Where to find... More Handmade Rings

Rings are definitely my favourite kind of jewellery, I love that I can see them all the time (I never remember to wear earrings!) I don't have to worry about them catching on things, and they instantly make me feel more dressed up. Because they are small they are also great for buying online, and handmade ones can be reasonably priced for something special. I am always on the lookout for more, these are some I have seen recently...

Custom Braille Ring, studio AMF
Macrame and Silver Stacking Rings, Lunatic Art
Baby Elephant Ring (with diamonds), Michelle Chang Jewellery
Woodgrain Ring, That Vintage
Cookie Dough Ring, Beat Black
Rick Rack Ring, Christina Lowry Designs

(Previous post on personalised rings here, I never take mine off!)

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Handmade vs The Man

'I Heart NY', by tru.che, imakeshinythings.com

In a week when the power of social media has been widely discussed in the mainstream news, I find this fascinating...

Handmade jewellery (Etsy store tre.che) was ripped off by retail giant Urban Outfitters in the US, who then had to backtrack after being attacked on Twitter and Facebook. Read the story here (via Sarah McNeil).

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Totally Tinch-ified

I've got a serious crush. On all things Tinch Design Studio. And it's official, my house is now totally Tinch-ified. Seriously, there's not many more places I could put Helen's gorgeous creations. They now adorn:

- the baby's bedroom door

- the fridge

- the magnetic noteboard at the back of my craft cupboard

- my bedroom wall.

Neat aye? The re-stickable photo frames are my latest purchase, and Helen still has a 10% preorder discount running, hop on over.

I wonder if my house could do with just a tinch more? The "quote marks" could be cool too...

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Handmade Heaven: To Mum, with love xx

Most years, the best presents from your children on Mother’s Day are made by them, such as a picture they have drawn, or a card they have made. But every now and then it’s also special to receive (or organise for the grandmothers, from their grandchildren) a special present that commemorates motherhood.

WEARING YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE

This year I’m loving these gorgeous “Brag About It” silver ‘children’ necklaces that feature your children’s names and sometimes even their birthstones – handmade on Etsy and ordered in from the US, they arrive swiftly and are so sweet. Greta also wrote recently on this blog about little silver ‘posey’ rings, traditionally for bridesmaids, that you can order with the same stamped look of name impressions - this time on the inside.

If you’re keen to support a local Kiwi crafter, check out these gorgeous ‘Mum’s the word’ pendants from Cloud Nine – one of mine and Baby Bites’ favourite crafters. I also really love the funky pairs of navy drop earrings with ‘kiss’ marks on them.

Greta also found a‘Family Tree/Whakapapa Rakau’ bracelet or necklace, with charms made from leaves with all your family’s names engraved, by New Zealand crafter etc on Felt.

How about a gorgeous wee 'jewellery tree' from Foxes to hang all these trinkets on too?

CELEBRATING REAL LIFE TOO

It's also good therapy to poke fun at yourself sometimes too. So my other type of favourite Mother's Day gift ideas do just that.

I've bought my mother-in-law (or in text speak, MIL) a Dear Colleen 'lemons' print. MIL and I can gossip away many a Sunday afternoon doing exactly what it says to do! The wonderful Dear Colleen also slipped in another one for me: this really is the best Mother's Day ever, thanks Colleen :) It's now hanging proudly in my kitchen in an oversized large white frame.

My final ‘wish list’ idea this year may not technically be handmade – but the idea is that you and your children choose and “build them” together. All the rage in Australia when I was there last month, these “family” stickers are bought individually, each in different poses or outfits. You buy a replica of each person in your household (dogs or cats included!) and adorn your car’s back window. Which Mum are you? The sporty one? The working one? The knitter? Go on, laughter is good medicine after a long day!

TEACH THEM YOUNG

As a Mother one of the coolest things I think you can do is pass on skills and creative crafting traditions. So if your children are into crafting (and you’re into free printables) – show them how to download some of these free Mother’s Day cards too – here and this one here via L’il Magoolie.

I have already downloaded this wicked one from Fantail Digital Art, a fellow NZ crafter - I have a thing about birds and especially owls right now.

So go on - get that printer going: then act surprised when you open them on Sunday!

Enjoy this weekend and remember to sit back and celebrate your wonderful family.

