she's off again...

Mum is on her way back to Dubai tonight, after a month in Australia visiting Joy and I, and we are going to miss her hugely. We are so lucky to have a Mum who loves us so much and who is such fun to hang out with, and we are so glad that we get to spend as much time with her as we do.

See you soon Mum!

salt and pepper vases...

Joy lives within walking distance to a great thrift shop which seems to turnover their stock quite regularly. A couple of days ago she popped in, on her way to buy some milk, and found this very retro cruet set. Once out of the box, the little jars look very cute as miniature vases for a few sprigs she picked from the garden. I love the contrast between the 'crystal' and the rough rustic tray she has put them in.

come and visit us this weekend...

We would love to see you there!

blue bird artwork...

Sorry that we have been too busy to blog regularly for the last couple of weeks - we have been hugely busy cutting and sewing lots of new work to take to the Finders Keepers Markets in Brisbane this weekend. Held at the beautiful Old Museum next the RNA showgrounds, it runs from 11am to 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday, and with 53 designers and artists showing off their work, it is sure to be a fabulous place to buy unique handmade items. Come and say hello!

This is a new design that we will be taking to market. We recently fell in love with an old nature book containing these beautiful vintage bird illustrations on an amazing blue background, and we have given them new life in this 3-d artwork with stitched details.

photo booth fun...

We had such a laugh on the weekend using the photo booth that our brother and his fiance hired for their engagement party. With all the family back in town (Mum and Dad flying back from Europe, and Joy and her family making the trip from Melbourne) we tried to take some decent and flattering pictures, but it was far more fun to muck around with the basket of wigs, glasses and other props. This is my second eldest daughter and I having fun... I'm sure photos of my children outnumber all the other guests 10 to 1!

Photo booths are very popular for weddings and engagements at the moment and I can see why as they provide great entertainment, and with the couple getting to keep one half of all the photos, they are a fantastic way to remember a special occasion.

bone china flowers...

All three of us mondocherry girls are collectors of beautiful white objects - white jugs and bone china, white wooden trees, white feathers, and white shells - we seem to be drawn to them. So it is no surprise that when Joy saw these beautiful china flowers in The Works she couldn't help but take them home. She plans to buy the odd one now and then until she has a little collection to hang from a branch above her dining table. I'm sure it will look really gorgeous... now I just need to find somewhere in Brisbane so I can buy some too!

look what we are taking to market...

Remember the hearts we were cutting and stitching earlier this week? Well, here they are all framed up in our new larger size box frame and ready to visit the Boutique Markets on Sunday. Measuring 72 cm x 72 cm, this is almost the size of four of our 'large' size artworks so we are going to have to think of a suitably big description for it!

And introducing our "jewel brights" vintage butterflies in the same new size... as always, individually hand cut and stitched onto recycled card and vintage text.

These artworks are too new to have made it into our shop yet, but can be purchased now or ordered for $540 plus p&h - send us an email if you are interested.

Did you know that the Boutique Markets are having a special Kids and Pets Big Day Out this Sunday? With a petting zoo, face painting, fashion parades for both 2 and 4 legged cuties, and roving entertainments it is going to be fabulous morning!

botanical prints...

It has been so lovely having Mum to stay for the week, and time has gone far too quickly. She is flying up to Brisbane to stay with Clare tomorrow and I wish I was going with her! Last weekend we found a fabulous little second hand book sale where we stumbled across a gorgeous old book of botanical prints. The pictures were just asking to be framed and were just what I needed to hang above my bed. My bedroom has been lacking personality and until now I had not found the inspiration I needed to give it some life.

The pretty pink jug was picked up at the Camberwell Markets (I think Clare almost turned green when Mum and I rang her from our Sunday morning trip there - it was one of her favourite places to visit when she lived in Melbourne). The book in the photo has such a pretty green cover that I bought it from the book sale even though I never intend reading it. Ah, the thrill you get from snaffling up a bargain and decorating on the cheap!

a new dress...

All last week I felt like sewing myself a dress, and once the kids were all in bed on Saturday night I decided to ignore the ironing pile and stop thinking and start doing! However, knowing that there was no way I would complete the wrap dress pattern I had bought a few weeks ago in one evening (and knowing what I'm like with half finished projects) I decided to tackle something much more manageable. A dress for my 3 years old was the perfect size to start and finish in a couple of hours, and this little apron style dress (Butterick 5019) was super easy. It has been a while since I have sewed bias binding though, and so the frilly button bits on the back are to hide my mistakes!

Once my Jemima put on her new dress she decided she wasn't in the mood for posing, so this photo was as good as I could get. I tried to manipulate the colours so you couldn't see all the dead grass, but failed miserably. Oh well, many of you already know that gardening is not my strong point!

hearts galore

There have been lots of hearts on our work tables this week, as we have been busy cutting and stitching for the first of our new extra-large size artworks. We think the bright jewel colours of these vintage papers are really going to be set off by the white frame and mat, and we can't wait to finish it.

Hearts can also be found in some of our other artworks. The sequinned hearts below are hand-stitched onto linen and can be made in different colours to order. Here is the pink version...

And here is a more subtle colourway...

Our storybook heart artworks are designed to really feature the beautiful characters from vintage children's books. Just look at those little faces... it is impossible to imagine any of those children refusing to go to bed, fighting over who sits in the back seat, or whinging because they can't have the pink cup!

magazine mentions...

We always get a thrill when we see our products in print, and we are very chuffed to be included in the special "go green" issue of Australian Homespun magazine, out now. Our green butterflies have found themselves surrounded by some beautiful items including a Belle and Boo print and our favourite Murchinson-Hume cleaning products which smell fabulous.

We were also very excited to get a mention in the feature on A-M's gorgeous home in the June edition of Home Beautiful. See our vintage bird decorations hanging from the outdoor light fitting? (Thanks A-M!) Look out for a copy if you don't already have one, and join us in drooling over A-M's butler's pantry and 'great room'.