Monday, July 30, 2012

Home again...

Helloooo...
Yes, I am still alive. I've been away from this little space more than I like lately - but sometimes that's just how it goes. Last week we got a message to say that our friends (one of whom grew up with hubby) were visiting "home" for a few days, as his mum was really sick. Then a day later we got news that she had passed away, so we made a quick decision to drop everything and go up to Port for the funeral to support them, and then stay for the weekend. Aside from the sad part of it, it was actually wonderful to spend time with these people who really fit the description that "Friends are the family that you choose for yourself".


We did find a little spot of time before we headed back to the "big smoke" to head to the beach... the one above is a little ways from where we were - but I didn't take my camera with me the day we wandered down there for half an hour or so. The sun was gorgeous, but the wind really bit! Baby starfish spent most of his time in the sling, so he stayed out of the wind for the most part. The boys and hubby made dribble castles in the sand. I'm still kicking myself for not taking the camera with us!

There was yarn involved too - lots and lots of it - in every imaginable colour... but more on that later!
I hope you were able to spend the weekend with people you love too...


S xxx

I'd also like to say a big WELCOME to all the new people that are following along on GFC. It's great to have you along for the journey.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Impromptu Vase

What do you do when you want to give a bunch of flowers, but didn't buy one at the florists and you really want to give them in one?...

Why re purpose something of course!


A little while ago I gave some flowers to my neighbours (these would have to be the most awesome neighbours - they literally saved the day when my washing machine blew up 1/2 way through a cycle by letting me drop my washing to them over the fence and finished it off for me. They then let me use their machine for nearly 2 WEEKS while my new one was on back order!), but being that the florist didn't have any vases the right size - and since I was heavily pregnant at the time - wandering around with a toddler, a pre-schooler and shopping trolley looking for one wasn't my idea of fun, so when I got home I started looking through my stash of jars to see if I had anything suitable. Here is what I came up with.


Just an olive jar. 


I had already taken the lable off, so all I did was add some ribbon and twine with some lampshade glue (once again, you COULD use a hot glue gun, but I was lazy and didn't want to go hunting through my husband's "cave" to find it). It was that easy! :)


How do you give flowers?

S xxx

P.S. Playing here if you care to join me.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Little Hanger #2

Ok, well I confess that this is actually the first one that I covered (the second one I showed you here), and I made it for Baby Starfish (although it's a little big for his clothes yet). I just used US single crochet and a variegated yarn.




Hanger by me.
Knitted apple rattle by Penny Scallon

Hunting for the perfect camera bag?

It's been forever since I have posted about someone else's giveaway, but in this case, I thought it would be rude of me not to share it.

Nikki over at Chef in Training is running a giveaway for this fab camera bag.


Go and have a look. On second thoughts, don't. 'Cause I want to win it!

Friday, July 6, 2012

A Quick Healthy Snack

OK, so generally when I'm looking for a quick healthy snack for the boys or myself I grab a piece of fruit or a hand full of nuts ( the little peeps have a thing for cashews at the moment), but the other day I stumbled upon  a recipe for no bake energy balls, so I thought this afternoon that I would give them a try.


I suspect that there might be some difference in measurement between US measuring implements and Aussie ones, because mine turned out a whole lot lighter, and seemed to be not quite right. Of course, it could just be the cook in my kitchen! ;) I HAVE been inspired to try again though with different ingredients. One of these days...


Hope you have a wonderful weekend planned - mine is shaping up to have paracetamol, tissues and the 3 little peeps tucked up in their beds. I guess I should get to bed before another volley of taking temps, doling out medicine and wiping noses starts again. Looking forward to catching up with what everyone else has been up to soon!!!


S xxx

Monday, July 2, 2012

Guest Post with Design, Dining + Diapers!

Well hello there! Are you up for a treat this morning?  Today I'm lucky enough to have Taryn from Design, Dining + Diapers sharing my space. I found her blog a few months ago, and have not been dissappointed by the things she shares. This is one creative lady you don't want to miss out on! Without further ado...

Hi everyone! I'm happy to be visiting Seaweed and Raine today as Sheree welcomes her new little one into this world! What a special time!
In case we haven't met yet, I'm Taryn from Design, Dining + Diapers! I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, 15 month old baby girl and our spunky Golden Retriever. When I'm not busy being a mom or part-time freelancer, you can find me blogging about DIY home decor, crafts, sewing projects, and allergy friendly foods!
Today, I'm sharing with you a simple yet sophisticated necklace I made for a crafting contest I was a part of! The challenge was to create something using beads and I came up with this fun summer necklace.
Fabric Flower and Beaded Necklace
I used to make a lot of beaded jewelry when I was in high school but it hasn't been something that I've worked with in recent years. While brainstorming for this challenge I remembered that I used to have a HUGE bead collection and since my mom doesn't throw anything out I had a feeling that my collection may still be at my parent's house. Oh you better believe that whole thing was still there in the same bin! Bingo! Naturally, a lot of the beads weren't really my style anymore... thankfully. I mean, I'm glad my style has changed a bit since I was 15. But I did find a lot of goodies in there and I just added a ton of beads to my craft supply for free (love finding old things!).
Fabric Flower and Beaded Necklace
I was originally planning to do a home decor project using beads, but I wanted to keep costs down to a minimum so I forced myself to use the beads from the bin (Like I said, I love a challenge and love being frugal). I found this beautiful piece of fabric that was left over from Baby E's nursery and found some beads in the bin that complemented the vibrant accent colors. Who doesn't love some tangerine tango this year? But like all of my projects, they tend to evolve through the creative process and I ended up using more cool colors for this project.
Fabric Flower and Beaded Necklace
I was searching for inspiration for fabric flowers and saw these from Little Miss Momma. Loved them. I used the fabric to make the three flowers and then paired it with ocean blue and gray beads. I love how it turned out and the bright colors are perfect for the summer months ahead. Can't wait!
Fabric Flower and Beaded NecklaceFabric Flower and Beaded Necklace
So there ya go, a simple project to add to your summer wardrobe! And if you use multicolored fabric it will go with a ton of different outfits :)
Here are a few other projects you can find on my blog:
To see more of my projects you can visit me on my blog, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest! Please come by and say hi, I love meeting new friends and I would love to see what you've been working on too!
A huge thank you to Sheree for having me here today!

So did you have fun? I actually want to make myself one of her necklaces for Summer (when it finally gets here... are there any other people in the southern hemisphere hanging out for summer too?) - I'll have to go through my stash and see what I've got. Thank you so much Taryn for stopping by and sharing your creative talents with us. 
And people, when you drop by her space, say 'Hi!' from me. Now I'm off to find a lemon, black current and honey drink!

S  xxx

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Coming up...

What a gorgeous day it is turning out to be! It was all overcast this morning, but now the sun is shining and I am feeling a wee bit better. I've been pushing a fever of 39+ degrees since Saturday morning early, so to have the aches and prickly feeling gone is bliss (just glad you can't hear how I sound!!!).

So anyway, I just wanted to pop in to share a little secret with you (Shhh!)
I have a little treat lined  up for you on Monday from


Want a sneek peek?

Thought so!


Have a great Sunday - and I'll see you tomorrow!

S xxx