The Lightness of Being an Olympian
In honour of the Winter Olympics, check out this clip directed by Ryan McGinley for the New York Times Magazine. The track featured is by The Ruby Suns.
Make your own book
I’m not usually fond of self-published books, no matter how worthy the subject – there’s something quite special about having a team of people working together on a book project to come up with the very best of all visions. Throughout the process of producing The Crafty Minx, my clever publisher Kay Scarlett, editor Sophia Oravecz or designer Vivien Valk would suggest something that changed my direction or influenced the book here and there. It always made an improvement – more heads are better than one.
That said, I read about this service on Daily Addict and felt it was too good not to mention: Blurb.com provides software you can download to make your own books, and inexpensive printing and postage. I’m thinking of making a book of our family life, just for us (and for Olive to see when she’s big) and maybe an additional copy for my lovely in-laws. This is a great idea for publishing images of your own photography, design or craft projects, don’t you think?
Bejewelled Bespoke
Bouquet of Roses necklace
Chrysanthemum stud earrings
Check out these lust-worthy items available for sale on Etsy through the Bejewelled Bespoke shop.
Item description for the Statement Rosette Bib Necklace below:
“Strips of different silk fabrics ranging from chiffon to washed silk are rolled into fabric rosettes and embellished with Swarovski pearls and crystals. Finished with a double sided velvet ribbon, and handsewn silk backing, this is one amazing necklace. Perfect for that special occasion, party, cocktail, wedding, bridesmaid outfit…or just because you are fabulous.” Dee-vine.
Chiffon, Tulle and Cotton Rose Bib Ribbon Necklace
A few good blogs
Cushions by Karlyn Jackson
Oh how often I end up visiting one blog, then link off to another, and then another… I could waste days, weeks, months…
I just found these gorgeous handmade cushions on Karlyn Jackson’s blog, Rosa’s Room. I saw this fabric at IKEA a while back and fell in love with it also – it’s so bright and cheerful. See the pretty purses below which she made as Christmas gifts, and she’s also created a doorstop from the instructions in The Crafty Minx from Anna Maria Horner fabric (a firm favourite fabric designer of mine as well).
Purses by Karlyn Jackson
Check out the wonderful Yarnstorm by Jane Brocket and Six and a Half Stitches if you haven’t seen either of these sites, plus here’s some delicious, evocative images from Anna Maria Horner’s blog below… I’m getting that wistful winter feeling again.
Mmmm... hot chocolate
Simple idea #4
Driftwood: designed by nature
I’ve always had a thing for collecting shells, pebbles, feathers and dried leaves – particularly when I’m on holiday. Just one or two at a time, but now we have quite a few dotted all over the house in ceramic bowls and mini-middens, reminding me of the places we’ve been. It’s also a way of bringing the outside in to our urban home.
A few weeks ago I found this beautiful piece of driftwood on the beach after an early morning swim, currently residing on our living room sideboard. Forget expensive ceramics or sculptures if you’ve no budget to speak of – just keep your eyes open for the very best decoration nature has to offer.
Click here for simple idea #1
Click here for simple idea #2
Click here for simple idea #3
Gnarly
Lovely tree decoration for a child’s room
From the home of Emily Henson
I just saw this on Design Sponge – what an ingenious idea for decorating a child’s bedroom wall, or even a grown-up’s room. Adorable birdhouses… I think I’d feel as though I were sleeping in the branches of the Magic Faraway Tree up there on the top bunk.
The Catorialist
On the street... Nearly Spring, Los Angeles CA
I’m more of a dog person but this website is pure gold – love the picture captions. Check it out: The Catorialist.
So that’s what an etching is
My 'Jug of flowers' print
My friend Lisa and I decided to take a printmaking class ages ago now at the Pine Street Studios, thinking we’d turn up to find people doing silk screen printing on fabric (the class description was a bit vague and so, it turns out, were we) but made the happy discovery instead of a traditional printmaking course using methods for paper.
This is one of my pieces, scratched out on a piece of metal with a sharp pointy thing (yes, that’s the official term for it) and then inked and run through a printing roller. It’s trickier than it looks, but quite fun once you get into the swing of things. I popped it in a box frame and it’s now hanging in the hallway.
Click here for the entry on the printmaking course I took at Prints Charming afterwards, so I could finally get some experience with silk screening.
The man in the park
I took a picture of this graffiti I spied in a Stanmore park some time ago, and then a friend told me it’s actually of a man who sits there almost every day. I haven’t seen him, but I think it’s touching he’s been immortalised in this most urban of ways.
For more fantastic graffiti, check out an earlier post here.
Sneak peek at No Chintz projects
Here’s a little peek at some of the projects I’ll be making for the first three No Chintz workshops. Above is my beloved pompom-adorned tea cosy, inspired by Loani Price of Wild Tea Cosies fame, but with no knitting involved (because I still haven’t figured out how to do a purl stitch without ending up all twisted up like a pretzel – true story). And a flower embellished egg cosy, just in time for Easter (it’ll be here before we know it).
These are a cinch to make and so fun, too – the felt means they’re also very forgiving when you want to multi-task, completing them while drinking a large glass of red wine, say (as I was when putting these together last Saturday night*).
And below, some simple oven mitts and the apron I’m making tomorrow for the private class – all these are made by hand and can be completed within 1.5-2hrs max.
*If making a tea cosy on a Saturday night is the very definition of old age, then I may just be 93.
