Where did January go?

So it's almost the end of January and I feel like the last few weeks went by in a blur. There were play dates, zoo visits and lots of family time riding bikes and growing vegetables. I squeezed in some sewing and got a few more business related things set up for the year ahead.

This was my view last week though.

Not bad isn't it? My husband and I spent five days at Maca Villas and Spa in Seminyak, Bali and it was a wonderfully relaxing stay. Five whole lazy days filled with delicious meals, mojitos, spa treatments and a little shopping, it was a perfect holiday. We missed our girls like crazy but I won't lie, the break from changing nappies, preparing food, washing up and saying the same thing repeatedly during the day, was a nice change. This was our first holiday in nearly five years and we are already planning to return as a family in the near future.

It's a good thing that I took time out to re-charge the batteries as I have a few sewing projects in the coming weeks. I need to finish the Pillowcases for Oncology drive organised by the Handmade Cooperative. After this I am participating in two showcases through Facebook, the first is a circus theme while for the second one I plan to release my new Easter bunny softie. I am also thrilled to have been accepted for the third time to have a stall at the March Perth Upmarket. My last two experiences at the market were really positive and I'd like to continue with what works for me and my business. Upon confirmation of my place at Upmarket I started one of many lists, what materials do I need, what/how many items shall I make and how to spread everything out over the coming five weeks to complete it all comfortably. So I predict my evenings will be spent cutting out and I'll squeeze my sewing in during the day. I plan to offer 3-4 different additional softies for this market so hopefully they will be well received. I also recently purchased a couple of clothing patterns to add to my collection as well as some fabrics so fingers crossed I can find some time to make some skirts and dresses too. Then there are birthdays, the TSL Dolly Drive and our eldest daughter starting Kindergarten.

Despite crazy busy February approaching I still plan to share some posts, updates and inspiration along the way. I recently signed up to Twitter, yes quite possibly one of the last people on earth to do so, but I'm going to try and embrace another social medium as the 'reach ability' of Facebook decreases. Now I just have to actually tweet something lol

Christmas Snippets

My four year old informs me daily of how many sleeps until Santa arrives. She has written her letter, decorated the tree and given her friends little gifts, it's such a special time of year for her. I wish I could have captured that look of excitement when she received a reply letter from Santa, so beautiful.

Another important recent event was Michaela's 'graduation' from Pre-Kindy (3 year old Kindy) which was an exciting day for her. She has grown in confidence this year and now can't wait to start at the 'big kids' school.

One of the main reasons for buying an over locker recently was to make clothes for the girls. So yesterday I made a quick and simple skirt which is essentially a piece of fabric folded in half and stitched together. Then you create the 'tunnel' at the top for the elastic and hem the base, easy enough for a novice like me. Add a $3 tshirt with a fabric appliqué and here's a cute festive outfit created in a couple of hours. The most difficult part was trying to keep Michaela still while I took photos!

Another Christmas tradition is visiting houses decorated in lights. We found this gorgeous house the other night who are also collecting donations for the Perth children's hospital.

Final preparations for Christmas at our house involve making an outfit for Harper, wrapping presents and cleaning up for our traditional Christmas morning whole family brunch. The weather forecast for Christmas Day is HOT so hopefully Santa will bring some water toys!

PS I have just downloaded the Blogsy app so this is my first IPad post using it. Fingers crossed for when I hit the 'post' button.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Softies, A Market Date & Overlockers!!

It's school holidays in Perth which means Daddy is home for two weeks. For our eldest this also means a visit to the beach, park or movies most days. Miss Harper has only the one nap now but it's a decent 3 hours minimum which limits me taking her out in the middle of the day so my husband and I tend to take turns going out with Michaela. As much as I don't want Harper to grow up quickly, it will be nice when she is a little older so that we can do more activities as a foursome.

I have done a little sewing this week, an elephant softie (a Retro Mama design) for a friend and a little doll (a Two Little Banshees Maisie doll pattern from the book The Big Book Of Softies) which I have been wanting to make for ages. I have two friends due to deliver babies this week too so I hope to try out a couple of other patterns from the same book to make as gifts.

