Friday Finds on Etsy

These lovely paper garlands from belladrummer are simple yet so pretty, especially when hung in multiples. I love clean, simple - but effective design. Have a lovely weekend!

My Creative Space - Japanese Sewing Pattern

Well, it seems I like a challenge :-) My cousin Gret sent me this lovely children's Japanese sewing pattern for my birthday in Jan. The instructions are completely in Japanese!!!!! eeeeeek! Fortunately I prefer pictures to follow anyway... however a few English words like 'back' and 'front' would have been handy! Hmmmm...

Fortunately there are many great sewers out there that have conquered before me and left helpful advice on their blogs. The only one I really used was The Purl Bee, she included the symbol for back and front and it was a life-saver! Gret has a post on her blog sighting a few more helpful links for Japanese crafting.



All in all it turned out pretty well but a little boxy for my liking. I haven't decided if I will take it in or not. Anya loves the little pocket and wanted one on both sides. I originally made it for our family photo shoot last weekend, but ended up putting Anya in something else. I think this pattern would be lovely in a really light, flowy gauze/cotton fabric.

For more creative spaces visit Kirsty's place.

Family Photos - by the amazing Amanda Keeys

Last weekend we trekked to Sydney to hang with my family and have a few photos taken with the brilliant Amanda Keeys! I love all these photos - particularly that first shot of Anya and this black and white. Anya barely sat still - Amanda did a fabulous job capturing her. {images - Amanda Keeys}

A little package arrived from Sth Africa

I posted this beautiful tea towell as a Friday Favourite a few weeks back and it turns out my sister thought it would be a good birthday present - so last week I received this lovely package in the post all the way from Sth Africa!



I actually can't decide now if I want to frame it or use it! ha ha Our rental kitchen is a revolting mix of - pale aqua bench tops teamed with pinky coloured cupboard doors - which makes me a little queasy every time i am in there... so maybe the little birdies might end up adorning a wall somewhere else?..... Heather from Skinny Laminx included a lovely little note & badge! In my books, attention to detail in packaging is almost as lovely as the package itself.

MACRO Monday - Frangipannis

Happy Monday :-) I have woken with a sore throat and my daughter has been sniffling away since yesterday, so it may be a slow day at home - baking, 2yr-old-crafting and trying to rest! I am 31 weeks preggas on Wednesday and starting to feel it - eeeek D-day will be here before I know it (seriously trying not to think about it).


This is my lovely Frangipanni plant that I left at my Mum's so it would actually survive! I didn't think Canberra's weather would be very kind to a tropical flower. They make me miss Brisbane but smile at the same time - as we (read_hubby & I_) had a 'flower' before we had a 'song'! If you were wondering our song ended up being Ben Harper's 'Forever' which was our bridal waltz :-) now everyone say "awwww"...

Friday Favourites - Pencil Shavings Necklace

I found this cool necklace on Oye Modern last week by Blue Mason and loved it! I love coloured pencil shavings and love seeing them sitting in a pretty curly pile - before you turf them in the bin! Victoria Mason has lots of quirky little pieces, actually the whole site has cool, unusual stuff on it! Happy Browsing. We are having a family photo shoot with the incredible Amanda Keeys this weekend! We are lucky enough to be volunteering as her 'models' in a mentoring session :-) Have a great weekend!

My creative space... Honeycomb Smocking

This is the start of my honeycomb smocked cushion cover! My little smocked pieces look a bit squashed in some lines - I don't think it will look half as neat as the tutorial on Tumbling Blocks. It is all done by hand and my hand stitching isn't the neatest, probably the reason I never try embroidery :-) I'm hoping it will stretch out OK when sewing it up.



I have to admit, now I have done the smocking I am procrastinating on how to finish it. Do you think I need to back the smocking with a plain piece of the same fabric then go about sewing up my cushion? Any suggestions welcomed ladies :-)

Come and join in the fun and share your Creative Space or just be inspired by someone else's creative space!

Ed's note:  Finished cushion here

Chandeliers #4 - wine glasses

It seems Chandeliers can be made from any sort of glass!! Made from wine goblets it's fitting to be hanging in a bar! {Image *} I love that wall behind it too!

Handmade Market - March 2010

I know I just mentioned the new dates for Handmade Market 2010 last week (March 28th being the first) but I wonder if you caught Handmade's other exciting announcement???

