In love with colour!

I know I have shown lots of pics of my tea cosies recently but I really can't get enough of them!  I have made so many lately that I can whip one up in about 30 minutes - the pattern is in my sidebar - then have them in a pile waiting to be topped with flowers or spots (my latest design - talk about cute!).  And it was a good excuse to play around with the photo mosaic!! 

These little spotty cosies were fun to make and look so cheerful.  It doesn't seem to matter how many I make out of this wool - the stash doesn't seem to get any smaller. 

 

But this wee blue cosy is one of my absolute favourites.  Sometimes a particular colour combination really hits the spot.  

 

In my last post I showed a picture of some gorgeous old chairs I'd found.  Well in the same week I managed to find a retro coffee table and this lovely little vinyl footstool for an absolute bargain (the table was the grand total of $2.50 on Trade Me!!) - both of which will go nicely with the 70's chairs.

 

But as much as I loved it in its original condition - it had a wee bit of damage and was screaming out for a makeover.  I had the perfect fabric in mind after spotting it in the shop a few weeks ago. 

 

The colours are gorgeous and I loved that it looks like I've painstakingly joined all these squares together!!   Big fat cheat!

Ta-da - now that looks more like it!  I know it sounds tragic, but this little footstool has made me so happy.  It's a burst of colour in a fairly plain room and it lifts my spirits whenever I walk by.  I had a ridiculously great time playing with upholstery pins and my hammer.  When it was finished, I wandered around the house with hammer in hand trying to find other things that could be covered!!

And best of all there was just enough fabric left to make two wee cushions.  I have been waiting for the perfect project to use some of my pretty trims on and this was it. 

You might have spotted the chairs already but here's a better shot of them.  We will have them reupholstered professionally in the future but it's pretty expensive so I will have to save up for it.  In the meantime I have bought new foam for the seats and backs.  Then I spotted an amazing fabric that was reduced from $100 per metre to only $10 per metre!  How is that for a bargain!  And it was reversible so I've done one chair in each colourway, one with a pink background, the other with a green background.  When I say "I've done them" I mean I've wrapped fabric around each chair and fastened it to see what it looks like and to convince my husband that it wasn't too girly!!  Now I have the challenge of stitching it in place.  I am really happy with the result and am quite happy to have them like this until they can be covered properly.  This new little sitting area has become a favourite spot for the whole family.  Before, it was a space covered in toys but they have been moved to the other end of the room.  The children love sitting here to read, Bella lounges in the sun most days and the grown ups grab a quick sit-down whenever they can!

 

Oh look - there's Bella soaking up some sun.  She moves from one chair to another depending on which looks the warmest at any given time.  What a hard life she has!!  Did I mention that these chairs are perfect crochet chairs?  Lots of room to move my arms but also just the right height to rest my elbows on while my hands are busy.  I'm really proud that we've found these lovely older pieces and given them a new lease of life.  When I worked on the woodwork of the chairs I found the original labels underneath them with 'August 1975' on them!  They're almost as old as me!

And now for something not so old .... I sold a few tea cosies last week so with my earnings I treated myself to this adorable sundress.  The first thing I did after taking this photo was unpick that crazy huge bow on the front!  It looks so much better without it.  It was made with a huge piece of fabric so now I'm thinking of what I can make with it instead.  Now I just need the temperature to improve a bit here so I can wear this little beauty.  I've decided that this summer I am going to wear dresses as often as possible.  I have found some lovely vintage dresses over the last few months at the op shops and I can't wait to start wearing them. Bring on the sunshine!!

Oooh almost forgot - in the height of my current fabric obsession I found a sweet little spotty fat quarter when I was working at the market the other week.  It matches some of the colours in my curtains perfectly and I knew it would make a perfect top for another footstool we had here.  This lime green footstool has been well used, the children jump off it constantly and it has taken an absolute hammering.  So it was time for a bit of prettification (is that a word?).

