The New Math, Art, Poetry - the genius of Craig Damrauer

I found this on the Inside Out blog and love it. It definitely appeals to a childhood love of equations (so simple and straight forward) and words.

The genius behind this art/math/poetry is Craig Damrauer and there is so much more at his website morenewmath.com


(Click on the image to make it bigger)

Featured on Distillate

It has been raining a lot this week (A LOT), said goodbye to a friend and her two lovely twin girls, and our car broke down. But we have avoided those crazy dust storms and the sun is shining now.
And I feel so lucky to have been featured on 2 amazing blogs. Firstly the super amazing Whip-up picked up my Piping Tutorial, and then Distillate did a feature on my Pocket Panda's! So funny to see them lined up like criminals!

Scooter Security in Paris

A friend of mine took this pic in Paris last week... too funny!

Sartorial Splendour

I finally went and saw The September Issue last night. It was as I expected - a joy! So to celebrate the fashion in all its glory I thought I would share some of my favourite fashionistas from the uber-supreme Scott Schuman's The Satorialist blog.



I am off to see Valentino at the end of the week, which will also be a lovely dip into another world. And I recently watched 2 of my other favourite fashion docos which I can highly recommend Catwalk and Annie Leibovitz, a life through a lens. Watch them if you can find them - both wonderful. I love documentaries and fashion docs are so much fun and really a fascinating glimpse of another world.

Easy Peasy DIY Pillow Piping Tutorial

This is my 200th post so to celebrate I want to share with you an easy cushion piping tutorial. I really like making cushions because they are a great way to enjoy your favourite fabric or add some colour to your couch or budoir.

For this tutorial I already had the front and back of the pillow already cut-out and made. The piping and backing fabric are velvet and the front is an all cotton log-cabin affair.

Step 1.

Measure around your the sides of your pillow to work out how long your piping needs to be. I cut 1.5 inch strips of the same fabric I used for the backing. Sew strips together to make the length you need.

Fold the strip around your piping cord (wrong sides together) then use the zipper foot on your machine and stitch as close as you can next to the covered cord. Make sure you use a similar coloured thread as the fabric, and try and keep the edges of the strip evenly together as you sew.



Step 2.

Now sew the covered cord to the top of the cushion cover (in my case the log cabin patchwork). Keep the edge of the cover and the edge of the covered cord together and then you will have a consistent seam allowance. At the start, I ease the piping on and then straighten up to get the edges even, you will see at the end why this works better.



Step 3.

The best way to get around the corners is to clip the seam allowance a little as this will make it easier to shape the corner.



I usually go slow around the corners and use my hand to steady the cord. You can pin this but I it easier to control if I don't pin and just ease everything in place.



Step 4.

When you have sewn the cord all around the cover and you are ready to finish, overlap the start of the cord and sew off the edge of the cover and trim the ends.



This is what the cover should now look like.



Step 5.

Now it is time to sew the front and the back together. Make sure you open the zipper a bit so you can turn it inside out at the end.

Put right sides together and keep the cushion top that you have sewed the piping onto on the top. This is because you are going to sew over the top of the stitching that you have just made to attach the cord.

Again, I use a zipper foot because it allows you to sew as close to the piping cord as possible.

Sew around the cover using the stitching as a guide.



And that is it, you can overlock the edge and turn it inside out. Beautiful.



I hope that it is clear, please let me know if you have any questions.

Also, don't forget the giveaway is still open, just visit the shop and leave a comment here.

Richmond Picnic

Picnic days are here... spent a lovely day with my gal-pal and her kidlets at Richmond.
The weather was perfect, the sky blue and the grass green.
Plenty of time for some footy, sliding and swinging, skimming stones and chasing ducks... and of course the obligatory stop at the Lolly Shop. Lovely

Necklace Giveaway

A Giveaway to celebrate Spring!

You could win a Babushka Doll necklace - you choose the colour red, black, blue or white, in a child's length or longer. Or, a lovely little piece of Paris - the Eiffel Tower with some glass flower beads.

I am also giving away 2 Love Bird necklaces. I bought these birds when I was in the US last Christmas and just love them. They are handmade lampwork beads and are all different, I like to think of them carrying little tokens of love (flowers and leaves) back to their nests.

Just visit the shop - then leave a comment on this post letting me what your favourite item is in store. I will randomly draw 4 winners on September 30.

If you want to post about this giveaway on your blog or tweet on twitter, let me know the link in your comment and I will triple (x3) your chance to win.

Also, I am offering a 10% discount on all items in the shop - check out Mel's blog for the code.

Backstage at the Theatre Royal

The other night I able to  sneak out and go to an art auction to raise money for IHOS's trip to Chicago. IHOS is a truly unique and incredible opera company that creates new and contemporary opera works and train young singers. Their work is very exciting and internationally regarded, and they have been invited to take their work Prayer Bells to Chicago next year. 

The event was on the stage of the Theatre Royal in Hobart, and at the risk of looking a little embarrassed I took the camera to grab some pix. I adore the Barbie Kjar print that went for a princely sum, unfortunately not to me. I have never been on the stage before and it was great to see it from the other side.

Mel's Peeps

Hello if you are visiting from Mel's Blog. The lovely Mel has kindly posted about me and the Little Snoring Shop. So to celebrate the warmer weather and the change of seasons, for the rest of the month, I am offering a 10% discount on all purchases store wide. Head here to have a look at the goods, then head to Mel's blog to pick up the discount code.

Stay tuned, because there is a little something in the pipeline. PS, big thanks to my gorgeous nieces for being such lovely models!

Speaking of Tasmanian Fashion Designers...

Alannah Hill's Spring Collection is online alannahhill.com

Hello Hobart...

Hobart gals, heads up. I checked out Alexi Freeman's S/S 09 collection last night at Bett Gallery and loved it. It slowly crept up on me, and by the end I was enamoured by it all. Lots of great pieces and his model for this collection looks particularly fantastic in everything and beautiful.

Anyways, Alexi will be there today only from 10 - 5 so get over there today have a look and you can pre-order from the collection with a 25% disc.

More on his website... alexifreeman.com

spring happy

I put this mood board together for Kidstylefile.com.au to celebrate the first day of Spring and thought I might book mark it here for some more inspiration.

Head over to Kid Style File for image links.