'when you perceive that an act done to another is done to yourself, you have understood the great truth.'

— lao tzu

thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to 'that vintage'

a package full of handmade gorgeousness turned up in my mailbox today - a prize won by my friend marzi and very generously donated to lucky moi.  

the giveaway was from a lovely lady named sophie hill, the talented tasmanian behind  'that vintage'.  i'd long admired her work, especially the whimsical and delicate designs.  however i knew the lighter versions wouldn't work with my colouring ... and so i resisted temptation.  then i saw a photo on her facebook page which not only had a  darker pair of earrings with a pattern named 'monarch' (which reminds me of damask) but also a fantastic fabric-wrapped bangle.  the caption:  'you want?'  my answer:  'yes, yes, yes!'

i so wish that i could find a way to share the scent i am breathing in right now as well as the wonderful packaging and presentation.    the fragrance is absolutely divine - as soon as i opened the packets it hit me.   (after a little investigation i think it's actually the huon pine in the middle of the bangle rather than the tasmanian myrtle of the earrings as i had assumed).  a very unexpected added pleasure.

so, a huge thankyou to both sophie and marzi for sharing the love and brightening my day - these beautiful pieces of jewelry will always be extra special because of the way in which they came to be mine.  

things can only get better!

this is the first crafty adventure i have had in a long long time - and i figure that things really can only get better!  let's just call it 'organic', shall we?

i'm quite a fan of these tree pendants (well, anything tree-ish for that matter), and had some jewelry-making supplies lurking in a cupboard that hadn't been put to use properly yet.  it seemed a good project to try and ease me back into the creative realm...something that looked a little forgiving, not too complicated and that i could do sitting in bed.  the best tutorial i found was by camille sharon -  she's an engaging, fun and natural teacher.  

i decided to start out with torched copper wire - the torching gives a 'rainbow' sort of effect - simply because it is much cheaper than silver alternatives.  (put it this way:  i anticipated some failures.)   the amethyst chips used came from a bracelet a friend gave me which fell apart a few years ago now.   i'm going send her the reincarnated version - figuring it will at least give her a laugh.  

belles fleurs - the abstract series

belles fleurs

one of the great pleasures in life:  unexpected floral deliveries from very special friends.  (another pleasure:  photographing the flowers to enjoy long after they have gone).

klimt reincarnate

once upon a time this klimt panel was a little singlet top - a lovely little (too little) singlet top, with nowhere to go and nothing to do. so it decided to make itself useful, morph into something entirely different, and head off on an adventure to find somebody more than a little special to love it again.

it enlisted the aid of some vintage velvet and destash velvet and backing friends, prettied itself up, stuffed itself silly and emerged a cushion (then tried out a few of the local chairs for size). before i knew what had happened it was out the door - traveling all incognito as a brown paper package tied up with string - and on its way across the country to a new home and a new life...


(post name inspiration from one of my favourite blogs - melanie's kimono reincarnate )

smiles, glitter and gratitude - with tea

unexpected surprises in brown paper packages really are one of the great pleasures in life. lately i've been sending a few out into the world and getting such a buzz from it that i'd almost decided giving was better than receiving...almost!

and then this morning i'd just boiled the kettle before heading up to check the post, so when i found some treasure i took it out to the verandah with my tea to savour as i opened. inside the beautifully decorated outer wrapping (enough to elicit many smiles in itself and make me hesitate to unwrap it) was the most beautiful little gift from from two beautiful women...

under a whole lot of glitter i found one of miras fabulous artworks - soul medicine every time - and a lovingly handmade beaded string with little origami cranes from the talented alex. with glitter everywhere (including in my tea) i soaked up the feelings of gratitude and appreciation for the thoughtfulness, creativity, colour and beauty in that little box. and decided that receiving really is pretty good too!

thanks so very much alex and mira for making my day, it was a truly special surprise to find on my daily pilgrimage to the mailbox. i feel so touched and blessed and am still smiling to myself.

mrs d's first married birthday present

deciding to hand-make a present for one of the most crafty people i know was perhaps not the brightest idea i've had...fraught with anxieties over my level of competence! the lovely sarah-may of a year of handmade presents is the birthday girl - and a seamstress extraordinaire (by my standards anyway).

these are cushions no. two and three that i have made - complete with infamous invisible zippers (tutorial found very serendipitously here at kirinote via flowerpress) - so, far from perfect. materials are all vintage with the exception of the blue and pink amy butler material in one of the sashes, the rest i found on ebay, as mentioned in a previous post. the second cushion is a multitasker with two removable options to jazz it up - a 'sash' and an 'obi'. makes it ever so easy to change looks...

(my witch's cat discovered the cushions when i'd popped them on the sofa to photograph - was looking very self-satisfied when i found him).