And here she is - I love it!  Don't you love how a piece of material and a hour or so on the sewing machine can transform something completely.  As with all my sewing - it is by no means perfect.  Probably something to do with the fact that I don't like measuring anything or using pins!!!  I have an idea in my head of what to do and I just go for it.  Sometimes it turns out - sometimes it's a disaster.  Thankfully this one worked out!!

 

And amongst all the pretty colours and girly projects it seems only right to pop this picture in from Mr 8's birthday party.  He had a Trash Pack party and for his birthday cake I made him lots of slime cakes.  It was so much fun to make cakes that are meant to look gross.  The boys thought these were great - they decided they looked like pooh and slime - and they were a total hit.   Hilarious.

I am yet again very behind in my blog reading so apologies if I haven't popped by recently.  I feel as if I'm constantly trying to keep up and failing miserably!  I can't wait to see what you've all been up to.

I hope you all have a fabulous week.  See you again soon. 

Leah
xxxx

She's finished!

Yes, she is finished and I am truly in love with ripples!  The rhythm of this pattern was just what I needed.  It was a pleasure to pick up my hook each evening and do a few rows.  I finished this blanket a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to do a post until now.  It's school holidays here at the moment and it is crazy busy.  But this morning Mr 8 (yes Mr 7 became Mr 8 on Tuesday - happy birthday gorgeous boy!!) and Miss 5 have friends here to play so I'm sneaking a few minutes on the computer.

I had to sneak a peek of my shoes into this pic - talk about colour co-ordinated shoes and crochet!  I had to replace those cute floral ones I bought recently as they were the most uncomfortable things I'd ever worn.  Cute - but painful!  Lesson learnt - sometimes a bargain is a bargain for a reason!!!  So on to a different brand and now my feet are happy.  Miss 5 got the same shoes too - which is easy when your mother buys her own shoes in the kids department - and she is loving being able to match her mum.  She has waaaay better style than me though!

My tea cosies are still keeping me busy too.  Lots of orders and a few extras to pop onto my wee online shop.  I have got so much of this wool to use up - I'm just glad that these rainbow stripes are so popular!!   I never get bored of making them - the pattern is now etched in my brain.   The one I have on the go at the moment is a plain blue which will be topped with flowers, then the next order is for a plain blue with hearts around the top like this one.   Just as well there is plenty of good telly on at the moment to plonk down in front of with my hook!

 

 Did I tell you that my wee girl used to ask me if I was making a jersey for the teapot?  Too cute.

I have been a very happy girl recently and have had a few days helping out in the Stitchbird shop.  It is impossible for me to leave that store without buying something!  I spotted this fat quarter of fabric and thought it was perfect to make a wee pin cushion.  To all you sewing pros out there - I apologise for my less than crisp corners!!  These are so much fun to make - I have had to make a few and give them to friends.  It was just the simple project I needed to get me motivated to sew again.  Now I have some sewing to do in preparation for our school fair.  Frogs and headbands!!

Oooh, oooh, oooh, do you remember that gorgeous little cafe I visit called Martha's?  There are a few pics of it here.  Well they have opened a new cafe just across the road from Martha's and it's called Arthur's!!

So where Martha's is all bright, white and girly, Arthur's is all dark wood, half pint water glasses and fry ups on the menu.  Instead of flowers on the table there are plants - just gorgeous.  I visited for the first time last week for a cuppa and it was stunning.  It's in an old 2 storey building at the top of Cuba Street and the main eating area is up a tiny staircase. 

Lots of old oak tea trolleys dotted about the place and antlers on the wall.  There were even a few crochet cushions on the chairs!

So it seemed a perfect coincidence that I had brought along a neutral crochet project to work on while I drank and ate (a beanie order) - as it went perfectly with my surroundings.  I can't wait to go back for a proper breakfast sometime soon.

 

Isn't this hilarious!  I popped into my husband's office last week and they have had these funny paintings done all around the place.  This giant mouse hole made me laugh.  Clever ay.

Want to see what I'll be working on tonight?

