Prints Charming

I bought this screen printed piece of linen from the 'Prints Cahrming' girls at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Show recently. I also bought the threads and decorated the design (aqua printing) similar to what the girls had on display at the show. I am not sure what I will mak it into yet..... a cushion, christmas decoraction, part of a quilt, frame it???? All I know is that I am going to their studio tomorrow to buy some more and I can't wait to take one of their classes.

Harbour Collage

My 3 year old son and I made this colllage. It took us a while. He tore up paper from magazines for the background and helped me stick them down with Mod Podge. I cut out all the details which he also helped to stick down. Many of the ideas came from him, like the idea of putting 'Charlie and Lola' in a boat. It's really cute and now hangs on his bedroom wall.
It raining today so I can't get any good shots outside of the collage but will take some better ones soon.
Jamie now has ideas for even more collages- space, dinosaurs, under the sea..... We will see what happens!!!

Taronga Zoo Sydney 2009

On Sunday we went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I hadn't been there for about a year and it was great to see some new developments including the 'Great Southern Ocean' section. I enjoy taking photos of the animals and was really happy to get this great shot of the tiger who kept walking past the window right in fromt of us. I had never seen it do that befor and was pleased to be able to get some good shots. It was acutally such a nice, sunny winter day that the zoo was pack. There was also the excitment of a new baby elephant that was born at the end of last week. We missed seeing it by one day as it was seen by the public for the first time yesterday!! Bummer!

New Fabric

Rach and I went to the Sydney Quilt and Craft Fair on Sunday at Darling Harbour. We did go a little mad buying fabric and supplies. The craziest thing that we did was sign up of a 'Block of the Month' quilt where they send you a block each month for 10 months including fabric and threads. The one we signed up for is really cute. It is covered in embroidered trees and birds. About 10 minutes later we saw another quilt that we loved. This one was also a block of the month for 12 months. It's a really colourful quilt! I was quite amazed that Rach can get her's sent to Italy. I can't wait to see if they turn out looking the same!!
This fabric is one of my favourite ones that I bought. There are a lot more photos on Flickr.

Lavender mousies

My long journey home to Oz starts today but I thought I would blog one last thing before I leave - my little lavender mousies! I love these guys so cute and a different idea for a lavender sachet. I made them all with linen and cotton. The white one is also hand embroidered. You could even make a set of these with a ball for kids (like a little bowling set). I also thought they would be great to put in a little ones cot as lavender is said to be very relaxing for babies. More images on flickr. Will be away nearly 6 weeks but may blog form Sas's house as she is the other half of this blog.

Mum's birthday present

As I mentioned before I'm going home to Oz on Wednesday very exciting. I haven't seen my sister and brotther for 2 1/2 years!! It's mum's birthday on Tuesday so I made her a few presents. Oh it's winter in Oz which explains the scarf!

The scarf is made with Max Mara wool fabric, macrime and a beaded flower. I also made her a book cover with gorgeous linen, trims and a red toile beaded flower. Mum is incredibly creative and she loves to have a book to write her ideas in. I also made her a big bag with a gorgeous French toile fabric (also her favourite fabric) and lined with the ever useful Ikea stripe! Mum can carry her sewing around in it! The pattern for the bag came from my new Japanese linen bag book, it's gorgeous. More images on flickr

Travel Journal

In a few days Lulu and I are off to Australia, whoopee. Haven't been home for 2 and 1/2 years! Lucy has been talking about going to Sydney all year (she's 3 1/2 years old) and is really excited. I made this book cover for her so we can write down all she does and log her trip. She says some really funny things sometimes (as they all do at that age) so I think I need to keep track of it, also for her dad who won't be coming with us this time.

The book cover is made with linen and a combination of pretty cotton fabrics. It has been embellished with applique and embroidery. The idea for the embellishment came from my Japanese book ISBN9784834725704 (no idea what the name is!) I bought it from pompadour on Ebay.

Reversible bag

This bag is completely reversible - two looks in one! Again I used a lovely Italian striped linen on one side and a floral chintz fabric on the other. More images on flickr

Cream linen scarf

I love this linen scarf! It's very simple and fresh. I made it with a lovely light linen and embellished it with some macrame and an embroidered/beaded fabric flower.

New summer dresses

Here are some of the dresses I've been working on. The white hydrangea dress is a size 4, made with Max Mara cotton fabric. The pink and blue dresses are a linen mix and have been finished off with some applique. I have these in a size 2 and 3. More images on flickr. Stay tuned I've made more clothing - bit clothing mad I think!!!

Linen bag

Spring is here, this is the perfect bag to complete any spring summer outfit. This bag is reversible so you get two looks in one! The bag is made lovely Italian natural linen. It is lined with a gorgeous Japanese cotton fabric in very soft colours. It has been finished off with a gorgeous trim. The bag can be tied closed.

Spring scarves

Here are some new scarves for Spring. These are great for Spring or those cool summer evenings or even winter in Australia! Some have been made with linen with applied lace trim and flowers. The black scarves are made with a fresh cotton fabric and then again applications with silk flowers and lave trims. More images on flickr

Bunny rabbit!

