Friday, July 29, 2011

colourful interiors

I  had saved some rather nice colourful pictures and as it has been a cold cloudy grotty day and we haven't moved very far from the fire I felt like some bright and breezy interiors 
I really liked this simple unfussy but colourful and pink display here at design sponge
 I am rather embarassed as once I had put all these photos on my blog from various folders they mostly seem to have come from one source, that being casa pinka.  I hope you don't mind me re-blogging all your pictures.  Oh! she is a woman after my own heart.  I do love pink, it is so pretty and if it wasn't for the fact that I have to share colour decisions with a male the whole house would be pink, out side and all.  Apparently the outside of the house was pink and purple at one point in its history.  I would have liked to have seen it.
Another casa pinka find.  Hers was one of the first blogs I ever looked at and I was very pleased to find that she is still blogging and still pink obsessed, I do admire her style.  Big fan, Big fan.
and here as well, a lovely sunny room.
Aha, this is from a different source but alas I have no link.  
 Those chairs are v cute
I think this is so striking, the big teal wall, and the big portrait in the bedroom, and the pretty cushions.  Fab.
 I guess this is shabby chic, little bits of diffuse colour, all very tasteful and sweet.
this makes a nice change form all the monochromatic kitchens around and is also from casa-pinka.  Not sure how long I could live with it for mind you, it certainly is eye-catching. 
 not officially an interior but nonetheless it is colourful, and pink.  Oh how I would love some seating and table like this on my deck.  It is utterly divine.  Although we have painted our house boring neutral with white woodwork and darker grey-brown window-sills I have an inkling to paint the back window-sills and the back door this shade of pink.  It would hopefully perk up the fairly dreary and utilitarian back of the house.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

one eyed pink haired doll

Two more dolls I have on the go and nearly finished, just need some stuffng and hair and some snazzy outfits.
I have been making this doll on the left for rather a long time.  It is to be a boy doll for my little daughter to go with her girl dolly.  It was kind of tricky to make him look like a boy and I'm not sure I've done it very well, dollies and square jaws don't really go together, but hopefully some hair and stuffing will do the trick, if all else fails I shall have to give him some stubble or a goaty beard.  
 They look a bit odd and flat without their hair and filling.
 The dolls face on the right was embroidered onto some beautiful old linen, and the green eye-brow was already half there.
 Its amazing what a good stuffing will do.  The doll on the right is my oldest daughters first doll, and I got the idea for a one eye doll from her.  She designed her dolls face and I did the embroidery. The rosy cheeks were also her idea and I have used them quite a lot in my dolly making.  Kids are very useful for inspiration and general idea stealing.
 this pink haired dolly is for my mums birthday.  I can't think why it has turned out like this, she is rather tasteful and subdued and not at all pink and one-eyed.  She hasn't got it yet but as she never reads my blog (she doesn't like the name) it won't spoil the suprise. The rather swish pink skirt is just actually the end of a sleeve from an old dress of mine, I thought a bit of colour blocking would be good, now I know what it means.



And I had to put these blossoms in as they are the first ones I have seen this spring.  They were so pink and pretty and smelt delicious.  Me and the girls found them on our walk this morning at the Chinese gardens.  the bottom picture is the shadows on the garden wall which  thought was rather lovely.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

old man checkered shirt fashion

I went op-shopping with my girls this week and bought a couple of magazines for chopping up. They are generally good for  collages, bunting, eco fashion,  anything goes pretty much. They are also left in a cupboard in the kitchen so they can fall out every time said cupboard is opened.  In Fashion Quarterly summer 10/11 I came accross some lovely frocks, and they all happened to be from Kate Sylvester.  I generally like her clothes a lot but am perplexed at their simplicity and how well it works.  If I ever make anything it is generally a bit silly/ girly/ childish,  I haven't yet really adjusted to being over forty (good heavens). 


