Latest Little Bit of Creativity and a Giveaway

My mum and dad are nearly ready to take off on their next holiday. This time they are heading off to Cairns for Jaxon's birthday....I can hardly believe he will be 7 in 2 weeks. Anyway they are going to also be taking Christmas pressie's with them because that will save on postage.
So my first share is Jaxon's Chrissy card, I love this animal set for kids cards.
Then I also had to make a couple of Birthday cards for him too. He is having a soccer themed party this year so I made this card for mum to give him.

Then the paper I wrapped his present in has rockets and robots so this card is mine to go with it.

That's all for cards.

Now a sewing update...I saw this idea somewhere but can't remember if it was in real life at a shop/market or on the web but as usual I decided I could copy it myself. They are cute, flower pincushions, that are designed to just sit on the top of a spool of thread. Great to sit right next to the machine and also tiny for quick and easy storage. I love how I have found a project that is just perfect to use up all my scraps.

I have already made 2 of these so I thought I would offer up one as a giveaway....if you would like to win one just leave me a comment before Friday 6th August.

Stamping on candles

Over the holidays I experimented with some different stamping projects. One of them was to try a technique for adding stamping designs onto tealight candles. I was happy with how they turned out and thought they would make a great gift....so I also made a little box to package them into. This set I gave to another Visiting Teacher, at work, for her birthday.

Another Holiday Sewing Project Finished

Over the holidays I have been doing a lot of sewing.....in my hunt for different fabrics I visited a little patchwork shop in Bellmere and found a fabric panel that I just loved. I have hand quilted around the design and finally found a hanger for it so now it is finished and hanging on the wall.....what do you think?

Folding fabric box

I found a tutorial on the net to make a fabric box that you can fold up easily. It is quite stable with cardboard sides and bottom. You can find the tutorial HERE. It was a challenge to get the binding on the top because you need to sew through the cardboard as well but it makes the sides nice and tight. The bottom can be removed and the sides then fold completely flat. Check out my first attempt.....

I think I will have a little play with this pattern and eliminate the binding on the bottom....other than that I love how stable the box is for storing things and it is a great way to reuse cardboard boxes.

Aunty Peta....Aunty Peta....Aunty Peta!!!!

Yesterday my newphew Jaxon was here for the day!

Dad and I picked him up with his Nana from the train atRoma Street at 6.30am. This meant waking up at 5am, which was a struggle given that I only went to bed a 12.30am after finishing off a sewing project (I will post this up later).

We spent the day with Jaxon and Pam (his Nana) and then they caught the tilt train home to Cairns at 7.15pm from Caboolture.

I had a great day being Aunty Peta but didn't get much time off.....Jaxon has never ending energy. Here is a photo of my little boy..... not so little though he is turning 7 next month.

We played at home with Poppy and his train set, took Lizzie to the doggy park, quick trip to the shops, then off to the beach where we played in the playground and fed the seagulls.

Next we went home for a quick lunch and then went to see 'Marmaduke' at the movies....it was a funny movie and we shared popcorn and frozen cokes. After the movies we went home and Poppy took Jaxon to the park at the end of their street. Jaxon loves this park because it has a climbing tower. When they got home it was time for a bath and some games on the computer until we left to go to Caboolture to catch the train....we had McDonalds for dinner and then waited at the train station....you have to be early to book in luggage and Pam (Jaxon's Nana) was told to be there 1hr before but we only needed to be 30mins early. Oh! well, we know for next time.

This is Jaxon with his Nanna (my mum) and below with Poppy (my dad).

After seeing off the train we got home at 8pm....I was exhausted......so off to bed early. Thanks Jaxon for a great day and I love being your Aunty Peta! xxxx

I love where I live....

This afternoon when I came home I noticed this lump in the tree across the road....on closer inspection it was a koala. I love that I have this sort of nature experience right outside my door!

Here it is.......

Well I know you have been waiting to see what I actually made from that beautiful fabric......well here it is.......
Thanks to a combination of 2 bag patterns from the internet I came up with the pattern for this bag and am very, very happy with how it turned out. It is lined with plain green and has pockets on both sides trimmed with ribbon (so they are easy to find). While the photo gives you a basic idea of how it turned out it looks even better in real life.

Hope everyone has enjoyed the first week of the holidays and you have plans to make the most of our second week. I am going out tomorrow with my mum.....we haven't had a day out together in a long time, especially since she hurt both her knees.....hopefully it won't be too much for her.

And then on Tuesday I am looking forward to spending some time with Annette......she is coming to my place for a little bit of creativity.......who knows what we will create????