Inner Wild

sleepy hollow | treasury fragment

2012-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

A fragment of Etsy treasury "sleepy hollow" by shopshrew

1. Tree by Madden Photography
2. Storm Gauntlets by me, Inner Wild
3. Kerosene vintage lantern by ww vintage
4. Nuno felted scarf by galafilc

color palette

2012-01-30T02:51:00.000-08:00

Breath-taking color palette of costumes from The Duchess. I'm so taken by these soft, pale naturals for young miss virgins - and the stronger, richer but always natural colors and fabrics for madam and mrs. I was captivated by the pretty shades in Scene One - the maidens playing on the lawn with the young lords and my love escalated from there.

Michael O'Connor is the Genius Costume Designer - perhaps you know he won many awards for his designs for the film including an Oscar. When I was collecting screen grabs from BBC iPlayer to share here I noticed his clever limiting of the palette to brown and blue supported by natural, muted cream, sage, olive and a dusky red-pink.

storm warning | treasury fragment

2012-01-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

A fragment of Etsy treasury "storm warning" by Blue Room Gems

1. Storm Cloud by Golly Bard
2. After the Storm Wild Horse 12 x 8 original fine art by Deb Little
3. Storm Warmers by me, Inner Wild
4. Modern Intaglio Print: Strata 3 by Elvia Perrin

me, keeping it indie

2011-12-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

How delighted I am to be the subject of a spotlight interview on beautiful blog, Keeping It Indie. Check it out here.

Rose and Dream | treasury fragment

2011-12-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

A fragment of Etsy treasury, "Rose and Dream..." by Fish Hollow

1. Hair Vine Tiara Branch Hair Accessory Choker by Bellina Creations
2. Naturalist Warmers by me, Inner Wild
3. Flower Necklace by Yashma Creations

let it snow | treasury fragment

2011-11-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

A fragment of Etsy treasury "let it snow" by PaperdollAccessories

1. The Snow Queen Cometh 8 x 10 print by Raceytay
2. Naturalist Warmers by me, Inner Wild
3. Winter Horses 20 x 20 print by NicholasBellPhoto

fame!

2011-10-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

How lovely to be featured on the Etsy blog "Gateway to Scotland" post today. Och aye the noo! See it all here.

morning glow | treasury fragment

2011-10-26T02:33:00.000-07:00

A fragment of Etsy treasury "Morning Glow" by JKPhotography

1. Basking in the Blackberries by Gollybard
2. Drape Gauntlets by me, Inner Wild
3. Patterned Birds by Munieca
4. Run Into Flowers Top by iheartfink

Zen Country Living | treasury fragment

2011-10-09T02:33:00.000-07:00

A fragment from Zen Country Living treasury on Etsy.com by Sharon Clancy Designs

1. Antler No.6986 by kariherer
2. Staring at the Sun by Mariam Sitchinava
3. Sweetheart Warmers by me, Inner Wild
4. White Horse of the Camargue by Irene Suchocki

prairie girls, puppies and pretty music

2011-10-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

A lovely lady named Caterina convoed and sent me the link to Magnolia Pearl's website thinking I might like it.

Oh darlingness!

How pretty, how precious. I thought I must share it with you right away. Visit by clicking here.

I hope you love the sweet animation and gorgeous music as much as me.

{I have listened to Claire Holley, 'Good News' so many times already, what a pleasure.}

Indie Rainbow | treasury fragment

2011-10-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

a fragment from Indie Rainbow... treasury on Etsy.com by Redor Gray Art

1. Chunky Nesting Bowls by Catherine Reece
2. Seafoam Warmers by me, Inner Wild
3. Antique Glass Bottles by Little Byrd Vintage

tulle lovely

2011-10-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

How pleasing to see something frillivous while browsing the free newspaper on the bus yesterday. I tore it out for your delectation.

I think I may try to create a knitted capelet with this kind of flouncy romantic feel.

naturally beautiful: wood and wool

2011-08-18T04:25:00.000-07:00

Work in progress and the finished piece from "what's in your toolbox?" featuring artist/designer Soojin Kang on Design*Sponge.

Says Soojin, "I have been always interested in traditional craftsmanship and currently am obsessed by suede leather and handspun yarns. I like them more and more. I keep sawing and knitting with them, but then it becomes my future inspiration."

