What to do with those ole Vintage Handkerchiefs...

There is something unapologetically nostalgic about floral, pastel, musty smelling 'kerchiefs from the yesteryear, non? I think so, anyways...

Recently, I acquired a little collection of them. There they were, all standing in a row. Big ones, small ones... I couldn't stash them away, I just couldn't.

So I didn't.

I made this with them instead:

Sigh. Bunting is fabulous at the best of times, but I love how unique this string is, that it is both handmade AND repurposed with a touch of vintage. Despite how much I love it hanging in Fern's room, I can't keep it. Fern already HAS a string of bunting that was handmade when she was one by her nan and I and I have no other suitable home for it in my home... 

So! My lovingly constructed string of bunting is up for sale in my store for $29.95 and I am excited to see it go to a loving home. Visit my store to view and tell me..... what other ideas how you to repurpose old handkerchiefs? Do share, because I'd love to give another project a go!

ps. For those of you who admired Fern's crochet rug that I consigned for her bedroom recently, you can buy your very own here. I was well pleased with mine and I'm sure you could ask for custom colours as the shop owner is very obliging and I'm still marvelling at what a great job she did of Fern's!

Have a great week, peeps! xx

Ask and Thou Shalt Receive...Fern's crochet rug!

Howdy folks! I've been a little absent this last week from the ole bloggy world, I've been tail-down working on customer orders and trying to catch up! But I had to check in with you today: do you remember a couple of weeks back, I posted about my desire for a little crochet rug for Fern's boudoir? I put the call out there for anyone handy with the ole crochet stick (certainly not I, I have never ever crocheted in my life!) to volunteer to whip one up for me.... and somebody answered my call! Thanks Magdalene!

I am well pleased; both with Fern's new rug and the fact that it was handmade for ME!

Check it out:

I love it; its so soft underfoot and really vibrant... just the accessory for my darling daughter's room. If any of you are inspired by the rug and want to know where I got it, just leave me a comment and I'll find out whether any more orders are being taken for you! xx

'Will we have rainbows' - FREE Printable!

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Today I have to share with you the loveliest FREE printable I discovered over the weekend on one of my favy blogs, Making it Lovely:

Isn't it sweet? I just adore this quote, and the print is just right for Fern's room! The print fits just perfect in an a4 white-box frame - I got mine at Myer on sale for $24. Here's what it looks like in Fern's room:

Do you want one too? Download the print here!

Enjoy! And do share.... what fun and FREE goodies have YOU discovered in the www lately? xx

Additions to Fern's Room...

There were a couple of recent additions to Fern's big-girl room last week that I thought I'd share with you today... coupled with my guilt at neglecting the kids' bedrooms over the last 12 months while I've been busy setting up my business and inspired by the pretty girl's bedroom I shared with you the other day, I decided it was time to start redecorating my daughter's little space!

It started when I bought this piece on a whim...

I was driving past Preston Hunter Interiors and was having a little bo-peep through the window when I spied this little cane and wood side table... it's up cycled and vintage, it was half price and I luuuuuuuuuurve it. Done!

My daughter previously had an even more vintage side table that was more than a little wobbly and in desperate need of a revamp. That one is moving to my 'get round to it one day' pile! This one boasts a drawer, space to hold books and toys and can be painted any manner of fun colours; Im thinking turquoise once I tire of the white gloss!

But when we installed the table I realised Fern needed a little light for next to her bed. I looked online and considered one from fellow Madeit seller Lulu's Lamps. Her lamp shades are handmade and divine but I couldn't find quite the fabric I was after, so I decided to make my own.

I found a base and shade at good old Kmart for a whopping $15:

Then Fern and I went to a couple of fabric stores and chose this fabric:

... and then we made this with it:

... loving that the whole thing cost about $20 so when we tire of the fabric or when Elliott breaks it ;) it is easily replaceable! 

So now that wall of Fern's looks like this:

... and Fern and I are happy! So pretty. But I have other plans for my daughter's room in the pipeline, so stay tuned, folks!  

