Little Clay Bowls

Have you ever wanted to make something from clay but haven't because the thought of having to find a kiln for glazing and firing seemed a tad too hard?  Me too.  I had played around with air-dried clay before with my kids, making little Christmas ornaments and whatever they wanted to make - snakes, gingerbread men, unidentifiable objects, but never really took it seriously ... until the other day. 

I bought some of this air-dried clay from Spotlight the other week with the intention of letting the kids play with it again and create whatever they wanted.

While they were making snakes (again), shapes and unidentifiable objects (again) and I was sitting beside them getting a bit restless, I made some little clay gifts tags.  I rolled some doily fabric over the clay which made a really pretty impression.  I was a little bit smitten with my tags. 

Then I got a fraction excited.  I would have a go at making some small bowls, with the pretty impression.  So that's what I did - and the best bit was it was really, really easy.  Hoorah.

I rolled out a chunk of clay and laid the doily fabric over the top.  I rolled again, a few times - not too hard but just firm enough to get a good imprint.

 

I placed a small bowl over the clay and cut around it with a knife.

I lifted the clay off the baking paper and placed it gently inside the bowl.

Then it gets left to dry, overnight, or longer (I left mine two days).  Once it's dry it shrinks a tiny bit so it just falls out of the bowl.  Ohhhhhhh, this is the exciting bit because out pops a perfectly (or imperfectly as hand-made is) formed little bowl.

I then lightly sanded the rim of the bowl, using a fine sandpaper, to get rid of any rough or lumpy bits. And that's it.  No firing, no glazing, no kiln required.  A walk in the park.
 

Gave them a coat of white paint.  The clay is white and can be left that way but I just wanted it to be white-white not grey-white.

I decided to use both bowls in my little girl's room for her growing collection of hair-ties and clips so I wanted to brighten them up a bit.  I painted one yellow on the outside and one yellow on the inside. 

I also finished them off with a gloss varnish (I used Jo Sonja's Gloss Varnish but you could probably use any water-based varnish). Squeal!!!  I love it when an idea turns into super-cuteness reality!

Here is my daughter's collection of hair-ties and clips, spilling over, in a way-too-small trinket box ...

 

And now in their new home ...

 



And some "hand-made imperfection" close-ups ...

What do you think?  I really like them, totally love the pattern thing, and I'm pretty sure I have found a new addiction (oh dear).  I still have half my packet of clay left so I will definitely be making some more.  I might even have a go at making some small plates or even tinier vessels for holding things like paper-clips, pins, craft supplies etc.  What I love about the air-dried clay is its versatility and that it's so accessible and easy for everyone to use.  You don't have to be creative to use it - just have a play and see what happens.  If you don't like what you've made, squash it, roll it out again and try something else.  Try pressing the clay with different patterns, shapes or objects ... grab a leaf and see what that does, or something out of the kitchen drawer, or the Tupperware cupboard.  Just have a go. 
It's therapy, I tell you!

Small Messenger Bag

Last month my Mum asked me to make her a bag.  So I did.  She wanted it in black and white (to match her bathers ... watch out Europe!) and just big enough to hold her sunscreen, sunglasses and phone.  She would be spending a fair bit of time around the many beautiful pools of Europe so a cool little bag was on the list.  It had been ages since I'd made a bag - I think the last one might have been the Tea-Towel Totes - so it was a good excuse to get the machine out and do something I hadn't done before.

 

I googled away and found this really lovely free "Reversible Messenger Bag" pattern and tutorial from Crazy Little Projects.  I love that there are so many free patterns available on the net.  It makes the whole process super-easy.

 

The tutorial was very easy to follow, had good bright photos and the bag was easy to make and would be suitable for a beginner level sewer.  Once I started, it came together very quickly.  I chose two patterned drill fabrics for a little added sturdiness.  Personally, I wouldn't have chosen black & white for myself but I actually really liked the way it turned out. I cut out one of the birds and top-stitched it onto the front of the flap, just to add a little something extra to the bag.  I also have a bit of a "thing" for the selvedge edge (for non-sewing people - it is the edge of the fabric which has the name of the fabric printed onto it and is normally discarded). I included it in the design of the bag - I like the added character it gives and it just seems a waste to cut it off. And because the bag is reversible if it gets dirty or Mum gets bored with the pattern, she can reverse it out for a completely new look ... which, of course, is very important when you're flitting around the European coast!

