Miss Rose Sister Violet

Stationary and cards and tape.. Oh my!

2012-02-14T22:36:00.000+10:30

It's hard to not feel romantic when surrounded by such loving sentiment and pretty loving images as we have been while exploring shops in California. Each store has beautiful window displays dripping with hearts and bows and words... words of love and joy and cheeky playfulness! Here are some Valentine's day cards we found while drifting through some of our favourite stores... and also a display of some of the brilliant Washi tape we bought and have now stuck on everything in our path!!

One of our all time favourite stationary stops in America is the treasure chest that is Paper Source. Here are some valentine paper tags we found... perfect for leaving in secret locations for loved ones to find... or adding to projects... or using to make your own creative cards...

We've had a lovely Valentine's Day surrounded by love and words and each other. And we hope everyone else has too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love Rose & Violet xxxxxxx

Timeless treasures... found in flea market heaven!

2012-02-10T16:07:00.000+10:30

And seeing Alameda is a dream come true!!

It has been on our list for a long time now... and finally... Miss Rose Sister Violet made the journey across the Bay to find San Francisco's Alameda Flea market. With an empty car, we drove beneath a beaming Californian Sun across the Bay Bridge, and through the gates of Flea Market Heaven! Oh the fun we had!

We found the above taps, which we've already turned into flowers (like every inanimate object left in the hands of Rose and Violet)... and which we'd love to use for wall art or creating words for display or absolutely anything....

We had an absolute ball.... and came home with a FULL car. (Next time we're hiring a truck!) Here are some photos from our day at Alameda... and memories that will keep us happy until we meet again.

In the mood for love....

2012-01-27T15:55:00.000+10:30

Valentine's Day is just around the corner!

We've been so busy packing orders and sending them off in all directions... all sorts of romantic goodies to find loving homes with romantic souls. It's so beautiful to think of shops being decorated for Valentine's Day... shops filled with beautiful love... and our products amongst it all, adding a little touch of romance... waiting to be taken home with someone and shared in the beauty of their life. It makes us think on love and all the magic that it holds, and the power it has to make our lives wonderful.

Here is one of our most treasured poems, celebrating the magic of being in love with someone....

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life: which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

E.E. Cummings

Such beautiful words. (sigh). Thank you E.E. Cummings.

Here are some of our treasures we've been busy making and sending out for Valentine's Day... in hope that they'll share love with whoever finds them! And find a place in someone's heart.
Love to everyone
Rose & Violet xxxxxx

exciting things ahead...

2012-01-12T11:42:00.000+10:30

We've started planning for our first trade show for the year... The Sydney Gift Fair at Darling Harbour in February. We've been having so much fun drawing up display ideas and playing with new product designs, and it's making us very excited for the year ahead... even if at times a little overwhelmed by all that needs to get done!

It's a wonderful thing though... to dream up a vision for a little pop-up shop... and get to work on making it a reality. We, here in the Miss Rose Sister Violet office, sometimes pretend we're set designers or creative shop owners.... building a set for Broadway, or decorating our cosy little shop on Columbia Road in London... we have so much fun that we often feel like we're "playing at" business and it's a wonderful way to exist.

There's much planned for this year... and lots of exciting sketches littering our office floor... just waiting to be brought to life. We can't wait for the year to unfold and bloom and for us to be able to share everything with you all.

For now, here are some of our latest creations... new accessories and pretty things waiting to decorate the world.
Love Rose & Violet xxxxxxx

Pretty Inspiration....

2012-01-06T15:13:00.000+10:30

We found these beautiful photos taken by photographer Lisa Warninger and we absolutely love them. They are so inspiring as we sit down to start the year... thinking of the year's projects ahead and day dreaming of all the beautiful things we want to create. We hope you enjoy them too!
Love Rose and Violet xxxxxx

A new year....

