Leave it to Fete . . .

After this weekend ,  I might have some time to get back to my usual routine , cause it ' s our school fete on Saturday . Known as the ACSS Winter Carnival it ' s only held every second year , so everyone makes a big effort to make it a great fundraiser.

Anyway ,  I have been busy making goodies like these . . .

and these . . .

and these . . .

but now they are safely delivered and after tomorrow ' s displays and rides and music and food and fun I will get my life back.
See you then!

P.S. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  Winston Churchill

Coming Up Roses . . .

Well, Ranunculus actually.
I wanted to show you a quick gift I made for a workmate on the weekend. We had a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates for her, but the gift needed a finishing touch. So I made a quick flower brooch.

The recipient is like me and loves red - the flowers were striking Gerberas - so I chose a red ranunculus from my stash to match.
I started by taking the flower apart - you just pull out the centre out firmly and then the base will come away.

This left all the petals loose. I stacked them back together in size order, turning them just a little each time to give the bloom some fullness and putting a small dab of glue near the centre hole on each. (I did this over a wooden skewer, to keep the centre hole lined up neatly and my fingers out of the glue.)

Once the petals dried I added a pretty rhinestone button to the centre, stitching it through with embroidery thread.

 Then I used the same thread to tie on a brooch back, and secured it with a small piece of matching  felt and strong craft glue.

Ta daa! I pinned it over the ribbon around the chocolates to finsih the gift.

Now the birthday girl can use it as a brooch on a jacket, or scarf, or bag or whatever, or she can re-gift it the same way - as a finishing touch to gift wrapping.

P.S. “The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson