Spin Spin Handmade

Seconds & Samples Sale!

2011-12-26T00:23:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas! It crept up so darn quickly this year and now it's all over, just like that. Hope yours was grand. Mine was all about food, family and then lying on the couch watching a film. Hope fellow Melbournites (and their pets) weren't badly affected by the hail, lighting, thunder and general crazy weather :(

As it's now Boxing Day, I thought it would be fun having a wee sale of seconds & samples. A bunch of things are now listed in my Etsy shop and I'll add some more things throughout the sale, which will run until January 5th or until sold out. Go grab a bargain!

Christmas one-day sale today!

2011-12-15T10:40:00.000+11:00

Yes, 20% off everything in my Etsy shop, today only (AEST).
Don't forget to use code: XMAS20
Items will be sent off Friday 16th December.
Contact me for special requests or if you're after Express Post.

Merry Christmas!

Dots & Loops Gift Guide

2011-12-13T09:56:00.000+11:00

One of my stockists, Dots & Loops Handmade, all the way across the world in Canada, produced this lovely gift guide and included my tree towel. Thanks guys :)

New stuff

2011-12-06T11:04:00.001+11:00

Oh, and some new things are now in my Etsy shop...

Three new cushion covers - Charcoal 'Trees' on Natural Linen, Two-Tone 'Trees' and Royal Blue 'Graph Paper'.

Some gift cards, all blank - Seasons Greetings and Apples in Blue and Red (on craft or recycled white card).

AND some lavender bags, which I've not made for a while, this time using my Graph Paper fabric.

Post-Markit and Harvest Market

2011-12-02T14:02:00.001+11:00

Me at Markit last Sunday © Hollabee

One down, one to go! Markit last Sunday was a big day, long and busy and fun and tiring. I didn't take one photo but luckily Bianca did (I had no idea at the time - as you can see I'm busy being shopkeeper). The main disappointment was that the market was so big and busy that I didn't get a chance to have a look at who else was there, bummer.

And my only other market for the year is super super exciting, one of my faves - the Harvest Xmas Market, at Harvest Textiles in East Brunswick. How cute is the poster?!

Markit @ Fed Square this Sunday

2011-11-24T10:40:00.001+11:00

Just a quick note to say that I'll be at Federation Square's Markit Market this Sunday, along with a heap of amazing designers and makers - see the full A-Z list here. I'll have a heap of new things that are yet to be in my Etsy shop, including new cushions, new cards and other bits and pieces. It's one of just two markets I'm at this Christmas, should be fun.

New fabrics!

2011-11-03T12:29:00.003+11:00

Graph Paper in royal blue on a creamy coloured hemp/organic cotton (above)

Raindrops in teal on a lovely natural hemp/organic cotton (below)

Available soon :)

Spring

2011-11-02T19:39:00.002+11:00

It's spring here in Melbourne, apparently (what that seems to mean is it's freezing, super windy, always raining - ie, a lot like winter). But there have been some lovely days. Here are some pics from a recent walk in the park. Amazing colours!

I've also been quietly beavering away, printing and sewing things for a couple of markets I've got coming up (the first for a year! Yes, I've been hiding under a rock.) I've also got some fabric panels that I'll be selling that I'm yet to get around to printing, and will be making some fabric packs too - fun! In the meantime, here's a picture of some of the fabric that's coming soon...

Gardening

2011-09-26T10:13:00.002+10:00

Last Friday I had a long list of things to do (print things; get stocktake done; reply to emails; cook; clean - in other words: work, work work) but it was a lovely spring day and all I really wanted to do was plant some tomato seedlings and other herbs and chill out on my balcony and listen to some newish music, so that's what I did.

I went to the local (and inspiring) nursery and bought some potting mix and other goodies and repotted my lovely parsley, chives, thyme, mint, aloe vera and other succulents (they were in need of a bit of love) and planted new things - tomatoes! Basil! Oregano! And now some of the succulents, which multiply so quickly and easily, now live in the flat, which is super great.

Tomato seedlings

Chives, thyme and parsley

Happy house plant

Happy aloe vera

More aloe vera

New gift tags & cards

2011-09-16T19:03:00.003+10:00

Have been having a lot of fun printing cards and gift tags and finally got a chance to photograph them today, and put them in my Etsy shop. The sun was hot, such a weird feeling! Hope it lasts for the weekend.

New Stockists

2011-09-01T12:26:00.000+10:00

Just a quick note to say you can now find various Spin Spin goods at a range of shops around Melbourne town and the world. So if you're near me, you can go to the lovely Onabee in Kensington but if you're far far away, perhaps in Austria, you can swing by the sweet Stoffsalon in Vienna (where you can find lots and lots of lovely Australian fabrics) or in another direction, the delightful looking Dots & Loops Handmade in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Onabee, Kensington. Photo © Onabee.

Dots & Loops Handmade, Nova Scotia, Canada. Photo © Dots & Loops Handmade.

Stoffsalon, Vienna, Austria. Photo © Stoffsalon.

Cushion Mania

2011-09-01T11:54:00.002+10:00

I'm chuffed to see my Graph Paper cushion included in the latest Frankie magazine and their cushion round-up. And mine's next to one from Donna Wilson House **swoon**. Other faves include Fine Little Day's Splash and Leah Duncan's Triangles, **double swoon**.

Clever person!

2011-08-10T09:26:00.003+10:00

Cushions made by Raina, using my fabric, and the cute Scarlet!

A little while back I sold some fabric to, and got to have a coffee with, a lovely "customer" (feels weird to say that but can't think of a better word), the lovely Raina. She mentioned that she was going to make some cushions for her daughter out of the fabric and here they are! How clever is she, and how cute is Scarlet? I love the combination of colours and angles and the shape. Lovely, thanks for sharing Raina :) There are couple more photos here and here.

New things! And I'm in the paper!

2011-07-23T17:31:00.001+10:00

Things have been very quiet on this here blog, but that's because I've been busy making things! Here are some of them...

'Apples' tea towel

'Apples' gift card

'Apples' and 'Grid Paper' cushions - I quite like them together!

It's so fun seeing an idea become an object - I don't think I'll ever over that thrill - and you really never quite know what it will look like (or if you'll like it) until you're holding it in your hand.

All are now in my Etsy shop, along with a few other new things like the T Towel in white on natural flax coloured linen.

Oh, and look what was in today's Herald Sun Home magazine - a write-up on me and my work!

Akzidenz full width - on pre-order!

2011-06-24T15:00:00.001+10:00

You'd know this is you're on my newly created mailing list, but just in case you missed it - Akzidenz fabric is now available by the meter at full width, on pre-order in my shop. Yardage is the only thing of mine that I don't print - due to the size and scale - and this run is due back from the printers very very soon! The first batch is red, with others possibly coming soonish.

And don't forget to join said mailing list, if you're not on it already and are interested in hearing about specials and other bits and pieces.

Winter Orchard and Apple Love

2011-06-16T12:16:00.002+10:00

It's certainly winter time here in the Southern Hemisphere. The other day I went to my favourite orchard to buy some apples, my favourite fruit, before they disappear and this is what I saw - fog in the afternoon. It did clear not long after but brrr, it was cold.

