raining and pouring...

Melbourne had a very grey and wet day - a bit of a shock after the very hot temperatures of the weekend. My rain mobiles seemed particularly appropriate hanging in the window! Luckily, there is always plenty of colour inside my house to brighten up even the greyest of days. Doing the school drop off in pouring rain did remind me that I need to start my search for a pretty pair of rain boots though...seen any gorgeous ones on your travels?

mondocherry vintage postcards...

Piles of our stitched vintage postcards ready for market on Sunday. Each gorgeous picture rescued from a damaged vintage book and therefore totally unique. Make someone's day by sending one in the post or peg up on a pinboard or pop in a frame...

framing day...

We have been very busy today, framing up some work - a special gift, a few orders and also a number of new artworks to take to the Mathilda's Markets, Melbourne, this Sunday morning. We get a real buzz from seeing a finished artwork in a smart new frame, although polishing all that glass is not high up on our list of favourite jobs!

We made this pretty gentle-coloured butterfly artwork, created from a 1960's botanical book, for Joy's lovely Mother-in-law, who is a very keen gardener...

Our button artworks, made from the beautiful range of Liberty of London fabrics, are always popular. We can never choose which one we like best, can you?...

We'd love to see you at the Mathilda's Markets on Sunday 26th February, Malvern Town Hall, 9am to 1pm - mention our blog to receive a little gift!

Better Homes and Gardens giveaway...

Better Homes and Gardens magazine is an Australian favourite full of delicious recipes, fabulous diy's, craft and decorating advice, invaluable gardening tips, and loads more. But did you know that Better Homes and Gardens LIVE wil be launching in Melbourne this coming weekend, 24th-26th February? Held at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, this 3 day event will host 4 stages, with live demonstrations from all our favourite Better Homes and Gardens TV experts (think Grahma Ross, Tara Dennis, 'Fast' Ed, Karen Martini, Jason Hodges, Rob Palmer and Johanna Griggs). Plus there'll be workshops, products to try and over 300 companies exhibiting at the event. You can even take along creepy crawlies from your garden and the the team will identify them with the Garden Clinic microscopes!

The good news is that we have 10 double passes to giveway... Just send us an email by 6pm Monday evening and we will randomly select the winners! There is lots more info on the Event here so you can plan your visit...Hmmmm, would I start with a cooking demonstration or head over to the gardening and pet zone to get some advice on training the puppy my chidren are begging us to get?!!!

our Very Hungry Caterpillar party in Mathilda's Magazine...

Pop on over to the latest issue of the Mathilda's Magazine (hot off the press!) to see a feature on the Very Hungry Caterpillar party we threw for Joy's daughter, Sienna. We had such a ball planning, painting and running this very colourful party and are thrilled to have it included. We will post few of the diy's over the next week to go along with the free printables included in the magazine.

This autumn issue of this fab online magazine is choc-a-bloc full of Easter ideas, recipes all the family will love, tips for getting the kids off to school on time and with everything they need (a never-ending struggle!) and lots of links to gorgeous online stores you may never have heard of before. Well worth a visit!

still a little love...

It is not going to be the most romantic Valentine's Day in our homes this year - Sue's husband is overseas, Joy's husband is working late, and Clare's husband is off to a parent/teacher information night. Still, we never knock back a good excuse to decorate a table or a corner of our homes, even if it will be take-away for dinner!

We love hanging decorations in large vases...

Joy's Bungalow napkins are in use again, showing there versatility after starring at Christmas...

A collection of hearts...

A glittery heart garland from a discount shop in Dubai...
Perfect little miniature roses from Clare's garden...

Have you decorated for Valentines Day? We would love to hear what you have done...

simple silver Sunday...

I love being surrounded by colour in my home and in my work, but today I have been enjoying the simplicity of this little corner of my living room. The gorgeous silvery-green gum leaves ($5 a bunch from the supermarket) look right at home in my silver embossed jug, don't you think?

heart in a box...

A little idea for Valentine's Day - after all, it is the thought that counts!

a little quieter...

Our kids are back to school, and after the usual chaos of making lunchboxes, finding lost socks, getting enough breakfast into little tummies, and getting out the door on time, our homes seem very, very quiet. It has been particularly busy this year as Clare's 4 eldest children have all started new schools (because of her move down to Melbourne) and Joy's son is now a big Preppie wearing a uniform for the first time. We are ever so grateful for lovely welcoming teachers who make the transition so much smoother. Isn't this little care package Joy was given on the first day a sweet touch?

new 3d paper blooms...

Inspired by beautiful flowers and the vintage books that we love, we would like to introduce you to our new range of 3d paper artworks. Created from original illustrations found in our collection of damaged children's books from the '50's, '60's and '70's, we have hand cut petals to form these very textural blooms. Each one of the artworks in this series will be complete unique as not only are the vintage papers all one-offs, but the blooms take on a life of their own as we do not use templates or follow a pattern.

This new range will be appearing soon on our new-look website which we are (still!) busy working on. In the meantime, please email us for more details or to place an order.