tiny happy

botanical variety

I made a stash of botanical-themed gift-tags, like the pine ones from last week, using some more old book pages sent by Dee. These were fun to make and greatly cheered a recent stormy afternoon.. It turns out I have many old botanical illustrations stashed away in drawers and cupboards, so I've been able to make quite a few of these. I'm sure they'll come in handy at Christmas time. (I also have a couple of sets in le shoppe- I did get a bit carried away with making them...)

And in other news... it's nearly October! How did that happen?

pattern friday- 26

This pattern was inspired by a page in a 1970's craft book (one of those Golden Hands ones). There was a similar pattern on some wall tiles, probably a background to showcase a crocheted potholder or macrame owl. It stuck in my mind (more than the actual project did), in the way that those retro decors tend to. Especially that lovely mustardy yellow. I am fond of that yellow.

I used to have a lot of those old craft books, but I think I gave them away during one of our house moves. Boxes of old books are heavy! Hopefully someone else is getting inspired by leather jerkins and patchwork trousers as I write.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

space to create

Do you know Lisa's blog The Red Thread?

It's very beautiful, and packed full of craft and design inspiration. 

Lisa has kindly featured me in her Space to Create series. It's a piece with an interview and photos of my work and home. 

You can read it here. Thanks, Lisa!

violets or pansies

I found a packet of silver hair snaps in my sewing box, so it seemed like a good time to make some spring clips. I used scraps of wool felt to make pairs of violet or pansy hair clips- I'm not sure which they are. Some for K and some for the etsy shop. 

Speaking of pansies of many colours: I found this recipe for flower shortbread- isn't it beautiful? If I ever find enough pansies in one place, I'll give it a go.

vanilla bean

A friend who does a lot of work in the Pacific brought me a gorgeous gift home from a recent trip to Tonga: a bag of giant vanilla pods.

Ever since, I've been dreaming of a light, coconutty cake with a milky vanilla topping. I finally baked it (I used a plain cake and added some milk and a cup of coconut along with the scrapings from one of the vanilla pods), and can assure you, it is a good idea for a cake. The best part is the black vanilla seeds flecked throughout. I don't think vanilla extract from a bottle is going to cut it any longer.

Now I'm dreaming up my next vanilla bean creation, maybe homemade or yoghurt or icecream? Will keep you posted.

a local weed

Wild onion weed, or Allium triquetrum, is a familiar plant around Wellington. For many years, it was the only thing that adorned the outdoor areas of my student flats. It's still prevalent around the city. I went foraging for plants to embroider the other day, but all I could find was the notorious onion weed. So I used it as inspiration.

I have a vague plan for an embroidery series of 'favourite weeds of NZ' although, of course, they're only weeds if you don't like them. But I do, in the most part.

(In this article writen by Johanna Knox of A Forager's Treasury, she recommends cooking with onion weed as though using spring onions. Might never need to buy a spring onion again!)

pattern friday- 25

I call this pencil-pattern 'drying herbs'. It's inspired by a big bunch of rosemary my friend Emma cut from her garden for me and tied up with string. It's hanging upside down to dry. I made a dish of rosemary potatoes to go with some other dishes last night. Simple and delicious.

And speaking of plants and herbs, I came across this beautiful flickr stream today, with thanks to another friend, Melanie. It's called the Biodiversity Heritage Library. She warned that I might waste a bit of time on it, so proceed with caution if you're a fan of vintage illustrations of mushrooms, flowers and ferns. Not to mention insects, animals, fossils and birds.

a pet cake

It's amazing how greatly my mood can be improved by finding one small, pale yellow freesia growing in a patch of weeds near the letterbox. So, thank you tiny thing, for braving the spring rain and wind.

Keira was given a sourdough 'bug' to make Herman the German Friendship Cake. Have you made one of these before? It's kind of like a chain letter, in the form of cake batter. Taking care of the mixture and following the 10-day recipe almost became an obsession for K and I, until finally baking it on the weekend with spices and apple. It was very nice. And now she's since been given two more portions from different friends. It's the never ending cake!

pine tags

Happy new week, lovelies. It was a beautifully bright weekend here in Wellington, mostly because I got to catch up with many old friends on both Saturday and Sunday. That was pretty nice. 

Yesterday I made the trip to Featherston to have lunch with Emma and Helen and also to attend a spring book launch. I bought a copy of Johanna Knox's A Forager's Treasury which I'm excited about- it's a beautiful book. If you want to know more about it, you can read this interview with the author on Helen's blog here. I'm hoping this summer will present many foraging opportunities. That's something to look forward to.

In a very short burst of craftiness, I made some pine tags. A while back, Dee sent me some pages from an old book about trees. I used the pine pictures, brown card, a cup to trace around, a hole punch and some cotton string to make these tags. I'm thinking they'll come in handy for Christmas presents. Sometimes it's good to make something just for fun.

pattern friday- 24

Today's pattern was inspired by all the apple/plum blossom in my neighbourhood until it got blown away in a wild storm this week. Blossom doesn't last long around these parts. But it was very nice while it lasted, like someone had decorated the streets for a wedding.

Happy Friday! I am so glad to see the end of this week. There have been a few dramas for me, including work deadlines, nervewracking real estate issues, and bad dental surprises. Won't go into details, but let's just say I'm going to have some chocolate this weekend. Or some wine. Or both.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. If you're a Bill Callahan fan, you might enjoy watching this soothing and beautiful garden-song.