Fancy Pants - The Playsuit Edition

I daresay I've sported my fair share of playsuits in my time. From the terry towelling shoe string strap affair complete with shaped running shorts and satin bias binding as a wee kipper, to a culotte halter ensemble that danced the night away at the local under 18's nightclub "Prowlers"...ooh, so sophisticated. And I wonder why nobody wanted to dance with me to Boyz 2 Men's "The End of the Road" for the last slow dance!!


But have I learned? Oh no sir-ee! Another playsuit to add to my archives. This time a Witchery number hopefully with a little more panache than the aforementioned ones. I guess only time will tell. It is highly likely that this will be the photo that elicits copious guffawing and pointing when looked at by my children in years to come.

Playsuit: Witchery
Scarf: Cotton On
Cuff: Witchery
Watch: D&G

I'm joining in here today. Lets take a peek-a-boo at what funky outfits these ladies have created shall we.

My Creative Space

The majority of my creative space has been filled with an ever increasing number of gorgeous softies. So far 23 parcels of crafty hope and love have reached my door step and I now have 100 softies boxed up!!! These are now ready to be distributed to little munchkins in dire need of a friend to snuggle at bed time. In fact a few boxes are heading off as we speak! As there are now 90 lovelies creating up a storm for our littlest flood victims I should prepare Hubby that he may well have to give up his shed!


A few weeks ago, mon petit poppet celebrated her second birthday and along with a "blue bird shol" cake (translation: blue bird on my shoulder á la Zippedy Do Dah) this Mumma made her honey girl a birdie top to wear on her special day.



One of my goals this year is to "Make do!". Now it's no secret that I am slightly obsessed with fabric so my last year's self would have promptly shuffled of to the nearby fabric shop and hunted out something cute and birdy. But my new year's self (all shiny and virtuous!) decided to look at her stash more creatively and see what idea might blossom.

Well with some leftover linen, a humble spud and some blue craft paint mixed with textile medium (simply THE best product to turn all your old craft paints into fabric paint), I stamped up a storm. I used a skewer dipped in the paint to make the little wee legs. Throw in a piece of vintage sheeting for the strap and my gal had a pretty birthday top. A teensy bit rustic but golly gosh I had fun!!!

And here is the model du jour sporting her bluebird birthday ensemble topped off so elegantly with a vivid green Duplo hat! Trés chic dahling!!

And the left over "blue bird shol"s got stitched onto some recycled card and made into thank-you cards. I tried in vain to take a picture without a certain someone absconding with the card so I eventually gave in and thought a piccie with those scrummy pudgy little fingers ain't so bad :)

I wonder what other crafty adventures all the bloggy lovelies have been on this week?

Happy Australia Day..and a winner!!

* The lucky Mandy (receipt number 3202668) is the winner of my wee little mademoiselle. I'll help her pack her Louis Vuitton trunk and have her jetting off to her new home in a jiffy Mandy. Thank-you to everyone who joined in...thanks to you we raised another $90 for the Queensland Premier's Flood Appeal.*

Watching poppet play in her wee little pool this afternoon I was enveloped with cicada song. Thankful for the shade of the Coolibah tree (o.k. so it was a Lilly Pilly but surely you can grant me some poetic license on such a day!) I pondered this great land and its people. The stinging sun, fish and chips on the beach, "G'day", a female prime minister, free education for all children, delectable fresh food in all colours of the rainbow, breathtaking and abundant flora ,the resilience of our inspiring farmers, mateship, double plugger thongs, endless blue skies, the call of a whip bird, the right to vote, university access to all.... pies with mushy peas.

Hubby took part in a charity bike ride the other day led by none other than the legendary Lance Armstrong and Robbie McEwen with all proceeds going to the Queensland Premier's Flood Appeal. Lance addressed the crowd and spoke of his awe at the volunteer effort. As the world watched the disaster unfold, Lance watched dumb struck as traffic jams clogged the city of Brisbane....because people were heading toward the devastation to help out a stranger. Thousands upon thousands of people of all ages and walks of life (including my wonderful Hubby, Mum and Dad) lined up to lend a hand. Such is the nature of an Australian.

I often wax lyrical about France and all her many beauties but it is the people of this grand nation that have my heart! To the Aussies! You little rippers!!!

Sleep Over Dolls

Sleep overs seem to happen at the drop of a hat these days. But in my time...0h my...could I sound any more Nana-ish!! Oh well (cue glasses perched on the bridge of my nose and that whistly voice that comes when one reaches around 90), "In my time...one had to beg and plead for a sleep over and absolutely, never in a million years, so not going to happen on a week night!"
I remember one particularly grizzly sleepover with perfect clarity. It involved a moderately reheated can of Tom Piper braised steak and onion (oh yes...I remember it well!!), white bread and milk. Not privy to such tinned "goodness" in my humble abode I found it well, rather unpalatable. Mixed with white bread it created something not far from wallpaper glue pasted to the roof of my mouth. Enter the "dry reach". Again and again...and again. Needless to say I wasn't invited back to that house again. Thank goodness ;)


Sleep overs at my Grandyma's house (no not a typo!) on the other hand were a sublime adventure. There was always some sort of delectable parfait concoction prepared lovingly in tall tinted glasses waiting eagerly to be eaten. And lemon squash softdrink! Being allowed to use her Vaseline Intensive Care body cream after a bath and then being liberally dusted in Tweed talcum powder and a jaunty drop of Eau de Cologne behind the ears. Bliss.

