Blogtoberfest : 1 down 30 to go.

It's that time of year, blogs are a buzzin', posts flying all over the place, Google Reader bowing at the pressure of all the "unreads", yes it's Blogtoberfest time again.

The general gist? Blog *something* everyday during October. Yep my poor readers are going to get 31 days of blogging glory from yours truly. I'm sorry in advance for when the rambling starts.

So thank you to TinnieGirl for coming up with the whole shebang again this year and CurlyPops who is running the door prizes. I may even run a giveaway and CurlyPops is the place to go to check.

Are you going to join in? If you can't come up with a whole post, try just a photograph or maybe links to some groovy things you've seen on another blog that we might all like to read. Make sure you let me know if you are taking part so I can read your posts too.

Tomorrow : The day I went to the post office and came home with TEN parcels. It's just like Christmas in well October around here today.

For Ellyn

Over on Twitter, a new found friend from the other side of the world and I started chatting. Each night as I head to bed she is waking up to a new day, we would chat about what I had got up to for the day and she would share her plans, I made a comment that it seemed we were "Crafting the world 24hours between the two of us". It amazes me through things like twitter and blogs the friendships that form that without the internet would never have happened.

So after a post by Ellyn about Shrinky Dinks and a comment I left about wanting to give them a go, she suggested a crafty swap. My slow-as-a-snail post office still hasn't delivered her parcel to me, but hers has arrived and I can finally show what I made a few weeks ago.

I included a bit of everything.

A felt house embroidery (tutorial here). I modified it to add a birdhouse since Ellyn collects birdhouses.

A knitted Double Bump washcloth (pattern here). I used Sirdar Snuggly DK yarn in a deep blue and bought some soap from Lush in Porridge "flavour" to go with it.

A knitted coffee cup sleeve (pattern here) also knitted in some Sirdar Snuggly DK yarn.

A hand stitched felt "I Love Buttons" brooch from Dearfii's pattern.

And since Ellyn has a beautiful new niece, I made up a couple of pink bibs with towelling backing. I had to at least send something sewen!

My very first swap and I loved it! I was nervous picking things out for someone else with no reall idea what they would prefer, but an email from Ellyn says she was happy with everything so yay.

2

Liam's birthday yesterday was a roaring success. He spent the whole day smiling, laughing, playing with his friends and doing all of his favourite things.

We opened his presents at home including a much beloved "Mack" truck and other toys from the Cars movie (the only thing he will actually sit and watch) and a new scooter.

Then a playdate with his friends at the Wiggly Play Centre.

Followed by lunch, cake, more playing and a much needed nap at Nanny & Poppy's. Liam's dinner of choice? Sushi of course.

Birthday cake by Mummy

Happy Birthday my little man. Stay exactly how you are, you are such a gorgeous little boy.

Princess Party

A now 4-year olds Princess Birthday Party, what a way to start the weekend!

Lots of glitter on a make your own wand

Pin the Crown on Aerial the Mermaid (or her armpit if you're Bella)

Pass the parcel

Lots of yummy food

Fantastic Toadstool cake

Happy Birthday Amelia Love Princess Bella and tag-a-long Liam who came with us 'cause Mummy was away all last weekend and I was soaking up the last day of him being "One".

Tomorrow is round number 2 for parties... Liam's birthday and party. His presents are wrapped, scooter assembled and hidden, friends booked for fun at the Wiggly Play Centre, the cake made (I am NO cake decorator apparently) and our bags packed for an early morning out of here.

To think this time 2 years ago we were bags packed for his arrival the next morning, nervous of the surgery to come and those muddled baby days to follow and spending our last night as a family of 3. Oh and I was huge and tired.

Skirts

A morning of skirt sewing...

This for a little girl turning 4 tomorrow. A real simple skirt with elastic waist, easy for her to get on and off by herself from light cotton fabric from Ikea and I added a few button eyes.

And this for Isabella...

to go with the Patty Young's Modkids top I made last week

I think she'll wear it to Liam's 2nd birthday party this weekend. Yes he's 2 on Sunday and I don't like him getting older one bit.

Lots of Pockets Tote

A Lots of Pockets tote for my Mum for her birthday in a few weeks.


I would love to try making it with a few modifications like scaling it larger, longer straps and making both of the exterior sides have the little pockets.

