one.

picture from here.

Today my blog is one.
And I so almost missed this important date. Here I was browsing through the old archives of random blogs and wondering just the exact date I started mine. A quick check and I realised it was exactly one whole year ago today.
Wow. Kinda freaky.
And just how did that whole year go by so quickly!?
(I think I'm getting a mini grasp on exactly how mum's feel when they say this about their children!)

Blogging to me has brought so many highlights that I never could have possibly dreamed up!
This year I..

- I have been inspired by the crafty and sewing projects of so many amazing craft blogs.

- I realised there are people out there as Morgan says 'just like you!' - those crafty little designing homebodies :)

- I got my sewing machine out more than ever before and re-discovered my love for sewing and giving handmade gifts.

- I have run to the letter box for something exciting more times than I can count.

- I have brought more things online this past year than all the past years put together.

- My material and craft stash has gone from 'modest' to 'well established' (and then some).

- I have driven my boy crazy with my 'blog talk'. Thanks for putting up with my ramblings love :)

- I realised how fun sewing vintage style aprons can be and I made a few.

- I have been involved in apron swaps and received two lovely little numbers to wear in the kitchen :)

- I have tried new recipes found through blogs.

- I have been blessed by the kindness of strangers when this cute apron from Beth arrived in my letter box for no other reason, other than my swap partner decided not to send me anything and Beth decided to fill in because she's sweet like that.

- I was blessed enough to have been involved in a bloggity baby shower! wow wow wow.

- I realised how much more amazing it is to give, than to recieve.

- I met some incredible women. Women who inspire me with their faith, with their outlook on life, with their devotion to their families, women who are in essence my role models, who have gone through seasons of life before me and who I know I can turn to for advice. Women who I have laughed with and prayed for and cried for and who I know would do the same for me. Women who are so strong and beautiful. You girls know who you are - one day I hope I have give each of you a hug :)

- I have had the privilege of being involved in some 'email conversations' and getting to know some of those lovely ladies spoken of above better... And how I cherish and love each email (and comment) that comes in.

- I have received some lovely e-cards that have brought tears to my eyes... Thank you!

- I have been able to share a blog with some amazingly talented women.

- My faith has been strengthened especially through the writing of this lady and this one and this one (and about a dozen others).

- My eyes (and debit card) have been opened to the world of Etsy. nuff said ;) oh and Amy Butler and Alexander Henry and and...

- I have been inspired by amazing photography found throughout blog world and finally took the plunge into getting myself a good camera.

- I actually photographed a wedding!

- I have enjoyed being tagged and tagging back.

- I entered my twenty's. And have been able to document a year in my life and have recorded many things that would of faded from my memory with the passing of time.

- I have signed in almost everyday to read up on the life of strangers for fear that I would miss something terribly exciting.

- I have realised I am not going to stop any time soon ;)

And now I would like to say thank you to you gorgeous girls out there with a giveaway :D cause I know how much you all love giveaways!
So I had this idea of organising this great giveaway for months now, but that year really did creep up on me and I kinda have no idea what I will be giving away. Sounds kinda crazy huh - a giveaway without anything to giveaway. But I have decided I kind of like the idea of finding out who the winner will be and then 'stalking' their blog (in the nicest possible way) and being able to send something slightly more personal that will hopefully be something the winner will adore.

Oh and speaking of 'stalking' if you have been over to my page and never said hi, please do leave a comment I'd love to meet you :D!

So to enter? Simply leave a comment in the comment section and tell me one of your 'blog highlights' or post about it and let me know when you do. The winner will be randomly drawn by Morgan (because I don't have a cute kid to draw the prize, just a cute boyfriend :) .. so stay tuned for that post, I have some ideas. The winner will be drawn Saturday 8 Nov.

Love Kt x

a bit of a random post.

Ok so it's a few years at least till Morgan and I are going to get married (must at least wait until I have finished design school!) but it doesn't stop me from looking and thinking and dreaming right?
So filing away for future reference is this etsy seller portobello's hairpieces (she has some lovely vintage jewelry pieces too).

I could just see my bridesmaids with these in their hair, or me at the next 'formal' event with a simple black cocktail dress, whenever that may be . And sorry for the scary looking heads!

I love that hairstyle too.

and randomly..

and a little sneak peak for Miss Jacy because I'm no good at waiting :D!

Totally Tagged Again!

I was over on Amy's blog and saw this fun game. Amy was nice enough to let me play along. All you have to do is go into your pictures, click on the fourth folder and then the fourth picture and post about it on your blog, then tag 4 people.

