Wombats and Windmills

Signs of Winter/Summer

2010-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Frost! We've really had such a mild winter so far, only a few really cold days. It was -5°c this morning though. Brrrrrrr!

Nicole - Blue skies! This is actually a view from my garden with the camera pointing to the sky. Our garden is not too big (because we live in a city) so these aren't even our trees in the photo. These are trees from the neighbours gardens. But this is our little piece of sky. ;) We had 32 degrees last week, enjoying a few cooler days now but from tomorrow the weather will be much warmer again.

What I'm reading

2010-06-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Georgia - A quilt book - looking for some inspiration, loads of house type magazines (spending a fortune on them - eep!), Sandi Henderson's new book, and a good trashy one from the library.

Nicole- I just started reading UnLunDun by China Mieville (marvelous name by the way) so I can't really tell what I think of it yet. So far, I have read 50 pages or something, it's odd and an enjoyable and interesting read. The other book is about Scherenschnitte. Not sure if papercutting is a craft I will take on myself but the examples and photos of Scherenschnitte pieces are very impressive.

My floss collection

2010-06-17T01:34:00.000-07:00

Georgia - The two more organised looking boxes are left over from my cross-stitching days. They are sorted by dmc number. The very messy box is the one I use most, full of the colours that I go back to time and time again.

Nicole - Yes, well...this is part of the floss collection. There is some in the cupboard as well, and in my craft room, and in my embroidery basket thingy. I am not a very well organised person and I try to battle the lack of organisation with zip lock bags. They hold current projects (embroidery work + floss) and extra floss etc. The more organised floss is DMC, the shoe box is filled with Anchor Floss (which was an Ebay bargain)

A Recipe (or two!)

2010-06-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

Georgia -

Balsamic Glazed Roast Vegetables

(one of our favourites)

Whatever vegetables you want to roast - potatoes, sweet potato, parsnip, pumpkin carrots etc, peeled and cut into fairly big chunks.
Balsamic Glaze -
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Preheat oven to 220°c. Line a large roasting pan with baking paper. Spread vegetables into a single layer in pan.

Glaze - place oil, maple syrup, vinger, garlic, salt and pepper into a jar and shake to combine. heat ina saucepan over medium heat andcook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until hot.

Pour glaze over vegetables and toss to coat. roast vegetables for 1 hour or until tender, turn once during cooking. Season with salt and pepper.

(metric measurements. 1 tablespoon = 20ml)

Nicole- Tomorrow I'm making yummy Cauliflower soup from this recipe on Amy Karol's Angry Chicken blog. There is no meat involved so the worm has to go! ;) The worm is actually called 'Beessie' and I got a couple of these when I did my grocery shopping this morning. Orange is the Dutch National Colour and next week the Football (that is Soccer for the American readers) World Championship starts. Football is an important thing over here!

My next project

2010-06-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Fresh into the hoop today. A unicorn pillowcase for a little girl who is having a birthday very soon.
Nicole - Due to illness I'm terribly late with posting so I have it on good authority that this is already finished and turned out very lovely! ;)

Nicole- No new projects planned as I am still in the middle of so many wip's! But I'm pretty sure that whatever the new project will be it's already here on one of the pages of these sketch books....

Look through my front door

2010-06-03T01:13:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Come in, come in... Please excuse the dust on that little table there and don't look too closely at the legs because our dog had a good chew on them when she was a pup. Also please don't look up at that hideous light fitting. When we bought this house 6 years ago we said it would be the first thing we'd get rid of. We've actually sold the house again now, so the light shall remain. ;-) The floor is polished concrete. I love it.

Nicole- This is photo excellently represents the usual state of our hallway: unfinished and messy. Even the front door still isn't finished. We have Marmoleum Flooring throughout most of the house in all kinds of colours: the hallway and the kitchen are red, the living room floor is yellow and the children's bedrooms are green and aqua.

A movie that I love

2010-05-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Love Actually. Love it. Have watched it heaps of times. Colin Firth...mmmm. Andrew Thingummy (the one who loves the Keira Knightly character)...mmmm. ;-)

Nicole- this is a movie I recently saw and loved. It's funny, romantic and it has good music in it as well. Another favourite (that I couldn't find in my stack of dvd's) and a must see is Amelie. I also love most Tim Burton movies, movies with Johnny Depp. Ooh and since I caught a glimpse of Russel Crowe in a ~~skirt~~ cool Roman outfit in Gladiator the other day, I can't wait to see him in tights!

