Hair-raising Experience!

I'm very happy to be sitting here typing today, not because I like blogging (though I do!!) but because I had a bit of a 'hair-raising' experience last night and nearly wasn't here to tell the tale!

It all began innocently enough - as these things usually do! - when I washed my hair last night. Now, since my beloved Geek Boy had so KINDLY shared his flu bug with me, I really didn't want to go to bed with wet hair and encourage my sniffles any more than necessary. So, as I've done hundreds of times before, I reached for the hairdryer.


There I was, happily drying away, when my hairdryer gave a stutter, started again, stuttered, then kept going. Now, I didn't think too much of this, as it had happened a few times in the last week, instead, I just made a "Note To Self" to put a new hairdryer on the shopping list this week. Little did I know it was lulling me into a false sense of security, for all of a sudden, there was a loud bang, a flash of light and heat and a puff of smoke as my hairdryer died in spectacular fashion!


And there I was, left somewhat singed and coughing from the cloud of smoke! Now, understandably, I was somewhat startled when this occurred and I screamed, dropped the frying hairdryer and jumped 6 feet backwards, executing a neat side-step to avoid collision with the loo! I then stood warily watching the malicious machine to see if it truly was dead or whether it was going to be like the monster in every horror movie and jump up to grab me when I least expected it!!

That was MY perspective. In the meantime, all GB had heard was a loud 'BANG!', me scream, a loud thump as something hit the floor, followed by silence! I think he set a new land-speed record getting from the lounge room to the bathroom, with horrible images of my lifeless body slumped on the floor driving him on. As it was, I was fine, though I have a small blister on my hand and a bald spot on my wrist where the hairs were singed off, and all GB had to do was dispose of the slain dragon so it would singe no further victims. My hero!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

All in all, I realise I got off very lightly and could very well have ended up with an electric-shock induced afro! Instead, I had the interesting task of 'blow drying' my hair in front of the heater this morning for work! You see, I had just washed my hair and COULDN'T DO A THING WITH IT!!! I hate to be a cliche, but that really was the case - I looked like a cross between a dandelion and a scarecrow! So ... imagine, if you dare, a large gas heater standing about 30" (75cm) tall in the middle of the lounge room and me doubled over in front of it to dry the underside of my hair, scrunching and brushing at vent-height to try to dry and style my hair into some semblance of order! Not sure how successful it really was, but no one asked where was the tornado I'd got tossed around in, so I guess I looked passable!! SIGH!! Some days, being a girl is NOT easy!!

So ... as soon as GB gets home from work, we're off on the weekly grocery shopping excursion and will be making an extra stop by the electrical department to purchase a new hairdryer, which I'm sure will make me look truly glamorous!!! Alright, you can all stop sniggering now and I'll go for the more realistic goal of 'presentable'!! Hope you have an 'electrifying' evening!! Til next time, Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Avast, ye lilly-livered-landlubbers!!!

Yo, ho! Yo, ho! A pirate's life for me! Drink up me hearties, yo, ho! Aaaarrrrrrr!! Avast ye lilly-livered-landlubbers! Here there be dragons!! And if ye don't be swabbin' the decks quick smart, ye'll be walkin' the plank to spend eternity in Davey Jones' Locker!! OK, I think I've got all of my pirate talk out of my system now!! Tee! Hee! Hee! No, I'm not celebrating International Pirates' Day early, (no, really, there IS an IPD! It's September 19!!) I've finished dressing my 'bare bear' from last post and he's a BEARY handsome pirate, if I do say so myself! Take a look ...


He may not be Johnnie Depp, but he's almost as cute, don't you think!! I've always been a bit of an adventure-flick-chick, rather than a chick-flick-chick (Say THAT 10 times quickly after a swig of Pirate Rum - "Why is the rum ALWAYS gone?!") so the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are amongst my faves. And of course the fact that Jonny Depp is pretty easy on the eyes doesn't hurt!! Tee! Hee! Hee! My pirate's name is Morgan the Pirate Bear, after the famous buccaneer and he's the second variation that will be available as part of this pattern. Here are the two together ...


The Captain has his black, shaped hat his pirate boots, belt, flounced shirt and duster jacket, while the crewman has the lace up shirt, waist sash, headscarf and coin dangles (just like Cap'n Jack!!). You can choose your favourite or make both so you can sail the seven seas and swash your buckle in style!!

I had finished the crewman some time ago, it was just the Captain version that needed to be finished and I knuckled down this weekend to do so - Kerryanne will be proud of me!! (Kerryanne is my Jimminy Cricket conscience encouraging me to be a good girl and write the instructions straight away while I can still remember what I did - she's a BIG encouragement to me!! Thanks Kerryanne!!) Now I just have to actually sit down and WRITE the instructions! GROAN!! I think I'd rather walk the plank!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... now you know how my latest 'bearbie' looks when finished. Mind you, getting a photo of them standing was no easy task! I now know how Jim Hensen must have felt when people wanted to take photos of his Muppets!! Little bears are made to hug or sit and look good, not stand at attention for photo shoots! Luckily my beloved Geek Boy was on hand to lend a hand - literally! If you look REALLY closely at the photo of the two Buccaneer bears together, you'll see GB's hand holding the crewman in place. We could run a 'Where's Wally' competitions - "Where's GB?"!! Tee ! Hee! Hee!

