bubble o bliss

Hmmm, okay so I have found a reason to be happy its getting warmer...it is ice cream season! This is a yummy bubble o bill. This charming cowboy ice cream comes complete with a large bubblegum nose and a hefty dose of happy childhood memories too! Believe me, they taste just as good as they ever did, but of course, I highly recommend testing it out for yourself, just to be scientific about it.

I spent a few days down the coast, walking along the beaches, dipping my toes into the sea, swimming and squealing like a pig in the freezing water, eating hot chips and calamari rings, reading, sewing, eating fine food and generally having a lovely time.

Also squeezed in a day trip to Brunswick Heads which apart from having the prettiest coloured sea also has the best calamari rings. Every time I visit I glaze over, wander into the starfish fish and chip shop and find myself ordering them and consuming them in a dream like state...at the end I have a swollen belly, greasy fingers and a slightly dopey smile...

Without my boys for the couple of days I carved out some time to do some serious sewing and crafting work. I made some brand spanking new brooches using a mixture of new and old felt and old buttons, backed with reproduction forties patterned cotton.

I love the repro fabrics, and would love to get my hands on the originals. It is great to be able to use these small scraps left over from an old patchwork sewing project though, I knew I kept them for the past 3 years for some reason!! Although looking around at my very cluttered room the last thing I need in the world is another reason to justify hanging onto things....

I also used a pattern from the 'bend the rules sewing' book to create some 100% wool tea cosies, made from old jumpers recycled into felt and a few buttons from my mums and sister in laws collection.

My sister in law has some fantastic antique buttons(and uses them for her wonderful knitting.) Her grandfather worked in a factory removing buttons from old clothes that were being used for paper making. He kept quite a lot which were passed down to her, so she has a gorgeous selection of very old decorative and intricately made wooden and melamine buttons. She kindly let me pick out some last Christmas and so I have some very beautiful ones, waiting for something really worthy.

My friends West End coffee shop has not opened yet, some kind of building delays...but I had a sneak peek last Wednesday and it is going to be so beautiful. Melamine lamp shades, retro chairs in mint condition and a coffee bench fronted with the most amazing purplish-reddish rusty coloured steel panel...lovely! Will post up photos as soon as I can...

xdash.