Collaborating

Distracted crafters,

How are you? How's the list of to-dos and more importantly how many are craft projects?

So I purchased a bright blue hoodie for Bounce a while ago when I thought he only had one that fitted him, (I was quite wrong but let's not focus on that!). I asked him if he wanted to decorate it with me and he was very keen.

He drew a Diplodocus, because that is his favourite dinosaur, for the back and we cut it out to create the pattern. I designed the pocket one and he chose the buttons. (There are 4 legs and one tail).

We're both very pleased with the final outcome.

Not bad for a cheap, possibly not essentially needed, hoodie.

love you more than being sure of how to pronounce diplodocus xxx

Make My Week - boozy tumblers

This is my latest project with a lovely mama-friend here.

Take a large selection of empty bottles and create glasses/tumblers - rather stylish, even if we say it ourselves! We made a set of these for each of our children's teachers.

I can see we'll be making more of them in the future. You may receive a set as a gift.

Now just to explain my recycling bin diving to the neighbours :o)

Joining in with less boozy projects here:

(and big ups to lovely Leonie who has hosted this link for 2 years and is waving goodbye to it)

love you more than a project that works xxxx

Make My Week - Necklaces

The CWA market stall is coming up and so I volunteered to make some polymer clay necklaces.

So easy, and yet, such sore thumbs at the end of it.

I like had some fun.

Hopefully they will sell well..... I must get on with Christmas making! (Oh and packing the house because we move in about 2.5 weeks - packing so far? Nil!)

Go here, see more crafty goodness

love you more than procrasti-crafting xxx

Make My Week - costumes and fortune cookies

So you have seen the book week costumes I made - very simple but well loved!

And the pictures tell the story for these felt fortune cookies - could be very fun for a table setting don't you think?

Joining in here as always!

love you more than a snappy project in a time poor week xxx

Make My Week - Handmade Swap Bits

These are the details of the pieces I made for Laurel in the swap.

I have wanted to make one of these Fimo necklaces for a while. Very simple but quite effective I think.

I found this gorgeous quote on Laurel's pinterest board which I stitched into a bookmark for her.

Laurel also likes rabbits so I carved her a wee stamp and included a pink stamp pad.

It was nice to make some little pieces and think of Laurel while I made them.

Joining in with the crafters here

love you more than projects complete xxx

make my week - pinterest gift inspiration

One of my lovely new friends invited me to celebrate her birthday with her so I did a pinterest stalk to get some ideas about what she liked.

A slightly changed (I hate to do a direct copy - although this is pretty similar) brooch that she said she loves.

I find giving hand made makes me feel like at least if they don't love it they will appreciate the effort I went to on their behalf.... do you feel that way?

I do find it hard not to apologise for it's general imperfection though!

As always joining in here:

love you more than a present idea sorted xxx

Trimmings - Entry One

This year I was very excited to discover that Umbrella Prints is a fabric maker that operates from Adelaide. Each year they hold a competition to see what people can make from a little packet of trimmings (a bit like the scrap bag swap that Nin hosts but more specific)

I ordered 2 packets and this is my first one.In the Blues Packet this is what I got.

My first idea wasn't going to work because of the small total area of fabric I got so I changed it up and made a very simple baby blanket. It seems to be baby season in our lives again so over the next few months I'll be coming up with gifts for little special people that arrive in the lives of friends and family.

I attached all of the fabric to a bonding fabric and then drew on all the raindrops. This meant there was basically no wastage, as you can see some of the drops actually have multiple fabrics in them.

I haven't added anything into this blanket so it isn't a quilt - this is intentional so the receiver has the option of using it for swaddling, floor play or other general uses. The background for the drops is organic cotton and it is backed with soft flannelette that picked up second hand.

I love the colours and the fact that by chopping the pieces up so much I could make something much bigger than my original idea.

I'm quite pleased with my final result.

What now? On May 30th (this Friday) all the different images of thins people made will be uploaded to Umbrella Prints pinterest board and then you can madly pin all your favourite projects. Each time you pin an image from their board (so please don't pin from this post if you like mine), that project gets a vote and the winner gets prizes. Cool huh?

How about you? What do you like to make from tiny scraps?

love you more than presents ready for new arrivals xxx

also linking in with my favourite Thursday girls

Make My Week - Catching Up

I did actually make at least 52 things last year but as I missed the last couple of weeks this is a catch up.

I made this for my big boy - I found the fabric at the make cafe and had to have it for my very own "sam I am". A friend suggested the NZ for my map lover soon to be Australian dweller. I'm really pleased with the accuracy of NZ, especially as my own geography is pretty rotten - good thing I married The Atlas.

