got my craft on...

ive cut out about a million little circles, and sewn them up into pretty garland for the tree- the dining room, and more to come...such a simple easy quick thing to do...=love.

yup its more sewing!

Reversible cushions! Yay not so much washing to do...grubby kids, guests coming...flip em! (er the cushion not the kids/guests). My very favourite toile pattern, in a gorgeous island flavour...and my beloved minty duck egg blue floral....

MORE MAKIN` STUFF

 

a year ago, I started this wee quilt for my neice.  It was inspired by Amanda Soule's book...where someone draws on the fabric and then it is embroided over...I have made all sorts this way now, but this time I peiced family members drawing together with vintage fabric finds, to make a quilt for one of my sweet neices, commemorating her birth....I bakced it in a soft duckling yellow polarfleece...so she can have it over her chair or the end of her big girl bed one day.  I so hope she likes it, as a wee peice of her kiwi extended family is in each of the squares....and I so hope my sister doesn't look too closely at the needle/sewing work - eep!

time = sewing

As its the school holidays, I have a wee bit more time ...HOORAY!!...and although my kiddos are all in varying stages of the 100 day cough (a whooping cough strain)...they are awesome at building forts and such like inside to while away a day or so...so in the upstairs playroom/sewing room, you will find us ALL, holed up in a quiet activity...fort making, reading, drawing and for me sewing!  At last after 4 MONTHS I have finched Micah's quilt coverlet...phew!! it was sweetly simple and of course easy to make...over half the fabric has a sentimental purpose (cut from a dear family  members cast offs)...and some were too delicious to leave in the shops, so of course HAD to come home with me...and viola`! One wee guy has a Mama made quilt cover...now only 4 more to go!

Pay-it-forward 2011

I promise something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment on this post ... parcel to be recieved at somepoint this year as a wee 'ta-dah! surprise!'

However to be eligible you have to do the same and offer this wonderful fun idea on your own blog....make sense?? The rules: Handmade by you, sent sometime in 2011...simple huh!....twill be fun!

makin' stuff....

been doing a spot of sewing, the last of my craft-it-round (pics coming) projects, birthday pressies coming up, and altering existing stuff to make it new and interesting - yay! These little numbers are one of the pair of pants for my littlest guy....hes just so darn cute at the mo- we all agree he's fab!...pattern inspired by Dana at MADE....loving her easy to follow tutorials...check her out sometime....these are actually made out of the bottoms of an old pair of jeans of mine....so seriously didn't cost a cent ..... um YAY!

made it

been doing a wee bit of sewing lately - here's last weeks venture....all from my stash -YAY. vintage cars/city fabric from a friend....simple black cotton and reversible with green polar fleece on the other side ....Micah Jack seems to like it and looks super cute in it...although don't look closely as my machine and I didn't get on so good with the thickish layers - grrr.

Jose is begging for one too- so found the BEST fabric down at the local oppy this week to make his lordship one too... Such a good pattern for another layer.

makin' stuff....

a lambwool and alpaca beanie for my nephew...kinda made up as I went.

a wee tutu for my niece, who is turning 2!...so she can attend her tea parties in style.

a wee russian doll inspired cushion for the same neice...one side asleep the other awake...

some spill clothes that I made as part of present for a friend having baby...we threw her a babyshower this week....twas fun, and will share more on that soon.

the 10th birthday - day...

A smidgen of pre-birthday sewing and this wee craft bag emerged...Ny is a project girl, and likes to work with paper mainly at this stage soooo, I thought a wee 'pick-up-and-go' bag would work...so she has wee pockets for everything and a large pouch in the middle for all the paper a girl can carry!...and of course every girl needs a party dress...it was totally a hold up to the kid and cut type of pattern...seemed to work, imperfectly tho...i love the wee lemon vintage buttons...and she looked darling on her big day with this dress, leggings and a sunshine yellow sweet cardi, and yellow shoes..


The enchanted castle cake in progress and the complete...twas fun to do and not hard just time consuming...and a wee tissue pom poms that were strung everywhere...along with bunting and balloons....

this is as early as it looks! and yes that is frost on the ground !- brrrr!!...nothing like a bike ride with ALL the family in dressing gowns and slippers outside at 6.30am!...did I mention brrrrrr!


we went to the big smoke and took the big girls and friend to the movies...and had to wear these fun 3D glasses...teehee, a good look, no?

then back to the grandies place where most of her cousins and aunties and uncles gathered for a lovely aftenoon tea, cake and silly-fun games....then out for dinner....it was a SUPER-fun day, full-on, loud, lots of laughter, a few remenising moments, lots of food, and whanau....Miss 10 said "I never want this day to end..."

Happy Birthday sweet, loved, compassionate, sassy,stunning, funny, loving, loyal girl - we love you.

thrifting in june thus far....

...has been grand!!! Check out this fabulousso red leather bag - seriously swooning and rubbing it ALOT (with the odd sniff thrown in for good measure!)...these cute as pie plactic crystal wee bowls for the lads/ladettes to dine in style with...some dolies that I have snipped apart and sewn onto the other things (will show at some point), new (old) placemats to funky up...and some old linen napkins - YUS! My theory is to collect as many white/cream random ones as poss for everyday, as they wash up a treat and can be thrown in napisan ...and all matchintheir oddness (said that all in one breath...phew)...and this wee duck thingy - not sure what to do with it, but will figure something out eventually. Oh and an awesome barely worn thermal for my gal...

