Great Grandma sewing catastrophe = re-making = whistling = Belle + gorgeous fun ...

Endeavouring to be the ultimate Great-Grandma ...

the task was a romper for Belle ...

that became a dress ...

no way ...

could I get those darn metal fasteners to work at the crotch! 

Finding the shirring sold by the metre in Lincraft ...

was a dream come true ...

until I measured the finished dress and realised ...

it was half her total chest measurement!

Taaaa Daaaaa ...

the catastrophe ...

fixed and finished ...

Belle looks a dream ...

as we we were having a moment ...

I started giving her the old wolf whistle ...

she was fascinated ...

the more I whistled the more she laughed ...

and laughed ...

she laughed hard ...
and loud ...
while looking so very gorgeous in MaMa's creation!

Mummy and I dashed off to Lincraft ...

there's more dresses to make ...

watch this space! 

City Sydney Streetware Project = Art by grrl+dog = Pop Up Gallery = be there ...

The gorgeously talented grrl+dog is taking her art to the streets again ...

 as part of the City of Sydney's Streetware Project ...

... she'll pop up here ...

... why not pop along too?

More info plus times are here ...

the iconic Hollywood Hotel is conveniently close by!

My name in lights = 15 seconds of fame = Sydney Festival John Baldessari + Australian Museum ...

Yayyyyy ... Taaaaa Daaaaa ... good fun ...

my name was in lights today ...

as part of the Sydney Festival ...

John Baldessari gave people 15 seconds of fame ...

on the William Street wall of The Australian Museum!

The wall on a normal day!

What a classic!!

The Darling Diva was there to capture the moment ...

read more here!

Relish This = Mango n Chilli relish = TDF = eat it from the spoon ...

Mango n Chilli Relish ...

There's no exact way to eat this scrumptious relish ...

if you can't wait to spread it then ...

eat it straight off the spoon ...

don't forget ...

turn the spoon over so you don't miss what's on the back !

A jar arrived via post today from gorgeous Sarah (her blog is here)

simply for being a loyal customer ...

how couldn't you be, with something so marvellously packaged ...

and tasting so heavenly deeelish.

Order yours from HERE ... you'll love it ...

My Mum her stories her words = telling my story = filling gaps = an ideal gift ...

Last birthday my Darling Daughter gave me this gift!

It's a smallish sized book entitled ...

My Mum HER STORIES HER WORDS.

The pretty green binder reads ...

Mum, tell me a story.

She's our guide, our example,

our champion.

What makes her the wise and

wonderful woman she is? Inside are

questions to spark the

memories of her life.

Get to know Mum.

Laugh with her, hear her

stories, celebrate

her life. Create a

treasured keepsake.

I'm in the process of answering the questions inside this wonderful gift ...

maybe your Mum might like one too here

Spare a thought for Queensland = water, water everywhere = the beautiful sunshine state = flood crisis ...

The 'Drift' restaurant on the Brisbane River at Milton broke it's moorings ...
was being chased by water police to stop it causing damage ...

Suncorp Stadium flooded ...

as well a fire has just been put out there too ...

livestock stranded ...

a snake keeping dry ...

cattle stranded!

The RSPCA had sheltered many lost and rescued animals ...

they've just asked for volunteers ...

to help provide temporary homes to animals ...

as floodwater has raged through their RSPCA Shelter at Fairfield!

There's a soft spot in my heart for Queensland ...

many years of wonderful memories ...

so ...

spare a thought for the people ...

my Queensland family is safe ...

hope yours are too.

Guerra de la Paz = Fabric Art = discarded clothes = sensational colour = a funky otherworld ...

Cuban-born design duo, Guerra de la Paz (Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz) live in Miami and have been working together since 1996. 

         For their sculptures and installations, they use huge
       quantities of reclaimed textiles and found objects,
       which are selected in terms of colour and texture.

Either kept as whole pieces, or cut, re-worked and piled up, discarded clothes are meant to retain memories of their previous life, which trigger the viewer’s emotions.

 Their figurative work is ambitious in scale, as the artists demonstrate exceptional handicraft (like their wonderful multicoloured fabric landscapes).

... and address difficult themes like consumerism, waste, violence, rape or war, while conveying a moral, humane, universalist message

Guerra de la Paz turns trash into a funky otherworld ... more here.

Crochet = learn again = Muntedkowhai = gorgeousness ...

Fresh, clear, simple, images ...

Mmmm maybe this year I'll learn to crochet, again  ...

 inspiration courtesy of the gorgeous MUNTEDKOWHAI here.

Today = included pondering a 1955 woman's "place" = I wanna be ME ...

Yikes ...

talk about putting yourself under pressure ...

couldn't sleep last night ...

at the prospect of day one at my 'new' job!

Whilst rummaging round at 2am ...

came across the following ...



SOooooo as I pondered those outrageous expectations ...
I'd no doubt who I'd rather be!

After a four hour sleep ...

the computer got me for the day ... I know, I know ...

BUT ...

I have re-organised all files and folders, including ...

the zillion photo's taken in 2010 ...
and realised I have to go a bit easier on myself.

SOooooooo how was your day???

Blossom = loving the fan + a day of resolve ...

Today I prepared to start a new chapter ...

I contemplated ...
and resolved to get the lead out ...

to treat each day as a working day!

This could be the answer to breaking bad habits?

Blossie enjoyed the fan being on ...

 ... from the wrong end!

One genius idea is ...

instead of making to do lists ...
at the end of each day ...

write a list of what I did ...

... watch this space!

PANTONE 2011 Colour of the Year = Honeysuckle = fabulous ...

Here it is Darlings ...

last year was Turquoise.

This years it's Honeysuckle.

I adore it, love it ...nothing like placid honeysuckle to warm my heart!

Beach Plastic becomes ART = my dream job = Judith & Richard Lang on Kehoe Beach ...

Ahhhh my dream job ...

For the past decade Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang have collected over two tons of plastic trash from 1000 yards of Kehoe Beach along the Point Reyes National Seashore in the US east coast. By transforming plastic debris into works of art, the artists raise awareness of the sheer variety and ubiquity of plastic pollution and its impact on delicate marine ecosystems.

This is them at  One Year/One Beach :: their first exhibiton ...

 In their first year they collected roughly 4,300 pounds of plastic. Among the most coveted items were 412 cigar tips, 242 shotgun casings, 237 cigarette lighters and 124 combs ... read more here..

The artists found the most "treasures" between December and April after storms. Back at the studio, they systematically washed the litter, then sterilized and sorted it, organizing each item by shape and color.

Their Beach Plastic web site here

Their Plastic Forever blog is here

OK ... what would be your dream job?

Works of Art made from common trash = inspiration ...

A chair from CD's

a pooch from everyday found objects ...

an old iron becomes a lamp ...

A camera, oil can and small tins ends up as this groovy little guy.

There's 36 more terrific works HERE ... why not be inspired ?

Lessons in Letting Go by Corrine Grant + 2011 Lists to STOP & DO ...

2010 Christmas gifts were more than I ever imagined ...

so much thought had gone in to the selecting ...

one of MJ's gifts was ...

(she knows me too well.)

I've been unable to finish a complete book since 2008 ...

this was a brekathrough.

On Friday night I snuggled in bed for a read ...

by 2am I'd read three quarters ...

when I woke I picked it up again ...

two hours later I'd finished!

It's a super easy read ...

the beginning was like listening to a conversation.

For me it became annoying as she inanely rattled on ...

her low opinion of herself infuriated me.

 However it picked up and ended on a positive high!

I related to a number of her probs and her solutions.

If you're overwhelmed by stuff, do yourself a favour!

Meanwhile ...

I've been blocked at the begining of 2011 ...

My fave bloggers are making lists for 2011 here ...

I adore a list ... so here's mine for 2011.

Things to STOP::

 ... spending,

         ... procrastinating,

... worrying,

     ... being scared,

  ... being hurt,

                       ... doing projects in my head

Things to DO::

                                             ... get the exhibiton done with time to spare,

                               ... get the projects out of my head,

                             ... purge belongings                    

                     ... lose weight                   

    ... do New York,

participate in Sophies Fleamarket Finds without going to a Flea Market.

That'll do ...

editing the list has been exhausting ...

so much to do ~ so little time.

Pop over to Cathy's for a peek at the lists of fab bloggers.

Hope your 2011 is smoothing out and finding direction like mine is♥

Heirloom Couture ... what to do with an old quilt = beautiful coats ...

I took a couple of days off to re-think and especially to re-energise ...

however I wasn't able to stay away from searching online!

Look at the gorgeousness I discovered ...

Joanne Kliejunas has been creating beautiful coats and jackets since 2007

from old quilts ...

aren't they beautiful?

Please don't throw everything out ...

here's a shining example that everything isn't rubbish... 

beautiful fabric can be reborn.

See more of Joanne work here

Happy New Year ... have you made any resolutions for 2011?

HAPPY NEW YEAR Darlings ...

 

my photography isn't as good this year ...

despite living 7 kms from the extravaganza ...

the fireworks echoed ...

Blossie was her usual scaredy cat self ... poor Blossie!

SOoooo ... tell me ...

have you made any new year resolutions?