United we stand

I couldn't resist this this lamp that I found at an auction recently. It has a beautiful wooden base and amazingly was in good working order. It had a rather shabby shade which I updated or in fact back dated with a vintage flag. I love the effect.

Swift gifts

My Tuesday kids sewing group and I came up with this simple gift for Christmas. It takes only about 30 minutes to make and is ideal for little ones looking to make gifts for Christmas.

First, cut two strips of felt measuring 22.5 cms long and 11cms high and two circles with a radius of 7.5cms. We used a blue and purple piece of fabric.

Second, make a cylindrical shape out of the two strips and pin together, don't allow the fabric to overlap as you don't want it to be be bumpy. This shape will form the basis of the holder. We did a simple over stitch to secure it, which worked well. Trim any excess felt to ensure the two pieces are the same size.

Third, seal one end with blanket stitch. Pin the two pieces of felt together then attach the circles of felt to the other end also using a basic over stitch.

The project is suitable for children as young as six, as the stitches are very basic they will need help with pinning and trimming the felt.

You can add things to your holder like embriodery or buttons or felt applique, enjoy!

A bird box for the birthday girl

I made this for my littlest child for her birthday.  She loves 'posting' things, so this is perfect for her little imagination, needless to say she loves it!  I used some fabric from my Japanese fabric collection, re-cycled cardboard pieces and ribbon from an old shopping bag, so nothing needed to be bought for the project!  I should say that I saw this idea years ago in a magazine, (I think) so it is not an original idea but one that stayed in my memory and was crying out for being recreated!

Floating on the end of summer

On our summer holiday we made a family of birds, each bird representing a member of our family. The birds were made by creating a shape out of aluminium foil, then covering them with tissue paper and found feathers, grasses, leaves and gum nuts.

It was a great project that even our 2 year-old could get into. Nothing beats gluing! We made them into a mobile using sticks from the garden and string. They floated around on the deck making the holiday rental look more homely. The idea originated from Susie Cameron & Katrina Cook's wonderful book, Small Fry Outdoors.