A Precious Old Birthday Book

During our recent visit to Stanthorpe, Brian showed me this amazing old book that he has. Oh, what a treasure it is!

great-granma's old birthday book

Brian's mother kept this birthday book and often referred to it, as she was reknowned for never forgetting a person's birthday. It s a great record of special events, like her wedding in 1939.

3rd August marks the date of a special wedding day in 1939

This is an amazing old book, I'm not sure how old the actual book is, but it looks very old, and is very precious <3

The story of the old watermelon knife

When we visited Stanthorpe last weekend, we proceeded to cut up a watermelon with this old knife that Pa Murphy produced. He then began to tell the story of the old watermelon knife.

an old bone handled knife from 1939

This knife was given to Brian's parents as a wedding present on the 3rd of August 1939. Brian remembers as a kid rolling the large watermelons his father used to grow, they were so huge, up to where they would be cut up and eaten in the afternoon. They used to use this old knife which is the perfect length and strength for the task.

cutting up summer watermelon

Brian didn't see the knife again until he was visiting his brother John, who then was a bee-keeper. John was using the knife to scrape the wax away from the honey turning machine. I think Brian must have protested at such a special knife being used for that, and the knife got sharpened at a professional knife sharpener and the knife came up almost as good as new. Now the knife is in Brian's kitchen and was the perfect tool to cut up this summer's watermelon for a cool afternoon snack! I've tried to remember the story as best I could as it was told to me, maybe one day I'll get a chance to fill in more details ...

Planting Potatoes in Stanthorpe

Last weekend we drove out to Stanthorpe in southern Queensland, Australia, to visit my father-in-law and his wife to help in his garden. He hasn't been well lately, and has been ordered by the doctor to take it easy, right in time for spring planting! So, the first thing we set to doing is planting potatoes! This is a great lesson for us, as we hope to one day be able to grow our own. We also planted capsicums, tomatoes, zucchinis, beetroot and corn.

potatoes with two sprouts are cut in half to produce two plants

after the soil is prepared with fertiliser, the potatoes go in a row about 30cm part

First, we prepared the soil by digging furrows about 30-40cm apart. David used his grandfather's old hoe, its been used so much it has rounded edges when it had originally been square. Then the potatoes were prepared. Most potatoes had one shoot or bud on them, but the ones that had two could be cut in half to produce separate plants. These were placed in the furrows about 30cm apart with the sprout facing upwards. Then we gently collapsed the furrows onto the spuds. Pa Murphy says it take about a month and the sprouts will start to poke up through the soil. We hope to get ourselves back out there soon to see that for ourselves!

I planted a row of capsicums along the side of the greenhouse

we also planted different varieties of tomatoes, with sweet basil in between because they are the perfect companion

planting out beetroot seedlings about 30cm apart

I helped plant some extra zucchini seedlings in between a few plants already in the ground

While we were there we also helped plant capsicum sprouts, tomatoe and sweet basil sprouts, zuccinis and beetroot. We also moved some mushroom compost to an garden bed to prepare for corn. We had enough seed to plant 3 rows of corn, in pairs. The corn seed is planted in pairs so they support each other. I can't wait to sample some fresh corn picked right from the plant!

here is the soil prepared for corn

corn seeds go in pairs so they can support each other as they grow

On Saturday night Brian cooked the famous gramma pie, following a recipe handed down to him by his mother. He promised to make another one for us next time, as it was delicious, so I can take photos and share the recipe. It's kind of like an Australian version of American pumpkin pie, but not as sweet. Brian also gave us two tomato seedlings and some baby lettuce plants. Next month when we come back, he'll show me how to prune tomatoes and start training them up a trellis. I can't wait!

