Renovations in the works

I’m not talking house renovations, because we’re socking away every cent into the mortgage for the time being!

It’s this tired old look that’s being renovated, and I’m going for a whole new design, with this gorgeous studio on the right as my inspiration.

I figured, if I can’t have my own dedicated work space yet, I might as well redesign my blogs to look as good as Posie’s studio!

I’m going with fresh pink, green, cyan & yellow accents on a clean, white background:

It looks as though I’m back

I realised today that it’s been almost six months since I wrote anything here, and it kind of shocked me. - Surely it hadn’t been that long!

But it has.

So much has happened in that time that I don’t really know where to begin. So, just a quick update today, without too much overwhelming detail.

We got Mr Bumps’ first school report in June, and the only concern his teacher had was that he’s too quiet.
I had to check that she had the right child. Seriously.

Wren had some issues in July and September with Zoe, a ‘friend’ who is somewhat controlling & told her to jump in the lake.
I was soooo proud!

Mr Blogs is still doing the work of two separate positions at work, and ended up taking some stress leave in October.
I could biatch about it, but we do enough of that at home.

We have our fingers crossed for something soon, because with Mr Blogs overworked and run-down, Mrs Blogs (me) gets run-down coping with the housework & Mr Blogs’ mother-in-law (Granma) has been doing the school run & the washing for the last 7mths.

For myself, I’ve actually been working on some other blogs, which seem to have taken off quite well.
I’ll write more about those another time, because I’m starting to get a bit tired now.

Hope you’re all keeping well and happy out there, sorry for being such a stranger!

Cheers,
Jane

Better than Blogging…

Life has been really full lately, with creativity, family time and lots of finished projects.
We’ve had a bit more than our share of illness, too, but I’ve coped better this time because I’ve paced myself more.

• I found curtains for the kids’ rooms & the lounge room, and almost finished sewing a pair of curtains for our dining room.
  {by hand, because my machine is still packed away}

• I’ve altered a skirt for Wren’s period school excursion later this month, and am hunting down a cream blouse to match.
  {she’s either a convict or a lady, but she’s cute either way}

• Last night, I began a Birthday Garland {thankyou, SouleMama} for Wren’s birthday in October, and will share with you as it progresses.
  -With this much time up my sleeve, I should be able to finish it by hand if my machine hasn’t emerged yet. So no excuses.

• Wren had her first cubs camp the other weekend.

• The Bump had a sleepover at Granma’s place the same weekend.

• WonderHubby & I spent that weekend, from 7am Saturday until 2:30pm Sunday, alone together.
  It was the first time we’ve had for us for a few years, and it was wonderful.

• We found a fantastic computer cupboard at the op shop, which looks fabulous in our home.

• Our old computer came out of contract and we’ve bought a new one outright, which put an end to some of our debt, and lowered our monthly bills.

• Most of the boxes in our garage are now unpacked and we’re close to being able to put the carpet down and use it as a family room.
  {and then I can unpack my sewing machine, yay!}

• Today I even tidied the linen press {pictured}. Is it beyootiful or what?
  I had to take a picture, because it’s probably the last time it will evah be so neat.

• And blog-wise, I’ve chosen a new theme for Kidzarama and created a header image to suit.

For the moment, life is better than blogging.

Not sure what’s happening…

I realised today that it’s been three weeks since I last updated here, and I’m really not sure what’s happening with that.

Generally speaking, I’ve maintained momentum, but when it comes to writing something for my personal blog I’ve drawn a big blank… I’m disinterested.

I’m actually thinking of giving Kidzarama away.

My interests are moving away from children’s craft and into collecting craft tutorials, sewing & crochet patterns, for which I have other (blogspot) blogs.

I don’t think this is the usual “bloggers’ burnout”, as I’m keeping pace with those other blogs quite nicely.

I just think about writing something here & I’m totally uninspired.

Maybe I stopped just blogging here for the enjoyment of it & got too focused on statistics and such.

Bear with me as I figure this one out, huh?

