A full year...

A whole year without posting! Too much to do on the family front, a little one to enjoy and watch grow, sleepless nights and crazy days of playing in the mud and the sand...
A lot of crafting was done still, but no time to post!



A pile of scarves for Pocket...
Une pile d'echarpe pour Pocket



Bird hair clip, one of my favourite
Barette avec un petit oiseau, une de mes preferree



And cute linen pants for the sweet babe, finally worked out a pattern that I'm happy with and loving the trims that I found.
Et des petits pantalons mignon en lin pour le petit chou, j'ai finallement reussi a mettre au point un patron qui me plait, et j'adore les rubans (qui viennent d'Allemagne ;)) que j'ai deniches,



I want to try and get back to this space, to create some space for myself again.




Toute une annee sans ecrire! Trop a faire avec notre petite famille, un petit a regarder grandir, des nuits sans someil et des journees passees a jouer dans la boue et le sable... Beaucoup de creations quand meme mais pas de temps pour les consigner...
Je veux essayer de revenir a cet espace, pour recreer un espace pour moi.

Need ... chocolate...

Not much to report on the crafting front this week.
I am still working on these pants for Maxime (I have finally cut the fabric yay!) and I have also been getting ready for an order of felted scarves, which has meant some op-shopping for wool and loads of cutting, washing,.... and piles of stuff everywhere, but not much to show!!
By next week I am hoping I will have completed something...

Hardly any sleep has been had by anyone in this house lately, teething is not much fun, hey!
So on Sunday we desperately needed cake. But not just any cake. It had to have chocolate for the sleep deprived lunatic (me) , and also had to be gluten free and dairy free so to please my delicate little one too!
Oh, and it had to be done in 10 mn. Ha!
So here it is.
Looks good.


I did overcook it slightly, which is what happens when you try and do too many things at the same time, but it was still very nice. And I was glad it was because that was diner with a small bowl of soup...


Crazy week GF/DF chocolate cake

3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 packet (70gr) of Pam's ground almonds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 heaped tbsp walnut flour (can be replaced by desicated coconut, some walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, or just leave out)
2 1/2 tsp of gluten free baking powder
pinch salt
4 eggs (yes, 4! but then if that's your dinner, who cares!)
3/4 cup sugar
5 tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
half a slab of whittaker's bittersweet dark chocolate
1/4 to 1/2 cup rice milk

Heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Melt the chocolate in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of water over low heat.
Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl
Mix the eggs and sugar in another bowl and beat until creamy. Add vanilla extract and oil and beat again. Once chocolate is all melted and has cooled down slightly, add it to the eggs mixture.
Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well. Add a little rice milk to get a smooth batter ( not too runny!)
Bake for 25 mn.

Cheaper than opshoping...

...is when I clean my sewing room!
I'm in the middle of sorting out my sewing stuff, as my room is now the baby's room, and he will be sleeping in it in a few months, so I have to find myself a new sewing corner.
And it is amazing how much you can gather in a few years!!



I found all these lovely things in the bottom of a cupboard, and felt so happy, as if I was at the salvation army and just discovered them! I honestly could not remember having all these, which does say a lot on compulsive buying of second hand goods by myself... ahem!
So loads of time was spent patting, rearranging, dreaming on all these "new" founds... and of course not much sorting done!



I have managed to finished a bag and almost completed a second identical one:


I don't usually like to repeat my work, but I enjoyed creating this one, and the sewing part was really enjoyable. I also couldn't decide whether to put it on my shop or to give it to the shop down the road... Hence the twins!
I'm very happy with the result, and if it wasn't for the fact that I am usually seen these days sporting a gigantic nappy bag rather than a cute little tote, I would keep one for myself!

I am still working on the pattern for some trousers for Maxime. I have some lovely linen/cotton fabric that comes from an old dress all ready for it, but I keep revisiting the pattern and adding, rubbing out stuff. I have never made a pettern up before and I am a bit scared of finally throwing myself in the deep end...



...And I have the excuse of spring being here, and walks being compulsory for sanity around here!




Not that I would complain!



