Trash Dip By request

By special request...


1 ripe avocado
1 container of sour cream (full cream is best)
1 tin of kidney beans (drained silly)
1 packet of low salt taco seasoning
1 tin peeled tomatoes
1 roughly chopped brown onion
2 crushed or chopped garlic clove
fresh lemon juice
salt, pepper
2-3 shallots sliced
grated cheese
1 ripe tomato, diced

• Fry the onion in some olive oil till soft. Add the garlic, cook for a minute or so. Add the beans and then a quater of the taco seasoning, peeled toms and a splash of water. Stir it together, bring to the boil and then turn down and simmer for a bit. Till it cooks down a bit is good. Once cooked, set aside to cool.
• While the beans are cooking make a quacamole. Mash your avocado with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper and a little bit of fresh garlic. Mix it all together good. If you want to make it go a bit further add a spoon of sour cream.
• Now make your sour cream layer. Mix the carton of sourcream with about half of the remaining taco seasoning. Taste it, and add some more if it doesn't tast flavourful enough (did I just make a word up??).
• Now, it's a good idea to set put everything in the fridge to cool/re set before you layer the trash dip, but if you have no time at the very least make sure the beans are cold first.
• Use a plate or a platter...whatever you like. I like that square black dish in the photo above but I've used a regular dinner plate before, no hassle and Mum used to use a rectangular glass baking dish.
• Spread the beans across the bottom of the dish. Now spoon big spoonfuls of the guacamole on top and gently spread it to kind of cover the beans. Now spoon and pour the sourcream layer over the top and gentley spread it to cover the guacamole layer. Easy peasy.
• Now sprinkle grated cheese, diced tomato then the shallots over the top and if you feel like it some chopped continental parsley.
  
• YUM! Serve with corn chips or water crackers.
• Double yum!
  

Oh how I have struggled against the craft oppressors!

Ok, so the only oppressor of my crafting is me but Meena has to take some credit for my lack of crafting this week.

I had a FABO time in Melbourne. Sadie and Lance is too kind, I was WAY spoilt and had a great couple of days. LURVE Melbourne, it helped that I had great people to hang with and the weather was really mild, so I was one lucky little visitor.

But what has happened since then? Well not much, I have been getting limited sleep thanks to my little furry, four legged friend. Princess Meena was a little ticked that she was "abandoned" (those were her words, I deny everything) so I was greeted with a hairball vomit bomb when I got home on Monday night. And then there have been the 5am wakeups, one with another hairball vomit bomb. If you have a cat, or have seen Shrek, you know the delightful sound effects associated that go with this. Last night, for the first time in I think ever, I had to kick Princess Meena out of my bedroom and close the door to get a full nights sleep. But inspite of it all I love her to bits and would'nt trade her for anything!!

So Back to craft. I finished a beanie before I went to Melb and a matching scarf while I was there. See photographic evidence below.


I also now have even more wool for other projects, including some Marta's yarns yarn for fingerless gloves for myself. And because of OCC's fearless crafting, I am going to attempt a pattern for them that has cables in it!!

So this weekend is a quiet one, I plan to get stuck in to my pirate jumper. That will be a first for me, only one project at a time!!!

Ciao for now Shazmina

She's Crafty

Ack Focaccia get out of my face. Right now I am tyring to type this and my arms are at weird angles because Focaccia has developed a bad habit of jumping up on the desk and sending me signals that I am neglectful or maybe that she wants to become a blogger whatever signals she's sending I can't quite figure it out but her arse is resting sweetly on the space bar right now, see:



Anyway I had a really nice weekend with Shazmina Bendi, she spoiled me rotten. She thinks I spoiled her by taking her to craft shops but what she doesn't realise is that it was ME who was spoilt by having a partner in crime for a craft shopping extravaganza.

We played with fabric and yarn and more yarn, plus some clothes shops, shanghai dumplings and other non craft activities in between. And she got to hang tuff with Marta of Marta's yarns and play with yarn colours. What a weekend, we even introduced her to the meaning of being Victorian, AFL footy!

