Got 20 cents?

Somebody stole mine for a photo shoot:He traded it back for a slice of cake though...

A Surprise Package and Embellishing

Looking at my little teddy I felt (hehe felt) as though something was missing. I checked through my ribbon box, and with a few choices, picked one out and voila! A little embellishing goes a long way! He's quite tiny, as you can see by the computer screen in the background.When I collected the mail yesterday, guess what I found? No, not a credit card bill. No, not a telephone bill either. Oh, you'll never guess, so I'll just tell you! A little surprise package from Cam of CurlyPops! Oh Cam, you shouldn't have! Thank you so so much! I just love it!! And how'd you know that Lemon Delicious is my favourite dessert?Looks like I have some competition for it though....And Linda got her prize package! You can go see it here. Still waiting for Sarah to get hers though, probably next week some time.

Passionate Fruit

We have a passion fruit vine in the back garden. It's really taken off during the last few weeks, and has so far produced over 30 fruits. We have another 28 on the vine, and at least another 12 flowers. The vine grows a little more every day, so we're sure to have even more by the time winter ends.But what to do with all these passion fruit? They've sat there on the bench the past few days tempting me with their enticing aroma, and today I decided to do something about it. Using my own recipe, I backed 12 cupcakes and iced them with cream cheese frosting. Mmmm Yummy!! They're soft and moist and full of flavour. Six have already disappeared, and the others will soon follow!

a first attempt

I don't do teddy bears. But having found a small pattern of a teddy here (thankyou Christy!) I decided to give it a go. Cut the felt. Sew the felt. Stuff the felt. Add buttons for mobility. Finished body! Yay! And except for a slightly crooked tail, acceptable! Now, the head.
Attempt one. No, that can't be right. Attempt two. Chuck. Attempt three. Toss. Attempt four. Give to cat. Attempt five. Ok! Now the ears... oops! Slightly crooked...oh well. Eyes for buttons, sew on head.
First attempt at teddy making - acceptable. All in all, I'm quite pleased! What do you think?

Craft Show and Tell

I have heaps to show you, but I can't because I don't have the camera for another 3 days. I couldn't show you some of the things I've been making anyway, because they're a surprise for Sarah and Linda! And I can't show you the FANTASTIC package I got from Jessy, because as I said, I don't have my camera *cries*
I could show you some of the items from the craft section of a recent carnival aka show, how about that? Yes? Alright then, here you go -

Embroidered Cushion - 3rd prize in it's category
Redwork - 1st prize!
Redwork - 2nd prize!

Winnners are Grinners!

Congratulations to everyone who participated, every guess was a good one! I would have guessed the exact same snakes as you. In fact, I did!

When the reptile handler, Dave, started describing the snake, I guessed "Tiger." Then He brought him out of the bag and I went..."Oh! Red Belly!" Dave said, "He's a tiger from the Northern Territory..." and I went, "Oh! A red morph tiger!" then Dave continued "....commonly known as the colletts snake!"

Yes, I was dumbfounded too! I felt quite stupid as I know snakes, but he's the most different vibrant red colletts snake I've ever seen!! That's why I thought he'd make a great subject for a guessing game!!
Now I must remark that even though this is typically known as a tiger snake, if you're bitten by one, you're not given tiger snake anti-venom. You're given black snake anti-venom instead. So technically it's a type of black snake. (red bellies, blue bellies etc)
Thank you so much to everyone who had a guess! Next time I'll make it something much nicer than a snake, promise!

So our winner is Sarah, as her first answer was "Tiger." That's the genus! But Linda guessed lastly "Red snake from the NT and is very deadly," which is mostly true, and such a good try! He doesn't look like a black snake after all...

So, I'm going to send you both a prize! I just need your addresses... Sarah I think I have yours already but would like it through e-mail anyway, just in case I can't find the envelope you sent the camera case in. Drop it into me at hickups88(at)hotmail(dot)com, and I'll make you both a little something!
Let me know if you'd like something you've seen on my blog lately and I'll make you one or some of them!

Again, thank you to everyone for having a go, and stay tuned for my 100th post giveaway. (This is post number 83!)

Sssssomething'ssss up

Ok, I'm gonna educate everyone for a sec! The top 11 deadliest snakes are Australian, the deadliest being the Inland or Western Taipan. More people are bitten in Australia while mistreating snakes than anywhere else. Australia is the python capitol of the world. The heaviest python in the world is the Amethystine Python of Tropical North Australia. Tasmania has only three types of snakes, all of which are deadly. A snakes venom is like a humans saliva, and therefore is no less deadly after being milked. Never touch a dead snake, as they can still inject venom several hours after death. If you live in suburbia Australia, you are never more than 200 meters away from a snake. In fact, I have one living in my ceiling!

These are the other two snakes the handler brought out during the public demonstration. First a red belly(who was due for a shead and therefor his eyes were opaque):Then an Eastern Brown:If you live in Australia, you should always have a crepe bandage on hand, and know first aid for snake bites. You should always be aware when walking in grass any longer than 10 cm, and stamp your feet heavily as you walk. Snakes have very poor eye sight, and can't see more than 2 meters in front of them. They're also deaf, and can't hear you coming. Vibrations are your best bet, so stamp! I know I often do as I live in Taipan country, and that's one bite I refuse to experience! Lastly, if you do come to be near a snake, stand still until it slithers away. You can scream all you want, just stay still. Don't kill them, because not only is it illegal and you could be in for a very hefty fine, but they're vital to the Australian eco-system!
Any questions, just ask!

Guessing Game Giveaway

My favourite pavilion at the Annual Show:I'm giving a prize to the first person (Australia only, sorry) who can correctly guess what this snake's name is.Look closely, as even I was deceived. I guessed correctly it's genus though!Good Luck! (oh, and don't worry, this snake is captive bred, and therefore is extremely used to humans, that's why he's so friendly....despite being one of the deadliest snakes in the world...does that help?)

:Edited to add:

I'll be closing comments come sunset on the 6th June, EST Australia. Closest answer gets the goods! I'm enjoying all your answers, most of which are great guesses, as all front-fanged snakes look pretty much the same!