This photo was taken at my cousin Emily's wedding (the bridal party featured in the background getting their professional photos, as well as those random stranger grr!). This is me and my cousin Sarah. Can you tell who is who? Sarah and I are probably the cousins who look most alike. Once when we were young and our family's went on holidays together we told all the kids that we were sisters and they totally believed us. In this photo I was fixing her earring which was tangled in her hair and getting ready to pose for a shot for grandpa. Here we are actually posing:

ps. I scored that dress on ebay for $49.99! Brand new with Tags, rpp $110.00! The band around the middle is all beaded too :)
Bargin Queen strikes again!

pps. Sarah just got off a plane from Paris a few hours before coming back from studying Fashion Design - crazy how good she looks after very few hours sleep huh :)

So to pass this along I am choosing to tag:

1. Jacy
2. Fairlight
3. Chelle
4. Aminta

oh and Wendi and Dawna and Jess and ok, I think I just broke the rules (not like I hadn't already posting up two pics hehe)
so to all those who want to join too, consider yourself tagged!

Totally Tagged!

Ok so I have been tagged by the lovely Miss Jacy to share six random facts about myself. I love reading other people's random facts posts and getting to know a little bit more about what makes them them and found it was just as fun having a go myself :) !

the rules:

1- post the rules

2- write 6 random things about yourself

3- tag 6 people at the end

4- taggers start with rule #1


Random Fact #1.
I have mentioned this before, but for my new readers (hello girls!) I am a writer of lists. I write lists about everything! Shopping Lists, Things I must accomplish at lunchtime, things to do on the weekend, things I am waiting to arrive in the post, things I need to buy, Things I need for my room, my budget for the week (day by day), websites I need to visit, receipes I want to try etc etc..
Crossing things off my lists excites me.
I will add things I have already completed just so I get to cross them off.
I have to clean my handbag almost every week to clear out all the paper and post-it 'lists'.

Random Fact # 2.
I refuse to cut out any of my sewing patterns, instead I painstakingly trace them all onto Interfacing. every. single. piece. I like the idea that I can continue making multiple items out of the same pattern without fear of the paper pieces being torn, or lost (how many thrifted patterns have this problem!) or only being able to use one size, even if I will never make any of the other sizes - I just like to know their there if I ever needed them. It kinda calms me (weird I know). I also like the way the interfacing 'sticks' to the fabric and doesn't move while I cut them out. These pattern pieces are then put into a glad sandwich bag (to save from dust and 'scrunching') with the instructions and original pieces and filed away. Which leads me to random fact #3.

Random Fact # 3.
I'm very particular and neat about almost everything except for my car. It always seems dirty or full of 'stuff'. I put it down to the fact that I don't spend much time in it and can get away from the mess. I'm also an overchiever who likes, er needs things done my way (I'm working on fixing this). Things must be perfect and neat and matching and detailed (especially my crafts) I'm known to put a lot of detail into presentation, wrapping of gifts, cards etc. This neat thing is weird as I seem to let things get really messy and then have a deep, deep clean where i go through every drawer and re-arrange.

Random Fact #4.
I am known by friends and family as the Queen of Bargins. I will hardly ever buy anything full price (unless I am spoiling myself). I love coming home from shopping and getting whoever is available to guess how much I paid for a particular item. My family know the game now and so they always guess around $15 which kinda spoils the fun (especially if I paid more) then I have to ask but how much would YOU pay for it?
I then like to get out the receipts and tags and work out how much money I have saved - I totally get a kick out of it. I am also known to find something on special, get to the counter and then have the item reduced even more. This especially seems to happen to me in Target. Therefore whenever Morgan needs new clothes he insists that I come too which i think is becoming less for my style advice and more about the money he can save :)

Random Fact #5.
On the way home from shopping (even if I am driving) I get this urge to look at my pretty bountry and try things on, or to simply just hold them. It's always been this way and I just can't understand it. It drives Morgan nuts because I won't put things in the boot and insist on dragging all of my bags into the passenger seat with me and demanding that I am comfortable and have enough room, even though I clearly do not.

Random Fact #6.
I LOVE saving! I would rather go without something and transfer money into my save account than have the 'something', except when I see 'the something' and then realise how much I want it. A quick look at the figure in my save account calms me down some and I add 'the something' to my weekly budget list spoken of in random fact #1! I think this is a good thing especially seeings when the next pay check comes in I often no longer want 'the something' but rather 'a something else' :P

Yay this was fun I choose to tag:

1. Amy
2. Beth
3. Amanda
4. Dawna
5. Jess
6. Susan

Join in if you would like and sorry if I have double tagged you..

giveaway!

