Keep Calm and Carry On....

Yesterday, this arrived in the mail:

Very apt. I'm heading off to Melbourne tomorrow to visit my family; so I won't be blogging much over the next week... my Dad, who just recently had surgery to remove a kidney, has ben diagnosed with cancer, (albeit a low level, rather contained form that should be manageable), and a very long term family friend, one who has become like an uncle to myself and my sisters, who has been fighting cancer for a while now, has been taken to hospital, and it looks like he has very little time left.

All in all, not the best circumstances for a family visit, but hopefully tempered by the happiness of seeing my sister's new pregnant belly, and my closest friend in the world who has just become engaged. As well as spending some time with my fabulous neice and nephew....

Sorry for such a depressing post, I have been making some things, but the photos will have to wait until I get back.

If you want to order the poster, you can do it here...

Packages sent with love....

My fabulous Vintage Button Swap partner, Jen, posted her photos of what I sent her today.....as I forgot to photograph the package before I sent it, here are her pictures:

All bundled up:

And open for all to see! -

Jen was the most fantastic swap partner, I wish she had a blog I could link you to, but alas!

I also did a bit of shopping today, culminating in these exciting goodies....

From my favourite Op Shop, two pretty blue and white side plates, both for $1...

Plus this cute little art deco bowl, also $1....

From the fabric shop, some new fabrics, to be made into skirts, plus some ric rac, which I am having a renewed love affair with at the moment - must be memories of growing up in hand made clothes......

And some divine rosewood knitting needles, for a one skein cowl pattern I'm going to have a bash at....

And finally, the latest issue of Frankie Magazine,

Which I love for its photo spreads like these.....

Plus, they have a different artist do a poster every month which is included free in the magazine....it's gorgeous.......

And after all that, I also managed to do some sewing! The Machine, (which I have just found out is actually called Betty - perfect!) is up and running, and sewing like a dream, but after such a photo heavy post, I think I'll leave it there and post photos of the skirt I made another time....

I hope your day has been as productive as mine....!

More presents in the Post!

Today I received my Vintage Button Swap package!
The lovely Jen, from New Jersey, sent me this gorgeous package FULL of goodies!

There was so much beautiful stuff in my package, all picked out with so much care and thought, that I got a bit teary!

The buttons are all gorgeous, in red, black and white, which are my favourite colours....

Along with two divine vintage embroidered linen teatowels, one with a bottle and two glasses because I'm a bartender, and the other with a teapot and cup, because I love tea, and collect teacups....

A pile of beautiful scraps of fabric, because I am attempting my first patchwork quilt...

PLUS: a whole lot of paper ephemera, for collages, and a brilliant kitschy craft book on how to make clothes, because I am starting my own clothing business!

What a fantastic way to start the day......Plus I got the great news that my Dad has had his kidney operation, and everything went really well, the surgery was sucessful, and he is apparently sitting up and chatting, though still uncomfortable...

It's been a difficult week for me being apart from my family (they live in a different state), but I have organised to fly home next week once Dad comes home to recover, so I'll feel better once I'm at home, helping and giving support, instead of pottering around waiting for phone calls and progress reports!

So all in all, a good day with good news + presents! What more could a girl want?

Presents in the Post.

Today a package arrived from my sister.....

A huge parcel of vintage cotton fabric she had been given, and decided to share the love with me!

Which works out well, because I'm in the process of making a dress for my niece (her daughter), which, once I have the sewing machine up and running, should be in the post within the week....

As it's getting cold here, I've decided to make it out of a brown wool, in kind of a flecked tweedy weave, lined with bright red cotton. The patchwork will make the pockets, and I'm in the process of hand stitching the binding around the edges (again, no sewing machine.....hand stitching is HARD)

It's going to be a little pinafore dress, made from this vintage pattern, the one without the frill...

But again, waiting on The Machine.......

The Machine was given to me by a wonderful generous friend and his mother,when they found out I had to return the machine I had been borrowing for the last four years! It's a bloody heavy thing, but I'm sure you'll agree, it's gorgeous! Two stitches, straight and zig zag!

The only problem is, when my friend gave it to me, he forgot to grab the presser foot as well, so I've been waiting for him to go and visit his mum again so he can pick it up and I can play with my new toy! OOOOooooooh I can't wait.....
Hopefully that will happen this weekend, and I can finally start making some things, and have some work to show on this blog that I set up for, well, that very purpose!
Also: if anyone knows ANYTHING about these kinds of sewing machines, can you leave a comment? I can't seem to find any info on the net about it, and I'd love to get my hands on an old manual or something..... Cheers!

Hope you're all having a brilliant day!

Covet Central.....

Today I am coveting fabrics....

This is Sandy Klop's American Jane....

Kokka Fabrics' Charcoal Pear....

ANYTHING by Etsuko Furuya....this is Blue Birds....

They can all be found at Purl, where I would spend all my money but the exchange rate and postage costs from the States are a tiny bit prohibitive......(not quite enough though, so I may be in danger next pay packet.......)

In the meantime, I have consoled myself by buying a few vintage kimono peices and a vintage war poster off the net, and as soon as they arrive, I'll be sure to show you!

