autumn bounty

I think I love the autumn harvest much more than the summer one. Forraged feijoas on the way home from school, apples from my uncle's house ( needing all the "eaten" bits taken out) and yellow guavas from our neighbours tree that drops it's fruit under our washing line. We are also picking lots of raspberries from our garden too. The red guava jam I made last week didn't set that well. While a little disappointed all is not lost, we still like it on our toast and it was delicious swirled through our apple cobbler tonight! I'm hoping for more luck with the yellow guavas, I've collected just about enough for a batch of jam and I've never had the yellow guava jam not set. But there is always a first time eh?

grey

It was a grey, rainy day. Mr A and I were tucked up inside, he happily playing with his duplo and I made a start on some crochet Easter eggs for, well, Easter! I love how Europeans decorate for Easter, it's a much bigger celebration for them with it being spring time and all. I've finished just a few but I'm really keen to have a big bowl of them on the table by the time Easter rolls around. If you want to make some here is the link to the free pattern.

Happy weekend everyone!

guava

Miss E and I collected a big bag of guavas from a nearby garden (a neighbour of a relative that I rang to ask first - I didn't just forrage for them this time). While we were picking them up I looked into the tree, there I spied this little nest filled with ...... Guavas! It looked so cute but I didn't get my camera out as my hands were rather sticky with ripe guavas. So we gently picked it out of the tree to take home. We have been looking for a little nest for our nature corner but haven't been able to find one, I even crocheted one a long time ago to fill the gap.

I made the jam tonight, I've never had much luck making jelly and it seems to leave so much behind. But to be honest I've not had a lot of luck with jam either, fingers crossed this batch sets.

of love

Over the weekend I crocheted these washcloths for the gift of love appeal. I made them with some cotton that I had in my stash in various patterns that I made up. Nothing special pattern-wise, but I really do love crocheting a basket weave type of stitch. On one of them I added a little patch with some fabric from Melissa of tiny happy, I love it so much I'm really tempted to keep it for myself but someone in Christchurch needs it more.

red

I made this cushion over the weekend, inspired by a picture I had seen in a magazine. The magazine cushion had flowers similar to this all jammed up against each other all over the cushion. After cutting up a few circles I decided that if I was going to get it finished and on the couch in the same day I would put fewer flowers on my version. The fabric for the flowers is a thrifted red wool cardi, felted and the base fabric is denim. I was really pleased with how it turned out and a request has been put in by miss E for one for her bed. Now to find the purple, pink and blue thrifted wool garments to cut up to make one. Might be tricky. Anyone out there have a good local place to buy wool felt?

blah

I'm suffering from a case of the blahs. I can't quite put a finger on it but I just feel like much like myself lately. I don't know whether it's the earthquakes and tsunami or a school friend's husband passing away much too early of cancer, or miss E starting school but something is different. I really miss our preschool walk, it was lovely past fruit trees, chickens and mangroves all right in the centre of town. Our school walk has nothing much to write about, crossing a very busy main road, and unfortunately no chickens to peek at. But things are looking up, we discovered a feijoa tree that is already dropping fruit today when we went a different way home. Miss E busily filled up her school hat and devoured them as soon as we were home.

I haven't felt the desire to stay up late crafting like I usually do, but then I discovered the "Gift of love appeal" and I've been busy crocheting some cotton dishcloths to send. Nothing like some crafting for a good cause to get me out of the blahs.

the bottle of fruit is Quince from my nana, I was very excited to see it in her hands when she turned up for a visit this afternoon.

softies

I've got these little guys all wrapped up ready to post for the softies for Christchurch appeal. I'm hoping to make some more, these ones were lurking around in a cupboard all finished without homes to go to. So I'm really glad that they will be making their way off to children who need a little friend.

Click on the Softies for Christchurch pic above if you want to help out too.

heart

I'm kicking myself for not taking the time to take a better photo of these or to take a photo of the recipients wearing them. I made them as favors for miss E's 5th birthday party, I used this pattern and just added some ribbon to turn them into pendants. I made what seems like a ton of them! But they worked up very quickly and they were really well received which made all the crocheting worthwhile. I think they would make a sweet mobile or look cute on a chain.

afternoon light

This is the little scene on my windowsill this afternoon. The sunflowers have finished flowering and we have bought the heads in to dry out and save the seeds for next year. I received these crochet over glass coasters as a Christmas present. Aren't they so cool? I really love their sunny colour, and I spread them along the windowsill when there is room and stack them when there isn't any.

I think we could plant a forest of sunflowers next year!

newborn

Earlier this year a photographer friend asked me if I could crochet her some newborn photo props for her photography. I made a cocoon from a Holland Designs pattern, I really love how it turned out and wished I'd had something similar to photograph my little ones in when they were newborn. I made a nappy cover for her too, also by Holland Designs, very cute in chocolate brown. It made me want to crochet loads of newborn stuff and now that the cooler weather is creeping in, maybe that's what I'll do ( I'm not pregnant though! just to clarify - crocheting for other people's newborns).

Amy has a Facebook page for her photography you can find it here, she is also offering a free family portrait session for families that have relocated from Christchurch.

absent

It feels like I've been away from this space for a long time. Miss E has turned five and it's taken up a lot of my time organising parties, baking cakes and making things for preschool and parties. So now that is all over and she has started school maybe things will start to get back to normal.

Most children give out a small gift to each child at preschool when it's their 5th birthday, some give stickers or lollies. I wanted to make a little something, but with 30+ kids to make for I needed something easy. I made some little notebooks using some tired children's books and blank paper on the inside, stitched up the middle on my sewing machine. I had quite the little production line going. I totally forgot to take a photo of all of them, so these are just the rejects. I found some inexpensive pencils at Whitcoulls and miss E gave them out too. It was so nice to see all the children drawing away in them on their way home.

I also baked some of my favourite lime melting moments for her teachers, this photo shows them before they were sandwiched together with lime butter filling. They are something I don't make a lot because of all the butter! The price of butter makes these very luxurious biscuits indeed.