More kiddies crafting

More babysitting today so here are a few more things that we have made this weekend with some of the ideas from the 101 Things to Make book that I found at the Op Shop for 50 cents.



I thought that these were lovely button bracelets but I was informed that they are actually knuckle dusters (inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but these are cardboard headbands. The boys used the decorative hole punches to punch all around and then we made wool twisties to stick on as long pieces of hair. They looked really funny when they were wearing them...

We made some grey pom poms to turn into mice (just need to buy some googly eyes to stick on) and then I made these girly pom poms while the boys were making necklaces.

Once they finished their jewellery making today, they packed all the necklaces into an egg carton and went and knocked on some of the neighbours doors to try to sell their home made jewellery. Not one neighbour bought anything! Oh well, at least they demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills!

Just stuff

There's been a lot of babysitting happening this week and not much crafting.

My nephew and one of his schoolfriends are at my house today so they've been getting into my bead and button stash. This is my nephews creation.....I think he's going to give it to his mum.

I'm not really making anything, just adding clasps and catches and re-sorting the beads every time they get mixed together (even though I have told them one hundred times not to mix the beads). Ah the joys of crafting with kids! At least I'm not cleaning up paint and glue (although it is still quite early so that just might be next)!

On My Desk......on a Wednesday

On my desk today is.....

Mirabel heart pincushion made by Kitty
Beautiful screenprinted fabric received in yesterdays mail, bought from Pippijoe
Sketches of my Softie for Mirabel (yet to be started)

Check out who else is playing over on Kirsty's blog!

I am not a Crochet Master!

I had a lovely time at Brown Owls on Monday night. Jess and Aunty Pat tried to teach me how to crochet but I'm going to need lots and lots of practice!

Luckily we had some other crochet masters on our table who were extremely helpful when I got stuck so a special thankyou to Steph and Lara and to Corrie who helped me to get started. It was also lovely to see Libby and Christie again and to meet Jess who was all the way from Canberra! In the photo above, the owls nest and the granny square were created by Steph. My crochet talents only extended to the sad looking mis-shapen blue piece of double crochet!

Thanks to all the Brown Owls girls for another wonderful night out!

What kind of flower are you?

I found this on Nicola's Daisies....

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

"When your friends think smile, they think of you. There is not a day that goes by that you can't find something good about the world and your fellow human."

Peter Rabbit Pillowcase Winner

Mr CurlyPops has drawn another winner from his trusty sombrero (there was no spinning involved this time, he just reached in and picked a winner).........and the winner of the Peter Rabbit Pillowcase is Michelle from Leni & Rose!

Michelle, if you would like to email me your snail mail address, I will pop the pillowcase in the mail tomorrow.

Mr CurlyPops finally finished making me a coat rack and installed it thisafternoon (piece of offcut wood from the shed.....ikea hooks bought for $2 on Ebay). Now I have somewhere to store all my handbags....yah!

This is........my latest discovery

Anyone who has been reading this blog would know straight away what my latest discovery is!

My Clover Bias Tape Makers that I bought from Clegs.......

......and then this is my next discovery, crochet supplies to take to Brown Owls tomorrow night.
Brown Owl has asked me to bring crochet hooks in size 3s, 4s and 5s. I wasn't sure what that meant but I found 3mm, 4mm and 5mm so I'm hoping that's correct. Can someone please let me know if it isn't so I can pop back into Spotlight tomorrow and exchange them.

Thanks to Angela for hosting this lovely meme and RheLynn for this weeks theme. Hope everyone's having a lovely sunny Sunday!

Smurfs and UFO's

My 9 year old nephew came over to my house after school during the week while I was making these smurfy t-shirts for Moo Moo and the yet to be born twins. I told him that they were Smurf T-shirts and he just looked at me blankly and asked "What's a Smurf?".

How do you explain a Smurf to a 9 year old who has never seen the cartoon? Ummm, well they're these little blue men and one lady and they wear white hats and pants, except Papa Smurf becuase his are red, and there was a bad guy name Gargamel and he had a cat named Azrael and you could buy the figurines at BP back in the late 70's & early 80's. That's about as much as I could remember.

