IT'S FINALLY HERE - YAY, YAY, YAY!!!!

Well, after a very long 6 weeks with a web designer who just didnt get me I found a fantastic, awesome, can't thank enough Web Designer who got me totally and completely. With in a couple of weeks I had my simplistic website that I wanted from the beginning, and I am more than happy.

Due to all the fluffing about I had with the other webdesigner my www.mybumcouture.com.au is currently live but doesn't have any stock - there is a newsletter you can sign up for, to find out when the launch will be and you can check out my new blog HERE to find out what I'm up to and what creations I am currently doing.

You can also find out who this very affordable, easy going, helpful Web Designer is that I can't talk enough about on my new blog.

I look forward to seeing you there and most definately would love your input ;)

UPDATE

There will officially be a new blog for my new online store, I am just waiting on my very slow web designer at the moment to even give me a draft on what he is working on!! Once I have that I can give the talented Etsian I have paid to do the design she needs for my blog banner amongst other things.

Its all very exciting and I cant wait to be up and running!!! I have copious amounts of minky and some very funky cotton prints ready to be sewn into some very fashionable nappies. So far with taking the kids to a farmstay for a week, having a cold and looking after 3 kids and a hubby, I have only manged to finish one nappy : ( I only have another 29 to do!! I will get there and will have to do lots of sewing once the kiddies are in bed, otherwise kick hubby and the kids out the house one weekend and I should be right,lol

So, definately keep your eye out on the announcement of the new blog and store - hopefully not too far away!!

Have a great day ; )

BLOG ON HOLD TILL FURTHER NOTICE

I have come to the decision to open up my own online shop, and in the process of setting up my webpage at the moment. I'm not sure if I will keep this blog, or start a new one with the opening of my new shop, but either way on here there will be some info on whats going to happen.

My shop will be focused on my nappies, which I think, will be different to what's currently out there - more than just a nappy, and more something you want part of your kiddies wardrobe. My shop will also include my custom crochet items - as they work hand in hand with cloth users as well as people who just want something different. My shop will also include any other creations that I come up with - like the bubble dot minky, cotton print backed blankets that I just made!


So, if I do have any regular readers, check back often to see when my online shop grand opening is and what will be happening with this blog.

I will be back soon : )

Grrrrrr Overlocker!

I have finally pulled out my new overlocker out of the box, that I got on Monday, to see how the thing works and already I have done something wrong because its not stitching at all, just makes this tangled mess!

For the life of me I cant figure out what I have done wrong, its probably a threading problem, even though I followed my mother-in-laws handy tip of just tying your new string on to the ends of the existing strings that are already threaded on the machine, and leting it pull the new string through when you sew. It did seem to work for 2 of the strings, but then the other 2 just snapped and I had to re-thread it - now the new problem of it being a tangled mess!!

Luckily I have a talented husband who knows more about sewing machines than I do, with his experience of working in his parents furniture factory many, many years ago, who can hopefully fix my problem!

How stupid of me for thinking I could pull it out the box and just "use" it - insert *rolleyes*!!

NAPPY SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

Well since I am so good at making up my mind....

I have decided that my nappies (diapers) will have their own shop, I came up with their own name and currently have woven labels being made for them, which I should hopefully receive by then end of next week. All these decisions since Monday - I dont mess around do I??,lol

Just trying to find some talented Etsian to do my banner, avatar etc - which should hopefully be soon and I can then announce the new Nappy shop. Still keep reading this blog for updates on nappies, no seperate blog being done, and you will be able to access the shop from here as well.

Just thought I would let you guys know, and make sure you check back often for the big announcement

ciao for now ; )

EtsyBloggers - Blog Carnival - What I do for work outside of Etsy

Well, I'm a Birthing Doula , I have a great passion about the birthing rights of women, and this came about with the disappointing delivery of my little princess. After 2 previous C-Sections, I very much wanted a VBA2C, but with the lack of support from my hubby and family (more worry than anything) and being under the care of an Obstetrician, those hopes were very much crushed from the beginning.

