beach christmas

Can you believe it's nearly that time of year again? .. 
The years are flying by waaay too quickly.

I've been getting organised in my etsy shop and have even done some Christmas shopping, early for a change. Hopefully being prepared will take the stress out of the silly season.

 A natural, white coastal Christmas inspired by the colours of the beach.

Natural gift tags that can also be used as place cards on a Christmas table or as simple decorations on a tree. 
The starfish and anchor cards could be used year round.. 

Here's a simple wrapping idea for someone special.. Brown craft paper wrapping, a paper doily, striped and white ribbon with a single shell tied to the top.

Handmade shell decoration.. I like the contrast of driftwood and white against a chalkboard.

Have you thought about Christmas?

coastal collages

Making collages with my favourite things.. driftwood, shells, vintage books, white flowers, crochet, sea glass and natural finds.

Getting ready for Christmas with a driftwood tree. The people from Bespoke magazine Australia are going to feature this in November, after seeing it on etsy this weekend (:

Sailing away with beach finds and recycled materials. I found the driftwood, sea glass and shells at the beach and the vintage button portholes are from my grandmother's button collection. The blue and white fabric is leftover from the Christmas stockings I made last year.

Have a great week!

rustic signs and beach finds

It's amazing how much fun you can have with some bits of recycled timber and simple finds from the beach. We've had some lovely old weatherboards leaning against the laundry wall for a while ages.. someone wanted to chuck them out but I knew they'd come in handy one day (;

There's nothing like the rustic beauty of old wood, weathered and worn with interesting layers of old paint. The builder of the family cut them to size for me and I've been adding some more layers of paint in beachy colours I mixed.
I attacked them with a sander and enjoyed watching the layers of colour coming through. I recently bought myself some good quality alphabet stamps to add some simple messages to live by. 

The sea glass, sea pottery and shell finds have been put to use and I'm in the middle of making some larger pictures I will show you later.

They stand on a shelf or can be blue tacked to a door or wall.

Have a great week & remember to enter the Reclaim Prints GIVEAWAY drawn this Wednesday!

Spring GIVEAWAY

I've been searching for a cushion like this for ages and finally found one on Etsy. Inspired by a vintage sea salt sack, I love the vintage look and French seaside style.  

In a world ruled by large corporations, it's reassuring to know there are places like Etsy. A site where individual artists and crafters are able to sell their creations directly to the buyer in a supportive community.

Kim of Reclaim Prints makes these gorgeous cushion covers in Melbourne Australia. I'll hand you over to her to tell you about the inspiration behind her Etsy shop.

l've been screen printing for two years, after I completed a 2 day course, and just fell in love with it.

I love vintage illustrations and wanted to give them new life and an opportunity to share with others. l decided on a shop, because there was only so many screen printed presents l could make for myself and give away as presents.

l've been inspired by lots of blogs, so many talented people out there, and l love the idea of printing on canvas drop cloth, it gives a real rustic texture and look to all the items l've made, and they're so easy to care for, just throw them in the wash, no need to be precious, you don't even have to iron, it just gives them more character.

Kim has very kindly offered this aqua printed Sel de Mer cushion cover for a GIVEAWAY on my blog. Now I can't decide which one I love more.


TO ENTER:

Leave a comment.

Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest or your blog. Every share is an extra entry.

Worldwide entries welcome.

The winner will be drawn by Random Org on 18th September.


GOOD LUCK!

ReclaimPrints

like Kim's facebook page here

winter giveaway

I thought it was time for another giveaway just to say thanks to everyone for following along. Whether you follow by email, facebook, instagram, pinterest you're all welcome to enter.

Up for grabs.. a $30 voucher to choose your own prize in my etsy shop.

To enter

1. Become a follower if you're not already
2. Share this giveaway as many ways as you like, every share is an extra entry
3. Leave a comment

GOOD LUCK!

The winner will be drawn by Random Org this time next week.

cavallini sealife and pottery barn

After some requests via etsy I framed the rest of the Cavallini sealife prints I made from a calendar. You might remember the post I did about it a few years back here. It took a while to measure and cut them to size. I used simple white wooden frames with a perspex front that look like glass. It makes them a lot safer for posting.

Excuse the not so great photography. We live in a south facing apartment where it's not easy to get a good indoor shot at this time of year. Nice and cool in summer though.

The mercury glass mason jar and candle holders were a purchase from the new Pottery Barn in Bondi Junction, which is on one of my regular shopping tracks close to where we live. I recognised the style from lots of American blogs I admire. 
It's great to have some exciting new stores in the area but I worry about the effect on small business. Let's all make sure we get behind them and help stop the world being taken over by large corporations.

I love the mix of silver, shells and candlelight with the French antique prints on our mantel.

The prints will be listed in my shop in the next few days if anyone is interested.



A few overdue thankyous to make..

Thanks so much Carol Art and Sand blog, for the gorgeous handpainted pillow I won in a giveaway 

Leana shared some of my photos and shop on her amazing blog Coconut Lemon and Lime  Thanks!

& thanks Cas from the lovely
Peaches and Maple blog for a blog award

Cheryl

x

giveaway

I thought it was time for another giveaway.. just in time for Mothers' Day or a treat for yourself.

The winner will receive a $30 jewellery voucher to spend in my Etsy shop. 

TO ENTER:

• Leave a comment 
• Become a follower on Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Instagram if you're not already
• Share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest and / or Instagram
• Every follow and share is an extra entry
• Overseas entries most welcome
• The winner will be drawn by Random Org same time next week

GOOD LUCK!

Cheryl

x

shipwrecked

I haven't been doing anything on the home front, but I have been busy working on some wooden homewares and jewellery. 
With the help of the carpenter of the house I made some pieces using driftwood, natural and recycled materials. 
Weathered and faded .. shipwrecked on an island or a deserted part of the coast. 

A bit bohemian.. even this crocheted dress is recycled. A great find of Sophie's in a 2nd hand stall at the markets. It goes so well with the white shell necklace, bracelets and shell crown.

I was planning on selling this driftwood jewellery hanger, but it's so useful for storage, I think I'll be keeping this one. We found the driftwood and have been looking forward to making something with it. I'll be making more similar soon.

Recycled wood tiles with a weathered sea green or white paint finish, shells or starfish.

Who would you like to be shipwrecked on a deserted island with??

mermaid crown

see it here

happy weekend!