Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A nice prize


                                          Yes, the mail box has rarely been empty this week!

                                          Claud is really enjoying the doggy golden books
                                     The chocolate is long since scarfed and is my new favourite
                                      And the blue tupperware is a new collection just starting up

                                                   Thanks quilt-maker extrodinaire  Deb :0)

ps met up with Deb and the other lovely Christchurch blogguses this morning for coffee and a yarn.



 In Yorkshire a particularly nice person is described as a person who would metaphorically "...give you the shirt off their own back...". Which Deb literally did today, stripping her child of the gorgeous dress I admired on her dutch clog wearing cutie of a daughter and giving it to Claud on the premise it was getting a bit small. Isn't it gorgeous


:0)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

I'm a Giant Challenge-Dolls House Do-Up #8




              Well, it seems the best antidote to too much colour is more colour, with a pattern to boot.



Envelope inner wallpaper; flocked cardstock rug.
I could live here again now, phew!



Might even add some more envelope paper, framed by matchstick picture frames. Will have a play and see.

Gotta think cheap now. Did a tally of costs so far. $251.60 NZ so far. And most materials were op-shopped/second hand and many were free!


Ball chair almost complete. If I don't find a white ball pool ball or some less see thru felt by the end of the challenge this will be it. Quite pleased with it and it's robust.


Luckily the new mini Blythe doll (Littilest Pet Shop Blythe) fits!

New competition-what to call her; and what's her story?

Seriously, I have a new prize for the one that makes me laugh the most...



Home made tulip table to match bought chairs almost complete. Plastic wine glass made a perect base, but the cork top went a bit straggly looking once sanded and sprayed so may be replaced if I find anything smoother looking.


                                                    Now to the cute craft cliche suggestions.

                                                                  I've made a a few.


Mini Jan Constantine Union Jack pillow (thanks Lakota)

From a union jack rucksack patch!


Tiny Keep Calm and ...poster (thanks Kylie)


Minute New Zealand map blackboard (thanks me)
Only South Island tho, they didn't have the North Island. Looks a bit weird without it!



Titchy antique map (thanks Carmel)


Wee framed butterflies (the map butterflies don't look that good in miniature)

There aren't any of the suggestions I don't want to do. I've got some packing twine to have a go at macrame-ing a miniature owl (can I get any more mental?!) though I'm still at a loss for how to make a miniature crochet dolly with crinoline-to-hide-toilet-roll, but it will not deafeat me!

Kylie, you have to win! You had a million suggestions all of which made me cackle and want to make them immediatly (I'm still working on the bus destination blackboard thing and the 'home sweet home' cross stitch).

Your cliched cute craft prize will be in the mail shortly :0)

Until next week...

Monday, November 7, 2011

Marimekko


Marimekko dress. In 'fuscia', I think. A batik-esq small print, most probably designed by Annika Rimala. Designed and/or made in 1964. Sold originally between 1965-68 in either the Cambridge, Massachustts; New York, or San Fransisco Design Research store (famous early design store established by Harvard architecture school head Benjamin Thompson).


           Great with jeans. Great bare legged and barefoot. Easy breastfeeding access. Comfy. Flattering. 
                Colour suits me, although I rather suspect that ALL Marimekko dresses would suit me!



I'd love to find out the print name/colour/confirm the designer, so if any one knows of a good Marimekko research site/book do let me know.

                                                   What's your favourite piece of clothing?

                                                   Do tell. Here. My Place and Yours

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Op-shop Sunday

Been busy this week so I didn't get chance to go op-shopping. Also, I had no need.
Not no need of stuff. I always need stuff. It's just I have a personal shopper. A personal op-shopper.
(For this week only as he has a sore leg and can't run at lunch time).



Cool Christmas Tins


Cool paper holding desk hardware

Seriously cool 50's style cutlery set (minus one knife)


We really need this, the old one has gone bung in the dishwasher and I'll go bung if I have to hand wash dishes.
Spear & Jackson.
AND


Cool doll house.

I know!

It's like bringing a puppy home on the spur of the moment.
You know you can't keep it, you don't have the room, or the time. But it sits there looking so appealing
(you can see your face in that roof, and the rooms are, well roomy, compared with my current only dollhouse) that you almost give in and let it stay.

But no. I am hard of heart.

Bad hubby.

Anyone want this?

Ok. Wait. Maybe I'll turn it into a bookshelf for Clauds room...

Well done husband!

Sharing at Sophies

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cat's Tilda Christmas Swap


I know! Aren't they adorable!

Part of a beautiful gift from Leonie, via Cat's Tilda Christmas swap.

The brief was to make a Tilda Christmas ornament, add a dash of haberdashery, edible treats and a little something else especially for your swap partner.

Clearly Leonie did her research!


Piles of fabric in my fave colours

Chocolate galore


Gorgeous crafty bits and bobs


A special little craft pack for Claudine

A little something for mother of the child at the upcoming Brit themed birthday party


Tiny ickle Eiffel tower earrings
 Already debuted at French fest, and the cutest addition to my Eiffel tower collection


Tins :0)

Yep, you've pretty much ticked all the boxes there Leonie, I'm couldn't be more delighted!

(hope I didn't miss anything, the box was so packed with goodies?!)

