we love melbourne

This last weekend (sorry took me ages to get around to post this) morgan and i headed to our favourite city in australia for a long weekend, Melbourne. It was a weekend packed full of lots of fun spent with many of our lovely friends.. this was our weekend.



we did lots of vintage shopping.. but didn't buy much.

we walked to the abbotsford convent after bumping into an old school mate of mine at a great cafe three bags full.

we went to the city and did the regular visit to the graffiti alleyway next to the forum.

we played with many friends

we ate many amazing meals

then played with more friends

we may have got a bargain at my favourite camberwell markets and brought a manjo

we visited the heidi gallery and had a lunch box from cafe vue

ohh yeah and we got tattoos..

what a great weekend. do you have any melbourne treats you can share?

-kim

i made: iced tea

So I don't drink alcohol, which can make things tricky when having people over for dinner. So instead of always drinking nasty soft drink I have dabbled in the arts of iced tea making.
I've narrowed it down to a few favourites. I have no links to recipes because all of them are from the top of my head, but I'll give it a go.

1. Sweet Apricot Tea
This one is nice and fruity, almost Caribbean. Just make 2 cups of black celylon tea (using about two/three tea bags per cup depending the cup size), pour into jug with a tray or two of ice. Then add 1 cup of cranberry juice (optional-you can use apple juice) and around 1 cup apricot nectar. Done!

2. White tea, Apple and Lime
Make 2 cups white tea(which is really healthy for you) and pour into jug with one tray of ice. once cooled pour one cup of apple juice over top with a whole sliced lime mixed through.

3. Green Tea and Lemonade
This is the easiest and by far our favourite. just make equal parts green tea (iced as previous recipes) and lemonade. Done. Super refreshing and it's nice to think that the healthy green tea outweighs the sugary lemonade.



These are great for warm weather and always go down a treat. If you have any tea in the cupboard, odds are you can make iced tea. Kim and I buy flavoured fruity teas, and if in doubt simply ice a nice tasting tea and you'll be on to something. Feel free to share any of your favourite homemade drinks.

I made 50 litres of homemade lemonade for Kim and my wedding which to this day is still the nicest drink I have ever made, it's just a shame I didn't keep track of what I made it with because I think I will never be able to replicate it.



-morgan-

make your own: wheat bag

I am going to do my first ever complete DIY post... and show you how you can make your own wheat bag.
This is really easy to make and the best thing to own. You can heat it up in the micro-wave or oven and put it on your achy body, or chuck it in the freeze for headaches and bumps.



When you have all the bits you need your ready to get started. Oh, and if your not sure where to get Wheat Grain, you will be sure to find some at a natural health food-store.

Step 1: You need to cut a two rectangles 40cm long and 15cm wide, and sew up the edges but leave one end open. This is to be the inside layer which holds the Wheat Grain.



Step 2: Next you need to fill it with the Wheat Grain, making sure you leave about 10cm at the top empty to give you room to sew it closed and let it mould to your body. Once its full you need to sew it shut and secure it.



Step 3: When you have finished the first bag, you need to make a second covering. This is worth doing as it means you can wash the cover when ever you want and you can make it look pretty. The second covering needs to be bigger than the first rectangle so the bag fits inside it.



Step 4: Then sew up the edges leaving one end free and fit the Wheat filled bag inside the covering. Once its inside, sew up the end and you have made your very own Wheat Bag. Tada!!!



I'm gonna try post somthing I made each week before the weekend, to bring you some inspiration to get crafty on the weekend. So, here it goes..
-kim

part-time

Recently I started working part-time in a little catholic op-shop/thrift store. I have had so much fun working along side such a diverse and funny workspace. from little old catholic ladies to rough as guts truck drivers. Working for a charity can be so rewarding not only for you personally but you may pick up a few things along the way. Here are a few things I have found over time.

We seem to be reliving our childhood and collecting 'the classics'
Op-shops get alot of 'scrap metal' when it looks like this i couldn't help but save it from the trash.
I have never owned one of these, it had no bowl but we have plenty around the house. Now kim has no excuse why we can't have fresh baked goodies everyday.
I picked these up today, they were in the junk pile but I really love them and they might come in handy in the future...

What girl doesn't want 1000 doilies? I can't wait to see what kim makes with these.
Who doesn't need more coat hangers and tupperware?
And lastly I have had to retrain myself from bringing home too much art seeing as we are running out of space, but the old ladies at the shop keep putting stuff aside for me.

The only problem is I don't visit any op-shops anymore, because deep down I know if I wait long enough I'll find what I'm looking for at my shop. What's the best thing you've found from an op-shop/thrift store? feel free to leave a photo too so we can drool.
-morgan-

joy...

Some days, life is a struggle. This last week was one of those weeks. I was sick with a cold, things were pretty frustrating at work, and my couch just keeps getting ripped more and more. As much as I patch up the holes, the old fabric just seems to tear, and I can't keep up. As the week went on I realised how much I am constantly moving and not always stopping to slow down and find joy in the little things.

Like most people, life after 5pm is pretty hectic for me. After finishing work and racing home, I move from one thing to another before trying to get to bed at a reasonable hour to be ready to wake up and do it all again.

But this past week I slowed down.
I made sure I looked around me, and saw why I am so grateful for many things in my life.
I went on more walks to the lake near my house, and spent more one on one time with morgan.
I sat there for half an hour, and took the seeds out of a pomegranate
and... I embraced my new addiction, embroidery.

Not much changed, but making the decision to see the joy in the little things, changed my outset of my days. By choosing to have a great day, and take it one step at a time, and especially doing more of the things I love, I had such a wonderful week.

I hope you have a great week this week, and that you can find tremendous JOY in the things that make you smile.

i made: pretty jeans

So, a couple of months ago I was at a cafe, and noticed the waitress had these cute black jeans had this great lace on the back pockets. I just made such an impression on me. The simple little detail that made the jeans so much more than ordinary. Ever since I have been wanting to do that to my own black (hand me down from my old housemate) jeans and bring a little shazzam.

All you need to do this is some sewing utensils (I used my machine and hand sowed), some lace or ribbon and some jeans. Crazy huh!



All you have to do is cut the lace/ribbon to the length of your jean pockets. Make sure you fold over the cut ends and sew it down so they don't fray. I did two layers of ribbon as I think that makes it nice and effective. I machine sewed the top one, and hand stitched the ends down. The second layer is a little tricky to maneuver to sew with a machine, so I just hand sewed that one.



There you have it... a little bit of fresh life in your jeans.. If you have a go, please do share pictures. I would love to see your work.



-kim

ps. Don't forget to join us and play "Pay it Forward". If you don't have a blog don't worry you can still play, just ignore that. We can just send you a little treat.

sufjan stevens..

So, this last Sunday night we went and saw a show which went straight to our top 10 gig's ever. We saw Sufjan Stevens.



This was part of the tour for his new album "The Age of Adz", and was a flipping incredible show. With ticker tape and a balloon drop, costumes and a great light show this gig was amazing. We saw him about 3 years when he came out to Australia for the first time and was touring his album "Illinois".



The journey his music has taken in this time is pretty different, and we weren't quite sure hat to expect. I have to admit, I had only listened to the new album a couple of times, its pretty intense, but seeing it live brought it to life. The 12 piece band played together so well, and the neon costumes and super nerdy dancing made me smile so much. This show was worth every Penny. If you get a change to see this man perform live, take it. You will not be disappointed.

What's on your top 10 gig list??