Make My Week #41 – The Perfect Little Present for a Stationery Lover
I love Spring it gives me this sudden burst of crafting energy. This week I have done all sorts of bits and pieces.
I saw an idea similar to this on Pinterest and I thought it looked like fun so I promptly bought myself a wee saw and a tiny drill bit (haven’t managed this part yet)
as with all good creative projects I tried one like what I saw and then I changed things to my own ideas.
I am turning these into brooches.
There is a bit of work on the hand holding the pencils while you saw but on the whole these are a super easy, super cute project and one I think would make a lovely and do-able present for teachers at the end of the year.
If you don’t count the RSI and the purchasing of a new saw (which was only $10) it was also cheap. Some hot glue, brooch backs and a packet of pencils – $2.90.
Joining in with Our Creative Spaces – click the button on the right.
Are you a gifter for teachers? What kinds of things do you buy?
Do you find that you go off on your own tangent when you start making things or do you stick firmly to the pattern?
Make My Week #40 – October Dress
At the beginning of the year one of my goals was to make myself a piece of clothing every month this year.
Recently I had my sister over to go through my fabric stash and help me out with re-visiting fabrics (another goal this year was to buy less fabric and use the stuff I actually have!).
So I have, finally, whipped up this very, very simple dress. Literally 2 pieces of fabric and some bias binding from the stash and the dress is done.
I love this fabric it is super stretchy and quite heavy. I bought the fabric for $4.99 from an op shop about 3 years ago. There was loads of it I still have a least half a metre left.
Another perfect summer dress for the days where the shaving regimen has gone out the window (happens to me anyway!).
I made this dress from start to finish in about 1.5 hours – I can’t believe it’s taken 3 years to get around to it.
Joining in with our Creative Spaces – click on the button on the right. I was going to save this for Wardrobe Wednesday but where is the fun in showing you something I’ve already shown you?
For more things I have made this year
and other things I’d like to make
B.M.W.B # 40 – Taking the Lead
So much of parenting is about adjusting and re-adjusting the limits and letting little ones take more of a lead.
A couple of weeks ago we did some awesome crayon art – Bounce was very upset that the art was hung on the family art wall instead of in his room because he did it. So I promised more crayon art in the holidays. I do love the holidays we are planning to try a few crafty things this holidays!
This time I gave them smaller canvases and freer reign. I still maintained a firm grip on the hot glue gun but they selected it all and then we went for launch.
One of the things I can really struggle with as a mama is the control thing. I let me boys dress themselves and when it comes time to cover books at the beginning of the year I let Flip make most of the choices – these things are both easy and difficult for me – easy because it takes the hassle and drama out of forcing ‘good clothes’ or nicely cut out sensible pictures but hard because you send a stack of books to school with badly cut out weird choices on them – for me these are small sacrifices my pride has to make in order to allow my boys age appropriate choices. Choices that make them think about what they like and trust that they can do it.
Do you find giving your children more decision-making opportunities easy or difficult?
Also I find so much of the time I find mama’s doing great things with their kids – I wondered if you would be keen for me to do a couple of link-ups where people can put in posts of ways they have been more intentional about parenting or cool and simple activities that have allowed them to intentionally invest time with their kids – would you be keen to read these kind of posts from other people too?
This year I am making more of a conscious effort to have quality moments with my boys. B.M.W.B (becoming the mama I want to be) is my way of recording and hopefully inspiring other mama’s too. Please inspire me with the little moments you are snatching with your little people OR with ideas I could do with mine. If you have blogged about it please leave a comment so we can all visit and encourage each other.
Simple. Achievable. Intentional: becoming the mama I want to be.
Make My Week #39 – Spring Dress and Easy Muesli
I debuted this dress yesterday at Wardrobe Wednesday. I made it on Sunday afternoon/evening after my sister inspired me by suggesting a maxi.
I often respond emotionally to fabric and this is one of those purchases. These colours are ones I can’t seem to go past – blues, greens and some purple – ahhhhh. It actually has white, yellow and brown in it too which I hadn’t really realised.
