Finding joy in the everyday

Have a go . . . try something new.  Be brave — don't be afraid Take a risk and do something you have never done before and see where it lead you.  What can happen? Not a lot! It doesn't matter if you aren't very good, the more you try, the better you become and suddenly before you know it, you are really quite good and then you are an expert! *** I wanted to learn to quilt. So I gave it a go. I am no expert, but I am giving it my best and I am slowly improving. I borrowed some books from the library, I bought some second-hand and I attended a short course. I found a quilting buddy and we have been learning to together. Its been fun.  *** I love homemade jam and even though I had watched my parents make it as a child, I thought it might be too tricky to make it myself, so I kept putting it off. One day I decided to give it a go. I spoke with my dad (who is a jam making expert), checked out cookbooks plus the internet and made stra...

Dear friends,  I am SO excited! As a girl I loved to colour in, spent hours doing it.  Then I grew up and that was the end of colouring.  However I have discovered that you can now buy colouring books designed particularly for adults and once again I can colour-in, in fact encouraged to colour in!! JOY . And here is my first attempt after all these years. No bad! There are lots available with both Amazon and the Book Depository selling a large range and to my pleasure, so does my local independent bookstore. The Secret Garden by Johanna Bamford is one worth looking at (and the one I bought). If you visit Pinterest and type in her name and book you will see lots of examples of her drawings, such as the picture below.  Many are bought by embroider who convert these beautiful ink drawings into masterpieces.  According to a recent article by The Guardian, those who colour in, find it calming, soothing and it has therapeutic...

I found this great yarn at Lincraft called Giggles . Its pale blue (baby blue) and will become a very soft and fluffy scarf. Not the sort that will keep me very warm, but it will look quite stylish with a white or blue t-shirt at work or when I go out.  This time I am using the right needles and its coming along nicely. It won't be as quick as the previous scarf, but that's ok as its less likely to hurt my hands like those huge needles I used last time. To give you an idea of what the thread look like. 

Ruby and my new wool I went wool shopping last Friday and discovered some amazing wools to buy, I just need to improve my knitting skills so I can use them.  I decided to move from making a simple square to making a scarf which can't be that hard (?) to make and its certainly something I will wear during winter - so its something useful!  This is the wool I finally bought, it was a hard decision making up my mind!! I was planning on making a black scarf, but as you can see here, this is certainly not black - it contains all the colours of the rainbow!! Its 50% wool, 50% acrylic and made in Turkey. Now (whilst I hate to admit it), I learnt a valuable lesson this week . . .  make sure you have the right needles for the job. The wrong needles really do cause problems . . . I bought 7mm needles for this wool and this is the result. More like a heavy blanket and certainly not suitable for a scarf.  What I really needed was size 20 (mm) which is ...

This is for all the knitters out there - making a difference, one park bench after another.  Making the world a much prettier place to rest your weary bodies!! But don't rely on me - it has taken me all week to make one square. And for those who are very clever knitters, check this out - these are the cutest children's toys but very much beyond my current capabilities.   http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/index.html .  For all those who aren't knitters - this looks like more fun and the children (big and small) will love you.  How about dipping them in chocolate and then add sprinkles.  Source: Both clever ideas come from Facebook. Creativity is contagious, pass it one. ~Albert Eistein~

I dedicate this post to my cousin Bets, as it's her inspiration with knitting that got me started again!! I learnt to knit many years ago but never really got into it. My mum use to be an avid knitter, she knitted everywhere and I mean everywhere. I never wore a shop bought jumper or cardigan as she made everything we wore. She didn't make ordinary jumpers, she could do the fancy patterns and produce beautiful pieces.  After her stoke she had limited hand movement and stopped knitting, but since moving into the nursing home she has started up again. Nothing fancy, squares to make a rug . . . as knitting is very good for your hands, it makes them move and the elderly are encouraged to knit, even those with dementia.  I am many years from reaching old age (!!) and nursing homes, but I thought I really ought to polish my knitting skills and as you can see in these photos, I have started my first square (in garter stitch).   It might take me until I am 80 to finish...

With a little free time on my hands I wandered about the net looking for easy to make craft ideas for  birthdays and Christmas. Here are a three that I really liked and even I could make them (and they aren't very expensive either!!) Gorgeous bookmarks Aren't these bookmarks gorgeous - so pretty and feminine. They look really easy to make - cut a piece of velvet ribbon the length you want (e.g. 9 inches), using flat-nose jewellery pliers affix the ribbon clamps (make sure you buy the ones with loops to attach the trinket to, this isn't necessary for the clamp at the bottom of the ribbon) to both ends of the ribbon. Finish by attaching charms, trinkets or vintage earrings to the clamp with jump rings.  I'm not sure if you can by buy ribbon clamps in Australia - if not, they are sold here .  (instruction found here:  gift idea ) Coaters I love these coasters made from small tiles (easy to buy from the local hardware store) and som...

Dear ladies Thank you so much for your lovely comments in regards to my handmade tissue holders, I am so glad you liked them. AND (drum roll) to the TWO lovely ladies who were randomly picked via random.org (I didn't use Ruby this time as she has a habit off eating or running of with the winning paper) the WINNERS ARE: Ruby from Mumma's Place and  Rosemary from Joyfulmum I will contact you shortly for details on posting your gift and to confirm which ones you would like. And dear blogging friends and family, do have a lovely week. Do you have any plans for the week? I return to work on Tuesday after a relaxing and productive break.

Ladies - an exciting day . . . I'm off to the Craft and Quilting Fair. I have even taken a day off work to go!! Will report back on my day trip A great place to discover crafty ideas. I am sure to have heaps of fun. ( source )

For those of you who do"crafty" activities . . .   what is your favourite craft tool ? When I was making cards the other night I was thinking about this question. And I decided that the most useful tool in my collection isn't scissors or rulers, glue or pens it  is the ear bud why you must be asking. I buy a large box from the supermarket and use them often when making cards.  The buds are useful when applying glue or silicone or when cleaning up if I apply too much.  They have come the rescue of a mess many times. They are cheap (unlike many craft tools) and can be thrown away after use.  And if you like to created raised pictures or paper tole and don't want to fiddle around with those little form squares - use this instead - roof and gutter transparent silicone .  Much cheaper than the craft silicone you can buy and works just as well. It doesn't smell, it is transparent and dries quickly. I buy mine from the local hardware store for aroun...