OH MY!

This morning I've been a busy bee. I don't have work for the rest of the week so I'm able to catch up on a few things I've been wanting to do!

I resized the vintage dress we picked up at the church rummage sale.
I made a pumpkin pie.
I finally put away all our clean laundry.
I sewed up Phil's jean pockets (they had holes in them).

Today was a very productive day.

The greatest part though, was the surprise ring of the doorbell. One of the ladies at church (who also shares the same last name as me) stopped by to bring me pounds and pounds of wool!



She used to be a spinner herself but has taken to felting since her spinning wheel broke. The wool has been in storage a long time and she wanted to see it go to a good home.



I'm so excited! The wool came from their sheep they raised and I'm looking forward to spinning some up. All of it is undyed in its natural colours. Yum.



I forsee alot of woolen things in my future.

xoxo
Talia Christine

My Latest Spin

I've begun work on baby Dylan's second present. I'm hand spinning some special wool to knit up into the softest blanket imaginable (or close anyway).

Before:




After:



I'm about halfway done spinning the 8.5 ounces of Merino/Tencel blend.
This stuff is a dream to spin.
It spins up like butter.
It has gorgeous hints of baby blues, grays, and silver throughout the wool and spun up yarn. I'm excited to knit a swatch to see how it looks!

Now to on decide (again, because I keep changing my mind) which baby blanket pattern I will knit.

For those of you interested, I purchased the roving from Spincerely. I'm a repeat customer. She has excellent customer service and has always answered my hair-brained questions that I throw at her. What's most though is that her dyed rovings are ridiculously incredible. I dye my own wool typically, but when I splash out and buy something fancy I head her way.

xoxo
Talia Christine

A Very Special Baby Blanket

I have been working on knitting a baby blanket for my sister Jaime who is expecting her first in January. She is having a boy! Dylan James Overman. I can't wait to cuddle him and nibble on his tiny fingers and toes.

I love you, baby Dylan!

Here is your very first birthday present.




I caught Basil in an embarassing moment while taking photos of the blanket. Just thought I would share.



The blanket was hand knit with love and 100% New Zealand machine washable wool.

I have another project in the works for baby Dylan. It's amazing. Just you wait and see.


xoxo
Talia Christine

Torn Between Two Seasons

After reading all these American blogs and hearing about the weather cooling, apple and pumpkin and pecan pie, and hot apple cider... I'm really missing Autumn right about now.


Photo source and recipe

Warm pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream on top...



the smell of leaves in the fall...



Then it hit me.

Because I moved to New Zealand in the middle of a hot American summer... I missed fall this year! Noooooo!!!

Fall is my favorite.

On one hand, I'm really missing all the yummy fall traditions. I was robbed! On the other hand, I'm really ready for some warmer weather. I'm ready for spring. I'm torn between longing for two different seasons.







I'm excited to wear dresses again and not be bundled up constantly. I'm excited for the change in seasons.

But who says your can't enjoy a pumpkin pie in spring?

xoxo
Talia Christine


Image source: weheartit (unless otherwise noted)

Dream Cats

Allow me to introduce to you one of my favorite sites. Ever.

"girls & cats, cats in soft focus, cats on film, dream cats"

The website's brief description perfectly describes all of the gorgeousness you might see on the site, but it doesn't accurately describe the magic that is Dream Cats.

Here are a few of my favorites:







I could browse through this site all day.
What can I say? I love cats! I can't wait for a cat of our own. Is it bad that we've already picked out a few names (and surname) for our future cats?

Enjoy.

http://dreamcats.tumblr.com

xoxo
Talia Christine

Garage Sale Finds

Yesterday morning we went on a garage sale run around Hamilton. There was a massive rummage sale at a local church and we decided to stop by.
Look at what we scored!



We found:
A vintage dress that I'm going to resize for myself.
A beautiful sunhat
Two gorgeous old scarves
A chalkboard
A lemonade pitcher
And a paper organizer



We got all of this for 5 bucks!! Did I tell ya we scored or what??

