I’ve been walking past “Typo” in Melbourne Central a few times in the last few weeks and have never stepped inside - only because I can tell just by walking past it that it is the kind of shop I could easily go CRAZY in. Cute stationery, mugs, frames, clocks, laptop sleeves, etc. I guess you could say it’s akin to Kikki K but with a slightly wider range of product offerings.

Anyway, I decided to finally go inside and have a look today out of intense curiousity.

The thing is I’ve recently started teaching my eldest (6 years old) a very basic understanding of the value of money and saving in order to buy things that she would like. This means she helps me with little chores around the house (wiping the table after a meal; putting away her clothes after I wash & dry them; tidying up toys before bed-time, etc) and in exchange she gets some coins at the end of the day. She has something in mind that she’d like to buy, so she’s currently saving the coins in a very tiny piggy bank that is close to overflowing.

I’ve been on the lookout for a cute piggy bank for her and when I stepped into Typo, this is the first thing I found:

Pink, flocked, Owl bank!

Super duper cute, right? It’s a good size and pretty good value at less than $10.

But between you and me, as if I really needed an excuse to buy a pink, flocked, Owl bank . . . . .

I escaped to Sydney last weekend - sans kiddos. It was the first time I’d gone interstate without them. They had a great time while I was away and I admit, I had a great time in Sydney doing things that I normally could not do with kids tagging along, so I guess it was a little success all ’round. But oh how I missed them! I was so happy to be able to pick them up from school on the day I got back :-)

I won’t bore you with ‘holiday’ snaps though you will see some random photos I took with my phone on my twitter (mostly of food, because - let’s be honest - it was an eat-fest half of the time). I got to explore some new areas near the city with my BFF that I had never visited before.

After 10 years of trying to have breakfast at Bills in Darlinghurst (established by celebrity chef Bill Granger) - every time I have visited Sydney - and never quite making it inside the doors (due to the long lines), we actually made it this time and wow, was it worth the wait!!! Sooooo delicious!!! (We had the ricotta hotcakes with that amazing honey-infused butter, and crunchy corn-fritters with bacon):

Also, a tip for op-shoppers: go to the Vinnies in Paddington (on Oxford St.) if you are keen to get very good quality clothes and shoes (oh my, the SHOES!) at low prices BUT don’t go there if you are looking for vintage manchester/fabric because basically everything is quite new-ish. It was fun as always to catch up with wonderful friends (and their hubbies and kids) and I didn’t even mind being attacked by one of the cutest babies I have ever met:

Thought I’d show you what I picked up from the Ariel bookshop in Paddington:

>> “For Just One Day” by Laura Leuck and illustrated by Marc Boutovant. I remember seeing this book on a design blog a year or so ago and I was thrilled to find it on the shelves at Ariel. Gorgeous, gorgeous illustrations and my youngest has asked me to read this to her numerous times already:

>> “Moomin and the Birthday Button” by Tove Jansson. I picked this one up for my eldest as a way of introducing her to the delightful world of Moomin. She adores it too! I may have to pick up another Moomin book soon :-)

>> And I picked this up for me. I remember Angela blogging about this previously. I carry Terada’s illustrated notebook with me everywhere. I really adore his illustrations. I could not leave the bookshop without this postcard set:

I’ve just realised that it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything ‘crafty’ - this is meant to be a crafty blog after all! Hoping the mojo returns in some form this weekend :-)

Despite the best of intentions, I didn’t touch the sewing machine at all this past weekend. It was a tiny bit due to the fact that I’ve made a mess of the softie I was working on and now have to do mucho unpicking (which I am putting off as much as possible), but mostly due to inspiration hitting in other areas of my life and enjoying the weekend with my girls.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a good finds post, so here’s a round up of a few lovely things I’ve come across lately (I think I’ve tweeted most of these things so apologies if you’ve seen this all from me before!):

>> The work of Pilgirm Lee. I’m sure you’ve heard of her already. But if you haven’t then you must head on over to her website right now. You will love it. I promise. I think she has one of the coolest names EVER, plus she is such a lovely person too :-) AND she’s running a month of free downloads to celebrate her birthday!

{image credit: Pilgrim Lee}

>> Pilgim pointed me in the direction of Modern Kiddo. A blog by two mamas who love and feature retro-inspired design for kids. Definitely a site to bookmark.

>> I am a sucker for objects with words so I adore all the things that WhizzMe put together for her etsy treasury “Words to Live By” (it’s also got me thinking about buying handstamped jewelry as gifts for upcoming birthdays - let me know if you have a recommendation!)

>> Sweeeeeet printable bookplates by Helen Dardik

{image credit: Helen Dardik}

>> Zakka wooden envelope template via Sweet Tidings (with tutorial on making cute envelopes on the Parasol Blog). I’ve got so many cool pages from magazines that I’ve ripped out and can recycle into envelopes! (it’s the simple joys . . .)

