inspired crafts reading

today's discovery happened when we went out to buy fish and chips for lunch. There was a crowd of people in the fish shop, so I placed our order and then popped next door to the Salvation Army store for a super quick looksie while I waited. In the craft section, amongst the huge pile of vintage patterns, were 3 Craft magazines for 50c each. What a find!

Lunch turned into a hurried affair, as I really wanted to read the mags. I lay down on the floor and with Miss almost 2 sitting on my back, read all 3 from cover to cover. Miss almost 2 contented herself with some hairstyling which was at times super painful. However it kept her occupied. Definitely inspired crafts reading!

socks

Miss 12 has put in a special request for bed socks. She loves the feel of toasty, warm feet even in the summer time. I've always avoided knitting socks, convinced that the shaping was too complicated for my knitting skills. That's all about to change! Today, while tidying up our bookshelf, I found a pattern in a 'Get Creative' magazine for easy knitted tube socks. It's knitted up in 8 ply wool, on 4.5 double pointed knitting needles, which will be a first for me! I've found some blue multi-coloured wool in my stash which will look perfect as socks. I'll post a photo soon when I've made decent enough progress to share.

scrapbook supplies

today I received the scrapbook supplies that I'd bought from trademe last week. The seller was having a big clearout and there's a lot of great stuff for a newbie scrappy like me to make use of. Of course, I won't be able to get down to any sort of serious crafting until my son goes back to school on Wednesday, next week.

So for now, I'll just have to content myself with craft dreams...

Song choice for today

is the classic sound of Martha & the Vandellas with 'Dancing in the streets'

crafting book

as the school holidays draw to an end, I now find myself engrossed with back to school preparation. New shoes, new socks, new togs, stationery, lunch box supplies, the list seems endless. Luckily, Miss almost 2 is enjoying all our rushing around although I'm sure that she'll miss her big sister and brother when they're back at school. I know I will! boo hoo!

With all this busyness, there won't much in the way of crafting for a wee while, so to help me through my crafting draught, today I bought for myself this amazing book called 'Make' by Cath Kidston. The photography and projects are a stunning combination of modern-vintage chic. Love the bright colours! a welcome change from the hugely popular monochromatic naturals that have been around for a while.

It's a 'must have' book chocka with crafting goodness! and it has a 'free' tote too!

scented heart

with Valentines Day not too far away, a scented heart would be a perfect project. It's ideal if you want a simple and quick 1 day project for a quick crafting fix where you can embellish to your hearts content. Also lovely as a keepsake or for refreshing a wardrobe or linen chest...

Scented heart

* your choice of fabric
* thread
* paper and pencil
* ribbon (up to 20cm length of 1cm wide ribbon)
* embellishments ie. lace, sequins, beads, crochet flowers etc
* polyfill stuffing
* lavender seeds (optional)
* lavender scent (or whatever you choose)

Instructions

1) Draw freehand your heart shape template. Make sure that it's slightly larger than the finished size you want. You want to allow a seam allowance. I usually allow 1.5cm

2) Cut out 2 heart shapes from your fabric. You can mix and match fabrics and textures

3) Cut your ribbon to the desired length. I usually cut my ribbon to between 15cm to 20cm in length

4) I embellish my heart shapes before I sew it together. You can choose to do it later if you prefer

5) Now pin your 2 heart shapes together with the ribbon in place

6) Sew right around leaving a gap of 4-5cm on one side of your heart. This gap is for turning it inside out and stuffing

7) Cut notches into your seams right around & trim away any excess fabric from your seams so that your heart has smooth curves and an even shape when turned inside out

8) Turn heart inside out and stuff with polyfill stuffing and lavender seeds

9) Once stuffed, whipstitch the opening closed

Your scented heart is complete. The lavender scent can be refreshed with a few drops of lavender oil over time.

WARNING!
making these can be very addictive to your crafting self!
once you make one, you'll feel compelled to make more

Summer picnic

today we decided on a impromptu picnic at Musick Point, Howick. To get there, we had to drive through the golf course. There's lots of lovely pohutukawa trees to spread out the picnic under.



While hubby and I spread out the picnic rug and food, the children played tiggy. Miss almost 2 had the best time being chased by her older siblings. Their infectious laughter had us both smiling.



