The sixth in sixth

I've been tagged by incomparable blogging gal, Potty Mouth Mama, to play along with a photo meme.

"Open the 6th picture folder on your computer, open the 6th photo and blog it. Write something about it."

Here is mine - taken on holiday in Niagara Falls in 2001. The accommodation was one (slightly exaggerated) star. There was a hole in the wall. The bed linen was too short for the bed. And stained. And holey from the cigarette burns. I can't remember anything about the bathroom. I think this is my way of coping with what I saw in there.

I feel this picture says everything that really needs to be said about the room decor.

At least the falls scenery was stunning.



If I am following the rules of this meme to the letter, I'd need to select another 6 people to tag. So I'm afraid I'm going to cheat a bit and make this self-service. (I am already embarrassingly behind on acknowledging tags and awards from some very lovely people ... I'm trying to make amends, I promise).

So, if you'd like to play along to, leave a comment ... I'll pop by, as I'd love to see your photo.

Eye spy ... a small object

I am playing along with Cindy's fun Eye Spy meme each Sunday. This week the delightful Crafty Librarian has suggested that we show off something tiny. The theme is Eye spy ... a small object.

So, may I present the reason (the sole reason) I became an Avon lady. Yes ... it was all to satisfy a certain fondness for cosmetic samples.

Oh, how I delight in the tiny lipsticks; adore the miniature foundation tubes; admire the minuscule perfume bottles. And those wee samples of a bit-of-this-that-and-the-other for the complexion, are irresistible.

You can rest assured that at a moment's notice I am always able to find a little something to rehydrate my skin by 643 percent. Or make me look almost vaguely like Reece Witherspoon.

Thank you to Cindy at Bug and Pop who is hosting Eye Spy and to the Crafty Librarian for the fun theme. To see who else is playing, head over here.

Eye spy ... a taste of summer

Trawool Victoria - 18 January 2009

I am playing along with Cindy's fun Eye Spy meme each Sunday. This week the very talented AnastasiaC of Anastacia Drawing and Dreaming suggested thinking of something that reminds us of summer.

This is my taste of summer: a warm northerly wind, impossibly blue sky and parched landscape. The rolling brown hills and plains seem synonymous with an Australian summer (I'm sure that the wonderful poet, Dorothea Mackellar, was writing about summer in her work My country).

Thank you to Cindy at Bug and Pop who is hosting Eye Spy and to AnastasiaC for the nice warm theme. To see who else is playing, head over here.

My creative space

I'm joining in Thursday's My Creative Space at Kootoyoo.

Clockwise from left corner:

1. BurdaStyle's Sophia playset - 19 pages of pattern downloaded, printed, trimmed, taped, traced and ready to go
2. Auntie Cookie craft panel; black with white polka dot cotton
3. Pattern drafting ideas from an assistant

Thank you to Kirsty for hosting. To see who else is showing their creative space today (or to join in), head over here.

Eye Spy... something I want to try in 2009

I am playing along with Cindy's fun Eye Spy meme each Sunday. This week the lovely Bek of Red Chocolate nominated the theme of something we'd like to try in 2009.

I seem to have quite a number of somethings ...

1. Collars and plackets - the last frontier in basic garment construction
2. Lino cutting - tried once before, but the box says these cutters cost $7.80 ... so clearly quite a long time ago
3. Velvet embossing - after the great velvet fiasco of 2008, I have plenty of remnants to experiment with
4. Knitting - will it be easier to learn than crochet?
5. Quilting - starting with a picnic rug
6. Sketching - again, tried before ... but with 2 decades between me and this sketch, I'm not sure I even remember how

Thank you to Cindy at Bug and Pop who is hosting Eye Spy and to Bek for the great theme. Its good to have a list of goals for the year! To see who else is playing, head over here.

Eye Spy ... ... my best memory of 2008

I am playing along with Cindy's fun Eye Spy meme each Sunday. This week the gorgeous Kat of Kat's Creations has suggested we reminisce. Her pick of themes is our best memory from the year just past.

So here's mine.

This picture was taken at a milestone birthday; the sort ending in a zero and not starting with a prime number.