Market news- little cloud factory has been accepted to be part of the Christmas Made on the Left Market in November. The previous July market was great fun, well organised and well attended. I have begun preparing for the market already with some pattern pieces cut out and fabric on order so the preparation shouldn't be too stressful (I say now!) After spending quite a bit of time on my stall design prior to the last two markets, it will be nice to just focus on stock creation for this market.

This week I have been researching over lockers after deciding that it is time I make some clothing, mainly just for me and my family. I have fabric in my stash which I bought intending to turn into a dresses for the girls and I'm hoping that my softie sewing and following patterns etc experience over the last few years will put me in good stead for making some simple items. I prefer the more simple styles and with summer coming up its the perfect time to get started. I have a Bernina sewing machine and my loyalty lies with this brand so hopefully I'll buy one in the coming weeks after visiting some stores for demos.

Oh dear!

Eeekkk, I completely dropped off the blog radar; sorry. Unfortunately no exciting explanations like winning the lotto and flying to New York on a private jet or even boring ones like my Internet was down.......nope just the simple reason of running around with the kids, fitting in some sewing where possible and running out of steam at the end of each day.

So, I'll try to bring you up to speed with what I/we have been up to in a flurry of photos.

The four of us went to the zoo and here I am with the girls on the carousel. Sorry it's a blurry snap but it's the best one of us. Getting three people to look in the same direction while on a moving horse is just plain ridiculous. The carousel and the crocodile were the highlights of our day according to Miss 3.

I have decided to create a Christmas softie this year to hopefully take to a couple of upcoming markets. This boy elf will have a female friend too and I plan to have them completed in the coming days. I am participating in a Facebook showcase titled A Handmade Christmas where I will be offering a pair of elves (once my new chrissy fabric arrives!)  

I am also part of another Facebook organised showcase which was meant for me, a Babushka and Kokeshi theme. Here is my completed offering which turned out beautifully using Amy Butler fabric and some gorgeous Japanese linen with babushka print. I had the linen in my stash for ages so it was great to use it for this lavender creation.

And here is my OOAK Kokeshi softie. I played around for a few days with this pattern and all the details; open or closed eyes, limbs/ no limbs etc and so this little girl came into being......and I love her. As with any new creation, the process is often full of uncertainty and even when it looks good on paper and even as a flat softie, you don't know what it will look like til it's stuffed. The shape changes, limbs look disproportionate and expressions can change but it's so rewarding to see that pencil drawing come to life, and be able to give it a hug. (Excuse her wonky bottom, I still need to sew her shut.....)

 

A Bunting Themed Birthday Party

This is part II of Harper's first birthday party. I had decided on a bunting theme a few months ago, I'm a fan of all things bunting actually and figured I could use it in a number of ways.

I made each of the invitations (previously blogged about here) using some kraft card, cardstock from my stash and a little ribbon.

I found some bunting scrap booking card at Spotlight which I popped in a frame with a couple of photos of Harper.
My talented mum made the cupcakes with first birthday and bunting inspired toppers, gorgeous right?!

Using the same kraft card and cardstock I made a little 'ONE' bunting for Harper's highchair.

I made a mini-bunting for the top of the birthday cake. I cut out the little flags from cardstock, punched a heart in the centre of each one and handstitched them together. The ends were secured with some hot glue to two skewers and a ribbon attached to hide the end of the thread.

And purely by coincidence actually, here is Harper in her birthday outfit, complete with bunting on the front! She looked so grown up on the day walking around with her 48 hour walking legs! 

Lastly, I printed off these cute 'thank you' cards too to send out to those who sent cards to Harper and gave her gifts. 

Making The Pastel Rainbow Cake

Our gorgeous Harper turned one last Saturday. She is our funny, walking, smiley little hell raiser and we love her to bits. I planned a small morning tea to celebrate the event which ended up being 24 people big! I enjoy planning a party, making invitations, thinking about the menu and deciding on the cake, but on the day I'm a wreck. The final running around, cleaning up, baking and trying to squeeze in a shower before the guests arrive and I'm a little bit 'difficult' to be around (sorry hubby xx)

I have a few photos to share of the day but as I'm collecting photos from a couple of people I don't have many to share today. I did want to show you all the cake though. After seeing a few pics around of rainbow cakes I decided to give one a go. I read this post for some tips and made a start the day before the party.

