Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

These are the gift tags I am using this Christmas, so gorgeous and they printed up beautifully.  The artist responsible is the lovely Kelli Murray, you can download the tags on her blog.  Kelli also has a DIY section with some cool tutorials and a beautiful Etsy store you are going to want to check out.

Photo Credit:  Kelli Murray 

Last Minute DIY: Christmas Gift Ideas

Found this gorgeous planter tutorial from Vintage Revivals which is a very cool new blog I found thanks to Pinterest.  The design is inspired by Finnish tradition of Himmeli.  According to this source, back in the day Himmeli was hung above the dining table to ensure a good crop of Rye.   There are plenty of gorgeous Christmas ornament tutorials out there or pre-made ones for sale on Etsy.  The planter is made from copper tubing which you can buy here in Australia. 

Photo Shoot Preview

On the weekend I had the pleasure of being part of a fabulous team of women that worked on a ridiculously amazing photo shoot here in Canberra.  Spoilt with beautiful talent, beautiful locations and frocks, an amazing beauty team and our incredibly gifted photographer Lauren we were in photo shoot heaven.  Aly and Kate from Gypseygirl Beauty and Sass Hair Design provided so many different looks over two days and our gorgeous model Melody was so versatile, patient and professional.    All except the above dress were from Enchante Bridal and Formal Wear.

It was refreshing to make a few pieces with fresh flowers - the circlet above is made from babies breath and the bouquet chin chincherinchees.  The top photo is a circlet made from Olive tree leaves from my friends garden. 

Above is a tuelle diamante piece that will be available in my Etsy store soon.  I'm still on a high, haven't stopped talking, feeling a little weary and sunburnt.  There was a lovely camaraderie with the girls, I love meeting new people and I enjoyed the break from my normal routine.  I wonder if tomorrow I will have post-shoot blues?  I don't think the school run will allow time for that...

Handmade Bridal Hair Accessories: Canberra

Hubby took both the kids out to various places on Saturday morning and I had a creative urge I jumped on after listening to Elizabeth Gilberts TED talk on Friday night!

This is a large delicious silk chiffon and silk organza blossom, all hand cut, shaped, embellished and sewn together.  I have attached it to a dual purpose clip/pin back for use in hair or on a dress.  So pretty!  One of my most popular searches in my etsy store is for ivory hair accessories so thought I had better add some more.

This silk is also ivory but with creamy tones.  This hair comb is a lovely mix of organza lace, feathers and millinery leaves, also listed in my etsy store.  

I can't tell you how happy I am to learn new techniques and this is the result.  Free motion embroidery on suede.  Thank you Youtube!  I have an eighteen year old Janome sewing machine, nothing fancy.  I purchased a thirty dollar darning foot, threw on my darning plate and off I went.  I love the free-style scribbling - so fun. 

Thrifted: Children's Art Cabinet DIY

Once again thank you Tiny's, source of all fabulous second hand furniture.  The big decision I currently have will be whether to paint this beauty yellow or grey???  I had selected a light yellow-gold porters paint for the small road side find  my lovely friend found for me designated for a certain space but have since decided not to invest any more time and money into it. This is the perfect width and size - crazy perfect and I have been searching for over a year.  Hubby sent me an sms from Tiny's showing a photo and I screamed out loud - almost jumped into the phone - GET IT!!!!

The glass will go and I plan on seeing how fabric or paper covered foam core or a thin wood will go replacing the glass.   I guess I could just paint over the glass too but wondered if it would be a safety issue? 

Aside from these lovely details, I also love that the cabinet comes with a key so when we have younger children visit I can lock it!   Which tempts me greatly to fill it with MY hair accessory making supplies!  Hopefully you won't have to wait one year to see the finished result.  I would like to paint it before summer before it gets difficult to paint in the heat.  Any votes on grey or yellow?  I'd love to hear....

Grace Designs Hair Accessories: Real Wedding

Another stunning bride was kind enough to send me a couple of photos from her special day.  Sophie wore the large silk upcycled blossom in her hair.    

What a gorgeous bridal party!  So lovely, thanks for sharing Sophie.  Photos by Jade Norwood Photography, South Australia.

Crafting at Home

Anya was home sick from school three days out of five last week, she caught her brothers nasty cold and then got a tummy bug on top of that, poor kid.  We did lots of crafting though - thank goodness for Pinterest and ABC kids.  We found some cute robot printables and made little colouring in books from the contents of our recycling bin.

Mer Mag's cereal box craft prompted the robot book and some bookmark threading.  It was Josiah's first time threading and he did pretty well, there were lots of these faces though.

I also had some free local magazines we get at the shops and both kids thoroughly enjoyed cutting them up, Anya made a collage and J just hacked them to pieces - oh the freedom in that!

