Meet our new little furry friend

We are all so excited in our house at the moment, we picked up our new bunny on Sunday, and the kids are really thrilled.  I have always had cats and dogs, but this little fella is just adorable.  I know this is going to sound strange, but I like the idea of having a pet that I can re-use the poop of.
So far we've been feeding him nice fresh dandelion leaves (I did try some in my salad sandwich last week - eek!), milk thistle, carrots, and apple.   The mainstay in his diet is some really lovely fresh hay, which we sourced only 1km away, and pellets, and lucerne.
Would love some chooks, but that's gonna have to be in the next house.

I'm thinking of naming him Tiramisu, all my son wants to call him is 'minilop', but he isn't a Mini Lop Rabbit, he's a Dwarf Lop...just to confuse matters.    For those interested in technicalities, he's an Agouti Butterfly.  

our son is completely besotted.

We miraculously managed to find a second hand hutch for $70.00, very happy with that find, as we priced them new and most of the 2 storey ones were over $200.00.

Our bunny came from our lovely friend Debbie who breeds them, she looks after all her bunnies with such care and devotion.
Her rabbitry is called Birchwood Rabbitry.  Apart from Mini Lops, and Dwarf Lops, she has a couple of adult Rex that she would like to adopt out, has she is planning to stop breeding those.
Our poor Tiramisu was uncomfortable today, and I'm sure a lot of humans were too...we have had another hot and humid day here in southern Tasmania.

Snowpea Handmade

I'm not really in a big bragging blogging mood for this Monday's post.  I have no thrifty or handmade items of my own to share...and we'll it would get a bit boring if I only showed you my stuff. (yes it's hard to believe but I think even I am tired of op shopping!)
So I thought instead I would introduce you to a fabulous maker of the most gorgeous felt products you are likely to see this side of Antartica.
And it's good to be able to showcase a little of some else's work.
If you haven't seen or heard of Snowpea Handmade, you need to know!
I was fortunate enough at the inaugral Handmade Hobart last year, to have stall next to Sophie who started the business.   I fell immediately in love with her work, but not only is her product beautiful she is a really, really nice person!  How good is that!  She has recently joined forces with her friend Lisa to make more felted loveliness.   
They will be around the handmade market scene this year, check out their blog for dates.   You will know their stall by the bright colours, and smiling faces.

Here are some of their beautiful pieces....

Here is Sophie in front of a beautiful wall hanging.

Isn't this beautiful?...believe me, these vests are even more detailed, and interestingly textured in real life.

  

Neck scarf, I have one of these in blue, and I love it!

Floaty, feminine silk and wool scarf.

Sophie and Lisa have a Made It store, but I'm sure if you couldn't find what you were after, and can't get to a market, they would be happy to make something to suit....they are very approachable lasses. 
What I particularly like about their products,  is that many of their clothing items are quite cross seasonal, and would suit the shoulder seasons of winter.   
I wish them great success around Hobart and anywhere they choose to grace their floaty felted pieces to!

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend....we went to the Middleton Country Fair on Saturday, it's been great weather, and I hope it continues...days are starting to get noticeably shorter, which makes me a bit sad....
oh and I will have some cute piccies to show you soon of the newest member of our family. (that will keep you guessing!)

My creative space - it's back!

School is back today, and part of me is feeling a little lost, but I think I have finally realised that it's ok to feel like this, and I'm probably going to feel like this every time a new school year starts.
My son had some separation anxiety issues last year, not helping was me having my own anxiety issues, and being the sensitive lad he is, perhaps he sensed this more than I realised. 
But, he goes to a lovely little school, the teachers are very caring, they know each child by name, and best of all, the children are truly nutured, and get prayed for.  I feel he's in the best hands, honestly.
I did think long about home schooling, or 'non-schooling', but I know I can't give him the same experience that I see 90% of the time he thrives on....he has astounding analytical skills at 7.  I simply cannot pass onto him that kind of knowledge, and experience.  He is also starting to make some lovely friends, another blessing.  I have to let go.  He's changing, and that's okay.
We can still do all that other crafty stuff at home, and I am really inspired by other mums trying to do the same at home with their kids.

So, with routines re-established, I can re-claim some of my creative space, and one of my favourite places to cut out fabric is the kitchen servery, it's just the right size for me to manoeuvre fabric, it's simple, but it works!

