House keeping

 I need to dust off my blog a bit 

and give it a spring clean.

In the process, I should also let you know

that, with the imminent demise of google reader,

you can start following me over at Bloglovin'...

Just click on that button over there,

yes, up there in the top left corner;

yes, that's the one.

Or click here:

http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5290819/little-boozle

Wally is so excited, he can't get over there fast enough.
...
Well, he'll be there when he wakes up, for sure.

Spam. Keeping life interesting.

From my in-box this week:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Good day, Hope you will be fine. We visit your website and its come to our knowledge that you are dealing in Boxing Equipment and Martial Arts so we  would like to introduce our company xxxxxxxxxx  as one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of high quality products of Boxing Gloves, MMA Gloves, Boxing Mitts, Kicking Shields,  Fighting Gloves, coaching Gloves, Punching Mitts, Punching Bags, Thai Pads, Speed Balls, Kick Boxing, and Thai Boxing,  Martial Arts,  Mix Martial Arts Equipments. For more details please visit our website xxxxxxxxxxxx.

We are really interested to start business relationship with your company so we can supply you best quality products with rock bottom prices to penetrate your local market.

Being a self manufacturer we can modify products as per your needs.  If you have any new design we welcome you, and will fulfill all of your needs under your target prices.

If you can give us a chance to be your suppliers we shell appreciate you, please feel free to write us all of your questions and inquiries.

Awaiting your earliest reply, thanks.

Kind Regards,

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Yes indeedy.

A whoooooole lotta chat about boxing and martial arts going on in this neck of  the woods.

...So I  was headed out with my kime bag the other day

when some idiot chototsu-ed me and I had to stop for a suwate and a kyeshi
before I hit him in the mata...

 

That should get the spammers excited...

Oh and the knitted scarf -for those of you who aren't here to discuss boxing and the like-

is Sugared Violets- Rose Beck- Rav here)

Then there is my OCD...

OK So the procrastinator who hates deadlines

also had a tendency towards OCD at sporadic intervals.

Bag challenge finished on the very first day.

The Two Zip Hipster by Dog Under the Desk 

A well written little pattern.

Perfect for quickly approaching overseas holidays

and a good size for carrying all those things that you need to keep close

on such holidays.

Look, Cam. I actually did it this time.

Booyah!

I will. Really I will.

I am a procrastinator who hates deadlines.

Not a procrastinator who pulls her digit out when the deadline looms.

Not a high achiever who hates deadline but doesn't need to worry about them 

because she finished that project yonks ago.

Adding to that, sewing has also taken a backseat to my knitting obsession.

So when Cam over at CurlyPops had a month-long skirt sew-a-long

a few months back,

it wasn't really likely that I was going to get over the line.

Even though I already had a skirt cut out
so already had a head start.

Even though it was a reeeeeallly simple skirt.

Even though the sew-a-long got extended

and I had another whole month to get it done.



See that green fabric right at the bottom, somewhat buried by life?
That's the skirt pieces,
pretty much where they have been for about 6 months now.
Progressively disappearing from sight.

So now Cam is hosting a bag adventure.

I am a sucker for bags.
Apparently, because I buy and make them,
I already have more than I need
(in the world according to Mr Boozle)

But pffffffft to Mr Boozle.

I don't have a cute, trendy, functional bag that will keep my hands free
as I scramble around the Grand Canyon
or play blackjack at Las Vegas
or hang on for dear life on a ride at Disneyland,
now do I?


See?
It's a real need, Mr Boozle.



So pattern? Tick.
Fabrics? Tick.
Big girl undies? Tick.

Cam, I reckon this time I will do you proud.
Just off to think about that deadline for a little while first...can't rush these things, you know.

Risky business

So maybe my blog can be a bit risque

for a crafty-mummy type blog,

with the occasional use of words such as porn, boobs, testicles and pink bits.