Something I made a long time ago

2010-05-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Georgia - This tapestry/needlepoint hangs on my bedroom wall. I bought the kit in Harrogate, England in 2000. I still love it. It cost a fortune because our dollar was worth something like a miserable 40p at the time, but it's a perfect souvenier.

Nicole- I only started sewing and embroidering a couple of years ago. I made this 'Easy Lap Quilt' (from Bend The Rules Sewing) a little over 2 years ago. It's still in one piece so that's good and it's well loved but it is also slightly wonky. ;)

Something in my house that is...green

2010-05-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Our lounge/sofa/couch (whichever you happen to call it) is green. There is a green painting on the wall. And, this African Violet is (mostly) green. My Grandma used to have lots of African Violets, so this reminds me of her.

Nicole- Well I was looking kind of green myself last monday which is why we didn't post. ;) Other than that: my curtains in the living room are velvet and have a lovely deep olive green colour. The house plants ( the ones that survive) are green. And this lovely package from the local (and very awesome) kids book/toystore is green!

On my bedside table

2010-05-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Georgia - A wonky lamp (really need a new one), a box of tissues, a photo of myself and my sister when we were little, glass of water, bunch of bangles, a ceramic bird which only appeared there this morning thanks to the kids, Paw-Paw ointment (which is a great lip balm), and a variety of handcreams (I am addicted) - yes, one of them is called "udder cream", but it's not for your , um...udders. :-/

Nicole- I always have a book on my bedside table (or even 2, a crafty one and a novel) with an old pair of glasses on top. You can also find my teddy bear which I had since I was 2 on my bed side table and Georgia's Polka Dot Bunny. Also pictured is a not so pretty alarm clock, some loose change, keys from a bicycle lock, a lamp and a phone.

In my hoop

2010-05-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Still working on my alphabet tree. I'm just about to take the kids to their swimming lesson, so the perfect opportunity for a little bit of stitching.

Nicole - I actually have about 5 things in my hoop at the moment. These two are for the Hoop up! swap. Progress is a bit slow but that's because I'm working on other things as well.

Today I need to...

2010-05-03T02:58:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Drive the kids here, there, and everywhere. School first thing this morning, swimming lesson, and two lots of ballet lessons. Monday is a busy day.

Nicole- I need to make some phone calls. Generally I don't like to use the phone except to call my mum!

In my handbag

2010-05-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Not really all that much inside it, so I don't know why I have so much trouble finding whatever it is I happen to need.

So, the contents - purse, mobile phone (usually has a flat battery, and I never know what the phone number is. I'm not much of a phone person), tissues, re-useable shopping bag, handcream, perfume, various lipbalms, notebook, far too many pens, paracetemol, bandaids, one of the kid's bangles, a squashed empty sultana box (also care of the kids), quite a few scrunched up receipts, and lastly - some scraps of fabric that must have been in there for at least 12 months.

Nicole - I have a small bag and it's rather full. Still I think this is all essential stuff: purse, mobile phone (also with a flat battery and I can't remember my own phone number either haha), a receipt, my sunglasses, mints, chewing gum and emergency sultanas, paracetamol, a hair clip, loose change, hand creme, keys, passport, 1 lip stick and 3 lip balms and a little notebook with pen.

My fabric stash

2010-04-29T03:22:00.000-07:00

Georgia - I did a big tidy-up yesterday!

Nicole - This is actually only part of the stash. The not so exciting fabrics and large quantities of Ikea fabric and so on are in plastic storage tubs. The Ziplock bags contain the quilts I'm currently working on (well not working on actually). The green basket contains a couple of charm packs and fabrics that haven't been pre-washed yet.

The ironing pile!

2010-04-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

Georgia - It might look bad, but it often looks a lot worse. It's not unusual for it to be spilling out of the basket and making an equally large pile on the floor. :-/ I have to admit that some things live in that basket on a fairly permanent basis.

Nicole - Yes well what can I say about it...maybe that this is only half of the real ironing pile? Good news is, is that the house isn't that messy, I just am permanently behind with my ironing!

I love this song

2010-04-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Actually I love almost anything by The John Butler Trio. The fingernails in this video are a bit...eeeuwwwww!

Nicole - there's actually not much to look at in this video so you might as well close your eyes and just enjoy this great song. It's called Fish and Bird and it's by Tom Waits. I'm currently making an embroidery based on this song.

My latest crafty buy

2010-04-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

Georgia - The latest thing to arrive in my mailbox was that pile of grey Kona Solids. That would have made a very boring photo on it's own, so I added the little pile of Hope Valley that they will go with. The latest thing that I ordered, yet to arrive, is this book.

