raiding the archives again...pinata time

when one of my oldest and dearest friends married in september last year i couldn't be there because of the distance factor. so i sent along part of my heart instead - metaphorically and semi-literally.



this took me a couple of months to make - from start to finish (if i'd remembered just how much work they were i would probably never have embarked upon the project in the first place...luckily i was blissfully ignorant when i began!)



it gave me such a buzz to see the photos of the 'day after' picnic with my pinata joining in the celebrations, and made me somehow feel a little more a part of it all - both the pinata and i so full of love and good wishes for the happy couple and their married life.

continuing a tradition

my little friend jax has just turned one and to celebrate i decided to make her another dress (the first i made when she was born)

i was given this link to a free pattern on the oliver + s blog (thanks erin!). have to laugh whenever i look at my version of the dress - the floral material was leftover from the $4 second-hand doona bought at vinnies to make bunting for my sisters birthday, the pink material is some old calico dyed with water from washing some very non-colourfast vintage cord and the lace is about 20 years old! this was supposed to be a practice attempt but at our fitting it didn't seem quite good enough a design to repeat. so i added in the triangular panels at the sides to give it a bit more shape and thifty jax will have the cheapest dress in town!!

an artist in the family

something special for someone very special...a little parcel just made its way across the tasman to my grandmother in christchurch via personal courier - inside was a small collection of cards made with prints of her artworks.

last year (the year that granna turned 90) my cousin cathy and her husband paul published a book with a selection of the hundreds of paintings of patricia rolls fear. it was no small project, involving the professional photographing of each selected painting as well as all the formatting etc etc. the end result was a gorgeous tribute to the artistic life of a gorgeous gorgeous woman. and also a by-product of a cd containing all the photos of the paintings - which got me thinking...

... i wanted granna to be able to share this part of her life with people who hadn''t been able to buy a copy of the book and this was such an easy and effective way to do it. so i made up and sent over about 20 cards for starters (she can choose to either write in them and give them to people herself or package them up in little groupings and give them as gifts). i've seen how much joy the book has given her and hope that this will give her a little more of that feeling.

beauty everywhere

mother nature really is the most amazing artist...this produce is nothing short of works of art - each and every one beautiful in its own individuality and 'imperfection'.

a temporary obsession with windchimes

in the early evening, as the sun is about to fall behind the trees for the night, it lights up the windchimes on the back verandah. as i was walking down the driveway yesterday (after an aborted attempt to rescue an injured magpie) they caught my eye, took my breath away once again, and sent me running for my camera...

these two shots were selected from the dozens i snapped in the fading light. (the second reminds me of under the sea).

new delivery

my latest goodies from ebay arrived today...some gorgeous deep red vintage cord and crocheted doilies from seller adee's wedding the year i was born. already have quite a few ideas swimming around in my head, just have to find a way to narrow them down (and then actually follow through of course!).

...and fast-forward - happy birthday lee!

my little sister lee turns 30 today (hard to believe...) and i made this card to go with the apple & bee bathroom bag that was part of her present. i love the designs apple & bee come up with - such gorgeous patterns. i also love that they're an austalian company, carbon-neutral and use fabrics like organic cotton, hemp and bamboo silk blends. (quite partial to the reusable drawstring unbleached cotton cloth bags they're sold in at the moment too.)

for her card i wanted to make lee something that tied in with that organic look, so i used a very handmade looking base card bought from a little shop called namaste, and set about making a vague copy of the pattern from the bag then gluing mohair to the pattern. looks so simple but took hours and hours. a true act of love.

press rewind for a second - january 2009

if 2009 was the year of beanies, then 2008 was the year of cards. at the beginning of the last year my cousin di married her very special man dan. i sent this set of cards along for her hens night 'pink party' (don't ask me, i still don't understand!)...had such fun picking all my best pink flower photos to go together in a set, making up some cards and then and covering a box to match. loved the result and it made me somehow feel a little more part of it all seeing i couldn't be there in person. very very pink and lots of happy thoughts and blessings for the bride in there.

crochet gallery (a small selection)

and then came crochet...

also in march, i had a visit from a primary school friend i'd reconnected with - anna -who showed me the basics of crochet. neither of us had any idea at the time what she was starting! my months became marked by a production line of beanies - many for birthdays of special little people in my life. and a few extra-special creations for newborns as well.

lots of the mohair yarns i used i picked up on ebay at bargain prices and my favourite trim became a silk sari thread made of pieces recycled from the cutting room floors. on some occasions i've also used yarns brought back from the US by my mum before i was born (as in the one pictured above - my somewhat amusing first attempt!).