Tales From the Box

I would like to introduce to you, dear readers, our newest addition to the Box – Olga the Overlocker.

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, an overlocker is a sewing machine that produces a special type of stitching to prevent fabric from fraying over time. If I’ve already lost you, don’t worry, that’s where I stop explaining.

I have a little bit of a crush on Olga (hence why I named her). She has literally already changed my sewing life – and I barely know how to use her properly yet. She just makes things so much easier, and she actually makes me look like a better sewer than I really am. She was purchased from Aldi, for the bargain price of $199. No, that’s not a typo.

This (below) is the trusty Brother machine that I am currently using. She doesn’t have a name because technically she isn’t mine. She is on loan from my mum, but I hope to save up and get my own one day. Maybe Santa will bring me one. But until then, the loaner is performing just fine.

Before I got the overlocker, I had never used one before, so I decided to practice on a few projects that were really simple (basically just straight lines). This first one is just a runner or cover for the coffee table. The fabric is from Ikea by the way. And yes, that is my morning coffee on the table.

Then I made some runners for our dressing tables in the bedroom (below). There is more to this story, but that’s another blog post. For now, just say “ah yes, I see.” Excellent. Moving on.

So here are my 2 workers (below), side by side on my sewing table. Oh, and the absolutely best thing about Olga so far? Not only did she arrive fully threaded, but to rethread her all I have to do is tie the end of the new spool to the end of the old one, and keep sewing – she rethreads herself! (For anyone out there that knows how difficult and annoying it is to rethread an overlocker, with 4 spools, you will understand my excitement. Everyone else is just thinking “so?”. Trust me, it’s a big deal). Not sure if you can do this special threading trick with all overlockers. I do feel blessed though.

I hope to log many more sewing miles with Olga.

We think this little guy is so sweet.

He has the most bite-able cheeks, and chubby little thighs, and tiny little toes. He gives really good cuddles – really leans into you and holds on tight. We’re teaching him to give eskimo kisses.

He thinks it’s hilarious when I bite his chin. And when his dadda walks in the room.

He snorts when he laughs. And talks in his sleep. He’s ticklish under the arms. He loves to bite balloons. And he gets sooooo excited over yoghurt.

He appears to be endlessly fascinated with everything, and can be very serious as he contemplates the world around him, taking it all in. And then he’ll go for days on end where life is just so good that he can’t stop smiling.

I know every parent is biased, but I seriously think he is the cutest baby ever. He is the Widg.

Well, the weather has been getting cooler, I’ve even worn a cardi on more than one occasion in the last week or so. And it’s April. I guess that means that summer is over.

While we are sure to still have a few more warm days ahead before the cold sets in, there will be fewer opportunities for leisurely outdoor time. Like this:

(from Lonny Mag)

I know, our garden doesn’t actually look anything like this. But, well, pretty!

(from Lonny Mag)

Doesn’t this just make you want to make a cup of tea in a pretty cup and take it outside?

(from Apartment Therapy)

It at least makes me want to throw a table cloth on the outdoor table and hang some lanterns or streamers from the deck roof. Maybe put some flowers in a vase. Perhaps we should make an effort to have one more outdoor meal while the weather’s still warm.

But don’t be dismayed. Winter brings it’s own joys. Cosy blankets, scarves, socks, flannelette pyjamas. Yummy soup and crusty bread. Open fires. And I can start wearing my boots again. There’s always a silver lining.

We have 2 Lack shelves at the Box, and we have made very good use of them over the years. We started out with one above the TV in the old lounge room upstairs (before the reno) that housed our small-but-rapidly-growing DVD collection. When said DVD collection grew bigger than the shelf, we bought another one and mounted it above the first one. It was a great look, and I had the DVD’s alphabetised and everything. Very cool.

(from Ikea)

Then we renovated the house and relocated the lounge room downstairs. We again mounted the 2 Lack’s above the TV on the new wall with their accompanying DVD’s. It worked fine until the DVD’s outgrew the 2 shelves. We thought it would be a bit ridiculous to buy a 3rd shelf (and mounting it above the top one would mean they would be too high for me to reach). So we brainstormed storage ideas. I measured up the Malm 6 drawer chest and worked out that it would easily house our burgeoning DVD collection and allow room for plenty of growth (see more about that tale here). DVD storage problem solved.

Then I decided I wanted a landing strip (see more about that fascinating tale here). And I realised that a Lack shelf would be the perfect solution. So the lovely husband made it happen. We moved one of the Lack’s around the corner to the front entryway, and left the other one above the TV to be a display shelf.

So now I have a lovely spot for bits and pieces like vases, pretty books and my ever-present stack of magazines (not sure where this came from, but I have them all over the house).

And because it’s above the TV, it’s in the perfect spot for sitting on the couch and staring at my pretties during ad breaks of Gilmore Girls.

So we’ve had some fairly windy rainy weather of late. And we live in a pretty tree’d area. So it was no surprise when a large branch broke off one of our ghost gums. What was surprising was that it happened at around midnight, with a loud crash, just as we were falling asleep. And that it was roughly 10 metres long.

And that it fell precisely between our 2 parked cars, missing them both by only a few inches. And that the Widg slept through the whole thing.

Bless the boy.

Anyone who has been to the Box has probably seen the large section of hallway we have upstairs. It’s a remnant of our hodge podge reno.

You see, when we turned our kitchen/living/dining room into the master bedroom, there was this section of room leftover that became (by default really) a very wide hallway between the 3 bedrooms and bathroom. This hallway is so wide that I can have my clothes airers set up, and there is still enough width to walk past without touching them.

