lollipop market

i'll be at lollipop market november 20 with my goods. come and say hi?

a little peek at the christmas goodies i'll have with me....

and....

and of course no outfit is complete without a matching hairclip so here's one i've prepared earlier...

hope to see you there!

i'm totally in a mag

i'm in Shop 4 Kids magazine! Yay?!

i really really want someone to start up a magazine, kinda 'Frankie' style but entirely for handmade shopping. i'd buy it! would you?

dreamy little fox

i've made another pin cushion for the Oopsidaisi pincushion swap. i was inspired by the 'Sleepy Fox' from the Felties book...

and i had the perfect fabric to appliqué it to...

to be honest he was looking a whole lot cuter before i butchered him with my primitive blanket stitch. i showed it to lachie first and i got 'oh, it's a sleepy lil puppy dog' ummmm thanks, run along now son. and then i showed it to mr three kittens and i got 'oh how cute! a little owl' errrr no, really truly not an owl. so at this point i'm feeling a little deflated but after some lovely comments on my facebook page i am feeling much better (it's got character you know?) and i have submitted it to the swap. i've been really loving admiring all the entries so far, some peeps are really stitching there heart out, hardcore style. love it. have you entered one yet? i started a crochet one but i lost interest half way through. i'm kinda hoping someone will crochet one but it aint gonna be me.

sew chick

a pin cushion swap! how could i resist? i've been wanting a new pin cushion for a while so i was very excited to read about the handmade pin cushion swap over on the Oopsidaisi facebook page. i've got about a bazillion other things to sew up so i threw myself straight in to my pin cushion project so i could continue on with the other things i needed to do. it's nice to take a break and made something purely for fun and not for selling. so here she is...

the piping was a little challenging but i think it's good to push yourself and try things that you're not entirely comfortable with sometimes. it's far from perfect but i put a lot of heart in to it so i hope the recipient will feel and see that. here's the side view..

i'm not going to be selling these mainly because it was so time consuming to make and the appliqué design is not my own but taken from a japanese craft book but it did give me a few ideas for other pin cushions so in to the ideas notebook they go and maybe one day a three kittens pin cushion will pop up in my shop.

Plushka's Craft interview

i was recently interviewed by the lovely Katia from Pluska's craft over on her gorgeous blog. check it out here. Katia's hand stitched creations can be found at her madeit shop.

Auctions!

so i've involved myself in a couple of charity auctions that are being run over on facebook. the first one i better tell you about is happening on the Luellabella page. i have donated this lovely little summer outfit....

the baby knickers are completely reversible (how cool is that?) so it's kinda like getting two outfits in one. the winning bidder can choose from newborn to size 2. the auction ends 8pm this sunday night and all proceeds are going to SA Dog rescue and Flick's cat rescue. there's all kinds of great things in the auction album to have a bid on, i've got my eye on a few things.

the second auction is being held over on the Funky Fabrix page. i have donated this special guy...

i don't usually name the monkeys that are bound for new homes but i've made an exception for gareth, he likes to be called gaz. i made this foxy playsuit for him....

and here's the back...

i made the pattern up myself (high five to me) and it took about 5 times longer to make that i anticipated. i have a few dodgy pairs laying about but i got there in the end!

i was staring at the little scrap of sock i had left and it seemed such a shame to toss it so i made martin the sock koala to be a little cuddle toy for gaz. i'm actually quite fond of little martin the sock koala, i could easily keep him for myself. it's nice to put in the little extra touch when it's for charity because nice people bid on charity auctions and nice people look after special handmade toys. all the proceeds of this auction go to Camp Autism and the bidding opens on monday, 10th october. i'm not very consistent with my use of capital letters am i? i really don't like them much if you hadn't noticed!

some new shoes

my love for open toed boots started when i first saw the movie 'in her shoes' with toni collette and cameron diaz. unfortunately i don't possess the long lean legs required to pull them off but apparently they look adorable on short chubby baby legs so i discovered. the baby peep-toe boots have been on my mind for a little while and last night i finally got to work and by lunch time today they were made and ready for testing. they are light and are intended to be worn very casually, scrunched down even and they have some cushioning on the sole for comfort. so far they are staying on extremely well thanks to the ties that tie up in a bow at the front. gracie wore one to bed for her morning nap (yes just one was made at that stage) and to my surprise it was still on when she woke up. her leg had turned a deep shade of purple but that main thing was that the shoe stayed on, ok i'm joking about the purple leg. she actually seems to honestly like them or at least not notice them. i am seeing them worn with the three kittens 'Gracie' dress and a matching bonnet, cuuuute! i need to tweak them a little but so far i am really loving them, they are almost exactly as i pictured them in my mind. so do tell me what you think....?