For mon petit poppet's birthday I made her a set of teeny sleepover gal pals. I used some vintage fabric and a pattern from a glorious new book of mine, Wee Wonderfuls by Hillary Lang.
She has spent countless hours tucking them in and snoring them off to the land of nod. Only to give them a magic kiss and shout "wake, wake" as they are reefed out of their slumber and forced on with their day...usually shopping for curry!!


And if you're feeling a bit déja vu-ish upon seeing these little lasses that's because I used them for my Hope Softies button. I now have a staggering 86 people around the world making softies for the littlest victims of the devastating floods! I still have room so if you'd like to help out just leave me a message and I'll send you my details. Thank you to all of you wonderful, inspiring crafty friends who've contributed. You are stars...each and every one of you!!!

Mon Espace Créateur - { My Creative Space }

♪ The softies go marching two by two. Hurrah! Hurrah! ♪

My house is becoming overrun with the most delightful of companions...handmade softies for my Hope Softies drive. Parcels of all shapes and sizes are being delivered by a rather bemused postal delivery fellow. Mmm..note to self...fill in the postie as to why he is wearing a path to my door.

I must confess there has been little to no softie making going on here as my gluteus maximus has remained constantly glued to the chair in front of the computer returning emails to all the lovelies out there who have offered their support. The outpouring of generosity has left me speechless....and that's saying something!

But with Hubby away the last week in the Lockyer Valley helping with the clean up and a black out at our house I downed tools a.k.a the computer, loaded up the poppet and headed to Mum's. It was here I finally got to complete a few wee dollies to add to the boxes of softies in my back room. Yes, you read it right....boxes!!!

I have plenty of room for more little parcels of loveliness so please join us by making a softie or two to give the littlest flood victims someone to snuggle at bedtime. I'm more than happy to have a numb bum writing emails :)

For more creative spaces please have a peep over here.

Qld Flood Appeal Auctions

This Raffle is now closed. Thanks so much to everyone who entered!!

I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of lovely crafty ladies out there (even overseas!!!) that have put up their hand to make a softie for our munchkins! Thank you so much for all your incredible support!

And now for my raffle as part of Toni's awesome Qld Flood Appeal Auctions. There is a certain Mademoiselle decked out in her finest waiting patiently to jet off to her new home.

All you have to do is donate $5 for one ticket at the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. And leave a comment with your donation receipt number. If you want more than one entry you'll need to make separate donations and then leave another comment....a weeny bit on the bothersome side but absolutely nothing compared to hosing the inside walls of your house to remove caked on mud! Mmmm...thought you'd understand. :)

I'm going to cover postage and this little draw is open to all people of the globe.


So without further ado...pop over here and donate away! Don't forget to include your receipt number and some way of contacting you in your comment. This draw will close on Wednesday the 26th of January at 12 midday and I'll be in touch with the lucky winner soon after.

And don't forget my "Hope Softies" drive to make wee softies for those children who have lost everything. Jacki of monkeemoomoo has also created a dolly drive too! What a treasure!!

It is in such dark times that humankind shines!

Hope Softies

Thank you so very, very much to all those wonderful souls who have contributed to this drive! Hope Softies has now closed.

A giant merçi to the lovely ladies who have contacted me already to make a wee softie for a munchkin whose lost everything as a result of the Queensland floods. At present there are literally thousands of Queenslanders making emergency shelters their home. It is highly probable that they will be there for quite some time as the water slowly subsides and electrical checks are done on their homes. Then the mammoth task of cleaning them up begins.

All I ask of you to is make one small softie (or oodles if you like!!!) to provide a child in these shelters a small comfort and hope that people are rallying behind them....that the world is a good place. They don't need to be grand and small enough to pop in a bag and conserve vital space. This would be merely an afternoons job for you that would provide immeasurable comfort!

There are a bazillion free dolly and softie patterns on this giant technical spider web but have a look here and here for a few ideas. And thanks to jennadesigns for this link too.

Please leave a comment with your email address expressing your desire to help so I can send you my address (we are quite close to one of the main shelters so I can deliver them as they arrive) and take this my little "Hope Softies" button and display it on your blog with a link back here to encourage others to jump on board.

Also, don't forget the brilliant sales and auctions taking place to raise money. Mine's here and she's a beauty!! And if you're not a softie maker but a quilter please offer your talents to the ever amazing Corrie of retromummy"s Quilts for Queensland drive!

Thanks so much for your support! My heart aches with the magic of this blogging community!! x x

Heartbreak

It is with a very heavy heart that I right this post as I try to fathom the enormity of the devastation in my home town. My family and I have been so lucky to escape unscathed but the destruction in familiar patches of my home turf is utterly heartbreaking. I feel so helpless....

