Tango & James

On Saturday I visted the lovely Handmade Market. The stalls were amazing! Beautifully decorated and all selling such delectable treasure.

My favorite of the day was quirky Tango and James by Lisa Barret. Lisa salvages furniture , renewing them with her own prints, a bit of lacquer & love!. She has such a divine eye for style; check out her photos at http://www.tangoandjames.blogspot.com/ (Her site is scrumptious!! Be sure to check out the pics from her interior design gallery)

How does she have such an amazing abode with two little boys?! I cant hide the fact I have one very big boy residing with me...I have been forbidden to hide my other half's treasured stubby holder display :/ 

Lisa Barret of Tango and James
at the Handmade Market

Bitch 'n Stitch!

I have just started having regular bitch'n stitch Skype sessions to keep in touch with my sis (Zaley) in Perth, W.A. She has just started to crochet a Nana blankey with beautiful love hearts and flowers and crazy patterns... I, however, am a total novice!  I still haven't bought myself crochet hooks or knitting needles so  I have been finger knitting, thanks to a wonderful Youtuber who posted this helpful 'how-to'.

Here are the finished pics of my pretty little scarf-lett!

If you have tried finger knitting befor
you'll know that the width can only be
as wide as your four fingers, I made one really
 long strip and then folded it length-wise
like an 'S' and stitched it in place with wool. 

I used these cool old corks instead of buttons.
 Just use a small drill bit or a hammer and nail to
make a hole through the center. I used a rulo
 loop turner to pull to wool through the hole.

Can't wait to try something a little more difficult, this was a really easy and quick little project so I definitely recommend it to other beginners :)

Here is some knitting- inspiration:

The Chicken leg viking hat from
craftbits.com/project/chicken-viking-hat

Cup cakes anyone? 

TEA COSEY! I need one...well i'll buy a tea pot first ,
then I will need one ;)

Cutest Pin Cushion D.I.Y

While perusing the net a while ago I found this incredibly cute project: cup cake pin cushions. Its such a practical idea for using up fabric scraps, I had several woolen knits that were itchy or too pilled to wear so I happily chopped them up :)  I created my own version that looks more like a flower in a tea cup: Enjoy!

1. Collect your materials: You need fabric scraps, glue (I've used a hot glue gun), and some kind off small container ( you can get lots of exciting little ramekins and teacups at op shops for next to nothing)

I used sweaters that were unwearable-
they were itchy or pilled

You can use any kind of little cup or bowl 

2. Cut the fabric into strips then fold them long ways to create a nice edge. The length and width depends on the container your using, (i didn't measure any thing- just trim excess away as outlined at step 4).

 

3. To create a spiral look, place two contrasting fabrics on top of each other then roll

4. Place the rolled fabric into the cup, pushing up the center and trimming fabric from the bottom of the roll to fit. Once your happy with the shape, remove the rolled fabric and squirt some glue in between the layers to stop it from unraveling. 

5. Lastly glue the fabric into the cup tucking in the raw edges and voila! 

Cup cake pin cushion!

1. With this style I cut shorter strips of fabric to make the appearance of petals.

2. Glue the folded fabric straight into the cup, working from the out side- in. The start and end of each piece needs to be tucked down into the cup

3. Continue layering the strips until you get to the center.

Rose style pin cushion

All you need is love!

This morning I was invited to peruse a lovely ladies collection of vintage treasure. She was having a clean out  and had amazing vintage dresses, jackets and skirts that she couldn't bear to get  rid of, though they did need a whole lotta love. The moths had munched away on many of the frocks so I will be devising  a way to creatively rescue them !

Guilty little pleasure

I just treated myself to a trip to the op- shop. Its been a while and as I started browsing over the glorious mounds of unloved things I remembered why I try not to just 'pop in'. .. I'm pretty sure I have the tendency to become a hoarder! I get so excited over these beautiful little treasures and explode with need to rescue them . I knew something was wrong when my guilty conscience had me wondering if I should hide my new Queen's tea cups from my boy friend.

I decided to behave myself and confess today's treasures:

Must-have number 1: The afore mentioned adorable tea cups.
Love them , I think I would have regretted it if i didn't buy them :)

Confession no#2
A super snuggly, emerald green, Nana knit. The picture doesn't do it justice, it is beautiful! It has two big buttons at the neck that loop together and its so over sized it sits like a big cape.
Its always good to have colourful pieces for winter to shift the gloom!

 No #3 . Dainty Ladies Handkerchiefs

I really have been intending to buy handkerchiefs, this wasn't an impulse buy!
As the temperature drops in Canberra, my nose has been running constantly and having grandma tendencies, these little hand embroidered pocket pretties seem all too special to be blowing my snot on :/

Refashioned Jacket

The 'Not- A-School Blazer'

The original jacket as found

Here the before and after shots for one of the jackets in the winter collection. Their are so many cool old suits out their! They just need a bit of love :)

'Brilliant Idea' 1 year on

On the 13th of April the Light house Innovation Center celebrated their one year anniversary for the Brilliant Idea Program. The women at Lighthouse have shown me so much amazing support over the past year. They facilitate monthly workshops where entrepreneurial women come together to share and learn. It is a fantastic way to meet other women in similar situations.

As part of the celebrations I showcased my winter collection, accessorised beautifully by 'Out of Ark' Antiques.

The show featured budding ACT businesses they have helped such as Dahlia Style (young girls's fashion), Asiuvou Health Foods (vegetarian, vegan , organic food) and Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art.

Thank you so much to my beautiful models who were so gracious in volunteering their time!

Tahls x

After shots...FINALLY!

Here are the after shots promised weeks ago!

I've shortened the sleeve, creating a little gathered cap sleeve. I saved the cuff and self-covered button.  These are used at the waist to pull in the sides to create a sexier silhouette!

Small changes can make a big difference!

A couple of weeks ago I  started working with the wonderful material pleasures team. For those that havn't heard of Material Pleasures, they are a fantastic recycled, designer clothing boutique based in Canberra.

I have to say, I was totally overwhelmed when I wandered into their work studio... I was surrounded , from wall to wall with clothing... rails, bags, piles of it! Boxes filled with shoes , handbags and hats. I was in heaven! My first instinct was to plunge in, head first , digging for some kind of fabric treasure. With total restraint, I managed to contain myself and act at least kind of normal.

I thought I would blog about one of my re-fashion projects for Material Pleasures. I was given a bag full of dresses designed by Peuan Thai Studio. I'm told they were well known Canberra Designers in the 1960s who used the most beautiful silks sourced from Thailand.

The fabrics really are amazing, but the styles aren't favorable, even in the vintage market. So I will give them all a little love and attention to revamp them into something someone will treasure .

1960s Silk dress (pre- make over)

1960s silk dress (pre- make over)

Stay tuned , I'll post the 'after' pics of a few of the frocks soon.

xx Tahls