Melbourne

1. Melbourne 2009 : Airplane, 2. Melbourne 2009 : Afternoon Tea @ Little Cupcakes, 3. Melbourne 2009 : Artplay, 4. Melbourne 2009 : Crown Casino to see Up, 5. Melbourne 2009 : Sebel, 6. Melbourne 2009 : Dinner @ Sebel, 7. Melbourne 2009 : Breakfast with Nanna, 8. Melbourne 2009 : Tram ride to Zoo, 9. Melbourne 2009 : Zoo, 10. Melbourne 2009 : Face painting @ book launch, 11. Melbourne 2009 : Book launch, 12. Melbourne 2009 : Breakfast @ Le Petit Gateau, 13. Melbourne 2009 : Children's Garden @ RBG, 14. Melbourne 2009 : Sorbet @ RBG, 15. Melbourne 2009 : Lunch @ RBG, 16. Melbourne 2009 : Hire car

We are back from Melbourne, in one piece and had a ball. Our 3 days were very packed with activities and I don't think Isabella stopped talking for 3 days straight. Including in her sleep. I offered to give her $100 to stop for 30mins but she wasn't interested in a deal. The book launch for Homemade was a great success and a huge thank you to Bev and Anna for all their work. Now I'm off to give my little boy some more I missed you - snuggly kisses and plan for his birthday this Sunday.

Melbourne Bag

Hands up who was silly enough to realise at almost 11pm last night that all our luggage is being stored at my Mum's? Oh what I'm the only one madly waving her arms around like a looney? Yep, all my planning I forgot we moved our bags to my Mums and with no free days left to go pick them up in all my infinite wisdom I thought I'd make a weekender-style bag. With no pattern. At midnight.

Here it is... finished after a quick shop after Liam's swimming this morning for a big zipper and some interfacing and sewed up during his nap time.

Overall I'm happy with it, especially since I just kind of cut and made it up as I went along. See it standing up all on it's own? There's nothing inside so I'm happy with the interfacing job.

A couple of nights ago I made up a present for my little man who I'll miss terribly while I'm away, a little Caterpillar softie from Two Little Banshees pattern I got at the show. I'll be giving it to him at the airport when he drops Mummy & Bella off.

Now excuse me while I plunge head first into the freezer to find something for dinner, quickly grab some lunch (at 4.50pm) and attempt to recover our lounge room floor after hurricane bag making.

Sunglasses cases x 2

New cases for Bella & my new sunglasses...

I made my case using a heavy-weight fabric from Ikea (the grey) and linen for the flap with a velcro closure.

The inside is leftover Mendocino from the beach bag.

For Bella's I used some more oilcloth and velcro and designed a very simple case. I think I cut and sewed it in about 15mins.

Mendocino Beach Bag

A new beach bag, big enough to take everything for the whole family in one bag rather than 100 little bags. This guy is HUGE 20" wide x 9.5" deep.

The exterior is two of Heather Ross' Mendocino fabrics. The straps are webbing on the inside from Nikki which I covered so are extra strong. Each side also has an exterior pocket between the straps.

The interior is a light brown canvas (which apparently I need to iron) and has a large 12" zippered pocket big enough for wallets, phones, keys, and plenty of other things. Both ends have a large pocket which fit 2 drink bottles/thermos at each end. (There is 4 big towels in there... and penty more room for buckets, spades, spare clothes, food etc)

Everything is double stitched and I double interfaced the exterior fabric with a medium weight interfacing to give it plenty of shape.

A flying we will go...

The launch of Homemade: the Handmade Help recipe book is on this weekend and was originally going to be a romantic weekend just Dean & I. However we've had some last minute changes after our babysitter aka Poppy got the good news last week that his heart has recovered enough from the 3 heart attacks in 4 days he had just over a month ago to go back into hospital this Thursday for an angiogram first and then *fingers crossed* a double bypass. So now it's Isabella & I heading to Melbourne for 4 days while Dean & Liam hang out at home having a boy weekend getting up to all sorts of trouble including many train rides if Liam gets his way.

Isabella is VERY excited about going on the airplane as always. She has travelled a few times and our last flight was to visit Nanna & Pa in Melbourne last year and she loved every minute of it, including laughing hysterically at the take-off and landing while all the other kids cried. Since it's our first trip away together, I decided to make her a few things to take with her...

A cosmetic bag just for her made from red oilcloth and finished with a heart zipper end from Nikki. She's already packed her tooth brush, tooth paste, hair brush and hair ties.

A little coin purse to take her money in for babycinos I plan on getting whenever we can. The exterior fabric is from Erin McMorris' Wildwood line and the interior is Patty Young's Andalucia Kiwi Fabric. The purse pattern and frame are also from Nikki.

And a new top from Patty Young's Modkids made this morning. I made the 4/5T but it really needs to be a little bit longer, but is a good length for now. I used denim for the bodice and Patty's Young Andalucia fabric for the rest.

The instructions look really daunting when you open the pattern but they are really detailed. It's been a while since I sewed something that has taken a couple of hours but the finishing details on the top are gorgeous and well worth it.

The little ties on the side, lined bodice, gathered pockets are all beautiful touches. I have some matching ribbon I planned on using but am holding off until a pants pattern I have ordered from Crafty Mamas arrives and I'll use it to trim them.

Tea for Clare

For Aunty Clare. A knitted teapot cozy from this pattern with a new teapot and some "Normal Tea" from T2. Knitted with some Sirdar Snuggly DK.

