Petal & Ginger

Work in progress

2012-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Macrame + Paper Twine

2012-01-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

These beautiful flowers were one of the table centre-pieces from my step-daughters wedding which was yesterday. A lovely day with family and friends.

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Oops

2012-01-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

We're redecorating my daughter's room and now we have another hole to fill in the walls, thanks to a falling bookshelf. Oh dear!

Tie-Dyeing

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Tie-dyeing with my daughter and her friend. These are the test pieces so they could get a feel for what the different ways of tying or using pegs (second from right) could turn out like before they dyed their t-shirts. I haven't managed to get a photo of the t-shirts yet but they looked pretty good and my daughter has already worn hers.

Hydrangeas

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

These flowers make me smile when I look out the kitchen window, I love these colours.

A lovely surprise

2012-01-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas, Selvedge magazine held a holiday giveaway and I won one of the prizes, a box full of goodies from Paperphine.

And when the parcel arrived it was so exciting unwrapping everything.

Colourful paper twines.

And a necklace made of fine paper yarn. There is a ring as well but I haven't got a photo of it yet.

More paper twine on vintage wooden bobbins, once used in silk weaving mills.

And yet more. The white yarn is "Fine Paper Yarn"with a diameter of only a fraction of an inch (0.01 in / 0,4mm).

Twisted paper twine on a wooden spindle from an old Austrian weaving mill.

What a great gift to finish the year with.

Auckland Art Gallery

2011-12-28T00:16:00.000-08:00

www.aucklandartgallery.com

Bits and Pieces

2011-12-27T00:35:00.001-08:00

2011-12-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

School finishes today, so this afternoon we're decorating the Christmas tree. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are ready and waiting.

Snowflake time again

2011-12-11T17:15:00.001-08:00

This morning I have been teaching a class of 9 and 10 year olds to make 3D snowflakes. I may need a little rest but first to get all the glue off my fingers.

Instructions can be found here. I glue it all together rather than tape and staples. Use a tacky glue, I use Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive and you don't need much.

A reindeer in the garden

2011-12-11T17:11:00.001-08:00

Reindeer are not often seen in New Zealand but here's one found roaming in our garden.

A Christmas gift from the LEGO club

Little Bunny

2011-12-08T11:41:00.001-08:00

Pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits

Limoncello

2011-12-05T13:11:00.001-08:00

I've never tried Limoncello before so have no idea what the real stuff tastes like but this is very yummy. The recipe is from the December NZ House & Garden and can also be found here: http://www.ruthpretty.co.nz/recipes.aspx/Cocktails-Drinks/limoncello

Christmas cat

2011-12-03T22:36:00.001-08:00

Some Christmas knitting, a Christmas cat. It was meant to be a bear but I think the ears are more cat-like. The pattern is from Little Cotton Rabbits: http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/2008/12/christmas-tree-bears.html

Christmas Cat with Playmobil Santa

Beaded Stars

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-08:00

Not much going on here at the moment so here's something I made earlier. The pattern is from a kit bought from a bead shop that unfortunately has closed down. I haven't managed to find a similar pattern online but if anyone knows of one, let me know and I'll post the link.

2011-12-01T12:55:00.001-08:00

Paper Stars

2011-11-29T13:01:00.001-08:00

I love looking at all the magazines around now, all the lovely Christmas ideas which would look so perfect in my house if I just had a empty spare lounge and had oodles of money to spend. Of course, that's not in the realms of possibility, instead it's more of a case of "Where are we going to put the Christmas tree?". And while I've been pondering on this little problem, I've been making these.

I used these instructions:
http://www.craftideas.info/html/german_paper_star.html
which are very clear and easy to understand. Once you've made a couple they are quite easy to make, I find cutting the strips of paper the worst part but that might be because my paper-cutter is a bit broken.

2011-11-28T12:55:00.001-08:00

Esmeralda was totally ready for Christmas this year. The tree was up, the presents wrapped and it was time to kick back and play with the dog.

Rescued from the wind and rain.

2011-11-23T12:57:00.001-08:00

Though I'm not sure the flowers themselves think they're been rescued when they're cut and brought inside. However we get to enjoy their lovely colour while sitting nice and dry inside.

