eight treasure rice

Blogatical

2012-09-21T13:13:00.002-07:00

EEK!!! You know you're in trouble if you don't even remember your password for your blog account because you've not been blogging for such a long time!
The truth is, I've been (and am still) taking an indefinite blog sabbatical (aka blogatical)....hopefully it will not been forever...though I may resurface in a different guise!

Good wishes and goodbye for now....

Stockholm with love

2012-04-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Mr. P and I got back from a fantastic mini-break (well actually more like a maxi-break, considering it was 5 blissful, yet obviously heartbroken, child-free days!) in Stockholm. It was everything one could possibly expect from a fantastic city break....

Beautiful City

Amazing food...especially the bread!

Inspiring Artwork
(clockwise from top left:Yarn Bombing in Sodermalm, Papercut Collage Artwork by Lisa Jonasson, Niki de Saint Phalle Sculpture at Moderna Museet)

...and of course the BEST shopping ever!

...but it's good to be home...happily reunited with my babies :-)

Vintage Chair Makeover

2012-03-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

When I first laid eyes on this chair I immediately knew what I would do with it to jazz it up...

...and since then I've been dreaming about the day when I would have it completed. I'm delighted to say that day has finally come...and I'm rather pleased with myself :-)

Another project to cross-off my ever-expanding list!

Hap-Ply Ever After

2012-03-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about materials lately...specifically of the timber variety and how wondrous and splendiferous nature's bounty is in bestowing upon us all the varieties of wood from the silvery-white, marble-like quality of rippled sycamore to the deep, dark exotic richness of Wenge. But for some unknown reason, the one material that keeps popping-up in my head is plywood. Yup, good old manufactured timber. For me, there's just something so aesthetically pleasing about the clean and simple, almost industrial-rawness of this material. I even love the look of the sandwiched layers of veneers...kind of reminds me of wafers! The great news is that it's very workable, has great eco-credentials and it's actually very cheap! The last factor being particularly revelatory as I have been known by certain people (ahem Mr.P) to have expensive tastes! So yay all round to plywood! I need to think up some projects to use this wonderful material soon...but for the time being I'll leave you with some very drool-worthy uses of plywood...

Offset stool by Giorgio Biscaro

Trees Graphic Console by Iannone Design

Canteen Utility Chair by Very Good & Proper

Alexander Girard ply prints by Maximo Design

...and last but not least, something I totally love and believe is completely essential in every home...

A worship altar by Mark Giglio

...now that's what I call hap-Ply ever after!

A record of sorts

2012-02-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Two blog posts in one day...well that's certainly a record for me! Hee hee...that'll be me sorted for a few weeks then! Anyway a while back I took a quilt-making class and I thought I'd share some pictures of my finished quilt....it was in fact completed some weeks ago (no I didn't break the record for the longest time it took to make a quilt (but I probably came pretty close!).

Said quilt has now taken-up residence at my mum's and is keeping her toasty on these chilly nights...

Hope you're finding ways to keep cosy on these cold cold winter nights!

Tut tut tut

2012-02-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

Dear oh dear I haven't done a blog in AGES! I find myself composing blogs in my head when I'm driving, just before I go to sleep, when I'm in the shower, eating breakfast...just about any opportunity I have (when I'm not doing mum stuff...oooh I lie, okay I admit sometimes even when I'm doing mum stuff)...and they are always so entertaining, funny and eloquently put together (to me anyway)....but as soon as I sit down in front of my mac ready to ACTUALLY compose a blog....these words always seem to come out so clumsily and...well they just never seem as exciting as when they were just mere thought forms floating about in my head! How very frustrating. Anyway, after all that blurb that's not the reason why I haven't blogged for ages, the main reason is simply because I have been sooooo busy with my many projects and "extra-curricular" activities (yes! honest to God!). A few weeks ago I started a Creative Print making evening course at my college and my head is now filled with all the possibilities of what I can do with printing (along with blogging, and being a good mum...notice being a good wife doesn't even enter into my head!! Poor darling Mr. P does know how much I adore him in spite of this! I think?!). Anyhow, I digress (again)...so none of the stuff I've actually printed is worth writing about or photographing just yet...but I did go to a wonderful exhibition put on by The Glasgow Print Studio at Trongate 103. It's amazing to see the versatility of printmaking as an artistic medium but most of all I was totally in awe of the works by printmaker/sculptor/paper-maker, artist Jacki Parry. The level of detail and intricacy of her woven prints and paper-strip collages were nothing short of mind-blowing. But my favourite of all were her paper sculptures...amazing to think that she could create such beauty and drama with just paper. Now if only my photos could do justice to her work...

