Handmade Market this weekend!

Keeping busy as always with new fabulous pieces for Handmade Market, on this weekend for 2 huge days. If you are in town for Floriade, then make sure you come and see this market too it's massive and fabulous!

Here's a preview of what I'll have on offer...

And I'm working on more pieces this week, so make sure you don't miss out!
See you there, xx

Frocktober 23: Sunday Sunday

I've had the fabulous pleasure of assembling  part 1 of 4 of my new wardrobe: The Shoe Display! Looks like I'll be needing some more shelves for this baby, the handbags are going at the top.

Sadly I'll have to wait at least 2 weeks before I can look at assembling the rest of it, but here's a little sneaky peek at what I'm thinking for our complete bedroom makeover...

Dark slate walls, white sheers, white bedding, white wardrobe, plus pops of colour everywhere. But that's all maybe 2 months before it will all be done... oooh, I can't wait!

Designing: my bathroom

Putting together a few ideas for our bathroom renovation...

It'll be black and white with a few pops of colour, and a little bit urban and fabulous. 

We're also squeezing an ensuite in and re-arranging spaces and doorways and re-working the inefficient 1969 main wardrobe... interesting times ahead, I can't wait to put my ideas into practice.

It's raining curtains

A wonderful, mammoth order of my fabric designs arrived yesterday, and the first project off the ranks... a set of fabulous curtains for little Hugo's room. Finally replacing the hastily purchased and long since broken roman blinds, these ones make the room feel complete. Loving...

My Raindrops design in Sea is available to purchase on Spoonflower right here.

And stay tuned for more fabulous rescued chairs - in T&J fabric designs... I can't wait to get stuck into them!

Her Canberra feature: She's Got Style

Tres glamourous... a feature today at HerCanberra.com.au, an online magazine for Canberra women, by Canberra women , with contributors including social commentators, culinary whizzes, a home & style guru, health & fitness experts, movie buffs…and they’re all amazingly talented local women.

Make sure you visit and have a read of the most fabulous words ever written about moi, and for a tour of my home... and they even spill the beans on the amazing news I alluded to a couple of posts ago! (squeeee!).

A most exotic thank you to friend, creative equal, and super stylish Barb Fisher for the feature and articulate and kind words.

Follow the link to HerCanberra above for even more fabulousness, updated daily. xx

Lounge room re-designed

I've been making a few changes and re-designing parts of my house lately. In the lounge room the colour scheme we painted 8 years ago was really tired and my growing little boys had out grown the legroom at the flower coffee table (see it here), so changes needed to be made.

So, gone is the deep plum feature wall (which appeared in Home Beautiful Magazine) replaced with all around soft baby blue/green which makes the white trim and furniture seem so new and fresh and seems to change the dimensions of the space.

To add some sass to all the softness, I've added some bold black and white elements which I hope, lead the eye away from the TV when it's off. The curtain panels are my own fabric design, available here, and the rug is a freshly stencilled DIY I finished a couple of days ago (lots of masking tape and patience!). The table is a thrifted find on an online auction site, to which we added castors for mobility and to bring it up to the perfect height.

The little chairs have been recovered with some fresh - and hardy fabric, as has my fave chair in the corner (you might remember this one), and a few splashes of colour in the artworks and coat rack (with a nod to Arthur Stace) and we have a fresh new look I'm loving.

Below: This is what you see when you walk into the room... before and after (click to see it larger)...

Ahh, feels like summer! xxx

Shop Handmade is open!

My very first foray into retail design... And how glorious the results...

Do come and see for yourself! Shop Handmade features handmade local artisans and designers, and is at 20 Allara Street, City Walk, Canberra.
Divine! xxx

Handmade Love

Awww, I'm totally blushing at this amazing article penned by friend and author Tania McCartney on the Handmade Market blog. Awesome, thank you!!!

So, with the market only a week-and-a-half away, I've been busy making more jewellery, cushions, lamps and more to knock everyone's socks off!

Check out the Handmade Market on Sunday March 28th at a new glamour location, The Devine Function rooms at Kamberra Winery (near EPIC), and make sure you come and find me!

Now, there is also something else I've been working on, a most wonderful development for all of the fabulous Handmade designers of Canberra... a retail space in the city, Shop Handmade. Check out the inspiration for the decor here, it's going to be a slice of Handmade heaven!

Road side wreck to GORGEOUS!

I found a sad little broken up kids lounge chair while walking my pooch the other day, looking decidedly worse for wear, the ugly "upholstery" was torn and faded and the seat completely broken: I saw a challenge and a clear vision...

Above: BEFORE
Below: AFTER!

I kept the old fabric underneath and covered it over with a heavy weight cotton print fabric from Ikea, starting around the back and sides, then folding it neatly over the arms, and a seperate panel at the front. Then I replaced the broken seat base (wood), re-upholstered it and fixed it all in place. It was a fairly simple operation in the end - and the staple gun is my best friend!!

I'm pretty happy with this result and Hugo is well pleased to have this added to his pretty cool room!

A couple of things for the market...

Nina's been one busy mamma for a while and here's a few reasons why...
I have been making cushions, covering and colouring lamps and styling them up ready to serve to Canberra's Handmade Market this Saturday (at Canberra's Albert Hall). Preparations appear to be complete... so may I introduce Tango & James nest Autumn 2009...

If you are in town, please stop by the market and say hello - I'll be up on the stage inside the hall... can't wait!

Love Nina xxx