new seasons is on it's way

I am a little behind in the world of fashion...seasons swim by before I know it, styles change, colours become the "new black" and disappear again before I really notice!!

As a designer I am thinking next winter toward the end of our current winter, with spring and summer nearly finished production and ready to put out there ...ahhhh I wish I was so organised..

I create clothing because I love the aesthetic of colour,print and texture coming together in a pattern that I have perfected to the shape I want, usually with whisperings of another era and always comfort in design...cause thats how I roll...

So my spring and summer designs are starting to show their faces...hope you enjoy my creations....

relationships

I am in my thirties, getting close to mid thirties actually...one of my lovely girlfriends who is a few years older has always assured me that your thirties are fantastic, devoid of  insecurities that can plague your teens, and a lot less physically obsessed than your twenties...  now well and truly here I can say that yes, I am  enjoying my thirties...life is pretty hectic and as unpredictable as ever, just a different kind of unpredictable. I am more comfortable in my skin and able to cope with life's pot holes so much better

 Maybe my recent lack of complete self obsession has opened my eyes to the finer details of the relationships that I have in my life. The family I was born into, 

 the family I have created,

 and the ones I have picked up along my journey so far.

I do love the old analogy of us all "being pumpkins on the same vine" our separate reality only there because we inhabit different bodies, our true source being one and the same, and therefore making compassion not to difficult to muster for our fellow pumpkins, err humans.....

Watching my children expand, from their initial relationship with me, to the rest of our family...the quirks they have together, the staunch love they show when they support each other, and now the people they are attracted to in the world, is awesome, sometimes concerning, but mostly I feel a sense of pride and astounding joy at their unique humanness....

I am a creative person, much happier in the garden,kitchen,studio on my own... I don't crave parties any more and have to force myself into the car to get there... 

Humanity however intrigues me, I adore and despise the race we are part of , the colour and emotion, the beauty and love, the outcry at injustice and the sorrow that bubbles forth when pain and suffering are witnessed and experienced.. the money grabbing ...planet destroying...ignorance....... we are a colourful bunch.....


I don't want to ever lose touch with the human element of life, I don't want to be swept away by commercial and material beliefs into what relationships mean and what expectations are apparently relevant ... or socially acceptable....

So look out people in my life... I am dedicated to loving and appreciating you!!!!  xx

granny squares

around and around and around they go...granny squares have been my winter time filler........

I love the way the colours change when another round is added, and the patterns that emerge when the singular come together to create a whole garment, or blanket.....

There is only so many squares that my two hands can create regardless of how many hours I dedicate to my obsession...ooh I mean passion!!

A little ad in my local newsletter has unearthed a few talented and equally "passionate" woman, all too willing to crochet for me and to be paid by the square..... they can never seem to have enough yarn, churning through ball after ball....

if you have a desire to learn the craft of crochet and want a basic beginners granny square pattern meetmeatmikes have a ripper tutorial, easy peasy and very colourful........

and if you need further inspiration have a visit to attic 24 and you will need no further pushing towards the hook!!

Sewing my granny squares into garments and blankets is just as pleasurable...and the finished item is taa daahed to anyone who gives me even a sideways glance!!

oh crochet....you have been my friend from the days of waiting for my first babe to be born...4 week overdue and with buckets of time to spare, until today when my life is overflowing with kiddies and anytime is the most precious commodity....... a wonderful craft that keeps on giving x

my local junkatique

my local junk shop...or "junkatique"... is pretty close to heaven, heaven with a kind of "i hope i don't discover the source of that smell", "ooh that possum really should not be living in there!!"...feeling to it.

looking around our home from pretty much any angle I can spot something I unearthed in johns junk shop....

i think john is a local boy, he is always the first in the know about any major garage sales, and his knowledge of vintage and antique pieces is self taught through years of collecting and sorting through sheds and deceased estates.......

john doesn't have a website, twitter or blog about his treasure trove, actually his shop is bereft of any signage at all!! john is open when the door is, and if you see a folding chair outside you know he is not too far away.....

i don't go into john's shop every day, it is my first stop if i am on the hunt for something in particular.....and lately my daughters have discovered his treasure trove of barbies so visits have happened at their insistence.......which is how two timber picture frames found their way home......

i am a believer in other peoples treasures carrying the delight of their past with them into the next owners life?

 maybe i like this theory because i have never lived in a brand new home, or driven a brand new car, and not one piece of our furniture has been purchased new from the shop floor....
once or twice i have picked up a beautiful looking item only to put it down straight away...maybe the history had been an unhappy one, but usually the story or provenance behind an object adds a shiny gilded edge.......

bek&rob's wedding

one of my most special girlfriends bek, married her sweetheart rob a couple of weeks ago, and what a fantastic wedding it was!! 

we took all the kiddies to their organic avo farm in the hills and celebrated with them the sharing of their lives together......as did 100 or so of their nearest and dearest,  revelling in fantastic local food, great music, lawn games, fire works and hay bales!!

My wedding story started about 4 weeks out from the event when a phone convo with bek revealed she was still without a wedding frock, we got together a few days later and her dress was born.

A 1950's cut, boatneck with a princess line bodice, full skirt and lace cap sleeves, all created in 1940's cotton lace backed with silk satin and lined in cotton voile.

It was one of those meant to be creations, easy as can be and joyful to put together.......and she loved it.

My next mission was to find as much vintage crockery as I could to make the tables have bek's cupcake loving touch....and out popped the "Clarice Cliff" discovery of red and cream delight.....a half dinner set of 1940's china originally given as a wedding gift to a local couple who are still married and obviously downsizing.......

and then followed the queen anne, wedgewood, royal blah di blah and 1930's japanese pieces.....

I had so much fun........

to see the professional piccys of the wedding and all it entailed go to 

http://kariz-matik.com/ .......his work in amazing...and I saw him and his assistant in action on the night and would recommend them 100% to any brides or grooms to be!