Make Mum’s Cuppa Special on Mother’s Day

Question:
What do you get when you cross some tea bags, a pair of pinking shears, a stapler and your old clothing?

Answer:
A fantastic Mother’s Day gift that will go on giving her warm fuzzies for months.

Here’s how to personalise Mum’s cuppa.

1. Buy a box of Mum’s favourite brand of tea and gently tear the tags off all the bags.
2. Get the kids to do lots of little drawings of a similar size to the tags.
3. Staple the new tags onto the string of each tea bag.

We bought a box of 100 tea bags, so that the treat would last for a few months, however 100 tiny drawings was a bit much to expect of my little artists.

I made up the short-fall by cutting up scraps of clean pretty fabric with pinking shears in Mum’s favourite colour (blue).

My scraps were purposely chosen, from clothing that each of us has worn in the past, to evoke lots of wonderful loving memories.

Tips:

• One thing I have learnt from doing this is that is impossible to put teabags back in their box neatly. So I’d suggest you look into getting a little gift box to scatter yours in.

• If you have problems stapling your tags onto the string, try glue instead. - or just tie the string around a scrap of fabric.

• Ideas for tag materials:
  • scrapbooking paper
  • magazine pictures
  • photos of family members
  • ribbons or woollen bows
  • crochet hearts or flowers
  • beads and buttons

Wishing you all a warm & loving Mother’s Day this year.

Top 5 ways to Save this Winter

Even though we don’t get weather cold enough for us to really see snow-covered berries here, I’m still kind of dreading how cold it will be here during our first Winter in our new home.

We’ve moved from the top of a hill to down in a shallow valley, with a sort-of-creek in the reserve out back, so that will mean less sunlight to warm the place, and more fog.

Probably frost, even.
{but we still love it here}

With prices going up every-which-way, we’re trying to come up with new ideas on how to save on heating expenses this year.

Here’s my list of the top 5 ways to keep warm on a budget:

1. Wearing layers ~ We have tights, long johns & singlets for us all this year, which will last us for a number of years. Wearing a t-shirt under long-sleeve shirts will help, as will two pairs of socks on really cold days.
2. Leave the oven door open ~ After you’ve finished cooking and turned it off, that is. That way the warmth will spread through the house.
3. Heat packs in the bed ~ While they will need to be heated in the microwave, it’s a short burst of energy as opposed to an hour spent on warming up the electric blankets.
4. Get active ~ If you’re feeling the cold, get up, take off your jumper and start cleaning. Wash up, put a load of washing on, clean the bathtub.
   The activity will get your circulation going, and if you then put your jumper back on, you’ll be warm for longer.
5. Leave a couple of windows open ~ This sounds strange at first, but we catch most of our winter sicknesses as a result of spending too much time closed up inside.
   By locking your windows open when you go out for the day, you’ll freshen the air in your home, saving you money on medicines during this season.

What’s your top tip for saving money over Winter?
I’d love for you to share it in the comments below

Winter Berries ~ Crochet around a rock!

This is such a different idea, and it looks so effective. I love the idea of crocheting around a rock!

And now that we’re almost into Winter here in Australia, this tutorial is entirely appropriate.

That’s one furry baby!

Looking around on Ravelry the other night, I came across this image alongside a free pattern for a crochet baby hoodie.

I always wanted to make one of these for the Bump when he was a baby, but since the pattern won’t fit him anymore, I suppose Mr Underfoot might get cold this Winter…

Free Crochet Pattern: Amigurumi Hearts

Wren & the Bump absolutely loved these little smiling hearts when I made them the other week, and I’ve already got one tucked away as a gift for my mother for Mother’s Day next month.
{but don’t tell her}

Remember, this is only my second try at writing out a pattern, so if I’ve been unclear about anything, please let me know so that I can fix it up!
With your help, I’ll improve as I go along…

If you need help with the magic circle, I posted a great video about it here.
It should also jog your memory if you’ve crocheted before but forgotten how.

