Summer picnic

today we decided on a impromptu picnic at Musick Point, Howick. To get there, we had to drive through the golf course. There's lots of lovely pohutukawa trees to spread out the picnic under.



While hubby and I spread out the picnic rug and food, the children played tiggy. Miss almost 2 had the best time being chased by her older siblings. Their infectious laughter had us both smiling.



After lunch, hubby and I sat in the shade and enjoyed the view. The skies were absolutely clear, the water sparkling, the sun bright and the tui in full song.



Meanwhile the children set off to explore amongst the trees and returned with a handfull of cicada skins that they'd found still firmly attached to the trees.



It was a great day for us all. Then it was home for a nap!

first scrapbook pages

well, it's been a slow process but I'm pleased as punch to announce that I've finally finished my first scrapbook pages! hooray !!!!!

First of all, I watched a 'Successful Scrapbooking' DVD which my scrapbooking sister lent me, then at Spotlight I bought some really great christmas theme paper and embellishments on sale as I thought doing some christmas pages would be a good starting point. Then it was planning how to put my pages together. I really admire how talented scrapbookers are. There's quite a lot involved!

strawberry jam

although it was a scorching hot summer day, we took the opportunity to take the children for a drive with the promise of a strawberry ice cream from the Mangere Strawberry gardens. I came home with a 1kg bag of second grade strawberries to make some yummy strawberry jam...

strawberry jam recipe

* 500 gram strawberries (washed & destalked)
* 350 gram sugar
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 1 Tbsp butter

Put the strawberries in the pan, sprinkle over all of the sugar and place it into the fridge overnight.

Place the pan on a medium heat and let the sugar to dissolve. This will take roughly 6 minutes. Do not stir at this point as not to break up the fruit.Once dissolved bring to a boil and add the lemon juice. Stir briefly and boil rapidly for 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes spoon in the butter and stir in. Take off the heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Spoon the strawberry jam into the jar. Cover it with a small square of parchment paper and seal tightly with an elastic band.

Finally, put the jar lid back on, closing it tightly.The strawberry jam can be kept in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks

one bead

Miss almost 2 found a letter bead in her sister's room and then decided that it might be nice to put in her nostril. Well, panic ensued when she realised that a square bead isn't meant for a round nostril. A pair of trusty overlocking tweezers did the trick in extracting the offending bead.

Miss almost 2 by this time was beside herself with indignation at being held down for the bead to be removed & I'm totally worn out from the accompanying crying and ear piercing screams.

Meanwhile her older sister feeling quite guilty, gave way to a full on dramatic outburst. I mean how many times have I asked for beads etc to be picked up and put away??? a gazillion, I think....

And so, of course, with all of this going on, I've no energy for crafting today!
Hoping for a better day tomorrow...

Today's song of the day

is 'Won't give in' by the Finn brothers (Neil and Tim Finn) of Split Enz fame...



and as an extra to get down to, because I can't get this song out of my head, 'Double Dutch Bus' by Raven Symone. Yes that is Donny Osmond too!

vintage inspiration

I've been wondering what to do with my ever growing pile of fabric scraps left over from finished projects. Little projects are more my thing at the moment, so making patchwork quilts is out for me. I saw this on trademe and felt some 'vintage inspiration" coming on

It's called a 'Dorothy' bag probably after the bag that Dorothy carried in the 'Wizard of Oz" movie, although I could be wrong.




What a great way to use up all my scraps. A herringbone stitch or some other decorative embroidery stitch in a gold coloured thread would be ideal for connecting all the pieces together.

It would be perfect lined in a contrasting vintage taffeta fabric. The possibilities are endless!!!

tilly ting-ting

Introducing tilly ting-ting, a very colourful softie, from my own drafted pattern and handmade by me. A ting-ting doesn't have a strict definition. It's whatever your imagination wants it to be! I'm sure I've seen a ting-ting or two out of the corner of my eye when I'm at home alone...

Simplicity 3835

After a long wait, Simplicity 3835 is here. Normally I wouldn't look twice at this pattern but having seen so many versions of the top and dresses on numerous sewing blogs, I decided it was time for me to sew it up for myself.

The style is very simple and appeals to my 'sew in 1 day' plan. I can recall wearing a similar top back in the 1970s. Before I get to it, I'm adding the final touches to Miss almost 2's smock dresses and then it's on to making her a birthday dress.

This afternoon, I'll be searching the fabric stash for the right material for the top and then trying to make a start on my scrapbooking.

Try scrapbooking again

One of my 2009 goals is try scrapbooking again. To help me along, my sister who loves to scrapbook gave me one of her old albums and lots of paper and old Creative Memories pamphlets for christmas to help get me inspired.