{image credit: Sweet Tidings}

>> Talk about recycling, Go and Send Jewelry turns old cutlery (like spoons and forks) into rings and bracelets! I love this idea!

Here are two TED talks I really enjoyed - I was inspired by them and maybe you’ll find some inspiration in them too :-)

>> An excellent talk about nurturing creativity (and the concept of ‘creative genius’) by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. She seems so grounded and humble. I love the fact that she likes to put time and energy into researching the history of ideas and concepts to help in forming her own opinions - you notice this in her books also.

>> And for all you runners, an interview with American Para-Olympian Aimee Mullins. It’s definitely stopped me from finding excuses not to go out running!

Wishing you all a happy week ahead. Don’t forget to stop and enjoy all the good stuff in your life :-)

I think I’ve finally got my craft-room sorted out into an arrangement that’s workable (read as: “in a state that satisfies my OCD tendencies“):

Thankfully, the room has a built-in-wardrobe where I have stored all the stuff I use occassionally - and, let’s be honest, the junk I just couldn’t fit on my shelves. The wardrobe has mirrored sliding doors so it helps to make the room look bigger and brighter. It also provides an easy way to check whether my hair is covered in polyfill and thread before I rush out the door (surprisingly, wearing a crown of polyfill and thread unknowingly - in public - is a common occurrence).

My sewing nook has some of the fabric I’ve designed up on the walls, my favourite little Decoylab cuckoo clock, my inspiration board, and some of my favourite Frankie posters.

I’m toying with the idea of getting one of those long study tables from ikea to go against the back wall, to work as both my sewing and cutting table. At the moment I’m using my trusty card table as the place to cut up fabric, but the cushions I made are taking up most of the table so I just need to find a better place for them {sublimal message: please buy my cushions, and look! They are on sale!}.

Anyhoo, here are my fabric shelves (and more Frankie posters). Not sure if you can tell, but the green and blue piles were nicely folded and put onto the shelf. Then I got bored (and impatient) and just shoved everything else in!

I’m very grateful to have my own little room in which to get crafty. Now all I have to do is get in there and make the most of it! :-)

Have you heard of Craft Corps?

It’s the brainchild of Craft Extraordinaire Vickie Howell and celebrates the Craft Community by featuring and promoting the profiles and stories of crafters from all over the world, from different walks of life, and with different crafty passions. In fact, if you haven’t done so already, you can submit your profile to the Craft Corp website here and be part of the Craft Corp community!

Vickie published a book back in May as a means of documenting the growing global Craft Movement. The book includes interviews with 30 well-known crafty/creative peeps like Amy Butler, Natalie Zee Drieu (CRAFT), Denyse Schmidt (DS Quilts), Jessica Marshall Forbes (Ravelry), Faythe Levine (Handmade Nation), and Jay McCarroll (Project Runway). You can find the full list here.

Vickie also collected profiles of 60 everyday crafters and I’m thrilled to be included in the book! (This book has been 2 years in the making - which is why my age is listed as 32 :-)).

In fact, I was very humbled to find my mug shot opposite the feature on the super nice and amazing Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching :-)

I can attest to the fact that this book provides inspiration, ideas and meaningful insights through the interviews/stories of the profiled crafters & designers. After reading the book from cover to cover, I was also overcome with a sense of excitement and refreshing optimism about this huge Craft Community that exists globally - it is clearly making its mark and making the world a better place :-)

You can pick up your copy from Amazon, or for Aussie readers, from here.

Thank you Vickie and LarkBooks for providing the opportunity to make a small contribution to this wonderful project!

Finally finished up the green fawn over the weekend:

He’s off to a good friend’s newborn son. I hope he brings the little guy many smiles and giggles :-)

It’s good to be back into the routine again. I’m looking forward to starting a new softie project this week!

Hope your week is filled with happy things too!

I’m throwing a little sale over at the One Red Robin shoppe on etsy. I’d love for the softies and cushions to find new homes so that I can make way for some new items in my little craft room :-)

The sale will continue until all the softies and cushions have been sold.

And speaking of craft room, mine is almost done! In fact, I was able to work on a fawn the other night and I was so happy to be sewing once again (it’s been weeks!). The other thing that I love? That I can leave the little fella in the middle of the room, close the door, walk away, and know that he isn’t in anyone else’s way!

My previous craft spaces were in open areas with quite a lot of walk-through traffic. So *nice* to have just one dedicated room for my happy hobby and to be able to hide it from the rest of the world if need be :-)

Find out what’s on sale here: One Red Robin Shoppe

A few weeks ago, I tweeted this whilst waiting for the phone guy to turn up at our new place. The brooch display frame was really easy to whip-up and took less than 15 minutes. I added a few more improvements since then and thought I’d share it with you, should you have a love of brooches too :-)

What you’ll need:

1. An empty frame with a stand - it should include the frame itself, glass, a piece of cardboard, and the backing to which the stand is attached.
2. Fabric of your choice
3. A piece of thin batting
4. A strong, hardy stapler
5. A pair of scissors

First step: Take the frame apart. You’ll be using the cardboard for the rest of the steps, so you can put the other pieces of the frame to one side.

