No to pink!

We moved in last November, and my garden is gorgeous... don't get me wrong, I love having space and the greenery! It was such a gorgeous summer out there too! BUT, every single day since we've been here... PINK flowers bloom across the whole place.

The lovely former owner planted every shade of pink (and I fear there's more to come in winter... I see buds on the camellia plants!) flower and I'm just not a pink lover... I don't mind red and orange flowers (which makes me think those Fuschia's are orangey pink now)! I might have to get a green thumb going to replace these pink geranium ones, as they are very pretty but I think red and orange would make me really enjoy the garden! Anyone interested in a plant swap?

xoxo

Memories! From the Corner of My Mind

FACT: 'The Way We Were' by Barbra Streisand was the first song I ever sang solo at a concert when I was maybe 15 or 16? I'd had a couple weeks of singing classes, and I had to choose a song that my teacher could accompany me on the piano... everything was 90s pop on her first list of choices... but I just hated singing Mariah or Celine, so I pushed for her vintage collection of songs. A boy from school told me after my song that it was his mother's favourite song ever, and that I'd performed it really well according to her. It was enough to keep going for me, and thus began a small career in extremely non-professional but hilarious musical theatre productions.

I've sifted through my old laptop today, with some 'memories' for you, as we had sudden rain storms this week that threatened my computer space AND sewing room space, so we unplugged EVERY thing just in case, because hey fellow seamstresses: WHO WANTS A SHORT CIRCUITED COMPUTER OR SEWING MACHINE, AMIRITE? So I'm here on my old laptop, and may set up the sewing room as it's now a beautiful clear day... let's hope the rain stays away and OUT of my house!

Oh the joys of home owning, we just got the gutter cleaned, and now we may need to get new gutters! Yay time to prioritise the budget AGAIN!

But, here's a few photos on this old laptop that I thought would be a bit of memory lane for us! My old 'Crafty Adventures' banner from this blog circa 2008 or 2009? I ditched the 'crafty' when I just started posting about anything from my life.

And here's a photo from my Husband's hipstermatic collection, photoshopped of course:

SUCH white hair. We stayed in a creepy hotel, but I have no idea/can't remember why.

My brother and I before Husbie and I got married... my friend Claire emailed a whole bunch of photos and I must have saved them on this laptop... One day I'll get a photo album/book organised! Have any of you used Blurb before? I got a book last year printed up (I didn't show you because it was filled with photos of Doggie Darling, and I was too sad when it arrived) and I was really happy with the quality... and my friend Inner West Mum got a few books printed too, and they look AMAZING. Anyways, I was thinking of making a Blurb book of my wedding photos, once I get them all together in the one spot! 5 years of marriage people!

Anyways, here's the first granny square I ever crocheted too! I did end up making a blankie out of heaps more and gave it to a baby friend!

Here's some bunting I made for work, that still is spread across my office and radio studios:

And my last Sew Weekly dress from 2011... seems like forever ago already:

SUCH orange hair. That didn't last long! It just didn't stay in my hair longer than 2 weeks, I think she used a tint and it looked great initially, but I had to use copper shampoo to maintain it, and it just warped in colour... so that's why I'm back to blonde, less white and more goldie BUT NOT TOO GOLDIE. I'm fine when my hair stays the same colour for at least 5 weeks (and then back for an update on the regrowth)... but I only wash it once a week, so extra special shampoos (I don't even use it) or conditioners are a pain in the arse ... just can't keep with the upkeep of it!

Anyways, back to the memories... it's weird thinking how fast the time goes... being married 5 years, blogging for around 5 years here, living in Sydney, now Melbourne... buying my house in Sydney ... then buying my house in Melbourne... loving Doggie Darling as a pup and missing her greatly, she would be 3 years old now... so many things happen and there's so many swings and roundabouts and ups and downs...

My wistfulness is actually stopping me from getting up and hanging the washing out and getting on with my day, so I wish I could wist away forever... I love looking at old photos and wanna show you more more more now! BUT, better say goodbye for now...

xoxo

Pierced Ears

Did you know that I only got my ears pierced in December last year? I keep forgetting to make a big song and dance about it here on the blog, as I have done so a LOT with my friends in real life, and I think they're tired of the songs & dancings and realistically, it's weird that a 33 year old grown woman suddenly decides to get her ears pierced.

I've actually been thinking about it for about 5 years, maybe longer, but I'm not heavily into accessories or piercings, so have kind of just been talking about it instead. Talking about it enough to make my Husbie point out earring piercing places around our new neighbourhood.

On a whim, he marched me into a cutie place in a shopping block and for 2 months I had these silver but pink stoned earrings, and I'm just starting to play around with little new earrings, to see what my ears can handle.

