Knots & Hairpins

 Thought I needed a challenge!
I have had the desire to create a wall hanging for ages but to find the thick twine at a reasonable cost is difficult....but I found some :)

$1 for 5m is very reasonable! ...anymore and it would not be achievable!
I have bought up big!

 This is where I have got too......I have run out of wooden beads
and I need them to continue the pattern I have started.
I'm knotting 'by eye' so to speak because I don't know what 225m of twine will give me?

I will keep you posted!

I thinks she'll be a bit special when finished?

       Oh and meet The Ladies!
I saw these beauties on eBay and pounced....lets just say I needed both and we'll be eating beans and rice for a while :)

Pippa

Lady Grey

 

I was finally able to recover the Mama chair!

It was a great shame to have to say goodbye to the lovely 50-60's floral but this wing back Parker armchair needed a new frock!

I flipped through countless fabric books, I wanted to honour the mustard colour of the original fabric but to have the whole chair in mustard may have been too much?
so I decided upon the grey with the mustard detail!
I love grey and yellow together....and I hope I don't tire of it?

She sit's nicely amongst the teak and leather furniture also in the room, a bit of sitting will soften the newly upholstered feel but I hope the look will be timeless?

Do you have a Mama chair?

Here is Mr Ouch's chair and Lady Turquoise, my other upholstered chair ...if your into chairs!
 

I taught myself a new macrame knot!.....the joys of goggle!
It's called the Chinese crown knot.

I see a macrame necklace idea brewing...what do you think?
I placed a TEAK, yes TEAK bead on for effect. 
I would make a nice porcelain bead for it....is this idea worth persuing?

It would be a very bold piece to wear....but hopefully elegant too?
I use some hand dyed twine, it would take 12m of it to make a decent length necklace, so it would take commitment!
Plus it's time comsuming too!  ....but so lovely to hold too!
If you have any opinions? 
...feel free to express!

Yes a bought a 70's hairy scary macrame just for the beads, they are taken from the twine, washed and danish oiled for me to gaze at and feel :)

Pippa

:: Feelin very inspired!

1.Have you seen these?

They are created by a Japanese maker called BIRDS'WORDS, have a look at the shop! 
Cause there is more! 
Put away your wallet first MMMC & Brismod!
I won't be held responsible!


2.Have you seen this House Tour? 

  @ Modern Findings, it's a great blog too!

3. Now have you seen this House Tour?

@ Mid2Mod...but you knew that already! 
Go on have another look, take a friend...there's snacks in the fridge!


4. Have you meet these blogs? I have!..... they are very nice!

A Goode House

Urban Rustic

On Life and Lava

That should keep you quiet for a bit!



5. Lastly I'm going to be very inspired after Sunday this week, I'm attending a Shibori workshop!

@ Harvest Workroom.

Can you see some wall hangings made from the Shibori, with macrame?
I'm so excited, loads of good schoolholiday fun!

:Pippa

:: Turning Japanese

 I have seen this collections of Japanese books about the place.  Each one focuses on a different subject such as: 

Stockholm's Kitchens, Stockholm Family Style, Paris Family Style, London Family Style and Finland Family Style!

I have always thought to myself that if I couldn't read Japanese, it might be pointless to buy it!

Then one day, my son, a wise little man said "Mummy what are you doing?"

I replied, with iPad in hand "Reading".

"No your not! Your looking at pictures" was his reply. 

I was reading my blog roll!

So... as I do alot of 'looking at pictures' and the cover of Nordic Deco Ideas was coaxing me like a Siren's Song to Sailors! 

I thought, I would give it a go!

So glad and I highly recommend!

What a delightful little book!

 Happy Reading to you!
:Pippa

:: Some handsome German's, with a bit of MC Brass.

The current West German Collection!

The more I love West German pottery the more I love West German pottery!

Today's finds are really feminine and decorative, look at the pattern on the green one? 

The turquoise one is screaming for a lovely lush plant!

The variety is endless, this I did not know...sorry I'm gushing but I can't help it!

The West German's are all over my instagram account, sorry MMMC, I know I'm killing you here, but it is with kindness!

The NKONB

The brass collection has been slowly creeping in over the last year.

A few $'s here and a few $'s there, they are small and sit on top of my picture frames.

Do you have this problem?

Collecting without realising that you were collecting?

Till on one sunny morning the winter sun shines in, and highlights your recent hoardings!

Beware the small brass collection.

 One more sleep till the big giveaway announcement!

See you then!

:Pippa

:: Yarn Bombing Update!

 The Melbourne winter has firmly set in but our trees are looking cosy!
So many of our staff at school have come out to knit and crochet squares to decorate the tree's! 
So far so good!

On side note I have been drawing! I was so inspired by the Willa's Wildlife illustrations that I had to draw my own.

At the moment you see a very faint pencil drawing......I'm now stuck!

Should I just add fine liner or go all out and render in coloured pencil?

Sorry the pic is a bit ordinary, it's so hard to photograph white paper!

I will update soon on my progress. 

I'm still doing macrame and crocheting a blanket as well!

...... Busy, busy, busy!

Happy Tuesdays to you!

:Pippa.

:: Midwinter Homage

Thrift finds-gasp!

 Now this is a going to be a long post, so go make yourself a cuppa and settle in!

