Eco Possum

Flea Market Finds

2011-04-25T10:17:00.000+10:00

I have a bit of a backlog of FMFs due to my lazy blogging. I must admit that I have been very spurred on in my quest for vintage goodness by my little chrome and vinyl project. I used coke and very fine steel wool to remove the rust from the chrome.

Work lately has taken me to various Victorian towns where I've found suitcases, bakelite and a gorgeous womens magazine from the 50s. Our kitchen is also now sporting a transistor radio that has been singing tunes from the 50s - 70s. My vintage dress fetish is starting to heat up and during the week I bought this beautiful 40s jacket. I think back then they wore corsets underneath but it fits well so its all good.

I've enjoying up-ing my social butterfly status this week with dinner/drinks with new work friends near and far, a surprise visit from a Tassie friend on her way to Lake Eyre, and what I thought was going to be a small dinner party last night ending up having sets from an amazing Melb gypsy band!

I've been spoilt.

Thanks for hosting FMFs Sophie.

It's been a while...

2011-04-02T09:32:00.000+11:00

Hmmm... blogging kinda dropped off the radar. Probably doesn't earn many brownie points in blogging world but oh well.

So what have I actually been doing?

1. New job - that I love! Who would have thought working in waste management could be so good.

2. Went to one of my best friends' wedding - the most beautiful event ever. I was so privileged to read in the ceremony. It was in the foothills of Mt Wellington for those of you that know Tassie.

3. Discovered ebay - a late bloomer in this department. I don't buy much but I like the thrill of the chase and waiting for a parcel.

4. Rescued lots of turtles - including couriering one to Adelaide for specialist treatment. Last night I released the twin possums.

5. Became even more obsessed with 50's kitchenalia - I was very pleased with myself for "restoring" the set in the photo above. The chairs were dusty and rusty and had worn black feet.

So that's the start of my latest little foray into this virtual world...

Lovely visitors

2010-12-18T16:19:00.000+11:00

The Galahs have been keeping an eye on the walnut tree next door for weeks but the other day they were chased off by a family of Major Mitchells Cockatoos. They are such a beautiful species, I love the crest and the pink under the wings. Here they are in an old tree, feeding the juveniles. They caused quite a riot with a willy wagtail, rosella and wattlebird all coming to investigate and a couple of magpies harassed one of the babies.

I've been crafting away but no photos because I don't want to give away any christmas presents.

Merry Christmas everyone in case I don't blog again before then!

Possum twins

2010-12-07T18:06:00.001+11:00

I know, I know, I'm a bad blogger and I haven't been reading other peoples blogs but I've been busy with a new job and animals. Last night these darling twin Brushtail Possums came into the shelter. Their mum was chased and attacked by a dog in someone's backyard and the babies were found in the yard. Twins are really rare in this species, they are so adorable, always cuddling eachother. One is a boy and one a girl.

I was also sent on an unsuccessful wild goose chase for an entangled Pelican. It was not the least interested in my fish (this was the advice I got from those that frequently rescue Pelicans in Adelaide) and I started to feel guilty that so many fish had died in the name of trying to rescue the Pelican. After a day and a half of trying (the Pelican was in an area where boats can't go), I lost the location of the Pelican.

It is really amazing in Mildura at the moment, the most annual rainfall on record with more forecast. I'm totally over the humidity but would love to see a once in a lifetime flood. Not sure if it will flood in Mildura.

Bird rescues

2010-11-02T10:16:00.000+11:00

"Plovy" (see previous post) was released today. He still has his baby feathers on top but has his flight feathers and can find his own food. It has been the month for bird rescues, not all successful. A White-eared Honeyeater was somehow covered in oil and only lasted a few hours. A Regent Parrot collided with a car and broke a bone. And a family of ducks with nine babies in the middle of suburbia needed a bit of encouragement to get to the wetland - they definitely would have made it by themselves but not without hassles from people and a lot of backyard fences to get babies under or over. They were very cute, I just used the babies as a lure (it is risky catching the babies because they can get separated from the parents but the member of public had already caught them) and the parents followed through 3 or 4 streets to get to the wetland.

I also have three baby chickens at the moment, it is hilarious giving Poppy (the mother hen) meal worms and watching the babies fight over them.

Baby lapwings have baby wattles

2010-09-25T12:39:00.001+10:00

This little guy came in on Thursday night. Can you spot the tiny yellow wattles? So cute.

Hopefully he will make it, very hard to get to settle and convince that a bunch of feathers is mum or dad.

Lots of people pick up baby masked lapwings mistakenly thinking that they are abandoned. I went back to where this one was found but there was no sign of potential parents. They will hear the call and come back if there are not people too close. After I took this photo, I put material around the mesh because he did try to squeeze through.

Books, books and more books

2010-09-16T09:04:00.000+10:00

I have managed to read so many great books recently!

King of the Wilderness is definitely up there with my favourite books ever now. I'm probably biased because I'm related to Deny King and love Tasmania and birds and wilderness but it was such a great book. Very romantic.

Saw Tomorrow, when the war began movie last night and it didn't disappoint me like movies from great books sometimes too. I think it captured the characters really well. I'm kind of hooked now though, and anticipating another movie - just like waiting for the next book to come out years ago. I remember hearing that John Marsden even got death threats for if he didn't release another book!

Eating Stinging Nettles

2010-08-28T17:05:00.000+10:00

My harvest to be added to spinach soup!

baby whale

2010-08-23T19:55:00.000+10:00

I can't believe I totally fluked it the other day and was in Hobart for the birth of the first Southern Right calf in 190 years! I went out on Windward Bound and saw the baby learning how to breath. It was great.

Then yesterday Mum and I went to an auction for rare Tassie books and Gould prints. It was so much fun bidding! My first time. I did come away with one print that I hadn't even looked at when I got a bit excited but the damage was only $30. So I learnt my lesson fairly cheaply.

Blue bush

2010-08-15T16:58:00.000+10:00

I've been admiring my bluebush flowers this weekend and wondering if the locusts will eat the plants when they come. I'm really not looking forward to what they are saying will be the worst locust plague in 30 years.

I'm also not sure what vegies to plant. I've tried to get advice on if there is anything the locusts don't like but apparently they will eat anything that is green. I found the first one in our garden yesterday and Astrid the Australorp didn't hesitate in gobbling it up.

More dog clothes!

2010-08-02T20:17:00.000+10:00

This one's a little hoodie made from my bf's old hoodie (a gift from an ex years ago!). I stuffed up the stitching, it sort of bubbled with all this excess thread but its just a prototype really as I have to send things off to my dad for him to test the size and fit on his new little puppy, a miniature schnauzer.

Anyone got any tips for sewing with fleece? I don't know what causes so much excess thread but I haven't played with the tension much yet.

The pattern is from a book I have called Dogwear, it's pretty straight forward.

Amazing possums

2010-07-27T20:26:00.000+10:00

Oh I love possums!

Poor darlings. A mother and fine fur baby were trapped by some senseless person last night and taken to the vet. I released them back to their area tonight. Mum 'played possum' for ages but then eventually jumped to life when she realised that they were free. In all the commotion the little baby fell off. I quickly ran and hid and prayed for mum to go back down the tree and get bub. I could hear them calling and the russle of mum coming back down but wasn't sure if she had actually got bub yet. So I waited and waited (I was scared of interrupting the reunion); after a while there was no more russling and calling. I couldn't find the bub on the ground so searched in the tree for mum with my torch and found her with bub firmly holding onto her belly!!

Thank goodness. Hopefully she learnt to avoid traps.

On a sadder note, my Penny has cancer (in picture). I've decided against chemo or anti-inflammatories because the chance of success is low and I don't want to keep hassling her to medicate her. There are side-effects too. At the moment I'm confident that shes not suffering so we'll just have to monitor her.

Peron's Tree Frog

2010-07-19T19:33:00.000+10:00

Returned this little guy to a spot on the Darling River this arvo after work after he was 'rescued' by some kids. Very cute and was a great exercise for my class to identify him correctly. Not so much luck on Friday with a Crested Pigeon that was found with a badly broken shoulder.

Family diary

2010-07-11T09:04:00.000+10:00

Last week when I went to Tassie to continue working on my family history my grandmother gave me the diary that the above image comes from. It is nearly 200 years old and belonged to one of my ancestors.

It is quite personal and luckily, fairly easy to read. One of the first mysteries of the diary was Mary. My great great great great grandfather describes their courtship through the diary. The only problem is that Mary is not the mother of my great great great grandfather. So what happened to Mary?

First I went to the archives to check if they actually did get married in the end, which I found they did. Then I tried to find Mary's burial records to see when she died. She wasn't buried where most people are so I googled her and found that she was buried in the first cemetery of Hobart, which was closed when it became a health hazard. I went to the park and found that her headstone was still legible! She died when she was only 22. Buried with her is her daughter, only 4 years old (who died 4 years after Mary).

