13 tamarind

MUMMY LOOOOOVE!!

Mummies Day!!  What better way to celebrate than to buy a new baby! 

Sholto's baby is affectionately named Cove..he tends to sleep a lot, while Ambrosia's baby is a full-blown, trial-a-baby-test-run model (she is very expensive and very borrowed).  These sophisticated machines are actually used in schools to give young people a little taste of babydom.  Lily-Rose has three settings..easy, medium and difficult.  Her bottles and nappies have a little implant so that a computer in her chest can register feeds and nappy changes.  If she is not comforted within a specified time frame the computer registers neglect.

The kids have been cruising around all weekend in full baby love mode...sooo cute.  I am so lucky to be living with my neice and nephew...they are getting so big!

The second love mode involved our gorgeous mummy, who came for a little visit in the afternoon.  Trudi (sis), Dave (partner) and I baked up a storm.  Our first magnificent dish is one of our mumma's favourites, delicious custard slice topped with creamy passionfruit.

Much shelling of peanuts, carrot slicing, corriander shredding, rolling, rolling and we whipped up a couple of trays packed with vietnamese rolls...mmmmmmmmm.  I didn't get to snap a pic of them because we ate them sooo fast!

Happy Mummy Love!

Luv Soul.

Bunny Buttons

Here is a little brooch to adorn a friend's bag.  I love the little bunny button.  I've had some bunny buttons sitting around for years and I'm so happy that I finally used one!

If you own a brooch now is the day to wear it!

Luv Soul.

Don't just smell the flowers...stare at 'em

I spent a little of yesterday staring, I stare a lot when I concentrate.  Lucky for me there are new flowers starting to bloom in the garden and I've got something pretty to stare at!  The tiny broken egg was found by my sister while she was out walking and my neice brought this little smooth stone home for me from the creek at her school. 

I love it when kids rummage through their school bags for five minutes to pull out something random just for you.

While not starting into oblivion I made this deep, deep tote (perhaps for my friend Natanya).  She has put in an order for a deepy that will fit lots of uni text books and if she likes it this little (actually big) one will be choofing off to uni with her everyday :)

    Happy staring.

Luv Soul.

Diamond & Bossy

This little bearded dragon is known as the lovely Diamond.  I think some of our neighbours are beginning to think we are starting a menagerie over here.... a backyard full of chickens, 3 ducks, 2 dogs, 1 cat and 2 lizards.  I have to say I've probably had times in the past with more pets.

The lizards have quite a few special needs, but they are gorgeous and very interesting pets.

The other lizzie is affectionately known as Bossy, not that he/she is so bossy, just a lot bigger than Diamond.  I am pretty sure this is another photo of Diamond.

Happy pet days.

Luv Soul.

Faisal & Dubois

Introducing Faisal.

Faisal has a wicked sense of humour and is often very cheeky.  He loves trampolines, lemon tart, chai lattes and cheeky children.  Faisal really dislikes brown banana and raw egg in milkshakes...ewwwww.  When he's old enough he wants to visit a fire breathing dragon in a castle.

Dubois loves climbing mango trees, black coffee and custard tart.  He really doesn't like atomic wedgies and sesame street.  When he is all big and brave Dubois wants to marry a penguin in the Bahamas while eating boiled snails and wearing only earrings.

   

Happy weekend (long weekend for some..yay!).

Luv Soul. 

Deadly Treadly

I love this gorgeous photo.  Some of our buddies have two awesome low-riders and Devo just happened to be wearing braces, a little old fella hat and g-pa shorts the day we decided to take a little ride up their street and back.

My matey Tan bought a kiddies policeman helmet from the dress-up section in a toy shop, jumped on her lowrider and deadly treadlied all around the river in the city.

In a way she was like a snippet of guerilla art cruising past...something unexpected, somewhere unexpected to brighten up the day.

I grin just thinking about it and I wasn't even there.

I hope you find something unexpected somewhere unexpected that brightens your day today..let me know if you do.

Luv Soul.   

A Bag 4 Jack

Dear Jack,

This is the funky bag I have made for you.  I hope you like it.

Luv Soul.   

