Colour Me Happy

Wednesday was New Beginnings Eve. An evening where we celebrate all the girls that are turning 12 during the year and invite them, welcome them and inform them all about the Young Womens program and how excited we are to have them swell our numbers. Go here to find out more about church and what Young Womens is.

I put quite a bit of thought and effort into little things this year and then only took a photo of what I put in the gift bags and not one photo of the room! I am gutted, but anyway I can tell you about it at least. 

My incredibly talented friend Gell @ Design Sponge created invitations for me for the evening and thank you cards - which reminds me, I need to deliver those, and created an amazing design for me for the mutual theme this year. I had it blown up and printed onto card at the local Quick Copy shop and it looks fantastic. Seriously, go here and here to her facebook page and etsy store. Design Sponge is amazing.

So the theme for the evening I called Colour Me Happy, because the rainbow of colours that are the young womens values fill our lives with 'colour' as we live the values. Living the gospel in this way brings joy and happiness to our lives. Hence Colour Me Happy. After I sat down from doing my little introduction I realised I didn't even verbalise this thought, doh :(  The room was decorated with our Yw things that we put on our table each Sunday, the framed year theme, our chuppa chup flower which the girls get to take a lolly when they complete something PP, the completed ribbon bookmark, I got hanging lanterns in the yw value colours and hung them in clumps from the ceiling with fishing line, bright yellow gerberer flowers. It was cute. Each of the girls coming up got a gift bag with YW goodies in. I think they looked sweet and I would have been really happy with them if I was 11 nearly 12.

All the girls had a task to do, such as introducing the theme and mutual theme for the year, explaining what personal progress is, what the values are and how completing the personal progress has helped them in their lives. Also we gave the girls food assignments to bring a plate of food in a colour. It was a rainbow of colour. White coconut marshmallow pops, orange doritos and dips, rainbow cup cakes etc 

Everyone did a fantastic job, and the new girls that will be joining us soon all seemed to have a fun evening, well I hope they did anyway.

School for little ones

Well the day came. February 6th 2013 and little Sophie started full time 'big school' as we have been calling it.

She was excited, nervous, shy and outgoing all rolled into one if that is at all possible and mummy (me) well I was happy, sad, excited for her, and unsure as to what my future looked like all rolled into one too. What a mixture of emotions :) 

Sophie got all dressed into her uniform and we dropped Liv on time came home and took some pictures and then back to school and the Kindergarten intake (Sophie's year) were to all get to school for 9.30am  and go to the big hall. There the teachers came to the front of the hall and the children in their class names were called and the kids went and stood with the teacher. Sophie got Mrs Reynolds, the teacher that she did the Best Start testing with a week ago and I was happy. She seems really nice and has a firm but lovely reputation which I think will suit Sophie down to the ground. 

So here are a couple of photos, sisters together and Sophie ready for big school. 

The kids, teachers and parents then all went to the relevant classrooms where drink bottles were put on desks, along with fruit break snacks and morning tea food. Hats put into hat bags on the back of chairs and little ones sitting in their seats with their name tags on and saying bye to Mums, Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas. She looked at me with such a don't leave me mummy look and her eyes started to well up and my heart broke a little for her. She was scared and didn't want mummy to leave. I held it together and told her I would see her later, come here to her class to pick her up and not to worry, it would just be like pre-school, lots of fun. I left her crying with the teachers aid holding her hand and walked out. 

I love big sunglasses that hide so much.

I was sad, it is the end of an era as a stay at home mummy. I am not a cleaning fanatic and don't like it and am not going to spend my days cleaning the house, however much my husband would like me to, but I havn't worked out of the home in nearly a decade, actually finding someone who will hire me and give me a part time job is another problem. I did cry a little, as I am sad that that phase of my life has ended but it is onwards that I go. New challenges and more things to do.

As one friend said to me, "well there is more time for sewing now". What a true statement. After a week or so of not much happening I have started and I am loving it. Of course I will share with you what I have been working on. Stay tuned.

Holidays are over

What can I say, well over due but at last picture is added and posting again.


