some very bright bunting for a newbie's room,
a (more) traditional stocking for same newbie,
and some matchy sets for some christmassing cousins. 
there were decidedly slim pickings in the country oppys this time around, I only managed to come home with a set of nice heavy curtains which will make good book bags and this blue patchworky sheet that was crying out to be made into a summer skirt. With pockets. It told me it needed pockets. I like pockets. I've just realised that pockets is one of those words that doesn't look right after you've written it three times. Can you tell I've been awake since 5.30am?
also made this little stocking for a certain little boy who will be joining us for christmas this year. Oh, so exciting. Can you see that fabric on top? It has squirrels, trees, mushrooms and birds. Now, that's just about all of my favourite things all together at once. That makes me very happy. It's a piece of japanese craft fabric, my current obsession. There have been a few etsy and ebay purchases lately, and I am building quite a nice little stash. The thing I like about these (apart from the obvious ridiculous cuteness), is that I can only justify buying fat quarters of the stuff because it's so darn expensive to buy here, so, a. it's very easy to store, and b. I am only using it for very cute little projects that only require small amounts of the stuff. But you know, the truth is, I would be quite happy to just keep it in a neat little stack on my desk and just look at it all day, without ever doing anything with it.
happy to you. (that was the message on the bag some of it came in. Ah, the sweetness).
ah yes, the holiday. The holiday was lovely. The sun, it was sunny, and we spent our days on the beach and in the water. The boys received early christmas pressies from nanna and pa, surf mats, the red and blue canvas kind that we had as kids, and they spent hours catching waves and generally having a ball. Even the mamma had a go...I haven't had so much fun since I was 12 years old. I highly recommend the surf mat. 
yes, the holiday was just as holidays should be, albeit without the late sleep-ins and room service. Yeah, could have done with a bit more of that. Jasper decided that being away from one's own little bed is not a good thing, what is this porta-cot thing anyway? It shakes when I move and I can't crawl around in it like I can in my real bed. Will somebody please wake up and get me out of this thing. Now. That's kind of how it went, every night. And then up with the kookaburras, who conveniently sat outside our bedroom window and had their morning cackle at sparrow's fart. I thought it was nice being awake that early on the first morning, it felt kind of invigorating, but as the week wore on, the novelty wore off and it became more...aggravating. Still, we managed to fit a lot in with the days being that long.
even spotted a suitable farmhouse on the way home. Not a great picture, but you get the idea, right? And there is that flame tree. I do love a good flame tree, one that decides to flower and just does it. We have one out the front of our house which is quite big, but is showing no signs of flowering, not even one measly little flower on some high up, obscure little branch. But I know it will flower one day, and when it does, I'll be there, and there will be a celebration, because a flame tree in flower is one of the truly beautiful things in life, and oh dear, I just got carried away, didn't I. I'll be back soon with some craft...there's been lots of that since I got back. xx
so I picked up a nice long piece of this fab original hawaiian print at the salvo's the other day, and promptly set about clothing my entire family in it. Well, I'm part the way there. Willow's were whipped up out of necessity, for "boardies day" at school, and jasper's were thrown in because if I'm going to make one pair, I might as well make two (or four as sometimes is the case). Surprisingly, mister eight also wants a pair, although there is to be no hazyjane tag, and the pockets have to be "inside pockets". Hmm.
in mamma's bed. Feeling tired, after some very early mornings. Why don't these people want to sleep? Sleep is good. I like sleep. Just can't seem to get enough of it.
much better. I've wanted to come back here earlier, really I have. I was just lacking the energy. And enthusiasm. Man, being sick can really get you down. Being sick and having a husband that has to work every weekend for three weeks while you're sick is even worse. Came very close to hiring a nanny, I can tell you.
but, we're all better now. The conjunctivitis didn't make it past jasper, miraculously, so we all have our eyesight in tact, and the sore throats are gradually dispersing. Just left with that annoying little cough that gets you when you're on the phone or trying to sleep in between night feeds (still having plenty of those. Jeez, that boy must be hungry.) Jasper also managed to sprout two new teeths in amongst it all, so that's been fun as well. Ah, the joys of parenthood. I wonder what lovely little surprise those boys will bring home from school next.
