Knicky Knacks

Bring back the sun

2011-06-12T21:25:00.000+10:00

I'm so cold, please bring back the sun!

Perhaps I'll just close my eyes and pretend I'm here

(bloody hell I'm cold...I can't feel my toes)

or here

(at what point do I call it frost bite?)

or perhaps here

(what do you mean we are only 12 days into Winter!)

Images found here and here and here}

My creative space

2011-05-05T19:39:00.000+10:00

I've started making a handmade pressie that has fastly become a new favourite of mine. Last week I made two of these herb baskets for birthday presents and today I made another for a house warming gift.

I bought the basket from the op shop for 10c and then lined it with an old hessian bag that I had stored away. I filled it with some potting mixture and then added some beautiful smelling herbs. This basket includes rosemary, basil, chives, lettuce, corriander and parsley.

I whipped this up in no time and many of the herbs were pulled from my own vegie garden making it a really inexpensive exercise but full of love.

For more creative spaces, head over here.

Headboard Heaven

2011-04-21T08:58:00.000+10:00

I've been envisioning a rustic headboard for our bedroom since we moved in 3 years ago. Thank goodness someone has beaten me to it and shown me just how easy and spectacular this can look.

Before

After

This before and after DIY is fantastic. I love the feature wall colour, the linen, and of course, the handmade headboard recycled from her father-in-law's barnyard doors.

Check out these pillows would you - she made them from her husbands old business shirts.

We live amongst such creative and talented people.

All images and 'plenty more of where that came from' are via The DIY Show Off

I'm grateful for...

2011-04-16T16:13:00.000+10:00

I'm grateful for the last of my tomato harvest and the inspiration of warm sunshine to have a crack at Jamie Oliver's homemade tomato ketchup recipe.

Right, so you get a bunch of tomatoes yeah, and then you skin and dice em up.

Smell those ingredients yeah. I've got mustard seeds, basil, onion, parsley, celery, chili, coriander, fennel, ginger, cloves - so many I have no idea which ingredient is the "hero"of the dish! It's all pucka tucka really!

Hard work channelling Jamie whilst cooking. I bet he doesn't finish them off by placing them in girly jars like mine. These ones are off to good homes.

For more gratefulness, there's bucket loads here.

Get your Friday night shuffle on

2011-04-15T21:02:00.001+10:00

It's going to be hard to find another tune or video clip that makes me rock out as much as this one does. My favourite part of this clip is when the boys realise they have to dance for their lives. Very funny and really clever. Hope you enjoy! Get your shuffle on!

The blonde ring-in near the end ruins a perfectly good video clip in my view.

Doily love taken to new heights

2011-04-14T19:42:00.000+10:00

Oh how I love you doily! Clearly I'm not alone.

{Image via Wet Behind The Ears}

Fabulous Friendship

2011-04-04T12:52:00.001+10:00

My high school besties are together a force to be reckoned with. Whether it be graphic design, landscape architecture or crafting; each of these woman are extremely talented in their own right. These creative woman provide me with constant inspiration and I'm in such admiration of the amazing work they do.

{Reflections by Kristine Galea}

This week my girlfriend Kris won bronze at Melbourne's International Flower and Garden show. Two years ago she decided to follow her dream of landscape architecture and enrolled in TAFE. A full time mum, she studied at night and designed during the day, balancing this with running a household and working from home. She then won a place at the garden show for a design she entered through TAFE. It was a surreal moment to be standing at the official launch, champagne in hand, gazing at her beautiful garden 'reflections'. I am so incredibly proud of her achievements and her tenacity. We had a wonderful night and I felt so privileged to be able to stand by her side and support this amazing accomplishment.

{top image}

Belated gratefulness

2011-04-03T07:52:00.001+10:00

Running a tad late for Maxabella's grateful post, but I'm grateful nonetheless for...

My eldest daughters appreciation for all things thrifting and pre-loved.

The wonderful haul of Op shop finds we come home with busting with excitement to update the internal decor of our cubby house

Watching the expression on our children's faces when we throw all caution to the wind and taste test their latest "chunkin soup" recipe. A good thing we are up to date with our tetanus shots!

For truck loads of grateful expression, head over here.

Flea Market Find

2011-03-27T08:55:00.000+11:00

This week I found a kettle at the local Oppy. I liked the print on it and thought it would be handy to use as a planter. My herb garden has had a rough time of late with all the grubs and insects so my thinking was that it would be a hell of a lot harder for a slug to shimmy its way up the kettle. When I need some fresh coriander, the kids can grab the kettle by the handle and whiz it into me in the kitchen.

Drilling holes into its stainless steel bottom for some drainage was slightly tricky.

Not satisfied until I've completely rearranged the garden table, I spent an hour or so mucking around and killing time.

There you have it. A little herb garden made from pre-loved finds and bits and pieces around the yard.

Sophie has lots of treasures over here if you'd like to play along.

5 to 1 on the yellow duck!

2011-03-26T16:02:00.002+11:00

I'm not a gambler but one can't help but be compelled to put on a wager when it comes to the Festival of the Sea's Annual Duck Race. Each year we buy a duck for the kids, they provide the race name and we wait for the day to arrive where they all get hurled off the Barwon Heads bridge and race for their little plastic lives.

For a week the kids coached their ducks. It was a tortuous, unrelenting regime of swimming, sky diving and jet propulsion. With every fibre of their being, Spotty Wot and Scrambled aimed to be the absolute best in their field. They had achieved their physiological peak and were physically confident.

Charlotte was the first to say goodbye. As she kissed Spotty Wot I heard some last words of encouragement:

Charlotte "What are your legs?"

Spotty Wot: "Springs, steel springs"

Charlotte: "What are they going to do?"

Spotty Wot: "Hurl me down the river".

Charlotte: "How fast can you swim?"

Spotty Wot: "Good question, not that sure, my hole at the bottom is unreliable, may take in water....(he trails off)"

Charlotte: "GET IT TOGETHER MAAAAAN, How fast can you swim?"

Spotty Wot: "Oh, as fast....as fast as a Korean-made plastic yellow duck!"

Charlotte: "And how fast are you going to swim?"

Spotty Wot: "What's with all the questions? I'm a duck for goodness sake, ducks can swim.... (he senses Charlotte's mercenary-like stare) OK, OK, as fast as a Korean-made plastic yellow duck!"

Charlotte: "Then lets see you do it".

Whilst Spotty Wot and Scrambled waited in their temporary hold (a rather crude docking station for such well-tuned, athletic poultry), we positioned ourselves near the river ready to scream our lungs out.

An odd thing happened.

Rather than hurling the ducks off the bridge, a small blue craft (which we affectionately call Iggle Piggle's boat) dumped them over the side. The crowd was uneasy and confused. What on earth is going on here? And then it seemed to dawn on us all at once - the tide was going out so the ducks had to be released down stream.

Unfortunately the wind picked up and an onshore breeze pushed our ducks into the hands of bored children who had decided to jump into the river fully clothed.

I chose to turn my head whilst my daughter and her friend gathered up some of the competitors.

Canoes and volunteers then made the mad dash to stop the ducks from swimming under the bridge and into the bluff where they would be sure to meet a perilous end in the mouths of sharks or boat propellers. I think secretly they were all hoping to make it back to their homeland in Korea.

Finally, a winner was proclaimed. Some Irish duck well trained for wet weather racing. A little saddened we didn't make a place, we waved good bye to our ducks for another year and Charlotte promptly had a melt down when realising she couldn't take Spotty Wot home.

Flea Market Find

2011-03-20T18:02:00.000+11:00

My mother never ceases to amaze me. She is such the opportunist and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. This week she visited me bearing gifts of the gorgeous kind. She picked up this table at a garage sale for $5.00.

The table had an old wooden knob which we replaced. I'm strongly thinking about painting it, but what colour? What do you think? Note the shrine above the table. That was put there by the original builder/owner when his wife passed away. When we renovated the house, I had firm views that to touch the shrine would be of poor taste and bad karma. So it stayed. I've tried putting vases in it or pictures but it doesn't seem to work. My mum was suggesting buying a statue of some kind and painting it a bright colour to put in the shrine. So I will ponder this whilst I stare at the table and work through what colour to paint it.

For some more flea market finds, head over to Sophie's.

Keeping it real

2011-03-19T09:07:00.000+11:00

I'm grateful for Saturday morning's...

homemade pancakes with way too much maple syrup

and cooking in my pajama's!

