Shopping Solo

Over the weekend we got the great idea to update our Lounge room....firstly we tried moving furniture from around our home....this resulted in a lot of moving and a less than ideal situation.

Next up we reached for the IKEA catalogue......

HMMMM dangerous

So after  lots of researching and measuring we had a new game plan......

...this game plan involved me volunteering to head to IKEA this morning...

unable to enlist any shopping buddies at such late notice I ventured on my own......

...it would  be fine...I had the clear shopping list and knew exactly what I was getting.....

so only three calls to my hubbie at work - just to clarify! I finally enlisted the help of  a lovely salesperson to help me with the heaviest load I have have ever purchased there.

Some quick mental picturing of how I was going to load it all in the car, I talked myself into having it delivered....hmmm I think if I had taken a deep breath I could have managed  and saved on the cost but not the way I went.

I learnt something today .

that as much as I love Ikea and the ease at which you can spend money there and the inspiration that you can come away with......

It is no fun to be there on a mission by yourself!

No -one to chatter too, discuss colours,shape, form or function with 

and no-one to encourage you to try and get it all in the car.

Bonfire Night

At the end of fire burning season we are invited to friends property for Bonfire Night....

Over the years the kids have had varying reactions to the whole concept of The Bonfire.

This year we added a new dimension.......

A Scarecrow or Guy Fawkes.....

Fraser was nominated the face drawer...while Meg and hubbie took care of the stuffing.......

Our friends were a little concerned that Fraser may have been a bit frightened by the whole concept....ha !!! He is a boy after all and it couldn't have hit the spot more!

While it was still light we headed down to place the subjects in just the right place for the biggest effect.....

It is such a lovely property with some friendly props for added fun......

(click to enlarge)

With Guy Fawkes (Plural)  in place we headed back for dinner and to wait for the darkness.....

Each of the families were given some matches and the dads began the lighting......

A bit gruesome looking but what a fire we made........

It was a perfectly still and quiet night... perfect for watching with anticipation as it grew before our eyes......

Of course the night was not complete without the toasting of marshmallows on the end of

VERY long sticks.......

Something spectacular and mesmerising about a controlled Bonfire. 

 

My Creative Space

My Creative Space is about babies......

Not my own sadly , 

But the next best thing ...a baby for  my sister and a baby for my sister in law both to arrive before  Christmas.....

I find sewing and creating so much more rewarding when there is a tangible purpose or someone to sew for......

so going along to the market on the weekend gave me the opportunity to make some bibs that I needed  in my stash.....

I made a mixture of boys and girls  using some new fabrics and some of my vintage stash....

Now it's off to help plan a baby shower for the first of the babies.

Other creative spaces here.

Where in the world?

There  was a very welcome Fathers Day gift this year, 
a world globe.....

not just any globe but it had to be a Topography Globe-

one that had all the raised surfaces depicting mountains and the like.

Well we found just the perfect one and it has been in constant use ever since......

We have had Grandparents travelling around Europe and have followed their travels.......

Excitedly we have family migrating from one side of our Continent to our side,holidaying along the way....{insert squeal with delight}

and finally we are now beginning to find out a little about a big event being held here in our own state next month.

CHOGOM

This includes heads of almost every Commonwealth country - 53 in total converging on our state of Western Australia.

I thought it may be a good idea to bring ourselves up to speed with some of these countries and where they might be in this world of ours....

So tonight over dinner the globe was placed back on the table ( where most of our looking is done)

and we spun it around and around trying to locate as many as we could find.

I am thinking that maybe a little "googling" will be in order to find out some fun facts about each country too.

How about you ...do you love to travel the world even if it is only at the family dinner table?

This Little Piggy....

...went to market.....

This little piggy went with some friends.....

Let me clarify ....my friends are not really piggies!

But we did go to market yesterday.......

Although we had threatening dark clouds all day not a drop of rain  or wind in sight that made for very pleasant day out with these girls.

We set up and not really being experts at this game we realised very quickly that we were surrounded by others who had done this many times before....

The no gazebo to erect probably gave it away!

I enjoyed the people watching and chatting the day away....a few sales were made but overall a quiet day out ... but a great exercise in stepping out and testing the waters.

We were a little concerned about our position under the speakers as they were in constant use all day.......

but a plentiful stash of chocolate in many forms was enough to take away any environmental concerns we had.

I found this chap in the car park looking none to pleased about the invasion of so many people riding mountain bikes through the mud.

( the market was hooking itself onto a large national event)

It was such a lovely spot to spend the day...a little country town , a little distance from home......

after all the fun of the day what else was there to do but stop and nosy around in some antique shops that were  just begging to be stopped at.......

no treasures were taken home other than the ones that we had so lovingly made......

at least I now have a lovely stash of gifts ready to give away!

