Little Hatchling Memories

I just found this photo of Hugo on Easter Sunday last year. He strolled around the garden slowly, pleasantly surprised whenever he found a chocolate egg peeking from a pot or tree trunk. This year his sweet curls are gone and he is in training for the Easter Bunny. He keeps begging me to hide things so he can practice finding them. He also keeps suggesting we should have random egg hunts when we are out and about on jobs. If only the Easter Hunt could be an Olympic sport. As he lifted his gold medal I could explain how he showed such interest and talent from a very tender age.

Resin Brooches

Yesterday morning I sat out in the sun with my mask on like some sort of 19th century consumption patient and made more brooches. I filled them with bits of memory, thick, spidery lace, long cherished origami paper, favourite beads and family buttons. I decided against finger nails, a wasp carapace and an old chicken beak.

Lace and Bead Necklace

Yesterday I went to my perfect kind of big girl party - morning tea in a beautiful cosy home with a shop snuggled in the front called Uncle Black Beetle's Beads. More about the shop at a later date. I felt like doing a bit of eclectic necklacing so brought along lace and knitted flowers which I will upload later. I did this one when I arrived home, unwilling to let the morning's buzz go.

Origami Paper Flowers in Resin

Finally we have done it. Last night Jonno and I put on our matching face masks and cracked open a tin of resin. It kind of felt a bit like a date because it has been so long since the two of us have had an adventure on our own. The mixture wasn't quite right so it took about 18 hours to completely dry with me checking in on it every two minutes. Next time I will try and set it with the brooch backs set into them. I'm thinking brooches, pendants mobiles, Christmas decorations, coasters, houses, cars, maybe I am getting a bit carried away. Can't wait to do some more playing tomorrow.

An Oilcloth Bag

I did it, I sewed an overnight bag today. No nap for me, I soldiered on staunchly most unlike my usual self. No crisp white sheets and billowing curtains promising me escape and sanity. Instead the lone chirp of an autumnal cricket and brilliant sunshine flooding the kitchen table. The colours in the bag are a little cold but at the moment I am making do with my current supplies rather than adding with each new project.

Oilcloth Sewing

This is my sewing wish list:

-knitting needle roll wrap and roll

-oilcloth weekend bag

-oilcloth picnic basket that remains upright and open (like a good citizen) when placed upon the ground.

-ironing board cover (completely and utterly not with oilcloth).

Monopoly is Beautiful

I just blogged about camping but I forgot to add that Jonno and I played our inaugural game of Monopoly with a board we gave him for his birthday last year. There is something so comforting about the rules of Monopoly being international and so, we set off, Jonno eventually driving me to near bankruptcy. Archie was allowed to stay up late and be the banker (or the national banker as he called it) so Jonno and I were on best behaviour with our board game manners. I never realised how beautiful the board looks when it is first set up. I pointed it out to Jonno but I think he was keen to get the dice rolling and build his empire. In fairness, whenever I landed on one of his heavily built up properties, he was very polite and always enquired as to whether I enjoyed my stay.

Beaches, Treasure and Mud Pies.

We have just had our first proper weekend of camping with the boys at the beach. They spent the whole time either playing with rocks and waves or concocting cement from sand and dirt. It has been one of those moments when you see the tips of your own childhood meeting up with theirs and the magic they are creating returns to too. When we arrived home we built a fire in the back paddock and cooked damper. As the family of a dairy farmer, weekends are extremely precious as they are very rare so for once, it was the best feeling to know that every minute was eaten with relish.

The golden coins above were hidden by a crafty female pirate that snuck down to the beach moments before her family. An astonished little boy fishing with his father watched as the boys kept discovering treasure. I noticed him creep over when the frenzy had finished to see if there were any left undiscovered and noting his disappointment, we shared some gold with him. I know their expectations of that beach will now always be ridiculously high but it was so wonderful to see their delight.

Crepe Myrtles

The eureka of creativity - when an idea stands out from the rest and receives you with open petals.

Our crepe myrtles lining the drive are in bloom. As we head towards our house we are heralded by lines of magenta. Autumn, bringer of colours and good smells, you keep reminding me why I love you so much.

The World on a Vase

I love finding the boys' free form sculpture around the house. A perfect moment of ponder.

Origami Lampshades and a Few Flowers

A morning of actually finishing a couple of paintings. I feel as though of puzzle pieces are starting to butt against eachother in the hopes of creating something slightly cohesive..... I also cooked a proper meal for the first time in three weeks (I haven't been able to hold a knife) with actual chopping and no potatoes thrown casually into the oven.... and biscuits too! It's odd how easily some afternoons can flow with so much achieved and how others can be like wading through molasses. What is the freeing up factor and does it come in pill form - actually, I think I just described speed and that is not good so I might just avoid drug references next time.

Fingers crossed that Jonno can get the video player picking up Prime so I can record 'True Blood' with Anna Paquin. It's by the makers of 'Six Feet Under' which is one of my all time favourite shows and even better, is about vampires. It has been way too long since 'Buffy' finished and I am ready to see some more fangs on TV.

Fabric Covered Notebooks

Just going through some old archives - some fabric I printed used to cover books and then a bit of wool for some pizazz.

Babushkas

This is one of the first paintings from when I first started on this painting kick. I have a million beads and really don't need to be making more jewellery so I thought I could make people to wear them. Except, now I wish I had some of those necklaces too.

Deer and Flowers

I just found this photo of a deer I printed on fabric and then embroidered around with blue flowers. It's so good to go back through the archives for fresh inspiration. My fingers still have a little bit of healing to do before I can get my embroidery needles out but I am beginning to form a few ideas in my dreaming space.

The Paint/Clean Conundrum.

This scene sums up my following week. With my fingers rapidly healing (I like to think because of some superhuman ability) responsibilities are beginning to flow back toward me and when I look at my hands, I can see they are almost ready to hold paddles again. The question is, do I first catch up on the urgent household jobs knowing that currently, gas-gangrene could be a problem........ or, do I start to put a little bit of magic in the house by finishing some paintings that have been hanging around for too long craving extra colour. May I find the balance and may it be soon.

Johnny Joe's Time Travel

Our house has gone mad on the 'Johnny Joe's Time Travel' colouring in book. It's great and gruesome and encourages kids to add their own drawings. Archie is crazy about it and spends all his spare time filling them up with as much texta as the paper can tolerate. Every night as I tuck him in new pictures swirl around his bed and his fingers curled on his chest, are rainbows of red, blue, yellow and green.

Making Flowers

My fingers are starting to move enough to do a little bit of painting and I had a small window of time to start a new one. It was like finding a seam of fresh air in a dank cave.

Magical Play Dough

Archie and his cousin had the day off school and fortunately as they had the same bug, they spent the morning creating gloriousness with play dough and a glittery solar system of sparkles. It makes me think I should get it out when I have friends over for a cup of tea or dare I say, a drink.

I'm Thinking... Brooches

It must almost be time to experiment with resin. Come on Jonno, let's get our face masks out and capture these flowers forever so that we can wear them on our chest and pretend they have been freshly plucked from the garden.

Comfort Rain

This is the rain that poured for 24 hours straight, soaking more than 10 inches down into the soil.

This is the Parmesan cottage pie Jonno made, warming the kitchen and the cockles of our hearts.
And these are the belladonnas Archie left in a rain soaked terracotta dish by the front door for his mama.

Dreaming of

The light at the end of the tunnel must be getting closer as I can't stop thinking of all the projects that are gathering, begging to be made. Finger physiotherapy today was great and not nearly as cute as I was imagining. No miniature swiss balls or tread mills but lots of great advice and exercises. Apparently all the knitting and painting that went on before the baking incident means that my fingers are strong and flexible and that should help my index finger relearn its role quickly once the skin has finished healing. Time to put the whistle around my neck and start coaching those little digits.

Hot Water Bottle Time

This afternoon I settled into the plump whiteness of my bed with an old friend, one that has not seen the light of day for quite some time - my hot water bottle. How can I even begin to describe the depths of love for this bastion of warmth that has kept my feet happy for so long (it is made from silicon so doesn't perish). I made the cover a couple of years ago from linen (outer) and flannel (inner) with a middle layer of Matilda woollen wadding. I then printed the tree and sewed on velvet ribbons. It stays warm all night and doesn't snore, unlike some people who will remain nameless. When sewing the cover I realised that thin velvet ribbons are much easier to stick onto the fabric with strips of sticky tape rather than pins, the tape is then pulled off just before it is sewn without skewing the position.

A Hint of Autumn

The first slightly cold day crept in this morning so Hugo's vest (which was finished just as summer settled in) was whipped out of his cupboard. Thank goodness it still fits.

My Sling

All fancy in my sling and just hanging out with my friends.

Actually the truth is I am trying desperately not to go up the wall. My hands have been empty for the past week. What is it that non-makers do? Are they unhappy... cranky... lonely? I have to admit the highlight of the day was having all four of us pile into the hairdressers to be processed at the same time. I swear we came out better people.

Paintings, Flowers and Three Year Olds

Our Hugo is now three. We know this because he ran into our bedroom shouting "I is three. I is three". There is nothing like turning three, it's the first birthday that counts.

Just concentrating on the nicer areas of our house. So good you can't see those rats tramping their nasty plague through the house.

Magic Blossom

Magic Garden Trees are my version of heaven. Thank goodness Archie is just as fascinated and was over the moon to be given one from his auntie and uncle. I can still remember saving all my pocket money to buy a set. I think if I could have eaten it afterwards (which you most definitely cannot) I would have declared it the world's best man-made invention..

Birthday Cake Induced Madness

What can I say other than a little boy loved his party but obviously saved the most joy for cake!