Macrame magic

My friend Summer and I decided that we wanted to learn macrame after seeing this amazing post from A Beautiful Mess.

I must admit that I had been thinking about trying to learn macrame for a little while now. Probably since I was lucky enough to win an Ouch Flower macrame plant holder made from Zpagetti a few months back.

I just love the copper beads on this plant holder

We were lucky enough to time our desire to macrame with a class being held at Reverse Garbage. I go a wee bit crazy every time I am at Reverse Garbage and this time was no exception (I made sure we arrived early). Fabric and terracotta pots for my soon to arrive bulbs were the order for this day.

Everyone at the class was lovely and really willing to help each other. We decided to keep it simple and use jute twine with recycled wooden beads to make a tea light candle holder and this was the result. Not too shabby and just what my deck needed.

Now I do realise that my efforts pale in comparison to that produced on a Beautiful Mess but I am well on my way...I think so anyway

After this class I now feel confident in applying my skills to other macrame projects. Summer is away and flying. She had the idea to make a bird feeder out of an old coconut shell. I haven't seen it yet but I am imagining something like this below from Poppytalk.

I do realise that this is not technically macrame but I couldn't resist

If you ever get a chance to attend a macrame class or any class at Reverse Garbage give it a go, it was good fun with a few laughs and clumsy moments from me as always.

Crochet goodness: Infinity scarf

I do realise that it seems a bit strange to be crocheting a scarf when it is still summer here in Brisbane and well over 30 degrees at that. However I do have a good excuse...I am preparing for our big trip to Tasmania at the start of winter this year!

I am so excited about seeing a bit more of our great big country and I have always wanted to see Tasmania. We will be there for three weeks and travelling all over this beautiful little state and I just know that I will need a lovely warm and woolly scarf.

Now I was lucky to have a skein and a half of Wool Ease chunky yarn leftover from another project and that was all I needed for this beautiful infinity scarf.

I followed this gorgeous pattern from Fiber Flux and was not disappointed. It was so easy to follow and if you are just starting out she even provides a step by step video.

It feels so cozy around my neck and I know it will be great for winter. It would also make a beautiful handmade gift that is quick to whip up but looks amazing (it seriously took me only a couple of hours).

If you are new to crochet then give this project a go, you will be amazed at how quickly this comes together. Yay for crochet!

The Little Grey Men

A big thanks to my Dad and Mum who instilled in me a love of books. They were the ones who introduced me to Enid Blyton. When I was a wee girl I loved loved loved 'The Folk of the Faraway Tree'. I remember wishing that I would come across the Faraway Tree when I was out and about. I still love the idea that the Faraway Tree is out there somewhere.

Recently I was reading a fiction novel by Marcia Willett when she mentioned a book called 'The Little Grey Men' by BB. It is about the last four gnomes in Britain. BB was the pseudonym on D.J. Watkins-Pitchford on a side note.

The book was first published in 1942 and is simply...brilliant. I really could not put it down. I needed to know how Cloudberry, Dodder, Baldmoney and Sneezewort finished their big adventure. They are the names of the last four gnomes in Britain by the way.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and I know that you will love reading it yourself as much as to your children, nieces or nephews.

I bought the book on bookdepository.co.uk and was not really expecting too much but I had a lovely surprise and now I love to think that Cloudberry, Dodder, Baldmoney and Sneezewort are chatting by the fire in Oak Tree House by the bubbling Folly brook. Please read it when you get a moment...you will escape to a beautiful place.

Wheelbarrow garden planter

The super talented Luke has been at it again (with his trusty apprentice who tries really hard...me). He has been going crazy for pallet projects. Pallets are a really inexpensive way of getting great looking rustic timber with loads of character.

Many places give them away for free or talk with some local builders in your area and maybe they will be kind enough to give you some (remember ask with a smile). I also sometimes see businesses in industrial areas giving them away for free (it really helps to have a ute in these situations...we are very lucky in that respect).

One pallet project that I love is the wheelbarrow garden planter by Steve Ramsey.

Steve is a fantastic vlogger with a very helpful website. Luke used his plans to make this amazing planter for me.

You can even watch Steve himself make this super cute planter on his YouTube channel.

We have put the planter in our front yard and put a few annuals in there. I went with some classic petunias in purple and pink tones but I think any plant would look amazing. I am trying for a cottage garden theme so petunias are a cheap and cheerful way to achieve that look. Hopefully I can put a few plants in there that I have grown from cuttings but more on that sometime later in the blog.

If you are a handyman or woman give a pallet project a try and Steve will certainly give you some inspiration.

