

One word for ya, 

PINTEREST!!!

I think this is an addiction that a lot of other people are dealing with at the moment.  I am sure we will all get some help one day.  Not sure if I am ready to seek help just yet though.

I have found so many great ideas and am having fun looking through the pins.

When I visit my Mum this weekend I am going to nab some lace doilies she does not use anymore so I can make this gorgeous table runner.  I am not too sure if my husband will like it, but I am not too worried.

I found a new blog (new to me anyway) with some great tutorials for crochet hearts, flowers and butterflies, as well as other fun stuff.  I have subscribed and once finishing this post I am going to have a nosy around.
http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/

I have also found a few tutorials for a few super cute skirts...


http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2008/07/5-minute-skirt.html


http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2009/08/sew-full-gathered-skirt-part-one-make.html


http://elleapparel.blogspot.com/2010/09/socialite-skirt.html

So cute, one day I will get around to make them.

Oh and a mini thing I am loving...

I am loving that I lost 1.3kg last week!!!  Wooohooooo only a few (cough, cough) to go.  I am focused and going to kick some fitness/diet/health butt!!!

Sunday, how I love thee...

It has been a lovely day in Auckland today and I have had such a productive day.
Apart from the normal weekend jobs of cleaning our little house I managed to play in the garden and do come baking!!

I planted a heap of sweet pea seeds in punnets this morning and they are now tucked up in my little grow house in a sunny spot on our deck.  I am hoping they all sprout and grow into strong plants so I can have a heap of sweet pea flowers to fill my house.  My only concern is that I have planted too many seeds, 12 punnets with 6 sections in each punnet, most of the sections have two seeds in them.  That is a lot of seedlings!!! 

I potted some more daffodils.  My Grandfather gave me some of my Pops (his fathers) bulbs a few weeks back.  My Pop was a very keen gardener and he had a HUGE vege garden.  Bulbs multiply and my grandad makes sure he keeps Pops bulbs separate and gives them to us grandkids who are interested in gardening and own our own houses.
I have planted Pops bulbs in pots so I know exactly which ones are his.  When I move they will be able to be taken with us.  I can replace other ones I don't dig up and take but can not replace his.

I managed to make a big batch of museli.

I love my homemade museli and have been making it for about a year and a half now. It is the only museli I have never gotten sick of.    I am going to add a recipe section to my blog and am going to add this recipe for others to make.

I made some banana bread for some friends who are about to arrive for afternoon tea.  I love banana bread and because I have been really watching what I am eating I am looking forward to having something delish!!

I have a chicken mixture in the crock pot ready to make cajun chicken wraps tonight for dinner and a piece of corned silverside out thawing out to be put in the crock pot in the morning.

Last night I put the finishing touches on a zip purse I made.  I stole this idea (is that allowed?) from a website or blog I read during the week.  I thought it was sooooooo cute and wanted to see how it looked if I made it.  I am so pleased with it.  There was a dog one as well.  I am going to make the dog one also then change the pattern around slightly to make them my own.

Very productive day!!

Better go my friend and her wee family are going to be here any second.  When they leave I am hoping to get out for a walk with hubby then do a bit of school work and maybe even a spot of sewing tonight.  Will have to see how I get on.

Things I am loving...

I am loving that I have some Sweet Pea seeds soaking over night in preparation to be planted.  These are one of my most favorite flowers and I can not wait for them to grow and start to flower.  I purchased some fancy kinds so am looking forward to them getting planted and brightening up my back yard.

I am loving exercising again!!   I have exercised 5 days this week and am planning on heading out for a walk tomorrow.  Go me!!  Might even be a nice romantic walk with the hubby! 

Don't you go for a walk in your wedding garb???  Don't worry we don't, thought this photo kind of fitted with what I was talking about...

I am loving that my husband went out this morning to get some US $$$$ in preparation for our upcoming honeymoon and got himself some Menavit and myself some Elivit capsules (I was already taking folic acid).  I love that he is talking such an interest in this baby making stuff!  My husband and I are going to begin trying for a baby again next month.  He has obviously been thinking about it.

 I am loving my new slippers!!  I love them so much I took them to my friends last night when I went there for a girlie dinner.

And lastly I am loving the time I am spending with my good friends.
A month or so back I had a feeling I was not nurturing myself and my relationships.  This past few weeks I have been spending time with a fair few of my close friends.  Going for walks, to a girlie  dinner, rugby game (go the Chiefs!) and afternoon tea tomorrow with my bestie and her wee family.
I am feeling a bit happier knowing I my life is not just me, my husband and our relationship.
  

 I am so lucky to work with some awesome ladies (unfortunately they are not all in this photo)...  The above photo was from our wedding, we had a photobooth.

 Work buddies above at Staceys 30th bday party.

 Me and three friends I have had forever...

And more fun friends!!!

"Love the life you live and you will live the life you love."

Hhhhmmmmmmmmm...

I am still kind of new to this blogging thing and I have no idea if anyone actually reads my wee blog but I am really enjoying it.
I think I am nearly up to around 20 posts now, a few more then I thought I might do.  I thought it might be a fleating thing.
I can see that 88 people have viewed my blog, however I am not too sure if that is the amount of times I have clicked on the page or if it is from people clicking next at the top of the page to see what they come across.
Either way I am not worried.  I am not seeking 'blogfame', I am just wanting to get some creative inspiration from other blogs as well as document my crafting journey (a new journey I undertook about a month ago).

One day I may have 'followers', one day I might have people that write comments. At this stage I am more than happy to pop new posts up every now and again.   If I do get followers I might feel the pressure to write inspirational theories on life and pressure to make the most amazing craft items known to man.  I am not good with pressure.  Also, I am not too sure if I have time or energy to do that at the moment.  One day...

Anyway...  I am awaiting an invite to what I fear is going to be my new addiction.  One word...  Pinterest.
I was reading one of my favorite crafty mum blogs, kiwi at heart, last night and Leonie blogged about it.  I had a look at her boards and got very excited at the prospect of having my own.  I am excited about what I can 'pin' on my boards and what fun things I can document.   

Let the addiction begin!!!

Back to normality...

My husband is back and everything is right with the world again.

I feel like everything was out of wack when Andy was away in Ireland and the UK.  No crafting was taking place, I was lazy (one evening getting home at 5.30pm and not leaving the couch all night!) and I hardly cooked dinner.  On the upside I did start walking after school.


Anyway this weekend I made up for it and did some sewing, played in the garden and did a spot of cooking.

I found a pattern for a shoulder bag online and have been wanting to make it for a while now.  I purchased some really funky fabric a while back from Spotlight and it made me want to make it even more.
I am not very good at following instructions so ended up following two patterns and looked more at the pictures then the written instructions.
I am really happy with the way it turned out. 

There is a pocket at the back, perfect for my cellphone and keys (bit hard to see)...

I sewed a few buttons on the front to break the colour and give it a bit of detail...

And it is fully lined...

I also whipped up a wheat bag.  I put some dried lavender inside it and it smells amazing!!!

Next on the craft to do list,

• Made a tunic dress.  
• Begin making up a few scrapbook style recipe books for gifts.
• Make up a few zip purses for gifts.