tiny happy

Some white-petalled things for this week's shop update– inspired by all the daisies and clover flowers populating our lawn right now. I've been hoarding the chamomile/daisy print vintage fabric for a while now, but I thought it was time to make somethinng from it. And the tiny flowers on grey linen were embroidered by me like an allover, but slightly random, pattern. It was made into a case for the shop. 

I hope you're having a good day! Did you see this beautiful piece of paper-cutting over on etsy? Some people have such fine fingers.

This is the predictable 'part II' to yesterday's post– where I show a few more things I made in 2011. I hadn't realised how many things I was dreaming up each week- I'm sure I could have made about five of these mosaics. Ah well, it was a very fun and productive year I guess. Sometimes I worry that I have used up my all of my ideas and creativity…but then I've always secretly thought that creative work leads to yet more creative work… we'll see, I suppose.

Speaking of creative work, last night Tom and I went to hear some live music- a local band and then Shenandoah Davis from Seattle, USA. She was quite amazing, a true talent I think and she played this great song. Hopefully she'll be on her way to a town near you soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I got invited to join this flickr group, where members post a mosaic of the work they did in 2011. Turns out I made quite a few things, so here are some of the finished objects from the second half of the year. You can click here to find the flickr links to individual projects. Looks like I had lots of fun, eh? 

Happy new week, blog friends.

I was inspired by our ferny garden to do some illustrations on the last of my plain white ceramicware. These pieces are from my hometown- the op-shops there seemed to be brimming with great ceramics, but I haven't had so much luck here. But there are some great second-hand shops here – they just have other things in them. 🙂

The kids have re-discovered their deep love for the songs of FatCat and FishFace, who are Wellington locals. They especially enjoy The Wreck of the Diddley, which allegedly happened not far from our house, and My Mother's Locked Out of the House, for obvious reasons. 

When we're having a break from kids' songs, I love listening to this Wilco Tiny Desk Concert on NPR.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Well I know that I'm a little late to the party, but recently I've discovered my instagram account (I signed up some time last year then promptly forgot my password AND username…) and have been enjoying the simplicity and immediacy of it very much. I guess it's kind of like very simple photoblogging through the iphone. Thanks to Susie who encouraged me to sort it out! If you are an instagram user, let me know and I'll find you on there.

The photos above include our old brick garage, some Wellington street art in the form of a three-eyed dog, and the kids eating their afterschool lemonade iceblocks.

See you again tomorrow!

I made some cushion covers for my shop update this week- one is made from some vintage poppy fabric I'd been hoarding, and the other two are from antique kimono coats that I carefully unpicked, although some bits of lining and hand-stitched seams do remain.

The very cheerful daisy plants shown in the first photo are growing along our path and I admire them every day. We used to have some growing by the kitchen window in an old house of ours- I wrote about them once here. 

I recently read of the death of the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, and through that article, I discovered this most beautiful poem of hers, Clouds. You should have a read, if you don't know it already.

We ventured north a little yesterday until we reached Paekakariki, a small seaside village, and listened to a great band in the hot Waitangi Day sun. Face-painting and candy floss mandatory, of course. 

Then we took our sandy, sticky, salty, sunburned selves back to the city again. And now we've returned  to rain and wind, which makes yesterday even more special.

Hope your weekend was a good one too.

One good thing about moving and packing is discovering old treasures again, like books for example. When I was hastily packing dusty books into cardboard boxes last month, I came across my copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden. 

I did some botanical-type embroidery on this hand-dyed linen of Margie's, in white thread and totally inspired by Ms Holden. Actually, it's probably not finished yet, and I have no idea what I'll do with it.

This morning I was lucky enough to have tea and cake with this lovely food blogger (and her small girl), who just happens to live up the road from us. I am liking our new community more and more each day.

And this is a lovely version of a favourite old song- Corina, Corina by Conor Oberst.

Enjoy your weekend!

Three photos for this Thursday:

* cheese straws were made and loved several times these holidays- I once posted the recipe here. They're a bit like cheesy, pastryish, salty crackers and a numer one comfort food, definitely.

* I just finished reading this graphic novel, Stitches: A Memoir by David Small. It's amazing, and heartbreaking. I think you'd like it.

* this is a work-in-progress embroidery done in tiny white stitches on a piece of Margie's indigo (I think) dyed linen. Hopefully it will be finished in time to show tomorrow.

I made these 'project bags' (I thought they were pretty similar to these ones from a couple of years back)  except this time I used vintage kimono which I found, washed and carefully unstitched to reuse the best pieces. I stabilised each piece and lined the bags with strong cream cotton and sewed in brown leather handles, because I managed to find some leather from a show company that closed down. Some of the kimono fabric has some little marks and the original hand-stitching but I quite like that about them- they have lots of character.

I've re-started up my etsy shop, after a bit of a hiatus- but now I've relocated my brown paper and tape and found the local post office, I'm good to go again.

In other news, today I'm dreaming about sewing more clothes from linen- for example this skirt (ahh, Pinterest, how I love you!) and this top or dress. Dreams are free.