oh look terrible photos too !

I've whined before about my computer problems .

Hopefully it will all be sorted soon and I can

show you some things I've been working on .

If you squint your eyes these photos

might look better .

Now would you believe it my camera is playing up !

These little bags are just so cute

but they look a bit ordinary in these photos .

I scaled down my Catchit bag pattern

and I've been having fun making

little Catchits for little girls .

Thanks to all who have stuck by me.

As some of you know the last 6 months have been

very difficult for me but I'm getting there .

So next time you visit you may just

find inspiration and non blurry photos ,

maybe ..

keeping teens tidy ha ha ha !

In an effort to try and get the teen girl

to keep her room tidy I've made her

some pretty boxes to store her things in.

I know I'm not the only one with messy teenagers

so I've done a little tutorial for the boxes in case

you need help too .

They really are so quick and easy to make

that I thought they'd be great Christmas presents

with a few nice things inside .

You can make these any size just adjust

the measurements to suit .

First I cut 4 x 20cm x 20cm squares in two colours.

I then ironed a firm interfacing to the wrong side

of the fabric that I chose to have on the outside .

Stitch around 3 sides of the two front pieces

with right sides facing.

Repeat with the inner fabric but in this case

leave a generous gap for turning .

On the wrong sides of each base corner

mark out a square 3cm x 3cm.

Fold the fabric to make a neat corner .

Pin and stitch across the line .

Trim excess .

Repeat with inner fabric .

Place inner box inside the outer box

with right sides facing and side seams even

and stitch all the way around .

Turn your box the right side out through the gap

you left in the inner fabric .

Stitch gap neatly closed .

Press along the top edge of the box and top stitch .

Now your pretty box is ready to be filled

with junk by your messy teenager

or is this just what happens in my house !

I can't think of a title for this post

We are almost at the end of school holidays here .

Right at the beginning of the holidays

I felt I needed to make the decision to continue

working around the kids and their friends,

juggling two part time jobs ,

renovations and all the other stuff we seem to manage.

Or let something go for just two weeks .

So except for orders I have done no work,

designing or sewing for Clare's Craftroom

for two long weeks .

My girl and I made these cards together

and a bit of scrapbooking and that's it !

I think the break has refreshed me and I can't

wait to get back into it .

In the meantime to kick me back into some

sort of creativity I have started a paperbag swap

over on facebook .

If you are an Aussie interested in a small swap

click over , like my page and let me know .

I'd love for you to join in .

There's only a few days until the kids go back

to school , do you think I can last that long ?

still nothing going right

I flattened some of my old spoons the other day

as I wanted to stamp them to use

as garden markers .

So I wrote out the herbs that I wanted printed

and got started .

I tried stamping basil and got this .

I tried again .

and again ...

I hate basil anyway .

craft fail

My friend Jodie from Ric Rac first alerted

me to a condition known as E.I.T.T.T.S.

Every thing I touch turns to shit .

Personally I don't believe she has really ever suffered

from this as she is one of

 the most talented crafters I know .

Anyway I seem to be suffering from

this condition in a big way .

Some of the things I have attempted lately

I can't even laugh at them yet but I know I will soon .

So instead of showing you still painful recent disasters

I thought I'd relive an old one .

Obviously this one is quite old as it has been a

while since my house has had a rustic , country theme.

Quite a while back I was a decorative painting teacher

and painted everything that would stay still and

this was how it was for my old cupboard here .

I whipped the doors off and took it to my Craftroom

to paint it with chooks and wire .

At the time I was very pleased with it and wanted

the cupboard completed as a surprise for the family .

It was all going to plan until I realised I'd

painted the design upside down on the doors

so now the doors don't shut properly and it

is forever flopping open .

It has been known by my lovely family

as Mums' Failed Cupboard .

Do you have a crafting disaster you can share ?

Please leave details so we can come and mock visit you.

Please share your disasters

you just might make me feel better !

the art of dying

I've been meaning to dye for a while and

have finally gotten around to it .

Please note this is not professional tutorial

this is just the way I did it .

I had a very old stained lacy tablecloth

that I washed and cut up .

This is what I used to dye -

6 RIT colour packs , 6 empty honey containers (1.5kg)

6 plastic forks , 6 sachets of salt from Maccas ,

rubber gloves , hot water and a plastic

cloth to cover the table .

I did try and read the instructions on the

inside of the packet but the print was very small

and I really can't be bothered with instructions

so I ignored them because I couldn't

find my glasses anyway .

I scooped out 2 teaspoons of dye from each packet

and put it into a plastic pot with a sachet of salt .

I then poured some boiling water over to dissolve it all.

Then I filled the pots up to about 2/3 with hot water.

Then I put in the doilies and sloshed them around

with the plastic fork.

When the water had cooled and I had become

really impatient I tipped the dye outside .

(I tipped the full strength dye behind the shed ssshhh)

I don't think anything like this belongs in

our waterways , stepping off soapbox.

Then I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed the fabric

until the water ran clear .

My rinsing photo I took inside but

it is a good idea to do it outside on the grass

because you do use a bit of water and

you may as well water the yard .

PS One day later my grass is still alive .

Spread the dyed pieces out to dry .

I waited until mine were dry and then poured

hot water over a couple of them to see if they ran

but they didn't .

Just in case you were wondering these are

the colours I used .

I enjoyed dying and hope to dye again soon !