Stash Sesh 01.02.11

Today i went down to the fabric shop to collect some more goodies and this is what i ended up coming home with...lots! hehe.

I bought small cuts from the It's a Hoot by MoMo for Moda because i saw the below pillow and wanted to give it a go. I generally don't like moda fabrics but this range is just gorgeous! I'm also going to use some for my hexie throw pillow WIP.

[It's a Hoot Charm Pack Pillow]

The red prints are for my project for the { Urban } HOME Goods Swap [partner i hope you like them] and i also bought some more solid colours for the hexie quilt i'm going to start soon [shown below]

The remainder of the fabrics are just bits and pieces that i thought were gorgeous and i just had to have them :) i also earned a $20 voucher from my loyalty card so i used it to purchase the book Kaleidoscope by Melly and Me, which has some really cute kokeshi dolls and kid's backpack patterns!

January 2011: Monthly Crafty Creations & WIP Overview

This is a new, monthly, segment for my blog - i hope you like it!

Below is an overview of all the crafty projects i have worked on in the month of January!

Fabric Lolly Bags [completed] - available in the [shop]

Crochet Dolls Blanket [WIP]

Crochet Baby Blanket [WIP]

'Darcy's Dress Up' Quilt [WIP]

Buntings [WIP] for the [shop]

Hexie Seat Cushion Cover and Pillow [WIP]

Love Mini Album for my Hubby [completed]

Brooches for the Be Embelished Brooch Exchange [completed]

So it looks as though i have created more unfinished projects than i have completed this month but not to worry, i really am working on all of my WIPs regularly and by next month they will be completed projects :) YaY!

Hexie Love

1. Hexie-Footstool-finished, 2. pts4 done front, 3. pts4 progress, 4. Hexie-Footstool-detail

Lately i have been checking out all the awesome photos on Flickr and was inspired by the two above projects: a hexie covered footstool and hexie throw cushion. So inspired in fact that i began work immediately!

Some time ago i purchased a gorgeous but very old and shabby chair for just $15 from Ebay [shown above] with the intention of restoring it...needless to say, it's been sitting in the same spot, untouched, since i bought it home. After seeing the above footstool i knew exactly what i wanted to do and as you can see in the photos below, i have been busily creating the cushion cover in wonderful bright, modern, designer fabrics. I plan to paint the chair a vintage baby blue colour [similar to that of the footstool above] and it will live in my new sewing studio [if i ever get around to setting it up!!!]

To sit on, what will be, my fabulous revamped chair, i decided to also make a matching hexie cushion inspired by the gorgeous cushion above. As you can see below, i have been very busy creating my hexies - there are about 70 in the photo below and not one of the print fabrics is the same! I plan to start piecing them together within the next few days.

I am also attempting to start an Aussie/NZ Hexie swap through Flickr so, if you are interested, join the group [here] and send me an email at bek_brown@hotmail.com [please put 'Hexie Swap' as the subject] to go on the sign-up list!!

{ Urban } HOME Goods - a modern swap

1. Patchwork Scottie - Front, 2. hedgie and friends~ a hexagon pillow, 3. Cross Quilt Completed..., 4. tick tock, 5. tufted tweets hexagon potholders, 6. deer little pincushion, 7. hexies, 8. Scrappy Pincushion Swap--Round 2, 9. Bunting Cushion (C365: day 64), 10. Home Sweet Home, 11. at home. paramore quilt., 12. pincushion by Nova, 13. My Cloudy Sewing Machine Cover :) [EXPLORED], 14. mug rug received, 15. Hexagon's framed, 16. Finished Triangles Quilt

i was very excited to log into my FlickrMail today and find a message asking if i would like to be involved in the current round for the urban home goods swap!!

As described on Flickr - 'The { Urban } HOME Goods - a modern swap is a group dedicated to creating and receiving the coolest modern and urban decorations for their homes! This will be a blind swap; however members will have the ability to suggest possible items of interest, color ways, and create a helpful mosaic for their partners! Members will be paired with a partner by one of the administrators, according to likes, styles, and taste in fabric. They will then create their handmade Home Decoration for their partner…'

I can't wait to receive my partner from my swap mama tonight!!!

