A year of finding

I am back after a months absence. Most of it spent madly dashing to finish assignments for my Interior Design Diploma. I am pleased to say they all went in on time and with positive feedback. I hope to share some of the details of them with you in the coming weeks or early in the new year if I don't escape the festive season grip.

The last week has been catching up on the domestic side of things - all the stuff that goes by the wayside when you are just too busy and are getting too little sleep to worry if that washing ever goes near a draw before heading back to the laundry again.

It is fitting that I am back in action today as it is a day of celebration.
A year ago today Find & Dandy was born!

The seed of an idea that is this blog had been rolling around inside of me for some years and this day last year I finally hit that publish button and held my breath.

What has a year meant for me and Find & Dandy? Has it been all I would imagine it to be?
Yes and No.

The experience of blogging and sharing my ideas with you has been better than I had ever expected. I have enjoyed every minute of it. The only trouble has been the ideas have been bigger, more ambitious and too many than my schedule outside this blogoshpere has allowed me to deliver - an eternal frustration I must admit but a delightfully exciting frustration to have, one I hope to alleviate at every opportunity through this next year. I especially hope to dandy it more for you this year - yep getting my dandy on at least once a week is a new blog years resolution.

Here is just a little of what I have found this year:
• What I want to be when I grow up. I have had a few jobs and a few careers and have studied a few things along the way but these last few years of studying Interior Design have shown me that I have found my place, my language and my area of contribution - what all that means is what I, fortunately, still have time to figure out. Lucky me.
• I like yellow! This one has been a great surprise to me. I have never liked yellow before. I still can't wear it close to my lilly white skin but I do now own mini yellow chairs, yellow shoes and a yellow macramé pot hanger among other sunny additions this year.
• Instagram. A little insight in snapshots to other peoples days - sanctioned voyeurism with colour and style, what's not to like.
• I can draw better than I thought I can. This one is an ongoing practice.
• I am obsessed with needlepoint - but then you knew that.
• I already knew this but it is great to find out again - the support of family and friends is the best thing to have in your life. I am truly blessed in this regard.
• No matter how busy I get I must visit an Op-Shop at least fortnightly to fuel the finding addiction. I doubt there are programs for this but even if there were I could not be encouraged to attend.
• Above all else time is the thing I most wish to find more of.

Find and Dandy will turn two before I know it but before then I have a real train themed 2nd birthday to plan in a few weeks for the little man in my life so I'm off to practice fondant and make party bags.

Happy Birthday Find & Dandy - thanks for sharing the year with me.

xo
Siobhain

P.S Thanks to Craig Proudford for the photo (craigproudford.com)

P.P.S If you feel like giving me, I mean Find & Dandy, a little present I would love to hear if there have been favourite posts for you in the year or favourite finds.

A circus interlude

I would love to say I am running away with the circus but I am not sure you can do that twice in your life, that's another story and by no means literal. No, the circus reference has more to do with how life feels right now - a tight rope act while juggling and trying to pull rabbits out of hats.

The real story is I am taking a little break from posting here for a month or a little longer - not that I have been terribly consistent of late - to focus on the final push to the end of the year with design assignments piled high and half finished on my desk. I hope to emerge with a big "Ta Da!" at the end but that remains to be seen.

Wish me luck (or do you say break a leg) I hope to catch the bar at the other end as I swing through the air.

Found Friday

My 'vintage books for how they look' obsession continues - sometimes I like the content too - like the graphic scientific depictions of Australian Insects or the swing after swing rhythm of golfers (reminds me of my Dad - although he doesn't need instruction) or the quote inside the History of The World "What is all knowledge but recorded experience and a product of history" (Thomas Carlyle). That is kind of how I feel about the old objects I collect - they have history recorded on them and other peoples experiences too. The child mannequin hand, although sadly missing 1 finger, and the foot I found at reverse garbage, a favourite recycle centre - that was all there was - I'm sure there is a history in that too.

Found Friday

I promised so here I am. I have a lot of finds to show you but I might spread them out and play catch up bit of a time.

My first little family of finds is not for me, well maybe a little.

I couldn't go past this handmade little monster slash Humpty guy - the fabric and colours are just great. He has fast become a hit getting lots of cuddles and will be making it to the highly prized position of in-the-bed I suspect.

The other little guy - the one we need to get to an optometrist - he was a package deal - 2 for $1 at the op-shop - I think they belong together - see how nicely they hang out on the yellow chairs.

