mended

After the fun of mending her jeans, I turned to my own... and wondered why we both get holes on the same knee (the right one).


I have vague memories of wearing jeans patched from the inside, and how uncomfortable they were, so I went for an "outside patch" too, and then had some fun with wonky stitching.


Now I have a built-in reminder to check the mending pile more often...

avoiding the oppie - day 1

As I suspected, my daughter has taken my op-shop moratorium badly.

On the very first day, despite a clogged up nose, and a rather impressive sounding cough (well, if you are impressed by sickness), she insisted we needed to go to an Op shop to find a friend for Moby Dick, because he was lonely in the ocean...


(She also wanted me to tell her the story of Moby Dick - oh, maybe not quite the right story for a nearly 4 year old - so I told her to make up her own... sure enough, it was a story about Moby finding a whale friend...).

I started to have a "wants versus needs" conversation with her (all the time, thinking I was a pot talking to a kettle), but felt so sorry for my glazed eyed girl, and found myself saying "We don't need to go out for a whale, we could make one."


I took a rough pattern from Moby, cut into some old trackies from the rag pile, keeping away from the threadworn bits, and sewed - with one eye on the machine, and one eye on my little cheerleader dancing on the bed (amazing what a bit of toy anticipation can do...),


and made Teacle.




Teacle loves turning somersaults in the ocean, and eating shrimp, but mostly she loves spending time with her best friend Moby.


I wonder what I will resort to next time the op shop beckons? Christy and I are going to try and stay away for the rest of April - does anyone else want to / need to join us?

my creative space

This week, our space contains little snippets of creativity... I am thinking about big projects and plans, but so far haven't found the time (or energy or organisation or self belief) to get started...

...soon...

Until then, I am borrowing ideas...

(child embroidered hoop inspired by Soulemama)

taking inspiration from a challenge...

(made from sheet edges left over from making FQs for this swap)

and enjoying some early morning outdoor creative time with the girl...


For more than just snippets, pop over here.

a very cardboard christmas

For a good few years now, we haven't put up a christmas tree in our home. Partly because I have a bit of an allergy to pine trees (not major, just enough to be annoying), partly because we have a little place without much space for a tree, and partly because every Christmas we wake up somewhere other than home, with family who live too far away.

We managed to keep up this tree-free existence until this year. Thursday December 2 was the day we suddenly realised that our daughter really gets Christmas now... and that we can no longer avoid the tree.

The issues of space still exist, so a regular tree remains an option I'd like to avoid for as long as possible...

I researched some space saving ideas - I'd love a 2D version of this tree (thanks MMMC! and I'm impressed by Becclebee's DIY version too!), or this lovely little tree (down at the bottom of the post, past some gorgeous leather decorations), or maybe this bookshelf tree... the perfect tree for a family of bibliophiles, don't you think?


Then I saw an empty cardboard box, and after a bit of time convincing my sceptical daughter (well, cardboard is made out of trees...), the cardboard tree was drawn, coloured in, and cut out.


Adding to the complete laziness of this tree, I decided to make it a Christmas count-up calendar too - adding a paper "ornament" every day, instead of having to decorate it straight away!

(yes, we are up to date with ornaments - this photo is from a couple of days ago!)

Next year, I think we will need a "proper" tree - but at least this one will create no storage issues whatsoever come January!

my creative space - wardrobe archaeology

One thing my husband and I have in common is a love of "old stuff". Our first big trip together was to Italy and Greece, where we revelled in ancient treasures.

Our love of "old stuff" is evident in every room of our house - filled with things we have had since childhood, or "old stuff" we have found and re-homed. You might call us hoarders... I prefer to say "we just like old stuff."


When we last tried a little wardrobe clear out, my husband sadly pulled this rumpled, yellowing, almost threadbare Astroboy t-shirt out. He sadly said "I guess this should go." I knew it was hard for him. This t-shirt has a history. I decided to find a way to stop it becoming a rag.


