Tartankiwi

Busy Bags- Week 1

2012-03-05T07:30:00.000+13:00

I must admit that when I decided to start making Busy Bags, I was thinking of Rascal, as the majority of things small enough to be this portable are not suitable for Scallywag. But every now and then there may be an activity which is suitable for both of my children. I will try to remember to state which child I have in mind for each busy bag.

This week I have three bag ideas to share.

You could say that I cheated with the first of my busy bags.

Those of you who have been following this blog since its early days may recognise these finger puppets, as they were among my first sewing project.

They are a bit more "loved" looking than the last time that you saw them. They have been played with A LOT. Over the last year, we have taken these out with us on various occasions and they have provided welcome distraction for Rascal. In many ways these are the ideal busy bag for my family at the moment as both Scallywag (14 month old) and Rascal (3 years old) really love to play with them.

If anybody is interested, I'm sure that I could come up with a tutorial for a few finger puppets to get you started making your own.

The second busy bag was designed with my 3 year old in mind. It has a few activities rolled into one.

The first activity is drawing. There is a small piece of chalk cloth and a set of chalk for her to get creative with. (I admit that I still have to buy the chalk at this point).

The second activity in this bag is stickers. My daughter firmly believes that stickers need to be stuck on and then taken off and then stuck somewhere else. As such, I thought that on the back of the chalk cloth, I'd create a little vinyl pouch. She can place pictures inside and then stick stickers over it. The theory is that it will be a bit like a sticker book in that stickers can be moved around easily and re-used without problems (need to buy some more exciting stickers, the boring stars were all that I had in house).

Time will tell how successful these activities will be. I have a sneaking suspicion that I should've made the whole thing a little bit bigger and I'm not too sure how easy it will be to move stickers on the vinyl. I promise to keep you posted with how we get on!

This weeks third and final busy bag is also for Rascal. It is inspired by the sewing that Rascal and I have been doing together. This time I got a couple of small scraps of shelf liner and drew simple pictures on them. I ensured that the picture was visible on both sides of the fabric so that Rascal can always see where the next stitch should go. I looked out a small embroidery ring to hold the "fabric".

I prepared 5 or 6 pipecleaner needles with wool ready for Rascal to start sewing at any time (I must look out more colours of wool!).

The challenge will be for Rascal to sew round the shapes. I will be interested to see how Rascal gets on with this activity. I have a feeling that it could be a little too difficult for her at the moment, but there is nothing wrong with at least trying it! Even if sewing round the shape is too difficult, I know that she will have fun sewing her own designs!

Have you been busy making busy bags? What have you come up with?

A Scrappy Bag for a Scrappy Swap

2012-03-01T07:30:00.000+13:00

As the package that I sent for The Scrap Bag Swap has been gratefully received by my swap partner, I thought I'd show you the bag that I made.

It was yet another of those projects that I made up as I went along. It started life as one of these cute little patchwork tote bags, but as I was making it, I decided that it was going to be too small. So I altered some of the dimensions. After doing that, I realised that the original plan wouldn't work any more, so I just improvised until I came up with something halfway decent.

My favourite part is all the pockets. There is a zip pocket, a large open pocket and a mobile phone pocket (which I since realised will probably not fit anything except old fashioned small phones).

This was my first attempt at making and using piping. Its not perfect but I'm pretty happy with it as a first attempt. I am also rather fond of the scrappy strap (which I forgot to take a decent photo of).

I think I need to work on my machine quilting as parts of it were meant to be stitch in the ditch, but ended up being stitch right next to the ditch (oops!)

I'm joining up with Creative Spaces today.

W.I.P. Wednesday

2012-02-29T20:35:00.000+13:00

Look what arrived in the post! The first of the blocks for the Modern Sampler Bee. Thank you so much Leonie. I have been eyeing up all the hexies that have been appearing on the internet recently so its great to have some on my quilt.

As I have finally started my own block for the Bee, and this my very first full sized quilt, I thought I'd start reporting on my progress every now and then. Because lets face it, it's probably going to take me quite a while to finish this project!

At this stage I have no idea how big the quilt is going to be. I am taking the attitude that I'll see how far I get and when I run out of fabric and inspiration!

I guess I'll just learn on the job.

And there is a lot of learning to do!

This quilt is proving to be a very steep learning curve!

The first thing that I learnt is to check fabric shops before choosing the colours of your quilt. When choosing my fabrics, I went on a huge online search and became really inspired by blocks using the colours aqua, tangerine. I told the girls in the bee to use these colours before I actually had a look at the fabrics that were on offer in New Zealand. BIG MISTAKE! Could I find the sort of fabrics that I was after? No!

This failure led me to lose momentum on the project. I dutifully made everyone else's blocks but couldn't quite get round to starting my own. Then the other day, I came across some Heather Ross fabrics from Stitchbird fabrics in the right colours and decided it was time to make a decision and commit to some fabrics.

I have to admit that the block that I am making is NOTHING like the blocks that I envisioned, BUT I'm loving it!

Not yet finished, but you get the idea!

Second mistake was not to trust my own instincts. When I chose the fabrics I was unsure as to the background to use. As I am useless at looking after whites, I decided on light grey. After about a day I regretted this choice and wondered whether I should change to slate grey. I ummmed and ahhhed but didn't change my colours.

When I sat down to work on my own block today I realised that it wouldn't really work with a light grey background. I changed it up and used a slate grey background- much better!

But don't worry fellow bee members, I am not going to discard your blocks. I am now actually really happy that I didn't change my colours, I am really excited by the idea of a checker board quilt with two colours of grey backgrounds.

I just love how projects like this evolve, don't you?!

I'm linking up with

Toddler Busy Bags

2012-02-27T07:30:00.000+13:00

A while ago, I remember reading a really great blog post about toddler busy bags. These are small bags carrying portable activities that are self-contained; transportable; convenient; inexpensive; easy to make and reusable. They are easy to throw in your handbag and take with you for those times when you are out and about and need to keep your child occupied.

At the time I loved the idea, but knew that Rascal was too young for it... Of course, I forgot to bookmark the post (duh!).

Recently I have found myself thinking of it more and more, I mean the idea of being so prepared is great isn't it?!

I decided to do what I usually do in these cases and turned to the internet.

It didn't take long for me to find this great blog post and become totally inspired.

Bear with me as I dream up things to put in my busy bags. In the meantime, here are a couple of bags that I have made to carry the activities.

This one was made using this tutorial.

This one was inspired by this tutorial, but I ended up improvising my way to something completely different.

I am still experimenting with designs and reckon its no bad thing to have a variety of different styles and sizes. I intend to make quite a few more.

Once the bags are made, I'll have to decide what to put in them. Have you done anything like this? What activities did you come up with? Was it a success with your child? I'd love to hear your experiences.

I was thinking that I might make this a regular feature on my blog for a while. If you feel like joining me in creating busy bags, feel free! Please come back and share your ideas.

Lets inspire each other!

I'm Loving...

2012-02-24T15:30:00.000+13:00

A surprise package from a very dear friend in Scotland which arrived on Wednesday. It was so good having something to put a smile on my face on such an emotional day.

These beautiful flower hairclipsare made of liquid latex and recycled materials such as broken laptops, fishing line, lace, fabric scraps, different papers, wire, beads and various packaging. Aren't they unusual and great!?

Really excited by these beautiful fabrics which also arrived on Wednesday (I love keeping the postie and the couriers busy hee hee!). The majority of these will be used for for my full sized quilt. I am really looking forward to playing with these beauties! Finally I can get started on my bee block for myself!

I was really proud of Rascal yesterday when she helped me to make gingerbread biscuits for a neighbour who is under the weather. As we made the biscuits, we talked about why we were making them and how they would make the lady smile. Rascal handed them over and told our neighbour that she hoped they would make her happy- it made my heart melt!

I'm sharing over at Paisley Jade, hop over and see what others are loving today...

Reversible Dolls Dress Tutorial

2012-02-23T13:19:00.003+13:00

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When I first decided to make dresses for Rascal's dolls, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of sewing such small fiddly seams. I put my thinking cap on and came up with the idea of making reversible dresses, (which have the added bonus that you get two dresses for the price of one).

These are really easy to make, I hope you have fun making them and that your child gets as many hours of joy out of them as Rascal has from hers.

The doll that this dress was designed for is roughly 13 inches tall. That said, She is generous and shares her dresses with her friends.

A couple of notes before we start:
I have included a 1/4 inch seam allowance in the pattern
For the purpose of this tutorial, I have assigned the pink elephant fabric as the outer and the aqua butterfly fabric as the inner.

You will need:
to download the pattern here
two largish scraps of fabric
poppers or velcro
Optional extra if you are using poppers is a few small strips of light weight interfacing

Start by cutting out your fabric.

Ensure that you place the front piece on top of a folded piece of fabric with the fold located where marked. Cut 1 piece of the outer fabric in this way and 1 piece of the inner fabric.

Using the back piece pattern cut 1 piece of the outer fabric and 1 piece of the inner fabric.

Flip the back piece pattern over. CHECK that you have positioned it the opposite way to the piece that you have just cut. DOUBLE CHECK and only then cut 1 piece of the outer fabric and 1 piece of the inner fabric.

This is what you should have cut out

Now you can start sewing:

Start by placing the front and back outer fabric pieces right sides together and sewing the side seam.

Do this for both back pieces.

Repeat these two steps for the inner fabric pieces.

Press the seams

Place the outer fabric and the inner fabric right sides together.

Starting from the back edge, sew around the dress pieces. Ensure that you leave a gap of about 3 inches to turn the right way out.

If you are going to use poppers to close the dress, it is an idea to iron a small strip of light weight interfacing along the back edge of the inner fabric, just to give the a bit of extra strength (this is not essential, but I would recommend it).

I will try to improve this photo, but hopefully you can just make out the interfacing on both pieces

Notch the curves and clip the corners

Turn the right way out and push the corners out.

Top stitch all the way around

Overlap the shoulder pieces slightly and stitch. I tend to hand stitch this, but you could use the machine if you want to.

I am aware that this is not the prettiest way to do the shoulders and that there are neater, more complicated methods, but show me a 3 year old who complains and I'll maybe think about changing my methods!

Add poppers or velcro for closure.

Stand back and congratulate yourself for making a beautiful reversible dolls dress. You could fancy it up by adding a ric rac or lace border along the bottom or using plain fabric with an applique design- the possibilities are endless!

As with all my tutorials, I'd love to hear how you get on. If anything is unclear or you need extra instructions don't hesitate to get in touch.

Now that you've made the dress, why not go and make a couple of matching dolls nappies?

Good luck and happy sewing!

I'm sharing at Our Creative Spaces and Creative Friday

Scrappy Goodness

2012-02-21T13:38:00.002+13:00

Its all about scraps here at the moment...

I received my packet of scraps from The Scrap Bag Swap so I've been whipping up a couple of wee projects.

First of all I made this cute windmill hairclip. It could do with a few wee finishing touches, but you get the idea...

Then I had a go at making a dumpling.

These are so cute!

Great for storing a few wee essentials in your bag and a lot easier than I thought they'd be.

I am pretty sure I'll be making more of these as gifts in the future. Just imagine a linen dumpling with a cute applique or embroidered design.

Scrappy projects are pretty addictive, so I'm off to make a few more wee things. There may be another tutorial in the pipeline if you are lucky! What do you do with your scraps?

I'm Loving... the Valentine Baking Swap

2012-02-17T08:26:00.001+13:00

By now you should've worked out that we Christchurch bloggers love nothing better than an excuse to get together for some yummy baking and a chat, so when a valentines baking swap was suggested we jumped at the chance.

The rules:

Bring 1/2 a plate of baking to share at the get together

Bring 1/2 a plate of baking for your swap partner to take home (we were encouraged to get creative with presentation)

I think I was the luckiest girl of all- Just look what I took home!

The text along the top says "I have a secret blog crush on you!

The attention to detail is amazing with a heart shaped St Andrews Cross to make this tartankiwi feel at home!

And inside the box...

The most delicious cupcakes!!! They tasted as good as they look, and no, they didn't last long!!

Thanks Kirsty! You're a star!Oops! Not so secret any more hee hee!

I made a Chocolate Orange Cake with white chocolate hearts on top for my swap partner. I am glad to say that it didn't sink in the middle this time, but I must admit that it was moister and yummier last time round...

This is the half that we ate, the other half was SLIGHTLY better presented!

I suspect that the Christchurch bloggers may need to take a lesson in photography from the Whangarei bloggers, because although Miriam and I remembered to take photos of the food on the table, I'm not sure if anyone took photos of the get together or pretty swap gifts (oops!)

Its always fun to get together with these lovely ladies and we love that new people are joining us all the time. I'm so grateful for the friendship and support of these wonderful and creative ladies!

Joining with Paisley Jade.

Lion Softie

2012-02-16T07:00:00.000+13:00

Recently there has been a lot of roaring going on in our house.Scallywag has discovered the lion finger puppets that I made a while ago.

His favourite thing to do is to stagger towards you, holding the puppet up, madly waggling it in his hand and roaring- its hysterical!

Even though he is a boy who prefers to cuddle people, rather than comforters or cuddly toys, I thought I'd have a go at making a lion softie for him. As usual, I had a quick look online to see if I could find any free patterns or tutorials, but I didn't come across anything.

So I picked up a needle and some felt and started to sew.

Without a pattern.

Without a plan.
Don't ask me to make an identical lion- I couldn't!

