ZippyZippy

October Departures

2012-01-23T22:50:00.000+11:00

(Yes, it is October departure's, I am just a little behind)

A custom made Bunting for a local store

My Shoe Co

They have free shipping in their online store too :)

A custom made Bunting for Sophie, this one headed off to Singapore

(child was not included)

A name Garland for Kate

A personalised Rocket Bunting for Tania

A custom made Santa Sack for Kylie

Buntings for Lisa, Justin, Kylie and Craig

Buntings for Susan, Kim and Amanda

Santa Sacks for Megan, Nicole, and Catherine

Santa Sacks for Pauline,

and for Caroline up in lovely The Top End

A big THANKYOU to everyone that

purchased a ZippyZippy creation in October!

Take care and Be Good
Jacqueline.

ZippyZippy In The Press

2012-01-04T21:30:00.001+11:00

Firstly,

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hope you all survived The Silly Season.

I am thrilled to have my

Aqua Bunting

featured in the very lovely

Shop For Kids Summer Edition

See - there it is!

And, here it is

It was an exiting day back in November.

Standing in the newsagents looking in a magazine

with one of my ZippyZippy products looking back at me!

2011 was a big year for ZippyZippy,

I'm planning an even bigger one for 2012

Let the fun begin

(once school has gone back of couse)

Have a great week

Jacqueline.

After The Rain

2011-12-19T20:57:00.000+11:00

The Tomoato's

The Apple's

The Agapantha's

The Hedge

We had about 35mm of rain over the weekend,

the garden was in need of "real rain".

You could almost hear it growing in todays sunshine.

And in other news - for the locals

The 2011 Reindeer Food Shoppe

is now open!

After school on Tues, Wed and Thur.

Fri and Sat most of the day

Jacqueline.

The Haby Goddess Handmade Kris Kringle

2011-12-09T23:05:00.009+11:00

Firstly - I am back - all ZippyZippy orders have been posted,

keep an eye on your letter box if you have ordered a Santa Sack!

A while ago I joined up with Jodie at The Haby Goddess

and played along in the Handmade Kris Kringle.

I sent out a Red and White Bunting

A few Bunting cards, and some Fabric Covered Magnets.

As usual, I left it till the very last minute, but my pacel left ZippyZippy HQ

and Tanya should have her parcel by now, if Australia Post has played their part.

My parcel arrived this week from Lamina at Do a Bit..Everyday

A beautiful handmade bird.

Not only did Lamina create the bird,

firstly, she tea dyed the fabric, then hand printed the design on the fabric.

How lucky am I!

Thanks Lamina, I love her (I think she is a girl)

she will hang proudly above my sewing machine at ZippyZippy HQ.

Pop over to Lamina's blog,

there is lots of lovely hand printing going on over there,

something I would love to try one day.

And, thanks to Jodie for organising the swap :)

Jacqueline

Quick Reminder

2011-11-24T22:23:00.001+11:00

Just a quick reminder,

That Santa Sack Orders for 2011,

Will close tomorrow, Friday 25th November.

Not much blogging going on here at the moment,

but lots of sewing, cooking and mothering

Have a great Friday

Jacqueline.

Where Do You Fit In?

2011-11-06T19:55:00.000+11:00

It's AGM time again at a lot of Kinders and Schools,

so I thought it would be an appropriate time to share this

Where Do You Fit In

Some keep their organisation strong

While others join just to belong

Some volunteer to do their share

And some are there who barely care

On meeting days some always show

While there are some who rarely go

Some always pay their dues ahead

Some get behind for months in debt

Some do their best, some build, some make

Some never do, just sit and take

Some lag behind, just let things go

And never help their group to grow

Some drag, some pull

Some don't, some do

Consider this

which one are you?

Author not know.

I saw this on a noticeboard in a caravan park in Yeepoon QLD,

many years ago while Peter and I were travelling around the county

Feel free to share it around your community :)

Hope you've had a nice weekend

Jacqueline.

Day 31 - Natimuk Fringe Festival and Farmers Market

2011-10-31T22:08:00.002+11:00

Last weekend was the bi-annual Natimuk Fringe Festival.

Events happen all weekend

in the lovely little town at the base of The Mount Arapilies

We went out on saturday night to see the production "Highly Strung"

Pheobe Sparkle, was a 14 metre tall puppet, suspended from the Natimuk silo's

On the silo's, images were projected behind Pheobe as she told her story.

You can just make out the silo's in this shot,

Pheobe was illuminated and looked fantastic

We had to have freshy made fairy floss of course

On sunday morning, I ventured to Natimuk again to

The Farmers Market Plus.

There was lovely Art Badges from Tina,

if you are a local, you may have seen my badge,

well, this is where you can get them :)

fitzgerald.tina.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

softies with attitude, also from Tina

Lot's of lovely head pieces from

Tizzy Bits By Jackie from Nhill

Tee's at Adelle's site

Adelle is also a local, trading as Skudia Designs

you can find her goodies

in her Madeit Store

And here is lots of lovely bibs from

Leah at Down Lovers Lane another local.

Leah also has a Madeit Store here

and you can also find her on Facebook

Here's a couple of local boys,

selling sheep manuer, chook wheat and heat bags

their mum made for them.

They are great little businessmen,

they bought a tinnie last year from their little business funds

and this year they are saving for a motor for it.

On Sunday they sold $325 worth - thats a lot of shit to shovel and bag!

If any locals would like some of their goods,

I have their number, I can pass it on to you

And there was lots of colourful music.

It was a great market, great athmosphere and lots of goodies to look at.

Thinking about it now, there was maybe more "other goods/handmade"

than there was produce stalls.

I did not manage to get out there as a stall holder

maybe next time - was nice just to be a customer and have a wander

And, that's Blogtoberfest completed!

It was easier than I thought

31 posts in 31 days - even though a couple of posts were a bit limp :)

See you soon

Jacqueline

Day 30 - We Have A Winner!

2011-10-30T22:55:00.000+11:00

Thanks for all the entry's in my Santa Sack Giveaway

I never tire of making these, sitting, stitching,

thinking about the children they are heading off to,

thinking, will the Santa Sack be placed on the

end of a bed, hanging from the mantle or under the tree.

We hang ours from the mantle.

Anyway, down to business.

I asked "Ozzie" if he could pick a winner.

(he would not put the wig on for a pic though)

out of my giant T.G Green Cloverleaf tea cup.

He gave them a stir...

And another stir...

And pulled out Catherine's comment - Yippeee

Congratulations Catherine from A Time To Create!!!

I wonder if she is still up,

I know she is a bit like me and wanders around blogworld late at night,

hope she is.

Can you let me know if you would like denim or linen

and what name you would like on your Santa Sack Catherine

that would be great :)

See you all tomorrow

Jacqueline.

Day 29 - Why I Blog

2011-10-29T23:40:00.001+11:00

Well, day 29 and 29 posts for Blogtoberfest - did not think I would get this far!

A gold star for me!

So, time now for a blog post about the blog.

Why do I have a blog?

