Me and my lil man have been having fun making owls. He is very interested in my sewing machine and how it all works, pressing buttons, what this does and that.
So we spent a bit of time and made these little owl friends yesterday, currently named Hoot and Hooty. Once play is over their new home is above lil man’s bed with Frog.
xx Sanch
To my Grandpa,
Today is your birthday and you have been gone 2.5 years. I still think of you often and all the wonderful memories of you.
If you were here I know how excited you would be that in a week or two your next Great Grand baby will be coming into the world. That your other great grand baby isn’t a baby anymore and has grown into a vibrant little boy. How proud you are of your family, especially your two wonderful sons.
I miss you and probably always will. I feel blessed that you were my Grandpa and that I shared in your life.
My love always,
xx Sanch.
With the arrival of a new bub in a week or so I wanted to make something special as a gift for my lil man when he comes to visit us in the hospital. So here is what I made him, a pencil / notebook cover that he can take places with him. He loves colouring in and has a fondness of frogs. So I spent some time playing with my sewing machine and did a cute applique on the front. The outside fabric is a cotton canvas I have had in my fabric box for years that was my Mums. The inside fabric was from a give-away of a blog I follow over at Raglan Guld. Thanks Leonie. I have enough left for another project I have in mind 
. The trimming fabric is a light cotton with a print of blue and green frogs. I made a little flap so all the pencils don’t slide during transport. Its filled with large, wide grip pencils and a pocket for the notebook to slip in and out. I also did a little velcro closure, easier than a button or tie for little fingers. I had alot of fun making this one.
xx Sanch
Its been a busy last month and I have been slack in regard to blogging, but here is what I have been up to. Bub is due next week. It seems to have gone so fast.
I have been busy making some cloth nappies for the new arrival and just wanted to share them with you as they are so very cute, little and I am so happy they are finally finished. I had made the pattern for them when I had my son and have the graded larger sizes also, so will make more once bub outgrows these ones. They are made from a fleece outer and have sewn in boosters made from fleece, cotton and bamboo toweling so they can be hung out and dried quickly.
I like using cloth nappies at home, especially having summer babies. At night or for nap times I put a fleece cover over the top. For my son I used Tot Bot covers but this time around I ordered some from Sandi over at Squeeky Cheeks. They are adorable and are sewn beautifully.
xx Sanch
My latest and second attempt at a DIY furniture piece has been a cute little telephone table I found at a local op shop. I liked its lines and wanted a table for beside the lounge for magazines and a cuppa . Here are the before and after shots. I love how it turned out. The process involved taking it apart and sanding it back a bit, painting with ESP, painting with a semi-gloss paint in 3 coats, then putting it back together. For the seat, I pulled the old fabric off, washed the inner foam, and re-stapled the new fabric over the cushion and put it back onto the seat. Here are the pics
Before
During before paint
During painting
Finished seat covered
Finished side table
xx Sanch
Ohhh, its always exciting getting a parcel in the mail. My latest one was some beautiful fabrics I ordered from Amber at Fresh Fabrics. Now I just have to work out what fabric to make into which project .
xx Sanch
Lately I have spent some time sewing some shorts for my lil man. He is slim and so regular size 2-3′s don’t fit him very well. I usually have to get pants with adjustable elastic in them, but the legs are still really wide so they swim on him. So this was my first attempt at doing a pattern off a pair of shorts he currently has and sewing them up. They are easy, no side seams, elasticated waist and I made them out of fabric I already had just to see how they turned out. For a bit of fun and with lil man’s help I also did a monster applique on a t-shirt he had, gave the monster button eyes and called him “Gutterman” after the Gutterman brand sewing thread, not a monster that lives in the gutter . Also for anyone interested I did the shorts via this tutorial. Although that is a 10 minute trouser tutorial I do recommend actually taking the time to overlock seams and sew in elastic rather than just tying a knot, then you can have a pair of pants that look professional rather than home-made and survive multiple washes and wears. Here are some pics .
xx Sanch
I have been looking at redecorating our home, bit by bit, to suit us and our lifestyle, and generally make things more visually appealing. This process so far has involved following a few amazing blogs on DIY decorating and simple living. Some of these people’s homes that they share are truly magazine worthy. And they have been done on a budget and over time..right up my alley. I am not one to hoard and I love things to be neat and tidy and everything to have a place. I also love the idea of the pieces that make up my home to have a story behind them, to be loved, used and have a purpose. So just popping into Ikea with the masses to pick up another bookcase wont do for me.
