tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36498529200041301182024-02-08T05:39:15.608+13:00The Emerald CityDeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-25713093966679746792011-06-27T18:59:00.004+12:002011-06-27T19:04:07.180+12:00Sunnishinee Smokey Eye contest....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5nAQ70YH_qGIQPRVMDr3HznBuOr4ngLlSSJf8hTqthSryjYTW00gZWlPaflifx2o3BKuIVkwyfnbjW6gSACi60wGFnK5dm7PxhK6AEzr6iIQltFbN-RqvOVbGxM9NPfB-XBCy1KamTU/s1600/Untitled-4.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 888px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5nAQ70YH_qGIQPRVMDr3HznBuOr4ngLlSSJf8hTqthSryjYTW00gZWlPaflifx2o3BKuIVkwyfnbjW6gSACi60wGFnK5dm7PxhK6AEzr6iIQltFbN-RqvOVbGxM9NPfB-XBCy1KamTU/s1600/Untitled-4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622790904115949378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Products used: </span><br />NYX Black Bean<br />NYX "Just Green" Glitter on the Go<br />MAC Club<br />Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette, green eyelid colour<br />MAC Refelects Antique Gold<br />Urban Decay Naked/Buck (mixed)<br />MAC Golden Crown<br />Lancome Hypnose<br />Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua<br />NYX Red liner<br />MAC Russian RedDeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-81452677735015645402009-12-11T18:50:00.002+13:002009-12-11T18:52:20.087+13:00A bucket load of decorations (and I haven't even finished my own yet!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8398/decorationscollagesmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 1919px;" src="http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8398/decorationscollagesmall.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-76811081635626464892009-11-14T13:25:00.006+13:002009-11-17T08:25:30.345+13:00Hogwarts, a History<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/1223814_44420701.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 1000px;" src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/1223814_44420701.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So, the Christmas do has come and gone. There were so many great ideas for male costumes, but for some reason I felt a bit limited on girly ones. This year's theme was Best of British, and after going back and forward between Dusty, Duffy, generic 60s chick, Queen Victoria and Hermione for weeks and weeks, I settled on Looney Luna! Hogwarts student has always been on my list of costumes to do, so I decided to go with that in the end, although with a much more limited scope that I would originally have done as I only had 1 week to make the costume after taking so long to figure out what to wear. I actually made the decision after ordering a wig online, figuring it would inspire me once I got it... Once it was on, Luna was the obvious character to go with.<br /><br />Since I wasn't going to do an exact costume replica like I would have done if I'd had time, I went completely lateral on the skirt and cardy, going with a high waist pencil skirt, and a long grey boyfriend cardy. The school shirt and cardy were purchased on sale, both less than half price, and the wig was from an online auction (brand new and half the original price because the seller didn't like the colour)!<br /><br />The hardest part was definitely the raddish earrings, which I made from Sculpey. the first attempt fell off the hooks in the oven and ended up gorgeous on the front and a charred mess on the back, but I learned a lesson with the second lot and bent the end of the pin, which kept them together well. The wand was an old paintbrush - I just pulled the brush off with pliers, wrapped the end with hemp twine, using pva to glue it, and then just did a light coat of pva over the whole wand and blew on some gold powder guilt I had. Not authentic to Luna, but it looked great!<br /><br />The only sewing I did was the skirt which turned out great, and the bag. I also created a Quibbler cover based on the copy Luna carries in the last movie, and ironed it on to a white over the shoulder bag I made from an old pillowcase. I was extremely happy with the quibbler cover, it looks so authentic! I managed to get some Spectraspecs online so they went great with the quibbler over. Finally, I created a Ravenclaw badge, ironed it on to a piece of fabric then sewed it on to the cardy.<br /><br />Overall I was happy with how the costume turned out, though I'm keeping Luna on my list of costumes to do as I still want to do it properly, complete with lion hat and cape.<br /><br />The night itself was average, much better than last year, but still not as good as other years past. Mainly it's the incredibly long and boring awards ceremony at the beginning, which lasted about 2 hours total. I'm very glad that I went with Luna in the end, as there were dozens of all the other costumes I thought of. There were a lot Harry Potters, a Voldemort, a Snape and some generic hogwarts students (including a few 'adult' costumes), but no other Lunas thank goodness :) I tracked down Voldemort and got a great photo with him, he had the full makeup and nails done which looked great. I also managed to score a photo with the teletubbies :)<br /><br />Looking at the pictures I'm glad I put in the effort (or really, lack of effort) into letting my hair and eyebrows go back to blonde (my natural colour) as much as possible. It was just about brunetting time when I found out the theme and started thinking of wearing a blonde wig, so by not colouring then like I normally would, my eyebrows were nearly as pale as normal by the time the party came around, which I think really helped pull the blonde look off. I'm no stranger to preparing my hair for a costume months in advance, though this was the hardest so far as blonde roots on mahogany hair is not a good look!<br /><br />Anyway, I forgot to mention that the carpet is all completely ripped up in the spare room and it's looking well on its way! It's not complete but it's a perfectly usable room now, and I sewed up my skirt and bag in it. Not having the carpet down made cleaning up super easy, and meant I could roll around the room in my chair to get the various bits and pieces I need. Also, this was my first time using my new machine on a large scale (the pj shorties don't count as they were a quick job on the kitchen bench!). It sewed like a dream through the skirt, until the finishing touches of the bag, where it started going insane, coiling the bobbin thread and jamming. I finished the bag by hand and ran out the door because I was late, and haven't had a look at the machine yet to figure out what's going on, but I have the feeling that there's a piece of the iron on caught in it. Fingers crossed it's easy enough to fix :(</span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-40387287282336396492009-11-01T20:07:00.005+13:002009-11-14T09:06:22.172+13:00Marshmallow frosting as far as the eye can see...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/01nov09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 605px;" src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/01nov09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This year is just flying past! I've been really busy these last couple of months with work and spring cleaning the house. The sewing room is still not finished, but is well on the way! Last weekend was spent ripping up the carpet and in a couple of weeks I should be ready to start painting.<br /><br />Next weekend is the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Vodafone</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> Christmas do and the theme is Best of British. After much cogitation, I've decided to go as Luna </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lovegood</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> in full Hogwarts regalia. There's so many awesome costume ideas for males (Monty Python, Russell Brand, Noel Fielding, Little Britain, Shawn of the Dead, Higgins etc etc etc) but I seemed to be at a loss for females and those I could think of I'd already dressed as. I've got just about everything ready, I just need to sew the skirt, make the radish earrings and finish off the wand, then I'm done. I've booked a room in the hotel across the road from the venue so that I can just crash out there instead of having to make my way back to the shore (I used to stay there a lot as a teenager when I went clubbing in town), it's cheap, but not too nasty and only a 30 second walk away, so I don't have to walk to far in my school uniform!<br /><br />I got a new toy today which I had to try out, silicone baking cups... I find it really difficult to find decent cupcake wrappers these days; it's all either mini wrappers or muffin wrappers, not </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">patticake</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> size like I have. So, while I have a large stock of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" style="font-size:85%;">chili</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> and blueberry wrappers in the pantry, I can't find plain wrappers which don't clash with the decoration ideas I have. For example, I just made a batch of 'flesh and blood' cakes for Halloween (recipe coming, my goodness they were so tasty) that really needed to be cupcake size. Blueberries just didn't cut it, so in the end I had to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" style="font-size:85%;">rustle</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> up some white muffin papers and go with the larger size cake. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Meh</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">. The theory with the silicone cups is that I can bake the cakes in them, then just turn them out so I don't need a wrapper. My first attempt seems to have been quite </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" style="font-size:85%;">successful</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, my cappuccino cakes (recipe to come as well) turn out lovely, as you can see from the picture. I topped them with my new favourite frosting, Marshmallow, which I discovered and used on the Flesh and Blood cakes. It does take about 15 minutes to make but it's worth every minute.