My blog is to show a little of what goes on

behind the scenes at ZippyZippy HQ.

To give my clients a little insite about who they are purchasing from,

and a record for myself as to what I have created.

It's a place where friends and family far away

can pop in and see what we have all been up to.

(don't think they do pop in much though,

or don't admit to it anyway - let me know if you are here!)

It's a place to record our growing family,

our adventures and of course, The Veggie Patch

my "blogworld" is a place where I can connect and be inspired by other

modern sewists, handmade sellers, and other crafty types,

Through my blog, I have found that it is OK to find

being a mum a bit tricky some days,

I'm not the only one - there are others in the same situation.

It's a place where I can share my idea's and thoughts.

I have found wonderful recipes and tutorials,

and have even met some other blogger's in real life.

When I tell people I have a blog, I have some awkward reactions.

Some don't know what a blog is,

Some are surprised that I have anything to blog about,

Some are eager to look.

Either you get it or you don't, each to their own.

So, thats why I blog

Why do you blog?

Don't forget the Santa Sack Giveaway closes 10pm Sunday 30th

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline.

Day 28 - Royalty and Rockstar

2011-10-28T18:41:00.000+11:00

Last year we went to a "Celebrity" dress up 30ish Birthday.

The husband went as "Ozzie Osborne" and I went as "The Queen"

Thought this was a timely post as we have

royality visiting the counrty at the moment

Here's "Ozzie's" homemade stash

The birthday girl, Amy, "Lady GaGa" and her

hubby, Adam, "Gene Simmons"

Lady GaGa even sang a few songs for us :)

Heres "Blues Brother", Ray and his "Hollywood Want-To-Be", Lisa

"Amy Winehouse" also made an apperance

As did "Uncle Arthur" and "Dame Edna"

And, I just had to include

"Fred and Wilma"

You know when you get that invitation to a fancy dress do,

my usual reaction is - oh shit - I hate these things,

but once we sorted out what we would go as it,

it all came together easily and looked forward to the big event.

A great night was had by all, and

thanks for the use of the pic's Amy :)

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline.

Day 27 - A Haby Goddess Swap!

2011-10-27T23:03:00.001+11:00

Jodie, over at The Haby Goddess

is having a swap style event,

a christmas - red and white swap in fact - just in time for the festive season!

Just so happens I have a ~~large~~ stash of red and white

I'm playing along,

If you want to join in too,

drop in here and register.

Registration closes on 31st October

Now... off you go

and see you tomorrow

Jacqueline

Day 26 - Game Set Match

2011-10-26T23:12:00.000+11:00

Twilight Tennis started tonight

Very casual affair

Here's a happy snap of my team mates, Michelle and Louise

(sorry girls, but I can't take a pic of myself playing!)

We did'nt have a win - but we had fun :)

See you tomorrow for

Blogtoberfest

Jacqueline.

Day 25 - Tight Arse Tuesday - Powder or Pills

2011-10-25T22:27:00.003+11:00

What is in this special little ball and coloured powder?

What' so special about it?

Stay with me now

Here's the front of the choice's

So many choice's, do you want

super clean, super super clean, super super super clean

or super super super super clean?

Here is the ingredient tables

Now read the ingredients on this one...

Then this one...

Then this one....

Am I the only one that can not see a significant difference?

They all look so pretty lined up, but do they really do a better job?

This is the one I use, the no fuss powder,

I have tried the others, and did not find a difference,

sure, I have to use a scoop, but that's not an inconvenience.

Now, interestingly enough, this container does not have a table of ingredients,

so I emailed Reckitt Benckister to get a list,

Yes - I did have a bee in my bonnett!

I am no scientist, but the ingredients looked very similar

(I can't seem to copy the document onto here though)

And now, the breakdown.

Quantum 40 Tablets $26.99 = .67c per wash

Maxi 48 Tablets $26.99 = .56c per wash

All in 1 56 Tablets $26.99 = .48c per wash

Classic 30 Tablets $11.79 = .39c per wash

and

Finish Powder 3kg $16.99 = .20c per wash

(I got 82 washes from a container)

I don't like grocery shopping and come home

ranting and raving to the husband about

how companies are trying to rip us off!

Yes Dear....

Well Mr. Finish, I'm onto you!

You can't fool me.

Better the cash in my pocket than theirs

Have to save the pinch the penny's for the scooter :)

Dont forget the giveaway

Rant Over

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline

Day 24 - Liesl's Throw

2011-10-24T23:43:00.000+11:00

Back in August, my friend Liesl had an idea.

But she needed someone to put it all together for her.

It was her mums birthday and she wanted to make a quilt/throw for her.

Liesl bought a lovely wool waffle and a nice fine wool fabric for the back.

Liesl had relatives send her pictures, letters and quotes,

that they would like included on the throw.

The quote on this one says...
If your kids are giving you a headache,
follow the directions on the asprin bottle,
especially the part that say's,
"keep away from children"

Then Liesl arranged the images using her computer,

then printed them onto fabric, then passed them onto me.

One relative sent a bag of buttons,

which we used to join the 2 layers together

She also sent fabric strips all pieced together,

which I made into binding

It's made to fold in half long ways,
and sit across the bottom of the bed

And here is the only (very bad) shot of the finished product.

I wish I had taken some nicer shots of it.

It's lovely that so many people contributed to Liesl's project,

it was such a personal gift.

See you all tomorrow

Jacqueline

Day 23 - 201st Post Giveaway!

2011-10-23T22:37:00.001+11:00

Edited

This Giveaway is now closed,

thanks to all those who entered

The winner was Catherine

I missed my 200th post yesterday!

Well, I mean, I did the post, but had forgotten about the 200th post,

so.....

To celebrate my 201st Post

I am having a little Giveaway!

Santa Sacks are starting to fly out of ZippyZippy HQ,

it's a busy time of the year for me

Santa Sack orders will close for 2011

on Friday 25th November

They are available in linen,

or denim

You can find them in

My Madeit Store,

Or in my

ZippyZippy Store

So, The Giveaway,

I am going to be giving away one of my Santa Sacks,

personalised of course,

plus a few other little secret squirell goodies.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post,

thats it, no hoops to jump through, nice and simple.

And if you don't have a blog and leave a comment,

please let me know your email address

so I can contact you if you are "the one"

You have one week,

I will draw the winner

10pm AEST Sunday 30th October

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline

Day 22 - Champion Exhibit, Ribbons and Stitching

2011-10-22T23:25:00.001+11:00

I went to Stitch & Bitch this afternoon, Michelle hosted today.

Michelle's First-Born, Mr 9 showed me his

Spent Shell Hut he made to enter in the local show

It's amazing, so much detail and lots of recycling!

A very well deserved Champion Exhibit.

He has also been very busy showing sheep with his uncle,

he is gathering a very big stash of ribbons.

When I was growing up, my family showed horses,

we had lots of ribbons, but theses one's are just so soft,

Michelle has been busy sewing all the ribbons together

Here is a cushion for Mr. 9's bed,

I love the colours and the texture of the ribbons.