Yep (as shown above with my nifty turban/headband) sleepers are the best for me... they keep the backs of the ears clear and open... as I found these cutie ones (from that cheapie shoe store Rubi - but it sells accessories too) have plastic backs that don't let my ears breath enough:

I can't believe how outrageously happy I am in these photos that I'm wearing earrings. What a dill! But the plastic ones are ok for just a day, and then I'll swap back to the sleepers.

But it feels like I have a WHOLE new world of accessories has opened up and I'm yet to work out what suits my style. And also what I'm comfortable with. I'm a bit queasy putting them in and out, but I'll get better I'm sure.

Maybe next stop for me is getting a tattoo (let's think about that one for at least 10 years)!??!!

My Neighbourhood: Those Fences

And here are THOSE white picket fences you expect to see in suburbia! With a West Footscray touch of course. Hope you enjoyed some photos of my neighbourhood this week! There's so much more to photograph too, I'll really try to get out more! xoxo

Happy Weekend also guys! I'm tuckered out on comedy, so heading to the couch (or maybe my bed) to crochet! xoxo

My Neighbourhood: Spotting Artwork

Here's another found object in West Footscray, and as my blog post title suggests, I'm under the impression that it's a little 'spot the artwork' around here. Of course it's a table top that's been left out on someone's nature strip... but with the grass growing and the different painted parts of it... I feel it's kind of like a piece of art.

Thanks for following along my journey through West Footscray this week! I've got a couple more photos for you, and then I'm planning a little sewing room sweep up this Saturday arvo... so here's hoping I get some WIP or a finished garment to you soon!

xoxo

My Neighbourhood: Expect the Unexpected

What I love about West Footscray, is just as you 'get it' (like yesterday's 'green' themed community members proudly showing their Tank Water usage), you are surprised by the unexpected.

Some parts of the suburb is very predictable, gorgeous houses with new renovations out the back, lovely veggie patches, tank water signs... beautiful olive trees set up by the council, wide roads and lovely footpaths and dog parks... Total suburban, right?

And then there's unexpected and interesting things to see, like this motorhome! It's huge & dusty black, has a kitchenette (not that I snooped too much) inside with a little hand gel dispenser on view! And at the moment is parked in our seemingly quiet 'well to do' street. Now there's also a lot of other unexpected things around our street too, but it makes me so happy that not everything is picture perfect all the time.

I haven't harked about David Lynch for a while, growing up perhaps! But his opening scene in Blue Velvet is the perfect neighbourhood, the white picket fences and lawns... with seemingly happy and friendly families all in their perfect homes... but then Lynch then dives down under the landscaped lawn and water sprinklers to show the dirt and worms and the 'real' grit of suburbia. When I walk around my part of Melbourne ... I see this in the unexpected things lying around, and it makes me so happy that everything is not too shiny... too perfect... you know what I mean?

Also, it's not even hard rubbish time but someone has just left their old tv on the grass to the right of the old motorhome too... there's a lot of mystery around the place, in people's yards and in the graffiti (usually postering graffiti too, so quite labour intensive!) and I love it.

xoxo

My Neighbourhood: Resourceful

This week, I'm sharing some photos from our neighbourhood as it'll be at least a week til I pop into my sewing room again. The weather has been amazing for autumn, and my little patch of Melbourne is starting to woo me over completely. We've lived in Melbs now for over 18 months, in Seddon first and now West Footscray... and it's a small quiet pocket of Melbourne that often gets overlooked by visitors and locals alike.

Walking around the streets however, there seems to a lot of environmentally aware people living here, and people who are very proud to point it out ... especially when it comes to water. Tank water, recycled water, and grey water are all displayed on signs on various homes near my place... whilst I can see solar panels on the north facing roofs on some houses as well.

When we can afford it, we're thinking of getting both a water tank and a solar power situation for our electricity... it's a few years off for us of course, with a new mortgage and my Husbie's new business cutting our budgets... but do you have these things at your place? And would you proudly display little notes like the above so the community can nod with satisfaction?

xoxo

My Neighbourhood: Small Things

This week, as my comedy festival carries on being LOL-worthy and thus keeping me busy back at work AND seeing gorgeous comedians, I thought I'd show you parts of my neighbourhood of West Footscray. We moved in successfully last November, and now feeling settled into our homely house, so I'm venturing out with my good camera to capture the suburban feel.

It's very quiet, with small things happening here and there... West Footscray is a sleepy gem, that feels like it's just about to wake up. We have workers expanding the footpaths, people filling in potholes and gardeners attending our public spaces and parks... all quietly creating something small.

Our autumn sun streams across the streets for much longer than it should, now that daylight savings has ended, but as our street runs east to west, the sun sets and makes the sky so wide and large and colourful.

