Lucky Friday Finds #11

Well-well… it's Friday! The weekend is upon us and I hope all of you have awesome plans for this one. Here in South Africa, Autumn is in the air! I've been sensing a change in the way the sun (although scorching hot) shone with a dimmer light… Then, last night we had our first Autumn rain! Man, I just love it! The sound of raindrops trickling down the window panes, the smell of the wet soil and just as the rain stopped (during the early morning hours) I heard our "friendly neighbourhood" owl break the silence with his calm hoo-hoooooo. Around here, the Cape Spotted Eagle Owl is the most common. We've seen them on many occasions. Amazing birds of prey!

Today, I thought, I'd briefly share some goodies I acquired while visiting in Pretoria last year. My cousin, Zandienne and I spend the day galavanting in the area we used to live and of course had to pop in one of my favourite haberdashery shops. The shop is called Ruby's and they stock almosts anything you need for your crafting pleasures. They don't have a website, but if you're in the Pretoria North area, this site has the address and phone number.

-I really had to hold back, I would have emptied my account in this shop! But since I had to fly back home, my luggage space was limited. Good thing I had a reason, ha! These adorable handbag charms, I got as gifts for my friends back home. I don't know if you can see, there's a funny looking keychain between the stork scissors and the red knitting doll… It's a dual screwdriver, the one side is a flat and the other a star. I got that for David as he can never find his in times of crisis, he keeps it on his house keys and has actually used it a few times already. I thought it a very nice "stocking stuffer" for the guys. The rest of these goodies are cute necessities, except for the necklace, that one's mine! I couldn't resist-

-Have a lovely Friday and an awesome weekend- 

xxx

Project a Day: #16 Another Owly for Leia

My goodness! I cannot believe where time has taken us! My little niece, Leia, has turned 3! Unfortunately, due to work, Dave and I couldn't celebrate her birthday with her. So I sent our present with my parents when they went to George for Leia's birthday.

 -this is my very first fabric yarn, loom knit. I used old T-shirts to make the yarn and felt off-cuts for the appliquéd bits. This owly is also a fibre scrap gobbler. I threw all my off-cuts into a bag over time and used it to stuff this owly. Talk about recycling-

-Thanks to my mom for posting the photo above, on my Facebook. Apparently, Leia was so excited when she saw this big owl. My mom says Leia just couldn't leave it alone. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that my handmade goodies make their recipients happy-  

xxx

Project a Day: #15 A Japanese Rose for Lily

Just as we thought Spring had sprung early, the Winter rain hit us and it hit real hard. Besides the lovely sunny past weekend, it has been pouring for two weeks non-stop! Rivers are over flowing, roads are flooded, there is water every where! I don't mind it though, I love this weather. Besides, our region could use all the water it can get. Because of our winter-rainfall, we usually have water restrictions in the summer as most of the water evaporates in the heat of our summer sun. Then there is also the issue of the water usage doubling in summer as tourist and holiday makers stream in to our little town for the Whale season and our amazing beaches.

...but enough babbling! What I really want to talk about is my friend Lily. It was her birthday 15 July and we were all invited to celebrate with her that following Saturday at her South African family's home. The celebration was supposed to be a surprise so I browsed through Lily's Facebook photo's to get an Idea of what colours I would use to make her gift. She looked so fresh is some of her photo's, where she was wearing a bright Teal scarf so I went with that. 

 -I know Lily is Chinese but I could only find a Japanese rose pattern. The Japanese are oh so good at writing crochet patterns, they also invented the language of crochet charts-

-The rose came out kinda ombre, I love it! This was my first attempt at this pattern. I couldn't find suitable leaf patterns so I made my own. Not to bad, if I say so myself... At this moment Lily owns a one of a kind "OddOneOut" as I only made one of these, especially for her-

PS. Thanks for posting this photo on my fb wall, Lily, I'm so glad you like your gift. And you look so pretty, too :)

xxx  

Project a Day: #13 I made an Owlknit

Ah, what lovely rainy weather we've been having. It's so good to be back on my blog again! I've missed out on so many of my fellow bloggers' posts, I can't wait to catch up. So, how perfect is this? That my 30 Projects challenge would pick up right where I left off...