May I introduce Rory, with the awe inspiring ROAR!

He is a bit of a funny shape as his neck is too long and he looks downwards, but Scallywag isn't fussy! I haven't seen Scallywag take to a cuddly toy like he has to this one. He now staggers around, carrying this one by his mane in one hand and the finger puppet in the other hand, grinning and roaring.

Can you hear the giggles and roars?

So great that all that effort wasn't for nothing!

I'm joining with all the creative people here

Wardrobe Wednesday

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000+13:00

There's a blogging event that takes place every week called Wardrobe Wednesday. The idea is to get away from the drudgery of every day jeans and t-shirts and make a bit of an effort.

I foolishly promised to take part and I am not being allowed to forget it, so here is my first (and possibly only) offering for Wardrobe Wednesday.

Now every month there is a theme to Wardrobe Wednesday and this month its "love to love", which is pretty appropriate for this dress.

Photo credits go to Miriam

It was originally bought 11 years ago in a boutique style shop in Amsterdam's Kalverstraat for my cousin's wedding (a celebration of love).
At the time I was a doc martins and purple combat trouser wearing archaeologist, so it was VERY different from my day to day style, but I loved that it was a fitted dress which was made for my figure (i.e. for someone with both hips and a waist).
I love that 11 years and two children later it STILL fits and flatters!
I also just love the embroidery and sequin detail around the bottom of the skirt

I accessorised with my favourite Ola Gorie silver earrings and pendant, Which are based on a design from the Book of Kells

I must admit that this dress is one of those dresses which has hung in my wardrobe and has only been worn on a handful of dressy occasions.

When choosing what to wear for our bloggy Valentines baking swap yesterday (more on that soon), Rascal told me that I HAD to wear a dress as she was wearing a dress. On a whim, I decided to get this out and match it with a shrug/ bolero (which was bought on sale from Steps 4 years ago for another wedding).

Ha Ha! Hamming it up with the auto timer and trying not to laugh!

I think it might be time to show this dress some love by wearing it more often... what do you think?

Guest Tutorial at the Wardrobe

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000+13:00

Pssst!

Wondering how to make one of these Flex Frame Purses?

If so, then head over to The Wardrobe and have a look at my guest tutorial.

Come to think of it, even if you don't want to know how to make one, pop over and say hello, the more the merrier!

Nin is having a month of scrappy tutorials as part of her scrap swap so there is bound to be something that catches your eye.

Sewing with a Preschooler- BMWB

2012-02-13T13:12:00.003+13:00

The other day when I was doing some hand stitching, Rascal came over and insisted on helping me. She seemed to really enjoy it but as it was my sewing project, I felt a bit mean that I kept pretty strict control of where the needle was going and what she was doing.

The experience showed me that maybe it would be fun to put together some kind of sewing project for her.

I had a quick trip to Spotlight to see if I could find any of the binca fabric that I learnt to sew on.

I couldn't (does it even still exist?).

In the absence of that, I decided to just try her with supplies that I had in the house.

Rascal's First Attempt at Sewing:

I let Rascal choose a piece of felt from my stash and some embroidery thread. I gave her a large bluntish embroidery needle and although she did all the sewing I was close by at all times to supervise.

Just look at that concentration!

I started her off with the first stitch and let her carry on. I found that she got on the best when I held the felt and she had 2 hands available for the needle.

Day 1's sewing

When I asked if she wanted to sew something and then I could turn it into something for Daddy, she corrected me and said "NO, I'LL turn it into something for Daddy".

Rascal's Second Attempt at Sewing

The next day, Rascal asked to do some more sewing. She decided that she wanted to carry on with the sewing from the day before and use purple thread, but when she saw red thread, she quickly changed her mind and decided to use red and THEN purple.

I got a small embroidery hoop out this time and found that she got on better, although she still liked me to hold the hoop.

Day 2's sewing

Rascal's Third Attempt at Sewing

This time I had done a bit of searching online and came across the idea of using non-slip shelf liners as the "fabric". I looked out a HUGE darning needle and some colourful wool and let her loose again. The actual sewing was definitely easier for Rascal, but I was surprised that when I asked her which she preferred, she chose the felt.

Rascal's sewing

Rascal asked me to sew a giraffe for her. It gives an idea of what you can achieve with shelf liners

In Conclusion
Every day since starting her sewing, Rascal has added a couple of threads worth of stitching to her sewing. She generally does about one or two threads before she tires of it and puts it aside for another day. It is great to hear her asking to do it and really enjoying choosing the next colour to sew with. I am definitely going to hang this masterpiece on the wall when it is finished!

I think this was day 4, although it has changed again since then.

For me, sewing with a 3 year old is an activity that we will do together. As such, I think that for the time being, sewing will be done on felt and not on shelf liners. I don't mind that a slightly sharper needle is required for this as I will be there to supervise at all times.

We will definitely move to sewing on shelf liners when I think she is ready to sew round simple shapes drawn onto the fabric. For the moment though, we will have fun sewing together with no expectations placed on her or rules that she has to follow. I guess that the important thing is to try not to over- or under- estimate your childs ability and just have fun together.

I have been pleasantly surprised to see how much fun the two of us are having with her sewing and thrilled to hear Rascal ask to do it again and again. If you are looking for inspiration sewing with young children, check here and here and here.

I'm really looking forward to building on this activity. Maybe she can sew on some buttons or we can take one of her masterpieces and turn it into a pouch or a purse for the grandparents... the possibilities are endless!

I am joining in with Miriam and her Becoming the Mama you Want to Be series over at Makeit Giveit again. The idea of these posts is to record moments of quality time spent with your children; possibly teaching them new skills in a fun way or letting them lead the way. Its not about spending lots of money, but just about making the most of the time and resources that you have. Hop over and see what fun activities she has been up to with her boys this week.

I'm Loving...

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000+13:00

Soaking up those moments when I realise that I am sharing something with my child that my mother shared with me.

Simple moment, but moments of joy.

We are so lucky to have a garden in which we can grow out own vegetables so that Rascal and Scallywag will not grow up believing that "Real peas come from the freezer!"

... and they taste SOOO good fresh!

I'm joining with Paisley Jade. Pop over and see what other people are loving today.

3x6 Modern Bee Blocks

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000+13:00

Who said that sewing curves in quilt blocks was for the experts?

Bah humbug! That's what I say!

Just look how well these bee blocks turned out! All but one have reached their new owners and they were all very well received.

Here are the blocks that I made- isn't it amazing how different they can look as a result of fabric and colour choices!

Cat asked for pink and aqua on a white background:

Nin asked for Mustard, Honeysuckle and Grey on a natural linen or cream background.

I had two attempts at Nin's block. The block below is my first attempt. I felt that I had not made the best of some of the fabrics and they didn't quite sing as much as I wanted them to. After checking with Nin, I had a second attempt using the grey as the background and am glad that I did. I think it adds a lot more contrast and drama- don't you!

I offered Nin both blocks and she gladly took them, so I guess my first attempt wasn't too bad!

Laura asked for light blue and pink on a white background with floral and polkadot designs

Leonie asked for pink, yellow, green and blue on a white background

Lisa asked for pink, red and aqua on a grey background.

The central part of the block was done using this pattern and then I improvised the border.

I have to say a huge big thank you to Kat, Cat and Kirsty for helping me scrimp together the fabrics to make these...Without their help I seriously don't know how some of these blocks would've been made!

I DEFINITELY learnt a lot while I was sewing these. About combining fabrics and piecing and sewing curves and much much more. I've still got a lot to learn about quilting, and I will admit that there are a few wee wonky bits here and there, but all in all I was very happy (and more than a little bit proud) to send these blocks off to their new homes.

The observant among you will notice that this is a 3 x 6 bee and I have only shown you five blocks. I must admit that I am still dithering about which fabrics to use for my own block, so I'll show you that at the end (hopefully!) when the others arrive.

Now... when's the next round!?!

Pay it Forward 2011

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000+13:00

You may remember that last year I busily sent off 5 little packages for pay it forward 2011. Well my own pay it forward gift has finally arrived from Felicity in Australia- and it was worth the wait!

A gorgeous little notebook just for me. Although I LOVE notebooks like this, I am one of those terrible people who is scared to write in them and spoil them.

This notebook deserves to be used though so I am going to use it as a grateful diary, writing down three things that I am grateful for each day.

Accompanying the notebook was this little bowl of goodies.

Inside I found beautifully decorated discs. On one side was my name.

On the other side was noughts and crosses

or hugs and kisses-

however you choose to interpret them.

I loved the idea of noughts and crosses and immediately thought of a scrap of fabric that I have which coordinated beautifully with the discs.

I improvised myself a little quilted noughts and crosses board.

The edges are a bit rough and ready, but it will serve its purpose perfectly.

Thank you so much Felicity for a kind and thoughtful gift.

Now... Anybody want a game?

BMWB- Tartankiwi Style!

2012-02-07T13:29:00.001+13:00

I have been really enjoying following the inspirational Miriam's "Becoming the Mama you want to be" (B.M.W.B.) series. I find that her posts and the intention behind them are never far from my thoughts and in those moments when I am on the verge of fobbing Rascal off with another "not now" or "later", these posts pop into my mind and make me rethink my words and actions.

The little voice at the back of my head saying "BMWB" has led to me enjoying many hours of building lego houses and sandcastles. It has encouraged me to get creative and be intentional in my parenting I thought I'd share with you one of these activities.

Today I had planned to take Rascal and Scallywag to the library for Toddlertime, but poor wee Scallywag just wasn't up for it. He has 4 teeth on the verge of pushing through (2 canines and 2 molars) and this was making him uncharacteristically upset.

I put him to bed and decided it was time to have some quality time with Rascal- some painting was required!

First we used squashed toilet rolls as heart shaped stamps (inspiration from here)

The tools of our trade!

Then we moved on to using cookie cutters and various other play doh tools as stamps (inspiration from here)

Various different kinds of stamps were used here

Then Rascal did some hand printing (an essential activity any time that we have paints out)

Finally we painted the last of the salt dough ornaments that we made way back here. I have a vague plan to turn these into magnets (inspiration here)

Such a fun morning and a great way to encourage creativity. I love how painting with Rascal never quite turns out the way I envision it, but we have lots more fun if we do it her way!

What fun activities have you been up to with your children recently?

Short Shorts

2012-02-03T07:00:00.000+13:00

There is a blogging revolution going on at the moment and we're joining in!

I have been dying to try out this pattern in its original form for a while, but Dee's short shorts revolution was just the trigger that I needed to get me to take action!

You will no doubt recognise the pattern as I have used variations on it here and here. This time I (almost) faithfully followed the pattern! The only change that I made was to add poppers between the legs to make nappy changes easier with a very wriggly boy!

Ha Ha! Got to be faster if you want to catch me, Mum!

The shortalls were made with the off cuts of the fabric used for Mr Tartankiwi's shorts; left over red cord from when I made newborn trousers and a random bit of plain quilting fabric that I had lying around. (Don't you love it when you can complete a project using only what you have in house!)

He looks super cute in his new get up don't you think?!?

A little unstable but strutting his stuff like a pro!

Just look at those grubby chubby knees, seriously, what's not to love!?!

I'm sharing with the lovely and talented people over at Creative Friday.

Yoda Birthday Cake

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000+13:00

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At the dinner table a few weeks ago, I asked Rascal what kind of cake she thought that her Dad would like for his birthday. I was expecting her to use her stock answer of "brown cake" or possibly "yellow cake", but before she could say a word, Mr Tartankiwi jumped out of his chair and urgently whispered in her ear.

A grin spread across Rascal's face and she said "Daddy wants a Yoda cake!"

... and she didn't forget about it and over the next few weeks she was heard to tell various people that "Mummy is going to make Daddy a Yoda cake!"

- I guess it serves me right for asking!

The inspiration for the Yoda Cake was this Baby Youda T-shirt. I was lucky enough to win one for Wee Man and Mr Tartankiwi was so taken with it that I had to order a man sized version for him.

Um yes, the door handle is pointing straight upwards- its called childproofing

I love the way that the cake turned out. Not only does it look good, but it tastes good too (Moist chocolate cake with peppermint icing- YUM!)

I also love that Mr Tartankiwi came to the realisation all on his own that since I have put all this effort into making his cake, he needs to make a special birthday cake for me in a few months time!

To marvel at other people's creativity- go here.

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Shorts for Mr Tartankiwi

2012-01-30T13:48:00.000+13:00

Anybody else have a husband who desperately needs new clothes but despises clothes shopping?

I have found a solution that keeps everybody happy!- Make them!

I am happy because I can dare to be seen with my husband and as the fabric was bought on sale the price was very agreeable.

He is happy because he has new clothes without ever having set foot in a clothes shop! The only thing that he is not so happy about is the trade off that he has to model his new shorts on my blog (hee hee- its only fair isn't it!)

Can you tell that he's worn them quite a bit since I made them in early January?

I used his old shorts as a template. I adapted this technique (again) to make the large deep cargo style pocket and altered the dimensions of this pocket to create the other pocket.

I also took various notions off his old shorts and re-used them for these shorts. It really is the small details which make all the difference to homemade clothes!

The verdict-

Mr Tartankiwi is really happy and has worn them a lot so far.

I am critical as ever and think there are a few improvements that I would make next time round:

Alter my pattern and put seams down the outside of the leg next time so that I can do a different style of pocket and therefore add more pockets.
Alter the pattern so that there is more fabric at the back than the front.
Place the tartankiwi label behind the pocket instead of in the front.
Ahem!- try not to have the fabric inside-out next time.
Ahem!- Don't use the quick unpick quite so much next time and if I have to use it, be sure not to damage the fabric- Grrr!

