I could never do that.

Then you probably never will!

So often I am asked about the various art and crafts I do. People want to know - "how do you find the time", "Is it hard?" "Does it take a long time" or "You must be really talented!"

I don't find the time, I make the time. This stuff is really important to me. So I make the time.

Is it hard? Most things are at the least quite challenging to begin with and become easy or easier over time. I have found most things are worth the effort.

Time? Yes, it takes time, just like watching the television for hours each night does. I know how I prefer to spend my time.

No, I'm not particularly talented. I just love what I do and make the time to do it. I research, I read, I watch tutorials, I talk to others who can help me to learn. This part of the process is so enjoyable!

If there is something you find interesting and would like to learn, instead of letting those defeating words of "I could never do that" slip out, how about changing it to "I'd love to learn that!"

Trust me, you can do it!

Who says direct marketing doesn't work?

I had already decided not to go to the Craft & Quilt Fair - that is until this colourful little piece of promotional material turned up in my mailbox. My resolve weakened, then gave way completely as I leafed through the pages and saw what and who will be there. By the end of the brochure I felt it would be a crime against craftiness to not attend!

In other news, I have one newly arrived nephew with another shortly making his way into the world, so some very warm and fleecy baby blankets were in order. Thanks to Spotlight's stocktake sale they were very economical to make too!

And Mim made her way out from under her blanket (see previous post) to celebrate her 3rd birthday. It was also my husband's birthday so we had a lovely small party for them both.

UFO or PFP?

The former being Unfinished Object and the latter being Partly Finished Project. I think I like PFP - it's a little more positive, more like a WIP (Work in Progress) and less like a FTF (Failure to Finish).

Whatever you choose to label it, I have 13 of them! Now, I know I'm not alone on this, and probably like me you avoid the fact that you have so many projects on the go at one time. It's your little secret, am I right?

As finances are a bit tight at the moment and I can't indulge in new materials I'm finding it a perfect time to finish off a few of those projects that had just been "put aside later" AKA "I've lost motivation and can't be bothered".

Here are a few things I'm working on:

Baby gowns and blankets for the Bonnie Babes Foundation. Some finished, many unfinished!

A cute waldorf softie doll (needs hair)

Embroidering vintage pieces (pure joy!)

Baby Mary Janes (need snaps).

So, how about you share your little secret? How many PFP's do you currently have?

It started with one...

It always starts with one. One little hand sewn wool felt bear. "Oh, how cute!" says happy child as said bear is whisked away for a game. Sure enough, in a relatively short period of time, another little face appears beside me. "Mum, bear - make?" She may have a limited vocabulary but she knows what she wants! Once again, said bear is whisked away.
Then the bears need "friends" to play with.
Then Mum opens her big mouth and suggests that, given there are now 3 bears a game of Goldilocks could be an option.
"But Mum, we don't have a Goldilocks!" they chime with shining eyes.

It always starts with one......

New hopes and a sneak preview...

I'm hoping to accomplish my first (ever!) pattern release this year. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. If it goes well it will be the first of many. So, some clues...

                             Little bestockinged feet...

Pretty little dresses....

And chubby little arms....

Have you guessed yet? I know, it's not hard to figure out!

I'm really excited about this project, the prototype has come up better than expected so I couldn't be happier with it.

For me this is also a challenge for this year to stop being so afraid of failure, which often stifles me and prevents me from doing what I really want to do.

Now to get down to some serious pattern writing.........

Happy New Year!!

How wonderful to start the new year with a fantastic storm and a good bucketing of rain! The garden is being gently coaxed back to it's pre - heat glory and the birds are singing again.

My motto is - if it's too hot to drink tea and sew, then it's too hot altogether!

I enjoyed my week off from blogging and am looking forward to seeing what you've all been up to.

I finished this bear in the nick of time for Christmas, he is now snuggled in one of the girl's beds.

He is made from lovely soft velour and stuffed with wool. I knitted his scarf from organic yarn. He's really cuddly. A tip for scarf making for toys - sew them on, or you'll forever be re - tying them!

I don't tend to celebrate the new year, I think some people go a bit overboard. I don't make so called "resolutions" either, but I do think it's a good time for assessing and making new goals.

So.. I do have a lot of goals, hopes and dreams for this year, many of which I'll be sharing with you along the way.

Thanks for reading :)

I love Christmas time!

Finishing off last minute sewing gifts.

Using up little pieces of cute fabric.

Stacking chocolate balls and looking forward to the feast to come (and trying not to lick your choc coated fingers!)

Ayelet's giveaway

Ayelet , a talented Etsy artist is having a giveaway on her blog - a gorgeous little fairy print. To enter you must draw, paint or make a fairy and tell her story. This is my entry into her competition.

