Craft night

On Tuesday night we had craft night. I started to make these cute bowling bunnies. This is part of my handmade christmas presents and will be going under the tree for my children.



They will hopefully turn out something like this. Using my current mantra 'Do what you can, with what you have,' I have used a mixture of different fabrics from my cupboard. Although secretly, I wanted to go off and buy matching coloured drill fabric and polka dots just like they did here.

Another fun night: embroidery, children's clothes, bunnies, felt mice and a bit of re-purposing (my favourite word right now)

Thank-you Zoe for hosting a great craft night in your beautiful home.

Also.....

Welcome to my newest follower, Lisa from the very inspiring blog, 'mon petit enfant'

A stitch in time

On Tuesday night, craft night was at my house. Thanks to the few who braved the cold and came out, it was a lovely night as usual.

I started embroidering a picture of Spunky Monkey's onto a linen apron I am making for myself. I had put aside a lovely drawing of flowers he did a couple of months ago. But do you think that I could find it? At five in the afternoon, with the linen cut out and the thread ready, it was nowhere to be found! So into his art box I went and found a beautiful alternative. A row of flowers next to a Dutch looking house. (I doubt the house has been intended to look Dutch, but to me it does, I love it.)

I'm not skilled in embroidery, no one has ever showed me how to do it and all I have done so far is a basic back stitch. (is that what it is called?) No one will ooohing or arrrhing over my fine needlework, but that's OK by me. Despite my lack of technique, these are things that I am making with love and hopefully that will enough for them to be treasured by my children and perhaps passed on. I really love that a picture can be given a completely new life, and a tactile one at that.

After the girls left on Tuesday night, I pulled my chair close to the oil heater as if it were a roaring log fire. The house quiet, expect the jazz music that softly filled the room, I continued stitching until I'd run out of thread.

To bed with a happy heart.

This holiday week

(Eating rocky road at one of our many coffee shop stops.)

Most of this week has been spent having boy play dates with new friends, old friends and our lovely cousins who are visiting from far away. And in between times we have been:

• rugging up and going to the playground
• crafting at home and at the local library
• baking - slice, slice and more slice.
• feeling miserable with a headcold (me) messing up the house (kids).
• going to coffee shops, lunching out and eating fish and chips.
• rugging up and going bushwalking.
• going to see 'Toy Story 3". Loved it, laughed and cried!

Off to dinner tonight with our cousins before they leave tomorrow. Our time with them has been to short.

Craft night coasters

I have finally gotten around to taking a photo of the coasters I made at craft night last week.



They sort of match the lunchtime place mats I made a while back.
The same linen and Sprout off cuts.

We also had a new member join our group last week. Welcome Kylie.

Knitting scarves

(I love this scarf, what a gorgeous colour. The photo was found on this blog)

We had craft night again last night. And even though I dragged along my sewing machine and a project, I was too shattered to do anything but drink tea, gossip and eat Fiona's devine rhubarb and cinnamon cake. So good!

Most of the other crafty girls started knitting scarves. It was a lovely atmoshphere around the table with the clack clack of knitting needles.

Always a nice night.

Craft Night

Today I finished making these lunchtime place mats, that I had started at craft night a few weeks ago.



Our little craft group started just under a year ago now, with 5 crafty mums and and a very crafty dentist. And it's been a pleasure to invite a few extras to our group since then. We try to meet monthly, either working on similar projects (coasters, bags, etc.) or to just do our own thing. It's pretty cruisey and loads of fun. Here are a few other things I've made at craft night.



Paper art. A silhouette of Mr Moo's 1965 Volvo cut from a vintage atlas.



Transfer paper dolls. This was very fun night, these are just two that I made of the kids, but I've made about eleven others. I love this product.





Brooches. Made of felt, fabric and old buttons. Unbelievably, I finished both of these on the night and still had time for tea, cake and japanese pattern books!



A fabric bucket. Made from coloured hessian. Now filled with lego blocks in the playroom.

Another craft night tomorrow night.
Now..... what to make???