Keeping it real on a Saturday morn

What are you grateful for? Head over here for some simple gratification.

My creative space

2011-03-17T12:59:00.001+11:00

A rock, a hot glue gun and a doily. Seemingly tame instruments for crafting you'd think. Unfortunately not...a cautionary note that one blogger was hurt in the making of this story.

This story begins when browsing through the beautiful posts of Kootoyoo and settling on Kirsty's gorgeous light display inspired by this art installation. With inspiration in hand, I scurried off to find what I now refer to as the instruments of torture.

It started off okay. Wasn't that difficult to find a nice looking rock. I rummaged through my stash of doilies and found the perfect one. How hard could it be to use a hot glue gun?

With doily stretched over the rock, I trimmed off some of the edges to avoid too much overlap on the underside and then plugged in the gun. I whacked in the glue tubes and started pushing out the glue. I hadn't thought of how I was going to keep the doily stretched and in place whilst the glue hardened so thought I'd just use my hands. Bad move. Hot viscous stringy glue stuck to my fingers and burnt the first layer off. I didn't feel it instantly but by the time the pain registered with my brain, I had glue on almost every finger. I ran around like a lunatic trying to find something to take it off but I was completely unprepared and could only wait until it cooled down. By the end of this torturous project, I had blisters all over my fingers and a pretty rock which I have no idea what to do with!

For more creative spaces with far less pain, head over here.

Flea Market Find

2011-03-13T09:56:00.002+11:00

My flea market find this week is a little ripper. I'm sure you've all experienced that feeling when you quickly scan the shelves of your local Oppy and make a premature judgement call that there is nothing there for you, only to dig a little deeper into the pile of inconspicuous 'stuff' and be elated with your find.

So this week, I did just that and whilst burying through a floor full of wicker baskets, I came across this one. The basket itself is in great condition but the moment of elation came when I opened it up to find it full of vintage picnic wares. Orange flasks, salt and pepper shakers, napkins, cups and plates...it was all there.

I promptly handed it over to the kids and we all set to work making an impromptu picnic in the backyard.

After all, we had seriously dehydrated stuffed puppies to feed!

For more flea market finds, head over here.

Grateful for....

2011-03-12T07:55:00.001+11:00

The pristine beaches we are privileged to call home

The innocence of childhood - blissfully unaware of the big bad world

The beauty of discarded glass reshaped by nature

Creating simple art that reminds us of those precious days spent together

Thinking of all of those recently affected by the Japanese Tsunami and closer to home, everyone in Oz and NZ still working on re-building their lives after the floods and earthquakes.

For more gratefulness, head over here

my creative space

2011-03-10T14:02:00.004+11:00

Was wondering around the streets the other day (hmm, this post is already sounding suspect!) and came across a local homewares shop. I was instantly drawn to the Kaiku fabric by Marimekko and walked out of there with 2.5 metres of it!

Now I appreciate that I'm cheating a little here because if this was truly my own creative space, I would have stretched that fabric myself! However, 2.5 metres was just too daunting and I really didn't want to damage the fabric with my clumsy, trigger happy hands so I called in the big guns and got my local framer to help me out.

I would love to show you a close up but I'm having terrible trouble getting 'image insert function' to accept a portrait size photo as it will only convert them to landscape! Weird. If anyone has an inkling why this is happening, please enlighten me.

Does ironing the fabric count for anything or at least having the creative vision?

For GENUINE creative spaces, head over here.

My creative space

2011-03-03T07:34:00.000+11:00

I've had lots of fun this week creating. I've had this idea for quite some time however it's taken me a little while to source the right material. I'm not handy with a needle or a sewing machine for that matter, but I'd like to think I make up for that with the small creative contributions I make to our home. Bright and bold colours are starting to take over my bond white walls, and I'm loving it.

I love the old Masonite clipboards and found some at Officeworks for about $2.00 each. I bought some Velcro dots (the removal kind that you can easily take off a wall without damaging it), and then convinced my husband to help me hang them on the wall. His job was to ensure I hung them on the level with exact spacing (I capatalised on his fastidious approach which usually drives me nuts!).

One clipboard slowly became two, then three...you get the picture (no pun intended).

With all five clipboards in place, I then printed off some posters which were generously donated as downloads by Leanne, a friend of Make it Perfect. I plan to mix them up with some photos to give it a bit more balance but for now, the posters work well.

My young children love them and it's a great way to encourage them to read.

For more creative spaces, head over here.

Flea Market Find

2011-02-27T11:04:00.001+11:00

I've pulled out of my closest a dear and treasured flea market find from many years ago. I bought this at a vintage warehouse in Melbourne and pull it out every chance I get when winter descends. Whilst it's quite beady and certainly not to everyone's taste, I tone it down by wearing a black singlet or t-shirt underneath with black pants.

I've never been very good at explaining material or the style of clothes - in fact I'm absolutely hopeless. The best I can give you is that I think this is angora, lined with silk with a delicate beaded pattern. Those far more eloquent than I, feel free to embellish on this mediocre description! After all, its so luxurious to wear and I've by no means given it justice!

For more flea market finds head over to Sophie's.

Vintage Chic

2011-02-14T09:49:00.000+11:00

Hello inspiration! I recently tripped over Robin Wallace's website and landed in heaven. She oozes charm and sophistication and does so with an extremely tight purse string.

A single mum, brain tumour survivor, swing dancing, thrifty goddess.

As she puts it so eloquently, "it's where economics, sustainability and expression meet style".

How much would you expect to pay for this stylish good old fashioned work ethic? Just $24.75.

For all things vintage and chic, check out her website: thriftyvintagechic.com

Flea Market Finds

2011-02-13T08:17:00.000+11:00

Who doesn't love the old anodised aluminium travel cups? Just looking at them fills me with nostalgia of picnics on the side of the road, pulling over for a quick cuppa and sandwich on our way to see our cousins in Bodalla.

Still in fantastic condition and housed in this wonderfully worn leather case, I was very excited to find them at my local oppy.

All of $5 was parted. Such a meager price for the memories its evoked.

For more flea market finds, head over to Sophie's.

My creative space

2011-02-10T13:06:00.001+11:00

Simple re-purposing exercise today. Didn't have the heart to throw out all the beautiful Christmas cards we received this year so I cut off the covers and re-purposed them as swing tag cards.

Have tucked them away to place on my presents next year.

For more creative spaces, head over here.

Where have you been all my life?

2011-02-05T09:31:00.000+11:00

I'm loving my new camera. It has opened up a whole new world for me. Whilst the kids were playing in the backyard, a family of dragonflies descended on our garden.

Playing around with the speed shutter and telephoto lens, I managed to capture these images.

This camera makes any novice shot look great. Can't wait to take some photos of ordinary things down at the beach.

I'm grateful for...

2011-01-29T20:52:00.000+11:00

I'm grateful for so many things, some of which I take for granted.

I'm grateful for the paradise I live in.

I'm grateful for friendships and those that have recently encouraged me to find my mojo.

I'm grateful for Andrew, the best soy latte Barista in the Bellarine. Every morning he hands me a hot steaming cup of pure heaven and I worship him for that!

I'm grateful for new camera that takes the most wonderful shots of my children in action.

I'm grateful for my family and send my love to our courageous Jan who is fighting an almighty fight. I'm praying for you.

Life my friends is too short and there are plenty of things to be grateful for. For more warm hearted gratefulness, head over here.

{some images}

Whenever you're ready

2011-01-25T20:57:00.000+11:00

I have seriously lost my blogging mojo and I have no idea how on earth to get it back. I'm like an old car that's run out of juice, an elite athlete without EPO, a painter with no muse. You get my drift and I'm sure you've noticed I'm just filling in time.

I've visited a few times but I just can't find the motivation to hurl myself back in and get comfy with all my blogging friends. It should be easy - I love to talk. But I just don't feel like I've got anything remotely interesting to share with anyone. I even have a new camera which takes the most stunning photos and yet, alas, I'm paralysed at the wrist (well apart from writing this entry perhaps!?).

I just imagined that when I finally got around to posting, many of you would have left but I see not one of you has booted off. That's nice. Thanks! I hope I can redeem myself shortly with some kind of inspiring, witty, and creative post. If not, I'm sure you'll be spoiled for choice with others!