To celebrate my apple love I've also been drawing them. This is something I've done a lot of in the past but have never been happy with the result. This time I made myself persist (something that I can be either really good at or really bad at) and then I stepped away and did something else. When I went back to my desk a little while later, with refreshed eyes, I changed a couple of things and then really quickly had my new tea towel design. Here's a sneak-peak of a corner of it, and its paper-based inception.

Bundle of tea towels

2011-06-16T11:46:00.000+10:00

Here's a bundle of tea towels that are to be sent off for a fundraiser for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, which is being organised by a lovely blog reader. I'd not usually pack a random selection of towels like this but should do - it was kinda fun.

Cards! And a limited edition natural Tree Towel!

2011-06-10T15:18:00.003+10:00

Just a note to say that I've just put some new things in my wee Etsy shop - cards! There's a blank 'Trees' gift card with envelope (also available in a pack of five for a nice discount) and some new polka dot gift tags with cute scalloped edges - red on white or white on recycled card. I must say that making these was super fun and a nice change from fabric. Can't wait to work with some more ideas soon.

Oh, and there's a limited edition new colour of the Tree Towel - charcoal on natural. Love the natural linen and can't wait to do some more printing with it too.

Autumn

2011-05-20T13:54:00.005+10:00

It's pretty nice looking in Melbourne town at the moment and I've been collecting leaves, poaching quinces, wearing gloves and hats and am about to start baking some bread made with my own sour dough starter, that's been a week in the making. Fingers crossed it works! Ah autumn, you are kind of good.

It's a discount code

2011-04-29T17:29:00.008+10:00

To celebrate the fact that Spin Spin is now on Facebook (um, what decade am I in? Oh well, better late than never) I'm offering a wee short promotion - 15% off everything in my Etsy store (including new things, oh ah) for the next two days. A good time to stock up on Mother's Day gifts perhaps! Here are the details -

Promo code: APRIL11
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/spinspin

I've also done some wee tweeking of this blog, including increasing the width, again (so I can put in better sized photos) and adding some info pages (including About, Links, Stockists and Press pages, which are still a bit basic but better than nothing, have been meaning to create them FOREVER). It meant I sat at my computer for hours, concentrating a lot and forgetting to eat lunch...and ignoring the fact that a major media "event" is about to take place.

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T12:43:00.005+10:00

For me this Easter has been about sitting around listening to a lot of music that I love, drinking lots of coffee and a bit of beer, being reasonably productive and doing some work but also relaxing, making buns (3x batches, none of which I remembered to photograph) and wishing there was more time for holidaying at home. And it's nice and sunny at the moment, yay. Oh, and how lovely are these eggs that I received? Packaging heaven and they taste amazing (from Shocolate.)

Gloomy day Melbourne/Sarajevo

2011-04-20T10:39:00.003+10:00

Today I'm in Melbourne and it's a gloomy day and a bit drizzly. One year ago I was in Sarajevo and it was about as grey, with moments of blue, but without the drizzle.

Today I'm trying to get through a bunch of emails and am procrastinating by looking at photos. One year ago I walked along the last remaining stip of the Sarajevo Tunnel, strolled past the Miljacka River and ate an ice cream at a cafe called 'Dallas'.

Reading

2011-04-08T11:43:00.003+10:00

Looking forward to reading these soon. There are so many great magazines around, who said the printed word is dead?

The newly redesigned desktop, a local mag, is looking really great. And the last few covers have been amazing (this one by mashdesign.com.au).

Issue number 5 of Extra Curricular, from New Zealand, is out and I hear it has a nice little spread on tea towels (including the Tree Towel and some other lovelies, including one from Ink & Spindl e.)

More loveliness from UPPERCASE, the new issue of Work/Life. According to UPPERCASE, "the primary goal of the Work/Life series is to promote the illustration talents profiled to potential clients" and this new issue features the work of 100 illustrators from around the world. And another great cover.

Happy days :)

The international language of hello

2011-04-07T22:33:00.007+10:00

I feel like I've been semi-hibernating for a while now - thinking, planning, formulating. And doing a little bit of playing around for fun (above) and some printing. Below are the new colour combination for Raindrops - burnt pink and blue. Hopefully I'll have some panels ready soon.

PS. I definitely have a thing for raindrops. Here are some other posts where I've drawn them -

March 2008 I, March 2008 II, July 2008, September 2008, April 2009, December 2010, and above, April 2011!

A summer in pictures

2011-02-07T11:06:00.007+11:00

There have been floods, fires, cyclones and all sorts around this country - it's been a traumatic and action packed summer. I didn't see much of that stuff, but did see quite a few babies and some countryside. This is a few tiny bits of my summer, in pictures taken with my phone (hence the somewhat dubious focussing on some of them).

Season's Greetings

2010-12-24T11:51:00.001+11:00

A quick hello and season's greetings! Thanks to everyone who's bought some of my wares and said nice things throughout the year, it's much appreciated :) May Santa be kind to you and have fun.

XO Susan

Bunting, rain and shopping

2010-12-21T17:38:00.002+11:00

Here are some pictures from the market on the weekend. It was fun. Busy. And I did shopping as there were lots of beautiful things, yay. There was also bunting. Lovely stallholders. Nice food. Lots of rain followed by lots of sunshine. And I had some new things there. All up it was a great day. And now it's four days to Christmas and I'm sick and have way too much Christmas shopping and baking still to do, but all I want to do is sleep!

Lovely bunting!

Some of my neighbours

Me and my super sweet neighbour Emily Green

My new fabric, Raindrops in blue

My new Christmas cards that I finally have a photo of!

Booties

Window Shopping

2010-12-17T15:09:00.004+11:00

Started setting up my stall at Harvest Workroom today. The window looks so pretty! And inside is such an amazing blank canvas...will have to remember my camera tomorrow :)

Harvest Love

2010-12-14T09:31:00.001+11:00

Super excited about the Harvest Christmas Market this Saturday. I'll have a few new things I've not had time to photograph yet and hopefully I'll also be able to pick up some cute gifts too (so far I've had no time for any kind of shopping but have my eye on these or these for my niece, who's turning six months old today!) And you can read a wee profile of me/my work on the Harvest site.

One thing I have made time for is the annual Christmas bake-a-thon with my friend, Alicia. It takes hours but we always end up with an entire kitchen table covered in sweet treats, fun. This time we took over her kitchen (which is so cute, along with the rest of her house and dogs) and used approximately SIX slabs of butter!

Getting in the spirit

2010-12-05T21:16:00.006+11:00

Even though I have about a million things to do in any bit of spare time (don't you love this time of year?) I managed to get to two market-type events today. And it was such a lovely & sunny day, which made me feel slightly less guilty.

First up was the Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar at the Swedish Church in Toorak, which I've been waiting all year for. It was super nice to again hear the lilting tones of Swedish speakers (and those of other Scandis) - such lovely sounding languages, even if I can't understand! And there was gravlax, of course, along with kanelbullar and other treats.

