A Crochet Tale.......

Ok...let's get this 2014 party started shall we?? Hows a little crazy crochet madness sound?? Oh yes...it is so happening around here!?!!

                                                                                   

Actually to tell the truth I am absolutely loving this at the moment and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet discovered the highly rewarding and rather therapeutic hobby of crochet. Oh and if you are a clever someone who has been doing this for awhile you may want to look away now....I am still in the midst of finding my hooky wings and don't want to offend anyone with my bumbling amateur attempts....but it is SO much fun I just had to share!!

                                                                               

I have always been able to knit, for as long as I can remember, but only just started to teach myself to crochet about this time last year. I started with instructions from a children's craft book (yes. I like to keep things simple...) then purchased this gorgeous Erika Knight book. I l.o.v.e this book. First and foremost it has the most beautifully styled pictures and as an added bonus it really helps one to learn to crochet!!?!

                                                                               

So after learning the basics and fiddling about a bit I kind of tossed the crochet aside for a few months and took up the knitting needles again. I then managed to finish off a very simple straight forward blanket last month and decided it was time to master the....ta da.....Granny Square!!

                                                                                 

It took me a few evenings of practicing and a lot of starting, pulling apart, and starting again but then it all kind of clicked and away I went....totally obsessed. I have now started a throw rug for the sofa using these two granny square patterns....I think they should look lovely together....fingers crossed anyway!!!

                                                                                 

And there ends the tale of my latest little obsession...I think I will always be a knitter at heart but this crochet business has me hooked!!

I'm sorry...had to be said at some point, right??!

                                                                                 

Have a fab day......


                                           Janelle  xx                                                                              

Happy New Year Peeps!!!

Hello and Happy New Year!!!

                                                                                     

 I hope you are all enjoying a fun and relaxing holiday period...I obviously am as I don't feel like I've been around here much lately!! That will soon change as I get back to reality and routine....but let's not rush that please!!?! So we enjoyed a quiet Christmas with family and are now enjoying lazing around the home together with the occasional beach trip thrown in for good measure. I have definitely found my craft groove again and have a zillion projects swarming about in my brain....not sure if that's a great or a dangerous thing!! My goal at the moment is to actually get these hairbrained schemes of mine finished...always a challenge for me!

                                                                                   

Do you have any dreams or goals for this coming year? I'm never really one to make set-in-concrete resolutions...I know myself too well for that these days!! However I do think New Year is a great time to just give a quick and quiet reflection of what we may want to achieve and set about really going for it. I am hoping to actually stop dreaming so much (but really...who am I kidding?!)...take a deep breath and just DO it!! Both personally and on the White Farm front too.....so stay tuned!! I also plan on simplifying alot of things around here...both materialistically (??!?) and mentally. Basically to just work out what really matters for both me and my little fam...cultivate that...and chuck out the rest!!

                                                                                 

Oh yeah....and to keep life FUN!!!

Are you with me??

See you soon......


                                                        Janelle  xx                                                                                

                                                                                   

Merry Merry Christmas.......

Hey there!! Just popping in very quickly to wish you a very Merry Christmas.....

                                                                                   

We have been busy crafting, baking, stressing and getting our Christmas groove on.....

                                                                                 

Have a fab Xmas day with your family and friends.......

                                                                                   

                                                                                 
Hope the big fella finds you!! :)

                                                                                 

...........


                                                        Janelle  xx


                                                                                                                                                                          

Christmas Cookies.....

Hello!! And Happy Monday...Happy new week....Happy 9 sleeps 'til Christmas!!! Eeeekk!! Actually it's probably not really too eeekkish around here. Sure we are living in a complete mess slightly creative looking environment at the moment, we are winding up for the school year, and we are still attending school and Christmassy events but we are lord-I-hope-so-anyway fairly ready for Xmas. So...today I thought I'd share, or rather "re-share", a fave recipe with you because I do believe every house, especially for occasions like Christmas, need it. I came across the original recipe in an old Donna Hay kids mag and have been whipping them up a.l.o.t since......

                                                                                 

                                                                                   

It's super easy, the dough comes together nicely, it also rolls out without any dramas and most important of all.......

                                                                                   

They just taste delicious. Crunchy...vanilla-ry.....sweet.....you get the picture.....

                                                                                 

So the kids and I hit the kitchen on the weekend and baked up a batch of these. They loved cutting out the Xmas shapes...the transferring of the shapes onto the baking tray was taken over performed by me just so that there were no hysterical tears (from the children...NOT me!!) if the shapes got a little squished but apart from that they were pretty capable of doing most of the job themselves....

                                                                                   

Then came the 'fun' part.....decorating them!!! For this we simply whipped up a batch of vanilla icing, poured half into another bowl and coloured it green, then scooped both lots into their own plastic ziplock bag and snipped a little hole in a bottom corner....we now have piping bags! Now pipe away!!!

                                                                                   

I love these...fun, pretty (well, most of them anyway!?!) and made with love. And a fair amount of wet licked fingers.

                                                                               

So click away here and get yourself and the fam in the kitchen!!

Enjoy...and have a fab week.....


                                                                    Janelle  xx                                                                                 

Silly Season Syndrome??!.........

Good evening all!! I feel I've been such a lazy cant-quite-get-my-act-together blogger in recent weeks...must be something to do with the silly season, organising family activities, trying to get presents etc organised, trying to attend end of year events, attempting to attend Christmas events, trying to remain sane and cheery......

                                                                         

Surely I am not alone in this madness??!?

                                                                               

                                                                                 
But I must say...it's a good madness...a crazy, challenging, fun madness......

                                                                               

                                                                               

So...I hope you are enjoying every moment of your madness!!

See you soon....

Fingers crossed with a recipe.....


                                                         Janelle  xx                                                                                                                                                                      

Busy times.......

Hello there!! Lordy it's been a busy week or so around here...                                                                                  

Our little birthday party went off with a bang....

                                                                               

Lots of sweets, treats and pink!!!

                                                                                 

And, of course, CAKE!!!!!

                                                                               

Come Saturday and we had a fast transition from birthday to Christmas.....pink balloons are currently playing  it out with the big green tree.....

                                                                                   

                 

After a slight hiccup with the tree's lights (as in there weren't any...well, not enough anyway) we quickly got that sorted and the place looking rather festive.....

                                                                                   

I'm trying to keep the theme clean and white this year but I already seem to be losing the battle....my 8 yr old son told me in no uncertain terms "but Mum, red is the spirit of Christmas!!!!" ??????????......

                                                                                   

So with that little Christmassy thought I shall leave you.....

Have a fab week won't you.........


                                                                Janelle  xx


                                                                            

Party time.......

Hello there! It's time to get our party hats on!!!

                                                                                   

We have a very excited little girl on the farm this week counting down the sleeps 'til she turns....gulp....six...

                                                                                 

So to help keep me in a blissful state of self-denial that my baby is indeed growing up I have done what any self-respecting slightly unhinged loving mother would do.....

                                                                                 

Thrown myself head on into party planning, colour co-ordinating and attempting to get the house into some type of acceptable state in which to entertain an array of little people.....

                                                                                   

You may now wish me luck.......



                                                         Janelle  xx