coming soon!

can you believe i began working on these dolls in january? before Sawyer was born??

it pretty much sums up my 'professional life' this year!

i'm hoping to be back into sewing custom orders next year, but in the meantime i will be releasing my Dee*Luxe range for sale in the next few weeks (if all goes according to plan!)

i'm still trying to decide between a couple of amazing give away options to thank you for being such patient and loyal supporters

.............

and a big X and a O for your sweet encouragement on my last post. at the moment we are up to our eyeballs in boxes and piles (on top of piles) of things to go in a million different places as we get ready to leave at 5am on thursday for the mighty trek north again. i'm so grateful for wonderful friends and family who have offered to help out (again! deja vu...) and for YOU all. thanks for joining us on this journey X

these days

these days i feel old. and tired. (is that a) smudged eye-make up, b) a black eye or c) exhaustion?)

these days feel urgent. frenetic. all year i've assured myself it'll ease once we have the baby/get to 6 weeks PP/ get to 3 months/move north/return home/go back north. maybe this is just how it is from now, with 5 kiddos? 

these days i feel more irritated than peaceful. quicker with sharp words than with warm smiles. more condemning than encouraging. 

these days i really feel on the back foot. always playing catch up. the laundry, the vacuuming, the 2 year old's attitude...

these days i feel so many demands. relentless demands. my children, husband, home, business. a friend commented that i should make more dolls to avoid the "pinning problem" because demand is outgrowing the supply. she is so right, and i know it. but there it is again...the demand.

these days i wonder what has to go - the homeschooling? Tiny Eyes? (just the thought makes me want to stamp my foot and clutch these things tighter!) 

these days i long to understand how to have a heart like Mary's in this madly-paced Martha's life - but Lord, there is so.much.to.do! who will do the work if I don't? dishes don't do themselves!

these days are so precious, and so fleeting. i don't want to miss this season in looking forward to the next. after all, it is every season that makes up a year.

how are you doing these days, friends?

do you get some of this, or is it just me?

thank you for reading... x

my sweet alabaster ginger-bear x

images taken by Ty, 6 years

dolls + doilies

if you follow me on instagram (@deeconstruction) you'll have seen this new doll i've been working on. 

i had a lot of doubts along the way, but then my crafting-hero, Katie of Skunkboy Creatures, said she liked them!! 

soooo, after i regained consciousness, i decided to keep tweaking and eventually - three dolls later! - i finally have a new unique, cute design that i have very specific and exciting plans for. (hint: workshop + 2013)

 the 'unique' part was especially intentional for reasons that i've become increasingly irked about...copycats and rip-offs. like, comments under pinterest images of my dolls that say "make this for so-and-so" or knock-offs that dear, loyal fans have alerted me to. i know doll-making isn't very original but this is my bread and butter, my sweat and tears, my designs and my brand.  i don't have the luxury of working full days in a studio, all my dolls are made in stolen 10 minute periods over days, weeks and years. through pregnancies, new babies, countless meals and laundry piles, nappy changes, kissed foreheads, naps and toy clean-ups....sweat and tears, people! 

so, can i ask that you keep an eye out for copycats on behalf of all your favourite handmade crafters out there in the web-iverse? that'd be so swell, thanks :)

x

you might want to read this one

* last week was insane. everything i'd felt here, was entirely tipped on its head(how to be this at home?). this was my deepest dread about coming home.

* however, part of the chaotic feeling may be related to the fact that, in 10 days, we are heading BACK up north!!! so life is generally utter chaos saying hello-goodbye to friends, unpacking-repacking bags...

* this time we won't be in our shed, but instead we'll be staying in a house overlooking the harbour. swooon~~

* we will be spending our summer on the beach. i have even bought  myself some togs (swimsuit) for the first time in EIGHT years to celebrate!! yeww~ i might even do a Wardrobe Wednesday post in my togs just because i am that excited!! ha, yeah, maybe not...

* i have also been having a date every morning with Billy Blanks in an attempt to RID myself of my matronly upper arms! ewww, what IS that? (reality of my age, that's what.../sigh). it feels nice to exercise a bit, but it also kind of makes me feel like vomiting. i'm so pathetic...

