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!)