Staycation Day 2: The Powerhouse Museum and Paddy's Market

On the second day of our staycation we headed into the city with the purple fairy and our niece, great niece and nephews to go to the Powerhouse Museum. It is yet another place in Sydney that I had yet to visit so we thought it would be a good idea on a very grey day.

There were two main exhibitions on ABBWORLD and Top Secret: License to Spy which although is aimed at kids we indulged in and solved the crime! Being on a limited time frame we didn't have time to check out the permanent exhibitions at the Powerhouse museum but we will be sure to go back as it is a fab place and I really want to check out the Kings cinema and the exhibition they have on shopping in Australia from 1880 - 1930.

After a spot of lunch at Emperors Garden and some delicious Soya chicken (check out our review at SFC) we headed to Paddy's Market to shop for some seamed stockings for the French Fairies 1940s 40th Birthday party. The purple fairy picked up a beautiful purple velvet jacket for the bargain price of $10 and we got a cap for our youngest nephew as a Easter present.

On the way back to the station we stopped off at Basement Books and picked up a copy of Gordon Ramsay's latest book - for our eldest nephew who is a budding chef. After a long day we headed home for a well deserved cup of tea.

I'll leave you with a few snaps from the day:

What Emma Did - 24th April 2011

This week I have been:
♥ Had Lisa and the kids over for some lunch and Wii Sports Bowling
♥ Went out to Lunch at Amici's with our niece, great niece and nephew
♥ Went for a gorgeous river cruise with Cronulla Ferries
♥ Did some more work on my great nieces christening gown
♥ Knocked up a cute little lamb toy for my great niece for Easter
♥ Packed thousands (literally) of hot cross buns in the middle of the night to sell at work!
♥ Played more CSI on the Wii (the hubby and I make a good team at this game!)
♥ Did even more sleuthing on Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper on Xbox 360 (can you tell I like detective games?!)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter dear readers! I'm just off to work but I'll be back later with this weeks 'What Emma Did'

Easter Craft Project: Lamb Soft Toy

We always buy presents rather than chocolate for the nephews and nieces at Easter and this year we had a new addition to buy for as our great niece baby Amara had joined the family. Our niece has been telling us about the problems she was having with damp so we ordered one of these fabulous DreamBaby De-Humidifying Dry Egg.

Unfortunately as we have been sooo busy over Easter we left the ordering til late and it hasn't arrived in time for Easter so I dug out my craft bag and as I had this toweling let from Amara's baby shower gift I knocked up this super easy little lamb plush toy. All up it probably took me less than an hour to make so its a great quick little gift to make.

The pattern and sewing instruction are available free here.

Staycation Day 1: Cronulla Ferries Scenic Cruise

The hubby and I have a few rare days off together over Easter so we've planned a staycation. We've been in Sydney coming up for 3 years but there's still a fair few tourist things that we have yet to see and do. Friday was a beautiful day so we made the most of the good weather and took a scenic cruise with Cronulla Ferries up to Audley.

The cruise sets off at 10.30 from Cronulla wharf and cruises around the bays of .... and then up to Audley. We were lucky in that there was only us and one other couple on board so we practically had a private cruise! As you cruise the boats guide explains some of the history of the area and points out natural features.

Here's the blurb from Cronulla Ferries website:
Discover in three hours what Bass and Flinders discovered in 3 days
In 1796 Bass and Flinder discovered Port Hacking in the Tom Thumb 11, a small 8ft long rowing boat and spent three days exploring and mapping Port Hacking. In three hours, cruising in the relaxed and informal atmosphere of the M.V Tom thumb 111,you will enjoy exploring the upper reaches of the Hacking River, one of Sydney's most unspoiled waterways, with it's many bays and inlets down to the open expanses of Port Hacking and Bate Bay. You will see breathtaking views of the Royal National Park, which borders the whole southern shoreline. Learn about the early explorers of the district, Historical Settlements deer farming in the park, the states first fish hatchery. Pass by Aboriginal sites; whilst discovering their names and meanings, and cruise by some of Sydney's most magnificent waterfront properties.

A full commentary and morning or afternoon tea is provided on all cruises. Places of both local and historical interest and significance are pointed out by our courteous and experienced crew. (Now with Liquor Licence).

Overall we had a beautiful day and I highly recommend this cruise to anyone. The Tom Thumb III departs from Gunamatta Bay daily at 10.30 for a 3 hour cruise and personally I think its a bargain for just $25 each.

I'll leave you with a few of the pictures I took of the beautiful views:

Terry Pratchett at the Opera House: Imagination, Not Intelligence, Made us Human

On Sunday night the hubby and I headed to the Opera House to see Sir Terry Pratchett talk with Aussie author Garth Nix about his latest work Snuff, his struggles with early onset Alzheimer’s and his views on assisted suicide.

