The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Tuesday 2 January 2018

Setting the scene part 3.... a craft challenge.

Today is day three of getting the new year off to a big start!  I am noticing many of us are having what I would call indoor weather!  Here, in January, it is usually hot so I plan things to work on inside on warm days.  In the US and UK  I see it is the opposite and it is too cold to go outside!
During these times it is so nice to be busy working away on something lovely!

I am starting a sewing challenge today.  Yesterday I got as far as getting the sewing machine set up, going through my fabric stash and lining up my first projects.  This includes doing some alterations to clothes.   My first project is making Harper her first pillowcase and I bought her pillow and pillow cover.  The fabric is ballerinas!   I am making a spare as well since one pillowcase is not enough.  In my box of trims and laces I also have lovely daisy braid that I will edge it with.

The deal is I have to sew at least 15 minutes a day.  Usually this will be more but that is the minimum.  I did this once before and was amazed how much sewing I actually got done this way!
My aim is to turn all my odds and ends into useful things and to start to refill my gift cupboard which is almost empty since Christmas so it is time to start working on that again.
The other benefit is cleaning out my stuffed and messy craft cupboard.  So it will be a win/win!

I am going to run the Christmas Challenge again this year and have Show and Tell since seeing everything you all make is fantastic and we can share so many good ideas this way.

If you want a challenge then it can be anything!  If you have a stash of supplies to use up then it could be to make things from what you have.  Or if you would like to learn a new skill it could be to do fifteen minutes a day towards learning the thing you have wanted to do!   Last year Patsy did a 100 day crochet challenge to learn crochet.  Boy did this work!  You should see her crochet now!  And she produced so much!  Most things are just a case of STARTING.  Don't wish you knew how to do something just start. You tube has pretty much a free lesson on everything!

During December I didn't craft very much.  This will get me going again.  And I always notice when I am creating things I am much happier.  Busy hands really do make happy hearts!

Now for a few beautiful ideas!

Tania made me a needle book for Christmas.  You have to see this!


Each page is just gorgeous...






All I can say is ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜ 
I love it Tania thank you so much, I treasure it!

Janine showed me some of what she made as gifts for her Grandchildren providing more beautiful ideas...


She made book pillows.  Sit, get comfy and read a story! 

And a fabric book for her Granddaughter which is just beautiful...





How amazing!  I LOVE that Flamingo!  Thanks so much Janine, these pages will give everyone so much inspiration!


Some of us are determined to add selling things to our year and incomes.   There are so many opportunities here.  We have so many ways to set up a little shop on Etsy, sell on Ebay, markets, Facebook pages... the world is your oyster really!

Yesterday in Spotlight I noticed these little crochet flowers were $7 each!   I thought I would show these as they are so easy to make!


Keep your eyes out for things people are buying and the prices they are paying.   I am noticing a big trend in anything that reduces waste.... i.e.  produce bags, shopping bags,  napkins, kitchen cleaning cloths, non paper towels, beeswax wraps...

If you would like to set yourself a challenge of some kind we will have a giant show and tell at the end of January.   I hope this gets us off to a running start on using things we have,  re building our depleted present cupboards.   Starting in January seems to be the key to success with gift making.

What supplies do you have on hand?  What would you like to learn this year!  There are willing helpers here.  

Now and then I hear someone say they have no one to craft for.  For Heavens sake then start making baby clothes for a preemie ward or warm hats for an orphanage or SOMETHING.  There is a group of Grannies I follow and Facebook who set up young Mums who are struggling with a complete kit of new born clothes,  linens,  warm blankets for the pram, you name it.  They are flat out keeping up with the need.   Fiona makes soft pouches for orphan Kangaroos and Wombats.  Mum makes baby blankets and hats which go to an orphanage in Romania,  to a mens shelter in the city and to maternity hospitals.  Jacqui makes the most gorgeous quilts and blesses everyone she knows and their families!  We can turn our supplies sitting in the cupboard into a way to help.

