Blogtoberfest Day 31: Final Blogtoberfest

Ciao

Au revoir

Auf Wiedersehen

Aloha

Nameste

Adiós

The second Blogtoberfest finishes today and I made it without missing a single day. I even have a few "backup" posts that I thought of along the way still saved to work on that I came up with "incase".

Big thank you to Cathy for running Blogtoberfest again and for the barrel girl CurlyPops.

This month has flown by so quick. I haven't got around to all the Blogtoberfest participants (well there ARE almost 300) but I will be slowly checking in with a few more even though the month is done. I have made some lovely new friends and come across MORE blogs for my bulging Google Reader.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog thanks to the festival, it certainly does feel like a festival around blog-land and I can't wait until next October.

Blogtoberfest Day 30: Before & After

Couple of metres of Ikea fabric later...

My knitting spot is looking a little better.

Happy kids. Mummy & Daddy headed out for dinner together while the kids had their first ever non-Nanny babysitting.

Their absolute favorite carer from our daycare, Sherrie, agreed to come watch the offspring for a couple of hours and eat pizza with them. They were so happy and Sherrie loves them so much, they had a great time. It was nice to be able to eat our dinner and not have little people trying to steal it.

We won't mention the Asian Chicken & Noodle soup incident last night. Let's just say once Bella noticed I was eating it Mummy didn't get another mouth full to herself.

Lastly... LOVELY mail today. One of Bella's Christmas presants and a little lace for me for some more Curvy Clutches.

Blogtoberfest Day 29: Bagels

I made bagels. Yep all from scratch, and they cost next to nothing, certainly not $4 for 4 like at the Supermarket that we can eat in one sitting for breakfast. They taste GOOD and with a little help from the bread maker machine, no effort.

1 1/4 cup warm water

3 cups Plain Flour

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 baking sheets, oiled

Place all ingredients into your bread maker and run the dough cycle.

When the cycle is complete but before the rising stage if your machine has one, take out the dough, shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let rise for an hour.

Take the dough out and cut into 8 equal pieces. Make each piece into a small smooth ball, flatten slightly and make a hole using 2 fingers to shape like a, well, bagel.

Place all formed bagels onto the greased baking sheets and cover with a damp tea towel to allow to rise for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 240 degrees Celsius.

Once the bagels have risen for 15 minutes, bring a large saucepan to the boil. Once the water is boiling drop 2 bagels at a time, allow to poach for 30 seconds one side, flip over and finish another 30 seconds on the other side. Remove, drain either on a slotted spoon or some paper towel then place on the oiled baking sheets again, well spaced apart.

Once all bagels have been boiled, cook for 10-15 minutes. Check after 10 minutes though, they may be already golden and ready.

Yum.

Blogtoberfest Day 28: The Red Thread

Who doesn't know Lisa @ The Red Thread? Well you should go over, her stuff is fantastic (drool over the Sushibird tiles) and her blog has had a mini-facelift a la Cameron Solutions (aka me).

So I'm kind of being crafty if you count being knee-deep in HTML coding. Hopefully something more exciting aka sewing to share in the next couple of days. Hubby has advised me his laptop (that I just made a cover for) has been upgraded so he'll need a new cover for it.

Blogtoberfest Day 27: Eye Spy... Something Cuddly

Every evening just before dinner you'll find these too cuddling up on the couch using floor cushions as blankets. It's the wind down towards bed when everyones just too tired to do anymore. I'm normally wedged between them. Thanks to Cindy and Bek for this weeks Eye Spy.

Blogtoberfest Day 26: And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone for entering my little giveaway. 53 entries, I was very happy to have that many people want my little 'ole Curvy Clutch. So drum roll please ... the winner is ...

DELicious Designz. Congrats Del, I hope you like your new clutch. (PS. Checkout her etsy shop and this ring, how cool are those 100s and 1000s!)

My Curvy Clutches are now up for sale in my etsy shop and Madeit shop.

Blogtoberfest Day 25: Handmade around our home

Handmade goodness hanging in our kitchen courtesy of Ellyn from a swap we did, a pair of towels (one always on rotation) and the red crochet number hanging up. I love red in our kitchen.

More Handmade around our home tomorrow. What are some of the handmade touches in your home?

Blogtoberfest Day 24: Handmade around our home

A birthday present for Liam handmade by a lovely crafty friend. Mr Robot has found a home at the end of our kitchen and disappears during the day to drive trucks and build lego towers but re-appears each night so he stays safe.