Nicole - My latest crafty buys, some linen and some fat quarters of the lovely new Sis Boom fabric line called oh St. Croix, are still on their way to the Netherlands so I can't show them yet. I also bought Scandinavian Needlecraft last week and I love it!

A kitchen gadget I wouldn't be without

2010-04-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Meet the 'Alligator'. It dices an onion with one big *CHOMP*!

Nicole - The only thing in the kitchen I really couldn't be without is my coffee machine but you can hardly call that a gadget can you? So... this thing here is one of the most used objects in the kitchen: it's a garlic press.

What I'm Reading

2010-04-17T03:16:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Total fluff.

Nicole - It's a Swedish Crime novel. It rains a lot and the main character, a police Inspector called Wallander is grumpy and always troubled by something (apart from the gruesome murder cases he must solve) Also available in English and there is even a tv series now.

My Favourite Thing Made by...Somebody Else.

2010-04-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Georgia - My needlebook, made by none other than Ms Windmill herself. :-) It's filled with needles, safety pins, sewing pins, bit of thread. I love it, and use it all the time.

Nicole - Well that's a coincidence because I chose a bag made by Ms. Wombat! I use it all the time and it desperately needs a wash I just noticed. Don't pay attention to the terribly neglected garden featured in the background. There are major changes planned and hopefully it will look better in a couple of months :)

Something Arty/Decorative in My House

2010-04-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Georgia - An odd angle of a painting done by my sister. I took it this way so that you could see the beads that are stitched onto it. This is her website - http://artbycarlaadams.com/index2.php#/home/

Nicole- I love my ceramic Polar Bear, he fits right in with all of our other stuff and furniture from the 1930's. I bought him at the Norwegian Salvation Army Shop. :)

Breakfast time

2010-04-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Toast with vegemite (yum!), coffee still to come, and because it's school holidays at the moment I have some time to actually *sit* and enjoy with a book. :-)

I have to admit that I cheated and took this photo yesterday because my in-laws are visiting this weekend, and they would have thought I was a lunatic if I got the camera out and took a photo of my breakfast this morning. ;-)

Nicole - Well I didn't cheat but I forgot to take a photo! Luckily I'm a lazy housewife and there was still something left to photograph. ;) I had a slice of bread with Chocolate Sprinkels (called 'Hagelslag' which means 'Hail Sprinkels' ) and a coffee. In the Netherlands you can buy lots of types of chocolate or sugar-y sprinklets like these for your bread.

Favourite thing made by...me!

2010-04-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

Georgia - An old photo because I've given the quilt away. I made this one for Mum's 60th birthday last year. Making the quilt top was super quick and easy. The quilting took an eternity, and an awful lot of thread! I love it, and I've been madly collecting some more Nani Iro fabric to make one for MYSELF.

Nicole - It was hard to decide, not sure if I had any real favourites and wondering if I maybe should have chosen something I embroidered or had drawn. I chose this quilt because it turned out quite well, considering my lack of expertise and proper quilting tools. I used a not very accurate cardboard template for the squares *shivers* because I didn't have a quilt ruler at the time. And no rotary cutter either. I was also under the impression then that I had to iron the 1/4 of an inch seam allowance to the back of the fabric squares.

In my neighbourhood...

2010-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Georgia - ... somebody has this trompe l'oeil painted on a garden wall, and according to two little girls that I know, it's where all imaginary friends live. Magical!

Nicole - o.k. I confess, I saw Georgia's photo before I had made mine and I thought this made a 'nice' contrast to the pretty trompe d'oeil . I didn't even have to leave the house for it (but I did open the front door).

Something that means a lot to me

2010-04-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

Georgia - These pearl earrings belonged to my youngest sister, Zoë. She died in an accident in 2001, less than 2 weeks after her 20th birthday. I wore these on my wedding day, as did my other two sisters. They're not only for special occasions though - I wear them a lot. :-)

and... HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE!!!

