Monday Morning

The children played with Lego for an entire day yesterday after setting themselves the challenge of using every last brick in the box. This Monday morning they were back at it as soon as they woke up. It's amazing to see them play so intensely with one toy for such a long time. I'm telling myself that our new kilim rug has helped in this department, surely having a soft and cosy spot to play helps to calm moods and aid in democratic relations?

This Monday morning I had my aptly named '7am muffins' in the oven just past, well, 7am. I can't get away from making these each and every school morning it seems, no matter how organised I am the night before. Thankfully they're quick to whip up.

This Monday morning I saw the placemats I ran up last night out of a vintage sheet in the harsh light of day, and realised they are a lot bumpier than they looked by candlelight last night. Oh well.

This Monday morning I continued to love our winter nature table, as sparse as it is. Ben made the Aboriginal bark painting at preschool and every time I walk past it I smile on the inside.

This Monday morning I saw the first blossoms on our magnolia tree uncurl and burst forth. I can't wait to see what this tree will look like in full bloom. Spring is on its way.

Make it Monday - Upcycled Storage for your Home

Morning!

Upcycling something old into something practical and functional for our family is one of my favourite things to do. Repurposing a beat up piece of wood or transforming a piece of furniture into something beautiful is heaps of fun, and it's budget friendly too.

Here are some ideas to get your started:

These shutters are often found in council clean ups or at salvage yards. Paint it a retro colour and you have a great system for sorting your mail. From Apartment Therapy.

It's rustic and such a clever use of space. Love this idea! Check it out on Apartment Therapy.

This hanging rack is made from an old cot/crib. The side of a cot can be used for hanging so many things - such as fabrics, neck ties, scarves, and towels. From The Art of the Rs.

A clever way to repurpose a skateboard into a shelf from Home to Life.

If you're drowning in kids artwork like we are then this could be the solution for you. A couple of months ago my husband and I made this kids art display using a salvaged piece of wood and some metal letter clips. For instructions see Art Display.

Have a great week everyone!

Make it Monday - Repurposing old t-shirts

This Monday I bring you some great ideas for upcycling old t shirts.  I think just about everyone has a few t-shirts that are past their best. If your partner is anything like mine then you'll have a serious old t-shirt situation at your house - what is it with men and holding on to piles and piles of t-shirts?

Have a go at these ideas and you'll get to have a clear out and do something crafty at the same time.

The first cool trick is to turn your t-shirts into a usable material. Creative Jewish Mom will show you how!

Now that you have something to work with how about making one of these gorgeous Rainbow Crochet Rugs from Show Tell Share.

Too ambitious? If you're after an instant gratification project have a look at these great bracelets from Lana Red.

Now that you've got the hang of it, you need something to go with those bracelets right? Ninth & Bird has a fantastic step by step tutorial showing you how make a funky upcycled scarf.

For something more challenging try some weaving using t-shirt yarn with a tutorial from Candoodles.

For a quick and easy project have a look at these fun fruit bags by Style Baggage. They're so simple to make, stylish, and environmentally friendly!

And last but not least, there is always patchwork. I've seen t-shirts made into quilt covers and cushion covers using squares of t-shirt fabrics and they look great. Following the same idea are these kids pants from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom.

That's it for today's Make it Monday, hope you have a fantastic week everyone!

Make it Monday - Dress ups

My children adore dressing up and being in character. They can spend hours pretending they're animals or circus performers or pirates. Happily, I love making costumes! This week I made some felt animal masks. I started with a rainbow parrot for Jemima's rainbow themed party coming up next month. Once they saw it completed the requests came in thick and fast.. koala, fox, pig, cat, lion!

The masks are really simple to make. I used an old paper mask we had as a basic template then added the various ears and noses for the different animals. They all have a piece of elastic attached at the back. I've made a template to print off if you'd like to try these yourself. It's available here: Felt mask template.

Now that we have a good supply of masks I'm looking forward to adding to our dress up box in the next few weeks. I saw these gorgeous DIY bridal veils from make and takes the other day and they're next on my list:

The tulle is gathered before being hot-glued to a white headband. The headband is then covered in white ribbon. Easy peasy!

