Creating my way to Success

Fashionable Fabrics

2013-06-20T07:00:00.001+10:00

Fashionable Fabrics is THE place to visit if you're looking for novelty fabrics.

For example, last week I made some cute little

I used Japanese fabric to make these bags extra cute.

Let's see what Japanese fabrics we can find at Fashionable Fabrics, that you could use to make these cute little bags - or perhaps other cute projects!

Bento Box on white by Robert Kaufman Fabrics:

A bag made with this could be used to carry some snacks in!

Yui Kokeshi Pink by Alexander Henry:

What little girls wouldn't like a cute little pink bag made with this fabric?

Japanese Girl around the World on Blue by Trans Pacific Textiles:

Perhaps more a teenage girl's bag?

Zen Charmer in Multi by Alexander Henry:

Or something really different!

You could even use these Japanese fabrics to make an origami bag:

Made with Japanese fabric, this bag would make such a pretty and special gift!

Just a few ideas for the special novelty fabrics you can find at Fashionable Fabrics

But I've only shown you a tiny selection - they have SO many more amazing fabrics, do go and take a look at:

Fashionable Fabrics

Happy Fabric Shopping!

Creativity Tests - do you use your right or left brain more?

2013-06-19T07:00:00.000+10:00

A bit of fun this week, with some creative tests!!

Creativity comes from the right brain and logic from the left.

This week I found some 'tests' you can take to see whether you use your right or left brain more, and see how creative you really are!

To see and take the first test, which only takes a couple of minutes - go to:

Right Brain vs Left Brain Creativity test

I took the test and my results were as follows:

So I'm more logical than creative!

Mmm

But I do like the choice of possible jobs there.....skating judge??

Here's some more creativity tests - done in short videos

(approx 1 minute each - click on the links to try them for yourself)

video A : I'm not in the 2% of people who are creative!

video B : I was better and more creative this time - but I think only because I was expecting what was going to happen!

video C : I was in the 2% of creative people! Yay!

video D : I was in the 10% of people with strong minds not easily influenced!

video E : I was in the 2% of creative people here - but only if you count that I ignored the first answer that popped into my head and deliberately chose another answer!

Really these videos and short tests show that for whatever reason, there are obvious answers to simple questions that the majority of people give. For me - the first things that popped into my head were the obvious answers that the majority of people give, but I do WANT to give different and creative answers, so when I thought about it I could and did.

So from these fun tests, I would say that I'm not naturally creative, but I can push myself and choose to be so if I want!

Here's one final test to see if you use your right (creative side) or left (logical side) brain more...

(spinning dancer by Nobuyuki Kayahara)

Apparently if you see her spinning

clockwise, you use your right brain more,

anti-clockwise you use your left brain more.

According to this test - I use my right brain more!!

Who hooo! there's a test that says I'm creative! I like this one!

I used to be able to see her spin both ways - when I first saw this test a couple of years ago, but seem to have forgotten how to do it...

Which way does the lady spin for you??

Giant Pencil Shaped Pencil Case Tutorial

2013-06-18T07:00:00.000+10:00

No matter how many pencil cases my daughters have, they always seem to want another. This time I wanted to try something a bit different, and came up with this giant pencil shaped - pencil case, which is perhaps not so practical for them to put in their school bags as it's so large, but is nonetheless quite a cool pencil case I think!

Here's how to make one.

You will need:

3 rectangles: 38 x 32cm (15 x 12.5")

1 x main outer fabric

1 x inner fabric

1 x interfacing

1 strip black fabric for pencil top - 32 x 8cm (12.5 x 3")

1 strip pink fabric for rubber at end - 32 x 5cm (12.5 x 2")

1 square plain fabric for pencil tip 20 x 20cm (8 x 8")

1 square red for coloured pencil tip 6 x 6cm (2.25 x 2.25")

End circles 10cm ( 4") diameter

1 x pink for rubber at end

1 x plain fabric for pencil tip end

3 x inner fabric for inside ends of main pencil case

One Zip 32cm (12.5") long (or longer is ok)

Stuffing

1. Pencil Tip

Take the plain square of fabric, and pin the smaller red square flush on one corner:

Stitch across from corner to corner where the pins are in the above picture:

Trim off the excess fabric on the corner beyond your stitching:

Then fold the red tip back.

Now with right sides of the fabric together, fold in half, matching the seams of your red tip, and pin, then stitch all the way along that side.

Trim as shown in this picture:

Turn your pencil tip right sides out, and stuff.

Then pin and machine stitch one of your plain fabric circular end, all the way around the opening. This is a little fiddly with your machine if you have stuffed the pencil tip firmly.

2. The rubber end of the pencil

Pin then stitch your black and pink fabric strips together along the long edges, right sides together.

Then fold the short edges together, matching the seams up and pin then stitch:

Then take your pink circle, and pin, then stitch that to the pink end of this tube you have created - right sides together.

Turn this right sides out and stuff.

Take a circle of your inner fabric, pin then stitch around the top to seal in the stuffing.

3. Main pencil case

Lay out your 3 large rectangles and your zip like this:

Interfacing, then inner fabric facing upwards, zip facing upwards, then outer fabric facing downwards.

Pin along the zip edge. Then stitch where you have pinned using the zipper foot on your machine.

