The Arts & Crafts Movement

I was interested to learn that The Arts & Crafts movement is celebrating 150 years since its beginnings when William Morris founded Morris & Co in 1861. The March issue of Country Life (British Edition) includes an inspiring article titled "The Art of Craft" which pays tribute to William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement. According to the article William Morris "set out to champion craftsmanship and quality in design, something that was waning in the wake of industrialisation".
William Morris famously said "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful". I like that sentiment.............
In our times it is wonderful to see an increasing number of artistians and craftsmen incorporating old & ancient skills with modern technology to produce a wonderful range of hand made items.

I've included some images that depict the Arts & Crafts movement................



In 2009 I visited the William Morris Gallery in the outer London suburb Walthamstowe. William Morris lived in this house in his younger day. In recent times it has been established as a gallery devoted to William Morris displaying a collection illustrating his life, achievements & influence. If you are interested in the Arts & Crafts movement and are ever in London it is worth a visit.

Of special interest is William Morris's Australian connection - the Art Gallery of South Australia has one of the biggest collections of William Morris's work outside of the UK.

Enough of my ramblings about the Arts & Crafts movement........................today is Good Friday, so I hope you all enjoy a happy, safe & renewing Easter time. K

Vintage Finds....

Recently I've been perusing the growing number of eclectic shops in the Surry Hills suburb of Sydney, selling a wonderful & diverse range of vintage goods. My major find was this vintage Australian made factory mannequin from the 1930's - 1940s. I purchased it from David Met Nicole, a wonderful shop in Cleveland St Surry Hills selling a wide range of unusual & eclectic items. http://www.davidmetnicole.com/

The mannequin has already found its place in my new home in the Hunter Valley. It's standing in my Studio wearing my grandmother's wedding dress.

The mannequin provides an ideal display piece for this beautiful dress which my grandmother Margaret Ellen Hogan wore for her marriage to George Ryan in August 1912. Overall the dress is in wonderful condition given it is nearly 100 years since it was made. I just love the lace on the bodice and sleeves. 

Planning & packing for my move to the Hunter is underway and the removalist has been booked for May 2nd!!
Stay posted........ K

On the Verge of the Next Adventure........

Dear Reader, I'm excited to report that my Sydney apartment has been sold, the contracts exchanged on Friday! This was a wonderful result given it sold within a few day of going on the market......  Isn't that signboard with the SOLD sign in place a wonderful sight??????

Needless to say I'm very excited & looking forward to time for creative endeavours, decorating my new home, some travel & other life adventures.

To excite my creative juices I spent this morning roaming around the Kirribilli Art & Design Markets which are held on the second Sunday of the month. The market has a vibrant atmosphere with a designers & artisans selling a wide range of goods including clothing, jewellery, art work, fashion & homeware accessories. Great food is on sale to be enjoyed listening to live music! A visit is highly recommended - see their website for more info: http://www.kncsydney.org/index.php?content=artdesignmarket.html

Stay posted for news! K

Early Morning Inspiration....

Yesterday I enjoyed an early morning walk along the Cremorne Point Foreshore Reserve - a 3 km walk along the Sydney harbour foreshore from Cremorne to Mosman offering spectacular views from North Sydney to the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Sydney city skyline, Woolloomooloo Bay, Fort Denison and other Sydney landmarks. This is a beautiful walk on any day however on this autumn morning the early morning light was dancing through gaps in tree foliage and the sweet perfume of orange blossom filled the air.

The walk must surely offer some of the best views in the world...... spectacular panaromas of Sydney, yachts moored in Mosman Bay , ferries passing by taking people to work in the city or maybe tourists beginning a day of sight seeing with a relaxing ferry trip across Sydney Harbour. And there's more.......the reserve also offers the opportunity for a swim in the salt-water MacCallum pool with the city skyline as a backdrop. This pool has been used by local families for around 100 years.

For those Sydney siders & others who not able to enjoy the walk in person I took a few photos along the way for your enjoyment.......................

Spectacular panoramas of Sydney......

Yachts moored in Shell Cove .............

The MacCallum pool - imagine enjoying a swim on a hot day with these spectacular view in sight.......

