school hols- a retrospective

The school holidays finished two days ago and once again (perhaps thankfully) there is the reinstated and familiar routine of early wake up, drop off, regimented nap times, kindy, pick ups etc

But I do love the school holidays. I really miss the big boy (who has been at school for nearly a year now). Though, I'm not particularly good at organizing myself during the holidays, and more often than not, I am prompted by other mum's ideas of ideal outings and get togethers.

I'm not sure I have the stamina for full time events coordinating and the intensification of 'doing' a million and one things and paying through the nose for it all. They make their own fun most of the time, so I can continue having mine! (that's not technically neglect is it?)

We did host play dates and we were guests at others. We made huts and ice blocks and went for a ride on the tram. We train spotted, and there was a session of kiddy yoga too.

But mostly breakfasts dragged out into lunch times and lunches into another round of snacks. Boredom came in the form of cuddling and reading on the couch, for hours, like blobby lounge lizards.

The days all rolled into one ...and the play dough into the carpet.

I took 3 boys to the movies to see Toy Story 3 (tho prey tell why must we be subjected to half an hour of unsolicited crappy trailers before the movie has even begun? They didn't even seem age appropriate. And we ran to get there in record time, trying not to be late, and had one kid fall over and eat concrete in the rush ...in time for said crappy trailers) It was schmaltzy and cliche but its pixar and it is good.

We had a vomit bug... eeeerr... yellow bile. Enough said.

The highlight of the holidays had to be visiting the local lock shop and seeing the vaults, safes, electric key pads and trying our hand (and ears) on the manual combination dials. There were also photos of safes after burglars had tried unsuccessfully to break into them with blow torches etc ...the boys were fascinated to no end.

Obviously there is always a lot of craft. Boxes strewn everywhere and sellotape galore. A house decked out like a mid winter christmas tree.

After watching Mary Poppins (we must be nearing the 100 mark) we thought of the hungry birds outside "tuppence for the birds" so we made birdie biscuit treats.

Chop stick perches poked in take away coffee cups,

match sticks tied with string to hold the mixture in muffin cups once it sets,

the unbearable smell of animal fat wafting through the house for too long afterwards.

The strategic positioning of treats within birds reach in the familiar old pear tree down the back of yard.

And the medals we made and awarded ourselves, for being funny people and tolerating each other, and for living in each others pockets as best we can, in a small house that by the end of the holidays began to feel as if it was closing in on us all.

Mine is the mother hen one, of course.

quick shop update

Donkey Pants in camel corduroy with vintage fabric pockets

size 3-4

Donkey Pants in navy corduroy with pink polka dots

size 3-4

Lazy Daze skirt in charming seersucker fabric

size 3-5

Take a squizz at these and many more listed on my shop...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mamaghomemade

New stock uploaded for your perusal on a regular basis.

Overseas customers can pay by pay pal.

New Zealand customers can pay via internet banking.

Feel free to email me with any custom orders or queries.

regular guy

This 'regular guy beanie' pattern from ravelry, comes well recommended by its members.

For those of you who aren't already a member and like to knit and crochet (and especially like the idea of free patterns)... do sign up. It's a really great resource and you get the added benefit of being able to learn from other peoples mistakes, as each of the patterns are reviewed with feed back etc

I did however adapt the pattern by adding an extra inch to the length before I decreased.

Nothing worse than hats too short and not at least half covering the ears.

Even still, it fits the smallest guy it wasn't even intended for, in a cute baggy kind of way.

A good snug fit for the mister tho.

The wool is paton jet (double knit) just like Melissa's

I think this would be a good first hat for someone at a confident beginners level, wanting a new challenge. Don't be afraid of using 4 double pointed needles and working in the round.

The difficulty is not in the complexity of the pattern but in the way you hold your work.

Taking it easy and slowly will overcome this... and anything else life throws your way!

fresh milk

Early yesterday morning, the Curry family very kindly took us out to a friends farm, where they and two other families cow-share a jersey called Sandy.

