what to do when..

you buy a sock, hoping to make a sock animal lamb and once you get it open the size is embroidered on the bottom in a bright pink square!! grrr

so meet Patches the lamb..

oh and I decided if he was going to be 'patchy' he just had to have some patchy overalls to match! I took a babies overall pattern I got for 50c in the op shop and measured away and made it super small! I still can't believe this work ed first time, that never happens for me!

I'm pretty hung up on the cuteness of those overalls! cute huh?

Patches and Mr Zebra are pretty good friends. Always watching out for one another..

lucky lucky me! (and Mgn)

Morgan's Oma gave me a camera tripod! A real fancy Camera tripod!! I'm sooo stoked.

Although I must make a mention and big thank you to Morgan's dad, Craig who was originally offered it, but turned it down and thought "of 'some else' who would like it". Yipee!

It's so fantastic and has three height levels, a level and is really sturdy. It also came with it's own little bag which still has some of the original plastic it was originally packaged in it is pretty much brand new. I can't wait to try it out properly.

It's been a busy time in the Mac house lately.. we spent Friday night and Saturday with my cousin Lar and Brant and baby Keara and giving away that sewing order bounty :) I am so over making sock lambs..

Then on Saturday we went down to Sydney to pick up Morgan's new car!!

It's so cool and he's so stoked (it's been washed twice in one week.Oh dear!). I'm so happy for him though as he has saved for ages and looked around EVERYWHERE for the best buy. He still hadn't found anything when his other car sold, it was driving out the driveway when he came inside to look at cars on the internet and found this one that had just been listed up. It's got everything including leather seats and cup holders!

Hehe oh did I mention that we picked it up from a Gelato place in the suburb Morgan grew up in (crazy huh) and we all got free geltao's. I think my brother was happy he came for the ride even though he was squished in the back of the mini :)

Monday was dadda's birthday and we had fun cooking up garlic and chilli prawn (yummo) and dining surrounded by presents, Phil Wickam singing in the background and the firing roaring. All while it stormed and rained outside. Just lovely!

Oh and remember the black apple doll pattern I tried? Her name is now Keke doll and she is Keara's favourite. Apparently she likes to hold it in front of her and just nod and gurgle at it like she's having some in depth girly conversation! The hair is also starting to get little balls in it as she spends equally as much time in Keara's mouth - gotta love that!

a favourite for sure...

Flashback Friday

I love this image so much. It makes me laugh. This is my mum's older sister and brother and I think (from what Nan told me) they were all dressed up to go to church. Theres quite a big gap between the two older siblings and the two younger in my mum's family (Her sister is 8 years older than her and her brother is about 10) and it's amazing how that difference shows up in the photos in the outfits and hairstyles. My uncles Graeme's tiny hat cracks me up, and the large bow on my Aunty Karen's head (this is Keara's Nanna). And then there's Nanna in her prime, young and fresh the happy mother of two cute little kids - simply beautiful!

a bit of colour..

It's so bleak and cold and rainy here this week that I needed a bit of colour to brighten up my day and remembered this photo. It makes me smile.

You know how every now and then you take a shot and you just love it? Theres no fiddling with it in photoshop or cropping it so it fills the frame better. It's just perfect the way it is - the lighting, the colour, focus. This was this above shot. So much so that Morgan almost banned me from mentioning it (again) hehe.

This is Morgan's littlest cousin Naomi and she's such a sweetie. I love how even a picture of someone's feet can show so much of them. She's a little hippie who has the brighest personality and smile (as well as being super clever) She's also very cuddley and will often come up you at a family event just to give you a hug. I felt so accepted by M's extended family the first time she came up to give me a 'just because' hug. I don't think she even realised that I took this photo as i was just snapping around with the camera while we were all on the wharf chatting, laughing and mucking around and she changed the position of her feet about 5 times before I got to take the shot.

Even just remebering all this has helped brighten my day (that and the package of Amy Butler fabrics I know is awaiting me when I get home!)

a is for apron, s is for...

Sassy Swaps!

