Crochet Placemats - 1 a night - a crochet binge

This week, the last week of holidays, I was taking a bit of time off the blog and the machine after the huge sewing stint to make things for the flood auctions and I went a little crazy every night with the crochet while working our way through season 1 and 2 of The X-Files til the wee hours of the morn. Now that work is starting again, late nights and lounge time are over and it's back to regular scheduled sleep for 6am alarms...eep.
So..this week I Started and finished about 14 squares from The Art of Crochet magazines I've been buying each week. I find the squares mostly boring and repetitive, but sometimes they throw in a cool one here or there just to peak your interest again. I buy it more for the other projects in the book each week, the squares are good practice but I don't think I will ever want to make the squares into the blanket.
One of their projects was a table mat. So I made 4 of them. It was supposed to have a picot edge, but I didn't like it as much as without it, so I took the picot edging off and just left the underlying plain edge.
So here are the finished 4 placemats. They just add a little bit of colour to the table I think.

Green centre, green edging.

Lavender Centre, and edging.

Chocolate Brown centre and edging.

Orange centre and edging.

I just have to dampen them and block them out properly and then they are done.
Last night I started in on some crochet slippers for my sisters 1yr old twins. They have grown SO much lately! I didn't have  a pattern to fit a 1 yr old so I read through a couple of other patterns and adapted them as I crocheted I wrote it out if it worked, or unravelled it and started again if it didn't! I have one finished, if the second one makes it to completion and looks the same, I will post the results;)

SOFTIES Auction and a doll for Hope Softies for kids - QLD Flood

I've been making a doll to send to the lovely Steph at mon petit poppet who organised a softie drive to help ease the suffering of the little ones who's lives have been turned upside down by the QLD floods. With so many families having had their houses and all their stuff destroyed and living in shelters or other temporary accommodations, kids are really going to be doing it tough. I can't imagine dealing with any of this at their age, most of us adults can't believe the devastation we watched on tv.



This is the doll I made.

I have not named her,

She can whisper her real name to her new friend when they meet together in QLD.

She's very good at listening, cuddling and whispering. She likes twirling.
She's all wrapped up ready to be on her way to the lovely Steph at mon petit poppet.

Quick Reminder today is the FINAL DAY for the auctions to raise money for the QLD flood appeal.

These are the 5 Softies of mine being auctioned off, Have a look and bid please! All the money goes directly to the QLD flood appeal and they really do need every cent to help lots of people cope with and clean up from a disaster of this magnitude.

Seth the Robot Softie.

Falafel the Cat Softie.

Dave the Giraffe Softie. 

Arcan the Owl Softie.

Bunky the Bird Softie.

My Creative Space

My Creative Space is all about Raising money for the QLD flood by making softies.

These 5 Softies are being auctioning off, Have a look and bid please! All the money goes directly to the QLD flood appeal!!

Seth the Robot Softie.

Falafel the Cat Softie.

Dave the Giraffe Softie. 

Arcan the Owl Softie.

Bunky the Bird Softie.

The 5th Softie auction to raise money for QLD flood Appeal!

Here is a list of the 5 Softies I am auctioning off, Have a look and bid please! All the money goes to the QLD flood appeal!!

Seth the Robot Softie.

Falafel the Cat Softie.

Dave the Giraffe Softie. 

Arcan the Owl Softie.

Bunky the Bird Softie.

AND Here is Bunky the last of the 5 softies I've made to raise money for the QLD flood Appeal.

Be generous and bid on this auction as all the money goes directly to The Premiers Flood Relief Appeal

His name is Bunky. Bunky is not an angry bird, he's quite happy and his best friends with the pigs. The other night, in my head Bunky the Bird looked like this, so I drew him up in illustrator:

And today, I made him up in Fabric. I had a great time working on him.

He's made from all new fabrics, mostly poly-cottons, with felt details, such as his eyes, beak and blanket stitched heart on his tummy.

He is about 35 cm with his legs extended.

To bid and win Bunky, here are the rules for the auction. Just leave a comment on this post with your bid amount and some way of contacting you, email address, blog address etc. This Auction is in Australian Dollars. The winning bidder will be the highest bid when the auction finishes on Monday the 24th Jan at Midnight AEDST.

