boats in the breeze
2009
Hello! I’m back. We’ve been in Melbourne for the last week. Abby had her school orientation for high school next year (omg! did I really say high school? How DID this happen?) And whilst Julian worked, Abby and I chased trains around the inner south east, house hunting. We are confident we have found our dream home but are still waiting to hear whether it wants us! Hopefully we’ll hear tomorrow.
So! Things are looking pretty cheery and comfortable – I hope :-) – and now that I’m back in Brisbane, I’m determined to get lots of things ready for the new home. Finish the half painted furniture. Make a quilted floor rug for the kitchen. And pack of course. But for now, here’s a little something that will hopefully hang in front of a pretty window, reminding me of my beloved Pacific Ocean.
We all have our “things” that allow us to slip into that lovely trance like state of peace and contentment. For some it’s music, for others it is scent, and so on. For me, it is a breeze. An afternoon breeze. The kind that feels that it has danced straight in from the ocean, carrying with it the warmth of sun drenched sand, the cool crispness of gentle waves as they float by me, the tang of salt, and the happiness of long, summer holidays by the sea.
As soon as that breeze picks up, I turn off the music, head out doors and soak it in. The whoosh as it roams past my ears, the tickle as my hair dances around my head. I feel alive in the afternoon breeze. No wonder than, that I love mobiles. I have all sorts – the traditional chime varieties, silver forks and spoons hanging from driftwood in my kitchen, Japanese paper cranes twirling around my room, strands of starlights that hang in the doorways. And now, I have the summer boats to match the summer breeze.
I’ve been admiring something similar at Coming Up Roses – a dear little shop in Bulimba that sells beautiful giftware, jewellery and stationery. I’m talking very special stuff at good prices. The kind of shop where every corner thrills you with it’s whimsy and charm. But I digress. They have a small mobile hanging on their front door of paper boats and every time I walk in, I am enchanted by them. So, whilst enjoying this afternoon’s breeze, I sat on the back porch and made some of my own.
Very easy, sweetly pretty and a jolly good use of all those magazines that seem to multiply around our home! Julian drilled through some driftwood from the beach for me, and now, we have boats bobbing about over the bath tub and gliding sedately in the front hall.
Just in case you want some too – I took some pictures and here’s a few words to get you started. You could easily use pretty paper – there’s so much about. And I’m also thinking some old music would be good. But for cheap and available, you cannot beat magazine pages! And perfect for the small people – as I said, it’s dead easy.
1. So take your magazine page – I’ve used a variety of sizes – and fold it in half, top to bottom. Crease.
2. Now, fold it in half again, from left to right. Crease and then unfold.
3. With the first fold to the top, fold the left and right corners in to the crease you made in step 2.
4. Fold the front bottom flap up so that it covers the lower part of your “sails”.
5. Turn over your boat, and fold the back bottom flap up.
6. Looking boaty – using sticky tape, fold a wee piece around the corners of the folded flaps.
Look at your sweet boat!
7. Using a large needle and a long, long piece of crochet thread or twine, thread your needle and make a quilter’s knot.
8. Starting with the boat that will be on the bottom, push the needle through the highest point of your “sails” and pull gently, until your quilters knot catches.
9. Make another quilter’s knot where you would like the highest point of the next boat to sit. And thread the next boat on as per step 8.
10. Continue adding boats until you have your desired length.
11. Drill a hole through a piece of driftwood. Thread the needle and thread of the boat length through the driftwood, wrap it around twice, tie a knot, and then thread the long strand up through the driftwood and leave long enough to form a loop with which to hang your boats.
Voila!
I tried to vary the look of the boats by choosing my pages. I used a film festival catalogue for the boats with loads of text, and then carefully chose pages that had an almost all over picture for others. Remember that the side of the page that is folded in, becomes the folded back flaps.
Enjoy! And may you find some time today to slip away into a moment of peace and contentment :-)
10 comments
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I hope that the home in Melbourne is The One. I don’t doubt your ability to make the best of where ever you are :)
I love your mobile. I have a craving for a few mobiles around here too. We’re having a 6 year old’s birthdy party here on the weekend, so I need to come up with some decorations stat! Mobiles might be a good idea. I am also thinking of turning our old, swingless swing set into a teepee with a few sheets. And birthday bunting. I am going to be up all night every night if the list grows any longer!
Have a lovely week, Lily!
So good to hear your voice again, Lily! I’ll hope the house is yours! THe boat mobiles are a delight! We may give those a try this evening for a crafty adventure. Hmm, maybe I should read the September Vogue before we make boats out of it. Thanks for sharing instructions!!
Hi Lily
Glad to have you back! I do hope your new home in Melbourne is all you hope it will be. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it. (And maybe visiting a distant cousin in Melbourne in a year or two)
Oh Lily, how wonderful that you have perhaps found a home that will bring you much joy. I will send my thoughts for you that it will be a place for you and your family.
Your mobile is so beautiful, and what a great reminder for you of something that you love so much. I too have the ocean as my “thing” that reminds me of peace. The sound, the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing on shore.
Thank you for the tutorial. What a fun project.
Your paper boats are so cute and so easy!!! Glad your week in Melbourne went well. Hope the house works out!!
Thanks for this lovely boat mobile tutorial. I hope the house is yours!
What a fabulous tutorial, I may even be able to pull this off! Thank you!
Oh, how I love boats. Great minds think alike, as I folded paper boats last summer as well. Yours are so wonderful.
lovely tutorial! I still live on the pacific but a very cold bit of it-how I miss the warm parts! xo m
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