Imogen's Pancake Party

In my family we have a tradition that when a baby gets their first tooth you have pancakes to celebrate. It comes from my dad's side of the family who are from South Africa.  I must admit it is one of my favourite traditions. Who doesn't love pancakes!  I have literally been waiting for this day since I found out I was pregnant.

So Monday of last week Imogen's first tooth broke through.  Needless to say I was pretty excited.  I started planning her pancake party for that weekend.  But being the event loving person that I am I decided we couldn't just have normal pancakes we had to have a pancake buffet.


So I made crepes, hot cakes and poffertjes with various toppings, sauces & sprinkles.  I don't do things by halves you see.  We also had ice cream tucked away in the freezer.


We had my family and half of Corey's family here to celebrate with us and it was a fun afternoon.  I think a pancake buffet would be the perfect addition to a slumber party.  I can't wait till Imogen is old enough to do slumber parties.  I will totally be pulling this idea out again!

Vintage Simplicity Blouse

I must admit I am feeling rather productive at the moment!  Two finished sewing makes blogged within a week of each other.  Little do you know that I was working on this blouse for months. It was one of those projects that I would pick up here and there for 5 minutes then move onto to something else.  It was a really simple make though so it was easy to tag team against other projects.


The pattern I used for this one is vintage Simplicity 4606.  When I first saw this material in Spotlight it instantly made me think of this pattern so I bought some.  It wasn't till I got home that I realised the fabric pretty much matched view 4 from the pattern envelope.  No wonder this pattern came to mind!


So I made view 4 with hardly any modifications.  The only adjustment I made was to take the side seams in a little bit extra.  I wasn't entirely scientific with this but I would guesstimate it was probably an extra 2/8" on each side.  Now while I am happy with how the blouse turned out I'm not sure if I like it on it's own like this.  I think I would prefer it tucked into a skirt of something.  I am thinking my Freddie of Pinewood dungarees or my Sew for Victory suspender skirt would look awesome.


I was always told that when buying vintage patterns to buy your exact measurements as they tend to not have as much ease in them as modern day patterns.  However, every time I have made a vintage pattern in my exact measurements I end up taking them in.  I have made a couple of vintage patterns that are a size down from my measurements and they fit perfectly.  So my question is have you had the same experience or is it a case of me not measuring my bust properly?

52 Weeks Happy (34/52)

It was a busy week last week.  My first week back at work and my first week adjusting to life of being a working mum.  I must say I have a lot of respect for all those working mums out there.  This gig isn't easy! But we are learning as we go and we'll get there eventually.  For now here are a few points from our week that made me smile.

1 - I finished my sew bossy dress this week and spent some good time twirling for photos.  This is the funnest dress I have ever made. So much fun for twirling and perfect for a summer barbecue.  I can't wait to wear this again.  For more pictures check out my post here.

2 - It's hard to not smile when you visit the dolphins at work! They are so cheeky and love attention.  The minute you go into the cove they swim straight up to the edge and start showing off.  It's a great way to de-stress.

3 - After a week away from my munchkin all day we took advantage of the weekend to have some family time.  We headed out for breakfast and I got my full weeks quota of snuggles up to scratch.  I missed that monkey something shocking!

4 - Also on the weekend we had some family over for pancakes to celebrate Imogen getting her first tooth.  It's a family tradition and I have more pictures to share later in the week.

I hope you all had a lovely week!

1 Pattern 7 Bloggers - Inspiration

Oh my god guys, what an epic response to the first post and the giveaway!!!  You guys are loving this little sewing series.  Don't forget there is still time to enter so jump on over here and enter if you haven't already.  So this week we are going to share with you guys our inspiration for our macaron projects so here is mine....

I know your all thinking "Hey Kat, they aren't dresses" and you would be correct!  Originally I was envisioning something entirely different for my macaron project.  Think pink floral, circle skirt and a lace yoke.  Not at all what you are seeing above right?!  Well that's because I kept seeing these awesome peplum tops in the shops that reminded me so much of the macaron pattern.  Once I got that idea in my head I just couldn't shake it.  As fate would have it I had just purchased a cool print that I was dying to use a few weeks before.  A little dig through my stash for some contrast fabric and my project idea was born.  I am pretty excited about my finished project!  I just put the finishing touches on it last night and am so excited to share it with you all.  But you will have to come back next week for that.  In the meantime, don't miss out on entering the massive giveaway here!