I welcome any tips for getting the mojo back.

Trace x

{image}

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-12-19T09:24:00.000+11:00

Can't believe I'm late for the very last posting of a Handmade Christmas Challenge! I do have a good excuse.

I've been madly wrapping presents for Kinder and Prep teachers

Organising treats for our Christmas barbie yesterday.

Making decorations.

I've thoroughly enjoyed hosting this challenge albeit a tad over zealous starting in June! But just when I thought I may be the only one participating in my humble little challenge, one of you would link in with an amazing gift you had been working on. So thank you all for joining in and keeping the crafty spirit alive and well. Thank you to all 59 of you (at last count) who responded to the challenge and whilst some of you may not have participated, your comments were always timely and encouraging.

Of course, just one last free downloadable print for those feverishly wrapping presents:

Free printable Christmas warning labels here .

Wishing you and your families a very safe and happy Christmas.

Trace x

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-13T20:48:00.000+11:00

Thought I'd play along with Sophie today and show off our Christmas tree. I tried to take some close up shots but my photography is woeful and they kept turning out fuzzy. Our tree is full of handmade paper chains, angels made out of foil and bells laced in tinsel It won't be winning any Martha Stewart styling awards but its 100% genuine and it reflects our humble home and the wonderful life we share with our two gorgeous girls.

Making its way to our tree this year, is a very special gift from a lovely lady who makes me laugh daily. I won this as part of a generous giveaway last week. It's Netherlands heritage adds an air of sophistication and international flair that compliments our paper chains so well!

I went a little crazy with the white spray paint on the weekend and made this decoration of twigs and ornaments as a table centrepiece.

I won't subject you to any more out-of-focus photos. They are driving me mad! If you'd like to show us your Chrissy tree, head over here and join in.

Flea Market Find

2010-12-12T12:07:00.000+11:00

Last weekend we attended our local Boot Sale. It's always a fantastic opportunity to find a bargain or two...or three! I was not disappointed. I found this gorgeous make-up case filled to the brim with kids toys. I explained to the stall owner that it wasn't the toys I was particularly fond of but the wonderful case they were in. He sold it to me for $2.

I now use it to keep my ribbons and twine in. I have plans to add some scissors and tape in the holders on the lid.

I then spotted this gorgeous tea light holder for $1.

Couldn't leave without the girls getting a little something, so their Barbies were treated to a new wardrobe! I love checkers, so we bought some pieces for 10c. Now I just need a board!

A big thank you to Sophie for hosting Flea Market Finds this year. Back in October I was the lucky recipient of the title "Flea Market Find of the Year" and received a gorgeous delivery in the mail last week.

I was so excited to receive these gorgeous goodies. I will put them all to great use. Thanks again Sophie. For more flea market finds, head over here.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-12-11T09:02:00.000+11:00

I've got planned another creative weekend for the kids. I've been completely inspired by TEEK and her creative space a few weeks back. I plan on making these wonderful treats in preparation for a barbie we are having next weekend for my eldest daughters school friends and families.

Rudolph lollipops inspired by a tutorial over here.

And these fantastic jars of Christmas goodies that the kids are sure to enjoy and giggle at. We are making these today.

All images found here.

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

Christmas Creation

2010-12-09T13:20:00.001+11:00

It's been a creative Christmas production line in our household this week with lots of glitter, cellophane and twine. I love getting the kids involved in making special Christmas gifts and of course, they have a ball.

For school friends we've made these very special Reindeer food packs to sprinkle on their lawns the night before Christmas. It's a secreat recipe but I'm happy to share it with you so long as you don't tell anyone!

It includes oatmeal, green glitter and red glitter, mixed to just the right consistency and bundled into bags with a whole lotta love. Attached is a little poem:

"Make a wish and close your eyes tight,

then sprinkle this on your lawn tonight.

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam,

this food will guide them to your home.

The reindeer will love their oatmeal snack,

while they are waiting for Santa to come back.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T14:36:00.000+11:00

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas Tree Hunting

2010-12-06T21:06:00.002+11:00

As long as I can remember, my Dad has always insisted that we have a real Christmas tree. Not that unusual I'm sure except for the fact that he never buys one! Before I paint the wrong picture here, let me share my dad's theory. Up where he lives, they are surrounded by State Forest and until recently it was towering with 100 year old Eucalyptus trees and ferns (since Black Saturday, we are only now starting to see a few saplings rise through the scorched, black earth). My father is a pragmatist and can see no issue with ridding the State Forrest of 'noxious' and 'introduced' Pine Tree species.

As kids, the first day of December signalled an adventure. Dad would bundle us up in the car at night and drive for what seemed like an hour to a secret spot he'd be surveying for months where he'd spotted THE Christmas tree! THE tree was always off a track surrounded by heavy scrub that would scratch our bare legs as we fought through the foliage to reach our destination. He'd then carefully saw at its trunk, stopping every now and again to listen for any passing cars. Once down, we'd throw the tree under our collective arms and run like the wind back to the car. It is easily the one event in my life where I've lived on the wild side. I'm conservative by nature and acquiring a tree when everyone else is asleep felt really scary, if not a little thrilling. Dad always got cross when we mentioned the word stealing, reminding us that we were in fact renegade environmentalists!

The next morning we'd look over our prize catch, only to realise it was a mutt of Christmas tree. Typically, it would have big gaping holes around its trunk and be full of spiders, ants and unidentified creepy crawlies that only a protected eco-system could support. We'd try to jazz it up with decorations but it would look pathetic with a massive lean to one side. I always felt sorry for the tree. Amongst its own, it was probably very happy and inconspicuous. In our living room, it stood out like a poor little skinny kid with a big head.

more pathetic Christmas tree images here

If your Christmas includes a few escapades, and you have a story to share, I'd love to hear it!

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-12-04T08:55:00.000+11:00

Hello December! Wow, I thought you'd never arrive! I realised that I've been doing this Handmade Christmas Challenge since June and without fail every week, someone joins in on my linky and blows me away with their ingenuity and clever craftiness. As we near the home stretch, I'm spoilt for choice of all the amazing DIY Christmas gift tutorials that are around. This week I bring you my top 3...

Stunning paper Christmas tree tutorial over here

Awesome chalk block tutorial here. So clever and so very simple.

Fabulous Hessian wreath tutorial over here.

If you've missed a few posts, I thought I'd include a quick and easy link to a few of my favourites:

Handmade card making and wrapping
Beautiful decorations by some friends
Gorgeous wreaths
DIY Advent Calendars
A Christmas tea recipe

My creative space

2010-12-02T13:14:00.000+11:00

Whilst I'm feeling under the weather and nursing my youngest who has chicken pox, I thought I'd make a start at this simple paper garland to hang on our mantle piece. The repetition of cutting out templates keeps my mind off feeling poorly.

I've used some old Carmen Opera books I found at my local Op shop some time ago to use for the dove templates.

Thought I'd share the love and include the dove template I found if you'd like to give the garland making a crack.

I'm hopeful mine will look similar to this gorgeous inspiration.

I'm also keen to have a go at making this fantastic dove decoration.

For more creative spaces, head over here.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-11-27T08:20:00.000+11:00

This time of the year always seems like a tough slog to Dec 25th. The kids are wrecked, I'm tired of juggling work and home and the weather is at its Melbourne finest, hot one day, pouring with rain the next. I tend to refer to it as walking up hill with cement shoes. Can anyone else relate or is it just me?

That Christmas light at the end of the tunnel is getting nearer and I've decided to bring forward our Christmas decorations. I usually wait until the first weekend in December but we need some good cheering up and motivation to see us through so I'm dusting off my Bing CD, untangling the lights and cranking up the festive cheer.

This week we made Christmas cards for my children's school friends

And, I've found some inspiration for making some gift tags.

Etsy Favourite

2010-11-25T12:17:00.000+11:00

It feels like I'm walking up hill with cement shoes. I'm so tired and so are my kids. Bring on Christmas holidays and some consistent sunshine please. Until then, I'll stare out my window on this gloomy, rainy day and fantasise about homewares like these...

Ruffled Linen Messenger Bag

Ruffled Light Shade

The Lilia Camera Bag

All this amazing loveliness can all be found here at A Bushel and a Peck

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-11-20T09:28:00.000+11:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Christmas decorations are everywhere but don't get suckered in to buying the 'made in China' kind, check out these fabulous DIY alternatives.