crochet dishcloths

these beauties were crocheted for me by my mum. they can be used as dishcloths or washcloths for your face. i never use those ugly old chux anymore. these can be washed over and over and plus they look pretty. i have a bunch more including some i made for the kidlets to use in the bath but these are the more new and fresh ones of the bunch. the one at the bottom has already been through the wash a couple of times and still looks great. dishcloths are the perfect beginners crochet project because they are quick and easy to make. you don't have to make them as fancy as the ones my mum has made. i just crochet a kind of rib pattern for mine with colourful cotton yarn.

in other news...

a huge congratulations to CAPRICE for winning my Gracie dress set in the Handmade Kids blog competition. i read every entry and loved them all, very creative! i even entered for a couple of the prizes myself with the lamest poems ever in the history of lame poetry. speaking of giveaways my own facebook page has just reached 200 likers and i'm starting to think about my 400 liker celebration giveaway. just have to decide what to give away...?

like free stuff much?

i was featured over on the Handmade Kids blog yesterday. you should check it out if you like WINNING stuff. lots of great prizes and a little something from my shop too! competition starts Thursday this week and is in aid of the Handmade Kids facebook page reaching 4000 likers.

teacup sock monkey

hello. it's been a busy month. actually i think that life is going to get busier and busier each month as my children get older. they are all at quite different stages and all need attention all of the time. it's exhausting. regardless of that i have somehow still been sewing almost every day. most of the time it's in the evening after all the kittens are tucked up in bed. something that i get asked all the time is 'how do you have time to sew with three young children?!' well i don't get to sew as much as i used to obviously and i certainly don't get a chance to carry out any big time consuming projects like quilts. i grab whatever time i can. sometimes washing doesn't get done (shock horror!) and gracie and harrison will often take their naps at the same time while lachie is at kindy. that time is spent getting shop orders ready, photographing stuff and all the other computer stuff. i received the best gift any crafty person with children could ever ask for a few christmas' ago - SLOW COOKER. bung it all in together in the morning, forget about it for the rest of the day and by dinner time all the work is done, your house smells divine and your family think you're a star. no more 'what's for dinner sweetie?' 'ummmmm nothing.... but look what i've sewn up!'

it's my daughter gracie's very first birthday tomorrow. the time has flown but in many ways she is still like a 6 month old baby. she's tiny still. still wears infant size huggies and 00's and she is in no hurry to get mobile which is just fine with me! after having two boys it's funny to be buying girly wrapping paper and seeing girly birthday cards around the house. i realised on friday while picking out wrapping paper that i hadn't even made her anything for her birthday. it didn't seem right to only have store and op shop bought gifts. unheard of in our house. she doesn't have a sock monkey, i made her a sock bear for when she was born. so it seemed the obvious choice to make her a sock monkey. as i was searching through my sock stash i came across the sweetest tiniest pair of purple stripey baby socks. i ended up staying up til after midnight on friday to get them done but a mini sock monkey was born and i love her.





a bit fiddly you ask? let's just say by the time i was finished i'm pretty sure my eyes were bleeding. oh yes, and she has her own special cosy sleeping bag with built in pillow, naturally. this is the kind of thing i would have loved as a child, ok who am i kidding? i still do. tiny things with tiny accessories make my heart sing.





i have made similar sized sock monkeys before but this is by far the best as far as proportions and cuteness go. i forgot to measure her before i wrapped her but i think she's about 3.5" tall. i think gracie will love squishing her in her tiny hands and later on she will enjoy popping her in and out of her sleeping bag. cute? i will absolutely be making some special little guys n gals like this one for my madeit shop.

did you have a lovely easter?

we had a lovely easter despite some delays on sunday due to farm dramas. we enjoyed lunch with family followed by egg decorating, an easter egg hunt and a visit to the farm to see the day old chicks that have just arrived, just in time for easter, awwww.









the rest of my long weekend was filled with all sorts of crafting. sewing, crochet, hair clip making and cake baking. gracie has grown enough hair to clip back so i've been playing around with ribbons, felt and glue. i really don't like glue. it's not my sensory preference.



the bunny hair clips i made for gracie and my nieces amy and eleanor were inspired by this post.



