Trying to inspire myself

On my wander up William Street in Northbridge last night I eventually made it to William Topp. They have a lovely collection of pretty items, including many Australian designed and made pieces. I was intrigued to find amongst the shelves a couple of glass Sunbeam Mix Master bowls similar to the one that I have! I now know where to go if I (or C) ever break my small mixing bowl.

The book Vintage Fabric Accessories caught my eye. It is a lovely collection of patterns for girly accessories like clasp purses, card wallets and bags. The book has gorgeous photos of different versions of the items in many fabrics as well as some great photos to illustrate step by step the process of following the patterns.

I have added it to my slowly growing collection of crafty stuff and hope that I will be inspired enough to make use of it soon. It has inspired me to purchase some fabrics and I just ordered some more from Ink & Spindle!

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Squeaks and squawks

Tonight I had the urge to pull out my clarinet and play some Mozart! It has been a while since I entertained myself in this way, and I learnt that it had been too long for me to do more than make some rather unattractive squawks.

I backed off from the Mozart and scaled down my expectations to some simple scales. In the lower register.

Playing music is one way to relax and I shall endeavour to spend some time to reduce my squeaking and improve my tone!

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Liquorice love

I am very much a liquorice allsorts fan, and when this image popped into my inbox it made me think "yum".

Okay so it is soap, and not too edible, but still makes feel like eating liquorice allsorts! Yum.

I think that tomorrow at lunch time I might have to go for a wander into the city in search of a packet or two...!

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Easter Progress

Today I made a small effort to get started on one of my Goals for 2011. I previously had plans to knock three of the nine off my list. Two days into the five day weekend and I think that I will struggle to achieve the three I had set out to cross off!

I bought a couple of skirt patterns, and the fabric to make one of them. As you can see from the picture it is a fairly simple style but hopefully it will give me a good start in how to make and shape an item of clothing! It has been many years now since I foolowed a pattern and made myself something to wear.

The plan for tomorrow is to cut out the pattern, mark and cut the fabric and tack it together. I think that I will start with the lining fabric just to make sure that it fits me! Stitching it up for real will mean a visit to Mum and Dad to use Mum's machine.

I have plans too, if the skirt is successful then I would like to try and add some pockets to the next version.

Winter is coming. Maybe!

This morning I woke up and saw that it had rained on our balcony. Yay! I figured that was a good enough excuse for me to pull out my winter boots.

The forecast was for 21C and so I dressed half for summer (the top half) and half for winter (bottom). Halfway to the bus stop the sky started to weep and my decision not to wear a jacket on my walk seemed rather foolish.

The cooler weather is not meant to last and we are back up to 29C on Sunday, although perhaps the 30+C days are gone for this part of the year. We shall see!

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Impulse buys - tights!

I just randomly ordered some tights! Sight unseen and no idea if they are any good. I am now looking forward to them showing up, and the weather being cool enough to wear them.

I was inspired by this post and a sense that winter might finally be on its way (although you would not know it with the temperatures that we have been getting here - consistently over 30C!)

Tightology boast that their legwear is made in Australia using organic materials. The packaging is 100% recycled. So many boxes are ticked!

Here are the two styles that I ordered. I was not brave enough to order the green and so I went with the more conservative red.



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Quarterly Update: Goals for 2011

Without even checking up on my Goals for 2011 I am fairly confident that I have not achieved any of them. Yet.

A five day weekend is coming up at Easter time. C is working so I will have time on my hands, and I think it will be a great opportunity to try and knock a few of my goals off! I am going to aim for the following three:
2. making a skirt
3. rejuvenating my footstool
4. making macarons

Hopefully I have enough time to organise the bits and pieces I will need for these three times, especially the fabric for reupholstering the footstool as I plan to purchase it online.

2. A skirt
My list of items to make a skirt includes:

• a pattern!