Anyways, I'm off to swash some buckles, keelhaul some landlubbers and hoist some mainsails!! Actually, I'm just popping off to put the kettle on for a cuppa, but it didn't sound very 'piratey'!! Til next time, Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Bear Facts & Winners!

Well ... I'm sure you'll all be VERY proud of me! I was a good girl (for a change!!) yesterday and today and locked myself in the sewing room ... lit the oil burner ...


(Hmmm, you can also see a small portion of my fantasy fiction collection!!) set the computer to play my Enya CD's ... and I SEWED!! It started out looking like this ...


Ooooooh! Bear bits!! Tee! He! Hee! Then after a few hours, it looked like this ... (WARNING: Sensitive viewers may wish too look away or scroll past very quickly as the following photo contains some nudity!) ...


Oh no!! A BARE BEAR! Tee! Hee! Hee! He's BEARY emBEARassed to be caught with his BARE BEAR bits showing!!! OK, I'm done with bad puns now - but BEARLY!! Tee! Hee! Hee! No, really, I'll restrain myself now! This little fellow is the bear that I've been putting off making for some time. He's the second version of my Morgan the Pirate Bear that I will be teaching in Gaynah next month - you now see the urgency to finish making the prototype and write the pattern instructions!! I have actually progressed quite a bit further than this now, but will keep you in suspenders a little longer before I reveal my handsome Johnnie Depp wannabe. Stay tuned!

Now although, as I said, I've been locked in my sewing room most of the past two days, I did come out long enough to find the winner of my 50th post prize draw. Now I know some of you clever chooks in blogland use the random number generator thingy (strangely, I'm starting to think this is the real name for said 'thingy' as it's the way most people refer to it!!) I, however, took a slightly lower-tech approach to drawing a winner ...


Yep! I REALLY did draw the names out of a hat! And a very patriotically Aussie hat it is, too, though a little beat up as it's actually my beloved Geek Boy's yard work hat. And yes, the hand holding the hat is GB, but he was in his daggy house clothes and refused to be photographed drawing the names - and they say women are vain!! Drum roll please .... And the winners are ...


In case you can't read the writing in the photo, Julia who commented on May 20 at 3:10am (Australian time I hope or what were you doing up so late, Julia!!) and the second winner is, Jeanne who was actually the lucky last person to leave a comment on May 24 at 2:06am (again, hope you weren't REALLY up that late!!) So, ladies, if you would like to email me with your snail mail addresses, along with your choice of Tag Along Teddies pattern, I'll pop your prizes in the mail this week. Remember, the prize was that you can choose your fave pattern from my web site, so get pickin'!!

Actually, I popped over to both of these ladies' blogs and you really should pop in for a visit too - lots of fun stuff to see and read about!! Isn't it fun making new friends all over the world!!

So ... that's about all I've been up to for the last couple of days, but I'll be back in a couple to show you the bare bear when he's no longer bare! It's all BEARY confusing!! On that note, I think it's time to sign off!! Hope you're all having a great weekend - I know Kerryanne has been very productive too, so check out what she's been up to! And til next time, Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

I'm Seeing Red!!

That's right - I'm seeing red!! No, no, don't be alarmed!! I'm not the CROSS kind of seeing red! It just seems that whatever I do lately - I see red!! You've already heard about my ladybird obsession ... well, I kind of added to it today! You see, having a 'grown up' job gives me a really good excuse to buy clothes and shoes (Like I really NEEDED one!!) - after all, I need a good variety of work clothes, don't I?! So, I called upon my bestest shopping buddy, Deb, and off we went to wreak retail havoc! Ooooh! Both of our mothers would be VERY disappointed in us! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... what was the first thing to catch my eye?? A pair of shoes! BUT - not just ANY pair of shoes ...


LADYBIRD SHOES!! They followed me home - really, that's what happened! Tee! Hee! Hee! Oh, the actual ladybird in this photo didn't ... more on that later!!

So ... I had my ladybird shoes. On looking a little further, I found a wonderful red top that matched the shoes perfectly! So I'm now set for work on Monday!!

After doing a little more retail damage at The Body Shop, Deb went to collect her girls from school and I headed home to try to be 'good' and cross something off my 'to do' list. And I did! YAY ME!! Now, we're back to that ladybird! Do you remember me saying when I finished the ladybird mug bag that there was a second part to the pattern? Well, the ladybird is it!


