Thrifting treasure, Latest creations and the potential of Re-Nesting

Hey all. Sorry that its been such a long while since I have posted. Those of you who follow me on Instagram know how busy I have been with making, thrifting, cleaning out the home and House Hunting.I love spring. The sky is blue and the sun is out (Well on and off in Melbourne anyway) The birds are nesting, The finds at Garage sales and op shops get so much better...  Spring is such an inspiring time and I feel like I have been soaking up all it has too offer. When the sun is beaming I just can't resist it's call to be outdoors. It's such perfect "Hang a Bunting in your backyard" weather.

 I noticed this growing in my fence... So pretty

 Lovely green velvety moss...

Fab finds from the last few weeks...

I was very lucky to find some beautiful things these last few weeks..

A treasure trove of Beautiful Vintage Kitchenware, Decorative nursery rhyme mobile- $1 from the oppy, Garden Gnomes rescued from the roadside, A handmade leather satchel $5, Tea tin 50cents in a beautiful Aqua colour and a Quantas in flight mag from the 70's- Garage sale in Frankston South, Antique panda toy which I got for 50 cents at the Oppy, White Cain Chair for $10 at a local garage sale and the rest are 1 and $2 buys from local op shops.

My favourite Item from the last few weeks is this Vintage Nursery Rhyme frame with Miss Muppet painted on it. I plan to use this as decoration for my market stalls.. :)

Handmade goodies.. Things I have made for market stalls and gifts.

Cloud Cushion made from up cycled blankets and pillow case, Appliqued singlets, Nappy pants and singlet sets for my friend Connor's baby Molly, Zipped Pouch with Alice in wonderland heat transferred Applique for a friends birthday, vintage fabric and thrifted buttons. The Hand Appliqued House singlet and vintage girls singlet will be featured at my next Market... So come on down and check it out.. Would love to meet you :)

Rob and I have been looking at moving out of our sweet little 70's unit and into something a little bigger... A home of our own.. Re-nesting.. 

Re-nesting would mean more room for Bodhi to run around and more room for us and our growing lifestyle. Also it would give us the flexibility to spread out wings and be creative with our environment.. weather it be painting a wall or putting up some shelves. It gives us the ability to change things when we so please. How I crave the ability to be free in my own home.. We must escape this rent trap!

Since it is spring I have noticed house prices go up and people going for properties like a packs of vultures. Competition is fierce but we are enjoying the journey..

Just like the birds of Spring building their nests and stating a-fresh It is time for a new page in our journey.

 I hope you are enjoying the Fresh Spring Sunshine or Magic of fall.. wherever on this great planet you might be..

Mary xx

Embroidery hoop dreams and favourite treasure finds from the last 2weeks

Last week Rob, Bodhi and I went to mornington for a spot of treasure hunting. Along the way we stopped at an unexpected Antique shop that looked very small from the outside. As we discovered the rooms and rooms of hidden treasures we realised that this was No Ordinary antique store but a fortress if Wonder. Each room lead into another and another. So many beautiful things from other times. Cherished and beautiful times, so different to the world we live in today. If only they could tak.. The stories they would tell :)

This antique store was called the Bottom drawer. I will definitely be going back for another look. 

Then it was off to the op shops where I found some of the sweetest treasures I have found in a while.

Sewing patterns and a vintage wall hook

This card would be perfect to turn into some wall art. Love the picture :) Can't wait to use it in a crafty project...

I just love this little baby shoe planter and this bird figurine ❤❤❤❤❤

Along the way Bodhi found a Buddha statue and had a moment.. We taught him well.

Overall it was a great day.. :)

All my lucky vintage kids book finds had me inspired to create a new project...

Embroidery hoop art has been a favourite of mine. It can brighten up wall by just adding a funky fabric. 

This is my version of embroidery hoop art. It combines my 2 favourite things. Childrens book pictures from up cycled/ salvaged kids books and Vintage fabric. In this case I used a vintage hanky. The picture is hand stitched onto the fabric and stretched into the embroidery hoop. Perfect for the little crafty ones... I plan to be making a few more of these in the near future :)



*All photos are the property of Mary Daff (Whimsical Teapot). Copyright Mary Daff 2013. Pictures are not to be used or copied without my permission.

