Author: billyboyandmia

monday giveaway

right, i have started a new online store on zibbet today, I thought I’d try it out and see how we go. I’m not sure how it will be managing 3 onlines stores with my full time day job, but one can only try these things!

To kick it off I thought I’d have a giveaway! Yay!! It’s easy – please go and check out my new store here, then come back and leave a comment about your favourite item. I’ll draw out a winner randomly, extra entries for tweeting! (Just make sure you let me know by including @billyboyandmia, or mention it on your comment). Prize draw will be on Sunday 20th September at 6pm.

Oh, and what is the giveaway? This lovely little jingle bird and sweet bluebell purse.
Pale green stripe jingle bird has blue spotty wings and a ribbon loop crest and tail. He is suitable for littlies with embroidered french knot eyes, and is filled with non-allergenic polyester fibre filling. He does have a small bell inside for a rattle, and is about 15cm across.

The bluebell purse sings of spring and is handmade with a drapery fabric remnant in cream with fresh blue flowers and lime stalks. It is fully lined with a liberty print in blues and greens, and has a contrasting yellow zip. Its about 11 x 11 cm.

Happy giveaway!

busy bird

i’ve had a very busy weekend so I’m glad to have today off work! I have done a lot of house stuff, a little bit of sewing including this little birdie (I’ve worked out a better way to attach their wings and legs, thank goodness), baked some of granny’s forgotten cookies (yum!), organised some birthday presies, and got my plates up on the wall (yay! *clapping hands*, and thanks neighbour!).

plates

this is my task tomorrow, to get all these plates up on the wall in my studio, aka the spare room. Mum helped me with the placement of them on my need-to-be-vacuumed rug. Some are sentimental – one is from my nanna’s dinner set, one is from my childhood meals, some were gifts, and a couple i bought myself on overseas adventures. Forgive the bad pic, but hopefully I’ll have a better picture of them up on my wall tomorrow! I hope!

This below is an attempt at a brooch – three petals and a covered button. Let me know what you think! I have been trying to think of ways to use my ever growing mound of off-cuts.

sweet dreams

i like food and i like sleep so i have combined the two making a doona cover from a lovely embroidered tablecloth! I bought the tablecloth, some doilies, and some cream queen size sheets all from the op shop. I lay the sheets on my bed for rough measurements, trimmed them down to doona size, then pinned the tablecloth to one of the sheets after folding and ironing in center creases. Then whipped it through the ever reliable husqvarna, sewing the tablecloth to a sheet first, before sewing the sheets together to make the doona cover. I had enough trimmed sheet fabric to make two pillowcases, so attached some embroidered doilies for decoration. I am really pleased with the result!

i also found on madeit a lovely ring made with the handle of a teaspoon by forkometry, so this arrived in the post! Thanks! Not a good pic, but it has pears and leaves on it and I love it!

I also bought a great green beaded necklace from blackiki, great packaging and well made – plus some free macthing earrings! Thanks!! – no pics yet as i can’t find my camera battery charger – so frustrating!! Oh well, will have to see if i can dig out the old camera.

spring!

spring has sprung! my beautiful sis-in-law sent me these pics of her garden in New Zealand. Just gorgeous to see the flowers and blossom in bloom. I wish I was over there to have a cuppa in your garden with you, miss you!

yellow roses

I’ve just been up the street and i can’t resist going to Savers. I bought this great yellow rose tray and this smokey glass apple bowl – perfect for my holding my cotton reels. Plus I found this large wicker basket that now holds all my scrap bits. It is actually pretty large, I need to make more things with my off cuts!
Plus I finally finished my old yellow rose knot bag, made with two reclaimed pillowcases, with two pockets inside. I love this fabric and luckily found an entire single sheet of it at the RSPCA op Shop. I am considering it might be part of my embroidered tablecloth doona project – we shall see!

market

this weekend is the Maribyrnong Makers Market held on Gamon Street in Seddon, loads of handmade goodies to check out, so if you are free pop on down! My friend Tracey and I have had a stall here the last two market days, but sadly will not be making this one. I am still going to pop on over and support the other local crafty people – so much talent, and a good time to get a fathers day presie!

My latest RSPCA Op Shop score was this gorgeous corning ware coffee pot, I couldn’t resist and I don’t even drink coffee! Plus another old rose sheet, lovely tablecloth and some embroidered doileys. I have a plan to make a doona cover with the embroidered tablecloth I recently found, and have matching pillowcase detail with the doileys – perhaps! Another project to add to my wish list.

more goodies

good morning! I needed some new soap so found The Soap Dish on madeit and bought these gorgeous handmade soaps and got a little treat of some tiny handsoap samples – yum!
Plus I found these great industrial felt coasters on etsy from girls can tell for some lads birthday presies coming up in a couple of months. One has a bike design and the other a plane. So these are in the presie box ready, had to just buy them when i saw them.

Right now i am having breakfast before I head to the day job – sultana bran, honey yoghurt, blueberries (defrosted ones) and a nice cuppa. What do you have in the mornings?

I managed to come home at lunchtime from the day job and start cutting out a new bag. I use a paper pattern I made, and often deviate with the scissors or the way I fold the fabric. I love this yellow rose fabric, and am lining it with sweet little blue flowers. Both are reclaimed linen, pillowcases from the RSCPA Op Shop. Can’t wait to get back to melbourne to my sewing machine to put it together.

Also I purchased some really gorgeous mini envelopes from 3 girls + a goat through madeit. I was really impressed with the packaging and the free ‘thank you’ tags, and the envelopes are just lovely!

goodies

there are a couple of lovely giveaways on at the moment, inner earth soaps and faith, hope & a whole lotta love so jump in and visit these lovely creative blogs.

to win the inner earth soaps giveaway for some scumptious soap, check out the blog post here and the inner earth soap etsy shop. Gorgeous handmade soaps!!

to win these gorgeous cards and a couple more, go to faith, hope & a whole lotta love‘s giveaway here. And take a look at her madeit shop for some great designs.