oh my oh my

These pieces are so intricately.amazingly.beautifully.colourfully.upliftingly. wonderful. aren't they.

I've had the pdf on my desktop for so long. Love opening it and looking every so often. Oh, to wear and feel and see any of these pieces.

*images are from
Rittenhouse x Husmann / Tschaeni (top) {go to about page to find more downloadable catalogues}
Rebecca Wolkenstein (last two)

Also see Husmann Tschaeni blog. oh my. oh my.

butterflies (from Cairns)

The (blue - bottom picture) Ulysses is so hard to capture in flight. And then, when they finally land on a leaf for a rest, they fold their wings in tightly and you can see none of that glorious vibrant blue. They are so fast, fluttering everywhere around and around. We saw one female being chased by 3 males. And many females laying eggs on leaves. 

I cannot remember what butterfly is in the top pic (I'll find out for you, another time, if you're at all interested). The middle one is a Birdwing. {Sam took some video footage of two Birdwings doing their mating ritual, which was stunningly wonderful to watch. I'll upload it once we get home to Brisbane}.

Did you know what happens when a caterpillar curls itself into it's cocoon to go through it's metamorphisis into a butterfly? They actually totally disintegrate from caterpillar to yellow gloopy murk, then rebuild their cells one by one to become a butterfly. If you happened to (be cruel enough to) cut open a cocoon while the process is happening, you will really find no caterpillar, no butterfly, but yellow goop. Isn't that the most amazing, unbelievable thing you've ever heard. 

Well, perhaps you already knew that. But I didn't. And I've always wondered what happened, and how it happened. I never thought about the fact that caterpillars have 16 legs, whereas butterflies only have 6; and a butterfly body looks nothing like a caterpillar body (well, actually I had thought about that before); and how a butterfly needs reproductive organs, whereas a caterpillar doesn't. And also, about the difference between their eating habits - leaves with little mouths for a caterpillar, and nectar with a long probiscus for a butterfly. Totally different creatures; aren't they!

So, next time you look at the humble little caterpillar, have a think about all of that. 

{And the fact that the Hercules Moth doesn't have any mouth or digestive system at all, so only lives for a few days - just long enough to find a mate and reproduce and lay eggs. Or that some butterflies live for days, some for weeks, and some for a year.}

the heat, the colours and the joy of holidaying with children

We are on holiday, in Cairns. 

For us it's not a new place. Sam was born and grew up here. I lived here for a few years (after I met Sam and followed him - the young 20-yr-old totally in love creature I was - from Brisbane to Cairns). So, when we visit we know people and family and the streets. 

But I haven't been for a few years, and some things have changed. And, yes - I have changed. 

Anyway. It's quite beautiful. The mountains and lush grass and palm trees everywhere. The Esplanade is a fantastic place for a city to have. We've been going swimming as many mornings as we can, early in the morning (except for the day it was pouring with rain, and then the day before that when they were cleaning the pool). 

There are at least two big things about Cairns that make both Sam and me know we would never, could never live here again. (Not that we would anyway; it's not our home at all, never will be). The heat is overpowering and draining and wilting. When you live here your body gets used to it; but now we are both being affected by it dramatically, the kids too (though to a lesser degree). 

Also - the internet connection and speed here is tragic. Ha! Don't I sound like some little princess saying that. But really, much as I don't want to admit it; I think both Sam + I are just a teeny tiny weeny bit addicted to the internet and to speed/fastness. (I put it down to us both being Geminis and wanting new up-to-date fast things like that.. or something). 

Anyway - the Butterfly House was just beautiful, and magical. (Well, would have been if it hadn't been for the 3 1/2yr old brat who spend the whole time complaining that the butterflies wouldn't land on her, and not enjoying the ones flying right past her face and fluttering over her head. And yes - that was our 3 1/2 yr old brat; who also threw herself on the floor of the lovely Japanese restaurant we went to the other night because no-one would do as she demanded!! Fun - I tell you).

No photos, I'm worry. I had one of a stunning Ulysses butterfly; but this free wifi won't let me upload anything.... and it's too slow anyway. You'll have to wait until we're home from Cairns next week.

