little collections to share

I am really enjoying having my little tumblr page to collect the things I discover during my little wanders around {blogland}.

Maybe I'll have more of my own, from wanders around {real land}.

I'd love you to share some of your own favourites, on my tumbling page, if you like.

*'love hope joy' image used with thanks from Sweet William.

rolling and tumbling

Three things today ::

1 ~ I have started a tumbler page. Normally I collect all my pretty images in a folder on my desktop. Sometimes I look through them. Sometimes they just sit there and become an overloaded folder of things. So, in order to try and keep some order to one overflowing aspect of my life and my computer (golly my inbox is crazy). I'll be collecting things there, if you feel like having a look at some pretty images, mostly with no words. Click on images to go to where I found them.

2 ~ I am making a bag today, for the next door neighbour boy's birthday. We love having two boys next door who have become great friends. At our last house there weren't really any neighbour friends. The kids jump fences and play games together almost every day.

3 ~ We are going to roller derby tonight! Can I say that again..... We are going to ROLLER DERBY tonight. I never ever ever thought I would go and see something like this. A little while ago, Sam + I went to see the movie, Whip It, and it was heaps of fun. Then Sylv picked up a flyer and said did we want to go. So, we're going.

Sure there'll be an update about it. You never know, we may become Roller Derby fans and follow all their games all Summer long. You just never know these things, do you.

And, ummm, do you think Juliette Lewis will be there? She's my girl crush.

i'm coveting

l: Nola Laptop Wrap in Tomato  r: Josephine in Fushia Tree Navy

I've always loved Amy Butler's fabrics and styling and sense of passion, combined with her love of colour and shapes and overall attitude.

I buy little pieces here and there, but really want her whole fabric collection. Just to have. I sew with it in small amounts, eeking it out so that it can last and last.

You know, trying to do the whole, not buying lots of new things and more fabrics and that sort of thing.

I've got her book, Midwest Modern. Which I love. Seeing sneaks into her life, and her home, and her inspiration. And the lovely natural easy way she writes, as if the book is her sitting and telling stories.

l: Josephine in Fushia Tree Navy r: Josephine in Fushia Tree Tomato

And now, I've just received an email (I'm on her mailing list), about her newest range of handbags and travel cases. And oh. oh. oh. That's pretty much all I can say. I don't know what got me about them. The colours, the shapes, the organic cotton, the practicality of them, the sweet little Amy swing tag.

Even though I sew, I don't often get to sew for myself, and often not spend time designing and making new things. So, even though I have quite a million bags one more special special special one wouldn't hurt, would it.

l: Muriel in Fushia Tree Tomato  r: Opal in Fushia Tree Navy

In truth, the last bag that I actually bought, as opposed to sewed for myself, was a Lulu bag, which do I love but is one of those covered in plastic style bags, so gets hot in Summer.

So, Sam, if you're reading this - this is what I want for Christmas. Only, I can't decide which one I like best. Some help please, do tell me your favourite colour, style. What would you choose? {Actually, there's two on this list that I wouldn't mind having - both very practical. Isn't that laptop bag so lovely. I'd feel very special showing up to meetings with my lappy in one of those!}.

l: Muriel in Fushia Tree navy  r: Opal in Fushia Tree Tomato

I'm not going to tell you my top ones, but am really keen to hear what you think you'd choose.

*Click on each image to be taken to it's link.

to mark the dates

There is no calendar on my walls this year.

Is that the reason I'm so disorganised?

I decided that I didn't want to buy one of those regular calendars again; one year we have The Hungry Caterpillar, one year we had beautiful Antarctic photography by Frank Hurley, one year we had Degas, and Klimt. And many others I can't even remember.

 2010 Art Calendar by Gretchenmist - this one will be on my wall next year.

I have already bought my calendar for next year. But I'm still seeing more and more in my online looking - and keeping wanting more and more. Is that because I want to, need to be more organised next year. Or is it because there are so many amazing calendars around.

And I don't mean the ones from regular shops (though I have noticed a theme with them this year, that they are mostly all being printed on 'eco' paper - which is a good thing).

I mean the beautiful hand crafted ones. The ones I see on PaperNStitch (of that one page search, there are many that I do like), or Etsy (though out of that 4,463 I'm not sure how many I do actually like - and to be totally honest with you - have not searched through all of them!), or on blogs here and there.

Above top: The Art Of... Calendar by Emily Ann

Above bottom: Tea Towel Calendar by Cicada Daydream

Hand Screen Printed Advent Calendar by Kristen Doran

I'd love to know your favourite calendars for next year - one can never be too organised!

*All images used with thanks. Click on each image to be taken to source. 

a collection of a week

it's been a busy week
full up of lots of different types of things
:: early on thursday morning we said goodbye to our boys, who went to cairns for 5 nights.

:: i spent almost the whole of thursday sewing little bags for the ABCD gift bag. M filled them with lavender  - which was a good project for a 2 3/4yr old, she took it very seriously and carefully spooned it into each bag, making sure she put a business card in each one.

(this is Kim's photo of my little bags i sewed)

:: on friday we went to the beach with Sylv.