Moins cher que la boutique d'occasion: C'est quand je range mes affaires de couture. J'ai retrouve tous ces tissus dans le bas d'un placard. J'etais toute contente, comme si je venais de les trouver dans une boutique. Je ne me rappellais plus du tout que je les avais ce qui donne une indication sur la frenesie avec laquelle j'amasse les tissus!
Du coup apres cette trouvaille, le temps a passe a carresser mes tissus, revasser a ce que j'allais en faire... et les rangements... bof!
J'ai finallement fini mon sac, et j'en ai un deuxieme identique qui est presque fini. Normallement je n'aime pas me repeter, mais j'ai beaucoup aime travailler sur ce design, et je n'arrivais pas non plus a decider si je voulais le mettre dans ma boutique, ou au magasin en bas de la rue. Donc, voila, des jumeaux! J'en aurais bien garde un, mais ces temps ci je sort plutot avec ma "valise" a langes qu'avec un petit sac mignon...soupir...

Je travaille toujours sur un patron de pantalons pour Maxime. J'ai le tissu qu'il faut, lin/cotton (une robe que j'ai trouve en occase...) mais je traine, et n'arrete pas de modifier, ajouter etc au patron.
Le printemps ne m'aide pas non plus a avancer. Ici, la promenade journaliere est obligatoire pour rester saine d'esprit!

Mais je ne m'en plains pas...

Bringing spring inside

Not much crafting to show this week, as I am still slowly working on my bag, and procrastinating on it!
This weekend was gorgeously sunny. I enjoyed being out and about, but I also really loved being in our house, with the windows opened and the sun coming in from everywhere, sewing while my husband took our babe out for an hour. It felt quiet and peaceful. I love these first days of spring just for that.

One small achievement for this week is the opening of my shop on Felt! Although, that doesn't mean there is much in there yet, but mainly that I have worked out how to set up an account an upload a photo, weehee!...




Je n'ai pas de bricolages a montrer cette semaine. Je travaille sur mon sac, mais je bloque sur les anses.
Ce weekend a ete tres ensoleille. J'ai aime pouvoir etre dehors, mais j'ai encore plus apprecie etre dans la maison, avec les fenetres et les portes ouvertes, a faire de la couture pendant que mon mari et mon petit bout allaient faire une ballade! Tout etait tranquille.
J'ai quand meme reussi a ouvrir ma boutique sur Felt cette semaine. Je n'y a pas encore mis grand chose, mais ca viendra dans les prochaines semaines.

what's in the making

First something that I managed somehow to make last month, with Maxime in his bouncinette. He was fine as long as I sung the whole entire time...! I had to scrape my brain for kids songs that I didn't even know I knew!!
A tag blanket and Maxime's best friend Jeannot Lapin :)

I picked the craft fabric with him. He giggled when I showed it to him, so that was that. I backed it with some lovely soft red flannel. (As you can see it has been well used already. Sorry for the bad photo, but there is no way I was going to wash it, iron it, make the photo... and I mean, iron it??)



And here is a sneak peak at what I am working on at the moment...


A bag... I'm stalling on the handles so during the meantime;


I'm playing with some old battered story books. Quick craft, easy stress relief for late night teething :)


J'ai fait cette petite couverture pour Maxime le mois dernier. Il etait content a condition que je lui chante toutes les chansons de mon repertoire pendant que je cousait! Pas question d'arreter!
En ce moment je coud un nouveau sac, mais je bloque sur les anses donc en attendant que l'inspiration ne me vienne, je m'amuse avec de vieux livres d'enfant (parfait pour les soires ou Maxime fait ses dents, ca aide a passer le stress!)

Making

Back to my blog!
I have been wanting to and planning to do so for a while now.
It feels like I am starting over completely after being away for more than a year!
Time went by so quickly, I have been making yes, but not that kind of making :)




Maxime is now almost 5 months old and he is keeping us busy, awake, on our toes, walking up and down hills, and rocking for hours... aaaah the joys of parenthood!
He is amazing and surprises us everyday (and he has the yummiest little toes, hehe!!)
He has already been quite inspiring for my craft, though my ideas seem to be more functional with him around! I have been working on a pattern for some trousers, getting ideas for toys...

