Yesterday in Sydney

Yesterday Ruby Allan and I had another little trip in to the city,Christopher decided to stay home where it was nice a cool, smart kid ! it turned out to be a bit of a warm one but never the less this was going to be the very last day that we would get the chance to visit the gallery so off we went armed with camera and bottles of water .

skyscrapers in inner city Sydney

After getting off the train we had a couple of blocks to walk to get to the gallery so we look the short walk through Hyde park, I was surprise to see how close we were to the tower I guess I just assumed that all the iconic Sydney landmarks would be miles apart from each other but I was wrong I mean the art gallery,the museum, the botanical gardens and the tower are all walking distance from Hyde park

Center point Tower from Hyde park

NSW art gallery

Anyway the gallery was brilliant load of my favorite artist National and international are hung there i especially like seeing the John Brack paintings he has been a bit of fav. for a while and the Francis Bacon was interesting in the flesh .
I do think that next time we visit the gallery I would like to got kiddie free and I just didn't really get to spend the time I really needed to examine the work, I am one of those annoying people that get right up close to a work and check it all right out lol anyway to cut along story short Ruby was bored out of her mind and wanted to touch everything insight so we thought it best to get out before she cost us a mere million in damages to a painting of statue, Sigh!

Big impressive statue outside the Gallery

We did manage to have a really lovely lunch at the cafe at the gallery it was a bit expensive but the quality was top notch and the service was second to none so we were happy to sit down and enjoy after a bit of a walk in the heat, I have to recommend the spinach and fetta pie with salad it was delish!


Allan ruby in Hyde Park


After lunch and a bit of a rest , we set off back through Hyde parks in the direction of the train station and on the way we came by this guy making enormous bubbles in the middle of the park Ruby was amazed and seriously excited !



Ruby is a bit obsessed with blowing bubbles at the moment so when she saw this it really rocked her boat it was hard to drag her away from him she kept looking back gasping with delight lol

Typo

Why didn't anyone tell me about it fantastic shop, we discovered it last night while looking around Westfield shopping center in Hurstville
I could have blown all my money in this shop but I settled for this beautiful set of lanterns and a cute little flipclock I had one of these when I was a kid and couldn't resist buying this.Typo have stores all over Australia but unfortunately not in Tasmania, Surprise Surprise ! but the good news is the have and online store here at www.typoshop.com.au
The Typo store we visited had only opened that day and they were doing a roaring trade you couldn't move for all the people.

Yay we made it into Sydney today with the kids, we took the the train in from Rockdale into the centre of the city ad walked from there .
I was very humid and did seem as busy as i remember it being when I was 9 years old ,I guess everything seems alot bigger and busier when you are that age .

Ruby was very excited to be in a different place talking nonstop asking questions Christopher was just happy to be out and about doing something different.


Christopher and Eddie from Iron Maiden

I just had to take a photo of this person walking around the street advertising Utopia records

I was a bit of a metal fanatic when I was a teenager and this particular store was like the holy grail to me, being all the way down in Tasmania the really funny thing, is that I probably wouldn't have been able to find the shop if I had been looking but we were just wandering up this street and there it was I couldn't believe it so we went in for alook even though my music taste had changed dramatically since way back then, it was still great to finally be able to say I had been there.so anyway I wanted to get a photo of Christopher with this person dress up as Eddie ( any metal head worth their salt knows he is Iron maidens figure head for a lack of a better description) as Christopher has somewhat taken over from where I left off in regards to the love of metal

After a wonderful tip off from a Sydney friend we decided to go to the Queen Victoria building to see the enormous Christmas tree there, it was spectacular and is about 3 stories high
well worth going to have a look at, thanks Jen

Stunning Christmas tree at Queen Victoria Building in Central Sydney

We then headed down to Darling Harbor to the Aquarium which is just a 10 minute walk away from where we were Ruby and Christopher taking a break

Ruby Checking out the sharks

The enormous King Neptune built entirely out of Lego blocks, at the Sydney Aquarium

A picture made of lego blocks ,this was huge and covered a whole wall very impressive

When we got home Ruby helped me wrap a couple of Christmas gifts that we bought in the city for the family and Christopher built Lego that he bought from the Lego exhibition at Darling Harbor

Boy taking kids into the City is draining but it was worth it to see how happy the trip had made them and it gave us some time out as a family as we don't get to chance to do it very much
it was a good trip all in all .