Stash Sesh

I am so excited that i have some goodies coming my way...i run to the mailbox 10 times a day just to see if the postie has left any gifts [even though i know it will be over a week or even two before my special package arrives!]. Below is a collage of what i am expecting - all from [Poppyseed Fabrics].

Thats a total of SeVeNTy tHRee fat quaters!!!!!

Below are my plans for the Cat in the Hat fabric [pictured above]

A bit crazy and mixed up and all everywhere...I LoVe iT!!!

I also went down to my local fabric store [well actually nothing is 'local' to me in the way of fabric...so by local i mean an hours drive hehe] and purchased some solid colours [for a hexie quilt i plan to start soon] and 24 fat quaters in a mix of modern designer ranges and spots, star and stripes [pictures will follow sometime tomorrow - the sun has gone down so there's no real great photography lighting available at the moment hehe].

Iialso need to start my dad's birthday present for April - the flannel grandpa quilt from 'a boys story' quiliting book from [Hatched and Patched]. I've had the flannel sitting on my desk forever, so it's about time it got made. I think dad will really like a quilt made lovingly by his only baby girl :)

i think i have also forgotten to tell everyone that my sewing machine is on the blink and i've been without one for a number of weeks now! I'm really starting to feel it now and the projects are piling up because all i've been able to do is cut and hand sew [hence the reason i have been doing so much crochet as of late! I even took a stab at scrapbooking! forgot to post but will]. I have my own little tin money box and have been saving up all the coinage i can but i fear it won't be enough and i'll be waiting forever :( so if all goes to plan i may hopefully be able to buy one next pay day [exactly one month from today]...fingers crossed - please don't let any major bills hit my letter box!

Status Report: 2011 Resolutions

Yesterday i sent my first family birthday card of 2011 along with a scratchie to my cousin [which was resolution number 10: send birthdays cards out to everyone, on time, without forgetting] so that's off to a good start. The next is one to my Oma at the end of Feb [she was actually born on a leap year! But we celebrate on the 28th] and my nephew somewhere in the middle of Feb too.

I have also started on Number 11: i WiLL organise my craft 'space'. As you may have already read, i'm setting up my own craft room!! YAY!

As you have been reading, i have done some work on Number 1: finish all those unfinished craft projects and have completed a couple of things [robot toy, door stops] and am well on the way to completing others like the 'Darcy's Dress Up' quilt.

I am well on the way with Number 4: create new things after buying a sketch book that i can't seem to keep away from!

I have also quite obviously been working on Number 3: to blog.

So there you have it, 2011 has just begun and i'm off to a flying start!!

Shop: Work in Progress

Above is a small lap/baby quilt i am working on for the [shop]

and here are some flags for buntings using gorgeous fabrics

Stay tuned into the store [dreamfctry.etsy.com] as this items will ba available soon along with some gorgeous personised Valentine's Day gifts.

Weekend crafts with the kids...

This weekend the kids and i had heaps of fun preparing for Valentine's Day [yes we are verrrry well prepared!]. We made these heart shaped crayons:

and salt dough hearts that we plan to hang and hand out to their kindy friends

we had a blast!

Uphill Battles

Today i realised that it's been nearly a week since my last post, shame on me! i have a good excuse i promise.

i've been feeling extra anxious lately [for those who don't already know, i was diagnosed with a panic disorder in early 2010] and decided to start back on my anxiety medication again but turned out it was too late because on Friday night i had a minor meltdown and hyperventilated for a good 5 hours - even my panic medication couldn't calm me down!

So i've taken a couple of steps backwards and have been waking up feeling anxious and have struggled to get out of bed without medication but i refuse to be put down by this minor set back. i am a brilliant, intelligent, kind-hearted, talented person and a great mum and wife and i can get through this, i'm not going to let it set me back anymore! Life WiLL go on!

Awesome Giveaways @ LDC Designs

Over at  [ldc designs] they are giving away this cute little owl plushie by [shannon*bear] and this gorgeous cream and blue cowl from [The Perfect Pear]. I know i'm in the draw for both! To enter, go to [ldc designs] and leave a comment. Too easy!