2012-01-04T17:12:00.001+10:30

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2011-11-25T00:05:00.001+10:30

While sitting here at the computer.... working late into the night... and listening to Jo Stafford sing christmas carols... we've found this: a reminder that Christmas is starting all around the world... and we wish nothing more than to be a part of it. (we found this poster on a pretty blog "Tea for Joy"). Wouldn't it be wonderful to visit this little Christmas market... with the hope that carols would be swirling around... people bustling to and fro in search of early Christmas gifts, or special treats for themselves... and the smell of Christmas mulled wine in the air...

Wherever you are... we're sure Christmas has started. And we urge you to jump in wholeheartedly! (if only so that we're not the only ones already listening to dreamy Christmas carols and day dreaming of Christmas chocolates!)

Look for Christmas markets... hum along to Christmas music in department stores... and let the world sparkle.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... and we LOVE it.
love Rose & Violet
xxxxxxxx

Miss Rose Sister Violet in Melbourne!

2011-10-26T22:21:00.001+10:30

Roll up! Roll up! For one weekend only... the Craft and Sewing Expo in Melbourne at the Caulfield Race Course!! This Thursday to Sunday. (10am until 5pm daily)

We've left Brisbane behind, with all our dear and lovely Sunny Queensland friends... and have arrived into Melbourne ready to share and create with the Fashion Capital of Australia! We love Melbourne, and love the craft shows... where anything is possible... and wild impossible creations are daily explosions into ordinary life... colouring everything and inspiring all.

We'll be holding free workshops daily... and as always, helping our customers to create their wild and wonderful projects. Drop by our stand, #179, for help and creative sharing. Visit the Craft Expo Website for all other show details, and show excitement!

See you all at the Fair!!

Love Rose & Violet xxxxxxxx

Miss Rose Sister Violet are heading to Brisbane!

2011-10-13T13:41:00.000+10:30

Rose and Violet are heading to Brisbane! Come and visit us at the Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair!

We'll be in sunny Brisbane all of next week, with delicious new trims and laces and all sorts of embellishing treasures. We absolutely love the craft and quilt shows, and have so much fun seeing our customers and creating new treasures together. We'll be holding a free workshop daily where we'll show how to decorate and embellish homewares and personal items using vintage flowers, ribbons, lace and pearls. Come and visit us at our stand (E24) for directions to the workshop, and help with finding the finishing touches for all your creative projects. We look forward to seeing you all!

For more information and creative ideas, visit the Craft & Quilt website for all details.

See you there!

Love Rose & Violet

xxxxxx

Miss Rose Sister Violet Celebrates Jenny Gillies

2011-09-12T00:56:00.004+09:30

We are SO excited to share our latest discovery with you all. We braved the cold and went to the Royal Adelaide show this weekend... and amongst the whir of the show rides, the coloured lights, the flowers and animals, the smell of fairy floss and the sparkling magic of fireworks... we saw the most incredible display of artistry!

New Zealand costume and fabric artist, Jenny Gillies, was THE international guest of this year's Royal Show. Her fashion parade "Naughty by Nature" was absolute magic and a joy to watch. We feel so lucky to have seen her incredible creations and have picked some of our favourite photos to share with you all. Enjoy!

Love Rose & Violet xxxxxx

Creative mess!

2011-09-09T16:33:00.001+09:30

This year has been a mad whirl of activity for us! We've been trying so hard to get "business organised" that everything else has been falling apart around us. As we move around frantically like mini tornadoes trying to get everything done, our work area and office and creative space have been DESTROYED! Rubble lies in our wake... bits and pieces are scattered over every available surface... forgotten scraps adorn the floor and table... and the aftermath of our movements is a site to behold indeed. But we wouldn't have it any other way! In a perfect world of course we'd love everything to have it's place; sewing bobbins lined up like little soldiers, pearls and beads sparkling from their colour coordinated jars, materials folded and freshly waiting to be used, ribbons hanging from their neatly lined up spools and books on shelves in subject matter and alphabetically in order!! Oh what organised bliss!

But life is chaos at times. And in chaos can be beauty and mad creativity and frantic shouts of inspiration. So we've taken some photos of our work area... to show beauty amongst the rubble... and to remind us that mess CAN exist in an enjoyable way. We'll get around to cleaning it all up... but in the mean time... we'll enjoy it's colourful messy splash of creativity!