Bloggy amazing: Down to earth

I must admit I am a little bit obsessed with quite a large number of blogs at the moment. I really enjoy reading about how other people live and what makes them tick. This coupled with beautiful and interesting photos ensures I enjoy a blissful few minutes each day being inspired (or sometimes jealous really).

One local Sunshine Coast lady who has an amazing blog is called Rhonda Hetzel. Her blog, 'Down to earth' makes me want a more simple existence where I get real satisfaction from the actions I perform as opposed to what I buy/consume. With a few chickens thrown in too.

I was so inspired by her blog that I bought her book known by the same name (I just love the feeling of a good book in my hands). I want to try so many things from this blog/book (like making my own soap) so I will bring you the results of my trials and tribulations over the coming weeks (even if they are disastrous).

I really, truly, honestly recommend this amazing blog for ideas and guidance on saving and spending, housework, gardening and cooking. Rhonda is the first to acknowledge that not all her ideas are for everyone but she imparts to others what has worked for her in her own situation and hopefully people can use that experience to help find inspiration to live a more simple life.

Rhonda has certainly made me think twice about what I buy (although I could not resist a beautiful Monty Don book - more on that later). Anyway, please take the time to have a peak at Rhonda's blog and hopefully you can be inspired at least for a few minutes each day.

Garden fun

Well you have probably guessed from my previous posts that I am a little bit obsessed with gardening. I just love love love it. I find it a great way to relax and enjoy the sights, noises and smells around you.

I am a huge fan of visiting other people's gardens to get inspiration (I even visited a garden that had huge dinosaurs in a tropical setting - pretty scary). I also find it a really fun adventure. Most of the gardens I have visited have been in places I haven't been to before and are absolutely enormous. Believe me when I say that you can have a wonderful day out visiting some of these amazing gardens and everyone I have met has been so friendly and helpful with all my questions.

A great way to find gardens to visit is via Open Gardens Australia. They have a calendar of events in each state and you will find that most open gardens also have little stalls, food and other activities.

I really look forward to the big plant fair each year. There are so many wonderful stall holders with little treasures you probably have not seen before. And believe me when I say that it is not just limited to plants although the variety of plants you can find there is staggering.

It was at just one of these fairs that I was inspired to add garden ornaments to my own little garden.

I have added mushrooms, mice, chickens, old logs, stones, pots, a bird bath and a bird feeder (I am a little obsessed with trying to attract birds and bees to my garden).

Crazy eyed chicken

Look at my little bird feeder there above the Elderflower. The Noisy Miners are certainly loving the Coconut Ice Grevillea and the bees are loving those giant Elderflower blooms.

Some of the garden ornaments I have found have made there way into my home. One such thing are the mushrooms made by Woodrock Turning. I have linked to their Facebook page but you can also find them on Etsy. They are just so gosh darn cute.

I hope my little effort at garden fun has inspired you to maybe give it a go. Think of making a fairy garden for your little wee ones or adding some beautiful pot decorations for those with limited space. Or what about making a crazy character from collected branches. Just so much fun to play around with. Have fun!

More recycled furniture - Singer sewing machine

The very handy Luke and I recently bought a new BBQ. We decided on a little Weber Q but we were not sure what to put it on. We were not massive fans of the standard Weber stands, and other stands we found were just not our style.

I decided to have a look on Gumtree for an old Singer sewing machine stand. Now my parents do have a lovingly restored Singer sewing machine stand so maybe I had that in the back of my mind.

There have been a lot of different types of Singer sewing machines over the many years and this lovely blog has some beautiful illustrations and interesting information. Some are extremely rare. If you are lucky you can find a type that really suits your style and budget.

I was lucky enough to pick up one from a lovely gentleman for $50 and my awesome Dad helped me to pick it up. Now it was not in the best condition when we found it. It was in pieces and very rusty but completely salvageable.

Luke had to file off the rust first. He did this with a drill and a metal rasp type attachment. I promise I did give it a go but I just could not get the hang of it. This certainly took a few hours but the results were worth it. We could have arranged for an acid dip or the like but this way we got a real sense of achievement.

To avoid rust in the future and to return the stand to its former glory, we sprayed the stand with Kill Rust gloss black spray paint.

We made sure the stand was together before spray painting it so that the bolts were matched to the frame. We did need to source some new bolts but our second home (Masters) definitely helped out with this little task.

