Hey! First post for the…err…ummm *cough* year??

I thought I might sneak back into the blogosphere while noone was looking. I’m not 100% sure what’s going to happen here yet….but let’s just go with it and see!

Thought I’d ease myself back in with a little op shopping loot!

I have been hoarding a lot of clothes for the girls. These are a few of my favourites….Oilily winter dress, ‘See Saw’ Marino woollen jacket, Fred Bare dress.

And as usual I couldn’t resist a few lovely little vessels…

…or for some reason this wool. I’ve also collected a few vintage knitting and crochet books and patterns lately…now if only I knew a) how to knit or crochet and b) had the time to learn! Knitting/crochet lessons for Photoshop/digital collage tutorials anyone?

Life’s much more hectic with two than I ever imagined. Trying to balance work and family and have some ‘me’ time in between sometimes feels impossible. So many things I want to do. Not enough time. Isn’t that always the way?

The girls are just lovely! Eloise is such a delight and so funny… a 24/7 stage show. Pantomime and song and dance non stop here lately. She’s big on audience participation! She’s also all abuzz with the idea of starting school next year. School!?? How can that be possible? And little Caitlin…the words are starting to flow and she’s growing into such a sparkly treasure who loves to snuggle. Although she’s only 18months, she’s trying really hard to be four and Eloise is gladly teaching her the ropes. Trouble! But oh so delicious!

Phew that wasn’t so hard! I can’t believe I have procrastinated and put off posting for 8 months!!

I need to dust off the cobwebs, have a Spring mid Winter clean up and start those posts flowing more frequently. I have a truckload of rescued treasures and stuff that I need to photograph and scan. Lots of books, photos and websites and fun things to share. And a few exciting projects in the works which I will divulge details of soon! Maybe even a little bit of creating!!

I’ll try not to leave it so long….honest!!

What the almost four year old and I got up to whilst the littlest one was sleeping (yes sleeping in the daytime!! Shhhhh don’t jinx me!)

We don’t really ‘do’ Halloween here in Australia (despite the retailers ramping it up this year, and the abundance of US children’s television). The mere mention of Halloween gets a very mixed reaction amongst adults…..so trick or treating is out of the question unless it’s secretly arranged with friends and neighbours. So we’re finding a middle ground and taking these to playgroup this afternoon. Eloise is itching to wear her witches hat. She has her cauldron, magic wand, sparkly shoes and fairy wings ready to go (she’s a good witch she tells me)!!

Have an awesome Halloween everyone (especially you Auntie Kelly!!!)

Featured Gem 16
Real Photo Postcard

‘Seeing Stars’

Date: 1909
People: Unidentified
Studio: Unspecified
Postcard Back: Blank

Notes: I recently purchased a series of twenty odd postcards that had unfortunately already been removed from an old album. Apparently there was a message on the front of the album that read: “To The Mayoress with H Jenkins compliments. 1909 A souvenir of the Childrens Fancy Dress Ball”

Gem Prints: High quality reprints of images featured will soon be available for purchase. If you’ve enquired about previous images, and are patiently waiting for me to get back to you, I will be in touch when I have worked out the finer details!

1. clothes for the girls, 2. butterfly coasters, 3. ric rac & simplicity costume pattern, 4. game spinner, 5. small wooden box, 6. inside the wooden box, 7. children’s Boikido puzzle, 8. children’s book ‘The Window Doll’, 9. ‘Hey Hey Witch Way?’ game board detail

I’ve decided it’s time to start blogging again. Not that I meant to go away….life just sort of took over! I have lots of plans I want to gradually kick off in here and I am really excited and inspired. I’ll be honest and say that life with two little ones took a lot more adjusting to than I ever imagined, but things are definitely good and getting better! It’s been a long year with little sleep, loads of sling wearing, cuddling and baby rocking….oh and chicken pox too!

Sneak Peek: 16 zines set to wing their way around the globe for Nikki-Shell’s ‘Handmade Zine Swap’. Just a couple of tiny additions to make before I pop them in the post. I thoroughly enjoyed making these. They’re the first real crafty thing I have done all year. Apologies for being a couple of weeks behind, I seriously underestimated how much time I would need to put together my vision!!! Hopefully the recipients will enjoy the results. I’ll give a little zine review when more land in my mailbox.

Caitlin will be 9 months next week! She’s adorable and she sparkles when she smiles. She’s busy exploring the world around her, crawling and cruising anything she can stand at!

Eloise will be 4 in December. I can’t believe how fast she is growing up! She had her first ballet concert in August (and do you want to know how many times we have watched that DVD???). I am loving her take on life, her impromptu performances and her lively conversation. She is great company and always makes me laugh. We’re having many adventures!!

Lets see what happens from here…