We capped our Saturday arvo craft tour special with a trip round the Chappel St Bazaar where we visited the antique lace lady - remember her Kel, you bought some needles off her last yr. Well she was in fine form this weekend, cranky as all get out. Shazmina was only allowed to look - not touch the knitting needles she wanted to buy and I was scolded for taking some vintage pattern pieces out to look and see if they were actually all there before I bought them. It was all a laugh really, she's kinda crazy.

We found all sorts of cool things in there (not crazy lady's stand but the bazaar in general) including a collection of vintage mini sewing machines


And I found a roll of snoopy ribbon!!!


And Kel, look I found your welcome home pressie - a coral table lamp, isn't it beautiful?

Must be the rage cause I spotted about 4 on different stalls.

So in summary Shazmina and I built on the choose your own craft adventure that Kel and I started last year. You guys should all come and visit and try it out it's seriously fun and you get to see priceless collectables like coral table lamps.

Great, Caccie's now removed her arse from the keyboard and relocated to the basket of un-ironed new fabric I bought all those weeks ago. Serves me right for not taking all ur ironing advice I spose.

Welcome Katie Mac!

Welcome Katie Mac! I'm so glad you have joined us. I hope we can get regular cutie pics, even though I am going to post the first one of gorgeous Eliza!

Here's a very SnB picture - Eliza, the reason why Katie isn't stitching and apparently the reason we are all stitching because she is modelling the cardi I made and the pants and booties Sadie and Lance made (PS Sadie and Lance - great choice of colour!).

On to a bit more craft news from me. I 'finished' my sister's scarf. 'Finished' because I still have to iron it and sew the tails in... I got distracted because I had enough wool left over to make her a matching beanie. So last night I put my headband on to ensure my craft mojo would be flowing and took on two new skills - circular needles and cables. With great success so far!

I need to ready myself for new skill number 3 - double points - to finish it off, but I have bought point protectors to stop my stitches falling off (my great fear). I'll post the finished product when I finish (when - optimism is the key!)

Gifted

Remember this from the great cardigan explosion? It got me temporarily kicked out of the AADC, but it was worth it for this:
Meet Frances. Isn't she lovely? Her mum says she gets lots of attention when she wears this (I think she'd get lots of attention anyway ;-). I'm just glad it appears to fit her. I'm going to recruit her mum to our next SnB. When her big brother came along her mum started knitting and apparently I thought it was amusing. I won't believe it!
...but my how things change.

In the name of Progress

What an entertaining day! You guys crack me up.

I have totally abandoned Fruit Tingles lately (don't tell anyone on Sadieandlance I have a Fruit Tingles cheer squad over there!). Anyway, this wool was calling to me, it's true wool can really do that. I couldn't ignore it any longer the damned thing kept squealing, so I picked it up and got started, this is my mobile project (remember) and it has been on numerous tram and train trips and also even a good stint on the Hume Hwy from Sydney to Port Macquarie and back! It's a well travelled garment this one.



Um the pink and white Mr Friendly things are pins keeping the photo shot in order and professional (ha). I haven't ironed it so it was curling in and would have looked like a pile of knitted nothing, hence the pinning - not fancy pants buttons or anything.

One and a half sleeves to go before I need to pluck up some courage for sewing together. Uggh yuck when will they invent a machine to do that?

ADC in full swing

Shazmina will be very proud of me. My ADC is in full swing now. I am a convert!

Current projects completed = 1. Another Japanese brooch...

Projects not completed = many...

First, the scarf for my sister's birthday. I was actually making great time on this, but then I ran out of wool. I have ordered another ball so while I am waiting...

Project 2 = frilly scarf for me. Current staus = 7 rows. I think it is just trying to do the same project twice in a row. I love the wool, but to get excited about this pattern...


Project 3 = booties for newly pregnant friend at work. Sorry, no picture. I am about to start these when I meet Shazmina. So on to...

Project 4 = button and ribbon brooches. Again, I was doing ok until I couldn't fit all the ribbons through the button holes and had to come up with a way to attach them. So, in a brain wave, and Shazmina finds this hilarious, I asked Rich to help me because he knows lots of fishing knots. He looked at it last night and thought of an entirely different (and better) way of doing it. Good news for my crafting - no signs of trauma, rather definate interest showed (note, should I be concerned that he proved himself better than me at my own craft project? He figured out how to read a knitting pattern one night too...)


