Category: Craft
Done x
Baby it’s getting hot outside…but at least the patio is finished!
I LOVED doing the cobblestones – we incorporated stones we’d collected over the years from our holidays. I’d originally intended to polish them up – I’ve always fancied a proper stone polisher ever since I first saw them in the Science Museum as a child. But all these years later, I still haven’t got round to buying one..maybe underneath I’m concerned my house would be over run with hundreds shiny stones! It plays into my great love of Natural Art and the skill of embracing forms beyond – I remember years ago seeing a large, flat plate filled with a spiral of perfectly matching round stones in graduated shades of grey..I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
The magic really happens when they’re wet.
(Just a little side-note: The deadline for the Espadrille Competition is coming up – I’ve already have some amazing entries! But if you want to join the fun…time is starting to run out..)
So for the first time in many years I’ll actually be able to watch the Chelsea Flower Show (it’s just down the road) without feeling pangs of guilt. Now if only I could persuade the dog from digging up all the flowers……….
Laters, Kate x
Weekend Wanderings..
On Saturday Fairy, Bella and I headed to Shoreditch to the Jumble and Pearls vintage and more sale at the Book Club. (A fab cafe in it’s own right with loads going on…and it’s own table tennis table..)
Shoreditch is an eclectic, buzzing, creative, urban area with stories and something different round every corner. Looking with eyes wide open is a must.
(I was thinking of you, Su..loved the retro letters..)
Opposite the light shop was this fairytale-like Reclamation Yard…we were immediately sidetracked (it doesn’t take much..). Set in an old church it was like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia…..
I didn’t think so much space existed in central London…
In my dreams this old French haberdashery unit is pride of place in my kitchen holding bowls and plates..and anything else..
We were at Jumble and Pearl to see my wonderful cousin Nathalie (her story here) and see her new merchandise for Sam Says Enjoy Life.
(My sister swears by these bibs and is always being asked where she got them from)
I also had Bella’s portrait drawn by the lovely Jenny Robins.
I’ve always fancied having a wall of framed ‘street art’ portraits of the kids, drawn across the years, seen with different eyes and marking their growth into adults.
Jenny has said she’ll help, so this is the first one…I like to think the finished collection will be like an Installation in it’s own right..
We headed home, very happy with my purchase from Nathalie – one of her new up-cycled denim bags, perfect to hold in style the daily detritus I manage to accumulate and lug around.
I particularly like the pockets..that little bit of embroidery is heaven.
Laters, Kate x
Espie Inspo..
Update on Espadrille Competition: Due to various requests I’ve extended the deadline – Photos of creations to be submitted by Friday 23 May, winner announced Monday 26 May!
Mine have arrived – I ordered a white and a navy pair. the white were a bit grey and disappointing – like six month old sports socks – so I took the plunge and sat them upside down in a bowl of bleach..worked perfectly! They are now a glow in the dark white. In fact, if the above pictures float your boat, then check out ‘Bleach fashion’ on Pintrest – has some incredible offerings like how to make a bleach pen by leaving a yellow felt tip pen soaking in bleach for a day…….just think of the possibilities!
This pair were made with the a basic potato print!
Or there’s always the humble permanent marker…
Taking these YouKhanga shoes as inspiration, the options are deliciously infinite…
Laters, Kate x
(All pictures Pintrest)
Doings…
The light (as discussed here and here) is coming on. I suspect my top shade is too big..but I just can’t stop! I love the way each shade eats up the shade below and covers the gap between them. At the moment they’re loosely hooked together – on the plus side it means they can be unhooked with the greatest of ease. On the downside you have to be careful to find the central point to keep them straight and balanced..and the slightest knock…..they all come crashing down…The window is open now and they do move most beautifully in the breeze.
We’ve also been having the most wonderful weather in London (long may it last and much deserved) so Bella, Charlie and I have been re-claiming the garden from winter. Utter madness, but I’ve wanted to extend our patio for ages…I managed to dig out over fifty bags of soil hashtag-who-needs-a-gym? I’m dying to know whether I can actually do it…I want to add some inlaid cobbles as well..time will tell – and I fully accept I’m nuts, but I really believe getting your hands dirty is part of the joy of life.
I’ve ordered my espadrilles (2 pairs) for the Competition..ideas are bubbling – just a matter of which ones to choose..and I’ve had another little creative project on the side based on a Dries Van Noten shirt I fell in lust with…but I think I’ll save that for another post! Only a week of the Easter Holidays left to get it all done…no pressure!
Laters, Kate x
Coachella 2014
Coachella: A place for people to unshowily declare themselves.
To turn up and have fun like a wild drive through the night whilst still standing in a circle of friends.
