Giveaways galore

Okay, a little known fact about me...I like entering competitions. 
If there is a competition on a pack of food I will more likely buy it (even if it is something I wouldn't normally eat).
I like competitions where you have to answer in '25 words or less'.  I like the process of coming up with something unique and humerous. 
I rarely win but still worth entering.  So because I love entering competitions and I have noticed a lot of lovely ones online lately I thought Id do a regular post on competitions and where you can go to enter them. 

Essential Kids Competition to win a Puss in Boots prize pack.  Closes 5th December.

Bespoke to win a Bespoke Body Oil from Audra James Botanicals. Closes 5th December.

Handmade Kids Two by Two Hobby Horse giveaway. Get in quick for this one as it closes on the 29th November 2011.  I am in love with these hobby horses! Aren't they the cutest!

Ephereill Designs has a lovely giveaway of a gorgeous clutch purse from Papucei.  Closes 1st December.

So go on and get entering and if you have are having a competition or know of a giveaway let me know so I can feature it next week.

Creative Wishes was featured here at Handmade Kids in their Must have guide for boys.  They featured my Pirate Activity Play Mat.

I also had a couple of items featured over at Handmade Cooperative -Australian handmade for Kids.  The shopping guide last week was fun and games and once again the Pirate Activity Play Mat was featured as well as one of my felt play food sets - Four Main Meals.  The link to the one featured has sold but there is another set jst like it in my shop.

Gander at my Garden

Please indulge me today as I go for a wander around my garden.

My garden is an average sized suburbian garden with a lot packed in.  It isn't a pretty formal garden but an abundantly productive one.  Most days I eat something from my garden. Last night it was herbs - parsley and thyme and cherry tomatoes.

I have no idea how to cook up the artichoke above.  There are two so far.

The fruit on the peachcot tree get ruined by fruit fly if I don't cover them with these exclusion bags.

 Thats a little apple.  The tree is only a year old and there are two apples growing.

Parsley that I am leaving to seed.  It is very pretty and reminds me of doilies.

Spotty Dotty

Over at Handmade Cooperative For kids this week the shopping guide theme features gorgeous creations for kids with spots and dots.

Here are some more of my favourite spotty dotty handmade finds.

How divine is this gorgeous Table runner?

These alphabet magnets would make a lovely present for a child just starting school.

This Lady bug bib is not only adorable but creative and practical and I especially like the ladybirds legs.

Finally I could imagine a collection of these fabric pears in my kitchen.

My Creative Space

My CreativeSpace this week has been like last.  A bit like ground hog day really!

I am still on a mission to use up fabric and I am still making play activity mats just like last week.
 Only difference is that besides making another farm activity play mat I have also made a couple of Pirate Play mats.

This play mat has a cute whale and a not so cute shark swimming around the island.

The island is infscted with poisonous snakes and footprints lead to the other edge of the island where the pirates treasure is buried.

One of the play mats is listed in my shop.  My son has claimed the other one and has it set up with all his Pirates of The Carribean Legos, including the rather creepy looking pirate in the photo above.

To see other wonderfully creative spaces and to share your own pop on over to our Creative Spaces.





There are animals in my Creative Space this week

Cows, pigs, sheep and horses have invaded my Creative Space this week.

I have been on a mission to use up fabric and supplies before buying anymore.  My cupboards are overstuffed.  They are so bad that when I open the cupboard where my material is stored I have to do it so slowly in case opening the door causes an avalanche of material to come flying out.
So this farm animal activity play mat is my first project to use up material. It hasn't even made a difference to my over stuffed cupboard so there will be more play mats coming.

My inner Dag is excited!

I may not have mentioned this before but I am a bit of a dag!  I am not a girly girl into makeup or the current fashions and I don't hyperventilate at the latest sales catelogues.
I get great pleasure out of finding wonderful bargains and treasures at op shops, growing my own vegetables from seeds, eating food from the garden, saving money on the electricity bills and buying my food in bulk.
I was brought up in a frugal way by a frugal father and mother and an extremely thrifty nan.  My nan was into recycling way before it was a trendy thing to do!  Because of my nan I save and reuse wrapping paper.  At Christmas and birthdays you will see me crawling around on all fours finding the discarded wrapping papers that aren't ripped and neatly folding them away and salvaging the ribbons and bows.  Of course as children we were well versed in opening our presents with out the wrapping paper tearing.  My nan would gently remove the sticky tape and iron the wrappings and reuse them.  I do the same (although I do let my kids tear the wrapping if they so desire). 
So taking all the above into account, just imagine my excitement at discovering whilst reading the latest copy of Frankie magazine that....

Marjorie Bligh has a new book out!

Being an ex Tasmanian she is a household name to me.  She is a rather quirky, eccentric lady who as a teenager my sister and I loved to poke fun at and laugh at her bizzarre crafts .  But saying that both my sister and I have Marjories books and I will definately be getting this one too.

She is a pioneer of organic gardening and recycling.  She finds a way to upcycle (or down cycle) most things) like knitting rugs and mats from old plastic shopping bags and used panty hose and using her old bras in her garden to tie plants and to protect her seedlings.

See this knitted blanket - panty hose!
I can't wait to get my hands onto this book!