the making of Marigold:

It was a perfectly drizzly gray morning to whip up a sewing project today.

While the boys were out, and the babe slept... Azriel and I dove into my sewing corner and made this fun dolly.

The perks of being a 'craft hoarder' is that all you need is at your fingertips!

After a very fast sketch of what she wanted her doll to look like, I let her pick through my fabrics to decide which would *match* her drawing.

Obviously I did not have purple yarn on hand.. so she's an orange head. 

We've decided to call her Marigold.

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Sewing with kids is really frantic fun.  You can talk to them about the importance of "patience" and "hard work" to get a good result.  The joys of creating instead of buying toys.

You just need to let go of the quality control in favour of quality time with your kiddo.

I think she turned out pretty sweet for a couple hours of cutting/stuffing/sewing/painting.  It was getting tough to do the final stitches when Azriel just kept hugging me and squealing "Oh mama, she's just SOOOOOO beautiful!!!"

win. win. 

(And yes, I totally was thinking of this website while we brought her drawing to life!)

Have a creative day friends,

Mel ;o)

 

Finished projects!

**bunting makes this girl real happy!**

 So she sews still.

Surprise!

She, being me, that is.

The projects are few and far between at this stage of life... as you can imagine.

So when I do sew - it's mainly small manageable projects for home (or for gifts). 

Now I'm a firm believer that *bunting* makes any room better.

(Some call them flags, banners, pinnies... it's 'bunting' to me).

And I'm now one more room closer to the goal of: 'bunting.in.every.room.of.our.nest'.

A happy combination of my favourite things: turquoise, lime, paisley, damask... for our big front window.

Our oldest daughter has inherited my aesthetic side, and squealed when she saw it hanging:

"Ohhhhh thank you for sewing those decorations mama,

it makes me soooo nice!"

Win, win.

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Annnnnnd, in other sewing news: I recently made this tweet lil' hoot for a friend and her newest addition in their nest!

 

Features: turquoise vinyls, leather beak, wooden button eyes and fabric/felt body and wings.

What about you crafty friends?

Any projects you've managed to make lately?

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)

monster-sized love:

 I've been dusting off the sewing machine lately... (feeling back to my ol' creative self again after 10 months of baby-brewing).  During this 'babymoon' I still wanted the other kids to have some special quality time with mama... so, daughter Azriel and I attempted her first real sewing project:

A monster doll!

She chose the project (because we don't do patterns here), the fabrics, the buttons, the shapes/sizes of each part.

She helped me guide the fabric through the machine, stuffed the parts with fluff, and even did all the hand stitching.

It was pretty special sewing together, seeing her patience and eagerness to stick with this project over a few days.

Then watching with delight as she sweetly declared that she had made it for her new sister, because she 'loves her!'.

The same reason I've created so many things for our kids over the years...

...a monster sized love.

Talia is a mix of shock and awe...

crafting with joy,

Mel ;o)

If these walls were words:

Here's a little spotlight on one more creative element in our nest.

A post showing something I've actually made/stitched/painted... (for those who may fear this blog has lost all creative inspiration and plunged deep into pregnancy/motherhood posts)!

See, up there... that simple tapestry above the door in our entryway.

A quick project I did in the past - a theme, a prayer, for our home.

 An excerpt from a beautiful book of prayers called The Valley of Vision:

"Fill the garden of my soul with the wind of love, that the aroma of the Christian life may be wafted to others; then come and gather fruits to thy glory.

So shall I fulfil the great end of my being - to glorify Thee and be a blessing to man." 

This prayer sums up the desire of our hearts.

It also makes a great theme for our home... we want to use our home, our hearts, and our hands to glorify God and to bless others.

Just a few scraps of stitched fabric.

An assortment of buttons and strokes of paint.

A tattered canvas.

But if these walls were words, I hope they would sing a sweet and simple song of love to all who enter.

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Do you like posting themes/verses/inspirations?

For readers who have been around here a long time.. you may recall the other tapestry I made for the three goals/rhythms of our nest.

(Sincerity/ Hospitality/ Creativity).

I enjoy simple, creative ways to reflect our heart in our home.

I'd love to hear what you hang your heart on too...

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)

warming winter GIVEAWAY!

Hey there friends and new visitors!

Today, two other blogger buddies and myself are combining our creative efforts to treat one of you winners to some winter warmth!

A pair of my wrist warmer's here are up for grabs:

You'll also score a sweet toque from Nicole over at Gypsy in Jasper, and a yummy tea sampler set from Stacy at Linen + Leaves!

To enter.. just hop over to Nicole's hosted giveaway and play along!

Warm hugs and fuzzy thoughts your way,

Mel ;o)

...and MORE Christmas crafting bits:

 Can you keep a secret??

Ok, a week left until Christmas - a week!  The last threads have been stitched (almost) and there's just a few more wee projects I hope to finish in time.  But, this labour of love for our daughter... the fabric mini playhouse I mentioned before... is done!  Happy dance.

I wasn't going to get too crazy detailed with embroidery work..  so a hot glue gun saved time with some features (like the button 'plate' wall above the couch).  Windows on each side reveal a peek-a-boo owl under the curtains.

