Spiralling

Bon Appetit!

Oh my goodness has it really been that long since my last update? Well, I guess it's true what they say, "time flies when you're having fun!" and it's not over yet.

Here's the briefest of peeks at just one of the tantalizing treats waiting to find a good home, wether you live in Be-bop Town, Crazyville or are just plain gone, Gone where? May I join you?
Perfect for keeping your java granules poppin' fresh, if that's what floats your boat. This kooky combination from those hep cats at Decole will have you flying on cloud 9!

Behold the lovin' spoonful:

A full update is on it's way, more mushrooms, polka dots and retro homewear to make your life complete can be found at the Spiralling Store be sure to watch this space.

Shop update.

Thank you for staying tuned. The Spiralling Store is now oozing with so much sweetness just taking a peek may cause cavities, you have been warned! This latest batch of Shinzi Katoh is the most desirable yet. Bento boxes, trekking bottles, ceramics to die for and that's not all ... yes, you read that right, there's more to come! I know, I know, how can you stand it?!

But for now here's a little taster ...

So what are you waiting for? Last one to the link is a rotten egg .....

Shop update today ...

Thank you for your patience, the Spiralling Store has now been updated with just a smidgen of sweetness, stay tuned more to follow.

Linen trim:

Fabric:

Happy Shopping :D

Just a quick one to let you know that I've set up a little online store to help make shopping easier.
Please visit the Spiralling Store for up to date info on stock availability and details of how to place orders.
Here's a little peek at what you might find ... I spy with my little eye something beginning with D ... yes, you've guessed it, the latest Decole shipment arrived and it's fab as usual.
So clickity click, go grab yourself a bunch of cute before everybody else does!

Thank you, Velda x

If you go down to the woods today ...

You're in for a big surprise!

UPDATED Feb 2008 - Many of these items have since sold out but some are still available to buy along with new and exciting stock at the SPIRALLING STORE

I'm also expecting more Decole & Shinzi Katoh stock very soon so be sure to book mark me and check back for updates *wink*

Please e-mail me veldapond@gmail.com if you'd like to place an order or have any questions. Please be advised postage is not included in the prices listed below. I am happy to ship worldwide and can take payments in £ sterling via paypal.

Ceramic mug & dish.

A) Can you find squirrel?
B) Forest of mushrooms.
C) Giggle.
D) Air Travel.
E) What kind of birds are these.

Bento - Forest of mushrooms.

Bento - We become small.

Hot & Cold Aluminium flask:

A) Attention please!
B) We love the sound of the rain ...
C) Do you have any hobbies ...

Bento - Thank you for your energy.

Bento - Love an apple.

Glass serving dishes - Forest of mushrooms:

A) Pink Mushroom Dish.
B) Red Mushroom Dish.
C) Orange Mushroom Dish.

Glass pudding dishes - Forest of mushrooms:

D) Orange Mushroom Dish.
E) Pink Mushroom Dish.

Glass covered bowls - Forest of mushrooms.

F) Set of 4 in Red.

One pill makes you larger ...

No I didn't fall down a rabbit hole, but hey, that's not a bad excuse *wink* So sorry to keep you all on tenterhooks but I'm sure you'll agree it was well worth the wait.

OK kids, no, you're not seeing things. This truly is the most cosmic cotton on the planet - I picked it up from a hookah smoking caterpillar who knows a thing or two about far out sights and swears this ranks pretty high on his list too!

Perfect for just about any project you have in mind or are trying to whip up the enthusiasm to finish. Japanese crafting at its best.

Available as a fat quarter (equivalent of 1/4 of a yard) - £3.49 + postage.

If you require more
2 fat quarters = 1/2 a yard
3 fat quarters = 1/2 yard uncut + 1 fat quarter
4 fat quarters - 1 yard uncut.
And so on and so forth.

If you'd like to place an order please drop me a line veldapond(at)gmail.com. I am happy to ship worldwide and can accept paypal as payment.

100% cotton canvas bursting with shroomy goodness direct from Japan, as always, supplies are limited.