Did you get up to any DIY over the weekend that was? 

Modern Eclectic Girl's Boudoir...

I am completely in love with this room created by Jemma of Little Eats and winner of the dress I donated to the Cuddle Craft Collective auction that ended last Sunday (which collectively raised over $5000 for a children's feeding centre in Ethiopia -- yayee!) for her little girl, India...

A bright, modern and eclectic mix of patterns, colours, and furniture make this the ideal little girl's room in my book! That chandelier is to die for, and I've been coveting that pom-pom rug for ages and wondering if it might not just be right for Fern's room... loving the collection of artwork and prints and can I mention how flattered I am that that wreath in the centre of the wall is by Bubby Makes Three? It makes my day when I see one of my proudest creations in such a beautiful space!

Thanks for sharing this room, Jemma!

Jemma's wreath by Bubby Makes Three - $49 in my Etsy store

Nursery in a box!

Have you/ did you ever wish you could just order your gorgeously stylish nursery in a box? You know, just hand over your trust and credit card to someone with impeccable taste who would transform your white box into a beautiful and functional space for your babe-to-be? On a -- gulp -- budget?

Well, now you can!

Many of us would love to create a stylish, modern, cohesive nursery space... but not all of us have the vision or know-how to pull it all together. The magazines make it look so easy, but there is a reason interior designers are paid to do what they do! And not all of us can afford to hire our own personal interior designer...

There are tons of baby stores out there of course, but not all of us are excited by the Winnie the Pooh matching duvet/ wall decals/ lamp set or the Fisher Price musical mobile and its hard to know where to go for something both unique, affordable and stylish!

Well, look no further than Little Maison. I stumbled upon founder Leah via her blog a long while back; we're both mumtrepeneurs with young kids and I really adore her style. Her 'Nursery in a Box' concept makes nursery design a cinch! Simply pick your gender and budget and Leah does the rest! Gorgeous furniture (LOVE those egg chairs!), unique linen and decorative pieces make your nursery the perfect space for your tot.  Here are some images from Leah's site; do pop over for the breakdowns and pricing etc -- I really wish I'd known about this when I was struggling to put Fern's room together! Have fun looking xx

Make a "broom broom" Nursery Wall Hanging for your baby BOY!

Today I'd like to share with you a little project I have been working on for Elli-Boo's bedroom. Following on from the original embroidery-hoop fabric wall hangings I designed before I knew he was a he, I've been wanting to update them a little - make them a little more 'boyish,' playful and fun. A bit like my sonny boy.

I've been playing with an idea in my head for a few weeks and over the weekend, I made this:

... and I'm a little chuffed at how it's come up! I don't know if you can see from my image, but those are actual toy cars stuck onto chalkcloth, upon which I've drawn a 'road.' Mine is on the wall, but it would be equally cute leaning on a bookshelf or somesuch. 

Want to know how I did it? It's pretty easy folks!

You need:

- An embroidery hoop 

- Some fabric (I chose a natural linen)

- Some chalkcloth or other fabric for the lettering

- Glue (preferably a hot glue gun)

- Scissors

- Toy cars (Matchbox or whatever you can grab from the $2 shop!)

Method:

1. First, stretch the linen over the hoop and secure into place.

2. Draw your child's initial onto your chosen fabric (I've used chalkcloth, and drawn on the back of mine). Print it out first onto paper and cut around if this is easier. 

3. Cut initial out.

4. Glue (or sew) onto embroidery hoop.

5. Draw your "road" on the initial using a ruler and chalk.

6. Finally, attach your cars onto the "road" using a hot glue gun. Cut excess fabric away from the back of the hoop.

7. Hang with pride!!

 I'd love to know what you think of this idea and if you do decide to give it a go yourself do DO send me pics! x

Play Laugh Dream Games SCRABBLE onesie!

