Homemade Christmas Cards.

I let little miss 2.5 get involved in the Christmas card making this year. The painting got a little bit out of hand when she decided that she didn't want to put paint on the cards and would much rather put it on the table and all over her body. So I ended up having to finish some of the cards, I felt like a mother who is doing their child's homework for them!

I thought I'll bring her back to help me do some of the pasting, but she thought that it would be much more fun tipping out all the glitter and making a little mountain on the table.

I have been saving old Christmas cards from previous years to use for craft projects. I cut out all the existing sayings such as "Seasons Greetings" and "Merry Christmas" and have stuck them on the cards. I think I am going to sew a little border around some of them on the machine, just to add a little bit more interest.

Red Lantern Night Markets

Mr. Rickshaw, originally uploaded by [mummalu].

Last Saturday night was the first evening of the Red Lantern Night Markets. I had a teeny stall there and had a brilliant evening. I just loved the life that the market bought back to the mall. There were so many people, great music, fantastic handmade stalls, yummy food and the mall was closed off to traffic once again.

I'm unable to do any more stalls for the remaining Red Lantern Markets (27/11 & 11/12), but I am hoping that I can sneak in as a shopper and finish all of my Christmas shopping.

I will be making a small appearance at the Annual Art Bazaar in Civic Park, Newcastle on Saturday December 4th. I will be on a stall with rest of my Fashion Design students from TAFE.

Hopefully see you there! :)

Our Christmas Tree in the making

I love a fresh Christmas tree, I love the smell, I don't like the idea of cutting down a tree that has grown for years and will only last a month.

So here is this year's answer to a tree. It is made from driftwood collected from the beach. I have a feeling that we aren't supposed to take these from the beach so sshh, don't tell anyone! ;)

Here is last year's Christmas tree. With a little toddler on the run we decided that it was safer to just have a 2D tree.

Wishlist Wednesday

1. This would definitely suit my little babe for Christmas! From bohemian babes on madeit.

2. If I just shut my eyes I could just pretend that there's no nasty food colouring in this one. How amazing does this look! Found at Whisk Kid.

3. A Polaroid SX-70. I just love the rainbow colours that run through the middle of the camera. And I love bokeh! Image stolen from Brandon Warren on Flickr.

4. I first spotted these on someone's blog yesterday. Then I saw one on a friend today.
So in love! MadebyEmilyGreen from Melbourne.

5. So I have 3 tattoos that I got done in Mexico and Ecuador when I was much younger. I don't like them much at all now. I have been completely against getting any more tattoos until now! I saw a girl at work with a babushka tattoo on her leg and my heart started racing. It was just gorgeous.

(Don't worry Mum, I'm not really going to get one! I just WISH that I could!)

This one was posted by babushka_baby done by Marc at 2012 Tattoo, Newcastle.

Ta da! 36 hair clips done.

I am currently without my good camera so please excuse the quality of the photographs. I have finally finished a round of hair clips. They are the first lot that I have made since last year! They are 'non-slip', great for babies' hair, all backed with felt. I made an effort not to put too many buttons on, so that I am not stressing about the littlies choking on them.

I have packaged them onto card leftover from the cereal boxes and glued old atlas pages on top. I printed a little blurb for the back with contact details etc.

Anyways, they are all for sale at the Red Lantern Night Market coming up this Saturday night.

How much would you pay for one of these?

Scrappy hair clips are back.

I'm just in the middle of making a round of the scrappy hair clips that were so successful last year. There's not going to be many, so be quick if you want to grab one!

At the Red Lantern Markets in the Hunter Street Mall, Newcastle. I'll be there on the 20th November.

Encircled will be appearing at the Red Lantern Markets

My little brand 'encircled' will be making an appearance at the Red Lantern Markets in the Newcastle Hunter Street Mall this coming Saturday night, 20th November, 4 till 10pm. I will be having a selection of girls dresses, pencil cases, coin purses and hair clips all made from upcycled fabrics and many items hand screen printed.

The initial Red Lantern Market will feature rickshaw rides, a body-painting exhibition, street performance, Earthen Rhythms African Drumming, ‘Efendi Jaenudin’ Indonesian Music Ensemble and a fire-twirling exhibition.

Additionally, ‘Livesites’ will collaborate with the Night Market and produce an evening of ‘Dancing in the Streets’, at the David Jones end of the mall’.

Stay up to date with the happenings of the market on their blog: http://redlanternnightmarket.blogspot.com/

I think I can feel another useless collection coming on.

I have been seeing these gorgeous floral flour sifters at some of our second hand markets. I have been avoiding buying them, because seriously, why do I need another flour sifter? Well this time we were at the Wickham markets and I just couldn't help myself. So here I now have the most delightful flour sifter to add to my utterly useless dust collecting collection of "stuff". But I can tell you that I am in love with it :)