Look what I spotted in yesterday’s Rapport‘s my styl section : ) My blue origami birds cushion cover : ) Its seems origami is all the rage these days, check out these lovely origami inspired decor items, I just LOVE the beautiful paper strelitzia by freshlyfound!
And if you love this design, here are some other lovely blue origami products…
…all available in blue and white OR black and white….from the handmade by me online shop and other lovely stockists : )
My new tote bags are have arrived and look how fantastic they have turned out! I will be making them in all designs so feel free to get in touch if there is one you are specifically after…I can’t wait to make a fly away birds tote and a pink flamingo, and I think the proteas and strelitzias will look ever so stylish! I also have matching purses so if you’re looking for a great gift idea, try a tote bag and matching purse, or go wild and mix it up! All totes now available through my Etsy store or through my lovely stockist Hello Pretty : )
Black Origami Birds Tote Bag
Pink Vintage Squares Tote Bag
Blue Origami Birds Tote Bag
For those of you who have not heard about this absolutely beautiful guesthouse in Cape Town you are in for a treat. It is exquisite. The owners Max and Melodie have the most beautiful attention to detail and have turned a simple farmstead into a gorgeous and relaxed, beautifully designed and decorated, and somewhat eclectic place to stay. And its just off kloof street…say what? You have to see it to realise its true beauty but for now these pics will have to do… : )
For any more information regarding this inner city paradise check out their website
La Grenadine Petit Hotel
“La Grenadine is an elegant guesthouse tucked away in the bustling heart of Cape Town’s City Bowl.
Employing the best of local design talent, we had a lot of fun matching vintage and modern as we individually designed five beautiful en-suite bedrooms in a unique mix of industrial and French Provençal styles.
We see La Grenadine not merely as a guesthouse, but – whether it’s in the form of a debate in front of a wintry fire, or a summer evening party that moves to the music of our extensive record collection – as a home away from home. We’d like you to see it that way too. Feel free to borrow a book from our eclectic collection and read it in the orchard, select your favourite jazz or soul record, sip tea from antique Meakin crockery, or snuggle under French hand-embroidered linen while watching a DVD.”
And now they are now stocking some Handmade By Me items…look how beautiful their new guesthouse boutique looks…I am beside myself with delight!
Finally I can unveil one of the projects I have been working on of late. My latest addition to the Handmade By Me family…lampshades! And not just any lampshades, custom made lampshades in any size and shape you can imagine. This one here was just a tester…and made in honour of last weekend’s Christmas Night Market (which the southeaster managed to ruin)…hence the choice to use my Indigo Red fabric. And this is only the beginning, my next one will be a scalloped fluted shade….oh yeah! I sure aint taking the easy road on this…so watch this space for more details and pics and please get in touch if you are interested in me making a lampshade specially for you!
All shots below were taken at last week’s Tjing Tjing Exchange, I couldn’t have asked for a better space to show off my goods : )
Its going to be a very busy weekend for handmade by me. We are going to be participating in 3 different markets over the weekend. Firstly we will be taking part in our usual Bay Harbour Market all weekend long. And for the first time we will be joining the Lock Stock Market which is in conjunction with Die Plattelande food market at the Palms Lifestyle and Decor Centre on Saturday . And then on Sunday we will be joining the Blue Bird Garage Food and Goods Market in Muizenburg. There’s live music there and lots of wonderful things to buy and to eat, so come on by for some lunch. If the weather is great, all the markets will be worth a looksee as there is plenty of outdoor area to sun yourself and have an ice cold beer. If the weather is bad, everything is covered and you can come and escape the wind or the rain, or just to have a good time. I’ve heard really good things about these two new markets and am very excited to see what they are like to sell at. Here’s hoping we have a really successful weekend ahead! Don’t forget to come and say hi : )
And to get you ready for what you might find at the market, here are a few new available products to purchase…
Of course you can always get ahead of the crowds and shop online here.
More vintage aprons…in new designs…
MINI Blue Origami Birds, Birdy Num Num & MINI Black Origami Birds
my brand new Cup O Tea napkins
Birdy Num Num napkins
MINI Origami Birds napkins in black
handmade by me.