On a side note, I'm pretty keen on my children learning the etiquette of thank you notes and the joy of hand written mail, so Anya spent a few days writing thank you notes for her birthday gifts received.  We usually make cards but I grabbed Kikki K's gorgeous Karneval pad so Anya and I can share it!  Anya received the Karneval activity book for her birthday too and it is a great gift.  The sweet paper bunting in the first photo is from the book. 

Mary Antionette Eye Candy

 

Have you seen Marie Antoinette, A film directed by Sofia Coppola?  I really enjoyed the movie visually, the crazy headpieces, costumes and sets.  Kirsten Dunst did a fine job playing an awkward, alienated teenage queen who doesn't really come into her own.  The movie is not at all accurate to history and  it was a little drawn out but it was a lavish treat for the senses.

Images

Hemlock Tee Pattern Review

 

I made my first Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studios recently and I say first because it is such a comfy shirt it will probably be the first of many, despite the teething pains.  The hemlock neck is supposed to be wide and fall slightly off one shoulder which isn't how I have worn it here but I have super narrow shoulders so you can bet I will be pulling it up constantly until I get used to it falling off to one side - I do like the drop shoulders rather than setting in a sleeve.

Because I squeezed this top out of some scrap material I had handy, I didn't quite have enough fabric for the widest point of the sleeve and that did affect how it came together under my arm!  I don't have a photo and you can't really notice it so I am leaving it as is.

This isn't the first time I have sewed a stretch knit but it is the first time I have sewed with such a lightweight Jersey which I found far more delicate to handle - although it isn't as fine as the tissue knit that Jen from Grainline used.  The iron was brilliant at taking away the slight wave I had created when sewing my hem.  I used a twin stretch-knit needle in my Janome machine with a regular straight stitch.  I scooped the hem every so slightly at the back, it is a roomy tee but I don't feel 'pregnant' in it.   

I originally made the neckband the dimension Jen suggests (4") but found it way too wide - I had obviously been too cautious with my seam allowances.  I unpicked the whole thing - ughh, cut it down then re-attached.  The actual neckband finish was brilliant though, I will use that method again.  I attempted to do a twin stitch to hold my neckband flat but forgot to put my walking foot on... of course I didn't stop stitching until I had gone around the whole entire front, it was super uneven and looked terrible (also due to my narrow seam allowance) let me tell you that was a mother to un-pick! 

I don't usually wear something so plain and flat at the front as it emphasizes my post feeding chest so I might even try some colour blocking or a higher neckline as this clever lady has done next time I make it.  So, if you have more of a pear shape figure - this is likely to be how the hemlock will look on you!  I am roughly 5’6″ tall.

Visual Artist: Meredith Woolnough

Ginko Leaves Mandala (detail) by Meredith Woolnough

 

Do you know how much I love finding a new artist only to discover they are Australian?  I must be more patriotic than I think.  I think you will agree Meredith's work is absolutely divine.  Meredith Woolnough works as a secondary teacher while producing amazing artwork like this in her spare time!!

Mushroom Coral Mandala, embroidery thread on paper, by Meredith Woolnough

'The Giant coral fan' by Meredith Woolnough, Embroidery thread, pins, glass rods on paper

Meredith's work is machine embroidered onto a water soluble fabric which is then dissolved to create what you see above!  You can watch an incredibly inspiring video on how Meredith makes her artwork on YouTube from a Colour in Your Life episode aired earlier this year.   How I would love to do a day course with Meredith.  I would love to give this a try with my most favourite gift of nature.... yep, you guessed it - flowers! 


All images courtesy of Meredith Woolnough

Sew Inspired: Inspirational Sewing Blogs and Patterns

The other week I posted about some new sewing patterns I had discovered, this post is a mix of new sewing blogs and patterns.  The above image is a gorgeous re-purposed shirt from True Bias, I'll take one in my size thanks!  Kelli has a section called Sewn which is organised into easy to navigate categories and she has lovely taste. 

Through True Bias I found the Cali Faye Collection who sells digital patterns on etsy for children - cute stuff!

Another home sewer that has sewn a lot of current women's patterns is Cut Cut Sew.  Kelly made the Everyday skirt pictured above, which is from Liesl Gibson's (of Oliver and S fame) new women's line.  Sewing blogs are the best pattern reviews, you get a good idea of pattern niggles and things to watch out for, also a great way to discover new fabric/suppliers.  I am keeping my eyes open to find a sewing blogger with a similar body shape to me :-) 

This is the fabulous Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studios, it is a free download!  I am half way through sewing this top, it is a nice easy pattern and fits well, so far so good.  I do wish Australia had more options in cool knit fabrics though, c'mon!

