Lilly Cottage

A course in Creative Passion.

Stealing a few minutes before midnight to tell you about this wonderful E-course ( Embracing the Passion ) I am doing which starts on May the 1st.

 

It is run by the lovely Kerryanne English from Shabby Art Boutique and Woodberry Designs .

This woman is a creative dynamo and the most organised person I have ever met, you might remember her Pre-Christmas planning last year ( which I am about to start soon  in hope to be ready for Christmas this year...seriously).

This course is a all about unleashing your creativity and you can do the whole thing in your pajamas if you so desire.

Pop over to the Embracing Passion page on her Woodberry Designs website and read all about it but I love Kerryannes write up....( I have piched it here)...you just know you want to do it with me...

So how do you know if this course is for you?

Do you long to do something creative but don't know where to start?

Are you someone who is forever buying art supplies and never uses them?

Do you get all inspired to start a project but get paralysed with fear when it is time to start?

Have you always been creative but now need something new to get your creative juices flowing again?

Do you want to do something just for the fun of it - no pressure and minimal outlay?

If you answered yes to any of these questions than this course is for YOU.

 I think I answered yes to about 4 of them at least, I wonder if I win a prize for that or perhaps this is EXACTLY the course for me!

Right before this course starts though I have to get all my goodies packed and up to Tamborine for the Craft Extravaganza this long weekend ( it starts Friday). I have stopped sewing and started labelling and only have a ton of things to do before 6am...Kerryanne would never be like this I am sure!!

Hope to see you at Tamborine and in E-class....

Kiss Noises Linda

Bunnies by the beach and bay, Easter wrap up.

One more public holiday to go and Easter will be finished for another year. Yesterday was ANZAC day ( lest we forget) and it rained quite heavily in the morning on the poor parade goers. I am very proud of my children for once again representing their school and  walking to the ceremony in the march.

 Today and tomorrow I will be head down, bum up as I keep sewing up a storm in my new googles ( necessary due to a sudden allergic reaction in my eyes to fabric...shoot me now), in preparation of Tamborine which will run from Friday to Monday 10am to 4pm.

The Craft Extravaganza is on at the Vonda Youngman Community Centre, Main Street, North Tamborine.

But back to Easter...this years Easter included making spectacular sandcastles,

 

 

 

following hidden paths,

 

along the beachfront,

 

in search of treasure,

 

and eggs,

 

 
 and finding the best looking bunnies around,

 

in trees and

 
 in groups in front of the water.

 

 

It also included great friends and family (one and the same really), including the lovely Rosey who cooked up a storm with the most divine sandwiches (enough to feed a hungry army of picnic goers) and the sweetest cakes.

 

Bunnies and nests,

 

Chickens...too sweet...(click on photos to make them bigger).

 

 

We were also joined by some lovely pelicans...I adore them (nearly as much as peacocks).

 

What a lovely Easter...now I have eaten way too much chocolate...I can not stop at one little egg or one little bit, I swear it is drugged....too addictive...with a bit of remorse thrown in as well to finish off with...soon it will be all gone...I hope someone else eats it first!

Hope you had a lovely Easter also...what did you do?

Kiss Noises Linda

 

 

Bushfire blooms on bags.

Sometimes it is great to break out of your usual colour style and experiment a bit and have a little fun. Sometimes it doesn't work out at all but other times, the stars align or something and it really works.

Having been making singed edge flowers recently ( including a play date with Lisa from  Olive Grove Primitives ), I had been experimenting with different fabrics in my stash to see how they burn and twist and turn. It just so happened that there was a lot of orange and brown and black in my stash ( goodness knows where they came from).

 

Having found some great fabrics, I beaded the centres and made some brooches. Only problem is they needed to go on something...they looked odd in a mass of shabby pinks and blues. Then on a recent fabric shopping outing, I stumbled across this Australiana fabric and it was a match made in Heaven.

 

I rustled up some bags and put the brooches on them....and I have to say despite the fact they are orange and the fabric is not something I would usually buy..I love them!

 

 They have gone off to the Bribie Island Community Art Centre which is exactly the right market for them.

 

 

Have you done something a bit out of your normal creative zone lately?

Kiss Noises Linda

I like a nice turned leg don't you?

I am a bit of a sucker for those gorgeous tables and chairs with a turned leg...so much better than a straight one.

 

I think that is why I fell for this little table, or it could have been the hexagon shape or the delicate pattern on the top or the shabby white paint job...

 

Maybe it is a combination of all of that....but the legs have it!

 

I am busy creating bags of gorgeousness for Tambourine and the best bit..it is nearly Easter and I get to do it while being fortified with Easter Egg chocolate, the best chocolate in the world.

 

Back I go,

Kiss Noises Linda

It's a sign!