The exhibition runs from 3rd February till 4th March...definitely worth visiting for a visual and mental treat :-)

Tulips forever

2012-01-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

Mr. P and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last week, and being an old romantic, he brought home a beautiful vase full of our wedding flowers, French tulips, arranged by his own fair hands...I just love the graceful beauty of these blooms so I thought I'd share a photo of them before they fade....

Being an old romantic myself, my gift to him also had a tulip theme...a wooden tulip which I had carved out of pine over a period of weeks...talk about a labour of love!

Here's to many more wonderful years of love and romance!

Ideas ideas

2012-01-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

Being back at college means that I have to cram an awful lot into my evenings once the kids are in bed...but with so many gorgeous craft blogs out there I find the lure of reading and looking at beautiful blogs far outweighs my desire to make something myself. For starters, there's no risk of making something truly hideous that just proves I don't have what it takes to ever be a designer-maker. So often I end up accomplishing nothing in my evenings but just a major dose of blog envy, doubts over my own ability and the blank pages of my sketchbook still staring back at me. But then sometimes, I come across a truly fantastic blog that it makes my evening of inaction so worthwhile. Ninainvorm is one such blog. I totally adore her cute and colourful collages and ceramics. It's really got me thinking about my own work and how important it is to stay true to what I really like, and what makes me happy. Looking at Nina's work I am so inspired to have a go at making collages and ceramics and somehow find a way of incorporating it into furniture and woodwork....ooohh the wheels and cogs of my imagination are turning....I guess that's some kind of action (even if it's not visible!).

Blooming Marvellous

2012-01-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

What to do with leftover fabric scraps and random buttons....

...make Kanzashi, Japanese fabric flowers of course!

Combining gorgeous fabrics with origami techniques....it just can't get better! My mind's just swirling with ideas on how I can use these cute flowers...I'm in craft heaven!

Ta da!

2011-12-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

Some pictures of my finished light...

I'm de-lighted with it (hee hee!). Who'd have thought these little paper fasteners could make such a difference! I'm contemplating a wee line of these lights...stay tuned!!

X'mas Merriment

2011-12-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas day was filled with...

...opening of many presents!

...being fa la la la la...festive!

...eating, drinking and being merry!

...celebrating my darling husband's birthday!

...catching-up with family, playing games....and falling asleep in front of the telly!

Happy Holidays!

Me Me Me

2011-12-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had another day to do as I please (yes I know what a self-indulgent cow I am!) whilst the boys were being looked after by my dear dear in-laws...So I traipsed over to Edinburgh to hang-out with my friend Karen...we did some shopping on George Street, popped into Harvey Nichols for Jelly Bellys and a shot of Edinburgh Gin (oooh and it was only half past 12!), followed by a mammoth eating session at Wagamamas. To finish off an already fab day we popped into The Market, a design-led craft market to check-out the local talent...well we only got a third of our way around the stalls before we BOTH ran out of cash...arrrghh! I could so easily have bought something from every stall!

At the show I got chatting to the lovely Tara McIntosh of Twiggd as her delightful wooden accessories really jumped out at me...turns out she's a trained cabinet-maker and as you can see, her affinity for all things woody really stands out! The one item I was particularly coveting was the gorgeous wee box she kept her sale proceeds in...just tooooo cute! Not only are her items as sweet as pie...they are seriously well made too!

Admittedly I do go a bit crazy for crochet so I just couldn't walk past Emma Lamb's
gorgeous goodies without picking-up my jaw off the ground and buying myself something! We had a good old blether about the joys of blogging and crochet hooks...as you do! What a great girl! I bought one of Emma's patterns to make a cute wee garland....I can't wait to give it a go and maybe even share the results of my efforts (if it look's anything as good as Emma's...she did reassure me that it's pretty straight forward to do!)