I like to check in on Sew Caroline every now and then and see what she has been sewing.  The fabric and colour choice in this outfit grab me every time I see it, I don't think I would have ever thought to put them together myself but I love it.  This outfit has also inspired me to sew a block-colour Tova!

I have a couple of pinterest sewing boards you might be interested to follow:

• Sewing Patterns and Tutorials, Ideas
• Sewing for Little People
• Sewing Books and Patterns

If you know of anymore decent sewing blogs... please share in the comment section.

School Holiday Happenings

This is what the last few days have looked like in one corner of my world, lots of muddy mud fun. Yesterday the kids played out there for three hours straight, I just stripped them off and hosed them down at the end of the day, then they got a warm bath!!  Got to love this warmer weather... finally.

 

Anya loves to draw and we let the kids go to town with chalk on our pavers, this was her unicorn/Pegasus pony!  I've tried to do a few creative things these holidays as Anya has missed our crafting times together since she started school.  We started hand stitching a little felt bag this week too, you can see a little snap of her work in progress on my Instagram feed. 

These guys are becoming good little mates and have enjoyed spending the holidays together, they will miss each other next week when school resumes.  Usually I get really silly faces from Josiah, a smile caught on camera is near impossible, so I will take what I can get......and those eyes, I can almost tell what he is thinking! 

The Healthy Chef - Recipe Review

I recently discovered Teresa Cutter and her divine recipes and have been enjoying making my way through her recipe list!  We made these soft shell fish tacos for dinner tonight and they were delicious and very filling.  I've also tried a couple of her chocolate recipes, the naked chocolate cake was tiny even in a small tin but delicious.  I suggest you double it if you want a normal size cake.

These flour-less cupcakes were also delicious.  I made them in a shallow cupcake tin as I thought the batter didn't look enough for a regular muffin tin, they were a nice size to enjoy without being over-indulgent, as was the cake.    

Unfortunately our harshest critic didn't like either chocolate recipe, it could have been the texture of the almond meal in the muffins so I will try the coconut flour version next time but my theory is she will just have to get used to the new taste of Chocolate baking in our house!  Have you got a favourite Teresa Cutter recipe?

All images courtesy of Teresa Cutter

Coral Flower Crown: Handmade Hair Accessories, Canberra

While I love working with silk and other gorgeous fabrics, I really enjoy the results from cotton and linen fabrics too.  This crown in a gorgeous shade of coral is from my new spring range, just listed in my etsy store.

There are five linen flowers, all beaded with seed and Matsuno beads.  The flowers sit on a hand-covered headband in the same fabric, fabulous for a garden wedding, engagement photos or the races!

Modelling and make-up by Natalie from Arbonne. More gorgeous photos on Lauren's blog.

Photos: Lauren Campbell.

Watercolour Artist: Yao Cheng

I found this beautiful water colour artist, Yao Cheng on Instagram - I fell in love with her work first sight.  Yao has a beautiful diverse range of watercolour paintings including abstract, geometrics, landscapes and florals.  Above is an image from her five part watercolour tutorial series on The Alison Show.   I would dearly love to take Anya and I for some basic water colour lessons!  I think proper water colour paints have jumped to the top of my my Christmas list (if I can wait till then ;). 

Sneak Peek: Grace Designs Photo Shoot

A little sneak peak of a beautiful photo shoot we did on the weekend.  These stunning images were captured by the talented Lauren Campbell who is a dream to work with.  Sophie above is wearing a new monochromatic silk piece in creams and pinks, it looked lovely with the blossoms.

Sophie and Natalie are both Arbonne Independent Consultants and did their own makeup which was fabulous.  The girls were real troopers on the day, wiggling into outfit changes in the middle of the park and putting up with the fresh weather which only got cooler as the afternoon went on.  I can't wait to see the rest of Lauren's photos!!        

Sew Inspired: Salme and Grainline Patterns

Anthropology

Over the weekend I purchased a few sewing patterns from Salme and Grainline Studio.  Sewing for myself tends to take a back seat over winter but there is something about the warming weather that makes me want to whip out that sewing machine :)

Thank goodness for designers like the abovementioned who give us modern patterns to be able to sew some decent clothes so we don't have to trawl through those horrid pattern books in chain fabric stores.  

Sometimes you have to use your imagination as to how great these will look in the right fabric that is more you, rather than the model photo - it's a bit bland for broad appeal.  I might be channeling my inner Nina for this jacket.  I love Pinterest.... a great place to plan sewing projects and and find colour combinations that I may not have thought of.  

Pinterest and sewing blogs are great places for getting a feel of how the pattern looks on everyday people and seeing the tweaks they have made.  Then I browse through CR, Anthro and other designers for inspiration... if I can make at least three tops in the next couple of months I will be happy!!    

I love this breezy top from Anthropology, hopefully the scout tee might work for this or the Kimono top with modified sleeves.