Moss

Inspired by Design*Sponge's moss terrarium tutorial here, I felt compelled to make one - see below.

Why? Unsure. Despite being gawked at by my neighbours as i wandered the local footpaths happily digging up moss, it was enjoyable and the result on my kitchen window is a little bit sweet.

Some random facts about moss purely for your enjoyment:

1. Reindeers eat moss because it contains a chemical that keeps their blood warm.

2. Moss can grow in temperatures just above zero degrees.

3. Mosses and liverworts were the first green plants to devlop in the process of evolution.

4. Just 'cause its funny, say this fast ---> sphagnum. sphagnum. sphagnum.

Lovely brooches ...

made by Sarah of craftyFOLK.

So sweet, nicely painted + whimsical.

weekend + rolling hills = happiness...

Bit excited by what I found this weekend on the way to Victor Harbour (McLaren Vale, Old Noarlunga, Victor & Yankalilla) and just must share.

First - this perfect rocking chair, after months of searching (gunmetal blue too!). Next - a 1960s style floor lamp with in tact shade *yippee* (thinking of putting new fabric on the shade. How do I do that? Any suggestions?)

I also got myself 2 sweet brooches (a girl can never have too many of those), and an "insulated" tea cosy (which admittedly doubled as a beanie as it was so bloomin' f--f-reezing at Deep Creek Conservation Park last night). I will post them another time as sun is quickly disappearing leaving the moment un-photoworthy.

Leaving you with a photo of some sheep munching lush green velvet on a hill side in Inman Valley.

Why I love Brown Owls...

inspirational kind people,

new ideas,

tea and sugary sweets :p,

positive and constructive feedback (even when craft 'goes bad' )

and...

laughter (especially when tears are involved)!

Thank you Adelaide owls... I'm enjoying your company!

Two new finished projects (*huge* thrifted embroidered brooch & Shrinky Dink brooches and earrings):

A teeny vintage receipt paper bird...

Handsewn by swirlyarts. Liking his wirey spindly legs awww

One dedicated crafter...

WHOA! What a beautiful piece of line art this sewing tatoo is!

Inspiring me of recent are...

... a couple of foxes by talented UK crafty girl Abigail Brown.

Her fabric choices and stitches are quite rustic, which I think defiantly gives them piles of character, resulting in very cute foxes indeed! (Take a look at her bird softies too)

Some nice tunes...

These have been with me everywhere in the past month - in the car, in the classroom, in my mind and at home during crafty nights with friends.

- Alela Diane *in particular O'Mama *

- Lisa Mitchell *Neapolitan Dreams*

- Ingrid Michaelson *The Way I Am & Winter Song*

- Adele

- Loudon Wainwright *Daughter*

- Ray La Montagne

Glorious garden surprises today...

...made me smile!

New Game..

I loved what I read on Cherry's and Pip's blog, so I'm joining them but have taken a different spin on it. All comments below relate to my teaching JOB (completly unrelated to craft, yes)!!

Making : collage paper healthy sandwiches
Reading: 'The Pigeon Wants a Puppy' by Mo Willems. So funny I near wet myself laughing when reading it to my class today
Wanting: to know why parents don't remind children to shower d.a.i.l.y
Looking: at Google Earth (we were amazed to zoom into a pack of huddled penguins in the Arctic)
Singing: 'You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story (gives me goosebumps and sometimes a tear when they sing)
Playing: Connect 4 and LEGO
Saying: "Stop. Look and Listen"
Wishing: children would listen carefully to my instructions
Enjoying: listening to children read to me
Waiting: for our new playground to arrive
Liking: when my students use the same words I do. i.e beautiful, splendid, fabulous, sensational
Wondering: if tomorrow's perimeter maths lesson will work as hoped
Hoping: a particular student's mum remembers to pack her child some food tomorrow :(
Marvelling: at the resilience of some students
Needing: more 1:1 support with one particular little bean
Smelling: *lol* no comment
Wearing: yeehah! success - my whole class in school uniform for the past 2 weeks!
Following: the leader to their Music lesson
Wanting: the days to speed up so we can go to the Adelaide Show and Central Markets on excursion sooner
Noticing: that some kids have ample English and are hence soon to leave me :(
Knowing: the holidays are nearing
Thinking: about buying a new mug - new one every term this year. exciting!
Giggling: at a student who in maths was invited to select the 'best tool' to measure his partners waist in cm. He chose to run a trundle wheel around his partners waist. He did get the correct measurement though!
Loving: the challenge of teaching Year 3/4s (adjectives, plurals, speech marks, time phrases oh my!)
Smiling: because I truly feel lucky to have a job which I love!

*Hoorrah*

Here's my munchkin sized granny square blanket. I'm rather thrilled at how it turned out, even if 1) its size is too small and 2) I couldn't fathom how to fit in the perfect number of scallops so they would not spill off the edge. So plain old d.c did the job just fine!