Jelly Baby

2011-11-17T15:08:00.001-08:00

My daughter is holding a Sweetastic themed camp this weekend. The activities are based on the Sweetastic Challenge which you can find here: http://www.devas.cheshireforest.org.uk/
Of course no camp can be without a mascot so I had a quick look on the internet and found a pattern for a Jelly Baby pattern and you can see the result above. The pattern can be found here: http://www.craftbits.com/project/charity-pattern-dr-who-jelly-baby The fact that it references Doctor Who is just a bonus.

Snow Globes

2011-11-17T14:56:00.001-08:00

We made snow globes at Brownies last night (as part of the Sparkle theme for those of you in NZ). The girls had lots of fun making them with glitter ending up all over the place, there's some sort of magical attraction between Brownies and glitter that means it will end up in hair, on clothes and throughout the hall no matter how careful you are. To make them you need:

a small jar and lid (we used baby food jars, make sure the lid fits well)
water
glitter
glycerine
glue (we used superglue, well the leaders used it as we didn't want any Brownies stuck to their snow globes)
a small decoration or model (make sure it can fit in the jar)

Glue the decoration to the inside of the lid.
Half fill the jar with glycerine. Add water until the jar is 3/4 full.
Pour in the glitter.
Screw on the lid tightly.
Shake it up!

A Stole

2011-10-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

This project has been hanging around for a couple of months now, mainly because I have been refining my procrastination skills. It's not difficult sewing, the hardest part was actually finding a pattern. I used a kit from Church Linens, which has very detailed and helpful instructions. Because our church is named Holy Trinity I wanted the decoration to be related to that. I thought about embroidering the design but after talking over a few ideas I realised that I could actually make a knot and sew it on. Here's the first sample, using the Triquetra knot from Celtic Knots for Beaded Jewellery by Suzie Millodot.

And here is the completed stole. It's not perfect but I am relieved to have it finished and I know what to do differently next time.

2011-10-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

We finally made it into Auckland to check out some of what has been happening for the Rugby World Cup, in particular the Waka Maori.

And this is what we went to see, the kids' grandfather's name on the list of Maori All Blacks at the Maori Rugby exhibition.

At the Backing Black HQ, don't think that my daughter is going to make it to All Blacks shoe sizes but that's probably a good thing as I don't think there would be a lot of nice womens shoes in those sizes.

Maori Warrior by Molly Macalister

The Sky Tower

Walking back up Queen Street

We're going back on Sunday night to check out the Fan Trail, though not going as far as Eden Park as the ticket prices are not quite in our price range. Instead we're watching the game on TV with fingers and toes crossed.

In the garden

2011-10-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

I love the colour of bluebells, it is my favourite blue.

The Poorly Quilt

2011-09-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I have been mending this:

I made this quilt for my son, when he moved from the cot to a big bed. I freely admit that my quilt making skills are not the best and this is the first quilt I ever made, however it did the job and at some stage made the move to my daughter's bed where she shared it with the dog. Unfortunately one of the fabrics I used totally fell apart, at first I just patched or oversewed the rips but then it reached the stage where it was just one big mess so I chucked it in the cupboard and ignored it.

The other day I pulled it out to use as a picnic rug as I thought we might as well use it and it couldn't really be wrecked any more than it was. Since then it has been lying on the sofa while my daughter talked about how it was her favourite quilt (we won't mention that it's her only quilt) so I decided to bite the bullet and try and mend it. I have used up every reel of blue thread I own and found that I don't have many blue cottons in my fabric stash, but the poorly quilt is now not so poorly and ready to return to my daughter's bed, where I shall ignore the dog sleeping on all my hard work.

Mysterious paper sculptures

2011-09-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

These are wonderful, I wonder if the artist will be revealed.
http://crafthaus.ning.com/profiles/blogs/mysterious-paper-sculptures-edinburgh-scotland

My new necklace

2011-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

Made using the instructions for the Horizontal figure of eight chain necklace in

Celtic Knots for Beaded Jewellery by Suzie Millodot

The necklace is just knotted at the back as my cord was a bit thicker than recommended so I couldn't thread it through any necklace clasps I had, the figure of eight chain is also a bit shorter as I ran out of cord.

2011-09-12T01:36:00.000-07:00

It's another month already, Christmas will be here before we know it. However there are ninety billion weeks of Rugby World Cup to get through before then, or maybe it just seems like that. Non-related rugby activities have been occurring though. I made another zipper purse and another birthday card.

And on Saturday we went to a birthday party at the Botanic Gardens. No pictures of the party but here are some of the sculptures around the place.

Butterfly - Llew Summers

Campsite - Peter Lange

And some of the wildlife.