Recycle Broken Sippy Cups into Sand Toys

If you have bought some of these expensive sippy cups, here's a quick tip. If they break, like most of mine have, don't throw the lids away because that part is more durable and makes a good sandpit toy.

don't throw these out, they make great sand toys

remove the straw and the sand falls through the hole

You know how expensive these things are, and I was quite annoyed when one then a second cup broke when my son threw them or dropped them on the ground! What a waste of money they were! I really thought for that price they would be more durable. I threw the cracked cup away, but the lid is quite durable. Simply remove the straw to recycle into a fun sand pit toy.

my son watches the sand fall out of the cups

My son loved playing with these this morning. He would scoop up sand then watch it fall out through the hole. He would cup the two lids together and watch the sand fall out that way. He intermittently would place a cup on his knee.

my son playing with the recycled sippy cups

These have turned out to be great sand pit toys, now I don't feel as bad as I did when an expensive thing like that sippy cup broke and I had to throw some of it away. I hate wasting money and throwing it away, don't you?

Tiny Shells Premmie Beanie, free pattern

With my mother-in-law currently visiting, the subject of the premature birth of our son came up, and how now, looking back we're able to say just how much of a hard time we had. It made me think of this lovely pale green merino baby ply I had and how much I really wanted to make premmie beanies to donate to the nursery where Thomas spent his first 2 months. Here is a pattern I made up to make this premmie beanie, please let me know what you think.


tiny shells premmie beanie to fit head circumference up to 10 inches

Tiny Shells Beanie
~ worked in rounds, the first 5 rounds are a flat circle, see Tiny Shells Coaster for more ~
gauge, the first round is 1 inch in diameter to fit a small baby, perhaps a premmie
I used a 3mm hook and 4 ply merino baby yarn
1. ch 4, 16 dc into 1st ch, sl st into 2nd dc, tucking the starting chain behind the last dc
2. (3 hdc in next, sl st in next) repeat 7 more times (8 tiny petals)
3. 2 ch, sk hdc, sc in 2nd hdc (sk hdc, 3 hdc in sl st, sk hdc, sc in next hdc) repeat 6 more times, sk hdc, 3 hdc in slst, sl st into 1st sc, tucking starting ch behind last hdc (8 tiny petals)
4. 3 ch, sc in 2nd hdc (sk hdc, 5 dc in sc, sk hdc, sc in next hdc) repeat 6 more times, sk hdc, 5 dc in sc, sl st in 1st sc, tucking starting ch behind last dc (8 scallops)
5. 3 ch, sc in 3rd dc of scallop (sk 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, sk 2 dc, sc in 3rd dc of scallop) repeat 6 more times, sk 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, sl st in 1st sc, tucking starting ch behind last hdc (8 scallops)
6-13. repeat round 5 until desired length is reached, (eg. 8 more rounds of scallops)
14. sl st into 1st dc of next scallop, ch 1, sc into same, sc each into next 4 dc, (sk sc, sc in ea next 5 dc) repeat to end, sl st into 1st sc
15. ch 1, sc into each sc around, sl st into 2nd sc to tuck starting chain behind last sc, fasten off and weave in end

pale green 4 ply merino baby wool by Cleckheaton op shop find

Tiny Shells Coaster, free pattern

This flat circle, which can be used as a coaster, is the first 5 rounds of a premmie beanie I'm working on. Please let me know if this coaster pattern is not right! I'm hoping to share the premmie beanie pattern with you very soon.

5 rounds of a flat circle in yellow and blue

~ Tiny Shells Coaster ~
worked in 5 rounds, gauge is not needed, hook and yarn determine the size of finished coaster
(I used 3.5mm hook with 8 ply cotton)

1. (main colour) ch 4, 16 dc into 1st ch, sl st into 2nd dc tucking the starting chain behind the last dc
2. (3 hdc in next, sl st in next) repeat 7 more times (8 small petals), cut yarn and fasten off
3. (contrast colour) sc in 2nd hdc (sk hdc, 3 hdc in sl st, sk hdc, sc in next hdc) repeat 6 more times, sk hdc, 3 hdc in slst, sk hdc, sl st into 1st sc, cut yarn and fasten off (8 tiny petals)
4. (main colour) sc in 2nd hdc (sk hdc, 5 dc in sc, sk hdc, sc in next hdc) repeat 6 more times, sk hdc, 5 dc in sc, sk hdc, sl st in 1st sc, cut yarn and fasten off (8 scallops)
5. (contrast colour) sc in 3rd dc of petal (sk 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, sk 2 dc, sc in 3rd dc of petal) repeat 6 more times, sk 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, sk 2 dc, sl st in 1st sc, cut yarn and fasten off, weave in ends (8 scallops)

Please let me know what you think!