<br /><br />Anyway, I wasn't convinced about the heat conductivity of the silicone, so I still put the cups in the tray, and this seemed to be just the right thing to do, as when I pulled them out of the oven, I could touch the moulds immediately, which indicates to me that without the tray, heat <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">transference</span> could be a little dodgy and uneven. The next concern was whether or not they were non-stick and no problems there either. I flipped them upside down after they'd cooled a little and they came right out the mould. I'm going to a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" style="font-size:85%;">barbie</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> the week after next and I've been asked to the salad and desert, so I'm going to get some mini silicone cups and make tiny versions of the Flesh and Blood Cakes, although minus the fang marks this time and labelled almond cherry cakes, and I may also experiment with heart shaped ones, which will be great for valentines day.<br /><br />As well as the flesh and blood cakes, I've managed to recreate the Hawaiian Macadamia cake in cupcakes form (this recipe to come as well), and added a few extra touches which made them just heavenly. I certainly won't be bothering with the cake version again.<br /><br />From a non-baking perspective, I've become addicted to a new show, the Big Bang Theory. A little early for me, usually it's Christmas when I discover new comedies that I fall in love with (last year was the Mighty </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Boosh</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">, the year before was Little Britain), but maybe I'll discover something else in December. I've managed to watch nearly 2 seasons in a little over 4 weeks and officially have a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">celebu</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">-crush on </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sheldor</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Conquerer</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">. I freely admit to tending towards geeks anyway (being one myself) and have already learned Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock far too well. Of course I'm also following Project Runway but frankly I could give or take it this year. All the ones I love are already out, and we're left with boring designs and the morally bankrupt but good designer, who I don't want to win just for the principle of it.<br /><br />I went to see This is It today. I just don't really know how I felt about it. I took mum and she loved it, but I spent the whole show worried about it being/getting tacky, that I just couldn't chill out and watch it. I grew up listening the Jackson 5 and </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">MJ</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">, and fell in love with </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">MJ</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> as a teenager in the 90s, during his </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">HIStory</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> phase (before he went just that much too far with the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" style="font-size:85%;">surgery</span><span style="font-size:85%;">) and to this day he's one of my favourite </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" style="font-size:85%;">artists</span><span style="font-size:85%;">; the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">HIStory</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> concert was amazing It was just so sad to think that only days after some of these scenes were filmed, he was dead, and really I wish people would let him rest in peace like a normal human being.<br /><br /></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Hmmm</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">, what else. Well, I've given up on the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">photorejuvenation</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">, it's just not doing a thing to help the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">rosacea</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> and has now cost me over $1500. I've had 4 sessions in total and on the last one, my face was swollen for over 7 days, more than when I had my wisdom teeth out, and I had a large blister on my cheek. Instead I've given in and got an antibiotic gel from the doctor. I've been using that for 2 weeks and it's doing a great job; it seems to work especially well with the Dr H moisturiser, and I've got my fingers crossed that my skin doesn't get used to it and go back to how it was.<br /><br />I've also been converted to the Shannon Lush way of life and spent this Saturday gutting the house of all chemical cleaners and replacing them with essential oils, white vinegar and baking soda. I even managed to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" style="font-size:85%;">recycle</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> some water bottles we've had lying around for months, to use as containers for the vinegar and a shaker for the baking soda. I've used green cleaners for years but I'm finding that these two items work better than many of these cleaners. I've also discovered that vanilla essence is wonderful as an </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" style="font-size:85%;">air freshener</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, even in the toilet!<br /><br />Finally, I've started turning my hand to growing my own veges. I'm starting with tomatoes as I need something I could grow in a pot to start with, while I figure out where my </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">vege</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> patch is going to live in the garden. I actually </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" style="font-size:85%;">immensely</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> dislike tomatoes as a general rule. I do love a good fresh pasta sauce and </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" style="font-size:85%;">sun dried</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> tomatoes so I'm going to use the harvest to make my own from scratch, and if there's enough then some </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" style="font-size:85%;">tomato</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> paste too for my homemade pizza.</span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-85683771940458197802009-09-17T11:25:00.006+12:002009-09-17T12:09:45.741+12:00Oh crumbs, Penfold<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/17sep09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 426px;" src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/17sep09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Well, the last few weeks have gone by in a blur! The vast majority of my time has been taken up by work. I alluded to a restructure in a recent post, and to give a little more detail, I was told in February (2 weeks after we returned from Melbourne) that the company I work for was looking at outsourcing our department. Now, to be fair, we thought a restructure was about to happen (and some of us hoped for it) because of recent changes in the company, but no one</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> quite</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> expected this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The whole affair has been handled quite horrifically, with no communication, time frames being pushed out by months and various other things. Just before leaving for the Gold Coast in May, we were told that the decision had been made to not outsource, but a restructure would absolutely happen. From May until August, we were kept in the dark about what was going on, and in August they announced the new structure. During these months I was also told first that I was now permanent in my seconded role, then a month later than HR wouldn't sign it off for 'reasons they couldn't disclose' and I was back to being seconded.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So the announcement came; the whole thing was a colour coded jumble, but essentially if you were in a red box, you were safe. I luckily had a red box in both my previous and seconded position which meant that I still had a job, just which one was the question! Then they threw the biggest curveball for me, which was that my old manager (I've talked about her a few times, but think micro managing, passive agressive maniac and you get the point) would be the acting manager for my old role, rather than Paul (think best manager ever) who had been my boss when I was seconded out. This made it more important to me than ever that I work my butt off to get a permanent position in my current team.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">6 weeks ago my boss told me that unfortunately under the new structure, I would have to go through the full job application process in order to keep my role (which is what I was expecting so it wasn't a surprise). 4 weeks ago, the role was advertised, so these last 4 weeks have seen me putting all my concentration into writing one heck of a CV and application, interviews etc. etc. I'm now glad to say that I've been offered the job permanently! So after 9 months of worrying whether I'd have a job, I finally can stop worrying!