Mum's Birthday Cake

Mum put in a request for her birthday back at the start of the year.  She had seen a cute cake my aunty pinned on pinterest and asked if I could recreate it for her.  Now of course I couldn't say no.  I love to make cute cakes!  Plus when the women who has made you all of your amazing birthday cakes for the 25 years of your life asks for a cake you deliver!

Now if this isn't the cutest little cake ever I don't know what is!  Look at those little pigs bums poking out of the mud.  Adorable!  The pigs were the hardest part of making the entire cake.  I have never modelled with fondant before so I was just winging it.  I made the pigs a couple of days prior to mum's birthday so they were set properly before putting them on the cake.

I used the Planet Cake Chocolate Mudcake recipe again and made two 8" rounds.  I then made a simple chocolate ganache to cover the cake and for the mud on top.  Now the original cake used kit kats around the outside but I used those cadbury chocolate fingers instead.  It took 2 packets to surround this cake.  The ribbon around the outside is both decorative and helps to keep any loose biscuits from falling off the cake.

And that, my friends, is that!  This cake is really quite simple!  The pigs are a new terrain for me but they are pretty simple given they are just balls of fondant basically.  If you are wanting to try working with fondant and don't want to take on covering a whole cake this design would definitely be a good place to start.

Sew Bossy

Today is a very exciting day!  I am finally allowed to reveal that I have been taking part in the Sew Bossy Initiative.  What is Sew Bossy I hear you ask.  Sew Bossy is a fun little idea thought up by the ever brilliant Closet Case Files and Oonabaloona.  To read the original post launching the idea pop on over here.  Basically the idea is that you send all the patterns, fabric and notions needed to make a piece of clothing to a blogger anywhere in the world.  They then send something back to you and you both have to make up whatever it is that you receive.  It's a great idea to open your mind to new patterns and fabrics that you may not have picked yourself.  You just have to trust the other person and let them be the boss!
When I first read about this idea I really wanted to take part but had no idea how to get involved.  After a little thinking I decided to approach the gorgeous Marie from A Stitching Odyssey to see if she wanted to play along with me.  Now I am pretty sure you are all aware of Marie and her gorgeous makes (exhibit A, exhibit B) but if not jump on over and check out her blog now!  Don't worry I'll wait for you to get back....
....All done? Didn't you just love her!  So of course I just loved the fabric and pattern that she sent my way.  The funny part is I looked at this exact same pattern when I was trying to pick out an idea for Marie.  How funny would it have been if we sent each other the exact same pattern!  Now the fabric Marie chose is just perfect!  It is a base of white and blue vases with little lemons printed on top.  It is just so perfectly summery!  I can't wait to bust this dress out now that the weather is warming up.
Now, not only is this a gorgeous dress but it is also fully lined! I haven't lined a dress is so long.  When I first saw the dress was lined I was a bit intimidated.  But it was super easy!  The instructions on this pattern were so clear that it made it so easy to do.  And you can't go past the uber professional finish that it gives to the dress.
So there you have it, my little Sew Bossy project.  I want to say a massive thank you to Marie for taking part in this with me.  Now unfortunately Marie had a bit of a sewing catastrophe with her Sew Bossy project.  She is feeling a bit down about it so can we please all pop over here and let her know she isn't alone! I know I have had many a sewing catastrophe.  We've all been there and I am sure she would love a little blog love to get her sewing mojo back in gear.

52 Weeks Happy (33/52)

This year is disappearing right before my eyes and I feel like it is just going to go even faster now that I am back at work.  We always look a month ahead at work so I am planning events for September/October which makes time just seem like it is flying by!  Here are a few quick snippets from this week...

1 - Warm winter foods on hot summer days are somewhat comforting.  Last week I stewed some apples and cinnamon and enjoyed them with some delicious porridge.

2 - Last Friday I had the chance to take a trip up to The Fabric Store in Brisbane and meet the lovely Sophie from Cirque Du Bebe.  She helped me pick out some fabric for an upcoming project that I am super excited to get started on.

3 - Sunday was my mum's birthday.  I whipped her up this birthday cake on her request.  I have some better photos and more details to come on this cake later on in the week so stay tuned.

4 - 6 - Monday was my first day back at work.  I cracked out some new clothes to give me a little boost of confidence for my first day.  They worked wonders!  My brand new lunchbox would have been more fun had we been grocery shopping.  I need to get back into the routine of packing my lunch and not being able to just cook stuff when I want to eat.  To be honest I am feeling a bit lost with work at the moment.  I feel like it is taking me ages to do simple things.  Hopefully by the end of the week my brain will be working a bit better with all these work stuff.

