Easter

Rabbits and chickens and chocolate eggs. Hat parades and hot cross buns and a carrot 

for the Easter Bunny.

Traditionally fish (seafood) for Good Friday. Eggs in the salad, naturally. 

Old-fashioned Easter Ducks, like the kind I got when I was a child.

Chocolate cake and morning tea with friends. Easter egg hunting.

Hot cross bun baking and a bunny book (well, a white hare really) - How did the Easter Bunny know that we were learning about France this month!?

I can't believe that Easter and the school holidays are over already. 

Some things did not go to plan, but... the Easter Bunny came and he/she brought chocolate and gifts. The kids were happy and that is all that really matters.

I hope that you and your family had a happy Easter too.

Pretty little bunting

While poking around in the craft basket in the back room of my favourite op shop last Monday, I found a little plastic bag of goodies. While some people might think that this was just a pile of tiny practice squares, good for nothing, I saw bunting!

I quickly snapped up the $2.00 bag, excited, knowing exactly how good this would look with our Easter decorations.

The bunting finally got hung on the evening before Good Friday. On Tuesday of last week I drove half an hour to a shop, that I was sure sold floral liberty bias binding. But when I got there, I was wrong. Instead I chose a large polka dot in a deep coral. It looked great with the colours of the little crochet squares in the shop, but the next day when I started sewing it up, the colour was just too dark. Once hung, all you would have noticed would have been the coral strip of the bunting top and the soft pastel colours would have just disappeared. So after school pick up, I dragged the kids to Lincraft, another half hour trip. I deliberated between a soft grey and peach for over 10 minutes. I am not a 'peach' girl. But the grey was just wrong.

On Thursday afternoon I finally sat down and sewed up the tiny bunting. More than once I thought that I should have got the wider bias binding, as sewing 5x5 cm uneven crochet wool and cotton squares was just a tad fiddly to say the least!

But in the end, it was perfect, it was exactly how I imagined it would look.

Have you given any thrifted crafts finds a new life lately?

Holidays

With the Easter Break over, most people have gone back to work today.

But I am happy that this morning, I could sleep in, have a lazy breakfast, leisurely spend the morning on the phone to a friend and to have no agenda at all.

I am looking forward to the holidays after a pretty busy long weekend.









Easter this year was:

• Easter Bonnet decorating and a parade at school - with dancing!
• Miss Moo Moo was the winner of an Easter raffle - she is lucky this girl, this is her second win this year.
• Easter bunting making.
• Easter crafting.
• Polish Apple Pancakes for Easter Sunday breakfast
• Salmon Salad and Calamari for Good Friday Lunch with family
• Our traditional Easter Egg Hunt
• A special Easter gift for me from my mum
• Winter pj's from the Easter Bunny - another Easter tradition
• Lindt balls and way too many chocolate bunnies.
• Milk and carrots for the Easter Bunny, after putting both a peeled and unpeeled carrot out for the Easter Bunny, it is now official. The Easter Bunny prefers his carrots unpeeled - did you know?

I hope you've had a happy Easter. Are you on holidays? What are you doing?

Love and hot waterbottle covers

A friend recently pointed out to me, that I had only crossed one thing off of my 2011 craft 'to do' list.

We are already half way through the year.

Had I lost my crafting mojo?

Yes, I had a little.

I don't know if was the need to clear things up around the house or the cold weather? Maybe a bit of both, but last week I picked up a needle and thread and started mending a few soft toys. I found the stitching therapeutic and looked to see what else needed attending to in my long neglected craft basket

Before I could even look at the long list in my sidebar, I needed to complete a few half finished seasonal crafts. I did not want them still sitting on the desk next year.

Above are some Valentine's love hearts that will decorate the house next February. Spunky Monkey and Miss Moo Moo were responsible for the flower drawings that I had stitched onto the hearts. These had been stitched and just needed to be sewn and filled.




There were also five little felt Easter egg decorations that were meant to decorate our Easter tree this year. The children had picked out the coloured felt and buttons and discussed their designs at Easter time. I just didn't get around to sewing on the buttons or sewing them up.



More autumn decorations. These again, had been embroidered but never sewn up. I found them in the bottom of the sewing basket.





And now for something from the list. Hot water bottle covers. Just in time too, last night was our coldest night this winter.

I started these last year. I just made up the pattern, inspired by a Japanese book (I think) I wouldn't recommend you make up your own pattern, unless you know what you are doing - I don't! It took me four times longer than it would have if I had just looked for a pattern.

Now that my little boy is a big six year old and not a cute little five year old, I am left wondering at my fabric choice. Oh well, it will be fine, they are only for bedtime snuggles after all. Made from vintage flannelette collected years ago, I'm sure they will do their job well.





I made this embroidered cushion for our family room. You may recognise this picture, it is a picture drawn by my son a while back. I had made it into an apron but I only have worn it once. I didn't want it stained with oil and tinned tomatoes.

Yes, I am a messy cook.

So I had a re-think and voila, this morning I turned it into a cushion. It's only been sitting on the couch for 2 hours, but already I love it.







This family hand print embroidery was finished ages ago, but I've just hung it on the wall. It's hung in our playroom. For along time this large wall sat blank, I'm loving how it is coming along, unplanned and random, things that I love: both made and collected.

I did start another project today, but you will have to wait until next week to see that one.

If you want to see some more creative spaces, go over to our creative spaces and be inspired.

Our Easter break away

On Good Friday, we set up tables and chairs here (above) and enjoyed lots (and I mean lots) of fresh, local prawns and a huge salad. White white and this view. The children made new friends and we lost the afternoon scrambling over rocks at the waters edge. Collecting shells, chasing little crabs and catching baby shrimp in the rock pools.









Over the weekend we enjoyed magical weather, more beach, water parks, markets, bike rides, walks along the pier, playgrounds and museums.









The Easter Bunny found us at Dad's house, delivering not only chocolate but new books and warm winter pajama's. After breakfast, our traditional easter egg hunt began. Leaving our hunting baskets at home, we found that ice-cream containers do the job perfectly.

Happy Easter

We are going to spend the Easter weekend with my Dad.

Wishing you all a lovely Easter Break. I hope the Easter Bunny brings you something yummy.

Happy Easter.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all.

We had an open house with family and friends stopping in for a hot cross buns and chocolate cake all day long. Too much coffee and tea! I haven't had any chocolate eggs yet, but there are plenty about.

I hope you had a lovely day with your loved ones chatting, laughing and eating way too much chocolate.

Easter already!

Wow! 2 days until Easter, how did this happen?

I have had such a busy week, rushing here, rushing there?

I dragged out the Easter decorations on the weekend, but somehow they are still sitting in the corner of the lounge room. I still have Good Friday and Easter Sunday lunches to plan and shop for, easter crafts to organise, easter eggs to buy, chocolates to make and a chocolate cake to bake.

Yes, I am feeling very much the flustered white rabbit indeed.

I better go and get this place feeling Eastery!