• fabric


• Mum's sewing machine


• thread and accessories etc


• the expertise of C's mother for zips etc

I think that a pencil skirt would be nice, the majority of the skirts that I own are A-line. So, whilst that could possibly be easier to make I would like to add something new to my wardrobe.

I did a whole semester of sewing when I was in Year 8. I have actually made a dress at one point in my life but it has been a long while since! This will be a real challenge.

3. My footstool
My list of bits and pieces to rejuvenate the footstool includes:

• fabric to reupholster


• fabric for the underside


• trim


• Spray paint


• sandpaper


• new cushion

I also think that I will need to deconstruct it to see how to put it back together.

4. macarons
There is not too much early preparation required for this, I should be able to buy the ingredients on the Easter weekend. My biggest is to determine what flavour I wish to try!

Rosemary teacups

This morning on my way to work I noticed a teacup planted with rosemary on the windowsill of the new building opposite King Street on the Terrace. I was thinking how surprised that I was that the retail space of building was still empty, and wondering what kinds of interesting shops could end up there. I noticed the little teacup and rosemary, and also noticed that it had a tag. Without the tag I would not have thought more of it, but I stopped to have a look.

I counted seven more cups on my path to work, all numbered and all with the sweet little note. It made me smile, and I noticed one or two others stop to see what the fuss was about.

I was not sure if I was meant to take a cup or leave them, so I left them there for everyone else to enjoy!

The cups were left by aMoment and it appears that 100 have been left around the city. The philosophy of aMoment seems to be to help us to remember to stop occasionally and take the time to reflect.

When I walked past again on my way home this afternoon, all of the cups had gone. I hope that they went to good homes

Goals for 2011

This was meant to be posted on the 2nd January, however I once again got confused about the US date system and scheduled it for 1st February. Does anyone know how to change that??

A new year means a new set of goals. I had written down only one goal for 2010 and I did not achieve it, so it is top of my list for next year!

1. Achieve professional certification.
Embarrassingly, I have not done this yet. I need to finish it before my next performance review in May, as it will be awkward to admit that for yet another year I have failed to achieve it, so there is my incentive!

2. Make a skirt, and possibly coordinating top, using my Ink & Spindle gingko fabric.

3. Re-cover my footstool.

4. Successfully make macarons.
I have to have a cooking achievement in here somewhere, and macarons are something that I say I will attempt but never get around to.

5. Visit a place that I have never been to.
Exmouth in May should cover that goal and I will work on getting to more than one. Actually maybe my goal should be to get Chad to a place that he has never been...

6. Run the City to Surf.
I signed up this year but had a nasty cold on the week of the run. Nasty enough that I had three sick days off work (and should probably have had more), in case anyone suggests that it was an excuse!

7. Get my skippers ticket so that I can drive our boat!

8. Spend more time with friends and family.
This is something that is hard to define. I shall try to keep it in mind however and make sure that I keep in regular contact with friends.

9. Clean something once a week.
Cleaning is not one of my favourite pasttimes and so it can be a long time between scrubs! I shall endeavour to be more consistent this year.

10.

There is still room for one more, I would like a nice, round ten so I will have to keep thinking!!

Pretty flower

My knowledge of botany is limited, so I do not know what this flower is. That does not stop me from enjoying it. This speciman is in my front courtyard and I admired it on the way to work one morning. I see it around the area, many people also must admire its beauty!

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

There is a pretty tree in my front courtyard. The scent is sweet and the flowers change from purple to white! It is lovely to be welcomed home during the spring.

I was told that the common name for this plant is Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow. The fact sheet tells me that it is a shrub, although mine is shaped like a tree with a thin trunk!

Seven questions

The Lovely Lorta has put the challenge down, to answer seven questions. See here for her seven questions and answers. Thank you for the challenge Lovely Lorta!

1. What are you looking forward to doing this summer? To be honest I have not thought too much past the wedding. However... camping down at Peaceful Bay after Christmas will be great! N&D are joining us this time around and N and I can go trawling through cheese factories and wineries while the boys are catching fish.

