This is .. A Recipe I would like to share

So I am running a bit late this week, and I haven't been my normal commenty self but I have been sewing up a storm. I hope to show the fruits of my labour later today, models willing. So as we all know, not much of a cook though for Poppy's first birthday this year it was all about the cupcake, and if you are looking for some good cuppie recipes, then this is the place you NEED to be. The raspberry mouse icing is divine, heck it is all GOOD!! You may be able to see that I attempted to make little hedgehogs and ladybirds, the great mum ideas.

A Hip Hip and Hooray to Miss Three Buttons for last weeks theme.

This is ... Something I am Surprised I like

I really like this one, even though I am struggling somewhat with it. So in honour of our host (picture credit to her), here are her beautiful iron earrings, too cute. I didn't even own an iron until Glen needed one for his job and I only use it for sewing, but I really love how much better clothes look ironed. I still of course look like a crinkle cut chip, but if I have sewed it I now try to keep it ironed so it looks it's best. Who knew ironing could be rewarding.

We also watch lots of kids TV and I got to tell you that I do like this one. You can have whole Yo Gabba Gabba song converstations without needing to reiterate, even with other mums.

Hip Hip to the cuteness crafter Victoria and a Hooray to Three Buttons.

This is .. My favourite Movie

It is beautiful, it is in french, it is about destiny and our place in life as a random piece of luck despite our planned intentions. Three Colours Red is the final in the 3 Colours trilogy, and a beautiful close. Thanks to Hokey for reminding me that I haven't seen it for way too long, I will rectify this soon, with popcorn and a few solitary moments peace.

More cinema fun at Three Buttons.

This is .. My Current Reading Material

I have to confess I am not much of a novel reader, every now and then I get one and am absorbed until I finish, but that is a LONG time between drinks. Now it is whatever the obsession with Caleb is, Dr. Suess is the man this month. I have a real issue with sitting still and reading just seems like such an indulgence. I do though love reading all your blogs, and what better non-fiction novel is there!!

Hip Hip to My Champagne Dreams and a Hooray for Three Buttons.

This is ... My Favourite Kitchen Item

Well not really Gordon Ramsay, but my husband, who while not a chef of his caliber they do have some similarities. He is a chef, he is a control freak and can be known to share his enthusiastic beliefs (read swearing) with the world. I could of tried to convince you of my culinary brilliance, but when I cook I seem to splash every work surface with something and I get a running commentary from Glen as to why my heat is on that high, is that the size I am cutting the veges, you get the idea. I do though like to bake when I get the chance and I can recommend the little baby cupcake tins, fantastic for kids, especially birthdays.
Our lovely babysitter, Auntie Handmaiden, chose our kitcheny this is for the week. More of us here.

I hope you are all in comfy seats today as it is a long one! The last of our stashy week from the craft brainchild of Pip, I had to make it an ode to the Japanese. All they need is a bit of fabric, some cute charactatures and I am in love. This is my favourite skull fabric ever from Kokka (I am not a huge fan of skills but I like this one), these gorgeous little hedgies that the fabulous One Red Robin turned into a prized peg bear and 2 super cute animal prints that are my faves!

And just to finish off, my latest custom orders. I think the reversible cape with removable felt button looks so cute with the Russian Doll dress. It has "My Darling" in Russian embroidered on the pocket.

These pirate pants are my favourites for boys this summer. You can't really tell from the photo, but they are 3/4 length and this pumpkin cord is my favourite tone too! (Note the beautiful pointed foot of my model, I really am going to have to start paying her in more than milk soon)

My Ramsay photo came from here

This is ... My Show Off

I struggled a bit with this weeks theme, especially after seeing Miss Hoppo Bumpo's fabulousness. I contemplated something to do with the kids, Caleb's toilet training has been going great, but I don't think you need pictures or details, and I decided it should all be about me - me I tell you! I think I have "showed off" enough sewing and bug and pop lately.

I bungee-jumped this baby. I had to scrap around to find a photo, it was on film (remember those). My hubby is a Kiwi (as you may of gathered from the All Blacks love) so our last holiday 6 years ago was to the homeland. We hired a campervan that spent most of the holiday parked in hotel car parks, but that is another story. Glen told me it was just a little bungee, but it was enough for me to be proud. It was funny as he kept saying, very matter of fact, that if you are in New Zealand, you have to do it so I didn't really put much thought in to it. Once I came back and everyone thought I was mad that I realised that if I had spoke about it first I probably never would of done it. Then I would of had to spend the rest of the week-end trying to perfect the Hoppo Bumpo move!

