Ideas, inspiration and interest

Holiday Craft in All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
28 Sep 2011

It's a rainy day during the school holidays here. And it is proving difficult to get much beading done.

Instead, a perfect activity to fill some time has been to help my daughter make a lovely owl hand/finger puppet project. This kit is really beautiful and answers the "teach me to sew mummy" cry perfectly.

If you wanted to buy them, they are called "Alice Melvin's Cut Out and Sew Glove Puppets" and I have tracked them down on Big Cartel, but Alice Melvin's on a maternity break until November, if you can wait! Click here to see the site.

And now these beautiful owls are made, the fun continues as my daughter writes a play for the puppets to star in.

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Sinterklaas in All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
6 Dec 2010

Half of Six in a Row is half Dutch. The surname is a bit of a giveaway.

Sinterklaas is a traditional winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, celebrated annually on the eve of the name day of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Amsterdam, children and sailors (5 December).

The Dutch tradition, as my family know it at least (i.e. might have been lost in translation on the other side of the world), is for children to put their shoes at the fireplace or outside the door when they go to bed. In their shoes they place carrots, apples, straw or sugar for Sinterklaas' grey horse Amerigo. And while the children sleep Sintaklaas comes by and the carrots are replace with a chocolate letter.

We are a little light on fireplaces at our house and where we live possums are more than likely to eat the carrots, apples and chocolate if left outside. We leant that the hard way one Easter when the Easter bunny hid our eggs in the garden but the possums found them first.

So yesterday our Weetabix were replaced with chocolate...and I would like to have got a few other photos of the beautiful chocolate letters but they didn't last long enough.
A Treasure Trove of Loveliness - our new beads have arrived!!!!!!! in Markets and Events, All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
22 Oct 2010

Our latest shipment of beads has just arrived, and they are totally, utterly and completely gorgeous.

It wasn't as though we were lacking any inspiration before, but now we are awash with ideas. We are not drowning, but waving and we know there won't be enough hours in the day to create all the ideas we have flowing in our heads.

This stage of the creative process is wonderful - we are inspired and excited but it is also a little overwhelming and all consuming.

The beads really are lovely. We have kept many of the colours and shapes that are like good friends to us now, but we have also added some delicious colours and beautiful shapes to keep life interesting for both you and us.

And these beads have come just in time for us to create a range of beautiful new designs for the events we have in the next few weeks:

1. St Thomas Art & Craft Show, Willoughby - Saturday 30 & Sunday 31 October
2. Balmain Art & Craft Show, Balmain - Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 November
3. Mosman Markets, Mosman - Saturday 6 November
4. Holy Family Christmas Market, Lindfield - Thursday 11 & Friday 12 November
5. Croydon Christmas Market , Croydon - Sunday 14 November

We will post more details closer to each event but if you're thinking of Christmas shopping, these markets each promise to have a great range of potential Christmas gifts, hopefully a little different to the usual department store fare. If you'd like to register for e-updates about upcoming events, please click here.

Anyway, enough typing, we need to get beading. Apologies in advance to our friends and family if you don't hear from us for a few weeks!

Emma and Susannah
Beautiful New Cord Has Arrived in All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
15 Oct 2010

The delivery of a brown paper parcel is always exciting. Maybe it is because of Julie Andrews singing "These Are a Few of My Favourite Things" in The Sound of Music.

Anyway, yesterday brought a brown paper parcel with our latest order of cord.

We have searched far and wide for a reliable supply of superb quality cord in gorgeous colours for us to work with. These spools didn't disappoint. I couldn't wait to sit down and start working with them. The new green cord works beautifully with our retro green beads.

And we have big plans for the navy and lilac. Watch this space.

Emma and Zanny
Vaucluse House in All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
5 Oct 2010

Emma used to work for the Historic House Trust (HHT) when she first left university and Zanny has a soft spot for their properties, trying to visit one each school holidays.

I recently took my daughter to the fantastic "Kids in the (Colonial) Kitchen" (click here for more information), where the children toured Vaucluse House's vegetable garden and then, in the actual kitchen of Vaucluse House, made damper, churned butter and mixed homemade lemonade. All of which they then devoured for afternoon tea. An inspired program which really brought history to life. The look on my daughter and her friend's faces when told of the life of the 12 year old scullery maid was worth the price of admission alone!

While the children were building muscles turning cream into butter, I toured the house again. I don't think I will ever bore of this. But the sight in the Drawing Room took my breath away. Beautifully arranged on a table in the centre of this grand room was a rainbow of the most gorgeous resin art works. To put sugar on top, Janet Tavener, the artist/creator of these delights, was standing there too.

Janet Tavener is a photographer and talented resin artist. In colabortion with the HHT, and to coincide with the Sydney International Food Festival, Janet has created a these delicious pieces. To quote the HHT magazine "...Janet Tavener brings together two aspects of Vaucluse House - the intriguing heirloom fruit and vegetable varieteies still grown in its kitchen garden today and the property's rich collection of copper jelly moulds." The exhibition is called "Out of the Mould" . Click here for more information from the HHT.

They are completely beautiful and my photos do not do them justice.

Emma and Zanny
Good enough to eat in All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
1 Aug 2010

We often get together around our boardroom table (read dining room table) to discuss very important Six in a Row things that will change the world, like beads and cord and orders and lovely things we want to make.

At a recent meeting during the school holidays we couldn't help but notice the colour similarities between some of our children's necklaces and the gingerbread men the children were enjoying.

Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere.
Susannah Place in All Blog Posts, Ideas, inspiration and interest
17 Jul 2010

A visit to Susannah Place at the Rocks in Sydney was both interesting and moving. And inspiration found in the shape of some beautiful beads dug from the foundations of early Sydney. Blues, pinks and a touch of green. Also loved the lost button collection and the broken fragments of blue and white porcerlain. Everyday treasures.