Now open out the inner and outer fabric on either side of the zip. Open the zip right up, then lift up the raw edges of the fabric and pin together in the same way as before:

Interfacing, then inner fabric facing upwards, zip facing upwards, then outer fabric facing downwards.

Stitch where you have pinned, again using your zipper foot.

4. Putting it all together

This is the trickiest part!

First make sure your zip is still open - this is very important!

Take your pencil tip and insert it facing inwards to one side of your outer fabric pencil case:

Then pin and stitch the raw edges together.

I left the zipper foot on my machine to stitch this, as the stuffed end is very bulky and takes a fair amount of careful manoeuvring to stitch around. I resorted to hand-stitching across the zip part as it proved too bulky and awkward for my machine!

Next, take the rubber end of your pencil case, and push that into the opposite end of the outer fabric main pencil case:

Again pin and stitch all the way around the edge of this. Once again I hand stitched across the bulky edge where the zip was.

Next, take another of the inner fabric circles, and pin and stitch this to one end of the inner fabric main body of the pencil case:

Now with the final pink circle, pin and stitch this ONLY to the top part of your final inner pencil case end, across the zip part. Leave the rest of this open to allow you to turn out your pencil case.

5. Finishing off.

Turn the pencil case right sides out through the opening at the end of the inner part of the pencil case.

Pin then stitch the opening closed.

Then straighten up and admire your Giant Pencil Shaped Pencil Case!

For the free PDF version of this tutorial click here.

If you liked this tutorial, then why not take a look at

My Free Sewing Tutorials page

There are over 70 tutorials for all kinds of different things and all abilities!

The main fabric for this pencil case was from Wholeport

I received the fabric in return for advertising and mentioning the fabric source in my crafting blog post.

The main fabric for this pencil case was from Wholeport

I received the fabric in return for advertising and mentioning the fabric source in my crafting blog post.

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page, and whose direct links can be found on my linky party page.

A Round Tuit 158

2013-06-17T07:00:00.000+10:00

Hello and welcome to another Round Tuit.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and is recharged and ready for a fresh new week.

We had a lovely weekend - with our girls staying with friends and my husband and I getting to run together in an 18km race up a hill against a train!

There are only 4 people who have managed to beat the train up the hill - I hear it ahead in the distance blowing its whistle! But it's a fun event and a good challenge! This year I managed to beat my time by 22 minutes! So I was very happy with that!
I have aching muscles today though - so I'll be sitting down lots - visiting blogs and checking out what everyone else has been up to!

One other things I wanted to mention was that recently I've been doing some housekeeping on my blog. I now have a new header, new pages and an updated About Me page with a photo on. I've shied away from photos of me on the blog for too long now! So now everyone can see what I look like!

Now on to this week's party!

Tuits are very hard to come by, especially the round ones. For years people have been saying, "I'll do it as soon as I get a round tuit". Well now you can have one of your very own, and all those jobs that have needed doing will finally get done!

Here's my favourites from last week's party: First of all, a great upcycling project from The Tip Toe Fairy - Trivets from T-shirt yarn:

Stephanie has a lovely blog with plenty of good sewing tutorials and yummy recipes! Do go take a look: The Tip Toe Fairy

Next, this super cute Camper Van Wallet from Creative Chaos Art:

Such cute fabric isn't it?
Helen has a beautiful creative blog, so head on over to check it out:
Creative Chaos Art

Finally, this
stash busting scrappy table runner from Windsor and Main:

Kim has a beautiful blog with lots of gorgeous sewing projects.
Go say hello at:
Windsor & Main

For those featured, feel free to grab a 'featured on' button from my buttons page.

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Now it's your turn:

Link up your own projects - old or new - no rules - just share your creativity and inspiration!

I'd love if you grabbed the button - then you can have your very own Round Tuit!

And of course we all love visitors and comments so do visit some of the other links!

By linking up here you're giving me permission to use photos from your post in features here on my blog.

I will feature my favourites on facebook during the week, and also on this post next week.

Sunday Motivation

2013-06-16T07:00:00.000+10:00

Upcycling Dresses

2013-06-15T07:00:00.000+10:00

What to do with those old dresses that no longer fit, or are out of style?

Refashion

This post has to begin with mentioning

New Dress a Day

If you haven't seen this blog, then go and take a look as it is AMAZING! Marisa decided to challenge herself to upcycle a dress a day for a whole year. She had a budget of $1 per day to buy dresses from charity shops. The results are astonishing!

If you're looking for ideas for dress upcycling - then her site is the place to look! Or - you can buy her book which as plenty of ideas and sewing tips to refashion and upcycle your own daggy dresses!

So to anyone who hasn't now disappeared off to Marisa's lovely blog - thanks for hanging on here for some more ideas to upcycle dresses!

Transform to other clothing items

One of the simplest things to do with a dress is cutting to create different items, like a skirt or a top....

Emily from Domestic Deadline, took an old dress and turned it into a tunic - a simple upcycle:

Greetings from the Asylum did the opposite - cutting off the bottom of this dress and making a skirt:

Pam from Threading My Way also did this:

Or you could thriftily reuse both parts of the dress as did Cass Can Sew who made this cute top and shorts from a thrift store dress:

Bags

Kids dresses are great to upcycle into bags as you can keep the basic shape and just enclose the bottom of the dress.

