Xmas Ornament Swap

I am trying to make an effort to get more involved in the blogosphere, rather than just doing a post every now and then, and that's why I joined in this year's Blogtoberfest, and one of the reasons I joined in this years Xmas Ornament Swap, organised by Robyn over at Daisy Quilts.

I thought it would be a bit of fun, a bit of sharing, nice to have a handmade xmas ornament from a fellow blogger, get me in the xmas spirit, but had no idea what or how to make something worthy for a fellow recipient. And I'm still not sure, but the pressure is on now, because not only did I draw Robyn, the organiser of the whole shebang, but my xmas ornament and handmade card arrived in the mail yesterday! Uh-oh, tick, tick, tick.

Not only is the box and packaging quite beautiful, but inside it is the most georgous xmas version of Robyn's little "Hoot", with lots of lovely intricate details.

He is absolutely the most georgous xmas ornament I have ever had. Big thanks to Robyn, and I hope I can produce something as creative, interesting and quirky as you!

Oh, and don't forget to get your copy of the Weekend Mag inside the Herald Sun this weekend to check out the 2 page feature spread on 'Mookah'.

Time Out....

Life has just been so full on lately, and the next 8 weeks are only likely to get worse, so this week I decided to take a couple of days 'time out', and headed down to that special little place I love to go....Walkerville.


This is the scene that was waiting for me when I got there. Clear blue skies, not a breath of wind, warm but not hot, and peace and quiet. Ahhh. What's not to love.

One of the things that is noticeable when you go to Walkerville is all the wildlife. The constant chatter of the birds, the grunting of the wombats outside your window at night, the odd Koala and the odd spotting of these cute little guys, the Echidna. This guy was tiny and was not frightened by us at all - in fact he was quite curious and seemed to love having his photo taken.

It's always amazing how much enjoyment one can get by putting a little seed out for the birds and watching them flocking in, in a frenzy in case they miss out!

And yes, okay, I did break out the bikini and have just a little lie on the sand, how could I not? I also took my first plunge into the ocean this spring/summer, wasn't I brave?

Thanks again to Lauren for sharing her little piece of paradise with us, but now it's back to reality...

My Current Favourite Fabrics

I know you've heard me rattling on about them before, but they are worthy of a 2nd mention. Last time I was talking about the range of Ink & Spindle fabrics, I was telling you how my sister sold my brand new not yet made it in the house, 'Rooftops' wall art with fabric designed and hand screen printed by Melbourne textule designer Lara Cameron.


Well finally I've made myself a new one and it has made it to my living room wall.....but I'm not sure that the wall does it justice, so it may have to come and keep me company in my bedroom.

These are some of the other things we've made out of Ink & Spindle fabrics.....throw cushions...

....floor cushions......

And I love it that much that I've saved the selvedges to wrap up our etsy orders with. Greta if you're reading this, this is your etsy order!

I hope you like my current range of favourite fabrics.

Chicks & Trailers...

Today was a day that us Mookah chicky babes have been looking forward to for a while now.....

(Thanks to Dad for the lend of his ute)

Yep, that's right. The arrival of a brand new canopy trailer for carting all our goodies to and from markets and exhibitions. It's just a bit of a pity that we're female, and therefore can't back a trailer! There always seems to be a nice man keen to lend a hand when we need it though.

The Mookah Mobile gets it's first run tomorrow to the Mornington market, so I'll let you know how it goes....as well as all the specs and details of course - I know you want to know, you just don't want to admit it.

Cute as a button...

I dropped in to my local fabric shop today to pick up some thread and these were staring at me from the front counter whispering 'Buy Me, Buy Me'.

I couldn't just ignore it could I? Nope. So I had to buy the last four. Cute aren't they?

My Creative Space....not this week!

How are we supposed to be artsistic and creative while this is going on beside our creative space?


With all that cutting, hammering, sawing and the nail gun going 'bang, bang', it's a wonder we're even sane, let alone being creative. Not to mention the distraction of the bods holding the equipment!

By the way this isnt my house.....it's Nicole's. My house will get the big reno's next year... I hope. Will show you some more pics when the project's finished and tomorrow I promise to post about something creative!

The Real Spiky Deal....

This spiky little guy had 3 dogs going absolutely going off their heads today.

He was quickly burrowing under the potting shed while the 3 dogs were locked behind a fence only centimetres away, but desperately trying to dig under the fence. We quickly evacuated all human and canine occupants, but he was so scared that he took about an hour to surface and disappear. Poor little guy.....but it was nice to say hello.

Climb Me, Climb Me!

What a magnificent specimen of a tree huh? I found this on one of the local walks I like doing and to me it is one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen.


As I stroll by I can just hear it pleading to my inner child, "Climb Me, Climb Me!".

The weekend and an old friend.....

A whole weekend off, reasonably good weather, and an old friend coming to stay for the weekend......what more could you ask for? Jackie is an old university friend that I'm lucky to catch up with a couple of times a year, but it's always like we pick up just where we left off.

We both love the great outdoors, walking, hiking and stuff, not to mention good food and wine, so while there was no plan for the weekend, it was bound to include a bit of all the above.

Saturday we spent several hours walking, exploring the local coastline and scenery, followed by a leisurely lunch at the RACV resort, overlooking the ocean (shown below).

The afternoon was a little slow after a big lunch and a glass of wine....

Today we explored a bit more of the local coastline by walking along the Rail Trail in the Kilcunda area, which is quite picturesque, but the breeze off the bay today felt like it was coming straight from Antarctica!

After visiting some new homes of my family it was time to drop Jackie off at the bus station again. A lovely relaxing weekend. Thanks Jackie.