Sassy satin and diva denim

Wow, can hardly believe it's been so long since my last post. Thank you Emma, my ever faithful follower (bribed by friendship), for reminding me to get my shit together and post something new! Have got back into the habit of sewing now after a few weeks off (sick) and I feel ready for more creativity to flow.

So, I've been working on some cute denim shorts for Mia. Though I'm not really a fan of the all-American look, I DO like denim with red and white, as shown in previous posts. The addition of silver glitter stars compliments the look. These are a little big for her (size 2) but were modelled by Tom for the picture. The waistline nearly cut him in two but he survived. Just.

I've also been experimenting with satin which is a fair bit trickier to sew, thanks to the slippery material and need for finer needles and thread. But I think the end result is very pretty and great for a summer party dress - or even over jeans with a long sleeved top underneath in winter. It's the first time I've added pin tucks to the front and whilst time consuming it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I had to bribe Tom with a lolly to get him to pose in the dress and STAY STILL! Not a good idea as I wanted to take the pics around 7:30pm when he should have been going to bed. Yes, he had sugar straight before bed....gee, that was stupid. An hour later he's still playing in his room....

New mid week recipe - just try it!

Chicken with spinach, proscuitto, potatos, macadamias and a garlic cream sauce

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts

2 tbls olive oil

5 slices proscuitto (about 75g)

1/3 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 bag washed baby spinach leaves

2 small potatos

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cream

Toast macadamias in a dry pan until golden brown.

Dice potatos to 2cm cubes and soften for 3 min in microwave. Set aside

Heat olive oil in a heavy base pan and pan fry chicken. Ensure cooked through and set aside and cover.

Using same pan add potatos and proscuitto and stir through until lightly browned. Add macadamias and spinach and stir for 1 min, until spinach slightly wilted.

Now get a small fry pan or sauce pan and saute garlic in a small amount of olive oil. When brown add cream and heat through till it's simmering.

Arrange potatos, proscuitto, spinach and macadamias on a plate. Slice chicken in to 4 or 5 pieces and fan over. Pour half of the cream over one piece of chicken, then the other.

Yummy!

My creative space

A few people have asked where I do all my sewing (meaning, in a house over run with kids' stuff) - so here it is.

I've managed to take over a small part of the rumpus/play room and so far all has remained untouched by the kids. Probably way too boring for Tom and Mia hasn't learned how to cause much trouble yet......yet.

I've also got my Ipod and a TV in the room so at night when the kids are asleep I can zone out and enjoy my alone time, while trying to spend a little time with Steve too!

It IS getting warmer.......

So I made this cute skirt. It matches a white t-shirt with a flower brooch on it. I added the white ric-rac to break up the design a little. It's a beautiful soft Japanese cotton and also comes in blue and purple hues.

Is there a Harry Potter in the house?

Thomas is starting to get into dress ups. I'm following my very clever friend's idea (Emma, my loyal blog follower - and probably the only person actually....) and keeping "suitable" dress up clothes and shoes that would have otherwise made their way to Vinnies.

This fabric came from the remnant bin at Spotlight and cost a grand total of $2. AND, there was enough fabric to make two! (Keep an eye out in the post, Emma.)

Thomas loves it and Mia thinks it's pretty good to hide under, for now anyway.

Mia's 1st birthday present

Mia turned 1 recently and we got her a new ride-on bike. Thomas has one exactly the same, except of course it's not pink, AND it has a fireman's ladder and bell on it. It's red and he rides it many times a day through the house. These are most definitely inside toys.

Now we just need to wait for Mia to grow about 2 inches taller and she'll be able to put her feet on the ground!

How do you wear your tu-tu?

If you're Thomas, you run and jump and wrestle it off your sister before putting on a show for the camera.

If you're Mia, you wear it beautifully and like a proper girl.

This took about 1/2 hr to make. No pattern just worked out how long it needed to be and did a guestimate on how many gathers it would need based on Mia's waist measurement. It is beautiful soft tulle (not nylon netting) so hopefully it will be comfortable for dress up time.