How swoon-worthy are those mismatched buttons?!

There were so many other fab sellers there...gorgeous prints from Mina Braun (I want to fill the boys' rooms with her charming illustrations), funky jewellery made from recycled paper and packaging by Little Red ...oh I could just go on and on...

One thing's for sure...I'll be heading down to the next Market event with a full wallet next time!

p.s I also got a lie in and breakfast in bed this morning...what a smug cow I am too! LOL!

Down time

2011-12-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Eeekk....I've not posted for more than a week!! Been busy with my various projects but I've also been balancing it out with plenty of fun times with my boys, and of course some time for me too!

...celebrating Grandpa John's birthday

...having fun at the park

...satisfying my huge craving for miso ramen (all by myself!)

Good times :)

ps. I've finished the second prototype of my light...promise to post a picture as soon as I've photographed it in better quality light (it's the middle of winter and I live in Glasgow...who am I kidding!?)

Rapa Nui

2011-12-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

Some people have innate style and my friend Claire is just one of them. So when she told me about the business she's launching, Rapa Nui an online shop selling design-led, ethical and handmade goods...I just knew it would be filled with lovely things....how right was I! As a wee taster of things to come, Claire's opened a pop-up shop at Offshore cafe that runs for only 3 days...so I hotfooted down there this morning to bag myself some goodies!

Being an avid internet shopper, I can't wait till her online shop launches in the new year!

Happy 1st of December!

2011-12-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

It's the first day of December and life is sweet!

Darling Mr.P was ever so thoughtful and brought home three boxes full of numbered goodies for advent.

...I'm enjoying my first little treat with a nice cup of tea!

...hope you have a sweet one too :)

Mini DIY disasters

2011-11-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

For ages I've been hankering after some pin boards to go above my desk so that I can pin all manner of bits and bobs that inspire me...hopefully into some action....so finally last week I got my arse into gear and popped down to Ikea and got myself four boards. Having had some experience handling a drill (thanks to some lessons courtesy of my lovely father-in-law!) I really didn't think they'd be much to it....

...but how wrong was I! Two hours later, after much swearing and stomping of feet, I finally managed to get the boards up...but I also managed to put about a squillion erroneous holes into the wall! Oh well at least the boards hide them well...I suppose I better get myself some polyfilla now!

The dreaded C word

2011-11-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yes I hate to say it but probably like many novice quilters out there, most likely when doing your first quilt, I've encountered that dreaded C word...CREEP! After spending what felt like about a gazillion hours piecing my quilt as precisely as I could do it...I've fallen at the last hurdle with the basting and stitching-in-the-ditch. The fabric had moved just a fraction or so out which meant a whole lot of unpicking and re-sewing...but I think I'm finally getting there...one more long night and I should be ready for the binding.

The stitching on the back turned out to be a cross...which is rather poignant as I did feel like I needed saving at times!

The aftermath...thread balls the size of tumbleweed scattered all over my kitchen floor!

A new beginning...

2011-11-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I was busy doing internet research aka googling/blog surfing (aka being in procrastination mode)...I came across a real gem of a blog (yeah so I suppose I wasn't really wasting time!) Blu Shed by Lu Summers. Although it was her amazing screen printed work and quilts that initially drew me to her blog, I found her blog made such compulsive reading that I ended-up staying way past my bedtime reading her latests posts, in a rather non-sensical reverse order...and most of this evening reading her blog again, but this time in a far more sensible order i.e. from the very beginning. I think what really makes her blog so compelling is that she writes in a very honest, authentic manner...yeah so she may swear now and again...but it really does feel like she's just nammering on in her own true "voice". Up until now, I realise I've not really enjoyed writing my blog because I've been too cautious about how and what I write. It's been exhausting. It's no wonder I've not enjoyed the blogging process and have been treating it like homework, something to be done and dusted, and forgotten for at least a week (until my guilty conscience creeps in). It's also been ridiculous and embarassing how long each posts took me to write...two or more bloody hours for a few measly sentences! It's no wonder I've been avoiding it like the plague! But this is not for me anymore...from now on I'm going to blog in a way that is true to myself...it's going to me, the real me, warts and all! I'm going to let it all hang! (I'm sure you're getting the picture now!). I feels great! So liberating! YAY! Thanks Lucie! Maybe I should rename my blog Eight treasure rice: for all of life's little and big disasters (me being one of them...at least at times!). Anyway, I thought I'd start the dawn of a new blog era by not posting a picture...because a) I've not taken any photos today b) I'm a rubbish photographer c) I've not actually got any of my projects finished to show-off and it's probably getting boring looking at half-done projects (not that anyone apart from my dear husband and mother-in-law actually read my blog!).

