Found Friday

This weeks Found Friday is short and sweet and crafty.

I have a thing for the craft section of Op-shops - all the abandoned projects and scraps of completed ones sing to me. I also love nothing more than a surprise bag of craftyness that you can't quite see inside and only find the treasure, hopefully, when you get to unpack it at home. I think it makes me feel like a kid again in that lucky dip excitement way.

Yesterday, among other things, I bought one such abandoned bag of craftyness - inside these little bead people, some angel wings and buttons. I'm thinking it is an omen for a good weekend ahead.

I hope you get some surprises of the good kind this weekend!

Appreciate or Emulate

I am inspired at the moment by finding watercolour effect everywhere I look. I shared some of my finds in yesterdays' Finding Everywhere. 

I have been inspired before by watercolour projects of my sisters where she has created her own beautiful wrapping papers including a beautiful one she made for my birthday gift last year with apples drawn in white crayon resisting the vibrant watercolour splashes she added on top. I am wishing I had pics of that to share but with help from a then 18 month old to unwrap sadly I don't.
I was also inspired by her to do watercolour food colour painting with my nephew, and son, which I wrote about here.

It now seems everyone is awash with this dreamy effect.

Below are just a small selection os splashes, splats, drops and drips for the home, the occasion and you. You can also get all wishy washy yourself if you chose by checking out the great DIY's I found.

Artist Alisa Burke's Rubber cement resist watercolour paper tutorial - using a similar technique to my sister. So many possibilities. Alison also has online watercolour classes.

Sweet and colourful DIY watercolour tags from Eat Drink Chic 

And a DIY Watercolour and Calligraphy Birthday Card from Oh So Very Pretty

And they are aren't they? Oh so very pretty!

Finding Everywhere

Watercolour has been splashed all over lately. The dreamy effect of colours running into each other is trending in everything from homewares to fashion to full wall treatments - more to follow in this weeks Appreciate or Emulate but for now here is the watery colourfulness I have been finding everywhere

1. The Muse Multi hand painted canvas and suede Clutch available at Down that Little Lane store
2. Beautiful day original illustrated card by Lauren Merrick Illustration also at Down that Little Lane
3. This spectacular Surprise hand dyed tassle necklace from mur Mur via Etsy
4. Bonnie and Neil are amongst my favourite Australian homeware designers, here is their Pink Water Colour Ceramic Plate
5. Scrunch Designs's Watercolour Hand Painted Resin Earrings available from madeit.com.au
6. Bonnie and Neil again - what a bold statement this is for any table - hand screen printed linen watercolour orange table runner 
7. Queen of watercolour splashes - Amy Sia's Ardour Custom Clock for Deny Designs
8. Kavita Kriti Hand painted silk scarf via Etsy
9. Abstract watercolour cushion by Scottish textile designer Fi Douglas through Mildred and Co in New Zealand
10. World Map Watercolors Poster from zazzle.com.au
11. Lily Partoneau Summer Days iphone case from Etsy

Would you splash out on any of these?

Happy Mothers Day

I can't be with my mum today - she lives too far away - but yay she will be here in less than 2 weeks for a visit!

This little pic makes me think of her and her beautiful garden picked simple yet dynamic arrangements that adorn her bench and tables. Wish I was arranging one for you today mum.

Happy Mothers Day all you special ladies.

A vignette or 7

I participated last week in The Interiors Addict's Instagram photo challenge 7 Vignettes.
The idea is a list of themes is published for the first 7 days of each month and you have to create a styled vignette based on that theme and post it to Instagram tagging Interiors Addict and generally also a guest judge - using the hashtag #7vignettes. If your on Instagram I recommend searching the hashtag, you will see lots of great styled pictures from some very creative people - stylists and not.

It's lots of fun and for me it's a chance to practice my styling - especially as I'm not studying or in a position to assist stylists at the moment - the main way you learn the ropes so to speak.

Below are this months themes and my vignettes for each


HANGING

LABELS

TIMBER

COLOURFUL

PORCELAIN/CERAMIC

DINING

TRAVEL

This month the guest judge was The Woodfolk store and they generously gave an overall prize and a prize for each days theme. I am so thrilled to say my Day 6 Dining entry WON! I was so excited to wake up to that news on Thursday morning.

The overall winner was the stylist Boiled Eggs and Soldiers, aka Sam, and what a deserved winner her vignettes were consistently stunning - even her celebration shot - see them all via her Instagram feed http://instagram.com/boiledeggandsoldiers

My lovely prize from The Woodsfolk is an under the sea LoveMae bamboo dinner set - I can't wait until it arrives in the post and see how they impact on toddler dinner time - fingers crossed.

I hope to join in next month too, if time allows, so if you like follow along on Instagram and I will also post my February entries later so you can see those too.

Found Friday

THIS WEEKS FINDS

A weed walk, as I like to call them, hunting and gathering for little botanical gems in the neighbourhood, on verges and in parking lots, yielded these beauties among others.
Happy colours for the home.

A lucky preschool drop off find on the path outside the school heralded what was to be a great day - first day no tears! These blossoms were a sign of my little mans blossoming confidence.

I found this bag on uncovet this week and I indeed did want to uncovet it and have it for my own, as a new nappy bag - last time I bought the cheapest one I could and needless to say it lacked any style or longevity - this time I want some happy nappies. The find turned into a forget me when I calculate a whopping $70 US for shipping. But then I found this little big guy at a local shop on sale for half the price and no shipping - it's similar enough for me for now - happy nappies and happy me!

Lastly this is a little rediscovery rather than a find - I was hunting down ceramics for the Instagram comp I was playing this week - another post on that pending - when I refound these little pineapple shakers I bought out op-shopping a few months ago. You may recall my love of the pine form from a post I did way back in the very beginning of blogging days Pining for the tropics well it hasn't abated - and just look at them how could it?

I hope your discoveries are as exotic and bright this weekend as mine has been this week.
Happy finding!

Appreciate or Emulate

If you have seen yesterday's Finding Everywhere you will know there are many ways with the Japanese art of Shibori.
Here are just some of my favourite examples of how it can be all tied up in your life too:

There are shibori workshops happening all around
here are just some I have come across
Megan Morton's The School - Sydney, Joanna Fowles Make Your Own Shibori Scarf
Harvest Workroom - Melbourne, Shibori Silk Scarf Hand Dying 
Koskela - Sydney, Shibori Dying with Indigo

I also found these great DIY kits put together by some of the masters
Joanna Fowles make your own shibori scarf kit
Shibori's Dye da Vida - Indigo dye kit with 2 wooden shapes
Noon Design Studio's Indigo kit with shibori wrapper

P.S In case you missed the INXS emulating Bob Dylan reference and thought I may just have gone a little rhyming mad I share it with you here. INXS Mediate

Finding Everywhere

I must have pre-empted this one somewhat with my Indigo post, over a year ago now, and my personal experiment with tie-dye last winter. I thought it would have run it's course by now but it seems we, you, they can't get enough of Shibori!

For the uninitiated Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, compressing it, or capping.

Some of these methods are also known as tie-dye but don't be thinking psychedelic swirls of 70's esq colour explosions. Tie dye has come of age, or rather returned to an age of sophistication.

Here is this amazing technique I have been finding everywhere and in everything.

1. New York based label Uzi sell this beautiful top through Totokaelo
2. Rebecca Atwood has done some amazing things with shibori check out her full cushion line
3. The ladies that make up Shibori give workshops and have also written a book - all fuelling this passion - here is their lampshade
4. A stunning Bomaki Tote Bag by Job and Boss
5. Just when I thought the guys had missed out I came across this T-shirt from US based All Saints
6. From the newly opened West Elm Australia, in Bondi Junction and online this little rug. They also sell cushions, quilts and curtains in shibori!
7. Akira Isogawa teamed up with Designer Rugs making this Shibori Rug from his Hirameki Range - more a reference to shibori than shibori as such.
8. This beautiful scarf combines shibori and felting from Beljays Felt n Art via Etsy
9. Also from Etsy Sea and Stone studio - lovely cushions, pillow covers and scarves
10. Sally Campbell quilts symbolise luxury for me. Her shibori quilts are beautifully understated


There is so much more shibori and shibori inspired goodness out there I think it will be a while before it is out of flavour - maybe another couple of thousand years.

Found Friday

There is definitely a theme this week.
Continuing on from the pastels of this weeks Finding Everywhere look at these pretties I found.
I do love a nanna coat-hanger!

I also wanted to share with you some other, more virtual, finds discovered this week on my pastel journey.

The beautiful blog and work of textile designer Hermine Vandijck. Her exploration of colour and texture are truly inspiring.

Lastly the amazing work of French design duo Isabelle Gilles and Yann Poncelet that are Colonel.
One look at their online folio of work and shop and I wanted it ALL!

I hope you discover lots of colour this weekend! Happy finding.

Finding Everywhere

The power of pastel is all pervasive at the moment.

Here is a pretty pop of pastel colour for your delight.

1. Lark Store Large Ceramic Milk Bottle in 6 pastel shades
2. An old but amazing easter tea cake post by Bakers Royale. Easter was when I first caught the pastel bug - there is something so right about Easter and the delicate pastel tones.
3. One White Sundays timber block necklace via madeit.com.au
4. DDSLL GirlsStore three colour leather clutch via Etsy
5. POAST's violet pastel mini German Half timbered house also via Etsy.
6. Scout Table lamp from Urban Outfitters
7. Thank you cotton favour bags in pastel pink by Misiu from Down That Little Lane store. They come in a pack of 12.
8. The multicoloured pastel triangles of Ferm Living are back again this week - but this time it's their Spear trays
9. Wall fixture Klimoppe with origami paper lamp Moth in pink with a pastel yellow cord by Studio Snowpuppe via their Etsy store - there are 4 cord colours and 9 shade colours to chose from!
10. Nordic Night Rug from lightly.com.au



Pastel is a little tricky for me, it's not my usual thing as I generally prefer the bold and the beautiful, but the way pastels have been shown in styling and design circles lately, in a breathtakingly beautifully layered way, I have caught the pastel bug too.

There are no better examples in my opinion than these magificently styled and photographed images from photographer Jonas von der Hude in collaboration with Bettina Eulenburg for Better Living.

Sigh!