♪ ♫ ♪ Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Dear Nicole,

Happy Birthday to Yooou! ♪ ♫ ♪

Nicole - I had the hardest time to think of a thing that has special meaning to me. I guess that is not a bad thing? If I would have to mention one thing it would be my special teddy. My parents gave this bear when I was 2. :)

In my hoop

2010-04-01T01:38:00.000-07:00

Georgia - I seem to have lost my embroidery mojo lately, but I did start this a couple of nights ago. A very sweet little pattern - can't remember who designed it though. ;-)

Nicole - It's such a dark rainy day here so the picture is not very good, sorry about that!. Anyway this is the Fish & Bird embroidery I'm working on. I use the wood grain print on the fabric to 'make waves' and 'clouds'. Lot's of filling to do but I'm not in a hurry :)

I like this shop

2010-03-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

Georgia - This building has been empty for as long as I can remember. Just before Christmas last year a new shop opened - I love it! They have such a variety of things, from coffee beans and frozen homemade meals, to cards and prints and shoes and hats. Lots of things that I've bought online before too, and now they are here in my own little town. :-)

Nicole- This is the shop I missed most while I was living abroad. The 'Hema' sell all kinds of things from their famous 'rookworst' (which is literally translated 'smoked sausage') to underwear. But also stationary and clothes.

I love the smell of...

2010-03-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Citrus, vanilla, rain, toast, the beach, tomatoes, clean washing and... coffee. :-)

Nicole - Coffee (good coffee that is), Dutch Apple Pie, freshly washed clothes that have dried outside on a sunny day (I'm sure there is a shorter way to say this but I can't think of one) , salty sea air (except when it doesn't smell so good).

Favourite Crafty Book

2010-03-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Georgia - This is the one I've been looking through the most lately. 'Quilts' by Denyse Schmidt. I love the Flock of Triangles quilt.

Nicole - I think this is my favourite craft book up till now. I've made lots of projects from this book and it helped me so much mastering basic sewing skills. I would recommend it to every newbie in sewing!

The sky today...

2010-03-22T01:21:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Blue, and far too hot for this time of year. I've been waiting and w a i t i n g for some nice cool Autumn days, but it's been at least 30° celcius each day.

Nicole - It's a rather good day here, even though the sky looks a bit grey. Almost time to put away the winter stuff I think! :)

Today I need to...

2010-03-20T03:45:00.000-07:00

Georgia - Clean the bathroom. Blergh.

Nicole - Return long overdue Library Books! And this is only half of them : /

I love this fabric...

2010-03-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

Georgia - It seems that I can't choose just one ... so I picked out two of my very favourites that are no longer being printed. The top one is from Freshcut by Heather Bailey , and the one underneath is from Cake Rock Beach. I think they are a perfect match.

Nicole - Sorry about the rubbish picture but at least I was able to take a photo outside today! These are just two of my faves, it was impossible to choose. I received both from Georgia actually. The top one is a Kei Honeycomb, dots are always great and these are especially lovely. The bottom one (which is hardly visible, it really is a rubbish photo, look here for a better pic) is from Shannon Lamden and has birds with keys in trees. I love birds with keys in trees. I really must make this into a cushion or something, it's too lovely not to use it.

At my front door

2010-03-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Georgia - There's someone trying to escape!

Nicole- I actually have two front doors, but only one opens and the other one needs a bit of paint! Guess which is which!

A wedding photo

2010-03-13T01:38:00.000-08:00

Georgia - 13th October, 2001. Sorry about the terrible picture quality. I scanned the photos years ago, and we don't have a scanner anymore so I can't re-do them!

Nicole - This is in my wedding photo album. All of our photos are in b&w (no, not because it was that long ago and colour photos were not yet invented, we just preferred b&w photos!)

A pattern in my "must try" pile

2010-03-11T00:59:00.000-08:00

Georgia - Or, three patterns because I couldn't decide which one to take a photo of. The first one I'm sure I could do, the second one... probably not, the third one... in my dreams!

Nicole- I've had the pattern for the bag for ages but I have not been confident enough yet to try it. I'd love to make one of those tops or tunics. I think I should be able to do that. And (not pictured here because it's a not printed pdf file) this summer I"m going to attempt this and this cross stitch pattern by WhatDelilahDid. If my chaotic mind can handle it that is. ;)

At 11:00am today...

2010-03-08T02:20:00.000-08:00

Georgia - Pegging out the washing.

Nicole - Just put my wash in the washing machine, now drinking coffee and I'm trying to get some embroidery done. :)

Pets

2010-03-06T04:13:00.000-08:00

Georgia: This is Pippi, just after I gave her a bath. She's getting very old.

Nicole: This is Pippin 'diving' into a fresh bunch of hay. Pippin is a very fine looking sweet guinea pig. I'm actually more of a cat person, but my husband is allergic to cats. :/

Favourite floss colour!