Until then, I hope you are all well (I'm missing reading your blogs and being here more often, but I am loving just being on holiday and not having access to the internet; good to have a bit of a forced break).

~ E xxx

beauty for creativity

 eventually i discovered for myself the utterly simple

                     prescription for creativity: 

                                                                                               be intensely 

                                                                                                                  yourself. 

don’t try to be outstanding;

don’t try to be a success;

don’t try to do pictures 

                                                                                 for others 

                                                                                           to look at -

                                                       just 

                                                             please  

                                                                                                      yourself.

ralph steiner

found here. also,... some beautifulness.

* all images from Tim Walker. a whole lot of beautiful beautiful beautifulness.

trees :: dresses

 

*images from Tim Walker, used with deep thanks.

happy {rain.wet} sunday

the house is quiet.
sam has taken the kids down the coast, to pick up a friend.
they will be gone for hours.
i wish i could lounge and read and sip tea and listen to music and enjoy the peace of the {relatively} tidy house.

oh no.
i have to head over to the studio. some more printing. and cutting. and packing things up to take to my new machinist this afternoon.

i'd best get off my b.t.m* and get going.

oh. but sitting in the quiet of the still from the rain on a sunday. that's just so good.

i hope you are enjoying your sunday. and if you live near melbourne, you shouldn't be reading this (come back and read tonight!), you should be at finders keepers. say hi to nina if you do happen to go, as she's there with her lovely lovely pieces. 

xx

* b.t.m. is a little line from 'under milkwood' by dylan thomas. i was in a performance of it during my final year at school. except, that we got flooded in at our house during the whole week of the actual performance dates. so i only really did the months and months and months of rehearsals and making costumes and learning lines, and not the one week of lime-light on the stage. oh well.
** images are from the studio. on a sunny day last week. which tea pot shall i use today.

printing blue ..... and still not sure of a name

Some screen printing today, in the printing shed. Skirts.  Like this one here. {thanks Kim, I actually really quite like this photo; not often that happens!!}

The backs of the skirts are beautiful soft black hemp + organic cotton. The fronts are a floaty white hemp + organic cotton - which I hand screen print. Each one is totally different, due to the way I print them. I couldn't even replicate any particular bits if I wanted. It's like a magic that evolves from the mix of ink on screen and pull of squeedgie.

Red / black or blue / black. Each had white relief marks on it; frayed, raw, edges, strands, string, twirls, swirls. And little bits of stories in the ink.

I love lifting the screen and looking at each bit. Picking out sections that I like best. Enjoying the mix and swirl and drifts of colour. Seeing the stark white underneath. The edge of the screen. The soft corners, where the ink didn't touch, or just softy whispered past.

Sylve helped me today. It was good to have someone else in the printing shed with me. Someone working out thoughts with. Talking with my sister is like thinking aloud, a ramble of conversation and ideas and advice and being able to say little bits that might not make sense until someone else turns a new light on them.

Mishi helped us too. Spooning the ink onto the screen. And washing the spoons afterwards. And getting so wonderfully grubby with blue.black water (and chocolate brownie combined with babycino at the cafe after).

I'm still trying to come up with the best name for these skirts. I have been calling them The Art Skirt, but not sure that's exactly right (except that doing each one is a one-by-one piece of art). 

I'll show you the finished skirts in a week or so. When they're back from the sewer, and I'm back from my holiday. {We leave for a week's holiday in Cairns on Tuesday. YAH}. And some of you will be able to see them in person at my upcoming big big big fun fun fun market (which I'm super anxious.scared.excited.anticipating.breathless.dreaming.planning about).

spring from the back verandah

these are all taken from my back verandah. the people who lived here before the ones before us (many many years ago) had the fantastic foresight to plant some beautiful trees to fill our backyard. something that renters often forget to do (me included, as i thought we'd be out of this house in less than a year, but we're still here). 

> the pinks and greens of that new soft blush. i'm not sure what tree it is, but the new leaves and the flower buds have been lovely so watch. 

