Monday 25 July 2011

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Sushi

Miss Mini-Masterchef (aka Julia - Miss 4) has been creating again. This time it's cooking in the sandpit. She loves to create amazing dishes; cakes and soups being her speciality. Her favourite ingredients are flowers, but even dandelions and clover are in short supply this winter! Fortunately there are still plenty of weeds and fallen leaves around our yard to keep her pantry stocked.


Even my Mini-Masterchef can be inspiring, so here is my latest crochet play food - a sushi selection plate.


This eight piece play set includes tuna, salmon, egg and prawn nigiri sushi, cucumber and tuna sushi rolls, inside-out roll and battleship roll.


Julia tells me it looks good enough to eat!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Friday 22 July 2011

Collaborate for a Cause - Mini-Me update!


I have just completed my contribution to a second collaboration for the wonderful Facebook auction at Collaborate for a Cause.

This collaboration is between Sugar an Spice, Little Wildrose, Karma Rocks, Shabby Shac and of course my own Mini-Me Handcrafts. The theme is "High Tea".

Here is my little bit...


A 15 piece tea set, a set of 4 fancy cakes and a set of 4 cupcakes.


... and here are the others which complete the theme!

Tracey from Sugar an Spice: Handmade Shabby Baby dress with lace and vintage doilies, elastic elbow length satin gloves, sugar bonnet, sugar evening tea headband and wrought iron cupcake tier.



Janine from Little Wildrose: Handmade satin lined High Tea clutch (fabric matched to the Sugar an Spice High Tea dress).


Tracey from Karma Rocks: Hand pressed silver High Tea necklace.


Kim from Shabby Shac: Handmade High Tea quilt.


All money raised from auction of this package will be going to Chloe at Spinakids to assist with disabled equipment, medical treatment and general resources for a bright and bubbly nine year old girl with special needs who is confined to a wheelchair.


SpinaKids was formed in September 2009 to support parents, carers, family and friends of children with spinal cord injuries or defects, and to raise awareness of the difficulties these children and their families face every day. This organisation is run tirelessly by Chloe's mother Lynne, who never stops doing everything she can to make services better for all those affected with this type of disability.


Whilst beautiful Chloe won't walk again, there are many children who can and will, if they have access to rehabilitation services, equipment and support networks. Please take a look at Spinakids on Facebook - every bit of support can make a difference.

The Collaborate for a Cause Charity Auction will begin on Friday 29th July at 8pm EST and finish on Sunday 31st July at 8pm.

You can find more information at Collaborate for a Cause on Facebook. Get ready for the most uplifting and wonderful auction the Facebook community has ever seen!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

The Gallery - Vintage...


Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Vintage.


I don't own a lot of really old things, but perhaps one that I treasure is this gorgeous leather bound book which belonged to my grandmother. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was first printed in 1908. This is a 26th edition, printed in 1927. It has her name hand written in the front in her own writing. I like to think that she read and enjoyed this story many times just as I have.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.


Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Monday 18 July 2011

Collaborate for a Cause - it's almost time!


The charity auction event at Collaborate for a Cause is starting soon! You may have seen my recent sneak peek blog post... well, the collaboration between LellaM & my own Mini-Me Handcrafts is now finished and here it is...


This is a matched set of A5 fabric covered notebook & padded phone pouch in black & white damask print with crocheted applique motifs, and white crocheted bag with matching motifs.

All money raised from auction of this package will be going to Raising Hope for Brittany to assist with disabled equipment and medical treatment for Brittany - a beautiful 14 year old girl who has an acquired hypoxic brain injury.


Please take a look at Raising Hope for Brittany on Facebook - you will see there is an auction on right now for some amazing items. Every little bit helps to make a difference and a postive impact on Brittany's life.

The Collaborate for a Cause Charity Auction will begin on Friday 29th July at 8pm EST and finish on Sunday 31st July at 8pm.

You can find more information at Collaborate for a Cause on Facebook. Get ready for the most uplifting and wonderful auction the Facebook community has ever seen!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

The Gallery - Travel...


Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Travel.


Travelling is wonderful. Seeing new places, meeting people, so many new experiences. Getting there can be the hard part with Miss 4 so this is my picture of perfect plane travel.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.


Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Listography - My 5 favourite ice creams


Once again I am joining the fabulous Kate Takes 5 for Listography. It's summer in Kate's corner of the world so ice creams are at the top of the snack list of course! Julia (Miss 4) will eat ice cream anytime it's available but I prefer to eat ice cream when the weather is hot. So dreaming of warm sunny weather, here are my top 5 favourite ice creams:



1. Soft Serve Cone 

I love soft serve ice cream and McDonalds is cheaper than anywhere else so this is my summer ice cream of choice!






2. Splits 

The combination of flavoured ice and ice cream will always make this one a winner for me. Raspberry is my favourite flavour.






3. Banana Paddlepop

Or chocolate. Hard to decide between the two flavours. Julia would choose the rainbow paddlepop.





4. Magnum

Original flavour for me please! These are even better in minis as mini size is diet size, right?





