rainy

It was rainy and windy on Tuesday so I went into my sewing cave and didn't come out until I was due to go to the movies with the book club ( yes I know we should be discussing a book, but a movie every so often is therapeutic). 

We went to see Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. It presents an unlikely scenario both in the ambitious dam project  and in the romance stakes. The scene stealer is Kristen Scott Thomas as the ruthless press secretary.  She reminded me of Ab Fab's Patsy as she became more conniving as the story unfolded. Even though Ewan McGregor's character,  Dr Jones was quite a twerp he was still adorable. And I think I have a girl crush on Emily Blunt. I also have to mention the very handsome  Tom Mison.  Go see it.

My sewing frenzy produced a weird fellow called Jimbo. He is a return to the odd types of softies I love to make.

These softies are available at Etsy.com - you can click on the link at the side of this post to go straight to my shop - Alice Blue Softies.

paper mache boat

The wait is over for the owl and the pussycat. Their boat is in!

I got my craft on and actioned a paper mache boat from some wonderful instructions from 

Ann Wood. You can find the link here. She has a link to a pdf for the hull pattern.

Here are the step by step instructions - look away now lest you get drawn in to the paper mache vortex!

 Materials -
PVA glue mixed 4:1 with water
Strips of newspaper -The Age ( Melbourne )
Cereal box
sticky tape
paint brush
recycled food container with lid
acrylic paints
2 sticks from the garden (30cm and 25 cm)
fabric for sail
string
shell buttons
sharp embroidery needle
unpicker

Print Ann Wood's template for the boat and trace it onto the cardboard. ( good old Kelloggs!) Cut around the outer shape.

 Score the fold lines with a pizza cutter. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 Using sticky tape join the edges of the cardboard to form the boat shape.  Use plenty of tape so that the ship is sturdy. Cut a cardboard strip 2cm X 5cm, fold it into a triangle and wedge it in the boat slightly towards the stern. This is where the mast will be stuck.

Now its ready to get plastered! In paper and glue.

Set the boat aside in a sunny spot so the first layer can dry. Put the lid on the glue bowl so it doesn't thicken. Then  do another layer. Allow to dry completely and then paint. I used acrylic paints and then when dry I sanded the surface gently to give a weathered look. I finished with an acrylic varnish and seal.

 Cut a groove in the mast 5cm from the top and tie a shell button on using cooking string.

 Next trace the outline for the sail by resting the yard sick in a triangle from the top of the mast to the stern.

Cut out the sail out of suitable fabric. Decorate with hand sewn patches or skull and crossbones!

 Whipstich the sail to the yard.

Sew buttons onto the hull of the boat at the stern and at the back quarter. To put the holes in the hull I used the point of an unpicker.

Wind a length of string from each of the attachment points on the sail to the buttons.

Sail away owl and pussy cat.

owl & pussycat

The owl and the pussycat made an appearance out of my pile of recycled woolen jumpers.

These two are waiting for their pea green boat. Stay tuned for some paper mache goodness.

beach

In case you couldn't get to the beach today I'm sharing the beach love with you.

Moondah Beach in Mount Eliza is just down the road from my house so I ducked down the steps to savour some autumnal sun and the hint of a breeze.

Today was a weather surprise. I hope we get a few more like this.
Perfection.

bubble and eggs

A loverly bubbly Sunday breakfast thanks to Jamie Oliver! I mashed up the roast vegies from a day ago and put them into a hot non stick pan. I kept turning them over so that the crispy bits went through the mix. Then I hollowed out two little caves and cracked an egg into each one. I put the pan in the oven for 5 mins and then served. It sure looked messy but it tasted delicious. Jamie's recipe includes baked chipolatas and tomatoes and would be a great brunch. Here's the link to his recipe.

Other things that I've been up to lately have kept me away from blogging but I'm going to be a better blogging girl - starting from.... now!

 A lion onesie I made for a friend.

 A pj shorts set one of my young students made.

 Somers store was a great lunch destination on a sunny day this week. My friend and I lunched on the deck, shopped in the store and walked on the beach. I bought the green cup with the pink interior. Perfect size for that morning cuppa.

 Moran and Cato brings back childhood memories of grocery shopping in Mordialloc.

 Gorski and Jones is a very cool wine bar /cafe in Smith Street, Collingwood. Have the meatball piada - very special.