Sunday Stash

Sorry, not the best picture, but I've only just remembered that it's Sunday, so cheated a little and just found a photo I'd taken months ago.
I bought this Saffron Craig Owls and Fairy Trees panel ages ago, and cut out one of the owls in a tree to put in a white frame.

More Sunday Stashers can be found at Quarter of an Inch

Veg About

There has been a bit happening in our garden this week. We harvested our first yellow tomato - this time I picked it, and quickly chopped it into quarters so we could all have a taste. So flavoursome! 

The rhubarb is looking fabulous! Great fat stalks this time round, so I'm looking forward to stewing them with some apples for a bit of rhubarb and apple crumble.
I've planted two baby watermelon plants. The baby red went in early in the week, then a friend gave me the baby orange watermelon and a roma tomato later in the week as a birthday gift. 

I think I'm more excited about the watermelon than anything else I've planted this year.

We also have lots of strawberry flowers popping up, which Ollie is very excited about! He must have enjoyed scoffing the first strawberry we grew.
And finally, a photo of my vegie patch! I have eleven green tubs that I grow my fruit, vegies and herbs in, plus another few pots. A few more than when I last revealed my back garden! I still dream about putting down some synthetic grass to reduce the shocking heat in summer, and I guess I'll have to elevate the tubs to get them off the searingly hot concrete before they all fry!

Birthday Giveaway Winner

Whoops! I nearly completely forgot about this giveaway. Preoccupied with life, I think. So, without further waffling on my part, the winner is...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

2

Timestamp: 2008-11-28 12:45:47 UTC

...commenter number 2 - Rachel from Four Wise Monkeys. Congratulations Rachel! I'll start sewing this week.

Thank you to all who sent me birthday wishes, too!

Pimm's O'Clock

A wise woman once taught me that 5 o'clock was Pimm's o'clock. 

I'm sure she didn't imagine I'd be mixing the Pimm's in an old pasta sauce jar (the straw is for poking the lemon wedge - not sipping!). Curious lack of jugs at my house.

Rest assured that I am very civilised, and I drink from a glass ;)

Bottoms up, ladies!

Sunday Stash - On The Farm

The top fabric was a remnant from Big W, the second a Japanese print bought from Etsy ages ago. I love the bottom one so much, I'd love to make myself some clothing from it, but don't have nearly enough.

Thanks Tamara for hosting :)

Still crafting....

After reading Hoppo Bumpo's post today on her lack of crafty posting, I thought back to my last crafty post....3 weeks ago! I promise I have been sewing, I think I just needed to do less blogging after blogtoberfest :)

After following a link found on SouleMama's Mama to Mama appeal, I have been making cloth pads to send off to girls in Africa. It has also raised a question in my mind - is there a need for cloth pads for disadvantaged girls in Australia, and if so where do I send them?

I have also gone a little crazy making Yo-Yo Christmas decorations, thanks to my Clover Yo-Yo maker. I intend on sewing a small loop of ribbon to these to hang from my tree, and also string some together to hang from something.

Tonight I whipped up this Gratitude wrap (also from Soulemama) for a friend for Christmas.
Quick and easy (especially with my trusty Quilt basting spray - can't get enough of this stuff!).
The most time consuming part was making my own bias binding, but I enjoy making the binding, so don't mind putting in the effort.
I have to get alot more sewing done over the weekend, as I'm posting a parcel off to the UK on Monday. I aim to get as many home sewn goodies in there as I can!

Thanks to everyone who has sent me birthday wishes already! And if you haven't left a comment for my Birthday Giveaway, do so now!

You might like to check out some other crafty giveaways while you're at it:

Ellieboo

Flossy-P

Hoppo Bumpo

Badskirt

Kindling

Sew Mama Sew

Birthday Giveaway!!!

Because it's my birthday tomorrow, and birthdays are all about giving (aren't they??), I've decided to have a giveaway! And since I have gone a little crazy making these fabric baskets, I've decided to custom make one for the lucky winner. 