yeah, he rocks, that husband of mine. And so does this little boy, who has wanted to be a busker ever since we went to byron bay earlier in the year, where he wanted to drop $5 on a guy playing guitar in the street. 
yesterday when he came home from school, he grabbed his "lukulele" and cape, and out the front he went to earn some money. Sadly, there were no passers-by, but the dad and I did pay for some tunes. Love that.
sharpened these pencils, for the little artist who keeps leaving funny little pictures everywhere in our house. Now I have a sore thumb. Oh, yes, that fabric, that deserves a mention. My "stash overhaul" is still going, and I found this one yesterday, hidden away in a suitcase where it hadn't seen the light of day in a long time. This is possibly my all-time favourite piece, although I know I've said that before about numerous other pieces, but really, who could go past a fifties(??) gardening theme? Not me, that's for sure.
went walking in the sunshine, which resulted in my little travelling companion going to sleep. He has hurty teeth, and any awake time has been spent crying and crawling all over me, so a little morning nap, which ended up lasting nearly three hours, was a welcome relief for both of us. And don't you just love jacarandahs?
found these lovelies whilst walking (in my local op shop). From the left, another colour way of a sheet I already have, a very nice vintage tablecloth, and a very nylon cafe curtain, which I just had to have for those apples. Not loving the nyloniness of it so much, but I'm thinking it may make some very sweet lining for some hazyjane pencil cases, because a girl who loves pencils should really be making pencil cases. What did you do today?
willow keeps putting this little purple cape on the jasper, and as a result he's come to be known around these parts as "prince jasper". And every prince needs a crown, right? I've had this particular little project in mind for quite a while now, after admiring ella's beautiful ones for so long. I would love to have bought one of hers, but what with the current exchange rate, the fact that I need three of them, and that pesky little voice inside my head that says "but I could make that", I decided to do the sensible thing. That being staying up till 11pm stitching.
must say, I'm liking this one very much. Now I'm thinking about colours for willow, who likes "rainbow", and trying to convince fin that he needs one too.
hmm...let's see, what have I been up to in the past week and a half? Has it really been that long? My, how time flies. The past few weeks have been themed , as I've had "deadlines" to meet (do I sound like a pro when I talk like that) and the only way to get it all done has been to go into mass production. We had the week of pants, in which I made around twelve pairs, which unfortunately I don't have photos of because: A. I find it very hard to photograph pants, they just look so flat and boring unless someone is wearing them, and B. I started dispatching them to their recipients before I got aroung to photographing them anyway. So, no boring photos of sad, flat pants today. Some may appear in the shop soon, though, if I ever get around to the painful task of uploading them.
last week was the week of softies, as I rounded up a posse for the balmain art and craft show, which I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in. Thanks jane! It's on this weekend, so if you're in the balmain area, drop in and say hi to these little guys. I can just imagine them down there in their little white cubicle, all wide-eyed with stardom.
I also managed a few book bags, which I haven't made in a long while. I forgot how satisfyingly neat and tidy a lined bag turns out. Must do some more. 
yesterday we caught up for coffee and a chat with the lovely jodi and che, and enjoyed some very sunny sunshine overlooking the beach. They're such sweeties those two. Unfortunately, I have no photos, as we were too busy chatting...could of at least got one of the babies together, oh well. After we left them, we went looking around the shops, and I had to bring home mr.squirrel, from this cute little shop. I really have my eye on this particular piece, but I need to be realistic here.
bernie and bernette.
I had a giggle a few weeks ago, when I saw this picture over at the lovely tiny happy! Why do we all seem to have our stuff squeezed onto these ridiculously small tables?!
1. I have my husband to thank for much of my fabric stash. He often comes home from work with a bag full of goodness for me, and I get all the credit for having such great fabric.
anniversary baby! Today was our second wedding anniversary, and we had a really special day together, enjoying the spring sunshine and reminiscing over the things that have happened over the past couple of years. We decided last year that we would do the traditional gift thing, because it's quirky and fun, and we like that.