While I was away from this space, I still managed to create and craft here and there.
Just after my babe was born, a craft shop opened up down the road, and the owner was looking for crafts to expose in her shop so that helped me get myself motivated again to get back into having that little time dedicated to creating.
I supply her with hairclips like these:







See, I have loads of hair, and was really bored of the hairclips I could find in shops. I also found making my own a really good stress release after a long day hehe!! I made some for myself first, then for friends. I am working on making them available on etsy and felt as well soon. Well, hopefully soon...

I also supply the shop with embroidered felted scarves and bags similar to these and these.
I have plenty more that I would like to post but no photos at present. I have to find a moment when it's daytime and the little one is willing to sleep for long enough that I can get to my camera!!



Retour a mon blog.
Maxime a deja presque 5 mois!
Je continue a fabriquer autant que possible.
J'ai commence a vendre mes barettes, echarpes et sacs a une boutique du coin. Cela me motive.
Il ya beaucoup d'autre choses que je voudrais montrer mais il faut que je prenne des photos et pour cela il faut que je trouve un moment quand il fait jour ou le petit veut bien dormir assez longtemps!

Slow Crafter

Today was a day off for me, and it was deserved indeed as I have been working very hard over the last few months.
Time has flown by, and I now find myself preparing in my head for spring already. Where has winter gone? I do vaguely remember some very cold days, driving my car to and from work in the snow, but the weather of this last week has been so beautiful, it's hard not to think about spring things... Like lighter clothes to be made, walks around the hills, a holiday maybe, and growing some veggies...

That last one has been in the back of my head quite a bit lately. With the cost of living going up so much, and with the impression of having been on a cabbage-carrot-onion-pumpkin-potato diet, we both got up on Sunday with loads of energy for gardening (a very rare thing for us).
Of course it's too early, so we just started to make A space to where will be our veggie garden. So far, it looks like a very promising black patch at the far end of our garden!

And since winter is not really finished, I had to make up this little dress. Actually, as you can see the wool and craft cotton used were chosen in Autumn, and it took me over two months to complete it! Oh dear! Quite a nightmare actually. The arms were somehow to tight (like if it was made for an 8 year old tight?? stupid pattern!) so they had to be undone, and a bit added so I could fit my apparently very fat arms through...grrr...
This is a build by wendy pattern . I had already done the short sleeve dress without any problems, but these 3/4 sleeves are to watch for.




And a close up on the pocket. I really love that fabric.




And today I found this...



I have been wanting one of these for ages. The picture is not too good because it was already getting dark when I took this snapshot. It's one of these very old sewing box that open in accordeon and can also be wheeled around. It's so cute and also very practical. It is missing a couple of screws and being very ambitious I am also thinking of sanding it down. But go and tell that to the old chair I'm sitting on: I sanded ONE of its leg 3 years ago...

I guess I could say I'm a slow crafter - with maybe a sprinkle of procrastination ;)

winter work

Yay, finally I manage to put some time aside to post!
Since we have moved into our new house, I have had plenty of distractions.
Starting with some work on the house, and, a bit more interesting, this little one....




How cute is she?? She is about 4 months old now and into everything, as kittens are.
My sewing room has never been that tidy. I'm so scared she's going to sneak through the door and play with pins!
Every now and then, no matter how carefull I may be, I find tiny scraps of fabric in strange places... I guess it reminds me to keep sewing though ;)





Wool is my obsession right now. Not just any wool, but felted wool, blanket wool...
A few weekends ago I made this little bag. It has turned out quite cute, I love the mix of wool and linen. That piece of linen was an old tablecloth that I got from a second hand shop. It has some stains but still heaps to use. On the side it said 100% linen, screen printed in Belgium. I love every bit of it.





And another scarf. I am liking playing with felted wool, and embellishing it. This one I've kept really simple and made a brooch with yoyo to close it. I've got another one in mind which will be embroidered.




So I'm busy, but still seem to find a bit of time for crafting, and very gratefull for it.

House! (continued...)

Well that's it, we're all moved in to our new house and loving it!
It's been a pretty full month, we had a holiday that had been planned about 6 months ago, so we were away for a week just before moving!! Crazy I say! So I have been doing quite a bit of sleep walking at work in the last few weeks and just starting to feel normal again.


Not much crafting has been done lately, though I saved some pictures from before our move...
This little bag was for a friends birthday.




The material is a recycled sheet that I got at some thrift store not long ago and really love. The pattern is quite crazy for a sheet, very retro, the colours are not too agressive though so I thought a bit of crazy but toned down by some blues and greys wasn't a bad mix!



