This is....my favourite thing from nature

Beth chose a fantastic This is theme this week and a couple of things came to mind immediately....

Number 1: Fresh air, blue skies and sunshine....

Number 2: Gum trees

Thankyou Beth!

This is......my favourite quote

Well it's a difficult theme to think of this week......I've been racking my brain for 24 hours and nothing has popped into my head. I just don't really have a favourite quote.

Instead, I have the next best thing....a little nugget of advice that I give to anyone who is a bit whingy or whiney -

Life is really short.... savour it, and make the most of while you still can.

Don't waste energy on negativity..... you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Thankyou Strawberry Kisses and Three Buttons.....

This is.....a favourite recipe I would like to share - UPDATED

This weeks 'This is' theme has perfect timing as This is what I'm taking along to Nico's birthday party today. Every aussie kid (and adult) loves chocolate truffle balls and they're super simple to make....no cooking, just lots of sticky coconutty fun!

Ingredients:
1 packet of Marie or Malt biscuits (I prefer Malt) - packet is 250 grams
125 grams dessicated coconut
50 grams cocoa powder
1 390g tin of condensed milk

Extra coconut and / or hundreds & thousands to roll the truffles at the end

Crush the biscuits in the food processor (you can also do this by hand but it's messy).
Tip the crushed biscuits into a large mixing bowl.
Add the coconut and cocoa powder and mix it all together.
Add the tin of condensed milk and make sure to mix it in really well.
Roll into little chocolately balls and then dip in coconut or hundreds and thousands or both!

These will keep for a few days in the fridge in an airtight container but they don't usually last long enough to bother!

Don't forget to visit Angela if you'd like to play along each week.....


Update for any international readers:
Marie and Malt biscuits are the really plain sweet biscuits that are often used in cooking. They're the same type of biscuit that we use to make the base of a cheesecake.
US Readers - check Murali's comment regarding Graham Crackers

Hundreds and Thousands are also known as sprinkles, or jimmies. They're used on fairy bread or cakes.

This is.....what I'm suprised I like

This weeks theme is from Victoria over at Earl and Cookie and it's a very tricky one....

I've been racking my brain all morning trying to think of something interesting.

Anyone that knows me also knows that I have an absolute hatred of eating anything green and leafy...but for some weird reason, I actually like baby spinach. I think the first time I tried it was when it was part of the filling in a lamb and pinenut burger. I was suprised that I didn't have to spit it out! Weird but true.

For more of this is...head over and have a sqiuzz right here.

This is....the filmclip

Ok so I really should have included this is my earlier post....thanks Sel!

Simple Minds were the back up for my favourite band INXS at The Palais a couple of years ago and when they played this song, the entire crowd sang along word for word...it was MAGIC!

This is...my favourite movie(s) of all time

I've been thinking and debating about this one for days....

I don't really watch movies any more, as I never really have the patience to sit down for two hours to dedicate to watching. All of the latest things I've seen have been kids movies when I've taken my nephew to the cinema. The only movies I've watched this year are Don't Mess with the Zohan and Wall-E. But of course, I have heaps and heaps of favourites from the 80's and 90's.

I've decided to pick my favourite Aussie movie of all time and my favourite overall movie of all time.

My favourite Aussie movie of all time would have to be The Man from Snowy River. I fell in love with Tom Burlinson and I wanted to go and live in the mountains and ride horses and chase brumbies. It's definitely one of those movies that gives you goosebumps....and the music is magical.

I also had the chance to go and see the Arena Spectacular a few years ago...which was amazing!

My overall favourite movie of all time has to be this classic from the 80's....The Breakfast Club.

I must have watched it at least 100 times. We could all sit in the loungeroom and recite the dialogue all the way through the movie. It was on TV1 on Friday night and I watched the first half hour....and I still remember the words.

Back in the 80's, I took absolutely no notice of the serious message of the film, which was to not judge other people by their stereotype. I wouldn't mind watching it again now just to see if I missed anything else during the first 100 viewings!

Thanks so much to Hollie for inspiring a little bit of 80's nostalgia this week and to Angela for hosting....