Finally the sun came out yesterday so I could take a photo of part 2 of Lulu's present! The pink bunny is a little cushion for Lulu. I put some lavender oil in so it smells good, she loves smelly things. The linen one is for Samu (our friends 2 year old) his mum loves linen and the colours I used are her favourites. I thought more about her taste than his!!!! The pattern for the bunny is from Cotton and Paint 2006 vol 23 . Lulu's is similar to the one in the magazine although I made fabric flowers with Room Seven like fabrics. The linen bunny was my own inspiration (besides the shape). More images on flickr.

first part of Lulu's Easter present

Here is the first part of Lulu's Easter present. I love them they're so cute. They are both made from linen and are great friends!!! The pattern came from a book called Dekotraume, I'm not sure if it's German. It has some really cute things in it I'll be making more from it. I'm going to put a little Easter egg in the rabbits pocket. I have finished the other part of her present but need to take a photo. Hopefully the sun will come out so I can do it today. More images on flickr.

Last of the winter scarves

These are the last of the winter scarves I made. One I kept for myself, one I sold, and one I sent to my friend as part of her birthday present. I combined 3 or 4 different fabrics, applied some macrime trim and then made a flower which was beaded and embroidered. I have just finished some spring scarves which may make it to the Etsy shop!! Will post them soon More images on flickr

Bonbonierre

I made these little baskets as a sample for bonbonierre for an 8 year olds Holy Communion (I think). They worked out really well and were very easy. They are made with felt, then I sewed on some lace trim and applied some flowers.

Easter English craft lessons

WORK BY 2F

WORK BY 1F

CLICK ON MOSAIC TO SEE LARGER IMAGE

Finally here is the work we did with the first and second formers here. I taught them to make these Easter wreaths speaking in English. We had a whole lesson speaking about how we celebrate Easter in Australia (much more fun than here!!!). Then we had two lessons making. These kids don't have art classes and really found the most simple things (like cutting out a shape) difficult. I think this system of English conversation combined with something creative is really beneficial to them (oh and a fun way to learn).

Jamie's Easter Hat

Jamie needed an Easter Hat for his hat parade at Kindy so we spent today making this. He told me what he wanted on the hat. He also helped me make a nest out of feathers and Jamie painted and decorated the eggs on top. So it was a joint effort. There are a few more photos on Flickr.

Another Ikea Box

Another Ikea Box, originally uploaded by Roxy Creations.

I made another Ikea box for my desk at work. It just makes my storage a little prettier!! I used a range of papers but mostly wrapping paper.

Easter is near!

Next week I'm off again to have English conversation with the kids in first and second form. Again the idea is to explain a little about easter in Australia and then make something creative. we are going to make the wreath which is the simplest thing for them. I will try to remember my camera this time to photograph what they make! Whilst I was planning their project I also make an Easter egg hunt basket for Lucy from felt. I then made another basket covering a wicker basket with crepe paper and then gluing on figures in tissue paper. Inspiration for the figures came from my Usbourne Easter Activity book. What a great series! More images on flickr

spring is on the way!!

New spring bag made from linen and lined with a gorgeous pale pink toile. The flower is also made from linen and then beaded. I learnt to make this bag during my course it's a lovely shape and I've made it in 3 sizes. I'm going to make a co-ordinating spring scarf to go with it. More images on flickr

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Print, originally uploaded by mclarecal.

I have just discovered Lilly Pulitzer after watching Matha. I had never heard of her before or seen any of her stuff. I really like some of her colourful prints. If you want to see her website go to wwwlillypulitzer.com. You can also see the segments they did on Matha. Her prints give me some good Easte inspiration. I really like the colour combinations.

Lucy's winter dress

This dress has been made with a lovely winter wool which I then brightened up with an embroidered flower. The dress was made with the idea of wearing it over jeans or leggings. Lucy seems to really like it and has worn it continually. You may recognise the flower it's the same type I learnt in my class! More images on flickr

Winter bags

My apologies I haven't posted anything for such a long time. I've had a bad flu and little time. I have been creating a little though so will post a lot over the next few days.

I learnt how to make these bags in my creative embroidery class. I love them they are a great shape and easy to make. These are made with a wool which can needle felted too, I not sure what it's called in English. In fact we were supposed to needle felt them but I found that's a technique I really don't enjoy. In fact, it gave me a headache!!! So I decorated mine with flowers I made. I love making flowers and beading them. Both bags are also lined, the larger bag also has a pocket. I am working on some spring bags. More images on flickr

More creations by Carla

My friend Carla has been very busy at her sewing machine. I am amazed I love her colours and technique. She doesn't just use her machine as a tool to sew 2 pieces of fabric together but also a creative instrument. She uses different coloured thread and stitches to create all kinds of effects. I can't wait each week to see what she has been busy working on! Oh and she gave several pieces for my birthday, thanks so much I love them! For more by Carla go to flickr

Valentine Day's

Last week I went to the junior school here (year 7 and 8s) to do English conversation. I have an agreement with their English teacher to do something creative whilst speaking English. How lucky are they to have an English lesson doing something fun!!!! Before Christmas I had 2 sessions with them explaining what it's like to have an Aussie Christmas and then we made Christmas crackers. They loved it!!
For Valentine's Day I made a few samples of cards and they chose the paper heart chain and the paper clip card. I couldn't make the embellished heart with them as it's best with hot glue, as we all know too dangerous! The lesson went very well, they all enjoyed themselves (I think) even the boys. I was surprised to see that the year 6s are better working with their hands than the year 7s, and many of the boys have an enormous amount of creativity. Some of the best clips were made by boys!!! Unfortunately forgot to photograph their work but I'm going to ask their teacher if they still have them so I can take photos. My next 2 sessions with them are for Easter, can't wait. I'm already thinking about what to do especially because they do not have the Easter bunny here!!!!

