>Growing Bookworms.

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Punky is a bookworm. She can’t read yet, but that doesn’t stop her from “reading” every night before bed. She chooses a selection of titles from her ample supply & bunkers down for some cosy book action.

She has A LOT of books. When her room is all tidy & all the books are on the shelves & not stacked in piles of varying heights throughout the house, I almost need a hammer to get those last few books in there.

Her book collection started well before she was born – on oppy runs I would come home with children’s books that reminded me of those I had as a child or those I used to read when staying with my Gran.

I can still remember the very first book I read to her – she would have been about two weeks old & I lay on the floor with her & held “The Cat in the hat comes back” above us. Her eyes were drawn to the high contrast pages as I read.

We could spend all day reading books over here. Some days we’ve come pretty close – my throat gets sore from reading aloud but Punk still sits quietly, listening, looking. Suspence joins us now – sturdy board books only – but he is all about the mashing & grabbing & chewing.

The Boy says Punk doesn’t need any more books, ever, but I don’t think you can ever have too many. Each new book is an adventure, the start of fond memories, something to hold, to admire, to get lost in, to share… that’s why yesterday when I saw this book being practically given away I grabbed two copies.

Illustrated by Emma Magenta, whom I knew from The Peril of Magnificent Love & written by one of my biggest girl-crushes, Toni Collette, this hardcover picture book is as quirky as it is delightful, the story of a naughty yawn who won’t share & on another level a cautionary tale about what we are doing to our environment.

So I said I picked up two copies? One has been read & re-read to Le Punk thrice already, the other is for you.

If you’ve a little person who would enjoy Planet Yawn, tell me in the comments the name of your favourite children’s book, the book that every child just has to have on their bookshelf – Punk’s on the lookout for new reads.

I’ll pick a winner at random in a few days, happy to post this gorgeous book anywhere you happen to be. xx

>the little tea zine….

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I had such a lovely suprise in the mail this afternoon – a cute little parcel of tea-themed goodness from Isis.

A while back Isis put out the call for tea-themed contributions for a zine she wanted to make, I sent her a drawing & she included it for me – very nice of her considering the pool of talent I now know she had contributing! I’m sorry Isis love – my Miss Teapot is positively outclassed!

Anywho – the finished zine is A M A Z I N G. Beautiful, cute, funky, clever & just… well… just my cup of tea. There are tea-themed crafts to make, reviews to read, recipes to drool over, stories to savour… I can’t believe how much dear Isis has been able to fit into this little gem & just how fabulous it all is. Truly! Perfect for sitting down in your favourite armchair with an iced vovo, & yes; a cup of tea. You might need a pot of tea actually, if you plan on getting through everything in just one sitting.

If you would like to see for yourself, you can buy it here for just $5 AND you get a free tea-themed badge!

If you are feeling lucky, you might want to tell me what your favourite drop of tea is in the comments below. I have two copies of this tea-riffic (ha! I kill me!) little zine & I’m giving one away. I’m keeping the badge though. Sorry.

 

>Give it away, give it away, give it away now…

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I bought this pattern a while back from Crafty Mamas, then forgot about it, then remembered, then forgot, then didn’t give the lovely owner my new address, then I did, and then it arrived last week and I can’t for the life of me think why I wanted it. I shall not make it. Not now, not ever. It’s not the sort of thing I would even kid myself about, and so, I’m giving it away.

It is the Alex jacket from Mamu Design; suitable for boys or girls from about 3months to 14 years!

The options seem endless – with hood, without hood, different types of hoods, with sleeves, without sleeves, with pockets… you get the idea… if only if my sewing skills corresponded with my aspirations!

To enter just leave a comment here telling me who you would make your first Alex for! If you are a very special yet obviously confused follower, leave another comment for another entry – I would have just picked randomly from you guys but what if, like me, you couldn’t make this in a pink fit?!

…and that’s it. You don’t need to blog about this, tweet about it, faff about on facebook or buy anything… but maybe you’d like to give away a pattern of your own you never got around to using? That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

>Awesome Mail.

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Oh yes!

Unexpected gifties in the mail really are the best – yesterday I heard the postie at the door & rushed out, I’m expecting a little sumpin sumpin from Miss Lola’s cosy shop – but my BIG parcel wasn’t from America… it was from New Zealand… and I didn’t immediately recognise the name…

But when I opened it – oh I knew, and it was grand! Quite some time ago I won a giveaway on Jacqui’s blog Hazelnuts, the prize was whatever you would like from Jacqui’s ‘back catalogue’ of awesome craftiness, which of course I couldn’t decide on, so I listed pretty much everything she made & said “Surprise me!” – and surprise me she did!

