and pouffe!

there it is!



terrible pun! i'm sorry!
but my knitted pouffe is done! well mostly... i knitted up the outside and then had to make a new insert as i didn't knit the cover big enough to fit over the original pouffe i had.
but the insert i sewed up is too small! i thought i'd taken seam allowance into account but i most definitely HAD NOT!



it's far too small so i will definitely have to pull it all apart and rethink my approach a little...

oh and i might have to crochet a little circle to sit over the gaping holes in the top and bottom too. maybe winging it with these things isn't SUCH a great idea, who would have thought?

today is the last day of blogtoberfest and honestly i feel as though it's absolutely flown! i've still got reserve posts in my brain, just in case i ran out of things to blog about... but i didn't! just the time and energy to get things written on two occasions ;)
i might try and see how long i can keep up this momentum though, wish me luck?
big thanks to shells in the bush for being the hostess with the mostess this year.

did you participate in blogtoberfest this year? how did you go? did you keep your goals? did you blog every day? do you make patterns for projects up as you go and end up with more work than you first anticipated too?

meal planning monday.

hello there monday. boy am i happy to see you after a weekend at work!
i'm off to a study day this morning, so it's almost like a day off ha ha!
anyway, let's get to what we're eating this week!



tonight, i'll whip up some carbonara. i've had a hankering for it all week!

tomorrow night, i'm hoping to head down to visit my parents! they're back from their five week trip away and i can't wait to share a meal and catch up!!

wednesday night is ncb night! i'll grab something delicious while i'm there!

thursday night,will be our vego night. vegetarian biryani (sfi march '08, pg. 32) should hopefully be delicious :D

friday night, i'm working late, so the slow cooker will be doing all the work. i think i'll try general tso's chicken this week

saturday, we'd better have some fish! prosciutto and spinach wrapped fish (sfi july '08, pg. 34) should do the trick!

sunday will be roast night! it will! last night was an epic roast fail. i skipped lunch at work and bb had not organised meat to have started roasting when i got home. i ended up making a quick trip to the supermarket to get something for us to eat and ended up impulse buying all of the things.
what they say about shopping when you're hungry is true!
anywho, we will be eating a roast on sunday! i'm going to buy the meat today, and then freeze it so it won't go yucky by sunday. and i'll set myself a reminder to get it OUT of the freezer on time ;)

what are you eating this week? what's your favourite recipe to cook? do you buy inappropriate things at the supermarket when you're hungry?

to market, to market.

last sunday, i jumped in the car with my cousin, and we took a bit of a round about route (picking up an auntie and another cousin too) to get to the kongwak market.



i've written about this wonderous place before, and it's a place i love to visit while i'm down that way!



there were lots and LOTS of plants this time, being spring i guess. there was also some delicious looking produce that i'm kicking myself i didn't bring home!



and then there were the vintage goods... be still my beating heart.
i spent quite a bit of time in this little section, picking over all of the little bits and pieces,



and then there were these vintage specs! the glasses nerd in me only barely walked away without a pair... i already have FOUR pairs of vintage specs at home that i bought from this lady, just realised i've never shared them... maybe a bit later in the week!



THIS little gem was super special!
a vintage ice chest, in working order!
how cool is it? i think i might need to convince my mum to buy it, it'd look great in the pool room (not even kidding, they have a pool room ;D)

have you ever been to the kongwak market? do you have a favourite market you like to visit?

little lovelies.

every week, i try and share a little list of lovely things that have happened throughout the week in my neck of the woods, to try and keep myself looking on the bright side of things.

while i was visiting my grandma earlier in the week, she pulled this out of a cupboard while she was looking for something else...



my very first softie!
all of the body parts were stitched and turned before stuffing, but the head and ears i stuffed and then sewed around the edges! bit strange, but then again, i was probably about 6 when i made it! i've become a more logical crafter over the years ha ha!

also while i was at my grandmas, i spotted these AWESOME cannisters in her pantry!



i love the absolute gems she has in her house! they're super cool vintage stuff, but even better, everything has a story!

speaking of vintage... i found this little snippet during the week



it was in the very top of my wardrobe (which i had pulled everything out of and was vaccuuming, spring cleaning fever!). i can't imagine how long it's been up there for!

also, i am LOVING my little recipe database!



i finally finished taking all of the photos from my magazines and they're now all uploaded and ready for my recipe perusal! should make meal planning a LOT easier :D

what's making you smile this week? have you stumbled upon crafting from your past? or been ridiculously organised with your recipes?

making plans.

earlier in the year, i made some stash-busting plans.
being 10 (!) months down the track, i thought i'd review a little, and make some more plans too!

not going to lie, there have probably been more balls coming IN to my stash than OUT. i'd best get to work on some of it!

i've still got the same plans for this blankie, but i've got the grey sorted out now too!



the grey is leftover from my granny stripe, so not technically anything new coming in to the stash there...

this ball on the other hand...



i'm thinking i might knit it into this scarf... should make a nice new scarf for bb. his current one is starting to look a bit too loved.

this ball is also a newbie, from my bendigo woolen mills trip earlier in the year.



this one will become socks too! a pair for bb, and a pair for me, and a pair for anyone else who will have them. i've got two balls and i have a feeling it might make a heap of socks!

i picked up this bunch of scraps from the aforementioned trip...



they're all a LOT shorter than i realised, each colour bundle there, is made up of shorter pieces...
i'm thinking i might put together some knitted chains. like the paper chains you used to make in primary schools, but instead of paper strips, i'll use knitted strips!
they should look nice around the tree at christmas time ;D

these couple of balls were gifted to me by my brother when he got back from overseas earlier in the year.



they're acrylic, but super soft! i think i might crochet them up into a ripple scarf... the colours should stripe up nicely!

embarrassingly, this is only a teeny tiny portion of my stash! there's still so much potential in there ha ha!
these projects should keep me going for a little while though...

do you have plans for all the supplies that you buy? or do you have a stash to make plans with too?

sock love.

as i mentioned tuesday, i finished up my socks monday night.
i failed to mention though, that when i finished them, they didn't fit!!
when i cast off the cuffs, i just used the cast off i normally use, which has almost no stretch to it at all!



i spent a bit of time on tuesday, pulling them both back and re-doing both the ribbing (i didn't like it the first time...) and the cast off using a different method...

et voila!



they fit! and they're super warm too!
they're certainly not perfect but they do the job!

now i've just got to start on the pair that i promised bb... months ago! oops!

have you finished any thing recently? have you tried to knit socks?

green love.

brrrrrrrrrr! melbourne, you know what spring is right? this aint it buddy!
it is a fairly horrid day in these parts today. freezing cold and blowing a gale!
thankfully, i've spent the day inside, which means not too many pictures from outside though ha ha!

i snapped this picture yesterday, as i was about to jump in the car.



my rose bush is absolutely full of beautiful blooms like this!
it would seem that it REALLY loved the pruning i gave it earlier in the year, phew!

speaking of beautiful blooms...



i came home with these two after a quick trip to have lunch with my grandma yesterday.
they're my favourite! such a beautiful colour, and the smell, amazing!
i've got everything crossed that in this sunny spot on the windowsill, they'll open up nicely!

and a little update from last week...



my little tomato shoots are still going strong! at this rate, i'll need to transfer them into individual tubes next week! woohoo!

what's growing in your garden at the moment? is the weather where you are awful as well? what's your favourite type of rose?

october

or should i say, blogtober!
it's blogtoberfest time once again, and i've signed up over with shells in the bush, this year's most gracious host!
while i probably won't play along with the daily prompts that are around, i'm hoping to blog every day, and hopefully find some fresh blogs to follow too!

anywho, let's have a little september review.
i finished my socks last night (will share the finished product a little later in the week...), enjoyed a wonderful holiday, got some things growing, actually baked some bread, i've got myself a solid study plan (11 assessments, 5 and a half weeks), started on my crafty re-organisation, i donated blood (woo!! i have little weeny veins which don't like to give up any of the good stuff, so every successful donation is a cause for celebration!) and finished my september cross-stitch to boot (which i realised i haven't shared, oops!).
i fell off the running bandwagon (mainly due to my lack of time now that i'm completely re-committed to my studies, hoping i can start squeezing it in though!) and i didn't get any new de-stash plans happening either...
oh well, there's always this month :D



looks like i've got lots to do this month, better go and get started!!

what are your plans for this month? are you joining in with blogtoberfest too?

closing time - a giveaway.

and so once again, blogtoberfest comes to a close...
pop over here to check out the massive list of lovely bloggers that joined in this year!
every year i make a promise to myself that i'm going to visit every blog on that list, but the way that blogtoberfest seems to grow every year, i never even come close!
maybe by next blogtoberfest ha ha!

i managed to get all of my kitchen cupboard painting done yesterday!



it seems like a silly thing but it's a big achievement to me ha ha!
now i know that when things get messy in there, a simple wipe over with a cloth should see them clean and sparkly new again :D

now i thought i'd have a little last minute giveaway too! i love me a blogtoberfest giveaway!
i have a few of these littlies left over from the weekend that was, and i thought it'd be lovely to share!



all you need to do to go in the draw is to leave a comment on this post!
maybe you could let me know the best blog you discovered from the list? or your favourite post from blogtoberfest? or anything at all really! just say hello!

the giveaway will be open for today only!
i'll draw it tonight when i get home from ncb!

make sure you're not a no-reply blogger though! i need to be able to get onto you if you win!!!


hope you've enjoyed blogtoberfest as much as i did!!

splashing the white about.

it's only taken me 30 days... but i've finally gotten on to painting the final two kitchen cupboards!

i've been putting them off FOREVER because they're the corner cupboards and super awkward to paint.
i would put money on my inability to walk properly tomorrow due to stretching out stupid ways to paint the very insides.



i've put two coats on each cupboard and now i'm out of paint!
think i'll pop out to get some now, then i can come home and paint the stools we got recently from ikea too!

i've got something special planned for their tops but they need a lick of paint first :D

what are you up to on this fine day? getting anything off a long standing to-do list?

meal planning monday.

no meal planning post last week = eating takeaway almost every night last week.
i wish i was even joking about that but it's completely true!
i cooked monday night, and bb cooked over the weekend, and it was takeaway for every other night!
poor form!!

definitely back on the wagon this week though... well kinda... i must admit, i've only put this meal plan together in the last hour or so. while eating dinner tonight...
still counts!



tonight, i cooked up some delicious lamb loin chops from our local butcher! they were fab with some steamed beans and wilted bok choy, tossed in some black bean sauce.
oh and we ate outside! i love nights like tonight :D

tomorrow night, date night, bb and i will head out to the new mexican restaurant that has opened in our 'hood. yes, i just said 'hood.

wednesday night is ncb night. i'm thinking a curry before this lady and i head out will go down a treat!

for thursday, i think i'll get some fresh salmon from the fish place near work. should be delish with a cold soba salad, featuring a whole lotta greens and a little bit of spice. yum!

friday night, i'm working late again. cashew chicken in the slow cooker. big fat yes to that!

saturday, i'll let bb take care of. i'm at work and he's at home all day. no brainer ha ha!
maybe i'll encourage him to make up a big pot of bolognaise. he makes the BEST bolognaise AND it'll mean that we have stocks in the freezer again.
we had our last container of it from the freezer on the weekend, and i do quite like having it to fall back on, on days when my heart just isn't in preparing complex stuff!

sunday, we'll both be home together, so i'm hoping to get a bit of grocery shopping done (for the week ahead ;D) and hopefully we'll find some inspiration at the butchers...


what are your plans for the week ahead? cooked anything delicious lately?


the home of meal planning monday

sunday snippets.

joining in with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets again this week.

these are a few pictures from my week.
i hadn't realised just how few pictures i took this week, until i brought them together for this post! it's been a busy one ha ha!



what have you been up to this week?
you could join in over here ;)

grateful.

today, i thought i'd play along with the lovely maxabella, and write a little grateful post.

whenever you're feeling a little down and under the weather (which i am, thank you MASSIVE day at work) it always helps me to get a bit of perspective by having a bit of a think about what i am truly grateful for.



so today i am thankful for my job. some days it is hard (like today) but other days it is fabulous. it also puts food on the table and keeps a roof above our head and enables us to save money in a less than favourable economic climate.
it also gives me something productive to do with my days, putting into perspective how important my time off from work is :D

i'm grateful too, for that brilliant flower above, who could be sad when there's a beautiful bloom (actually several!) like that sitting on the windowsill in your kitchen.

what are you grateful for this week? join in over here!

this moment.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.



playing along with soulemama.

zip-away shopping bag.

i won't lie, this is a post i should've written months ago, MONTHS!

way back at the start of july, nikki, put a call out on her blog for beginner sew-ers to test a pattern that she had been working on, the zip-away shopping bag.
now i'd purchased a few of these in my time, and used them until they fell apart, and then repaired them and used them some more, so it was definitely a pattern i wanted to try out.
plus, i'd read through nikki's book and had it completely blow my mind how little i knew about all things garment and bag sewing.

fast forward a week...



and i had a bag.

now this is not a big pattern. it's not hugely involved in processes but the pattern has SO many tips and tricks that i learned probably close to a billion things.

for instance, see that zip there, i'd never sewn one in before like that, on a curve, but after reading nikki's instructions (a few times, to let them properly sink in) i put it in like a PRO!
pleased with myself was an understatement. until i realised that i'd put the zip in back to front... my fault, not understanding how zips work. but then i put it in again, like a PRO! ha!

in putting in that zip, i learned which foot was the zipper foot for my machine (truth: i've never used anything except the regular one before :S) and i've used it since!
almost all of the super secret hen's night sewing used the zipper foot to get nice, even top stitching.

i also learnt a whole heap of things about interfacings...
as in, i learnt everything i currently know about interfacings...
fast2fuse is some awesome stuff, as is vliesofix! i used both of them in the super secret hen's night sewing :D

in case you're wondering what the bag looks like all zipped up...



it looks like this!
when it's open, the shell of the bag, becomes the base. it's super handy for carrying heavy stuff, milk, juice, a six pack of cider...
i use this bag on a daily basis, and after a few months of use, it's definitely holding up!

i'm really hoping to get a few of these made for presents for christmas! CHRISTMAS, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!

you can get the pattern here here, with only one pattern piece, it's an excellent downloadable pattern :D


have you made anything from a cool pattern recently? or started to get anything written for christmas?