Cheerful rainwear

I've been a bad blogger but that's because I've been really busy offline.  More on that later.

But for now I want to remark on how utterly dreary most women's rainwear is. At least in Australia. I've been looking for a hooded raincoat that I can wear to school pickups where I need to hold little hands crossing a road, making an umbrella unwieldy. Most department stores seem to think women should either wear a trenchcoat (in black, beige, or if I'm lucky, red) or a shapeless rain jacket designed for trekking in the Amazon. Am I the only person who wants something a little more fun? After some serious searching online I've found stylish raincoats really do exist and I thought I'd share my finds with you.

The top row of raincoats are all designed by the Danish company, Danefae. This is just a sample of their current Spring/Summer 2012 range, with most styles being produced in several colourways.
The bottom row of raincoats are from several designers:
1. Fana rainjacket, printed with a 'traditional' Norwegian knit design, by Norwegian company, Søs Jensen.
2. Long raincoat by Dutch company, Happy Rainy Days.
3. Gold raincoat by Danish designer, Ilse Jacobsen. Ms Jacobsen has designed raincoats in a whole palette of zesty colours, with natural rubber rainboots to match.
4. and 5. Colourblock softshell (water resistant) raincoats again by Ilse Jacobsen. And again, there are many more colours available!

Please note I have no affiliation with these companies, I just admire their rainwear and wish similar items were available locally!

Before and After?

I have a confession to make. I am not particularly skilled with a needle and thread. So it may seem strange to admit that I recently bought a book, 'little bits Quilting Bee' by Kathreen Ricketson. Whilst I genuinely would like to make a patchwork quilt one day, what really appealed to me were the props used in the book's photos. One of my favourites is the mid-century lamp shown in the above left image (taken from the book). I love the simple hourglass shape of the base and the vibrant burst of colour of the shade. After hours scouring the internet I discovered the base was most likely produced by Parker Australia or Parker Knoll. Either way, thanks to some online bidding I am excited to say I will soon have a similar lamp of my very own, albeit one requiring a little TLC to bring it to its potential glory.

What a Flirty Fler!

Today I made a fabulous find - a highback Fler Narvik armchair. These were designed by Fred Lowen for Fler Furniture in the 1960s. The timber colour and styling really complements my Parker armchair from the same era - without being too matchy matchy. Of course the upholstery will need to be updated one day, but for now the chair is totally serviceable.

Now that I have two Australian-designed and manufactured mid-century armchairs, does that make me a collector?

Hello and welcome!

After lurking on other people’s blogs for more hours than I care to admit, it was only a matter of time before I started one of my own. To that end I’ve decided to document my thoughts on things I make, like and do. And maybe I’ll meet some like-minded people along the way.

My personal design aesthetic is evolving, and I'm sure there'll be quite a few posts dedicated to my efforts to decorate my home. Not an easy task when you live with two boisterous boys who love jumping on furniture, and a husband who doesn’t like clutter.

 
To kick things off I've posted a picture of a little brooch I made for an online craft swap. It was made with wool felt and a vintage glass bead. I was so proud that I didn't have to buy any supplies whatsoever - a rare project indeed!