How to make a bird mobile

I went shopping in Caterbury's Maling Road with a girlfriend the end of last year and visited this adorable children's gift shop. A gorgeous little bird mobile caught my eye. After close inspection I decided I would be able to make one just as good if not prettier! Feel free to make your own version...

Pick your favourite colour scheme and select 4 different types of material. Roughly sketch a shape of a bird with a small wing and cut out two birds and two wings of each material. You will need to ensure you reverse the bird template for the second bird and wing so you can flip them (as shown below). Sew the wings onto each bird using a different material. I used a zig zag stitch and then also used tic tac to border two of the bird's wings.

Once you have sewn on the wings fold both sides of the bird facing one another. Sew around the outer edge leaving an inch gap at the bottom to allow for stuffing. Turn inside out and iron flat. Stuff each bird (I also placed a bell in each beak so they jingle) then stitch close the seam. Your little birds should now be complete.

Choose a ribbon that suits your colour scheme and using a large needle, thread the ribbon through the birds in your order of preference. Sew the end of the ribbon around a ring or simply tie a bow to hang from. Tie a bell at the other end and you should have an adorable little bird mobile! 

Toadstool rattle

Experimented today with making a toadstool rattle. I found this fantastic design at LucyKate Crafts and thought I'd give it a go. Pretty happy with the result. Penny seems to enjoy sucking it to death as she works through her 4th tooth for the month (need I say it's now a very soggy toadstool). No lavender this time, just stuffed it with polyfill and threw 4 bells in the head so it jingles and provides some texture for those little gums.

Hootie Pillows

I received an email from a lovely eBay customer last week enquiring about the possibility to have some 'extra large' Hooties made. I had always wanted to make them available in a larger size so was happy to take on the challenge of making the original design 4 times bigger!

The end result was a series of 4 Hootie pillows to accompany the baby Hooties already available online. I'm super happy with the designs and think they are adorable. I might even make a family of Hooties to purchase in a set of 3 - watch this space!

I have also been looking at attending some local markets along the bay. I can't believe Mathilda Market is charging $220 per stall - I'd literally have to sell 10 bodysuits just to break even. So I think I'll start small and put my name down for the Frankston and Dingley Village markets in a month or so. I have a few more creative ideas running through my head so might experiment with some concepts over the next few weeks and see what I can churn out!

Hootie Owls

My 2010 resolution was to make sure I get to some markets this year and try and earn some pocket money for myself now I've joined the 'stay at home mum' brigade. So I've created a Blog to sit alongside my eBay store to (hopefully) generate a little more interest in my business. Ernie and Bird was the outcome of going on maternity leave 6 months ago when I was awaiting the birth of my first child - a beautiful daughter 'Penny' born in July 2009.
All of my items are available for purchase from my eBay store Ernie and Bird at http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Ernie-and-Bird
Pictured below are my gorgeous 'Hootie' Owl filled with hobby fill stuffing and dried lavender. Hooties are the perfect size for little ones to cuddle and squeeze plus they have little jingle bells in their ears to keep them amused. As they are filled with lavender they are an excellent sleep companion and may assist in settling young children and relaxing adults! All of the material is machine sewn and there are no buttons or thread that may cause choking hazards. Hooties are also great for big kids to keep in delicates draw, luggage or anywhere the scent of lavender can fill the air! Hooties measure approximately 10cm x 15cm.