If you love these crochet baubles, wander over to Pip's place. She will take you through a step by step tutorial on how to make these beauties.

Styrofoam, pins and felt is all it takes. Yet, another generous tutorial over here (what I now refer to as my crafty oracle) via here.

Beautiful snowflake curtain tutorial over at Bugs and Fishes.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-11-13T08:38:00.000+11:00

Hello! I'm back from holidays feeling very well rested and ready and raring to get stuck into the Christmas challenge again. I'm loving that so many people are starting to get into the Christmas spirit and making the most amazing things. The past few weeks have been chock o' block with gorgeous handmade creations that quite frankly have me dazed and confused as to what I should buy/make first. I could list dozens of my favourites but I've settled on my top 5 Christmas inspirations with the promise I'll feature more next week.

In no priority order...

1. Ridiculously cute softie ornaments from the talented Brenda over here.

2. This gorgeous elf stamp is hand carved and one of a number of cheery Christmas must haves available at Chantal Vincent Art.

3. A barnyard Christmas Sale hosted by Martha at Vintage Trifles and Molly Mo's. Seriously, I'd kill to be at this. I've seen so many posts this year about these amazing vintage barn yard sales in the USA that I dribble on my keyboard every time! I'm so jealous.

4. I can't get enough of these bus rolls from the clever Melbourne based folks at Harper Grace. I bought their Family Rules Bus Roll for a family member for Christmas but I can't bare giving it up so I've decided to keep it for myself. Perhaps I'll have better luck handing one of these over!

5. Last, but never least is this little unassuming kids pencil holder. I love it for its simplicity and the fact that I've got some timber in the backyard just waiting to be turned into this. This may in fact feature in Thursday's creative space.

Flea Market Find

2010-10-31T14:59:00.000+11:00

Not that long ago I found these two stunning mirrors at my local oppy for $3 each. My oppy has ridiculously priced treasures and I love getting there early and unearthing such amazing vintage pieces. I want to find a couple more to create a collection that hangs on a wall over an old meatsafe.

A big thank you to Sophie who hosts Flea Market Finds each week. I was absolutely surprised to find out today that I won Flea Market Find of the Year. I love playing along and the most enjoyable part is seeing all the lovely treasures my blogging friends showcase each week.

Have a wonderful weekend all. I'm taking a couple of weeks off with the family to sun ourselves in Queensland so will be absent from blogland for a while. Look forward to catching up with you all on my return.

Trace x

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-10-30T07:25:00.003+11:00

I'm a hardcore, glue touting, ribbon twirling, paper wrapping addict. I think hands down the best part about Christmas is the wrapping of presents and the making of handmade cards. I just can't get enough of it and what's more, these images make me weak at the knees.

Have you started making your Christmas cards yet? I plan on getting my kids to do similar cards like this for their class mates.

There is no end to people's creativity. These vintage books have been given new life with some Christmas cheer.

Not to be outdone by the world map, head over here for some local Melway wrapping action.

The humble doily - nothing humble about it. Just stunning.

Love that gingham.

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My creative space

2010-10-28T08:21:00.000+11:00

You may recall some time ago my conundrum with too many DIY projects and not knowing where to start. I'm slowly chipping away at this list. The foot stool has been finished - yeah! I'm such a huge fan of ink & spindle and their kangaroo paw print has absolutely transformed this old Op shop find.

Before

After

For more creative spaces, head over here.

Peace, Love & Letterpress

2010-10-25T20:20:00.003+11:00

I'm a HUGE fan of letterpress and I love supporting LOCALS so I was thrilled when a mate told me about friends of his that have just started a new business called Peace, Love & Letterpress. If you fancy a card that says it all without the sappy teddybear motif, head over here. Better still, if you want to create your own, they have a great 10 step 'Design your own' option.

For local news and everything letterpress, check out their blog: Hippie at Heart.

Flea Market Find...of the year!

2010-10-24T13:23:00.000+11:00

Sophie has set us the insurmountable challenge of picking our favourite all time flea market find for the year. That's like asking me to choose which child I love more. Preposterous! So, I've decided to pick the treasure I am most in love with now. Yes, one could say that's quite fickle, but seriously, I have too many beautiful finds that have a special place in my heart to narrow it down to just one.

I've chosen this flea market find because we only just added them to our wall. As each new dawn greets us, I shuffle past these beauties and sigh at the wonder that is our vintage timber printer trays.

Back when printing was done with good old metal type, printers would keep the letters, numbers and symbols nestled into each compartment within this drawer. We have used them to showcase the shells we find on the beach and the wonderful little knicky knacks my children salvage at the local Op shop. Consider it a montage of pre-loved gorgeousness if you will!

If you would like to join in or cast a vote, head over here. Sophie will collate the votes and crown Flea Market Finder Extraordinaire next Sunday.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-10-23T08:53:00.000+11:00

I love Christmas garlands, particularly those handmade. I intend to use these as some inspiration to make my own.

If time gets the better of me, I may have to enlist the help of Mel.

This is so simple, yet very effective. Adding some red creates a Christmas feel. I just love those paper hearts.

Who would have thought putting some dried leaves together on a ribbon would look so beautiful. It appears they've also stamped them with an ink stamp of someones initials. Clever little ducks!

Speaking of ducks, I just love birds and these are no exception. All you need to do is cut out a dove template and find some gorgeous Christmas paper. I think I've just settled on my garland project!

For a wintry feel, try these gorgeous creatures. Don't you just love people's resourcefulness in using what's around them, upcycling the old and transforming it into something as lovely as this. Our carbon footprint is reducing by the minute thanks to these talented people!

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

Secret Santa arrival

2010-10-22T20:36:00.000+11:00

My secret Santa stocking arrived today. So very exciting. Actually, I think it arrived yesterday whilst I was in Melbourne for work because when I arrived home, the parcel had been torn apart by my eager children. It appears that my husband intervened just in time before they got their paws on this gorgeous stocking from Tracey (yet another blogger with a wonderful name!). My camera work tonight does not give this beautiful stocking justice.

I was very lucky to also receive a fabulous handmade drawstring bag with chockies, a sweet embroidery that has such beautiful detail of a little cherub sitting on what appears to be the letter T and a crocheted...I want to say granny square but its a hexagon shape (please help me, my descriptions are pitiful) and some handmade soap.

Thank you so much Tracey. I love them. Thanks again to Selina for organising the swap.

Trace x

Mozzies you are taunting me!!!

2010-10-18T19:48:00.000+11:00

If you have ever visited Ocean Grove in Victoria, Australia, where I call home, you would wonder if the residents had all joined some bizarre German-esque knee slapping dance contest. I think I'd prefer that over the billions of mosquito's that plague our town every October. It's now an accepted practice to smack a friend in the head mid conversation if a mozzie decides to cut in. You've never seen anything funnier than watching a group of mum's at school drop-off, smack the living crap out of each other to fend these buggers off.

Of course, it gets to a stage where you draw a line in the sand and say "that's it, I've had enough...these mozzies are not going to ruin my outdoor fun". So throwing caution to the wind, you might risk it all like we did, and have a barbecue outside. In mozzie terms, this translates to FREE BLOOD DONATION. We tried our best, but they even managed to penetrate our mozzie net.

Oh, how I loath you Mozzie!

Flea Market Find

2010-10-17T09:51:00.000+11:00

On Saturday, the kids and I managed a quick visit to our local Op shop during a break in the weather (the coldest day in October since...well since yonks ago). I was absolutely delighted to come across these gorgeous wooden tags with chalk boards. They had never been used and the chalk was still in its wrapper. Can't wait to use these for Christmas pressies.

I also found a great big stash of floral silk ribbon. I bought it all for a whopping $5. The ribbon is just gorgeous and again, I can't wait to use it on some presents.

For more flea market finds, head over here.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-10-16T08:28:00.000+11:00

If there are two things that I love its Christmas and vintage chic. Put them both together and you've got my idea of heaven. The undisputed Queen of Chic is Rachel Ashwell from Shabby Chic. I have her books and I love her work.

As you can imagine, I was a little beside myself when I read her latest post on adding a little twinkle to a Christmas table setting for a new target commercial she is doing. In this post she provides a step by step approach on how to make a simple yet 'oh so glamorous' table setting using vintage pieces around your home.

Here's a few more table settings if vintage is not your style...

My creative space

2010-10-14T07:45:00.000+11:00

I broke out in a cold sweat this week and all over my Christmas Stocking swap. I haven't sewn, even mended, a single thing since year 10 sewing classes. That's 22 something odd years people! Thank heaven's Mel was around to steer me in the right direction. Thankfully I popped it in the post today putting to rest my anxiety about my sewing attempt. It wasn't great, but it wasn't completely crap either so I just hope the poor woman receiving my parcel will be amused by my long winded letter explaining my sewing journey and will grant me clemency. She's not a follower so I'm safe to show you what I've made.

I sourced all the material from my local Oppy, cutting up a quilt cover to make the stocking. I used some lace from a purchase I made at the Alanah Hill seconds store in Melbourne (fabulous place to go crazy if you haven't been there) and then I hand sewed the pearls on to match her taste. I also added a few little pressies that will hopefully sweeten the deal.

A hand carved wooden ink stamp and a hat pin.

plus an antique inspired butterfly pin.

For more creative spaces that no doubt can sew better, come a wondering over here.

2010-10-13T12:33:00.000+11:00

I've recently come across Anthropologie and its fair to say that I'm absolutely in love with this season's range. I could just imagine myself in this outfit - "Oh honey, I'm just heading up to the milkbar to get a loaf of bread. I'll be back in a jiffy" as I saunter up the street in what can only be described as casual glamour! In reality, I'd get that skirt caught in the wheel, throwing myself over the handle bars. But hey, a girls got to dream.

Hello Chicken's - I may be smiling but if you lay a feather on these $100 gumboots, I'll be eating chicken drumsticks tonight!

Hello summer outfit...my goodness this is divine. Love that bow and the belt.

I'm a sucker for a pleated skirt and this dress is no exception. Must have it.

Minor detail/setback is that this is a UK label and I don't fancy converting the Aussie dollar over to pounds. So, I'm guessing I'll just drool over this, never to be destined to have one of these gorgeous outfits hanging in my wardrobe. Of course, if anyone has come across this label before and can provide a good argument to go fourth and purchase, please let me know. I'm easily swayed by peer pressure.

At what stage do you call it a fetish?

2010-10-11T19:11:00.000+11:00

Strolling around my house today I suddenly realised that I have quite the collection of bird inspired homewares. I've always loved birds but didn't quite realise until today that perhaps I'm bordering on obsessive.

I bought these original screen prints over here off Etsy.

This was my first bird purchase - a wall decal in our living room. You can find them here.

I found these shadow boxes at a garage sale. I painted them and added, yep...another bird! My DIY post is over here.

My mother bought the quail from the Eumundi markets in Queensland. I do hope no birds were harmed in the making of this polystyrene creature. The small note bird was an Etsy purchase from Natalie Kibbe at Humblebea.

A bird softy to hang on my heart memorabilia holder that hangs on the wall in our kitchen.

Our latest purchase, Gold Birch drum shades from ink & spindle.

So, how do you determine if this is just a healthy interest in birdlike animalia or some kind of weirdo fetish?

Flea Market Find

2010-10-10T16:51:00.000+11:00

Oh how I love vintage bottles. Particularly those in a sun shiny yellow bottle holder. My mum bought this from a garage sale yonks ago and graciously decided to pass it on to me last week. It fits in perfectly in my home. I just love it.

For more flea market finds, head over to Sophie's.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-10-09T12:35:00.000+11:00

Another week behind us and 11 weeks to go until Christmas! I've noticed a lot more Christmas traffic in blogland with gorgeous Christmas gifts profiled on Etsy, Madeit and Felt and plenty of handmade crafty creations made by many of you. My little girls have already started singing Christmas carols. I'd love nothing better than to turn on the Christmas tunes but I'm concerned we may peak too early so I'm going to give it a few more weeks before I invite Bing (Crosby) back into our lives! Whilst I wait for that day, I've decided to turn my attention to Advent calendars so we can officially start the count down.

Here's some gorgeous handmade ones I'm using as inspiration to make my own:

A novel way to spruce up some empty paint tins. The kids would love opening these up to reveal the gift inside.

Covering a canvas with some material and dressing it up with some lace and pegs is a simple yet effective way to create a fuss free calendar.

I imagine that these parcels are all books which doesn't have to be expensive. You could wrap up some books found at an Op Shop, Garage Sale or second hand bookstore.

This is my favourite because of the family images they've attached to each parcel. I don't have a gorgeous staircase like this, but I could easily do something similar off our mantle piece.

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

My creative space

2010-10-07T18:34:00.001+11:00

Finally, I had the time to knuckle down and start on my Christmas Stocking for Selina's Christmas Stocking Swap. I'm sure many of you could have whipped up one of these with your hands tied behind your back. I however, have not sewn since grade 10 and didn't even know how to navigate my way around a sewing machine. Shocking, I know! My gorgeous friend at Little Ted Canvas, was a star at teaching me the basics and helping me drive. Each time I put my foot down on the pedal, I literally held my breath, hoping I'd keep a straight line. I've never felt so anxious! I really hope my stocking is OK for my partner. It is a very novice attempt but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. Afterall, you have to start somewhere!

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and today, is R u OK? day. We decided to host an afternoon tea for 800 of our employees at work so they could take a break and casually ask each other - Are you OK? With 1 in 5 Australian's suffering from a mental illness, its a wonderful way to raise awareness and support one another. I called in the big guns and got one of my blogging friends to lend a crafty hand.

Do these cupcakes look familiar? Cathy, they were absolutely delicious and were literally inhaled within seconds. My daughter ate 4 of them!

For more creative spaces, head over here.

What a day to feel alive

2010-10-06T13:21:00.001+11:00

I went for a walk today along a track that is flanked with tea trees and weaves its way along the beach front. The sun was shining and the wind was warm and welcoming.

I could taste the salt spray in the air from the nearby breakers. I breathed it all in filling my soul and feeling alive.

I have fallen in love all over again with this town and day's like today remind me how lucky I am to have such an opportunity to live here. We've had a cold, hard winter so these Spring days are just bliss.

Here's wishing you all a lovely day.

Trace x

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-10-01T20:20:00.001+10:00

Posting early due to a repeat of footy grandfinals tomorrow with an expected house full of guests yelling at the top of their lunges! Go Collingwood (for the sake of my sanity).

Today, its all about labels - free downloadable labels to be exact. With such gorgeous images like these, I'm sure it will inspire you to pickle, squeeze and fill beautiful jars, cans and boxes full of Christmas treats.

I ask you - have you ever seen anything sweeter than this gorgeous canning label? These gorgeous labels are from the very talented Amy from Eat Drink Chic.

These rustic handmade tags from Domestifluff are found here.

These cheerful labels are very versatile; they have a box that you fill in yourself with the contents and date of your canned item. They even have Christmas inspired labels to boot. All downloadable at A Sonoma Garden.

Perhaps you like the provincial style of label. This one and many others found here.

Got any good gift ideas for a bloke?

Megan from Somewhere Along a Winding Path needs your help over here for some handmade creative ideas to buy her man for Christmas.

Fancy joining a Christmas Stocking Swap?

It's not too late to join in over here and register your details for the International Christmas Stocking Swap.

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

Flea Market Find

2010-09-27T20:52:00.000+10:00

Happy Monday all. Last weekend I just happened to arrive at my local oppy when they were just opening their doors. There is something to be said about that lovely phrase "an early bird catches the worm" because I spotted these two magnificent vintage sleeping bags as they were being dropped off.

Very 70's, mint condition, with great big industrial sized zips. I love them but other than using them as sleeping bags, I'm not sure what to use them for. The kids would get a good kick out of them but we are not really the camping type (hubby has two wonky hips and I have a wonky neck) so I was thinking perhaps I could convert them into giant sized cushions for the kids to use or maybe use them outside in our entertaining area and line the bottom with canvas to keep them water proof.

What do you think?

For more flea market goodies, head over here.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-09-26T08:59:00.000+10:00

home design

My handmade Christmas Challenge was slightly delayed this weekend due to football grand finals and trying to keep my husband calm whilst watching his beloved team draw a tie, which in Aussie rules almost never, ever happens. Cannot believe we'll be back reliving the tension and excitement of the game all over again next weekend!

This week I thought I'd share with you some gorgeous handmade entries from last week's meme and a couple of new creations to wet your creative whistle. Make sure to visit each other in support of those making an effort to keep it handmade this year. There are some gorgeous gifts being made and some wonderful decorations to boot.