I did that with a couple of my girls sundresses that they grew out of:

Karima's Crafts also upcycled a kids dress to a shoulder bag:

Use the fabric for something completely different

You could just use the fabric - as I did on this money box that I made from one of my girl's old Hello Kitty Dresses:

I also made a pencil and notebook folder from a pretty kids dress, using the left over parts in the gift wrapping!

I liked that I could use the buttoned up front part for an extra feature and pocket on the folder.

Have you ever upcycled or refashioned a dress?

For even more ideas you can take a look at my

Dress Upcycling Pinterest Board

Now I have several dresses that I've taken out of my wardrobe because they've either shrunk in the wash, torn, or just aren't wearable any more!

So here there are and this is my challenge for the week - to upcycle at least some of them!

Come back next week to see what I've come up with!

For now - please do link up your own dress upcycle projects - what have you done with your old dresses?

Again this will be a long term linky - open indefnintely so projects can be added at any time!

Link away!

New blog look and a picture of me!

2013-06-14T14:20:00.000+10:00

Hello!

Yes, this is me!

I've shied away from putting pictures of myself on the blog for a LONG time now, but have finally gotten over my shyness and decided to change my profile picture!

Today I've been sprucing up my blog a little so this is just a part of that!

I changed my header and the page buttons at the top.

I've also changed the pages a little, and added some new ones to reflect more what my blog is about.

I've updated my About Me page and shuffled things around a little in general.

Last week I began this process and reorganised all of my free tutorials, making clearer links and more pages with the tutorials grouped into themes. In just the week since then, I've noticed a growth in my blog statistics - and that my visitors are hanging around for longer, which is great!

It's good to see a positive result from a lot of hard work, and this motivated me to finish making those little changes that I've had in my head for a while now!

How about you? When was the last time you did some blog housekeeping and updated things in your space?

Phew! Well that's today's work done - time to finish up for the week - on to my daughter's hockey match now!

Enjoy the end of your week and do come back tomorrow for the next installment of

Upcycling Clothes item by item.

Fat Quarter Shop

2013-06-13T07:00:00.001+10:00

Today I'm taking a little time to browse through some fabric at the

Fat Quarter Shop

When I was looking at what's new -this caught my eye:

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems for Cloud 9 Fabric:

What a quirky name, and such cute fabric!

I do love themed fabric that stands out!

Like this Chocoholic Black Dessert Yummies Yardage by Exclusively Quilter's Fabric:

Or this Battle over Gotham Multi Character Quilt Fabric by Camelot Cottons:

I just love that you can pick your theme and there is always something related that you can find in the fabric line. So good for personalised gifts!

Just hover your mouse over the "Shop by Collection" button at the top of the screen at Fat Quarter Shop and you'll see what I mean!

My daughter spotted this cute soccer fabric -

Pretty Sporty Pink Soccer Balls Yardage by Dan Morris for RJR Fabrics:

The possibilities really are endless!

What kind of themed fabric would you like to craft with?

Why not head on over to Fat Quarter Shop right now! I'm sure you'll find something to suit!

Happy Fabric Shopping!

My Creative Space

2013-06-12T07:00:00.000+10:00

This week I decided to look at where I work and whether or not I have it set up well to encourage my creativity!

Here is where I sit to blog - a lot of my day is spent here.

When I Googled info on creativity and workspace, a lot of Feng Shui sites came up.

The main thing they seemed to say was to clear and remove clutter!

Ok, so that seems obvious, but clearly I needed to do this - so I took down some of the things off the wall, cleared my desk and here is my space now..

I also found mentioned in several places that 'like attracts like' so to include objects in your workspace that will do this.

So I have a couple of things that I've made..

My Little Jem where I keep my pens and pencils

He always makes me smile. I was inspired to make these little creatures when the builders who made our patio left a length of drainpipe behind -and I was looking for something to make with it! - I cut the drainpipe into sections, added scrap fur and other fabric and Little Jems were the result!

He was definitely a good product of my creativity - so hopefully he will continue to inspire me!

I also have my crochet ducky on the other side of my desk:

I've just started to learn to crochet this year and he's the first real 'thing' I've made. So he's a reminder for me to continue to practice and learn new skills!

Finally, I read that it's good to have positive affirmations and quotes in your workspace - something I've always been a fan of and already have - so I left all of those up to continue to inspire and motivate me!

I have my wall of drawings and pictures from my girls.

They always bring a smile to my face!

Then I have my Insanity workout schedule poster. This was a 90 day programme I followed at the end of last year with great results both physically and mentally. This is a reminder that hard work and dedication pays off - and helps me to know I CAN stick to things, and that DOES bring results!

My girls and I also like to leave post it notes about - there are some that have been on this poster for a while that I'm going to leave there.

From my 10 year old..

How nice is that!

and my 8 year old...

They are so good at encouraging and supporting me - I'm very lucky!

So now my creative space is a little clearer and magic things are going to happen here! :)

There is so much information out there to help you sort out your own workspace. Ideas for colours, layouts, orientaions and objects to include or discard. I even found a Feng Shui workbook to sort out your creative or work space. I found it an interesting read - but didn't get into it so far as to add the earth, water and fire elements to my space. It did help me to think about what my space needs to be like for me though!

