A small bite of mondocherry

weekend...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:26:00 +0000

It has been a cold and rainy day here in Melbourne, with more rain forecast for the weekend. Perfect weather for curling up in bed with a cuppa and a good book. However, we've got lots of work to do so there will be no napping for us... luckily we'll be creating with some bright and cheery colours which will distract us from the dreary weather!

Hope your weekend is wonderful :) If you live in Sydney, be sure to pop into the city's biggest community artshow, ViEW Exhibits, at St Ignatius College to see a selection of our artworks.

a surprising use for stylish socks...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:42:00 +0000

You know you are just a little crazy when you spend an afternoon cutting up brand new socks, which is what we did today! There was method behind our madness though.... You see, we have been big fans of the knitted cups, vases and beakers that have been around the design scene for a while now, but since we can't knit to save our lives we thought we would try a cheats version using socks. It couldn't be easier to simply stretch a sock over a vase, cut off the excess and gather the bottom together. We loved these pretty socks from Cotton On Kids, but there is a sock out there to match almost any decor - Spots would be cute or you could go for a selection of chunky neutrals.

We simply gathered the cut socks roughly with a needle and thread which helped it the vase to stand straight.

nb. for clean socks only! Let us know if you have a try!

fabulous felt...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:19:00 +0000

I popped over the road on Friday to visit a lovely friend who has recently had a baby girl. It was so wonderful to have a cuddle of a newborn again - I just love it when babies are so 'freshly cooked' that they are all sniffly and snuffly and nestle into your neck! I thought I would take over a gift for adorable Madeline who is finding out just what it is like to be a new big sister, and so I took a box of some felt food for tea parties, shops or cooking play. I find hand stitching these little felt treats so relaxing, felt is such an undemanding material to work with.

What craft do you find most relaxing?

colour makes us happy...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:24:00 +0000

We have had such a productive working day in our studio room creating an extra large artwork for our bouquet range. Made from recycled vintage children's books, this piece has been such a pleasure to work with because of the beautiful colours involved. Yellow certainly makes us happy!

Some last minute tweaking before framing!

a colourful trip of a lifetime...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:21:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we went trekking in Nepal. My husband was beside himself with excitement because to him the word 'holiday' is synonymous with 'walking steeply uphill' and he has wanted to see Everest forever. Living in Dubai is not the best training ground for walking at altitude but after pouring over different routes (I leave this planning stage to him as he loves it) we decided to try a 10 day consecutive round walk in the Everest ranges with our chief objective being Ama Dablam base camp (only 4570m!). We also spent a couple of days in Kathmandu at the beginning and end.

It was an amazing time, and much to our immense satisfaction we managed to do everything we'd planned.
We took a small pocket sized camera each and when we got home to Dubai and downloaded our photos they were laughably different. G's were almost almost entirely stunning shots of mountains from every direction, some with clear blue skies in the morning and others draped in the eerie mist that came down most afternoons. He had a few of the paths we took and rope bridges but 90% mountains. Mine, on the other hand , were mostly wild flowers, birds, people, buildings and of course some of the gorgeous fabrics we saw. Here are a colourful selection...

A fabric shop in Kathmandu - I didn't buy anything but had such fun looking.

Some of the beautiful Nepali woven fabric that I saw everywhere - cushions in hotels rooms, place mats in restaurants, hats worn by old (well, probably my age!) men.

A gorgeous, helpful and courteous girl from one of the stopover lodges.

The hotels in Kathmandu had such interesting furniture. The colours and design on this piece was just beautiful.

While Mum was selling flower garlands at the Hindu temple this little girl was playing games on a mobile phone - you can't escape technology no matter where you are in the world!

There were endless pashmina shops at the markets. I wish I had bought a Yak wool blanket from the same shop... there is always one item you should have bought but didn't when you take a trip isn't there?

We took some Pringles, muesli bars etc with us to Nepal in case we needed a snack, only to find exactly same products selling in tiny little stores (this cupboard was the entire shop) miles and miles from anywhere.

Posing for photos at a Hindu temple in Kathmandu.

with much love...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:00:00 +0000

A very Happy Mother's Day to our amazing Mum and wonderful Mother-in-laws. We are so very blessed to have you in our lives, and wish we could be there to give you a big hug and tell you how thankful we are for all you have done for us and how much we love you.

