Vintage napkin upcycle...

These vintage napkins are a little tattered around the edges but most of the fabric is still lovely. The perfect candidates for a spot of upcycling!

I'll be combining these with some vintage bits and pieces from my overflowing collection and upcycling them into some lovely bridesmaids clutches. Cute! Well hopefully :)

Vintage Fashion Lust...

Having my baby recently was amazing for so many reasons. And one major bonus was that my body returned to a shape that enabled it to be clothed in normal fashion again. YAY!!!

So I have been lusting after some gorgeous vintage fashion and trying to decide what to splurge on.

1. Dear Golden Vintage 2. Purple Deer 3. Bleubird Vintage 4. {twin set}

Handmade Wedding Idea

I just discovered a great wedding blog called Once Wed (thanks to a tip from gorgeous wedding photographer Lucy Leonardi) and was really taken by these do-it-yourself bridesmaids thank you cards.

Since lots of my customers are brides, I thought I might link to the project in case anyone has a rainy afternoon free for some handmade love.

More Tabitha Gorgeousness...

Tabitha Emma - you're killing me! Well my bank account anyway.

Every single one of these digital collage creations are tempting me. I have just bought another as I simply could not resist. I think you will agree that the above images can be used for about one bazillion different super cute ideas.

If you like, you can check them out for yourself here.

Today: Vintage Brooch Love

Today is such a beautiful winter's day. I used to hate winter but these days I'm really coming around.

The Little Miss and I went for a long walk this morning to take in the winter sun. We stopped for coffee and a chat at our favourite local cafe and headed home to the studio and my first full day of work since the Little Miss arrived on the scene.

I am creating a set of bridesmaids clutches for a lovely bride in the US. The clutches will feature the gorgeous gold tone vintage brooches pictured above. Divine.

Love Tabitha Emma

I have always loved Sydney artist Tabitha Emma's style. Much to my delight, she has recently opened up a new Etsy store specifically for 'graphic downloadables'.

The above digital collage sheets (along with lots of others available in Tabitha's shop) can be printed off and used for gift tags, cards, scrap booking and just about any other art/craft project you can think of.

And the best news? Each download is only US$5!

Do yourself a favour and check them out here. Print some out and send a friend some pretty snail mail.

Rain, rain...go away?

I feel like it has been raining for months in Sydney. Although I miss not being able to get out for walks, this weather does give a great excuse for snuggling under a blanket and drinking cup of tea after cup of tea.

Not bad weather when you have a new baby either...snuggles all round!

Photo from here.

Real Wedding

It really makes my day when my customers take the time to get in touch and say how much they loved the custom creations I designed for them. I love it even more when I get photographic evidence!

Here is a pic of gorgeous bride Pip and her bridal party. For Pip I made a silk clutch featuring a vintage bird brooch and for her bridesmaids, two slightly different clutches featuring silver satin and a stunning aqua and silver vintage brocade. Here's a close up:

A huge congrats to Pip and her hubby. And thanks for letting me share this lovely photo of your Big Day.

Upcycled Goodness...

Loving this funky upcycled cast iron bathtub couch! Etsy is the source of all things wonderful. Check it out here.

Disband

Today I took the Mister and the Little Miss and checked out Disband, the latest exhibition curated by the Leeloo crew. Inspired by the 40th anniversary of the break up of The Beatles, the theme of the exhibition was break ups and the amazing selection of artists used this inspiration to create a diverse range of breath taking artworks that I completely fell in love with.

The exhibition space was set up like an apartment of a couple going through a break-up and the furniture and settings alone are reason enough for a visit to this cool exhibition.

Many of the artworks have already been snapped up but there are still some available so check out the website and if you have the chance, swing by the aMBUSH gallery in Waterloo tomorrow before the exhibition closes.

A big congrats to Ang and Renee from Leeloo for another amazing exhibition - it's so awesome to be able to spend some time on a weekend checking out the work of some local established and emerging artists. You ladies are helping to keep Sydney cool! :)

My cutest creation ever...

