A Little Jane...

Recently my friends and I spent a weekend away at a cottage in Daylesford and I found myself tucked up in a giant four posted bed once again relishing the opening paragraph of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

Marty had graciously pointed out the giant copy of The Complete Works of the Bronte Sisters to me in the op-shop and I quickly snapped it up as a book to keep in the car for my many and varied trips to country Victoria.

But alas I was barely up to the second chapter when my Daylesford weekend came to an end and I found myself longing for another trip away so that I could take up with Jane again and immerse myself in her humble world.  Some time later I had a weekend away at my mums and there she was at last with her terrible orphan years but I was barely introduced to Mr Rochester before the book was out of my hands and tucked under the seat of the Volvo once again.

Which gave me an idea......

 Since Jane Eyre was decidedly my 'away' reading and I was going to be home for a while, why not bring her to life in cloth instead???

So I did.

A black wool cloak seemed the most fitting. Green eyes and brown hair.

I could not bare to give her a black dress as well, I felt she deserved a little bit of colour in her life.

Though somewhat ill-fitting for a character who speaks thus: 

"My habitual mood of humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression, fell damp on the embers of my decaying ire."  

I could not resist the dusk red lining.

She is for sale now at Thread Den's new store on Brunswick St.  Sitting in the front window looking exactly like the clever yet reserved lady of her namesake.

The new store is beautiful and full of gorgeous things and the Thread Den girls have done such a great job with the art deco styling.  You truly must drop in if you are ever passing by 422 Brunswick st Fitzroy.

In the meantime it is the Easter holidays and I am again away with my family and Jane Eyre (the novel) is tucked up just where it should be with me nightly:)

Bon Voyage Pierre...

Where oh where has little Pierre gone?...

Oh where oh where can he be?

Missing: One Frenchman called Pierre.

First Introduced: Here and Here in April 09.

Last Seen: The Greek Islands July 09.

Known For:  Incident at the Parthenon.

Reward: The happiness of a 2 year old.

Pierre (right) pictured here with Fi Fi "just a friend"

 

There can only be 3 explanations for his disappearance:

1. Unzipped bag on plane, parachuted into Turkey, possibly captured by pirates?

2. Under the cloak of invisibility he travelled to London and is now dating Prince Harry?

3. He never left Greece and is currently teaching French to young Greek orphans on
Mykonos by day and working on fishing boats by night?

Or perhaps even a Fourth explanation:

4. Was sent home via post to make extra luggage space and was  Lost by Australia Post and will remain forever in the murky depths of the dead letter office.

I'm quietly betting on possibility number 3.

If you see him, Love him.

Or....Remind him of what home looks like.

Home looks like this:

Pierre how I miss thee.

The Court of Versailles...

I finally went to the Nova to see The September Issue tonight and I absolutely loved it.  The film is a behind the scenes look at the enigmatic personalities that create American Vogue, most notably the legendary Editor in Chief- Anna Wintour.  My favourite scene was when Grace is styling a photo shoot at the Palace of Versailles and is spellbound by the majestic gardens.  Watching her excitment build as she walks through the vast rooms admiring the ornate splendour, reminded me of my own wanderings through the Palace and I have been inspired to share my photos with you.  Such a perfect place to photograph.

 

Opulently constructed in the 17th Century to fulfill King Louis XIV's vision for a new royal court, Versailles is incredibly elaborate and so exquisite in detail.  I love the bust of Marie Antoinette and the king and queen bedrooms respectively (below), the ornate chandeliers, the gardens, oh I love it all.  So totally appealing to my girlish sense of history and romance, life and death, just as any good palace should.

So much to talk about...

Have arrived back in Melbourne at last and my cosy little home is still standing and Kameko the Birman is meowing louder than even I remember. Travelling to Europe is extremely exciting, amazing architecture, galleries, designers, shoes..... I have so much to share with you all. But firstly just wanted to say that we Melbournians are freaking awesome too, especially in the arena of fashion and craft and the wonders of Handmade. Our blogs are being read and loved in the Northern Hemisphere just like in the south, so it is a very exciting time. I am also excited to see that upon my return there is a new Northside Makers Collective which I can't wait to join and a new market for us all to share our crafty passions.

As I was allergic to the internet during my time away (distracted me from time in the sunshine), I have much to catch you up on so will endeavor to devote serious time to that, whilst sewing and running around after my 2.5 year old whose body clock refuses to adjust after flying into the future. So for now I will just share a little with you.

There is a really beautiful Boutique in Paris called Manoush, check out their website the clothes are just ridiculously divine. I love this shirt modelled here by Betty from my favourite fashion blog Le Blog de Betty . Some of the more beautiful clothes in Paris and Spain this summer were in delicate fabrics with lovely frills and buttons. Above knee dresses with large pockets and balloon hems were also very big. It is a wonderful feeling to be wearing new clothes in Paris and picnicing in the Jardin des Tuileries or under the Eiffel with cheese and wine, such a stunning city.

This is one of my favourite dresses from London's eponymous All Saints Spitalfields label. I could easily handle being dressed from head to toe in their amazing clothes. I'm loving their soft leather and fabrics and military style boots and the way they contrast amazingly together. I wore an All Saints dress to a party yesterday and people commented on it all night.

Shopping in the UK gave me so much joy. Toast (above) have some really cute things to suit a Melbourne autumn/winter. Camden market has fantastic affordable vintage as well as anything you could ever possibly imagine. Portabello rd market was so popular on a Saturday morning that I could barely take the stroller through the street. But Spitalfields market was my favourite for handmade.

Photo's courtesy of the very cool Beyond Retro website, it is my dream store where I bought the most fantastic 80's boots made from leather and suede AND corduroy lining. My 3 loves in one boot!

The two awesome UK knitwear and textile designers from Studio Roam make the most divine blankets for little ones using natural and sustainable materials. They also can personalise baby blankets for newborns with name and date of birth using the finest Scottish cashmere. Something that you would truly keep forever.

And lastly in Amsterdam De Sprookjeskamer-Fairytale and Dottie Shop is a little gem of a store that caught my eye from a tram and I had to get off and walk around in circles for a while until I found it again because I'm totally obsessed with polka dots. I bought the little shoes above for my Godchild to dress up in, but would have bought so much more if I had any room left in my case. More of these fabulous things after I have some sleep. Until then....

My Creative Space

Today my Creative Space is a huge mountainous rock on the Greek Island of Kalymnos. It is so absolutely amazing here, beautiful and very peaceful. I woke early and climbed with my french friends and now am utterly exhausted and will spend the rest of my day having siesta, swimming and eating the most divine Kalymnian foods- Octopus, dolmades, mussels, saganaki......
Kalymnos is garnering a name for itself as a rock climbing mecca, but is still a secret from tourists, which is why I favour it. The sea is the most beautiful blue and the sunsets are impossibly wonderous. Time is also a paradox here, the days go slow but the weeks go fast.

I have been Island hopping for almost two months now and what I love most is that the Grecians live life to the fullest at night and also take their children everywhere. Families are always together and the children are allowed to be children. Not reigned in all the time by adult rules. This is important. This is also what I will miss the most when I return to Melbourne where children are in bed by 8 and are rarely seen in restaurents.

I'm not sure rock climbing can be actually deemed 'a creative space' but in the absence of my sewing machine I have to be creative with my creative. Hee Hee
I will try to upload more over the next few weeks but when the beach is calling me, it is hard to think of anything else. x

More Creative Spaces at Kootoyoo