I miss Bernie!

Uni and Team Terradctl have taken up all my normal sewing and spotting time lately, so I have sadly not had much to post about :( Thankfully there's only a couple of weeks left of uni before Bernie (my sewing machine) and I are inseparable once again. In the meantime, check out my contributions to the Team Terradctl blog for all things green. 

I made this: Recycled leather notebook pouch

More of the lovely Jen's Blueberry Ash fabric, once again teamed with leather reclaimed from a tragically 80s leather jacket (think really big shoulder pads and a tiny tight waist... on a men's coat - what were they thinking!). This is a padded pouch that I originally designed for laptops, but it seems there is a niche market for pretty handmade document wallets. What better way to carry around your Frankie magazine?

I can jump [in] puddles!

Whether you call them gumboots, wellingtons or galoshes, there's nothing better for keeping your toes dry and the spiders out of your trouser legs. I've been keeping an eye out for some good ones in the lead-up to Bluesfest, traditionally the wettest music festival in my calendar. Erin's swirly delights from Pipduck caught my attention, but sadly my gumboot budget can't quite stretch to $160! 

Instead, I've decided to settle for a pair from Target (with French pronunciation, s'il vous plait) edited with vinyl decals of pistols shooting out little flying birds. The decals are from Lewa's Design on Etsy, and might be the beginning or a new decal obsession.  These gummies aren't quite as bright or swirly as Erin's, but they're perfect for Bluesfest, and only a quarter of the price! 

Not so silver

Only one more day until the weekend and I'm really looking forward to a visit to the EPIC Farmers' Market for fresh eggs and bacon (free range of course!) early on Saturday morning. The Grandma's Eggs stall is my favourite dealer of yolky treats, and they've only got big chooks at the moment so they've only got HUGE eggs. The perfect accompaniment for some happy, local, smoky pig, home grown tomatoes and not-so-silverbeet, and some nigella sourdough bread.  No, not the busty-shiny-haired domestic goddess, but the seeds of Nigella sativa, a plant from southeast Asia that is a weed in Australia. The seeds are used in naan and for their medicinal properties. It is said that the Prophet Mohammed once said the black seeds could cure anything... except death. There's a stall at EPIC that sells the most divine nigella seed sourdough... delicious with a drizzle of olive oil and all the other breakfast treats I can find!

Handmade hearts of the week

Heart local - Danielle Kathleen

Danielle is studying jewelry making and literature at the ANU - I'm so jealous! You might have seen her at the Gorman House markets, and you can check out her new Circus collection at her blog. Her Alice in Wonderland theme pieces have attracted a bit of attention in the wonderful land of Etsy lately, and how cute is this little voodoo pin! 

Heart global - Attila Design

I want, nay, I NEED this lovely four-poster bed by Attila Design. This Finnish designer makes everything from clothes and jewelry to oil paintings, furniture, and even films, all with a distressed, organic and little-bit-romantic aesthetic. You can see more of the portfolio at the attila design website. Oh for the time and talent to indulge in such creative pursuits!

I made this: Art on a budget

Take one canvas and some fabric. I chose the Zazu print by Tina Givens.  Then I used my new staple gun (part of a fairly obscene spending spree at the hardware store) and simply cover the canvas and hang.

Eggplants and herbs

This is my first attempt at growing eggplants, and I'm claiming success! Did you know eggplants are from the same family as potatoes? This one plant is so laden with fruit that I've had to prop it up with an old bike wheel.  For some reason, I thought they would start off green like tomatoes and then turn purple, but they have their amazing colour and shiny skin as soon as they appear.  I think the skin must be too tough for the bugs to get through because even though the critters have had a go at the leaves, they haven't touched the fruit. So far I've cooked and eaten two small eggplants, and I might have to do a roossaka (moussaka cooked with roo) to use up some of the next crop!

My herb garden is strategically located at the front door so I can smell it every time I arrive home.  It looks like a little critter has had a go at the basil, but they don't seem interested in the Vietnamese mint.  I'm growing three varieties of mint, and they are all taking off like weeds! The other two are constrained in pots so they don't completely take over the garden.  

I made this: Hoot!

