Mustard flower makeover

Today, I had a lucky find at the op shop. It inspired a very rapid creative makeover and I thought you might like to share the sunflowery joy. My mum gave me a bunch of sunflowers on the weekend and we have been enjoying their beaming faces ever since.

And then I popped into the oppie near school and found a roll of this still in the packet for $1. It is some kind of vintage contact with soft furry embossed mustardy flowers all over.

I was ferretting around the house looking for something, anything that I could justify contacting. And then I stumbled onto this magnetic board that was involved in the great demoulding incident  and came off a little worse for wear due to my complete lack of adequate dropsheets.

And in the quickest makeover of all time, five minutes later, presto. The little cat doorstop came from a local handmade store - you know the ones full of crochet baby jackets and booties manned by a team of dedicated fundraising crafty grannies. Given that he was corduroy and only one of Betsy's doors actually shuts properly, he obviously had to come home with me.

And what did miss Liongirl find in the oppie in a little yellow tupperware container? At first glance I thought this was some odd box of dominos with lots of missing pieces, but I liked the pictures and thought we could use them somewhere.

What a wonderful suprise to discover such a clever puzzle, perfect for a two year old who can count but doesn't recognize numbers. Just match the coloured stripe across the top of 3 puzzles and you've got it.

I knew all that decluttering was heading somewhere positive.

The trick of too many treats

I think I've told you all before about the amazing street that we live in. There are lots of young kids and several families who love an excuse to party. Since we moved here a little over a year ago we have been invited to a welcome to the street party, a lets get together after the floods party, a Christmas party, a boys camp out and several impromptu summer evening barbecues. Last year we missed Halloween as we were at the beach that particular weekend, but boy did we hear all about it when we came back.

The kids have all been talking about it for weeks, costumes have been planned and compared, the sausage sizzle arranged for someone's front yard and invitations delivered. Our street and a few others within walking distance are all in. Even the pets are involved.

Before we knew it, our street seemed to have formed a gang. With a few parents to negotiate road crossings. Liongirl was the youngest by a few years, but as she thinks she is a  5 year old boy, it's no issue really. That's my two, far right.

Many many neighbours had decorated their houses and gardens so it was obvious who was participating and who was keen to be left in peace.  We had to leave signage at our place.

We had no idea how big an event it was until we were caught in a swirling mass of noisy excited children in one of the nearby streets. One neighbour told me she had given out well over 100 treats already. Word has it that one particular house always really gets into the spirit of frightening everyone witless and that it also is probably haunted. Of course we had to check it our for ourselves. It used to be a military hospital and does look like it has great haunting potential.

Yes there are two bodies hanging from trees in the foreground, several people trapped and shrieking on the lower level, a ghoul that runs out of a hole in the hedge front right and a  pitch black dungeon underneath the house which had the ultimate lolly stash and a resident ghost. Aside from the ghoul which made Liongirl forget she was a brave 5 year old boy and cause her to burst into tears and then comfort eat half her lolly bucket, this house was a complete highlight. Even the smoke machine in the neighbouring yard  had nothing on this spectacle.

And the funniest moment? Hearing from another mother how she had to help Roboboy pick up his food after watching him unsuccessful groping a donut for a full 2 minutes due to his extreme costume dedication and refusal to remove his lizard paws.

One of Roboboy's many quirks has been a complete refusal to embrace costumes of any sort so when he excitedly decided he wanted to wear this lizard costume designed for 2-3 year olds, I was just relieved that all those years of allowing my children to squeeze into clothing that is too small for them was finally going to pay off. I just wish I had a side view photo with tail. I have years to catch up on you see. And the best part, is that tomorrow, when they are coming down off the sugar high, I get to go to work.

Milk glass magic

A few weeks back, Legoman and I were lucky enough to have some time to explore the seaside suburb of Redcliffe, sans children. We had a long ocean view lunch and then took our time exploring some of the second hand stores and all the op shops we could find. I found a few bits and bobs, but nothing amazing. And then in very last oppie on the list, the Sandgate Salvos, I stumbled onto not one but two gorgeous pieces of milkglass. The bowl was $8 and the vase was $6. I was grinning from ear to ear all the way home to my corella pears.

I already showed you this other piece I also found recently, so it really was milk glass month for me. I am working my way towards a lovely little collection and  when my MIL  saw it the other day it got her thinking.  She might have a cake plate squirrelled away somewhere in her very crowded cupboards. I can't even begin to think about it.

And then at our local weekend markets, this pyrex just popped up. And when I casually asked if it had a lid, she dropped the price to $6. Straight into the trolley dolly, yep move those eggs right over.

In thanks to the op shop gods I have been vigorously decluttering and readying bags of clothes for friends with younger children and toys for our local childcare. Who knows what will show up next?

Linking up with Sophie to share the thrifted joy.

How to not make a ten dollar owl softie

A few months ago, we were at our regular weekend markets when Roboboy spotted a lady selling owl softies for $10. He saw one, a teal coloured one with fringed wings and he fell in love. The only way I could pry that creature out of his little paws was to promise that we would make our own owl, all his own design. I probably should have just handed over my ten dollars.