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I'm sure you will agree that the reserve is a credit to those who care for it including Bush Care & the local council staff.  Until the next blog........ K

PS: Fingers crossed - my Sydney apartment is just about sold........ More news tomorrow!



A Note from the Hunter

Greetings from the Hunter Valley........

Since the last post I've had a few small adventures. Last week I visited Material Obsession's new shop at Drummoyne. http://www.materialobsession.typepad.com/  I had been eager to visit and it certainly didn't disappoint.............. As ever Kathy & the girls from Material Obsession have styled & decorated the shop beautifully. It is a glorious riot of colour & creativity - delicious fabrics, patterns, cottons, a range of rugs designed by Kaffe Fassett (I may indulge myself & buy one!!), and many other embellishments. Some small puchases were made to add to my treasure trove of fabrics & other items I plan to "DO" something with one day!! The purchases included a couple of pieces from the Domestic Diva range by Emily Taylor & some perle cotton to add to my extensive stash.................

A spin off to my visit to MO was a visit to Birkenhead Point for the very first time. Yes I know many commited shoppers out there will wonder why .........but there it is!

Currently I am in the Hunter Valley staying with my lovely sister Trish at her delightful abode in Stanley Close......  During the visit I've been busy preparing my new home for my move to the Hunter - this week I'm looking forward  to wardrobes being fitted out and the installation of new blinds. Today I indulged myself with the purchase of a glorious bespoke chair from Freedom - the chair is called Threadneedle. Covered in very colourful patchwork fabric it's just "sew" hot that I couldn't resist. Isn't it beautiful.......

Tomorrow its back to the mundane tasks of grass mowing & gardening (mostly removing weeds)!!
Finally dear reader, please keep your fingers crossed as I may have a buyer for my Sydney apartment - how exciting!! I'll keep you updated as events emerge.......................

Until the next installment,  K

A Creative Interlude......

Greetings from Sydney on a glorious autumn afternoon! In recent days I've been busy preparing my lovely Sydney unit for sale. Have been attending all the usual tasks you do in order to attract the best price - cleaning cupboards, windows & blinds; reading the real estate section in the newspapers & on the web; and of course meeting real estate agents to discuss the sale process etc!!!  Today I've given myself some brief respite and turned to my trusty sewing machine and my embroidery cottons!

Some time ago I purchased this gorgeous hand printed embroidery panel from the very creative ladies at Prints Charming and have set about embellishing it myself! This is the progress so far......

The panel is nearly finished but I think I'll add a little more embellishment before I turn it into a lovely small cushion to grace my new home...............

Just indulge me a moment longer as I share with you photos of the bookends I made when I attended the Wonderful Workshops in Jaipur, India in January. http://www.wonderfulworkshops.org/  A wonderfully creative range of workshops are offered & I did the "Sparkling Surfaces". I titled the bookends "Sydney Harbour meets the Pink City" - Jaipur is known as the pink city. Made to my own design they are embellished using glass beads, coloured & mirrored glass, and of course the trusty glitter which fills in the gaps (could read mistakes!!) - the glitter also adds that final touch of "sparkle". The materials are set into a resin base. The bookends were a gift for my dear sister Bernadette who enjoys reading & is using them to embellish her library of books.

Enough news from the creative interlude......... Until the next post, K

Cruising the Highway......

And so my journey continues.........having lived in Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane & other places during the years of my working life (currently Sydney), for this next stage of my life I have decided to make my home in the lovely Hunter Valley of NSW.  To this end, in recent months I've been cruising up & down the freeway which links Sydney to the Hunter.........where I found this lovely little duplex/semi-detached cottage. Located about a 2hr drive north of Sydney it is close to Newcastle & the wonderful Hunter Valley vineyards! I took possession of the cottage on 10th February and have set about the delightful task of making it my own! Following is a photo of my new home & also one from the local rural area..........

Next task is selling my home in Sydney..............  In recent days I've been in the Hunter but I'm back home in Sydney now - creative projects & other adventures are on hold for the time being as I apply myself to task of preparing my unit for sale!!!

Until the the next blog all good wishes, K