At this rate - June is looking mighty fine for thrifting -!

craft-it-round

YAY! I just got in the nick of time - gulp!...really looking forward to playing with you lovely ladies and crafting up a storm here, can't wait to start (tomorrow) and get some pretties in the post! VERY EXCITEd....and even got the Man to be my random number generator thingy, number 3 and 7 on my random list will be up first! YAY....ooo I wonder who they are....

sewing up a storm

not sure what has hit me the last few weeks - mostly its been agreeing to co-hold a stall in the local market coming up - but my sewing machine is runinng hot and the quick-un-picker even hotter...

I find that I get far more achieved if I have a really lose idea before I begin a project and let the process shape it rather that become a slave, to the chased after perfection that patterns seem to make me become - so freeform sewing projects have been churned out and some of them are working out great and others not so great - they are put back in the pile for a good frowning session, to hopefully be turned into something else later.... here are some of them.

High waisted skirts for my big girls (so simple to make I wondered why I waited SO long)...wee hand appliqued bambis and bunnies on cushions, spring sweet skirts, and aprons...a blanket or 3, some boy pants and a small amount of cable knitted soft, soft scarves. (am teaching myself to cable knit so these might nOt make it to market yet)...its been fun, and although I can feel this urge dwindling a wee bit, its not the end yet....fun fun!

miss much!

I am in the throws of working a bit at the moment - horror! 3 and a half days this week - triple horror! - I love the kids I work with, the job and the staff - but its really impacting on my creative life! - oh how I miss you sewing, how I miss you craft books and blogs, how I miss you wool....sigh. But I guess it means after this week I can go and buy some wonderful fabric - at the very least!! teehee!!....until then I will just give my seweing machine a friendly pat as I walk past it.

Happy birthday Micah Jack!

Happy Birthday 'neigh' cake - with felted wee carrots for the hobby horse to munch

Hobby horse - inspired by his love to ride things (jandals/phone/books) - thanks to Frith for having the link for this! And encouragement too!! he is called - Neigh (Micah called him that!) - he is made from a wollen thrifted jacket, dowl, webbing and buttons

Pjs for the lad - made from gifted fabric (thanks Frithy AGAIN!) and thrifted top with flag added.

I'm into freezer stencilling in a big way!...a 'neigh' for the day

my lovely family - blessed beyond measure!

Aventing

this year I was finally organised enough to actually make the advent calender I had been planning ot make for the last 2 years! it really is a bit over-the-top, but I do like it! I have always done the 12 days of Christmas with the kids....everyday has a pocket with an activity and sometimes a treat to. This year our activities have had to incorporate our age ranges, which can be a little challenging...so have included things like, colouring in competetion, making cookies for the neighbours, Christmas light drive-by, fudge making, Christmas eve service going etc etc...I would have liked it to be a bit more concentrated and over the top fun, but so many other things have had to happen along side it. - sigh, thats life huh!....I think the kids are enjoying the 'daily pocket', so thats cool. I really like the idea of a Christmas village, and Mary-Beth over at Salt and Chocolate has some very inspiring ideas about creating one....always next year!

sneak peak

I sent my pay - it -forward parcels off last week, but thought would share what I made....

using all re-purposed fabrics, I made some wee aprons, 2 with contrasting trims, and one featuring my very loved vintage doily and crochet lace........when perusing the local opshop, my girlfriend found for me a wonderful bok on Strauss and some of his life story....lots was in the wonderful Victoria scripts, old photos, handdrawn scenes of balls and engagements...I was inspired to chaop it up (is that a sin?? book was a bit tatty - tis my excuse)...and made envelopes and stationary with the pictures and paper doilies.....and also made some sweet hanging lavender satchets, with lavender gathered last summer and dried for such thing.

All in all it was a lovley project to be part of. I hope the lovley ladies recieving the parcels like them, and more importantly can use them. xx

costume crazy

its that time of year ay know- the time when its super fun, super crazy, super much-work (new word for you!), super food, super people....and this is all super - but leaves me super tired! -in a none- grumbly kinda way!

With all the goings on I have put my hand up and yelled pick me, to make some of the costumes for the kids various thingys they are involved in, Some have just need tacking up something found, some have need ripping and cutting (of somehting found)....and some need making from scratch....sigh,, I can feel the super enthusiam I had for these tasks dwindling somewhat!....

Nyah, our drama princess, is a chinese narrator, a zombie, a dancer in her jazzz show, and an inn keeper in the Christmas story show....so, we have cut, tacked, scrubbed, make-uped, repainted jazz shoes, plaited, wound and brushed hair till it shone....and we are almot halfway there now!

Our big girl is packing up to go to my parents for 5 sleeps (can't get my head around that yet, as its the LONGEST time ever apart!)...so has shrugged off the Christmas story part she was to play - and is I think secretly relieved whilst saying shes sad to miss it- uhuh~

Our sweet boys will be sweet shepherds in the Christamas story play, so they ae next on the list of cutting, sewing, measuring scolding to keep still, and having the odd -oh how cute are you- moments....ahhhh, am looking forward to sewing something other than costumes soon I hope!

I am blessed, not grumbly I promise!