I roughly cut out the design, and the same size from the back of the tshirt, then sandwiched them together with fusible webbing. I then carefully cut out the design and ironed it (with another layer of webbing) onto an old calico bag from a conference (with a logo that needed two layers of fabric to obscure).


I did a bit of hand stitching around the edge, and quickly tacked on the original t-shirt tag (perhaps I should have tidied up the original stitching on the bag first?),

and it was done.


A bag just perfect for dad and daughter trips to the library or cafe, and a bag that I hope holds onto the meanings and memories of that old t-shirt.

For more creative spaces, visit Kirsty.

my creative space

I gathered up a few sheets today, with plans to cut out and make a skirt or two.

She had other ideas...



Oh well, if you can't beat 'em , join 'em - anyone for vegemite hearts?




Pop over to Kootoyoo for more creative spaces.

PS: missed a post yesterday - sleeping when I should have been blogging... (think I made the right choice in the end!)

my creative space - the ephemeral dollhouse

I've gone on and on about this dollhouse, haven't I? Not to mention spent much time thinking about decorating options, even wishing I had more hoarded papers to choose from (I know, really...).

Then, I came to a realisation - this is a cardboard dollhouse.

It is, ultimately, designed to be short lived, even disposable. It is also a dollhouse for a small child - a small child who sees "bananas" and "boats" in scraps of fabric or cardboard. It does not have to be perfect, or even finished, to be loved.

So here it is: the ephemeral, happily unfinished dollhouse.


The art room - filled with happy music, loads of natural light from a lovely big window, and inspiration from Leunig and Van Gogh...



The (unchanged) dining room (a buffet might be nice in here)...


The extra - bright kitchen, with wonky stove, wonky lino, and an empty fridge - not for long...


The floral bedroom - with just one bed for 7 dolls...

I wonder what will happen to this house next? The one thing I know is, I won't be the one making the decisions... and it will probably never be "finished".

More creative spaces here.

my creative space - how to make a boxy piano

A while ago I had a bit of fun making some "upcycled" furniture for our (not yet finished) cardboard dollhouse. Estelle was kind enough to suggest I should do a tutorial, so here it is...

How to make a boxy piano...

1. Find 3 boxes which, when stacked together, look a bit like a piano.


2. Don't worry if they're not the right length, just measure, cut and fold to make a smaller box (if they're nearly the right size, don't bother - just pad out the short one with some paper or cardboard).


3. BEFORE you stick them together, gently fill the boxes with tissue paper or newspaper - just enough to help keep their shape but not so much that they bulge (check by stacking them up again)... sorry I forgot to photograph this step!

4. Put a bit of glue between the boxes, then start taping them up - I like to use this gummy brown tape that I've had since I dabbled in watercolour painting many moons ago, but any tape would do.


5. Tape them up until they're nice and stable - I probably went a little overboard...


6. For my first piano (see here), I just used the brown tape all over for a fast and easy finish. This time, I covered the piano in little bits of brown tissue paper that I'd dipped in diluted PVA glue.


7. Leave it to dry (and don't be too careful about covering the bit where the keys will go - that's about to get covered up)


8. Measure the space for your piano keys to go - subtract a few mm from each side, then draw your piano keys. After discovering first time around that lead pencil can smudge when covered in Mod Podge or glue, I used a non watercolour black pencil this time.


9. Stick on the keys with Mod Podge or PVA, remembering to seal the top of the keys too, and you're done!


After finishing this piano, I wondered whether one family of dolls really needed two pianos - Audrey and Beris disagreed, and quickly set themselves up for a piano duet....


the only problem is, Audrey is a "by the book" classical piano player, and Beris is a "play what you feel" avant garde type, so it ended up as more of a piano duel...

For more creative spaces, visit Kirsty's.

my creative space - not quite the after photos

A while ago (quite a while ago...) I got started on a cardboard box dollhouse, thinking it would be a quick job to finish. The evidence suggests I was wrong...

In fact, the doll house looks a bit too much like our house - lots of boxes piled up everywhere, holes in the walls, and lots of mess...