Now Michelle is busy sewing some more into a throw for his bed

And, this is what I took along to Stitch and Bitch,

some boats, fish, pirates, rockets and robots,

and lots of aqua.

I've had a very productive afternoon,

hopefully these will turn into some new

Buntings for the shop this week

Enjoy the rest of the weekend

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline

Day 21 - Not So Productive

2011-10-21T23:21:00.003+11:00

There was a little bit of this,

then down the street,

orders posted, a xmas present bought

bought my own birthday present for next month

we made some piklets for an after school snack,

they liked them so much, I made them piklets for tea too.

Bad mother trophy awarded to me today.

This little cherub, seems to have a strange reaction to snails.

After tea, the boys were collecting snails for a race, as you do...

When the middle child handles snails - he vomits,

So, vomit on the verandah for hubby to clean up.

I don't do vomit duty.

Then tonight, they all wanted to sleep in the same single bed,

And, they actually went to sleep,

I don't think they will sleep very well though,

they will be grumpy little buggers tomorrow!

a recap on my last blog post,

there was a Vespa in the paper today...

See you tomorrow at

Blogtoberfest

Jacqueline

Day 20 - 10 Things About Me

2011-10-20T18:49:00.001+11:00

One.

I was hoping to have 3 boys - had no urge for a girl - I hit the jackpot :)
I would much rather be surrounded by lego than barbies

Two.
I don't like Mango - won't even cut it up.

Three.
I very rarely wear make-up and don't colour my hair

sorry, cant get this up the right way - me in darwin :)

Four.

I have a motor-cycle licence

And am going to have one of these one day

Maybe Santa will bring me one :)

Four.

I have never done the "foot shot" on my blog and probably never will

Five.
I only have 1 immediate family member living in Australia

Six.
I did watch Big Brother, and will watch it again - much to the husbands disgust.

Seven.
I can not stand listening to people eat - slurping and chewing

Eight.

I make our own dog food for our cheeky Max

Nine.
I have a severe phobia of needles - my poor husband,
after 2 bouts of gestational diabetes and 2 cesarian's

Ten.
Being a mum has not been easy for me,
it is a work in progress.

You can see a little more about me

over here

I was tagged by Angela over at

Yes Dear

if you have not visited Angela, you are missing out on a great read.

My turn, I would like to know more about....

Tania at Myrtle and Eunice

Emma at Frog Goose and Bear

Julie at Narioka

Jenny at Ohjoh

You're tagged ladies, join in if you wish

Jacqueline.

Day 19 - Judy's Quilt

2011-10-19T23:57:00.000+11:00

Back in August, I decided to join in on a little quilt-a-long,

you can read about it here.

I also asked the girls at

Stitch and Bitch

if they would like to join in too.

Judy, Michelle, Sandra and Louise have.

Here is Judy's quilt.

She has used Sugar and Spice Textiles,

Spotlight Christmas Basics,

And Flurry-Kate Spain of Moda, which was

purchase here

Judy set off at a cracking pace

And, here is the almost finished quilt.

And, I do believe she finished sewing on the binding tonight!

And here is the back shot.

Mine - well, I still have 3 blocks to sew together,

Sandra's is basted

Michelle has the top pieced

And not sure where Louise is up to.

Great job Judy!

See you tomorrow - 3 minutes to spare tonight - but I made it :)

Jacqueline.

Day 18 - Nighty Night

2011-10-18T22:56:00.000+11:00

Well day 18 of Blogtoberfest and I have done 18 posts.

Yay for me!

I should be cleaning this mess up,

ready for a productive morning tomorrow,

Bit of a lame post, I know,

but stay with me - I do have some interesting ones coming up :)

Maybe even a giveaway....200th post coming up soon

I'm off to bed

Nighty Night

Day 17 - Nosy Neighbours - Oink!

2011-10-17T21:21:00.001+11:00

We are The Nosy Neighbours.

Look at them, standing up on the compost,

looking into the neighbours yard, what has got their attention...

This little specimen has them peeking over the fence.

A 225kg pig called "Nitro".

He was delivered last night, the neighbours were expecting a piglet,

but he turned up instead.

So, they have spent most of the day trying to get him loaded onto a trailer,

but Nitro has been one cunning pig.

Apparently, he has spent his life in domestic bliss,

lazing on a couch and being pampered,

so, very used to getting his own way.

Tonight they had one more go of trying to coax him in,

only took about an hour and a half,

They tried everything but riding him in.

And here he is,

all ready to head off to the farm where he can roam freely

for the rest of his days!

Bet there won't be anything this exiting over our fence tomorrow night.

Won't stop them looking though.

Hope you've had a good day

OINK :)

Jacqueline.

Day 16 - Nine

2011-10-16T23:20:00.001+11:00

A Big Happy 9th Birthday to one of my best friends!

Nathan, Our First Born

it only seems like yesterday that you were a tiny newborn

(well not that tiny at 9 pounds 3)

another 9 years and you will be driving - eeeekkkk

We had a friend for a sleep over on Friday night,

then had a picnic by the river, with a spot of fishing

Sadly - no fish though, but lots of fun was had anyway

Came across some big boys and their liitle toys,

cruising down the walking track next to the river

The boys even had the chance to go for a ride

Then out for a lovely dinner.

Hope you had a great weekend Nathan

We Love You!

Jacqueline

Day 15 - September Departures

2011-10-15T22:49:00.001+11:00

4 Red and Pale Blue Buntings for

Sebastian's 1st Birthday,

I am loving this colour combination at the moment.

Newborn gifts for twins.

An Isabella Bunting...

And, a Matilda Bunting.

A Red Ned Bunting headed of to Melissa at

Melissa Stampa Photography

2 Pink and Aqua Buntings,

1 for Zoie and 1 for Bernadene

A Cobalt and Green Bunting for Katey

2 Red and Navy Buntings,

1 for Zoie and 1 for Kelly

And a custom made library bag for Tammy from

Little Dance Invitations

pop over and have a peek at all the party goodies in the store.

Thanks to everyone that shops at ZippyZippy,

you rock!

I just love creating my products :)

Hope it's been a good Saturday for you,

9th Birthday here, so a busy one today.

Jacqueline :)

Day 14 - Wrapped

2011-10-14T23:59:00.004+11:00

I have just finished wrapping the pressie's for The First Borns 9th birthday tomorrow.

Earlier tonight, I headed down to Kmart to get some wrapping paper.

The rolls of wrapping paper were

1.5m or 2m and were $4 or $5!

That is too much to pay for wrapping paper for kids, they don't care.

So.... I had a look at the Christmas paper,

I could get 7m for $1.50!

Then bought some brown paper too,

I love brown paper.

10m for $4 (shorter roll, though still a bargain)

so... presents are all wrapped,

but he won't be sure if it's Christmas tomorrow,

or his birthday.

And that folks - is a wrap :)

Made my Blogtoberfest post today by 1 min

Jacqueline.

Day 13 - Sometimes....

2011-10-13T22:49:00.001+11:00

Sometimes,

you just have to.....