My next mission is to find out how the daughter died. Was it a complication from not having mother's milk?

Mary's death was not registered so we may never know what happened to her but I am yet to match up the dates of Mary's death and her daughter's birth to see if she died during childbirth.

I'm so glad that my grandmother has trusted me with this diary, it is such a treasure!

Adelaide

2010-06-28T22:01:00.000+10:00

Zoos are growing on me...

I used to be very anti zoos but sadly they are becoming more and more important all the time and they have really cleaned up their act in Australia. Last week I had a fabulous time in Adelaide at a wildlife conference. Enough for me to want to become a vet... not sure if I have the marks.

As usual, went to all my fave haunts - East Terrace Continental (the best brekkie in Adelaide) and Irving Baby (awesome retro/vintage clothes and handmade accessories). The Pandas were gorgeous and also did a great session on Saturday on wildlife necropsy.

Holidays now!

Finds & yummy cake

2010-06-13T16:24:00.000+10:00

Look what my Mum found me!

The only problem is that I can't bear to use it all perfect in it's packets.

Not a flea market find, but I'll show you anyway. I bought this gorgeous cookbook the other - Gran's Kitchen. Packed with classic recipes. I made my first sponge cake today.

More flea market finds with Sophie.

My creative space

2010-06-03T17:15:00.000+10:00

Yay! I finished this scarf for my bf today. He likes long skinny scarves. I guess there is one advantage to being home sick with a runny nose and very sore throat : )

The pattern is a cotton and cloud pattern via http://www.ravelry.com/. I adjusted it so that it was narrower.

More creative spaces with Kirsty.

Dog attack and Mali

2010-06-02T16:50:00.000+10:00

Oh my goodness, Little Guy (see photo in earlier post) was attacked by a dog on Friday. I was inside and I heard him scream so ran out to find him in the dog's mouth. I chased the dog away, that had come all the way into our backyard and it even had the nerve to chase one of the other chooks as I was chasing it away!

He is one lucky little silkie. I was a bit worried because he had a little bit of blood under his wings and lost lots of feathers but he seems pretty happy now. He had a course of anti-biotics over the weekend.

On a lighter note, I had a great weekend with a friend in Melbourne and can't resist posting a photo of the baby elephant, Mali. She is so cute.

Travel document holder

2010-05-26T18:10:00.000+10:00

I made this for a friend on the weekend; she wanted a travel document holder that could easily carry folded A4 paper. I really like working with this woollen fabric because it doesn't need hems. It has quite thick interfacing inbetween to give some strength.

More creatives with Kirsty!

FMF - desk organiser

2010-05-16T15:38:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I found this great little shelf for $10. I'm going to use it as a desk organiser. It is beautifully made and very solid, all I have to do is clean off the dust and give it a bit of love!

As always, lots of lovely finds at Sophie's.

My pincushion

2010-05-04T07:15:00.000+10:00

I got my parcel!

Thankyou to Cherie, it is a great pin cushion and there were so many goodies accompanying it.

The wrist pin cushion is perfect for me because when I'm sewing I lose everything under fabric on the table!

Little guy...

2010-05-02T17:00:00.000+10:00

...is a very funny rooster. He really is just a ball of fluff. He's been chasing one hen in particular and she's been jumping on numerous tables to try and get away.

He's been entertaining me inbetween work and doing my family tree. I am so addicted to it, I haven't been a very good blogger or commenter. Thankyou to anyone that's left a lovely comment lately, I do read them. I will try to visit people more this week. I promise.

Finding my family

2010-04-25T10:33:00.000+10:00

My hunt for old things has taken a rather different turn this week.

I've started researching my family history. It is fascinating! I have actually not left the house since I came home from work on Friday afternoon because I have been so absorbed by it.

As well as using ancestry.com.au and other websites, the books that I have started with are shown in the photo and a piece of silk that was given to my mother by my great grandmother after a trip to Asia.

So far I've managed to trace two lines back to the relatives that were born in the 1700s in the UK and came on ships to Tasmania in the early 1800s. I've also bought a digital voice recorder to interview family with. As well as finding it really interesting, I'm motivated by the fact that if someone in my family doesn't at least try to write down some of it, it will be lost. I can see how people get into making trees because it is just like a giant puzzle or brainteaser but I really want to record some stories too.

For more old things, visit Sophie.

My creative space.. custom making a jacket for furry friends

2010-04-22T07:00:00.002+10:00

It all started with a sea dog suffering from wind chill...

he needed a spray jacket like all the other sailors.

and so the process began...

1. making a prototype from scrap material

2. testing for fit and marking necessary adjustments

3. cutting desired shape from wind and water resistant material

4. cutting cosy polarfleece lining

5. sew wrong sides together, leaving gap and turn right way in

6. top stitch

7. repeat step 5 & 6 for two straps to go under belly (make these half the length of the abdomen circumference)

8. attach velcro

9. attach straps to jacket so that when the velcro is overlapped it is the length of the abdomen circumference

10. all done! post off to sea dog.

As always, lots of creative spaces at kootoyoo.

Flea market finds.. dresses

2010-04-18T12:39:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I found this black and white dress at the local Salvos. The ruffles at the bottom are quite flattering which is always handy.

I also thought it was a good opportunity to show you one of my favourite vintage dresses. I got this blue and white one about 5 years ago and love it. It goes well over jeans.

So far I'm not having too much trouble with my wardrobe challenges of no new clothes for a year but I think I would really struggle if I was only relying on re-fashioning pieces that I already own. I'm still buying the occasional thing from the op shop. I've also come to appreciate things such as shoe polish a lot more! That one really made me re-think my attitude towards looking after clothes. Previously, I was not thinking much about it and thinking to myself 'those shoes are getting a bit old'.

Thanks again to Sophie for hosting FFM. I really need to apologise as well for not visiting blogs much the last few weeks. Now I'm back in a routine I should be able to start popping by again.

My creative space... is filled with fleece!

2010-04-15T08:37:00.000+10:00

I have so much fleece it's not funny.

I have three huge bags of fleece from my Dad's alpacas - all different colours. I have a bag of sheeps wool to condition the carders. I have a massive bag of yarn from a lady at work that said she got it from an 80 year old lady that is blind and unravels op shop jumpers so other people can knit them up again! I am more than half way through my alpaca yarn vest and I am planning some baby stuff for a friend.

Fleece is taking over the house.

The home of My Creative Space can be found here.

Flea Market Finds

2010-04-11T10:57:00.000+10:00

I've been on the hunt for woollen jumpers because I have discovered how easy it is to work with once felted and so cosy! The only problem is that 100% wool jumpers are not that easy to come by!

I found this red one with an Old English Sheepdog on it whilst in Tassie last week as well as these vintage buttons - I must have been having a pink day! When I was growing up, we had an Old English Sheepdog called Emily, she was lovely. One night she squeezed through the cat flap because she was scared of the barracks and got stuck.

For more great finds, visit the lovely host Sophie.

Pin cushion swap

2010-04-10T15:33:00.000+10:00

Here's my pin cushion about to go off in the post for Kate's pin cushion swap!

It was so much fun to make because it had lots of different components and I didn't buy a thing for it. It is all refashioned/remnant/reused materials.

Last day of holidays tomorrow, I have just had a lovely break in Tassie - more later : )

Oh my! FM finds

2010-03-28T11:24:00.000+11:00

Yesterday morning I decided to go garage sailing. Oh my goodness, if it's this good every week, I am in grave danger of becoming a hoarder.

I found a wooden sewing box that folds out that is at least 40 years old and made in Australia ($10). Another cashmere jumper to felt and make into a hotwater bottle cover.

Some fantastic old books at a enormous garage sale, at 20 cents a book. They are a selection from the 1940's-1970's. Some of my faves were the giant golden book The true story of Smokey the bear (1955) and The little red lighthouse and the great grey bridge (1970) which is in excellent condition.

I also managed to find some great fabric, and knitting and sewing patterns; I actually had to restrain myself and only buy 2 of the 10 gorgeous vintage linen sets at one garage sale.

I'm not really into collecting cards but I did buy some that all had wildlife from this area on them. They caught my eye because the top card had a Black-fronted Dotterel on it, a species I blogged about earlier in the week. There were lots of moments of 'it was meant to be' during my garage sailing - the book that alerted me to the pile of gorgeous old kids books was about slothes and on Tuesday I was talking to one of my classes about slothes. Maybe this rationalising is an earlier symptom of hoarding!!

For more fab finds, check out Sophie's blog, Her Library Adventures...

Black-fronted Dotterels

2010-03-22T20:08:00.000+11:00

Photo: K Vang and W Dabrowka © Bird Explorers

Oh yay! I just went for a little walk tonight up past the artificial wetland near where I live and guess what I saw - a pair of Black-fronted Dotterels!! Very exciting... I have a bit of a thing for shorebirds.

They are the sweetest little things.