Sign ups are still happening for the Fall Sassy Apron Swap and close on the 25th July.
For this swap you have to make a full length apron, a pot pad or potholder and include your favourite pie recipe. You can find all the other details here, so come and join in the fun!
Heres to hoping my swap partner will actually send me something this time. And thanks again to Beth for helping me to not loose my faith in the swapping world and to join up again :)

and heres some flickr apron eye candy just for fun because work is super boring today...

1. 'last minute apron' by little birds (wish my last minute stuff looked like this!)
2. 'robot in the kitchen' by aboemonster
3. 'Ginger blosson hostess apron' by brassy meg
4. 'Apple apron' by Karissa Cove
5. 'Emmeline apron' created by retro mamma
6. ' Childs apron top' by brassy meg
7. 'Chic Green apron top' by brassy meg (can you tell i love these and the colours in her aprons!)
8. 'Swap apron' by brassy meg
9. rick rac apron by morganmoore
10. 'Give thanks hostess apron' by brassy meg
11. 'apron' by flossieteacakes (love the tea towel loop holder - such a cute idea!)
12. 'half of sky'' by one wish world

for baby...

So I've got this huge sewing and craft list and I only seem to be adding to it! anyone relating to this!? This weekend I was able to finish of some of the items and cross them of my list. And man, I just love crossing things of lists! I finished a lamb (the same as in this post and this one) and a zebra from my book sock and glove. I love this book and really recommend it for anyone looking for great simple crafty gifts. This was the first zebra I made and I'm now thinking he's my favourite from the book. I had trouble finding stripey socks so these are little girls knee high socks I picked up from one of those little Asian sock and hat places. It means he's got little legs for the size of his body but in the end it just added to his character :)

Also don't you just love when you give a gift and know that it's really really loved when the person you give it to then requests more? Back in December when Keara was first born I made these bibs for her. They are waaay to big for a newborn but now that she's six months old and sitting up in her highchair she's able to use them and her mummy loves them so much that she asked me to make 4 more so she could have one for almost every single day of the week. The bibs are so simple to make and are such a great idea. If you want to try them yourself simply cut a hole 17.5 cm wide by 10 cm deep (at the deepest point) our of a small hand towel. Then sew a 4cm wide x 30cm band of ribbing around the neckline, like you would for one of those daggy tracksuits you had when you were little hehe... and whola one large bib. My mum was given two of these when I was born and said they were the best bibs she ever had as they are super absorbent and cover all of babies outfit (even when little arms are flapping everywhere!) . Because they're so big my brother and I wore ours well into our toddler years and when eating messy things like tacos and spaghetti. Lar also says she likes to use them when she goes out somewhere as she knows it will cover abit of her outfit aswell.

Lar brought the bibs for me but complained they were too plain. A little ribbon and a few fabric scraps later and this is how they turned out. This was also the first time I had used HeatnBond and oh my goodness where have you been all my life! This stuff is so great and super addictive!


I think the green bib would have to be my favourite (his ear is corduroy so it's a little fuzzy too) closely followed by the brown. And the blue one, not so much. That blue never really inspired me..

Now.. only one more lamb chop to go (well at least for Lar's order) !

I also spent the weekend cooking rock cakes and banana cake with Grandma in our kitchen and chatting about old recipes and Grandpa brought me over a cd labelled '75 years of favourite photos' cause he knows just how much I love those old photos and I know he loves that I treasure these old images as much as he does. Can't wait to have a look. What did everyone else get up too?

flashback friday..

I can't help but smile everytime I see this picture. My dad and his two impish older sisters giving a helping hand with washing the car. Somehow dad doesn't seem at all impressed by this job, or the fact that he got stuck with the feather duster! He sometimes still pulls that face today so it makes me laugh seeing it in a younger version too :)

Have a great weekend all... I'm looking forward to a weekend of blissful nothing but some sewing and crafting. yipee! Hope yours is grand too..

kindness in the post..

Theres so many reasons why I love blogging. The inspiration I get when browsing around blog land, the motivation to finish projects, the tutorials that can be found (yum!). But the best by far has definitely been This beautiful community of sweet (and crafty) kindred spirits. Your sweet comments are so enjoyable to come on and read and you each inspire me so much. But I have to give a super big thanks to a sweet little blogger who made me feel so special this week!

So..

