Floral Apron

I made a second apron! Hurrah - this sewing thing is really so much fun. It's up in the shop, too.

Desk Sets

Anyone got a spare $1000 or so? You might be in the market for a lovely desk set (or two?) from Pepe's Paperie. The sad thing is, these couldn't hold even a smidgen of my own collection...

Card Catalogs or Catalogues. (Tomato, Tomah-to?)

The lovely Kim at Desire to Inspire has struck again! These card catalogs/catalogues are so beautiful.
The Pal and I found a card catalogue earlier in the year for auction. It was really old and needed a lot of work - and we decided it wasn't for us.
But every now and then I get a bit wistful and think about it. In the meantime, enjoy these!

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Babar

When I was younger, I was mildly obsessed with all things Babar. Upon revisiting these posters, I noticed that the de Brunhoff's also had a hot air balloon thing, too. Aren't these images just so wonderful?

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Every Day in May: 31st May

Well, I've finally reached the end of this month long challenge. It has been so much fun, and I think these are the things I have learned:

-It is not naughty to take time out and craft things. In fact, it can be really good for my general happiness. (This guy has a doctorate and decided to be a mechanic full-time.)

-Even a small amount of time, like 15 minutes, can be used for creating things. Stop re-checking my email etc and just get to work!

-Being afraid of new things is just silly. Try them more often and don't be afraid of the outcome.

Thanks again for watching me play along. Now I can get into a happy pattern of crafty things in June!

Every Day in May: 30th May

I made these on Saturday, but couldn't post until now! Promise!
I have finally got around to making some bunting - I'm thrilled with how it all turned out. It will be up in the shop this afternoon.
Now, back to my crafternoon :)

Bookish Fun

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I was having a chat the other night to my lovely friend Natasha, and we were bemoaning the lack of really good 'book chat' in our lives. She was looking for a course to attend where she could study literature, but didn't want to enrol in an university course due to cost and time commitments.

So, I thought I'd gather all my favourite bookish resources together if you're interested in having more high-quality book time in your lives. Please feel free to add any you find interesting in the comments, and I'll update it.

If you're keen to have a study experience, you must have a look at Yale Open University's courses. Yale provide audio, video and written transcripts of a few of their first year courses, and they are so wonderful. I'm halfway through listening to The American Novel Since 1945 and it's excellent: the lecturer is so articulate and insightful. A mindblowingly great free resource.

If that's a bit hardcore, you might like to listen to Slate's Audio Book Club. I like to pretend the critics and I are sitting at a coffee table and chatting - they are just so personable and deliciously clever. I've already raved about KCRW's Bookworm before - it's a must-listen.

Lastly, I have also really enjoyed this podcast on creative writing - it's really helping so far.

I usually try to buy my books second-hand or on eBay. But when I can't find them or they're new, I go to Book Depository. I am a new but fervent convert - they have free shipping anywhere in the world and are quicker and cheaper than Amazon. Yippeee!

By the way, my Every Day in May today might well be some creative writing. I'll see how I go!

Every Day in May: 28th May

I am very excited about these little ones! This is a new line of stationery I've made called 'Map Moons'. Each card is stitched with vintage pieces from a Russian atlas, and each envelope is also lined with a matching map piece.
The cards themselves have a lovely linen finish, and rounded corners.
I've been thinking about making these for ages, and was happy to have had the time to finally do so.
You can find them sold as individual sets or for a set of three here.

Fairy Tales Under Your Feet

I realise this: I am the Goldilocks of rugs. I don't like them too plain, but I find them dizzy-making if too patterned. These rugs by German makers Reuber-Henning are juuust right! Whimsical but not too overpowering. Shame they're on the other side of the world...

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Every Day in May: 27th May

Eeeee! I made it! It certainly took a long time, and I hope that the next one is a little more straight-forward, but I got a lot of pleasure from the delicate stitching, cutting and piecing together. The front pockets can fit small pencils and crayons for the craftily-inclined three year old. (These are scented markers - very cool!) I've posted this to the shop already and hope to make more soon.

By the way, thanks for all your words of encouragement -it's been lovely having a cheersquad!

Lunch in the Clouds

How cute is this lunch box idea from Design*Sponge? Ridiculous amount of love. Swoon.

Every Day in May: 26th May

This Bambi apron was made for me by my Great-Aunt Josie. (I think my fondness for that little deer started back then.) Which is lovely, but slightly more incredible when you think it was made about 24 years ago! The small pocket at the front is designed for crayons and pencils, and as a young aspiring artiste, I don't think I ever took it off.

My grandma's sister, Josie, was famous in our family for her incredible sewing, and my grandma, Edna, was the knitter. Ed and Jo were best friends, extraordinarily strong women and jaw-droppingly good card players. I miss them dearly.

My work in progress today is an attempt to copy her pattern and make some mini aprons. It is harder (for me) than it looks!

MCA Zine Fair

I bought these delicious robot stickers from Shelbyville. Aren't they the best?

I had a delightful day at the MCA Zine Fair on Sunday. I also managed to sneak in a look at the Yayoi Kusama exhibition which was extraordinary - I highly recommend a look-see if you're nearby.

It all served as delicious inspiration for a zine of my own which has been kicking around in my head for a while. I'll keep you posted!

Every Day in May: 25th May

I made a second, if slightly wonky, pencil roll over the weekend, too. I thought I could use my fabric scraps as patchwork, and despite the uneven way it turned out, I am very excited to have had some more practice on the machine.
This is the crooked front part...
And a better view of the back...

Simplifying Things

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A thought that seems to be on high-rotation in my head is, "I wish I had time to do + [cool thing]" and it's been driving me crazy! Obviously it is only up to me to 'make' time (whatever that means) so I have taken drastic-ish measures. This is all inspired by my 'Every Day in May' challenge, which has made me very determined to make every second count.

So in order to do more things for me and other people, I have:

-deleted my Twitter account. I did enjoy it but it became way. Too. Distracting.

-cut the list of blogs I read from 124 to 63. This has made a HUGE difference to how much time I have - and I feel as though I have kept the good ones. (I'm sure I've cut good ones, too, but sometimes you've just got to be brutal).

-made lists of all the things I want to make, write and do over the next little while. It is fun to think that they are real and tangible.

-made myself choose one thing from a list and start on it each day. Sometimes I can only give it a fifteen minute window, but you'd be amazed what you can get done.

Do you have any tips on simplifying or happifying your life? Are there things you'd like to do but haven't? Plans you have? Dreams? I'd love to hear them - post me a comment!