It was an evening party in the middle of winter, in a salon room overlooking vibrant Brunswick Street. There were cosy fireplaces, low candle-light and sparkly chandeliers. Tasty morsels were consumed and pretty drinks drunk. I was surrounded by wonderful family and friends. It was a night to remember.

Thank you to Cindy at Bug and Pop who is hosting Eye Spy and to Kat for the great theme. To see who else is playing, head over here.

Eye spy ... the festive aftermath

I am playing along with Cindy's fun Eye Spy each Sunday. I'm a wee bit early for this weeks Eye Spy .... The Festive Aftermath, but I thought I should take some photos before the big clean-up here at Chez Hoppo Bumpo!

1. Animal cookies - sad characters ... crumbly circus elephant and giraffe with one leg
2. Christmas leftovers - no cooking needed for another week!
3. Christmas tree - this might have to be taken down soon .... Argy and Bargy are still waiting expectantly for more presents!
4. Santa hat - left behind by a jolly man bearing gifts (I'll return it to you soon, Dad!)
5. Table decoration - very kitsch battery operated poinsettia from the Avon catalogue
6. Mince pies - that solitary pie didn't last long after the photo shoot

Thank you to Cindy at Bug and Pop who is hosting Eye Spy and suggested the theme this week. To see who else is playing, head over here.

Just a minute ... in December

Its months since I have joined in with Jenaveve's Just a minute meme, so I thought I ought to make amends before 2008 slips away.

So, this month I have been ...

Reading

KindaWorks. A manual from an organisation called Kindergarten Parents Victoria. I would say that I highly recommend reading it, but I suspect its appeal is limited.

I have volunteered to be the kindergarten treasurer in the coming year. Its not so much out of a deep seated desire to be an office bearer, as much as a sense of I guess if no-one else is volunteering I'd better do my bit. It involves invoicing and receipting fees, banking and other exciting tasks. I'm still new to this whole kindergarten caper, but I take it that no-one wants to be the treasurer. Anywhere. At all. Ever. Its not a great surprise. Who wants to be the one to chase non-payers; hassling other parents?

I hope that the manual suggests ways in which to avoid being the most reviled parent at kindergarten.

Watching

How I Met Your Mother. I don't have a choice. Mr HB has recorded loads of episodes and since taking holidays, has had them on high rotation on the telly. He does that around Christmas every year. Goes a bit funny and has a sitcom-a-thon. Last year we had to watch every known episode of The IT Crowd and Black Books.

Growing

Flowering in the garden at the moment are three varieties of roses, two colours of hydrangea, echinacea, cornflowers, pansies and lavender. The colours are predominantly blues, mauves and pinks, with a little bit of soft apricot thrown in for good measure.

The edible part of the garden includes tomatoes, lettuces, watermelons, potatoes, limes and lemons. Unfortunately the plums are doomed; none of the fruit set. The coriander has gone to seed and the oregano has died. Snails continue to eat the lettuces despite a tasty saucer of beer left to lure them away. I might as well drink the beer (though I draw the line at sipping it directly from the snails' saucer) and forget the salad.

Cooking

Strawberry cookies. I have made several batches of a slightly adapted recipe I found on the back of a packet of dried strawberries. The original is called Dried Strawberry Cream Melting Moments and can be found at the Fruit For Life website. (My adaptations are the use of a food processor and omission of the icing.)

Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Place ½ cup icing/confectioners' sugar, ½ cup cornflour and 1 ½ cups plain/all-purpose flour into the bowl of your food processor. Blitz for a couple of seconds. Add 250g cold chopped butter and blitz until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Place into a bowl and stir in 50g thinly sliced dried strawberries (Lion of Sahara brand, if you are in Australia). Press and roll mixture into about 36 small balls and place on a greased tray. Flatten each with the back of a fork and bake for about 20 minutes. Delicious!


Sewing

I have a good list of sewing projects to keep me going. Next month this will include an apron for the combined Sassy/Flirty Apron Swap. This swap is in time for Valentine's Day and is themed Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice.

My special holiday project, however, is to sew children's sun hats. I have made a start, using Nikki's fantastic Kids' Hat Pattern. Although the pattern difficulty is rated "advanced" the instructions are very easy to follow. Admittedly sewing a brim to a crown is not the easiest of tasks, but I have found a seam ripper a great friend!