Hand-painted Ceramic Cat

On the base of this ceramic cat is my name and the year 1984. I don't know why it has my name on it, because I'm pretty sure my mum painted this green-ware cat when I was 13 years old.

hand-painted ceramic cat from the 1980s

I've always loved cats, and teenage-me wanted a ceramic cat, but it had to be a Siamese cat you see, and I couldn't operate the spray paint machine! My mum kindly painted the cat for me, I don't think I even did the eyes, I just wasn't as good a painter as my mum. I think I might have just prepared the green-ware by scrapping and sanding the seams. I think this is a very special cat for our family treasures collection!

Cotton Anniversary Gift, Man-sized Dishcloth

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary, and the traditional gift to give is "cotton". My husband has already given me the best present ever, a packet of cotton seeds! My eldest plant is nearly 7 weeks old now. But what can I give him? Well, how about a man sized dish cloth for the kitchen, in a romantic lovey dovey design?

love hearts detail, perfect for a 2nd anniversary gift

I used a pattern from a photo I saw on pinterest, which sent me to the free pattern called "I love scraps" by Mary Ann Frits. But I had to work out how many starting chains for a small dishcloth. The number you start with must be a multiple of 7, plus 1. There will be one less heart cluster than the number of 7s you have, as half a heart is on each edge. For this dish cloth, I started with a 6 x 7 +1 (43 chains), which gives you 5 heart clusters across. Then I went up for 7 rows of hearts, which gives you a cloth that measures about 22cm x 25cm, if you use a 4mm hook with 8 ply cotton, like I did here.

man-sized dish cloth in pink and green

This man-sized dishcloth is perfect for when my husband is working in the kitchen! I have other gifts to give him of course, including a new cookie tray for baking, but none of them are cotton. So I thought I could pop this into the wrap! Happy Anniversary, darling!

Laminated Magnet Game for a Toddler

A few weeks back, when I last visited my parents to help with their fruit trees, I also managed to get my recycled magnet puzzle laminated using my dad's laminating machine.

these paper cards are now laminated and re-glued onto recycled magnets

It became apparent fairly quickly that the recycled magnet puzzle would not withstand the toddler test. Thomas immediately ripped the paper from the magnets! But now that the paper has been laminated, and the magnets re-glued with craft glue to the back of the laminated plastic, the cards are holding up considerably better than before.

These 8 cards are just the start of what I have planned to make with recycled magnets. After our recent house hunting, I even have more handy large magnets from real estate agents to recycle! Thanks to dad for letting me borrow his machine, and to mum for operating it for me. Where would I be without you guys???

Doll's Blue Easter Bonnet, free pattern

The pattern for this doll's Easter bonnet has been something I've worked on since Easter, now I think I'm ready to share. Please let me know what you think, or if there are any problems with it. The gauge is determined by measuring the diameter of the first 2 rounds, which should be 3cm if this hat is being made for a fashion doll like Barbie by Mattel.


7 easy rounds make up this doll's hat, including 6 scallops in the brim

doll's blue Easter bonnet with contrasting drawstring to help keep the hat on tight

Doll's Easter Bonnet by Teena Sutton Murphy
~ worked in rounds ~
recommended 2mm hook with 4 ply cotton or 4 ply baby yarn
gauge - 1st 2 rounds has a diameter of 3cm

1. 3 ch (counts as 1st dc throughout), 11 dc into 1st ch, sl st into 3rd ch (12 dc)

2. 3 ch, 1 dc in sl st, 2 dc into each dc around, sl st into 3rd ch (24 dc)

3-5. 3 ch, 1 dc into next, 1 dc into ea dc around, sl st into 3rd ch (3 rounds of 24 dc to form sides of hat)

6. (sk 1, 7 dc in next, sk 1, sc) repeat 5 more times, sl st (6 dc scallops for 1st round of brim)

7. 4 ch (counts as last trb), sk next 3 dc, sc in centre dc (4th dc) of 1st scallop, sk next 3 dc, (7 trb in next sc, sc in centre of next scallop) repeat 4 more times, 6 trb into last sc of prev. round, sl st into 4th ch, fasten off (6 trb scallops)

