a felt flock...

Over the last couple of days it has finally dawned on me just how close we are getting to the end of the year and therefore to Christmas! Feeling slightly panicked I have started making a flock of felt bird decorations for our shop and am loving the way each 'grows' a personality once the sequin and bead details have been stitched on. In these colours, they won't have to be packed away after Christmas but can flutter away to a door handle or chirp together as part of a pretty mobile. 

It was only after I had taken the photo above that I realised how similar the colours were to the mondocherry artwork that lives in my daughter's room. Isn't it funny how certain colour combinations stick in your mind?

cake and cubbies...

We've been super busy this weekend celebrating a trio of birthdays (one each day for the last three days) which involved eating lots and laughing more! The gorgeous weather today was perfect for lots of outdoor play and our children (generally!) love hanging out with each other. The trampoline is always popular with the bigger kids and the little ones love 'playing house' in the cubby.

With all 8 kids happy and occupied, and both husbands busily pottering around, we were free to dream up some new ideas, tick off a number of boxes from our long lists, and have a good sister natter.  Perfect!

Hope your weekend was super fun too!

white on white...

For the last few weeks we have been working on a custom order for one of our white 3d paper blossom artworks. Measuring in at a large 125cm x 75cm, this piece showcases the simplicity and purity of white on white. We love the play of the shadows on the folded hearts as the light changes, although these same shadows make it a very difficult artwork to create as they play tricks on our eyes, creating gaps, filling other ones, and confusing us completely!

There are hundreds upon hundreds of different sized paper hearts in this piece - all hand cut with scissors by our dependable but slightly stiff hands!

See those shadows! 

This artwork is now framed and ready to be hung - we promise to try and get you photos of the finished piece soon. Contact us if you would like to order a similar piece or pop back here and here and here  to see what our 3d paper blossom artworks look like in glorious colour.

a springtime bottle...

We don't open our shop on a Monday so that we have one free weekday to catch up on errands and spend time together creating new pieces. Today we have been flat out working on a big order, but we took a break at lunchtime to 'play' with some pretty velum flowers that Joy has had in her stash for a while. They looked very delicate and spring-like wrapped around an old bottle - a perfect little "Thinking of you" token for a friend whose day could do with some brightening.

a boy and a girl...

With my background in early childhood teaching, I have always been very conscious of not stereotyping boys and girls. When my son was born I gave him a 'home corner' with play food and a tea set, a doll, and plenty of dress ups, as well as cars, trains and constructions toys Once my daughter joined our family, I encouraged her to play with Lego, run around with a ball and get dirty, and build train tracks. However, I have somehow managed to end up with a very 'girly' girl and and typical 'boyish' boy! Here are some photos that I snapped the other day which illustrate my children perfectly....

My daughter loves to wear pretty clothes and accessories...

A doll that combines a few of her favourite things - princesses, pink and shiny things...

A dress up wardrobe with pastel frilly ballet skirts...

A sparkly wand...

My son getting dirty...

A boyish self portrait...

An obsession with Lego... not too bad like this....

But it often looks more like this...

And then of course there is footy!....

I love watching the personalities of my children develop and to see how different they are!

gorgeous in glass...

We are loving these gorgeous Mrs Darcy candles in the shop today. They smell divine (our favourite is 'Raining Peonies') and would make a great gift. We've been thinking of lots of ways to re-use the pretty glass jar once the candle is finished too - for cotton buds in the bathroom, rings or broches in the bedroom, paper clips on the desk... what would you use it for?

cookie creations...

We are up to our eyeballs in cookies here - both the real and pretend kind.  I spent the morning baking anzac biscuits with my daughter for lunch box treats. Although a few won't make it anywhere near the lunchboxes as we enjoyed eating them fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk. Yum! I have also spent some spare moments stitching up new felt cookies ready to be packaged for the shop.  Just the thing for a special little tea party in the garden!

a perfect rose...

How gorgeous is this rose that has been blooming near my front door? It is absolutely massive! I haven't been able to bring myself to pick it as it is such a pretty sight when I come in and out. I can't resist stopping to smell it each time I walk past too as it has a very lovely fragrance. Perfection.

creative love...

We love a good wedding! Especially when it totally reflects the personalities of the couple getting married. A few weeks ago our gorgeous friends Aaron and Jules got married at Mt Tambourine, in the Gold Coast hinterland. This very creative couple love vintage style and their outdoor ceremony and reception had lots of special touches. They not only made the invitations, programs and signs, arranged the flowers and did the table settings - they even made the tables! Aaron sourced a dozen or so old doors and after lots of sanding and coats of paint, and trestle legs made by the bride's Father, they looked fantastic. 

Following the ceremony they held an afternoon tea in the perfect Queensland weather and provided a number of games for the guests to play including badminton (with a net handmade from lace - so pretty!) and croquet (yes, they even made the hoops!). A perfect relaxed and pretty vintage wedding.

One of a number of signs made by the couple and their family contrasts perfectly with the delicate bunting.

The very happy couple. The little vignette behind them was one of a number that came straight out of their home  - a very personal and pretty touch.

Lots of gorgeous detail here - printed and stitched brown paper programs and cool Scrabble lettering.

A special tea-cup collection adds a vintage touch to the celebration.

Part of the desert buffet on the reclaimed tables. Yum!

Pretty and casual centrepieces- perfect for the field setting.

Leaving in their car, Reggie!