How has your week been? I hope it has been a happy one!

1 Pattern, 7 Bloggers Returns & A Massive Giveaway!

Ladies & Gentleman, due to popular demand the amazing, the fantastic, the fabulous 1 pattern 7 bloggers is making a comeback!!!  Are you excited? I know I am.  Two years ago 6 other bloggers and I all got together to sew the same pattern.  It was an experiment in how different sewers with different styles would interpret the same pattern.  It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of great dresses made.  I am so happy to be back together with these lovely ladies having a crack at a new pattern.

Just in case you have forgotten, the lovely ladies I will be teaming up with are my fellow Aussie lovelies - Reana Louise, Sam from Buckingham Road and Rachel from My Messings.  The lovely Jennifer Lauren who is currently in Australia but soon to be headed back to her home country of New Zealand.  Over in the glorious UK is the supremely talented Marie from A Stitching Odyssey.  And last by most certainly not least, all the way from the US of A is the gorgeous Amy of Sewing Through the Motions.

You can probably tell from the little logo above that this time we will be sewing the adorable Macaron dress by Colette Patterns.  I have made this pattern once before way way back in 2010.  It was very early on in my sewing journey which is evident by the horrible finishing on the dress.  Despite this I got a lot of wear out of the dress but it has sadly fallen apart now.  On a side note - how bad were my photos back in my early blogging days.  Yay for better cameras and improved skills!

We'll be back next week to share some inspiration for our projects and then revealing our finished macarons the following Monday.  But in the meantime we have a giveaway!!!

To celebrate the 1 Pattern, 7 Bloggers project we’re hosting a huge giveaway thanks to 8 fabulous sponsors! 

The Prizes

1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to Colette Patterns 

1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to Guthrie & Ghanie 

1 x Macaron Pattern thanks to Stitch 56

1 x Pattern of your choice thanks to Sew Squirrel

1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to Indie Stitches 

1 x Colette Pattern of your choice thanks to The Haby Goddess

1 x $20 gift voucher thanks to Fabric Worm 

1 x $30 gift voucher thanks to A Fashionable Stitch 

To enter, comment on this post before Saturday 31st August with your email address! Make sure you head over to the other participants' blogs for 7 chances to win!

Terms & Conditions

• Prizes will be randomly allocated to each of the 8 winners across all seven blogs.
• One entry per blog. 
• You can comment on each of the 7 blogs for 7 chances to win (!)
• The winners will be drawn and contacted by email on 2nd September 2013.

Now I am off to put the finishing touches on my macaron.  Make sure you pop over to the other girls blogs and enter the giveaway on their blogs as well.  I'll see you next Monday with a few of my inspiration pics.  See you then!

52 Weeks Happy (32/52)

Another week down and onto my final week of maternity leave.  How crazy is that! It's almost 11 months to the day that I left work.  It is both scary and exciting to be going back.  I keep thinking what if I have forgotten everything.  I'm sure it will all go fine and Imogen is going to love daycare.  She already loves all the people down there!  So here are a few moments from last week, my second last week of maternity leave...

1 - Corey has had a few days off work so last week we had a slow morning and I made us poffertjes for breakfast.  They were delicious!

2 - I started a new project with some gorgeous fabric which I am loving making.  This dress is fully lined which I haven't done on a project in so so long.  I am loving the professional finish it gives the dress.  I can't wait till it is all done!

3 - We enjoyed our last mummy's group on Tuesday.  It was a lot of fun and the girls bought muffins to celebrate me going back to work.  I am going to miss meeting up with these girls every week but we are going to start doing a monthly weekend catch up so I am looking forward to that!

4 - I may or may not have a small case of stateritis!  Since I am going back to work on Monday I am trying to smash out a few projects before then.  So I started a second project this week.  I currently have 10 projects in progress.  Some sewing, some knitting.  Fingers crossed a few get finished before I go back on Monday.

5 - Saturday we had a family picnic in the park.  The weather here has been amazing over the past week.  Clear blue skies and sunshine non stop!  So we had to take advantage and get out for some fresh air.

So it wasn't a massively productive week on the creating front but Corey was home most of the week so we were having some much needed quality family time.  It was lovely!  I hope your week has been just as good.

10 Months

I'm finding it hard to believe that I am posting Imogen's 10 month photo today.  Time has just gone way too fast.  Although I love the age she is at now I would love to go back to when she was a little munchkin and have some squishy newborn cuddles.