Love Rose & Violet xxxx

(and yes we know mannequin has 2 'n's... and the word 'everwhere' is our own creation... we were in a silly frantic friday mood! xxx)

Social Media and all that Jazz....

2011-08-18T16:18:00.000+09:30

Wow! The social media world is a HUGE ocean of excitement! We've only just jumped in and have been having a ball! We've only just started on facebook and already have nearly 100 friends. It's impossible to not feel loved! And it is simply the most fun way to keep in touch with customers, friends, and share all sorts of goodies.

We're working hard at understanding it all... and won't lie and tell you it's easy. There is so much to learn.... and so many possibilities. But we are having so much fun with it all and find it so exciting. Google has become our new best friend and we spend hours looking through online chat forums, finding answers to questions we may have and realising that we are not alone in this new game. Please feel free to message us if you have any questions.. and maybe we've already stumbled through the same problem and can help.

Thank you to all our new friends who have found us on facebook... and we look forward to meeting even more!

Next stop.... TWITTER!!!!!

Stay tuned.... you never know where we'll pop up next...

Lots of love always, Rose and Violet

xxxxxxxx

Melbourne Craft & Quilt Show

2011-07-28T01:52:00.000+09:30

This week we'll be at the Melbourne Craft & Quilt show, in wonderful Melbourne.. the city of fashion and coffee and secret lanes! Come and visit us and explore the exciting craft show, a place where it's impossible to not find inspiration. We'll be holding free workshops daily at 12:30, and creating beautiful projects which anyone can make.

We absolutely love the craft shows, and look forward to seeing you all there!

Love Rose and Violet
xxxxxxx

2011-07-26T22:36:00.000+09:30

Hello dear friends!

We have been silently busy putting together our very first website!!

It is still young... and still has a very long way to go...

but it finally exists!

Hip hip Hooray!

Hoorah!

There is more to come... and we will add more to it soon.

Exciting times ahead.

Love Rose and Violet

xxxxx

See you in Sydney.....

2011-06-19T17:51:00.000+09:30

tut tut... it looks like rain....

2011-06-09T16:13:00.000+09:30

Nothing is more enjoyable than listening to the rain on the roof while enjoying cups of tea and creating new designs! It has been raining here all week... the gentle pitter patter accompanying all that we do.

We've been busy working in the office; designing madly, drinking more tea than the Mad Hatter, and keeping muddy dog paws from leaving muddy paw prints on all we're working on!

Here's a collection of photos from this week; some new brooches, hair accessories and haberdashery treasures.

From a drizzly grey afternoon in Adelaide... all our love and sparkles,

Rose & Violet

xxxx

Day dreaming of Paris......

2011-05-29T01:46:00.085+09:30

Paris. Such a magical city of beauty and creativity!

It glitters and sparkles and has hidden treasures everywhere... waiting to be found... waiting to be stumbled across... and loved. New and old exist side by side in perfect harmony... a modern building neighbours a historical flea market... politics, art, fashion, architecture... technology and antiquity.. old and new... existing in perfect harmony. To wander through Paris is to explore the ages. To be a witness to all that has been and still lives on... inspiring all that now is and all that is to come.

Below are some gems from our Treasure chest from Paris, things we've collected and brought home with us... things that we look through from time to time when we miss the magical city of Paris... a silver city which sparkles and shines... with hidden secrets just waiting to be found.

These are from our collection of prints and written matter... found in dusty corners of Paris.. things from times gone by. Ahhh Paris... we miss you...

We also found the below video... a delicious whirl through the streets of Paris at night time! A city that sparkles just as brightly and glitters with as much magic during both the day and night! We absolutely love this video! It brings back memories of running through the streets of Paris at night time... laughing and happy and in love with life...

Enjoy!

Love Rose & Violet

xxxxxx

2011-05-29T01:34:00.000+09:30

To the Darling City of Perth,

Thank you for opening your arms and welcoming us into your hearts! We had such a wonderful week with you all at the Craft and Quilting show and were so inspired by all that you shared with us. Each day our workshops were full of creative minds and passionate souls... beautiful people who generously shared their energy and excitement. ALL our customers gave so much joy to us!

