i'm grateful for . . . 'Summer colour'

Greetings all,

Oh bring on Summer in the southern hemisphere i say!!  I just love the colour in the garden . . . i planted our herbs & salad ingredients spot on time this year, we're already eating from it's bounty.  So easy to pick fresh chives while i make egg sandwiches for school in the morning; pop out at lunch for a some dill & lettuce in my chicken salad; then coriander & parsley for a Thai flavoured dinner.  Why pay $3 for a bunch of basil when you can grow your own for $2.50, pick what you need & it keeps growing rather than dying a slimey death in your fridge??

 Over in this pop up barrel, we're growing tomatoes, onions, potatoes & thyme.  The children love tending to them.  This year i planted cherry tomatoes, the kind you just pop in your mouth or salad, no slicing!!  When we build our house & landscape, i love the idea of thyme as ground cover, can you imagine the smell, glorious!!

 Reluctant model, exhausted at the end of a busy school week, but check out the vivid colours Country Road is rocking for children this season!!  I don't like Daisy Duke shorts on children (or teenagers) but these denims are short & fun, without being trashy.  The ric rac halter top just leapt off the rack into my arms, a must have!!

 New swim suits for the youngest 3 children who are due to ruin last year's costumes at school swimming lessons (high concentration of chlorine in public pools, ick).  The anchor board shorts are adorable for my boy; orange bikini is positively eye blasting on my olive skinned 3rd girl; midnight blue paisley one piece is perfection for my only pale child; fuchsia scalloped edged shorts are for my leggy state finalist high jumper.  Life is tough for some!! 

 The children did ask for new Summer shoes but they can go barefoot so my budget can extend to a new kaftan.  It's so pretty & a girl never can have too many kaftans (right Felicity Serendipity??)  It even coordiates with the cover of Country Style, which arrived in my letter box today & i plan to read while wearing my new kaftan this weekend.   

For more Things I'm Grateful For, go visit our gal pal Maxabella Loves.  Love Posie

things i'm loving . . . 'finding fun'

Greetings all,
Can you believe my husband has been in Afghanistan for a month already??!!  I'm finding plenty of fun ways to keep busy, happy, distracted & positive . . . i do have tears as well, i'm not made of stone, i'm just very well practised in this routine of solo parenting 4 children while my husband is away at war.  Thanks for your support bloggers!!  One amazing blogger Cherry Red Quilter has gathered her troup of seamstresses to sew laundry bags for our troops, thanks Jan-Maree, you're a doll!!

I have always found sewing projects = avoid boredom.  A young lady ordered a lllloooonnnngggg pencil roll in Babushka fabrics from the last Handmade Market.  I delivered!!  

 Like the pencil & texta combination to fill the 16 pockets??

 First week of term 4, my primary school children have a new 'focus of inquiry' . . . 'outer space'.  This is not my forte & i wish my i-can-navigate-by-the-stars husband was around.  He might also ace camping, but i totally nailed glamping!!  Anyway, i can make some fun bunting & hand flags for Team Gravity.  I'm the teacher's pet-parent!!  

 How much fun are giveaways & swaps in blogland??!!  I am in an international swap with NZ Green Buttons blog, who sent this parcel of kiwi goodness.  Thanks Louana!!  Check out the play NZ money, maps, badges, stationery, chocolates . . .

 meanwhile i'm busy at the post office, this is my 4th parcel to handsome soldier.  This random box includes a diary, wind up kangaroo, moisturiser, soft-thick-luxurious-daddy-toilet-paper, a little softie & some meusli bars. 

