Make my week, Baby : Week 1.

I'm 26 weeks pregnant today. I know, holy! Time is absolutely flying.

So, in order to make the most of these last weeks (of my very last pregnancy!) I've set myself a wee challenge.

I'm hoping to make at least one thing for the baby, each week until it is earthside.

Don't get me wrong, we definitely don't need much for the babe, we have A LOT of things from the boys and I have also bought a few things. But there's something special about dressing a wee one (especially one you grew yourself) in things you have made especially for him or her.

I've decided to call my project ' Make my week, baby!'.
It is a homage, of course, to Dee's 'Make my week' project from last year, which I found really inspiring.

Soo, I started last Thursday (my pregnant weeks 'turn over' on a Thurs..) and I made two things this week.
I also sorted and printed most of the patterns I want to use over the next few weeks, and chose out some fabrics I might want to use. It's all go around here!

The first thing I made was a wee patchwork blanket. It's the perfect size for the baby to kick around on on the floor, so I used four layers of flannel in the middle to make it nice and soft, too.
As I've said, I'm finding it hard to make neutral things for our little surprise baby, so I made it double sided - with a slightly girlier side - just in case:

I also made a bunting/sleeping bag. I used a vintage pattern for this ( this one), and plan to use the same pattern for a few other items of clothing, too.  I made it with vintage fabrics and used an old metal zipper. I had to change the top a little, to protect delicate skin from the scratchy zip, by adding a button on piece and covering part of it with fabric. (I figure the bebe will always be dressed underneath, otherwise I would have done a zipper cover the whole way down on the inside.)

I have a million ideas swimming round my head (and quite a few on my Pinterest), and it feels so good to have my creative juices flowing again. I've already started one project towards next weeks goal, here is a sneaky peek (I'm loving the colours! They feel so 80's):

Christmas- Part two: The handmade gifts.

I had visions of the weather clearing, and of taking amazing photos of these things with natural light and cheerful happy kids. Instead, it remains overcast and very glarey, Otto is at homecare and Aesop had to be bribed into helping me out. Ah well - something is better than nothing right?

This one is a blatant copy. I feel a little stink about it, and almost didn't post pictures. But, in all honesty, if I had thought about getting him one sooner I probably would have custom ordered one of the real ones through felt (this one.), but I didn't. I hope that it might inspire someone else to buy from them though - they're so clever.

These two were made using this (genius) tutorial and pattern : Here. I love it, and was very stoked with how they turned out. I can totally imagine all sorts of softies being made using this basic shape, definitely one to remember.

This 'Man Bat' costume was made using the tutorial over HERE.
For those of you not in-the-know (i.e you don't have boys/are not a comic nerd/don't play playstation..) Man Bat is different to Batman. He looks like this, and is a villain. We gave Aesop a pair of denim shorts to go with the costume, too.
(Note: I'm going to have to adjust the placing of the straps on this one, so hard to get it right without someone trying it on, but the back of the neck part sags at the moment. You know, in case you want to make your own..)




Abraham's presents are all on the line today. Typical.
But yeah, he had the usual boxer shorts (three pairs) and also had two t-shirts with floral pockets (made to look just like these ones he loves so much.). Fairly simple, but he was well pleased!


Lastly, my personal favourite, this is the doctors kits I put together for the kids.

I had some much fun making them matching scrubs, and amassing medical supplies! The blood pressure cuff, otoscope (ear thingy), and thermometer are all real ones, and the bandages etc are all 'proper' ones too. I wanted to make sure it was all stuff that was going to last ages and survive lots of play. Now to get them away from the masses of Lego long enough to actually use it..

So yeah, those were the handmade gifts this year!

Christmas - Part one: The festivities & family time.

Our festive days were filled with food, family and fabulousness. I hope that yours were, too.

The weather has been very up and down, but I'll be back with a part two (the crafty part), as soon as the sun comes out long enough to take some photos. I've also got a new wee project to announce. Good times.
In the meantime, we're busy playing with our new toys, eating the leftovers (still!), and wishing there was more family around during the rest of the year! See you soon x

Sweetness.

Yesterday was a flurry of last-minute Christmas baking/food crafting. I can quite honestly say I've not been around that much coconut in all my days.
We decided to package up wee parcels of homemade sweets for the families on Abraham's side, and this is what we are putting in them:

- Apricot balls. Recipe is from Tiny Happy. (These are gluten free/vegan, such a good recipe to have up ones sleeve for family with allergies!)

- Chocolate truffles. Recipe from PaisleyJade. I made a double batch, adding choc chips to one batch, and covering those in melted dark choc, and adding choc and glazed cherry pieces to the other and rolling them in cocoa powder.