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Royal Wedding - 4 sleeps to go...

elc.co.uk (via lilmagoolie.com)

I know not everyone is as excited as I am, but there is no escaping the Royal Wedding this week.

If you are interested, some of the better articles I have read lately are this one about Diana's influence on William, and this one in the New Zealand Herald recalling William's first trip to NZ, as a 10-month old.


Diana had broken with tradition by not leaving him at home during a Royal Tour, and so a nursery was set up at their New Zealand base, Government House in Auckland.

A photocall at Government House resulted in the famous pics of William crawling and playing with a Buzzy Bee, but I would have loved to see the handmade touches in the nursery inside:

"Lady Beattie, skilled at sewing, took me through the newly refurbished suite of rooms shortly before the royal couple arrived. She and other women had put in hundreds of hours sewing baby quilts, a "William's Book" of cloth animals and a ribbon-edged mosquito net decorated with hand-sewn miniature horses. It was a choice between that or corgis, Lady Beattie said.

Propped in William's sunny nursery - twice the size of his nanny's room next door - was a rabbit dressed in an All Blacks jersey and the Buzzy Bee, once pulled along by the Beatties' son Simon. And there was another handme- down, Simon's blue English pram which Lady Beattie restored after Doris, the family's Airedale terrier, had wrestled with the fringed canopy. Whether the highly active, crawling baby prince ever sat in this pram is doubtful." (Jane Phare, NZH, 24/4/11)

My sister and I are having a sleepover on Friday, some friends are doing High Tea at an Auckland hotel - are you doing anything special?

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Handmade Heaven: Yoozoos!

Foo. Oodle. Jooniper. Gooloop and Hooper. The tongue-twister names alone will attract your little guy! These fun plush softies from designer and animator Julian Stokoe from Yoozzoo in Auckland look like characters straight out of a cartoon – and actually, they are.

Oodle

Julian was inspired to make this set of dolls after developing the characters for animation and book form. Yoozzoo dolls are a limited edition series of 50 each of 6 characters. Designed and made in New Zealand, each doll has a polar fleece outer and is filled with 100% NZ carded wool.

Foo

Each doll comes with a swing tag featuring their own story. My favourite, Foo, is described as a 'go-getter', especially if that means going and getting more supplies of quince jelly and milk. Available at New Zealand design store www.toggle.co.nz or direct at http://shop.yoozzoo.com

(Aimee is on holiday this week but this is her latest Handmade Heaven column from babybites.co.nz)

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My Creative Space: Far, far away in dreamland...

After six months of delays when I went back to work full time, Miss Four and I finally finished her bedroom makeover recently. With school looming, she has moved on to being interested in proper old fairy tales like Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty, rather than simple toddler stories.

I originally started to blog about the beginning of this project here then never completed it. But as I noted then, it was inspired by fabric designer Heather Ross' "Far, Far Away" fabric collections... no's I and II. I adore her whimsical drawing style, like book illustrations -and the quality of the fabric is so gorgeous and tactile. Miss four loves Rapunzel in particular, so that is the main print.

She also loves tiny princess dolls and castles, so her Dad built her a dolls house shaped like a castle, and for Christmas we got her a second hand miniature castle and painted it, and popped it on a blue and green table that she proudly calls 'the lake around the castle' (the moat).

I've also since found an old original "Grimm's Fairytales" hardback book in a wonderful rummage sale (along with some mint original Dr Suess hardbacks) and am thinking about starting the concept of reading a 'chapter' each night.

Nearly five! I can't believe it.

That's my creative space this week - see what's in the creative space of other NZ and Australian crafters here.

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Cavas Bus Stop Art: uplifting messges for your family

When times are so sad and distressing in New Zealand, I'm wondering if other people, like me, are turning to their favourite art, design and craft blogs for a bit of escapism. If you are, and that's why you're reading this: welcome. I hope you and your family are safe and warm.

Hopefully these lovely gems I found on Felt.co.nz and wrote about for my column on http://www.babybites.co.nz/ recently will bring some cheer to your home.

I absolutely love the vintage ‘bus stop roll’ canvas art works that are so in fashion in home décor right now – I even made my own one combining locations important to my life, and to my Australian husband's.

