Me Made May

This is the third year in a row I have taken part in 'Me-Made-May'.  

Me-Made-May runs for the whole of the month of May and is a challenge designed to encourage people who sew, knit, crochet or refashion garments for themselves, to wear and love them more.  It's also an opportunity to discuss fast fashion, handmade and slow stitch.....especially when someone comments "Where did you get that dress?"  (I'm sure it was well meant.....I think).

You can read more about the challenge over on So, Zo...What do you know?

This year I'm really happy to report that I managed to wear something handmade every single day of May. Some days I had to resort to handmade leggings though as I had run out of clothes and my brooches had been 'done to death'.  Thankfully I wasn't ever asked to show off my leggings.

Here's my latest 'make'.  Another Esme tunic from Lotta Jansdotter's Everyday Style.  I really love her style.  

I think my hair is even starting to look like hers.  

Sorry Lotta.  

This dress is a touch short but that was intentional so that I can wear it over jeans for the Winter.

The fabric is linen from Spotlight.  I just love linen but there wasn't a lot to choose from when I bought this. Only about three plains and this print in either cream or navy.  I thought this was so gorgeous on the roll and couldn't wait to make it up, but now I get the feeling that it's slightly reminiscent of a 1970's sofa.  

I'm really giving the von Trapp family a run for their money now, after one of my other dresses was inadvertently made from curtain fabric.

I honestly don't know how people stand in front of a self timer and look normal.  I've tried to take my lead from other blogs I follow where the girls look so natural, carefree and happy.  Here I am, finally happy (sort of) with my plastic smile......but check out the feet!

Plus I look like I'm hiding a couple of wads of $50 notes in my pockets.  Ha ha....I wish.  

That'd make me happy wouldn't it?!

A candle making afternoon.

I spent the afternoon with one of my daughters, making candles. The first time for both of us.  Exciting.  Apparently soy wax is very safe, melts at low temperature, washes up with water and is good for the skin in case you splash it on yourself.  

Wow.  What could be simpler?   

This is going to be good fun.

We came up with the brilliant idea of holding the wicks in place with pegs.  So clever.  Who needs those stupid fiddly 'weighted candle wicks'?  Not us.

Looking good ladies......

Wow.  All lined up like little soldiers.  This is easy.  Bring on the Mason jars - we could really be hip!

By the way.  This is the sight that greets anyone game enough to open my old antique roll top desk, expecting to see 'office stuff'.  Wrong.  It's full of potions.  Just waiting for me to fire up that cauldron.

We chose 'Island Kiss'.  Yum.

Ok.  Here we go.  Nearly ready.

......hmmmmm.

Danger Danger "Hold onto your wicks"!!

This is the part where we really should have used the stupid fiddly weighted candle wicks.

Our wicks got away.

It was a very strange phenomenon.  Once we poured, the bottom of the wicks just smoothly rose up to greet us....seemingly with a mind of their own.  I know, right?
Hence the following photo is after we emptied the glass jars and started again.  Sheesh.  (Believe me, it was a race against time and a very tense moment).  This time we poured only a little wax in first to hold the wicks in place.
(Shut up.  I know we should have used the weighted ones). 

Trying to set the wax quickly in the fridge.
By the way, on the shelf below you can see what's left of our yummy asparagus and mozzarella tart with a cauliflower crust.  Thankfully this time the tart stayed in the baking tray and not stuck to the roof of the oven where it ended up last time....but that's a story for another day.

Ok.  Making progress.

Yay.  We did it!  Except for a little hole or two.

C'mon....you can hardly see it.

And the finished product.

Yes I do believe those dots on the wall belong to a spider.  Spider poop.  Great.

Perhaps I should be cleaning instead of playing with potions.

Soap labels.

As exasperating as it is, there are definite bonuses when both the washing machine and vacuum cleaner give up and die at the same time.  

Can't do any housework so might as well crank up the old sewing machine......

I've been experimenting with labels for my handmade soap.

Sewing round and round in circles...happy as can be...

Making Soap

 I've been 'soaping' again.

Such a Zen passtime.

Good for the soul.

I love watching the process.  The emulsifying of water, oils and butters.
I don't love wearing gloves to protect myself from burns.  But I do anyway...because I'm a nerd.

Sometimes (well actually most of the time) I worry that I'm going to blow up my poor old overworked stick blender. I imagine that I'll be soaping away, caught up in a world of my own...when 'BANG' the stick blender blows up and our whole half acre is suddenly smothered in creamy bubbles.  Can you imagine? "Honey I've managed to get rid of ALL the aphids off the roses".  

Thankfully that hasn't happened yet.  The bubbles, not the aphids.

The whole process takes a quite long time and you have to 'be' with the soap...not leave and go put the sprinkler on, not hang the washing out, not check the letterbox and get caught up yakking to the neighbour...you need to BE with the soap.  It's a miraculous process...

Roses are also miraculous...don't you think?

(These roses still have aphids).

Truth Cards

I've been making some little 3" x 5" index cards called Truth Cards.  They're easy and quick to make and satisfy a  mini creative spurt when you've only got a few minutes to spare.

Sometimes I display one or two around the place to remind myself of what's important when I seem to be eternally bogged down in a busy life.

Isn't the morning sun coming in the window just gorgeous?  And I love my new paint caddy.  Just got to get my paints out of the ratty old box I've got them all in at the moment.

A Day Off

Yay.  Sunday today.  A day off.  

Today is the day I get to do some art and craft.  I usually manage to do something 'artsy' most days, but today I get to spend  so much l..o..n..g..e..r  doing something I love.

  

While I'm here, I thought I'd share a little tip on how I keep my watercolour brushes safe while they're rolling about in my bag.  I've threaded a sushi mat with a couple of pieces of narrow elastic which is perfect for sliding the brushes through and keeping them safe. 

Have a great Sunday!