a certain sort of style

all of these images, designs, pictures, drawings and prints speak to me.
they have a certain sort of style.
a nostalgic feel.
the colours.
the shapes.
do you know what I mean? I think you might.
they sort of pull at my heart
make it lift
and happy
but not soppy
just so
in a perfect sort of way.
yeah - they're cute.
and i'm not normally
into cute.
but - these somehow
seem a little
different.

and yes

more
pears 
an
apple
or two.

 

*Used with thanks to Ruth Green, Pat Hutchins' Rosies Walk. (please excuse the poor image quality of Rosie's Walk - photographed at night, under dull lighting conditions - and there's a *band* practicing in my loungeroom. They have sparkly show hats on, two guitars and one recorder).

true

things here have been random
and haphazard
i have just spent three days trying to tidy the house.
having a rest every afternoon;
well, trying to convince the kids to leave me alone so i can have a rest, or they can rest with me
reading them stories
enticing them to sleep.
we got the books moved and tidied
and the shelf looks pretty pretty in my room; new bedside table
when before there were suitcases.
which were pretty too.
but change it good.
we did not get any of the mountain of clothes put away.
perhaps i'll look at it all again tomorrow and think about it.
perhaps i'll start folding some clothes
and then they'll be pulled apart again
mainly by a girl who wants to wear five outfits a day
or none.
or by a boy who wants to jump up and down on them.
perhaps i'll throw all their clothes out.
and we can only have a small selection each,
with no choice of what to wear each day.
my little creating room is not tidy.
i have a pile of pins stuck into a doll.
kids wanting to make dolls clothes, being creative and all that.

i have a mountain of paperwork
that i just cannot fathom the
motivation
to tackle
or think about.
and the time
without someone moaning at me
is very limited
at the moment.

i want to change our routine
so that we have fun and happy times
combined with times when the kids
will give me space
and quiet
and leave me for just two moments to get something done.
something more than starting a job
or thinking about starting it.
or blogging
and thinking that's working.

perhaps we'll go out in the mornings.
i'm thinking swimming will tire them out.
and a mid-day nap may mean some quiet time.
yesterday the girl slept, falling asleep whining in my lap.
she slept for many hours on my bed.
the boy and i did some stuff together.
chatted and smiled and talked jokes.
then i tried to do some work.
he lay on the floor and moaned.
and then quiet.
and i looked at him
he was asleep.
then, would you guess it,
she woke up
not more than one teeny tiny moment in between.
true.

still life :: night

moving pieces of furniture
in an effort to
keep things cleaner
tidier
less mess.
the kids room being slowly rearranged
pieces moved into our room
books shifted
onto new shelves
to be touched
and read.
means new moments and spots and still life
new vignettes
tiny places for my eyes to rest
and be happy
or content
or inspired.

*lamp is one of our prototypes with our fern. all ceramics are op-shop finds - little pieces that i loved the moment i laid my eyes on them.

wild things

I just only this moment found this blog, via Running Amok, that was a total luck-find as well*.

We Love You So (WLYS) is basically a random assortment of things. The blog description says it's showing the small influences that built up to create the mammoth project "Where the Wild Things Are", the movie (which is due out in December).

I most particularly love the blog header. Is that not the best blog header ever ever ever.

And also the cute little bits down the bottom. Those things just get me. Strings and loose strands, and stuff that doesn't look quite perfect.

 

And have a look at the gallery of Where the Wild Things Are. Oh, the movie looks quite beautifully accurate to the book.

*you know where you type some random words in your search engine and add 'blog' at the end, and find all sorts of new-to-you and amazing blogs. I love doing that. Go and do it now - think of any strange word, or something you're interested in and type it into your search bar with 'blog' at the end. Come back and tell me what you found - I'm wanting some new blog finds.

Anna - love you

I totally love this blog. Have for many many many ages. Her pops of colour, her fantastic sense of style. The photographs - some so beautiful, some so real. The realness and the truth. And the peeks into some else's home and life.
Go and visit the helylle-fotrata styling experience.