 Finally, still losing myself in the Dottie Angel book, she's a fellow Babushka fan.  I've added more Russian Nesting Doll goodness to my collection this week too.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour around my head this week, Things I'm Loving is finding fun in my world.  Those who know me will be shocked i'm reading so much, it's the sunshine & my new slow down attitude. 
Don't forget my latest giveaway, it includes a Babushka fabric pencil roll.  Follow my blog now as i have new giveaways coming up with Sesame Street Wii games & hello . . . Donna Hay products!!  Stay tuned. 
Special shout out to Julie-Ann who featured me on her Decorating Forum all week, thank you, 'twas fun & welcome new readers - i believe i've taught you a some tricks from day beds to glamping.  Love Posie
PS PaisleyJade hosts things i'm loving each Friday, go check out her last few posts, she is one amazingly dedicated, cool mummy of 4, you should see what she made for her son's birthday (crocheted gift, layer cake & party games!!)

our creative space . . . 'glamping'

Greetings all,

It's just not a real school holidays without a sleepover - my children swap rooms, have friends over & build cubby houses all the time, but i thought we'd upscale & go a little more ladylike, dainty & mummy take over styled. . .

 one bedroom was transformed into glamping . . .

 glamorous camping calls for lots of cushions . . .

 bunting flags & lanterns . . .

 special teddies were invited . . .

 any excuse to plug in the flamingo lights!!

 These gnome & toadstool lanterns are permanently strung here . . . 

 tiny pegs are holding the temporary ones in place . . .

 layers of tulle netting form a canopy . . .

 the girls absolutely loved it & slept like babies.

Joining in with Our Creative Spaces, love Posie

wordless Wednesday . . . 'school holiday visit to Questacon'

Greetings all,

Questacon science activity centre in Canberra.

Putting my science degrees to good use this Wordless Wednesday at Faith, Hope & a Whole Lotta Love, love Posie

a Sydney side trip to the Donna Hay General Store

Greetings all,

On almost every trip to Sydney i detour to the Donna Hay General Store in Woollahra - where the beautiful people live, darling.  It's always so crisp & stylish, with beautiful products & clever merchandising.

 I always go upstairs first, indulge my senses with candles & body products, handmade eye candy & home decor.  Not to mention the stunning building which houses these fine products.  We now have 6 floor cushions, i'm a fan!!

 Then i stumble out the door with something from every shelf from the ground floor selection of cookbooks, bakeware, stationery, food & now . . . Royal Doulton china!!  I gushed like a giddy school girl about the milk glass range last week.

 Yes, Donna Hay, the clever stylist & cook (for Oprah's Sydney visit & MasterChef fame) has been in big business for 10 years.  I picked up a copy of the limited edition 10th anniversary magazine.

 I love this new cooling rack, it's replacing a 15 year old one which is bent & my squishy undercooked (on purpose) cookies fall through.  This large was less than $10.  I've already used it twice & want another one. 

 I can never resist her twines & cupcake wrappers, seriously, you'd find them in my fall-out-shelter as something i-have-to-take-with-me-if-the-world-ends.  I love her bags of chocolates & how cute are these paper bag lanterns??  I'll be using them in Summer, stay tuned!!  Look at the retro kitchen timer, now magnetised to the fridge, brilliant.

This could be dangerous, Donna's new Royal Doulton collection, baby steps, i'm starting with the measuring jug.  It feels so beautiful, pure luxury.  Love Posie
PS win a craft giveaway including Mollie Makes magazine!!

hello Decorating Forum, how do you do??

Greetings all,
This week the lovely Julie-Ann is featuring my little creative blog over at her Decorating Forum.  It's a great site, take a peek, you'll find lots of familiar designers & bloggers chatting over there.

 . . . Posie.
Welcome new readers, how do you do??
I've been sewing full time in my design business for over a decade, inspired by my grandmothers, Edna & Alice + my mummy, Barbie.  I'm passing on my skills to my enthusiastic children - who share my passion for handmade.  I love old fashioned values & home baking; i decorate with vintage fabrics & restored furniture.  I blog about these craft adventures, along with my beloved handsome soldier & our 4 smart, sporty & social children + our country lifestyle plans as we settle in Canberra. 
With my husband away at war, a house filled with children & a cottage industry, i could have been born 100 years ago!! 

 How about some fake-it-until-you-make-it outdoor decorating?? 
I dream of next year when we purchase a farm & build a spacious homestead, with perfect green lawns spotted with a dozen Adirondack chairs . . . in the mean time, we live in Army housing in the suburbs with an unmanicured tiny patch of grass. 

