It's so exciting to receive the next two books in the Crafternoon Book series; Felting and Beading (the first two books are Papercraft and Sewing). Aimed at kids 7 to 12, the projects are graded and varied offering lots of choice for creative minds. I'm so thrilled to have a design included in each book, 'Who Loves Ewe' felt wall plaques and 'A Seaside Treasury' door curtain

These fabulous books are edited by Kathreen Ricketson of Whip-Up Blog and published by Hardie Grant can be purchased at Booktopia, Readings or at your local book shop in Australia (I bought extra copies at Costco)

Come along for the Crafternoon blog party to celebrate the release of the books starting with Lisa Tilse at The Red Thread today. Stay tuned here at A Work in Progress on the 21 November as I'm giving away each book to a lucky winner. x Cate

15 Nov - soozs big adventure
16 Nov - mmmcrafts
17 Nov - Between the lines
18 Nov - Christine Chitnis
19 Nov - Chez Beeper Bebe
20 Nov - The Happy Zombie
21 Nov - a work in progress
22 Nov - loveinthemummyhood
23 Nov - jcasa handmade
24 Nov - picklebums
25 Nov - modern parents messy kids
26 Nov - little eco footprints
27 Nov - li'l magoolie
28 Nov - ohdeedoh
29 Nov - Simple Kids
30 Nov - sadie and lance

You know Summer is on its way when market fruit baskets are overflowing with the most delectable, heavenly, just peachy ripe, mangoes. Sink your gums into one of these and the juice flows down your arms as you eagerly lick your limbs clean not wanting to waste a drop. It's funny, I have a history of not liking mangoes (there, I said it!) but have come to my senses and are a staple in the fridge over the warmer months. Add to a summer Chicken and Goat's Cheese salad with a light Asian dressing to truely whet the appetite or caramalise on the BBQ and top with creme fraiche. I think I've gone to heaven....

If you're like me (memory like a sieve) there's always something important to remember or kid's artwork to admire and it ends up on the fridge door as a permanent temporary reminder

Why not have some fun by painting little stones (with magnets attached) to personalise your fridge? In reality, I should have little messages like "Don't Eat those Tim Tams" or "Don't Even Think About Eating Last Night's Lasagna" but the mantras would only fit on a boulder and could prove difficult attaching to the fridge door. So, stick to simplicity of a few letters per stone. Super easy to make and how-to instructions to follow

Little illustration is by Michele Maule






Stamped Stone Fridge Magnets

You will need
• Collect little flat (thinner the better) pebbles, stones or rocks
• Paintbrush and acrylic paints
• Stamps and stamp pad
• Book adhesive and scalpel or cutting knife (use this method if you don't have cofidence painting directly onto stone)
• Stong magnets
• Matt varnish  

Instructions
1. Draw shape of stone onto book adhesive and then draw speech bubble to fit
2. Cut out speech bubble with a scalpel or cutting knife 
3. Stick mask over stone and paint
4. Stamp letter on top when dry 
5. Spray varnish to seal paint 
6. Attach magnets 

Beware, this blog entry contains images that are so bright you'll need to wear shades

Vignette or Ombre Dyeing is the coolest look this year (see Sass & Bide 2011 Summer Collection below). I love pink and orange together but you don't need to go full-on brilliant colours like we have done here, but just have fun

Ombre Dyeing

I used a stove top and hung the clothes into the solution as I wanted the dye solution to be as hot as possible. You can follow the instructions from the Rit website as an alternative

You will need
• Clothing to Dye (preferrably white)
• Liquid Dye in various colours (I used Rit Dye) and salt
• Measuring cup
• Large pot (bigger than the one I used!)
• Tongs and Rubber gloves
* Coat hangers
• Stove top and dowel or a hanging device to dip clothes into dye soloution
• Plastic drop sheet

Instructions
1. Cover any areas with the plastic drop sheet so they don't get stained
2. Launder or wet item of clothing. Squeeze out any excess liquid
3. Prepare dye: follow manufacturers instructions and pour into a large pot and gently simmer on a low boil
4. Hang clothes above stove and dip into dye bath for at least 10 minutes or longer for added strength of colour
5. Wearing rubber gloves, gently squeeze out excess dye and rinse dyed section under cool water until water runs clear
6. Hang on line until dry and then repeat on the other section of garment in alternate colour

There's nothing better than a walk around the harbour foreshore testing out the camera on my new iPhone. I'm genuinly surprised by the detail in the photos (colour adjusted), enjoying Spring in my favourite city