Ok, so what are they doing in this photo? I recently purchased this image from a lovely lady in the UK. Neither of us have any real idea about what the photo shows and there are no details on the back to give us a clue! The little glass jars/lanterns are not only strung across the water but perched on the rocks too. So are they catching fairies?

Still snowed under by the maths books from hell BUT I am set to hand it over at the beginning of June (insert happy dance!)! Rohan and I did manage to step out on the town ‘Ellie free’ with my lovely sister and her partner in crime Tim, who were visiting from Sydney. We went to see Puppet Up! in the stunning Princess Theatre, (part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival). It was brilliant! My sister and I are both longtime Henson fans so it was really exciting to get a glimpse of what it must have been like on set. Incredibly clever and very funny.

Not much luck on the thrifting front aside from this trim (quite substantial lengths too!) and an signed Alison Lester book. I do however have a new toy which I am fumbling around trying to learn how to use….sneak peak bottom right. I am thinking of using it for part of my Blogetogethertwo gifts. Winter inspired designs in progress!

Oh and before I forget, I made a new banner! I didn’t realise those reading via Bloglines and the like may not see it. The dancing girls photo is one of my absolute favourite photo finds. I know adding wings is hardly original but it seemed appropriate and it is my little corner of the world after all! And on that note I’ll leave you with this…

‘I look sooooo pretty!’ was her response when I showed her in the mirror! Leave a two year old alone with textas at your own risk!

My Nanna turns 88 today! Happy Birthday Nan! She, Eloise and I are the redheads of the family — a special little bond that ties us together!

I’m just back from a ten day break in my old stomping ground, the Blue Mountains. Eloise and I flew up and spent some time with my folks and dropped in on Nan. We had a wonderful holiday lounging around, antiquing, folk-festivaling, park playing, coffee drinking, duck feeding and shopping. Eloise discovered Mum’s pianola and serenaded us with bizarre medleys at every moment she could. Now she is asking for her own ‘pinano’. Hmmm.

We attended the Blue Mountains folk:blues:roots festival (musical highlights being Luka Bloom on the Saturday night and one of my Dad’s all time favourites, Ralph McTell on Sunday arvo). Unfortunately the weather was terrible so it did take the shine off festival activities a bit. However this did mean more time was spent trying to keep dry by wandering up and down Katoomba Street sipping coffee, eating cake and checking out antique and junk shops (oh the tragedy!). I didn’t end up buying too much — some beautifully painted pet rocks for Eloise (a wombat and a cat) and a couple of awesome vintage children’s books (1912 & 1924) with wonderful illustrations (see below) and dozens of stunning silhouettes.

The week before we left was frantic. My priorities sure have changed since having Eloise…..never would I have imagined I’d be stalking ticketek online for the latest Wiggles tickets (man, how fast do those babies sell!??)…and indulging in a morning of ‘Playschool’ at the local theatre. Playschool ‘live’ was brilliant by the way. I swear when Benita Collings burst through the ‘door’ I am embarrassed to admit I felt a wee bit emotional! Benita first appeared on Playschool in 1969 and filmed 401 episodes! I feel very lucky that we got to see her at work! Now if her co presenter had been John Hamblin I’d have been a tad fanatical — no offense to the excellent George (he was more my sister’s era) but John is John. (Oh and Eloise enjoyed the show too. Ha ha!)

In other news I moved back into my studio/office/study over the weekend after spending 12months in a playpen in the corner of the living room so that I could ‘watch’ Eloise while I worked at the computer (yes you read that right…it was ME in the playpen). I am so incredibly happy to be back in my own space and I think it’s just the change of scenery I need. My sewing machine also has it’s own table. Yippeeee!!

It’s nice to be back.

