What I like about you

As you've probably noticed from my new blog layout, I'm quite a fan of the "too much is never enough" style of decorating. This is in constant conflict with my need for all things to be practical and useful. The downfall comes when I see cute figurines and crocheted amigarumi characters and think "being incredibly cute and cuddly is a practical use, yes?" Ah...not really. But sometimes you just have to give yourself over to the fun and fabulous and forget about the fact that it's only going to take up space, or it's going to be impossible to wash/iron/breathe in.
My latest impractical crush is tulle. Layers and layers of it. I've always been a fan of frou-frou frocks and sweet ballerina skirts, and embelishments always look better when they POP! And what pops more than endless layers of tulle swinging from your hips.

1.  Deep Teal Dupioni Raw Silk Wrap from Bonzie. It's not tulle, but I had to show you how cute it is.
2. Made to order bridal skirt also from Bonzie's Etsy shop. (She's amazing, check her out.)  
3. "Blushing in Pink" gown by Ouma. I'm completely in love with this too.  
4. "Formal Affair" ballet style adult tutu by Princessdoodlebeans, who makes these as well.

I'm also a little too in love with blue, in all shades and patterns. When I was seven I convinced my father to paint my room in what Behr paints are currently calling fountain spout (I'd love to know who gets to choose the names). When asked why I chose that colour I shook my head sadly: so that I could be surrounded by the sea all the time, of course! I got sick of that colour after a few months but still love being surrounded by anything that reminds me of the sea. It's my happy place and blue is my happy colour, especially when it comes in the form of cute stuff.

1. "Water and Fire" feather earings by Hayashibeads. She crochets as well, look!
2. Navy vegan wrap boots from Toms. I've been wanting a pair of Tom's for ages, not only are they super funky, they were founded for a cause greater than themselves.
3. Wedding cake love bird toppers and place card set by Little Vale, who also makes stuff like this.

What secret obsessions are you harbouring at the moment?

It's a jungle out there

Hi there. I've been away for a while. Not anywhere special, just not here. But I have been making new friends, and they'd love to meet you.
Thessalonius Tortoise is a lovely young Greek boy. He loves swimming, hanging ten on the EAC with Nemo and Crush, and just chilling in the sand. He originated from Roman Sock's pattern, but something went a bit awry, and he ended up a little fatter and a wee bit more staionary than her little fellas. But still ever so cute.

And then there's Ermintrude who came about all by herself. She's a sweet little Elephant with a bendy trunk, who loves trumpeting loud and long. She's a big fan of roaming wild in the open plains, and says her idol is none other than the King himself, Babar.

Oh, I almost forgot, she's also good at flying, but only when nobody's watching.

I haven't spent all my time just makeing friends tho, there's also been improvement in my doily ablilities. AND Ta-da!

I took the pattern for this bow tie, ammended it a bit, and turned it into a sweet little clutch. I love the sweet, yellow-flowered lining too and only wish I'd had enough to make a whole bag out of just that.

Birthday wishes and cute creations

It was my dad's 70th birthday yesterday and (due to lack of funds) I decided to create a feast for dinner instead of buy him something. Being adventurous, I decided to let him choose the menu and was met with the least likely dinner choice for a balmy January eve: Slow-cooked lamb shanks. Luckily we woke to an abnormally cool morning, and I headed to town feeling a little bit better about my mission. For dessert he decided on cheesecake which, for my first ever attempt, I think turned out pretty good:

I'm not a fan of cheesecake but the plates were all but licked clean, so I'm guessing it tasted ok. I took the crust recipe from Canelle et Vanille's bakewell tarts and baked it for half an hour. It turned beautifully sweet tasted like basic shortbread. The filling I made up as I went along, so the measurements are guessed to the closest degree.
Mixed Berry Cheesecake
250g cream cheese
250g mascapone
1/2-3/4cup icing sugar
3tbsp lemon curd
5tbsp Berry compote
mixed berries to decorate
Beat cream cheese and mascapone until soft and light. While mixing slowly add icing sugar and lemon curd alternately. Fold in bery compote to form swirls through mix. Spoon into cooled pastry base and top with berries.
I served mine with extra compote, icecream and chocolate shavings.


I've been doing quite a bit of crocheting lately too. Procrastination while packing last week led to these two, both of which I gave to my friend K as part of a belated Christmas pressie:

My first ever doily, randomly selected from here. Still need to do a bit of work on my tension I think.

A cute little bowtie. Another pattern found on Creative Yarn.
I'm working on my very first amigurumi at the moment. Cross fingers it works.

Crazy Critters

I just made a sound more animal than human, not only frightening myself but causing the neighbour's baby to burst into tears. The reason for the sound? I discovered these:

Best bit: They're little brushed crocheted critters from Roman Sock AND they come with free patterns, which means I can make them!! LOVE!

Christmas Crafts

So, it's Christmas. Normally I  Love Christmas, but with everything that's happened (or not happened) this year I just can't seem to find my Christmas mojo. I'm sure after a few margaritas and, mango bellini in hand, I'll find some Christmas cheer, but right now, even on Christmas Eve, it all just seems too much effort.
So instead of blabbing on about the holiday joy and the fun I've had baking, I'd rather just leave a few photos of Christmas crocheting tasks I've completed. The first, A blanket for my lovely friend B.

My high-school boyfriend used to jokingly refer to her as Old Man. Sadly she now is suffering from a disease which leaves her feeling like an old woman most days. I made this foot blankie to keep her warm on long cold nights when her bones ache and her belly hurts. Funnily enough I chose the colours purely for their delightfulness, only realising as I sat weaving in the last ends that I'd chosen quintessential Christmas tones. 

The second project you may remember from this post. That very night I sat down and attempted the bow on the alice band with such great success. I also achieved the alice band for my cousin and couldn't wait til Christmas to give it to her. Unfortunately she loved it so much I didn't have time to snap a picture of it. Not to worry, I've got another one in the works as we speak.
   

Going Knit-crazy

Due to the nature of my body I'm constantly under threat by any number of old wounds. Sadly, at the moment this wound is in the form of a torn ligament in my right knee, angered by years of badly-taught netball drills. To be exact, the interior meniscus which, I'm led to believe, is one of the major ones that holds everthing together and keeps it working.
I damaged my knee two weeks ago while at work. I was walking. When I tell people this most smile at me knowingly, expecting me to regal them with the real story. But that's it. I was walking, and I managed to tear a vital part of my knee. Even my surgeon seemed dubious at my explaination. No exciting story about saving a small child from a burning building, or rescuing a kitten from a tree. Just walking.
Because I did it at work I am hoping to be covered by work cover, which stops me from fretting over the ever-increasing number of bills. It also means that I still get paid while I'm off work for the next two weeks, recovering from the operation to stick things back together. It doesn't, however, prevent the pain and frustration at not being able to walk, bathe, sleep, or sit normally. And it certainly doesn't stop the crazy boredom that seems to be encapsulating my days while I sit...and sit....and sit.
To keep me busy I've got a bunch of beautiful wools and fun crafty things to play with, my problem is always finding the perfect project for that perfect wool. While I'm not sure about my skill level (still completing my first ever granny-square blanket) I've got big plans and giant dreams for my next batch:

I love how this necklace from creativeyarn looks both delicate and chunky. I've got some recycled cotten yarn perfect for this. AND my new milk/acryllic blend was handlicked for this one from the same site:

I'm endeavouring to get this one done for my counsin's Christmas pressie. She's been giggling at my nanna ways but after seeing this, all of a sudden crocheting is cool. I think with all the free time I've got overthe next two weeks I'm going to have heaps of time to master both these and work on something even bigger.  I've just got to find the right project....