Winter means winter coats.  I have been stitching away, with these coats just waiting for it to get cold enough to wear.  Of course, this doesn't mean that everything else the children wear is seasonally appropriate.  Check out those bare knees!!
The girls promptly told me that they are elf coats, not pixie coats.  Apparently, elves are cooler.  I think we can blame the Polar Express movie for that.  The girls are pretty excited about their coats either way.
 About the Pattern:
The pattern is Thadee by Citronille.  It has been shortened to allow for tree climbing and bike riding adventures.  I didn't realise you could get the patterns in english  and fumbled my way through the french (looking at the pictures really). I chose to line it with flannel to the hoods and body and vintage acetate to the sleeves.   I've also added some pockets into the side seams.  The buttons are vintage self covered dome buttons which found in an opshop.  I still haven't been able to find anyone who is currently making them as they are great for little fingers.

The fabric was bought at an auction in January.  The coral appears to have been a wool blanket once upon a time.  It was just an off cut when it came to me.  The blue is a thick woven coat wool.  You may see a little more of it over time as I ended up with a half bolt of it.

The pattern is simple to make and I would recommend it.  While it would be a whole lot faster to make without pockets or lining, the little details make it all the nicer for my little pixies elves.

Sometimes creativity is a force to be reckoned with.  H helped her self to a buch of flowers from the garden and told me we were about to hammer some flowers like they did on Sticky TV.  I can only be thankful that the hammers are kept well out of reach or she wouldn't have waited for help.

To make you own flower stamps, you will need:
Coloured, flatish flowers (pansies worked well)
Baking paper
White fabric
Chopping board
Hammer

This is what happens in our house, when the adult take their time putting up the advent calendar*.  Small children take matters into their own hands.  She's done a great job recreating our calendar don't you think?

I was worried that I may have lost some of the pockets between the years.  But this little burst of creativity from miss H was all I needed to get myself sorted and out calendar up.

Sorted - now for the chocolate.

In honor of the last day of Daycare for the year, H and I made sprinkle fudge to give to the teachers.


To make your own you will need:

395g can sweetened condensed milk
100g butter
200g  brown sugar
3 Tbsp golden syrup
180g white chocolate buttons
2 tsp vanilla essence
Lots of sprinkles  - 100s & 1000s, chocolate buttons etc.

1 Combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, sugar and syrup in a microwave-proof bowl and cook on medium-high power for 7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

2 Mix in the chocolate and vanilla and stir until combined, then beat well until glossy. Spoon into a lined 17cm x 27cm tin . 

3 Sprinkle - gather the decorations and go for it!  Set aside to cool, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm. Cut into bite size pieces.

The Christmas count down started early in our house. To be precise it started the morning after Halloween. I woke to find two little girls at the breakfast table, felt pens in had and a long list of 'How do you spell...?'

The lists sat on our fridge until last week. We didn't want to bother Santa before December. H and I folded them up and posted them to the North Pole.  New Zealand Post runs an annual Postbag to Santa.  You can read more about it here.  You can even Email him.  We are waiting in anticipation for our return letters.

The strangest things rise to the surface when parents start clearing out spaces.  I spied a pair of these glass domes on a shelf in Dad's garage.  At first he though they might be old valve domes, but closer inspection and splashes of white paint suggest they were outdoor light bulb covers.  With $2 of thrifted decorations,  they look grand. 

The kids are latching on to the idea of treasures under domes.  I found a little match box house hiding under a crystal glass (you can see it if you squint).  I just couldn't resist playing with lego trees and a sugar bowl.

Stir it up Sunday is something my grandmother introduced me to.  Before launching into all the rush of Advent and associated Christmas preparations, we have Stir it up Sunday.  It takes it's name from a 1549 prayer

"Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded;"

While this could trigger all manner of contemplation, this talk of stirring and fruit sounds suspiciously like pudding. Since the 1800's Stir it up Sunday, has been known as the perfect time to be making Christmas pudding.

Gran took great pride in sharing traditions with me.  As she told me all about this day, she smiled conspiratorially, and told me she had already made her puddings.

Given the day and all it's traditions, it could only mean a trip to Grandma's, my mother, for the girls to Stir it Up.

Measuring

Making bread crumbs

Cutting liners

Stiring it Up

And finally - the first cooking

It must be spring.  The picnic basket is dusted off.  My family has returned from holiday, just in time to enjoy the last few days of the cherry blossoms.  There was muffins, sandwiches, cherry hair clips and much running.

Miss H is wearing a dress smocked by Grandma for Aunty E.  Little E on the other had was not going to dress up, no way.  At least she was well dressed for tree climbing.

