vintage blankets

When I was growing up, every household had woollen blankets made from our own wool here in NZ. We have always had a great reputation as a country for producing high quality wool blankets and other products. As we continue to move manufacturing to cheaper places off shore we are losing some of the great traditions that we have had. We can dismiss the importance of the blankets as they seem so familiar and ordinary but they are a part of our proud heritage.

So with this passion for vintage NZ wool blankets, I bought a beautiful, green blanket from Mrs Jones in Warkworth. I was drawn to it's colour. It's such a lovely green. Plain blankets are also getting harder to find.... and it was in great condition! So I snapped it up to recreate in various forms. These are the results of my blanket craft projects.....

Firstly, I made lots of heart decorations, incorporating buttons and blanket stitch, for friends for Christmas. I love using blanket stitch on a blanket, seems so right!!



Then I made some cushions featuring the vintage Rotorua pennant I bought from Let's Go Retro and a badge I made from the label on the blanket. More blanket stitch on blankets!! I love the label "Robinwul" proudly stating that it's made from pure NZ wool - a Canterbury fabric.

And so I'll carry on celebrating the beauty of vintage NZ wool blankets, giving them new life, forms and uses.......

heart felt cookies

Lately I've been making heart-shaped felt cookies. People have been asking me why I'm making them..... to sell or give away? No, no good, practical reason. I've just been really enjoying creating them. It's funny because making them has made me feel really good. I've loved choosing felt "icing" colours and sewing on bead "hundreds and thousands". I had to go to several evening meetings and I just wanted to be at home making the cookies! As I finish each cookie I put it on a beautiful little rose vintage plate in my craft room. Why? To look at....


It's really got me thinking about making and creating, art versus craft. If I was painting a picture no one would ask why. It's okay to enjoy creating artworks for the pleasure of creating. With crafting, we seem to need a reason for doing it - to wear, sell, give as a present, make for a particular purpose. There is a place for creating craftworks for the pleasure of creating. It's okay!

So I am going to keep making cookies without any reasonable excuse. Just because.... At one point in my creating, I updated my status on Facebook saying I was making felt heart cookies. "Beautiful to look at, last forever and 0 calories...." Then Holly commented "Heart-felt cookies - made with love" and I thought yes they are. So if I ever do pass them onto other people I'm going to do so with that sentiment!

Heart-felt cookies - made with love by Stacy xx

wellington

On Saturday I boarded an early Jetstar flight bound for Wellington. We had the best landing ever. Smooth as silk, no turbulence, no wind. Is this really Wellington? Yes! Windless, blue sky, warm morning sun. And so began my perfect day in Wellington.....

The primary reason for my visit to Wellington was to see Yayoi Kusama's Mirrored Years exhibition on at the City Art Gallery. I arrived at the gallery as it opened and there was already a queue right out into the square. So many people keen to view Kusama's distinctive installations using repetitive patterns, forms and spots to explore visual and sensory perception and concepts of infinity. My favourite was "Fireflies on the Water". Here Kusama's dots are transformed into coloured lights representing fireflies. The room is totally dark except for the coloured lights that are reflected in all directions by mirrors and pools of water. As I stood on the platform, seemingly suspended in this amazing world, with all the reflections resonating out into infinity/eternity, I was overcome by the bigness of God and my place in his universe. It really was a spiritual experience.


After my gallery experience I wandered round Wellington......

....along the waterfront, Frank Kitts park and walkways.

....up Victoria and Cuba Streets to view the eclectic, interesting shops.
It's like wandering down Brunswick St in Melbourne but so much closer to home!

I loved Swonderful - full of wonderful handcrafted jewellery, clothes, accessories and so much more. Very inspiring!

....lots of vintage shops full of treasures at great prices. So much to see.....

....stopped for a refuel at Le Metropolitain.... beautiful food and friendly staff. A genuine taste of France in the heart of Cuba St.

....caught the cable car to capture spectacular views of the city.

My visit was rounded off with a visit to Te Papa and the Pompeii exhibition. A poignant, touching experience that left me a little overwhelmed.

My delicious, beautifully presented tart at Le Metropolitain.

Sevens fever was in full swing!

Guess what these guys are........

Views of the harbour and city from the top of the cable car.

Sigh! Bye Wellington. I had fun spending the day with you!

craft room

Over the last few weeks I've been sorting out Holly's old bedroom to use as a craft room. It was a big decision for her to shift downstairs to a larger room as she has been in that room since she was little. It was a huge job - shifting, sorting and cleaning.... then I've had to find places for everything. I've been trying to find ways to store all my crafty bits and pieces without it looking like a complete mess. I bought some blackboard paint and painted some cardboard shoe boxes and a large hat box (that was previously fluoro pink!). I love the way they look - smart black, labelled with white chalk. I also used some crates and suitcases as a contrast. I like the way they work together.







The really fun part was that after the cleaning and the sorting, I could decorate. Yay! When Holly was little, we painted her bedroom a beautiful rich sky colour and put stars on the ceiling to glow at night (her own indoor night sky). A perfect childhood room. I looked at the colour and decided to keep it. I really love the way it glows and it creates an atmosphere that's good for the spirit. I'm even thinking of keeping the stars!! Lots of treasured pieces that haven't fit anywhere else have found places in this room. They look amazing on the blue.....

A simple quilted piece I bought from an Amish woman in Pennsylvania.

"Hairy Woman" by Camilla Engman from Third Drawer Down.

My growing collection of handcrafted toys.

"Beloved" by Rachel Osborne

"Bunny" by Kimberlee Munn

"Owl" from Raven versus Pony

I love my new room..... it's a little haven in the heart of my house...... and Holly is enjoying the space and comfort of her new room (and her own bathroom!).