starry starry tote..

I may have been lazy with posting but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy with other things! This star tote is going to be my first listing on Etsy (I'll get it up and running in the next few days)






I also made this little drawstring for my son's soldiers out of op shop fabric.

redwork cushion

I finished this today, my first ever cushion of my own design (except for the redwork design which is by Barbara Parrish from www.redwork.info) I'm not keen to do piping again in a hurry, but I guess practice makes perfect.


banana cake

I've made a lot of banana cakes over the years, but this is my all time favourite recipe. Try it, the kids will love it!





125g softened butter
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
few drops vanilla essence or extract
250 g plain flour
1 tspn bicarb soda
pinch salt
.5 tspn cinnamon
1/8 tspn ground allspice
1/2 cup buttermilk or
1/2 cup milk + 1 tspn lemon juice

Oil a 20cm cake tin, line with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Cream butter & sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, banana and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Spoon into tin and bake 45 minutes or until cake tests clean. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out.

Variation: Combine 3 tablespoons coursely chopped walnuts, 3 tablespoons self raising flour, 1.5 tspns ground cinnamon, 100g softened butter and 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Scatter over uncooked cake and bake as above.

Same room different angle



This is the revamped room from the other end.

One room down, many to go!



Here is the revamped and meticulously cleaned room! It took many hours and elbow grease (washed curtains, walls, everything!) I'm very pleased with the result and shocked that I allowed it to get into such a terrible state. Anyway, its spurred me on to do each room until the house is done.

organisation!

I'm reading "A Mother's Rule of Life" by Holly Pierlot which has given me some food for thought, in particular about the state of our home. As we homeschool I don't get any time to clean and organise without children around. Holly gives some excellent suggestions about getting the children involved and delegating tasks. Who says Mum has to do everything!? She also suggests a "room analysis" which I will be undertaking and prompts every family to have a budget, which is something I've been trying to instigate for a few years. I've started with the living/ sewing/ play room (yes it has many functions!) which in truth should be known as the dumping space! I'm doing before and after photos, so watch this space!

I won!!


Wow, I'm so excited, my Cinderella doll won the March Crafty Mamas competition! I will be receiving a waldorf inspired handmade doll from Crafty Mama Lissylou. I can't wait to see it. Here is the doll that won. She is made and modified from a Brownhouse Dolls pattern.

Cordelia the bear


I made her a little while ago but thought she deserved a place here. She is my own design and luckily you can't see all the imperfections because of her dress!

This blog is closing!

All posts will now be found at my new site.  Click here to go the the new site.