Grand total $1

2010-03-21T09:33:00.000+11:00

My flea market finds this week - a yellow plastic flask (glass inside) perfect for picnics and an old learning to count card. I love the old kindergarden-style font and the gorgeous colours. The other side is 8 - Eight are the birdies that rest from their flight. It has 8 budgies.

Have a great weekend!

Hotwater bottle clothes

2010-03-20T13:07:00.000+11:00

Last year I knitted half a hot water bottle cover, in a zig zag pattern. It's been sitting in my knitting box for ages because the second lot of wool was accidently sold in the shop rather than kept for me and the re-order doesn't seem to have materialised. So anyway, a way quicker way to finish this project was what I did today.

Felted a cashmere/wool/nylon jumper that had already shrunk a bit and used that for the other side. I like it and the felted side is super soft.

My creative space... knitting is the best medicine

2010-03-18T07:35:00.000+11:00

I've had a headcold since the weekend and knitting has been my therapy. Although I stay up to late because I'm so into it!

This is the first time that I've tried knitting a piece of clothing that I need to get the sizing right for. Previously, I always thought that it wouldn't be worth my while to spend ages knitting something and then have it not fit. For some reason, I was ready to give it a go and I think it's coming along ok, and it actually hasn't taken that long. I've done from the waist to the armpits of the back piece in less than a week of doing bits in the evening after work.

I was thinking about trying free-style but then ended up finding an old pattern where the test square worked for the alpaca wool that I have and my knitting tension. Some of the pictures in the old pattern are pretty funny, the male model reminds me of Kel from Kath & Kim - I'll have to post a photo later.

As always, Kirsty has lots of other creative inspiration over at kootoyoo.

Surprise present

2010-03-16T14:00:00.001+11:00

I spent my Saturday morning making a little surprise present for a friend that has been getting into sewing lately and also was having 'one of those weeks' last time I saw her - it seems it was going around that week!

I made a little bag from a linen placemat and filled it with this fabulous BYO Coffee Cup that I found in the Barossa last weekend, a needle book I made from vintage fabric and thrifted granny squares, some old cotton reels, a doily, some vintage buttons, an old Bacardi coaster and the 1920's postcard.

It was lots of fun making this little parcel of goodies, I should do it more often!

My Place and Yours... Pink!

2010-03-15T14:18:00.000+11:00

The first thing that I thought of for theme was home-made raspberry jam. I love it!

Not just because it is sooo yummy but also it reminds me of home (Tassie) and my family.

The other day I saw the sweetest little baby Galah. It was feeding on the ground with a parent and had all these fluffy pink feathers on top of it's head. I love it how some birds keep their little mohawks as the last baby feathers they moult! We are also lucky to have Pink Cockatoos (also known as Major Mitchells) in this area, they are so gorgeous. Really beautiful pink underneath when they fly overhead and the most colourful crest.

I also seemed to have a bit of a pink stationary collection. I do really like the colour pink but I must say that I'm not really into all those tacky pink clothes around for little girls and very, very few men get away with the metrosexual shirt or polo in my eyes.

For more pink check out My Place and Yours at it's new home at Hello Owl.

My finds, including some hidden luck...

2010-03-14T10:28:00.001+11:00

I popped into a garage sale I was passing yesterday and came out with a 1940's print of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and an old thick glass cannister for a grand total of $1!

I'm half way through the book now and really want to go and see the film but my monocular vision is not so good for 3D. They don't seem to bother having any screenings that are not in 3D so I guess I can wait for the DVD. I really hope that it doesn't become the standard to have movies in 3D requiring the special glasses!

After the garage sale I headed further afield and found a couple of books, some more Australiana linen and a piece of cotton fabric. At the local salvo's I found myself a jumper for winter, a long sleeved cotton t-shirt and a 1950's copy of Bambi. I think I have considered buying this book before when wandering through this store but this time I flicked through it and what did I find but two pressed four-leaf clovers!

I would think that it would be incredibly silly to not buy this book for $3 considering the potential luck!

Goodness knows how long the clovers had been there. The book has lovely thick pages that are perfect for keeping such treasures.

I'm staying in today because I seem to have caught the headcold going around; I may have possibly set too big a challenge for myself for today - knitting a vest free-style! I have some alpaca wool that seems too thick for all the patterns I have and I have been making lots of mistakes changing to smaller needles because the yarn is so fluffy/hairy.

For more thrifty goodness head over to Sophie's.

Pass it on.. 7 things about me

2010-03-12T18:25:00.000+11:00

Catherine has tagged me to share 7 things about me, here goes...

1. I call myself vegetarian... although I do like to be a bit of a foodie so I will try things from other people's plates! And I do like the odd piece of freshly caught flathead, garfish or calamari.

2. When I was little I taught myself how to play the piano and I'd really like to have lessons some time but at the moment I don't have a piano at home to practice on.

3. I can be rather forgetful for some things but then really good at remembering other random things. I tend to write notes to myself and keep a diary to try not to forget important things.

4. I have 6 chooks, 1 python and 1 turtle. The python I inherited at work when someone left. She is a coastal carpet python and 2 metres long! The turtle melts many hearts and it's lucky because he has been very high maintenance - you can see him in earlier posts. I also have a licensed wildlife shelter.

5. I'm completely in love with the band Phoenix at the moment. I think that they are so clever and the music is amazing.

6. I'm addicted to magazines. I really need to try to control this or at least limit it to those that are printed eco-friendly and on sustainable paper. Books and mags are really one of my biggest vices in terms of sustainability.

7. I used to sail a lot and even competed in Nationals and miss it like crazy, living in the desert. I have salt water in my blood. It's great when I get back to Tas and go away sailing with Dad. There is something about growing up by the sea, you feel trapped when you are not near it.

I'm passing this on to Dash Robin.

Have a great weekend!

My creative space... more tablecloth love

2010-03-11T17:46:00.000+11:00

Remember that groovy yellow tablecoth with the crochet trim?

Here it is! or some of it : )

This went off in the post last week for my mum's birthday. The pattern wasn't too bad to follow afterall. The only mistake was not thinking about a clasp or ribbon or anything to hold it closed before I finished. Hopefully it will sit nicely anyway. It is lined inside with the plain brown fabric, which was a lincraft remnant, and it is backed with the same denim as the front and strap (my partners old jeans - boy jeans are good, they have more material!).

I have enough tablecloth left to make another, slightly smaller version. Maybe I will spoil myself...

Anyway, I'm pretty happy that I did something where all the edges and everything lined up properly. I made myself go really slow coz I tend to get ahead of myself and that's when I make mistakes. I was also worried that the join on the front (so that the trim can go right around the flap) would look funny but it's not really very noticable at all.

For more creations, visit Kirsty @ kootoyoo. I'm off to hunt down the new Phoenix remix album - yay!

Op shop adventure

2010-03-08T15:59:00.000+11:00

Yay for long weekends and friends visiting from faraway places!

I was lucky this weekend as I spent the whole weekend on a driving holiday with an old friend op shopping and wine tasting. It was so much fun!

I came away with lots of little treasures - after getting all these wooden cotton reels and bits and bobs I went to an antique shop where they were selling for $4 each! My god.

The fabric stash was great too, I love the 70's white and purple pillow cases. Other treasures included a bird book in poor condition but with great illustrations that I will make into cards, vintage Japanese appliques, a 1920's postcard, an old Womans Day from back when they only cost 20c (1971), a book on how to make Australian animal softies, and a funny little badge with a person dressed up as a wombat on it - this is to send to my sister, she loves wombats and I like sending her random things to do with wombats just to be silly.

To play along, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures...

Wall art & comfort food

2010-03-05T16:35:00.000+11:00

Something inspired me to do something with old multi-coloured tapes and this is what I came up with! I used an old lingerie gift box and used craft glue to cover it with my fabric. I really liked using the box firstly because it's re-using rather than buying a base, but also because it has a 'boxy' look rather than being flat.

Then I un-screwed or pulled apart all the tapes that I collected from op shops. I played around with the placement of colours before using the craft glue to attach them to the fabric. It took quite a long time to dry because I was using a non-toxic glue. So, I put the other half of the gift box on top, with a filled glass bottle on top of that, to make sure that the tapes and the fabric had good contact while they dried.

Then I choose a short piece of ribbon to superglue under the top of the wall art. I used superglue for this because I thought that the most weight would be on this spot and wasn't sure that it would hold with craft glue. I'm hopeless with superglue and managed to drip it over the kitchen bench and my cutting board. Luckily I didn't glue myself to anything.

Voila!

I just made these super-easy-very-comforting-after-a-stressful-week banana choc chip muffins. They are so easy that it is actually kind of therapeutic to make them. You can find the recipe here.

Have a great weekend everyone - especially those that have a long weekend like me!

Challenges galore!