I have been looking for an old chair for ages so I squealed out loud when I spotted these two beauties in the Salvation Army store on Monday.  The upholstery is absolutely revolting but the wood and the springs are in excellent condition.  While they sit in my hallway waiting for me to work on them, Bella has decided that they are just perfect for her day long snoozes.  She flits from one to the other and is one very comfy cat. I am going to work on the wood myself then send them to a professional to replace all the foam and recover them.  As much as I'd love to do it - I think they are beyond my abilities. The hardest thing will be deciding what material to use!!  We also have a retro floor lamp and coffee table that we have our eye on - fingers crossed we win those online auctions.  We have cleared a space in our sunroom now that the children aren't playing in there so much and it will become a lovely, sunny reading spot.  Can't wait!!!  The best thing about them is that they are the perfect crochet chairs.  My short legs can touch the floor and my arms rest perfectly. 

Have a fab weekend everyone!  We are off to the WOW show tomorrow night and I am really looking forward to it.  I've only been once before and it was amazing.  It's soooooo cool.  There are some incredibly talented people on this planet.  Wellington is really buzzing at the moment with lots of out of town visitors and international tourists for this event.

See you again soon,
Leah
xxxx

Back to normal!

It's taken a wee while but I am now almost back to my old self.  Thank you so much for all your lovely wishes and butt jokes, they really cheered me up!!  So because I wasn't able to sit comfortably for such a long time, I was beyond bursting to get my crochet hook out again.  And I think I have more than made up for lost time.  I decided a quick project was just the thing to get me started, more on that a little later.  But then the overwhelming urge to do another ripple took over! 

This started out being called "The Leftovers Blanket" because I had quite a bit of Stylecraft leftover from my giant granny blanket.   As it has grown, it has taken on the prettier name of Rainbow Ripple Blanket.  At first I thought it looked a little bright, but it always amazes me how the whole look of a blanket can change depending on what colour you use in the next row.  It definitely provided some cheerful colour while we were having some horrible weather last week.  It is growing ridiculously fast and I will be finished it this weekend hopefully.  The best bit about making a ripple blanket is that there are only a few ends to weave in at the end - bliss!!!   

 

There is something quite addictive about these ripply stripes.  And every time I look at it, it reminds me of a blanket my Nana M had in her house when I was little.  Nice memories.  

  

I have also pulled out my African Flower Hexagon blanket that I started last year then got a bit tired of.  Before I started the ripple, I made a heap more of these little beauties. I'm not joining-as-I-go, so it's a little fiddly joining them all up, but I'm loving the result.  This one is a pure wool blanket and the weight of it is fantastic.  It's definitely going to be toasty warm.  It's still got a way to go but I'm aiming to have it finished for next Winter.

And last but not least in the crochet department, here's the quick project I mentioned.  I spotted one lone ball of wool at my local wool shop and I just loved the moody tones.  It is a King Cole Riot and the shades of silver and gray are beautiful. 

The pattern is called Spring Petals and you can find it here.  It was a lovely easy pattern and it worked up really quickly.  I had this finished in one evening.  I will definitely be making more of these!

I've been having a fab time on Pinterest lately and was fascinated with all the Mod Podge ideas I'd seen.  I saw a pin for some homemade equivalent so I had to give it a go.  We had some wooden coasters that had seen better days so they became my test item.  I used a spray adhesive to attach some pretty scrapbooking paper to each coaster, then used the Mod Podge to seal it - with several coats.  I've just used a spray acrylic sealer over the top so that they are more waterproof.  I absolutely LOVE them!   This is them before they got sealed.

I'm off now to decorate a birthday cake for my niece and nephew who turn 2 today!!  Happy birthday to you both, I can't wait to give you big birthday cuddles tomorrow!!

Then after that it will be time to boil the kettle, make a large cup of tea and do a few more rows of my blanket.  I should be doing the housework but the thought of it is just too boring in comparison!

Have a fabulous week - see you again soon.

Leah
xxxx

Giant Granny Square Blanket Ta-Da!