Not a lot has happened this past month really.  The biggest thing is that Imogen has learnt to wave.  Before she would just hold her hand up in the air in a salute but now she has the wave down pat.  The funny thing is she will only wave with one hand. So you always have to make sure your holding her on the correct side for her to wave to someone.  There have been a few moments where she has stood up without holding on this past month too.  They are few and far between though so I think walking is still a little way of yet.  As I am going back to work in a week I have been trying to make the most of my last days off with Imogen.  This week we went to Sea World and the library.  She loved the library!  She crawled around everywhere and made friends with all the other kids.  We borrowed a few new books and some cd's.  Imogen loves music so we have been trying to play her cd's for her each day.  I am getting to know a lot of nursery rhymes now.  It's funny when you find yourself singing under your breath and you realise it's a playschool song.  We also had school photos taken at Imogen's daycare this week.  I am so excited to get the pictures back!  Only two more months and my munchkin is one.  So scary but so exciting at the same time.  I can't wait!

52 Weeks Happy (31/52)

This week has been quite the unproductive week.  Corey's work has been slow so he has had a few days off.  I never managed to get anything done when he is at home.  But that is because we are going out and doing fun stuff so I don't mind so much.  I was hoping to have a few projects finished to show you this week though but unfortunately they will have to come later.  In the meantime, here are a few things that have been making me happy this week...

1 - I managed to get my quilt back finished and all my layers pinned together ready for quilting.  Unfortunately, this is as far as I got.  I was really hoping to have this quilt finished to show you guys this week but maybe next week.

2 - There is something about roasting vegetables that is quite comforting especially on the cold and rainy days that we had last week.

3 - I found bargain strawberries this week at our local fruit shop.  There were two 500g punnets for $5! I grabbed myself a few and froze the berries all ready for my smoothies.  Delicious!

4 - I tried out an Adriano Zumbo packet mix of macarons this week.  They are the most successful macarons I have ever made.  They still weren't perfect but semi successful was a win in my books!

5 - So apparently all that has been making me happy this week is food, lol!  We went to Miami Marketta on the weekend and I ordered a delicious goulash for dinner.  Literally the only reason I bought it was because the people selling it were serving it from a gigantic cauldron.  It was epic!

6 - Funnily enough I was super happy this week to work! Strange I know but I worked at a rockabilly festival all weekend and it was a lot of fun.  I was in charge of one of the gates and got to watch all the show vehicles come in.  It was really fun seeing all the awesome cars!

7&8 - So in other news, I am heading back to work full time in 2 weeks.  It is both scary and exciting!  I am trying to make the most of these last two weeks off with Imogen so on Monday we took her to Sea World.  It was so much fun!  She is hard to impress but she couldn't stop laughing at the fish in Shark Bay.  It was super cute!

9 - Today's adventure with Imogen was a trip to the rock pools with our mummy's group.  It was a lot of fun and Imogen loved it.  I am glad I got a nice warm day and the chance to take her before heading back to work.

So that's what's been happening in my corner of the world.  How about you? How has your week been?

New Recipe = New Favourites

One of my 101 in 1001 items that I have been working on for a while was to try out 50 new recipes.  I crossed this one off my list a few weeks ago and thought I would share some of my new favourites that I discovered.  I won't share them all because 50 recipes is a lot but I have put together a collage of some of my favourites.  To see the recipes simply click on the corresponding link below the collage

Lemonade Scones/Apple Cinnamon Muffins/Cheese & Herb Pullapart/Orange Pound Cake/Chocolate Celebration Cake

Chicken San Choy Bow/Valentines Cookies/Choc Mint Cake/Healthy Banana Muffins/Banoffee Pie

Chicken Taco Chilli/Bliss Balls/Curried Lentil Soup/Oat Banana Pancakes/Raw Vegan Lemon Bars

PB & Honey Granola/Blueberry Breakfast Cake/Pizza Muffins/Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad/Apple Tea Cake

Chia Pudding/Raw Choc Mint Slice/Puffed Quinoa Balls/Quinoa Fried "Rice"/Blueberry & Banana Breakfast Muffins

My number one favourite by far has got to be the bliss balls!  They are just so easy to make and so delicious.  For the more savoury minded people the pizza muffins would have to be my pick.  They made my house smell amazing when I was cooking them.  If you give any of these recipes a go be sure to let me know.  And for more recipes I have tried and liked check out my folder here on pinterest!