I have had fun visiting some local op shops, and last Friday I visited the Trash and Treasure at the local Dakabin Waste Management Facility (ie rubbish dump). I havent bought anything except the blue glass bottle and little pottery vase pictured above. I loved their colours and shape so gave them a home. I set them up on the dining table at home with a handmade pottery bowl that was a wedding present and we use for fruit. I love that noone else has them and I didnt get them at a mass produced department store.
Just wanted to share.
xx Sanch.
Today I took my lil man for a haircut and whilst we were waiting we stopped in at Target and Myer for a quick browse of the toy section. What we found, isle after isle of plastic.. what I call landfill. Seriously, take a visit to your local trash and treasure and all those toys and plastic stuff that lines the department store shelves as today’s “must haves” will be tomorrow’s trash.
I love the idea of this website “Buy Handmade”. A pledge to buy handmade for ones self, ones loved ones, and request that others do the same for you. It means that the items you buy are one-of-a-kind, that you support the artisan or craftier that made the item. Its better for people and the environment. It is usually more expensive than the local department store, but along with this comes the above mentioned and also a quality and attention to detail that can’t be achieved by mass production. A couple of blogs by Etsy artists I follow have also addressed this topic, have a look for their take on it, White Plum and Angelenefay Jewellery.
There are fabulous sites on the net now supporting handmade artists where they bring this marketplace to us. Etsy, is one, it is American based but now has sellers and buyers worldwide, for Australian sellers on Etsy see this site, DUST team. There is a web site for 100% Australian Handmade, called Made it. Also a new one to come out of Sydney is Zibbet. Or a google search for a particular item will bring up a heap more links. Right here in Brisbane we have a monthly market dedicated to the handmade, the Boutique Markets at Portside Wharf, Hamilton.
I think there is just as much fun in making or creating something yourself It can be as simple as a card for a friend or for decorating, and furnishing your home. Try visiting Ebay, Op shops or Trash and Treasures for beautiful one off pieces to complement your style and home as is, or give it new life with a bit of DIY. I have recently been doing a revamp on an old rocking chair which my dad gave me from his “shed” when I had my first bub. I will show you once its finished. Its been fun!
So buy handmade- try it!
xx Sanch
Simple living in today’s society? The idea of minimizing the amount of stuff you have, being more self-sufficient, or simply choosing specific products from small cottage industries, are not always popular ones.
To achieve simplicity requires, 1. Imagination: A little imagination goes a long way in simple living. It’s easy hand over cash in order to acquire something instantly, but much more imaginative to make, create it yourself or search for it. 2. Individuality: Just because a friend got an i-phone, spa or new 4wd, it doesn’t mean you need one too. Instead of following the herd to the shops and grabbing the first thing that jumps out at out, stop, sit and think about your lifestyle. 3. Flexibility: everyone is used to the quick-fix of running to the store and purchasing something. Be willing to accept alternatives.
Living simply goes beyond home and lifestyle, it also entails the kind of person I want to be. To put it simply, being authentic and embracing that. I know that I am on a journey to simpler living, and the process is gradual. I’m hoping somewhere along the way to find the real me – without the imprint of anyone else’s opinions. Its about making decisions based on what is best for your family and self, and being proud of that. Not judging and giving others the freedom to be real with you also.
My blog is my place to share who I am, what I do and I will always try to be be authentic here. I hope you are inspired to be authentic and live simply,even just one small step at a time.
xx Sanch