Today I started sorting through all the stuff she'd given me. It's going to be my
20th wedding anniversary next month, and I had the inspiration that it might be great to put some of our memories into a scrapbook. So I get our photos out and my immediate concern is how to put 20 years worth of memories onto paper? where do I start? and then of course, I get sidetracked by photos!

New beds for the girls

today was bed shopping day for my 2 daughters. The youngest, is turning 2 next month, and moving into her first bed and the elder, is moving into a longer bed.

I'm stunned by how fast our children are growing. Time is speeding by so quickly! One minute they're so tiny and need you for everything, and the next, they're growing more and more independent... deep sigh! I stopped breastfeeding Miss almost
2 about 3 weeks ago and I'm finally coming out the other end of the hormone roller coaster.

New beds for the girls

today was bed shopping day for my 2 daughters. The youngest, is turning 2 next month, and moving into her first bed and the elder, is moving into a longer bed.

I'm stunned by how fast our children are growing. Time is speeding by so quickly! One minute they're so tiny and need you for everything, and the next, they're growing more and more independent... deep sigh! I stopped breastfeeding Miss almost
2 about 3 weeks ago and I'm finally coming out the other end of the hormone roller coaster.

Impressionists are coming

Just opened up my latest 'NZ House and Garden' magazine and read that the largest collection of over 55 Impressionists paintings held by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is coming to New Zealand. It's a rare chance for us downunder to see stunning works from Claude Monet’s Water Lily, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral series, alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne, Degas, and others. I'm so excited!

The paintings will only be exhibited at Te Papa, Wellington. It's a once in a lifetime chance for me to see these amazing works in person. I have to go! I don't think that I'll ever get this chance again. Now, it's working out when to go and booking the flights etc. Dear hubby suggests that we drive down and enjoy the countryside. I'm resisting the idea of 9 hour long drive, as I want to spend every available minute enjoying all the artwork.

Song for today is...

'Barbie Girl' by Aqua - catchy, repetitive and sometimes annoying... but still a great sing-a-long song when crafting...

7 things about me...

today, I thought I'd share 7 things about myself...

1) I'm bilingual. I can read/write/speak fluently in both English & Samoan

2) I'm a published poet

3) I've been married almost 20 years and have 3 great children

4) I like wearing jandals and swimming all year round

5) Once upon a time, I worked as a lawyer in a large corporate legal practice.

6) I enjoy watching crime/legal tv shows

7) I was the school dux at college

At last a 2008 project completed

I started knitting this jumper for the African Aids baby charity and then got sidetracked by other knitting and left this sitting in my knitting bag for almost 3 months. Well last night, I got stuck in and finished it... hooray!!! Today I'm packaging it up for posting.

Nana chic crafts from Patons

Have to share with you all this great book of little kitsch projects by Patons. There's over 70 patterns to make, ranging from christmas ornaments to knitted hangers, slippers and even a knitted poodle toilet roll cover. It's a really delightful book for making gifts for all sorts of occassions.

Although the book is created specifically for Patons yarns, I'm sure that alternative yarn can be used if the tension sample matches the equivalent measurements in the patterns.

New bedroom curtains

Today was spent hanging new curtains in our bedroom. The old ones weren't looking their best anymore and Spotlight had a sale on ready made curtains so there was no excuse to put off getting it done. I still had to shorten the curtains and steam out the wrinkles but they're looking great. The nets are soaking at the moment in steradent to get them back to brilliant white.

Chairbag tutorial

The chairbags are finished and are in use. Miss almost 2 loves her chairbags and is having no problem finding plenty of things to put inside them. I've put together a little tutorial for anyone whose interested in making a chairbag.

Chairbag

You will need:

* fabric
* thread to match
* newspaper
* masking tape (or sellotape)
* marker pen

Instructions

1) Take a sheet of newspaper and create your pattern using a 'drape/cut/tape' method by putting the newspaper length wise over the back of the chair. Fold one end of the paper over the chair back to create a 'hood', marking it's place with a marker pen. Tape in place and cut away excess paper

2) With a 2nd sheet of newspaper cut the size of your pocket(s) and attach it to your first paper piece with tape. Use marker pen to mark placement of pocket(s)

3) Cut out your fabric using your newspaper pattern + seam allowance

4) Hem the fabric end where the hood for the chair will be. Press. Fold fabric to make hood (right sides together) and sew up hood. For durability, I'd suggest sewing up both sides of the hood twice. Then clip the corners. and turn right side out

5) Hem edge of pocket. Press. Pin Pocket right side to wrong side of chair hood and sew. Double stitch for durability. Mitre corners and turn inside out. Press. Fold over the sides between the hood and pocket and stitch in place.

Chairbag is complete!

Little table and chairs

My first trademe bargain for 2009 has to be the table and 2 chairs that I bought for $20 - what a find! Miss almost 2 loves her new furniture and spends quite a bit of time rearranging the chairs.

From a crafty aspect, I'm making 2 chairbags from a fabric remnant, so that she can put her books and paper in them, hopefully keeping her table area tidy.

Hairbrush hit for today...

is Il Divo's version of 'Unchained Melody' (Senze Catene).

From my window...

I see Mount Wellington, a dormant volcanic mountain about 137 metres high, which was formed by a volcanic eruption about 9000 years ago. The colonists named it after Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, although the local Maori call it Maungarei, and for centuries had their pa (hill fort) there.

A great deal of the old lava flow is now quarried for industrial aggregates. Throughout the year, many take the gentle hike up the mountain and then around it's rim. Great views from up there!

Little girl smock dresses

This week I'm planning to make little Miss almost 2 some smock dresses. Digging through my pattern stash, I came across this pattern which will be perfect for what I have in mind. Now it's just a matter of going through the fabric stash to find the right material & then get sewing.

First 2009 beanie

It's the height of summer here in New Zealand, and today looks to be another scorcher. This morning I finished my first knitted beanie for 2009. As some of you may know, I knit for the South Auckland wool programme where parcels of baby & kiddie woollen items are handed out to needy families.

I had plans to knit several beanies over the 2 week christmas break however my motivation was not very great. Staying in the shade revisiting my favourite authors has been a preferred pastime.

More softies

For some reason, I like to make things in sets of three. So Miss Teal is expecting the arrival of 2 sisters very, very soon. Take a peek at their cute little faces. I'm experimenting with colour combinations and at the same time I'm experiencing a great deal of joy working on these little girls.

These 3 softies are destined for my Felt and Etsy stores.

2009 plans

this is my 100th post - hooray! I started this blog in September 2008 to record my creative efforts with a huge lot of fabric samples that I bought on Trademe. I had a website at the time that was in need of serious updating. I became hooked on blogging so I closed the website down but kept my internet identity 'normatikadesigns'.

I've been crafting for what seems like forever and before starting this blog, I was sewing clothing for fashion dolls. Now, I mainly sew for BJDs and vintage walkie talkie dolls and concentrate most of my efforts on making softies and art dolls.

My craft related plans for 2009 are :

continue to blog daily

improve my knitting skills

etsy & felt shops at 100%

try gocco printing

try scrapbooking again

more personal sewing

no unfinished projects

reduce my fabric and wool stash

continue with my charity knitting

Happy new year to those of you in the northern hemisphere!

Happy new year 2009

to all of you in blogland who take the time to visit my little corner of the world, wishing you all the very best for the new year. Hope 2009 is a great one for you!

Last 2008 hairbrush hit

has to be 'Somewhere over the rainbow' version by Issac Kamakawiwo'ole. A lovely song to remember the past, live in the present, look forward to the future...

Miss Teal

Almost finished Miss Teal, a new softie in teal/green co-ordinating fabrics. Take a peek at her.
She has the sweetest little face and I was inspired to create her from the 'woodland' and 'forest' dolls that I've seen made by lots of talented softie artists. (I drafted my own pattern).

As for the UFOs (unfinished objects), I've been forcing myself to work on them...

Mr Darcy

I'm a keen reader of Jane Austen and love all her works. I've been watching a
witty drama called Lost in Austen that's screening here in NZ, where Mr Darcy is portrayed as an austere, intimidating fellow not at all as sexy as many might imagine. I prefer this depiction of Mr Darcy's character. It fits with my imagined idea of the literary Mr Darcy as a brusque, rigid, almost unloveable person.

And as for the water scene, I know that Colin Firth does a superb job, but check out Elliot Cowan's Mr Darcy as a matter of interest:

Kraftbomb January 2009 application

This morning I checked my blogger updates and see that Kraftbomb January 2009 applications are open. I'm going to apply! 2009 is set to be my year to get my crafting goodness out there. With limited spaces available, I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that I make it in. Thinking positive thoughts!!!

ps. decided at the last minute not to apply due to personal reasons. Perhaps next time?

Sales shopping

Yesterday the malls were packed with shoppers after the boxing day bargains so we didn't go out. Today, I ventured out with our children in tow to do some sales shopping knowing that it wouldn't be as busy as yesterday. I was happy to find a collection of Lynley Dodd stories about Hairy Maclairy for Miss almost 2 and a swimsuit for myself. Miss almost 2 was exhausted after all the shopping that as soon as she got home, she flopped down on her fold up couch and was fast asleep within minutes.

My unfinished projects are bothering me so in the next few days leading up to New Years eve, I'll be working like a maniac to finish them off as I'm determined not to carry any UFO's (aka unfinished objects) into 2009. I'll post pics of each project as they're completed.

Boxing day and leftovers

Had a lovely christmas day at home with my husband and children. We enjoyed a very special lunch of baked ham, salads and trifle for afters. After a much needed afternoon nap, the children and I went out visiting. We came home about 8pm and then played games and watched a christmas movie until almost 10.30pm, then it was time for bed.

Today is boxing day here in NZ. It's a public holiday and very much associated with after christmas sales. But historically it was a day based on giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society as well as being St Stephen's day (Stephen was the first christian martyr to be stoned to death in Jerusalem 34-35AD).

We always have leftovers for the next few days...

For those of you in the Northern hemisphere, Merry Christmas!

Kiwi christmas greetings to you all!

'Ia manuia le kerisimasi' in the Samoan language means Merry Christmas. It's christmas day here in New Zealand. I thought I'd share a personal greeting and thanks to all of you out there in blogland who take the time to read my little blog. My family and I hope you all have a lovely christmas!

Today's hairbrush hit has a christmas theme

a real classic 'Blue Christmas' by Elvis Presley, so grab your hairbrush, wooden spoon, whatever's handy as a pretend microphone and get singing...

Strawberries

No crafting today as I try to get all my pre-christmas chores done. My family's favourite christmas breakfast is a fruity fruit salad with lots of berries, peaches, pears, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon, pineapple yummy! so we're off this afternoon to the strawberry gardens in Mangere to buy the juiciest strawberries for our christmas day fruit salad and trifle.

The strawberry farm also has a large barn that's been converted into a shop/ice cream parlour where they make the most delicious fresh strawberry ice cream. The queues weren't too long and there was a steady stream of people coming & going. Behind the scenes, the strawberry pickers are hard at work.

Toy Society drop this morning

I'm taking part in the Toy Society Christmas drop. This little guy is off to the Sylvia Park mall this morning in search of his new home. I was originally going to drop a Miss Blue doll that I'd made earlier but after making her some sisters, I couldn't bear to part with her so I had to make a new toy.

Dropped off at 8am, near the entrance of the mall.

Kiwi Christmas swap ornaments all arrived

All the kiwi christmas swap ornaments have arrived safely. I didn't have anything to display them on, so I made a quick trip to the Warehouse and found myself a little artificial gold tree on sale. This is the first ornament swap that I've participated in and I've enjoyed receiving all the different ornaments. It's amazing how talented everyone is. Wouldn't hesitate to take part in a swap again. Thanks Louise of twentycentmixture for organising the swap.

Fabrics direct

This morning, I went to my favourite material store, Fabrics Direct, Onehunga Mall. David has the most gorgeous and yummiest imported fabrics in stock and even the remnant bin is worth a look through. I came home with a really great selection of natural linens for some new softies that I'm thinking of making. His son, Nick, also has a fabric store in Dominion Road, called Nick's Fabrics. I hope to get out there over the holidays and check out his stock as well. There's nothing quite like adding to the fabric stash!

Hedgehog pincushion

Although this hedgehog has started out it's life as a pincushion, there's nothing to stop it returning to a nicer existence as a softie that could be hidden in a pocket or a bag. The hedgehog is made from vintage blanket scraps, poly fill stuffing and freehand embroidery.

An easy, peasy project for little hands too.

Another baby beanie

Finished another baby beanie for the South Auckland Wool programme.

Over the christmas break, I'm hoping to get a few more beanies finished. I've always knitted them on 2 needles and think that I'm going to start using double pointed needles instead.

Today's hairbrush hit is...

is 'Sway' by Bic Runga...

Sock toys under way

Felt inspired to start a couple of sock toys. I've made the bodies and have been stuffing them. I'm finding that the combination of a stretchy sock and lumpy dacron is very challenging.

Once the bodies are complete, it's then a matter of deciding whether they're going to become monkeys or something else. I'm taken with the idea of creating a softie that can be whatever you want it to be... and hope that my softies will be of interest?

Thrift shopping

Today I made a trip out to Mr Bo Jumble in Mangere, on the hunt for more vintage & retro finds. I came across this lovely stash of sewing goodies, hidden at the bottom of a bin plus some unfinished knitting & an extra ball of wool with the knitting book alongside. This will be perfect to knit up into baby beanies for the South Auckland wool programme. I love the colour of the wool, it's a rich lavender.

There's lots of bias binding (not quite sure what I'll do with this yet) as well as lots of needles (I always need needles) and self covered buttons (I was thinking that these would be ideal to make into hairties). The entire lot was $5 - definitely a real bargain!

Afghans

Today, as promised, Afghans were baked, cooled and now ready to eat. The recipe from Alexa Johnstone's book was easy to follow and after several sample tastings, I'm happy to report that this recipe delivers a lovely chocolatey, crumbley biscuit. It isn't a overly sweet afghan so you might like to add more sugar if you're after a sweeter biscuit.

A rich, creamy icing adds a lovely finishing touch. Although afghans taste extra specially nice with a walnut piece on top, I missed that as we didn't have any walnuts in the pantry. Still yummy though!

Three in a row

Just finished the 2 other Miss Blue softies. I noticed as I was working on them that I can't replicate exactly the same expression as the first Little Miss Blue. Each one is slightly different, whether it's in the lift of the brow or the depth of the smile.

I'm also working on some other softies although I haven't made enough progress to share yet.

Christmas stockings

Here's another of my christmas projects that I'm working on... 3 huge christmas stockings made from pre-printed panels I bought from Spotlight. We've never had Christmas stockings before and so this year I thought it might be a nice surprise for my 3 great children to have a stocking each filled with lots of handmade gifts and treats.

I'm adding a lightweight padding to each stocking and then lining it with some christmas fabric that I bought at last years post xmas sale. I knew it would come handy one day!(smug smile)

Spotlight also has really sweet nativity scene wall hanging panels that I would love to work on but time is running out so hopefully I might find some of it on sale later on.

Ladies, A Plate book

Just bought 'Ladies, A Plate' by Alexa Johnston. Great name for a book!

This delicious book is a wonderfully researched treasure combining NZ's social history with delightful traditional home baking recipes. The photos show beautifully presented food and check out the genuine vintage tablecloths and doilies.

I love to bake and reading this book made me feel quite nostalgic. It's also inspired me to try to bake my way through it by making each recipe. So this weekend, I'll be starting with the first recipe, Afghans. More to come!

Today's hairbrush hit...

is Mercy by Duffy, just great for singing along to while crafting...



I'll be posting my choice of 'hairbrush hit' every Tuesday. These are songs that inspire and energize my creative soul and hopefully yours too!

More Miss Blues in progress

I've started making another 2 versions of Miss Blue. They're both cut out and ready to be put together. I like to work on the face first before sewing it onto the head fabric. My embroidery skills are a little rusty so keeping the faces simple and rustic looking are ideal.

After these 2 are finished, I hope to start some bjd sewing again.

Crochet rose

I finished the Queen Anne crochet scarf yesterday (I posted about it earlier in the week) and then thought that a matching crochet rose would be an ideal accessory.

This crochet rose was made up using the strip method. It took a few tries to get it right. My earlier attempts turned out to look more like rosettes.

I cut out a felt circle and then sewed the brooch pin to it before glueing it onto the back of the rose. I did think about adding some petals to the rose but couldn't find the right shade of green wool.

Little Miss Blue

Miss Blue is finished and ready to be stuffed. I like how she turned out. She did start off with arms,legs and ears but I abandoned those in favour of a more simple look. There's no loose bits or pieces so this would suit a young child. I had fun making her and now I think I'll start working on her sister.

Scones in a jiffy recipe

Here's my favourite scone recipe to share. It's an 'easy peasy' recipe courtesy of Jo Seagar that I make all the time.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups self-raising flour
300 ml (1 carton or small bottle) cream
1 can (355 ml) lemonade
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl to a smooth dough.
Then tip out onto a well-floured surface and cut into squares or press out with a scone cutter.
Bake at 220°C (fanbake if you have it) for 15–20 minutes or until golden.
Take out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm with your favourite fruit jam or whole fruit preserves and whipped cream. Enjoy!

Tips: for a savoury scone try soda water instead of lemonade
for a date scone try gingerale instead of lemonade
you can substitute cream with plain yoghurt

Elusive tui

Our elusive tui spends a lot of his time serenading us with his melodious bell tones from the very top of our neighbours 100 year old pohutukawa tree. This pohutukawa always flowers at christmas time and is beautiful to see in full bloom.

Pavarotti (the tui) wakes us up each morning at 4.30am with his beautiful singing. It's lovely to listen to his songs in the dark. Each note is so clear and quivers on the tips of the morning.