Some More Sewing & A Stencilled Breakfast Tray.....

Bonjour! A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I was trying to get as many projects done as possible before bub comes and so far I'm mostly on track...yey...I've put together another breast feeding cover and matching burping bib and love the farbic I made them in.

 

Love this scribble flower pattern....



Matching Burping bib....these sets will be on etsy soon...

 

I also managed to successfully cut out my very first stencil and I have to admit it wasn't as easy  as I thought it would be but I think it came out well....It's funny that when we look at doing something new, we quite often think 'it'll be easy'...sometimes it is and other times it's a little trickier than expected.....Cutting the stencil itself wasn't too bad but boy did I make a huge mistake in painting it onto the breakfast tray....I have now learnt, yes the hard way, don't leave acrylic paint to dry while a stencil is still attached to your work.....why you ask?? Because acrylic paint dries kind of rubbery and when you lift the stencil, guess what happens.....yep that's right....the stencil peels the paint off when lifted off your work to remove it......Trust me I was not at all happy when this happened...I'm challenged being crafty as it is and to have everything go according to plan and then have this happen just made me even more annoyed and frustrated......

 

However having said that....I got to work on fixing my work by hand as best I could and in the end I ended up with a stencilled breakfast tray that came out pretty well after all for a first try...And I have to thank my wonderful hubby for putting up with me blithering on about how crappy it looked and reassuring me it was fine....and would also like to thank the lovely Kris at thebouselife for all her advice and tips on how to stencil because without her help I wouldn't have got it done.....

 

So now we have gone from a plane boring $10 kmart breakfast tray.....

 

As it was purchased, plain and with a slight varnish on it....

 

Completely stripped back and ready to be revamped French Style....

 

The finished product.....after much anguishing over mistakes...

 

I have to say in the end I'm quite happy with my first ever stencilling project...

 

So although there were no tears but much cursing I resigned myself to the fact that I have never stencilled anything, ever before, it's harder than I thought it would be and it was my first attempt....therefore on the whole I'm happy with it and I think it came out really well....I'm planning another stencilling project soon, before bub gets here so stay tuned and keep watching...take care for now and I'll be back soon....Au revoir...xo

 

Michelle



2012...A Year In Review.....

Bonjour and if this is your first time visiting then welcome to my first post for 2013 and I hope you enjoy your visit and come back often....xo

 

Well another year has gone by and another one is just beginning....sometimes I think not much has really happened but then when I think about it I'm reminded that a lot has actually happened. At the beginning of last year we found out we had to move and looked at buying a house but that isn't possible for the time being so we found a nice house on a big block to rent and got some chickens and now only live a couple of hundred meters from the beach.

 

It's been so nice living so close to the water...

 

Our chicks the day we bought them home....now they're laying up to four eggs a day...

 

Not long after moving into our new little house we found out we were expecting a little bundle of joy in the form of a boy...yey....after twelve months of trying and nothing happening and then giving ourselves a deadline to be pregnant by our little man found his way and is now due in just over four weeks time....It has been the quickest nine months ever...

 

Confirmation our little one was on their way....such a happy day..

 

12 weeks and his first official photo....not long to go now..

 

As a family we took some much needed road trip adventures to different towns here in our South West and had a lot of fun....

 

At the Apple Fun Park in Donnybrook....

 

Walking the main street of town in Bridgetown...I fell in love with Bridgetown this day...

 

Of course we had to visit the Margaret River Chocolate Factory...

 

Lunch at Bluestone Cafe in Boyup Brook....W.A's capital of country music...

 

This year I also discovered a love of white washing my furniture I wanted to revamp and am so glad I had many fellow bloggers to give me tips on how to do it....

 

I was so happy with the way this came out and the new fabric cover....

 

 

I finally revamped my Pops' cupboard he made though now it has a cool pair of Paris handles....

 

 

Even my favourite mirror was revamped and white washed.....

 

Also I started a new venture which is taking a little bit of time to get off the ground but with some persistence I'm sure it will do well......Yuppy Bubby was born while I was making some bibs for bub and I'm so happy do be making and selling my own wares and I hope you will all enjoy them too...

 

My business card designed by me.....

 

A selection of YuppyBubby bibs....

 

A Yuppy Bubby summer hat....

 

Yuppy Bubby Burping Bibs...

 

Yuppy Bubby sheet sets.....

 

A Yuppy Bubby Breast Feeding Cover

 

And finally a Yuppy Bubby Library Bag for the Kindy kids and up..

 

As you can see I've got a variety of products going for Yuppy Bubby and this year I'm determined to promote them on etsy and my facebook page, YuppyBubby - Bits & Bobs For Bub and really find my target audience....There will also be a few more additions to the school range very soon...

 

Of course lots more happened in 2012 however it's impossible to share all of it in one post as we'd be here quite a while but I think the most exciting thing which is soon to come was falling pregnant with our little man and waiting out the next four weeks a little impatiently so we can finally meet him....

 

Here's hoping 2013 is a great year for us all and that we all have many wonderful adventures along the way....take care for now and I'll be back soon....xo

 

Michelle

 

 

Sunshine Award....

 Today I was awarded the Sunshine Award from Susan at Jacana. This award is given to bloggers by other 'Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.' So you can imagine my suprise and delight at receiving this award. The way it works is you thank the person who gave you the award, answer nine questions about yourself then pass the award on to 10 Bloggers you find inspirational. So thank you Susan you made my day :)

 

Pop over and visit Susans' blog she is a wealth of information.

  

 

1. Favourite Time of the Year?

I'd have to say Spring as the cooler weather is leaving and it's warming up and the garden's blooming and I love the cool spring evenings.

2. Favourite Festive movie?

Well I don't celebrate the festive season but one of my all time favourite movies is P.S I Love You...a beautiful story.
 

3. What is your Passion?

My passion first and foremost would be for my husband. Creatively my passion is refurbishing furniture and homewares and creating bits and bobs for YuppyBubby, my etsy shop.
 

 4. Favourite Colour?

Red!! Always has been since I was about 12yrs old.....I don't wear too much red as it can be over powering but love it none the less.

 

 

5. Favourite time of the Day?

Early evening before the sun sets for the day as it's cooling down and I can start to unwind as the day is coming to an end.

 

6. Favourite Flower?

Roses....it may sound cliche but there is just something about roses that will never go out of 'fashion' and I love the different scents....my absolute favourite rose is the iceberg, it smells divine and flowers all year.

 

7. Favourite Non-Alcoholic Beverage?

In summer I love Ice tea or lemon lime and bitters, they're both so refreshing. In winter I love a good cappacino or hot chocolate.
 

 8. Favourite Physical Activity?

Without a doubt swimming especially at the beach....I love the water and have done so my whole life.

 

9. Favourite Vacation?

Well being as I haven't had the opportunity to travel due to starting my family very young and am still going, my favourite vacation would be from my childhood when we went to Denmark (in W.A). However one of these days I will get to Paris.

 

So now I get to pass the award on to 10 Bloggers I find inspirational and they are:

 

Nellie at McCarthy Designs

 

Cas at Peaches & Maple

 

Kris at Abouselife

 

Anna at My Design Ethos

 

Lauren at Ladaisi

 

Stacey at Veggie Mama

Amanda at Homely One

Deb at Let's Go Moerkabout

Kirsty at Coral & Coastal

Cheryl at Beachcomber

I hope each of you enjoy receiving this award as I love all your blogs and I hope it puts a smile on your face as it did mine...xo

Michelle

 

 

From Country Wood To Coastal White...

Bonjour and how are we all today? I hope you all had a good weekend and got lots done...we had a relatively quiet weekend with a trip to Bunbury to pick up a car seat for bub on Saturday, the meeting Sunday morning of course and then a trip to the beach after lunch Sunday. All in all it was a good, quietish and relaxing weekend.

 

I have been quiet again on the lil ole blog here for a few days simply because I haven't had a lot to report and I've been attempting to get a project done to share with you all. However every time I try and start this project something comes along to stop me but not today!! Today I finally got started on revamping my mirror I bought years ago.....when I first bought it it was stained and I loved it but then at the time of buying it I was very much into my house being everything country. And though I love the geometry of my mirror I just felt it was time for a revamp to join the French/Beach/Coastal theme I have going on here now and so far all has gone well.

 

Country wood...I loved the shape of this mirror the moment I saw it five years ago..

 

Sanded back to bare bones and what a beautiful grain this wood has....I should have been a carpenter...

 

Drying...amazing how a coat of white paint freshens everything up...

 

Completely revamped with mirror back in place...

 

 

Nice and bright and freshened up...

 

 

 

Well I have to say I'm very happy with how well my mirror came out, it looks much more fresh, bright and crisp.....also if fits the theme with the rest of the house now especially considering it probably won't reside in our bedroom forever....

 

So tomorrow I've got some sewing on the menu as well as some stencil making....I'm really trying to get as many projects done in the next six weeks before bub gets here.....I'll be revamping an old china cabinet while Bec's away on hoilday so keep a watch....I'm off for now as I have a few things before turning in for the night so have a good week where ever you are, I'll be back tomorrow with an update on the baby journey and to show you what I've been making on the sewing machine....take care for now....Au revoir....xo

 

Michelle

Breast Feeding Covers For Breast Feeding Mamma's....

Bonjour mon ami's I hope you're all having a good morning so far whether you've got lots of sunshine or plenty of thunder storms and rain like we have at the moment. Right now I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet before the day really gets started.

 

Today I thought I'd share with you a little project I was working on yesterday while the rain pelted down outside. Sometimes there's nothing better to do than to pull out the old sewing machine while the weather sorts itself out and while I have the house to myself.

 

Now as you all know bub is due soon (6 and a half weeks to be precise...yey) and I've been thinking about the dilemma of feeding him while out in public. To tell you the truth I HATE parent rooms in shopping centres. Quite often they're smelly from pooey nappies, there's toddlers running around in there and I really just don't like sitting listening to people gossip while I'm trying to feed my baby...so, unless I need to change his backside I won't be using the parent room. However I will be breast feeding and I consider myself a pretty modest person and I don't like flashing all my bits and piece all over the shop, not even at the beach. I was wondering how I could tackle this problem last week when I saw on etsy there were some breast feeding covers. I have never heard of them before, (yet again, it's amazing what new products have come out in 17yrs) but liked the idea of them and after doing some research on how to make one I finally found an easy as pattern and whipped one up. Now seriously they're so easy I think a six year old could do it if showed how.

 

Anyhoo I was at spotlight Tuesday and saw this fabric and loved it straight away, well almost straight away. I liked it, picked it up, had a feel and a think, put it down, wondered over to some more fabric and couldn't get it out of my mind because I could see it already made up so picked it back up and bought it. And this is what we have now.

 

I love this fabric and it really was so easy to make...

 

Me testing my Feeding Cover out....as you can see there's plenty of room to cover yourself and bub...

 

And because I had enough fabric over I made a matching burping bib...

 

Now I will be making and listing these on Etsy at YuppyBubby and the fabrics will stay in the grown up fashion as it's mamma's who are wearing them not bub him/herself....and yes I will be doing sets with matching burping bibs like this one.

 

I will be making another cover today out of some lovely fabric I found on ebay and assuming there's enough fabric over I'll make the matching burping bib as well.

 

Ok I'm out of here now as my feet are getting cold and I need to get a few things done before dropping Bec to mum so I can get to the hospital for my walk through appointment. I will fill you all in on how that goes later....so have a good day et prendre soin pour le moment (take care for now)...Au revoir...xo

 

Michelle

 



A Baby Update Part II.....

Bonjour and how are you all on this warm day? It's starting to get just a tad too hot and uncomfortable for my liking but then I suppose resting the laptop on my legs isn't helping, oh well c'est la vie as they say.

 

So I have another quick update for you all on bub. Today I saw my doctor and while she is happy with how everything is progressing with bub and he's not getting too big due to the gestational diabetes I will be having another scan in a few weeks to make sure he doesn't do any sudden jump in size. It's not good for babies who are being carried by mums with GD to get too big as it only causes complications for bub and can cause delivery complications for me.

 

12 weeks along...

 

While talking with my doctor today I just happened to ask her how long over my new due date (2nd feb) they'll let me go over and to my surprise...they won't!! Nope they absolutely won't allow you to go past your due date when you have GD.....so if he hasn't made an appearance of his own accord by the 2nd Feb I'll be induced on the 1st Feb and that's the day he'll arrive, assuming there's no 24hr long labor!! I didn't have long labors with the others so I'm hoping all will be good here too.

19 weeks along and we found out we're having a boy...

I guess now I have an actual date I should in theory deliver bub, I can organise myself, Bec and Luke. Mum has already said she'll stay with Bec and Luke and I think for Luke it'll be good if he goes to work as per usual or he will worry and stress about how I'm going. He's always been my worrier over me. Bec will probably put up bit of a fight and want to come and 'help' deliver the baby but she'll be staying put. As it turns out she'll have some very big news for when she starts kindy on the Monday.

What we thought was our 31week scan but in actuality turned out to be our 33week scan...

Well I thought I'd keep you all in the loop as there's still the week to get through before the baby update on Sunday. I'll have a scan in a few weeks and let you all know how that one goes too and obviously should anything happen before the 1st Feb there will be a quick instagram to let you all know I'm on my way.

Ok I'm out of here to bring in some washing now it's cooling down and we have a breeze and to put some more washing out, got to love this weather now I don't have to use the dryer. Enjoy the rest of your Monday and I'll be back tomorrow with a little something I'll be working on....take care and Au revoir for now.....xo

Michelle 

A Baby Update.....

Bonjour mon amis, today we have a bit of an update for you on bub. As most of you know I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes a week ago and due to this my doctor wanted to do another scan on bub to make sure he was doing well and the diabetes wasn't making him get too big too soon.

 

As it turns out all is well and he's doing very well. He's normal length, weight and has a good strong heart beat, so there's nothing to worry about there. As it turns out he's weighing in at 2k's or 4.4lb already and his head circumference is 30cm!!! I knew he was going to be biggish....I'm hoping he'll stop at around 3.3k's or 7lb 60z which is what James was, still painful but a lot easier than 4.8k's or 9lb 6oz like Luke. As long as he continues to be healthy I'm happy.

 

There was one interesting development though, because of his weight, length, head circumference and other measurements it actually puts me at 33weeks this Sunday not 31weeks.....I have no idea how this has happened when I'm positive of my dates but apparently I'm two weeks further along than originally thought, so now I have a new due date which is now February 2 2013 not February 10 2013...it's only eight days but we'll see. I said to Chris if he's anything like his brothers and sister he'll be late and turn up on the 10th Feb anyway.

 

His chubby little face...and sleeping just like his daddy...

 

So it turns out our little man will be here anywhere between the next 3-7weeks. Why three you ask? Because doctors consider any time after 36 weeks to be full term. Now I'm really glad I got my case packed the other day, I must have known something. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on Monday and then a book in appointment at the hospital on Thursday next week so I will make sure to keep you all up to date and thank you all so much for your support.

 

Packed and ready to go, just a couple more things to pick up Monday.

 

Well I'm off to go spend some time with my hubby who's home early from work for once so I will talk to you all soon, take care and have a great weekend....xo

 

Michelle