See full article on Design*Sponge here. Photos of Soojin's work in progress and finished piece by Ania Wawrzkowicz

Celtic Chief roundhouse

2011-08-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Some fine people have built a replica Iron Age roundhouse in Cornwall. And you can stay there for a night or two. See full article here.

peace home decor | treasury fragment

2011-08-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

treasury fragment from Peace Home Decor by Amber Alexander

1. moth soft sculpture by Mister Finch
2. the watercolorist warmers by me, Inner Wild
3. vintage wooden letterpress blocks by The Fancy Lamb

romantic visions | treasury fragment

2011-08-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

a fragment from Romantic Visions treasury on Etsy.com, curated by YaY Jewelry

1. Embroidered Headband from Love Maude
2. Sweetheart Warmers from me, Inner Wild
3. Floral hair clips from Marolsha

wild camping on the Isle of Coll, summer 2011

2011-07-31T03:21:00.000-07:00

14.

18

I spent all my childhood holidays on the Isle of Coll. As a baby in a tiny caravan in the Cornaigbeag sand dunes in the 1960's/70's, then a bigger caravan, then a traditional croft cottage, Tigh an Lochan at Struan, built on the ancient ruins of my ancestors croft house.

Heart songs.

1, 2, 3 Traighlavik Beach, Isle of Coll {windswept me in pic 3}

4 jellyfish on sand, Struan Beach, Isle of Coll

5 our wee New Zealand tent on Scottish machair, Struan Beach

6 the tide makes feathers in the sand

7 our 11-year old Alaskan Malamute discovers Scottish delicacies sundried seaweed and sundried jellyfish taste delicious

8 beachcombing in the 2010's - freighting plastic flotsam litter off the beach

9 Struan Beach, our wild camping home

10 Scottish thistle near our tent

11, 12 ruin at Sorasdal {when i was a child i often visited this thatched cottage and sat by the fire with the wonderful man who lived there, Mr Johnny MacInnes, (Johnny Glaic) and stared out that very window - you can see an article about him here with pics of the thatched croft as it once was}

13 my latest crush: my Trangia 25-2 stove in its natural element {thanks to @JonRlvins for his expert Trangia cooking tips and bannock recipe}

14 Struan Beach

15 Highland cow, Breachacha, Isle of Coll

16 a Twite? If you can identify this pretty bird, let me know in the comments, I've already checked the RSPB site and can't find it {UPDATE: I asked Simon Wetlock, ex-RSPB Officer and now running Coll of the Wild wildlife holidays, tours and guided walks on Coll - check out his blog - and he solved the mystery: "the bird in question is a Meadow Pipit.
"They are very common on Coll but, and this is where we often have problems, they are of a different sub-species hebridensis to those on the Mainland." thank you Simon and yay for knowledgeable bird folk.}

17 the old pier, Arinagour village, Isle of Coll

18 Sea Otter tracks - perhaps the original Utterly Otterleys? {a lovely book by Mairi Hedderwick, Coll author and illustrator}

crushed by tools

2011-07-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

i have a crush on old tools.

image from Gabriele Quaglia on Flickr

Tartan in the blood

2011-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have fallen into my Harris Tweed stash again, and in doing so burrowed deep into my roots. It is wonderfully strange how things come together - for example, the gorgeous bark-colored wool mix yarn and the brown tartan Harris Tweed piece of fabric I had that matched it so perfectly in tone and depth and color.

The finishing of these new style of Inner Wild Cuffs which have no thumb hole but rather are open but still cover the hand has me so excited and delighted. Thinking of tartan cuffs I remembered a print of a famous painting I had years ago of Bonnie Prince Charlie {see reproduction above} and this set me off on a whole 1700's Jacobite revolution muse.

The Skye Boat Song, Flora MacDonald aiding Bonnie Prince Charlie {that's them in the third pic above} in his escape from certain death {find out more about "Highland Heroine" Flora MacDonald here} - ah everyone with Scottish roots has a little tartan in their bloodstream so that we romanticize the past.

Jacobites {fine example of one above, first pic - think Braveheart} are also often associated with tartan; of course the Highlanders who fought for the Stuarts were mostly clad in their clan tartans. Also in the 1740's, another way of displaying Jacobite sympathies was to wear a tartan waistcoat.

A prominent English Jacobite had an entire tartan suit made and it can now be seen on display at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh. Our traditional tartan kilt was banned for a time after the defeat of the Jacobites because of its rebel associations.