Status Report: The Unfinished Project Project 10.01.2011

So i thought i had better give an update to let you know that it hasn't gone quiet on the unfinished project front but i have run into a bit of a dilemma with my 'Darci's Dress Up' quilt. You see i finally found the enthusiasm to attach the last two borders and begin quilting only to discover that the kit didn't provide enough fabric for the outer border!!! How annoying right?! So i have purchased the below fabric [which is the same as the piece that was too small - it's Doll Dresses 2: Posy Pretties Petal] from [Suzanne's Quilts] and am waiting for it to arrive.

So for now my gorgeous quilt has just been sitting, folded on the ironing board, waiting to be completed!

Next on the list to complete is some buntings that i had started to make for the shop but i got sidetracked and never finished them and some kid's aprons that only need to have the pockets sewn on...these may go into the shop...or maybe a giveaway is in order?! Let me know which you think would be better hehe.

Spaces by Frankie Magazine...

I bought the most awesome magazine from the local newsagents today: [Spaces by Frankie Magazine]

It is filled with the most wonderful eclectic interiors, vintage wallpapers and lots of handcrafted home decor...i am now filled with inspiration!!!

Grab yourself a copy by visiting [Spaces by Frankie Magazine]. i promise that you wont be disappointed!

My new sewing room!!! YaY!!!

So i have some wonderful news...we have decided that i can have my own sewing room!!! i am extreamly excited and am currently planning where everything will go and how it will be organised. My fabrics...well infact my entire supply of craft hehe...is all over the place and has started to becom a little unorganised as of late so i have taken two days off at the end of this week (which will actually give me nearly a week off as it coinsides with my usual days off and a weekend!!!) and on those days that the kids will still attend childcare, i will be cleaning, soting, organising and setting up my very own sewing room.

i already have lots of ideas. i especially would love to have the words: dream, believe, create on one wall to inspire me as i work. As i am renting, it may be difficult to attach things to the wall so i'm going to need to be even more creative. i would also like to have a day bed as i will be taking over the current spare room. i have the option of taking the larger bedroom or the smaller spare room (which has actually turned into our bedroom, and our bedroom the spare room...i have no idea why!) so this is something i'll be negotiating with the hubby throughout the week...(his suggestion to take the larger room by the way!)

As any other normal craft fanatic would do, i have surfed the net and found some images that i just love!!

Images from [Heather Bailey], [Apartment Therapy], [Made By Girl], [Heather Bailey], [vi.sualize.us], [Nest Pretty Things], [Joy Frameworks], [Aylee Bits] and [Country Living]
Stay tuned for further developments...it's going to be fantastic!!!

Bloggers' Block-A-Palooza...

So i've decided that i will join in on the Bloggers' Block-A-Palloza quilt along and am so excited! Click on the above picture for more information including a materials list to get you started!

It is essentially 'A quilt-along that will jump from blog to blog, featuring two original blocks per week' commencing from Monday 24th January.

For more information, or to become involved, click on the above picture or visit [Quilt Dad].

i heart market day!!!

it was market day in my town yesterday and i picked up a couple of goregeous vintage finds [shown above]. Check out my [store] for the earrings but sorry the tins are all mine hehe.

[dreamfctry.etsy.com]

free tutorials from fabulous fellow bloggers...

1.] The [Crochet Bunting Tutorial] from Carina's Craftblog
2.] The [Tokyo Subway Map Quilt-Along] from Oh, Fransson!
3.] The [Braided Rag Rug] by V. & Co. for Moda Bake Shop
4.] This [Dress Up Station] from Ana White
5.] The [Quilted Table Runner] from Diary of a Quilter
6.] The [Hexagon Pin Cushion] from Messy Jesse

i heart vintage comes to dreamfctry store...

I am pleased to announce that the first in a range of 'i heart vintage' items has hit the shop @ [dreamfctry.etsy.com]

The [i Heart Vintage - Hand Crochet Openwork Ecru Doily] is the first of what i hope to be, many vintage items to hit the store and is definately one that i wanted to keep for myself hehe. In the works is also custom, made to order hand crochet doll and baby blankets, beautiful floral buntings and vintage fabric favor bags among other amazing pieces.

Don't forget to keep an eye on [dreamfctry.etsy.com] for more exciting new products.

2010: a year in review...

It's funny because as i was planning to write this post, i jotted down two headings: good things and bad things. I started to write a list under the heading good things and could come up with heaps. Then i came to the 'bad things' and i just stared, trying to think of all the bad things that happened last year...i was blank. It's amazing how we are able to forget the bad things that have happened in life so easily.

