Hooked on Bowls...........

What's a girl meant to do when all yarn is 40% off at your local Spotlight?

Obviously........buy some is the correct answer.............

So I did and I have been busy crocheting up this little bowl, using the wonderful tutorial Jacquie posted over at Bunny Mummy.

She's having a giveaway of some of her crocheted bowls, so if you'd like to enter, the giveaway is open till the end of September.

This is the smallest size and is 4 inches across and just over 2 inches high, but you can fit quite a bit in it.

I decided to add a bobble edge to it for a bit of interest, but you could do anything, the options are endless..........

Next time I might add a flower or two.

Almost forgot to upload this photo, so it's out of order but anyhoo.........

This little Joey (baby kangaroo) was the companion of my neighbour Erin at the Bright market last Saturday.

She's a wildlife carer, when you find injured animals you give Erin a call and she'll come and rescue them, nurse them back to health and then release them back into their environment.

These people are very dedicated, not only did Erin have this little Joey but also a baby possum, both of which need four hourly feeds!!

Righto, where were we?

Talking about yarny, hooky exploits.

This is the cotton yarn I bought on sale, gorgeous colours . They tumbled off the shelf and into my shopping basket before I could say a word and as I was in a bit of a hurry I just didn't have time to put them back ............

The little flower is from a pattern in the latest Mollie Makes...........

Well, this is the latest edition to arrive in our newsagents.

Remember, we get UK magazines weeks after UK residents.

So, I have to read all about it on blogs before I can get my mitts on my own copy.

I have finally got myself a snakeshead Fritillary, which I picked up at the market on Saturday.

A cake stall held by a local church also had a few plants and as we were all in the process of setting up our stalls I spied this and nearly had palpitations.

I have seen pics of these in English Country Living mag for many, many years, but this is the first I have ever seen in person.

It may not be the best specimen ever, but I just love the little chequerboard pattern on the flower.

It really is very interesting and intriguing.

I was assured they are very easy to grow and will withstand heavy frosts so I will find a special place in the garden and hope that it thrives.

So the market got off to an interesting start..........

I had spent money before I even set my stall up, lol...........

Once again it was a beautiful day for the market, lots of stall, lots of people, wonderful live music supplied by one of my favourite musos of the moment......Tom Tuena.

But, unfortunately I didn't sell very much at all and this is the second market in a row.

I know for a fact it's not the product but more a sign of the economic times.

I came home feeling very deflated and flat and it took quite a while to shake off this feeling.

I am booked in to the Bright markets till December and I do love my day up there, it's very social and lots of fun.

Anyway, I shall look at my options and think about how I do things, whilst keeping any eye on where everything is going and see what I come up with.

This week has been such a mixed bag of weather......no surprise there.

Would you believe it was 28 deg. on Monday, I spent the day out in the garden, working up a sweat, whipper snipping, weeding, digging, raking and doing all sorts of jobs. It was just lovely and No. 1 was my partner in all things gardening and we whipped the lawn (green stuff) into shape and it looks a picture, but definitely not perfect.

Monday night it was doona on, doona off until I couldn't stand it any longer and got rid of the doona altogether and grabbed a blanket...........

Tuesday, the warmth had disappeared and it was down to 15deg. and four seasons in one day.

So the doona reappeared with the blanket as well............

Today is chilly, sunny, overcast all at once and about 14deg.

I am feeling alot cheerier today and have been surprised how my emotions chopped and changed like the weather yesterday.

It always helps if you have a ..................

----------FRIEND---------

These two little fellas have become firm friends.

The little white faced calf has been the only calf about for a few weeks and all he wanted was someone his age to play with.

I would seem him run up to some of the older beasts looking to play, but they would always ignore him and keep on eating. I felt so sorry for him, all he wanted was to have some fun. Life seemed so boring for a little fella full of energy and mischief

Then a month ago the second calf was born and it's so lovely to see them running around together.

Calf No. 2 was having 'brekky' the other morning and Calf No. 1 was patiently standing there waiting for brekky to be over, so they could go and play...........

