So April is here and the weather is definitely cooling down; we are on the slippery slope into Autumn.  Its not all bad though- Autumn is one of my favorite seasons; the nights are cool and great for cuddles, the days are sunny and mild, and the world is full of amazing colors!

This Autumn, to fill in my long and dark evenings, I am finally conquering my goal to learn how to knit.  I have been shown numerous times how to cast on and off, and how to do various stitches- however nothing has really stuck.  So I thought if I teach myself (again) and stick with it, then maybe just maybe I can carry on the tradition of knitting in my family!  I started with a knit stitch, following the instructions here and made a pair of hand warmers…

my first knitting project

And then with the left over wool I made a lil jumper for my partner in crime, best cuddler in the world, and cheekiest monkey around, Marvin…

The next project is going to be a wide scarf with huge tassels or pom-poms attached to the end…  The problem I have is figuring out how much wool I need for each project,  I will have to do some further research (maybe a trip to the local op shop is in order- a cup of tea with an experienced knitter will set me right I’m sure!).  The scarf is going to be made from a purl stitch using these instructions, and with fancy wool (40% possum, 50% merino, 10% silk)  Will keep you posted, till then keep warm x

It only happens to me every once an a while… but when it does its unmistakable and hits you like a car crash! I am in love and its official; NomD’s Winter 2011 collection, Danse Macarbe is a amazing.  Here are some of my favorite things…

I have long been a fan of soft leather and sequins and often pondered ways of combining the two, with out looking like a thrift store haberdashery fiend; I think this collect is the best relationship Ive ever seen between the two.

This full length vest is even more amazing; shape and form but still super sloppy- love love love

When you know its love, you’ll do anything for it…  I am on a mission to find my one true and bring it home with me.  Thank you NOM*D  (p.s you should check out the awesome collection and video of the runway show at: http://www.nomd.co.nz- where these images are curtsy of x.)

ooo there are somethings that on sight, smell or taste can take me right back to summer time and childhood; lego, soft lawns, sunblock- and ice cream sandwiches!

we recently had a dinner party and a guest brought the most delicious tub of Kapiti Gold Hokey Pokey Ice Cream and a box of wafers for dessert.  I had forgotten how creamy and sweet ice cream could be after weening myself of dairy products.  The wafers were the bonus deal as it meant we could eat with our hands instead of making more dishes!

the novelty has not worn off, and although the tub is getting decidedly lighter I fear I am not!  However they do say that sandwiches are good for you, and Im sure the amount of calcium Im getting from the cream is good… right?!

the perfect combination of naughty and nice

so, recently I had the pleasure of teaching a group of eleven year old girls. They were lovely and sweet and I heard rumors that on my last day they were going to surprise me with a lunch time party!

I know that the cupcake craze has been around for a lil while now, and I too wander past the bakeries marveling at how a lil piece of cake can tug at my heart strings so; but I have never felt the need to try myself. Until now. I turned the kitchen into a cupcake production line and had the most fun!

The following is the recipe I used; they were lovely if a lil on the dry side (that is probably more to do with running out of vanilla essence and butter, than fault with the recipe itself!), but the icing was the best part of all- and soo simple. So, as follows:

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
Line a 12 cupcake pan with assorted color cups

Ingredients
150g softened butter
150g caster sugar
175g self raising flour
3 eggs
2 Tbsp coco powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

* crack eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork
* place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat for two minutes (or until light and fluffy)
* divide the mixture evenly into prepared trays
* bake for 18- 20 minutes until they have risen and are firm to touch
* cool for a few minutes and then transfer onto a wire rack; allow to cool fully before icing!

Vanilla Icing

Ingredients

150g softened butter

250g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp hot water

* beat butter and sugar

* when well combined add vanilla and water

* beat until smooth and creamy

I then added colored sprinkles and the most delicious raspberry jelly lollies, the were fragrant and soft and melted in your mouth!

enjoy xox

my next series of prints are in dedication of collecting. i am an avid collector of many, many things; in part this obession arises from my genetic trait of hoarding! i swear the women in my family have cupboards full of interesting and wonderful things just waiting to see the light of day again.

i was looking around my desk/ creative/ studio space the other evening and decided that my collection of draw shelves would be a wonderful way to start! the shelves are made from the draws of an old desk; re stained and the back covered with some vintage wall paper i have collected. they are then packed full of werid, wonderful and sentimental curioso’s aquired by me over the last few decades or so.

enjoy my first collection

after re-reading my post from the other day I think I have been altogether too hard on our blossoming spring! looking around my garden, and even around the home; heaps of the plants are in flower! it makes all the freezing cold winter mornings spent toiling the soil worth it for blooms like these…

the african violet (left) was a gift from my mamma. she grew it from a cutting and had kept it for years without it flowering. i brought it home with me after a visit in the depths of winter; and low, it flowers for me in the spring!
the geranium (right) is not actually a geranium, but i cant remember its real name; and they are related anyways. this was a cutting i took from the neighbours garden last spring. i went for an early morning walk and was so startled and pleased by the amazing deep color of the flowers that my green fingers just couldnt resist growing my own!

enough of this pottering about however I have work to do; the sun is shining and the sky is blue, the more I get done the sooner I can be home with you x

it has been the most trying of springs. as in trying my patience!

we are just past the middle of spring, and i swear in the last few months it has been colder than the middle of winter! I can prove it too…
i was celebrating another year of life in the middle of winter and it was a lovely sunny day. I wore shorts (albeit with tights, i mean c’mon!) and we were drinking bubbly in the sun at four o’clock.
last weekend, on my way to work (grumpy as it was a saturday morn’) it was only three degrees; there was a gale traveling straight up from the arctic, freezing torrents of water were pouring down and it just got colder as the day went on! truely!

it is another grey day today, but it has definatly warmed up; so cant really complain! Especially as the sunsets on days like these are beautiful. I was in a parking lot the last grey spring day we had there was the most beatiful rainbow! A double rainbow in fact!

but then a quickly as it appeared, it was gone; and the sky was replaced with gold! beautiful x

My poor kid’s have taken a beating of late!

I thought I had broken my back gardening; but infact I had a kidney infection! O my it was sooo painful. So I have been resting in bed and eating grapes (apparently they help) but I still cannot manage to keep a thought in my head.

I will be a much better blogger from now on…promise! x

So Ive been a- traveling sales lady for the past week! Yep thats right; a rental car, a suitcase full of summer dresses and myself for company! It was super fun; amazing scenery, beautiful weather and friendly people. It got a lil lonely (too many nights of room service, and plastic wraped glasses of wine) but I had some good thinking time; and every room I stayed in had central heating and a spa bath! Luxury!

I must confide; one of my irrational fears, aside from outer space, is taxidermy. I was in a whirlpool of feelings when I saw a store dedicated to the art in my travels! However I also must confide, not being too much of a reality tv fan, Fear Factor was something Ive always thought I would consider being on! So this was the perfect opportunity to test my metal!

I had a lovely chat with the store owner, there were four of them in the company and they get comissions from all over the country and further afield. He said it was a family business and they work out the back…he seemed to sense my squirmishness and didnt offer me a tour- that would have been too much! I was some what relived to see the sign “NO TOUCHING” and decided to respect their rules!

It smelt funny, and I couldnt help but feel sad that these beautiful animals had their lives cut short, some murdered in their prime, to become someones trophy! I cant understand hunting- so I guess it makes sense that I cant understand why anyone would wanna display the evidence on their wall! Each to their own I guess! It was a pretty crazy, movie like experience in the middle of no where!

So exotic- such a waste!