So what is your creative space like? Does it encourage and enhance your own creativity? How? What elements do you have that help you?

The Fabric Fairy

2013-06-11T19:00:00.000+10:00

The Fabric Fairy

The Northern Hemisphere is now in summer; here in Cairns it's beautiful warm balmy autumn weather, and my girls swim carnival season is starting in a few weeks, so I thought I'd take a look at some of the swimsuit fabric out there.

There are some gorgeous options available - take a look...

Asian Inspired Swimsuit Fabric:

Jewel-Tone Snakeskin Swimsuit Fabric:

So cool!!

Dotty Circles Swimsuit Fabric:

Black Polka Dots on Red Swimsuit Fabric:

There are heaps of free swimwear sewing patterns out there that you could use with some of this yummy fabric - here's a link to

a compilation of 10 free swimwear patterns!

But the fabric fairy doesn't just sell swimsuit fabric.

They have an awesome selection of cottons, knits, ruffle knits, bamboo, organic...... the list goes on!

And then there is the sale section which is always worth a visit! Take a look at what I saw there..

So what are you waiting for?

Head on over right now to

The Fabric Fairy

for some awesome fabric shopping!

Komebukuro - Traditional Japanese Rice Bag - a tutorial

2013-06-11T07:00:00.000+10:00

A Komebukuro is a Japanese cotton drawstring bag that was used to carry offerings of rice to Japanese temples or shrines. The word literally means rice (Kome) - bag (bukuro).

I have some Japanese fabrics in my stash and thought this would be a great project to use some of them:

Here's how to make your own:

You will need:

Fabrics of your choice. I used denim for the base square, and two different cottons for the main bag parts.

Cord for drawstring.

Cut 10 squares of fabric the same size,

2 for the base,

4 for the outer bag

4 for the lining

1. Lay out your squares as you want your bag to look with the base piece in the centre and the sides around each edge like this:

2. Pin, then stitch each piece to the base, right sides together:

3. Next you need to stitch each side together.

(Again right sides of the fabric facing each other.)

Turn right side out and now you have a small boxy bag:

4. Repeat Steps 1-3 with your remaining squares. This will make the lining of your bag.

5. Place one bag inside the other like this:

Then fold the both the outer and inner bag tops inwards to hide the raw edges:

6. Pin then top-stitch all the way around the top:

7. On each side of the bag near the top - mark with pins where you want the drawstring to go through. If you like you can measure and place these perfectly evenly, but I just eye-balled it.

8. Stitch 2 buttonholes in each side near the top where you have pinned. Then thread the cord in and out around the top of the bag through the buttonholes.

9. To hide the ends of the cord drawstring, take a scrap of one of your fabrics and fold it in half, right sides together; then stitch down both sides.

10. Turn right sides out and push in the ends of the cord into the little pocket you just made.

11. Tuck the raw edges inside the pocket, then stitch carefully across the top to secure.

12. Your Komebukuro is now finished!

You can choose different fabrics for the outside and inside as the bag is reversible!

And you can make these bags any size you like simply by changing the size of the squares you cut!

And you can fill them with whatever you choose! It doesn't have to be rice!!

For the downloadable PDF version of this tutorial, click here.

And for lots more of my free sewing tutorials take a look at

My Tutorials Page

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and whose direct links can be found on my linky party page.

A Round Tuit 157

2013-06-10T07:00:00.000+10:00

Tuits are very hard to come by, especially the round ones. For years people have been saying, "I'll do it as soon as I get a round tuit". Well now you can have one of your very own, and all those jobs that have needed doing will finally get done!

Here's my favourites from last week's party: First of all, this fabulous upcycle - a t-shirt to skirt from The Crafty Blog Stalker:

I love what she did with the sleeves....

Katie always has heaps of good stuff on her blog, so do go and check it out:

The Crafty Blog Stalker

Next, this gorgeous baby quilt from A Moment of Whimsy:

There are so many more beautiful quilts to see on this blog - do go and see:
A Moment Of Whimsy

Finally, this cute crochet elephant from Happy in Red:

Esther always has beautiful things that she has made to show off on her blog - please go and say hello and take a look:
Happy In Red

For those featured, feel free to grab a 'featured on' button from my buttons page.

----------------------------------------------------------

Now it's your turn:

Link up your own projects - old or new - no rules - just share your creativity and inspiration!

I'd love if you grabbed the button - then you can have your very own Round Tuit!

And of course we all love visitors and comments so do visit some of the other links!

By linking up here you're giving me permission to use photos from your post in features here on my blog.

I will feature my favourites on facebook during the week, and also on this post next week.

Sunday Motivation

2013-06-09T07:00:00.000+10:00

Upcycling Jeans - part two - using specific parts

2013-06-08T07:00:00.000+10:00

Last week I published my first post on upcycling jeans - with lots of ideas on how to use the denim fabric. The jeans upcycling linky party also opened and there are some great links already.

This linky is also on the bottom of this post, so if you haven't already added your own jeans upcycling projects then please do. It's a long term linky so a great resource for all!

Now this week I wanted to show some ways to upcycle particular parts of the jeans - so making use of the structure of the clothes in what you make.

1. Using the main part - or 'body' of the jeans:

This is a great way to upcycle a pair of jeans, as it requires very little alteration other than removing the legs and it keeps all the features and pockets of the jeans intact!

