If you get lost in the woods....

you had better hope you come across this little house.

Made from gingerbread, lollipops, cupcakes and candy flowers, this little house should provide more than enough sustenance until your rescuers arrive!

Featuring a little roof which can be easily removed by young fingers, this little gingerbread house is for imaginative play, carrying precious treasures or even storing secret messages!

I am over the moon that my secret project is now finished. Thanks go to Mr Silly Gilly for some initial ideas and Ms Ric-Rac for your help along the way.

So what do you think? Is this something you could see yourself making? Do you think your kidlets would play with it?

Edited to add: Okay so perhaps this is my roundabout way of saying..... here is a new design I have created that I am thinking of releasing as a pattern. What do you think? Should I go ahead and write it up???

Done. Finally.

The big mysterious project is finally finished. Mr Silly Gilly very kindly removed the garrulous gremlin from our house for a few blissful hours this afternoon so I could concentrate on finishing off the project.

A couple of sneak peeks this evening and then tomorrow I'll set up a few photos in the lovely sunshiny weather I'm just hoping will appear.

Also, more bags in the Silly Gilly store this evening, made from some of the delicious Michael Miller fabrics I received a while ago from my fabric coop in the US. I do weep a few tears now and then when I think of how I didn't order more fabric whilst the AU dollar was doing so well against the US dollar.

The 'Befriend Silly Gilly on Facebook' giveaway!

Facebook is not only a forum for completing ridiculous home made quizzes which tell you what you should have been named, how many children you will have, or which TV sitcom mum you are...

It's great for getting the word out about what you are doing. I am starting to use Facebook for publicizing which market I will be peddling my wares at next.

So to spread the Silly Gilly word on Facebook, simply become a fan of Silly Gilly by 9pm Adelaide time, the evening of Thursday 4th June and you will be in the running for one of my new brooches!

Click here to go to the Silly Gilly facebook page and become a fan of Silly Gilly!

The gorgeous garrulous gremlin

I have a three year old chatterbox of a daughter. Don't know where she gets the prolific verbose persona...

But I am finding that if you live as a stay at home mum with a verbose 3 year old, then not much crafting of your own gets done. Especially when I, thinking that I'm an oh-so-clever-mummy by introducing my daughter to brain stretching educational computer games, have to now fight my 3 year old daughter for time on my own computer.

I was inspired by this recipient of the Golden Sick Mummy Award this week and thought, if she can craft and work with a three year old around, of course I can too!

Not so.

How the billy-o do I get crafty things done for my business or perhaps, heaven forbid, for myself, with a 3 year old in my creative space?????

Yes, venting just a tad here. And if another person looks at me with that knowing eye when I suggest to them that I will be able to work and create more next year when my daughter attends kindy, then I think I will curl up into a ball in the corner and rock.

Only one thing helps me when I keep being blocked in the creative process by a albeit very gorgeous garrulous gremlin.

Finding a big pile of 1950's children's story books at the op shop for $3.

Just brooching a subject here....

Yes, deliberate spelling mistake there...

I've discovered the love of shrinking perfectly good woollen jumpers for the sole purpose of cutting them up into little pieces. It's called felting and boyo, am I addicted!!??

I've been scouring the op shops and have found some great woollies to felt. Into the washing machine they go with boiling hot water and some detergent. Whizz them through about 6 wash cycles (no rinse or spin though) and then into a hot dryer. Result?

Brooches available in the Silly Gilly store now!

Where have I been?

Busy as a beaver in my studio, creating all sorts of things and working on the secret project!

I have discovered a new love for felting, and have been scouring the op shops for woollen jumpers to felt down so that I have a delicious supply of felt for new brooch designs. I'll take some pics tomorrow and show you the new ideas. Let's just say alpaca and merino shrink a lot when you launder them the way you're not supposed to!

A lovely arrival also landed on my doorstep. All the way from my fabric coop in the USA. Have a looksie at this box of absolute delight...

Michael Miller overload!! I have gallons of the Rocket Rascals now. I'm seriously in love with that spacey print. More bags and smocks to come in that soon.

I've overcome my hurdle on the secret project (thanks Jodie) and am coming along in leaps and bounds. Perhaps I will let you in on a little bit of what it is... you can put things in it and little kiddies might like it! The goal is to knock it over by the end of next week. Wish me luck!

I have an op shop which is quite close to where I live. I thought it opened every Thursday morning but it was always closed when I visited. But when I visited on the correct day it was open... Wednesday... I discovered the mother lode of button collections. I purchased one big bag which happened to be a blue collection and found some beauties within.

I just love the black button with the flower transfer, the mid blue button with the tiny flowers embossed and the greeny-jade flower buttons too. Next week I'm aiming to find some red buttons to add to the collection.

And of course, I just happened to cast my eyes across to the cookbook section and wouldn't you know it??! There were a couple of 50's cookbooks there that I don't already own. I thought I would share a few recipes from the latest find. Perhaps you'll serve the third recipe on the children's milk drinks list for the kiddies this weekend? And perhaps the lamb salad for yourself. Bear in mind this is a recipe book for a blender....

Birthday cakes and brooches

What type of birthday cake do you make a 37 year old architect? A pinata cake complete with chocolate coins of course! Here's something I whipped up this last night and this morning for morning tea at his workplace.



