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Showing posts from February, 2010

sun rise

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I've been really busy this last week (which would explain the lack of posts) but I've still been taking pictures. I woke too early one morning last week and sat outside wrapped in my blanket (it was cold) eating breakfast because of this amazing sunrise.

saying hello

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A little parcel off in the post last week to say hello to a dear someone back home (and a bad photo of a card).

Happy Valentine's Day

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I figured if I'm ever going to get through my girlie craft supplies, I'll have to use excuses like Valentine's Day to wrap BM's present up in less masculine stuff! :)  (Don't worry my reasoning didn't extend to the present) I hope you all had the day you would have wanted.  I'm pretty low key about the whole thing - as evidenced by the six blokes in my TV room playing Xbox as I type.  

Kapiti Island

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A trip to Kapiti Island off the coast of New Zealand. Kapiti is a long standing scantuary for all types of birds (like the cheeky Weka above). 

working on my scarf

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This scarf is crocheting up quickly and I'm enjoying the lacy effect of the pattern. I was horrified when I thought I wouldn't be able to finish it and then redeemed myself by finally tracking down an online UK based supplier  called Stash Fine Yarns. They were great and really, really quick!

More supplies

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My brother's girlfriend gave me some wonderfully soft alpaca cotton for Christmas . Not being the expert crocheter I would like to be, I forgot a single ball is unlikely to make a scarf :( So I got to buy more (I had started it, so it doesn't really count - right??) I also bought a few more balls of the grey tapestry wool and then treated myself to some red cotton and a fat quater of Amy Butler . The Amy Butler was a pure impulse buy and I'll admit that I was swayed by the brand name! :)

Sewing supplies

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BM kindly gave me a spotlight voucher a while ago and I caved in and purchased some sewing supplies (and then obviously had to go to another shop too - oophs ). But I am LOVING these colours and can't wait to make, make, make. Unfortunately work is busy, busy, busy so I'll have to leave that impulse for a while.

Beef Wellington - Done!

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I finally got around to sorting out some of the photographs on my work computer. BM made me Beef Wellington for my birthday last year - around about the time my laptop decided it didn't want to play anymore, so these photos languished on my work computer until now. It was a really yummy meal - so thanks honey and as promised, I did blog about it :)

Lacy

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I decided to increase my crochet skills and follow a proper grown up pattern this week. Its a bit odd to be starting a wooly scarf in the middle of fantastic summer weather ... but ... I liked the pattern and S supplied me with the wool for Christmas . Its a mix of alpaca and cotton and so so soft.

Dish cloth

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I wanted to see how difficult it was to crochet a flat circle - so I started at my first stitch and bitch evening . Unfortunately for it, it turns out I need to use a pattern and can't just guess the increases in the number of stitches each round (which was going well for me in the first five rounds but I got it progressively wrong as the dishcloth got bigger). But a wavy dishcloth isn't a problem for dishes - my whale agrees. :)

Second hand shopping

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I got this bear in a local second hand shop and this cardboard box too. I'm not hugely into ornaments but I really like this guy and hopefully the box will store some of my card making supplies without me buying new.

Bookmarks in progress

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A whale, a boat and an owl... Isn't that a poem? or am I missing a cat :)

More Fabric

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Yes, its an addiction. In my defence, I'd had a crappy day and needed some cheering up - Global Fabrics in Wellington was having a 50% off sale and these two delightful pieces came home with me. The navy and blue fabric was $9 for a metre and is Marc Jacobs. I really want to make a top with it. Its currently in the washing machine as I type this - that prewash thing is very important with stretch fabrics. The second piece was a silk remnant for $7.50 - so I'm not a complete sprendthrift - honest. :)

Biscuit Buttons

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yum! :) I found a great recipe online for button biscuits - check out the recipe and cute photo tutorial here . I didn't have all the instruments so had to improvise. And made a few stars as well too. I even got to use a vanilla pod - nice!  It felt like a real recipe :o)

Composting

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There's still a few sales on in town and I recently bought this indoor compost container. It has a charcoal filter in the top to stop it attracting flies and block smells before it gets taken out to the compost. So far its been working out really well - especially as (fingers crossed) the good weather seems to have started for the kiwi summer.