THANK YOU SWEET THING!

Punky is in love – I am in love – and amazed by the serendipity of my pincushion… You rock!

>MPAY – again – A Draw…?

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(from)

Right! Seems there was more than one person happy to take on My Place and Yours for me – first of all, THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered, in the comments & via email, I really love this meme & am SO SO SO sad that I have to let it go, but I really do, I just can’t commit to it as I should right now, but it is awesome to know that wherever it goes, it will be appreciated.

So.

In the running so far we have:

• Susan
• Deb
• Sophie
• Jodie
• Danielle

Have I missed you? Do you want to be in the draw to have MPAY come live with you? Let me know in the comments & I’ll pick a new host & ultimate meme Queen in the next day or two. *sniffs*

>My Place And Yours – An Announcement….

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(from)

One adolescent meme – free to GOOD home. Likes to be taken out once a week – preferably to friend’s houses. Enjoys snooping & learning interesting facts. Sleeps in on Mondays & is allergic to oranges…..

That’s right… after an extremely brief stint here at Punky & Me, My Place And Yours feels it’s time to move on. It doesn’t like feeling neglected, which is perfectly understandable, and likes to feel useful… wanted even, and it knows that if it hangs around here…. well…. Things are only going to get worse.

So!

Do you want it?! Will you love it & cherish it & maybe even let me play once in a while? I’d like that. Very much.

>Drum Roll Puh-Lease…!

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The winners of my 150th post giveaway have been chosen!

I thought I’d use the trampoline as a kind of big-ass lottery barrel, since my lovely assistant was in it anyway…

 

Congrats peeps! Do email me your addresses & you’ll be getting yourselves some happy mail next week!

>It’s My Party & I’ll Give Stuff Away If I Want To…

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Ta Da! Post One-Five-Oh. 150. The ol one-fifty-roo…. okay, that’s enough of that!

Since I missed my hundredth post, I decided to wait until I hit 150 before breaking out the streamers & dollar store balloons, & here we are.

Ah… what to say about this little milestone in my young blog’s life? It’s pretty cool, I think, to have reached this at all, considering it took me quite a while to warm to this blogging business – I even gave up once early on – but when I returned it was with renewed vigour & enthusiasm & I am so, so glad.

I feel as though I have been welcomed with open arms into a warm, funny & incredibly inspirational community of fellow bloggers, some crafters, some mothers (lots are both), some artists, incredible chefs, thrifty types, amazing photographers & just all ’round lovely folks.

I don’t know if I will ever make a milestone like this one, but hey… never say never right…?!

Sooooooooo…. You want some stuff….? ‘Cause I totally have some stuff for you… if you want it. I wish I had the time, the motivation or the inclination to make some things especially – but… I don’t, so you get some things that I think are cool & that I hope you might think are cool, too, but first of all, I have to say a huge & incredibly loud “THANK YOU!” to everyone who has visited Punky & Me thus far, everyone who has commented & made me think that I’m not just talking to myself, everyone who is crazy enough to follow me (…little ‘ol me?!), everyone who has mentioned me even fleetingly in their blogs, anyone who has sent me anything at all, be it happy mail or a friendly email…. THANK YOU! It’s a nice feeling, the one that all that gives me. It’s a feeling of belonging & sharing & just general well being, & I’m not sure if I can really express how much I appreciate it, but I most assuredly do.

Enough soppy stuff! To the goodies….! There are three prizes, one consists of vintage this & that, one is for crafters with a similar craft attention deficit disorder to myself, & one is for lovers of buttons… or bracelets… or things that start with b.

Vintage Viddles;

Park Lane Mesh Clutch – still boxed! I have been holding on to this (clutching it, if you will), because it is so pretty & shiny & in it’s original box with the little cards & all… but I will never, ever use it, and I never, ever, take it out of it’s box, so I would love for it to go to a home where it might get to go out & sample some night life…

Vintage Recipe File – I just picked this up last week & it’s a perfect mix of functionality & funny kitchen kitch – look at that droopy french stick! Those appetizing looking party franks…!

Pretty Fabric – Feels like that lovely, ever so breathable polyester that had Leo Sayer sweating it out in wide collared shirts in the 70s – but it’s SO PRETTY! Perfect for a funky bag me thinks, or several, there is a lot…

Crafter’s Delight;

This Book – Felt Food & Goods Vol. 2. I bought this one & the first one with grand intentions of making an entire pantry of felty goodness to go with Punky’s birthday present of a play kitchen…. I’m keeping Vol. 1 in case that urge ever resurfaces….

