Crafty Mermaid

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.

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).

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.  

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). 

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!

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! :)

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.

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 :)

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.

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. :)

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.

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

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. :)

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)

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.