This is Bridget the garden fairy. I used to see her sometimes very early in the morning or at dusk, nibbling on the rose petals. She would sip the dew from the petals first. Sometimes she wore a red tunic, but mostly it was this lovely green one with purple and pink striped stockings.

She no longer lives in my garden, she was sent to her namesake, a little girl called Bridget. She was lonely, as there were no other fairies of her type in my garden and she longed for a little girl to play with. I believe she is quite happy in her new home, but takes care to avoid the brothers, of which there are 4.

Playdough and going with the flow....

I woke early this morning and decided to make some playdough. My 4 year old has been "somewhat challenging" of late and I wanted to get her busy straight after breakfast. Sometimes, as a homeschooler, I forget to stop and smell the roses. I forget that I'm in charge and that learning occurs in all different ways.

Normally I expect the boy to start his bookwork by 9am for time efficiency. This morning he took an interest in the playdough, and although my brain nagged at me - "it's past 9am!!" I left him to it.

This led to a few learning discussions. He made a model of a heart, which provided an opportunity for revision of the heart's functions. They made me countless "cupcakes" and "pancakes" and other delights.

They had to share in order to get along, this needs much reinforcement!

They learn to use kitchen tools which improves dexterity.

They learn to clean up after themselves when they're finished.

If you're a fellow homeschooler, or even if you're not, I hope you can find time to "go with the flow" today and remember that learning does not have to come from a book.

This and that.

When the warm weather comes around my husband gets all excited about juggling because he can do it outdoors in the sun where there's plenty of space. He has used a few different types of balls, then I found this tute. He made some and used them yesterday - he thought they were fantastic.

The Natural Kids team are doing a promo showing pictures of member's hands at work. This is my picture, a small person was able to sneak her little hand in too.

Peg dolls!

I'll be posting the tutorial seperately seeing as it's photo heavy. But first, an introduction starring the Peg Doll Girls!

Meet Jane, an all round nice girl, everybody's friend.

This is Krishna, she loves spending time with her friends and is an adventurous cook.

Say hi to Jo, the funloving and adventurous one of the group.

This is Carmel, she's a little bossy but a big softie underneath it all.

Last but not least is Anna the fashionista. Her favourite pastime is, yep, you guessed it - shopping!

Stay tuned for the tute on how to make your own peg dolls!

WIP frenzy!

An art journal cover that I'm practicing hand quilting on (and I really need the practice!)

Peg dolls that are painted but as yet unclothed, I'm trying to figure the best way to dress them without interfering with the attached arms. Hopefully I'll have a tute up for these soon too :)

A pair of shorts for one of the girls from recycled clothing.

And, last but not least, a sewing table that is an absoloute disaster zone!!

That's what you get for working on too many projects at once!

Lovely, lovely!

I've been shopping just a little for some "essentials". A few bright and pretty fabrics, some lovely hand dyed wool felt from Winterwood and wooden clothes pegs to make peg dollies with the girls.
It is a near perfect spring morning here, I hope you enjoy your day wherever you are.

What I've been up to.....

Apart from lamenting my washing machine situation (I have to wait a week just to get someone here to look at it!) I've been fitting in a bit of crafty time (in between being stuck in the laundry handwashing). Above is a needle felted lady, my second attempt at needle felting. Very enjoyable.

Also on the needle felting front, a wee bundled baby for one of my baby girls. This little one was also the cause of my first needle felting related injury in the form of a stabbed thumb. Ouch!

I hope you're not tired of the Miss Madlines yet, because I'm obviously not! This little one is for a cute, cute niece of mine, about 18 months old.

No one misses out in this house. Blog readers, meet Rosy - Rosy meet blog readers. She is one of my girl's constant companion, so I made them matching dresses with the leftovers from Corrine's fabric.

Happy Saturday to you all, wherever you are and whatever you're doing!

Blue Willow Cottage

I took a morning jaunt out to Blue Willow Cottage at Werribee South. The shop is in a beautiful old farmhouse (over 100 years old) surrounded by market gardens and has a lovely, homely feel. The photo above is the entrance (ooh, is that a fairy on the doorstep?)

I love the rustic feel of the place, the inside is just gorgeous, the walls are lined with quilts, it even has the original carpet! There are lots of fabrics, patterns, notions and everything a crafter could want.

If you're ever out that way its definitely worth popping in for a look.

Gifts

These gifts are all finished and ready to send tomorrow. A cute tote and a tea towel.

Some beaded jewellery and assorted hair clips. I love giving hand made gifts.

Husband has made a solitary journey to Mass this morning as 3 of the 4 children are sick, the baby is not one of them, thank God. There are a lot of sick people around at the moment, mid winter in a cool region.

We had the little one's baptism yesterday. It was a simple affair (just how we like it!) with only a few people and a very old and wonderful priest.

Have a lovely and relaxing Sunday.