> tender pale green fresh leaves of the silky oak (top pics)

> the brown flower bracts - such a great shape for drawing.

spring is showing itself throughout the city in so many colours and shapes and aromas. though, if the weather week is anything to go by, summer is already pushing in with its sticky heat.

scenes from the studio

oh what a fun (and tiring) day today. at the studio.

so lovely to hear Nina walking in the door, all smiles and glowing friendliness. she's like that you know; i do feel quite lucky to have spent this time working beside her (and learning so much from her too). i will miss her quite a lot when she leaves on her big over seas adventure.

we chatted and worked and drank tea and ate a strange assortment of food (dolmades, salty oily seaweed and funny Asian sweet biscuit things). i used Nina's cutting tool - oh.so.fun - and quick as well, compared to the blister i gave myself cutting layers of fabric on monday.

i did some printing this afternoon. but no photos of that, as i'm sometimes a messy ink.everywhere type of screen printer. just the way i am, i guess. but it's so good and easy to be able to just print when i want and need.

these few photos were taken in the warm afternoon sun. isn't that lovely light streaming in.
i love looking out the window and seeing the church high on the hill, and the cubby house (in a neighbour's yard) with the Tibetan prayer flags in the foreground.

i'll be the first to admit that our studio isn't the most pretty place (i mean, look at that carpet!), and sometimes it hasn't been the tidiest (i think Nina + i decided we could easily live in our piles of fabric and designing ideas and mess; it's not like children or family or regular day mess, and it's super nice to not have to pick things up every day - for them to be exactly where they are when you return - and much more productive too). but it really is just a perfectly wonderful place to spend time in, to work in, to be creative and productive in. it's quiet. sometimes oh.so.almost.too.quiet.

i do really like having a studio to go and work in. i highly recommend it to you!

pomegranate

i bought this yesterday, with the intention of photographing it alongside some amazingly purple potatoes.

instead i took it the studio, and ate it. i took these few photos before my camera ran out of batteries. (of course, on the day i remember to take my camera and to take photos it decides then to run out of batteries. they're on charging now - so hopefully there'll be some studio images this week).

this tea pot (coffee pot?) is Nina's. it sits in the kitchen in our studio. soon she will take it away with her, when she leaves on her overseas adventure. i forget who it's by - the artist. but isn't the design just quite lovely. and the colours. 

i've got a geranium in my sketch book from many years ago, that i've been looking at this weekend past. perhaps there'll be a geranium print in our collection. most probably, in fact. but not quite yet. 

i thought a few things about pomegranates, while i sat on the back steps at the studio. in the quiet. and the hot hot day (it's rained now, this evening, so the night has cooled down).

i gobbled the precious little jewels of colour, the bursts of popping juice. threw them into my mouth in quick handfuls, and enjoyed the lusciousness of them. and the colour. 

i even stamped a print onto the kitchen (linen) tea towel. that bright intense jewel red actually printed purpleish violet. we'll see tomorrow if it stuck, or is only a faint impression of colour.

i dreamt of planting pomegranate trees on the land, but perhaps it's too wet there, so i can have them to pluck from a tree. to eat at the jewels. to mash them into my summer drinks. to sprinkle them over my salads. to use them to dye my fabric. to photograph them. to sit and think about the beauty of the pomegranate fruit. 

do you know the story of Persephone and the three pomegranate seeds she ate in the Underworld, when she was kidnapped by Hades? i surely would have spent the rest of eternity in the Underworld, and not running in the spring fields, based on the amount of seeds i ate today. (some interesting reading here, here, and look for Bullfinch's Golden Age of Myth & Legend at your local library, an absolute favourite of mine.)

at the printing table {workshops}

Just wanted to let you know that my first workshop is now fully booked. I have another on 13th November 10.30am - 3pm. Places are limited, so don't dilly-dally.

Beginner's Screen Printing Workshops - You'll print your own design onto (organic) fabric pieces and linen tea towels (as well any other blanks you want to bring along). We'll have a fun, yet informative day where you'll go home with finished items - either for yourself, or the start of your Christmas shopping list. You'll also be able to purchase extra tea towels at wholesale prices. Full details of what the workshop will include are here.

Lunch and yummy snacks are supplied, as well as some laughs and a good day out. 

Workshops will be at my Woolloongabba, Brisbane studio. Close to public transport (trains + buses), and ample parking available.

Contact me for more info {redseedstudio@gmail.com} or book your workshop here.

