A Little trip away

Hello again dear readers......I know you are out there because my page count says so.......ahhhh...unless they are all spammers!

My hubby and I took a short break just recently so I dont have much to show in the way of projects but I have got a few snaps of the wonderful city of Hobart to share if you wish to stay around.

We stayed on the waterfront of this wonderful city, which for you overseas visitors is situated on that little island that sits at the bottom of Australia. We have a big boat race that starts from Sydney on Boxing Day and ends here in Hobart whenever all the boats make it safely through Bass Straight and up the Derwent River.

And there are the most beautiful buildings on the waterfront. This was near the hotel and had lovely shops and a cafe which served the most tasty food. We ate there a bit, you could say!

The stones had the most amazing texture.
And whilst my hubby quenched his thirst for the good life I ran around taking arty shots of the walls.......and I am sure the locals see this a lot. 

What do you think? 

Then we took a walk around to a place called Battery Point which still has original settlers cottages perched on a hill with a common green in the centre. Hubby complained the whole way up the hill, but it was so worth the walk for the charming vista. 

Now you lucky people in England and Europe get to see such things possibly on your way to the shops each day. But we here in Australia are young and free....sorry silly national anthem snuck in there. We are young and I am starved for history in architeture compared to the rest of the world.

 The slope was pleasant, and I was pleased to get this shot as I had to snap it quickly in case his lordship got impatient and walked back down the hill. I make him sound like a dragon but he really just likes to tease me whenever I get enthusiatic about buildings.

 I then couldnt stop snapping away at this house. So pretty, I could really live here.

Have you finished yet?

You can see the mocking grin under that mustache. Can I tell you he has had that mo for as long as we have been together (coming up 30 years thanks for asking) and now they are fashionable he gets a lot of attention from young ladies and men, they are impressed. 

 I was then persuaded to take a senic flight in this flying machine, the worst part was telling them my weight, the rest of the trip a breeze.

You weigh how much?
LOL

Mount Wellington rising up behind the city.

And then I made him walk a lot of streets so I could walk off the morning tea and find a divine little shop called Le Petite Marche

which delivered what it promised in a little vintage.

We had a wonderful time and the camera got a nice time too.

 Even on a dull day, Hobart shone.

The view from the hotel.

 

Yes folks this is a stunning little town and I will return.

Ohhhhh...Post Title!

You never stop learning it seems.....who would have thought there was a post title in this blogger thingy. LOL.

I have been on a wee bit of a roll it seems here and in my work. It is coming up 12 months since I had to take on extra hours and it has been a change and it has been a juggling act, but you know what, I am still learning. 

Learning what I am capable of and what I can cope with and learning how to keep up with technology too...I do amaze myself sometimes!! 

And this little critter was a project I was itching to get going.....eeekkk! It is the cutest mouse in a matchbox that you ever did see. Its designed by Simone Gooding of Mayblossoms.

She comes with a full bed , a little pillow and a little blanket. I had the bestest time playing as I once did as a child. Picking scraps of fabric for the bedding..(vintage sheets no less) and making her comfy and pretty.










This is her posing with the blanket...
I may bore you with the photoshoot but it was so much fun.

Phew, a collage to the rescue.

But dear friends that is not the only small doll I have made, this is the teeniest tiniest little doll I have ever managed and it was a mite tricky.

Here she is posing next to her teeny tiny quilt. Not impressed yet?

Here she is standing next to my mobile phone...huh,huh? Impressed much? 

This is a Gail Wilson design and she is the BEST at instructions and kits for doll making. I would do more but then I would be a crazy lady in a house stuffed full of dolls.....meaning I have a few where would I put them all? 

 This is the tiny doll with the other doll, what I do need to do at some stage is make her some clothes but she is sweet in her cami. Oh yes there is more and many accessories for this doll, I have made a few more things.

I made the rug, chair and the teeny Amish quilt.

And this is how they live on display.

And my mouse has now joined the family.

Think its beddybye time for little mousies now.

Young things are so exhausting!

I also received a lovely parcel from my pal Joy at Joyjinks, and having been reassured that is was safe to proceed...I popped that bubble wrap open....

, 

Inside was a sweet card and heart and .........

This gorgeous fabric basket!!!! I was very happy as I had been researching fabric baskets and pondering on how to make my own. 
This basket now holds my bits and bobs nicely on the table and stops them roaming around getting in the way.
Thank You Joy!!

