Water Colour Books

I was very inspired by Steph's beautiful water colour books  that she made with her daughter.

I decided that they would make perfect gifts for all of the educators and committee members at my kindergarten, and could be something that the children could help to make. They certainly got very excited about having a secret project when I showed them the  pictures on the I-Pad from the blog post.

A small group of children quickly got to work painting some light grey textured card, and we ended up with a thick stack of beautiful covers in no time. There was much whispering and the exchange of secret looks and smiles. I sewed the pages in place when the paint had dried, whilst the children watched, fascinated. 

I loved making these books as they were very quick and simple and used resources I had on hand.  I think they look absolutely beautiful. I hope they will be  useful as well as beautiful for the recipients.

 Whilst writing this post the idea popped into my head to create a bookplate to put inside each book, perhaps with a quote about writing, or education. Any ideas of suitable quotes would be greatly appreciated.

Would you be happy to receive such a gift?

Made by hand @ A Little Bird Told Me

Cloud Inspiration

 

Ceramic wall clouds from Typo

 

Snug Studio - Bread-board

 

 

Happy Cloud Baby Toy Tutorial

 

 

Cloud Mobile by Made by Mosey

 

 

The Woodland Burrow   -  Cloud necklace

 

 

Cecil& Clyde -  Cloud and Sun Pillows

 

 

Pot holder

Totally crushing on clouds  at the moment.  Can totally see grey walls and the ceramic clouds at the small house.
See what else is inspiring me at Pinterest

A girl's gotta dream, right?

Wishing

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” -Epicurus   Quote The open house went well yesterday, the feedback was positive and we are hopeful that we will sell soon. I am ready to move on, and do not feel particularly attached to my house. Many friends have asked us why we would want to leave such a lovely, big home. The answer is simple, because it is too much for us. I remember how much I wanted a big house. How I thought that would mean that I had arrived in the World, and was really making something of my life. Now I know that it is just a place to put your stuff. Making something of your life is about people and feelings and doing things. It is not about having things. My house is clean and ordered now, for probably the first time really, but it is still big and far more than we need. Now, all I wish for a happy and simple life.   Blog posts that are inspiring me: Simple Tasks Hidden Silver Lining A Sweet Story

Opening Up

This is Panda, the beloved teddy of Mr M, his friend and comforter throughout childhood. He is here to share some exciting news.... at last we have a date for Mr M's surgery. Hooray, months of waiting and unbearable pain are coming to an end.......on Monday. Panda also has some issues in the tummy region and a rather pitiful squeak when pressed. A bit like Mr M himself, actually!



Thanks Jess for the inspiration for this post.

Oh Blogtoberfest, are you a bad influence?

I have just finished this knitted potholder (Debbie Bliss calls it a Pan Handler, in her book) I used an old calendar tea towel, an embroidered doiley I already had attacked here and here and here and a piece of treasured fabric that came from a dolly mattress my nana made when I was little. The ribbon was an op shop find. The yarn is made from 75% recycled cotton, making this is an eco friendly project.

All good intentions aside, I SHOULD be working on my doll swap, all the projects mentioned here , my crochet motif projects..... It's that Multiple Projects Disorder, I've got it bad!

Sorry Blogtoberfest, it's not your fault, it's all me!

P.S walk a day #2 completed

have you entered my giveaway yet?

Take a chance...

image

Last night myself, Mr M and his sister and her hubby, and some special friends went to a Babba dinner show. It was so much fun singing and dancing and laughing the night away.

I also got the news that I was unsuccessful, but you gotta take a chance... Thanks so much for all of the words of support and encouragement. I went into the interview feeling positive and confident and came out happy with how it went. Obviously not meant to be! Oh well, what a shame - just have to spend more time crafting!

I want to share this inspiring post on this subject - well done Michelle for taking a chance.

