mabel & daisy

Winking Kitties for Sarah

2011-11-29T15:17:00.000+10:00

This was a custom order for Sarah and both items turned out so much cuter than I expected. The polkadot lining of the pencil case really makes the kitty fabric pop. That pencilcase alone will be the reason I'll be trying to track down some more Winking Kitty fabric in the future... any takers?

Renaissance

2011-06-01T01:07:00.000+10:00

It is time for a new beginning, a restart, if you will.
I had thought to decommission this blog in favour of ONLY handmade, and both businesses sure have kept me busy over the past month.
But a new logo, and new tagline have inspired a new place to journal my adventures in making everyday pretty. And it's not just about making something out of the everyday and ordinary, but about seeing beauty in the everyday things too.

So I leave you with this, taken for Mothers' Day 2011. It's not a 'nice' family photo in the conventional sense, but I love the craziness of it (and it was one of the better ones that Ruggedy Wilderness Man took!) in the spirit of finding beauty in the ordinary.

New logo

2011-05-05T10:05:00.000+10:00

mabel & daisy have grown up! What do you think?

Change of address

2011-01-20T13:45:00.000+10:00

I want to thankyou all for your company on this adventure in sewing I've been taking over the past 18 months. It's been lovely getting to know you.
In recent days I've developed an interest in supporting handmade, buying locally, fair trade and organic fibres. In order to pursue this, I will be discontinuing the Sew Me Naomi blog.
However, If you would like to follow along on a different sort of adventure, my new blog will be here:

http://only-handmade.blogspot.com

There will also be a website coming soon where you will be able to support 'undiscovered' artisans, cottage industries and fair trade ventures with people from impoverished communities.
I am still selling under the label mabel & daisy, and am hoping that by branching out into this new venture, mabel & daisy will be able to focus more on vintage and girly lines rather than just 'anything Naomi feels like making.' You can follow both mabel and daisy and ONLY handmade on Facebook for special offers and sales:
http://www.facebook.com/mabeldaisy
http://www.facebook.com/onlyhandmade
Thankyou, lovely people, for you support, and I hope to see you soon over here:

Repurposed Shorts

2010-11-30T14:19:00.000+10:00

Here are some shorts I made for Miss E from an old spaghetti-straped pyjama top I was given. I cut them out intentionally leaving the trim around the bottom of the pyjama-top as the bottom trim on the short legs... and saved myself sewing extra seams! I am all for ~~being lazy~~ saving time!
Have you tried repurposing garments? I found a really interesting article about it, albeit with UK stats here:

I am sure there are heaps of other articles out there, as well as how-to's. It is a really fun challenge, and gives me a kick to be saving the environment, and all that.

Sew Me Naomi Sews Again

2010-11-23T13:38:00.002+10:00

It's been a very long time, my friends, do forgive me. They say beware of Greeks bearing gifts but since I'm not Greek I hope that you'll forgive me even faster when I tell you that I'm offering FREE POSTAGE worldwide on the first three orders I have for HANDBAGS, MESSENGER BAGS or BLOOM CLIPS today. You'll find the handbags and messenger bags here in my shop, and I haven't shown the bloom clips on the blog or shop yet, so here are some photos:

Email me at mabelanddaisy@gmail.com to order!

Little Handbag for Little Girls

2010-11-02T13:34:00.000+10:00

It's been a long time since I last posted and an awful lot has happened... we've successfully moved out of our house (packing into ten 44-gallon drums which was a challenge and a half!) and are now in Cairns awaiting our flight to Gove on Saturday evening. My mum has been holding up the mabel & daisy fort making bags for me, and we had fun yesterday trialing the HD video function on our new Canon 550D, in the park with Miss E. Here's a little video for your viewing pleasure!

My Creative Space

2010-09-30T16:43:00.000+10:00

Playing along for the first time in a loooong time. It's pretty chaotic here, getting ready to move interstate in 2 weeks with 2 kids under 2!

But here is something remotely creative I've managed to accomplish today, ironing scraps of Japanese fabric to add to the stash.

More creative spaces at Kirsty's.

Have you heard...

2010-09-24T15:18:00.000+10:00

...about Craftumi?
It's madeit.com.au's sister site for crafting supplies. It's great that finally Australians have somewhere 'local' to go for craft supplies, but I can sense it's going to be awful for my hip pocket.
The latest thing that grabs my attention is this chalkboard oil cloth which has so much potential...
And the pattern for this skirt which is absolutely delicious:

And I've even sold some surplus buttons already at my Craftumi store: mabel & daisy: the mad destash

Have you visited Craftumi yet? Get on board and shop local at www.craftumi.com.au !

Long time...

2010-09-17T08:20:00.000+10:00

...no blogging. I've been kept rather busy by these two little munchkins...

And I had over 30 orders in the hairbow sale I was running on Facebook...

And my sister is in the country for the next 10 days, the last time I saw her being at this occasion two and a half years ago...

...so it will remain quiet on the blogging front for the next little while.

But please don't give up on me... I will return!

Vintage Fabric Notebooks

2010-09-07T14:59:00.000+10:00

Some of you may remember the yummy vintage goodness I received a few months back from the Australian Vintage Sheet FQ Swap organised by Ange of Ange's Ramblings.
Well those 15 Fat Quarters I received will soon become the covers of some little notebooks I found in Cairns.

Here is the first one, hot from the machine...

The notebooks are a perfect size for a handbag: 15cm x 22cm with blank pages made from recycled paper. I think they're fab.

Friday Finds

2010-09-03T10:37:00.000+10:00

"Birdie" is one of Miss E's favourite words. Of course, for some reason, she calls all birdies "dodo", but we understand her. Here's a birdie-themed Friday Finds from MadeIt.

by Vintage Chenille

by 4Girliepops

by Little Mo & Friends

by Iszle

And I had to include this one purely for the irony:

by Sculley Design

My Creative Space

2010-09-02T11:00:00.001+10:00

A few more hairbows in the making for my upcoming sale. You can see more pattern options here.
Just 30 more likers until the sale starts... if you are on Facebook can you help us out by liking mabel & daisy?

Pop over to Kirsty's for more creative fun.

Friday Finds, a little late.

2010-09-01T21:10:00.000+10:00

Coming to you from MadeIt. Blue can be an unhappy colour, but here are a few items which caught my eye and brightened my day.

from Hey, Emmaline!

from All About Romance

from Odds n Blobs

from Masked Scavenger


from Tiramisu

from Buttons by LouLou

Spoons!

2010-08-31T20:49:00.000+10:00

Let me show you a little parcel a found waiting for me when we arrived home on Saturday.

I had ordered a little something from See Sam, fellow WAHMers I follow on Facebook. It came in this beautiful bag....

And when I opened it I was greeted with....

...Spoons! With our names on them! Cute huh? I once had a dream that our cutlery draw would be full of mismatching cutlery found at op-shops... cutlery with character! But when people buy you wedding presents, they don't think to shop at op-shops, so we ended up with fancy new stuff.
But when I saw See Sam had ventured into stamped spoons (check out the garden-related idea!) I knew I had to have some for our cutlery draw!

Here's a close up:

And not only did they do me a fantastically good deal, but they also threw in an extra little present for Miss S, when I explained that she hadn't actually arrived in the world yet:

Sweet, n'est-ce pas?

Everybody go and check out See Sam, because I think they are wonderful :)

September Sale Details

2010-08-27T08:51:00.000+10:00

For those of you who don't follow mabel & daisy on Facebook, you might just want to start.
This month we are going to have a sale on fabric hairbows!
Here are the details:
If we get to 300 likers, I will offer all fabric hairbows (with many more fabrics to come) for $6 (normally $8). If we get to 350, they will be going for $5.50, and if we make it to 400 likers by the end of the month, they will come down to $5!! Bargain!
They will make a great Christmas stocking filler for young and old.

I'll start adding photos of the available fabrics to the September Sale folder and once we hit 300 likers, I'll let you all know you can start placing orders. It'll be on a first in, first served basis, as there will be limited bows in each pattern.

All you need to do is place the comment "SOLD" under the photo of the pattern you would like, followed by a quantity. Then send an email to mabelanddaisy@gmail.com to lodge your order (this will help me find all your orders should you want more than one pattern).

The regular size bows are approximately 7 or 8cm by 3cm.You will receive two for the reduced price.
The Itsy Bitsy bows are approximately 4-5cm by 2cm. You will receive three for the reduced price.
Each set of hairbows is unique because of the variation in pattern.

As an added incentive for other page owners, if you can refer 10 people from your site, (get them to write on the main wall where they came from) then you can have an extra $1 off every set of hairbows you would like to purchase yourself! Sound good?