Let them make their own mistakes.

They should have known I would take a picture of them,

when they least expect it

Have a nice night, if you're still up

Jacqueline.

Day 12 - Would'nt it be nice

2011-10-12T22:01:00.000+11:00

Would'nt this be a lovely little estate to have,

look at all the neat little rows,

all the yummy home grown produce.

Would you like one?

Have you got one?

I took these shots, quite a long time ago,

I think it is from one of the hubby's gardening mags.

hope you've had a good day

Jacqueline.

Day 11 - I'm With Betty

2011-10-11T21:46:00.000+11:00

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline :)

Day 10 - Beef and Vegie Pie Recipe

2011-10-10T19:11:00.000+11:00

These pies are a big hit in our house.

I make a double batch and freeze half the mix,

which then makes a very quick and easy meal another time

Beef And Vegie Pies
1 cup diced carrot

1 cup of peas

1 cup of corn

2 finely chopped onions

1 cup of diced mushrooms

1 crushed clove of garlic

500g diced steak (about 1cm cubed)

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

2 teasp worceshire sauce

1/2 cup of water

puff pastry and beaten egg

Olive oil

Heat oil, fry onions and garlic over a low heat, remove

cook meat over a high heat till browned

Stir in vegies, sauces and water, mix well, bring to boil

Cook for about 2 hours on a low heat.

Meat should be tender and sauces should be reduced.

Allow to cool completely.

Slice pastry sheets into quarters (or halves in you want bigger pies)

Place mixture onto one side of sheet, (do not overfill)

fold over and press closed

Brush with egg, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.

Prick the top of each pie

Bake in a 190deg oven for about 20 mins, until pastry is cooked.

These vanish in a flurry of flying pastry in our house,
they disapear faster than any other meal.
One warning though - don't sweep the floor before they eat!
Nice quick tea tonight :)

They are happy, I am happy

See you tomorrow at Blogtoberfest
Jacqueline

Day 9 - The Pirate Room - WOW!

2011-10-09T18:33:00.000+11:00

Here's a Pirate Bunting I made earlier in the year, for a local mum, Alison,

She told me that she had a plan to paint her boy's bedroom...

no ordinary paint job though....

the plan was to paint the room as the

inside of a pirate ship!

Very brave I thought, but have look at what she has done,

it's amazing, Alison has a mighty fine job.

She drew her plan on paper, then just drew it on the wall,

then painted, she made it all sound so easy.

I love those port-holes

She has even painted little silver nails on the boards.

My photo's did not do this room justice.

Alison is one very talented Mum indeed!

Well done Alison.

See You Tomorrow

Jacqueline.

Day 8 - On The Machine Today

2011-10-08T22:28:00.000+11:00

Some of this....

And some of this.

A productive day indeed.

Jacqueline.

Day 7 - Flooded and Quiet

2011-10-07T22:39:00.001+11:00

There was no noise in the house.

It was way to quiet.

Where are they, asleep in their tents?

Next door?

Abducted by a UFO?

Hang on, there's noise coming from the cubby.

Very quiet and very busy

Flooding the sandpit

Anything.... for a couple of quiet hours in the school holidays

School goes back on Monday :)

See you tomorrow at Blogtoberfest

Jacqueline.

Day 6 - How to - i-phone case :)

2011-10-06T20:56:00.001+11:00

Here's how I personalised my i-phone case - it's super easy.

I ironed some Heat n Bond onto the back of some denim,

to stop the fabric from fraying, some fabrics probably won't need it.

Then cut out the little hole for the camera.

(I did end up leaving the backing paper on the Heat n Bond)

Then decorated the front with Buntings of course and a little stitching,

Next, place your masterpiece into the silicon case (see second pic)

See - Easy Peasy and happy i-phone!

Would love to see your version if you try one

See you tomorrow

Jacqueline :)

Day 5 - Which One?

2011-10-05T16:39:00.000+11:00

This was the last of the spud harvest, earlier in the year.

Hmmm, which tiny tater shall I pick?

Maybe this one, hmmm, too many to choose from

Maybe this one, it's got a handle :)

I think I will take this one - it's got a nipple :)

See you tomorrow at Blogtoberfest!

Might show you how to personalise your phone :)

Jacqueline.

Day 4 - It Just Had To Be Done

2011-10-04T21:15:00.001+11:00

Here is my phone, nice and simple, clear silicon protective cover.

No fussy, fancy, expensive, wiz bang designer cover for me.

Now, let's flip it over...

A few scraps and 10 minutes,

and everyone knows it's mine!

Would love to know if you have personalised yours too.

See you tomorrow for

Blogtoberfest

Jacqueline.

Day 3 - Watch Your Kids!

2011-10-03T23:15:00.000+11:00

This is not our pool

Today, I took the boy's down to the local aquatic centre for a swim.

There was about 15 other little people in the pool too.

Only 3 (including me) supervising grown ups were in the pool.

This is not my child and was not there today

I was amazed at how many "supervising" grown-ups were,

reading the paper, reading magazines, looking at their phone,

anything other than supervising their children.

This is not me

I'm not keen to get in sometimes, as I don't have a body like this!

But, our boy's are 5, 7 and almost 9,

and I could not contemplate not being in the water with them.

Firstly for SAFETY and secondly for FUN.

I am not in the water to keep an eye on other kids.

Drowning can happen in the blink of an eye.

In Canada - Biggest indoor pool in the world - how nice

Having said all that, I would rather poke a stick in my eye

than get them all showered and dressed after the swim.

Peter takes the boy's swimming most Sunday mornings,

and has the after swim routine finely tuned,

he's so good at it - I will leave him to it.

The whole swimming experience would be even nicer

if there was some of this at the local aquatic centre to look at!

But then, maybe I would not be supervising my boys either.

This is not me either

So hop in and have some fun :)

Hope you had a great Monday

Jacqueline

Day 2 - A Snippet Of Me

2011-10-02T21:10:00.000+11:00

I do like the clothes to hang orderly on the clothes line.

On occasion I have had people help me hang the washing out,

and I just get all jittery watching them hang things out of order.

Although.... I am not totally obsessed, as you can see,

the pegs can be any colour and no particular order :)

How do yours hang?

Hope you've had a nice weekend

Jacqueline.

Day 1 - Can Someone Help?

2011-10-01T22:02:00.000+10:00

I am joining in with Blogtoberfest for the first time.

I am not a frollific blogger, always plan to do 3 posts a week,

never happens though, so, this should be interesting.

Will see how we go.

Firstly though, I have a question, before I start visiting lots of new blogs.

A commenting question that is driving me NUTS,

hopefully someone can answer it for me.

On some blogs, when I write a comment, even though I am signed into Blogger,

I get asked to select a profile.

I choose Name/URL, then sometimes it asked me to do a word verification,

sometimes not.

Sometimes it asks me to select my profile again,

and we just go around in circles!

Then it does put my comment up, but I never have my little pic!

What the bloody hell am I doing wrong?

Is this a Blogger glitch?

Is it a different platform?

