Croutons!

Nine floral/applique fabric brooches in the 'Croutons' felt store today. All priced from $13-$18 including postage in New Zealand. Woo hoo!

Wardrobe Wednesday - Something floral.

'Something floral' is a wonderful theme for me. It is a rare occasion that I'm not wearing something at least a tiny bit floral. And this week is no exception.
This was me on Monday.
I dropped Aesop off on Monday morning and then Otto and I went out for a walk along the river bank. On the way back I walked past a group of teenage boys, loitering around, and they decided it was necessary to make some very rude comments about me and remind me just how 'fat and gross' I am. Charming.
I came home, a little bit disappointed, but then decided 'F**k it' and put on a dress that is shorter that I would normally wear, and a little tighter too, and actually felt good about myself. Not sure where the logic is in that one, but it worked on the day.

I wore this dress nearly non-stop during my year-long exchange to The Netherlands (about 9 years ago..), and since then have not worn it much at all .I've either been too pregnant, too fat, too thin or it just hasn't brought back good memories. But I have decided that it's time to bring it back into rotation for a while.

It also perfectly matches my new $10 metallic purple flats from the Warehouse, and pretty much nothing else will. Hahah.

(The bracelet was from Juniper gallery a few years back. and if you'd like to join in, or see the other pretties, head over to Clares place.)

Croutons on Felt.

(Edit to add: Forgot that Felt had to 'review' some of my products before they can be on the site, due to me being a new shop. The softies will be up by this evening. Sorry for the confusion!)

I have started a new Felt shop.
I'm struggling to get inspired to make adult clothing at the moment, after not doing so well at the last craft fair and being disheartened by the amount of time and materials involved in making enough stuff which may r may not sell due to the high price needed to cover those things.
Solution? Croutons. Small pieces of Toast.
I will spend the next little while (or long while, if it works out..) creating things from the small pieces of fabric and offcuts that fill FOUR big 80l containers in my sewing room. I will make soft toys, fabric jewellery, clothes for small people, bunting, quilted things.. whatever takes my fancy each week, and list them at really low/reasonable prices on Felt. I'm hoping to keep the majority of things under $30 including postage.

So, to start things off I've listed three soft toys and three (baby-proof) braided necklaces for $15 including postage. I'm aiming to add a few things each week so I'll be adding an update on here when I do. Hope you'll mosey on over and have a looksie.

(Side note: have ordered 'Croutons' woven labels but in the meantime anything that is listed will have a 'Toastclothing' label..)

'S' is for Saturday....

'S' is for Saturday, skyping sisters, styley sons (+ seaweed crackers!), sparkling sunshine, sprouting seedlings, a spot of sewing, some time for myself and shooting photos for a shop update. 'S' is for smiling big smiles.

(It's also for slobby round home clothes, serious amounts of washing, sore arm (implant gone!), something wrong with my camera and super sleepy self.. but on a day as bright and sunny as today I'm not letting anything detract from my mood! )

Wardrobe Wednesday, woof and whine.

Wardrobe Wednesday is a bit of a let down from me this week, sorry.
It is dull and rainy outside, my mood is well below average and I really just don't have the energy to wear anything amazing.
I did keep my goal of wearing something I've never worn before, this skirt is one that I bought to alter and have never quite finished the waistband. I figured I would just wear it today and then decide if I like it enough to bother finishing it. I really like the print, but it's slightly longer at the front than the back, will need to remedy that before adding it to the rotation!
I'm wearing it with a stripy Glassons singlet, a Farmers top, a Glassons cardi (of course..) and a copper wire brooch that my Mother-in-law's partner made.

My face and hair are on strike today, due to being subjected to unfair hormonal levels. Pretty sure my husband and kids wouldd be on strike too, given half a chance. This whole implant thing is not really working out for me. But you don't want to hear about that, so here's a wee toy I made for my nephew:

He's made based on a vintage pattern, and filled with tiny pieces of chopped up scrap fabric. He's a bit heavier than his poly-filled pals, but I quite like him that way. Will see whether Albie likes him too, but thinking he might be a proto-type with many more to come. I love the fact that he cost next to nothing to make and I would be able to offer him, and his other animal friends, up for under $10.

Weekend crafting = Croutons.

My crafting for the weekend consisted of: a few successful badges (and a LOT of fails, stupid badge-a-minit), a bit of necklace making and a touch of pattern making too. I feel like I have a million things on the go at the moment and not enough time to make them all. I'm sure a lot of people don't enjoy this feeling but, for me, it is a million times better than having all the time and material in the world and not being able to find inspiration!

'Croutons', you ask? All will be explained in good time...

Sandy homes.

