February 28, 2011

DIY Doiley Lampshade



How very cool - instructions and photo courtesy of this lovely Sweedish blog! I have a mountain of lace doileys that might get put to good use after all!? Wall paper glue was used as the stiffener in this lampshade not starch - I guess it acted as a starch. I saw one of these for sale for $850!! yikes.

February 25, 2011

Children's Party Ideas - Art Exhibition Party



How gorgeous is this idea for a kid's party - particularly if they like arts & craft! I love the numbered craft stations and those name cards.





Simple paper chains - very achievable and decorate your room as you go!


Face painting!



I don't know that I would have the patience for this cake but how marvellous is that!



This divine site has lots of DIY tutorials and a few free printables not to mention plenty of other great theme ideas on the side bar. I found One Charming Party via Design Mom who has moved to France incidentally - I'm a bit slow!

February 24, 2011

My Creative Space - Paper



Some wedding samples in the works - although I won't reveal them just yet - I don't want to spoil anything for the bride if she goes ahead with the order.



I made this teeny paper flower to go in Anya's lunch box on Monday - I popped a piece of washi tape on the stem and wrote "I love you" - I have looked forward to doing things like this for my children for ages. I wished I could have seen the delight on her face when she opened the box, or maybe the food was more important?! ha ha - oh well I enjoyed making it for her... see what else is being created over here.

February 23, 2011

Artwork for the home



via Bloesem

You could do any variation of this piece above for your wall at home with a cool paper punch and some patience.




30 ideas for DIY wall art via How About Orange - that ought to keep you busy!

February 21, 2011

Tips for Icing Biscuits



If you are a total beginner with the whole biscuit icing thing like me then you might enjoy the Biscuiteers book, it is brilliant. This is what I have learnt from so far. The above icing is royal icing made from pure icing sugar and egg whites. There are plenty of recipes floating around the net. This is what the consistency looks like that you use for the line icing.



How pretty - can you imagine having all those colours ready to go!



Line icing is basically the thicker icing you use for the border above and to then decorate later on. The book has great images (below) to demonstrate how it is done.





We used this for the line icing and flood icing - about $6 from kitchen shops - I couldn't find any clear ones in the $2 shop! It was great to 'flood' with and for a 3 yr old good for using to do the line icing. I might try a disposable icing bag next time with a finer point?! Wait for the lines to dry then move onto 'flooding'.



You add very little water to the line icing to make flood icing (again check an online recipe). Then fill in the biscuit - the fun part! We used the back of a skewer to smooth it over and fill in the gaps rather than pouring on more icing!



This was what it looked like decorated before we popped them in a very low oven to dry (as suggested by the book - as the biscuits sometimes get soggy) see the end result here! I let some air dry over night and they were fine though!



We aren't quite here yet but something to work towards :-) Some other tutorials on flood icing.

February 18, 2011

Friday Favourites - Serif Tote Bag



How very cool. From Little Factory via Pinterest.



Have a fabulous weekend folks and don't forget the Handmade Market is on tomorrow - 11am till 4pm at the new venue - National Convention Centre.

February 17, 2011

My Creative Space - Learning to Ice Biscuits



My sister gave me this fabulous book for my birthday which I have been wanting. So Anya and I set about trying 'line icing' and 'flood icing' on Monday. It was quite easy for Anya to do the 'flooding' part which I will explain in another post.



The advantage is they look so much better than an ordinary biscuit but disadvantage that is a whole lot of sugar right there - hence we went easy on the decorations. I am looking forward to practising icing on my own too, with no little hands (sorry gorgeous girl). I'm joining in on my first MCS for 2011 - enjoy a myriad of projects over at Kirsty's.

February 16, 2011

Real Wedding - Grace Designs Hair Accessories



I went to see the lovely Stephanie get married on Saturday, the church was conveniently five minutes from my place. The bride wore this pin in ivory.



My chiffon hair pin in action for the bridesmaids.

February 15, 2011

Master Bedroom detail



A mix of simple, clean lines and more intricate detail in these bedrooms.



I don't like the colours in this one but like the interesting doors and love the walk in bathroom and big bathtub!



Love the simplicity of this bedroom, it looks very peaceful.



Perfect girlishness.

February 14, 2011

Valentines Craft for kids



As I mentioned the other day I have never been big on Valentines but it did present a nice opportunity to talk to Anya about love - why we love each other and how we show love etc... not so much about romantic love and to do a themed craft with her :-)



We made these cardboard hearts for Daddy - cut shape, drew our messages and pictures, stuffed them with paper and stapled closed - hung with twine. Thanks Tania for the inspiration.

Handmade Hair acessories - Hydrangea Clip



More from my Summer Garden range, the Hydrangea clip! The hydrangea also looks lovely on a headband, elastic or metal. I now have black metal 3mm bands too.



I have sold a few hydrangea bands and clips in Shop Handmade but they will be hitting my etsy store soon too!



Gorgeous pics again by Pascale!

February 11, 2011

Childrens Bedroom Inspiration



I still haven't really done a thing to the kids room as far as decorating goes - you know how it is... move in, unpack, get on with life... but here are some inspiring rooms for little ones. I have been looking for a map like this for our wall, for preferably under $300!



I know these are nurseries but easily adaptable for older kids - cute artwork display ideas. For gorgeous free templates to frame your own visit my favourite artist Sarah Jane!



LOVE this butterfly mobile and wondering if it would work with fish? We bought this gorgeous print from Sarah Jane and I'd like to carry the theme on for Josiah's side of the room...



Babies would be mesmerised with that mirror :-) Nice wheels too. All photos courtesy of Lonnymag. Have a lovely weekend and stop by Honey Bee Books if you want to snap up a quality second hand children's book or two!

February 10, 2011

Valentines inspiration for all year round


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We don't really celebrate Valentines in our house, It's not that I am the Valentines grinch but a former florist and I used to dislike the day a LOT. My hands would get ravaged by rose thorns and generally speaking I thought the day was a whole lot of over-priced, commercial hype and stress. But I do enjoy images from around the web and the creative ideas that go with it... lovely ideas to store away for a special occasion or for no reason at all. I'd like to receive breakfast in bed on this tray - above.


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Popcorn invite for a cosy night in from Eat, Drink, Chic - love it! If you can't get a baby sitter for a date night out - why not make your 'night in' a little more special?!


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Ok this bag is a freebie from Twig and Thistle and definitely dedicated to Valentines day but too cute not to include!


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Lastly a beautiful image to enjoy from A Creative Mint!

February 9, 2011

African Violet headband in crepe



The African Violet headband grew up - I have made a few felt ones for adults on metal headbands which look great but also doing some in finer fabric for a more grown up feel :-) Coming to my Etsy store soon!



I love this shot of Eliana it makes me smile - taken by her clever Mum- Pascale.



I made a 'sample' band similar to this but with layered fabric but decided less was more and made this second headband (above) with crepe only. The other band went off to Shop Handmade and I was happy to see it had sold when I popped in the other day, then today I am in town crossing the street and see a girl walk past wearing it! That also made me smile :-)

February 8, 2011

Mad Men Fashion



We have just started watching Mad Men and I am LOVING the 50-60's fashion! Rather difficult doing the housework in those frocks mind you but the costume designer, Janie Bryant has done the best job, gorgeous. I pay close attention to what they wear in their hair.



Stunning fabrics too don't you think? I do spend most of the time grimacing at the attitudes towards women back then, I would have been a feminist for sure - I have even yelled at the TV a few times. The sound track is cool too and it's worth the watch, so far, so good.



Any West Wing Fans recognize miss Zoey Bartlett (Elizabeth Moss) here?