 

 

 

And guess what? Here's my very stylish Mumma proudly showing off her bag in Cyprus (seriously, how good does she look for a granny in her late 60's?!).  She tells me it's holding up well and even fits her I-pad mini ... which of course you totally need while flitting around the resorts of Europe because you miss your kids like C-R-A-Z-Y (crazy!) and need to constantly look at their beautiful photos to keep from missing them too much! Teeheehee.

Enjoy your holiday, Mum (and Dad), we miss you, the kids miss you and we can't wait to catch up when you return.  Oh, and did I mention I might need a new bag too?  Ummm, hand-made, Italian leather ...

Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition

Have you heard of Umbrella Prints?  They are an Australian textile house producing seriously gorgeous hand screen-printed organic & hemp fabric.  I have been a follower of theirs for quite a while now and absolutely love their work and the overall natural, earthy flavour to everything they produce. So when I saw they were having a "Trimmings Competition" I was immediately interested - I had no idea what a Trimmings Competition was but it didn't matter, if it involved some of their fabric, I was excited.

 

I found out what I needed to do. 

 

• I had to buy one of their Trimmings Packets, which in a nutshell is "a little packet of inspiration" comprising about 10 pieces of random Umbrella Prints trimmings.  Well, yes please.  I'd like one of those without even entering the competition! 
• I then had to photograph my Trimmings Packets once it arrived.
• Uh oh, now I had to get creative. Now I had to think.  Now I had to actually do something.  I had to make something wonderful from that one packet. Yikes, what on earth was I going to do with all those itty-bitty pieces of deliciousness? 

And then it came to me ... over about a three week period!  I would have a go at making a fabric covered notebook because not only do notebooks always come in handy, but if I had one covered in Umbrella Prints fabric then it'd be versatile AND beautiful - which is a winning combo, don't you think?  Okay, deep breath.  Here goes ...

My packet of inspiration

I couldn't get the feather to work.  It had to go. :(

The $1.95 notebook ready for its makeover

And so I begin ...

Do you see the connection? Do you? :)

Ta da!

 

 

A model always shows her back

 

 

 

Sitting pretty

 

And that's it - all done and ready for some pretty note-taking! 

 

Thank you, Umbrella Prints, for hosting such a fun and creative little comp - one that is good for the soul and allows us busy Mumma's to take five and focus our energy on something other than the little ones around our feet.  Love your work, love your fabric and I look forward to "Trimmings 2014"!

Organise your loyalty cards with Stocard

Last winter while purchasing some yummy pieces from Country Road, I got my purse out to show my Country Road loyalty card to the shop assistant and she noticed my bulging, unable-to-be-closed purse and said "Oh dear, I think you need to get yourself the Stocard app".   

The what-the?  She explained it to me and I was sold immediately - "Oh, that sounds awesome - I'm going home right now to scan all my cards".  And did I?  You betcha I didn't.  I did think about it though - like a billion times but just kept forgetting to do it. Anyway, yesterday, after telling Bianca at A Little Delightful that she really must get this really cool app to store all her cards (she was complaining about her purse too), I thought I really need to practise what I preach and finally get that little app myself ... so I did.

 

So, the Stocard app.  What is it?  It's an app that stores all your plastic loyalty cards on your i-phone/i-pod/Android, which means you get them out of your purse and onto your phone - so it's goodbye bulging, heavy, silly-looking purse and hello slim-line, light and sexy purse.  You just present your phone and the cashier scans the barcode directly from there.  To get started, all you have to do is download the app - it's free - and then choose a card from the extensive list i.e. Country Road (or add one if your particular card is not on the list), point your phone at the barcode on the back of your card and it automatically scans it. Very cool, very quick and very easy.  I did all my cards in less than 15 minutes.  Here's a tutorial which will explain it much better than I can.

 

  

I used a hand model, aka my husband, for this shot.  I try to keep this blog cute & pretty so my hands will not feature here ... ever!

 

I only did my cards yesterday so I haven't had a chance to put it all into practice but the reviews I've read have been good.  I did read, though, that if your phone is dirty or scratched, the scanner may not be able to read it .. so keep your phone clean, ladies.  And for the time being I am keeping my cards close by in a little pouch so that if I do run into trouble, I'll still be able to whip out my card and earn those precious points.  Please, please let it work and be deserving of its title "Featured as one of the best apps of the year by Apple" - my shoulder could really do with a break!!

 

I will let you know how I go and if you decide to download it, let me know how you go too. x

Quick-Fix Washi Tape Noticeboard

Sometimes projects just don't go the way you planned or they end up being too fiddly, too hard and well, just not very much fun. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat, realise it's not working and do something else, change angles or give up altogether walk away and leave it for another day.  This was definitely one of those projects.

 

I bought this pinboard from Target quite a few months ago specifically for the purpose of taking the load off our fridge and to house the million and one notices, invitations, reminders and school info that comes into our home and ends up on the fridge.  Once I got it home I realised uber-quickly that I was plain crazy - what was I thinking?  It was in no way, shape or form big enough.  I then thought it could go in the kids' playroom for some of their artwork ... ummm, nup.  It was nowhere near big enough for the mountains of art that we keep on display.  I also envisaged it all pretty and white so set about priming and painting it.  There was my mistake right there.  The paint didn't cover as I would have liked, even though the guy at the paint shop promised me it would.  Grrrr.  It would have needed to be sanded between coats and it probably would've taken 3 coats to make it look decent.  I wasn't liking it, it wasn't working, it was a silly idea and I didn't want to do it anymore.  Sulky, sulk, sulk.  I gave up, put it in the shed and thought I'd get back to it at some point.  Basically, what happened is I never got back to it and every time I looked at it sitting there all half finished and ugly I got annoyed with myself.  So, today, I just had to do something.  Today was the day of the "quick fix". 

I grabbed some washi tape (remember those adorable little spools I ordered from Etsy an age ago?) and put a different colour strip down each side of the frame - covering up my ugly paintwork and finishing it off in a flash.  I know it won't last a particularly long time but it's not something that really gets touched or played with so I'm happy with that.  We decided to hang it in our son's room for his own special things - achievement awards, favourite artwork etc - and because our photos are at the bottom he can look up and see us at any time, especially just before going off to sleep. Ahhhhh, cutesy-matootsey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

So, not altogether what I had planned for this little Target pinboard but a happy enough solution none-the-less.  A quick fix is not always perfect but it's often perfectly good enough.

Home-made Cleaning Products for Earth Day

Did you know it's Earth Day next Monday 22nd April?  Yes, it is.  It's a day when zillions of people from around the world sit up and pay attention to what's happening on this planet and do their best to protect it.  It's a big day.  It's an important day. It's a day created for us and our home, and I think each of us should do one thing, no matter how itty-bitty, to honour, appreciate and respect this day - now in its 43rd year (like someone else I know) - and help continue the fight for a clean environment.

 

I have decided to make up a batch of home-made cleaning products.  I've always been pretty careful about what I use around our home, particularly since having kids, and I've never been a fan of highly toxic cleaning products (although bleach has become a bit of a family tradition and although I loathe the stuff, I'm yet to find anything else that removes mould like it does ... I know, shoot me now) but this month rather than buying products, I decided to make them myself using supplies I had on hand.  I made up a General Household cleaner - for all surfaces and areas, a potion to clean the Fridge and one for cleaning Stainless Steel.  I repurposed two empty "Method" bottles (another personal fave but my local Woollies doesn't stock it so it's hard for me to get) and an empty Linen Spray bottle from "Adairs".  I couldn't resist adding some fun vinyl labels using my Silhouette machine.

Here's what I did:

General Household

(I got this recipe from a Home Beautiful magazine years ago and have been using it ever since.  It is one of my favourite all-purpose cleaners).

 

1 litre water

200ml vinegar

40ml detergent

40ml eucalyptus oil

2 dessertspoons of washing soda

 

Instructions:  mix it all together and pop it in a spray bottle
 

 

Fridge

Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar in 500ml of water and pop in a spray bottle.  Add in some vanilla essence/extract/essential oil for a lovely fresh, sweet smell.  Use it on the inside and outside of your fridge.

Stainless Steel

Same as for "Fridge", minus the vanilla.

 

There are so many recipes for home-made cleaning products online and in blog-land so whatever it is you want to clean you will be able to find an eco-friendly, non-toxic alternative.  I actually cleaned my oven (oh lord, what a horrible job that is) last weekend with a paste of bi-carbonate soda and water and it not only worked, it wasn't toxic, I didn't have to wear a mask, I wasn't worried about the kids inhaling the fumes and I had bi-carb in my pantry so it cost me nothing.  And just so that you are under no illusions, my oven was beyond dirty, it was filthy and embarrassing and totally worthy of a full toxic job but to my absolute amazement (and my husbands), the bi-carb worked.  Happy, happy, happy dance.

 

So, that's one of my itty-bitty Earth Day contributions.  If you get a moment, check out the Earth Day page - it's full of great information and resources and don't forget, if you get up to anything special I'd love to hear about it! 

 

*** Happy Earth Day ***

 

PS: If you don't follow along with me on Facebook, here's a couple of pics of my kids getting in on some Earth Day activities - choosing some herbs & plants and then planting them.  Love these pics.! x