So a Hip to the fabulously funny May the Cloth be With You and Hip to our lovely hostess Miss Handmaiden and a Hooray for Miss Three Buttons.

And of course I have a sewing project, this is a little outfit for one that is still cooking, so it had to be non-gender specific. It was my first applique attempt and I think it came out pretty cute.

This is ... What I want to be When I Grow up

First up, thanks to Miss Sharon for being so lovely as to let me pick this week. I also have to say that I think no-one will put it quite as eloquently as Miss Curly pops. More players over at Three Buttons.

You would think if I picked this week's theme I would have an inbuilt witty post, when I am in fact struggling, though I have loved reading everyones responses so far and I hope that it was an interesting one. I found it really interesting that so many followed the aspirations of their youth in some form. I on the other hand was always one that never had an idea of what or where I wanted to be. At the end of high school it was a film-making revolutionary and then I realised that at some stage I wanted to be able to afford to eat. Then came interior design, which one day I would love to finish, but a really hard industry to get into. Finally it dawned on me I think what I really would like to be is stay at home mum to my beautiful babies, with my dream of just one more little one with a day or 2 to myself to keep sewing. If anyone chose a doctor please let me know as my Hubby may need one after he reads this!

I can't believe how much creativity I had inside (Not that I am saying I am amazing). Ideas are coming all because I just decided to listen for once. That is so what I want to be!!

Speaking of which here is the latest custom dress that I have done. I love this fabric and have a box pleat dress coming in it. As you can see my model is back and they are all slowly on the mend, thanks to all for your well wishes.

Woo Hoo

I am super pumped about this post, it is the highlight so far. So here we have my little etsy shop, Bugandpop. I would love to know what you think if you go over and have a look and remember if you live in Melbourne, I can do a Bug and Pop party for you and your friends and you can choose one free item and receive 10% off the rest of your purchases. It can be anywhere, a playgroup meeting, home, where ever and then everyone can mix and match fabrics and styles, the beauty of hand-made and custom-made and I am definately not a pressure seller.

If that wasn't exciting enough, our hostess with the mostest Handamaiden, has asked me to pick this weeks This is... So to go with my dream of getting Bugandpop up and running I want to know This is What I want to be when I grow up. It can be what you would do if you had no commitments, maybe you are already doing your dream job or it could be what you wanted to be when you were 5. I can't wait to read what everyone comes up with because you know we never too grown up to dream.

This is ... What I do with a Spare 10 Minutes

This is a 2 for 1 post today, so you get twice the bang for your buck, not that I charge for the privilege of my company but you know what I mean.

I struggled with this week's this is from the lovely Hoppo Bumpo. I don't normally ever have a spare 10 minutes, there is always something to be done, cleaned or attended to. My general week consists of 45-50 hours of work, which I do from home so still trying to interact with the bubbas, then I sew 35 plus hours a week trying to get BugandPop up and running (this though is all out of love of doing it) then week-ends my hubby works and I spend my beloved quality time with the kids and in between is the blogging, Caleb's appointments, cleaning and other house duties, though thankfully hubby is a chef and looks after the cooking side of things. I don't mean it as a look at what I can do, it is more that I feel guilty if I don't fill-in every minute with as much as I can, most of it I love doing . It has been a bit of an eye opener actually that I need to reel myself in a bit and give myself a break every now and the so thanks Liesel. So as my new Cindy I would spend it reading a special story with Caleb while he twirls my hair, build blocks with Poppy, have an All Black conversation about their brilliant win with my rugby mad Hubby and have a lovely Hot chochie at the park, with my sketchbook and draw some more design ideas that I had floating in my head and not have to share my marshmallows (or does that go with out saying).

Due to my computer difficulties last week I missed Miss CurlyPop's great your favourite band theme. i was trying to decide whether to go with my somewhat cooler current self and say Ben Harper or Jack Johnson, but I was inspired by Katie to share my first true band crush - New Kids on the Block (to all the youngsters out there, I wish I could share a film clip or picture but I am still trying to figure out how to do that). My beloved mother even drove my out to the airport twice so that I could see them come and go, not that they even acknowledged that I was there but Joey McIntyre was only a bus window away from my future husband and that was exciting enough. Oh the memories...

Thanks to Handmadien for being our gracious host while more players are over at Three Buttons.