It won't be one of the 3 pictured, as they all have loving homes to go to, but it will be the same kind of fabric basket. 

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post before midnight Melbourne time, Thursday 27th Nov, stating which colour or colour combination you would like me to make for you - and please make sure that I have some way of contacting you if you win!

Let me know if it is for someone in particular, so I can accommodate with appropriate fabric (provided I have some in my stash!).

The giveaway is open to anyone - internationals included!

I'll be throwing in a few other bits and pieces - yet to be decided, but probably notions etc.
The fabric basket pattern is the same one I have posted about before, but the basket will be bigger - roughly 20cm across and 18cm high.

Veg About

My horticultural apprentice and I are very excited to announce that we have found tomatoes and capsicums growing in our garden!

Ollie searching amongst the lettuce for tomatoes

baby capsicums

heaps of green tomatoes

and more!

The rhubarb is also growing back!

I think I may have been a little hasty in letting Ollie know about it, though. Half way through taking the photos my camera batteries died. After repeating several times that we are not going to pick the tomatoes today, I ran in to get a new battery. On my return, I found him rifling through the tomato plant. He jumped away so quickly when he saw me! I'll have to keep a close eye on him!!!

We also harvested our first strawberry yesterday (the other 2 were eaten by birds or bugs). Ollie offered to share with Miss J, and when she declined he shoved it into his mouth so fast that I didn't get a nibble. We have lots more strawberry flowers growing now, so I expect I'll be able to sneak one in the next few weeks when Ollie isn't looking (unless he gets to them first!).

Thanks to Bellgirl for hosting Veg about

Sunday Stash - Vintage Screen Print

A day late, but worth the wait.

I found this 120cm x 55cm piece in an op shop last week for 50 cents! The selvedge reads "Reflections - Frances Burke", and after searching on the internet, I think it is circa 1960. Here is more of Frances Burkes' work.

Thanks to Tamara for hosting!

Veg About

We have some lovely little flowers in the vegie patch (or trugs) at the moment, so I'm very hopeful for a good harvest at some stage! Both tomato plants are flowering,

as is the capsicum, with these sweet white flowers,
and the lemon thought it would join in the fun. The lemon tree is covered in these little sticky spidery webs and bug carcasses :(
Also, I have spied 2 little strawberries - one poking over the side of the pot, and one buried in the sugar cane mulch. These is even another flower, so we might one-day get a third strawberry! 
It may not be enough for jam, but there will surely be enough for one for each of us.

Haven't heard about Veg About? Head over to Bellgirl to see who's doing what in their gardens this year.

Goodies

These goodies arrived this week. 

The first is the November mail-out from Amitie blog VIP. It's actually the perfect colourway to add to a gift I'm making today for mum for Christmas - so perfect timing!

Pink and Celery Geometric by Joel Dewberry, decorator weight.

The second is some ribbon I bought at Retrosaria after seeing a post a Loobylu last week. I figured that since I didn't know how the Aussie dollar compared to the Euro before the financial crisis, I wouldn't mind paying what I did for the ribbon! My fave is the top one, Little Red Riding Hood.

Sorry for the crappy photos, but I really can't be bothered doing anything about it in this heat! I can't believe it got to 35 degrees!!!

Sunday Stash - Transport

Thanks to Tamara over at 1/4 of an Inch for hosting. Join the players.

Farm Life

Admiring the blue bins...

finding holes to climb through...

and fences to scale...

and, of course, chasing the sheep!

Collingwood Children's Farm

Supper

Sunday Stash - piggies!

Thanks Tamara for hosting.

Is it too early to mention Christmas?

Usually I wait until my after my birthday to start talking about Christmas, but I seem to have it on the brain! I'm aiming to make the vast majority of the gifts I give this year - although I have made a head-start on my Christmas shopping already.

Cute Christmassy ornaments

Sneak peak at a Christmassy gift

Trial run of some Christmas gift ideas

(tutorial found here)

Also, I was invited to contribute to the Melbourne op shopping blog I Op Therefore I Am this week, so go check it out!