procrastination is not a bad thing

I finished a rag rug I've been wanting to make for the longest time!
And in the process I've figured out I'm a master of a couple of things.
I'm a master at coming up with new ideas and new projects or just simply adding them to my ever increasing list of things I want to do...
and I'm a master at never actually finishing too much because there is always something else or another new project to begin or dream about.
Procrastination?
Do you see that cute fatty of a white and green crochet hook up there? I think I purchased that three years ago. Three years! I blamed procrastinating on this project on waiting for just the right group of sheets to show up at the thrift shop.
Well I think I'm going to reinforce that excuse right now because I'm kinda glad I did because this little rag rug is hopefully going to be kept by my girl for a long time for its sentimental value.
You see when I was procrastinating the other week on working on my latest study assignment I picked up that fat lonely unused hook, walked straight to the linen cupboard with an idea popping in my head and grabbed Mia's cot sheets, kindergarten sheets and her first bed spread and began cutting. It felt a little wrong but I continued on.
And there it is.
Completed I tell you...completed!
One rag rug crossed off my list and now living on her bedroom floor.
I found her the morning after I completed it, after sliding it quietly into her room while she slept, curled up with wild bed hair on the floor lying across it. I think she likes it!
And it goes quite nicely with her desk. Do you remember we started that thrifted project a little while ago too. It then sat for a while chair-less... waiting for just the right one that met Mama's approval.
And it popped up during our latest trip to Pottsville in the form of my and my siblings study chair from our childhoods. A lick of white paint and it's just right... don't you think?
It may take years in some cases but even after, and sometimes because of, a little procrastination things do get completed and turn out just right in the end.
That's what I'm telling myself anyway as I sit here blogging instead of working on that assignment and finishing the painting of all our trims and doors that I started yesterday ( and has been waiting for probably close to three years too!)..... sigh.
I think I might just wander down to Mia's room with my cup of tea first and admire her rug just one more time before I get back into it.

today

today....mothers day
handwritten notes to say *deeya mum...I larv you*
thrifted goodies and handmade things
fabric flowers
and real ones just because

bunnies chicks and clicks

It's all winding down to the holidays.
Tomorrow we set off for our days sleeping out... off into the crisp and colourful freedom that is our *backyard* in search of adventure, discovery, wild things, places to dip the toes and just sit and listen and be a while.
But in the meantime the sewing of rabbits and chickens for Easter baskets has been completed...

and Easter bonnet parades have been marched most proudly with pink bunnies on our heads...

and Mama has gifted herself with a much anticipated toy to capture the long long weekend...


and hopefully do a little learning in the process...boy there are a lot of buttons to play with.
Click click click.

a hat for her

I've been sewing hats this week...
My machine has been gently whirring again these last two days thanks to a very early birthday gift from my sweet sister. She, much to my gasping surprise secretly heeded my (honestly)casual and inadvertent wish to the universe and filled my hands with this much desired little book last week.

And while red stitches zigzagged across rounds of fabrics, once belonging to the intended wearers Grandmother, and vintage buttons were placed and hand stitched in just the right spots for embellishment I couldn't help but think back to a conversation I had with my girl in the days before...

It was an ordinary drive home from school and a discussion began about what she wanted to be when she *grew up*. Expecting her wish to be a Princess to be declared again, I prepared myself for my own enthusiastic declaration that "of course you will be a Princess my darling".

Instead we proceeded through a huge list of amazing possibilities only to end in a slight pause from the Princess in waiting before she most assuredly, in her most assured little girls voice stated... "Mummy you know what? I just want to be me when I grow up".

Oh my sweet girl...if that's what you know you want to be already then my little one you will be perfectly happy in whatever hat you put on. Your Mama on the other hand is still figuring that one out... but I'm close.

By the way...she loves her new Mama made hat and even more so she loves that she has found something to sew her favourite huge button on... just to look herself as well.

handmades and hankies

The January birthdays are all over now.
The handmades are finally finished and the time is right to safely show one off.
An apron with a vintage family doily, my Grandmothers lace and a handkerchief for embellishment.
Actually the handkerchief was mine. A gift...one of three given to me on my holy communion day...some thirty plus years ago.
I thought the lemon rosettes went beautifully with the vintage sheet....another family goodie.
I simply copied this pattern from another apron here at home and made the rest up as I went.
I wonder if you remember the original pillow case?
The matching sheet was found recently which I claimed just for this project...the remainder of which is still sitting in my stash ready for some autumn lounge pants for the girl and I perhaps?
And with the serious doily love that is going on in this house of late maybe they will be embellished with the same somehow...
Oh yes...there is a stack of recently claimed doilies and embroidery here ( making me smile and flip through it every time I walk passed....a serious time stealer) destined for some big and delicious crafting...after the mothering and study is done of course.