So here is a link to the folder where all the action will begin as soon as we hit 300 likers. Let all your friends know they can be a part of a great deal and we'll get there all the sooner!

Regular sized hairbow in a toddler's hair

Itsy Bitsy hairbows carded up

My Creative Space

2010-08-26T08:41:00.000+10:00

Has been lacking in the fabric department this week, mainly because of another creative project I've been working on for the past nine months, coming to fruition on Monday morning:

Miss S was welcomed to the family at 7:08am, after only a 5 hour labour (sure beats last time at 25 hours!) and weighing in at a healthy 8lb 2oz or 3.69kg. We've had a pretty good week in terms of adjusting, but she's a bit jaundiced and needs to be woken 3 hourly for feeds. Which at night, doesn't leave much time in between for sleep. (Especially, if like last night, she wakes herself with pains from working on a poop!)

I'm not sure if giving birth gives one a surge of creativeness (all those other hormones sure are wonderful) but I have been feeling especially full of ideas lately, of the direction I would like to take mabel & daisy, and ideas of things I can tackle next. We were able to go op-shopping yesterday morning - RWM looked after Miss E, my mum took Miss S, and I was able to browse at my leisure and pick out a few more fabrics and notions which will be making an appearance shortly.

We fly back home on Saturday whereupon I will be able start sending off parcels to all you lovely people who have been patiently waiting over the last month.

For more creative spaces, do pop on over to Kristy's!

September Sale

2010-08-22T02:27:00.001+10:00

I have been waiting until the baby comes to gauge how much time I will have before committing to my big plans for this upcoming sale. But baby seems to be staying put for now, and so I can't reveal everything just yet. Let's just say, I would like to celebrate reaching 300 likers of our FB page in September with a sale on fabric hairbows. They will be reduced to a ridiculous price and I will be offering a variety of fabrics like you have never seen before (that's where the time factor comes in). In addition, there will be a fun little incentive for other page owners who refer their customer base.
So hang in there, something exciting is in the works, I promise!
(And if you're not a liker of mabel & daisy on Facebook, you might want to become one to take advantage of it: click here!)

Port Douglas

2010-08-22T02:23:00.000+10:00

A lovely day in Port Douglas today: a beautiful part of the world. We had the opportunity to borrow a car very cheaply so we thought we ought to take advantage of being up this way and see what the fuss was all about. It was by no means overrated and we can see that future holidays to the Cairns area will have to comprise some time spent there. Here are some photos from the day.

A fellow inhabitant at our unit.

Found this great cafe by the beach. Could have stayed for hours.

Miss E being a cheeky chops.

Love this smile.

And this one.

View towards Cairns from the road.

Friday Finds

2010-08-20T10:06:00.032+10:00

Coming to you again from Made It. This time, since we're due to have a baby this week, a tribute to beautiful baby mobiles...


by Tiddliwink Toys

by Little Fish Creations

by Magnolia


by Cuckoo for Coco

by kathj80

There are some truly creative people out there!

My Creative Space...

2010-08-19T08:30:00.003+10:00

...I could tell you how most of my time has been taken up with little fabric hairbows lately. Most mornings this week I have been snip, snip, snipping tiny pieces of fabric and stitch, stitch, stitching tiny little bows. What else is a heavily pregnant mama supposed to do, far from home and her beloved sewing machine? {*sniff*: I pine for you}
And it is quite addictive, let me tell you!
But if you follow my Facebook page, chances are you've already cottoned on to that fact.
And truth be told, you're probably all a bit sick of bows and would like to see me turn my hand to something else. Something different?

Well, this Thursday I am going to do something different and new. I am not going to touch my box of bows. I am going to invest some love and attention into my little girl, before the next one comes along.

The sweet little one who's entry into the world almost 20 months ago created a mama out of me.

And who continues to challenge my creativity with her exuberance and curiosity in the world around her.

Or I might go into labour and have Little Sister in time for a truly "creative" Creative Space blog post....

New Hairbows

2010-08-17T12:24:00.001+10:00

How do you feel about pokadots?

These Itsy Bitsy Polkadot Bows will be in store soon, along with these lovely aqua and navy bows:

Muddy's

2010-08-17T12:22:00.000+10:00

We discovered Muddy's playground on Sunday afternoon. What an amazing place! I think Cairns is definitely risen in my estimation since discovering just how kid-friendly it is.
Here are some pics of my girl doing what she does best:

In fact, I have had such a fantastic week of activities that it hasn't been too hard coping with a toddler in a tiny unit for 12 hours a day. On Thursday, some of us MAF wives went to visit RWM at the hanger but stopped for coffee on the way at a banana plantation / animal farm / distillery. It was so relaxing and lovely, and Miss E enjoyed meeting donkeys and goats for the first time, and having fun with her friend Miss S.

The plane that RWM is training in.

And on Saturday, RWM and Miss E and I went for an early morning stroll along the Esplanade. RWM and Miss E braved the cooler waters of the lagoon and had a swim, and I had a chocolate milkshake. Bliss! I am well and truly relaxed and ready for this baby to come and turn our lives topsy-turvy after the amazing quality time I've been having with the family.

Friday Finds

2010-08-13T12:41:00.000+10:00

Coming to you this week from MadeIt.

Because I've had hair bows on the brain lately, here is my tribute to other Aussie sellers of beautiful hair accessories:

by Whistlefish

by Mel P Designs

by Miss Dish

by Lovely Little Things

and my personal favourite:

by Hair Fairy Clips

Do you like?

My Creative Space...

2010-08-12T07:10:00.000+10:00

...has been full of these ittby bitty baby bows this week:

They measure about 1" x 2". They are a bit more fiddly but oh so cute in my toddler's hair! Now if only she would stay still long enough for me to get a decent photo!
I am planning a photoshoot with Miss E and another toddler today though, providing to sun shines on Cairns. It hasn't for the past week or more, so my photos have been a bit of a let-down.
Here are some photos of the bigger ones (1.5" x 3") in my hair.

My alligator clips still haven't arrived, but I live in hope of having these up for sale by the end of the week!

What's in your creative space this morning? Visit Kirsty's to see what super creative people have been up to this week.

Cairns, Kuranda & I Can't Sleep

2010-07-31T23:49:00.000+10:00

We've been in Cairns almost a week now. It's been very full on. This course we are taking runs from 8am (breakfast) til about 7:30pm (after dinner) whereupon we try to get a very overtired toddler to sleep (taking us up to 9pm) and then look at homework or, more commonly, fall into bed.

Except that Cairns weather is not very kind to very pregnant mamas. So here I am at almost 11:30pm still awake, hot, sticky, itchy and wondering if I'll get any sleep much tonight. That being said, it's good practice for Arnhem Land which will be similar if not worse in terms of heat and humidity.

We had a pleasant day today though - as one of our last weekends as a family of three, we splurged and took the SkyRail up to Kuranda. It was a very nice day. We did a little shopping, ate an icecream, and Miss E even had a sleep in the stroller which was totally unexpected. Not a very long one, mind you, so she was something akin to a terror this afternoon, but it was very much my kind of day (lots of sitting, shopping & icecream).

Asleep in her crusts.

A very poorly framed family photo which makes me smile.

An expression we see frequently.

Ruggedy Wilderness Man looking the part in his new kangaroo leather hat.

The view towards Cairns.

Do you ever...

2010-07-29T17:27:00.000+10:00

...wear your daughter's hairclips?

Another mother on my course was wearing a small purple-blue floral bow clip in her hair the other day. I thought it was really beautiful, it suited her hairstyle perfectly. But I suspected it probably belonged to her 7 year old and my suspicions were confirmed when her daughter wore the same clip the next day.

I often wear Miss E's hair clips, simply because besides those, I only use bobby pins and those little guys can be pesky to find! But I don't have any bow clips and they couldn't be too hard to make from a beautiful vintage floral print could they? Or even these Japanese fabrics I've been given?

So I went to the internet to see if I could find something like what I saw and would you believe I could only find pictures of bows made from ribbons and not from fabric.

Bows like this one, from Instructables.com,

But in my trawl I also found these wonderful vintage-looking clips:

From I Love Lowie (handmade ethical clothing and accessories).

From QuipDesigns on Flickr

But I would love to see simple fabric bows on alligator clips or hair combs made from vintage prints. Like this print, which I bought last night.

What do you think? Firstly, bows: cute or too cutesy? Secondly, vintage bows: yum or no?

Bliss is...

2010-07-25T20:22:00.000+10:00

.. well, apart from just sitting down, which is becoming increasingly important in my life the bigger my stomach gets, bliss is vintage fabric.

And it doesn't get much better than this lovely bouquet which arrived in the post on Friday (but which, for some reason, I didn't discover until Saturday)

14 fat quarters of vintage sheet goodness from the Australian Vintage Sheet FQ Swap 2010.

In some ways, I wish I hadn't discovered it just before I left for Cairns, because it would be waiting for me to open and fondle when I get home. Now, just looking at the pictures, makes me pine for a cuddle because I didn't have a chance to fully appreciate it before we left.

Thanks Ange for organising a great swap which brings such joy to people's lives, and variety to their stash!

Turning Japan-ese-uh

2010-07-23T09:33:00.000+10:00

Kinda hard to spell that one the way it's sung.
Nevermind.

Here are some more prints I've been ironing. I'm about halfway down the bag now, but I've learnt my lesson - too much ironing at 8 months pregnant = sore back. My husband came home and said, "Why didn't you just lower the ironing board and sit down at it?" Yep, great idea... why didn't I think of that?

Do you see anything that takes your fancy? What would you make with it?

My Creative Space...

2010-07-22T10:05:00.000+10:00

I'm sorting out and ironing a massive bag of scraps my friend Anna from Momoko gave me, despite the fact that we leave for Cairns on Sunday and I will seperated from my sewing machine for 4 weeks. *sigh*
Here's some of the wonderful prints, and these aren't even 10% of what she gave me!

An entire bag of Japanese fabric scraps? Bliss.
For more Creative Spaces pop over to Kirsty's.

Crochet, Haircuts & a Tablecloth.

2010-07-20T12:22:00.000+10:00

...all things that I've been up to in my absence from the blogosphere. It wasn't an intentional absence, it just sorta happened. Things have been pretty busy around here, from Ladies Camp one weekend to sorting and organising before we go away for a month.

At Ladies Camp, one lovely old lady surprised herself by managing to teach me, a leftie, to crochet! Hats off to her I say! I've been pumping out a few of these lovely little flowers in my 'spare time' (meaning I've made a grand total of 4).

I've also cut this old tablecloth to make into a skirt for moi.

Of course it's a bit hard to get an idea of how it will sit while I'm pregnant so I've got some stretch material like the stuff you find on maternity pants/skirts and hopefully it will fit just as well when I'm not pregnant. I haven't yet sewn it on (I intended to use my mum's overlocker on a recent trip home, but we didn't quite get to it.)

And just in case you think I intentionally cropped out my head so you can't see what I look like, think again. I cropped it out because I had a wierd expression on my face! This is another I took in the mirror, which makes my tum look even bigger!

Anyway, you get the idea.

Finally, in other news, my 'baby' had a haircut on the weekend, her first ever. Her fringe was getting too long and while it was a bit sad, she looks so cute and little girlish now that I kinda like it.

She's so active that the highchair is the only way to go for photos at the moment. Do excuse the date-loaf face.

What have you been up to over the past few weeks?

My Creative Space...

2010-07-08T10:55:00.000+10:00

Another experiment in dyeing going on at my place this week. This time, I've painted Dye-Me-Flow on a doily.

This is the painted side:

And the non-painted side, where the colour has leached through:

I rather prefer the non-painted side - it looks more faded and vintage. Especially when I add some vintage scripts I've also been experimenting with in GIMP.

Provided it washes well, it will probably make it's way to my store, attached to the front of a onesie, or a vintage purse, who knows!?

The Dreaded Zipper

2010-07-07T12:54:00.000+10:00

Some people are afraid of button-holes. Nope, not I. My machine lets me do them quite easily. But zippers, ah, that's my phobia.

Zippers have never been my thing. They've always been that last stumbling block in completing a garment, something which I would much rather (and have always, in the past) passed onto my mother to do for me! Ah mums, where would we be without their sewing skills?

But I dread zippers no more, thanks to this tutorial offered by Anna at twelve22. Last night RWM was unwell and went to bed at 7:30pm, leaving me two blissful hours in which to sew up a storm and complete this little zippered pouch.

And I have to say, it was much easier than I expected. And considering I didn't press at any point in the process, alot neater than I expected too! I suspect the key is using a zipper foot, which I never knew I had hehe.

If you follow Anna's simple instructions, you too can conquer your fear of zippers. Or whatever.

You can expect to see little purses made from vintage fabric coming to mabel & daisy soon!

My Creative Space

2010-07-01T10:23:00.000+10:00

I went op-shopping with a friend yesterday and came home with these lovely sheets and fabrics:

Now my only problem is that I have too many ideas floating about in my creative space *up there*, and not enough time to put any of them to good use.

You see, I'm 32 weeks pregnant. Yay! I expect nesting should kick in sometime too and I'll surprise myself with my productivity...however, in 4 weeks time we are going to Cairns for 4 weeks (right until baby's due date!) and then 8 weeks after the baby is born we're moving inter-state. So I have this dilemma: all my nesting should be channelled into preparing what I can for the move before the baby comes and before we leave for Cairns. That leaves just 4 weeks and currently no motivation to nest, only alot of clutter to sort through. So as I just mentioned to my sister-in-law these beautiful fabrics will have to just make do with being fondled and await for mama to find some time post-baby.

My Creative Space...

2010-06-25T09:09:00.000+10:00

I'm joining in "My Creative Space" a little late this week - I don't know what happened to yesterday but it flew by with all my good intentions of posting about this charming young lady who is watching over my creative space these days:

Isn't she beautiful? And I can assure you she is even nicer in real life.

I can't even tell how she was made, so neat and fine is the stitching, and her handpainted features are just lovely. She even had RWM in raptures about her beautiful lips and eyes.

Jennie from A Little Vintage kindly sent her to me all the way from New Zealand after I won a competition she was holding on her blog. Isn't it a generous gift? And all the more because she added in some extra goodies! I tell you, I was feeling the love.

So this one goes out to Jennie from A Little Vintage who is my new favouritist person / crafter / artist, and I think you should all go and check out her lovely work.

Or you could visit Kirsty's for more Creative Spaces.

Some like it bright...

2010-06-23T07:57:00.000+10:00

In the giveaway I held for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day in May, I asked your opinions on the fabrics I use in my shop, and many of the responses indicated that brighter colours would be appreciated. Well, I listened.

Is it bright enough?

I love that it's so cheery (do birdies make you as happy as they make me?) and the lining fabric ties in well with the Alexander Henry "Birdseed" theme.

Available in my stores from today! AU$15 + P&H.

Sew for Backpacks 4 Aussie Kids

2010-06-22T12:08:00.000+10:00

Have you heard about Backpacks 4 Aussie Kids? I hadn't. They supply backpacks for kids going into foster care. Renee from Sweet Cheeks Crafts has organised a Sew for B4AK through Facebook and on her blog - we're banding together to supply crayon/pencil rolls for the backpacks. This is my contribution:

Go and have a look at the details on her website. Or drop her an email and she'll send you the tutorial. They are really quick to whip up, and don't use much fabric, so if you have some spare time, why not give it a go? It'll mean something big to a little kid.

Op Shop Finds: Yellow and Blue

2010-06-21T14:45:00.000+10:00

I just realised today in gathering up the fabric that is overspilling it's shelf in the cupboard that my fabric purchases have been decided yellow and blue lately.

I came away with these from the Vinnies store in Toowoomba two weekends ago:

A fabulous round tablecloth which is destined to become a skirt, I think.

These vintage sheets.

Combined with these pillowcases I got a few weeks back from Lifeline: do you see the distinct 'blue' theme happening?

Then today I happened to receive in the mail some Alexander Henry fabric: Birdseed in yellow, and in going to put it away, what else should ~~fall out of the messy messy cupboard~~, jump out at me but these fat quarters (my personal favourite is the vintage sheet one) which are also recent purchases (although not thrifted).

Do you think it means something?

I borrowed a baby...

2010-06-16T09:38:00.000+10:00

As if a toddler and one on the way wasn't enough?

Hehe, no, I borrowed this baby last night

In order to do this:

A ruffle-butt onesie for a custom order. I was quite pleased with the result considering I hadn't touched an overlocker since high-school.

The hour I spent fiddling with broken threads we'll just call experience, shall we?

Fantastic Finds

2010-06-13T14:24:00.001+10:00

And I didn't even go to a flea market or garage sale this week!

This beautiful fabric belongs to two pillowcases I picked up at Lifeline, but is unfortuntely slightly too small to become fat quarters for my vintage sheet swap.

This 80s scarf became ties for these onesies:

And my in-laws gave me this mass of lace and trims from a school fete they went to last week:

Wasn't it nice of them to think of me?

