Winter wool adventure

My sister Ari, Cuz Rose and me at Grandmas having a 80th birthday get together while in Melbourne

If anyone out there actually reads this blog and was wondering "Whats happened to Zoe? Looks like she went to Melbourne and never came back!!" Well I did come back and got pretty sick and have been held up in bed for the past week. The thing I dislike most about being sick is I have all that spare time to think up things to make, look at crafty books and get all inspired but have no energy to do anything. So by the 4th day I was feeling totally creatively constipated and started to cut a felted pink cardy I had into a dress for Bb, its still laid out on the kitchen table half done! But inspired by the book 'Warm Fuzzies' by Betz White. Theres a gorgeious pattern for a Aline little girls dress made from felted upcycled jumpers and I just cant resisted a little girl dress even if winter is coming to an end, Tingha is still freezing.

But being in bed meant I could finally finish my very over due library copy of 'Knit two' the sequel to 'The friday night knitting club' by Kate Jacobs. Love those books but again made me very inspired to grab my knitting needles and knit a Georgia's Afghan.

This winter has been full of Wool related crafts, some new and some old. Like I learnt to knit when I was in grade 1, I remember knitting a large red square. But this winter I finally learnt to Crochet and went a bit crochet crazy which is inevitable! Also lots of Felt, I buy this lovely 100% wool felt from the Steiner shop in Bellingin NSW that comes from Germany which I love to cut into little birds, flowers or love hearts and applique. Also felting wool jumpers and vamping into new creations like the baby boy blanket. I even bought some wool dyes from a local shop and have been hand dying baby and kids woolen clothing funky purples, blues, pinks and greens. This pic of Bb wearing a hat I made her using a heap of crafty techniques I have learnt over the winter, felting recycled jumpers, crochet, well I already knew how to applique and sew but I do love the combo of craftyness but shes at that age where she wont were hats!!! Inspired by the book 'Sweater Renewal' by Sharon Franco Rothschild

"Love is the only reality"

I made this 'Love' banner for my mum who is undergoing radio treatment, sort of inspired by those budist prayer flags and this lovely I found on flickr. Made from a recycled green silk scafe, vintage buttons and my take of Drea Fii's brooch. I am planning on a faith, hope and peace one so she can string them up.

Day one in Melbourne. So wanted to take heaps of pic but of course I did take my camera, so day 2 will chocker block of pics. Mum looks fantastic.

I made it to Meet me at Mikes which was a real treat in Brunswick st. theres something about the city especial when its just gotten dark and rainny, love it. Bought one of Aunty Cookies tooth fairies.

RaNDomS.......

Random evesdropping....

"Hey Bill, can you take the sweet potato?"

Heard 23rd July 09 10ish am Sweeny st Inverell

Garage sale navana

Today I went to my dream garage sale. Actually I am a bit worried now that future garage sales will never compare! Vintage, vintage, vintage and all this loot only cost $10.15, yes that's right $10.15. I am still in shock and on this crazy garage sale high. Most of it will end up on Ashasvintage and a little bit just for me. Have a good peep and enjoy :)

Bluebelle May over all winner

Last Monday we took little Bb to the Tingha Nadoc week baby show judging. I entered her a few weeks ago because she so cute but also my new years resolution was to be more generous and get more involved in my community, so I thought entering Bb would be a good way of meeting different people in Tingha and it was. The judging was on Monday and Tuesday night we went down to the sports club for dinner to find out the winners.

Bb won! She got a little bare bummed baby trophy for best dresses in the 1-2 yrs girl category (pictuered above) and best over all girl in 1-2 yrs which was a larger bare bummer baby trophy. Lots of fun.

Gymnastic comp Armidale 12 july 09

It is so hard to get a great shot of someone swinging to and fro at a hundred miles an hour and not to mention that as parents we have to sit ages away, so my dinky little cameras on zoom, no flash (regulations) and boy is running, jumping, swinging, leaping, somersaulting, bending backwards and I just cant capture the moment fast enough. I do have many shots of boy sitting waiting, there was a lot of that! All in all he came 2nd on parrel bars and 3rd on pommel.

Weekend Visit to the coast

The kids and I drove over to the coast for the weekend to visit my dad and family. The weather was so much nicer but still a bit cold at night. We headed over Friday so we could catch the op-shops, I nearly fell off my chair when RaRa txted me the other day that "Op shops r awesome!" Usually its a universal "NOOOOOOO!!!!!" when ever I want to stop at an op-shop, garage sale, ramdon junk on the side of the road. So I think we visited 3 oppies, the Guyra op-shop where I picked up a cool 70s bedspread, and 2 oppies in Coffs where we got RaRa a suit for $5, which is what she was just looking for. Then Sat there was a garage sale up the road that no-one told me about till 1ish pm, and I scored a vintage ceramic black poodle which may be like a desk type accessories to hold your pen which I will list on Mays hill and a lovely cream colored 100% pure wool blanket which I plan to hand dye and make lots of lovely children's capes.

Bb finally made friends with yoshi my brothers dog and we all enjoyed to sun.

This is such a beautiful view of the mountains just past Dorrigo on our way home Sun arvo. So many different shades of blue, there where heaps of oohhs and arrrs as we stoped to take this pic.