Something New

I have been trying something new.  Hair accessories for girls.  Go check them out on my other blog here and in my etsy store here.

My next attempt at something new will be hair accessories for women, which I have been wanting to do for a long time now, along with about 100 other things. But I have to make a start somewhere.  And to be able to achieve that, I'm going to have to cut down on my blog surfing so I can get some work done.  It's going to be hard, because I just love reading other blogs.  It's like visiting friends in a strange sort of way.  Wish me luck.

I Love Crochet

I love crochet.  It's so easy and you get quick results.....and of course it looks very pretty.
I bought the pattern from Sarah London and I am so pleased with the results.

I am using the cotton yarn I bought from Tangled Yarns on Sunday.  I could have bought alot more, because they have such a nice range, but I restrained myself.

Till next time,

Laura.

Monday Inspiration (except it's Tuesday)

Hi Everyone,

I've decided to make my Mondays 'Inspiration Day". Monday seems like a good a day as any to do this....it's like a fresh start to the week. Mondays are a no commitment day for me (no work), so I have a bit of time to reflect and think about what inspires me. I know it's Tuesday, but I thought Monday would be a good day to do a post from now on.

I had a fun day on Sunday. I went to Tangled Yarns in the Valley and bought some new cotton yarn to crochet with (more on what I'm crocheting tomorrow), and then I went to James St and had a coffee and a bite to eat. Some really cute shops around there. A couple of hours later I took a drive to the city, and bought this cute card. I love the colours and the artwork. Plus I bought some more threads. Can never had too many threads.

I'm loving the colours of string, dirty cream, black, indigo and deep purple at the moment. The scane of cotton in the middle looks blue on my screen, but it's actually a rich, deep purple. I'm slowly going to change this blog away from pink, and try and get a muted vintage feel to it. Don't know how I'm going to go about it yet..... And lets see if I can actually make the move away from pink, I've loved the colour for so long.

I would really like to buy a Photoshop program to edit all my photos to give them a beautiful vintagey look. One day, when I have enough money to spare. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about what inspires you.
Have a great day,
Laura.

Ava Cushion with a Mini Fabric Flower

Hi Everyone,

I've just listed a cushion on Etsy.  There are more images of the cushion there to give you an even better idea of what it looks like.  It's very pink and very pretty.  I've also made and added a mini fabric flower to break all the pinkness.  It would look great hanging in a nursery.

So, if you're looking for a personalised present for a little girl or newborn  named Ava, this could be it. 

And, as always, if there is another name you would like me to do, I am more than happy to do custom orders.

Have a great night,

Laura.

Making Progress

Hi Everyone,

It's been a long time since my last post. 
Lost my inspiration, and I didn't want to force it...but I think it's back.  Yay!  (And I've been rather depressed if truth be told).  But I think I'm out of the woods.  Christmas and the New Year always seem to be an upheaval emotionally for me.  And I suppose I'm one of millions who experience the same feelings.

I have some cushions in the works, and I've listed a couple on Etsy recently.  Go have a look if your interested;  and as always, I'm happy to do custom orders.

I've been trying a couple of new projects, but I think I've failed miserably, so no photos for those little disasters.  But I'm going to persevere, change the patterns a bit, and see what happens.  Don't you hate that?!  When you have new projects swimming around in your mind for a while, and when you actually get around to making them, they just don't live up to what you had in mind.
 
I'll leave you with an image of today's work in progress.  I hope to have them up on Etsy by tonight.

Till next time,
Laura.

Dear Little Deer

**How cute is this little deer.  I bought him from a children's store.**

Pretty Bella

Hi Everyone,

I've listed a personalised hanging cushion on Ebay.  The auction is for the cushion as is, with the name Bella, or with any name of your choice.  Go check it out.  A perfect gift for a little girl. The link is on my sidebar under 'My Ebay Listings'.

I will be listing more cushions for girls and boys in the coming days, so do come and have a look.

Have a great night,

Laura.

Olivia - A Little Mohair Bear

Hi Everyone,

I'm so excited.  I've just listed my first mohair bear.  She's 10 inches tall and has been  lovingly hand stitched.  
I am one for handmade bears that are not completely perfect or look like they've been loved so much that they have been patched up in some way.....so I have sparsely stitched her nose.  Eventually, I want to make bears that are aged and distressed, but still very cute of course.

I have thoroughly enjoyed making her.   I've made her a little crocheted alpaca and mohair scarf with a fabric brooch to dress her up a bit. 

I really love mohair bears, so I'm going to make many more, each with their own little personality. 

I've listed her on my other etsy store Billy Angel.  The link is on my side bar if you want to go and have a look.

Have a great night,

Laura.

::My Place & Yours:: Through The Front Door

Hi Everyone,

I'm a bit late with this one.  Shelly from Femme De Montmartre is the Theme Queen for this week.  She has such a beautiful blog, and a view through her front door that I would love to have. 

The first thing I see when I walk through my front door is my two little chihuahua dogs.  Without fail they greet me at the door with such excitement.  They're never in a bad mood, they're never selfish or self-serving, and they only look for my love and attention (and food of course).  Makes me feel very loved.  It brightens up my day whenever I see them.  Thier little feet follow me wherever I go because they just want to be near me.

I did cheat a bit with the photo. It was so hard to get one of them as I walked through the door, because they jump around so much when they see me.  So, on the bed they went for a snapshot.  Still hard, but I managed to get one reasonable shot.

Have a great weekend,

Laura.

Linen Love

All images from Linnet

Here's another thing I love.....linen.  I especially love linen from the Japanese site Linnet.  I think thier site is just gorgeous, I just love the simple and beautiful photography.