This is my first Creative Space post, ...and you can find lots more of them over here. 

   

a green tutorial to freshen up your linen cupboard

Hi dear peeps, hope you have all had a smooth start to the week.
Since we are in the peak of summer here in Oz, and lavender is currently flowering in the garden in the Southern Hempishere (in your garden or someone else's), and especially because I have just spent much of yesterday sorting out my linen cupboard, (it was bad, real bad!) I thought this was the perfect time to post this linen freshener tutorial.   
Hubbie spend most of the morning clearing out the superfluous from the garage, and I was very pleased to dump (I mean relinquish), 6 garbage bags to the op shop.  Yeah...I am de-cluttering after all!  Claps all round please!
So because the linen cupboard in my laundry is looking all spicky span, it deserves a sweet smelling treat.
You can use this laundry freshener in any room of course, it has a fresh green herbacous scent, and is fun to make with the kids.

So onto the tutorial...It's easy peasy, you only need 3 plant ingredients, and 2 easily found ingredients from your kitchen cupboard.

the Laundry Freshener from your garden

You will need some lavender

some rosemary

 and bay leaves

Dry out the leaves and lavender heads, and crush them up in your hands.

Then you need to add some rock salt, and whole black pepper.  You don't need lots and lots, just a couple of tablespoons of each.  The quantity isn't important, just wing it.  And buy some cheap rock salt, don't use your expensive organic salt, like I have done!

Find a bowl to pop into and voila!  You are done.

Now, wasn't that easy?

If you want you can also add a little orris root powder as a fixative, but I didn't in this lot.

Sweet smelling linen and towels.

Bag up the rest, and save for later, or give-away little bundles wrapped in muslin.

Oh, every now and then, when you go into your laundry cupboard to pick up a fresh item, and you see your little bowl, remember to crush the dried leaves to release their scent.  

You could also add some drops of essentials oils of lavender, rosemary, to make it smell a bit stronger, and it will last a lot longer.   

I hope you enjoyed this simple little tutorial, and I hope if you make it, it gives you pleasure.   

For all you Northern Hemispherians, this would make Spring cleaning a joy.  Well, maybe not a joy.  Maybe just a reason to get outside, and smell the warming air.

Ciao!

xx

Vintage Vans

Nothing like a little vintage to brighten up our Monday....

in one of my absolute favourite vintage forms, the caravan.

Enjoy.

image from: http://www.littlemisswedding.co.uk/

image from: http://www.littlemisswedding.co.uk/

image from:  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

image from: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

I'll be back later today with a green smelling do-it-yourself craft from your garden, for my regular Monday handcrafted and thrifty post. (find other challengers of the upmost kind here)  See you soon.

x

Time wise tip # 2

We've been away all week in the north of the state to visit my mum, who's sick at the moment, and I had planned to take some lovely photos at the beach and the Mersey river in Devonport, but after clearing the memory onto the computer, I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera!  So annoying!

So, in light of the fact that I have no nice scenic pics to share with you... I thought I would continue with the time wise tips, and here is no 2.

I particularly like this urgent/important matrix, and nothing explains it as well as a diaghram.

And I thought I'd lighten it up a little with a few questions and answers..... 

  

So, you need to Prioritise What you Do!

Got tons of stuff to do?

my answer: hello!?

Do not know where to start?

my answer: Nup, procrastination is my speciality.

Cannot choose one thing one over another?

my answer: How can I, when they are all screaming for my attention!  It's deafening!  Seriously, should I just flip a coin?

Juggling too many things at once?

my answer: Yep, like all womankind, I wear many hats, some don't even fit!

Another day’s gone and you look back scratching your head asking yourself “what have I accomplished today?”

my answer:  okay, you're not helping! 

So, all I need is Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix in a Mindmap....!

You're going to need to click on this for a better view, it's worth it.
I think I need to print this out and stick it on my shiny white noticeboard, er I mean my fridge.

Candace and the Clocks

by Etsy seller 'The Voyagers'

a little handmade flower

For this Monday's 'handcrafted and thrifty' post, I thought it was really time I should show you a few of the things I have made, as the last lot of posts have been mostly my thrifty finds.  (As you know, I have been madly op-shopping!)
Here's a dilly bag I made for a friend's 6th birthday, who is completely mad about faeries, from a Michael Miller fabric panel featuring flower fairies by Cicely Mary Barker.  I like these panels, as you can cut them out, and use them in so many ways.  Her favourite colour is blue, so I tried to use what blue fabric I had in my stash.