I cut out this dress by Kate Sylvester, (there are some really pretty cool things on her web site, click the link to have a look). and put it in my scrap-book/ sketch pad because the checkered shirt material on the dress above reminded me of my dad, who only ever pretty much ever wore these shirts, unless he was working.  He would wear them until the collars wore out, and then turn the collars round so the good bits were on the front.  He was good at darning socks as well.  
I stuck the dress on this page with some sketches I did from some dresses from Fresh Fruits.  I thought they would make a good combination 


I also thought this style dress from Goldie London would look cute in that checked fabric.  Of course I have been looking in the op-shops today for some of those shirts and despite the fact that normally the places are awash with them, there are none to be seen now.  I still have a couple of places to look however.


 Here are another couple of Kates dresses that took my fancy.  Very clever lady.

For some reason if I buy a magazine from the op-shop I can cut it up, if however the magazine is bought new from the shop, I am completely unable to do this.  Why is this?

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

In the woods today.


It was a beautiful frosty sunny morning this morning, so we ate our porridge and had a little tidy up and then the children were dragged out the house and taken for a short steep walk up a hill and through some trees to see a beautiful view of the snowy mountains. I don't have a picture of the snowy mountains 'cause they weren't very good.  I blame it on the camera lens myself. 

I love this part of the walk, especially really early in the morning with the light shining through the trees
 the girls prefer not to use the windy path and to scramble up the scrambly slopes. 


 I thought the colour of the bark was so pretty, and the negative shapes in blues and bright greens.


 and then I had to try and take photos of the girls while they climbed the tree and hid behind the branches
These photos made me think of Little Red Riding Hood with my little one in her red coat running along the forest path.
And later today there has been rock climbing and some rather groovy mini dolls house furniture being made ( not by me)

Monday, July 25, 2011

new hair-cut, new hair ball

Today my youngest daughter decided that she would like to have a funky little hair-cut.  I am counted on around the house generally for hair-cuts, for some reason I am trusted with a pair of orange sewing scissors and a comb ( today it was a pink hairbrush as the comb had gone on holiday ) and the apparent ability to produce required hair-cut.  

 Started with the top layer so she could decide if the length was right
 which it wasn't so it went a bit shorter, it's not my best work but my model got a bit fed-up with me taking so long and refused to let me fiddle around any more.  There was loads of hair on the floor in a messy pile, and after I'd managed to salvage some to tie up and keep ( I hate throwing my gorgeous girlies hair away, and always try and keep it)  G decided that we should make a hairball out of the remainder.  She is holding it in the above photo.  It's kind of disgusting I know but also I am quite impressed with the final result and how small it turned out, rather like felting but with human hair.
 so we decided to dress it up with some eyes
 and then a mouth and a little bow in its hair
 some cool shades
and then some model lips and proper sunnies from an old Tatler magazine. Oh how we laughed!  Luckily at this point in the proceedings it was time for the girls to go to bed and it had to stop.
and I apologise to Kerry Howley profusely who makes these beautiful hair necklaces for even putting her on this page.  But it just reminded me of her. 

Sunday, July 24, 2011

cosy nooks



you couldn't get much cosier than this, i imagine it's for children.  what fun they would have all snuggled up in here on holiday.





I do like the idea of these cosy nooks, they remind me of Heidi and I have romantic notions of weekends away in the winter with a roaring fire and something nice to eat and drink, some snow outside would be good and one of those kiwi outdoor baths.  Obviously it would be nice with the kids too, but in a different way.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

an afternoons fishing


 It was a beautiful sunny winters day so we decided to go to this beautiful spot for some fishing.  We also managed to get a pink cup-cake and two rather delicious custard slices.
 My daughter is the one with the fishing rod and the fishing licence. I don't know what you're meant to do although its probably pretty straight forward. 
 My husband and I have been vegetarian for many years and so are not into impaling small maggots onto hooks or fish having hooks in their mouths, but decided that it may be good for the kids to learn how to catch food ( they may starve at their present success rate )
the three boys next to us must have caught all the susceptible fish.
 I was no help with the fishing so I tried to draw my daughter, from the back incase you can't make it out
She is wearing a very snuggley puffer jacket which I am rather jealous of.