Dolls Carrier

Earlier this year I made a dolls carrier for a little friend who was turning two!

We were having a little morning tea for the Little Lady midweek and the idea struck me to make a dolls carrier, just like what her Mama uses for her little brother... the day before. BAH. Quick trip to Spotty for all the nuts and bolts (this is no "stash" project, in that it needed specific chords and clips).

Isn't it always the way that inspiration strikes at the 11th hour?

I used the Little Kiwis Closet Soft Structured Dolls Carrier pattern ($8) which I had actually won from the Mend and Make New blog a few years ago. It sat in my inbox, intending to use it for my own children but... you know.

Its a great pattern that is well worth getting if you are a confident beginner. The end product looks very professional and will be well worth your time and money.

I'm happy with the results, and as you can see, our sweet Friend is pretty happy too :)

READ MORE:
My Sewing

How To: Make your own book at home

As Milla grows and discovers the world I've grown to love home made books! She has a love of reading and seeing her own face on a page in front of her so they are the perfect tool for establishing routines and expectations that our family has.

You could make a book for anything! Bedtime routines (like in this tutorial), new family members, school time, visiting doctors, or fun ones to tell your own clever stories to kids of any age, gifts for friends or co-workers about themselves. The possibilities are endless!

This tutorial is using a free website called picmonkey.com - it's a really basic website for beginner designers or photo editors. Look it up now and get creating! (i've tried to be as simple as possible, so feel free to email me if you have any burning specific questions on sophieslimATmoo2DOTcoDOTnz)

ONE
Open up picmonkey.com and hover over "design", this will bring down a new menu, click "custom"

In custom you can insert your own size you would like your individual book pages to be. I suggest doing an a5 size. These measurements are "1748 x 2480 pixels". If you'd like a different size page, have a google to find out the pixels (size) it'll be.

TWO
Now that you've got your blank canvas to work with you can play around with all the different features. Pic Monkey works by dragging and dropping, so when you click on a feature, it will most likely appear on your blank canvas for you to move around and resize.

The most fun tools are the Tt and the butterfly down the left hand size. These are your "text" and "overlay" functions.

If you want to insert photos or pictures, click on the butterfly and "add my own" overlay button. This is where you can select photos from your own computer to add in, or select any of picmonkey's pre-made overlays. This is how I got the big green circle that comes in the next picture. You can change colours using the overlay box that pops up when you're moving things around. If you're going to add text on top I suggest you fade your overlay a little bit. Just drag the "fade" option across until you find something you like.

You'll find the text options work in the same way, they're stored under Tt and there's some really fun fonts to choose from! You can also resize, change colours and positions from an editing box that pops up as well.

JUST FOR FUN
This whole process can be as simple or complicated as you like, but most of all its trial and error while you're familiarising yourself with the functions.

If you're feeling adventurous, try clicking on the "eraser" part of the overlay editing box to erase out unwanted backgrounds in your photos, or right click your overlay to find some more options like "bring to the front" to get images on top of each other in the correct order.

THREE
Once you're happy with your first page click on "save" up the top, give it a name and save it to your computer! Wa-La! Your first page in your self published book!

FOUR
Now that you've finished designing each of your pages, print them off, trim them to size and tape or staple together in the correct order! You could even laminate them if you were being extra fancy.

I know that whoever you give this book to they will love it (and they might just think you're a genius!)

Let me know if you give this a try! Leave a comment, or email me with any specific questions you have.

Happy creating!
Love, Sophie

Crochet Cloth Gift

Following on from the handmade super hero capes that became Christmas presents, I also made some co-ordinating crochet dishcloths. They're bigger than ones I've made in the past and I think would be quite good for using practically. I liked them so much I plan to make more for myself.

Lots of people doubt crochet dishcloths but don't knock them till you try them. They are the BEST at absorbing, wiping, scrubbing, washing clean and drying for more uses, forever and ever and ever!

For reals.

Like I said, I need to make more for me!

The spot cloth was made using this pattern for a tapestry style spot, which as far as online crochet patterns go is pretty rubbish. But if you're capable of figuring out a graph you'll be alright (hey, I managed to figure it out and adjust it), but if you're a beginner you might feel a little stranded.

Give it a go though, the result is pretty awesome!

Thanks for reading! Love, Sophie x

Little Aprons

I forgot to show you, a bunch of months ago in the thick of baby haze and a self imposed crazy need to create I made a bunch of these aprons for some special little 2 years olds in our lives!

They're reversible with an elastic neck and tape for the strings. They made a sweet little gift, hopefully they are getting lots of wear out of them!!

(Guys, seriously, you should have told me to take a chill pill!!! Rest and all that stuff.)

Handmade Baby Gifts

Having my second daughter I really didn't expect any gifts. However, Katie and myself have been ridiculously blessed by so many people. Starting from the surprise baby shower, 2 weeks worth of delicious fresh meals and baking from our Church, and a whole lot of beautifully wrapped practical and lovely gifts! 

Most of all its so touching to me as a mother to know that people still love and want to make a big deal about my second. That really does mean a lot. 

I wanted to show off a few of the handmade gifts here to recognise the bloggers who gave them in secret. Each were such a surprise, from a colourful nappy and wipes carrier, handmade shoes, blankets and quilts and clothing. 

We received so much more than this from so many generous family and friends. Thank you to everyone for your love!!

 (Thank you cards have been written and are slowly making their way to you.)

Those featured here:

Holly, Treena, Miriam, Juliet, Cat