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">2 weeks ago, we did a big shuffle around our building and we've been shifted down to a terribly depressing area, so I've been keenly finding ways to make my 'concrete cubical' (I've never worked in a cubical before, always open plan) less grey. 2 peace lillies and some photos of broadbeach later, and I'm starting to get somewhere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Anyway, on to the happy stuff. I've not done any sewing since the boxers, but I have made a lot of progress on the sewing room. Tomorrow I'm getting a 2m skip delivered to clear out all the stuff which can't be kept, sold or recycled, so by Monday I'm expecting to be done with the clearing out phase! Yipee!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I had my second round of torture (photorejuvenation) which while still painful, does seem to be working. I have at least 3 more sessions to go! I'm loving the Dr hauschka products now that I'm using them properly, and have also switched to Jane Iredale mineral makeup, which is also making a difference.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I've also managed to get some baking done, although I was forced into it a little by the fact we had a bake off! I made a Hawaiian Macadamia cake which took out second place (to an unbaked apricot slice, which I have to say was yummy). The picture above shows the yummy crumbly remains of the cake! I tried a slightly different recipe for my cream cheese icing, and I'll be honest, it was no so nice, so next time I'm going with my infamous white chocolate cream cheese icing. Also, I'm going to replace the vegetable oil with coconut oil, and pump up the spices, as the recommended amount just wasn't enough. I actually made two cakes, one for home (because I'd never tried the recipe) and one for work. I had a really strange experience with the baking, with the first cake taking 20 mins less than the recommended baking time, and the second cake taking 5 minutes more, so there's some tweaking to be done with this recipe for sure!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Lastly for today, I'm getting a breadmaker soon (just waiting for it to be delivered to the store). I love making my own bread, but sometimes I don't have the time to do it by hand; for the last 4 years I've been wanting a breadmaker so I can cheat everynow and then and so I'm very excited to be getting one!</span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-34525692479257110322009-08-29T17:32:00.006+12:002009-09-17T12:01:32.514+12:00Mighty fine PJ shorties<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/29-aug-09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 990px;" src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/29-aug-09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Finally after many weeks of restructures at work, hectic shopping trips a million family birthdays and goodness knows what else, things have settled a bit and I've had the chance to make something on my new machine!<br /><br />I saw this great fabric at Ikes and instantly thought 'PJ shorties' (because it's nearly not winter)... I snapped it up and when I got home I perused my stash until I found Simplicity 1960, a men's underwear pattern which I'd recieved in a bulk lot and put aside pretty much for this purpose. I didn't have enough fabric to make the yoke, so went with the plain, boxer style short.<br /><br />I also found some hilariously tacky clothing labels at Ikes which I just had to buy, and decided to use one of these just to make them look a little less homemade. Other than one wee mistake which was easily corrected, they went together super easy - about 20 mins sewing all up (including the mistake) and I think they look pretty great.<br /><br />Don't you just love the tiki pegs? I got these this morning for $2.50 along with a set of Wahine Doll pegs. I'm going to use these to string up some photos in the sewing room (which I've made no progress at all on).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/29-aug-092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 875px;" src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/29-aug-092.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/29-aug-093.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 533px; height: 1024px;" src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/29-aug-093.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-68639318616427829802009-08-15T17:05:00.005+12:002009-09-17T12:02:02.298+12:00Melbourne in a nutshell<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/16-aug-09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 550px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/16-aug-09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I love the this photo, which is another one from our Melbourne trip. We were on the way back from St </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kilda</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> and all of a sudden, Mum and I noticed this guy on a horse with this gorgeous 'hippie' girl in a flowing white poncho, standing there petting it (do you pet horses? sorry, never been a horse gal!). I quickly grabbed her camera, which switches on faster than mine, and snapped this shot just at the last minute. How great to see something like this right in the middle of a busy suburb!<br /><br />Well, we obviously made it back from Melbourne in one piece! I managed to watch two movies on the way over (Monsters vs. Aliens and some </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Dragonball</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> Z thing) and despite the shuttle we booked not bothering to actually show at the airport to pick us up (read <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g255100-i278-k3019860-Shuttle_feedback_Jetbus-Melbourne_Victoria.html">my review on trip advisor here</a> for all the gory details), we got to the hotel with no other hassles. Unfortunately thanks to the shuttle bus incident, I didn't get into town on time to make it to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rathdowne</span></span> Remnants (sniff, sniff!) but it was a gorgeous day so we headed down to St <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kilda</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> instead and spent the afternoon there, cruising around Luna Park and sitting on the beach until the wind got too cold.<br /><br />We were going to get a caramel slice or eclair at one of the famous cake shops, but decided to try something totally different and each bought Baklava for afternoon tea. Golly but that is one weird tasting sweetie treat! Unfortunately I don't think either of us will be trying that one again, too </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" style="font-size:85%;">intense</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> and sweet tasting for us :) We had a great time at Wicked on Saturday night, I think Mum really enjoyed it, at least I hope she did and it was great seeing all the horses and carts in the street afterwards.<br /><br />The next day we went to breakfast at this great little diner around the corner from our hotel (where I took the beautiful photo of mum in the post below) and then spent a couple of hours at the markets. After the markets, we headed out to Bridge Road and looked around for a while, got some great deals at the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" style="font-size:85%;">Bendon</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> outlet shop and I found the best pair of jeans I've ever bought and a few tops, then back into town and to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">DFO</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> where we spent the rest of the day shopping. We had to buy two extra suitcases to bring our goodies back in! After blobbing out for an hour, we had dinner at the restaurant downstairs from our hotel then just went upstairs and crashed. for the first time in weeks I was asleep in seconds and slept through until dawn, apart from a short wake-up when a bus load of tourists arrived from the airport at the backpackers across the road.<br /><br />Of course, the shuttle company messed up our return trip too, but I'd allowed 2 hours to get to the airport, so even though they were an hour late, we still got there on time! The check in process was hilarious - Mum took a couple of travel sickness tablets which she normally never does, and if you've never taken them before they can make you a bit loopy! She was bumping her way around the airport like one of those toys that turns around when it hits something and then just keeps going in the other direction... I couldn't keep a straight face at the departure check point and we even had the lady stamping our passports laughing! I watched The Boat That Rocked on the way home which was fantastic, awesome music, awesome cast and a great upbeat storyline. It has three of my favourite actors (Bill </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Nighy</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">, Nick Frost, Chris </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">O'Dowd</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">) and one of my favourite </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="font-size:85%;">comedians</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> (Rhys Darby) and so I sat there through the whole movie tapping my feet to the tunes and laughing my head off. Mum watched it on the way over, but her ears were quite blocked so she didn't managed to catch it all (though she was also boogie-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="font-size:85%;">ing</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> in her seat!) but I got a copy of the DVD for my birthday, so we're going to watch it again next weekend on the big screen with surround sound.