The fabric is one of those awful types that always stuffs up the stretch on my machine and makes all the stitches skip. So as an experiment I decided to keep a sharp needle on rather than changing to a stretch needle which has a blunt point. Completely successful.
I had totally lost my way with this fabric I couldn’t think of what to do with it. Naomi came up with the maxi idea and pushed me away from a navy sash towards the yellow to pull out the yellow in the fabric. I like the way I can tie it front or back.
I got rather a lot of comments on it – I always find people comment a lot on colour when I wear it, maybe it’s because us kiwi’s wear a lot of black or maybe it’s just the shining sun that makes people more likely to enjoy colour and give others encouragement.
I can see this dress is going to get a heap of wear it is super stretchy and comfy, it is a good hairy-leg cover-up option for summer and the colours make me smile!
I also made another batch of super simple muesli. This is a family recipe and it is so easy and quick. I promised a recipe if someone asked and lovely Bec did.
5-6 c rolled oats
2 cups bran
2 cups wheat germ (wheat germ is the best - we used to have it on our porridge as kids)
I also add 1 cup of coconut as well – let’s call that optional
1 cup liquid honey (or heat your normal honey in the microwave to soften it like I did)
1 cup skim milk (or whatever you have – I’m sure non dairy would work too if you roll that way)
mix it all together in a roasting dish – I find a wooden spoon and hands successful – and bake at 150 degrees C for about 40 mins. (adjust according to your crunch preference!)
If you want a nice even toast, mix it a bit during baking time. If you are lazy like me you will have a toastier top.
Add in any fruit or nut combinations you like and enjoy. Sweet but not sickly so and no oil/fat or processed sugar as well as being a complete doddle to make. My boys love it.
Kind of a random Make My Week combination this week. To see other creative happenings click on Our Creative Spaces on the right.
Make My Week #38 – Rest
It’s a friend’s birthday this week and like most people I know she is a busy, self-sacrificing, wonderful woman.
So I made her a rice heat pack with a zip off cover even! - apologies to those who find the use of food offensive in crafting - and an eye mask.
She is a dog and animal lover so I thought this fun fabric was perfect.
The eye mask came from an idea and tutorial on Amelie and Atticus (a blog I read) - note my awesome cutting skills that means the dog has no head – yeah I marvel at my talent sometimes too!
I have infused both with some lavender and lemon essential oils – restful and reviving – hopefully they don’t cause confusion!
To see what others are making this week click on Our Creative Spaces on the right.
I’ve also made some yummy and easy muesli this week – let me know if you’d be keen for a recipe post.
Both the rice heat pack and the eye mask are very easy first-timer projects if you are someone who is keen to start sewing.
Make My Week #37 – Wonder and Discover
In July I made some embroidered brooches and did and giveaway and the winners could choose the words.
The winners words were Wonder and Discover
these are the parcels that flew away in the post
I particularly like wonder. You can see the winners post about it here - so sweet it’s going to school for show and tell.
Check out other creative spaces by clicking on the button on the right.
Make My Week #36 – September Spring Dress
Yesterday I had a day on my own (from 9.20-3pm – that counts as a day right?) and instead of cleaning – which still needs to be done, exercising – which seldom gets done or any other jobs – of which there are plenty! I sewed!
Yes indeed, I made myself a dress.
My mama gave me this Trelise Cooper fabric about 4 years ago for my birthday but I had been a bit afraid to cut into it. Anyway I had been into Annah Streton the other day and feel all inspired by her eclectic approach to fabric combinations – I think she must have grown up with quilts! so on Tuesday night I cut out all sorts of pieces and yesterday I selfishly sewed all day.
I used a Simplicity pattern that I have used a few times before (see yesterdays post for another incarnation) but this time I did the cross over front – oh my! I am pleased this wasn’t the first one I did – the pattern for this version is quite obscure in parts and has whole things missing out. I also ironed a point of the sash on too hot and now it has iron scolds!