So ladies, I hope this proves my AADC membership is worthy and that I am fully embracing the group's vision.

Where did this come from?

Hi People,
Did anyone send me this?

I walked out the front door this morning and it was sitting there, and I have no idea where it came from (and it's not like my head didn't hurt already). It's from Woolshop Direct in Melbourne, and someone paid for it! I actually don't have a dog, so i'm really confused...

Update for the Ladeez

Kel - Van She played Kelly. I had a tear in my eye (the watery-eye kind, not the ripped-skin kind). Was thinking of you.
Bee - I wish I did wear your bra (and mine) to throw. She's Hot Hot Hot. But not like the song.
I miss you both so much. Lots of love XXXX Am going to bed to sleep off the booze.

What could it be?

What could it be?

Patterns!
(She may not look it, but Zeusey was very excited!)

I ordered these from sewingpatterns.com last weekend, so I wasn't expecting them for a while yet. I had to order them online becasue they don't stock these particular patterns in Australia (yet?). The dress on the bottom left is that pattern I want to use for my dress for Vana's wedding, but with the neckline of the dress at the top (but without the sleeves). The wrap dress pattern (bottom right) is just because I like it. Hmmmm...suspect a pattern addiction is taking over from where ebay left off!

We're going to see The Yeah Yeah Yeah's tonight*, remember I was telling you Van She are supporting them? Anyway, i've got an extra bra on to throw at Karen O for you Bee ;-). It got me thinking about who I would actually throw my bra at...PJ Harvey perhaps? Although her songs aren't really conducive to bra throwing, unless she broke in to a cover of 'What's new pussycat'...which would actually be quite odd. There's actually an automatic connection in my brain between Live Gigs/Boobs/Kel - remember when you got Lior to sign your boob Kel? He was so embarassed! And you said you were never going to wash it again. Or maybe I made that part up (OCC, did she say that?). Better go, talk later. XXX

*Going out on a school night, I know! I'm such a rebel.

P.S. I've got verbal agreement for a day off work in August to come and visit you Melbourne ladies. Will talk to you about it soon to lock in a date. Clapotis here I come!

First born skirt

I am still unable to locate my craft mojo. In the meantime, I made a skirt. It's a simple wrap skirt that only took a couple of hours to make, and I got to use my binder foot. Joy! This is some of the fabric that I was gifted a little while back, lovely batic-ey cotton. This is in turn being gifted to a very special friend, I hope she likes it!

I heart Sadie and Lance!

My slow postie finally delivered my gorgeous surprise from Sadie and Lance. I heart the material almost as much as I heart Sadie and Lance! Will get a pic of me wearing it on the weekend.

In my craft related news... I have got halfway in the Creative Knitting frilly scarf which I am going to give to my sister for her birthday. It will be my weekend project since my Jo Sharp wool has arrived for knitting project number 2.

I still haven't managed to start my button and ribbon brooches, but I did manage to do another Japanese craft necklace.

And I'm looking forward to our August craft under the doona day because I have been playing with my Japanese material and know what I want to do with some of it (and I think I want to make a headband out if it now I see how great they are).

Aren't you proud of me Shazmina. My ADC is beginning to take flight, and I owe it all to you!

Oh My!

As I have mentioned previously, I am the "go to" girl in my office. So imagine my suprise when I am sorting the mail and see that I have a letter from Sadie and Lance. I thought it might have been some adittional instructions for my upcoming trip to Melbourne (which is in 7 & 3/4 days). Imagine my SUPRISE when I opened and saw this!

I heart headbands and I especially heart Sadie and Lance. She just helped make a very ordinary day special (along with the chocolate Choc chip muffin I just ate!).

Shazmina

SURPRISE!

Pretty 4 Melbourne

So, I realised yesterday that I have never knitted a scarf for myself, how weird is that? So I am in the process of knitting one AND a matching Beanie to wear in Melbourne.
This is some of the wool I bought from the craft show, I had to order more and FINALLY it should arrive by the end of the week (fingers crossed!).

What do you think??

Yum!

CRS or Cake Related Surprise as it has become known around here...

some support please people!

OK, this is a bit embarrassing. I've lost my mojo. Gone, gone gone. I appear to have exhausted my supply of 'finisher completer' juice, and have emerged in all my attention deficient crafter glory.