To complete the 2 for 1 them here is a reversible dress that I finished. I really love this fabric and I think it is great as a top or dress. Please forgive the rambling post.

This is ... My Favourite Craft shop

This is like asking me to choose my favourite child, I don’t know if I can do it. I have had to break it down, Australian online I love Duckcloth and the new Kelani, both have free postage and sell as little as fat quarters. For my love of Japanese Sonatine and Karaku on Etsy are fabulous. American Patchwork it has to be Crafters Vision, they have a great range and are usually 20% cheaper than everywhere else $7.70/ metre and $12 up to 7 or 8 yards delivery that takes about 5 days. I have to say though the one that started it all was the beloved Aunty Cookie – It was her gorgeous fabrics that made me think I will get out the sewing machine, my long lost friend, and get into some creating, and I haven’t stopped since. Ooohhh I am just so excited thinking about all that great stuff.

Hip Hip for HandMaiden and a Hooray for Three Buttons.

And just to finish it off - More pants using Echino Swallows from Duckcloth and Sprout's Giraffe from Kelani. One more pair of pants to finish tonight and I promise something different next week for those of you that are sick of seeing pants, pants, pants.

This is ... My Favourite Children's Book

Caleb and I have decided to share this post since he is an absolute book worm I had to let him have his say. I also missed out on my usual Thursday Caleb musing since we were in the midst of tooth-gate. He loves the repetitive, rhyming words of Hairy Maclary and knows all of them off by heart, that is 17 stories word for word in that vault of a brain that he has. It would of been read easily 100 times each, needless to say he finds repetitive comforting.

My favourites are Marmaduke the Possum and Pearl Pinkie and Sea Greenie. What self respecting child doesn't love a story about animals and fairies with the most gorgeous Pixie Harris illustrations. I am so blessed that my Mum kept them for me so I can share them with my kids as they are no longer in print.

It seems mum and son both love the author-illustrator. A hip hip to PottyMouthMama for this weeks this is.. theme and a hooray for our gracious host Three Buttons.

Also my latest boy pants, Chuga Chuga Choo Choo embroidered on the bottom and some great Japanese train material, a bit more reserved than yesterdays. Sorry for the picture quality, my model wasn't co-operating today and neither was the weather.

This is ... How I like to spend my week-end

I work all week and my husband works all week-end so it is just me and the kidlets so no rest here. I try to take them out 1 morning, the zoo or aquarium. This is great fun as for a long while we couldn't take Caleb anywhere. The rest of the week-end is divided in between reading Hairy Maclairy 300 times, playing chasie, the park - You get the idea. Then at night I get to sew uninterrupted by work till the early hours. Then some Miami Ink for my Sunday night dinner date and hopefully some sweet dreams of Tim Hendricks to greet me when I finally make it to bed. Aahhh ready for another week.
A hip hip to Three buttons for This is.. and a hooray to The bird bath for the theme and this lovely lady for this image.

This is ... My work in Progress

Thanks to Three Buttons for her brilliant This is idea and to Debbie for her suggestion. Ok, so I was hoping to get my Softie for Mirabel finished for tonight, I have never done one before so of course I decided to draft my own pattern and do a flip doll. I did a little prototype which I didn't mind but wanted to make her a little fatter, so up until 2am I sewed like a woman possessed. I am not the queen of embroidery, but decided that is how I wanted to do her face. First I didn't leave enough of a hem so the legs split, then I sewed the head on back to front and once I stuffed her I really wasn't happy so I have missed my deadline (which just exists in my head) and hoping to take a few pounds off her tummy in an attempt to even out the proportions as she looks a little alien at the moment.


I have been nominated by the fabulous Meet Me at Mikes for the 6 Things that make me happy, which I am super excited as Pip is my blogging hero, but since I have already done it I am instead going to list something each day that makes me happy, today is cupcakes. These are some I have made for Brown Owls tonight, I couldn't go empty handed and they are extra special as Caleb helped me make them for the small fee of eating as many as he could fit in his mouth. I hope I have enough left!! Some of the best cupcake recipes ever here.

This is ... My Trade Secret

I don't know if I am sophisticated enough to have a trade secret, the Three button's This is suggestion from bollewangenhaptoet, though I do think that Miss Three button's summed it up perfectly.

I have found that covered buttons are great to have in my sewing artillery. It means no matter what fabric I have something that compliments and I don't have to run to Spotlight every week. They are also fairly reasonably priced if you buy in bulk. I just got some from this lovely lady with free shipping - yeah - I hate postage.