2010-03-03T21:06:00.000+11:00

Just a quick note to say that I have just taken on two exciting challenges:

Wardrobe Refashion

Dottie Angel

They are kinda related because they both involve not buying new clothes. Dottie Angel's challenge also includes homewares and Wardrobe refashion is very inspiring in the re-inventing department.

More info if you click on the buttons on the left.

Wish me luck!

Thrifty goodness

2010-02-28T11:34:00.001+11:00

I love Sophie's flea market finds meme! It is so much fun, at times it kinda reminds me of a great twitch (crazy race where mad birdos have to spot/hear as many birds as they can in a set period of time - it is very competitive).

I found this suitcase at a local op shop during the week just by chance the day after drooling over the suitcases Vic posted from e-bay. It has a few marks where it is worn but otherwise it's in great condition and the latch still works. It has a lovely little plaque from the makers just below the handle. I love it how they used to 'wallpaper' the insides of these cases, it has the previous owner's name written on the inside.

I also came across another book from the Gould League bird set, to go with the inland one I found a few weeks ago. This one is very dear to my heart because it has the Hooded Plover on the cover, the bird that I spent many months studying for my honours degree. They are a beautiful shy, often misunderstood, threatened species. I've been on the lookout for an old Snugglepot and Cuddlepie book for months and months but they are always $25+. Today I found one at the local market for $2. Some of the other treasures include old waterfowl guides that have great images of bird silhouettes, and some little china Adelie penguins that I forgot to photograph. I have studied this species in Antarctica as well. I think I get attached to any species that I spend a lot of time with!

Now, for the rest of today I am going to make more yummy chai tea and clean up the garden shed before we convert it into the chicken hilton!

My creative space - i heart old tapes!

2010-02-25T19:19:00.001+11:00

Asides from a secret project that can't be shown until it reaches it's birthday destination, my creative space this week has been all about old tunes.

My partner has a great hoodie with lots of different old coloured tapes on it and I think I'm going to make some wall art inspired by that well-loved piece of clothing. At the moment I'm just in the planning stages but I can visualise it. Let's hope the visualisation works, it may even make itself!

If only I had my baby blue Inspector Gadget tape. This was my first album of any sort that I ever owned (can you tell I'm an 80's baby?) and of course, it's a classic. Although, on second thoughts I don't think that I could bear to pull it apart - this is way easier with op shop tapes that I have no prior sentimental attachment to.

Just an aside, I had a weird moment when I didn't know how to spell 'bear' in the context that I was using it and when I googled it, realised that there is whole forums dedicated to the use of the phrase "bear/bare with me"! Crazy, I don't care that much.

Hope everyone is having a great blog surf cruising between all the creative spaces found here.

Oh, I almost forgot, my creating also included some practical girly products pictured here in a post earlier this week.

Neighbourly love

2010-02-23T20:52:00.000+11:00

I had a great neighbourly moment today..

A little while ago, a noticed how fabulous the vegie patch of the elderly man that lives on our corner is.

It always has beautiful big tomato bushes in summer and so many other yummys all through the year.

I have this habit of peering over the fence to check out the progress and see if the lemons on his big tree are ripe yet; and I even sneakily took a cutting from a deep dark pink geranium out the front of his little house.

After feeling bad from the old man catching me peering over his fence a few too many times, I decided that I should take him some fresh eggs from our darlings. Do you think this was easy?

I don't why, but something stopped me. I walked down the driveway with the eggs in my hand 3 or 4 times. What has come of our suburban society when it feels so out of the norm to do something like this?

Anyway, I finally got over this and my shyness and took him the eggs and it was great!!

He gave me a cucumber from his garden and said "oh that's you!" when I said I was the strange one that looks over and I learnt that he was 93! He doesn't look it at all. His wife is in hospital at the moment so he had family there playing cards and they said that I should have seen his vegie patch before he got to such a grand age.

So what's my point? If there's anyone out there thats shy like me or thinks that these things just don't happen anymore... go for it!

I had a big smile on my face all the home.

Eco-friendly for girls - cloth pads

2010-02-21T13:41:00.002+11:00

Last night I made some cloth pads.

I've got to admit that before I bought some of these for the first time I had worries like "what if they are too bulky", "what will my partner think when I wash them" etc but as soon as I got them I realised that it is pretty much exactly the same as disposables in terms of discretion.

I'm now an absolute convert and this post is about converting you!

There are heaps of great reasons to use these instead of disposables, including:

they are re-useable
they are much kinder to sensitive skin
you can tailor make your own to suit you
they are cheaper (one set/month should last at least 2 years)
you can use pre-loved flannelette and toweling or choose eco-friendly materials
they are super easy to make
natural fibres means less odour

So, basically good for your health, good for the planet and good for your wallet!

I couldn't find the original pattern that I printed from the net but there are stacks available from this database. I use flannalette as the outer and 3 layers of organic hemp fleece as the absorbent layer. You can add more or less layers and add a waterproof layer if you want.

My un-planned haul

2010-02-21T12:30:00.000+11:00

I completely did not plan to go op-shopping this weekend, because I thought that maybe I should have a weekend off, but I woke up yesterday morning and...

...just felt like it!

I found an old tin which I'm pretty happy with because I didn't have anything that would fit a cake in it before. The squirrel book is very cute and is filled with photos of squirrels doing various things like collecting nuts and that sort of thing. I also found a nice skinny Tim Winton book which will be nice after the last humongous novel.

In the kitchen department, I also came home with a strawberry pot holder with a little ring to hang it on, a coffee cannister to go with my new machine, and these fabulous early plastic salad servers - we didn't have any before.

In the crafty department, I found some more doilies, zips, motivs and a bag full of mohair yarn for $6.

The salad servers were $22 which is a bit pricey but on the plus side I like them and I saw some stuff in the same shop that I already have with huge prices compared to what I paid. Like the Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing was $25 - I paid $1 for it last year.

Maybe I should not plan to op shop more often, because you always find what you need when you're not looking!

To check out more bargains, treasures and sometimes funny weird stuff, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures...

Books and words about them

2010-02-20T13:47:00.001+11:00

"long books, when read, are usually over-praised, because the reader wishes to convince others and himself that he has not wasted his time"

E. M. Forster 1879-1970

I finally finished Alias Grace and I must say that although I enjoyed it, it definitely was a bit of a marathon. Partly because the print was soooo small.

I think I also get quite impatient when reading because I want to know what happens and if I'm really enjoying reading, I want to read more and more and more books and I can't if I'm still reading the same one!

What I most enjoyed about Alias Grace were the mystery and the intimate worries and thoughts of the characters, played out in letters.

Now, what will I read next... (once my eye strain recovers!)

My creative space

2010-02-18T18:47:00.000+11:00

I've managed to three more cushions out of my vintage tablecloth! The last one is round and made of the off-cuts sewn together and a doily. I think it's cute.

I found a pattern for my messenger bag... it's made me realise how kind the lovely authors of books like Sew!, Meet Me at Mikes, Seams to Me and the crafty minx are - they don't abbreviate everything into not many words at all! and they have big gorgeous pictures.

I've worked it out coz the pattern is not that complicated, but when I opened it, I thought what the hell does that mean!? for most of it.

I've also been making an effort to be more creative in the kitchen on the weekend so that we have yummy goodies to take to work. Lately it's included chocolate brownies, banana bread, penguin-shaped cookies and carrot cake with the richest cream cheese icing.

...for loads of inspiration, check out all the creative spaces at kootoyoo.

Tonight's creation & a confession

2010-02-16T20:31:00.000+11:00

Tonight I made this little pouch to keep my staff card in. The old plastic one was annoying me because my card would fall out everytime I twisted a key to open a door or even as I was walking along. I love the pink vintage button and now I get to see it every work day.

My confession is that when I was looking at this photo in photoshop I actually got rid of some dirty marks on our door with the bandaid feature!

The reason I'm sharing this is because as I was doing this I thought...

"imagine if we could clean the whole house using photoshop?"

wouldn't that just be the best?

This weekend's finds

2010-02-14T12:25:00.000+11:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We've just been on a cruise to Wentworth on the motorbike to have tea and cake at ARTback, a great cafe that shows local art. Before that we had yummy mushrooms with my home grown garlic and eggs from our darlings. You can see that food is an important theme here!

Yesterday morning I went out to Merbein and to the local tip shop. I was looking for some sort of case to keep my felting stuff in and I found this old sewing machine case at the tip shop. I love the piping around the edges and how it zips up. I also found 2 matching doilies to put on round cushions. At Merbein, I came across an organiser for letters and bills that hangs on the wall. I think it's quite sweet, I like the labels.

At the Red Cross shop I found another nice shirt for work and also a red necklace. All up, I think $14.

Pretty good stash I'd say.

For more jealousy-invoking finds and sources of rummaging motivation, join in or take a peek at Sophie's meme.

Kitchen love

2010-02-13T09:31:00.000+11:00

I love this weeks theme for My Place and Yours from Theme Queens 1 & 2!

