The Magical Master Key

It's a little early too be thinking about Christmas, I know, but a year-long search came to a whizz-pop-BANG end yesterday when I went to a local monthly market and found this treasure - Father Christmas' magical master key that can open any door in the whole wide world!  No, really, it can - all the others are imposters!  (I also bought five others.  One will definitely be tasked with opening all the doors in Australia.  The other four may have more local responsibilities!)

Christmas is such a special time of year and I really want T-Lo to feel the magic. This is in no way meant to diminish the true meaning of the occasion.  Of course not.  But I also believe that children should be encouraged and allowed to be... children.

I remember as a child how "Tinkerbell" used to check up on my sister and I during the year, leaving little trails of silver fairy glitter around the house.  We heard tales of naughty children only being given rusty old tin cans full of stones for Christmas.  I remember receiving a phone call from one of Father Christmas' elves... who strangely sounded very much like Mom speaking in a funny voice... but I could never prove it!  And, yes, there were the obligatory cookies and glass of milk (or beer if one of our uncles was with us) on Christmas eve.  We went to bed early, VERY early on Christmas eve and I remember trying to stay awake so that I might catch a glimpse of the fat old man in red pyjamas and a long white beard who, miraculously, could squeeze down chimneys AND climb back up them again...  The most I achieved was staying awake long enough to hear the wrapping paper rustle, and promptly fell asleep.

The point is, Christmas was never just a 'thing' that happened at the end of the year.  As it should be, it was like a silk thread that was woven through the year.  By the time it eventually arrived, the atmosphere was electric.  The mystery, the majesty.  That's what I want to pass on!

Special Packaging for Five Special Little Girls

I recently completed a commission for Loola Lay – four dresses and a shrug for five special and much loved granddaughters.  Gran was quite specific about some of the details she wanted, some of which deviated from what I normally do – in a good way, I hasten to add!  It was such a pleasure making the garments and it seemed appropriate to do something a little different for the packaging...

Jasmine, Charis, Gabriella, Emma and Elise, I hope you have fun wearing your garments!

Imagine...

... a place where you can feel as tall as the sky is high because you can touch all the colours of the rainbow, lose yourself for hours on end, experience textures aplenty and very quickly plump up your credit card balance.  Well, imagine no more!  Places like this do exist.

One of my favourite shops when I'm home is Waste Centre Fabrics in Durban, Umgeni Road.  I've been to so many fabric shops where I can go in and spend hours trying to decide what to buy because it's a case of choosing the best from a disappointing selection.  With Waste Centre, and this branch in particular, it's quite possible to go in at sunrise and emerge at sunset because there is just so much to choose from.  Sadly, funds are finite and I can't buy everything... well, I could if someone were to sponsor me.  I'd be quite up for the challenge!  Thank you Jackie (Branch Manager) and the Team.

Out of the Blue Surprise!

What a fantastic surprise to come back to after being in South Africa for three weeks. Good thing I wasn't at the market on that day.  I'm too short and would never have been able to drape myself over the bar like Penny!  Thank you Pen and Min.

Nature-inspired Market Stall

Nature truly is an inspiration.  It wasn't difficult to come up with a plan for my market stall display. It all started WHEN...

One of our lovely neighbours, Chris, decided to evict his bay tree.  I happened to be walking past once the eviction had taken place and he flippantly asked me whether I'd like the tree trunk which he was about to throw into the refuse dump...  

As it happened and around about the same time, one of our other lovely neighbours, Karen, decided that she too wanted to evict a bay tree or two, so I also snapped these up.  

With all the heavy winds at the beginning of the year, there is plenty of wood around... a worthy source for a base or two or three.

Put all of these together, add the-one-I-love with his woodwork tools and it all came together very nicely!  

Pickled Shallots

It always happens.  I grow shallots, I harvest them and leave them to dry out. I forget about them and find them the next year when they're only good for the refuse dump and the cycle starts again.  This year I'm working smarter!

Having cleaned, cut and peeled the shallots (this seemed to take forever, particularly as I was having to look through waterfalls of tears pouring out of my eyes - these little guys are warriors at heart...), the pickling process could begin - see the recipe on my Make It So page.  It was really easy.  Apart from prepping the shallots, the hardest part was waiting for a week before I could sample them.

I made a loaf of slightly sweet, slightly bitter Malthouse bread for the shallots to snuggle into on a layer of cheddar.  Delicious!

Baby Ace Shower

So... a baby shower gift.  Sounds easy but because I prefer to make the gifts I give, I like to look for something a little different.  Searching high and low, long and hard, my search was finally rewarded by a quirky find. 

This project was wholeheartedly inspired by the framed picture on whattoexpect.com.  Pure genius!  Simple, amusing, memorable.  I decided to put my own twist on it and created it as a book out of felt, gingham and linen. 

I didn't want this to be a gift with a clean finish where everything was symmetrical and smooth.  I love textures, the rustic look of fraying linen and the contrast of the cold, hard safety pins against the padded pages. 

As gifts go, it's not the most functional... unless there is an emergency and someone needs a safety pin... but I had fun making it and Baby makes three.  

Congratulations Dad and Mom and welcome Little Ace!