My Creative Space

Finding the space within the busyness of farm life for a little creating has become a priority for me over the last few years. Whether it's sewing, knitting, spinning or whatever new thing that comes along, I make time for some each day.

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Just the odd bit of knitting happening here at the moment, so thought I'd share some creating that happened for Christmas...

A fishing game for a little grandson, made from felt with a touch of embroidery. A metal washer at the mouth, a little fleece stuffing and a magnet on some string, along with some watery blue coth and you have a sweet little game for a 2 to 3 year old.

One of my daughters felt that a doll's house would be lovely for her 4 year old niece, so we took a look around some second hand shops. We came across this one which we felt could come up to scratch with a little TLC. As it got closer to Christmas, my daughter was getting a bit overwhelmed with what needed to be done so I took over the project. Rhonnie had sanded the whole thing down, so I started on the painting. She decided to keep the floors wooden and to paint everything else.

A piece of timber beading was added to cover a few dents and curtains for the windows...

Paper bunting in the nursery...

 

And a bed for mamma and pappa....

Rhonnie was a little anxious about how the gift would be received as the family are not really into secondhand/homemade. But her niece was beside herself when she saw it. It was just what she'd dreamed of! Rhonnie had found some beautiful wooden furniture to add to the gift and I'm sure that there will be many more years of happy play from this little girl.

For our 6year old grand daughter I made an explorers bag from some curtain fabric that I had. And to put inside I made a pencil holder and journal. Along with a bought magnifying glass and second hand insect book I think it made a lovely discovery gift. The grand daughter was particularly taken with the pencil case, something she had coveted for a while apparently. You can be lucky some times!

For her four year old brother I made some things to throw. Don't small boys just love to throw things?

I made a parachute from some lovely blue silk and added a duplo man I had, and a shooting star streamer ball from some felt.

I really enjoyed creating these gifts. I find it much more rewarding than wandering around the shops with the hordes of Christmas shoppers (or at any time really).

Christmas Op Shopping

I'm aiming to make most of my gifts this year, especially those gifts for the little ones, but there were some things that I just couldn't make. So today I took a little wander around the local op shops and found some real treasures.

Any one for a tea party.....

For a special little some one who loves making a cup of tea. I didn't really need to buy him anything more but I just know he will love them.

And for a little grand daughter who is expecting a cubby house for Christmas I found some bowls and spoons....

which will go with some knitted fruit that we found at the local Steiner school fair....

Gifts for two more people were also bought at op shops today but I can't show you right now because the proposed recipients may be watching!

It was so much fun shopping at the op shops. There were no crowds. I didn't spend much money but got just the things I thought would be enjoyed. There's no guilt attached to the purchases because they were all second hand. I didn't feel pressured by all the choice that is available these days in the shopping centres and the money spent goes to a charity.

My other gifts of choice are  locally made, ethically made, and home made. I'll show you some of my home made gifts a little later ( when they are actually finished!!)

Gift Giving At Christmas

Mark and I attended a Transition Town meeting the other week. The topic was '' A sustainable Christmas--  Is it possible?''  Tricia from Little Eco Footprints started the evening off with some ideas and then we all put our heads together to come up with some more. It seems that many people are concerned by the waste, over consumption and lack of meaning around Christmas, so very animated discussions developed.

We started with what we liked about Christmas.......Seasonal pause
                                                                                   Gathering with family and friends
                                                                                   Christmas lights
                                                                                   Good food
                                                                                   etc.

Then, what we didn't like..... Waste
                                               Unwanted presents
                                               Stress
                                               Shopping
                                               etc.

Followed by some solutions.... Solar powered Christmas lights
                                                  Simple, seasonal, local food , and dish out only as much as can be eaten.
                                                  Cut down on pre Christmas activities and shopping
                                                  Give experiences for gifts (like a Purple Pear gift certificate for a gift of knowledge)
                                                  Home made gifts
                                                  Upcycled gifts
                                                  Ethical gifts
                                                  Gifts from local businesses
                                                  Volunteering for the charity Christmas breakfast
                                                  etc.

And so much more. One thing I did come away with was a reminder to source gifts from our local LETS group.So I went online and did just that. I looked at all the offerings and items for sale and came across this....

I've wanted an overlocker for a while and now I have one.. a gift to myself! Unfortunately I didn't find anything for anyone else. But I have just finished an order for 10 dishcloths for another LETS member. Maybe a gift voucher for a massage may be suitable.

In the mean time I am busy making some gifts. I hope to spend tomorrow finishing them off, and maybe get the tree decorated.

How are your preparations going?  Are you able to keep them simple?

Rainy Days

What to do on a rainy long weekend? Hmmm let's see.

First some pancakes for breakfast.

Plants some trees next

Take them from here where they are growing in abundance. These are Casuarina or She oaks which send up little suckers which are easily transplanted

And plant them here where we are trying to develop a windbreak. We like to plant on wet days to give them a good start.

Time for some crafting

A little cardigan for our grand daughter due in July

 A gift for someone special

A new top for me using fabric I bought from an Op shop. Still need some bias binding for the armholes. Some thing new for my upcoming trip to Melbourne.

Some wool. I think the dark wool will make a nice beanie for Mark!

 Some more Op Shop finds from during the past week

A little covered bowl to hold the soap at our outdoor sink

And now some left over rice for lunch.