Friday, September 28, 2012

The Apronalong

Do you remember a little while ago when I took party in the Pyjama Party run by the lovely Karen over at Did You Make That?  Well now she is running another sewalong all about aprons.  An Apronalong!!!


If you want to take party pop over to this post to sign up.  Karen is basing the sewalong off Butterick 4087 but you can make any apron you like.  She has even shared some links to some free tutorials online.

My plan is to make a ruffle apron using this tutorial and some stash fabrics.  I want to get a start on it now because god knows when bubs comes along there may not be a lot of time to sew it up.  We are only two posts into the sewalong so there is still plenty of time to join in.  If you decide to join in as well let me know so I can pop over and check out your aprons.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

White Chocolate Fudge

This week I have been picking a few items of my 101 in 1001 list to try and tackle before bub arrives.  I figure if I can smash out a few items before her arrival it won't matter as much that I don't cross anything off for those first couple of months.

White Chocolate Fudge

The first item I decided to knock off was #21 - make homemade fudge.  I found this recipe and thought it sounded nice.  I had a delicious fairy bread fudge when we were in Noosa and I was hoping this would achieve a similar taste.  Unfortunately it didn't but it was still delicious!

White Chocolate Fudge

I did make one slight adjustment to this recipe by leaving out the almond essence.  I find the taste of almond essence way too overpowering and I am not a fan so I opted to leave this out.  I am so happy with how this fudge turned out.  It was a lot easier than I expected it to be.  I am finding with a lot of things that I have always put off making because they looked or sounded difficult that it is all a matter of perception.  So far things have been going pretty well with my baking adventures.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Owl Cushion

Crochet Owl Cushion

I have finally finished the last project I wanted to get done for Little Miss Squishy's nursery.  I wanted to make a cushion for the nursing chair that we have in her room.  Originally I was going to make a crochet square cushion and embroider a monogram onto it once we chose her name.  However, when I saw this pattern I just couldn't resist making this adorable owl.

Crochet Owl Cushion

Pattern: Crochet Owl Cushion by Zoom Yummy
Hook: 4mm
Yarn: Moda Vera Marvel 8 ply
Start/End Date: 11/9/12 - 25/9/12

Crochet Owl Cushion 

This cushion was actually really fast to make even though it actually took me two weeks.  I finished the front really quickly but then the poor thing sat neglected for over a week.  I finally picked the project back up yesterday and managed to finish the whole project in just a few hours.

Crochet Owl Cushion 

So that is the last thing that I wanted to make for the nursery.  Now that is complete we are totally ready for Squishy to make her arrival.  And that means that I can share some nursery photos with you all.  Yay!!! Stay tuned for those soon.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Good, The Bad & The Bump(y)

38 Week Baby Bump

The Good
  • Breakfast dates with Corey
  • Movie nights with Corey
  • Dinner dates with Corey
  • Can you sense a theme here???

The Bad
  • Not being able to get comfy to sleep.
  • Keeping Corey awake because I am moving around so much at night trying to get comfy.
  • Itching stretch marks - killing me!!!

The Bump
38 Week Baby Bump 

So here we are at week 38 and Little Miss Squishy is still sitting tight.  Apparently at my last doctors appointment she had moved down but he doesn't like my chances of her coming early.  We have been taking advantage of these last few moments of just the two of us with breakfast dates, movie dates and dinners out.  Last week I was feeling a bit unmotivated so this week I have written myself a list of ideas of things to do.  Nothing that I have to do just ideas for things to keep me motivated and not bored.  I'm feeling a lot better this week and getting used to being at home.  I am hoping to get some projects done to share with you guys this week so fingers crossed there is some crafty content on here soon.

Oh and before I forget a big congratulations to the lovely Veronica Darling whose little darling arrived safely this week.  Please jump over to her blog and give her your congratulations.  I know she will appreciate each and every comment.
 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Maternity Leave Week 1

maternity leave week 1

We spent the weekend in Woolgoolga and visited the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour.

I spent a lot of time lying on the lounge enjoying tea & biscuits and trying to break my lunch habit of toasted sandwiches.

My gorgeous cousin won her touch footy game in Port Macquarie. Bummed I couldn't be there with my mum and dad but I get to see her play at the end of October in Brisbane.

I tried a new recipe from recipes + magazine.  It was delicious!!!  I tried to find it on their website to share with you but couldn't. 

I found an awesome new t-shirt!  I am so ridiculously excited about this shirt. We always tell Corey he is a cowboy/country boy so this was a perfect find.

I am loving this new cake decorating magazine.  You get free little gifts with every magazine and they teach you all the basics of cake decorating. I am hoping this will help me improve my cake decorating skills.

I bought a bouncer for Squishy, attempted to put it together, then decided to leave it for Corey.  It only took him 10 minutes.