Anyhow...I hope that me being me doesn't scare people off my blog...or get me a divorce summons ;P

Good night!

p.s. Damn it's past my bedtime again...but yay this blog post only took 30 mins!

The light reveal...

2011-11-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Remember the light I was working on for college? Well the project was actually completed weeks ago but it's currently undergoing a ~~face~~ shade lift! Each paper cut fish (that's 100 to be precise!) was cut by hand and individually attached with permanent double-sided tape. Sadly my first prototype, lovely as it is, has started to prematurely shed fish (clearly double-sided tape just does not cut the mustard!), so this time I'm going to re-do it with a stronger adhesive and jazz it up with some patterned tracing paper for a more textured effect.

As you can see it's not quite finished yet...but fingers crossed it'll work this time round!

ps. I will post a picture of the finished light soon...provided I don't get side-tracked with quilting (my latest addiction!)

The joys of quilting

2011-11-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

Although I've been a bit quiet on the blog front lately...I've certainly not been quiet on the "making" side of things! I've been busy busy busy...along with everything else I'm already doing, one of the things I've always wanted to learn is quilting (you just can't beat the artistry and pure homespun cosiness you get from a patchwork quilt!)...so I've started a short 4-week course at Mandors and have spent the last two Sundays in a haze of quilt-making euphoria. I am just LOVING it...that and my new Husqvarna Viking sewing machine. Getting a double quilt made over the course of 4 Sundays is no mean feat...so I've been getting extra tasks to complete between classes. Hence my evenings have been filled with much cutting, sewing and pressing of seams....and learning that basting is not just for turkeys!

Here's a little sneak preview of the quilt I'm making...

Decisions decisions...

2011-10-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've finally completed the frame for the fireside chair I'm doing at college (I'm studying furniture design and craft...just a wee extra something to keep me busy!).

As the chair's proportions are on the petite side, I've decided it would be best suited for a child, so the fabric I'm going to choose needs to reflect a more relaxed, child-friendly look and feel. I'm not talking about a Disney Princess or Ben 10 theme here...I still want the chair to look good in a family room!*

I'm loving the Barcelona Fabric range from Designer's Guild. For me, the hand-drawn, screen-printed designs in funky colour ways, perfectly balances child-like naivety, with cool contemporary design.

...I'm thinking of going for a solid coloured fabric on one side of the chair maybe the front-side, jazzed-up with buttons in a contrasting colour, and having a patterned fabric on the back.

OOohhh...decisions, decisions...I'll just have to work on upholstering more chairs so that I could use all the lovely fabrics I find!

*Not that I think there's anything wrong with having disney princess or Ben 10 themed rooms...but yes I'm one of those design-junkie parents that tries hard to steer my kids away from all those big commercial characters aimed at kids...all in the name of widening their appreciation of art and design of course!

Hot off the press...

2011-10-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Hooray!!! My brand-spanking new business cards from Moo arrived today and I love them! I guess that's me definitely in business now...just need to get a move-on with crafting/upcycling some goodies to sell in my shop!

Between college and being a mum & a wife, I'm not finding a huge amount of time (understatement of the year!) to create....it's just a case of grabbing a spare moment here or there...or working late into the night to get things done...so please please be patient if you've checked out my shop and not found anything to buy just yet. In time, I hope to fill it with lots of lovely goodies...so please do check back from time to time! Or if you wish to to get updates on latest items for sale, you can also follow me on twitter or facebook!

For the love of turquoise...

2011-10-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

I go a bit bananas over anything turquoise related...so when it came to deciding on a colour to paint this tired-looking vintage chest of drawers

....I immediately opted for the luscious looking "Provence" from my Annie Sloan Chalk paint collection. I couldn't resist painting the inside of the drawers in "Emperor's silk" red (another one of my favourites) for a bold flash of colour. During the revamp, I left a strip of blue masking tape along the top edge of the drawers which Mr. P thought was a lovely design feature...and so inspired the "Aubusson blue" strip painted along the top edge of all the drawers.

