Creating a Bead Necklace Stall for the School Fair

Armadale School Fair

 Necklace Stall

Early this year I was asked to come up with ideas for my son's School Fair to raise money.

So with a few weeks to spare, I ran around to my favourite shops for some inspiration.

I knew that wooden beads were on trend, and as 

I didn't have any, I made the above beads with counting blocks.

 Melbourne cafe, Mondocherry necklace and some school supplies
were my design inspiration.

I had this awesome neon cord in my work shed.

So I started to play around with ideas that kids might like, 

and maybe even a Mum or two as well.

My son's school loved the idea.

But then I couldn't find the beads anywhere!!! 

I finally found someone in the USA who shipped them directly to me, 

but they were smaller and more difficult to paint.

So back to the shed to figure out a way the little ones could still enjoy this stall.

Dots....

were a perfect solution.

Design concept done.

Less is sometimes so much more....

This is the Stall on the day of the Fair.

It looked amazing

and we had some awesome Mum's help run the stall. :)

Just want to say thanks again to them.

The girls loved making the necklaces,

and coming up with their own designs.

Happy Fair Goers!

Neon String Wrapped Light

 I have seen lots of wrapped cord light fittings and thought I would give it a try with this lovely

 neon string.  I simply used double sided tape to hold the string in place.

 Works great...now where to hang it?

I just made this for a bit of fun, so I don't want to make it a permanent fixture.  I think hanging it over the corner of this mirror in my dressing room will work well for now.

Neon string .....
double sided tape....
endless possibilities.

Swing.... and Colour it Fun!

Every morning our family is in a rush to get out the door.

Half of the time I am the only one ready, 

and the other half the kids are the only ones ready.

I thought...

wouldn't it be great if I had a fun swing or something out the front

 to keep them occupied for just a few minutes,

 while I do all the last checks before leaving the house.

My little DIY shed had some pieces of wood I cut to size,

and I found a sturdy Cobalt blue wrapped wire I salvaged from one of our recent renovations.

At the time I really had no idea what I would do with it,

but it came in handy for making this little swing for the kids.

I taped up the wood to leave the edges exposed,

then spray painted it with a fluro pink/orange like colour.

SUCCESS!!! 

They Love It!!

 I get a few extra minutes in the morning

to double check I haven't forgotten anything.

The funny thing is, as I was making this I thought the colours were a bit odd for a swing, but somehow still worked together and felt modern.

It only took a minute to look around the house

 and see why I was so attracted

 to this beautiful colour combination of bright neons and blues,

 old and new.

New

Old

Far

Near

An old gift from the
OPRAH SHOW

 My work shop

Yes...
even these real vintage tags on my old suitcases...
have my favourite current colours!!
Go Qantas!!!

And without a doubt....
My favourite magazine's new cover even has this colour combo.
Love it!

Note:

I just met Pop and Scott today who run a workshop up in Northcote.

Pop & Scott make the most amazing swings that they sell through their website at Pop and Scott!!

http://popandscott.com/shop/

I am pretty sure I saw one of their swings somewhere and that is where I got the idea to make one for the kids.

Their workshop is so cool and casual and worth checking out it you love to make things!

They are also planning on doing classes to make their lovely swings here in Melbourne.

Dead Lemon Tree to Perfect Ornament Tree

Our dead lemon tree has been transformed
 into the perfect ornament tree for this
 Christmas in Summer

 I was doing a bit of gardening and thought it was about time I get rid of my dead lemon tree.  As I was wondering how on earth I would dispose of this decent sized tree, I took one look at the branches and thought wait a minute.....

If I paint this white it will look just like the fake branches I nearly bought at Wheel & Barrow.

These little branches are perfect for hanging ornaments.

I shook all the dirt off the roots and found this sturdy metal vase to stuff it in. 

 Then I spray painted the entire tree white.

I made my own little ornaments and painted them neon pink

I also found some old wooden ornaments from last Christmas. 

 I let the kids paint a few of them neon pink.

I painted cotton string in neon to hang up other ornaments.
I love how it adds just an extra touch of colour.

The kids had fun decorating it.

Such a bright and happy tree!

Perfect for

 an Aussie Christmas

 in Summer.

Flouro and Pastels Spring 2012

Pastel green was the colour of the night

Pieces of fabric for making DIY screens

Little gift tags for the tea towels.
This poem is inspired by the fact that no one wants to use
their lovely tea towels...they just want to look at them???

Love the simplicity of polkadots!!

The stencils worked a treat.

painted spoons 

DIY screen

I love to see the designs that everyone comes up with.

I might have to copy this one.
 Grey and yellow never seem to get old.

Bike print for little Benny

Flouro rabbit stenciled on a onesie.  Love it!