Are you in need of some inspiration for blokey cards... stripes work a treat and I am a little obsessive about using mounting tape/ dimensionals.  Everything gets boosted and given an extra 3D enhancement.

One of my favourite creative activities is card making.   Life is busy, so it is nice to be able to start and finish an activity in one sitting. 

 

The stamp was a freebie in Creative Cardmaking magazine issue 55.    I stamped two of the image - one on scrap paper; the other on white cardstock.  I cut out the image on scrap and used it to mast the one on cardstock, then used suede; yellow and pale blue daubers to create the lovely horizontal colours.  I used this stamp on this card (for my brother's birthday) and again for two sympathy cards.  I like to handwrite the poem below inside sympathy cards.

 

Something Beautiful Remains - Unknown

The tide recedes but leaves behind
bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle
warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes
on in sweet refrains.....
For every joy that passes,
something beautiful remains

 

Fun and Fast Hot Water Bottle Covers

It's autumn and the leaves are a glorious array of reds, browns, yellows and browns.  We moved suburbs last spring, so I'm enjoying the presence of a greater number of trees and loads more fallen leaves.  My youngest encourages me to stomp on the crunchy leaves and I have to say it is addictive!!  If Peppa Pig can enjoy the mud, I can enjoy dry, noisy leaves.  I had to photograph this beautiful example.

As winter approaches, the nights are somewhat colder, the hot water bottles have been retrieved and put back into circulation.  That was until I looked at the sorry covers I'd knitted and crocheted a few years ago.  So, off to Spotlight (who currently have 30% off fleecy fabric) we headed. I picked up 3 x 1 metres of cute fabrics for less than $15.  I searched Pinterest for inspiration and sewing instructions, but sadly came up empty handed.  Perhaps there are others needing some easy to follow instructions, so I hope this helps out if that's you!

 

1) Using a piece of old fashioned printer paper - you could use A3 paper too, I drew around the 'naked' hot water bottle. 

2) Fold your fabric double so you can pin the pattern once and cut out 2 pattern pieces in the fabric.  Remember to look at the print on your fabric and ensure you aren't going to be cutting out 'upside down' or mismatching stripes or geometric shapes. 

3) Cut out adding an extra 1.5 to 2cm around the solid line you have drawn.  If you don't trust yourself to do this, then transfer the paper pattern onto a larger piece of fabric and mark on the extra 2cm seam allowance.  At the top of the bottle, I added an extra 2.5cm for the bottle's polo neck. 

4)  Sew along the shoulder, down the side, across the bottom, up the other side and across the other shoulder.  Leave the neck part open.

5)  Turn the h/w/b cover right side out and pin the neck, sewing up both sides.  (see photo on right below)

6) Next, roll your hot water bottle so it is like a sausage (vertically).  Insert the bottle into the neck of the hot water bottle cover and wriggle it into its new cover.  Once in, turn down the polo neck and voila!  Ready for use.

 

By the third hot water bottle cover, it took me less than 10 mins from cutting to finished product.  Good luck with yours.  If you don't have fleece, other stretch fabrics will work, but you may need to allow a slightly bigger seam allowance so you can squeeze the bottle in without harming the neck seams.

 

An Artsmock from a collared men's shirt

On Friday my daughter arrived home from school with her list of stationery requirements.  One of the items required was an art smock.  We discussed and she said she'd take one of the plastic art smocks I'd bought a few years back.  Great that she doesn't expect me to buy everything new, but uh no!  Plastic is incredibly sticky on hot days and the art smocks are really sized for kids 4 years younger than her.  So, we took a trip to the local Vinnies (2nd hand store) before church on Sunday and had a quick look through the men's collared shirts before settling on a stripey blue one (Calvin Klein brand - only $6.00 and a decent quality cotton finish). 

Later in the day she tried on the shirt and I was able to measure and pin - she needed a smock with long sleeves.  I cut off approximately 20cm.  Next I used my tape measure and measured a radius of 3 inches from the lower edge of the collar.  Once pinned, I cut from pin to pin and removed the collar. 

Snip, snip, snip...collar comes off.

 

Next I zig-zagged along each of the cut seams - 2 sleeve ends and neckline.  Next I folded over approx. 1.5cm and sewed each of the seams, leave a small opening for elastic.  Then I threaded through the elastic with a safety pin into each of the seams.  Before tying these off I got my model to try on the garment and tightened and loosened the elastic accordingly.  

 

And this is the finished product.  A gypsy style art smock with long sleeves and approx. to knee length.  I bet it won't look like this for long!  Go, my little Picasso.

 

 

Ballerina Girl

In the last few days of school holidays, I pulled out my stash of felt and using a template from
http://dailyfix.co.za/crafts/gift-idea-ballet-doll/, I sewed two little ballerina dolls for my girls.  Here are photos of one of them. 

 

Isn't she a cutie?  I decided against gluing on googly eyes and beads for her face and used a black fineliner instead.  Partly because I wanted to finish her off quickly and partly because friends with babies or toddlers come to play and I don't want them swallowing something they could choke on.

 

 

Another improvement I made to the basic template was adding a hair bun.   My older daughter loves wearing her hair in a bun, so I personalised hers. To make the bun, draw a circle around a slender tumbler (tall drinking glass).  Cut out the circle and gather it up, stuffing before tightening up and sewing onto the back of the ballerina's head.

 

 

The template doesn't have a pattern for panties, so I created my own using some matching ribbon and the skirt was a rectangle of tulle approx. 50cm x 16cm folded along the length and gathered by hand using shearing elastic (the one you buy on a cotton reel).

 

Hope you are inspired to try one for yourself.  These would be great for a school fete, gifts for nieces and granddaughters and even a morale booster for a sick little girl.  Approx time to complete - 90 mins. 

 

 

Something special...for someone special - a wedding card

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A taste of Africa

Guinea Fowl are fascinating creatures. I love their colours and especially their spotty dots. They were prevalent in the suburb in Cape Town where my brother lives. Imagine that! Seeing them daily. No such luxury in Australia so I had to Google to ensure I got the colours right.


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Simple but elegant engagement card

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Mermaids on Vellum

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Passionate about Papercraft

I've been on a bit of a roll of late.  Some people complain of losing their mojo and not feeling creative, but I'm experiencing completely the opposite.  There is just not enough time to finish all the ideas.  Pinterest is a wonderful source of inspiration.  I've been doing my best to use a variety of mediums.  I'm not going to say I know the names for all of them, but I have been stamping, die cutting, embossing, masking and even re-cycling some clothing labels and stamping onto vellum.  Here is one of them...

   

Alexander McCall-Smith - January 2014

My wonderful (and sexy) husband bought me several Alexander McCall-Smith books for Christmas.  At the time I was struggling through Kate Llewellyn's, "The Dressmaker's Daughter".  As soon as I finished that, I dove into AMC's, "Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations".  I really appreciate his talent for observing people and creating stories with a vast array of characters and perspectives.  The book comprises 9 short stories with the common theme of a date.  Light, but enjoyable reading and over too soon.  Next I re-read, "Corduroy Mansions" as I have the second in the series to read and it has been a few years.  Wonderful stuff.  Great characters.  Great storyline.  My next AMC indulgence was "Trains and Lovers".  4 characters in a train travelling from Edinburgh to London share intimate details with their lives with their travelling companions.  Again, the author creates 4 diverse characters and weaves stories around them.  Perhaps I'm biased because his characters are from places I've been to or come from.  He describes things beautifully so you really feel like you are part of the story.