The hubby was super excited to see Terry Prachett as he has loved his books from a young age and met Terry Pratchett at a book signing when he was 13. I have to say neither of us were disappointed Sir Terry was witty as ever and gave an insightful and intelligent argument for assisted suicide. The audience were also treated to a reading of an excerpt from Terry's upcoming book Snuff that will be available in Australia in October.

As for what I wore. well it was rather chillsome and I'm still suffering with this silly cold so I wrapped up roasty toasty in my new vintage Pendleton jacket and my french navy Heyday trousers (although they look rather green in this picture!)

Red crochet beret - Paddys Market
1960s Pendleton jacket - Pop Up Vintage on Etsy
Red cowl neck sweater - SES
1940s Style Ladies Swing Trousers - Junior Navy - Heyday

What Emma Did - 17th April 2011

This week I have been:

♥ Having my nephews to stay as it is school holidays

♥ Receiving a copy of 'Style Me Vintage' and having mixed feelings (my review will follow shortly)

♥ Starting on my great nieces christening gown and wondering if I'm not a bit out of my depth

♥ Going to the pub to see the UN girlies

♥ Going to see Terry Pratchett at the Opera House

♥ Finally receiving the parcel from my Mum with the candlesticks from my art deco glass dressing table set and a beautiful set of art deco fan earrings!

Beating a Winter Cold the Vintage Way

Hello again dear readers. Sorry for being awol recently but I've come down with my first cold of the winter so I'm feeling a bit under the weather. With this in mind Ive been trying to track down some vintage tips for beating a winter cold but having found none I've come up with my own!

1. Convalesce - If you are sick the best thing to do is stay in bed and let your body recover. Unfortunately I can't do this as I simple cannot afford to be off work and with Easter being the busiest time of year at the bakery I'm needed there too. However I'm trying to spend any free time I have taking it easy and trying to get better!

2. Use a cute vintage handkerchief - Remember when you were a child and your mother said don't leave home without a clean hanky? Well she had a point. There's some beautiful monogrammed ones on Etsy. Not only do they look prettier but they're softer on your nose than using a tissue.

3. Eat hearty food - When I was a child if i got sick my Nan used to make me homemade chicken soup. I must admit that nowadays if I'm sick I'm tempted to eat a lot of comfort junk foods but bear in mind that your body needs vitamins and minerals to help get better. For a great healing soup check out the recipe from James Wong that I posted here.

4. Take your vitamins - Vit C is great for helping recovery from colds. Ecinacea and garlic are great at boosting your immune system so make great preventatives.

5. Wrap up warm (Inside)- In something stylish. Believe me when I say it will make you feel alot better than daggy sweatpants. Don some stylish silk PJ's and a bed jacket or dressing gown and slippers. Check out Etsy or eBay for some beautiful vintage house coats or bed jackets or pick up a gorgeous kimono style wrap.

6. Stay warm and dry outside - Try to avoid going out in the elements if you can but if you have to go out be sure to wrap up warm and stay dry. Take an umbrella and ensure your shoes are waterproof.

7. Get plenty of fluids - I recommened tea drunk out of a pretty tea cup and saucer set.

And with these tips in mind you should be feeling better in no time!

What Emma Did - 10th April 2011

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last few weeks. I have been feeling rather uninspired and I would rather post nothing than a second rate post. Until I find some inspiration I will continue to bring you just the regular sections like this one.

So without further ado, this week I have been:

♥ Buying the material for my nieces christening dress

♥ Going bowling with the hubby and being absolutely terrible!

♥ Going to Hurstville to apply for a new UK passport

♥ Moving the furniture around in my bedroom

♥ Hunting for a new sofa that fits the retro/eames/atomic style we are going for that is also comfortable enough to snuggle up on and watch old movies together

♥ Planing a 'staycation' for the rare two days off that the hubby has over Easter

50 Followers Giveaway Draw

Appologies to those who entered my draw to win the Bettie Page purse. I completely forgot to draw a winner so the winner was drawn at random today by my lovely hubby and the winner is: Dress Me Dearly! Congratulations to you and I will be contacting you shortly.

Mad Men Where Are You?

For those of you missing Mad Men and wondering when the next season will start (it seems there is still no news on season 5) here's a little something to cheer you up! These Mad Men Mr Men books (and more!) were originally posted on The Poke.

What Emma Did - 3rd April 2011

This week I have been:

♥ Going out for a Thai at Banyan Tree (I love this place!)

♥ Going to the pub to see the UN girlies and planning a trashy royal wedding Party

♥ Spending 24 hours silent to raise money for victims of the Japan Disaster

♥ Reading the fab Vintage Life Magazine after subscribing online for just £7.99

♥ Finding out about the Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival then realising I'd just missed it!