This post is just perfect:
"Some days just don't lift. They stay at ankle height and just work their way down. Today was like that to me. No clementines left, one week to pay day, dog hair everywhere, dishes and brain killing drama for teenagers on TV. But do I complain? Yes. Bring me some glamour. Quick."

Thanks Anna, for your inspiration, your colour and your words.
Now, I'm back to work - more printing to be done.

that dress

I made a party dress for Mishi, the night before Ari's party (of course the night before, would any of you expect anything different!).

She choose the fabric, which was a ginormous dress I bought from a vintage fair a while back, with the intention of turning it into something else. I was quite surprised that choose it; not pink, not flowery.

The dress itself is a made up pattern, a morph of pictures spotted (by Mishi) in Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. The adults kimono dress and the baby kimono top, as well as a little kimono-style jacket of Mishi's mainly used for sizing. I'm not much for using patterns, hate cutting them out and trying to make them the right size (am I an 8, 10 or 12?). So this pattern just happened, with rough drawings as a guide and a distinct 'jump-in-and-do-it already' attitude. (I mean, at 9.30pm, you really have to start making the dress don't you! The cakes were in the oven and the kids finally asleep).

You know the best part - she loves it. No tears or big bottoms lips, upon waking up and seeing it. She put it on straight away. And has worn it every day since Saturday. Easy to put on, and take off (for the impromptu dress-up shows we have around here), and easy to wear. Soft and flowy, comfy, yet covering her shoulders and her bottom (some of her other dresses have recently turned into tops, with those legs continuing to grow!).

I'll be making some more of these dresses for sure - a whole Summer wardrobe.

*and, ooohhh, okay - I haven't got the hem of the sleeve finished yet, but it'll keep for a few days longer.

* Ari got a camera for his birthday - a proper one, not a kids one. He took this photo of Mishi, and I'm sure we'll see more here.

* I think my sister won best dressed prize at the party (though being one of "those mums" there was no prize - sorry Sylve!).

more voluptuous-ness

something new to pick, borrowed from here.

I love this blog - so many things to love here. Do visit.
And, of course, the pear thing continues.......

the remains of the day

today is ari's birthday.
5.
big boy. my baby boy.
we were talking about the day he was born. how we almost didn't make it to the hospital (which was only 3 minutes down the road from our house), because i didn't recognise the 'pushing' sensation. we did get there, with 45minutes to spare, though fully dilated. just enough time for sam to park the car and get back to the birthing room!
for parents, you know that feeling as if you've known your children for your whole life, they are so ingrained your every day and essence. you can barely remember time before them. yet you can also not quite believe that they are now old enough to..... make jokes, back chat, get themselves dressed, feed themselves... any number of every day activities.
we had a party yesterday.
so lovely. family and friends in the backyard. a Japanese theme dress-up party - so fun to see everyone pull out their kimonos. and the 'party activity' was sushi rolling - seemed most kids quite enjoyed it, and also meant i wasn't in the kitchen for hours on end rolling sushi (was in the kitchen for hours on end doing other stuff!).
and today, a quiet day. with brother + nephew and my sister + nephew.
and this afternoon. the end of a long weekend. two sleeping kids (sam at work). a quiet house. with the breeze outside bringing snippets of kids playing and birds calling and cars driving.
and me tired too. but many things heavy in my mind, things needing to be done. work to be ready for next weekend.
yet one small quiet moment to stop and observe and remember.

creatively peared :: paired

Lately I've been doing a little drawing, more than usual (I go through long phases of not liking my drawing style, so don't do any). This one has been happening alternately with these pears.

A few weeks ago, while out at Mt Cootha, we discovered there was a library there - a regular one, that we had library cards for! But, not so regular, in that it specialises in botanical and astronomical (there's an observatory out there, too) books. WOW. I so love those old botanical drawings and paintings. So, we borrowed up a very small selection. The first one to inspire me is "Fruit :: An illustrated history". Ours has a passionfruit on the cover.