Pukekos

Zipper Dumpling

2011-08-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made a birthday card for my Dad and actually mailed it before his birthday. And then I had a go at making this:

This is what is looks like upzipped.

I found the tutorial for the Zip-itself coin purse at Craft Passion . My zipper was slightly longer than specified in the tutorial so I had to fold in the ends which made it a bit messier. I followed the link from Craft Passion to Haha Plaza, who sell these little purses and found they call them zipper dumpling coin purses. Is that not a cute name?

Of course then I started wanting some ribbon to make another one and found this lovely shop Ribbons Galore. I may have ordered some ribbon from here, you'll just have to wait and see.

Silly Sushi

2011-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Much more fun than cleaning the house.

New skirt

2011-08-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've had a copy of 49 sensational skirts by Alison Willoughby for yonks and I have finally made something from it. Apologies for the bad photos, it was a rush job before racing my lovely photographer to school and then Ginger decided that he was meant to be in the photos.

Anyway I hope you can see what I've done. It's the Catherine Wheel design, and the fabric scraps are either from clothes I no longer fit or wear, or pieces that weren't big enough to make a whole garment.

Instead of using the wrap skirt pattern provided with the book I've used a favourite pattern from Burda magazine 1/2004.

There were meant to be buttons in the middle of the wheels but I left them off as I thought they might be uncomfortable to sit on and also I couldn't be bothered sewing the buttons on, I just wanted to wear the skirt.

Felty Monsters

2011-08-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

My daughter's school runs a Privilege programme, where if you behave yourself for the week or something like that, you get to do Privilege on Friday afternoons. There are a variety of options to choose from, ranging from Jump Jam to Origami. Anyway, the last school newsletter asked if any parents had skills they would like to share for Privilege, so I have offered to take a class making little felt toys if any of the kids are interested. The monster on the left is one of the samples for the class, the pattern is from a Sew Hip issue 7 which I've shrunk it down.

Other random bits and pieces

I was interested in an article in the latest New Scientist, Welcome to the 'algoworld', which is an interview with Kevin Slavin. Heres's link to a TED talk he gave in July "How algorithms shape our world"

Have you heard of the Live Below the Line campaign that is running this week. It aim is to raise awareness about the grim reality of global poverty home by asking young people to live for five days on $2.25 a day for food. That's the global extreme poverty line, where 1.4 billion people live every day. If you want to know more, then click here or here. There is a cookbook that could be handy, even if you're not doing the challenge.

Cupcake Fun

2011-08-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Today, my daughter and I have been to a Flowering Cupcakes class. We're very pleased with our efforts.

And they taste yummy too.

The class was at Strawberry Sky cakes in Pukekohe.

Sugru

2011-08-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Sugru? It looks quite handy.

Fresh Bread

2011-08-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

There's a polar blast hitting the country and snow may even make it up this end of the island, but at least we have hot, fresh bread and a fire to keep warm. This is the easiest bread to make, you can find the recipe here (just remember that an Aussie tablespoon = 20mL)

2011-08-10T16:58:00.000-07:00


Clothkits doorstop

Another Sew Hip subscription gift that has sat around for far too long waiting to be made up.
Today I'm reading about Camila Batmanghelidjh and Kids Company. Here's her take on the London riots.

In the garden

2011-08-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Garlic shoots

Today is good, I've been out in the garden enjoying the sunshine.

Clothkits Washbag

2011-08-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

The kit was a subscription gift from Sew Hip, last year. I can't find it on the Clothkits website but there are lots of other gorgeous things so go and have a look.

I Love Linen Stitch

2011-08-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have been trying out Linen Stitch and it's awesome. I'm using the left-overs from these socks and I love the way Linen Stitch blends the colours together, muting the brightness, and how it looks like a woven fabric (which probably explains the name).

Linen Stitch front

Linen Stitch back

Here's the stitch pattern.

Multiple of 2 stitches plus 3

Row 1: *K1, Slip 1 with yarn to front; repeat from * to last stitch, K1
Row 2: P2, *Slip 1 with yarn to back, P1; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, P2

Repeat these two rows for pattern.

Paper Bracelet

2011-08-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

Inspired to make one after reading Making, issue 8. However, I think there is a folding step missing from their instructions so I ended up searching the internet. Look for instructions for candy wrapper bracelets if you're interested in making one for yourself. I'm not sure how well the bracelet will last, so I've sprayed it with varnish.

