This weeks giveaway is...

Petunia the pig.

This is the complete pattern and instructions for the Melly and Me stuffed animal toy.

This is brand new. If you would like to have this either follow me publicly or leave a comment. All names into the draw on Wednesday night.
Good Luck

My Son has his picture in the local newspaper

Eli - Top left

Eli has been in three local newspapers recently. Wow is that a record?

After Queens Birthday weekend his photo was in the Northern Outlook and the Kaiapoi Advocate for his leading of the Junior Kapa Haka group during the unveiling of a new carving in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the School.

Then this week he is in the Northern Outlook again for reading with Gerald - the Life Education caravan giraffe.

As it looked in the newspaper

Eli - Top left

The perfect dinner for a cold winter's day

Tonight we are having a roast. This is a rare occasion in our household. A lot of this is thanks to Jess and Stephen, as we got a pile of leftover veges from their weekly vege pack.
So what you see is onion, home-grown garlic, butter-nut pumpkin, kumera (sweet potato for non NZers) and yams.

I also have beetroot cooking on the stove and that will be roasted with rock salt plus some potatoes par boiling. These will then be shaken in the pan to create a rough edge and then fan baked in a tiny bit of heated oil (this is Aaron's favourite potatoes and how I learnt to do them at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School).

All of this with a lovely leg of lamb. I might even make some home-made mint sauce.

Here is the meal on the table two hours later. Nope mint sauce was a step too far, but I did get gravy done.

Upcycling secondhand stools

My finished stools

Yesterday after work my sister and I had a couple of hours working hard recovering various stools. This is something I find really satisfying as they look so good when done.

My sister had never completed one before and was a bit nervous about doing it herself. Last year I had a lovely morning with Steff also doing this.
I was going to write a tutorial as we did this, but got so enthusiastic about getting stuck in and making the change that I forget to take photos of some major steps - so next time!

The material is oilcloth from Femme de Brocante, a Rangiora shop to die for. One of my favourites and always have amazing specials.

I would like your opinion though - Sometimes I think it is really neat to leave the industrial look of furniture to show it's heritage.
On the step stool do you think I should scrub it clean of paint etc to make it shiny and new or should I leave the smart top and the industrial look? Please do give me feedback on that.

Stool 1 - before

Stool 1 - finished. Note the matching material

Albie said he was the stool tester!

Stool 2 -start (finish in first photo)

My sisters stools - start

My sisters stools - first ever finished.

I have run out of compost

It has been a lovely winter day in Kaiapoi for a spot of gardening. I started setting the vegetable garden up for the winter about a month ago. As usual I have not finished. So I attempted to get it done today. BUT - I ran out of compost. So 2/3 of the garden has compost, sawdust, blood and bone and lime. The rest has some green crops growing and some just missed out completely.
Anyway, about a month ago I cleared out the glasshouse and let the chooks have a good rummage around for a couple of days. Then I composted, sawdusted, watered, etc. I thought it best to give it a bit of time to rest (read into that - I ran out of steam and got distracted by other things). So today I planted out the bok choy that I seeded a couple of months ago and some cauliflower and broccoli plants I had been nurturing for quite a while.

They should all be eaten by the time I need to think of spring and summer vege. Yummy. Last year the cauliflowers I grew in the glasshouse were enormous and the best I have ever had. So I have great expectations for this crop.

Recycling / Upcycling project - glamorous PJ's

When I was recently away at Hanmer Springs with friends they all had pretty PJ's. I was wearing some PJ's I had bought from the Op Shop for $4 a few years ago. Oh how I realised that I needed to upgrade my look. So when I got home I looked for flannel fabric online. Yes I could get some great stuff but at a great price, it would cost me more to make them than to buy a brand new pair at a normal store.

With that in the back of my mind when I was scavenging the Op Shop's I found a sort of nightshirt. It has birds and pink on a brown background. It was too split up the sides and too short to be decent to walk around the house in. But it was in exceptionally good condition and I could see that a few tweaks to it would make it look better. So for $4.50 I took it home.

But then I could not find material to match, until I was out in the garage looking at my material shop (that is what I call all my stash of fabric) and found a bit of leftover flannelette sheeting. I had used this sheet as the backing for one of my soft and cuddly kiddies quilts. Yes it was a perfect match for the pattern on my top and there was enough material left over.

So I chopped up an old pair of PJ bottoms (50 cents from the op shop) to use as a pattern. I cut it in half down the middle then leave one side sewn up so that I can use that as a guide to sew up my new bottoms and the other side I cut into pattern pieces. Cut them and sewed them. It only took about 1 1/2 hours in total to complete them. And I am so pleased with myself putting contrast piping around the bottom of the legs to make them look that they belong together. (Don't look too closely as one leg is definitely finished a whole lot better than the other leg). There I have it - a new set of PJ's to go to smart places in the winter in.


