little things

This pleased me. 

That windowsill has been waiting a long time to reappear above the sink. We did the kitchen up in 2006 and it's been absent ever since but we've been busy, okay!

This amused me.

I think the family might get a good laugh if I walked out with this on the forehead at breakfast. Maybe I could wear it po-faced into radiotherapy.

This motivated me.

If you think of something profoundly appropriate and stylish that I could screen print on my similar little table, it may well be done. I also like the black leggies. It is from the Cloth company.

This inspired me.

I must show these to B1 who is smitten with skateboards and modding everything that moves at the moment. They are hanging on my sister, Kath's wall as part of a larger collection. 

This makes me happy.

Here's another bit of loveliness on her wall. It's quite a large mixed media canvas she made with her children based on a children's book they all liked. Isn't it joyous?!

This tickled me.

We love our kookaburras (bad buggers) although they get a bit pushed around buy the cockatoos here. This fellow saw a window of opportunity while there were no kids and no cockies. He preened on the fence and dived in at least five times for a swim and a freshen up. They make such a commotion in the water.

Almost as much as they make in the trees.

* I have been a little artistica prolifica this week because I took up the challenge to join Blogtoberfest. (Thanks Mel and Cam!) This October is a big month for me with a birthday overshadowed by the end of this treatment junket. So I thought I'd give myself a little challenge- no cycling up Mt Cootha just yet. Just baby steps like climbing the stairs at the hospital carpark instead of getting the elevator and writing posts daily about nothing. I still can't figure out how to put the Blogtober button on my posts but you get it anyway!

Cloth

Have you ever said a word a few times then just thought about what the word means and how it sounds? 'Cloth' is a bit like that. Cloth...It has another meaning now. Today I was rummaging for a bag of remnants I bought at Julie Patterson's Surry Hills shop named Cloth. It is a cornucopia of vintage furniture, her small but delightful paintings and all sorts of upholstery and home wares made of her gorgeous handprinted organic cloth. Most of it is linen and hemp with some vibrant cottons thrown in.
You may have seen some of her more commercially successful fabric runs like that red spotty one. Most of the designs are based on her observations of the Australian environment, whether it's seed pods or suburban street layouts. She has kept the production local and true to its philosophy of sustainability and lush rawness. 'Cloth' is sold internationally now and she has collaborated with Designer Rugs and Porter's Paints, amongst others.
I love this woman's philosophy and work. She even puts all her remnants in bags with instructions on how to reproduce the pricier finished items in her store. Saves us money, makes her money and wastes nothing. Win, win! I've been messing about with some of the remnants to make some cushions as we are in dire need of new ones in the lounge. Miss Janome and I are on the job.
As I was searching all the nooks for the bag of Cloth, this rather lovely old patchwork number turned up. I have been saving old sheets and pillowcases and tablecloths for years to make a quilt. I just can't bring myself to cut them!
This quilt was just draped on a pile of old bed linen at the op shop and they wanted $5 for it. I wasn't even sure if I liked it but there were some pretty groovy bits of fabric mixed in there. It was done as a square doona cover so I could still put wadding in it but the two layers is just a good weight for mid season here.
My favourite fabric in it is the horsey one.
The reverse side is less gaudy and done in a crazy quilting pattern.
The logistics of this hurt my brain.
It just fits the bed as a throw when I am in a nanna phase.
Here it is after a wash basking in the sun, free of the dark blanket box. I wonder who made it and when. It is quite well made- better than I would do with my fast and furious attack mode sewing.
It's a nice bit of cloth.