And as if that wasn't enough I'm also dipping my toe into another crafty pool, wool!

Here's a sneak peek at what should be arriving on more doorstep any day now but don't fret, I'll be sure to spill the beans on how you can get your hands on it soon enough.

Almerino DK, colourful as a rainbow and soft as spun clouds.

Decole for sale - Fabulous Fungi & Fairy tails

At last the wait is over:

Dotty about Decole? Mad about mushrooms? Fanatical about fungi? Then look no further. Listed below are the latest additions to my "store". So if you've been searching for Decole to buy then hallelujah, you're at journeys end.
Pull up a chair, and prepare to have your eyes out on stalks!

UPDATED FEB 2008 - Many of these items are currently sold out but some are still available to buy along with new and exciting stock. Click on this link: SPIRALLING STORE and all will be revealed.

I am happy to ship world wide and can accept paypal as payment. If you'd like to place an order or ask questions my e-mail address is veldapond(at)gmail.com, so sorry for missing this off earlier.

More tea party shenanigans.

Decole - Ceramic Teapot.

Available in two colour ways, brown and green, both equally as stunning. 4.5 inches high & 12.5 inches in circumference, strainer is included.

Decole - Ceramic Mug.

Available in green or brown. Why not mix and match? 2.5 inches tall 10 inches circumference at widest point.

Tip Toe through the fungi ...

Decole - magnet (set of 3)

Largest stands 2 inches tall & smallest 1.25 inches.

Toadstooltastic Storage

Decole - Large glass storage jar

8 inches tall 12 inches circumference with red screw top & wooden serving spoon.

Decole - Small glass storage jar Available in red only.

5.5 inches tall & 6.75 inches circumference with red air tight stopper and wooden serving spoon.

Mushroom stringalong.

Decole - Wooden Twine dispenser

3 inches tall wrapped with twine which, once used, can be refilled.

Isn't it pretty in pink ... and brown *wink*

Decole - Mushroom card stand.

I wanna tell you a story.

Decole - Ceramaic Mug - £5.00 each.
Wrap around transfer print of two of my favourite stories. Great graphics aside these are perfect for slurping from morning, noon or night, whatever your tipple of choice.
Adult size mug 3.5 inches tall & 10 inches in circumference.

And a slice of cake

Decole - Tea 4 One

It's sister, Boulangerie, was a HUGE hit with you all out there in blog land, now it's my pleasure to introduce you to Cafeteria. For those of you who missed out last time don't dilly dally, get your laughing gear around this!

Grow your own

Decole - Planter & seeds

Hand painted wooden planter with clay pot inc & seeds to grow your own camomile. How refreshing!

The root of all goodness

Decole - Bento set

Just waiting to be picked - includes x1 Bento box, x1 fork/case & x1 mug (not available separately)

"Let them eat cake"

Decole - Bento set - £11.99.
You'll be sure to lose your head - includes x1 Bento box, x1 fork/case & x1 mug (not available separately)

Good Manners

Decole Fungi Stamp set

Get your groove on.

Decole - Magnetic flower hooks

Approx. 3 inches tall & 1.5 inches wide at the petals. Available in either monochrome or pop with x2 hooks per set as shown.

My, what big eyes you have!

Decole - Little Red & wolf magnets

Magnet set to hold your pictures or cards.

Full of beans.

Decole - Cafe Savings Bank

Enamel with a wooly beret, tres chic. Why not put a little away for a rainy day? Or better still a slap up meal, did some one say frogs legs, yum!

Damn Fine Coffee

Decole - Cup O Coffee card holder

What better way to say I love you than with chocolate sprinkles?

Everything's coming up ... erm, fungi?!

1st there was Delicious Decole now witness the sequel, Fabulous Fungi!

More Decole goodness to tempt every last penny, or dollar, from your bank account. Who cares if your living on skid row when you're supping meths from such sweet, sweet ceramics & using the storage jars as ... mmmm, I'd better not go into that :D

A sneak preview of what's to come at the SPIRALLING STORE:

Needless to say those of you who've already mailed me to reserve can sleep soundly tonight. Anybody wishing to buy decole from this shipment or the last then drop me a line veldapond(at)gmail.com with your wish list and I'll be sure to give you 1st refusal on the goods once the prices are settled.
Sorry for the delay, but if you want to browse through what else is on offer then check out my flickr there's quiet a few pix to help soothe your cravings and check back over the weekend for updates .... all the nitty gritty will be revealed.

Trim, trim, charoo ...

All summer long I've been preparing for the long winter months of hibernation, lining my nest with rare & exotic threads Rumplestiltskin himself would have been proud of. Flax in to gold indeed, compared to this pile of sumptiousness, easy!

So roll on cosy nights spent curled up next to the radiator, how I wish a log fire was an option, with nothing in the larder except hot chocolate and turkish delight.

Bliss!

There's a green one and a pink one ....

I love Flickr It's a great place to find inspiration and best of all, that rarest of rare things, kindred spirits.
So without further ado let me introduce you to my doppelganger of the shopping cart Julia who started as a humble add way, way back in August 2005 and has since become a firm friend.

We started nattering about a trade shortly after Julia uploaded, and I saw, this:

remember these? My dad saw this in the airport gift shop in Chicago ... remembered I used to get these in my stocking every year. I wanted to try to photo her spinning ...

I had picked up exactly the same tiny dancer just a couple of weeks before and after that more and more coincidences and mutal appreciation followed so a trade seemed to be the next logical step.

We both began picking up little bits and pieces here and there and then one day I signed in as normal and spied the prettiest parcels I ever did see and they were for me.

Imagine my overwhelming desire to peep inside .... oh the torture, the torture ....

1st up I just have to say the hugest thank you to Julia for photographing these before they shipped out. By the time I got my delivery the light had gone and the thought of waiting another day to satisfy my curiosity was, well, never really part of the equation.

I was touched by the thoughtfulness and the fun that went into everything that was gifted. Even down to the hot dot kerchief that was fashioned for deery lou, perfect, just perfect.

There were little notes about each item, that were such a cool idea! I know now that Dog TV was were it all started, and why *grin* As well as seeing how the rest of this runaway train came into being.

Priceless!

Here are just some of the goodies I found inside

Vintage books, gifts for Blythe, fabrics and embroidery transfers, linen, party cups with illustrations to die for OOohhhh, just heaps of lovely stuff which made me smile from the inside out.

Three cheers for Julia, Hip Hip HOORAY, Hip Hip HOORAY, Hip Hip HOORAY, and one for luck *wink*

You officially ROCK!

Modern life is rubbish.

A couple of weeks ago I made the descision to really embrace life, to shake off this blue funk and start enjoying all that I am and all that I know.

My eureka moment came whilst sitting on a sea wall, contemplating the hot sugary donuts that were soon be no more than a memory filed under delicious.

"This is my manor" as they say in the movies, and it's not often that I take the time to stroll down to it's watery boundaries and really appreciate what I have. In each ebb and flow lie years of seconds, minuets and hours spent without a care in the world, at least that's how it seems to me now.

So as I look around, the sun beating down and the past all tinted in rose as it should be, I can feel myself literally filling up to the brim with all of the confidence, joy and enthusiasm that used to fill my days. I put a lid on it. Scared that if it bubbles over and spills onto the sands I wont be able to feel this rush, this ecstatic peace, that washes over me now.

Days pass and the initial magic starts to lose its power. I have to get back to the sea, I have to remember.

Whatever floats your boat

Moses had the burning bush, I have a sign in the shrubbery *wink*

Sugar rush

2 Birds

I stumbled across the most beautiful thing whilst looking for, to be honest, I can't remember what. It didn't take long for me to dive in feet first, and with my "Buy it now" finger itchin' to see some action the deal was done.

This much I know:

The wall tile I now sit and gaze at in awe is called Two Birds and was designed in 1961 by Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg, Sweden. Made of white stoneware, handpainted and partly glazed it was released as part of the UNIK series.

And that's it, the sum total of my knowledge ... a pretty poor show I know but, from little acorns and all that *shrug*

So if you can enlighten me please do as I would love to know more about the artist and this piece in particular but so far NOT so good, I have some very sketchy details but it seems that there is more than one Lisa Larson in the world and the ceramicist has got washed away in a google tide.

I've found auctions and some sites selling her wares, and at the Retro Home studios in Sweden, you can still buy the work she produces today!

All of her contemporaries seem to have sadly passed but their genius continues to inspire. Take Stig Lindberg and one of his most famous and sought after designs Bersa. Is it just me or does Orla Kiely and her Stem Stitch spring to mind for you too?

OK, speculations over, on with the show ....

I think polka dot wallpaper may be on my next shopping list as I really can't imagine this hanging on anything else!

Hop on board and enjoy the view!

Delicious Decole for sale

I have been a major league Decole fan for quiet some time now and know that quiet a few of you are too but where to buy, where to buy?

UPDATED AUGUST 2007 - Though many of these items are currently unavailable there's still oodles of cute stuff to buy along with new and exciting goodies at the SPIRALLING STORE Watch out for an update in September that should knock your socks off too ....

Well, enough of these tiresome words I hear you cry, show me cute & show it to me NOW!

If you want to see more than a thumbnail then just click on the link for each product below and all will be revealed. I ship world wide and accept payments with paypal in £ sterling. Please leave a comment or drop me a line veldapond(at)googlemail.com with any questions or requests. Thank you :D

Bon Appetit Storage Jar, Stands 7 inches tall with his chefs hat on and measure 5.5 inches wide. The sweetest kitchen storage I ever did see!

Decole - Tea for one set, Just when I thought things couldn't get any cuter along comes this killer combo, you don't have to drink tea to NEED this, I promise you.

Decole - Red Riding Hood. "My, what big eyes you have" "All the better to see you with my dear." Eekkkk! Saving money has never been such fun *wink*

Decole - Goldie Locks, "Who's been eating my porridge."

Decole - Accessory Holder, Now then, where better to store all of your precious rings and things than on this enchanted tree. Grown from magic beans I swapped for a cow ....

Decole - Accessory holder, Henry Ford may have said "You can have any colour you like just so long as it's black" but things have moved on a bit since then, you can have it in white now too :D

Decole -Blue Bird Flying South for the winter. With a flutter of his wings this little bird can display your cards/photos and look, he's built a nest of tin too, great way to keep your desk tidy.

Decole - Peter & Paul hook Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall ... Can be used in the kitchen as a towel hanger but you can also use it for jewellery and scarves, oh the list is endless.

Decole - Card Holder, Handpainted wooden card holder. I know they say that too many cooks can spoil the broth but I disagree, the more the merrier!

Decole - Card Holder, Handpainted wooden card holder. Always says his "peas" & thank you's.

Decole - Hand Mirror, Handpanted & just the right size for your purse or bag. Never get caught with Broccolli between your teeth again. When it comes time to pucker up or flash those pearly whites be sure to give yourself the once over, phew.

Decole - Hand Mirror, As above.

Decole - Scented Key, Wooden scented key with folk trim hanger. For the home, for the wardrobe, for the car ... unlock your imagination, hang them anywhere.

Decole - Savings Bank, Metal savings tin AND card holder. This pear works hard for a living! Ripe and ready to be picked.

Decole - Mini Planter, Wire basket with handle & removable glass tumbler. So many uses, plant a posie or two, store buttons or beads?

Decole - Bonjour Bird Hook, Hand painted wooden hook/magnet. There's no place like home, right little bird? This little fella is happy to stay and watch over whatever you decide to leave in his care.

Decole - Owl Hook, In the dark, dark, wood there was an owl of extraordinary strength. Hang your precious things from his tree and behold how they hover.

Decole - Bee Hook, Too bee or not too bee, that is the question *wink* If the bard were around today I'm sure he'd find a use for this too.

Decole - Nesting Eggs, Wooden, handpainted nesting egg family. The little guy is a card holder and the rest of the gang, besides looking cute, are great for storage.

Decole - Salt & Pepper, Ceramic shakers, what a great start to meal time.

Decole - Magnetic Card Holder, These bonbons are good for you they're the not fattening kind, eye candy!

Decole - Lunchbox, Be the envy of the canteen, packed lunches can be cool!

Back Tack 3 - The big reveal!

Back Tack 3, originally uploaded by glumpire.

"My cats got no nose"
"How does he smell?"
"Terrible!"

I know it looks that way but its there, I promise :D

A drum roll if you please .... after hitching her way across country this little kitty has made herself a new home with Katie (oscarcat) and loves what she's done to the living room floor!

I think that the egg chairs may give her a DR. NO complex so beware, world domination is most definately close at hand.

I'm afraid I didn't get a chance to snap the other goodies included in this parcel due to being very disorganised, a habit I really need to break, but there was wool, Katie loves to knit, seeds for the allotment, cute stationary, Clipper tea for when a refreshing cuppa is needed & Green & Blacks organic white chocolate ....

I hope that they both live happily ever after in a softie love bubble ... but the question remains, what'll I do with all this spare time?! Ha, watch this space ^_^

Back Tack 3 - FIN.

Back Tack 3, originally uploaded by glumpire.

Monday afternoon, yes I sneeked out of work early, saw me crossed legged in the lounge sewing on pom pom trim and adding more beads to the tail of Katies kooky kitten kreation. God bless her and her patience.

Sadly I am not the worlds best seamstress and the patterns provided sent me into a bit of a tiz so I went "off road"
I'll be honest and admit that I ran into a couple of obsticales along the way, including trying to use an iron on emroidery transfer which sadly was a complete disaster and resulted in an early bath for the piece involved, roughly translated it was binned, but apart from that it was great fun.

I really enjoyed the "rules" , even though I did break one, and rummaging in my vintage button stash for ones that sat just so.

I also really enjoyed reading new blogs and meeting new people though when I started to see some of the finished pieces my nerves did start to jangle.

Moonstitches, you are a genius!

That said I still have pix to post of my parcel of cuteness which arrived this weekend, thank you so much Suzy, I loved everything and can't wait to sink my teeth into some of that sugary goodness! :D

Better get a wriggle on .....

Back Tack 3 - And so it begins ....

Back Tack 3 - And so it begins ...., originally uploaded by glumpire.

So after weeks of deliberating, and pacing up and down waiting for my cargo of precious goods to arrive I think may have cracked it, well almost.
Couple of bits and bobs may not make the final cut but overall I'm now ready, willing and able to breath some life into this heap of threads.
I must confess to being a wee bit nervous, I really hope my swap partner likes the finished results.
Right, that's it ... gotta stop typing and start sewing ... good luck everybody, including me :D

I have splurged and I will splurge again ....

#62, originally uploaded by ana ventura.

I know, I know, I promised myself that I'd curb my spending but how on earth was I supposed to resist?

Ana Ventura, a girl enchanted, weaves a tale from found objects and forgotten things. Using her nimble fingers to piece together a moment in time that will forever lay frozen within a frame, we, the hapless voyers, are left to furrow our brows and imagine, "what happend next?"

I swear Cupid's been using me for target practice since the day I was born as I'm constantly falling head over hills in a BOOM! Love at first sight sort of way with the most extraordinary things and this time is no exception. Wool, buttons, paper, oh heck the list is endless ....

Not that I'm complaining, infact I wouldn't have it any other way :D

Trims all in a row

Trims all in a row, originally uploaded by glumpire.

I've been searching around for interesting things to add to my back tack stash but all of a sudden everything I see is bursting with colour, eeek, no harm done though as I'm pretty sure it is written "You can never have too many trims" and even if it isn't, it should be.

I've also gone a little bit nuts at the fabric store, which in my case has to be ebay due to the distinct lack of cool threads in my part of town, after getting the tip off from http://chickadeesimone.livejournal.com/

The Denyse Schmidt stuff looks amazing so of course I took the plunge, again, no black & white but mustn't panic, yet, as I do have some in the mix but wanted to find a little something special for this project. The search continues. Which of course is half of the fun ....