a month of moments - late (late)

Pregnant again (that is, last year, not again-again!), I wanted to make a place to welcome our newest family member. I knew he was going to be boy number three, but still wanted a space that was not too boyish, that was, well, lovely to be in. So, months of pinning images of other nurseries, lights, crochet works etc all resulted in this:




It's not a classic boy room but I love it for my wee pickle. Love the Helen Dardik print that ties all the colours in the room together and makes it fun. The other two prints we have in the room are also etsy finds, from seven star and nevertheless. Oh! and we also have a typography-style print designed by my very talented designy sis in law, with all of baby pickles' vital statistics.

[Oh, and of course my beautiful Billee the oobee by Leslie Keating - Billee has now been a very special companion for all three of our baby boys].

I was going to post this on the thirteenth for a month of - late, but I am, well, running late. You see, the mobile/lampshade is still incomplete - I still have to rethread the crochet motifs onto that magical invisible quilting thread, and have about another dozen that need threading. Oh, and the mat. Still unfinished - I have the binding half done... nearly there! Whilst searching for the binding I found some pre-cut baby short pieces on my wip pile for little pickle (now two) - if I sew these this week they may just fit baby pickle.

It seems that not only can I not complete my crafty projects on time, I also can't blog about them on time! Anyone else out there guilty of the same crime?

Perhaps an appropriate crime though for a post titled "late"... ;)

Chat soon xo

crafty crocheted owl show and tell

crafty owl, originally uploaded by summer pickles.

Hello there! Back already with some crafty goodness! 
This is a freshly crafted crocheted owl.

He is very much inspired by this lovely owl by peanutbutterdynamite on etsy.

He is my first stuffed crochet project ever!
He is intended to be for gracing a chair in a nursery, for resting a head when reading, or just being cuddled.
Sadly, as my first ever, his stitching is way too loose around his centre, so you can see the wadding through the wool. Anyone who knows much about crochet could probably have warned me of this, but, a beginning crocheter, I just made up the pattern and gave it a go.

Next time I may even line the front or use a smaller hook, or different stitches, or use double strands of yarn. Next time.
Any advice from you seasoned crocheters out there who know what you are doing?
xo

other things i should be doing right now...

* doing a uni assignment
* writing a report for barb
* cleaning the house
* washing clothes
* sewing?
* training the dog ... etc etc

But instead, I am sitting here, typing an extremely overdue hello post after a long time away, whilst the boy and I split a devon and sauce sandwich. (I know, not an entirely balanced and nutritious meal!) Not nutritious perhaps, but exciting.... devon is hard to find when you're living in victoria...

So... our news?

The boy is one (already), walking (albeit tentatively), talking (about 8-10 words), singing and being generally gorgeous.

The spare room is in the midst of a re-do, with piles of fabric now sorted into project piles, so when I do get a few spare minutes I can go straight to the, eg. pants pile and whip up a pair of pants for the boy. Likewise, collections of buttons await assembly into rings/brooches/clips etc for the shop

Being back in the paid workforce part-time is mad... a great time for my brain (and yes, I feel guilty confessing to this!) , but I do (like so many others) feel that I am not actually completing or doing a whole job of anything. But I am adjusting... and the gherkin seems to have settled beautifully into our new routine, bless him.

Otherwise my life has been fairly quiet, not counting some great visits with family & friends, being completely addicted to project runway australia and justine clarke's albums for kids, and the list of all the things I could be doing now, which I am not, so will have to do later....

Take care, I will aim to be back soon, especially now I have dipped my toe back into the bloggy waters again... xo

new button ring!

seems i am on a roll at the moment... another button ring will soon be arriving has arrived in my etsy ... don't ask me where i have found the time, i actually have no idea!

the gherkin has recurring hives of an unknown cause, is no longer sleeping during the day unless cuddled to sleep, has had a horrendous cold and has cracked two new teeth, but still i am managing to find some button time. i think it has been much needed.... i am loving it, and i think coming up with some more lovely ones!

be back soon!
xo

crafters showcase: brooches by ilona

Hi all!

Introducing Ilona, who is a happy crafter and producer of some of the sweetest brooches. I spotted Ilona on flickr and am so thrilled that she was happy for me to bring her to the summer pickles blog for show and tell. Ilona has a passion for all things bright and colourful, and is based in Utrecht in the Netherlands. You can visit her etsy shop at GaudyGoods

Here are some photos of some of my favourites by Ilona, and a bit of a chat so we could all get to know her a little better... enjoy!

Can you tell us a bit about your brooches?
I have been creating my brooches since August 2006. Since I was a child, I have been creative. It is like a lifeline for me; a way to relax and express myself without using my mind or words. The brooches were just another form of my creative ideas.