I came home yesterday for lunch (I luckily live about 5 mins away from my work) and was greeted by a large parcel that I could see peeking out of my letter box. I was sure it was for me (who else gets parcels in this house?!) so I ran to the letter box and was so excited to find a HUGE surprise package from the lovely Beth from Goat in a coat (pop on over and say hello). I came across Beth's blog while browsing through the blog list on the Sassy Apron swap page. Turns out she was designated to be my swap partner... and i made her this apron. Unfortunately the apron from my partner never arrived and I was really bummed especially seeings this was my first swap and all.. so secretively Beth asked the swap host Lucy if she was able to make a replacement for me.

And she sent this funky little number to me:

and the back view:

Beth also added in a super large tea towel (this is super good for me I always tend to get my dishtowels soo wet when I'm drying) which she embroidered with the same fabric as the pockets, some chewy caramel lollies and a notebook which has a reversible fabric cover she made for it. Inside the notebook was 'Little Beth's hot caramel recipe' which is what the chewy caramels are for. How sweet is that?

Beth, I am so completely blown away by your kindness and love my little package so much. The apron fits perfectly and I wore it while making dinner that very night :) I think this surprise was even better than knowing something was supposed to be arriving! and thanks for sticking with the pattern even though you had to undo so many seams. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!

weekend away...

It's been a busy and tiring week so far (and it's only Tuesday, how does that happen?!) but theres been lots of crafting happening yay :) so just popping in to say hello and share a few pictures from our weekend away at Boomerang Beach. Where we got to just sit and stare at this view:

and have some cuddles:

take jumping photos (he loves these):

and listen to the sound of Morgan's mum knitting (ah!)

pose in love heart sunnies:

and take in the beauty of God's creation.
what a perfect winter weekend escape.
Although I think I'm over this whole winter thing now..all weekend I so eager to just strip down to summer clothes and lie on the beach, soak my toes in the water, let my skin soak in that yummy sunshine and run across the sand barefoot. Instead it was boots and scarves kinda weather. oh well a nice time was still had by all :)

Flash Back Friday..

My dad at 18 months old. Theres just something I love about images such as these that are not posed for the camera, but rather a snap shot of life as it was.

Knowing my dad as I do and all the stories of how he would walk home from school with his two older sisters and he would be carrying a huge load of nuts and bolts and found objects in his bulging pockets or the time he asked for a box of broken toys for his birthday, so he could create new objects out of them and find out how they work... I know that look on his face is him exploring his world, trying to find out how it all works, how those wheels are turning and just how those crickets legs move.

It's almost surreal looking at this image as these are my memories I have of my brother playing with his trucks. The same pose, the same thoughtful expression, the same chubby cheeks only 30 years previously. wow.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! M and I are off to Boomerang Beach for the weekend to meet up with his family who are already on holidays there. now if only work would go a bit faster... :)

Meet the Youth Group..

Fairy Tale Style! These are all images taken by my very creative friend Leesa for one of her uni assessments. I wasn't there on the day everyone had their shoots (I wasn't on school holidays and had to work, boo!) but apparently they had a fun day - doing things like making Carmen sit in the muddy water in her underpants on a freezing cold day with Sam holding the smoke machine up over the water. But seriously - how good does it look!

if you click on this picture and view it larger you can see the little diamonds on Carmen's eyelashes - amazing!

Aren't they amazing? I'm so proud of Leesa and it's not hard to see how she came top in her class for this assessment!

oh and yes the girl with the gnomes is me. I was Snow White and they are my dwarves. You can't quite see in this photo but I had a big beehive (before my haircut) and so much makeup - when I looked in the mirror, it didn't quite look like me.

Lees well done the styling, the outfits, the poses...they look sooo amazing!

happiness is..

-Spending the day down in Sydney with my cousin Larissa, her hubby Brant and babysitting this little munchkin!

(I can't believe how much she's grown since the last time I saw her! and how happy and smiley she is, even with a dirty nappy and when it's well past feed time!)

