Pinterest Love + Handy Tips...

I know I'm supposed to be working but Pinterest always sucks me in during a break and and I can easily lose half an hour - or more -  browsing the clever/beautiful/funny/creative/useful and just plain pretty things on there,  re-pinning and promising myself I'll come back to it later.  It definitely helped me plan and execute the little one's birthday party, and has given me tons of ideas to implement for Christmas - if I get around to it this year!!

The other thing I'm loving on there are the helpful tips peeps are pinning, you know, like how to clean your baking trays & get stains out of carpets naturally... I'm particularly loving this one and have been wanting to try it for some time now, but haven't had any need for spring onions in my cooking. Did you know you could re-grow your spring onions by placing the root ends in a glass of water?

image from here

From Homemade Serenity:

The next time you have green onions, don't throw away the white ends. Simply submerge them in a glass of water and place them in a sunny window. Your onions will begin to grow almost immediately and can be harvested almost indefinitely. We just use kitchen scissors to cut what we need for meals. I periodically empty out the water, rinse the roots off and give them fresh water.

Party Time!

Hello poor neglected blog!  It has certainly been awhile, but as it happens, when things start getting out of control busy, blogging is always the first wheel to fall off...

We're now on the homeward stretch towards the end of the year and it can't come soon enough as far as the sewing is concerned.  I usually love this time of year, but must admit to feeling quite burnt out with all the sewing at IndigoElephant HQ.  Keeping three shops stocked, considering how labour intensive my products are to make, is really taking a toll, and I'm just plain tired.  Add to that two little boys who are full of beans and I'm one exhausted mumma!!

Last week I took a couple of 'days off' from sewing to organise what was supposed to be a small party for our baby's third birthday.  It was a small party in terms of invited guests, but all the inspiration out in web-land gave me far too many options and ideas for his chosen theme of Angry Birds.  

The cake.

The lolly bags.

The games...

The cake was a labour of love and the main thing is that the birthday boy loved it!  The lolly bags were super easy to make using a template I found online. And for games we played some Pin The Beak On The Bird and a lifesize Angry Birds game using boxes to make the towers for the pigs and some cheap bouncy balls with the same templates as the lolly bags glued on for faces.  There was no slingshot involved, they just threw the balls at the pigs and tried to knock as much down as possible, it worked surprisingly well and kept the kids occupied for quite some time!  The best part was at the end of the day, when Mr IE asked birthday boy what his favourite part of the day was, and he replied with "playing the games at my party"!

Sore Knuckles.

It's what you get when you spend literally hours cutting fabric! 

My stock of finished items has dwindled down to barely anything after stocking up Shop Handmade, In.cube8r Mosman and Making Spaces Marketplace, so I'm frantically trying to build those numbers up in preparation for the pre-Christmas rush - which has already begun -  as well as all those new babies being born right now!  In fact, i'm looking forward to getting back to the sewing machine, just for a break from the scissors!

Birthdays and Cakes!

My kids love flicking through the the Women's Weekly cake cook books in the lead up to one of our birthdays.  I have two books and regularly find them in odd places around the house where the kids have left them after a long browse!

Of course, in the lead up to my own birthday the boys regularly ask if I'd like a dinosaur/spider/butterfly/crocodile/swimming pool... you get the picture.  But in my recent trawls through Pinterest I came across this beauty...

Image from here via pinterest

I'm so tempted to show this to them and let them know that this is what I'd like...just to see their reaction! Isn't it beautiful?  Of course, Pinterest is also helping me get organised for the kids birthdays, especially since one of them is set on having an Angry Birds cake for his next one.  I had no idea it was such a popular party theme! Something like this might even be within my cake decorating ability! 

Image from here, via Pinterest

KCWC Days 6 & 7.

So the KCWC juggernaut kept rolling on over the last two days, but I haven't had a chance to sew anything.  Sadly life intruded, and it was a great weekend, but meant I've put the last two days of KCWC on hold until I receive this:

I've been looking forward to adding this to my collection for awhile now and hope it'll provide some good items to make for my boys...I have only read good things about it and can't wait for it to arrive.  Until then it's all about bibs and softies for this week - apart from the general craziness of life around here!

Hope you've had a great weekend and are all set for another week too!