And this next one comes with a story. Back in February, I sent a parcel to my mum, full of goodies.
Before I sent it I took some pictures of this scarf I made for her. The parcel was supposed to take 10 days to get to France and took 6 weeks!! I was so sad and sorry, thinking that all my work had been lost, but no, one day, I got an email saying it finally arrived!!




It is made of felt wool. I was quite happy with the embroideries as I haven't done much of this at all. I really enjoyed doing it and I'm looking forward to doing more embroidery in the future.




My sewing room is not sorted yet. I have scored a nice room, with a view on the water, but I'm still organising it. Since there is only one power plug in a very strange place near the door, I need to do some thinking on how I'm going to plug in my machine. I'm off to do this now...

House!

First day of March already! I can't believe how quickly February went for us.

We just paid a deposit on our house yesterday, yay, it's official!
So I think I'm happy, though it hasn't sunk in yet. I think I'm one of these people who will stop stressing once I'm sitting in my couch in my new house.
Well, another month to go!

I haven't done too much crafting lately as on top of the house business, work has been very busy and I have been doing pretty long hours.
But while I needed something brainless to do I came up with this:

It's a scarf that I am knitting with circular needles. The idea is to use remnant fabric, ribbons etc, as well as diferent wools to mix the textures. I had some scrap fabric that I made into skinny long strips and knitted in.
Not sure how it is going to turn up, but really enjoying the simple garter stich and changing color randomly.

I think my next project might be a top. My clothes are starting to look all old and boring to me, but I am not really in a spending mode since we just emptied our bank accounts into the house! Ha! It's a good excuse to make myself something... Hopefully I will post on that soon.

Rain and Inspiration

We have been house hunting lately, and have had two very busy and quite stressfull weeks, as we just put an offer on a house (first one!). We have another week before we know for sure if we are getting it or not.
All this being busy and preoccupied doesn't leave much space in my poor little brain for crafting! I find that I would love to make something, because it would take my mind of things, but I am mentally too tired and have given up a few projects half way through in the last few days. Oh well, I think it's like that, it won't last.
Saturday was a very quiet, lovely day. The rain didn't stop pouring, the streets were under water, and the wind was blowing so hard that the roof seemed ready to fly off. So a good day for a trip to the library to have a nice hot coffee and flick through magazines.
I was very lucky to find some really good books too, so I spent the rest of the afternoon dreamily paging through them. Mmmm, I've got loads of ideas in my head to put into practice once I'm back to a normal pace!
First I found Stiches, which I really recommend, just to flick through. It's amazing to see what some designers are up to, what techniques they have come up with....
Melissa from Tiny Happy wrote a post the other day, where she mentionned Lotta Jandsotter, so I was very surprised and happy to find Lotta's book and to take it home with me for a good look.

I love everything about that book, the simplicity of the designs, the fabrics she uses...




And last a cute little fellow that I would soooo like to make. Just for myself (yes I can be a bit of a kid sometimes... )




He is from this book:

Happy reading...

Seven things about me...

I've been tagged by Twenty Cent Mixture!
I feel a bit shy about it actually.
I am scratching my head for things to say... here goes...

1. I am a compulsive fabric buyer. I have piles of fabric on the floor in my sewing room because the big cupboard is very full.
And the sewing room used to be our spare bedroom. I just snatched it to be mine, and in the process also took possession of the very lovely wooden cupboard we had bought and sanded together, and put all my stuff in it... (it was going to be a junk and linen cupboard... I have a very understanding husband!)

2. I come from France. I have been in New Zealand for 7 years now and love it. I still miss bread and cheese and cheap wine though. Every time I go back I put on a few kilos ;)

3. One of the first things I sew myself was this unwantingly very sexy dress thingy for my barbie doll, made out of an old pair of pink semi opaque (or more like semi transparent, ahem!) stockings.

4. My great grandma was a tailor for a living. She also made the clothes for the whole family and knitted and crochetted heaps. It gave me a taste for creating and sewing. She clothed all my dolls, and also made me a lovely pink jumper when I was 8 that I loved and loved and wore until I couldn't get my head through the neck opening.