Do you have your comments set up to act like this?

It drives me NUTS - because, I want to leave nice comments,

and I want the process to be simple

but, when I see this I just flick to the next blog.

When I leave a comment, I just want to do the word verification and thats it.

I hope my comment section is not like this, please let me know if it is!

Any advice would be much appreciated,

I bet it is something simple that I am doing wrong ;)

Take care and Be Good :)

Jacqueline.

Horsham Show

2011-09-26T22:15:00.001+10:00

The Horsham Show has rolled around again.

It starts tomorrow and runs for 2 days and nights.

It has definately crept up on us this year,

the boys and I usually enter lot's of goodies, but this year - none.

So... I will show you what we enjoyed and entered last year

The boys decorated teddy bear and maree biscuits

There was dodgems and ducks

Lollipops

Motor-bikes

Ponies and Pigs

Here are all the entries from last year, and believe me, this is no easy feat.

lot's of preparation with the boys and last minute things the night before,

and don't get me started on the manic drop off of

entries on show morning at the ladies pavilion.

It's so frantic and the show ladies are a little bossy

and have "their way of doing things"

But it's all worth it, when the boys go through later in the day,

to see if they have any prize cards on their creations.

They get so exited to see all the entries,

and see some of the creations their friends have made.

I scored well last year too, but just quietly,

entries are fairly sparce in some of the grown up categories,

My results

And the boy's results.

The day after the show, we all go down and pick up our entries again.

The boys pick up their prize money and the ladies make such a fuss of them,

and they are so proud of themselves and so happy.

But sadly no entries this year, but we will be there.

You can't beat a good old fashioned show.

Do you enter goodies in your local show?

Jacqueline :)

August Departures

2011-09-13T21:54:00.001+10:00

A custom made Market Bunting for Janine.

A custom made Market Bunting for Renae

at Cherry Bliss Designs

A Red and Aqua Bunting for Leanne

A Birdie Bunting for Rebekah

A Red Floral Name Garland for Kate

Two Linen Santa Sacks for Annalea

A Red Star Name Garland for Kylie

A custom made Market Bunting for Kirralee

from My Playhouse Adventures

Pink and Aqua Buntings for

Kylie and Lisa

And Four of the always popular Red and Navy Bunting for

Elizabeth, Briony

Lisa and Nardia

A big thankyou to everyone that has purchased a ZippyZippy creation,

and thanks for all the wonderful feedback,

I love making them!

Jacqueline :)

Red Stitch Designs

2011-09-07T12:56:00.000+10:00

Here are some goodies I have bought from Brenda at

Red Stitch Designs

to decorate ZippyZippy HQ. I love decorating my space with

handmade items created by others.

Brenda is also a fellow Madeit seller,

you can find her store here

And here are some more. I love the fabrics and colours Brenda uses,

and they are so well made, absolutely stitch perfect.

This parcel was wrapped in recycled sewing patterns :)

You can really tell that Brenda enjoys creating her goods.

You can also find Brenda's handmade creations at

Shop Handmade Canberra,

a beautiful store in the city, full of lots of handmade goodness.

I visited in January and purchased the hearts and pear

And also the book, which Brenda is featured in.

Brenda is having a giveaway of 2 cute little hanging owls, over on her blog.

All you need to do is follow

Red Stitch Designs on Facebook.

Easy

Have a great Wednesday

Jacqueline.

Dessert Parenting - Weekend Rewind

2011-09-03T17:22:00.001+10:00

This weekend I thought I would join again

with Multiple Mum over at And Then There Were Four

doing a weekend rewind.

This weeks theme is Parenting Tips,

so I thought I would share my post about our

Dessert Parenting Plan

you can add your link here if you wish to join in

Have a great weekend

Jacqueline :)

One Year Ago - Weekend Rewind

2011-08-28T19:21:00.000+10:00

This weekend I thought I would join in with

Multiple Mum over at And Then there Were Four

doing a Weekend Rewind - letting an old post see the light of day again

This weeks theme is This Day Last Year (or thereabouts).

So I am linking up a post from this time last year,

Our trip over to Dayelsford

where, we caught up with

Kate

who is now on a trip around the country,

Abbe

who has now had a little bub

Bianca

who now lives much closer.

What a lovely day out!

Jacqueline.

Book Week Dress Up - Harry The Dirty Dog

2011-08-27T12:30:00.000+10:00

Last week was Book Week.

The Second Born had to dress up as a character from his favourite book.

He decided to go as "Harry The Dirty Dog",

as the grotty Harry.

I had strict instructions from him,

"Mrs **** says you can't spend any money on your costume"

A navy tee, navy track pants, navy beanie and some white scraps,

and we managed to pull it together from what we had on hand.

I almost forgot to add the very important tail!

During the day he was mistaken as a cow and a cat,

but that was OK.

He was happy, so I was happy,

so much so, that he is wearing it again today!

Have a great weekend

Jacqueline :)

A Nice Day To...

2011-08-21T22:38:00.000+10:00

Today was a nice day to

look at the first signs of spring

Today was a nice day to

chat with your Dad while you wouk in the vegie patch

Today was a nice day to

Be a flower

Today was a nice day to

hang out with your family

Today was a nice day to

lay on the grass and look at the clouds

Today was a nice day to

laze in the hammock and read.

Our Sunday - hope yours was a nice one too

Jacqueline.

Warm Pics

2011-08-18T13:16:00.000+10:00

I am freezing today, so I thought I would share some

images I captured at some nice warm Bonfires last spring

At a relatives farm, we cooked toast and had homemade jam.

The boys looking grown up, chatting around the fire.

This is one we passed down near Casterton

It was huge!

Happy little people sitting around the fire,

out at Bell Farm

Toasting marshmellows out at Bells Farm

Watching the fire being lit at a relatives farm

(the prep bear, Jack, was vising from school)

Have a great Thursday

Jacqueline :)

Pin Wheels In The Park - stage 1

2011-08-06T16:22:00.000+10:00

Kerri at So Dearly Loved and Andrea at Knitty Bitties

are having a little quilt - along,

So, I thought I might join in.

The quilt is "Pinwheels In The Park"

by Rachel Measham-Pywell at Four Wise Monkeys.

If you want to join in, the tutorial is here.

Kerri and Andrea have set a (not too strict) time-line

(great, because I like a good schedule)

Aug 1-7 ~ cut fabric

Aug 8-14 ~ sew blocks

Aug 15-21 sew up quilt top

Aug 22-31 ~ quilt and bind

I think I can manage that, I am going for a xmas theme,

I sliced up all my fabric last night - so far I'm on track :)

I have also asked the girls from

stitch and bitch if they would like to join in,

I've had a couple, so I will post their progress too.

Blogless Judy is already sewing her blocks!

My blocks will look like this - if all goes to plan.

Have a great weekend

Jacqueline :)

PS - this fabric has also been made into other triangles,

you will see them here soon.

In The Shop - Santa Sacks

2011-08-02T23:32:00.000+10:00

ZippyZippy Santa Sacks are now listed

in my store.