Although, now that i come to write this post, there is one bad thing that happened in 2010, only one that i can vividly remember...my childhood pet, a gorgeous 16 year old golden Labrador named Sandy, was put down. I was devastated - and that's the easy way of putting it. My baby girl, Sandy, got me through my entire teenage years, she was my best friend. When i was sad, or angry or excited, I would go out and sit with her in the backyard and tell her all about it.

I'll never forget the day that I wanted to go and meet my first 'real' boyfriend [hehe] and my parents wouldn't let me...i was 14. I took Sandy and told the folks that we were going for a 'walk'...we walked for what seemed like HouRs until we got to his place, poor Sandy, it was so hot! By the time we got back, my parents had figured out that we didn't just walk down to the milk bar...we were gone 6 hours! I remember being grounded...and Sandy and i just sat in the backyard all day because i wasn't allowed out of the house...great times.

Now onto all the wonderful things that happened in 2010:

In April, my mum and i spent a whole day together, just the 2 of us [which never happens] and went to the Australasian Quilt Convention. It was amazing! We spent way more money than we should have, but we had so much fun together. I still have enough projects left to last me a lifetime.

My big boy, Brookie, turned 4 and moved up to the Kinder Room at day care. He is so excited and tells everyone how he will soon be 5 and off to school...where does all that time go? i remember when he was just a newborn baby boy and i was holding him in my arms for the very first time. He had a Ben10 party with a transformers cake that i made myself [see below]

 

After 2 years of fighting discitis, a spinal infection, my Heidi Bear was given a clean bill of health! No more worrying about the infection flaring up and her being in extreme pain anymore. Heidi was diagnosed at 1 year of age and it was suspected that she may have developed the infection sometime quite soon after birth. It meant that Heidi didn't sit, or crawl, stand, walk or even roll over. It went undetected because she was also diagnosed with mild hip displacia and it was thought that this might be the cause of her delayed development. Soon after her first birthday the screaming started...constantly, with every movement she made. It was horrible sitting there in emergency, knowing that the doctors were considering whether or not she might have cancer. Luckily enough (i know, an odd way to put it) she was diagnosed with the spinal infection and spent a week in hospital on a drip, 8 weeks of antibiotics 4 times a day and constant visits to the hospital for the next 18 months. Now, finally, it is over. YaY!!

My Husband, Shanno, and i celebrated our 5 year anniversary! It seems like just yesterday that i was spying on him out the back window of my parents house while he was working on their renovation. We celebrated by taking a holiday to stay where we got married, in the same cottage. It was lovely and we were fortunate enough to share the experience with our gorgeous babies too.

I opened my etsy store, [Dreamfctry] and although it hasn't really taken off yet, i know it will. I haven't yet had the amount of time free that i would like to invest in making it a success, but i will - watch this space! Great things are in the works.

I also started this blog, which i don't know how i could live without. I love knowing that i can share all the wonderful creative things i do and people can see them. I don't know if anyone actually reads my posts, but it doesn't worry me, i'm doing this for me :)

Lastly, the breakdown. It may seem strange that this is on my good list, but it could possibly be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. It changed me and it forced me to get help for things that i would normally just shrug off. It has taught me to be compassionate and kind to others, no matter how crazy they may seem. It has taught me that you should listen to what your body is trying to tell you. It taught me that, in times of need, your family is always there for you and it showed me who those true friends are [chevvy and aunty orr...that's you!], the ones that really stick around. It also taught me to stand up for myself, that i deserve to be treated right, and that i shouldn't settle for anything less.

What a year...this year i am definitely looking forward to making it even greater :)

i heart vintage

1.] Upcycled light blue small suitcase  [$35.00 US] from [Blue Bernice]
2.] Arvin display radio - circa 1950's [$38.00 US] from [BD Vintage]
3.] Moustache pillows  [$37.00 US] from [Freaky Fleece]
4.] Highlands gigi purse [$53.00 US] from [Bagatelles and Co]
5.] Lace & bow dress [$39.90 US] from [Kimberite]
6.] Merry mustache set of 8 chipboard epoxy buttons [$6.00 US] from [London Tierney]
7.] Birthday party dress pattern by Oliver + S [$10.99 US] from [Lily Rose Quilts]
8.] Plauen doily pinwheel earrings [$16.00 US] from [White Doily]
9.] Weiss rhinestone brooch or comb [$115.00] from [Love Honor Upcycle]

Quick and Simple Kids Quilt Tutorial

Okay so here's a quick 'how to' as promised. I haven't taken step by step pictures for this tutorial but it's ReaLLy straightforward so don't stress. This quilt can be adapted for a boy or a girl or even a baby quilt, that's how simple it really is.