Total cost:
pj bottoms for pattern 0.50
pj top 4.50
piping 0.50 (remnant from Fabric Vision)
ribbon for waist 3.00 (from Blackwells in Kaiapoi)
elastic 0.10 ( I got a 20 metre roll at Stash Rehash this year)
$8.60

Stage one of bedroom done

Yes I have finished painting. In spite of the mishaps of yesterday (if you don't read Facebook - Aaron had tried to help and made a hash of it) all the paint layers are on and now just drying. I absolutely love it. Jakob has picked so well and when black curtains are up etc it will look fab.

I had learnt a few things from the painters at work. So this time I masked up all the edges, it was going to be so sharp in all the corners etc. What I did not take into account was that last time it was messy. So when I untaped the ceilings there was green, then wobbly bits of vivid blue and then the white stipple ceiling. Icky. So I had to undo all my professional edges and make them wobbly to cover all the existing blue. Ah well.   This is the first stage but at least Jakob can be back in this room tomorrow night. I have then got to move onto stage two - being curtains to match, quilt to make etc. So the next photo will be in a few weeks time when some of that has been achieved.

So now it is 9.55pm and the house is a mess as all my spare moments have been painting. Where do I start? kids lunches, vacuuming, folding the five loads of washing, getting the washing machine on.......... goodness it does not take long for things to get behind.

The giveaway winner is... Lusks

I had a bit of feedback re problems putting on comments. So I have taken off any restrictions as to who can access and comment and I have followed Pam from Kalamazoo in the USA advise to turn off the verification software at the end. Hopefully that will iron out any issues you may have had putting on comments.

So winging it's way to Scotland is the bag pattern and a couple of bits of material thrown in. I hope one day to see the finished article.

My thwarted surprise

Aaron was meant to be going away for work for three nights. We had a few weeks warning so the boys and I had been plotting and planning. To do a total revamp of Jakob's room. Out with vivid blue, the zoo curtains and the cream walls. In with a retro lime, grey (called concrete) and a white trim. Jakob also wants black curtains - the man at Resene's in Shirley was very impressed that Jakob had chosen such coordinating colours.

Anyway the story continues... The time then got reduced last week to just an overnight trip with a separate trip next week. Uh oh - but never mind now I will just have to paint till 10pm etc. So Aaron headed off at 7.30am and I dashed in to start the room. Moved the furniture, covered what was left, started puttying and sanding. Then at 9.30am I got the call!! The plane was fogged in, still might get a later flight. Oh panic stations*** - then another call at 10.30, no flight, coming home for dinner.

So what should have been an amazing surprise actually looked like this........

And I was going to make a quilt (well that is what I thought but doubt would get it done!!).

Scissor keeper and pin cushions

Since Tuesday I have been making this set in an aim to assist me to stop losing things. When I am doing craft activities I am always trying to find my pins, scissors, cutters, rulers etc. At home we are still trying to find our wedding negatives (I have tidied up sooo much of the house in my search that I am started to look organised!).

Anyway I keep seeing people on YouTube videos who have things around their neck with their scissors on. Years ago when I was in the Canterbury Embroiderers Guild we were always making scissor keepers. I never understood it as they never "kept" my scissors near me. They were generally little embroidered square attached by a cord to your scissors so that the location of your scissors were more obvious. Didn't work for me.

On Tuesday when we gathered for a quilting night I kept waylaying my scissors all the time, so cut some 2 1/2 inch strips and started to sew. I mean, how hard could it be?

Well it transpires that you have to think about a lot of things, like not sewing the loop up and finishing cos you feel so jolly smart, then realising there is no way to put your clip on to keep the scissors (prototype 1 in the bin). Finally got the hang of the scissor thing and I have been using mine ever since. How did I ever survive before that. It is soooooo handy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then onto the pin cushion. I have made a finger one - which since trying it I actually like as I only ever use 3-4 pins if I use pins at all. The wrist one is on prototype 3 as the first was too small, this one I feel is a bit too big and is velcroed onto the wrist strap. I think that I will sew it onto the strap. Also the elastic is a wee bit too fitting. But it all works for me and I am thrilled. I am going to make some more to iron out issues.

So I have always sold the snips (or given them away) and now I feel it has gone to the next level with the lanyard.

Clearing the craftroom - Giveaway

I am seriously clearing and tidying up the craftroom and my quilt shop (aka the garage) So instead of selling the excess I have decided to host some giveaways over the next few weeks. This weeks giveaway is ....


Melly and Me bag pattern - Hopscotch.

This has never been used. I have unzipped it and looked at the instructions but am just not going to make it.
So put a comment on my blog and make sure I know how to contact you and this could be yours, to keep or give away yourself.
This will be drawn in the evening on Wednesday and then could be winging it's way to you.