Dimensions for paper pieces: 3.5cm x 8.5cm
Paper used: glossy magazine

Snow in Stratford

2011-07-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

We've just been down to Stratford during the school holidays and it was very exciting because it snowed on the day we travelled down.

Mt TaranakiAn igloo for a unicorn

Mum & Dad's backyard.

Kings Cross Central Skip Garden

2011-07-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Reading Country Living (June 2011) and spied an article on Kings Cross Central Skip Garden. I find these urban garden projects fascinating, makes me keen to do more with our section.
Here's some links if you're interested:
kingscrosscentral.com/skip_garden
foodgirl.ca
Global Generation
Guardian article on the garden. (the Guardian is a partner in the project)

The 1st of July

2011-06-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

is today, which means we officially have another teenager in the house. And this one comes with hair straighteners. And now for some random photos.New Pinky St girls.

Birthday cake for another member of the household. I decided to try out a Nigel Slater recipe - Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cake, but I think I measured something wrong as it took forever to cook. Tasted nice though, so I'll try it out again one day. One pair of socks finished, but I think they're a little big. Toasty warm though. I started off knitting them on a circular needle but managed to break it on the second sock so it was back to double-pointed needles which I found easier anyway.And another holiday snap, the Glasgow School of Arts.
Off to bake a birthday cake now, fingers crossed this one is successful. A cake has been picked from the Planet Cake book so there is much work ahead of us.

Halfway through June

2011-06-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Wandering around the garden and I notice these Flax seed-pods against the sky, don't they look amazing. And even though it is Winter and there shouldn't be anything much flowering, some plants are determined to provide some colour. This gerbera has flowered better this year than ever before. That little pink object at the bottom of the photo is a mirror I won in a giveaway from Fieldy (it looked a bit sad in a photo by itself so here it is). You can buy these mirrors from here
Last but not least, the first outing for one of our souvenirs from Paris, an Eiffel Tower cutter. Yummy!

Almost finished

2011-06-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

I just have to wait for it to dry, find some buttons to sew on, and weave in a few ends and this cardigan will be ready for winter. I'm looking forward to wearing it.

Pattern: Cabled Yoke Cardi, Sirdar Eco wool dk Book

Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh

2011-05-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

We wandered up the road from where we were staying and found this cemetery. Beautiful in its own way and fascinating, the monuments form streets of little buildings and there was evidence that the ones with intact roofs are used as shelters today.

On a different note, has anyone used patterns from Merchant & Mills? I like the look of several of them, especially the Top No.64, the Park Lane dress and The Panel dress.

Edinburgh

2011-05-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

The magazine is off to Merenia, I promise it will be in the mail soon. And as promised, here are a few more photos from our trip. This time it's Edinburgh, which was an amazing place to visit. I'd love to spend more time there and explore. Looking down towards the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle. St Giles' Cathedral. View from one of the closes.
The closes and tenement houses fascinated me, a very different lifestyle to how we live in New Zealand. We went on a tour of Mary King's Close, which was a fun way of learning some of the history of the area. We also went on a ghost walk where we heard some of the stories again but with slightly more embellishment.

Giveaway

2011-05-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

It's the weekend and it's raining again, so what better than a Good magazine to curl up with and read. Good magazine is great for eco-friendly living tips with a New Zealand flavour.

If you want to see some more of what's inside look here and don't forget to check out the rest of the website while you're there.
And if you'd like to own this slightly-read copy, then leave a comment by Wednesday, 25 May and I'll pick out a name and send the magazine off to a new home.

Invasion of the Bookworms

2011-05-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well not quite, still practising.

Learning new things

2011-05-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching myself using "Beginner's Guide to Bobbin Lace" by Gilian Dye. This is the first exercise, making a bookmark. Unfortunately I ran out of thread (must have measured wrong) so it is a bit shorter than it is meant to be. Orange is not a colour I would normally choose but I gained 3 spools of it from somewhere and it was the only No. 8 thread I had.

Ginger Crunch

2011-05-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Quick and easy to make, and yummy. But it doesn't last long, I only made it last night and it will be lucky to see out the day.
Here's the recipe if you want to make some yourself.

Base
1/4 lb butter
4 Tbsp sugar
1 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger

Crumble together and press into a 8 inch tin, not too thickly. Bake in a moderate oven, 15 minutes.

Ice while hot with:

4 Tbsp icing sugar
3 tsp golden syrup
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp ginger
melted together in a small pot.

