Handmade Christmas Challenge

Welcome to the first installment of the Handmade Christmas Challenge meme - a fun and easy way to share our journey of creating handmade Christmas gifts for our family and friends. Whether it be your own crafty creation or inspiration found within the virtual halls of the Etsy and Madeit stores, the challenge is on to hunt down the best gifts and share the love.

So to kick things off, I'd like to share with you...
 
Exhibit A - The Aunty

My Aunty is impossible to buy for. Has everything. Needs nothing. Never gives you an clues. Thinks to do so would spoil the gift of giving. Every year I agonise over what I should buy her. Every year I leave Christmas a little despondent - did she really like it or was she just faking it. Oh, but this year, step aside Santa, 'cause Lou from Seaside Siblings has answered the call. If you've been following Lou's creative space posts lately, you've probably fallen in love with her gorgeous wrist warmers. Made from 4ply merino in a fine rib, they are warm enough to keep you nice and toasty and fine enough to wear whilst doing things. Lou's on-line store can be found here.

My Aunty lives on a farm spending most of her days toiling away in her garden or herding cows. Wrist warmers are an absolute perfect gift for her as she often complains how cold her hands get. This way, she'll stay warm and will be oh, so fashionable.


So, what creative gifts have you got in store? Simply join in using Mr Linky and post about your own creation or someone else's. If you are struggling for ideas on what to make or buy, put out the call and we'll try to help.

My Creative Space

This week, my creative space is my hallway. For those of you that have followed my progress with my welcome wall and telephone table, will know that I've been procrastinating. I'm happy to report, I'm almost finished - I just have the handles to do. And yes, I did say I was just going to re-stain it but we painted it white instead. I recovered the seat with a lovely green fabric and white polka dots.

If you look closely, you'll see the most adorable little owl on the telephone seat. It was made for my 6 year old by my very talented and gorgeous friend, Mel at Little Ted Canvas. Hooty, as he is referred to, sits on the seat, looking at the front door, waiting patiently for the arrival of my little girl on her return from school each day.

In addition to the telephone table makeover, I've been playing around with a few vintage pieces that my mum handed down to me recently. My hallway is now full of colour and fun. I love walking in the front door to be greeted by my creative little nook.

Oh, and if you're looking for some fun to be had on Saturday, check out my Handmade Christmas Challenge meme...starts this Saturday. Hope you can join in!


 

For more creative spaces, head to Kristy's at kootoyoo.

And the times, they are a changin'...

What a defining moment for Australian history with the appointment of our first, that's right, our first female Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd stood down before a leadership ballot which was held early this morning. 

Lets hope Julia Gillard represents us well ladies.

As for having ginger hair, a group of Aussies felt their support was best heard with the catchy little slogan - "We'd rather have a Ranga than a Rudd!"

{Ranga- colloquial term for those sporting ginger hair}

Hands up who loves Brian?

I speak of none other than Brian Andriola, Mr Interior & Still Life photographer extraordinaire. I'm loving his photo gallery which you can find here but I've found some of my favourites at desire to inspire. 

  

10 points for anyone who can tell me how this gigantic branch is standing up in that small bowl on the floor. In the eyes of a 3 year old, that branch is fair game for all things Tarzan. I'd rate it as having about 0.0000001 second chance of surviving the hands of my children. Pretty, delicate but oh so impractical. 

Brian appears to be a lover of all things green so he's already won my heart. Again, the ferns and hydrangea's in all their glory would be torn apart in a rather tortuous way, de-petaled flower by flower to make what my daughter's refer to as chunky soup!

Oh the serenity. Being in a convenient reaching distance for adventurous little hands, one of two things would take place in this scene - candle wax burns or setting the garden on fire. Either that or throwing themselves off what appears to be a steep cliff face. 

So until my children get a hell of a lot older, I'll just dream about these beautiful images in the distant knowledge that when I am old enough to retire I could have the same but will be too old and grumpy to bother!

Colour my world...

In the words of Petula Clark, Westlife or Backstreet Boys (trust me....I was just looking for a colour song...I am not a devotee to these artists)

Oh, you can colour my world with sunshine yellow each day!

Oh, you can colour my world with happiness all the way!

Just take the green from the grass and the blue from the sky up above!

And if you colour my world just paint it with your love!
 

Just colour my world...la la la la laaaaaa!

Hope your Monday is just as colourful. 

Oh, and if you're looking for some fun to be had on Saturday, check out my Handmade Christmas Challenge meme....starts this Saturday. Hope you can join in!

{images from design is mine - I think!}

Flea Market Finds

I thought I'd share with you the second installment of my mum's garage sale haul. A few weeks back my mum found herself wondering into a garage sale of a shabby chic home where everything was on sale for less than $30. After a frantic call to me where I gave her the thumbs up to go forth and go crazy, she bought as much as she could cram in her car.

The yellow doily is from a recent Op shop find and the french provincial style flowers were for my birthday.

Oh, and I have a little announcement - I've just launched a new meme called Handmade Christmas Challenge. Hope you'll join me in sharing your creative handmade Christmas gift ideas.

For more Flea Market finds, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures.

Handmade Christmas Challenge

I know, I know, it's nowhere near Christmas - or is it? 

You see, winter puts us into a false sense of security here in Oz. We are so busy adding layer upon layer to fend off pneumonia that we don't recognise spring approaching which by then leaves us 3 months before Christmas shopping. October we are usually in denial and by late November we're threatening relatives that if they don't tell us what they want, what they really, really want, we'll just buy them a hardware voucher because there's no time for playing coy and being mysterious. Christmas shopping is no bloody laughing matter!

Well, perhaps that's just me? Last year, I left my run so incredibly late that I was running around like a nutter trying to find presents up until Christmas Eve and let me tell you, there was no Christmas joy in that!

So, I've decided to start my shopping early. But this is no ordinary shop. I've decided to make a pledge in support of all those brilliantly crafty bloggers out there by purchasing gifts that are only handmade.

In addition, I'm sticking my limited crafty neck out and pledging that I will create (and sometimes borrow) some wonderful gift ideas to wrap these perfectly thoughtful gifts in.  

Every Saturday I thought we could use Mr McLinky and share something that we are creating for Christmas, a gift idea we've discovered or something we've spied on Etsy or the Madeit Shop. When I'm struggling to find the perfect gift, I will post a profile of the person I need to buy for asking for your recommendations.

If you'd like to join my Handmade Christmas Challenge here's how to:

Step 1: Register your interest by leaving a comment on this post 
Step 2: Become a follower so you recieve an update each Saturday

Step 3: Grab my button if you like (you'll find it on the top right column)

Step 4: Come over and visit on a Saturday where you can register your Handmade Christmas Challenge creation (either something you are making, that you've recently discovered or wish to buy for a loved one for Christmas)

Dust off those Bing Crosby CD's and start getting into the Christmas spirit my friends because this year, the gift of giving is going to be happiness in a handmade hamper!