indoor plants

A selection of my indoor plants. I think this first one is called string of pearls - my favourite at the moment.

 Mostly I match up thrifted little vessels to a variety of succulents as these tend to be pretty hardy to grow.The black bowl contains an air plant which is supposed to grow without soil, it appears to be struggling under my care - have you had any experience with these? I need to do a bit more research about them.

 This little bird is happy enough with it's spiky stripes.

tree house

The littles spend  hours playing in the backyard. Sometimes perched in a tree, they survey their kingdom and dream up far flung adventures. So when a tree house was requested - their dad took  them up on the suggestion and built this beauty during his Christmas break.

We think he did a marvelous job.  

Of course we had to add bunting

It's  fun up there. 

bobby pins

A quick and satisfying session with the hot glue gun and some bobby pins yielded a few new hairpins.

 These were initially earrings which did not suit me, so I cut off the posts and glued them onto the bobby pins.

 A button trio that sparkles.....

 And a few other favourites. I slid these buttons straight onto the pins and secured them with a bit of glue.

 Yes it was a bit hard to stop once I warmed up :)

If you look closely you can see the rose pins in situ. I've been wearing my hair like this quite often lately. The mister calls it my "Heidi Hairdo". Easier to braid than photograph!

out and about

A recent visit to the Adelaide Gaol made for an interesting excursion. It is one of the oldest public buildings in our state. Built in 1841 and housed approximately 300,000 prisoners during its 147 years of operation. The Gaol was closed in 1988 and is known as the longest continuously operating prison in Australia.

 The bleak, oppressive mood still hangs in the air. Heavy bolts and locks. 

 This place of incarceration

 and executions

 holds a melancholy beauty.

summertime

New slip dresses for summertime. The pattern is from Burda magazine but maybe I need to check about seam allowances as I found both the sizes on the small side.

I used sewing weights to hold the pattern pieces onto the fabric instead of pins. Will definitely use this method from now on because it could mean less lost  pins on the floor. I've had in my mind to make a wrist pincushion for some time to counter the very same issue.

Those yummy redbean ice cream sandwiches help to beat the heat. We will end the year on a scorcher today with forty degrees predicted as the maximum. Best Wishes for your New Year!

stillness

After the rush of Christmas, it feels good to search for some stillness.

The late afternoon sun cast it's glow on the walls

Embracing colour

and scraps of  memories

I'm glad  to turn the corner

I've got a good feeling about the New Year.

December already

The festive season is well and truly upon us. The Christmas concerts, parties, picnics snowball. Now that school and work is over for the year we can really get stuck into the holiday groove. Hooray. 

In the backyard

The vegetable patch has needed attention for quite some time. It takes me a long time to get motivated in the backyard, but once I do, I could go all day. We spent most of the time pulling out the old stuff; coriander that had seeded, yellowing dill that was over six feet tall, and bunches of spinach and lettuce that had bolted in the recent hot weather.

 I left the overgrown garlic chives since I like the bobbling seed pods dotting the garden.And most of the (flowering) thyme and sage for it's lacy colour.We planted a variety of capsicums, eggplants, cucumbers and Thai mint.

I've also set up a little workstation along the fence where I can potter about and keep a few projects going.... will also attempt to keep all the gardening tools like snippers, gloves, shovels watering cans in the one spot to prevent the roaming around the backyard for half an hour to locate said implements. Here  I plan to pot  up succulents, and grow seedlings.

Currently on the workstation; Dill seeds drying and a mini hot house made from and old kiwi fruit container (I've got some basil seeds planted in there)

I'm also trying to strike some thyme. I've put the woody stems into small bottles of water in hope that they will strike roots (not sure if this is the right time for this type of business) if successful  I hope to grow little bunches of thyme in the white teacups I picked up in a give-away pile. Previous attempts at simply sticking the thyme offcuts into teacups proved futile. Maybe because I get all excited about a gardening project and then promptly forget to water. Will try and keep the gardening mojo humming along this time.....

spots and stripes

I've been tinkering with  spots and stripes this week. 

 The thrifted 'sew simple' pattern was easy to follow.

I think I like it. I definitely like the pockets.I thought it looked a bit schoolmarm.But hang on - I am a schoolmarm! Maybe I will wear it to work. Will look out for a navy belt methinks.

I'm not so convinced about the next item. Should have known better. Horizontal stripes do my waist no favours. But I love stripes. And lately spots too.

This one is destined for bed. And lazy weekend lolling. 

kokeshi sisters

Meet Resilience, Hope, Fortitude,Clemency and Credence. Five Kokeshi Sisters who are on a journey to join Softies for Mirabel. May they be embraced by little hands who need them.

The Mirabel foundation supports children who are orphaned or abandoned due to parental drug use. This is the third year I have sent something to the Mirabel Foundation - wolfgirl was my very first softie and there was bug' o' hugs as well. I missed it last year, but have really enjoyed making something again. And the opportunity to contemplate and discuss. It was interesting to hear the four year old develop her understanding of gratitude.This time of year I often struggle to find meaning and sensibility as we approach the razzle of Christmas. Making/giving helps me too.

.  

Recently I was contacted by AllTreatment.com - a drug treatment center directory and substance abuse information website with the mission to teach visitors about sobriety and addiction. I'm happy to accept their sponsorship as it will help build their reputation  and allows the website show up higher in Google's search results. Even the smallest deeds can impact on big problems.

sunny days

Just back from Sunny Queensland. Wow. 

 We saw the stunning beaches of the Sunshine Coast. Soaked up the Brisbane Vibe.

 Of course we had  to stop in at the GoldCoast. And visit a couple of theme parks.

This was one of the places we stayed. A traditional Queenslander cottage, only a couple of minutes from the Brisbane River. 

 Sigh. I'm missing it already. 

linen

The little people have gobbled up our broadband so that's been good enough reason to stay away from the computer. In the meantime I have been merrily occupying myself by sewing a few things. Throwing caution to the wind I cut into the stash of linen. It used to be that I would always make a cautionary outfit before cutting up the more precious stuff. Not anymore - in order to keep up the enthusiasm and save on time and clutter it's straight to the good stuff I say.

I found some buttons covered in cream linen and added them to the grey pants. I've made these before in wool (elastic in the back make them comfy and simple to sew.)

 The black dress will now wait until the cooler weather - I will need to think about what to wear it with. Once upon a time I wore plenty of black, but somehow the older I get the less I'm able to do all black.

And a hasty photo of  grey tunic.  I have been wearing this one already. The best bits are the roomy pockets.