If you can't make it for that date, but would like to attend an upcoming workshop, please email me as I'm planning some more dates late November or early December.

*image is card stock that was hand screen printed with our pear design, then stamped with our rubber name stamp.

it's always the little things....

..... that make me smile and my heart sing.

two super special emails / comments i've received lately that mean so much to me. the thought, the words, the honesty and intention and love.

You look gorgeous!
Can't wait to see your creations...
Love you to the moon and back again...

{oh, Lea, we miss you all. love love love xx}

I really wish I lived closer so I could help you out with your massive to-do list!  ......... Let me know if there's anything at all I can do to help out - and don't forget to stop and breathe and take a moment to appreciate the small things whenever you can!

{many many sweet thanks dear thoughtful, loving, kind Holly. I wish we lived closer too, so we could have afternoon tea and craft days together.}

the little things are the important things, aren't they. always remember how much it means to someone - the importance of a simple warm smile, a phone call, a hand written note sent in the post, a flower plucked from a weedy plant while on your afternoon walk, some home made biscuits or handmade treasure......

{pincushions} fingers and houses in tea cups

Just a little bit of pincushion inspiration, for those of you part of my swap - and for those of you just wanting some sweet little inspiration this morning. these little pieces are so intricate and lovingly made - almost too good to use as a pincushion; but then again - isn't it just.so.good to use  and see beautiful things in your everyday life.

{cloudy and coldish on this last day of September. the sun was here this morning, shinning in my bedroom window, but has now disappeared behind a sky of mottled grey and dense and dark white}.

Finger pincushions from Victoria & Albert Museum shop. Found on Lobster and Swan.

A whole Town tea cup pincushions from Mimi K (flickr). Thanks Holly for sending me the link. 

*all images used with thanks from original source.

{ }

It's suddenly turned into a busy week around here. I'm tired and feeling a bit worn. But my brain is going into overload about all that I have to do in the coming weeks.

Why have I had six months of basically day-to-day quiet and nothing; and now everything at once. Yes, go on, tell me - that's the way life works. All or nothing, isn't that what they say.

This week we've ::

Visited the art gallery and sciencentre again;

Been to a (long) fun robot birthday party;

Worked at the studio - good quiet, productive days, with lots of important kid-free thinking time;

Learnt to ride with no training wheels (Ari, not me! He turns 6 in a few short weeks, and Sam has been spending all his spare helping Ari take the step to the big bike we're giving him for his birthday);

Been to the ballet (Sylv + me - was good, but not amazing. A long night. But very very lovely to be out with Sylv and have a bit of sister time - even if that includes making fun at all the other drivers in the parking station who can't drive, and are too important in their big black shiny cars to let people merge!);

Seen a movie (Sylv took the kids today, while I went to the studio and had some meetings. They really enjoyed it, and have talked half the evening about the silly funny storyline);

Finished a book (just in time for the movie to come out.... I quite liked it, and spent moments of today thinking I had a story to back to, then remembering I'd finished it. Sometimes I don't like ending a book - I like that part of being caught up in the story);

Ignored the washing and house tidying...... perhaps tomorrow I'll find just one moment or two to do a tiny spot of cleaning. I do think the school uniform is washed and dry for school on Monday, at least. Perhaps.....

These photos are from last week - when the house was tidy for more than one day. {Did you hear that - tidy for longer than one day....!!!}. One end is at our front door - with our shoe shelf, (one) fabric cupboard,  a book shelf with my smaller crafting books. And at least one or three bikes at any given time. The other end of the front room is a little play space for the kids - their kitchen , cafe + shop (computer + scales and other important things they use often.)

I hope you are all faring well. Enjoying your days or moments of sunshine. The smiles and laughter and tickles from your children. The quiet times of crafting or baking or thinking or being. xx

september stitches

Well, seeing as how it's getting very close to the end of the month (yet, again, again, again....) I realised that I haven't once written about my self-stitch-september.
hmmmmmm.

i believe the main reason is that well, i didn't keep to wearing my own stitched clothes every day. i guess i shouldn't really have signed up for this project when i was busily, steadily, madly, frantically, dedicatedly working on other things. ie - sewing clothes for myself took a far back seat to sewing clothes for my new collection.
but then again - it did mean there are just a few sample pieces that i've been wearing. (as well as wearing other self-made items).

i've not taken photos of me wearing my new pieces. perhaps because i don't look anywhere near as wonderfully rock chick as Sylv, or sweet pretty little thing either. (different clothes, different light, different shoes and different styling makes for a different girl - doesn't it). mainly because getting the photos taken just simply doesn't always happen (rushing out the door, or wrong light the camera, or no-one to take the photo, or ........).

