Florals, Ice Creams, Tea and Harry Potter

What do florals, ice creams, tea and Harry Potter all have in common? Well they are my favourite things, of course!

They also all appear on the backs of the iPhone cases in my latest Etsy treasury list. It's no wonder I can't choose a new iPhone case! Look at how cute they all are! Anyway, my current iPhone case is starting to break and I have realised since having it just how impractical it is for me to have a case with sticky-outy things on the back of it. It doesn't fit into my car charger with the case on, and I tend to always be knocking bits and pieces off it. So, time for a new one, but I need your help to choose which one! My heart i being pulled 12 ways right now, so I'd really appreciate your input on which case you like best!

Guest Post: A Few Of My Favourite Things (Vintage Bird Girl)

 

 

 

 

It's an honour to be posting here at Little Foal. Sunae has come a long way in a short period of time, & I for one am looking forward to following her blogging journey.


It's no secret that I love all things vintage....from clothing & accessories, to linen, home wares & furniture. Anything & everything really. I'm not too sure how it all started, but I love the designs & styles of older things. I've been collecting for at least 5 years. I find most things at op shops, & occasionally at vintage stores, & some gets passed onto me too. It's so hard to narrow down my favourite vintage finds as my house is filled with old treasures, but here are some pieces that hold a special place in my heart.

New Zealand deer antlers

My husband & I have always loved deer antlers, but we could never justify spending $200 or more on a set. On a holiday to New Zealand in 2011 we stayed on a farm, & the farmer had a wonderful collection of antlers in his shed. I was admiring his antlers when he asked if I wanted to take some home with me. So we chose two sets of antlers, as I had planned to give one set to my best friend at home. I was so nervous bringing them back to Australia & wondering if customs would allow them through. They gave the all clear to one set, but the other one wasn't as clean, so we had to leave it behind at the airport, much to my friends disappointment! I found a wooden board at an op shop to mount the antlers on, & just needed my Dad's help with his drill. I think this is one of my favourite things because of the happy memories of our time on the farm in our favourite country, as well as the kindness of the farmer. And I feel secretly pleased when I see how much they go for now, knowing I got these for free. You can read more about the antler adventure here.

 

Starburst Clock

 

I'd been searching for an affordable starburst clock for what felt like years. Always checking Ebay & the vintage stores. I discovered this Metamec clock under a pile of other stuff at the Woolloongabba Antique Centre. It was only $40 because the clock mechanism wasn't working, but I knew that could easily be replaced. It felt so good to find something on my vintage wish list, especially when they usually sell for hundreds of dollars.

China Cabinets



These two pieces are very special to me because the large one belonged to my Nana (I remember being fascinated by it as a little girl), & the smaller one was passed onto me by one of my dear friends who is 80 years old & was moving into a nursing home. They hold many precious pieces & they remind me of two lovely women who have a special place in my heart.

 

Tooled bag collection
 

Anyone who reads my blog knows I LOVE accessories. Most of my bags have been found at op shops or occasionally on Ebay. I am especially fond of tooled leather bags. I love the worn leather & the unique designs. They are so sturdy & last forever. These were all purchased at op shops, with the most expensive costing $10.

Mid Century Shelves
 

 

Living in an apartment means I don't have a lot of space for furniture, so when I came across this compact shelving unit at Lifeline I knew it would be the right fit for our home. It cost $25, which is definitely at the higher end of my op shop spending, but these can sell for hundreds of dollars at the vintage stores, so it was a pretty good find.

 

My Jewellery Collection




I've been collecting jewellery since I was a little girl & my collection just keeps on growing. Most of it is found at op shops or gifted to me. The only problem with such a large collection is how to best display it. I use a thrifted spoon rack for long necklaces, a $2 shadow box for special brooches, lots of dishes & containers on my tall boy, & a set of vintage sewing drawers for my beads & bangles.



Vintage Frocks
 

And finally to my beloved frock collection. I've been wearing vintage pretty much all of the time for the last couple of years, & my frock collection has steadily grown over that time. I gravitate towards dresses as I feel most comfortable in them. The majority are op shop finds, & the other great source is Ebay. I think I have somewhere over 50 by now. It's funny though, no matter how many I have I still have days when I feel like I have nothing to wear!


Thanks so much for checking out some of my favourite things. Once you have a passion for vintage the biggest issue is having enough space for your collections. It certainly is addictive, but it's a lot of fun too.

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Thank you so much, Leisa, for guest posting here today - it means so much to me to have such a wonderful blogger as my first guest post!

If you would like to see more of Leisa's wonderful vintage collection, check out her blog at Vintage Bird Girl. Leisa's posts are always so well put together and you will be amazed by all the gorgeous vintage treasures she finds!

Little felt cupcakes!

Could there be anything cuter on this Earth than these little felt cupcakes I made?

Seriously, so cute!

I followed this tutorial and of course, tweaked it a little to suit myself, and I think they turned out great! Well, all except the first one. It somehow got glued to my fingers and now has glue stains on the pink felt :( If ever there was a time to rob a bank it's now because I don't think I have any fingerprints left! Hot glue isn't very kind to the ol' fingers!

I'm going to use mine as a pin cushion, but I imagine they could also be used as fake food for tea parties or as decorations in a little girl's room. What do you think? Cute enough for you to have a go? They're super easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pins look like sprinkles when you push them in - I'm totally in love!

Polka dot bubble romper

A couple of weeks ago, Whimsy Couture had a massive pattern sale on Etsy where they were selling four patterns for $20. That's like getting four patterns for the price of two!!!

I took mega advantage of this sale by buying the criss cross tunic pattern, the shirred bubble romper pattern (I'm obsessed with shirring right now - so cute and fun!), the twirl knot dress pattern which I first saw on girl. Inspired. And the sleeves and straps pattern (such a great addition to any pattern collection!).