I have just put these Cuffs in my shop and called them Bonnie Prince Cuffs - not least because they would look equally wonderful on a man.

I must just dive into my Harris Tweed stash again...

armchair rambles | treasury fragment

2011-07-02T04:18:00.000-07:00

a fragment from Armchair Rambles Etsy.com treasury by MadeMary
1. retro chair from Inspire Your Lifestyle
2. ancestor's apron from me, Inner Wild
3. beach and sand necklace from Liz Briggs Design

artful claws

2011-06-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Oh joy! I saw this on Decor8 and swooned. Then I looked closer and thought, 'wait a minute, that looks gorgeous and yet also as if a cat has clawed it and actually, it's an unfinished project as well!' Bliss. Am so glad my cat-clawed sofa and unfinished projects are similarly artful. Good kitty!

*yes, I do have a copy of "Why Cats Paint".

Lace dresses with wellies

2011-06-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

This photo was in last Saturday's Guardian newspaper under the headline, "Wear it with wellies - Lace dresses are summer's festival hit". {See online version of the article here.}Yeah! It's festival season, of course, with Glastonbury last weekend.

Lace with rubber boots is one of my favorite combinations. I love taking things that are perceived as 'luxury' - like lace, silk, velvet, bone china and so on and slumming it into something mundane or practical. Very nice.

The 1940s was a great period for lace with homespun, homely and country clothes, especially fair isle handknits and definitely wellies on the farm.

Liberating our inner Emma

2011-06-22T03:14:00.000-07:00

Here is Gwyneth as Emma wearing gauntlets for archery. How fine. And here is me wearing lnner Wild Miss Austen Gauntlets pretending to be Emma.

If you're a Jane Austen zealot, you will swoon over the Living In: Emma post over at Design*Sponge.

pretty perceptions

2011-06-08T02:54:00.000-07:00

I would have to say our home has become much less cluttered and more lovely just by subscribing to first of all to Leo Babauta's ZenHabits and Mnmlst daily emails as well as Decor8 and Design*Sponge.

I think images such as those above, taken from UK Country Living magazine, seep into our subconscious and pique our beauty aesthetic as we perceive the world around us.

Not that everything ought to be prettiness. We need a foil. I heard an interesting radio documentary yesterday about how the industrial and manufacturing city of Detroit is being perceived differently with many art groups springing up and using the city as a canvas.

Spot the florals

2011-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Can you spot the Liberty floral fabrics from the batch photo in the previous post?!

A few of the Cuffs and Gauntlets I've made so far using the lovely Liberty fabrics below.

floral fix

2011-05-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

Even when I was having my punk and later, Goth phase, I still had florals biding their time in my wardrobe. I've never been without a floral skirt or dress or blouse. Liberty and Laura Ashley *sigh of nostalgia and whimsy* you have always made my world more beautiful.

I'm delighted that I just won the ebay auction for a mini stash of Liberty of London tana lawn cotton fabrics. In fact, the photograph above is the actual auction photograph. I'm going to use these for a range of ribbed cuffs and appliqued tanks for spring and summer.

perfect climb | fragment

2011-05-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

1. Perfect Climb by first light photo
2. Wildflowers on Wasteland Warmers by me Inner Wild
3. Flora Wall Wear by neawear
4. Rose Hips Peekaboo Ohhh Lulu Ruffle Bloomers by ohhhlulu

From 'perfect climb' Etsy treasury by DiGi

faded elegance

2011-04-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

I must drag the pretty-legged table I found on the street out of the basement and paint it white for summer. Image borrowed from Decor8 who borrowed it from Aussie darls Gardener & Marks

wordless wednesday | wedding fairy

2011-04-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

hope the easter bunny visits you this weekend

2011-04-23T04:26:00.000-07:00

darling image borrowed from Cafe Baudelaire

makes me think | fragment

2011-04-21T03:26:00.000-07:00

1. Trust illustration by joo joo
2. Orchardist Cuffs by Inner Wild {me}
3. The Wheel in the Sky photograph by The Gingham Owl

from mint and pink makes me think by These Shiney Times

say hello to spring | treasury fragment

2011-04-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

1. Day 16 North Cap blanc nez the pier 80 days by Yann Pendaries

2. Miss Austen Gauntlets by Inner Wild {me}

3. Digital Collage Vintage Maps by graphicland

from say hello to spring treasury by annerstreet

basic wonders of the world - wheelbarrows

2011-04-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

1. Antique Wheelbarrow digital image from Graphique
2. Large Wooden Wheelbarrow by Wisconsin Wagon
3. Primitive Chippy Red from Coreys Corner

