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new coasters in the shop now

Japan - Part 1

I have been back home for a week now catching up on a little sewing and deciding which project to start next . I'm still tired! I forgot just how noisy it can be living here in West End. I live just a little too close to the ever encroaching 'entertainment district' than I'd like to. I get less sleep at home than I did in Tokyo....
Anyway on to more exciting things - Japan was great as always. Kyoto is still my No.1 place to visit. It's so flat and excellent for riding bikes. I love the surrounding hills, the grid street system, the river, the shopping arcades, the fabric stores and there seems to be heaps of vego/vegan places to eat (more than in Brisbane anyway). Oh and the people are super friendly and helpful.


tori gates, Fushimi Inari


bamboo forests, Arashiyama


For my friend Megan's birthday we went to Arashiyama (in the western hills of Kyoto) to Tenryu-ji Zen temple and Shigetsu for Shojin-ryori (vegetarian temple food). Shigetsu is set amongst one of the oldest landscaped gardens in Japan. The food was amazing!


There is another beautiful garden and villa in Arashiyama called Okochi Sanso. It's just up a bit from Tenryu-ji. It has some seriously nice gardens with paths all covered in moss, grand views of Kyoto city and a tea ceremony room where we drank tasty Matcha.

Not long now.

I leave for Japan in the morning and won't be back until 21st Feb YaY!!
Feeling a little anxious about the trip . I hope I haven't forgotten anything. I'll be able to relax once we're on the plane.


bamboo shoots in Kyoto

Shinjuku

BrisStyle blog giveaway

There will be a new giveaway each month over on the BrisStyle team blog. To be in the running to win all you have to do is leave a comment on the giveaway blog post - easy!
This months giveaway comes to you courtesy of Edward and Lilly. Check it out!!

I ♥ M a c r o

......... and time wasting

Nesting Bird Interiors

If you haven't been to visit Nesting Bird Interiors shop I can tell you it is well worth the trip. It's at the beginning of Logan Rd, Woolloongabba in Brisbane right by all the antique shops and the lovely old Goodyear Tyre building (the one with all the peeling paint). Nesting bird is above Miss Mouse Boutique in one of the old terraces which were built in 1855. Nesting Bird stock loads of locally made homewares, childrens toys and clothing and some of my very own Pedrosprout booties, totes and brooches.

Studio Kurashi bird motif pure linen childrens shorts


+ cute peg dolls (looking very European)


Photo of Nesting Bird taken from Nesting Bird blog


Photo of Nesting Bird taken from Nesting Bird blog

Finally, some new clothes...

I have been running a little low on summer tops lately so I got sewing and made these two over the weekend. The pattern came from Japanese craft mag 'Cotton Time' and was originally a simple dress pattern. I made the gingham top first to see how it all worked.








Ginghamy was followed closely by this one. I went through my stash and found some op-shop fabric so all up I'd say this top cost less than $5 to make. The gingham top was maybe $7.
Not bad at all!

One of my favourite fashiony blogs is Wiksten Made. Jenny has great taste and designs some of the loveliest clothes I've ever seen. With my love of yoke tops (I think that's what they're called) and inspiration from Jenny's Wiksten collection I set about re-working some of my old second hand shirts.

The red top above is a Christian Dior shirt I originally bought second hand for $10

I should probably try and find another easy summer top pattern soon otherwise I think I'll end up making 5 or 6 more from my Cotton Time pattern. When your on a roll........