Some girlie pj's

Some new girl's pj's hot off the press.

100% cotton shorts with a decorated Bonds singlet top - to keep girls cool (& looking cool) in the coming summer months.

Sz 8 floral girl's pj's

These ones are now in the Ohjoh Kids Shop where all proceeds from every sale in the month of September will go to cancer research via the Peter MacCallum Hospital.  You can read more about that here.

Sz 8 striped girl's pj's

My kids have grown SO much since last summer (must be all the rain) and will not be able to squeeze into last years pj's.  They've put their orders in so I'm off to get more singlets.  Do you make your own pj's too ??

Hope you're all enjoying your Friday.

Cheers

Jenny

Ohjoh Pop-Up Online Shop & a kinda giveaway

I've touched on this here before but, basically, cancer sucks the big one!
It touches so many people in many different ways.
My grandmother was a victim, my sister is a survivor and my Mum is in her third year of trying to beat it.

So, its time to do something good.

One of my sisters (the survivor!), her partner and one of my brothers are joining the 200km bike ride on Oct 27-28th to raise funds for the Peter Mac Cancer Hospital in Melbourne.

I'm unable to ride (ok, ok I'm too unfit, too lazy and don't have a bike) so I'm helping by creating a Pop-Up Online Shop for the month of September.  ALL proceeds from any sales in this shop will be donated directly to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Hospital (via my brother's sponsor page).

The shop is called Ohjoh-kids (on Made-it).

Kids clothing and pyjamas, handmade and/or decorated by me.

Girl's T-shirt sz 4

Boy's Pj's sz 6

Girl's Pj's sz 8

Girl's T-shirt sz 3

All of the fabrics, clothing and labour have been donated so that every cent of the purchase price will be forwarded to Peter Mac.

If you could share this with your friends I would really appreciate it.

In fact, if you pop a mention of the Ohjoh Kids shop on your blog or Facebook page and leave me a comment telling me that you have,  I'll put you in the draw for a surprise bit of handmade goodness that we'll draw in late October.

Who know's, one day the money raised could help create a treatment that saves the life of someone you love.

Thanks
Jenny

New beginnings

A few new beginnings that will (hopefully) soon have an end...

Watch this space ...

And some new beginnings in the garden with the kids.  

We have the "plant & hope garden" - lots of good intentions with minimal skill.

Here's hoping something grows.

Hope you're enjoying your Monday.

Jenny

Yep, I need to get out more!

Aaah Pinterest, you're making me tired, grumpy, happy, inspired and usually late.
I think we need to spend some time apart.
But you have such cool things.
I found the instructions for these here after finding the pic on Pinterest.

Made some with my girls and kept using the scrap paper to make teeny, tiny ones.

Yep, I need to get out more....

Good golly - I've made something!

It's been a while since I've posted pics of something that has been made by me.
Here are a couple of things that have been wrapped up and given away ....

A baby wrap for a nephew. (Technically made & delivered in May but forgot to share it with you)

 (mmm could have done with an iron before the pic...)

One of Nikki's bag for a lovely 11 year old.

I love this pattern - so easy and wise (can a pattern be wise?).  I love the tips and tricks in it. 

For girls like me who have learnt as we go (apart from Textiles class at High School .... SUCH a long time ago) these tips are fabulous!  

Sometimes you can hear my brain clunk as I read them and things fall into place.  

I've made a denim laptop/satchel bag with a lovely Prints Charming lining as this lovely girl still adores pink and loves to carry stuff with her.

I've also finished all of the prep costumes for the school concert which is tomorrow night (LOT's of excitement in our house).
I handed them to the teachers yesterday (17 dresses & hair ties and 16 vests) and didn't take any photos to show you - what a dufus!  Will try and get some tomorrow.

Hmm, what to do next  ??
Maybe finish Miss 2's quilt that was started in January - yep it has been neglected.
Now it's out there and I've dobbed myself in I'll have to finish it!

I also have another little project in the pipeline that I'll share with you soon.

Hope you're all having a lovely week, too.

Jenny

Blogs, Sauce and Stuff

Aah blogs, they're funny things.  Sometimes updated and sometimes neglected.

Some people pop everything on them and share their lives and families (and there are a few of these that I regularly follow and enjoy).  Others prefer to keep families and personal details well protected and separate.