Even though I may seem bitter, I'm not. I learnt from that experience, and I dont want any mum-to-be to feel pressured, threatened or told on how and where they should give birth. And as a Doula I'm able to support women in their birthing choices, provide a secure and nurturing environment while they acheive the greatest gift our bodies were given.

As a Doula I dont give medical advice, nor do I perform medical tasks, I dont make decisions for the mother, but may discuss situations and provide options for the mother to make an informed decision herself. And this is what I like about being a Doula, its not medicalised, you are focused on the mother, offering emotional support and purely being with her through out her pregnancy, labour and birth.

You may wonder, what do I actually do then?? Well, for a birthing mother whatever she wants me to do to help her get through this. It could be breathing with her, massage, visualisation, holding her hand, leaving her alone, supporting her partner - whatever she needs at that time. And I will do it without question, as a Doula thats my job - SUPPORT.

So, thats a little of what I do outside of Etsy and being a wife and mother. I could go on and on and on, but I dont want to bore you : )

Happy Birthday to me!!

Yes, today was my birthday, and god I feel old!!! I turned 27 and I have been married for 8years and I have 3 children - 7, 5 and a 15mth old. Please tell me I'm not alone????

But it was a great birthday and I got spoiled which was even better! My loving husband and kiddies got me this gold locket , which I have wanted for a long time, and it will have special meaning to me once I fill it with photos of the kids and one of me and my hubby. I also got a beautiful chain to go with it, that we got from a little jeweller who makes alot of his own jewellery - so, a one off which suits me perfectly!

And yes, my family have been listening to me for the past 6mths because I got my Overlocker!!! Yay, yay, yay! Thank you soooooooo much Mother in Law, I couldnt be happier. So, this weekend I will be sewing up all my inserts for my nappies. Definately keep an eye out on my shop in the next 2 weeks, for some fantastic nappies!!

Then we dropped the kiddies off with MIL and we had a beautiful lunch out - which was soooooo peaceful and relaxing. Then when we got back to MIL's to pick up the kiddies, she had cooked a lovely dinner and got me a very yummy birthday cake from a little french patisserie that we visit often. Perfect end to a perfect day!

So, spoilt indeed. But if you cant be spoilt on your birthday, when can you be spoilt? ; )

A taste of what's to come

I thought, I have shown enough pics of what I crochet and not any of what else I will be listing in my shop!!

Here is a peak at what will be coming......

Minky is my absolute favourite material to make Modern Cloth Nappies (MCN) out of, but there are just so many talented fabric designers out there like Amy Butler , Jennifer Paganelli , Michael Miller and the list could go on and on, that you cant pass up on, to make a funky cotton print nappy out of.

MCN was introduced to me when I had my little princess 15mths ago, but it took when she was 6mths to convert fully, and I havnt looked back since!! The thing that did it for me was not the environmentally friendly factor, shamefully, but the cuteness factor! I dare anyone to tell me that this isint cute,lol

In the summer months she just lived in a shirt, swing top, singlet or dress and a nappy. And I was amazed at how many people were not aware about MCN! I'm happy to say that I have converted a few in my 9mths of being a cloth user and planning to convert alot more if I can.

Well, I think I have blabbed enough,lol And I should have some of these listed within 2 weeks, so keep an eye out ; )

Ciao for now

Etsy Shop officially up and running!!!

My Etsy shop officially has listings, WOO HOO!!!

So, all the people who have been reading this will actually have products to order if they like. Hoping I get at least one in a week, will just be exciting crocheting for someone other than my little princess!!

Along with the crochet items, I should hopefully be listing my Modern Cloth Nappies as well. It's my birthday on Monday and I have been hinting for the last 6mths about wanting an overlocker. Hopefully someone has been listening because I need the overlocker for the inserts. No point selling just the shell!!

I have some beautiful, lush minky just dying to be sewn up into some touchable nappies. And cant wait to have an excuse to head of to Calico & Ivy to grab some fab fabrics, will definately have to take my like minded friend Samone with me when I do that!!

Well, its open and ready for business, so please check it out and always happy to read any feedback

Well, I'm off to bed, happy shopping ; )

Girly Shorts Action Shots

Ok, here they are - not fantastic shots, but you get the drift....

They were originally a bit tight to put on, but because the wool had some stretch in it, wasnt long before they fit really well!

I'm off, the lack of sleep is getting to me *yawn*

Another night of no sleep, but look at these..

Again my little princess had me up and down until 4am, this time I really didnt see the point of going to bed. So, I thought with the time that I wasnt in her room rocking her to sleep I might as well be doing something constructive. And these were the outcome

I think these are really cute, and the first time I have tried the frill around the legs. The frills and the waistband were done with some left over yarn I had. Cant remember from where or what it is - probably acrylic, and just happy to have one less ball in my bag! Quite happy with the result and just waiting for madam to wake up so I can get some action shots.

They are the same as the boys shorts with the gussett in the crutch and the added rear extension for her cloth nappy, but they were crocheted from some beautiful 100%, 10ply wool called "Strawberry Icecream" from Celia's Basket , that I got a while ago to originally crochet some longies for madams night nappies. But as usual just didnt get round to it!!

I do have to say they did make a beautiful pair of shorts instead and will be great for the upcoming warmer weather.... I can hear madam stirring, will be back to post some action shots

Ciao for now ; )

And finshed these as well...

I was going to post this tomorrow, because I felt a bit odd posting twice within an hour, but I am really happy with these boy shorts and my model.

She actually co-operated today, and I have some very cute shots, which involves her being topless, scruffy hair and lots of cheeky smiles. But I'm not going to post these for obvious reasons, which is a shame because they really are so cute and would love to show off my little princess. Just have to make sure I can get a shirt on next time before she does the cute act, but on to the shorts...

They are boys shorts (but I only have a girl model,lol) with a gussett in the crutch and the rear extension for her cloth nappy, which is the hint of pink you might see in the pics. Personally, I think they would fit just as well on a disposable user and I quite like the fit the rear extension makes in the shorts, and will probably just do that with all my customs, maybe just doing a smaller rear extension for spossie users and a larger one for cloth users.

I used Patons Jet, Wool/Alpaca blend in a steel blue colour. It was really nice to crochet with, and I'm going to go to Spotlight to see what other colours they have. Would love to do my sample girls shorts in this, and I suppose it cant hurt to have to handwash the occasional item of clothing : p

Pants finally done, after not alot of sleep

I finally finished these pants after not alot of sleep and lots of perserverance!! Happy with the finished product and just upset I didnt make them big enough to fit my little princess!!

They are done in the Patons DK Smoothie yarn, with the colours reminding me of confetti. I just love this yarn, because it is 100% acrylic, its not prone to felting like wool and it can be machine washed and tumble dryed, which really makes it "user" friendly - especially when you have kids. If your anything like me,you just want to be able to bung it in the washing machine with the other ten tonnes of washing that needs to be done,lol

Cant wait to custom crochet a pair, but will have to wait a bit longer now. Just a couple more sample items to do and I can start listing, better get to it.........

SHOP CHANGE

After having coffee and Pavlova with my smart, genious friend Samone. I have decided to change my shop to custom orders only. I wasn't finding enough time to make the crochet items I originally decided to do, along with customs I already planned to do.

This way people will be getting exactly what they want in the size they need. I understand not every baby is the same, and I would much prefer making something to fit. Then it will definately be individual and unique, which is what attracted me to crochet in the first place!!

As long as I have bubs measurements, preferences in colour and yarn type. I will be able to make any size items ranging from Newborn to 2years! I'm more excited now, and I cant wait to get my first order.

So, anybody reading this - hint, hint ; )

Oh So Tired.....

I was up until 11.30pm last night croheting these, getting most of it done, so they can be listed in the shop by Thursday.

By the time I checked the kiddies and had a shower it was 12am, I get into bed and my little man gets up to go the toilet and wants a drink. Sort him out and finally curl up under the covers and my little princess starts, and up with her I was until 3.30am. Finally get back into bed and my eldest princess comes in at 5.30am because she's scared of the rain, she crawls into my hubbys side of the bed while he gets ready to go the gym. 10mins later my little man comes in and crawls into bed as well, by this stage I felt like I had just put head on the pillow!!! My day has started - oh so tired!!!!

So, the challenge for today is to finish these pants with 2hrs sleep under my belt.

Red Bull here I come!

Lookee, Lookee at what I've done!!!

I finished my cargos last night, and also finished a skirt that I had been working on previously. I'm happy with the finished products, I hope you are too

They are a size small, with a gussett in the crotch area with little mock pockets on either side of the leg. I would love to see these on a little bubba, but dont have any friends with little boy bubbas, but I think they would be adorable on. Hopefully whoever purchases them will send through a pic of their bubba wearing them!!

And this is the skirt, done in the Patons Smoothie DK

I just love the colours in this one, the mauve and light blue are a beautiful combination and will be starting a pair of pants in this yarn today. This skirt is a small, with a full skirt and a little crochet flower on the front, not like you can see it in the pic, but its there,lol. Here is a pic to give you an idea on how full the skirt is

It really is pretty on, and I just love that, when they walk the skirt shimmies (only way I could think of describing it) and just sits beautifully. I cant wait to make my princess one in these colours!!

Thats it for now, going to start on a pair of girly pants.

Ciao for now

Yarn, Yarn and more Yarn...

I went to Spotlight on Friday, and I swear, bought half of their Yarn stock! Odd looks with overflowing baskets full of yarn, but hey, would rather have too much than not enough and just cant wait to get started!

Just loving Patons SmoothieDK range at the moment, and these are my favourites so far

Great to crochet with, and I just love the finished product. My little princess has a skirt crochet from the colours on the Top Right

She is not the most fantastic model, and this picture really does not do the skirt or the colours any justice, but hopefully you can see a bit of what I see.

Along with the Patons Smoothie DK, I also purchased Patons Wool Tweed DK , Patons Jet and Moda Vera Sinful which I havnt worked with yet, but started on a small pair cargos, and I'm liking the outcome so far

The colours remind me of cookies'n'cream ice-cream, and I also have a chocolate brown colour Moda Vera yarn also, that I will use for the top ribbing and the mock pockets, which I think will work great with these colours.

So, this is what I'm up to at the moment! So much to do, but really excited that this is coming into fruition. Will post again once I finish the cargos, have to go now, my loving hubby is kicking me off the computer - men, what can I say??

How it came about

Wow, where to start..

How about a bit about me - I'm a mum to 3 beautiful children who keep me on my toes, and I have a loving and (very) understanding husband of 8years. I have been a SAHM since falling pregnant with my first nearly 8 years ago, and its all this time at home (and 2 more kiddies in between) that I needed to find something else to do.

So, I purchased a hook, yarn and a "How to" of Crochet and off I went creating my first pair of pants - mind you, they were nothing flash, with my patient 1yr old not even being able to fit her legs in the leg part of the pants!! I wish I had taken a photo, but I was so determined to get it right that I unravelled the whole lot and started again. And this time they turned out. I was proud of this pair, and my daughter wore them quite alot, much to my husbands dismay, who referred to them as "Hippie Pants". I constantly got stopped and was asked where I got them from, and proudly said I made them myself. From there I made a couple more and started experimenting with skirts. My first skirt turned out perfectly and again I was stopped, being asked where I got it from!

From this I decided that I loved Crocheting, and my daughter can only have so many creations, that I decided to open up my Etsy shop to share my creations! So far I havnt come across anything else like it, and I'm sure people who are looking for uniqeness are going to love my designs. The way I would describe my creations is a "Modern take on an old craft" gone are the designs of beanie, cardi's and booties sets, but a fresh take with a new look.

Come visit my blog to find out what I'm working on, and how things are going. Woud love to hear what you think about my creations, or ideas you might have so please leave comments, I know it would be a good way to make my day :)

Thanks for reading
Anita
My Couture Creations