Apothecary Concoctions

I have a poorly child at home today, asleep on the couch, so it's an at-home day for us. I had a long list of chores, number 1 on my list was to clean the bathroom. But somehow I got completely sidetracked by Action Pack: Family Apothecary e-magazine, created by Kathreen Ricketson, of whipup.net. Tragically, Kathreen passed away last year and my thoughts were on her and her children as I spent the morning making things from this beautiful magazine.

I made a shampoo, from castile soap, bicarb of soda, water and avocado oil. I'm not sure how this is going to go, since I've had limited success with natural hair products in the past, but I'll give it a whirl. Next was some lavender and peppermint lip balm, made from beeswax, olive oil, plus lavender and peppermint oils. I've made this before, and it worked really well. I was really scratching around for small containers to put it in so I ended up using a contact lens container. Waste not want not! I also made a deodorant, using cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, shea butter, tea tree, eucalyptus and lemon oils. The last time I made this I used coconut oil. Coconut oil has come a long way, but I still can't seem to shake that sunbaking-on-the-beach feeling every time I use it. So I'm pleased I had some shea butter this time. Despite the smell, the coconut oil version was very effective.

I also made some bath salts, using bicarb (again), epsom salts and lavender oil. And then... natural toothpaste! It contains coconut oil, bicarb, peppermint oil, clove oil and bentonite clay. A small amount of castile soap was listed as an optional ingredient, but I just couldn't get my head around having soap in toothpaste. Funny, because I have no idea what goes into commercial toothpaste. If I did, I probably would have stopped using it long ago. Anyway - the toothpaste is great! Tasty, and my teeth certainly felt clean afterwards. At that point I ran out of steam. There are heaps of other recipes in the magazine to try, including compresses, healing salves, body scrubs and natural cleaners. It really is an amazing resource.

Re-arranging

I have been obsessively making cushions these past few days. So easy and satisfying. Totally in love with this Ink and Spindle fabric my hubby bought me for Xmas, from Bolt of Cloth. I could spend all day and all my money in that place. I let out a very undignified squeal when I started to unwrap the package, and noticed that it was wrapped with this tiny sliver of Frida Kahlo fabric, from Alexander Henry that I saw in the shop last time I was there. I hit the jackpot with that package... this Ink and Spindle fabric, some beautiful Kokka fabric and a Marimekko teapot. So spoilt.

This naturally led to some re-arranging of furniture and digging out of some old prints.

Printmaking class starts in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!

Happy New Year!

I thought I'd get back into the swing of this blog by posting my first 'make' of the new year. I was at a friend's house over the holidays and came away feeling totally inspired after seeing all the cool stuff she has been creating. It's a paper lantern, designed by graphic designer Gabrielle Guy and featured on Design Sponge. It was a fun and easy make. A paper lantern, some scrap paper, glue and hours of cutting and pasting... and voila.

This was a great project to start the new year with. Despite consistently making and creating all last year, I never really found my blogging mojo. I really got into clothes making, but was never really happy with the final photos, so they remained to be seen in real life only! Even so, I'm pretty happy with what I achieved. I just did a quick count and came up with 25 items of clothing, 10 or so bags plus various other bits and pieces like dolls as presents. This year I'm hoping to get back into other arty interests like printmaking and ceramics plus continue with the sewing. I will have to get a bit more confident of posting pics of myself online!

Stitching

I came across this beautiful book recently, from Jessica, of the popular Miniature Rhino blog.

Although I didn't manage to take it with me, it gave me some inspiration for a project I could fit into my suitcase for an island holiday. We just returned from 9 days of blissful relaxation in Vanuatu. It was a technology holiday for all of us, and the kids spent time swimming, drawing, swimming and more drawing. These are the spaceships my 4 and a half year old son is obsessed with at the moment.

I'm a complete beginner when it comes to embroidery, so don't look too closely! I just used a simple backstitch for the outline. Now something fancier might be in order for filling in the colours. Back to the book for inspiration and some instructions!