I have been so excited about these for so long as I had to wait untill I had touched down in SA before I could start developing them properly. The vintage ones in particular were something I have always wanted to do and I am super excited about the way they have all turned out! Now the plan is to shoot these all professionally so please excuse the way I have styled the pics for now but I just can’t wait that long to show you…
I have 2 different styles. The 50′s vintage inspired ones which are honestly so beautiful! They are made from a soft 100% cotton (same as my napkins) and there is alot of detailing and pleating and the finishing touches are just so pretty. They wrap generously around the waist with a full glamorous skirt with a matching pocket. You probably won’t want to get these dirty : ) The other style is a standard chef apron made from linen cotton canvas or a strong 100% cotton, these will brighten up any kitchen and are ideal for cooking and/or painting and/or anything and/or just looking pretty : )
All aprons can be made in all designs, vintage and chef styles, and the chef aprons can be made up in kiddies sizes if you want to have matching ones. Try the space rocket solar system or beep beep designs for these.
Vintage Aprons
Cup O Tea, Origami Birds and Vintage Bikes
Chef Aprons
Vintage Bikes
Cup O Tea
Sweet Hearts
Indigo Blue
Indigo Red (pretty “christmassy” don’t you think?)
Pink Flamingo!
handmade by me.
So next week is the big move! And as much as I am absolutely excited to get my little business going in sunny South Africa, there are lots of mixed emotions with leaving Ireland, my home for the last 6 years. Anyways with that in mind, I won’t be posting much over the next 2 weeks while we enjoy our last few days in Dublin, and start getting settled into life in Cape Town. I can’t wait to begin posting again because that means I will have started to get cracking on my next set of ideas and projects, and I won’t be able to wait to show you all. So while we get on and move, I’ll leave you with some pics of my new tea towel range, all ready and waiting to find themselves a new home : )
And don’t forget if you want to keep up to date with any news in the meantime you can go to http://www.facebook.com/handmadebymeblog and “like” handmade by me’s facebook page.
My new Cup O Tea design…
Pink Vintage Squares
Birdy Num Num
Pink Flamingo!
Blue Origami Birds
Striking Strelitzias
Red Vintage Squares
Indigo Red
Handmade by me.
So I have been very busy sewing away and I realised that some of you have only seen the designs and not the finished products. Here are a few of the things I have been working on lately! Still can’t decide which is my new favourite…
Pretty Proteas looking oh so lovely as a cushion cover…
New blue origami birds cushion cover…
Red vintage squares cushion cover and matching set of napkins…
Indigo red napkins…
And Nicky’s vintage bikes tea towel…
Still more on the way! watch this space…
Handmade by me.
Remember the red square pattern I created for my friend Nic’s doggies Shangdi and Teddy? Well I said I would put up a post of them with their new beds…and so here they are looking slightly confused as to what’s going on, but nonetheless happy and content and finally…sleepy!
The red square pattern here is also available in vintage red and pink…see below…and all are available in cushion covers, napkins and tea towels from my Etsy store.
Here’s Teddy…
And his brother Shangdi…
And after all the excitement its time for a snooze…they look really comfy there don’t they?
Here is the fabric in vintage red…
And in vintage pink…
And my vintage pink square cushion cover…
handmade by me.
I am delighted to let you all know that Handmade by me is going to be stocked by the lovely Irish Design Shop. “Founded in 2008 by jewellers Clare Grennan and Laura Caffrey, Irish Design Shop stocks the best of Irish design including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, jewellery and furniture. We provide a selection of best quality, design-led products, all produced by makers living in Ireland.”
And so I have been very very busy lately making lots and lots napkins, and cushion covers, to sell in their two lovely stores in Dublin. They are also planning to showcase some of my products at the Re-dress Better Fashion Initiative, which is an organisation dedicated to promoting better fashion practice, and is on until the 29th of April.
Here are a few pics of some of the napkins I’ve been working on…
Handmade by me.
