wedding bliss...

On Friday just gone, my best friend Melissa married the man of her dreams. it was the loveliest wedding, complete with good music, good food, an abundance of champagne and of course the best company this side of Phuket.

I thought Mel would be more nervous that she was. It absolutely bucketed down with rain and she didnt bat an eyelid. She remained the calm, collected bride she has always been. it was only in the last moments as we fixed her veil and she looked down at her wedding dress, finally on her for the big day, that her voice began to quiver.

me? chief bridesmaid? well i actually got nervous long before mel did. i was worried about having to carry baby emily down the aisle and hoist my dress up at the same time. i was worried about the speech i would have to make and whether i could do it with a belly full of champagne. mostly though, i was worried that my best friend wouldnt have the most wonderful day of her life.

it seems i really had nothing to worry about. mel was amazing - as usual. steve was everything and more. and the day was one of the most special weddings i have ever been too. when my best friend walked down that aisle, her eyes solidly fixed on her future husband i welled up. i was simply over come with pride. that i should know too people so lovely was beyond comprehension. *sigh* Mel, you did wonderfully. I hope you dont mind if i share this photo of you. my favourite. before all the makeup. just pure, clean, beautiful mel.

out of the loop and into the craft.

i will start by apologising for my absence of late. getting engaged has meant many a celebration, followed by surly hangovers, followed by lapse in energy to work, followed by an increased work load, and ending in sheer exhausion.

But i'm back. and that's all that matters!

i managed to feel somewhat inspired by my friend lisa who came over for dinner with her hubbie Joe and their beautiful kids. she explained how she was 'hand-sewing' a quilt after the kiddies went to bed at night. 'by gawd' i thought, 'that's dedication!'.

my wonderfully old sewing machine and sparkling new overlocker has been sitting in the corner of the living room for the past few weeks sharing negative comments about me and my inability to find time for them. i promised myself, and them, that i would give this patch work thing a try and with the use of my sewing machine, i should have a some-what speeder time than Lisa.

and so, using some fabrics sought lovingly on z&s i worked together a baby blanket with matching tote bag. The main fabric on the tote i am going to have to replace. it was an op-shop find and it's starting to fray. but the actual look and completion of this project is really what i wanted to share.

ta da! my baby blanket.



that lovely material. oh so pastelly and soft...



and of course, the tote.



if you have a friend you love ever so dearly. or a sister, or a brother or a mother. someone who is welcoming a new addition to their's and your life, why not give them one of these? I would be happy to make more on request with the same dedication and love, for just a small, material-buying price!

engaged.

there is one part of beautiful tasmania that i know i will remember for the rest of my life. it's a tiny little italian restaurant nestled in salamanca, hobart. it was here after ordering our wonderfully imaginative dinner that ben asked me to be his wife. of course, i said yes.

an amazing thing happens when someone asks you to spend your life with them. its like a warm, cosy calm settles on you. you suddenly feel at ease. you feel content. you feel complete. i always knew that i would spend my life with ben, but i never thought that marriage would be the first of the many wonderful life events on our list. needless to say i am utterly delighted. i feel like we just met again. such a great feeling!

the wedding itself will probably be next summer. (that's only 6 months away mind you) we figure, why wait? we look forward to celebrating this with all our family and friends. there's nothing like a good knees up as far as i'm concerned. i see it being a quaint, colourful wedding, with little structure and even less formalities eg. place names. i want our guests to be able to mingle. to stand and chat at the bar. to dance.

with all that said, we now enter the organisation period. we are looking for a venue first to set the date we will be working towards. oh god. the thoughts of it all sends my mind spinning :) we must also sit down and tentatively discuss how we will fight off all other suggestions from family and friends that don't heavenly correlate with our own vision. and that, my friends, will be the biggest challenge of all...

here he is...my Ben.