Now you can buy ones especially for the little ones in your life. Instead of listing locations though, these typographic-style art works list fun, positive “Family Rules” or a list of “Beach Rules”, “Dreams for your Child” or “Wishes for your child”. I love the thought of my little girls staring up at this poster and attempting not only their ABCs and starting to learn to read, but memorising such neat messages. Made by Almond Design in Melbourne, these artworks are available in colours perfect for all nurseries like yellow, pistachio, pale blue and mocha.

PS: Don’t forget to get yourself one of these fabulous WWII motivational ones especially for mums ( “Keep Calm and Carry On”!) See Studio Dollmain on Felt.co.nz


Read my original column on http://www.babybites.co.nz/

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Handmade hands for Christchurch

As you may have noticed, we haven't had the heart to post since Tuesday's horrific earthquake in New Zealand. It's been the most distressing time in New Zealand's recent history and it didn't feel right to blog about craftiness while others were trapped or waiting to hear from loved ones.

Many people we know have family they were worried for, or have found, or have lost, or are still waiting to hear.

Many crafters we know who live in Christchurch such as Nin @ The Wardrobe ( http://notchkas-wardrobe.blogspot.com/ ) or Gil @ MudbirdNZ ( http://felt.co.nz/shop/mudbirdnz ) have lost their studios, their years of gathered up craft supplies, but escaped with their families.

And everyone who I (Aimee) work with (in my day job, in the healthcare sector) have either volunteered to fly down to help with the medical response, or have helped to man the healthcare phone lines to talk to distressed or injured Cantabrians.

For those of us without medical skills, or those of us with small kiddies meaning we can't fly down to volunteer in the clean up, there are plenty of other ways we can help from afar. Trademe is running a great round-up of registers where you can offer a place for Cantabrians to stay; assist the initiatives underway; or donate to appeals.

And as they did in September, after the first Christchurch earthquake, the handmade community is again rallying around to help by offering our goods in return for fundraising.

Both Greta and I have donated several prize packages from Lily Pad Designs and Topography up for auction in L'il Magoolie's "L'il Quake Appeal" - which is bound to be anything but small. All the cool and caring children's designer product businesses in New Zealand have donated prizes to be auctioned off, with all the proceeds going to the Red Cross Appeal.

Maddie from L'il Magoolie is herself based in Christchurch and has gut wrenching, personal accounts of how the quake affected her here. Read them and you will be moved, I swear. She's very brave to be putting together an auction to help her community, despite being one of the very people who need our help and care.

Secondly, many of our good friends and crafty colleagues on Felt are passing on the proceeds of their sales this week to charities such as the Red Cross. Felt is based in Christchurch and while its owner Lucy and her family are safe, Felt's headquarters have been affected and they are really emotionally shaken up. If you go to http://www.felt.co.nz/ and have a shop around, you will find lots of listings and stores on there noting that their proceeds go to charity.

My top picks of Felt sellers donating goods are:

songbird

$12.00

songbird

$8.50

songbird

$20.00

cloudnine

$17.00

tinch

$29.00

cattaylor

$16.00

laulipop

$20.00

cloudnine

$17.00

Songbird Designs - gorgeous vintage jewellery, unique and made with love.

Cat Taylor Design - bunting and oilcloth zipper purses, perfect gifts for friends - you can stock up on presents for the girls.

Tinch Design Studio - restickable wall stickers and fabric magnetic images.

Cloud Nine Creations - beautiful hand-drawn etchings - check out the awesome wall art saying "I love NZ" or her tiny earrings and charms.

Laulipop Vintage dresses - beautiful upcycled cotton summer dresses. I've already bought the purple and blue one for my miss one.

There is also a couple of facebook-based handmade auctions - just type in 'handmade for Christchurch' or 'charity auctions for Christchurch'.

Please have a hunt, and lend a hand. xx

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Free 'back to school' printables by Creative Mamma

If you love free downloadable printables as much as me, you will be very excited about my latest find. All you need is some children to gift them to and you are totally justified in the ink costs!

Why? Well, it's back to school and kindergarten this week and time to shake off your littlies' holiday mode.

There's never a better time than now to set up your expectations for the year in terms of encouraging good manners, setting up a before and after school or kindy routine, instilling tidy up times or introducing new chore lists. Why not make it fun by giving them a gift of a matching 2011 Kawaii kids Organisation kit?