We'll pay the postage if you are within Australia. You pay the winning bid amount as a donation directly  to The premiers Flood Relief Appeal and show me proof of your donation and I'll send Bunky out to you. As it counts as a normal donation, it's also tax deductible!! And you'll get to play with Bunky and feel good for donating.

The more you bid, the more money raised for the QLD Flood Appeal to help the victims of the QLD floods who have experienced unprecedented devastation and loss and they really need it!

I'm just one of a whole heap of bloggers/tweeters/facebookers who are auctioning off stuff to raise money for the appeal, thanks to Toni at Make It Perfect  for bringing everyone together to do this.

4th Softie Auction to raise money for Flood Appeal - Arcan the Owl

Here is the 4th of the 5 softies I'm making to raise money for the QLD flood Appeal.

Don't forget I'm also auctioning off:

Seth the Robot Softie.

Falafel the Cat Softie.

Dave the Giraffe Softie. 

Arcan the Owl Softie.
Bunky the Bird Softie.

Be generous and bid on this auction as all the money goes directly to The Premiers Flood Relief Appeal

His name is Arcan. Arcan is a very clever little owl. The other night, in my head Arcan the Owl looked like this, so I drew him up in illustrator:

And today, I made him up in Fabric. He came out so cute! I'm really a little bit in love with this one. I'd definitely like to make some more of him one day. 

He's made from all new fabrics, mostly poly-cottons, with felt details, such as his eyes, beak and blanket stitched heart on his tummy.

The inside of his wing is rainbow coloured to match the feathers on the outside.

He is a petite 25 cm with his feet extended.

To bid and win Arcan the Owl, here are the rules for the auction. Just leave a comment on this post with your bid amount and some way of contacting you, email address, blog address etc. This Auction is in Australian Dollars. The winning bidder will be the highest bid when the auction finishes on Monday the 24th Jan at Midnight AEDST.

We'll pay the postage if you are within Australia. You pay the winning bid amount as a donation directly  to The premiers Flood Relief Appeal and show me proof of your donation and I'll send Arcan out to you. As it counts as a normal donation, it's also tax deductible!! And you'll get to play with Arcan and feel good for donating.

The more you bid, the more money raised for the QLD Flood Appeal to help the victims of the QLD floods who have experienced unprecedented devastation and loss and they really need it!

I'm just one of a whole heap of bloggers/tweeters/facebookers who are auctioning off stuff to raise money for the appeal, thanks to Toni at Make It Perfect  for bringing everyone together to do this.

3rd Softie Auction to raise money for Flood Appeal - Dave the Giraffe

Here is the 3rd of the 5 softies I'm making to raise money for the QLD flood Appeal.

Don't forget I'm also auctioning off:

Seth the Robot Softie.

Falafel the Cat Softie.

Dave the Giraffe Softie. 

Arcan the Owl Softie.
Bunky the Bird Softie.

Be generous and bid on this auction as all the money goes directly to The Premiers Flood Relief Appeal

His name is Dave. Dave is a very tall Giraffe. The other night, in my head Dave the Giraffe looked like this, so I drew him up in illustrator:

And Last night/today, I made him up in Fabric. He came out so cute! He has real long arms for big cuddles and large understanding eyes. He loves to listen and help solve his friends troubles.

Dave the Giraffe

He's made from all new fabrics, mostly poly-cottons, with felt and hand stitched details, such as his eyes, eyelashes and mouth.

He has a long tail, a ribbon mane, antenna, cute turned ears and a felt heart on his tummy.

He is quite tall, 40cm head& body height with 30cm legs and 25 cm arms.

To bid and win Dave the Giraffe, here are the rules for the auction. Just leave a comment on this post with your bid amount and some way of contacting you, email address, blog address etc. This Auction is in Australian Dollars. The winning bidder will be the highest bid when the auction finishes on Monday the 24th Jan at Midnight AEDST.

We'll pay the postage if you are within Australia. You pay the winning bid amount as a donation directly  to The premiers Flood Relief Appeal and show me proof of your donation and I'll send Dave out to you. As it counts as a normal donation, it's also tax deductible!! And you'll get to play with Dave and feel good for donating.

The more you bid, the more money raised for the QLD Flood Appeal to help the victims of the QLD floods who have experienced unprecedented devastation and loss and they really need it!