Here are some examples:

A sewing machine cover from It's About Time Mamaw:

A tote bag from Crafts and Creations with KMom14:

A stylish purse from Artfully Caroline:

2. Using the entire front or back of the jeans:

Cutting the front or back portion of the jeans and stitching the legs together gives you an unusual rectangle of fabric which can be used, perhaps like this:

Hanging Hair-Tie Holder:

3. Using the legs:

The ready made tube of the legs makes them perfect for bags and baskets:

Denim Fabric Baskets from Threading My Way:

4. Using the Pockets:

The pockets can be used for all sorts of things that require...well a pocket, or somewhere to slip your hand...

Pot Holders:

A gift bag with a handy pocket for a card:

Washbags from Sewing For Utange;

A needle and sewing case from Passion Et Couture:

A Wall Pocket organiser from Sew Daily:

5. The leg seams:

The seams are good sturdy strips that could be re-used in many ways...like this:

A wrap bracelet fom Mich in LA:

And bangles - also by Mich in LA:

I braided some seams together to use as a bag strap:

And I also use pieces of the seams when making various things I want to attach to keychains:

6. The Waistband:

A great way to reuse the waistband and also the top part of the jeans is to make them into a cute skirt:

By Of Pinks and Fairytales:

By Sew with Aloha:

I've also seen waistbands stitched together to make bags and rugs and even a cushion cover which look really effective!

To see pictures of these plus LOTS more fabulous jeans upcycling ideas - including denim jeans art and furniture you can check out my

Jeans Upcycling Pinterest Board

Also, take a look at the linky party below for more great ideas, and add your own too!

I hope this and last week's post have given you lots of inspiration and ideas for upcycling your jeans!

Click here to see part one of upcycling jeans - using the denim.

Come back next week when I'll look at ways to upcycle dresses!

Have a great weekend!

Wrapped in Fabric - 20% off Storewide!

2013-06-07T07:00:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I mentioned that I've just finished reorganising and categorising all of my free sewing tutorials.

If you've had a chance to browse, then hopefully there is something that has caught your eye and you'd like to try making.

So all you need now is some fabric!

And what better place to look than

Wrapped in Fabric

This online store has an AMAZING selection of fabrics and haberdashery - not to mention books and more patterns!

Best of all, they are offering my readers

20% off Storewide until 12th June

Simply use the coupon code

SUCCESS

when you place your order.

And just to whet your appetite, here's a few of the gorgeous fabrics that they have avaliable..

Ladybugs on white slicker Laminate by Robert Kaufman:

Deer Valley Vinework in Peony by Joel Dewberry:

Alchemy Fairy Tale in Sky by Amy Butler:

Glow in the Dark Outer Space Planets by Camelot Cottons:

Nadya in Red by Alexander Henry:

And of course there is a fabulous sale section!

Take a look at what I found there...

Cut and Sew in Garden by Robert Kaufman:

Honestly - I've barely scratched the surface.

You MUST go take a look for yourself at all the gorgeous fabrics:

Wrapped in Fabric

Don't forget your discount code:

SUCCESS

Happy Fabric Shopping!

Over 70 Free Tutorials - updated and reorganised!

2013-06-06T07:00:00.001+10:00

It's done!

I've finally completed a MASSIVE task that I've been working on for some time.

I've totally reorganised all of the FREE tutorials on my blog.

I have made over 70 sewing tutorials - which are now categorised (see above) and also ALL are now available as free PDF downloads too!

It's been a huge undertaking which took much longer than I anticipated, but it feels good to finally have things in order!

Each category has a separate page with large photos and direct links. The direct links to the PDF's are also on the tutorial pages as well as the individual posts.

I trawled through my archives to find any tutorials that may have become hidden in the dust! and also put in links to all the fabulous guest post tutorials I've been lucky to publish over time.

I've put these links in my sidebar - or you can click on the

My Free Sewing Tutorials

Page at the top centre of this blog.

I hope this makes things easy to browse and find any tutorials you may be looking for.

Please do leave a comment to let me know all this work was worthwhile!!

Happy Sewing!

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and whose direct links can be found on my linky party page

Our Creative Geniuses

2013-06-05T07:00:00.000+10:00

Do you believe that creativity and inspiration comes from within us or from around us?

Personally I believe that all of us are capable of amazing creativity and inspiration.

Ancient Romans believed that 'genius' was something that existed outside of us, something that we received or possessed us.

In Arab folklore, a 'genie' is a spirit with intelligence and power. We think of a genie in a bottle - you rub the bottle and the genie will grant you wishes.

The Ancient Greeks had Muses - which were the Goddesses of inspiration.

I like this idea - that creative genius is perhaps all around us. I believe that everyone can be creative, you just have to be open to it.

Creativity is essentially a form of problem solving - it requires space and time for the mind to wander. Have you ever had the experience of waking up in the middle of the night with a problem solved, or an idea that had until then evaded you?

Single 'light bulb' moments - rather than being flashes of inspiration that come out of nowhere, are more likely the result of a long time studying or researching a problem or topic, and then your brain having time to process and consider all of the input and put it together. Sleeping, stepping back from something or a change of scenery or task could be just the time and space your mind needs to wander and fit together all the pieces of the puzzle.