Etchings

I seem to have headed down a sewing rabbit hole the past few months. It's strangely addictive. You'd think that making a few garments badly would put one off, but it has made me all the more determined to make a few successful things to show for all the effort. Actually my persistence is probably more to do with all the sewing blogs I read, and seeing the amazing things that other people create.

Anyway - I've been shy about taking photos of myself and posting them on here, which is why most of what I'm making doesn't make it onto the blog. That's my excuse for such infrequent posts! And I'm sticking to it. For the moment. Actually, although I've been sewing since I was very young, I have really only picked it up regularly in the last couple of years. In the past most of my creative energy has gone into other things... bookbinding, drawing, painting, printmaking, jewellery making, etc. I've been getting the urge to get back into some creative things other than sewing. Mark making of some kind.

So I have been pulling out a few old etchings, hoping to get inspired to do some more. I love etching, the quality of the mark that you can get by drawing into plastic with a needle (as in drypoint) or the irregular marks that are made by acid biting into the plate. And the ink getting pulled into the paper. There's the apprehension when you pull back the paper after it has gone through the press, and seeing what emerges. It frustratingly hit and miss. And addictive.

Taking Stock

Playing Along with Pip, here.

Making: someone happy
Cooking: raspberry ripple. Yum!
Drinking: tea, tea and more tea
Reading: The Dressmaker, Rosalie Ham
Wanting: My Colette Anise pattern to arrive in the mail
Looking: for inspiration
Playing: Willbee the Bumblebee
Wasting: away. Not!
Sewing: the Valerie top
Wishing: for Green and Black 85%
Enjoying: The Good Wife
Waiting: for a winter break
Liking: kinas
Wondering: whether Alicia and Will will get together at the end of season 4
Loving: that extra half hour of daylight
Hoping: that they will!
Marvelling: screen prints
Needing: miles under my belt
Smelling: winter sea breezes
Wearing: ugg boots. They're an investment!
Following: friends
Noticing: stone cold tea
Knowing: that if you do fun things every day, the universe re-configures around you
Thinking: about red highlights
Feeling: like bed
Bookmarking: healthy treats
Opening: packages
Giggling: with little people
Feeling: finished.

Letterpress workshop

A few months ago I attended a one day class to learn the basics of letterpress printing at GTO Printers in Auckland.  It was a small class, only three of us in total, which worked out perfectly.  It was so much fun, the day just flew by.  We started by working with a little Adana press (hope I've got that right), setting metal type into an alphabet.  Getting all the letters set correctly, left to right (or was it right to left???) and the right way up really messed with my head.  There were a few back to front, upside down mishaps to start with.  And if you get it wrong, you have to pull the whole row out and start again.   Then we designed a postcard to print, also in metal type.

By the end of the day we progressed to using the wood type.  We were running short of time, so did a collaborative print on the proofing press.  I loved using the wood type.  The objects themselves, with all of the different shapes and colours left from previous print jobs make just as nice an image as the final print, don't you think?

Dress-ups

I have been collecting items for our dress up box, and when I came across something similar in a shop recently, I thought it might be fun to have a go at making my own.   This is my second attempt.  The first was a more 'boy-like' version with lightening bolts and crosses.  I couldn't get a photo of my little miss in this version (she will happily pose for any photo except the one you want!), so her brother was happy to oblige.

Linen Teddy

Last month I was lucky enough to get a whole weekend to myself to attend Handmade in Wellington.   There was so much inspiration, from fun classes on handmade cosmetics and jewellery making, to wandering around the shops and cafes in Wellington, and actually being able to browse for as long as I wanted!  One of the highlights was meeting the lovely Melissa Wastney from Tiny Happy.  When I got home, I ordered a copy of her book Sweet & Simple Handmade.  It's a really beautiful book, with so many lovely projects to make for kids.   This is the first one I've made - the linen teddy.  It was a really easy project to start with and I enjoyed making it, with a bit of input on fabric choices from the kids.  I added the dress (which isn't in the pattern), just because I could :)   It's for a little friend of ours who just turned one.