Now I'm eying off Sarah London's nice things. I like this a lot...

and...

this. x

Bedroom Makeover: Part 2

Just a sneek peek. Well... to be honest the bed wasn't quite made and I couldn't be bothered making it just for a whole bed shot! Final before and after photos coming soon.

My thoughts exactly...

Credit: Matt Jones

Bedroom Makeover Capers: Part 1

The boy and I bought a little house a few months ago. It is truly beautiful. It has a feel good element which is quite hard to describe. It has provided us with full sun in the kitchen all day during the Wintry months, lovely floorboards, an extra bedroom (ehrm, come 'Sewing Room') and a rather monstrous front garden (weeding has taken over our weekends).

BUT...nothing is ever exactly the way you want it when buying a house right? Right. The previous owner felt the need to cover 8 walls in the 2 biggest bedrooms in a hideous sponge effect in shades of nicotine yellow and brown . Need I say we moved in and within 2 weeks swiftly painted those walls. All the while I started scouting ideas for main bedroom colours, furniture, trinkets, lights and wall shades.

Here are some which inspired me... (More to come in future posts, still incomplete as I type from the comfort of my new bed. I do heart Sundays)

Liked the calming greys and yellow ochres. Credit: Nestled In

Off white with grey, yellow poking through. Credit: IKEA

Adore the wrought iron bed, greys and yellow again. Common theme there? Credit: Glen P

5 things these eyes have seen today...

1. UUgghh - the dreaded sour sob (all 5 hours of them)

2. Sanitarium vege sausages :P

3. Farmers Union Iced Coffee

4. my trusty Janome - Mark's trousers needed to be taken up... f.u.n

5. 'THE' granny sq. blanket - I'm over it. Completely and utterly. I am quite ashamed but I just cannot persist any longer. I've stopped at 28 and.can't.possibly.go.any.further. It was actually hindering my starting of any new project.

So It's a 4x7 blanket (yep it covers all of one leg) and it's all pieced together (terminology?) - that was the fun part. Tomorrow I will learn some fancy crochet scalloped edging and finish it, breath a sigh of relief and excitedly begin a new project lol

(Granny blanket credit - nope its not mine *pout*)

x-t

I love lamp.

I'd be proud to own any of these Anthropologie lights. YUM!

red + birds + wood

Some little things on my dining room cupboard today.

Some thrifted things that make me smile...

sometimes nice things just need to be shared x

Clockwise from top left: Book City Jackets, Kate Broughton brooch, Tonje Holand from Darling Clementine's house, a crispy white bathroom and Design*Sponge before and after upholstered chair.

A lovely opp-shop in Adelaide...

Yes I may be slightly biased (my wonderful mum works there *mwa*) but the Red Cross Family Store at 354 Shepard's Hill Road in Blackwood is always full of gorgeous goodies!

To name a few things that I've scrounged - 2 vintage suitcases (which now live happily at the foot of my bed), printed *new* Christopher Vine mugs, retro canisters, 2 near new wardrobes (now full of crafting materials)... and the list contiues :) They also have a great collection of vintage kitchen and household goods!

If you are in the Blackwood area do drop in, warm yourself by the fireplace and possibly grab something nice for yourself.. plus the $ goes to charity (extra goodness!) -x-

On my desk today...

Thought I'd jump on the wagon by trying my best to take a decent photo and share some crafty goodness on my desk (well...on my dining table) today.

I am plodding along slowly with my granny square blanket. 25 squares down, 45 to go.... pure persistence lol.

My top ten movies...

... just for fun . Oh, in no specific order :)

1. Pan's Labyrinth
2. Life is Beautiful
3. Amelie
4. Pretty Woman
5. Peter Pan (original)
6. The Secret Garden
7. Knocked Up
8. Chocolat
9. Napoleon Dynamite
10. The Kite Runner
Could I have just one more...? :P
11. Juno

Pleeease excuse my terrible photo collage - blame 'Microsoft Paint'... I am in dire need of a PhotoShop type program :(

5 absolutely lovely shops I wish were located in Adelaide...

1. Anthropologie (an incredibly beautiful, quirky and awe inspiring store in the USA)
2. Meet Me At Mikes (Pip Lincolne's luverly shop in north Melbourne)
3. Grigons & Orr Corner Store more details and pics here (So nice! Where else but...North Melbourne)
4. Pottery Barn (*sigh*)
5. and lastly Trampoline Gelato & Ice Cream (where? yep, that M word again).

-x- T

OH MY...

... I see a project on the horizon! Perhaps even an Adelaide Brown Owl workshop :) These colourful birds originally made by Spool Sewing (a FREE pdf pattern can be found on her sidebar under "Free Patterns") and a gazillion others scan be seen on Flickr. What a bright, quick and simple softie.

I found these little guys..

...while poking about for softie inspiration. I am adoring their long gangly legs (perhaps they feel my pain hehe). Credit: one v. clever crafter at Forest Creatures :)