My 13 year old!

My 13 year old!, a photo by Whippet Good on Flickr.

My baby has turned 13 - she is growing up to be a gorgeous young lady 

She makes us laugh with witty one-liners 

She frustrates us with Always finding something else to do,other than unpack the dishwasher 

Her love of Dr Who is outstanding and if you get her started on the the intricate plots of the show, you'll be mesmerised

She is a fantastic gift giver and puts a lot of thought and love into her present giving...and her party throwing - she will plan parties months ahead of time. 

She is super smart and not a bad little violin player, when she practices.

She loves to practice her tap dances on our bare wood floors and is a natural at it.

She is loving and kind and a beautiful girl. What more could we want??

(Black Forest Choc Ripple Cake - oh so good!)

Turning 12

DD2 just became 12 years old - this is what she looks like...

G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S inside and out

Nuff with the paparazi!

4 days before party - DD2 asks how the Dr Who cake is going?  Oh, bummer, forgot about that!  A quick online search and 2 images picked, email sent, a couple of calls, confusion of time and space then Voila!

One Dr Who Cake - weird angle makes DT look quite evil!  It even has its own 'Crack in Time'

This was a bit of a bugger to get on the cake nicely, I have to say - not as easy as they say it is!

(this was a Cherry Choc Cake - recipe from here - but it sank amazingly in the middle so I filled the middle with Morello cherries and Choc ganache and then covered the lot with the edible picture)

Still Yum - phew!

Teppanyaki was so much FUN!!!!  (anyone notice the Birthday Hat - Fezzes are Cool!)

Some egg tossing....

Some omelette catching....

This was the (1st) Party Cake  - this cake topper was really good - much happier with this one - on a Choc Hazelnut Sponge (store bought - yes! that's fine!!)

All the kids took a piece home - "I'll have Matt Smith's nose"..

.."the Tardis for me please"...

."I'll have David Tennant's hair...and his lips" (that was DD2)...

Sydney here I come!

SIT or Sew It Together is happening this weekend ie starting Friday (when all good weekends should start!!)

Beautiful humid Sydney is hosting the show this year - I am flying up at Friday lunchtime, stitching with Prints Charming in the afternoon, dinner somewhere TBA, then Saturday bonanza crafting session which includes a Workshop of the elusive 60 degree triangle (by Material Obsession gals), giveaways, goodie bags - oh the goodies we get!!, food, drink, chat, sew, chat, sew, chat, sew, then a great meal for all of us at the Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe - Cheers!!

Sunday sees some of us on a bus to Material Obsession's new shop - a beauty I am told and I cannot wait to see some of Kathy's creations!!

Then a flight back home in the arvo to collapse at home.

I have made 5 things for the Sample Swap, where we get into groups of 6, (do a little shuffle), and swap our homemade pressies!

I have made Infinity Scarves from AMH voile - super super easy and really effective

This is me wearing all 5 - not that you would!

This is Wendy's name tag for SIT - we were too lazy to get in the official swap, so we decided to do our own - requirements are: handmade, colours of chocolate and/or citrus (food oriented here) & about 9cm size - little baa lamb has to be glued on the side before it goes. 

Pear Ginger & Caramel cake made for a birthday arvo tea at my place (cos it was my birthday - I had a truly lovely day!)  

Not so pretty once it is demolished, but oh so good!!!

Some red jewels..

Some tree bark after the rain

 A vintage Italian silk dress conversion....but the icky white buttons MUST go....

 Some red jewelled buttons discovered at the Camberwell Market, where else but at the Button Lady's stall! She picked these out for me and were the Per-Fect match!

Buttons sewn on, while relaxing outside on a Sunday arvo, listening to the garden sounds and the kitchen sounds of children baking...

Sorry - Banana cake all gone!!

Retro tin from op-shop, in my secret fave op-shop district - can't tell you - may have to maim you if I do)

If you really want to know, just ask hehe!

Dinos and darlings

 A pressie for a nephew/cousin, made with love by (mostly) DD1 & DD2 and (a little bit ) me - pattern by Melly and Me 'Dilbert'

We tweaked it a little (ie can Never follow a pattern to its end, so we wing it!)
Scales much much bigger than pattern states, cos I don't have teeny tiny fingers to be able to turn such pieces inside out - who does??)

I am actually shocked, yes shocked that the inner piece, when finally sewn together, does produce this 3d shape.

I have no clue when it comes to 3d patterns - that's the best reason why I stick with quilting!!

A tradition much loved and asked for is the building of a gingerbread house!
Totally too much sugar!
Totally unnecessary!
Totally wrong hemispheric inference of snow topped roofs!!

But we don't care!  We all get a side to do:

DD2 long thought over picture - I rather like the sleeting of snow look amid the giant butterflies. The 'less is more' approach is really a good thing!

DD1's side - clever bird feathers and shutters and window boxes:

The completed business:  Love the little map of Australia to the side - not posed I promise!!

A very merry Christmas day to everyone out there - thanks for reading and watching and caring about me and  the silly stuff I make - my heart goes out to you and yours and hope that you feel and know and give Love, the best way you can!

I have a little hole in my heart this Christmas - my darling girl Sabrina was put to sleep on Monday.  She was 16 1/2 years old!! - a fantastic Abyssinian cat with not a mean bone in her body, who loved a cuddle and a head rub more than anything else in the world.  I loved her very much. She will be greatly missed.

Whirly Girls are Go!

 Do you remember this little bird I showed you awhile back?

One became many....

Many became a million....

The Whirlys were quilted in a really fun squiggle.....

and covered a child....oops not truly a child....but one who has become a TEENAGERrrrrrrrrrrr!

The back - my all time favourite toile......

On a dull Summer day????... not great lighting for true subject exposure, but you get the drift....

The TEENAGERrrrrrrrrr hiding...

more hiding......

ah got you!.....

no way Mum!......

 ...we are running!!!....

The masterpiece gets dumped on the bed.....typical TEENAGERrrrrrrrr!

Lots of v.v. gorgeous and sweet TEENAGERrrrrrrrrrrrs!

Cake made by moi - chocolate shortcrust pastry filled with choc ganache and covered in very grownup chocolates.....oh my it was good!

I think the recipe is from here (can't quite remember...called the Forest Gump Tart cos 'life is like a box of chocolates'..... loving this range of cookbooks by Valli Little- great photography (not the bare minimum I find Donna Hay photos contain) and yummy yummy stuff - simple but good, easy ingredients and fun! What more could you ask for?