Long time no blog...

So, after almost a year out of the blogging world I amazingly had some spare time this evening and rediscovered my page! What a year it's been, too much for one post, but I can leave you with some little snippets of what has been happening in my neck of the woods. Most significantly, I had a baby, Harry, who is already six months old! This is him below about three months ago. He is such a happy baby, I feel very lucky.

 Brigi loves him (phew!) and he is a big strapping thing, much to my relief. In the photo above you can see some of a divine cathedral window quilt that I made for him, finishing it about a week before he arrived. Amazingly I can't find a whole photo of the quilt, promise to post it next time. Thank heavens he was overdue, that's all I can say. It was worth the effort though, I think it's one of my favourites.

And last but not least, Brigi has been going so well we get to stop her fortnightly hospital visits for three months and see how she goes. This is her saying goodbye to "her" ward! Clever girl. I hope you have had a good year, next time I find a spare few minutes I'll hope to pop over to your pages. Bec x

Hong Kong hangover

So where on earth could I have disppeared to over the past three weeks? It feels like AGES since my last post. For those of you stopping by, thanks for checking in!! But at least I was having loads of fun in my silence because I was shopping up a storm in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.... oh I have goosebumps over the sheer frenzy and I could write a whole book on my shopping ventures but here are a few snapshots...

So much designer-style (if you catch my drift) above and below are some Dior style pearls ( didn't even realise I was a pearl girl until I saw these babies).

These clothes are just a sample of what I had made at the tailor's in Shenzhen. I went to Adah (Shop 5138A LCC just in case you're interested) this time and was thrilled with her results. I had so many clothes, including suits for my husband, I had to sit on my suitcase to zip it shut. Lucky I had extra baggage allowance.

That frilly skirt on the left would have driven some poor person crazy- it's silk chiffon, and is three tiers of gathering. There was definite method in my madness in getting that skirt copied, I was crosseyed just looking at it. So, just a little summay of details in case you are heading over there anytime...

Shenzhen is really the shopping mecca as far as labels go, and by the way, all those prescription glasses in the first photo cost me about $45 a pair including the script. OMG. All I had to do was give them a pair of my glasses, they read the script off those lenses and an hour and a half later voila! Five pairs of prescription glasses for the cost of one pair of lenses here. Go to Suzy and Dragon on Level 2 Louhu Commercial City (LCC) in the jewellery section, Stall 17.

Designer bags- my favourite place in all of LCC was Shop 2127. She is a real wheeler and dealer but her bags were top notch.

The Miu Miu and LV scarves were from the ladies markets in Hong Kong- the guy was lovely. I paid 70 HKD for each one- bargain ($10 AUS).

What I didn't show in the top photo were some designer style shoes I bought from Vickie on Hong Kong Island, off East Luen St for about $55 AUS- Chanel flowers if you don't mind.

This photo is of me, Irene and mum in the Jade Market. She is stall number 278 and she is a lovely lady who knows her stuff.

Tim Ho Wan- it doesn't look like much on the outside but this laminate table diner has a Michelin star- I kid you not- and you will be lucky to break an AUD $10 note. I didn't and I ate like a horse. Believe it or not there is a military shop next door selling guns and face masks- just ignore it! The food was delicious and worth the wait outside (and the officious ladies out the front shouting numbers in Cantonese!). Kwong Wa St Mong Kok. MUST order the pork buns. Think of me if you ever try them...

Sigh. There in a nutshell, there is so much more but I'm out of time. I hope you enjoyed this post, I promise it won't be so long until next time!

Bec x

Mmmmm....

Hi everyone, my apologies for my silence this past couple of weeks. I have a private blog where I write about my adventures and trials with Mu. I haven't even had time to write in that blog the last couple of weeks, but we had a revelation in our house last week and I thought I'd share the latest entry I made in my private blog. This isn't going to be a regular thing, I'm still a crafty mama but this is worth sharing...

