Three upcycled outfits in 3 days.

Day 1: Big smile in her skirt into dress....oh and a sneaky owl!

Day 2: A Mary Poppins impersonation before leaving home. Another skirt made into a dress.... yes and am "Over it" Brooch to finish it off.

Day 3: Orientation done! I think a song is in order. Men's shirt into a skirt and top.

Leading up to orientating 5 year olds to school, she began getting very excited about upcycling skirts into dresses.

We had made one in the past, and she really enjoyed wearing it….bit small now…

On a recent trip to the Op Shop, 5 year old bought me the two ladies skirts and suggested we make dresses for her ‘try out days’. She called them this because  she was under the impression that she would try it…ask the teachers a few questions (Like what is 2+2… because if they didn’t know, then she thought they wouldn’t make very good teachers)…..

Anyway we thought we would turn it into a fun activity together. She would pick some pieces from the Op Shop and I would make her some things to wear. While I sewed she sat on the floor and floated around watching and learning what Mummy does.

These are what we ended up with!

The first one is simply made by attaching ribbons to the top of the skirt and tying them together at the shoulder.

With dress two, I made fixed straps with ribbon and attached the ties. I also added a little ribbon on the skirt yoke to draw the ribbon print into the overall dress.

The skirt and top is a little complex to explain in a sentence, but I hope to share a tutorial of how to do it soon. It’s a great (cheap) way to introduce children to sewing…..

harrysdesk now available a Little Big Tween

New to King Street Newtown.

You can now get harrysdesk brooches and hair accessories from LBT King Street Newtown.

If you have children size 6 to 14 this shop is well worth a look. Great appropriately styled clothes for this age group.

Due to the one off nature of harrysdesk products you will need to pop into the store to see them…. 541 (south) King Street, Newtown walking towards St Peter’s Station….. yes! the groovy end of King Street.

For everything else, or if you are a non-local,  you can visit the website.

Inside Little Big Tween.

 

Room of Requirement: Part 2

Ta da......

But now….. the room is know as the ‘room of requirement’.

Those of you familiar with the Harry Potter books will understand the reference. After having it up and functioning for a couple of months now…. I firmly believe every house needs one.

The room of requirement appears when you have greatest need for it. (the room is in a slightly hidden location in the house)

The room becomes what you need it to be….. more on this later.

It cannot conjure food (no food allowed in here)

For a time it was known as the ‘spare oom’ (of “The Lion, The witch and The Wardrobe fame)….. but there is nothing spare about this one!

So far it has been used as studio, extra homework space, computer room, guest bedroom for between 1 and 3 guests, a games room, a quiet reading room, a nap during the day room, a sick room (infirmary), a sewing room, a dressing room and a washing rack room. We have loved it! Who knew that a space approx 3m x 3.5 m could change the way our whole house operates.

Yes the room has two doors! This shot is looking back from the room to the door leading back the rest of the house.

The other grey door (near the sewing machine) is a funny cupboard containing a hot water system and other storage. As part of the comment stream on this post I stupidly said I would let you know if i found anything dead…… well I did in this cupboard. A petrified mouse ( and I don’t think their was anything magic about it…. let the reader know…. ) just plain old got stuck behind things and …..well…. didn’t make it!

Enough of that….just look at the pretty pictures and forget I said anything!

My lovely machine and cubed storage.....

I’m loving the cubes (another Ikea gem…… given to us by a friendly neighbour). The red bags and boxes have all been found at the op shop over the past year or so. As I see more of them I will replace the cardboard boxes, but I am being patient. So much stuff is thrown away that is perfectly good. No need to buy new here.

The cubes work brilliantly for organising the multiple projects that are going on. You will notice the contents of them changes across the days the photos were taken, as I finish one project and other projects come in to replace them. Nothing like a matrix to order a disordered mind! It also gives my brain a sense of progression which I need (sometimes being a mother can feel like ‘Groundhog Day’).

....inside the 'funny cupboard' Yes that's a hot water system...and a squeezed in bookshelf.... along with a travel cot for visiting guests.

...the beginning of some little owl collections.....

Price-wise it cost a bit more than the last room.

The big, big purchase of this room was the bed. I have been thinking about this bed on and off ever since I first saw it. It’s such an amazing design! Not just great to look at, but 3 huge underbed draws…… not only that…. it coverts to a full size queen bed! Perfect for this room. We looked for about a month trying to get one on ebay and gumtree, but they all went for so close to the new purchase price (and we were unsure if we could get it into the room finished) that we decided to buy this one new. It’s Ikea and they come in at around $800 when you buy it with foam matresses. Pretty great we thought. Of course it came needed to be assembled……so it was the first thing I made in the room!

The amazing bed!

.... how it converts into the queen bed...

Massive (about twice as deep as you can see) draws to store my ties.

We also bought the small desk (again ikea) for around $40.

Paint and wall fixing came to approx $120

Everything else in the room we already had….. scattered throughout the house.

So all together about $960.

.... laying on the bed looking back toward the window... (yes that's my lime green shoe in the foreground). This photo was taken on a different day. See my little owls and foxes on the curtain?

Ideally I would have put the bed on the purple wall so I could see more of it….. but it just won’t fit . This is the only configuration the funny little room will do with all it’s doors and wall jutting and giant power point.
I really enjoy being in here and really love it that we essentially have a guest room! Who would have thought that could be possible in a 3 bedroom flat (with 6 people living there already).

