Smile

A smile costs nothing but gives so much.

Pansy faces make me smile

Watching wood pigeons gathering in the park and the boys flirting with the girls.

My day job sometimes takes me to far off and interesting places - not really but it's nice to dream. This week I headed about 100kms north to Clare, it was 3 degrees when I arrived but this time of year it always looks beautiful. There are so many trees and most are deciduous. The street sweeper had been along piling the leaves in the gutter and I couldn't resist the urge to do a little kick into the leaves. Yes I know very childish, but it made me smile. A couple of leaves made the journey home with me.

I'm sure Lilly is smiling as she dreams of tropical islands full of personal slaves.

Christina has been knitting exciting things again and it took me a while to work this one out. Yes another big smile.

Keep smiling

Melissa

What the wool did

Well the scarf turned out to be a neck band with a crocheted flower,

lovely to wear as the wool is so soft and snugly.

The granny square is just growing but nothing like the delicious knitting Christina has just completed. I'm having fun reliving some childhood memories each evening - could be an age thing!

Growing

Our Jack in the Bean Stalks have come along way in 2 weeks, from tiny seed to small plants.
A grey damp day today but the plants will love it.
Hope everyone is having a cosy weekend.

Wool

I haven't knitted or crocheted for years and I'm enjoying playing with the wool.

What will it be, probably a scarf and a large granny square.

It never ceases to amaze me what is in our heads, as soon as I picked up the wool and the knitting needles it all came back to me. My mum taught me to knit before I started school. At night we would sit in front of the old wood stove, the door open with our feet propped up on it. I remember knitting squares, "pot holders" mum said.

I knitted lots of jumpers during the 80's, even a Jenny Kee design! Pay day would see me rushing into the wool shop, a whole shop just dedicated to knitting.

In primary school I learnt to crochet granny squares. We would all sit around in groups crocheting and swapping wool, during recess and lunch, it was one way to keep warm in winter! Each morning we would compare our squares and see how much we had done the night before, too bad about the home work.

I am spending my evenings surrounded by wool and a grumpy Miss Lilly as she fights for a spot on my lap and tries to avoid being poked with a knitting needle!

Hope you are having cosy evenings,

Melissa

Maypoles and Quilts

The Kernewek Lowender is week long biannual festival celebrated with events, exhibitions and cornish pasties.

The local school children dress up and take part in Maypoles, furry dancing and street parades.
At the Golden Harvest Quilt exhibition I ran into Judy a fellow crafter and quilter. Although she now resides in the south east of SA she returns for events on the Yorke Peninsular. Judy has a great sense of humour, her "family tree", pictured.

The Chocolate Crow Trader

The new edition of the Chocolate Crow Trader http://www.thechocolatecrowtrader.com/

goes online tomorrow, 15th May. To celebrate CCT's 5th Birthday, Mogs Designs is giving away a surprise gift with every purchase.

Here's a sneak peek of my new goodies.

"Tea and Friends"

"Share a cup of tea with me my friend, wish this cup would never end"

is the verse I have used through this one of a kind handmade paper and fabric book.

Embellished with doilies, buttons, lace and reproduction vintage photographs.

I'm sure we have friends both near and far we love having a cuppa with.


These cute fabric and button badges look great pinned on your coat, jumper, scarf, etc.

Enjoy,

Melissa

Treasure

I love searching through the op shops and antique shops, this weeks hunt has yielded a selection of buttons and this beautiful doily. My friend is studying art at uni and one of her class mates is collecting hand crocheted doilies for her project. Hand crocheted doilies are very hard to find but the interesting thing is how many of us are now "doily hunting".

Back in the late 90's, yes last century, we lived in Byron Bay, NSW, for a while and in a tiny shop next to a yummy bakery, chenille bedspread clothing was sold. The girl told me that women from around the district would source these bedspreads and once a month they would all come together for morning tea, hand over their treasure and discuss the trill of the hunt. I always thought this was a wonderful story of bringing women together.

I still have my now very faded purple chenille jacket and I think the designer was Kat.

On Moonlight Bay

Saturday night was a full moon, we rugged up and went for a walk. Half way along the jetty we looked back and saw the beautiful moonlight and twinkling lights shining on the water.

Saturday night also saw Miss Lilly "baying" at the moon like a junk yard dog! She has always acted a bit odd with full moons and mice.

She was a rescue cat at age 5 and set in her ways, her demands were short; I don't eat cat food, I don't live outside and I will sleep on your favourite things!

Miss Lilly arrived with us when we were living in Clare (good wine) and when the odd mouse entered her house she would sit on the table until it was removed. Perhaps she is Aunt Mabel reincarnated, she was always a bit odd!

Miss Lilly is now "sweet 16", completely deaf, toothless, a bit dotty and living her twilight years in complete cat luxury. She has moved 3 times with us and has never looked to leave , we must be doing something right!

"Dogs have masters, Cats have slaves!"

Have a great day, Miss Lilly is!

Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day, I hope all mums had a dish washing free day today.

We planted our seedlings this afternoon, we have caulie, cabbage, beans, peas and beetroot. Also some carrots, I had forgotten how small the seeds are.

My mum planted carrot seeds once and I thought I would weed her veggie patch, yes I pulled out all the carrot seedlings!

The weekend is nearly over, they go far too quickly, I hope everyone had a lovely weekend what ever you did.

I wonder what the new week will bring?

Gardening

The ground has been prepared, the seedlings have been purchased, and tomorrow we will plant. Hopefully we will get a sprinkling of rain, it's been very dry here so fingers crossed.

I'm thankful for the humble geranium that adds a bit of colour.

Button Love

I love and collect buttons, the older the better. I think part of the wonder of collecting anything is the trill of the hunt, what will I find in the oppie or antique shop this week? Coming home with a stash of buttons and sorting through them, I always wonder what garment they came from, who wore them, where they went and what the buttons saw.

What would buttons say if they could talk?

I made this wired button necklace using a variety of vintage and new buttons.

Welcome

Welcome, I have been going to start a blog for some time now but times goes so quickly.

I hope you enjoy the journey of Mogs Designs.

I create, sew, craft and generally make a mess!

I sell my treasures on the www.thechocolatecrowtrader.com a monthly online magazine.

Miss Lilly is head of the family and always hard at work, as you can see!

Well I shall try and get a handle on blogging,

Enjoy

Melissa