Facebook Friends Giveaway

2010-06-11T15:23:00.000+10:00

After much deliberation, here are the details of the '100 friends giveaway' I talked of.

The prize will be an item of your choice from my Made It or Etsy shop. What will you choose?

The game rules are:
1) Become a friend (fan/liker) (if you aren't one already) of mabel & daisy on facebook.
2) Invite your friends to become friends of mabel & daisy.
3) The top 10 of you with the most friends of mabel & daisy go into the draw, one of whom will be randomly chosen by Miss E, two weeks from today (25th June).

Note: I will need you to tell me who your friends are that have joined. You can do this by emailing me at mabelanddaisy@gmail.com by the 24th June.

Let's make 200 friends.... or more!

My Creative Space...

2010-06-10T11:42:00.000+10:00

More tie-onesies this week. This great fabric earlier in the week was a scarf from Lifeline but has been converted into ties for my shop. I've called it Retro Pop! because it just pops! off the white background of the onesie. I'm really loving the 80s look.
I've also been working on a special something for a craft swap with the Contemporary Handmade Alliance on Facebook. But, for fear that my swap partner will read this post, I must be all hush hush about it (we decided to keep our gifts a surprise!). All I can say is it is very red, and I am very pleased with it.

What's in your creative space this week? Why not play along at Kirsty's?

Sewing Date

2010-06-08T08:34:00.000+10:00

Last night I had a sewing date with my friend and (nearly) neighbour, Anna. It was so nice to have the time to get out our crafty things and know that we weren't going to be disturbed by husbands or kids. She's a designer working from home with a 3yo and 18mo so I think it was especially nice for her to do some sewing just for fun!

She worked on a pattern and cut some fabric, while I worked on carving this stamp:

Here is a test print on some broadcloth (just with stamping ink, that's why its so pale).

I can now see where I need to make some more precise cuts before I declare the stamp officially viable!

I was really pleased with how it turned out. Now to borrow a roller from my friend Tiffany, and get to making some practice prints in fabric paint before I try printing on my onesies!

Anna also gave me some lovely Japanese fabric to make a toddler clutch for her daughter. Do you like?

My Garage Sale Finds

2010-06-07T08:01:00.000+10:00

I had a lovely weekend... leisurely pancakes for breakfast on Saturday morning after a sleep-in til 7am (!!) and then Ruggedly Wilderness Man and Miss E came garage sale-ing with me. We made some great finds, mostly fun things for Miss E like stacking cups and a board book and a chalk board... but the major find of the day was this beauty:

Bask in the glow of it's shiny awesomeness:

Well, perhaps I'm exaggerating just a little BUT we were very pleased to get this one in new condition for $40 when they retail for $260. You see, we love bread, and use our breadmaker alot, but had the misfortune to own a Tefal Homebread which has an insanely loud and shrill beeper which has been driving us batty for the past 2.5 years. We've talked to Tefal and even tried dismantling the durn thing to shut it up but to no avail. There's no point setting your machine to wake you up to fresh bread if it's also going to wake you up at 4am to remind you to put in the fruit and nuts.

This baby however, has a beeper we can switch off. It is bliss. Plus compared to the Tefal which from constant use was getting a bit ricketty, it purrs like a kitten. And it does bigger loaves, which we're going to need with the new addition to the family. RWM came home and read the manual (! Yes, he was that excited) and began dreaming of the wonderful foods he could make, beginning with pasta Saturday evening for dinner. Yes, it is a welcome addition to our family.

The second noteworthy find was this free-standing fabric farm playset for Miss E. It needs a bit of attention, the velcro is getting rather old and useless, and it could do with a wash, but it was a freebie at one of the garage sales and I think she will have many hours of fun with it.

Pop over to Sophie's for more Flea Market Finds.

Sale at Thula Thula

2010-06-04T10:14:00.000+10:00

I stumbled across Naomi Terblanche's shop thula thula some time last year and instantly fell in love with and lusted after her designs, not to mention becoming suddenly very jealous of her creative talent. I mean, here is someone called Naomi (like me), married to a South African (like me), making beautiful vintage clothes for kids (like I want to do) only she does it about a zillion times better.

She's having a very big sale in her shop starting today, and I mean big: her prices are by no means unreasonable but she's listing some of her stock at a third of the normal price! Go and check it out and grab a bargain. I did.

Shh, don't tell RWM, but I got this for Miss E.

Death and Housework

2010-06-04T08:17:00.000+10:00

Warning: post contains picture of a dead bird.

Now I pride myself on being a fairly good housewife but here's one I've never had to deal with before....

My husband left for work this morning and routinely drove out the driveway, and as he does I usually go into the garage (after waving him goodbye with Miss E at the toddler gate) and close the garage door. This morning I thought, I might as well put on a load of washing while the garage door is up and the garage is bathed in light and all....

And was greeted with this:

Do you see what I'm talking about? Here's a (slightly gruesome) close up:

What does Mrs Perfect Housewife do in this situation? Will Naomi deal with this death without being permanently scarred? And more importantly, will she ever get to hanging out her load of whites?

My Creative Space...

2010-06-03T13:04:00.000+10:00

Such alot going on this week. While the cat is away (ie Ruggedy Wilderness Man) the mice (ie Naomi) will get-out-all-her-sewing-stuff-and-leave-it-on-the-dining-room-table-while-serving-up-meals-to-her-toddler-in-the-lounge-room-and-uh... play.

"Come on Miss E, we're going to have a picnic in the loungeroom... again!"

It has certainly been a productive time though, and I've loved not having to put my things away after just a few hours.

Yesterday was the best day for post ever, not only did I receive my printmaking supplies, for a completely fun and different adventure with fabric, but I also received these two patterns from the 1940s. One is size 2 and the other size 4.

Aren't these little girls lovely?

I am hoping to design a girls' {suspender skirt} for my shop at some point in the near future.

Meanwhile, I knocked up this long-sleeve tie t-shirt for a friend's little boy, and have another available in a size 2 should anyone be interested.

Where is your creative space and what is in it on this lovely Thursday? See kootoyoo for more!

Green Bean

2010-06-02T08:09:00.000+10:00

A little something I've been working on for Miss E. It's going to be a quiet book of colours. It's taken about 10 days of sporadic work (usually in the evenings with a cup of tea in front of the telly) just to get this far, so I'd consider making to sell but I'd have to charge a fortune! No doubt I'll get faster as I go though. And my hand stitching has come leaps and bounds!

Have you seen Checkout Girl's felt quiet book in Sew Liberated? Posy Gets Cosy reviews it here (complete with beautiful pics - I really must invest in a better camera!)

Getting Shorty

2010-06-01T18:32:00.000+10:00

Would you believe this is my first attempt at shorts-making? Well, yes, you probably would. But I was very pleased with the result. The shorts have no side seams, which makes the whole process alot faster too. I made them out of a navy blue pinwale cord, but they look almost black in our dimly lit unit.

I would have liked to get a better photo of them on Miss E, but she moved too much. This is the best I could do (pardon the flash) and note: the accessories were 100% her idea.

They are quite low-rise at the back, which I may have to tweak, as Miss E's cloth nappy pokes significantly out the top. But they stayed on, which means my elastic-handling skills must be improving!

Stay tuned for further experiments and advancements on the way to producing {suspender shorts}!

I'm back!

2010-05-31T08:05:00.000+10:00

After a week of blog-fasting. It was hard. Blogging has evidently become a part of my life. Of course it didn't stop me reading other blogs (in fact, it actually gave me more time to do that, which was really nice!) and updating my blog. Do you like the new format? It still needs a few tweaks, but I think it will stay like this for a while.

So this is the part where I show you what I got up to during the week. Well apart from spending quality time with Miss E and RWM, I was able to do a photoshoot for my 000 boys onesies...

Last night I developped this pattern taken from the doily in this post:

And I will put one of these lace flowers in the middle (as soon as they arrive at my house!) If it works, it'll be a new range of girl's onesies. If it doesn't (it will likely fray quite badly when I wash it), it can be for the new baby, and I'll go back to the drawing board! I have plans for a freezer paper or screen print instead.

And the shorts and messenger bag are still sitting beside my sewing machine, unworthy of a photo right now. But RWM is away for 3 nights so here's hoping for uninterupted evenings full of sewing!

What did you get up to this week?

My Garage Sale Finds

2010-05-29T15:43:00.000+10:00

The Sunshine Coast has a signficant lack of vintagey goodness when it comes to second-hand stuff. My theory is that the area is not old enough for people to have vintage things yet, everything is new and modern and if people are getting rid of it, it's probably not more than 5 years old anyway. It could be great for Ikea furniture and appliances, but I miss trawling through boxes of doilies and dusty chinaware.

