My 1st Customer !

I recently finally got up the guts to try and help someone else out with their little girls birthday party after my sister kindly encouraged me to do so.

The end result turned out great with a few hitches along the way but it was meant to be a learning curve and it was, realising things I should've done different etc and the cost factor also.

The Draft Package

What she received

The end result

Easter Fun!

Well even though Easter is officially over, the chocolates are still flowing....

The Easter Bunny was very kind to me this year leaving my husband and I a jar of goodies each (he he).

One of the fun things I found for the kids this year was these 'Growing Chicks'.  They are eggs which once placed in water, slowly over about 48 hours, start to break open and a chick will hack out. Then over a further 5 or so days the chick will grow to its full size.

The kids loved waking up each day and checking how much more their eggs had cracked.  I only gave one to my 2 and 6 year olds because I thought my 10 year old boy was too old for it, but I did find him checking on them and getting quite excited and showing the other kids at times.  It just goes to show that we are never too old for a bit of fun!

Day 1

Day 3

Day 5

A very cute solution to having to deal with real eggs and chicks I must say.  This one was a winner for me and the kids!

I've Got It Covered!

My very first project was a Quilt I made with the help of my lovely Mother.  I knew that she wanted one of her daughters to be able to sew so that she had someone to pass her sewing machine down to in her Will (her words not mine).  Anyway, it turned out to be a really fun project to work on together.  She picked material for her Quilt and I picked material for mine and then she showed me how to do it step by step. The end result was a perfect reflection of me and matches beautifully in my loungeroom.  On top of that, it is soooo warm and cosy, I decided to line mine with a chocolate velvity cord which my mother was a bit concerned about at the time, but it turned out PERFECT!

Planning out the pattern I wanted

The end result

My World!

My Big Footballer....

My Little Dude...

And My Sweet Princess!

Mummy Beads

I saw everyone wearing these at a market once and had to buy one for myself.  I later decided that I would attempt to make some for my sister-in-law when she had her baby.  The idea is that as well as looking nice on the mother, they give the baby something to play with while on your lap feeding, instead of pulling at your hair, and teething toddlers something to bite down on while being carried around on your hip, instead of sinking their gums and teeth into you! They are made by sewing a thin strip of material together and filling it with wooden beads and then knotting the material between each bead. Easy!

Love Bird Cake

Lego Star Wars Clone Trooper Cake

Star Wars Lightsaber Cake

Thank You Card

Cot Caddy

This Cot Caddy has been great for stashing some books and toys in so that when my daughter wakes in the morning she will simply sit quietly and read a book or play with a dolly so that I can get a little more much needed rest.

Even now that she is a little older and can get out of her bed herself, she still likes to sit and read and play for awhile before hoping out of bed in the mornings.

 To see the tutuorial I used to make this, go to http://www.craftinessisnotoptional.com/2010/01/crib-booktoy-holder-tutorial.html

Who Am I?

Firstly, WELCOME TO MY BLOG !!!

My name is Mirella Roberts and I am a 35 year old stay-at-home wife and mother.

My favourite past time is to create/change pictures on the computer and put together slideshows.  My dream would be to start my own business from home.

I'm not much of an outdoorsy person, I love to either be on the computer, doing a sudoku, flicking through a house magazine or re-arranging rooms (again and again)....all while having a hot cuppa tea of course.  Did I mention that I am addicted to drinking tea?  and coffee, and wine and.....well I think you get the idea!

My family and I, originally from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, moved to Mackay for 12 months during 2011 and have just recently returned home again.  While in Mackay, not knowing anybody, I decided to get out the sewing machine (which was still in the box since being given to me as a gift from my mother and mother-in-law 4 months earlier) and give sewing a go.  I found that even though I might not be a very good sewer (can't draw a straight line let alone sew one) I seemed to find some sort of inspiration and fulfilment in my life again.  Not just from sewing, but going to markets and being inspired by all the wonderful and creative people out there, and also by finding some fantastic websites that allowed me to enjoy cataloguing the things I love (namely www.pinterest.com.au).  I got addicted to simply pinning pictures of all the things I wanted to make, do, buy, say, feel, hear and see.  And with that I was off and creating, maybe not much, maybe nothing exciting to others, but to me it was a good feeling of achievement which doesn't come around everyday for me!

So in saying that, I hope you enjoy seeing and reading about some of the things that I have done that have given me that fulfilment, and hope that it might just inspire you too !!!

Chicken Noodle Balls

The secret is using Ketchup Manis instead of normal Soy Sauce!

Portable Change Mat

When my sister-in-law, Carley, was getting ready to have a baby I decided to make her a portable change mat because I was always grossed out going into the parents rooms to change nappies because half the time they never had any papertoweling to put down and even when they did, it looked so uncomfortable for them and they slid around everywhere on it.  So after seeing something similar at the North Qld Babies and Kids Markets when living in Mackay, I decided to give it a go myself. 

I used terry towelling for them to lie on so that it was comfortable, but also easy to wash.

Folds up nicely and attaches with velcro to look like a trendy clutch

There are two pockets at the bottom which hold a wipes case, nappy bags and a couple of nappies so that everything is kept in one place.  There is also a removable crinkly taggie to entertain them while you change their nappy and if they don't want to give it up when your done, then you simply detach it so they can still play with it.

If you want to learn how to make the crinkly taggies then try this link http://www.joyshope.com/2009/05/baby-crinkle-square-tutorial.html



I also made an easier version for my friend Brooke's little cutie, Coops, which was just a change mat cover instead which simply straps together under the change mat mattress using velcro and also has a detachable crinkly taggie.

Little Coops loves it!

Money Cuff

I made these Money Cuffs for my boys and they love them.  They use them all the time especially if we are heading to the shops.  No more wallets getting left on toy shelves....and believe me that has happened quite a few times.

For a step-by-step tutorial on how to make this yourself, follow this link to

http://www.lemonsqueezyhome.com/2010/09/lunch-money-cuff-tutorial.html