Christmas Advent

So it is Christmas, and what have you done?

Well I have been inspired by all of the beautiful advent calendars that have been floating around on the internet lately, so I thought I would share mine with you.  I must confess I made it a couple of years ago, but it still makes me smile every time I put it up at Christmas, as I look at the image on it and remember the Saviours birth.

It was made at a Womens Craft Activity at my Church a couple of years ago ( with some additional help from my mother).
I wanted to make an advent that would help my family remember the true meaning of Christmas as they took a treat from it each day.  This year I have also added a scripture for each day about the First Christmas.

To check out another advent go here.

So what have you been up to this Christmas? What Family Traditions happen at your place?

Madeit re-stocked!

It has been a while since I last posted.  My apologises, I have been busy trying to juggle home, church, family, and my Interior Design assignments ( which I still haven't finished)!

So I am just stopping by to let you know that I have re-stocked my madeit shop.  So please feel free to stop by and let me know what you think.

I still have more to add, but I am just waiting till I get some other things finished first.

Stay tuned!

Trash to treasure completed

Ok, so I have finally had some spare time to complete my trash to treasure makeover.

It didn't actually take very long at all, it could have been completed in 24hrs (including paint drying time), however us busy mums have other things that need attending to {I should pobably be doing some washing right now}.

After finding some fabric to re-upholster the stool with I got straight to work.  This was the worst bit, as the nails in the wood, holding down the leather were so old, that I couldn't get them out, so I had to rip the leather out from underneath the nails, this was a little harder than anticipated.

As I was doing this, a terrible smell was coming from under the leather, so after taking it all off, I sat the wood and the foam outside for most of the day to air out.

The next job was to re-upholster the stool.  I had previously bought a staple gun from bunnings for about $20.  It worked great! I originally wanted to use oilcloth or a furnishing fabric, as they would be more durable, however I had some fabric in my stash, that was perfect for what I wanted, so I decided to use that instead. 

I am so happy with the way it turned out.  I just love this fabric, it is bright and cheery, yet it's still subtle enough for those of us who tend to stick to conservative colour schemes.

My next mission was to find some handles for the drawers.  I knew exactly which ones I wanted, and I was lucky enough to find them at my local Gunns hardware store.  They were $6.99 each!

Unfortunately the screws are too long for the width of the drawer, so they stick out a little bit on the inside {but hey, who's going to see it}.

After some light sanding, it was time for the painting to begin.  I chose wattyl's Alta Sierra -A43w.  I used this on my canvas.  I gave it two coats of paint {allowing a few hours drying time in between}; and presto it was finished.

Before

After!

It can have so many different looks, by adding different accessories to dress it.

I think for now I will stick with the last one, and paint the glass of this frame with chalkboard paint!

So there it is my stool with storage is complete.  Now I just need a new car {that is a whole other story} so I can go back to the tip shop to see what else I can find!

Happy crafting!

Trash to treasure

Ok so I am very excitied about what I just found at our local tip shop!  After reading through some interior design magazines I was inspired to do a little re-designing of my own.

So I packed Harri into the car and off we went to the tip shop. I had never actually been there before, i was lucky enough to find it first go.  It was tiny, so it would have been easy to miss.

Anyway; after searching through everything, I came across this table/stool, and immediately fell in love with it.  I didn't plan on spending too much, and because it was quite big I didn't get my hopes up, but when the man told me it was $10, yes that's right $10 how could I refuse!

I told him I would be back, as I had to go home and take the pram out of the boot, so it would fit.

Upon my return I was not sure about it anymore, but once I saw it again, I knew I had to get it.
The man was so lovely and helpful, and he loved talking to Harri.

With a lick of paint, and re-upholstering the leather it will give it a new lease on life.

I just thought it was the funkiest design, so different.

The legs may need a another nail or two put in, as some are a little wobbly.

I will also put new handles on the draws.

I am just so excited, the possibilities are endless.  Now I just have to decide on what colour to paint it, I am thinking maybe just going with an offwhite, or neutral colour, or I could go really crazy and paint it lime green...

I also need to rummage through my fabric collection to see if there is anything I can cover the stool with.

I will keep you updated on any progress, and will post the finished product right here.

Until next time.

New couch to decorate

I finally got he call the other day to say that our couch had arrived in store, bout time I say (anyway that is another story).

So I feel it will need a little bit of dressing, after searching I found this great seller on etsy, who makes cushion covers, and I fell in love with them.  Couple uses high quality fabric from England, that alone makes me want to order them! It just seems to make is feel more regal or something.
These are my favourites

They are also quite cheap, about $28 for two covers.  I may have to do a bit of convincing my husband before any purchases are made, plus I want to have our couch set up before I go buying cushions that may not even go.

Well It is the second day of Spring, and I am feeling the need to do some Spring cleaning! Hopefully having the new couch will help things feel a bit more refreshed!

To market to market to buy a bird brooch

Ok, so I finally have some more brooch's to place on madeit.  They are handpainted, so that each one has it's own unique colour or shade.  I unfortunately ran out of backs for some of them, once I have more I will place them in my store.

Hope you like!

Big or small {they still want to wear it}

Four my niece's 4th birthday I wanted to make her something, so I experimented with an idea I had, and luckily enough it turned out similar to my original plan.  Although it is not as long as I would have liked, so that it hangs lower, but hopefully she still likes it.

Reduce...Reuse...Recycle!

While sorting through the recylcing today, it made me wonder what great finds there may be on madeit that are made from recycled products.

Here are some of my favourites!

This is the cutest ring made using cardboard.  It is made by Little Viking Girl.

This product is proudly crafted by hand from 100% organic/recycled elements …{basic raw materials may include waste paper, waste cotton fabrics from garment industries and/or agriculture waste like banana fibre, straw and water hyacinth}

This is made by the cutest shop Forget-me-not

This cute little print is by lemon tree lane.  It is made from recycled paper. plus they even post the item you purchase in re-used postage packaging - Now how environamental is that! 

Lastly this is possibly my favourite.  It is made from recycled oak wine barrels.  it is by wineware

Hopefully I can learn to be a bit more environmentally friendly.  I am usually pretty good, but sometimes when I just can't be bothered I just throw it in the bin! oops!

Giveaway at Clare's Place!

Ok so we all know deep down that we love freebies right?  Well if you are prepared to own up to this why not head on over to Clare's Place and enter her Jaynes Love quilt giveaway.  It is such a beautiful quilt, and the combination of fabrics is just too cute. It is made using Amy Bulter Love fabric.

So go on, enter this giveaway for your chance to win....you know you want to!

from pot to canvas

After creating these almost two years ago, I have been wanting to make some more.  I then came across this picture, and I was immediately inspired.

About year or more later I have finally gotten around to doing it.

It is not exactly how I thought it would turn out...I think there isn't enough contrast between the two colours, like in the picture.  However I still like it enough to hang in my home for now {until I want to make another one I guess}.

Welcome to spotted lime

Welcome to spotted lime.  Here I will be tracking my creative ideas and thoughts.  I love art, and creating things, from sewing to painting, to making jewellery, to interior design {when I actually finish my course that is}.

So I hope you can find some joy from passing by from time to time, and if not, please let me know, I would love to hear your thoughts too!

Yours sincerly

Charlotte xx

http://whenigrowupcoach.com/blog/2009/06/24/5-reasons-i-got-off-my-ass-discovered-a-new-passion/

Under Construction

Thank you for you patience while the finishing touches are applied to this blog.