DIY -- potato stamp Christmas gift tags

I had a little weekend DIY featured this week over at the KANELSTRAND blog...

it shows you a simple and organic way to make some unique gift tags and sweet bunting for the upcoming festive season...

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:: if you go on over and have a peek... do let me know if you like it (oh & if you try it out!)

ps:!! OH MY.... there are so many gorgeous creations are over at this weeks our creative spaces too :)

Q: what does a native australian tree and a baby rattle have in common?

A: .... they both feature in v.2.0 of the BIRCHseed organic fabric APPLE softie baby rattle.

 this rattle is now 100% unique to any other baby rattle sporting a timber teething ring.... how? because the rings are hand-turned by a local wood-turner near my home town in northern nsw. 

wood-turning is one of those forgotten crafts of high skill (and bravery)....  a block of of timber is cut and centred into a super fast spinning machine called a lathe. 

the wood-turner then uses various sharpened carving chisels, held down hard with two hands, to progressively carve away the timber until the desired shape of the item being made is achieved. 

depending on the item being made, this process can take days/weeks/months. to give you an idea..... it takes roughly 1 week of production time to source the timber and turn out 10 rings for my rattles. its a slow process (kind of like my blockprinting really...) & whilst they cost 7 x's more than a curtain ring made in China, i think its worth it!

... and what is the timber he uses?

it comes from the native Australian tree .... Grevillea robusta, commonly known as Silky-oak. 





it is the largest species in the genus Grevillea.... its a massive version of those common bird attracting native shrubs often found in most gardens around Australia. it is found in eastern coastal, subtropical environments..... and lucky for me it is found in my local area, making this a sustainable choice for the BIRCHseed rattles. 

it produces a stunning bloom of golden flowers in spring that last for many many months....





not only is the tree beautiful... but the timber is equally stunning, with a unique grain that is only seen in this species of tree. it is prized timber for fine furniture making, and wood turning of course!

its fine grain is a perfect match for using with the rattles. 

oh and they still feature organic fabric, that sweet sounding bell and compostable corn fibre stuffing inside and double all stitched for added safety.

so there we have it....the BIRCHseed baby rattle is a totally unique, more sustainable and eco friendly product than before. 

perfect gift as for baby showers, new baby arrivals or just a tad irresistible not to get for you own bubba. 

:: available in red and green... do you think other colours could be popular too?

more over at our creative spaces today

Kanelstrand blog: BIRCHseed Giveaway

This weeks is all about sharing my first GIVEAWAY!

hurray!!

to enter head over here to the Kanelstrand Organic Living....a blog that helps make the world one shade greener and walks the organic path 

good luck!

:: would love to hear what other BIRCHseed products would rock your world as a free giveaway :)

more at our creative spaces today....

organic hemp and cotton tea towels... a scrumptious new textile for BIRCHseed

:: time to show you my new cream-de deluxe BIRCHseed tea towels...

they are made from a blend of hemp and certified organic cotton. 

these are the type of tea towel that you will have in your home for the next 20 years.... they are heavy weight and strong, because hemp is the strongest natural textile of them all, its even stronger than linen!

i have predominantly printed my tea pots so far in these colours

... and chookies in green and brown

(... the piggy chopping board was handmade by my pop some 25 years ago)

i feel a bit funny about selling a tea towel around the $30 mark.... i had to save long and hard to be able to purchase a bulk amount so i could print on them. but if you could reach out right now and just touch these.... 

you would see why i have gone to the effort to include them in my BIRCHseed range, as they feel and look amazing. and they only get softer and sweeter with each wash.

.... oh and did i mention they are certified organic? and made in Australia!!

so there you are... my new tea towels will be added to my madeit and etsy store this week.

 i will post alerts via my facebook page when i list each one (oh and i will continue to sell my $12 tea towels too, as  i know paying $30 for a tea towel is not for everyone :)

:: have you ever paid $30 for a tea towel for your self or as a gift for someone special?

more creative spaces today here

handprinted organic canvas totes - part 2

back a couple of weeks ago, i wrote a post about some wonderful organic canvas bags i was printing as a custom order for mel @ the organic mamas. so, now i happily announce.... that my printed versions are ready and listed for sale in my shop here. 

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... here are some more snaps if bags are your thing?

the 'victor lawn mower' man bag

'pea pods' tote

the 'apples' tote in red, green, blue or orange

pair of 'pears' tote

'apples' shopping bag in red

'apples' shopping bag in green

'chookies' shopping bags in brown, blue or orange

 '2 tea pots' in red

'2 tea pots' in orange

'2 tea pots' in yellow

did i say how wonderful the texture and feel of these awesome organic canvas bags are? and how totally 
suited block printing looks on them? 


another fun & great collaboration between BIRCHseed and The Organic Mamas :)


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:: i would love to hear from my blog readers what YOUR favourite print is?

handprinted organic canvas totes

this week has been busy, busy, busy with filling orders and sending stuff around the world.

these wonderful organic canvas bags are sourced from The Organic Mamas - a sydney based company with lovely organic fabrics, bags, baby clothes and great ethos to boot!

Mel, the person behind The Organic Mamas is a passionate mum whose search for organic cottons came about from her growing concern of the amount of fire retardants, chemicals and synthetic dyes that are used in the production of commercial grade baby clothes and bedding. she also has a great blog here.

BIRCHseed and The Organic Mamas have been working together for some time on joint projects here and there, as our service and products blend perfectly together with the wholesome look of a block print suiting the wonderful organic textiles and textures found in Mels products.

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:: more bags and designs to come... I will post a link when the bags are ready for sale in my shop

ps: these gorgeous heart printed bags are a custom made design requested from Mel, so i will let you know where you can purchase them if you love as much as i do!



more from great makers and creators over at our creative spaces

production series: tea pots -- part 3

we continue on today from part 1 & part 2 of this production series to show you what products i have made using this new tea pot print.

 its a similar post to the one i did about my 'apple' prints. some items are available to purchase in my shop now, others will be there soon after a bit more refining.

tea towels - these started out in just red. but thanks to a custom order request (via my madeit shop), yellow and blue are now featured there too. (ps: i actually LOVE the blue best!)

then onto a bit of creative sewing to make a birthday gift for a friends 2 year old girl...i used a natural linen fabric for the print patch & then appliquéd it onto a bondsie.

important announcement...i have fallen in love with hemp fabric! (organic of course!)

i have begun to experiment with this wonderful textile & i am addicted. you will certainly be seeing alot more BIRCHseed hemp products soon.

 ... and here we have a tea pot coaster to place underneath my tea pot. i have used hemp for the print and some vintage floral fabric from my own stash - have you seen my stash btw?

and finally, i am toying around with the idea of creating a little 'tea party' softie set for toddler-girls imaginary playtime.

i have an amazing tea cup collection to use for some new blockprint designs that will be added to the tea set over the next few weeks. 

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:: Do you think some tea cup tea towels would be good too? i know i will be making some for my kitchen!

ps: this post was featured in this weeks 'our creative spaces' blog spot... some great designers & makers over there so go check it out!

blockprinted textiles at home

online shopping is a handy thing for a new mum... 2 days later a speedball knife & lino arrived in the mailbox & i began carving... 

this was around the time my son was beginning to eat solid food. he was into things like pureed apple & pear. 

carving, carving...(fingers getting sore)...carving. 

thought... 'babies first foods on a bib' ticked over in my mind.

organic fabrics of course - along with non-toxic inks. bib designed a little different to the norm... hand sewn, wood button fastening at front, lined with soft bamboo terry on the back.

ended up with different 4 prints in 4 great colours which you can see in my shop.

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