Crafting - so much fun

I am sooo excited about some of the things that I have been making recently. I hope you like it too. 

I used Dana's circle skirt tutorial from made for a skirt for Olivia. She loves it so much and feels and looks very grown up in this skirt when she wears it to church. I used a light grey rayon and it is so soft but oh my what a shocker to work with. I need an overlocker if I am going to use this material again as it kept catching as I was finishing the edges, and the hem oooohhh boy. I love that she loves the skirt. It does look lovely and I try so hard not to see my mistakes when she is wearing it, do any of you do that, see your own mistakes too much?

I also made another tag monster this time for a little girl, the very beautiful Camille was getting it. Her mummy Lisa asked me to make it for her. My first paid commission sewing job. As I know that Craft Schmaft's pattern is a freebie and they ask for people not to sell the things they make from the pattern I was sure that the money only covered materials used. I hope that is ok.  The tag monster pattern can be found here.

Lisa asked me to use pinks and greens so I used a floral flannel and green flannel and the matching ribbons all seemed to be the expensive ones but that is ok it looks really pretty.  I actually used the pattern the other way round but the monster is still cute I think and I hope Lisa liked it. I think perhaps another row of ribbons would have worked but I still love it.

On Friday night at my usual craft evening I cut out some more bibs from this tutorial and also cut out a delightful elephant called Elouise. The pattern is one that I bought years ago from Audrey and Maude and for some reason shyed away from making it but I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. My friend, Heather, is due to have a little girl in a month but her little boy came 6 weeks early so I wanted to be prepared. I used the same floral flannel that I used for Camille's tag monster and then some pink cotton poplin for the tummy and inside ears.

  

I think she looks like a bit of a diva as I made the knot I used in the embroidery thread to look like eyelashes. I think it works. As she is stuffed so hard it was really hard to sew up her tummy and my hand sewing skills eeek, by no means perfect, but I think she looks great and I hope Heather and her new little girl, when she arrives, will love her too.  

I spent just about all day sewing yesterday it was so good. I love my little sewing corner. I have loads of ideas and patterns and material lined up ready to be made. i just need to do it. perhaps less telly in the evening and more sewing. :)

Reflections

How was your Easter weekend?

Ours has been VERY quiet which has suited us down to the ground as Todd was recovering from another bug that I am sure Sophie has brought home from pre-school. Uuugghh a child starts pre-school and we all share in the germs and takes a while to grow immune I think.

Sunday as well as being Easter Sunday and the thoughts that that invokes of our Saviour and the sacrifice that he made for us all, it was also a very poignant day for my family. 8 years ago my big brother Simon passed away after battling brain tumors so bravely. 8 years. Where has that time gone? I was 16 weeks pregnant with Olivia and it is always a sadness to me that my girls have never had a chance to hang out with Uncle Simon in this life. As the time has past for me I know it is less about the sadness of him being gone but more a day where I reflect on funny things that he did or said or wore, ie his hideous 'carpet cardigans' or his Miami Vice outfits etc. or things that we did together like jumping off scaffolding into builders sand on Buckland Rise or playing ball outside on the patio. Throwing it to one another for hours as he wasn't going to have a sister who couldn't throw a ball properly. I know we all have our own memories and fun things that we reflect on but these were a few that were flying around my mind this weekend.

I also had some terrible news  on Sunday about a girl that was my best friend at first and middle school, Clare Johnson. Her husband sent me a message that she died last week of a brain aneyerism. It stunned me. She is my age, has 3 kids 5 and under, one is just a baby. Such a horrific tragedy for her husband, children and family and all those that loved her. It still has me floored and just made me want to hug my girls so much more and make sure that everyone that I love know that I do. We had only just in the last few months reconnected via facebook but wow. If I had been in UK I would have gone to her funeral. So sad for her family.

I felt like I had to tell people that knew her and so I skyped mum and dad. It was a lovely way to finish the day by Skyping with them and talking to them for hours. I shared with them some of my reflections on the day at church, Simon and Clare. It was good to share, be a bit sad but also to laugh about me telling the girls about Simon singing the song 'do your ears hang low' with the words 'do your boobs hang low'. I shared how the girls thought it was hysterical and Olivia said "Mummy I think Uncle Simon was a bit naughty." My responce was, "Well yes baby he was."

After the reflections of Sunday I am ready to remember more, laugh more, live more and most importantly love more. x

Babysitting

Here in NSW we are almost two thirds of the way through school holidays and it seems like my girls and I have not done very much at all really, like time has just run away from us. I know we have done stuff, and of course to me one of the best part of school holidays is not having a schedule to adhere too, it's just, well, I like to think that the girls love their holidays too. Soooo, when cousins asked us to babysit a baby bunny - over Easter- whilst they went away, what was I supposed to say except "Yes, of course we will".

Now I have to preface these comments with the fact that last year we looked after the schools fully grown, male, rabbit (Memphis) over a weekend and by the end I was very happy to see it leave and was quite clear with Olivia that it wasn't coming home again with us. No one prepared me for the strength of rabbit urine and what it does to carpet! Anyway, another rabbit, glutton for punishment? maybe. However I have to say so far so good. The bunny, Coco, is very cute, placid and and the polar opposite of Memphis. How could the girls not love her? and Olivia and Sophie have happily been having loads of cuddles and have not left the lounge room.

Sophie was absolutely petrified of the thing when she first arrived but as you can see that soon ended and then my Easter weekend was spent saying, "Get off the rabbit", "Leave her alone", and always her retort was' "but mummy I like her" and I would say "I know you do but she won't like you if you bug her all the time." Fun and games, fun and games.

Her family came and collected her on Sunday and I have to say I wasn't sad to see her go as I was very 'over' saying the same things all the time but the girls were great with her and Olivia cleaned up so much of the poos and wee. What a good girl.

Pictures are here at last

I have been wanting to post the promised pictures for a while and I finally got around to downloading all the photos off the camera. There was photos on there from before Christmas! 

So here you are, I really like the things that I made for Jemma and baby Noah, as always there are things that I would tweak to make them perfect like filling the tag monster with a bit more filling and my hand stitching is never up to par, but they needed to get in the post and I hope that they still love them.

Here are the pics for you to enjoy too.

The tag monster - the pattern can be found here plus check out the embroidery! It has been longer than I remember since I did any embroidery :) Then there is the wrap/blanket that I made using a really cute animal interlock on one side and a blue flannel on the other. I decided to cut his name from the interlock and applique it onto the flannel side to add some interest. I really love it but it was difficult getting material that stretches and the flannel match up when sewing etc. 

Finally this picture is of the whole package that I sent which included a couple of bibs I made using a tutorial and pattern from homemadebyjill.blogspot.com. The pattern and tutorial for the bibs can be found here. I used some cotton that I found at Spotlight on sale and backed the whale one with some very soft blue minkee (thanks mum) and the apple one with some coloured terry toweling that I already had. I really like how they turned out. 

What do you think? a good baby present? I think so and I hope Jem does too. She should get them soon.. will have to skype her. 

I am going to do some scrap booking on Friday evening - eek I know crap booking. To say that I have never been a fan is an understatement but this looks easy and not the usual type, so I have to print out pictures and collect together stuff that I want to put in it to make some memories on paper. I am looking forward to it so I will let you know how I go.