Having a probem......

I have been asked to make a birthday gift for my mother-in-laws sister's 50th birthday, OMG! What on earth am I going to make? So far with my store SuJoh I mostly just make pillows and shopping bags, and I don't think that any of those who be good 50th birthday gifts. I think that this request of me was made because of the card that I made for my sister-in-laws birthday which was on Friday. Next weekend she is having her birthday party which is an Alice in Wonderland themed fancy dress party, and I found a vintage image taken from an original version of the book Alice in wonderland I coloured the image in Photoshop and layered the card with a clock image. My in-laws all loved the card, which I suppose is the reason why I have been asked to make something. Card I can do, I have some great vintage images that I would love to play with the make a 50th birthday card. But as for a gift........

I have had an idea, a framed personalised family tree. Having a little trouble finding the right kind of image. I think that I might have a scrapbooking page in my collection, but that has been earmarked for my own personal use. Though I have had that page for a couple of years without using it so this might be the use I have obviously been waiting for.......

My mother-in-law has said that she wants to pay me for whatever it is that I make, which is good. I have 2ish people who are going to buys something from my Etsy store SuJoh (yeah!).

I have until the 19th October (no pressure!!!), time to go away that formulate some ideas. Maybe some more searching the www.

My next project

One of the best things about not having a job to go to is the ability to do all those things that you said or would have said 'Maybe one day if I had the time" to. I have the time. On a side note keeping busy keeps you sane. I have done a few projects around the house in the last year, cleaning and reorganising mostly. But also a couple of bigger projects, no-dig-veggie garden and the redecorating of a chest of draws in our bedroom.

I have found the next project that I would like to tackle, it is essentially an art piece. In our home I have two places on two walls that need something. I have an idea for one, I want to create a display of the photo's that myself and my WH (wonderful husband) have taken. For Christmas last year my WH gave me three of my photos that he had printed out and framed, they are currently displayed next to our TV unit. I am not happy with their placement that think they would make a bigger statement if they were displayed, along with photo's that my husband has taken, on the wall across from our front door. In that location they would also make a great first impression as you walk in our front door. The space that the photo's would leave has been perplexing me for awhile now, I look at it every evening when we sit down to watch TV.

I think that I found it, I was doing one of my favourite things this arvo, which is surfing the ETSY website for videos when I came across a how to on a great art work.

You can view the video here.

The thing I really like is that it is sort of killing two birds with one stone. I have been shredding some pruning that I have been doing in the backyard (when it is not raining), but my shredder doesn't take anything bigger than 40mm round. So I am accumulating a pile of 40mm and above branches. They would be prefect to use to create something like this (and they are free!). I also have almost all the supplies.

Yep, defiantly my new project. Will let you know how I am progressing and the end result!

Newest creation

A good friend of ours had her birthday recently and I made her this card

I love the result

The image I found on Martha Stewart's website, it was meant for a Mother's Day card, which I had every intention of making. But when I sat down to do it the image just didn't seem right for either of our Mother's (mine or my WH's (Wonderful Husband)). But then our friend T had her birthday, T is vintagey hippy type of girl. She lives in a small converted dairy on her parents property, and it is filled with furniture and decor that she has found on the road side or at Op Shops. So the image would suit her perfectly.

On Martha Stewart's website the image was designed to have the buttons sew on, I glued them on (laziness, mostly), and that was it. Which looked great but to me wasn't finished. So I cut a couple of slits into the card and threaded a piece of ribbon, alittle folding and tada! A scarf! The image to me had a windswept feel and the scarf ribbon gives that feel perfectly.

I am considering adding similar cards to my Etsy shop SuJoh, using vintage photo's and postcards. But I am still playing with the idea.

Achievement

My WH (wonderful husband) has this jumper that we bought a year or so ago, it was purchased to be worn while he is running. But he loves it so much that it gets worn almost always. About 3-6 months ago somehow the zip got broken, WH was devastated. I decided to have a go at replacing the broken zip myself. I have done abit of sewing when I was is high school, year 8 as most students as well as year 11 & 12. I do enjoy using a sewing machine and making things, I currently have the use of my mother's sewing machine.

