Tagged part five

I'm not very tall, 5'5" or 165cm and I wouldn't mind being a bit taller then I wouldn't need to take the hems up on new pants so often and my legs would look thinner! My dad wouldn't have kept telling me "You have ducks disease...........your bums too close to the ground" for my entire life until he passed away 7 years ago. The main reason he used to say this is because my little sis is 5'10" or 178cm and looks like she has legs right up to her armpits.............sigh! Very quickly I am also becoming the shortest in my own family, only Darling Daughter is yet to zoom past me, Surfer Boy just looks down and gloats of late. I shot this lovely leggy photo this afternoon in the light of the setting sun down at the beach. Don't you wish all the mirrors in change rooms were like this!

If you have just started reading my blog you might like to click on 'Tagged' in the labels list to the right to learn a little more about Plain Jane as it is taking me quite sometime to find 8 interesting facts about myself.

Felting fun

I quickly snapped these before and after shots this morning. These are a quick little project that uses up my scraps from my bag designing and also allows me a space for trialling new techniques and then I get to sell them at our local store. Something handmade in our village for the tourists or lovely locals made from 100% Australian wool. Do you like my new tags? I made them all by myself, new printer arrived this week and I have worked out how to feed in A5 card stock and print both on the front and a little blurb on the inside.

Green with envy........just a little bit

Why you ask? My little sister is in New Zealand and I'm not with her. When we were young we lived in Auckland, New Zealand from 1979 until the end of 1984. I completed my high schooling over there and still keep in contact with a handful of special friends and have visited twice in the last 20 years. Little sis has never been able to return until this week and I am so pleased and excited for her. She has gone over to spend some time with her two very special school friends for just one week and the very cute bags above are their special pressies. I still haven't dug out my Better Homes and Gardens mag and made myself one, apparently it only takes about 1 1/2 hours to whip one up. I know Andrea and Adrienne will love their bags and I can't wait to see some photos of our old home town. I know I have a few kiwi readers, would love to hear from you!

Turnover a new leaf

My latest creation for a class next term. A little holdall for knitters and sewers so you have all those small bits and pieces at hand when you sit down to do a little finishing or to take out with you when you join your group wherever they meet. I have incorporated a small amount of hand embroidery and then simple piecing and finishing techniques for a fun, quick project.

I made this little turnover in the last couple of days and it was so nice to sit and embroider and then work on my lovely machine 'Nina' (short for Bernina), you forget how much you enjoy things until you make time and sit and do. Make something today girls, you won't regret the time spent creating, it energises and rejuvenates! Forget the beauty parlour just sit and sew.............or knit............or whatever is your thing.

Life is like a box of chocolates

The way to my heart is a simple one.................chocolate, as many of my good friends already know! Over the last couple of months I have met a new group of women as their beginner patchwork teacher and we have formed lovely friendships within this group. Yesterday was our last lesson and the students have almost completed the tops of their very first quilts and they are truly beautiful and their workmanship is so high, well done to you all. In my teaching life I have been rewarded constantly with seeing students turning out great works with a little guidance and it really does feel good when you can impart knowledge, but a box of chocolates from my class just made my day yesterday. Thank you to you all, I have so enjoyed our small group and the opportunity to get to know you all. I will await your completed quilt photos eagerly.

Blog love

Now quite a few weeks back Nan at Nannybird Crafts sent me a comment to tell me she loved my blog and I was so thrilled that she thinks that much of my blog to let me know. I have to apologise to Nan for not doing something about posting it. I am very slack.

Nan told me she has a "girl crush" on me and this made me Laugh Out Loud (LOL), there should be more of this sort of laughter every day. I have to say I have read Nan's blog for quite some time and she is very resourceful when making her bags, she is the green queen or bags, hers are made from recycle shopping bags or magazines, inspiring. Take a look for yourselves.

