Prototype 1 - Deer Pillow

I mentioned before that this week I'm working on patterns and prototypes for new pillows and homewares. I made a pillow out of organic cotton that I bought in the States and some fabric that I found in a local thrift store. The decal I made from fabric that I bought here at a craft market. Fun stuff!

On the prowl

I'm looking for suppliers of certified organic and eco friendly fabrics here in Australia. I recently saw a commercial for a repository of 'Green' businesses it's called thegreenpages.com.au. I had a look through the businesses and was very excited but realized that we still have a long way to go in making sustainable and eco friendly goods.


As I looked through the green pages I found a company called Cloth. They screen print their graphics onto natural fiber fabrics such as cotton and hemp. I really like this fabric below called 'Looking for Water' - it's in 4 different colorways.

Rain beau!

I come from the wet and wild city of Seattle and I love a little rain (ok, a lot of rain), but rain is mostly associated with dark and gloomy weather, but I think it is refreshing and wonderful. I love when the sun is shining through the clouds and the rain is dripping from a leafy tree above. That's where I got the inspiration for my 'Rain beau' pillow - made from woven wool fabric and leather cloud and raindrops.

Also featured in the pictures below is our new little sock elephant named Tickles.

Breaking News :: Visa Update!

Just got an email this morning saying that my visa processing is completed in Russia, now they'll send the application on to the next Australian embassy for the final decision on my residency visa for Australia!

I am very excited about this because I have been waiting for 10 months already. Hopefully I won't have to wait too much longer to live long-term in this beautiful country. I'm feeling a little patriotic for my new found home Australia so I'll leave you with the national Coat of Arms for Australia. Don't let it bother you that we sometimes have part of the emblem for dinner, Kangaroo and Emu taste yummy!

this week I'm actually working

I can't legally work here in Australia - I'm still waiting on my residency visa (not very patiently); while I wait I'm trying to make a decision about starting a small business and opening up an online retail store with my wares. I'm researching small business in Australia, taxes, business plans, marketing, competition, wholesale suppliers, etc. But this week I'm taking a break from the "paperwork" and I'm going back to the drawing board and creating some designs of things that I would like to sell IF I start this business.

This week I'm working on graphics for pillows - here's a sneak peak. Here's what I do. I draw out the graphic on a regular piece of lined paper, then I tweak it to my liking, cut it out and if I end up wanting to keep it for a long time I'll transfer it to card-stock so the pattern lasts longer. I'll use these patterns to trace graphics onto fabric and then I'll iron on that graphic to a pillow or other project. Fun stuff!

He's been caught in the act

This is George Gibbons, our new little sock 'gibbon' (our variation of the sock monkey) has been cited for indecent exposure. So that this won't happen again I'll make our little gibbon something to wear. Here are the incriminating shots.

Freebie!

My sister is the Queen of all things thrifty and nifty and she found this bar cart that the previous owners left in the back of their new house. She scrubbed it up and gave it a face-lift and it's now being used as a caddy near the bbq (which was also free).

Way to go Sally! Now with all the money you saved you can buy a ticket to Australia to come visit me!!

Native Australian Flowers

I went down to our local flower shop called Scents of Occasion - they are under new management and have changed things around a little including putting all sorts of flowers on display outside on the sidewalk. I had my wedding bouquet done here 2.5 years ago when we had our 'Australian wedding celebration'. Some native Australian flowers caught my eye and I got a couple bunches for the dining room table and the guest room. I do have to admit that the pink flower (below) is actually a South African native, but it is grown in the masses here in Australia, so they've adopted it as one of their own.


These are actually flowers from trees so the stems are quite tough. Tip! Flowers from trees have troubles soaking up water after they've been cut, so hit the end of the stem with a hammer a few times to break it up and it will soak up water a lot better.

The New and Improved Austin Chase Coffee shop

While I was back in the States I helped do a small redecorating project to the coffee shop that I used to work at. It is located at the front of a major department store so we had to get all kinds of clearance to paint. I, unfortunately, didn't get a 'before photo' of the feature wall that we ended up painting, but it probably wouldn't have turned out anyway because we were painting in the dark (someone forgot to turn the lights on before the store opened like we asked). The feature was was a faux finish sponge painted green, gray, and taupe wall that had been that way for 15 years. It was time for a spruce-up.

My new Bike

My dear husband was tired of me complaining about how my butt hurt after our bike rides and how my gears wouldn't change properly so he finally got me a new bike! I love it. I got fitted for the bike (very important) - and I confirmed that I have freakishly long arms, and I test rode about 6 bikes. I finally narrowed it down to this sleek hybrid lightweight Apollo bike.
Now I'm looking for accessories - a basket and saddle bags (as if I don't have those already, if you know what I mean)
My absolute favorite is the lace basket (shown in green) - it's a bit pricey compared the rest of them. Now I have to decide if I go with lacy, vintage, or industrial/practical

Here are some options for saddle bags - picnic ready or everyday. What do you think?
All photos from Amazon.com.