I have three hats cut out at the moment. The one pictured above, just needs a bit of extra stitching, a bit of a press and then its lining. Of course, I have carefully arranged the hat at just the right angle so you can't see how unfinished it really is (let's say a lack of attachment between crown and brim at the back). Ah, the magic of photography. I wonder if its possible to recreate this angle on a child?

To see who else is playing along with Just a minute ... head over to Jenaveve's blog, August Street.

This is ... my current reading material

When the theme for "This is ..." was revealed by Missk from My Champagne Dreams this week, I knew I'd better not peek at anyone else's entry before posting this one.

You see, I was sure that everyone would be showing their fabulous selection of tomes. And that I would feel a bit embarrassed.

Most of my reading these days is comprised of magazines and children's books. (It hasn't always been so. Back in the day, I was known to have read interesting works like Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". I blame it on Argy and Bargy - they just aren't into Russian literature. Especially at bedtime.)

So here is my current reading material:

• Metric pattern cutting for children's wear and babywear (top left)
  I'm not really reading this cover-to-cover; more just meandering about, trying to wrap my head around pattern grading concepts.
  


• Duck in a truck (top right)
  I have actually read this one cover-to-cover (about 95 times).
  


• Australian Stitches (bottom right)
  This latest edition features a beautiful evening gown on the cover ... made by my very talented dress-making teacher.
  


• Assorted quilting magazines (bottom left)
  If you have read this blog before, I doubt you'll have seen a single reference to quilting. Ever. So these magazines are clearly an aberration. Or the faint spark of a distant plan. Or maybe a sign or someone who just can't kick the magazine habit.

Thank you to Missk at My Champagne Dreams for the great theme this week and to Angela at Three Buttons who is hosting "This is ...".

Blogtoberfest

Jump on in; let's floor it down the Autobahn .... its Blogtoberfest over at Big Cat's Emporium. Head on over to check out the festivities!

Unlike other bloggers participating in Blogtoberfest, I really can't profess to knowing much German at all.

Which was a bit of a problem the time I arrived in Frankfurt. On my own. And my card wouldn't work in any cash point machines. And I'd arrived without so much as a brass razoo in my pocket. And my suitcase was cable-tied shut. And I didn't have scissors. And I felt a tad silly that with a name like Liesl, I couldn't sprechen sie Deutsches.

Anyway, enough about that incident. I'm kicking back this weekend with a rauchbier and a pretzel and enjoying Blogtoberfest.

This is ... show off time

When Katie suggested the theme for "This is ..." this week, I knew I finally had my big chance. After all, how I was ever going to weave this into my regular posts?

Yup ... that's me pointing and clicking at my feet. Don't ask how or why .... I just can.

In fact, I can turn both feet backwards at the same time, but this freakish party trick makes me fall down.

Now I'm looking forward to heading off to see some real talents and treasures that other people are showing off! Look here if you would like to see some too.

Thanks Katie at May The Cloth Be With You for this really fun theme and to Sharon at Handmaiden who is guest hosting "This is ..." while Angela at Three Buttons is away.

7 more favourite blogs and sites

The lovely Jenaveve over at August Street, has given me a blog award. I really appreciate that Jen - thank you! And best of luck with your self-imposed blogging ban and the hard-yards with the study! (If you haven't visited August Street previously, do take a look. Have a read through the amazing posts about consuming a Low GI diet. There's enough information there for a book!)

I was tagged with a similar award recently, so I'm going to bend the rules a bit again and post seven more assorted favourite links. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do ...

• Sew, Mama, Sew
  This is such a great blog. I really like the tutorials, sewing tips and the pattern reviews (some of which are written by this very clever local gal). There are also great month-long themes. September has been Sewing For The Home. Take a look - there are all sorts of excellent projects for prettying-up (or tidying-up) your place.
  
  
• Pattern Review
  If you sew from commercial patterns, this site is a very good resource. There's an extensive range of reviews contributed by Pattern Review members. Join for free and browse and contribute reviews yourself. There is also a paid subscription, which offers additional features such as database to store details of your stashed patterns, as well as details of those on your wishlist.
  