My gift was "ada", from mamasita, isn't she wonderful. I can tell you, the mister scored some mega brownie points for this one. I just have to hide her from the kids...she's all mine!
since the category fell well within the hazyjane realm this year, I felt it was high time I rocked up something big for my man, who is always spoiling me so much, so I made him a surfboard cover, something which he has been hinting at for a long time now, and which I have been tactfully avoiding because of the sheer scale of the job. And you know what, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined. The appliqued design is loosely based on the board he built a few years ago, and that part was what took the longest. (well, obviously). The cover itself is made from some vintage suiting, padded with wadding and lined with vintage sheeting (of course). As he pointed out upon inspection this morning, he could sleep in the thing.
oh yeah, about that funny little road trip. Sorry , got a bit side-tracked there by a baby with a temperature.
after driving for what seemed like an hour, we came to a sign saying "wee jasper, 55". Oh, so it's a bit further than I thought. That's ok, the day is yet young. Then the road turns to dirt. Then we come to the mountains, the mountains with no guard rail that is, and then, just when I think we must surely be there, we come to a sign that says "wee jasper, 27". "Another #%*!ing 27km", I exclaim, where the hell is this place, in victoria? By this time, the wee man himself has decided he doesn't really want to see his namesake after all, and he wants out of the car, now. So, another 20 minutes or so go by, and finally we come to the above sign. Needless to say, I have to feed the babe to console him, and while I am doing this, the willow decides to go for a bit of a rock climb. Of course, he gets stuck halfway up, and I order the fin to go after him, and just as he is reaching out his hand to help the brother in need, he looks down and discovers that the entire cutting is made up of fossils.
so, the boys are now in fossil hunting heaven, the baby is happy and content once again (at least until I try to put him back in the car seat), and I have my much sought-after wee jasper photo. After a few celebratory snakes and a drink of water, we pile back into the car, turn around and brace ourselves for the return trip, which I must say, did not seem to take nearly as long, especially with some fun music to keep us going. Even saw my latest dream home on the way back.
I must say, I'm so glad I bothered to take this little road trip. It's good to get out of one's comfort zone every now and again.
yeah, we're back, it's just taken me a few days to catch my breath. Still not sure I have, really. Canberra was good. Actually, far better than I imagined it would be. I was really close to not going on friday...the main reason for the trip was a skateboarding thingy, the details of which I won't go into here, because I'm not really all that up on the lingo, and as excited as I was about attending that little soiree, I thought I might just let the mister take the biggest boy off on a boy's weekend. But, we do like to do things as a family, so I dragged myself down there, and ended up having a great weekend. Watched a bit of crazy skateboarding, which, I have to admit, was pretty impressive, and saw a few of the sights as well.
it's hard to fit too much into two and a half days, with three children in tow, but we did manage to visit the national museum, questacon, and do a couple of drive-by's of parliament house and the war memorial. I know we are very slack parents for not actually stopping at these very important places, but we did make a point of explaining to the kids what they were all about, and quite frankly, after about the fifty seventh back arch from banana-boy jasper, I was all for staying in the car once we were in it. I did also take the three amigos on a funny little road trip on sunday, I'll be back with details of that one...
the last couple of days have been stinkers and we were forced to spend our afternoons doing this. Tough, I know. We're off on a little adventure tomorrw, to canberra. I think this may just be the first holiday we've ever been on where there are no surfboards on the roof racks. There are, however, three skateboards in the back of my car. I'll be back next week with a full report. Have a great weekend!
these feet, that went for their first ever swim today;
this smile, that renders me useless when I try and get mad with him. Today we were pigling bland, and off to market we went;
these hands, that take so much care with the words they write and the pictures they draw. Oh how I love these boys.
today I found myself with a rare couple of hours to myself. Fin is doing a tennis camp for the week at our local courts, mum took willow for a while and jasper finally gave in and had a little siesta, so I set about tidying up some of my fabric stash which had become a little, shall we say, dishevelled. It's one of those jobs that seems just too huge to even think about, especially with now crawling baby in tow, but once I got started, I actually found it very therapeutic. I found so many pieces that I had frogotten about, and I now have a mind full of projects for the summer. Hopefully I'll actually get around to bringing some of them to frution. For this task, I needed three milky ways (the little ones) for sustenance, and my chosen musical accompaniment today was catpower, you are free. An oldie, but such a goodie.
a very tall chest of drawers that is also full, and two or three suitcases as well. I must say, it is nice to have options. Many options.