Some of these are nit picking, others are real flaws, but all in all I'd say a good first try, but could do better next time!

I'm Loving...

2012-01-27T12:52:00.000+13:00

Its been a momentous week for Scallywag!

Our wee man took his first unsupported steps on Saturday and has been testing out his new found skill ever since.

Sometimes he only manages a single step before throwing himself on his tummy, then rolling over, kicking his feet up in the air and giggling.

Other times he manages to string together 5 or 6 steps.

I'm loving that his biggest cheerleader is his big sister. When she sees him taking a few steps, all you hear are excited squeals and an excited "Mummy, {Scallywag} is walking. Good Boy {Scallywag}!... Oh dear! Do it again, do it again!"

I don't have any actual photos of him walking yet, so this one will have to do...

Why not pop over here and see what other people are loving?

Buzzzzzz!

2012-01-26T12:03:00.000+13:00

Look what I found buzzing around in our garden!

I tried to catch it, but it was too busy exploring our garden.

And before I knew it, it flew away!

I wonder where it will fly to. Hmmmm...

(Made using this tutorial)

I've been very busy sewing this week, but at this stage there is not too much that I can share with you. I have completed two of my blocks for the Modern Block Bee. I have made a birthday present and I have hatched some plans for things that I want to make.

All will be revealed soon, I promise!

In the meantime, why not pop over here and here and enjoy all the crafty goodness!

A Museum Trip

2012-01-25T10:56:00.000+13:00

When Mr Tartankiwi told Rascal that we were going to the museum, she became really excited and exclaimed "just like Maisie!" and then added "Are we going to see a dinosaur Daddy?". For those not in the know, she was referring to this book.

"Ummm yes" we mumbled, keeping our fingers crossed that the museum really did have a dinosaur. It had been about 8 years since our only other visit to the Canterbury Museum, so as you can imagine we were a wee bit hazy on the exact contents of the museum.

This was our first experience of taking a child to the museum and it was so so different to our usual museum trips where we stop and read the boards and take in all the details.

This time, we let Rascal set the pace and soaked in her enthusiasm and wonder. It was great to watch her excitement as she saw each new display and to see which exhibits caught her imagination.

In the historic recreation of a street, she loved the shoemakers shop. This was again due to one of her favourite stories- Jip and Janneke (Dutch classic children's literature which we are fortunate to own as an English translation). In one of Rascal's favourite Jip and Janneke stories, they take Jips holey shoes to the shoemaker.

I was unprepared for how emotional I would find the Toy shop in the same street. I must admit that I shed a quiet tear when I saw the dolls house which had been left in the state that it was found following the major earthquakes with books strewn across the floor, food flung from the pantry and pictures squint on the wall.

For me, the highlight of the trip was the "Hearts for Christchurch"exhibit though. This is an exhibit consisting of over 4000 hearts which have been sewn, quilted and felted by people of all ages and all abilities and sent from all over the world.

I noticed hearts from Australia, Scotland, the USA, Canada, Finland, Wales, England and the Bahamas to name but a few.

Some hearts had serious messages, others brought a smile to my face.

I think that blue one was my favourite "Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day"

It really is a beautiful and if you are in Christchurch then I urge you to go along and have a look before 22 February when the exhibit ends. If you are not near Christchurch then hop over here and get an impression of some of the beautiful hearts that I'm talking about.

Oh and incase you were wondering... yes there was a dinosaur!

Roar!

Orion's Belt

2012-01-23T07:30:00.000+13:00

As a young girl, growing up in Edinburgh, it was not unusual for me to be put to bed, only to find myself being lifted out of bed a few hours later, placed in a sleeping bag in the back of the car and driven to my Uncle's house in Aberdeenshire. I would wake up next morning at my favourite Uncle's house and have a wonderful weekend in the countryside.

My parents cunning plan was to do the journey while the three of us were sleeping so as to avoid the endless chorus of "are we nearly there yet?"and sibling squabbles over who got the window seat.

I must admit that it worked most of the time, but every now and then there was a night when I didn't sleep through the whole journey and sat looking up at the stars shining far more brightly than they ever did through the city lights.

My brother and sister would search for the plough (also known as the big dipper or the big bear).

Image from here

Not me.

I would always look out for Orion's belt.

Image from here

There was something about that constellation that caught my imagination. The big hunter in the sky with his sword tucked in his belt.

Image from here

Living in New Zealand there are times when I feel very far away from my family. At these times, I often find myself wandering outside in the dark before I go to bed and looking up at the sky, breathing in the clean New Zealand air and reminding myself why we chose to live here.

When I first arrived the sky seemed so foreign. There was no plough in site and it took me a while to learn to recognise the Southern Cross.

BUT...

Shining down on me is the one constellation that brings a smile to my face.

I like to think that he is standing on his head!

I don't know why but it brings me such great comfort to see the big man up there in the stars and to realise that my Dad, brother and sister can see him too, but it does!

I'm Loving...

2012-01-20T13:25:00.000+13:00

... Paddling pools in the garden.

We've been a bit slow off the mark this year getting the paddling pool out, but Wee Man was in absolutely no doubt what to do. He scrambled straight in and had a ball.

Its great watching Rascal and Wee Man having fun outside and enjoying playing together - long may it continue! Oh and its also fun getting in there and splashing everyone- Ba ha ha ha!

Wee Man believes that hats are a personal insult! I'm amazed that he let Rascal keep hers on! His is floating about in the water somewhere *sigh!*

Also loving the excitement of upcoming swaps- have you signed up for the scrap bag swap? There's still time!

Loving thinking of a new blog name for Wee Man. Mr Tartankiwi tells me that its time for a change as Wee Man is definitely not "wee" any more... come to think of it he never really was!

Any suggestions?

So far, possibilities include:

Wriggles - in reference to his heartfelt belief that lying quietly on your back on the change mat is for lightweights!
Scallywag - Rascal and Scallywag has a nice ring don't you think!
Smiler- He is such a happy wee boy, that this would definitely fit well.

And finally loving playing around with ideas for the Modern Sampler Bee. These have been made up with random fabrics from my stash, nobody's particular colours. I'm still not brave enough to practise with "real" fabrics! Slowly getting better, but still no decisions on the final design...

I'm joining in with Paisley Jade as usual on a Friday, why not hop over and see what other people are loving?

Upcycled Denim Pinafore

2012-01-19T07:30:00.000+13:00

Have you ever had that feeling while you are making something that you are either making something AMAZING or a complete dud?

That was how I felt while sewing this dress for Rascal (yes another one, I'm officially addicted!)

You may remember that a while ago I showed you this denim skirt that I had bought from an op-shop (thrift shop) and said that I was going use to make a pinafore for Rascal.

Among the nods of approval there was a word of warning, that if handled incorrectly denim can become a shapeless stiff tent. I will admit that I was a bit scared by this, so I put the skirt aside and didn't dare to touch it.

When I finally decided to tackle it, I took the warning to heart and altered the pattern that I used for this pinafore to make it a bit more fitted. I also used an old denim pinafore of Rascal's as reference for the skirt.

Once it was finished, I couldn't wait to try it on Rascal and see how I'd done.

I had to make a couple of extra alterations, including adding a dart to the back of the bodice (if only it lined up with the seam in the skirt).

I think I'll place a tartankiwi label at the top of the dart to hide the ugly crease.

The dress is not quite finished as I ran out of the thread that I was using for the top stitching and need to buy some more (Grrrrr!).

Rascal's verdict-

She loves her "butterfly dress" and insisted on wearing it to preschool yesterday morning.

My verdict-

Amazing is maybe putting it a bit strongly, but I'm really thrilled with the results of my first sewing upcycling project and I'm extremely grateful to Laura for the warning about denim as without it this could've been a disaster!

On a personal note, I'm really impressed that I successfully managed to make my own alterations to the pattern.

The dress is pretty flattering too and it makes my girl look really tall and slim when she wears it!

This is officially my favourite thing that I have sewn... so far... until next week... or the week after...

Doll's Nappy (Diaper) Tutorial

2012-01-18T10:34:00.000+13:00

Pin It
Something that I am really keen to do this year is to write some tutorials for this blog. As you know, I normally give credit for my makings to some website or other, but every now and then I strike out and create my own pattern.

A while back, when I made a dolls nappy for Rascal, I found several doll's nappy tutorials but they were all for dolls of a specific size. I thought I would write a tutorial with instructions on how to make a nappy tailored to your doll's exact dimensions, because lets face it, not every doll is the same size.

To make a doll's nappy you will need:

A scrap of fabric which will be the outer for the nappy (quilting cotton, flannel or a leftover scrap of fabric that you have used to make some clothes for your daughter would both be great)

A scrap of fabric the same size for the nappy inner (You could use microfleece, flannel, towelling or whatever takes your fancy)

Velcro

Start by measuring your doll
Measurement 1 is the doll's waist- My doll's waist is 11 inches

Measurement 2 is taken between the legs is the height that you want the nappy at the front to the back. For my doll this measurement is 8 inches.

Draw a Template for your Nappy

For the back wings of the nappy use measurement 1- My doll has a waist measurement of 11 inches

For the front wings of the nappy, use 1/2 of measurement 1-For my nappy this is roughly 5.5 inches.

For the height of the nappy use measurement 2- My Doll has a height measurement of 8 inches.

(See diagram for verification)

Halfway down the height comes the narrowest part of the nappy. Remember that most dolls don't have that much room between their legs so you don't want too much bulky fabric there. My nappies are only about 2.5 inches wide between the legs.

Now that you have measured all these points, its a question of joining the dots.

Here is a downloadable version of my template. Feel free to use it or to alter it to fit your particular doll.

Note: I did not add any extra seam allowances this time that I made the nappy, but the previous times I did. Both nappies fit the dolls just fine. I tell you this to illustrate that you don't have to be totally accurate in your measuring! That said, I think I prefer the extra width of the wings which results from adding seam allowances.
All seams in this tutorial are 1/4 inch.

And Now to Sew

Tip: if you are unsure of your measurements don't use your good fabric for your first attempt.

Cut out one piece of outer fabric using your template
Cut out one piece of inner fabric using your template

Place the two pieces right sides together

Sew around the the edges being careful to leave a gap a 2-3 inches wide through which you can turn the nappy right way out.

Clip and notch the edges, being careful not to cut through your seams.

Turn the nappy the right way out and top stitch round the edges

Sew a strip of the loops part of the velcro to the outside of the front wings of the nappy.

Sew a square of the hooks part of the velcro to the inside of both of the back wings of the nappy.

Ta da, your nappy is complete! Stand back and admire your handiwork!

If anything is unclear, please don't hesitate to ask.

If anybody has a go at making one of these, I'd love to hear how you get on.

Good luck!

Pin It

I'm Loving...

2012-01-13T07:30:00.000+13:00

Ummmm yes...

It IS a photo of the floor.
I know, I know... the carpet is not particularly stunning.
It has been hoovered, but could probably be cleaner (hey we have 2 young children, what do you expect!)

So why am I loving it you might ask?

BECAUSE I CAN SEE IT!!!

There are no toys cluttering the place and there haven't been since the beginning of the year. I can walk to the other side of the room without being in danger of impaling myself on a painful piece of duplo or any other equally painful toys.

I finally got sick and tired of all the clutter in our living room and had a major tidy.

I got rid of all those annoying toys which are always out, but never played with (you know the ones, surely).

I bought lots of big plastic boxes (not the prettiest, but these are sturdy and that was my number one priority) and I sorted the toys that we kept.

With the help of photoshop, I made labels for the boxes (pictures and writing so that everyone can understand) and I introduced the rule that only toys from one box can be played with at a time.

So far we are successfully keeping up with the clutter. The small amount that is created is easy to handle and its no effort to stop and put it away. I am also finding that because the floor is clear, hoovering is a quicker easier chore, so the place is cleaner. It really is a win win situation for everyone.

I'll be honest, I don't expect it to last forever, but I'm really really enjoying the feeling that people can come and visit and I wouldn't be ashamed to let them in the door without tidying for at least an hour beforehand!

Sorry for being so tragic and becoming so excited about plastic boxes! I am absolutely not a neat freak, but every now and then clutter levels get to a stage that they annoy even me! It feels great to start the new year with a clear out and an uncluttered living space.

How do you organise your childrens' toys? Do you have a system? Does it work? Did you start the year with a clear out too?

I'm joining in with Paisley Jade. Hop over and see what other people are loving today- hey it can ONLY be more exciting than this post ;-)

Funky Trousers for Rascal

2012-01-12T07:30:00.000+13:00

As I watched Rascal run around in her new blue floral pinafore during our trip to Akaroa, I just could not shake the idea that its fabric would make a great pair of trousers for her!

Luckily there was lots of fabric left so I started work as soon as we got home.

I used this pattern and added pockets using a combination of this technique and this pattern.

I LOVE them (as does Rascal), especially when paired with a nice plain brightly coloured top!

I must admit that I am becoming a bit addicted to that feeling of satisfaction that I get seeing my child wearing clothes that I made! Shame that Rascal and Wee Man's wardrobes are pretty well stocked at the moment, I might just have to move onto making clothes for me or Mr Tartankiwi!

I am also beginning to find clothes shopping a different experience as I look at things and think "I could make that!".