It reminded me of when you were kids and a friend would turn up and have to wait till you had finished your jobs or whatever, before you could go off and have fun.

Well this is just a snippet of the last few days.

I have another little crochet bowl on the go, I think I have caught the bug...........

There will be more sewing taking place a couple of orders to fill and when the weather warms up more gardening too.

Thanks for popping by to say "hi" and to new followers "Welcome, nice to meet you".

I hope the last few days have been creative in some way or another for you and that the weather is kind whichever hemisphere you live in.

I have to say I am loving reading about Autumn in the UK at the moment..........

So, till next time, take care,

Claire X

It's Time For A Change

Hello and welcome to a new week I have decided it's time for a change..........

Nothing major, but a comment made by a customer at the market on Saturday got the ideas swirling around in my brain.

I was keen to get home, dig into the bag full of fabric scraps and see what I could come up with.

Above are the first two daisy designs..................what do you think?

I like the blue and red daisy.

Sorry, the pic is a bit dull, but I think you can get the idea.

Driving over to Bright for the market on Saturday morning I was a bit apprehensive about the weather.

It was fine, but quite cloudy and I was worried that the sun would go all coy but the cloud disappeared and the sun did shine.

It was cold, but I always have a mobile wardrobe in the car as I have been caught out on other occasions.

I didn't need most of it, but it's good to be prepared in the cold weather, particularly when it's an outdoor market!!

There were quite a few visitors around as it was the last weekend of the school holidays and

Bright is very close to Mt. Hotham, one of Victoria's ski fields.

I had a good day, made quite a few sales.............Moonbeam babies, got lots of positive feedback and I sold one, but Blanket Bunnies were more popular.

You never can pick it.

When I came home from town this afternoon, I found this lot making themselves at home in the front garden.

No. 1 had let them out of their run for a forage and hadn't been keeping an eye on them.

Don't blame them really, we had close to an inch of rain overnight and there's probably nowhere dry for them to dust bathe.

They actually look like they have settled in to lay an egg or two..........that would be nice!!

The season's first Daffodils.

I planted two garden beds with Daffodils about 3 or 4 years ago.

Somehow, some Jonquils have found their way in and seem to be taking over..............

It's still very pretty, but it would be nice to get a good display of Daffodils, they are always so cheery and bright.

-------OOOOO-------

We had some lovely rain overnight.

Don't you just love lying in bed and listening to it on the roof?

It's a bit too damp to be working outside ,so the next day or two I will be sitting at my machine whipping up some new designs.

Much as I love Winter, Spring is making it's presence felt in more ways than one and now it's creeping into my crafting.

Thanks for popping by to say hello always nice to hear from you, hope you all had a good weekend and there's a good week to follow.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

Catch a Falling Star and Put It In Your Pocket

Hi there and thanks for dropping by.......

I'd like to introduce you to my latest Softies...."Moonbeam Babies"

I have been wanting to make another softie for quite awhile, but wanted to keep it simple.

For the front I used some lovely woollen fabric that Sandra sent to me earlier in the year and used pale blue polka dot cotton fabric for the back.

I'm rationing the woollen fabric as it's so lovely..............

(I still have to stitch a couple of 'bottoms' up, thus the slightly lopsided look !)

When I made the first Moonbeam Baby, I was just thinking the face was more like a sleeping child till No. 1 said how much he like the Moon...........bingo and thus Moonbeam Babies were born.

The trees are made from recycled woollen jumpers with felt trunks.

I machine stitched "Wish Upon A Star" and handstitched some stars using metallic silver thread...............

They give it a nice sparkly touch.

A quick visit to the Op shop yesterday yielded a fabulous woollen blanket.

It's pure wool made in Australia (yay) by Onkaparinga, good quality stuff.

I remember my sister decked out her room in purple when she started working full time and bought one of these very blankets, along with a purple beanbag and purple chenille bedspread!!

She also had a Starsky and Hutch Jacket...........

We're talking quite a few years ago folks......

Anyway, back to the blanket.

I will use it for some more Moonbeam Babies and as there's plenty of blanket I won't have to ration it.....