Wishing all you Mums a very happy day - we hope you get spoilt rotten!

framing my children's art...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:50:00 +0000

I love having my children's art on display and so have recently framed up four special pieces to hang in the playroom. The beautiful colours tie in perfectly with my collection of old Enid Blytons and the bits and pieces from the 'home corner', and they are making me smile every time I walk past. Children's drawings are just so precious and the things they love to draw changes so quickly - it might be super long hair for a few weeks, then massive eyelashes to rival any diva, or hands with big balls on the end, followed by super long fingers for a while! All totally fab!

Have a great weekend.

Harvey's Lego party...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:47:00 +0000

Over the weekend we celebrated my son, Harvey's 6th birthday with a Lego themed party. Harvey, like many boys his age, is absolutely Lego mad and designing a party around this theme was such fun and wonderfully colourful!

As the guests arrived one by one they sat at the play table to design and build a Lego car that was used in the first game - a car race down a ramp. It is always a good idea with this age group to have an activity planned which occupies them until the final guest has arrived, and keeps them occupied until the real games begin.

Other games included sucking up pieces of Lego on the end of a straw and into a container ( this one proved quite challenging! ), Lego man and spoon race, duplo throw into buckets, pin the Lego symbol onto the Lego man, pass the parcel and the four corners game. I had a running sheet with the games listed with a few extra up my sleeve in case their were needed!

As it was an afternoon party, I kept the food fairly simple, Lego sandwiches, Lego cupcakes, popcorn in Lego coloured boxes, fruit etc. The food side of things is not really my speciality. I can 'make' but I can't 'bake' ! That being said, I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband who makes all the birthday cakes in our family. He did a fantastic job creating two Lego brick cakes which Harvey was absolutely thrilled with.

I made the take home bags using bright shiny gift bags in the Lego colours and then cut out some 'lego bricks' from card, using round circles with raised foam sticky dots to decorate. I also used this technique for the bunting. Plastic plates and paper straws in bright Lego colours were used. The big yellow Lego sorter made an eye catching centrepiece and clear vases of Lego added to the colourful decorations.

Parties at home often require a lot of effort and planning and can certainly be messy and exhausting. However we all had such a great time and most importantly Harvey loved it...and at least we have a year before we do it all again!

red and pink is pretty we think...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:12:00 +0000

We know that red and pink together are not everyone's cup of tea, but we adore this combination, especially when freshened up with white. The addition of a bit of red seems to toughen up the very girly pink, while the pretty pink softens the very bold red. Obviously this combo is best in smallish doses but when used correctly it is totally stunning.

One of our latest artworks inspired by our love for this colour combination.

a busy weekend...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Fri, 04 May 2012 07:11:00 +0000

Hooray, it's Friday! We have a super busy weekend planned including holding a Lego party for Joy's son, Harvey. Joy's dining room is packed full of primary colours in preparation and we tweaked a few last minute ideas this morning, including working out the table setting above. More photos next week...

Hope your weekend is full of fun too!

keeping it on show...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:29:00 +0000

I love the idea of having everything tucked away in cupboards but know that I am the sort of person who only remembers to use things if they are in sight. I only ever take my multivitamins when I leave them next to the coffee machine, I forget to use my pretty platters if they are hidden away at the time I am frantically plating up dinner, and I only remember to spray on my perfume if it is on my dresser. This need to have things on show in order to use them is especially true of necklaces. When we lived in our own home, I nailed in a row of hooks on my bedroom wall, just next to the door so I could grab one on the way out. But since we moved into this rental home in Melbourne I have been searching for a place to hang them that didn't involve creating holes in walls. I toyed briefly with using 3M hooks but they aren't the prettiest things and so weren't going to tick the 'attractive' box, although they are wonderful for hanging pictures and photos. And so my necklaces were lying unused and tangled in a drawer until a clean-up in the garden revealed an old rake that my husband was going to throw in the skip. Inspired by this photo I had seen on pinterest, I simply cleaned it up a bit, removed the handle and hung it from the picture rail with wire. The tines are just the right angle for hanging my necklaces (colour-coded of course), I love the contrast between the old, peeling paint and the costume jewellery, and it was totally free...perfect!

diy 'dipped' vases...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 01:19:00 +0000

I am loving the dipped look that is being seen in furniture and other homewares at the moment and thought I would give it a go with some plain white vases and scratched bowls that I had lying around.

