In my attempt to become a 'real' gardener, I have been trying to raise my own seedlings. I've been struggling a little in these attempts, both because of the chickens, and the extreme temperature swings winter in sub-tropical Queensland brings [the last week has seen our daily range from 4-21 degrees Celcius]. Researching online it seemed that other gardeners use mini greenhouses. They are available to buy, but I was not prepared to pay for something I may not use successfully, and the cheap ones looked very flimsy.
I'm hoping this will improve my seed germination rate significantly. I guess I'll keep you posted as to my degree of success.
I just took this photo. I couldn't help it. What a perfect rose. My daughter was given it after performing in a ballet concert on Saturday and today it has opened up. The colour is exquisite too, darker orange on the edges of each petal and a delicious apricot in the centre.
I am planning a rose garden in our front yard. I have been researching them and found I need to prepare the soil well so it will take me a while to get to the planting stage. But it will be worth it. In a year or two I intend to be producing roses like these in my own garden. Ones with lots of perfume.
My MIL went to the textile show at the Brisbane Convention Centre last weekend and then came to visit us. She bought some new yarn called Funky Yarn while she was there for herself and me to try out. It is amazing - one ball does the entire scarf and I knitted it in just a few hours. And I'm NOT a knitter, so it must be easy. This is the very first knitted item I have blogged about because it's the first knitted thing I've made since I learned to knit as a kid. Six stitches on the needle, that's all. 
Tonight I finished crocheting my string bag I've been working on for the past few months. I've been working on it in short bursts while waiting in the car for my kids or watching tv. It's made from actual string that I bought from The Reject Shop, not crochet/knitting cotton. My own pattern, made it up as I went along. I think it will be very useful.
I got sick of the patterns pretty quickly and just made up my own, once I got a feel for my crochet hook again [I really do enjoy crochet and must pick it up more often]. I whipped all three up one evening in front of the tv. So easy and satisfying to finish something so quickly.
My Ikea Expedit bookshelves are together and attached to the wall of my sewing room. My next task is to fill the shelves with all the sewing stuff that is spread around the house in random cupboards, on the floor of the sewing room and in the shed. Once I have floor space I can get my desks built.
I found a fabulous tutorial to make my own fabric storage boxes for my new sewing room shelves. I haven't been able to find anything that fits the spaces well, and I want it all to coordinate. So it makes sense to make them myself.
There are some crafts that I do with my kids that I think are significant, and then there are the ones that they ask to do again and again. The rainbow cake was one of those silly things we did one day to teach Miss 4 primary and secondary colours. The other day she asked to do it again, almost 12 months since the last time!
So I got our our 6 bowls and food colouring and the usual wacky cake recipe, and we started with our three primary colours. Yet again Miss 4 was so surprised at the transformation of yellow and blue into green, and the other secondary colours. But by far her favourite part of this process is licking the bowl.
Miss 1 thought it was pretty good too: 
It worked really well. The kids loved it. There was also birthday cake of course,
