Colorful african was prints... part 2

Some more photos of beautiful fabrics found online...

 Wondering where part 1 is? here.

kids craft

Tahi and I have been crafting at home, using old magazine covers and pages. I found a cool origami book at the library, and we made this cool crocodile out of it. I've tried quite a few kids activities type books now, and made a variety of stuff with Tahi including robots, planes, kites... and this book was one of the best in the sense that the project actually worked, looked good and was fun to make, easy for a 4 year old to follow and not too lengthy or complicated to make. We also tried other projects from the same book and they all came out great.

And the most exciting for me was that I finally got round to making our own glue. It worked a treat and I'm never buying any glue again (mark my words).

Source: sustainableecho.com via Natacha on Pinterest

I really like to liven up our living space with flowers, and Josh's mum's garden has got so many beautiful colors I couldn't resist bringing some inside...

Of books and inspiration

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I love libraries. They are such a great source of inspiration, I could spend hours browsing, pulling books from shelves and flicking through the pages, checking out titles on the spines of others (that was before I had kids, now I'll be lucky if I can escape for 1mn from the kids' section and squeeze a book on Tahi's library card (I lost mine, long story)).
So often I've come across a book that touched on a subject I've wanted to explore, or that had amazing pictures. There are so many or my wish list (hint hint).
Gisborne has got an amazing library and Wellington is also up there in the list of cool libraries Tahi and I like to hang out in. Here are a few of the recent "scores" (anyone ever wish the computer systems broke down?), maybe you'll be inspired too!

A beautiful book about african textile patterns. This one is for the eyes and it's a feast. There is also a great little blurb about the meaning of some particular prints too. AND it comes with a CD.

And then a book called "1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse".

This book I found at our local library in Gizzy. Went straight to my wish list.

 Awesome right? This book has been hugely inspiring. It's convinced me there is a real potential for upcycled clothing and motivated me to keep exploring this trend further.

And while we're at it, here's another book on my wishlist (because you can never have too many, hehe).

The upcycled knit poncho

Have you checked my shop lately? I've been updating it lately, adding lots of new items, including my latest design: the tee shirt dress.

Of course I also end up browsing quite a bit too. And adding some items to my favorites. Like this woolen knit cardigan by Idea2lifestyle (if I could I'd buy half her shop). I was very tempted to buy. 
Then I thought I should try to replicate it first. So I grabbed a couple of woolen tops I had lying around in the workshop (I do need to get rid of some fabrics) and tada, here's the result. I was pretty happy with how it came out, not so sure about the contrast in colors but got used to it in the end and it does add an interesting twist to my wardrobe. It's not even a week later and I'm wearing it most days.

Giveaway winners

Well, no contest here,one entry for two prizes... Well done Angelina, you even get to choose the color you want!
On another note, who can guess what plant produces these flowers?

More photos of the kitchen

Because we can't get enough. The previous photos didn't show Josh cool tile job either. Oh, and also a photo of the bathroom (with a vanity, yeah!).

Remember to enter the giveaway!