A beautiful handmade tutorial from last week's entry on how to create seaside inspired (with just a touch of glitter and glamour) Christmas decorations. These handmade beauties can be found at Tales from an oc cottage

Fancy making this gorgeous burplap and starfish wreath. Head over to the DIY Show Off

This set of 10 French-inspired handmade Christmas cards/postcards comes from the talented Mandy at A la pariesienne. The cards come with rounded corners and embellished with irridescent glitter which is perfect for anyone who loves romantic, vintage, and French-inspired stationery. You can buy this gorgeousness at Mandy's Etsy shop here.

My creative space

2010-09-23T15:57:00.000+10:00

Since posting about the (almost) completion of the kitchen reno...(I say almost because I still have some light fittings to put in - more of that later), I have been trying to work out how best to compliment my gorgeous golden birchwood shades.

Oh, quick shout out to Lara from Ink & Spindle (the creative genius who made the birchwood printed fabric) as she featured the shades from my kitchen in her blog this week. Anyway...yes seem to be getting very distracted....I have been considering how I best compliment those shades.

So, I've been randomly picking on my rather gorgeous white homewares and turning them gold. Just not sure of the end product and whether I've gone too far? Your thoughts are appreciated.

Should I paint the handles yellow? After all, they do look like flowers don't you think?

A trip to France please

2010-09-21T20:57:00.000+10:00

Dear Santa, I know I'm early....just hear me out. I've been such a good girl all year and I've even being rustling up lots of interest to get everyone into the spirit of Christmas through my humble little Handmade Christmas Challenge. I realise my request is a little early but Santa I'm in desperate need of a holiday.

Yes, I realise I live near the ocean and I really do appreciate how lucky we all are to live in such beautiful surroundings, but the cleaning and the chores are still here when I get home which means I don't get as much time as I'd like to enjoy said sea shanty life.

So, I was thinking, no need to fill my stocking full of stuff this Chrissy. All I need Santa is a ticket. A ticket to a foreign land. One with bread sticks, posh accents and people who love to love. That's right Santa, I want, correction...I need to go to France. Happy to take the whole family with me but if you're a bit hard up on cash, and if I must take the trip alone, I will do that for you Santa. Happy to drop off a few gifts for you on the way if Rudolph and his pals are a bit long in the tooth and a little slow these days.

Perhaps you're a visionary like me Santa and need some colour and movement to really appreciate my depth of gratitude should you grant me my wish.

{Images via La Maison des Lilas and we heart it}

Flea Market Find

2010-09-19T09:09:00.001+10:00

I have been very good at resisting the temptation of e-bay but in a moment of weakness I registered my details and bought these vintage chemist dispensing bottles. I love their honey amber colour with glass tops. They were an absolute steal and I was the only bidder. I love thinking about the history of these bottles. Apparently they were found in a cellar underneath an old Chemist shop. The label on the closest bottle reads 'Spts Aether Nit' and on the back of the bottle 'Aether Nitros' - I believe it contained sleeping gas! If any of you out there are medical buffs, I'd love to know more about these medical terms.

For more flea market finds, and to see Sophie's bottle collection from last week, head over here.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-09-18T07:24:00.000+10:00

We have clicked over to less than 100 days till Christmas. 100 days still sounds like a lot to me but when Myer have already started displaying their Christmas decorations, you've got to worry! Or worry not. I have officially finished my handmade Christmas (shhh, Santa) shopping for the kids. Very happy indeed. There will be no impulse buying this year.

With the majority of my Christmas gifts out of the way, I've turned my attention to Christmas decorations. There are so many gorgeous handmade creations to consider, such as...

Mel from Little Ted Canvas Christmas bunting project

Candy striped decorations spied by Romantiska Hem

Gorgeous clay tags from Marley and Lockyer

My creative space

2010-09-16T12:53:00.003+10:00

It's taken us close to two years but we are finally on the home stretch of our kitchen reno. So I thought for my creative space this week I'd show you a few before and after shots of our kitchen space.

Before

This 80's kitchen was really ahead of its time. Can you see the built in dishwasher next to the oven at waist height? All the drawers were custom made and not too dissimilar to the slim line drawers you can buy now. The herringbone patterned timber wood panelling on the ceiling was plastered over.

During

As you can see, we gutted out the whole kitchen. We removed the bay window, squared it off and replaced it with bi-fold's. The bi-folds open out to a cafe style servery on the other side.

After

Today we just finished the glass tiling on the splashback. I love the colour of the tiles - 'mint'. It's amazing what a difference the tiles have made in bringing a bit of sophistication to the space. I'm now just waiting on some droplet light fittings to hang over the island bench and then we are done.

Before

This was the view when standing at the kitchen bench. More wood panelling! Lots of exposed brick and that suspended TV was a nightmare to remove as the iron work that cradled it was built into the brick work. In hindsight, we should have kept those light fittings and used them for our outdoor entertaining area but at the time I was in no mood to salvage things.

After

This is the space now. The floor boards we bought in. The exposed brick was plastered over and then painted. The space is a bit bare. The walls are in need of some art work but I want to make sure I get the right look. Ideally, I'd love some artwork that compliments the colours in the lamp shades.

The lamp shades are a recent purchase. They are a collaboration between Fitzroy furniture makers Wilkins and Kent and the creative and ever so talented gals at Ink & Spindle. The birchwood inspired fabric is printed by hand with eco friendly inks onto organic cotton. I'm absolutely smitten with these shades.

Oh, and by the way....my house never ever looks this clean. As my husband so fondly describes it, I did one of my "pyscho cleans" before I took this shot. Kids will ruin that within about .1 of a second. At least I captured it in a picture so I can remember what clean used to look like!

For more creative spaces, head over here.

Flea Market Finds

2010-09-12T12:26:00.000+10:00

I seem to be having a bit of a purple patch at the local garage sales of late. I can never pick them though - the days when I spot a sale and from first glance, think there is nothing, is usually when I'm most surprised. Other days I feel it in my waters that I'm going to have a successful garage hunt and there's nothing but whipper snippers!

I have always had a soft squishy spot for old oil paintings and this week I found some that fit right at home. I thought they may have been originals but then I spied a number of copies at my local Oppy.

Does anyone know much about these paintings? Would love to know their history - even if they are mass produced!

For more flea market finds, head over to Sophie's.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-09-11T07:28:00.004+10:00

What really is the spirit of Christmas? I was encouraged to think about this after reading last week's entry from Moon Scribble. So many families I know will be watching every cent they spend this year. Financially it's been a couple of really tough years and now more than ever there is a need to cut back and save.

Every year I've fallen into the trap that is commercial advertising and joined the masses in frenzied, unconscious buying that left me penniless. Christmas isn't about the gifts, its much more significant than that.

So what is the spirit of Christmas then? For me, it's one day in the calendar where I reflect on the past year and give thanks for everything I have. What I give other's is my unconditional love and friendship. There is so much good will at this time that handmade Christmas gifts perfectly encapsulate these values don't you think?

This doesn't require a Master's degree in all things crafty. Simple gestures of love in the form of a handmade card or focusing on the story behind the gift you have made or bought, is really what it's all about.

Culling your list of present buying is never going to be easy but I think its important to remember that you are sticking to your values - cherishing good will over gifts, choosing sustainable living over commercialism and setting the most valuable life lesson to the next generation that expressing your love doesn't come pre-packaged with a nice neat bow around it!

And so, to get everyone inspired (regardless of your crafty bent), this week I've put together a list of free tutorials and gift ideas for you all. Please feel free to add to the list, and help spread some crafty love.

Printable stickers from the lovely Bee at Honey Jumble

Felt Christmas tutorials over at Bugs and Fishes

A master list of Christmas tutorials at Sew Mama Sew

Fantastic gifts in a jar and all things that melt in your mouth at Inspired Papertrey Ink
A Christmas inspired crochet cushion cover at Kootoyoo

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

Make mine a Friday

2010-09-09T22:03:00.000+10:00

I've recently come across a few blogs that just crack me up. If you too have the same kind of quirky sense of humour as me, you should get a good kick out of this. Thanks to Completely Coastal for giving me the head's up on this one...