It is a sad day in this household as the summer holidays - yes it is January but we live in Australia so Dec/Jan are when our long summer holiday are held are officially over. We love the lazy mornings, trips to the beach, pyjama days hanging out at home, swimming in the pool, hanging out with cousins and sleepovers, so we are all a little sad to have the routine back. I know that once we get going it will be fine.

Olivia started back to school today and after being exceptionally nervous and quite emotional about the prospect of going she left today seemingly quite excited and ready to see her friends, show them her knee and the damage that she did to it and start the new year. She looked so smart in her new shoes and new school skirt as the tiny size 8 that she had been squeezing herself into was no where near being done up. We bought an age 12 as it would allow for some growing room, but it is still just on her knees, she is growing so tall, but she is happiest about the fact that it isn't tight around her tummy. 

The school has all the kids go back to their classrooms from last year for these next couple of days until all classes are sorted and settled. On Friday afternoon she will find out who her Year 4 teacher is and what classroom she will have. We will see what Friday brings.

Sophie and I have one more week together as Kindergarten starts next Wednesday when the big kids all head off to the swimming carnival for the day. The end of an era for me.

Les Miserables

Really all I want to say is go and see this film. I was transfixed for the 3 hours that it runs. I laughed, I cried and I jumped (as in I was shocked) and I left filled with beautiful music and touching, heartwrenching acting. Truely wonderful.

Here is a snippit.

There has been lots of talk about the film, but I thought I would share my thoughts. 

Hugh Jackman is faultless, if I had to pick a part of the film I really loved of him was near the end when he realises that Cosette and Marius really do love one another and that he is old and won't be around forever and it is time to let Cosette go to Marius. The emotion in his face and singing whilst at the barracades, loved it, and of course his soliloquy, Am I a man. 

Anne Hathaways' Fantine is heart wrenching, I dare anyone to watch her have her head shaved and listen to her sing I dreamed a dream as she really has reached rock bottom in her life and not be moved. Outstanding. 

Russell Crowe as Javert is stone cold as the character requires. Javert has my favourite song called Stars to sing and even though in the stage show the person playing Javert usually has a lower toned voice than Russell I still loved it and sang along (very quietly).  

Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried as Marius and Cosette were lovely, but Samantha Banks as Eponine, wow. Her version of I loved him, incredible. I had goose bumps on my arms and tears streaming.

If you see it let me know what you thought.

Starting afresh

2013 is here with a vengance.

New Year was warm, full of laughter and fireworks, spent at Waverton with wonderful friends. 

Yesterday was my birthday. 39 years old. Wow it seems like yesterday I was 19 at University, away from home for the first time and loving life so very much, then at 22 travelling to the other side of the world and finding so much joy in Australia. Then for the last 9 years being a full time mummy and loving my girls so very very much.

As for what has been happening here to me, to us, in the last few months of last year and trying to catch up here on my blog I think the best thing to do is just move on. I can't possibly catch up and can't possibly start the year afresh if I am looking backwards - so I won't. So I hope that you my readers (if there are any of you left out there) can forgive me, forget and happily move forward with me into 2013. 

Here we go...

Having said all that I will share with you the 2 things that I did make before Christmas as gifts for Sophie's pre-school teachers, Miss Sarah and Miss Janelle. Sophie 'graduated' from pre-school and so I wanted something other than chocolates and sweets that these amazing ladies who have loved, cared for and taught Sophie so very well could enjoy. Reversible tote bags were the way to go.

Looking at my rather large stash of fabric I saw some black denim and a fantastic Prints Charming cotton that I bought at Spotlight from their range, and a plan blue cotton and a heavier cotton drill fabric from Ikea that looks almost like little brick shapes in blues/beiges/pale yellows. These four fabrics would indeed make 2 great teacher bags that are fully reversible and can be popped into the washing machine if needs be. Miss Sarah got the black bag and Miss Janelle the blue. They were so happy with them and gave me such huge hugs. I really do hope that they love them.

