rose hip

big sky...

                                                                ...at Big White, British Columbia, where the views were spectacular and the sking fabulous! Take a look -

What would a holiday be without a little bit of craftiness?!... The last time I went to Big White, I taught myself how to crochet; this time, I thought I would try to hook a doll -- she still needs a face and some clothes as my children keep reminding me...

On our way home, I couldn't resist a quick dash through a local thrift store where I found a charming floral painting and, very fittingly, vintage postcards of the Canadian Rockies and little Polish dolls dressed in tradional costumes from the mountainous region of Zakopane, Poland!

                                                                                                                              Now, 'must face my pile...

off shussing....

                                                            ...for the next little while on some of the best snow in British Columbia... 'Hope to show you some photos of how great the skiing can be around here when I'm back -- for now though, more pink and red in these shots of a ruffle skirt for girls I put together this week -

 

 

(P.S. Thanks Emira for your sweet mention of my heart sachets!)                              

yodel-odel-odel-aaee!...

...off to school I go again, to my daughter's 5th grade class, with a basketful of bright felts, emboidery floss, needles, scissors and a touch of lavender to make Valentine heart sachets like the ones below -   

 

 

 

 

 

(I think I still have cuckoo clocks on my mind  'cause don't those hearts look a tad Tyrolean?!...)

Like last time, the children were very eager; I gave them the option of gluing the flowers onto the heart or sewing them on and they all opted for the latter! I also made little portrait tags to tie onto their sachets by printing their photos onto fabric. Take a look at their wonderful creations -

                                  
    'Hope you're all celebrating Valentine's Day with lots of sweet             chocolate, kisses and hugs...

 

the year of the pig...

...ushered in with this banner --well, kinda -- Molly asked me if I could come up with a banner for her shop's window display to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year (Feb. 18), always a big event in Vancouver given its strong and vibrant Chinese community. I immediately thought of using one of my favourite fabrics,  the red plum blossom print from Alexander Henry's Indochine collection and then, after playing around with several fabric combinations, decided on two other fabrics: a thrifted gold mesh-like fabric and a striped pink and grey cotton overlayed by a wonderful flocked organza (now this overlaying bit was a lot of fun!). What do you think... will it fly as a decoration for next week's Chinese festivities?

tin scoop...

                                           

                                                                 Kim posted photos today of a very lovely old biscuit tin she found this week when she quickly ran into a thrift shop, so I thought I would also show you my vintage scoop of the week...yup, it's a biscuit tin -- aren't the colors great?!...