8 Months

I was pretty excited this month when I taught Imogen how to clap!  We spent a week singing "If Your Happy & You Know It" and by the end of the week she was clapping away.  Now it's her latest trick.  She claps for everyone.  Seriously, according to her I am a musical star.  Every time I sing she starts clapping.  It does wonders for your self esteem!  She has also started to say "mum mum" and "dada"  Now whenever you talk to her she tries to copy what you say.  Obviously its all just noises and grunts but you can tell she is trying to have a conversation.  I think we are going to have a little chatterbox on our hands.  We introduced Imogen to finger food this past month.  We started out with some steamed veges and then moved onto cheese sticks and sandwiches.  She is absolutely in love with vegemite sandwiches!  Every time Corey has one she steals most of it.  The poor boy can't eat a sandwich in peace these days.  She sure is a happy little vegemite :)

52 Weeks Happy (23/52)

There hasn't been any sewing or baking happening this week as it was all about getting ready for my market stall this past weekend.  This stall was just a small one to try and get the word out about my event hire business that I started a few months ago.  My friend gave me the heads up about a babies & kids markets being held in the Gold Coast hinterland and I decided to give it a go.  I only heard about it 2 weeks prior but the stalls were really affordable so I decided to do it as a marketing activity rather than a money making activity.  The next markets are in December and I am hoping to have some bunting and other party props available for sale.  Here are a few snapshots of my week organising my stall...

1 - A collage of our market stall. I was so happy with how it ended up looking. We got a lot of positive feedback which was nice to hear.

2 - I picked up these pink jellybeans for the lolly buffet I set up.  My sister declared them the best jellybeans she has ever tasted. They were peach flavoured. Delicious!

3 - There is nothing better than brown paper & twine.  I love these cheers tags I made for our mason jars.  They are the perfect touch for a vintage or rustic wedding.

4 - Paper bunting is so easy to make and looks fantastic! Just because you can't sew doesn't mean you can't have bunting at your next event.

5 - I don't think I will ever get sick of tissue paper pom poms! I made small ones and attached them to paper straws.  They were then stuck in ramekins and surrounded with jellybean.  They were like little trees of colour on the lolly buffet!

5 - I also made a paper bunting with our name on it.  I am so happy with how it turned out.  The best part is if I fold it up neatly and pop it in a plastic sleeve I will be able to use it over & over again.

So what has been happening in your week to make you smile?

52 Weeks Happy (22/52)

This week has been a bit busy as I am getting geared up to take my little business to a markets on the weekend.  So this week has been full of prep and I haven't had much chance to blog.  So here is what has been making me happy this past week, albeit a bit late!

There have been two clear things making me happy this past week.  The first is of course food. If it isn't clear to all by now food and trying new recipes always makes me happy!  This week I made sunflower seed pesto, greek slow cooker chicken, kale chips and the tastiest sweet potato ever!!!  I was also super happy when I stumbled upon Gizzi Erskine's Kitchen Magic cookbook on the sale table at QBD for $10. It usually sells for $55. Bargain!  I spent an afternoon with a cup of coffee reading this like it was a novel while Imogen slept.  Now that is my idea of a great afternoon.

The second happy moment of my week was Sunday when my sister, her fiance, Corey and I took part in the Colour Run.  When I heard the Colour Run was coming to Australia I was pretty stoked.  I had seen so many pictures on other peoples blogs and it looked like so much fun.  I've always wanted to do a 5k and this finally made me bite the bullet.  We had so much fun!  It was the most fun I have ever had exercising.  I really hope it comes back again next year!

So what has been happening in your week to make you smile?

Me Made May Recap

So another Me Made May is done and dusted! I am so glad I got to take part this year.  I must admit that by the end of the month I was getting pretty bored.  I have a rather large wardrobe so being restricted to 20 or so items was very difficult.  Combine that with the cooler weather and my lack of winter appropriate me mades actually made this month quite tough.

