We had the first solid snow of Winter hit last weekend. Snow storm Nemo came, bringing with it lots of snow along with some inspiration and motivation. I was up early on Saturday morning after the blizzard and out the front door by 7am. I love to go for a walk before the snow plows […]
Happy Valentine’s Day! What a sweet day! This year we made bookmarks for Maya’s class as a Valentine gift. 1st grade is all about learning to read and so I thought it appropriate that we make “I love Reading” bookmarks. Useful and cute, and not too lovey dovey to give out to friends. Maya also […]
This week (in the midst of our bathroom renovation process) I made a quilted vest for Maya. I drafted the vest pattern off the little red vest that you may recall Elle wearing. The vest was once a coat (see photos of the girls wearing it when they were little) that I made into a […]
I have had a busy and exciting week, and feels good to be able to say, I have been getting things done! The first goal I set myself this week was to turn some screen printed swatches into small tote bags. The second goal I set myself was to market them. Now the third goal, […]
Now if you are part of my family – don’t read this, or it will spoil the surprise! I like to have a handmade Christmas gift to give my family each year. Last year we gave them needle felted toadstools, and this year they will recieve screen printed dish towels. Last week I had a little […]
I finished this painting today…Bountiful Peacock…the third painting in what seems to be a series. He looks like a story book Character don’t you think? “The bountiful peacock was a proud fellow, blessed with so much beauty…but silly him thought he needed more…”
This week I have found some quiet time to sit and paint…well actually it was not really that quiet around here, always talkative girls with me…but maybe it was quiet within… painting seems to brings a clam to my mind – regardless of what is going on around me, and I really do need that. I […]
I have been having some fun this year making gift wrap! A few hand made rubber stamps, some Wholefoods bags and a roll of ikea paper and tada…Christmas gift wrap! There is really not much to explain to the process. I carved stamps using the Speedball Carve block, and stamped using these stamp pads. An easy […]
As is our annual tradition, we make Christmas cards over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. It seems to be the perfect time to make Christmas cards as we then have 10 days to write in the cards and get them to Australia before the Christmas postal cut off date. Last year I did not have a […]
Tomorrow is Lantern Walk! It looks like the weather is going to be kind. We will gather on our lawn at 4pm, Sunday 11th of November. For those wishing to make lanterns, here is my glass jar lantern tutorial. The walk will go from our home to the Iris Gardens and back. After the walk we will be sharing a […]
Only two more sleeps until Elle turns four! Oh my goodness, I can’t bare it. I was snuggling her the other night and feeling a bit sad that she was going to be another year older. “I dont want you to turn four” I said to her. Elle empathetically, replied “You can’t stop four Mummy, […]
Yesterday it was leaf crowns, today it is a candy corn crown. Maya decided to be a candy corn princess for Halloween and so I made her this crown based on her design. Nice to have a Mummy to sew your designs right? I was lucky like this too, putting my Mother to work to […]
Today Elle and I visited Maya’s class to make leaf crowns. This is a project I do annually in Autumn with our girls and I thought it would be fun to share it with Maya’s class. I also thought you all might like to see my method, so I have included a tutorial below. I […]
It is that time of year again when we start to make glass jar lanterns. This is a wonderful Autumn craft activity that you can do before Halloween and use for both Halloween and for Martinmas Lantern Walk. We were introduced to the Lantern Walk by our Waldorf Playgroup when we lived in Brooklyn and […]
A while ago now our family friend Nicole inspired me when she said that I should print Maya’s drawings onto t-shirts. I loved this idea, and it has sat with me as a really fun thing to do since she suggested it. My first visualisation was of a multi colour detailed print like you would see […]
We have a favorite toy in our home at the moment that is the source of much creative play and so I am going to introduce you to our unicorn. I designed and needle felted this unicorn from scratch and since finishing it the unicorn has been within reach more often than not. Currently unicorn […]
Happy May Day! One of my favorite times of year, the celebration of fertility, and of new life. Our May Day began with rising early and dressing quickly so we could go out and pick flowers to fill May Day baskets. Last night we made some simple cone shaped baskets out of cereal boxes from the […]
This time last week we were celebrating Spring with an Easter party. I invited the families in our street with small children and some of our friends. We could not have asked for a nicer day, the sun shone brightly, and our Easter party was lovely in so many ways. I decorated the dogwood tree […]
Some things I make for decoration, some things I make for utility…this falls into the later category. Any parent I know is familiar with the perfectly timed phrase “I’m thirsty”…once you are more than a block from home…sometimes you will quench this thirst with a water bottle dug from deep inside a bag, but other […]
Here is one of the ways we are celebrating Spring…with a painted window garden. Painting on the windows is one of my favorite ways to personalise our home. You might recall the painted toadstools on our dining room windows I did for Elle’s Birthday party last year, or the Seasons Trees I painted on Maya’s […]