off to Melbourne...

I wish I could say it was me who was off to Melbourne... but no, it isn't me, it is a lovely package of crochet hats, bags and beanies destined for the Gift Shop at the 2012 Canterbury Art Exhibition.

Several weeks ago we received an invitation from the organisers of the Art Exhibition to provide some handmade crochet items to be offered for sale in their Gift Shop.

These items I am sending over have been handmade by my mother, who is an incredibly talented crocheter, with over 30 years experience. Her inspiration comes from various books, magazines and websites, often making her own yarn and colour selections, and adding her own twist.

I believe there will be an amazing selection of handmade goodies in the Gift Shop (oh how I would love the chance to shop there!) along with a magnificent display of art. If you are lucky enough to be in Melbourne from May 4th to 6th please pay a visit to the show, and show your support for local Australian talent. If you can't attend the show, you can still visit lots of our crochet and other handmade goodies over at Lollipops And Love xx

A crochet hook cosy...for me

For Christmas I made my mum a fabric crochet hook cosy...see it here...and for Christmas my mum gave me a whole set of crochet hooks.

I was also given the book 'Cute & Easy Crochet' by Nicki Trench, and so with a whole set of new hooks needing a cosy new home, the obvious first project of choice was the Hook Holder.

This hook holder took a little longer to make up than the previous one, but was still an easy project, combining crochet and sewing. The previous cosy folded up like a wallet and secured shut with a button, this one rolls up and secures with ribbon tied in a bow. I like them both!

I used two co-ordinating pieces of fabric to make the inner lining/pockets. The grey and white dotted fabric was an off-cut saved from a previous project, and the grey and yellow patterned piece is from my new bundle of fabric.

My hooks are cosy...well, organised at least!

xx

A peek...

A bundle of pretty fabric...

a growing collection of yarn...

two crochet projects in progress...

and (experiments with) tissue paper pom poms!

This is just a tiny bit of what is inspiring me right now, and what I have been working on.

What are you working on or inspired by?

Christmas wishes

 

Christmas Eve is finally here...the shopping is done...the presents are wrapped...the grown ups are relaxing...and Master R and Miss A are eagerly awaiting bedtime.

This morning I asked my children to think about what they are grateful for, and they both said family and toys! I guess that pretty much sums up what is important to kids at Christmas time too! Bless them!

It's been a busy and exciting year...and I am very grateful for all of the support and encouragement I have had from family, friends, customers and readers.

I can't wait to get started on all of the projects I have planned for next year.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

xx Tracey

(The toys in the above photos were crocheted using patterns from magazines and websites.

Reindeer: Crafts Beautiful magazine Issue 206 Oct 2006

Angel: www.spotlight.com.au

Snowman: Handmade magazine (Christmas Special) Vol 29 No.7)

A quick crochet hook cosy

Lucky this was quick and easy to make as I almost left it to the very last minute! This crochet hook cosy is for my mum for Christmas. She is crafty. She loves to crochet. And she loves to give and receive handmade.

I found the pattern for this crochet hook cosy in 'Sew Darn Cute' by Jenny Ryan, a book I stumbled across whilst browsing the shelves of cute and quirky shops in Dunsborough last month. I could not put that book back on the shelf, it had to come home with me. I want to make everything in that book.

The exterior of the crochet hook cosy was supposed to be denim, but I didn't have denim and I didn't want to buy any fabric, so I just used cotton quilting fabric inside and out, but added medium weight interfacing to both pieces to make the cosy sturdy enough. And I thought a crochet flower would be the perfect addition to the front. Done!

Time out

It has been a whole month since my last blog post. I didn't plan to be away from Blogger for this long, but it is a busy time of the year, and one thing led to another, and before I knew it I was completely out of the routine of blogging.

It all started with a mini getaway in the South West of WA. It is a holiday that my family and I have taken at about the same time every year, for the past few years, and it has now become a bit of a tradition for us. The weather was warm (sometimes in November it is still a bit chilly) and we were fortunate enough to be able to swim and really enjoy the area's amazing beaches. And as always there were the ice creams at Simmo's, lunch at Colonial Brewery, and plenty of strolls through town.

While I was away there wasn't a computer to distract me, and I only had a crochet hook and yarn with me for craft. By moving at a slower pace, and enjoying simple activities with my family, I was able to see just how distracted I had been in recent months with Etsy and Blogger, and I realised I was actually feeling quite exhausted! I arrived back home feeling relaxed, rested and inspired, and with a desire to continue on at this slower pace.