I started with two packets of butter cake mixture.

After dividing up the mixture between five bowls I carefully added the food colouring bit by bit until I was happy with the colour. I wanted to include the colours I had used with the invitations and other decorations. Each coloured mixture went into a greased and floured tin

About 20-30 minutes of cooking (this was dependent on where the cakes were in the oven) and the cakes were left to cool. I used a plate to trace around so each mini cake had an even edge. They were then placed in a container to wait for Stage 2 Icing planned for the following day.

The mid-way point of the icing process. I used the recipe for the icing from the reference post too. I should have levelled a couple of the mini cakes a little better as there was a slight lean (which I made up for with the icing!) I applied one coat of outside icing, allowed it to harden by placing it in the fridge for an hour and then did a second coat. Using a wet knife made the application easier.

The finished cake complete with candle and handmade bunting.

So pretty on the inside!

This was a really special cake to make and enjoy for Harper's birthday. It tasted great and received plenty of compliments, especially from the birthday girl!

I'll share some more pics of the day and the crafty things I made for the party in an upcoming post.

Milestones

There are some wonderful and exciting times ahead in the coming weeks.

* Harper's first birthday
* My grandfather's 80th birthday
* This blog will turn 2 next week
* Almost 10,000 visitors to this blog
* I  will be a stall holder at the Made on the Left Winter Market

It's so nice to have these things to look forward to, some fun times ahead and plenty of sewing- just how I like it!!

Some recent little creations- hand stitched babushka hair clips

Crazy Times

Source

This last week and a bit can be summed up in one word 'crazy.'

I did some work outside of the home over the last week and a half and while my working day wasn't long (between 3 and 7 hours) the logistics of doing so were crazy. Preparing for each day was a frantic exercise with getting myself ready, the girls, their meals, their routines, dropping them off at my parents', picking them up and then something that resembled dinner at the end of the day. The work was good, I'm looking forward to receiving my 'pocket money' and all went well (we didn't forget to pick up the kids or miss a meal) but I am so glad we don't do this every day. I have a huge respect for parents who juggle home and work because it is no easy task.

Our weekend was also crazy. Saturday was busy with the usual swimming lessons in the morning followed by a birthday party in the afternoon. Sunday was our chill out at home day. We lost power just after 2pm that day which was followed by a huge 'once in a decade' storm. Candles, torches and a takeaway dinner that evening. We woke Monday morning to find that we were still without power. The news broadcasts indicated that it could be up to a week for some homes to return to power, so I not only packed up the girls for my day at work but also the contents of my fridge and freezer to store at my parents' home. Thankfully we were without power for only 24 hours. I'm pretty embarrassed to say that I didn't cope too well with the loss of light, electricity and heat. Maybe because the girls are still a little young for the experience to have been 'fun' ie playing board games, pretending to camp out in the family room, telling scary stories, etc. Instead it was all about keeping Harper away from candles, trying to prevent her from falling over toys and shielding the constant barrage of questions from Michaela about the thunder storm and loss of power.

Needless to say I did little crafting this week. I did however make my first sale on my madeit store. What was especially nice about this sale was that it was to a return customer. She had bought some babushkas from me in the past and given them as gifts to the young girls in her family. Another girl was born into the family recently and she wanted to continue the tradition. How sweet is that?!

Fingers crossed that the crazy times are behind us and some normality is on it's way. I started to put a new design on paper last night (inspired by some new fabric) and finished off a wall hanging so craft-wise I'm getting back on track.

Bunting Theme Party Invitations

As mentioned previously, our gorgeous little Harper is approaching her first birthday. The year has flown by in some ways but she has always been here with us.....you know that feeling? I just finished her birthday party invitations and am thrilled with how they turned out. Some kraft card and some colourful cardstock and ribbon already in my stash. I wrote the poem for the party details and cut out and machine stitched the card stock pieces together. The font on the front is Clementine Sketch while the inside font is Jenna Sue.

The poem reads:

Can you believe a year has passed?

It really has flown by so fast

A year of firsts and lots of fun

And today our beautiful Harper turns one!

