Plus one is now Plus Joe!

We welcomed baby Joe into the world in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
When I'm awake enough I will put up more details about the delivery and the even more amazing baby boy that is now made me a very proud mum! (and of course a picture or two of the world's cutest addition!).

Try not to miss me...

I shall say farewell for this year, I am being induced this week and I can't really see myself being human enough to upload any more posts the first month of bubs life!

I have finished my Xmas gift tags, wrapped the pressies, washed the bubs clothes, my hospital bag is in the car and now I just wait. And wait. And wait.

So I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I hope that all that your xmas wishes come true and that you don't suffer from hangovers on New Years day!

Try not to miss me too much and I shall see you all again in 2011!

My Creative Space

Ughh, my creative space this week is non-existent. 
My life is currently filled with naps, vomiting and tears. And yes, that is just me, the bub hasn't been born yet - have just under 2 weeks to go now!
I didn't even have the energy to find a photo to make this a pretty post, so imagine a bunch of flowers instead!!  


Have you taken a guess on when the bub will arrive? You should give it a shot, the closest guess will win a prize! Click here to enter a guess.....


Have you joined in with Kootoyoo's Creative Space - it's fun even if you're not creating something (as I have recently discovered!).

Rie's To Do list for bub - updated.

Rie's list of things to do before the bub arrives.....  updated 28th Nov

Deadline.... 11th December.....

- Assemble cot

- Wash all the bub clothes and cot linen - Done but how do you fold baby clothes!!

- Organise a change table - That's what the top of the front loading washing machine is for!

- Make a cot quilt - Ha, am trying though!

- Finish round crochet blanket for the pram - Double Ha, but the baby will be born in Summer so maybe I can get away without it for a while!

- Order pram

- Finish small granny square crochet blanket - Once again, have decided Summer bub won't need this!!

- Make bibs - Yeah right, have purchased them instead!

- Finish reading Up The Duff - Nope!

- Start & then finishing reading Baby Love - Can't every time I pick the book up, the hormone tears start!

- Organise my christmas card list early - Hmm, maybe would be a good idea to do this.

- Make christmas cards - Yeah right, this year people are getting shop bought cards!

- Organise the christmas presents early - Done and they just need wrapping!

- Make christmas presents - Ha! I'm crossing this off cos it so isn't going to happen this year!

- Paint & guild coffee table 1 - I keep thinking about it (does that count?).

- Glue stamps & finish coffee table 2 - I had to buy a glue stick, that is as far as I've gotten with that!

- Remember to sign up for postal vote for the upcoming Vic election - Done & voted.

- Organise a baby photo book (adding the scans done so far) - Have kind of started then the pile got mixed in with something else...

- Do tax by end of October - Done, but now need to bank the refund cheque!

- Pack bags for hospital - Finally done, can you believe it took 2 hours to pack them! Phew!!

- Find the other list of To Do's & add to the this list! - This list has been lost. I don't want to find it!

- Make and hang curtains for the baby's room (aka the craft room, back room, spare room & storage room!) - Mr just did this today. 

Quilt in the making (squares) - baby quilt

I am just setting out the square fabric pieces to see how big they go and which will match the next one.

 

I've very carefully stacked them up ready for sewing, lets just hope I can keep them stacked together in order otherwise all my careful planning will have been in vain!

Take a torn flannie sheet...

I have two torn/ripped flannelette sheets and rather than doing the thrifty thing of repairing them and popping back onto the bed, I've decided to recycle them into something for the bub.

 

But, the question is what shall I make?
Any suggestions????

Baby Pool (take a punt, there is a prize to be won!)

We just turned 37 weeks pregnant today, the baby is due on the 11th December.....

But what is your guess, when will the baby be born?

Take a punt, submit a comment stating Sex, Date, Time & Weight
and the closest person will win a prize!

The prize will be a surprise too!

(remember to leave a way to contact you in case you're the winner!)

You may have already figured this out already, but...

Yes, more shopping again... but this time I am preparing for Christmas.
Check out these buttons I bought from here.

And these pretty pins purchased from here.

Seeing Stars

I've just finished cutting out the stars for the Xmas present tags. 

Actually, to be more exact, I should say that I've just finished punching stars but that sounds mean!

My Creative Space

Today I'm cutting up old Xmas cards to recycle them into Xmas tags for presents this year.
What do you do with your old Xmas cards? How do you reuse them?
Join in today with Kootoyoo's Creative Space.

Things I like.

Here are some of the things I'm currently liking....