I'm so excited to get to work on my new dress.
I love vintage dresses and I love finding a good bargain.

xoxo
Talia Christine

Our New Vintage Record Player

(Or: How I Have The Best Husband Ever)

When we shipped my stuff over from the states we included my gorgeous record player. One of my prized possessions. Getting the record player was one of the things we were looking forward to. When we got it here we attached the adapter to be able to plug it into the wall and held our breath. It started smoking. My heart stopped. It smelled like the record player equivalent of burnt toast. Uh oh. I took it to the electricians at work to have them take a look at it. It would cost more to repair than it would to buy a new one. I was bummed, but it was only a temporary set back until we could listen to all our beautiful vinyl again.

That's when Mr. van der Wel started looking online for a new vintage record player for us. He found a great deal on Trade Me for 45 bucks and we won the auction! We opted to drive out to the seller in Thames to pick it up.

I love it so much!!! It's even better than the last one. It's such a beautiful piece of furniture.







When we plugged it in one of the speakers wasn't working it was just giving out fuzz. Phil grabbed a screw driver and dove right in and fixed it. See?
I really do have the best husband ever.

I'm listening to Greetings From Michigan by Sufjan Stevens right now.

I'm a very happy camper.

xoxo
Talia Christine

P.S. - My favorite part is that the vintage player smells soooo good!

Little Ocean

I'm loving the handmade clothing my Little Ocean right now. The collections are all made from vintage or recycled fabrics and are absolutely gorgeous.




Stop by her shop or check out her blog!

xoxo
Talia Christine

A Festival and Some Gardens

This weekend there was a Hispanic festival right here in Hamilton, New Zealand. I know, right? I HAD to be there. I had to see what it was like. Also, I love food. Being Hispanic, and loving food, I figured we should mosey on by to see what was going on.

I was so excited.
Phil was going out to the orchard that morning to chop up some firewood for next winter and then after that we were going to head out to the festival. I waited an eternity for him to come back!
Longest! Morning! Ever! (Okay, not that long)


But isn't it the prettiest wood pile you ever did see?

After that we quickly got ready to go. I wore my poncho and Phil wore his baja jacket.

We're so legit.



When we got there, it wasn't really much of a festival. There were four stalls. And there wasn't really any food. I can't say I was surprised because I didn't imagine there would be a giant Hispanic population in Hamilton, but I was pretty bummed on the lack of food. I love me some food. Maybe next year I will see if I can contribute something to the festival.


The "festival".

Since we walked the festival in 2 minutes flat, Phil decided to take me on a tour of the Hamilton Gardens. Man oh man, they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! We walked through so many and I haven't seen all of them yet. They are so gorgeous and sooo well taken care of. I can't wait to see it in full bloom! It's the most beautiful place. I want to have a picnic there soon with the mister. I love picnics.












If you're ever in Hamilton stop by the gardens! They are so worth it.

xoxo
Talia Christine

Little Letters

Dear headaches,
You are not welcome. Also you make me seem like a complete grouch.

Dear Phil,
Thanks for liking my new hair do and thanks for still loving me now that I have even crazier morning hair.

Dear KFC,
Stop being so darn delicious. You are very hard to resist.

Dear New Zealand,
I like you lots but I wish your internets were faster.

Dear potential new house,
I really like you. Alot.

Love, Tal

My New Hair Do

I've been toying with the idea of cutting my bangs for awhile now. I wanted to cut my bangs since before my wedding but I wanted to wait until after to try a new hair do. Learning how to style a new hair style can be tricky and I didn't want to mess with it on my wedding day. The wedding came and went and I lost my nerve and decided against it until I could work up the bravery again.

Friday I got out the scissors and just went for it.




Right after I cut it I immediately regretted it but it is starting to grow on me! Having a new hair style can be daunting but at the same time it's so much fun! I got a lot of compliments today and church and what's more, Phil really likes the new do.
I think it will stay for a little while.

xoxo
Talia Christine

Wedding Photos

Remember that time we got married? Me too.

Every girl has her dream wedding. Sometimes her dream wedding changes from time to time as the things we fawn over changes, but the dream is there just the same. I had my dream wedding. I married the love of my life and my best friend.
Some dreams are worth holding onto.











I love you Philip van der Wel!!

With Love,
Your Wife (always)
Talia Christine van der Wel