Big Ideas for Little People (and big people too!)

Aaah! I feel like I was sailing through October just fine till I saw it was the 19th! November is a very busy month for me. I have 2 Christmas Markets on and a very exciting Christmassy surprise (details soon, I promise!).
So to help me with "Big Ideas", I've asked a few crafty friends to help me bring you colourful ideas for Christmas gifts over the next month or so. If you have a great idea for handmade Christmas presents (to do with or for kids), please email me and you and host a "Big Ideas" too!

A couple of weeks ago, when we were dropping Tully and Pop off at the airport, Eve happily crawled in and out of the chairs, entertaining and blowing raspberries at charmed onlookers. She had a red t-shirt and jeans with a flower on them (which you couldn't see while she crawled around.) I was asked THREE times, "Oh, he's adorable, what's his name?"
It wasn't the first time. Eve practically lives in her brothers old clothes. Partly because people give boys t-shirts and girls dresses (and T-shirts are much more comfortable and better for eating banana or porridge) and partly because she looks so good in blue!
So last week, I asked my friend Anna from Feathering Nest to send me some of her fun little appliqués so I could give Eve's blue and red tops a more feminine touch. (I had considered getting a t-shirt that says, "I'm a girl and my name is Eve" or something to that effect.) I also got her to throw in some boy ones. (Do you, like me, have a 3 year old who refuses to wear anything that doesn't have a rocket or guitar on it?)

 My mum bought this jumper for Tully on a super special. And I just placed the appliques where I wanted them, ironed..



...checked they were stuck on, and then I'll do come hand stitching around them tonight with a glass of wine and the TV on!

For Evie's, I had this navy bonds top which looks so cute on her and placed the little bird in the centre.

There! Easy peasy! To make appliques yourself is easy, well, easy to understand. For me, it involves a trip to Spotlight to get the Visoflix (adhesive), choosing fabric, cutting out a shape I'm happy with, ironing to the adhesive and then following the steps above. With Anna selling them for 50c-$3, I'd recommend checking out her cute range. The top photo above is the little top her son Isaac wore to his first birthday on the weekend. Amazingly cute! And just perfect for someone you might know who'll be spending Christmas eating ice-cream and running under the sprinkler like we do here!