Getting to know each other

I had to share these photos of the kids getting to know each other again Ruby met Rebecca when she was 2 and didn't remember her last trip to Sydney and Christopher hadn't yet met any of Allan's family so it was going to be interesting to see how they all got along.
I knew the boys would get along instantly but I wasn't sure about the girl but it turns out I didn't have anything to worry about they all hit it off beautifully

Our new baby

Our new baby

Isn't she the cutest little caravan you have ever seen, she is a circa 1950's Franklin 12 foot caravan.

I have wanted a caravan ever since I was a little girl but unfortunatley my mother hated any kind of camping and just mentioning the word caravan was enough to bring on facial contortions that would turn anyone off mentioning it ever again .

The other side

Yes the caravan needs a bit of a clear and a make over but I am totally in love already and I have got plans for pretty curtains and cushions to make her cosy for when we go off on our little holidays to anywhere we want :)

This is my daddio

Dad has been fantastic, he found our little beauty somewhere in east Devonport and just asked the owner if he wanted to sell it, bless my dad for being so forward lol and since buying it he has been doing little cosmetic jobs on the inside for us and throughly enjoying himself .

Ruby is in da caravan

Christmas Shopping with Dance in my garden

A couple of days ago I went to visit my lovely friend Luisa, she is the brains and the talent behind Dance in my garden, a wonderful home based business where Luisa makes beautiful, perfectly made bunting for any occasion as well at baby bib and washer packs and my favorite the play tepees .tepee made to order

With Christmas almost upon us I decided to pay Luisa a visit to buy one of her beautiful bunting for my cute little niece Isabella that lives in Queensland

this particular bunting is called carnivale, I think from memory and it will look so pretty in Bella bedroom and with the news that bella is going to be a big sister in the not too distant future I think it will be a great excuse to buy another of these beautiful bunting for bubba
no. 2

I also have my eye on a couple of other buntings to pretty up my new 1950's vintage caravan that I will be busy giving a make over to over the summer holiday
I have fallen in love with there 2 buntings and I can't make up my mind which a like best.

Love bunting

so I am thinking I might have to get both and just change them around when I feel like a bit of a change.

Vintage love bunting

And on a completely different note but kind of linked in as much as it is bought to furnish the caravan.

Have a look at this beautiful crochet blanket that I bought the other day on ebay, I have been scouring around etsy and ebay for month looking for something like this and it finally appeared so I just had to have it I think it will look lovely and give a cosy warm feel to our little holiday home .

Beautiful crochet creations

I really love crochet

There really are some seriously talented people out there making art out of crochet when I first saw there photos I couldn't believe that they were made out of recycled shopping bags that had been collected and made into plastic yawn to crochet with.

I recently found on one of my aimless blog searched an arists named Helle Jorgenson
she is the person responsible for all these amazingly beautiful works or art of which she exhibits and sells through galleries and her bigcartel store store


you can see more of her stunning and imaginative creations here at Gooseflesh blog
and you can check out her bigcartel store here

1000 more greetings & other publications in 2010

1000 more greetings - USA

What a lovely surprise to wake up to !
Checking my emails this morning and there was a message from Quayside Publishing in the USA to tell me that my work had been published in their new book 1000 more greeting
How exciting !!

Spoonful zine - Australia

This year has definitely been a good year for being in books for my little cottage business.
I have to just say that without etsy I would not have been found by any of these authors and publishing companies, so thanks etsy !

Handmade living- Australia


Reinventing Letterpress & The Little book of letterpress - UK & USA