Baby Billie Blue

"Bille may not be all blue, but she sure is a baby...well in vintage terms anyway! Starting life in the crazy eighties as a cute piece of indienne fabric, she never had her chance to shine. Now that she has been 'rejenerated' into an oh-so-cute handbag, lined with the fabric from a pre-loved shirt and topped with the cutest recycled buttons, Billie's the funkiest filly in town!"

For more pics and details on the latest edidtion to the Rejenerate range, click here.

Today I Am Obsessed With...

Today I am obsessed with these funky bangles from the 1970s.

They are one of the many items I am in love with from Bowerbird, an online vintage clothing and accessories store.

Be sure to check out their store as they have so many gorgeous and unique fashion finds...and the best part is that your green halo will be shining bright after making such a sensible and sustainable fashion choice! :)

Today I'm Obsessed With...

Today I'm obsessed with...Australian native flowers. I really don't get why so many people find them 'ugly'. I think they're amazingly beautiful and the best thing is that they last for AGES in a vase.

My hubby bought me a huge bunch for my birthday on monday and they're making me smile right now.

Ravishing Rosie

I am soooo in love with this gorgeous vintage fabric from the 1960's. This latest creation is called Ravishing Rosie. Here is her story:

"Ravishing Rosie was created from a striking vintage fabric right out of the sixties. Combined with parts of a pre-loved jacket, some recycled lining and salvaged buttons, she's bringing her brand of vintage sass to the new millenium. Rosie is ravishing, recycled and oh-so retro. She's a complete one-off...just like you!"

For more pics and info or to take Ravishing Rosie home with you, click here.

Soundwave Festival

The Soundwave Festival finally rolled around on the weekend and I was itching to get there and check out some awesome bands - Less Than Jake, Goldfinger, Alkaline Trio, Bedouin Soundclash to mention just a few.

Less than Jake were due on stage at 12.30pm so we trekked out to Eastern Creek and arrived at 11.45am.

At 2.30pm we finally walked through the entry gates after spending almost 3 hours in 'line', squished together like sardines in alternate direct sun and rain, breathing in second hand cigarette smoke, watching dehydrated people faint and vomit and eventually urinate on the spot when they couldn't hold on any longer.

It was a hideous nightmare.

By the time we finally got in, we had missed three of the bands we were most keen to see. Not happy, especially after paying over 100 bucks for the ticket and trekking all the way out west!

Anyhoo, we did manage to catch some great bands in the end. The highlight was definitely Bedouin Soundclash. They were so good that we're heading to The Annandale tonight to for another dose.

Needless to say I will NEVER go to Soundwave Festival again. I just hope it doesn't take a tragedy occurring in that health hazard of a 'line-up' to make some changes to the (lack of) system.

Blooming Beatrice

Here is my latest creation, 'Blooming Beatice'. Here is her story:

"Blooming Beatrice started life as a gorgeous piece of vintage fabic but she was shoved to the back of the closet and never used. Now that she has been combined with a pre-loved skirt and topped with some recycled buttons, she has found a whole new lease on life. Give Beatrice a chance at a new life and you'll be the cutest blooming chick on the block!"

More details here.

Sweet William

I am nearly through turning our loft into my new office and the other day I found this gorgeous print by Sweet William which I think was made for me. It was originally in pink shades but they were good enough to produce it in a blue colourway which is a little more me.

It will look very cute in my new workspace.

You can check out Sweet William's lovely etsy shop here.

BRIDAL BETTY ECO CLUTCH

Staying with the bridal mood, here is the latest in my 'Bridal Betty' range. You can see more of Betty here.

Lucy Leonardi

We were very excited to get our wedding photos back recently and were so amazed at the beautiful shots taken by the very talented Lucy Leonardi. I won't bore you with endless shots of me and the Mr I but thought that I had to give Lucy a bit of a plug and show off her work.

Her ability to capture all the small details was amazing. If you are interested in seeing more of Lucy's work or contacting her, you can visit her website.