<br /><br />I have to admit, I still don't love Melbourne itself, but I adore the public transport system (though the trams could use some tidying up and surely there's got to be a limit to the number of people you can fit on one!) and the shopping there. I think we'd have to spend more than 2 or 3 days like I have done to take it all in. I plan on spending a whole day next time looking at the amazing architecture and taking hundreds of photos of the beautiful terraced houses and </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" style="font-size:85%;">Victorian</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> buildings. I asked mum what her favourite part was, and she agreed the convenience of the trams is wonderful - and she loves riding them like I do :)<br /><br />I had a really quiet birthday because I was just too shattered to do much, then took Mum and Dad to Soto on </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" style="font-size:85%;">Thursday</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> night for Mum's birthday. We arrived early and had the whole place to ourselves for over half an hour! The food was gorgeous and even Dad had a good time... My friend Nick and I have a photo restoration challenge going and by good luck, he gave me some of the photos he'd been working on on Wednesday. One he did of mum as a child was just stunning and I decided to buy a frame for it and give it to her for her birthday. I </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" style="font-size:85%;">grabbed</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> some orange ribbon too, and wrapped up </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" style="font-size:85%;">the Emmeline</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> pattern and fabric in the orange poplin, and gave her this. I felt bad for not having much else to give her, but the dinner more than made up for it. I totally recommend you go to Soto if you're ever in Auckland, the food is amazing and the staff are super friendly.<br /><br />Since then, I've been working on getting rid of this headache which has been hanging around for a few days now and slowly working my way through restoring some of Nick's photos! I've finally got two done (after a month of promising), though I've yet to colour them like he did to mine. I think he's going to be really pleased with them once they're all done though. I also finished the first book in the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" style="font-size:85%;">Sookie</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" style="font-size:85%;">Stackhouse</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> series. It wasn't so great, but I'm strangely compelled to get the next one and keep reading! I'm going to trawl the second hand book stores next weekend to see if I can find them cheaper - $29 is just too much for something I can read in a night and now True Blood is out here, the price of the books on TM has gone through the roof.</span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-78689650412031645652009-08-15T12:25:00.001+12:002009-08-15T12:27:42.128+12:00Melbourn in Images...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/15-aug-09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 1246px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/15-aug-09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-35662683225911200182009-08-06T10:18:00.011+12:002009-08-06T10:52:17.328+12:00Finally it's clicked<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://s434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/?action=view&current=08aug.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/dMouse_album/08aug.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br />My skin feel crazy smooth and soft today. I think the photorejuvenation and Dr Hauschka products together are going to make a real difference this time.<br /><br />I just realised last night after reading the new improved information sheet that I had been using the DH products completely wrong all the other times I tried. Apparently the cream cleanser should only be used on clean skin as it doesn't remove makeup, just the nasty stuff, so the ideal use is cleansing milk in the evening and cleansing cream in the morning, when your face is 'clean'. I was using just the cream and scrubbing it in, always annoyed it never removed the make-up. Duh! I'm an advocate of taking a holistic approach to products, (i.e. I believe good products are made to work together, and to get the best results you should use the same brand cleanser, moisturiser etc. etc. ) so while I've always loved the masks and conditioners, because I hated the cleanser, I just stopped using the products all together. I know it probably sounds hooey to have a cleanser you only use on clean skin and to not use night products, but it makes total sense in my head.<br /><br />Anyway, I bought a trial kit at the same time as the conditioning ampules and this has both cleansers in it as well as the toner and 3 moisturisers; I also got the lavender bath which they recommend you use to rinse off the cleanser if you have rosacea or inflamed skin. an to help activate the cream cleanser. Now that I'm properly versed on how to use the products, I did things properly last night and this morning and oh wow, what a difference! I initially balked at buying two cleansers, but then I guess it'll last twice as long so I might pick some up in Melbourne. Also, because you don't use a moisturiser at night, that is a saving, or at least it will be once I've finished the rythmic conditioner cycle.<br /><br />Argh, Melbourne! I just remembered I have to pack tonight! And make sure I have all my pre-prepared stuff (tram info etc)... Eeesh, time to make a list of things to do!<br /></span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-35877035639474566942009-08-05T19:30:00.006+12:002009-08-06T10:48:45.022+12:00Day 2 and all is well<div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSw5oZslM419vutFqdsOSOMXM-S4dpOAcSpUbyuFwnxf9L2W6U9aMO7HZZwo8K9mWzCBSw5gUjifeg0pH5mNhww0N4B3WSPwqHawlXM8JWw0P8p8kR4P4cKM_MgVKadmZyU-ImhzEa6M/s1600-h/05aug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 332px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/05aug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366378959733260530" border="0" /></a>I woke up happy to see that I have no swelling and little redness in my face (or no more redness than usual). Actually, in general there was a great amount of improvement overall and in less than 12 hours!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I started a treatment of Dr <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hauschka</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Rhythmic</span> Night Conditioner for sensitive skin tonight and I hope that will take care of the remaining <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">inflamed rosacea</span> until I have my next torture session in 4.5 weeks time. I noticed one added benefit this morning, which is that my make up went on well and stayed on most of the day, which it hasn't done in over a month and a half. For the first time in weeks I felt comfortable in my own skin! So at this point, I have to say that while the treatment really was painful, (honestly, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">excruciatingly</span> painful) if I keep seeing this sort of improvement over the next 4 months, it will be well worth it.<br /><br />On an unrelated note, I started watching Eleventh Hour <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">last</span> night. I'm kind of on the fence about it... It's an interesting show but I'm having issues taking the lead actress (Marley Shelton) seriously...</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> I think it's because <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">every time</span> she's on screen I have flashbacks to her in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077258/">Planet Terror</a>. I always thought she'd hammed it up for the movie, like everyone else, but it seems she just has a really weird acting style. Great for Planet Terror, not so much for a 'drama'<br /></span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-22778868931958923812009-08-04T19:47:00.005+12:002009-08-05T19:05:46.683+12:00Patterns and ouchies<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9gYnNDe-PVHmK34wsX_Qlzc9saxAF32Uk0EEuOJsUc_1yz4Vzgn07M0Jt4Lag6-rfRxkYhHDdiU25UYETRJUytuvjleaKsXIxrCtI4ir1r41C4aFW7n4tRMtz7Vc0bRdd-IOQs4AMSg/s1600-h/4aug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 431px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/4aug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366012398234080578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Well, I just came back from the clinic and my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">photorejuvenation</span> treatment. I'd read two different descriptions of the pain, 'none' and 'like descending into the seventh circle of hell'. Neither of which are correct, I would say it's more like the ninth circle of hell, way down there with the traitors. Supposedly the treatment should feel like a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">rubber band</span> snapping against your skin, which I would have no problem with. It's the incredible burning sensation at the site of application that I couldn't take. At one point I was close to tears and each time the pulse happened I jumped and bit my lip, no matter how prepared I was. I've only just stopped shaking enough to be able to relax and my heart is still beating fast.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Afterwards, my cheeks were the colour of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tomatoes</span> though now there is only a little redness in the area (well, no worse than a bad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">rosacea</span> attack) and no pain at all. I laugh now that I was more worried about the after effects than the actual process. Hey, only 4 more treatments to go (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">arrrrgghhh</span>)! I'm interested to see how it is tomorrow and how much makeup I'll have to use to cover my cheeks!