8. ch a length to weave in and out of the dc in round 5 (about 30 ch), sl st into 1st ch to form a drawstring to keep hat on tight

doll's blue Easter Bonnet modelled by an old Barbie

Colourful Pyramid Toy

For this pyramid toy, I used 8 triangles I made for my triangle post. I had a couple of requests for the triangle patterns, so made some up to test my pattern. But what else could I do with a bunch of triangles but make this cute toy for my son?

small pyramid toy made from 8 triangles in contrasting colours

I made 4 solid triangles and 4 lattice triangles in contrasting colours. The lattice triangles get stretched over the top of the solid ones. I used the primary colours of red, blue and yellow, as well as brown because that's the colour you get when you put all 3 primary colours together. In those colours I made 4 lattice triangles to go over the top of the solid triangles, which were in the secondary colours of purple, orange and green, as well as pink. The contrasting colour is the one opposite on the colour wheel, so opposite blue is orange, opposite red is green, and opposite yellow is purple.

4 solid triangles are joined together with invisible stitch

Once the triangles were made, I lightly pressed them into shape with a steam iron. I joined the 4 solid triangles with invisible stitch along the edges of one triangle, the 4 lattice triangles were joined the same way. The 4 traingles were then joined down another seam to make them sit up into a pyramid shape, the other 4 triangles were also sewn one more seam in this way.

joining up the lattice layer of triangles

Then the 8 triangles were joined together at one apex of the pyramid, carefully overlapping the lattice triangles so the corresponding solid colour would show threw underneath. Each set of 4 triangles are joined together as if a seperate pyramid, only joining the two at the points. I joined the 3rd and 4th last seams together seperately but while the two layers of triangles were joined together.

a 4th seam makes the triangles sit up into pyramid shapes

Before joining the last two seams together, I filled the pyramid with dried beans. Then I finished by sewing up the last two seams, the inside solid one first. Lastly, the last seam on the lattice layers was sewn up, gently pulling the lattice triangles so they covered the solid triangles. The first round of the lattice triangles need to be firmly secured, as two of mine unravelled and I had to do a repair job!

sewing up the last two seams with dried beans inside

I've given this toy to my son to play with, to test it out. Maybe the beans will work their way out of the crochet? We shall see ...

Lattice and Solid Triangles, free patterns

I first made these triangles like these as part of a free sample pack I sent to my first customer. She wanted crochet shapes to add to her cloth books. Since then, I've been asked to write down the patterns, so I shall attempt to do so! Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments. I will be making these triangles into a pyramid toy for my son. For these triangle, I used a 4mm hook and brightly coloured 8 ply acrylic.

two kinds of crochet triangle, solid and lattice

8 colourful triangles to be made into a toy pyramid

LATTICE TRIANGLE by Teena Sutton Murphy
~ worked in two rounds ~
1. 4 ch, (dc ch 1) into 1st ch 5 times, sl st into 3rd ch (wheel of 6 spokes)
2. sl st into next ch sp, 4 ch 1 dc into same ch sp, (1 dc 1 ch 1 dc, 3 ch 1 dc 1 ch 1 dc) into next ch sp to form 1st corner, 1 dc 1 ch 1 dc into next ch sp, (1 dc 1 ch 1 dc, 3 ch 1 dc 1 ch 1 dc) into next ch sp to form 2nd corner, 1 dc 1 ch 1 dc into next ch sp, (1 dc 1 ch 1 dc, 3 ch 1 dc 1 ch 1 dc) into next ch sp to form last corner, sl st to 3rd ch, fasten off and weave in end