The other thing that we needed to source was a table top to put on top of the stand. Luke and I just love old rustic recycled timber so we headed to our local Big Red Shed. The lovely gentleman here pointed us in the direction of an old saw table. It was just so beautiful and all we did was cut it to size and give it some oil and that was that. Our new BBQ had a beautiful new home.

Simple sewing - hearts

I have been lucky enough to have had a few weeks holiday over this festive season and I decided to use some of my lovely holiday time to do a few simple sewing projects. Believe me when I say that I have been wanting to do some sewing for a long time - my newish sewing machine was covered in dust. I am sure the lovely Kirstie Allsop would have been most unhappy with my efforts so far (if you don't know who Kirstie Allsop is I highly recommend you do some googling as she is just fantastic).

Now I am definitely not the best sewer in the world so I decided to make some simple hearts as cute additions to my home.

I used this blog from Design Sponge as inspiration and for the great heart template. Don't be tempted to use another heart template (which I did try and failed miserably) as this template ensures the point in the middle of the heart is not too deep (a deep point does not work well in this project).

I followed the instructions on this blog minus the additional pocket and I chose to fill my hearts with rice and lovely smelling dried lavender (I just love love love the smell of lavender).

The other additional thing I did was to add a ribbon for hanging. Now I added ribbon in a loop on some hearts (first photo) and strands on others. I find the strands are a bit more flexible as you can tie them to anything.

This project was so much fun. You can choose any fabric you like and raid your stashes of ribbon and buttons to make great colour combinations. If you don't have ribbon or button jars then you can go to the stores and buy some or check out the op shops for vintage loveliness.

What a great gift this would make for anyone and one of my beautiful friends will be receiving a few shortly. Just think about your friends house looks like and the colours they love and go nuts. There really are endless possibilities. Have fun!

Crochet floor rug

Something that I probably haven't written about before is that I love to crochet. Crochet is no longer the domain of our grandmothers with new and different types of yarn becoming available. One yarn that I absolutely adore is Zpagetti yarn.

Zpagetti yarn is made of stretch cotton fabric offcuts and comes in so many beautiful colours and designs. Their website offers some inspiration for different projects you can complete with zpagetti. Also you can ogle the beautiful macrame items that Ouchflower makes with this fabulous yarn. Ouchflower also has an amazing blog with helpful hints on the various knots that you can use when making macrame. So head to her knot school and get crafting.

One project that I tried with zpagetti that turned out amazingly was a crochet doily rug. I used the pattern from a blog called Dandelion Days. I must admit though that I did not include Round 4 mentioned in the pattern as I could not get this to work, otherwise though this pattern was easy to follow and turned out beautifully (well I think so anyway).

One little tip though for working with this yarn is that you will need to take regular breaks. The yarn is very thick and you will need to use your muscles to work with it. Also the biggest crochet hook I have ever seen is essential to getting the right look.

My next project is to use the same pattern mentioned before to make myself a couple of very stylish bath mats and with Christmas now fast approaching I am sure that they would also make very personal gifts for friends and family. I know that I would love to receive something that someone has spent their precious time and energy creating.

So put some time aside in your calendar to get crafting, you won't regret it.

Baking, baking, baking

Busy, busy, busy (or is it lazy, lazy, lazy). Whichever way I look at it my blog has definitely been on the silent side. I have been busy though, I promise you with lots of new things to add to my blog over the coming weeks.

For my first blog back in a wee while I thought I would celebrate my all time favourite kitchen appliance...my Kitchenaid Mixer.

I was so lucky to get my gorgeous mixer as a 30th birthday present from my thoughtful boyfriend and I have been using it non-stop. I have been inspired partly by Mary Berry's Baking Bible (also given to me as a birthday present from a good friend) and partly by a want to make things from scratch...from 'real' ingredients (no packet mix cakes for me).

I find baking a way to relax and enjoy the art of making something for yourself, friends or family. It shows that you care about those people important to you - you have taken the time to make something that you hope they will enjoy (and you also get to lick the spoon).

I have challenged myself to bake something new each weekend to share with whomever is around. One weekend it was pavlova (Day to Day Cookery Book), the next it was lemon meringue pie and this weekend it has been strawberry and coconut muffins (I added a little bit of me to this recipe by adding vanilla bean paste, making 6 giant Texas muffins instead of the usual 12, and drizzling with white chocolate).

You don't need a mixer to bake something absolutely delicious (although just so pretty) so join me this weekend or any day of the week and bake something new that you have always wanted to try. How about some Amish friendship bread, chocolate eclairs, creme brûlée, whatever tickles your fancy. And share it with someone special to you or as a welcome to a new neighbour.

Yum, yum, yum