Art Deco Darling

I had the pleasure of making this darling ring recently. Simple, geometric and striking, this custom ring came from a design idea the client had for the gemstones from three meaningful rings she didn't wear. 

As you can see from the sketches and the first pieces of the ring, I made some changes as I went along, swapping out the flat top plate for a rounded top plate with an opening beneath to add interest. I also increased the thickness of the top plate to make it more substantial and balanced. The Diamond setter I use did a fantastic job of setting the Diamonds and Sapphire in this piece and applying that sweet mill grain edge. It really completes the vintage look and softens those straight lines a little.

I really love this ring! It's the kind of piece that you could wear everyday as a right hand ring, or an Engagement ring. It was very well received by it's new owner, which made my heart swell with pride. And just a little heads up, there will be a few more Art Deco custom order rings to come soon.

If you would like to have something custom made, you can find out more about working with me here.

If you would like to see more of my past work, visit my portfolio here.

A Summer Sewing Challenge

 

My husband seems both amused and annoyed by my little pile of sewing items on the dining room table. This possibly has something to do with the studio/sewing room I have downstairs, where these things are supposed to live. And the fact that I keep sewing while the cricket is on. In my defence, the table up here is bigger, it keeps the children out of my studio, and the sound of my machine may discourage my darling husband from falling asleep while watching the cricket. Not that he would ever do that, of course...

 

Dear Dave may well have to persevere with the sound of my sewing machine a little longer though. I have in mind to sew an entire Summer wardrobe for Emerson, just as my Mother did when we were children. I figure, given what Emerson already has, that works out to about four dresses, a skirt or two, a couple of pairs of shorts and a couple of pairs of pyjamas. So I shall see how I go!

 

Above is the second dress I have completed in this challenge. It was made from a vintage sheet still in the packet, that I was gifted from a friend, and as such cost me a sum total of $0 to make. It's the same pattern as the first dress, minus the sleeves and a little shorter. I made 2cm wide bias to finish the armholes. I did try to get a photo of it on Emerson, but as you can see she was in a cheeky mood - the cuteness! I love the print of this fabric. I would totally wear this dress. Might have to work on some Summer items for myself next.



Home

 

1. An antique enamel coffee pot without a lid makes for a perfect vase

2. A free curb side find painted and put to use

3. I could not resist this doilie inspired rug from Ikea

4 & 5. Duck egg coloured 'cable knit' vase from Freedom

6. Vintage English duck egg coloured teacup and saucer. Swoon.

7. Adjustable stools from Ikea in the heart of our home. We haven't been sitting anywhere else since getting them.

 

Recently I received an email about having our home photographed and featured in a magazine. A rather unexpected and exciting email. And one which lead to a flurry of excited, high pitched phone calls to my sister, Mother and best friend. I don't know whether it will happen or not yet. But I did enjoy the thrill of imagining such a thing. My dearly loved home, my many treasures, styled and photographed looking their best? It would be rather wonderful. I shall keep you posted. In the meantime, providing the requested photographs inspired a little shopping and rearranging.

 

What do you think?

What 'style' is your home?

Do you drool over homes in magazines too?

Eight Reasons to Smile

1. Blowing bubbles for the first time

2. An old cane laundry basket found at the markets ($2!) and piles of hand knitted baby clothes. Cane baskets make doing laundry that little bit nicer I find.

3. Emerson's treasures, old and new

4. Brave visitors at the duck pond and a fascinated little Miss

5. A coat of white paint to bring a bookcase back to life
6. A 'new to me' vintage dinner service my parents had hidden away
7. A sweet thrifted basket ($2.50)
8. Wonderful mail - Greer spoiling me with gorgeous wool!

What's making you smile?

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Have you entered the Sussan $100 Gift Voucher Giveaway yet? Winner announced tomorrow.