But no, ever since then, the unfinished owl project has been hanging over my head. Complete with the Spotlight receipt for about $37 for all the bits and pieces. Together we designed a pattern and Roboboy diligently snipped it all out himself. He even helped with the pinning.

And finally, just in time for my Blogtoberfest pledge to complete a sewing task by the end of the month, we did it. Meet our very own Hoot. He is tucked up in bed at night with Roboboy and our cat, and has been trotted out to the lounge to watch the favourite TV shows as well. He is just the right size to tuck under an arm and snuggle or  to use as a pillow.

Now I can't wait to make another one for miss Liongirl, pink of course, with some vintage sheet highlights.

Hide and seek

It was Legomans's birthday the other day so we thought that was a good excuse to get out and about for a family picnic. The Mt Cootha Botanical gardens had the most spectacular display of cannas and of course we had to get up close and really explore. The looked like rows of lollipops all standing on end, red, yellow, orange and peach. And just look at this vibrant Jacaranda in bloom. Betsy has three in her garden but none of ours are looking quite this spectacular. Liongirl was given these clear plastic shoes by a relative, of course because I loathe them, they are her favourite and her best.

The Upside down pear cake did not last long, this was about 2 minutes in.

Meanwhile I was coveting my MIL's thermos that is about the same vintage as me.

And Roboboy was singing into his agapanthus microphone " I've got the moves like Dada" while doing some sort of funky bottom wiggle. (He thinks his version is better than the original "moves like Jagger").

And check out this rainbow chard, in yellow, red and pink.

And these gingers, almost resin like, but real.

And look what came home from the oppie with me this week. A vintage Australian animal themed eiderdown that can be zipped up into a sleeping bag.

I just love all the colours, and the animals of course.

Pinwheeling with crafty pals

Well I might have wigged out on daily blog posts, but look, true to my word I have managed to sew something to completion before the end of the month. Woohoo! It is a little wonky and the hand stitching could definitely be better but I love it. Op shop spotties fabric on one side, and favourite vintage sheet on the other and  an hour or two later you have a pinwheel pincushion.

And that gorgeous much less wonky blue one is from one of the gals in my new crafty gang. I had been spouting off to practically anyone I ran into that I really wanted to be part of a craft group and lo and behold a few mums from my very special playgroup were also keen. Discussed, organized and brought to fruition in just one week. I am vacillating between calling it a "Stitch n bitch"  or "The Sewing for Sanity Circle". It was so good for the sanity though.

 Not only was a sewing project started and completed in one sitting, there were cups of tea, consumption of muffins, ogling of Heather Bailey  fabrics at her online store and plenty of great chatting. And best of all we are making it a regular installation every fortnight. A big thanks to Tea for Evie for sharing her tutorial for this very simple and super cute pinwheel pincushion.

While we are sharing, I just read an entire book (thanks to the girls weekend away) and was very inspired. Feng Shui Nonna often turns up with random books for me, I'm not entirely sure if she was giving me a hint with this one.

For anyone who wants to lose weight ( and frankly, that would be just about every woman I know) this book is about eating the way the French do, and losing weight in the process. A lot of common sense but lots of little things that have resonated with me including undoing the habits of our childhood, taking the time to enjoy our meals and enjoying everything, just in teeny tiny portions.

And lastly, look what the oppie delivered this week. Yep, it's the "Powderpuff Playhouse" circa 1980, complete with working elevator. This one even flushed Roboboy out for  a play, he is an expert on outdoor furniture placement and finds parking cars inside bathrooms quite thrilling.

And the best bit of watching miss Liongirl play with this house is when she calls it a "Holly- heart" house- her version of " love heart" for some unknown reason.

Buttony bits and bobs

Today I had a little revelation about Blogtoberfest. Basically, someone who is always late with her tax, takes a week to reply to an email, decides what to wear on the morning of and never puts the vegemite back in the same spot in the fridge, should not ever think that she can commit to daily blog posts.

 Rather than feel like a failure, I have decided to embrace the gesture of Blogtoberfest and aim to blog more than I ever have before in a given month, reducing the requirements down from 31 to 17 which feels remotely achievable. I would much rather do my usual wordier post every few days than conform and do something that is just not me.

The sewing project is on track, thanks to a lucky button find at the $2 shop. All I wanted were plain red buttons ( Spotlight was not coming to the party),  but isn't this a lovely little collection? Oh, yes in an ode to vintage sheet of the day (which also went by the wayside) they are displayed on a lovely tablecloth from the motherload stash.

This little crochet cushion number is coming along slowly but surely.

And this was a little pile from a few weeks ago before the farm jaunt. I just love the lilacs and greens in that blankie.

And lastly, in an exciting turn of events, miss Liongirl has suddenly progressed from producing meaningless scribble that  she talks up as the next Monet, to elaborate  family portraits. She seemed a little unsure as to whether the additional members are pets or grandparents.