Some Very Pretty Beads – I bought these because they were pretty. I bought them a long time ago. I have nothing to make with them. They are sad.

Blue Button Bracelet;

What more can I say? It’s blue…. it’s made of buttons… it’s a bracelet! I made it myself *puffs out chest proudly* & think it’s rather nice.

Would you like any of that? I rather hope you would.

Leave me a comment here telling me which prize tickles your fancy & it could be yours. I’m also, as soon as I figure out the fairest way to do it (suggestions welcome!) going to pick a random follower or past commenter to make up a little thank you gifty for, so stay tuned for that…

No extra entries for being forced to follow me – I am so super thankful for those that choose to add me to their blog lists, to their readers, to out themselves as someone who lurks around here sometimes, that I have no desire to make anyone do anything they don’t want to do!

No extra entries for blogging or tweeting or painting a link on your butt & doing a nudey run – but feel free to do any or all if you are so inclined (okay… so if you do the nudey run thing – you totally get 3 more entries…).

Winners will be drawn by an ingenious though as yet undiscovered random method, next week sometime… you know I don’t like deadlines.

>Oh. So. Lucky.

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I am.

I really am.

I was contemplating skipping a post today – I’ve been up since 4.30am, I’m tired, grumpy & feeling rather unproductive… but what was waiting for me when I opened the door to go & empty the vacuum cleaner….?!

Why, piles & piles of lovely vintage fabric all the way from the USA, of course!

Bethany ran a giveaway on her blog last month & lucky for me & unlucky for them, one of the winners never got back to her with an address & I was picked in the second chance draw – woohoo! There is nothing better to cheer up an exhausted, frazzled Vic on a dreary Monday morning!

My three favourites;

I also have to send out huge thanks to Claire for her super duper package – she spoilt us so much – not only did I receive a super funky red apron, but lots of other goodies too, including a Punky Pirate doll for… you guessed it, my very own Punky Pirate.

Then I got a lovely package wrapped up in brown paper from Kylie…. (including some fantastic yellow buttons…!!)

Annnnnnnnnd, just so you can feel fully justified in hating me, I got this sweet wee Nilla Nilla lip balm in the mail from Curious Oyster, it is ALL THAT, let me tell you. Made in Melbourne & adorned with a cheeky cheesecake pinup… oh how I love vintage pinups!

Gosh the blogosphere has been good to me so far! And don’t think I don’t appreciate it, and every little thing that happens to come my way in the mail, because I absolutely do! I feel ever so lucky but not only that, I feel very welcomed into this blogging community. It makes it all a little bit more real to be able to touch, wear or adore something I have only seen on a computer screen & to think that someone has had the generosity of heart to send it out to me.

I am slowly gearing up for my 150th post giveaway (since I totally missed the 100th….) & am going to make it a big one. It’s the least I can do, good bloggy karma & all….!

>Giveaway Winner!

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Right. It’s Saturday morning & I’m tired & cold & out of Vegemite (how does that happen…..?!). On the upside, it looks like it’s going to be nice outside & I have a copious amount of coffee to get me through, BUT, Blogtoberfest is officially kicking my butt.

I can’t wait for it to be over! Is that awful….?! Maybe it’s just my mood this morning but I find myself longing for a day when I don’t have to turn the computer on… yeah I could do that “post the day before your post posts post” thing, but *meh*, that seems like just as much of a pain….

Anywho, the whinging is just setting me up nicely for; There is no giveaway this week (or next week… while I’m piking…), for two reasons;

1. I haven’t made anything (nor do I want to give you any of my stuff. I like stuff, especially my stuff.)

2. As great as I thought the BOTF concept was, it really didn’t help… I find myself reading even more, if that’s possible? I read festival posts anyway, as they come up in my reader, AND then go & read the links you’ve generously provided. I will not be doing that this week, in all honesty. It is going to be a struggle to just keep posting…

BUT. I have let my 100th post come & go without a second thought so I’m going to pick another number… like 125 or 150, to have a celebratory giveaway with lots of STUFF (which I KNOW you like, just as much as I do…), so do check back, sometime when blogtober is a fond yet distant memory.

Now, I’ve babbled on enough, me thinks. Without further ado, the new owner of her very own, laboriously pierced button bracelet is;

MoederKip! Hurrah! Do email me your address my dear, and I shall post you some buttony goodness. 🙂