I'm on a sewing strike

Not much sewing happening round here.  We'll be away for a while and will be back after the Easter weekend.  I'm SO excited to pick up my birthday present because now that I know that I'm getting it, I can't bring myself to sew, because all of a sudden I really need it to sew anything.  

Isn't she a beauty?

Selling on Facebook

It seems as though selling handmade wares on Facebook has become a really good move for many crafty entrepreneurs, and the way that sellers get exposure is for friends and their friends and friends of their friends' friends to 'like' the page.  An excellent way of getting that exposure is to offer a giveaway to the first 100 'likers'.  Cate from Twig & Blossom is currently running one of these giveaways, so head on over and spread the 'likes' and stand a chance of winning a gorgeous basket!

Another page worth liking is eS-Se Design by Jana who lives in my NZ Hometown, Whakatane!

Samoa

Ben is flying off to Samoa for a month and I am going to do very little housework and lots of sewing.   


This is his list for the trip. I love how straightforward he keeps things.  

I've never had my house, the remote control and my children all to myself for a whole month.  He'll have to leave a list of all the things he does around here (it's quite a lot).  How do you refuel our lawnmower? How do you categorise the recycling?  






I am quite excited about turning some of my fabric into skirts so I can open my Felt shop.  I'll finish off this pink tutu for my pink partner there at the back.  She loves checking if that cord is in (and out).

Baby Wipes Recipe & Wendyl's New Book

My friend Kim has given me her recipe for home-made baby wipes.  I have used a home-made recipe before, but when I used these wipes I wondered why I slacked off to commercial wipes.  I've just stumbled over this article, featuring the wipes that I use, so I'll be using Kim's wonderful mix from now.  


VIVA paper towel roll (cut in half through the middle)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup boiled water
1 tablespoon baby shampoo
1 tablespoon baby oil/calendula or almond oil or olive oil
few drops tea tree oil (antibacterial)

Put paper towels into a lidded container and pour the ingredients over the top carefully. Let it sit for five minutes then remove the inner cardboard tube! By the way - it must be viva paper towels as all the other brands never work, they just fall apart.

I get all of my chemical-free recipes from Wendyl Nissen's site, and she has a new book available called Mother's Little Helper.   Wendyl is offering free freight till 8 March 3pm!




From Wendyl Nissen's website:

"Wendyl Nissen’s latest book on chemical-free living analyses many commonly used products used on and around our babies and comes up with many natural and old-fashioned alternatives to use instead".

A very exciting weekend

Thanks to the weather, we had friends visit us for the weekend.  Debs and Jason were passing through but decided to stay in Napier due to a very severe weather warning. Debs is an AMAZING WOMAN.  She is so entrepreneurial and inspirational, clever, a risk-taker, a do-er, a go-getter, and many many other wonderful things.  She and I had SUCH fun around the dining room table eating sewing, making patterns, brain-storming, racing off to buy fabric, cutting, pinning, creating, chatting, eating, laughing, sewing, eating, planning.  We were in our element, the men watched sport and the kids were around.  

So Debs is the creator and seller of these portable high chairs, that come in completely fresh, whimsical and funky prints.  She's the type of woman that would probably wonder why everyone doesn't design and make something great to sell on the handmade market.  It comes so naturally to her and at this morning's market I got training from the best.

So all the brain-storming, planning, cutting, pinning, sewing and eating was the purpose of designing a skirt that I am going to sew and sell.  

This is the beautiful Deb modelling the first skirt and I am currently wearing the second skirt.  It took less than an hour to sew up.  Now to find some time to whip these babies up...

Printing Block Ready for Nap Time

I bought a pack of foam shapes from the Warehouse, with an adhesive back, so I simply peeled and placed these onto a perspex sheet.  Now I'm waiting for a little girl to have her nap time so I can start playing!  The print will obviously be in one colour, which is a bit of a shame as I like this mix...