rose of the west

I have found out what who she is.


(pic from http://www.malleenativeplants.com.au/eucalyptus-macrocarpa-mottlecah/)

Eucalyptus macrocarpa (Mottlecah or Rose of the West) is the best looking australian native I have seen. Ever. I found some gumnuts (the caps actually) underneath a local plant in North Beach here in Perth and have been on the hunt since. I think I might get me one in a pot?

Bathtime Bernie!

Here are a couple of photos - you'll see he is getting a big round tummy which is perfectly lovely!

we'll go dancing in the dark, walking in the park and REMINISCING

Friday curlypops is hosting a 'remember when' daggy groovy old photos are scanned and posted...
Me (little big one) and big brother Geoff and Grandma Hilda: how much do we love Hilda's dress and the abundance of 'mission brown' paint? No-one mention my thighs.


My first birthday (July 77): loving the from behind pigtails on cousin 'Hullun'.


On holidays at Urunga: favourite terry towelling shorts and short hair. Checkout my mum's jumpsuit in teal....


First day of school: Narranga Primary in Coffs Harbour. On Fridays we had a special 'Narranga Sandwich' day at the tuckshop. It involved a banana (being Coffs Harbour) in brown bread, to MATCH OUR SCHOOL UNIFORM!!! I loved that port but especially that groovy sticker from a surfboard designer... i wonder if it is in the roof back at home...?


Play along and dig out some treasures.

Bernie's here....

Last week, a pretty wonderful thing happened...

Bernie arrived!
He was born on Thursday 9th Dec, and is all happy and healthy and hand-eating.



He is lovely.
We are smitten.



Me and the bear came home today.


And my big boy can do THIS while i was outta town..



In the words of the chief - This blog will now self destruct and become an ode to small and smallish people. Some creativity may return in the new year...


Wishing you a lovely christmas with your folk. Eat, drink and be merry!

flea market find NOW smells like christmas...

FOund this gorgeous glass butter box at my local Salvo's this week. Please note - the neatest BIG thrifty i have ever stepped foot in at Greenwood in WA. Cost $4. I have another, lidless, which doubles as my coffee machine bits box.

This one was hiding under a cover of ants... orange cordial + rain perhaps? It is now our 'SMells like Christmas' box...




Recipe for a pretty lovely scent:
- Some gumnuts (these from the park nearby - these are just the caps!!) Still have not taxonomied if someone can help with that...
- Some dried out spices: I used cinnamon quills, star anise (fave) and nutmegs.
- Some whole nuts perhaps

Other finds here this week.
And join in with this wicked giveaway here at Shabby Vintage Junk for her 100th post. BEAUTIFUL old glass ornaments to be gifted to someone lucky.

a quick and dirty snowflake ornament tute....

A tute... from ME!!! Those who know me well know i like it quick and dirty.

This is not a 'how to sew a ...." tute, more an idea generator for a spare hour... Since there is nooo way I should be teaching anyone anything about stitching. While I was whipping these up yesterday, the machine broke a needle. The loose end went missing down into bobbin zone and here is my learning. It is a good idea to have a magnet handy in your sewing kit... I managed to retrieve the sharp bit AND replace and finish the job.

So
Ingredients: (yes this will read like a recipe)
- An old nana doily - thankyou Salvos
- Some felt (mine is lovely double-sided from B&M Felt in Freo)
- scissors
- a machine or needle and thread
- Some ribbon or string or something to hang ornament with


1. Cutout some crochet circles / squares / whatever shape you like. Try to snip off all the extremities if you are going for a circle. You'll note i didn't.

2. Match them up on your felt, then cut the felt with about 1/2 or 1cm outside the crochet shape

3. Cut a piece of ribbon to form your ornament hanger
4. Lay these all on top of each other (shag the pins)
5. Squidge them all under your sewing machine foot
6. Go go go! You may go round, do four sides, just make sure you get the ribbon in securely
7. Snip the hundreds of ends off

8. Ta-da!

my lovely man..

Happy wedding anniversary Roo.
I love you.





may we endure a whole other bunch of sleepless nights and dreamy days together...

Creativity... & my creative space...

