mini macs

Welcome Home...

2010-07-15T22:23:00.002+10:00

Ok, so it's been a really, really, really long time since I've posted anything on here. Like almost a year ago. That's practically stone age here in blog land. But I think you'll forgive me... I've had a few things going on.

But, I'm happy to say that even though the blogging may not have been happening much, the crafting has continued - oftentimes at full speed! All of which I will hopefully and eventually upload and share with all of you crafty kids over the next little while (especially now that I've remembered my blogger password!) but to get the ball rolling I've got some pictures from my most recent and proudest creation ~ a sewing kit for Kaya's 6th birthday last month.

I was inspired by a French children's sewing kit which, as beautiful as it was, was really just too pricey for this crafty mama. And so in true mini macs style I decided to make my own, with a few glamorous extras! And even though I had to stay up till 1am the night before (or should I say the morning before!) the birthday girl's birthday... I was pretty pleased with the results and Kaya absolutely loves it, which is the most important thing!

We've already started a few projects from her other present, See and Sew and there's been a few requests to learn how to knit and crochet...

Let the crafting begin!

cupboard crazy...

2009-07-24T20:13:00.002+10:00

Kids wooden cupboard hutch - purchased for $5.50 (together with smaller white cupboard) on Ebay. Vintage wallpaper on the back... too cute!

Vintage mini kids cupboard bought on Ebay (together with top cupboard) featuring wooden laminate panel sliding doors and vintage brown and orange flower wallpaper inside cupboard.

Mini kids cupboard hutch bought for $25 from Savers, Brunswick.

I went a little kids cupboard-mad over the last week, and definitely have my work cut out for me! All three need a good sanding, a new lick of paint and some extra cute details... But for a total of $30 for all three, I couldn't resist!
Having finished the play kitchen, I was really itching for a new little project that didn't involve crafting or sewing, and would require a few sneaky trips to Bunnings...
And seeing as the kids already have their play kitchen and with limited space in my teeny tiny townhouse, I'm toying with the idea of doing them up and selling them; or using them as props for any future markets I might do.
Better get cracking then!

i made it!

2009-07-24T20:01:00.003+10:00

This birthday crown was created by me on the eve of my daughter's 5th birthday party from wool felt and some purple bias binding! I'd never made a crown before but it was so super easy and fun, and more importantly she loved it and wore it for the entire party...

A Little Afternoon Crafting...

2009-07-23T09:24:00.002+10:00

When you have a crafty mama, I guess you can come to expect, well, just about anything! So when I showed my daughter some new plain coloured undies that I'd bought that afternoon, I'm sure she knew that surely I couldn't just leave them... well... plain! And she was right, as the next thing I said to her was: "wanna choose some applique patches and we'll sew them on the front? huh? sound good?"
So in under an hour, we had 10 pairs of totally unique and cute undies, and not a Hi-5 or a princess in sight...

It's been a little quiet around here...

2009-07-16T19:46:00.004+10:00

I've been a little quiet around this here blogging land recently... but in real life I've been really busy with birthdays, new jobs (yes plural!) and lots of new projects! Also, Stacey from Polka Dot Daze invited me to join her polka dot swap so there was some busy crafting going on this past week or so... I was a wee bit nervous about making something for the swap as I wasn't sure if what I made was going to classify as "good enough" - kind of like everyone bringing caviar and champagne to a party and all I brought was vegemite sangers and juice pops, know what I mean? But once I got into the swing of things, it was actually loads of fun creating a fun combination of colours and, of course, polka dots and I hope that my swap partner (ssshhh... not giving it away just yet!) really likes their package! Here's a little sneak peek for now...

Some new projects are coming along, including some new colours in the Gemma Dress line (check out the yellow sunflower dress I made for Kaya's 5th birthday featuring vintage cotton broderie anglaise), vintage baby sheets that I'll be re-working into gorgeous quilts, and too many more whirling around inside my head! Now to just find the time...

Party Fun...

