a new necklace!

Love love love the colours in this necklace. Love the range of colours, the different shapes, sizes,  textures. I can't take the credit though. This one was made by my four year old. The Gherkin crafted one of his preschool mates a birthday present this morning. What a gorgeous result! And the concentration! Amazing. Next step? To try to get him to make one for me...

 little hands

 

concentrating

 

modelling the end result (and proud)

speaking of husbies felting woollens...

 

So, once upon a time I had a favourite cardigan. Pure wool, picked up from an opshop (thrifted) for eight dollars and big enough to keep me warm through my first highlands winter, belly swelling with bub number three.

 

Mr Pickles did me a favour a couple of weeks ago by washing all of my woollens and then popping them into the dryer. And voila! Felt ;)

 

Once I finished sobbing (kidding) I decided to make myself a beanie.

 

It was a piece of cake really:

 

   

1. With my cardi flat, and inside out, I traced around the shape of a favourite beanie

2. And then stitched along this line

3. And then cut the stitched beanie out of the cardigan with my pinking shears

4. And turned the completed beanie outside out

5. Done!

6. Oops! Not quite. A few vintage buttons later and...

7. I had a new, cute beanie to wear! I really should have been looking more excited, but I was too busy trying to take a self portrait (it's nothing short of a miracle that my tongue's not sticking out).

 

 

And just in time for an unseasonally chilly, wet highlands day.

 

How about you? Have you done anything with felted woollens? I now have quite a collection to my name, so I'm on the lookout for new projects ;)

Chat soon xo

 

 

a date for your diaries...

Good morning!

Received this reminder via email this morning and had to share... and realised that I had neglected to tell you about my recent visit to this market! The first sisters' market I attended was with my mum in law around I think the ?end of May and I loved it... there were some terrific new designers/artists/crafters there who I had not met or encountered before, which was very exciting! And just down the road from home. It would be worth popping this one into your diary for 2nd August... let me know if you plan on being there - depending on how I am going with bub, I might be heading there again, and it would be lovely to catch up!

One of my very favourite finds at this market was the lovely Carla from emotional baggage . I honestly don't intend to turn this blog into a how-to-shop-locally-and-find-gorgeous-things guide, but I had to show and tell. Carla has one of the neatest websites I have seen in a long time, where you can design your own bag, by selecting the style, fabric, leather etc...and then you get a picture of what it will all look like once together! Love it.

This is my brand new, arrived last night carry all bag, for keeping all of the baby stuff together when out and about, in theory, but also just because I really really love it and will get loads of use out of it!). And the lining is striped, which is just gorgeous, with multiple pockets... I would have taken a photo of the inside except that I have packed the bag now with gear for the hospital.

Thanks Carla for making this in time for bub's arrival, and for dropping it off last night... it was lovely to have another brief chat with you, and in case I didn't say this enough last night, I really love this bag!!!

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