Thank goodness, I had IQ installed on my Foxtel a few weeks ago. I'll have to tape some episodes and educate the boy!

I just googled the Smurfs and there is a new Smurf movie in production, due for release in 2009 and 2008 is the 50 year annivesary of their creation.

The lovely vintage Smurf fabric was part of my soupy prize from Pip. Cheap t-shirts straight from K-Mart!

And finally, a UFO (unfinished object) is now an FO (finished object). Six more blankies for the twins that I finished off lastnight.

And the Sombrero says the winner is..........

I asked Mr CurlyPops to draw a winner from the sombrero. I told him to close his eyes, spin around 10 times and then put his hand in to choose. He only spun 3 times and then he was too dizzy but he picked a winner!

.....and the winner is DREWZEL!

Thankyou so much for all of the lovely comments that were left for my 100th post and thankyou to everyone who answered my nosey questions (I'm a bit of a snoop) and entered the giveaway.

So Drewzel, if you would like to email me your snail mail address, I will get to work on a lovely apron (edit - that should be handbag....sorry!) for you and go through the stash to add some other little suprises!

Have a lovely weekend everyone......

A Week of Pillowcases - Day 5

Sorry about the false advertising in the post title.
This was supposed to be day 5 of the week of pillowcases, but after visiting 2 op-shops today, I couldn't find even one pretty pillowcase.........

So instead, this is what I did find. Some wool......why?......I don't know......I can't knit......but it was very pretty wool and I'm going to learn how to knit at Brown Owls soon!

This lovely brown floral Jacqui E skirt in my size!

This embroidered skirt (not in my size) but with potential for an apron or a handbag or some cushion covers......An orange corduroy skirt (also not in my size) but perfect for another project. I love corduroy and this is a gorgeous colour!

A really cute embroidery book with some simple how to's and this sweet little kids craft book called '101 Things to Make'.

I'm going to keep this book for when my nephews come to visit for a bit of crafting fun.

.......and finally, here are the entries for my 100th post giveaway. They're in the sombrero, ready to draw when Mr CurlyPops gets home from work. Good luck to everyone who entered!

.....and last but not least, thanks so much to Kirsty for her lovely week of pillowcases and to Pip for hosting the week....I had lots of fun! I can't wait to make one of those peg aprons!

A Week of Pillowcases - Day 4

I'm joining in with 'A Week of Pillowcases' over on Pip's blog hosted by Kirsty.

So far, it's been lots and lots of pillowcasey fun!

This one is another op-shop find from a few months ago. It's a home made Peter Rabbit pillowcase. It has the print on one side and then just a plain cotton fabric on the underside and it's not quite a rectangle.....one of the sides is a little skewed.

Anyhoo, I don't actually have a use for this pillowcase so I would like to give it away to someone who can use it for a project.....any Peter Rabbit fans out there????

To enter, just leave me a comment and I will draw a winner on Sunday and pop it in the post on Monday!

On My Desk.......on a Wednesday

Todays on my desk is brought to you from the kitchen table!
I'm in the middle of cleaning out my sewing nook so this is where the action is currently taking place. There's just enough room left at the other end of the table for Mr CurlyPops and I to eat our dinner each night......

A Week of Pillowcases - Day 3

I was cleaning out my fabric stash lastnight and I found this sweet little pillowcase that I had forgotten about......but I'm really glad I found it again!

A Week of Pillowcases - Day 2

I'm playing along with Kirsty's pillowcase week over on Pip's blog so my mission for today was to go op-shopping to find a nice vintage floral pillowcase to try some more pillowcase projects.

This was all I could find at Vinnies......not exactly vintage, but there are two matching pillowcases and they are still pretty. They're in the wash now so they'll be ready for later in the week.

I did find something lovely and vintage though......a gorgeous floral single sheet set! There's still another matching set that I left behind (I really have no more room to store any more fabric).

I also found these lovely rattan baskets.......

....and oodles and oodles of trim (sorry about the fuzzy photo!)

Here's a close up of my favourite bits of trim!

A Week of Pillowcases

I'm joining in with 'A Week of Pillowcases' over on Pip's blog hosted by Kirsty.