So many has happened in the past two months, I'm sure we all could attest that. Our Paster's wife, Tinneke, had her baby shower in June and they're expecting a girl (Kristen). I've had this idea for a while now and finally had the opportunity to test it. A little, plush, knitted owl whom I call: Orea. She is an Owlknit. Orea is a real softy and she loves staying awake at night to watch over her soon to be born friend.

   -and just for the fun of it, I added this cute, pink, rubber ducky and pink ice-cream bubbles. Just to round it off, what would a gift from me be without an OddOneOut postcard-

-Orea was hand knitted with much love and carefully assembled. I do hope that little Kristen will enjoy having her around. Aw, isn't she a cutey?-

PS. Did you see my new knitting needles? Aren't they lovely? Since I've started knitting, I've realised that the size of your needles makes a huge difference, so I'm starting to collect some needles.

xxx   

Hello Blog! I've missed you soooo!

Hi friends, I know it's been a while. First we had a problem upgrading the Mac's software and then we had trouble reloading our programs. Then I got busy with Dave's work sending me more freelance work... I know, excuses - excuses. But I'm back now and I just wanted to share something with you before I go on with the 30 Projects. 

-Last year, Dave's brother (Paul) and his wife (Yuseon) sent him two books and me two book vouchers. It took me forever to find something that was worth getting. The bookstores in our area don't stock a wide variety and because I didn't know what I wanted, I couldn't just order it. But at last I found these pretties-

 -Thank you Paul and Yuseon! These are awesome-

 -These are both from Chronicle Books. They are beautifully designed and put together. The Carpe Diem Journal is full of quirky quotes and the hand drawn lettering is oh so inspiring. The Little Book of Lettering, is an amazing compilation of typography artists such as John F. Gardner, Daniel Davis, Luke Lucas and so many others-

I'm definitely going to look out for more Chronicle Book prints, their fresh design make you want to plan your decor around these books. When was the last time you bought a book? Please share your findings in the comments below. It's so difficult to find good books if you don't know what's out there. 

xxx

30 Days of Dresses: Dress #11

Man, I'm so tired tonight, I just started falling asleep while editing the photo's. Now I'm completely lost for words! I named this dress/outfit Plain Jane simply because it's a one-colour dress and the fact that it's made of a knit fabric, makes it oh so comfortable. My aunt Bernadette gave this dress to me for a birthday present quite a number of years ago. I wear it so often, it's just such an easy going dress. What I love most about this dress is that it isn't Plain Jane at all! It's got the cutest little details around the neckline, with the finest lace.

 -this dress is perfect for a busy Saturday. We cleaned the house, went out to get some goodies for the braai (or barbeque as most of you know it), came back home, baked this tart. Drove out to the property my Dad just bought, had some bubbly, came back home had a braai with my parents and they just left, few-

-Ah... my Odd Ones! Just some of my older products. I always try to keep at least one item when I make a batch of products-

xxx 

Lucky Friday Finds #5

Yay, it's Friday! Gillian found all these really cool stuff at our local charity shops here in Hermanus. How amazing that one of my reader friends not only loves thrifting but loves sharing too?! I can't thank you enough, Gillian! This is such a nice package, with the vintage lampshades, fabric and buttons. I know just what to do with those cute lampshades... I have a friend who makes the most awesome lamps from vintage books, doilies and crockery. I'll post you some pictures when I get them done:)

 -Oh what a nice surprise this was-

xxx

Another prezzy for Leia...