Beige scarf

Finally a scarf for me!!! I made this scarf for me with this gorgeous Max Mara fabric my friend Carla gave to me. To one end I added this beautiful piece of macrime and then applied a flower in beige tones which I then embroidered and beaded in the center. On the other end I added some trim and have embroidered tone on tone some of the flower motif on the fabric. I am going to embroider a few more here and there and then it is finished. As the fabric was wide enough for 2 scarves I going to make one for my mum. You may have noticed that the flower is the same type I learnt in my course and used on the linen cushion for Lucy. It's amazing how the look has changed here. My special thanks to Giuliana for teaching me such great things and to Carla for her generous gift!

Finalmente una sciarpa per me! Questa sciarpa l'ho fatta per me usando questa deliziosa stoffa di Max Max che mi ha regalato la mia amica Carla. Ho aggiunto un bellissimo macrime e poi ho applicato un fiore con ricamo e perline. Dall'altro lato ho aggiunto un altro bordo e ho ricamato un po del motivo floreale tono su tono. Farò qualch'altro fiore qua e la e poi è finito. Il fiore che ho applicato è lo stesso che ho imparato al corso che frequento e che ho anche usato sul cuscino di lino della Lucy. E' incredibile come cambia l'aspetto usando stoffe diverse! Volevo ringraziare La Giuliana per la sua ispirazione e la Carla per il suo regalo!

Wonderful Embroidered Japanese fabric

A few years ago on my last visit home to Australia my aunt gave me this stunning strip of embroidered Japanese fabric. It was a long strip someone had cut, she didn't know what to do with it so she gave it to me. It is hand embroidered with silk thread in the most gorgeous colours. I don't know if anyone has seen Japanese embroidery up close but I wanted to mention that the back is almost as perfect as the front! It must take forever!!! I had forgotten about this piece as I didn't sew when she gave it to me so had put it away. A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning out my fabric cupboard (as you do when you need to make space for more!!!!) and I found it. I took one look at it and knew exactly what to do - of course a scarf! I luckily had this wonderful textured fabric in the same colour a decorator had given me to back it with and just finished it off with a lovely linen trim I found in my favourite shop in the Dolomites. I'm sending it off to my aunt as a surprise I think she'll be thrilled. Oh and I might mention I kept a piece for me too as it was very long!

Qualche anno fa durante mio ultimo viaggio in Australia la mia zia mi ha regalato questa stoffa Giapponese ricamato a mano con fili di seta. La mia zia non sapeva cosa fare con questa bellissima stoffa e quindi me l'ha regolata. All'epoca non cucivo cosi lo messa via e mi sono dimenticata che esisteva. Un paio di settimane fa mettevo apposto l'armadio con le mie stoffe (una cosa che uno fa quando deve fare spazio per più stoffe!!!!!), e l'ho trovata. Quando l'ho vista non potevo credere che mi sono dimenticata è cosi bella e sapevo esattamente cosa fare - una sciarpa!!! Per fortuna avevo una stoffa dello stesso colore che un'arredatrice mi aveva regalata da usare per il retro e poi l'ho rifinita con un macrime di lino. Adesso lo spedisco alla mia zia come regalo, sara felicissima e un pezzo me lo sono tenuto!

Cushions!

Last week I finished 2 cushions for a little girls bedroom. I was totally inspired by my Tuesday night creative embroidery class with Giuliana. She showed us how to make these gorgeous flowers which are cut very roughly and the sewn with the machine and hand embroidered. I just love them and have all kinds of ideas of what to do with them. Thank you Giuliana!!! The linen cushion is for Lucy, can't be helped she already claimed it. Inspiration for the blue cushion came from the linen one. I have a lot of ideas for children's cushions I just need to find the time. More images on flickr

Bag by Carla

Well what can I say - this beautiful bag is the handy work of my friend Carla. She is a true artist. I love the way she interprets the fabrics she chooses. Here she has used Max Mara fabric and cleverly combined machine stitching with hand embroidery. You might remember her wonderful ceramics we posted earlier on. When you look at this bag you may want to take into consideration that about 10 weeks ago she didn't even know how to thread a needle. She joined the creative embroidery class I was attending and this is the end result!!! I know, amazing! I am thrilled she has found a new passion, she has fully embraced embroidery and sewing. She now has a sewing machine and has developed a need for fabrics too (introduce me to a sewer who's not addicted to fabrics!!). Every husbands nightmare!!. Our course was supposed to finish before Christmas but fortunately 6 of us are able to continue with our wonderful teacher Giuliana, she is so inspiring. Hopefully the course will go on and on and on!!!! Stay tuned for more goodies inspired by Giuliana!

