Sweetest bundle of joy :: Jamie

At last I introduce to you our little bundle of joy....Jamie. So comfy was he in my womb the little one didn't want to come out, but my boredom & impatience was abated when my waters broke while the hubbie & I were out shopping for a new frypan!? Lucky we were only 5 minutes from home/hospital, but I'm glad it all happened rather unexpectedly!

Anyways, Jamie arrived almost a week late on the 29 April, weighing in at a healthy 3.47kg (or 7lb 10oz). The delivery didn't quite go to plan, but all those thoughts went out the window when we first laid our eyes on him and he came out healthy & screaming!! And when he revealed his cute dimples to us on day one, my heart just melted....


Here he is in Poppa's arms charming us with his cheeky cuteness....


Displaying his Houdini skills unravelling from his wrap....

Some bonding time with Mum.....

Sleeping soundly in Dad's arms....

And here is Mr Dimples once again...

Thanks to everyone for all your congratulatory comments & good wishes. We've had fantastic family support too...we've only had to cook once in the last 2 weeks! Let's just say our mums have been putting ginger in everything (the Chinese are very big on the healing properties of ginger) and even the hubbie has been sneaking it in his cooking! I think I'm almost over it!

Nevertheless, I'm really enjoying motherhood - it's not as manic as I thought it would be....yet! I'm not sure if it's because so far Jamie's feeding and sleeping pretty well. I'm still waiting for the scary unsettled period everyone is telling me about...it's only a matter of time! But even when I'm up in the wee hours of the morning feeding him, he still makes me laugh with his mid-feed farting, his burping, funny faces, & his post-feed milk comas. The tiredness (& that humongous amount of washing this little guy generates) is all worth it...I just love him to bits. And I can't stop kissing those juicy cheeks. That's the best bit of all! N

Home Sweet Home

Finally we have reached the calm oasis stage in moving house... at least on my side of the bed! And it seems about time I got around to posting on our much neglected blog.

Moving house is something that I am usually good at... we move every 1- 2 years. This time it didn't seem to go to plan! Instead of a week and a half to move as planned... the boy had to go overseas for work and we were left to move in half a week.... Operation Stuff-It-In-A- Box began. Things are still in boxes... but I can see the light at the end of the cardboard tunnel now. Phew!



The new place is lovely. We have a shared courtyard that kids and dogs run about in... I knew three of my neighbours before we came to live here and it is so nice to bump into friends at the garbage bins! I also get to listen to the conversations between the 4 year olds that live either side of me. They are so funny and so serious!



The calm oasis has definitely not reached my office... I have rearranged everything about 5 times and still it isn't right! So no pictures to show you just yet... the falling leaves outside my window will have to suffice. Our little garden is currently just weeds but I have a couple of weeks to plant some strawberries before it gets too cold... and I don't want to miss out on home grown strawberries! T

P.S I am sure Nicky will get around to posting some pics of the little sweet one soon... at the moment she is grappling with all changes and the humongous amount of washing!

Sweetness has arrived!

Hullo all... just a quick little note to let you know that the little bub has arrived. Mum & the sweet little one are happy and healthy! I will let Nicky fill you in on all the details... T

P.S Still waiting for the internet to be turned on at home... so it might stay a bit quiet around here for a little longer

Soft & Sweet :: The Groupies

Just finished off these little rocker dudes... ready for their trip to Melbourne for some Kiss Army convention. And just in time too. I'm moving house. We are in sea of boxes, sticky tape & bubble wrap...and I can't sleep as lists of things "To Do" are swimming around in my brain. But I'm excited! I'm going to have my very own office/ crafty room... and a little garden. It seems like a dream come true!

Unfortunately the Internet will be turned off soon... so it might be a bit quiet around here for a wee while. Hopefully not too long as I have got to make use of that new room! ...suppose I better pull the gloves back on and do some cleaning. T

P.S Yes my husband went to Fashion School... and is a fashion designer. I have been given his sewing machine, fabric scraps and sewing books. He buys my clothes and doesn't say my butt looks big in anything... just that I should consider my silhouette!!!! For all this he still had the boxing on the telly last night despite my objections!

Sew Sweet :: The Bound & the Beautiful

Avert your eyes Nicky!... this is the hassle of sharing a blog, maybe you are making something for the other contributor and they might just find out what you have been up to!



And I have been up to binding! Binding used to be such a mystery to me... When I sew I just jump on the sewing machine and hope for the best. It might take me longer than the average josie/ joe, as I just usually figure things our for myself. Don't get me wrong, this is not my general behaviour... I do read maps and ask for directions! But as a result of this particular sewing philosophy my binding creations have been a disaster!



Making this little padded jacket spurred me to rely on the wisdom of others and read a book ! My husband handed his mint condition tome that got him through fashion school. It is brilliant! It opened the door to more binding possibilities than I thought were possible... turning tatty to bound & beautiful.

As my skills improved I started to dislike the first bits I had sewn. Isn't this always the way? But after 8 hours of binding I can say I am now over it... but it is good not to have to lie to Nicky anymore with stories of making oven mitts! T

P.S The baby hasn't arrived yet... and Nicky has cleaned everything and is telling me she is bored. I believe this is called the calm before the storm!

Sew Sweet :: Nursery Tales (Part 3)

Nicky has gone into serious nesting mode... and apparently this means scrubbing everything within an inch of its being. So I have been given the task of posting about our 2 day crafty challenge. As you can't predict when the bub will arrive everything seems to be urgent... we dropped all other tasks (sorry business) to make this nursery crafty centerpiece before the little one's arrival! And boy did we have a lot of fun- forgot how fun it is to craft with a friend.



We used inspiration from everywhere... Nicky really wanted to feature a tree. It was all about the tree. After searching on the web and books the inspiration was right on her desk calendar... the fabric for the trunk is some thrifted tweedy wool. We adhered it to some Ikea linen with Visofix - an amazing fusible web. I had never heard of this iron on product before, but it is safe to say I am in love. Oh, the instant gratification! No sewing required!



The little critters were inspired by shoes, the amazing felt book and from prints on fabric...

Once we had attached everything to the background linen it was staple gunned to a board of Caneite (I think this is called Homasote in other countries). Caneite is another great discovery, light weight and can be used as a bulletin board. It can be a bit fibrous though and it was a real challenge trying to find a hook that would stay in, so it could be hung on the wall. I think this is a trial and error thing. I want to make another hanging crafty work but this time I might talk to hardware store peeps about the best way! Hope the little bubba likes it! T

Sweet Inspiration :: Forest Finds

Every morning and every evening I walk my dog in one of the biggest parks in Sydney... it has lakes, running tracks, picnic areas and my favourite, the forest.... I guess it isn't really strictly a forest, more like a wooded area with a stream running through and lots of dogs playing hide n' seek. It is lovely... nice to be in touch with nature in the big bad city!

In the "forest" is lots of pine trees... a few of them have been cut down recently and I have scampered off with a few twigs and a whole lotta pine cones... And in a particularly rushed weekend I was able to find 30 minutes to throw together this ode to Autumn, or Fall.

There is a slight chill in the air and I am thinking about baked apples, warm soups and making the house cozy! T

P.S These cutie postcards are a tokyo find... of course.