Anyway, here are some of the things I came home with on Saturday:

This... (which as you can see, we've already put to good use)

And this... which was just the pick of a whole bunch of kids clothes and shoes

And this table runner which I think will likely become a heat-pack for the upcoming labour....

For the princely sum of $5. The family was moving to India and just getting rid of everything amazingly cheaply.

Then this double sheet set for $6.

At first I thought it would make a great pattern for little boy's shorts which is a project I'm currently working on. However, on getting it home, it has started to look more like a men's boxer shorts sort of pattern. And I wouldn't want little boys looking like their getting around in their daddy's undies. So it might just stay a quilt cover. We might need one of those when we move anyway.

What did you find this weekend? See Her Library Adventures for more fabulous finds.

Hiatus: (n.) /haɪˈeɪtəs/

2010-05-24T10:46:00.000+10:00

suspension: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something.

Sew Me Naomi is taking a break from blogging this week. It's about time I got away from the computer and invested some time in my little girl and husband. Both are starting to become a bit jealous of the time I spend sitting in front of the laptop. Plus, it'll be a good chance for me to get some sewing done too.

So I'll be back again next week and will hopefully have some finished projects to show for it (as well as a happy family).

Have a great week!

Flea Market Finds

2010-05-23T14:45:00.000+10:00

I lately stumbled across the lovely blog Her Library Adventures where among many other things, Sophie hosts a meme about Flea Market Finds. I seldom have the chance to op shop, but as it happens, yesterday RWM sat in the car minding a sleeping toddler while I browsed around the Lifeline store at Kunda Park for 20 mins. (This is where you all go, 'aww, what a good husband!') So this week I'm joining in!

I got these great sheets for $6.50 each, not cheap cheap, but so much cheaper than buying fabric new. The first one I thought might be for a vintage sheet swap, but on second thoughts it looks retro, but seems too new to be vintage. The second one is a single quilt cover, which I am in two minds about cutting up and using for craft. I just love the patterns... and what if one day I have a little boy.... *sigh* what to do!?

Then I picked up this almost 2m of blue linen (I think?)

And finally these sewing scissors for a buck. My last pair have mysteriously disappeared but will no doubt turn up now that I've bought some more!

Head on over to Her Library Adventures for more Flea Market Finds... you'll be amazed at what's out there!

Giveaway Day Winner

2010-05-21T07:55:00.000+10:00

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my kitty bag and my store(s). Some really great ideas, and some constructive criticism which is just what I was after. It looks like brighter colours are in popular demand, as well as clutches in other fabrics (working on it!).

There were 123 entries comments on my post, and 27 fans of mabel & daisy on facebook, who were assigned numbers 124-146.

I plugged the numbers into random.org and out came....

Which was assigned to a mabel & daisy fan:

Sara Strange! You're our winner. I'll be in touch on facebook.

I really can't tell you how much I appreciate your comments. I've so enjoyed looking at your blogs (if you have them), entering your giveaways, and I hope this is the beginning of many long friendships.

Thanks once again to Sew Mama Sew for organising the giveaway and giving us all the opportunity to connect!

Flamingo Pink in my Sink - My Creative Space...

2010-05-20T09:09:00.001+10:00

Adventures in Dyeing Part IV is taking place in my laundry sink right now.

My first step into this exciting domain began a few months back, when I first was sorting out Miss E's baby clothes in anticipation of the new arrival. I found alot of her newborn singlets and onesies had yellow stains on them, from all the possetting she did (apparently the acids get into the fabric and despite being clean, the fabric yellows while stored?). Anyways, I decided these would be good candidates for dyeing, and had bought some lovely dark brown Dylon dye. Because at this stage we weren't sure if we were having a girl or a boy, and who says girls can't wear brown?

Anyway, they turned out pretty well. 'Fraid I can't post a picture though, as I've since passed them on to my sister-in-law. I was unaware of the whole salt thing, but thankfully had enough on hand in the house to add a cup.

For Adventure #2, I tackled some other onesies and bibs with some navy blue Rit dye. They came out very splotchy, even though I added salt (which wasn't part of the instructions). It was a disappointing result. Dylon is twice as expensive as Rit, so if Rit was reliable, it would be alot easier on my pocket!

So for Adventure #3, I redyed them with navy blue Dylon. They came up better, but one is still splotchy. So perhaps it wasn't the dye, but the fabric? Could there have been something in the fabric preventing it from taking colour? If anyone has any idea, I'd love to hear from you.

Anyways, we've been given lots of second-hand baby clothes lately, some quite faded and stained, and we've since found out we're having a baby girl, so today's Adventure in Dyeing is taking place in a very exotic colour called Flamingo Pink. And it's a Dylon dye. Whether or not it was the fabric that didn't dye well in Adventure #2, I've been put off Rit now.

Also, I don't think that my technique is the best, just letting the fabric sit in my laundry sink and stirring occasionally. I'd love to boil it in a big pot on the stove, but don't have big pots, and even if I did, I'm a bit put off by the danger warnings on the back. (The Rit Instructions read: "Clean container immediately with chlorine bleach. Then scrub with powdered cleanser if needed.") I'm not keen to use anything in my kitchen that needs scrubbing with bleach.

I'm also hesitant to try with the washing machine because we live in furnished unit, so if for some reason the plastic parts of the washer took the dye, we'd be in trouble. Also, I've had a bad experience with oil based paint in a plastic sink, and I'm not keen to revisit that episode.

Have you any experience in dyeing? What techniques do you use? What kind of fabrics do you dye? Any advice for a beginner?

Visit Kirsty's for more creative spaces...

Reminder

2010-05-17T13:11:00.000+10:00

The Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day goes live today (tomorrow Aus time). Be sure to check out the massive list of giveaways here (250+).

Secondly, be sure to enter my giveaway by leaving a comment on this post.

The kitty clutch is all packaged and ready to go be shipped!

I hope you enjoy the fun and maybe even win something!

My creative space...

2010-05-13T09:23:00.000+10:00

...is getting ready to ship a consignment of tie onesies to Butterflys and Bugs Boutique in Bendigo. I just love how the each tie is cut from the same piece of fabric, but they all turn out slightly different from the next. Tie-onesies with character, anyone?

These ones are called "Benedick":

These have a more subtle pinstripe, the red is called "Tybalt" and the brown is called "Jaques".

all $15AUD from my madeit store and $14USD on Etsy.

What's going on in your creative space this morning? Visit the lovely Kristy of kootoyoo for more.

The Early Bird Gets...A Morning Nap?

2010-05-12T10:44:00.000+10:00

Literally. Miss E woke at 4:45am and decided it was time to start the day. She's a bit confused.

Then some happy little birdies visited my workspace this morning.

A welcome change from the past few days of contstant crunching and clunking of heavy machinery. The demolition works over the back fence are now technically in my back yard since the site manager came by this morning informing me that they were about to tear down the fence. Now I can show you the destruction in all its glory through the gaping hole.

I only wish the site manager had come by last week to let me know I should get my washing done before they sent clouds of dust onto our clothes for days and days.

Giveaway Day, 17th May.

2010-05-10T18:51:00.002+10:00

Sew Mama Sew hosted a Giveaway Day last year in December and it was loads of fun. And they're doing it again! On the 17th May, a huge list will go up at the Sew Mama Sew website of sewing mamas and bloggers offering giveaways, and all you have to do is pick which ones you want to enter.

Up for grabs from "Sew Me Naomi" is this kitty clutch fresh from the sewing machine. All you need to do to is leave a comment answering one of the following questions:

What do you think of the prices in my shop?
What do you think of the colours, patterns, fabric I use?
What would you like to see more of?
What was your latest gift purchase for a baby or toddler?

The comments will be closed on May 19th, and the bag will be shipped by 24th May.

Psst, I'm going to offer a second entry to anyone who "likes" my mabel & daisy page on Facebook.

Simply click on the "like" button in the top centre of the page and you'll be in with a second chance!

(Each person who likes the mabel & daisy page will be assigned a number before the random generator does its thing.)

Psst again, Become a follower of my blog and leave a second comment saying so, and you'll get another chance to win.

That's up to three entries per person.

Have fun!
P.S. I will ship internationally.

Productivity At An All-Time High!

2010-05-10T10:43:00.000+10:00

The mabel & daisy workspace was a busy one leading up to Mother's Day, with headbands and bags coming out left, right and centre.

A big thankyou to my nieces Misses E and I, and my Miss E who modelled for me over the weekend.