I hope your week is going well!  Which means I hope your year is going well! haha!
Tomorrow we are setting the scene for our financial challenges! xxx

45 comments:

  1. I got a serger for Christmas!!!!! So, my big, first goal, is to learn how to use it, and learn it well! :) I have so many scraps and things to work through, and at least enough denim to upcycle into SOMETHING.
    I am, in a small way, happy for the holidays to be over, because I am exhausted.

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    1. Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a serger? I hope you have the chance to recharge your batteries!
      Robyne, S.A

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    2. Robyne, it is an overlocker
      Margart

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  2. I'm hoping to finish 5 Christmas stockings by the end of January. One down, four to go. I'll also be making my own bias binding for them. You can get a lot cuter bias bindings by making them yourself.

    Love the projects you showed. Well done ladies!

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  3. What a wonderful idea a show and tell. I would love to do that. I love to make things for the hospital nursery. Blankets, burp cloths and buntings. So easy and such a blessing to a new mother who is out of her league and out of cash.

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  4. Oh my the needle book Tania made is gorgeous! And the book pillows and books are just adorable! Such talent ladies!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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  5. Dear Annabel and beautiful bluebirds,
    I love the Christmas challenge Annabel, thank you so much for putting all the effort and your heart into the blog and into helping and encouraging us all . I have a huge supply of craft items, ribbons, lace, paper, stickers, sizzix machine and embossing folders and die cut templates, clear and rubber stamps, ink pads, card board, pkus much much more . My challenge this year is two fold, I would like to make more gifts and I would also eventually like to earn some money from crafting at least to start to get good enough to think about selling items or even bartering , swapping etc. at the moment I owe a few friends some cards so I need to catch up and then start making gifts or do both at once,!. Thank you again Annabel. I am in awe of the talent of my fellow bluebirds, I love the book cushion/ story cushion and the needle case/ book and everything actually . Thank you ladies for sharing your talents with us . I hope 2018 is a wonderful and productive year for us all. Love Barb W.

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  6. Happy New Year Annabel. I hope you achieve as much as last year and that you enjoy many happy family occasions wherever you are based. My husband is now working remotely so I have many more responsibilities around the house but also more hours to sew etc..It should be an interesting year.

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  7. Dear Annabel,
    What a beautiful gift from Tanya! I am sure Harper will love her ballerina pillowcase.
    I want to start scrapbooking. I have never done it, but as much as I like papercrafting, I think I will enjoy it. Especially now with John, I want to start recording these memories beyond just a picture. It will be like a journal for me, I think. My goal is to do two pages per month, as that seems realistic with the time and budget I have.
    I would also like to make a quiet book for John, similar to the one Janine made. I have ideas pinned all over my Pinterest board so now it is time to get busy! They are pretty detailed so my goal is just one per month. By the time I have twelve pages, John will be old enough to enjoy it! All of this will be in addition to my regular crafting and sewing. I'd love to learn to embroider, crochet, and make soap, but I'm also trying to be realistic and don't see that happening. Maybe next year!
    I am glad you are continuing show and tell. I can't wait to see everyone's creations!
    Love, Kelsey

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    1. Sorry, wrong Tanya! Let me try again. The needle book Tania made you is absolutely beautiful! :)
      Love, Kelsey

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  8. Tania, your needlebook is just gorgeous! Would you mind if I steal this idea? I belong to a sewing group (there's 10 of us) and I like to give everyone something at Christmas - this would be perfect. I made 'cupcake' pincushions for Christmas just gone, so the needlebook would work in well.

    Sewingwise, I'm going to stick with my annual challenge - to sew 50m of fabric. This has been my challenge for more than 10years (I keep a log) and last year was the first time I didn't make it (just 34m). This includes gifts, clothes, curtains etc. and it doesn't take long to add up.

    best wishes,
    Janine

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    1. Go ahead Janine. I got the idea from a youtube clip and just added my personal touch to make them special.