28 April 2010
This is the date of my dad's 62nd birthday. It's also the date that Brigi started to eat. Yes, eat. And all I can think, 5 days later, is, can you believe it? I mean can you believe it??? I can't believe it. I can't wipe the smile off my face. Each day I wake up thinking, it's okay if she stops today. She isn't going to eat today. Then she's hovering over my vegemite toast and is asking for banana. I can't believe it. Nick is in awe, he finds it amazing, and asked me last night if we should stop feeding her after a while. It's as though we are too scared to truly believe it, like we want to jinx ourselves just in case. Vicky (mu's carer at preschool) rang me and told me she had all her banana (a 1/4 of a banana!), 2 chips and a breadstick- for morning tea. She hasn't even had lunch yet. That was all the banana I packed. And the crazy thing is she has barely wanted to touch banana until now. She has always loved sucking on strawberries, but suddenly she wants banana like it's going out of fashion! Nick rang me to see if she was still eating, I said she has upped the anti! I can't believe it. It's a wash of relief and euphoria and disbelief of the past 3 1/2 years. It has been since January 2007 that Mu has not eaten. I just find it overwhelming to think of all the stress and pain we have been through, how sick Brigi must have been feeling all this time, feeling like a failure as a parent, feeling pushed to the brink of broken. It's amazing, I am pinching myself. It's wonderful. I hope I wake up tomorrow and it's still real.

Crafty shoulder pads

Just as I said to Brigi "smi-ile", she turned around and gave me this huge grin! Cheeky monkey, she makes me laugh! Below are the shoulder pads I made for her backpack, as I noticed that with the weight of her milk and machine the straps kept on digging into her shoulders.

They are approx. 4" x 3.5" with cotton wadding in the middle. I machine quilted them and then overlocked the edges. They are reversible- paisley on one side and flamingos on the other, although when I put the flamingoes on the outside they become headless. Bummer.

Until next time, keep on smiling!! Bec x

Half baked

Not that this cake is half baked, it's more a title to describe the past fortnight- I managed to get through alot, I just don't feel like I achieved it triumphantly!! It was Nick's birthday on Sunday and bless him, he requested the easiest cake in the world to make- Madeira cake with lemon icing, only it ended up being a smidge runnier than anticipated. Delish though.
Missi Mu has been sick for two weeks, which for me definitely heralds the end of summer. It started as a cold and turned into an ear infection and currently she is battling croup and some mysterious disgusting virus that is resulting in runny poos. YUCK. So yet another half baked photo, my dress I have been trying to finish. I thought I'd show you now just in case it ends up taking another two weeks! It's a beautiful Nani Iro double gauze fabric I've had in my stash for a couple of years and I thought it would make a beautiful loose fitting shift like this one. I am not sure if the neckline has worked as successfully this time as the double gauze makes the fabric more "cumbersome" in the pleating but I'm still happy with the outcome. To cheer myself up I have been wearing a lovely sparkly pair of shoes (Juicy Couture) that I have been wearing non-stop and make me look dressy even on the most ordinary of days (which is the kind of fashion I love and rely on!). A little over the top for the park and the supermarket but hey, who cares?? And last but not least, to top it all off I have gone brown... a vast change from the platinum but I couldn't keep up with the regrowth!!! I do this every few years, get blonder and blonder and then I become a brunette until I start going blonde again. Don't worry, give me time, I'll get there again... I hope you have had a more successful and less sickly couple of weeks than I have! Bye for now, Bec xo

Embroidery nirvana

I am very blessed to have a wonderful Aunt who tucks herself away on the Sunshine Coast and in her precious spare time whips up glorious, sometimes off beat and always sensational pieces of craft- from quilting to fashion to emroidery to "other", and when you least expect it an unassuming Express Post bag arrives on my doorstep with a little snippet of something special. And that is exactly what happened last week.
This beautiful skirt arrived as a "skirt front" to my mother. Sue had embroidered the flowers using her very high-tech whizz bang Pfaff (see Tessuti blog post). My mother then fininshed the skirt and triumphantly presented it to me, labels and all!!
Johnnie has-been you wonder? Well, Sue is in awe of the embroidery on Johnny Was designs- they are beautiful- and this inspires her when choosing her embroidery layouts and colours. In Ode-To-Johhny Was, Sue likes to sign off as Johnnie hasbeen! I think it's fortunate she didn't use Johnnie has-been-here as there is no way I could wear that label on the outside!!