I made this little hooter with scraps from my mum's fabric collection, and the beak is a button from a friend's nana's button jar. I have vague recollections of the things mum made out of this fabric back in the early 80s... very vague though.  I rediscovered this owl while trying to make a gift for C&R's baby boy, Benjamin David.  My first attempt at a more boyish toy - a drop bear - turned out really scary (I was aiming for scary in a cute way, but I missed the cute!) so I'm having another go. Leave a comment if you have any ideas for a boyish toy I could make, and maybe I'll finish it before his first birthday :)

A Special Handmade Heart - Formosa Design

Congratulations to Jen Berney of Formosa Design on the launch of her brand new website!  More creative Canberran crafts on the world wide web :) You might recognise one of her prints from my iPhone case post a few weeks ago. Which reminds me... I owe Jen a handmade recycled leather document wallet in exchange for a piece of fabric printed with her earlier work. Stay tuned for that posting this weekend (sorry it's taken me so long, Jen!)

Soldier stencils

I found another no-army man at the Front (top), from the same stencil as the one from Black Mountain that I've showed previously.  The intricacy and politics of these make them the closest I've seen to Banksy-ism in the Can so far.  Here are some Banksy originals on a similar theme... sans gore.

I made this: terrarium globes

More evidence of my current terrarium obsession :) I love these little globes, but it's tricky to find small enough plants to fit in them!  I haven't been able to find any jungle plants, but there are a few succulents and air plants that fit the bill, so that's what I've made so far.

I made this: iPhone case

Recycled leather jacket and hand screen printed fabric by Canberra's lovely Jen Berney.

Rule no 1: Remain discreet

My favourite street art is hard to find... keep your eyes peeled! 

Ladies of style

Some lovely Canberra ladies of style... from the talented spotters at Capital Style. 

Look what I made... Terrarium

Magical things happen when you combine moss with real, tiny plants and put them in a glass vessel.  Mini jungle!  Now I'm just waiting on a troupe of mini apes to move in...

Artists, Craftologists and lovers of...

A couple of opportunities coming up in Canberra... 


The Front Cafe and Gallery in Lyneham is holding an Art Fair.  This is the deal:

"Dear friends of Front, 

On Sunday 7 March we will be holding an Art Fair, from 10am til 5pm. We hope this will be a wonderful opportunity for makers of art to show their wares and for lovers of art to ... have some! If you are an artist and would like to have a stall, please contact us soon via email and tell us what you've got. (Our definition of 'art' is quite broad, but second hand VHS tapes are not art, unless you do something a bit special with them). 

With love, The Front"

The Handmade Markets are calling for stallholders for the next market on Sunday March 28 at Kamberra Winery.  You can get all the details here.

Creative types, away!

Eat your reds

My veggies are starting to ripen, one at a time.  At this rate I'll have enough for a meal next month :)

Colourful characters of the Can

I had some comments from readers that stencils aren't colourful enough, so I thought it might be time for some good old fashioned graffiti from a spray can.  I hate tags... if only there were more characters like these instead! 

Handmade hearts of the week

Heart Global: The Bubble Chandelier by jeanpelle of Brooklyn NY.

Heart Local: The ZARA textured clutch by a very stylish Canberran at Percy Handmade.

Stencil art on Black Mountain

More stencils from the inner north. I've seen this soldier around in a few places, but I've never seen his arms before. Nice. The cassette reminds me of the good old days when roadsides were decorated with shimmering cassette tape tangled in the scrub.

Canberra's men of style

They are a rare breed hidden amongst the public service, but some of Canberra's men have found a style all of their own.  Loving the tight shorts and  ink, and those orange electro accessories speak for themselves! Check out  Capital Style for these and more. 

Moss love

I have a need for a terrarium at the moment, so I have started cultivating some moss. I found this little patch all dried out in a drainage channel and I swear, it just followed me home!  My first attempt at a terrarium was in a lightbulb because I didn't have any other enclosed glass options.  The Jade Plant is a cutting from my nan's garden.

Stencils and street art

Hedgehog preparing to cross Barry Drive... a precarious mission for any little beasty.

Who are these ladies and what are they doing behind All Bar Nun?  And why is the pig-nosed slapper wearing Y-fronts?  

The First Produce

Some cherry tomatoes and garlic have already been turned into sauce for homemade pasta, and some boysenberries have topped my homemade yogurt, but I'm really quite excited about mini watermelons and eggplants which I've never grown before.  The watermelons are growing at an astonishing rate - from the size of a grape to the size of an apple in a week.  The eggplants are still at the purple flower stage.  Succulents probably  don't really qualify as 'produce', but I'm loving their flowers at the moment.