2. What is the best live concert you've ever been to? There are so many that I have forgotten! Standouts though are:
Ash at the Lookout in Scarborough: I went not really knowing who they were and realised at the concert that they were the band my sister had been playing constantly in the car on our daily drive to uni!
Greenday at Burwsood Dome (2009): They rocked! They got the crowd on their feet during the first song and we bounced for the next two hours.
Ben Folds with WASO at King's Park: That man is a genius and the orchestra -with ducks! - took it to a new level.

3. What is your favourite type of chocolate? Currently it is dark chocolate coated orange. Yum! Chunks of real orange coated in beautiful dark chocolate. My first try was Delicaseys from the Paddington Markets in Sydney and I have recently discovered that Whistlers here in Perth make it as well. (Image from Delicaseys.)

4. Where is the most interesting place you've been on holiday? Climing Mount Sinai on the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. I think we started at about 1am. The idea was to climb to the top to watch the sunrise. The reality was that it snowed on our way up and the top was wreathed in cloud. We knew that the sun came up because it got lighter! It was the most amazing experience of my six month Europe adventure back in 2003.

5. What simple thing makes you the happiest? Good food and good company. Both at the same time and the pleasure is squared!

6. What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas? Hmmm, a Kitchenaid Food Processor! I have been coveting one for a while now but have not been able to justify the cost to myself. I have Mum's old food processor that I regularly try to break however it is not really up to the modern demands.

7. Please give me a good book recommendation! The book that springs to mind is "Almost French" by Sarah Turnbull. An interesting and entertaining story of an Aussie girl who moves to Paris to live with a Frenchman. I found it easy to understand her story, and the isolation she felt in trying to understand and fit into the completely different culture.

Questions over! I believe that this is meant to be one of those chain type things, tag seven people and give them seven new questions. Here are seven questions if you would like to play the game!

1. What is your favourite baking recipe?
2. How do you relax?
3. Who was the last person you wrote a letter to? (personal, not business)
4. What is longest distance that you have run?
5. What is your favourite smell?
6. What is your favourite season and why?
7. Who would you most like to go on a holiday with and why?

Aussie icon - the pavlova!

Last weekend my friends P&J had a "thank you party" for their friends who had been there for them through a rough patch. A fairly typical Aussie barbecue otherwise, with sausages and salads and yummy lasagne. The jewel in the crown, and what stood apart for me, was P's pavlova. I had heard that she is known for her pavs but I cannot remember tasting one previously. Yum. Crunchy crust, light and fluffy meringue, lots of cream and fresh fruit!

I was told that each pavlova had twelve egg whites (P made two!) and there were duck eggs somewhere in that equation, the special super ingredient.

P&J, any time that you want to thank someone then I will be there!

A different kind of sweat shop

This is such an awesome idea! Over in Paris they have come up with a concept that taps into the current trend for home made and hand made. A local Sweat Shop.

They have ten sewing machine workstations for hire on an hourly basis and a communal worktable. Classes are also offered for those who need a kickstart, in sewing or knitting or even English!

This would be perfect for the casual seamstress, or for someone who is just starting out to learn and get a feel for the equipment and how to use it.

Brought to my attention by this article.

Just changed sewer to seamstress. I didn't think hard enough about that when I posted!

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Special

Chad picked my sister E and I up (late!) after our trip to visit the big pineapple. When we got home I saw this beautiful bunch of flowers that he had bought to welcome me home.

I feel very special.

More on our trip soon!

A girl can never have too many purses or girlfriends!

I am lucky to have many wonderful, intelligent and funny women in my life. As for purses... what girl does not have one or two or more stashed in a large tub?

First image here, credit for second image unknown.

I have found a few websites with the image of the young girls, but noone credits it or claims it as their own. If anyone knows the true source please let me know!