Washi Tape School Desk Upcycle

I saw a picture in Mollie Makes magazine over the Christmas holidays of a washi wrapped dining table and it was the inspiration for a desk for Matilda.

First a trip to the tip shop for an old school desk (with the lift up lid and storage underneath). I was expecting to have to hunt for one of these but the op shopping Gods were smiling on me and $5 later we had the bones of a desk! Not pretty but perfect at the same time.

Two cans of white spray paint from the hardware store (about $8) and the grey and rust disappeared. I'm thankful the original desk was a pale colour because my spray painting skills leave much to be desired!!

I was hoping to just washi wrap the original desk top but the one we had was warped and grotty. A small sheet of MDF (about $25) and some nifty routering from the Mr and we had a new desktop. It was better in the end as the washi tape is transparent and the bright blue top would have looked bad.

Then I attacked the top with a box of washi tape that I'd had in the craft room since last Christmas and not used. I copied the colour sequence on the packaging and just wrapped the desk top - and I love it. I used a MT Light Pastels 10 Tape Box Set that I bought from Notemaker. Also available on Etsy. I have about half the tape left on each roll so could probably do another one!

Once I'd wrapped the whole desk I just cut around the pencil groove with a blade and screwed the top back onto the desk.

It's back to school for Matilda on Tuesday and her own desk should be good incentive to practice her writing!

It's Been a While!

3+ months to be exact since I last posted here!  I have been busy with babies, sewing and returning to work - not that it's an excuse, I just seem to have drifted away from blogging for a bit.  I'm loving Ravelry and Pinterest but am just not that inspired to blog at the moment.

Anyway, I have been knitting for new babies (and my own babies too).

An owlie Milo (Ravelled here)

And the cardi I knitted for Kelvin now finished for Liam (ravelled here)

And sewing for the school fair using lots of tiny pieces of donated fleece!

Tiny Kittens in Boxes (from here)

And Furious Feathered Friends aka Angry Birds! (from here)

And parenting a growing boy plus his siblings!

And I am also back to work.  Similar role, new company!  And I'm wondering about my decision.  I forgot how difficult a new job is - it's been more than 7 years since I last changed jobs and it's hard to get your head around it.  I'm finding the change especially difficult after being off with a baby for 8 months - but I need to remind myself that it's only been 3 weeks and that I'm probably being too hard on myself.  I need to ease into it - it'll be OK!

Quilt Top for Kelvo + Liam is 4 months!

The WIP Quilt-along has been just the right kick up the backside that I've needed to get out some of my half-done quilt projects!

First cab off the rank was Kelvin's Quilt Top that has been in bits all over my sewing room for more than a year.  It is a brick path quilt (loosely based on the Amy Butler one) with an added panel featuring the beautiful zoology fabric.

I think it'll look great with dark brown binding - to really pull everything together.

I've partially pieced a back and just need to add the border and find some backing fabric to finish this one.  And then it'll be lots of straightline machine quilting before popping it on his bed!

And so that my third child doesn't have recourse for being neglected!  Here's his 4 month photo (only a couple of weeks late)!

12 WIPs in 2012

So there are a few "kick up the butt" type challenges out in the bloggy-world for the New Year but the one being hosted by AJ is particularly appealing!  Trying to finish 12 quilt projects before the end of the year might be just the challenge I need.

I have at least 6 projects in various stages of incompletion.  And I have a lifetime of quilt projects in the planning!

True WIPs
1.  Matilda's quilt from the mystery quilt-a-long in 2009 (I was attempting to finish this for her last Christmas, it has been living in the linen cupboard for the last year!!).

2.  Kelvin's quilt that is in parts.
3.  My first ever quilt top to be made into a quilt.

4.  The Australasian Quilting Bee blocks need to become a quilt top (and eventually a quilt)
5.  I joined in the Fat Quarterly jelly roll quilt-a-long and have completed the top.

6.  Travel t-shirt quilt to be made!

Notional WIPs
7.  A quilt for Liam (using the Cluck Cluck Sew Bizzy Kid pattern and fabric from my stash).
8.  A Noddy Quilt or Christmas Fairy Quilt for my Mum.
9.  A Dr. Seuss Quillow (probably for Finley for next Christmas).
10.  A Vintage Sheet Quilt (or maybe a doona cover).
11.  A quilt top from my stash of green and brown and red owl fabrics (will hunt out the fabric line).
12.  A "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" quilt from the kit I bought from the Fat Quarter Shop.

Christmas 2011

Christmas was good this year, although I'm just starting to recover now (and it's been 3 days)!  I'm even considering a no-sew December for 2012 since it seemed to overwhelm me this year - although I do have to remind myself I have a 3 month old in the house and I'm not superwoman!!
My family came to have lunch at our place on Christmas Eve.

 And then we backed-it up with Christmas Lunch with Trev's extended family

Smile everyone!

And then an evening get together for ham toasties and left-over desserts at our place for his immediate family.

Toasties all round!

Handmade goodies were well received.  The "Pimp Your Vans/Volleys" shoelaces were a hit with the 14 year old.

Apparently "Vans" are popular with Melbourne schoolgirls and these shoelaces make them even cooler!!

And I finished Liam's Christmas Stocking at about 10pm on Christmas Eve.  I have IOU's for three others that are in various stages scattered about the sewing room!