- Shortbread. Another recipe from Tiny Happy. I'd never made shortbread before (I'd never made any of these things, actually..) but I'm pretty stoked with how it turned out. Might just be added to the 'go-to' recipe folder.

- Peppermint bark. Another recipe from PaisleyJade. What can I say, everyone seems to be doing it - and now I can see why.

- I also made the Oddfellow log recipe on Paisley Jade, but those are still setting. Fingers crossed they've worked out okay.

- And, I also made some, very spicy, crackers. No intentionally. I was a little heavy on the cayenne pepper, resulting in crackers that reallllly need to be dipped, or cheesed. Hoping the Boxing day crew will forgive me for that one. At least they look good, right?

Today's last few jobs are tidying, and making lemon sour cream cake and roast veg salad, then I'm done and dusted! Woo! I can't wait.

Sooo, wishing you all a fantabulous Christmas with your beloved ones. May your festive days be filled with love, warmth and cake. I'll see you in a few days time xx

Beach weather.. finally.

The weather has been decidedly un-Summery the past few weeks. We've had a lot of rain (though not as much as some place, poor Nelson..) and most days have had a bit of a cloudy gloom to them.
This hasn't been such good timing because my sister has been home from London for the month, and was really hoping to work on her tan. Hah. Perhaps she is to blame for it all? Murphy's law and all that?
Either way, we were stoked to have a sunny afternoon this week, and spent it wandering down on the beach. The boys (and the non-pregnant adult) did a lot of running and jumping, looking for sticks, and wading in the shallows. I did a lot of waddling behind, with the camera. It was all followed up with an ice cream, and some bare-bum swinging, just the way it should be.

I'm pleased to announce that I finished all of my Christmas crafting late last week, and have all but finished the shopping, too. I have a few things left to wrap, and then I'm all set! Phew!
(Not mentioning the one gift that hasn't arrived on the courier.. hmm.. not impressed.)
In a bit of a last minute decision, we've decided to make presents for all of Abraham's side of the family that we'll see on the day, too. So I'm preparing myself for an evening of baking sweets tonight.
Wish my luck, and hopefully I'll have enough success to show you the results tomorrow!

Growing. and Tiny happiness.

My garden is bringing me so much joy at the moment.
I'm far from a green-thumbed expert, but I feel like I've made huge progress this season - good, edible, progress. I'm loving dining on brocolli (as big as my face! Yes, I am a nerd..), courgettes, peas, beans, lettuce, rhubarb, strawberries, basil, mint and pak choy. And I feel ridiculous amounts of excitement at the thought of the eggplant and tomatoes that are so close to being ready (and the Winter fruits that are just beginning their lives as flowers.. oh boy!).
This growing stuff is quite addictive!






Another thing that could get quite addictive, is Melissa's amazing printed fabric. Look at it! Squee!
I've been meaning to buy some, to use for baby clothes, for awhile now. So, when M announced a sale, I was there in a flash.
I envision little loungey pants, with this fabric as the cuffs and pockets. I'm pretty sure there will need to be matching onesies, too. I'll be making a girly set, as well as a slightly boyish one.. this whole not knowing thing is pretty exciting, but it sure has its disadvantages! So hard to know what to make!

Weekending.

Phew! It's Tuesday today, and I'm having another one of those weeks where I feel like I'm at least two days behind everyone else. I think the combination of December busy-ness and pregnant tired-ness has me struggling to keep up.

On Friday evening, we had our Playcentre Christmas party.
It was a glorious mix of food, festivity and crazy kids. We had a visit from a very Scottish-sounding Santa, trips on a vintage fire engine (during which Otto screamed at the top of his lungs to 'hop off now, Mama! Hop offffffff!), a sausage sizzle, and plenty of nibbles. Just the way a Christmas party should be.

Saturday continued with the festive activities, we watched the local Santa parade.
The boys rode the tandem trike (one of the best second hand purchases I've had in awhile!) and we wandered down to the end of our street, where the parade was set to pass by. We munched on the handed-out jelly beans, waved and yelled Christmas greetings to everyone we recognised, and then strolled home again.
I really hope all of our Christmas outings this year are as cruisy as these two!

We ended out Saturday up at my parents house. The boys ventured into the swimming pool, but I wasn't quite brave enough! The weather hasn't been particularly hot and Summery enough for me to shed my clothes yet, but I have no doubt it'll get there soon. In the meantime, I'm loving watching the growing confidence that the boys have in the water. Pretty neat, alright.