being australian, i’m not that big on halloween. we don’t really celebrate it here. but who can go past the opportunity of chopping up a nice little pumpkin and turning it into a jack’o'lantern? not me!

halloween has come to be celebrated on the ancient festival of samhain, the celtic new year. it was believed that this was the one night of the year when the veil between the worlds of the living and of the dead could be parted and the souls of the deceased could walk about.
the problem was, people could be posessed by particularly malevolent spirits, so to try and trick them people carved jack’o'lanterns and set them around their homes in the hope that the spirits would posess the pumpkins instead.
i’m not sure mine is that convincing, but it’ looks friendly enough!

happy samhain, halloween, or just plain october 31st!
essie xoxoxox

my oma is about to turn 80, so i am making her a quilt.

she is a very non-fussy, dutch lady, so pink and lilac and frills were never going to do for her. it needed to be simple, and involve the colour blue.

when i’m making quilts i get very tired of counting the blocks over and over again, and never being 100% certain in my mind that i have the right number. my solution to this is to write a number of each block (in this case it was 1 - 40), and as i cut the pieces for that block, tear the number off the page i’ve written it on, and lay it on the pieces. simple, and very effective!

i’m making progress, and hoping very much that i get it finished in time to give to her on the day!

essie xoxoxox

left to right, top to bottom:

1// letterpressed notecard from bespoke letterpress.
2// beautiful apron skirt by dottie angel.
3// detail of a photograph by fifteenfeet on flickr.
4// strawberry fabric by liberty of london.
5// a whimsical way to bring oudoors inside, by cori kindred.
6// i am in love with this print designed by kris of kris likes to draw, and produced by bespoke letterpress.
7// i pretty much love everything at tiny happy. these little purses are no exception.
8// original art from sweet william.

my crown will be a teapot…

… and i will spend my days tasting and approving all the teas in my kingdom.

essie xoxox

photos by rodney smith

my brother’s girlfriend embroidered this for sara-jane and i. i love handmade presents the most.

essie xoxox

i am starting to do that thing again, where i get all wistful about luxurious beds, chez lounges, squishy couches, and tranquil hidey holes. it must be assessment time at uni!

my tired little heart longingly skipped a beat when daydream lily posted this picture on her blog:

it’s by debi treloar, and it is the kind of image i just want to climb inside and go to sleep in. maybe i’d wake up from time to time and do some hand sewing, when the light from those gorgeous windows was flooding in at just the right strength. how delicious.

… but i’d better get back to making flash-cards and pondering the ins and outs of cognitive modeling…

*sigh*

essie xoxoxo

my friends and family know me as a bit of an anglophile. i love english literature, english traditions (well, at least the ones related to tea!), and english accents. in honour of this, may i present a collection of funky union jacks:

left to right, top to bottom.

1// cute pillows from cox and cox.
2// cute pin cushion from darlingdillydilly on flickr.
3// amazing quilt from kliebeans’ flickr account.
4// wallet from kmc designs.
5 & 6// also from from cox and cox.

god save the queen!
essie xoxoxo

i am pretty stressed out right now. i guess it’s that time of year, when everything seems to be going at a million miles an hour!

but i have tea in a really cool mug, and an anzac biscuit that’s about half the size of my own face, so i can’t complain too much…

i hope you’re staying on top of things!
essie xoxox

last night i finished a quilt that i have been working on for a VERY long time.
i think poor little maeve was only just three when i started it, and she will be four in less than a month. she has been waiting for this for a quarter of her life!
i wanted this quilt to be bright and cheerful, without being too kiddy or “pink-for-a-girl”. it did turn out more pink overall than i’d intended it to, but i still like it:

i hope it’s something that she has til she’s 104, and remembers that her crazy auntie essie gave it to her, and snuggled up under it with her to read stories and sing songs.

i hope you like it too!
essie xoxoxo

apples seem to be an enduring theme in crafty circles. i guess it’s because they are so bright and cheerful, and because they look so cute when you put faces on them! hee hee.

left to right, top to bottom:

1// the cutest apple pies, spied at soolip.
2// i would SO take this to the markets with me on shopping day! photo from swell life.
3// how cheery and whimsical are these little apple earrings made by samyii? very!
4// deliciously bright fabric from one of my favourite etsy sellers: karaku
5// beautiful brooch, from lil fish studios.
6// i think this is can only be part of craftapalooza’s collection of apples…
7// … and she sews them too. i love this gorgeous little wall hanging, and you can make your own by following this tutorial.
8// apple fabric by alice kennedy
9// make your own apple-print tote bag using this tutorial from craftstylish.

i hope you like this little collection!
essie xoxox