Monday, January 31, 2011

do you ever collect



From the side of the road?

I am afraid I do friends, and many a really good treasure I have secured
from the side of the road...and usually chairs! 

I was saying to Mr G only the other day, " we could really do with 
another stool at the kitchen bench, especially since Miss M's table and
chairs have now gone to the rumpus room (*sniff* it really took a while
getting used to not seeing the little table and chairs that has been an integral
place of snacks, craft, meals and play for 10 years).  

A few days later 
I found this 1950's stool, original condition and very good nick out the 
front of a house just around the corner from my home. Yay!
It was nice andclean too, yay!
Just hope the previous owner doesn't one day end up visiting 
my home - oh my,that would be embarrassing!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

got a spare 30 minutes? Make a dress!


I seem to churn these out lately! I made Miss M and her cousin 
identical dresses as they like to be "twins"....Two dresses under
$10 - priceless!


Wednesday, January 26, 2011

You can't be too careful

Good morning bloggers, this post has few nice things but first I would like to touch on a blog safety issue.
For most of us, our blogs are a place of connection and sharing family moments, crafts, arts, mothering issues and general girl stuff.  I particularly love that I can do that with you all, I adore your comments and it always gives me a thrill when I gain a new follower, I always check the new "friends'" profile and blog and usually return the compliment by following up with "thanks and pleased to meet you" comment.

So when I logged on this morning and noticed my 45th follower had joined I was excited but then puzzled. This person did not look like the usual blogger - firstly he was a 50 something year old male, from Brazil.  I then check his profile but it was in Spanish and made little sense to me. Then my eyes dropped to the the list of sites he had previously joined. Ahem, some pretty unsavoury titles existed on this list and gave me no choice but to block him immediately and inform him of my choice to do so.

Which led me to thinking, who was this man? Why on earth would he want to join my site? I doubt he knits or crochets so why? Then I was forced to think the most unpleasant of thoughts, maybe he was looking at my children. My stomach turned, had my shared life moments been viewed by a predator? I think most likely so.

It really is a feeling of violation that I am currently experiencing.

Realistically, predators are out there and it is likely that this guy wasn't the first to lurk around the "pleasantville" blogs we create. Our blogs are out there and we put them out there. We can't control the world but we can be mindful about how much detail we add to our blogs.  Some time ago, I was reading a blog post about an "exciting first ETSY purchase", the blogger had taken a photo of the package she received and there in bold print was her address...I quickly emailed her and pointed this out - later she confided she was so shocked she had done this .

I won't stop posting about my family, I won't cower in fear.  But like I employ in real life,  I will be blogging with a stronger awareness of who enters my world and if needed, like today, will do what is necessary to keep mine safe. Like any community, we need to keep an eye out for each other in order to maintain each others' safety and take on responsibilities like we would and do in our actual communities. So bloggers, I urge you contact each other if you see anything that be an oversight with potential risk factors, or announce anything dodgey you might come across such as my ex 45th follower and share your ideas on how we might promote a safe blogging community.

Now time for some happy goodness with " what I am loving at the moment"

polka dot pin wheels

this fantastic plastic poppy brooch

breakfast of champions


wayfarers wearing Nanas


this hey diddle diddle clock in Tasmania

cherries


Martha's new handbag - if it wasn't pink I might use it too!

giant chocolate frogs

Martha's new bunny made by Beck at Dandelion (see my blog list)
This bunny is so special she sits with Martha's beloved bear.

this adorable metal plaque



Thursday, January 20, 2011

Family Get togethers



 As many of you know we live in Melbourne, but unfortunately all
of our extended family lives dotted around this massive country of
ours.  So family get togethers are rare and usually take a lot of effort
and travel.

This week my sister and her family visited us from Canberra and
boy did we have fun! We hung out a bit and yesterday ventured 
into the city, specifically Federation Square: on of my favourite 
community spaces in Melbourne. So here are a few snaps of our day 
in town. 

Best friends
Busy with girl business

Street Theatre in Bourke St Mall
Wandering the city, stopping here and there

Cousins and mates - Tully and Thomas

Juice and Milkshakes with Melbourne chic! Yes that is APPLE juice
NOT chardonay in Miss Martha's glass .
Add caption

Awesome! Hightlight of the day. Tully and Tom meet KANE the co-host
of the ABC3's Studio 3. Kane was very cool and chatted with the guys,
did high fives and posed for this cool photo. The boys are still stoked!!
A barbie for dinner , what a treat to have nine of my favourite people at my table

Meet Miss Daphne , Miss Prudence's Sister
Chocolate teddies from Haigh's chocolate's for dessert!



Monday, January 17, 2011

monday musings



hand made wrappings and greetings



miso goodness

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Things I am loving at the moment

 This silk tie I bought Mr G, it actually looks like denim!


My new Vintage Pearl necklace that Mr G and the kids gave me for Christmas.
Wow, he does listen to my comments sometimes!!


A soap stone heart I found at Salamanca Markets in Tassie.



This gorgeous silver pineapple my sister gave me for Christmas, it has a candle inside.



And can you believe Mr G gave me an overlocker for Christmas!!!!!!!

LOVING IT ALL!

Things I am already missing



I am missing Christmas....it seemed to go so fast and
I was so exhausted by the time it got here it seems a
bit of blur! But I loved Martha's contributions to conjuring the 
Christmas spirit in our home. 

Here is her gingerbread house decorated by herself.


Here is her Christmas Centre piece she made a Brownies



I adore these vintage Christmas plates from USA




I am missing Tasmania. I have only been back for a few days and 
I wish I didn't leave. What a magnificent place with her astounding rock formations




And sandless beaches






Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Book Alert!!!


You MUST read this! What a wonderful book, full of dressmaking, designs, techniques to be gleaned from this wonderful quirky tale!

This is an Australian novel published in 2000 by Rosalie Ham, her first novel.  Rosalie describes wonderful styles of dress design in a way that has you right there in the protaganist's sewing room!  The book is not without literary subtance though : romance, tragedy and triumph are all present written in flair and true story teller style. I LOVED it!!!!

So please read it and let me know what you thought of it. Maybe we could have a "book club" on it?

xxx Miss Prudence

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A little re-decorating

You might recall me talking about "making over" my family room
last November? Well the idea kind of spread and I went "white" crazy throughout 
the house.

Here is the dining room.
This "before" picture was taken 2009 at Martha's birthday, the
walls were green and my dining room suite is the 
one I bought 18 years before a lovely old 1920's 
oak suite- over the 18 years chairs died and were 
replaced with more old chairs.




A touch of white paint to the chairs. some
funky "script" fabric and viola! I kept the table 
in it's lovely natural state.

The chair in the corner is over 200 years old and a family 
heir loom, so I left it alone. The little cupboard is going to get
a coat of teal paint, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Paint the walls white and pinch the light shade from the 
lounge's standard lamp and the dining suddenly looks 
white and airy and so much bigger.


This is a bit scary for me as I am more "bo-ho" and
this look is a bit shabby chic, a bit french and a bit ???


Love to hear what you think.