Found Friday

Found Friday (on a Sunday of course)


It seems my little techno holiday had an impact on my technical abilities as I typed this post Friday and it disappeared. Oh well!


I have enjoyed my break - time to rebalance my virtual and physical lives - something I hope to continue. I have tried to invest the time in my little people one outside and one breaking out soon. 
Today's FF is all about finding space - the metaphorical space I found by having a self imposed social media break of 3 weeks and an actual physical one.


We recently started off our reno in a most unglamorous but necessary way by replacing the leaking asbestos roof on our garage. Hum drum as it was it gave us an opportunity to do what we fully intended on moving in 18 moths ago - setting up the garage as 1/2 storage 1/2 create space. It never happened then as the boxes and furniture, and my finds if I'm really honest, just kept piling in. Now we have reorganized, consolidated and shuffled to have a 2/3 storage 1/3 create space scenario - better than nothing!


There is now a corner of the new 'create space' which is the new home of Find and Dandy - still very much in unpack and organize mode itself but now my finds can have a temporary home, other than my desk or dining room table, as they await their permanent home or their Dandy do over. 


I can't wait to set it up properly and get creative. It will also double as an extra space for rainy day craft projects and generally getting little people out of the house - perfect new space much needed in out tiny - soon to become teeny - little home.

Here is the still to be dandy-ied "find parking station".

Unplugging

I love blogging, it's my favourite thing to do each week, I'm addicted to Pinterest in a crazy way, I have reconnected and stayed in touch with with long lost far away friends via Facebook, I often find out the most interesting things through Twitter and I have recently 'met' the most amazingly talented, supportive and encouraging community through Instagram BUT...... I am currently


























Sometimes in this world of social media, devices and connectedness our own, actual lives, and not our virtual ones need a little more attention than we are giving them - that is me right now. So I am listening to my non-virtual world and unplugging for a bit. A little techno holiday if you like, just for a few weeks or so. I know I will be back and I know I will love every minute of my virtual connections once more - like the feeling of returning home after living out of a suitcase for too long. So 'see' you soon.

Appreciate or Emulate - Gingham

I am still checking out all things gingham and here are my picks for how you can check in.

Sweet and simple, bold and bright, graphic and minimal - decorate with gingham

 

 

 

It's a wrap, a party, a picnic - celebrate with gingham

Country, cute, creative and classy gingham is a classic

There is no-one more able to get you to join in than Martha - here are two of my favourite 'gingham' DIY'S that I found both from The Crafts Dept via marthastewart.com

Oilcloth lunchbag tutorial

Drawstring bags tutorial

The good news is I found my sewing machine in the garage the other day and we in the midst of creating a bit of space in there for us each to have a 'create' corner - or for me a 'dandy' corner. The bad news is the skills can't be downloaded matrix style - better get my learn on so I can fully check in to the gingham trend as well.

Found Friday

As you may have seen this week I have put a little spotlight on gingham - a favourite of mine and as I mentioned I am seeing it everywhere.

Here is a photo I took a little while ago when sorting through my linens - a small sample (I am not kidding) of my own gingham finding goodness - napkins, potholders and aprons.

Happy weekend all!

Gingham a GoGo - Finding Fashion

Need more gingham is going places proof?

As I have oft declared I am no great fashionista but the more I looked around the more I saw the presence of gingham everywhere and I just had to share. The collections of many designers this year have included gingham or gingham-esq celebrations - here are just a small selection

Kate Spade Spring 2013

Marc Jacobs Spring 2013

Osca de la Renta Resort 2013

Prada Fall 2013

There is so much more of gingham from 2013 fashion via Frills and Thrills

Will you be getting your gingham on?

Finding Everywhere

Gingham is an all time favourite pattern of mine. It has been around and come back into vogue again and again from the 17th century to now but once more, just of late, I am finding it everywhere.

A lot of people might see gingham too twee or too country cutesie to really inspire but not so these finds which I think have just the right amount of fresh and modern with enough of the recognisable graphic homespun charm still intact. Check these out - gingham goodness galore.