I dragged Jed along and he seemed kind of OK about that, although he did spend most of the time sitting around looking kind of bored while I looked at every single thing I could, including lovely Christmas decorations (above are a wood-cut snowflake, heart, leaf and moose from nordliving) and lollies and clogs.

On the way home, Jed deposited me at the Melbourne Design Market (he'd given up at that stage and could think of nothing better than lying on the couch). I spent way too much time at the Note Maker stand (the stationary obsession that started in childhood lives on), which is where I got the super cute Merry Christmas sign from (in the top photos). And how good are the ceramic bells below (argh, but forgot to take note who made them - sorry!) **UPDATE** Thanks to Lizzie who let met know that the bells are by Ingrid Tufts. Thanks, Lizzie!

Eating

2010-12-01T13:08:00.002+11:00

As a completely random aside, here are some snaps of me and my niece Lily, who has just started eating "real" food (if you call moosh food!) Such chubby cheeks, so cute!

She loves reading (or at least books with bright colours) and even helps turn the pages of books (pretty amazing, I think, for someone who's only a few months old) so I've just bought her some books for Christmas, yay!

Harvest Textiles Xmas Market

2010-12-01T12:58:00.003+11:00

Super excited to say I'll be at the Harvest Textiles Xmas market this month (eek, it's December now!) Yep, the Harvest peeps are now at their own space in Brunswick East, where they'll have screen printing classes and all sorts of goodies. Below and here are the details of the market, where there will be lots of lovely handcrafts and even ginger beer and homemade ice-cream for sale, gotta love that.

To launch the new Harvest Workroom we are throwing a xmas market. It's going to be a great chance to buy your loved ones unique presents and to support local makers. There will be craft, clothing, homewares, textiles and music stalls, as well as fun activities like "print your own wrapping paper" and craft activities for kids. Check out some of the makers and creators who will be there below.

Where: 512 Lygon Street, East Brunswick.

When : Sat 18th December 10-5pm.

Raindrops

2010-12-01T09:11:00.002+11:00

It's been raining all the time in Melbourne. Goodbye drought! Summer? Bah! I've been thinking about raindrops forever, as they're so pretty, and here's my new fabric design featuring them. They're small (well, about 2cm high) which is something different for me (everything I usually do is so big, or so it seems to me). Now if only I could get the blue colour right...and maybe a grey? Watch this space!

It's oh so quiet

2010-11-29T12:21:00.001+11:00

It feels like forever since I've posted anything here and that's because it has been forever! I'm working on lots of things but never seem to have the time or energy to say anything about them - I guess it's the end of the year and I'm tired or something. But hopefully I'll have some photos of some of those things soon.

What's making me smile today are the flowers in my lounge room - so bright and cheery. And thanks to my favourite fruit shop for gifting them the other day.

It's a freebie!

2010-11-18T12:22:00.002+11:00

Just a quick note to say that there's FREE SHIPPING in my Etsy shop until the end of November (midnight AEST) woo! And I often have more things in stock than are listed, so send me a message/convo me in Etsy if you're after something that doesn't seem to be there.

Happy November!

Last week

2010-11-08T09:52:00.000+11:00

The last week has zipped by way too quickly. Feel like there's not much time for fun stuff, but at least I got to walk in the park and drink nice coffee (and admire amazing lighting made from Fowlers jars.) Oh, and it's November already. Really? How did that happen?

Six months ago today...

2010-10-29T21:17:00.001+11:00

..I were in Budapest and it was early spring (as it is here in Melbourne now.) But six months ago I did a lot of stuff, as opposed to today when I didn't do very much (hello bookkeeping.)

The day six months ago involved an early start, thermal baths, long walks, looking at lots of amazing old buildings, real and pretend flowers and then quite a few beers and what I thought was the best burger ever. I thought it was so good I had to take a photo of it. Looking at that photo now, I'm pretty sure it wasn't that great!

Happy weekend :)

My Creative Space...

2010-10-28T13:32:00.008+11:00

It was so fun last week, I'm back this week to share My Creative Space (thanks to Kootoyoo : )

Photos are what it's about today. For me, product photos can be a lot about GRRR! and not much about AHHH! And unfortunately, I really don't have any tips beyond *use natural light (but not too much of it)* and *take a crap load of photos and maybe one will be good*. Yep, all that time in the darkroom at uni has been forgotten, it would seem. But maybe one day I'll rig up some cool photo-taking box thingo and take perfect photos every time. Maybe.

Anyway, here's my newest design, and one of the few photos of it that I'm happy with. Taken near a window on a non-overcast day. In case you can't guess, those are moustaches. And it is called The Mo' Towel, as might be obvious from my previous post, and is now officially launched. Happy Thursday.

Coming soon!

2010-10-23T20:42:00.000+11:00

Keeping me company this week...

2010-10-22T18:47:00.007+11:00

..is Sailor. He doesn't say much but he is the best company. He was a gift from the lovely Sandra when I met up with her in Sweden (& is designed made by her equally lovely husband Johan) and is much treasured.

**UPDATE** Looks like Johan's just put some sailors in his shop, yay! And here's Sandra's post about Johan and Sailors from today!

It was great being surrounded by amazing people when I was working from my old studio, and I surely miss them all a lot, but it's also kind of nice working from home. Especially when you're trying to fit a bunch of different work-type things together, as I tend to prefer, and have random amounts of time to work on whatever project before running out the door to go somewhere else. Lucky for me Sailor is the strong, silent type who listens to my woes and is a general good guy, otherwise I'd be in trouble.

OK, we're going to go and have a beer now. It's the weekend :)

My Creative Space...

2010-10-21T15:19:00.007+11:00

..is messy, no matter what angle you look at it from.

As mentioned in another post from today (three posts in a day from me...some sort of record), I'm not getting too far in anything I'm doing today or this week. But I'm hoping to go to the post office before the day is done, and then at least I'll have achieved something. Oh, and I'm cooking this for dinner and seeing one of my favourite bands after that, so that's three things for the day, woot :)

Australian screen printed textiles/designers

2010-10-21T13:42:00.006+11:00

Wow, look at Amy's post on Australian screen printed textiles/designers - that's an impressive list (over 20 different groups) and I'm humbled to be included. I had no idea there was so many amazing designs and designers out there! Great idea, now it's time to go shopping :) Oh, and how great is Amy's blog and photos?

Umbrella Prints are in the list and make the most lovely fabrics, so good!

This week & last

2010-10-21T12:57:00.002+11:00

Lately it feels like I've been doing lots of running around, but not getting much actually done. Some weeks are just like that I guess. Here are some photos from moments I got to stop for a bit.

Oh, and the last is of a friend's wallpapered wall, which I LOVE. That's one for the inspiration file, for sure. It's available to buy here. Lucky I don't have a wall to put it on :)

Naomi Murrell Print Heaven

2010-10-14T20:35:00.001+11:00

As I mentioned a little while back, Jed and I recently celebrated our 10th anniversary (Really, 10 years? Where did that time go? Seriously still can't believe as it zipped by so fast!) Aanyway, as well as having a little getaway and eating delicious food, I thought it would be nice to get a little something to mark the occasion. And when I saw this from Naomi Murrell, I knew I'd found that little something. It's a gorgeous screen print, and it now sits in our living room. Thanks, Naomi, for making such beautiful things :)

A new week

2010-10-14T20:13:00.002+11:00

Whew! It's taken me a few days to get over the amazing thing that was the Finders Keepers Melbourne market. And to clean up the mess I created while getting ready for it - that took forever :)

The brief summary: amazing! As a stallholder, it's not often that I love standing on my feet all day, but I was actually sad when this market was over. And it went for two days - that's a lot of standing around.

And there were sooo many lovely visitors and friendly faces! Firstly, my stallmates Emma and Penny. They are the best and were always there when I needed someone to buy me fries from Beatbox Kitchen or to mind my stall while I get coffees or go and buy a bunch of things. Here we are, smiling like crazy people.

L-R Emma, Susan and Penny smiling a bit too much. I took this photo...can you tell?!

And there were so many other stallholders that I knew from all sorts of places, or got to meet. Hi! And the visitors...I won't try and list them all as I'll forget someone, but it was lovely to put a face to the name in the case of Tiel (of Tsk Tsk) & Dawn (of Handmadelove) and see Angela (of Three Buttons) and Frank and meet the gorgeous sleeping Luka, who looked so tiny and soo cute! And Captain KK's newbie was sleeping, which means she got some shopping in I hope. Yep, there were a lot of cool babies doing some shopping too. Here is a snap of the massive shed during down time, and of my stall below that.

So FK was fun to sell stuff at, but also buy stuff at, oh yes. Here's my booty, which I rushed around and picked up/swapped at the very end. Could have got a whole lot more but there really was just too much to see and too little time. Next time, next time...

Purchases: Cards and a book and bunting and a softie cupcake and more, fun! Thanks Pocket Carnival, Benconservato and Lark!

New new new

2010-10-05T13:45:00.007+11:00

OK, so the Finders Keepers Market is on this weekend. Which means I'm busy preparing! But thought I'd show a couple of new things that I'll have there. And just realised I still don't have a photo of my my new, yet-to-be-released tea towel. Forgot, but will do soon. And if you visit the market, do come say hi :)

Finders Keepers Market

Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th October 2010

10:00am to 5:00pm

Shed 4, Victoria Harbour, North Wharf Road, Docklands

Website

Mysterious!

2010-09-24T22:15:00.002+10:00

Just took a night-time kitchen table photo of my new tea towel, using my phone camera. And it doesn't look too bad, all things considered. But what is it? More will be revealed when it's daylight and I can get a better photo. For now, this is all I gots.

Reprint

2010-09-23T13:16:00.005+10:00

Yay, I have just got more freshly printed yardage back from the lovely Lara & Teegs & Lou (aka Ink & Spindle). The restocking of my Etsy shop was keenly noted by the lovely Penny (aka @pocketcarnival), so I figured it was worth mentioning here.

While I print smaller items myself, all the large-scale stuff is printed with Ink & Spindle. They do an amazing job and are so helpful (read: patient) with me when I'm agonising over colours and shades. This batch is a reprint - of the previously sold out Red Akzidenz and Red Polka Dots, along with a tweaked Teal Akzidenz and Teal Polka Dots (slightly darker shade from the original colour and I love it).

And it took me a while to notice, but the yarn colours I picked to knit with lately are pretty much the same as the colours I've printed my yardage in (except grey, which would look great in a bootie...I'll have to get onto that!) - freaky.

It's a new thing or two

2010-09-20T13:23:00.009+10:00

It feels like it's been forever since I've posted, but even longer since I've updated the look of this here blog. So when I had some spare time this morning I did some changing and rearranging. It's kind of plain, but I'm a plain kind of girl and think I like it.

And the reason I've been quiet? I've been busy preparing for a wee (no, massive) market that's coming up soon. Starting to freak out a bit actually, as it's over two days and will, actually, be massive. But fun, as it seems so many great making folk are going to be there too - see here. Anway, below is a sneak-peak of one new thing from me that will be there - 'Trees' Cushions.

UPDATE: Just put a couple in my shop :)

Also, don't think I've mentioned that I've had a latent Twitter account for a while, but have actually been looking at it and even occasionally tweeting on it too, lately. Yep, I'm down with the technology, me. If you're that way inclined, you'll find me here.

10

2010-09-06T10:59:00.004+10:00

A weekend away to celebrate an anniversary, involving lots of nice food (above is part of the edible garden at Elk Horn Roadhouse) and pretty views of the sea in winter. The crazy midnight wind on a lonesome hilltop was not so great, but the rest was. Hope your weekend was lovely too (and didn't involve flooding or earthquakes).

It's a Greens slide

2010-08-27T17:06:00.005+10:00

A belated cheer for the fact that I now live in a Greens seat. Yay, go Melbourne, here's some Greens bunting for you. Now if only we could figure out the deal for the rest of the country...

OMG, my first Etsy Treasury

2010-08-20T23:30:00.005+10:00

OK, after trying a bunch of times a while back (and giving up not long after) I've finally got an Etsy Treasury, yay! It was super easy to get, so I'm thinking it's open slather now with treasuries, none of this waiting around until the sun aligns with the moon and the magic number of 324 is reached (or whatever the system was before).

It's called Winter Warmers and here's the spiel:

It's winter in Australia and as much as I'm sick of it, there's also a lot I like about it...woolen things & knitting, heaters, umbrellas & rain and also the feeling that spring is just around the corner.

Catch it while it lasts!

Some new stuff

2010-08-20T16:00:00.011+10:00

Have just put some new things in le Etsy shop...plush cushion covers in two styles and hemp/organic cotton tea towel packs - a polka dot 2-pack or a polka dots & letters 2-pac k.

And here are some things you might not know about hemp, more reasons why it's such a great fabric:

It is very absorbent and has a natural antiseptic character
It also holds its shape and does not fade in the sun
When blended with organic cotton, the fabric gains strength & elasticity and is extra soft

I noticed Etsy seems to have had its layout tweaked again - every time I look, something's been moved around. This time, each seller's main shop page has been tweaked to fit four items across the width and it looks great, go Etsy peeps.

OK, now time for some book shopping and weekend-planning. Happy Friday!

Craft Hatch market is done!

2010-08-16T11:27:00.005+10:00

Here are some pictures from the Craft Hatch market I did a week ago...no idea if anyone else is interested in such things but I love looking at pictures of markets, so here goes!

It was the biggest Craft Victoria market to date, with 19 different stalls, and I just wish I had looked around a bit more at the great stuff there...next time. Markets are exhausting, for me anyway, but I came away from this one full of ideas and happy to see so many familiar and new faces (both selling and buying stuff). And a big thanks to the lovely Kim for organising!

It's...the Tree Towel!

2010-08-13T15:51:00.017+10:00

Tree Towel in two-tone green

Tree Towel in chocolate brown & pink

OK, so my new design, The Tree Towel, is ready, yay! It is inspired by my recent travels in Sweden, can you tell? Sometimes new things seem to take forever to get from idea to object...in fact I got so impatient this time that I've already got another design figured out, all before this one was even released. But more about that later.