Oh, look! There's two!! These little ladybirds are made from felt and have sequin and bead dots sewn to their backs. They can either be an extra decoration for the mug bag, a dotty brooch, or I imagine they'd look fabulous with a few friends crawling over some children's curtains. Here's a shot of them crawling around my dotty mug, to give you an idea of their size.


Aren't they cute? I was pleased with how they came up. I think I'm going to sit them in a couple of my china tea cups that are displayed around the house, so that when someone goes to have a cup of tea - SURPRISE!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

OH! And guess what I 'spotted' in my lounge room today?


A dotty dolly! Tee! Hee! Hee! Her name is Ruby and she is one of the wonderful Rosalie Quinlan's designs. Ruby was featured in an issue of "Homespun" magazine a year or so ago and I've made about five versions of her - this one for myself, a mint green version for my Mum and a few of varying colours for friends. The original tag message was "Dear Mummy, I love you", as it was a Mothers' Day issue of the mag and I made that one for Mum, but for mine and the ones for friends, they featured this wording from one of my fave Proverbs. I'm a little embarrassed to say, that I had to photoshop out some cobwebs on Ruby, which I hadn't seen in person, but showed up in the photo! Oops! Oh well, I'm creative, you can't expect me to be tidy too!! That's MY story and I'm sticking to it!

So ... now you see why I'm seeing red! Or perhaps my beloved Geek Boy was right after all and I really am going a bit ... DOTTY!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

I shall sign off for now, but don't forget to leave a comment on my 50th post (if you haven't already) to go into the prize draw for your choice of one of my patterns, which you can check out on my web site. It's been lovely to meet new blogging friends and I hope this has rid them of their shyness and they will comment more often! Til next time, Bear Hugs! (JUGS Kerryanne! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

CHEERS!
KRIS

Clearing Cooking Confusion!

My dancing buddy, Deb, told me a story about her youngest daughter the other day. Now her daughter is one of these kids who takes everything you say very LITERALLY!! So ... when her teacher said to her, "Next year you'll be learning another language, you'll be learning German." The little girl looked concerned and said, "I don't want to learn German, I want to keep learning English." When the teacher pointed out to her that, in Australia we already speak English, the little girl replied, "No we don't, we speak Australian!"

Well ... after posting my recipe for Choc Chip Cookies, I'm feeling a bit like Deb's daughter! Who'd have thought that something as simple as a bickie recipe could get so complicated - and lead to lots of giggles about the differences in labels, terms and measurements!! So, to help clarify things a little for my overseas visitors, I went in search of some cooking measurement conversions and found this web site which is VERY handy, in fact, I shall be adding it to my favourites list for future reference! You see, I have a number of recipe books where I have to convert them from "American" into "Australian"! Tee! Hee! Hee! One recipe book, a fabulous one in a series called "Mug 'Ems", had obviously brought lots of confused feedback to the Australian distributors before, because they had added an explanatory page to the front which included the measurement conversions, as well as the 'Australian' equivalent of certain ingredients. It didn't, however, tell me how to explain to one of my new American friends what a 'sultana' is!! Hmmm, how do you explain something that you've just always accepted as part of your cooking ingredients list?!?! They're like a small raisin - sort of - in size, they're somewhere between a current and a raisin ... oh, here's a photo!!


Hope that helps!! Whew! I dare say there are lots of other sites on the web that will give cooking conversions, this was just the clearest one I found. Any further cooking questions, send 'em on in and I'll try to answer them - I feel a bit like Jamie Oliver, without the funny accent!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

By the way, do you like the apron I've used as the backdrop for all my cooking hardware up the top of the post? It's one of those wonderful 'make do' aprons made during lean times by my beloved Geek Boy's grandmother (who is still going strong at 93!!) I've got a couple of other old aprons from my great-grandmothers displayed on my sewing room wall, because they were just too pretty to put in a drawer somewhere! Mind you, I should take a leaf out of our grandmothers'/great-grandmothers/' books and wear an apron when I cook, because I'm a bit like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil, "Taz", in the kitchen!! Flour everywhere, lids off things and my poor cook book has spill-spots all over the pages of favourite recipes. And I usually end up wiping my hands on either a tea-towel that I then have to wash, or my clothes because I'm in a hurry and can't find the cloth. Perhaps an apron would save my clothes from UCS's - Unidentified Cooking Stains!! Or maybe I'm just a grot!! At least the food always tastes good, and that's the main thing!

Anyways ... I shall sign off for now and go make myself a cuppa and munch one of my bickies, I think! Happy cooking and be sure to let me know what you think of the resulting bickies! Oooooh! And don't forget to leave a comment on Monday's post to go into my 50th post prize draw before Friday! I've been enjoying getting comments from new friends already and I know there are a lot more 'sneak peekers' out there who've not said 'g'day' before, so I hope they'll leave a comment to join the draw too. (I've seen these fringe dwellers referred to as 'lurkers' before, but that sounds a bit sinister, so I thought 'sneak peekers' was a nicer title for non-commenting visitors!!) Til next time, Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS