Why yes, that is a belted flannel I'm wearing.

Thanks for asking! I finished my tote from the Mike's book tonight. I really like it. But for some reason when I saw the picture in the book I thought that it was hand bag sized? Much bigger than this? I think I just imagined it. Regardless, I'm happy with how this turned out. I really love this fabric. So that probably helps!

Since the pattern for this bag is pretty much all rectangles I can see myself making another, supersized version of this later. I originally intended for it to be a knitting bag. But I don't think it'll fit much. Oh well.

Any exciting plans for the weekend?

-Jemma

My Creative Space

I've been feeling pretty icky this last week or so. Kind of like I'm about to get the flu, but never actually moving over from that first stage. Not nice.

At the moment I'm looking to get some inspiration back, so I'm making my self the Super-Cute tote from the Mike's book as a new wool bag for on the train. The pretty colours will hopefully brighten up my morning on the train while I'm going to work. Hey, it can't make it any duller!

Go over to Kirst to see more creative spaces!

-Jemma

P.S. Did you see the nice stuff that Amy said about me?

Today.

Migraine Barbie has Snapped!, originally uploaded by Migraine Chick.

Came home early from work with a migrane today. Damien picked up a shift at work tonight, so I'm home alone. Made some delicious carbohydrate packed pasta for dinner and now I'm going to bed to watch a whole series of T.V!

Wish me no more aches for the morning.

-Jemma

A very stressfull night.

DSC00583, originally uploaded by jljorna.

Last night I thought that Amity was lost. It's ok, she eventually just wandered home at about 9 o'clock. And I told her she was never ever going outside again. But not before I had some hysterics and 12 heart attacks. So, I'm feeling a little drained today. I'm just going to choose a winner of my little mini, mini, mini contest from Sunday.

Everyone had some good stories, so of course I couldn't choose. I've turned to my friend random.org for the answers. And the winner is... Flicketysplits! If you want to just email me your address to jljorna@gmail.com I'll send you a little present!

-Jemma

I now declare Mondays....

Recipe day! Nothing fancy, your old favourite, the new recipe you tried for dinner last night, or something that you've been wanting to try out. Any kind is OK!


I tried these Cinnamon rolls when I had my Easter brunch. They were great! I did all the hard work the night before and could just whack them in the oven in the morning so they'd be warm and fresh by the time everyone arrived. The perfect breakfast/brunch recipe!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

DOUGH:
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
7g active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

FILLING:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.

2. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10 x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.

5. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

6. The next morning, preheat oven to 190 degrees. Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

7. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, make your favourite kind of glaze. The easiest is just some runny icing with a little orange rind in it. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

Yummy! I've only made these once, but next time I think I'll try using some dried apples and walnuts as the filling. That sounds good doesn't it? What's your recipe of the moment??

-Jemma

Camberwell Market and IKEA today.

Lots of pictures today, isn't that nice? I love picture heavy posts the most. Anyway, I met up with some Brown Owls girls today at the Camberwell market and had a nice little shop. I spent way too much money, but got a lot of good things. So it's all worth it in the grand scheme of things I think. So, I was very adventurous and decided to drive today. That way I could pop over to IKEA afterwards. Clever right? And I only had to do 3 U-Turns! Now, let's make with the pictures.
A nice old radio, some pretty tins and a whimsical vintage KFC Bucket



Did you know that I love coloured glass? I have intentions of having a coloured glass collection, but apparently I have some expensive taste where that's concerned.


IKEA had some awesome wallpaper today.




More wallpaper

I took this photo because it reminded me of Rebecca!

Do you remember these? I did them in primary school, you put the beads on a little peg board thing and then iron over them to make a little molded plastic thing. I've seen them made into some very cute pendants. I think the brand name is Perler Beads?
A really good tea cosie.


Some of my loot from the market and IKEA. The fabric on the left is to make a bag from the book, on the right is some excellent birdie fabric, a salt pig, some new canisters from the collection, some really cute IKEA animal fabric screaming to be appliqued, some wool for a pressie for my brother, some IKEA tea towels from embroidery and a cork board. Isn't just inspiring to see it all blank like that? Yes it is!

Another loot item. My mum said that this is what people used to wear in hospital when they were having babies. I said that it'd look totally cool over a white t-shirt and some skinny jeans.


Detail on the over shirt. It's really much prettier in real life.


Another shirt. This one's pajamas too. It's got some beautiful embroidery on it. I forgot to take a close up though!

Anyway, that was my busy, busy day. I was gone from 7.00 am until 2.00 pm. I think I'll be going to bed early tonight. Leave a comment and tell me what you did this weekend? I'll read them all and see which is the most interesting and then I'll send that person a little surprise present. Ok?! Fun.

- Jemma

Saturday Shopping List

Pincushion Edition

1. Pincushion Ring
2.Love Pincushion
3. Oh So Pretty Orchid Bird Pincushion
4.Little Pink Polkadot Gourd

What are we all doing this weekend? I'm going to the Camberwell Market again for a impromptu weekend Brown Owls meet. I think that I'll drive there and then head over to Ikea after that. I haven't been there for ages, so I'm looking forward to that!

-Jemma

Internet Shopping.

It's doing funny things to me. Making me forget that there are other ways to get things that I want. It's not all about googling the afternoon away and then never finding what you want, because if it was just $5 dollars less. Surely there's another site that's selling it for cheaper right?

Well, I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was wanting a Wreck this Journal. I'd been looking and looking, umming and ahhing. Never going the whole way and plugging in my credit card details. Just not quite deciding 100%.

Today I went to the Dymocks Centre on Collins Street in Melbourne. I just didn't have anything else to do, thought that I could browse a few books. Get some inspiration. Maybe pick up a new classic. And lo, there it was sitting on the shelf. $17, a perfectly acceptable price, and even better on the inside than I imagined while starring at it vacantly through a monitor. So now I have one, and from where? A book store of course! Did you forget they existed too? Next thing you know I'll be buying my fabric from a store.

-Jemma

(I started mine already, having a chew on the front cover while waiting for the tram)

My Creative Space.

Last night I had a few of my girlfriends from high school over for roast dinner. It was very nice! I think we're going to make it a regular thing just to make sure we see each other often. Anyway. One of them brought me over some origami paper from last time she was in Japan, she remembered me saying how I wanted some ages ago. Isn't that nice? Now I have to think of a good project for it!

And, I started a Miss Allsorts yesterday too. You can see her instructions in the bottom right and a corner of her head in the bottom left. All that's left is sewing the two halves together, stuffing and hand sewing the gap. It'll be done in no time!

How's everyone's week been going?

-Jemma

Op Shopping

Today I'm home, sick from work. I've been feeling really run down, so I took the day and had a nice sleep in for a change. I was feeling a lot better this afternoon so I went to a few Op Shops that I don't normally get a chance to go to because they close too early for me to get there on a Saturday.

Here's the goods!



First row left to right:
1. What some people in my family would refer to as a "Cosby Sweater", what I like to call well fitting and comfy. And $3.
2. Box Jellyfish Plushie. Can you believe that I got this in an Op Shop and it had an etsy store tag on it? www.jellibat.etsy.com
3. Some pillow cases and fabrics. I got some very nice raw silky stuff, some tracky material and some cottony baby prints. I really love the pillow case with the hand drawn style kitty print.
4. A cute little sewing basket

Second row:
1. An awesome 70's table cloth
2. This is a doona cover, it seems like it was made to be used as panels. Aprons I think?
3. Back of the doona cover. Nice chocolaty brown that will be used for something good too.
4. I actually got this table cloth ages ago, but it was from the same store as the one above. I think they're cousins. Same size and shape and I think the same material.

Bought anything good recently?

-Jemma