This is.....my current reading material

Even though I love reading novels, I have a really really short attention span, so I tend not to bother even trying. The only exception to this is during a hospital appointment that I have every four weeks where I'm forced to sit in a chair and not move for three to four hours. I always dedicate this time to reading and listening to my MP3 player.....

So this months pick was Eat Pray Love. My sister gave it to me to read, and I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of it. It might have just been the wrong time in my life to be reading about someone else's self indulgent life journey after a break up. I found the middle section really long winded and boring. I had to keep re-reading because I was daydreaming instead!

This is the only magazine left that I subscribe to (other than Mixtapezine of course). I had to cancel all the others because my house was being swamped by magazines. I was also tending to notice that after subscribing to the high end home magazines for about 5 years, they tended to re-run the same sorts of stories over and over each year...so I scrapped them all.

Other than that, I have about 150 blogs in my favourites to read each day....

Thanks to My Champagne Dreams for picking this weeks theme....and of course, head on over to Three Buttons to see who else is playing along.

This is....my favourite kitchen gadget

Sharon has picked a great one this week....I've wandered around the kitchen and had a think about it. I was thinking that the food processor might be my favourite. I can mix a cake batter in it, grate vegetables to hide in other foods (yes I have to hide the vegies for myself or I won't eat them), it can mince things up to a pulp, and I can throw it all in the dishwasher at the end.

But then I had a think about the most essential thing that happens in my kitchen on a daily basis....drinking coffee. I have this whizz bang machine on the bench but I'm usually too lazy to actually use it.....

So, the hands down winner for me is the humble coffee plunger. Single cup size when it's just for me, multi-cup size for when I have company...along with my favourite coffee...Vittoria Espresso.

It means I can make good coffee in a flash...and that's a great thing!

For more players, head on over and visit Angela....and a huge thanks to Sharon for being a fabulouso fill in hostess.

This is.....show off time

Wowee Katie picked a hard one this week!

I've been trying to think of something that's sort of arty or crafty related.....this is a little bit lame but it's the best I could do.

Twenty years ago (sheesh I'm feeling old right now), my design was chosen as the front cover of the annual school magazine. This was back in the days before computers, and in the days of the very old photocopiers so everything had to be hand-drawn in black fineliner pen.

1988 was the bi-centennial year, hence the tall ship and the whales. I find the whole thing quite amusing now....I still have 2 copies of the magazine that I been dragging around for the last 20 years.

For more of This is, check out Angela's blog...and of course you should go and visit the lovely Sharon who has been doing a fabulous job filling in while Angela has been away.

This is.....what I want to be when I grow up

I didn't want to miss Cindy's theme this week, and my 'This is' is really simple.

When I grow up, I just want to be healthy and happy....nothing more, that's plenty good enough for me.

A very special thanks to everyone who left me a message or sent me an email this week. I haven't been able to reply to everyone personally, but please know that I really appreciate all the love and support from everyone in blogland. I'm hoping my blogging and crafting mojos return very soon.

This is......what I do with a spare 10 minutes

If I have a spare ten minutes and if I'm not blogging, or reading other blogs then........

.....you'll find me sitting at the kitchen bench cutting things up and glueing and stitching things together. I have lots and lots of projects cut out but not many actually sewn together (that's when I start procrastinating).......
The kitchen bench is now constantly in a state of disarray, but it's extremely handy because I can instantly plop myself on a stool and get into something crafty immediately.

Thankyou Liesl for such a fab theme this week, and to Sharon for filling in while Angela is on her overseas jaunt!

Oh...and I'd probably have a cup of tea in that 10 minutes too!

This is.......my mixtape

This is....my favourite band of all time.

Oh where to begin.... we could be here for a while!

So I will begin at the very first memory....... it was 1987 and I was in Year 8. My best friends older brother had a licence, and was allowed to drive his mum's mission brown station wagon to pick us up after school. Each and every day, he had the same tape playing in the tape deck.... INXS KICK.

At that stage, I was actually infatuated with Bros (does anyone actually remember them), but it didn't take long before I headed down to the local record shop (before cd's were invented for any youngens reading along), and bought my first ever album with my own money....

So that's when my secret infatuation with Michael Hutchence began, although Jon Farris was (and still is) also a hottie.