Do you enjoy making clothes for your children? Can you recommend any patterns? What should I try next?

Action photo!

Hop over to Natural Suburbia and see what everybody else has been up to.

Ha Ha, You All Warned me!!!

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000+13:00

Remember back here when I sewed my first quilt block?

You all warned me that it wouldn't be the last block that I sew, and you were right!

I have signed up to do my very first quilting bee. Its pretty exciting really! There are lots of decisions to make-

What fabric to use?

What block to sew?

Do I do something simple that I know I can execute well or do I challenge myself and try something a bit more difficult?

Hmmm, decisions decisions!

One of the best things about the bee is the great group of girls who are taking part:

Cat of Catalina's Cottage
Laura of Give a Hoot
Leonie of Sunshine x 3
Nin of The Wardrobe
Lisa of My Little Creative Wonderland

I can't wait to see what everybody come up with!

Bits and Bobs

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000+13:00

I have already blogged about the majority of the homemade Christmas presents that I handed over this year, but there are a couple that couldn't show you before Christmas and a few that I *ahem* forgot to photograph (oops!).

Here are the presents that I remembered to photograph:

An appliqué rocket t-shirt for a special little boy.

I had such fun making this.

Can you tell?

The front

The back

Zipper pouches for the preschool teachers which were filled with coordinated covered button goodies. These were thrown together at the last minute, but I was really please with how they turned out!

I am really pleased that I managed to make virtually all of our Christmas presents for friends and family this year. I definitely intend to keep on striving to give handmade gifts, especially as they have all been so well received.

Did you give handmade gifts and were they well received?

Doll's Cot Project- the Final Reveal

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000+13:00

It was a bit of a last minute dash, but in the end I managed to finish Rascal's dolls cot in time for Christmas. I will admit that some of the paintwork is not as neat and tidy as I would like because of the rush, but I intend to tidy it up one of these days when Rascal is at preschool.

Mr Tartankiwi still laughs and shakes his head when I rave about how much better it looks now- but what does he know- bah!

The colour is "Ice Lake" Its a really light bluish greenish colour which we used on three of the walls in Rascal's bedroom. Unfortunately the colour doesn't photograph very well.

I love how it looks on the cot and how great the cot looks in her room.

As for Rascal, she is THRILLED. When she unwrapped the cot, she immediately placed her new doll (handmade by our clever friend and imaginatively named "Doll" by Rascal) in there and started rocking her.

Doll and Yo Baby now share the cot. Its a bit of a squeeze, but they don't seem to mind.

No materials were bought specifically for this project. After the initial outlay of $15.50 for the cot, all other materials (fabric, foam, paint sandpaper etc) were ones that we already owned. Not bad eh!?!

Edited to add:
Here's a before photo to remind you what it looked like.

I'm taking part in Creative Friday today.

Challenge 52- (Make a Bed for Rascal's doll)- COMPLETE

A Pinafore for Rascal

2012-01-05T07:30:00.000+13:00

Now that I have conquered my initial fear of making dresses for Rascal, there's no stopping me!

I tried a different style this time, a bit less smart and I LOVE it!

The main fabric was donated by Nin during her fabric destash. The contrast fabric was bought for 40% off in a sale and the buttons are covered buttons that I made. Exact cost of this project unknown, but definitely not expensive!

I love how the details make it look more professional. The double seams (even if they are a bit wonky in places), the cute pocket and the lined bodice.

Will I be making more dresses using this tutorial?- you bet!

I'd love to have a go at the shortalls as well, but I am not sure about them for Rascal and I'd want poppers between the legs for Wee Man - I don't think I've got the skills to make that sort of alterations... yet!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T12:21:00.000+13:00

We had a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year and I hope you all did too!

It is so great to have Mr Tartankiwi at home and to spend quality relaxed family time together, We took full advantage of our time and went on lots of outings, daytrips and picnics.

A definite highlight was that we finally made it to the beautiful Akaroa for a day trip. What a beautiful place and the weather really turned it on for us!

We had a picnic at Halswell Quarry Park and found ourselves wondering why we hadn't been there before. It was great to have a run around and blow the cobwebs away!

We renewed our subscription to Orana Wildlife Park where the lions were on fine roaring form and Wee Man fed the giraffes for the first time.

As well as these outings and daytrips we had fun around our house and garden. The kids had a ball playing in their new sandpit.

We discovered that we have a mummy hedgehogs and 3 babies living in our garden behind the new sandpit- the poor things must be wondering how come their peace and quiet has been so rudely shattered!!

No future in wildlife photography for me, but can you make them all out?

Two of the babies

There has been fruit picking, and lots of it! - raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries from the garden. The first batches of jam have been made and the children have fruit tinted smiles on their faces.

I needed to have a break and take a step back from my blog. At the end of the year I found myself in competition with myself, trying to get more readers, more pageviews, more more more.

I have to admit that I enjoyed my time away from the blog. It has been good for me to stop and take a look, to re-evaluate and to think about the future.

What I discovered was that I missed it!

I missed writing posts.

I also missed you guys, my blogging friends.

That said, I have found a lot more inspiration than I have had of late (this may or may not be due to rather a large amount of time spent on pinterest). The break has been good for my creativity! I have a huge backlog of posts ready and waiting and I can't wait to share them all!

So here I am.

Re-energised.

Excited about the new year.

Brimming with ideas and looking forward to sharing them with you.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T23:10:00.000+13:00

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the night,
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.
The stockings were placed on the sofa with care
In hope that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The excitement reached fever pitch in our house today. Rascal has been proudly announcing that "Santa is coming to MY house".

I personally am looking forward to eating these (fresh from the garden)

and these

Looking forward to enjoying our largely handmade Christmas.

Loving that Rascal is excited about GIVING gifts as well as receiving them. Amazed that she hasn't told Mr Tartankiwi what his secret present is.

I'm going to take a bit of a break from blogging over the festive season. To recharge my batteries and spend time with my family. I will be back in the new year with new ideas and new projects to share.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(I should probably mention that even though Christchurch was hit by yet more severe aftershocks yesterday, we were all together at the time and are doing well. Rascal doesn't seem to be suffering from a relapse back to her problems sleeping and was so distracted helping Dad in the garden that she didn't have time to worry about the "bangs".

My heart goes out to those who were not so fortunate and have upset children, silt in their houses and unreliable power tonight as well as those who lost family members in the February quake. This will be an especially difficult time for them, may they find some peace and comfort this Christmas.)

Footwear and Crochet!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000+13:00

I have really enjoyed checking the letter box over the last few weeks and finding fun little packages from participants in the Kiwi Christmas Ornament Swap 2011.

It would seem that there were two themes running through our groups- Crochet and Footwear.

The footwear included my elf clogs, a jandal and some stocking and hearts bunting which arrived wrapped around its very own vintage Christmas tree.

The crochet included a star, a bauble, a Christmas tree and an angel.

I love the variety of ornaments that is produced in a swap like this but at the same time it makes me smile that these themes emerged.

Thank you Dione for organising a great swap and thank you Paula, Gabrielle, Clare, Abigail and Genevieve for making such beautiful ornaments, they will take pride of place on our tree for years to come.

Mr tartankiwi looked at the Christmas tree the other day and asked if there was anything that wasn't handmade on there.... ummmmm... not much! Just the way I like it!

Gingerbread House

2011-12-21T14:33:00.000+13:00

Please be kind...

This is my first gingerbread house- ever!

It was made with (limited) help from Rascal. The two of us made the dough together. I rolled it, cut it and baked it while she was asleep in bed last night. Then today I donned my builders hat and erected the structure while Rascal was at preschool and then when she got home she helped me put the finishing touches on the decoration.

Next year, I promise that she will get to help me more during the building process, but as this was my first one I didn't want to risk little hands undoing all my good work (I know, mean aren't I!).

I must admit that I was amazed by how little frustration and swearing there was during the whole building process and I have my oldest and dearest friend Marianne to thank for that. Marianne is a gingerbread house maker extraordinaire and was kind enough to share some of her wisdom with me.

The best tip that she gave me? Use mugs to support the walls as you are building. Mug handles are perfect for providing something to lean but there is no risk of sticking them to your structure!

Snake Birthday Cake

2011-12-20T14:09:00.000+13:00

I was "pinspired!"

I saw this caterpillar cake, loved it and decided to make it for Wee Man's
first birthday cake.

Halfway through the decorating process however it somehow morphed into a snake.

It tasted good, Wee Man loved it (and scoffed it down in no time flat!) and it was pretty easy to make. I'll do something fancier and more relevant for his second birthday... probably...

(For the uninitiated, pinterest is a website where you can collect and organise pictorial bookmarks. Not only that, but you can browse other users boards and see what they are interested in. If you are not careful it can become a real time waster, but it can also be lots of fun!)

A Christmas Dress for Yo Baby too!

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000+13:00

Question: What's the best thing about making dresses for your little girl?

Answer: It leads to scraps of fabric.

And what do you do with those scraps?

Why... Make a matching dress for her doll, of course!

I can't wait to see Rascal's face when she finds this little dress in her stocking on Christmas day! If I've got the time, I think this doll's dress might need a matching nappy and a pretty white peasant blouse.

I'm sharing on Creative Friday today.

What I made...the Santa Sack Swap

2011-12-16T16:30:00.000+13:00

I won't bore you ALL with the details of what I made for Cat's santa sack (you've seen some of them already- hee hee!), but I thought I'd share a couple of the things that I am most proud of.

Firstly, there is the sack itself. Cat loves pink and apple green and red. She loves shabby chic floral fabric and I checked, she loves these thing at Christmas time too! Now traditionally I am not a particularly pink and girly kind of a gal (I lived in purple combat trousers and DM boots for most of my twenties), so initially I was a bit stumped as to what to make for Cat, but after buying a set of Tanya Whelan fabrics and embracing my inner girlie, the inspiration began to flow.

Here is the sack that I made for her. The elf embroideries were done using
this free pattern.- I love how they turned out!

I sent her a few of the embroidered napkins that I blogged about a wee while ago, and made a table runner to match. Again, I used an embroidery pattern from this flickr group. Although I loved the embroidery, I had the feeling that something was missing, so when I saw this table runner and tutorial, I knew that a few Christmas trees as a border were called for.

One minute I'm really really proud of the runner, the next minute I have the feeling that it needs something else, but I was petrified that I'd spoil it by adding too much. (I was also scared that I'd discover that Cat has a round table. Thank goodness she doesn't!)

If you're curious about the other things in the sack, pop over to Catalina's Cottage and have a look for yourself!

Just quietly, the whole pink, flowery, shabby chic thing is beginning to grow on me, but if you say that out loud I'll deny it, okay!?

I'm joining in Creative Friday today.

Santa Sack Swap

2011-12-16T07:30:00.000+13:00

When I signed up for the Santa Sack Swap, I knew that I would receive a sack full of goodies.

What I didn't realise was that I would also receive the gifts of friendship and love - by the sack load! My partner was Cat from Catalina's Cottage.

As a Mum, I find that I often know the contents of virtually every parcel under the tree, so it was exciting to have a pile of presents of which the contents were a complete mystery.

I couldn't wait to FINALLY be allowed to open them (the majority of these present were handed over way back in mid June when Cat came down to Christchurch, so its been a loooong wait).

Inside, I found lots and lots of gorgeous goodies-

... and a beautiful apron made with Tilda fabric. I WISH I had taken a photo of it to share with you all.

The presents weren't all made by Cat. Look what Cat's talented husband Mr B made for me- a Beautiful egg holder. The wood is SOOOO smooth and tactile!

Cat even taught herself to knit and made all these beautiful tree decorations. She was about to burst with pride and was DESPERATE to blog about them, so I am very proud that I am the one who gets to share these little beauties with you for the very first time!

So many beautiful gifts from a beautiful woman.
Thank you so much my good friend Cat.

Sorry but these photos just don't do justice to all the gorgeous presents. I was having a bit of a camera/ computer nightmare tonight and these are the best I could manage!

A Dress for Christmas

2011-12-13T21:19:00.001+13:00

I have mentioned a few times that Mr Tartankiwi has developed a great faith in my sewing ability, but its only fair to say that he's not the only one encouraging me.

Laura, Miriam and Nin all keep telling me that sewing clothes is easier than I think and that I should give it a go, so this morning I sat down with a piece of fabric (that I bought about 2 years ago with the intention of making a dress for Rascal), my laptop with this tutorial open and my sewing supplies on hand.

It was not completely plain sailing. My first attempt at a bodice was too small (I need to remember that even if the width measurements for the 1 year old child that the tutorial was written for and my 3 year old are the same, the height measurements certainly are not!- duh!)

Fortunately I had plenty of fabric.

With a second bodice made, I was sailing along pretty well and I must've got a bit cocky as I forgot to check how it all looked once I had attached the skirt. I confidently zigzagged the edges to neatly finish them only to discover - yes- you guessed it, the bodice was inside out... time to unpick... lots...

Mistake corrected, I reckon that it doesn't look bad for a first attempt at dressmaking.

I am very proud of the button holes (even though one is slightly bigger than the other!) I was amazed by how easy they are to make with the correct foot on the machine!

I would hate to leave you with the impression that this dress is perfect. The skirt gathering is a bit uneven- next time I'll have to try Nin's gathering method! It is a definite squeeze for Rascal to get it on over her head, but once on, the fit is not bad.

All in all, not bad for a first effort me thinks! Nice festive colours for Christmas Day- I've just got to decide if I am brave enough to let her wear it to her preschool Christmas party/ concert tomorrow!