Exactly one year to the day

The 7th this year is a Saturday

The venue, our home, you already know

And the party kicks off at 10.30 or so

I look forward to sharing more preparation projects with you as the party draws closer.

Inspiration for First Birthday Party

via Pinterest

Miss Harper is approaching 11 months so it is officially time to start planning the party. Nothing big, just family and a couple of friends and some tasty treats for both the big and little people. I can't lie, I have been thinking about Harper's first birthday party for a few months, gathering ideas and secretly wishing the time away so that I can make the invitations! You can check out my inspiration board on Pinterest, just click this link:  Bunting Party Inspiration.

Monthly Photo- 10 months

Unfortunately my commitment to taking and sharing monthly photos of Harper is yet another thing that has faltered. I am taking photos of her but as you may also know, the camera isn't at the ready with no 2 like it was with no 1. Nevertheless, look how gorgeous she is at 10 months!! She continues to be a delight and keeps me on my toes, literally. I can't sit down for five minutes this last week as she is mastering the 'I can stand on my own' thing. She gets up on the side of the couch, stairs, bed but then has no where to go so we have had a few backward tumbles.

I arranged to have some professional pics of the girls taken last week and this is one of them. Both girls were patient and gave plenty of smiles for the camera. Now to get some into frames and on the walls.

A Kick Start

My commitment to this blog has been nothing but dismal of late. Unfortunately I can't blame computer glitches or a lack of ideas for posts, it's just that ever present inability of mine to maintain balance. I think I do a pretty ok job at being a wife and mummy, no one goes hungry or is dressed in dirty clothes, we arrive when we say we will arrive and I ensure the girls are read to every day, so the important things are covered. And then there is me and some time to myself. Time to myself begins around 8pm and ends with me fast asleep not long after. Before kids I'd happily (and quite easily) stay up late but those nights are long gone. Anyway, I've struck a deal with hubby and have a couple of DAYLIGHT hours to myself each week- hurray! It's the kick I need hopefully too to focus more on sewing, getting some new ideas for designs off the paper cluttering my desk and into reality and maybe even hit the market scene before the year is out. I do have a feeling of dejavu writing this as I began the year with similar goals but hey, it's still only April and I recognise the need for me to do something fulfilling, creatively speaking.
One of the first softie patterns I bought was the delightful Baby Chibi so what better to make a return to sewing than make a baby chibi for my baby Harper. I gave myself what I thought was a realistic deadline given my recent ability to commit to a project and planned to finish this softie for her birthday in early July. I am proud to say she is nearly done, waiting for some stuffing and well ahead of schedule! Here's to a much needed kick start for me and my sewing and sharing bits and pieces along the way!

Where Have I Been

Oh dear, it's been a week since I last posted. I had been trying to be pretty regular with my posts these last couple of months but I fell off the wagon.
So, I'll try to sum up where I've been and what I've been doing this last week......

Last Saturday was a friend's daughter's first birthday party. There is nothing nicer than a party in the park (except when you come home sun burnt!)

Harper is cutting teeth left, right and centre. Her first six teeth all within 3 weeks.

Swimming lessons with Michaela last Sunday. This is her first term of lessons and it's lovely to see her enjoying being in the water.

Jon left for a school camp on Monday and so began my first few days as a single parent with two.

I did a little bit of crafting this week. A phone pouch and a pillowcase for Pillowcases for Oncology through Handmade Cooperative.

My very generous husband gave me an iPad2 for my birthday the other week so I've been exploring the world of apps and learning how to use it. I've also had my head buried in Design Sponge at Home which provides great food for thought for redecorating and savvy DIY projects.

I had a lovely walk and chat with a friend around the river yesterday while Michaela was at Pre Kindy (only to turn an even brighter shade of red last night- I obviously didn't learn my lesson!)

I did promise a couple of tutorials too, a LOVE tshirt applique and a cloud brooch so I'll do my best to get these to you soon. Until then, have a wonderful Friday!

Happy Valentine's Day (+ a recipe!)

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My husband and I aren't the gushing, mushy, overtly romantic kind on Valentine's Day. We're the kind who like to surprise the hell out of each other at birthdays and Christmas or any other day of the year when we just want to make the other person feel special.