I could have gone on and on taking pics but decided to show you some of my very fave recipe books, my cute little carb soda jar, my resin bottle stop and that stuff is all sitting on an apron that I found in a op shop for about a dollar. Tessa Kiros writes thee best recipe books by the way.

I'm also loving my new espresso machine. My old one was not working so well and we had started to worry about using it everyday with the aluminium boiler so time for the new one! This one has a boiler that is lined with stainless steel, but most home-style espresso machines don't. I worked out that in the 10 years or so that I had the old one, coffees would have averaged out to be less than 20 cents each and that it will only take 150 coffees for this one to pay for itself. This is a pretty important item for me because I use coffee to prevent migraines caused by brain surgery I had about 7 years ago.

Valentines Day recipe: Ginger Hazelnut Hearts

250g butter @ room temp
1/2 cup castor sugar
100g finely diced glace ginger
100g ground hazelnuts
1 & 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tbsp castor sugar, extra

1. Preheat oven to 160oC. Line trays with baking paper. Beat butter & sugar til light & creamy. Add ginger & beat briefly to combine.

2. Add hazelnut & flour. Use a non-serrated knife to cut through mixture to combine.

3. Gently flatten using a rolling pin on baking paper til 1cm thick. Cut out using a heart cookie cutter, put on trays and lightly coat with extra sugar.

4. Bake for 15mins or til lightly golden. Leave on trays for 5mins before putting on racks to cool. Store for up to 5 days.

5. Enjoy with a cup of tea & your valentine! my fave tea is 'Soothe' from T2.

Darling turtle Mr Buddy

2010-02-12T21:28:00.001+11:00

Ok. so I'm a super proud mum here... this is Buddy's underside now:

and this is a year ago:

There's so much new shell, it is fantastic. I didn't realise until I compared the photos again. The blue circles are more new shell growing.

It has been soooo much work to get to this point. Turtles live up to their name and are the slowest ever to heal! (They're actually quite fast in the water and walking). He's had multiple courses of antibiotics, swabs to be tested at labs, 2 different creams, 3 different rinses, salt in his water, frequent water changes, a specially fitted tank and even a blood test from his jugular!! He still hasn't forgiven me for that. And if you think its a good idea to try and open a turtle's mouth to put medicine in, think again. They have extremely strong jaws and can be very determined!

But it's all worth it when you get results and he is the cutest ever! (I often come home and say to my partner in a big sigh 'I love Buddy..').

Buddy came from a student of mine that couldn't afford to look after him and didn't know how. His shell was even worse about a month before the 'before' shot. A lot of dead tissue came off in the first week of care. All his internal organs sit just under that layer of skin that has lost all it's shell.

I need to try harder to get a good pic, because he really is adorable.

My creative space

2010-02-11T18:21:00.000+11:00

I made these samples last weekend when I went to felting group. It was fun and a lovely lady spent her whole Saturday morning teaching me. I'm pretty excited about getting some of my Dad's alpaca fleece in the post soon.

I'm still deciding what to do with my yellow vintage fabric I showed last week. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the messenger style but I need to find a pattern now. Thanks for the suggestions.

Inspiring creative spaces can be found at Kirsty's.

Haiti bunny!!

2010-02-09T18:32:00.000+11:00

Guess who turned up today? Haiti bunny! Yay. He is soo cute, don't worry he is not going to live outside with the chickens, he's just meeting the locals. I didn't realise 'til I held him my hands how adorable he is with his little legs out the front and big fluffy tail out the back (with a lovely splash of blue). And the lovely purply colour of his body really isn't done justice through computer screens, it is gorgeous.

I was very lucky to have the winning bid for him with Kate's auction to raise money for CARE Australia's Haiti relief effort. You've gotta love charities that show you exactly what your money is worth for the cause. It is very rewarding to donate to them. CARE Australia is one of those, along with The Fred Hollows Foundation.

Haiti bunny doesn't have a name yet, I will let you know when I decide.

Our first home brew

2010-02-09T07:54:00.001+11:00

Last night we bottled our first home brew. It tasted good even though it isn't carbonated yet... so I can't wait to taste it in 3 weeks!

We called it Poppy Draught after one of our bantam hens (of course).

It's pretty exciting to be brewing our own beer and re-using the bottles. The glass is one of the biggest factors in terms of footprint because it is heavy for transport and it's production.

I hope everyone has recovered from any Mondayitis that they had and have a great week : )

My finds

2010-02-07T11:43:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I found these beautiful little blue glass candlesticks and also this little china egret. I've put them in the bathroom to help brighten it up, everything is white in there and I love having candles burning when I have a bath.

To share your finds and see more treasures, join in with Sophie at Her Library Adventures...

My place and yours...

2010-02-06T08:01:00.000+11:00

What's in your bag?

Mine's pretty boring really, I don't like it to build up and drag around receipts and wrappers and whatever else. I have my keys, wallet (that I absolutely love but it is starting to wear), glasses, a great new pen (I can be a bit prone to stationary additions), coins, nurofen, a fold-up shopping bag, glasses, lipgloss, and hard drive.

I was actually silly enough to put my camera down there posing with everything else before I realised that I needed it to take the photo!

Sometimes I have a book or magazine if I know I'm going to be stuck in a waiting room and often I have little parcels that are waiting to go to the post office.

My dad gave me this fabulous bag for Christmas.

Play My Place and Yours with the lovely Vic. Someones got to have some exciting deep dark secrets in their bag!

My creative space... fabric and fleece

2010-02-04T19:35:00.000+11:00

My creative space currently is all about trying to decide how to position the carefully finished crochet edge on this vintage fabric in a bag pattern. I love the yellow colour and I would just hate to chop up this piece of fabric and not use the gorgeous edge. So far, I've been thinking that it might work on the handle but I'm very open to suggestions!

I'm also really excited about going to felt club for the first time this weekend so that I can learn how to make stuff from the guys and gals pictured above at my dad's place. I've been told a few times that spinning their fleece is really difficult because it doesn't have the 'little hooks' that sheep wool has so I'm set on felting now.

To check out more creative spaces and join in, visit kootoyoo : )

Well done Wetlands Day 2010!

2010-02-02T21:00:00.000+11:00

Today is World Wetlands Day (otherwise known as Well done Wetlands Day in our house due to a misunderstanding a few years ago!) and we celebrated by having a beer and yummy sandwich at Kings Billabong tonight. Even though it is not really in a natural state because of flow regulation, it is now a reserve and is a fantastic place that has become crucial for many of the species that inhabit this area.

On the right is a pic of the Hong Kong Wetland Park that I visited in December - it was fantastic, I got to see lots of darling plover species that you don't see in Australia. Many were hanging out there for the winter while the majority of China was freezing.

Don't forget to check if there are any fun wetland activities organised for your area or just make up your own!

Weekend stash - Flea market finds

2010-01-31T13:58:00.000+11:00

My find for the weekend is this little Birds of Victoria - Dry Country book published in the 70's. It was $3.50 from an antique/boutique store in Mildura. I really love it because the illustrations include the habitat and sometimes the chicks, and are really thoughtfully done to show the species personality.

When I came home from work on Friday, I had a parcel waiting for me containing my new lamp! It's very exciting to have a lovely new lamp on the bedside table. The old one was actually sort of squashed in. For more beautiful reclaimed and revamped lamps visit Jo at The Owls Are Hunting.

Lots more thifty finds can be found at Her Library Adventures. And while you're at it, place a bid for a lovely bunny in aid of Haiti.

Growing vegies in 39 degrees and yummy hummus

2010-01-31T13:13:00.000+11:00

There are some good things about extreme heat - the chillis don't take long to dry!

Since my vegie patch endeavours began a couple of years ago I have been battling with this large pre-existing bed that is shady in winter and really cops the Western sun in summer. I got these great wire frames at a garage sale for free which I put over the cucumbers when they were babies, to protect them from the cheeky chickens.

Anyway, the point is that they have been really great for adapting to hot days because all I do is move the shade cloth according to how hot it is (today is a ripper so that's why its all the way over to the NE/left) and use clothes pegs to hold it in place. It is sooo easy.

Yummo hummus - Put a drained can of chickpeas, tsp tahini, juice of half a lemon, crushed garlic clove, pinch a salt and drizzle of olive oil into food processor (we have a little one which I call the dip maker) until a smooth paste. Taste and add extra lemon, oil, garlic or salt to your liking if needed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, paprika or cumin and enjoy!

My Place and Yours - Shoes...

2010-01-30T14:18:00.001+11:00

I'm really not a shoe person... getting school shoes was one of the worst days of the year (I would dread it for the whole summer holidays) and my mum would threaten me when I was naughty that my school shoes would be my only Christmas present.

Yay for no more school shoes! I can live in my thongs and bare feet as much as I like - especially when we actually have grass. This time last year, I was standing in the same spot on a bare, dusty patch of ground.