KCWC Day Five.

The reversible bucket hat is finished, and thanks to the tips and tricks from Jessica at a little gray it was not at all difficult.   I'm definitely a visual learner and love having images to accompany step-by-step instructions!

Above is the cotton side, using the Patchwork Plaid from Emily Herrick's Going Coastal range.  I love all the colours in it, which should work well with lots of his clothes, as long as he's wearing a plain shirt!  On the reverse I used a solid, almost navy linen, but the check is clearly visible from the front so it can't  be worn with checks, ever!

I must add that making one side out of 100% linen made things a little trickier as it kept moving around, and required a gazillion pins to hold it in place.  The most difficult part was pinning the crown to the sides but not so much that I wouldn't make another one... maybe not until next Summer though - my boys are all sorted with hats for this one!

KCWC Days Three & Four.

Day Three of the KCWC had me trying desperately to finish off my Sprinkle Shirts and failing miserably.  See my problem below?  Even the boys said there was something wrong with it!

Trying to watch TV, doing this post-9pm, and rushing to finish as I couldn't believe how long this simple task was taking probably didn't help... 

Day Four saw me carefully unpicking the bits that should be where the blank triangle is and filling them in a bit better...

 

 Then planning and beginning the second shirt a bit less haphazardly!

And after another very late night a second Sprinkle Shirt finished!

Day Five is all about the Bucket Hat.  A big thanks to Rachael, who pointed me in the direction of a little gray for some very handy tips to make it all a bit less daunting!

Making Spaces Marketplace

Have you heard of the Making Spaces Marketplace yet?  It's a stunning handmade collective, tucked away in a little arcade at Parramatta.  Here is a bit about it from their website:

Making Spaces Marketplace is a creative initiative made possible through Pop Up Parramatta Arts NSW focused on injecting creative enterprise and creative infrastructure into unused buildings and spaces in Parramatta CBD.

The initiative sees Parramatta City Council and building owners matching empty spaces to local designers and artists to showcase their talents, with the intent of rejuvenating and enlivening otherwise ‘dead retail areas’ of the region. 

Making Spaces Marketplace is a boutique style space providing an ever changing array of handmade goods for sale. Lovers of handmade now have a dedicated destination for delighting over locally made products. Designers are offered a unique opportunity within this creative enterprise to display and sell their own wares in the heart of the Parramatta CBD.

I'm so pleased to announce that a selected range of IndigoElephant stock will be available through Making Spaces Marketplace in Parramatta!  I was there this morning taking stock over and couldn't help but start some gift shopping.  I was also convinced, by my littlest, to buy him a magnetic felt fishing set from Creative Wishes.  It has been a most popular purchase,  being in high demand from both boys all afternoon... I'm hoping they'll now give up on using Daddy's ties as fishing lines to reel each other up off the floor!  You can find the shop at Greenway Plaza, 222 Church St, Parramatta.  The opening hours are Wed - Fri 10 - 4 and Sat 9:30 - 3:30.

KCWC Day Two.

Ahh Day Two, such a let down after the apparent achievements of Day One, even if it was just hemming lots of shorts... Then along came 'work', leaving very little time for kids clothes!  I thought this week was great timing for KCWC but I needed to organise some stock to send to various places - more about that later - and the only achievemnet for Day Two is below.

I've wanted to do something similar to Dana's Sprinkle Shirts  for awhile, but it was another one of those things I never seemed to get around to.  The boys are also really into their letters too so I think the shirts will be a hit!  I have a feeling I'll be lucky to get these completed on Day Three, wish me luck!

KCWC Day One.

The  Elsie Marley Kids Clothes Week Challenge began yesterday and while it's the Autumn installment, I need to get organised for the warmer weather we are anticipating for Spring and Summer down in the southern hemisphere.  It is the perfect timing for me to finish off some summer pyjamas I started last summer for my boys, but never finished due to my aversion to hemming.  Thankfully the sizing is fairly generous and they'll fit the boys through this season, and maybe even the next. I was also able to finish off some other shorts I had started as well, so all in all it was a great start to the week!

Two sets of summer PJs for Baby Elephant #2 and a pair of linen pin stripe shorts in a highly impractical but seriously stylish linen.

