christmas pops

some more late Christmas diy.. 

i have only had one go at making cake pops in the past. those were pretty basic. being my first attempt i didn't try anything too fancy. just some white and pastel pink one's for my sister-in-law's baby shower following my friend Amy's recipe which you can find here. 

my step-brother turned up after the shower eneded and ate all the left-over cake pops. since he loved them so much i promised to make them again for our family christmas lunch.

given the success of the shower themed cake pops i thought i'd put a festive spin on the cake pop, and so the research began. after much googling i decided to go with  reindeer inspired christmas cake pops.  

here's a pic of the real deal.pictures via: bakerella and mason cupcake.

mine turned out looking slightly less professional than these. practice makes perfect though and with the number of family events i attend each month i'm sure there'll be plenty of opportuity to practice.  

bakerella also has step-by-step instructions on how to make the raindeer cake pops, plus christmas tree cake-pops and santa hat cake-pops with links to suppliers (mostly amazaon.com). if you're based in Oz like me i've found Amy's recommendation of cakes around town to be the easiest place to source ingredients.

diy: fringe

so i know Christmas is over but i thought i'd share some Christmas creativity which might inspire you all for Christmas 2012 ...

i think i’ve mentioned before that my new addiction is pinterest. during one of my daily searches recently i came across a pic of some wedding decorations which had been sourced from martha stewart weddings which had used a craft technique called fringing. the texture created by all the tiny pieces of paper looks amazing. after further searching i came across a “how to” fringed save the date on green wedding shoes wedding blog. each year i like to add a little hand-made touch to all the Christmas gifts i give and this year i decided to adapt the fringing idea from wedding to festive. i ordered myself a pair of fringing scissors from here and came up with the idea to use the fringing idea as gift tags. as it was my first attempt and I had to have them done early to fit in with my big blended family’s quasi christmas on 17 december i opted for a simple bauble shaped gift tag (I had originally planned to use the initial of the gift recipient but ran out of time). here’s how i made them…

what you’ll need:

1. fringing scissors

2. scissors

2. cardstock (for the bauble)

3. tissue paper (in various colours – i used red and green)

4. a template of your chosen shape

5. glue

instructions..

1. take your cardstock and the template and cut the number of gift tags you need (alternatively, if you have a good printer, print your shape directly onto the cardstock).

2. take one sheet of tissue paper, fold it in half and make 4 concertina folds (back and forth continuous parallel folding - like an accordion) with each fold approximately 1.5cm in width (depending on size of your shape). then cut off that strip.

3. repeat step 2 until you have 4 strips of fringe (more if you need to make more than ½ doz baubles).

4.  overlap each fringe strip and hold the template to check you have made enough fringe to cover the whole shape.

5. now, glue each strip of fringe to the one below.

6. next, place glue on the template and stick the template behind the fringe.

7. finally, cut all the excess fringe away from the template.

here’s some step-by-step pics and the finished product!

i made a quick one from patterned card stock for my sister's birthday card too

smarty pants

who else feels smarter with their specs on?

i work as a lawyer and today i spent the whole day in court. during today's court appearance we had a number of lengthy recesses so i had some time to think random thoughts and it occurred to me that i had not taken my glasses off. i'm short sighted so don't need to wear them all the time but i think subconsciously i may have left them on because they give me 'super powers'. that is to say that when i wear them i think i look smarter. without them i get a little self conscious that i maybe don't look like i know what i'm doing.

does anyone else do this or have any other 'super powers'?

p.s. i REALLY want to get a pair of geeky (preferably rayban wayfarer) prescription specs like all the celebs are sporting these days. my spec-sperstion is Kendall Jenner

Photo via www.fashionframe.com

a jar full of sugar

hands up if you don't like biscuits? yep, that's what i thought...everyone loves biscuits!

i'm slightly addicted to pinterest at the moment (check out my pin boards) and recently came accross a picture of a sewing kit in a jar as a chrsitmas gift idea (great idea for a co-worker, nanna, teacher's gift or one to keep for those unexpected gifts) from frugaliciousme

after finding this cute pic i was on the hunt for more christmas gift in a jar ideas and found so many blog posts about cookies in a jar. what an excellent idea. nothing goes together like christmas and sugar and presents, oh, my.