Free to download at Creative Mamma, this kit gives your child a monthly calendar for the year they can write on; a weekly chores chart; 'reward coupons' to cash in; shopping lists and to do lists they can fill out; and stickers to decorate. All decorated with cute Japanese cartoon "Kawaii" characters.

Now your child can be proud of their responsibility filling out the calendars and charts themselves, and keeping them on display.

And while you're on Creative Mamma's website, you could download some free downloadable Kawaii school book stickers, mini note cards, or free Valentine's cards for your kids to give you to say thanks for all their cool new stationary!

To read my original column on Creative Mamma on Baby Bites, click here.

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Where to find... Personalised Jewellery

Custom jewellery might be more affordable than you think, check out these gorgeous handmade options (and maybe start dropping hints for Valentine's or Mother's Day...)

I first saw Smallprint in Aimee's babybites column, so cute, I love the idea of preserving those tiny fingerprints.

Blackbird Singing sells these vintage-look charms on Felt, using leaves to make a 'Family tree' is so clever!

These rings are so divine, I would love to get a couple and stack them together. AForfebre is an Argentinian label on Etsy (and found via Evie Kemp on Dear Colleen).

\

You might have guessed by now that I have been researching this topic for a while - and this was my decision, a Brag About It circle pendant with my children's names, to wear with a silver heart pendant I rarely take off, but just as I was about to order it...

I found these 'posey' rings from Kathryn Riechert, traditionally a bridesmaid gift, that can be stamped on the inside or outside. I love rings and figured I could also wear it as a pendant, which I think makes it great value at approx NZ$40 including shipping from the US. I love it and my daughter is fascinated by it, now I'm tempted to get her something too!

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Saved by the Snail Mail

There is nothing like a parcel in the mailbox to brighten up a crappy day, and yesterday I got three, all handmade! The Christmas swaps I signed up for are now in full swing - I better get mine to the post office...

My swap buddy through New Zealand Handmade is Amber, from the amazing blog MamaMoontime. Not only did she make this beautiful robin ornament, but also another felt bauble and... a handmade book with the story of Robin Red Breast! I don't think I have heard this story since I was little, it is so sweet. You can imagine how excited Miss 3 was as we unpacked everything, and although we don't have a tree up yet the ornaments had to hang on the wall right away (along with some of Aimee's Christmas bunting, so cute!).

There are five crafters in my group for the other ornament swap I'm doing and this is the first to arrive, from the lovely swap-organiser sew-funky. Lately I have been developing a little crochet obsession so I love this look! In real life it is a really pretty blue too. And look at the sewing on the address label! So crafty...

And finally, a gift to myself, I couldn't resist this personalised ring made from a vintage typewriter key, Etsy seller The Apple was a pleasure to deal with.

At OTLP we love snail mail, especially at Christmas - I can't wait to fill up my lily pad designs Christmas Card Keeper!

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Baby Bites Column: Kiddy Sings!

Babywearing has come full circle and is being enjoyed by a whole new generation of mums these days. Whether by sling, front pack, or mei-tai style wrap, babies are riding high and safe with a view of the world every place you go. There’s no better view for a little one than up at shoulder height! As a dedicated sling wearer myself, I am often asked by my four year old – “where’s my sling mum, for my dolly?”

So I had a big smile on my face when I saw these mini-sized slings from Furchin and Unido.

Furchin’s mei-tai sling is a mini version of their adult-sized baby carrier, but simplified by using a clip to secure the waist straps. Designed to fit most children from around 2-8 years, the waist straps are adjustable and the shoulder straps are 50cm long. Handmade from quality, hardwearing 100% cotton canvas, it’s totally machine washable.

Likewise Unido’s patterned and colourful child slings are made to order, and can made to match your adult-sized sling when you order yours. Their website has a fantastic function where you can literally mix and match their fabrics to choose your own unique combination. Creative and cool! Unido also has a great ‘resources’ page where you find links to the best babywearing websites in New Zealand, including Slingbabies, which has safety tips and full instructions on how to wear all types of baby carriers. Check them out today.

Read my original column on Kiddy Slings over at http://www.babybites.co.nz/ online magazine!

PS: Check out my other post on slings for the top five reasons you should try one - go on, it will change your life!

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