Ari took these photos a short while ago - the three of us went out for dinner (Sam was working late) with some friends. the blue skirt was one i'd just made the few days earlier (i'm still deciding on the length it will be, think it needs to be shortened). the belt is one i made quite a while ago from some beautiful kimono silk remnants - love that intense deep red.

Kim did take some photos of me the other night in my new red Art Skirt, but i'm not sure how they turned out (perhaps they didn't?).

anyway - self-stitched me is a continual progression. i don't / won't buy new clothes for myself unless they are {at least one of the below}
a) handcrafted
b) locally made
c) organic / fair trade
d) second hand
e) something i will have + wear + cherish for many many years more (longevity in fashion is very important to me).

so - once my full fashion collection is finished and ready i'll have a whole new wardrobe of my own things to wear. won't that be good!

buttons & a recipe for a lovely saturday afternoon

Recipe {1} :: How to make a lovely Saturday afternoon ::

It's raining. The kids are playing with our next door neighbour boys (at their house, not mine......). I'm sitting here, with my second coffee for the day - will think about lunch when the kids come home complaining of hunger! We'll go to (their) grandma's this afternoon.* 

I'm listening to my own music (not the kid music which is on constant repeat around here. At least they've got good taste in kid music, so I don't mind having it on, but it's always good to have something a bit more grown-up).

I've been writing the big list for everything I need to do and get done before the big market (more on that later). It's more than a bit scary writing it down, and counting how few studio days I have between now and then, and we'll be away in Cairns for a week during that time as well. Family - if you are reading this - I'll be calling on some major baby-sitting and help with labeling and packing and such stuff market stuff - that you've all become accustomed to anyway.

It also feels good to be writing lists. And making real plans. For me, and for Red Seed and for my new directions. I am super excited about my new fashion range. I do like a good list to work off, and I haven't had a big event to work towards (business / creative / me wise) all year. So this is good.

Recipe {2} :: How to make buttons ::

For my little contribution to the lovely and fun ABCD gift bag giveaway, I decided to make some cookies (biscuits**). While putting it all together, I was reminded how much I like doing that aspect of event organising. (like party bags and things like that). Making the labels and tags and thinking through how it will all look. It's fun to do. A good combination of my creative and organised / planner sides. The production line of the final putting together didn't go quite as planned, due to a few reasons. 1) I left it late in the day to start baking, and then packaging up - so was rushed. That's simply the way I work, I know it now. Inspiration always stricks at the 11th hr! 2) All three kids (Ash was here too) were really excited to help me. They did the biscuits shape making, and the putting it all into bags and attaching the labels. We went through a few variations before settling on the easiest + quickest of holding it all together with a paper clip. I did want a hole punch + twine, but was too hard for the kids to do neatly enough for my likes (some things I can't let totally go of). Don't worry - the kids washed their hands about 20 times with warm water and soap while doing the making...

I got the inspiration for making button shaped cookies from Cupcakes, Cheesecakes Cookies. I'm not going to show you their shortbread buttons as ours didn't quite look as beautifully button-ish, like theirs. To our defence, we were 3 young kids + a rushed mama and we made about 140 or so, whereas they were a professional kitchen and they only made about 20 in total. Just saying.

I was pretty happy with the way they did turn out anyway. And I was really impressed by the way Ari stayed so dedicated to the job of putting the holes in all those round dough pieces. Mish + Ash did a fair bit of raw-dough eating, and silly shape making, but Ari stuck to it until they were all completed.

