Sunprinting

 What a fun activity to share with a friend.

Here is a great tutorial for Sunprinting

Violet the Garden Fairy Doll

My first Christmas present finished!!

Watch out world, I am getting organised :)

Reconnecting with this space..

What better way then participating in blogtoberfest.

We have been busy creating in this house of late, painting, sewing, drawing, legoing, gardening.

Time for a litle show and tell...

Yawn..starting tomorrow though :)

My 'French' Inspired Quilt

This quilt was very much a joint effort. Thankyou to Jodie for her beautiful fabrics and all the ladies at Crafty Mamas that helped me with quilting tips...

                                     

After finding the fabric, stitching out the embrodieries and raiding my ribbon stash, I designed the quilt. BUT in true Melissa style..my paper design looks nothing like the finished quilt.

  Big projects for me, end up being a journey

I knew I wanted a strip type quilt, so with the fabric in hand, I cut and stitched up the middle panel. Then I was stuck..where to go from there 

                

Knowing I wanted to use these embrodieries, I thought, 'a road might be good' so then came the black border.

From then on, it just came together. Placing embroderies took a couple of days but in the end I am really happy with it.

                 

                               

I loved adding the ribbons.

            

Oh and the back..a combination of homespun and dotty fabric from SL.

                                 

Phew..I really enjoyed this project, but I am enjoying more now that it is finished.

This is off to Cairns Show in a couple weeks time :) 

Art Caddies

All finished!!

 

And they weren't too fiddly!

The top was a little bit, but once I slowed down and did a little basting, it came together really well.

One thing I didn't have (and wasn't worth an hour return trip for) was double sided firm interfacing. I just had single side which means the lining isn't glue firm but that is fine. With all the arty stuff in there, can't even notice it.

Mollie reckons 'the girls' (her friends next door) will love them.

Our boy LOVES atm

The 3 Investigator Series

Dave and his brother read these when they were boys, so after a little search on Ebay I found them!!

Lucas was reading one of them within 10 minutes of the package arriving.

His Unimog

He has wanted this kit for a while. There are many new mechanical parts in this kit that he wanted. So after much pocket money saving and a deal with his parents.

It arrived and he built it.

And the best $1.50 I have ever spend.

This is an op shop find.

 It is such a fun game!!

made of late

A little update of what has been keeping this crafty mama busy

(ok after the kids, house, pets, friends....life)

I am now a crochet mama.

My first project finished

I was inspired by Attic24 blog and her many tutorials.
This is Lucy's Summer Garden Granny Square

I crochet 25 granny squares and then sewed them together. I backed the cushion in blue chenille fabric

It sits pride of place on our newly covered lounge!!

Next: into the world of tie dying cotton velour

There are two Farbenmix Olivia dresses I made for my nieces.

Nice and bright hey!

The sleeves and hood are made from Campan knit (orange) and blue stella

You have gotta try this pattern, it is fast to sew up and fun to play around with for design.

Mollie has ordered a yellow one 'For when we go somewhere cold Mum, are we going somewhere cold this year Mama?'

Gosh Mollie, I am still warming up after Japan!

Circle Ruffle Skirt

This is the first item I have made for the Cairns Show this year.

It is made from some of my hand dyed cotton drill...

I made one for a Mollie a couple years ago and she loved it. This is size 128 and it is a little big for her, but then she won't be able to have it for a couple months so by then, she will fit it 

(and that is my story and I am sticking to it!) 

It is very straightforward to make. There were a couple mumbled swear words over the ruffle - I AM ruffled challenged  but I am determined to get better at it.

I am going to make a simple white cotton blouse to go with it...soon 

The hooks are flying!!

Mollie and I are learning to crochet....

Mollie is crocheting cute little flowers for a mobile for her room

And I am making a granny square cushion for the lounge.

I am loving this blog: Attic24. All Lucy's crochet patterns and tutorials are divine..

These are Summer Garden Granny Squares

And this colourful flower is the beginning of the Blooming Flower Cushion pattern...

 

Both Mollie and I are really enjoying learning and sharing our new crafty skills together..
How fun is crocheting!!

Our first plantings

Here are Mollies seedlings, growing so well :)
The corn is nearly ready for the garden, the cherry tomatoes will need another week or so.
 

 

And yesterday (after a little trip to Bunnings)
I planted a basil seedling 

And my ALL time favourite vegetable
EGGPLANT!!

I am loving our vegetable garden, I just know we will be harvesting all year round here.
Vegetables..NOT tree roots!

We have kept the other two gardens as well.
That is lemon grass and turmeric you can see growing there

How lovely are the two leaf types growing together

 

Can't wait to fill all the gardens with our seedlings!

Always remembering though

**supervise the chickens**

They would adore this part of the garden, the cheeky things :)

Our vegetable garden MAKEOVER

Our big problem with last years garden was tree roots.

We have large trees on our property which is perfect for shade but not for our vegy gardens nearby.

Decisions HAD to be made...do we move it, raised it on a concrete base or ditch the idea of a vegy garden altogether....

We decided one afternoon, all of us.

Raised garden on a concrete base it is!!

After lots of digging, building and concreting in the rain, we now have our new tree root free vegy garden HOORAY!

The chooks have the job of scratching over some mulch for the garden too. Truly THE best pet you can have. We get eggs everyday and manure filled mulch for the garden. 

The garden is going to love it!!

And Mollie has started on seed raising. 

Here she is planting corn seeds, tomato seeds, beans and sunflowers.

We are all excited about our vegy adventure ahead :)

{this moment}

I love this friday ritual by Soulemama

A single photo, no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

Kids playing in mud!

Our family in sticks and mud...

The sun is back!

Thankgoodness!!

Newest Dolls

 

 

 

Heading off on an adventure to Spiral Garden today!

Mrs Bunny - Easter Swap!

Look what Peta made me for our Crafty Mamas Easter Swap!! - along with a box of Lindt easter eggs..yum 

The cutest Mrs Bunny ever!

I absolutely adore her...

Mrs Bunny spend a big day yesterday following me around the house..a photo collage below  

On my sewing table, in the kitchen and by the computer (where she is sitting right now)

Oh and I have got to show you her cutest bunny tail 

 She is perfect Peta. THANKYOU!

I love knitted toys!