back with a blast . . .

Greetings blog world, as part of my new policy to take care of myself, the things i like doing & the fact that baby number 4 is all grown up & starting Primary School in a couple of weeks . . . i am starting off the year as i intend to continue it - getting fitter, keeping a better house, working with a clear head (read: child free after 7 years in business!!) & back to blogging. i really enjoyed the little world of blogging, i just found moving back to a big city (ok, Canberra) took up more free time & mental space than i imagined.

So quick update: we're in the middle of our 2 year posting to Canberra. We live in the country & the children go to school in the city, so i have a country drive each morning & afternoon, where we count the kangaroos, cows, sheep, horses & their Spring foals . . . it's fun & the fantastic school is worth the trek.

After spending much of 2008 floundering with the market scene in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) & wondering how or why there was such a difference between the flourishing market scene of little old Darwin, compared to the well populated & flush capital of this country . . . i felt a little deflated to say the least. Then come November, after feeling much the same way, a crafty & successful fellow Military Wife started a new market to get Canberra up, out & supporting we local crafty designers. Well what a fantastic concept, it's a genuine handmade & handcrafted market, aptly named 'Handmade, Canberra's UpMarket' which is perfect!! Just once a quarter & on Saturdays, each event is held at the grand old assembly hall named Albert Hall in Yarralumla. Visit the Handmade market website to sign up for information on events & see Julie's great work.

So kicking off this year with a new attitude, knowing i have the nice Hall Country Market first Sunday of each month, 4 gorgeous Handmade Markets - which also have a mini show case in Civic the Saturday prior & yes, i have a position there too, i might find time to attend Gorman House (also on Saturdays) & the odd Old Bus Depot Market (on Sundays). i love doing markets, meeting new people, listening to their squeals of delight about certain products, fabrics & gifts they pick for loved ones . . . & their wonderful ideas & concepts which keep Posie fresh.

Now most recently i spent a week in Sydney, just me & the children. Took the Jeep for it's first biggish trip (can't do family trips with my husband as it's only a 5 seater) & i learnt the joy of cruise control. So easy to set the speed & be able to focus on your lane, traffic & children, not constantly checking your speedo!! Made for a very enjoyable smooth trip & with the M5, M7 & M2 (for a price) we were door to door at my parents in 3 hours. Same on the way home, only with a dinner stop & the McDonalds i think is still sitting my belly, oh the cramps!!

While we were in Sydney visiting my parents & the children were swimming 5 times a day, be it our pool, my brother's pool, Retro Mummy's pool or the beach . . . 3 of my children have olive skin & even with hats, sun shirts, not swimming around lunch & loads of sun screen, with their Italian heritage they are quite brown indeed. One evening we had a picnic with our favourite Army family who are living in Seaforth, down on Clontarf Beach & they swam in the harbour, collected sea shells, fish & star fish (all returned safely thank you). Gosh, this is how we grew up, care free, in the water until sunset with BBQ & salads for dinner. Apart from my parent's health concerns, it was a lovely trip.

Back to Retro Mummy, she's awesome!! Now with twins, who are so cute & so huge for 5 months, we popped them on little patchwork rugs & took big sister Keira in for a swim. Corrie looks fantastic, in her new home, now 3 children & cookies of course, we had a Pool Party. With my children being born & bred in Darwin, it goes without saying that they have all been swimming since birth, so now they are all great swimmers & i gave Corrie a glimpse of the future - 4 children splashing about safely & very independent. 4 children in 4 years isn't everyone's idea of family perfection, but for Corrie & i, it's ideal, a nice surprise & fun.

As always, i couldn't leave Retro Mummy without practically buying up all her stock of fabrics, as she's put the business on hold for a little while, with babies everywhere, so i had a ball!! While also in the 'hood, i picked up my latest haul of the beautiful Rosie Flo books (full set), which are selling so well at the markets with my pencil rolls, i still haven't added them to the site or shot them!! That's on my To Do list this week, along with some new toys for the Vintage & Retro ToY sHoP i run plus lots more fabrics - Babushkas anyone??!!

. . . fabrics come in different colours & limited availablity on small products like cards, badges, coin purses . . .

Getting ready for the flurry of the market season, as always, when it rains it pours. Not sure what people were doing in the down time between Christmas & New Year, as i had 15 new orders, including shops, lovely, so i've been flat out!! Come the end of the month, i have a birthday, the Handmade mini show case, Hall Markets then the big Handmade Market. I'll be posting information about all of these closer to the date. Handmade's theme for Feb 7th is Handmade with Love, gorgeous don't you think & i'll have a dedicated table of Valentine's Day inspired gifts (Peggy-Jean cards, loved up badges, Lark knitted chocolates & soaps). Ah . . .

. . . Hansel & Gretel puzzle by Djeco in the ToY sHoP . . .

So thanks for stopping by, 2009 is going to be a fantastic year. For me it's having a set work plan & hours, the Meet Me At Mike's craft book (yep, i'm featured but that's a post all unto itself) the launch of my children's lable sTaRt oF FaShiOn with super cute vintage detailing & planning our family move to Brisbane in December, a lot is happening in my little world!! Until next time, love Posie