Corey and I had what could possibly be our last date night before Squishy arrives.  Nandos, maltesers and The Watch.  Perfection!!!

This first week of maternity leave was very odd.  I found it a bit hard to get used to being home alone when I am used to be in an office of 15 hilarious people all day every day.  This week though I think things will be better.  I have written myself a list of things to do to keep myself motivated.  Last week I was getting a bit bummed out about being alone so spent most of my time lying on the couch being mopey and unmotivated.  This week I plan to get things done and enjoy these last few moments of spare time.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Good, The Bad & The Bump(y)


Week 37
The Good
  • Maternity leave!!! So glad to not have to drag my butt into the office anymore. It was getting exhausting.
  • Family weekends away.
  • Positive doctors appointments making me feel more relaxed about everything.
  • Getting so close to meeting our little girl.
The Bad
  • Tiredness! Luckily now I can sleep in and have afternoon naps to combat it.
  • Not being able to decide on a name.
  • Missing my girls from work.  It's weird not seeing them everyday.
The Bump
Week 37 

It's hard to believe that this is my first week of maternity leave.  It has come around so fast and I feel like someone is going to turn around and tell me to go to work one day.  Yesterday was my first day by myself and it was very strange.  I guess I should take advantage of the quiet alone time though because pretty soon things are going to be very different.  I am pretty excited for the change though.  It's going to be a hell of a ride and I can't wait.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Weekend Adventures

This past weekend we enjoyed a weekend away with my family.  My sister & her fiance came up from Melbourne to join my mum & dad, grandma & her husband and Corey & I in Woolgoolga for the weekend.  Most of our time was spent by the beach and then Monday we hit the hinterland of Northern NSW to check out some wedding venues for my sister.  It was a very nice relaxing start to my maternity leave.  It was really lovely to be able to spend this time with my family.  The next time we take a trip like this there is going to be one extra person and crap load of extra luggage :-)

SeagullsLunch Time Woolgoolga BeachBeach Belly Corey on the beach Seaweed Seagulls on a bench Big Banana Big Banana & Corey Flowers Cows View Hayley & Kieran Lone Fig Pathways Chook

Last Day Of Work

last day of work

Last Friday was my last day of work and I am now officially on maternity leave.  It was a very surreal day on Friday.  I had handed all my events over so I didn't have a lot to do but the day still seemed to go really fast.  I was ridiculously spoilt by my work mates arriving to find my desk decorated, getting a a big pack of Movie World goodies for bubs, going out for lunch and getting our 3pm chocolate fix with a delicious cake.  I also received a lovely gift from two of the girls of a subscription for Mother & Baby magazine and Recipes + magazine.  I can't wait for the first issue to arrive.  I am hoping they get here before baby so I get a chance to sit down and read them.  It still feels very strange to not be at work.  Today is my first real day at home and it feels very weird.  It doesn't feel like a permanent thing. I still feel like I am on holidays and I will be going back to work soon.  For now I am just trying to relax and enjoy this time before Squishy joins us.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

August Reading List

I am pretty happy with how I went this past month with my reading.  I think this month is going to be even better.  I think it is because I have found a good series that I am enjoying and am powering through all the books.  For August I read.....






The Diary of Mattie Spenser was probably my least favourite book. It was a bit of a slow read.  I am not really that into period dramas so it wasn't really my sort of thing.  I trudged through it though.  The Pilot's Wife was an awesome read! I smashed it out in a couple of days.  It was given to me by one of the girls at work and I loved it.  I think I need to investigate some more Anita Shreve books.  One for the Money is the first book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  Stephanie Plum is a bumbling bounty hunter who has a knack for running into trouble while trying to chase her targets.  The books are hilarious and such easy reads.  I also managed to read book 2 (Two for the Dough) and book 3 (Three to Get Deadly) in August.  Don't be surprised when my September list comes out if it is basically the rest of this series. I am enjoying them that much!

This month brings me up to 29 books which leaves me with 23 books to read in 4 months.  Fingers crossed I can get there!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Successful Scones

scones 

Who would have known that these three little ingredients were the key to my scone making success!

scones 5 

I have never been able to make a successful batch of scones.  I have treid a few times and they always turn out horrible and don't rise properly.  I was telling my friend Mahnee the other day and she told me to try out this recipe and lo and behold she was right.

scones 4 

All it takes is 3 cups of self raising flour, 1 cup of thickened cream and 1 cup of lemonade.  Mix your cream into the flour and then mix in the lemonade.  My mix was quite wet so I added a little more flour.  Then turn out onto a floured surface and pat or roll to 4cm thickness.  Bake at 190* for 12 minutes or until golden and your all done.

scones 2

And that my friends is the first item crossed off my 101 in 1001 days list and only 4 days in from the new start date.  That's pretty good progress I think!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

101 in 1001 - new list

So I wrote up my new 101 in 1001 list before I even finished the last list but I didn't feel like starting it straight away. Today I am feeling a little flat and I feel like I need a bit of inspiration and a kick up the butt so what better way then to start my new list.  I think this list is probably a bit easier than my last list.  There are not as many major items that I want to tick off but they are all things I want to get done.  I'm pretty excited to cross some of the things of this list!