We made two flavours. I'm only going to give you the recipe for one, as it was my favourite. Of course, I didn't actually follow the recipe in the book. Oh no, I couldn't do anyway as simple as that - could I! We sort of started following a basic cookie recipe, but strayed so much that I think it's fair to say it's our own recipe. Here it is ::

Cardamom & Pear Button Cookies ::

1/3 cup oil (use melted butter if you like, or an oil with no distinct taste)

1/4 cup sugar (whatever sort you choose, brown probably best - I used raw, as we had no brown)

2 eggs

25 - 30 cardamom pods - crush and grind the seeds really well (remove the pod hard skins). We use a stone mortar and pestle. (which is invaluable in my kitchen).

1/4 cup pear concentrate syrup

1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour (S.R or use plain with a pinch or two of bicarb)

In your mixer (machine or by hand) beat really well the oil, sugar + eggs. They'll make a nice thick oozy mixture. Add the cardamom and pear concentrate. Then the sifted flour, and mix nice and gently (by hand). It should be a stiff mixture - if not add more flour until you can knead it easily. Roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to about 3mm thick. Using a round cookie cutter, cut until you've used all the mixture. (You'll need to rework and reroll it as you go, use some extra flour if it gets too sticky). Using the back flat part of a wooden skewer to make two or four holes, like a button. You can also use a fork around the edges if you want to make decorations like that (we didn't as the kids' didn't have a light enough touch, and just squashed the dough our of shape). 

Bake in at 180C, checking after 5 minutes, and perhaps turning them over. You don't want to burn your buttons, you just want a nice slightly light brown colour. Perhaps 10 - 12 mins at total most. Cool on a tray and serve at your next crafty get-together. 

I had some mixture that I didn't make into buttons, and rolled into a long round about 5cm thick. I then pinched smallish bits off and baked them like that, until nicely cooked. They had a different taste, as they we softer inside. I'm calling them Pinch Cookies. Give it a go, the rough edges got cooked in varying amounts, which meant some bits were more burned and some bits gooier than others. Yum. 

You could also freeze the log, until you need it, and use a sharp knife to cut into rounds. Which means you can make freshly baked cookies at the drop of a pin, or a button!

*yes, their grandad does live there too, but must face reality that grandma is the major drawcard and the one they especially love visiting. I know they do love you just as much grandad - it's just that, well.... you know anyway.

** does anyone know the difference between 'cookie' and 'biscuit'? I always thought it was the Australian / British word compared to American word. But then somewhere along the line I read that biscuit was factory made and cookie was homemade. I've been thinking that I do like the word cookie more, but then wonder if it's too American-ish for my Aussie friends. And cookie also makes me think of cookie-cutter (see alternate definition for what I mean), which is generic and not at all handcrafted, artistic.....

(By the way - I'm not entirely what one would call "Aussie" in any sense of the word. In fact, at school people used to think Sylv + I were English as we actually spoke correctly, and finished our words rather than dropping the last letter, as is very Aussie. "Ya' kno', 'ey" translates as "You know, don't you". Hey (or 'ey) being a particularly Aussie sentence ending sort of word.)

tonight... abcd

 I'm heading out tonight. And leaving Sam at home with three kids (Ash will be having a sleepover). Sounds nice, doesn't it, esp. considering we're in school holidays and all three kids have been at each other for most of the day and I do believe they've really tipped me over the edge this time...........

I'll be hanging out with Kim and the other creatives who turn up at the Udessi + Bondville ABCD (artists + bloggers + crafters + designers) get together. (Unfortunately Steph won't be there, as she now lives in Sydney - but I do think she has events happening down there too). Check out the facebook page for upcoming events. {I'm not much of a facebooker, so I'm not really over there - but I do believe there may be a just a small handful of people who hang around there....}.

Details (if you can sneak out of the house later tonight) are: 7 - 9pm. Bar Alto, Powerhouse Museum, New Farm, Brisbane. And bring a little something to put in the wonderful gift bags that we all get to bring home.... (I'm preparing my little addition right now as I write).

*image used with thanks from ABCD Meetup.

screen printing workshops

Are you interested in learning how to screen print? If so, I'd love to invite you along to our new studio space for a fun little day of designing and printing.

We'll spend some time working on a design, then hand cutting the stencil to turn into your screen printing image. We'll be printing onto 100% linen tea towels, fabric pieces or any other medium you'd like to bring along (pillow cases, t-shirts, etc etc). Our new table is very lovely to print on - come and add your mark!