After lunch, hubby and I sat in the shade and enjoyed the view. The skies were absolutely clear, the water sparkling, the sun bright and the tui in full song.



Meanwhile the children set off to explore amongst the trees and returned with a handfull of cicada skins that they'd found still firmly attached to the trees.



It was a great day for us all. Then it was home for a nap!

Summer picnic

today we decided on a impromptu picnic at Musick Point, Howick. To get there, we had to drive through the golf course. There's lots of lovely pohutukawa trees to spread out the picnic under.



While hubby and I spread out the picnic rug and food, the children played tiggy. Miss almost 2 had the best time being chased by her older siblings. Their infectious laughter had us both smiling.



After lunch, hubby and I sat in the shade and enjoyed the view. The skies were absolutely clear, the water sparkling, the sun bright and the tui in full song.



Meanwhile the children set off to explore amongst the trees and returned with a handfull of cicada skins that they'd found still firmly attached to the trees.



It was a great day for us all. Then it was home for a nap!

first scrapbook pages

well, it's been a slow process but I'm pleased as punch to announce that I've finally finished my first scrapbook pages! hooray !!!!!

First of all, I watched a 'Successful Scrapbooking' DVD which my scrapbooking sister lent me, then at Spotlight I bought some really great christmas theme paper and embellishments on sale as I thought doing some christmas pages would be a good starting point. Then it was planning how to put my pages together. I really admire how talented scrapbookers are. There's quite a lot involved!

strawberry jam

although it was a scorching hot summer day, we took the opportunity to take the children for a drive with the promise of a strawberry ice cream from the Mangere Strawberry gardens. I came home with a 1kg bag of second grade strawberries to make some yummy strawberry jam...

strawberry jam recipe

* 500 gram strawberries (washed & destalked)
* 350 gram sugar
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 1 Tbsp butter

Put the strawberries in the pan, sprinkle over all of the sugar and place it into the fridge overnight.

Place the pan on a medium heat and let the sugar to dissolve. This will take roughly 6 minutes. Do not stir at this point as not to break up the fruit.Once dissolved bring to a boil and add the lemon juice. Stir briefly and boil rapidly for 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes spoon in the butter and stir in. Take off the heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Spoon the strawberry jam into the jar. Cover it with a small square of parchment paper and seal tightly with an elastic band.

Finally, put the jar lid back on, closing it tightly.The strawberry jam can be kept in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks

one bead

Miss almost 2 found a letter bead in her sister's room and then decided that it might be nice to put in her nostril. Well, panic ensued when she realised that a square bead isn't meant for a round nostril. A pair of trusty overlocking tweezers did the trick in extracting the offending bead.

Miss almost 2 by this time was beside herself with indignation at being held down for the bead to be removed & I'm totally worn out from the accompanying crying and ear piercing screams.

Meanwhile her older sister feeling quite guilty, gave way to a full on dramatic outburst. I mean how many times have I asked for beads etc to be picked up and put away??? a gazillion, I think....

And so, of course, with all of this going on, I've no energy for crafting today!
Hoping for a better day tomorrow...

Today's song of the day

is 'Won't give in' by the Finn brothers (Neil and Tim Finn) of Split Enz fame...



and as an extra to get down to, because I can't get this song out of my head, 'Double Dutch Bus' by Raven Symone. Yes that is Donny Osmond too!

vintage inspiration

I've been wondering what to do with my ever growing pile of fabric scraps left over from finished projects. Little projects are more my thing at the moment, so making patchwork quilts is out for me. I saw this on trademe and felt some 'vintage inspiration" coming on

It's called a 'Dorothy' bag probably after the bag that Dorothy carried in the 'Wizard of Oz" movie, although I could be wrong.




What a great way to use up all my scraps. A herringbone stitch or some other decorative embroidery stitch in a gold coloured thread would be ideal for connecting all the pieces together.

It would be perfect lined in a contrasting vintage taffeta fabric. The possibilities are endless!!!

tilly ting-ting

Introducing tilly ting-ting, a very colourful softie, from my own drafted pattern and handmade by me. A ting-ting doesn't have a strict definition. It's whatever your imagination wants it to be! I'm sure I've seen a ting-ting or two out of the corner of my eye when I'm at home alone...