So, pears and figs and also some strawberries. All sort of voluptuous looking - don't you love fruit that looks like a woman's bottom? With sketchy lines and shapes, all free flowing and movement. And just let the pencil do it's thing without thinking too much.

And, then I visit Gina today and find she's been pear-inspired too, in a different way. Isn't that fabulous - we're peared :: paired. Perhaps something will come out of it, a pairing of pears. Or something. Don't we just love the word play anyway!

My creative space was filled with my family, too. Sam with his music, having a much needed thinking and resting time. Ari with his strawberries. Mishi with her fairies or princesses.

*green sketch sewn pears are from Gina. The colourful fruit + images are from the Fruit book. All other images from me.

Visit more creative peeps over at Kootoyoo.

just had to...

I just received an email from a family person, in response to an email I sent him.

I just had to pass on these words, which he wrote (you don't mind, do you Roo?). Check out this post for reference to what Roo is talking about. 

"Nice to see the photo of the little table loom. Your mother was a weaver, too, you know. She had a couple of looms like that and also an Inkle loom (I made it, I think) which is a frame with dowels sticking out that the wool goes round and round.

The building search is interesting. Love the Moreton Rubber Works. Nice photos.

Didn't realise skateboards were laminated in colours like that. Clever idea to make jewellery out of them - there is a use for skateboards after all!"

I have a little photo of my mother, at her potting wheel, when she was much much younger (before I was born). Given to me by Roo, after my mum died.

Every time I think of who I am; why I craft and make and do and draw and create and stitch and crochet and cook and dream and arrange and feed and think and feel and care. Every time I think of my mother. That's why I am. {Dad, I'm why I am because of you too}

about to get creative

The (sewing) machine has been sitting there, quite neglected lately. There's been things happening around here, organising and ordering and tying and untying things*, and rushing to the emergency room**.

So, anyway late last week, as I was rushing out for a photoshoot a lovely parcel arrived. Look at the beautiful wrapping - a sweet thrifted button with some twine and a pretty tag. Everyone in my family loves this fabric, and it's to be made into some cushions for our tired old chairs on the verandah (where we intend eating every meal this whole Summer). I'm planning on using our black hemp as the backing - hmmmmm. Those colours will pop! Love love love being able to sew using all organic fabrics.
Lots of other cushions will under the machine today - some birthday present making for my niece + newphew.

More creative spaces over here (unfortunately no time to visit them all today, for me, as I know I'll be too distracted!). 

*Mishi has turned into a puppy dog these past weeks, she needs a leash tied around her tummy and her daddy/owner (Ari) walks her around the house. She's a very good puppy, and does excellent tricks too.
**thought I'd better put this note in here, seeing as how this blog is somehow meant to be a sort-of rememberance of the kids' childhood. We rushed Mishi to the emergency room last weekend, blood gushing from her little chin. She'd slipped over on the tiles in the bathroom. Big brother Ari called out, and we came running. Luckily my sister was here (helping me do some screen printing), as I don't cope too well with the whole blood and hospital thing. She's all okay now - very brave girl. They glued her up with special magic fairy glue; they don't do stitches anymore.

words from the wise*

we went, again, to Mt Cootha yesterday. met some friends there. splashed in the trickling water in the Japanese Gardens. that's what city kids have - me, i grew up in the forest, where we had proper creeks to splash in.

we were pushing the pram across the grass. i said it sounded like the ocean. Ari said it sounded like walking on clouds. i liked his thoughts, and realised the grass sounded exactly like what i could imagine cloud-walking to sound like.

when the kids took their shoes off, and wanted to walk all around on the slippery rocks in the water fall, i was the ever-cautious mother. 'be careful, don't fall, don't get our pants wet.' Ari, with his pants hoiked up, yet still soaking wet, looked at me and in all seriousness said 'mum, you have to take more risks'. i laughed, and said yes, get wet Ari, it's only water. and if he falls down, he'll learn, won't he.

so - risk taking. yes. more of that necessary.

i feel like Selvedge House is that, could be that. a risk. risks are calculated events, not silly jumps.