The real reason I haven't attended to this post earlier was that I didn't know how to post the picture, today the penny has dropped and I know how to do this post. Now I can also tell you that Dee over at The Daily Stitch had also told me I was a Rockin' Girl Blogger a very long time ago. Dee and I communicate most days, it has been really interesting hearing all about her life in a very different part of the world and she is a very prolific sock and dishcloth knitter.



Thank you Dee and Nan for your kind words and for promoting my humble little blog of mostly textile stuff and a lot of family life stuff. Now I have a few favourites that I read most days and as the girls above are already taken then I will find a few new ones for you all to check out.

Listed in no particular order, just how they spring to mind today.

Lisa of Pink Lemonade Boutique is a big favourite because she is a bag lady like myself and we share the same name as do our daughters.

Becky-Dee of The Sleepy Knitter is a high school girl living in another Australian state who is a fabulous knitter and designer who will be published later in the year, she reminds me of myself when I was that age................a long time ago!

Levin at I Wannabe Crafty is a very creative mum who just wants some time to be crafty, join the club Levin, there aren't enough days in the week ever so just jam the days full.

Abby at Bliss......by luv Abby this girl used to live underground in a dugout and I'm still waiting for the pics now she has moved to the same state as me and is living above ground. She has two blogging sisters that you can also check out Jelly Wares who sews for her gorgeous daughter, also Pretty in Pink she just got married and now needs to post some photos!

Claudine at Knitting Box is another Australian blogger who is a beautiful knitter and retro style sewer and her blog is lovely to read.

I hope you are all happy now that I have pointed you to some new blogs to read? Let me know what you think. If you are one of the loved blogs of mine please take one of the pics and post it on your blog with some of your favourite reads, this makes the blogging world go round.

Half my life almost

This is what arrived this week now that it is 2 decades since Dear Husband and I saw each other for the first time. We met in our final year at Uni while we were both doing practical placements as part of our courses. In some respects that only seems like yesterday and then when you think about all that we have done since then it seems like a lifetime ago. In my case it is almost half my life!

These flowers are mostly Australian natives and South African proteas, they are a few days old now but they are the most beautiful flowers, so large and perfect. They are so very interesting to peer at, you can understand why the birds and the bees are fascinated with them.

Little charmers

Only a mother could love this pair! Cheeky little blighters. This photo was taken late last century, now that sounds like a long time ago. There is a small cave down at the beach and the kids loved hanging out down there when they were small. Must take them down there one of these days and take a more up to date photo, maybe they won't fit in there anymore!

Charming

Nothing much to do with textiles. I have just spent several hours installing a new all-in-one print/copier/scanner and was trying it out. My husband took this photo with his old Pentax SLR camera in India more than 20 years ago and I have always loved it. This was trip spelled the end of Dear Husbands photography hobby, he had the beloved camera stolen from his backpack that was between his knees while he was travelling in India, never to be seen again. This photo was suffering with the ravages of time so scanning and saving it will preserve it for our family.

The kids had taken this bundle of photos to school a few years back for show and tell and I found them still together in an envelope so thought you might like to see them. India looks fascinating to me but I don't think I will ever visit.

Boho bag

Little sis emailed me these photos this afternoon. I had told her of this little dilly bag pattern in the latest (August?) Better Homes and Garden magazine and thought she would like it. Well she must have because here it is all finished and ready for an outing. She has used Anna Maria Horner's gorgeous Bohemian fabric, love it. Now I will have to drag my mag out and make one for myself.

Fibres, Felting and Kaffe

Another felted project finally finished. Something different for me, it's usually knitted and felted bags, this time I have made a journal cover with page marker using a dry felting technique. I used wool roving, wool felt and worked a very simple needle-felted design onto it, embellished with some hand embroidery. I have used one of my favourite Kaffe fabrics for sashing and lining. This is to be an introductory class in the basics of needle-felting, hope the girls like it and enjoy playing with fibre as much as I do. This is a nice simple gift for almost anyone, especially for people like me who likes to write down my patterns as I knit or quilt.