I am a sucker for go anywhere dresses.  The sort that can take a day at daycare or impress the grandparents at the drop of a hat.  This dress certainly fits the bill.  It is the perennial dress by SewPony.  There is even a free tutorial for it.


The colours may look familiar, and they are.  I am trying to recapture a favorite of mine that I made 2 years ago.  This one is made of a light stretch denim with an America Jane print as the accent.  Of course there is truckloads of bias tape in there too.  The red accents around the neckline are peeks of the singlet beneath.  I can proudly claim that this dress has withstood the rigors of daycare and lived to tell the tale.

Miss H is a fan of the original Wizard of Oz. It is her downtime after lunch and a low key way to unwind.  When it came to planning her party there was no question, it had to be an Oz party.  You can see that the lion put in a guest appearance too.

I am quickly typing on a  European board.  Where o Where have they hidden the vowels??  The holiday is going well and some time soon I might get close enough to a computer to share some stories.

When Hazel told me she wanted a Wizard of Oz party, I envisioned dainty hand coloured invitations.  I started sketching.  It turns out there is a difference between what a child wants and what a mum wants a child to want.  It wasn't helped by our printer spitting the dummy.

So, the night before the invites needed to go out, I was left raiding the kids art cabinet, coloured paper, glitter and all.  Fortunately, H approved of the result.

Little adventures are everywhere.  To celebrate the school holidays, we're having 5 days of adventures - each day a little bit of something to keep little hands busy.  Today, we're knitting.

The girls have been playing with these for the last few weeks.  After some experimenting, I would recommend french knitting for 7yrs plus or a very enthusiastic 5yr old.  While my 4 year old finds the french knitting appealing* the co-ordination is not quite there.

We have knitted our way through the pieces of wool that came with the doll.  The coaster was carefully stitched after the kids went to bed, keeping up a fine family tradition of coasters for Grandma**.

E is now knitting her way through a  multicolored ball of knotted ends.  The different lengths add to the effect.

You can make a knitting doll with a wooden cotton reel and carpet tacks.  There is a tutorial over at Knit for Victory.

*H picked up her doll, with the knitting already started and exclaimed "Look how much poos is coming out!"

**Mum stitched up our finger knitting and Gran used them as a coaster for her morning teapot and cuppa.

Sometimes newer isn't better.  This week we made pinwheel scones using the vintage butter cutters.  Granddad was on his way over and we needed something for morning tea.

These wood and wire beauties are made to "rub in" the butter.  Being the modern girl that I am, I  usually reach for the food processor for this job.  I'm considering a change.  Once you get into it, the butter cutters are just as fast and an awful lot easier to wash. They also gave Miss H a chance to have a go too.

Soon enough the scones were ready to go and in the oven.  I would have take a photo of the finished pinwheels, but we were too busy eating them.

linking in again with Op-Shop-Show-Off

This summer we have embraced our local baths.  They are the only solution to hot summer afternoons and that moment when you swear you  are about to melt.

I love the colours and lines of the place as well as the relative quiet of an outdoor pool.  I feel I could just hug whoever it was that decided that all WWII memorials should be a living part of the community, rather than a stone relic. They obviously knew about our summers.





This week we snuck to the pool, during school time.  We shared the place with three retirees diligently swimming laps.  Half an hour after schools out and it is a different matter entirely - kids every where, the occasional parent and the best afternoon in the sun you could wish for.

I have two little girls who insist on being treated exactly the same, despite being very different and two years apart.

Should I slip up, I am reminded over and over again.  When I started the cherry blossom dress for one, the other wanted her dress too.  There was some very diplomatic sewing involved.  One dress sat finished bar the hook and eye on the back while the other was finished.  Then both dresses could be finished at the same time.  One dress had yo-yos on the pocket so of course the other needed them too.  As far as the girls were concerned, the best part was getting to choose the buttons from button tin.

It becomes another matter when forces outside of the family point out the differences. It took a while for H to get used to E being at school, but last week saw the ultimate injustice in my 3 year old's eyes.  E lost her first tooth.  The 3 year old was frantically pressing teeth to find a loose one and asking why the tooth fairy didn't visit her too.

I think it might be time to stop the synchronised sewing in an attempt to celebrate the differences together.

Make way for the butterfly rescue team.

We have two patches of swan plants, planted just for the caterpillars. Last year they ate through one patch. this year we have been ferrying them from the more popular plants to the ones that are still intact.  Despite our best efforts, they still manage to make short work of all we plant.

These guys can eat and eat.  Some escape to shadier places. This one must have been full, as we now have a chrysalis on the rose bush.