There's colours and shapes and lines and images to be inspired by, all through the Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. A beautiful time to visit. If you live in or near Brisbane, do head out there. My kids have been loving the kids trail treasure hunt - we're tying to remind them that the treasure is not a box of gold at the end, but the exploring and discovering and finding and looking and seeing new things - life, hey.....

*in this situation, the wise are the children. we all know sometimes their perspective on life gives them immense amounts of wisdom that we need to listen to, and take notice of. sometimes they make no sense at all, and talk a load of babble.

just one word (can I manage that....)

(I found this over at Bit's of Sunshine). Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s quite tricky to use only one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell / mobile phone? somewhere....

2. Your hair? dirty

3. Your mother? strength

4. Your father? knowledgeable

5. Your favorite food? food

6. Your dream last night? forget

7. Your favorite drink? water

8. Your dream/goal?  breathe

9. What room are you in? sewing studio

10. Your hobby? photography

11. Your fear? unfulfilled

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? forest

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren’t?  tidy

15. Muffins? homemade

16. Wish list item? house

17. Where did you grow up? Murwillumbah

18. Last thing you did? cubby-building

19. What are you wearing? jarmies

20. Your TV? something....

21. Your pet? snuggly

22. Friends? warm

23. Your life? busy

24. Your mood? thoughtful

25. Missing someone? mum

26. Vehicle? necessary

27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

28. Your favorite store? markets

29. Your favorite color? all

30. When was the last time you laughed? now

31. Last time you cried? ?????

32. Your best friend? Sam/Sylve

33. One place that I go to over and over? memories

34. One person who emails me regularly? Danielle

35. Favorite place to eat? verandah

the colours of delicious-ness

The whole of Brisbane is sprinkled with rainbow colours.
We went to the Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens this week (no photos -sorry, too much with two kids, no pram and a big picnic bag!). But everywhere we looked there were rainbow colours - colours of Spring. When we sat eating our ice-cream (choc for the boy, strawberry for the girl) we looked at could see the golden cane palm (which really are golden), the red, pink, maroon canna lillies, the purple, pink and white roses, the flowering cacti, the tall tall tree in full yellow bloom, and the little yellow and orange daisies. And then all the different green tones as well. I'm going out again next week, and will remember my camera.

Around the corner from our house is an amazing tree that has a tall straight trunk, the tallest in the street, and a big head at the top of brightest yellow blossom. They've fallen to the ground, like yellow snow.
The skyline, everywhere you drive, is dotted with the purple of jacaranda.

And only this week, right inside my sewing studio is the most delicious berry of all - this new fabric is hemp / organic cotton. I have it in 13oz weight or 9oz weight. And I'm going to be screen printing it this afternoon.
I'm imagining it with our ferns, in shimmery iridescent silvery white. As a skirt. Maybe next week I'll get to that. Today, I'm printing white smoke on the berry hemp and the black hemp. (If the kids are *helpful*, and let me get a little work done!).
We will be at the Boutique Market tomorrow 8am - 1pm at Portside. A lovely family day out.

pif update

Hi all,

it's been a bit longer than i had planned, but here's the list who will receive a little something something from me some time in the next........ Let's plan for before Christmas, hey.
i've decided that i want to give something to all of you, for being lovely readers, and blog friends, and for commenting for the first time ever, for some of you. oooooohhh, i so love blogging friends.

so, if you could each send me your address details (ellieabeck AT hotmail DOT com), with a little bit about what your favourite colours are, and even what you've liked most that you've seen me make over the past little while {i think it best that you really really like what you get, so would like to make it as suitable as possible}.