This is one of the vintage pillowcase that I bought from the op shop a few months ago. So I decided to try out the pillowcase bag.

Kirsty has written a lovely tutorial to follow, but in typical CurlyPops fashion, disaster struck!
I just cannot follow instructions properly......it clearly said to fold the pillowcase lengthways. I folded it widthways!!! So I guess I need to find a new project for a slightly chopped up pillowcase.....

Anyhow, I didn't give up so easily......Kirsty was nice enough to email me some extra instructions (maybe they should be called 'the instructions for the instructionally challenged')........and after raiding the linen cupboard to find another pillowcase to chop up......this is what I ended up with.

It's certainly not as pretty as a lovely vintage floral pillowcase, but I was way too scared to try again with a pillowcase that I loved. Now I can go op shopping in search of some pretty pillowcases to make some more. This will fold up perfectly to put inside a handbag to use at the supermarket instead of those ugly green bags. I think I'll probably give this one to my mum once I make another one for myself.

Winning Mail

I just checked the mailbox, and look what I found!

I won this gorgeous Blink Purse from Sam over at Samaprilmay. Check out her blog for gorgeous handmade and vintage items.

Thanks Sam, I love it!

This is..........my perfect dinner party guest list

This weeks hilarious theme was chosen by Lily & Agathe and it goes a little something like this:

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Did you ever wonder who you would invite to a dinner party if you could, if you had the chance to ask absolutely anyone that you could.. past, present, famous, non-famous, dead, alive, young, old, a friend, an enemy, likeable, dislikeable.... just because? well now you can.. the theme is.....
'This is.... my perfect dinner party guest list'
You are of course hosting this dinner party with your significant other and you can invite 6 other guests.. All we would love to see is your choice (images please) and your reason why you chose that particular person... You can if you wish tell everyone what you would eat... I'm nosey like that and love details... Thanks

So considering that my significant other was attending the dinner party, I decided to let him choose 3 guests and I chose 3 guests.

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Ms CurlyPops's picks

1. Martha Stewart - I would ask Martha to arrive quite a few hours before the dinner party started so that she could make herself useful. It would be really nice if she could re-organise all of my kitchen drawers and cupboards and then create a nice table setting.

2. Michael Hutchence - I've been in love with Michael (sorry Mr CurlyPops) since about Year 8 in High School (back in the 80's). INXS Kick was the first ever full album that I bought (on record of course because CD weren't even invented back then). He wouldn't necessarily have to talk at the dinner party, he would be quite welcome to just sit there and look pretty!

3. Suze Orman - I love watching Suze each Saturday night on CNBC, she tells it like it is and gives out great financial advice (even if it is based on the American market & tax laws etc). I could still learn a few tips. As she says at the end of each show, People first, then money, then things!


Mr CurlyPops's picks

1. Elvis - to provide the entertainment and to compare sideburns

2. Donald Trump - for hairstyling advice and some money making tips

3. Henry Ford - because he likes Ford


The Meal

We're going to have a simple italian style meal so that I can prepare most of it before the party starts.

Entree: Bruschetta with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese
Main: Lasagne, Simple Italian Salad, Crusty Bread
Dessert: Chocolate Mousse
Finale: Affogato


Images of Ms & Mr CurlyPops from Simpsonize Me.

Thanks to Angela for hosting such a fun meme, check her blog out to see who else is playing along!
Happy Sunday!

Where it all started.....

I was cleaning up the study today and I found the original article that introduced me to blogging so I thought I'd share it.

One of the lovely girls who I used to work with (Hello Leigh if you're reading this!) found this article in the Melbourne Age on April 16 2007 (nearly exactly 1 year ago) and photocopied it and brought it over to my office because she knew that I loved everything to do with craft.

The article includes Meet Me at Mikes, Craft Victoria, Whip Up, Loobylu, One Red Robin, and Hop Skip Jump just to name a few. After checking all of those out, I then checked out their fave blogs, and their fave blogs and so on and so forth until I found all of my fave blogs and then started my own!

So, I want to say a big thankyou to Leigh for introducing me to blogland!