Over my back fence...

2010-05-07T07:55:00.000+10:00

Yesterday we pretty much woke up to the noise of a house being demolished. Thankfully, it wasn't ours. But there's nothing like the melodious sounds of smashing bricks, shattering panes of glass and squeaky heavy machinery in the morning!

Because we back onto another court, and never have a reason to go into the next street, we had no idea there was any construction (or deconstruction for that matter) going on.

Apparently they are demolishing two houses over our back fence to make way for public housing.

Seems sad that they didn't have someone come in and gut the places first. Surely there is a market for second-hand house materials like roof tiles, glass, even bricks and the wood from the frames?

Or perhaps it's just the op-shopping, fabric-salvaging, thrifty-mama part of me that wants to go over there and rescue some rolls of carpet. Amazing, too, when so much work goes in to building that it can all come down in a matter of hours. Warning, I could get very philosophical today.

What's going on over the back of your fence? You might be surprised...

(Disclaimer: SewMeNaomi does not encourage or endorse stickbeaking :P)

My creative space...

2010-05-06T08:09:00.000+10:00

A package came for me yesterday, from Mayumi, whose Etsy shop, karaku, sells beautiful japanese fabric.

Not only did it come wrapped in this lovely blue paper.

But she also included this lovely little package of extra goodies (in addition to the fabric I ordered)

What a lovely thought! There's nothing like Japanalia to make a crafty heart beat faster.

It's official: I think that Etsy must be one of the happiest places on the Internet.

So my creative space has some new additions today:

My favourite of which is this little scribbly guy:

So there'll soon be some kitty purses and perhaps even matching headbands in my store.

How about you? What's in your creative space? Have you had a happy fabric purchase lately?

Pop over to kootoyoo to see more creative spaces.

For the bag-lovers

2010-05-05T08:49:00.001+10:00

It's not often I get to make something for my little Miss E that she'll actually wear/like. She's a bit fussy when it comes to prettying up her hair so the headband I made for her in this post was worn for about as long as it took this Mama to get some photos and then discarded.
But she does love bags, so this is one I know she'll tote around for hours.

Would you like one for your little bag-loving princess? Or perhaps one for yourself?
I'll be making up some more and posting them in my shop shortly.

A Tribute...

2010-05-02T07:08:00.000+10:00

To doily love.

Left to Right, Top to Bottom

Tote by expression2009

Underpants by sandmaidensleepwear

Skirt by WhiteDoily

Stationery by psitsinthedetails

Handbag by cindymars7

Clock by andfurthermore

Curtains by WhiteDoily

Purse by queenbee55

Doily Love

2010-05-01T18:01:00.001+10:00

A little something I've been mulling over the past little while.

I might schedule a date with some freezer paper and some fabric paint next week.

Headbands

2010-04-30T10:59:00.000+10:00

Coming soon to an etsy store near you.

What Sheep and Marine Animals Have in Common or My Creative Space

2010-04-29T08:32:00.000+10:00

A curious title you say? Let me tell you a story.
It all started yesterday. Following on from my last post about sheep, I was feeling quite sheep-ish and had the idea to make a sheep softie out of some beautiful purple minkie whose lovely softness is unfortunately prisoner of my sewing cupboard until such time as I turn it into something.

Great idea Naomi! I went trawling the internet while Miss E slept, not really finding any pattern I was absolutely happy with and then stumbled across a link to this:

Felt Aquarium Magnets by the purl bee

It just so happened that in my stash search earlier I had to remove my pile of felt to get to the minkie. It was sitting on the table.

It also just so happened that I had come across these magnets in a clean up earlier that morning.

(Featured here on my rusty fridge)

Was it a sign, do you think?
I got out my trusty embroidery box:

A relic from my childhood. It had a fantastic 6 sided Goldilocks cube puzzle in it which I loved. Every time I open it up, the pine box smell takes me back to when I was five years old.

Well I got this far...

...before realising that my magnets aren't strong enough to hold the little critters to my fridge through the felt.

Now I had a proper reason to feel sheepish!

So today, my creative space if full of felt I still haven't put away, ideas for sheep softies which still haven't been started, a jellyfish and a butterfly fish with no home, and a sheepish mama looking for cheap, strong magnets on the Internet.

And that is what sheep and marine animals have in common.

The End.

Sheep

2010-04-28T08:54:00.001+10:00

They say that there are more sheep than people in New Zealand, which I guess isn't so hard when the population of the country is only 4.5 million.

But in my opinion, it only looks like they have lots of sheep, because they cram them in such small paddocks. The photo above was taken in rather a large paddock, but there were many more examples of tiny plots simply covered with small woolly bodies. Well perhaps sheep don't need so much room as they do in Australia where fodder is more scarce. With so much water and green grass, New Zealand is like sheep heaven.

I bought this tea towel, not because I'm into souvenir tea towels, although I've seen some people get quite creative with them. Truth be told, I was attracted to the green border. I have a curious fascination with green. And I thought the patterns were bright and fun.

I'm not sure if I'll use it as a tea towel, or perhaps sewing materials, or perhaps both?

We're back!

2010-04-26T12:07:00.000+10:00

I have 659 photos to sift through, 10 days worth of washing to do, and my 3rd Gupapuyngu assignment due by the end of the week.

We had a great, cold, travelling, magnificent time though, and there'll be more on New Zealand when I've caught up on housey-wifely things. But for the time-being, here's a family photo taken at Fox Glacier which sums things up nicely.

My creative space...

2010-04-15T10:28:00.001+10:00

...this morning doesn't stand much chance of being creative, mainly because we leave for 9 days in New Zealand tomorrow (early!). So, instead, here is a list of the lists in my creative space:

a) to buy from IGA (completed) (although I forgot to add zuccini and cheese and therefore forgot to buy them!)
b) household chores to complete before going away.
c) travel checklist for packing.

Can you tell I like lists? Not really because they help me remember things.... I'm forever leaving my shopping list at home. But I do like writing lists. It's fun. It's therapeutic. It's time for me to get busy!

I'll have some pretty NZ pics to post in 10 days time.

P.S. For another list (they're everywhere!) of crafty blogs, pop on over to Kirsty's.

Stuck!

2010-04-14T09:54:00.000+10:00

After a lousy start to the week with a 36 hour migraine (and no drugs because of the pregnancy, not even a panadol to be had in the house!) I decided that I would get busy sewing this morning while Miss E takes her nap.

It started off fantastically. I got out the pillowcase from this post and a pattern I had already made and my cutting board on the loungeroom floor. I savoured the beautiful sound of heavy fabric scissors chomping their way to sewing nirvana.

Then I sewed the frill on the bottom of the dress.

Huzzah, it works well!

Then I got stuck.

Alas, no grey thread!

Never before have I had to sew anything grey.

So this is as far as I got.

Back:

Front:

I'm hoping my friend Laura will be able to help me out. We're heading over to her place later this morning for a playdate.

Embroidered Pillowcase

2010-04-14T08:40:00.000+10:00

I forgot to add this pillowcase to the $4 stash I blogged about yesterday. It's hard to find nice embroidery like this and it would take me weeks to do myself, so I thought this was a bargain find. I just need to come up with a use for it. What do you think? I'm leaning towards turning the pillowcase into a library bag by just adding some handles, and sewing a base into the bottom. What would you do?

Op Shop Finds

2010-04-13T08:39:00.000+10:00

I have, for some time now, looked lustfully at the vintage purchases other bloggers have made from Op Shops near where they live. Here on the Sunshine Coast, I rarely find anything blog-worthy, let alone vintage. I think the population is too 'new' for there to be an accumulation of 'old stuff.' That, and the shops are all very pokey and don't accomodate prams very well. (Just sayin'!)

Therefore, this weekend visiting family in Toowoomba I had the opportunity to go to Vinnies, where I had never been before. They are only open for 2 hours on a Saturday morning and in spite of living in Toowoomba for 10 years, I had never been there at the right time.

I was so pleasantly surprised, not only because the shop was spacious and clean, but it extended much farther back into the building than I expected, AND had a second floor for household items, furniture and books. There was a great selection of clothing and some wonderful vintage finds.

Stripey pillowcases for tie-onesies:

Floral pillowcase for a baby dress. (Can't you imagine that wonderful frill on the bottom hem?)

And some doilies to use as a screen printing template:

Then of course, a few little things for my girl; a cute little hat:

And some shoes to keep her little toes warm in New Zealand later this week - thongs are fantastic for the Sunshine Coast, but wouldn't do at all in colder climes!

And all of this for the princely sum of $4.

This mama is very well pleased. :)

In my creative space...