The blocks were another bargain - we have loads already and I had visions of these being an outdoor set as they are chunky and robust - so far they haven't left the lounge-room where they get turned into cities and towers most nights - the colours are in harmony and they have a sense of being home made or belonging to a school. When I get a tub for them to keep them dry and safe they may make it outdoors but we will see.

I hope you have a playful and colourful weekend hanging out with your mates too - I hope to share more finds with you over the next few days.

Not quite finding Friday

I know i have missed Found Friday again and I swear it was going to turn into Sourced Sunday but the last few weeks have given me a walloping and i just needed some days off from everything except my boys - with a trip to the Steam Museum Open Day yesterday and today being a nice day for a family mini bushwalk and a trip to the beach it has been just what I needed. I will be back on deck next week I promise as I do have some lovely finds I would like to share with you. I hope your weekend was leisurely and sunny too.

Found Friday

Today's Found Friday is a little different - I didn't think I would get one in again this week bit I needed a break from my assignment backlog craziness so managed to do a little second hand retail therapy. I also decided I needed a little break this afternoon to capture them but someone in our house had other ideas. As a result I have clipped this weeks images into a little slideshow I like to call Look What Mummy Found Friday - I hope you enjoy my un-cropped, un-reworked, interrupted images as much as I enjoy sharing with you a glimpse of my afternoon.

Oh the finds? There is a needle point, OK there are 2. I just can't stop. There is also a new addition to my milk glass collection and some tassels and sequins of course.

Found Friday

So here is Found Friday or as I like to call it today - Sourced Sunday - oops! Better late than never.

The first of this weeks finds could see me getting all studious but really my love of these has nothing at all to do with maths. I saw this beat up box and was immediately drawn but the graphics (as grubby as it looked)

The contents for me mean inspire never ending possibilities of graphic sculptural displays - line, form and shape, building block heaven.

These books are to add to my growing collection of vintage books I have because I like the covers - why not! I love the way they go together in that perfect favourite colour combination way, red and green-blue - it makes you want to sail away to somewhere coastal - like, let's see? George Town! This mini tourist plate joins the collection featured in this July Found Friday - wall display coming soon.

Lastly here are my two favourite Instagram finding shots this week

I found this ribbon peeking out of a basket at my sisters place - material magic if you ask me - wicker and black and white stripes with a sideline of soft pink.

I found this little house with red shutters on a walk around Stanmore yesterday trying (in vain) to get a little person to sleep in the pram. It immediately made me smile and think of the Miffy book Santa bought for the very same little person the year that he was born (1 week old in fact) "Mr and Mr's Bunny lived in a house with scarlet shutters on their own" ..... "if we could have a baby now how lovely it would be then I could shop and cook and sew for three". It is lovely too!

I hope that your weekend has been lovely and that you have had time to notice things peeking out at you as you have gone along.

Just Little Things - one for me

I have a daily subscription to this blog Just Little Things (soon to be a book apparently) it is a daily posting of little things we should or do appreciate. It is great to see in my inbox at the end of each day as a reminder that the smallest of things that can make a positive difference in your day - it makes me look for them a little harder sometimes.

Today's was just for me

I also want to apologise for my tardiness once again with Found Friday - I am hoping tomorrow might turn into "Sourced Sunday" so stay tuned.

The red white and blues

In a few recent Found Friday's I mentioned I had found some great bargain clothes and that I was going to don them and give you a glimpse well here are a few recent insta snaps of them in action so to speak.

The red and white stripe top and the cap sleeve white cardi were both from a $2 rack in one of my fav op-shops on a day I that cleaned up. The blue and white stripe haram pants (or MC Hammer pants depending on what era you hark from) are oversized and a great fun addition to my spring wardrobe. Feeling all stripey and red, white and blue.

Found Friday

Twinkle twinkle little vase - this weeks findings may be few and some small but they delight me none the less for their muted, textural and patterned beauty.

This crystal round vase is only about 15cm high but is perfect for a tea light or two and a pretty posy found and picked in the garden

This marble effect mini (so hot right now - more on that coming soon) vase is only 5cm, if that, but what a big personality in a little package.

This frayed edge hand stitched beauty is all the nicer all crumpled up and yellowed by time

I am finding time this weekend and next week to hang with my nephews who are in town on a holiday with my mum - should be a great time. I hope you have a lovely weekend too.