Yes, it is a sign, a real life sign, my new sign to be exact.

Having been at Old Petrie Town for a number of years in one spot, then left, then needed, really truly needed to come back to Old Petrie Town, we are in a different building in a cottage of it's own name and it was all starting to get a little confusing.

 
So hopefully this will clear things up a little, Lilly Cottage at Coutts Cottage ( which also includes the fabulous Rosey who seems to have found her niche in the kids kitchen area...now fondly know as Roseys room). One big happy family.

 

I will tell you about some of the other members of this happy family next time.

Have a truly wonderful day,

Kiss Noises Linda

Mary Monday in Grandma's Easter Bonnet.

I have just finished making Grandma's Easter bonnet...that just sounds so wrong, maybe it is payback for all those Easter bonnets she made me....I do wonder if she ever did, my Mother doesn't strike me as the creative type...hence why I am making HER  Easter Bonnet for a club day.

Mary Monday decided she just had to wear her bonnet...pity it doesn't fit..

 

she is not at all perturbed...

 

making if she pushed it back a little...

 

there she is with that cheeky smile..

 

such a poser...

 

Hope you have a happy Monday,

Kiss Noises Linda ( school holidays this week and it is raining..best think of some activities very soon)

Handmade Market Stall Photos.

Wow, that was one busy weekend which now means busy busy sewing time for the next 2 weeks to restock for the Craft Extravaganza Fair at Tambourine for four days from April 29th.

Saturday was The Handmade Expo at the Ipswich Turf Cluf which means for us at 3am get up and get going to be there by 5.30am. DH and I stitched until nearly midnight but in the end threw in the completed cushion fronts and stuffing and needles and thread and sewed whilst we were there and it was a case of sew it up, put it out, sell it, sew it up, put it on display, sell it...which is great, one lady even stood there whilst I finished stitching up the cushion she wanted.

 

It rained for the second month in a row for this monthly market but those dedicated shoppers were not put off and fronted up with umbrellas and pram covers...I told you.. dedicated. I think there was a lot of Mothers Day shopping happening and there will be some very happy Mothers on Mothers Day with all that was available at The Expo.

 

 

 

 

 

Just in case you missed out, these photos are of our stall set up on Saturday.

 

 

 

See anything you like?

Be back soon,

Kiss Noises Linda

How to make a quick Easter Egg banner or decoration.

***re-post...I did this last year but thought you might like to have another look incase you are driving yourself crazy with school kids over the holidays...either it will be entertaining for them or therapy for you...**** 
Yet again I am here with a how to post mere days away from the event itself. This one however you should be able to whip up in no time.

Supplies....

white paper and/or template plastic.

scissors

coloured card or pretty scrapbook paper

glue stick

sewing machine

baking paper

craft glue or dimensional paint

glitter

string.

Now I will try and do this a little photo instruction so bear with me.

OK first fold a piece of paper in half and draw half an egg shape on the fold, then cut egg out ( in theory this should mean your egg is even).

Next trace your egg shape onto template plastic and cut out, or you can just keep using the one you have in paper.

Next trace your egg shape out onto your pretty card or paper, make sure you trace an even number. As I seem to have the gift of making everything lopsided no matter how I try, I traced  mine one way then flipped it over and traced it the other way (that is why you can see a little x on mine. I then had to match one with an x and one without.

Next, cut them out.

Now match up your egg shapes and glue with your glue stick so that both front and back is pretty paper. If you have used double sided paper you can skip this step.

When they have dried you can even up any wobbly bumpy edges with a pair of scissors.

Next you need the baking paper and your trusty sewing machine.

Now this part can be a little tricky but just go slowly you will be fine.

Sandwich a selection of your pretty egg shapes ( have a play around first and work out the order you would like them to go in) between two sheet of baking paper.

Work out which way you want your eggs to hang...long ways or crossways.

Next using a normal straight stitch but making sure you have a long tail of thread before you start sewing, sew the baking paper first and backstitch and then sew through one egg at a time. *** Make sure you use a needle that you won't be using on fabric, paper tends to blunt them a LOT ***

.

 
Next you need to tear off the baking paper. To make it easier to decorate, tear off one side only.

 
As these will twist around when you hang them, you only need to decorate and glitter one side only. It makes it much easier to leave the back sheet of paper on while you do this so then you have something to peg onto the line to dry.

'Draw'your designs on with the craft glue and then glitter away. Leave them flat to dry for at least an hour or so and then you can shake off the extra glitter and hang them on a line to dry for longer...beware though the floor will be sparkly.

When they are dry, tie a piece of twine into a circle to use as your hanging loop and tie the loose threads at the top of your garland, onto the twine. If you are having a sideways garland, you will need to tie a loop on both ends.