* despite vowing and declaring never to have housesitters with kids again, we are. this time we have done/will do a few things differently. we feel peaceful about it.

*so, basically, what i'm really saying is prepare yourselves for an ONSLAUGHT of beachy, summer posts. i hope you don't mind and i'll try not to show off too much, promise.

* and if you're headed to the Cape this summer, stop in or give us a toot on your way past! 

* 

*i should also mention, the candles in these photos are novelty candles that actually flicker. and don't get hot. and are completely edible...see?

(ok, not really but anything is fair game when you almost-7 months, right?)

x

walk with me

will you pull your gumboots on and walk with me this misty morning? i have something to show you.

down my front steps, overgrown with mexican daisy. 

(i like it that way.)

our pair of footprints across the dewy lawn. 

can you see what we're headed to?

an enormous spiderweb! let's stop awhile and appreciate the beauty that can only come from hard work.(is 'easy' ever really as beautiful?)

then, on our way back, maybe we'll swing beneath the tree of red berries that the birds won't eat.

and we'll look up at the early blue sky and

welcome spring. 

and breathe the hope that always holds its hand.

time for a hot cuppa inside,

thanks for joining me this misty morning*.

x

*this wasn't actually this morning. this morning is a whole other blog post!

{dee.i.y} dip-dyed cardi

on the weekend i dip dyed (using bleach) an old grey cardi i had and i pretty much couldn't be more deelighted with how it turned out!

..............................

here's how:: 

1. grab an old or thrifted cardi.

2. pour the bleach into a jar to the desired height (remembering that the bleach will absorb upwards a little) 

3. place ends evenly and put a rubber band around your cardi to hold them in place (so that your bleach line is straight)

4. *carefully* dip your cardi in the jar for about 5 minutes, then *carefully* rinse well.

this cardi has been a faithful favourite and i'm so happy it's been given a new life. i know i'm going to wear it a LOT in the evenings this summer.

will you try it?

i'd love to hear how it goes!

x

(four) faves on friday

have you met Stacey? she is a sincere soul with fantastic style. this week she was kind enough to share some photos of my dolls that Tim Coulson took when he photographed their family earlier this year. i'm so thankful she shared them because this is about as close to being photographed by Tim as we'll get :)

the quirk and colours in The Busy Finch shop on Felt are too cute. eee~

 you may have heard of Sophie Slim and/or 'The Sisterhood'? She has initiated a nationwide network of women supporting women by sending anonymous parcels of love called 'Love Bombs'! The Sisterhood is in the running for a $10,000 scholarship to help support this fabulous community...more info here or vote here. thank you!

do you sometimes wish you could pin some of the awesomeness (like my fat baby's legs...)on instagram? pinterest + instagram = pinstagram. chekkitout.

{by jada} Blueberry the bunny

On Saturday it was the first day of spring and a baby bunny hopped into our playhouse. I said to mum “Should I creep up and shut the door?” and Mum said yes.
So I crept up to the playhouse and softly closed the door.
Then Mum came out and held the door while I ran to ask Dad to get a cage.

The cage didn’t have a door so Dad put the hole where the door used to be facing the sky.
Then he pushed it against a tree so we could get in.

I named the baby rabbit Blueberry.
On the way home from church yesterday we went to the pet shop and had a look for another bunny for company but they didn’t have any left. So we went home.

by Jada.
..........
ps. that afternoon a mama duck and her ELEVEN ducklings also visited us :)

{recipe} lemonade syrup

it's officially the first day of spring in the southern hemisphere today! yay, i really feel like we skipped winter this year. 

our lemon tree is overloaded with lemons and we've been making this gorgeous lemon syrup almost everyday. you'll need::

::put everything in a bowl together, pour the boiling water over and give it a good mix until the sugar is dissolved::

::let it sit until cooled::

::sieve and enjoy your syrup!::

add 1 part syrup to 3-4 parts water or soda water.

mostly we premix it but you can also just store it in the fridge and use it on a per-glass basis ;)

it's wonderful as a lime syrup too and can be used with soda water and bitters. mmm~

HAPPY SPRING!

x