Until christmas, when the tweet tweet birdies will be strung and hung, they're are hanging out at Clauds pad



So cute, and with year round charm

(only 4 there as Claud has already stashed one somewhere *rolls eyes*)

and in return..?



     Not quite so expertly stitched but very cool (yes, that means everyone I know will be getting one!).
   From (a kinda tricky for this sewer of little brain to follow so she made most of it up) pattern in this Tilda
                                            book and op-shopped fabrics and ribbons.

   (I forgot to photograph the rest as Claud had staged a last minute raid on the box which I needed to
   straighten out *rolls eyes, again*)

                                                           Christmas swaps rock!


Friday, November 4, 2011

October secret elf gift :0)


A cute little magnetic clip

paisley! plasters! to pretty up my dollhousing wounds

Also a funny coaster...which Claud has secreted somewhere therefore unable to photo

Thank you Elaine

My lavender is in full bloom at the moment so I may well be making those hummingbird lavender cupcakes this weekend :0)

If you want to be a secret elf, go here

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

I'm a Giant challenge-Doll House Do-up #7


Doll Housing.
It's educational as well as fun.
The things doll housing has taught me this week.

I could never be a solvent sniffer.
I have developed a distinct aversion. I hold my breath whilst gluing and then race the bits outside to dry and have insects commit suicide on. Sometimes, when it all goes wrong (like when I cut myself with the scalpel at the same time as glueing my little finger to a piece of cardboard) I can hold my breath for a really. long. time.
Maybe it's the breath holding and not the glue that makes me feel sick and dizzy?

There are more glues out there for different purposes than there are sheep in NZ.
I now have 7 of my own. Small fry. Did you know there are whole aisles in hardware stores dedicated to glues? Must be nice for glue sniffers. Kind of like a deli. Well for ones with a well developed palette I suppose.

Colour does funny things in small spaces.
Like changing colour completely. Sometimes darker, some time lighter, never quite right or what you wanted. I wonder how it works? I mean there must be a science to it that, if I understood the rules, I could actually get the colour I wanted first time.

Anyway, speaking of colour. Want to see something cool?



Mad innit?!

It's just kids foam squares stuck together


With a couple of bits of balsa wood, chopped up BBQ skewers for feet, and amazing glue that won't let me pull the feet off no matter how hard I tug.

The foam squares I opp-ed of course, and I thought I'd cover them with my nice fabric initially.


Bit it was tricky, and messy looking, time consuming and the fabric look like stone wash denim on the small scale. Puzzling. It's a gorgeous dark teal when the whole piece is laid out on the floor. Gah!

So anyhow, as I'm pretty lazy, and pretty anti-stone wash denim, the multi-coloured sofa and chair won out of course.


It goes quite well with the shelving units I also op-ed (photographic slide holders in a previous life)
and the work in progress Lego masterpiece mantelpiece.

Not sure about the all the colour though. Colour is not my normal habitat.

Not sure how, or if, I can make it work with the wood floor and mid-century wood bits and bobs.
I suspect I need a rug or a 'wall treatment' (heh heh heh!) to 'pull it all together'.

And heyyyyyyy, progress is also apace on the ball chair.
After calling around all my mum-mates to see if anyone had a white ball in their ball pool (nope) I decided to go with red.
I finally figured out how to get a straighter edge, with my the help of my glamorous assistants:-

Ms Eye liner (it's rub off-able) and Miss Compass




I have had a bit of trouble lining it with felt neatly , but I have googled what I hope is a solution...
and all I can say is... watch out Weta Workshops!

That Breakfast at Tiffany's bed-ex letter rack is coming together nicely too, thanks to the welding skills of the local mechanic, and the wood workery skills of the grandad at the local hardware store (both free of charge thanks to Clauds cute poppet charm). And the hubby (ta love x)

It just needs feet, a mattress, sheets, a pillow and a quilt.
Hmmm. I'll be very surprised if this house is complete by Dec 15th. Good job Claudine's not getting it unitl she's 3, I'm think I'm going to need an extra year up my sleeve at this rate.



No further with the tulip kitchen table, tsk tsk! Straws are too bendy, and I can't find anything else suitable at the mo. Have my eyes peeled for a stemmed plastic drinking glass (great suggestion Ms Make Mine Mid Century, thanks!)

Oh look!

Heres one!


Just a little too teeny-tiny for table making opp-ed cocktail stirrers!
I so nearly didn't cut them up, they would have been great in my future drinkies cabinet, but as they were the  perfect size for my now doll house they got the chop.

As will this shortly


Future lampshade for red and white bedroom.

And to finish I wanted to ask for your help.

I mentioned early on that I want the dolly house to have that crafters look, in miniature, that I love.
I'm chuffed with how my mini knitted tea cosy turned out, and the mini-pennant bunting and pom pom bunting are beyone cute. But I'd like a little something crafty related in each room, so I'm compiling a little list of 'craft cliches' to choose, and make my finishing touches from.


So far, in addition to the above I have:-

granny square blanket
retro tea towels
patchwork quilt
embroidery hoop art
owl wall hanging

Please make a suggestion in the comments
(and do feel free to suggest how to make it too!!!)

Come on-what's screams 'cute craft cliche' decor to you???

There will be a (cute craft cliche) prize for my favorite suggestion, so make sure you link back to your blog or leave your email address

Thanks for looking at my glue intoxication induced madness and I hope to see you here next week :0)