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I arrived home to find my Emmeline pattern (finally! I was getting worried) and the gorgeous Advance 3090 nightgown. I have been searching for this advance pattern for nearly a year and searched for it once a week until I finally found a copy. I had hoped to find an 18, but after a year of searching I decided the 14 would do, I'll just need to grade it and do an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">FBA</span>. Because of that it'll be a few weeks before I can get around to making it but I'm looking forward to finding some lovely fabric for this at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Rathdowne</span> this weekend. </span></span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-25881766218900403262009-08-02T21:51:00.007+12:002009-08-06T11:46:44.291+12:00Desperately seeking bendy rollers<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDHCtNokmHlcSH91eA64vlOqr5MMbCf5Ey4ogVEWXmT0UPAbb0hK-CeqkZokmxl9chyphenhypheno7yTBImlQElD8i7xaElSsxaOhdEvqN6alcwTH52BeeNEID0QPl8mMkl2zMDZP0mwvNaR2-RQE/s1600-h/03aug.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0px 0px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 311px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/03aug.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365302114886698546" border="0" /></a>I've been hunting down bendy rollers for a couple of weeks now to no avail. Apparently velcro rollers are de rigueur these days (the ex hairdresser in me screams - why!?!?), but I want something I can whack in quickly before bed and then sleep in and bedsides, velcros don’t work on my hair at the best of times. Last night I managed to find some Avon bendables so I’ve ordered those – with any luck I’ll get them before the weekend so I can take them away!<br /><br />I didn’t manage to get any work done on the room other than some planning of where this bit of junk and that bit of junk are going to go, but I did chop my hair to half its previous length and reinstated my fringe. I also coloured it slightly darker this time, a dark chocolate instead of a medium copper/mahogany. While the hair looks great, sadly my skin is really not loving the after effects of the colour and is blotchy and red. I suffer from mild rosacea and hair colour is one of the things that sets it off... Also, I was recently on a course of prednisone for a very bad chest and sinus infection and it has caused my rosacea to flare up like it never has before and nothing is soothing it this time. I’m actually starting treatment for it tomorrow, so it’s good timing! I’m having photo rejuvenation therapy to start with which will close down the broken capillaries causing the redness and hopefully smooth my complexion.<br /><br />I’m half excited, half terrified, as I can’t find any images or descriptions of what my skin will look like the next day... The nurse who is doing the treatment started me on a course of skincare 3 weeks ago in preparation for the treatment tomorrow, but unfortunately this has really made my skin even worse so I stopped using that last Thursday and switched to Antipodes, which is an organic product packed full of essential fatty acids and oils which should counteract the chemicals. For extra good luck I’m using coconut oil at night too. It was improving until I coloured my hair, but I expected that. Fingers crossed I’ll get my $200 back for the other stuff! She did mention that they were obliged to refund me for anything that irritated my skin, and we spent a good 10 minutes reading all the ingredients before I bought it, so I think we’re covered. I personally feel much happier when I’m using organic or natural products on my skin, after all, that’s what women have used for thousands of years!<br /><br /></span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-91367266242887944832009-08-01T17:31:00.007+12:002009-08-01T21:37:16.347+12:00Today, part 2<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-3G8DCBqN3axzSQuaMaXXRvVVlK7TkVFt9acx-K-ZlPPhbxw_QHEQvEdSnIrPIya8_pnYFeUpHoilm0D5KT0pEZC2MOT0ZCaOvaRHV8LKrf9OwiQdXJAIpyUdI38QXWAbnzxQ4SUPtg/s1600-h/1augpt2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 455px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/1augpt2sml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364864150153108114" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Unsurprisingly I avoided going near the soon to be sewing room today (terrible I know but it's freezing and even colder in there) but I did manage to not buy a single piece of fabric! </span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I was looking for Gregory Maguire's Confessions of a an Ugly Stepsister today but couldn't find it, so I picked up a copy of Dead Until Dark instead. I also found Dylan Moran's Live collection (his Monster and Like Totally live shows), a cute set of cupcake cups and a great bag for our holiday for only $30. I also finally gave in and bought a handbag hook. It's a totally ridiculous thing but I figure it will help keep the canvas a little cleaner!</span></span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-91113267053873373122009-08-01T09:22:00.019+12:002009-08-02T10:17:09.757+12:00Wherefore art thou Emmeline?<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/1augsml.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 491px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/1augsml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364747744140934610" border="0" /></a><br />I hoped and wished but unfortunately my Emmeline pattern did not show up yesterday which means that I won't have time to make it for my mum for her birthday. These are the pitfalls of buying internationally, but it's still disappointing when it doesn't show up after a couple of weeks. Between now and Mum's birthday we have the Melbourne trip and getting ready for the Melbourne trip and as I'll be spending all my free time with her, there's no way she won't notice what I'm up to! Oh well. It will make a lovely 'just because' surprise or perhaps a Christmas one. Or maybe if it arrives today, I can talk dad into taking mum out for the evening so have a few hours free to make it! But I guess it all just depends on when it arrives.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >On another track, I bought this fantastic washing powder the other day by <a href="http://www.bee.net.nz/laundrypowder.html">B_E_E </a>(Beauty Engineered for Ever). It's a natural washing powder which comes in an awesome reusable bottle and labelled with names like "I Triumph over Grime and Evil" and "I'll Do Your Dirty Work". The powder is scented with lavender, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bergamot</span> and patchouli essential oils and is simply divine smelling. But it has one bonus that I don't usually find with natural powders... It makes your clothes feel like silk! I've done three loads of washing so far (on one rare sunny winter day) and everything has come out feeling better than new! I have many different allergies, so I always try to use the most natural products I can find. I usually use <a href="http://cinderella.com.au/cinderella/supermarket/products.php">Cinderella</a> cleaning sprays (their multi purpose spray is the best! Like walking through a field of mint) but they don't do laundry powder. Anyway, it's a kiwi product, but if you ever get the chance to try it, it's well worth the effort!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I went to Claudia's 10 year dinner last night (my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Waitangi</span> Melbourne Weekend room mate) along with a small group of people from work. As usual the food at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Erawan</span> was lovely, and I tried their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">sesame</span> prawns which I hadn't had before. Oh, but were they <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">devine</span>...Tempura prawns rolled in sesame seeds with a plum dipping sauce! I could have just had one giant plate of them rather than anything else, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">mmmm</span>.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Anyway - this weekend I plan on cutting my hair and starting on the new sewing room. I also hope to track down some bendy rollers for my hair so I can do the <a href="http://wpsmedia.latimes.com/image/backlot/2008/10/19/Reaper_rick_gonzalez_jenny_wade/Reaper-87-large.jpg">Nina from Reaper</a> look. I have that fine straight hair that doesn't hold a curl so my only hope is to sleep in bendy rollers. I used to sleep in velcro rollers (my hair is too long for foam ones) but they were too un-comfy so I just gave up curling my hair completly. I'm desperate to find the rollers so I can get back on the curly train though!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Perhaps I should... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqz9eJiBa_Q&feature=PlayList&p=7BCBF83970A48E18&index=31">Get a perm</a>.</span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-28374849496346814702009-07-30T15:41:00.014+12:002009-08-01T22:18:52.359+12:00Grab bags and wheat free cookies...<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbs3Q9xyQqndaTbG_7iGNMOK6owUm6cMrIm-SiXmIOCnwEEoJFHENDjqN2Eup1FN18WikxZjv4uAmbQm9OtK-MxMp7cq9K58l36RCakzEox3FxMirqgou8rvuOHE44Bld12XO5uAY8DC4/s1600-h/30-jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 486px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/30-julsml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364157459377817730" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I've discovered that Peanut Butter doesn't (or shouldn't) contain wheat (thank goodness)! Today I came across <a href="http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=2106">this awesome vegan and wheat free Peanut Butter oats recipe</a> without any weird stuff in it (why do all healthy things have weird stuff in it?), so I'm super excited! These sound like the perfect afternoon snack to make and take to work and should be OK with the braces too...