[MAMA MADE] Craft Fair Success!

I did it...I finished everything...I'm pooped! The market was a big success - thank goodness! I have to admit, the morning started off slow and I was starting to worry a little that I was coming home with eighty pairs of earrings and a pile of sock monkeys (I guess I could always pierce their ears). In the middle of making a mental note of who I could gift all this stuff too and trying not to feel discouraged, I noticed the same people had passed my table several times then BANG...it was a buying frenzy!! The calm before the storm (which was when I started wishing I had made my prices a little easier to add in my head) and it pretty much remained at that momentum for the remainder of the afternoon. Logan spent the majority of the day happily sitting beside me being my helper. His 'job' was to put the earrings or rings into a teensy paper bag and clip a mini clothes pin to the top when someone made a purchase. He took this responsiblity very, very seriously and as a reward, I let him have some money to buy a little treat. He spent his hard earned cash on treats for his dog. Love my boy.

Here's this years display:

[MAMA MADE] 2010 Fair

One more week remaining until this years Christmas Craft Fair at our local school. Am I ready?? Of course not...that would mean that I was somewhat organized and not a procrastinator. So needless to say, panic, stress and my old pal, anxiety have dropped in to say hello. But in the end, I always seem to somehow pull it all together, and be pretty pleased with myself.

One good thing, is that I don't have to spend too much time racking my brain for display pieces. Last years display worked perfectly, and seeing as I'm repeating everything I made last year with a few new projects thrown in, I don't see why it wouldn't work it's magic for me again.

Here's a look back at 2010's table:

Sorry for the poor picture quality - the one thing I forgot to do that day, was charge my battery (mental note...charge camera battery). The tables were about a foot bigger than I had anticipated when doing my home layout prior to the show (always do a test layout prior to set-up...saves a lot of time, energy and aggrevation on the big day). So there was a little more empty space than I would have liked...but all in all, I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

I had lots of pretty vintage cabochon earrings (have tons this year too!). they were displayed on an antique cake stand with my handmade labels. The labels were cut from assorted scrapbooking paper with a brown kraft flap sewn to the front/back with contact information. May do that again this year if time permits.

Monkeys and bears. They too will make an appearance on the table. How could I not make my  monkeys?...they are so stinkin' cute!!

Not sure if you can see very well in the picture on the left, but I used this awesome vintage mini file cabinet I have in my office for display. It has four drawers which I used for DIY owl kits, and owls that were already made. I sold every single one...so this year I've doubled the amount of kits and will try to make some owls as well if I have time. They are so lovely. The wooden shelving unit on the right was used to house my monkeys last year, but this year, it will have some lovely 100% lambs wool baby blankets with ribbon binding...which reminds me...I should really make those soon!!! And hopefully this little wooden number will get a paint job before the fair. Oh wow...panic...setting...in!!!

This cute antique step ladder lives in my bathroom for Logan to use when brushing his teeth or washing his hands (or making potions in the sink). It worked great last year to house my business cards and some promotional postcards I made. It was also used as the anchoring point for my clothing rod - will come in handy again this year.

Okay, so enough typing...must get back to sewing before the wind kicks up again, and we lose our power for the third day in a row (of course...no power!

[FAMILY] Little Words

I love my boy. I love his sweetness. I love his honesty. I love his kind spirit. I love that such a little thing meant the absolute world to him. On the same note, the smallest negative gesture, would absolutely crush him. Such a delicate balance.

So for all you 'big men' out there (which in my boys eyes is anyone 6 and older) please note that even the smallest gestures mean the world to these influential little ones. 

[FAMILY] Goodbye October

The days are getting shorter, colder and we will soon be in the full throws of winter. Grey skies are looming overhead, and it seems as though our sunny fall has abruptly ended with the passing of this years Hallowe'en. Feeling the need to warm up by the fire, make lots of hearty soups and begin our winter hibernation.

Hopefully I'm wrong about the sunshine, but just in case, here's a few highlights from our October.

We frequented this cozy establishment 

visited our new neighbour, Scarlet

drank hot chocolate with friends

went bear hunting 

owl watching

soared above the trees

did a little crabbing 

boat perusing

caterpillar rescuing 

swinging  

apple eating

pumpkin picking 

hay tractor hanging

and last but not least - trick or treating! 

Now onto November. Happy 11-1-11

[MAMA MADE] Sewing Sewing Sewing

I swore up and down to myself that I would take it easy this season, and not participate in our local Christmas craft fair. And yet, where did I find myself this week...at the school submitting my application form and signing my cheque. Why...why oh why did I do this? Because I LOVE IT! I love to sew - and it seems that the only way I fit it into my day, is if I have a project or a deadline on my plate. I also love the hustle and bustle at the fair, setting up my 'little shop' and hearing all the valuable feedback. I have decided to keep it simple this year. I've created a dress pattern that is simple, timeless and best of all, easy to cut and assemble. Here's a sneak peak:

The skirts are constructed from a cotton/linen blend in a beautiful, natural finish, allowing the bodice fabric to shine. The bodice fabrics are a mix of simple, monotone patterns (as pictured above) to vintage florals.