As I was so excited about The Tree Towel, I created a little flyer for it -

And of course, the towel's available in my Etsy shop now, in two colourways - two-tone green and chocolate brown and pink.Speaking of fliers, if you buy any of my tea towels or fabric goods, you'll also get a cute little sheet explaining more about the fabric - linen or hemp/organic cotton. For example, did you know that linen absorbs 20% or more of its weight in water and is bacteria resistant & can’t provoke allergies? Or that the hemp plant grows rapidly, requires only a modest amount of water and needs no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides? Well you do now :)

Happy Friday.

A gift for me

2010-08-12T18:24:00.008+10:00

I've wanted some blank babushkas (matryoshkas) for a while now, and today I got them - a winter's gift to myself, let's call it, to fit in with my mid-winter melancholy. There's something so beautiful about the blanks and I wouldn't dare attempt to decorate them, much to the shock of the shopkeeper at Babushkas.

OK, time for some mid-winter cooking-of-hearty-food (a tip from Mattt, and great) while listening to some sad music.

Craft Cubed

2010-08-05T17:33:00.005+10:00

OK, so I've been beavering away in my wee studio (ie: lounge room, my new workspace, more on that later) preparing for a wee market that's on soon. And then I realise it's on THIS SUNDAY! Better beaver a little faster, me thinks. I'll have a bunch of new things, including my new Trees tea towel in two colourways (the other to be revealed as soon as I can get a half decent photo of it), which is super exciting.

The event is part of Craft Cubed, for Craft Victoria’s annual festival, which this year has a theme of childhood. Looks like I'll have some pretty fine company (how cute are those bearded brooches?!) And hopefully I'll have some wee baby booties, which I am loving and decided to make some more of. Below is them on Lily's legs, aw!

Craft Hatch

Sunday 8 August

11am-4pm

The Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne

Trees

2010-07-23T15:15:00.003+10:00

Have been doing some test prints for my new tea towel design, 'Trees'. It's a fun way to spend a chilly Friday.

Bosnia

2010-07-23T00:06:00.004+10:00

It's deep winter here in Melbourne and today, when it didn't stop raining all day and was just miserable, I needed a little something to cheer me up. So I had a flick through some of my photos of Bosnia in spring and I felt better right away - so pretty. The buildings, while a little sad looking, are still amazing and buildings like them were everywhere.

Knitting and crochet to warm the heart on a winter's day

2010-07-16T22:37:00.012+10:00

Knitted Lemons, by Sharon Russell.

Whew, that's a long title blog post title. But a fitting one, as knitted and crocheted goods really made my day today. Sharon's lemons, above, are so sweet and seeing them in a cafe at lunch today made me smile. And Sandra's mini granny square, below, nearly ended up in the bin as I didn't see it in the package along with my wrist worms. Thanks Sandra!

Mini granny square, by Sandra Juto.

Knitting the night away - Part II

2010-07-15T13:46:00.006+10:00

I did end up finishing my knitting the other night and here's a snap of the finished shoes. Almost want some for myself but that would be weird...adult baby shoes.

The pattern is here for any keen knitters, although do not underestimate how long it takes to make such tiny little things...unless you're a more experienced knitter than I, in which case it might take you no time at all!

London: Clerkenwell Design Week 2010

2010-07-12T18:44:00.005+10:00

Another little story from my recent travelling adventure...

At the tail end of our holiday, while back in London, I literally stumbled upon Clerkenwell Design Week (it was three days, actually, on 25-27 May), which in the words of its creators is a "three-day annual festival celebrating design’s creative richness, its social impact and its power for change."

I remembered Clerkenwell as an interesting area that I'd briefly visited years ago, and one that seemed worthy of further investigation. And I felt kind of lucky that I'd randomly chosen the first day of the festival as the day I'd have a look around the area, as I had not heard about the festival before landing amongst it.

The first thing I saw was a small designy-crafty market (below), perfect start! Opposite it, some large and colourfully decorated lamps which looked great against London's blue spring skies.

Not far down the road was what seemed to be the festival hub, the Farmiloe Building, an old Victorian warehouse filled with displays of design objects/furniture/furnishings and more. One of my favourites was an accordian-style chair called the Flexible Love Recycled Paper Chair (below) - it stretches out to an impressive length and supports the weight of 16 people, apparently, even though it's made of just cardboard and wood waste.

And the highlight of the festival for me was a discussion called 'Design Thinking - Thinking Design' featuring four design professionals including Kevin McCloud (from Grand Designs, which I love.) Seeing the man in the flesh, observing his articulate manner and hearing his insightful ideas and his wholistic and ecologically responsible approach to design was refreshing and insightful.

And back to the here and now... The State of Design festival starts on Wednesday and runs through until 25 July. I'm looking forward to it, a taste of design that's Melbourne style.

Knitting the night away

2010-07-12T17:17:00.012+10:00

For the last few nights I've been making a little something for my sister's baby...something I would have made before she was born, but being on holiday kind of threw things out of whack. And looking at her wee little feet gave me a good (OK, obvious!) idea.

I've knitted quite a few scarves now, but have never actually made anything from a pattern and thought it was definitely time to branch out a bit. Booties are the perfect starting point, I thought, although I had not idea how many new stitches I'd need to learn to make such tiny little things. But after a bit of swearing and a lot of YouTubing, I'm nearly there. And Lily is going to have some cute little Mary Janes that are only a little bit wonky, yay!

I'm stuck on the couch with a cold today, so am hoping I can muster up the energy to finish them off, but in the meantime you can see what they're supposed to look like here.

Friday chalk

2010-07-09T12:56:00.002+10:00

Chalk - so simple yet so fun! Looks like it's school holidays again and the local kids have been playing in the park.

Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Bun) Recipe

2010-07-02T12:09:00.009+10:00

The buns, just out of the oven - they're a bit wonky and are without pearl sugar, but taste pretty good.

Well, I've now had two attempts at making Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Buns) and although I'm certainly no expert, I'm getting a bit better at making them. Tweaking is part of the fun of cooking for me and I think by attempt #3, I might just be there. And hopefully by then I'll have found some pearl sugar, which is a vital visual element for these buns but not so easy to come by in Melbourne town.

Rolling out the pastry

My recipe comes from the book "Swedish Culinary Classics" by Carl Jan Granqvist & Lena Katarina Swanberg, released by The Swedish Institute. Here's the spiel that comes with their recipe:

Kanelbullar are a classic at Swedish coffee parties. During the golden age of home baking, such parties turned into orgies of sweet yeast breads, small cookies, cookies with fillings, pastries and cakes. This tradition lives on in Sweden. If you are invited to someone's home for coffee, you always get a cinnamon bun, a cookie or a piece of cake with it. And at cafes, dainty little cookies continue to compete with all those supersized American muffins.

Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Bun) Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Makes 25 buns

35g yeast

100g sugar

300ml milk

1 egg

120g butter

1tsp salt

1 tbsp ground cardamon

750g wheat flour

Filling

100g butter

50g sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze

1 egg

2 tbsp water

pearl sugar

PREPARATION

Crumble the yeast in a bowl and stir in a few tablespoons of milk. Melt the butter and pour the milk on it. Add the rest of the ingredients and kneed the dough in a dough mixer for 10-15 minutes. Let the dough rise while covered at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough so it is about 3mm thick and 30cm wide. Spread the room temperature buter on top. Make a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the dough. Roll the dough the long way and cut the roll into about 25 slices. Place them with the cut edge upwards in paper moulds. Place on a baking sheet and let rise under a towel for about 60 minutes or until the buns have doubled in size.