Oh and my mum loved the lilac wrist warmers, and they have now gone to live with her (colour looked heaps better on her anyway) She is going on a boat cruise tonight and will have toasty warm hands. I have started a safe cream pair (while watching Brokeback Mountain)

Edit - Mum absolutely loved her scarf and we both wore our matching numbers to watch Miss A play netball. (I'm sure she was cringing!)

Things I like a a lot, and not so much..

• The look and sound of the delicious hot chocolate recipe complete with mini marshmallows over at the lovely Jazy's place


• The wonderfully ordered space over at Tinnie Girl's place. It inspired me to clean up my sewing room and get going on my very first cutom order (tell all later).


• The supercute taggie animals and blankets over at Jill's place which has given me a great idea for a gift for a special little girl

Things I do not like at my place ...when good vacuum cleaners go bad! Checked the warranty and it appears that I purchased the old Kirby way back in August 1996, so suppose that's not too bad!

Any recommendations fellow bloggers of a good vac? I really need to clean my carpets! image

The Need For Imagination

Tonight I attended a workshop on Steiner Doll making, and here is my effort using precut hand-dyed wool. I tried to make a "generic"sort of a doll, neither male nor female, young nor old, keeping in mind the notes from the facilitator:

A simple doll that leaves a lot to the imagination feeds the growing imaginative power that like phsical powers, only develops and strengthens with use

I found the exercise to be very relaxing and enjoyed working with all natural fibres. It was interesting to see how others approached the task and the great range of finished dolls. I wish I had taken my camera.

The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility - these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education - Rudolph Steiner

Feelin' Carefree

Wish I was!

The waiting to hear about my new job is weighing heavily on me and is sapping my creative mojo! That being said I had a little snooze whilst C was getting ready to go to ballet. When I woke up I had a little vision of a Santa just waiting to be created! So that's what's going to be on my desk, later.... much later (after dinner, dishes, homework)

You may like to read What do you wish for, it has some throught provoking comments about wishes, dreams and crafting.

If I were a fairy...

I would live here for sure!

If I were a fairy, my name would be: Bramble Goblinglitter

"She is a bringer of riches and wealth.

She lives in leafy dells and bluebell glades.
She is only seen in the light of a shooting star
She wears bluebell-blue dresses. She has gentle green wings like a butterfly."

Go here if you are busting to know what your fairy name is: Fairy Name Generator
Thanks to Oak Goblinwand for the inspiration!

Week Of Golden Books - Home For A Bunny

A family favorite since 1956, Margaret Wise Brown's simple yet playful tale of a lovable bunny on his journey to find a home is beautifully complemented by Williams's exquisite artwork.
Garth Williams was a prolific illustrator of Golden Books. His illustrations have brought to life Charlotte’s Web, Mister Dog, Home for a Bunny, Stuart Little, and many other children’s classics. Source: Powells

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.
She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.
She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.
Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while n France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense. source: here

And not to be outdone in the cuteness stakes - here is the loveable Chai

More Russian Dolls

Look at these wonderful Russian dolls painted onto stones http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ This blog has heaps of free patterns and inspirational decorating.

Good Intentions

This post is inspired by Jesska on her blog http://thousandthreads.blogspot.com/ This is a tablecloth that I bought in a country Op Shop (Garfield to be precise). I bought it with full intentions to make it into a bag. However, when I got it home I decided that I really liked it for it's original, intended purpose. Needless to say I use it as a tablecloth! I wonder how many of you have done something similar?

Here's What I've Been Up To

I was inspired to write my own list after reading
Pip's on:
http://meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com/

*baking sticky date pudding and caramel tarts for Father's Day afternoon tea

*cleaning the house for said afternoon tea!

*embroidering a tiny owl

*picking fragrant freesias from my garden to decorate the table

*making time for a bush walk

*having a serious talk with my teen daughter about attitude, friends, embarassment and so much more my head hurts

*helping younger daughter to create a brekkie menu for dad

*shopping for a fabulous cream vest to go with everything

cute owl pic - boygirlparty.com : the artwork of Susie Ghahremani (thanks Kirsty)