These overalls have been like this for 2 weeks. 2 weeks people! What's wrong with me? All I have to do here is stitch around the top of the back piece, add some buttons and then sew up the leg seams. A nights work, if that. But I just can't get it together! And I love these overalls. They're my suffragette overalls! What's not to like about suffragette overalls! There's more unfinished business, but I feel like we've been there already.
Oh how I long for the days of the this and this and this - but good things never last.
BTW, I was planning on making this dress (you may have to click on the tab to see it properly) with the fabric in the background here - your thoughts?

Where is Shazmina?

Ok, I didnt realise that this shirt was the same as Where's Wally until one of the mailroom boys pointed it out. May have to rethink wearing red stripes to work...... or not! :)

I think I have been given a hint to update my own blog (you know who you are!!). I promise that I tried last night, as I have an unveiling of sorts, to present to my fellow AADCers. Unfortunately it was taking so long to upload photos, and Desperate Housewives was about to start, that I gave up! I will however, perservere tonite, particularly as it is a slow TV watching night! :)

News from Shazmina, It is 1 &1/2 hours until I meet OCC for knitting and coffee, It is 10 & 1/2 days until I go to Melbourne to visit Sadie and Lance!!! AND It is 9 & 1/2 days until I go to Speed Dating. FINALLY, It is 10 minutes until I lose the plot and go nuts!

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee Shazmina

Anyone interested in a skirt swap?

Hi, Anyone want to play swapsies with me? I want to have a crack at this pattern. Or here's the obligatory photo.

I hope i'm not contravening any copyright thingo....I made up with my sewing machine. I think she needs a name so people don't think i'm entirely insane...hang on, i'm not sure that works...

Back

The camera is back baby, new batteries and some photos to show off.

But it's late so I'll keep it short.

Some new slippers for Sissy:


And a special work in progress - this is no ADC project this one, I have been quite productive today thanks. Never fear my 14, 652 other projects are still on the boil, yee ole faithful am I.

fighting

My sewing machine and I had an argument. She started it! She wouldn't do what I told her to. Anyway, I had to buy these as consolation.

The crap cupboard

Don't you love it when you find stuff you forgot you had? It's like it's Christmas! I came home earlier this week and MrBrownPants had decided that he was going to clean out 'the crap cupboard' (I presume this isn't a pehnomenon exclusive to our house). In between pulling out bags and bags of clothes (horder! moi!) he found a brown box full of things wrapped in newspaper. As we unwrapped them i realised we had definitely 'misfiled' it when it entered the murky depths of 'the crap cupboard'. For i found this:

And then this:

And my personal favourite, this

As soon as I saw them I remembered them being in the cupboard at home while I was growing up (my mother, a horder! No!) I must have inherited them when they cleared out and sold the old family home and became grey nomads. Clearly I wasn't paying much attention at the time. It was a lovely little surprise though.

Under the Doona Day!

The first of hopefully many "Under the Doona Day's" will happen in August (as early as possible!). This is a craft/watching dvd's under the doona fesitval, location TBA. Due to the sneakieness of this project, I thought it best to communicate via blog. Lucky for Brown Pants she can actually take the day off legitimately (Damn her!), but as for OCC and myself, a little subterfuge is called for. Submissions for creative excuses will be welcome!

So ladies, is there a date we have in mind? How much notice does Brown Pants need to give her boss? Where should we hold the meeting? And should we have a theme?

I thought I would include a pic of the colour combo that I am going to use to make a lap blankie for myself. I am thinking Bulky Cascade yarn on 10 - 12 mm needles. It is one of the many projects I have planned for sometime in the future!! :)

Yours in devious crafting, Shazmina

Lost

my rechargable camera batteries, lost lost lost lost. And I am embarrassed to admit I am actually fretting a little. Not cause I am actually concerned about losing the batteries so much - I can just buy some more, but cause I can't take blog photos. Gawsh (thanks Napoleon Dynomite), I feel like a Desperado ('Tina, come get some ham' - sorry couldn't resist putting that in while we're talkin Napoleon).

Anyway so I am embrassing the text only post.