Beat together the egg and water, brush the mixture carefully on the buns and sprinkle pearl sugar on top. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees celsius for 5-6 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack.

MY NOTES:

I used dry yeast, so I halved the amount listed above. Next time I'm going to try fresh yeast, which you can buy from bakeries.
You don't need a bread machine/dough mixer but it makes it a bit easier.
I made bigger buns this time so only got about half the number, but they turned out less dry than my first batch of 25. When they rise they get pretty big, but if you pat them down a bit the size is more manageable. If you make them bigger like me, you'll need to adjust the cooking time - up to double the time in the recipe.
I also laid them out a bit differently - the swirl wasn't facing up but to the side, just for something different.

If you've got any tips/tricks on making these buns, I'd love to know!

Warms wrists, Swedish style

2010-07-01T11:49:00.009+10:00

Look what arrived in the mail yesterday...

..some lovely Wrist Worms made from a soft charcoal merino wool, all the way from Sweden. To die for! Jed got a grey pair too, so we're almost matching, and are very pleased to have very very warm wrists. Thanks Sandra :)

OK, off the finish cinnamon buns batch #2, I'll let you know how they go.

Obsessed by the weather

2010-06-29T22:37:00.007+10:00

I know I seem kinda obsessed by the cold, but that's because it's freezing. And here's a Melbourne tree in winter to prove it!

So I had to buy myself a new blanket, which is sooo cute. It's actually a baby blanket but I think I want to keep it myself as a lap blanket :) I love PataPri's work, it's so great, and I had to stop myself buying this - swoon. And the new baby I mentioned? I'm making her a blanket, which I'm pretty excited about. Not that I've started yet, as I haven't decided if it's for her cot or to play on. Either way, I'd better get onto it as she's two weeks only already and so cute :)

Beautiful Sweden, sigh, part 2

2010-06-26T18:51:00.003+10:00

Mainly blue skies and green trees and so so beautiful.

Beautiful Sweden, sigh, part 1

2010-06-26T18:19:00.004+10:00

Yep, looking at more photos. And thinking about the fact that it's summer in Sweden now, as opposed to freezing/rainy Melbourne. In spring, Sweden was so beautiful. Sigh.

Sweet Treats

2010-06-26T12:27:00.007+10:00

Sorting through my photos this week, I've noticed I have a thing for sweet food. Luckily I got to see a lot of delicious treats when on holiday, and try some too. Mmm.

North For The Winter!

2010-06-23T23:19:00.004+10:00

After a frenzy of cutting and making, it's now time for a bunch of my stuff to get out of freezing Melbourne and head towards the sun. Yes, tea towels need holidays too, people! Unfortunately I don't get to go with them, but I'm sure they'll have a grand time at the Finders Keepers market in Brisbane, what with Tess keeping them company.

The market's on this weekend, June 26 & 27, at the Old Museum in Bowen Hills. If you're lucky enough to go along, look for the North for the Winter sign (made by Tess and very impressive looking by all accounts) that marks the stall I'm sharing with a bunch of talented Melburnians - Teahouse, Metremaid, Elizabeth Ann & Mainichi.

And on a completely different note, I really want to know just one thing right now...who will be our Prime Minister tomorrow and will they be a she? Crazy times in Australian politics people, crazy times.

Barcelona

2010-06-18T12:53:00.005+10:00

Since coming back from holidays, I've noticed that this here blog is too narrow and the photos are too small, so I've just widened it. To test the new width out, here's a couple of snaps from our last stopover on the trip - Barcelona, and the chance to get some sunshine before coming home to winter. We ate such great food there, mmm.

Looking up

2010-06-18T12:06:00.008+10:00

It's a beautiful winter day today - sunny, insanely blue sky - which made walking around and doing chores much more enjoyable, especially with a bit of music to keep me company. And I couldn't help but look up all the time.

OK, back to work - I've got a market to prepare for, and it's on soon!

Wintering along

2010-06-18T00:43:00.005+10:00

It's grey and cold and sometimes rainy in Melbourne at the moment, but I'm generally happy to be home, rugged up and armed with a hot chocolate & marshmallows. Hope your week's been grand - I've had a busy week that involved becoming an aunt (welcome Lily!) and getting back into the swing of things with some printing. I'm also working on a new design, super exciting. Hopefully I'll have something to show soon.

Alive and cooking

2010-06-04T22:53:00.004+10:00

OK, well it's been forever. For a while there on that holiday of mine I thought I'd be posting every day, then suddenly things sped up and there was no time for computers. We ate a million more cinnamon buns, I met some totally lovely folks and hung out by the Swedish sea, then dropped in on Barcelona just because we could (sun!). We then spent another action-packed week in London (my highlight - I really forgot how amazing it is, as I think I've said before) and now here we are back in Melbourne, falling asleep and waking up at random times due to jet lag. 24 hours really is too long to spend flying, ick.

It's great to be home, believe it or not, and nothing's changed except the weather (freezing). And I've been cooking lots, which is so much fun. Here's my take on cinnamon buns - they aren't a patch on the best ones I tasted on the trip, but they're a start. Once I get the recipe tweaked I'll share it, as they're sooo good.

Now it's back to sorting the 2,500 photos I took with my new camera - sheesh, do you think I might have gone overboard with the snaps?

Brrr it's cold in Gothenburg

2010-05-09T07:54:00.005+10:00

So cold and rainy today, perfect for museum going and eating.

Time to buy another suitcase

2010-05-08T04:56:00.007+10:00

After a fruitless search for shoes yesterday in Stockholm, today in Gothenburg we stumbled across the cutest clog workshop. And they've been made in the area since the 1930s, originally by the parents of the storekeeper, no less. Needless to say I'm in love and in a bit of pain - they're hard to walk in but hopefully that will sort itself out.

So now there's not much more to do than drink another coffee and eat another kanelbullen (cinnamon bun) and/or kardemommeboller (cardamom bun). And go back to the shop to buy another pair or two :)

Cinnamon buns - I've almost eaten too many of these, if that's possible.

Buns with vanilla and jam - mmm!

Hello from Sweden!

2010-05-03T06:33:00.005+10:00

Supermarket shelves and shop window displays are about all we've seen of Stockholm so far, as we arrived on Sunday afternoon and most things were closed, but I think I'm in love. It's cold but the sky is blue and everything looks beautiful and spring-like. And the sun sets late - around 9pm, I think - which is weird for us as the temperature is less than 10 degrees celsius (a lot less than, I think!)

Tomorrow will be a day for buying warmer clothes and walking and walking and walking and looking at lovely things. And not buying AU$10 cups of hot chocolate, as we did tonight (delicious and necessarily warming but definitely budget breaking!)