Chicken Dayze

There are now 14 chookers living in the backyard.  10 of these spunky red ones and 4 much smaller mischief makers.  I love hearing them booook booooking in the garden, but they definitely need a new (firetruck red) chook house.

I spent a lot of time with chickens as a child.  That seems like a kinda weird thing to say now.  I used to wander up to the chicken pen, sit down and wait silently until curiousity got the better of them and they would come closer and closer.  Eventually they would come straight over for cuddles as soon as I got there.  Looking back I must have spent hundreds of hours up the back with the chickens.

These spunky ones are just as curious.  I love these quirky pics.

Happy Chicken Dayze.

Luv Soul

New Pooter

I have my own computer!  Yippeeee!  After a totally suckful day where I was offered a position in a course I really wanted to do, but then found out I was not eligible for...much sooking and crying etc..etc..long story...my partner arrived home from work with a new laptop all for me, just me, my very own.  Hopefully my blogs will be more frequent from now on!

This weekend was just gorgeous, it seems to be birthday central around here.  The sun feels delicious and life in general is smiley.

Walking the doggies and lazing about at the showgrounds (where the doggies love to run) has been high on the agenda of late.

As have the beaches, which are holding on to the last of autumn warmth.

Hope all is well wherever you are.

Luv Soul

Skies Free Of Wrinkles

With these glorious autumn days come skies that feel as if they have been ironed free of wrinkles.  Here the air wafts in from towards the ocean, carrying the scent of freshly mowed grass, garden braziers burning cedar and the giggles and squeels of children whizzing on bikes.

Now is the time for bush and rainforest walks...before the earth turns inwards to rest and the most dense spots where the sun just can't reach are forgotten, at least for now.

 

So off I set with my partner and nephew for a long, gentle walk through our local rainforest.  It soothes the soul to be among the trees and as we slowed our pace the rainforest rustled and murmured around us.

 

It's amazing how delicious the rainforest smells, so sweet and dense.  It makes me realise how perfect this system must be, so damp, but nothing like our clothes and cupboards in the middle of a wet stretch of weather.  Then again if my cupboards smelt like rainforest it probably wouldn't be to flash.

To top of a gorgeous day we found a little something for the information kiosk.  Sholto was thrilled to tape it to the photo of the bird who was the likely provider.

Hopefully we get a little more bush and beach walking in before the weather cools.

Luv Soul.

Skipping Around The Garden

I have been sucked into a blogging void...with no computer it seemed inevitable that I was going to have to give it a break.  This little blog is coming to you via my sisters' computer.

My partner and I are now living with my sister and her two skids in a gorgeous town we have always loved.  We have lived here in the past and somehow if feels like we have finally come home.  Hopefully we will soon be building nearby. 

My sis has been very motivated in the garden the past couple of weeks and everything is starting to look sooo spiffy. This gorgeous bamboo has been shimmering with silver lately (not quite as stunning in my dodgy photo) and lives close to the front gate so we can check it out whenever we come home.

In other parts of the garden this little spunk nut and three others similar, are looking enormous now (will show big duck pics soon).  No more fluffy down and cheep cheeps, it's just serious swimming in the plastic kiddy shell/clam thingy scavenged from the dump, quacking about and pooping under the house.  This little guy is Oscar, he spends the days waddling around after three sexy ladies (who are all a little older than him, hence the waddling AFTER), Molly, Lolly and Muesli. 

To top off a garden centred day.  My sister and I went plant shopping today and after searching out only a few gorgeous stunners, realised that most of what we wanted was exploding in volume in other parts of the garden.  Some of this purpley number and this stripey grassy one will the finding its way to a new home next weekend....yipeee. 

Now for a little lemon water and a nice relax in the garden...I'm soaking up as much autumn warmth as I can before winter decides the garden and I should sleep.

Easter Feaster...

Welcome to Easter...I feel like the weekend is buzzing past fast and it's only Friday!

I have just spent a couple of lovely days with friends wandering around the city...Andy Warhol exhibition, feasting on affo gatto and gorging delicious Indian yum yums for dinner...arghhh...and easter has hardly begun! 

Choc-O-Ice-O-Tummy-Ache-O

Delicious Chai Affo Gatto...woowee..I feel full just looking at this pic.