2007 already! We had a relaxing break at my folks place in the Blue Mountains. It was the most wonderful Christmas and relaxed New Year. The 1000km road trip up the Hume in a day was actually lots of fun. Eloise travels really well — animal spotting, crazy loud singing, laughs and a little bit of sleep thrown in. Dan Zanes was definitely the soundtrack to this holiday. Eloise has taken a particular shine to ‘Malti’ (demanding she wear her sunnies to sing it), ‘Sidewalks of New York’, and ‘Pay Me My Money Down’…sounds funny hearing such a little one singing these but she sings them with great passion and conviction! Christmas morning was lovely with a two year old, such pure joy and such appreciation for every single present opened. Many nights were spent cruising the local Christmas lights. Lots of ooooing and ahhhing.

Santa was kind to me this year. I now have a truckload of new books (which I will post more on later) and… I now have a sewing machine!!! It’s been a while since I put my foot to pedal…so watch out world! Lets see if I have the patience…I was never the world’s most patient sewer!

This year has already been a lot of fun on the thrifting front. Here’s a little taste of my favourite finds so far (click image for larger view)— five sherry/port(?) glasses featuring a silhouette of a lady blowing a dandelion; an old sweet tin; three circular Bakelite frames. I’ve also been lucky with a lot of fantastic clothes for Eloise including this Lilly Pulitzer shift dress covered in bright pink unicorns (for all of $3 mind you!).

On holiday I discovered an antique shop with a leaning toward ephemera and collectibles. You can bet that will become a regular haunt on future visits North! I picked up a swag of old family snapshots that will be great inspiration for some themed collages. The ‘Plum Pudding’ shot was very timely. On the back it says “The Plumpud in all it’s Glory. It did not stay like this for long”. Mmmm plum pudding. I always get a little twinge of sadness when I see so many family photos tossed away…someone’s memories, special moments, key life events…

Before I forget, a big thank you to all who took part in the Christmas postcard swap organised by Nikki-Shell. These are always such fun. I have been a little bit slack with my thanks as most of the cards came while I was on holiday and I am still trying to catch up! More soon…

My little Eloise turned two today. Two!!! It’s gone so very quickly (well except that first six months…that felt like one long blurry day!!). If you ask her how old she is she’ll say ‘two seconds’ …that would be my fault as I often tell her I will ‘just be two seconds’. Oh dear! I then tried to explain to her that it was ‘two years’ and she paused, looked at me and said ‘Ohhhh, two eeeaarrs’ and pointed to her ears. It’s so much fun getting to know her and watching this special, funny, happy, confident, kind, delightful little person emerge!

Anyone who sings about thrifting must be pretty good huh? We were lucky enough to catch Dan Zanes and Friends twice last week at the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Both shows were simply fantastic and Eloise was totally impressed! When Dan Zanes appeared she squealed ‘ring ring doorbell‘ pointing enthusiastically to make sure we had noticed (I think she thinks that’s his name….but anyway!).

Zanes appears to be gathering quite a steady following in Australia, especially since he started appearing on Playhouse Disney earlier in the year. At both shows he was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd who were kept singing and dancing for the entire show!

Eloise got right in there and danced up a storm at the front of the stage. For a not-quite-two-year-old she pulled off some impressive moves! So uninhibited and full of joy. It was lovely to watch her clapping with delight and singing along to the songs she knew. The band play many different instruments (ukulele, double bass, drums, piano accordion, banjo, guitars, mandolin) and Eloise was enthralled. After the show Dan and the band chatted with the audience and signed autographs. They were really generous with their time and it was really special for the kids.

To be honest I have become a bit of a Dan Zanes fan myself…even more so after seeing their impressive live performance. His music is infectious, well crafted and feel good. A rich combination of original tunes and traditional folk. Have a look at his website, it’s worth a visit and it’s beautifully designed. Donald Saafs illustrations are absolutely gorgeous (lots of whimsical insects and dancing animals!). How sweet is this alligator t-shirt!

If anyone’s interested there’s a great video interview with Dan Zanes {here} by Camp Jinx and for more about Eloise’s Dan Zanes adventures {click here}