And we thank you deeply for such a lovely time in Perth!

Love Rose & Violet

xxxxxxx

Crafting & Quilting in Perth!

2011-05-16T22:59:00.001+09:30

This Week we are in Perth exhibiting at the fun and fabulous 'Craft and Quilt Show'. It is such an inspiring show and we are so excited to be a part of it! We have been busy dying beautiful laces... and creating new and wonderful trims.. a taste of which can be found in the photos below for you to enjoy.

We will be holding workshops everyday to show how we create our mad and wonderful accessories.. and to introduce all to a world of beautiful decoration and embellishment.

We hope to see you all there!

Love Rose & Violet xxxx

Happy Mother's Day to All....

2011-05-08T16:58:00.001+09:30

We have been so busy the last few weeks madly packing and sending out orders to all our shops for Mother's Day! It has been a very busy time and we've been happily making and shipping things all over the place! It is such a beautiful reward for all our work to think of Mothers everywhere opening little parcels to find Miss Rose Sister Violet treasures. We feel so touched knowing that our little lavender sachets, pretty aprons, sewing accessories and home decorations will be making Mothers smile everywhere. Not just here in Australia, but also in England and Europe.. and wherever else our little treasures have been sent. We hope that everywhere... all across the globe.. there are Mothers having the most beautiful day with their families... time to themselves or surrounded by others... but happy doing all that their heart desires. Here are some pictures of some of the things we've sent out to shops for Mother's Day; made and sent with love.

Happy Mother's Day to all.... with Love,

Rose and Violet xxxx

2011-04-24T03:58:00.000+09:30

Memory of Summer's flowers....

2011-04-12T15:41:00.000+09:30

With Summer ending and the long days becoming shorter we've been madly busy creating our own garden of flowers to replace the memory of Summer's beauty now gone. We're always so busy making our flower accessories which are loved by our customers for wearing in their hair or pinning to an outfit: adding floral joy and sparkle!

It gives us great pleasure and endless happiness to see our floral accessories bloom and cover the office floor with a carpet of flowers! Here's some photos of our most recent dash to make accessories... and a silky pink carpet...

2011-04-08T01:23:00.002+09:30

Recently we were in Queensland for the ‘Brisbane Craft Expo’ and the number of people who attended was overwhelming. Having just been devastated by floods of unimaginable proportions the whole of Brisbane, and Queensland, are now faced with the immeasurable task of having to rebuild so much that was lost. And yet still people came. They came happily, and with open hearts and excitement and joy. They showered us with warmth, an appreciation for being there and a love for our product... wanting to take something of ours home with them. Amongst all that’s happened, people still wanted to treat themselves; find a treasure and take it home. And we felt so blessed that they considered our things to be found treasures; something that would bring them happiness and have a place in their hearts.

We left Brisbane feeling so uplifted and so full of unbreakable strength. The kind of strength one finds in witnessing human endurance. It was so inspiring to see how people carry on through hard times, and even more incredible to see how they do so with strength and spirit. The strength of the QLD people wasn’t lost on us. To see a smile after devastation, to witness happiness after hardship, to be welcomed after a city has lost so much... it left us speechless.

Thank you Brisbane. Thank you Queensland. From the bottom of our hearts...

Rose and Violet xxxxx

Butterfly wings and pretty things....

2011-03-28T00:05:00.002+10:30

We came across this song through a dear friend of ours! It makes us want to wear butterfly wings, ride vintage motorcycles and go to a real American Fair on a warm summer's night. To ride our favourite horse on the merry-go-round, eat cotton candy, hold someone’s hand while drifting aimlessly beneath coloured lights, and float away in a red balloon at the end of it all....

We think the lyrics are just magic too. How perfect to live in a world where we are surrounded only by people who "wouldn't have us any other way."

Come to the Brisbane Fair!

2011-03-21T11:45:00.004+10:30

To all our dear customers and friends, we invite you to come and visit us at the Brisbane Fair!