Two sets of summer PJs for Baby Elephant #1.  I love the giraffe fabric, I won it (and the fish above) from I Just Love That Fabric, in a giveaway well over a year ago and was saving it, and saving it, and finally decided to cut into it for the boys.

Plus two pair of shorts for #1, yes I feel bad that he always gets more new clothes, but with two boys, I know they'll get double the wear!  Plus below you'll see that I've cut the pieces for the bucket hat... Feeling slightly intimidated by this project but will give it a go!

Kids Clothes Week Challenge.

Did you know that the Elsie Marley Kids Clothes Week Challenge is on again next week?  I've been umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether to sew along, but figured it wouldn't hurt to join in the fun!  Especially since I've begun sorting through the mountains of fabric in the sewing room and 'found' way too many that I'd bought to sew something specific for the kids, which were then buried beneath other things.  Or I could even finish those half made projects that are starting to pile up, did you know that I have some unfinished summer pyjamas that I started for the boys last summer!  Thankfully they're a generous cut so I should be able to get away with it and they can wear them this summer!!

I have already pulled out my copy of the Oliver+S book, Little Things To Sew, as I've wanted to make the boys the reversible bucket hat from it. We'll see how it goes!!

image from Oliver & S

Please let me know if any of you are joining in with the Challenge too!  I'd love to see what you're making.

Handmade Canberra Wrap Up!

Wow! I am still recovering from the utter madness that is Handmade Canberra's Upmarket last weekend... Apart from the manic preparation for a never-been-done-before two day event, my weekend began in the wee small hours of Saturday morning.  I was driving down on my own, so was grateful for the opportunity to convoy with Kim on the way down - thanks Kim!  Set up was crazy busy and before I knew it, lovely shoppers were coming through the doors and I hadn't even got the price tags up, let alone changed from my comfy driving shoes to the boots I was planning on wearing!  The brand new Party Dress, pictured above (apologies for the dodgy phone pic), was very well received, which is wonderful as I love it too!

I had a great weekend, the highlights are always meeting and chatting to the people who use the things I make.  It is so humbling that others find what I make beautiful and practical, and keep coming back for more - all those return buyers absolutely made my weekend, thank you so much, you guys make the late nights worthwhile!  My only complaint would be that I never get enough time to shop at this market... I literally had a short list in my head of which stalls I need to visit and did a quick dash over during a quiet moment later in the day or on Sunday morning before the doors opened to the public.  Want to see who I visited?

The Curious Chocolatier for the yummiest macaroons, I went over late on Sunday to buy some for my boys, and went back 10mins later to buy more for myself...Unfortunately by that time they only had one pistachio macaroon left, so Mr IE got that one, though the hazlenut one and salted caramel one were delicious too!

I stopped by Prim and Pretty for a Liberty fabric flower brooch, love brooches and can't wait to start wearing that one!  Though I was also tempted by their lovely resin / ribbon necklaces too, might have to save that one for a future market!

Six in a Row is always a feast for the eyes with all their amazing necklaces, I couldn't help it it when a lovely multi-strand wooden bead one made it's way around my neck and had to be purchased!

And Handmade is never complete without a quick chat to Jennie a.k.a Posie Patchwork...  This lovely lady introduced me to the gang at Handmade about a year ago and always has a smile on her face and time for a chat, even when she is exhausted and dosed up on nurofen to get through market pack up.  She is an inspiration too, with her soldier husband often away, four gorgeous kids to raise and a successful handmade business on the go, I truly don't know how she does it all!

What a long post this has become! Yay you if you read through to the end!!  Anyway, it's on all over again on December 17 & 18... But for now, it's catch up on sleep time!

PS: all images apart from the first one are courtesy of Handmade Canberra.

Introducing...

The newest member of the IndigoElephant team... Frankie, who will be coming to Canberra this weekend for Handmade Canberra's Upmarket, till then I'm buzzing around trying to get things finished.

For some reason all those last minute jobs, like ironing the stock, attaching swing tags, counting everything, making sure all the display props are ready to go, just takes me forever.  So, my plan was to have all my sewing finished on Monday...but, it didn't happen. And the old machine was still humming away, but all the essentials were completed yesterday.  There are still plenty more things I could do if I get some time....  For now it's time to let the ironing/counting/pinning begin...