  
• Click to Print
  This an online store providing downloadable commercial patterns. Printing and preparing your own patterns definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you find it hard to get to a real bricks and mortar shop to buy patterns, then this might be a good alternative. I've used it a few times now - its great for the impatient at heart.
  
  
• Wilton
  Admittedly another commercial website pedalling wares, but there are some really fun cupcake ideas and recipes to be had here. I'm a self-confessed Wilton-tragic, with a large box of decorating paraphernalia and two large cupcake carriers in the cupboard. I do like the cupcake and icing recipes and there's some great tips and tricks. I'm looking forward to trying out this marshmallow fondant.
  
  
• Google Street View
  Wow, have you seen this? How cool .... in an invasion-of-your-privacy sort of way. This is Google-maps-go-ground-level. Yes, in a large scale project, teams of little cars equipped with special cameras were sent out to take 360 degree shots of streets near you. The first thing I did was check out my house: just in case I had accidentally stepped out to pick up the morning paper in my dressing gown and fluffy slippers, just as one of the little cars was whizzing by. There are, of course, worse things that could have happened.
  
  
• Weatherzone
  I'm a bit obsessed with weather forecasts. This detailed Australian site gives loads of handy information. You can check the radar picture to see whether its worth hanging those three loads of washing out on the line.
  
  
• D-listed decor
  I don't think any list of favourite blogs or links is complete without something that has that What the ...? factor. The subtitle "Design Within Retch: The worst home furnishing finds on Craigslist" will give a hint about the treasures that await you here. Be warned though: I wish I'd never looked at the ottoman posted this week. I may require therapy.

Honorable mention: Do take a look at the hysterical Cake Wrecks, recommended to me by Potty Mouth Mama. Where else are you likely to see a Congratulations on completing your jail sentence cake?

This is ... what I want to be when I grow up

I loved this week's "This is ..." theme from Cindy.  Something a bit retrospective and nostalgic, but relevant to the future too.

As a kid there were lots of things that I wanted to be when I grew up, but Teacher was always high on the list.

When I was in primary school, my second grade teacher allowed me to make a worksheet for the class.  I spent hours writing the whole thing in my very best hand-writing onto a stencil to be fed through the roneograph copier.  Ah, 32 fresh damp purple copies made for the class.  All smelling of - what I assume was - methylated spirit.  I loved that smell; it cemented my ambitions to be a primary teacher.

By high school I changed tack just a little and decided to be a secondary teacher.  Once I was in university, I did my "teaching rounds" at all sorts of places.  A notorious technical school, a school with an accelerated program for gifted students and a youth detention centre.  All amazing experiences.  But you know what? It was a bunch of flatulent 15-year-olds at a boys school that made me realise that it might less hazardous teaching adults.

So I graduated, found my feet for a bit and then worked in vocational and workplace  training.  I did it for years and had a ball.  Disappointingly technology had moved on and there was no longer any methylated spirits involved.  But I was paid to do things I absolutely loved: to learn and to help others learn.  I amassed skills and knowledge in new areas.  I travelled the world and lived in interesting places.  I met wonderful people.

But also on my list of things to be when I grew up was to be a Mummy.  So now I have the immense privilege to help two small boys learn.  There's not as much travel involved these days (unless you count the kindergarten run and trips to the park) and the pay, well we won't go into that.  But I have met two wonderful small people.

Some day I hope to go back to teaching, but in the meantime I've been thinking about what do while Argy and Bargy are young.  There's been a bit of casting around, but finally I've settled on the idea that it should involve a sewing machine.  When I grow up, I'd like to be (or dream of being!) a dressmaker like my Nan was.

Thank you to Cindy for the great theme this week and to Sharon at Handmaiden who is guest hosting This is.  To see more, look over here.

This is ... what I do with a spare 10 minutes

Despite suggesting this week's theme, I'm a bit stuck.

Do I speak about what I should be doing with that 10 minutes? Or maybe what I like to think I do with it? Or perhaps admit what I really do with a little spare time?

Well, Mr Hoppo Bumpo, if you happen to chance upon this, let me tell you that every ten minutes of the day is accounted for. Apart from running after Argy and Bargy all day, there's the washing, ironing, shopping, bill-paying, repairs, appointments, gardening, cleaning and vacuuming. The great cycle of household tasks are done with regular monotony.