Second step: Place the cardboard on the batting and using the cardboard as a template, cut around it so that you have a piece of batting in the exact same size as the cardboard.

Third step: Place the cardboard on the fabric and using the cardboard as a template and leaving a 3cm (or 1 and 1/2 inch) border, cut around it.

Fourth step: Place the fabric you have cut from the Third step with its right-side facing down. Then place the piece of batting in the centre. Then place the cardboard on top.

Fifth step: Start with one of the shorter sides and fold fabric over the cardboard. Staple as close to the edge as you can, down the side, ensuring that all layers are stapled together. This will ensure that the staples won’t show when you put the frame back together.

Sixth step: Repeat the Fifth step on the opposite short side, making sure to pull the fabric taut as you staple down the edge.

Seventh step: Repeat Fifth and Sixth steps for the long sides, making sure to pull the fabric taut as you staple down the edge.

Eighth step: Put frame back together. For my frame, I put fabric-batting-cardboard piece in the frame first, followed by the piece of glass (since I may want to re-use the frame in the future), and then the backing piece.

And that’s it! Now it’s time to pin your brooches on! Make sure that when you do pin them on, the pin goes through both the fabric and batting. You could fancy it up by using antique or more extravagant frames.

I must thank Dear Fii for providing the idea :-)

*My display above holds some of my growing brooch collection (haven’t unpacked them all yet!). Top row: American Eagle Outfitters brooch; Betty Jo owl; Finki brooch. Middle row: Love by Geneine Honey Deer brooch; American Eagle Outfitters brooch; Vintage owl brooch. Bottom row: Diva Cameo brooch; Betty Jo Cuckoo Clock; Malgorzata Bird Brooch.

Just popping in to say that we have finally moved into the new (old) place :-)

A few have asked for progress shots of the craft room. Ermmm . . . must admit, there has been very little progress! The unpacking of other rooms has taken precedence. For what it’s worth, here’s what it looks like at the moment:

My favourite part of the house is the dining room. The sun lights up this nook of the house brilliantly in the morning. And don’t you love that nautical-themed light fitting, hehe!

Can you spot the orchid in that pic above? My BFF gifted it to me on my birthday way back in April and it’s still thriving. Orchids are my favourite flower - they are known for being resilient. The fact that this orchid is still alive and strong means a lot to me.

So yes, setting up the craft room is slow going. It’s frustrating because I really want to get to work on some projects but THIS time I want to be sure that there is a place for everything and everything has its place. My craft room at the other house was such a mess and it was driving me BONKERS.

It has been said that moving house is one of the most stressful life experiences you can have. I have to say thank God, this one went pretty smoothly! The girls and I saw a brilliant rainbow in the sky on the morning of the move and I just knew it was going to be a good move. I love rainbows because to me they scream “HOPE!“. And that’s just what I needed to be reminded of that day.

I’ve moved house 15 times in my 34 years of life so I don’t find the actual moving part stressful - lest I even admit that I find packing therapeutic? (Weirdo, I know - don’t judge me). I actually find the cleaning and the unpacking at the other side stressful!! I hired professional movers this time (the first time I have ever done so) and though it burned a whole in my wallet, it was worth it - the move was done in under 4 hours. Nothing was damaged or broken, and the rain held out until the move was completed.

We’re settling in very well and have slipped back into familiar routines. I love how warm and cozy this little house is (even though it has a slightly strange old-house funk. Give up the funk I say). Thank you for the lovely comments on the previous post - so glad you love the character of this place too :-)

Also, it seems that the demographic of people living on my street are very friendly 60+ year old retirees. To say we live on a very quiet street is an understatement. Is it bad that one of the reasons I want to befriend my neighbour is because I want to take a look into their home and gaze admiringly upon their vintage possessions??

Okay, better do a little more unpacking before I turn in for the night. Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Hope you’re all having a great week so far!

I’ve taken to calling our new home, the new (old) home because, well . . .  it is rather mature in age! It has been untouched by any desire to renovate and update, and seems to have maintained most of the fixtures it did when it was built. But it has so much charm and while I was cleaning it up yesterday, I took some photos with my phone. So a quick break from the blog break to share with you some snapshots:

The retro-tastic kitchen:

Complete with gas oven and stove that must be lit with a lighter:

Floor coverings:

And light fittings:

Thank you for the well wishes on the move! The new (old) home has been cleaned up and now begins the slow moving-in of stuff :-)