For those of you who are heading to Canberra for Floriade and the market, please make sure you come and say hi... I love meeting you all!  And for those looking for something to do over the long weekend, I hear that Canberra is lovely this time of year *insert cheeky grin*... No really, if you're looking for something to do, why not enjoy a leisurely drive to the capital, take in the tulips, or the art gallery, or Questacon... and of course the market.  I'm hoping I get some sneaky shopping time, but if it's anything like previous events, I'll be flat out manning the stand!

The market is on Saturday and Sunday October 1-2, at the National Convention Centre, Constitution Ave, Canberra, 10am - 4pm.

Crayon Wallets Galore!

image from Maddison Scarlett Photography

At the moment, every spare minute I have is occupied with 'making' in preparation for Handmade Canberra on October 1-2.  I'm really looking forward to the fantastic atmosphere that is always a part of this great market but I've never done a two day event before and have no idea what to expect in terms of visitors to the market and how much stock I'll need?  So, I keep making... and making... and making!  

There are a few new {limited} items that I'm very excited to be taking down, and will share those soon.  But for now, it's all about the Crayon Wallet!  These were hugely popular in the lead up to Christmas last year, because not only are they super cute, and encourage creativity in little ones, but they are the kind of gift that keeps giving.  How, you ask?  Well, on the surface they're a gift for a child, but really they are a gift for the parent too, they are easy to fit into a handbag (or man-bag!), and ready to entertain your little one while you enjoy a coffee, wait for the doctor, or for a meal to arrive... the possibiliteis are endless!  With eight Crayola crayons and a blank notepad included, the Crayon Wallet is ready to go - straightaway!

Fabric Love.

My name is Sash and I'm addicted to fabric... This is not news to you is it!  My problem is that once I get the fabric I struggle to part with it.  Especially when they're as cute as the ones below.  I was on a mission to find some gender neutral prints, and they are rare, even harder to find than boy fabrics!

Deena Rutter's Happier

Suzanne Ultman's Critter Community

 I'm particularly loving the second one, those cute little animals, the Scandinavian style, the retro colours, so much to love, I really don't know how I'll be able to cut it up.  Maybe I'll just look at it for awhile...

Five Weeks.

Eek it's only five weeks to go until the next Handmade Canberra market and I'm about two weeks behind with my 'to do' list thanks to some family sickness...  Can I say that I hate gastro and I can certainly feel time ticking by!  Plus it's a two day market, which one would assume requires more stock than a one day event?? 

 image from here via Pinterest

My main time management tip has always been to turn the computer off, because that machine is the biggest time eater around and using teuxdeux to manage my lists... Have you got any others that you find helpful?

School Holiday Fun.

Rivercat watching from Blaxland Riverside Park.

I have so much to share seeing as I've been fairly absent online over the last three weeks - thanks to school holidays!  It's certainly been a cold three weeks but we've tried to stay warm and have fun despite spending the whole middle week battling a nasty cold-y cough-y thing that seemed to get all of us to some degree.  I must admit I had grand plans for getting lots of 'selfish sewing' done, but have struggled with that!  Let's just say that the 'Must Make' list is growing longer and longer - oh, and have you become obsessed with Pinterest yet?  That's a whole other blog post, but I have a visual collection there of things I'd like to try making too!

In my last post, I was going to try making my boys some Urban Hoodies using the pattern from Heidi & Finn.  Want to know how I went??  Well, I have mostly finished making four, two for each of the boys, but they just aren't finished yet  (not that it stopped Baby Elephant #2 from wearing his two days straight, despite at first asking me to give it away to his friend).  Below is a pic of him wearing it out and about - unfinished. My problem is that I hate hemming, and I really need to hem the sleeves, and add buttons to the front.  I will get to it before the end of winter!  Promise!  

The pattern was very easy to understand which made it enjoyable to make, but the sizing is a tad on the small side so the size 3 on my 2.5yo is a bit snug.  He is tall for his age, and while not chunky, isn't skinny either?!  Now that I think about it, I also made a couple of vests for the boys and skirts for me, so I guess I didn't do all that badly on the selfish sewing front.  I seem to struggle with setting myself realistic goals though and there is much more I want to make!  I'll definitely share the others once I take some pics!!