Stitch Key

sc ~ single chain stitch
2sc into each sc ~ stitch 2 sc  into each sc of the previous round (row)
sc2tog ~ decrease stitch

1st circle

Magic circle with 6sc
2sc into each sc  (12)
2sc into 1st sc, then 1sc into next sc * repeat for entire round  (18)
2sc into 1st sc, then 1sc into next 2 sc * repeat for entire round  (24)
sc entire round
Finish off circle, leaving 3in tail.

2nd circle

Magic circle with 6sc
2sc into each sc  (12)
2sc into 1st sc, then 1sc into next sc * repeat for entire round  (18)
2sc into 1st sc, then 1sc into next 2 sc * repeat for entire round  (24)
sc entire round
Do not finish off circle, and place a marker (even a wire bread tie will do) around the last stitch.

Joining

Lay circles on top of each other, with right sides facing inwards.
Using tail from 1st circle, sew through 4 stitches and secure firmly.

Make sure that the direction of stitches on your 2nd circle is moving towards the join, with at least 2sc to be done before you crochet across the join.
Unfold the joined circles, so that you can now crochet around both as shown below.

‘Body’ of the heart

sc entire round for 5 rows

sc2 together, sc 5 * repeat for entire round
sc entire round
sc2 together, sc 4 * repeat for entire round
sc entire round
sc2 together, sc 3 * repeat for entire round

Attach dolls’ eyes. These look best positioned on the first row, where you began decreasing (sc2 together)

Sew a little smile between and just below the eyes in a contrasting red, pink or black.

sc entire round
sc2 together, sc 2 * repeat for entire round
sc entire round
sc2 together for entire round
finish off, leaving a tail long enough to sew through each stitch & close the hole.

Stuff your heart very firmly & sew the hole closed, working the end inside.

Note:

The red & green hearts in the picture were made from 8ply crepe yarn, using a size 3 crochet hook, while the little blue heart was made from4ply wool, using a size 2 crochet hook.

Need help with hook sizes? Here’s a handy-dandy conversion chart.

Let me know how you go, I’d love to share the pictures of your finished work!

Ten uses for an unexpected Mulberry Tree

When we bought our new home back in October, one of the many surprises that came with it was a mulberry tree at the rear of the yard, beside the vegie patch.

WonderHubby {who takes Fridays off during school holidays, yet another way he’s worth his weight in gold} and the Bump were pottering in the yard this morning.

In between devouring tongue of fire beans and sweet lemons, they discovered that we now have some ripe berries on the tree, and proceeded to taste the merchandise there, too.

Since I always try to get the most use out of things, I decided to google uses for mulberry leaves and fruit, and was surprised at some of what I found.

1. You can eat them ~ okay, no surprise there.
2. The leaves can be used for raising silkworms ~ again, not a surprise, but now I know where to find them (at pet shops, apparently).
3. You can make a tea of the leaves ~ not sure what it’d taste like, maybe WH will be adventurous and try it for me (I’m a wimp when it comes to trying new foods).
4. The twigs are good for basket making, wood is sometimes used for furnishings.
5. Mulberry tree bark can be boiled used to make handmade Japanese “shoji” paper, some European papers, and Polynesian “tapa cloth”
6. Also in Japan, the traditional “chashaku” green tea scoop used in semi-formal tea ceremonies is made of mulberry wood.
7. The leaves can be used as a vegetable ~ not sure about that, but the guinea pigs sure like them…
8. We could build a chicken coop around it and eat them, as the fallen fruit provides very good fodder.
9. Once your neighbourhood birds eat them, their poop can be used as a permanent purplish dye. - or is that “stain”?
10. Mulberries have a laxative effect (which may explain the bird poop thing).

So next time you see me, I’ll be dressed in a purplish-dyed tapa cloth dress, toting a mulberry-wood tray with a mulberry twig basket of mulberries, cups of mulberry tea, mulberry leaf salad, and my hand-made mulberry paper notebook, on which I may even jot a few notes in boiled mulberry juice, if I can figure out how to squeeze it out of the birdshit.

And afterwards, you can help me out with feeding the chickens & guinea pigs.

I’m taking part in Sited & Blogged ~ Weekend Garden meme today, so please call by and check out the other participants’ posts.