Winter warmers

I finished the scarf! Baby boy was so excited, and used it for a scarf for about an hour and a 'rope' from then on :-)  It did motivate me to make a few more though, so am hoping to finish some new projects for my nieces before they move to a colder climate.

We also made cupcakes for baby boys best friend (his cousin) birthday.  The little bee's were a hit, and we loved giving them to such a little cutie.

Projects

I feel like I have so much stuff going on at the moment, and can't seem to find the time/motivation to finish anything well.  So how do I solve the problem...start something new :-)  Baby boy picked out some rainbow wool for me to knit him a scarf  (its been a while, so thankyou Youtube).  Hopefully finished product can be blogged about in the not so distant future!

Just in time for Easter

Every year for Easter my Mum would buy the Grandkids new winter pyjames, and this year with Mum gone I have been motivated to sew baby boy his very own handmade pair.

I used the 'Snug as a Bug PJs' pattern from this talented lady, and was so impressed with how easy and quick they were to make (and quick is important to me, as sewing with a two year old in the house is pretty tricky).

I bought some plain shirts and added some embelishment, and now I have some cute dino jammie pants with two matching shirts (all prepared for breakfast to be spilt on them).

Happy Easter everyone!  

I heard on the radio the other day that the motto for easter should be small quanities of good quality chocolate (and if it is fairtrade even better).

Respecting

This year I have been thinking about what goals I have and where I would like to improve. And with images all over the tv of so much stuff being ruined and thrown out with floods and cyclones I got to thinking about all those people who have now lost so much, and wondered what they are really missing.

So this year I want to treat my 'stuff' with respect, treating it with the value it deserves. I have started by sorting out all the clothes in my closet, hanging them properly and in order so I can always find them. When you think about it, there is a lot of money in there and I need to respect that and enjoy wearing all of those clothes. My other project has been to sort all baby boys toys, making sure no pieces are missing and that all the 'sets' are kept together. Anyone spent a morning sticking all the flaps back on the 'Spot' books?  It was really satisfying!
I hope to folllow this pattern though all the rooms of my house, and enjoy a greater appreciation for what I do have.

Halloween Table Runner

I am having serious Halloween envy this year and wish that I could do all my shopping here.  But unfortuantely shipping costs aren't too friendly at the moment so I decided to try and make my own "Halloween/Fall" themed table runner to try and get in the spirit of things this year.  I am a sucker for beautiful table runners but have never attempted to sew one myself.  It was pretty easy and I managed to finish this one in an evening, once baby boy finally went to sleep.

I tried to keep the runner fairly basic so I can use it for other times of the year, but am tempted to add some applique bats or pumpkins.  The material is really bright, and hopefully keeping in my theme of a 'fun' Halloween, not scary.  I basically just sewed three material panels together of 21 inches x 15 inches, did the same for the back (so it can be double sided) and turned up all the sides to make the border. 

Now to get ready for our Halloween party on the weekend!!

Sunday morning's

February has come and gone already and I am trying to remember where it went?  But this month I did use my very quiet Sunday mornings to make baby boy a cute shirt to where to church.  There are a lot of tutorial's on the web for tie onsies, but since he is now one I used a shirt instead of a onsie and one of his Dad's unused hancherchiefs as the tie (which I think worked out great).

Plus it made a really cute photo!

I ironed the tie on with fusable interfacing (I think that's what it is called), and I hand stitched around the edges, which was a lot quiter than pulling out the sewing machine (and waking up sleeping baby).

Finished product: one cute baby boy in a white shirt and tie!

My tribute to Ms Montessori

Ok, so I am not one of those parents that thinks our kids should run around naked in the bush to explore the world, but I do think that we (I) could let our kids explore a bit more than we do.  I have been thinking about this over the past 12 months and really enjoyed the book "How to raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way" by Tim Seldon.  What I really like about the Montessori method is trying to make play a learning experience without all the commercialisation that is around now.  For example, just having a child size cup and jug, or a small table they can sit at allows them to play like a 'grown up' and learn skills at the same time.  I also like the use of more simple 'earthy' toys like wooden blocks etc, and trying to keep all the 'characters' out of their vocabulary at least for a little while.

Well, this week I was going to buy baby a play tent and as I was about to pick up the plastic tent and purchase it I thought that maybe I should put in some effort and put my 'slightly montessori' parenting to the test.    So I trawled the internet, which usually takes up way to much time, but came out in the end with a great pattern for a teepee on Sew, Mama, Sew!  I made it with a single bed cover and broom stick handles and had it all completed in a day (with help from the man of the house).

It felt good to have made somthing that I know we will enjoy together for years to come.  We already have had heaps of fun playing and reading inside our little teepee.  Happy Birthday Baby!