I'm just one of a whole heap of bloggers/tweeters/facebookers who are auctioning off stuff to raise money for the appeal, thanks to Toni at Make It Perfect  for bringing everyone together to do this.

2nd Softie Auction to raise money for Flood Appeal - Falafel the Cat

Here is the Second of the 5 softies I'm making to raise money for the QLD flood Appeal.

Don't forget I'm also auctioning off:

Seth the Robot Softie.

Falafel the Cat Softie.

Dave the Giraffe Softie. 

Arcan the Owl Softie.
Bunky the Bird Softie.

Be generous and bid on this auction as all the money goes directly to The Premiers Flood Relief Appeal

His name is Falafel. Falafel is a very chubby loveable Kitty. The other night, in my head he looked like this, so I drew him up in illustrator:

FALAFEL

And today, I made him up in Fabric. He is so cuddly!

He's made from all new fabrics, mostly poly-cottons, with felt and hand stitched details, such as his whiskers, eyelashes and mouth.

He has a long tail, cute ears and a blanket stitched felt heart on his tummy. He is quite large. His Body is around 40 cms tall. And his girth, is (not to hurt his feelings) well rounded;) ;)

To bid and win Falafel, here are the rules for the auction. Just leave a comment on this post with your bid amount and some way of contacting you, email address, blog address etc. This Auction is in Australian Dollars. The winning bidder will be the highest bid when the auction finishes on Monday the 24th Jan at Midnight AEDST.

We'll pay the postage if you are within Australia. You pay the winning bid amount as a donation directly  to The premiers Flood Relief Appeal and show me proof of your donation and I'll send Falafel out to you. As it counts as a normal donation, it's also tax deductible!! And you'll get to play with Falafel and feel good for donating.

The more you bid, the more money raised for the QLD Flood Appeal to help the victims of the QLD floods who have experienced unprecedented devastation and loss and they really need it!

I'm just one of a whole heap of bloggers/tweeters/facebookers who are auctioning off stuff to raise money for the appeal, thanks to Toni at Make It Perfect  for bringing everyone together to do this.

Softie Auction to raise money for Flood Appeal

Here is the first of the 5 softies I'm making to raise money for the QLD flood Appeal.
The other of the auctions are located:
Falafel the Cat Softie.
Dave the Giraffe Softie. 
Arcan the Owl Softie.
Bunky the Bird Softie.

Be generous and bid on this auction as all the money goes directly to The Premiers Flood Relief Appeal
His name is Seth. Seth is a robot, Last night, in my head he looked like this, so I made him in illustrator:

SETH THE DRAWING

And today, I made him up in Fabric. I think he turned out kinda spiffy! He's made from all new fabrics, mostly poly-cottons, with felt and hand stitched details, such as his mouth and monitoring display.

SETH THE ROBOT

To bid and win Seth, here are the rules for the auction. Just leave a comment on this post with your bid amount and some way of contacting you, email address, blog address etc. This Auction is in Australian Dollars. The winning bidder will be the highest bid when the auction finishes on Monday the 24th Jan at Midnight AEDST.
We'll pay the postage if you are within Australia. You pay the winning bid amount as a donation directly  to The premiers Flood Relief Appeal and show me proof of your donation and I'll send Seth out to you. As it counts as a normal donation, it's also tax deductible!! And you'll get to play with Seth and feel good for donating.

The more you bid, the more money raised for the QLD Flood Appeal to help the victims of the QLD floods who have experienced unprecedented devastation and loss and they really need it!

I'm just one of a whole heap of bloggers/tweeters/facebookers who are auctioning off stuff to raise money for the appeal, thanks to Toni at Make It Perfect  for bringing everyone together to do this.

What I'll be auctioning for QLD Flood appeal

I'm busy making these 5 softies. Arcan the Owl, Falafel the Cat, Dave the Giraffe, Bunky the Bird and Seth the Robot. This is how they look in my head, now i have to make them out of fabric!
As I finish them off, the 5 friends will be going up for auction from monday 17th and all the proceeds will go to the QLD Flood appeal.