However, I'd like to think (loftily) that I spend a spare 10 minutes broadening my horizons. As I've mentioned previously I do love magazines. I'm an avid reader of the monthly, Australian Stitches (which generous friends gave me as a subscription) and the bi-monthly US publication Threads. Ten minutes is just enough time to digest a technical article, gain a little inspiration or discover some must-have new product for the wishlist.

For example, today I have been reading about how to use a blind hemming foot on my machine. I've also been studying how to sew flat fell seams. I've discovered that there's a product that will distress denim so that it frays and become all holey. Hmmm ... how perfect when I need more of Mr HB's jeans for refashioning into clothes for the boys (evil laugh: mwhua haa haaa). More soberingly, I have also read that in the commercial world, a pair of jeans can be sewn in just 14 minutes. Which begs the question as to why this project remains incomplete after nearly 44,640 minutes?

The answer, I'm afraid, may be revealed in the next paragraph.

For in reality, this is what I really do with those spare 10 minutes. Yes: its just me, a cuppa, a block of chocolate and my blog reader.

Note: There is every chance that the illustration in [3] may be indicative of what is happening following over-indulgence in [1] and [2]

Thank you to Sharon at Handmaiden who is guest-hosting "This is". I had great fun picking the theme and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else has come up with. Look over here to see who else is playing along.

7 favourite blogs

I've been tagged with an award by round-the-clock blogger Muralimanohar over at The Miscellany of Me. I'm sure that girl never gets any sleep. Go and check out her blog .... apart from being a good read, there are always some amazing photos.

So the rules of the "I love your blog award" include nominating at least 7 other blogs and passing on the tag.

Its been a long couple of weeks over here at Chez Hoppo Bumpo (aka House of Pneumonia and Bronchitis), so I'm going to cheat a bit and not pass on the tags. But I hope you enjoy the seven blogs that I have chosen, as much as I do.

1. Photoshop Disasters
   People with mysterious extra appendages, freaky house interiors, perplexing advertising montages ... you'll see it all here. Hilarious.


2. Its Lovely, I'll Take It
   Sara is definitely being kind, when she says that her blog is full of "poorly chosen" photos for real estate listings. What a hoot! If you've ever felt a bit despondent about the houses real estate agents have taken you through, this will help put everything into perspective!


3. Whip-up
   Now here's a blog with a gazillion subscribers. Chances are that if you are into craft, you'll probably have already seen this one. If you're looking for a dazzling array of handcraft tutorials, this is the place to go. Upcoming themes include knitting (September), hand stitching (October) and recycling (November)


4. Craft Critique
   A whole blog dedicated to the review of craft supplies. Nicely written and illustrated, with a good balance detailing pros and cons of products. You can even request a review. Be warned though - you will see things you didn't even know you needed!


5. Crafty Crow
   A whole blog devoted to crafts for the littlies. There's lots of inspiration and beautiful photos .... and importantly, loads of links to tutorials. The content has been comprehensively indexed by craft type and age, which makes browsing a cinch.


6. No Eggs Or Nuts
   I was delighted to find Din's blog about 6 months ago. She writes about cooking safely for her pre-schooler Hannah, who is allergic to eggs and nuts. An issue dear to my heart. The recipes - and anecdotes - are perfect for my 22 month-old, Bargy.


7. Bakerella
   A visual feast without all the calories. If you are a fan of cupcakes like I am, you'll love looking at Bakerella's fabulous creations. There's recipes .. and beautiful photographs that make you want to lick the screen.

This is ... my favourite fabric shop

This week's theme for the "This is ..." meme was a tricky one.

Gosh, what to pick? Cheap, cheerful and local, like Spotlight? Or the faraway eye-popping, Aladdin's cave of Amitie? In fact, shop-o-holic and hopeless hoarder that I am, I could have reeled off quite a number of favourites.

In the end I settled on the point at which my fabric stash starting to get a bit out of control. You know, that first time that you go shopping and decide: buy now; work out what later.

So my favourite would be Pippijoe - an online store stocking fabulous, hand screen-printed fabric by the very talented Australian indie-designer, Caitlin. I'm yet to meet a Pippijoe print that I haven't fallen in love with.

