Vintage embroidery inheritance...

 My Mother recently passed on all her embroidered doilies and table mats to me knowing that not only would I look after them in the right way but would appreciate all the beautiful hand work that was put into all these pieces. The above thatched cottage was embroidered by my Mother as a piece for a competition. I love all the pretty old fashioned cottage garden flowers and the unique cottage shape to this piece.

 I remember this 'breakfast tray cloth' from my childhood. When we were sick we would get meals on a tray and sometimes this cloth would be on it. 

 There is quite a few dressing table sets in this collection and this one is one of my favourites. I love the delicate pink colour of the flowers which I imagine was quite a bit brighter when it was first embroidered and I love the all the work that has been put into these flowers plus the delicate crochet edging that is on most of these pieces.

 And this piece is just pretty in the simplicity of the design and stitches used

 And this set is another favourite simply because I love poppies. 

I'm looking forward to putting these to use around my home but will rotate them regularly and keep them away from direct sunlight to preserve them further. So inspiring aren't they. Maybe I will one day have the time to sit and embroider something to add to this collection and pass on to my girls.

A belated Happy New Year post.......

Vintage embroidery from my Mother's collection on my newest vintage leather suitcase

I don't usually do a New Years post but I'm kinda glad last year is over and I'm looking forward to 2013 being a lot more positive, and filled with lots of possibilities of good things coming our way in other words a "a glass half full" attitude :-)
I can really related to these sentiments on Kate Spain's New Years post which you can read here.....and yes I'm going to try to live with the awareness that every new day is truly a gift to be savoured.

Source: katespaindesigns.blogspot.co.nz via Catherine on Pinterest 

Love the messages on this poster..........

My Christmas present to myself this year was the above lidded glass jar filled with vintage cotton reels that I bought over here. I have to say it was the cotton reels that I was drawn to not really the jar but I like it anyway.

And I also caved in and bought this vintage leather suitcase which is in pretty good condition considering its age.... plus as a bonus I had the option of taking the middle suitcase in the photo below for free.

It is now full of all my Christmas decorations keeping them safe from being damaged.
The vintage embroidery shown in the first photo was meant to be a part of this post but I think it deserves a post of its own so I'll be back in a couple of days or maybe even tomorrow with some more photos of what is in that pile.
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and hoping that its already off to a good start for you.

Parental Christmas gifts.....

 I didn't make as many handmade gifts this year as last year just because of time constraints but I did make an exception with my parents as they are probably my biggest fans (as they should be of course :-) and really appreciate my handmade gifts. So this year for my Mother I made this writing compendium based on the one  I made here. I picked out some pretty floral prints that I thought she would like and embellished the outer cover with some ric-rac and machine embroidery.

 A while back now I raided my Mothers button tin so I thought it was only appropriate to chose a button from her past and this button is such a pretty one don't you think?

 I've had this hen fabric for ages and since my Mother likes hens I decided it was the perfect use for it.

 And here's the back with some pretty blue and grey ric-rac that coordinates perfectly with these pretty prints.

 Now my Dad was pretty easy too as he admired my bible cover so I made covers for two of his three bibles. These are fairly quick to whip up once I've made the fabric choices and the pieces are cut out.

My favourite detail is the ribbon bookmark on this cover where I have simply combined the purple woven tape with the aqua ric-rac.

 Here's the back of each cover. As you can see I used some lovely vibrant Bali Batik's and I tried to avoid anything too feminine or pretty.
Suffice to say they were both happy with their respective gifts made with love :-)

New Boho Bags .....

  

Here's the latest versions of my Boho bag which I first made here and here. I finished them just a few days before Christmas. I just love working with these vibrant and colourful batiks, most of which come from Bali. Not quite sure which one I like best but apart from the pretty and colourful assortment of batiks used I love this style of bag and it's handy features. It sits nicely on the hip and is a great size to hold everything that a girl needs but not too big to feel cumbersome when it's full.

Inside is a zipped pocket to store things that you want to keep safe and secure and a handy lanyard with a hook for keeping your keys not only safe but easy to access when you need them. There is nothing more annoying than fishing around the bottom of your bag for your keys when you need them quickly don't you think :-)

The two straps tie together at the top therefore making it adjustable to your preferred length and also alowing it to be worn across the body or on one shoulder.

On the outside there is a pocket on each side which are perfect for holding sunglasses or a cellphone etc... 

For the enclosure on these bags I chose a simple loop and a large handmade button. These bags are now available for sale here in my etsy shop along with the navy version here.

And of course these cute little zippered pouches coordinate perfectly and can be hooked on to the hook/lanyard inside each bag.

Okay since it's once again unbearably hot outside here today we're off to the beach for a cooling dip and maybe a little snooze while I work on my tan :-)