Howdy folks, how was your weekend? A definite highlight of mine was being caught in the middle of a toddler-mosh-pit large crowd of very young people and their respective parents/minders plus a squillion prams all jostling for position. For what purpose? Why, Dora the Explorer of course! Yes folks, she who once happily idled away a sunny Saturday reading lifestyle magazines on the beach now finds herself surrounded by hundreds of screaming children, all waving their hands in the air singing "backpack, backpack!" All except my daughter, who was as overwhelmed as I and burst into tears and Elliott - who (ensconced in his new $27 stroller from Kmart which he loves way more than his $1700 Bugaboo - go figure) upon polishing off a packet of Tiny Teddies, a Mandarin and a Sao began to look less than impressed, I beelined for the nearest exit and marched us all to Sushi, where we happily decorated the restaurant and selves with rice. Rice + tuna + seaweed = more mess than I can possibly hope to understand...

But this weekend, I also got to work on a new design I've been contemplating (and which you probably know about, if you have joined my new Facebook Page  -- if not, please do, I am having my first giveaway and launching some more goodies on there this week!).

It's a...... Scrabble onesie! Trust me, you cannot find Scrabble fabric anywhere (I've tried) and the only way I could find of doing this was to invent the process myself, and so I did!

I constructed this onesie from little hand-cut pieces of felt which I appliqued to the onesie and then carefully hand painted the wording with a permanent ink! It took a while to get the pieces right... but I think the effort was worth it! I see much potential with this design -- there are just so many fun things you could do to play around with the wording!

I was originally inspired by this image which you could easily reproduce in YOUR nursery using the inexpensive Scrabble letting available at Typo for about $4 each:

from www.style-files.com

My interpretation? Check it:

from my Bubby Makes Three store - $22

The best part is, this design is gender neutral so would make a great gift for somebody expecting a bub; you could go to town on the wording! The onesie is designed to be worn, but I rather imagine it hung in a nursery on a sweet little hanger as a unique little 'artwork'!

I'm open to custom orders on this one -- contact me to discuss your ideas!

ps. It's not the first time I've dabbled in a bit of Scrabble inspired fun... I made the artwork below from a little square canvas I painted black, and glued some vintage Scrabble pieces I sourced in an antique store:

I'd love your feedback!
x

Little Girls in Big Beds!

It seems like only yesterday I was scouring the baby stores in search of the perfect cot for little Fern (sigh)... when I was about 6 months pregnant we settled on a lovely white wooden number, and Dan insisted on building it that very day, despite the fact that I was still painting the nursery and there was wet paint and drop-sheets everywhere! He might have been a tiny bit excited, I think:

Anyway. I remember the day we brought Fern home and placed her inside her new cot. She looked so TINY and it seemed to swallow her up...

But the damdest thing about babies is that they grow, and before I knew it I was raising sides and lowering mattresses and then suddenly little Elliott was on his way and it was time. 


But before I could work myself into a slather about finding the perfect little girl's bed... it found me.

And once again, it was Lesley my magical-mother-in-law who came through with the goods. She was moving some furniture out to make a sewing room and would I like to use the antique-looking cream wrought-iron day bed for Fern? Um.... do you deliver??


And here it is. With a brand new mattress which we bought over the weekend and which makes the bed about 40ft off the floor! (not a problem, we've got a safety rail installed and besides, she prefers to yell out rather than attempt to climb out herself anyways!)

 What do you think? I just love it. In fact, I want it for myself! I bought that duvet cover over the weekend, it was on sale for - like - $60, can you believe? Unfortunately, I don't have a long shot of the bed because underneath is a mattress and a whole heap of junk which I get around to cleaning up at some point. And my teeny tiny baby girl? She loves it too. In fact, last night she asked to go to bed. That says a lot. Plus, she thinks it's her new 'jumpy jumpy':

I'm happy Fern is happy. But a little bit sad that its the end of an era. Why can't they stay babies just a little bit longer? Still, I can't wait to curl up reading stories together; no doubt it will be a little comfier than it was in her cot!