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 

handmade christmas cards and favors - 2012

This year I momentarily contemplated buying my Christmas cards but then I realised, I have a sister!! So I thought I could convince her to join me in an afternoon of card making. Yes! What a brilliant idea! She would have called it slave labor but I would have paid her with chocolate... I swear! But lucky for my sister (not so lucky for me), she was busy that weekend (or so she says!). 

But after a late night or two, I finished them all!

The card on the right is what I started with but of course I had to run out of gold card and pearls, so I used my left over wrapping paper for the last of the cards and I think these turned out better! Funny how well thought out plans work fine but it's the unexpected things along the way that turn out best.

And here are the favors - A small ring box with white Christmas pearls (truffles)...

   

Last year I added a favor to every card I gave out but I've run out of time this year so I've only made enough for my immediate family. To everyone else I send you something even better... Double the love and best wishes this Christmas!

Michelle xx

handmade easter cards and gift wrapping

With little time and still so much to do in preparation for this weekends Greek Orthodox Easter, I will have to make today's post super brief. So with a little help from my two new friends, here it is - a sneak peek at what I'm creating for this weekend:

I've made a start on the seventeen Easter gifts (no, not the rabbits... the gifts are in the bags!)...

And the cards are all done...

Now, to psych myself up for a baking marathon! 

And if I survive the weekend I will post some more photos and maybe even pass on some goodies to a special few!

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

minky love

I just can't resist the super softness of minky fabric. Aside from new baby skin, absolutely nothing feels softer. And it's the type of feeling that makes your mind linger back to your childhood, remembering the softness of your blanket against your face and how it made you feel warm and protected. Yep, there's just no better feeling.

So now I'm really excited about the February influx of babies because it means I can get out my new stash of minky fabric and make some more pram blankets for the new lil' ones. But this time I've ditched the bland pastels and opted for bright and bold fabrics. Take a look at the first couple of blankets I made over the weekend...

I really love how these first couple of blankets turned out, especially the navy spot one which was made just in time for the Sunday birth of a sweet lil' boy. I think this blanket and bib will be a great addition to the super cute store bought gifts we've chosen for baby Thomas.

A matching card...

And bold wrapping...

Now off to meet this special lil' man! Bye for now...

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

a gift for lil' cupcake

I attended a baby shower this weekend for mummy-to-be Michelle, who loves all things cupcake. Of course I followed the cupcake theme, and this is what I made to celebrate the coming arrival of lil' cupcake:

A cupcake onesie - I used spotted pink corduroy fabric to make the cupcake pan and then gathered and sewed lace onto the onesie to resemble cupcake icing. I added a lil' bow and it was done... easy as that!

Stretch headband - I used stretch lace for the headband and then gathered some pink lace into a rosette. I added a pearl to the rosette and hand sewed it to the headband.

Sock cupcakes - I used 4 pairs of Bonds Bamboo cuff socks and interchanged them so there was a glimpse of white and pink in each cupcake. I think they're perfect for a cupcake themed baby shower!

I think they look so cute together!

Cupcake card - I used the corduroy remnants from the onesie and sewed a cupcake onto plain white cardstock. Simple yet effective. 

Wrapping - I had intended to use pale pink ribbon but out of the hundreds of ribbons in my drawer... not one in pale pink! I had to turn to Plan B - I used the corduroy remnants from the onesie and sewed 2 straight lines down the length of the fabric. I pulled the thread at each end and voila, instant ruffles. I'm so glad I didn't have any ribbon because I think this looks so much cuter!

So there it is, a little handmade addition to Michelle's baby shower! It was a lovely afternoon and I loved all of her handmade touches too!

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

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

I love this time of year! Aside from spending time with all of my loved ones and having a few days off work, I love scouring the shops to find bits and pieces to go with the years Christmas theme and then decorating the house with all of my new finds. Here's a sneak peak at some of this years Christmas decorations... and of course, it's in keeping with the 'Hey, Rudolph!' theme!

 

These cute little reindeer's were black board decorations but I glued a magnet on the back and am using them on my fridge to count down the days to Christmas!

  

And now for the tree, which is still a work in progress. Last years tree (in my opinion) was stunning - I had pearl glass baubles, pearl icicles and gold butterflies. But as stunning as it was, it just didn't suit this years theme (and those closest to me know that I just couldn't deal with uncoordinated Christmas decorations!). I finally found some baubles that I loved but I'm still in two minds about the rest of the decorations so I'll have to keep looking. But for now, this is my tree with a handful of wrapped gifts and another mountain high pile in the spare room waiting to be wrapped!

So there you go, a sneak peak of Christmas at my house! I can't wait until some of you visit to see the rest of it!

Michelle xx