Our wedding cake was made by the lovely Giovanna from Giv and Take. I have blogged about Giv and Take's delicious traditional Italian treats before and our wedding cake (Zia Pina Chocolate Cake with choc-rasberry ganache) did not let me down. The only disappointment was that our guests devoured the whole thing (and two extra cakes that were hiding in the kitchen) and there were no left-overs :(

Victorian Bushfire Appeal

Just a quick post to say that I am thinking of all the people in Victoria who have been affected by the devestating bushfires.

A special mention to all the lovely Victorian designers I have been lucky enough to get to know over the past few months. I am relieved to know you are all safe and well.

For those who have not been affected, please donate to the Red Cross appeal if you can by calling 1800 811 700.

Sweet Suki

Here is the latest creation from the Rejenerate workshop, 'Sweet Suki', and here is her story:

"Sweet Suki is the combination of the loveliest vintage fabric and a pre-loved business shirt. Even the shirt pocket has been preserved and worked into the lining! Now that Suki has been ‘rejenerated’ into a gorgeous handbag and topped with recycled buttons she’s ready to start her new life…she’s all party on the outside, business on the inside!"

Find out more here.

The Hold Steady

I am a little bleary-eyed this morning after a late night rocking out (that phrase sounded cooler in my head) to one of my favourite bands of the moment, The Hold Steady.

The unlikely rockers from New York City put on such an entertaining show at Sydney's Metro Theatre and played for almost 2 hours.

I have recently discovered a strange super power. I have an exceptional ability to stand near the band's number one fan at every gig I go to. You know, the super sweaty guy who head bangs his head sweat into your face and has an insatiable appetite for hugging complete strangers in an attempt to deal with the unbridled joy brought on by being that close to his favourite band.

Last night Mr #1 Fan required a one metre radius left around him to complete his gyrating dance moves and spent the night yelling every single word of every single song, blowing kisses to the band, exchanging looks of utter disbelief with his mates at how amazing it was that they were in the same room as The Hold Steady and even went so far as to insist to those around him that a 'slow clap' be started to encourage the band into an encore.

I love watching bands but I must say that I am often distracted by the antics of Mr #1 Fan. Hilarious.

More On Zooey

Ok so we've already touched on my obsession with Zooey Deschanel. Her clothes, her hair, her cute and quirky personality...but now I've discovered I'm also in love with her house!

Being in the process of moving, I have been trawling the net for a new dining room table and chairs...well not really new, preferably really old and pre-loved.

In the process I got completely sidetracked (how unusual) and found myself on some random American interior design mag's site and BAM! - I was inside Zooey's place.

It's so full of cute folkey stuff. I wanna move in.

Hmmm have I edged into the realm of creepiness yet??

Kooky Kat

Here is Kooky Kat, a clutch made from the cutest vintage fabric. I love the combination of black, white and red. It's a little Rock n' Roll.

Here is her story:

"Kooky Kat is the gorgeous combination of a stunning vintage fabric and parts of an outdated red party dress. Topped with some fun recycled buttons, Kat has been completely 'rejenerated' into a kooky oversized clutch. Give Kat a chance at a new life and she'll help you bring a touch of vintage chic to every party outfit!"

Moving, Moving, Moving...

For the last year we have been renting the cutest, quirkiest little cottage called 'Bohemia'. We have grown quite attached to the place.

Unfortunately the owners have decided to sell which means impending homelessness. Well not really, it just means we'll be moving.

But today I am having a moment of nostalgia and thinking about how much I will miss the place. Especially our wonderful kitchen which has played host to many fun occassions including posh afternoon tea with proper teacups and tea pots and cucumber sandwiches, 'nacho 'n margerita night', morrocan feasts, greasy hangover brekkies, summer bbqs and of course one of our fave...breakfast for dinner or 'brinner' as I recently heard it referred to on an episode of 'Scrubs'.