1. Orange and black makeup bag Lucy Blaire Handmade via Etsy

2. These blue gingham earrings by Anliz on Etsy sold in the time it took me to grab the pic and show you and I am not surprised as they were my most coveted find - I share them simply to inspire 

3. The best part about these booties is that they are reversible - the other side grey and white spots! I think they are meant to live at my place. Booties by Molipop on Etsy

4. Get your draw on in style with these gingham rainbow pencils The Paper Crown via Etsy

5. How Joyful supplies Washi tape in teal gingham

6. Blue Gingham Bistro Bowl from Peters of Kensington

7. Kiss Me Quick Hand Embroidered Hoop Art by Candykins Crafts from Down that Little Lane online store

8. Gingham Rope Knot Necklace by Homako

9. Red Gingham Boy's Bow Tie by Aruricards

10. I love this little appliquéd Navy Gingham Alligator Pillow Cover by Wren and Rumor. It is a travel cushion size but I think it would look great in a little boys room!

11. I am an accessory addict and this Blue Gingham Infinity Scarf by Forgotten Cotton would be a welcome addition to my growing collection

12. It's a picnic everyday anywhere with this Oilcloth Lunch Bag by Blue Tulip. Their store also has great shopping bags and makeup bags in many gingham shades

13. ASOS Lucy Gingham Bow Detail Ballet Flats

14. Yellow gingham dinner plate by Rose Fleur Designs via Zazzle

15. Orange Gingham Matrioshka Lingerie Fabric Bag, Coquelicot Bergamote via Etsy

16. Large Gingham Milk Jug, Ruby Rose Interiors from Down that Little Lane online store

17. My summer wish list has these at the top Kate Spade New York for Keds InActive

18. This Polar Bear is part of a whole bedroom collection by Bibelotte. I love their kids linen, especially the greys and blacks as they work for younger and older kids alike

19. A great demonstrator of the modern classic look that can be achieved with gingham is Fog Linen - these trays and other items are available in Australia through Dunlin

20. Red Gingham Medium Zipper Pouch Holly and Alder via Etsy

In the end this was a little bit of an Etsy window shopping spree - there are just so many great makers on there using gingham powers for good but expect to see a lot more in the mainstream shops soon as I am quite literally finding it everywhere!

Appreciate or Emulate - Part 4

I have awarded myself the unofficial record for the longest winded blog post of all time. It is extremely unofficial and it is an anti-award type of award - there will be no trophy or ceremony I'm afraid.

I started sharing my photo print Appreciate or Emulate ideas with you a month ago so for a post that normally comes to you in one hit I have managed to give it to you in 4 hits over 4 weeks - some achievement! I can blame things like pregnancy vagues, tonsilitis and a little foray into vignetting distractions which you can see via my facebook page here.

But finally I arrive at the bit where it's all about you. Participate!

There are so many great DIY's with photo's and photo print but here I share just a few that I found inspiring.

I must add a disclaimer here that I have yet to try these myself - it is a case of sharing with you to motivate me. I would also urge you if you are going to try any of these to use your own images, or one you have permission to use - so much more personal and not using someones else's hard snapped shot without their permission.

'Textural' storage boxes via Craft and Creativity. This DIY uses bought paper but you could easily take, print and use your own images depending on the size of the box you want to cover. Make sure you take your images on the largest size on a high pixel camera for the best quality possible. I though it would work well with close ups of your favourite foliage, stones or textured weathered timbers - for kids room storage you could photograph grouped toys such as block or toys - indicating what's inside.

A favourite blog of mine which often has great DIY's is Poppytalk. I first discovered them as Poppytalk Handmade which is as a monthly online curated marketplace showcasing the handmade goods of emerging designers. It is well worth a look. This cushion DIY, which even as a tentative novice sewer I was excited by, uses the services of another great online resource Spoonflower - somewhere you can design your own custom fabric, wallpaper, decals and even gift wrap. It is not as expensive as you may think and I am searching my image files for the perfect project right now!

This last one from Fellow Fellow is a little technical but wow what an impact. It actually uses fewer materials to make it than you might think and with the right image to use and a steady cutting hand it could be achieved more easily than at first it might appear. The best thing is you could photocopy and practice would make perfect without being too expensive. Imagine a row of these greeting guests at a themed event or making a xmas themed display like this. Magical!

Will you be trying any of these? I would love to see any results if you do - head along to my facebook page to share. I also hope to share some of my own in the not too distant future.