Handmade is opening a retail shop!!! How cool is that - there are also no commissions taken on goods sold - fabulous for artists who want to display and sell their work in a shop-front but can't afford to go it alone etc. If Market Girl's good taste is anything to go by Shop Handmade promises to be a divine place to shop, browse, drool and shop some more! With some help in the styling department from the lovely Ninaribena :-)

The most romantic thing ever done for me...

In light of all the lovey dovey stuff that we have endured over the last few weeks for Valentines, I thought I would share my favourite romantic story - the best part is - it actually happened to ME! In 2002 Gordon & I went with a few friends to Thailand to help out at the Agape Orphanage build in Chang Mai. I celebrated my birthday while we were there and after a lovely day off we went out for dinner with the group then Gordon and I went off for a wander through the night markets on our own.



Little did I know the rest of the team had strict instructions to carry out a secret squirrel operation in my honour from the gorgeous Gordon (then 'boyfriend'). To cut a long story short - the team purchased an entire truck of flowers from one seller and the seller was so overjoyed he drove them all back to our hotel in his truck, flowers and all!! They then set about decorating my bedroom with 1000 roses, fairy lights and other lovely flowers :-)



You can imagine my delight and surprise when I walked into my room - I burst into happy tears - it truly was such a grand romantic gesture... I felt like a movie star going to bed that night and couldn't sleep. Everyone thought a proposal was at the fore but we weren't ready for that yet! Needless to say the rest of the boys on the trip weren't happy with Gordon and the girls romantic expectations had just gone up a notch. I was one giddy girl :-) (Gordon thinks it is worth a trip to thailand to do this fella's as you could never afford to do it in Oz!) {my images - from Christchurch Botanical gardens - I couldn't find my actual photos of the day - that is why this post is sooo late ;}

Rose headband in felt

Oh how adorable is this? Amanda is taking some photos of a few hair pieces for me and I just love these... so divine! You can see a few more pics here of the darling Zoe in my white rose felt headband - for infants and little ones... coming to my stores SOON!

Another lovely treasury...blowing raspberries

I love treasuries and think you could get addicted to making them! I have never been able to get one on Etsy though, so gave up a while back. I am always delighted to see something of mine in a treasury - posting it here is a way of saying Thanks to it's creator! Thanks Lilliputloft :-) You should check out her amazing Alice in Wonderland mobiles and the quiet books are pretty fabulous too!

Chandeliers #3

WOW! Another impressive Chandelier photo. If you have missed the others go to my tag cloud in the side bar and click on Chandeliers :-) or just click the tag Chandelier under this image :-)

I hope you have a lovely weekend! I am still getting the house/life in order after our whirlwind trip away - my husband calculated he travelled approx 5, 500km last weekend, so needless to say this weekend will be a little quieter.

My Creative Space...

I thought it was time to join a lovely group of people who enjoy being creative like me so I will be sharing my Creative Space with you and lots of other crafty chicks on Thursdays, thanks to Kirsty from Kootoyoo! Come on over and see what everyone is working on or join in the fun!

This is one of my new hair clips I have been working on, made from vintage lace. I am in the process of having one photographed on a live model then will need to hurry up and make some for my little shop :-) Isn't this lace pretty, I love only having a limited amount of it - always adds to the 'special' element don't you think!

Ribbon love

These stunning ribbons are from a fabulous website I found that supply EVERYTHING you could think of for events and crafting! Unfortunately they are in the states and of course they don't ship to Australia. They have alternate ways you can ship to Oz but the price is ridiculous :-( *hmphh* When our dollar is so strong it sucks that we can't take advantage of such great suppliers....

I love the names of these ribbons & colours:

1. Mint Green Parisian Grosgrain
   
2. Sea Foam Pearl Finish
   
3. Austrian Silver Velvet

We are home safe and enjoyed one night at the beach and a little relaxing before driving home yesterday. Of course it stops raining after we LEAVE the beach! ha ha - always the way. I am just happy to have my little family all back together again.

Monday Musings - Vintage Love

Hubby came home last night after after LOTS of travelling over the weekend! We are taking off to the beach for a couple of days for some R&R before heading back to Canberra/work. Being at my parents place I had a little more time to surf the net and indulge in some blog reading while Anya was being doted over :-) I had to share these gorgeous vintage props from Have You Met Miss Jones who makes those divine big bone china buttons I saw in the Inside Out Christmas magazine and the beautiful china goods pictured above *sigh* I would like to scoop them all up and take them home too.

I do actually own one medium sized vintage spool like the ones pictured that I use for a market stall prop. A friend found it for me at the Cobitty Village Markets which is on my list of places to visit this year. I want to grab a few more :-) I love checking out other markets now too since I have been involved in the Handmade market. Speaking of which the next date has been released for SUNDAY MARCH 28th 2010, 10am - 4pm (Canberra). I won't be having a stall as I will be very preggas but I will be there with bells on!

I hope you had a lovely weekend! See you Wednesday.

{images via Studio Home Creative}

Friday Favourites - Sew in love

Being an ex-florist I always hated Valentines day, so needless to say we don't celebrate it in our house. Do you celebrate in your house? I did find these cute cards on Anthropology - the title of the 2nd card is Sew in Love... you stitch it yourself. Speaking of love, my lovely husband flew to Nth Qld today for Susannah's funeral. I will be spending the weekend at my folks place while awaiting his safe return on Sunday. Have a lovely weekend!

The Sky is Falling - Etsy Treasury

Vicki is the Treasury Queen! You are making me look all popular :-) ha ha Thanks for including my Melanie Headband.

Chandeliers #2

An unusual place to have a chandelier I thought, - this is in a mosque in Pakistan! I decided to do a weekly series on Chandeliers - for my own viewing pleasure and hopefully yours. {image}

Pendant light

Another beautiful light by Bodo Sperlein. Handmade bone china flowers attached to a hand blown borosilicate glass pendant! Impressive!

Decorating wooden letters tutorial

I covered the letter 'J' in this lovely paper for my nieces birthday. Just something simple and sweet to go on her door now she has her own bedroom. She is turning 10! Hard to believe how quickly she has grown up, I remember with great excitement the day she was born. I love being an Auntie! Jess also has the creative bug that I will be nurturing as she grows :-)

What you need to cover a wooden letter:

• Wooden letter/s (Lincraft or Spotlight, craft stores) [approx $3-4]
  
• 1 x A4 sheet of lovely paper - I got mine from Eckersley's [approx $2]
• Paint
  
• Can of adhesive spray (craft glue may do - but spray keeps your surface lump-free)
• Craft lacquer - optional (I used Craft Smart Glaze Paste)
• Self-healing mat / craft knife
  

1. Paint the back & sides of the letter in a complimentary colour, allow time to dry
   
2. Spray front of letter with adhesive
3. Spray paper with adhesive
4. Lay paper down on flat surface, adhesive side up
5. Press your letter onto the paper, adhesive side down & wait till dry
   
6. On a self-healing mat or thick cardboard, cut around the shape of the letter with a sharp craft/stencil knife (one for parents to do)
7. Paint over paper with a clear lacquer to give a nice shiny surface and a 'finished' look
8. Attach with 3M adhesive wall stickers

A very quick and easy way to let your kids express themselves by doing something creative! Of course you could add ribbon, buttons, sequins or motifs to a lovely plain textured paper also.

Monday Musings - A day in Bowral

I had a lovely girls day in Bowral over the weekend with my cousin, Melanie (left) and my sister-in-law Kate (right). We kicked the morning off with a coffee and cake at the Elephant Boy Cafe - my favourite... It has a great ambience, old books lining the walls and a lovely, hard-working hostess with quirky glasses, braids and great calves :-) She is there every time I go and is always BUSY!

We pottered around the shops and spent quite some time in Seed and another favourite, My Place. Seed is divided into two sides, childrens clothing and lovely stuff for Mum (pictured). They had sensational props, old hat boxes, hat blocks and a massive glass jar full to the brim with letter press letters! I wanted to tuck that under my arm and bring it home! All in all it was a lovely day out.

I unfortunately blew my back tyre on the way home in the middle of nowhere on the highway :-( I have been a paying member of NRMA for 7 years and the one time I need them I get told it will be 2 hrs minimum wait - sorry. I couldn't even lift the spare tyre out of the boot - I sat on the back of the car and cried! That lasted all of 5 minutes, pulled myself together, prayed for some divine intervention and no later than 5 minutes a tow truck heading in the opposite direction crossed the split highway and came to my rescue - changing my tyre in all of 5 minutes. *sigh* Thank you God! I was extremely grateful (as was Gordon) and got home in one piece. A great ending, for a great day.