The first step is to wipe clean the vases/ bowls and ensure they are dry before starting. I bought some enamel paints from my local hobby/craft shop which included an enamel surface conditioner as well as a clear gloss glaze for a top coat.

I taped around my vases for a clean edge and then applied the enamel surface conditioner with a dry brush. When air dried, I painted the bottom section of my vases with the enamel paint and left to dry overnight. Then I removed the tape carefully and voila! I skipped the top coat but if you are planning on using your painted items in a microwave or oven this step is a necessity. I didn't bother as mine are solely for decorating purposes.

I am really happy with the result and they look so pretty on my hall table grouped together - I am using the bowl for my keys. Now I just need to resist painting all my other white objects as this is seriously addictive!

Niki's house tour - part 2...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:13:00 +0000

Time to show you some more from inside Niki's house - this time daughter Kayla's delightful and very personal bedroom. Nothing is too precious to be touched, used or played with, and everything has a wonderful story to tell.

Niki found the dollshouse on the side of the road and she and her daughter have had fun decorating it together.

Pretty cushions in favourite fabrics make for a comfortable bed.

Love the quilt Niki sewed using Liberty of London fabrics combined with vintage linens.

Niki's old Cabbage Patch Kid has survived the years to be handed down to her daughter. Vintage linens make pretty blankets.

Love this old chair with the handmade quilt and softie.

A mondocherry lampshade (coming to our website soon!) on an old desk found by Niki's friend Kelly on the side of the road. Pretty doily bunting too.

Niki searched for an old wooden box to paint up like an expensive antique she had once seen. To see what the box looked like before visit Niki's blog

So many gorgeous things - beautiful dress sewn by Kayla's Grandma on a driftwood hook, piles of old fabrics collected to use in free play (they make a great cubby, cape or dolly wrap), linen love embroidery hoop created by Niki, pretty bird hanging form the door handle gives a taste of what's inside, much loved soft toys dressed in hand knitted clothes by Grandma (one talented lady!), spray painted wire lampshade, close up of inside a room in the dollshouse, fabric play-stove with pretty button dials.

If you missed the first installment of Niki's beautiful home, read all about it here.

mondocherry in vogue living...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:49:00 +0000

The photo above is a page from this month's Vogue Living - the two gorgeous girls are Michelle and Jacqui from Frankie and Swiss, the boutique textile company we use for our fabric designs. The cushions, fabric drop and artwork forming the backdrop is all mondocherry....eeekkk! So incredibly exciting. We design our fabric range to complement our artworks and the girls do a wonderful job helping us get the colours just right and printing out samples to see what looks best. Congrats to Michelle and Jacqui for the feature in such a highly regarded magazine - we couldn't be happier for you and thanks so much for all your support.

Here is the artwork featured in Vogue Living. It is created from hundreds of tiny handcut hearts and it certainly packs a punch with its colour! This artwork will be included in our next online collection coming soon. Email us for details in the meantime. We also make this design in other colourways, including white and black, all of which are equally eye-catching.

Our petal cushion in watermelon red. Click here to purchase...

Other artworks from our carnival bights collection coming soon to our website...

ta-da!

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:45:00 +0000

We are thrilled to announce that we have (finally!) launched our new website with some fresh new products and a brand new look. Our first collection (hedgerow collection) contains our very latest 3d vintage bouquet artwork as well as some co-ordinating favourites such as our Liberty of London button artworks and a 3d blossom heart artwork. All our designs are unified by their fresh white framing enabling them to stand alone or work together. We will be changing our collections regularly so don't wait too long as our artworks are all totally unique and when they're sold, they're sold!

Our 3d bouquet in reds and pinks was created especially for this collection - all petals and leaves were hand cut from the beautiful colours of original vintage papers...

Our cushions (printed here in Melbourne from our own sketched designs) are available too. Look out for new patterns and colourways coming soon...

Don't forget we also make custom artworks to order, so if you would like 3 similar artworks for above a bed or hall table, for example, or would like a particular design in a different colour or size, please email us to enquire.