And to top it all off, here are the gift tags she has made especially for me- Sue knows I have a thing for bunnies, especially quirky ones wearing white strapless gowns! Aren't they adorable? Lucky me, thanks Sue xo

Meet Mr Mu

Here is my husband, Nick, in a slightly wild eyed frenzy, triumphantly pulling out freshly baked banana muffins at 10:45 last night. He had an urge at 10pm for a muffin and became totally obsessed so he found the wooden spoon and set off to work. It was a delicious supper and a lovely surprise!!

Market treasures

On the weekend Brigi and I made a cameo appearance at Mathilda's Market at Paddington Town Hall. This is what we found...
A spotty raincoat (will I ever get over red and white spots???) in a size (1-2) -miraculous- most raincoats start at size 3 and they are too big for my chicken. Some 3/4 pants, perfect for transitional weather... and some stripey "resort wear" (ie slouching around at home).Unfortunately any attempt at stylish photos were thwarted by Brigi, who insisted on being my assistant...
Thanks for your lovely comments last week, it helped to lift my spirits! Brigi went really well in hospital and I am muddling through our new routine (milk and tubes flying everywhere). She is on the pump 22 hours a day at the moment, but as you can see she isn't letting it stop her from enjoying herself...
xx

A chicken in a sundress

Remember the seersucker japanese fabric I used to make a dress for Brigi but she wasn't in a photo session mood (see October's Sunday Stash #9)? Well I snapped her in this little number the other day and thought I had to share it with you.

Sunday Stash #15

These delicious fabrics were purchased from the sale at The Remnant Warehouse during the week. I LOVE colour against a grey background. I have no idea what they will be used for but just couldn't resist!

And below is Mr Samson on some cute little pants that were made using Lecien fabric- very Japanese, little cats and sheep and lambs and ducks all dressed up!

A birthday worth mentioning & December Beehive

So, I hit home with a crashing thud and what do I do to relieve the everydayness of not being on holidays?? Buy HEAPS of fabric and start sewing in a frenzied manner. But first, I forgot to let y'all kow that Brigi turned 3 last week, clever chicken. This is her at Taronga Zoo in awe of a giant sized koala. Amy, you know how EXHAUSTED we were, but it was heaps of fun and a very memorable day!

And THIS amazing creation has been what I have spent my afternoon assembling. It is for Jo for the December Beehive , not just flying geese but a circle of geese! I have to say I thought she was crazy whe I first saw the pattern, and that if I cut into her gorgeous linen I might live to regret it, but the final product is spectacular, and I have learnt alot.

That's all until Sunday, I have a mountain of stash to make up for! x

Officially home...

and not loving it but I am pleased to be back to the online wilderness! Our holiday was fab, as you can see from the photos, and although the sewing machine was set up, I did a paltry amount. So, here is a summary of our holiday:

1. Hanging out with Brigi and swimming with ducks

2. Zooming around the Hawkesbury trying desperately to avoid thunderstorms in our boat while smelling like bait! Nick and I loved out couple of days out on the boat, we didn't catch much that was edible but the main thing is we made it home alive. I kid you not, there was lightning zapping right behind us as we zoomed back to Patonga Beach.

3. Did I mention Brigi - swimming - ducks??? I just hope she forgives me for her wearing glasses AND a hat when she is older.

4. Brigi giving a kangaroo at the Australian Reptile Zoo a smooch.

And there you pretty much have it!! There was lots of surf time at the rockpool at Copa but Brigi was so fearless I guess Nick and I were running around the whole time, so alas no photos. She managed to get into a swim ring and LOVED it, and when I say she loved it, I mean she was OUT THE BACK (I know it's in the rockpool but there was surf!) swirling around treading water. That girl is adventurous.

And last but not least, the beginning of my abstract block for Meg for the Beehive. I promise you Meg, it will be in the post this week, with a little salty air in the fabric.

I hope this post finds you all well, I can't wait to catch up on my blog reading too. Bec xo

At the Copa, Copacabaaaaaana

God bless Barry Manilow. I am in holiday mode on the NSW central coast at Copacabana Beach, and in my hazy relaxed state I forgot to let you all know!! So my apologies, I am tuned out for another week. But never fear, my sewing machine is set up and all my other sewing tools are spread all over the place. It's just hard to find the time in between swimming with Brigi amongst the ducks and vaguing out in the heat!! TTFN, Bec xo

Coconut Rice

Miss B is on a soy and dairy free diet, and for those of you who have little ones with allergies and food intolerances it can be hard to get excited about cooking when so much is cut out of the diet. This recipe is easy peasy and is a delicious dessert or special occasion breakfast. I adapted a recipe for rice porridge out of Donna Hay's Off The Shelf book, replacing regular milk with coconut milk and adding some brown sugar. You don't have to add sugar but I find I use less in the cooking as opposed to heaping some on every time you serve it. This is yummy hot or cold, with fresh or stewed fruit on top. Brigi licks her fingers when we eat this, which is encouraging!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup short grain rice

1 1/2 cup water

1 cup coconut light milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Wash rice.

Put all ingredients into a saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is very soft and the mixture looks like porridge.

Spoon into a bowl and top with your favourite fruit, or eat straight away. You can serve with extra coconut milk if desired.

Sunday Stash #13 & a fairy!

I'm sorry I'm a whole day late, we had a weekend of house hunting, halloween party at Nicholson St Primary School in Balmain (Brigi was a fairy, her friends were a bunny and a bee), breakfast out, sewing and family dinner!!! Phew, It's exhausting just remembering. Any road up, below is Miss B and her bumble bee friend and some pretty Kokka florals, same design different colour ways...


Hope you are all well, Emma I am pleased to hear from you all the way from Singapore!! Hope you and family are settling in. TTFN all you lovely online wilderness browsers, Bec xo

A secret worth celebrating

I am whispering this as I write and touching wood at the same time so I don't jinx myself... for those of you who know Miss B you know her story, for those of you who don't I am not going to elaborate except to say she has had an uphill battle all her life and is tube fed. So here is my revolutionary secret-

Miss B has had no overnight feed for one whole week now.

There!! How clever is my chicken?

A babe (and a star!) is born

Today has been a day of high nerves and excitement. My little sis had her first baby- a beautiful boy named Samson. This post has piles of photos in it because I can finally show you what I have been working on for 6 months- Sam's quilt! It is a star quilt, the pattern used from the first Material Obsession book.

The fabrics used were from the Lecien Folklore range, Moda Arcadia and Urban Chicks. It took some time finding appropriate colour matches.

As you can see, there was LOTS of fussy cutting. I only made the centre of the quilt and bound it to make it baby size. I didn't know what the sex of her baby was so I used muted blues and aubergine and made it pretty. This quilt has been my baby- after only a year of quilting I had no idea how hard a star was, but it was well worth the effort. I learnt how to quilt on my machine and did stitch in the ditch and stippling myself!

Amy (my sis) was happy with the pressie (it was hard to give to her!) and Sam had a lovely snuggle under there. As my sister has just arrived home (yes, she gave birth 5 hours ago) she wasn't in a photo op moment but I will get some of her with little Sam.

Welcome to the world little one. Brigi can't wait to give you a kiss!

4 days to go...

So just letting y'all know I have kept my promise from my Sunday Stash #7 to not buy fabric for two whole weeks. Thank goodness I didn't overcommit myself as I have found some that I can't wait to get my grubby hands on! Come Monday I will be free of my promise and ready to feed the addiction. In the meantime I have finished a quilt and started a dress for Miss B in the seersucker japanese fabric from Sunday Stash #4. Photos for quilt are going to have to wait until my sister has her baby, just in case she is lurking around in the online wilderness...

Sunday Stash #7

Just as well 7 is one of my favourite numbers- this stash is truly memorable! Firstly, three photos from my fabric frenzy at Tessuti during the week. I was in such a fluster I can't remember the designers- I think the first is Elie Saab, my fave (100% silk), middle one who knows (let's just make it Italian! silk and elastane) and the final fabric is Pucci (silk jersey). If you live in Melbourne check out the store down there, they will be heading your way soon.

The photo below sums up the intoxicating flurry of my mum (Susie, left) and Sue (Aunty Sue/ Noosa Girl, right) swathed in Versace. Amazing how we can be so tragically fabulous!! Long live fabric addiction.

And on that note I am committing to not buying any fabric for two whole weeks. I know, lame timeframe but that's all I can commit to!!!