Cosa posso dire - questa bellissima borse è stata creata dalla mia amica Carla. Lei è davvero un artista! Carla è anche l'artista delle bellissime ceramiche che abbiamo mostrato 1 anno fa. Quando guardate questa borsa dovete ricordarvi che solo 10 settimane fa Carla non sapeva infilare un ago, difficile credere quando vedi il risultato. Sono felicissima che lei ha scoperto questa bellissima passione per il cucire e ricamo. Adesso è stata regolata una macchina da cucire e ha sviluppata una passione per i tessuti come tutti noi che cuciamo! Direi l'incubo di tutti i mariti!!! Il corso che frequentiamo doveva finire prima delle feste ma per fortuna 6 di noi continuamo imparare ed essere ispirati dalla nostra bravissima maestra Giuliana. Spero che il corso andrà avanti per un sacco di tempo! Come al solito chiedo scusa per il mio italiano spero di non fare troppo confusione.

Beige scarf

Another scarf! I made this scarf for Stef's aunt. The inspiration for my scarves has come from my different Japanese craft books I am yet to do one of their projects but am definitely inspired. In particular the flowers come from my new corsage book and Pochee but even here I have only been inspired as the end results are quite different. It is made with Max Mara wool fabric, all edges have been hand sewn so all stitching is hidden. I then applied some lovely macramei (spell???) I found. The flowers are made with different wool fabrics, with the centers being embroidered and beaded. The end result is very warm but elegant! More images on flickr

Visto che vedo abbiamo molti lettori Italiani traduco ma vi chiedo scusa per sli sbagli che faccio. Un altra sciarpa! Questa lo fatta per la zia di mio marito. Ispirazione per le mie sciarpa è derivata dai miei diversi libri Giapponesi. Ancora non ho completato un progetto da questi libri perche alla fine mi piace sempre fare al modo mio. Ho usato una stoffa di lana di Max Mara, tutti i bordi sono cuciti a mano cosi non si vede la cucitura. Poi ho applicato delle macramei e fiori fatti di stoffe di lana, e poi ricamati in centro con l'aggiunta dei perline. Il risultato finale tiene caldo ma allo stesso momento è elegante. Più immagini su flickr

My new Japanese craft books!!!

These are my Japanese craft books Steffie gave me for Christmas. I love them so inspiring. The desire for more of these books is never ending, I have quite a collection now. The good thing is I use them all the time for inspiration which totally justifies having them! As usual I bought them from my favourite ebay seller pompadour24 . She has a great selection and I see has also opened on Etsy. More on flickr If anyone wants ot know ISBN let me know happy to help.

New jacket

I've been wanting to make a coat for Lucy for ages, poor thing everything is always for someone else. Now it's her turn. I finally plucked up the courage and attempted one the other day. Here it is!! It's completely reversible and has a hood. That was Lucy's request so I had to make it up. I based my pattern on one from my Japanese book 'Basics for Girls' but I changed it a little - mostly because I couldn't understand what was going on in the book!!!! Anyway thank goodness it worked out really well and most importantly Lucy loves it. I used a teal blue velvet and toile for the reverse side. I have heaps of ideas for more jackets/coats and have been collecting fabrics for more so stay tuned some may go into the Etsy store!!!

Lulu's dolly house

Thought you might like to Lucy's dolly house (as she calls it ) with the little dolls and furniture in it. It's really cute the Le Toy Van furniture is fabulous really well made. You can visit their website, I think it is www.letoyvan.com .

Lulu's scarf

I finally made a scarf for Lucy. She's very happy with it as she is always so disappointed when the things I make are for someone else. I used a lovely soft wool for the front, decorated it with felt applique and backed the scarf with a purple velvet chenille.

Last Scarves up close

These are the last scarves I gave as Christmas presents. I love making these and will definitely be making some more. I also made these brooches for my friends who came to the Dolomites with us at Christmas. I made Christmas crackers and put them inside.

Bazaar Style

I finally got the book that I have been wanting for ages. It has been a little hard to find in bookstores but mum got it for me for my birthday. I love the idea of finding great things at Op Shops, garage sales and markets and getting them cheap. I have quite a bit of stuff from ebay which was a real bargin!
Check out Selina Website at http://www.selinalake.co.uk/

Gift Wrap

I found this gift wrap in a children's bookstore and loved it. It's by Caroline Gardner who is a London based designer. She makes some devine cards, wraps, notebooks and gifts. Check her out at www.carolinegardner.com. I especially love her advent calendars. I will have to get one for next year. The fairies are so cute. Lulu would love one of them!

My Christmas Present

Rach sent me a whole heap of really cute fabrics for Christmas. This is my favourite one but I love them all. I will need to get sewing! Thanks Rach!! There are photos of the others on Flickr.

Christmas madness

Here are all the Christmas gifts I made for the ladies over here in Italy. It's been a long process but I'm done! I've had a little last minute madness making more things will blog those soon but the majority of the work is done. Some scarves are wool and linen fabrics sewn together and then appliqued and embroidered, some are lovely cut velvets I found and made into scarves, some were woollen chinese jacket/cardigans which I cut up and made into scarves. All very different. Now I can sit back and enjoy seeing people open their pressies. Merry Christmas to all and thanks for all your support.

Mum's Christmas Present

This is mum's christmas present. I know it looks more like a birthday present but the snowman peg adds a Christmassy touch! I put these pegs on all my presents- there are santa, snowman and reindeer ones and only cost $2 for a packet of 6 at the Hot Dollar shop. Bargin!!

French Design Book

Mum has wanted this book for ages so I bought it for her for Christmas. This one is also french and came from 'The Bay Tree'. They would be great to paint. She was thinking of painting them on wooden placemats. I know that Rach would love this book!