I also love these Indian headbands with feathers from Dress ups Kids. I plan on making my own version using piece of ribbon or a white headband with some painted stripes and dots and some feathers.

These beautiful felt crowns are another one on the To Do list. There's something about working with felt that's so satisfying. I think perhaps it's no no-fray factor and the way it all holds together with some hand stitching.

Jessica Levitt of Juicy Bits has a great tutorial for felt birthday crowns including a pattern.

Back in January I made these costumes for Ben's preschool. Instructions on this superhero cape and the bird wings are available here.

From my little superheroes to yours, have a great week!

Make it Monday - Party Decorations

Ah, a subject close to my heart. There's almost nothing I like more than party planning. Today's Make it Monday is all about party decorating with a focus on garlands and paper crafts. Making your own decorations out of paper or recycled fabrics is an effective way to give the look of your party a boost for very little money.

My favourite decorations are banners, garlands, and pompoms. Banners and garlands are quick to make and are so versatile. I like to hang them over windows, from trees, verandahs, or light fittings. Tissue pompoms look great hanging from varying heights indoors or from trees at outdoor events.

When choosing the crafts to feature here today I looked for things that are a little different and can be made easily at home. I hope these ideas give you some inspiration for your next party and show you how easy and cheap it is to make party decorations yourself.

Elslie Larson of A beautiful mess features some great ideas for garlands on her blog. I love the idea of recycling fabrics to make knots of bows, and the vintage wallpaper second from the bottom is to die for.

Erin Wilson of Carosello created this gorgeous fabric fringe banner that I just love. What a perfect way to use up fabric scraps!

Home Heart Craft has a great tutorial for these Hot Air Balloon lanterns. These would be fun to hang outside for a summer party but just as good indoors to liven up a party room. See the little glass containers there? That's where I'd be putting little ornaments or notes that mean something to the birthday boy or girl. Maybe a quote, a line of poetry, or some of their favourite things.

Paper pompoms are a really easy way to make a party look special. So many people I know pay $10 each for them and that makes me what to cry! They're so simple to make, once you learn how you'll never even think of buying them again. Pompoms are a Martha Stewart special. She offers a basic guide to making them on her page. I like Youtube tutorials like this one: Paper pompom video for step by step instructions.

These yarn or string ball decorations from Hostess with the Mostess are another simple idea that looks much more complicated than it is. All you need is some balloons, some string, glue, and cornstarch. A full tutorial with pictures is available on the link above.

This beautiful paper mobile is made from coloured card stock and small metal rings. It looks labour intensive but I had to share because for a special event like a wedding I think they'd be beautiful. For instructions and photos see Camille Styles .

And lastly,

These beautiful 'bunting' garlands were made by my friend Belinda for her daughter's birthday party. They're made from paper napkins, paper doilies, and string. The napkins and doilies are folded in half before being glued onto the string. They looked gorgeous.

Have a great week everyone!

Make it Monday - Vintage Kids Clothing

There is something about home made kids clothing. Maybe it's knowing that you made it with your own two hands, or maybe it's that you won't see another child wearing it. For me every aspect of sewing for my two kids is a good time, and if I've managed to recycle some vintage fabric then, well that's even better. 

This week on Make it Monday I thought I'd show you all some vintage inspired kids clothing ideas. Whether it's a party dress for a special occasion like the Sound of Music dress I made Jemima recently, or something for every day, sewing for kids is just plain fun.

Here are my favourites of the week:

If you like making kids clothing you will love indietutes. I recently discovered this blog and I can't wait to try out some of the patterns and tutorials. This peasant blouse is the perfect thing to make out of a vintage cot sheet or table cloth don't you think? 

One of the best things the Internet has given us crafty mums is PDF patterns. I first tried one a few weeks ago and I haven't looked back. I have a good sized paper pattern stash collected from my op shopping trips but it's hard to find exactly what you're looking for, and in the right size. I love this boys waistcoat from Anthea Christian of AngelLeaDesigns available on Etsy.com.