Ohhhh...and let's not forget this little plate of oh-my-goodness-gracious (with choc dipping sauce).

To top of a couple of nicey days I have been tagged by the lovely Miss Fliss
who challenges me to list 7 things about myself others might find interesting.
Well...

1.  I grew up on a farm on the Darling Downs, throughout my childhood we had (at different stages for production and fun) sheep, pigs, cattle, chickens, ducks, peacocks, doggies and kitties, guinea pigs, and a pet magpie.  We also cared for injured wildlife including a brown hawk, many magpies, a crow, a kookaburra, a rosella, a koala and a joey (named Marloo).

2.  I have been a vegetarian for 13 years (perhaps this had something to do with number 1 hehee).

3.  I have no wisdom teeth or tonsils :)

4.  When I was little I had an allergic reaction to some very delicious berry yoghurt which sent me on a nexciting journey in the ambulance.  My allergy to berries has since vanished, but I still have an allergy to almost all antibiotics, some make my eyes puff and my breath short, others make me extremely depressed.

4.    I have completed a double bachelor in community work and public health with minors in environmental management and indonesian language.

5.  I absolutely love gardening, including all the heavy heaving and pulling to get things started.  In tandem I love scouring plant markets for those funky plants on the cheap.

6.  I can't wait to get a tattoo, I just need to find something I would like permanently on my body.

7.  One of my very best friends is my sister, who is 15 years older than me.

To keep the tagging going I would like to know 7 titbits about Jessie Earth Momma and  Leslie
over at one girl  I love to keep up with their gorgeous blogs.

Finally happy fishy Easter :)
Luv Soul.

Red Measuring Tape 4 Life

Today is a taking photos, going to the dentist kinda day.  Sitting here with a straight view to the mirror makes me realise it should probably also be a haircut day!   Finally it's a ...has anyone invented a long, red tape measure for life kinda day.  It doesn't particularly have to be red, but it does seem appropriate for some hidden reason.  I'd just like to know how I'm going, on this journey that is, but then on the other hand does it really even matter?

P.S
Does anyone have any good ideas for a non-chocolate easter?

Luv Soul.

Coffee.....Woowee

What happens when you love hanging out with your neighbours??

You have a very gorgeous, heart filled weekend!

I spent the weekend at my sister's house and caught up with many neighbourly buddies.  Sunday morning was gorgeous with the group breakfast finale to celebrate THE COFFEE.   Between us and several neighbours there are many coffee trees and quite a few weeks ago we all spent the morning picking coffee beans for our very own blend. 

I pitched in to the picking and peeling many weeks ago, but hadn't seen the bean brigade since, as the beans were left in the capable hands of the dryer/roasters. 

Sunday marked my first coffee tasting and woowee, that's some strong brew.  Very smooth and delicious...I think we could be onto something. 

P.S 
Dear F, will bring this and some others for peeks next time I visit.

Sunday arvo I headed off to a street art exhibition, showcasing some of my funky friends talents.   I was very inspired to get off my butt in this arena and spent this morning working out a suitable version of street art to suit my talents....pics soon to come.

Hope your Monday is swinging into motion by afternoon nap time.
Luv Soul.

Zoro

Some days I wander around in a plain old world, the next everything seems interesting or beautiful.  I'm not sure what changes...maybe I'm just less tired.

This is a tomato skin which never quite made it into the backyard scrap pile.  I found it plastered to the fence (nice shot) and thoroughly baked in the sun.  It made me think about the finer skills of baking things in the sun...how hot should the day be?  What if it just goes off before it bakes?  I'm sure there must be an online tutorial somewhere out there.

I thought it was probably well and truly time to introduce Zoro.  He/she has been with us for quite some time now.  This sexy little mischief maker is a bird of South America known as a Nanday.  He loves boistrous baths on hot days, positioning him/herself in the centre of your back so you can't reach him/her and yelling 'hello cocky' until someone gives her/him a cuddle.

Have a lovely day.
Luv Soul

If you could sit still long enough...

I had a gorgeous day today with a lovely friend who came by with her bubba.  The day included a scrumtious lunch with some fresh basil...yummo.

