tiny happy

I had a lot of fun painting these wooden bangles one evening recently, getting paint everywhere including my hair, and making a general mess. I found the natural wood bangles in a box at my local Spotlight shop (I think I bought the last 2 boxes sorry), sanded them a little, and used a thick coating of acrylic paint to cover. The white one with blue stripes was inspired by my longstanding love of blue stripes, as well as this ceramic set found on Pinterest. 

I've always had a love for folk-style flowers on dark backgrounds, a bit like this painting, and my Vita fabric design in dark grey. But then a few days ago I followed a link on Emma's blog to this simply amazing collection of colour photographs from early 1900s Russia. There are so many reasons to love these photos, they are completely transporting and fascinating, but I especially loved looking at the clothing worn by some of the women in the pictures. That's how I was inspired to paint the floral bangles.

Wishing you a happy weekend. See you on Monday.

I've been having some adventures in recycling lately. This bag and purse started out their life as a cotton eiderdown for a single bed- the kind that are less popular these days, lightly quilted and padded with batting. When I found the eiderdown looking sad at the second-hand store, I thought I'd give it a good wash and see what I could make with it. The padded bag is soft and light-weight, and feels nice to carry. Something about it reminds me of my Mum when I was growing up- I think she had a similar bag to hold her knitting projects. It's part of my shop update today.

I do enjoy taking old, unloved things and making them into something new. But you probably already knew that.

When I found this soft gingham cotton recently I knew it would be suitable for a come-on-blue-skies or hurry-up-spring kind of dress for K. And here is the dress it made. It's my own pattern, with big and stretchy side pockets and a loose-fitting style. And the bluest-blue cotton.

The small girl is in a silly/tired after-school mood but she agreed to try on the dress in exchange for some biscuits. Wishing you blue skies overhead.

On Sunday, K went to visit my parents. She returned home with three straw and mud-covered eggs, a handful of small and perfect snowdrop flowers, and a tuft of sheep's fleece she found attached to a fence. It feels as though a warmer season is on its way soon. 

My friend Lotus sent me the link to this amazing music video. The boy reminds me a bit of Arlo, setting off on an adventure with his driftwood stick and a knitted jacket. Perhaps an Icelandic version of A.

I drew a winner for the Extra Curricular giveaway- Kylie. Thanks for all your comments!

I was thrilled to 'embroider' the cover of the latest Extra Curricular magazine, which is fresh off the press this week. This issue has a stitch-making focus, so Ellie asked if I'd make a botanical winter embroidery for the cover design. I also wrote and drew a little stitch guide for beginner embroiderers, and a 'how-to' for a child's embroidered satchel. The finished project was photographed by Vanessa Parker who takes some beautiful shots. There's also a mulled wine recipe, interviews with many talented artists and crafters and articles about recycling and sewing in Vanuatu. It was fun to be involved in another issue of this stylish little book.

Now, I was sent an extra copy of Extra Curricular so I have one to give away to a reader. Would you like to have a read? If so, leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw a winner randomly at the end of the weekend. If you'd rather get one now, you can buy it here or at one of the shops listed here. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Louana gave me three of these small vintage linens a while back in the palest sea-green, each with a sprig of flowers embroidered on one corner. I copied the style of the original stitching and embroidered an all-over pattern on the linen, and made it up into a needlebook and matching pouch as part of my shop update today. I liked working on such a delicate and old-fashioned set. 

Hope your Wednesday is going well. I had tea and a chat with an old friend and now the sun is shining through the windows. Not a bad start.

I found the blue and cream dress in an op-shop back in the summer, and something about it was very familiar to me and I couldn't help buying it to alter. When I saw this post on Rummage (I love that blog) I remembered my blue dress languishing in the cupboard, and got cutting and sewing. I used to wear dresses just like it when I was a young teenager- that neckline, that colour, those buttons all the way down the front, so I'm not sure if I will really wear this out of the house. I wonder, did you wear dresses like this too?

I shortened it a bit, replaced some missing buttons and removed the waist ties and now I can't help thinking that this dress actually used to be mine. In the early 1990's. Maybe my sister will remember, I'll have to show her next time she's around. 

Also-

– Tom and I just finished watching the BBC adaptation of Dickens' Little Dorrit. It was so enjoyable- fabulous costumes and characters that nearly jumped right out of the screen. 

– I love this song, and the video. (Warning- you may not be able to stop listening once you start.)

– A handmade songbird.

We had the leftovers of an Antarctic storm blowing through town over the weekend, so it seemed a good time to settle in by the fire and do a bit of stitching. I finally finished this cross-stitch sampler that I started in the Christmas holidays and have worked on now and then since. I've learned that cross-stitch is not really my thing as it requires such precision, but I did enjoy working on it, and found it was really calming and meditative. I didn't use a pattern, but rather found motifs in various books to stitch the flowers, alphabet and insects as I went. The fabric is really fine linen and some of the threads were hand-dyed by a friend, while the others are regular DMC embroidery floss.

Now it's time to light the fire and make some soup. This morning I saw snow falling- the first time i've ever seen it here in my hometown. Hope you're keeping warm, or cool, as the case may be.

I made a batch of russian fudge as a thank-you gift this week for a friend. Hooo boy is it ever sweet and creamy. Trying a piece made me think of my Dad, who has an amazing tolerance of sweet things and so I wrapped a batch up for him, too. I used this great recipe– it worked well and I'm speaking as a person who has had a lot of sweet-making failures in the past. Like the time I made a giant tray of chocolate fudge at Christmas but it didn't set, and I kept catching people in the fridge scooping up bits of gloop with a teaspoon until I finally accepted its failure and threw it out. But this recipe is a good one, I promise. 

I also wanted to show you my new Japanese washi tape. I ordered it from here– and even though it's a very little thing, it makes wrapping up gifts even more fun. 

And what else? Oh yes, the new album by The Unthanks. It's very haunting and beautiful. If folk music is your thing, you need to check it out. Have a lovely weekend!

Can you believe I was lucky enough to be gifted part of a hexagon quilt last week? Thank you again, L. This patchwork was made by L when her children were small, and it includes some fabrics I remember from my own childhood. She sent a note with the quilt saying that she'd used some of it to make bags, and maybe I could use the remainder? 

I loved the bag idea, so I got cutting and stitching, pairing each cut piece with a matching wool fabric from my collection for the handles and back of the bag. They're a very simple style, but roomy and comfy to carry I think. I've made one for my sister in which to keep her knitting projects, and a couple for today's etsy shop update today, too. 

I love their faded and loved look, and I think they'll be happy in their life as market or library bags. Hooray for hexagons.

In other (unrelated) news:

Poor London, I hope things calm down soon. I read this fantastic blog post by writer Stella Duffy on the subject of the riots, which I thought was thoughtful and intelligent.