Sorry for the lack of pictures of Rascal wearing the dress. She was in bed when it was finally finished and I just KNOW that I am going to forget to take photos tomorrow morning!

Challenge #12 (make a toddler dress)- COMPLETE

Christmas Pyjamas

2011-12-08T13:19:00.000+13:00

We're going to start a new Christmas tradition this year and I've been busy sewing for it!

Last year, I came across the ideas of Christmas pyjamas. A pair of child's pyjamas that are wrapped up under the tree and handed over on Christmas Eve.

It seemed like such a great idea, I could just see our little family sitting round the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, perhaps eating some yummy snacks with the children in their pyjamas while we read Christmas stories and sing Christmas carols.

These are the pyjamas that I made for Rascal. The pyjama shorts were based on a largish pair of shorts that Rascal owns. The t-shirt was $4 from K-mart and I have added a few random appliqué butterflies.

Quick, pretty and very very easy... I might have to make some more!

More Creative Spaces over here.

~~Challenge #54 (Sew a set of Summer pyjamas from Rascal)- COMPLETE~~

A Thank you and some Winners

2011-12-04T20:52:00.000+13:00

This posts marks the end of my mini series of pre-Christmas giveaways.

I would like to say a HUGE thank you to 4MyEarthNZ, Cloud Nine and Stickytiki for generously agreeing to be part of it.

This has been a whole new and exciting blogging adventure for me and I hope you have all enjoyed it. I chose brands which I knew (either through personal experience or through reputation) to be excellent. Brands that I would be happy to represent. Would you like me to share other similar brands in the future? Have you enjoyed this?

But before I waffle on any further, here is the bit that you have all been waiting for. The winners are:

Lady Muck of the Mucky Macbook

Rowantree Design

Lisa R.

Winners, you have a week to contact me. If I have not heard from you within that time, a new winner will be chosen.

Salt Dough Ornaments - Part 1

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000+13:00

One of the challenges that I intended to do this time last year but didn't get around to was making salt dough ornaments with Rascal. I am glad to report that today was FINALLY the day!

I love crafting with Rascal and must admit that I don't do it nearly often enough.

We made two batches of dough- one natural colour and one red (well actually it turned out more pink!). For each batch I used:

1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup flour (I had to add extra flour)
1/2 cup lukewarm water (if you are going to add food colouring then add it to the water before mixing everything together)

Mix together and kneed for 5 minutes (the longer you kneed, the smoother your dough).

I love how when you craft with little ones, some days they share your vision of the finished article and other days they decide that your way is boring and there really is a more creative way to proceed.

Todays crafting effort fell into the latter category as Rascal was quite adament that she was making "carrots"(!?!) I'm not sure if they are supposed to hang on the tree, but here they are:

Laughing that she was also insistent that pigs and butterflies are essential Christmas tree decorations!?!

Our ornaments were baked in the oven at a temperature of 200C. I cooked the first batch for 45 mins and some unfortunately became pretty brown. The second batch were only cooked for about 20mins. I reckon we'll let them dry in the sun for a few days before attempting painting or varnish.

The less successful ones- Hopefully a few of these can be saved with a lick of paint

We'll be back when they are completely finished. I reckon that some look quiet promising so far, what do you think?

Challenge #6- (With help from Rascal make dough Christmas tree decorations for our tree)- WORK IN PROGRESS

As I so often do, I'm joining with Paisley Jade and all her life loving friends and also the crafty people celebrating Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

Last calls for the Stickytiki giveaway (it closes Sunday)

Experimenting...

2011-12-01T12:09:00.001+13:00

I've been having a bit of a play recently, trying to make flex-frame purses.

For my first attempt, I followed an internet tutorial. It was easy to follow, but I wasn't that pleased with the results. I abandoned it without taking a photo.

I then spent many hours scratching my head and trying to work out how to do it better. Attempt 2 was better but still had a long way to go... still not worthy of a photo.

Here is attempt 3:

I am pleased with the technique, but not with the finish (its a bit squint and off centre in places).

My next one will be better as I learn from my mistakes! I am really looking forward to trying different fabrics and shapes now that I have worked out the basic technique.

Hmmm maybe I should try writing my first sewing tutorial, what do you think?

Why not hop over here and see all the amazing things that other creative crafty people have been making?!

And need I remind you that there is still time to enter my stickytiki giveaway if you haven't entered already?

A Wee Announcement

2011-11-29T23:36:00.001+13:00

Just to let you all know that I now own a license to sell buttercup bags.

I still intend on opening a wee shop on Felt (once I get my head around how to link in my Paypal account) but in the meantime, if anybody is interested in any of the following bags, just email me at tartankiwi.blog(at)gmail.com.

Buttercup bags are perfect for those times that you rush out and don't want to carry the kitchen sink (rough dimensions are 28cm x 18 cm). They fit a wallet, keys, phone and possibly a pair of shades.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

$25 each plus postage

$25 plus postage- only one available

Oh and there's still time to enter my stickytiki giveaway.

Progress Report- Doll's Cot

2011-11-28T14:54:00.001+13:00

Remember this?

Ummm yes, it HAS been a while hasn't it!?

Spurred on by the fact that Christmas is getting ever closer, I finally have some progress to share. The woodwork is cleaned and partly sanded but most importantly the cot has a mattress.

In the spirit of all things Tartankiwi, it is bright and cheerful, not tasteful and coordinated! You may recogise the fabric from the crayon rolls that I made a while back. It was once a cot duvet cover, so I reckon that this is a pretty appropriate use of the fabric. The foam for the mattress originates from an ancient portacot. I would NEVER let any child of mine sleep on this particular scuzzy bit of foam, but its perfect this purpose.

And just to prove that the quilt and the pillow that I made earlier fit, just take a look at this!

Now to decide what colour to the wood (this may well be determined by the available half used paint tins in the attic). I really am trying to keep the costs down on this project - can you tell?

I can't wait to start painting and get rid of that dirty dusky pink colour.

Wish me luck!

Don't forget there's still plenty of time to enter my stickytiki giveaway and its open worldwide.

Stickytiki {and a giveaway}

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000+13:00

*** GIVEAWAY CLOSED ***

In these post-earthquake days, I guess I am not the only Canterbury Mum who is careful what I hang on the wall and where I place it. Especially when it comes to my childrens' rooms.

There are no heavy framed pictures, mirrors or shelves above the beds.

In short, nothing that can fall and hurt my children.
As such, wall stickers have become all the more attractive.

That said, I have a daughter who loves to unpeel things. Seriously, nothing is safe from those little fingers! I need something that will not rip and will restick to the wall if taken off.

Stickytiki wall stickers fit the bill.

The beautiful designs are painted by the talented Kim Hands and they are then printed onto good quality fabric. They won't rip, wrinkle or damage your walls and can be repositioned many many times.

A part of the Stickytiki range that is especially close to my heart is the StickyTiny range. These came into being after the Christchurch Earthquake when the Stickytiki team wanted to do something to help the children of Christchurch. They produced these reduced size versions of their stickers and gave them away to children in Canterbury. StickyTinys received such a positive reaction that they were then added to the range.

A selection of StickyTinys

Stickytiki have kindly offered 3 Tartankiwi readers the chance to each win a StickyTiny of their choice.

To be in to win, tell me your favourite Stickytiny design, or where you would put your stickytiny or just say hello

For an extra entry like Stickytiki on Facebook and leave a comment to tell me

This giveaway is open to everybody no matter where you live.
Entries close at 5:00pm (NZ time) on 4 December
A winner will be chosen at random shortly afterwards
I will make every effort to contact the winners, but if I do not hear back from them within 7 days, a new winner will be chosen.

Cloud Nine Winner

2011-11-27T19:16:00.001+13:00

Congratulations to Widge, the winner of an AWESOME Love Christchurch pendant.

The winning comment was:

At least some good came out of your return to facebook!

To those who didn't win please support Lee and her work.

Also come back tomorrow when I have a chance for three of you to win a prize from another of my favourite New Zealand companies.

Totara= Respect

2011-11-25T07:30:00.000+13:00

One of the things that I love about living in a country different to the one that I grew up in is that it exposes me to different cultures and the accompanying traditions and beliefs.

Before Wee Man's birth when the midwife asked us what we wanted to do with the placenta, our initial reaction was that we didn't want to keep it. However, the midwife pointed out that there is a scheme by which you can buy a native tree and plant it with the placenta in designated areas of Victoria Park in the Port Hills Reserve. Mr Tartankiwi and I discussed it and decided that we liked the idea.

What a great spot eh!?!

This weekend we FINALLY got round to planting Wee Man's tree. There was a choice of two different trees: Totara, Kowhai.

We chose Totara.

According to Maori belief, the Totara symbolises Respect. The story goes that Rata cut down a Totara tree to build a Waka (canoe) without asking the forest for permission. Over night the birds and creatures of the forest rebuilt the tree until Rata realised he had to ask for permission to cut down the tree and respect the forest.
source

Not the best photo, but can you make out Wee Man's tree?

I love that Wee Man now has his own special tree, I love that it symbolises Respect and I look forward to many a special family trip there as we watch the tree and our Wee Man grow big and strong.

Now that its there, I honestly can't think of a better place for the placenta to be.

Hop over to Paisley Jade and see what everybody else is loving today

Have you entered my giveaway for a Love Christchurch Pendant- Its open worldwide and there's still time to enter!

(Not So) Secret Santa -Part 3

2011-11-24T07:30:00.000+13:00

So as I mentioned, Friday night was a swap night. Each person was assigned a person to make, bake or op-shop a gift for. The gift was to cost no more than $10. Nobody knew who was making their gift, and there were spot prizes for those who could guess who had provided their gift.

As such, it was up to each individual to decide whether to make it an easy guess for their recipient or make something completely out of character just to confuse.

In the end, I thought I was making it fairly easy for my swap partner and made something with a couple of clues as to the maker.

I made a gift for Kirsty. Here is what I came up with:

It's a jewellery roll, complete with two zip pockets (trusty green op-shop zips of course to keep costs down); a ring holder and two other small pockets. Inside one of the pockets was a covered button brooch and a beaded bracelet (sorry forgot to take photos of them!)

I must admit to being pretty chuffed that Kirsty guessed that Nin made it... My sewing can't have been that bad!

Curious what other people received and gave?- Go here and here and here and here.

Thanks to all the Christchurch bloggers who came along and made it into such a great evening (and those who were there in spirit if not in body- we missed you Widge!).

For more creative spaces go here

Have you entered my giveaway for a Love Christchurch Pendant- Its open worldwide and there's still time to enter!

Christmas Wrapping paper

2011-11-23T07:30:00.000+13:00

Some of you may remember that last year Rascal and I made Christmas wrapping paper by potato printing on brown wrapping paper. This year I decided to do something similar to wrap various presents for swaps.

I used a cookie cutter to create a regular star shape and then cut out a few extra details.

I kept it simple and just used red paint.

I was really pleased with the finished result, and made some gift tags to match. I used black pen to add a little bit of detail to the gift tags.

And there you go, cheap simple and pretty!

(Not So) Secret Santa- Part 2

2011-11-22T07:30:00.000+13:00

I LOVE the gifts that I received in the Secret Santa Swap. Just look what Nin made for me:

A gorgeous pair of slippers which are not only made of beautiful fabric, but are super comfortable to wear.

And a Peg Pinny. Again, I just love the fabric that Nin chose and the stitching is just divine. I am going to smile every time that I use this!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Nin, You're a Star!!!

Have you entered my giveaway for a Love Christchurch Pendant- Its open worldwide!

Cloud Nine {and a giveaway}

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000+13:00

*** GIVEAWAY CLOSED ***

Have you discovered Cloud Nine Jewellery by Lee Sinclair?

If not, you're missing out on a treat. Just look at the beautiful jewellery that she makes.

If jewellery is not your thing, how about one of her gorgeous prints?

My favourite of Lee's pieces in the Love Christchurch pendant.

It was designed as a symbol of solidarity and as a way of helping out in the wake of the February 22nd earthquake. 20% of the proceeds are donated to the Red Cross.

Every detail of the design has been carefully thought through. Here is Lee's description of the design:

In the colours of Canterbury, red one side and black the other it symbolises a city that has been broken yet slowly and surely will be put back together, to become one again. The heart image sits on the distinctive Cloud Nine illustrated background and reflects all of the lives that have been forever changed and how the heart of the city can never be destroyed. To embellish the images I have added a bright red bead which sits daintily above the pendant. Finally, the text, ‘Remembering’ and ‘Christchurch Quake 22.2.2011’ is written around the edge of the image.

Lee has kindly agreed to give a Love Christchurch Pendant to a lucky Tartankiwi reader.

To be in to win leave me a comment saying your favourite Cloud Nine item OR tell me who you would give the necklace to OR just say hello

For an extra entry, follow Tartankiwi and let me know in a comment
For another entry like Cloud Nine on Facebook and let me know in a comment

This giveaway is open to everyone wherever you live!

Entries close at 5pm on Sunday 27th November

A winner will be drawn at random shortly afterwards.

The winner has one week to contact me, if they do not, a new winner will be drawn.

4MyEarth Winner

2011-11-20T18:22:00.000+13:00

Thank you to everyone who entered the 4MyEarth giveaway.

The winner is:

Ange of Tall, Short and Tiny

CONGRATULATIONS!

For those of you who didn't win, Marcia runs regular giveaways on facebook, so you can always try again.

