wee wonderfuls & spool dolls

I am sorry to say my time for blogging has been severely restricted recently. So too has my sewing time. I do not feel like me at the moment. In 2010 I did nothing but sew sew sew. But lately I have been busy with Christmas, visitors, covering school books, cleaning mould from the walls (well, not as much of this as I should be), and lots of extra little things as well as just being a housewife and Mum. But it does not stop me from thinking about what I will make next, when I have time. I was at the bookshop today and saw a cute book called WEE WONDERFULS by Hillary Lang. I must check if my library has a copy as I would love to make some. A friend was also talking about this book just the other day. It's basically another softie book with some really sweet little dolls and critters to make. These little spool dolls also caught my eye today when browsing blogs.

I borrowed these images from aQTforever ( follow link below )

more spool dolls - also from aQTforever

a Wee Wonderful from crafty mama creations, see here

Image from Windy and friends, see here

AAhhhh, so much to sew and such little time.

Queensland Heroes !

The Queensland Floods - January 2011

These are just a few of the heroes who have risked their lives to save others

The tug boat drivers who saved the Gateway Bridge

Chopper Pilot saves little girl

The animals suffered as well as the people

These pictures bring me tears of sadness and tears of joy.

They make me feel proud to be a Queenslander

(sorry Mum and Dad, I know I was born in Victoria, but I think 33 years in Queensland qualifies me)

Thank you to everyone for helping those at their time of need.

A lot of the heroes will remain anonymous, but they will never be forgotten for their selfless acts.

Like my neighbour who left his family here to drive to Brisbane.

To team up with his brother and drive around the flooded suburbs of Brisbane offering help to those in need.

They offered assistance to complete strangers who needed to evacuate their homes and helped them to move their posessions to safety.

They even moved a piano to higher ground.

And to Kevin Rudd - you are a champion. I saw you wading through deep water carrying suitcases on your head, helping to move peoples things through flooded streets just like everybody else.

There is so much comraderie at times like these and we must not forget the heroes.

But it's the lives that could not be saved that will haunt us all forever.

May you all rest in peace.

Sorry I have not blogged much these holidays - I'm trying to enjoy a bit of time with Miss L & Mst O before they return to school and I start a new job on the 24th of January. And clean up my damaged TV room and fill in claim forms for the Building Services Authority to fix my house. And catch up on washing and numerous jobs that have not been done due to the consistent rain here.

But I could not miss out posting about the Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive.

Monkeemoo is doing a wonderful thing over on her blog - I urge you all to pop on over and join in this great cause. I surely am. I may be starting a new job and I may have visitors arriving and I may have my kids starting back at school and need to still buy uniforms and organise and cover books etc etc, but I WILL find time for the dolly drive. It will be nice to make some cute little dolls / bears / owls or whatever for the children affected by the recent Queensland floods.

Please join us, a little bit goes a long way.

Put a smile on their faces again !

sold SOLD AND SOLD !!!!

Yesterdays newsletter from Madeit.com.au created a tornado in my shop - it was off the richter scale. The most sales ever in one day. They total 13 to be exact. It seemed people were fighting to get a hold of this khaki green skirt. But, as with most of my stuff, THEY ARE ONE OF A KIND so you've gotta be quick. Once the green skirt sold with matching headband, people started looking at my other creations and snapped them up. There is still lots to be had though, so go check it out http://madeit.com.au/eva-mei-and-me - or just click on my Madeit button and beat the crowds.

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

AND SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

AND SOLD

And still there was more sales.

I'm very happy.

Thank you Madeit.com.au

Madeit.com feature for eva mei & me

MADEIT FIRST FINDS OF 2011

I was so excited just now to open an email from Madeit.com.au. It was one of their regular newsletter type emails. The title of the email was Madeit first finds of 2011. AND, I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES, ONE OF MY SKIRTS (PICTURED ABOVE) WAS AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PAGE. I have been trying to work out how I can do a link to this email but I don't think it is possible. I have to say it has been a very exciting start to the 2011 year for me and eva mei & me - thanks Madeit.com.au

Friand recipe as promised

I have in my hot little hands the recipe for the beautiful friands that I shared with you recently here I would love to hear back from anyone who has a go at them. Resist if you can. I have not actually baked these myself yet as my dear neighbour was kind enough to give me some of hers the other day. We bought her a friand tin for Christmas, weren't we clever. So here is her recipe: RASPBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE FRIANDS 6 egg whites 185g butter, melted 1 cup (125g) almond meal 1 1/2 cups (240g) icing sugar mixture 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 100g white chocolate coarsely chopped 100g fresh or frozen raspberries METHOD: Heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius Lightly grease your friand tin (12 hole) (or alternatively use a muffin tin) Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat, then cook for further 1 minute. Be careful not to burn butter. Set aside. Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and lemon zest. Lightly beat the egg whites with a fork and pour into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Add chopped white chocolate. Add the warm butter and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Spoon mixture into the prepared friand tin, filling to 3/4 full. Top each friand with some of the fresh or frozen raspberries and then pop into the oven to bake for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes reduce heat to 180 degrees celcius and cook for further 10 - 15 minutes - or until golden and risen. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Try not to eat them all at once !!! they should look something like this

Sewn, Stapled and Delivered

Mums Birthday gift

I have sewn a canvas for my Mum for her birthday in February. It is a copy of another one of Lucys recent drawings. I am enjoying doing these, using a transfer pencil and copying the kids drawings to embroider. Mum was here for Christmas so I got busy and did this for her to take home to save posting it. Never in my life have I been this organised in advance for a birthday gift. She is so excited she can't wait to get home and hang it on her wall. I should make her wait until February - but of course that won't happen. Happy Birthday Mum xx

Beautiful Friands

We gave our neighbour, Ming Lee, something that she had been wanting for quite some time for Christmas this year. It was a Friand tin. Doesn't sound so exciting does it, but it sure was exciting for us when she delivered these amazing Friands to our door the very next day. The rasberry and white chocolate ones were the best I have EVER EATEN. I will try to get the recipe and post here for you all to try, they are TRULY AMAZING........