the ribbon bow clip turned out so cute that i made a few for my madeit shop. my poor shop is getting rather empty looking. i was trying to keep 50 items in there. there's 12 now. hmmm. fail.

granny square blanket complete

i finished it! woo hoo! it's rather small but awfully sweet all the same. it sure puts the 'granny' in granny square blanket i think. tee hee.



i actually found joining all the squares up and doing the border more enjoyable than crocheting the squares themselves. funny because i was dreading the joining part. so my first ever granny square blanket is complete and it feels good, literally.



i also found the wrap jumper for harrison which wasn't quite finished. i finished it and it fits him with growing room. instead of ties i sewed on some little leather buttons for a more manly look. i took a heap of photos but harrison wasn't in the mood for playing model and my camera doesn't like people that constantly move.



and then i modified the pattern a bit and made one for the dolly. it was supposed to be for lachie's teddy but it fitted this doll perfectly.



not the nicest colours by dolly loves it and she doesn't mind the cheap acrylic yarn one bit! if you would like to make one the pattern i used was written by susanne visch and can be found here. and if that 'here' link worked then i have to thank cinti from my poppet for telling me how to do that high-tech stuff. and she can be found.. wait.. i'm gonna do it again.. here!

in other news i have become an active commenter. yep, i'm throwing comments on peoples blogs left right and centre and even 'following' them. so brave! maybe i'll even gain a few more followers myself. can i possibly get to five followers one day? one can only hope. then i'll know i've really made it. :) i don't get a lot of comments on this blog but i have had a few lately and it's such a lovely feeling so i thought it's about time i commented a bit more on other peoples blogs instead of quietly stalking them anonymously. if you read my blog and you have your own blog please comment below because i would love to have a look!

Hooray for Crochet!

i love this time of the year and not just because it's my birthday later this month :) my favourite kind of weather is cool/sunny. i love autumn. and as the days start to cool off my stubby little fingers start to get restless and yearn for the soft feel of yarn running through them. lets not go in to the hand tingles, sore wrists, blurry eyes (need glasses much?), headaches (need glasses much?) and blisters. i forget all about that at the beginning of crochet season. last year i started making granny squares purely to use up my ever growing stash. they are fairly random, not even particulary nice colours but the idea was to tie them all in together by using the blue for the first and last rows. the plan is then to join them all together with the red. it should end up a nice size for gracie to use in the pram. i let gracie sit on the pile and test it for softness. she approves. she enjoyed throwing them off the desk and wiping them on my face. i hope she wont be too sad when they're all joined together. the jumper gracie is wearing was crocheted by me during the many appointments and hospital stays i had to endure whilst being pregnant with her. i don't do pregnancy well. i was very excited to discover that it fits her now and there's plenty of growing room left. it looks far cuter on her than i imagined. she had another one for when she was born, plus one my mum made which she wore home from the hospital. i've also made one, at least i think it's finished, for harrison. must dig that one up sometime.

La Petit Baby Ankles

i was inspired to make these ankle thingys this morning after reading a post on prudent baby. they took around 15 mins to make. she's been wearing them for about half an hour and hasn't tried to pull them off yet.

and as you can see gracie just loves them!

so are they cute or not really? i think they'd be much cuter in brighter fabric. or maybe they just need to be totally different all together..?

thrifty treasures

found these beauties at the oppy shop yesterday. last time i popped in there they had no doilies at all so i was almost hyperventilating while going through the big pile. they all need a good wash and press obviously. how lovely is this green?!...



... and embroidered butterflies and flowers



... pretty crochet border



i'm looking forward to creating lovely things with those. i'm having a quiet day with gracie today and i've just been clearing a space for some cutting and maybe even some sewing if i get time. i only have a small room which i share with stu for my sewing and it gets cluttered up very quickly. yesterday i was desperately searching for a ruler when lachlan kindly suggested that perhaps if i tidy up my things i might be able to find it. well what could i say to that!? he was right. i should definitely practice what i preach.

some nice things for my girl

a little tee and knickers set for gracie....



also made her doily bunting for her room but it's not hanging up yet so here's a horrible photo of it on the dining table instead:



it was a bit scary chopping those doilies in half let me tell ya. i had horrible pictures in my head of them just falling to bits before i could sew them in to the binding. they didn't. it was fine. i made bias binding out of grandmother's flower garden by japanese fabric manufacturer lecien. i love the process of making binding. i find it extremely satisfying.



and now i am drinking lovely red wine, eating nice chocolate and being a sloth in front of the computer. enjoy your weekend peeps.