Using the amazing Dana @ Made tutorial I set out to make 2 fully reversible boxed corner totes. Dana's pattern is for colour blocked bags which are so cute but not for the fabrics that I had on hand so I just went with solid fabric choices. 

I do like to critique the things I make so that next time I can be better so, try cutting the fabric the right way around Samantha!

Ok that is the last looking back to last year. Now this year.

Skyfall has been seen this week, I do so love James Bond films especially Daniel Craig and the Aston Martin DB5 swoon swoon, and oh my goodness the man looks a-maz-ing in a suit.

Tonight Les Miserables! Hugh Jackman!! yes he does deserve 2 exclamation marks and out with some friends for the evening. Fun, fun. Maybe being 39 isn't so bad after all.

Lack of material

A lack of material is not something that I usually deal with as my little stash keeps getting bigger and bigger and even if I make something there is always a reasonable amount of left overs to put away.

Last year Olivia had a dress that she loved that Todd had bought for her in the US. She lived in it and was so upset when we found a hole in the skirt and it could not be mended. At the time to console her I promised that I would make her one the same or at least as close to the holey one as I could. We went out together and bought some material, 1.5m infact and was pretty sure that this would be plenty.

I finally found a pattern that I like that goes up to a size 12 and is perfect! It is the brand new released pattern by oliver + s called Fairy Tale Dress and can be found here along with all the other AWESOME patterns by oliver + s. Can you tell I love their patterns? hehe. They are easy to follow, I always learn new skills, look so finished and not like 'homemade' clothes if you know what I mean. I love, love, love them.

Anyway, I bought the pdf pattern of the Fairy Tale Dress and printed the pattern out and cut and stuck it all together and pulled out the material this morning hoping to cut it out this evening when the girls were in bed. I shuffled the pieces around and no matter how I moved them they were not going to fit. If I wanted to make a dress for Sophie then it would be fine but not for Olivia. The size 10 / 12 pattern is just not going to fit on this material. For the first time I do not have enough material. 

A trip to Spotlight is therefore in need of happening so that with fingers and toes crossed they still have the same material and I can buy another metre and all will be well.

A few extra photos Part 2

Olivia attended her first school overnight excursion. A band camp.

This year at school she has been learning the flute and taking part in the Beginner Band. She loves band and thinks it is fun but lessons and practising not so much. Anyway, I dropped her off early Saturday morning at a place called Merroo at Kurrajong in the Blue Mountains, and we were to come back at lunchtime on Sunday to pick her up and listen to a small concert of what the bands had been practicing. We dropped her bag and sleeping bag in her cabin and she was with all her friends in the same cabin and then headed back to the big hall where we had to say goodbye. I made her let me take a photo and it is SO Olivia, trying so hard to be happy but you can tell she is a bit scared and not sure about everything that is going on. 

The following photos show what Sophie thought of the concert, Olivia playing in her band uniform,  and finally the happiest girl, who had a fantastic time. I just love the difference between the first and last photo. It is Olivia to a tee.

You did a great job my beautiful girl.

This has turned out to be an all Olivia post so far but I am just going to add a quick pic or 2 of her heading off to her school disco. Such a cutee, the black cardi was just until she got there.

A Bunnings Warehouse has opened close to our home on Victoria Avenue and on the Opening Saturday there was quite the fun outing - sausages in a roll, face painting, fairy floss etc and Sophie was adamant that she wanted her face painted. Todd took the girls and here are their faces, a butterfly and a dog. I love Sophie in ecstacy whilst having the painting done.

A few extra photos part 1

With the passing of time and not being able to catch up on everything I thought that I would share a few photos that I took of things that happened to my little family. So be prepared for some photo heavy posts.

This is the biggest cupcake I have ever seen and was it was Olivia's choice as a treat.  

Liv's eyes were definately bigger than her tummy as she managed to eat the top of this rocky road cupcake and that was it. She felt special getting such a treat even if most of it went in the bin.

The following two pictures were Sophie as she was caught for the first time on the bench top trying to get to the chocolate stash. She had climbed up herself without me knowing. 