For really beautiful vintage inspired patterns have a look at the gorgeous things on offer at snazziedrawers. This pattern design business offers quirky, stylish, and one of a kind children's clothing patterns along with patterns for accessories like these cute fabric flowers:

If you love to sew and you have a little girl in your life, this could be your new favourite place to visit!

And lastly, there is this beautiful vintage 'Holiday Dress' from Simple Simon & Company including a full tutorial. 

If you're new to a sewing machine have a look at Remaking Kids Clothing where you'll learn how to use a tshirt or vest top for the complicated bodice bit, and a length of a fabric for the skirt. Or start with a plain kids tshirt and a doily or piece of linen like this Doily Tshirt that I made Jemima last year.

If you have a blog submission that you would like to see here on Make it Monday just send me an email to mybornagaincreations@gmail.com with a link to your post and a brief description.

Have a wonderful week!

Make it Monday - Knits!

I know it's getting warm up in the Northern hemisphere but down here in Australia and New Zealand we're thinking about pulling out the knitwear, buying a new pair of sheepskin slippers, and cranking up that slow cooker.  What better way to start the week than with some beautiful do it yourself ideas using wool. There's something about cold winter nights that makes me feel like keeping my hands busy with something crafty. For me, it's usually embroidery or some hand stitching because as much as it pains me to say it, I'm not a good knitter. Knitting and crochet are two crafts that I would love to practice more but my sewing machine beckons and I never seem to have the time. Maybe this will be my winter!

Here are my favourite knitting and crochet ideas of the week:

This little knitted dress couldn't be more gorgeous. It's Little Winifred by knitting designer Sarah Ronchetti. As Sarah writes on her knitting blog Sezza Knits:

Little Winifred is named for some wonderful women in my family. It is the middle name of both my Mother and Grandmother, and was the first name of both my Mother in Law, and her Mother. Although I know my Mother in Law didn't really like her name, and went by another, this pattern is named for her. She never met my children, in fact she died before I married her son, and only by having met my husband so many years ago (I was 16) did I get to really know her. She would have adored these children!

I love the classic shape of this knitted dress, it would be perfect with a pair of bright tights and some winter boots don't you think?  The pattern provides instructions for both tunic and dress lengths and the adult version is due to be released soon. To purchase for only US $5.50 and to view Sarah's other beautiful patterns visit her Ravelry Store. 

Now for something different. This is a knitting project that even I could manage. Here we have a gorgeous chunky knit cushion cover made from finger knitting. You remember finger knitting right? It was a huge hit in my 7 year old daughter's class last year. Anne Weil at Flax & Twine shows us how to elevate finger knitting out of the 'children's craft' arena into something a bit more grown up with her fantastic tutorial.

If I was a knitter, I think this would be one of my new favourite places to shop. It's Vintage Knits, an online store for vintage 'gently used' knitting and crochet patterns. Even without the knitting know-how I still had a great time browsing the vintage patterns on this site. His & Hers snowmobile jumpers? Come on! Vintage Knits also offers links to free patterns and a vintage pattern sizing chart. If you love vintage, it's worth a look.

This is a really cool gift idea that I saw recently on Green Eyed Monster. It's a tutorial for knitting a little knitted washcloth/cover for a bar of soap. By using 100% wool you create a naturally anti-bacterial washcloth that is soft and lathers easily with the soap inside. So easy to make I think I might have to add this to my list of future home made presents. Love it.

Not strictly 'do it yourself' but if I only buy myself one winter treat this season it'll be one of these gorgeous crochet hats handmade in New Zealand by Kylie of PeonyK. Not only are they beautifully made with just the right amount of 'slouch' they're great value at NZD 15.00 for an adult sized hat. Newborn hats are available in pure wool for NZD 13.00 and Kylie welcomes custom orders in your choice of colour. You can't beat that!
Check out her online shop (she also makes great jewellery) at her Felt Store.

And for a bit of luxury have a look at knitwear designer all for everyone's online store. There are some beautiful patterns and colours on this site and even if the items are a little on the high end of the price scale, it's always nice to have a browse for inspiration. 


That's it for this Monday, have a fantastic week everyone!