Market Stall Milestones.

It's been such a great weekend besides all the political hoo haa thats been going on in our country... This Weekend I took on my first Market- St Aidans Community Market in Carrum. It started off as a nice sunny day. My stall was right near a window so the sun beamed down on all my stock :) 

Armed with my market stall ebook guide- The craft of Markets: How to achieve market stall success an Australian Perspective by Jodie Maloney of the Habby Godess and Cintia from My Poppet... I took on the experience with a "Can Do" attitude. I was excited yet really nervous at the same time..

Most of my stall props were thrifted or from Vintage stores. The little pink gingham suitcase was a $1 op shop find and the old notice board was a discarded item from Work. I used a vintage sheet as a table cloth and lined an old suitcase with squirrel scrapbooking paper and washi tape.. It made a great display for the retro owls...

It being the 1st market there wasn't much traffic but I did meet a ton of awesome people and got a ton of complements on my work. I learnt a lot from other stall holders and crafters and have made a couple of new friends. There was some amazing makers with really beautiful items...

Check out these amazing makers and artists... 

*Me and Boo
*Ouch Flower
*Couta and Moose

I left the market feeling great. Even though I didn't make a lot of sales I had a great day it was a great learning experience and I will definitely give it another shot :) Thanks for your kind advice Caylie from The creature workshop.



Bring on seaford Market next week.. Still plenty of those owls left... See you there :)

St Aidens community market, Carrum, Saturday 7th September 10-3 pm

I will be selling all these goodies and more at tomorrow's market so come by and say hello.

I have been busy making owls with my favourite vintage fabric today.. Owl fest 2013! 

Making lots of owls from Vintage Fabric.....

Oppy adventures and favourite finds..

One of my favourite things to do is treasure hunt and visit my favourite op-shops. There is nothing like the "THRILL OF THE HUNT".I love finding vintage decor and materials to upcycle and use to make my items. These are some of my favourite finds from op shopping adventures :)

For cold winter outings and spring picnics

This is the cutest vintage sheet find... Nursery Rhymes.. The colours are beautiful too 

Vintage cards.... 

 Love Gnomes 

 This sweet little vintage jewellery box is now my sewing kit... I love this picture.. So sweet

Vintage sheet fabric.. waiting to become something amazing...

What are your favourite treasure hunting finds and what is on your dream find list?

I have been searching for a vintage ceramic deer for ages.... Still no joy :( One day I will find you little deer! One day! :)

Once upon a time.. Vintage storybooks- inspiration and nostalgia

I have loved picture books as long as I can remember. When I was growing up Golden books and fairytale stories sparked my imagination and fed my daydreams. I used to daydream a lot as a child and Now that I'm all grown up not much has changed... Lol

During pregnancy I rediscovered my love for vintage storybooks when building up a collection to decorate Bodhis nursery. The amazing illustrations (unlike the ones in today's glossy picture books) ignites a sense of nostalgia and inspires creativity. I have started collecting vintage storybooks hoping to create beautiful things with them some day soon. A part of me can't bear to destroy their fragile pages but another part of me wants to share the magic that these books contain. I dream of turning these once loved and treasured pages into another form so they can be treasured once again. In the form of artwork, home decor and gift cards.. (Watch this space).. 

At the moment I have been experimenting with vintage fabrics and pictures from storybook pages to make a pretty garland. I have yet to fix up some of my errors but in time I will make it work. I just love the idea of bringing my two precious creative materials together to create something beautiful :)

Here I have used an upcycled vintage handkerchief and attached a picture from a care bear storybook... 

With all the treasure hunting I have done lately I have worked up quite a collection of vintage storybooks...Each one is precious and I can't help but feel a sense of joy when each one is discovered :)

Have you got a collection of vintage storybooks at home? 

Would love to hear your stories :) 

Market night on Facebook- Friday 9pm EST

9pm EST on facebook

I once heard that trying something new is a part of Growing and Living Life to the Fullest!

On that Note... I have decided to try a market night! I have given my facebook supporters the first chance to bag a few of the left over Items from the Weekend Market! 
These are some of the Items that are up for grabs....
* Whimsy headbands