Surfin Saturdays!

Today whilst Jax naps I´ve been doing a little craft surfing, more or less to keep me from googling the scary stuff I don´t need to know just yet!

One of my favorite sites to follow is thelongthread by Ellen in Atlanta, She more or less is the reason I decided to begin blogging in the first place and I love her style and creativity.

Through her tutorial section I found a link to these gorgeous shabby chic pom pom balls from Molly Chicken (another great blogger!) Best of all they´re completely upcycled using all the salvage bits of fabric that usually end up in the trash (okay not in my house...I keep everything, so they´re usually in a heap on the counter or lucky enough to have found a place in a fishy cracker container, otherwise known as the waiting place!)

I can´t wait to try these as I´ve started a bit of a shabby chic obsession! To try them yourself you can find Molly Chickens great tutorial here. And for other great ideas be sure to check out thelongthreads tutorial sections!

Now I best stop surfing and get myself ready for the birthday party this afternoon, else Hurricane Jax is going to be up and spinning at full velocity and I´ll have to explain how Pyjamas really are the newest trend in party wear!

Happy Saturday!

Blood, Sweat and yes, the occasional Tear.

Today I need a little therapy!  After a week of, Biopsies, X-rays, ultrasounds, Surgeons, Insurance providers, and Appt booking...not to mention a little trip to the post office to pay my forgotten phone bill....I´m in serious need of a little me time.  Hurricane Jax is out at the Aquarium for the morning so it´s just me and my madness left to fend for ourselves!

One could go crazy when waiting for results!  Fortunately, My mother (who is probably on the other side of the globe also going crazy) gave me the greatest gift of all in the battle against stress.  Creativity!!! Idol hands can make for an idol head and an idol head can dream up all sorts of ugliness in stress mode.  So I´m giving my head a shake and choosing to create something beautiful instead, full of happy colours, fun stitching and cheery intentions.  It´s a birthday present for a special 1 yr old who´s birthday we´re attending tomorrow.  

I know that I could probably just reach into my stash of already created items, however I just felt the need to actually do something today.  And I can think of no better thing than hand making a gift.  I Love handmade items (suppose that is obvious!) It´s not just the end result though...It´s the character that goes into an item, it´s the love and the thought, it´s the intention of the person making it.  I have several items around the house made for me and cherished over the years, I can envision how each person made them and what they were probably doing at the time.  What I hadn´t thought about was just how theraputic making these items can be, and possibly just how true is the statement that my blood , sweat and tears went into that! 

Now off to give the sewing machine a thrashing...Ahhhhhhhhh who needs Xanax?!

Completed Treasure Box

I still haven´t figured out how to imbed updated photo´s into the original post so a separate post will have to do for now.

Want to make your own Treasure Box

First, you´ll probably want to get a large bowl of warm sudsy water and wash rags ready because you will be getting messy (I think I used my fingers rather than the paintbrushes most of the time!) I have a giant stash of rags cut from Jax´ol too old to pass along diaper shirts.

We used a round box from the craft store but any lidded box will do (kids shoe boxes are perfect and a great way to upcycle, but I hadn´t collected enough yet!)

Then I found some colorful party napkins for the decoupage, you will need to separate these down to just the colour layer as there are usually 4 layers of tissue or more. Again - want an eco friendly upcycled version, use comics from the paper, old book and magazine pages.

Next we covered our boxes in white glue (I recommend thinning this with water for easier spread) and positioned our tissue paper and cut outs as we liked. Lightly spread them down with a layer of glue on top also, this takes a delicate touch as the tissue can tear easily.

And finally, we used glitter paints (this can be done first also, when the kids just can´t wait to paint!) and glued treasures (use thick glue) on the lid and sides (remember if you are gluing items to the side that you leave space at the top for the lid to be replaced)

Of course most of our treasure boxes were completed by the moms as the kids got distracted by some sunshine and outdoor fun, but it´s our fun too! We more or less completed our lids first so that the kids got the whole process before their attention spans wandered.

Yes the wine is for mummies...the sippie cups are the kids!

Life is to be Treasured

Today is Dirty Friday!

Yay.....we Love Dirty Friday!

And no Not that kind of dirty!.....Today is the day we gather with good friends and let the kids get Messy, Dirty and paint splattered. It´s our favorite kind of day. Our other favorite kind of day is hunting for treasures. Lovely strolling quiet mornings spent at the sea side wondering what the waves have brought us this time. Forget the sound of the waves....I´m forever hearing the familiar sound of sea shells clanging in my washing machine from forgotten pant pockets!

Unfortunately today is also a day I have spent hours trying to sort out some urgent health issues and medical appointments. You see I am in the process of determining whether or not the Lemon sized mass in my breast, which was okay last year but seems to have wandered off the table this year, is in fact an okay Lemon, or a very sour one. For lack of a better way to put it! I won´t go into mumbo jumbo medical terms, and I´m not putting this out there for any sort of sympathy vote (anyone who knows me would agree that I´m just too forward and practical for that...I´m also Canadian remember...which means I´ll feel bad if I´ve made you feel bad and then we´ll both feel bad without knowing what to say to each other and then who the hell is going to make the lemonade!?) Anywhoooo...I´ve had several friends rally around recently who really make me smile. They make me laugh and take my mind off the worry and don´t mind if I make poor taste jokes to keep myself upbeat. They are my Treasures.

Everyday I am thankful for the treasures that have washed upon my shores, My dear supportive, funny, quirky, StarWars Nerd Fhubby, my grubby, happy, seriously funny hurricane head Jax, my Family on both sides of the hemisphere, and my wonderful friends both near and far.

In honour of these we are making Treasure Boxes tonight for Dirty Friday. Special little treasure keepers for the grubs to build their own collections. For every shell and twig and rock is usually found in a special moment and a box full of memories and love is the best treasure of all!

I´ll update with some photo´s of their creations after we´ve swept the last of the mess under the rug!

The "Stuff" dreams are made of

My Entire life I have been making "Stuff" - art stuff, clay stuff, wood stuff, macaroni bead stuff! You name it, I have probably attempted it. My mother was an artist and crafter and my father a woodworking enthusiast. There weren´t too many days that went by that I wasn´t helping with their projects. It appears to have rubbed off on me!

Now I enjoy creating with my own little helper. She´s especially good at preparing canvases and cranking out felt shapes, however her favorite is definitely product testing.

Tired of expensive dresses that would be worn only twice before being outgrown, I began sewing my first few dresses that will last her well into her 5th and 6th year. Oh how a fabric addiction can grow!!! I somehow managed to fall in love with each one that I created but knew that she could not possibly wear them all, so I decided to share and set a good example. And with that...my little shop was created.

Well Jax wasn´t satisfied with just pretty dresses and she soon began requesting fun things too. And so my little shop grew, adding fairy wands and ribbon rings, and princess crowns, paintings and decor items, and and and... My head is creating faster than my hands!

My hope is to continually expand our items and offer you quality, unique handcrafted fun for your little ones and their friends, and even you big kids! to enjoy for years to come.

Why a blog and not a website?... Well I´m a firm believer that the journey is all part of the fun!

I´ll be adding links to our items, and hoping to keep you up to date on projects as we go. Join us for a bumpy ride full of giggles!

Gorgeous Fabrics available from Sandi Henderson