What are some of the handmade touches in your home?

I'm planning on sharing a few more this week, join in "Handmade around our home" and be sure to leave me a comment so I can come and browse the lovely handmade touches around your home.

Blogtoberfest Day 23: Etsy Shop Update

My etsy and Madeit shops have laid bare for months (not that I ever had much in them), but I loved making up the curvy clutches the other day, and as I sewed away so many ideas of what I could make them with came to me.

But how many clutches can one girl have? (That's a retorical question, just pretend you're a man and think that answer cause we all know a female can never have too many bags. or shoes).

Anyway I decided to make up a few more and put them up in my etsy store. So here are the first batch...

I love the lace one, don't you? I have some other ideas floating about in my head I want to try too with embellishments but they'll have to wait.

Don't forget your chance to win a Curvy Clutch. You have until Sunday night to pop over here and leave me a comment.

The Princess & The Monkey Etsy Shop

Blogtoberfest Day 22: Milo

A presant for a little girl turning one soon, a Milo vest using Bendigo Luxury 10ply in Lake. The pattern uses 8ply so for an 18 month old size I knitted the 9 month old size up to the cables and then knitted to the 18 month old length. It fits Liam who is 2 so it should be a perfect fit.

This was such a quick knit, I started it on Monday night and finished last night. No I wasn't knitting all day and night, just an hour or two each night, so only 3 nights worth of knitting. The pattern goes up to size 4 so I think Isabella and Liam might be getting one each too.

Action shot with a Cheesy grin.

Yesterday I sent Hubby in to pick up some yarn from Morris & Sons who have a store near his work and are having a massive sale. I'm playing with the idea of trying to knit myself something so I ordered Cleckheaton Country 12 ply which was reduced from $56.50 per 10 balls packet to $28.50, bargin. But you know what else he came home with? 2 pattern books the ladies gave him for free worth another $40. I'm sending him to pickup supplies more often.

Today, no knitting, more sewing.

Blogtoberfest Day 21: WIPs for Today

A lovely morning with a trip to the park to enjoy some warm weather with friends...

Followed by a nap for the little man, a movie for the Princess and some crafty time for me...

I love being able to spend days like these.

Blogtoberfest Day 20: One for me and one for you

Hands up who thought my lil' ole blog had turned all knitty on you? Yep I've caught the knitting bug but a certain little pattern I keep going back too finally found it's way into my shopping cart and next thing I knew the lounge room floor was covered in fabric and pattern pieces and the sewing machine humming away. So finally, 3 weeks into Blogtoberfest, I have a giveaway to share.

So while I made myself this little Curvy Clutch with some Erin McMorris fabric from the stash and lined with linen...

I made you one too, a nice pretty blue one...

Well only if you leave me a comment that is. Leave your details including a link to your blog/email so I can contact you when I draw a name out of a hat this Sunday night at 8pm AEST. Yes I will ship internationally.

Blogtoberfest Day 19: My babes

Blogtoberfest Day 18: Spring Shirt & High Tea

A busy day yesterday... on the way to Mum's I finished off the Girl's cap sleeved spring shirt using some Bendigo Cotton 8ply in Denim Cotton.

An easy pattern, turned out lovely and only took me a week of 30 mins here and there, my kind of project, nice and quick. Using the Bendigo wool I used just over half a ball and at AUD$12 a ball.. bargin. Last night I cast on the Kitty cardigan in Bendigo's Luxury 4ply but I have a feeling this one is going to take me some time.

Surprise High Tea organised for Mum's Birthday at the QVB's Tea Room. A lovely girlie afternoon, just Mum, me and Aunty Clare, followed by some shopping then apple cake and Happy Birthdays at home with the kids. If only I could have High Tea every weekend!

Blogtoberfest Day 17: Eye Spy... Bed

Miss Muggins came up with this weeks Eye Spy, a peek into our bedrooms, and yes I'm a day EARLY, but Friday's are kids-at-daycare-clean-house-frenzy days so while it was clean I photographed.

Our little Princess and Monkey boy love sharing a bedroom, so much so, one night last year when we stayed at my Mum & Dad's before a trip away Liam was unsettled for hours until I realised it was because he was in a different room to Isabella. He was used to hearing her ramble as she drifted off to sleep and being able to see her I guess because once together in the same room, he was snooring in 5 minutes.

So a tour of their fun bedroom/playroom...