Dear little Leia,

This lovely cushion was handmade just for you for your 2nd birthday. I used all the colours of the owl and bunting flags I made you, they should all look quite pretty together now. These handmade gifts are all little additions to your room, so that even though we can't see you that often you can know that we love you and think of you always.

Your aunt Chane' and uncle David<3 p="p">

-crochet pattern from Ravelry, by Penny at Create, found via Pinterest-

xoxo

Our week in George: Day #3

This was a chill day at home. We woke up late, had coffee and rusks and then Yuseon told Paul to get their suit-case out of the garage. It was prezzy time! They'd packed a huge luggage bag full of gifts for their South African family (that includes me and Dave, yay). We also had quite a few gifts for them to take home but sadly the photo's I took of the handmade gifts were lost. I would very much have liked to share them with you:(  Any way, this is how the day started.  

-Dave designed Paul and Yuseon a very special book with photo's he took of them when we first met Yuseon about three and a half years ago (top two photo's). Then, what was a Borrat mustache, became a Freddy Mercury mustache when Paul put it on.... and then when we looked through the photo's later we saw "where's Waldo?". Waldo would be very jealous of  Paul's stripy shirt! The last pics of me (at the bottom here) are of the most amazing dress that Yuseon had bought me. She didn't even ask me what my size was and when I tried it on, it was a perfect fit! It's just beautiful, thanks you guys, for all our beautiful gifts-  

 

-I dubbed this battle "Rosemary River" because of the big Rosemary bush on the left there and when it rains the water is lead through this blue pipe into the bedding, making a river. Any way, Dave saw these little army men and was overcome with nostalgia. Missing his brother, he bought a pack and put it away until he would see his brother once again... and the outcome was war!-

 -time for Sunday Lunch, the South African way. Especially for Yuseon, Dave's Dad made roast lamb which cooked all day. It was delicious! Dave's Mom made all the veggies (also traditionally South African) of course, yummmmm! After lunch we went to the Botanical gardens to play a bit of cricket. I suck at sports. Dave's Mom, on the other hand, kicked ass!-

xxx 

 

Gillian, you made my day!

Last week sometime, I'd been sick and feeling icky and down in the dumps. It was just the worst of days... Then late Thursday afternoon my mom came to me with a bunch of bags, all excited! "just look at what Gillian sent you!" So many awesome pieces of fabric, bric-a-brac and, get this, a bag full of colourful zippers!!!! What a turn-around! Suddenly all the icky had gone and my head was filled with new ideas of what to make with all these treasures! Gillian gets all these things from our local chatity shops. She buys from them as to support their cause and then doesn't know what to do with it. Well I know just the thing! Just look at all these pretties... 

These doilies (above) are vintage paper and plastic doilies. Do you remember those plastic doilies? My great gran used to have quite a few of them, then I thought it was weird. Amazing how the things I thought were strange growing up, are the things I'm in love with now!

Thanx, again Gillian! I can't wait to make some pretties!

xxx

Happy Birthday, Friend!

Hey Natasha (Bamboo Blossom)! Happy Birthday to you! I'm so glad you like your prezzy....yay! I made you this "goody jar" which contains the following goodies:

1. Vintage Buttons - because you love sewing
2. A winter brooch - I made using vintage corduroy that I found at the charity shop
3. Grape lipbalm - because it's yummy
4. Rubber Ducky - just for fun
5. Ice-cream scented bubbles - because it's awesome
6. Mini crochet bunting - I made this one for your work area
7. A lovely beaded handbag charm - but you can really put it anywhere you like<3 

 

 Thank you for inviting Dave and I to your party. It was awesome! The movie at Romantiques was great! I love "Some like it hot", Marilyn Monroe is so funny, and don't get me started on the cross-dressing Jack Lemmon and  Tony Curtis... Natasha also made all her guests party packs to enjoy during the movie. Those Brownies were yummy! Only, it was a bit difficult to see what you were eating in the dark theater and when the movie was out, Dave told me that he had almost dunked his brownie in the tomato sauce (which was meant for the pastry), hahaha! I don't even want to think what that would have tasted like, yuck! 