Perhaps our creative geniuses are what step in to help put the puzzle pieces together to produce that 'A-ha' moment, or fabulously new and creative innovation or idea!

Thinking of creativity in this way reminds me of a kids movie that my girls used to love and often watched -

Barbie - a Fashion Fairytale

(Don't laugh - I've always found meaning in the strangest movies!)

In this movie, there are 3 Flairies, Shimmer, Shine and Glimmer, I think they are called. They basically add the final shimmer, shine and glimmer to already great designs of clothes. They themselves do not make the clothes design fabulous, but can only enhance something that is already great. - I guess this is saying that hard work and good ideas attract the external genius that make them brilliant!

There was also the moral side to the Flairies that their powers could only be used for truly good designs of clothes. When the baddie of the movie kidnaps the Flairies and makes them add shimmer, shine and glimmer to her own designs; which are just bad copies of other people's work; it only produces bad luck instead of adding that touch of genius!

The message that this is giving is that genius (when thought of as an external force) cannot be forced - and should be used for good not evil !

We cannot expect to just magically 'be creative'. I believe that it does take hard work, dedication and perseverance in our chosen field. But if you put in all of that, and are open to ideas and possibilities then you have positioned yourself in the best way possible for your own creative genius to find you and add shimmer, shine and glimmer to your ideas!

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For me personally - what I have decided to do differently after considering all of this - is to take time to let my mind wander and process all the input. Working from home on the computer - and sewing, I tend to stay at home, and go out only when I have a purpose - for example when I need to get something, or take my girls somewhere.

I've decided to take some time each week to get out of the house and go somewhere different, for no reason other than to get out and take a break. A change of scenery and routine will be good for me, and may help produce fresh perspectives and ideas.

I think I'll take this time to learn and explore with my new camera - see what inspiration I get from looking at things in new places and new ways!

Do you believe that creativity comes from within or is it an external force?

Do you take time to let your creative genius find you and work it's magic?

Do you have places where you feel you get most inspiration from or are particularly creative?

Credits:

I've recently discovered and have been watching some TED talks on Youtube. Last week I watched a couple on creativity, which inspired me to write this post. They were:

Your elusive Creative Genius by Elisabeth Gilbert

and

Where good ideas come from by Steve Johnson

A Round Tuit 156

2013-06-03T07:00:00.000+10:00

Hello and welcome to another week of A Round Tuit!

I'm back from a weekend away and my first ever triathlon, which I did with my eldest daughter.

Now I consider myself to be reasonably fit. I run a lot and do plenty exercises, but the challenge for me this time was the swim leg. I always thought of myself as a confident and competent swimmer. I've happily swum in pools, lakes and the sea on holidays. BUT - when training for this triathlon to support my 10 year old daughter in it, I discovered that swimming for fun and swimming in a race is a lot different.

Still - I did a lot of training in the pool - and a little trial in the sea and yesterday was the big day.

My daughter managed the swim no problem (she swim trains regularly and is a really strong swimmer). I was extremely nervous - but was happy to complete the 300m course (which was changed due to the tides and was more like 500m in the end).
I was exhausted but proud at the end - and then went on to catch my daughter up on the bike, and we completed the bike and run leg together in a respectable time!

Phew! What an adventure. WAY out of my comfort zone - but satisfying to have been able to achieve finishing my first triathlon, and to help my daughter do her first 'real' race triathlon too!

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Now let's get to this party!

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Tuits are very hard to come by, especially the round ones. For years people have been saying, "I'll do it as soon as I get a round tuit". Well now you can have one of your very own, and all those jobs that have needed doing will finally get done!

Here's my favourites from last week's party: First of all, this gorgeous Nordic Tea Cosy from FitzBirch Crafts:

Do take a look at this beautiful blog and all the pretty projects you can find there: FitzBirch Crafts

Next, this lovely
upcycled boys jersey from Made with my two hands:

Made from two op-shop jerseys!
There's lots of great stuff on this blog, including more upcycling and recycling projects - so do go and take a look:
Made with my two hands

Finally, this funny ruffly flower pillow tutorial from Or so she says:

Lots more great ideas of all different kinds on this blog. Do go and take a look:
Or so she says....

For those featured, feel free to grab a 'featured on' button from my buttons page.

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Now it's your turn:

Link up your own projects - old or new - no rules - just share your creativity and inspiration!

I'd love if you grabbed the button - then you can have your very own Round Tuit!

And of course we all love visitors and comments so do visit some of the other links!

By linking up here you're giving me permission to use photos from your post in features here on my blog.

I will feature my favourites on facebook during the week, and also on this post next week.

Sunday motivation

2013-06-02T07:00:00.000+10:00

Upcycling Jeans - part one - the denim

2013-06-01T07:00:00.000+10:00

Jeans are one of the best items of clothing for upcycling. The fabric is tough and there is plenty of it, and all the different parts of the jeans can be used for all sorts of different projects as I'll show you with some amazing ideas. Here was just one pair of jeans I used before Christmas last year to make some gifts..

But before we get to the projects, I first wanted to share some fun facts:

Jeans were initially made as workwear for labourers in America in the late 19th century.

Blue Jeans have an official birthday - May 20th.

