All Things Lovely

Poster Perfect

I'm on the hunt for some posters for my studio. While I love the Keep Calm & Carry On posters that seem to be sweeping the world, I've found a great poster with a slight variation on that. The Poster List has tons of posters to pick from, and even better they are having a 2 for $20 sale at the moment. And the bonus for Aussies is the shipping is actually not astronomical!

Now, how am I going to choose?

My New Bedroom

Finally I can show some pictures of my bedroom which I recently repainted. It's not completely finished, but it's only the little things I need to fix up. Here's a quick reminder of what it was like before, very pink and girly!

 

I spent a week at home doing some painting, and I've shared the difficulties I had finding the right green. In the end, I chose Grass Sands by Dulux and couldn't be happier. It's fairly strong, but I love that and the all white sets it off.

The doona cover is from Freedom and the gorgeous wall decal is from Elephannie. I want to get some new lightstands and shades, but that's just another thing on the list.

Of course, I had to make some new cushions for the bed. From Amy Butler's new August Fields collection, they are just basic little cushions.

New Baby Bibs In My Shop

Just thought I would show some new bibs I've just listed in my Etsy shop. I've been very out of this week with a nasty bug, but I'm finally feeling better, and doing lots of sewing!

I had some cute fabric left over with flowers on it so thought flower pots would look quite cute.

And who can resist yummy cupcakes? Well, not me! YUM!

Pretty Little Cushion

Just to dress up my new chair, I thought I'd make a pretty little cushion to sit on it. Using my absolute favourite fabric from Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room collection, I made this cushion. I love this fabric, there is so much going on in it.

To make it a bit interesting I cut it up and just sewed some of my favourite bits together, of course the beautiful bird had to be a feature.

There's A Chair In There

When thinking about my new studio, I wanted to have a chair sitting in the corner just looking pretty. I was chatting with my Nana about this, and she said that she had an old chair that my Pop had made about 45 years ago, as their kitchen chair. She had it sitting outside on her verandah and said I could have it. This is really special to me, as my Pop died when I was only about 5 or so, and I don't really remember much about him. To have something he made is pretty amazing.

So, my challenge was to create something beautiful from this old chair that had been sitting out in the elements for years! Here's what I had to start with, which actually wasn't all that bad. It had been painted a pale yellow, so I just gave it a good sand, and a bit of a wash and let it dry for a day to make sure it was completely dry.

Then, it was onto painting. I went with a semi gloss enamel, and used Dulux's relatively new Aquanamel, which is basically a godsend. It's water based so no need for litres of turps, and it doesn't have that dreadful smell. Choosing a colour however was quite a mission! In the end, after a lot of help from the lovliest man at Bunnings, I chose a half strength Antique White USA from Dulux I only needed two coats, and I think it's come up looking lovely.

You might also notice the colour on the wall, I've just finished painting it this week. After looking at a million sample colours, I settled on Aqua Frost Half by Dulux.

Avonlea Designs Labels

Wow, two posts in one day. It's good to be back. I've been a bit slack on the blogging, I've been busily painting this week - photos will come when I've got myself sorted out! I've had the week off work, and it's been lovely to spend the week doing crafty things and just enjoying life.

I got a wonderful parcel in the mail a few days ago, new sew in labels for all my things for Avonlea Designs, my Etsy shop. I honestly thought for a while there that I was label cursed, every label I ordered I was not happy with. So, I finally took a chance and ordered 200 (!) and all my fretting paid off. These woven labels arrived, and they are PERFECT! I couldn't be happier, and I love that everything has that really professional edge now.

My Trip To The Country

Last week, I went up to Biloela to visit my sister and brother in law. They were living on a Brahman cattle stud, and while I freely admit I am a city girl through and through I had a lot of fun. I thought I'd share a few quick photos of my time with you.

These are the bulls on the property, my brother in law thinks they are the best things ever, myself... well, I think they are possibly the ugliest breed of cattle around! I'm not trying to cause offence, but there are cute cows, and then there are Brahmans.

We then took a quick trip out to Callide Dam to let the dogs go for a swim. We were fortunate enough to be there for a spectacular sunset.

And, just something I thought was a little bit funny. This car on the side of the road.

Etsy Aussie Pride

So many things that I've bought from Etsy have come from international sellers, so I thought I would feature some fabulous Aussie sellers. Nothing like being patriotic especially with the Olympics starting tonight!

First is Aishii Designs from my home town of absolutely lovely Sydney, some of their Japanese inspired handbags are just gorgeous. I'm giving these out for Christmas gift ideas!

Next is Tambatoys, also from Sydney! Some of the prints in this shop are just so lovely and whimsical. I wish I had children, I would fill their rooms with these pictures, I especially love this one below.

Last, but not least for today is Mulberry Muse. I'm loving anything French inspired at the moment, so this shop is sucking me right in. Look at this card, it has three of my favourite things; pink, birds and chandeliers!

15% Off Sale In My Shop!!

Just because I'm going on a little holiday soon and I'm feeling all happy, I'm having a 15% sale off everything in my Avonlea Shop!

Find yourself a lovely Christmas or bridal shower gift with one of my retro style food carriers.

Or how about a too cute baby bib for a new mum or a perfect baby shower gift.

The sale is only on until midnight Sunday August 10, Australia EST, so get cracking!

Wedding Invitations

I'm back from my time away in the country, so I thought I'd show you some wedding invitations I've been working on. My business, Little Bird Blue makes event stationery for weddings, engagement parties, birthdays and pretty much anything you can think of.

This first invitation was actually made for a friend of mine. They wanted something simple and elegant. I'm actually really happy with how this turned out, it's not too fussy, suits them perfectly.

The second invitation was made for a couple having a vintage style wedding. It wasn't allowed to be too fussy or frilly - not too much lace or ribbon or the groom would perhaps not be thrilled. We worked together and after a few samples eventually they were thrilled with this design. It's always so lovely when people are so happy, makes my job so much easier!

Taking A Little Break

I'm off for a long weekend, very early tomorrow morning. I'm heading up to Biloela, in 'outback Queensland' for a few days to visit my sister and brother in law. I've never been there so I'm very excited. I'm such a city girl, sometimes I wonder how we are related, but we are! Just very different. I adore her though and haven't seen her for a couple of months. I'll be back next week with hopefully some new things to show you all.