5. I love chocolate. Had to mention chocolate.

6. My sewing machine cost me $30.00 at the dump. The bobine door hold with tape, it is fast, reliable somehow, makes a train noise when I push it to the max, the whole table trembles....
I have to sometimes remind myself that my great grandma had a Singer with a manual foot pedal thingy, and that my machine compared to that is luxury!

7. I love cats. I want one, but the neighborhood here is swarming with stray cats, and I'm scared our poor kitten would get bullied! I am waiting until we are somewhere bigger as well, we are looking for a new place. Maybe soon....


I'm now passing on this meme to some other bloggers, and here are the rules for tagging:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I would like to tag the following blogs:

Craft Yourself

Tiny Happy

Jane's Apron

Sew Sydney

Cupboard Love

Fat Orange Cat

Love Stiches

I think all these blogs are great, some of them I've only just discovered recently. I'm always amazed at how much blogging goodness there is out there!
If you have been tagged before and don't wish to participate, that's ok.


And now for the latest things I've been working on.
I don't know anything about embroidery. And I'm quite useless at following instructions. So I have just been trying some things.

I used a postcard of a tiki and made this little fellow. Only I don't think he is detailed enough, but I wanted it small enough to make into a patch or a brooch, and well, I think I need to keep trying...

Then the other day I was reading a book about pohutukawas, and thought of making these:


I've actually made the pohutakawa one into a brooch, and the one on the right is awaiting the same treatment.

And one last picture of another tote bag. I'm hoping to make a few of these to post on Etsy very soon as well as other goodies, but I work so slowly it could take a few months!




Also thanks for people who have stopped by and left me a comment or dropped me an email, it is nice to have some feedback, and makes me really happy :)

Escape

Thursday I flew off to Auckland, with much anticipation.
Every year on the same week end, as tradition wants, I have my Thursday and Friday off...
Thursday is shopping day. By myself most of the time. He flies to join me on Thursday night, and I have a whole day to roam free around Auckland.
Friday, is the Big Day Out.
So Thursday, I arrived in Auckland early morning, and dropped off my bags and jumped in a bus to get to town straight away. My first stop was for coffee, of course, then I just wandered about, did some shopping, and of course had more coffee, and sushi, and cake. Have to look after myself!!
There are some really good second hand shops in Auckland, and I found some nice clothes at a bargain price.
But the highlight of the day was this shop, Salvage. I had been reading about it, and really wanted to visit it.
It was smaller than I thought (well in my dreams it was a huge place with piles of fabric and buttons you could dive into... in my dreams, as I say!) but really great!
I had great fun looking at all the amazing fabrics they have in there, and got some very sweet glass buttons, and some lace as well....
I felt really shy, I was scared to touch anything, some of the fabrics in there are truly to die for!





Not far from that shop was also an hospice shop where I found some more bits and bobs, doilies, bits of felt, some bits of fabric...


I had a really good time, wandering by myself.
I find I relax best when I'm alone, and I really feel like that mini break not only was resting but also got me thinking about new things I want to create. Sometimes I think that I do lose touch with my "creative side" when I am caught into work and routine. That day really was the best thing. And I had great weather.... Mmmm, wouldn't mind another day off!

Market Day!

Well I wish it was market day today! Only I was in the office all day instead.
But it feels like market day everytime I look at this little tote I finished last night.




I got the fabric at supershed, which is this big warehouse that sells all sorts of second hand junk. I think they mainly collect stuff that people bring to the refuse station, so there is a lot of real junk. But I have found some real cool fabrics there sometimes, and buttons, and embroidery threads, and old patterns... Ah the joys of thrifting!


To go back to the fabric, it's actually an old cotton sheet. I love the colours, and these flowers, I couldn't resist buying it!

Needless to say I got it next for to nothing, as well as this other piece of gorgeous fabric, soon to become a bag as well I think:

I love the little girl with the hat, it remind me of one of my childhood book.

New start

Well I find it so hard coming here and posting on my blog, yet I think about it all the time!
I'll keep it short and sweet for that first post of the year and just put up a few pics of what I have been up to in my craft world lately...

Some ongoing work...




A funny bunny from Aranzi Aronzo's Cute Book...



Shopping for buttons....


I am hoping to start posting regularly. Like, once a week maybe? We'll see...