Reversible Purse

I don't know if its the red spot fabric that I love or whether this bag really is just making me so happy! Either way I love it! Thanks Pink Lizzy for the inspiration and Marns for finding this on Martha's website. I have been at work tonight and I have been edging to get home and finish this thing, so I did.

I hope you like looking at the bag as much as I do! I just need to get my hands on some Anna Maria Horner Garden Party now and I will be really really smiling...

Martha's Bag, Mum's Pansies and My Muffins!

Well tonight was fairly productive! I made this awesome bag thanks to inspiration from Pink Lizzy Sews and a pattern from Martha Stewart's website. I used old scraps on this one, and no co-ordinating lining, but tomorrow, hopefully, I can have a go at something nicer in fabric terms!

Mum turned up with a pot of pansies she had potted up for us, isn't she nice! They'll be going out on the front verandah tomorrow morning for us to enjoy.

The muffins are my Prep Muffins! Mixed and cooked in a flash and these ones are Raspberry, Banana and Choc Chip, dusted in icing sugar.

Thomas Flannelette Pants and a View

Another pair of the same pants pattern for Joe, this time in Thomas Flannelette, which he picked out himself! And a shot of what we can see between the trees that line the river now that our neighbour chopped down a few pine trees! They are the aerials on top of Maleny.

Cord Train Pants

Finally, I have figured out a great pattern for pants for Joe boy!

This is a combination of a 70's vintage Size 1 Simplicity 5103 PJ pants pattern together with my skills as a novice pattern drafter! I made 2 try out pairs out of old flannelette cot sheets before I was happy with this shape.

I used this tutorial...here...for the idea of keeping pants simple by essentially having only 2 pattern pieces. My pants would be a size 2 to 3 I'd say and I finally had a real proper go at applique! I did a train of course and the lesson learnt is 'applique before you sew up the seams'. You may think you can manipulate the machine inside that small leg hole, but NO it's very very tricky. I need a one on one with Mum to get tight circles happening, check wheels and you'll see what I mean.

Previously, I have made Lilly pants with pockets that turned out ok and Joey some cargo style pants that were absolutely horrendous, but because they were and still are Thomas blue in colour he just loves them.

These navy ones on the other hand are just right. The waist hem was a cinch given I allowed for 2 big turn overs, much simpler than small amounts to turn over and fiddle with. Next time I will add an inch to the hem to allow for a larger turn over. I have the master pattern in my drawer so I better get moving and make some more.

This is a very long description considering it is about one very ordinary pair of pants, but its the simple things that are often the best...oh you have to excuse the poor pic's and fact that these are dirty from wear today, but I just had to show you all.

Lady beetle cake

Chocolate lady beetle cake with 20 mini lady beetles for Lill's teacher.

Chocolate Factory Party

Happy 3rd Birthday to my beautiful little boy!

We had a chocolate factory party for Joey complete with Golden Ticket invites. The factory was made out of fridge boxes, alot of them! It had purple and gold double doors leading into a crepe paper choc waterfall, then a turn to the right but before that- a pull-out chocolate drop trap door, then a pretty painted room, another couple of turns, another waterfall, a bubble room, more turns, then another slide-out chocolate trap door, more turns and finished with a piece of twisted pipe where after pressing a button (a battery operated door bell!) a gob-stopper came down the pipe and into your hand if you were ready, then out the flap door...and line up again! I had 4 adults working the factory, one letting the guests through in turn so there wasn't a stampede, and 3 on the trap-door and door bell lolly drops!

We also made a 'lolly shop' which my daughter and my nephew were in charge of. Hidden around the garden were tiny golden tickets for Joey's Lolly Shop. The shop had an open and closed sign, so when the shop was open you could line up and exchange mini tickets for free lollies. We had those noodle boxes for all the kids to get filled. They did a good job of the shop, it is still a shop here in the playroom but it doesn't sell lollies anymore!

We had a 'lolly pop tree' in our mango tree and a freddo frog balloon pop. The cake was a double batch mudcake covered in thomas track with every imaginable choc coated lolly you can think of on top. He had a great time, completely chocced out! When asked what his favourite was at his party, he said 'going in the factory and opening pessents'. So cute Joey. I love you.

Butterfly Bag

This is my latest bag, I gave this one away, actually it was payment for a Shannon Noll concert ticket!! Which I might add was very very good, Shannon that is, but he always is!!!

Beats me why that pic is on its side...tried twice, I give up!

Cowboy Recycle Jeans

Here are Joe's jeans, originally a size 1 Bonds that now fit him as a 3 year old! I love this print so much.