Lately

Left to right:

1. A 'new' vintage toy for Emerson

2. Knitting inspiration at an antique store

3. 50 cent thrifted goodness

4. Heart says yes, budget says no

5. You can pick the craft bloggers child - Mama knitted cardigan, vintage shoes, dress and toy

6. An excuse to play with alphabet stamps

7. Kind hearted. Imaginative. Arguementative.

8. Origrami mail - Hooray for Instagram postcards!

9. Cheeky. Affectionate. Fearless.

Like colourful jewels

Recently I was given some old jars and tins full of beautiful old buttons and wooden cotton reels. In my excitement I sat on the floor at Dave's fathers house, sifting through my bounty, as Cohen picked up the occasional button or peered over my shoulder.

Jars of buttons always remind me of my Mother and Grandmother. There are two things I tend to think of. Sitting, legs crossed beneath me, buttons poured out in front of me, whiling away the hours in my Mothers sewing room as she worked. Examining and admiring each button. Sorting them into groups or pairs. Designing button rainbows. Gathering the old pins, buckles and tacks into a separate pile, before scooping them all back up again and re-filling the jars and tins from whence they came. Handfuls of buttons slipping from my fingers and landing upon each other, creating a most satisfying sound.

Or else I think of the curtained door that lead into a sewing nook at my paternal Grandmothers house. It was a room we weren't allowed in as children. We would wander through the rest of our Grandparents house while the adults spoke over tea. Running our hands over the antiques, peering into the black and white faces in the photographs, turning hat pins over in our hands, reading titles on the spines of books, waiting to be taken to the beach. Fiona and I snuck in to that room several times over the years though. We dared not touch anything. Shelves stood from floor to ceiling and were stacked with fabric, jars, tins, and odds and ends. An old Singer sewing machine sat on a small table. Large silver scissors hung from hooks. Tape measures hung limply or were coiled tightly. But mostly I remember the jars of buttons, like colourful jewels. So beautiful, and so disappointingly off limits.

I wonder what ever happened to those buttons.

Lately

Knitting: After some issues in the gauge swatching department, of which we shall never speak of again, I have cast on for the Larch cardigan. 235 stitches. (Note to self - if the swatch has fewer stitches per inch than the pattern gauge, your stitches are larger than the pattern gauge, so try smaller sized needles...)


Finding: Children's books that belonged to my Father as a child


Finishing: The second Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief

Unpacking: The woolen blankets, as the sun sets earlier and the nights get colder

Loving: Babies in Mama made knits and Cohen's drawings of an "apple tree"

Gardening: Taming the weeds, vines and basil that grew up through the watermelon vine, turning over the garden and planting out the strawberry runners

Dreaming: About all our plans for the back yard, but making do with the existing garden beds (and fencing) in the meantime

Noticing: Tiny seedlings

Special Parcels

There have been a few parcels in my letter box of late, in the way of gifts and yarn. Wrapped in vintage sheeting and tied with a special ribbon and a note, Tania sent Emerson these gorgeous vintage baby dresses to add to her collection. I'm lost for words at the thoughtfulness and generosity. Thank you again Tania! They are such darling little dresses and I am sure you will be spotting them on the blog in future.

Also in the mail, that bunny to the right of the photo was the contents of this parcel. A sweet little nightlight from Little Brown Mouse, Emerson's Easter gift. (Though Cohen is utterly fascinated by it.) And in another parcel, my new wool arrived from America, which I shall share with you tomorrow.

Oh, I do so love finding parcels on my door step, or hiding in my letter box!
And you? Have you had any special mail lately?
A post card? A parcel? A handwritten letter?

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Hand knits by myself, thrifted cardi, and booties from Happy Circus

Vintage overalls from little reader vintage

Sweet socks from Aunty Fiona

This time around we have most all that we need for the baby. Cot, change table, toys, bath, car seat, as well as many of Cohen's baby clothes. But I am enjoying putting away some sweet new things just for this baby. A mixture of boys and girls things.

Don't you just love baby clothes?

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Snippets from the weekend. 

Hoping you had a lovely Father's Day.