By the way, that's Astrid, she is definitely the guts of the flock and always comes to investigate on the off chance that you have food for her (or for you that she is very capable of stealing!).

For My Place and Yours fun click away.

1960's ideals! - My Creative Space

2010-01-28T22:17:00.001+11:00

I just had to share this - I was flipping through some of my old magazines that I've found at op shops looking for inspiration to start thinking about winter knitting projects (I know, a bit early, but I felt like it) and this Pocket Man from September 1966 is an absolute classic!

'No skinny scarecrow for me!' is the cartoon caption for the WEY-MORE tablets; and you can learn all sorts of wonderful things related to kissing in the course advertised in the other cut out.

I must say though that some of the pictures of the women posing are incredibly gorgeous, I thought maybe it was because they're not air-brushed so seem more real and the natural curves are not smoothed over. Did they have any way of air-brushing' images in the 60's?

My Creative Space fun at kootoyoo :)

Tablecloth creation & summer treats for chickens

2010-01-26T18:26:00.000+11:00

I turned my op shop tablecloth find today into some cushions. It was great, pretty straight-forward - I love it when there are lines or neat patterns in the fabric! I'm the most hopeless cutter-outerer of patterns - even a square! I just overlapped two matching pieces at the back so I didn't have to bother with zips or even buttons.

My other sewing project today was making a little prototype to measure up a custom made doggie sailing jacket. If all goes to plan I will blog about how I made my custom dog jacket. At the moment, the prototype is wrapped in brown paper ready for the postie to deliver it to Tassie for trying on the sea dog.

I thought I might also mention today my chicken's favourite summer treats! They are so very important on days like this (38 degrees). Once the chickens have settled into their spot under the hedge at the back door, they love corn on the cob (don't forget the silks), iceberg lettuce and melons sliced in half - all straight from the fridge of course.

Re-fashioned denim bag

2010-01-25T16:03:00.001+11:00

You've gotta love re-fashioning and I was pretty happy with the over-sized hand bag that I made for my sister's birthday. It was also a great excuse to use one of the vintage applique elephants that I found at an antique shop - they are so cute! I used an old pair of jeans and a vintage pillow case as the liner.

Last night I cooked one of my fave tessa recipes (actually, all her recipes are my favourite) for a birthday cake - carrot cake with the sweetest cream cheese icing; before going kayaking on the billabong. Although, most of the time was spent reclining while anchored to a tree trunk and reading Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. It's quite different to The Year of the Flood which I loved, but it seems to be gaining suspense so I think it's going to be great. Share your fab reads this week here.

Sophie's flea market meme - my weekend op shop finds

2010-01-24T17:17:00.001+11:00

yay - I can't believe I found another pair of dressy shoes that fit! I also found this gorgeous tablecloth that I think is destined to be cushions and some old wooden knitting needles - they are so much nicer to use than those metal things. Join in the op shop fun at Her Library Adventures...

Gorgeous owl and other goodies

2010-01-19T20:16:00.000+11:00

Yes, that is actually the grass in my backyard in Mildura in the middle of January! You wouldn't believe it, but those spring-summer rains have obviously had an impact. I'm very lucky that I have had my basket filled with wool from my Dad's alpacas; I tend not to knit in summer but the thought almost makes me say 'bring on winter!' I also have a beautiful embroidery that I bought in Southern China. I'm not sure what to do with it yet. It actually looks great on the back of a couch but I'm afraid that it will get dirty there.

I'm in the mood for showing off other lovely things, the owl now has prime position on my bedside table and comes from a little shop in Hobart dedicated to supporting local artists (Love and Clutter). I just love the fluffy ears.

I love holidays!

2010-01-16T08:00:00.001+11:00

I had the best time in Tassie last week, caught up with some old friends that I haven't seen in years, went away sailing with Dad and Chester, kayaking and swimming with Mum, went to the tennis, ate lots of my fave foods, shopped for books and handmade goodies, saw lots of family and it was all so relaxing.

Chester was the best little sea dog, I'm going to make him a little spray jacket because the wind chill gets to him sailing. On the second night, we moored at Randalls Bay - the sunset was beautiful and I just loved the sillouette of the eucalyptus trees on the point. When I was in China, there were quite a few eucalypts being grown which seemed strange. They must have been grown for the timber. Its probably quite a good way to do it, but many of the branches had been removed but the tree kept alive. When I returned to Australia, I was reminded of how beautiful the natural form of our trees are.

My China photo today is of an elderly man that we came across in Wuhan. He was writing calligraphy on the pavement with water. It was so impressive because the sponge brush is so sensitive and the water dries quickly. When I asked our guide if he does this for money (we were outside a tourist attraction), the answer from the man was "No, this is my daily physical activity" - but in Mandarin. Very lovely.

Gifts for thyself and Chinese dentist

2010-01-04T18:39:00.000+11:00

You really don't want to get a tooth ache in rural China! The whole street can watch as your tooth is tied with string and the door slammed. So, maybe that's not how they do it but I'm not sure that the reality would be any nicer. This dentist shop is in a little village near Yang Shuo; the doctor surgeries are similar expect there is a little curtain at the back for private examinations. Just another reason to believe that we live in the lucky country.

Meanwhile, I have been busy on my sewing machine. Yesterday, I made this cuff that I adapted from Anna Maria Horner's beautiful book. Adapted is a fancy word for saying it turned out slightly different to the plan but that I'm happy with the outcome!

The cutest thing this morning while kayaking - a gum tree by the edge of the water filled with cormorant nests including babies. They were gorgeous, at the clambering around near the nest stage. I just floated by trying not to disturb them, I'd hate to be responsible for one plummeting into the billabong. After that I bought myself a book to read when yachting with dad later this week and I couldn't resist this babushka. It's made from/by vintage chenille (yay for crafty people in the mallee!).

Cath Kidson, fairy floss and chilli

2010-01-02T17:39:00.005+11:00

Oh summer days... this one - what a relief 27 degrees rather than 38. More hot days to come though. Last night was the most incredible lightning, it lit up the whole backyard like a flood light - and I was home alone! Scary.

I just harvested some of my chilli's. The sweet yellow ones are fantastic in pasta sauce and jalapenos are the best for homemade pizza. I must keep harvesting so they keep flowering, I'd love to pickle some so that I have a supply for pizza all year.

Today's China photo was taken when I took my Chinese students to the Wuhan Botanical Gardens for an excursion. It was a great day; one of the highlights was getting a fairy floss from this old couple. In China, there is a great respect for foreigners as well as teachers in many parts so I ticked two boxes. That meant that I got the hugest fairy floss ever. I'm serious, the students were laughing so hard because this thing was bigger than me. It was fantastic. If you look at the pic, it would have been double the width of that one so far.

...and I finally made my Cath Kidson bag from 'Sew!' whilst sipping a yummy glass of Radford's riesling (biodynamic of course). Yay, it's given me a bit more confidence for more complicated projects. The fabric was lovely to work with.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T09:41:00.007+11:00

Yay, my favourite month, January. I can't wait to spend as much of it as I can on my new toy. I think it's going to be great because it will help me relax and appreciate the beauty that does exist in Mildura. Another hot one today, 38.

Today's China photo is at Yangshuo. Amongst all the beautiful fields of vegetables, their were rows of noodles drying. The contrast between the white noodles and the green fields was gorgeous.

Last night at a BBQ, we enjoyed more of my home-grown potatoes. They are a simple thing and someone once said to me 'why would you grow potatoes when they are so cheap in the shop' but they are organic and I can taste the love! On the BBQ we slice them thinly and fry them in olive oil with fresh sage and chopped, marinated artichokes.

I used the straw method to grow the potatoes, adding more every time the plants grew leaves above the last layer. I held it all in with some plastic fencing. The ground was prepared with a little bit of compost and the plants were fed with worm juice and some liquid seaweed.

Little Guy and China # 2 & 3

2009-12-30T12:22:00.006+11:00

Introducing the newest addition to the flock, his name is Little Guy by default and it stuck. The rest of the baby chickens went back to our friends that gave us the fertile eggs, at Teacups and Roses, Yelta. It is pretty hot for the chickens at the moment, 37, but they are out and about finding shady spots. Little Guy seems to have claimed the pumpkin patch.

The first photo is taken at Tea Horse Guest House, on the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. The scenery was fantastic, and the village life is so calming. On the hike, we came across this herd of mountain goats. They were en route with their shepherd to graze on the hillsides. The hike was hard because the uphill sections were steep but it didn't take that long. I have started a journal just for creative wanderings and inspiration today. There were plenty of ideas and inspiration floating around before but they weren't really going anywhere!

Back from China!

2009-12-29T09:20:00.006+11:00

oh, it's nice to be back blogging. When I was away in China in December, my blog was blocked so I have a lot to catch up on. I have decided to just put little snippets of China into my next few blogs because it is also great to be home and I love blogging about my little everyday things.