A prayer for QLD

From the safety of hundreds of kilometres away, we have wept for the loss of life and utter devastation in the state of QLD. The stories, news reports, pictures and video coming from those regions are truly devastating. With sadness in our hearts, our prayers tonight are for those who have died, some of whom were mums and young children caught in cars, and entire families washed away in their houses, still missing. I am praying also for those that are tonight evacuated. As I type, thousands more people are being evacuated and many areas are facing unprecedented damage and devastating loss as more rain falls and the flood waters rise to levels that are beyond belief. I pray for the SES workers, defence personnel, medical staff and all the volunteers assisting, saving and caring for the victims. God bless you.

In the coming days I will be preparing some items for auction to help raise a little bit of money for the Flood appeal.
I hope you will all get involved too.

The single best giveaway for the new year!

There's a fantastic giveaway going on that I'd truly love to win.
But maybe, if you know about it too you could win it instead. ;)
Leona's Quilting Adventure
She's giving away these fabulous things:
Fast and Fun Pillow kits.

Pic from Leona's Quilting Adventure

One Thimble Blossoms Dainty Table Topper pattern.

Pic from Leona's Quilting Adventure

Eleven, I repeat Eleven(!!) Gorgeously Pink fat quarters.

Pic from Leona's Quilting Adventure

I followed, I blogged, I tweeted and I shared I hope you do to!

A New Year means Croquettes & Oliebollen

We celebrated the arrival of the New Year with 2 of our favourite Dutch treats. Garry's parents are dutch, His mum emigrated here when she was a young child and Garry was born in Australia. I am not dutch, but I am just trying to keep up some of the traditions he grew up with.

Start 2011 off with deliciousness!

This year we bought a deep fryer to make our own Croquettes!! I used this recipe from Curious Orange.
Only I changed it a bit - I only cooked the meat mix for an hour not 2 but i used a pressure cooker to do it and It was so tender and yummy it would be just great as a stew the way it was! I also added fresh thyme to the cooled meat mixture as it was being wizzed up in the food processor. Also we didn't have time to wait for them to freeze firm before coating them. They were only in the freezer long enough to be cooled down and just enough that the glad-warp sausage we made held together when cut and crumbed well as long as you didn't hold them too long while they were being being floured, egged and crumbed.
We served them with baby carrots, peas and par-boiled diced potatoes browned and crisped up in a frying pan in olive oil, chunks of lemon zest, smashed garlic and tossed with fresh rosemary and thyme.
Garry likes his croquettes with mustard, I like mine with mayo & mustard mixed together to dilute the mustard;) Totally forgot to take photos! But they turned out ace!
And then, the best Dutch treat ever shown to me...We finished off the evening with Oliebollen (Dutch donuts). I first met these delicious treats one new years party with Garry's aunts, uncles and cousins before we were engaged!

They were not really this dark in real life its the camera!

These were absolutely delicious and Garry said, "These are just like my Oma used to make". Which just felt like a great thing for him to say to me and my pride is over flowing! Even though he did all the frying part, because i'm equal parts scared of the fryer and not wanting to learn how to use it on principle ( not that I've said this aloud to anyone yet) 2011 is going to be my big get serious-kick start those ovaries I want to have a baby one day-get-healthy diet/serious exercise plan year. A deep fryer in the house can not be good for that plan or my hips. so, I promise it wont be used very often.

So here is the only make it once a year  and really really enjoy it oliebollen recipe. ;)
15g cake yeast.
1 cup warmed milk.
2 1/4 cups plain flour.
2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup raisins soaked in warm water for 1 hour.
50g Glace cherries.
1 Granny smith Apple chopped into small pieces. (Tart green cooking apple)(optional we didn't have one so you can leave it out and its still awesome)
Oil for deep frying, we used canola oil because it has no taste.
Icing sugar for dusting over, or we used castor sugar instead.
Instructions:
Break up and stir the yeast in the cup of warm milk until dissolved.
Put flour & salt in bowl add milk/yeast mix and egg and mix until smooth.
Leave batter in a warm place to double it's size. (It took only 30 mins here but sometimes it's taken an hour.) The batter should be double the size, smooth and thickened.
Gently mix in the drained raisins, cherries and apple pieces.
Heat oil to 190 degrees C (375degrees F)
Use two metal spoons to shape batter into a ball and drop into the hot oil. (We did no more than two in our fryer each time.)
We fried them for 3-4 minutes until brown, any longer and they get weird.
Drain on paper towel.
Sprinkle all over with icing sugar or castor sugar.
Eat while hot.
Delicious Delicious!