Sewing For Boys.

They always miss out don't they?  Possibly because there really isn't much scope for creativity in their wardrobe as opposed to the myriad of options for girls?!  But with two little boys here, always asking if I'm making something for them, I thought it was about time I got my act together and tried something for them (other than pyjamas, that is!).

I was hugely inspired by Meg's Kids Clothing Week Challenge over at Elsie Marley?  If I hadn't been in the middle of {controlled} chaos in the lead up to Handmade Canberra's Upmarket, which was fabulous as always, I'd have loved to sew along too.  Instead I stashed away some patterns and decided once the market craziness was over, I'd give them a go.  Starting with the Heidi & Finn Urban Hoodie, which I'm currently making for my littlest man... and hoping he'll love it as he's always asking to wear "fluffy jackets", by which he means fleecy hoodies as opposed to knitted ones.

I also love the Oliver & S patterns, again lots of gorgeous girly patterns but these two for the boys are just calling out to be made.  I also recently purchased the Oliver + S book Little Things To Sew, and am hoping to make the Explorer Vest with it's multitude of pockets.  What is it with boys loving pockets, they never grow out of it??  Do you have any other 'go to' boys clothing patterns?  Please share if you do and I'll have to add them to my list of things to sew!

And the winner is...

Thanks to all who entered the guessing comp for a chance at the $50 store credit... The lucky winner is Christina from billy mac clothing who guessed the exact number of buttons in my jar.  For those who were wondering how buttons are in the jar, it's 123! Congratulations Christina!!   Now I can start sewing on some of those buttons...

Bamboo Love.

image from here

IndigoElephant hearts bamboo for so many reasons... want to know why we have jumped on the bamboo bandwagon and how it will improve what we create (and you love)?  If you've been to visit the online shops (and read the product descriptions!) you'd have noticed our bibs are now backed in bamboo double terry, as are the new & improved burp cloths which will make it online soon!  The bamboo terry is fabulously soft, while also being more sustainable to grow and more absorbent than cotton.  It also has great antibacterial qualities!  Plus, following all the issues with finding a quality replacement for backing the pram blankets, they'll will also be backed with bamboo.  Not the double terry, but a super warm and soft bamboo + organic cotton fleece. The first of the blankets will be available at Handmade Canberra on June 11!  Hope to see some of you there.

A Birthday + A Giveaway.

Today my beautiful grandmother celebrates her 90th birthday!  She is a wonderful woman who has blessed so many others with her love, graciousness, compassion, faithfulness and kindness, she is amazing in so many ways and has had a huge impact on my life.  

 Picture taken recently with her three precious great grandsons!

Celebrating her birthday has gotten me around to (finally) posting the long promised giveaway to mark reaching 500 likers on facebook - who now number almost 550!  So, to thank everyone for their continued support, which I'm super dooper extra grateful for, I'm offering up a $50 voucher to be spent on whatever IndigoElephant goodies take your fancy. And to make this all a little more interesting, I'm asking you to guess how many buttons are in my crayon wallet button jar... the closest guess will win!  Just read the details below to enter...

The Fine Print ::

1. Only one entry per person. Please remember to leave an email address so I can contact you!

2. Entries close on Friday 27th May at 9pm Sydney time.

3. Prize includes a $50 credit towards IndigoElephant products and shipping to wherever you may be.

The giveaway is now closed!

Back Online.

IndigoElephant is back online... just madeit at the moment!!  It's been a crazy few weeks with all sorts of things going on in our lives but things are getting back to normal - slowly.  So please bear with me as I photograph, edit and list new items, while also making new stock, making up products for markets, and doing the whole wife-ing/mothering thing.  

Rosy Dribble Bib

In recent weeks it's been a bit of a struggle to balance all my roles and feel like I'm doing any of them reasonably well so the break from having a strong online presence was fantastic.  It allowed me to spend some quality time with the family, immediate and extended.  I haven't been too far away from the sewing machine though, with too many ideas and never enough time to bring them to life!!  

Red Apple Feeding Bib
 

I did promise a giveaway a little while back, as a celebration for reaching 500 likers on facebook. I've been trying to work out what would be a fun way to go about it all, and think I may have it worked out. The next post will contain all you need to know about it!