sewing retro love

There really is so much joy in recycled crafting.  There is the delight of finding treasures in opshops, the delving into the stash of inspiring but yet minimally used craft books and planning the perfect gift for that special one in your life and then pulling it all together and creating the new object of desire which will hopefully bring lots of others joy too.

Yesterday morning I took the kids doona cover I found in Deloraine and turned a piece of it into a dress for my lovely friend Nicola's 1 year old Olivia.  I used the sewing machine for the first time in months, had some trouble with the bias binding edges, but ultimately achieved a very cute 'pillow case' dress from Betz White's Sewing Green,  and then the oos and ahs of recognition, and "i think Mum still has those sheets at home!"  big smile.  Can wait to see Olivia in it this summer.

Tasmanian Craft Fair and Deloraine op-shop goodness

I have never before been to the Deloraine / Tasmanian Craft fair which has grown to be a huge event in Tasmania every year.  Surprising but true - but then neither had Mum, so that is probably why.  So I proposed a trip and off we went on a perfect mum & daughter bonding adventure day.  We left South Hobart at about 8.20am and arrive back pretty much 12 hours later. I have well and truly gotten used to the required three hour drive after my time in SA and that meant we had about 6 hours to wonder and look, and buy and chill and eat and wonder some more! We both got lots of inspiration, but didn't buy to much, except my weakness came when I took Mum to Fresh Fabric - probably the best fabric store in Tasmania.  The first time I every walked into that shop I exclaimed I wanted to move in and live there!  And of course it is surrounded by three country op-shops in which i found so many yummy bargains....

there were some great displays, which i sometimes admired more than the products...

Lunch was a Mum special of Spinach & Ricotta pie with salad, in the car in the green green padock

Fresh Fabric and 2 Quilt Ladies, fat quarters

bargain bundles

 I have a bit of an orange / yellow container thing happening lately, not normally my thing

came with 6 cups and saucers, and a found one matching tea cup and saucer

tea cups for cactus

  can't wait to make some kids clothes with this!

We hardly got any rain during the day, until it was time to leave.  We went the scenic route through Westbury and stopped for local ice cream from Andy's - and it was amazing.  I had Jaffa and Chocolate Hazelnut and Mum had Chocolate Rough and Hazelnut - and it was full of roasted crushed nuts and little chocolate chunks and was just bloody good way to finish the day.

Concrete and new views

A sunny Sunday with little to do, so of course it was time to check up on my little spot on reserve down the channel. Last Tuesday the foundation slab was poured and more piers for the balcony supports.

so smooth

I hadn't been down for nearly two weeks and my neighbours have been busy clearing a lot of scruby trees at the back of their block.  I have some great knew views and lots more sun!

 there was much singing of birds this afternoon

 and I think this is boronia growing wild?

 and this is probably a weed, but it is pretty for now

 And I never noticed before but there are a couple of trees on my block by the boundary, now they are in blossom they are too pretty to overlook.

 I wonder what it is??

 with the extra trees cleared this will roughly be my view from the kitchen window (I think)

hazy mount wellington

 chilled our lamas

and the grass seeds my step-father sewed have started to sprout - just to slow down the erosion of the bank - later it will be natives and pine bark - far to steep to mow just here.

I'm not sure what is next, but I'll let you know when i do! 

foundations

mid week preparations for up coming slab pour!

 from the driveway

 Thankful for daylight savings

 the ridges in the back section are where the stairs will come down

& initial plumbing for the laundry

the slab will be poured on Andrew's Birthday, timing sucks but we have to take what we can get.  There has been so much rain lately slowing down the process.  I will make extra special chocolate birthday cake for my baby brother to make it up a little.

MY red

Today I collected paint brochures.....  It's a long time before I will paint but I was in K&D and I thought why not?  I love colour and am excited that I will get to paint my house any colour I want.

and I discovered there is a RED called Jules - of course there is...hehe

I quite like it and think it could be a great front door colour, and probably a feature in the kitchen / dinning room area.

I really like this mix of colours -yum

photos are from Dulux Australia

quick trip

The weather was great yesterday but Andrew couldn't get an excavator because it was grand final day!! So no more work done again this weekend.  But we did a quick trip down to deliver some materials, check the sight, fix the fences and add some more water to the mini tank.

I met a couple of neighbors from up around the road, he's a tv lighting guy and she works at screen tas! I think Lower Snug is going to be full of interesting people.

People keep asking me when I'll be in, and I say I don't know - and I don't.  I don't want to stress Andrew out by asking all the time because at this stage we are at the mercy of lots of things.  But once we are out of the ground we'll have a much better idea and it should go according to the schedule.  But he's hoping, and thinking, it will be less than 6 months.....

Tip Shop Treasure and pieces of house colours

Last weekend and the way to the block I visited my soon (ish) to be local op shop and tip shop to acquaint myself with them.  For some weird reason I find it hard to go to new places for the first time and then once I have they become a regular attraction.  The op shop was not so exciting this week and they don't have much in the non clothes items but the tip shop was an exciting cave of treasures.  I found great desks, pieces of furniture, tea cups, a huge vinal record collection......  these are not necessarily things I want now but they provided lots of creative ideas, it was great to see what kinds of things were there and I did splurge on one awesome vintage find.

Cake or cookies anyone? 

This cost me a huge $1, which is about all I can manage on the current budget so I was very happy!  I think this will look fabulous in my new kitchen.

And speaking of kitchens - I also went to the kitchen place and picked out my bench and cupboard colours - this is one of the fun things!

 

 River Pebble Dimensions Finish bench top

Parchment doors and drawers and Black ends, breakfast bar and kickboards

 And while I'm talking colours the house will be:

Black roof (night sky) and Deep Ocean Cladding

 and a 

something like this

putting together the pieces of my house is the biggest treat. :-)