A Crafty Promise

So another 3 weeks have passed since my last post. I have had inspiration to write but i wont lie - i just havent had the time. Or had the time at the right time of day, as it were - that is, when Tully is asleep during the day i've been trying to really devote some quality time to playing with Flynn, or reading with him, or even just snuggling up to watch a movie ( you know, like " The Lorax ", which we've watched 7 times in the last week ). Come night time when she's settled in the last thing i'm thinking about is my blog - its more like getting our paperwork for the evening done, a child-free chat with my husband, possibly an icecream or a chocolate biscuit and then snoozeville. But today i'm making a blog post a priority ... i dont want my little space to die, or my few regualr readers to drift away. So here i am! And here is this:

Remember a few months ago, when i still pregnant and i mentioned i was busy sewing some decorations for Tullys room? And i promised i'd show you the finished product when she was born, because it had her name on it and the name was still a super secret? No? Well, here you go anyway!

This is the bunting that is, as you can see, hanging above her cot. I wanted something to be a bit of a feature along the wall, aswell as something bright that she could look at when i need to lie her in there while i go to the bathroom/make lunch/attend to Flynn/whatever. I have to say i'm pretty pleased with it and Flynn just this week told me it looks " amazing " ( which happens to be his new favourite word ). I was pretty chuffed....

And this is the matching quilt cover. The cotton material was suitable for a blanket or even really for summer sheets so i bought a cot quilt insert from Target and knocked the cover up to fit over it. It only took me a few hours one afternoon - i mean, lets face it, its pretty much a few rectangles sewed together with a length of ribbon sewn on to cover the joins and make it look pretty. Still, it looks pretty neat to have it match the bunting ( poor old Flynn never had anything matching ... )!

I also made some " wall art " by sewing together two squares of each material in a checkerboard pattern, stitching a white love heart over very middle, and then stretching it over a canvas and frame ( picked up from Spotlight ). For some reason i musnt have taken a photo of it when i mounted it on the wall and i'm not going in to disturb Tullys nap to take one now, so you'll just have to take my word for how well it turned out and imagine it for yourself :)

And there you be: a post that i promised to make as soon as my daughter was born, and only 7 weeks late!

Getting Crafty With My Bad Self

So tomorrow my sister boyfriend, The Builder, is coming to turn our current garage/junk storage space into a new " big boy " room for Flynn. Even tough it will be another week at least before we can move Flynn in there ( we have to paint next weekend, get carpet layed and then put together his new furniture first... ) i'm kind of excited. Its not exactly as exciting as moving house - nor as time consuming or expensive! - but it does mean a bit more living space and hopefully the chance for a tidier home. See, in theory, the new room will be bedroom/playroom - Flynns bed and tall boy at one end, a futon, bookcases and tubs of toys at the other - so i'm anticipating not having as much mess to clean up in my loungeroom everyday. Of course, thats just the theory... i'm sure in reality there will be just as much mess, except i'll be able to shut the bedroom door and pretend the tornado-like destruction doesnt exist!

The mini-reno also means that Flynns old room will be free to set up for the new baby. Like most clucky ladies before me, this is the part i'm most excited about because it means re-decorating! Somewhat unfortunately, when expecting Flynn and knowing he was a boy, we went ahead and painted that room blue.... but this time around i have neither the time, energy nor inclination to repaint. I figure a baby girl can quite easily live in a blue room, as long as i give it a few feminine touches! And, seeing as in my head i'm a totally awesome crafty mama, i've gone ahead and started the re-decoration by making a bunting to go above her cot. As i dont actually own a sewing machine, anything i make will have to be hand sewn so i'm only part way done, but the finished product will be alternate plain/printed triangular flags with the letters to spell out her name ( which, yes, has been decided on but is a closely guarded secret til she arrives! ).

I'm also planning on using the same plain and printed materials to make some "art " to go on the opposite wall of her room. Its something i've never done before but i figure if i can source the right type of backing board and astaple gun i should be right! So - what do you think? Is it easier for a little girl to live with blue than it is for a boy to live with pink? And are you a wannabe DIY-crafty lady like me or is it pre-made/shop bought all the way for you?

Getting Crafty With My Bad Self!

So do you remember how i mentioned i wanted to make Flynn a Santa sack for Xmas? Yea, well - i've done it! I'm finished! Now bearing in mind that a) i dont own a sewing machine so i had to pain-stakingly hand sew everything, and b) i havent done that much hand-sewing since Yr 12 of high school ( which will be 10 years ago next year....crap, where has the time gone?! ) ... well, knowing all that, i think i've done a pretty good job. Judge for yourself:

There it is, the finished product. Not everything is perfectly straight, and if you had a look on the inside the stitching is pretty shithouse wonky, but hey, you know what ? I'm pretty damn proud of myself! I set myself a goal, i did something that i havent done in ages and never anything as tricky as this, and all without a sewing machine or even a pattern. Go crafty me go!

Only thing is, Mick wants one for himself now and with only 5 more sleeps til Xmas its just not going to happen. He'll just have to wait til next year!