Heck knows that I get some interesting "Search Keywords" when I check my stats-

such as "my boyfriend wears my clothes"

(though how in heck a search for "woman with 2 vaginas" brings up Little Boozle

is quite beyond me)

But when hubby installs some softwear to prevent the kidlets getting more than they bargained for

when spending time on the net

and my own computer then stops me from accessing my blog page

categorising it as a gambling site,

I wondered...what the?

(But yes, OK, first I panicked and wondered if I was a victim of a hacker)

It would seem very (=overly) efficient as far as web-nannies go.

I wonder if the kidlets will be able to access the Wiggles website

or if it will be restricted after being categorised as an offensive use of skivvies.

Recipe for a giveaway draw

Making a cheesecake this morning,

a couple of lemons pulled from the tree were still hanging happily

in their numbered splendour.

It was a reminder of the need to perhaps manage a faster blog giveaway prize draw this time round.

Ingredients:

~some popping corn~

~a permanent marker~

~one Spring lawn, unmowed for a month~

~3 distracted children~

Method-

Number the corn with entries.

While the kidlets are otherwise distracted,

fling the kernels randomly into the backyard lawn.

Lock the children outside and tell them that they can't go back inside until winners have been found.

Consider the fact that,  gosh, really, those kernels are small

and very hard to find in longer grass.

Who'd have thought it would take so long?

Get down on your hands and knees to look for yourself

(and tell the kids that no, they still can't go inside.
If it is good enough for a 42 year old woman to crawl around her backyard,
they can get their little tooshies down there too)

Decide right about then that next time

a number out of a hat might be the way to go.

Thank you to everyone who entered.
We had a fantastic holiday
and I am hoping that I can brighten the day for a few of you...

Oppy sheet...Zof

Lark oppy bag...Vic

Key fobs...Suzanne

 Namaste case...Mary

Stitch mag...TinCanDaisy

Congrats to you all.
Pop your addresses to me via email
and I will send you some crafty love.

A Getaway, Go away Giveaway.

(weddinglistco.com.au)

I was going to title this post "a Vanuatu giveaway"

but I thought that it might be claimed by some

(probably those trawling cyberspace for freebies and competitions)

 that it was misleading

and that I might get hauled into the small bloggy claims tribunal or something.

So I didn't.

I am going away for a glorious, parent-only 10 days

to a far off land with beaches and lagoons and cocktails and reefs and volcanos and mopeds

and sleep ins and plenty more I am sure.

You might not miss me while I am gone

but you might be a teensy weensy bit jealous.

I'd love to take you all with me
on my personal jet
but that lovely elderly British widow
(whose now deceased hubby had squillions of pounds
and she now want to pass them onto me)
still hasn't sent a cheque
so I just can't swing it this week.

So second best thing would be to have a giveaway.

If you'd like to win any of the pretties,

just say which one(s) in the comments.

(Namaste light pink buddy case.

Brand new factory second- pale line visible across top.

Magnetised for needles and accessories etc.

Have one of these. Love it)

(Maybe this bag from Lark with a couple of custom key fobs thrown in...)


(Perhaps you'd like to sit down and  have a cuppa while browsing the Stitch magazine that
I managed to double up on.)


(Just say if you love op shop sheets)


(OK So, as tempted as I was to add these two to the giveaway
after they did a runner with my chocolate stash for my plane flight,
I know the joy that they bring me each night when they curl up at my feet
at the bottom of my bed.
Besides, someone would dob me in,
the kids would never forgive me
and I would lose half my blogging material in the process.
So I guess I am keeping the moggies)

...and perhaps tell me a holiday story...

(like... I had a wee in the gardens of Versailles when I was caught short in a visit
and I almost fell off a cliff when I needed a bed-time wee
at a car parking camp at a mountain monastery in Spain)

or a travel fact...

(like...sugared raw eggs yolks in Spain are as vile

as churros con chocolate is divine.

Fact. Totally.)

or

your favourite cocktail or warm weather drink...

(Mmmmmm; gin, lemon and lime;
Mmmmmm, mojitos;

Mmmmmm, any creamy cocktail with Baileys or Kahlua or both)

When I get back, I will find a way to chose the winners.

Something a bit quicker than falling lemons this time, I promise.