Abraham, the boys, and I went wandering on the beach yesterday afternoon. It was the perfect way to finish a busy weekend, letting the wind blow in our hair, digging our toes in the sand and running around, breathing in the salty air.
Along our way we found three little drift wood houses. They were build so carefully, the twigs held together with seaweed, little stones on the floors, one even had two rooms and a sort of fire place outside ( indoor outdoor flow!). They had quite a magical feel to them and I couldn't pass by without snapping a few pictures to share with you.
I'm feeling really excited about spending more time at the beach this Summer. I'm not a 'Summer person', preferring to be wrapped up in the midst of Winter, but I'm going to work really hard this Summer to make the most of the long, light days, the fast-drying washing, the amazing fresh fruit, and the weather that enables us to spend whole days outside as a family. Even I can appreciate that.

Saturday shopping wishes.

Here are a few things I've been eyeing up on the interwebs lately. I probably would have been smarter to list these BEFORE my birthday, as a sort of wishlist, but maybe it could be considered a wishlist for Christmas? Hah. More like a 'If money grew on trees' list....

Ruffle tank by 'ellainaboutique'. I love this woman's simple tops with cute detailing. She makes great 'basics'. They're the type of tops I hope to, one day, be making for myself.

Frida brooch by 'Cara Carmina'. Perfect size, perfect colours, super cute.. what more can I say? Would look great on the ruffle singlet.

In fact, these would look cute with the brooch and singlet, too. They are the 'Handmade moccasins' by local Kiwi seller 'Spirocreations'. I  pretty much LOVE all of the shoes/boots that this lovely lass creates. They would be perfect for my over-average sized feet (they're custom made) and look so darned comfy.

'Ruffled collar dress w/ pockets' by 'Ananya'. I would need it made a little longer, to cover my knees, but this dress would be the ideal Summer frock. Comfy, light, spotty and super cute. Her other dresses are great too, love the colour of the green one.

This one is right near the top of my list: the 'Angel' dress by 'CAST' (aka Catherine Stonely). I would love it in a bright colour (blue, I think) or in black. It would need to be custom made though, to account for the fact I'm slightly out of her size range and because I would need it to be slightly longer. This is one I actually plan to buy when I have some dosh.

The 'Shape brooch pin' by 'cristinapires'. So big and bright. Would also love pretty much EVERYTHING else in her shop. She is incredible.

This one is the 'cereja wood woven' from 'Iram-inal' designs. Love how big and chunky it is. I can just picture is with a plain singlet and a bright floral skirt in the Summer.

This one would be mine-all-mine if only it had the dimensions in the description and they were BIG. I have seen some of her other work in real life and the brooches were very small and delicate. That, unfortunately, doesn't work for me.
It is the 'rimu veneer doily brooch' by Chloe Jansen.

I love this "Sao Paolo" Neckpiece by The Funk but, as a fabric hoarder, this is probably something I would make myself.  I have been toying with the idea of making fabric jewelry for awhile and this sort of thing is something I had planned to attempt. There are a lot of tutorials online for making braided necklaces and it's not a 'new' idea, but a great way to use up smaller pieces of fabric!
Here are a few other braided/knotted/fabric type necklaces that I really like :

Origami necklace by Homako

The Zia necklace by Anonymous agent

Michele braided silk necklace by Coumon (all of this shop is wonderful)

Knit knot necklace by wonderwonder

Have a lovely Saturday everyone!

School holiday summary. Pictures pictures pictures.

The school holidays are usually not the happiest times around here. That's me being honest.
Aesop and I are very, very similar. We're both very stubborn and very moody. We also like people to pay us a lot of attention and give us a lot of reassurance. For me this is more about seeking acceptance on the internet, and attempting to get compliments and assurance from Abraham when he gets home. For Aesop it is about narrating every thought that runs through his head, followed by questions such as 'Did you see that?', 'How awesome was that?' and 'Aye, Mum?'.
I love Aesop, dearly, but being at home together, all day, for 14 days just is not ideal for either of us. Aesop bores of me very quickly and, no matter how hard I try, I find myself saying the same things over and over. 'Please think in your head, Aesop' and  'I can't pay attention to your game right now, Aesop'. I feel terrible for it but it's just the way it is, unfortunately.

But these holidays have been the best so far. We've managed a few days where everything has gone smoothly, we've managed to get out and about a bit, fit in some sweet baking, some lovely music, a wee bit of sewing, a lot of game playing, a spot of gardening and even some beach going. Aesop has helped me immensely with Otto, and Otto has delighted in having Aesop home to follow around and to give thing to/ throw things at (his two fave things right now..).

I can't say I'm not looking forward to getting back into our peaceful daily routines on Monday (and getting the housework back under control!) but I am certainly feeling more hopeful that the Christmas holidays might actually be something we can live through.