{Breast Cancer Awareness Night : Pt 2}

At the planning meeting, we tried to think of a gift to bless every woman that came. Something, cute, pink and girly. Someone showed a picture of some 'bra cookies' they had seen on the Internet. I had seen a few variations of these before and thought I'd give it a go making them. They were totally adorable and fitted the 'brief' (hahaha boom tish). These would actually be totally cute for a bridal shower also!

I have never done anything like this before (especially in such quantities) so here is how I made them:
Cookies:
*Find a cookie recipe and make dough as per instructions. I chose a gingerbread cookie recipe {loved this one}.
*Roll out dough, cut out heart shapes with your cutter. Before you slide it on to the baking tray, cut off the tip of the heart. It will help with the end design.
*Bake and cool.

{Lavender & Oatmeal Eye Mask}

One of my friends birthdays is tomorrow and I have known what I was going to make her for a while. It is a simple 'nap time' project and I didn't have to buy anything, had it all on hand - winner!!!
She mentioned a while back she loved using the bean bags I had made for my youngest sons birthday gift to his guests (instead of lolly bags) on her eyes.

So I knew I wanted to make her an eye mask that you could heat or cool. Oatmeal and lavender just sounded so relaxing and soothing.

Need:
- 2 contrasting fabrics (I could have fit MANY on a fat quarter)
- Template (I just hand drew one to fit my eyes and added a seam allowance)
- Machine
- Thread
- Oats (about 1 cup - didn't really measure)
- 5 stalks of lavender dried (could use essential too)
- Scissors
- Texta or washable marker

1. Cut out a template to fit and add seam allowance.

2. Measure out onto fabric and cut out. Sew wrong sides together Leaving a gap to turn out (back stitch for strength).



3. Cut a few Triangles around edge to make sure material sits nicely and doesn't bunch. I go around and cut one side of each triangle so scissors stay at same angle and then swap (more efficient and less finicky).



4. Turn inside out, I usually use a chopstick or a pen top.



5. Iron flat:



6. Stuff full of your filling in this case the oatmeal and lavender. Make sure you leave a little room for seeing the gap and the filling to sit nicely on the face.

You can use anything for the main filler like rice, barley or cherry pits.
Any scents could include Rose petals, spices, essential oils, cinnamon, rosemary, crushed mint etc....



7. Sew up the gap and voila!



Make sure you include instructions:
To cool - Place in freezer and place on eyes once cool enough for comfort.
To heat - Place in microwave with a glass of water on turntable also, for about 1-3 minutes (depending on microwave power) and don't ever leave unattended.


I hope you enjoy this idea. It was so easy I think I might do one for me now!

Lauren x



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{Guest Blogger from PLAID : Pinwheel Tutorial}

Here is a wonderful guest post from the very creative Kerryn from the newly published "Plaid" blog. Her blog is new so pop over to it and have a browse at her very crafty ideas and cute kids too ;) She wrote a fresh never-before-seen tutorial written for you and I have been very excited to share it with you! Here it is:

Thanks Lauren for having me here today at your fantastic blog!

I have been reminded recently of how beautiful and sweet pinwheels are. So, I decided to make a few and see what could be done with them. After seeing how easy they are to make I have decided that they will be the theme for my daughter's birthday party in October.

So, let's get to it...

To make a pinwheel you need the following supplies...
- scrap fabric
- fusible webbing
- iron
- fabric scissors
- hot glue gun or other glue
- bamboo skewer

If you’d like to put your pinwheel onto a card then you’ll also need...

- Card stock

- Stamps, ink, glue, buttons etc

1. Grab your fabric scraps and fusible webbing cut out 5cm squares of all

2. Fuse the webbing onto the wrong side of one of the fabrics, wait for it to cool, peel off the paper backing and fuse it to the wrong side of the second fabric. Trim away any frayed edges and you will be left with this...

3. Cut 4 slits in the square starting from each point on the square. This doesn't have to be too exact, just make sure there is a section in the centre of the square in-tact.

4. Trim away a small section of the corners. This will make sure the centre of your pinwheel is neat.

5. Get your glue gun and place a dot of glue in the centre. Take one of the trimmed corners and glue to the centre of the square. Repeat this for all 4 trimmed corners using a dab of glue each time.

6. Cut off a section of the bamboo skewer and glue it to the back of the pinwheel. You can finish the pinwheel off with a cute button.

7. Now get some matching cardstock out and embelish / cut / stamp away until your happy, then glue the pinwheel on. I have used tombow craft glue to attach the pinwheel.

Ta Da!!! One very cute pinwheel card...

Now go forth and make pinwheels :)

Thanks again Lauren for having me here today!

