Around our place

Leaves sprouting on the bare rooted trees G planted a while back.

Squeezing in a few more wears of Lulu's Eskimo Jacket before Spring. It's the sweetest coat! Made by this talented lady.

Making muffins! These did not last long.

Daddy kisses.

Handstand practise.

O's last game of Soccer and his very first school dance.
Going up to Level 21! in Home Reading.
Counting down sleeps till his birthday.

Me?
Putting together new kits.
Birthday preparations.
Staying in pyjamas far too long.
Helping at school.
Shopping with my ma.
Painting furniture.
Watching Sons of Anarchy. I NEVER expected to love this so much when G suggested we watch it together each week.
Going out for chai latte and strawberry milkshake with my littlest love.

 Love that second photo of Lulu tryng to eat the snake lolly. She's sitting by my side as I type...'I love that picture of me. It's SO funny' 

Hope you are having a lovely week too!

Flea Market Finds

This week I bought this stack of lovely plates. I love the cheery, floral design. Seven plates for $6.00
My current dinnerset is white and I have had it for 6+ years. While I'll still be using it, I thought our table could do with a change. Question...should I have also bought the six bowls for $6.00? I am hoping they might unload another box and discover some cups. I'll be popping in through the week just in case.

Over the past couple of months, I've had some lucky finds in the vintage sheet department.
So today I thought I share my growing stash...

There's a new quilt happening in my head! Better get the binding on my other one;)

And another sprinkling of Belles Buttons. Yes that's a little turtle button. I do wonder where he came from.

Did you find any treasures this week? Once again, I'm linking up with Sophie.

WIP Wednesday (on Thursday)

I bought this from the Salvo's ages ago. Maybe it was $4, I think. I had a head full of ideas about it's revamp but the thing about me is that I have so many WIPS, so many unfinished projects, so many bookmarked projects that I want to make...I spend a lot of time thinking about making. I am also not very good at making decisions. Will I paint aqua or yellow? Will I cover it in wallpaper? Leave it natural maybe...
Yesterday I decided to take ACTION and finish this project!

I covered the inserts a while back with some pretty floral vintage fabric and yesterday I gave it a lick of white paint to finish it off. Ahh it feels good to cross that one off my WIPS list.

Flea Market Finds

Once again, I'm playing along with Flea Market Finds. This week, my show and tell is a little assortment of childhood treasures I've picked up over the last month or so.

This sweet little Holly Hobbie bag...picked up at our local swap meet for just 50cents.

A cute vintage dress pattern also 50c, from the oppie.

A little bundle of vintage books found at various op shops.

And I have to show you some of the stunning illustrations by Marcel Marlier.
I have thrifted a small but lovely collection of his books now. The stories are so lovely and the illustrations AMAZING! When I was reading 'Johnny and Sophie in the country' to Ollie yesterday, he exclaimed 'ohhhh it's real'. I had three of his books when I was a child. My Nonna had given them to me and I always felt like they were very precious. Oh how I wish I still had them. My mum never kept anything!!!

This fantastic puzzle (Aesops Fables) $4 from Daylesford Bazaar. (more about that later)

And just this morning I popped into Vinnies and saw these little chairs. 

When Lulu sat down on one I just knew we would buy them. They need a bit of TLC but at $4 a each, I decided I couldn't really go wrong. 

(I find it funny how I um and ahhh over whether to buy a chair for $4 but have no hesitation in buying a coffee for the same price. Where's the logic???)

And last but by no means least...a sprinkling of Belles Buttons.

Are you sick of seeing them yet? Remember, there are A LOT!

For more nifty thrifties, head on over to Her Library Adventures.

Hope your week is happy!
 

This week at our place...

We baked Anzac Biscuits.

Our little boy had his adenoids removed. His first surgery. The anaesthetic experience did not go as smoothly as I  had hoped.

The man of the house has had a vomiting bug. I wonder if it's the same one Lulu had last week

Bellaboo played in a chess tournament. She tied one game and lost seven. She loved every minute of it. She was pulled into the team as at the last minute as they had five children away sick!  She even had to play against some high school boys. She's in Year 3. Next year she hopes to make the team for real.

I visited five op shops this week. I bought a few treasures. As we were leaving the last shop, Ollie boy declared 'after you, ladies first!' Melt my heart! There is something sweet about hearing those words from a five year old boy.

Ollie and Lulu made some blow paintings. They have played beautifully while O has been off school. They have become great little mates the last few months.

My ironing looks like this.

We have watched 'Bridge to Terabithia' three times. I LOVE that movie:) Everything about it.

I don't know what I am going to cook for dinner tonight. I hate cooking dinner! I have no trouble at all cooking cakes and slices though:)

Today, our big girl is on a school excursion here and here -her daddy went along as a parent helper. He sent me this picture from his phone earlier.

Our beautiful nurse called with Bella's sputum results. She has another lung infection. Staph this time.

This book arrived in the mail this week.

I treated myself. Gosh I seem to be doing a bit of that lately ;)
I'm so pleased I did though. It's gorgeous!!!

Have a happy weekend!

Flea Market Finds

This pretty little dish was purchased yesterday.
What is it about pretty little dishes wanting to come home with me?
I love the hearts so much and the pretty coloured glass. Can anyone tell me anything about it???

Sweet floral tablecloth, a recent find and a steal at $2.

And of course, some more vintage buttons and some other quirky bits from Belles Buttons.

As always, linking up with Sophie's Flea Market Finds.

Today

I had a haircut and a few foils. While waiting for the colour to do it's thing, I read this blog post on my phone. And then I decided today was a perfect day for a bit of nurturing me.

I went for a drive to a nearby country town and enjoyed my own company.
I turned up the music LOUD and sang(badly).
I saw a bakery and thought why not??? It's lunch time after all.

Those who know me well will not be surprised that I ate berry cheesecake for lunch. Yum!

I visited an op shop or two.

On the way home I stopped to smell the flowers. Just kidding. I stopped to take some pictures of the flowers...because I could.

Spring blossoms on a rainy Winter's day. Beautiful!

It was only a couple of hours but gosh it made me happy and I came home feeling very pleased with myself.
What did you get up to today?

Kids Making

Miss 9 had a school project recently where she had to design and make something to solve a problem or have a use. Okay, after her initial idea of a prosthetic hand 'for people who might not have a hand and need to pick things up'...was deemed too tricky, I suggested she think of something a little closer to home. I love the ambitious nature kids have though, don't you. She decided that we always have trouble finding hairties for school in the morning(hmmmm wonder why that might be???)

So then, she sketched up a plan to make a little softie/hairtie looker afterer. She sketched it and she selected her fabrics from the scrapbox. I had her make a pattern by tracing her design onto baking paper. She did all the 'work' herself just following my assembly instructions-which was allowed.

I really enjoyed this little task despite feeling a bit stressed at times when old leadfoot was driving the sewing machine. Oh my goodness!!! The most precious moment was when she turned the fabric in the right way to find her ribbons stitched in place-she couldn't quite get how this was going to work. She looked so surprised and needless to say she was chuffed with the end result.

It stayed true to her original design with the exception of adding some fingerknitting as a hanging tool. She glanced at her fingerknitting sitting in the craftroom and said 'maybe we could hang it up with that'. I love how children create without limits and boundries.

 

little pocket for hairties

 

fastening hairclips and bobby pins to the ribbons for easy storage

There was also a written component of the assignment as well as a class presentation.
She kept telling me 'Mummy I'm really proud of myself'....words we haven't heard in a very long time. When I asked her how the presentation went she said everyone liked it except soandso. She said, 'I bet you didn't make that' Hmmpphhh! There's always one isn't there!