Lulu Carter

scary hairy morning

Truly.I dropped the boys at school and then got in the car to drive across town to visit my lovely friend who I hardly ever see.Near me is a bridge and halfway across it,my steering became heavy.Then it locked and I couldn't veer with the lane around to the right.I was plowing straight ahead!!I kept thinking it wasn't happening and just as I realised that if I didn't manage to stop the car I would plunge into the harbour,it relaxed slightly and I could turn the wheel enough to get back on track.Why is there never anywhere to pull over?!

I had to keep moving with the traffic and hoped it was just an odd, temperamental moment.Then the whole car became heavy and stiff.I headed for a road that I thought if it broke down,I could be rescued from and I could get to a bathroom from,if I was stuck there for a long time.The things that go through your head! I couldn't turn the wheel to the right so had to go left.Then I got stuck at traffic lights.They went green,my steering wheel locked again and I turned with all my strength to go right around that corner.Luckily there was a parking spot because I plowed past the car on my inside lane and went nose first into that spot with my bottom sticking out into peak traffic.My mobile had decided to play dead and told me I had no network.I got out of the car and asked a man if I could use his phone to call for help.He told me he was late for a meeting!.I gather I looked like I would either head-but him or burst into tears so chivalry won out and he called my husband for me.I then sat in my car for nearly an hour and a half(this was apparently because the roadside assist people didn't want to send help without speaking to me first even though my husband told them my phone was not working).

The NRMA man arrived and pulled out my shredded fan belt.Shredded.Like hacked up strips of muslin.Better than that,he couldn't do anything for me because our car has a 'special' fan belt.A really long one that can only be put in by special 'extra long fan belt' experts!! I was not a happy chicken.I then had to wait another hour for the tow truck to come.All this time my friend was hysterical because I would never ever just not turn up.So she was worried and frantically calling me on my idiot phone and then trying to call my husband.I can't remember how we survived without mobiles.It was ridiculous.

I had to leave a note on the dashboard letting the parking inspector(if one came) know that I had broken down and had gone to find a bathroom and please don't book me! I mean really!!

Eventually I got the bus home.Twice in as many days.Go figure.

After three hours all up.it was the best cup of tea I have ever had.The biscuit helped too.x

the travelling treat

I loved reading about the way those of you with blogs came up with your names.And to all of you who took part,lets do it again.Soon!!

Ok, I did this the old fashioned way as you can see.....

drum roll please.........

Congratulations Lis! I'll be sending something sweet your way x

this is not a commercial.....really.....

wip.not sure yet........

I caught the bus today.I never catch the bus.I live in a very self sufficient suburb and during the week,I have no need to leave it.Today though,husband was off work so he trotted in first thing this morning to give blood.He does this regularly.Hats off to him because you would be scraping me off the floor with a spatula.Thats before you have got me anywhere near that padded chair and the pump thingy.Or the cake.I think he goes for the free cake.I joke!He goes for the free coffee.........

Anyway,I followed him in and we went to the new istore.Apple fan? Been to the big glass multi level store where the apple worshipers go?I stood across the road and looked up into the building searching for husband.Second floor, far right.There were about thirty people leaning against the glass behind a rope.They were waiting.After a couple of minutes of being inside the store,a huge cheer went up with loud applause.Someone had signed on for an iphone.Thats what they were doing in the queue.Every time another person signed up for one, they received the same response.It was like being in a little tech god rock concert.

Downstairs I had a little play on a white one.Quite happy that they come in white I must admit.I got directions to my street,surfed blogland,googled,searched for music,took photos.I didn't want to put it down and I suspect most people around me had been there a while.They had that look in their eyes.So now I want one too.I really didn't before but now I have played with one I have been sucked in to the vortex.What fun!!

After that,I walked over to a bookstore I have been wanting to go to for such a long time.Just to see if they stocked these which they did.Yippee!!Then I really looked around.I think I could actually spend three days in there straight.Maybe a coffee break just to keep my eyes open.They have the biggest selection of craft books I have ever seen in one place-English and Japanese.The magazines were incredible and the stationary section made me want to be twelve again and stick puffy stickers on cute notebook pages and write with cool pens in lolly colours.Cute little puffy zip purses to clip to your zipper.The most fantastic array of plastic sleeve binders in really nice plastic in gelato colours.Definitely need those.Did I mention the Japanese craft books??

I walked out empty handed in the end because I got into such a dither and realised that I wanted to spend far to much of the stuff growing on the money tree in the garden that I might need a transplant.Or a sugar daddy.So I have come home to plan my purchases.Much safer.I saw my visa card squeeze its little eyes tight shut in horror.x

goodies to give

Goodmorning everyone!

 Although having said that some of you are still partying away your sunday night and some are sound asleep right?! Monday morning here.Caffeine digested,oldest dropped at school,charlie and lola on the dvd( giving me a little time on here... ssshhhh don't tell anyone : ) ) for the little one and I'm now busy procrastinating up a storm over fabric cutting for a quilt each for the children.

Cutting the fabric is the worst pressure cooker for an indecisive soul like myself.Ok,well 'indecisive' is maybe not correct.More a case of being so afraid of making the wrong decision that I skirt around making any decision.That sounds worse doesn't it? Ugh ignore me.See,I told you it was morning here.

On to the important stuff.

I want to give out a little parcel of goodies to one of you.You all make me so happy with your lovely words of friendship and encouragement and I really want to say thankyou!And I love finding out a little about you too.You make my day.