IKEA hack - children's play shop

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:35:00 +0000

Our old Ikea change table has been gathering dust in our shed since my kids grew out of nappies and I have had the idea for quite some time of turning it into a play shop/ marketstall. On Sunday afternoon we finally got around to completing this little project which only took a couple of hours to create. My husband sawed off the legs of the changetable to ensure it was a suitable height and then whipped up a little frame for the canopy I had sewn.

My two children were super excited and quickly started filling the shop with all sort of goodies - felt flowers (which I had previously made) and various felt and wooden cakes, donuts, fruits and vegetables. I have visited their little shop quite frequently this morning! With big brother back at prep for the first day of term 2, unfortunately I am the only customer today!

Although this particular shop sells its cakes at quite a hefty price ( I just spent "$700" for a donut! ) it is certainly providing hours of entertainment.

Ruby Olive...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:05:00 +0000

There is nothing like a new piece of jewellery to brighten up an outfit that you have worn to death, and we love Skye Anderton's pieces for her label Ruby Olive. Inspired by a love of colour and texture, and by the beauty found outside her window (sounds just like us at mondocherry!), the Ruby Olive collections are named after fabulous destinations around the world. There's the riviera collection full of striking black, white and red pieces, the sicilian seaside collection with milk whites, blues and touches of warm reds, and the rio collection which showcases riotous colour to name just a few! All totally gorgeous and very wearable. Make sure you visit the Ruby Olive website or keep up to date via facebook.

our Easter...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:57:00 +0000

We've had such a lovely Easter day - early morning egg hunt with the kids, off to Church, and then a long lunch with the family (although we missed you Mum and Dad) with plenty of delicious salads to offset all that chocolate!

Clare's kids helped set the table using Easter decorations as napkin holders and Scrabble letters for place tags...

There are lots of A names in our family - luckily we have lots of extra Scrabble letters! What initial pops up the most in your family?

Feather wreaths Clare made years ago were lined along the table with bottles and delicate flowers picked from the garden...

More bottles and flowers - they always look so pretty lined up along a windowsill...

And how cute are these Easter cards that Joy's two kids made?

Love to you all this Easter.

Niki's house tour (part 1) - a home to inpsire...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:01:00 +0000

Just recently I have met a wonderfully creative lady, Niki, who has a real flair for styling and decorating. What makes Niki's home extra special is that everything has a story: cherished items passed down from family, gorgeous handmade clothes, toys and artwork made by Niki, keepsakes from her travels, and furniture she has rescued from the roadside and added her special touch to. But don't think for a moment that it is like an old dusty museum or junk shop - far from it! Niki's home is fresh and breezy and grounded by a crisp white and neutral palate. From the moment you walk in the door, inspiration greets you round every corner and with so many gorgeous little vignettes and special touches you can see that it is a house that is lived in and loved. I wanted to stay all day!

Labelled vintage suitcases provide extra storage...

A friend found this magazine holder by the side of the road, and Niki painted it her favourite kelly green...

Niki and her husband designed this big sliding door to divide the living areas from the office. The large gallery wall is unified by the monochrome palette with the odd pop of colour and contains a mix of photos, momentoes and handmade items...

More vintage finds sit high on the office shelves...

Niki dyed old doilies in shades to match her artworks and they make a gorgeous display down the dining table and look just as pretty at night when lit with tea lights...

The comfortable living area looks both stylish and comfortable thanks to the restrained use of colours, combination of textures and plenty of greenery...

Niki revamped these second hand chairs and block printed the pretty aqua cushion herself..

Niki's serene main bedroom...

This big chest of drawers in the annex off the bedroom stores all Niki's craft supplies...

A pretty and personal vignette...

The doily in the frame belonged to Niki's grandmother and looks stunning in its simplicity...

The good news if you are a fellow Melbournite, is that Niki offers a service where she will come into your home and style up a creative storm using many of the things that you already own to give your house a fresh new look with personality. If you would like to know more, contact Niki on 0423 945 672, or visit her website at stylemyhome.net.au.

