Retro find

I had a lot of fun re-discovering Cath Kidston's work while I was in London. It seems her particular brand of design-cute and nostalgia has really taken off as she had shops (almost) everywhere I looked. There was a bit of indulgence on my part, I will admit... (Some of it to be shared very soon!) I tried to stay strong but it was these retro fabric bags that were my undoing ;) Aren't they divine? The fabric is the real deal - it has that fabulous crepe-feel, if you know what I mean? I'm still chasing down the name and designer... leafing through retro fabric texts looking for my wonderful find... *sigh* Love Saturdays :) Hope you have a lovely weekend!

My Creative Space - Doodling

This must seem a very strange creative space... I've been doodling! Most of this week has been spent in finishing my Loz & Dinny Trimming Challenge dress (see post below), but when that was all done I found myself at a loss as to what to do (housework obviously didn't occur to me!)... Anyway, I began playing with a collage idea and thought I'd experiment with layering leaf shapes and sewing them onto the paper. It was all so dull looking so I began doodling little motifs on the leaves... and then I couldn't stop. Before I knew it, I'd gone crazy doodling all over the page. It was fun :) Find some proper creative spaces over at Kirsty's.

Trimming the spread...

Remember this post about my found bedspread and the fabulous trimming competition at Loz & Dinny? Well, it's D-day for entries to be completed and I've been cutting and sewing and embroidering and even beading myself into a frenzy to meet the deadline. So, here it is... a frock with trimming! Hmm, I just noticed you can still see the raised ring from the embroidery hoop... an iron would have been a good idea before taking pics... ;) There are so many mistakes in this dress but my vanity made me artfully conceal them. Still, it's a mighty fine trim, isn't it? Thanks to the lovely Gemma at Loz & Dinny for making it all happen :)

Paris/London

Sorry for the delay... jet lag has been bad this time, but more than that, I had an inch of red dust all over everything in the house that desperately required attention before I could do anything. I'm sure you've all heard about and maybe even experienced yourself the dust storms we've been having here on the eastern coast of Australia. I read about it in the papers in London before we left, but was totally unprepared for how my house would look on our return. So, trip things...

This is the only show-able photo I have of myself out of very slim pickings. I have to say, we took so few pics and seemed to be running around the whole time. Paris was pretty much work work work but we did squeeze in some lovely walks around. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with my round up... I didn't get to many of the places in the Paris: Handmade book at all, but I did snap some funny and cute window displays...

Above is a very cute shop I found in the Louvre district called Le Facteur N'est Pas Passe. They had some fabulous handmade bits and pieces. Actually, just about every shop window had that handmade aesthetic in their window displays regardless of the product they were selling, which was interesting. Like the clothing shop below had these amazing ceramics...

And so London... we had such a wonderful time. It wasn't about shopping it was about people and seeing friends so I have only a couple of random snaps for you of things that interested me or made me laugh. The Michael Jackson dress is a hoot, don't you think?

Giant pencil frontage covering scaffolding...

Gorgeous shop displays at the V&A...

Okay okay, I know... not what you were wanting from me! With only four days in each city I guess there was never going to be time for hunting down those blogged-of places we all dream about but I'm happy to have had such a lovely relaxing time there :)

p.s.... I'm fast approaching my 200th post and I'm planning a giveaway of some lovely goodies I found in my travels, so stay tuned!

Back in Brisbane

Public transport, Paris-style :)

Just a couple of hours ago my feet hit soil again after 28 hours in transit from London to Brisbane... definitely feeling light-headed and woozy, but I have got a load of washing done and caught up on all the news from my daughters, so life is good. Thanks for all your wonderful comments and emails... so lovely to come back to :)

Anyway, just wanted to say hi... I hope to have my brain connected by tomorrow ;)

Up Up and Away...!

I've been rushing around like a mad thing the last few days... cooking, cleaning, organising (none of which come naturally to me!). In snatched moments of bliss I've been busy trying to get as much as I can done on my entry in Gemma's trimming competition over at Loz & Dinny. This is a sneak peek of what I've managed so far...

All work must stop on this and other projects, however, as I have the loveliest of distractions to attend to... the time of year that I live for... it's trade fair time! As many of you know, my partner and I run our own small business and the one perk of the job that makes it all worthwhile (for me) is going to the Paris trade fair each year to buy stock. I didn't think I was going this year because of the GFC so it's all come up rather suddenly for me. Thank goodness for frequent flyer points!

Paris will be mostly work but I'm hoping to sneak out and visit a few places featured in Pia Jane Bijkerk's Paris: Made by Hand. What I'm really really excited about and so looking forward to, though, is London... my favourite place in the whole world. I'm hoping to post some pics on my blog from the laptop if I can. Keep an eye out for a postcard! ;)

My Creative Space - More brooches

I've been making some more brooches... playing around with some ideas. The fimo ideas are starting to come together but I do have to get better at the ol' fimo manipulation. Those dints on the black + white cloud are not a good look ;) Anyway, it's all fun. Happy Creative Spaces everyone! You can find more creative spaces at Kirsty's here.

