the dream in progress...

So what's been happening lately?

Besides growing my bub (due in 2 days!!) have been slowly building some ideas and stock to take on selling some crafts either at local markets, online or at a new local craft/artist co-op store that is getting up and running (very exciting!!). 

The plan is to use my collection of vintage fabrics and op shopped crafty finds to create individual homewares made from completely recycled materials - bunting, cushions, quilts/rugs.... oh its so exciting!

Here's some of my bunting I made for pre-baby celebrations... and as practice before making some to sell...

 

 Welcome to the start of my 'Naisy Days' range...

No definite plans for where my wares will appear yet, but will get past the first months of motherhood and then hopefully find what will work for me.

Have some cushion ideas I'll share with you later this week! Oh the joy of sewing and creating. Nothing like it. :)

nesting

Our first bub is on its way!

My first trimester was hideous with  nausea and fatigue so I'm in action mode during my second trimester to be set for the worst when third trimester starts in a few weeks time!

I've had such fun delving into my op shop stashes getting creative and making our bub's room a place I'd love to hang out in at any time of the day!  Finished off a few things today and wanted to share it with you all...

Op-shopped embroidery frames and vintage sheet fabrics:

Op-shopped wooden photo frames; a cute pic from an old Frankie mag and a 'Father's love letter' from God to a child:

Op-shopped alphabet blocks, wooden pins and golden books. Love this old crate I got from my mum:

Op-shopped brown cut-out detailed cushion - it needed some love and care to be sew down again but for 50c I love the texture and interest it gives to the room; old cushion which I'd got bored of, but the blue back face of it is perfect for this room. And a rolled cane chair I've had for about 9yrs and my husband wanted to get rid of but I knew it would have a perfect spot one day.  Can sit here and stare out the window at the trees and weather rolling in. A lovely cosy corner.

Some of my favourite little creatures I've found at op-shops.  There is just so much more interest and warmth in oldstyle toys I reckon.

And the cot quilt/play mat in progress! Gender is unknown so I'm sticking to blues and greens mostly. Loving creating my own patterns for different projects and being inspired by the materials I have on hand.

Can't wait to introduce our little bundle me new favourite room in the house!

sew summer

Christmas in my family this year had the theme of recycled, second hand or hand made.  So for my sister and mum I challenged myself to projects that required me to step up my sewing skills

I have conquered continuous bias binding, piping and zips! Oh it feels so good. 

We have a new european cushion cover for my sister's couches... my first attempt was but through quality control test by her 2yr old... fail.  I'm learning! Time and practice will improve the quality of my work I'm promising myself!

A cot quilt for my mum who has now kitted her home out for when her 'grandies' take over when visiting!  My projects are all from recycled fabrics.  This quilt used vintage hankies, sheets, doily and scrap material from the op shops.  Love the individuality and one-off preciousness it gives my projects.

And then a little New Years present for myself.  Some summer cotton cushions.  Just need some more piping to finish off the others for my new lounge collection.  My hubby is a texture phob - so there are a few cushions I have collected over the years that he relegates to being foot cushions as he can't stand the feeling on his skin.  We have success with this one. It's his new favourite!

They all have their lovingly individual imperfections. :)  Looking forward to practicing more so I can look at selling creations in the future! That day will come... when my sewing skills catch up to my dreams!

hello again my old friend

it has been a few weeks since i've sewed... a problem machine and changing my sewing table left it to be a dump zone for the past few weeks.

so lovely to spend some tidying it up ready to attack some project this week.

on the cards? cushions, dolls clothes and  cute pencil/whateva cases.  lets hope my self diagnosis and fixing of my machine holds up!

free living challenge - day 10

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

today's joy...

came from more sewing fun. a quiet day at home today.  searched some of my sewing books and came across this cushion pattern that i've been wanting to give a go for a while.

made it to go with the quilt i've started for my sister. all recycled materials (and button) salvaged from opshops.
buttons are to be my new op shop obsession i think!

doesn't appear to be much but this is my full days sewing results!  i hold onto the hope that as i get more and more practice it won't take me so long to produce such a creation. sat back quite stoked with myself. however if i was getting paid would wish it to be per hour and not per cushion!!

