I spy with my little eye...

Olivia on her Christmas play mat!

The baby play mat that I made for my niece was a huge success!

I love these days between Christmas and New Years Eve. They are full of good food, afternoon naps, a few good drinks and wonderful company.

We're off to Sydney on Wednesday for 4 nights. Should be great fun - even more so as we'll have lots more afternoons with this little one. Hurrah!

Merry Christmas

Today has been a very busy day - starting with food shopping and 7am. Since then I've baked, sewn, cleaned and wrapped - all with carols on in the background. I'm feeling totally Christmassy!

This is the first year that I am hosting one of the Christmas meals - Breakfast! Feels like an important moment going from going to your parents house to having them come here.

I've decided to make Jamie Oliver's Mexican Breakfast and then serve fruit salad and yogurt and banana smoothies. With any luck the weather will be perfect for breakfast outside. I can picture how it will look and I hope I can make it work. I have an image of red napkins, white flowers and white plates and glasses. If it hangs together I'll take a photo or two.

Where ever you spend the holidays this year we at Bright Red Cherries wish you happy and safe travels. Thanks so much for your support and comments - that way we know we aren't talking to ourselves!

Merry Christmas! x x

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

The biggest and smallest members of our house are asleep. MrG would have been very annoyed if I'd photographed him sleeping so instead here's the smallest one Omar.
While the others sleep I'm in the back yard looking at the dress pattern I've just bought. It's been a very long time since I made any clothes. Usually the fear of it being a disaster dissolves any motivation... This dress is my holiday sewing project and my mantra... go slow, follow the pattern, iron seams when told to, be patience and unpick if necessary. Will see how I go!

This is the fabric I've chosen. I just love the blue in it and if the dress works there is a cardigan in Verinika Maine that matches perfectly.

The 'Me' Wardrobe

When I saw the theme for this week I couldn't refuse the opportunity to show off my new favourite piece.

Earlier in the year a friend was visiting from London and she brought with her the most beautiful giant clutch bag. It was amazing! I couldn't find it anywhere online but... it must have been my lucky day... Look what I found in Jigsaw today!

Maybe I should wrap it as a Christmas present from me to me!

ps - Even better - Mum bought the red one so now we can swap!

pps - More 'Me' wardrobes over at MMAM

MOCCA, Molly Mae Rose ,Moving & Making by Cathy

MOCCA - this was a lovely little market I went to in Manuka (Canberra) at the Child Care Centre - here's just a quick glance at some of the lovely stalls

This is Posie's beautiful stall - I stood for ages looking and chatting - got some stunning fabric - but cant show - sshhh - xmas presents

I went specifically to look at this stall - two Canberra Brown Owls - Poppy,Bean and Bloss and Button Tree Lane - just stunning ladies - and yes i did buy things - one I will show later and the other - yes another pressie

I just loved these lamps from The Owls are Hunting :( no money left

OMG - dino tails what fun from Mr Mudge

Yes here's my new toy - Molly from Poppy, Bean and Bloss - she came with her name another set of clothes all packed beautifully in a calico bag. I have lengthened her name just a little to Molly Mae Rose (back when i was pregnant with my son (William Thomas Elliot) this was the girls name I had planned - she is well and truly loved by all.

ps my husband picked her out!!! what a softie....

I am so hoping I can pin someone down for 30minutes or so to help me decorate the tree - its no where near as much fun doing it by yourself - i'll show you at the finished product..

My crafting/painting space all ready to be unpacked - back from Canberra - I will show you the finished product...

These are the calico xmas trees waiting to go on printed red card - I needed my bits and pieces that were packed in the boxes - all good - once unpacked ready to go - I'll show you the finished product - whoa I betting get cracking the day is flying by

cheers

New little friend

A new little friend made by my crafty friend - she's very clever!

Holiday Reading

We're on the count down to holidays now, 4 work days or 6 sleeps - either way - I'm excited!

I finished reading Jane Eyre last weekend - it was great! It did take me a while to read though 2 months to be exact... the old language was a struggle on nights when I was tired.

I've picked up something a little more modern for my next read. Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry. I'm already a few chapters in and I can tell I'm going to enjoy it.

One of the setting of the book is Highgate cemetery in London. MrG and I did a tour of the cemetery while living in London. It was amazing and so very beautiful. In fact I'll find some of our photos and post them up one day soon.

Not sure if I'm being optimistic but I also have 2 other books on the reading list for this summer, Goodbye to all that and The Big Sleep plus 4 magazines, the 2 latest Frankies (yep to bust to read the last one before the next came out..) a Peppermint and a Mixtape.

