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Kelly

Turn a top into an apron…

by Kelly 7 Comments

I bought this top at an op shop for a few dollars. When I put it on at home it didn’t suit me and looked very apron – like. Well, a girl can never have too many aprons! A pair of scissors and a sewing machine later….. Here’s an overview of what I did:
I started by cutting straight up the middle of the back so that when laid out it looked like this.

Then I cut out the sleeves, just following the seam lines (cut out the seams too.) Because of the style of the yoke and neckline, mine now looked like this.

Next I folded it exactly in half and cut an “apron shape” – that is that sort of curved look where the sleeve was. You can either “wing it” or use an existing apron as a guide for the shape. I also cut a few inches of excess from the back edges for a good fit when wrapped around.

The next step is to overlock (serge) all raw edges, which in this case was right around the sides and the top ties of the apron. Using the tie that came with the top, I cut it in half before attaching it by the raw edges to the sides where I wanted the apron to wrap around and tie at the back. Once all the edges were tidy and finished I sewed the ties at the top together to form a loop to go over my head.
Don’t you think it looks much better as an apron?!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: frugal living, recycling, Tutorials

The finished bear

by Kelly 7 Comments

Well, almost finished anyway, I’m thinking about making a dress as well (which some members of my family find very strange – “why would you put a dress on a bear?!”)
If you missed my last beary post, this is a design by Joan Blyton and is 12 inches tall. 

This was a steep learning curve for me – the jointing and positioning of limbs as well as the facial features was really challenging, and I found the instructions sadly lacking in detail. I ended up needle sculpting the face quite a bit as I didn’t like the way it looked.
I’m not really happy with this bear, I think it’s a “cute” bear but lacks character. I’m sufficiently pleased though to have another go in the near future, I’ve already started drawing up some designs to hopefully achieve the look that I like.
I must also say a big thank you to Sandi for her help and encouragement!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bearmaking

Cornflake slice

by Kelly 3 Comments

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe, the children love it. Very easy.
1/4 pound butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cornflakes
1 cup coconut
Mely the butter and honey and add to mixed dry ingredients. Press into a shallow tin and bake at about 160 degrees (celsius). Allow to cool in tin, cut into squares. Simple!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: recipes, Recipes and food

Egg throwtogether slice

by Kelly 3 Comments

It’s a strange name for a dish but I’m at a loss to know what else to call it. It’s one of those dishes you make over the years and alter to suit what you have available. I have made this a lot since we have been keeping chooks and have plenty of eggs. So here’s a basic recipe to get you started:

10 large or 12 smaller eggs
1 onion
3 – 4 rashers of bacon
1 cup milk
1/2 to 1 cup of milk
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 cup cheddar cheese (use some parmesan too if you have it, it’s delicious!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tomato
salt & pepper
garlic salt, herbs, other seasoning (optional)

Cut up your bacon into small pieces and fry in olive oil until browning and smelling amazing. Add in chopped onion and continue to fry until browning. Lay into a large greased dish. (I use a large rectangular dish or roasting tray, as long as it has deep sides).
Whisk eggs in a bowl, add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasoning if using. In a cup mix the flour with enough milk to make a paste, continue to mix in milk until runny in consistency.
Whisk the milk and flour as well as remaining milk into the eggs. Pour the mixture into your dish, over the bacon and onion.
Sprinkle grated cheese all over, then place thin slices of tomato on top.
Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees celscius) until golden brown on top.
Beautiful served with fresh, crisp salad.

There are plenty of other ingredients you can add to this, lastnight I dumped in a cup of leftover cooked rice. You can add grated zucchini, leftover roast vegetables, capsicum, tuna etc.

A very quick and easy dinner that all the family loves! If you try it let me know what you think.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: recipes, Recipes and food

Homeschooling makes Mum smarter too!

by Kelly 3 Comments

I’m very often asked whether, as a homeschooling Mum, I am a qualified teacher. My reply is usually along the unpopular lines of “I believe every parent is qualified to teach his/her child”. Which is usually met with a blank stare, followed by a polite if not bewildered “oh“.

The truth of the matter is that I am a university dropout who wasn’t particularly academic at school. I put in the effort, but didn’t get the grades.

Since I started homeschooling I’ve realised how much I don’t know and how much of the drivel I was taught at school was incorrect, hypothetical and (in my opinion) stupid! Homeschooling is like being given a second chance at learning. Even though you are the teacher you are learning and revising at the same time and it’s a wonderful thing. It makes me a more effective teacher because I am a genuinely interested student.

If you have considered homeschooling but don’t think you have the smarts I recommend to give yourself a chance, and with the right resources and attitude, you can do it!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: helpful tips, Homeschooling

I was lucky enough to win

by Kelly 1 Comment

This beautiful little skirt in a giveaway by Missy Melly. Skillfully made from gorgeous prints and my little one loves it. I’m really impressed by the professional presentation of the Missy Melly swing tag and business cards that were included – this lady knows what she’s doing!!
I also snapped up some monkey hair clips – who could resist?
Thank you for making this a happy day for us Shan!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Giveaways

Kitchen appliances I love

by Kelly Leave a Comment

My grandparents gave us this slow cooker which is large enough to feed an army. What a great invention this one is! Cheap cuts of meat are transformed into tender morsels, and it’s totally set and forget – a busy Mum’s dream come true. I’ll be using this constantly over winter.
It took us a while to figure out how most Asians in this part of the world cook their rice so perfectly – rice cookers!  So easy to use, it cooks your rice quickly and perfectly, no more soggy mush!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Kitchen Tips, Recipes and food

Gulp…. I’m scared!

by Kelly 7 Comments

OK, I’ve come this far, and I’ll readily admit it’s been a challenge. “But you’re a doll maker!” I hear you say. “Making bears should be easy for you – right?!”
WRONG!
You may notice that my otherwise assembled bear remains earless and faceless. There is a reason for that. Today I started to tentatively snip some hairy bits from around the muzzle, as you do, but was suddenly paralyzed (scissors in mid air) with fear that I was going to stuff it up. Badly. I don’t like to stuff up badly, especially when I’ve invested considerable time and money in the first place.
So maybe I need to get over myself a little, but in the meantime the bear will sit and look (well not actually look – she doesn’t have eyes) but just sit there until I get some courage to finish her off.
P.S. Any tips or recommendations will be heartily welcomed!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bearmaking

Heart swaps and op shops

by Kelly 2 Comments

I sent off my offering to my swap partner in the US for the Share the love heart swap over at Natural Suburbia. I can’t show the whole thing until it reaches the intended destination – lets just say it’s something that every creative soul needs!
I finally got to the op shop today to look for some drawers for the girl’s room. Although sadly lacking in the furniture department I found a lot of clothes for me so all was not lost. One thing I love about being able to sew is knowing you can alter clothes that are too big, that’s a huge bonus if you’re an opshopper!
Husband has taken 3 of the children out mountain climbing (it’s a small mountain!!) and baby is in bed, so it is wonderfully quiet and full of possibilities here.
Hope you’re all having a great day, I’m off to explore those possibilities!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: buying secondhand, Swaps

Really inspiring

by Kelly 2 Comments

I’ve been participating in a couple of blog themes each Friday (Saturday here is Oz.)
If you’re looking for some beautifully inspiring projects, tutorials or just eye candy check out these links (you’ll see me in there somewhere too!).

The Magic Onions – Friday’s Nature Table

Natural Suburbia – Friendship Friday

Thanks for your recent kindly comments, I think I’m on the mend now and I’m planning on making my hands busy today (at the sewing table of course!)

Wishing you many blessings this weekend.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Blogs to check out

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