2009-06-14T18:59:00.004+10:00

It was this gorgeous girl's 5th birthday party today! We decided to hire out our local "community house" which meant that we had heaps of room for the kids to run around in, and we didn't have to clean up our house beforehand!
I know that for some people it's not possible to do so, but I decided early on that I wanted the food to be as healthy and nutritious as possible, whilst still being fun and tasty. For snacks we had rice crackers, dips, vege sticks, organic popcorn and fruit; and for lunch Mr. Mac kindly slaved away all yesterday making sausage rolls and mini-quiches, yum! And the cake you ask? Well keeping with the healthy and yummy theme, last night I whipped up a delicious chocolate and zucchini cake, which the kids loved and none of them were wise to it's ingredients!
Oh and the birthday crown she's wearing was made by moi, and seeing as it's not her actual birthday till friday I'm sure she'll be wearing it all week...

Gemma Dress

2009-06-09T21:01:00.003+10:00

Have I told you that I also do custom orders? Well this little beauty is called "Gemma" and was made for my dear friend Katey's recent fundraiser for the Kawasaki Disease Foundation. The dress is named after her beautiful little girl Gemma who sadly passed away from Kawasaki Disease a little over a year ago now, and was modelled at the fundraiser by her two beautiful little girls Jazz and Amber. She gave me complete creative control over the design of the dresses, she just asked that they be purple!
This dress will retail for AUD$50 (in the shop soon - different fabrics/colourways will be available) and 10% of sales will go directly towards the KD Foundation for future research into this terrible disease.

The KD Foundation also take donations, so please try to give what you can to support this great organisation that supports so many families affected by this horrible and preventable illness.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

2009-06-08T20:46:00.004+10:00

It's very windy and rainy tonight... the perfect opportunity to snuggle up on the couch with ugg-boots, a cuppa and some favourite blogs!
And speaking of favourite blogs.. Shari from Spearmint Baby featured my doll's quilt and bedding set today! Hurrah!
Head on over and check it out, and while you're there have a squiz at some great inspirational decor and diy ideas from lots of other crafty mamas and papas!

Bon Appetit!

2009-06-08T15:41:00.006+10:00

As promised, I've put some pictures up of the finished play kitchen, and I think it's pretty cute if I do say so myself! It actually didn't take that long to paint (about 3 coats of semi-gloss acrylic paint) and once the paint had dried we really had fun putting the finishing touches on it. For now I've put the break-able crockery up on the higher shelf away from Ollie the destructo-toddler, but he's figured out how to climb up on the little chairs and reach up there... so I think we might need to find a safer spot for them!
The kids have had a great time playing with it, it's just perfect now the weather's getting so chilly we can have picnics and cook-ups in the warmth of the house!
And just in case anyone is wondering:
- the colourful crockery is from Ikea
- the red polka dot tea set was bought from Seed (available from most toyshops these days)
- the budget tin was a flea market buy
- the mini-bunting made by moi, and will be available in the shop if people are interested
- the large handles on the cupboard and oven are from Ikea
- the round stove dials are cupboard handles from Bunnings Warehouse
- wool felt play food made from the wool felt we picked up on our recent trip to Warburton
And the rest are various bits and pieces picked up from op-shops or markets.
Bon Appetit!

Oh and speaking of kitchens, have I shown you this cute apron, oven mitts and bag (with cookie shape cutters and rolling pin) that I made for my neice's 3rd birthday?

Warburton Weekend...

2009-05-27T12:46:00.004+10:00

So I've finally had a chance to upload some photos from our recent weekend escape to Warburton - we've had a shocker week and a bit with a bout of gastro (the baby) and the flu (the husband) and we're only just now starting to feel right again...
For those of you who don't know where Warburton is (I must admit I didn't really know where it was until I got there) it's about an hour or so out of Melbourne, towards Healesville and Yarra Junction. The scenery was just beautiful - gorgeous autumnal colours in the trees, ducks swimming down the river and the houses reminded me of those Swiss villages you see in old postcards.
There was plenty of op-shopping and antique store hopping to be had, plus great food at some of Warburton's many local produce cafe's. We even picked up some wool felt from a great shop in Yarra Junction called "Under the Juniper Tree" which also stocks a great variety of Steiner-inspired art and craft supplies, toys and books.
Two of my favourite purchases from the weekend have to be my new (old) Remington Monarch typewriter purchased for $10 after I spied a cute little second-hand shop as we drove past; and this cute Kodak Instamatic 133 Camera, again for only $10 from the Yarra Junction Community Market! It doesn't have film in it, but I'm told that it's still easy enough to get - apparently this type of camera was marketed towards children when it was first produced, so I think if I can't get film I will give it to the kids to play with!
In between playing nurse and parenting solo for the last week, Kaya and I managed to finish her play kitchen, re-arrange the kid's room and make some play food with the wool felt we bought... more updates soon!