I'm pretty smitten with the lace 'snow covered' rooftop, of course.

---

Now I just have a simple toy drum to make for our little guy.

A larger version of this one from before... made this time with one of those big metal coffee tins.

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Oh, and I finally whipped off two more jumbo silk stockings to add to the mantle.

Having been almost out of the previous fabric with that tree motif ... I used this ivory silk and leftover scraps of the tree fabric for accent pockets (perfect size of a chocolate bar.. hint hint, husband!).  I also used a green damask fabric for the back since I had no more of the red.

I figure these two stockings will either be for the boys in the house - and we girls will have the original three.  But it may just be the parents that get the two new, and the kids have the three...

 ...either way, I have to sew the large bells back on to the toes of all the five stockings since our lil' guy was delighted to tear them off.

---

So there you have it.. a few more projects hot off the press from this nest.

Have you been creating much for this Christmas?  I'd love to hear!

Mel ;o)

The craftiest time of the year!

It's that time of year.

Once the first dusting of snow hits the ground.. my brain turns into Santa's workshop, just busting with creative notions wanting to be made!

There's the homemade decor for the nest to be created with the kids.

The crafting of gifts for loved ones.

The making of goodies to sell at a craft show.

Just time... and energy, required.... yeah, those are rare commodities aren't they?

Needless to say I've dusted off my long neglected sewing machine and wedged my bulging belly into the crafting corner - a few hours here, a few moments there.

My wrist warmers (seen above) are all ready for our local FOCUS FAIR.

They sell out every year.. but I think I made enough for now. (I'll only be there for Sun.dec.8th).

Then, there's the labour of love creation for our daughter... a fabric mini play house.

I'm very loosely being inspired by the pattern from One Yard Wonders here.

You know I hate patterns.. and committing to a project that takes more than one sewing session... but, if it turns out - it should be cute!

I'm also needing to add a couple more stockings to the mantle (granted I'm all out of this tree fabric so I'll have to get creative).  The rest of my scheming and dreaming will take the back burner until I know there's an inch of time/energy left to throw their way.

What about you?

Crafting and creating and homemade goodness this season?  Do tell!

Creatively yours,

Mel ;o)

 

craft'spiration: The Quiet Time book.

Hello lovelies!

Today I have a beautiful example of crafting GENIUS to share with you guys... so as you can imagine ~ it was not created by me.  My super skilled seamstress pal Jackleen put this amazing 'Quiet Time Book' together for her wee kids... and I kind of wanted to keep it and play with it all myself.

Check out her mad skills for detail here:

 

A tree: every leaf flap lifts to reveal a special critter or stitched flower!  A tent: zips open with a funny critter to tuck into the sleeping bag.

 

 

Shoes: you can tie those laces repeatedly.  Car: finger puppet drivers to pull out on a string.

Balloons: snap on, snap off.  Rocket: slides up a ribbon to the planet.

Furry friends to chat with.

Peek-a-boo girl: magnets in hand/eyes!  Marble-maze: push a marble around the path.

I know right?!

I probably would have done one page and gotten overwhelmed.. but she whips off amazing creations all the time. (Yeah, including my wedding dress!).

Thanks for sharing your crafty inspiration here Jackie!

Hope you're all inspired,

mel ;o)

what's soft and prickly, and loved all over?

Well friends, we finally dusted off the sewing machine and made some fun here!

I haven't had the desire/energy/motivation to create for months now... so just doing this project on a whim was refreshing indeed.

 

 When daughter Azriel heard the machine start up she looked over with a big grin and asked: "what are you making me, mommy??!".  She then eagerly dove right in with helping me stuff little paws and feet...

 Voila, our furry little hedgehog/porcupine... thing!

(I'd link a pattern if there was one..but I just invented it).

 

The next morning Azi woke me up and whispered:

"WAKE up Mommy... we need to sew more porcupines!!"

She barely let me eat breakfast - slave master - and then we whipped up a few friends.

(Hudson's lil' blue guy became a mutant  bear thing.. since I flipped the face pieces upside down by mistake.. oops).  A fun lil' trio of furries for the kids here.

Have you been creating anything fun lately?

Happy long weekend all!

Mel ;o)

summer sewing flashback:

Hello there you lovelies,

In the spirit of 'summer reruns' I bring you this sweet summer sewing roundup.

A few simple projects to beat the heat, and you'll look real... neat.

(Now, if you're a die-hard follower for more than a year - you've already seen these, but feel free to click on any project you may want to be inspired by afresh!)

I bring you: shorts/shirts/skirts upcycling fun... with LACE of course.

Lace edged shorts.

Two Lace Scarves into shirt.

Lace curtain into maxi skirt.

Happy sewing friends,

Mel ;o)

more summer sewing:

Hello again lovelies!

Recently I've been working on a few more little sewing projects, and thought I would show you the random assortment today.

The last post I showed you had some fun summer skirts... and I'm still at it:

Navy + white striped jersey cotton.

Extra material run through the waistline as the belt ties.

Of course it's hard to see the shape of the skirt when you pose if front of a growing garden... duh.