The hemp-cotton blends are such a pleasing weight and the prints and colourways gorgeous. Pippijoe fabrics have graced all sorts of projects here and there are more in the pipeline. To be honest, I'm not sure if Mr Hoppo Bumpo has yet woken up to the fact that his surrounds are becoming more and more adorned with Red Daisies. Do you think blokes notice these things?

Anyway .... head over to Pippijoe and treat yourself to some beautiful fabric. You can always decide what to make later.

Thank you to Sharon at Handmaiden for the great theme this week and to Angela at Three Buttons who hosts This is ...

This is ... my favourite children's book

This very endearing book is about a teddy named Corduroy. During a visit to a laundromat with his owner Lisa, he realises that he doesn't have a pocket for his little green overalls. He sets out to find something suitable to make one. The story follows his adventure, as he searches for a pocket and is then accidentally left behind in the laundromat overnight. A Pocket For Corduroy is the 1978 sequel to the original Corduroy book by Don Freeman (which has just celebrated its 40th anniversary). I just loved Corduroy as a kid ... and still find him very charming.

I think there is every possibility this story was the catalyst for my life-long love of corduroy fabric.

But in fact I hadn't thought about this book for some long time. In our house of late, there's been an abundance of stories about trains, cars and diggers. This week's theme prompted a visit to Borders to buy a copy to read to my boys. I hope they will remember it fondly, too.

Thank you to Potty Mouth Mama for helping me remember Corduroy and to Angela at Three Buttons who hosts This is ...

And I'd like to thank ...

This is a much overdue and big thank you to the delightful JustJess over at Button Beauty, for a bloggy award. I'm flattered - it was very kind of her to pass it on to me; master waffler that I am.

Do head on over to her blog, where you will see lovely crafts and an excellent button collection. Have a look at the beautiful dollshouse that she found. And ask her when she's opening that rather exciting sounding button shop!

My last attempts at passing on awards and tags have ended in frantic and rather flawed research to see who has and hasn't been a recipient. So I'm afraid I'm going to go all self-service with this one. I hope no-one minds! If you have been kind enough to visit and wish to claim this award as your own, please by all means do. Let me know in a comment and I will come visit (I'm not a complete sloth y'know!).

This is ... how I like to spend my weekend

Sewing (main picture, right): while Mr HB is home, I have the opportunity to sew without Bargy pressing the sewing machine pedal or stuffing reels of thread in his mouth sideways

Reading (top left): I love the weekend papers, but I've been gradually refining my reading. Before the kids were born I read almost cover-to-cover, including the business section (3 hours). After the Argy arrived I skim-read the newspaper and pored over the magazines (2 hours). After Bargy arrived I pulled out the magazines and ditched the newspaper (1 hour). These days I whip out the magazine, turn to page 37 and see if there is anything remotely worth cooking. Always disappointing, if that's not the location of this week's recipe page.

Coffee (middle left): too much is never enough on the weekend

Pilates (bottom left): I'd like to pretend that I'm the fit and sporty type. But I'm not. I'm doing pilates to address structural failure caused by bringing two giganta-babies into the world. Argy was 10lb 1oz and Bargy was predicted to blow out to 11lb. Mercifully they whipped him out early in a sun-roof exit.

Thank you to The Bird Bath for this week's theme and to Angela at Three Buttons who hosts This is ...

Happiness

The lovely Beth from Goat In A Coat has kindly passed on a Tree of Happiness award to me. Do take a look at her terrific blog; especially the amazing octopus cake that she made recently!

Accepting the award involves listing six things that make you happy and passing the honour on to six other bloggers. So here goes ....

Six things that make me happy:

1. my lively, loud, funny little boys


2. starting and ending a sewing project - and all the steps in between


3. spending time with my family and friends


4. the extraordinary colours I see from my very ordinary study window


5. learning


6. a good night's sleep!

If these lovely girls partake in such things and have the time/inclination to play, I would like bestow the Tree of Happiness upon their fab blogs ... Pippijoe, Leni & Rose, Project Incomplete, Moiface-Dangerart, House & Baby and Sadie and Lance.