Retro Clock

A nice retro finish this week. I was Wombat Stew-ard for the month of March and my theme was Modern Mid Century  (MCM) for the girls. This clock pattern comes from the Quiet Play 'Sew Retro' series found on Craftsy. You can click through to this $2.95 pattern through the 'I'm a Craftsy Designer' button on her blog.

So far I have Kristy's 'Front Door' block to match with mine but the other wombats are sure to sew and post theirs soon. I love Mid Century colours too. Most of my 'And Sew On' blocks are from this palette.

You can see Gemma's MCM TV block here. She just made it this week. She's getting very clever with her paper piecing designs and may even come up with a fab retro sofa pattern for me to make to go with my blocks. 

Lara is making a block of her own Mid Century house! It should be pretty cool. I would love to have a MCM house. I just love the clean lines of the flat or skillion roof, floor to ceiling glazing and the high windows. (I am starting to sound like Kevin McCloud off Grand Designs UK). 

Anyone else out there a Mid Century Modern fan? You can find my favourites here on Pinterest.

Linking up to TGIFF.

China on Display

Two weeks ago, after visiting Rainbow Patchwork in South Lismore, I stumbled upon a second hand furniture store called JJs Junk Shop. Don't let the title fool you. Inside I found plenty of lovely pieces that I could have made fit into my new home.

But I was a good girl. I took photos of a few pieces and later showed them to my husband to see if he agreed on buying them. Last Saturday he picked up a few pieces in his trailer. One of the prized pieces was a glass cabinet. Perfect for my collection of china tea sets to sit in. It even matches my sideboard!

It has been a while since I last purchased some tea sets for my collection.  But I spied some gorgeous Colclough china tea sets, sugar bowl and creamer on my favourite Etsy Store Nancy's Tea Shop. These pieces are going to fit right in with the pieces I already have.

And then there were these... Yes those are orange saucers!!!

I had packed away all of my sets when we moved and this week I was finally able to unpack them. Don't they look lovely in my new old cabinet?

Can you see? There are two half shelves for future additions. I may have found something else to order from my favourite English tea shop.

Sunday Stash #49

This week's Sunday Stash comes courtesy of the Australian Sew You're Destashing Facebook page. Lara from Luellabella was clearing out a few irresistables that I snapped up

1001 Peeps by Lizzy House in the tan colourway.

Kona Solid - 'Mocha' - over a yard

Retro Floral - I adore this piece and might use it with the Retro Kitchen paper pieced block I need to make for Marieka this month. Doesn't it look like 70s wallpaper?

RASK - Lara slipped in some scrap love. She always does. The sweety.

So how is your Stash this week? Feel free to link up below.

Retro Barbie Bargains

It's funny how retro 70's and 80's is quite popular thesedays. I was a Barbie girl from way back. I used to earn $1 a week pocket money and it would take me 2 weeks to save enough to buy my Barbie a new outfit for $1.99.

I recently purchased a re-issued Malibu Barbie at a discount store. It was $24 but it took me back. My next-door-neighbour had this exact one because I remember the sheer yellow outfit with the flares! I had a Malibu Barbie from the 70's but she came with a surfboard/sailboard. Does anyone else remember that one?

So buying retro Barbie gear can be expensive. You can buy this groovy lunchbox for a cool $100 online! Cute but not THAT cute!

Or you can do what I mostly do and pick up some bargains at the Op-Shop (Thrift Store). They are rare but they do happen. I went into my local Vinnie's (Saint Vincent de Paul) store 2 weeks ago. Imagine my delight at finding this 'Jukebox Jive Cafe' for $3 and in it's original box!

and the pieces were all there...even the cues and snooker balls!

Other Op-Shop Bargains


This cruise ship for only $5 bought at the same Vinnie's last year.

Inside it features inter-changable movie screens.

deck party movie

romantic beach walk movie - check out Barbie's painfully thin legs even then!

sea life documentary

the 'Kids are all right' movie

Other features include the Buffet shelf selection

which folds out to double bunk beds

and then folds up to become the ship's Disco!

This Barbie carry box was only $2 and came with a retro picture on the front that my daughter's friends (unfortunately) ripped off.

I have a box full of Barbie and Sindy furniture that I have saved from my own childhood...but I will show and tell at a later date. Stay tuned!




If you blog about your old toys, then please share your link too.

Bloggy Friends


I am very fortunate to have a few new friends through the miracle of Blogland. We have similar tastes and humour and everyone is willing to teach me 'new' things to improve my skills. Kristy from Quiet Play sent me a link to the 'Small Blog Meet' hosted by Lynne at Lily's Quilts .


Whilst my blog following is small, I don't really mind. I mostly write for myself - like a virtual diary - so I can remember what I have been doing. I mean, if I want to, I can just link to a URL photo of the gorgeous Jared Leto.

or a link to my favourite Red Pepper Quilt called ' a la Grande Mere'.

But anyway, in the interests of 'going viral' (hehehe), I am linking in with this group. I might make some more 'bloggy friends'. 

Vintage Vices

I am not much of shopper (apart from online). I don't have many favourite stores (apart from IKEA and bookstores). I dislike grocery and clothes shopping. But I have one indulgence - the Op-Shop (Thrift Store). Not for clothes but for 2nd hand books, knitted toys and vintage crockery.

I was introduced to op-shopping by my lovely friend Marieka when she took me to an amazing store in the Barossa Valley town of Tununda. She also introduced me to a love of vintage sheets. 

Do you remember these kinds of patterns that used to adorn your bed back in the 70's and 80's? Well now they are much sought-after. Particularly the retro vintage ones. I love them.

You can even buy vintage sheet fat quarters online. These are some that I bought from an Esty store called Vintage Spoken Here. There is also Local Honey Crafts   Duckie House  Whimsie Dots

Imagine my delight, when a fellow quilter pointed me in the direction of the  'Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Swap' on an Australian blog called Green Tea and Red Nails.

My FQs so far

It is running this month of February....so I signed up. Then I got out my vintage beauties and started ironing and then cutting them into 20x22" (Australian) Fat Quarters. It certainly helped to have a NEW blade in my rotary cutter!

Sheets still to cut.

Meal Plan Mondays

This is what's on our menu board this week. The stir fry was delicious - with carrots, cashews, zuchinni, onion, mushrooms and fresh corriander. The roast chicken from the weekend was held over until this week and I will do it in my benchtop mini-oven so as not to heat up the house. It has been horridly humid now that the rain has stopped and the sun is out.

For many rural and regional Queensland and New South Wales residents, the rain has not stopped and now they are inundated with flood waters again - some for the 3rd time in a year! The Qld towns of St George, Mitchell, Charleville, Roma, Cunnamulla and over the border, the NSW towns of Mungindi, Narrabri, Moree and Wee Waa. Some have been forced to evacuate under mandatory laws. This truely is the land of 'droughts and flooding rains'...and not much in between thanks to La Nina and El Nino.

The levee holds steady at Wee Waa in NSW on Feb 3rd 2012

but residents on properties have to construct their own and hope for the best

others can do nothing but watch the waters rise over theirs.

Flood waters engulf 80% of the Qld town of Mitchell on Feb 3rd 2012

and our wildlife is not spared either

On a lighter note....this is the adults home-made pizza from Sunday night. It has tomato paste, leftover beef and bean burrito mix, boconcini, mushroom and semi-dried tomatoes. It was tasty and full of texture.


How is your menu looking this week?