We look forward to seeing you all and sharing daily free workshops with you - where you can learn to make beautiful treasures and decorate your life with beauty.
See you at the Fair!!
Love Rose and Violet
xxxxxx

March Madness!

2011-03-20T15:25:00.001+10:30

Is it March already?!?

We've been so busy enjoying the last days of summer, and dashing from fair to fair; displaying our wares from here to there!

Here are some photos from our Sydney Trade show in February... where we had a ball visiting with customers; sharing inspiration and heart felt moments. Thank you to all our customers and friends who came to see us.

Love Rose and Violet
xxxx

Tidings of comfort and Joy!

2011-01-28T21:48:00.002+10:30

Here's a beautiful piece of Christmas cheer.. and visual brilliance.. to keep you company while looking through our Christmas collection..

It must be said that we're laughing at ourselves for posting a Christmas special... close to February!! But such is time... a fleeting thing... and so easily we feel the moment has passed because we let time slip through our fingers. So easily we feel the weight of failure because we let something pass without the chance to celebrate, or express our feelings. Yet it is never too late... or never wrong to be late... and when you finally catch Time and hold her tightly.. even if for just a brief whisper of a moment... it is the perfect moment to do whatever your heart desires.

Here is the last of our Christmas collection for now... pockets of whimsy and magical treasures we found in America.

Christmas in Europe...

2011-01-27T11:06:00.001+10:30

And here begins our collection of Christmas memories.... moments frozen in time from Paris, Venice, Prague and Rome... moments of Christmas magic...

Next stop..... America!

But now it's time for sleep...
good night and sweet dreams...
love Rose and Violet
xxxxx

happy new year

2011-01-23T00:58:00.000+10:30

Finally... a very Happy New Year to everyone! with wishes for excitement and success and happiness and love and dreams that come true.

Not ones to easily forget about Christmas.. or the magic that it creates... we have been going through our photos from around the world during the last few months, and creating a truly wonderful collection to share with everyone. Just because Christmas has passed... doesn't mean we can't still celebrate it. And we will... shortly....

But for now.. a very Happy New Year and love from us,
Rose & Violet xxxxx

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T05:55:00.000+10:30

All over the world it is Christmas time. A magic time filled with love and happiness and a peaceful time for dreaming.

Enjoy the magic... And have Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!
Love Rose and Violet xxxxxxx

Christmas fairs in London...

2010-12-15T20:24:00.001+10:30

As the winter said hello to London so to did we. Both Christmas shows.. The Spirit of Christmas and The Country Living Christmas Fair... were magical and sparkled with christmas delight! Here are some photo memories from both....

The following memories are most treasured. They show the whimsical sketchings of our dear friend and artist Zoe Regoczy, an amazing illustrator from Oxford. She drew portraits on our coffee cups.. so we knew which coffee belonged to who....

Christmas time in London is magical.... and we have more memories to share, not only of London but also of our travels through Europe. And we will.... soon... we promise....

Sweet Thames, flow softly....

2010-11-20T00:21:00.001+10:30

We found this beautiful poem on the underground... while racing beneath the streets of London... busy between Christmas fairs.. and while falling in love with the changing seasons.

But now alas the tide has changed,
My love she has gone from me.
And winter's frost has touched my heart,
And put a blight upon me.
Creeping fog is on the river,
Flow, sweet river, flow.
Sun and moon and stars gone with her,
Sweet Thames, flow softly.
Swift the Thames runs to the sea,
Flow, sweet river, flow.
Bearing ships and part of me,
Sweet Thames, flow softly.
- Ewan MacColl

A week in Birmingham...

2010-11-11T12:30:00.000+10:30

And last but not least... our little shop for a week at the Birmingham Stitches show...

fond memories...

2010-11-07T15:04:00.000+10:30

from london.. to bath... to cambridge... to brighton... down the rabbit hole that is Libertys... and back again...

London Calling!