Well I never did get that post up as promised...but I have a damn good excuse!

A week and a half ago we celebrated the arrival of our gorgeous baby girl. As you can see, she's a tad camera shy and isn't keen on being the subject of a blog post ha ha

I am feeling great and will be slowly getting back into work over the coming weeks. And the blog will be given some much needed love!

I know her!!

Wow! Where have I been? I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post.

I promise that I have lots of good reasons for my absence but I was jolted back into the world of blogging after my amazing friend Renee Anne was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald's Sydeny Magazine yesterday.

It was the fashion issue and featured interviews with the likes of Sydney fashion icons Kirrily Johnston, Megan Gale and...Renee!

It was so wonderful to see someone looking out from the pages of a glossy mag talking about sustainable and ethical fashion. And if you can do the right thing and still look as gorgeous as Renee, who wouldn't be convinced??

So be sure to go over and check out Renee's blog where she talks about her art and life in general and also the online vintage boutique {twin set} where Renee is co-director and responsible (along with Ang from Leeloo) for a wonderful range of ridiculously gorgeous dresses and accessories.

And of course a big thanks to Renee for giving a little shout out to ReJenerate in her lovely article. Very chuffed was I.

PS I will be coming back over the next few days with photographic evidence of what has been keeping me so busy that I couldn't find time to blog for weeks. Gasp!

Something Old...

I love, love, love making custom bridal and bridesmaid clutches for super lovely brides all over the world.

Lately I have been working on some extra special projects which involve creating clutches from lovely, crazy, pretty, personal bits and pieces from the family of the bride.

These are so fun to make that I thought I would share an example with you all.

Above are some doilies and runners sent to me by a lovely bride whose great aunts were crochet champions so she dug out some pieces she loved and I used them to create a clutch for her and her mum for her wedding day.

Such a beautiful and meaningful keepsake.

Peppermint Mag = excitement times two

I think I've mentioned before how much I love Peppermint mag. It's filled with eco fashion and lifestyle and just general prettiness.

This issue is soooo extra special because on the cover is my gorgeous gal pal, Renee Anne. Doesn't she look amazing??

That's the 'excitement' part. The 'times two' part is that that I have stolen a little appearance in the 'Renee issue', appearing as the subject of this issue's 'Meet Your Maker' so I have a little interview and pic (with my 7 month pregnant belly hiding behind my desk!!).

Thanks Pepermint Mag xx

new release at twin set

My favourite vintage clothing label {twin set} have just released their latest offerings. More divine fashion and photography.

Do yourself a favour and check out their new look book, Deco Dreams. Beyond beautiful.

Vintage teacup candles

Soy wax candles in vintage tea cups and ramekins.

I make these little cuties for Retrospections in Cammeray and I just dropped off a handful

of fresh stock yesterday. They don't last long so be quick if you can't survive another

day without delicious vanilla scented eco wax in a tea cup!

In Sydney? Go to Bloodwood...

If you're in Sydney and looking for a new place to check out, it has to be Newtown's Bloodwood.

Designed by my architect/designer buddy, Matt Woods, it is filled with reclaimed goodies which come together to create a really unique and cool vibe.

Do yourself a favour and check it out. And the hot tip? Make sure you go there on an empty stomach as the food has been getting rave reviews.

After: Eco Clutch!

As promised...here is the 'after' shot to my earlier post about the vintage napkins I planned to turn into bridesmaids clutches.

So far I have only made one but I have listed it for sale individually in my shop and I will gladly create some more if someone is interested in a bridesmaid set. I think these would be seriously cute for a whimsical summer wedding and would add a touch of folksy cool.

Loving Frankie's lamp shades

Aren't these lamp shades great?

They're made from vintage wall paper by the UK's Love Frankie.

Before: Vintage Napkins...

I found these awesome vintage napkins and am thinking they will make the cutest little bridal clutches. They are folksy, summery and fun.

So between my custom bridal orders I'm hoping to find the time to make these up over the coming days.

I will be sure to post an 'after' pic.