2010-03-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

Georgia: This blue is probably my favourite, and I use it a lot! I'm rather fond of the green too...and they look nice together. ;-)

Nicole: Only yesterday I blogged about my crush on DMC colour variation 4160 but I also love this Winnie the Pooh Gold floss so much!

Any sign of Autumn or Spring yet?

2010-03-01T00:29:00.000-08:00

Georgia: some autumn leaves in the park

Nicole: maybe more spring inside than outside (or does lots of rain count as a sign of spring too?)

Everyone should read this book

2010-02-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

Georgia - The Gerald Durrell is an alltime favourite. Year of Wonders I've had for years and years and only just read the whole thing last Christmas - loved it!

Nicole - these are just a few books that I read and liked.

Where I sit and sew

2010-02-24T21:02:00.001-08:00

Georgia - At the end of the dinner table. BUT, by the end of this year, when our new house is built, I will have my own room too. (Okay, technically it will be the office or study, but I plan to take over most of it.) ;-)

Nicole - It's small and a mess, but I do have my own room!

Clouds

2010-02-21T22:39:00.001-08:00

Georgia - They've been building up like this every afternoon, and we keep our fingers crossed for some rain, but then it all dissapears again without leaving us a drop.

Nicole - Grey! The view is of the back of the houses from the balcony of my bedroom.

Favourite thing in my fridge...

2010-02-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

Nicole - Not much in my fridge at the moment, but I do like this unfiltered apple juice a lot. :)

Georgia - Nectarines, plums, and passionfruit. Not just a favourite from my fridge, but my favourite thing about summer.

Work in progress...

2010-02-18T00:57:00.000-08:00

3:15pm - A 9-patch quilt top that has been in the wip pile for a very, very long time. I do love it, so I don't know why it's taking me so long to do!

9:54am - Just finished this sketch with the theme 'Japanese Garden' for my second embroidery of the Hoop up! Stitch and Send swap over at Flickr. Very much inspired on vintage pattern I was going to use, I've added a couple of animals...

In my garden

2010-02-15T00:40:00.000-08:00

10:32am - The last of the roses for this summer. It has a few holes that were nibbled by a grasshopper, but it still smells good!

9.34 am- I tried real hard but I can't remember the name of this poor frozen spring flower!

Today I'm wearing...

2010-02-13T02:27:00.000-08:00

8:45am - New blue beads, and Jo Malone's Lime, Basil and Mandarin perfume.

11.25 am-A Noa Noa cord dress, leggings and Camper booties :)

What's in my hoop?

2010-02-11T00:43:00.000-08:00

2:55pm - Another pillowcase, this time with a little Japanese girl. (Pattern is from Loopsies on etsy)

One of the things I'm working on is this Hibernating fox, hedgie and bunny for the Hoop up! swap on Flickr.

Where I Live

2010-02-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

9:39am - It's only small and everybody knows everybody.

3.15 p.m. you can just about see the high buildings in the city center in the distance.

My Favourite Colour

2010-02-06T01:42:00.000-08:00

2:39pm - Today, it's red.

10.41 pm: chartreuse for me!

Where I sit and stitch.

2010-02-04T01:29:00.000-08:00

1:56pm - Usually in front of the television after the kids have gone to bed.

10:20 pm whenever I get the chance!

What's Outside my Living Room Window?

2010-02-01T00:07:00.000-08:00

10:40am -A children's playground, it seems!

9 am: snow (again!)

Hello!

2010-01-27T00:58:00.000-08:00

So... before we really really start our blog we thought we'd give you a look at who is behind the cameras, and say a quick hello and a big thank you to the people who already commented and are prepared to follow this blog. :) At this moment Nicole is freezing away in the Netherlands (minus 8 C. which is 18.4 F) while Georgia is melting away in Australia (38 C which is 100.4 F).We won't bother explaining who is who in the photo, they pretty much speak for themselves! You must be kind and not comment on just how un-flattering a self portrait can be. ;-) Hopefully the photos in our next posts won't be quite so embarrassing!

Welcome to Wombats and Windmills!

2010-01-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our brand new blog Wombats and Windmills! On this blog two busy crafty mums, Georgia & Nicole, on opposite sides of the world, Australia and the Netherlands, will take photos of their daily life. One photo per day, three days a week according to a theme. The themes will be diverse. They could be crafty, very ordinary (hello ironing pile!) or food related and much, much more. We are not quite sure were this blog will lead us but we are sure it will be fun to see what is similar or different about our lives. We hope you will enjoy following us here on Wombats and Windmills. We start on February 1st 2010! :)