done and dusted!!!!!!!!!

I have just posted my final essay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't quite believe it. After 3 years of study it is all wrapped up and only the student loan remains, but really who care about that! :)

I am just so pleased it's done. I won't know what to do with my self. But actually I do, I have so many things I have not done and put to the side because of my study. The biggest has been my fitness and my craft. I just have had no spare time for these things because nagging in the back of my mind was always  the next essay.

I have a list of things I really really want to do this term so here goes:

My fitness!!!!!!!!! it's quite hard to believe i actually used to be fit, in fact i actually used to run often an hour a day!!!!!!!!!! I have put on 5kgs this winter and while the weight does not bother me the fact that i don't fit my clothes and fell all gross does. So in the weekend I brought some new running pants (don't lie I know you all do it too, buy new gear when you begin your new exercise kick :) and I will be using them 2moro morning.

Reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have so many book I can't wait to read. I LOVE reading but really just felt guilty and didn't have the time cause of all my massive loads of txt books. I have some wonderful Alexander M'Call-Smith books just waiting for me....yay.

Quilting: I have the best quilt ever to finish. Last christmas I made me and my sisters memory quilts out of fabric from both grandmothers, mum and my stash. I finished theirs but not mine!!!!!!!! and i can't wait to get it done. My sewing machine does not have a quilting foot so it's the old school way and all done by hand. 

My room: tama made us a new bed and bedside cabinets and that inspired me do give our room a mini makeover. I have started with making a great cushion and finding some fabric to re cover a lamp but there are so many things yet to do. I need to remember to take before and after pics too!!!!!

My rose garden and vege garden: It really is so so so bad. It needs some tender loving care, it is terrible!! poor garden, not a lot of weeding or pruning NO tender loving care, so that is a must!!!

I can't wait to get started!!!!!! perhaps after a good nights sleep

My new china cabinet!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is my new china cabinet!!!! i Love it. I brought it for my self for mothers day :) saved Tama thinking of something. Had a bit of trouble with no key to open it once i got it home!!!! but nothing the trusty friendly local locksmith couldn't fix ;). It is in my lounge and sometimes i just look at it and sigh happily.

Lol it looks like everything is in a wee prison.

Don't you love the gravy boat and matching egg cups!!!! they were my grandmothers

Finally found a home for my crown lynn swan.

How to make a simple baby blanket

So my sister has just had a baby!!!!!!!!!! We are off to New Plymouth to visit and i am so excited. I really love giving handmade gifts especially to new babies. She already has some lovely woolen blankets made by our Grandma so I didn't think she needed one of those. 

I came up with the idea to do a soft blanket that she could pop on the ground when she wanted to pop the baby down but not put her on the floor.

I got this beautiful soft winsette fabric in two different colours So she could pick which side she wanted to use. It also has a quilted inner so it makes it extra soft. 

Here's what to do: Pick some fabric, you could choose the same for both sides or different.

 Next i cut both pieces the same size. I did these just under a meter square. Make sure you place the right sides together.

Next cut you quilt wadding the same size again to fit

I then pinned all three layers together. This is so when you sew it, it comes out flat and none of the fabric layers bunch anywhere. If you have ever made a quilt this is part of the process. I pinned prob a fist apart all over the whole blanket.

The next step is to sew all three layers together. I used an over locker but a straight stitch leaving a 10cm edge would be totally fine too. Make sure you leave a gap to pull it all through and take the pins out after you have sewn it.

Once pulled through you need to sew up the gap. I just did a running stitch.

How it looks all sewn up.

And there we have it!!!!!!!!!!!! so simple and so soft and nice. Easy to pop in the machine and wash too.

I can't wait to wrap my neice up in this!!!!!

Things i'm loving

So these are the things i am totally loving this week. My Mum gave me a box of stuff last weekend and there were some treasures in it....

My high school year books!!!!! Was so fun to look back and remember

This was my hot water bottle cover i had when i was little!!! Still super cute

I have been wanting this for a while. Mums Crown Lynn swan vase. It really is so beautiful. Now just have to decide where to put it...???

These travel cups are so special to me. They were my grandparents and wherever we went anywhere with them they would come with us, along with a full thermos, usually beef tea. (Did anyone else ever have beef tea???) I was so stoked to receive these, such special happy memories.

Shots of my Dad. He passed away when i was 11, actually on my 11th birthday. So pretty much anything of his is super special to me and my sisters. I just love these photos. They were taken when he turned 21 and are awesome. 

Make sure you stop by PaisleyJades blog and check out the button to the right 'Things I'm Loving'

crochet bebe banket

So my lovely cousin Fiona has had her precious baby girl!!! I am so excited. Don't miracle babies just make everything great in the world.

Our grandparents passed away recently and we are a super close family so it was a big loss to us. I knew i wanted to make something really special for Fiona and the baby that could be a reminder of them also.

Then it came to me. Granny and Grandad were big spinners. They would dye all their own wool and spin it. I had a bit already and my Mum gave me what she had and i crocheted up this baby blanket.

I am so pleased with how it turned out and will be not only something really special as the homespun wool came from them but also super useful in the cold winters of the South Island.

It will be winging it's way to the South Island 2moro, yay for miracle babies...and crochet

I just love all the yummy homespun tones on this wool

My little scalloped edges

The underside, I crocheted the edges together

I washed it in wool fabric softener to really soften it up, it came up so well and smells great.

Grandparents

This weekend we headed to my mums to help her move all her furniture for her new carpet. After that was done and before our trip to the warehouse to buy bey blades and la la loopsys (small town+ trip to city=warehouse visit) we went to visit Poppy, my granddad. We took Tilly our new puppy to see him and he totally loved her.

My kids have been so fortunate to have so many great grandparents. Unfortunately due to two of them passing away a year ago i only have Poppy left.

It's always hard to visit him. He often forgets who i am and makes up funny stories about what he has been up too. Its hard because i just want to remember who he was and not what old age is doing to him. He will be 94!!!! this year so has had a pretty awesome life.

But he really enjoys our visits, i am sure. And i always feel great taking the kids too see him.

I didn't take my camera in but his pic was taken as christmas when we went in for his resthome christmas party, always the joker :)