I made a new dress...



Yay! Whipped this up last night. I used the same pattern as for the yellow sheet dress...



HEAPS easier than the Vogue pattern that I am still trying to put together
blogged here

I found a vintage picture book...

Its full of lovely illustrations by June Gulloch

This is from the book Casual Living by Judith Wilson...
... lucky Maud, I say.

It is also full of yummy pictures and inspiration...

Definitely worth a flick through.

That's about all I have been up to... It is very warm. It is about 5.45pm, and Zavian and I are heading to the beach for a late afternoon swim. Lovely.

I hope you are well and happy, wherever you are in the world... xoxoxo

Thanks for the love!

I have been included in a couple of etsy Treasuries lately! Yay! here are the links -

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ceab32a18656d916b4cde07/holiday-celebrate?ref=pr_treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cf2ae4006696d9150f7092e/babies-for-christmas?index=1

Thanks so much, it is always so exciting to see your hard work displayed in these beautifully curated collections.

Hope you are enjoying yourself, wherever you are in the world... xoxox

yummy blanket...

Tray Chic Flea Market Syle Magazine 2009, originally uploaded by Colorfly Studio.

want to make one like this...

Wallpower PiP by Eijffinger

Wallpaper PiP 1, originally uploaded by JustKiddingkidsrooms.

pretty amazing wall paper - wild!
xo

more pillows...

Gah! I have caught Levi's man cold... Luckily he is feeling a little better now, and he is making me soup.

xox Bec

What have I been up too?

This week I have been looking after a grizzly Levi and a sooky Zavian.

Levi has a man cold, and we all know that that is the WORST EVER type of cold going and it has rendered him entirely useless... and after her first stint at daycare Zavian will not let me out of her sight... This has meant that I have not had a second to myself during the day and have been staying up a little bit too late so that I can sew in the evening. That along with trying to get Zav to sleep in her own bed has meant that I am VERY BLOODY TIRED!

The other night I actually slept for half of the night in the cot (not particularly comfy) trying to get my little miss happy in her own bed. I think I am probably averaging about 4 hours of broken sleep each night... Yuck!

On a happier note, I have had a very successful week collecting new retro sheets! Cleaned out one op-shop almost entirely with pillow cases at 20cents each!!! yay! and I enjoyed making some new flower pillow covers with yummy vintage fabrics and buttons


I found a huge stack of new sheets and pillowcases this week at the op-shop...



The blue one at the front is my new favourite. Such a shame there is only one pillowcase.

Oh, look who is running around my ankles, my little companion...

I love thinking about all of the possibilities... Found a great picture by whimsiedots who re-decorated their girls bedroom
using all reclaimed bed linens...

I bought some more pillow inserts so that I could display more than one pillow at a time, its nice to
see everything together...

This is my vintage flower pillow. Its so much fun to make something without a plan in mind, to just let go and
 be creative... I love this one and I am going to keep it, but I have made some others that will go up for sale in my etsy shop.

The ruffly layers add yummy soft texture, and random vintage buttons for handmade style... Do you like?

Remember In my last post I  was making that dress... What a nightmare! I don't understand the instructions and I want to give up on it and start again. The pattern has the most ridiculous button holes, and now I have my new sewing machine that sews me a perfect buttonhole, I think I will start again...

Bah! Stupid 50's dress. I MUST learn how to make it because I am simply going to explode soon if I can't wear a different 50's sundress everyday.

In other news, Zavian has broken my last pair of spectacles and I am going to have to sticky tape them back together so I can see when I am driving - As if i needed to look any more bedraggled!

Well I've gone on and on, time to go. I hope you are well and happy, wherever you are...

xo

holy moly how awesome are these...

Whenever I go to op shops I always check out the vintage sewing patterns and craft books,
I picked up this little wonder for 20 cents yesterday...

I have no idea how to do this but luckily the book is choc full of easy (sort of) instructions for me to follow...

I love collecting vintage craft books and I  was just thinking the other day that soon these books will no longer be vintage - they will be antique! and what is going to take their place? I think that the craft magazine series today really lack style and the aesthetic qualities that will make them stand the test of time...

I nominate frankie magazine to create a 12 part or 18 part collectible craft series that is beautifully photographed with contemporary and inspiring projects...

Meanwhile, on the home front, Zavian is swearing her head off and tomorrow is her first day in daycare...

Gotta run xo

dear family - i have been inspired

OK, attention family - Mum, Tess, Leone, Kalah, Aunty Sarah, Trudy, Cazzy, Jodie, Gabriella, Josephine, Rehan, even Jarden and Louis... if we can get you on board... And Sam and Lachie, if they want to...

Attention everyone else - maybe you should try to organise something like this with your family or friends - wouldn't it just be so worth it?

I want to start a new family tradition where each year or maybe twice a year, we each take the time to decorate a small patch of fabric that will later be sewn into a large patchwork quilt for one specific family member at a time until we all have beautiful, unique, heirlooms that we can treasure... Here is some inspiration...




Um, amazing...



See how there is so much amazing detail in each square. it would be way to daunting and time consuming to do yourself
but if we each do one square at a time, and then get an amazing treasure like this at the end of it
it will be so worthwhile.

...and the best part is that because we are all so different each little square will be a reflection of ourselves and
how we think of that particular family member. But it doesn't have to be symbolic, we can just go nuts...

I hope you guys are with me. I stole all of the above pictures from PROJECT PATCHWORK and there are loads more pics if you follow that link.

It will take us years to all get a quilt, but I think it will be a nice tradition to start. We can pull a name out of a hat to see who's quilt we will work on next, so that it is fair.

I will volunteer to be the piece putter-togetherer...

Let me know what you think OK xo

oh yes please!

A few lovely things from etsy... Christmas is coming up but unfortunately my dad has already given me my Christmas present (back in august) and I think I can't expect much from zavian... maybe Santa will bring some goodies.................. maybe

silk butterfly from sewsmashing



beautiful red poppy tea dress by sohomode

small white doily clock from uncommon

This is the dress pattern I am planning to attempt this week, I have never done buttons, let alone button holes before - so we will see how it turns out... slow and steady right... my first dress from a lovely old sheet didn't turn out too bad, remember this?

vogue pattern 2960

...a lovely version of the above vogue pattern from delfielise

Yummy liberty prints - too expensive to practise on but once I have had a bit of practise...

 I should get of the computer and start cutting out my pattern pieces... MWAH!!!!!!!

The world through the viewfinder

Zavian through the viewfinder...

I was going on about my new holga last night, and how I don't really have a clue how t use it... well this morning I just had a play with my digital camera, taking pictures through the holga's viewfinder. I am in love with the effect. It think it is actually pretty similar to lomography, don't cha reckon?

Anyway, batteries have run out. Maybe I should do some housework... yuck!

xo