Jacqui
Gina
Amy
Pippi
Lauranie
Belinda
Clare
Tracey


random images, just because. the beautiful silky oak right at our verandah - golden with the glorious spring blue sky behind. and a little wall (corner) or my room.

night tree

I just changed my wallpaper!

Now we all know that I didn't actually wallpaper my house, don't we. We know my computer has a pretty new picture on it. Oh, redecorating is so fun and easy and quick. All you do is click, click, click and it's done. Clean up in computer land isn't much harder is it.
Not so easy when I turn away from the glow of the screen and look at the "real" house behind me - the sewing room, the kids bedroom, the clothes to put away, the carpets to vacuum........... We all know why we spend so much time on these pretty computers of ours.

Anyway, my new wallpaper is from Tiel's blog, tsk tsk. It's the Night Tree. Free wallpaper, isn't that lovely and sharing - letting us all enjoy her artwork. Thank you Tiel.

PS - I may have a giveaway next week, depending on if condition are good or not....
Also, signups for my PIF end on Monday - I've decided to not limit it to only three, so anyone who comments will receive a special gift from me if they commit to pay it forward.

rainbow allsorts :: sk8

This is some impromptu photos taken yesterday, of Sam's newest collection of skateboard jewellery. He's still working on the name for them, we'll announce that soon.
More words and pics over here.
Luckily we had a professional model on hand - who knows exactly how to tilt her head, and poke out her bum!!

We'll be selling these at the Southbank Young Designer's Market tomorrow. Come along and visit us.

ring-a-ring-a-rosie skirt

Yesterday Sam took Ari out, on a need-get-makings for skate bracelets trip. Mishi and I stayed home. To try and keep her happy (that she hadn't been able to go with the boys), we had some 'girl time'. She went looking in my fabric cupboard and came out with, of course, pink and also orange butterfly fabrics.

We decided on a skirt, which was loosely based on the pictures in this book. All the instructions are in Japanese, so I just made the skirt up, but the diagrams are very excellent and it also has pattern pieces, if you feel inclined to use them (which I rarely can be bothered to do).

And she's declared it the ring-a-ring-a-rosie skirt. Though of course, being somewhat of a nudist, she doesn't want to actually wear the skirt. I put ribbon in the waist band casing, instead of elastic, so that it will fit her growing body for longer. It has three layers; I used elastic bobbin to get the frilly bits. I'll do up a pattern next week, if anyone's interested in knowing how to do it.

reasons i like red

I want to say a really really really big thank you to Rebecca for including me {Red Seed} in her '3 Quick Questions'. Haven't you just so enjoyed reading about all these creatives who make up our wonderful world. I love getting little glimpses into people's lives, and especially about the creative-force in their lives.
Have a read of my answers here. I always find it strange reading things about myself, in that manner - but also really heart-warming. I love that I have rediscovered my crafting roots, and that I am in a nourishing and supportive community, where I'm able to (sort-of, kind-of) make a living out of this. Also, being asked questions like this makes me to think about the way I craft, and why I craft - and that's really an important part of who I am. My creative upbringing - it's in my blood!

More red work over here. I've been watching people start and make their  contribution to Kootoyoo's red quilt project. And I've just noticed that everyone has sent theirs in, and they are all photographed and displayed over here. Wouldn't you love to go and see them all - at the one night only display. If you live in Melbourne, get yourself there - and come back here and report, please.


Whilst browsing the flickr page, I was stopped short by this one. oh my golly gosh. is that not fun.

 Photo from Polka Dot Rabbit, used with thanks.

I also love this one. I mean, look at the zip.

Photo from Lil Sonny Sky.

There's so many more fantastic ones over there. Go and do some red looking!

{flowers} yesterday::today

Yesterday at 6.15 am*, I took these photos of our hoya. The buds still all closed up.

Then this morning, at 7.43am* I stepped onto the front steps and noticed that they had opened their star petals up. These have a subtle, sweet perfume.

*times may not be entirely accurate, but are as close as memory allows.