Midwinter, popular for collectors due to the tireless designing of notable UK Designer Jessie Tait.

Spanish Garden and Country Garden 1960's

3rd edition of the Midwinter Pottery Book.

I have been hunting for this book for a while now, so when the 3rd edition became available, I swooped like a hungry falcon!

I have learnt from its glossy pages that the Midwinter Pottery was looking to boost sales after the post war gloom, they created the stylecraft shape (1953) inspired by a trip to the West Coast U.S where Roy Midwinter viewed the work of Eva Zeisel 

(psst linked to Mid2Mod, Dana did a great post here and this is where I first learnt of Eva)and Russell Wright.

These wares were rimless, organic in shape, no banding typical of traditional pre-war forms and the colour palette was brighter, cleaner!

The stylecraft shape was developed to have an "ease of cleaning and economic storage" for "smaller homes and tighter budgets" all to captured the younger generation.

This was the beginning of the "starter pack", 20 pieces- four tea cups & saucers, tea plates, dinner plates and cereal bowls.

Young couples could add to their collection and replace as necessary. 

Does this not sound familiar?

Do you remember buying your first set of crockery?

 Browsing through this lovely book I have selected the Midwinter ranges I will happily swoop on, if I found them in the wild!

Plant Life by Terence Conran.

The "Plant Life" design in the fashion shape 1956.

What a delightful design and still relevant to today's current market!

Vase-Caribbean

Caribbean.

 This design is in the fashion shape (1955)
again the colour combination and organic motif is timeless. I don't think I could handle the complete set, to use daily but a nice wee plate or vase or both would be nice!

Festival.

 "Festival" in the fashion shape was inspired by the Festival of Britain.

Savanna.

 "Savanna" in the fashion shape and the fancy shape (1940's-1960's).

Vase Collection-Tonga, Candlesticks, Bands & Dots.

  I fear another collection is going to start if I ever manage to get my hands on one of these beauties!

image via book.

These are the lovely showroom ladies  c:1960, look at those hairdo's, glasses and pins!
 If I was born in this era, I think this is where I would like to be, move over Jessie Tait!


 Thanks for reading!

:Pippa 

 In the book there are excellent images of the shape guides and pictures of the early design drawings for some of the popular designs, I haven't posted these because I strongly encourage you to buy the book...and I don't want to upset the copyright police either!

Images Via

:: West German Pottery Collection

I just can't get enough of West German Pottery! 
Here are my lastest recruits to the collection, the lovely mustard yellow with pressed patterns, a nice place for the glaze to pool with the slender handle and the blue ombre with raised geometric patterns.

 I purchased them from an etsy store called Eclectivist, 

Kasia was lovely to deal with and she packaged them well and it was a really great transaction, I warn you though, if you click on the link you might be lighter in the pocket? or a least add her shop to your favourites, remember it's Christmas in July soon! 

(note to those of you in the northern hemisphere, Christmas in July, is an Aussie thing, we have the traditional Christmas dinner in our winter because December time can be just too hot!)

 The lovely Dana from Mid2Mod awarded me with an award! 
I'm very pleased and touched that she thought of me amongst her choices

 Recipients of the award are asked to tell seven things about themselves, so here goes!

1- I was born in England in 1975, to an English Father and an Anglo Indian Mother, I married a Scotsman and made an Australian!

2- I wear a ring on my thumb and have done since my early twenties, I have not taken it off and I think I never will.

3- I studied Pottery at University and in my honours year, one of my works was bought by Dame Elizabeth Murdoch, a great philanthropist for the Arts.

4- I heart Sting big time! Everything he does is magic!

5- At school, I was happiest in the Art room or the library.

6- I married in a green dress, made from a Vogue pattern by a dear friend.

7-  I draw everyday.


I now pass on this lovely award to:

Donna @ Hung Up On Retro
(A lovely friend and you'll love her Freaky Friday Posts)

Kylie @ Lucy Violet Vintage 
(She's on a blog holiday just now but I just have to share her part of the world with you)

Col @ Hello Olive

(A Graphic Designer with her finger on the pulse, love her work!)

Kylie @ Paravent

(A Textile Designer who screen prints beautiful work and uses neon pink!)

Tes @ Milkveins

(A sweetie)

Raynor @ The Shy Lion

(A witty Lad, whose blog has loads for lovely knitted/crochet goodness!)

Andrea @ Remember to notice

(Maker of Odds&Ends and a crafting mentor for me)

I hope you enjoy visiting their blogs!

:P

:: Willa's Wildlife- Mid Century COOL!

What is not to love?

Via

 So lovely to see such Mid Century cool in kid's television, such a sweet little story but the set drawings have me weak at the knees!

I think I want to live here too, Go Willa!

Total kitchen delight!

I love the trees!

Willa's Wild Life is an French/Canadian/American animated television series that first aired on ABC2 in 2008, then on Qubo and Nickelodeon Canada in 2009. The show is based on Dan Yaccarino's book An Octopus Followed Me Home. It is about a 9 year old girl named Willa (Jordan Todosey) who has some very unusual pets. She has, so far, acquired a giraffe, two elephants, an alligator, and many more exotic animals.

 Images Via cute blog by the Director Adrian Thatcher!

 Watch on the ABC!

Happy Sunday to you!

:P