Once upon a time (in 2002ish), I was catching a flight between Melbourne and Darwin. I had been double-dared by my wicked very bestest friend to embellish the tale of my purpose for travel...

(these snaps taken today at our local Dept of Ed 'come and check out the animals' farm which we loooove)



So, for that flight, I became a large breeds vet specialising in artificial insemination of cattle, travelling to the NT to collect specimen... How on earth did I keep a straight face?

This week, less fibbing and more needling.

The advent calendar progresses, yes it is December but I am now on the home stretch. It may be hung before Christmas day...


Some quick little deco's that created a lot of mess both on the table and then when they were finished not much neater...





The scrabble bag continues - i think i am going to start again...


Oh and i am sTILL creating one inside o me.

Head to Kootoyoo for an array of other saucy tales. Better yet, play along & comment and tell me your favouritest white lie...

It's december...

This book was recommended.

OLIVE THE OTHER REINDEER. A story about a dog, who thinks she is a reindeer, since she has heard the lyrics "...you would even say it glows, all of the other reindeer, used to laugh..etc"

I have bookdepositoryed it for christmas, and found it has also been animated. So here tis the link - seems to be Drew Barrymore as Olive?



Operation advent goes on. Up to number 17 today.... on the 1st December....

flea market finds

My enamelware is starting to take over every horizontal surface. I am needing some sort of a dresser/kitchenette buffet arrangement?

These scales I have had for a while, they remind me of cooking with my mum and trying for the life of me to remember how many ozzes in a lb...


but have found the perfect accompaniment or perhaps this is too much ?


I think this could be upended as a side-table or maybe a lid added? Join Sophie to see what else has been discovered and snaffled up this week.

Does anyone in Aus have a history with www.trademe.co.nz? Would like to hear your experiences with shipping to Australia etc (is it a local ebay equiv?)

wrens explained ... and nuts

in case you needed some trivia of the ornithological kind...

I grew up in a house of birds, particularly blue wrens. Mostly ceramic, and often mobile. When I grew up and became an environmental type persona, upon investigation I found that in Australia existed the lovely fairy wren, the superb fairy wren, the splendid fairy wren amongst 12 species. Even though there is the auspicious purple-crowned fairy wren right here in WA, none were described as spectacular... well i think they all are.



So a new header happens today.

Today, we are running across the oval because we need the toilet at home (surely this should induce labour), after collecting some nuts and attempting to making some christmas cheer from this already very cheery specimen: (any attempts at botanical classification?...)

the biggest nuts I have ever seen!


and eating these.

Thanks pod for the recipe - these are called Lemon and Sugar Pancake Muffins - if you are ever looking for a sure thing, try ANY of these recipes from this wonderful blog.


Getting busy making a new scrabble tile bag.

My husband (cough ...and myself) are well known for our 'rule bending'... So we needed something heavy duty, involving double flaps, elastic drawstrings and heavy dark cotton. A bit like getting under an old photography cape... while wearing gumboots. And a condom. With a lock.

my creative space

This week has been about finding a home for my pins..


and fastly, fastly, quickly, quickly getting through the numbers on the advent calendar before I have a baby... So far I am up to 11. This is like an olympic event once Rex goes to sleep at night!



Bit wonk on both sides, but not sooo bad i can't show you! Other advent calendars to covet and inspire here... Anyone know of an index of crafty decorations to make? Ours are in boxes. Somewhere.

These are headed to something special... tbc


Thanks for your lovely comments on the mystery bikini babe featured in prev post - thankfully she is wearing clothes this week as Perth is back to mid 20's from 39 degrees!

Visit Kirsty (who taught me to sortastemstitch, thanks) for this week's lovely stuff all around the vorld. How good is the horsey neigh stool?!

Weekends in Freo..

We went to visit Ronald, had a swim as the shark chopper flew overhead, then toured Mosman Park/Pepp Grove with mouth agAPE!

and have been listening to a fair bit of this. It's amazing how quickly a 3yo gets the air guitar happ-en-ing! This footage from the year I was born.

It has been a musical edumacation for me, as some of the lyrics which I will happily since along to have had to be modified. Thought this song was all about a DUNDERHEAD...

We have been sporting eyebrows from the 'angry scotsman' range:



& I admit to have been tucking into some serious comfort food:


And some food torture: