make your own

use no. 2 for a ginger jar

imageMy friend Geanette found this little ginger jar somewhere (I forgot to ask where) and she thought of me (and my blue collecting) and gave it to me.  She dropped it off at my front door on Christmas Eve with a batch of warm brownies … a very unexpected Christmas present.

How nice!

I thought hard about how to use it, and then decided to turn it in to a little planter.  I put some charcoal in the bottom to provide a little drainage.  Then I added potting mix and an indoor plant that I know doesn’t mind wet feet (or roots as it may be).

Cute hey?  Thanks so much Geanette!

a canvas project
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The trailer cover I made for my Dad!

A couple of years ago at Rosebud we camped next to a lady with a covered trailer. I know it sounds and looks boring, but I was inspired. I could see the possibilities.

And so for our homemade Christmas last year I made my dad one (a trailer cover that is). He already had a trailer with a cage. So all I had to do was find some canvas and sew it up. And put in some eyelets so he could secure it on to the trailer.

I kept my eye out for about six months and finally came across canvas at Reverse Art Truck in Ringwood. And then I bought some heavy duty thread … and got some eyelets at Ray’s Tent City. And I measured up the trailer and used my sewing machine*.

Done! And …. It really is handy. At Rosebud we keep all our beach stuff in the covered trailer. Boogie boards, surf boards, beach chairs, blow up mattresses etc. And then at the end of the day we just pull the flap down at the back and everything’s out of sight.

Perfect.

* note that sewing canvas can wreck your sewing machine (mine needed a major service after this project).

a twiggy christmas star

Our neighbours have a magnificent gum tree that hangs over our fence. I don’t know how long it will be there for, because one of the big limbs just dropped off in the storms a year or so ago.  And they got an arborist to take a look at it confirming that it’s on its last inner urban legs (it’s a short life for inner urban trees that drop branches).

And it’s a profilic twig dropper as well.  Which has been handy lately, becuase I have collected some and made myself a twiggy christmas star for our front door.

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It’s cute isn’t it?

I got out my glue gun and glued the twigs into place, and then tied up the critical points with garden twine.

I tucked in some tiny spring/summer flowers – seaside daisy and salvia ‘hot lips’ – to make it a bit pretty.

I think I might collect some larger sticks and make a bigger one.  And use it as the base of a Christmas wreath.  With some more substantial flowers.

Clearly I am on a bit of a ‘nature craft’ roll.

Have you made anything crafty for Christmas this year?

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