I had a bit of "Emperor's Silk" left in my dish, so I added a dash of "Pure" white paint to make a gorgeous shade of what I would describe as an eye-popping pomegranate!

Just enough to brighten-up a wee chair....

A quick all over with dark and clear wax, a light distressing with sand paper, followed by a final coat of clear wax....and presto my wee chair was done...looks good beside the turquoise chest of drawers, even if I say so myself!

I apologise for the poor quality of my pictures! They were taken in a dark, cramped corner of my work space with my iphone....but I was just so excited to share them anyway! I'll need to get my talented photographer friend Fee to show me a few tricks on my DSLR...but in the meantime please bear with my grainy shots!

Next weekend, these two babies will be gracing the Mood Flowers stand at the Homes & Interiors Show at the SECC (do come by and say hello if you're planning on visiting the show!), and will be available to buy at the show or later in my etsy/folksy shop!

London Calling

2011-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had THE ultimate luxury for any Mama (courtesy of Mr. P and my in-laws!)...a full day to myself to do anything I wanted (though a long lie-in would come in as a close second...hint hint!). So I decided to make good use of my day and headed to London to check out the Power of Making Exhibition at the V & A and the first ever Renegade Craft Fair at the Truman Brewery.

The V & A is probably my favourite museum in London...not only because Mr. P and I had our 2nd date there, but I can easily spend hours lost in some of the best exhibits in the world...not to mention the very fine gift shop!

Wire-work Gorilla sculpture created by David Mach

A Ghanaian Lion Coffin by Joseph Tetteh Ashong

Air vase created by Tokyo-based Torafu Architects

I have to say the item that most captivated my attention was the pencil tip sculpture by Dalton Ghetti. It's amazing how in the hands of a genius craftsman, even an unlikely subject like a pencil can be transformed into a piece of extraordinary art. Apparently, some of his work takes years to finish...so not only does this man have heaps of talent, but also the patience of a saint!

There was no time for dawdling on Saturday, so after the V&A I headed straight over to the Renegade Craft Fair...

Tucked away in the East End hotspot of Brick Lane...buzzing with activity and excitement...I found many talented makers covering textiles, illustration, paper, jewellery, screen-printing, ceramics...here are a selection of a few of my favourites...

Funky screen-prints by Patrick Edgeley

Gorgeous screen printed cushions by Hazel Stark in delicious eye-popping colours.

Stunningly intricate paper cut artwork by Lekker Haas

Although I had decided it was going to be a looking and not buying trip...I just couldn't resist the exquisite detail and charm of the wooden block buildings created by Daniel Rossi of The Drawing Machine. The timber for each piece were off cuts reclaimed from a carpenter, lovingly shaped and illustrated upon...now that's what I call creative upcycling! I just adored the way he displayed the scenes, on pieces of corrugated cardboard cut to resemble mountain vistas....a nice touch! I now have three little houses sitting on my desk to remind me of my sweet day trip to London!

Play time

2011-10-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

All work and no play certainly makes Jill a dull girl...so today I indulged in some play time with my dear dear friend Karen from way back in my high school days in Canada. Somehow we lost touch a couple years after I left Canada to study in London....but through some clever sleuthing she tracked me down a few years ago by which point I was living in Glasgow, married with a 3 month old and a blossoming (excuse the pun!) florist business. Turns out my fab friend from Thunderbay had been living in Edinburgh for a couple of years and was studying Medical Herbalism! All these years of wondering...and then to find out she was living less than 50 miles away from me was just unbelievable!

Thinking back, some of my fondest memories of our school years, apart from wearing a kilt to school everyday (and now I live in kilt country...how cool is that?), was our little eating adventures where we would go out of our way to try different cuisines. In our 16/17 year old minds it was just the height of sophistication! Even now, whenever we meet-up, it still centres around food...sharing the delectable salads at Cafe Milk, getting a dumpling fix at Chop Chop or sampling the moreish roti-canae at Rumours Cafe. Food and wonderful conversation...what a delightful way to spend an afternoon!