The style was was limited by my fabric choice (just one flour sack).
The bag is lined for strength. I had a bit of fun with the raw edges and the stray threads & an Op Shopped suede belt was hacked into & fashioned into a bag strap.
I've noticed just how much I rely on the car. Today I walked and caught the tram into the city with the girls for a doctor's appointment and then rode my bike to visit my sister...I'm shattered.
Much as I love living in the leafy green suburbs (where not even a coffee is walking distance) today would have been much easier if I lived in Fitzroy.
This map is from an old street directory picked up at the Camberwell market yesterday - so good!
Friends of the bride & groom shared their talents and helped out with cake decorating, invitations, photography & personalised chocolates as place settings!
I had a hand in the centrepieces for the tables. They looked beautiful and created a lovely romantic ambient glow. These are just perfect if you're planning a DIY wedding because they can be made well ahead of time.
The glasses were picked up for 50 cents a piece at local op shops. We chose to wrap in bamboo which had a lovely sheen & looked very pretty in the daylight.
wrapped tea lightView more presentations from kootoyoo.
Obviously these can be used and reused for different events & as either tealights or vases.
Despite the week long threat of rain & thunder storms, Saturday was the perfect day.
We all trundled out to the Yarra Valley for the wedding of my gorgeous cousin & her gorgeous fella.
My smallest was not officially in the bridal party but she's got a fair bit of spunk & kind of wangled her way in anyway. She did actually look like she belonged which was a happy coincidence.
The little dress was picked up at the Op Shop a few weeks ago. It's raw silk & still had the tags on it. OK so it's a size 4 & she's so not 4 but I think she looks super cute.
I'm calling it my beach skirt. I plan to flog it over summer. I'll sling it on over bathers when we are down the beach or at the pool.
The skirt is a really pretty shape & suits my little waist/big bum shape nicely. I did make a few modifications ... I've added press studs (snaps) instead of the tie up waistband. Perhaps that's what has taken it from party to beach...but I'm pretty chuffed with it regardless.
Absolutely everything used in the making of the pony skirt came from the op shop. Feeling pretty good about that!
It's just one of the many beautifully presented quick & easy projects in Sew La Tea Do.
They've been out of the house for fully 3 hours & I'm already noticing how much I miss the rest of the team (& not just because I've had to take these pics myself).
This slouch beanie is totally ripped off a store bought one that was purchased for the big girl yesterday. It's reversible but I think maybe the red side is a bit too "Christmas elf". You be the judge.
Made from entirely thrifted materials. Both the cream & the red fabrics are pure wool. It's lovely & light & incredibly warm.
We saw a lovely knitted shrug in Sunspun. Of course, I'm more a fan o' the hook & decided I'd have a crack at my own.
I've been doing a bit of sampling with the hook but before I wasted time on the crochet version I refashioned from an Op Shopped/thrifted Pashmina type thing to make sure I had the measurements right.
Very much in the same vein as the slashed number.
I had planned to use the circles as a neck treatment but it seemed a bit too much.
Our house is (hopefully) not going to require much in the way of heating. We're trying not to turn the heating on & have instead been snuggling under blankets in the evenings.
Whilst the granny blankets are excellent, they do make it hard to change the channel on the Teev or play playstation games or hook/stitch/knit (the plot thickens). I've got the little guy & the big girl ahead of me in line but I'm totally making myself one of these!
The first shoulder blanket fashioned for the smallest from the same old blanket used for the slippers & 1/2 a ball of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino which was lounging in the stash. I think it's a left over from when the big girl was granny squaring. I'm feeling pretty good about my $2 outlay at the Op Shop (& there's still enough for 1 more pair of slippers).
I wasn't sure if the yarn was going to make it all the way around the blanket & maths really isn't my strong suit. Luckily my brother in law was at our place, we did a quick calculation & figured I should just scrape it in. Just scrape is right...I think there's about 2 metres left.
Note to self: Figure out a much better, faster, less painful way to make the holes.
We all know I'm a huge fan of just about anything "on wood" but I had no idea just how much I was going to love the crochet table cloth hacked & tacked to a couple of pieces of thrifted furniture.
Things are coming together quite nicely in the new house. If you've had a peek inside my place you'd notice that there was only a tiny patch of our bedroom photographed. We've been looking for something nice & skinny for the TV to sit on. It's in an awkward place because it's very close to the ensuite door.
I'd picked up this glass fronted cabinet at the Op Shop (for $5) intending for it to be hidden in The Date's office & reserved for his "straight to the pool room" golf trophies & such. It looked ridiculous & he pitched it out into the hallway earlier in the week. I seconded it for this maybe temporary maybe permanent fixture in the bedroom.
I'm not a huge wrap for the basket shelves (which came out of this unit) I've fashioned below & prefer a more open look. I've got another idea for that (which will hopefully still hide the power cords). I'll keep you updated.
While I had the glue gun out I worked a bit of crochet magic on this sweet chair (also Opped for the princely sum of $5).
Beautiful floaty images by Bricolagelife.
So I think I've managed a pretty nice bedroom makeover for under $20! Unbeatable value & my very favourite ... reused, repurposed, recrafted, upcycled.
If you fancy having a go at this yourself it's just super-easy-thrown-together fun.
You'll need... double sided tape, spray adhesive, hot glue gun, a thrifted crochet table cloth ($2-$8).
For the cabinet... Using double sided tape create a frame on the inside of the door (as close to the glass as possible).
Then... Rough cut the table cloth to size. Keep all the motifs intact at this stage.
Now... Expose the double sided tape & position your crochet piece.
And... Use your hot glue gun to more permanently adhere the crochet piece.
Finally... Trim away excess fabric so that everything looks nice & neat.
Repeat for the other door.
For the chair... Rough cut the table cloth to size. Keep all the motifs intact at this stage.
Then... Spray the wrong side of the tablecloth piece with spray adhesive.
Now... Position on the chair.
And... Use your hot glue gun to more permanently adhere the crochet piece.
Finally... Trim away excess fabric so that everything looks nice & neat.
We caught up for coffee last week & spent a lazy hour discussing The Sartorialist & the merits of the perfect handbag.
For me.. worn across the body, single strap, slouchy, soft
For her... sacky, bright, wide straps, big enough to fit lunch, gusseted
It was her birthday yesterday so I made "the perfect bag" for her.
It's fully lined & made from thrifted everything.
As I finished it all I could think of was the iconic Country Road bag. This baby is "vintage" circa 1989. My sack bag has a similar capacity but with perhaps a nicer shape...
Sadly still in the old ranch. I've managed to clear myself about half the kitchen table to work away on some photo album covers.
I purchased a pile of photo albums still in plastic wrap from the Op Shop/Thrift Store a few weeks ago & I've got a little embellishment plan for the covers.
In the space are... the albums my washout marker * a polaroid I've hacked up to make a template twine a beautiful tin full of old floss (which was gifted to me during the week by a lovely friend) my pincushion (one of) **
*Same brand as the fadeout marker from last week. Both are Clover - not from any brand loyalty but just because that was what was available. I will say that the fadeout fades VERY fast.
**You can make a pincushion like this one in about 15 minutes. See my how to here.
Visit last weeks favourite space here.
Don't forget to pop in and add your link if you're playing along this week.
stacked in the diswasher. Don't they look beautiful?
I fully appreciate that a stacking mug is not everyone's cup of tea but I absolutely adore these. They remind of portable buildings & primary school & a lovely childhood.
Thank you all for sharing my excitement about the house I'll try not to bore you all stupid over the next few weeks.
I've got some new house plans for these cards. Opped in Balwyn for $1.
OK people, if you've played along this week you need to add a link to the specific post which mentions the word you unscrambled from all the letters you've collected throughout the week.
It doesn't have to be a post you've written especially (but feel free to do that if you like). If you've previously mentioned this word a link to that post will be fine. You just need to make sure you link to the relevant post.
SAMPLE: I've collected all my clues & I think the answer is "bluebird". I'm going to add my link like this.
Imagine my delight when I spotted these handmade! fabric covered notebooks. The cardstock inside is a lovely too.
Opped (way to cheaply) in Mont Albert.
CLUE #9 Pop in to Nikki's to see a true craftswoman at work. Which farm animal likes daisies? Use the first letter of this word.
Right E O. If you've been clicketty tripping this week you've now got all the clues (& the answer). Ssshh say nothing until tomorrow.
Pop in tomorrow & add a link to this word on your blog. It doesn't have to be a post you've written especially (but feel free to do that if you like). If you've previously mentioned this word a link to that post will be fine. You just need to make sure you link to the relevant post.
SAMPLE: I've collected all my clues & I think the answer is "bluebird". Tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to add my link like this.
I didn't think anything could be worse that waking up to a clock radio which is stuck between stations.
But The Date says there's no way he can sleep with this ticking so I guess it's for decoration only.
Ah well...opped for under $10 in Greythorn.
CLUE #8 Pip's making tea & serving it it lovely mid century cups too. What's the name of the charity Pips is collecting softies for? Use the first letter of this word.
CLUE #5 Lara's super friendly. She's got her crafty fingers in a few pies but her favourite craft would have to be...what? Use the third letter of this word.