The materials I use are mostly colourful fabrics, beads and lots of different trimmings. I love to look for special embellishments, beads or paper scraps to use for my brooches. It's like treasure hunting! :)

Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from all things folklore and traditional arts and crafts, art books from the library, (thrift) markets, magazines, window shopping, supermarkets, commercial folders you get in the mail, museums and flickr.

Do you remember your first ever creation?
I don't know what my first creation was. I do have very good memories of staying often at my grandma's house, just a block away from our place, and she taught me to knit when I was ten. We used to knit and drink a cup of tea and talk about all sorts of things. I guess I was a little granny myself in those days heheh!

Who is your favourite fellow crafter?
I have many favourite crafters, especially on Etsy or Flickr. At the moment I'm smitten with the felt creations of Cynthia Soto. Her felt creations are so colourful and detailed. I think they are little works of felt art. You can visit Cynthia's flickr site and Cynthia's etsy.

If you could have only one accessory for the next five years, what would it be?
Hmmm, I guess a beautiful watch with lots of gems on it. Practical and glitzy, a perfect combination!

Thanks Ilona for the chat! Ilona’s shop can be found at GaudyGoods and Ilona's handmade brooches photoset on flickr.

Chat again soon x

etsy maternity shopping spree!

1. discobelly vintage chandelier maternity tshirt; 2. BujorHandmades soooo comfortable maternity embroidered skirt; 3. supastarr belle mere maternity tee; 4. doullina holiday chic preggo card; 5. TheBrokenPlate Im so Crafty I make People button; 6. gaia conceptions cowl neck/hood hemp dress; 7. elsita expecting; 8. BeachMama Maternity by Pablo Picasso earrings; 9. discobelly peacock maternity t-shirt

Hi all ... I know, two posts in one day is quite extreme! (It's 40 degrees in Melbourne, and so I am enjoying sitting still...)

Guess what? I am getting bigger and growing out of my pre-pregnancy clothes. So, what better than to cruise etsy and look for some great, original items to suit women who are pregnant?

For those of you interested in maternity gifts, be they for you or for a friend, here is a sample of some of my favourites currently on etsy. I have listed the shop names and items below the pics, so you can check out the items in the relevant shops.

Any Australians or New Zealanders on etsy or madeit with maternity items... drop me a comment and I will feature your item in a future post!

Enjoy (and happy shopping if you get inspired!)
x

christmas shopping - instalment no. 1

Who here has finished their Christmas shopping already???

You have? Already? Well, I am afraid that I am not so organised, and thought it may be helpful to showcase some fantastic gifts available from Australians on etsy (as it is probably a wee bit late at this stage to be shopping o/s). In this first instalment, I am going to focus on gifts for the women in our lives... our mums, our aunts, our wives, etc...

veronica darling peppery olivia cheeky badge

magic jelly pocket mirror - lulu

ellenade chocolate hat with feature brim



anna laura felt badge - lana

siiri skull hairclip yellow polkadot

interrobang purple haze bucket tote

oneandonly retro hoop earrings

misswoolly cross stitch brooch

Happy shopping everyone!

Oh! and by the way, we bought a house today! (more details later... promise!)

xx

etsy sale!!!

Hi all

Just a quick post to let you all know that my etsy shop is having a pre-christmas sale. Button rings, necklaces, hairclips (oh my!) plus a couple of softies. I am about to get out the sewing machine again, so hope to be adding in more softies, so watch this space!

Hope all is well in your part of the world...

xx

new button necklace!

Okay, so I still haven't given that monkey a head, but I can't get the sewing machine out at the moment... no space in the midst of renovations!

I have, though, made a new button necklace tonight, in gorgeous autumnnal browns and burnt oranges. I think this is my new favourite! And, it is now available at my etsy.*

It feels good to have done something creative tonight... thanks K for coming over for tea and giving me a little creative boost!

Have a happy Monday everyone!

xx

*sorry, a blatant plug there...

oh my goodness I am excited excited excited!!!

Just a quick post.... YIPPEE!!!!

summer pickles got on the front page of etsy! (second row down, in the middle..."the flowers that bloom in the spring tra la! ring"... and that's my hand!

Thanks edee for including me in your showcase!!! Heavens above I am so excited! (Perhaps I will get my ever-elusive first sale?!?)

Hope everyone is having a beautiful week... Spring has arrived in Melbourne - yay for sunshine!

xx

baby elephant love - the mobile

Just finished another mobile!
This one is called baby elephant love... and is made from polkadotted felt (of course from my existing fabric collection - I am still going with use what you have). This is now available at my etsy ...

Now that I have finished stitching felt hearts I can go to bed (whew!) ... it is 1.46 am here!

xx

etsy catch up! and 500 visitors!!!