      The cupcake pincushions sound lovely.

      xTania

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  9. Hi Annabel. I just got up from the sewing table to come and read this. I love the idea of the challenge. For me sewing is easy and it is also my happy place. This years challenge for me, is to learn embroidery skills. I am following along with Jenny and her BOM. Now I just need my computer back from the repair man and I will be able to print off January's block. It's hot and humid and I am off to wollow in my wading pool. Life is sweaty good.

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    1. Dear Jane, Jenny is so inspiring! Her designs are just lovely with the best sentiments. This is a good way to get going! I look forward to seeing what you do! I hope your computer is ok. It sounds hot there! The weekend is heating up here too. This will give me quiet sewing time during the day. I hope your week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx

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  10. I love this idea, Annabel! I have set a challenge to not buy any fabrics/supplies for Hopefully the next 3 months ! I have an ample stash and am trying to see how many useful things I can make from it!
    I think that this week, I'll make a few more flannel pillowcases and some more flannel Kleenex! Maybe a flannel baby quilt too! Oh, the possibilities!!! Lol!!

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    1. Dear Gardepat, Here was say Hankies and no one ever knew what I was talking about so I say handkerchiefs and hope they do. They are so soft. I love soft washed and worn flannel. We say flannelette!
      I am doing the same with my stash. Some things I don't know what to do with yet but an idea will come! I am doing some cutting out this afternoon. With love, Annabel.xxx

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  11. Dear Annabel,

    So pleased to hear you liked the needle case. I had fun making it and being a first time attempt, there may be some imperfections. Overall I think they turned out really pretty.

    I hope you got to make Harper's pillow cases, they sound real girly girl. I bet she loves them.

    Lovely work by the other Bluebell girls too!

    I am looking forward to seeing what everyone makes this year and what new craft ideas you share with us.

    xTania

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    1. Dear Tania,
      The needle case needed to be featured! It is a treasured gift!
      A little girl to make things for is a lot of fun. You will enjoy this! I love the pillowcase I will post what I have made next week. It should add up day by day. If the weekend is hot I will be sewing heaps.
      Many thanks Tania your project has inspired a lot of people! With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. So beautiful! My craft challenge for this year is to finally organise all our photos and memorabilia into albums and scrapbooks. Mum and MIL passed away three years ago and that made me Keeper of the Archive on both sides, and I've just not been ready to deal with it yet. Both the ladies were squirrels when it came to holding on to this stuff, and neither was what you might call organised! It's a huge task, but a 100 days at 15 minutes each ought to put a dent in it :-)

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    1. Dear Allegra ,firstly my sympathies on the loss of your mum and mil , that was a double hit for you. I feel the same as you as regards to being the keeper of family photos and paper memorabilia.
      I was just talking about this yesterday, when I visited my aunt in a home. I regularly visit this aunt and then go on to have lunch with her younger sister, we are all roughly a decade apart in age.
      As my mum was the eldest female (their big sister)and passed away when my children were small, I inherited photos etc via her and also because Im the eldest of 22 grandchildren ,of her parents.
      And then I was sent a box of photos from my father's European side , plus all the photos Ive taken over the years of our family, it has felt an insurmountable job that I hope to tackle this year.
      Good luck to both of us getting this job done , and we don;t need perfectionism to get in the way of this.
      Take care, with love , Maria xxx

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    2. Dear Allegra, I hope this task goes well for you and brings you happy memories. You will feel better when it is done and truly a bit each day will get you there! I am not sure but possibly this could also produce beautiful gifts for other members of the family. Some things that I think make gorgeous gifts are books of nah written recipes, the best family recipes, beautiful photos, special keepsakes framed, memory books... there is a lot of potential.
      I am amazed how 15 mins a day works. Sometimes I set a timer too, and go go go for that time. It gets things done! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  13. I love the needlebook, books, and the book pillows -I have to try it all! Such great inspiration to get started. It's so cold here there is nothing else that I need to do except craft!