Sneak Peek...

2009-05-19T19:49:00.004+10:00

A little sneak peek of a project I've been working on over the past week... I've swapped my Janome, fabric and thread for paintbrushes, sandpaper and paint!

This is something I've been meaning to do for 2 years since we found this little kitchen on the side of the road nearly 2 years ago now, and it's almost ready to bring inside for the grand unveiling! Kaya has been "helping" as best a 4 year-old can, but she really has been doing a great job so I'm not complaining. She doesn't even mind that it's not going to be pink or purple (or "princess" colours), I think she's just really excited to be part of the process. Everyday we get a little bit more done - a cupboard handle here, lick of paint there - and everyday she says "Oh wow mummy it's starting to look so good, I'm so excited!"
I don't think it gets any better than that.

So for now, this is our temporary play kitchen...
Bon appetit!

mother's day at the mac's...

2009-05-13T19:38:00.004+10:00

My mother's day weekend at the mac's household started off with a Saturday morning class of bikram yoga (a current fave!) followed by hot vietnamese beef noodle soup.. yum! And seeing as I was in the area already, I couldn't resist stopping past an old favourite opshop in Abbotsford for a round wooden table and 4 round-back chairs; only $50 for the lot! The table is already a hit with the family, and has been the hub of much crafting, drawing and painting over the last few days, so I think it pretty much just paid for itself right there!

Sunday brought roses, full cooked breakfast (umm what diet?) the paper and Pip's book... I already have some projects picked out to make this week, just need to find the time! Then it was off to Brunswick where I picked up some great quilting fabric on sale from Spotlight, some cute dresses and baking dishes for Kaya, and a stash of vintage cot sheets that I plan on cutting up and making some cute quilts from... and to top it all off? I arrived home from my opshopping expedition to find slow-cooked lamb shoulder, creamy mashed potato and hot mint gravy all ready and waiting for me on the table... perfect? I think so!

Hope all the mama's out there had a lovely day/weekend and that the special people in your life, big or small, made sure you know how much they appreciate you! I know mine did...

Welcome!

2009-05-11T21:02:00.000+10:00

Hello and welcome to my very first blog post! I'm so excited to be starting this blog and I hope to see your pretty little face around here lots over the coming months!
First, a little chat about me: My name is Sharaine and I am a Melbourne mama to 2 gorgeous little kiddies. I started my childrenswear label mini macs a few years ago after the birth of my daughter, and have been creating ever since! I use a combination of new, vintage and second-hand fabrics to create cute clothing and accessories for both girls and boys, and also re-work second-hand clothing to create one off individual pieces.
I am currently working on an online shop, and will definitely let you know when this is up and running!
I look forward to hearing what you think, and if you have any questions please feel free to comment, I will definitely do my best to reply as promptly as possible.

xx

Today I...

2009-05-11T19:48:00.004+10:00

...made a very special doll's quilt for a very special little girl who has been requesting one for quite some time now to go with her new doll's cot. And then I thought she (the doll - cos they're nearly always girls, at least in our house) may be a wee bit uncomfortable lieing on the hard base of her cot, so I whipped up a mattress and pillow too for good measure...

Meanwhile my little artist was busy colouring, cutting, glueing and playing with hobby fill while I sewed, snipped, measured and stuffed all the way to the finish line...

I hope you all had a lovely creative day too

Oh and p.s.... no the washing wasn't done, the floor wasn't swept and showers weren't had till midday, but a highly successful day methinks...