The hallway currently has 2 very old and dodgy white cupboards (old wardrobes that were left here when we moved in) that are being used for storage, and a couple of airers (I don’t have an outside clothes line). We don’t have any proper storage at the Box – no linen cupboards, no where to store sheets and towels, or any other random belongings that most houses have. Hence the suitcases, old computer and baby bath sitting on top of the wardrobes. (Side note: where do people store their suitcases anyway? Does everyone have some giant secret cupboard to hold all their luggage?)

So our next indoor project for the Box will probably be to find a more permanent solution to storage and use of the hallway upstairs. We will most likely keep a large section of the hallway free for the airers. It’s just too convenient to be able to hang out several loads of washing indoors, and that particular area of the house seems almost purpose built for it – the way we have positioned the louvered windows and the air flow through the bedrooms means that washing dries incredibly fast, even on the most rainy or humid day.

But we really need to ditch the old white cupboards – they really are falling apart, and they aren’t a very functional type of storage (they only have hanging space and one shelf). What we really want and need are either a built-in system, or a few nice sets of chests of drawers. We discussed the built-in option, but I really don’t like the look of something all crammed in from floor to ceiling, like a kitchen up there. So we have decided to go with some chests of drawers, but only as a test.

However this could cost a bit, especially if we decide we don’t like it or it doesn’t work. Ideally, I would love to use these Hemnes ones from Ikea:

But I’m not sure they sell them in white anymore, and they are a bit pricey. So instead we have decided to go with these Rast ones, which are only $50:

I actually think they’re quite ugly, but then I saw this over on Aubrey + Lindsay’s blog:

And this one too:

(from Armelle)

And it got me thinking: paint them a nice glossy white, change the handles, and they might scrub up ok. So I have permission from the husband to buy one to start with, paint it white and see how it looks. I’ll let you know.

Now, I realise that you might be thinking “Why would you store your linens and towels in drawers? Surely a cupboard with shelves would be better?” Well, maybe. But surely drawers are essentially the same as shelves, they just have a front on them. As long as I fold them very neatly (which I already do anyway) they should (in theory) fit in drawers just fine. I’m going to give it a go, and I’ll take photos and let you judge for yourselves. Oh, and I have no idea where the suitcases are going to go. At the moment, I’m hoping a genius solution will present itself out of thin air. I’m nothing if not hopeful.

Now, please bear in mind that this whole idea may only be short-to-medium term. We have thought about turning the upstairs hallway into some kind of “room” – like a study nook if we ever needed the 3rd bedroom to actually be a bedroom. We could fit a built-in desk under the window. And with a view like this, why wouldn’t you?

Although, might not get much work done that way. Maybe it’ll be more of a “daydreaming nook”. We’ll see.

Apologies for lack of blogging lately folks. Life has just been busy. But don’t despair! There are plenty of new projects in the works, both sewing and gardening, as well as some idea-generating for the interior of the house (just waiting to win the lottery so that we can put those ideas into action).

In the meantime, here is a pic of the lovely vase and candle my husband got for me for Christmas. Every time I walk past I can smell sweet vanilla!

In the background you can see the terracotta warrior that the inlaws brought back from China for us, as well as some beautiful storm photo’s that the husband took ages ago.

I hope life outside the box is going swimmingly for you!

I received these lovely mugs for Christmas (thanks Harris’s) and I absolutely love them.

Essentially, they are just mugs, like any other. Granted, they are pretty, and when stacked they make a geisha doll. Adorable, no?

But there is something so satisfying about drinking my morning and evening cups of tea from them. They are so cheerful, I actually think they make the tea taste better. Well, they must be good- the husband has even taken to using them!

On another note, I am going to Ikea tomorrow, where I will scope out the fabrics – they are ridiculously cheap and very cool. Exhibit A:

(from Ikea)

Exhibit B:

(from Ikea)

And these ones:

(from Ikea)

(from Ikea)

I am very excited (so is the Widg) – I will be dreaming about new sewing projects all night!

I made pants! Cute little baby pants for the little man.

I am getting quite good at this sewing thing. Well, to my standards anyway. It’s very exciting. Every time I make something new, and it actually works out, I do a little happy dance, show the finished item to the husband and say “Look what I just made!” like a giddy little kid. Pathetic, I know. But I really am quite pleased with my efforts.

I have been scouring the net looking for patterns (there are heaps of free ones out there. This one is the best.) Then I used some of the Widg’s store-bought pants to check for size and shape, and drew up my own pattern. I made a few test pieces out of an old pillow case, tried them on him and made a few adjustments from there. And I have found the cutest little fabrics for kiddies at Spotlight. And this is the end result!

They are a little big on the Widg, but he will grow into them before I can say “cute butt”.

I love that I can make as many as I like (they only take about half an hour each, now that I’ve got the hang of it). They are really cheap to make (depending on the fabric you buy of course) and I can adjust them to fit with his cloth nappies, which is great. Plus I can easily adjust the pattern to make them bigger as he grows.

Now that I know I can make these, I might venture into something a little more complicated.

I don’t actually need any sympathy. It was just a good title. Anyhoo, I have been a busy little sewing bee. I have been mug-rugging up a storm. Ok, enough with the twaddle. My point is, I have made a few more mug rugs.

I am pleased to report that my skills are improving slightly with each new one I make.

Although I am still not going to call myself “good” at it yet. I would say “competent at best”.

However I am thoroughly enjoying the process. Lots of fun is being had. I have been using that new-fangled thing that is the interweb to find tutorials on binding and the like (here and here).

And the husband is so supportive (he indulges me) that he asked me to make some for him too. Very sweet.

Now it’s time to take a break from mug-rugging to get to a few new projects (ssshhh, it’s a surprise. I’ll tell you later). But I do have plans to make some more mug rugs for specific people as gifts (nope, not telling).