There are some images of the design pages on Flickr.

Sophie Adde Card

I found these cards in a shop called 'The Bay Tree' on Queen Street in Woollahra Sydney. They are painted by the french artist which we love called Sophie Adde. We would love to buy some of her original works someday. There is a link to her website in our website list. There are two more cards on Flickr.

Embroidered Notebook

Yet another Christmas present finished, more are coming. I made this for my friend Mery who loves to write down her thoughts and feelings. She also loves orange!!! It has been embroidered and some cut lace has also been applied.

Dolls House

I finally finished Lucy's dolls house. It's been a bit of a rush job because Lucy has been home sick a lot from school. As it is part of her Christmas present I couldn't work on it whilst she was home. The idea came from mum she wanted to buy her a Le Toy van house but they are very expensive. I happened to find a little wooden cupboard at my art supply shop for 18 euro. can't beat that price!!! My husband's uncle is a cabinet maker so he cut the windows for me and put on the pitched roof. As it turns out it is almost the exact same measurements as the Le Toy Van house mum wanted to buy. I painted the house, glued papers on the wall (not very well in too much of a hurry), made flower boxes, shutters and curtains and then decorated the roof. All in all the overall effect is great we have bought some of the Le Toy van furniture and dolls to go inside. I made the felt could the dolly's sitting on! I am also making some little embroidered felt rugs to put inside. Anyway it's finally wrapped and next to the tree, I tucked it away as best I can. Of course Lucy came home yesterday and said 'what's that mummy a house??'. I mean really how cluey are these kids she's only three years old and already figuring out her presents based on shape!! Scarey! Few more images on flickr

Crocodile Painting

I found this great painting in a little bookshop on Clovelly Road, Sydney and bought it for my son for Christmas. Unfortunately he found it early so it's already up on his wall.

Christmas friends

These are some of our Christmas friends who accompany us during the festive period. I just love them and couldn't wait to get them out of hiding. They've been in position since mid November keeping company to ur Christmas tree!

Scarves

New scarves! These scarves are some presents I've been working on. I'm thrilled with the way they worked out, in fact it will be hard to part with them. Inspiration came from my creative embroidery class where we were taught to cut out lace and apply it to a piece of clothing. We then added some embroidery stitches to make it look less like lace and more like embroidery. The other end of the scarf is completely embroidered. On the second scarf I applied some crochet and fabric flowers with some beading and embroidery. Both scarves have them been embellished with lace trims and backed with a lovely black linen. More scarves are on their way and more images on flickr.

Christmas 2008

This is our Christmas Tree. I usually can wait and get it up in mid-Novemer but this year I didn't put it up intil 2nd December- I was a bit slack!! I have never had a traditional Red and Green tree and usually like and every-coloured tree! The brighter the better! I love buying new decorations every year but really get sick of the same old decorations in the stores here in Australia. It would be great to shop for decorations all over the world as I bet I would find some great things. I haven't made any decorations of my own but might get a few done this year. The are some closer photos of some of my favourite decorations on Flickr.

Christmas 2008

This is our Christmas mantel for 2008. I love snow globes and buy one every year. A couple have been broken but I just get one every year to build up my collection. I haven't bought one this year yet so will have to get out there and find something new!

Brooch

This little brooch is for my mother in law to say thank you for all the help she gave us on Saturday. We invited our friends over for dinner and had decided to cook fish. Being the queen of fish she did the shopping for us and then prepared it all so all we had to do was cook it. I must say the meal was delicious and we made a very good impression on our friends. Anyway back to the brooch, the reason I decided to make her one was becasue she had been admiring a flower on one of mum's wreaths and said what a lovely brooch that would make. Well mine is not exactly the same but definitely inspired by mum so I hope my mother in law likes it!

Christmas Tags

I made these Christmas tags to accompany the ones I bought from Tsktsk on Etsy, which by the way are stunning. You should check her out. My inspiration for these tags came from my embroidery class, particularly the floral ones. Most of the designs for the embroidered ones came from my various Japanese embroidery books (blogged in previous posts). I used lovely wool (and some wool cashmere) fabrics for the base. More tags are on flickr.

Bunny Rabbit

Here's Deco the bunny rabbit. Lucy named him Deco after her favourite cat who belongs to our dear friends. The pattern for this rabby is in the latest edition of Marie Claire Idees. I love them they're so much fun. I'm going to make more of these with some personal touches, I have some gorgeous wool cashmere fabrics I can use. Finally something for Lulu, as I'm always making for everyone else!

Christmas gift - linen bag

I made this for my mum she loves this kind of bag. The pattern came from one of my Japanese craft books although the dimensions are my own. The cross stitched monogram pattern comes from Marie Claire Idees book 'Broderie'. The bag is made with linen and lined with Ikea stripe fabric. I covered a piece of cardboard with the linen fabric and palce it in the bottom of the bag to add support. It can be removed so the bag can be washed. Hope mum likes it and doesn't see it on the blog before Christmas!

Christmas gifts

These outfits are off to Oz for a very special little girl. I used Tina Givens fabric for the blue pants and an Oililly (like) fabric for the other set. I'm very happy with the outcome and I finished them properly with French seams so they are very neat on the inside! I appliqued and embroidered some of the same fabric on the singlet tops. I need to organise her little sister's and brother's gift before I send these. Better get onto it or they won't arrive on time!

