Welcome Tyler James

Another little Boy was Welcomed into our family over Easter.

Tyler James

was born on Good Friday after the lunch, Easter egg Hunt and afternoon walk were completed.

Too new for chocolate eggs I made this little chicken and chicks for his first Easter.

Mermaid Birthday Cake (possibly part one)

Each year on Good Friday our family gathers for a day of fish and chocolate eating, as well as Easter Egg hunts and an afternoon walk. This year I made a cupcake Easter cake with little bunnies, chickens and eggs made from royal icing (sorry no photos this was B.B - before blogging).

While enjoying a cupcake and a cup of tea in the afternoon my cousins daughter came up with a cupcake and sat next to me. "Mantha, can you make a mermaid cake for my birthday with this stuff?" indicating the royal icing chicken about to be consumed. "Well I haven't made one before but I'll give it a try Ellie" And so off she went to devour more chocolate and cupcakes.

So that left me 5 months to ponder making a mermaid cake for Ellie's 4th birthday in September. You know how it is 5 months was a long time ago 5 months ago but with 2 weeks to go before the big day I needed to do some serious pattern searching for a mermaid. I came across a great pattern at nunodoll.com for mermaids and other sea creatures, now to translate this into icing.

OK first things first - a clean tidy bench - won't the man of the house be happy to see this, having made numerous mention over the past weeks that our kitchen was looking more like a sewing centre - and, a very untidy one at that!

Let's start easy ... some purple star fish made with star cookie cutter.


Then some sea horses (using nunodoll pattern)


Then onto the Mermaid.

Body and arms from one piece of icing. Head from another stuck together with toothpicks, then attached to the tail with yet more toothpicks. A little top that required off the shoulder straps (see later photos) to hide the very near bilateral arm amputations and she's almost done.

Some hair, a face and a little pearl and wal - ah

Mermaid is complete.

ready to take her place with the other creatures

to celebrate under the sea

Happy Birthday Ellie

Now to make the cupcakes.

A Puppy for Alexander

After many a year of "When are you going to have a baby? ... I would like a grandchild ... I would like to be an aunt ... Are you ever going to have children?"

My dear friend, dating all the way back to our primary school years, had her first child in June. A wee little boy

Alexander.

Not being a big buyer of commercial gifts I spent many an hour pondering the available patterns ...

... will I go for ...

... the elephant? ...

... a cat? (no, not a kitty friendly family) ...

... something easy ...

... so much to sew and so little time to sew in ...

Oh yes!
... so ...

Alexander got his first puppy.

(Seen here enjoying a romp around my autumn season table)

Making of a Winter Child

With just a few materials and some very basic sewing sewing skills a little winter child was born in the late autumn to go onto my Season table.

I started by wrapping the feet and hands of the little wood and wire doll with masking tape to ensure that little hands were unable to pry them off.

... then came the snow suit ...

... and a warm woolen vest ...

... followed by some snow boots to keep those tootsies warm ...



...And last but not least a wonderful whimsical hat ...

... And so the Adventures of a Winter Child Begin ...

I Love Martha Stewart!

For the past 15 years I have followed the rise and fall of Martha Stewart. When going on holidays I would shout myself Martha Stewart Living and pour over the wonders of creativity within until my poor child was well and truly sick of the sight of anything Martha related.

However, even his glee about finding the I hate Martha Stewart website and her subsequent time in the big house did nothing to reduce my ardour for the creative inspiration Martha provided and for many a teaching year the Martha Stewart Kids magazine subscription was able to be written off on tax.

Alas, when I received my mail and found this...

I just had to book in to see all of these delicious products and projects.

Upon arrival I sat myself down on my appointed chair - nice and close to the demonstrators table and sat back to receive my craft transfusion.

Oh some where in the big cosmos of ours my I love Martha's must have been clocking up brownie points because Dawn the demonstrator said that every one at the demonstration was going to get a show bag of Martha goodies from the range.

I felt like I was at Oprah on give away day!! My excitement was barely containable. Luckily the lady sitting beside me wasn't too freaked out by my enthusiasm and then awe at what we were about to receive - she was possibly just a shade less excited than me!

First up a wonderful new pair of scissors - the big size!


Then a flower paper punch, hopefully it might work on felt as well

and finally a card making kit.

Wetting my pants was a near thing.

So if you are able I would highly recommend a trip to Geelong Spotlight tomorrow (Wednesday 12th August 2009), demonstration starts at 11.00am, or Essendon Spotlight at 03.00pm and get ready to have one of those "oh my god moments".

P.S : A word of caution make sure you go to the loo before the demonstration.

And Jamie Zapp have I told you lately how much I love Martha Stewart ...

... still it's nowhere as much as I love you.

Miss M's Mother Earth

In the weeks coming up to Miss M's first birthday (4 years ago) her Mummy went on a mission to find some beautiful things to decorate the Birthday Celebration table.

On her journey she came across a Mother Earth doll kit and she thought "This is it! All instructions and materials included, I can do this before the big day comes."

So the weeks flew by, as they do with a baby in tow, and the Mother Earth doll didn't make it out of the lovely little box ... well occasionally she did only to be put back in because there wasn't enough time with washing, cooking, cleaning and all the rest to be done.

Thus, 4 and a bit years later while visiting I happened to spy the little box tucked away in a crafty stash and asked if I could borrow the patterns, assuming that the doll had been well and truly made.

"Um, Sam you can borrow the patterns absolutely, but can you make the doll for Miss M too. I never did get around to making it you see. Every now and then I get it out but I just never seem to have the time or the right frame of mind to do it so she goes back in the box and up on the shelf for another time."

"No worries" said I, "all of the materials and instructions are in there it should be a breeze!" you know how it is when ever you say those words they some how come back to bite you on the bum.

On arrival home the box was carefully opened and the beautiful linen and Leicester wool cloth set out along with the doll, wool felt, stuffing wool, threads and netting, set to begin the making I turn to the pattern pages and low and behold in all the to-ing and fro-ing, in and out of the box the patterns for Mother Earths clothes had been misplaced ... mmmm ... not so much a breeze any more.

Oh, how fortunate I am to have purchased the fabulous book "The Nature Corner", full of treasures, like patterns for Mother Natures clothes. So with a bit of nip and tuck and my own inspiration the caps, skirt, blouse, apron and cape were complete and with a little woven basket Miss M's Mother Earth found her way home, to a very excited and appreciative little girl ... and her Mummy too.

One set of clothes for outings in Summer and Spring

A warm woolen cloak for Autumn and Winter

And a cap and apron for all the cleaning.