There are small things growing for short people (ahem, like me) to find. Remember blowing on these dandelion flowers to tell the time of day, or was that just us as little kids?

xoxo

A Teddy Bears' Garden

Last week my friends were making a short film in the country, and somehow I ended up as the 'Preacher's Wife', thanks to their creative script and abilities... so I took a drive down to their location in a small town out North West of Melbs, but screeched on the breaks once I saw a cute little op shop in the town of Clunes. One cannot drive past a country Op Shop!

Not a lot of material or sewing stuff unfortunately, but heaps of these darling little "gardens" made by a local! I couldn't resist getting a few to 'kitsch' up our place!

And for my sewing room too:

I love all the little succulents and the weird little teddy bears! A few of the 'pots' have chips, so they make for great settings for gardens instead of cooking... I might have to make one of these myself one day!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend! It's so beautiful here in Melbourne, autumn is just never arriving! I was so surprised this weekend in the city to find hardly any autumn leaves on the ground... usually be this time of year they've fallen everywhere up St Kilda Road and around Collins Street (my usual hangspot because of the Comedy Fest!)... but there's hardly any!

xoxo

ZOMG! New Hairband

HI GUYS! Remember when I had time to take photos, and Husbands who also had time to take photos and I told stories and made stuff and the blog thrived and we laughed and were happy with stuff?! YAY, nup, neither do I!?

I'm literally forcing myself to take photos again of the things I make... and thus a HAIRBAND SLASH TURBAN.

This babe blogger Robyn posted a tutorial about making a headband turban, and I really wanna make a lot of these... they're so easy to make up! I had some leftover stretch fabric, and literally put it together in 5 minutes.

Riding your bike in Melbourne in autumn sometimes means your ears get cold! Solution: sassy headband turban. I didn't even stitch the raw edges down and it looks amazing.

I also haven't been feeling 'photo friendly' of late as I have THREE coldsores on my face ... they're starting to clear up now... but THREE?! That's a festival of coldsores! MORE than a party of two. But today I visited the hairdressers, so feel moderately normal enough to show my face around here.

The comedy festival has one more week to go, and then I'll look a little less tired as well (oh those late night comedy shows full of LOLZ) so hopefully I'll pop by again soon... I've started taking my camera (the good one, not just the iphone) around with me also, so I hope to get some good photos up soon!

Love to you and Happy Friday! xoxo

Shoesday: Getting Cooler in Melbs

It is cooling off here and there in Melbourne, and so come along the layers of clothing that goes with the chilly climes. I'm alternating tights with socks but generally grabbing my boots already. I have a cowboy pair and a rough cropped 80s pair of black boots, and I feel that this winter could be the last for both pair. I've had them fixed (the cowboy ones every year) so often, and I just wear them too much to give them a rest.

With the changes of weather, it's hard to remember how to wear things, so I spend a few weeks getting comfortable again. With the comedy festival going on, you need practical flat shoes (there's a lot of walking all over the city to get to comedy shows) so I've got a few in rotation at the moment... but I really really really think I need a few more pairs of shoes this year. Especially if those boots run out.

After a visit to Savers on the weekend, I'm completely agog at where to get good second hand boots from... have you had any online shopping luck recently? Or good Melbourne second hand shops for boots? You know I'm reluctant to buy new ones, especially leather ones, so really would love some winter boot tips!

xoxo

Wedding Flowers

Taking photos at other people's weddings makes Husbie and I want to get married again, it's a very loved up day of course... and it always makes us get a bit gushy over each other.

I love my camera, as I've said many times, and love taking photos of flowers at the weddings we attend. Some of these are 'official' flowers and others are just from around the venues the bridal party stopped off at during the day. Usually the rundown of the day is (for us) take photos of the bride & groom getting ready (separately), take photos of the wedding ceremony and then official family photos and then bridal party photos before the reception... these guys wanted to have the bridal party photos before the actual ceremony, which made it the smoothest day ever (no stress of time between the ceremony and the reception), and they were such a lovely group of people!

It is hard work though, so any chance for a sit down, you take it! (I tried to take out most of the red in my face, but it must have been beetroot red all day!)...

Hope you're enjoying a good week! I'm on holidays for a bit on Saturday, so can't wait to finish up work with a big bang on Friday!

Talk soon, xoxo

Naughty but Special

I can't stop taking photos of Doris Day! Isn't she cute!?

She's naughty a LOT: digs my garden and scatters the succulents everywhere, runs like a maniac inside (and makes me worry about the new polished wood floors we just got last year) and isn't very good at going for walks yet! Staffy's just pull so much!

But she's special too: cuddly while we watch tv, the sweetest and watchful friend (sits on my foot while I'm on the computer) and very good around new friends (to her!) especially children. Awww.

What a darling heart.