The Melbs ETSY catch up yesterday was lovely - got to meet loads of beautiful, talented women, all with a common interest. The show and tell session was fun and encouraged loads of shopping on Melbourne ETSY stores.... there are some amazing crafters/designers/artists in Melbourne!!!

I will be trying to feature one of these stores per fortnight on this blog... so keep watching this space!

Little Rebel in Fitzroy was a terrific host for the event, too.

Here are some pics of the crowd that attended...

I also had to share my excitement and thanks that this blog has now had 500+ visitors! Thanks so much for dropping in, I am hoping to continue to provide something that is interesting to keep in touch with, so remember to pop back in when you get a chance!

Have a gorgeous weekend! xx

(shhhh.....) secret squirrel baby gift & a wee bit nervous...

(Shhhh.....) I am on a secret squirrel mission at the moment, to make my girlfriend something special for her new baby, who is very soon to arrive to the outside world!

As I am not sure if she will be whiling away these last few days on the net, I won't put too much detail in here (and certainly won't include my sketches of the hoped-for-finished product!), but did want to show you some of the amazing bird crafts that are out there. My heartfelt thanks to all of these brilliant people who have been completely inspiring!!!

1. 9 birds, 2. Bird bag and coin purses from one of my Japanese Crafts books, 3. Carved Folky Birds, 4. Flock Together, 5. another birdie, 6. Bird, 7. Erin, 8. peaky beaky bird, 9. Botanical bird, 10. ♥ bird, 11. Berri, 12. 03/08/07, 13. passaropapel, 14. Bird ornament, 15. in progress, 16. FINALLY!!!!, 17. One of my little bird mobiles, 18. 1_bird with paper flowered, 19. Egbert, 20. birdmobile_31, 21. Easter Tree Hangers, 22. birds on a string, 23. felt bird ornament, 24. bird quilt patch, 25. gift for enya, 26. crib mobile, 27. Handmade bird mobile, 28. Friendly Birds, 29. flock of birds closeup, 30. 9 birds

Keep an eye open for the finished product.... think this will be a big weekend project, so I hope to have photos up early next week....

Am also doing something quite exciting/terrifying today, which is going to a Melb Etsy catch up in Fitzroy. I do feel very much like a beginner at all of this, so don't know that I can exactly go along feeling like I belong, which immediately makes me feel terrified! But I am counting on those in the craft world being lovely and generous.... I guess I can always pop in for a coffee and leave if I am not comfortable, but it is still incredibly nerve wracking!!! I will let you know how it all goes...

Happy Saturday!
xx

NEW button bracelet

I tried to make something new this evening. Sadly, I ran out of wire, so it is a wee bit smaller than I would have liked (so may only fit my skeletor-style wrists!). But here it is....



I really enjoyed layering the buttons (this was a lot of fun!) and deciding which set was going to go on next... fun! (nice to do something newer to me than the button necklaces too... I get bored easily!).

The "clasp" at the back is simply a loop of wire which goes over the other end's button, to button together. This also means that the bracelet (like all of my necklaces) are metal-allergy friendly as I use only plastic coated wire and plastic, wooden, shell or fabric buttons.

Looks as though we will have an interesting group at the next craft circle (aka creative gathering)... a knitter, a dry felter, me (I think I will be felt toy making this time around), perhaps a doodler... exciting skills!

Anyway, I am now going to head off to make the most of a great Friday night tradition of ordering in noodles, watching a chick flick, and perhaps crafting in front of the telly.

Happy weekends everyone (I am op shopping this weekend so hoping to come home with gorgeous thrifty finds!)
xx

more button necklaces

I have been productively making more necklaces this weekend, using my existing button collection as well as some of the recent additions received through the mail, so thought I would show them off here...

I am modelling the pistachio one above - much more tricky photo to take than it looks (there is a lot of double chin sucking up going on in this shot!)

Of course, you can get these necklaces at my etsy shop!

tangerine:


raspberry:

Trash and treasure markets were just okay.... found a terrific green tweed coat at the first market, but failed in my haggling... think I need some major lessons there! In spite of the fact that there was a huge hole on the front left (all the way through to the lining), the seller was not going to come down by $5, and in the end, I left it there, thinking it was the principle of the thing (now, I think I should have juist bought it and then I would have been at my sewing machine right now, rather than at my computer!). The second market was much more trash than anything else, and not worth the travel. But, never mind... there is always next weekend!!!

Have a gorgeous week xx

summer pickles to appear in a book!

VERY exciting, that some of my handmade items (which you can find at flickr and can have commissioned if you contact me via email) are soon to appear in a Chinese slow handcrafts book. I was contacted out of the blue by Affa Zhang who had seen my button necklaces on my flickr.
It is all very exciting... I am just now awaiting the edited pages, and then it is due for publication in September!
Have a lovely afternoon,
xx