Yippee, I have finished my huge granny square blanket!  Every last end has been woven in and she now has pride of place on our bed.  I am absolutely in love with this blanket and every time I walk past my bedroom, I catch a glimpse of it and it makes me smile.  Poor hubby has had to get used to all the pink-ness but he agrees that it has given the room a nice cosy feel.  I started her back in January and kept working on her in between other crochet projects.   I am so proud of it, and want to remember it from every angle, so apologies for the billions of photos I am bound to use!!

She's a whopper and a little hard to get a decent photo of!  I had to perch on the dining table to get this photo.  And even then it's not the best of pics.  I didn't take the time to get it all nice and even and some of the squares look a little wonky which they aren't at all.  I used a different technique this time which has ensured the straightest squares and I am a convert.  Each round was started on the opposite side to where the last round finished, no spaces between clusters except in the corners where two spaces were used.  It worked a treat!!

 See .... look at all those lovely squares!  I joined them as I went and I love the wee stitch detail it gives.

 

I looks gorgeous on the bed.  Perfect for this freezing weather we've been having.  I was so excited when it was finished that I tore the new pink duvet cover out of the packet, threw it on the bed just so I could get some photos.  That's my excuse for the wrinkly pillowcases, and I'm sticking to it!!

It was touch and go whether I had enough of my favourite raspberry colour left to do the border but it worked out perfectly.  I used four rows of single crochet to keep it nice and simple.  And the border colours were based on the last four rounds of one of the squares that really caught my eye.

Yep - that looks just right to me.  I was really careful not to work into every stitch where the squares join, to avoid having a ripply border.  The yarn was Stylecraft and I had initially bought a mixed pack of this through Deramores.  I ended up having to buy another mixed pack as the colours I was mostly using didn't seem to be available in individual balls at the time.  Oh what a shame - to have all that extra yarn ...  ha ha.  36 squares in total, with 12 rounds each square.  The kids love playing 'match the squares' with it. 

 Even folded up I think it looks lovely.  

 Mmmm, gorgeous grannies - so simple but so satisfying.

It's freezing here today, so I'm thinking I might have to steal it off the bed tonight so I can snuggle under it while I watch telly. 

And it wouldn't be a photo shoot without my little crochet companion Bella.  'Oooh what's this Mum, you're trying to take a photo, well how about I just sit here and make myself comfy'.  I think she has been by my side for every one of these squares.

 

I know you'll be bored stiff by now, but all these photos are for my old age when my memory is flagging and I need a visual reminder!!

So now that the blanket is finished I can spend some more time playing on Pinterest.  Don't you love it when you spot something and it looks so simple and you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself?  I spotted something similar to this last week and within minutes I had my very own jar of cupcake papers.  So much prettier than the plastic container they had been stashed in inside the pantry.  This looks so bright and cheerful, I had to keep it out so I could see it.  The kids love it as they can turn it around and choose which ones we should use.

Have a fabulous week.  See you again soon.

Leah
xxxx

It's so nice to be back!

Wow, it's been almost a month since I last had a chance to do a post and I've missed it.  So I warn you, this post will probably be long as I've got lots to catch up on.  The days have been absolutely flying by recently.  It has also been the school holidays here so my small folk have been keeping me rather busy.  Both children were sick over the holidays which wasn't much fun.  At least the weather was rubbish so it was ideal to be tucked up on the couch, watching DVDs and resting.  It did mean that I was able to get my hook out a few times during the day which was lovely.  I made a collection of tiny hearts for my wee girl and made them into a garland for her bedroom. 

She is very particular, just like her mother, and they had to be in a certain order.  I am going to have to make more of these as they are just so cheerful.  I can see garlands popping up all around the house (anything to add some colour to these gloomy winter days).

Then there was a bit more heart creating.  I had bought a battered old book of sheet music at the op shop a while back so I got it out while the kids happily played (not fighting for a change!).  With the help of some thick double-sided mounting tape, these layered hearts turned out really well.  Perfect to fill an empty spot on the wall.

 Side on you see the 3D effect.  And while I was taking a photo of these, Miss 5 made this one ...

Too cute!  I didn't realise she had even been watching me make my one.  I think she did a fab job!  She went on to make about 6 of them which are now on her bedroom wall.  Mr 7 was also busy making things - but his makes were Lego.  He is obsessed with Titanic and made a great selection of Titanics and icebergs!! I must get a photo of them.

