Rockin' the handmade Christmas

Whilst Miss Grace took center blog-stage last week, I worked away on little gifts so this is a bit of a catch up post.

Firstly Connor's room is done ! The carpet is in but the door needs to be trimmed and rehung. This was the design he chose for above his fireplace.

I have made some Gocco stationary for some friends at work- It is great that more than one person has the same first initial.

Other people are getting little PVC toiletry bags (still unlined but getting there).

And I made these cute little decorations from the Softies book. They are so easy and I have cut out heaps, they are so quick and heaps of fun- a great way to use up scraps. I have some more owls on the way as well, for those people who may turn up their nose at a little girly frock on a tiny wee hanger....

This is part of my gift for my Kris kringle ( secret santa) at work. A vinyl pencil-case for the school nurse. I have her name on the back in vinyl letters. Her favourite colour is mauve and purple and she will probably get the little mauve dress as well.

This is not to suggest I haven't flopped one or two gifts as well - I have...... but funnily enough I didn't bother to take photos of those!

Handmade christmas progress - for my neice-next post is 100-GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hello, I'm Violet and really I am awake but I am just pretending to be asleep so I can stay in bed.

I like staying in bed but I don't like going to sleep . I like beds best when I am awake in them and I can look out the window and look at all the day happening.

Then I get up and I ask mum what time is it and what are we doing today and is it a going out day or a staying home day and can we visit someone today or maybe we could buy a pet today because Grace at kinder got a pet and it was a chicken pet but it flew over the fence and now it is someone else's pet and at kinder there is boy who says poo all the time and he has to sit in the naughty corner. This is my favouritest red dress that feels nice and cosy and not scratchy at all.

Mum doesn't really like my favouritest red dress for going out days. On going out days I wear my next favouritest dress which is actually also red because that is my favouritest ever colour in the whole wide world and Grace at kinder, well her favouritest ever colour in the whole wide world is green.

So because it is a going out day I will wear my red dress and my spotty cardigan that is soft like a kitten with spots on the front. Grace doesn't have a cardi like mine because hers is pink and she doesn't like it because we both are not fans of pink at all.

Mum says I need to wear a coat so I have to take off my spotty cardi that is soft like a kitten and find my best ever but not quite red coat which is pink because mum says pink is almost like red just not reddish enough but i am not a fan of pink at all like Grace, and then we can go. But I think the park is long way and I need a drink and a book and toy and I might get hungry so I think it would be good to take some snacks and we could put them in bags and we could write our names on them so mum doesn't eat my snack by mistake because I want chippies and mum's snack will be a banana. I think we should take a snack for Grace because maybe she is at the park or someone else who will be hungry or maybe whose mum has no snacks left at her house because the place is wreck . Mum says our house is the only wreck and all the other kids can organise their own snacks and if I am taking all that stuff to the park I can carry it myself and she will not carry it home for me when I am tired no matter how much I whinge.

We are going to the park right now this minute , or not at all says mum.............

They're breeding like Murphy's.

I' m going to try really hard not to bore you all senseless with this post but I feel like I have a lot to say .

Firstly I am so excited that I got the little taggy thing to work for the Softies for Mirabel button.

Have you ever met Pip of Meet Me at Mikes, No? well me either but I am convinced she is one of the most generous souls out there in blog land. She has decided to make softies for the kids of the Mirabel Foundation for Christmas and has invited other bloggers to join in. I've joined, I've planned I have even cut out !!! and I got the super cool badgy thing to work. I am so like a technological genius!!!!

This week I have been noticing lots of people pledging a handmade holiday season - I love the idea but have been telling myself it will never work with my (or Mr Ric-Racs ) family. Then my sister popped in on Friday and spied the little rag dolls (yes they are still unfinished but closer) and asked if I would make one for my niece for Christmas . Yay I thought to myself I can do at least one handmade thing..........thinking ....thinking....exactly why won't this work? Not because our families are plastic hungry monster consumers but because I will feel bad if they heap scorn on my tatty handmade articles right ???

So here is my decision. I will pledge to make and buy handmade this holiday season and I will include a note in each parcel explaining why I want to do this and as much info about the crafter / artist as possible. I plan to buy lots on etsy and look forward to you guys making suggestions when I get stuck -(I think the trickiest one will be Grandpa and the Grade 5 nephew- all suggestions, links to etsy sellers welcome). I am actually really excited by this idea, so much better that the bulk supply of boring gift vouchers that usually get purchased a week before Christmas. If I get organised i might even post a little list over on the side so you can follow how it goes.


My dear friend Flower garden is having a "Girls night in" this Saturday to raise money for Breast cancer research.and I have promised her something to raffle - ..... luckily as you see the Murphy clan have been breeding like....well ...Murphy's I guess.

These guys are going to be cushions and maybe bags - I am planning the cushions to have little speech bubbles with french words - Bonjour Herisson (hello hedgehog) I mean hedgehogs can be french can't they? I have Vliesofixed the prickly part on and am blanket stitching around - not sure how many washes they'll be up for but I just love the gocco print / fabric combo. I am thinking the same might work with little people and I could add the dress.

So maybe a Murphy cushion for Flower garden????

Op-shopping for the week, Linen teatowel (dolls dress) , 3 orphaned babushka's, knitting needles for you-know-what and 3 giant reels of string (I think its string).

Editors note : Technical bits and pieces. The wallets in the last post are paper and PVC. Murphy was gocco'ed onto a linen blend using Gocco stamp ink for cloth and just the regular Gocco machine. A big squeezy hug for all the tree love. I'm just glad Miss jem likes it. I would have loved to add a little bird but she just rolled her eyes at that suggestion. We are going to put teeny little hooks in the wall so she can hang Christmas decorations on it I'm told.