Gotta love that face!  Sitting next to his Christmas Stocking which is bigger than he is!

So I hope you have all recovered from the celebrations and are sitting back, relaxing and enjoying some sunny summer weather (or snow if your on the other side)!



3 Months, lots of making and doing!

Firstly, Liam is 12 weeks today (which also coincides with him being 3 months old).  He's stretching out and seems to be a bit more in control of his head which is always good!

We have also continued with our book and activity advent calendar.  One of the most popular activities has been to paint our nails in Christmas colours!

I have also made a fold-over bag to contain the wool and needles requested by the mother of a 10-year old boy who recently learnt to knit from his Dutch Oma (grandmother).  I'm not sure if being a knitter is cool when you're 10 but it sure will be when you have this hip and groovy bag to hide it in!!



Good books over the last week have included...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

Fold Out 12 Days of Christmas

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Richard Scarry

Father Christmas Needs a Wee by Nicholas Allan

Christmas Making for Girls

Trev is the eldest of a hoard of cousins - the youngest three cousins are still at school and the very youngest is only a couple of years older than Matilda.  We'll be seeing these cousins at Christmas and I don't like to do this empty handed so I have been sewing for the two girls.

I can recommend the Lil Cutie Pouch tutorial from Noodlehead's Anna - quick and easy to make and I think it'd be pretty useful to hold your house key, your phone and some lipgloss etc.

Red and pink for Emily (aged 14)

And then last week Oliver+S's Liesl posted about her handmade shoe laces.  Let's just say I have been in a shoelace making frenzy since I saw this - I've made a pair each for the cousins and another 8 pairs for the kids in our Mother's Group.  I made them 42" long which is long enough to put in your Dunlop Volleys and they would fit a pair of kids 5-hole lace-up boots. 

Blue and green for Nina (aged nearly 8)

I bought the washi tape for the aglets (the end of a shoelace) on-line from NoteMaker and was really impressed with their service, my package arrived in only a couple of days - which is a surprise when you live in Tassie!

Carols by Candlelight

Yesterday was a warm humid day and the evening was perfect for Carols by Candlelight at the local park.  We had a lovely time although have discovered that Kelvin goes a bit silly when he's tired!!

Today we went to a work BBQ and my contribution was the usual Chocolate Ripple Cake (with a touch of rum).

And our calendar task for today will be to make some Lolly Holly to decorate our Christmas presents.

And our book is the beautifully illustrated The First Christmas.  The words are directly from the King James Bible and the images created by Jan Pienkowski (who did the pictures for the Meg and Mog books I love from childhood).

Fabulous Christmas Wreath

Our task for Wednesday was to make a Christmas Wreath for our front door.  I was inspired by this post.

Matilda and Kelvin made one each and now I have a red wreath hanging on my front door (to welcome guests) and a green wreath hanging on my back door (to welcome robbers - noone uses our back door except us!).

I love the way they waiver in the wind.

I can highly recommended making one and my kids loved the stapling and glueing.

Childcare Picnic

Our task for yesterday was another easy one - have a picnic for dinner if the weather was fine (which is was).  It was the annual childcare picnic and it was in our local playground - there was a Christmas fairy, Santa dropped by and the kids got their faces painted.

Kelvin as a dinosaur.

Matilda, the 100th butterfly they'd painted (or at least it felt like 100)!

Santa Liam hanging with his Dad.

And our book for the day was the classic Golden Book version of The Christmas Story.  I finally found our Fisher Price nativity scene so we read the story and found the characters and played a bit before bed.

Today our book is Aliens Love Panta Claus - all about decorating your house with underpants and Santa's sack being exchanged for a massive pair of bloomers!!  And we're looking forward to a quiet day at home making a new wreath for the front door (and probably the back on too) - inspired by this one.

Another Christmas Book, Another Christmas Thing To Do!

Today is a school day (Matilda) / childcare day (Kelvin) / work day (Trev) / rest day (Liam and me) so our Christmas countdown activity was appropriately easy.  It instructed us to drop our presents under the Wishing Tree.  Which is what we did on our way home from dinner at Granma's.

But on the way to Kmart we passed a group of Salvation Army horn players tooting carols in the street.  We used to live in the area and this was always one of my favourite things in the lead-up to Christmas.  So I swerved to the kerb and hauled the kids out and we listened to a few carols and then requested Jingle Bells and then I found myself squatting on a busy street corner with a child on each knee singing carols out loud and although the weather doesn't feel like Christmas it's beginning to feel like Christmas!!

My kids have never really been toy shopping with me before - it has always been easier to do it on our own.  However, this year I decided to let them choose something each for a child the same age and gender as themselves and they were really good!

Octonauts Book & Kwazii Kitten playset for a boy who's 3.

A fairy Barbie with an extra outfit for a girl who's 5

And I chose a Fisher Price toyset for a 6 month old boy and added in some nappies, wipes and scented nappy bags and then we headed off to put our gifts under the tree.

And then fortune had it that our book for today was 25 December Lane by Helen Ward.  This book was give to Matilda by my Mum - for her first Christmas as a big sister.  Helen Ward has also dedicated this book to a Matilda and it's about a little girl who's searching for the perfect gift for a special little brother celebrating his first Christmas.  My mum has written Kelvin's name on the last illustration, along with his birthdate and I can see this becoming a book to treasure.