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

I love Christmas. Here is some inspiration to get you going!

I Love Aqua and Red

Here are some of my favourite Aqua and Red things on Flickr. It's such a great colour combination!

Indian Cushions

I bought two Indian cushions from the Lindesay Fair on Saturday. This stall had beautiful quilts, cushions, table cloths and little girls dresses. I am going to but one of the quilts next year. They are a great price compared to others you see around. The cushions are made in India and were only $20 each. There were many great colour combinations. I brought mu usual bright coloured ones! If you want to contact the sellers go to their website- www.whiteclover.com.au. The other cushion is on Flickr.

Wooden Mosters

I made these cute guys with my (almost) 3 year old son, today. They are very simple to make and Jamie had fun. This would be a good holiday project or even great at a kids birthday party. I would suggest if you do this at a party have steps one and two done in advance and just let the kids decorate or just pre-paint them and don't worry about the tissue paper. Rather than monsters you could do faries, pirates, animals, e.t.c.

TUTORIAL
You will need: Plain Wooden Spoons
Acrylic Paint
Tissue Paper
Mod Podge Glue or watered down PVA glue
Embellishments- eyes, feathers, beads, popoms, felt, pipe cleaners, glitter e.t.c
Hot glue gun or PVA (not watered down)

Step 1- Paint the spoons different colours. Let Dry. Jamie chose orange, lime green and blue.

Step 2- Tear up small pieces of different coloured tissue paper. Paint the spoon with the glue (not too thin). Apply the paper, one piece at a time and paint down with the glue. Keep applying the paper until you get the look you want. Completely coat the whole spoon in the glue to protect it.

Step 3- When dry, decorate. I used a hot glue gun to stick the things where Jamie told me to put them but you could use PVA. Hot glue dries much quicker but should only be used by an adult as it burns if touched when hot.

Have fun. If you make them, send me some pictures.

New Pictures

Made using some great Christmas scrapbook paper that I found at Spotlight. I also used acrylic paint and stuck it all down with Mod Podge. It's great stuff that I also used as the varnish. I was really excited to find that you can buy it here in Australia.

Last Christmas decorations

Here are the last Christmas decorations I will be making before Christmas, I really have to get on with some other projects. The felt decorations are very simple, the stockings are great for hanging those candy canes! The linen decorations are embroidered with cross stitch in traditional colours. More images on flickr.

My Little Picture

I have wanted to make this type of thing for a while. It is made using mostly scrapbooking papers, Mod Podge and Paint. They are really simple to make. I will do some more.

Stef's Baby Shower Singlets

I went to my cousins baby shower on saturday and organised the activities. One of the things the girls did was paint a singlet for her little boy who is due in December. This one is mine. You can see some more on Flickr. They worked out well for a bunch of girls who said they didn't know how to paint!!

Christmas Wreaths

Here is a Christmas Wreath that mum made for the LINDESAY CHRISTMAS FAIR 2008 which runs from this Thursday 20th until Saturday 22nd November- 10am-4pm. The address is Lindesay, 1 Carthona Avenue, Darling Point, SYDNEY(enter from Lindsay Avenue). It costs $5 to enter but will be totally worth it. Mum's wreaths will be for sale there as well as Wreaths, stockings and Christmas decorations made by Rach. I might even have some stuff there. There are more wreaths on Flickr.

Tree ornament - stockings

I am busily working on tree ornaments at the moment. Here are 2 more, small linen stockings lined with co ordinating Christmas fabric. They have been hand embroidered and completed with velvet loop to hang them with. They are ideal for hanging your candy canes! Patterns for embroidery came from my Japanese embroidery book, idea for stockings own.

Linen Christmas Hearts

Christmas is nearly here need to start thinking about those decorations for the tree. I always like something new on my tree. These hearts are made with linen and embroidered with wool and beaded. Inspiration for the embroidery designs came from my Japanese book 'Stitch Idees vol 8'. Close ups on flickr.

Girl's necklace

I made this necklace for a gorgeous little girl who loves dressing up as a fairy. The necklace is made with ribbon, beads and felt. I made the little fairy and heart with felt and embroidered them. I've wanting to try this idea out for some time and now that I have will make some more! Hope she likes and enjoys it!

New Japanese books

Whoopee, they're here! Here are my new Japanese craft books. I love them and am now even more inspired than I was before. There definitely aren't enough hours a day to create. I bought these from my usual Pompadour24 on ebay. We have a link to her here on our blog. I find she is very efficient and easy to deal with. Have a look she also includes enough images to give you a good idea what is in each book. The names of the books from left to right are 'Cotton Time' , 'Stitch Idees vol. 8' , an embroidery book ISBN 9784834726114 and 'Fabric toys to make at home'. More images on flickr

Fabric tag

I am making this tag in a sewing class I go to every Tuesday evening. It's not finished yet ,waiting to see what the teacher wants us to do with it. It has given me a good idea for Christmas though - I'm going to make Christmas labels for all the ladies!!! I can't help myself always so ambitious at chrissy, even worse when mum is here visiting at that time! I've also decided to make all Christmas presents this year so really have to get on with it! Anyway back to this little project - it was fun and easy to make. Just cut out flowers in different fabrics layered on top of each other and then attached to the base with french knots. This week we are learning more flowers (I hope!) so I'm really looking forward to that.