Cut before it gets cold.

1 Tbsp = 15mL
Moderate oven is 180 C or about 170C if you're using fanbake. Just cook until the base is golden brown on the edges.
1/4 lb = 115 g, sorry about the imperial measurement, it's an old recipe and my scales measure both so I don't usually convert it.

Happy eating.

2011-05-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

I love this fireplace, all made of paper, and the cake looks pretty yummy too. And there's instructions so I could make my own, just as soon as I think of somewhere to put it.
From Marie Claire Idees No. 84, Mai-Juin 2011

Confused

2011-05-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

My poor garden has been neglected for over a month so there's an awful lot of weeds growing and not much else. However, while I wandering around, compiling of list of jobs to be done, I found this little bunch of flowers. And now I'm confused, when are these bulbs meant to flower? I always thought it was spring but it is late autumn/early winter here. Have I got it wrong or are the bulbs confused?

Old Conduit House

2011-05-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

Isn't this house amazing? It's in Lyndhurst Terrace, near Pax Lodge. We walked past it a couple of times and wondered about it as it looks almost church-like and yet it's name is "Old Conduit House" which you might be able to see written next to the archway entrance. So I had a quick search on the internet and here's some details:

Built in 1864 to the designs of John Burlison, who was chief assistant to Sir George Gilbert Scott (the architect of St. Pancras railway station and the Albert Memorial, amongst many other fine buildings). The windows were designed by Alfred Bell, one of the pre-eminent makers of stained glass at that time and Burlison’s son-in-law. The house was originally built for both families, with an interconnecting internal door, but after Burlison died in 1868, the Bell family took over the whole building and Alfred, with another Gilbert Scott pupil, Charles Buckeridge, created the extraordinary gothic interiors. Bell died in 1895, when the house was divided into two again and Number 1 Lyndhurst Terrace was re-named Old Conduit House, after the nearby Shepherd’s Well.

I would love to see inside. It even has a consecrated chapel on the top floor.

2011-05-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello there,
I've been on holiday for the last month, my first trip to the other side of the world. I went to a Girl Guiding event at Pax Lodge for a week and then the family came over and we spent 3 weeks exploring. Consequently I have lots of photos that I will probably use to liven up this blog over the next few months but for now I have a pile of laundry to wash and try to dry while the rain clouds hover.

PS I don't know why these photos look so gloomy, the weather was quite good.

On my reading pile

2011-03-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

A lovely birthday present, I'm slowly reading through it and savouring the photos.

2011-03-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Loved reading this book, now I find myself looking at what fonts are being used around the place and trying to decide which ones I like.

My other distraction this week is learning to knit a sock on a circular needle. I bought a kit from Blendy Knits It's easier than using 4 needles but I'm finding that the cable length is a bit short for me. The yarn is "Beatrice" from Knitsch Yarns and the pattern is "Easy Chevron Socks" from the book provided in the kit.

2011-03-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

Birthday Cake

from "Planet Cake Cupcakes" by Paris Cutler
The budding cook spent all evening making this for her brother.

Trying out the new camera

2011-03-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Our coffee plant grew a berry, just the one mind you, and it only took 4 years.

2011-02-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

Buttermilk Sponge Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
Made by the budding baker yesterday evening.

Recipe from Christmas Cupcakes by Annie Rigg,
ISBN 97 1 84975 026 4

Finally a refashion

2011-02-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

Now that my Wardrobe Refashion pledge time has finished, I have actually refashioned something, a dress from the op shop. I loved the fabric but the style wasn't really me so I unpicked it all and ended up with a lot of bits which have sat in a pile for months. And then magically, one morning I woke up and they had reassembled themselves into this top. OK, parts of that last sentence may not be completely true but wouldn't it be good if clothes would just assemble themselves from fabric and patterns left lying next to each other. I would have an awesome wardrobe. Anyway back to reality, the pattern is Simplicity 2593. I'm not sure about the draped neckline, I don't think I've got it looking quite right and it seems to flip over a bit when I'm wearing it. It's not serious enough to stop me wearing it though.

Have now unpicked the neckband and resewn it on, in an attempt to get it to sit better.

Hey, it's February, where did January go?

2011-02-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

It's already one month down and the last post here was in December, oh dear, so much for being more organised and energetic in 2011. At least my tomato plants have been busy, there are 11 kgs of tomatoes in the freezer waiting to be made into sauce and other concoctions.