But while blogging and crafting for Etsy did take a back seat for a while, there has still been plenty of handmade crafty goodness happening in my world...here is a little bit of it...

Crochet Party Bunting...while on holiday I did have with me the new book by Meet Me At Mike's Pip Lincolne, 'Make Hey! while the sun shines', and from this book I followed Pip's pattern for making crochet bunting. It was the perfect holiday project, simple and fun, with the added bonus of relaxation and calm that comes with crochet. When we returned from our holiday, I strung them all together with a piece of pretty pink ribbon, and hung them up on the eve of Miss A's 4th birthday celebration. That was nearly three weeks ago, and they are still hanging beautifully, and I do not plan to take them down as I LOVE them!

 Wooden advent calender...I bought this Kaisercraft advent calender in kit form in the post-christmas sales in January...but silly me still managed to leave it until the very last minute to assemble and decorate it! I did get it complete enough to fill with trinkets and chocolates in time for December 1st, but it is still a bit of a work in progress. Maybe we will start a family tradition of adding a bit of decoration to it each year!

Knitted and crocheted Christmas decorations...All over our home there are cute and cuddly little Christmas characters. They are perched happily upon shelves, peeking cheekily out from behind the branches of the Christmas tree, and watching over the kids as they sleep. They have been lovingly handmade by my mum. Each Christmas for the past couple of years she has given us a bundle of new ones, and slowly we are replacing all of our plastic baubles and decorations with these beautiful handmade ones which will be treasured in our home for years to come.

Hope you have been enjoying some time-out this busy season too  x

A family affair

I've mentioned before how talented my mum is when it comes to crochet. A few months ago she began making lots of gorgeous hats and beanies for my children. My kids love their hats made by Nana, and my daughter in particular wears one almost everywhere she goes. We've had lots of other mums commenting on them and asking where we bought them from, so my mum has now joined me on Etsy and is listing some of her crochet goodies for sale in my shop.

I got the kids involved in a photo shoot of her items a few days ago. They were surprisingly cooperative and had a lot of fun with it . We were outdoors, in the backyard, and although it was cold there was at least a bit of sun about. Afterwards the kids even decided to do a bit of gardening!

Most of the hats and girls bags that mum is making at the moment are from patterns by Britta Graham. You can find the patterns for sale at Britta's Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BBfromOz. 

But if you don't crochet...or you just want to receive a lovely package of handmade goodness in the mail (who doesn't?)...then have a look at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CottonAndCard for the finished items. Most of the crochet items can be custom made, so if you see something you would like in a different size or colour, just ask!

As for me, I am still plodding along with my Granny Squares, and working on my technique, tension etc as I go...and loving it! Hope you are loving whatever it is you are working on too :)

A breath of fresh air

Yesterday called for some time outdoors and some fresh air and sunshine. We've all had quite awful coughs and colds for a couple of weeks, and have been stuck indoors most of the time, with little energy to do very much at all. And to top it off my son also had a nasty accident with a swing and had to have three stitches in his forehead.

I love these days in winter, when the air is crisp and cool, and the sun is shining. They are motivating and invigorating, especially after several days of grey skies, rain...and coughs and colds.

The kids were happy to just explore along the edge of the lake for a while. I was happy to sit in the sun and crochet (even when my son told me it was a bit weird to crochet at the park)

There was a bit of climbing too, with me hovering underneath a lot as they got higher in the hope that there would be no more incidents involving stitches!

A morning was just enough for us, and we spent the afternoon resting indoors again. But it was a great morning out, and just what we all needed.

Baby Love

There have been a few little bundles of joy arriving around us lately...most recently one little baby girl, and two brand new baby boys.

Definitely an opportunity for a bit more card making!

Paper bunting...ribbon...and alphabet rub-ons...

...fabric with cute baby motifs...embossing...hand stitching on card...ribbon and buttons...

...die-cut circles for tags...embossing and string.

And who can resist tiny baby size crochet beanies?

As cute as the tiny babies themselves :)

Feeling Crafty

Today I have been hand-sewing pretty crochet flowers onto snap clips and hair elastics. My crochet-obsessed mother made these gorgeous flowers for me. The colours are amazing - chocolate, turquoise, taupe, lime, pink...I think I will package the finished hair accessories into co-ordinating sets. I will pop them into the shop soon.

Yesterday I paid a visit to Scrapbook Secrets. They stock the best range of papercraft and scrapbooking products that I have ever seen.

Their patterned paper and card was divine...my head is full of ideas...and I am sensing there may be a card making and paper-crafting binge this weekend!