Most worn item

My goal for this me made may was to wear one item every day for the month.  I managed to complete this but there were a few repeats.  My most worn item for the month was my green knitted cardigan.  This is no suprise!  I am a dress girl at heart but the minute the weather turns cool I reach straight for my jeans and boots.  This made things difficult because I only had one me made top and it wasn't really jeans appropriate.

Second most worn items 

When I started this month I was hoping that with the amount of me made's I had (22) and the extra I was going to sew that I would get away with minimal repeats.  Unfortunately this was not to be.  I did do pretty well though.  There were only three items that didn't get worn at all.  They were my Mad Men Dress, Watermelon Skirt and Check Picnic Skirt.  The skirts were not worn because of the need for alterations.  The dress, however, just didn't seem appropriate for any occasions that I had during the month.  I am hoping though that this will get some once I return to work.

Unworn Items

So, what did I learn from Me Made May:

• I need to sew myself some tops & some basics.
• Most of my dresses are very dressy.  I could do with sewing a few more day time appropriate dresses.
• I love my knitted cardigan! I am now very motivated to knit my next two projects.
• I tend to see things on other bloggers and instantly want them even though they don't suit my personal style.  I need to start sewing for me & my style!
• Novelty prints! That's where its at. I need more of them in my wardrobe.
• Summer = dresses & Winter = pants. I have two different styles during the year yet I only sew for one.  I need to start sewing for the other.

Me Made May Sewn Items 

Apart from wearing a me made every day I also added on a mini challenge to sew three of my in progress items during May.  Before me made may started I had cut out a bunch of projects and they were all sitting on my sewing desk waiting to be sewn.  The three I chose to sew up were my mustard flared blouse, red lace dress and vintage ladies dress.  I am really happy with how they all turned out. I can definitely say that they will all get a lot of wear in my wardrobe.  In fact I just wore the vintage ladies dress again yesterday.

All in all I would call Me Made May a massive success!  I can't wait till next year.  Hopefully I will have a few more winter items up my sleeve by then.

Me Made May Update 5

Well here we are at the last day of Me Made May.  How did you all do?  I managed to hit my goal of wearing one item each day but I must admit I was getting a bit bored by the end of the month.  The crazy weather here on the GC didn't help much either.  It made me want to rug up but I don't have many winter appropriate me mades.  Here is what I wore in the last week.

Day 25

Tessuti Gridlock Competition Dress

Blogged here

Today we had a family barbecue and the sun was out in the morning so I decided to crack out my tessuti competition dress for it's first wear of the month.  Unfortunately the rain came in the afternoon so I did end up being a little chilly.

Day 26

Red Lace Dress

Blogged here

On Sunday we had my work friends engagement party so I took my red lace dress for another spin.  I tried to keep it a bit more casual then my first wear.  I really love this dress! I think it would have to be one of my favourite makes to date.

Day 27

Tie Waist Shorts

Blogged here

Monday was a hang around home day so it was comfy and casual all the way.  These tie waist shorts are so comfortable! I think I need to give the longer version of this pattern a go for winter.  I find it hard though to find a pattern for longer print pants that doesn't make you look like your wearing pyjamas.

Day 28

Quick & Easy Kimono Jacket

Blogged here

I think every woman needs a kimono jacket in their wardobe.  They are the easiest way to dress up a simple jeans & singlet combo.  And they are a cinch to make! I can see a few more of these entering my wardrobe in the future.

Day 29

Lemon Gathered Skirt

Blogged here

My lemon gathered skirt made its second appearance of the month this week.  I really love this skirt!  I bought this fabric on a whim off the sale table ($5/metre) and I am so glad I grabbed it.  I love wearing colour in winter and this outfit certainly brightened up a rainy day.