texas cottage has a number of links to a variety of recipe ideas.

i can't wait to try my own. first on the list are these awesome sounding and looking cookies from many makings.

decoriting the jars with fabric, ribbons and cooking instruction swing tags is the part i'm most looking forward to. i'll post the finished product over the next few weeks. hands up who wants a jar? first in best dressed x

summer supping

today's post is a bit of a deviation from my standard comments on decorating...i have the winter blues which, as all my fellow novocastrians (and a majority of the eastern coast new south welshmen) will have noticed, is because we are one week out from summer and it has been raining for 5 days straight and we've had temperatures of 15-16 degrees. what has happened to our aussie summer? where are our 30+ degree days. did spring even happen this year?

i'm hoping the weather turns around quick. i'm dreaming of our traditional aussie christmas where everyone sits around an outdoor table sweating all over the paper bon-bon hats. i also hope summer comes soon so i can have another go at stand up paddle boarding (a.k.a supping). i tried supping in July this year whilst holidaying in the greek islands and i've been busting to have another go since. i should be taking advantage of the lack lustre weather to tone up so i can look good on the board Rihanna style

photo via stand up paddle board blog - check out their infor on supping.

texture it

i love anything with texture, especially lace. texture just adds that extra something to make anything special.

my favourite finds at the moment...

1. doily lamps - these can be handmade using a balloon, some doilies (crocheted cotton), and pva glue. see "how-to" instructions in real living's christmas 2011 publication. 

2. crocheted stones - this is my kinda pet rock

3. pressed tin/metal walls - i will one day have a feature wall made of pressed tin

4. lace detail on dresses - this one is a recent purchase from Sheike

a touch of wilderness

i have just found my next "must have" for the home. antlers. i've been searching online and in stores (not that i've found many in oz) for ages but i think i've just found the perfect ones to add to my christmas wishlist.

 

now all i have to do is pick the colour. decisions, decisions... thank you Cassandra Smith

all heart

it's been a while (a very long while) since i've posted. to make up for it my next post is all heart.

i love the organic shape and everything it represents. so, when i was flipping through a real living mag one weekend hunting for inspiration for some new artwork i found heart art in a frame by papier d'amor and knew i had a new project to keep me occupied.

here is the finished product.

my new heart art fitted in perfectly with my other bedroom wall art including my 20 year old four-leaf clover.

the heart art is quiet easy to make, just a little fiddly. you'll need... 1. scissors 2. variety of coloured paper 3. cardboard 4. box photo frame 5. heart hole punch 6. glue 7. fine paint brush. to make follow the steps in the pictures below

how many cushions is too many?

my name is kelly and i am a cushionaholic. for those that have been to my home, this is not a surprise.

every piece of furniture in my home, which is suitable to display a cushion, has at least three of them in varying colours, shades, sizes, textures and textiles.

cushions are the quickie makeover solution for any décor.

they are cheap (relatively speaking), mess free and have the ability to instantly change the look and feel of any room.

there are no (real) rules to choosing cushions. just make sure the size and quantity is in proportion with where the cushion(s) will be displayed and the colour(s) and/or pattern(s) co-ordinate or compliment each other.

here are a selection of my favourite cushions from my home…

if you’re in the market for some new cushions here are some suggested wholesalers/retailers for modern cushions, pretty cushions, bright cushions, traditional cushions, quirky and fun cushions, cute cushions and everything in between.

for anyone who is concerned about my addiction, don’t fret, i am aware of the potential for it to develop into a cushion eating addiction and i believe i have the willpower to stop before it reaches that point.

post #1

hi all

i've just spent a few hours figuring out this blogging business & setting up my page. i'm sure my page will be tweaked & changed as i get the hang of it or, on a whim.

my plan is to post weekly updates about the general 'goings on' in my life including any (successful) creative pursuits I've undertaken.

i will also be spreading the word on any great interior design & fashion sites/blogs which i think are worth a look or two.

so, here's to inspiration, creation, motivation & of course, procrastination!

check back soon for future posts.

Kelly O. x