I signed up for a Pinterest account a few years ago but didn't really do much with it at the time. Nowadays it is my first stop for so many things (it usually even wins over Google) - recipes, tips, finding clothes I like, DIYs and inspiration for a million different things. I like to browse it on my phone where the layout is less crowded and I can see each pin two by two.

 Of course, the essential thing one has to remember about Pinterest is not to let it overwhelm you and actually inhibit your creativity. Pinning a hundred DIYs is all well and good, but sometimes all of the inspiration can be stifling and you realise you've spent your whole afternoon off pinning things and not actually making things (guilty!). Over the past few months I've actually been setting myself some little DIY tasks to do and getting them done and that's such a good feeling. I thought I'd share some DIYs I've pinned on Pinterest recently that have got me excited to make things. Some things will have to go on the 'to do later' or 'to do much later' lists, but others would take five minutes or could be done in an afternoon.



1. Handmade Rubber Stamps by Lu Loves Handmade
2. Crocheted Zpaghetti Rug by Dandelion Days
3. Geometric Embroidery Notebook Kit by Curious Doodles
4. Magnetic Board with Fimo Magnets by Casa e Trend
5. Mounted Toy Animal Heads by Please Note
6. Doily Lampshade by Duitang



7. Fruit Welcome Mat by The House That Lars Built
8. Pet Pillows by Yellow Brick Home
9. Cake Postcard by She Knows
10. Photo Hoop by Brigitte
11. Make Your Own Baker's Twine by The Frugal Crafter
12. Chalkboard Helmet by New Window

What's on your crafty to-do list at the moment?
Ps. If you feel like following me on Pinterest you can here.

I bought a set of really basic gouache paints and some tiny paintbrushes recently and have been having a lot of fun playing with the bright colours. I found some postcard and coaster sized canvases at a local cheap shop and have spent the last few evenings painting them. I want to send some of the postcard sized canvases through the post (will have to see how they stand up to the rigours of the post!). I also made a set of coasters to give as a gift to my sister in law.



Postcard number one (sent to a surprise recipient).



Postcard number two (also sent to a surprise recipient).


Some other postcards I'm working on.


Before painting the coasters I traced around a glass to make a centre circle.



I really enjoyed painting the tiny detail although it did make me think to myself "why does everything creative that I make end up so damn repetitious!?". They took me about an hour each to paint - I impress myself with my patience sometimes (although now I feel like my eyes are permanently crosseyed).




I am happy with the way the coasters turned out, but I am a little worried that unsealed, they might get ruined easily as gouache is water based. Does anyone have any recommendations for sealing water based paint on canvas? I tried using PVA glue/aquadhere but it made the colours run. I'd be really grateful for any wisdom!


In their proposed use!



One of the best things about gouache paints is that once they've dried on your (makeshift in my case) palette you just have to add a little water and you can get them to return to their original consistency. This means a lot less paint wastage.

I think I might have to buy some more little square canvases and make some more coasters - maybe even for myself!

The past few weeks we've been going to regular parenting classes run by the hospital. Some of it is very 'Baby 101' and makes me think that a lot of people musn't read or ask questions, but a lot of it has been really interesting and informative. I now know how to swaddle! And I feel a lot less clueless about breast feeding! I am so grateful that hospitals now run these kinds of programs - I feel sad for women in the past who would have had so little information available to them (and were totally discouraged from breastfeeding! When my mum had my brother in 1980 she was the only woman in Melbourne Womens Hospital who breastfed!).



I have been feeling a bit miserable lately because I am just so bored! I can't think of any other time in my life that I've actually been bored. I have very few commitments and nothing impending, which is great really, but boring! All of the fun, creative things I felt like doing when I was working/studying I now don't have the same enthusiasm for. I've been doing a bit of painting lately though, so it's not all sitting in front of the tv watching back to back episodes of Auction Hunters (although a lot of that is going on too).



I had thought that baby movement slowed down a bit towards the end of third trimester but this guy just feels like a washing machine all the time (especially when I listen to The Beach Boys). At our last checkup the midwife viewed my stomach with wide eyes as he kicked around wildly. It's pretty fun to watch at night when I have trouble sleeping (which is often). People keep telling me "oh he'll be a hyperactive child then!". Yay?

+ Apologies for terrible iPhone photos! Must invest in new camera!

Today Holly and I went for a little opshop trip and picked up a couple of goodies each. I tend to get a bit entranced by patterns and colours and let that override whether or not something is practical/worth the price, but I am getting better! I especially have a big soft spot for vintage textiles. Below are some of the goodies I picked up today and on the weekend while at the markets. I also bought a couple of miscellaneous baby things, but they're far less interesting to photograph. I'm sure Holly will share some of her fun bits and bobs on her blog shortly too.


A retro knitting holder (my friend Sara taught me how to knit over the weekend!) and a framed tea towel (?) of a cafe scene.


I just liked the title of this little book and thought it might be good for collage, likewise with the old postcard.


I picked up this mountainous print at the markets and it fits nicely on the mantle in our bedroom. I like to collect prints of scenes of mountains with rivers, I'm not sure why, there's just something interesting and mysterious about them to me. Sometimes they remind me a little of Twin Peaks.


A retro patterned quilt cover (which Holly was originally going to get, but decided against and I thought it was too fun to not be taken home), a cute retro patterned baby sleeping bag (top), a Sesame Street cot sheet and a cute swaddle.


A cute crocheted lap blanket and a retro tablecloth that still had its tags on.


While on the topic of opshops, I remembered this photo I took last week at the opshop of a painting of a man that looks a bit like my uncle. I found another painting of the same man in another part of the shop later. I thought they were quite good, but decided I probably didn't really need kitsch paintings by a stranger of a man who looks a bit like my uncle.


Holly was so sweet and gave me a little package of goodies for my birthday, including some of her gorgeous Pannikin wares. I shall have to collect some fun bits to gift to her in thanks (our birthdays are five days apart).

Have you had any fun thrifting finds lately?