shabby pink and green | treasury fragment

2011-04-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

1. Sprig Series Silk Ring Bearer by Raw Studio
2. Flower Bud Cuffs by Inner Wild {me}
3. Ginkgo Leaf Coaster by Angel Ellie

treasury fragment of Shabby Pink and Green by MyGrandmothersAttic1

Her Cathedral | treasury fragment

2011-04-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

1. 'Follow' Limited Edition Fine Art by My Antartica
2. 'Season of Now' Elemental Eye Photo by Elemental Eye Photo
3. Noir Cuffs by Inner Wild (me)
4. 'Winged' Fine Art Photography by Moonlight Photography

"Her Cathedral" treasury by Ancient Sun Jewelry

my friend

2011-04-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

Oh, what divine styling from Maison Paulette.

I love this darling photograph of a little girl and her dog friend - look how he is sitting so nicely next to her, he looks like such a loyal and loving little dog and the little girl is proud to stand next to him.

You can still feel the precious friendship between the two of them decades after this photograph was taken.

This beautiful shot from stunning Swedish vintage store Maison Paulette is part of a listing for wonderful vintage flower frogs.

lavender and mint and lamb's ears

2011-04-07T02:58:00.000-07:00

Having put Inner Wild tags on this trio of Cuffs I noticed how pretty their plant colors of lavender, mint and lamb's ears look together.
l to r: Victoriana Cuffs, Illustrator Cuffs and Pansy Growing Cuffs

wordless wednesday | little house on the prairie

2011-04-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

Vintage inspired tea dresses

2011-04-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

I am so loved up on Sohomode's darling 'vintage-inspired tea dresses for your wedding' handmade by lovely Lesley. My range of Inner Wild Cuffs look sweet with these kinds of summer frocks. Like these lilac Pansy Growing Cuffs, for example:

photo credits:

1 ourlaboroflove.com
2 lydiajane.com
3 Bob Butler at http://www.publicimagephotography.com

Miss Pearl Cuffs

2011-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Latest Inner Wild Cuffs - with knitted cream lace at wrist and knuckles and pale gold palms. I knitted these in Rowan Bamboo Tape yarn and called them Miss Pearl Cuffs.

Bad Kitty | treasury fragment

2011-03-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

1. Shabby Black Flower Bobby Pins by Pamela Angus
2. Wolverine Warmers by me, Inner Wild
3. Tight Fitting Plaid Patterned Slacks by Malam

from Bad Kitty treasury by Esmeralda Designs

silken spring

2011-03-27T04:48:00.000-07:00

A tiny moment of realization last week - silk is beautifully cool to wear on warm Spring days. It lets the skin breathe and seem to lower temperature. Wouldn't it be wonderful to create a range of cuffs and sleeves in pure, supreme quality silk yarns?

Silk is beautiful to knit, drapes gorgeously and is soft and oh so luxurious. Having knitted with pure hand dyed silk in the past I wonder what else is available. And so I order 50g of Debbie Bliss Pure 100% Silk in a light rose pink to see what it is like.

Here it has arrived in a tight skein of rose bud-like potential. Today I shall wind it into a ball around my fingers and then we shall begin a range of spring and summer cuffs and other lovelies.

a little later ...

and later still ...

into the woods we go | treasury fragment

2011-03-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

1. Through the Trees by Humboldt Street Photography
2. Woodlander Bodice by me, Inner Wild
3. Young Mr Fox Locket by This Years Girl

From Into the Woods We Go Etsy Treasury by King Happy Creations

luxe in the wilderness

2011-03-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

Drag your Laura Ashleys, Cath Kidstons and Amy Butlers, your vintage tea set and tea dress, your Ladybird What to Look for in Spring and Observer Book of Birds from the 1960's outside and find a clearing in the trees for elegant, luxe oneness with nature. You are like Beatrix Potter and then some. From Country Living Magazine, April 2011. {Click on images to see detail if you like.}

basic wonders of the world - scissors

2011-03-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

1. vintage shears from Saffron Colored Pony
2. vintage sewing scissors from Tilly Mint Vintage
3. vintage scissors from Vintage Embellishment
4. napping shears, civil war period from Surrender Dorothy

bees

2011-03-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

1. Vintage Czech Military Queen Bee I RULE bag by meatbagz
2. French Sachet with Crested Bee, Crown and Roses by ObeeDesigns
3. Wedding Birdseed Favor Packets by Happy Hound
4. bee miniature paper sculpture by elsita
5 leather bifold wallet by inblue
6. little plate honey bee by Circa Ceramics

a piece of work

2011-03-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

commissioned work | March 2011 | Celtic Rose Scarf and Gauntlets Set

Camp party

2011-03-15T03:10:00.000-07:00

Table setting for a Camping-themed baby shower from SweetandSaucy.

which flesh found poem

2011-03-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

Tell me, which flesh mixed media with found poem text from missouri bend studio

giveaway | coldfinch print

2011-03-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

Karen the Graphics Fairy is giving away this pretty coldfinch print free.

meeting you ... | treasury fragment no.5

2011-03-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

1. Kissing Jackalopes by NY Hop
2. Rockpooler Gauntlets by Inner Wild
3. Wavelets Watercolor by Cyn ART

from meeting you starts with ... a comment by Walrus Tusk

thrice crushed | vintage paint-by-numbers

2011-03-08T02:14:00.000-08:00

I thought I would occasionally note my totem crushes / current obsessions: things I fall in love with and notice everywhere online.

I always have several and the love rush that is raging this week is vintage paint by numbers art. Paint-by-Numbers kits were most popular in the 1970's when most people happily said they had a "hobby" and you wouldn't be embarrassed to say your hobby was painting-by-numbers.

There is something sweet and heartfelt about vintage paint-by-numbers. They have an energy about them that is touching.

Sometimes given as a kit to a family member, {possibly a Collie Dog kit given to a Collie Dog person and so on, the subject were homely and familiar}. Sometimes completed and then given as a finished gift, paint by numbers were also super-relaxing to do. An almost guaranteed rewarding artistic pursuit which almost anyone could create.

Somehow the humble paint-by-numbers became a vehicle for all kinds of complex human expressions. And now they continue to be loved with their patina of vintage survival and being loved over the years, these paintings painted by families.

{dreamy, nostalgic moment}

I remember buying my mum, who passed away many years ago, a paint-by-numbers kit and I can still see her sitting painting it in the spare room smiling as she painted it. Wish I knew where that painting was now *sigh*.

Here are some on Etsy right now that maybe someone else's mother painted:
1. Vintage Paint by Numbers Buck by Retro Rubbish
2. Vintage Paint by Numbers Boxer in Gold Frame by We Have It Vintage
3. Vintage Paint by Number Oil Paintings by OtisM

she was beautiful and wild | treasury fragment no.4

2011-03-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

The Bird's Nest Upon Her Head by Boring Sidney
Posy Puff Cuffs by Inner Wild
TRIBE N2 by Miles of Light

from she was beautiful and wild by Palimpsestic

basic wonders of the world - pulleys

2011-03-03T03:25:00.000-08:00

1. Wood and Cast Iron Pulleys from The Fancy Lamb
2. Small Industrial Pulley from AM Radio
3. Well Pulley from Col Time Pickers

pretty kit

2011-03-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a pretty kit? I just recently subscribed to CRESCENDOh and this popped into my mailbox today. How lovely.

You can see a video of the 'knitted cabbage rose cuff with hemp yarn, vintage ribbon and buttons' by super-smart Jenny here.

Spring flowers and romance

2011-02-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

i just had to capture this glorious treasury immediately made by A Pocket of Posies and wrap my blog around its beautifulness.

feeling very ruffled

2011-02-24T02:21:00.000-08:00

There is something abundant and floucy-fabulous about ruffles. Pleats are prim but ruffles are raucous. Ruffles invite you to push your fingers into the texture of the folds. Here are some of my favorite ruffles at the moment.

I especially love what artlab, New York does with ruffles on scarves, tops and intelligent accessories. It butts flamboyant, frayed-edge ruffles up against stripped-down minimalism to beautiful effect.

1. artLAB Test Restraint Desert Camouflage Military Ruffle by artLAB
2. Patisserie Mini Dress Long Tunic French Puff Pastry by Savoir Fair
3. Soft Scultpure Tee/Toothpaste by Kate Towers

planting seeds - that's actual SEEDS, not seed ideas or thoughts!

2011-02-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

How delighted I was to hear the flup of a tiny package falling from my letterbox to the floor this morning. I knew it was the wildflower seeds I ordered at the weekend on ebay.

I thought I'd share them with you. I love this simple, homely, eco packaging.

I shall be sowing my seed in nooks and crannies all over the place from now until Summer.

I have a bees and butterflies mix, a semi-shade hedgerow mix, thousands of cornflowers, ox eye daisies and i treated myself to hundreds of aquilegeus, also known as granny's bonnets, which i fell in love with years ago when I saw them waving in the breeze and looking so old-fashionedy in the most comely of ways in a friends' garden in Auckland.

I bought these seeds for a mere few pounds from Just Seeds on ebay UK, a highly recommended seed retailer.

earth tones | treasury fragment no.3

2011-02-23T03:40:00.000-08:00

1. Steampunk Goggles by elmstreetmarket
2. Romance Cuffs by Inner Wild
3. Frederick Bunworth by Old World Primitives
4. Framed Flowery Fields by leninka

from earth tones by JKphotography

hair today, flat tomorrow

2011-02-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

I love the outlandishness of this hair do. But if i adopt this hairstyle would the bus driver still let me on the bus? And what sort of man would chase me and call me his darling? Oh such philosophical questions. Worth an experiment. Oh Gudrun you are a marvel!

Source: Gudrun Sjoden, magical natural collection.

a man named Moose

2011-02-22T05:04:00.000-08:00

I just made this Etsy treasury and i love it. If you find a man named Moose have him email me. You can see other treasuries I've curated here.

hints of spring

2011-02-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Oh blossoming twig how lovely you are. Fresh lime green, woody brown, natural white.

{I just realised I have all the yarns in the glorious spring colors of this twig. *inspired*}

UPDATE:

This image was the beginning of a small obsession -

I made Twig Blossom Warmers, Twig Blossom Cuffs and Twig Bud Cuffs! And now I have just finished Flower Bud Cuffs ...

Sweet Sunshine | treasury fragment no.2

2011-02-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

1. Evening Grosbeak by reneeanne
2. Woodlander Bodice by Inner Wild
3. Sunflower Curtain by The Piu

from Sweet Sunshine treasury by peifferStudios

behind the scenes

2011-02-18T04:27:00.000-08:00

I am in love with the washed-out color, 1970's family photo feel that's a bit of a trend at the moment as shown by shops like LolasRoom and lots of young ladies on Tumblr {I have reblogged quite a lot on my Tumblr blog, they evoke a certain happy nostalgia for me}.

How delighted I was to accidentally discover my camera has the "pinhole" effect! Here I took a couple of pinhole shots while shooting my Picnic Etiquette Cuffs.

thrice crushed | wild horses

2011-02-17T04:58:00.000-08:00

i thought i would occasionally note my totem crushes. Things I fall in love with and notice everywhere online.

At the moment i have several {still birds, yes, that's a 3-year crush now} but the one that is raging this week is my wild pony / horses in the wilderness crush. i just can't get enough of these.

you can buy prints of these glorious horses:

1. Periwinkle the Horse by Nature's Mandalas.
2. Play by f2images.
3. Spirit by Kelly Angard.

criminal fashion show

2011-02-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

These dames are all 'crims' as they say in Australia - criminals of the 1920's. But look at their clothes. Such style! Is it just me or are the outfits of these Antipodean women fascinating?

The photographs were taken by police officers in Sydney and are the subject of a book, City of Shadows: Sydney Police Photographs 1912 - 1948.

You can see more of these stunning photographs - and check out the men and their style - on this blog post from la boite verte.

why be under canvas when you could be under paisley, damask and flowers

2011-02-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

i think we've seen the last snow of winter

2011-02-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

I hope we will have another snowfall in Scotland this winter.

girl from the soil | treasury fragment no.1

2011-02-14T03:56:00.000-08:00

1. Flower Coasters by imali
2. Pine Cone Bodice by Inner Wild
3. Autumn Brooch by Monicaj

Part of girl from the soil treasury by blueberryshoes

i maintain tom robbins is responsible for various wild mushroom obsessions

2011-02-12T02:54:00.000-08:00

Toadstools in childhood Enid Blyton stories, weird fungi growing like foam monsters in the forest, strange-smelling, pungent mushrooms blooming suddenly in the most unexpected of places.

And then came Tom Robbins' Another Roadside Attraction and my mushroom curiosity exploded like spores from fungi frills.

Explore some of nature's most individual, mysterious life forms in this we like it wild: fungi love article.

it's 1960, knit yourself an outfit

2011-02-12T02:42:00.000-08:00

Imagine knitting yourself an entire outfit - in fine 4 ply yarn, with fine needles - from groovy 'stockings' to cardi. OMG this would take a hundred years to knit by hand. Maybe it is a knitting machine pattern...

But your workmanship would be such that you could wander down 1960's Carnaby Street or do the twist at your local dance hall with your groove on and be the hippest cat 'cos you made it yourself. Vogue London would've wanted you in a fashion spread with Twiggy modeling, of course.

I love vintage patterns. I will take pics of some of my metalized silver and bronze ones from the 1930's and 40's later. Thank God we women like to keep things for posterity!

This pattern is available from fellow vintage knitting pattern appreciator, clutchinstructions on Etsy.

peony palette

2011-02-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

Oh, I feel a Spring palette coming over me.

I think I may use this as my mood pic for my late Winter, early Spring collection.

I adore peonies. The peony is my favorite flower. Peonies need a snap of cold to make them love the sun in the summer. Humans appreciate warmer temperatures for the same reason.

Poppy heads are a feature in our home. I love their voluptuous roundness and the quirky holes and how the tiny seeds sprinkle out. I have them in my garden, having taken seed heads from my last garden.

We have sprinkled hundreds of poppy seeds all down our street, {which is a long street} like good guerilla gardeners. Hopefully we will see the incongruity of pale pastel pink double-petaled poppies nodding above the pavement cracks this summer.

seableached driftwood

2011-02-07T06:37:00.000-08:00

Seableached driftwood. I love it. I love it so much I have been known to drag pieces of driftwood around the world.

I took one piece from a beach on the Isle of Coll off the West Coast of Scotland and carried it as hand-baggage all the way to Sydney, Australia. {Whereupon it was confiscated by MAF and fumigated but I did get it back several weeks later.}

Here, Sparrow & Co of Glasgow shows its appreciation of Scottish driftwood with this Driftwood Heart. Check out the Sparrow & Co beautiful homewares website.

Love comes in all guises

2011-01-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

I was intrigued by a particular, curious Etsy avatar. I clicked, visited the shop and WHOA! WHOA! OMG! ALERT! WHISTLES! ALARMS!

(Yes, this was just a few minutes ago so am still a bit excited.)

Look who is there in a beautiful shop called TheFiligree!

I am in love. I mean instant, smack-you-between-the-eyes, hammer-on-head, clouds-parting L-O-V-E.

Look at his face! His clothes! His face! His clothes! His style! His everything! Ain't he just IT with icing?

I love Rye Fitzalen.

*happy sigh*

So grateful to people like creator Martin Obakke {and his lovely Celena} for bringing the world such gifts (they also create a fairy newspaper!). Visit their website The Filigree.

P.S. If you like Etsy Treasuries, this is the one I first saw the avatar in, it's stunning: earth.love.magic by PamelaAngus

The confidence to clash

2011-01-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Clash patterns / Smash conventions. I love when people defy 'fashion' commentators and wear whatever patterns and colors they fancy, simultaneously.

As our beautiful English doyen of being-yourself, Ms Vivienne Westwood says, "wear whatever the fuck you like - no matter how many years you've had it, how ripped, faded or manky it is so long as you love it, wear it!"

When I was a teenager, avant garde though I thought I was, I would never have clashed patterns. Ew! Now I take great joy from it. I mean, real joy. It utterly thrills me to wear clothes that you'd think would fight each other. In some kind of cosmic conspiracy once on a body bold individual garments make peace to create a vibrant diversity.

I'm wondering if pattern clashing, whether on your body or in your home, is a statement of rebellious confidence. I always have more attitude when I'm wearing clashing patterns. Like I'm saying, 'yeah, I AM a contrary, contradictory kinda person'.

Pattern-clashing reflects a complicated outlook. Pattern-clashing is for individualists. Not forgetting forgetful, Sulphuric, academic-type men who do this effortlessly.

Perhaps the leap of wearing or creating pattern-clashes creates more confidence to be yourself. To stand out and be gloriously different. Or is it that you have to be confident to pattern-clash?

Make the world more beautiful, show yourself in what you wear.

