Saturday 22 May 2010

for friends



One of my favourite ways to spend time is making things for friends and family. This is a lavender sachet I made for my Granny (a few weeks ago when the plum blossom was still out). She turned 100 years old this year - amazing, no? The fabric reminds me of the armchairs she used to have in her sitting room when I was a child.


I made this for my new friend Kate. She's been feeling a little down lately so I thought I'd let her know I'm thinking of her.

Friday 16 April 2010

I love Toronto


The bump and I flew to Toronto recently. I loved it! Not sure about baby-boy-bump... he made me sick quite a lot, but he does that at home too. I guess one city is as good as another for him!

I was excited to be in the home town of Sweetie Pie Press. So I made a little pilgrimage out to the Good Catch General Store, one of the sweetie-pie stocking stores. It was smaller than I was expecting but still totally awesome and lovely and welcoming. The perfect place to buy a guitar, or homemade cookies, or a catnip cigar, odd little craft items and, of course, sweetie pie badges!

cute sweetie pie badge from the Good Catch General Store

It's the kind of place where you don't just buy stuff, you chat, maybe for hours if you want. I talked with lovely Lisa about boys' names and Wyatt Earp. If I lived in Toronto I'd want to go there all the time.

I also loved The Paper Place - also out West on Queen St. West, but not nearly so far West. I remembered this blog entry from Sweetie Pie Press, so was pleased to stumble across the shop on my long westward walk. It's a paradise for anyone who loves paper and patterns and collage and sweet, strange little exotic finds. I bought chiyogami paper and some pretty little packs of paper scraps - irresistible to anyone who loves to reuse and recycle!

Sunday 11 April 2010

sewing is believing


So this Easter my lovely mother taught me how to use our sewing machine! My husband bought it on impulse (for himself), but neither of us ever figured out how to use it. This is where maternal wisdom and experience really comes in handy, and there's something especially poignant about learning things from my mum as I'm expecting a child of my own.


With her guidance, I made this sweet apron out of an old vintage skirt. It's great because I never wore the skirt but loved the fabric so much I just couldn't bear to part with it. Now it's actually useful again. And because the skirt was swishily a-line, it fits right over my expanding bump no problem!


Then I thought I'd make some pretty Spring-like napkins. Good practice on the machine. They're far from perfect but I'm still really happy with them.


And I'm also making some lavendar sachets - just this heart-shaped one first of all (good practice for sewing curves, I figured!) My hubby's happy because I'm finally using the lavender we collected from our garden last Summer. It still smells so good! I'll bet he thought I'd never get around to it... but I am!


Saturday 13 March 2010

mothers' day


My mum is an amazing woman. She brought up my brother and I by herself, working full time, and always inspiring us to learn, to be creative, to be honest, generous and strong. We don't live in the same city now but usually talk on the phone for a couple of hours a week.

She is still just as eccentric, wonderful, funny and brilliant as ever, and I'm still learning so much from her.


Saturday 13 February 2010

love



I'm happy because I'm seeing one of my dearest friends today. Her sweetheart has arranged a surprise trip to our city for valentine's weekend, complete with romantic hotel, dinners etc. and lunch with me and my husband today!

I made her a little valentine's badge and one for me (pink for her, green for me). We're eating at one of my favourite South Indian restaurants - lovely, fresh and flavoursome food. I hope I'll enjoy it as much as usual: being pregnant has changed the way everything tastes, it's odd.

Apart from that I'll be working this weekend, but from home luckily. Wishing you all a happy weekend!

Monday 8 February 2010

new life!




Remember I said I had some good news to announce? Well here it is, my baby bump in all its 21-week glory. Those who read this blog from its early days in the Autumn will know this is very much what my husband and I hoped for, so we're very excited. Our little boy - yup, it's a boy, kinda obvious from the scan! - will be born, all being well, in June this year.

Pregnancy is odd, because it's so exciting and I'm so very happy, and yet a lot of the time it's pretty uncomfortable, tiring and miserable (at least for me, I hear every experience is unique). I've thrown up an awful lot, had headaches and insomnia, felt exhausted and found it hard to keep up with things. I've also had some health scares, which made me anxious for a time. Luckily my husband is a truly wonderful person and has helped me through it all in his tireless, joyful way. We are very lucky people indeed.

Saturday 30 January 2010

avant-garde

Cinematic cutting and pasting from the 1920s... I love it!
Sx



Friday 29 January 2010

here comes the sun


[image thanks to Andrew Huff]

Tatty Devine is just fabulous. Haven't we all twiddled one of those little cocktail umbrellas into our hair in on some balmy summer evening? They're so cute and colourful. And Tatty Devine always knows what how to take the bright little objects we love and turn them into durable jewellery.

I haven't been around for a while so I'm not sure if anyone still pops by from time to time. In case you do, I have some good news, which I'll be writing about very soon!

In the meantime I couldn't resist this little glimpse of summer, and cocktails, and holidays and fun. The sun is shining today and I'm looking forward to Spring.

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