I also finished my cat from Annaboo's CAL!  I'm so happy with him - I will definitely be making more now that I know it's not as hard as I thought it would be.  I overstuffed his poor head a bit, but hey, he's still cute.  

I also stayed up too late at night having a play on my sewing machine.  My fear of zips and buttonholes were holding me back from making cushions, so I decided to do a flap/envelope back instead and I love the result.

I had been collecting fabric for a while but then I spotted this fabulous length of fabric at Stitchbird.  One length made two cushions and I absolutely adore this bird print.  I had planned to use a plain backing but at the last moment changed it to the green and white spots and I love it!

 I was so pleased with the result, I couldn't wait to make a few more.

 Here's a pic of the back.  Nice and neat and not a zip in sight - yippee.

Here are the next two I made.  I was all set to make some square ones next until my brand new 22 day old sewing machine decided to sound like a helicopter landing in the living room and promptly died.  I know it wasn't a super flash machine and I did get it at a cheap price, it was still a decent machine at a fairly decent price before the sale.  Grrrrrrr.  And because it was outside of the 14 day period I wasn't able to get a replacement machine.  So it is currently away being repaired and I am missing it.  Fingers crossed it gets fixed soon or I will be turning into a super-grump.  I had also started altering all my jeans which I am eager to continue with.  All those jeans that have wider legs have started to be taken in so they are nice and lean.  I used to do this all the time as a teenager and can't believe I haven't done this sooner as an adult.  This way I end up with jeans that actually suit my figure and fit me perfectly.

Big news too - I have finished my giant blanket!  Here's a quick pick of it before I did the border - I had just laid it on the floor to look at it and of course Bella appeared and wouldn't budge.  I'm not going to show you until my next post as I am determined to have every end tied in before I take photos of it.  I know, I know, I said I would tie them in as I went but clearly I am a big fat liar!!  I got carried away and after the first 10 were made and tidied as I went, the next 26 squares were left.  I am absolutely kicking myself now as it's the bit I really dislike and now I have to sit for hours with a needle, sewing the pesky things.  In saying that though, I adore the blanket and can't wait to have it on my bed!!

I had a lovely letterbox treat last week, my book arrived from the UK.  I had read it from the library and had to have it.  So many ideas, so much colour - I love it.  I am a little addicted to Book Depository - it is soooooo much cheaper to buy books from the UK than it is to buy them here.

I love all the mismatched furniture, china and colourful bits and pieces throughout this book - definitely the look I want.

My biggest bargain last weekend was these pretty sneakers for less than $10.  I bought them at a children's shop as I have ridiculously small feet.  The lady in the shop asked me "how old is she" presuming they were for my daughter.  I replied that she was quite old, 41 in fact!!  Oh well, at least my feet feel young.  

My gorgeous friend Ange gave me this most amazing recipe recently and I have to share it with you.  Ginger crunch is a popular slice here in NZ and one I make often.  This recipe is for a fancier version which is beyond delicious.  It's easy and the outcome looks much more difficult and will guarantee to get lots of oooohs and aaaaahs.  If you're able to stop eating it, you're a stronger person than me!

Oaty Ginger Slice

3/4 cups sugar
1 Tbspn chopped crystallised ginger (or substitute with 1 tspn ground ginger - works perfectly)
7 Tbspn golden syrup
250g butter
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
4 tspns ground ginger
2 cups icing sugar
3Tbspn chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.  Line a slice tray.  Combine sugar, crystallised ginger, 2 Tbspn golden syrup and 150g butter over a low heat.  Stir until melted then add oats, almonds, flour and coconut.  Mix well then firmly press into slice tray.  Bake for 20 minutes then cool.

For the topping, put remaining butter, golden syrup, ground ginger and icing sugar in a pan over a low heat and stir until smooth.  Pour over base and sprinkle with pistachios.  Allow to set then cut into slices.

Enjoy!

Have a fabulous week - see you again soon.
Leah
xxxx