a spot of home sewing...

Where on earth have the last seven weeks gone?!

Other than keeping busy with a little freelance work, preparing for the imminent arrival of numero two (now only 3 and a bit weeks away) and surviving the first family flu of the season, it's just a blur...

I admit, third trimester fatigue has well and truly set in, so any motivation to post a blog is generally overridden by an opportunity to curl up and have a nap...

I've also been churning out a few soft furnishings (ok mainly cushion covers) as part of my nesting craze.

First job was transforming the junk/ironing room into some semblance of a nursery..  Although it's a tiny space, it's filled with morning sunlight and now with the injection of some colour, it's beginning to feel like a proper little nursery. Just add baby!

Painterly Ikea fabric & raw linen backed with seersucker 

Sewed my first curtains out of this fun candy stripe drill, also from Ikea.

 I had a little leftover fabric to revamp this shade..

Thom is quite intrigued by all this shuffling of furniture (the cot was only recently his), the new car seat, pram etc.., so as not to feel left out, his room got a little home sewn love too..

A felt, denim & cord cushion for his 'story chair'..

And a couple of strings of festive felt bunting... Felt is my new favourite thing!

And lastly our bedroom got some much long overdue attention... 

Still very much a work in progress, the room is slowly coming together. My painted bedsides are finally in, after many months gathering dust in the garage.

I also made a pair of new pillowslips (the easiest, cheapest thing in the world) from this pretty floral cotton I found at Spotlight and revamped an old Indian mirrored cushion with some coral pink drill for a pop of colour..

A dash of coral, my new favourite colour!!

Now with Thom taking his midday nap, I really should get on with sorting out the study.

Or I could just have a little lie down instead...

sneak peek...

Yep more beading... I thought I'd share a few pics of the necklaces I've been working on for my nieces and a few little friends for Christmas.

Next on the list, I'm hoping to sew little matching drawstring bags to keep them in. That's the plan anyway...

Only 31 sleeps..!

where's the joy??

toy shopping as I imagined it, fun!

A little someones 1st birthday is coming up soon, so I'm on the lookout for presents.

With Target's toy sale advertising bombarding us every time we turn on the TV or open the letterbox, I thought I might as well have a look in...

Quelle Horreur!! It was aisle after aisle of plastic fronted boxes stocked sky high and a traffic jam of prams, tantrums and stressed out parents! To put it bluntly, it was bloody awful!!

And it was pretty much the same uninspiring story at the other big three (retailers), minus the queues...

I thought toy shopping was going to be fun??!!

Then we made a trip to our old friend IKEA.. I know what you're thinking, IKEA can (especially on a weekend) way out-strip all of those big stores in the hectic shopping experience stakes...

But the toy department in IKEA is fun!!

An IKEA kids classic

It's full of kids (little & big) testing it all out! Crawling through tunnels; swinging on cool modernist looking swings; playing house with cuter than cute mini kitchens etc, generally having a ball...

Sure they do sell some odd things at times and it's all probably just as mass produced as the stuff in the plastic fronted boxes.., but for me (and maybe it's that Swedish sensibility) their toys seem to have more integrity, they evoke that feeling of surprise and delight that old fashioned or handmade toys do.

roll up, roll up...

Anyway it worked for me and hence I came away with some fresh ideas and a bunch of great stuff including this irresistible little tent!!

Thanks IKEA, for making shopping for toys what it ought to be... Fun!!

mmm cake...

A little birdie sent me this link to a clever friend's new blog.. I am notoriously bad at keeping in touch with people and I've been wondering what she's been up to...  Baking fabulously cakes, that's what!!
They look amazing and yum, what's in them sounds just as good..,  'lemon cake with lemon curd buttercream filling' anyone!

Check them out here at Rachel Warner Cakes . I'm particularly in love with these two kids Birthday cakes, aren't they cute??!!








If only she Rachel didn't live so far away.., it's my husbands birthday this Sunday and I fear I'll be reaching for the packet mix...
Have a great weekend!! xx

home sewn for small friends...

Some time ago, after showing a girlfriend a little satchel I made my niece, I promised her little girl I'd whip her up one too...

I asked if she had a colour preference and her answer (with no hesitation) was pink please and I like butterflies!! She's a real little live wire and takes Spanish lessons too, so she may have actually said "Me encanta la mariposa y rosa por favor" (thanks Google translator).

Yesterday, after too many months I finally delivered on my promise!

Here's the original I made my niece for her Birthday. She's animal mad.., for horses especially, so the little pony motive was a big hit.
Both bags were made using op shop bought fabrics and the magic of printable iron-on transfers...

My first foray into using this transfer stuff, came at the height of my nesting frenzy, when I wanted a couple of cheap & cheerful cushions to brighten up the nursery.

Before I knew it, I was ironing the stuff onto anything and everything, bags, hats, t-shirts, labels..! So beware, the instantaneousness of it all is pretty addictive, but great for a fun, impromptu gift (or very much belated, in this case)...

clever friends

So great to see the work of dear friend Emily Engel of Kuber, featured in the Sunday Papers recently. The article (read here) showcases one of Emily's many creative pursuits, her beautiful hand carved plaster letters.

the artist herself...

We're lucky enough to own a little Kuber... "Happy", originally a gift for Thom, currently brightens up our entrance table.

Check out Emily's Etsy Store to see more and pick up your own sweet Kuber piece.  The ampersand and asterisk's are on my new favourites...

local finds & friday night tunes...

Came home with some little beauties today...

couldn't resist this cutie from The Collective Store

vintage fun from Aid for The Blind Store...

the original WW Birthday Cake Book, Red Cross Wynnum

While doing the rounds of local op shops in the rain this afternoon, I came across this little jewel... The Collective Store in Bay Terrace. This sweet store is like a boutique craft market.., chock full of gorgeous pieces, all handmade by Australian artisans. 

Certainly not what I was expecting to find in super low key Wynnum...

Lastly, it wouldn't be friday without a little music... I've had this catchy number in my head all week, it's called Cameo Lover by Kimbra. 

Enjoy and have a great weekend! xx

hello autumn...

We're a week into April and this morning felt like cooler weather may finally be on the way... Woo hoo! I'm totally a winter person so this is pretty exciting!

To celebrate I've begun the annual sort through my winter wardrobe (to see if anything still fits), dug out anything fleecy and generally started thinking about cosifying the house...

This also means Thom will at last get to enjoy his beautiful patchwork blanket!

His very clever great grandmother knitted it for him before he was born and it's been folded away for safe keeping ever since... It's made from the softest lambswool and each square is a different type of stitch.