Peeking through door which hangs PJ bags and a wreath on the handle from Rosa e Chocolate

An Ikea Expedit bookcase with baskets also from Ikea holding all the toys. Ontop is the dolls house that my Grandfather made me when I was about 3 or 4 which I re-vamped for Isabella's 3rd birthday last year.

Bella's artwork. The fairy painting and butterflies were gifts from friends and I made the little hair clip holder.

Liam's artwork was also made by a friend and was made when Isabella was born to match the nursery set we have.

The huge (almost bigger than Liam) white teddy, Cookie Monster and Pumba were mine when I was young. Not mine any longer of course!

Liam's Alphabet artwork is from Lad & Lass above the Borri Change table which isn't used for changing anymore. The drawers hold all their tops and underwear and the boxes on the shelf hold swimming gear and socks.

Blogtoberfest Day 16: The Final Lazy Days Skirt

5 days and 5 skirts of the Lazy Days Skirt Sew-a-Long hosted by the lovely Melissa.

My final skirt is an itti bitty one for a little girl about to turn 1. I had planned to try a more-embellished version but when I found I had just enough of this gorgeous Amy Butler fabric I though a simple ruffle ribbon at the bottom was enough.

I love this pattern. Each skirt takes me less than 30 minutes including measuring, cutting, ironing, hemming, elastic in, ready to wear and there are so many different ways to jazz it up (see the Oliver & S flickr group).

Even after making 5 in a week, I am not sick of sewing these.

Blogtoberfest Day 15: Lazy Days Skirt #4 and Knitted Slippers

The last of the Lazy Days skirts for Isabella using my Heather Ross fabric from Corrie. Tomorrow I'm planning a little embellished one for a little girl to have her birthday soon..

The last of the birthday presants for my Mum, a pair of knitted Mary Jane slippers. She is ALWAYS cold and I thought these would be great around the house.

This pattern was so quick and easy to make, I think each shoe took me about an hour and I used 2 balls of Patons Inca 12ply yarn and I added a little crocheted flower in Tangerine. I modified the pattern and knitted the base to 9" before starting the decreases instead of 7.5-8" and it fits my size 9-10 foot.

Tomorrow on Blogtoberfest: The final Lazy Days skirt

Blogtoberfest Day 14: Lazy Days Skirt #3 and Eye Spy... My Favourite Corner of the House

Day #3 and Lazy Days Skirt #3 for the Sew-A-Long.

We took it for a test drive today at the park for a picnic with good friends (checkout Sarah's blog, she's been taking part in the sew-a-long as well).

Speaking of the picnic, we had a scrumdiddlyumptious lunch, if I do say so myself. I made us ladies a Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Garlic Panko Chicken and the kids had a Cheesy Ham and Macaroni Bake. Sarah bought along some yummy muffins to finish our meal. There weren't many leftovers to bring home.

I haven't done the last couple of Eye Spy's, and yes this one is days late I KNOW, but this weeks theme is from Cindy herself and is Eye Spy... My Favourite Corner of the House.

My response this week is going a two-parter... after some furniture re-arranging and claiming back the glider chair from the kids bedroom I've set up a pretty cozy corner in the lounge room.

(My Girl's Cap Sleeved Spring Shirt just over half done)

It's the perfect TV watching - knitting spot and gets lovely afternoon sun. Even though the cover on the chair is in perfect condition, it really goes with.. well nothing. So Sarah graciously did an Ikea run for me and bought me some fabric to match our ottoman I covered. Check back here for Part Two of My Favourite Corner of the House with *hopefully* a newly-covered chair.

Tomorrow on Blogtoberfest: Yep another skirt AND some knitted slippers.

Blogtoberfest Day 13: Lazy Days Skirt #2

Lazy Days Skirt #2. Spots and lace from Spotlight.

An action shot of Isabella hard at work on her latest sticker and drawing book while her brother is snoozes.

Tomorrow on Blogtoberfest: SURPRISE It's another Lazy Days skirt. Bet you couldn't guess that.

Blogtoberfest Day 12: Lazy Days Skirt #1

My first Lazy Days skirt as part of the Sew-A-Long Melissa is hosting. I really should work on more exciting backgrounds than my floorboards. I love this pattern, it is so quick and I managed to sew it while a batch of Giant Vanilla Bean Cookies from Joy the Baker were baking away...

These cookies are good people, seriously good. I made "giant" ones for us big people and little ones for the kids.

Tomorrow on Blogtoberfest: Lazy Days Skirt #2