I'm in love...

Hi all

So, my sojourn back into the paid workforce is over. What was it like? Well, I really enjoyed myself, and got to exercise my brain which was fantastic.  And the crafting time on the train was wonderful. Sadly though, this was all at the expense of time with my beautiful boys. A very sad thing. So, it's now back to being fulltime stay at home mummy.

And in preparation, I have been prowling the net, looking for some activities for the boys and i to do on those days when the park is just not going to happen. And something that doesn't involve a westfield.

And what a collection of fabulous things I have found! And all of them stored neatly in the one place thanks to Pinterest

Yep, I'm in love. All of my favourite ideas from the web catalogued in the same place, into categories that make sense to me? Sounds perfect. Then to have the opportunity too to connect with some of my very favourite people there too... I'm in love.

work in progress... sunnyside up!

  Hello!

I have been busy, not doing anything too exciting that no one has done before, but crafting felt food for the gherkin's (shhh) birthday present.

I am pretty happy with my eggs (easy) and love my pile of beans! I am now a complete convert to wool felt - this process has shown me just how much better wool felt is to work with.  My bread is ok - love the shape and thickness, although if I had my time again I would make with quilt wadding rather than just stuffing it with polyfill, so it didn't puff up too much. I am very unimpressed by my first watermelon attempt - I think I really have to make a three dimensional slice,rather than trying to cheat with a flat version! Cheating never pays...

Sadly, I am only able to handstitch these, as my machine is strictly off-limits at night due to our teeny weeny new home in Sydney and our very light sleepers...
So, next on the list is... more fruit and veg. Because the gherkin has significant allergy to nuts and peanuts (and not long ago, sesame too), he hasn't eaten much packaged food, so all of the foods I will be putting in his kitchen will be the key staple sorts of foods - bread, pasta, fruit, veg. I also want to make up some cartons for milk etc. And bought a small variety pack size box of weetbix (you know the single serve sized boxes) yesterday just for the box! (weetbix is the only cereal we can eat in this house when mummy's not doing porridge).

I have been super-inspired by a number of felt food genii (?the plural for genius?) on the net...

amazing range (and diy e-books for purchase) from lilly bean

gorgeous lunchbag tutorial from skip to my lou

plus many many many more.... it seems the world loves felt food. My Pinterest has been getting a real workout!

Have fun, I'll check back in shortly with another update.

xo

crafty books for kids

Hi again!

The pickles clan took a wee trip to the library yesterday, and picked up a great couple of crafty books for the gherkin (and for me too).

Joseph had a Little Overcoat is a 1999 book by Simms Taback, and is all about the art of reuse and refashion. Joseph starts off with an overcoat which then becomes a vest, a tie, a hankerchief etc... and in the end turns the whole experience into a story! It is a lovely read (based on a great concept), but of course what first caught my eye was the gorgeous illustrations.

Crafty of course because of the story. And check out the back cover... buttons - yippee!

Another of the books is by Clare Beaton, whose multimedia (mostly felt applique it seems) illustrations are just gorgeous, and have been a favourite with the gherkin since I bought him one of her books as his first ever book (before he was born)

This time from the library we have picked up Mrs Moon. One of my favourite illustrations would have to be this one, although this nursery rhyme still completely freaks me out...

I love the fabric choice for the tree! A lovely read with my boys and a bit of inspiration for me, too.

Do you find yourself picking books "for your kids" which are actually for you? Or are you (as I was pre-kids) an avid childrens book collector? What are your favourites?

I'll pop back later with my fab opshop finds for the toy kitchen and just because, a bit later.

Chat soon xo

cottage industry... have i mentioned my visit?

Probably have forgotten to mention that I visited Cottage Industry when I was last in sunny Melbs. Cottage Industry is the baby of the lovely Pene, and is where I spotted my first ever in real life doily tree....



[sigh] Lovely!

I had almost completely forgotten about this visit until just the other day when on holidays with all of my boys, and flicking through a pile of my sister's old inside out magazines, and found a photo of the lovely Pene herself!

The article was just okay - more of a pictorial than the sort of article I was interested to read about this gorgeous woman... her blog is so warm. But that said the photos were lovely and the shop itself on Gertrude St is just beautiful... if you are anywhere near Melbourne it is well worth the pop in to Cottage Industry. (And I wish you luck in any efforts to leave the store without one of the vintage teatowel ottomans...)
xx