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MAKE IT / vegetable dye & block print teatowel

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Lately I have become re-obsessing with mustard.

It all started with a linen tee-shirt that I picked up on holiday. And as with all my obsessions it usually begins in the wardrobe and takes over the home, or vis versa really. But with the hunt for the perfect mustard linen escaping me at every turn, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

After countless hours scouring pinterest for guides to vegetable dyes and tapping into the knowledge of my mother I began, armed with turmeric, Onion, Teabags, salt, hot water and a large tub ( note, iron can change the effect of the dye, so best to use a good old plastic bucket )

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Taking my cream linen from The Fabric Store I cut them into shape, 70cm by 50cm pressing and hemming the edges.

After a process of trial and error, I found that to create my perfect mustard I would need a concoction of 1/3 cup iodised salt, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 30 teabags and 15 cups of boiling water. Mixing thoroughly, allowing 10 minutes to steep then leaving the tea towel completely submerged for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After wringing them out, leave them to dry ( Make sure you dry in the shade! The sun affects the final colour outcome )

Once dry it was time to wash, this is where it went a little down hill for me. After washing my tea towels and drying them again, I found my deliciously rich mustard had faded to a softer muted shadow of its former self. Sigh. But after a few curse words and another coffee they began to look better. Time to jazz them up a little.

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Enter Das fabric paint in white and a block of wood ( pretty handy when you live in a construction zone ) I used the side to dip in the paint and press on the linen. Rocking it gently to get an even cover. Once again patience is a vertue. Wait for it to completely dry, then press with a hot iron on both sides for how long your particular paint tells you to.

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There you have it, beautiful linen tea towels in your very own shade and print! And my moral of the story for you is have patience, it goes a long way. Happy dyeing!

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

YES PLEASE / kitchen

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With the majority of the kitchen finished, and after turning my hand to tiling, grouting and the likes, it’s time for the fun to begin .  As usual we have kept everything clean and light and choosing accessories to reflect that. Here is a few on the top of my list.

New Norm thermo mug in Ash / Pallares Solsona kitchen knife / Wooden bracket shelf / Iron wire basket / Round Acacia chopping board / Paysan pitcher in chalk white

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

Adventure // Vietnam

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After being home for over a month I realised it was time to knuckle down and troll through, edit and post something from our Vietnam adventure. So here we are. I will keep it short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking.

Vietnam is like nowhere else we have ever been. We fell completely in love with the place, the people, the land and the food. Spending most of our time in the beautiful Hoi An, eating, drinking, swimming, getting a HEAP of clothes made, riding scooters to Marble Mountain, My Son, Walking the streets of the Old Town and generally not wanting to come home. Bar the humidity ( hence my very puffy faced photos ) I could be pretty happy living there. It was exactly what we needed to heal and to rest.

We cannot wait to go back.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

One Month : Coco Darling

Today, one month after our Coco Darling’s birth I wanted to share a little with you. To share the little corner we made for our girl and to remember her. Below is a post that I wrote the day before we lost Coco, I sat at my computer writing and daydreaming about meeting my girl. And although I may not have seen her eyes open, I saw her, I met her, I felt her. I will never forget those moments. I will never forget that button nose. She was so beautiful and I fell even more in love  than I already was.

One month on dear est Coco Darling. 

And there isn’t a day that goes by without thinking about you, missing you and crying for you our girl. I still go to pat my tummy expecting you to be there. I have dreams that you are here still and that I can hold you again. I literally ache to hold you Coco. But your papa and I are okay, every day has its challenges  and some days the sun comes out , we smile and we talk about you. We love talking about you little one. 

Today we will plant a tree for you ( Thanks Jean and Dave ) we will vist your grave, we will look at photos of you, we will write letters to you, talk to you, smile again and cry again. We will miss you and we will be thankful for you. We love you so Coco Darling. Always will.

Your Mama and Papa x

 

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( Written on the 27th of May 2014, the day before Coco Darling passed away )

Our Coco Darling is due any day now, and boy oh boy are there some mixed emotions. Excitement of meeting our girl, Of physically getting to hold her. But then the next second feeling the devastation and fear that we are so close to possibly losing her, that these could be our last days with Coco.

So we have made a cosy little corner for our babe. A place for her in the chance she will come home with us, even for a night.  There is a lot of love in Coco’s Corner,  gifts made and given from near and far, from family, from friends, and from people whom we have never met. We have once again been overwhemled by the kindness, generosity and love shown to us and to our Coco Darling, we thank you.

It has been somewhat of a therapeutic process for me to make things for my wee babe. At first it was pretty hard to face. It felt as though I would be putting more of my heart out there to be broken. That every time I made anything that it would gut me to the core. And although, in some ways it did (  a loooot of tears were shed in the making )  I started to realise that it wasn’t going to hurt any less if we didn’t make her anything, It wasn’t going to stop the sadness if we didnt create a special place for Coco Darling.  Just because she may not be around as long as other children we hope to have, doesn’t mean she should get anything less.

Every day is a battle between hope and reality. Every moment. But when we lie in bed and look over at her corner, when we feel her kick and wriggle what else can we do but hope?

So with my nesting in full swing, a freezer full of meals, a little nest ready for this baby bird and bags packed, we wait. It’s up to you now Coco Darling, we have made it this far babe, let’s have a little longer, we can’t wait to meet you.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature