recently...

oops, it's inadvertently been a week since my last post... definitely didn't mean for that to happen, but it did, so let's get caught up!

after bringing home the newest issue of pompom magazine, i realised, i really hadn't given the past two issues a thorough looking over yet...



remedied over breakfast (well begun, let's be honest... the picture, the articles, so much to look at!)
you'd better believe i had my phone sitting next to me and that my ravelry project queue is looking a little healthier! and i even found a project or two to use up a little stash yarn to boot!

winter is definitely here!



frosty, foggy mornings have been in great supply round these parts, and the fire, as well as my collection of winter woollens have been getting a work out!

you might say the nesting instincts are kicking in...



when i got home from melbourne last week, i just HAD to label and alphabetise the spice jars. priority one when it's 6:30pm on a sunday and there's no dinner planned to speak of...
jeez i'm happy they're done though!

a wee catch up lunch with family last week, saw me giving this lemon tart recipe a go.



cathie's recipes are always my faves (i basically know this banana bread one by heart i've made it so many times!), and having tasted these amazing tarts before, i knew it would be a winner!
and oh boy, it was! so simple and easy, particularly for a recipe where you're making pastry and a curd, and so flipping delicious!

last sunday, i met up with some folks and hit up the hand-knitters guild, annual yarn market.



despite telling myself i do not need any more yarn, i walked away with these three beauties. a skein each of merri creek sock and darling road dk from miss click clack and a big ol' ball of a beautiful alpaca/merino/bamboo blend from the alpaca yarn lady.

as well as purchasing yarn i didn't need, i got to hang with a gorgeous group of ladies and have lots of fiber friend catch ups. a great day out!

in my last stint in melbourne, i was so grateful to come home with this gorgeous thing...



a beautiful, suspected handmade, spinning wheel!
gifted to me as it's former owner hadn't used it in a decade or two and wanted to see it go to someone who would love and appreciate it. definitely already ticking those two boxes, even if i haven't quite gotten it back into working order yet... stay tuned folks!

what a thing to come home to after a busy few days away at work!



a little package full of biscuits from the badass biscuit co. i was lucky enough to win these delicious morsels in an instagram competition and boy were they scrumptious!

so that's been pretty much me the last week and a bit, what have you been up to?

my week.

this week saw me purchasing some new shoes! the only shoes i had that were suitable for summer were thongs (or flip-flops) which are NOT suitable for work in the least.
not any longer though as i secured myself this beautiful pair of sandals.
i gave them a test drive yesterday, wearing them all day at work and clocking up well over 10 000 steps in the process. not a blister nor a pinch. love them!

sampson had a super photogenic moment underneath the lamp earlier in the week. i took about a gazillion photos as he stood and posed like a model. it's a wonder what bugs in the lamp will allow me to achieve ha ha!

i whipped myself up this delicious breakfast on friday morning. i'm getting better at this cooking without animal products thing...

i had a whole bag of post to mail out this week! wedding invites are out and everything is feeling a little bit more real now. everyone knows all of the details and a few people have already sent back their rsvps. huzzah for mail!

and on top of all the above awesome stuff, the first rose of the season popped it's little head out.
this was early on in the week so there's quite a few more out too. hopefully i'll be able to keep on top of dead-heading the spent roses, which will keep them blooming all summer!

what did you get up to this week? what's flowering in your garden? what's your favourite thing to have for breakfast?

the craft sessions 2015.

quite a few weekends ago now, i packed up my suitcase and headed off to the yarra valley for the third year of the craft sessions.
i was really REALLY excited to be heading there, a) because i missed out last year, and b) because of the family stuff i had going on at the time.
knowing what i knew about the weekend from my last visit, it would be the perfect remedy for my scattered and grief-stricken brain.
and it did NOT disappoint.



the food, the accommodation, the refreshments, the atmosphere, the PEOPLE!

i feel this year, more so than the first, i got to know a lot more people, a lot better.
there were faces i recognised from year one, and from the past 10 months working in the wool shop, that i connected with a little better, and i tried very hard to not be so painfully shy. quite difficult for a total introvert!

the other reason i was super excited to be heading to the craft sessions was obviously, the workshops!
i picked the most perfect list of workshops this year and was very keen to get stuck in!

first cab off the rank was darning with jules.
i took one of her workshops at the first retreat and loved her manner of teaching, so knew this would be a workshop i would get a whole lot out of.



jules showed us a whole range of darning techniques, to fix a whole range of issues.
strengthening areas of knitting, repairing holes or nicks, even fixing pulled threads. all covered!



being woefully unprepared for my classes, i didn't have the requisite swatches knitted to darn on, so i brought along a couple of pairs of socks that desperately needed some repairs done.
though it made my job a little harder, bb now has a much more functional pair of socks, yippee!

the next workshop i had scheduled was the spinning class on saturday morning.
spinning is something i've been thinking and thinking about, ever since i was gifted a spindle (almost two years ago! eep!) but was always a little too scared to take the plunge.


cheers to karen for this picture.


plunge taken. in safe and guiding hands.
kate and judy were our guides into the world of spinning and provided a whole lot of information on preparing fleece, the best fibers for spinning and how to actually get going and get some yarn spun. they were both absolute vaults of knowledge and i could have sat all day flicking locks of goat fleece and listening to them talk on a subject that they were both clearly very passionate about.

saturday afternoon was free time, with little demonstrations being held on a whole range of topics, as well as a mini-market running with a few stalls.

i quickly drove into the nearest town after lunch to pick up some fabric for my class on sunday (WOEFULLY unprepared!) and hurried back to check out a demonstration of some spoon carving.



i've been completely fascinated with spoon carving ever since kate started posting about it, and am trying to convince bb to give it a go. he's not so keen, but maybe i could squeeze in another hobby myself... nope!

i also popped by the mini-market and picked myself up some goodies...



a couple of skeins of wool (ironically, from the shop that i work in) as well as a GORGEOUS harris tweed pouch from jules (she sells them, and other pretties online here).
the yarn is the same that i used for my featherweight cardigan and i have been swooning over this green colour for months. i don't have a pattern in mind, but i envisage it as something beautiful and drapy, perhaps a shawl of some description...

sunday saw an all-day screen-printing workshop happening with leslie.
again, i had taken a workshop (or two) with leslie on my last visit to the craft sessions, so knew i was in for an excellent day with a lady who knew her stuff!

leslie took us through a multitude of techniques that are used for screenprinting, and then brought it back to home. as in, screenprinting that you can do AT home, using inexpensive and simple items to achieve excellent results.



i had a little trouble at the start of this class as i hadn't thought a lot about what i wanted to print, pattern or design wise...
most of what i came up with was way too complex for the process, so after playing around a little with this simple stencil (above) that lorelei designed and cut, i got into my groove.

we both realised we had loved ones who adored all things star wars, so got to cutting out darth vader motifs. you can see the final results of mine here.

after a break for lunch, i really got into things, cutting out and printing (and printing, and printing) a super secret squirrel wedding project. i was one of the last ones printing at the end of the day ha ha!

everyone gathered for a quick bite of afternoon tea, a few photographs and some sad farewells, and then everyone was on their way, back to reality once more.

is it wrong to be looking forward to next year's retreat already?

a big thank you has to go out to felicia and her ace gang of helpers, anna, claire, jen and martine without whom the event would NOT happen.
they do such an ace job and the whole weekend is an absolutely blissful experience.

have you attended the craft sessions too? or something like it in your neck of the woods?

april.

ok, so we're more than a week INTO april and i haven't even written my monthly intention post yet! oops!!
i've been thinking about it a lot, but a long weekend away in the country saw me having a little too much fun outside and hanging with my family. time well spent me thinks!

now i share a little bit of what i'd been up to in march already, but i'll share what i was up to for the rest of the month too...



making the kitchen pretty while preserving some chillies.
taking walks around my neighborhood, racking up steps to get to 10k steps each day, well most days in march anyway.
hung out with the cutest puppy in the universe, and some most excellent ladies too.
oh, AND, i bought my wedding dress! bb and i got engaged on our anniversary in december last year so now i'm slowly SLOWLY planning bits and pieces to bring it all together. hopefully by our anniversary THIS year. lots to do!

and now for the month ahead?
well i'm playing along with...



and i'm taking the challenge to do a little crafting every day. my crafty to-do list is getting out of control...



so i thought it would prove an opportunity to get it whittled down... now if only i would stop ADDING things to the list ha ha!

last month i didn't quite get to organising mine and bb's birth certificates so that will be high on the priority list for april. especially seeing as now there might be an overseas adventure planned post-wedding. woohoo!

what's on your agenda for this month? are you joining in the 100 days of creativity too?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.

this has been my staple lunch almost every day this week...



a bowl of spinach leaves, some tomato, cucumber, maybe some carrot and a WHOLE lotta goat's cheese. so delicious!

i've made a start on one of my goals for this month...



i'm trying to grow a kombucha mother, so that i can brew my own. it's something i've been reading up on for a little while, and, well, i'm doing it!
it definitely won't be a goal i'll get finished in this month, as it can take up to a month to grow the mother (or scoby as it's also called), and then the fermentation process for a batch takes another couple of weeks... i'll get there though!

sampson has been helping me with my knitting.



or helping me to not knit...

and i bought myself something lovely online which arrived in my postbox on thursday...



i do love brown paper packages, tied up with string.

particularly when they contain...



beautiful vintage dresses! sophie is having a wee instagram de-stash over at her retro adventures. be sure to check it out if you love anything vintage.

how has your week been? do you drink kombucha? what's your favourite thing to have in a salad?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



friday night was spent at finder's keepers and it was the PERFECT way to end the working week. it was lovely to swan around, saying hey to people i knew and checking out everyone's amazing wares. there seemed to be quite a few completely new stalls which was awesome!

post market fun, myself did a friend, headed into the city to grab some dinner...



i had been wanting to go to broth'l since they opened their doors. the idea of a zero waste restaurant is awesome and very well executed.
i loved every second of the experience, trying out kombucha for the first time, and getting to watch our dinner being prepared right in front of us, all the while checking out the shelves of pickles and vinegars and supplies. so awesome!

one of my purchases from the market was put to good use in the sunshine yesterday,



i planted out a bunch of watermelon seeds, and have sussed out the best place to set up the sunflowers as well (everywhere, they're going everywhere!). the beetroot will need a soaking before they go in, and also something to be planted into! i used up all my potting mix supplies repotting all of my rose cuttings, oops!

this guy was sure helpful with my gardening efforts...



jumping out at me while i was pulling weeds, scaring the absolute pants off me! so helpful!

and in slightly annoying news...



my oven is being a crank tank! 2 and a bit hours in the oven yesterday, and this is what i got! harrumph!!!

my sourdough starter has sadly gone BACK into the fridge, after months of getting used daily. not happy jan!
though maybe now i have room in my life to make my own kombucha ha ha!

what have you been up to this week? have you tried kombucha before? or made your own? did you head to finders keepers too?

sunday snippets.

playing along with {tinniegirl} and her sunday snippets.

a few pictures, and some words, summing up the week that just was.



this face has been the reason for radio silence. terribad tension headaches have been keeping me well away from my laptop and blogging. i had posts planned for thursday AND friday but my body just wouldn't co-operate.
rest and recuperation have and will continue to be on the agenda.



what to do when you can't find the tupperware smoothie container for a blueberry breakfast smoothie on the go? use one of the 280394 passata jars in the cupboard of course!
perfect size don't you think?
i'll definitely continue to use a jar for my smoothies as i can't for the life of me find that container!



i got to doing one of my most loathed tasks earlier this week, bra shopping! bleurgh!
thankfully the shop where i went, i (eventually) got fabulous service. always makes life a little easier!



i haven't had a lot of chance to get much f anything done this week, but i started this little swatch at ncb on wednesday night, and managed to get it all done!
it still needs a block but i do so LOVE those colours!

what have you been up to this week? do you suffer from tension headaches too? what are your go-to remedies?

lush love.

looking around at the little clusters of beauty products around the house, in the shower, on my dresser, in the medicine cabinet, i noticed the other day, that everything is getting a little black and white...



with every product i buy, my love for this brand grows and grows!
i love that their products are made fresh, and have an expiry as well as the name of the person that made them.
i love that their packaging is no frills, and non-virgin (meaning that they're made from recycled products) and that they look, well cool.
i also love that they smell amazing! and leave my skin feeling super nice and silky and smooth.



while bb and i were up in sydney, i picked up a few more new (to me) products...
the ultrabland cleanser, which is a cleanser you apply and remove, WITHOUT water, is kind of blowing my mind.
i am known to be very lazy when i'm on my way to bed, i KNOW i should be washing my face before climbing into bed. washing off the day and all that. but generally the last thing i want to do is splash my sleepy self all over with water (no doubt cold, our plumbing is terrible and old!), and get all woken up again!
the ultrabland cleanser solves that problem, it goes straight on, and then is wiped off with a cotton pad or warm flannel (i run one under as hot a water as i can stand, and then wring the living daylights out of it).
it's also super effective at getting rid of make up! i was wearing bright red lip stain the other day, gone in no time! loving it!



the other product i picked up, was the toothy tabs.
they're little tablets that you crunch up with your front teeth, and use instead of toothpaste!
they sounds a bit weird, but they work just as well as toothpaste out of a tube, but without the used tube of toothpaste ending up in landfill!
they come packaged in easily recyclable cardboard, too simple!

oh and don't even get me started on the dream cream... or that eye cream actually, or any other product to be honest. i love them all!

do you love lush? what are your favourite of their products?


EDIT: i realise this post sounds a bit sponsor-y... but it's not sponsored. i've bought all these products with my own coin (with the exception of the shower gel, that was a christmas gift from bb's brother and sister in law. it smells DIVINE by the way). i just seriously adore these products!

flea market finds.

over the weekend, i dragged mum down the road to the kongwak market. it had been an age since i'd been!

we had a quick look around, and i spotted a stall with some vintage suitcases...



and i may have found a one to add to my collection!

but the one that caught my eye...



caught my eye because of what was INSIDE!

this wasn't an empty vintage suitcase...



but was filled with lovely vintage-y picnic gear!

isn't it fabulous?



i'll admit, it all does need a good clean. but it was far too awesome to leave behind!
and i LOVE those little food storers above!

have you ever been to the kongwak market? do vintage suitcases catch your eye? where is your favourite picnic spot?

flea market finds.

some finds that i had actually clean forgotten about!
these were found at a little op shop (a lions one i think), in blackburn, a couple of week ago whilst shopping with brianna.



four pairs of button earrings in four different colours, for the very cheap price of $2! 50 cents a pair! an absolute bargain even though i will most definitely be giving them a good soak in listerine before any of them adorn my earlobes.

plenty more flea market finds with sophie.