There's also a work in progress, which I may unveil tomorrow.....see you then!

Cup of The Day......

In the spirit of photographing one's breakfast, I have recently found a Flickr group where people post photographs of thier favourite beverages in thier favourite cups......

Being a mad teacup collector, the idea of having an excuse to photograph my crockery was too good to pass up, so I am now a proud member of Cup of The Day!

The heart shaped shortbreads were made by a lovely Greek friend of mine....she tells me that her Grandmother taught her to flick Ouzo on them whilst warm, so the icing sugar sticks......

I went on a little thrift shop run today, and managed to score a whole stack of 12 vintage zippers for $1!

As well as a cute woven wicker bag with brilliant leather toggle and handles, as well as a suitably kitsch cotton lining....

The wicker is plastic coated, which I wouldn't normally prefer, but I will mean that it will last longer, and won't get that frayed look that woven things eventually succumb to......

I'm quite pleased with it now, but I'm VERY fickle when it comes to bags, so it may well appear in my Ebay store sometime in the future.....

Before I go, I'd like to introduce you to my partner..... He is generally a VERY private person, which is why I don't talk about him much on this blog, but I don't think he would mind me sharing this photo with you.....

Lets just say that drinking three bottles of wine on a Sunday night always ends up with something random......!

Well, I'm off to make some more tea and scoff some more of those yummy shortbreads.... I hope there's tea and biscuits wherever you are today!

Breakfast.

Seems I have developed a bit of a habit of taking photos of my breakfast.....

Who knows why? Perhaps it's something to do with the combinations of the crockery I use.... Having a bit of a passion for vintage crockery, I love all my plates, cups and bowls dearly, for different reasons. Putting together different combinations is part of my breakfast ritual, and asking my partner which particular teacup he feels like today is one of the regular things we do....

But at least I know I'm not the only one with a penchant for photographing my breakfast.....

I recently discovered the blog of Jen, a photographer from Brooklyn in New York, who regularly photographs her breakfast, too! Her lush photos can be found on her blog: Simply Breakfast. Cute.

Home Is Where the Art Is.....

I'm feeling a little poorly today, my partner has had a touch of a cold, and now I'm feeling rather low energy.....

So, here is a lazy post. one where I show you a few things around my house....

Above is a selection of button badges I made that form a little frieze in the bathroom.....

This is a set of Ikea frames with various little collages, and magazine cutouts, also in the bathroom....(the are blu-tacked to the wall, and keep moving around and falling off.... does anyone have a non-mark-leaving hanging solution for small things? )

This one is a wooden tree that used to hold candles, but it has lost its practical function and now just serves as an aesthetic piece.... the collages are a product of my time at art school....these were made sometime in my third year, and are about the only things I have actually kept from that time....

The words on the canvases are old words that I collect that no-one uses anymore....The front one says 'ithyphallic', which means, 'impure, indecent', and the other one says 'aprosexia', which means, 'inability to concentrate'.

This morning, fuzzy headed, as I waited for the kettle to boil, I was struck by the colour combination of my crockery....

The green bowl I have had for years, and it's actually quite chipped, but the red mug is a new addition. My taste in mugs couldn't be any different than my taste in teacups..... the bigger the better, and no chintzy, florally details for me....!

There was also a little op shopping mission up into the Adelaide Hills with my work friend, Kari yesterday.....the results?

MORE vintage buttons, and some fabulous bright green (actually brighter than the photo shows) striped fabric that is destined to become a skirt....I think I'll incorporate some of those lovely big black buttons, too.

Well, that said, I'm off to scrub the bath and blow my nose.... I hope the change of season is being kind to you!

Crap.

I just had a wonderful post all typed up and designed and now the bloody blogger thingy doesn't like something in the code.

Poo!

Maybe I'll try again tommorrow, sorry. :-(

Wardrobe Remix and Other Pursuits.....

wardrobe remix, originally uploaded by paperstringcloth.

As mentioned before, I have joined the Wardobe Remix group over at Flickr, hosted by the fab Tricia and Jenny. This is my first contributuion to the group......

I'm wearing.......

Mustard cardigan from thrift shop, accented with vintage cloth covered buttons by me....grey jersey button down henley top from Cotton On (chain store), handmade black cotton wrap skirt with red pinstripe lining, made by me..... and my new fabulous $3 thrifted brazillian woven leather slingback wedge flats! Also included; A Concise History of Modern Art by Herbert Read, my vintage suitcase collection and my partner's vintage Apple Mac collection!

It's amazing how difficult it is to take a decent photograph of yourself, I am actually not very photogenic, so I have to take millions of shots before I get one where I'm not pulling some kind of pained-looking expression....!

In other news, I managed a great big trip to the Op Shops today, with some good results:

A big haul of vintage buttons, which will help me when I go to send off my button swap package this week!

Plus a bit of a renovation project; this 50's corner unit with one cupboard and three shelves, cute etched glass door, and pink laminate...$10! I think a coat of paint and a good clean will have this one ready for installing in the hallway, where we need somewhere to dump our keys, the mail, etc etc.

