New brooch for Donna

New brooch for Donna......

These can be custom made in felt to your colour choice. Anyone interested? Email me via the Silly Gilly store or at silly.gilly (at) bigpond (dot) com.

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.

Stop Me Now!!!

I am in one of those flit-between-a-million-projects kinds of moods this week so I thought I might share with you some of what's on my list. In the process, maybe I might manage to focus myself onto something for more than an hour!

Appliqued panels for new library/tote bags.

An Enid Gilchrist winter dressing gown pattern all ready for winter when Adelaide decides it's not summer any more.

A 1977 smock-style top already cut and ready to sew in the lovely snuggly floral cord that you see in the background. I'm making the version that is in green on the envelope.

More flower brooches coming together using some of my friend Heidi's delicious hand dyed wool felt.


And more things on the boil too... knitting my poppet a castle bag and accompanying princess, dragon, king, jester, queen finger puppets.... more stock for the market in two weeks.... machine quilting my poppet's quilt that my MIL very generously basted for me as I couldn't bear to think about it.... repairing Magoo/Sour Cream after a rather unfortunate swing-around-the-room-by-the-monkey-arm incident.... 50+ wet bags.... little handmade gifts for poppet's cousin....
I think I'll stop the list there, even though there's more to add. It's likely I'll self-combust if I keep listing it all!

I was very fortunate last week to win a beautiful handcrafted ring from Chocolate and Steel. Here it is on my hand model. Me. Ever tried to take a photo with your left hand whilst holding out your right? It's a tricky thing. And I never realised how 'liney' my hands are! I like them though, they look nothing like that on a day to day basis... got to love macro. Just don't use it on your hands! Thankyou Christine... your work is amazing and the ring fits perfectly!

Now off to try to ignore the housework just a smidge longer so that I might get a little more done of my list!