Handmaiden

My Creative Space

Another small space this week.......just finishing off some earrings

 

For more gorgeous spaces have a look here

Sharon

Autumn Menu

I love cooking seasonal menus when the fruit and veg is at its best and with ingredients that you dont have all the time

I started off with pumpkin soup using butternut pumpkin

Mushroom Risotto using Button, Brown and Shitake mushrooms with wild rocket

Fig, honey and marscapone tart with blackberries

 

Comfort food at its best on these cooler nights. What have you been making?

And check out Kellie at 74 Lime Lane for her free downloads of Autumn menu cards 

Sharon

No Leave, No Life

Apparently we don't take all our all leave

Nearly 60% of full-time workers do not use their full 4 weeks annual leave each year and have accrued 8 weeks or more annual leave. How many days annual leave do you have?

One third of full-time workers do not take any annual leave in a year. So not one day of leave, not one!!

Check out this website No Leave, No Life

The Government wants us to take our holidays and do it in Australia

Visit Australia and check out options here

 

So where is your next holiday?

Sharon

Luxe For Less

 I love great fabrics and I found this at Darn Cheap Fabrics at their Glenhuntly store. It's a beautiful red knit fabric and I have bought red jersey for the lining. Lots of super designer fabrics at great prices. if you are into making your own clothes you can pick up great fabics that have been used by Australian designers.

 

I have chosen this bolero pattern to make.

 

Then I picked up a classic shirt pattern for fabric I had purchased earlier.

 

This shop and its sister Kis it Better are becoming my favourite fabric stores

Sharon 

Eye Spy

This week hugoandelsa has asked us to post about a work in progress. Now as I am getting ready to go back to Singapore I have been trying to finish up things here and I havent got much "in progress". I thought perhaps I could show you a half empty case being packed but that's a bit boring.

However, I do have one project that I started on Friday when I went for a sewing day at the wonderful and generous Kellie's house from Dont Look Know

I have been inspired by her machine quilting and her use of colour and I have never attempted machine applique before.

She sells the most amazing patterns and kellie showed me how to machine applique and quilt. So this is my first try at free motion quilting. More practising required.

  

This is the beginnings of a pillow using the Pretty 'n Pink pattern. The applique process is actually easier than I first thought and I enjoy the process of fussy cutting fabric to make it work for the template. As this is a practice piece I am just using fabric from my last Amitie VIP mailout. I think a small project like this is a good way of trialling a new application as its not too daunting and you can see whether you like the applique and more importantly the machine quilting............so definetly a work in progress 

 

And this is Kellie's final pillow. Go check out her patterns and have a go or book in for her workshop at Patchwork House in Hawthorn 

Visit Cindy for other players and visit Jemma at AmityvilleBoronia for her 100th post giveaway

Sharon

Saturday Shopping

After the most beautiful Autumn weather we have been having its hard to turn our minds to cooler weather and layering up. But a beautiful felted scarf can add warmth without the weight.  Arc En Ciel nuno felted scarf uses a linen base and then the merino wool is felted on top giving this interest. I would love to be able to make these beautiful scarves. 

I am loving red at the moment

  

But as a Melbourne girl who can go past a bit of black

 

Hope you like these as much as I do. To see other Saturday Shoppers visit Fancy Picnic .

Sharon

Flashback Friday

If you have been a reader of this blog you will know that I have started scrapbooking all my old photos and I know many of you have commented that you want to know more about the stories behind them. A little bit about who I am and my background.

Well today I am sharing some more with you. This is me as a very young girl in the backyard on "cracker night" or Guy Fawkes night as its fomal name. We lived in Wonthaggi in Gippsland until I was 8 until we came to live in Carnegie. I always preferred Sparklers and Catherine Wheels to those loud crackers and perhaps thats where my love of Bling has come from. Of course today fireworks are banned but I have some fond memories of those times. In fact I was able to host my own Guy Fawkes night in London when we lived there. We even went to the Battersea Park Guy Fawkes night fireworks one year.

 

 

I still love sparklers and fireworks and enjoy the New Years Eve spectacular and even at Moomba I had 3 nights of fireworks. Of course the opening of the Commonwealth Games has been the most spectacular event I have ever seen. What's yours?

Play along if you want to.

Sharon

My Creative Space

Today my creative space is in front of the TV on the coffee table. I have been doing some Sashiko stitching of an evening. As the nights get darker and cooler I love to have a project to do after dinner. Do you? I love this cherry blossom sampler and have chosen to do it in orange......one of my favourite colours.

 

For more wonderful spaces go over and visit Kirsty

Sharon

Nana Power

Have you heard about Golden Hook from France. You choose your own knitted hat/beannie, then the colour and then choose your granny who you want to make it.

  

Or what about Biddy Bags from Brisbane. I have posted about this before but now they are making tea cosies . You can meet some of the nana's here. It's all about connecting people through products.

 

Or perhaps a hand crocheted wonder washer. This seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment as I was given my own linen knitted one. You can see mine here

  

sharon

Pearly Whites

I love these earrings..... natural coloured Swarovski crystal pearls that are tiered to give a long drop.

  

 

Just added to my shop

Sharon