Firstly it seems I need to clarify something for someone out there….our shopping centre is called __________ mall and everyone around here just calls it the mall…always have always will. Someone out there felt the need to shout it out to me that in australia we call them shopping centres not malls….. didn’t your mother tell you that its not very nice to shout and I seem to recall my mother telling me if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. So if you’d like to leave a comment please use your name and please be nice because I’m just a nice person.

I nearly binned this silver tree….despite it being our first christmas tree when we were a married couple in our little flat pre-kids!

I saw the butterflies in this months better homes and gardens hanging on a mirror but I love them propped up in the tree….all you need is cardstock, brads (or george’s ha ha ha ), scissors and a butterfly template……trace and cut out your butterflies, place 2 together and fold them down the centre and put your brad in the middle and voila…pop them anywhere and everywhere…oh and I used plastic for the template and it was so easy to trace around and then cut out the butterflies!!!!

They could also make a great present for a little girls room….and keira wants lots and lots of pink ones all around her room….

I love wreaths at christmas time…I ohh and ahhh at them in magazines but am never brave enough to do anything with greenery or berries which is why I love my fabric wreath so much. You just need a bamboo hoop and fabric strips and thats it….cut your fabric into strips and tie around your hoop…um pretty easy….so easy that I made 3 last year and gave 2 away and now wish I had them back to decorate my house.

If you’re into the whole greenery or natural looking wreath I found some ideas here, here and here….

Well its almost December and that means the busy lead up to Christmas has begun…..I am avoiding any trips to the mall as its already packed and finding a car park is near on impossible (let alone taking 3 little people out with me). But I absolutely love love love Christmas and am always a huge baker at this time of year but this year I really want to expand the range of goodies I churn out to include as many decorations and presents as I can and stay away from the mall.

I hope you’ll enjoy my Crafty Christmas ideas….today I want to share with you some Christmas stockings which are so fun to hang and fill with little lovelies for your own little lovelies. I made up this stocking in a couple of hours and you can go as simple or as fancy as you want. It would be just as easy to whip up a cute linen stocking or one out of some bright christmas fabric….just remember to make one for each member of the family…I’ll be stuffing mine with chocolates, hairclips and jewellery for keira and some cute toys and teething rings for the bubs.

My pattern comes from Cleckheaton Celebration Days Vol. 2 (I’ve tweaked it and made it bigger as well as embroidered names on) but I’ve found patterns in the latest issue of Yarn(issue 12), Home Beautiful, here, here, here and here. If you’re on ravelry there are pages and pages of free patterns too.

well I’m happy to bring you 24 days of easy peasy Christmas crafts that anyone can do to have a handmade christmas this year……..I’ve got knitting, crocheting, sewing, stitching, baking and jamming all covered.

today I’m showing you how to do an easy christmas wreath…I found this design at better homes and gardens magazine last year. You’ll need a bamboo or wire wreath from your craft store, fabric scraps in a range of colours…think traditional green red and white or maybe linen and red would be lovely too. Just cut your scraps into 2-5cm wide pieces and knot around your wreather….add a bow or maybe something else festive and voila its ready to hang on the door or giveaway.

Keira is currently obsessed with buttons and jewellery so a big bag of buttons from Spotlight, thin elastic and a needle make for a craft activity with mummy and a girl who thinks she is very ‘bewdaful’

but take note that once a toddler has had enough of playing with buttons there is no civilised act of putting buttons back in the jar, no its more of a frenzied throwing and chucking of buttons around the room with arms and buttons going everywhere.

I’m sometimes so embarrassed with the quality of the photos on my blog so now I’m on a mission to take the time to take better photos!!! Today I decided to play around with the macro function which is the little tulip icon on your camera…..first up was keira up close and personal complete with a bit of muck on her face.

and here is my absolute favourite flower, the classic and very retro hydrangea…

I received this lovely plant today from retro daddy….

he was a right old cranky bum this morning and walked in this afternoon with this beauty and all was forgiven

If I had my way I’d have a garden and house full of hydrangeas….

phew, there is still more decluttering and destashing…here are a few more things including books that were meant for the store but never made it up…easier to load up here…..I’ve been holding off listing these till I got all the others out the door

Little bo peep in blue $13 a metre

Knitting for Children $10

Beadwork $10

McCalls Needlework Treasury (got this in an antique store) $10

Felt Mascot $15 new never used

Little Girls Dresses new never used $25

Little Lunch bags and placements new never used $15

AWW Colleciton of the Best Childrens Clothes to Make $5

2 Cross stitch leaftes (handtowels and cats) $5

Ottobre 3/2005 includes the nappy pattern and pages of instructions…never never used $10 (bought as a back issue)

Sewing Classic Clothes for Children $10

The Golden Hands Book of Knitting – 75 designs for the whole family $5

Debbie Bliss Simply Living new never used $15

Just email me on info@retromummy.com…postage in $5 or $9 satchels.