5. Golden Gaytime

What a classic. I love the toffee flavoured ice cream but I think it's the biscuit pieces on the outside that make it one of my favourites.




If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.


Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Monday 11 July 2011

Mini-Me Handcrafts - UPcycled handbag

I recently noticed a new page on Facebook called Sew Wat, a page dedicated to those who love to sew. Now whilst I cannot sew, I do admire those who can! What drew my attention to the page was the UPcycle Challenge which is on right now. I can't resist a challenge so here is my entry:


Take one old pair of jeans...


...with wonderful pockets.


A little bit of crochet around the edge...


...and along the top...


...and a frayed handle...


...makes a fabulous little bag!

It's not too late for you to join the fun - entries close 4th August. Just take a look at Sew Wat - all the challenge details are in this Facebook note.


Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.

Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Mother Goose - Ladybird, ladybird



Ladybird, ladybird fly away home,
Your house is on fire, your children are gone,
All except one,
And that's little Nan,
And she has crept under the warming pan.

- Traditional nursery rhyme


This fabulous poncho is handmade by Helen at The Wacky Wardrobe. Julia (Miss Four) thinks it's just wonderful!


Everywhere we go, Julia gets wonderful comments on her poncho - we were recently out shopping when a leather-clad biker with a ZZ-top beard stopped us to say "That's awesome - I'd love one of those!"


Helen makes other poncho styles for boys and girls including monsters, lions and aliens. She specialises in hand crafted dress up clothes which are designed to be easy for young children to put on and play in. Her range includes capes, hoop dresses, butterfly wings, mermaid skirts and much more.

Lovingly crafted and beautifully finished, you'll love The Wacky Wardrobe. You can find out more on Facebook and also on Helen's website.

Mother Goose
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Wednesday 6 July 2011

The Gallery - Grandparents...


Once again joining Tara's Sticky Fingers blog for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Grandparents.


Two beautiful photos of Julia, just a day old, with her grandmothers - Oma and Gran. Julia is gazing at each of them quite intently. It makes my heart sing.

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Sticky Fingers!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.


Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Listography - 5 things I'd like to do this summer


Once again I'm joining Kate Takes 5 for Listography - temporarily hosted by Reluctant Housedad.

As it's winter in Australia right now, I don't have to plan very much for summer until later in the year. But I do have a few ideas in mind...



1. Christmas with my family

The family came to my home last year, so we're off to my brother's house this year. It's not very far to travel, just 3 hours to Sydney. Julia (Miss 4) is looking forward to spending the time with her cousins.



2. Swimming with Julia

Last year I had plans to visit the local swimming pool frequently as Julia loves to swim. I don't really know what happened, but we only made it to the pool a few times. Maybe because it wasn't a very hot summer and the time just seemed to fly past. This year I'd like to get to the pool a little more often.



3. Scrapbooking

I have several scrapbooking projects on the go which haven't been touched for quite some time... I'd love to get back into it. Maybe now that Julia is older and absolutely adores crafts, she might like to create some projects of her own. We could scrapbook together!



4. Sleep in

I'll be looking forward to a few weeks of lovely lazy lie-ins. Julia starts school next year so I'll be rising early five days a week instead of just two days for preschool this year. Eeek!



5. Watch Harry Potter with Julia

Julia loves Harry Potter. I can't tell you how many times she has watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I have promised that she can watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when she is 5. I haven't seen it for ages either, so we'll make some popcorn, crank up the air conditioning and watch it together.

It sounds like a wonderful summer!

If you would like to join in too, please take a look at Kate Takes 5!

Handmade children's ponchos, scarves & lots more
Available now from Mini-Me Handcrafts.


Personalised Children's Books
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.

Monday 4 July 2011

Ballerina Princess - One more summer showcase!



Although summer is well and truly over, I still have a few gorgeous handmade summer outfits to show you which were made by my incredibly talented Facebook friends.


This gorgeous "jelly dress" is by Lee-Anne at Hannah Banannas Designs. I just adore the simplicity of this dress and the colours are just lovely! Lee-Anne has so many more fabulous, original designs in the most wonderful fabric combinations - just take a stroll through her madeit store. I have showcased another beautiful dress in an earlier blog post.


Don't you just love the gorgeous fabric in this swing top? This is by Bec at Little Toot creations - I admire her beautiful fabrics and simple designs. She also has a madeit storetake a look at the beautiful soft cord pinafores currently available - I am so tempted!


The most fabulous collection of hats can be found at Winnie&Clem. Anita makes hats for everyone - boys and girls and even adult sizes. This design is a reversible Ella Rose in denim and musk lifesavers - my favourite hat of the summer season! Look out for Anita's website launch on 20th July... a fantastic range of hats will be available for purchase.

I have a few winter fashion photos to share soon - more beautiful handmade outfits made by the most talented and amazing ladies on Facebook.


Ballerina Princess
Deluxe Personalised Children's Book
$21.50 each with free shipping for delivery within Australia only.
Available now from Jelly Bean Books.