Plants and Flowers

2010-05-01T07:55:00.008+10:00

It's so nice to go from Autumn in Melbourne to Spring here (we're currently in Budapest, another unplanned stopover and the weather is amazing.) Here are some snaps of the spring flowers and plants we've seen along the way. Happy Saturday :)

Week Three, Serbia

2010-04-26T07:42:00.006+10:00

Hard to believe that it's week three (well, nearly) of our wee holiday. Above are three snaps (of the around 900 I've taken so far - geez!) taken in Belgrade, Serbia, an amazing city that we weren't originally planning on coming to. Happy Monday!

Croatia and Bosnia

2010-04-18T23:36:00.005+10:00

Holidays are so relaxing, with lots of book reading and sight seeing and sitting in the sun drinking espressos and eating gelati and endless salads. Above is Dubrovnik from a few days ago, at night and day. Since Croatia we have been to Montengro and are now in Mostar, in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia, and have walked across the amazingly reconstructed bridge many times. Hope your Sunday is just as great.

Hello from London!

2010-04-11T03:03:00.004+10:00

It feels like forever since I've looked at my wee blog, and that's because it has been forever. I really really was going to say something last week, and the week before, but of course preparing for a holiday means there are a million more important things to do. And now that I'm on holiday, there are a million more things to do and see and look at and a computer is not one of those things. Except this afternoon when I feel like catching up.

Me smiling my head off, next to the Serpentine. Note my new bag - Mattt's bag with my T print - it's perfect for traveling as is so sturdy, good one Matt :)

London is so amazing - huge and old and beautiful. And although it was raining and freezing when we first got here, since then it's been sunny and warm(ish). So I've walked about 100km a day, photographing everything in sight and have checked lots of to-dos off my list - Liberty, Muji, Cath Kidston, Orla Kiely, Skandium (see below photo. I nearly cried when I went inside, it's sooo amazing. God help me when I actually get to Sweden!). I've also eaten amazing food and had many great espressos (they didn't seem to exist the last time I was here). Oh, and have been to a museum or four and seen Big Ben and all the usual stuff.

Tomorrow is another day and we'll be in another country (Croatia, en route to Bosnia), can't wait. Bye for now!

Stuff in stuff

2010-03-23T22:43:00.006+11:00

I don't know how they found it, but another of my tea towels made an appearance in Apartment Therapy recently (in 'the kitchn' section). Thanks (again) to Michelle for seeing it and letting me know!

And thanks to Becky for the wee interview that recently appeared in Crafting A Green World.

Now back to holiday planning! Hope the week is fun for you and you're eating at least one hot cross bun a day like me - mmm :) It's bought ones I'm eating as I haven't made any this year, but did last year and the year before that. Gosh the years go by quickly!

It's not so bad

2010-03-22T10:02:00.003+11:00

OK, so it's been a while between posts. And that may or may not have something to do with the rain that I mentioned in my last post. Rain! No, it was more extreme freaky loud hail storm that is now causing quite a headache for insurers. Anyway, let's just say I've spent a lot of time mopping up and squeezing things out in the studio, along with moving my miraculously untouched books/electrical equipment out of the waterlogged region and into my now-full-of-stuff apartment. Yep, crafty things are vying for space and trying to squeeze Jed's bikes OUT of the living room.

Luckily I've got other exciting things to think about. Like Sweden. Did I mention that I'm going to Sweden? And Bosnia, as you do, with a stopover or two in London. In two weeks. For nearly two months. Eek! It's been forever since we've been on a proper holiday, so we figured now is as good as time as any. And heck, as I mentioned a while back, I surely do deserve a pair of Swedish clogs (or two), right? And it totally makes sense to go there to get them. Definitely.

So that's what's news here. Happy Monday!

Quotes in colours

2010-03-06T18:06:00.003+11:00

And here are the coloured versions of my new 'Quotes' tea towel! Lots of umming and ahhing and mixing and testing took place before these colours were decided upon. Looove the muted feel of avocado green & grey combination (suits today's weather in Melbourne, along with the record floodings and massive hail) and the brightness of the 1950s blue/red combo.

Now time to don the gumboots and brave the weather - fun!

Look at my new bag!

2010-03-04T19:38:00.004+11:00

So Japanese, so cute, so practical, so cheap and hand delivered to boot - thanks Rootote (and Michelle for recommending!)

Quotes in my head

2010-03-04T16:37:00.006+11:00

It seems like foreeever since I've had time/inspiration etc to do something new, but last week I just sat down with my trusty notebook and drew one of the ideas in my head. A day or so later, I made up a new screen for it and did some printing...and then a week later, I get around to taking a photo of it! So ta-da, here's my new tea towel, called Quotes. It kind of sums up what goes on in my head sometimes - a million ideas and thoughts flying around - I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

This first run is a lovely contrasty white on natural linen (my favourite new thing! And they're extra large!!) I've just put it in my Etsy shop and soon there will be coloured varieties, yay. And if you look closely you can see my new logo, which I'm yet to actually use anywhere else but on my new packaging. I'll surely show it here sometime soon :)

Happy Thursday.

PS. Also just put the new T Towel on Etsy - white on natural linen, mmm!

Little Shop Of...Fun!

2010-03-03T13:36:00.004+11:00

Finally, finally I visited Little Shop Of last week, so cute! Yes, it's wee tiny but it's so packed full of stuff that the tininess doesn't matter so much. I dropped off a bunch of my tea towels and fabric, chatted to Bec and then headed up the road for a delicious bagel, mmm! Morning well spent :)

Speaking of shopping, how much do I want to these shoes? Soo cute. And yes, I must have a thing for yellow shoes (and red shoes, and blue shoes...)

This week

2010-02-25T18:17:00.003+11:00

Haven't been up to much, beyond trying to have *ahem* a life. These photos are actually all from the weekend, which involved getting some sun, eating, drinking and relaxing. But I have been doing some work (fun work) that involves getting the emulsion out in preparation for making a new screen/design, which I haven't done forever. Can't wait to get the ink out! Happy Thursday.

These are going to be mine soon...

2010-02-18T14:09:00.007+11:00

..I just need to decide on the colour. They're so ace and they even have wooden clog heels. Swoon. And though I could just buy them online, I think I've got a better idea that might just involve going to Sweden and picking them up in person :)

Finally

2010-02-18T13:48:00.005+11:00

So the Craft Hatch market was fun with lots of cute things to see. And my new set-up (a great old ladder with shelves, as you can see above) worked out great, yay! AND I got my coffee cup - I went minimalist, all white - from the lovely hookturn ladies :) It's a reusable, silicon cup and is very very nice.

I was happy to see all the fabric wrapped up in my new packaging (which I've got no photos of, bah) and as ever, the red Akzidenz was the most popular. And as of now, it's all in my shops - Etsy (USD) and Made It (AUD) so take a peak :)

Colour mania

2010-02-11T15:24:00.002+11:00

Woot!

New & upcoming stuff

2010-02-07T14:42:00.013+11:00

After a lazy January, February so far had been a bit mad for me and I've got the squeegee blisters to prove it, eek. It's a new year that's full of promise and I'm pretty excited about my first market of the year, which is on this coming Saturday.