On a lovely bright May morning Sophie and I headed to Rouse Hill town centre for something. In the town centre area they have these fountains and Sophie thought that it would be super fun to try walking through them and not getting wet. However as I have said many times before she can not help herself where water is concerned and had to touch. She had a ball and in the end travelled home in just her hoodie and damp trousers as her tshirt and vest were rather wet.

 

It is Melanie's birthday in May and it was decided some years ago that we don't give each other adults birthday presents in order to save some cash and lets face it we all get what we want and need most of the time anyway. I was over at Mel's house and she showed me some fabric that she had bought at Ikea and had the thought that she would turn it into a table runner for her white dining table. When the table is extended it is super long and bought table cloths and runners just are too short. I offered to hem it all and sew it for her birthday. Aren't I a nice sister in law? :) 

I just cut the fabric and then joined the 2 lengths together to make it longer, then hemmed the whole thing with about a half inch double folded hem and stitched as straightly as I could all the way around. Easy, a little time consuming when doing the folding but worth it in the end. Melanie loves it and it looks great on her table. I believe that the material was a cotton drill from Ikea.

Zoom Zoom

In the many months that I didn't post on here I did manage to complete a couple of little projects and so I thought I would share one more that I am quite pleased with.

Earlier in the year I mentioned a little chugga carrier that I made for the lushous Noah for his birthday you can see the post here, and all the time that I was making that I knew that I had to make one for gorgeous Isaac too even though it wasn't his birthday. Lucky boy :)

I used the same pattern from Homemade by Jill which can be found here that I had used for Noahs one, but of course there was a car on the front and not a train and there was one more pocket as they were smaller to fit Lightening McQueen and his friends in.

I used the same black denim on the exterior as I had used previously on Noah's, the inside was a cool chequered flag cotton drill and the road was a very soft grey felt with a yellow felt cut into pieces as the road markings. I sewed a centre stitch down the middle of the carrier to help it fold better and used black velcro and belting to do it all up. Red cotton check was the material used for the car and I just appliqued it by using a zigzag stitch all around the edge.

Kathryn, Issac's mummy said that he loves it and wants to take the caddy with him everywhere. I'm so glad.

Pepper and Baby

It was my niece Lilia's birthday last month (I know, I am hanging my head in shame) and when I asked Jemma what Lilia may like, turning 5 is a big deal, the answer was, a rag doll ! 

A rag doll!, I have never made one of those and I was pretty sure that I did not have a pattern of any sorts that would be suitable. I was right, no rag doll patterns but I did have a pattern for one gorgeous little dolly called Pepper and her baby. 

Perhaps 5 years ago a lady called Lorraine gave me a copy of this pattern after we had been to the Craft and Quilt fair with her daughter in law Elise. I had seen the pattern there and fell for it immediately. I was put off it as it looked really difficult and it called for lots of applique and embroidery stitches, both of which I couldn't do. So after accepting the pattern eagerly Pepper was put to the bottom of the pile, the too hard pile.

I set to it that I would make Pepper for Lilia and perhaps make some adjustments now that I feel rather more confident with things. The applique happened on the hair but rather than hand stitching the entire face, hands and the cheeks on I used my machine, but the embroidery stitches did not. I did the best I could. After putting it off and putting it off I choose the materials from my stash and the request had been for pinks and purples as the main colours. I had to get some flesh coloured felt and matching thread but apart from that everything was on hand. 

With all that said, here is Pepper. The pictures show her from body completed but flat, then finished and then with her baby in tow.

The fabrics used for her skirt on the far left and 2nd from the right are from Prints Charming, all other pinks were from Spotlight. The yellow seersucker for her head was a gift from my mum and her back is a cerise pink flannelette that was also from Spotlight. All of baby was from Spotlight. She was backed with a matching soft blue flannelette also from Spotlight.

I am feeling rather pleased with myself and quite proud of Pepper. Even the ladder stitch that I used to stitch her and baby up was pretty good too. She is now wrapped up and winging her way via Australia Post to Lilia in England for a very belated birthday present. I hope she will 1. forgive me and 2. Love Pepper and baby lots and lots. 

What do you think?