Last week I took my dye pots, scraps of metal, aluminium tins and copper rods along to a friend's place for a day of eco-dyeing in her garden. I love sharing my craft skills and crafting with friends. It was a lovely day and we were blessed with happy jumps... Read more →

I've been wanting to make a little plant press like this one after seeing a similar one on @lesliealilly's Instagram feed. I just love all the inspiring people I follow on Instagram and all the crafting inpiratativon they provide. I wanted a quick craft fix and this only took me... Read more →

When you look really hard at plants and trees you notice that there are so many different shades of green. Not so long ago, they were all just a blurry green background. Now with the help of some good books and lovely friends I am starting to learn to tell... Read more →

Plants are magic and so are their leaves. Here's some leaf magic I learnt recently that will help you to get leaf prints on your fabric when you're eco-dyeing. Leaves have two very different sides. The side facing the sun tends to be waxy to protect the leaf from the... Read more →

I'm still chasing beautiful greens for my naturally dyed wool. When iron is added to wool that has been dyed with oxalis, it's supposed to give shades of green. I emphasise supposed because I'm still not getting green. In my first experiment I used the wrong additive (bicarb) and got... Read more →

My nana grew up in the Depression and was very resourceful and careful. She would carefully unwrap presents and save the wrapping paper to be used again. She was into reducing, reusing and recycling long before it became fashionable. She also used to save things for "best". After she died... Read more →

My recent eco-dyeing adventure taught me that rust is good. It leaves the most amazing marks and impressions on fabric when you're close contact printing. And I'm sure the rusty metal contributes its own properties to the dye pot, changing the colours of the plants used for dyeing. I'd always... Read more →

I am so happy with the results of my cabbage pot bundle. My cotton scarf was decorated with cineria leaves, acacia pods, blossoms and leaves. Then it was wrapped around a copper rod, tied with string and placed in an aluminium pot with chopped cabbage. After dyeing, I left it... Read more →

The biggest lesson I have learnt from my girls is how to wonder about the world around me. One of the biggest surprises for me as a parent was the age at which my girls started asking the really big questions of life. For some reason I thought it would... Read more →

I take notes. I keep records. I make patterns. Most of the time. I made this wallet last year when I was in Canberra visiting my folks. I like to take some craft with me when I'm travelling. Having something I can do with my hands grounds and centres me... Read more →