Belle on a mission ...

My nemesis is ...

never enough hours in the day ...

could Belle be on a mission to locate more ...

OHhhhhhhhhhh doesn't she look SO CUTE ...

and SO determined at 16 months !!!

My Place and Yours = Taaaaaaaa Daaaaaaa Kitchen Love ...

Dani over at Helloowl host of My Place and Yours asks about our ...

Kitchen Love ...

well ... knock me down with a feather ...

my previous post HERE ...

was partially on the kitchen theme ... 

about my knob change

but ...

let me show you my #1 Kitchen Love secret ...

no more stinky, ripped, gluggy, kitchen sponges,

use face washers or as my Mum used  to call them 'flannels'!!!

No, No, No not the bathroom washers ...

go buy some new, cheap ones ... 

like these little beauties via Best & Less at 50 cents each ...

they rinse out beautifully ...

you can pop them in the wash ...

you can have a spare there for grubby hands and accidents. 

After having spent my working life in kitchens ...

plus being an anal, clean freak, Virgo,

this tip from my pet shop boys ...

gave me instant Kitchen Love! 

Washing up and wiping down is a dream ...

along with slipping my hands into soft, smooth, cotton lined Chux gloves ...

no stinky, smelliness like days of old ...

it's Kitchen Love to max at my house.

There's more Kitchen Love going on at Dani's HERE >>> 

Flea Market Finds ... Yayyyyyyy

Finding another of what some say pickle fork ...

some say meat fork ...

for $5 each ~ I say gorgeous.

a wonderful wooden pencil case with a sliding lid ...

and part of an old hinged ruler ...

made my Sunday blissful!

See other Flea Market Finds over at Sophie's place here

No tea partay + Blossom + Donna the Vet = changed knobs ...

No I haven't been holding a non stop tea partay ... pic HERE

my poor Blossie has been sick ...

fabulous Donna our vet visited her twice at home ...

now she's on cat equivalent Prozac ...

I'm fine ...

in celebration and relief ...

I changed all my kitchen knobs from boring brass ...

to bright beautiful hand crafted porcelain ...

now every one of the 12 knobs is different ...

you know how I detest the mundane ...

another reason to smile!

My Creative Space ... has been a hive of activity ...

so much to do so little time ...

in this pile ...

there's bag cut out waiting to be sewn ...

the knitting still taking forever ...

... and ...

$1.80 beanies waiting to be embellished ...

for my very cute fashionista. 

Pop over and be entranced by the Creative Spaces at Kirsty's

Deconstructing ... Waste No Do Want ... old zippers

For as long as I can remember this small bag sat in Dad's wardrobe ...

it was his 'emergency' tool kit ...

for the little jobs needed doing inside the house ...

now inside was grotty, ripped, smelly ...

time for it to go ... 

but ...

not before I rescued the zippers and catches ...

Ooops ...

I've just remembered ...

I need to go salvage the handle too ...

Waste Not Do Want ...

a scroungers work is never done!

Beautiful Day :: Where does your cat sleep?

The lovely Wendy over at Beautiful Day asks :: Where does your cat sleep?

My Blossom sleeps where she likes ...

right now she's on the ottoman, close to the heater ...

obviously giving me the hint that she'd prefer the lights off ...

My Place and Yours ... what you look like when you wake in the morning?

this week Danni wanted to know what we looked like when we woke in the morning ...

no way was I going to devulge that image ...

some did ...

so take a peek - if you're game HERE ...

Flea Market Finds ... a lesson in exercising restraint ...

our fave sellers were running late and hadn't unpacked their bounty ... drat ...

freshly picked spinach/silver beet and gluten free treats from Brasserie Bread made my day.

PLUS ...

I had been blessed earlier in the week with these gorgeous gifts HERE

Pop over and see more finds over at Sophies

Poppy would've been 95 today so we took him fishing ...

On this glorious day we ambled down to Poppy's fave fishing spot ...

to the spot where he'd kept us fed with fresh fish for decades.

Four generations ...

Belle and her Daddy shared magical father and daughter moments ...

exactly where Dad and I'd caught a few feeds of fish ...

from the same spot where we'd been known to brag about the ones that'd got away.

Today we cheered, we laughed, we said 'love you Poppy'  ...

I cried for a moment ...

no sadness ...

all joy to be there together ...

as we sent Poppy on his way ...

exactly where he'd asked for us to send him off ...

Iris and Daffodils floated along to brighten his way ...

gorgeous Belle, kept tradition alive wearing a touch of leopard print ...

and only wanted to play ...

Belle's headwear courtesy Moi ...

a $1.80 beanie embellished with a $3.00 motif stitched by Moi ...

Priceless ...

exactly as was the day...

I'm so eternally blessed. 

Vintage Thingie Thursday ... Leather and Buttons what a gift ...

Last week I went to meet a girl I went to school with for a cuppa ...

she knows of my penchant for old treasures ...

and arrived with these gorgeous gifts ...

that once belonged to a dear friend of hers, a former sewing teacher, who's just gone into care.

I was speechless ...

the leather clutch purse with the amazing clasp ...

measuring about 16x25 cms or 6"x10"...

perfect size to use now ...

on a special occasion ...

that a gentle rub with a leather finish will bring life to it again.

peeking inside made me gasp with delight.

This leather folder ideal to hold a passport and tickets ...

with a gorgeous burgundy shot taffeta lining ...

plus a 1941 & 1942 calender ...

as well as a huge assortment of buttons the like I've not seen before.

Wooden buttons labelled ... cherry, kauri ...

vintage buckles, mother of pearl, bone, silver, metal ...

Oh My ~ another example of how blessed I am! 

Enjoy more Vintage Thingie's at Suzanne's here ...

My Creative Space where the knitting continues ...

Ggrrrrr ... I've flounced and huffed ...

since starting this last week ...

yet will perservere as am fascinated by this HABU yarn ...

of stainless steel and silk ...

plus discovered the HABU blog.

... as you'll see the tension is upta ...

as are the edges ...

but when it rolls and twists ...

it's gorgeous! 

See who else is being Creative this week HERE

These boots are made for walking, playing in the park, thinking ...

... these new boots work well ...

to finally see those teeth that caused so much angst ...

... yes she is a Darling - and I'm a proud Great G MaMa.

Tom Deininger Art = Junk Assemblage = Brilliant Recycling

Cut outs from old denim ?

no they're pebbles on the shore ... here

by Tom Deininger in his recycled denim art HERE ... 

Marilyn Monroe ...

take a closer look at Marilyn HERE ...

be astounded by Tom Denininger's brilliance HERE ...

Recycling or as he calls it ...

Junk Assemblage at it's best!

My Place and Yours ... Where You Sleep

Over at My Place and Yours, my fave Monday spot to visit Dani asks us ...

'Where You Sleep' ...

Here's mine ...

Linen is courtesy of a comp I won at InsideOut Magazine when I subscribed ... Yayyyyyyy that was a treat!

I bought the two European pillows as the prize included pillow cases ... but ... they're a pain in the butt hoying them on and off the bed... too bulky ... tho' I must admit ...

I'm feeling pretty spesh when I check out the pics I jumped up and took for Dani ...

everything you see except bed, linen and reading stuff is an op shop, flea market, online or garage sale find ... 

plus here's where the daytime naps happen ...

head on the velvet cushion ...

velvet patchworth throw keeping toes warm ...

Blossie within arms reach ...

Bliss!

Pop over to Dani's to see more sleeping spots HERE.

Hope your week is wonderful everyone!

My Creative Space - HABU courtesy Prudence Mapstone ...

I discovered HABU on Prudence Mapstone's stall at Sydney Stitches & Craft ...

Originally used as an industrial yarn to create oil filters, now they are available as weavers', knitters' and artists' yarn!

The core is stainless steel and silk is wrapped around the core.

Because of the stainless steel, there is a memory in the yarn.

You can create something.

Twist it around! It will stay in that shape unless you straighten it out.
It is easiest if you knit this yarn in 2 strands, however a lace stitch in a single strand is beautiful. If you work in 2 strands, you will see a variety in the fabric. Works fine as a warp yarn for weavers, but it is a bit tricky, so if you are just starting to use this yarn, go as a weft yarn first.

Taaaa Daaaa ~ here's what I've done so far ...

30 stitches plain stitch ...

will become a scarf!

Gotta practice ~ my knitting fingers need to nimble up ...

it's like an amoeba, with a mind of it's own!

Shabby Chic Rachel Ashwell Auotgraphed book Giveaway

Rachwell Ashwell has re-invented herself again with her new blog here

PLUS ...

In honor of Rachel Ashwells Shabby Chic Couture’s new website

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture is

generously sponsoring an amazing giveaway!

      

                      

        

One lucky read will have the chance of winning an Autographed copy of one of her books!

The seven easy steps to win are at

DustyLu's HERE

Giveaway ends June 30, 12 noon Pacific Standard time

BibbaBaking 7 Gleeson Ave, Sydneyham ... Gluten Free Heaven ...

Last weeks local paper did a write up on the girls at BibbaBaking ...

Gluten Free is for me so just had to go check them out ...

Jess and Mel are warm and welcoming ...

it's like popping in to their place - well it is their place ;)

Fabulous selection of all things good for you ...

Excellent coffee ...

Crisp and clear surroundings ...

there's the Bibbabaking blog HERE ...

AND

they're supplying their scummy eats far and wide round Sydney town ...

you know how much I adore people who're having a GO ...

these girls deserve a shout out ...

BibbaBaking ... Yummo! 

My Place and Yours = Three things I do every day ...

After a sleep in today ...

I popped over to Danni's to check on the theme for this week .

Yesterday at the local market I bought some TDF gluten free delights from

Brasserie Bread ... Here  or  Here.

(featured on Masterchef Episode 53 here)

With a cuppa and one of Brasserie's delicasies ...

I supped and pondered on ...

Three Things I Do Every Day ...

and I scribbled the following ... 

it's such an easy question...

life is such bliss ...

so uncomplicated ...

I've worked hard to achieve this ...

the love of my girls is all that matters!