Indigo is the dye used to colour blue jeans. It doesn't go through the whole fabric which is why jeans are white on the inside. It also explains the wear 'lines' on denim that appear over time - as the molecules of indigo gradually chip and fall off!

The name denim comes from the French

'Serge de Nimes'.

The fabric was originally made in Nimes and was called Serge!

During World War 2, men's jeans had a zip down the front but women's jeans had a zip down the side!

So why upcycle jeans?

For a start there's the reason to upcycle any kind of clothes - the amount of water, electricity, chemicals etc used in the production of the fabric and the clothes in the first place. The landfill old clothes take up and the same things again used to make new fabric and clothes to replace those old ones.

So upcycle - reuse and recycle!

Jeans are also loved all over the world by all kinds of people. Cowboys wear them, housewives wear them, supermodels and celebrities wear them - even presidents wear them.

They are comfortable, durable and fade and wear in a such a way that they often become more loved the more worn they get!

Jeans are cool, durable and as you're about to see - so, so versatile!

So, let's get to some ideas for upcycling.

This week I just wanted to show some ideas for simply using the denim fabric from jeans. There is plenty of it - mostly in the legs:

(Next week I'm going to look at ways to use the other parts of the jeans - like the pockets, seams waistband etc.)

Here's some nifty ideas:

Easy Fabric Roads, from Jen at Lil Mop Top:

A fun and durable idea for kids!

My own Lesa bag, which I made using most of the fabric from a pair of adult jeans:

Another denim tote bag from Christine at Crafty Geordi:

Lots of cute pouches from Mami Made Me:

A Baby Play Mat from Sewing for Utange:

Aprons - also from Sewing for Utange:

A denim pouf - (my picture - made from the excellent tutorial from Michele Made Me)

Chair covers also by Michele Made Me:

Pencil cases and notebook folders by me:

Personalised Rag Tags:

and more:

More pouches:

Finally - cute monster pouches - also from Sewing for Utange:

You may have noticed several of these features are from the site Sewing for Utange. Caroline makes lots of amazing things from old jeans - and also includes tutorials on her blog. All here creations she sells to raise money for The Sure Foundation, which feeds starving children in the village of Utange, near Mombasa, in Kenya.

So please do go and take a look at her blog - what an amazing lady and such a worthwhile cause!

There are also a couple of links from the fabulous Michele Made Me. Michele hosted a Drop Dead Denim Recycling event a while back - which has more fabulous ideas for what to do with those old jeans - you can take a look through those posts here.

When cutting the denim fabric from jeans to re-use, the possibilities really are limitless!

But it's just more eco-friendly and of course cheaper to upcycle the denim from old jeans rather than go out and buy a new piece of denim fabric!

Do come back next week to see what you can do with the other parts of jeans - some great ways to use those pockets, seams and waistbands!

I've also pinned lots of jeans upcycling ideas to

my Jeans upcycling pinterest board

- if you'd like to see even more fabulous and creative ideas!

For now - please do add your own jeans upcycling projects to the linky party below - whether it's a project using just the denim fabric or a particular part of the structure of the jeans - anything goes.

The linky will also be on next week's jeans post - part 2, and will also remain open long term to serve as a resource for ideas for upcycling those old jeans!

(By linking up you are giving me permission to use photos from your post in features here on my blog)

There is also another fabulous denim refashioning linky over at Threading my Way - why not get even more exposure for your projects and head on over there to link up too!

Threading your way - Refashioning with Denim - Link Party

May in review - my small successes and looking forward to June

2013-05-31T07:00:00.000+10:00

I had big plans for May.

I was going to have a big push on my blog; I had big ideas.

May however, was a big month personally. I had my parents visiting and staying with us from the UK. I only see them around once a year, so it's a special time when they're here and lots of things fall by the wayside so that I can spend time with them.

I also turned 40 - and had a lot of celebrations for that too!

In short - that's my excuses out of the way as to why I didn't do all I'd planned to do for my blog this month!

In spite of all my excuses....I did however manage to achieve a lot on my list!

I decided this month to close my little shop and make all of my sewing tutorials available free of charge.

I'm SO glad I did this for reasons I've mentioned before. And seeing all the traffic these tutorials have already generated in the first few weeks of being available for free, is just brilliant!

I'm also almost finished updating all my other sewing tutorials. I'm setting up new pages with categories to make all the tutorials easier to find and browse through. All my tutorials will also available as PDF downloads too! That should be completed next week!

I've also managed to encourage more people to link up to the clothes upcycling linky and very soon will be able to retitle it

500+ Clothes Upcycling Projects!

Just a few more links needed to get there - so if you have any clothes upcycling projects you haven't linked up yet then please head on over and link up!!!

But that was May.....

June is going to be a big month.

One of the lovely presents I got for my birthday was this lovely new camera:

In June - I'm going to have a good play around with it and learn all it can do, practise, practise, practise and improve my photography skills - and through this improve the visual side of my blogging!

Also in June, I'm going to be using another of my birthday presents... I'll be working through 'The Asylum"

I'm really looking forward to this 30 day workout programme. I did another Insanity workout programme at the end of last year - 60 days and LOVED it! The discipline of following the programme every day really spilled over into other areas of my life too - and exercising every morning really set me up for a productive day!

Bring it on!!!

