In A Pickle

I've been busy the last couple of days getting myself in a pickle.

It's almost summer in Australia and I really enjoy a good pickled onion with my barbeque. I'm also quite partial to the bread & butter cucumbers which a couple of "unmentionable" takeaway places put in their burgers. When I was a young bride living in the wheatbelt area, I used to have a go at anything that would save money. So I learnt a few things about pickling. For a while I only made a few favourites, so I'm experimenting again with recipes and different methods.

A Touch of Shakespeare

Last weekend we visited the "Elizabethan Village" pub in Armadale, Western Australia.

In this video Leo Fowler's daughter Sally-Ann explains about her father's dream of building replica houses of both William Shakespeare's Birthplace & Anne Hathaway's cottage. More videos can be seen on her YouTube channel here.

Crafts made from Books

I love crafts & I love books! Since this blog is about bringing these things together, I have a round-up of all things crafty to do with recycling books or making new books or something library-like such as index cards . Hope you enjoy:

A Mad Tea Party

Is there anything lovelier than a tea party? I love to give tea parties, but they don't have to be traditional and they can be as mad as you like. When I was little I would often have tea parties with my teasets, at my Nan's, with my Mum and sister, with my friends. I was also, terribly fond of "Alice in Wonderland" and had read it several times before I reached high school.

Having Fun with the Lunch Punch

Every holidays my nephew has a visit. When there is no Kindy and no swimming lessons, he likes to come to Aunty Kat's. As my children are quite a bit older now, I try and think back to the kinds of things we used to do, so we can have some fun.
Well just before the holidays the lovely blog Craft Gossip had a post about "Puzzle Sandwiches" I was very excited about this and managed to source the "Lunch Punch".I bought the "Match & Munch" which creates puzzle sandwiches, but there are other interesting punches including critters, cars & fairies.

Granny Square Slippers

While browsing Craft Blogs a while back I came across this great tutorial at The Purl Bee. 
I have loved making granny squares ever since I was little and my Nan taught me to make pot holders.
So I thought I would have a go and the results are below. Now I'm not a great crocheter, just enthusiastic, and these are simple enough for a beginner. The only thing I did differently was to take the lazy way out and whip stitch the squares together rather than crochet them.
Over the week my Mother-in-Law has given me a few granny squares from unfinished projects her friends had started, so I am making a few more pairs to get a feel for sizing etc. Hope you have as much fun making them as I did.