free living challenge - day 11

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

today's joy...

continuing my current cushion cover fetish. decided to save some fun t-shirt prints from the rag pile and use them as features on cushions.  great for something a bit different and to continue the life of pieces that have sentimental value like one from my hubby's travels. there's been a thrifting vs hoarding theme this week on a few blogs... vic at punk & me blogged about the benefits of hoarding today... and erica louise from recycled fashion blogged about the fine line between thrifting and hoarding earlier in the week.

i'm glad i can prove my hubby wrong that you can never have enough potential materials around the house! he's quite impressed with these creations. so yes, past spending was necessary for this no-cost project in recent weeks. maybe i just have to find a bit more of a balance with my spending hobbies in the future. :)

however as my goal exceeds my skills these may stay in this state until i master piping and zippers!!

spent a lovely sunshining morning at the beach watching the dolphins, taking some pics and picking up rubbish along the way.  have been thinking for a while now about creating a beach junk sculpture or sign to hang at the beach entry round holiday time when tourists numbers are at their peak to make a statement about personal responsibility with rubbish and our overuse of plastics.  only 2 bags of rubbish picked up at the beach today. seems april holidayers are better then new-years holidayers!

the start of my collection for my future creation...

not sure how hubby will feel about my collecting rubbish however!!

overall a very satisfying day. :)

free living challenge - catch up... day 34-13!!

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

joy from past days...

got a lot to summarise in today's free living post.

have to confess... i visited my mum a couple of weekends ago and our favourite thing to do is op shop together. so we went to 1 store... only 1!  i'm now 27 and she still treats me with 'just coz' spending money to make me feel special. love you mum.

so what have i been up to?

i organised up my sewing space...

love watching the weather out the side door...

the space is about 2.5ms sq... have all ready decided this is not enough space! i've already filled 3 lots of shelving with materials i've had around the house.

have had a play making my own pattern for some of my own softie creations... hmmm... need more practice for consistency!!

and started making some quiltes... discovered i love sewing much more than hand needlework!

 

and made some practical things like bread bags from old linen tea-towels. very impressed with these. we go through a home-made loaf of bread in 2-4days. it stays moist in these bags for that time. they would dry out and be only good for toast after 2days using our old recycled plastic bag method. definately an improvement.
(yes yes, i'm a queenslander through and through!! squeezing a bit of QLD love into our very NSW dominant family!!)

have enjoyed the growth of my peppermint plant being able to pick a few fresh leaves and make my own peppermint tea. so lovely.

and of course there have been many bike rides to the beach...

the other most fun adventure was my sister-in-law's wedding where i got to play with flowers and decorating... could do it every weekend!  as i said in my flower joy post a few days ago, so lovely being able to go to the farm where the flowers were growing, pick them with a group of great girls and play with them the night before the wedding for bouquets and vases for the reception. here are some more pics for you...

such a lovely location. yamba shores tavern.  if you're ever in the area, i recommend a look-see. its a lovely spot on the river.  we were there at sunrise (yes ohmygoodness) on the day of the wedding and then there at night for the reception. just as good feel at night.

phew!  great to be able to share my adventures with you. 

would love to hear of some of your free-living adventures.  we can't always achieve it but i think there is a greater sense of fulfillment when we are able to fill our day with nature, with family and friends, with simplicity and free joy. i challenge you to look for a way to simplify your adventures this week. then share it with others and maybe you'll inspire another one or two. blessings, nais.

moose & bird

came across this creative lady on her etsy store when browsing for some new cushions for winter...

this pic of her cute pin cushions is what caught my eye from her blog...

i've been playing round with some ideas to create my own cushions last week and she has inspired me further. :)

free living challenge - day 37

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

today's joy...

easy to avoid spending temptations today... spent half of it driving to visit family!

reading is the joy of today.  thought i'd bring you some reviews of my favourite books of the moment...

ordered this magazine a while ago and it arrived this morning... love those knocks on the door for deliveries!
its more than a just a mag... organic gardener essential guides - this was the first of 3 that are now available. great gardening resource for things like pest management, planting/variety/season/climate advice, pruning techniques... first one released was 'getting started', then there is 'fruit' and 'vegies a-z'. 

