Something a bit different

Long time so speak, my friends! It's actually been 4 entire weeks since I last posted - how time flies. And yep, that's because I have not been sewing in this time!! In case you are feeling nosy, this is because I have recently discovered Annie Sloane chalk paint, and am loving it! As I have been spending my weekends sanding, painting, waxing, and sanding some more, I thought I'd share some before and after photos of my painting projects with you today :)

Pine mirror - before                                                 after

Our new dining table - before (heavily marked)

After (sanded, waxed and painted)

So something a bit different today, and I hope you enjoyed the mini-makeovers. Now that my furniture painting projects are done (for now, anyway), it's time to get back to sewing, so I shall be back soon to report on my sewing projects. For now, I hope you all have a lovely week ahead! 

Giveaway winners!

It's time! Thanks to the "randbetween" function on Excel, I'm pleased to announce that the winners from the blogiversay giveaway are:

Winner of the fabric -- Elena from Tea for Two
Winner of the lavender -- Maud Parent from MP by Maud

Congratulations! I can't wait to see what you make!

Please could you let me have your postal address?

Giveaway - blogiversary and 100th post!

As promised, it's time for a giveaway! It's a special occasion -- today it's the 2nd blogiversary for this little blog of mine. This is also the 100th post on Moonbeam, and I just realised that I have 100 followers on Google Friends Connect as of today!

To mark this occasion, I've got 2 freebies for you to grab. First of all, this beautiful lightweight cotton. It's 2.50m long and 1.10m wide - don't you just love the delicate pattern? It would be perfect for a summer dress, or a cute little top (the Alma Blouse, anyone?)

The second freebie is some dried lavender. Remember the lavender bags that I made earlier this year for my mother-in-law's wedding as favours? I have over 500 grams left, and although it is making the house smell incredibly relaxing, I thought it would be time to part with it, and let it go to another home. 

To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post before the end of Saturday 21 September (midnight GMT). If you would prefer to enter for only one freebie, please indicate this in your comment. Otherwise I will assume that you are entering for both. Everyone is welcome to enter, and I will ship them worldwide. The winners will be picked at random, and announced on Sunday 22 September. Any questions, just ask. 

Best of luck! And happy giveaway!

Kollabora - do you use/recommend it?

I was doing some research on new Simplicity patterns (did you know that Simplicity is having a half price sale till mid-September - at least in the UK by its main distributors it seems), and came across a site called Kollabora. I think it's another online community for the crafty kind, but I was 1) surprised that I hadn't come across it until now, and 2) quite liking its design and layout, and how the beautiful photos really stand out on the site.

Before I go ahead and register with it though, may I ask:

Have you come across it? Do you already use it? And if so, would you recommend it? 

Simplicity 2413 floral skirt

Remember this fabric? This was the main ingredient for my picnic dress! I had some leftover, and it seemed like the perfect choice for Project Runway 2413, which is a pattern that I've had for a little while now. 

It's a timeless pattern, with pleated skirt in different lengths and various optional details. I made view B, knee length, with a waist band, and pockets! 

It was simple to put together, but at the same time I found adding pockets next to the invisible zipper rather intriguing. I cut a size 4, but that turned out to be a bit tight when I measured up the pleated waistline. Of course I don't have a 22 inch waist (!), but usually I find that size 4 Simplicity works quite well for me, leaving not a lot of ease, so naturally I cut it without thinking. So here's my warning for anyone who is thinking about trying this pattern - I think it runs a little small (contains less ease) compared to your usual Simplicity sizing, so do measure the pattern before cutting if you can! It wasn't too much of an issue for me, as it was easy enough to reduce the depth of the pleats to increase the waist size.   

I was pretty pleased to have squeezed this little project in before autumn arrives, and I'll look forward to wearing it on our holiday to the Cote d'Azur next week! Yippee! 

Before I head off though, a quick spoiler alert for the second blogiversary giveaway, which will go live this Sunday. Until then, my dear readers, I hope you all have a lovely week!