Statistics............boring you might say

I am finding it very interesting collecting statistics about you the readers of this blog. I began collecting new data with Statcounter last month and I will share the last month with you. There have been 1392 pageloads and to my amazement 861 unique visitors and 558 of them are new visitors and 303 are then returning for another look! Here is a demo page of what Statcounter can provide for you free.

It is very gratifying to know that my visitors like what they see and return for more. I must say I really do enjoy blogging and would recommend it to anyone who wants motivation that comes from writing down daily events and thoughts. This blog is a Blogger blog and it's also free, take a minute and have a quick tour, you can do this too!

Now most of you know I live in the land downunder but the visitors I've had at this blog are worldwide and from the most obscure places. Click on the map logo at the bottom of my blog page and you can see for yourself.

This blog has just passed it's 6 month anniversary and I think that might be cause for some celebration or at least an excuse to show off a knitted and felted champagne tote! Sorry you can't all share the contents with me but thank you to all my readers and commenter's you make my days so much better. Here's to you, cheers.

I told you it was spring

Spied this little family earlier in the week when I went walking without my camera.........isn't it always the way! Sadly they did have 5 little ones then. This water looks disgusting but it must provide a nice picnic lunch for them. Not a great photo as it was very shady but if you click on it it will improve.

How do they know

Seagulls are amazing they always appear from nowhere when they smell chips. Dear Husband and I went for a ride on Sunday and sat on a beach eating prawn cutlets and chips and we were yelled at by this little fellow until we shared with him! We ended up riding 19.5km but not far enough to burn up all the calories from our lunch I'm sure but it was yum. I hopped off my bike at the front gate and heard air rushing and looked down and my front tyre was instantly flat, glad this didn't happen during our ride. The seam of the tube was split open, don't know how and don't know why, maybe the extra weight it was carrying after lunch!!

Old or new

Here are some of the more interesting patterned pieces of old china I have found, just cleaned them up a bit and they are laying out drying off. Does anyone recognise these patterns or know their possible age? Might have to go and check with a local antiques dealer. They look like old designs to me and they appear aged because they have been tossing around in the water and along the shore for goodness knows how long. I don't expect to find a whole piece but the variety of patterns and the 'hunt' just keeps me going and I'm outdoors walking!

Click on the photo for a closer inspection please.

Cotton soft

This is Dee at The Daily Stitch's fault, now I'm knitting cloths. I think their real purpose is in the kitchen but I think they make a great washcloth for the face and body. I have knitted two plainish square ones then I found this pattern and gave it a go. Fun to knit but I don't like the bulky join line between the first and last segments. Maybe will have to investigate grafting garter stitch to solve this.

I am using up a supply of double knit mercerised cotton that I have had in a box for about 15 years, it's made in Brazil and lovely and soft. Not self striping or interesting like the lovely cotton Dee uses but it works. Here is the Knitting Pattern Central free dishcloth list from which I have chosen my patterns, don't think I will run out of ideas anytime soon!

Buried treasure

Been having fun down at the river finding remnants of the past inhabitants of our area. I've been wondering about all the names on the monument at the old cemetery but have never known what there lives would have been like. They obviously had a variety of pottery and china and some is even beautifully decorated with colour. Why is it where I found it? Who knows but I am sure enjoying scrounging around in the sunshine.

I see a Rainbow

Here is another fabulous backyard photo from the Curly One. I am sitting here right now listening to these very noisy Rainbow Lorikeets squabbling over spring nectar, there is more than enough for all of them I'm sure! Below is a photo I took 3 days ago while hanging out the washing, this guy was all puffed up squawking to try and keep hold of his territory. He spotted me up on a wall poking the lens of my camera over the fence and he wasn't pleased and I missed out on a good photo unlike Curly One's beautiful shot. She'll be annoyed and embarrassed that I blogged her photo but I am just envious and wish that I had taken it. Humble apologies Curly One! Click on the above photo to really appreciate the beauty of these gorgeous birds.