It's a spectacular story involving what I think is me somehow managing to loose the batteries from the camera AND the replacement batteries all at once in the cab on the way to the airport. Of course I could have just left them lying around the house somewhere too but I am destined not to find out until I buy some replacements cause that's always how it goes. ('I caught some some delicious sea bass'...ND again tee hee)

I'll tell you about the things I wanted to photograph and post first:

- Al's needle roll - a true testimony to my status as an AADC founding member. Al's, it's trimmed of all threads (I hope, I was doing it by lamp light infront of All Saints, so good luck with that), ironed and wrapped. NExt step is making it get to the post office. Good luck to me with that.

- I converted a new knitter at work...well lets say reformed, she fell off the wagon for a bit but she's back on. That's 2 new work knitters and 2 more people for me to yab to about craft at work, congratulations Sadieandlance. Anyway I digress, I sewed her a pink ginham knitting bag on the weekend. Shazmina I handled the pink fabric and I came away unscathed, sadly no photographic evidence.

- Sister Sadieandlance's slippers are almost finito. Maybe I'll get my act together to buy batteries by the time I finsh those?

- I got a package from Applehead and I can't fulfill my promise to take photos and blog about it yet. And I should cause not only is it a shit hot package, but it cost 10 bucks to send. I feel bad. But you should all go check her blog and see if she's got anymore offerings - it's worth it. PLus she has a nice blog and cute kids so even if you don't win a prize the trip will be worth it.

OK, I think I'm yabbering. I'm gonna take a chance and not even re-read this post before I go to bed. It will be funny to see if it makes any sense in the morning. Hell if it's crappy enough ,aybe someone will gift me some replacement batteries so I can get back to posts with photos and less gabbing.

PS I think my bermuda triangle is back (last seen in action in the mid-90s)...my CD walkman is missing (since we went to Athens, whoops almost 2 yrs ago!) and my Stephanie Alexander cookbook bibley thing. Lost indeed.

PPS Sorry about the ND quotes, but go see him dance here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixsZy2425eY. You know you love it.

PPSS I promise to behave next post.

Dishpan Hands? Try this!

I am halfway through knitting a discloth, so I thought I would post a pic. I am trying to decide if I would use it on my face or straight to the dishes with it (insert cracking whip sound here). I have used 2 strands of 4 ply crochet cotton which gives it some strength, and the Knit stitch gives it some texture so it will probably be good for exfoliating face or scrubbing dishes! AND it is environmentally friendly as you can wash it, bleach it and re use! Kind of nifty isn't it!! Things to note about this project:

• I am using needles given to me by Ms Mandie, they are Tasmanian oak and very cute!
• Needle point protectors. My second regular thing is having to undo projects that have slipped off my needles! They are made by Clover and I luuurve them, but not as much as Brown Pants luuurves her binder foot!! :)
• My coffee cup. I still luuurve it, probably as much as Brown Pants luuurves the binder foot!! :)

Toodles! Shazmina

I am an AADC Hero!!

How is this for AADC? I am about to start on yet another project! Yes I know , I am a guru among the AADC community. I found a pattern for a knitted dishcloth, so I am going to have a crack at knitting one. They are supposed to be way better than scourers and palstic type dishcloths, so it will officially be an environmentally friendly knitting project! :)

I must also mention Brown Pants Binder foot. She is in Lurve with it, I mean sheis in serious craft heaven with it and spent much of the afternoon at Mr Brown Pants rugby game talking about it! Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but she did tell a slightly uninterested rugby boy about it. More power to him that he feigned interest, but probably spent the next day thinking "what the $%@! is a binder foot??". This is why I heart Brown Pants and her soopa doopa binder foot!!

Here is a quick update of the pirate jumper project. I better get a wriggle on if I want to wear it in Melb, otherwise it will become another testament to my craft ADD!!



ciao for now!

my new best friend

Is my binder foot. I heart my binder foot. No more 'adult language' coming from me when bias binding is mentioned! Now i'm actually trying to invent ways to add bias binding to things. I couldn't get a clear picture of it in action, but you just feed through the binding and run the material along the edge and it sews it all together. Done. It makes these things damn easy too.

If anyone wants one of these completed Kimono's let me know and it's yours. They're beginner sewing, but they should be good for at least one wear (hopefully they won't fall apart when you wash them!)