Sunday Stash: Fabric #5

I have a 1970s bold, graphic pattern for my Sunday Stash this week. The fabric is from a dress I bought at Portobello Markets in London a decade ago. I think the stall owner must have shortened it from its original 70s length. It used to fit me... it was my favourite going-out-dancing dress... now, I'm undecided about whether to preserve its original splendour for my daughters or alter it somehow so that I can wear it again! Speaking of 70s frocks, the very clever Katy has just made herself one from scratch - have a peek here.

You can find more Sunday Stashes here or on the Flickr group pool here.

Inspiration: Pencil love

Coloured Pencils by Jonna Pohjalainen

My inspiration today comes out of an amazing Creative Space day yesterday (did you have a peek at everyone's industrious goodies?)... Well, I saw many lovely things but I was particularly taken with a couple of posts featuring pencils. It reminded me of this wonderful photo I'd bookmarked ages ago. This is the work of Jonna Pohjalainen at the summer Environmental Art workshop of the Open Air Art Museum in Pedvale, Latvia. Coloured Pencils illustrates how the everyday is connected to the environment by showing how it changes during different weather conditions and times of the day. I think I could very easily live with this daily reminder as a sculpture in my back yard! I love it :) It would play havoc with the soccer games, though...!

Don't forget to have a peek at Kirsty's pencil sculpture and Annamaria's fabulous pencil haul! I originally found Jonna's work on this beautiful blog.

My Creative Space - Tulle Top

Oops... I just realised it's My Creative Space day. I really don't want to go into all the disparate chaotic threads I'm currently tangling (it's just too messy around here people!). So, maybe a bit of sewing will suffice? I made this top a couple of months ago. Since then I've made another for a friend that was finished off with far greater skill... isn't it funny how you go that extra mile when making for someone else? And I've just received a request from another friend just this week for me to make her one too, so I'm hoping it's good enough to show here ;) The top bodice is black tulle with hand-sewn lace bits and the lovely loose lower part is a fabulous brush strokes pattern jersey I found at a closing down sale. Happy Creative Space Day everyone! What have you got cooking? :)

Find more Spaces or join in yourself at Kirsty's here.

Book Therapy

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. There's a lot going on and I have quite a few projects mid-way that I'm juggling. Not so much that an organised person couldn't handle, but for me, well, I feel like I'm losing my chaotic thread ;) So, I dive back into my first love... books. Have you seen this wonderful website, The Book Cover Archive? I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but for me it's part of the whole sensory experience of a book. I just love it. I do admit I've bought a book before because the cover was so exquisite I needed to be able to look at it often! The Book Cover Archive is edited and maintained by Ben Pieratt of General Projects and Eric Jacobsen of Whisky Van Gogh Go. They do this for the sheer pleasure and appreciation of books :) They have a search engine where you can pull up covers of a particular genre, like architecture, or covers with the same typeface used... it's an amazing resource. I frequently lose myself in there! :) You can find The Book Cover Archive here. I found it via the Crust Station here.

All change please!

My focus has shifted somewhat... I'm determined to work out this crochet thing! My first lesson yesterday was great. Stef, my teacher at Tangled Yarns, was fabulous.. she just had to work really hard with a very bad student ;) Is this an over-40 thing? Why couldn't I get my head around it? With much patience and perseverance I managed to do a row of double stitch and then a row of treble stitch...(it only took two hours!) Worst of all, I got back home and had totally forgotten how to do the double stitch row again... Such a sad thing. After much Net searching I think I've got it and have been powering on, but it's a hard climb. I'm now pretending I didn't ever want a square shape really! Are my hands supposed to ache this much...? ;)

Brooch Update - 3D felt

Just a quick one today to show you what I've been up to... Over the weekend I've been experimenting with creating 3D 'bubbles' on my brooches. The first one I was happy with but it hasn't photographed very well I'm afraid. The three black beads have a nice play with light when you see it in person :) The second one... well, I think it looks like a scrunched up cotton ball so I've tried to make it more interesting, but, I think I've strayed too far into the over-embellishment trap. Anyway... works in progress continue. School drop-off is done and I'm rushing out the door to my very first crochet lesson!!! I'm so excited :)

Bonjour Mon Coussin

I've been thinking about screenprinting cushion designs and making covers for some outdoor furniture, so naturally my mind has taken a soft furnishings bent... ;) Isn't it funny how you suddenly notice a particular thing once you have one yourself? You know, suddenly you see your make of car on every street or you fall pregnant and all you see are babies everywhere...? So, here you have it, the beginning of what may possibly be a week of soft furnishing preoccupations! (Good warning I think in case you want to tune out for the week! ;))

So, what do you think of those gorgeous babies? Fabulous cushion covers fabrique en France with the images drawn from vintage postcards and found ephemera. They are the creations Claire Eglizeaud and Paul Moreau of Bonjour Mon Coussin. I love their retro aesthetic, and I'm always a complete sucker for maps and (of course) optical ephemera (sorry, can't help that one!) Visit their website to see the full fabulous range. I found them via this lovely blog.