4 solid triangles to be made into a toy pyramid

SOLID TRIANGLE by Teena Sutton Murphy
~ worked in rows until a final round around the edge ~
1. 11 ch, sc into 3rd ch from hook, sc into each ch to end (9 sc + starting ch), turn
2. ch 1, sk 1, sc into next, sc into ea sc to end, sc into starting ch of prev. row (8 sc + starting ch), turn
3. ch 1, sk 1, sc into next, sc into ea sc to end including starting ch of prev. row (7 sc + starting ch), turn
4. ch 1, sk 1, sc into ea sc to end as above (6 sc + starting ch), turn
5. ch 1, sk 1, sc into ea sc to end as above (5 sc + starting ch), turn
6.  ch 1, sk 1, sc into ea sc to end as above (4 sc + starting ch), turn
7. ch 1, sk 1, sc into ea sc to end as above (3 sc + starting ch), turn
8. ch 1, sk 1, sc into ea sc to end as above (2 sc + starting ch), turn
9. ch 1, sk 1, sc in next (1 sc + starting ch)
10. turn to work in a round along the edge, sc into a sc or starting ch of 9 rows down one side, 3 ch at the corner, sc into the bottom of ea 9 ch of the starting row 1, 3 ch at the 2nd corner, sc into a sc or starting ch of the 9 rows up the other side, 3 ch at the corner, fasten off and weave in the end

Girl's Blue Headband

My husband thought the blue flower I posted about yesterday was the prettiest, so I made a little headband to go with it! I wonder if anyone would like it?

girl's adjustable headband

I simply started with a chain then went back along it doing scallops, when I got to the end, I did a round cluster then went back the other way along the chain doing scallops on the other side to match the first side. This forms a pretty scalloped headband. At the end I started doing 6 dc a row, then every second row has a gap to allow for the button. Making several gaps like this allows the headband to be adjustable so it can be worn in several sizes. I used some more of the 4 ply cotton and a yarn needle to sew on the headband. Pretty!

Three Spring Flowers

I felt an urge to do make some flowers, for no particular reason other than it is spring. I wonder if I can make headbands for them to sell?

3 spring flowers made with 4 ply cotton and a 2mm hook

I didn't follow a pattern for these flowers, I just made it up as I went along, but it is based on the traditional Irish Rose pattern, which is widely available on the net for free if you do a google search.

red Heather's Irish rose

The red rose has my own centre that I call "Heather's Rose", that's why the red one is "Heather's Irish Rose"! I'm basically fooling around with the colours I have here because I'm loathed to spend any more money on yarn, but maybe I will just have to get some different colours ...

tri-colour Irish rose in 4 ply cotton

I decided this tri-colour flower needed something extra, so I made a fabric covered button to go in the centre using a scrap of fabric from my stash. I just used an old plastic button that had a hank on the back.

My Great-Grandmother's Extendible Table

I really appreciate sensible, functional and flexible furniture like this old extendible table that once belonged to my great-grandmother. I like extendible tables so much that I have a small one myself.

my great-grandmother's extendible table folded out to full size seats 10 or more

Extendible tables like the small one we have, are really sensible for renters like us, because you never know when the next place you live will only have a small space for your table. But never mind, one day you might live somewhere where there is more space, and you can extend it out for large family gatherings. I'd like to get a photo of this old table folded into its small size, but that wasn't convenient this time. This table is at my mother's house and there's plenty of room for us all to sit around and enjoy a family meal together.

Beachy Jar Cosy

I quickly made this last Tuesday morning, because I suddenly decided I needed somewhere to store my peppermint tea bags!

a cotton cosy for a jar

 I used 100% cotton still with the 'made in China' tags on it, which my mother says she found at a garage sale. Its got a rustic natural colour to it, I wonder if this is the raw colour? I completed this project in less than 3 hours, it would have bene quicker had I not been indecisive by unravelling stops and starts.

beachy lid detail

 The reason I wanted to make this cosy was because where my tea and kettle are, sometimes the afternoon sun peeks through the blinds. Sun is not good for any herbs or tea, but all I had handy was a glass jar, so I made a cover for it to stop the light. The cosy has a few 'windows' so you can see what's inside the jar without having to open it. This is a small moccona coffee jar where the lid can be pulled apart and put back together. So I put a tiny bit of sand and 3 small but pretty shells inside to inhibit the sun, but also create a 'beachy' look.

detail of the doily base

 I was having trouble deciding on the base, starting iwth a 3mm hook but going to the 2mm. Then I realised this small doily I made the other day was the same cotton with a 2mm hook, so I decided to use that for the base. To turn the 4 round doily into a tea cosy I did a 5th round of 1 dc, 2 dc in next (sk 2, 2 dc in next, 2 dc in next, sk 2, 2 dc in next, 2 dc in next, sk 2) repeated 7 times, 1 dc in same as 1st dc, sl st to 1st dc.

