I received a gorgeous gift over the weekend of these beautiful buttons... 
Aren't they gorgeous? I need some help though - what shall I do with them? I don't want them to go into 'consolidated revenue' and I want to make a lovely feature of them. Hmmmm... Any ideas? Caroline2 Comments When the weather was hot, it seemed I couldn't drink enough of these...  I've always loved the shape of these bottles and I seem to have accumulated quite a stash. I made a quick trip to the hardware store this morning to buy some paint and mini funnels and the result? Some gorgeous, simple vases.  This would have to be the cleanest painting project I have ever done. Why? You paint the inside of the bottle, not the outside!  Using a small funnel, tip some paint into the bottom of the bottle. Swish it around a bit and ...voila! Sweet and simple Sunday vases!  Caroline Right now, I'm loving the look of doilies. I love their pretty charm and the way they remind me of my grandmother's house. What I love most of all, though, is the new ways in which they're being used to adorn clothes and for all sorts of crafting projects. The Haby Goddess currently has a doily fest on her blog, and Luvinthemommyhood featured a gorgeous doily craft round up last month. Unfortunately, I don't have a stash of vintage doilies at my finger tips to use, and even if I did, I'd be a little reluctant to put them on my kids' clothes. Attaching them is tricky and I'm not sure that they'd survive the amount of washing and soaking that the kids' t shirts endure. Last week, the postman brought me a huge box - inside? A Silhouette SD. I'm loving it, and my favourite creation so far? Some faux doily t shirts for Lizzy. They've got the vintage look, but they're a whole lot more durable.   And guess what? Although it's been the quickest, easiest project I've done in ages, it's been the only thing that Lizzy's been desperate to put on... sigh... My oh my, Easter is just around the corner. Where are you going to stash all those eggs? Why, in the hippity hop easter clutch, of course! Click on read more to find out how you can make one all for yourself (or a friend if you're feeling generous!)  What does every fashionable toddler want to be seen wearing at this year's Easter hat parade? Why, a chicken hat of course!  Do you think Martin will ever forgive me? Caroline Easter Egg Hunts and Bonnet Parades are just around the corner. This year, I really wanted a project that Pippa could be involved in. I have seen some beautiful Easter Bonnets made for children over the years but this time I felt Pippa would really love the opportunity to make her own (with just a little help from me!). I think we will call this project a big success. She was very excited to have her photograph taken in it and she usually won't model anything for me! She also got the ultimate stamp of approval from her big sister - Madeleine wants to make one too.  I cut out 5 large (10cm) and 5 small (7cm) Easter egg shapes from gold shiny cardboard. I also cut out some strips of coloured paper with our fancy pinking shears. Pippi had great fun decorating the eggs with a variety of stickers we found in our sticker box and used a glue stick to stick on the decorative paper strips. I cut a 5cm wide strip of dark blue cardboard and stapled it together so it sits at a good position on her head. As the eggs were decorated I stapled them on to the blue strip, alternating large and small eggs. The whole project was completed in under 15 minutes - the perfect length of time to maintain an almost 3 year old's enthusiasm and concentration! Maryanne Is that the Easter bunny I hear?  I think he's left a clutch for your littlest friends to store their Easter treasures in!  Caroline There is something to be said for sewing projects that take a lot of planning, preparation and thought. Sometimes though, you just need instant gratification when you're crafting.  I've always loved the look of grosgrain belts - they can be hard to find though, so when I found this lovely range of ribbons at a fabric shop this morning, I knew just what I had to do with it. One of my issues with belts like these is that they always seem a little flimsy. During the week I saw a belt that used double thickness of ribbon - problem solved!  1.Let's start with supplies... You'll need grosgrain ribbon, two d rings that are they same width as your ribbon and some hemming tape. Measure the length that you want your belt to be and double it - this is the length of ribbon you'll need. Your piece of hemming tape needs to be the length that you want your belt to be - that is, you need half as much as the ribbon. 2. Cut the ribbon in half so that you have two pieces of equal length. Fuse them together using the hemming tape. Be careful not to scorch the ribbon! 3. Topstitch down the length of both sides of the ribbon. 4.Finish one end of the belt - double the end over so that the raw edges are covered up and top stitch. My machine has a special 'back-stitch' that holds everything snug and tight, but if you're using a normal stitch I would reverse- sew over the seam a number of times to keep it secure. 5. Attach the D ring to the other end of the belt. Slip both rings over the belt and double the end over so the raw edges are covered up and top stitch. I stitched twice (about .5 cm apart) to keep everything tidy and secure. 6.You're done! Enjoy... Caroline PS - I just found this tutorial that uses different ribbons on either side - how cute are they? Martin loves to carry his own snacks....  and when he uses this snack bag, he always has a place mat!  There's always a place for good manners...  Caroline P.S - watch this space for a tutorial... PPS - Maryanne just informed me that I've got the cutlery the wrong way round... and she's right! Oops!  Inspiration hits in strange places. Late last night I when was icing cupcakes for snack , I suddenly knew the look I wanted for Lizzy's new library bag.  After a stash raid and an hour at the sewing machine - the hundreds and thousands library bag!  Now there's another reason to love going to the library! Caroline | Who are we?
Maryanne and Caroline are sisters who live in Sydney, Australia. We come from a long line of crafting women, who have all had the desire to create. We hope to continue this family tradition, spark this passion in our children and share it with friends. We run a sewing school where our main focus is to help our students discover the joy of creating beautiful but simple things and the joy that comes from being part of a crafting community. If you would like to subscribe to our blog:
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