Having said that, I wanted to do something for Jon that would make him smile. So Michaela and I (finally got Harper down for an afternoon nap after yet another- her fourth in two weeks!- tooth cut through today......that's too much for a 7 month old I believe) decided to make Jon's/ Daddy's favourite biscuits- Florentines.

Ingredients

4 cups Corn Flakes

1.5 cups Salted Peanuts

1.5 cups Sultanas

2 pkts Coloured Cherries (chopped)

1 tin Condensed Milk

Milk chocolate

makes approx 30

Pre-heat moderate oven.

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl.

Spoon mixture onto a tray lined with Glad Bake.

Bake for approx 15 mins, until they turn golden. Allow to cool

Melt chocolate and coat underside of Florentine.

Enjoy, I dare you to stop at one!

After seeing this post I also wanted to make Michaela a wee outfit for the day. I ran out of time for a matching hairclip but it's partly done. I'll share a little tutorial for both in the coming days.

 

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day

Penelope x

Hello 34

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Yesterday I entered my 'mid thirties.'

New age = new frame of mind/ new direction/ new life philosophy.........not really! Sure, I'd love a little more 'me' time, I'd like to turn my small hobby into something bigger and better and of course, some money in the bank. But, my life at the moment is wonderful, my family is happy and healthy, they make me smile, laugh and feel appreciated and the time we spend together is more important than anything else.

It's Thursday

My first baby starts at Pre-Kindy today. Kindy for kids whose birthdays fall in the later half of the year. She is beyond excited and my heart is currently swelling, both with pride and with the realisation that this is one of MANY big steps for her. I am promising myself not to cry and I'm sure I'll be fine, until I get back in the car and drive away........

My other baby chose to start her day at 4.10am. Not cool, Harper! Don't you love how children can pick those days when you really need a sleep or when you have big plans for the day??!!! Grrrrr. After my initial 'Are you kidding me?' (perhaps with an expletive or two in there) I felt sorry for her. It's super muggy, she just cut her first two bottom teeth, there are more teeth on their way and she just couldn't get back to sleep. The fact that she only sleeps on her tummy now adds to the discomfort when hot. But she is an awesome kid and I can't stay cranky with her when she has this expression 99% of the day.

How did your children enjoy their first day of Kindy/School? Hope you managed to keep away the tears ;)

Finished Projects & Plans

Here is my most recently completed softie. A friend is due to give birth next month so hopefully this little guy will provide some cuddles for her son/ daughter. I have tweaked my owl softie pattern (from two years ago) and am pretty happy with this final result.

I now need to get my softie making backside into gear for the Softies for Mirabel which are due by the end of February. Another owl, spaceboy, doll or a new design........decisions!

Also next month I am participating in a small community market. This is my first market in over a year so preparing for something small should be a good way for me to get back into the handmade scene and get some feedback.

Michaela begins pre-Kindy this year which involves a full day of activities at a nearby Recreation Centre each Thursday. This will be her first time away from me (other than with grandparents) for longer than an hour and I think that this will be a bigger adjustment for me than for her! We attended her Open Day on Friday and she was reluctant to leave so that's a good sign.

Our home is sure to be inundated with art work from Michaela upon each return from pre-Kindy so I've been looking around for display ideas. This post provides some good inspiration. It's a fine line between wanting to display your child's work and not have it take over the house and look cluttered. I'm currently looking around the house for possible 'gallery space' and will show you how it works out soon.

Before children I considered myself the Queen of Organisation. I love lists, ticking items off and feeling like I was on top of my life. I still love making lists and I can multi task with the best of them- as I type this I'm also feeding Harper her breakfast, making a list of things to pack for the girls for when I go to work tomorrow and reading Little Miss Wise to Michaela (she's on a Mr Men/ Little Miss bender at the moment...) but with two children, I seldom feel on top of things in my life. This article is a good starting point in helping me feel more in control (and less forgetful!)

This penguin softie is sweet.

What a fun skirt to make and wear.

I have never come across Shrinky Dink before but I like this jewellery idea.

There is a plethora of laser cut jewellery out there but I'm definitely not sick of it, these brooches are adorable.

Who doesn't love bubble wrap? With this, you can pop all year long!

Have a wonderful weekend! x