Our studio is located in inner-city Brisbane, and close to good transport as well as ample parking. It's a lovely location, with a good backyard for morning / afternoon tea and chatting. We'll probably have about five people or so at each workshop. {Dates I'm working towards are 9th Oct, 30th Oct and 13th Nov - how do these fit with you?}

Looking forward to hearing from you. I'm super keen to do some more printing workshops as they are so fun, and I get really inspired by all the excellent designs you come up with. For more info please  read this or contact me {redseedstudio@gmail.com}. I'm also offering a 20% discount to the first 3 people to book.........

pin cushion swap details {and sunshine smile photos}

I'm listing the details of my little pincushion swap, so that I can keep everyone's details in one place.

Golly - having nine people in the swap was more than enough for me to organise. Super glad that I didn't have more sign up, or I'd have been organising emails and addresses for longer than my mind could figure. {It's a bit distracting having the 3 1/2 yr old asking me about, and chatting incessantly about, fairies and princesses and mermaids and things. "I only know about mermaids and princesses and fairies. Mum how do you write Snow White, is it an 'S'." (except she doesn't say "snow", she says "no white"). "What colour is Rapunzal's hair? I haven't seen the show or movie or book, have I mummy." and..........}.

So - the swap details are:

+ Everyone has two swap partners (except for Holly who has one partner - due to being the only realist in life and acknowledging that she shouldn't take on too much extra workload! If you've received two partners, and only want one - let me know so I can reallocate the names).

+ Make one pincushion to send each of your swap partners. You may include other little bits and pieces in with your swap, but you are not obliged at all. I trust all of you to make and send something beautiful.

+ Your partner doesn't know who you are - it's a secret swap. So you can blog about what you're making and sending, but please don't say who you're sending to..... You don't need to blog until you've posted your swaps, if you don't want, or you can show progress as you go.

+ You have one month to get your swap made and sent. I'm setting 25th Oct as the date to (try and) have your parcel posted off. But please, don't stress about it - if you feel that you can't get your swap posted in time, let me know, so I can let your partner know.

The swappers are:

Bec

Bel 

Diana

Holly

Jacqui

Orissa

Penny

Sandrine

and me.

Holly suggested the fun idea of  these shrinky dink pins (from Wee Wonderfuls), if anyone wants to have a go at doing that (looks like good kid fun as well). And Diana sent me this link for some super cute vegetable pin cushions, that double as little table decorations -

(http://www.martingale-pub.com/store/content/misc/extras_veggies_free_patterns.pdf).

There's also some tutorials and links that I listed on my original posting about the swap, here. Do send any more you find and I'll put them up for all to look at. 

Okay - go off and have pin cushion making fun. I know it's school holidays for some of you (or coming up soon anyway), so perhaps you can get the little ones designing pin cushions and helping with the fabric selections. 

*These images are making me smile with happiness. The top one taken with my computer camera; Ari + me sitting in the afternoon sun on the front steps. (look at that glow in my newly-hennaed hair!). The other two taken of me (by Mishi) and Mishi (by me) with her flower fairy mask on. And big smiles. Sweet sweet little babes.

the collection {or high fashion & tomatoes in the compost}

I've made a simple little montage on our 

website, showing a preview of our new 

fashion collection. 

I'm working on a small collection to start, 

but am already designing new pieces that will probably 

become the start of an early Autumn range.

I do hope you like what you see. 

I have my fabric arriving next week,

and some other samples hopefully this week.

There will be lots of cutting, 

printing, 

sewing and

labelling

happening over the next few weeks + months.

{I have started asking some friends

if they may like to help me with the sewing... we will see}.

Anyway - we have a new website being built, so until then this is all you'll see

(unless you see me in person around the place. 

I'll be here and here over the next week, 

and why wouldn't I be wearing / showing off my newest pieces).

***************

Okay, I'm off to dig up the tomatoes that are growing out of the compost heap. We're finally planting a little garden space at Ari's school. It's only taken since the start of the school year (February!) to get this sorted. I got to school this morning, to the wonderful sight of two of the mums digging in the soil, and all the rest of the parents (some big burly dads included) standing and watching them. There was a spare shovel or two sitting idly around....