  

' vegies a-z' is available in newsagencies now and you can order the previous guides online here.

other books on my bed side table for reading this week are...

recent op shop book finds...

for $2 each these were a bargin! there are a few recipes that a bit different from those in my nanna's recipe book in preserve and pickles....  will bring you some of those recipes when i've had a chance to try them out.... things like strawberry and vanilla jam... yum.   claire garland's knit and purl pets are very cute! found out yesterday that my sister is expecting my second nephew... oh how exciting!  i love having excuses to make cute kids toys.  my knitting skills are basic at best but this could be something fun to attempt in coming weeks with the focus of this challenge! have some bamboo wool at home that i'd love to use.

something i have not done in years... since uni days i guess... is utilise libraries for interest reading and resources.  i guess in our online world, searching the net for resources is our first instinct... however i still love having hard copies of books to flick through in my fav comfy seat and a sunny corner... and when i need to refresh my gardening knowledge or tips for a new crafty hobby to pick it off the shelf and read through rather than having to switch the computer on.

have utilsed my husband's uni library recently to check out some sewing books i've seen recommended in other books i've bought in the past few months...  this is one of them...



and might i say a fabulous layout of sewing techniques, machine problem solving etc... from one recommendation i'm searching for a pre 1978 version to buy for  my own collection.  i'm enjoying getting into the second hand books stores recently. much more fun then turning to amazon or book depository. however if i don't source the right version i may have to resort to that.

we moved recently and going through all our stuff makes you realise how much you have and having really utilised its potential. our books are definitely something i need to use more... to spend the time to read them cover to cover and then be able to turn back to them when needed now that i'd know what advice they hold. how am i to know what wonders then have inside if i haven't spent this time?!

hope this inspires you to delve into a wonderful book that has sat undiscovered for too many days. blessings to all for a lovely weekend.

free living challenge - day 38

goal... to abstain from spending hobbies - to focus on finding daily joy in no cost living.

today's joy...

pretty quiet day today so not much to report.

fav photo of the past 24hrs.... sunset from our front yard...

spent some time running errands and watching dvds...

and then hand sewed my 'handy sandy'.... figured since she's pink and all, 'handy dandy' wasn't quite the appropriate name. :)

now to source wheat and dried lavender...
forgot to add instructions for using 'handy dandy' as a wheat heat pack. have now updated that post.

happy friday all. :)

handy dandy

was looking through my magazine pull outs for a craft project for today.

came across 'handy dandy' - a wheat bag friend.  he is a creation of pip from meet me at mikes and was featured in frankie magazine before she released her first book.  not sure if this guy is in her first book - i've not yet got either of them my collection.

was pumped for a sewing afternoon until i realised my machine is broken and needs a service. and i need to drop it in 40mins drive away. not going to happen today. here's for hand sewing!

here's the pattern if you're interested... original size is A4.

instructions for use as a heat pack...
(you can stuff with toy filling if you like).
heat the wheat bag for 30 seconds in the microwave on medium-high heat or until it's just warm, not hot (be sure to test the temperature carefully before you use it). do not overheat the wheat bag - check the temperature diligently. wheat bag should not be given to small children.
use wheat bag only as heat pack for direct application to the body.  never use them as bed warmers, as this is a fire risk. no not reheat until the wheat bag has completely cooled unpick and refill the bag if the wheat starts to smell toasty.  do not put wheat bags into storage until they are completely cold.

i'll put up a pic of my little dude when its complete. :)

my first softies

ok so i'm not a sewing guru just yet but enjoyed making my first softies from my lovely friend tara's book she sent me.

made them into rattles by adding a few bells into their stuffing for my friend and sister's soon-to-be new bubs. 

the peppermint world

cheers for the long awaited expanding website of peppermint!

cheers for sewing school patterns for rainy days at home! will have an attempt next week.

finally get to read my peppermint mag tomorrow. its been sitting neglected since its arrival. oh joy.