So.... leave me a comment telling me whether you prefer a boy or girl treat.Of course there will be a couple of other things in the parcel that are a little more adult too : )If you have a blog,tell us how you chose the name for it.Just a little curiosity!

I'll pluck the lucky name on thursday morning my time,thereby giving you until wednesday night.Sound good?

Btw,I chose 'Lulu Carter' because when I went to register my business name the combinations I had assumed I would have, were all gone.I worked my way down the list and came to the end with no solution.

When I was pregnant with Oliver I was convinced that he was a she.'She' was to be named Luella Rose Carter.Lulu for short.

Just for fun I typed in Lulu Carter and it was available for the business name and the .com.So voila.

One day I hope  to have a store stocking fabulous goodies for adults and their home as well as special treats for littlies.Beautiful and playful.I figure that Lulu Carter lends itself to that .So thats my story and my dream.One handmade toy at a time x

# Just to clarify-the softie is a treat for you so its about what you would like in your home : )

spoilt

Imagine my surprise when I checked my email and found this lovely gift from Jurga  

I am incredibly flattered that she enjoys my ramblings!!!

The rules are 

1.Put it on your blog

2.Link back to the person that awarded it to you

3.Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4.Add links to those blogs on yours

5.Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

Can I just say how hard it is to only pick around 7 ?! x

I am passing this on to:

1.Anna

2.Elisabeth

3.Benita

4.Florence

5.Heather

6.Mari

7.Kari

8.Amy

9.Jane

10.My Blog Vintage Living

how to spend a lot of time fiddling with your images

But its quite fun ! I was visiting 'le train fantome' and she has been playing here.I like it : )

anticipation

I am a lucky girl.Lovely husband,great children,good family,cute house and we're all healthy.Sometimes though,I am really really lucky.Like when husband buys tickets for the four of us to go here

and we go inside the Tapis Rouge tent where there are waiters with trays of champagne and delicious food and we lounge on velvet sofas and the children are brought cute lunch-boxes full of goodies just for them(so that they leave the adult yummies alone?) and given gifts and we get to sit right down the front in the centre and be entertained in the most fabulous way and then back to the tent at intermission for gorgeous sweet treats and yep,more champagne.If you have not seen Dralion do try!!!

Every time they come this is our treat to ourselves, but this year husband thought the boys were old enough to lavish it up as well.Eyes popped and jaws were on the ground for the entire experience.Mine too!

It was absolutely illegal to take photos so I'm sorry but I did not want to risk becoming part of the performance!

Before we left home, instead of pacing the hallway(which I was beginning to do-ready early, you know how it goes),I pulled out my Cath swatch bag.Diminishing somewhat, I had a sudden urge to make a pot holder.I'm sorry....did I say "urge to make a pot holder"??? 

Somehow yes, and boy was it quick,except for the hand sewing which I did when we were back home and I was watching men in tights cycle up very steep mountains while enthusiasts tried to scare the living daylights out of them by jumping out and waving flags.For encouragement I'm sure!

Anyway,I think it might actually be a multi tasking swatch as it looks just fine holding my teapot.This bugs me because if I'd thought about it, it would have been round.But there we go.It killed time perfectly and gave me something pretty to look at. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend x

my kind of heaven

You might have noticed ,if you've looked at pictures of our home,that I like things a little childlike.Perhaps fun and colourful sounds better?Even though I now have some grown up furniture (woohoo!!) , I still have my paper flowers hanging in the kitchen and fairy lights in the lounge room.There is nothing we would love more than a big industrial space filled with our favourite things-some mature some just decorative and fun!There are little things everywhere which make me happy and I imagine make the boys happy so how excited do you think I was when I saw this amazing house and then discovered they have a shop full to the brim of goodies in a city I have always fancied living in?! I got a little dizzy : )

Take a peak.....

So if you shop at this store ......I'm going a little green in the nicest possible way x

its that time again

Last year was this...

Turning three involved this....

In between those were a dinosaur dig ,complete with taped off hard hat area and a sandpit filled with salt dough dinosaur bones and balls of dinosaur mud with tiny fossils burried inside (that needed to be chipped open because they had been drying for about a month-very authentic : ))and a stegosaurus pinata that took me 2 weeks to make and 2 minutes to be smashed and then trampled.Also a yeehah cowboy extravaganza and a firemans shindig.

Usually by now,with five weeks to go until 'the big day',I have been planning.Invitations have been designed ,made and sent out.Decorations and games and the menu are all under control.I have lists (I love lists!) for everything involved and I am merely waiting for the children to get here.

This year Oliver wants to walk the plank.Its already planned because the year before last,Henry was having a pirate party until the dinosaurs took over.I just need to reactivate it.I have done absolutely nothing about Olivers party.Nothing.The trouble is,and I must be a horrible mummy,I think afternoon tea in the park sounds just lovely.Cupcakes and balloons.Only a couple of children.No multitasking freak show required-who enjoys trying to serve food/lead games/take photos/answer the door all at once!?! 

Then I feel bad, because these are the 'cute' party years.My chance to decorate like Martha Stewart (without her delightful budget) for the littlies.I am in a dither.What about a  fab vintage themed teaparty?Help? x

introducing the leafy sea dragon

 I know I already posted today but I wanted to show this to you.It was delivered this morning to a very happy Dad for his daughters birthday.I'm really pleased with how it turned out.I didn't end up putting as many tendrils on as I originally intended because it occurred to me that the little girl needed to be able to comfortably hold her new toy.Because I stuffed the tendrils to make them sit out properly, if I had put any more on the body she would have had a bit of trouble  : )