 So yeah, here you can see better.. I did that beloved 'mullet' skirt style that I love seeing every where right now (short at the front, party at the back, right?).  Fun!

(Not so fun.. Mr.Hudson going for the power sockets and answering machine buttons behind me.. again).

 I whipped this cute 'flapper' hat up for our daughter since they seem to have already lost the previous ones I made for them last summer.

I followed a pattern, but extended the brim.. (doubled it really) so she'd have a lot of sun protection, and look like a cute pirate with the flap way up there. 

 My sis-in-law has her birthday the week before mine.. so I sewed her a fun crafting bag/purse.

It's made with upholstery canvas.  And while I tried to follow a pattern, I am convinced the instructions were wrong... and after trying to re-read them frontwards and back.. I just decided to 'wing' it and use my own favourite bag as inspiration!

 Leopard sparkle print infinity scarf.

Saw this material and totally thought of my blogger bud... since it's jersey cotton I opted to make a quick scarf.  Um, for the record I attempted a new approach... sewing up the opposite ends before the length, and ended up with this mutation:

 A super long tube sock instead of an infinity scarf?!!

It's all good.. I can still wear it... and hide when I need to as well.. raaawwwwwr.

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Sew there you have it.

Any creations you've been working on out there?

Happy tuesday, I'm off to work at my paint store!

Mel ;o)

sewing for summer!

 Phew!  Is it just me, or is it getting hot up in here..?

Ontario decided to make up for lost time, diving straight from an extended winter - to summer!  That's all well and good, except for the accompanying *meltdown* of wardrobe issues.

See, after a long hibernation of sedentary living + comfort baking = this mama bear has grown some 'muffin tops' and other such puffiness around the middle.

The notion of 'shoe-horning' myself into my shorts was getting enraging.

...

The solution was nonetheless humorous.

"I'll sew a new summer line of clothing!" says I.

(Visions of flowing, loose, Rita MacNeil-in-a-mu-mu, kind of options danced through my mind).

As I wadded the piles of fabric through the sewing machine... my man walks by,

"I'll call that the widow-maker" he says.

And like rams bashing skulls on the discovery channel, we've been hilariously debating what makes *good* summer attire ever since!

My 'loose and flowy' is his idea of a 'boat tarp'.

I just refuse to grease myself with butter to fit into an outfit.

....

Anyways... here's some of the pieces that I've created lately that we both like (miracle of miracles!):

 One yard of fabric.  Basic A-line skirt with a zipper at the hip.

I didn't even hem the bottom because I'm lazy I love the brown/white spots along the lower half...and the white ragged edge to set it off.

 Mmmm jersey cotton.

Guess where this skirt came from?  Yep, that old sewing fail... I just turned the shirt upside down and cut open the shoulders (removed the lace) and made a funky skirt!

(Yes, life is glamorous here...holding my big boy.. with a creepy Elmo balloon behind us!).

 Oooh, and lastly, here's a sweet simple sewing trick to give your belly/hips a break!

Insert thick elastic in the hip/pockets of your shorts/pants... and all those 'too-tight' pants will fit again!  (I covered white elastic with brown stretchy jersey cotton for those brown cords).

Now you can keep the thrill of maternity clothing with you forever.

I didn't wear a belt... just so you could get the full impact of this heavenly relief.

I may even go eat some more chocolate to celebrate! 

Sew there you have it friends.

Summery solutions and silliness.

Mel ;o)

couch recovery...

 ...so we're in that shabby-chic stage of home decor around this nest.

You know, when you can only afford shabby (second-hand, or *free*) furniture... and you attempt to make it look chic.  Yah, that.

We've been given a few different couches during our marriage.

Most were passed down from grandparents/parents...  so they are abundantly 'floral' in nature, and rather saggy centred.  You can guess how delighted I was to find two couch covers at a yard sale for $5!

At the time it was even a lucky strike that they matched our current wall colour - khaki olive taupe tone.

But then, recently this hit me:

 Every.thing.is.the.same.colour.here!!!

I bet you can't even see me, it's like couch camouflage.

To say I started hyperventilating may be a stretch... but I was totally weirded out that our living room seemed so monotonous.

Now, maybe I'm just craving the palette of Spring flowers, or something... but either way, I was instantly consumed with quilting a punch of colour into this space.

 I quickly set to work.

Chopping through various upholstery/vintage fabrics from that freshly organised sewing nook.

I made 4 rows of 6 squares if you're curious.

The fabric was cut to 8'x10' size roughly.

And, as with any sewing project - the cats were all over it.. geeeez.

 Along the way, daughter Azriel showed her delight saying:

"this is sooo beautiful mama, I need to do somersaults on it"!

Of course, the cats love it too.

As do I.  So I sewed up two!  Now both couches can feel bright and cheery.

(Especially since our ol' couch covers were starting to show every *stain* of child-rearing...ugh).

I still need to do some final stitching/embroidery to finish these off, but wanted to show you the funky project.  I've only ever made a tiny baby quilt before, so I never realised how fast it is to zip off rows of squares like this... fun, fun!

Have you made a quilt before?

Now to recover those throw pillows, hehe.

In colourful stitches,

Mel ;o)