I have listed them early this year, after a crazy time last Xmas,

I sadly, had to turn people away, because I was inundated with orders.

They are available in Denim or Linen .....

can be personalised for your little cherubs ......

Orders will close for 2011 Santa Sacks on 25th November

I know it's only August......

I have been doing a little shopping myself ,

the plan is, come December,

when others are running around like crazy people at the shops,

I will have it all under control - time will tell.

Anyone else getting organised for Xmas yet?

Be Good

Jacqueline

Our Creative Space - Jess's Quilt

2011-07-28T11:09:00.000+10:00

My creative space today involves quilting "Jess's Quilt"

It was started in August last year,

hopefully it will be finished by August next year!

A little bit of stipple to go - then ready for binding - finally!

To visit the home of Our Creative Space

pop over here

Have a great Thursday

Jacqueline.

In The Patch, July 2011

2011-07-23T13:55:00.002+10:00

Brussels Sprouts, but we only planted one bush,

should have been more as the boys love them.

Lot's of Broccoli, I think we are on our 3rd planting for the winter,

so we have had a nice steady supply.

Lots of fragrant Coriander

Plenty of Beetroot

Three beds have been planted for green manure,

this will be dug into the ground, probably in September,

to provide lots of nutrients to the soil, ready for the spring planting

Our first Mandarin's from our little tree,

they are small, but very nice.

Tomato seeds that were saved last year,

have sprouted with the help of a heated propagating bed,

now they are out on the sunny veranda in a glass topped box,

they are about to get their second lot of leaves.

There are quite a lot! But you have to allow for some failures,

and have some to share with friends.

We have a few different variety's,

Mortgage Lifter, Black Russian, Tommy Toe and Tiggerela

Here is the patch in full,

the empty looking bed in front has onions, garlic and chives,

they are there, just don't show up in the pic.

So, there you have it, winter time is not such a quiet,

dormant time in the veggie patch!

(Woops - forgot the carrots)

Whats are you picking at the moment?

Have a nice weekend

Jacqueline

Mr. C's Quilt

2011-07-18T22:12:00.000+10:00

While I was up in Darwin, one of Bianca's little's,

Mr. C turned 5.

A couple of nights before his big day,

Bianca say's, "I might make him a quilt"

I thought to myself,

"there is no way this is going to come together before Mr.C's birthday!"

She got the box of "good stuff" out and started slicing her most precious fabrics

into smaller bits of precious fabric.

She sewed and chatted,

sewed and chatted and sewed and chatted

and finished it.

It's backed with navy cord - I love it,

although, I did lobby to have the plain green removed,

but lost out - completed, I now like the green too.

And here is Mr. C with his new quilt.

He loves it too.

Well done Bianca!

Bianca could have taken some pics herself ...

if she could have found the charger for her wizbang camera :)

Be Good

Jacqueline.

Home Now and Thanks

2011-07-05T10:53:00.000+10:00

I returned home from my trip to Darwin on Friday afternoon.

Waiting for me was a lovely bunch of Roses, a roast

and 3 very happy boys.

Peter has done a fantastic job while I was away,

he managed to get the boys to school and kinder with lunches,

remembered excursions, free dress days, cub's, birthday parties,

readers, recorders, was kinder helper, and enjoyed dancing at kinder.

There was no overflowing wash bags and baskets, no empty fridge,

there was a tidy house, and there were

3 boys that had loved having their dad at home for 2 weeks

So a big thankyou to Peter

for taking 2 weeks off from a very busy, stressful time at work,

while I had a mother holiday

I really appreciate it!

Jacqueline :)

Creative in the top end

2011-06-23T22:53:00.001+10:00

Hello from sunny warm Darwin!
What a beautiful spot, I have never been here before, but I will definitely be back, with my boys next time.
Had a lovely wander around the mindil markets tonight, enjoyed some performances and watched the sun set with the boys on skype, isn't technology amazing!

I have even had a little time for some stitching today. This UFO I bought up is coming together really nicely, will try and piece it together tonight.
And, I am going to turn this place upside down and try and find bianca's camera charger, so she can finally blog some projects she has been working on - wish me luck with that one.
Till next time
Be good
Jacqueline.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Dessert Parenting Plan

2011-06-16T20:47:00.000+10:00

(Apologies for the grainy iphone shot's)

For about a year now,

we have been going out for desert on a Saturday night.

Not all of us, just 2 at a time.

One boy and one parent.

The boy choose's where we go.

The boy choose's which parent to take.

Why?

The idea is, we start this ritual now,

it is valuable one on one time with our boy's,

to listen, to chat and to listen some more.

So....

by the time they reach their teen's,

when communication will be "more difficult" I expect,

this routine is well and truly established,

regular one on one time to listen and chat.

That's the plan anyway :)

The first born is coming up to 9,

he talks about his friends and school, good stuff and bad stuff.

It takes about an hour, cost's between $12 and $20,

and, we feel is a very good investment.

The only down side to the Dessert Plan

is when I don't get picked to go out for dessert!

Anyone else have a little weekly ritual?

Jacqueline :)

3 sleeps to go till the Mother Holiday!

I May Of Made An Art Smock ???

2011-06-11T15:43:00.000+10:00

This afternoon, I had the urge to make myself a top.

This pattern had been stashed away, and the fabric was on sale a while ago,

thought it would make a good test fabric for the pattern.

It did not take long, I just put hat elastic in the neck instead.

Here is the (almost) finished product.

2nd boy laughed from the tramp.

The husband said "hello Gladys" (my MIL)

It's a bit frumpy, and I feel like I have Buzz Lightyear Shoulders.

(actually looks better in the pic, my left hand gives it some shape)

It may just be for painting, if I ever have the urge to do that!

Every now and then I get a bee in my bonnet

about making something for myself to wear,

never turns out how I expect it too.

Why do I bother, should just stick to wht I know.

Do you try and make clothes for yourself ?

Any luck with it?

Enjoy your weekend

Jacqueline.

The Mother Holiday

2011-06-08T14:40:00.001+10:00

In 11 sleeps I will be heading on a Mother Holiday

for 10 days, all the way up to Darwin.

Just me.

No husband.

No boys.

I am going to visit my lovely friend

Bianca

Last night I realised how close my departure date is!

Lists need to be made, baking needs to be done,

20kg needs to be shed, the winter forest needs to be waxed

and so on.

I have never been away from the boys for that long,

each year I have a few days away on my own to recharge.

Sometimes, during the day I can't wait to get away from this

noisy testosterone charged house.

Other times, I can barely think about leaving them for that long.

Other times I have huge guilt eating away at me.

I will miss these monkeys soooo much!

Do you take time out to have a Mother Holiday?

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday

Jacqueline.

I Won!

2011-06-06T16:54:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks on a trip to Spotlight, the girls at the store

asked if I had entered the pillow case competition.

Entrant's had to create a pillow case - simple.

The entry's were hung in the store and customers vote for their favourite.

After the competition, all the pillow case's are donated to charity.

And, so, here is my entry.