2010-04-08T13:25:00.000+10:00

...today we have a few inauspicious pieces of scrap paper. They may not look much, but these scraps represent new products for my store. I'm developing a pattern or two for my latest idea, toddler bags. I know many people won't automatically think, 'Hey, that's just what my child needs,' but I know one little girl who even at 12 months knew that 'going out' meant finding her hat and slinging mama's handbag over her shoulder.

I'll make up one for her, and we'll see how it goes from there. What do you think? Toddler handbags yea or nay?

Giveaway Winner(s)

2010-04-08T13:17:00.000+10:00

Thanks everyone who commented on my last post. Y'all have so many good ideas! There's a great deal of fresh inspiration going on in mabel & daisy headquarters (ie my head and my loungeroom) thanks to you!

I've decided that all of your ideas were so great and that you were so great for sharing them with me that I'm going to let you all have 50% off at my shop. Just convo me before you purchase and I'll set up a listing just for you.

Keep an eye out for new products in the coming months, possibly featuring these prints, thanks to your input:

50th post giveaway (and my creative space)

2010-04-01T08:29:00.001+10:00

Ok folks, it's competition time.
This here is my 50th post, and it's almost Easter, and mabel and daisy has an ABN, so it's time to celebrate with a giveaway.

But first, to my creative space!

Not quite brown paper packages tied up with string (my favourite!) but parcels I need to send off today from successful Ebay sales. I made about $130 this week which isn't bad for about a day's work.

My mabel & daisy space is on the back burner for a time, awaiting another injection of jumpsuits to sew.

What it really needs though, is an injection of creativity in new directions so this is the aim of the game today: I'm looking for ideas. Creative ones. Ideas of areas into which mabel and daisy could expand or grow. What is hot at the moment? What do you simply love? Should I make teddies next? Or headbands?

Leave me a comment with a brilliant idea and win your choice of a) 1/2 price off anything in my shop, or b) my eternal gratitude.

The winner will be chosen for the idea that most appeals to me, or, if there are many people with the same idea, I will put names in a hat and ask my obliging husband to draw one.

And don't forget to check out everyone else's creative spaces.

Good for the soul

2010-03-31T13:53:00.001+10:00

Things that put a smile on my face today:

1. Ah the joys of a brand new (second-hand) vacuum cleaner rod to replace one that has been broken for about 3 months. Repeated masking and gaff taping wasn't cutting it anymore. I have to thank the lovely man at Godfrey's Maroochydore for giving me an old rod FREE OF CHARGE. Vacuuming this morning was a breeze.

2. This Etsy shop, I have added almost every fabric they sell to my favourites. And their stamps! Drool.

3. My friend Linley dropping by this morning, after almost 3 months of not seeing each other (and she lives only a kilometre away, isn't that sad!) and a lovely catchup.

Is In Business!

2010-03-29T09:20:00.001+10:00

mabel & daisy got an ABN yesterday and so is officially more business than hobby. Very exciting. I'm working on a shipment of boys tie-onesies and bibs for the Butterflys and Bugs Boutique in Bendigo (great alliteration, no?) and have two commissions to work on, so I've got garments out and ready to sew and my mind full of mabel & daisy expansion ideas.

What's more, "Sew Me Naomi" is coming up on it's 50th blog post, which is deserving of celebration in it's own right, don't you think?

I feel a competition coming on. Stay tuned. :)

Project Update

2010-03-26T11:26:00.000+10:00

An update on a few projects I've been working on lately:
Baby Car Seat Strap Covers: check!

A second ivory cushion cover for those cushions that have been sitting naked in a cupboard for about 2 years: check!

And last, but not least, my sewing shelf after a big clean out last night.

I got the green and pink fabric storage boxes from Target for $5.60ea. A very good investment and they fit amazingly well in my shelf space, don't you think?

Patterns for Sale!

2010-03-26T10:29:00.000+10:00

Calling all sewing enthusiasts!
In the name of clearing out my sewing shelf and getting some organisation going, I am selling some of my beloved patterns on Ebay.
This one is my personal favourite:

That short dress on the left with the short veil is so funky.

And don't you think the model on the left of this one looks like Princess Di?

I have a few retro and a couple of modern ones up for grabs so take a look in case there's something you would like to make!

My creative space...

2010-03-25T09:33:00.000+10:00

Need I say more?

My creative space...

2010-03-18T09:36:00.000+10:00

...this week is all about these baby car seat strap covers.

This excites me for 3 reasons:
1. The satisfaction of finishing one of the many projects that have been sitting, cut out and ready to sew, in my sewing cupboard for too long.
2. I've been having a blah kind of week and getting a chance to sew is good for the soul.
3. Because these particular car seat strap covers may or may not be for the new baby - we'll find out at our ultrasound this afternoon!

So little time...

2010-03-12T10:37:00.001+10:00

I dropped off the blogosphere last week when it became evident Miss E was dropping one of her daytime naps. Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem, except being pregnant and all, I was relying on her naps for an opportunity to nap myself. Now that she's having just the one, and I am napping at the same time, I find that all my waking hours are spent with a baby who won't let me get the housework done, let alone blog or sew.
It'll just take a few weeks to figure out how it's all going to work out so bear with me.
In other news, we are going on holiday in April to New Zealand. We are both SO ready for a holiday, it will be our first non-work-related time off since our honeymoon almost 2.5 years ago. And in celebration, here's a gratuitous pic our girl's passport photo, the pursuit of which has been occupying a great deal more time than it should.

That innocent look gives you no idea of how difficult it is to get a baby to be still, look at the camera and keep their mouth shut (when really she's a very smiley girl). It was a painful day or two before we got this one.

My creative space...

2010-03-04T09:27:00.000+10:00

My creative space this morning includes:

placemat, because my creative space is on one end of our dining table.
fabric leftovers from the baby quilt, because I was going to do something with them a few days back and instead they just got made into a pile on the dining room table.
passport, because we are planning a trip to New Zealand in April (!!)
felt tomatos, because I am slowly accumulating elements of a a quiet book for Miss E. (Very Slowly.)
laptop, because I am taking up a Grad Cert in Yolngu Languages and Culture through CDU this semester. We are moving to Arnhem Land in October, and so I'm tackling one of their languages, Gupapuyngu.

An odd conglomeration of items I'll grant you, but a true and honest representation of my space today :)

New Year, New Store

2010-03-02T10:08:00.000+10:00

is moving to Etsy. I'll be listing all baby items there over the coming days, and I have alot of sewing planned for the near future so check back to see my new items!
Also, if you're Australian, and you've been thinking about buying one of my garments, now might be a good time, as the exchange rate works in your favour at the moment and prices are slightly cheaper than at my MadeIt store.

A Baby Quilt

2010-03-01T10:18:00.000+10:00

There's an interesting story behind this fabric.

Way back in 2008 I had intended to take advantage of the Boxing Day Sales and go out and buy some fabric for a baby quilt for Miss E, who was due on the 5th of January. I figured that it would occupy the time I would be spending twiddling my thumbs and waiting for an overdue baby (as first babies often are!) Instead, Miss E came on the very day the shops reopened for the sales (27th Dec) and I didn't get to buy the fabric let alone make her a quilt. When she was about 3 months old I went out with my mother and picked this fabric for a quilt for her.

Then another setback was that I discovered, in making a gift for a friend (my first ever blog post!) a walking foot for my sewing machine would really be advantageous. So things were on hold until I got one of those, and then once I did, they were on hold until I got brave enough to try to attach it to my machine. I am surely not the only one who is intimidated by such gadgets?

Anyway, finally attached this summer, it has most recently helped in the sewing of those cot bumpers, and now, finally, Miss E's baby quilt. Only it's not going to be for Miss E, who, being born at the height of summer, never really needed one. You see, we're expecting another baby in August!

I used bamboo batting, so it's really lightweight but warm. And bamboo was so much nicer to use that polyester batting. I am very pleased with how it came together, and that I have actually managed to sew something for one of my children before they are born! :)

Presenting...

2010-02-24T08:03:00.000+10:00

Cot bumpers, finished!

I actually had these done on Friday last week but our laptop's keyboard died (would you believe two days after the lapse of warranty?) and we only just got it fixed again yesterday afternoon. Typing with the 'n' button, 'b' button, and spacebar would have made this post a little more difficult to do.

Miss E saw me taking photos in her room and wanted to get involved....

What's that mum, we're pulling everything out between the slats of the cot? Oh let me help!

And I was hoping for cute little apple buttons, but haven't bought any yet.

...so for now, safety pins will suffice.

My creative space...

2010-02-18T11:06:00.000+10:00

...is making progress.