Another Penhall!

Silvery grey Penhall..... with floral lining.

I’ve just posted this new one on etsy

It’s the second promised bag made using the colours inspired by you. You can see the green and blue version here.

I’m loving it, and was glad of the opportunity to put a silver grey bag together….as I have been wanting to use this colour combo for a while.

So thanks…..

The repositional rosette....

....and the back.

...the oval base with pleats...

The bag is also completely reversible. The other side is lined with a liberty-esque floral in blue green and grey tones with a touch of pink….so it’s a bit girlie.

...a peek at the inside....

The Penhall is now available.

The first Penhall for sale on etsy..... $140

Close-up.

Even closer. Rosette brooch detail.

The back.... or front (you can choose)

The base.....a pleated oval.

....a peek inside.....navy velvet.

But wait...there's more.... it's totally reversible!

Even switch the rosette to the navy side.

....and of course....it's a harrysdesk.

Lots of you will have an extra 10% discount on this price…and some even 20%….. due to the special anniversary bag give-away.

Thanks again to those who entered.

If you would like to sling this on your shoulder (or someone that you know) let me know and I will give you your special code word, so you can access your discount.

For a more detailed description and measurements ….. go here.

The winning bag

The anniversary bag.

The drawing

The first of the anniversay bags is done…. and delivered.

Although the 5 years old says it looks like an upside down pair of undies, I have resisted the urge to name them knickers, undies or y-fronts…. or to enter into any conversation with her about who these ‘undies’ would fit…. even though she would love to.

The Penhall bag in small and medium. I added a button clasp which pulls the sides in a little.

No. The new bag will be called the ‘Penhall’.

Customarily I name new bags by the surname of the first person to own that style. Because …. as I mentioned earlier, Heidi already has a bag named after her….the “Broadbent’ (her married name) so this time I have used her maiden name.

So …introducing the “Penhall” with absolutely no reference to undies!….I think it’s best.

Now I better get cracking on the etsy ones…..

Did you win the anniversary bag?

Is your name Heidi?

Heidi is the winner of the anniversary bag!

The random generator must know something…. Heidi was the first person ever to buy a harrysdesk bag. So I guess it’s kind of fitting that she win the 2 year anniversary bag. She already has a bag named after her…so not sure what we will do about that one.

She wanted a green bag to go with her winter coat, so I had better get busy.

Thanks everyone who entered.

I love giving things away that I make… so I decided to award 3 more people (chosen randomly) to send a little something to. An owl brooch will arrive in the post for you soon.

They are Lauren, Sonyabossypants, and Claire.

And three more little treats, because it’s my 500th post.

SO congratulations… (randomly generated again from the last 5oo comments)

Ingrid, Cathy and Kate Marquez will all receive my latest creation. The fox brooch!

If anyone else would like a little fox for their cardi or coat….just contact me. It will take a little bit of time to get them listed in the etsy shop…. but there is really no need to wait.

 

Blogoversary give -away

Wow… it’s been 2 years today since I started blogging!

I’m pretty stocked that I have kept it up and that you guys have kept coming back for more.

Thanks!

Last year I had a harrysdesk bag to give away, so I spent a long time wondering how I could celebrate this year.

So…… here’s what I have decided.

This year I have designed a new bag shape…. and it will be the prize.

That’s right, it isn’t made yet….. but it looks something like the sketch.

You all get to choose the colours.

I will make three…. in the most favoured colours.

One will be given away randomly to one of you, and I will list the other two on etsy for sale. A 10% discount for every entry you make will come off your purchase …. should you choose to buy one of these.

To enter leave a comment below telling me what your colour choice is….

…if you want more entries, you can…. blog it, facebook it, tweet it….. or some other creative form of getting the harrysdesk name out there.

Just leave a comment and tell me what you did and I will enter you as many times as you promote what I do.

I probably don’t need to say this…. but I love creativity… so if you think of an exceptionally creative way to tell others about what I do …. extra entries will come to you.

The bag will also be named after the winner.

The competition ends May 30th.

Commission for Tom

 

The combination of fabrics before piecing.

This was a super exciting project to do for a couple of reasons…

1. Tom is my first ever customer commission via etsy.
2. It was the first commission I have made using a mix of fabrics (not ties) given to me from the client and fabrics I found to go with it. This was a little scary at first, because you just never know what the reclaim world is going to have for you at any given time… let alone to a deadline.
3. Although I haven’t met Tom, we have emailed often through the process of the bag making, and he was always really encouraging and full of energy.
4. The bag is for his wife Ciara for their second wedding anniversary, the theme cotton…. and it is a surprise! Sweet.

What’s not to like?

Here’s the finished bag…..

 

Made from authentic Scottish tartan and reclaimed ties.

 

Owl brooch close-up.

Inside. Owl fabric from Tom. Pocket made from reclaimed cargo pants.

Bottom with gorgeous green shank buttons.

 

I included 2 owls as a surprise. One for each of them on their 2nd anniversary.

Commission for Sue

Upcycled wallet front .... complete with matching owl brooch

...coin zipper... other side

Inside... many card pockets...

...other inside...

Commission by Sue as a gift for Heidi

… and, like the bags and other things I usually make, the wallet is made from men’s neckties and lined with reclaimed textiles.

The design was taken fairly literally from a sample I was given. I’d like to try some with some changes, but we will see.

There are more of these to come… Sue wants one for herself now.