I can't believe it, not one but two wonderful o/s parcels have made it into my letter box this week.

The second was a giveaway I won over at Tweed Delights.

Alison sent me one of her gorgeous egg cosies and also added some lovely hand embroidered buttons, a bookmark (already in use) and a swatch of some Harris Tweed in beautiful blue and green.

All beautifully made and much appreciated, thanks Alison.

If you haven't paid her a visit yet, click on the link and have a look at all her wonderful makes and read about life in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

After many months of saying 'we must catch up' I finally had morning tea with Lindy, a lovely friend and neighbour.

She's a great cook and whipped up a delicious orange and poppyseed cake for the occasion and presented me with a beautiful birthday pressie.

This little birdy ornament is one I have admired in a local gift shop, so imagine my surprise when I opened it.........

She knows me very well.

I'm starting to amass quite a flock of varied birdy ornaments and each of them has a special memory of the person who gave it to me or the occasion on which I bought it.

My first was given to me by my mum when I was 21.

The Weeping Cherry outside Lindy's front door, was putting on a magnificent display.

I just had to take a pic to show you all

It's like a waterfall of delicate, blossom .........a hint of things to come.

After a pea soup fog this morning it has turned into a beautiful, sunny day. So I better get the freshly laundered blanket on the line so it can start drying and finish sewing up some 'nether regions'

I have a market in Bright on Saturday and it's out doors, brrrr.....

Am I crazy or what? No, please don't bother to answer, I know what you'll all say.

Hope your week is going well, thanks for popping by and don't forget to

"Catch a falling star

and put it in your pocket

never let it fade away.

Catch a falling star

and put it in your pocket

save it for a rainy day"

sung by Perry Como

Till next time, take care.....

Claire X

Market Day

It's market day again.

An early start to the day, when the alarm goes off I lie there and think 'Do I really want to do this?'

I know I do, but at 5.45am I take some convincing.......

.

A hot shower seems to work wonders.

The car is packed the afternoon before so no rushing.

I made sure I had enough clothing for all weather.

eventualities...........

Bright is always cooler as it's at the foot of the mountains.

It was a fine day and the sun put in an appearance at times, but when it was hiding behind the clouds it was quite chilly.

I made sure I got in nice and early and bought a cupcake before they all disappeared.

Carly, the creative cupcake cook, has done a wonderful job decorating them.

The big decision was, did I want to eat a Ladybird, Butterfly or Echidna but really there was no question .......... It had to be one of the little chicks on the far left.

Aren't they cute and it was deeeeeelish.

I took a few snaps of the beautiful views around the park where the market is held.

There are still quite a few trees holding onto their leaves.......

The market started slowly, my first sale wasn't until 10am. There seemed to be plenty of people around, out enjoying the fresh Autumn morning.

I find it's quite a social thing and like to chat to other stall holders and visitors to the market.

All in all it turned out quite well despite the slow start, so I was happy.

After I had packed up, I made a quick trip into the main street of Bright to check out the local Op shop and see if I could find any treasures...........but there were none to be had when I got there.

Isn't it beautiful?............such a lovely place in any season.

Some more Autumn colour I spied on the way home.

Just as well there was no one driving behind me as I stopped three times to photograph beautiful scenery.

A grove of Chestnut trees on the side of the hill. They were golden in the mid afternoon light, although my pic doesn't do it justice.

The problem with markets is that you can be tempted to spend your hard earned dollars before you've earned them........

Once I had set up I did a quick trip around the other stallholders before things got busy.

I had a request from my hubby for some apples and whilst at the fruit stall I spied a plant stall selling beautiful tulip bulbs, I couldn't resist buying half a dozen.

I then spotted some friends from down the road they sell certified organic produce so I picked up a kilo of Feijoas as ours have finished fruiting.

A pie (lamb and mint jelly) from the pie man for dinner (boys are away) a coffee and back to my stall., with my purse feeling decidedly lighter........

At the end of the day I visited Sheree from Paper, Scissors,Rock, she makes lovely screen printed cushions amongst other things.

I had been admiring her fox brooches and I'm a redhead, so it was the obvious choice.

I keep thinking of a line from the TV Series Kath and Kim, where the daughter Kim refers to herself as 'A foxy moron....' hehehe

I have to admit I loved that show, made you cringe with horror but laugh at the same time.

The American version unfortunately, just didn't cut it.......

I had decided after this market I would unplug the machine for a couple of weeks and get out into the garden for along overdue tidy up, but I have ideas swirling around in my head and it's just so hard to ignore them.

So, I shall wage battle with he desire to create and the need to clean up and see which one wins.

I hope your weekend is going well.

Thanks for popping by for a visit, it's lovely to hear from you,

till next time, take care,

Claire X

Market Wrap Up

Hello everyone, I hope your week got off to a good start wherever you are.

After a busy weekend of markets I am taking a deep breath, slowing down and thinking about things other than sewing, sewing , sewing....

I must say it makes a nice change.

As you can imagine there are always ideas for future projects lurking in the depths waiting for the opportunity to surface.....

Saturday's market was held in Bright, a lovely drive, a beautiful town, particularly in Autumn.

The above photo was taken along the way.

Fog had created an inland sea, the beauty of it took my breath away as I crested a hill and it came into view.

I had to put the brakes on pull over and take a pic.

Nestled under a blanket of fog are farms, who are waking up to a 'pea souper'

It was the most beautiful Autumn day.

A real stunner.

As you can see the Autumn colour in Bright is breathtaking and at this time of year there are many visitors, soaking it all up and enjoying the spectacular colour.

The place will no doubt be choc-a-bloc over Easter.

The market went well, being school holidays there were plenty of people around. The market is held in a park by the river and I had a lovely spot in full sun, which was much appreciated as it started off a little chilly.

No pics, sorry, you'll just have to take my word for it.

When it was time to pack up, I really didn't want to as it was so pleasant just sitting there relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere.

Sunday morning was the monthly market in my home town.

Another gorgeous day, quieter than expected but I was still happy with sales.

I realised after the January market I did in Bright that I needed to have a sign on my stall, so people could put a 'name' to my wares.........

So, Friday night saw me madly going through my stash of fabric, looking for something suitable to use as a background.

An old pillow slip that I had already used half of proved to be the very thing I needed.

Polka dots and a bird were the obvious choice and I was happy with the finished sign.

I asked hubby and No.1 for their 'creative' opinion and I got the thumbs up from both, phew.....

Don't forget to click on the pics for a better view.

There seems to be alot of red and blue going on in this photo.

I didn't realise until I had uploaded it........

Once he woke up, No. 1 came in to play a few tunes to add a festive atmosphere.

He needed some 'petrol money' to get to Canberra on Good Friday for a gig.

So to all of you who throw a few coins into a buskers, hat or guitar case, can I just say a 'BIG THANKYOU', on his behalf.

After a weekend out and about I needed to head into town yesterday to do some grocery shopping, op shopping and general running about.

I found myself in a cookware shop and spied these cute as a button 'cookie cutters'

You know, I just couldn't resist them. That flop eared bunny, just too cute.

Then there was a little dog cutter and it is 'Wee Jock' to a tee.............

They just had to come home with me. The 'oooooh' factor was over the limit.

Mind you, I may never use them, but just looking at them makes me smile.

Isn't that worth just a few dollars?

Could I actually eat some bunny shaped biscuits?

Wee Jock better watch out, that goose/duck is a bit too close for comfort.........

Today has seen me out in the vegie garden, removing spent Zinnias, which although still flowering are past their best and I just need to be ruthless.

The good thing is, my 'gardening man' aka No. 1 son can do all the boring stuff while I get in and do the .......... other boring stuff, like weeding, hmmm......

I'm feeling much better having got that done and off the 'to do' list.

Another of my little helpers.

Hand picked as they are very good at their job.........eating bugs and the occasional worm.

Wandering around the garden I had to take a couple of Autumnal (oooh, there's that word..)

pics.

The carpet of beautiful leaves, is compliments of the Manchurian Pear.

Here it is in all it's glory, the colour just gets better and better.......

The girls are finding the overcast day a little gloomy and for some reason are all huddled together under one of the fruit trees.

The cold spell that hit us last week and had me reaching for the matches to light the heater, has disappeared.

Heading towards Easter we are expecting a bit of rain and a drop in temp, but Easter is expected to be very pleasant.

We will be busy as No.1 has a few gigs on, so we will be out and about, but enjoying the time together and the beautiful weather and Autumn colour.

Whatever you have planned over the break, enjoy it and safe travels.

Thanks for taking the time to say 'hi', it's always nice to hear from you.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

P.S. A little query, some Aussie bloggers might be able to help me with.

I am looking to get some labels printed.

Nothing too fancy, just the twill variety.

Have done a little searching on the net but haven't yet found anything.

Can anyone recommend a company?

Thanks , Claire

All Things Bright and Beautifully Sunny

The day dawned and not a cloud in the sky.......

It was completely foggy !

Still, it wasn't raining and that was a good thing.

Peering out the window, I spied a patch of blue sky, a good sign.

Feed the chooks and cats, get myself ready and it was time to hit the road.

I was having a market stall in Bright, a beautiful little town at the foot of the mountains.

First market for the year and my first time at the Bright market.

It was a beautiful drive, foggy in parts.

I could pretend it was Winter.

As I neared Bright the fog lifted and the sun shone.

Everything seemed fresh and green after the rain, almost like a Spring day.

A little look at my stall.

New bookcovers, singlets, a couple of vintage Blanket Bunnies and one Grumpy Bunny.

He's a bunny with attitude, but really just needs a hug.

Because, as we know,

'a frown is a smile turned upside down'

Down the other end......

Bunting, pot holders, cards and who's been playing with the brooches?

Vintage style hanky bunting.

Sold 1 lot, to a happy customer.....

The market was held in the park down by the river.

It was beautiful and shady.

Lots of stalls, lots of variety.

Live music, lots of people.

My stall is 3rd on the left, photo taken just after setting up, still quiet.....

Looking up the park to the music sound shell.

The crowds came, it was a beautiful morning.

A little warm but not unpleasant.

Note to self.......

get in early for your egg and bacon brekky roll, before they run out of eggs!

More stalls.

After the market finished and I had packed up, I headed up the street to have a wander and enjoy the glorious day.

The humidity seemed to have disappeared.

Bright is such a lovely town, full of holiday makers at the moment.

Nestled at the foot of the mountains, surrounded by pine forests and the Australian bush.

Driving home, I stopped by the river in Porepunkah.

There were families picnicking by the river, enjoying the fine weather.

I could've stayed there all day, but it was time to get home and upack.

A job I don't enjoy,...............

Does anyone?

Anyone need a bike?

The things people collect......

So that was how I spent today.

It was a lovely day, beautiful weather, great camaraderie amongst stallholders.

In fact I enjoyed it so much, I think I might head back there for next months market.

So how did you spend your day?

And so the back breaking, heart breaking clean up begins..........

Watching tonights news about the floods in Brisbane I was amazed to see crowds of strangers, carrying brooms, buckets, high pressure hoses anything that would help in the clean up.

This army of volunteers had come from near and far to help people they had never met....

As 'Matt' said when interviewed by the news reporter,

"It's what we do. We're Aussies, we help our mates"

'nuff said.

No. 1 son is playing at the Illawarra Music Festival this weekend and is donating $5.00 from every CD sold to the flood appeal.

Total of CDs sold thus far is 42....

Good job Rich and I know he would like to thank everyone who supports live music and buys CD's.

There are lots of auctions being held on blogs to raise funds for the flood relief, so please join in and help out.

One crafty lady who is whipping up a storm with her crochet hook is Kate over at Foxs Lane.

She has had to deal with her own flood over the last couple of days, so she's had a taste of what the folks up North have been dealing with.

Thinking of you and the family Kate...........

I have been given a blog award recently, shall blog about it next post.

Thankyou one and all for popping by and commenting,, always lovely to hear from you.

I hope your day has been a good one whatever you got up too.

Until next time, take care

Claire X