First things first I must show some of the gorgeous Chrissie presents I was lucky enough to get. My Mum found this awesome knitting needle box for me, still filled with needles and Catherine gave me one of her super-cute bags. I also got this handmade bowl that looks just like mallee trees, it's amazing.

Christmas this year was in the Barossa and I must say I seem to have developed a taste for dessert wine! So many of the wineries have these fantastic late harvest and botrytis rieslings and semillons. They are divine.

So, my China snippet today is the Li River, near Yang Shuo. I went kayaking here and it is beautiful. The limestone karsts found here are impressive, although I must say that they are not the best for navigation as they all look the same! It has inspired me to buy a kayak and enjoy Mildura more from the water.

Christmas craft and other lovelies

2009-11-12T06:34:00.007+11:00

I can't believe I'm nearly off to China! And I'm going to freeze, it has been so so hot here. I have been keeping the shade cloth companies in business. I have been super busy but have also had lots of lovely little snippets of things happening. I harvested my onions, I had to fold the tops over so they wouldn't flower and let them dry out for a bit in the ground. I have been watching baby purple swamp hens running around in reeds with their parents. One of our cacti had some awesome flowers - it was kind of like one of those rare orchids, suddenly it just popped open and was really spectacular but only lasted a day. I have well and truly started my summer smoothie habit, although it concerns me that the frozen raspberries and blueberries are imported. My Christmas crafting has been coming along and I got a great new book! I already have made some things out of it but I don't want to show here because they are Chrissie presents.

I love old mags

2009-11-06T17:28:00.007+11:00

Well, I'm so busy at work at the moment that I have to make an effort to maintain a balance and this arvo it was with a glass of champagne, a free beautifully-produced waterbird guide, and my chickens playing in the front yard - couldn't ask for much more!

I just sent a copy of the waterbird guide to an old friend also; one that I don't know how I would possibly be able to pay back for the huge amount he has taught me about birds and identifying them. The next day after my walk mentioned in my last blog, on the same walk I saw 9 extra species: purple swamphen, white-breasted wood swallow, magpie lark, pacific black duck, hoary-headed grebe, little pied cormorant, white-faced heron, black kite and white ibis.

I also thought that I would share my love for old magazines. I've realised lately (since I seem to be getting a bit of a collection) that I really do have a thing for them. They are so beautiful and seem to actually want to have useful information rather than just sell something.

My darling turtle Buddy had to have a blood test yesterday, to help decide if he should have another course of anti-biotics - the vet said to me "we have never had a client that loved their turtle so much". I took that as a compliment :)

My morning walk and more

2009-11-01T17:14:00.006+11:00

I'm so glad I got a walk in this morning before it got too hot, I can't believe we are having 3 days in a row of nearly 40 degrees! and it really was a wonderful walk... here's my bird list to prove it: Little Black Cormorant, Masked Lapwing, Whistling Kite, Brown Falcon, Red-rumped Parrot, Crested Pidgeon, Australian Magpie, Silver Gull, Welcome Swallow, Red Wattlebird, Australian Pelican, Wood Ducks, Galah, Black Swan, Laughing Kookaburra, Noisy Miner, Little Corella and Darter - who would have thought a morning walk to Lock 11 could be so productive! The maggies, swans and wood ducks all had very cute half-grown babies too.

This morning I also finished a wedding gift that was supposed to be ready for the wedding yesterday, although I can probably get away with it considering it was a wedding disguised as a 1st birthday and I wasn't supposed to know. It made me remember how much I like cross-stitching, I lurve the precision. It was a gorgeous wedding also, just in their backyard. Re-affirmed for me how silly big weddings are.

This weather is playing havoc with my vegie gardening, a couple of weeks ago it was cold and now its crazy hot! I pulled out the garlic earlier than last year because the tops had dried off completely, they are a bit small but super tasty. I think I planted them too close together. I think I may have entered myself in a competition for the largest pumpkin last night, it all sounds very serious, the right branches have to be removed and growth records must be kept to help decide which pumpkin is the chosen one for growing into a giant. Apparently an individual plant needs 10m square if you really want to win!

Gotta love spring...

2009-10-24T09:17:00.007+11:00

Gotta love spring... especially when there are seven little fluff balls and a very cute mother hen to pass the time away with. They all hatched yesterday, after 20 days of incubating. I must credit Poppy with doing the hard yards here because she incubated for 2 weeks before the sun started coming into where she was and disturbing her. One day I went in there to see what all the commotion was about and she ran out and joined the other chickens eating and dust-bathing. She was not interested in going back to her eggs, so I put Penny on them because she was still very clucky.

I found this beautiful green letter kit today in an antique store, I have another similar one that was my mums. When I was little I was so fasinated by it that I would sneak into mum's room and into her cupboard just to look at it. I think it's all the compartments and the tactile zip.

Buddy the turtle is on anti-biotics at the moment because 1 of the ulcers on his shell has worsened - let me tell you that it is extremely hard to open a turtle's mouth! Yesterday I resorted to smearing the anti-biotics onto individual food pellets. It took about 20 pellets. The poor thing has to be 'dry-docked' more often to dry his shell out, and I think it makes him really tired. Having to support his body weight and not being able to snooze like he does at the bottom of his tank.

Spiced eggs and RPDC says no!

2009-10-21T20:11:00.003+11:00

Well I finally made by spiced eggs, pictured is Romy checking them out. But more importantly, the former RPDC in Tassie said no to the Ralphs Bay development! This is very exciting. Hopefully the federal government will finally see the light and follow the recommendation to stop the development based on impacts to fauna under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Well done to Save Ralphs Bay, incredible effort.

I have also started making Christmas decorations, bunting seems all the rage this year so I have jumped on the band wagon and made little white flags with a candy cane pattern. I also have some plans for stuffed decorations to hang, inspired by what my nan had, so is basically one of my earliest memories of Christmas - that and being scared to death that Santa knew that I was still awake!

Op shop success

2009-10-17T16:26:00.003+11:00

Yay! It's a miracle, I actually found a pair of shoes that I like and that fit me in an op shop! $6. I got the cute little book last weekend at a second shop at the Mildura Sun Festival - the embossing on the worn purple hardback is gorgeous. Saturday is Farmers Market day here and I go religiously, I am becoming addicted to Fiona's range of salvias for the garden. Today I got one that has hot pink furry flowers and another with purple flowers that will hopefully tolerate a shady spot outside the laundry window. When my salvias grow up I will endeavour to grow cuttings for friends too.

Got some great news today, one of my very good old friends just booked flights to come and visit me in March - makes me so happy. Tonight is a Girls Night In for me, such a great cause. I'm going to make yummy lentil soup to share.

Just kicked the chickens out of the vegie patch so better go check they haven't made their way in again...

Christmas is coming!

2009-10-14T20:45:00.003+11:00

Now this is very consumeristic of me but I was excited to see that Christmas magazines were on the shelves today! I love it. I love planning the recipes and planning the handmade gifts and treats. I think I am turning cooking irish pudding cake into a tradition... but I've decided what would be a really good Christmas present would be seeing the Wallcreeper (pictured bird) in China - how striking is it?

I have also been trying to gain a better knowledge of Chinese culture and one beautiful book I have is Tales from the Tao. Here's a passage:

Without going through your door,

You can know the whole world.

Without looking through your window,

You can see the Tao of heaven. Lao Tzu

Special jewellery

2009-10-10T20:03:00.008+11:00

Today I met Josh Byrne of Gardening Australia because he is doing a workshop in a vegie garden that I am developing. He was lovely and just like he is on tv - I'm looking forward to going to the workshop tomorrow. I also learnt a bit more about Murray Hardyhead fish in the process - they are so rare! The work that the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre is so important. They are basically almost extinct in the wild and their future is totally dependent on environmental watering and captive breeding. It is incredibly political because of the debates over water.

I also indulged myself in a beautiful piece of jewellery, which I rarely do. I had been thinking for a while now how I really wanted a nice piece to wear in memory of a very special young girl and I am very happy that I followed through with it. It is from the Thomas Sabo collection. And finally, how cheeky are my chickens getting - they think they not only own the backyard but also the house!

Those that want to comment that don't have their own blog should be able to do so now :)

Eggs, worm juice & plovers

2009-10-09T17:26:00.004+11:00

Wow, a whole week went by. I feel like I've been crazy busy with boring stuff but when I think about it, I do actually have a few highlights. On the weekend I gave Poppy 7 fertile eggs so hopefully in a couple of weeks there will be little fluffy things running around. They are half bantam and half silkie bantam. My birdo-ness reached whole new heights today when I nearly hyperventilated when I got my bird book for China and flipped to the plover page.

I was given a bottle of worm juice from a student lol! I put it on my spinach. It was a primary school fundraiser, how great is that! On the downside, Polly the carpet python broke her UV light fitting today by sliding between the cord and the roof of her enclosure and preceding to put all her body weight (~6kg) on the cord, making it squish between the light protector and the roof and get damaged.

