Linanne - a great big softie...

When I was a girl living out in the Western Australian countryside, my mother would always ask me to make a softie to give to someone she knew who was having a baby...

I always preferred making dogs or cats, so it was a return to those roots when I decided to draw up a pattern for a cat...

And here she is...

Her name is Linanne...

Needless to say (but I seem to be saying it anyway...) she's an original, a one-off and she's about to get Etsy-fied...

She is made from recycled bits and pieces of vintage fabrics and linens.

She is a pretty substantial girl, being 33 cm tall and 19 cms wide (kitty bearing hips)...

Her ears are very special - they are made from a chenille bedspread my mother was given as a wedding present by her mother, back in the 1950s.

Here's a few portraits and close ups of the photogenic 'lil miss...

Just quietly... yay!!!!

I am so pleased (and proud) to share with you all that the Bakery on 8th in Maylands is now stocking a selection of my cuffs and knitted tea cosies.

Other stockists are listed at the side of the blog as well.

Yertle- the bossy tea cosy..

 Meet Yertle (from Dr Suess) who is a very, very bossy tea cosy. 

I am very tired of his shenanigans, so please take him off my hands!

But be warned...

You really need to be an Alpha person to have Yertle in your house.

He is a gorgeous blend of bright blue, with contrasting pinks, oranges and other brights, as you can see from his portrait....

The wool in the main body of the cosy is a cotton/acrylic blend, with the cuff and height of the cosy in 100% Australian wool.

Yertle himself measures (lying flat) 23cms in height, including the 14cms of fabulousness on the top, and 21cms diameter.

He is super stretchy though, and can adapt to fit a much larger tea pot.

it goes without saying that Yertle is never to be repeated.  I can't stand the stress!


He is also a one off, original design from Kavi Art and Design...

Hans - the athletic tea cosy..

Allow me to introduce Hans.

Hans is an Austrian skiing legend, and also happens to be a quite macho 6+ cup tea cosy.

He waned me to add that when he gets tired of tea cosy-dom and wants to return to the slopes, his new tea companion-in-life might consider stitching up his sides.  He feels he would make an amazing beanie!

As you can see from his portrait, he is a manly blend of black and soft grey, with an attention seeking splash of red.

The red wools and bobbles in his main body are acrylic, with the cuff and height of the cosy in 100% Australian wool.

Hans himself measures (lying flat after a fall) 30 cms in height, including his 19 cms of fabulousness on top, and 25 cms diameter. He is super stretchy though, and can adapt to fit a much larger tea pot.

It goes without saying that Hans is a one-off, original design from Kavi Art and Design.

Ariel - deep sea tea cosy...

This is Ariel...

She is an original 4-6 cup tea cosy knitted with coral seas and anemones in mind...

And that rhymes!

(Such talent...)

She is a combination of pure new wool, sparkling lurex, and angora, with beautiful shades of deep blue and cobalt blue.  

She has a purple crest and pompoms stitched around the body...

When she reclines, she measures 17 cms in main body height, another 13 cms in fabulousness added to the top, and 20 cms diameter.

Of course, she can stretch to accomodate a larger tea pot as well...

She's on my Etsy site if you are interested...

Sophia joins the stable of tea cosies...

Meet Sophia... an original, one off 4-6 cup tea cosy from Kavi Art And Design.

So named because she reminds me of the pastel colours of the gelato in one of those Italian Gelaterias.  

You know - the lime, strawberry, blueberry ones..


Yum.



She is a very non-gelato mixture of wool, bamboo and acrylic...


Her vital statistics are: 27cms tall and 21 cms wide.


Mind you, she's really into Pilates...


And very flexible...


The result being she can adapt to fit a much larger tea pot.



She has just been listed on my Etsy store.

Vintage Apron.. What a find..

Vintage shopping is what I enjoy of all types of shopping, I think..

I pause and ponder over the fabric in this slip, that shirt, even bedspread...   and think of what I could do with it...

Buttons aren't safe...

Books are perused for suitability as an altered book...

What fun.


I do love those special finds...

Like this simply fabulous apron.

It seems to date from the 1960's judging by the label inside.

It's pure cotton...

And it has hardly been worn- no stains or wear marks.

Two pockets on the side, and has an incredible vibrant blue and green village scene.

So- if you like retro stuff, this might be your cup of tea!

I have just listed it...