Envy...

Nick Cave performing at All Tomorrow's Parties in Sydney in January this year. Picture pinched from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend magazine, August 1st, 2009.

"There's not a thing about old age I recommend... Those glorious cardinal sins are taken away from you till you're left with nothing but envy."

I realise this isn't part of my unusual 3 sheets style, but hey, we're all 3-dimensional characters with loads of quirky bits. One of my quirks is I'm a big Nick Cave fan. I was just sitting out on the back deck in the sun reading the papers and this wonderful quote made me laugh out loud. I went to this concert in January at the Riverstage in Brisbane... what a performer. I've never seen someone be so generous with their audience. He's such a rock god! :)

Sunday Stash: Fabric #4

Another fabric stash and another vintage piece I don't have the courage to cut into...! This fabric was given to me many years ago now by a friend and it seems I'm wholly incapable of cutting it because I find it too precious :)

More Sunday Stashes can be found here and there's a Flickr Stash Pool here.

Friday Find: 3 Girls + a Goat

Bird Series Gift Card - Winter White

Gift Cards + Envelopes - Coral Red, Passion Flower, Pink Petals and Sea Jelly Pink

Mint, Ice, Dogwood Blue + Lime and Lemon Filigree

Recycle Design Envelopes + Cards

Oh, do I have a treat for you today! I know you're excited, fellow-worshippers at the altar of paper... Pray, contain thyselves and be ready for the gorgeousness that is 3 Girls + a Goat stationery. Luscious paper stock that has been hand printed and embossed, hand constructed and stamped... these are truly beautiful paper goods, lovingly fashioned for maximum impact and enjoyment. Can't you just see these lovelies on your gifts? It's the kind of product that begs to be touched, all those delicious bumps and swirls!

Brisbane architect, Steffen Tuck, is the talented designer and artisan of these goodies. She began making her paper products through a desire to recycle the multitude of magazines around her house - her Recycle Design cards and envelopes are still a main feature of her paper work. From there, she began creating more detailed and crafted gift pieces. The idea behind them came from not wanting to hide a beautiful card in an envelope (cute, hey?)... So, she reversed the order and created beautifully decorated envelopes to carry the simple white cards! So unique and such a fabulous idea, don't you think?

There isn't a blog as yet (I'm told it will happen one day!) but you can find Steffen's beautiful pieces at her Etsy Store here and there's even a Made.It Store here.

My Creative Space - Helping Friends

My Creative Space isn't actually my work this week. This is the screenprinting work of our friend Michael and he popped over to get some help with finishing off this huge piece of fabric. I finished off the edges and sewed a loop at the top so it can be used as a curtain. Hardly creative, but hey it was nice to be able to help. Don't you just love the patterning he's created? I'm still working away on sewing my Green Bags and have been making a few more brooches.

For more creative spaces or to play along yourself, visit Kirsty's here.

Inspiration: Basque Architecture

Many years ago now... my eldest daughter was one and a half I think, so eleven years ago now... when we were still living in London and we went for a trip to Bilbao in Spain to see the new Guggenheim. It had only just opened and we were mesmerised by its beauty and totally charmed by the then-untouched city of Bilbao. Unfortunately, we haven't been back since but I imagine Bilbao has become much more of a metropolis (or at least more used to tourists!) So, I was delighted when I came across this story in one of the architecture newsletters about the new Basque Health Department Headquarters in Bilbao. Isn't it divine? I'm not an architect but I do so love architecture and find it eternally inspiring. What I'd really like to do is to create similar patterning on my brooches... maybe a 3-D bubble not unlike the formation at the top of the building. I love that this city has continued to embrace such a brave architectural frontier. The architects are Coll-Barreu Arquitectos and you can find them here for more info about the building.

and another...

Caravan love

I've just been leafing through the August issue of World of Interiors and came across this gorgeous and impossibly romantic Vickers Caravan, circa 1977.... are you in love? I am :) What is it about these intimate spaces that attract us? I see my youngest daughter still making cubby houses under desks with blankets etc and recognise that same need. Is it Virgina Woolf's room of one's own? It must be some romantic yearning in the psyche... it's certainly common enough for the owners of this caravan to make a nice living out of renting it in its Cornwall resting place. ;) I just love all the finishing touches - so cute! Did you see the Charles + Diana mug in the cabinet?! There's even a fireplace! You can find this little beauty here for more info.

Click on the photos to see them super-size!