Does anyone else do this? I have placed a list of things I really do want to complete this lifetime, it is a slow burner list and may be dug up one day on an archaeology site because the list is not being ticked off at any fast rate. But I have made some small progress, I HAVE A LIST!!

That's my paparazzi at work again, capturing me at work.....umm on a project that is not on the list...

OH WELL.......but at least I have the list..right?

MY DAY OFF........

Yesssssss, I thought yippee, midweek break, well earned and now for "me" time. First I will have a quiet cuppa.............

 Then I will head to my sewing room to crack on with the many and varied projects I have to complete..........

 Yup, its gonna be great!!!

Well, I did have a little snack with said cuppa tea, a little smack of bread, jam and cream. Gasp! I hear you say? Don't knock it until you try it, its my weakness and I find it keeps me well fuelled for the day. Well as I said a wee snack and a cuppa and I was set to go.
I started well, I got chopping into my scrap pile, I downloaded photos, swapped an old cutting mat......and that's when my day became a little unravelled.

You move things at your peril in the sewing room in mi casa, it exposes dust, and once you move a pile 'o dust you have to keep going. So it was downstairs to get the duster....dust around sewing area....not bad.....OK...NOW to start sewing!

Hmmm snack has digested a little and cuppa has done its work, I think I may just pop to the loo before I start.....nah just been downstairs so I will use the kids bathroom upstairs. (the kids are 21 and 25)
 NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!! IT WAS FILTHY!!!!

So then it was downstairs to get the cleaning bucket and hours later I am exhausted, the bathrooms clean but I am exhausted. And you know what, they will hardly notice, hubby will come home and ask how my day off was?.....and what did I get done?..because he doesn't really notice either......aaaaarrrrrrggghhhhhhh!!!!!!

Thank goodness I have sewing to calm me down and I will get some done later..............just as soon as I have a cuppa and a snack..........

This is the said scrap basket and I am determined to empty it. That is my current top of my list project.

 And these are some more of the blocks I need to complete. So the scrap basket has been well mined for fabric there. This quilt has quite a history. I bought the pattern in 2008 and worked sporadically on it. At one stage my daughter did a block as a distraction when she was having bully problems at school.

The quilt will be finished now I have made it my mission to clear old projects before starting any new ones ......this year.......maybe....we will see! The block my daughter did is the top left hand one of the angel and house. She did a great job but decided that quilting wasn't really her thing. She now sews her own clothing and cons me into taking her to the local fabric store just as a girly thing and of course I end up buying the poor university student any amount of cloth she needs to create an outfit.

And the scrap basket has been mined for these blocks.

They are for a quilt by Sarah Fielke from the book "Material Obsession Two"  Maple Leaf Rag.

I am having a blast using scraps and creating this odd fabric. It is liberating not having to be accurate. Like colouring outside the lines, in fact its like scribbling and paying no attention to any lines.

Then when you have thrown together a piece of cloth you cut it according to the template and like magic it looks amazing.

I have 128 of these little suckers to finish. 

So that is a little of what happens on a  so called day "off"

I blame the coming of spring for my cleaning frenzy too, have you noticed that as the sun shines through the dirty windows it exposes the dust bunnies just that bit more..........Love the sun, don't love dust. 

Well bye for now...remind me to tell you about this woman I knew and her three daughters and her way of dealing with bad bathrooms.Oh well may as well tell you now.

You see I used to go to this woman's house for a sewing night. She was a single mum and had three lovely girls.....but they were feisty and teenagers to boot. They had two bathrooms, the girls sharing one and mum having her own. This woman was quite strict, as you have to be as a single parent and three girls. So there we all were sewing quietly, when one child comes in and asks if she could get the key to mums bathroom as she didn't want to wait for her sister to finish. Mum replied "No, you didn't keep your bathroom clean and you are not using mine"

We kept our eyes on our work pretending we didn't hear the exchange of mutterings from the thwarted child.....but then it was ON!!! 

For the rest of the evening we were visited by any and all combinations of the three girls pleading, acting and wheedling and crying and collapsing spectacularily on the floor,

PLEEEEEESSSSE we don't want to wait for her to finish can we use your bathroom!!

This woman had nerves of steel and she didn't give in......

Yeah great story, glad I waited around for that......says the little daog