There are more giveaways in the pipeline here on Tartankiwi. Come back tomorrow for a super exciting one!!!

(Not so) Secret Santa - Part 1

2011-11-19T17:19:00.000+13:00

Question: What do you get when you combine:

10 Christchurch bloggers
no more than $10 spent on a gift for your swap partner (gifts could be made, baked or op-shopped)
A delicious array of Miriam's baking
Spot prizes
Lots of laughter

Answer: A swap with a difference and a GREAT night!

Last night a bunch of Christchurch bloggers got together for a Secret Santa evening. (Yes, I know its a bit early for Christmas evenings, but as the majority of us are mothers, we wanted to hold this before the silly season gets into full swing.)

Along the lines of traditional secret santa, everybody was assigned a person for whom they had to provide a gift. The difference came when after the gifts had been handed out, we had to guess who had provided our gifts.

There was lots of fun to be had guessing. Spot prizes were handed out and there may have been a few arguments as to who received the BEST gift... it was me by the way!

So many beautiful and well thought out gifts.

Come back over the next few days and I'll tell you what I made and what I received.

Elf Clogs

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000+13:00

I'll admit it...

By the time that I was halfway through making these Elf Clogs, I wished I was like the shoemaker in the Brothers Grimm fairytale with secret little helpers to stitch my shoes in the middle of the night.

I did trying going to sleep with them cut out, but nothing happened, they looked exactly the same when I woke up!

By making pairs of shoes, I guess that I doubled my workload, but I reckon it was worth it.

They were made using this pattern, but I altered the size.

I embroidered the sole and added a cute lining fabric.

They make pretty cute Christmas ornaments don't you think!?

Have you entered my giveaway? If not, there's still time so go here

For more Creative Spaces go here

How gorgeous is this???

2011-11-16T00:06:00.001+13:00

Look what arrived in the post yesterday...

Meet Fergal the Frog (Rascal's new best friend)

I've been seeing Mug Rugs springing up all over the place in the blogosphere and now I have one too! Isn't it great (the sewing is so much better than mine!)

But wait, there's more... how gorgeous is this Tilda Charm Pack?!?

Thank you so much Elisabeth!

I am going to get my thinking cap on and think of the perfect project to do justice to this beautiful fabric. Any suggestions anybody?

Soooo much crafting going on here, but not much that I can share with you... yet!

In the meantime, have you entered my giveaway? There's still time!

4MyEarthNZ {and a giveaway}

2011-11-14T07:24:00.008+13:00

***This Giveaway is CLOSED***

I am really excited to introduce you all to Marcia of 4MyEarthNZ, a New Zealand owned and operated company which produces wonderful eco friendly reusable food wraps. I have been using these in Rascal’s lunchbox for the last year and really love them, so I asked Marcia if she would tell you all a bit about her products.

* What motivated you to start up 4MyEarthNZ?

In 2009 when looking for eco friendly ways to wrap my daughters lunch for Montessori with minimal impact to our environment, I came across this concept and after getting a sample decided this was it.

It really annoys me to see bits of plastic blowing around schools and parks. I have never used plastic wrap and found reusable containers to be cumbersome and too bulky– I knew friends would be keen, but this has grown into so much more and now I send all over NZ and beyond!

* What are the advantages of using reusable food wrapping?

The product is perfect for anyone wanting to have an Eco lunch, easy for the children to manage and has less impact on the environment- plus you will keep the school and childcare centre happy with so many heavily promoting zero waste.

Good Planets are hard to find... at 4MyEarth® we have worked out a rough guide as to how much a child would use in plastic wrap based on a sandwich, muffin and nuts/sultanas in their lunch bag each day for a year. We worked it out to be 105 meters of plastic wrap that would be dumped into our ever increasing landfill. Times this by a small school of 450 students and it comes to a massive 47'250 meters per year. Let your food be nude!

* What are your products made from?

Fabric polyester with food grade FDA approved coating that after its useful life can compost down in the right environment. Our logos are organic ink.

Our unique and environmentally friendly coating that is free of PVC, Vinyl, PUL, EVA, Phthalate and preservatives 320 & 321, (found on commonly used plastic wrap) keeps food fresh, is non-toxic, breathable and conforms to FDA standards. The coating itself is heavy metal free and naturally decomposes without harm to the environment, unlike PUL which is not biodegradable.

4MyEarth® Fabrics that we use for our wraps and pockets are manufactured under strict conditions to ensure that there are no harmful substances present while been manufactured and at the same time being conscious of our environment.

* What makes your products special?

The whole family love them – not just the kids – I sell to trampers, boaties, hunters, mums and dads, builders, office workers and of course the kids want to use them!

They are funky and we use a fabric which, after much research, is far superior to what you find at your local fabric shop. Not only that, but they are ethically produced in India and WILL keep your sammies etc fresh!

* Could I not just make something like this for myself?

People do but I am always told they find that other fabrics dry out their sandwiches they are not comfortable with the other fabrics being food safe (note the fabric is not sourced in NZ)– or why bother when we have done all the hard work for them!

* Are they easy to clean?

Sure– they have to be otherwise we might not bother, right?

Hand wash with warm soap water and air dry, wash in the washing machine in a delicate bag. Is it just a few crumbs, shake them off and reuse!

* And now for the fun bit...

Marcia has kindly offered to give a sandwich pocket and snack pocket in the new Red Earth design OR a Red Earth sandwich wrap and a snack wrap in a design of the winners choice) to a lucky Tartankiwi reader.

To be in the draw, leave a comment saying what your favourite 4MyEarth product is.

For one extra entry, follow Tartankiwi visibly using Google Friend Connect OR like Tartankiwi on facebook
For another extra entry like 4MyEarthNZ on facebook
Let me know if you share this on facebook or your blog and I'll give you an extra entry

Leave a separate comment for each entry
(if you prefer, you are welcome to email your entry to craft.and.nappies(at)gmail.com)

Sorry, this giveaway is only open to those with a New Zealand address.

Giveaway closes on Sunday 20th November at 5:00pm

A winner will be randomly chosen shortly afterwards

I'm Loving...

2011-11-11T07:24:00.036+13:00

Its been a funny old week, tough at times, but very rewarding at others.

Mr Tartankiwi is away at a conference in the Philippines so there are just me and two littlies in the house.

Its been Rascal's first week at a new preschool. I'm loving that it is really close with no major roads to cross on the way. Each morning I put Wee Man in the buggy and let Rascal loose on her balance bike.No dramas at the end of the day when its time to come home as she knows that her bike is waiting and excitedly runs to get her helmet on.

So proud of how quickly and easily Rascal has adapted to her new surroundings and the excitement that she has when she realises that its a preschool day. On the way home from her first day at preschool she was DETERMINED that she was going back the very next day (she wasn't but it was good to hear her so excited!)

Grateful for my wonderful friend Miriam who responded to my plea for adult time to save my sanity and arranged bloggy coffee. Its always so much fun meeting up with these girls and I love the fact that new faces join us each time we meet.

Not only that, but Miriam invited Rascal, Wee Man and I to tag along on their family trip to the A&P show.

Rascal with her boyfriends- Aren't they cute together!

I LOVED seeing the look of excitement when Rascal discovered that she was going to see Miriam's boys Flip and Bounce. She made me laugh by insisting that she had to wear her "pretty top to show Flip".

So cool to watch our children playing happily together. Love how Miriam's boys (big and small) looked after my little girl. Love that when they were playing on the bouncy castle an older boy (who we didn't know) carried Rascal to the top of the slide and happily watched on as she slid down.

So much fun petting the animals; checking out the various stalls; sitting on tractors; watching the sheep shearing and the sheep dog trials.

Had to laugh at the uses that modern technology are put to... fancy some virtual sheep shearing anybody?

Just look at the concentration!

I'm joining with Paisley Jade as usual. Hop on over and see what other people are loving.

Towelling Robe

2011-11-10T07:30:00.001+13:00

When Rascal was about one year old we were given a towelling robe for her. It was FAR too big, but she would wear it when she got out of the bath each night (she still does!). It has been great and we decided that we wanted one for Wee Man too. The only thing is that it is an international brand and I don't think that the fabric quality or workmanship reflect the cost of importing one of these robes.

Mr Tartankiwi (with his infinite faith in my sewing skills) had a solution. "Why don't you make one?"

I used Rascal's robe as a template and this is what I came up with.

I did my best to make the seams as neat as possible, but as I don't have an overlocker, they could definitely be neater.

My favourite detail is the animals on the pocket thanks to some fun fabric from Sew Pretty.

I reckon Wee Man will look pretty cute in it and it will definitely get lots of wear.

You know you're onto a winner when...

2011-11-09T14:45:00.000+13:00

... You make a top with fabric specially picked out by Rascal when the generous and uber-talented Nin had a fabric de-stash. (I must admit that I only took it to keep Rascal happy, but what can I say, the girl's got taste! It makes a great looking top- Don't you think?!) Thanks Nin!!!

... You put the almost finished top on Rascal to check the fit... and she REFUSES to take it off. (I just hope that the safety pins hold the elastic until I get it off her tonight!)

Thanks Ms Toothfairy for pointing me in the direction of this tutorial!

Now that I've tried the pattern out, I have plans for more. They come together so quickly and look great!

For more creative spaces go here

I'm Loving...

2011-11-04T13:19:00.000+13:00

The ease with which our big three year old took to her new balance bike. Walking to the park these days, I follow a streak of green and pink (never one to be coordinated I reckon that the pink flowery helmet counterbalances the perhaps slightly boyish green moto-X style bike!)

Naturally on the cautious side with new activities, Rascal hopped straight on her new balance bike and has hardly hopped off it since!

For anyone who hasn't seen one of these before, a balance bike is just like a normal bike, but it doesn't have any pedals. It teaches children the balance skills that they need to use a traditional bike without having to worry about pedals. From everything that I have heard, this makes the transition to a big bike pretty painless.

Admittedly Rascal does have a little friend who owns a balance bike, but as far as I am aware, Rascal had only looked on from afar and had not dared to give it a go.

Very proud that within a few short hours of owning her new bike, Rascal was scooting down a grassy embankment with both her feet off the ground and a huge grin on her face. Not only that, but she was not put off by the couple of tumbles that she had, she just jumped back on her bike and headed off again.

Please excuse the slightly blurred action photo!

If you are looking for a gift for a 3 year old, I cannot recommend these enough!

Joining in with Paisley Jade. Please hop over and see what other people are loving today.

How to Make a Teapot Birthday Cake

2011-11-03T14:42:00.001+13:00

Following all your kind comments about my teapot birthday cake, I thought I'd write a quick "How To", just to prove how easy it was to make.

I am not going to make another cake, and didn't have the foresight to take pictures as I went along, so I hope you can follow my instructions (if not, just get in touch and I'll do my best to clarify!).

You will need:
Ingredients for two cakes of the same size
A Pyrex bowl (mine had a rim diameter of c.20cm)
Pettinice (a block of shop bought white icing)
Butter Icing- Lots
Cocktails sticks
Cake decorations

I used a traditional Victoria Sponge recipe to make my cake, but you could easily use another type of cake.

My reason for choosing a Victoria Sponge, was that I knew that it was easy to alter the quantities if necessary (I know this from the good old days of using imperial measurements- 6oz butter, 6oz sugar, 6oz SR Flour and 3 eggs makes an average size cake. For a small size cake 4oz, 4oz, 4oz and 2 eggs etc...)

You will need two cakes of the same size. I made one and then the other as I was unsure of my cake tin and cooking times. I didn't want to ruin two cakes in one go (also I only had one pyrex bowl of that size!). If you are braver than me feel free to make both cakes at the same times.

The following quantities are for ONE of these cakes!

150g or 2/3 cup butter
150g or 2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
150g or 2/3 cup SR Flour

Preheat oven to 180 C
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
SLOWLY add the beaten eggs (add a little flour as you go along to stop the mixture from curdling)
Gently fold in the flour
Grease and flour a pyrex bowl (mine has a rim diameter of approx 20cm). This is the container that your cake will bake in.
Keep an eye on the mixture when its in the oven as cooking time may vary. Mine needed about an hour to cook. This was longer than a traditional Springform cake to bake.
To avoid the top becoming crunchy and black, I placed a sheet of greaseproof paper over the top of the bowl

My "cake tin"!

Showing the 3 cocktail sticks used to attach the spout to the cake

Make LOTS of butter icing (any left over can be used to ice cupcakes!) and cover the body of the cake. Use a wet pallet knife to get the icing as smooth as possible
Make a lid for your teapot using more of the pettinice.

Um yes, giant marshmallows can be handy!

Attach the handle and spout. (The spout was the tricky bit and I will admit that mine ended up resting on a marshmallow to keep it in place!)
Decorate with pebbles (sorry to me they will always be smarties), icing pens, piping or whatever else that you want

VOILA! You have a beautiful teapot cake. Place in front of a little girl and see the smile spread across her face!

Its really not that difficult!

Good luck making one. If you do give it a try, I'd love to see the results!For more crafty makings go here

I MADE IT!!!!

2011-10-31T14:01:00.000+13:00

One month... 31 days... 31 blog posts

I survived Blogtoberfest!

Not only that, but I didn't scare off all my followers in the process!!!

Its been quite a month:

I have celebrated one year of blogging
I made it to over 100 lovely blog followers (thank you)
I hosted a little giveaway
I had a great time visiting blogs that I otherwise wouldn't have found
I have developed an even greater respect for those bloggers who churn out quality content day in day out.