I saw this Grosgrain giveaway over on Amy's blog. I have visited the Grograin page a few times - I just love pouring over her little girl outfits, and dreaming of dressing my own little one in all those amazing and oh so cute clothes!

But this dress..wow! seriously I just had to share this one for all you mums out there who DO have a little girl to dress cutely. You can click here to see how to enter any of Grosgrain's giveaways. This one is open till the 24th October :)

celebrating!

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary mum and dad!

To the two who have taught me how to make a marriage work, how to love and to give of yourself, how to laugh through the good times and to stay and hold each other in the bad times. The two who put Christ first in their relationship, who still kiss in the kitchen while doing the mundane - like washing up. The two who I can't even count on one hand how many times I have seen them fight, nor how many times I have seen them laugh together.

Thank you both for everything you have taught me and continue to teach me.
I hope you are enjoying your amazing cruise, you surely do deserve it.
I love you.
x

a weekend..

picture not mine. found here.

So my parents are away with friends on a cruise for their 25 wedding anniversary and I was a bit bummed we couldn't go too. But I like to think we had just as much of a fun and relaxing weekend being at home..Here's some snippets of our weekend:

- Catching up with my good friend Elizabeth, who came up from Sydney and joined us at youth. Yay! It's been way too long girl!

photo taken at our formal

- A great night at youth and having some friends from Henti (waay out in the country) join us.

- Catching up with an old friend at the supermarket.

- Going out with the youth and playing stupid guessing and mind games and laughing.

- Watching an amazing 'moonrise' over the water near where we live. The moon was so big and full and orange and low. Proof to me again that God truly does exist!

- A mini sleep-in Saturday morning. I'm not one to often have extremely long sleep ins and waste the day away, but one till 9 o'clock was just heavenly :)

- Washing two cars with my brother chatting and dancing along to this band who we saw live. Keeping in mind there is no guitars in this band - all that strumming and picking is done on a bass! - crazy! 'Just play this thing' is my favourite song.

- having a clean car.

- Cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning- the cleaning part - not so fun, the end result and the feeling of accomplishment - lovely :)

- Baking these brownies while my 'big' boys relived their childhood and played 'Hotwheels'.. and set up crazy jumps down our stairwells (the ones featured in this post over at domestic bliss).

- Seeing my brother Stuart and Morgan muck around and hang together and hearing them laughing so hard at an inside joke.

- Having cheese and tomato fondue for dinner. Next time I would really love to try a meat fondue - has any one ever made one of them before? And check out this scrummy fondue found on flickr. I might just have to try and try that too :)

waaay impressive!

- Enjoying the first watermelon of the season - my my it was so sweet and juicy - off to the fruit shop today for some more as we have eaten it all already ;)

- warm days and warm evenings.

- Waking up to a slightly swollen eye - weird :S!

- Playing card games with my boys - and winning the game wasn't so bad either!

- Great worship at church and the whole band pulling off an item, an old hymn 'the old rugged cross', which we only learnt Tuesday night, phew!

- feeling totally and completely relaxed.

- Starting Jacy's apron as the prize from Leslie's baby shower and loving that Amy Butler fabric all over again. I'd love to give you a peek, but I totally want it to be a surprise for Jacy ;) There may be some scraps from this put in to the Domestic Bliss swap ;)

- Dreaming up little things to make for this event coming up:

and thinking of the fun fabric i get to order today.

- Curling up on the couch and watching Little House on the Prairie.

- Having a cd from Tom and Britt's wedding dropped in and having my images featured in the slide show. You can view the professional shots on Sam's blog here.

- A trip to Spotlight. Finding beautiful coloured corduroy on sale. Stocking up on said corduroy :) and spoiling myself with these fancy buttons. Aren't they so lovely?

- Hearing that baby Cade and mummy Leslie arrived home safely and seeing pics of that gorgeous boy over on her blog :)

- a weekend that seemed to go on and on and on.

how did you spend yours?

Just dreaming.. wishing I was dreaming. wrapped in one of these!

found here.

hmmm what to do on a Friday afternoon when your at work, you've caught up on said work, you have all these creative thoughts buzzing around your head (seriously is your brain like mine and never seems to stop?!) and you work in the most uncreative environment ever! Blank wall in front of me I am talking to you, Application blah blah I don't really care. You too!...

How about flickr searching and coming across all these amazing quilts? Seriously so inspired to go home and start quilting up a storm (even though I never have before!) Any tips girls? Is it hard? I do have two patterns I've been wanting to try. This should occur after the 100 million other things on my 'to make list' come about :)

Anyway for now I'm just enjoying these ladies amazing handworks:

here.

here.

and my favoruite of all here.

bring-a-ding!