And, I won!

Scored myself a $50 Spotlight voucher - very handy indeed.

Thanks Spotlight and Thanks Terry for telling me about the comp.

And of course, thanks to the people who voted,

And thanks to, Bernina, Guttermann,

Louise who created my elephant pin cushion,

Mundial for my scissors and last but not least

My Family for all their support :)

Did anyone else enter at their local spotty?

Take Care and Be Good

Jacqueline

Cushion Swap Delivery!

2011-06-02T07:00:00.001+10:00

My cushion swapped arrived late last week.

It came all the way from Northern Ireland!

Catherine has a lovely blog,

Kids Capers

Catherine sent a lovely cushion, with a cross-stitch attached.

I have done a lot of cross-stitch over the years,

especially during our 4 years of travel, it was small and portable.

Think I was the only crafty backpacker though :)

At the moment they are all tucked away in a box,

might just get me motivated to get them out and do something with them.

Thanks Catherine, you are a mighty fine cross-stitcherer lady!

And, now the cushion I made has arrived at its destination,

I can let you know where it went,

to Beck over at

Dandelion

Thanks to evryone that joined in!

Take Care and Be Good,

Jacqueline

Cushion Posted - Tick

2011-05-24T13:48:00.001+10:00

My Cushion Swap

has been created and was posted off yesterday.

Last post I had a big idea, started sewing away,

then realised how long it was going to take me.

I started looking at books and tutorials again.

It was now Saturday night, and post day was Monday,

I was running out of time.

Too many idea's, and nice pictures to look at!

Then there was a knock at the door.

It was Rachel, plonk in hand, here for "Stitch and Bitch",

which was actually the night before!

Rachel said, "just do what you know", so I did.

Thanks Rachel :)

I even did a concealed zipper - I fret about zip's each time I do one,

then wonder what all the fuss is about.

I used this tutorial for the concealed zip.

Max thought it was OK.

and

Thanks to Vic at Punky & Me for organising the swap!

Check this cushion out!

Jacqueline.

Cushion Swap Sneaky Peek

2011-05-21T00:01:00.000+10:00

I'm joining in on the Cushion Swap over at

Punky & Me

My cushion has to be posted to my swap partner on Monday,

thought I better start my cushion, so tonight I did.

I am trying something new, just making it up as I go,

tonight, the cushion is coming together as I had imagined, all has gone to plan,

I hope it all keeps falling into place over the weekend

Enjoy your weekend :)

Jacqueline.

What We Wear

2011-05-14T11:49:00.001+10:00

Yesterday morning, first born, Mr.8 came and sat on my bed.

I had just finished getting dresses, I asked,

How do I look?

His reply,

"You look like a mum who looks after her kids,

and a mum that might have a job"

I then asked the husband, he said,

"you've got the Where's Wally scarf on"

This got me thinking about what we wear and how people see us.

I am a stay at home mum,

all week I had been wearing track pants and hoodies,

it was cosy and warm on a freezing week.

Does he mean sometimes I look like a mum

that does not look after her kids?

I usually wear runners, as I walk up to school each day,

I cook, sew, play, clean (only a little) and garden all day,

so I wear what is comfortable and practical.

I don't feel the need to "get changed" when I am out in public.

This is also the boy that has stuck a few useful notes around the house.

(It's not enough in this house just to have the door shut)

A this handy note on my door on Mothers Day :)

People are who they are, not what they wear,

I have spoken to mums who don't want to get out of the car

at drop off, because of how they are dressed, which is more

about how other people are dressed...crazy!

For the record, I am in tracky pants again today,

have a beanie on as I have not been to the shower yet,

but I have cooked a cake and about to put a second in.

Hope you have a good weekend whatever you are wearing!

Jacqueline.

Ely's Bunting

2011-04-29T18:27:00.000+10:00

How cool is this "Save the Date"

Back in March,

Ely sent me a message through my Madeit Store,

asking if I could make some Buntings for her wedding in Mexico.

The buntings were to say

"Sweet Love" and "Dulce Amor"

Ely requested yellow, white and mint,

to match the invitation above.

And this is what I came up with for Ely

"Dulce Amor"

And "Sweet Love"

Ely's and Dave's big day is later in the month,

this sounds like such a fun wedding - my type of wedding,

I hope they have a fantastic day - I'm sure they will.

I even made Ely a bag to keep her buntings in :)

And, while we are on weddings,

big one on today apparently,

(no request for buntings from Kate though! )

I've decided to play along with the other Facebook pages

and include a shot of me as a bride,

it's over on my

Facebook Page.

We eloped - very recommended by the way :)

Hope you all have a lovely weekend,

Be Good,

Jacqueline.

In The Oven & Up The Ladder

2011-04-26T11:55:00.002+10:00

It's my turn to say "Smell This!"

With 3 boys in the house - "smell this"
is a phrase I hear too often : /

These have just come out of my oven!

Cinnomon Rolls

The house smells delicious.

If you wish to make your own, the recipe is here

The Pioneer Woman

Outside, on this lovely day, the house is getting a wash,

9 years of dirt and grime are being removed

Lots of entertainment for the boy's, catching all the drips

I'm off to make a coffee and try a Cinnamon Roll.

Hope all is well at your nest

Take Care and Be Good

Jacqueline.

Easter Activities For The Littles

2011-04-16T13:52:00.000+10:00

One week of school holidays down, one to go.

Hope you are all surviving OK :)

Our week has been going well -

helped along by 4 O'Clock - Wine O'Clock!

Today has been a tad cranky though,

they are all in bed now having a nap.

With the big fluffy bunny arriving next weekend,

I thought I would share a few easy Easter activities

to help keep your littles busy.

Last year we made these great little baskets - I love them,

all you need is a balloon, pva glue and scraps of fabric,

very easy and we can use them year after year.

You can find the instructions

HERE

I have also stumbled upon this great printable,

by Draw! Pilgrim

colour it in, then fold it into a box to stash the goodies in.

Should keep them busy for a while...

Here is the link to print your own.

I'm off to a friends farm tomorrow with the

3 boys, going to put the tent up,

hope I get some sleep!

How are your school holidays going?

Jacqueline.

Cooking Wraps With The First Born

2011-04-13T19:50:00.000+10:00

Hi, first born here. Im going to teach you about

making your own wraps,

and share Catherine's recipe with you

(thanks Catherine)

Here I am putting the wraps in the frying pan.

here the wraps are on a plate, all done.

Here I am with the Third Born

eating the wraps

Yummmmmmm!

We fill our wraps with chicken, carrot, cheese

pineapple, lettuce and avocado.

This is easy you should try it.

THE RECIPE

this recipe makes 16

400g of flour

2 teaspoon of salt

8 tablespoons of olive oil

8tablespoons of warm water

Place flour and salt in a bowl,

Mix in the oil with a spoon,

gradually stir in 8 tablespoons of warm water

until the mixture starts to form a dough.

Knead the dough on a board until it's smooth.

Divide the mixture into 16 pieces.

Shape a piece into a ball and flatten out

Roll out the dough as thin as you can make it.

Heat the fry pan till it sizzles,

place wrap in fry pan,

Cook for about 1 minute, then turn,

cook for about 30 seconds

repeat with the other pieces.

We make this meal about once a week,

mum does the dough and rolling and I cook them.

Happy Cooking!

Canberra Trip

2011-03-31T13:40:00.002+11:00

Back in during the summer holidays,

when the crowds are heading to the beach,

we headed off on a road trip to Canberra,

it was a good 12 hours in the car, the boy's travelled really well.

I used to live in Canberra about 20 years ago and loved it.

We visited Parliment House

The Mint

Questacon, a great place, we could have spent all day there,

They made their own space ship to feature in a

3D movie, then watched the movie,

they even appear in the movie too

So much for the boys to do, all hands on

and a great learning experience.

We rode the beautiful old carosel in the city

Climbed on huge sculptures

Looked out over the city from Black Mountain,

(we were on the tower from the pic before)

Canberra is a great city, which does not feel like a city at all,

imagine how great these tree's look now that it's Autumn.

People give Canberra a bad wrap, but it's a great spot

for a holiday, lot's of free stuff to do, easy to get around

and great shopping.

(I did visit Handmade Canberra, more on that later :)

We caught up witha few friends, my cousin and

stayed with the lovely Barker family,

it was great to catch up with all their crew.

They have 5 daughters, only the youngest, Annie is at home now,

The boys favourite part about their Canberra Trip was Annie,

(and the water fight at Sharons - later too)

They said she was so pretty and nice :)

With another lot of holidays creeping up very quickly,

I would highly recommend a trip to the nations capital.

Have a nice Thursday

and be good.

Jacqueline.

The Winner Of The Giveaway....

2011-03-23T17:15:00.000+11:00

Thanks to everyone that played along.

The winner of my

Odd Sock Keeper

has been drawn, out of an odd sock keeper of course,

And Kim from

The Inadvertent Farmer

is the lucky person :)

Kim is all the way over in the US, in Washington State.

Kim also was the co-ordinator of

"Kinder Gardens - Let Them Get Dirty"

which our family participated in last year.

It's going to start again soon, it's easy to join in,

it would be great if some more aussie's got on board,

we will definately be playing along again.

Thats all for now

Be Good

Jacqueline.

Just What I Was Looking For

2011-03-20T09:00:00.002+11:00

Firstly, a reminder that my

Odd Sock Keeper Giveaway

will be drawn Sunday night :)

Quit a while ago, I inherited this standard lamp

from my lovely Nanna, Venice,

but I am not so much a fan of the current shade on it.

It's a sort of oyster colour and a semi-shiny

(think of the 80's) tafeta fabric.

So, I have been thinking I would recover it,

but finding a nice big drum lampshade frame

was proving a bit tricky.

Last weeknd at a garage sale I found one - perfect

as well as another matching set a bit smaller.

The set of 3 were $4!!!!

Even more perfect.

Now I will have to hunt for 2 bases for the others.

Anyway, I bought some of this lovely handprinted fabric from

Yardage Design

for myself for Christmas - I think it will be ideal.

Now I just have to figure out how to cover the shade

like the pro's do.

Has anyone attempted this? Any Hint's?

Another Christmas gift for myself from Yardage Design too :)

The boy's thought it was very funny

to have pesents wrapped up by myself,

bought by myself and

given to myself,

I think it's very sensible.

Hope you are having a nice weekend

Jacqueline.

Tomato Sauce - Done - Recipe Included

2011-03-16T09:34:00.000+11:00

This years to tomato crop has been huge.

The plants are over 8 feet high!

Lots of summer rain and a harvest session every morning

before school and work.

Each year, on the March long weekend Peter has a

huge sauce making session which last for days.

He is up at the crack of dawn, chopping and stirring

and putting in bottles late into the night.

This year I decided to take the task on

with a new recipe, rather than the easy sauce version.

I think my presentation is better too :)

It's a very easy recipe, you only need 7 kg for a batch

so we just just stored them in the shed fridge as we picked.

I doubt we will ever use another recipe again.

And because they are smaller batches, I could do a batch during the day

and have it bottles before the evening chaos.

I ended up doing 5 batches. For me, a batch made about 6 bottles.

Here are the seeds that have been saved from this years crop,

ready to plant in spring.

He saves them on paper towel,

once dried, stores them in a jar,

then come spring, cuts up the paper towel and plants.

Amazing, all that comes from these little seeds

The recipe was given to me by my friends mother-in-law

Bells Tomato Sauce

7kg Tomato's

730mls Brown Vinegar

Ground Cloves (I useed 2 teasp)

Garlic (I used 6 cloves)

4 tbsp Salt

2 teasp Cayene Pepper

1.5kg Sugar (I used raw)

I also added about 8 green apples

Boil all ingredients (not sugar) for 3 hours

Strain / Moulie

Add sugar slowly

Cook until you have the required consistency,

about 2-3 hours.

It will thicken a bit more once it has cooled.

Bottle Up into steralised bottles.

Good Luck

Jacqueline.

"Everyone needs one of these" GIVE AWAY

2011-03-14T21:41:00.001+11:00

Do you think your odd socks deserve a better home ?

I might just have the answer

If you would like to make the worlds most mundane job,

sorting socks, a little more fun.....

I have just listed

The Odd Sock Keeper

in the shop

They are available with a red spot, pink spot or green spot trim.

To win your very own ZippyZippy

Odd Sock keeper

Just leave a comment on this post,

and of course be a follower of my little blog.

The winner will be drawn

Sunday, 20th March.

Have a great week

Jacqueline :)

Natimuk Farmers Market Plus

2011-03-10T11:37:00.001+11:00

Back in October and December,

I decided to set up shop at the

Natimuk Farmers Market Plus.

It's about 20 mins from Horsham,

the market is set up in the middle of town,

in a lovely setting next to the creek.

I had a great time and even sold lot's of stuff.

no idea why this keeps coming out sideways :/

I had the first born come along with me,

(have to share this - at the Oct market,

he only came out for a short while to help,

he has the gift of the gab, explained what all my

creations were, how much and how to use them.

One lady asked if she could take a business card,

he turned to me and asked how much I was

selling them for - they did not have a price!)

he set up beside me and was selling his "Worm Wee"

that he has collected from our worm farm.

He was thrilled to bits to have his own shop,

he sold lot's, but could not believe some people

did not know what it was for and how he go it.

A couple of Natimuk Girls were our neighbours,

Mel and Danora

Danora creates this amazing jewellery

from Nth Qld seed pods.

Mel had these stars made from metal, wire and buttons

as well as native flowers.

Our other neighbours were 2 clever Horsham girls,

Adelle and Sam

They had cool tee's, candles

and funky handmade toys,

as well as lots of other goodies.

The next Natimuk Farmers Market Plus

will be this Sunday, the 13th.

I will not be set up this time,

plan to for the future dates though,

but will pop out for a look.

Have a great day

and be good.

Jacqueline.