every girl needs a shed

Years ago, we bought this plastic (and more expensive than it looks) outdoor shed / cupboard thing in an attempt to deal with our storage woes.

The problem was, it was not as weatherproof as we'd have liked, and was a bit of a pain to use... so when we started doing some cleaning and clearing out lately, we came close to chucking the thing...

but when it was empty and open, it suddenly turned into a "house"...

a bit of cleaning, a bit of a blackboard and (ahem) a bit of plastic bag bunting later, it is now a fun and happy cubby, and part of our backyard in progress.

(we are loving the bonus "pink snow" too... but will need to clean it up soon!)

my creative space

Gif make

Sometimes the little projects are the most fun - especially for a scaredy cat like me who experiences anxiety when cutting into lovely big bits of fabric.

This week I took a scrap of fancy fabric (from the scraps box at Patchwork on Central Park), and patched up some holey, worn-out jeans...

and when that was a success, I grabbed a pair of too-short jeans, and added some Yardage Design gorgeousness to the bottom (OK, I admit I did have some anxiety cutting into this fabric, but managed to remind myself that gorgeous fabric is better out on display (even when it gets mud splattered) than hiding in a box!).

For more creative spaces ...

I'm not sure what I was supposed to do today...

(and I still have a vague, unsettling feeling that there was something I was supposed to do...)

But I did...


... eat the last of our yummy "Cathie Cookies" (Fruity Oat Cookies, to be precise), one of the amazing recipes from Cathie's blog...


... play our girl's new invented game - "Backy Books" (basically you grab all your Golden Books, turn them over so you can only see their backs, and then pick and read a book without knowing what it will be)...


... and turn three old cloth nappies into a dressing gown, because I felt like doing some of my favourite kind of sewing (using old stuff, so there's nothing to lose, and making it up as I go along).



Hope you've had a fun Sunday too!

taking a walk

Inspired by Vic, we took a walk last weekend... not very far from home, and not for long (taking 4yr old sized "paces" doesn't get you very far...)

Walking the streets around our home, wearing matching green "detective" jackets and carrying a magnifying glass (her) and big camera (me), we got some strange looks - but had a lot of fun!

(See Vic's post for full instructions if you'd like to join in too)

1. Starting point;


2. 50 paces;



3. Walk until you find something blue;



4. Left turn and walk 50 paces;


5. Walk until you see something that is or looks like 7 or 11;


6. Take the first left, walk until you find somewhere to sit;


7. Walk any direction 25 paces;


8. Walk until see unusual colour, shape, texture;


9. Walk until you see an archway or unusual architectural feature (because we were at that stage being regarded with suspicion by home owners, we couldn't photograph homes... so we decided that lichen is an interesting kind of "natural architecture"... yep, cop-out, I know!)


10. Head for home, looking for something that catches your eye...


Thanks, Vic - I think we might do this again sometime!

flea market finds - smokin'

(a cautionary tale...)

I bought this gorgeous 70's Singer Sewing machine a couple of months ago at a church fete... it had one of those "not tested for electrical safety" stickers on it, but the nice man said that they do try out the electrical items and only sell ones that work, and it was really cheap...

I was so excited, but a bit nervous to try her out, because I really wanted her to work... so she sat safely in a corner of my room while I waited for a quiet time to test her out.

That time came a week ago - I cleared the dining table, found some fabric and thread, followed the threading info I'd downloaded, and plugged her in.

And she worked - with a lovely gentle purr... but the tension wasn't quite right, so I did a few more test runs...

and then she clunked...

and then I noticed smoke rising up from her base...

and then I quickly unplugged her and carried her outside before she burned the house down...

and now I'm trying to work out how to safely "retire" her, without anyone else risking electrical fire... any ideas?

For (probably safer) finds, visit Sophie.

warm and fuzzy

a few photos that make me smile...


Testing out our new hot water bottle cover (made by the very talented Brianna for the Hottie Challenge). We don't have a hot water bottle, so have been shoving a wheat pack inside, which works very well (perhaps a little too well, as I rarely get to use this for myself now!). Stay tuned for more Hottie Challenge news from Curlypops...


Katie, the beautiful fuzzy-eared koala, who has quickly become a special friend. Katie is one of Jennie's stunning creations (if you haven't visited her etsy or made it stores, you should...).