My Creative Space

Not very much glamour about my creative space this week.....

Just trying to make sense of the mess I have created around the house in preparations for a market  on Saturday......

It is deceiving how much work goes into having a stall at any kind of event...

there's the sewing, tagging, pricing and packaging.....

sourcing tables ,organising floats, promotional bits, signage....

display props...and that's all before the day arrives.
Sadly my new sew in labels are somewhere between there and here and will not arrive in time. Swing tags will have to suffice...at least that is one less job that I feel the need to do.

I admire anyone that does this kind of thing regularly.....

maybe it is easier of you do it often so that you know how best to be organised.

Anyway I am joining with a couple of friends and our motto is really just to have fun......

Right girls?

For more glamorous spaces than mine check in here.

The Alarm Clock

While out on the look for Father's Day presents the other weekend, we stumbled across a Typo Shop......lured in by all the lovely things to look at ,we spyed an Alarm Clock.

Now we have had a digital CD playing Alarm clock for ages by our bed....but it was so bright it lit up the whole room besides I am also a little "thingy" about electrical devices so close to the head while sleeping....

Anyway I found this "McFly Alarm" clock in Typo and thought it the perfect substitute for our digital one.

Why not gift dad with it ( along with other wanted gifts of course)

It was well received and we moved the old one into the little guys room so he could listen to Cd's at bedtime.

The batteries were placed in it, the time set and more importantly the alarm set.

Monday morning came and  we were so RUDELY awaken by the most horrendous alarm ...

we both almost had  massive heart attacks as we struggled  to silence it....

So a word to the wise:

Try out the alarm first to check it's suitability of going off in the early hours of the morning 

and 

know how to turn off an alarm while fully awake so as to know how to do it when half asleep!!

(We have kept it as a time keeper due to the fact that the little guy won't let us have our old one back!)

Around Our Garden

Truly Spring is shining on our patch of this world today...so much colour popping it's head up to soak in the sun.

Grateful

I'm grateful for the privilege I had  to be amongst some great women today at our Church's Annual Women's Conference.....

A day of being motivated and encouraged to take what God has already given us and use it to charge ahead and make a difference in the lives of those around us....

Despite the pitfalls that life deals along the way...pushing ahead to make the difference in the world in which we live...

This lady delivered a  powerful and challenging word, and this lady a moving challenge through song.

I am grateful to have shared this day with some special and inspiring friends and family members....

Also having a daughter who is old enough to come and sit and be a part of such a fantastic day...

Linking with other grateful  moments here

My Creative Space

I was going to cheat and use yesterday's post as my creative space but managed to grab a photo of a little  of the craziness that's really  been happening........

A bunch of capes to finish off for market.....


When some friends and I decided a little country market would be fun the sudden realisation that  having stock would be handy.
Not a lot as we are taking a stall together but I am having to remind myself that pressure is not a good thing and that we are just setting out to have fun with a little exposure on the side.....


So with just a couple of more things to add to the list , I then should be done.


Other creative spaces going on here.

Rhubard Pear Bread

I love rhubarb and I quite like pear so when a friend shared the making of a

Rhubarb Pear Loaf I knew I had to give it a go......

The only way I have used rhubarb in the past is just how my nan did ...stewed and had with custard.

This bread or very moist cake  is so delicious and was so easy ...all in one bowl...just how we like it!

Original recipe found here.

Blackboard messages

After spotting this great idea here the other day....

and knowing that I had a roll of needed blackboard contact sitting waiting for the perfect project...

I set to work ...

Firstly I had to find my fridge face under the myriad of photos, magnets and special items.....

The kids made use of it yesterday and today it holds the start of a shopping list.

When I need to change the space for something else it simply peels off!

Heroes Day

Here in this part of the world .......

we are honoring our dads.......

We lavished the dads in our family with homemade goodies, some carefully chosen gifts and lunch to fill the bellies......

We love the contribution's of the dads in our lives.....

the structure and form they give to our family,

the love and discipline they share,

their hard working mantras they hold,

the legacy that they are leaving for the generations to come......

Hope your dads felt loved, cherished and spoilt today too.

 

What Happened to Spring?

Luckily this magazine arrived today because I needed the reminder that Spring really has officially arrived....it was a cold  and wet day after the teaser yesterday......

What do you do when you find yourself with "a lot on ya plate"?..me,  I head for the sewing machine.....

hmmmmm..... probably should have tackled some more important  and pressing things but this was oh so much more fun.

My Creative Space

Spring is definitely in the air here.....

I have been beavering away ...not all that fast mind you....

on a small little stash that I am hoping to take to a small country market in a couple of weeks.

Not being an expert at markets I am being joined by some friends so we can test the waters together.......

My house is over run with material and threads as I also finished off the last stack of drawstring bags for this project which we  launch next week......

For more busy creative spaces check out here.