It's Craft Hatch, the Craft Victoria market for emerging designers and this edition is a special one, to coincide with the Sustainable Living Festival. It's at the City Library, Flinders Lane in the city from 11-4. Can't wait to see my neighbours, including Hookturn Industries (love their mugs!) Oh, and if you come along it's upstairs :)

Hookturn Industries' coffee-coloured mug with white lid, pic courtesy of Hookturn Industries.

I'll have a bunch of new things at the market including a brand new range of colours (soon to be photographed!) of my 'Akzidenz' and 'Polka Dots' yardage and super amazing new natural linen tea towels that I'm in love with. Oh, and a new market set-up, I hope - fingers crossed this week goes slowly so I can get everything ready in time...

And before I forget, a big thank you to Rebecca of My Green Australia, who featured my Enka tea towel in her article about creating a paperless kitchen (some good tips there, thanks Rebecca!)

And thanks to all those who voted for me in the Poppies - it was an honour just to be nominated :) I think the trusty gals at Ink & Spindle were the "winners" of the crafty Oscars, yay for them and their fab work.

The Poppies

2010-01-26T11:50:00.004+11:00

Ohh, someone has nominated me for The Poppies (awards run by the lovely folk at Poppytalk Handmade, whose market I took part in last year), in the Favourite Handmade Textiles section. How sweet and what an honour to be mentioned alongside Summersville, Skinny LaMinx and local heroes Ink & Spindle (and many others). Go and vote for your favourite (you get one vote per section) with polls open until 29 Jan. And it only takes a minute to do as you don't need to log in or do anything annoying like that.

Swedish love

2010-01-26T11:22:00.004+11:00

I've just come back from a public holiday long weekend away full of beautiful summertime alpine scenery, relaxation, swimming and, believe it or not, Swedish treats! Yes, we discovered Å Skafferi, the sweetest little cafe/pantry/produce store. Now I'm planning a holiday to stay there (the accommodation looks amazing) so I can eat beetroot salad with walnuts and goats cheese everyday for lunch, yum!

Now I'd better go off and eat some lamingtons, pavlova, have a bbq, drink some beer and do other Australian things!

Typography in blue

2010-01-22T11:28:00.003+11:00

Ohh, what a great lil' treasury ...

.. thanks for including me, Laura!

Fully organised & inspired

2010-01-21T16:48:00.004+11:00

Yay, my revitalised studio is now fully shelved and getting a bit organised! Very exciting to see shelves that aren't jam-packed full of stuff and so great to be able to get to stuff easily.

And here's an inspiration shot for you (today's Thursday already - sheesh, the weeks zip by so quickly) - old photo sleeves that form part of an exhibition at the Town Hall in Melbourne at the moment. They look so great!

Happy Thursday :)

Getting organised

2010-01-17T01:00:00.009+11:00

Well, it's not quite complete as the other batch of shelves required painting and are still drying (three coats later) but here is the first lot, set up and installed in my studio! They look better in my head than in this photo (bad light combined with piles of junk everywhere and just out of shot) but you get the idea. On the top shelf are my screens (yay, they have a home that's not the floor) and under that, inks and emulsion and assorted printy stuff. And all conveniently located right next to my printing/work bench. Can't wait to test it out next week.

Also out of shot is a massive amount of lavender, some of which comes from a recently visited lavender farm in the country. We stumbled upon the farm on the way to a far-away beach, during some time out of town last week. Yay for refreshing mini breaks that involve lavender, other people's cute houses and visiting old petrol stations.

And yay for random crafty stuff spotted around town. Below is a crocheted fence (or is it knitted?), spotted whilst walking to dinner tonight.

Summer cleaning

2010-01-04T10:11:00.004+11:00

Found this photo from last year - a new-ish studio that's sparce and clean!

It's my inspiration to get the once-waterlogged-now-dry(ish) space back on track in that department, and also do some handy things like put up more shelves. Fun! Expect some updated photos next week (fingers crossed!) Yep, I'm hoping that the commitment I've just made here will make it happen in real life :)

Happy Monday.

Gone fishing

2010-01-02T23:57:00.015+11:00

Or something like that, and somewhat belatedly.

Yep, I have disappeared off the radar but it was definitely time for an unplanned semi-break and some crossword-doing, berry picking, book reading, movie watching, whatever. But just quickly wanted to say thanks to everyone who reads this wee blog, buys my things and supports me in my crafty pursuits - it's been a blast so far.

Now for 2010...and the fabric that's ordered on the way, the new fabric that's just become available, some new ideas, travel plans and more - my brain's ticking into overdrive thinking about stuff, yay!

Now I'm back off to the beach :) OK, not exactly today but the snaps below are from the other day, when it was mid-high 30s and perfect for beach lying and fish and chip eating. Looking forward to more of that this week, assuming summer comes back (low 20s and showers today and the last couple of days - hello summer, where have you gone?!) Hope you get a bit of a break too :)

Spin Spin Handmade

Seconds & Samples Sale!

Christmas one-day sale today!

Yes, 20% off everything in my Etsy shop, today only (AEST).Don't forget to use code: XMAS20Items will be sent off Friday 16th December.Contact me for special requests or if you're after Express Post.

Dots & Loops Gift Guide

New stuff

Post-Markit and Harvest Market

Markit @ Fed Square this Sunday

New fabrics!

Spring

Gardening

New gift tags & cards

New Stockists

Cushion Mania

Clever person!

New things! And I'm in the paper!

Akzidenz full width - on pre-order!

Winter Orchard and Apple Love

Bundle of tea towels

Cards! And a limited edition natural Tree Towel!

Autumn

It's a discount code

Happy Easter

Gloomy day Melbourne/Sarajevo

Reading

The international language of hello

A summer in pictures

Season's Greetings

Bunting, rain and shopping

Window Shopping

Harvest Love

Getting in the spirit

Eating

Harvest Textiles Xmas Market

Raindrops

It's oh so quiet

It's a freebie!

Last week

Six months ago today...

My Creative Space...

Coming soon!

Keeping me company this week...

My Creative Space...

Australian screen printed textiles/designers

This week & last

Naomi Murrell Print Heaven

A new week

New new new

Mysterious!

Reprint

It's a new thing or two

10

It's a Greens slide

OMG, my first Etsy Treasury

Some new stuff

Craft Hatch market is done!

It's...the Tree Towel!

A gift for me

Craft Cubed

Trees

Bosnia

Knitting and crochet to warm the heart on a winter's day

Knitting the night away - Part II

London: Clerkenwell Design Week 2010

Knitting the night away

Friday chalk

Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Bun) Recipe

Warms wrists, Swedish style

Obsessed by the weather

Beautiful Sweden, sigh, part 2

Beautiful Sweden, sigh, part 1

Sweet Treats

North For The Winter!

Barcelona

Looking up

Wintering along

Alive and cooking

Brrr it's cold in Gothenburg

Time to buy another suitcase

Hello from Sweden!

Yes, 20% off everything in my Etsy shop, today only (AEST).
Don't forget to use code: XMAS20
Items will be sent off Friday 16th December.
Contact me for special requests or if you're after Express Post.