o christmas tree, o christmas tree...

"...much pleasure thou can'st give me!"

Or so the lyrics to the carol go because there's yet to be a Christmas tree trimming in my home that has ended in pleasure! 

Let me paint you a picture:

It all starts innocently enough. It's December 1st and I'm super eager to put the tree up and decorate the house. The man of the house however is not so eager as memories of Christmas past are still fresh in his mind.

 I'm flitting about the house singing "deck the halls" while the man of the house is struggling as he wheels the massive Christmas tree box up the slanted driveway. Yep, you heard right. Our Christmas tree is so darn big, we had to have a cabinet maker build a storage box with wheels! Seriously, I have no idea what we were thinking when we bought this monster of a tree! So he finally gets the tree into the house and I'm left to fluff up the needles as he gets the rest of the decorations from the garage. Now this is where it all goes pear shaped for us. I eagerly rip out the lights and start to wind them around the tree, but the man of the house has returned and has almost had a heart attack watching me. Because any normal person knows that the lights, all 1000 of them, need to be laid out, winding like a snake through the house, to ensure there are no tangles and they're all working properly. Pfft! I like to create and decorate, so there's no time to be practical! But I lose the battle and the lights go up the 'normal' way. Bickering as we follow each other around the tree, each of us doing it totally wrong in the eyes of the other. By this point the man of the house has delegated the hanging of the decorations to me, probably because he knows there's a right way of doing it and he really can't be bothered. Who could blame him? With a tree over 7 foot high, it's a monstrous job!

So the decorations go up, but only the gold and pearl ones (!) Then the man of the house turns the lights on and I gasp, realising that yet again, we've hung the white LED lights (or as we've rightly named them, the blue nightclub lights... yes, they're that bad!) instead of my beautiful fairy lights!   

     Jokes aside, I still love this time of year!

And I'd love to show you what we've done this year...

 

  

And just a few more presents left to wrap and I'll be done!

Michelle xx 

baby buds

I'm becoming a little obsessed with these baby bouquets - Unlike real flowers, these buds wont die before the new mother gets to enjoy them; they're not sprayed with nasty chemicals that can affect the air quality in the hospital room or nursery; and it's a gift that is as practical as it is beautiful. 

I knew I just had to make a bouquet for baby Jarrah but I wanted to add a lil' personalised touch. I started with some beautiful Bonds Bamboo cuff socks and mittens and 'potted' them into a small galvanised pot...

Then for a personal touch... A packet of Viola seeds to plant once the pot is empty. Viola/Violet's are the birth flower for February and I thought it would be a perfect lil' touch for a couple who really enjoy their garden...

Add a matching card...

And there you have it, another quick and useful gift for the new lil' one in your life!

Michelle xx

baby sock bouquet

In February alone, I have nine friends expecting lil' ones. Yes, nine! And much to my delight, this has given me a reason to do all the things I love... shop, sew, craft and make cards! 

For the first lil' one I wanted to buy a sock bouquet to add to the rest of her gifts, but was shocked when I noticed they sold for $35-60 and used only cheap quality items. So I thought I could try one myself using some good quality Pumpkin Patch and Bonds Bamboo cuff socks. How hard could they really be? To answer, not hard at all! It took less than 10 minutes and I think it looks pretty close to the professional bouquet's you would order online!

To try it yourself, all you need is at least five pairs of socks, booties or mittens. Roll them into a bud and secure the  bottom of the roll with a small elastic band. I didn't have florist's wire so for the next step, I used small wooden skewers and inserted them into the roll. Wrap the bouquet in your favourite wrap, add some satin leaves and you're done!

Then add a personalised card...

And wrap the rest of the gift in coordinating colors, and you're done!

Now, onto the next gift...

Michelle xx

winnie the pooh party

Before you read on and question "Hang on, I thought you were a Social Worker?!?" I should let you in on a little secret... I'm a Social Worker by day and a secret wanna-be Event Stylist by night! 

With my secret exposed, I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite recent briefs. A gorgeous lil' man was turning 1 and his party was themed around his favourite character, Winnie the Pooh. With brief in hand, this is what I created:

A couple of dozen handmade cupcake toppers...

The handmade personalised sign and the candy table...

'Piglets strawberries n' cream' and 'hunny bears' (honey gummy bears)...

'Meringue hives' (lemon flavoured meringues) and 'Tigger's red balloons' (jaffa's)...

What bear doesn't love 'hunny joys'...

And I would never style a party without my signature Oreo pops...

Lemon cupcakes with the handmade cupcake toppers and strawberry flavoured jelly in Winnie the Pooh themed paper cups...

Personalised giant lollipops...

And a matching card...

And present, for the gorgeous lil' birthday boy...

Happy Birthday Dimitri - I hope you loved your candy table as much as the adults did!

Michelle xx