1.] head down to your local quilting fabric shop and find a nice range of fabric that you like [i chose traffic jam by Allison Jane Smith for Windham] and pick out a mixture of 5 - 6 coordinating prints that you like from the range [i like to choose some patterned fabrics too like the dots and little green planes]. Purchase around 40cm of each fabric (this is about one and a half feet/16 inches. It doesn't really matter all that much]. You should also choose and purchase your backing fabric from the coordinating range [i used the same dots fabric that I used on the front] and purchase about two and a half meters/yards as well as the same amount of batting and about half a meter/yard of fabric to use for the binding [i choose a red and white polka dot fabric from a different range that coordinated well]. You also need to choose a coordinating solid fabric for your words and purchase about half a meter/yard.

2.] When you get your fabrics home, take the coordinating fabrics for the quilt tops and, using a quilter ruler and rotary cutter, cut into various sized strips across the width of the fabric. My strips ranged from two and a half inches to about eleven and half inches. Arrange the strips on a large flat surface and sew together using a quarter inch seam allowance - when arranging your strips make sure that you don't put two of the same strips [both in pattern and size] next to each other. I didn't have an exact length that i wanted for my quilt but you can make yours as long, or not long as you'd like by limiting the amount of strips used. Your quilt top is nearly finished.

3.] Go onto your computer and open up a word formatting program such as Microsoft Word. Choose a font that will be easy to applique and type word that associate with the chosen fabric range [for example, if you have chosen a pink princess like fabric range you might choose words like: princess, fairy, castle, angel etc. As the fabric range i chose had a transportation theme, i used the words: car, truck and plane]. Make sure the font size is as large as you would like your applique to look on your quilt and print iN MiRRoR iMaGE onto paper.

4.] Using vliesofix or some other form of paper backed applique webbing, trace your words, iron onto your solid fabric and cut out. Peel off the backing paper and place onto your quilt top in the desired location. Iron on.

Your quilt top is now complete! YaY!

5.] Sandwich together your backing, wadding and quilt top using your usual basting method and quilt as desired [to quilt, i ran sewing lines across the quilt with approx 1-2 inch spacing, i also hand quilted the wording using a small running stitch]. Trim the edges so that it is nice and rectangular and neat :)

6.] Visit [oh, fransson!] and follow the instructions to cut, prepare and bind your quilt [i'd rather not re-invent the wheel when it's all here for you].

YoU'Re FiNisHeD!!!

20/20 VIC vs. QLD: 02.01.2011

Last Sunday we took the kids to their very first 20/20 Cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to see Victoria take on Queensland.

We had so much fun having our faces painted.

And there were soooo many people there :)

Despite the fact that the kids became a little restless towards the end of the match and the fact that Brooklyn decided to do a runner on us...twice (hehe) it was still a great night.

progress report...03.01.2011

Hello fellow bloggers and...

Okay so now that that's out of the way with...i've been a busy little bee lately [hence the reason why there are no tutorials that were promised as yet - they're in the works...i promise!], i spent a whole day piecing together those 36 tri recs pinwheels and as you can see below, the quilt top is almost complete. Only 2 outer borders to go then quilting and binding.

In the meantime, to get myself away from the machine, i have taken up crochet and have started to make up granny squares which i will eventually put together into a large rug for the lounge room [see below]. i haven't crocheted since i was a little girl and took a refresher course from my brilliant Nanna at craft group last Tuesday.

When reading a blog post from [Sparkle Power] last week, i discovered [Ana White], an amazing blogger, who publishes woodworking plans. My husband and i decided to make our little Heidi Bear the [Farmhouse Dolls Bed] and headed down to the newly opened local Bunnings Warehouse to gather supplies.