Cicely Mary Barker was inspired by Kate Greenaway, who I have just only discovered myself, and we have one of her books borrowed at present from the library -  'Under the Window',  I am really enjoying it, for it's old fashioned values, and gentle illustrations of children.  Slightly idealist, but charming nevertheless.

anyway..here's the other side of the bag, featuring the 'lavender fairy'.

 

I also made a pair of trousers for our little B...

The fabric is made from an old white chenille bedspread that I dyed blue, I then appliqued a flower on the front, and machine stitched a stem and some grass.  I wanted to show you a picture of her wearing it, but she looked too grumpy!

That green timber clothes stand that it's pegged on is a very happy find by me, although not very frugally thrifted at $24.00, I was still thrilled to find it, as it's going to serve me well at upcoming markets.

And finally on my desk, are some thrifted wattle flowers from a roadside walk, and the picture of green flowers is made from felt, then embroidered...that was a bargain at $2.00.

I was just wondering if it was rude to disclose price?  It seems to me it adds a bit of interest knowing how much you have snaffled up a bargain for...but if you don't, then it's an elusive mystery.

Apple Blossom Fairy

I do hope you have all had a lovely weekend...we are winding up the school holidays, but I really hope we get a few more beach days in before then.

x  

Ruby Star Rising - new fabric designer from Kokka

New fabric rising star Melody Miller has her inaugral range called Ruby Star Rising coming out in May, through Kokko fabrics, and don't you just love the blast from the past?!  I adore those little viewfinder reels...I can still remember as a {young} lassie trying to decide which themes to buy, I think I chose 'star trek' (I was a bit of a trekkie back then!) many years ago!  In fact, I cannot part with my little red 'viewmaster', it still sits in a cupboard in the house, and everynow and then, we get it out and have a giggle.   My reel collection from memory has also Barbie, the Lady and the Tramp, the Vatican (?!), and Superman!  Oh, gosh I do feel old.  But at least I have my old trendy toys.

I just have a feeling this fabric range is going to be a BIG hit...you think?

  

a touch of magic by Yvette Inufio

Exporing Flickr tonight, I found this amazing photographer, Yvette Inufio, who belongs to the All Edges Stilllife group.    I fell in love instantly with her soft, ethereal and dreamy work.

Her Etsy shop is here.   I like how she puts a quotation with each photo, and if you like vintage romantic things, you cannot help to admire her work. 

"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know."

Dandelion

What is it about the humble dandelion that inspires us?

Is it's beauty in it's simplicity.....

 or complexity?

Dandelions inspire artists.....

by 'William John Hennessy'

Dandelions inspire textile artists....

by 'Patty Young'

by 'Saffron Craig'

Dandelion is used in cookery, herbalism, and tisanes.  All parts of the plant can be used, the flowers, leaves and roots.

If you want to harvest dandelion, a good tip to tell it from other similar looking weeds, is to look

for leaves that are jaggedy.  I remember when mum and dad wouldn't mow the lawn  {grassy weeds} for ages, because they used to harvest the leaves, and put them into salads.  Being Italian, they never minded bitter greens, and were adamant it helped their arthritis.  

Our family call dandelions, 'whoowhoos'....cause when the kids are little they can't run out and look for something they couldn't say, so I taught them to say 'whooswhoos'...kindof the sound you make when you blow the seeds away.

Hope for Haiti

The proceeds of my first sale for 2010 (come on, will someone break the ice, please!) from Etsy will go to the Haiti relief.   Plenty of sellers on Etsy, (and elsewhere) - Hearts for Haiti in conjunction with Doctors without Borders, have 300 items at the time of this post to combine handmade help for Haiti. 

Planter bag anyone?

I've been contemplating making a messenger bag...I picked up a great book from a funky little patchwork shop in Deloraine, called the new Handmade, By Cassie Barden.
As always, for me the difficult part is picking the fabrics...who would think with the expanding array I have stored in my wooden crate fabric filing system?  (will show you those pics as soon as I can source some more nice, not too splinter inducing wooden crates)
And speaking of wood, I am really liking the fabric that has a woodgrain look...

the new handmade book...maybe a tad more practical than this?.........

 

Honestly, who thinks up this stuff?

from everyday beautiful