Don't you all love thumbing your way through a good homewares and decor catalog? You'll like this one then. Catalog Living, is a blog about two fictional characters, Gary and Elaine who live their life trapped in these immaculately staged catalog rooms. Here's a few to share...

Gary was sure the arrangement of the pictures was a clue to which key would get him out of here once and for all.

The only things Elaine treasures more than her prized blue and white urn collection are the framed drawings of her blue and white urn collection.

In her annual end-of-season ritual, Elaine sent the outdated summer cushions out to sea.

Elaine had never felt more alone than when the tumbleweed interrupted her afternoon of reading and plowing through some bottled water.

After a long day, nothing pleased Gary more than sitting down to a tasty bowl of rocks with his best friend Gus at his feet.

Hope you all have a happy Friday. Feel free to share any blogs you've visited that bring a few happy tears to your eyes. That way we can all share the love as we welcome in the weekend.

My creative space

2010-09-09T08:32:00.000+10:00

I've managed to find my way out of my DIY dilemma. Thanks everyone for your suggestions on how best to tackle all of the projects I've got going on at the moment. I must admit however, I chose to pick off the easiest one first! I've been busily turning my drift wood collection into a garland and a Christmas wreath. Both are coming along really well. In fact, I ran out of drift wood so will need to visit the beach again for a few more twigs.

For more creative spaces, grab yourself a cuppa and head over here.

Flea Market Finds

2010-09-05T18:02:00.000+10:00

I don't think I could have been anymore excited a few weeks back when I dropped in on a garage sale. The owners had just tied up their balloons around their makeshift sign and were heading back up their driveway to start the sale. I thought I was a bit too early but decided to quietly make my way up to their garage hoping they were happy for some early birds. I almost turned around to go home when I saw all the power tools at the entrance. I'd made a very rash judgement that there wouldn't be anything of my liking.

And then I saw them.

My heart literally skipped a beat and recognising that I could blow my cover completely as a "naive garage sale hack", I gathered myself and began to ask a couple of questions with the best carefree approach I could muster....

"These look interesting. My kids would love to use these to show off their shell collections. What are they?"

Daughter and Father then replied "Oh, those. Well, we've been debating on how much we should sell them for. You see, they are very special actually. They are vintage and sought after."

I added a few umms and ahh's in the right places, reassured them that they'd go to a good home and oh my lordy, they sold both of them to me for $20.

I've been wanting to buy these for such a long time and I knew how expensive they were. Recently I saw them priced at $120 each at the Mill Market and they weren't in anywhere near as good condition as these ones.

They are of course antique wooden printer drawer trays.

Back when printing was done with good old metal type, printers would keep the letters, numbers and symbols nestled into each compartment within this drawer. Nowadays, they are used to display miniature collections. For me, we will showcase the shells we find on the beach and the wonderful little knicky knacks my children salvage at the local Op shop.

For more Flea Market Finds, be sure to head over to Sophie's place.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-09-04T12:24:00.001+10:00

Anyone else noticed that Christmas cards have made their way into Aussie Post? No point denying it anymore...we are now officially on the ramp up to Christmas.

During the week Toni from Make it Perfect, posted about her friend Leanne who recently produced a number of prints and decided to make them free for all to enjoy. They are gorgeous prints and absolutely perfect for a Christmas gift. You can download the prints here.

Toni is also, in her own right, a great jewellery maker - I should know, I purchased some of her earrings recently for some Christmas presents. Unfortunately they didn't last long in their beautiful packaging - the temptation was too strong and I ended up keeping them for myself. Toni's gorgeous creations can be found here..

DIY Fabric Frame

2010-09-03T13:29:00.000+10:00

I didn't get a chance to join in on My Creative Space yesterday so thought I'd share my latest DIY project.

I found the frame at my local Op shop a few weeks back.

I then covered it with some plain fabric.

Then stretched over it a vintage linen tablecloth from a previous visit to an Op Shop (yes, I am an Op Shop addict).

I then wrapped a bit of twine and voila, a nice little place for my keepsakes.

Does the card look familiar? The lovely Cathie at M.E. sent that to me a few weeks back.

On to other DIY news, I've decided on a slightly different version of the Christmas driftwood wreath. I plan on attacking that project over the weekend and hope to share with you my progress next week. But here is a bit more inspiration to give you an idea...

Have a great creative weekend!

Trace x

Father's Day

2010-08-30T20:04:00.001+10:00

Love this card from Myrtle and Eunice. Say's it all really. My daughter's are already busy making father's day pressies. Lots of glue, glitter and paddle pop sticks are involved. For more quirky cards, stop over at this shop.

Spotted any great pressies for your father? I'm in need of some inspiration.

Dare to dream

2010-08-29T13:55:00.001+10:00

When I go up, I want to have my own vintage/all things pretty homewares store. I've always dreamed of having my own store but it's always been just that, a dream. It's not that I'm fearful of change. I love change. But with a family to support, financially it's just easier to work for someone else and have a steady pay cheque each week. But one day, oh yes, one day, perhaps I'll make it happen. Sound convincing? Hardly! Until that day, I will live this dream through the eyes of others like Prairie Collective, the brain child of the makers of Design Sponge.

The making of a store...

What do you want to be when you grow up?

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Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-08-28T07:22:00.001+10:00

Where on earth did August go? It seemed to be here for such a fleeting moment. I have all these Christmas crafty projects on the go, and started to panic that I'd get none of them finished. So I decided to knuckle down and start with my Christmas tea gift idea. If you recall a few posts ago, I shared with you the Christmas Tea Recipe. Well I went hunting for jars this week and found a couple of nice old ones to decorate.

Here's my prototype.

I'm still mucking around with it and would value your feedback on how I can give it a bit of a 'wow' factor. It just needs a homemade tag and then I'm done. I plan on putting on the tag the following phrase:

"Women are like teabags, they don't know how strong they are until they get into hot water". E. Roosevelt

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

My creative space

2010-08-26T10:59:00.001+10:00

I think it's fair to say I'm an idea's woman. I enjoy inventing lots of creative projects. It's the follow through that's the issue. This week, I've bitten off more than I can chew! The palings are from my fence to make a rustic coffee table. The driftwood for a Christmas wreath. The gorgeous print from Ink & Spindle is to recover the foot stool. I'm very unmotivated right now. I need some divine creative intervention!

To view creative projects that are actually finished, head over to Kootoyoo.

Toilet Paper Perfection

2010-08-25T18:23:00.001+10:00

There's nothing worse than going to the toilet and realising there's no paper left. But before you scream in frustration at an empty roll, just think of the possibilities!

When most people see a bare toilet roll, instincts tell them to throw it away. But as they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

French artist Anastassia Elias saw the artistic potential in toilet rolls, and proceeded to create intricate scenes inside of them.

Details and images via We Love Beautiful Things.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-08-21T10:14:00.001+10:00

The Handmade Christmas Challenge is certainly gathering momentum with new visitors each Saturday sharing their beautiful crafty creations. Selina has suggested running a handmade stocking christmas swap over here. Gorgeous felt decorations can be found over at Cat's place and for an eco-friendly, green Christmas, head over here.

This week, I'm thinking wreaths. I love the wreath in the top image and so too do my girls. We've decided to start searching our local beach to collect drift wood to make this gorgeous creation. Here's a few more wreaths, to wet your creative whistle's...

My creative space - fence paling creativity.

2010-08-19T10:38:00.007+10:00

I mentioned a few posts ago that a recent storm blew down part of our old fence. It was due to be replaced and with the wind's help, it kicked us into gear to do something about it. I've looked at the fence everyday thinking there must be something I can make out of those palings. The palings would be at least 20 years old and they've got real character.

I need your help. If you've got any ideas or can point me in the direction of some paling inspiration, please share. I don't want these palings to go to the tip but if I don't come up with an idea good enough to convince the husband that I need to keep them, that's where they'll end up.

I do have one idea that comes to mind - a coffee table! Like this one, I could mount the palings onto an existing table or cane basket and put it on wheels.

Decisions, decisions. Look forward to your advice!

For more creativity than you can poke a stick at, check out Kirsty's.

Crafty creations

2010-08-16T21:33:00.001+10:00

So much inspiration and yet, only a few hours in the day. If only I could craft to my heart's content (although I doubt it would ever be content). Some inspiration for all crafty genres.

Paper art mastery

Gorgeous table settings

Crochet love

Sweet garlands

For all the softies out there
(quite apt given all our rain here)

French Larkspur delights

and one for Kate at Fox's Lane!