Next week we will post photos from Niki's childrens' rooms - they are gorgeous!

vintage crate shelving...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:53:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I made an impulse purchase on Ebay - 50 vintage fruit crates! I had been searching for something to fill the very large cream wall at the back of the living room. This wall would be the perfect spot to build in gorgeous cabinetry and bookshelves, but beacuse we are renting this just isn't an option. Instead I have stacked up my purchased crates in a fairly random pattern and although they are sometimes a little wonky they add a lot of character and a whole lot of storage. Unpacking the last few boxes from our move was a wondeful feeling and the crates holding a surprisingly large number of books, with plenty of room left over for a few vases, ornaments, and other bits and pieces. I can see myself rearranging and organising them in the months to come - maybe moving my husband's novels, with their less than pretty spines, to the crates hidden behind the sofa!

hungry caterpillar party...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:48:00 +0000

Finally getting round to showing you some photos of the Hungry Caterpillar party (based on the well loved book by Eric Carle) that was featured in Mathilda's Magazine. We had heaps of fun creating all the decorations, food and take home baskets - it was so colourful and bright - perfect for a 4 year-old's birthday party.

Place settings consisted of a painted cardboard leaf, a white paper plate with petals cut out and a red plastic plate for the food...

The happy sun was cut from cardstock painted with watercolours washed together - a technique used in Eric Carle's illustrations...

Caterpillar decoration created from tissue paper pom poms in different shades of green and red made a eye-catching backdrop...

A leaf garland was created for along the front of the table from more painted card, stitched together. Punched holes made it look as though a caterpillar had nibbled through them...

Lots of the food served was from the story - individual serving cups made it easy for little hands...

Cheap cotton fabric rectangles were painted with rough water-coloured stripes and detail was added with a black Sharpie. Gathered together in the middle they made colourful butterfly wings...

Little take home baskets were decorated with fringed green card and filled with goodies to match the theme...

Chuppa-chup lollipops were given some personality with cardboard wings. Our kids loved helping paint these...

Visit the Mathilda's magazine here to download the printables we created for this party.

10 green bottles...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:45:00 +0000

Well, actually only 5 green bottles so far... but I am loving my little collection, picked up at the Camberwell Markets,and dating back to 1890. They are all quite small - the littlest is only a couple of centimeters high - but they are just the perfect size for a few blossoming sprigs picked from the garden.

hessian and flowers in Richmond...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:00:00 +0000

On the weekend, we finally managed to get over to Richmond for a spot of shopping along Bridge Rd, a lazy brunch (or as lazy as brunch can be with two kids in tow!) and a trip over to the old Channel Nine television studios where a series of pop-up events and installations has been running for the month of March, all with a seriously funky design vibe. Commissioned by Lend Lease, (the firm in charge of redeveloping the site into apartments and townhouses while retaining the heritage feel), The Richmond Weekender is a cultural event celebrating the unique vibe of the area and includes a cinema and cafe (with seating created from old wooden pallets) and a homemakers market. I loved this hessian covered wall with pockets for growing flowers - would be cheap and easy to replicate at home if you have a ugly fence or wall!

There is only one more weekend to visit The Richmond Weekender, head over to their website for details.

confetti present wrapping...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:01:00 +0000

Sometimes it is nice to do something different when wrapping a present and confetti is an easy and colourful way to jazz up a gift. We simply made our own coloured dots using a hole punch and some scrap paper and card (a great job for the kids!) and stuck them on using double sided tape (best for the stripes) and glue (for the heart). The confetti does have a tendency to stick up at funny angles, so you have to tap it down well and fill the odd hole. It is also a good idea to go over the dots with a layer of pva glue or similar to make sure that they stay well and truly stuck! Punching the dots yourself means you can easily get different looks - try black and white for a smarter look, different shades of pink for a little girl's gift, yellow and grey to be right on trend, or go bold and do every colour of the rainbow.

all sewn up...

noreply@blogger.com (mondocherry) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:54:00 +0000

I have been totally inspired by this gorgeous book called "all sewn up" by Chloe Owens that I stumbled across in a book shop recently. Chloe is an incredibly talented textile artist who has a wonderful way with fabric, applique and embroidery. I particularly love her designs which have been "drawn" upon using delicate machine stitching and black thread. Chloe says in her book "This way of working came much more naturally to me than using pencils and paints".

There are 35 exquisite projects in this beautiful book, all with beautiful photos and styling. Even the book cover is just so pretty.

Using a few scraps of fabric and a bit of thread I had a go at making a little bird using this technique. I certainly need a lot more practise before my birds are as cute as hers, but it was certainly fun trying!