Thursday, 11 March 2010

made with love for little Ivy



A little slapped together appliqued singlet for Baby Ivy & in the background my latest handmade cot quilt in progress.

Hey, I have a brand new niece, named Ivy Piper & she is so adorable!! I went to visit her for the first time last Saturday. Boy am I clucky now!
My youngest turns three this Friday, & I am starting to feel like time is flying by too fast.
I have decided to spoil this new niece of mine. I can't stop lavishing her with gifts & I think I'm doing this to take my mind off my decision not to have any more bambinos. As much as I love 'em I think I know my limits as a two kiddie mama ( I have two beautiful healthy children & just turned forty & can't afford to get any more bitter & twisted) .It is wonderful to have another little muse.

Friday, 5 March 2010

whole lot of Rosie


Since we have been on a flower theme, I thought I'd post up a photo of my lastest
sean-the-prawn creation. A vintage style hat handmade by me from an op shopped vintage cotton rosie table cloth.

I really dig the pale green and I think you can almost smell the roses.
Might pop it into my etsy shop before taking it to the lovely Mooch Inside ladies.

little red corner of my garden

last of our eucalypt blossoms.
red geraniums, as good as they get.

There is a little spot in my garden that I pass by every day to get downstairs to the laundry, my husband's office or to feed our chooks & tend the vege patch. It has been looking so pretty lately I just have to stop a moment as I pass to admire the visual feast of reds & pinks. It is the first time we have had blossoms on our grafted flowering gum (eucalypt), it is quite an amazing flower that drips with nectar, the bees & native minor birds have been lapping it up..I had a little taste myself & it tastes very sweet. You can see a bee in full flight in my photo as it is zooming in to load up again with sticky nectar.
Right alongside our little flowering gum is a mass of red geraniums that are now pretty much growing wild. They are looking fab at the moment...got to love that intense red & old fashioned charm. These geraniums are extra special to me as I grew them from cuttings that my Father saved from the garden of my late Grandfather's house in Broken Hill when they were moving him out of the only house he ever owned and in to a nursing home in Adelaide. He had saved for & bought that place with my Grandmother just after their wedding & that is where my Father & his brother spent their entire childhood. It was a humble little blue house made of pressed/ patterned tin, it was always immaculate & they cherished everything they owned, but it was the garden I remember the most. For those of you who know Broken Hill you will understand that it is pretty much desert country, but his garden was a lush oasis. All types of citrus trees, sweet peas blooming, grape vines, masses of geraniums, celery, onions, hydrangeas, beans & like so many of the homes in outback Australia a talking cockatoo in a large cage making a hell 0f a racket.
Our family really shapes us and gives many layers to our interests. Let's treasure our memories of the old folk.

Friday, 26 February 2010

Sassy teatowel lassies

A new couple of vintage style dresses for young girls.
The Pumpkin Pete dress is quite fab.. the back is a groovy coach & horses scene with sailing ships in the background..how about that pretty pink sky!! The front of the dress has the cutest little laddie sitting on a pumpkin reading a book (I've named him Pumpkin Pete)he is reading "tips for beginners" & has a little bird looking over his shoulder. Tell me what little girl wouldn't look adorable in this dress. back of Pumpkin Pete dress

front of Pumpkin Pete dress

The Still Life dress is such a gorgeous yellow on the front and the scene on the back is just so kitsch it has to be seen to be believed. Green sky...what the...? front Still Life dress


back Still Life dress



Yes, a new style of frock for sean-the-prawn using pristine never been used vintage teatowels.
I found them in a local op shop..looked like they had been stored away in some lovely old biddies linen press for a long time. I thought they were too good to chop into so I kept them whole for this gathered up neckline style. I'm thinking they would be a good size for a 5- 10 yr old. Either soon to be sold at Mooch Inside or my Etsy shop.

Saturday, 20 February 2010

Lemon cake & frilly skirt


lemon cake, hydrangea & skirt back

front of Ava's birthday skirt


Today we are heading off to Sydney to Centennial Park for sweet little Ava's 4th birthday party. She is the daughter of very good friends of ours. They tell me it is a fairy party, but the last fairy party they held we were the only crazy folk who had the courage to dress up.

We were asked to bring along a cake for the adults so I made one of my old faithfuls, a lemon yoghurt cake. A very tasty little number, although this time I'm going to give it a bit of extra zing by pouring lemon syrup over it just before serving.

Every year I like to give Ava one of my sean-the-prawn creations, as she is a gorgeous and willing model for my work..hooray, got to love a future fashion victim in the making. This year I have made her a frilly, floral skirt with a drawstring back. All in vintage fabric. I just love this style of skirt. The waist grows with the wearer by not pulling it in as much, so they get many years of wear from it. Thanks to my lovely friend Leah F for letting me borrow this idea of hers.

In the background of the photo you can see a bunch of stunning greeny blue hydrangeas. They were a gift from another beautiful friend of mine, Jane for my 40th birthday, we had a huge fancy dress party at the local hall last Saturday night as my hubbie and I both turned 40 within ten days of each other. It was such a wonderful night with many great friends and family...think we will be recovering for some time yet.





Monday, 1 February 2010

pinky purple summer

heavenly pink frangipanis at front door

pretty birthday dress for Miss Frankie


if only I could have driven away in it!


I love our frangipani garden, it's between our front gate and front door. So beautiful having that peachy pink scent tickle your nostrils every time you walk by. Ahh, you know summer is here!

How cute is that musky pink old Holden wagon!! We went on a 10 day family holiday during November last year, and boy we needed it. Emerald Beach, just north of Coffs Harbour is where we stayed. Talk about rancho relaxo. We may even do it again this year. Any way during this little holiday we took a drive to the pretty town of Bellingen and we were lucky enough to be there for the Bellingen Produce Markets...what great markets, so much beautiful fresh food and such a great atmosphere in the historic showgrounds next to the Bellinger River. I had a delicious organic bacon & egg roll and the best Tarot reading ever. On our way back to the car I photographed my son Max as he walked by the most gorgeous vintage Holden. I love the blue gates behind...great colour combo.

Early in the New Year my daughter's little friend Francesca turned 3yrs old...I couldn't resist making her a pretty little dress made from recycled vintage bed sheets. These home sewn girls vintage style dresses fit a size 3 but they also make the sweetest little smocky tops over pants for a 7yr old hard to believe I know, but true as I have tried them on my niece.



Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Little girls dresses..vintage recycled



Here is a little custom order jobbie that I totally love...really happy how it turned out. It took me a while to work out the best border print for this yellow & brown colour combo...not a colour palette I have used very much before, but I think the result is one of my best yet. Hope the little girl liked her Christmas gift...probably not as exciting as a plastic toy!!

Hope your Christmas and holiday time has been all you hoped for...we had a very relaxed "at home" Christmas this year. Great to catch up with friends, even one I hadn't seen for close to 20yrs. Argh now that sounds like a comment from someone soon to approach forty.

Welcome 2010, hope it will be a good one for you. I have made a new years resolution to get serious about my little label, which means 2010 is my International Year of Sewing. As I type there are six little girls dresses made from recycled floral sheets & vintage fabric sitting here just looking at me begging to be finished. Any day now.