It's been so hot over the past few weeks that my sewing machine being set up in the garage is a real disadvantage. It's like being embraced in a warm blanket the moment you open the door.

So yesterday we had some rain and it was finally cool enough to accomplish this...

...and after a trip to Spotlight this afternoon, I ought to have enough bias binding to sew up the rest.

Here's hoping.

My creative space...

2010-02-05T09:32:00.000+10:00

The time has come to make Miss E a cot bumper. It's really not for her, but for us. Over the past month, while we were away, she became so used to being able to throw herself about in the portacot that now, in her cot at home, she is doing the same thing. It's not waking her, although she must sleep quite lightly as a result, but it's waking us instead! I feel like I hardly slept at all last night!

Therefore, in the name of mama's sleep, Miss E is getting a cot bumper made today. From this fabric.

Apples!

Happy February

2010-01-31T19:33:00.000+10:00

Hi fellow bloggers and blog-readers. I'm back from my month away! Totally mentally exhausted, so I'm not putting an enormous amount of effort into anything right now, just looking forward to a 'normal' week at home doing not very much. And on a bit of a health-kick after eating greasy catered food for 3 weeks.

How was your January?

And here is the only sewing related purchase I made all month (my husband has gotta be pleased with that!)

I think it will become a few little false bib onesies. Look out for them in my shop sometime soon (or perhaps in a few months! haha)

What fabric purchases have you made lately?

Happy Holidays!

2010-01-02T09:04:00.000+10:00

With the festive season officially 'so last year', I can breathe a sigh of relief and think about our holidays which are coming up very soon. The 5th of January marks our 2nd wedding anniversary, and also coincides with the start of a 3-week course in Melbourne for RWM's work this year (more on that later). The whole point of the course is to see how well we handle stress so I can't say I'm full of excitement and anticipation, but it will be nice to have RWM off work. After that course finishes, we have another 4-day course before coming home.

I won't have internet access while we are away, so no blogging for a while, and any purchases made at my store won't be sent until February 1st. I hope you all have a great start to the year.

More in a month.

(Gratuitous pic of Miss E, who celebrated her first birthday this week.)

So much to do...

2009-12-21T08:29:00.001+10:00

So little time...!

Do you, like me, feel that Christmas has snuck up on you this year?

It might also be because for the first time, our family will be celebrating a birthday on the 27th of December, and because we are leaving for Melbourne for the entire month of January and have to have an organised house so that our housesitters can find things easily...

Either way, my brain is positively frazzled and ready for the Christmas long-weekend.

How frazzled?

Well this is how I spent my time last night.

That's right, now I can proudly say that my bookshelf is colour-coordinated.

God help us.

My creative space...

2009-12-17T10:40:00.000+10:00

...has nothing to do with sewing this week. I'm taking a bit of a break, mainly as a wind down after our crazy fortnight of guests, but also because my time is consumed doing Christmassy things!

...like wrapping brown paper packages tied up with... well, ribbon.

...and finally buying and decorating something akin to a Christmas tree. When we got it home we realised it was called "Tortured Elm" but we won't dwell on that.

It looks cool.

Fatigued....

2009-12-14T10:08:00.000+10:00

Perhaps back-to-back visitors for 10 days at the end of the year wasn't the best idea. It meant Miss E was sleeping in our room, waking up 3 or 4 times in the night. Possibly cutting a tooth. I'd love to think so. Her top gums are bulging but no tooth yet and it's been several weeks.

So this mama is a bit tired. A big bit tired. Mama's are not supposed to be getting up 4 times in the night to their almost one year olds. Plus hosting a constant stream of people through the house and cooking and cleaning for them all.

So my sewing has been taking a back seat to sleep at the moment, which I have been doing pretty much whenever Miss E does.

This past week though, I did manage to do a little work on this dress which, I'm sure you will laugh when I say, I actually started it for my niece's second birthday in October 2009.

It has beautiful broderie anglaise in silver over a sweet strawberry print.

It got put aside because I had issues with the invisible zip. Then it spent quite a while at my mum's house, waiting for me to come finish it there. Then it came home again, only to get packed up when we moved in April. Anyways, with my mum's expert help, it was finally finished this weekend, just in time for my own daughter to wear!

My next project is figuring out how to attach the walking foot I bought a few ~~weeks~~ months ago, and finishing the quilting projects that have been on hold since, oh, May this year.

Christmas Sale & Giveaway Winner

2009-12-07T19:26:00.000+10:00

And coming in at number 19 is Susana who said,

"I would love a tweet-tweet bib. And yay for intercontinental love!"

Yay indeed! I'm looking forward to getting your details, Susana, and sending a little bit of intercontinental love your way.

Thankyou to everyone who entered my giveaway and left such lovely comments about my shop. I certainly wasn't expecting so many entries nor kind remarks about my work.

To reward all you lovely people who said lovely things, I'm going to share the Christmasy spirit even further and offer you 20% off everything in my store, and free shipping to Followers of this blog. Enter "Christmas Spirit" at checkout for 20% off, and "I Follow You" for free postage. And yes, you may use both offers at the same time! There's still 3 weeks left until Christmas so order soon for Christmas presents and I'll pop your order in the post lickety-split!

Happy Happy Christmas Time one and all.

Cover up

2009-11-30T10:38:00.000+10:00

I'm soon to be moving to a very hot, very sunny place.

The kind of place where melanomas thrive on poor fair skins like mine.

I'll be wanting something like this:

In fact, I'll probably want many of them.

And this one, from the 1940s is definitely selling the idea to me:

(Although those cuffs look a bit warm)

And I live in this wonderful place called the Sunshine Coast so you would think I wouldn't have a problem finding some lovely beach cover ups to take with me would I?

Think again. I cannot find a simple white beach cover, with long sleeves, for less than $60. And puhleese, how much work can possibly go into a light cotton shift with long sleeves? Just whack a "Seafolly" label on it and watch the price soar.

So I'm thinking about making one. How hard can it be?

My creative space...

2009-11-25T10:18:00.001+10:00

...which this week, happens to be the rug in the lounge room, involves some olive green quilting cotton, some pink ribbon, and a little girl's dress.

And look, French seams!

I'll let you know how this one turns out. Yes, it looks alright so far, but as you're getting to know, my sewing never comes together mishap free!

'Tis (almost) the season...

2009-11-24T19:57:00.000+10:00

A) to be jolly
B) to be jelly
C) to be in a giveaway.

Lucky for you all, the answer is C! (You're disappointed it wasn't B, aren't you?)

That's right, I'm hosting my first ever giveaway on December 2nd.

So here are the important details:

To enter, simply visit my store and leave a comment in THIS post, telling me which item you would like to win. I will pick a comment by random number generator and you can have that item for free.

You must leave your comment by the 6th of December, as the draw will happen on the 7th December, and so I can ship by the 12th, potentially in time for Christmas (depending on how far away you live!)

And I will ship internationally, because what is love, if it can't be shared intercontinentally?

I'm excited, are you?
I can't wait to see which items in my store you like the most.

Happy 3rd Blogoversary to Meet Me at Mike's who is celebrating by hosting a mass of giveaways, and if you follow the link in my sidebar to Sew, Mama, Sew! they'll be publishing another whole list of other crafters who are hosting giveaways on December 2nd. A whole world of handcrafted items is yours to win!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Maternity?

2009-11-18T08:02:00.000+10:00

On a note not entirely related to me sewing anything, but rather, to someone else sewing something, I must must MUST have this dress: The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

(Photo by Grosgrain)

Isn't it divine?

It makes me want to be pregnant again just to wear it.

Extreme Make-over

2009-11-17T14:12:00.000+10:00

Miss E's first birthday is coming up on the 27th of December. I was intending to make a ragdoll for her. Then the other night, her Granny and Grandpa presented her with this:

They found her at the markets (and didn't know I was going to make one). So that's one less present I have to think about.

However, this ragdoll is just begging for a makeover. I mean, seriously, who wears thick cotton long-sleeved dresses and aprons? Alright, who in AUSTRALIA wears thick cotton long-sleeved dresses? Right, no-one. She looks really really hot. I mean, it makes me sweat just looking at her. (Or is that because it's 35 degrees here today?)

That hat has to go.

Oh look, what lovely hair she has. Much better. Next, she'll lose the dress.

And the elastic in her bloomers is shot. And speaking of which, who wears long bloomers (if at all)? Nope, I think it's just better to start over with this one.

And that's when I had an idea. Miss E's grandma recently made her this dress...

...And gave me the scraps. Do you think Little Miss Ragdoll (yet to be named) would look nice in a matching dress?