:: saturday was spent at home, pattern writing and sewing and general at-home things. M played happily on her own for most of the day.
my dad, uncle + aunt came to stay the night (so we had to tidy up the house!).

:: on sunday, M went to her grandma + granddads. she was very happy to go without her brother, singing songs about going to the park on her own, without her big brother! she came home tired and happy, with big cuddles.

i went out to Paper Boat Press Christmas Show, with my dad, my sister and my dear friend. i came home with two little ceramic stars that we will give the kids on Christmas eve (they got some last year, and i think it will be a little tradition we will start).

:: on monday i sewed cushions and continued with my pattern writing. M played around my feet. we baked a (not too exciting) cake. we took photos of the cushions; these ones for our home, and these ones for market stalls. we chatted to our neighbour.
{these cushions are made with the Betz White fabric i bought a while ago, and are backed with black hemp. they look really good on our couch}.

:: on tuesday (that's today), M + i went out for breakfast. then the post office and the bank - those sorts of exciting things. then i dropped M at Sylve's house, they went out for lunch. i came home and tried to catch up on a few things. i tried to tidy. i forgot to have lunch until 3pm. i forgot to drink much water. i did manage to make a few phone calls.
we went to the airport to pick up our A + Sam.

*these few photos are remnants of one of our days of play - babies hiding in boxes and scattered across the floor, and drawings of angels, and picnics set up for mid-night snacks of oranges.

this afternoon

 

this afternoon
the kids were out
at my sisters.
after my meeting
in a tidy house
{visitors are always a good
excuse
to tidy
my house}.
a quiet house
work to be done
doing it
slowly
slowly
and thinking
and planning
and writing.

i take a moment
to sit
on the back
verandah

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

i wrote more than a week ago - a life time ago.
the house is quiet. kids at their grandparents (sam's parents) for the day. while i do paperwork and tax and boring things like that.
i eat polenta for lunch, with some things thrown in
exactly the way i like to cook when i'm at home on my own
experimental
no-one to fuss or turn their nose up
one pot
for ease of cleaning.

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

have a look over here, at these fantastic doorstops. she may even be making some, or something similar at least, for our December markets.

*these are a random assortment of photos, taken a while ago (Sept) at a friend's beautiful house in the forest. they are making me happy right now, a quietness.
still-life.

enjoy your weekend my friends. xxx

skyline

Is it just me, or is this a pretty looking skyline.
Not just the possibility of what those massive structures mean.
But the way they look
like they're tumbling across the hilltop.

image from here, found via an email from this woman. Go and have a read. 

toast in the post

{ok, sorry for the silly heading.}

Yesterday these beautiful catalogues arrived in the post. Can you believe that they send these out for free. These are so beautiful, the styling, the colours, the paper (FSC paper stock), the photographs of vast landscapes.

And, oh yes, the things in there.

I've found my dream dream dream dressing gown. But, by golly, at that price* I'd have to wear it every single day. So, it's staying on the dream list.

Silk velvet in cerise.

{oh, I love cerise. The word, the way it rolls around. The colour itself. I once had a skirt that I dyed cerise. A teeny little box pleat skirt. It was grey before I dyed it. And then went the most amazing deep cerise.}

Imagine wearing this dressing gown with these velvet lined slippers. Oh, one would never leave the palace would one.

I could easily show you every photo in each catalogue. But, you can view them all online here.

*165UK pounds (I can't find the little symbol on my computer...) equates to about $297 AU, then add in postage.

at the moment

WREN handmade

I should be doing things.

the things list includes (but is not at all limited to):

cleaning house

washing up

hanging clothes on the line (even though it will probably rain again later on)

 Urban Clothes Line

getting the paperwork done

playing with my kids

putting clothes away

doing grocery shopping (when you run out of toilet paper, that's the final last excuse, for my family at least)

writing patterns

working on to-do lists for the BIDM in only a few short weeks

...............................(feel free to include any other regular things that would normally go on a daily list of a work-at-home mum).

{i'm sorry, i thought i had the link saved for this one - but don't.

if you know where it came from, please do let me know}

instead I am:

drinking my morning coffee (yes, late I know - I got up early and went to the gym, and then haven't been ready to make my coffee until now)

enjoying how the chitter chatter of my two little ones as they make their games and play around my feet

dreaming of things I could make (but know I never will)

researching for inspirational things that make me happy.

trying to work out how we can afford the land we visited yesterday (it has no house, just beautiful forest)

{these photos are taken from the real estate website.

it was rainy rainy rainy yesterday, so there were no views like this

- only mist and fog. but beautiful trees to look at}.

researching* things that my sister could make (cause you know, she has all the spare time in the world, but doesn't know how to blog-hop like me! sarcasm doesn't translate to words so well, does it....)

promising my kids that we'll make little cakes, after I finish my coffee

wishing I had a cleaner, or a maid, or better still a servant. Isn't that what the kids were meant for?!

wasting time writing silly lists, when I should be preparing lists as organised as this lady.

 organised - Edward and Lilly

*we all know what researching means - don't we.

** all photos used with thanks from original source. click on photo to be taken to site.
*** i just remembered - I found the cloud mobile on here, which links over to here.

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).