This week...1st October, 2011

...I reached 20 kilometres of knitting for 2011.

Oh.

Really?

How did that happen?

(www.drug-rehab-4u.blogspot.com)

...We watched a documentary about Ice (crystal meth),

possibly the most addictive drug available today.

So, so, scary

and we can only hope that it will never affect our lives.

(City Shopper from You Sew, Girl by Nicole Mallalieu)

...Sara received her bag as the winner of my 100 follower giveaway
and I am rapt that she loved it.

...we found out that even watermelon isn't safe
from the furry beasties.
I used to think that the contents of the fruit bowl were safe
but now I have to count the pears and bananas.

(www.reefhouse.wordpress.com)

...I started packing for our upcoming 10-days-of-holiday-bliss-just-the-two-of-us-leaving-the-kids-at-home-while-we-fly-off-to-Vanuatu holiday.
Sunscreen?
Tick.

An unabashed, unapologetic and unsolicited crafty rave.



We have a lot of books in our household.

Some of those books are non-fiction

and a lot of those non-fiction books are of the cooking/ sewing/ knitting/ other crafting variety. 

...and a lot of them have been very disappointing or just plain crap.

I just started sewing again this week

after really not doing much at all in the past 6-12 months.

I don't think, caught up in my obsessive knitting phase,

that I realised how much I missed sewing.

My first projects were some City Shoppers from Nicole Mallalieu's "You Sew, Girl" book.

I have loved the look of this bag since flicking through the book on Mother's Day

and decided that I now might just need to sew one up

as the necessary hands-free bag one might need on an upcoming trip to, hmmmm, say, Vanuatu.

I have made a lot of bags

but I have to say that I learnt so much in just making this one style of bag from her book.
The end result is so much more polished and professional than I am used to.



I actually made 3
(and the third will be making its way to Sydney for my giveaway
so I can't show you yet)

There are a few more projects that I am eyeing off in Nikki's book

and I am looking forward to ticking them off my project list.
She shares some fantastic techniques and tips
and these bags came together perfectly.

While a few of my craft books are currently dust collectors, this one isn't.
It's a gem.

Finally. If you remember, I was having a giveaway...

In the excitement of a blog giveaway draw equal only to watching paint dry,

the lemon tree gods have spoken

and someone has actually (finally) won (something)

I will admit to artistic license and re-creating the scene for the sake of heightening the tension

that only comes from the anticipation of knowing that the paint is finally dry.

(Real life circumstances were that Erky actually found and grabbed the winning citrus

and came bouncing into the kitchen.
But I didn't happen to be holding a camera to capture the exciting moment unfolding)

The winner is....

....comment no 11 from Sara.

Which presents a challenge as I can't give her the Thermomix that I had set aside as the prize*

Sara makes many gorgeous things;

she dyes, embroiders, sews, makes iron-ons.

So I am sewing her something that I hope she will love.

Now what to do with this Thermomix...

*Sara came out this week and revealed that she had gotten one of these beautiful kitchen appliances.

 

This week...10th September, 2011



...I got Curly Pops mail

which was meant to be gifted

but is so gorgeous that it "somehow" ended up in my jewellery box.

(thetvlookingglass.wordporess.com)

...I thought that if I was now watching Dr Who as a 12 year old,

I'd have no bloody idea what was going on.

It all seemed a bit less convoluted

when Tom Baker was chewing on his jelly babies.

(Karys top- Katya Frankel)

...my knitting was red

...our 8 year old didn't seem to believe us when we told him

that red things go faster.

(He's no fun)

...we delved into the heavy subject matter of political correctness,
political correctness gone mad
and beyond
when the same eight year old asked us
why saying "oh my God" could hurt some people's feelings.

As usual I got a little carried away
and almost had to explain
why Ernie and Bert and Noddy and Big Ears
were, at one stage, considered non-PC for kids.

(laprogressive.com)
When I was that age, I didn't know (or care) what heterosexuality was,
let alone what homosexuality was,
let alone what it "could" mean if 2 boy muppets
slept in separate beds
in the same room.