Tartan Hair Bow

The simplest and sweetest of hair accessories - the hair bow! And what makes it even cuter?? Being made in tartan of course! It's really easy, all you do is:

Gather your supplies

• a needle and thread
• a 9cm length of ribbon
• a glue gun
• your choice of hair clip
• a piece of tartan fabric, 15 x 22cm

Fold both sides your fabric horizontally into the centre, overlapping slightly.

Then fold both ends into the center, again overlapping the ends slightly.

Next, pinch the middle of the bow together and fold in either side to the middle like an accordian fold. It will look like this :o)

Thread your needle through the middle once or twice to secure the bow together.

Tie off thread. Dab glue in the centre and wrap your ribbon around the stitching.

Attach it to your chosen hair clip!

Wear it!

Totally Tartan!! The beginning of a love affair

As you might have noticed from all the pins on my TARTAN magic! Pinterest board I've recently discovered how much I love tartan!

Source: google.com.au via Tash on Pinterest

Source: google.com.au via Tash on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Tash on Pinterest

Source: google.com.au via Tash on Pinterest

Source: google.com.au via Tash on Pinterest

It all started when one of crafty groups I'm in suggested we work on something tartan this month and then share what we all came up with (I blame the ladies at Tamworth Crafty Crafts for this :p ) I had a dig through my fabric stash and with a big WOOOHOOOO from me I found a nice 2 metre long length of old tartan fabric! It's the kind you make school skirts and shorts out of from a few years back (if you want to get technical it's plaid but shhhhhhh), so not the more popular and well known versions of colours and patterns but it was tartan all the same, it was free and there was plenty of it to play with! It was given to me as part of two huge bags of fabric that my mother in law was getting rid of; I snaffled it up with the idea of giving it a new purpose and one has finally come along! To create a few fun crafty and sewing tutorials for us to play with and discover a new passion for this fabulous fabric!
I would LOVE to have the money to go out and buy some nice red and black tartan, or black, white and grey patterned, or pink, but alas being broke strikes again! It's ok, we do our best with what we have! I class crafting in my day to day life as a necessity and as someone once said 'Necessity is indeed the mother in invention!' or in my case, creation :o)

So that's how this new love affair began! And I am hooked! To use a cliche, line and sinker! So...without further ado...I introduce you to TARTAN and hope that you will join me on my crafty quest to create!

Happy Crafting fellow Quirky Beans!!

Crafty stuff hunting for new up and coming tutorials!

Ohhh I just love crafty stuff supply hunting!!! I had a bit of a shop at Lincraft just this afternoon for some bits and pieces for DIY and tutorials I'm putting together over the next few days! The best part is that all of this:

Only cost me $20!! There are 6 craft tutorials to be in the making with the stuff you see there (along with some other bits and bobs in my posession :p) Nothing like a good bargain hunt :o) Craft shopping is the Shmoogle Bean's reason for existance! (among being a wonderful wife, fabulous friend and family member of course!)

Cosy wool: $3.99 (for our earwarmer/headband and crochet flower tutorial)
Fabric remnant in 'Champagne': $2.09 (for our satin flowers tutorial)
Spotty Purple tulle remnant: $3.98 (for the DIY kids tutu we'll be making with you)
5m of 'Champagne' ribbon: $1.65 (for our how-to on ribbon flowers)
2 Piece white glitter dragonflies: $3.50 (not for a tutorial, just because I'm addicted to dragonflies!)
Antique white felt piece: $1.19 (for felt flowers tutorials)
Off white felt piece: $1.19 (for more felt flowers coz they're neat)
1/2 metre of frilly lace: $1.49 (for vintage lace flower tutorial)
1/2 metre white frilly lace: .30 cents
1/2 metre of frilly apricot lace: .39 cents

I picked up the felt, lace and ribbon in lovely antique vintage colours, you'll see why when I post the how-to's :p Trust me, it'll be gorgeous! Ohhh I simply can't wait to get started! There'll also be some other tutorials in the making...check the new DIY Stuff on the way! tab to find out what! After all...I am the crafting shmoogle bean, crafting is my passion, craft is what I do and craft tutorials is what I live for! Viva la crafty stuff!!! oh my got a bit carried away there :o)

Stay tuned crafty lovers! There's a lot on the way!

Such rapid weight gain just isn't acceptable as far as I'm concerned!

You know those times when you see something and you HAVE to have it? And I dont mean as a passing fling, I mean full on, heart pounding love at first sight! I had a moment like that last week, it was love, it was meant to be, I was completely smitten!

