home made buttons

Much like many of you out there, I have a bit of a thing for buttons. I get all curly-toed with happiness when I find the perfect button to match my garments, but feel like it happens less and less. Where have all the good buttons gone?

Once again, blogland has come to the rescue. Over the last week or so I have come across three very exciting tips on how to make your own buttons. Woo hoo!

First up, stamp extraordinaire craft pudding shared a very simple idea for making your own covered buttons without having to buy an expensive kit. So easy!











These are my first attempts. You like?

Next, I discovered here that number 6 plastic can be used like shrinky dinks. And remembered that Elsa Mora has been using shrinky dinks to make her own buttons.


And finally, three buttons (of course!) linked to a great tutorial showing how to make dorset buttons.

Poorly matched buttons should be a thing of the past in our house from now on. Yay :)

this is ... something I haven't used

Wow. As soon as I saw this week's this is topic from flossy-p I immediately thought of my fabric stash. I potentially could have spent half the afternoon sorting and photographing but thought better of it and did some actual sewing instead. So, this is just one of the very many pieces of fabric that I have bought but not yet put to use.


Clearly, it is currently a vintage sleeping bag. In the future, I hope to help it become another warm comfy skirt like these.

apron love

Yesterday there was a package waiting for me at the front door when I arrived home from work. "What have you been buying now?" I was asked. I plead innocence then thought about it. No, none of my purchases were expected yet. Then the brain cells started connecting and I remembered reading that some super-organised people participating in the sassy apron swap have sent their parcels already. Could it be?



Oh yes indeed, a beautiful package wrapped up in ric-rac and made especially for me. I was so excited I was literally jumping up and down.

And looky looky at what I got. A beautiful watermelon apron with matching tea towel, recipe card for watermelon lemonade and cocktail umbrellas to decorate the glasses. She even included the pattern used to make the apron. Thank you so much, Jodie - I truly feel spoiled!

[I find it ironic that the theme of the apron swap is "summer" yet I had trouble taking a decent photo because we are getting less and less daylight here at the moment. There was even ice on the car the last two mornings.]

I really like the look of the umbrellas all lind up.

Olive liked them too.

She wasn't so happy after I took them away, though. The poor dear has a fever and hives at the moment - this week's gift from childcare.

Now I really have to get moving and work on my own sassy apron to send off. Watch this space for progress report, hopefully very soon.

this is ...my way of recycling

Finally, a nice easy "this is" whose answer immediately sprang to mind.
I have a bit of a thing for old bedding. I am currently lining some little girls' dresses with vintage sheets and pillow cases. They are so pretty and soft.
But what really makes me excited is a good bedspread, which becomes a skirt once I get my hands on it.

still here

I haven't posted in a little while. My sewing machine was off being repaired and we had yet more illness in the house. I won't give you all the details but can advise that co-sleeping with your children becomes less of a good idea when they are suffering from vomiting eposodes that strike in the middle of the night. I wonder if I will ever catch up on the washing again?

So I don't have any craft to show and tell but can share something that has been keeping us all entertained for the last week or so. Olive is quite the little disco dancer now!

toadstool hat

Back during Vintage Children's Book Ilustration Week I spied some adorable toadstool hats from the Red Tops books on the excellent Bird Bath blog. I was all inspired and as soon as I had finished my mammoth knitting UFO, got out my needles to make a similar hat for Olive.

Well, it doesn't look much like the hats from the pictures, nor does it come even close to fitting Olive's head. But I might get some use out of it myself on cold days when I am feeling a bit silly.

And in a moment of synchronicity, after photographing my new hat this afternoon I went to the local Vinnies and found my very own copy of the Red Tops!

this is ... the pair of shoes that I would sleep in if I could

Being vegan, my footwear options are seriously limited and sadly, I don't own any shoes that I am paticularly fond of at the moment. So instead, I decided to go looking for a suitable pair that I could fantasise about wearing. Predictably, the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto came up with the goods. (I went there in 2004 and the Shoe Museum was one of the highlights of my trip. That, along with their Textiles Museum. What a great city!)


This pair of mojari were worn by the Nizam of Hyderabad in India in the early 1800s. They are embellished with gold metal thread, sequins, rubies, diamonds and emeralds. How's that for fancy? But what I really like is the curly elf toes.

Flashback Friday

I love this image. The hussy on the left is my little sister, and I'm the bookworm on the right in the pink t-shirt and orange hawaiian print skirt. I'm pretty sure I chose my own outfit that day.

Update: After a call from my sister sounding somewhat small and sad, I think I should point out that she is not really a hussy and she quite possibly did not choose her own outfit that day. Certainly her undies were not showing on purpose. Sorry sweetie.