Swatches & thread

Swatches & thread

for little pretties

♥

If I hadn't busted my camera lens in a spectacular stack on the weekend, I'd show you the chaos on my floor and the growing piles of florals, denim, cardboard stencils and scraps of winter prints which all make for one big, happy mess. I kind of like stepping over it each night to get to bed. It reminds me I'm making progress and creating pretty things, even if somedays I feel as though I'm going backwards and achieving nothing.

Grey days

Grey days 

& dapples

♥

I've clocked a lot of time in front of the fire this week. It's been so cold and miserable. There are no flowers in the garden and none on my mantels. Everything is grey. But as I look up from my spot on the hearth towards Alice's room, I'm reminded not all greys are bleak. Some form dapples on treasured friends - and they're the warmest greys of all.

Sticky notes & thank yous

 Thank you notes
& wrapping paper

♥

I've got a bunch of thank you notes to send this week, so I picked up some pop-up cards and letter sets from Ashlee & Chris today. It's such a cute store and I always walk out carrying a whole lot of happy regardless of the mood I'm in. The Gaspard et Lisa sticky notes and double-sided wrapping are for Alice's birthday in a few weeks.

For Isobel

A pocket

 book of cats

♥

                     

I made another little book, this time for Alice's pen friend, Isobel. I papered the front cover in a Love Mae print and made a pouch inside for spare scraps. I raided Frankie again for pics (mostly cats and deers), ran a gold ribbon through the middle for a bookmark and stuck a bunch of sticky notes from Chibi Run down the side. Voila! Pocket cuterie for a little treasure.

An autograph

A little piece of 

someone I admire

♥

  

I admire many people - one of them is Aussie golfer, Adam Scott. Recently, while turning the house upside down for my spare key, I found a golfball which my friend had Adam sign for me a few years ago. The ball now sits atop a frame on my desk as a symbol to work hard and persevere. In a roundabout way, it also reminds me of my Nan with whom I spent many hours watching the majors. I wish Nan could have seen Adam win The Masters at Augusta. She would have been cheering from her favourite blue chair. The poms beside the golf ball were tied to a present from my friend, Carla; the little deer belongs to Alice (who made the glitter + rainbow tag); the postcard is a favourite Selina Lake image; the photo is of my beloved dog, Hugo, and the little floral business card is by Amy Borrell of Cake with Giants.  

A letter to Lis

The beginnings of

 a letter to my 

lovely friend, Lis

♥

Farm favours

 

Crowns, paper  

& popcorn

♥

Alice and I headed off to the coast this weekend for a farm stay with our friends and their six-year-old twins, Willow and Sari. To say thank you, I put together some party bags (filled with homemade goodies) for the girls as a surprise.

I started by making them each a Great Gatsby-inspired fabric crown in pretty blue and green florals with some trademark Squeak & Squirrel accents - ruffles and flowers.

Next, I stitched together some little books for farm secrets from paper bags. I followed Stellaire's tutorial but made mine slightly bigger. I strengthened their spines with some floral fabric tape from Daily like and decorated the covers and pages with cute cut-outs from old Frankie mags. Each book was paired with a lead pencil from Brown Button Trading's adorable new range. Love!

Lastly, I spied this hundreds & thousands popcorn on Pinterest. It's ridiculously easy to make, much healthier than lollies and looks a treat in cello tied with fabric scraps. I bundled up the goodies in simple bags sealed with wild flower tape and heart tags cut from pinking shears. The girls loved their loot and Alice and I loved their company.

xox

If you'd like a crown for your little one's birthday,
email me for details and pricing.