In the meantime there are some gorgeous examples of doily love here from a book I am ever so desperate to get my hands on.....and seeing as there is a satiated supply of crochet goodies here for now maybe a book is on the cards for an April birthday? *wink*

filling our days

You know it hasn't been hard this week to fill in our days.
As the countdown to a certain celebration (and a much anticipated pre celebration escape!) seems to accelerate, we are achieving a lot....and a little.

This Mama has taken on some new projects...a little early for the new year but nevertheless most exciting... and this week amidst the happenings of our days I managed to achieve submitting my first assignment. I have undertaken a new venture in the form of some study again for the moment (of this ...and this for a refresher).
So amidst feelings of accomplishment after a little hard work I feel I can exhale now for a bit....for maybe the next couple of weeks until the festivities have died down and just...

be and make and prepare...

and immerse myself in the filling of our days.

The filling of our days that consists of....

watching the girl while the little one sleeps, set up with all manner of crafty supplies, make things of beauty.

(The angels are for our tree and the chicken is Daddy's Christmas gift. After all what Daddy with 7 live girls in the backyard doesn't need a lovingly made cardboard one...with eggs?)

The filling of our days that consists of...

early morning forays and discoveries in the garden...

of butterflies and kumi kumi blooms.....

of plucking giant Russian cucumbers from the vine and eating them by the slice....

And the filling of our days that consists of...

giant dreams and giant smiles.

And with that there is still more smiling and planning and preparing and dreaming to do here today and tomorrow...as we are venturing off at day break on the weekend to our little island paradise but I will be back hopefully tomorrow with an early Monday Summer Pic for you.

In the meantime, happy filling of your days....

the countdown

Today is the 1st day of December... and the first official day of Summer.
There is a lot to be excited about now like enjoying the true spoils of *Summeriness* and the festive season combined.
I have found some time for easy and long desired sewing and creating.
And we have consequently been decking our halls with everything handmade and Christmas-y.

The countdown begins...

of earth, sand and straw

I dug my feet into the clay earth, sand and straw today.
This is what I built....together with about 19 other *cob oveners* and family (wink) at a workshop run by this beautiful place.
We built it in the kitchen garden of a local state school.
Lucky children.
It just needs to dry for a bit now before the door is cut and the final render applied.

Hopefully now we'll see that dream of a smaller, perhaps artier version of the same pop up in my back garden very very soon....
what do you think?

lemons and lavender

When there is a surplus of citrus from various home grown, organic sources and a rather large flowering lavender bush that has been catching your eye for weeks.... there's not much else to do but let the creative juices flow, maybe do a little research then get baking and making.

We baked absolutely heavenly lemon and lavender cookies to be precise.

Seriously if you do nothing else this citrus season you just must try these cookies...I insist!

You can find the easy recipe I followed right here...it also has links to manual instructions if you're not an appliance type of gal like me. And I have to admit I simplified the manual instructions even further and we did most of the crushing and combining with our own little hands...well isn't that really the only way to cook?

And the making? Well, aside from plucking the delicate mauve spikes of that lavender bush to inhale every time we brush by, we made lavender wands.

Their sweetness now preserved in a pretty case to tuck delicately into our clothes for future reminiscence... and just maybe to inspire more lavender and lemon cookies...who knows? wink

There are lots of tutorials for lavender wands around but I referred to my latest library book companion for some simple instruction. This book is seriously great...though Australian. You just may find yourself, like me, eyeing off plants in your wanders in a completely new and inspiring light! Even the lavender.

happy harvest

Recently we plucked our modest and somewhat experimental corn harvest.
Thinking corn a *hungry* crop I had only ever dabbled in it's growing in the past with really not much result....
I just threw this bunch of seedlings into one bed rich with manure a couple of months ago and let it do it's own thing.... with gardening being such a teacher sometimes I find I learn best if I just stand back and watch quietly.....

So we were more than adequately rewarded (and educated) when we were able to enjoy our speckled homegrown treats for a hot lunch on a cold day the other week....

with their many small golden pods of sunshine, bursting sweet juiciness into our mouths and onto our cheeks and noses.

And what to do with all those husks torn off with both satisfaction and excitement at the feast about to unfold?

Make Happy Harvest Dolls of course!

I'm not sure I'm sold on growing corn regularly in my patch yet. It seems a little space stealing and maybe a little time consuming providing only one crop.....I'm a little hooked on my pick as you go and multiple harvest food plants you know.....but I do concede that that yellow sure makes you smile and the dolls are earthy and lovable....and it indeed provides nevertheless, along with everything we nurture with our own hearts and hands, a happy harvest!