 Gather up 8 crates from a dark alley, lay down a thick beach towel, plonk 2 large floor cushions on top & da dah, instant day bed, cost: $0!!  Just add a good book & glorious sunshine.  I cannot tell you how comfortable & pleasant this is, freshly washed puppy entertainment included. 

 Not exactly the Hamptons, but close your eyes & soak up that holiday atmosphere . . .

 my middle girls were born for comfort & relaxation, with the addition of an umbrella, it's like another version of a cubby house to them.

 I have half a dozen of these glorious Donna Hay huge floor cushions, they make a great bed for children's sleepovers too.  The towels are old Country Road ones, when they made them really thick & luxurious, always with tassels please.

 We wrapped up the school holidays in Canberra, with a massive dose of Spring sunshine, ready to tackle the final term of school for the year.

 Now the children are have resumed primary & high school today, it's back to . . .

for the next 10 weeks!!  Love Posie
PS Embroidery photographed from the Dottie Angel book, dainty, doily, stitchy & clever.

social commentary Sunday . . . 'are you being the best you??'

Greetings all,

Thank you for the kind comments on yesterday's post.  Farewelling my handsome soldier off to war never gets any easier, i miss him like crazy.  I have been madly in love with this man for half my life, he is a huge part of who i am.  Every deployment i've had a little pal (or 4) with me, so children are a welcome distraction + i focus on sewing projects.  I have to keep busy, positive & active, it's healthy.  When he calls, i have interesting things to say, not just fall to pieces that he's in the most dangerous place on earth & i'm worried. 
Today we wrap up the school holidays, a good time to check 'myself'.  This past fortnight i was driven to Spring clean.  I'm alone with my thoughts while doing housework.  I think about how our children are constantly changing, growing, plotting . . . then i realise, so am i, especially the plotting (my escape from suburbia).  I'm a fair version of my best self, i just know i'll be better when living in our homestead on a farm, with my husband by my side!!

I recently ordered the Dottie Angel book from Lark & have been devouring the life & craft of Tif Fussell.  Dottie Angel is her alter ego, like Posie is mine.  Tif & i have plenty in common (i say that like we had afternoon tea yesterday) . . . we're both 4th borns; raised in loving creative families with English mummies; married our teen love; had 4 children in our 20s; live & breath craft + vintage ways; moved around to different cities & . . . her story continues with her family settling in America & more recently - finding the house which felt right for her clan, craft & calm.  I believe Tif is being the best 'Tif' she can be!!  I'm inspired.

 I want to be where she is now, in a space that feels . . . right.  I have it in my head, it's beautiful, i look great in my craft cottage & my husband is cooking up a storm in the kitchen.  We know where & how we want to live.  Good GOD we even have the finances!!  Next year we'll turn 'actively looking' for property into 'where do we sign'.  Soon enough i'll be 'all i can be' & living the dream.  I'm patient but i'm plotting. 

 In the meantime . . . i don't want to put myself on hold, just because my husband is away & i dislike our current residence . . . we are lucky to have a safe roof over our heads.  I want to be organised & make Christmas a breeze.  That is not easy with mum's Alzheimer's & my darling father's angst - oh, my mummy doesn't know who i am anymore - i can't quite digest this right now.  'tis hard to be serene with all this going on. 
I want to be kind to myself, treat myself with a movie, a massage & sewing for myself!!  That will make me a better me, wife & mother.  Spoiled??  I have done the hard yards of solo parenting for a dozen years, i did it really well, now i need a little nurturing, mind, body & soul.

Our small garden needs love.  Fom one snapshot you can see the rooves of 3 houses, ick.  I look up to the blue sky & dream of not being able to see any neighbours.  3 postings ago we were a family of 6 living in Inner City Sydney in a 3 bedroom townhouse & a tiny paved courtyard.  We made it work, we always do.  I just know i'll be better with s p a c e.     
Where are you at on your journey to being the best you??  Work in progress??  Waiting for the next stage in your life, like me??  Feeling stuck??  Love Posie