I'd forgotten summer

2011-01-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Flowers, bright colors, sunshine streaming through leafy tree branches. I had forgotten all that in this beautiful, stark, gray, monochrome bareness of winter. So I was surprised to see this photo of Inner Wild Cloudless Blue Warmers in my iPhoto album while looking for another image. I liked it and thought you might too.

Tiny magnificence

2011-01-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

I am about to write a post on my Inner Wild Therapy blog featuring this feather and some other natural, cherished finds which I photographed today.

I have been in possession of this single Mallard Duck feather for about seven years, I now realise. I picked it up at Western Springs Park when I lived in Auckland, New Zealand after it was preened out by one of the many wildfowl who happily live there.

And now I have it in my home in Scotland. Aren't life's tiny treasures miraculous in their secret stories as well as their beauty?

A Friend in Tweed

2011-01-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

I am experimenting with Harris Tweed fabric. Cutting it into raggedy ribbons and haphazardly stitching it between ribs of hand knitted Harris Tweed wool.

I made these heather plaid ones for my auntie who wears them walking her bonkers dog who is a Foxie x Jack Russell.

{In these shots I am wearing a pair of 'Thai pants' in Thai silk which I made a big fuss about having after seeing a big Maori man friend of mine looking great wearing a black pair. This is the first time I have worn them in oh, five years... Harris Tweed and Thai silk, oh yeah}

I also made a killer pair of warmers and a neck cowl for a friend of mine in black with blood red Harris Tweed ribbons in rib. I didn't get a chance to photograph them before giving them to her because the weather was too overcast and the light dim.

Here's a poem about Harris Tweed written by Janet Hunter which I've pilfered from the Harris Tweed Authority website. It's also about my ancestors, all of whom were crofters on the Western Isles of Uist, Skye and Coll:

I met a man in Harris Tweed

As I walked down the Strand;

I turned and followed him like a dog

The breath of hill and sea and bog

That clung about that coat of brown,

And suddenly, in London Town,

I heard again the Gaelic speech,

The scrunch of keel on shingly beach;

The traffic's never-ending roar

Come plangent from a shining shore;

I saw the little lochs where lie

The lilies, white as ivory;

And tumbling down the rocky hills

Came scores of little foaming rills,

I saw the crofter bait his line,

The children herding yellow kine,

The barefoot woman with her creel,

The washing-pot, the spinning wheel,

The mounds thrown up by patient toil,

To coax the corn from barren soil.

With buoyant step I went along

Whistling a Hebridean song

That Iain Og of Taransay

Sang one enchanted day.

I was a man renewed indeed

Because I smelt that Harris Tweed

As I went down the Strand.

Giveaway

2010-12-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

yes .... the winner of the Inner Wild Cuffs giveaway (exclusive to subscribers of the wonderful, inspiring Essence of Wild newsletter - subscribe now if you haven't already) is Grace Mahoney of Helensburgh, Scotland.

*applause*

Gosh I love winning things. Winning a giveaway is a tangible reminder of all the small miracles and random good opportunities and pleasant surprises that happen in life. How magical for me to be able to draw a winner's name in this Inner Wild / Essence of Wild giveaway.

I asked Grace what color she would prefer and she told me she was doing a lot of grey this winter. So I made her the Inner Wild Cuffs above.

Give yourself a wee treat just now by having a peep at Grace's beautiful kindnessabounds blipfoto album.

Wandering with Wolves

2010-12-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Inner Wild Wanderer Warmers

[Alaskan Malamute model's own LOL]

Wandering. I love to wander. Recently I've also discovered the slightly faster wandering on buses. With my bus pass I can jump on and off any bus all day and see where we go.

When you are wandering I think it's important to feel loose and comfortable, warm and safe. Wanderer Warmers somehow manage to help enhance the wandering spirit by wrapping your wrists in cozy softness.

The yarn I used is called "Hug" and that says it all really. So who is the dog? Is that a dog? Or a bear or what is it? I hear you asking.

That's my 10 year old Alaskan Malamute. He is a big baby and we love him very much. He loves to wander, (on retractable leash of course) as is the way of huskies. He is an excellent wandering companion because he stops and sniffs a lot and doesn't spoil the quiet with talking.

Wanderer Warmers are knit in Scottish cable stitch so they are snug and flexible. Lovely stone and cloudy day colors.

2010-12-15T12:42:00.001-08:00