</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >My grab bags arrived this afternoon (the ones I'm using for cushions in my soon to be sewing room). Thankfully there's only a couple of patterns I'm not so excited about, but I'm making personalised cushions for the all the great-nieces and nephews this Christmas so those pieces will be added to that project. Also in the mail was the fantastic hawaiian fabric I bought. I really only wanted the mint green one (I have an idea about using this as curtains in the soon to be sewing room) but the other one came with it anyway. No ideas on what I'll do with this yet, but perhaps a blouse or even a skirt.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >On a final note, thank heavens it's Friday tomorrow, I really don't think I can take much more of work this week! I'm attending a 10 year dinner tomorrow night at Erawan Thai, then will be heading home to crash.</span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-58612500665964070632009-07-29T18:07:00.020+12:002009-08-01T21:22:48.039+12:00And now for something completely different...<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0e-vn1jnVBOqEIQUT_Shx_Ybv6-04aWAIphnPBO0TsJ53q5X0R0WJ6lEN1fksrNR1JFDTuy6WN49v32lxtQ3kOs4BLTwI9BmRcFbIFW6j3fbsOXWUDxYJVuh4MxIx6DzFJZLfdJrF4k/s1600-h/29-jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 410px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/29-julsml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364167257289093746" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">My <a href="http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/">Heather Bailey</a> fabric arrived this afternoon! This is my first time with her fabrics and I absolutely am hooked. The colours are vibrant and the fabric is so, so soft. Now I just have to wait for my Emmeline apron pattern to arrive and I can get going...</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Also in the mail was this great duvet remnant I bought on TM (same situation as the apple green, I have no idea why I wanted it)! It's a quilt style with each square having a different dress appliqued on, all in pinks, yellows and reds. Now I've seen it, I plan on using this to make yet more aprons along with some of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">broderie</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">anglaise</span> I have in my stash and perhaps a couple of cushions for gifts.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I was looking at my latest stash buys just a minute ago, and realised how much I'm longing for summer to arrive. I'm tired of the cold and gloom which seems to have dragged on so much longer this year.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">And now for the completely different bit... Once I get back from Melbourne, I've decided to follow a wheat free diet for a few months. I've tried gluten free before but I found that I wasn't organised enough and that because of this it really didn't make much of a difference anyway.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">This time I'm going wheat specific, and I'm gathering recipes and researching alternatives properly. I've already bought some chestnut flour so that I can create a wheat free cupcake recipe (no way am I doing this without cupcakes)! And have found some buckwheat pasta to use instead of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quinoa</span>, which I don't really like. I've yet to find a couscous replacement, but I suppose I can do rice for a while. The good news is, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cadbury</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Dairy Milk</span> is wheat free. The bad news is that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Caramello</span> isn't!</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Another Melbourne thought... Last time I was there I saw <a href="http://www.thevine.com.au/fashion/articles/interview-with-petrova-hammond-from-lady.aspx"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Petrova</span> from PR Australia</a>, I wonder if I'll get to see any of the current contestants? I'm also realising I'm not going to have time to make any outfits to take, so I'm shelving the Melbourne <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">wardrobe</span> until I have time to enjoy making something.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spare room update:</span> I've decided that I'm not going to buy that wallpaper as it's a little too pastel for me. I've also decided to use a different wall as the feature wall, and as it's larger, it needs a much larger, bolder pattern. My light fixtures arrived yesterday. I bought them for only $10 each on a super special (instead of $60 each) and they're perfect for the room. Originally I wanted a quite ornate, wavy halogen bar (like in my 'mood board') but I'm glad I went with a more utilitarian set in the end as I think that my original idea would have been just that bit too much.</span></span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-85881376127378834832009-07-28T17:50:00.008+12:002009-08-06T11:47:49.771+12:00An apple a day<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S05cTdej2v2Y6Yh5OCK30BgtSNctkuNCN5NUN8_aWuRgTJtuNIhK-M22ZRAA49akP0S_vTdz7U_JForRv38j6L7iWbqALsjNcnvzWqfSm0hKxKhv4uF0rQRk0HSii9DRvtG1liseFqg/s1600-h/IMG_1605.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0px 0px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 280px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/28julsml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363384753618734722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I put a bid of $6 on this gorgeous curtain fabric a couple of weeks ago then forgot all about it until I got an email 7 days later saying that I'd won the auction. It's two pieces roughly a meter square each, one green wave on white and one white wave on green. I can't even remember exactly what I wanted it for! Actually I think I just wanted it because it was a fabulous apple green. I'm addicted to green, if it's green I need it, whatever 'it' is.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Now that it's arrived I still don't know what to do with it, but the green is such a vibrant kermitey colour and I adore it. I think eventually I'll either make shopping bags out of it or some fabulous cushions for my bedroom (which is also a beautiful shade of kermit green)!</span></span><br /><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-38809625065967445002009-07-27T21:00:00.010+12:002009-08-06T11:48:18.482+12:00Another incredible bargain!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPlIb8fC_d-wFNDO-BLOZ_MxTLIknqNlvDsXB880fTLapIPQNmcW0t6k5pPlZhGaYFl7ueggWWhPIoFeY70y8Rp9TeEtrf188aShk2bv_7MuJZg_wp37WiiwzwX6pLyppK-G31zAXqHU/s1600-h/27jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0px 0px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 599px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/27julsml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365105433443953890" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Sewingpatterns.com is doing a 1 day sale on Burda downloads so I just got this fabulous Burda costume pattern for only $7 NZD. I've always been interested in making an early victorian costume, but this fabric grabbed me, followed by the price (more than half of what I'd pay here, if I could even find it) so I finally bought one.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I also finally found a decent garrison cap and crinoline pattern, <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/patterns/sewingpatterns.pl?patternid=18522">all in one</a>! I have looked at that pattern so many times and assumed that the petticoat and cap didn't come with it. I don't know what made me check this time, but I'm glad I did. The crinoline will need some extra work to make it as beautiful as it should be, but I'm useless at maths (and therefore doing the thinking behind making the layered panels from scratch) so this will be an invaluable starting point.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I've also experienced a change of heart on <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWlw0wuzDKIDxHZ_BhYfeFLE1v7WAwuJtH2WrDIBu5Hs2GknBEfi8pyI5vZ4CPZrbYNeb8qqUu6AXiv6SHj0FTYkfEdhuz43MeHG-vpW4l6oJmWAYJ1wWcjSbRWO2BWup5RyjgYDiFYE/s1600-h/sheersilver.jpg">this fabric</a>. I recently bought <a href="http://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/simplicity/2586/2586.jpg">Simplicity 2586</a> and have now decided that I'll use it for this (assuming I have enough)!</span></span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-80414409600131466072009-07-25T13:41:00.013+12:002009-08-06T11:48:40.759+12:00More fabric and a gathering foot!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2q4YIWvctI_YJ2Jz-io5Nf8LmRd_yYwo2oBBR-GElman5JHYKUEYfs8FoV04h5GHV0JNznOC6u931Wu-NIsH_YlhKWBeOdbVwQYHiABMfrVHAkOjRu85UNEGWvL816xRqRBvR8tsjtes/s1600-h/IMG_1602.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0px 0px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 373px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blogimages/smallfabric.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362222935535897074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">When I was shopping with mum the other day she mentioned how much she'd love something in orange, though despite finding many fabrics she liked, she wouldn't let me spend the money on her! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I went to spotlight today looking for a gathering foot (btw - since my last sewing machine post, I've bought a binding foot and a narrow hemmer) and some bottles (which they didn't have) and saw this lovely striped quilters cotton hiding in the corner and just down from it an orange based floral. Again the <a href="http://montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/2007/12/emmeline-apron.html">Emmeline Apron</a> came to mind and I decided to grab these to make Mum an apron for her birthday. I ummmed an ahhhhed about finding a fabric for the reverse and decided to leave it, then when I was queueing I found a perfect orange poplin on sale. In real life, the orange of the poplin and the striped cotton match perfectly, so I'm super pleased. </span><br /></span>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-50615808135988294902009-07-24T17:36:00.018+12:002009-08-03T11:00:33.806+12:00My next (ish) project...<span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBmI_ekzHZNnbS8eaT3JtArZDRluewd1MAqJj90SOhLCZjdPHxKr0Ex3b_lmlj4_pqDbSTjnBg6PiF1Z_FHC9KwakCeqkKVYoxSrZKS8LYRoqyvzOsGGzehr4Lo4_ykJLQfXOW_z2QCY/s1600-h/24jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 662px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/24jul.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365135364814919378" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >I'm going to call this my next (ish) project, but in reality my next project is my Melbourne wardrobe, which I plan to start this weekend and finish next. However, I cam</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >e across a fabulous wallpaper design last night on TM, which has completely inspired me, out of the blue, to make over my junk room.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Let's call this a long term goal instead then!<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >My junk room is actually the second largest room in the house and at the moment, it's filled with the hardtop from my car, a random coffee table which never liked anyway, hundreds of books, my desktop PC and desk (which I can't even reach anymore), my cross trainer, and piles upon piles of Christmas decorations and junk. Oh, and a patio heater still in its box, because every junk room needs a patio heater in a box.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >I plan, over the next two months, to turn this room into my new sewing slash computer room! I'm heavily inspired by <a href="http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/sarah/about">Sarah Richardson's</a> style of mixing colours and prints and I have a mood board in my head already. My first job will be to completely clear the room out, which is going to take a couple of weeks of work. Next, I'll need to skim one of the walls, which is full of dips and holes, but this should take no more than two nights. Last, I'll be ripping up the carpet which is well past its prime. Once I've done the hard stuff, then it's a simple matter of painting, wallpapering and sewing! The room is</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > downstairs and only sees sun in the afternoon, so it's important that I keep it bright. I'm planning on mint green walls and a white painted floor. What I hope to end up with is a room which screams </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >'batch' (for non kiwis that's 'summer house').</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > I decided on the painted floor mainly because the room has a low ceiling and low light during the day, but also because it'll be good for cutting fabric and laying out patterns out without fear of damage, because I can just touch it up!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >I plan on using only items I've made or refurbished, other than the paint, the wallpaper and the lighting, which I plan to buy second hand (or hopefully a mistint in the case of the paint) and luckily we have an inorganic collection coming up in the next few weeks, so I'll be scouring the Shore for bits and pieces that I can use (and I'm desperately hoping someone throws out a bamboo couch)! </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >I bought some quilters cotton grab bags today on TM, a total of 10 pieces of fabric in various small sizes, which I'm going to use as cushion covers.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > The auction for the wallpaper doesn't finish until wednesday, so I'm reserving my bid on that until then as I'm not sure whether I'll actually buy it, versus just using it to inspire the colours. I'm kind of back and forward on it, but I think it'll come down to cost. If it's under $50, I'll get it.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-48869089374441070672009-07-22T19:30:00.004+12:002009-08-02T10:28:04.366+12:00Yet more fabric!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/22jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 592px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/22jul.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361183913042689762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">After searching NZ for Heather Bailey fabrics for under $30 per mtr (simply impossible!) I decided to just buy direct from the source...</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After forcing myself to not buy one of everything, I ended up with 1.5 yards of Sway in lime and a yard of Tiled Primrose in celery. Yum! Hopefully this should be just enough to make the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/2007/12/emmeline-apron.html">Emmeline apron</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (though the reverse fabric is yet to be decided).</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I also found a nice easy recipe for <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_butterscotch/">Butterscotch Sauce</a> (which you can't really get here in NZ) so that I can whip up some of <a href="http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/2009/07/butterbeer_recipe.html">Heather's Butterbeer</a>. I'm going to see the new HP movie on Sunday so I'm hoping to take a couple of bottles along for the ride :)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I can't make any of the other recipes at the moment because of the train tracks (no caramel, no nuts, no popcorn etc etc) but I'll also be grabbing some Chocolate Frogs to compliment the butter beer!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Note to self: Rhys Darby and Demetri Martin are super funny. Must buy their live DVDs.</span></span><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-8677714800727183082009-07-20T17:47:00.011+12:002009-08-02T10:44:50.315+12:00Another fabric find...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO4s_P9wim6XzGMw_5aJtZdRUhm2w1dc7uDwSfwKG9BOuSw_hQh9bxQj7r4p_rwHAzXr1HGVVxpK9Ud-luWzzQVMwciGPJQpNxO-7AVwaHLKvM0QWZOPSiJiP0PB5er5NuapzQ4vJmSs/s1600-h/20jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 516px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/20jul.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365129958688540946" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I saw this gorgeous border print yesterday but couldn't think of anything I could make from it, so decided to be good and not get it.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >This morning as I was in the car it clicked that it would be fantastic as the <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Anda</span> dress</a>, with a nice thick band of shirring under the bust. Naturally I thought about it all day at work I headed straight back to Spotlight at 4pm! I also managed to get some white satin, which will be used to line the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">boho</span> bag. Like the self fabric, this was 1/2 price from the remnants bin.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I had another look at the presser feet and managed to find a walking foot and a piping foot within reach so I grabbed those too. That just leaves a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Teflon</span> foot and/or a leather foot on the list, as I didn't realise the machine came with all the other feet I needed (my previous Brother didn't). I'm looking forward to experimenting with the walking foot on stretch knit and with using piping more creatively, as I've never had the patience for it before!</span><br /><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-58300755727119715422009-07-19T13:39:00.016+12:002009-08-02T09:54:34.998+12:00The Sewing Machine Saga ends....<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuhCQk3_W_hVGAR1xN6SKA_at2hXy8I4kxKIV_it1UMnJsxTRzbq0RiYspFi1WVSDAv_lFrhfKJtwZXmL6hoU-eBAloHANKZhmXPFse7Qp8LKZxKEytmxr1EnY8W1bmEhNMQbhixFxYQ/s1600-h/19jul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 650px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/19julsml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365111043935024114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I took a trip down to Spotlight this afternoon to check out their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">stocktake</span> sale, on the off chance that they had one of the sewing machines I was interested in upgrading to. </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Lo and behold I found they had the <a href="https://www.brother.co.nz/public/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=NS30+LTD+EDITIO">Brother NS30LE ltd edition</a> - a slightly sexier version of the NS30 to the left - I'll post a pic as soon as I've got her set up! I got $100 off the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">RRP</span>, which made this a much better option than the repair (which was going to cost a minimum of $200), and being computerised with dozens more features, it was absolutely worth the upgrade.