Seasonal Friday....

Was it just me or did it seem ever so slightly cooler this morning?

This week I opened up another gorgeous baby shower gift to find this lovely handmade crochet hat for the little lady...and instead of thinking it will be too hot forever to wear it, I could actually imagine rugging up for winter!!!

Unfortunately I have never learnt to crochet, I'd love to be able to make this sweet beenie - so hats off (pardon the pun!) to all those of you who have the skill.

christmas craft - recycle

button wreath ornament

for many of us, including me, Christmas is the time of year when we are feeling over whelmed with a trillion things to do and simply not enough time to do it in! I haven't even put up the Christmas tree yet and with school about to finish I'm going to need to find some activities to entertain the kids, and these christmas holidays I plan to clean out, throw out and recycle what evers lingering in the top of our ward robes. I was thrilled when I stumbled across a combination of all of these things in these great kid (and adult) friendly craft activities that will keep my children occupied and get the ball rolling on my Christmas decorations, and potentially help me to recycle some precious things.

christmas ornaments from recycled cards

recycled ribbon chain

christmas ornaments made from old toys

Seasonal Friday....

Tis the season to be jolly..... fa la la la la la la la la

Today I'm sharing with you a christmas craft I'm just starting!

As most of us adopt at least some of the old English/European traditions at Christmas, this Union Jack bunting is perfect as a decoration to hang up for Christmas dinner - especially so in our house as my husband is English and is cooking us a big traditional Christmas dinner this year! I'm making the flags out of blue gingham, then stitching on red ribbons and then attaching all the flags to a navy ribbon to hang - couldn't be easier, so watch out for the finished product!

Why don't you try something similar for your table this Christmas?

Pay it forward this ANZAC day

Anzac Poppy Crochet Pattern (Pay it forward) - Crochetroo

Well I thought this was an absolutely gorgeous way of remembering our fallen this coming ANZAC day. Simple pop across to Crochetroo and purchase a crochet poppy pattern, and in commemoration of the day, Crochetroo is paying the listing forward
by only charging you 20 cents US.

LEST WE FORGET

Heart the Bike

Pink Banana Seat Lowrider Bike - Hillarie Tasche

I have fond childhood memories of riding my bike, bare feet, no helmet (as we did back then) up and down the street with the streamers from my handlebars flying skyward behind me. My first real bike had multicoloured beads on the spokes, and a cane basket on the front and when I rode it down the street I thought I was the coolest little girl on the block.
So today a post on our love of bikes.....



Bike Seat Cover - OvensonTempleton



Give your Bike a Mo - Tangerine Tree House



Lino Cut and Digital Print - Lino Creative




Ride stamped silver Necklace - 31thirteen

Simple Easter ideas....

Looking for some simple ideas to spruce up your Easter...then look no further than these adorable ideas from Martha. How sweet is this little birds nest created cleverly from a doily - tutorial here

why not make these adorable bunnies and carrots - tutorial here

this is simple - every one has a spare bowl and a ball of wool lying around to make this gorgeous nest like bowl - tutorial here

having guests over for a meal at Easter?
then why not make this cute rabbit napkin - tutorial here

and how simple are these egg shell votive's.... tutorial here

looking for creativity in the kitchen?
then try your hand at these easy bunny biccies - recipe here

all images via Martha Stewart

DIY - vintage doilies

check out these fabulous ideas from country living using vintage doilies. Above, create this gorgeous one of a kind vase by simply tightly wrapping a doily around a vase. Snip away any excess, then hand-stitch the doily securely in place to create a snug fit.

Or this starched doily basket - To shape a basket, soak a doily in liquid starch, squeeze out excess, and place doily over an inverted glass bowl covered in waxed paper. Dry one to three days, depending on humidity.

Even when doilies are imperfect, their intricate finery shines through. Stitch little favorites end to end to create a band, then slip it tightly around a bowl. Clear glass lets light pass through the handiwork.

For the lamp shade, remove the original fabric, leaving only the frame. Pin small doilies around the top, and then to one another, for a skirt like effect. Remove pinned doilies. Machine-stitch together. Slip "skirt" over frame; hand-stitch around frame's top.

Grandma's doilies never looked so good!

DIY - Great Easter Ideas

Lace eggs - tutorial here

Looking for some fun ways to decorate this Easter, then here's a few ideas that should keep you entertained from Martha Stewart.

Crepe paper Bunnies - tutorial here

Dyed Eggs with Grass Applique - tutorial here

DIY - Felt

we've found some clever ways to use felt like these gorgeous felt coasters (above)
visit here for the tutorial

or make your own fortune cookies, personalised with your own messages
go here for the tutorial

and look at these lovely felt leaf cushions
go here for the tutorial and templates

DIY - Bird Softies

we knew that you would love this free tutorial and pattern from spool, so we had to share. (note - the free pattern can be found on the sidebar of their blog)

The original design was for a bird mobile(pictured below), but you can check out other great pics from others who have made these gorgeous little birds here.

images - spool

FAB FINDS, from over the seas....

spring hair feltidermy

I fell in love instantly with these gorgeous creatures lovingly created by Chicago based designer and Feltadermist Girl Savage. Felt is her favorite material for her whimsical animal creations. Loving the warmth of felt fabric and how it appeals texturally to her eye, these little feltidermy and plush creatures appeal to the impish child side of my personality.

Suni Feltidermy

Hand stitching allows me to connect and bond with my work and makes me feel as if I'm molding and breathing life into my animals while I'm creating. Kinda like Geppetto!
You can purchase Girl Savage's creations at girlsavage.etsy.com.
Also, check out her blog which shows the inspiration behind her fabulous creations girlsavage.wordpress.com.

DIY

take a look at these fun DIY tutorials - we'd love to see your finished products...
1.Oak leaf Bowl - Martha Stewart

2. Home made heating pads - Martha Stewart
3. Wall organiser - Living Creatively