He opened it on Christmas morning and absolutely loves it, it's such a gorgeous colour on him too. The hoodie is from AS colour.

Joining in with the ever effervescent Leonie

Love you more than a pleasing finish xxx

Make My Week - Stockings

A while ago Deb gave me a collection of Christmas fabric strips and I decided they would work perfectly for 3 small stockings.

One for both the boys and one for their cousey (2 are the same).

Lined in an old blanket I made it up as I went along, not entirely successfully! I like that they are small so that not too much can fit in - just some wee treasures and an orange!

Joining in with Lovely Leonie (click on the show n tell button on the right)

Love you more than a project ticked off the to-do list xxxx

 

Make My Week - Freaky After Dark

Okay so clearly I am on a bit of a pillowcase craze at the moment - so easy and so quick!

I gave these to The Atlas yesterday on our 14th anniversary. We went out for dinner last night and had a little laugh together. I said, well we had 7 years and then children now at the end of another 7 you are moving me overseas... what's going to be our big change at 21 years??

I made these with a group of lovely ladies who all assumed I was the 'talker' and The Atlas the 'dreamer'.

Me the talker?? Yeah okay I totally get what they meant. Strange thing is when the lights go out it all swaps over. I have the dreams and The Atlas talks in his sleep. (Truth be told we probably both do both but I wake up and listen to The Atlas and tell him about it the next day!).

joining in with the lovely ladies here

love you more than an accidentally comical creation and a well ironed pillowcase xxx

Make My Week - Goodbye Kindy

Yesterday we said our final ever goodbye to kindy... (to be honest I am intentionally not engaging with the emotions of this week - in a couple of weeks post exam, final assignment, school start, birthday party... then I will sit a spend the good part of a day in tears!)

We made necklaces for the kindy teachers.

and a bag of bean bags for the children to use.

and tomorrow a little boy will unwrap a hand made book bag from his mama.

It's a very big week around here. Big change in the sails for this mama, final assignment due, party to organise, exam to study for.... apologies if I'm not as visit-y as usual.

Joining in with less overwhelmed mamas here:

Love you more than a whole day to study xxxx

Make My Week - Necklaces

I find having a couple of things on hand in the present box an essential (especially at this time of year!).

Recently I made some more of these necklaces from beautiful origami paper and an old TinTin comic.

The one below will be for sale to raise money for this lovely cause.

Hows your making going? Are you feeling all make-y at the moment or more like you have a dog riding around on your head?

Joining in here:

Love you more than a present box with stuff in it. xxxx

We Recommend - Cheap to Make for Families

I promised you some 'no-sew' family gifts at some point. Today I'm showing you a couple of simple ideas that you still have time to make before Christmas.

We have some families we like to do a little something for at Christmas but I like to keep them super cheap because a) I am super cheap - you probably already know this and b) then there isn't any pressure for reciprocating or spending money on us.

Travel Bingo:
If you can draw you could make your own wonderful version of this. If you are me clip art and colouring in pencils are your friend. I've made 4 cards in each set so that there is some variation. Print, colour, cut out laminate and you are good to go. If I am feeling generous I would also add a whiteboard marker and small brushed cotton cloth for each child.

pre-laminated version

Whenever children travel in our car they pick these up and comment on them.

I tend to save ours until we are a good hour or half hour into our journey and I can't bear one more round of eye-spy (I am that lazy). I often have a wee bag of treats to accompany the completion of the card too.

If you can't be bothered putting your own together but you want some flick me an email or leave a comment and I will email you my ones.

Photo ABC:

My sister made both my boys an A,B,C photo book for their first birthday. She combined photos and art (she can draw) to make them both a book that has been SO well loved.

You could easily put together one of these books on any photo printing site that does photo books too. Write the alphabet out and allocate something/one to each person. Take photos that are meaningful to the children (their holiday batch, them in a tent, a favourite toy, grandparents...) for each letter of the alphabet and play around.

Magnetic Story Board:

Another great idea from Leonie, who made my boys a nativity board last year. Take a large tray and draw/trace/copy the pictures from a favourite story. Laminate the pictures and stick adhesive magnets to the back. My boys have loved this so much and I mean to make more characters so they can tell more stories.

Reindeer Noses:
Super small and sweet. The boys love making these and they are a lovely, affordable gesture when you want to do something. Just throw a bag of jaffas and a couple of bags of chocolate covered peanuts in the trolley and you're most of the way there.

So do you have any cheap ideas that require not too much skill to make for family gifts? Do you ever make/buy gifts for other families or is it relations only? Do you buy gifts for your extended family?

Nosey me??

We Recommend for Christmas 

our posts about genuinely lovely things

Thanks for your recommendations. Button code on the right.

Love you more than half a bag of left over jaffas xxxx