...getting into mischief (lucky "wildmut" is there to keep an eye on things),
and getting stuck in some really funny places
after swanning about on his belly (mainly backwards) for the past few weeks, the little man has finally cracked the crawling, and after surveying every little nook and cranny from a reclined position for nigh on nine months now, he is off to explore his surrounds. Oh, the baby-proofing to be done. I read somewhere the other day that anything that can fit into a film cannister is a potential choking hazard. That counts for about 90% of the contents of our house. Then there's the books that we don't really want torn to shreds, the le creuset which now has to live on the stove instead of the low shelf where it can be pulled down, the lego which really has to be packed up, and the camera bags which should really find a more permanent home than on the floor. Just when the kids were old enough to not have to worry about these things, we went and had another one! Oh, the fun to be had.
I'm not sure whether it's some kind of parallel universe thing, or just the fact that we bloggers have a lot in common, but very frequently I find myself reading or seeing things that I have thought about, or in fact already done myself. Like the before dinner skirt. About a week and a half ago, after a particularly gruelling afternoon with the boys, I handed the babe over to the mister as soon as he walked in the door and set about making myself a skirt from a circular tablecloth. It was one of those ideas that had been tumbling around in my head for a couple of years (yes, years, there's nothing like a healthy dose of procrastination to spur one on), and I decided that this was the afternoon for it. I had about 20 minutes to spare before getting dinner on, and, I'm happy to say, it went without a hitch.
very wearable, and great for twirling. Anyway, back to the parallel universe part, I check in to see what the soulemama is up to a couple of days later, and there they are, the before dinner skirts. I guess us mammas are all a bit pressed for time, huh?
I'm finding it easier now to have ongoing jobs just sitting on my sewing table, so I can come along and do a little bit whenever I get the chance. I finished off these little size one summer pants in this way today. It's a lot less stressful than trying to see a job through from start to finish, because there's rarely a chance that that's going to happen. So, I just do a seam here, a hem there, and gradually they get finished.
the latest batch of aminals took me about two weeks to do in this manner, amongst other things. The effelants have grown! After referring to the little ones as "little pillows" for so long now, it seemed logical to actually make some that are like pillows. Another idea that took a l o n g time to come to fruition. I'm pretty darn happy with these guys. The very first one I made swiftly disappeared into fin's room, where it now permanently resides, so I guess I'll take that as the kiddo seal of approval. There are a couple in the shop (well, one actually, and another one who is still making his way there), and also a couple at my messy room. Hope you like them as much as we do!
...in the bush. I've been finding it hard to strike a balance between living, crafting and blogging lately, and unfortunately, blogging has fallen by the wayside. It disappoints me, because I love it here, but with three adventurous young boys (and one big one) to keep me busy, that's just the way it is. So, this week I will be trying to post everyday about what I/we are doing. I'm predicting there will be a lot of the latter, as it's school holidays in these parts, and I will have all my little friends around to keep me company. Yay, no morning fights for two weeks!
today we set out early to a local national park for a morning bush walk. Lucky for us we did set out early, because today turned out to be a stinker, and we did see one red-belly black sunning himself by the side of the track. It's funny, you always think you might see one, but it's pretty rare that you actually do, and then when you do, it's like, "oh shit, let's go back now". But, we made it out of there in tact, well, except for a minor grazed knee which was quickly remedied with a splash of water (mental note:must get some calendula to keep in my bag), and came home for an afternoon in the pool. Needless to say, there are three very tired boys (and two adults for that matter) here tonight.