I found these online! How could I say no?! My fabric and ribbon Love-Radar went off the charts! Two Hungry Little Caterpillar fabrics, mushroom printed grosgrain ribbon and Super Mario Bros printed ribbon!!!!!!!!! I am keeping them for my baby glory box, I'll be making dummy clips with the ribbons and depending on what gender future bub is will determine what I do with the fabrics. Im thinking a little peasant dress for a baby girl and for a boy a handsome little button up shirt. There is no doubt in the world that any child of mine and my husbands' will most likely be geeky like their parents! That would suit us down to the ground! I have always wanted a girl, but the chances are pretty slim with my hubby's brothers all having boys (5 nephews on his side so far!). You never know, we might be lucky! I enjoy making fabric flowers, headbands, little dresses and sweet little crochet beanies too much! Listen to me go on and on about babies! I guess I can't help it at the moment, many of my friends have had bubs recently. We went to visit some good friends of ours last night and their 4 week old little munchkin who has the most beautiful blue-grey, greenish hazle eyes (they're truly unique are beautiful!) and the most adorable mop of ginger hair!

Hubby and I dont expect to have children for a while yet, it would be irresponsible of us to try now without any savings or assurance of jobs. I'm not exactly in the best shape for falling pregnant at the moment anyway...I weighed myself yesterday (insert sheepish face) and I was so suprised! (In a bad way) I knew I had put on a bit of weight recently but was astonished at how much!! 8kg in 3 months!!!!! No wonder my clothes dont want to fit all of a sudden! Considering I now weigh 82kg which was exactly what my weight was at the beginning of last year. It took me almost a year to lose that to get down to 73kg (I was aiming for 69kg) for my wedding and I am just so shocked!! I promised myself I'd never go above 80kg again but it has happened! I wasn't even really thinking about my weight recently, and as for exercise I've done hardly anything! I have an inkling that those medical problems I went through recently had something to do with the weight gain but it was mostly my fault. I picked the worst time to want to diet and lose weight too, just coming into winter!! I find that the best thing for me to do is to have a supplement shake for brekky and for lunch with fruit for snacks during the morning and a balanced meal for tea. As for all that talk about how 'fad' diets dont work, I have to disagree. Isn't every new diet that comes out and claims to not be a 'fad' turn out to be exactly that anyway? I know my body, and I know what works and honestly those powdered shakes you can buy at the supermarket work the best for me! It's going to have to wait until after Easter though, it would be futile to start now when my birthday and Easter fall over the same weekend and I have plans for chocolate ganache layer cake, tuffle pops and brie. As for exercise I had dusted off my Wii Fit and replaced the batteries in the fit board to start using it daily again (which was why we bought the Wii in the first place!) The yoga is fantastic and does wonders for the pinch in my right shoulder and my weak knee. We also try to take our dogs for a walk once a day in the afternoon which has been helping wonders aswell to at least get back into a routine. That's the hardest thing isn't it? Developing that habit and sticking to it?

So right after Easter I'll be getting back into it! There is no way I'm letting myself go that far without doing something about it. I've seen people put on a little weight very quickly and just watched it spiral out of control and I dont want that for myself. I am already aware that when I see friends and family whom we havent seen for a few months I realise how much bigger I am and I know they notice it. I hate it! Especially when I know how determined I can be when I have a goal to reach, such rapid weight gain just isn't acceptable as far as I'm concerned!

So enough about me complaining, back to the crafty things! And speaking of crafting things, check out this link and have a read :) I now have a Facebook fan page for my blog! Yay! About time I got around to setting that up! But it's there now, looking a bit empty but it will build up over time. I really do have to thank Janet from A Life Full of Laughter for her help encouraging new likers for my fan page! Pop on over and enter Janet's April Fools themed giveaway she is hosting at the moment http://goingcrazywannago.com/2012/03/fool-4-you-giveaway-hop/! There are some amazing prizes up for grabs including a $100 gift voucher to ThinkGeek.com!! I don't know why I'm telling you this because I want to win that :p hehe!

Lastly I just have to share this photo of Sparrow... I was happily crocheting away on the couch when he climbed up, sat on my wool and held onto the thread I was using so I couldn't keep going and would pat him! Cheeky little thing!

I really should hop off the internet and get on with my day..I have a list of things that need doing :/ Just lacking in motivation at the moment!! I have to bathe my dogs, Toby is easy but Spaz requires chainmail gloves as he hates the water and will do anything he can to claw his way up your arms to get out! Wish me luck!