Found Friday

In a week where we have the roof off the garage and all our belongings in the yard in trailers under tarpaulins accompanied by Sydney's wettest weather in months, nay years, you would think the idea of purchasing more stuff would be the farthest from my mind. You would think, but  the op shops call to me. I was literally driving home and was compelled to turn left and visit an op shop I hadn't seen in a while. I tried to convince myself that it was because I had some things to donate in the boot, yes I do take stuff there too, but really I only remembered them when I had my haul to fit in. I was excitedly blessed by a number of little joyful finds and only share some with you here.

A milk glass bowl with pink rose detail sitting on top of some Irish linen placemats in the most divinely complimentary colours that come with matching napkins.

The placemats were part of a $2 linen lottery bag along with some gingham green and blue placemats. I love an opshop lucky dip! For those uninitiated some opshops bundle less valuable items together in bags to sell more and clear room - often you can't see all the contents so you take a bit of a gamble as to what's really inside but it's hardly high stakes and usually pays off. The anticipation is worth it and what I don't want I donate back - win win!

I hope your gambles pay up big this weekend, or even just small in the most delightful way.

Appreciate or Emulate - Part 3

This post has been a long time coming - so long in fact you may have forgotten where I started. I posted all about finding photo print perfection everywhere about 2 weeks ago in my Finding Everywhere regular post (soon to be more regular again). Then about how you can Appreciate or Emulate it, Decorate or Celebrate with it, and now finally get ready to Titivate.

The reasons it has taken me so long are related to family winter colds, garage roof removals in preparation for renovations accompanied by the wettest Sydney weather in months, no years, and more relevantly the enormous amount of amazing photo print fashion I found.

I have been really drawn in by the photo print look and the opportunities digital printing on fabric presents. I have been searching through some amazing designs and collections and have been finding it hard to edit it down for you.

I am by no means a fashionista, and some of these are not that current as fashion is meant to be so very now, now, now, but with this selection I am more drawn to the beauty of the items themselves than thinking that, some of them at least, are realistically making it to my wardrobe anytime soon. They are however stunning and or clever and really do take me on a journey.

Here are some picture perfect fashion pics I picked for you

The above is from the runway show of fashion designer Pedro Lourenço. The escape into it quality of this top is breathtaking as are a lot of the pieces from this 2012 collection which you can see more of here

The above 2 images are from Etsy store Dream Nation. All their pieces are made from certified organic cotton and bamboo and digitally printed in Dream Nation own patterns. The top image is of a Hotel Sign skirt paired with an Old Route 66 top and the bottom is their kids Harem pant in sky pattern. I love the uniqueness of their designs and that through Etsy unique design is so accessible.

Another unique and clever store I found via Etsy is How very Dare. Their style is so very bold, graphic and strong. The pictures above are from their Trash to Treasure and Skate or Die ranges.

It seems 2012 was a big year in photo print fashion so maybe I am a bit behind the times but from what I have seen it is not going anywhere soon. The above skirts are from the surprisingly beautiful 2012 collection of Karla Spetic. The surprise is in just how beautiful these simple urban landscapes become when cut and framed as fashion pieces. I recommend looking over the rest of the collection as the colour, image, cut combination is lovely.

The surreal presentation of this Nowhere collection by Milan based fashion label Marios shouldn't put you off from the 'not off the peg' beauty of their work - I hope you enjoy. The video is an especially bizarre little journey in itself.

Lastly this silk scarf is by Las Coleccionistas, also via Etsy, and is from their Sierra limited edition collection printed with original photographs. It is stunninngly beautiful but also deserved a special mention for the beautiful box it is delivered in featuring a copy of the photograph and information on where it was taken.

So there it is a collection of picture perfect ways you could Titivate. Not my usual style but fashion taking me places I didn't expect. Wearable art is really what fashion is all about so express yourself, and in these instances, the photographer too.

Found Friday

It is no secret here that I love other peoples unfinished craft projects, I have my own as well but they are a frustration rather than a delight. I especially love finding unfinished embroideries and needle points at op-shops and I have no intention of finishing them. It is their incomplete, given up on selves I appreciate so much. The enthusiasm that the project was started with is evident, even in the tiniest areas  of coloured thread, but at some point the maker couldn't make it and here it is right where they finished.

A few weeks ago I found a new favourite in this Paddington Bear 'artist' in the op-shop and I want to frame him just as he is for a children's bedroom wall. (maybe with an iron?) The little speech bubble above the picture of Paddington on the packet says it all "I can't wait to start my Paddington Artist Picture'. I for one am glad they could wait to finish it.