Even though I don't really know what this blog is, I think I fall into the second category.  The Mr prefers it to be that way too and I respect that.

There have been times when I've felt like posting about some of the things happening in our world, perhaps almost as a form of therapy, but I haven't.  And in retrospect, that is probably a good thing.

Hmmm, it probably would also have been as boring as bat poop.

Anyway, today I'm taking a little side step and sharing my Mum with you.

Yesterday I left at the crack of dawn, drove half way across Victoria and made sauce with my Mum.

My 4 siblings and myself don't enjoy bought sauce, as the only sauce we ever had was Mum's delicious homemade tomato sauce - not surprising considering Dad grew paddocks and paddocks of tomatoes for a living! 

Mum's sauce is a valuable commodity in our family.  It is bartered, hoarded, sometimes pinched and requires serious negotiations with siblings if you're to run out before February and the next batch.

And to be honest, I think we have taken for granted the fact that Mum makes it every year.

So how are we cooking tomato sauce in July?

Mum has cancer and has been fighting it now for 3 years.  It's a crappy disease.  The process of making mum's sauce is too much for her on her own.

We made a batch together in February which was great fun but tough with her chemo.  She was exhausted from just sitting and giving instructions.  Did I say it is an ugly little disease?

She decided to freeze (the mountains) of tomatoes that she had grown for another day.  This also allows other siblings to share the fun and make a batch too.

Yesterday we made some room in her freezer, pumped out 2 batches of sauce and went out to a lovely restaurant for a delicious lunch. 

Thanks Mum for a lovely day, for talking, for listening, for guiding and sharing.
You are an amazing woman.
We love you.
Jen x

S.M.I.T.S.

It is going to be a long day.

We are not friends - that purple fabric, my sewing machine and me.

I have self-diagnosed a serious case of S.M.I.T.S.

SEWING MACHINE INDUCED 

TOURETTE'S SYNDROME

Luckily the kids are at school.

A bit of bling!

I would so like to be showing off a big, sparkly diamond - the last one was in 1998 - but alas ....
Here at Ohjoh Manor it's school concert costume bling.

8 purple blingy dresses to be made today to match the 9 pink ones made on Saturday.

The blue and green are some waistcoats which need kid's names appliquéd on the back.
I'm throwing together (very roughly) the basic costumes and together with a group of mum's we'll decorate them with names, balloon shapes and ribbons.  Our preppies will look so cute.


SO today our house is sparkling (I could let you assume that my house was sparkling clean but that would be a lie - the only thing sparkling is the fabric on the table, on the floor, in the little dustballs that are blowing up the hallway ...)
the needle is getting blunt on the sewing machine and
the iron is getting sticky from the fabric
and all is quiet for me and the dog as the kids are back at school.

Hope you're enjoying things at your place
Jenny

On the ropes

As we go through life we come across all different types of people.  Some just click.
Lou is one of those people.
Our kids went to kinder together and Lou always looked so organised and fabulous as she dropped off her daughter and sped off to work.  I was usually pushing one through the door whilst wrangling a small, ferocious toddler and waddling like an elephant being pregnant with baby number 3, admiring her calm.
And as you get to know people over the years you get to know some of their story.  Which made me admire Lou even more.  She's wise, honest, funny and very entertaining (especially when watching her footy team play).
And then you find out something that you didn't know.
She's written a book and published it!  She's amazing that funny friend of mine!
I attended the book launch (best pastries ever tasted!) and wanted to share Lou's book with you guys.
It is a book about love, loss and the strength that gets you through.
I enjoyed it - smiled, laughed, and cried.
If you would like a copy you can get it here at Amazon or here at the Palmer-Higgs (the publisher)

Well done Lou - You're ACE!!

Jen x

Some clicking and clacking

It was an urge, a need.  An itch that hasn't been scratched for a really long time.

And luckily on a lunch trip to Kyneton we found a lovely wool shop (complete with couch for the not so interested Mr) where the kids and I hunted and foraged, admired and shared (sorry to the lovely patient shop ladies as there was a lot of wool loving from me and my kids) and all came home with something wooly to play with.

After a couple of weeks mine has turned into a long piece of green for the wintery mornings. 

It is a little on the skinny side but using 8ply instead of 12ply will do that I suppose.  

Hmmm, must keep that in mind for next time.... and maybe have the project first and the wool second...