Eye Spy ... Seasons Change

Spring is our favourite time of year, it means a shift in our weekend routines. Winter weekends of meeting friends and family for plays at their house, random days of perfect playground weather become weekends of picnics, beach adventures, coming home with buckets full of "treasures" from the beach (so far no stray crabs thank goodness) and BBQs for most meals. Daylight stays a little bit longer for bike and scooter rides.

This weekend was just that, perfect almost 30 degree weather (about 84 degrees for you Northern Hemisphere people) where we spent Saturday at the beach with Nanny & Poppy before Poppy's hospital admission later this week for (hopefully) his double bypass followed by a lazy walk down and day spent at the local Spring Fair today.

We are lucky to live only a few short minutes drive or 10 minutes walk to a number of beaches (unfortunately the UPHILL bit is on the way home with the tired out, hungry, sandy kids refusing to walk or carry the 10kg of equipment they HAD to take with them). But this time of year we love where we live just that little bit more.

Beachin' with Nanny & Poppy

Some smart person (ie. Nanny) thought it would be hilarious to splash the kids with her feet, until Liam realised he had a bucket he could fill and throw water back with. Liam won.

Thanks to Cindy for Eye Spy and picking me for this week.

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who went in the running of my little giveaway. Special thanks to those who gave me some more ideas for names, I'm still undecided but I'm thinking either the Takeway-Crafter or Car's suggestion "Craft-to-Go".

Anyway, back to the giveaway.... drum roll please.....

Congratulations Cathie (Melbourne Epicure)! Head over to Cathie's blog. I'm newly hooked and I so want her Blueberry Pikelets and Red Velvet Cupcakes. Ok there's alot more I'd love to eat but I need to be able to fit out the front door. I'll be emailing you Cathie for your address.

Eye Spy... Something Blooming

I know it's cliche, but the thing I see blooming the most around me is my baby. He's not really a baby any longer and I am treasuring the very very few weeks left that he is "ONE". He already feels 2 (12 some days), is such a funny boy and comes up with the most hilarious chatters lately.

"I did it I did it Mummy" accompanied by furious jumping in the air and throwing his arms in the air
"WAITTTTT" as his little legs come pounding down the pavement to catch up
"Oooo funny Mummy" followed by a FAKE giggle
"Oh no I felled over" normally preceeded by him flinging himself onto the ground pretending to trip over
"Ooooo wow Mummy yum yum" whenever any food is presented to him, even before he's even seen what is in his bowl most of the time and knows what it is

The boy can spot an airplane behind trees and hear them from a mile away and I'm sure he has a sixth sense when we are near a train or train stations.

Whenever we drive away from our home he makes me wind the window down so he can call out "Bye bye Ted" to his teddy bear.

This age is so much fun and he is blooming into a real boy so quick it's almost sad.

Thanks Holly for this weeks meme.

eek I'm supposed to pick a meme for next week. Something I've been dreading since I joined. I don't know why, maybe 'cause I don't want to pick something that everyone goes "meh that's dumb". So a few week back, it came to me.. Eye Spy... Something Red, a fave colour at the moment, and I thought if I ever get picked for Eye Spy I was cool and ready to go. 2 days later that was the lovely Ellieboo's meme.

So after gorgeous Cindy has asked me to pick next weeks theme I've been thinking what is something that we have been planning for a lot the last few weeks? ... Eye Spy... Seasons Change. What does the change to Spring & Summer in the Southern Hemisphere and Winter in the Northen Hemisphere mean to you? I can't wait to see what everyone does and looks forward to the most about the new seasons.

Happy Fathers Day... and 400

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddies. We've had a lovely Father's Day-Weekend so far. Lunch with Nanny & Poppy yesterday and Bella wanted to stay the night so the boys and I went out for Liam's favourite dinner, Sushi. This morning the boys headed out and picked up supplies for Mummy to make pancakes to go with coffees and babycinos all round.

Earlier in the week I finally spent the last of my birthday money, 3 months later, and bough a Wii and a Wii Fit. Love it. Of course Liam wanted a go this morning so we made him his own little Mii and set him loose on the Ski Salaom. He has the highest score. Embarrasing. But he did have help from Daddy...

As promised on my last post, since this is number 400 (yikes) I've made up a little something for a giveaway. Remember the little needle/embroidery holder that I made here and here, I think I'm going to start calling them a Take-Away Crafter?? Maybe. Anyway, I've made up another one and it's up for grabs. Just leave a comment before midnight on Wednesday 9th September and It might be yours. I will ship internationally. Earn a bonus entry if you can give me a better name!

This little guy has 3 holders, a mushroom, birdie and a button heart, plus some empty embroidery holders for you to add to. If you let me know your fave colours in your comment, the embroidery holders may even come filled :-)