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  14. Annabel, one of my New Years resolutions is to reply often to blogs that inspire me! Thank you for past years of fantastic ideas for prepping, crafting! Also for sharing ideas of others, I love the book pillows Janine made. Looking forward to all you posts this next year! Thank you! Jean.

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    1. Dear Jean,
      This is one of my things too... to be careful what I watch, read and listen to as last year the negatives really affected me and it was constant. So I just need to mostly read things that encourage me and lift me up. Also I love finding new ideas of what to make next!
      Thank you for your kind words! I hope this will be a wonderful year for you, with love Annabel.xxx

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  15. I'm doing a sewing challenge for myself this year too. It's only Jan 3, but so far, I'm right on track. lol

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  16. Just made these 4 flannel Kleenex up to take as a gift to a lady I'm visiting this morning! Took all of 20 minutes to choose my fabric, cut them out and edge them!!
    But I think she will like them in this drippy nose season!!
    https://pin.it/b7lizyphkudlnu

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    1. They look very sweet Pat , Love Maria x

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  17. Happy new year Annabel and everyone!
    My challenge for January is to finish some projects that have been on the 'to do' list for far too long. Do you remember the rainbow blanket I crocheted? Well last year it got semi-destroyed with silly putty. Never ever will silly putty enter my house again! I had to cut out thirty rows of granny stripes, buy every colour of yarn again, but had put off actually fixing it. Well yesterday I spent around six hours completing ONE row, picking up all of the dropped trebles. Not fun! But now I just need to replace the other rows and border. Which will be loads faster. And I will have my favourite blanket back!

    And you know the quilt I was making for my son's birthday? Well, it's possible that it is sitting at the top of my cupboard, quilted, but with no binding. So that also needs to be finished.

    There are a couple of other projects that need finishing touches too, so I have banned myself from starting anything new until they are done lol.

    Janine, I love the reading pillows above, I was wondering if the pocket fabric has been printed or is it embroidered? They are beautiful gifts.

    I'm hoping to complete some big projects this year for our home, but also to find some things that I can 'mass produce' fairly quickly to boost the present cupboard.

    Looking forward to the show and tells, they are always so inspiring!

    Thanks Annabel

    Jen in NZ

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    1. Oh Jen, what an awful job that must have been to get the silly putty off your fav blanket :-( all the best for finishing the job.
      Love Maria (in NZ) xxx

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    2. Jen, the pockets on the pillows are machine embroidered, but took about 6 hours for each pocket. If I were to make any more, I would applique the picture and use a quilters pen and write the verse or even hand embroider with a running stitch as I think it would be quicker and look just as nice. The cushions themselves were very quick to make and I found the inserts from Ikea ($4.99) make a nice generous pillow. HTH.
      Janine

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  18. Annabel, I'm in for the crafting challenge too! Now to choose a project!!!

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  19. I wanted to add something about sewing for charity. All one needs to do is make a few phone calls. There are so many opportunities around here that one could do nothing else for 16 hrs. a day and there would still be a need. The ones I know of make blankets and bags for a nearby children's home. Preemie hats. Blankets for pediatric children. Scarves, hats & mittens are handed out on Thanksgiving at a downtown soup kitchen. Dish towels & other linens for the shelters, both homeless & domestic abuse. Small knitted cradles for stillborn babies- I cried when I saw my first one, but what a comfort to parents. Prayer shawls & blankets. Caps for people losing their hair from cancer treatment. Handmade cards for nursing homes/shut-ins to send to their loved ones (we put stamps on ours). And probably another several dozen that I don't even know about.

    That covers all sorts of talents. Crocheting, knitting, sewing, tying, paper, & more.

    Currently, I do cards for nursing homes, scarves for the downtown diner, & blankets for a children's home. I don't do a lot but everything adds up!\

    Thanks for mentioning this, Annabel!!

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    1. Great ideas and so sweet. What comfort to scared and grieving families.

