what's a girl to do....

when she finds this at the op shop with the pretty Pyrex.  A double bed chenille bedspread in fabulous condition.    The only thing wrong with it is a black pen mark on the part that would hang down the side of the bed.  It's about 2cm across and won't come out.

But, as I have a couple of these I use on the beds when needed I have another plan for this one.

I am going to cut off all the sides and be left with the top and back that with either fleece or flannelette and use it as a throw on the couch.  That way it is used in winter when someone needs to snuggle on the couch and can be washed and put away in summer.

I do have some granny blankets for this very reason I know, but I still think this was a valid enough reason to buy this bedspread AND the sides that are cut off will be used in other projects like cushions for example!!  At only $8 how could I have possibly walked away?

My self talk about consuming too much from the op shop was drowned out by the squeals of delight when I saw it AND saw the price.....

pyrex please

I have only been op shopping a couple of times since xmas.   Before that I had been for some time trying to only buy the things I thought I could really use.  Usually in the kitchen or the studio.  I was also trying to put some things back after carrying them around for a while.  This was because even though it is a wonderful thing to  fossick and  find a treasure, sometimes I would have lots and started to feel  although these things were secondhand and going to have a new life, I was still "consuming" things I didn't really need.

Not having been very often lately really made a difference to me.  I felt really fussy the other day and just enjoyed looking.  I used to feel disappointed if I left empty handed.   Then after walking passed some things, I saw this Pyrex ramekin and totally fell in love.   It seems silly to fall in love with an object, but alas it was love at first sight.   I couldn't leave it behind.  It is quite big for a ramekin so maybe it was once in a set of 3 fitted inside each other.

After spending $1 on my ramekin I felt totally justified in buying another item spotted as I was leaving.   Even though I have a couple of them, everything I had been feeling about consuming went out the door when I saw it was in great condition and only $8.  I will be back next time with that one, I haven't taken a photo yet...

k1k1

Doing a few rows here and there, and some colour here and there too, increasing a few stitches with the thicker yarn then I will decrease.

You would call this free form I guess.  I know it will end up as another scarf but the difference being this one is actually for me. I have no plans for how it might turn out.  Just seeing how it goes.   The white wool is one mum bought over 20 years ago from the local mill.  There is a lot as she was going to make a long cardigan with it.  It's gorgeous.

One thing I know about the scarf is I want lots of texture and no precise structure.......it is such cheap therapy....

sweet

Mother's Day was the perfect excuse to get these gorgeous books....

The retro/nana recipes are so comforting and so are the photos throughout...

sweet baking days ahead...

what a mess....

Thank you for your sweet feedback about finally putting up my photo on my blog.  Those of you who said I looked young, even a teenager!!!! you are my new best friends xxxx At 46 it's lovely to get such comments, thank you.

I have been hoping to get some "fun" kind of sewing done but if I have fixing and altering type of stuff to do it weighs me down until I get it done and it seems to pile up all at once.  I am sure it's a conspiracy...

Not to mention the state of my sewing table weighing me down.  What a mess it has become very quickly.

  Even some Polyfill trying to hide in there and a tube of paint....

I have been doing a bit of "mend and making do" work with some of my things.  It feels good to do that.  Nearly all my pants are a wide legged lounge pants style, you know the ones that are super easy to make.

I realised I have only 2 pairs for winter and both needed a waistband fix and new firmer elastic, and both needed hemming as they were so long the edge at the bottom was really scuffed and frayed.  OK when I was 17 and trying to be a cool hippy, but not now.  So they are fixed and like new, well almost and I will make a new pair soon.

Adding up jeans, school  pants and track pants I have cut off and hemmed SIX pairs in the last week and have one pair to go. 

 That pile still sitting behind the machine, well they are plain fleece tops waiting for raw edge appliques to make them a bit more OK to wear, like Pokemon, Astro Boy and apparently Hello Kitty is still OK, anything Japanese!!!  But that's OK 'cos that kind of sewing is a little more fun to do than hemming.....

being brave

During The Pincushion Swap Kate asked me to send a photo of myself and my pincushion I use for a game she was doing on her blog to match people with their pincushion.   I said to Kate "but I don't do photos!!"  I had never put myself on my blog and hate having my photo taken anytime. 

Hubby jokes that if I died tomorrow he and the girls would only have baby and wedding photos of me.  What, that's not enough??

Anyway I thought about it for a while and then decided to be brave and take a photo for Kate.  It was a huge step for me, but the reason I did it was mainly because I thought how it is nice to see people you communicate a lot with during the week through their blogs.

The people that have photos of themselves on their blog, I find that if I am commenting or replying to a comment or emailing them it feels so much more personal if I can picture them in my mind.  I feel I "know" them better.

So here is me. (you may notice I love big photos on my blog but I thought smallish would suffice for this)

 If you have never put yourself on your blog maybe you might think about doing it so we can "meet" you.  Like Kate said to me "you can be creative" it doesn't have to be a full shot, some people just put up their eyes etc.  I must click Publish now before I change my mind....

POST EDIT  this is such a coincidence but I was just visiting over at Drewzel's blog and she has a photo of herself up and said it's "Blogger's Without Makeup Day" to encourage blogger's to put photos up and be themselves without makeup - go on you know you want to!!  I don't wear makeup anymore I used to for work and going out but haven't for quite some years now, too lazy really

baked blob

Since about the age of 11 or so until I left home I made a chocolate heart shape cake for mum for Mother's Day each year using the Simplicity Chocolate Cake Recipe that I still use today.   I have of course used the heart tin since but not for a while so I decided on Saturday afternoon I would use it to make a cake for mum for Mother's Day, just like I used to.

The tin is quite small but I doubled the recipe to ensure the cake was high.  I lined the tin too as the cakes always stick to this tin.  After only about 20 minutes I could smell a slight burning smell.  After running to the oven and opening the door, this is what I found!!!!

After the initial shock, I fell to the floor laughing...how did this big dog poo get in the oven?  

The cake had risen so much that not only did it ooze out and make the dog poo, it pushed the lining paper right out which was balancing at the edge of the tin parallel with the shelves.  On top of the paper were big pieces of cake happily cooking away.  I had to knock them off and take them out...see some of it below.  I was still laughing quite a bit at this stage...it seemed this cake had really turned to crap...

I turned the oven down and left the rest of the cake to cook slowly and crossed my fingers...to my surprise it cooked well and even without the lining the cake actually came out of the tin easily and in one piece after I had cut it off level with the top of the tin......

lots of icing and sprinkles, mum was none the wiser and really happy to have a heart shaped chocolate cake once again.....ironically, it was one of the best tasting chocolate cakes I've made in a while, it was so moist and fudgey, just how we like it

wip

starting something new...I'm in no hurry and will just see where it takes me.  Just playing really and enjoying the soothing rhythm when I need to pick it up and knit a little....

I never tire of a textured wool, big needles and a simple stitch, the possibilities are endless.....
P.S.....soon I will have another try at making a granny.....it will click one day,  and I'm sure I'll laugh at all the attempts and chucking wobblies I've had over it