Rebound!

I am so excited to have in stock Journals made by Rebound Books! They are handmade using the covers of old hardcover books. What a delight to discover pages from the original titles interspersed throughout! The new blank pages within the journals are 100% TREE FREE - made from recycled denim.

Do yourself and the earth a favour and let your creative energies flow in one of these beautiful light-on-the-planet journals.




No waste, no waste! Rebound Books craft the spines of their hard cover books into these classic bookmarks.


And to top off their beautiful eco-friendly range, are these funky, retro gift cards. handmade from recycled record covers, and presented with hand-made envelopes crafted from old sheet music. All wrapped up in biodegradable packaging!


We'll also be stocking the Rebound Books 2010 diaries when they hit the shelves in October. Check out their website at www.reboundbooks.net

Sweet Dreams

Well after a weekend of hard work, I finished my first sewing project since high school. A surprise doona cover for our bedroom. But with no consultation with my sweetheart who was away - would the pink be too much for him? What a risk!!

The beginnings of the front cut and matched on the floor.

The 'safer' reverse of the cover, for emergency 'blokey' relief (HARDLY blokey, but at least not so much pink!). I am secretly hoping we don't have to revert to this side, which, like the front, is edged in a light khaki green to match our curtains.

A Relief!! He loves it. This was taken this morning - and there's no full shot because he is still in it! Fast asleep, where I left him to come to the bookshop.

So what possessed me? Well, owning a bookshop can be a dangerous exercise. Inspiration is everywhere. I had no idea there were so many beautiful sewing and crafting books around these days.

(image French General Home Sewn by Kaari Meng)

Kaari Meng's French General brand have a few books on the market. This beautiful 'Home Sewn' above is full of stunning French inspired home decor and soft furnishings. The emphasis is on beautiful florals and vintage linens. Stunning.

With a few on my fabulous customers in mind, including the girls from RicRacSew who do my gift cards, and often visit New Leaves with their latest creations, I searched through Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke's 'Material Obsession Two', which is full of stunning stunning quilt designs, tips, and patterns. Perfect for the quilting beginner AND the experienced professional in need of some fresh inspiration.

(images Material Obsession Two by Kathy Doughty & Sarah Fielke)

With all this inspiration on the shelves around me, and an old sewing machine left to me by my Granny, how could I resist?

What's next......................?

Well there's always Amy Butler's Wide Leg Lounge Pants in that old Thomas the Tank Engine Doona Cover I found at the Op Shop for $3.
Or this bedside organiser - also by Amy Butler.

(images Amy Butler's In Stitches by Amy Butler)

I could try Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing, Sew and Stow, or either of Lotta, or Amy's books on sewing for babies and toddlers - equally gorgeous. And then there's Anna Maria Horner's 'Seams to Me'. The list is endless!

Or, for Winter Woodend mornings, which are sure to continue for a while yet, perhaps I should learn to crochet.

Cup of soup anyone?

(image The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys by Drew Emborsky)

What are you crafting? And which books are your favourite places for inspiration?

New Stock - Great Prices!!

I have been lucky enough to find over my weekend (meaning Monday) a fantastic new supplier. I have hand picked my first delivery of stock from the warehouse and am unpacking it into the store today. The prices are AMAZING, and I just wanted to share a few images with you.

Feeding my desire for all things Scandinavian, and even vaguely 70's, this beautiful paperback interior/design title usually retails in The States and so by the time we get it here. we can expect to pay around $50. And we are lucky to have it at less than half that - $24

(images Scandinavian Modern by Magnus Englund & Chrystina Schmidt)

More on interiors - this great hardback on one hundred great treatments for vertical surfaces. There are magical painting ideas - wild patterns and even fabric and other options. The instructions are step-by-step and detail what you need, and how to go about your plans.....
There are heaps of new ideas - beautiful kids wonderlands, serene adult hideaways and even suggestions and inspiration for creating walls and screens where there were none before.

Between $50 and $60, you might think, but we have it for $35!

(images Wall to Wall by Linda Barker)

(image A Light History of Hot Air by Peter Doherty)

For the history buffs and those interested in something a little quirky, there's Peter Doherty's 'A Light History of Hot Air'. This beautiful hardback retails for $32.95 but you can get it here for just $18.

(image Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman)

Kids - and the more grown up Philip Pullman fans? This stunning little hardback is another episode from the universe of the His Dark Materials trilogy. It includes as part of the story, the very first meeting between great friends Lee Scoresby, the Texan balloonist, and Iorek Byrison, the armoured bear. Also inside, is a board game - Peril of the Pole - to play along with the story.
The beautiful cloth bound, collectible volume is usually $29.95, but we have it for $16.

There's HEAPS more in this delivery. From cooking to knitting, travel to classic fiction, ideas for a sustainable future - and thoughts from the Dalai Lama.

Feeling SO lucky here at New Leaves to be able to share some of these titles with you at such GREAT prices. What a fab weekends work!

And meanwhile, back at the range, my Tuesday deliveries just arrived, so there's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, SEVEN more boxes of goodies and August releases to get my hands on.

Every time I get a delivery, it feels like Christmas (and that's almost daily). What do you hope to find in your parcels when they arrive?

Its been a while ladies and gentlemen, between.... I mean posts of course.
Here's me promising to try harder.

The shop has changed quite a bit over the last few months - keeping it interesting and eclectic, with some gorgeous new stock.
So here's a sneak preview.

The sideboard and the mirror here are soon to go and live with one of my regular customers - I'll be very sorry to see them go...... but they will make way for something new and FABULOUS!!
Stay tuned.

The cooking section.... to whet your appetites.
Vietnamese, Spanish, Italian, Moroccan, Turkish, Sri Lankan, Sicilian.
Anyone Hungry?

Some gorgeous Leroy bookends sure to entice any young reader to choose a story from his book selection.

The girls at ricracsew make these beautiful cards out of scraps of stunning fabric. Florals, Ginghams, and even Alphabet Fabrics. Check out their blog at http://ricracsew.blogspot.com








My current favourite. I often gaze at this one imagining my retreat by the seaside, or in the rainforest - where all my days are spend designing, reading and learning. BLISS!

(Image couresty of Shed Chic by Sally Coulthard)

Enjoy the rest of your weekends! Mine will be spend sewing a beautiful doona cover to make my home a little more 'Shed Chic'.
Photos next week!