Thank you for joining me (and for sticking around!)

If you are tempted to join in Blogtoberfest in the future, here is my survival advice:

Write as many posts as you can in advance. There are always days that you don't feel like blogging, or life just gets in the way so a bit of organisations really really helps.
Scheduler is your friend :-)
I found that having projects that I could split up over a few days was a good way to go. For example, Rascal's highland dancer costume could have been written as one large post, but I think that it broke down quite nicely into a series of shorter posts.
Bear in mind that you are hijacking peoples reading list with extra content and it is more than likely that other people are doing the same thing. Be considerate and don't write massive essays every day!
(This is a biggie!) - STAY TRUE TO YOUR BLOG! You will probably have extra blog traffic as a result of the extra posts. Post about things that you think represent your blog and would interest your blog readers. Posting for the sake of it will more likely scare followers away than attract them!

I hope that you think that I followed my own advice. I really tried to write posts that were worth reading and I think I succeeded (with a couple of possible exceptions).

I may have a bit of a blogging break this week. I guess it depends what crafting I get the chance to do. Anyway, thanks again for joining me during a fun month.

Right... I'm off to blow up balloons with my daughter and then let them go so that they fly around the room... If you hear lots of laughter it'll be coming from our house!

Birthday Party Musings

2011-10-30T20:28:00.000+13:00

There are some breathtaking photos out there in blogland of the AMAZING coordinated parties that people lay on for their children's first birthdays and other toddler parties. Talented mothers with the time, money and motivation to create amazing themed parties with mouth watering dessert tables where every detail is considered. (I don't want to link directly to any of these parties, but I'm sure you could easily find some if you are curious).

While these make for great blog posts, seeing them often leaves me with a few question marks:

Are these parties for the parents or the children?

Are the children actually allowed to enjoy themselves at these pristine events?

Do these parties exist in the real world?

And... am I expected to produce something similar for my children?

I'll be honest and admit that I stopped following several blogs which continually post about these kinds of parties as I find it a bit intimidating.

We had a small party for Rascal today. Just us, three of her friends and their mothers. The children played in the garden. The mums sat and chatted in the garden watching the hilarity. It was a fun, relaxed event which wasn't spoiled for us by worrying about preparation or cleaning up afterwards.

Considering the teapot birthday cake, I probably should have made an effort to turn it into more of a tea party, but would this have made it any more or less enjoyable for the 2 and 3 year old children? Why add stress to the occasion?

The children went home with a piece of cake and a balloon. Happy.
No expectations of anything else.

To me, the most important thing with a birthday party is to have fun...

... We all did...

Mission Accomplished :-)

What are your ideas on children's parties?

I needn't have worried, the cake was YUM!

P.S. Just for the record I wish that I was talented enough to create a beautiful and fun looking party like this one! How awesome is it?!?

Teapot Birthday Cake

2011-10-29T16:07:00.000+13:00

Look what's been keeping me out of mischief!

We have a 3rd birthday here pretty soon and a little girl who loves tea parties, so a teapot birthday cake seemed like a great idea!

If I'm honest, I fear that it may look better than it tastes as for some reason I opted to make a victoria sponge instead of my standard chocolate cake or yoghurt cake.

I amazed myself by not curdling the mixtures at all, but I'm not sure how well the cake stood up to the fact that I had to open the oven door a few times to check the cooking time (this was unknown due to the fact that I baked the cakes in a pyrex bowl and then stacked them on top of each other)

Lets hope Rascal likes it, that's the most important thing isn't it!

EDITED TO ADD: If you are curious how I made this, you can find a rough guide here

And the Winner is...

2011-10-28T13:00:00.002+13:00

It was Wee Man's turn to help me out with todays draw.

I'll be honest, he wasn't quite as serious about his duties as big sister normally is! There may or may not have been some attempts to eat the paper and its possible that all the paper was emptied onto the floor with a relish!

After lots of laughter he finally understood what I wanted and pulled two names.

Congratulations to Remaliah the winner of the Buttercup Bag.

and Hootnz, winner of the spot prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered for all your kind comments. I had lots of fun doing this... I may have to arrange another giveaway one of these days...

A New Camera Case

2011-10-27T07:35:00.001+13:00

It makes me laugh that hubby is now beginning to take my sewing for granted. (After all, it was only March this year that I got my sewing machine out and started to use it regularly!) He has such faith in my ability that he keeps on suggesting things for me to make.

When we recently purchased a wee point and click camera he immediately asked if I could make a case for it. Here's what I came up with:

It was loosely based on this tutorial, but I took quite a few liberties.

The outer fabric has stiff interfacing. The inner fabric is machine quilted with two (thinnish) layers of batting. I was going to use press studs for closure, but changed my mind at the last moment so had to hand sew the velcro after the whole thing was sewn together... not a good idea!

The bit that I like the best (apart from the reindeer) is the pocket that I added to the back, just big enough to carry extra batteries and a memory card. The pocket was made by adapting this tutorial (thanks Fay for pointing me in the right direction)

The case was a bit fiddly to sew in places but all in all it came together well. Hubby is really pleased with the result and when offered the case for our old camera instead, he refused it saying that it wasn't as cool!- Its so good to be appreciated!

I will announce the winner for my giveaway tomorrow. So I will keep it open for a little bit longer than originally stated. Good luck everybody.

Coffee Kisses

2011-10-26T07:08:00.001+13:00

It struck me that its a while since I have had any baking on my blog and its not because I haven't been baking. Its just that its been pretty standard run of the mill baking.

Today, Rascal announced that she wanted to do some baking. When asked WHAT she wanted to make, she had a quick think and said "Bisss-kits!".

A search of the pantry showed that I didn't have all of the necessary ingredients for most of our usual biscuits, so I pulled out the cookbooks looking for inspiration.

Finally, I opened my old recipe book in which I started to collate recipes way back when I was still at school. Flicking through the pages I smiled as I saw the neat handwriting that hadn't been ruined by scrawling down notes at university.

My eyes rested on the recipe for Coffee Kisses. We had ALMOST everything in house (the only alteration that was necessary was to stick them together with cocoa flavoured icing instead of coffee flavour. Maybe I should call them mocha kisses!)

My trusty assistant decided that the biscuits that she made should be sausage shaped instead of balls, there's nothing like a bit of creativity when your baking!

And the verdict... a unanimous YUM! Maybe I should check out more of the recipes that I wrote out way back when.

If anyone is interested in the recipe, I am quite happy to convert it from imperial weight measurements and write it up here).

Have you entered my giveaway?

The Doll's cot Project Part 3

2011-10-25T07:08:00.002+13:00

Work has started on the doll's cot, but its going to be slow.

Not because its a major job,

but because I can only get on with it when Rascal is not about.

Hubby thinks I'm nuts and that it is fine in its pink and flowery state, but if I'm putting lots of effort into making a mattress and bedding then the cot has to be up to scratch!

So far, I have cleaned it and started sanding the wood.

Can't wait to see what this will look like with a fresh coat of paint!

There's still time to enter my giveaway if you haven't already!

An Appliqué T-shirt for Rascal

2011-10-24T07:36:00.001+13:00

Rascal loved it when I appliquéd a couple of tops for Wee Man last month, so I knew that I had to do a t-shirt or two for her too.

I have been eyeing up this plain white t-shirt for a while and today was the day. As a challenge to myself I decided to do a bit more than just simple shapes so I designed an owl for her.

Again, I went for bright and fun rather than tasteful and coordinated. I wish that the bunting fabric on the wings was the other way up, but apart from that I'm really pleased with the finished result.
More importantly Rascal loves her new improved tee.

Have you entered my giveaway? There's still time...

Calling all Crafty Bloggers!

2011-10-23T14:40:00.003+13:00

Just in case you have been hiding under a rock and have somehow managed to miss this, Crafty Rie had the great idea of starting a Universal Craft Blog Directory.

If you have a crafty blog, hop over and add your blog to the list.

Uh-oh, I just heard a rumbling outside and looked up to see Wee Man standing up on his feet pushing his big sister's little tikes car around.
Here come's TROUBLE!!!

A Double Celebration

2011-10-22T19:55:00.000+13:00

Good news! As of yesterday, a whopping hundred of you now follow my blog

(How amazing is that?)

I have decided to add a spot prize to the giveaway in way of a little celebration. Yes folk, that means you have an extra chance to win.

At the moment I am undecided what you will win, but I'm sure I will have fun coming up with some nice goodies. I may or may not listen to any hints which are dropped so feel free to tell me if anything has caught your eye...

Because a post without pictures is boring...

Here's a Photo of Wee Man proudly wearing his loyalty

Go the Mighty All Blacks :-)

Blog Birthday

2011-10-21T07:24:00.001+13:00

*** This Giveaway is CLOSED***

I can't believe that it is a year since I started this blog.

A year of pushing myself; of learning; of making friends and of gaining confidence.
I would never have believed that one year on I would be able to sew the things that I now can.

A small selection of SOME of the things that I made this last year!

As a little thank you to those of you who have joined me on my blogging journey, and as a little welcome to those of you who are new here as a result of blogtoberfest, I thought I'd hold a little giveaway.

The winner will get their choice of either of this adult (original size) buttercup bag

or a little girl buttercup bag (Animals may vary from the ones pictured below, but the fabric will be the same.)

To be in to win:

Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect or like my facebook page

AND

Write a comment here or on my facebook page

Open internationally

Giveaway will close at midday on Thursday 27th October (NZ time)

Rascal (or Wee Man if he promises not to eat the paper!) will draw a winner.

If I don't hear from the winner within 7 days, the prize will be re-drawn

I don't expect anybody to blog or facebook about this giveaway, but if you do, let me know and I'll give you an extra entry...

Also... Just a quick note to say that although I sewed these bags, I didn't design them. They were made by following this awesome tutorial. So if you don't win or just want something to make, you know where to go...

Reindeer Pouch

2011-10-20T12:29:00.002+13:00

I didn't follow any tutorials or patterns to make this, but improvised as I went along. It is different to previous pouches that I have made as it has no interfacing. Instead I used a layer of batting which was machine quilted to the outer fabric.I quite like that its soft and squishy.

I really like the combination of fabrics, although I will admit that a blue zip would've been better (yes, I'm using my green zips from the op-shop again!)

I hope that my nephew loves it. I reckon its perfect for a little boy to store his treasures in. Now to make some finger puppets to pop in there when I hand it over.

What do you think? Have I done Cam's Reindeers justice?

Joining in with Our Creative Spaces again.

Work in Progress Wednesday

2011-10-19T13:37:00.000+13:00

As you have probably noticed, there hasn't been too much crafting done here this week. So it feels good that I finally managed to find quiet moment to get started on a wee present for my nephew.

Last year during blogtoberfest, I was fortunate to win a giveaway on Curlypops for a fat quarter of her gorgeous reindeer fabric. Over the last year I have looked longingly at the fabric, but haven't dared to waste it with my shonky sewing, so I guess its a sign of my growing confidence in my sewing ability that I finally cut into it and started a first wee project.

Here is a sneak peak. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with the finished item.

These Little Hands Can Say So Much!

2011-10-18T13:27:00.000+13:00

Have you heard of baby sign language?... I LOVE it!

We used baby sign language with Rascal and have just started to see results with Wee Man.

When we first told the Dutch Grandparents that we were doing baby sign language with Rascal, they were totally unimpressed. "But why would you do that, its such fun when they learn to speak" we were told. We then went to Holland to visit. It took about 30 seconds for them to be totally won over by Rascal and her baby sign language. Any time that new family members came to see us, Oma would proudly show them "and she does this when she wants food and this when she wants water..."

There is a worry among many parents that by teaching baby sign language, you take away the need to learn to speak. On the contrary. We found that Rascal learnt from an early age that she could clearly and easily communicate with us. It made her more excited about learning to speak! By the age of two Rascal had over 200 words and her vocabulary continues to amaze us! What baby sign language did was take away much frustration.

I love seeing the differences in how my children use baby sign. Rascal waited until she was certain that she could sign perfectly before she started using it, Wee Man has a go with rough approximations.

It didn't occur to Rascal that she could ask for things using baby sign, but when we asked if she wanted something, she would sign back when she wanted something and would not sign if she didn't want it.

Wee Man has only been signing for a short amount of time but at 10 months of age has already learnt four signs and has worked out that its fun to ask for things. For example, this morning he was infinitely proud of himself when he started signing "more" really enthusiastically. I asked him "more what?" and he grinned. He then whacked his hand to his open mouth. "More food?" I asked and his little face totally lit up- it was so cool to see and so exciting to be communicating with him in such a great way.

There are various different versions of baby sign language as they are loosely based on the sign language of each country. We use the New Zealand version.

If you are tempted to give baby sign language a good place to start is Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies by Karen Warburton. When you first start, be patient as it may take up to a few months for your baby to do their first sign (depending on the age that you start to introduce signs). Consistency is also paramount. Find something that is important to them (Wee man LOVES his sippy cup with water, so it was not a surprise that his second sign was "water") animal signs can also be a good starting point.

Keep it fun, don't pressure them and enjoy the interaction. If you want to know more, I'm happy to share more of our experiences with baby sign.

Oh and the first time that you see big sister signing to little brother, your hearts will melt...

Pay it Forward

2011-10-17T10:44:00.001+13:00

It's taken me a while, but I am pleased to report that my last three pay it forward gifts are packed and ready to be posted.

Hope you like your pressies girls!

(Must admit that it will be a relief to get these out the door as this has been hanging over my head for a long time)

Mean Mummy or Clever Mummy?

2011-10-16T07:10:00.002+13:00

These days when I bake cupcakes or muffins there are always two sizes. There are the Rascal size ones and the Mummy/ Daddy size ones. I guess it started off when we made healthy muffins for Rascal when she was just getting into finger food and its something that we have never stopped.

When I sent cupcakes to preschool with Rascal for their party the other week, it struck me that at the end of the day all my small cupcakes were gone, but the big ones sent by other mothers were either licked clean of icing and left; half eaten; or untouched and still on the plate.

I had to laugh yesterday. The present batch of muffins are stored in two boxes, according to size. Hubby went to get a muffin for Rascal and picked up the box with the larger cupcakes. Rascal immediately said "No Daddy, not those ones, these ones" and pointed to the box of small muffins.

We feel that by taking this approach we are not forbidding "bad" foods". We also don't make a big thing about it being a treat (although she will not get one if she hasn't eaten her dinner). We hope that by taking this approach, we are letting Rascal develop a sensible attitude to sweet treats.

Rascal will eat one small muffin or cupcake and she's happy, but my questions still remains... mean mummy or clever mummy? How do you address sweet treats in your family?

The Dolls Cot Project Continued

2011-10-15T07:18:00.002+13:00

Having completed the doll's quilt, I decided that a pillow and pillow case were called for.

I still had one scrappy square left over from the quilt so decided to do a border round it using the pink butterfly material from the quilt (mitre corners using this tutorial) and then to use the fabric that binds the quilt as the main fabric for the remainder of the pillowcase- I like it (hope Rascal does too!)

Dolls quilt- Part 2

2011-10-14T07:30:00.001+13:00

Ta da! Its finished!

As I said before, I went for bright and cheerful over tasteful!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Between you guys and my friend google, I managed to finish off my wee dolls quilt.

In the end I decided to stitch the ditch (sew along in the seam between the squares). I had a go at doing this by hand, but my stitches were far too ugly and uneven, so I unpicked that and did it by machine (making my shonky sewing far less visible!) I don't have a walking foot for my machine, but with short seams like these I was assured that it wouldn't be a problem (it wasn't).

I remembered having read a tutorial ages ago which showed you how to make binding using a pin on the ironing board (sorry I can't find the link any more!) I would recommend that if you do this, you are less slap dash than me and measure your fabric width accurately so that it is the same width in all places.

Mitred corners are definitely a challenge and as you can see, mine got better as I went on (thanks to this tutorial!)

First corner- Should probably have unpicked this and tried again

Fourth corner- Ah that's looking much better :-)

Challenge #49- Make A Dolls Quilt- COMPLETE

A Dolls Quilt -Part 1

2011-10-13T07:01:00.016+13:00

I was right to be scared! I think that I may have been bitten by the quilting bug, but I'm starting small.

The Dolls cot that I am doing up for Rascal needs a quilt, so I thought I'd have a go at making one.

I must admit that I didn't agonise over which fabrics to use. I just picked up a few scraps, found this tutorial and got started.

The thing that amazes me the most is that the corners of the squares actually match up... how cool is that for a complete novice. The outer edges may be a bit squint, but if it was too perfect you'd never believe that I made it would you.?!

Now... I guess that the next step will be to quilt this. How do I do that? Any suggestions (and please no quilting mumbo jumbo)?

For more creative spaces go here

A New Project

2011-10-12T07:29:00.002+13:00

I admit it! I cheated!

Challenge #52 is to "Make a bed for Rascal's dolls".

If I'm honest about this, it was never going to happen. So I did the next best thing, I bought a secondhand dolls crib on Trademe.

Sorry about the photos, hubby hid the cot in the attic before I had a chance to take decent photos and i didn't feel like carting it back down the ladder.

It needs a bit of work.

I will have to give it a good scrub; possibly give it a coat of paint; make a mattress, a pillow and some bedding.

Really looking forward to having this wee project to get my teeth into.

I promise I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Op Shop Finds

2011-10-11T07:22:00.001+13:00

I think that I've previously admitted that I am a bit of an Op Shop novice, so I'm feeling rather pleased with myself for scoring some great finds.
This is my favourite:

Its tupperware and in great condition- SCORE!
We used to have tumblers like this when I was growing up and hubby is sure that his mum had the jug. I never thought I'd say this, but I love the autumn retro colours!

I also found this amazing skirt.
If I was a six foot beanpole then it would look amazing, but I'm not.

The denim is really heavy and in great condition. As for the embroidery, its bright, cheerful and perfect. Don't you think I could make a great girls pinafore out of this.

There is oodles of fabric, so there should be plenty to fix any of the mistakes that I am bound to make!

A Little Girl's Handbag

2011-10-10T07:38:00.001+13:00

The other day I was talking to my friend Nin. While we were chatting, she told me that she loves the buttercup bag that I gave her for her birthday. The problem is that so does her (almost 3 year old) daughter! They have an ongoing battle as to who is going to use it.

I had a think about it and knew that I could come up with a solution to this problem.

What do you think?

Will Lala approve?

Pattern and tutorial for this bag found here

Pimp your Christmas Tree

2011-10-09T07:28:00.001+13:00

Its that time of year again!

Are you bored of your shop bought Christmas tree ornaments? Want some beautiful handmade ornaments to decorate your tree? Then this is for you.

Dione of Sew Funky is running the Kiwi Christmas Ornament Swap again. I took part last year and really loved it. Here is what I made:

And here is what I received:

The swap is open to New Zealanders and the good news is that you don't have to be a blogger. You are required to make five or six ornaments which you send off to swap partners around the country.

Then sit back and wait for your beautiful handmade ornaments to arrive.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait!

Needlecase

2011-10-08T08:37:00.000+13:00

I've been becoming increasingly frustrated by my complete inability to find a needle when I want one these days.

Something had to be done.

So I made this!

I learnt the Scrappy Quilt-As-You-Go technique from this tutorial and then improvised the pattern for a needle book.

Such a good way to use up all those small scraps of fabric that you don't want to throw away and so liberating to not have to worry about what fabrics go with what! I think I may start using this technique a lot more!

I'm off to make some more...

I'm Loving...

2011-10-07T10:17:00.001+13:00

I'm loving that I sent a Highland Dancer in (pink) GUMBOOTS to preschool this morning! There was no getting them off her and she seemed happy with the ensemble, so who was I to complain!

Yesterday, on Rascal's insistence the two of us made cupcakes for her to take to her preschool party. While she was in bed last night I put pink icing on them. I'm loving that from the moment she saw them this morning, Rascal hasn't stopped saying "I LIKE pink, Mummy!"

I'm loving this recipe. (I didn't photograph the one that I baked as it sank in the middle), but it tasted so so so good. For any Terry's Chocolate Orange fans out there, this is like a cake version of one. Chocolate Orange goodness- YUMMMMY!

Loving savouring natures beauty with Rascal. It is so much fun sharing the wonderment and excitement of a child for the things which we perhaps take for granted at times...

... the simple pleasure of admiring and picking the beautiful Spring flowers

... or making daisy chains,

... or watching the poor single out of season passionfruit on our confused vine slowly changing colour and ripen.

Loving the challenge of blogging every day as part of Blogtoberfest, and believe me it IS a challenge. Loved the first week, now to work out how to handle the second week and the third week and the fourth week..

Joining with Paisley Jade. Hop over and see what other people are loving today

A Mini Kilted Kiwi- The Finale

2011-10-06T07:22:00.002+13:00

And here it is- Rascal's finished fancy dress Highland Dancer outfit (created 100% by moi).


The piglet comforter in her hand is not part of the costume, just Rascal's most trusted companion

I know there are a few issues with it. The kilt is too long (a kilt should just skim the ground when you sit up on your knees), the waistcoat has a few imperfections in the stitching and is perhaps not the best fit; the plaid should be longer and fuller and technically speaking you even don't need a plaid with this particular outfit, but hey who needs to be totally accurate with a kids fancy dress costume!

I'm really really pleased with it!
I love the silver pom poms instead of buttons on the waistcoat.
I love the velcro instead of buckles on the kilt.
But most of all, I love that I MADE IT, and I did it without a pattern or example of such an outfit in front of me.

As for Rascal, she loves it too. We have been showing her photos of her Grandpa, Uncle and Dad in kilts (yes, my Dutch husband donned a kilt for our wedding- a great surprise for his parents!), so she is extra proud of her own special kilt.

...Oh and it helps that there is a kilted dancing snowman in her favourite animation of the moment- "The Snowman". As a result, if you ask her who wears kilts (meaning the Scots) she answers "THE SNOWMAN!!!"... Ah well...

For more creative spaces go here

A Mini Kilted Kiwi- Part 3

2011-10-05T07:30:00.002+13:00

I admit it, this bit of the costume may look a bit naff on its own, but together with the rest of the ensemble, I promise that it looks pretty good.

It's Rascal's favourite part!

The full reveal will come tomorrow.

A Mini Kilted Kiwi- Part 2

2011-10-04T07:24:00.003+13:00

So who was I kidding?...

There was no way on earth that I was going to get away with making a ScotsMAN costume for Rascal, a wee Highland dancer it is...

So here's the next part of her outfit, a green velvet waistcoat complete with pom poms in place of silver military style buttons and fancy machine stitching instead of silver brocade trim around the edge.

Again, I'm ridiculously proud of my effort. Another tartankiwi original one off pattern which couldn't be repeated even if I wanted to. This time made using only fabrics from my feeble stash (yay!).

I had a wee look to see if I could find photos of me in my highland dancer garb when I was younger, but the photos seem to have been misplaced... phew! You'll just have to compare my effort to this piccie on wikipedia instead.

A Mini Kilted Kiwi- part one

2011-10-03T07:26:00.002+13:00

Incase you'd missed it, the Rugby World Cup is taking place in New Zealand at the moment.

As you drive past most preschools, kindy's and schools you see a sea of international flags, so I guess it should come as no surprise that Rascal's preschool is having a party on Friday and the children are to come in national dress.

I thought it would be fun to make a costume that represents Rascal's heritage and as I have no idea how to put a Dutch National Dress Costume together I opted to honour her Scottish roots.

I think that hubby expected me to just make a tartan skirt, but what would be the fun in that? Unfortunately my fabric was not nice heavy wool and I didn't have enough of it to make really deep pleats, so its not going to swish like a proper kilt, but I did my best.

Hopefully I will get a photo of Rascal wearing the whole outfit when its complete.

Proof that I CAN actually use an iron without ruining all my hard work!

Kilt complete, now to come up with the rest of the costume.

Next decision- will she be a ScotsMAN complete with sporran, Tam O' Shanter, ginger hair, ginger beard and Sgian-dubh (obviously I wouldn't put a real dagger in her sock, but a cardboard one could be made easily enough!)?

OR a wee highland dancer with green velvet waistcoat, white blouse, plaid and a plaid brooch?...

Oh the possibilities... (Maybe I should check with Rascal before I get too carried away!)

Have you made any fancy dress costumes for your child, if so, what did you make and did they like it?

I just have to add that Hubby is sitting here laughing at the smug noises coming out of me... I'm just SOOO proud of my wee kilt!

Cheeky Monkey Number One

2011-10-02T07:40:00.005+13:00

You know when you make an off hand comment which takes on a life of its own?

Wee Man off to explore the world

The other week I told Rascal that she was cheeky monkey number 1 and Wee Man was cheeky monkey number 2. Rascal thought about it and immediately asked "and number 3?"

Its always interesting to see where these things go, so I asked her who cheeky monkey number 3 was.

The answer- "Mummy!" (Ah well, I guess I've been called worse!)

"And number 4?" I said, curious to see how far this would go...
"Daddy!" was the definite answer.

"And number 5?"
Rascal had to think about this, at first it was my brother, then it was a family friend, but finally she settled on one of the boys from preschool (Whom I have since discovered is consistently called a Monkey by one of the preschool teachers). We made it up to cheeky monkey number 11 or 12, but after 5 they are not consistently the same if we ask again.

These days if I call Rascal a "Rascally Rascal", I get a dead pan answer "No. I not a Rascal, Mummy! I Cheeky Monkey Number One!"

I think its fair to say that this has already passed into our family folklore. Rascal loves to tell us each which cheeky monkey we are and is very proud of her status as number 1.

Blogtoberfest

2011-10-01T07:42:00.001+13:00

When I stumbled across Blogtoberfest last October, it was my first introduction to the world of Australian and New Zealand blogs. I loved what I found and before the month was out I had started my own blog- I have not looked back!

Examples of my craft makings

By participating in blogtoberfest, bloggers commit to post every day. It is a way to connect with other bloggers and find new and exciting blogs to read. As an added bonus there are generally plenty of giveaways thrown in for good measure.

It was always at the back of my mind that I would like to participate in 2011. I can't quite believe that October is upon us already. I had hoped I would have a strategy to help me to achieve the aim of posting every day... I haven't got one (oops!).

What I can say is that it will be my bloggy first birthday before the end of the month (cause for a giveaway methinks!) and if I can make it to 100 followers by the time that I close the giveaway I'll to rustle up a bonus prize.

If you are new in these parts and visiting through blogtoberfest, WELCOME. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a nice cup of tea and have a read. I hope you enjoy reading about my crafty makings, baking and my little monsters. I look forward to seeing you back here again soon.

Anyway, wish me luck posting every day (I think I'll need it!)