Another cushion

Yet another cushion for another gorgeous little girl. Not for poor Lulu who's beginning to think her mummy will never make one for her! I love making these cushions they're so colourful and fun to make. This is embroidered and appliqued on linen. The inspiration comes from different Japanese embroidery books i have. I think I have blogged them before, anyway I combined all different things to create the scene. Those books are well worth the money and so inspiring. If anyone wants to know exactly where the designs came from I can look them up and let you know, so feel free to ask. Oh and before I forget more arrived today so stay tuned because I will be blogging them! More images on flickr.

New Wreath

Here is a new Christmas wreath. I know we don't do traditional colours but I like our style. Rach, mum and I are all doing them at the moment and it's nice to see our different styles. Mum will have some completed soon that I will upload. Most of the wreaths will be sold at the Lindsey fair in Darling Point, Sydney. We will post details of the fair on our blog soon. So if you live in Sydney, pop along!

Embroidered bag

I made this bag as a gift. It is made with navy blue fabric from Ikea and a stripe Indian cotton lining. The pattern came from the Japanese Bag book called 'hand made bag' ISBN 9784579107926 . It is the most stunning book all about bags which are embellished with embroidery and/or beading or applique. I've had it for quite some time now but never made anything out of it because I felt intimidated. Now that I've made it through one I have the courage to attempt others. The decoration of this bag combines embroidery and applique, fairly simple and quick but effective! More images on flickr

Lulu's LOVE Skirt

I made this skirt for Rachel's daughter, Lulu as part of her Christmas present. It is beautifully modelled by my son Jamie who had to be bribed with chocolate to put pink leggings and a skirt. I got the inspiration from a skirt I saw at Mosman markets which was similar. I like mine better. The colours are very Lulu!

Christmas decorations - wreaths

I finished some more Christmas wreaths the other day. They are so much fun to make! I have such a collection of wonderful ribbons, braids and trims now, it's very inspring. Some parts are handmade like the linen embroidered and beaded bird. I sent these off to Australia for the Lindsay house fair, hope they make in one piece! More images on flickr

Turkish Bowl

I found this shop at 443 King St Newtown called 'Ferah- Authentic Turkish Homewares'. These stunning tiles attracted us to go into the shop. Inside there were the amazing bowls. I really loved this large plate, but at $185 I will have to save up. I did but two small bowls for $25 and $15 and one large decorated ball for $40. You can check out their website in our list on the side but it doesn't do the bowls and plates justice so pop in if you can or look for some hand-painted Turkish homewares where you live- even better go to Turkey and buy your own!!

Indian Decorations

There is a fantastic shop at 595 Kings Street in Newtown called 'Bollywood Braids and Trims'. If you are in Sydney and like that type of stuff, it's pretty reasonably prices. They also have some beautiful sari fabric. I can think of many uses for that type of stuff. Many of the braids in basket photo came from that shop.

Market Find

This framed picture was also found at Mosman Markets for only $20- and that included the frame. I thought it was a cute idea! You can also see a birthday card that I bought from the same person on our Flickr.

Braids and Ribbons

Here is a small sample of my collection of braids, ribbons and ric-rac. I use then for many different things but am mostly planning on using them to make some more Christmas Wreaths.

Mosman Market Buys

If you live in Sydney and you haven't discovered Mosman Village Art and Craft Markets- you are really missing out! I love going there and always find heaps to buy. It's on the first Saturday of each month on the Mosman Square and Village Green Spit Junction (8am - 3pm). There is also a Christmas Night market in December. See you there!!
One of my favourite stalls is 'Tres Divin'- a stall that sells gift wrap, ribbons and other accessories. Here are some of the things that I bought yesterday. The lady that runs the stall puts everything together so beautifully. Have a look at her website to see what I mean- http://www.tresdivin.com.au/.
I went a bit mad shopping but it's the best Sydney Market that I have been to- if you like good quality crafty things!
I am seriously considering having a stall one day as I think our style will suit the market and it's original.
I will post a few more photos of my purchases soon on Flickr.
Enjoy!!

Jamie's Halloween Outfit

I made this felt crown and a cape for Jamie's Haloween outfit that he needed for Child Care. He wanted to go a 'Prince Charming'. The idea for the crown came from the blog- Juicy Bits (in our blog list) where there is a tutorial. I made mine a little different to the tutorial but the idea is the same. In this photo Jamie is wearing his PJ's but go to Flickr to see the full outfit. I didn't put him in the original outfit that I palnned as it was really hot on Friday so he went in shorts and a singlet instead. Here is link to the tutorial -http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2008/09/32-felt-birthday-crown-tutorial.html

Christmas stockings and Santas!

Christmas stockings and Santas made for the Christmas fair at Lindsay house in Sydney 20th November. I am these to be sold at the fair - it's meant to be fabulous full of things to buy to get you into the Christmas spirit. I wish I could go but I'm in Italy so it's impossible. Mum and Sas may get there though! Some of the stockings and santas have been made with hand painted linen fabric. It was a bit of an experiment but I'm very happy with the result. The pink stocking is made with a lovely wool fabric and the fabric flowers have been embroidered on and beaded (I think I will make some scarves with this too). All stockings have been lined with co-ordinating fabrics. More images on flickr. If you can check out the fair!