Fatima: Dancing Tea Cosy

This tea cosy reminds me of the dancing hands of one of those Turkish restaurant belly dancers...

Hence the name.

So, Fatima was largely stitched and created overseas- in Seoul to be precise..

So - she is a very well travelled tea cosy indeed...

She was made from the felted body of an Aran jumper, pieced together with equally felted fabrics from scarves and other jumpers.

Nothing is really a scrap, in my book.  Everything can be put to another purpose, and given the opportunity for a new life.

And yes, I am a sucker for a stray dog or cat as well...

Anyhoo... meet Fatima.

She's just been listed for sale, if she takes your fancy...

She fits from a 4-6 cup tea pot upwards...

Getting Organised...

I really love this blogging world we live in.

So much to learn, to share and to hoard..

One that I am loving right now is The Organised Housewife...

Because I am not...


Organised, that is...


But then I'm nobody's housewife either...

Still - so much to learn!

Even the blog is super organised!

And the Pinterest board associated with it simply rocks.

Wolfgang, my new tea cosy kit...

What with writing a few other blogs, I get a bit side tracked with my blog updates...

But hey, what are blogs for if not to help you indulge in a bit of OCD????

I wanted to introduce you all to Wolfgang, my new tea cosy kit, now available from my Etsy store...

He's named after a dear friend in Vienna, who is quite mad.

He's Austrian, but speaks English with a Scottish accent.

Serious but silly, all at the same time..

What a crack up he is..

Hence the name for the tea cosy...

Wolfgang's vital statistics are listed in the Etsy page... pop on over and have a lil' look-see....

The mail arrives...

When the postie came this morning, he delivered something special...

Almost from a bygone era...

A postcard...

Not an advertising postcard...

A real hand written one, addressed to me!

What excitement!

It reminded me of how exciting it was as a child when the mail came and there was something for me.

Now, of course, there's plenty of mail for me, but mostly with those ghastly windows signaling some form of officialdom...

Opened with dread...


But not this one...


And even more than that- the postcard front was a watercolour painted by the new owner of Big Boss...

Here 'tis...

Coz I'm a good sharer...



Thanks Tom!

Meet Big Boss

While I was on my week long sabbatical in Windy Harbour, I got stuck into creating lots of stuff...

I say stuff, because I it is all inclusive - it can be anything you want it to be.  As such, it is my very favourite word...

This particular stuff was knitting...

And this particular knitting was tea cosies.

Allow me to introduce you to Big Boss... born in Windy Harbour, July 2012...

This is he, stretched to his full height.

I am holding his head up in this photo, as he has a head swollen with his own importance...

His head naturally lolls over to the side in a deranged manner, but being a control freak, he would be aghast if he knew...

Big Boss will be winging his way over to live with Patricia in a town in New York state shortly... a place called Honeoye Falls... 

... we wish him well in his new adventures...

Vintage finds...

I had to share with you my finds yesterday...

Firstly, a very charming 1950's wire dressing table stool that I will recover with a vintage fabric...

Then...

An amazing linenhand embroidered tablecloth... Again probably from the 1950s when people actually had time and the skills to do something like this...

Each corner has an elegant bonneted lady in a different colour.

A few shots to show the detail...

Isn't it just gorgeous?!

A Week in Paradise: Windy Harbour Part 5

And in this final post, since I showed you my favourite house...


ad nauseum...


I thought I'd show you my favourite garden.


Bear in mind this garden is left largely unattended so has to fend for itself, in true Aussie fashion...


Tree stump with bird house, and obligatory Xanthorrhoea (commonly known as a Black Boy tree...)

Another bird house near the water tank....

And a large view of the expanse of garden...

Just gorgeous...

A Week in Paradise: Windy Harbour Part 4 still continues...

So, we have looked at trees, stumps, branches...

All riveting stuff...

This time it's all about the gardens of Windy Harbour...

Hanging basket with kerosene lamp...

I loved this "hazard" sign...

Herb and vegetable bath tub...

Still life with afro kettle, shell and rusted random aerosol can...

Artistic as it is...

one might imagine I arranged this scene...

But alas, I did not...

Fishing buoys...

lots of them...

A scarecrow to protect the weeds...

Bird bath....

44 gallon drum fashioned into an outdoor oven...

Even the tomato stakes are rustic...

Trying to dress up a water tank...

Random swan... 

The only form of fence you will find at Windy Harbour...

Protection for a baby plant...

I have saved my favourite garden for last...

in the next post...