 

After spitting the dummy a couple of times, and some profanities as well, we came up with the above dolls bed and Heidi bear LoVes it and so do her babies. She's a great mummy to her babies - feeding them, changing their nappies and putting them down to sleep. We did make the bed a little longer than in the original plan to make way for Heidi's larger dollies and i made a little mattress and pillow too. It goes perfectly with the doll quilt i had sewn for Heidi for Christmas too. All up, the project cost about $70 [AU] including things like paint and wood glue. I'm sure if you did these kind of projects on a regular basis you would already have the basics on hand and it wouldn't cost quite so much. i have also started to crochet a dolly blanket for Heidi's dollies too [see below].

We have decided that for Heidi's birthday in April, we will make her a little, vintage style play kitchen. The plans can be found [here] at [Ana White]. i have also purchased some patterns [see below] from [Etsy] to make felt, crochet and knitted foods so you will soon see that they will become some of my next projects.

The above patterns are from [umecrafts], [Sweetie Pie Bakery], [Lynnes Pattern Parlour], [Dashynka], [Crafty Anna] and [Crazy Dazy Knits] on [Etsy]

i have one more piece of BiG news...i recently found out that IKEA is coming to Campbellfield! To most of you, this won't mean much at all, but to me it means that a trip to IKEA will only take 30 minutes instead of 2 hours, yay! i LoVe IKEA, most of my new furniture...no wait...aLL of my new furniture has been purchased from IKEA and it is great to know that soon i will be able to pop down to IKEA whenever i'd like. And those Swedish Meatballs will only ever be half an hour away..YES!!!

Back to work tomorrow..oh joy. This means that i have not finished my 'Darcy's Dress Up' Quilt by the deadline that i assigned myself...oh well, i have completed a lot more 'impromptu' projects than i had planned on so i guess i forgive myself hehe.

40 things you didn't know about...me.

i realised the other day that I haven't even introduced myself yet. So here goes...