Simplicity 3835

After a long wait, Simplicity 3835 is here. Normally I wouldn't look twice at this pattern but having seen so many versions of the top and dresses on numerous sewing blogs, I decided it was time for me to sew it up for myself.

The style is very simple and appeals to my 'sew in 1 day' plan. I can recall wearing a similar top back in the 1970s. Before I get to it, I'm adding the final touches to Miss almost 2's smock dresses and then it's on to making her a birthday dress.

This afternoon, I'll be searching the fabric stash for the right material for the top and then trying to make a start on my scrapbooking.

Try scrapbooking again

One of my 2009 goals is try scrapbooking again. To help me along, my sister who loves to scrapbook gave me one of her old albums and lots of paper and old Creative Memories pamphlets for christmas to help get me inspired.

Today I started sorting through all the stuff she'd given me. It's going to be my
20th wedding anniversary next month, and I had the inspiration that it might be great to put some of our memories into a scrapbook. So I get our photos out and my immediate concern is how to put 20 years worth of memories onto paper? where do I start? and then of course, I get sidetracked by photos!

New beds for the girls

today was bed shopping day for my 2 daughters. The youngest, is turning 2 next month, and moving into her first bed and the elder, is moving into a longer bed.

I'm stunned by how fast our children are growing. Time is speeding by so quickly! One minute they're so tiny and need you for everything, and the next, they're growing more and more independent... deep sigh! I stopped breastfeeding Miss almost
2 about 3 weeks ago and I'm finally coming out the other end of the hormone roller coaster.

New beds for the girls

today was bed shopping day for my 2 daughters. The youngest, is turning 2 next month, and moving into her first bed and the elder, is moving into a longer bed.

I'm stunned by how fast our children are growing. Time is speeding by so quickly! One minute they're so tiny and need you for everything, and the next, they're growing more and more independent... deep sigh! I stopped breastfeeding Miss almost
2 about 3 weeks ago and I'm finally coming out the other end of the hormone roller coaster.

Impressionists are coming

Just opened up my latest 'NZ House and Garden' magazine and read that the largest collection of over 55 Impressionists paintings held by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is coming to New Zealand. It's a rare chance for us downunder to see stunning works from Claude Monet’s Water Lily, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral series, alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne, Degas, and others. I'm so excited!

The paintings will only be exhibited at Te Papa, Wellington. It's a once in a lifetime chance for me to see these amazing works in person. I have to go! I don't think that I'll ever get this chance again. Now, it's working out when to go and booking the flights etc. Dear hubby suggests that we drive down and enjoy the countryside. I'm resisting the idea of 9 hour long drive, as I want to spend every available minute enjoying all the artwork.

Song for today is...

'Barbie Girl' by Aqua - catchy, repetitive and sometimes annoying... but still a great sing-a-long song when crafting...

7 things about me...

today, I thought I'd share 7 things about myself...

1) I'm bilingual. I can read/write/speak fluently in both English & Samoan

2) I'm a published poet

3) I've been married almost 20 years and have 3 great children

4) I like wearing jandals and swimming all year round

5) Once upon a time, I worked as a lawyer in a large corporate legal practice.

6) I enjoy watching crime/legal tv shows

7) I was the school dux at college

At last a 2008 project completed

I started knitting this jumper for the African Aids baby charity and then got sidetracked by other knitting and left this sitting in my knitting bag for almost 3 months. Well last night, I got stuck in and finished it... hooray!!! Today I'm packaging it up for posting.

Nana chic crafts from Patons

Have to share with you all this great book of little kitsch projects by Patons. There's over 70 patterns to make, ranging from christmas ornaments to knitted hangers, slippers and even a knitted poodle toilet roll cover. It's a really delightful book for making gifts for all sorts of occassions.

Although the book is created specifically for Patons yarns, I'm sure that alternative yarn can be used if the tension sample matches the equivalent measurements in the patterns.

New bedroom curtains

Today was spent hanging new curtains in our bedroom. The old ones weren't looking their best anymore and Spotlight had a sale on ready made curtains so there was no excuse to put off getting it done. I still had to shorten the curtains and steam out the wrinkles but they're looking great. The nets are soaking at the moment in steradent to get them back to brilliant white.