2010-10-21T05:06:00.001+10:30

How to capture London in a single paragraph? it isn't possible. Like falling through a sidewalk chalk drawing in Mary Poppins... or getting lost within the swirls of a Beatrix Potter water colour... or walking through the wardrobe and out the other side... or drowning in confusion at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party... one simply finds oneself in a world of magic that is impossible to explain. To try would only result in vast amounts of information being lost forever.

Our time in London was truly cherished... and we shared so many incredible moments... with like minded souls. No words would do it justice. We shall go hunting through our collection of captured memories... the bundles of photos we came home with... and find in pictures what we fail to put in words.

Until then dear friends..... as they say in England.... Keep Calm and Carry On

love rose and violet xxx

Colour your world

2010-10-20T02:44:00.004+10:30

Just as magical as font is colour... and we think colour is deliciously magical. It can change the visual world into something explosive.. or quieten it to barely a whisper. For colour can create a million moods. Light, dark and every shade in between. It can wash away the loudness of life, it can mute even the most violent of brush strokes or give spark to the dullest of words! A red lantern.. a soft pink petal... a grey ocean... a field of green... each one uniquely and magically evokes a feeling so closely tied to the colour of its existence. Bound to its object, colour travels to our most inner senses... drawing on past emotions... creeping into forgotten spaces of our memories... tempting lost childhood experiences to breathe again... and convincing our mind to sway towards any emotion it so desires of us.

Paint your world. Colour your life. Allow shades and hues and tones and tints to create unexplainable emotions in your universe... and splash your world with vibrant life or pale calmness. Whatever you do... colour it.

love rose and violet xxx

'Loving' artwork done by Yasmin

fabulous font

2010-10-05T04:05:00.003+10:30

"Loving" artwork done by Yasmin

Font changes everything. Just like colour, like the weather, like a favourite song, like a smile, like seeing a flock of birds racing through the sky, a feathery cloud floating above a calm ocean, or a busy street corner in a chaotic city. It encapsulates a mood, a feeling, an atmosphere. It can create a shadow, fill a page with colour, bring laughter to a room, history to life, or an explosion of light to an otherwise dark world.

Font. Letters. Writing. Words. Script. Capitals. Cursive. Italics. Calligraphy. Print. Type.

Words. Expression. Emotion.

Powerful.

Wall of Light - York -UK- november 2009 from Luca Barcellona on Vimeo.

Ode to Spring

2010-09-24T13:17:00.002+09:30

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

- Mark Twain

"Is it so small a thing, To have enjoy'd the sun, To have lived light in the spring, To have loved, To have thought, To have done?"

- Matthew Arnold

"Awake, thou wintry earth -

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!"

- Thomas Blackburn

Time Flies!

2010-09-17T02:52:00.004+09:30

Can it really be that a whole month has gone by since our last entry?! How quickly the time has flown since last we spoke. What a whirlwind of adventures we've had... and oh the places we've seen!! We've been to Melbourne, Singapore and London... onto to Birmingham and back to London again. Raced through Sydney.. and now finally home sweet home. We've caught planes and trains and travelled by car. We've walked down lanes, and streets, and roads... upstairs and downstairs.. deep into the underground and to the tops of the highest buildings. We've peddled our wares at trade shows and quilt shows and markets... and met the most wonderful customers; beautiful people who made our hearts sing.

We have so many stories to share, and photos to show! For now we'll post some photos of our little shop at the Melbourne Trade Show... our cosy home for a wintry week in August.

Voila!

2010-08-14T01:06:00.000+09:30

Here is out first post! What better time to share one of our most loved animations. It is beautifully created and always makes us happy!
Love Rose and Violet

WELCOME!

2010-07-14T16:17:00.000+09:30

Thank you for popping in to see us at Miss Rose Sister Violet! Please be patient while we get this blog up and running, so that we may share with you the exciting world of Rose and Violet. We hope to be able to create a place for you to drop by, have a browse through our gorgeous items, post tutorials on how to make your own as well as the ability to share with us your own creations and thoughts.

We would also like to thank our dear and truly wonderful friend Ginny Christiansen; without who's help, loving friendship and inspiring talent this blog would not be here! Thank you Ginny!
Love Rose and Violet xxx