- Finally remembering to check my post box & finding this....  
- Watching the rain drops fall onto the leaves, the leaves look like they are dancing.
- Receiving an email from an old friend.
- Our neighbour (who we only know by the occasional nod & hello) finding out that we are expecting our first child offering 'if there is anything that we can do, just let us know'. Sweet.
- A song popping up on my ipod that I hadn't heard in ages and in fact didn't even recall it being on my ipod!
- A cuppa tea in the morning.
- Spring time, seeing the blossom petals blow around in the wind.
- Feeling the baby move to Mr's (Dad's) voice. Sweet.
- Knowing I have way too many projects to complete in the 4 weeks leading up to the birth.
- Not caring about those projects and just enjoying the time to relax!
- Finding a crazy beetle on the outside door - I swear it's a Jurassic bug of some sort!
- The hand drawn farewell card drawn by my colleagues 5 year old daughter.
- Oh, and I like Mr too - I do!


What are you liking today?

This is why I don't knit.

Seriously, this is why I don't knit. 
My mum knitted this cotton jumper for the bub - there is no way I can compare to her knitting, not just the style & tension but the fact that she actually managed to finish before the bub was born & probably with no swearing involved either!!!

Mum also knitted this cape for the bub (for the cooler months), how cute is this!

Baby cot quilt - step one

I'm starting to like the fabric more now that I've hacked at the rows to cut them into sewable squares and rectangles, but I'm thinking that perhaps I should have measured them when they were strips to see how big they would assemble.

On the brighter side of things, this is my last week of work before my unpaid maternity leave starts!

My Creative Space

It's about baby booties today. I have to confess, I didn't make them though, they were gifted to me by a sister in law. Aren't they just cute!

I'm not a knitter, if I had chosen to knit some booties for my bub to be, well, let's just say that they'll won't even get finished in time for my bub's bub!
BUT maybe, you've seen somewhere out there an easy crochet version of baby booties or even a crochet baby beanie? If you have, can you let me know, I'd love to give it a try. Also, if you have any ideas for what I could as the baby will be born into the heat of summer and I can only think of wintery things to make.

Have you joined in with Kootoyoo's Creative Space yet?

One Ball Wonder

I have this one ball of yarn and it's deliciously soft.

It's 80% Bamboo and 20% Merino.

But what can I make with it?

What can you make with 1 ball of wool? Any ideas???

Buttons galore

Look at what my sister in law gave me for my birthday.

How cool is that! 

  Now, what shall I do with them all......

A very important list

Rie's list of things to do before the bub arrives
Deadline.... 11th December.....


- Assemble cot
- Wash all the bub clothes and cot linen
- Organise a change table
- Make a cot quilt
- Finish round crochet blanket for the pram
- Order pram
- Finish small granny square crochet blanket
- Make bibs
- Finish reading Up The Duff
- Start & then finishing reading Baby Love
- Organise my christmas card list early
- Make christmas cards
- Organise the christmas presents early
- Make christmas presents
- Paint & guild coffee table 1
- Glue stamps & finish coffee table 2
- Remember to sign up for postal vote for the upcoming Vic election
- Organise a baby photo book (adding the scans done so far)
- Do tax by end of October
- Make bibs
- Pack bags for hospital
- Find the other list of To Do's & add to the this list!
- Make and hang curtains for the baby's room (aka the craft room, back room, spare room & storage room!)

Jelly roll fabric

  

I'm a little disappointed with the fabric in the jelly roll. But, that's what I get for buying the first roll I found!

Stamp soup

Take one stack of stamps.

Add stamps to a bowl of water.

Let sit for a couple of days (because you forgot about them) and then peel stamp apart from the envelope and lay out to dry. Easy!

The stamps are beginning to pile up for the table decoration, I can't wait to start sticking them down!

A negative gadget

It was my birthday recently, check out the cool gift that Mr gave me.  It turns the old negatives into digital photos. He bought it for me so I can start to use my old SLR again (I've been missing it!) because all I ever seem to use these days is my little digital camera.

Take an old negative.

Put it into the negative holder.

Insert it into the nifty little machine and voila a digital photo!

and the winner is....

Drum roll please......
And the winner is #4 which is Kate from Foxs Lane.
Awesome!  I won't post a picture of what the prize is cos it might ruin the surprise!! But for those who won't be in the know, it will be a 500gm parcel post satchel, stuffed with as much crafty goodies as I can get into it - fabric, beads, bag handles, yarn etc etc etc.

Congratulations Kate, I'll send you an email to find out your postal address.

Thanks to everyone for entering, I hope to do another giveaway soon (before the bub is born & I turn into a zombie mummy!!)

My Creative Space

Today I have decided to NOT keep these cute selvedges even though they are cute I have no use for them. I must throw them away, I must, I mean I will but I'll just look at them a little longer before they hit the bin.

Mr is taking me to the beach for a couple of days as my body is really beginning to feel tired from the pregnancy - he's even booked a room with a spa for me to soak my weary bones! Sweet, I can't wait!!!!!

Have you entered my giveaway yet and have you joined in with Kootoyoo's Creative Space?

Aussie $ equals US $ = shopping!