Above photo is me with my albums in 1991

In 1990, INXS realeased X (which I also bought on record) and that was probably about the time when I decided to go backwards and collect all of their earlier albums too. It probably took me a year (mainly because I lived in a country hick town miles away from anywhere) so it was only when I was in big towns like Bendigo or Melbourne that I could search the record shops for old albums. I eventually found all of them except for Dekadance.

I also bought anything else I could find relating to members of INXS like the MaxQ album, Dogs in Space movie, video specials, books etc.....

Photos of my bedroom wall in 1991 or 1992 when they were covered in INXS posters.

But of course, the best thing about an obsession with a band is the very first concert. My first ever concert was Jimmy Barnes at the Glasshouse (that's if you don't count Humphrey B Bear back in the 70's) and my second was INXS at The Tennis Centre just after my 17th birthday.

I had to make a deal with my best friend at the time who hated INXS. She would only come to the concert with me, if I agreed to go to see AC/DC with her. We lived in a country hick town with no way of even buying tickets for the concert, so luckily my auntie who lived in Melbourne agreed to buy the tickets for us. We had to catch the V-Line train to Melbourne (about a 4 hour trip) and we stayed at my aunties house.

Original 1991 tickets are still in the photo album..... Looking at the tickets now, I'm just realising what crappy seats we had for INXS (upper KK) when compared to AC/DC (lower E). I was so excited about the concert that I never even realised.

My second INXS concert was 3 years later....Mr CurlyPops and I went to see them at Festival Hall in 1994 (obviously ticket sales had dropped quite a bit to go from selling out 4 shows at the Tennis Centre in 1991 back to 2 shows at Festival Hall in 1994) .

We were planning to buy tickets for the 1997 concert but never got around to it.... then of course, the tour was cancelled a week before it started .

What came next was Rockstar INXS in 2005 and the band chose JD as their new frontman. We went to the concert at the Palais in September 2006 (can't find my tickets) and then again in March 2007.

Of course it's not the same without Michael, but JD is still a great frontman.

I even managed to find my old concert t-shirts (with paint splatters on them). The one on the left (1991) is now 17 years old and the one on the right (1994) is now 14 years old.

I've moved over 20 times and de-cluttered every time but the only collection that I've ever kept are my INXS goodies.

Thankyou to Sharon for filling in for Angela and letting me choose this weeks theme....it was a lovely wander down memory lane for me. I'm heading off to check whether I'm the only obsessed music fan in blogland!

This weeks 'This Is'

As you probably already know, Angela is heading off on her first overseas trip, so Sharon from Handmaiden is filling in as the 'This Is Hostess with the Mostess'. I must say I was very chuffed when she asked me to nominate this weeks theme.

Not long ago, Jess had a giveaway on her blog and to enter you had to leave a comment about your first ever concert you went to, or the first ever album you bought. I loved reading all the comments she received....it was quite hilarious! So, that's the inspiration for this weeks theme which is:

This is my absolute favourite band of all time

I want to know all about it....when did you first hear their music? Which albums did you buy (on vinyl or tape or cd)? Which concerts did you go to? Which crappy overpriced souvenirs were you seduced into buying? Were you in love with the lead singer, or the guitar player, or the drummer? Did they have tight acid wash jeans and bad 80's hair? Did they mime or actually sing (very big question in the 80's)?

Maybe even include a Mixtape of your favourite songs too so we can all share!

Can't wait for Sunday!

This is......my favourite fabric/craft supplies store

1. 101 things, 2. pillowcase 4, 3. trims, 4. sheet, 5. trims close up, 6. pillowcase 2, 7. pillowcase, 8. zips, 9. Complete crafts book, 10. plate set, 11. Vinnies 050208, 12. buttons, 13. Op shop 2 19032007, 14. Op shop 19032007, 15. fabric & book, 16. trims, 17. op shop finds, 18. vinnies yarn, 19. vinnies fabric, 20. teatowels, 21. tablecloths, 22. oppy - fabric & zips, 23. oppy - felt scraps, 24. Vinnies goodies

My absolute favourite fabric/craft supplies shop definitely has to be the Op Shop. I love the excitement of rummaging through the piles of stuff and searching for the gold. Then there's the flicking through all of the clothes on the racks and imagining them being refashioned into handbags, kids clothes, softies, or blankies. This week I found a large corduroy mens shirt for $1 which has enough fabric in it to make a pair of kiddies pants and a large womens denim skirt also for $1 which has enough fabric for a pair of kiddies jeans. You could never buy the fabric at that price. The oppy is also a great place to find bargain zips but it's much harder to find buttons.

