The Houses I Built.... well, made!

I really wanted to make something for my babies' 1st birthday, and knew I had found the perfect present when I came across this tutorial from Dawn... fabric houses.


The houses, or barns, are made from plywood covered with pellon and fabric. One side wall and roof opens up to reveal a garden and the inside of the barn. They have handles on top of the roof so they are also like little suitcases, ready to carry important things.


These were really tricky at times to make and took a long time to finish. The tutorial says to use plastic for structure but I thought plywood would make them more sturdy... which it did but also made it very difficult at times to sew (there is a rumour that a barn was seen flying across the loungeroom with a crazy lady cursing at her sewing machine with its third broken needle... a rumour I choose to neither confirm or deny!). I used dowel wrapped in pellon to make the handle and handstitched all the detail on the outside of the barn and the garden using felt.

In the gardens there are paths, a flower garden, vegie patches and ponds.

My sister Truj helped me with the self cover buttons as these are something I cannot do no matter how hard I try. I was going to put regular buttons on the barns but I am so glad Truj helped me as I love the way covered buttons look.

So even though my babies are probably a little too young to really enjoy these, I figured they will sometime within the next year and they are something they will have and hopefully love, for a long time. Something their Mum made them for their first birthday.

It's Tuesday and I can't wait...

It's Tuesday and I can't wait... for my special package to arrive!!

Yesterday I headed over to Thea & Sami to see what Thea has been up to. I checked out her new gorgeous 'Marguerite' design fabric and was then bold enough to leave a comment... even though Monday was her self imposed "do not disturb Thea" day so she could get some designing done! I became a follower as I enjoy reading her blog and wanted to let her know. And I'm glad I did.....

...because I happened to be Thea & Sami's 100th follower. And to celebrate, Thea is sending a special surprise package to me. How cool (and super kind) is that. More waiting at the mailbox for me!

Thanks for Lou for hosting "It's Tuesday and I can't wait...". Pop over to her blog to see what others can't wait for.

Birthday Cakes

I have great memories of my sisters and I looking through the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake cookbook and deciding which cake we wanted for our birthdays. This wasn't just done in the weeks before the actual birthdate... it was done many times throughout the year. And Mum did an amazing job of creating exactly what we wanted...

So when it came time to think about cakes for my babies' 1st birthday, I wanted to continue the tradition. Because they are not able to tell me what they want yet, we tried to imagine what they'd choose if they could. They have lots of toys but each have a favourite that they take to bed each night.... Horse and Bug...


So the decision was made.

This is Amelie's Horse Cake...


And this is Elliot's Bug cake...


I liked the idea of using the little hard toys so they'll have something to keep from their first birthday cakes.

I wonder what they'll choose next year.....???

The swap - What I received

So my swap package arrived and yes, I did go and met the mailman! It was a bit exciting. And you can see why - check out my loot....

A little tote from Xena, a tissue holder from Sandra, a felt brooch with a covered button from Michelle, a keyring and brooch from Cam....


Handmade cards from Tania, hair clips and ties from Anna, a reversible glasses case from Fran...


A pen holder from Vickie, a pendant from Amanda and a zip purse from Aimee.


Thanks to everyone who swapped with me. It was great to see the time, effort and love everyone put into their items. And a big thanks to Cass for her time in organising and coordinating the swap. I'm already looking forward to my next swap...

The swap - What I sent

The Snailblazer Swap is done so I can finally show you what I made... 10 FROGS!

As I got such great comments from the magnets I made my kids, I decided to make frog magnets as my swap item.


So 10 little frogs were put together and named.... Frank*. Frank the Frog.


I couldn't resist taking a photo of all the Franks lined up, ready to be sent. It made me feel like I was getting ready for a market stall. Maybe one day....


Now my fingers are crossed that my fellow swappers love Frank as much as my kids and I do. My package has just arrived so I have to go and check it out. Woo hoo!! I am very excited... will post about it soon...



*For those of you wondering, Frank was named after the character Frank Rossitano, played by Judah Friedlander in 30 Rock. A show that I happily lose many, many hours watching and re-watching and laughing right through to my soul!

It's Tuesday and I can't wait...

It's Tuesday and I can't wait... to finish by babies' 1st birthday presents. Their birthday was last week but rather than feel terrible they weren't finished on time, I'm going to feel good that I have given lots of cuddles, wiped lots of snotty noses and changed way too many nappies as both kids suffered through their first colds and bout of gastro!

We will celebrate soon with finished presents, cakes and balloons.


Thanks for Louise from Buttons By Lou Lou for starting and hosting It's Tuesday and I can't wait.... Visit Louise to see who else is playing...

Cot Danglies

I wanted to put something in my babies' cots for them to look at and touch in the times when they wake up early or are trying to go to sleep. Being highly aware of the safety issues associated with SIDS, I played around and came up these "Cot Danglies".


They are each a different shape and have a different texture so they are interesting to touch, and are filled with wadding. I sewed a wipes packet into the square to get a crinkly feel.


I put elastic in the cord so they can be pulled and will bounce back, and they are attached to the cot with a big bit of velcro that needed a man's strength to break (yes, we tested this!).

They are just a simple little thing, but they do the job!

Giveaway Bonaza!

It seems May is the month for giveaways. Lucky us!!

Here are some you might like to check out...

All Toile & No Reward
What Kate Did
Curly Pops
Handmaiden
The Crafty Librarian
Whippet Good
Make it Perfect
Manca Un Bottone
Myrtle and Eunice
Sewn

I have my fingers tightly crossed....!!!

A Bag for Mum

I wanted to make Mum something for Mother's Day but I didn't know what to make. I was getting frustrated as time was ticking by. Then I saw this tutorial on Little Birdie Secrets and I cheered! A vinyl lined bag to carry your wet bathers. You see, my Mum isn't a fan of exercise but she has just started going to Aqua Aerobics several times a week... and I am very proud of her.


The bag is 35cm x 26cm with a heavy cotton outer and vinyl lining. I added a zipper pocket on the front for Mum to put her keys, phone, spare change, etc and a loop so it is easy to carry.


The liner is heavy duty vinyl so it is very waterproof (great for wet bathers), extra strong and gives the bag structure.


I cut the outer fabric too small (agggghhhhh!) so to fix it, so I made some binding (thanks to the fab Bias Tape Maker I bought from Nicole Mallalieu Design) and sewed it around the edge. I think it worked out OK.


I loved making this for my Mum because she is excellent!

The Shirt Dress

While recently reading one of my current favourite blogs MADE, I read about a sewing group blog called Presser Foot. As their blog says, they 'invite sewers from everywhere to unite on common projects'. Their current project is something I have been looking at adoringly on MADE since I first saw it.... The Shirt Dress. Dana from MADE has transformed a man's shirt into a dress for her 3 year old girl and then created a tutorial on how to make it. I loved the idea of Presser Foot so I have joined in and added a Shirt Dress to my project list.

Yesterday I headed down to the local Op Shop and found my shirt. I'm going to make the dress for my niece who is 4 and because it's almost Winter, I decided on a demin shirt which will make a better Winter dress... I hope this still works OK...

So here's the shirt.... stay tuned for what happens next!



PS... I nervously sent my first swap goodies to Snailblazer on Wednesday. Because it's a surprise until you get your swap package, I can't tell you what I made... but here's a sneak peak.