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A random act of kindness

2010-08-15T09:41:00.000+10:00

Many of us use blogging as a way to chronicle our lives of crafting, family, aspirations and dreams. When we create a masterpiece, we blog, when our loved one's enrich our lives, we blog about that too, and sometimes when we have a rough day, we share it with our blogging friends.

And so last week I had an absolute horror of a few days and I blogged about it. I usually post about beautiful destinations and crafting mastery of others and don't tend to share much about my family. But on this day, I had had enough of trying to swallow my anxiety, willing the lump in my throat to go away so I shared it with you all. Two days later I received the most beautiful sentiment in the mail. A gorgeous handmade card with an original photograph and a lovely little butterfly (my post had mentioned that butterfly's make me happy). This gorgeous creation and the touching words of support and empathy, came from Cathie at m.e.

Cathie is an amazing woman. Her photography is beautiful and if you've ever visited her blog, you'd know that she is an absolute demon in the kitchen. Anyone familiar to her blog I'm sure would agree that there have been moments when you've had to wipe the saliva off your keyboard from drooling over her decadent chocolate cupcake triumphs. Cathie cooks from the heart and for her family and friends. It astounds me that she's never eaten a cupcake! That's love for you!

Thanks again Cathie for your beautiful card and touching words.

Trace x

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-08-14T09:14:00.000+10:00

The one thing I love most about Christmas is styling a table for a huge Christmas feast. This year I'm going to aim for a fuss-free Chrissy with simple groupings of natural objects, crisp linen and a dash of crimson red. For more styling ideas, head over here.

A couple of weeks ago, I headed over to Katie's place from 5 Star Baby to support the wonderful sale she was hosting. I walked out of there with my hands full. Perhaps the most astonishing piece of sewing mastery I spied was this handbag.

It's gorgeous don't you think? I have bought it for my cousin for Christmas. She's a little bohemian so I know she'll just love the colours and design. So here's the astonishing part...Katie's 8 year old niece made it. That's right, a child. A child who knows their way around a sewing machine! I can't even darn a hole in a sock. Had she made more, I would have bought the whole lot. There is hope for me yet that perhaps I too will sew something worthy of this calibre one day.

What wonderful creations are you making for Christmas? Have you spied someone else's creation that would be perfect for a loved one? Perhaps you need some help with a few ideas.To join in, just leave a comment and simply add your link below.You can join in anytime during the week. If you are new to this meme, click here for all the details on how to join in on this Handmade Christmas Challenge and feel free to grab my button.

My creative space

2010-08-12T07:09:00.000+10:00

Oh my goodness, did anyone else in Victoria feel like their house of bricks were going to fly away last night? Actually some of it did! Our fence that we share with our neighbour has blown away! I've had no sleep worrying about my poor little guinea pigs outside and whether they made it through the storm. The wind was angry my friend. Still is.

Come school drop off time, I'll be heading back home with my takeaway coffee to bunker down and get in to the warm, comfy zone of my creative space.

Speaking of comfy, don't you just love this fabric? I just bought it. Happy days! This gorgeous Red Orange Kanagroo Paw print with the snow drop background comes from the very talented girls at Ink & Spindle. I'm using it to recover these old foot stools that I bought for a song at my local op shop.

If my calculations are right, I should have a bit of material left over to make some cushions as well. Wish me luck!

For more creative spaces, head over to Kooyooto.

At my house

2010-08-09T15:15:00.000+10:00

At my house today I'm recovering from a sore back. We've had quite a few tense moments in our house this week waiting on medical results for my eldest child and today we were told the results were all clear. My back on the weekend finally decided that it couldn't take any more tension and decided to pack it in. But I'm on the mend and in a wonderful state of mind knowing that my child is going to be OK. Plus butterflies have always made me happy so I thought I'd cut some more out using my youngest daughters finger paintings and add them to our welcome wall in the hallway. I've decided to continue the butterflies around the corner to the next wall for people to follow. I just love them.

What are you doing at your house? Why not join in over at Lou Lou's.

Infant art

2010-08-08T17:24:00.000+10:00

Just when you thought, babies = feeding, burping, sleep deprivation and snuggles, along comes a family who celebrate this gorgeous gift with some amazing creativity and a great sense of humour to boot. I think these images are an absolute classic! Far better than the pixie photos!

Images via We Love Beautiful Things

Shadow Shot Sunday

2010-08-08T09:05:00.000+10:00

Sometimes in life, it all gets a tad overwhelming. When I feel this way, I head up my street to the beach. As I pass others walking along the sand, I wonder, what's on your mind?

Happy Shadow Shot Sunday all. Head over to Hey Harriet for some gorgeous shadow shots.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-08-07T09:15:00.000+10:00

A very simple yet rather symbolic ritual in our house at Christmas was when Grandma would pull out her beautiful old crockery and make us a big pot of tea to have with our plum pudding. I have continued the tradition although I really do miss the elegance and warmth in which my grandmother would pour us tea.

Inspired by this memory, I thought of a perfect gift for some of my girlfriends which involves vintage jars, filled with a heady aroma of tea and Christmas spices. I plan to decorate the jars with personalised gift tags and my favourite quote:

"Women are like teabags, they don't know how strong they are until they get into hot water". E. Roosevelt

I have found a great recipe for making your own Spiced Christmas Tea and thought I'd share it with you all:

2 Tablespoons of strong full-bodied tea

1 tea spoon ground ginger

1 cinnamon sticks broken into pieces

1 whole clove

1/2 teaspoon cardamon seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Flea Market Find

2010-08-01T17:23:00.000+10:00

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date. I've had so much fun over the weekend though. I may be late joining in on Sophie's Flea Market Finds this Sunday, but I was suitably distracted with the hustle and bustle of Melbourne city life. For all the wonderful advantages that the beach life brings, I still have an affinity for inner city living. Little things like getting a REAL coffee or walking down a whole length of a street, browsing the shops. The exhaust fumes are a killer but every once in a while, you don't mind breathing in their toxic if it means you can drool over your favourite shops....like Meet Me At Mikes!

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It was so wonderful to see the Envelope Project in all its glory, spread out across their window. I hovered around for ages, looking for mine but in a sea of envelopes, I couldn't find it. A lady from Canberra delivered her envelope in person on Saturday which is a mean effort! It also signals the last day of the envelope project so now we must wait patiently to see who is drawn to receive all the goodies.

Just before I left for Melbourne, I managed to stop by my local Oppy and found a vintage suitcase with quaint international vintage airline stickers still in their place. The lady at the Oppy said to me "you know, apparently these suitcases are worth a bit particularly when they have stickers on them" and with that she charged me a whopping $3!!! I love Op Shopping!

I also found this gorgeous vintage sheet which I'll put to great use recovering something in my home.

For more Flea Market goodness, head over to Sophie's.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-07-31T06:40:00.002+10:00

Where on earth did July go? Tomorrow signals the first day of August and five months before Christmas. In 8 weeks time, the stores will start loading up on Christmas gifts and that all too familiar Christmas song loop will start to raise its ugly head on every aisle at your local supermarket. I am determined for Christmas shopping not to scare the wits out of me this year.

I'm happy to report that I have done extremely well this week thanks to the amazing local talents of 5 Star, Baby and Bob and Mabel. They had a fantastic sale on Wednesday and I went a little nuts buying handmade Christmas gifts for our challenge this week. Here's just a few of them...

Gorgeous hair clips and ties for all the little girls in our extended family

Beautiful fabric pencil cases to add to my girls Christmas stockings.

There is a fabulous Christmas in July crafty corner going on here which has loads of crafting ideas that would kick start the most dormant of Christmas spirits. If Christmas Crafting is not your thing, you could try getting inspired by yule critters over here.

My creative space

2010-07-29T07:11:00.000+10:00

Finally, another one of my DIY projects has come to fruition. Had it not been for the superb talents of my gorgeous friend Melinda at Little Ted Canvas, I would still be faffing around. Whilst Mel is exceptionally modest about this and goes to great lengths to tell me it's not her finest sewing, she has done a wonderful job at putting this cover together for me.

The table cloth that Mel so lovingly turned into a stool cushion cover was a flea market find from some time ago.

Mel in action sizing up the fabric to go over the cushion.

The finished product.

For more creative spaces, head over to Kootoyoo.