July is looking the goods. We’re in our awesome little unit duplex, the boy has started kindy two days a week, I’m getting lots made and my birthday is only 4 more sleeps away!

We are so happy to have Nanny and Pa here.

Nan arrived just in time for her birthday. Zoe and I made her a special cake. Zoe helped make it, even the decorations, can you tell?

I’ve been setting up a store on ‘made it’. You can see it here, but I’m still getting everything loaded. Postage within Australia is FREE! I have a very lovely and amazing new friend up here who is keen to share a stall at Peregian Beach. Anna makes the most beautiful dresses for little girls, think linen and frills. Just gorgeous. We’re both busy sewing goodies to take. I’ll let you know when we make a date.

My aprons will also be available over at Sunshine n Lollipops! Sarah is ace and will add a few goodies to the aprons so keep an eye out! They’ll be off to her early next week. This is really exciting for me, I’m stoked to be a part of that cute little store. Sarah stocks the most delightful things! We really really love her piggy tailers.

Our trip up here in the van, being without my sewing machine (well, unable to use it anyway), and having so much ‘thinking time’ has given me renewed focus. I’m so excited to be back on the apron making. I really do love it. I have some more designs to make up, and maybe even a grown ups apron? We’ll see.  

Well, off to cook dinner, fish. Oh yes, the boys have been catching ‘em. While the girls… buy temporary tattoos?

This week I’ve been baking up a batch of aprons. These are little ones, smaller than the preschooler aprons I made last year. Zoe wears hers ALL THE TIME. Which is good, because at almost 3 she looks silly in a bib (but could still use one, she makes SO MUCH MESS).

Gosh, I can’t believe how long it has taken me to get to 100! In some ways though I can believe it. So much has happened! I also find it hard to find the time to blog, I mean there is time, but I’m off reading other folks’ blogs rather than writing my own. Well I’m determined to change that! Regular blogging here I come!

To celebrate 100 I’m giving away a couple of my creations - a birdie brooch and a little apron! To enter please leave a comment saying which one you’d like. I’ll draw the winners next Monday!

Big thanks to K from Kootoyou for hosting My Creative Space- go and visit her, read her lovely blog and join in!

Hi!

Not much to share today. I’ve been going to bed really early this week, and night time is craft time

More brooches

 Displayed on a very very cute book.

Doesn’t this little pattern girl look like Cindy Brady?

I just can’t wait to set up my sewing machine at the new place on the weekend! A very different creative space

Thanks to Kirsty! Get over to hers to check out who else is mcs-ing it this week!

A doll named Daisy.

A million thank yous go to the wonderful, lovely and inspiring Kelly from the handmaden. A week ago I spent a happy day with a few Craftymamas crafting, chatting and clucking over Kelly’s wee baby Anna. Kelly taught us how to make these dolls.  Not only does she make beautiful dolls, she has designed the pattern herself. Clever huh!?

 A million thank yous I also send to those fabulous Moederkip folks. Nat and Paul are AWESOME! They really have something great going on there, thank you for welcoming us into your home. The clothes Nat creates are amazing. Seriously. Check them out at http://moederkip.com.au and the Craftymamas Marketplace please do!

Zoe is impressed, Daisy must have passed the test. She was invited to sleep with Miss Zoe, high praise indeed!

The count down to our trip is on. Well, kind of. We don’t have a for real, dead set leaving DATE as such. Mr Tweetheart finishes work on the 9th of April though, so probably the week following. How wonderful it will feel to be on the road!

Oh, look what’s been growing in nanny’s garden…

Zoe has been finding tiny fairies living beneath. Far too sweet.

Doing my blog browse this morning I found myself here at little eco footprints. Zoe just wants to be friends with that little girl! I asked Zoe if she’d like a mini mei tai too, or ‘baby carrier’ as I put it. Of course she did! So we set out choosing fabrics. She did the choosing, so not surprisingly PINK makes a major appearance here.

Super easy tutorial from OWLET. Really! This one is a fair bit shorter in the body, because well miss Zoe is rather short in the body. Unfortunately I didn’t have the forsight to include a tail hole for her baby - boots the monkey. Since it was finished a few hours ago, the MT has only been taken off for eating. Boots took a nap on the bed while his mummy ate. He is now riding in a back carry, I have managed to position his legs and tail a bit better.

I hope you’re having a lovely Saturday! Maybe you could whip up something sweet too!

I’m sorry for my absence over the weekend. I have been busy, busy, busy! Yes, I’ve been doing some crafty stuff too. Late last night (midnight precisely) I decided to turn a ladies cotton shirt into a little top/dress for Miss Zoe. I was inspired by Dana’s Made blog, but didn’t follow her instructions or anything sensible. I just started cutting and sewing. Thank heavens for the overlocker, which made things very fast indeed. I did crazy stuff like try shirring for the 1st time… late at night, and IT WORKED! Sure, it isn’t the neatest job, but I gave it a go, and can now envisage myself knocking up little shirred dresses and tops on a regular basis. Especially for me. I like shirring!

So here is the finished garment.

I think her modelling is just far too cute. Even when she’s eating a cookie.