We had a go milking her with our bare hands and then listened as the electric milker (made from converted parts of an old tractor) whirled away.

Full respect to Sandy, who at the time was technically 'tandem nursing' as she was also in calf.

There was something wonderfully warm and delicious about the whole experience from teat to

tall glass.

not forgetting the beautiful barn...

the light lending a cathedral like drama

a bone dry wood pile

stables littered with straw

getting fatter geese

the little boy and a big toy

the somehow captivating corrugated iron....

a lamp post shadow

and paint peeling from sign referencing Scotland.

Ti's the good life for sure.

cut it out

Sometimes the prospect of a sit down sewing session seems like too much hard work, to intensive and requiring too much attention to detail. It's on lazy days like these when I cut out a million things instead. Then the layers of fabric and tissue sit staked on top of one another, shelved until I feel more energized and purposeful.

Other days I feel the urge to sew, but are indecisive about what exactly to commit to, which makes it more convenient to have spent these lazier days lining up projects that are all ready and good to go. Beginning can be the hardest part right?

Shelved for days when I have more drive, are the following..

A backpack with HARD WEAR...yeah!

in this laminate by Nani Iro and contrast linen by Etsuko Furuya from these folks

50's fabric from Jan Howden at the Mayfield junk shop.... SSSsshhh its a secret.

and again, good for girlie summer smocks etc

And a duvet cover for the wee lass,- which I was persuaded into, having a little too much pink in it for my liking, which I am hoping I will be able to over look in favour of the minty/mustard tones.

down at the docks with hipstamatic

tilted

harbour

I used to live in the house at the top of that hill

beautiful sans beret

fisherman

save yourself

one glove

iron lungs

perched

two tanks one hill

Hipstamatic is an i-phone application that is downloadable from your phone for a couple of dollars. More than just cheesy polaroids, it has 3 film and lens options and juicy colour saturation.

potatoes and lavender

Yesterday, the 3 year old and I decided that we wanted to sew some lavender bags as gifts -from fabric printed with potato stamps and hand cut stencils.

Instead of buying specific fabric to print on, I cut up an old linen shirt- which was about six sizes too big for me.

Linen takes on the fabric paints beautifully and the weave in it suits these forgiving, organic looking techniques.

I cut some really simple stencil shapes free hand from an old soy milk container with a X- acto knife and carved up the flat side of a potato cut in half.

We mixed up two different shades of blue fabric paint onto saucers and went for it in own own instinctive way to cover all the panels of the shirt.

I got engrossed in the repetition of the potato stamp.... paint, press, lift, paint, press, lift...

For the stencils, we used a proper stencil brush -which you use in a vertical dabbing motion to prevent any bleeding of the paint under the surface of the stencil.

After we had dried and heat set the paint with an iron, we cut out some 26x19cm rectangles, including a 1 cm seam allowance around 3 sides. We opted to include some of the shirt cuff for interest and folded them in half long ways with right sides together ready for sewing.

We also made some small strap loops- kinda like bias binding, so you can hang them in your wardrobe (lavender repels moths) and on door handles (great for freshening up a stuffy room). They were sewn into the bag, with the ends extending beyond the seam edge.

Once two sides were sewn, we turned them right side out and stuffed them full of lavender that we had harvested earlier in autumn, ironed the opening inwards and top stitched it shut.

The wee man loves getting to push the foot control peddle on the sewing machine. It's got to be the next best thing to driving a car.

Also, just so those of you with children don't get the wrong impression, this was done over two afternoons- the printing on one day and the sewing the next. It's important to have realistic expectations and outcomes, especially when you're crafting with kidlets!

Et voila!

The printing resource book. You can get it here or here

Nothing nicer than falling asleep with a hottie AND a lavender bag in your pillow (it will exert a soporific effect)

... MMmmm bliss