A week of preparation...

This week has been a week of preparation in our home.

As of next Monday, my beloved Mr E begins his new job and the best part is that he works from home! \o/ Can you hear my squeals of delight??!!

We have been sorting, culling, moving, re-organising, and planning how the two of us can both work efficiently from home without literally falling over each other.

Our home is rather small, and the big central area where our desks and associated business 'stuff' lives is also the kitchen, dining, and living room. This means we've had to utilise some of our bedroom space, and that is fine - I just need to spend some time next week making some 'nice' things to decorate his book case etc, so I can maintain a serene ambiance in the room.

In between it all, during my occasional rest periods, I've been stitching another new garden design for Issue 16 of Elefantz HOME...

 

 

Don't you just love the garden!?

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Another event we're in preparation for is Kezzie's wedding next month!

Her and Bert are having a small wedding in the beautiful gardens of a local park, and she's been busy hand making invitations and decorations for her big day...

After six years together, the big day is almost upon them!

I can't show you what I am making for them because she reads my blog, so you'll have to wait until I have some good sneak pics that won't give it all away. ;-)

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Are you stitching my free "Promises & Borders" BOM?

Teresa sent me a photo of her version of Block 6. She added the prettiest spray of lavender to the bottom corner instead of the daisies I had drawn in the design. I love her block!

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Have you been re-purposing any doilies lately?

Mieke sent me a link to her blog to see how she used doilies too 'dress' a teddy bear!

 Please visit Mieke's blog post HERE to see how she did this. It's so clever and very, very pretty!

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If you'd like to 'build a children's quilt' you need to visit my friend Dawn's blog! Over 10 weeks she will be walking you through the making of a gorgeous quilt!!

Read all about it HERE!

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My last piece of news today is about the free design I'm sharing this Friday!

Even though it's Spring here in Australia, I thought it would be nice to share an Autumn design with our northern neighbours!

I hope you enjoy making "Autumn Falling"...

 

 

This was something different from my natural shabby pastel designs, but I enjoyed playing with raw edge machine applique, and those rich autumn hues.

You can download the pattern free HERE.

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I have some news to share next week about Elefantz in 2013.

Be sure to drop by and be the first to know!

In the meantime have a wonderfully relaxed weekend surrounded by the people and things that matter most.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Doiley Love...

Sorry I haven't been quite on the ball lately with doiley makeovers. 

I'm afraid Blossom's news of emigration to England turned life on it's head for a while as all the ensuing ramifications came in to play. 

Anyhow, God is still in control, and we're simply praising Him for the blessed happiness she now has and the future He has in store for her. 

Soooo, back to doilies!

I thought I'd show you some things I've previously made with them, ok?

Have you seen my tutorial for making these doiley soap sachets? You'll find it on the Tutorials page HERE.

In the same tutorial you'll learn how to make this very pretty notebook cover...

I still have that notebook in my bedside table...it's one of my favourite things!

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Using lovely doilies to make journal covers is very easy! Here are some more I made...

I even used extra bits to make matching bookmarks! You can read the blog post about these HERE.

Lavender or pot pourri filled door hangers are another use I found for a pretty doiley or two!

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My friend Fee uses doilies in some of her designs! Recently this one was in an Australian craft magazine...

Here are some wonderful ideas I found on Pinterest!

Coathanger covers (from http://cherishedvintage.blogspot.com.au/)...

Don't you LOVE this purse!!?? Pinned by http://pinterest.com/christiehrepasy/...

I'm definitely thinking of making this for myself one day! From http://pinterest.com/gypsyspirit/...

...and my last lace doiley love to make for the day is this pretty lace pocket. So pretty!!! 

From http://pinterest.com/prairiehome/redo-refashion-repurpose-clothing-tablecloths-doil/ - actually, you'll find plenty of doiley and lace love on her Pinterest page!

So tell me, do you have some doiley ideas??

Have a wonderful week! It's going to be a busy one in the Elefantz household, but we plan on making sure to grab some downtime to ease those busy surges.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Let's do things with doilies...

(UPDATE: March 2015 - I remade the photo above to work in with my 2015 Year of Gentle Domesticity)


As I shared the other day after my linen cupboard clean-out re-organisation, I have re-acquainted myself with scores of lovely doilies, napkins, and tablecloths collected over the last twelve years or so.

With the children now all grown up and living adult lives, my precious linen treasures are no longer in use during our daily afternoon teas, hence their relegation to a tub in my linen cupboard.

I decided that apart from a few favoured pieces kept for occasional table settings, celebrations, or visits by friends, I'd find a sensible use for the rest.

Today I chose to play with some delicate crocheted doilies.

When I was a little girl my nana would set the table for every meal, and in the centre of the table, next to a mountain of freshly sliced bread, would be a jug of milk to use in our cups of tea. Draped gently over the jug hung a crocheted, bead edged, doily.

As I fondled the pretty hand crocheted doilies today I had that picture in my mind. So, remembering we had a large box of beads leftover from Blossom's beading hobby so I set to work.

One of my china treasures is a sugar bowl with no lid. I chose a doily, and some jade beads that matched the colours on the bowl, as my first project.

Fine crochet cotton in the same colour as the doily was threaded onto my needle, and I began weaving the thread into the crochet near where I wanted my first bead to hang...

 

I made a knot in the end...

 ...and threaded a jade bead onto the cotton, before making another knot right near the first, to hold the bead in place. I left a little slack in the cotton so the bead could dangle.

 

Then I weaved the cotton back through the crochet of the doily for about 1/2 an inch. 

Clip the end of the cotton.

Continue on for all 'points' of the doily until you're done.

Doesn't it look pretty!?

 

 The green matched the leaves on my sugar bowl perfectly!

Doily number 2: I chose pink glass beads for the edging because they matched the roses this time.

 

It takes about 15 minutes to make one small beaded jug cover from a crocheted doily. 

Wouldn't they make simple but sweet Christmas or swap gifts?

During August I am going to attempt to 'makeover' a number of crocheted or embroidered linen doilies. Would you like to join in?

We'll call it "The Great Doily Makeover"! 

If you've done something with a doily, leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can have a look. If you don't have a blog please email me with a photo and I'll share it here. :-)

I'll share my next makeover in a day or two.

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Have a wonderful weekend!!

Hugs

Jenny

xx