To sing, play, dance and listen and put a distance from the real world. Just for a little bit.
Personally, it’s the Coachella Art Studios that would have my name on them – the craft themes this year are: Paper, re-cycled materials, fashion, camp improvement (!) and a banter booth!
You can make a head wrap, get stuck into clay and even draw stranger portraits – love this: Sit down on opposite sides of an artists easel with a stranger and draw each other – get to know the other person through the process by using provided interview questions to break the ice..or just chat! The result is a portrait each and a new friend..result!
The Afterlife is a place to go to give birth to new objects from old…a broken inner bicycle tube? It becomes a wallet. Plastic bags? material! I’d never leave..
For the first time ever there’s even a Quiltchella..a communal quilt in the making..they need you Kerry and Nikki!
(All photos by Annie powers from Style.com)
The next Festival is 18-20 April…only in my dreams will I be there….But one day, when the kids have flown the nest and I’m in my dotage I’m going to dress up in flowing purple robes and a mighty turban and laugh and dance and do it all till the sun rises again…Promise.
Laters, Kate x
Espadrille Competition!
Calling all fashionista’s (particularly those with a young child within) for our inaugural Pimp Your Kicks Design Competition! this is your chance to play, glue, dye, make..bake! accessorise and bling-o-rize a classic pair of espadrilles into a thing of beauty worthy of a street style photo shot (See here for more inspiration – seriously – the only limit is your imagination!)
The details:
- Sign up below and send a photo of your finished shoes to contactkatebentley@gmail.com by midnight gmt on Friday 23 May
- The winner will be announced on Monday 26 May with pictures of all the entries (can’t wait!)
- You can enter as many pairs as you wish..and high heeled espadrilles also accepted.
- There will be an external judge and a little prize for the winner..
I’m off to scout the internet for the cheapest pair of espadrilles I can find…and if I can find children’s sizes Bella and Charlie will be entering too!!
Laters, Kate x
I spy…
(Penelope Chilvers)
Espadrilles! Perfect to wear with the new trouser length, their artisanal chic shouts style-without-even-trying.
(Dolce and Gabbana)
In the Season of ugly shoes, the espadrille walks in the shadow of the Birk, never quite leading the way…but always there.
(Fendi)
But from it’s humble position on sea-side kiosks and dusty holiday shops, it’s now been elevated to celestial heights and given the full make-over.
(Stella McCartney)
I can’t help but think – if what’s special about them is they’re colours and added bits….surely they make the ideal canvas for a DIY project?
(Tory Burch)
Cheap as chips to buy, easy to accessorise – no great financial risk if it all goes tits up – the only real limit is your daring and imagination with the end result equalling a stunning, original piece of your summer wardrobe…
(Missioni Mare)
Makes me think – shall we have a DIY Espadrille Competition????
Laters, Kate x
Penelope Chilvers x
Penelope Chilvers is an independent shoe shop based in Notting Hill offering some seriously lovely kicks to swoon over..
Founded in 2005 from the front room of her house, Penelope Chilvers, the driving force and Designer, passionately supports dying crafts and traditional methods for manufacturing in the twenty first Century. She believes this is the beating heart of the Brand and what keeps it authentic..
Her shoes are always impeccably crafted – she endeavours to source each and every component in a design which is then crafted by hand..the result is the addition of that intrinsic quality that’s impossible to fake: Love.
Each shoe is designed to walk into your life. And stay there.
Quietly rocking inspiration.
Me likey..
Laters, Kate x
Just a Little Obsessed..
The light is underway. I took a punt on the size of lanterns without seeing them in the flesh..and as a prototype I don’t think I did too badly. Still not sure how I’m going to finally link them all together – on the one hand, when they’re loosely linked they catch the breeze and spin gently – I can imagine them above candles, moving on the warm air. But then I think the shape is better when they’re tighter together. Going to see what they look like with their scales before I made a decision.
The bottom ball is already covered..the temptation was just too great! It’s incredibly therapeutic work…
Laters, Kate x
Silken Favours x
Victoria Murdoch is the independent, free-thinking spirit and designer behind the label Silken Favours, creating her own silk pieces from traditional pen & ink techniques.
Based in London and originally working everything by hand, she’s managed to combined her nostalgic sense of magic with fast, modern digital printing techniques to produce commercially priced work with that personal touch.
Humour with a delicateness to make you smile and lust.
Clever designs that speak to the heart with a shift in every mood and a requisite fair and lightness.
Sort of cute but still sly making it all so appealing..and endearing.
Silk is her canvas, but this is just the start – there’s more to come like insanely printed silk shirts. Imagine!
I can’t wait.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 