Yesterday I spent sometime carefully unpicking the stitches that held the old zip in place. Discovered that replacing the zip should be pretty straightforward (thankfully!).

Today after church I popped into Spotlight and bought a new zip, found they were having a 20% off store wide sale (score!). Then when I got home I inserted the new zip and sewed it all up. I found it easy enough to replace the zip, still not the greatest sewer in the world. Quite proud of myself.

WH was absolutely thrilled, wore the newly repaired jumper around for the rest of the evening. Feels very good to repair my WH's jumper, much better than throwing it away and wasting money on buying another one.

Someone couldn't leave me be at the table, loves to chew the pins (certainly not something I want him to be doing)

Finds

While searching for something else down stairs I came across this small cupboard, I have had it for ages but totally forgot that it moved with me when I got married to my WH (wonderful husband), that is about 5 years now. It use to be white with pink flowers all over it, but I got tired of that look (and Barbie didn't really use it much after she went into storage) so I covered it it brown paper.

Side note: I got really obsessed with the look of brown paper, I loved the clean look while not being cold. Also spoke to the environmentalist in me. Still find myself draw to the look of brown paper, but not as much as a few years ago.

Any way when I was spraying the metal baskets I got bored inbetween coats, so got out my tin of undercoat and started to paint over the small cupboard. The brown paper had gotten stains on it, I had never sealed it after I covered it (big mistake). But I don't know where to go from here. I like the kind of oddness of the cupboard and the possiblity of storage for small items, but where? My scrap space? Or for jewerly in our bedroom? Or maybe just a display piece in the lounge? Some many possiblities.......hmmmmm.

I think that this will become a fun little project desciding what to do with this small cupboard, maybe I'll paint it red? I also have this cute teally colour that I love. Stay tunned to see what I descide.

Almost there

So close to being happy with my new blog look, love the background picture! The header needs some work, was happy with it but now I have a background and layout I like the header just doesn't work for me anymore. Tried to designed a new one today but I just wasn't in the creative mood.

Speaking of creative things, I think that I have finally come up with a design that I like to finish the chest of draws that I have been redecorating for the last month. Best thing is that my wonderful husband likes it, he thinks it's abit girly but likes it as a girly design. I don't mind really if it looks girly (a girl created it afterall), and everything in our house is pretty gender neutral so a pop of girlyness wouldn't be so bad.

I used photoshop to come up with the design, and I pulled apart of clipart that I found, took the bits I liked and made them work together. Using photoshop I have also been able to give myself about how the finish chest is going to look (love photoshop!).

Now I just have to transfer this design to the chest of draws, a friend suggested that it would be quicker to just draw the design with a pencil then fill in with a paintbrush. The other option is to transfer the image to a piece of card or clear contact to use as a stencil, probably go with the first option, seems to be the easiest way to go.

Also finally got the metal baskets that I found at council pick-up spray painted, my wonderful husband suggested that I went with a clear finish, glad I did. Here is a picture of the finished baskets in their place in the kitchen cart.

The clear coat allows the original colour and look that first attracted me to be seen, and because I don't know what they were used for before I came across them it also protects the food that I will be storing in them. Next is to make some liners for the inside of the baskets, the holes in the baskets are far too big and things fall through (onions, potato's, ginger etc) so a liner will keep everything in, and will give both baskets a uniform look (and hide the not so pretty contents of the bottom basket).

Need your opinion

My sister-in-law wants to have a stall at our local Sunday markets in August and has invited me to make some stuff to sell. So I have been thinking and I came up with a fabric covered notebook using fabric that I already have around the house. This is the plan that cam out of my head (I couldn't be bothered to get my sketch book from my scrapbooking room so grabbed a pen and envelope that I already had sitting next to me on the couch)


And here is the finished notebook, this is very much a work in progress but I am quite happy with how it has turned out. What do you think? I already have two more notebooks of the same size (A5) underway and am thinking of making some smaller as well.


The word 'Notes' is made with acrylic paint and a stencil, love using acrylics as they dry fast and give great coverage. I have other decorations ideas, like fabric flowers and using the collection of stamps that I have. But I do like the simplicity of just the word 'notes' in this lovely bold tealy colour.