So after the movie we went to Tapa's for drinks and ended up having Nacho platters. OH MY WORD! I've had Nachos at various places, but this was by far the best Nachos I have ever had! Wow! Anyway, thanx for a really awesome time, friendy! Let's do it again!

-It was so nice meeting all Natasha's lovely friends, hope to see you guys again-

xxx

Thank you, dear Reader

Some time last week my mom gave me these three bags and said that one of her friends at work had started reading my blog and thought that I would be the best person to give these goodies to. She had recently cleaned out her cupboards and was going to throw all this stuff out, but when she saw that I could turn her old scraps and clothes into accessories and other pretty things... well she just had to give it to me! You made the right decision, Gillian! I will use everything in this lucky packet you gave me, to it's fullest potential. Thank you so much for keeping me in mind and feel free to send more unwanted goodies my way.

How awesome is this vintage floral crepe?! ...and thread, and buttons! I'm gonna have fun with these<3 I already know what I'm going to make with the cream and brown chiffon blouse, just watch this space:)

xxx

to make a sock cat:)

There was this pair of toe-socks in my sock drawer which I really loved but all the toes had holes in them. the rest of the pair of socks were in perfect condition. So I thought to myself, how could I possibly throw these out? I then remembered the cute sock animals I had recently seen on Etsy and this was how my version turned out:)

1. Shave off any fluff with a disposable razor. Plan, cut and sew.
2. Hand stitch and embroider on the face, ears and tummy. Sew on buttons for eyes. Stuff with any available stuffing, place a sand bag in the bottom and stitch the sock up.
3. Tie a string with a bell around your kitty's neck and find him a nice spot in the house.

This kitty is called Mao and he was my mom's Christmas present... She loves cats!

xxx

Leia's Christmas Prezzy

This past Christmas, my brother and his family came to visit. My little niece, Leia, was facinated with my mom's wooden cat ornaments! She kept pointing at them, say "maow...maow...." and it got me thinking of what to make her for Christmas. So I found a crochet pattern for a doggy hat on the net and turned it into a cat, hehehehe!!! And this is how it turned out:)

 Leia say "maow..."

  She looks soooo cute in her new hat<3

xxx

Prezzy for me? YAY!

I do apologize for the delayed post, as I have received my present a while back but just did not get to posting about it. Well, here it is..... thank you Amy Scheepers from Licid Dreams for the lovely prezzy. The jellies were yum, they've already been polished:)

Love my Owly! ...and my pretty jar ...and my anchor ...and my moustache!

It was awesome being a part of Present Project 2, thank you Angie

xxx

Weekend Give Away!!!!!

I've got mail.......yippee! I just love getting "snail-mail"!

The other day Ansule(an old friend of mine) and I were exchanging pictures of what we've been up to. The li'l creatures she makes are so cute! So I asked her If she would like to be a part of OddOneOut's first give-away-competition, the next thing I know she's asking me for my postal address.

 And just look what I found inside this package... Knooblys! These Knooblys are made with lots of love and care by Ansule Westcott. You can find her cute Knooblys forsale at The Gallery@Duncan Yard or e-mail her for further information at knooblyscrafts@yahoo.com

This is the best part of friends who make pretty things... you get prezzies, YAY! Meet my little friend Bbbunny! Sitting pretty on my blouse like a little Tim Burton character:) Thank you soooo much Ansule, I just Love him!

 So now, the moment we've all been waiting for......drrrrrrr dish! You could be the lucky winner of a Knoobly! There are 5 Knooblys up for grabs, all you need to do is leave a comment on my blog with the number of the Knoobly you like best and share this post on facebook. Simple, isn't it? Be sure to enter before next Thursday, winners will be announced on Friday 4 March.