A work in progress!

Here it is my work in progress. I have started a creative embroidery class every Tuesday and this is my first project - embellish a tea towel (I'm going to turn it into a cushion). Yes I know you're probably thinking why?? Well I am a self taught (a little help from mum) sewer, embroiderer, painter etc, never had any lessons, discovered my passion at about the age of 27 and so thought why not you can always learn! Plus it's great to see things from another person's point of view. I was a little worried about what we would be taught - maybe I wouldn't like it. Wrong! The teacher is amazing she studied fashion in Rome, was assistant designer for Iceberg, then had her own production and finally a shop in Cattolica. When she had children she decided to leave all of that behind and teach. I love her approach, she loves to embellish, use colour and transform things. She bought a bogie pair of jeans from the markets for 3 euro but they had beautiful embroidery and beading (at that price of course made in China). She chopped them up and turned them into a fabulous bag! I love that. She bought a 6 euro wool/cotton blend jacket/cardigan from the markets again with gorgeous embrpoidery and beading and turned it into a stunning scarf. Of course I had a bee in my bonnet searched all over the place for them, finally found them and made one too! Christmas presents for my mother in law and her sisters! Cool.







What else do I love about my course after the second lesson?? Besides being totally inspired I love interacting with the other ladies in the class. They come from all facets in life and are so interesting - you can gain so much. Stay tuned I will be posting as I learn!

Wild Heart!

This is a devine heart Made by 'creative breathing' which was inspired by the painting I did for our blog header. I absolutley love it! It is so cute. She did a felt heart swap with my sister in Italy. Thanks! Have a look at her stuff as she does some beautiful work!

Christmas decorations - wreath red and blue

I love Christmas decorations, just can't help myself! I just finished this lovely red and blue Christmas wreath. For once in my life I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and this is the result. The wreath is a foam base which is wrapped with felt and then embellished. I made the bird in the center with linen and then embroidered and beaded it. The end product is very bright and cheerful. This will be available on Etsy, more images on flickr.

Christmas decorations

I've been madly working on these felt Christmas decorations. They are embroidered and beaded. Inspiration came from my Japanese book , oh my goodness I've forgotten the name again! Here's the ISBN 4529041808. I used the beautiful wool felt I bought from Vintage Vogue, such gorgeous colours. Then I attached tassles or baubles from bits of trim I had left over. I love to bead and embroider. This passion has derived from the fabulous book mum gave me 'Dimensional Embroidery'. It's stunning! I think I'll make some of these decorations in bright colours too. More images on flickr, some will be available on Etsy.

Linen dresses

Sienna's a very lucky girl - 2 more dresses for her! Her mum asked me for a hot pink and a white dress so here they are. Of course they had to have a little embellishing! They are made with linen and are very simple but look lovely on. Hope she likes them.

Cushion for Allie

Finished this custom order for my friend's god daughter Allie! The pattern came from the Japanese embroidery book Stitch Ideas. I don't have it on hand at the moment but if you want to know I'm happy to look it up, just ask. It's embroidered and appliqued on off white linen. I then have done my usual embellishing, it's stronger than me I just can't stop myself!!! The backing fabric is the new Sandi Henderson farmer market medallion floral which I bought from Sewlove fabrics on Etsy. More close ups on flickr.

Christmas ornaments

I love Christmas decorations - I love buying them and I love making them! This year I'm so pleased I have time to get started early, usually I'm so late I don't have time to think properly. Lulu is at kindergarten now so I have time to relax and be inspired. Here are some tree ornaments I made the other day. They are acrylic balls which have decoupaged varnished and embellished. The blue ornament has been painted with a metallic paint. I'm really pleased pleased with the way they turned out. I'll be making more so stay tuned. Available at Etsy.

Pink and green bracelets

Who doesn't need a whole selection of fun jewellery to brighten up their wardrobe? These bracelets are colourful and bright ready to complete any outfit.

I love beads and colours and just love combining them together. All different types of beads have been used here - large, small ceramic, wood, glass, metal and yes even plastic! I love texture so like to mix them up.

Jamie's Pillow

I made this embroidery from a drawing that I did with my nephews (blogged before). It took quite a while! Last night I used some of my favourite Heather Bailey fabrics to make up the cushion. My little son Jamie, loves the pillow and has claimed it as his own. I plan to make some more.

Christmas is on its way!

Just in case you hadn't noticed it's not long until Christmas! I decided to start earlier this year with my Christmas creations, rather than leaving it to the last minute as usual! I've made these gorgeous little angels to embellish anyone's tree. They are bright, cheery and colourful and each one seems to be taking on its own personality. They will be available in our etsy shop along with more decoraions including balls and wreaths (some to hang on the door and some on the tree). More on flickr

New goodies on Etsy

These gorgeous bibs and burp cloths would make a great present for a new born boy or girl. They are made with beautiful cotton fabrics and backed with towelling for extra absorbency. The quilt is also made with cotton fabric and would be great for a baby boy. It's hard to find fun things for boys!

Sneak Peak

Here is a picture of something that I am sewing at the moment. My little nephews who are Jack (6) and Ben (9) did the design. They told me what to draw. I have been sewing it all week and am almost finished. I then plan to make it into a pillow for my son, Jamie. My nephews have also drawn their own designs that they want as pillows. I will get onto sewing them next.