- Shopping at the Mosman Markets
- buying a new lacy handmade top
- Looking at cute handmade baby things (Lar brought a really cute pair of leather baby shoes)
- Hot chai lattes and double choc fudge bikkies in the park when it's cold
- Giggles with Keke and watching her turn her head when you do! *see below photo*

- watching Morgan with Keke
- laughing as larissa finally buys the new tickle me elmo 'for Keke' and the conversations that went something like this:
" But Brant we always said when we had a baby we'd get one"
"We did? For the baby, or for you?"
"ummm...But it's on sale at the moment and I have a fly buys coupon!"
"Lar it says 18 mths +"
" O well I'm over that age bracket! :)"
- running through Kmart searching for said Elmo
- laughing at tickle me Elmo and his conniptions
- carrying Keke in her baby bjorn when shes sleepy and having her head rest on your chest

- laughing at Keara's facial expressions
- listening to Keara 'talk' all the way to and from our destinations
- Feeding Keara dinner (even having her spit it on you cause she thinks thats funny!)
- rocking baby to sleep
- Being thankful for these sweet family moments and savouring them up before this sweet family move to Dubai for three years *sniff*

wintery warmth

Wishing I knew how to knit so i could make this Beret I found on sweet sassafras. Isn't it lovely? If you actually do know how to knit and want to give it a try you can download the free pdf pattern from her blog here. (and then you can feel free to send one this way too ;)

Flashback Friday

This is the way the neighbour found my mum one sunny day out the front of her house and he was nice enough to take these Polaroid shots of her. She can't remember whether it was her older sister who dressed her up or whether she got up to this mischief herself, but there she was in all her cuteness and curls in her mum's over sized shoes and handbag. People who know my mum often can't believe this is her (she has since she was about 5 had very dark straightish hair!)

Out of all our old family photos i think these two have to be pretty much my favourite!

*edit note* I was just talking to my mumma about this photo and apparently she had got up to this mischief all by herself. Apparently she used to love getting into her mother's closet and shoes quite often :) aww

The following should be read with a German accent!

I must indulge you in a funny little story that happened to Morgan and I on Tuesday afternoon in the post office. It was after a long and busy day at the office and Morgan had arrived to my work (he finishes earlier than I do) to pick me up. We were waiting in line at the post office with the mail. We were laughing and catching up on how our days were, simply content that we were together once again. There was this tiny little old lady who was in the line in front of us. She kept turning around and stealing quick glances towards us, like she couldn't keep her eyes off us. It was when we both looked up towards her when she started a funny little speal (in her German accent) that went something like this:

"You beautiful young people! I just can't believe it!! You are both so beautiful! Both sooo tall and slim!! I can't believe it. And look no stomaches! Thank you to your mother - she feeds you well! look no stomaches! You sporting people? You play soccer, soccer? (morgan says he does play soccer) oh yes soccer! {insert soccer-type actions here} If I had a camera I would take a picture! I wish I had a camera I take a picture!!! I can't believe it you beautiful people. You stay companions...you suit each other! You are both so tall and beautiful you should be on the tv.. you should be on the news!! (then she looked away in disgust at the injustice of why, why had she not seen us on the tv, and why had we not been on the news?!?) I just can't believe it! And look at you smile! oh those smiles! (we were laughing so very hard and trying not too) And you know old women they don't lie.. why would I lie? - no reason. I can't believe it! God bless you you beautiful young people!"

I couldn't look at Morgan and he couldn't look at me for fear that we would keel over with laughter. she was just SO. FUNNY! The whole combination of her German accent, the way she constructed her sentences, the way her arms were flapping wildly everywhere as she talked. The way she kept turning around as if we were about to disappear and to exclaim some more. We hardly got a word in, but in her defence she was incredibly sweet and sincere.

Later as we were laughing about it together and I was writing what she said in my phone, so we wouldn't forget Morgan grinned at me and stated... "Your going to blog about this aren't you?" Yes my dearest, yes I am. For this is just too funny not to share. Don't we all wish we could take a little old lady like this home, for on those days when a compliment is just what is needed?

I just can't believe it!

And yes my Morgan I will stay your companion forever, if you'll have me :D

70's inspired

While looking for inspiration for our 70's night at Youth I came across this amazing Ebay shop Mummastonevintage. if you love vintage items check them out these girls have a great eye for placing vintage pieces together. I love all these images and want pretty much all these outfits!

I actually have a vintage dress pattern that reminds me of this dress.. I feel inspired to get it out and start sewing!

I also came across this great vintage clothing inspired blog.
it's yummy stuff this!