 

-Good Luck-

- a heart with heart -

During 2010 I was continually inspired by so many bloggers... I have always had a thing for second hand shops and saving the planet and just trying to do my part. Always seeing the potential handbag where you might see a tea cozy. A crochet rug where you see plastic bags, a dress where you might see a bunch of old stinky ties... Well, after stumbling upon Heidi&Seek last year, Hayley(thinker maker) made me realize that I was well on the right track and that I could be even more environmentally conscious in my creating. So then I started thinking not only of what type of materials I use but also where it came from. That's when I started going to charity shops, not for my usual "item-to-be-transformed" but for items which fabric could used to make something totally new. My Gran turned 80 last year October and had received a beautiful American-themed-quilt from my uncle the month before...     

So I went to our local HOSPICE with the picture painted in my mind's eye and I found some old (all cotton) stuff :)

1. I made my pattern from old newspaper and cut The front basis and the buttoned back out of the red blouse.
2. Here I did the same, making smaller heart patterns and cutting one out of each of the other shirts, pinning them in place, I went to my sewing machine to applique one layer on top of the other.
3. For the finishing touch, I made a crochet flower from postal string, worked it off. I cut a small circle from the off-cuts of the red blouse, placed it inside the flower, positioned it on my front piece and sewed it on with a button. Some more buttons were sewn on just because I love buttons.
4. Using crochet thread, I out-lined some of the heart layers with zig-zag and cross-stitch embroidery stitches. Pinning my front and back panels together, facing each other, I sewed them together with my machine. I then used my buttoned back to turn inside out. 

 ...And there you have a pretty, cozy, American themed heart cushy...

 ... these buttons used to unbutton a shirt not long ago.

 A cushy like this one you just wanna squeeze!

Happy 80th Birthday, Ouma Oriel!

(standing next to my Gran, is my cousin Christa, from Honduras)

What a memorable day<3

A PRETTY CUSHION FOR BABY ALANDRA

My Cousin, Christa, recently visited from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with her baby Alandra. I had seen some pictures of Alandra's room on Facebook and decided to make little Alandra a cushion in the colours of her room.

It was quite fun making this little scatter cushion and the idea of the appliqued buntings just came to me after working on it till well after midnight... This is an ALL GREEN gift. All the materials used to make this beautiful personalized gift were acquired from Charity shops. The green backing used to be the front of a man's button-shirt.

 

I must say, I was surprised at how pretty this one came out:) 

Hello Owly! Here You Are At Last!!!

In June I won a bundle of fabric from Haley's blog  thinkermaker . The reason I chose Bundle#1 was that each piece of fabric sent me on a trip down memory-lane and the pink one took me right back to when I was four... Oh, how I loved that room:)

I had told Hayley what I would make with each of the 3 pieces... The pink one's fate was to become a plushy Owl for my new niece, Leia. So I googled a few soft toys and owl images, made a photoshop-collage and started planning.

Off course I had to get some extra fabric to add to the look, and some coconut wood buttons for eyes...
After my planning and designing, I drew out a pattern on some old newspaper, cut the pattern out of the material and started the work! This project was my second ever sewing project, done with no help from experts. I was so surprised and delighted when Miss Owly was born, I didn't want to part with her.

I'm sure Little Lea will take good care of Miss Owly and that he will bring her great joy and make her some awesome memories... :) 

*Thank you, Hayley... If I hadn't won Bundle#1, I probably wouldn't have made Miss Owly.*

Blue Bottle Throw

When I first heard my parents were moving to the coast, my thoughts went to the bag of old, used blue wool I had collected through the years. I started making a house warming gift with the sea theme in mind... using three different square patterns! 

This gift took quite some time to finish as I only worked on it at night and my wool kept disappearing! After my stash was finished, I had to go out to buy more wool about 4 times...

It was worth it, though! Just look at it, sitting pretty. This is the biggest piece of crochet I have ever made! It really reminds me of Blue bottles with their brilliant blue tentacles.