As requested by Aminta, some snaps of us dirt bike riding from our weekend away in the Country (for anyone interested we were just outside of Golbourn). We spent the weekend here on a property owned by one of my dad's best friends from school for his 50th birthday. The scenery was amazing, those rolling hills with the cows grazing, as was the food...cheese platters, home made mini pies, mini gelatos in mini cones, orderves in beetroot cups, fresh fruit (this family owns a fruit shop),pavlova - all homemade goodness. There was also a huge bonfire and they set out tables in the paddock along side the fire with white tablecloths and candles for a late dinner of homemade curry while the bonfire roarded - it was like being in a movie. It was also fun watching my dad catch up with a bunch of his old school mates, all calling each other nicknames dad said he hadn't heard in over 30 years. His nickname was bring-a-ding as in the sound a bike makes when changing gears, because he was so into bikes when he was at school. He seemed pretty proud with my first attempt on a bike and was heard saying to one of his friends that I was definitely a mini bring-a-ding.

As part of the photo wall there was a framed picture my dad had drawn of their rowing team all in cartoon form showing them as their nicknames. Dad was drawn in the speed boat (which he used to drive) making out with a cartoon mum in a bikini - had to have a laugh at that one.
Breakfast (amazing buffet style) was spent out in the paddock watching the scenery and after a stormy night it was surprisingly sunshiny and hot! It seems we experienced every type of weather except snow - hot, cold, windy, still, lightening storms, rain, clear night skys, stormy skys and it was amazing to watch it all take place.
Even sleeping in that shed, with the leaky rood which dripped only on my face and my airbed which deflated during the night was well worth this trip, even if I didn't think so at 3.30 am in the morning! I'm one of those girls who needs my sleep ya know :)

Those that know me in real life would probably describe me as a real girly girl.. But i also have this secret love for getting out in nature, getting dirty and muddy and finding 'thrills' in things such as 4wdriving, abseiling and dangling from heights which would probably surprise many people. And bike riding it seems was no exception - what a thrill!

looking good..

boy on the back... even better ;)

ps. You should of seen the mud smeared up the back of my white top, clearly not a good choice for bike riding but fun none-the-less!

And now if you will indudgle me I was going through the old albums and found this photo of my mumma and dad, and it seemed kind of fitting to share. I love seeing the cyles of life being repeated through photos :)

super cute hey?

favourites..

I saw this over on Wendi's blog and thought it was a fun idea, so here is a bit about me and some of my current favorites:

my age:

photo from here.

my middle name:

where I was born:

favourite drink:

..of the peach kind...

AND

to snack on:

(with biscuits!)

for smelling nice:

For Body:and... the berry one

dream vacation:


favourite outfit I wish I could wear more:

The dress I made for M's formal. seriously waiting for a wedding to come up so I can wear it again!

Favourite boy! :

:D

still on a high!

woo hoo I seem to still be on a Baby Shower high.. (and I didn't even get to attend the party!) is anyone else still? I think it might have something to do with fact that I have been busy getting together prizes for some very special ladies who were involved in some of the shower games and therefore have delayed the inevitable fact that sometime the shower must end . I think it's what they call denial :P

Anyways I am so excited to send them off to you girls! Chelle and Dawna (these girls got all the answers in the baby photo guessing competition correct) your gifts are all wrapped up and ready to post tomorrow :) and Jacy.. the winner of our Old Baby Photo Guessing Competition (seriously check it out so much fun!) I am waiting on some amazing Amy Butler Fabrics to arrive in the post to make your apron, I already have the pattern picked out and can't wait to get sewing. The fabrics are from her new line 'Daisy Chain' but I'll leave it as a surprise as to which ones I picked - I promise your gift will be such fun :)

And for those of you who visit my blog and weren't involved in the shower and were wondering what craftyness I have been up to lately. Here are my latest sewing endevours, my gifts to Leslie:

Matching outfits. I used Simplicity 3808 if your interested, although I had to add some more length to the trouser legs for Cade, as they were short and summery. That's when I called mum. Leslie, I hope I didn't add too much :P

Love that I found fabric with kangaroos and emus on it :) Although there is also zebras and elephants - I think they might have been a tad confused :P

minky snuggle blanket (to match the colours of Cade and Rylan's nursery):

my specialty tea towel bibs. Leslie, hope they ARE fun :)

And these are my pages which were included in Andi's messy journal:
you can click here to view the other girl's pages, you really should they are very sweet.

I used some thick tracing paper as a second layer on this page:

side 1:

side 2:

side 1:

side 2:

front:

back:

front:

back: