building blocks

today whilst I'm going about the usual kitchen chores of cooking, dishes and cleaning up, our youngest is intent on building the 'dream' bach for our family in the middle of the kitchen floor. As I move around her building site (trying hard not to knock anything over), I'm amazed by the depth of thought and inspiration that she's poured into her work. If only my granny squares crochet grew as fast... 

kitset instead?

the second hand building idea has turned into a fizzer. It was shaping up to be a logistical nightmare to move, so the idea had to be abandoned. Instead we're now contemplating a 60 square metre kitset house. There's a few minor alterations to make: add a second entry/exit door off the kitchen and put in a large sliding door to replace the front door/double windows combination. This has real possibilities.

retro kitchen project

the replacement house that we have in mind to be the 'new' old bach is a promising structure with great bones. Of all that needs to be done (which isn't too much), the kitchen will certainly be the most interesting challenge of all. Check out the dated orange cabinet doors, it screams retro, doesn't it? The space is small and in need of a desperate rethink.   

bach changes

the original ticky tacky bach that I blogged about here is due for demolition. It's compliance issues are too extensive to be realistically repaired so it's got to go. In it's place possibly is this 1950s ex state house that we've had in storage for a few years. So bach changes are on the way!

granny squares

nothing echoes the retro kiwi bach theme more than the granny squares blanket/throw. This blanket is destined for the bach. As a child in the seventies, the first thing I learned to crochet was a basic granny square. Thinking back, it seems that granny squares were everywhere... clothes, hats, bags, cushions, throws, blankets... 

On the bach 'to do' list is cushions for the lounge. Inspired by the granny square I've started work on a  selection of granny squares to piece together for cushion covers with a licorice allsorts colour theme. This is a good mobile project to take to volleyball.

what's up?

June already? since our daughter started playing club volleyball, I haven't sewn a stitch or done any crafting. It's been a fine balancing act trying to keep our household running and taking her to 2 evening practices a week, weekend league games and extra coaching as well. Hopefully I'll get the chance to get some sewing done this long Queens birthday weekend.

Apart from that I'm still slowly collecting items for the bach. Here are my latest Trademe finds: a $10 retro coffee table complete with a wire magazine rack and a retro inspired stripey dinnerset.

easter

hope you all have a safe and happy Easter!

retro dining

here's another Trademe furniture find for the bach - a retro formica dining table and padded vinyl chairs.   

volleyball

with our daughter switching to play club volleyball, the days of attending outdoor netball games whatever the weather are well and truly over. I'm glad as it rained a heck of a lot last season leaving this hardy supporter feeling very low. Anyway the volleyball games are all indoors (hooray!) and the club supporters are a great bunch to hang out with too. Go team!

a gift of poetry

That beautiful life you have.

I wasn't watching when it happened,
or not so much you might have noticed that
I was mucking about, kicking my toes in dust
and staying close from far away.
I was far away when your beautiful life happened,
over there, near where I see you walk with your love intact,
no love could I steal from you with my broken and wanting ways,
no love I could steal and not give back for
the way you walked and held your beautiful life together
with mine.

take a seat

1970s Airest Armchair



1960s Retro 3 piece lounge suite



In keeping with the retro look for the bach, I've scored some great furniture buys on Trademe (our local NZ equivalent to ebay). The first is a very comfortable Airest armchair from the 1970s with the star design spring base. I'm planning to have this armchair recovered in some upholstery fabric that I bought from Designer Fabrics, Panmure, which was $10 a metre. Not a bad price considering that upholstery fabric is usually $50+ per metre retail.

Next is an original 3 piece 1960s retro lounge suite complete with a fully functional sofa bed. There's a few loose buttons on the sofa and a small tear at the lower back on one of the armchairs which I'll repair. Other than that and adding some retro inspired cushions, this suite is destined to stay in it's original fabric for a little while longer.



vege greens

while autumn well and truly settles in, the vege garden is in the last stages of summer production. Bok choi and cardinal beets have been picked while young and tender (I'd given up battling the white cabbage butterfly this time round) along with peas and brilliantly red banana shaped chillies, all ideal ingredients for a stir fry.

for Japan

our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been affected by the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 

stuck

while all my favourite craft and sewing bloggers get on with all their successful projects, I'm stuck in a zero motivational funk. Apart from the grandest of intentions at the start of 2011 and a couple of mending projects I haven't kicked off my sewing and crafting for this year. So in a bid to get unstuck, I'm off to the museum today for inspiration. Hope to get back to more regular blogging very soon!

at hand

as our beautiful South Island city of Christchurch struggles with the terror of a devastating earthquake, there are so many willing hands reaching out to help, rescue, care for, comfort and provide. Our thoughts and prayers for all those who are affected. Take care.

tomato chutney

the two tomato plants (beefsteak variety) in the vege garden have been yielding loads of tomatoes. So many that the only way to deal with the tomato overload was to make some deliciously grunty tomato chutney. Here's the recipe:

TOMATO CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
1.5kg tomatoes (chopped with skins on)
500g apples (chopped with skins on)
700g red onions (peeled and chopped)
500ml cider vinegar
6 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
1 tbsp fresh ginger (generous tbsp grated ginger)
400g raisins
450g brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cinnamon quills
1 tbsp salt

Method:

Put the tomatoes, apples and onions into a large, heavy based pot.
Pour the vinegar into the pot and then add the remaining ingredients.
Then stir, bring to a simmer and cook on a low heat for several hours.
Stir occassionally and then more frequently as the chutney thickens.
When it starts sticking to the bottom of the pot (similar to jam) remove the pot from the heat.
While hot pour into clean, hot jars. Leave the jars to cool down completely before sealing.

This recipe makes up around 3 x 500ml jars of deliciously yummy chutney.

Enjoy!

swans

in the days before Valentines, my true love gave to me... 300 swans. 

Yes you read it right, 300 swans from a collection where the owner had passed on 4 years ago and her husband was sadly moving into a retirement home and couldn't take them with him. So dear hubby bought the entire collection as a Valentines/Wedding Anniversary gift. As we unwrapped the swans, I thought of the the regal beauty of the swan and the dedication and passion of the collector. I'm sure she'll be glad to know that her collection has found a loving home. 

goodbye john poynton

                        

last year I blogged here about meeting John Poynton, a well known artist in Samoa. Today I heard the sad news that John had passed away earlier this month. Warm thoughts for a truly talented gentleman. Goodbye for now John...

ticky tacky bach

Wikipedia has a humorous definition of the iconic kiwi bach as "something you built yourself, on land you don't own, out of materials you borrowed or stole." I'd like to introduce you to our newly acquired retro bach in the Coromandel complete with a longdrop. It's a very typical 1960s structure with leaks, squeaky floorboards and a mish mash of joinery. Here's a peak at the inside:

it's situated in an isolated spot with a beautiful beach only footsteps away. And there's no denying that it needs work, you might say a lot of work. Getting a new roof on is a priority.

organic garden

dear hubby gave me Xanthe White's book for my birthday last year and it has been a real source of inspiration. I've been learning a lot and am pleased to be able to show you the broccoflower and tomatoes that my small organic garden has yielded today. I've also established a compost bin, affectionately nicknamed 'Betty' who is proving her worth.

This is the last full week of school holidays so apart from gardening, there's plenty of school related shopping to be done. Next week I'll be back to sewing again.