Next hang it somewhere it will spin and catch the light and dance around.(this step was too hard to photograph, they kept moving, so I have pictured mine laying flat.)

 
My garlands are destined for a little Easter entertaining, lets hope the weather is warm and sunny, otherwise I might have soggy garlands.

Another hint, after they have dried completely you might want to lie them flat and put something heavy on them for a little while.(some of my eggs started to curl up and this fixed them lickety split).

Have fun.

Kiss Noises Linda

 

 

Old Roses and New Friends!

Remember that wonderful lunch I went to at Simones (Beach Vintage) house? And these beautiful roses?

 

Well this lovely lady...Pam from Bayside Rose , grew these in her garden. She is also one of my fabulous new friends from that lunch and she took the time (about a 2 hour drive) to come and visit me last week.

 She brought me these gorgeous things as gifties....so spoilt..cocktail coasters,

 sweet cake forks...gorgeous I tell you

 

and snowdrop and rose napkins...*swoon*.

 

So we chatted for a bit..well a couple of hours and then I took the lovely Pam to my favourite Op shop near here and it was one of the best vintage finds day ever.

We scored vintage linens with roses on, cushions and mattresses, bottles of buttons (nice vintage ones)

 

Queen size quilts and a stunning mirror.

 

The best of all though was spotted by Pam ,way up high on the shelves and we both *swooned*, there it was the most divine yard long rose print, framed and under glass. The frame is a not nice silver but the picture is divine. so you know what my new friend did? She let me have it!!!!

 

She spotted this most divine picture but she let ME have it....Oh it is so beautiful..my photos don't do it justice with the reflections but I adore it and it is waiting for a quick frame paint and it is going up on my wall in the bedroom so I can gaze at it every morning and evening.

 

 

 

What a lovely friend thing to do, not only did she bring me gifties, she let me have the most divine rose print ever...I must check up on the artist...I can't quite read the signature but it looks a bit like Kruger....plus a bit more.

 

You never know what wonderful things a day can bring, a new friend, a new treasure, sunshine or roses.....enjoy your fabulous day...what is bringing you joy today?

Kiss Noises Linda

 

The Handmade Expo, Craft Extravaganza and beautiful creations.

OK so I am a little slow at doing this...but I have an excuse, I have been sewing madly for these wonderful events. I even have Mother and Darling Husband sewing up a storm and they will tell you I am a hard task master...you do have to have quality control after all.

This Saturday, Lilly Cottage will be at THE HANDMADE EXPO at The Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Road, Bundamba from 8am to 2pm. This is one of our favourite markets as EVERYTHING at these markets is handmade by the stallholder and there are lots of funky new designs there as well. This is the last Expo before Easter and Mother's Day, a great place to get that perfectly unique Mother's Day gift (for yourself *wink*).

 

The following weekend is Easter...oh how I love the Easter weekend...4 days in cooler weather, crisp mornings and cool nights and glorious sunshiney days ( I am soooo over rain and yes I know it does rain in Easter an awful lot but we have had enough rain this year, with floods and all). The other reason why I might like Easter could have something to do with the fact there is a bit of chocolate to be had....quite partial to Easter Egg chocolate you know, it tastes different to the usual chocolate..which of course is still wonderful....Easter egg chocolate just tastes a bit magical or something.

 

Lilly Cottage will be open on Easter Sunday with the markets from 8am to 1.30pm (sometimes a little later)...I will take my chocolate with me....can't trust those children of mine.

THE CRAFT EXTRAVAGANZA 

at Tambourine Mountain is on for four fabulous days

APRIL 29-30-MAY 1-2 2011. 

 

This is one of two Fairs held every year and this is the MOTHER'S DAY FAIR...woohoo.

Held at the Vonda Youngman Community Centre, Main Street, North Tambourine Friday-Monday 10am to 4pm, this Fair is completely undercover and is full of Handmade stalls, beautiful creations and I love the fact you grab a basket at the entry, walk around the stalls, choose the things you want, pop them in the basket and then go through a checkout area at the end...love that kind of shopping! It is very busy with busloads of people visiting every day and a perfect day trip out, up the mountain through the rainforests...all that clean crisp air...aaaah.

Lilly Cottage is very lucky to be one of the stall holders at this Fair..see if you can pick out our stall.

 

Right well back to the sewing...I have so many new designs in my head it is very hard to build up stock with things I have created already. I don't like to do too many of the same thing but with all these Fairs and Lilly Cottage's timber and termite cottage, I need a little back up.

You can of course also find my pretties at Mimmis at Forest Hill ( between Gatton and Laidley) and Handmade Heaven at Ipswich.

Look forward to seeing you there!!

Kiss Noises Linda