Inspiration: Fabric Vase

There seems to be a familiar tune to my inspiration pieces this week, but I just can't get enough of these wonderful design ideas combining two disparate elements... Have you ever thought of making a vase out of a favourite fabric? Apparently, it is absolutely possible as the clever people at Changedesign have done just that! Composed of pieces of textile and waterproof membrane, these completely water-resistant objects are constructed in much the same way as a fashion item. The textiles are cut into pieces and sewn together before a waterproof tape is attached to the joinery. The organic shapes make them aesthetic covetables in their own right, but how nice that there's a function as well as form :) ... and... you can even buy them, right here.

Blessed

At the risk of sounding maudlin here (don't you just love that word?!)... I need to say something about blogging and how very blessed I feel to have this blogging community. There are a handful of you out there, and you know who you are, who have just made this the loveliest year for me. I love visiting your sites, seeing what you've made and what you have to say, and I'm constantly delighted and humbled by the beautiful comments you leave here.

I keep hearing from people how narcissistic blogging is... but I don't see it. I see kindness and generosity, enquiry and thoughtfulness, endeavour and achievement. So, what I'd like to say is... thank you :)

I received the loveliest gift today in the mail. Gina from Clutterpunk sent me a hand-stamped and sewn notebook, a gorgeous thrifted brooch and a handmade felted brooch. Aren't they amazing? I love them all, but that felted brooch is just divine. Isn't she a good egg? Thank you Gina!

Inspiration: Liz Eeuwes

I love travelling. Everything about it feeds my soul and inspires me. One of my secret pleasures is being in the plane taking off over the countryside and seeing all the partitioned land parcels and crop sections. There's an indescribable beauty to it... a gift you only get a proper glimpse of when you're flying above. I think this just might be a love I share with the very talented Liz Eeuwes who has designed her first collection of rugs using the rich colours and diverse landscape of the Scottish countryside as her inspiration. She has experimented with different pile heights and textures, hand knotting and weaving to accurately reflect the visual feast of these landscapes. Best of all, each rug is hand made. Fitting, then, that they will be part of the Futures area at the 100% Design exhibition during London Design Week, 24 - 27 September 2009. I found them here.

Happy Father's Day!

Okay, so this photo is from a few years ago on a family trip to New Zealand but it's one of my favourites :) Happy Father's Day to all the lovely families out there! We've had a deliciously lazy morning... there was a daddy-daughter trip to Bunnings and now they're out there in the garden digging up soil and planting passionfruit. Such a lovely day :) Hope you have a good one too!

My Creative Space - Collage

Yep, it's finally finished! I've changed it all around, if you're wondering why it looks nothing like you remember! Actually, it's been so long I'm sure no-one remembers the original design (have a peek here if you like!) I'm on to making a second one now - this one will have the stiletto lady and the hand-sewn text I'd originally created for this first one... it just didn't work with the heavier colours of this print. The second print I made afterwards so it's much lighter and has a grainier texture to it. Anyway... Happy Creative Space day everyone! Check out all the creative lovelies via Kirsty's here.

Inspiration: Angharad McLaren

Angharad McLaren

Neon Green Jacquard Shibori Pleats

Neon Ropes

Neon Stripes

Shibori Pleats

It's always so exciting to discover innovations in textile design. I love the stories that come with them; the inspirations and happy accidents... I love it when people take what they love and incorporate it into another sphere of their life... This beautiful melding of disparate passions or obsessions is something we all do every day, in big and small ways... and the results are always so stunning and interesting.

So, here is one such story - Angharad McLaren's passion for the sea and water sport activities, such as sailing and windsurfing, led to her development of this vibrant and dynamic collection of woven textiles. She is a recent graduate with a Master's degree from the Royal College of Art in London, who has combined her personal love of sports and performance textiles and incorporated new weave structures with traditional patterns and hand-finished techniques. Her choice of materials range from organic natural fibers to neoprene and recycled ropes. She repurposes existing materials into the new woven patterns. Her new textile collection also includes the most breathtaking and complex woven designs of Shibori Pleats. Angharad McLaren's collection of woven textiles will be launched at 100% Design London on 24th September this year. Her website is here and I found her via here.

Bean Prints

[click on image to enlarge]

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago now, I was helping my friend Michael sew up some fabric that he'd screen printed? Well, his exhibition opening is tonight and if you're in Brisbane you might like to come along and have a look. We've done a bit more sewing since then and he's done some super yummy prints on paper and fabric. The exhibition runs from 2 - 16 September and is part of the Small Australian Projects initiative. 6pm start - Shop 2, 60 James Street, Fortitude Valley. Come and say hello!

p.s. some pics from the night...