I plan to make pickled eggs this weekend, they sound yummy for salads and I have alot of eggs. I was happy to find the recipe in an old Barossa recipe book in the holidays.

Funny postie

2009-10-01T16:10:00.004+10:00

How funny is this, the postie keeps leaving me parcels under the guinea pigs blanket and then putting 'Guarded by guinea pig' on the slip! I love it. I got this one today - wow - China has a lot of mammals. 1/10th of the world's. Trying to work out whats where I'm going on the distribution maps is the next challenge.

Today was great, I planted vegies in the garden I am organising at work and though it is not great how clay-y it is, I was on a high after playing in the mud.

Guinea pig size carrots

2009-09-29T18:22:00.005+10:00

Ok, so I failed dismally at growing carrots but how super cute are they! And they are perfect guinea pig size. My spinach and potatoes are going the best at the moment but the same can't be said for my Bunnings bought tomatoes that seem to have come with spider mite. I think I will look into ordering some Ladybirds.

On the weekend I baked wagonwheels, they are so yummy straight from the fridge and not hard. Very indulgent though.

Today I found out that I am getting business cards with my name in Chinese on them! Kinda funny to imagine but I guess it could be important and courteous. I also bought a Cath Kidson journal for China.

Barossa bounty

2009-09-26T11:59:00.005+10:00

Wow, holidays are already half gone. Early this week I spent 3 days in the Barossa Valley and it was great to not be working! Most of the time disappeared tasting wine (very technical terms such as yummy were used) and rifling through op shops for vintage fabric. I found this gorgeous apron with love hearts on it for $1.20! I won't be cutting that up. I also found this Vegemite jar that says 'Delicious in sandwiches with celery'(!?) on the lid. How strange I thought.

Two of my other favourite Barossa activities are visiting Bull Creek Books (2nd hand books) at Tanunda and having a coffee and cake at Blond Coffee & Store.

I also saw these beautiful handmade bowls and plates by Val de Vries at one of the wineries.

Anyway, it is nice to be back with the animals, especially with stormy weather around. Now Penny is not the only clucky chicken, Poppy has pushed her way into the nest too. In the photo you can see Astrid helping Poppy with her dustbath/parasite load. They get a build up of lice just sitting on the nest all the time and not preening, which is one of the reasons I don't let them nest the whole time. Yesterday I ordered a Field Guide to Birds of China; I risk sounding like a mad twitcher but I am excited about getting my parcel in the mail and learning some birds before I go.

Yummy cake & second hand shops

2009-09-20T19:20:00.004+10:00

Last week I found these beautiful little crochet squares and flowers, 100 for $10. I can't wait to use them to decorate things! I can knit but I'm hopeless at crocheting so very happy with my find. I also got some Australian home journals from the 40's, 50's and 60's, they still have dress patterns in them.

I cooked one of my fave recipes yesterday - yummy kinda healthy banana and seed cake. I know it doesn't have bicarb in it but I just love my little bakelite! This recipe came from a Women's Weekly years ago.

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 olive oil

1/3 firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 honey

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup mashed banana - I usually put more than this ; )

1/2 buttermilk

1/4 cup quick oats

1/4 raisins chopped

1 1/4 SR flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsps honey, extra

1. Preheat oven to 180oC (160oC fan-forced). Grease & line base & sides of 11cmx25cm loaf pan (or use a silicon one).

2. Combine seeds in small bowl.

3. Combine remaining ingredients except extra honey and only 2/3 of seed mix. Stir until just combined.

3. Pour mixture into pan and top with remaining seeds.

4. Bake 1hr or until cooked.

5. Turn onto rake and brush with extra honey.

6. Yummo warm or cold!

Avian friends

2009-09-16T20:17:00.004+10:00

Well Penny is still clucky and sat on the nest while the other chickens helped me garden before work. They actually found 4 little potatoes for me from a guerrilla plant I pulled out a few weeks ago.

The little darling above was 'rescued' by a colleague yesterday because he was on the ground in a carpark. They brought him to me and I examined him (all good) and made him a nest out of an icecream container and secured it in the same tree as the original nest, just in case he really didn't mean to leave the nest so soon. But not long after, he had jumped again, with mum still supervising. I went back to check and they must have been off on flying lesson adventures. Mum knows best.

Beautiful BUDAFEST

2009-09-14T20:50:00.000+10:00

BUDAFEST at Castlemaine was fantastic! I got so many gardening tips like making manure tea using shade cloth and fresh chicken manure for my potatoes and using straw as a garden border - great insulator. ....and so many lovely people!

After work today I bought some Jalapeno chilli plants too. They are my favourite chilli and I'd really like to grow enough to pickle them so I have them through the year for pizzas.

I found Polly's 'head' in her enclosure today. She must have used the branch in there to get her shed started - how amazing is it? You can see her eyes and nostrils.

Penny the bantam is sooo clucky at the moment, she sits on the nest all the time even if there are no eggs. I am considering getting her some fertilised Australorp eggs to raise. She obviously really wants to be a mum!

Spring - Mallee Style

2009-09-12T07:05:00.000+10:00

You've gotta love groundcovers when they look like this! The Sturt Desert Pea is at the Inland Botanic Garden, a friend works there now and she said they have tried really hard to get them to grow in the garden with no luck, only for this one to pop up in the carpark!

The Pigface is at Kings Billabong Reserve. Gorgeous.

Off to BUDAFEST this weekend, yay, hopefully will throw the cold I have too.

Animals & circus

2009-09-10T12:15:00.000+10:00

Introducing.... Buddy! One of the important men in my life. Buddy is a Murray Turtle and very sweet. He is in my care because he has a bad shell infection. You can't see in the pics but it was much worse underneath. It has improved a lot but I picked up a silverzine prescription for him on the way home to try to stop the slow spread of the infection on the top side (you can see the black sections in the pic). I've got to try and get a better photo but despite his cuteness he is not that photogenic.
Circus Oz was fantastic the other day, and if you haven't seen it, don't worry, no elephants with chains or any other animals. Just humans. They are so strong! Amazing, they look like they should be Olympic gymnasts but I guess that wouldn't be as fun.

Another introduction...

This is the stuffed version of my darling Bantam Penny! I made her on the weekend and now she's in the hands of Australia Post on the way to my stepmum for her birthday.

Bonnets & childhood memory #1

2009-09-04T14:50:00.000+10:00

I just had to do this!

I had an indulgent bath the other day and as usual I thought to myself "remember when I was little I would try and collect all the bubbles in a jug so that I would have even more bubbles next time!"

I'm also excited because I finally had a friend have a baby that is a girl. I knitted this bonnet about 3 years ago and have been waiting ever since. People kept having boys.

China & python skins

2009-09-01T12:26:00.000+10:00

Wow, I found out today that I am going to China for a week or so for work! Very exciting. I think I was a bit silly with excitement in the meeting this afternoon:

'Can you be left-handed in China?' 'Are there trees in Wuhan?'

I don't usually seek out overseas travel because I feel guilty for the carbon but if someone has to do it, I'll be willing : )

Not much else from my day of work - oh, Polly the carpet python shed her skin, all in one piece. I measured it with my students and it was over 3m long. Hopefully now she won't be as grumpy as she has been lately. She's a darling most of the time.

My first post

2009-08-30T18:44:00.000+10:00

My first post - yay! This blog is designed to share my funny animal encounters, vegie garden stories, creative moments and inspirations. I have been inspired by some wonderful bloggers that are dedicated to hand-made beauty, to start this blog. I guess it is also a way for me to combine all the positive things in my life and escape the sadness of the dying Murray River that I can't help take on when I live so close to it.

Where to start... my weekend was very relaxed. The Wentworth Show (Western NSW) yesterday was cute. I mainly went to gush over the different types of chickens since I have become an absolute chicken lover. The sweetest thing ever was a little boy of about 10 yrs arranging his 'Best Bird in Childrens Section' trophy in the little pen with the chicken. He kept on putting the trophy on a different angle and standing back to see how it looked. Apparently, he also took out most of the awards for the eggs. I'm told they are judged for uniform colour, shape and height in the carton. They are not tested for freshness, so you can be comparing your eggs all year in preparation for the show.

Today I tried my first zipper insertion, on a little bag. Kind of successful! And made a fabric yo yo for the first time. Definitely an instant fan. I followed the instructions in Seams to me (Anna Maria Horner).

I arranged my Grandma's tortoise shell knitting needles in a knitting needle bag made for me by a friend's mum. Had to laugh when I opened the express post parcel and realised that that smokey smell was coming from the needles. I thought straight back to when Grandma paid me $10 in hush money when I was little because I caught her smoking!

Today's harvest - snow peas and broccoli - this broccoli has been amazing, it just keeps re-shooting and the chickens and guinea pigs love the leaves too.

Catch you again soon x