For lovely new kids fabrics, my favourite place is the Retromummy Shop and for arty/crafty supplies, my new favourite place is Moopoo Art Supplies. I also love wandering around the aisles of the local hardware shop (especially in the nuts/bolts/washers department) and imagining what I could make....I also always check out the mistints in the paint department (you never know what you'll find for a bargain price) .

Thanks so much to Sharon from Handmaiden for such a fun theme this week and of course head on over to visit Angela at Three Buttons to play along!

This is.......my favourite childrens book

It was really really hard to choose just one.....so I managed to choose this 3-in-1 book.

I always loved Enid Blyton books when I was younger but these three classics are my absolute all time favourites. I always wanted to live at the top of the Faraway Tree too....

There are also some honourable mentions that I cannot forget:

• Roald Dahl - The Twits
• Sue Townsend - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4

Ahhhhh...memories....

Thanks to Pottymouthmama for this weeks fab theme and to Angela for hosting!

This is......how I like to spend my weekend

Given my current job / work / life status, my weekends are not that much different than weekdays, except that Mr CurlyPops is home with me!



He always makes me a nice cup of coffee when I get out of bed and then we usually decide what to do for the day. Of course, I love to do something crafty while he usually wants to do something sporty!

Today, we did a little bit of shopping, including a trip to Moopoo Art Supplies to pick up some lino (I bought lino cutters last week but forgot the lino). There's a Moopoo review that I wrote over at Craft City Melbourne.

We also stopped at the sewing machine shop where I picked up a new little toy for my machine.

I haven't actually unpacked it yet so I have no idea if it's any good.

We also went to Mitre 10 for him!

This just looks like a big pile of mess at the moment, but tonight I've been making some brooches from vinyl, leather, felt, and vintage buttons.

Now I have to pack up all of my sewing supplies because I'm off to a girlfriends house tomorrow for some sewing while Mr CurlyPops is at the footy.

It's ended up being the the perfect weekend.....crafty for me, sporty for him....everybody's a winner!

Thanks to the Bird Bath for the ace theme and of course head over to Three Buttons to see who else is playing along.

This is......a work in progress

I'm almost too scared to post about works in progress...... there are lots of things that have been half finished and tucked away somewhere safe, never to be seen again.

I wandered around the house and only took photos of the works in progress that were easy to find.

WIP number 1 - pinky reddy scarf - knitting completed but I can't find the last ball of yarn to make tassels for the ends.

WIP number 2 - apron with hand stitched flowers. The hand stitching through the white vinyl became boring very quickly. I've only stitched 2 complete flowers so far.

WIP number 3 - Small bag for oxygen tubing - the bag is so small that I can't stitch the opening section together on the sewing machine - relegated to the hand sewing pile a few months ago.

WIP number 4 - toddler size bibs - I actually can't remember why I didn't finish these (obviously something far more exciting came along).

WIP number 5 - Baby size bibs - I still haven't completed these for a friend who had a baby two weeks ago. Another friend had another baby boy on Friday. I need to make more bibs pronto.

WIP number 6 - Baby bottle cover - this was the first prototype - I'm not happy with it - it was relegated to the 'try again after re-design' pile.

WIP number 7 - this is a handbag that I promised to make for my mum about 2 years ago. The outer is finished, the inner is finished (it even has the magnetic snap attached). All I need to do is to stitch the 2 layers together and add a strap. Maybe I should actually finish this one.

WIP number 8 - another scarf with the yarn that I bought from Clegs. One ball down, two balls to go.

WIP number 9 - This was part of my mosaics phase from about 5 years ago.

WIP number 10 - Also from my mosaics phase circa 2003.

WIP number 11 - Ditto 2003.

I'm sure I could find more if I searched a bit deeper!

Thanks to Debbie from Kept in a Jar for such an enlightening (or WIP load lightening) 'This is' theme this week. Head on over to visit Angela to see who else is playing along!