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I also found some fantastic cotton fabric, super cheap!. The black and </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >white print was a half price remnant, only $2.50 for 1.2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"> mtr</span>s and is destined for greatness as the <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/4011"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Burdastyle</span> </a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/4011">Anna <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">boho</span> bag</a> along with some white leather I picked up the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">oth</span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >er day which I'll use as the bag base and as detailing.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >The yellow and fawn dot fabric was a great find at the bottom of the sale bin for $7 a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">mtr</span>. It makes me so happy just </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >looking at it! This will most likely become view A or B of <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/patterns/sewingpatterns.pl?patternid=28022">Simplicity 2659</a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > or the short version of <a href="http://www.butterick.com/item/B5324.htm">Butterick 5324</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Right next to this at the bottom of the bin was the blue, yellow and green spotted fabric for $4 per <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">mtr</span>. I immediately thought of <a href="http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/patterns/sewingpatterns.pl?patternid=29392">Simplicity 2614</a> for this so I bought enough to make view D for my mum, and view C for me! There was just enough on the roll so it was definitely one of those 'meant to be' things!</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I also picked up a cute 'get creative' tunic pattern for only $4 - (unfortunately the packet is super glossy so I can't get a decent photo) which I think I might use some of the black and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">fuchsia</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Hawaiian</span> fabric on.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >I really wanted a walking foot, a piping foot, a leather foot and a bias foot, but the brother compatible sets were so high up I couldn't see what was on the labels, so that will be next weekend's buy. Once I've got a new walking foot I can start on <a href="http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M5484.htm">McCall's 5484</a> and <a href="http://www.butterick.com/item/B5329.htm?search=5329&page=1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Butterick</span> 5329</a>. I found a gorgeous print for the McCall's pattern last week (actually I found the fabric weeks ago but didn't buy it because I couldn't think of what I'd make from it, until I found the pattern!) and I have a stunning black silk knit which I'm going to use for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Butterick</span>. Now I've got my new machine, I should be able to make these in time to take to Melbourne!</span><br /><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-11604789176680601092009-07-16T08:44:00.009+12:002009-08-02T12:07:39.912+12:00Recreating missing pattern pieces<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRg_xNeEUBDR9AERN3Sve1cnSnBrUsOrsqCkeraXTJQFe02dxqrMf529oGby1SiVX5HcmcGffBu2Qv2CSIYUBP1cvziSUnjOYcR6OHSIE_uFepgUdNiOxx9zhParRmF7SDnUT6BpsSMQg/s1600-h/16jun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 710px; height: 702px;" src="http://homepages.woosh.co.nz/angela.turrall/blog/16jun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365151164860052546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">When I </span><span style="font-family:arial;">was in the Gold Coast I bought <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f7u-S9tCWUjpeTBgytDkl7ErCNf3sTkD_xoaRMJxKPTacxZpLji3oTWN1NalfaTi2NzfCoEEFMNHASqtmEY_aeRhvh5rG5oNq5wXKr2HYgi_FvAPqE6nKn9RQYHLwTYae2IkDbPBqPI/s1600-h/IMG_1575.jpg">this cute 60s Style 4941</a> pattern. I don't know what happened, but when I looked in the packet at the store I swore I saw all the pieces and so snapped it up. When I got back to the apartment though, I realised that all the collar variations were there, and nothing else! </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I have quite a few 60s shift dress patterns and while none of them flare as much as this, I'm sure it'll be easy to splice and dice, but it got me thinking as to whether it would be possible to recreate a missing pattern piece based on the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XnWLhtFOitR4r09STa2IJfDODYeBN66RId6z_vxTP8I-DuR3hWJOO2eX39I0nETn8sQmlcdSx1rs3BXSQj19JYMECdSqcHLo8w0Vo3GDd5VudVeYx29l7-aSatP4dS9uKgaMnrUHCdE/s1600-h/IMG_1573.jpg">layout and sewing instructions</a>. In this case, the images are nicely detailed, so I think I'd like to give it a go.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The dress itself would be easy to draft without the images, but I do have some patterns that have just one or two pieces missing, and it would be important to get that missing piece just right, to make sure it fits the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">existing</span> parts. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I've googled and googled and not found anything much about this, so I'll be flying by the seat of my pants, but it should be an interesting project while I continue to ponder the fate of my sewing machine!</span></span><br /><br /></div>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649852920004130118.post-85016837632049217732009-07-15T19:02:00.023+12:002009-07-25T09:36:01.474+12:00Suddenly Sewing Machine-less<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-xoZqoJYyBJNS2q_j4HxQQ9hnQpgzMrl0fEKf2lV7BNTq36fpjCh5bx1sYlsdVuEZ-xrFjXratDX2Dck-VrXM3wKnQfCPp5vgoVyHbddWnshGcOUzrkFtusGm4qvvydrM8rEdplitJE/s1600-h/prettyinpeach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-xoZqoJYyBJNS2q_j4HxQQ9hnQpgzMrl0fEKf2lV7BNTq36fpjCh5bx1sYlsdVuEZ-xrFjXratDX2Dck-VrXM3wKnQfCPp5vgoVyHbddWnshGcOUzrkFtusGm4qvvydrM8rEdplitJE/s320/prettyinpeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362143350390756690" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >For the last couple of weeks I've been <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">machineless</span> while I decide whether it's time to upgrade, or just repair my poor machine! While trying to figure out what to do though I've gone into a fabric hoarding phase, despite the fact I'm not able to sew anything (go figure)! My latest find was this amazing print, which is the most beautiful shade of peach with bright purple and lime <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">florets</span> and a different <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">floret</span> pattern woven into it. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Unfortunately</span> I have no idea what to do with this as it's really quite a heavy weight, but I had to have it regardless. Perhaps a bag (or 6, there's 3<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mtrs</span> there!) or a bedspread.<br /><br />Fabric 2 is a gorgeous dark blue sheer flocked polyester with silver flowers, which is destined for either the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pussybow</span> version of <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=2614">Simplicity 2614</a>, <a href="http://www.burdafashion.com/en/Downloads/Free/1333669-1413206-1695160.html">this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">BWOF</span></a> cocktail dress, or maybe </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >even a a variation of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Burda's</span> <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">A</span></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">nda</span> dress</a> (I'm thinking a simplified version of the cocktail dress).<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Fabric 3 is something I've been looking for for years and that is the PERFECT <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Hawaiian</span> print!</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > This is a gorgeous black cotton with large <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">fuchsia</span> hibiscus.This will become either a full skirted shirt dress (yet to decide which of my 10 full skirt shirt dress patterns I will use!) or the cuff sleeve version of <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=6815">New Look 6815 shirt dress</a>. Seriously I've searched so long for a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Hawaiian</span> print that that is not too <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">OTT</span> but still appeases my inner Magnum PI.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWlw0wuzDKIDxHZ_BhYfeFLE1v7WAwuJtH2WrDIBu5Hs2GknBEfi8pyI5vZ4CPZrbYNeb8qqUu6AXiv6SHj0FTYkfEdhuz43MeHG-vpW4l6oJmWAYJ1wWcjSbRWO2BWup5RyjgYDiFYE/s1600-h/sheersilver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWlw0wuzDKIDxHZ_BhYfeFLE1v7WAwuJtH2WrDIBu5Hs2GknBEfi8pyI5vZ4CPZrbYNeb8qqUu6AXiv6SHj0FTYkfEdhuz43MeHG-vpW4l6oJmWAYJ1wWcjSbRWO2BWup5RyjgYDiFYE/s320/sheersilver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362143345077632850" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZSGOLgxXOaXuXGKoPsbYL3x3TRdPcX1CujM7u5zxjASUo4wW8xZba9kHF9Ofnp0CAJlzqIY10_h2NgQVJxl99N4Qqz7pV0wTKgP0g-s1LY9OaNTfV5vlmww1jI0UNCDVNirSJZPQ9lY/s1600-h/hawaiian.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZSGOLgxXOaXuXGKoPsbYL3x3TRdPcX1CujM7u5zxjASUo4wW8xZba9kHF9Ofnp0CAJlzqIY10_h2NgQVJxl99N4Qqz7pV0wTKgP0g-s1LY9OaNTfV5vlmww1jI0UNCDVNirSJZPQ9lY/s320/hawaiian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362143341092254098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ></span>DeVillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08874514980969096657noreply@blogger.com0