It took me a few days of contemplation to figure out what to do with the silver clips I bought from Charlotte . I already had the beautiful wool felt, just needed some imagination.
I experimented with glue and got a mess, so these ones are all handstitched. I have used clean carded wool for filling.
The girls love them!
This could be my last giveaway for a while, only 19 days until baby arrives!
This softie is a prototype, so she isn’t perfect and she’s a little unusual, but I’m sure someone out there would love her!
She is made from very soft flannel and stuffed with polyfil. She is 40 cm tall (15.5 inches) She is meant to be a cat, though my husband begs to differ.
Her button eyes make her unsuitable for a very young child. I’ll draw the winner on July 5th.
TO ENTER:
Please follow the link on the sidebar to my Etsy shop and tell me which item is your favourite and why.
Please feel free to link to this post on your blog (you can use the pictures of the softie too if you like)
This one is open to Australian Residents only please.
I think my impending arrival has made me a little “baby mad”! I made this little waldorf baby this afternoon after fiddling around with a head and wondering what to do with the rest, it just seemed to become a baby. I needle sculpted her face, her body is polar fleece (really snuggly) and her hat is knitted from organic rainbow wool. She has a soft flannel wrap for swaddling that does up at the back with velcro. She is 8 inches long.
She will be in my Etsy shop shortly, I think I’ll be making another one for the little un’s 2nd birthday coming up. Just realised I won’t be able to call her that for much longer, there will be an
I made these newborn sized Mary Janes from a pattern by Sweet Little Patterns. They are so
My husband and I love to brew our own coffee in the mornings. We used to buy freshly ground coffee at the market each week until my husband made this discovery. Buying coffee beans in their raw state will cost you half as much as market coffee and much less than supermarket coffee (which usually tastes like dirty dishwater anyway!)
We brew our coffee in an Italian stovetop espresso pot (a marvellous invention).
Here’s what we do:
These are raw coffee beans. We buy Ethiopian beans from a little African supplies shop.
Once the beans have cooled grind them in a grinder (we use a little electric grinder that we bought fairly cheaply, it does a great job). The ground coffee in this picture is actually much darker than it looks here, yours should be nice and dark too.
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
250g butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 & 1/2 cups Corn flakes
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (C). Sift together flour & baking powder. Beat butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs & vanilla, beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients & corn flakes, mix well for about 2 minutes. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.
I’ve been on bedrest for a few days with that awful pregnancy muscle pain again that means I can’t stand or sit for long, but lying down is fine. Not terribly practical when you have 3 children and a house to run! Thankfully husband has had a couple of days off work to help so I can rest.
I managed to knit this little fellow in a semi reclining position:). Its hard to find things to do other than reading (no sewing!) Less than 5 weeks to go now, I wish it could be tomorrow…….
Go and check out this fabulous giveaway on the Australian Etsy Blog , so many wonderful prizes to choose from, I’ve entered!
Since I began my sewing journey I’ve always been very nervous about sewing clothes. I did a couple of terms of sewing classes with a professional dressmaker initially, and although I did learn a lot I also found her teaching methods somewhat intimidating – not a great learning environment.
I just finished this top and am so happy with how nice it looks, it has really boosted my confidence.
Another wee waldorf at 6 inches, she is in the Etsy shop now.
Its very challenging making clothes for dolls that small!
I’ve been doing a great deal of pondering lately, as I often do towards the end of a pregnancy, knowing many changes (and a lot more hard work!) are ahead. The main thing that has been bothering me is the fact that for 9 years (since my first child was born) I’ve tried to find work that I can do from home to contribute to our income. We have enough to get by but we want to move back to the country while the children are still young and for that we need more income. I also dislike being dependent on the government for income support, particularly as our family grows larger.
I’ve tried a myriad of things to earn money from home and nothing seems to work, I end up losing money. Ideally I would like to be paid for a skill I already have but have not found any demand. I’ve even placed ads in the paper to do ironing (I hate ironing!) but received no response, so I often feel that I’m at a dead end. I have made very little money from making dolls and put in many many hours for little reward, my sales seem to have dried up too.
So what to do?
Well, next month I’m hoping to apply for a study grant and undertake a diploma in graphic design, which would be learning new skills but also using the creative skills I already have. I’d be doing this with hope that I could then work from home. I have no idea if this would work out and whether I would get any work, but I feel that I have to try something. I was always financially independent before I had children and find it brings me great satisfaction when I can contribute.
Sorry about the ramble, I guess it helps to share what’s on your mind occasionally š