Chairbag tutorial

The chairbags are finished and are in use. Miss almost 2 loves her chairbags and is having no problem finding plenty of things to put inside them. I've put together a little tutorial for anyone whose interested in making a chairbag.

Chairbag

You will need:

* fabric
* thread to match
* newspaper
* masking tape (or sellotape)
* marker pen

Instructions

1) Take a sheet of newspaper and create your pattern using a 'drape/cut/tape' method by putting the newspaper length wise over the back of the chair. Fold one end of the paper over the chair back to create a 'hood', marking it's place with a marker pen. Tape in place and cut away excess paper

2) With a 2nd sheet of newspaper cut the size of your pocket(s) and attach it to your first paper piece with tape. Use marker pen to mark placement of pocket(s)

3) Cut out your fabric using your newspaper pattern + seam allowance

4) Hem the fabric end where the hood for the chair will be. Press. Fold fabric to make hood (right sides together) and sew up hood. For durability, I'd suggest sewing up both sides of the hood twice. Then clip the corners. and turn right side out

5) Hem edge of pocket. Press. Pin Pocket right side to wrong side of chair hood and sew. Double stitch for durability. Mitre corners and turn inside out. Press. Fold over the sides between the hood and pocket and stitch in place.

Chairbag is complete!

Little table and chairs

My first trademe bargain for 2009 has to be the table and 2 chairs that I bought for $20 - what a find! Miss almost 2 loves her new furniture and spends quite a bit of time rearranging the chairs.

From a crafty aspect, I'm making 2 chairbags from a fabric remnant, so that she can put her books and paper in them, hopefully keeping her table area tidy.

Hairbrush hit for today...

is Il Divo's version of 'Unchained Melody' (Senze Catene).

From my window...

I see Mount Wellington, a dormant volcanic mountain about 137 metres high, which was formed by a volcanic eruption about 9000 years ago. The colonists named it after Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, although the local Maori call it Maungarei, and for centuries had their pa (hill fort) there.

A great deal of the old lava flow is now quarried for industrial aggregates. Throughout the year, many take the gentle hike up the mountain and then around it's rim. Great views from up there!

Little girl smock dresses

This week I'm planning to make little Miss almost 2 some smock dresses. Digging through my pattern stash, I came across this pattern which will be perfect for what I have in mind. Now it's just a matter of going through the fabric stash to find the right material & then get sewing.

First 2009 beanie

It's the height of summer here in New Zealand, and today looks to be another scorcher. This morning I finished my first knitted beanie for 2009. As some of you may know, I knit for the South Auckland wool programme where parcels of baby & kiddie woollen items are handed out to needy families.

I had plans to knit several beanies over the 2 week christmas break however my motivation was not very great. Staying in the shade revisiting my favourite authors has been a preferred pastime.

More softies

For some reason, I like to make things in sets of three. So Miss Teal is expecting the arrival of 2 sisters very, very soon. Take a peek at their cute little faces. I'm experimenting with colour combinations and at the same time I'm experiencing a great deal of joy working on these little girls.

These 3 softies are destined for my Felt and Etsy stores.

2009 plans

this is my 100th post - hooray! I started this blog in September 2008 to record my creative efforts with a huge lot of fabric samples that I bought on Trademe. I had a website at the time that was in need of serious updating. I became hooked on blogging so I closed the website down but kept my internet identity 'normatikadesigns'.

I've been crafting for what seems like forever and before starting this blog, I was sewing clothing for fashion dolls. Now, I mainly sew for BJDs and vintage walkie talkie dolls and concentrate most of my efforts on making softies and art dolls.

My craft related plans for 2009 are :

continue to blog daily

improve my knitting skills

etsy & felt shops at 100%

try gocco printing

try scrapbooking again

more personal sewing

no unfinished projects

reduce my fabric and wool stash

continue with my charity knitting

Happy new year to those of you in the northern hemisphere!

Happy new year 2009

to all of you in blogland who take the time to visit my little corner of the world, wishing you all the very best for the new year. Hope 2009 is a great one for you!