Birthday Bits...

The birthday girl in new jewellery and new coat from sis-in-law/cousin (Jodie and I married brothers. Can you see the birthday glow??? Who was the Birthday Queen I ask...

Brother-in-law...

Sister -in-law/cousin.

Everybody, thank you so much for your birthday wishes and favourite reads - I am just loving it and thinking it may have to become an annual event. So, if you haven't, please enter the big give away below... it's worth it.

Last night was a big family dinner which was made even more fun by the addition of moustache straws, a project taken from one of my new birthday books, 'Paper + Craft'. Over the next few days I will try and fit in a little review of my new books.

Tonight is the finale to Kate's birthday festival, dinner with a few girls at a wonderful Indian Restaurant in town... is it weired to take in my own decorations... am I just getting a little too into it?

Once again, thank you so much for your comments, they helped to make my day so special.

Lots of love, a very 34 year old Kate, xxooxxooxx.

Happy Birthdays and the Great Big Greedy Give Away!!

It has been a wonderful birthday so far - lots of spoiling, good food, a few presents (including the necklace and headband from tamar.etsy.com - I can't get a link on it at the moment) and plenty of careful rose transplanting. The weather is beautifulish and the crackle is definitely pinging through the air. Oh to be born on the 10/10 and be alive in 2010!!!

So to celebrate 10/10/10, it is time to kick off the big give away. The prize is made up of one pincushion of your choice (crocheted or sewn) and the book pictured above, 'Kyuto! Japanese Crafts: Woolly Embroidery'.

In order to enter please tell me your favourite read of the past year and your nameif you can't sign in with a pre-existing account.

Happy Day!!!

p.s. I will draw the winner on Monday, 18th October. Good luck...

First of the Spring Roses... and another pincushion.

Life begins again with roses starting to burst in the garden. Everything just seems so much more, well rosey and that makes the world my most favourite kind of place to exist in (even my best friend who is very much neglected at the moment is called Rosie). This year is going to be particularly exciting as I have ordered lots of bushes so I can sell cut garden roses at the local farmers market. The new batch are still about a month away from their first flush but I visit them everyday to check. They have been chosen on size, colour and scent and so will be extremely different to the hothouse variety on offer at the moment.

Years ago when I lived in Melbourne, I worked part time in the most beautiful florist shop (Domain Flowers - opposite the Botanic Gardens) while I was at uni. They had a seasonal supplier of garden roses and I can remember the frantic rush that would take place as soon as they were placed in vases and their scent would unfurl into the cafe crowd sitting outside. The roses weren't necessarily perfect or blemish free but no one seemed to mind.

Onto some other news... I may have let slipped that it is my birthday on Sunday and as much as I would love to invite everyone over for cake and games, it's just not possible. So instead, on the 10/10/10 I will be having a birthday giveaway. It will be open for seven days and the only condition of entry is that you tell me your favourite book of the past year. The prize will be a pincushion (much like the one featured above) and a book. Drop by on Sunday and check it out.

In the meantime, I had better go and do a bit of house clearing so when I wake on Sunday morning it will be to gleaming surfaces, fresh sheets and hopefully, some windows we will be able to look through.

Love Kate xxooxxooxx.

P.S. Don't enter until Sunday - that's the day to sign yourself up with your favourite book!

Pin Cusions.

You know how you go through your stages of things you must make, simply MUST. Well, at the moment for me it is pin cushions. Pin cushions that you can stick all variety of needles into, thick and thin. I think the deal with it is that you get to make a cushion (I love cushion making) but it is in miniature and has a function and is much faster to make.

Can you tell that I have had a couple of days to myself and my studio. It has been bliss, especially looking out onto the blossom tree and dogwood going mad. Thank goodness for Spring and sunshine and blossom and healthy children!!!

Love Kate xxooxx.

Dave and the Aliens.

Dave and his half finished friends - they are a bit alien-like at the moment... I think I should tweak this quality.
A crocheted pin cushion waiting to be stabbed and some gluten-free bread down below. It tastes so much better than it looks, especially with butter and farm honey.

And one of the boys' more beautiful creations, usually they are sludgy and toxic.

I hope you had a good weekend. It was a quiet one for us with Jonno milking the cows. The next weekend will be exciting though because it will be my birthday - hurrah, the greatest day of the year.

Love Kate, xxooxxooxx.

A bear named Dave.

I was making this new little creature and Archie said, "Call him Dave". Perfect, Dave and Stanley, what a combination.
A big Stanley.

Friday night blossom.

Our front door dogwood.

Have a good weekend. We are going to make the most of the sunshine - the boys are up for farm adventures and I am pretty keen to get some clothes out on the line (among other things including sitting underneath the blossom tree with a book).

Lots of love, Kate xxooxx.

Not a Tidy House.

I really am going to tidy the house today... but there were minor malfunctions with the youngest of my small brood and I had to fix him.

It all began when the boys were invited to walk through the farm and have a cup of tea with their Poppa. Hugo tripped over half way there and ended up limping home distraught. Archie stayed with him despite his little brother shouting at him to go away and made sure that he reached home safely. I can't tell you how proud I am of my biggest little man.
Archie is now at Gran and Poppa's house but Hugo stayed at home, still not very well and completely tuckered out. So, how to restore Hugo's inner peace - craft.

From painting with food dye and oil pastels to using straws as bubble blowers - I think he is fixed.