Project 13: Earrings

 The Fimo frenzy has turned out to be quite long lasting. We have been making earrings, in lots of little cute shapes, like circles, triangles and hearts. We also ordered a heap of adorable little brass and copper shapes, and resin flowers, and have made these into earrings too. We have put them on sweet little triangular cards decorated with a trio of watercolours and a craftyfriday stamp.

And, now, if you like, you can purchase our earrings at a beautiful new shop that our friend Julie has opened up at The Gap shopping centre in Brisbane. Julie's shop is called Hummingbird, The Shop, and you can follow it on instagram or facebook using the tag #hummingbirdtheshop, hummingbird The Shop.

Or, if you're really keen, email us on kathychas@yahoo.com and we can post you some!

Solo Craftiness - It's a Fimo Frenzy

I must admit straight up that I have been a style thief, and blatantly stole this idea. Outrageous I know.  Well, suck it up people because I think these beads are worth a bit of scandal.

It started when I bought my mum a beautiful strand of beads for Christmas from Emily Green at the Finders Keepers markets. Take a look at http://www.emilygreen.net/
and http://www.thefinderskeepers.com/

Then, my nine year old got some Fimo for Christmas and when I was doing the Fimo with my girl over the holidays I got into a wild bead making frenzy, heavily inspired by the gorgeous Emily Green.  

(My children made a tree, a leopard, a snowman and some big lumps of different coloured Fimo smashed together that were.....interesting.)

Once I had spent several evenings rolling different shaped beads - some designs more successful than others, and some so bad they went in the bin - I made a trip to a beading supply shop and got some coloured cord and leather, some silvery beads and some little neon beads for a tiny pop of bright amongst the softer colours.

Anyway, I now own no less than twelve strands of beads, and my friends can expect to see me looking very heavily beaded in coming weeks.

Funnily enough, today I met my mum for afternoon tea and by chance we were both wearing a stripy navy and white shirt, gold triangle shaped studs, and a strand of Fimo beads and it was VERY FREAKY. Emily Green, if you ever read this - the ones my mum wore today looked way better than mine, please contact me with some tips.

Kate

Solo Craftiness: Maps with Meaning

It is October and last night I sat down to mentally prepare myself for the run up to Christmas (breathe, breathe, breathe).  It started me thinking about what I did for presents last year and how chuffed I was with this gift that I made for my significant other (too clinical?) - a series of maps that detail exactly where you had relationship milestones.

I am pretty sure I spied it on Pinterest but I am having no luck tracking it down.  The original idea had actual maps so one month out from Christmas I ordered the maps from an online store.  You could choose any particular locations to immortalise.  I decided to do Brisbane for where we met, London for where we first lived together and Adelaide for where we were married.  I had my IKEA photoframe which allowed space for the three maps.  I picked one that could stand as well as attach to the wall - always handy when you are a renter. So it was just a matter of waiting for the maps to arrive.

And so I waited.  And waited.  Until it was two days out from Christmas and not a map to be seen!  I was not ready to give up on this idea. So I decided to be brave and trace them using maps I could find online and in our car atlas.  An unexpected bonus of the locations I had chosen were that they all had winding rivers as a feature.  My handtraced maps didn't include all of the major landmarks, just enough for my husband (too formal?) and I to recognise each location.

My lover (too intimate?) was thrilled with his Christmas present and says it is the most thoughtful gift I have given him.  And I agree - a lot of thought went into overcoming the challenges!

And wouldn't you know it, the maps turned up two days after Christmas.
-Amanda

Solo craftiness: Fancy Nancy skirt

My niece Isabelle is a big Fancy Nancy fan. And I mean BIG. She can recite all her Fancy Nancy books by heart, and all her outfits ('ensembles' if you're fancy) must include a glamourous feature. So my non-sewing sister bought some gorgeous Fancy Nancy fabric on Etsy and asked me to make something FANCY!

 Well, this is it. Gathered skirt, tulle overlay, ribbons. What's not to love about this skirt when you're three and you dig Fancy Nancy?
Isabelle wears it constantly. I have some fabric left over so I think next I might make her a dress to match.