Here is the first thing I have made from my new little collection of Whimsy Couture patterns - the shirred bubble romper.

I found this fabric in the remnants bin at spotlight super cheap and thought it was absolutely perfect to make something for a little bubba out of!

I absolutely love how the bubble romper turned out. The Whimsy Couture Patterns are so easy to follow and super descriptive!

I added the shirred flutter sleeves from the sleeves and straps tutorial for extra cuteness and to make the polka for material seem more feminine, and up cycled this red bow from a costume I bought off eBay but never wore.

I love how this little outfit came together! It's a size 6 to 9 months and is now available to buy at The Corner Store in Evans Head.

I know I just finished this one, but I already have fabric in mind to make another gorgeous shirred bubble romper. I have a baby shower coming up to go to - maybe that could be my present?

The Corner Store

Remember how I told you I joined a craft co-operative which has started a shop for handmade goods?

Well yesterday was my first shift working in the shop and I thought I would share a few pictures of the shop itself and all the beautiful handmade things it sells. Seriously, who would have thought there were so many talented and creative people in little old Evans Head?

It is seriously such a beautiful shop and I encourage anyone on the far north coast of NSW to take a little trip down to Evans to see it. While you're at it you might enjoy a walk along the beautiful Evans head beaches which Jade from JadeCoral Photography captures in her postcards.

Evans Head is a beautiful little beachside town and this shop, full of unique, handmade goods is exactly what it needed!

Even the shelves are handmade by a local furniture maker!

Can you see the carved dolphins in the supports?

Look at these fabric sculptures! Aren't they awesome? Yvonne, the lady who makes them also runs sculpture classes. She is so talented! The picture doesn't show it very well, but the clothes are draped so beautifully and realistically and the detail is amazing!

See if you can spot anything I've made in these pictures!

It is such a surreal feeling having the things I have made sold in a shop! I still can't believe it! I hope you've enjoyed all the pictures of these beautiful and unique handmade goods!

Crochet Necklace Tutorial

Look what I've been making!

Aren't they cute? And so easy too! if you know the basics of crochet, you will have no troubles with this tutorial, and even if you don't - grab a crochet hook and watch a YouTube tutorial on basic crochet techniques and off you go! If you have any troubles, just leave a comment and I'll get back to you, or if you're not keen on crochet but still want a cute little necklace, I may just put some on Etsy for you, if you ask nicely! I will also be selling these little beauties at The Corner Store in Evans Head.

I am self-taught at crochet and therefore may not be using proper crochet terms (any that I do use will be Australian terms, more than likely, but I hope you get the gist of what I'm saying!)

Sorry that I haven't taken any photos of the process... I usually crochet at night and my camera is super crappy at this kind of thing. Maybe now I've entered the blogging world it's time to get a digital SLR? I know the thrill-seeking boyfried wouldn't mind me having a good camera to catch him in action!


You will need:

• A crochet hook
• Some yarn
• Fabric stiffener
• A length of chain (I use about 50cm, but just make it however long you like your necklaces to be)
• Four jump rings
• A lobster clip
• Scissors 

Instructions:

 

1. Start your crochet however you usually start it (I make a loop then pass some yarn underneath it and pull it up with my hook, making a slip knot). Chain a length of yarn to the width you'd like your finished panel to be. I usually chain about 28 with the thin yarn I use, if you're using thicker yarn, chain 20. Make sure the amount of chains you do is a multiple of four.

2. Chain three and turn your work. Now treble into every chain you have made, skipping the first three chains. 

3. Chain one and turn your work. Chain three, then treble into every fourth stitch you made. Continue this along the entire work, chaining three then trebling into every fourth stitch below.

4. At the end of the row, chain one and turn your work. Now you need to treble six into each chain four gap to make a scalloped edge. If you wish to make the smaller of the two necklace designs, once you have done this, fasten your work and you are finished your crochet panel. Move on to step 6. If you wish to make the larger, fasten your work and start your crochet on your hook again. 

5. Chain into the first gap between your groups of six trebles to attach your new piece of yarn to your work again. Repeat step 4, trebling six into each gap between the groups of six trebles. Fasten your work when you have trebled into the last remaining gap. 

6. Sew your end threads into your work and cut short so that you can no longer see them. 

7. Stiffen your crochet panel with fabric stiffener. Most labels will give you directions to follow with the choice of dipping your panel into the stiffener or working it in by hand. I find working it in by hand to be most effective and less wasteful. To do this, pour a 50c piece worth of stiffener into your hand and massage it into the panel. Make sure the panel is completely saturated. If it is not, pour a little more stiffener into your hand and work it into the drier areas. On the bottle, it should say to leave your panel in a tray to dry overnight, however, I find this makes it a little too stiff, and am extremely impatient, so I zap mine in the microwave for 30 seconds instead. Don't leave it in for any more than 30 seconds, because you will burn it! 

8. After your panel has been made stiff, open your jump rings and push one into each side of your crochet panel. Cut your piece of chain in half and thread an end loop of each piece into the opened jump rings attached to the crochet panel. I just use crappy scissors to cut my low-quality chain, but if you're using a good quality chain, use pliers. Attach another jump ring to each end of the chain, adding a lobster clip on one side for fastening your necklace, and voila! You did it! You made a necklace! :)

 

I love making these gorgeous little necklaces. They are relatively quick, look super cute, and you can knock up the crochet panels while sitting in front of the TV - and who doesn't like craft projects which can be done while watching TV? It lets you be lazy and productive at the same time! Happy crocheting everyone, and I hope you love your necklaces as much as I love mine!