Four Round Doily, free pattern

Here is my version of a simple 4 round doily. Its so similar to what you see around on google search, its hardly a new idea, but I couldn't find a pattern quite like this so I will attempt to write it out. I was inspired by a picture I saw on pinterest of a doily from 1893. Please leave me a comment if you find this useful or if you think I should fix something. for this doily, I used a 2mm hook and 4 ply cotton. There is no gauge for this pattern, as the yarn and hook you use will determine the size of the finished doily.


a simple 4 round doily made with natural cotton

Round 1
4 ch (2nd and 3rd ch count as first dc), dc into 1st ch (ch 1 dc into 1st ch) repeated 6 more times, ch 1 sl st into 3rd ch (wheel of 8 spokes)
Round 2
sl st into next ch sp, sc into same, ch 4, dc into same ch sp (dc into next ch sp, ch 2, dc into same) repeat 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch (8 clusters)
Round 3
sl st into next ch sp, sc into same, ch 2, dc into same, ch 2, 2 dc into same (2 dc into next ch sp, ch 2, 2 dc into same) repeated 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch (8 clusters)
Round 4
sl st to next ch sp, sc into same, ch 2, 7 dc into same (8 dc into next ch sp) repeated 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch (8 scallops)

Please let me know if you found that helpful or if it was all gibberish! I am practising writing in US crochet, even though my mother and my crochet teacher both use UK crochet. I wish there was just one crochet language, that would make things a bit simpler, don't you think?

Wooden inlaid chess table

This amazingly delicate wooden inlaid chess table was made by my great-grandfather Charlie. Inside is a mechanism that once played music.

wooden inlaid table made by master craftsman my great-grandfather Charlie

The hinges are currently rusted, and I'm not sure if they can be fixed but we should try. This special tiny table is at my mother's house.

Engraved Lilac Lidded Pot

This engraving is another method you could use to decorate your purchased green-ware. My mother made this, I was too young at the time to try this, but my mother was very good at it.

engraved lilac lidded pot

I really like this simple lidded pot my mother engraved by hand with a tiny tool, and painted in a pretty lilac colour. I think it's something precious for our family. This little cutie is at my mother's house.

Large Green Buddha

In the 1980s, there was craft craze known as greenware painting. Basically you bought a plaster cast of a mould and painted it, then it was fired in a professional kiln. My mother took me with her to classes and we made several things, this green Buddha is one of my favourites.

green-ware Buddha my mother painted

I like him because he's so simple, just painted in a glaze that burst in spots inside the kiln. He is a stately gentleman standing about 12 inches high, I believe he brings good-luck! He currently lives at my mother's house, I think he is busy trying to make a lucky life for them <3

My Grandmother's Cookbook

This old and worse for wear cookbook was given to my grandmother in 1966, David and I have even used it! It's good to look up old recipes for traditional sauces, to name just a few.

an old cookbook given to my grandmother in 1966

 Inside the book there is a note to my grandmother and the date 1966. What a special old thing this cookbook is. I wonder how many times my nan used it to cook a meal for her family?

inside there is a note with the year 1966

Apparently these blemishes you can see are caused by moisture and acid in the paper, I'm not sure? I will have to find out how to look after this vintage treasure ...

Wooden Toy Steam Train

I think this train needs its own post, it's so very special.

hand-crafted wooden toy steam train

My father-in-law Brian, otherwise known as Pa Murphy, hand-crafted this at his workshop in Stanthorpe, and I think his wife Freya painted it. I put a tiny bit of silver and gold paint on top, just a few dots as if they were bolts. What a very special toy!

Hynotising Eye Mask

I made this up quickly one afternoon while my 21 month old son slept, as I was going to see if I could have a Nanna nap myself! I would need these to be put to the test right away!

first draft of my hypnotising eye mask

I'm sorry I can't share the pattern for this as this is my rough draft, and as you can probably see, it is very rough! I kinda of just 'winged it' and it looks it, too. If I have reason to make this again I will think more about how to write the pattern down.