The dresses are lined in unbleached, natural cotton. The sizing is generous, to allow the garment to grow with the child from dress to tunic.

Next up are some sweet little unisex pants made from linen, twill, denim and corduroy with patterned cotton pockets and cuffs, as well as, some twirly skirts with ribbon detailing. Lots to do - should have probably started earlier!

[FAMILY] Thankful

There are so many things I am thankful for, that it's hard to know where to start. Of course the top of my list, are my babies, husband, family and health. Our warm and cozy home, friends and our little island. This weekend was filled with all of the above.

SATURDAY Spent the day curled up infront of the fire with my little ones while Geoff went on a great hike with his friend and Maple. 

SUNDAY Grandma and Grandpa over for Thanksgiving dinner (which my Mom brought!!!). The rainy skies of Saturday disappeared and we were blessed with beautiful rays of sunshine coming through our skylights. During our visit, a little bird bumped our window - luckily after a few minutes of rest, he flew away. Logan loved holding the little creature - he is such a gentle boy...I love him.

We decided to take advantage of the sunshine and showed Grandma and Grandpa our newest trail on Bowen at Cape Roger Curtis. It's a gorgeous path that leads you up a flight of stairs to elevated boardwalks along the cliff edge, high above the ocean. The view is out to Paisley Island and beyond to Vancouver Island. It's absolutely breathtaking. There's a lovely little beach (that we used to hike too before the new roadways and trail were in) and on this special day, we found a baby seal basking in the sun.

The mama seals leave their pups on the beaches as they go out and find food. They return later in the evening to fetch their young and if they feel it's a good daycare, they return the pup there the next morning to forage again. It was such a treat to see this beautiful little baby up close. It had no fear of us (was so hard not to pet it) and once again, made me realize how truly blessed we are to be raising our children in this environment.

MONDAY For the first time since Chloe joined our family, Logan and I went on a 'date' together to walk the dog and check in on the baby seal. It was pouring rain, but we loved it. He chattered non-stop as we held hands and walked the rocky terrain. We took refuge for awhile in this lovely huge tent they have set up at the end of the trail, complete with adirondack chairs, cozy couches and a spectacular view to boot (weird, I know) and pretended it was our house. Rather than the rain slowing down, it got heavier...so needless to say, we were drenched by the time we reached the car. We didn't care...

Hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as us. Now off to make turkey stew.

[MAMA MADE] Gobble! Gobble!

Our nature shelf runneth over. It seems my little guy is as much a scavenger and collector as his mama. Every walk through the forest or along the seashore results in us coming home with our pockets full of treasures. We have baskets of pinecones, bowls filled with seashells, jars filled to the brim with acorn tops, chestnuts and feathers. I love that Logan has this simple enjoyment except for one small problem...were running out of room! So now I am on the hunt for clever nature crafts and thought autumn inspired themes may be a good place to start.

Here's our first craft of the season, just in time for Thanksgiving. Crazy little pinecone turkeys, complete with feathered tails, googley eyes and dressed in their Sunday best.

You just know these two are waiting to gossip to each other once the service is over.

I did the glue gunning and Logan carefully picked out each feather and placed it just right for the turkeys tails. He glued on the clothes and arranged the beaks and eyes on the faces. I love how each one has it's own personality.

[TUTORIAL] Singed Fabric Flowers

These little flowers are sew lovely and simple to make. You can use them in numerous ways - for example: hair bands, rings, brooches, bracelets, scrapbooking etc.

Here's what you'll need:

fabric scraps (chenille, organza, tulle - you can use just one type of fabric or mix all three)

candle

clothes pin

needle and thread

decorative accessories (seed beads, sequins, pearls, rhinestones etc.)

glass of water

STEP No. 1 Decide on the size of flower you are wanting to create (for my rings, my largest cirlce is approximately a 1" diametre, for brooches and headbands 3" diametre) Cut your fabric scraps into cirles. These don't have to be perfect circles, in fact, the more imperfect the better. Start with your largest circle and cut 2-3 of this size then start decreasing the sizes until you feel you have enough to acquire the 'fluffiness' you want. I normally use between 7-10 petals for my small flowers and 12-15 for my large flowers. It's probably a good idea to cut some extra in case any go up in flames.

STEP No. 2 Burn baby burn! Now please be careful with this step as every fabric burns at different speeds and I do not want to be held accountable for any singed fingers. Start with your largest circle - pinch the fabric in the clothes pin and hold about 4-5" over flame. If the fabric starts to curl too quickly, hold fabric higher above the heat and begin to rotate fabric to complete the petal. If fabric catches fire, quickly drop into the glass of water and start again.

STEP No. 3 Now that you have all your petals, begin stacking them. Because they will all be a slightly different shape and size, try rotating the petals to achieve fullness. Once you are happy with your composition, carefully pinch all layers together and start to sew. Starting from the back, bring needle up through the centre of all layers and back down diagonally - you are wanting to create a small 'x' in the centre of your flower. I like to to sew over the 'x' twice to assure it's secure.

STEP No. 4 Time to decorate. I love to use little pearls, sparkly seed beeds or rhinestones for my centres. The skies the limit - have fun with this step!

There you have it - one pretty, dainty and sweet little handmade lovely. Enjoy!