I have ordered some linen thread in the prettiest colours.  Planning on crocheting some little flowers to embellish my work. 

Enjoy the images from thier site.

Laura.

Pretty and Pink

Hi Everyone,

I have listed two more cushions on Ebay.

You can find them here and here .

I can also do custom orders for $16 plus p&p, and post worldwide.

Have a wonderful day,

Laura.

My Bedroom Walls

Hi Everyone,

Thought I'd show you what's hanging on my bedroom walls.  I love  the prints and the painting of the roses that I have ...... they are very pretty.  But sometimes I'd just like to be a bit more edgy, and paint some abstracts or make some mixed media collages.  Maybe one day I'll get all my supplies out and give it a go.  And Julie, if you're reading this, I still wouldn't mind buying that ballerina print of yours when you tire of it.

Have a great day,

Laura.

::My Place & Yours::A View of your Secret Weapon

Hi All,

I've joined in with Pip's meme from Meet Me at Mikes.

My secret weapon is SO not secret to those who know me.  Well, I'm quite obsessive about them.......And it's not even such an uncommon one amongst us crafty and artistic bloggers.

I always need my cup of coffee, ALL of my gorgeous books and magazines for loads of inspiration, and just to make me feel good.  My flowers are a must, especially roses.  You can't go past beautiful fresh roses, but failing that, I have my silk ones to keep me happy.

I could have included chocolate in that lot, but I dare not.  I'm trying to lose some weight after a good time indulging in THAT particular pastime.

Have a wonderful Saturday night,

Laura.

I Shoul Have Kept It Up

Hi All,

I dabbled in oil painting years ago, and I painted one of my favourites things.....roses.  I was busy with other projects/crafts at the time (nothing has changed) and my dabble in oils stopped, so I ended up giving away all of my paints.  What was I thinking!!! 

I love the look of oil paintings, there's just a feel and look to them that you can't get with acrylics.

Have a great weekend,

Laura.

My Unfinished Decorating

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever left a decorating project go unfinished for so long it gets beyond a joke.  Well, I'm guilty of SEVERAL such projects.

All my walls are Dulux Soft White, which I love, but I wanted one little wall with a feature colour.  I bought three sample pots of in varying shades of pink, and haven't been able to choose.  So I've had one wall that's undercoated with three test patch areas.  A new decorating trend?  I don't think that one's been done before.  

My craft cupboard , is another yet to be finished job (I won't mention my TV cabinet, tall boy, or my towel shelf, yikes!!).  I thought the colour Antique White sounded like a nice colour.  Well, I didn't check what it looked like before I bought it, did I.  How wrong can you be with a name like that Antique White?  I thought it would be one of those creamy, soft, antiquey whites.  It's yellow in my books!!!  So, I really didn't want to waste the can of paint, and proceded to paint most of my cupboard.  Sides done, and two of the three doors done, damm, I really don't like the colour!  The cupboard's had one unpainted door for 10 or more years.  

In future, I think I'll buy furniture that's not in the raw.  Alot less work. 

Till next time,

Laura.

Little Hanging Names

Hi Everyone,

I've just listed two more little hanging cushions for auction on Ebay.  If you go to my Ebay link in the right hand side bar it will take you straight to my ebay site.  

If there is a particular name you would like, I can always do a custom order for $16 AUD per hanging cushion, plus postage of course.  I am more than happy to post overseas, just convo me for postage costs to your area.

Have a great night.

Laura.

Ebay Listings

Hi Everyone,

I'm starting to list auction items on Ebay again.  Two sweet cushions to start off, with the names *Emily* and *Bella* that can be hung in your little girl's room.  Nothing's stopping bigger girls getting in on the act. ;)

Don't forget......I can always do custom orders AND I can post internationally. 

I Love Letterpress

All images from Invited Ink on Etsy

Oh, I just love letterpress. 
And I love letterpress from Invited Ink.  So pretty. 

I want to get some new business cards from Invited Ink when my budget allows.  I've wanted them for months now, but I ended up getting some that were more within my means, and I wish I'd waited.  Nothing compares to the work from this talented lady in my opinion.

Like a Pig in Mud...er, Lace

I've been scouring places wherever I go to find bits and pieces of vintage/thrifty finds to use in my projects.  I just love old vintagey things.  Found these doilies at a church jumble sale at Bulimba, and the cute little pig, cotton and odd stick thing down the road in a vintage store.  I'm going to dismantle the pig and use the pattern to make my own little piggies.

I have soooo, so many ideas rolling around in my head I just don't know where to start.  So I've been doing nothing.  But, I'm making a start today.  I'm going to finish off some granny chic cushion covers I've been working on and some little matching piglets.  So, I hope I keep up the momentum and make a dent in the long list of projects.

Till next time,

Laura.

A Beautiful Twist

I've been enjoying myself lately and consequently I haven't got much work done.  Last week I went to my new most favorite coffee shop....and I wish I'd taken some photos. So I searched the internet and found one beautiful image from a blog called EatDrinkAndBeKerry.  What I love about this place is the peeling paint that has been left on some of the walls, the vintage (as far as I can tell) chandeliers, the section of checkerboard tiled floor, the glass cabinets with french pastries, and just the whole vintagey french feel.  And the coffee of course, must never forget the coffee.  They even have a coffee table made out of a stack of old suitcases topped with books.  Love it!!  It's the French Twist at the Army Barracks on Petrie Terrace.  I can't wait to go back again.  I'll do another post soon about how I gloriously wasted the rest of the day op-shopping.