I have my new weekly clothes upcycling posts starting tomorrow. I'll be taking clothing, item by item and bringing together all the information and ideas I can find each week for each item to build up a new comprehensive resource for upcycling clothes.

I have more sewing tutorials made and planned - so more to add there.

Also, the weekly

Round Tuit linky party

is growing and is continually a fabulous source of inspiration and a great way to meet and get to know other creative bloggers!

I'm also exploring creativity itself in weekly posts and challenges.

I'm enjoying making my weekly Sunday motivation pictures - and choosing quotes to add to them! My new camera will help me with this!

I'll be continuing my crochet learning together with my younger daughter as we try to make more amigurumi, like this cute and colourful ducky! We'll post about our progress and creations.

I'm also determined this month to explore and use social media more - so that means Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Instagram!

Personally in June our family is set to have a relatively quiet month - with no big plans or events - so it's a good time for me to power full-steam ahead and concentrate a lot of my efforts on my blog.

My parents leave today to return to the UK after a wonderful visit.

Then, this weekend we're spending time with another family who share our love of fitness. Some of their family and my eldest daughter and I are competing in a triathlon together on Sunday.

It's my first ever triathlon - and my daughter's first with a swim in the sea.

We have to swim 300m, bike 10km then run 2.5km.

We're both nervous but excited!

It's going to be the perfect start to what is going to be an amazing month of pushing myself and seeing what I truly am capable of doing!

I hope you've all had a great month of May - and are looking forward to June too!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Madwestdesigns

2013-05-30T07:00:00.000+10:00

Come and take a look at the fabulous Madwestdesigns!

Marie has some gorgeous hand-knitted and crocheted items.

In Madwestdesigns' Etsy store are these gorgeous Mug Cozys:

They'll keep your cuppa nice and warm.

Cute AND practical - I love them!

Talking of cute, take a look at Hoot the Owl:

And my own personal favourite, this adorable crochet turtle:

Who wouldn't love one of those?

Madwestdesigns also has a fabulous range of handmade scarves,

and hats:

There are so many beautiful items in this shop, it's well worth a visit - I can only show you a glimpse here!

Marie can also be found on her lovely blog, and also on facebook.

So why not have a browse through Madwestdesigns on Etsy and see the beautiful handcrafted items Marie has to offer!

The Lesa Bag - a free tutorial

2013-05-28T07:00:00.000+10:00

This bag I made on a request from one of my girl's swimming coaches - Lesa - hence the bag's name!

She had an old favourite bag that was falling to bits, but she wanted to replace it with the same style bag and couldn't find one.

So I got the old bag and worked out my own pattern and made her one just the same - from an old pair of jeans:

Good tough fabric - and lined with a pretty maroon - also upcycled, from an old dressing gown!

When figuring out the pattern for this bag - I made a few trial versions - one went to my mum and one is the bag I use myself most day to day! A great selection of pockets, the perfect size - and nice and sturdy in either denim or upholstery fabric!

The pattern does cut out nicely from an adult sized pair of jeans, so it's a great upcycling project!

(You may need to join two pieces of fabric together to make the larger back panel for the bag, or cut across both sides of one of the leg seams as I did here:)

Or, pick your own pretty fabric to make this great bag!

To download your own FREE PDF version of this pattern and tutorial,

click here

Happy Sewing

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and whose direct links can be found on my linky party page.

A Round Tuit 155

2013-05-27T07:00:00.000+10:00

This is what the latest obsession in our house is...hockey! Both our girls started playing this year and are loving it. I'm so glad they both chose the same sport, as they now spend every spare moment out in the garden practising together! They play in different age groups, but have started joining in with each other's training sessions, and our youngest is lucky as she gets to 'play up' with her big sister's team most weeks as a substitute!
It's so nice to watch them playing together - sisters and good friends!

Do your kids play well together and share the same interests?

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Time now for to share our interests, projects and inspiration! Can't wait to see what you've all been up to this week!

Tuits are very hard to come by, especially the round ones. For years people have been saying, "I'll do it as soon as I get a round tuit". Well now you can have one of your very own, and all those jobs that have needed doing will finally get done!

Here's my favourites from last week's party: First of all, this brilliant Jacket rescue from the Upcycled Design Lab:

It's a great post to read - how Cindy didn't give up despite setbacks! I love the finished jacket too!

Cindy's blog is full of brilliant upcycles, so do go over and take a look:

Upcycled Design Lab Blog

Next, these bright and fun skirts from The Crafty Blog Stalker:

Katie has a beautiful blog with lots more great ideas.
Do head on over there and say hi:
The Crafty Blog Stalker

Finally, I wanted to share this
4 month weight-loss progress from Erin Branscom:

It's an inspirational post - and it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there like that. Amazing Erin! You will have inspired and encouraged so many others with this post! Good on you!
So please head on over and say a big hello to Erin at:
Erin Branscom

For those featured, feel free to grab a 'featured on' button from my buttons page.

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Now it's your turn:

Link up your own projects - old or new - no rules - just share your creativity and inspiration!

I'd love if you grabbed the button - then you can have your very own Round Tuit!

And of course we all love visitors and comments so do visit some of the other links!

By linking up here you're giving me permission to use photos from your post in features here on my blog.

I will feature my favourites on facebook during the week, and also on this post next week.

Sunday Motivation

2013-05-26T07:00:00.000+10:00