      Our local non-profit gets tons more tee-shirts than the clientele can use. We make tee-shirt bags out of them giving them a second life and keeping them out of the landfill.

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    2. Debbie, you remind me of so much. My child has been in hospital often for extended periods of time .we have been blessed with many beautiful quilts as a result. Each one is treasured.

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  20. My crafting goal for this year is to learn how to crochet. My sewing machine broke right before Christmas (aaahhh!!!) so I had to change my plans for some of my gifts, but with crochet, there is nothing to break! Thanks for the inspiration to have a goal

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  21. Dear Annabel and lovely blue birds. Sorry I have been MIA! I have been a little under the weather. I am fighting the third different virus this month. I love the idea of a craft challenge. I got the sewing machine set up so when I have a minute or two I can sew. I am looking forward to creating fun and useful things this year. Every little bit adds up. We also got thru the crafting and sewing boxes and got them organized. I have miles of fabric and trim. Enough for at least two years. This will be a huge savings.My sewing skills are basic but practice makes perfect.
    Much love,
    Patti

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  22. Oh loving all the beautiful craft work Bluebirds are exceptionally talented,
    I am making up a list of what I need/want to sew/make for my 26 grandchildren ages 17 down to 2, with another one due in March. I also need to make a list for my 6 adult children and 6 adult in laws., and also one for all of them for Christmas. we have a few ideas so far but always open to ideas
    My farmer sil who lives about 40 minutes just wants me to mend all his work clothes for him for his b/d and Christmas, so this Christmas pas I remade 6 pairs of work trousers and 1 shirt, and he has more to come out here. So that is him all sorted.
    I also have a lot of my own sewing that I want to complete.
    Love
    Lorraine

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  23. Dear Annabel, what a wonderful show of photos for this crafting post! Just gorgeous!
    Tania's needle book gift to you , is special lookign nat all the detail and love put into it , beautiful!
    Janine's book pillows , a lovely idea and Im sure her grandchildren will love them.And the fabric book is so fresh and appealing to look at it will capture Lara's attention Im sure.
    Well done ladies a great start to this new year of crafting.
    Love Maria xxx

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  24. Hi lovely blue birds! I just love the needle book that Tanya made. This could also be made in manly colors and themes and be great for the men in your life. It could also be tucked in a small package for a less fortunate person to help mend clothing. The pillows with the book in front is a fabulous idea. The hand made book is beautiful. I made a quiet book one year. If I do it again I will start earlier. It is just fabulous.
    Much love,
    Patti

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    1. Dear Patti, I think a mending kit is a great idea as this would be a money saver for anyone!
      Getting started early is the thing for sure! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  25. Annabel,
    HAPPY NEW YEAR BLUEBIRDS!!!

    thankyou for doing these posts. You are inspiring us all so much.
    I have set myself the goal of not buying any more craft stuff until after Easter. I have enough card stash to put Hallmark out of business & so much Yarn and fabric to work through.
    I made approx 300 cards last year, for charities, for personal use and for familiy and friends but it barely made a dent in the stuff that my Mum gave me.
    This year my aim is to make cards for every birthday, wedding anniversary and other occasion where a card is needed, finish off some crocheting and knitting UFO's and start sewing gifts, AFTER I've finished the pile of mending, which never goes away!

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    1. Dear Kim@Him,
      300 cards is amazing! Well done! You have a great amount lined up! I would love to see too! I will still have Show and Tell this year.
      Getting started early is the key to success! With love Annabel.xxx

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  26. So glad that a reader of my blog pointed me here! I am also beginning a handmade Christmas challenge now and am also trying to use mostly what I have on hand and buy as little as possible. Thank you for all of your sharing and I look forward to reading more.

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    1. Thank you so much! I have a series on how to work out what to make using what you have. This is my challenge too! This turns clutter into gifts and saves so much money. Also resources we might have i.e. I have gum nuts, pinecones etc around me. Getting started now makes al the difference! Many thanks! xxx

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