100th Post Giveaway and a beautiful song

After lurking in the shadows of the Blogland for about 8 months, I finally started this little crafty blog on January 15th 2008, and I've somehow managed to click over 100 posts in 88 days. I certainly didn't expect that! I thought I'd have nothing to write about, nothing pretty to show, and nobody would bother reading about it anyway, (apart from some friends and family who are obligated to read my ramblings, he he he).

I'm having so much fun as a blogger, I may just keep going at this pace and never give up! I love checking for new comments each day, and reading everyone elses blogs too, and leaving lots of comments (I comment a lot, I can't help myself)!

Anyhooo, to get on with the important business of this post....it's time for a giveaway! The prize will be:

1. An item handmade by me (an apron or a handbag)
2. Some fabric
3. Some other crafty bit and pieces
4. Some chocolate

To enter, leave a comment on this post and answer the following questions:

1. I would like to win a .........(handbag or apron)
2. My favourite colour is.......
3. My favourite chocolate is...........

I will draw a winner next Friday......Have a lovely weekend!

Buzzy, Blankies & Softies

The Buzzy bag was finished off lastnight. I threaded some ribbon through the top pocket and made some fabric pulls for the ends so that the ribbon doesn't fray. I also sewed the ribbon inside the pocket at one side so that little people can't pull the ribbon all the way out (I learned that lesson after giving gifts in drawstring bags last christmas).

Thismorning I cut up fabric for nine more blankies for the twins. I just need to make some more bias tape and attach it to finish these off!

I had to babysit my nephew Moo Moo today so I didn't want to get out any sewing supplies while he was here. We did manage to sing and dance to the Wiggles (I had it on in rotation and I still have Hoop De Doo playing in my head), and we had a little picnic on the rug in the front yard with ginger nut and choc chip biccies. I did actually feed him real food for lunch first!

I've seen lots of cute little things in blogland over the last couple of days. Firstly 'Softies for Mirabel' is back again this year over at Meet Me at Mikes. I missed out last year because I was just lurking but I'm going to get into the swing of it this year.

I saw this cute little book weight over on A Spoonful of Sugar. I was making a banana cake last weekend and my recipe book kept flipping shut so this would be perfect!

And I finally managed to send off my last pay it forward gift all the way to New Zealand to Sew Funky.

I've found lots more cool blogs over the last couple of weeks so I really need to update my side bar, maybe I'll save that job for the weekend!

Oh and last but not least, an update on the ladder (that is still sitting in the front garden bed), Mr CurlyPops likes the idea of installing it somehow in the laundry to use for clothes drying (thankyou Drewzel). This is a great idea because it will be much more environmentally (and financially) friendly during the winter instead of using the tumble dryer. The house where we stayed in Bellbrae over the Christmas holidays had really high ceilings and they had a clothes drying rack in the loungeroom that worked on a rope and pulleys system so you let it down to hang the clothes and then raise it up out of the way until they dry. It was really cool, but I only have 7 foot ceilings so that isnt really going to work.

I wish I had a huge craft room so I could also use a bit to hang gorgeous fabrics for inspiration (I can dream can't I)! One day!

What's your Superhero Name?

I saw this on Jen's fab blog!

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Golden Panther Your Superpower is Electrocution Your Weakness is Cotton Candy Your Weapon is Your Lunar Foam Your Mode of Transportation is Unicorn

What's your Superhero Name?

On My Desk........on errrr Tuesday again....

I'm posting early again because I won't be home tomorrow. This is a work in progress drawstring bag which is going to be used as the packaging for the texta roll and scrapbook for the birthday boy.

He loves Buzz Lightyear so I thought this fabric would be perfect!

A big thanks to Kirsty for hosting such a fun meme! Check out her blog to see who else is playing along.

Bug Blankies

I made a couple of flannel bug blankies for the upcoming twins today using the fabric that I bought yesterday (oh lookie there, I made more bias tape)......

.....and I'm posting this photo just for a laugh. This is where I found my cat lastnight. Maybe he wants to help me make some more bias tape.....

I'm getting very close to post number 100 so keep your eyes peeled for a celebratory giveaway!