Luckily, the little wooden dolls who've been waiting to move in are pretty adaptable, and have started getting on with life in their unrenovated abode (with the help of an enthusiastic 3 year old).

They've already had their first dinner party (banana and broccoli pasta, anyone?) and tested out their new chairs (can you tell they come from take away pizzas?).


Not long after, the dolls showed their creative side, and decided to move into their art and music room, despite having wallpapered only one wall (but what a lovely wall it is!).

One day, there might be a proper after photo... but don't expect it too soon!

For lovely creative inspiration, visit Kirsty

(and I'll be drawing and announcing my tiny giveaway winner later tonight...)

my creative space

So, last week I was telling you about my CD rack dollhouse-to-be ... what I didn't tell you was that I'd already been planning another DIY dollhouse, which I nearly abandoned, but have decided to finish after all (and how fun will it be to have two houses? The residents will have neighbours to visit!!).

This is how it looked this morning...

yep, it's made out of nappy boxes.

Unfortunately in the "everything's too hard" stage of early parenting I decided I wouldn't be able to cope with cloth nappies - in retrospect, it probably could have been achievable - but, enough of the could-have-beens, at least I'm reusing the boxes, yes?!

I decided to go through my collection of used wrapping papers to find some good "wallpaper" - and a not insignificant amount of time passed by as I reminiscenced (yes, I know, it's just wrapping paper... no prizes for guessing where I sit on the hoarder - chucker continuum!).

I did at least manage to get back to the job and install a lovely terracotta roof (this paper was wrapped around some flowers we received when Mini Blogger was born... yes that was three years ago... but look how useful it is now?... have I convinced anyone??).

For those of you who don't crazily hoard paper but would like to make a cardboard dollhouse, visit Sarah for another idea (and a giveaway too!).

Of course it's Thursday, so Kirsty's is the place to be - see you there!

birthday party debrief - with tenuous links to flea market finds

Mini Blogger's birthday falls about a week after the Donna Hay Kids Magazine comes out - which is a good and bad thing.

Good, because I do generally find a few ideas or recipes to incorporate in our party, and bad, because I look at those photos and start thinking "this is what a birthday party should look like" (of course forgetting that those parties are put on by a [paid] team of stylists / editors and other clever people, and that the "party" is in fact a photo shoot).

Strangely enough, our party did not look (or feel) like a Donna Hay photo shoot.

The day began inauspiciously with a crying, sniffly guest of honour.

When guests started to arrive, she was still out of sorts, and not keen to join in any planned activities - I had stayed up last night cutting out cardboard antennae for guests to decorate with pencils, crayons (50c from the op shop) and stickers - luckily the other kids had fun.

I had planned a small musical interlude once antennae were made - a spot of "jitterbugging" to Wham! because that is what ladybirds do according to our girl. I did end up listening to Wham, but in a quiet room, just me and her, trying to cuddle and console a miserable child, to help her make it through her party. Which she did, through the power of Wham!, chocolate and assorted sugar filled products. She was even happy by the end - and I'm pretty sure it wasn't just from the sugar!

About half the planned menu items were abandoned due to lack of time (and hopefully because the guests were actually full) - the menu did, however, include these cute ants on a log and carrot stick insects...

The cake selection was a success, despite lumpy cake batter (unsifted cocoa - luckily not noticeable in the finished cakes) and a distinct lack of planning - I made up the ladybird cake design this morning after being unable to find the components I'd planned for when shopping last night. The worms and butterflies were ideas from a borrowed cookbook.

I was also really happy with how the bug jar party favours turned out - really easy, using mostly things we had at home already.

So, in the end, no Donna Hay party, but a happy-in-the-end, near-enough-is-good-enough, real life party shared with people we love and love to spend time with (who of course I can't show to protect their privacy).

And finally, just to sneak my way in to Flea Market Finds tomorrow... a bug catcher I found at the oppie for 50c on the day we sent out our bug party invites... and then forgot to actually use at the party today!!