My only regret is that I didn't find a pink feather boa to go with it, because that would be way more fancy.

If you've been living under a rock and don't know about Fancy Nancy, here's the link. 
       www.fancynancyworld.com/
Look it up - your little girl will love you for it. The picture books are divine.  
Kate

Project 12: Woodland Creatures and Dreamcatchers

In case you think that we always agree on our projects, you need to read this post!

It was Amanda's turn to host. (Or maybe not - maybe she just kindly volunteered) She had plans for a dreamcatcher (awesome!), Kate had plans for a half finished project (to be revealed at a later date, I am sure) and I was quite taken with the cover project from the craft magazine Mollie Makes. I stumbled on this magazine on Newsstand on my iphone whilst on holidays and have been tempted to subscribe ever since. The mag often features felt creations which I admire but wonder what I would actually do with them (think felt fortune cookies or felt cupcakes). This edition, however, had a felt racoon and fox which took my fancy and I thought would make a great baby shower present. So I bought this edition. Such restraint!

The instructions were clear, the template simple and the supplies few. Amanda did a Spotlight shop and picked up the felt. It didn't matter that we couldn't get the exact colour felt. But then again, perhaps that is because I don't actually come across too many foxes or racoons in Brisbane. Anyhow, all done! and I have gifted them so now I can post some pictures.

As for the dreamcatcher, Amanda found a metal circle at Spotlight - which definitely was a blessing as the alternative was trying to wrangle a coat hanger into a perfect circle shape. I didn't have the courage to tell her that this may be impossible but thankfully Spotlight's ability to carry seemingly useless items prevailed! We raided our stash for yarn and beads and pom pom string and Amanda worked them in beautifully. She managed to make something original and personal and pleasant to look at. A tricky combination. 

It made a gorgeous present for a 6 year old, who had coincidentally been having a run of bad dreams. Amanda packaged the dreamcatcher with the brief story about how dreamcatchers were used by Native American Indians to catch hold of bad dreams and filter through the good ones, something that really captured the girl's imagination. Hooray for serendipity!
Jess.

Solo craftiness: Origami Butterfly Garland

My perfectly precocious toddler turned two last week so we threw a Butterfly Tea Party to celebrate.  There were bubbles, a field of butterflies cake, a make-your-own-wings craft table and the burning heat of a Brisbane summer day.  Thankfully we had picked a shady park so we positioned ourselves underneath some large trees.  And fluttering above us on a length of twine were these gorgeous origami butterflies!

 

My clever sister takes the solo credit for the actual folding of the butterflies.  She used a fabulous free app on her phone called Origami Instructions.  We have been having fun ever since making jumping frogs and sturdy whales following the step by step picture instructions.

Once she had created the butterflies we experimented with ways to attach them to the string. We found that securing them with an upside down wooden peg weighted them perfectly so they fluttered in the hot breeze.

And once the partying was done, the guests could choose their preferred butterfly as a party favour!
- Amanda

POSTSCRIPT:  While photographing these butterflies, Kate's own perfectly precocious two year old went very quiet.  We found her proudly grinning at us after using the entire contents of her sister's make up to decorate a couch. Laughter was the only sane response!  And yes, it did come out in the wash!

Solo craftiness: Frilly tunic

On our amazing crafty weekend recently, we did so much cool stuff. One project was sewing some little girls clothes from patterns we bought on an etsy shop called Too Sweets Patterns - http://www.too-sweets.com 

I made this one for my friend Bec's baby Mabel, and it looks exquisite with her blue eyes.

This pattern had little ruffles along the armholes and a beautiful lined bodice. It was meant to have a ruffle at the bottom too, but I decided that would be too bulky over her nappy so I left it off.

The patterns are simple and easy to follow. Beware that they seem to run a little on the small side, so be sure to check your measurements and perhaps make it using a generous size for your little one.

Merry Christmas Mabel!