As a stay at home Mumma my primary responsibility is with my girl but I feel so utterly useless. Hubby can go and volunteer to fill sand bags...he has a ute and is ready to aid in the clean up at a moments notice. My Dad can drive a truck...an excavator...a bob cat. What can I do? At the moment I feel my cheerful blogging and crafting is superfluous and in bad taste. But on the other hand I can't sit idle. Hence I'm going to keep sewing and crafting but making things for those who have lost everything.

Thousands of families are seeking refuge in emergency shelters around Queensland. I would love to provide each and every child with a small handmade softie to comfort them in this dark time and give them hope that things will get better. Picture walking back into your home and every single item you own is either washed away or ruined by water and mud...... it really is unfathomable!!! Then imagine that through the eyes of a five year old!

If you would like to make something (it doesn't have to be grand!!) please leave a comment letting me know and I'll email you my address so I can deliver it to where it's needed.

The brilliant (I can't emphasise this enough!!!) ladies of the BrisStyle Team have co-ordinated a fantastic Flood Appeal through Etsy and I have pledged some of my wares to raise much needed cash. Please, please, please head over and ogle (no...not just ogle...buy, buy, buy!!) all of the amazing crafty goodness on sale with all proceeds going to the Premier's Flood Appeal.

The amazing Toni of Make It Perfect is also rallying the blogging troops in an online auction of which I am proud to be a part of. I will be auctioning a heap of mon petit poppet fair again with all proceeds going to my fellow statesmen in need.

Our thoughts are with you my Queensland friends....and my hands are busy.

Mon Bien-aimé - { My Beloved }

The milky way outshone herself....we were merely babes....I wore a yellow daisy skirt....we danced close....with a glance and a shy smile you stole my heart, my long haired surfer boy.....we kissed...

Again I wore yellow....violins played....rose petals lay at our feet....you put a ring on my finger and I on yours...it was a midsummers' eve.... we quoted Shakespeare....we danced the Tango...I cried tears of joy...my heart sang...

You made me smile...you make me smile....you will always make me smile....


We made a person...we love her with all that we have...we could fill a house with such love if the universe allows...

I am as enchanted by you now as the day we met...time has stood still.
Happy Anniversary my beloved x x

Zippedy-Do-Dah, Zippedy-Ay!

Twas a certain little slice of magic's 2nd birthday yesterday! And what a grand day it was.With a love of all things blue and too many bird calls under her belt for such a tender age how could I have been surprised when she declared a blue bird cake was going to top off the festivities. Not any old bluebird though.."a blue bird....shol" i.e. a bluebird on my shoulder á la Zippedy Do Dah...a favourite tune of ours. Big cheshire cat grins and misty eyes from Mumma? Mais oui!!

In an effort to go low fuss, low packaged food, low impact on dear Mumma earth we began with the easiest birthday party decoration. Take some stamping done the previous day on recycled butcher's paper cut into wee little birdies and sticky taped to string. Et voila! A virtual flock of fine feathered friends. (Mmm....I do spy with my little eye, some remnants of a scary orange paint not yet attacked with the white paint brush.)

There were honey joys...

and teeny rhubarb muffins...

buttermilk and blueberry pikelets...

mini poppers of juice, sambos, cheerios (these were a non negotiable inclusion for Hubby) and a giant fruit platter. We used some yummy old plates from our stash and vintage cloth napkins..."gentlemen rags" as my brother calls them to his three wee gentlemen. Love it! And of course the cake. I found natural blue food colouring here to avoid sending all the kidlets off with the fairies.

The party bags were assembled in a jiffy with some calico scraps for the bags, vintage sheet birds and a little linen bookmark whipped up on Jan, a packet of sunflower seeds and a honey joy. I have to admit I was well chuffed with these :)

And mon bébé...well she has sung "Hap Bir To You" all week in eager anticipation of her special day.

The journey so far has been utter bliss my girl and I am so very proud to be your Mumma. You and Daddy are my world and every day with you, my little effervescent buddy is... ♪ My oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of sunshine heading my way, Zippedy-do-dah, Zippedy-ay!! ♪

Moi et ma fille - { Me and my girl }

With fingers still smarting from a nasty incident with an insipid tea towel and a trés hot baking dish I scoured my craft books for just the right salve. No not a soothing ointment made from steeped calendula petals or some such natural concoction. I needed a cure and fast!

Enter the amazing Ms. Blake Soule's hot pads (perfect for picking up offending hot items) and an afternoon of crafting with my girl.

Bijou has always been enchanted with fabric, pins and my gal pal Jan (the Janome, that is) so what was this "still high from the festivities of Christmas and one too many rum balls" Mumma to do but open my arms and let her join in on this...our first official project together.

The stitches are rather wonky and the bias leaves a lot to be desired. And I required a few time outs for cups of tea and deep breaths but we got there in the end. Perhaps she's a whisker too small for such tasks but it ignited a gentle fire in me. One that will burn like hot embers in my heart until her language solidifies enough for her to ask, "Can we make something together Mumma?"

Here's to a grand year of making, learning, growing, discovering and adventuring.....for all of us!