Start Date: 6th September 2012
End Date: 4th June 2015

Bold - completed
Italics - in progress

Sewing
1 - Learn how to sew my own patterns
2 - Sew a pair of swimmers
3 - Make all the unused patterns in my collection
4 - Make Squishy a black apple doll
5 - Make Squishy a teepee
6 - Make Squishy a Halloween costume
7 - Make Christmas stockings for me, Corey and Squishy
8 - Make another quilt
9 - Mend all the clothes in my mending pile
10 - Make myself 20 new dresses
11 - Make a jumpsuit/romper for me
12 - Make a lace yoke macaron dress

Crochet
13 - Make a summer garden quilt
14 - Crochet a granny stripe blanket
15 - Crochet 10 items off my Ravelry queue
16 - Write a crochet pattern

Knitting
17 - Knit myself a wearable garment
18 - Knit 10 items off my Ravelry queue
19 - Knit a pair of socks
20 - Try and knit intarsia

Cooking
21 - Make homemade fudge
22 - Make cookies for Santa with Squishy
23 - Make jam
24 - Make swiss buttercream icing
25 - Make marshmallows
26 - Learn how to flood cookies with icing
27 - Make homemade pasta
28 - Make whoopee pies
29 - Try 50 new recipes
30 - Make banoffee pie
31 - Bake a pull apart loaf of bread
32 - Bake a decent batch of scones
33 - Make vanilla extract
34 - Make a carved/shaped cake
35 - Take a cake decorating class

Christmas
36 - Make Squishy a Christmas Dress
37 - Make cookie mix jars for Christmas presents
38 - Take Squishy to see the Christmas lights
39 - Make an advent calendar

Easter
40 - Make Squishy an Easter Dress
41 - Have an Easter egg hunt for Squishy

Travel
42 - Go to Perth
43 - Go to Tasmania
44 - Take Squishy to Copa
45 - Take Squishy to Melbourne

Personal/Health
46 - Lighten my hair again
47 - Learn how to do decent “cat eye” makeup
48 - Lose the baby weight
49 - Do couch to 5k
50 - Get a manicure
51 - Have another baby
52 - Get a pedicure

Fashion/Style
53 - Have 30 items of handmade clothing in my wardrobe
54 - Spend a day op shopping
55 - Try to dye one of my petticoats
56 - Buy a pair of Bernie Dexter jeans
57 - Learn 10 new hairstyles
58 - Buy a pair of Hunter Boots
59 - Buy a pair of Lotta from Sweden clogs
60 - Wear high heels at least once a fortnight
61 - Create a vintage inspired wardrobe

Photography
62 - Take another photography class
63 - Learn how to use photoshop
64 - Take my camera to all family events
65 - Buy a tripod
66 - Buy a macro lens
67 - Get family photos taken
68 - Hang all the photo frames that are hiding in our cupboard
69 - Take monthly photos of Squishy’s first year
70 - Take monthly photos of Squishy’s second year

Watch/Read
71 - Watch season 8 of One Tree Hill
72 - Watch season 5 of True Blood
73 - Read the Millennium Trilogy

Other Crafts
74 - Make a scrapbook of Squishy first year
75 - Make a scrapbook of my pregnancy
76 - Put together a wedding scrapbook
77 - Make a scrapbook of Squishy 2nd year
78 - Make a house rules artwork
79 - Make customised tea cups
80 - Make a piece of wall art
81 - Make a melted crayon canvas

Celebrations
82 - Have an awesome 1st birthday for Squishy
83 - Have an awesome 2nd birthday for Squishy
84 - Have a Halloween party

Random
85 - Try stand up paddle boarding
86 - Buy glass drink dispensers
87 - Build an arsenal of cake decorating basics
88 - Have monthly date nights with Corey
89 - Have a girls weekend with mum, Hayley and Squishy
90 - Go to the strawberry farm and pick strawberries
91 - Go bike riding for a day
92 - Learn how to use Publisher
93 - Make play dough for Squishy
94 - Plant a fruit tree
95 - Plant a vegetable garden
96 - Fly a kite
97 - Make photo books from the photos stored on the computer
98 - Try 20 new restaurants
99 - Fill my etsy store with handmade goodies
100 - Go indoor rock climbing
101 - Buy a dog

So there it is, the new list. I am pretty excited to get started.  I find these lists are great for those days when you are lacking inspiration.  All you have to do is read over the list and pick an item to tackle. It's a great way to find your crafty mojo on those days it seems to have slipped away.  I am hoping that I will be able to beat my 65% completion rate of my last list.  Fingers crossed!