Your welcome Kerryn. Thanks for sharing that gorgeus pinwheel tutorial! I am definintley going to try some soon ;)

{Mr Magorium and My Bow Tie Boy}

I just love watching children play and imagine and it's so sad that we loose this as we get older. Recently we had family movie night and watched Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium whichh captivated our 4 year old beyond belief. He loved watching the craziness of the toys and the outfits (Eddie's hats and Mr Magoriums suits in particular).
This may have influenced him to put together his outfit for church last Sunday which I am kicking myself I didn't get a picture of. He chose to wear (no matter how I hinted otherwise) thongs, jean shorts his white button up and collared shirt and black bow-tie from his Aunty and Uncles wedding last October. ALL TOGETHER! So gorgeous. So, I found some fabric in my stash that Mr Magorium would swoon over and fashioned a Bow Tie for my boy. I had no idea how to start so I looked at his wedding one and just kinda guessed (helpful i know ;)

The basic idea of supplies was:
*2x large rectangles (mine measured approx 16cm x 13.5cm)
*2x small rectangles (mine measured approx 8.5cm x 11cm)
[NOTE: I would also have cut fusable interfacing if I had the right thickness on hand....it would have made finished product much sturdier]
*1x long piece of the same fabric about 7.5cm x 15.5cm to create the tube around the center of the bow tie (in hindsight this made almost enough for two so length could be much shorter even about half)
*1x length of thick sturdy elastic with enough length to fit around neck of your child


Method (without interfacing):
1. Place the same size rectangles right sides together and sew around with 1/4" seam leaving a few cms on the boarder to turn inside out.
2. Repeat with other rectangles.


3. Turn them out and top stich around the edge to finish nicely
4. Using your long piece, fold in half length ways right side together. Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge making sure to backstitch along both ends (this helps give seam strength when turning out on itself.

5. Place the small rectangle on top of the large one and center it. Run a little stitch a few times back and forwards in the middle to secure them together.

6. With the 'tubed center piece' place it around both rectangles to 'mask' the finish product and measure how much you need.

7. Sew it into a loop and cut off excess and turn inside out so seam is on inside (you'll have to take care making sure your seams match as closley as possible here for a good finish)
8. Tightly roll rectangles together and feed through the 'tubed centre piece' and then 'fluff out' (for lack of a better term) to reveal the desired look.
9. Using your measured elastic, thread through the tube and then stitch over the ends followed by a reverse stitch (I did this twice as I wanted to make sure it was sturdy).


10. Move the seam on the elastic so it's under the center piece to make the look more finished.




TADA!!! Told you it was easy. When I handed it to him he just loved it, but chose a fabric off the shelf and said "now Mum we need a bag to keep it in because this a very special bow tie". So with his chosen fabric I knocked up a quick carry bag for him to keep his tie in. Maybe he is catching the sewing bug like I have - hahaha!

This is such an easy project and you only need basic sewing skills. I just love the look of this I might just do one for me as a headband with some fabric a little more girly *ideas flooding head as I type* lol ;)

Enjoy;
Lauren x

Fathers Day ::: The iDad

For Fathers day this year, the boys and I took daddy out to dinner and made him a very special card. For a guy that loves technology and being a dad - the iDad was a PERFECT mix.

(back of the card)

I saw a similar idea somewhere a while a go, but I lost the website so I had to wing it a bit.

Here is how I made it.

I used:
2 sheets of black cardstock
1 sheet of plain A4 paper
1 printed sheet of iPad icons that I had printed off in colour
1 craft knife (like a scalpel) double sided tape and glue
1 silver pen

Step 1: Using my iPad I traced around it on the black cardstock.

Step 2: Glue or tape down a sheet of white paper on one sheet of the black card. This is to give you a background to draw and write on under the icon flaps. Step 3: Using the internet, locate and print off some icons in colour. Step 4: Cut out the icons one by one and then place them on the other black cardstock and lay them out before glueing them down. Make sure you are happy.

Step 5: Using the craft knife (AND a self healing mat or VERY thick cardboard so you dont slice your table) cut around the sides and bottom of each icon so it lifts up. I also printed out in blue font iDad and cut that out to go on the back of the card (see image at top).

Step 6: Once all flaps are cut out, tape or glue the cards together so the white paper is in the middle and teh icons are on top.

Step 7 : To make the iDad more 'authentic' you can add details like battery, reception and the menu button etc... with a silver pen.

Step 8: Now comes teh part with the kids, get them to lift the flaps and write their messages and draw pictures under them.

This gift card has been wonderful because we are a little bit of an "iHouse" here (yes even the kids - especially my savvy 4 year old). Also because as my hubby read the card it was like reading a lift the flap book, so a winner all round for daddy and the kids!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.

Lauren X

Wedding cake with a difference ;)

I had an engagement party to go to on the weekend and (since we are building our house and renting at the moment) decided to get creative.

I used the following items and scored some real bargains to create a very pretty gift.
- 2 bath towels
- A scented candle
- Some body wash
- Some massage oil
- Heart shaped chocolates
- Wrapping paper
- Fabric ribbon
- A few long sewing pins
- Roll of clear cello
- Carboard scraps from around the house
1. Wrap some cardboard in wrapping paper as the base.
2. Cut some cardboard into a circle and affix with a stappler or a pin.
3. Unfold one of your towels and cover the round cardboard to form the bottom 'cake layer'.
4. Use two sewing pins to hold them in place (I used some with a pearly white head so it blended in).
5. Then using the second towel, roll it up and insert into the bottom layer and fiddle around with it so that it neatly fits creating the 'top cake layer'.
6. Wrap ribbon around the bottom layer and tie up to keep extra secure.
7. into the 'top layer' stuff some of the toiletries that you purchased.
8. Scatter the chocolates around.
9. Lay the finished 'cake' on to the clear cello and wrap up securing with matching ribbon.




The great thing about this gift is that as it is a hamper style, you can really suit any budget depending on the quality and quantity of items used. I managed to spend JUST less than $30 on this gift. However, it was easy to see how you could spend VERY close to (and probably more than) $100 if your budget allows.


Enjoy; Lauren x

Tutorial : Getting crafty with headbands!

At my craft night this week, I made two headbands a black and a white one. I love them so much and will put some instructions up. I didn't take step by step photos unfortunatley.....but will try to make the steps clear.

Black Head Band
Need:
- black elastic to fit head
- hot glue gun - black lace
- black tulle netting
- black felt
- a black button

Steps:
1. Measure elastic to fit your head and sew together. You could probably hot glue this if you don't sew, but I think sewing is more secure.
2. Cut a circle of your felt 9about 5 cm) and this will be a base for you to attach the lace to.
3. Place a dot of hot glue on the edge of your felt circle and affix the lace to the dot, keep glueing the lace around the edge until you get back to the starting point and do another loop until you reach the centre.
4. Cut out a few circles of similar size from the tulle netting. It doesn't matter if they arent perfect and different sizes, in fact that will make it more interesting ;)
5. Lay out your tulle circles on top of each other, make sure part of each of them touch at some point, but overlap them any way you want.
6. Turn your felt/ lace circle over (felt side up) and place some hot glue on the back of it. Lay the tulle circles on it. If you want to do another felt circle here to finish it off you could, but i was experimenting with every step and didn't do this.
7. Glue a black button onto the centre of the lace circle.
8. Glue the piece to the elastic using the seam so that you don't see it when on.



White Head Band
Need:
- White elastic
- Fake flower
- White felt
- Hot glue gun
- Pearl button
- Sewing machine

Steps:
1. Measure elastic to fit head and then sew it together. Make sure to reverse stitch over itself a few times so it is secure.
2. Take the fake flower off its stem and take each petal layer apart so you have the flower in pieces. When doing this make sure you keep the petal layers in the same order they were when the flower was assembled.
3. Cut a circle from the white felt.
4. Put some hot glue on the centre of the felt circle and put the largest petal onto it. Repeat with all the petal layers so that the flower is re-assembled on the felt circle. In the centre of the flower, put a dot of glue and affix the pearl button in the centre. 5. Fianlly, glue the felt circle to the seam on the elastic.



The thing I love about this tutorial is that you can adapt it for any colour that you feel like and even sizes for the little girls in your world!

Enjoy;
Lauren x

Daniels 1st Birthday "Twinkle Twinkle" Party - Part One

I decided that I didn't want to give lolly bags for favours at Daniels party. So, I embarked on the journey of making these darling bean bag parcels for the kids with a card attached with Bean bag challenges. It didn't cost ver much to make, except in time of course.
I paced myself making all 38 of them! So here is a brief tutorial in case you want to do some yourself at home. I appologise for the poor lighting in some of the photos....the light in the room where I was sewing wasn't very bright.

I made a template out of cardboard and it measured 15cmx30cm. I decided to do it this way (rather than two 15cmx15cm squares) to lower the cutting needed.



Fold the material in half (make sure the pattern is inside) and iron flat.



This bean bag will be sewn twice which will give it extra strength. Place the sewing material on the machine with the folded side to the left. Start sewing from the opposite side to the fold about 2/3 way down.




Make sure you reverse stitch the seam at this point to reinforce. This is important as you will be turning the bean bag inside out on this seam, so it will weaken if you forget this step.



Sew right to the edge and leaving the needle in, turn the corners untill you get back to the side you started on.



When you get back to the starting side sew down leaving a gap from the starting seam and also reverese sew over that seam too. Cut the thread.



Cut the corners off the square. This will eliminate bulk when turning inside out.



Gently turn the bean bag insideout (right side out lol).

I used a chopstick to push out the corners so it is square. Then iron it flat again.


Then sew around the three closed sides. Then I placed a funnel in the hole and filled the bean bag about 3/4 full with rice or dried beans. Place 2-3 pins to stop the rice faling out and also to steady the seam. Sew up the last side and DONE!!! {in my case repeat x40 hehehe}. The end result?????


TAAA-DAAA!
I bundled up bean bags in to lots of 2 per kid and then tied it up with ribbon.
I also printed off a card entitled 'Bean Bag Challenges' and pop it in the bundle giving parents and kids ideas and games to play with the bean bags.