First shot is the finished cake, the second photo is what is underneath the chocolate shell outer. Vanilla buttercake finished with chocolate butter icing. Topped with chocolate coins and choc chips.

The exhibitionist in me was sufficiently pleased with the stares and pointing and oohs and ahhs as I walked down the street in the city when delivering it to my husband's office. Of course you can't cover a cake like that up, just way too much risk of breakage. Well, that was my excuse.

This cake can be found in the Australian Women's Weekly Kids' Birthday Cakes book, the one with the mushroom house cake on the cover. It was as easy as pie to make and super quick.

I've been busy also with my macro setting on my camera, working as best I can with this dull autumny rainy weather. A new range of girls' brooches is destined this weekend for the Silly Gilly store. The full range of colours will be in store this weekend. These are great little gifts for girls or grown up girls. I can even make custom colour combinations at your request.

A new sneak peek

I've been working a little out of my comfort zone of late.
Okay a lot.

You might remember when I spoke of lofty aspirations. Of being inspired and desirous of new achievements. Well, I've been working on a new project and would like to share a little along the way with you all.

I've stumbled a little this weekend on one section of this project, something one might call stitcher's block or 'someone take this pin out my eye so I can see my project clearly' perhaps. I think I'll let it brew in my brain and call out to the universe to give me a tip on how to proceed. Please forgive the late evening photos. I've played with them in photoshop but they just aren't playing back!

Have a great week everyone and here's to lots of ideas coming my way!

Hooked on Cook Books Day 1

I have a thing for cookbooks.
Not fancy schmancy up-to-the-minute cook books. 1940's, 50's and 60's cook books.

I picked up some more on the weekend whilst garage sale-ing to add to the collection and thought I might have a week coming up where I can share some of my favourite recipes and pictures from my collection. Maybe somewhere out there is someone else who fancies cook books who encourage you to be a good housewife and make art out of rockmelons and cocktail onions....

Here's my new addition of The Australian Women's Weekly Picture Cookery Book. No date but estimating late 50's/early 60's. Now who wouldn't be whipping those little cakes on the right out whenever you have the gals over for afternoon tea?

And next is a cracker of a version, this time from the USA, of Betty Crocker's Cake and Frosting Mix Cook Book. Circa 1966, this is full of fantastic uses for all of Betty's packet concocotions. Look how perfect their icing coverage and texture is!! Now all I have to do is work out if today's versions of her products translate back to the 1966 versions..... I feel a email to the Betty Crocker kitchen coming on!

Any of my loyal readers collect these sort of cook books?

New Kid's Scarves Are In!

I got busy last night after shivering away here in the studio, inspired by the cold and a couple of recent sales of fleecy hats. Who am I kidding... it's cold now so bring out the new winter products!!

Here are two scarves called Shaggy Scarves, which are new items for the Silly Gilly store. On the left is Sunny Day Shaggy Scarf and on the right is Grape Shaggy Scarf. I aim to make scarves that coordinate with the hats I currently have in store.

These scarves are nice and snuggly around the neck with three layers of fleece to keep the kiddies warm. Coming soon, more new styles of fleece hats to add to the current range already in store.

My weekend at Inspired Stitches

It was a wonderful weekend hosted by Sarah of Quilt Fabric Delights, held at Marion here in SA. I managed to wangle a leave pass from the boss for the weekend, so he and my daughter ate fast food and lolled about the house whilst I to stitch and stay overnight for a weekend of relaxing.

Firstly I shopped, then sat and stitched. The shopped some more. Then stitched. You get the idea. Lots of learning how to be proficient at hand stitching, something with which I'm not that savvy. I met some lovely gals next to me who were my table buddies and later Saturday evening my dinner buddies. Very nice to meet women with so much in common. Judith and Vickie and Jackie, you know who you are!!

I was shopping for my family and I this time, which is unusual and a nice treat, as I usually fabric shop just for Silly Gilly. Lots of new projects to start on now, including a couple of bags using a pattern Melly provided for the weekend. Also a new pattern for a winter top for my daughter.
And of course some fabric... just because. :) Note all of these fabrics are available from Quilt Fabric Delight's online store. Sarah's customer service is brilliant!!

From L-R: 70's Rainbow Garden by Prints Charming
Cathedral by Anna Maria Horner
Andalucia Tiny Dots Paprika by Michael Miller

From L-R: Garden Maze/Midwest Modern by Amy Butler
Happy Dots/Midwest Modern by Amy Butler

Garden Party by Free Spirit

From L-R: Paisley Garden by Prints Charming
Starburst by Prints Charming
City Blooms by Kitty Yoshida


Kyoko pattern by Modkid - top for my daughter

Lots of colours that I wouldn't usually use. I tried to be more bold in my combinations of fabrics to use together. That's one thing I admire in others - their ability to put different fabircs together and have the whole look so cohesive and appealing.

And the most delicious purchase of the weekend was.....

A layer cake of Sweet fabric by Urban Chiks.

40 squares of 10" x 10" fifties and forties inspired deliciousness. I have absolutely no project for this at all but am leaning toward a quilt perhaps? I think I'll just look at it and stroke it for a while.....