Last week….Wednesday perhaps? I finished this bag for ME! It is the ‘everything tote’ from the book Weekend Sewing. But altered somewhat, and put together without instructions because I’ve lent the book to a friend. I’m loving this bag. It really does fit EVERYTHING! Change of clothing for girl who ‘might’ wet her pants? check. 5 DVDs to return to the shop?check. 2 kids hats? check. wallet/phone/keys/lipbalm/etc/etc check. AND IT ISN’T EVEN HALF FULL. Who needs green shopping bags when you have one of these? Just throw it all in. Hmmm, how long til it is overflowing with stuff? It looks a bit better in person. truly. The fabric is from Ikea. I added the red buttons.

THEN on Saturday I made a little apron for a birthday boy. I drafted the pattern, altered it, made my own bias binding (for the very first time), lost it, searched for it, found it, finished it. THEN MADE A HOLE IN IT, while applying the snaps. I’ve used the snap press plenty of times without problem. Really! I wonder if his mum is reading this…. yep, that’s what that extra little piece of stripey ribbon is doing. Sorry, no photo. I forgot before we wrapped it. The tutorial on making your own bias by Jona is awesome. Mine turned out great!

I had a fabulous morning today. A gorgeous parcel from Retro Mummy arrived & I whipped up a very cute dress for Zoe (not the RM fabric, some other stuff). I also decided that bias binding was my friend. For BB (bias binding) had helped me make a quick and easy dress and looked neat and lovely! I’m afraid I didn’t get a photo soon enough…

The BB ran. Really really badly. Bright pink on a white floral print kinda bad. I realised when Zoe’s chest was tinted pink after dribbling her pineapple. I took the dress off her and rinsed it in cold water. Oh my gosh! SOOOOO much dye ran out, and continues to do so. Hmph! This is the last time I buy old bias binding at the op shop.

Guaranteed Fast Colour??? I think NOT. Then if I wasn’t already feeling sad enough, I prewashed some of the cute fabric that had arrived. Cream fabric washed with pale brown fabric? NOT a good idea. TWO colour running incidents in one day. Not happy. I hope I’ve learned my lesson.

1. Sleep in til at least 8am

2. Ask to do crafting (”swafting”) ~Zoe

3. Be happy to eat all your boring pasta lunch

4. Ask to watch 80s Carebears ~Tate

I don’t even mind that Zoe hasn’t tried on her reversible kimono dress yet.

Lovely Selina is running a Vintage Sheet Swap! Go and visit her blog to join in. I have some lovely vintage sheets to cut into fat quarters (eg. 10 fqs). I’ll send them off to Selina and recieve 10 different Fat Quarters back! Fun fun fun, except the cutting part, which I don’t enjoy so much.

Off to enjoy the day… it is a sunshine day, my favourite!

Oh boy, November already. Even the local op shops have their christmas gear out already, which means I need to explain to the little ones that santa is still a while away yet. It also means my dubious but effective parenting technique is nearing the end of it’s run for the year….

What is this technique? I hear you ask. Perhaps your parents used it too, mine did… it is the myth of SANTA’S BLACKBIRDS. Oh yes, santa has blackbirds everywhere. Spies that watch little children, monitoring their behaviour and then reporting back to the big man himself. Now the birds need not be black, Zoe believes that any bird could be one of santa’s. Tate on the other hand, like I did as a youngster, suspects the miners that constantly hang around our place pestering the cat. Here are a few examples of the ’santa’s blackbirds technique’ in use…Zoe won’t get into her car seat? ”Uh Oh, I just saw one of santa’s blackbirds flying over, he is checking on you” *young girl gets into car seat*. Tate refusing to get changed into pyjamas and it is getting late? “Oh dear, I think I just saw one of santa’s blackbirds peeking in the window”. Works a treat, go ahead and try it if you need to!

Now, I made a mermaid tail on Monday night. I used THIS TUTORIAL from craftzine. I was attracted by the word ‘easy’, and easy it was! I bought some shiny fabric at spotlight and all the other bits and pieces I had on hand. I also bought a hot glue gun, oh my gosh!!! why didn’t I buy one YEARS ago? Here is the tail, ‘modelled’ by Zoe. It is a little big for her, I have made it for big cousin Emily (we are off to her 5 year old party on the weekend ).

Please note the very special jewel embellishment on the waistband…. oh yes, I have a hot glue gun! I made the crochet top/dress too… long & boring story to that one.

Here is the tail I’ve half made for Zoe, the first thing she said when seeing Emily’s one was “where’s mine?”. Bless.

Nighty night, let’s hope I can stop coughing and get some sleep. Back tomorrow with some awesome books to show and something that needs a little ‘design*spongeing’.

xoxo

Well my creative space is very very messy. But here’s a little snippet… a pattern picked up today at the oppy, which has inspired me to make a little pinny for a brand new baby girl. The pattern is for a 6 month size, which is pretty sensible. I’ve seen this baby’s wardrobe and it is rather extensive in the smaller sizes!

Because it looked pretty, a tin of rick rack. That gold might come in handy for a christmas project, now I just need to think of one.

And now for my next give-away… this size 2 reversible pinnie.

Some of the fabric is a little bit vintage, as is the pattern.  I will do the buttons, and I’ll make a matching headband before I post it

Just leave a comment on this post before Midnight on Monday to be in the draw.

More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo                     xoxo