I also bought a whole stack of other things, knitting needles, some plastic beaded necklaces, some fabric remnants, but I won't bore you to death with ALL the photos!

I've been doing a bit of work on my studio, which is looking much more organised, but somehow I don't think I'll be satisfied until I convince myself that I really DO need that fabulous big, roomy white bookshelf I saw in IKEA the other day.....It really would look perfect with all my new jars of sewing notions, my neatly folded and stacked fabric collection, and the storage boxes now stuffed full of vintage dress patterns........ la la la la ......the ways we justify spending money we don't have!

I'm also working on some listings for the Ebay store, but here's a sneak preview, just for you.....

All Sorts of News.....

This week has been a big week for news in the big, life-altering sense...

First of all, my Dad is going into hospital next week to have a kidney removed. They are pretty sure it's nothing serious, but he has a growth on one kidney that shouldn't be there, so they are going to take it out, just to make sure. For a big, strong, farming man who has never had anything really more serious than a head cold, this is a pretty big deal.

The second bit of news is that my sister has fallen pregnant, after a short course of IVF, which is fantastic news! I'm already an aunty twice over thanks to my other sister, but more nieces and nephews are absolutely fine by me!

And THEN, today, my best friend of many years has called to tell me she's getting married! Which is kind of crazy, because we aren't really the kind of people who do the whole weddings thing, I imagine this will be a rather left of centre service, not your traditional wedding at all. Which sounds fantastic, and I'm so happy that she has found someone that she feels she can share such a commitment with.....and it will be my first proper wedding in my circle of friends, which is even more exciting!

As for me, my life is seeming rather quiet compared to everyone else's!

Today started with eggs on toast, and a little bit of arranging in the house, my new Ikea vases found thier new home.

Followed by a spot of op shopping, which resulted in me being the proud owner of this fabulous/ridiculous chicken shaped basket!

Another trip to Ikea for some storage boxes also ended up with me indulging my new, weird passion for yellow, by buying this quilt cover for the bed. Our bed is usually quite sedate, we've had a chocolate brown quilt for AGES, and even though this is way brighter than anything I would usually own, and will probably give us nightmares, I couldn't resist!

I'm happy to see that I am not alone in this new found love of yellow - Manda from TreeFall has been having exactly the same experience with yellow as me. And, like me, she hated it before. WHY? What were we thinking? Will I hate it again next week? Who knows?!

There are also some more Vintage Goodies in my Ebay store, if you are so inclined....

A navy and white spotted shift dress,

Some, well......... Yellow, high waisted, skiiny leg, 80's pants!

An 80's geometric shift dress in black, blue and white....

And a pair of fantastic vintage tennis bloomers with little racquet applique!

And now that I'm on the computer, I may just do a few more listings... so look out for those!

Fun Things To Do On The Internet. #2

Actually, sometimes this site isn't fun. Sometimes it's heartbreaking, or weird, or inspiring, and sometimes it's funny. It started as an art project where strangers were invited to send thier secrets in on a postcard, decorated however they wished. As it grew and grew, the artist behind the project, Frank Bryce, started posting them on the internet. New sectrets are posted every Sunday. Compelling reading!

Visit PostSecret to see this Sunday's secrets......

Fun Things To Do On The Internet.

Get your name in lights......(and possibly win the same for real...)

I got my name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

I hearby call the end to a post-heavy day!

New Knowledge:

Here's something cute I learned whilst doing my General Knowledge crossword in the paper today:

"From an Icelandic word meaning prosperity, what means to be frugal and careful with money?"

answer: Thrifty!

Who would have thought that so many of us casually use a word originating in Icelandic?

Work In Progress

Funny that I should start this blog, celebrating things that are made by hand, at the exact time that I decide to take a break from sewing and creating, to get my mind together. I recently dropped out of my Honours degree in Art History in order to reconnect with my creativity.

I spent ten years at art school, making and painting and drawing, and by natural progression I ended up in the theory department. I adore art theory, I love to write, and an intellectual challenge is always welcome, but this last year, I have had itchy hands. I just wanted to go back to making things, and give my brain a rest. 10 years of study is a huge amount of time! So now I am taking a well-deserved break, and though I am absolutely planning a million projects in my head, it's very important for me to ensure that my work space is organised first, and that I take a rest from all plans in order to recharge my batteries, and get back my motivation.

I do, however, have a work in progress....

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make a patchwork quilt from scratch, the old fashioned way. The whole process seemed so daunting, until I decided just to start making the paper pieced sqares, one by one, and stashing them. No pressure for completion, just a few squares every now and then. Also, my fabric stash isn't huge, so everytime I pick up a new fabric, I make sure to make a few squares out of it first.

With a bit of sewing in front of the tv, and just a few squares here and there, I suddenly looked at the stash the other day, and it's HUGE! 116 squares already, and I've barely even noticed making them. BRILLIANT.

They are all bright, mismatched, predominantly vintage cottons, and hopefully, one day, they will be made into a something gorgeous. Like a quilt, perhaps? Now I just have the sew all the bloody things together! HA!