I haven’t actually hemmed it yet but let’s not be worried about details shall we!
All up the dress cost me nothing because the fabric was gifted and the lining was leftovers, the zip was gifted in a big pile and I bought the pattern for something else and I’ve already made 4 other versions from it.
If you want to see me wearing it you’ll need to tune in for Wardrobe Wednesday next week.
there is still time to enter my giveaway for a wrist/money cuff thing for a little person in your life.
Joining in with other create types at our creative spaces - click on the button on the right to find them.
Make My Week #34 – More Wrist Cuffs and A Giveaway
So after you were all so lovely about my wrist cuffs I thought one would make a perfect giveaway for August. These are the latest ones I have made using the same tutorial as last time.
I’ve also made a little brooch for the winner of my last giveaway but I won’t reveal that until it is safely with its new owner. I do like it though I might have to make one for myself even.
If you are a Christchurch person I would love to encourage you to get along to Crafty Christchurch in the GeoDome in Hagley Park – starting tonight and going through the weekend. Some of the Chch bloggers are going tonight if you want to gatecrash.
To see other crafty makes click on the creative spaces button on the right
to enter the giveaway let me know which money cuff fabric you like best. If you follow this blog and want 2 entries just leave 2 comments (by email, or google reader/connect thingy! or however else you might follow). The photo with the cuffs open is the most representative of their actual colours. Have another cut out in the green seersucker (wrinkly) fabric as well so you have to imagine that one!
I am going to give away 2 of these one for anyone who enters and the other for followers of my blog. Not because I want you all to follow, unless you actually want to, in which case welcome!! but I want to acknowledge all the encouragement I get from you choosing to come along for the journey.
to see more of the things I’ve been making go here
and if you don’t want to enter please feel free just to leave a lovely comment but don’t tell me which one you like best (clearly I love comments)
There are daffodils springing up in the garden – Spring is around the corner!
Make My Week #33 – Inspired
At our church when people have a new baby they are made meals by people for a week. It is so wonderful to be on the receiving end of these. Recently we’ve had 3 friends give birth and I was making a meal for one set last night. I always like to do a dessert and I quite like the cupcake thing.
The new big sister (19 months) has this gorgeous top that is made of wide pink and green stripes that looks a lot like a watermelon. So Bounce and I made them some watermelon inspired cup cakes to finish off the meal.
I always feel like doing baking as make my week is cheating (because my baking isn’t flash and I do it every week) but I am trying to embrace creativity wherever it comes and value it. I am often amazed and inspired by other people’s baking and see them as very creative. Here is one such source of tempting inspiration!
To see what other people are creating click on the Creative Spaces button on the right.
Do you have rules for what counts as creative pursuit? Where do you most express your creativity?
Make My Week #32 – Wrist Wallets or Money Cuffs
Not sure of the exact technical term for these but I hadn’t really thought much of them until we started doing pocket-money.
Suddenly my guys need to take money places and even though the big one has a wallet and they often have pockets – it’s just one more thing to lose or leave somewhere. Modelled with kind of photo you’re pleased you didn’t pay for!
Enter the wrist wallet – velcro on and off with a wee zip to hold money or other very small treasures.
I made them from fabric the boys had chosen ‘lighting N’Queen’ and Dr Seuss. Find similar Dr S fabric here.
On Friday when they got up there was a little package waiting for them both at their places for breakfast.
These versions are fully lined and….. I followed an online tutorial!!! I know Juliet will be very proud of me – online tutorials freak me out a bit but this one was very simple. You can find it here.
The boys can put them on without any help too which is great as well.
I am really pleased with these – I can see they might make a feature on the birthday present list. I made 2 extras because it always takes so much longer to make one individually than several at once.
It’s also another pin real life where you take some inspiration on your pinterest board – here’s the board, and you actually do something with it. You can find all sorts of my inspiration on pinterest and follow along if you want to.
I think an adult version would be great too if you were a running/walking type and just wanted a house key (and maybe some $ for a coffee along the way)
What do you think? Would you wear one?