I love shopping online, beats standing in queues and walking around shopping centers with crappy tinny music being piped through the crowds. Plus, add the fact that the US & Aus dollar are almost equal now, it means happy shopping for me.
So far, I've visited Isabella Oliver & bought this dress in blue.
I've perused Etsy and gone back to my fav FableBay and bought this & this.


But what else can you recommend? What is a good US online store that I can waste some good Aussie dollars in?


Oh & have you entered my giveaway yet????

Giveaway

I think it's time for a giveaway!  

The reason?

Well let's see, I've missed my 1st year blog bday, 

I 've missed 100th post celebration, I even missed the 150th post celebration, 

so let's just celebrate life instead!

So, what is up for grabs? Well, how about a surprise! 

It will be a mixed bag of crafty goodies! 

I'll chuck as much as I can into a 500gm post parcel for you, it may contain fabric, jewellery findings, beads, bag handles, yarn, fancy paper, stamps etc etc etc.

If I get lots of entries then I'll create more grab bag prizes.

All you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win.

(remember to leave a way for me to contact you if you win!)

Good luck!

Entries close, Friday 22nd October 2010

Cuppa tea time

Yep, it's that time of day already, time for a cup of tea & a slice of cake.

But wait, shall I make it even more tempting for you, how about a slice of home made fruit cake.

Mmm, yummy!

Jelly squares

I've finally managed to find a reason to buy a jelly roll - to make a quilt for the cot.

I love the excitement of unrolling the jelly roll..... what will I uncover!

But whilst at the store, I couldn't resist these gorgeous squares that I'll use for the other side of the quilt.

So, now the question is, how big is a cot quilt? I have no idea!

I'm shaking & baking.

It's Mr's birthday on Sunday, so I thought I would get off my pregnant butt & bake him a cake.

First I did some sifting....

Then I added a bucket of fruit...

Mixed in some egg & sugar 

Then added another bucket of nuts....

And then baked.

This is what it looked like when I pulled it out of the oven, can't wait to cut it open on Sunday!!!!

Oh and the shaking bit?  Well, for the last 7 months whilst I've been pregnant, I have managed to cook dinner a huge 3 times and baking, well zip zero zilch. So I am shaking in my boots with my first attempt at baking whilst pregnant! I thought I would take the easier option of fruitcake as it won't 'flop' (well hopefully!!).

List of Annoyances..

These things annoy me....

- Buying a new ball of wool only to find that they have joined it with a knot in the middle of ball.
- Signing up to a blog swap, following through on your side but receiving nothing in return from your swap partner.
- People cutting in front of you in a line (especially when you've been patiently standing there for a few minutes).
- (Accidently) finding out that you have won a competition but never receiving your prize.
- Colleagues not changing the water bottle at work.... it's not my job!!
- Breaking 1 fingernail when you've just managed to get all 10 the same length.
- Misplacing the key to window winder, I know I didn't need it in the winter, but I sure need it now that it is spring.
- Realising that you never banked your tax return cheque (a year later).
- Finally remembering a great recipe to use the beetroot for & realising that the beetroot has been sitting in the fridge for over 2 months. (oops).
- My neighbour playing (& singing) very loud Michael Jackson music 11pm at night.
- Getting stuck in the rain at lunch when you just decided to pop down the road for a sandwich.
- Realising the clock I have been staring at all day at work is 1/2 hour slow.........

What annoys you?

My Creative Space

So, I'm in my thirties and still manage to get more paint on myself 

than on the actual article that I am painting! 

Will I ever grow up?!?

Have you joined in My Creative Space yet?

Tutorial.... How to make a glue-string bowl

Do you like this dinky string bowl?
Wanna make one too?
Here's how, it's easy!

You will need: a mould (vase or bowl), pva glue, tray to pour glue into, string, scissors, plastic kitchen wrap, plastic bag, gloves.

Firstly cover the mould with the plastic wrap (as you don't want the string to actually stick to the mould!).

Cut the plastic bag in half & layout on the surface - to protect your surface from the odd glue spots!

Cut a length of string, approx 30cm & dip the first 2-3cm into the glue & ensure that string is thoroughly covered with glue.

Start to twirl the glue onto the base of the mould, take your time, there's no rush!

Once the first couple of rows are twirled onto the mould, you can then start to easily wind the string around, covering with glue and firming against the previous row as you go.

Once you hit the edge &start to build the wall of the bowl, it starts to get a little easier.

Smear glue around the string edge and wind plain string (no glue needed yet) around &around the bowl until you get the size you require.

Then squirt on some glue & rub onto the string, pushing the string tight against the earlier rows, smoothing if needed.

Set aside to dry.

 

Once dry, slowly remove the mould then peel back the plastic wrap, neaten up the excess dried glue with scissors if necessary!

And voila!

Oh, and the reason for the plastic covering your workspace? It doesn't matter how careful you are - there are always a few glue drops that escape your attention!

Skill level: Beginner
Let me know if you make one, I'd love to see it!