Day 30

Vintage Ladies Dress

Blogged here

My second goal for Me Made May was to sew three of the projects that I had cut out on my sewing desk.  I finished the third with one day to spare.  I literally sat in my pyjamas all day until I finished so I could wear my new dress.  I am so happy with how it turned out! I just blogged it this morning so if you missed it be sure to pop over here for a better look.

Day 31

Sew Weekly Buttons Dress

Blogged here

I have been trying to wear this dress all month but given that it is strapless it hasn't really been weather appropriate.  I totally forgot that I owned this cardigan though that is the perfect colour match.  Luckily I discovered it while doing some searching this morning so I finally got to wear the dress.  It only took me all month!

I have really enjoyed Me Made May this year and I have learned a lot about my sewing but I'll be back on Monday with a bit of a recap so stay tuned for that.

Vintage Ladies Dress

To say that I am excited to have made this dress would be the understatement of the century.  This dress has been a long time coming.  When I was pregnant we stumbled across this fabric in Spotlight.  I say we because Corey is actually the one who saw it.  When he showed it to me I got just a tiny bit excited and immediately had to buy it.


As I was pregnant at the time I didn't really want to make something that I was only going to be able to wear for a short amount of time.  So I popped the fabric in my stash with a view to making something once Imogen was born.  In actual fact it sat in the stash for another 6 months after Imogen was born.


I actually cut this dress out at the same time as my red lace dress.  This was because I used the exact same pattern combination for this dress as well.  The bodice comes from vintage simplicity 5343 and the skirt from New Look 6723.  I think this is going to become my go to pattern combo for dresses!  The great part about it is while the skirt looks full it doesn't actually use that much fabric.


My favourite part of the dress is the vintage zipper I used.  How cool is the metal zipper pull?! I didn't really worry to much about matching the pattern of the fabric because it is quite busy and random anyway.  I am so happy with how it turned out and I will no doubt get a lot of wear out of it.  I am thinking that I need to get a few more novelty prints into my wardrobe.  They are so much fun!

52 Weeks Happy (21/52)

Tuesday, tuesdays here again! May is nearly over and this year is just disappearing.  Before I know it I am going to be heading back to work. What the! Oh well, that just means I better make the most of my maternity leave while it still lasts.

1 - This past week I was a bit rundown so I spent a lot of time relaxing.  This afternoon with a new magazine, a cup of tea & a some raw vegan lemon bars was delightful.  It's really nice to take some time to relax and rejuvenate!

2 - I tried out some stranded colourwork this week.  This was a little test run for a project I am knitting at the moment.  I am up to the point of starting the colour work but haven't been game enough to start yet.  I think I need a decent block of quiet time to tackle it.

3 - Healthy eating has been a big focus for me this past week.  I have been starting my days with a nice big smoothie.  My favourite combo is apple, watermelon and ginger. Yum!

4 & 5 - I tried out a couple of new recipes this week.  The first was Roasted Capsicum Soup & Finnish Scones from Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar.  The second was a delicious pinterest find - Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad.  This salad was amazing!!! Seriously people, get on it.

6 - To compliment my healthy eating this week I headed to the farmers markets bright and early with my parents & sister to stock up on some fresh fruit & veggies.  I love the farmers markets but we don't go as often as we should.  We really need to start making it more or a Sunday ritual.

7 - On Sunday I was lucky enough to get to celebrate the engagement of one of my lovely work friends.  It was so nice to see everyone from work.  I have missed them all while being on maternity leave and it's always nice to catch up with them.  They are all so keen for me to come back to which is nice to hear.

8 - Have you tried acai? I gave it a try for the first time this week and I must say....yum! I made it into a smoothie with banana and almond milk.  I have been told by a reliable source that it is really nice blended with frozen banana and watermelon and eaten like ice cream.

9 - I couldn't resist putting this on instagram last night.  I stole this magazine from my sister on the weekend to read and when I went to read it I found Corey had snaked it from me.  Real men read Cosmo!

So what has been happening to make you happy this week?