Raspberry loaf

why oh why do the tops of my loaves always burn?

There's something about cool weather that makes me want to bake. Yesterday was one of those days, cool and slightly overcast. So I mosied down to the shops to pick up the ingredients for this raspberry, lemon and yoghurt loaf. I found the recipe here (thanks to a link on meet me at mike's). It worked perfectly and made a perfect afternoon snack with a cup of tea. I sure am enjoying these last days of winter ♥

Especially grateful for

{photo taken by me a few years back in Colombia)

Inspired by Whitney at Eat Sleep Cuddle I decided to make a little list of things I'm grateful for this week.

this week I'm especially grateful for...

1. Jack Layton's last letter to Canadians. As beautiful as it is inspiring. He will be missed.
2. Medicare. When I need to go the doctor (either in Canada or Australia) I can and it's free. Thank you universal health care.
3. A husband who cleans the apartment. Enough said.
4. Bare legs... spring's a comin'!
5. New yoga teaching opportunities... keep your fingers crossed for me!
6. The lovely ladies who came to my yoga classes yesterday.
7. Clean sheets.
8. Friends who are also neighbours. For the first time since I moved to Sydney I have a good friend who lives a couple of blocks from me, it's the best.
9. A flexible job.
10. Bicycle shopping with the husband! It's time for me to get a bike (and hope that my legs are strong enough to actually carry me somewhere, they're not).

Girl crushes

Why are Feist and Charlotte Gainsbourg both so cool? Two of my all time favourite musicians, both releasing new music soon. I am so, so excited! Especially since Feist hasn't released anything new in 4 years, and I was/am totally addicted to her last album. I CAN'T wait!

My creative Space: sunglass case

Are you guys sick of seeing my projects from the first Meet Me at Mike's book yet? I hope not, cause here's another one...

It's the sunglass case and it's been floating around my bag for the past year or so. It's actually quite big for sunnies, but I don't mind. I love the little pen pocket, and I think it makes a great gift. What have you guys been making this week?

for more creative spaces, go here

my life in iphone photos: round 4

I love houses with red doors, read what the chalk says (so sweet)

blooms, husband's footy game

white bay power station, beach

more blooms, latte flower

bourke street bakery (yum!), blurry me

a patchwork cover I made for the studio, a decaying building

even more blooms (!), paddington reservoir

I'm a sucker for anything reese's, ben & jerry's at the cinema ♥

What's in my bag?

1. Frankie (my fave)

2. phone

3. moisturizer

4. keys

5. niagara falls wallet

6. papaw (for lips)

7. sunnies in a handmade case (more on that later this week...)

8. agenda/diary

9. pen

10. headphones

What's in your bag? xx

Sundays are perfect for...

Eating cupcakes from Sparkle (lavender honey and salted caramel, yum) and drinking milky tea.

Rugging up in cozy jumpers knit by a friend's grandmother and having people say, "wow, you must be warm." Yes, yes I am. And I hope you are too. xo

Inspiration board

It's drizzly and cold here today, a perfect day for puttering about and re-organizing my inspiration board. Little bits and pieces of family, friends, home and things that inspire me.

And of course, you need tunes to putter. Here's what I've been listening to today...

My creative Space: laptop case

Yet another project I've been meaning to make for ages... a laptop case! Mine has been lost for a while now ("misplaced" if you ask my husband), which was a perfect excuse for me to make this project from One Yard Wonders that I had been eyeing.

I used fabric from Ikea and the binding is vintage compliments of my mother in law. If I were to make it again, I think I'd use 2 layers of batting because it's not quite as padded as I'd like. But it is cute, and I've gotten quite a few compliments on it ♥

To check out other creative spaces, go here.

p.s. Special thanks to my friend Natalie for modeling!

My top 3 craft books

Today I thought I'd share my 3 favourite crafty books. I only learned how to sew a couple of years ago and while I love it, I can't say that I'm amazingly talented. I rarely make clothes (because they're hard and it's frustrating when they don't fit right!), and instead I mostly create things for my home. These books definitely reflect that... not a lot of clothes, but some awesome inspiration nevertheless!

1. Meet me at Mike's by Pip Lincolne. This is the first craft book I bought, and the one I've used the most. See here, here, here and here for some examples of things I've made (but you can also just search my blog for 'meet me at mike's'). This book is PERFECT for beginners and has sewing, crochet, knitting and paper projects. Having met Pip last time I went to Melbourne, I can also say that she's the sweetest gal around and you must visit her gorgeous shop if you ever get the chance.

2. The Crafty Minx by Kelly Doust. This is another wonderful book for beginner sewers. Most of the patterns are for simple things to make and use around your home. See here, here and here for a few of the things I've made. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Doust and she's so lovely and talented it's not even funny.

3. Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. This book is chock-a-block with beautiful patterns that aren't too hard to make. And it happens to have the one pattern that I've used the most: the tote bag. I've made/helped make this bag 5 or 6 times! I can't say that I've met Lotta, but I'm sure she's great too :)

So there you have it... my desert island crafty books! What are your faves? ♥

A handmade bracelet

The other day I came home to find a cute little envelope in my mailbox from my friend, Vanessa. She's one of my bestest friends in the world, and also one of my busiest friends (she's a med student) so I find it especially touching whenever she takes the time to mail me something. This time it was a cute card and this beautiful bracelet, which she made on the bus. I haven't taken it off since I got it; I love it. Thanks so much Ness! xoxo

My creative Space: flannel booties

I'm posting these on my blog today because I'm pretty sure that by now they will have made their way over to the little feet they're meant to keep warm, baby Poet's. As soon as I heard that lovely Jodi had given birth to a girl I started digging around for some flannel, and of course the only flannel I could find was pink.

The pattern is Anna Maria Horner's cute-as-a-button-booties from Handmade Beginnings and the fabric is Anna Maria Horner's folksy flannels. You can see the one pair that I've made before here, and now that I've made 2 pairs I'm convinced that this is possibly the best baby gift ever. I do have one tip though: if you make these be sure to slipstitch the sole lining to the exterior of the shoe, fusible interfacing just doesn't do it.

Congratulations again Jodi! Poet is just gorgeous. For more creative spaces go here.

Roo Beads

her gorgeous space

Shannon making beads

she makes these cute little pouches for her necklaces

One of the best things about yoga teacher training was that I met the most amazing people. Take my friend, Shannon, for example. She's a fellow North American expat who likes to make things.

Specifically, she makes glass beads and then creates the most beautiful necklaces. I went over to her place last week to get a gift for my mom's birthday and Shannon showed me her little studio space (which is on her balcony, so cool) and how she makes the beads.

My mom received her necklace in time for her birthday and she was thrilled. If you want to get yourself one of Shannon's creations, her etsy is here and she also does markets in Sydney. xx