Holidays are from the 24th to the 11th - bliss! We're off to Sydney from the 30th to the 3rd. I've never had a NYE in Sydney so looking forward to seeing the fireworks in person rather than via the news the next day. I wonder how they will compare to the London fireworks - now they were someting special!

if only I'd thought of it 11 years ago

I had a very delayed eureka moment last Friday. 11 years to late (if your counting). ..
When was filling out my Uni applications 11 years ago I thought of things like Mathematician, Chemist, Accountant, Programmer.
What I should have thought of was, Home Ec teacher! Now that I've thought of it I can not believe I missed it. What have I been doing for all these years (writing Software Requirement documents...) when I should have been here 'Bachelor of Education (Design and Technology Education) - Home Economics'.
At school I remember being asked What do you like to do... How did I not answer, cook, sew, be health and teach people... I'd like to shake 17 year old me by the shoulders so I don't miss the point.
Any way - it's now on the one day list, or maybe the before I'm 40 (12 years to go) list... At the moment there are other things that need to be done. Working 9-5 saving for a house, thinking about a family (!)
I did however email the coordinator to see if it's possible to study some of the course part time/external. I think that's the only way I'll get there by the 40 deadline.
---post edit---
Of course - I wouldn't change the last 11 years, it's how I got here now and well if I hadn't been writing Software Requirements I'd never have met MrG and become MrsG. Now I'm getting sappy... G'nite all

A Red Christmas

I think I went a little overboad with red this Christmas... Still it does look pretty

Saturday things

Just got back from the Guerrilla Craft Market - Such a clever idea!

I wore my latest brooch to the market and had lots of complements (Donna they love your work!)
I picked up these porcelain buttons at the markets - haven't decided if they will be someones Christmas present or stay in my stash... it's tempting to keep them!

Today is going to be a quite day - well we need to food shop but aside from that it's down time. Tomorrow I'm going to a friends house to learn how to make Waldorf dolls. Should be good fun.

Have a lovely weekend! x

Christmas at T-Chow

What fun we had last night - our last Brown Owls for the year was celebrated at T-chows in China town. We had a Kris Kringle - and our craftiness was on full display . What a fabulous group we are!
A big thank you to Tracey and Cherry and all those involved in the projects at Brown Owls during 2009 - it has been great year - I cant wait for next year to start.

My Creative Space

I've been squeezing craft in where ever I can these days... The Christmas list keeps getting longer as each day ends..

This little doll was sent to my little friend Ruby who turned 4 the other day. Her mother said that when Ruby opened the package she said 'Oh mummy it's the doll I've always dreamed of' - Wow comments like that make it all worth it!
Next is the progress on the Princess and the Pea project for Knitting Nancy's. A very kind fellow at work made the wooden bed frame that I will be able to cover with crochet - though I'm tempted not too - the bed is so cute!

Finally the Red Christmas Stars that I have been working on - Quite happy with them, though MrG says it needs green too if it's going to be Christmas. Next job is the string of white stars for the red wall. With the next batch I need to try a different starch. The powder stuff I bought was rubbish... (or possibly I didn't read the instructions..

Pins & Needles - by Cathy

I decided it was a about time I recycled my old pincushion (filled with sawdust) to the new one I bought the other day at the Goodwood market - Stitcharooney
Any way while I was in the process of transferring the pins I started to find needles that had managed to push all the way through. I had pulled all the pins out then I started to feel around and decided I might recycle the saw-dust and while transferring the saw-dust to the jar out came all the needles!!!!!!!!!!!!
154 needles and 5 sewing machine needles! Wow I wont need to buy needles for a while.
When all that was complete I cut away the fabric and now I have to think of something to do with those lovely little people that looked after my pins and needles for all those years.

A trip to Grandmas

I spent Saturday at Grandma's house learning how to applique. We had such a lovely time.

After the lesson we went though Grandmas stash! It was like Christmas come early. Grandma has the most amazing collection of fabric - including some amazing Liberty prints and the most amazing part... She gave me a whole box full of fabrics and cotton reels, lace, trims and ric rac!

Plus these patterns - I can't wait to try them

Grandma kept a photo album of all the jumpers that she made to sell at markets - it's a beautiful collection and she has give it to me to look after. I'm very proud! x

Birthday surprises continue

Sunday was a cultural delight - we started at the National Gallery seeing the Masterpieces from Paris and then had lunch at the National Portrait gallery. This was followed by hearing Reg Mombassa launching his new book. It was fabulous hearing him talk about his own paintings - we then went back to the national gallery for another look at those amazing Musee d'orsay paintings - i have up loaded some of my favourites.

This is Reg's new book cover
Reg's little ode to xmas

I love the patterning in the sea and on the mast - this is by Maurice Denis

I just have a thing about paintings of people sleeping - by Edouard Vuillard ( the lino cut Tony gave me was called 'afternoon nap')

This was amazing - i have only ever seen a photo - it looked like it was painted yesterday - so vibrantStarry Night OMG !!!! I have never really been a huge Vincent fan but I certainly am now !!!

Have had the most wonderful birthday this year.

Birthday weekend

Saturday we went to Bundanon - Arthur Boyds studio and had a picnic on the Shoalhaven river a painting of shoal haven by Arthur Boyd

My birthday cake - brulee mmmm