The other day Laly and I went for a wander and picked some dandelions as we strolled.
When we got back home I braided them together to form a crown, pushing the shorter stemmed flowers into the weave as I braided. We didn’t have enough for a full crown so I made it a half crown, attaching it to a torn piece of floral cotton fabric.
Small creations give me such delight at the moment. And to see them enjoyed and appreciated by my little one swells my heart.
xx
photograph by Louis Couttoupes
My cousin Louis took this photo of Laly the other day while visiting us. J’adore. xx
So this post has been a long time coming! I took these photographs at the beginning of the year, with the intention to reveal them at the time of the Little Treasures: Made by Hand book campaign. I suppose this is a great demonstration of slow. blogging. which is a movement I’m all for, along with the handmade movement, not to mention my personal endeavor to launch the curb-consumerism movement.
Would you like a peek into my little girl’s room?
I’ve just posted on the Country Style blog about how I came to decorate Laly’s room, and if you read the mag, you’ll know my latest article (issue November 2013) is all about decorating a child’s room and how I like the idea of making room for their own creativity.
So as much as this room is decorated in these images, it’s all removable and has already begun to evolve as Laly gets into making her own art and collecting her own treasures…
I took the above photo outside on the porch, looking through the window. It’s the only way to show you how everything sits in her room – it’s not a large room, but it’s very comfortable and functional, with a bit of magic and whimsy thrown in…
Beautiful toys handmade and vintage. Dash (the bandit penguin) and Stella (pink dotty moonsheep) I bought from Udder, a favourite online children’s boutique.
You’ll recognise heaps of the handmade items and craft projects in Little Treasures: Made by Hand, so if you’re interested in making some of the things you see in these photos, or finding out where the items came from, then grab yourself a copy of the book (which, in case you’re wondering, was printed and bound right here in Australia using soy based inks and recycled paper). Here are some of my favourite instagram shots taken in Laly’s room over the past 6 months or so…
a stunning collection of New York review books given to Laly by my first and treasured publisher Angela from The Little Bookroom. I can’t wait to read these books to Laly.
Laly just learnt to turn her lamp on and off on the same day she learnt to say “light”. She also loves accessorizing with random headbands she finds in my closet.
starting her art wall
Thank you for all your comments on my last post. Over the years I haven’t regretted opening up here, thanks to you guys. I want to reply to each and every comment as there are so many conversations to be had, but I know it’s not possible.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into Laly’s room. If you’d like to know more about the items featured, head over to the Country Style blog.
xx
…as we walk, as we walk… (quote from here)
Laly and I made this today, then went out into our back lane and collected nature’s treasures. I found the idea here. I used watercolour paints as I love the hues (except I need to work on the deep green, it’s not quite deep-leafy-green enough).
Then I made this one with purples, yellows, dark brown and grey as I found lots of those shades along our wander. The jacarandas are in bloom in Sydney right now and they are spectacular.
xx
Reality:
We’ve had a rough few weeks, Laly was very sick and we went to hospital a couple of times by ambulance (may I just say ambos are awesome – I have always been struck by their amazing strength of character, kindness and warmth). I won’t go into details about the illness but she’s made a full recovery, although sleeps – day and night – have become a roller coaster ride again and we are so *$*%*#ing tired. Last night was a good night! And I felt great after having 7 hours of sleep, so while she took her midday nap I felt like I had the energy to write this post instead of rest. She woke after only 50 minutes, I hadn’t even uploaded the images. I was so angry and frustrated, so tired of the crying. I tried to post this while she played a bit this afternoon but she wouldn’t have it, and I couldn’t make myself stick the the original post idea of just the photos, revealing only all the loveliness and ‘ease’ of the project, when in reality in trying to post about it took hours along with many tantrums (from both Laly and I) .
One thing that is frustrating me the most lately is seeing mum-bloggers post and post and post on an almost daily basis, with nothing but whimsy and love and everything rosy. Are their lives really like this? How do they find the time to blog about it? If not, I want to know. I want to know the truth. I long to know the truth. One of the things I love most about my friend Louise’s posts (52 suburbs) composed while travelling around the world is that at the end of each post she gave us a glimpse into the reality of her adventures taking her daughter Coco from country to country. What I love about artisan Eva from tinctory is that she tries to start making her beautiful silk pieces again but then has to stop because things change at home. She says so. And on the side of her blog she mentions that she looks after her daughter full time: thank you Eva for telling it like it is. I want more and more for people to tell it like it is. Since becoming a mum, I’ve never wanted for more than to find the truth, be the truth, remove the rosy layers built up over time. I don’t know if any of you feel the same, and perhaps hesitate to blog because there seems to be so many other women out there doing a better job at, well, everything. I’m going to be even more open here in the (blog)house than I have been in the past, if only for the people out there who are like me and need to know that life behind the scenes is far from rosy. x
