My creative space ...

has been very busy these last few weeks.  I'm heading off to a market tomorrow (well just going down the road really - Feilding Craft Market, Civic Centre, Feilding running from Friday to Sunday) and have been knee deep in preparations.

Wrap around reversible baby/toddler dresses

If you fancy seeing some of things either scroll down or click here for cushions, here for neckwarmers and pencil cases or here for bunting!  Sounds rather eclectic writing it down like that doesn't it?!

Made from linen/cotton mix fabric originally from a ladies shirt

The checked fabric is thrifted cotton

The buttons are vintage mother of pearl

And the hanger is thrifted!!!  

Hence why there is a little scrap cotton tie around the hanger - 

otherwise it keeps falling through the hole!

The idea was to sell children's clothes made from vintage and recycled material but as I was making them I realised you've no real idea what size to make and you only have a limited amount of fabric of each pattern.  I have a bit of a problem cutting into fabric at the best of time, see here, and so thought that if I had some clothes for sale but then advertised that I would custom make clothes from their choice of fabric. Don't know how that will go but here's hoping!

The beige linen is from ladies skirt

The floral cotton is from a vintage pillowcase

The buttons are from my stash

The little applique bird is on the back of this one as a little surprise!

For more market items you may like to click here.

In celebration I am running a giveaway, see here for what's up for grabs, but leave a comment anywhere this week for an entry!

Phew!  And of course one last, but very much not the least, link - Kirsty over at kootoyoo is the very lovely lady who runs this each week - thanks so much!  Pop over there to have a look at other people's lovely creative spaces .... x

Keeping necks and pencils (!!) warm ...

I've wanted to make some neck warmers for a while now and used the market as the reason!  The prototype was made for Maia and she loves it so I thought I would make some more to sell.  The outside patchwork is from cotton from thrifted or offcut material and it is lined with flannette cotton, again thrifted.  They are finished with a vintage button from my stash!

Thumbs up from Maia and I love them for the reason that they keep little necks warm with no worries about long scarf ends flying around and getting trapped ....  In fact I think I'll make one up in adult size for me next week!

Some patchwork pencil cases made up from vintage sheets and pillowcases.  Again I made some for the girls a couple of months ago and they have had great reviews, from the girls and their friends - so here's hoping!

And now for a photo that makes me very happy.  After bemoaning to and commiserating with fellow bloggers over the phenomenon that is detailed below I was very happy to get this snap.

The phenomenon as experienced by this crafty mama, although I think you will all have a variety on the theme!

• Mum decides to make something for child

• Child likes the idea of having something made just for them

• Mum feels good that she is making something for them

• Mum finishes the something

• Child looks at the something as if it is a monster/disgusting/cat poo (delete as appropriate)

• Child will not try the something on

• Mum bribes child to try the something on so they can get a photo

• Either bribery fails and the photo is taken sans child or bribery works but the photo is ruined by child's face

So for the detail:

Maia, on the left, is wearing a hat I crocheted for her over 2 years ago.  In fact this item is an exception to the phenomenon mentioned above, she has always loved it.  She's also wearing the new patchwork neck warmer made last week.

Cassia, on the right, is wearing a neck warmer I crocheted her last year (the matching beanie is still in the wardrobe but with the temps right down low now I better get it out!).

The other reason I love this photo - my two girls are together - usually when the camera comes out they run as far from each other as possible! x

PS Don't forget the giveaway I'm running to celebrate my first ever market!

Thinking about the good things ...

It's raining.  It's raining very hard and has been for a fair few days now.  Over the last month one or other of us has been sick.  The washing seems never ending .............

It could be very easy to dwell on 'bad' things but I have decided to think about the 'good' things and give thanks!

First up thanks to Pippa from When I Get The Time who has awarded me a Beautiful Blogger Award - more about that in the next post.

Thanks to my girls who are just wonderful!!!  They are going through a phase where they love being together, whether it is creating, playing, exploring, imagining.  This last week they have been very busy with imaginative play, using any and everything they find or make for their stories and adventures.  This last week we have variously been in fairyland (they got there on the 'family' witches' broomsticks because they missed the plane), mermaid land, princess land, hospital, pen school (this is featuring a lot at the moment and comprises of all the different felt tips being real and having great adventures!), dressing up land, at the vets, in a cafe .....  in fact now I think about it again I don't know where we haven't been.  All it takes is a little something to spark their imagination and off they go.

Yesterday Maia decided to make a treasure hunt for me!  Treasure hunts are great events at our house and the girls love them.  They started with photos and are now words and some very basic stylised drawings.  The girls have bags they collect up the clues in and I think the journey is more rewarding than the actual 'treasure' for them  (although the lollipops they found yesterday went down quite well!).

The little drawings on the right are Maia's clues (a chair and a newspaper if you can't quite make them out!) and they led to my treasure - this wonderful picture.  Not to be outdone Cassia made Mummy some treasure too.  Hers are featured on the left hand side and are a ring and then the tiniest piece of paper she had cut out and coloured.  Very special treasure indeed!

Thanks to Kellie in The Australasian Bee for introducing me to quilt as you go - it is my new thing!!!!  Yesterday I was able to make another quilt as you go block.  I made a 17" square to make into a cushion.

The coloured strips are leftover from Kellie's block plus a few I had in my stash.  The white border is old cotton sheeting which I just found this week in the op shop.  I love the feel of it - it feels so substantial and I love that I'm reusing someone else's cast offs!  I decided to try a buttoned up back and was very happy with the results.

I already had the buttons and I thought the different colours go well with the bright colourful front.  Just got to put it together and then I'll be sure to post a pic!

And then a thanks to me!!!  Yes I have actually made myself something recently.  The little bag I made here has come in very handy as a portable work bag.

It's small but fits in all the things you need to make hexagons perfectly!  It's had a few outings this week and more hexagon flowers are being produced!  Due to my impatient nature I needed to do something with a flower rather than just keep them all for a bigger project so I made myself a needlecase.

I've never had one before and hated never being able to find a needle easily, if at all!  Now they are all together in one place, by my machine, in a lovely new home.  Best of all it was made by me all from scraps!  x