I'm seeing red...........

and I like it..............a lot! Washed and wet but I wanted you to see it straight away. I can't wait to use this one, now I'm planning the summer wardrobe in my head around a bag??? You have to start somewhere.........might as well be a new bag that begins the ball rolling. Click on the photo for a close up look.......just don't look at the dust on the furniture. You know it's a well known fact that creative right brain people are hopeless at house keeping...........it's true!

Red liner

This light khaki and red bag has turned out just like I wanted, it will be fairly small and easy to throw over your shoulder. It is in the machine now and has so far felted up beautifully. Now I need to make some new a-line skirts ready for summer fun.

Fun recycling today

Found this fun little idea yesterday over at Etsy Labs. It's simple, just fuse flimsy shopping bags together with your iron between baking paper and then you can make it up into whatever you need. I needed a new pencil case to keep things tidy in my knitting bag here it is. Not perfect but it was a quick little project that I thought I would pass on to you all. Love to see what you do with the idea!

I love Sundays at home

A green bag for spring, it's a lovely grey/green a bit like our frost bitten grass, but I have some good ideas for embellishing it to give it a very stylish look. More later as usual.

Surfer Boy the salmon catcher. All the local boys have been out surfing for hours today and they spotted the salmon running so they raced home grabbed some fishing tackle and caught some. It must be fun to be a teenage boy around here so much to do and mostly perfect weather for doing it. What childhood should be, fun! Did you notice Surfer Boy's new bike, a PUCH bicycle made in Austria, he loves it mainly because he found it on a council roadside collection heap. All the boys found 'new' old bikes perfect for dumping in the dunes with no fear of them being stolen while they are busy catching a wave.

Spring is really here and nature is doing it's thing to get rid of those winter blues. Dear Husband has been out in the garden all day having a lovely time whippering, clippering, mowing and blowing and the yard looks good.

Two sinks full of gorgeous fresh picked greens from my vege garden. I've just finished a quick blanching, when they are cooled they can be popped into the freezer for later use.

Lawnmowers

Now this is for the overseas readers or you city dwellers. Spotted these guys on my way home from netball this afternoon. They were having a lovely time mowing someones back lawn. Wish I could have gotten a little closer but they are wild and I'm sure they would have bounded away as they certainly had there eyes on me utilising my cameras maximum zoom to snap them. The drought has brought much of our wildlife in closer and spring lawn growth is just so irresistible.

You've got mail

I collected our mail today and both the pets had mail! Very cute postcards from their vet reminding them they need to come in for their annual checkups and vaccinations. As you can see this really does look like our Miss Puss and the dog is a blend of our dear old departed Dalmatian and our current third hand Jack Russell who is fast becoming a senior citizen. I had to share their mail with you because it brought a smile to my dial today.

Our coat hanger

On my way to town today I stopped and took a photo of what remains of the quarry where the stones for the four piers of the Sydney Harbour Bridge where blasted from. The granite was shipped down the river and then up the coast to Sydney. We as a family have climbed the SE pier to the observation area which is a fantastic view of the harbour and city surrounds. As I pulled up at the locked gates a wild cat sprinted off into the quarry, wish I could have gotten a bit closer to the beautiful granite but this is the best I could do with my zoom through wire mesh!

One day we will climb to the top of the bridge with Bridge Climb, apparently this an even more spectacular view. I didn't take the black and white photo of the bridge with the Opera House in the background but it is a lovely photo showing the four stone piers.

Almost ready

Look what I spied this morning, nearly ready for eating! It is so satisfying growing your own veges and they taste so much better. With the predicted high price of summer vegetables I think we will all have to start growing our own and organising within our neighbourhood some vege bartering. Back to the good old days of self sufficiency now with prolonged severe weather problems in Australia it is becoming very expensive to feed your family fresh produce. I even bought Homebrand mixed frozen vegetable a while back for putting into our dogs homemade kangaroo meat and brown rice mix (smells awful but he loves it) and found the veges were from "Thailand", I was astounded that we actually import frozen veges! I won't be feeding these to my family, I will be converting my flower beds into vege patches. That's my rant for the morning.