DIY Shopping Bag

DIY Shopping Bag - HandleFrom next year Coles and Woolworths will be phasing out plastic bags in Queensland. It’s been a long time coming but I’m glad it’s finally here.

Now, I just need to remember to pack the fabric bags in the car before each shop.

And to stock up on said fabric bags. I have them. A lot of them. But they seem to tear and break frequently. Perhaps it’s because I over-stuff them with toys, swimming gear, soccer balls and library books.

So I thought I’d whip a few bags to replace the torn ones. They also look just a wee bit nicer.

Here’s how to make your own DIY shopping bag.

Read more

This is not a side hustle

This is not a side hustle

Side Hustle. It’s become a ubiquitous term. Part of the lexicon of our times. Used to cover everything from second, third and fourth jobs to leveraging the sharing economy to an Etsy store to freelancing to blogging.

This thing that sits on the side of your “regular” hustle and delivers extra income. Something that consumes you and drives you and gives purpose. A million buzzfeed articles are written on this hustle and Facebook ads tell you can make a million dollars from it.

I have two problems with the term – “side” and “hustle”. It’s become a cute term that either misleads, diminishes or skates over bigger issues. Read more

Nina’s Style Deconstructed

Nina's Style - Deconstructed

Once again I’m welcoming the Proudman family into my lounge room each Wednesday night. I am excited they are back. But, well, it’s just not quite as good as it once was. There, I said it. A few dull edges where there was once only sparkle. Although the most recent episode shone with the old glitter.

It’s still better than most free to air TV (why does the Bachelor get prime time ahead of it?). And I am still completely in love with Nina’s style. Read more

On the morning jog

the morning jog

A change came into our house late last year. My husband starting running. He’s never run before — not in any committed way. But a big birthday, a need to be fit, a sudden preoccupation with health, something pushed him into becoming a runner. Four times a week without fail.

And, of course, he has lost weight. Quite a bit really. The law of conservation of mass — mass is never created or destroyed, it’s just rearranged. His lost kilos have found me. Stealthily crept over to my side of the bed. And so, I too, have attempted the magic of running to rearrange molecules. Read more

How to make a turban headband

You know those fabulous women who can wrap a scarf around their head and look all kinds of chic? I am not one of them. But I can cheat. This fabulous turban headband gives the same kind of look. It’s a quick sew project that gets a bit addictive.

Read more

If it were common – would it hurt less?

*** Trigger warning: This post discusses child loss, grief and miscarriage ***

Grief. Loss. Pain. Sadness. These are universal emotions. If all the feelings of the world were placed on a scale, I daresay the darker side would draw lower. Yet, that’s not what we see. Not what we are taught. Happiness is to be prized and paraded. Sadness is to be swallowed and hidden away.

I’ve thought a lot about this since Xavier’s death. The reactions to child loss, and to loss in a broader sense. What is acceptable in grief and what is not. You are told there is no guide book. But believe me, there are a host of unwritten rules. Read more