Solo craftiness: Bathroom cupboard

It's been a while since our last post. Amanda has been busy with her beautiful new baby, Jess has been battling morning sickness, and I have been deep in a bathroom renovation, so we've temporarily lost our crafting mojo. Don't fret however, as we have an entire weekend of kid free crafting coming up soon, when we can make up for lost time, and then some.

In our new bathroom, I wanted a shelf or cupboard behind the toilet to hold some toilet rolls, cleaning stuff, and bits and bobs. But pretty shelves are hard to come by. 

Eventually I found this old medicine cabinet in a junk shop. It even has an hilarious poisons information sheet still inside the door. They advise burnt toast and very strong tea as a cure all for most things.

The cupboard was painted cream in a shabby style, but I thought I could make it better with some high gloss enamel in duck egg blue to match my floor tiles.

I used three coats of oil based enamel (apparently this is better in damp areas), and the results are great. A new decorative handle and voile! Pretty bathroom cabinet!

You can see from the photo that the bathroom is not quite finished, but I think the little cabinet will be just perfect.  Kate

Project 11: Fabric Letters

In August last year, our little family of four headed to the United States to visit some friends.  I had a list of shops to visit but highest priority was given to Jess's suggestion of Anthropologie - temple of bohemian clothes and gorgeous homewares.  It became a bit of an obsession as we hit numerous shopping centres to kill time or escape the heat, clocking up about 6 stores in our 3 weeks abroad.  I wanted to bring something back for Jess as a thank you for introducing Anthropologie into my life so she scored a fabric covered lower case "j" for her wall and unable to stop at one, the kids earned a letter each too.

The more I looked at those letters hanging on the wall, the more I wondered how easy they would be to make.  There are a few sites that tackle the task but this one seems to be the best.  After a fraught visit to Spotlight, we had the cardboard letters (no lower case letters available sadly), wadding and various material pieces ready for a night of crafting.

Kate used leftover material and binding tape for her "L" and "J" which will stay in the family home or find their way into the present box.  She worked as fast as the wind as usual and made it look all too easy!  Jess and I were determined to replicate the Anthropologie letters so after applying wadding and front material, we laboured at the stitching before attaching the edging.  This did lengthen the whole exercise considerably but I was very happy with the final result - a "R" for my sister-in-law's birthday. Last I heard, Jess was still toiling on her beautiful "B" - will post a pic once the masterpiece is complete!

They are fiddly and using the glue gun is a hazard for your poor fingertips but I do think they make a very personal, decorative present - so choose your recipients wisely!

Amanda

Project 10: Rainbow Fabric Baskets

I am not sure in what order we did this! It seems so long ago. Do I say that every post??!

I fell in love with these baskets after reading Denise Vanderlugt's book "Where Rainbows Live" and was glad to have a chance to make some of my own.

We used plastic shopping bags, cut into strips for the structure. We used strips of fabric and wrapped and threaded them around the plastic using a darning needle. It takes a couple of rows to work out the tension, too tight and you can't poke the next row through, too loose and the basket will collapse on itself. I recommend keeping your colours together for a little bit of order. 

We didn't finish any on the night! A few days later, Amanda turned one into a shallow open basket for keys and I have one as a lidded basket. I have started another that I am planning on giving as a present, although as always I tempted to keep it and start a collection. As for Kate, I think she tempted to also keep it as an open basket but is undecided. I will have to check on her progress and get back to you. Jess

Project 9 - Lacquered Boxes - Take Two

We've done these boxes once before, and found them so easy, quick, yet incredibly beautiful and effective - we just had to revisit them. 
Inspired by the arrival of a friend's precious baby girl (welcome Mabel Abigail), we started making one as a baby gift, but then went on to finish six more in an evening. 

The highchairs and kids' stool were the perfect drying racks for works in progress.
Amanda made two in boys colours. The one for her husband with a map of London streets where they used to live is particularly special. There was a lot of cackling as we theorised about what he might decide to store in it.

Jess and I were deeply grateful to Amanda for doing the gruntwork by shopping for the many boxes at Ikea whilst heavily pregnant. Amanda, we salute you.


Kate