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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Blog love: check out Kitty as a Picture!!!!

I've found a new blogger in New Zealand who loves fabric, pattern and colour just as much as me. Well, officially, she loves it more - as illustration, pattern and design are the core skills of Brenda's impressive career.

Her new blog just launched is Kitty as a Picture - and I'm serioudly addicted to what she writes about the art of print and pattern. Brenda has gorgeous taste. We share some of the same 'inspirational' blogs coming out of the US and UK in our reading lists, but Brenda is able to explain the mechanics of the patterns expertly, because she's a trained graphics designer who started her career working for one of New Zealand's most famous animation companies.

Overseas she's worked for Walt Disney Animation, and now that she's back in New Zealand and a new Mum, she has turned to working part-time in the children's fashion and gift industries as a designer and now blogger.

She's also launching a gorgeous range of children's artworks based on 'Go Benny Go!' (see the cat image above!).

My favourite blog post so far was about a UK designer using vintage fabrics for little girl's clothes - check out the 'Madeleine' skirt in the blue and grey, I'm pining....- and I loved this one about quirky animal illustrations for nursery walls.

I seriously encourage you to take a few minutes to hop over and check out her blog if you're into design and pattern. To celebrate being already two months old in the blog world, Brenda is also running a giveaway of some gorgeous baby products - why not enter while you're there?

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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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