place: royal botanical gardens cranbourne -
i am a big fan of any botanical gardens, and this one has always been on my to do list. on friday myself, my mum, the kids and some friends were at an annual easter egg hunt in the area, and much to the kids disgust we made an impromptu decision to leave early and pay a visit. i can’t believe i have waited so long to see this incredible place. it solidified my love for australian plants and confirmed my dream of having a natives-only garden one day. it’s kid-friendly and they loved it too – just the antidote we needed to soothe a chocolate-fuelled morning.
creative pursuit: embroidery -
on my return from seoul i was feeling allergic to my computer – i simply couldn’t go near it. but i was also feeling ridicoulsly inspired, and on a whim picked up an embroidery hoop and some thread and made these. even though i am back at my computer, my embroidery obsession continues (mostly at night in front of the tv with a glass of vino). as you can see i am pretty crap at it , but it doesn’t bother me – the parts i love the most are the messiness and mistakes which i generally dont allow to happen in my other work. it feels like drawing in slow motion.
illustrator: eirian chapman -
i discovered the beauty of eirian’s work a little while back. she has an amazing quality of line and great themes running through her work too, in fact pretty much everything she does is great. really great. in our limited email contact (i wrote her fanmail) she seems quite awesome and is based right here in my home-town too. you can see her work on her site, and she also has a great blog and has just opened an online print shop too.
clothing: PAM painted leggings
i am a little obsessed by pretty much everything in the new PAM collection. these leggings (with a print by nathan gray) have amazing colours. and so many of them that they seem to go with everything in my wardrobe (and make it 100 x cooler). next on my list, the macarooned tank and ankh top . all available online at someday store
object: new chair
i have long lusted after a plywood chair and spotted this one in my favourite vintage store few weeks ago. i have had it on old-fashioned lay-by since and picked it up yesterday. it’s now happily in my lounge room and i fall more in love with it everytime i walk past. raph is yet to find out about this purchase (he is away with the trucks at boogie festival), and i am pretty sure i am going to get in trouble for buying yet another vintage chair. but it’s so worth it.
there is so much happening next week it’s making my head spin. i have new work in 2 group shows and am also speaking at this forum. i even have a giveaway planned. more on that tomorrow (or knowing me, possibly the next day).
hope you are enjoying this most epic of long weekends, and if you are in melbourne getting to lap up the amazing autumn weather too.
Tags: family, fun times, illustration, new work, other blogs, our house, things i like
I love embroidering with a glass of wine in front of the tv in the evening, it’s so relaxing
Your embroidery is pretty cool – I’m so thankful that I have holidays atm so I can sit down and finish what I started 3 months ago before 2 house moves and a semester of uni haha.
Entirely natives garden would be awesome. I like embracing the country that we live in.
Happy Easter!!
Love the embroidery beci, your bold colourful style is perfect in this medium.
Thanks for featuring me Beci! There’s a little ‘thank you’ on its way ;^)
the chair is beautiful. I did a count of the amount of chairs we have in our house one tme and nearly had a heart attck so now I am only allowed to look.
Your sticthing is beautifully you. I love it. Funny I have just picked up the hoop again after a long break and have almost finished something to…
Yes, these stitches are so very vous! I’m still trying to master granny squares, but I can’t really crochet in front of the telly as I miss all the important bits… Handcrafting is just the thing for these lengthening nights! So sweet to read your lovely travel posts too. As the mum of a three year old, I’ve only had a couple of trips away on my own, but your mind just explodes doesn’t it!
i want those tights and i really want that chair too!!! just gorgeous!
the cranbourne botanical gardens have been on my to do list too, for a longggg time, i MUST get there. i hear there is a good playground there too?
your stitching is über cool!
x
beci that embroidery just took my breath away, the colours! so you. I miss being a part of your cheeky purchases behind raph’s back, you crack me up. And why am I not in Melbourne for sugar mountain!! arrgh
I love that chair- did you know that it’s called Jason and was designed in 1950 by Danish born Carl Jacobs who was just 25 at the time? I have a slight chair obsession… I love your rug too. In fact, I just love everything ‘cos you’re ace!
Xx
You are most definitely NOT crap at embroidery! They are awesome! lately I’ve seen so many lovely embroidery things. It’s got me really inspired to learn…
Love your blog
Your embroidery is super ACE! I really really love the colours and the shapes.
catie – thanks for your as always ever useful furniture spotting – YOU are ace! be my neighbor soon please!
cath – i am positive you deserve as many chairs as you can squeeze into your house. dont stop!
and thanks to everyone else saying nice things about my embroidery. best way to learn is to do it! it’s very easy!
love the embroidery Beci! What thickness of embroidery floss do you use? I love the texture you’ve been achieving, it makes the colour blocks so dynamic and cheeky!
But you do know you can break down the threads by giving them a little twist don’t you? and severating the strands? I find two works best for me, and when I want it fat three is totally enough.
thanks for sharing!
eanov…
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