But you gotta hand it to real estate agents. They really know how to find the selling points in a house. The advertisement for our place boasts that it enjoys 'harbour views'. Well here they are:

No? Nothing? Ok try the zoomed in view:

Ah there's the bridge...just behind the telegraph pole. See it? No? Oh well. I tried.

To be fair, the view is more prominent in reality. If you stand on your toes at the kitchen window, you can definitely see the bridge but let's just say I wouldn't suggest sending out the New Years Eve invites just yet :)

Anyway, it's not all bad news. We are moving to a bigger place which means I will have my very own office as well as an entire loft to store my bags, fabrics, buttons etc etc. Bliss!

Charlie Checkers

Here is the latest addition to the Rejenerate 'petites' range...Charlie Checkers. Here is her story:

"Charlie Checkers started life as a stylin' men's jacket but always longed to be something a touch prettier. Now that she has been paired with some salvaged vinyl, lined with a pre-loved skirt and topped with some vintage buttons, she has gone from 'grandpa' to 'gorgeous' in the blink of an eye! Charlie's past life as a men's jacket means she has some serious inside info on the male psyche - she's the perfect accessory for that first date!"

More pics and info here.

HOT, HOT, HOT

Normally I hate shopping centres/malls. They're shining beacons of all the things that annoy me about the 21st century, but I must admit that they do present an irresistable temptation in the middle of a heatwave.

After crawling the streets of Newtown on a 40 degree day looking for 2nd hand furniture all I could think of was sweet, sweet air-conditioning and the call of the mall proved too much.

After all how bad can a place that offers sushi and Zooey Deschanel be??

We caught a session of Jim Carrey's latest flick 'Yes Man' which was a bit of a laugh but most importantly starred one of my fave chicks, Zooey.

I am inspired to create a handbag that would be worthy of the cute and quirky actress. I'm thinking the 'Zany Zooey' could be in the making soon.

Meanwhile, I am trying to find someone to help me with the sewing of my bags and have been in touch with some lovely ladies who are very keen to come on board. So February should see the Rejenerate production line shift back into top gear.

Pre-Loved Patty...

Well here she is...my first bag of the New Year - 'Pre-Loved Patty'!

A couple of months back I created 'Green Gwynnie'. She was made from the same fabric and was snapped up immediately. I had lots of enquiries about her after she was sold...but alas, such is the heartache of one-of-a-kind fashion.

The good news is that I had a little fabric left, not enough to make a tote, but enough to create the latest in the Rejenerate 'petites' range.

Soooo here is Pre-Loved Patty and this is her story:

"What do you get when you cross some vibrant vintage fabric, a pair of last year's jeans, a daggy plus size top, some recycled buttons and a keen love of eco-fashion? Pre-Loved Patty of course!! Pop Patty over your shoulder when you hit the op shops and do lunch at the local organic cafe and your halo will be shining green!"

You can find out more about Patty here...or even take her home with you!

Lark Handmade

When I arrived home from my honeymoon there was a lovely little package waiting for me from Allison at Lark Handamade.

It contained Frankie Magazine's 'Afternoon Tea' Cook Book which I have been eyeing off for some time. Also included was the lovely Frankie Magazine calendar which features artwork by many talented Aussie artists.

A big thanks to Allison for my lovely gift - it made my day!

Be sure to check out the Lark website for gorgeous goodies like Mr Rabbit (below).

Now I'm off to do some good old fashion baking!!

I'm Baaaaaack!

Well the days of swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, walking, reading, eating, drinking, talking, and laughing have come to an end.

Ok maybe a little dramatic. I'm hoping most of those things will continue into 2009, just maybe a little less snorkelling and kayaking.

The pics are of the gorgeous Hyams Beach Seaside Cottages where we spent our honeymoon.

Our wedding was such a fun, crazy, romantic, hilarious day. It was amazing having both of our families and our friends in the one place at the one time for one hell of a party! It truly made us appreciate all the wonderful people we have in our lives.

But I am actually glad to be back home and settling back into normal life. I have lots of exciting plans for Rejenerate in 2009 so time to get started!

xx