All in all it felt very peaceful, much like Ubuddah here.  Have you ever wondered if you would grow mould if you could sit still long enough?

Cairo & Roswell

Sometimes I feel like I'm falling away, lying in the rain, hiding in the winter. 

My sweet little guinea pigs passed away and for the past week I've felt like I've just dropped out of the world.  It's been amazing how much these little animals have pulled me out of the motions of life and showed me how to value again. 

I've mourned my personal loss...no more cuddles or little squeels everytime I open the fridge, but more than anything I've wept at the strong sense of responsibility I held for them and a deep emotion that I let them down.   Through all of this  I feel human again and it seems like a strange thing to say, but I've been liberated by learning my limits as a human being and how much I really have, or should have, control over in my life.  I've started seeing the tiny things again and beauty where it was hidden before...I hope I can hold on to this lesson for as long as possible.  Thanks for a lovely life with you both Cairo & Rosswell.

I've really started to enjoy making my own gift cards.  With lots of tincy scrap material and some funky words from the local newspaper some of them have turned out quite cute.

I sewed this little pouch for Dave's bonsai tools to hide in.  These gorgeous koi should keep them feeling comfy.

Here are some little padded broochs for fun...a stormy rain cloud and 'bird', whatever that means :)

Speaking of birds.  I found this whimsical nest when out walking Zephyr.  I adore the little feathers left behind by the homeless chickadees.

Here is a little peek at some of the handmade cards I've been whipping up.  They have a really yummy lived-in kind of feel.

--- Memories ---

--- I wish my umbrella was a boat ---

--- R u hungry? ---

--- Nightingale ---

--- Lionheart ---

--- Not made to be  b  r  o  k  e  n ---

--- Because life is ---

This one is a little larger...I'm thinking of framing it in something I find at an op-shop and then placing it somewhere random where it takes you by surprise.

--- Supersize life ---

A closer peek at the wolves in the snow corner of 'Supersize life'.

Anyways...enough mumbly jumbly...it's time for greasy pizza.
Luv Soul.

Beachy Afternoons

Welcome to another day.  Wherever you are I hope you're having a lovely one.

My weekend was absolutely gorgeous.  Wine with friends, more friends, swimming at the beach and fish 'n chips, lots of relaxing in between with coffee and laughing.  Just lovely.  Here are some pics of our afternoon spent at the beach.

Back in the sewing room....

This sweet brooch started life as an apple, soon became a pear and has been called a pineapple!  Whatever you name it, this japanese fabric is gorgeous.

There are also some cute happy-indifferent-sad house brooches which have found their way onto etsy.

There is also this little number (now on etsy).  A little pursy (with a gorgeous fabric on the back).  Perfect for jewellery, make-up, a special gift for a lovely friend, loving letters from long lost soul mates.....or anything you can possibly imagine.

Have a great week.
Luv Soul.

Lahoma

Introducing the bright and vivacious Lahoma.

Lahoma's name means 'the people', and there's nothing more she loves than a huge party.  She is great at making friends and loves discos, playing tambourine, snow cones and roasted sweet potato.  Lahoma really dislikes monkeys.  When she is old enough she wants to eat an entire raw chilli.

Hope everyone's having a great day.
Luv Soul.

A Little More Energy

After two weeks with the flu I felt a tincy surge of a just a little more energy today.  So I put it to great use and finished off a couple of totes that have been swaying in the window on coat hangers in dribs and drabs.

The first is affectionately named 'Freja'.  Freja is a lovely deep, deep tote where books find sleepy happiness.  Completely from op-shop finds (except the button) Freja is a unique once-off creation.  I had a lot of fun making this one :)

A lovely big nanna doily and...yummy silver and gold button.

The second tote I finished off today shall be known as 'Transmission'.

I love how this quirky number turned out, a random cream/yellow bold pattern and two lovely tweeds once destined for men's suits.  The icing on this lovely is this random patch which I absolutely love.  A little radio man transmitting to the world.

On the back three little sewn on patches of fabric create some sneaky intrest.

These two totes, Freja and Transmission are now up on etsy.

Hope you are all having fun.
Luv Soul.