1.] My name is Bek...only my Opa calls me Rebecca...i hate it.
2.] i am 23 years old, married (5 years...yes, 5 years haha) with 2 gorgeous children (a boy [Brooklyn] 4 and a girl [Heidi] 2 and a half years old)
c.] i love to craft and i craft often. i enjoy sewing, knitting, crochet, quilting, beading, and general crafting as you will discover. i like to have a go at everything.
4.] i work 4 days a week and spend the rest of my time running after the kids hehe
5.] i am a pattern hoarder - i currently have more patterns than i will ever be able to complete in a lifetime
6.] i like to bake, but never have time!
g.] i'm a family person. My mum is my best friend and even though i live 45mins away from them, i still see them twice a week - at least.
h.] i suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. About 9 months ago, i had a breakdown caused by work related stress which left me with this anxiety. Good news is i have been un-medicated for 3 months (YaY!) and haven't had a panic attack in about a month and a half.
9.] Due to my anxiety, i have extreme phobias of water and the dark...i know it's silly hehe but that's just me. i am very proud to report that on our camping trip i actually got into the water, repeatedly! YaY! it's important to celebrate the little victories.
j.] i attend craft group once a week with the ladies of my family - mum, my aunties and my nanna. it's heaps of fun and it's about the only me time i get, so i cherish it!
k.] i eat LoTs of junk food...i'm a serial snacker. All i do at work is eat and type and eat and type.
12.] i am an etsy addict. i love browsing through the categories, especially the patterns and supplies...i tell myself it's just window shopping, but I usually can't help myself.
13.] i don't have a lot of friends, by choice. The friends i have are the most wonderful, amazing people I have ever met. They care about me, my family and if I need them, they are there. That's how friendships are supposed to be. When i had my first baby at 19, i soon realised that not many people stick around, especially when you're that young - that was a critical turning point for me.
14.] i often act younger than i actually am, some of my closest friends are 15 years old.
o.]i also often act older than i actually am, some of my closest friends are twice my age.
p.] i HaTe cleaning!!! Which is why i get so much crafting done :) i hate it so much that i actually pay my gorgeous neighbour to do the housework for me once a week.
17.] i am my biggest critic. I tend to be harder on myself than i really need to be.
R.] i am a MaJoR perfectionist! For example - if i sew a line that's not as straight as i think is acceptable...i'll unpick it. cRaZy woMaN!
s.] i love to read but hardly ever do. i find it really difficult to find the time to do everything i love, and crafting usually comes before reading.
t.] i think that 32 degrees (Celsius) is the perfect temperature...i love walking out into the sun and feeling the sun scorching the skin on your shoulders.
21.] my favourite band is oasis, and has been since my teenage years. i also really love 80s music like rick springfield and choir boys.
22.] On a Tuesday night, on the way home from craft group, i always listen to the love song dedications on mix and sing at the top of my lungs...it's my favourite me time of the whole week.
w.] i am NoT a romantic, at all...but my husband is. Although this doesn't mean that i don't appreciate a romantic gesture. He HaTes surprises and i absolutely LoVe them!
x.] i go through phases, frequently. i go from cooking to reading to crafting to sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself hehe. Even my craft has phases. Quilting is usually a constant but i often alternate between knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, crochet, embroidery...the list goes on.
25.] i don't like sewing with lots of fabric. It just gets so messy and blah. That's why i never sew adult clothes and I have a lot of hand embroidered, unfinished quilt tops.
Z.] i HaTe when people assume that i had a shotgun wedding - not true. I was married 2 months before i fell pregnant and purely by choice. Babies weren't exactly in our immediate plans but what a beautiful blessing.
27.] i eloped without telling any family or friends and due to this, i fell out with my family for about 6/12 months. It was the longest, most horrible 6/12 months of my life.
28.] i live in a small town about an hour and a half from the city. i love it because it's so quiet but i also hate that everyone knows everything about you. Although, i do love walking down the street and seeing familiar faces all the time - and people smile back at you too, unlike in the city...they just look at you like you're crazy hehe.
a.] my dream life would be to own my own little shop full of handmade items, in a cute little country town near the ocean and to live on a little farm with my own little b&b...funnily enough, i think that my mum wants this too hehe...maybe not the shop or the farm but i know she wants her own little b&b too.
b.] Despite my fear of water, i LoVe the ocean and dream of living near the beach. I don't necessarily enjoy the water part, but there's something about large bodies of water that cause a calming effect. It's beautiful.
31.] i have a thing for Richard Gere...he's gorgeous!!! My friends find that strange...cause he's an older gentleman.
32.] every summer i pack away all our most precious items and send them down to stay with my mum in the city. Ever since the 2009 Victoria bushfires [which came within kilometers of us], i am petrified of what can happen and am ultra prepared. I even stay home from work on fire danger days to be closer to my children should [god forbid] anything happen.
33.] i LoVe antiques. i own so many teacups it's just insane. i am constantly perusing trash and treasure markets, op shops and eBay for awesome buys. One of my best buys is a genuine antique danish sideboard that i picked up on mint condition of eBay. It sits in the entrance hall of my house and is the first thing you see.
f.] i end a lot of my sentences with 'but'. My mum HaTes it! And one of my pet hates is when people say things like 'done' instead of 'did' and 'come' instead of 'came'...argh!
g.] i like to go camping...i say like because i don't really LoVe it but i do enjoy being one with nature and the fact that it's pretty much cost free. i don't like it when there's a zillion mosquitoes and the mercury is pushing 40...like last week.
h.] i really want to get a dirt bike. On our most recent camping trip i learnt to ride a 4 wheeler with gears and all so now i am prepared for my first dirt bike. i LoVe the adrenaline rush that you get...the reality is that i won't get one until we get our house :( but a girl can dream right?! hehe
37.] i am a sucker for a tear jerker movie lol. My absolute favourite is 'An affair to remember' with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr...i still remember watching it as a kid with my mum. I also like 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'A Walk to Remember' and 'Stepmom'.
38.] i also cry watching sad stories on the news, all the time!!! And happy stories too!! (i.e. i am currently watching Oprah and Justin Beiber just gave free tickets to a family whose dad is serving in the US Army in Iraq and yes, i cried hehe)
k.] i was NeVeR a cryer before the breakdown hehe
40.] i collect spoons. HAHA, random i know, but i love souvenir spoons. I am planning to turn some into a cool lamp shade that i saw on Better Homes and Gardens. I'll be sure to post photos.

Okay, so now you should have a better idea of who i am...stay tuned for '40 MoRe things you didn't know about me' sometime in the future.