AEIOU link party May 2012

Greetings all,

Welcome to this month's AEIOU: a mid-month-link-party of self-belief, improvement, acceptance, love & learning!!  It's a get together to celebrate life's highlights.  Your AEIOU might go a little something like this . . . 

Awesome – something you baked/ created/ photographed/ a bargain you found

Exciting – share your news/ event/ holiday/ a gorgeous butterflies-in-tummy moment

Interesting – teach us information/ discovery/ facts/ a chance to show off your quirky side

Opportunity – embrace the unknown/ put yourself out there/ show off a new experience

Understanding – learning to appreciate/ forgive/ love/ unleash what helps you grow
. . . you might like to do a full AEIOU or just one or two particular themes . . .

To kick things off, here is my AEIOU list for May.  

Awesome - how stunning is simple Winter produce??  Such beautiful shapes, colours & super fresh taste, from Farmer's Market.  My children seek out the fruit with leaves attached -  more authentic.

 Exciting - thrilled to add a new recipe to my repertoire . . . the Ragu!!  It's a simple &  delicious belly warming Winter dinner.

 Interesting - as i flick through the pages of magazines like Peppermint, Mollie Makes & Frankie, i feel like i'm reading about my handcrafted industry from the outside.  It's very competitive & i'm comfortable that i've stepped down, after a successful decade consumed by sewing at home.  Lately i've bumped into many designers who are shocked i'm closing down my business, they say the most lovely things about my craftsmanship, passion, attitude & presence at markets.  Nice to know you're missed!!  But also very happy under my pom pom blanket on the freezing weekends, reading magazines rather than manning a stall.

 Opportunity - a school mum had to sell her farm & move closer to the city, which meant leaving, relocating & giving away many of her animals.  These friendly Silver Spangled Hamburgs found their way to our place.  They're very happy in the coop outside, but the cold snap has halted egg laying.  Baby chicks are still living indoors, under lights.    

 Understanding - i like technology served up to me on a platter, need to know only, just tell me how to send emails & blog, thank you.  I'm pretty pleased with how i'm getting around my first ever Mac computer & loving it's new location in the living area, with all the children's laptops (such is education these days) - research homework is very efficient.  The children love the mysterious black apple (where the in fared wireless gadgets connect) spooky.

Now it's your turn . . . do join in . . . links go live on the 15th of each month, this is a party to celebrate you!!  Love Posie  

magazine weather

Greetings all,

Where did Summer go??  This is midday, frowny face. 

 "Grey skies are gonna clear up . . . put on a happy face!!"

 Or detour to the newsagency for some magazine candy, add a little pink bowl of sweet chilli chippies (yummy treat) & it's a lazy school holiday afternoon.

 Yes, i bought Dolly, yay, with free jammies.  I buy the odd teen magazine for my teenager - you heard it here first, earth shattering revelation!!  I remember my mum wasn't cool enough to buy glossy teen magazines when i was 13 & my big sister wouldn't share . . . so i relied on my best girlfriend's supply.  We'd giggle, gasp & hypothesise 'what would we do??'  I'd rather my daughters read these magazines at home so they can ask me questions, rather than their equally ill informed peers.  Sure you can google facts - but where is the emotion or specific-to-you information?? 

 The most offensive thing i found was an image of Suri Cruise in heels??!! Oh that girl has attitude, look at her, spoilt much?? This is why i don't comment on celebrities often, i end up sounding righteous about them living in unrealistic bubbles . . . however, i'll take this opportunity to ask if anyone else thought Angelina Jolie looked like she had period cramps at the Golden Globes, she looked uncomfortable.  Anyway, i rated my flick through Dolly as pretty decent, good fashion & accessories (not trashy & very affordable) with articles on overcoming girl bullies, boy crushes & other mainstream topics. 

 Oh & look at gorgeous Dianna Agron from Glee & her super pretty hair do.  I'll be taking that picture to the salon in 6 weeks, i'm growing out my boy band hair to be cut level/ even/ bob length again.  Of course i'm blessed with her beauty too, life has been good to me, ha!!

 As for the rainbow . . . i've not been sleeping well, but i cannot recall a day my children have woken me up (i'm not a sloth, they just never wake before 7a.m. even as new born babies, ever, times 4 children, lucky me) . . . so one of my girls treated herself to this for breakfast - the smell from the oven was delicious + a drizzle of chocolate melted properly, she knows how to live & lick a bowl of melted chocolate clean too!!

How is the weather in your hood??  I know it looks like Northern Hemisphere Winter in these shots, but it's actually 30C & i'm reading magazines in a tank top, not snuggled under a cosy blanket.  I'm still taking the children to the local military pool in the rain, we have it all to ourselves - other mums must think swimming in the rain - children might get wet??!!  I have laps to do & children to wear out!!  Love Posie

our creative space . . . 'crafty customer service'

Greetings all,

Hmmm . . . i think customer service in craft/ haberdashery/ art supply shops is either - super fabulous with great interest in what you are using the materials for, offering their knowledge, experience & ideas, or . . . like you're at the check out of a super market, beeping the codes through & taking your money, smiles & friendly banter are not included.
I was on a giddy high from the Esprit, Country Road & Trenery sales this morning, shopping up a storm for Summer . . . then i went to Spotlight. 

What can i say??  I dashed in to use the 'spend $100 & get $30' off voucher as i needed some linen, threads & needles.  The linen was 20% off, aces, i can afford an extra metre.  I am served by the lovely Narell who is so well informed & offers excellent customer service, every time . . . only as i got to my last cut of linen, it was her break, nooo, she handed me over to the next sales assistant. 

 I calculated exactly how much i needed to crack the magic $100 mark & had already discussed with Narell that i wanted to take advantage of the $30 discount offer, but had not printed off the email voucher.  She said she had a magic code for people like me. 

Giggles.  Banter.  Smiles.

 I mentioned to the new sales assistant that i had chatted to Narell about the $30 voucher situation - to avoid any end of transaction drama, there was a queue forming behind me - it can get ugly at a Spotlight sale.  Well, you would have thought i had just asked her to stick knitting needles in her eyes & give me 100% off . . . she snapped at me "you need to print it off" & i smiled back with "Narell said you have a magic code".  She must have spent 3 minutes arguing/ telling me off, ME, the always right customer.  Guess what people, she had to move the beeper gun, aim it at a bar code AT THE POINT OF SALE & pull the trigger, click, beep, $30 off.  OMG!!  The huge effort.
Why are some sales assistants so hell bent on spoiling your transaction & experience??  I also said "don't worry about the metres of plastic wrap, kind of negates the no-plastic-bag message" & she said "you'll look like a shop lifter".  So i suggested, with my receipt, i could prove at the door, i had paid.  OMG . . . i had no option, she wrapped it up in the plastic anyway.  Then said "the yellow strip is what they look for" & i thought, well why not just give me that, argh!!

 I didn't care, i got 20% off linen + $30 off the total, i am a normal person with a good attitude, sucks to be her!!  It can never be a bad day when your husband picks up a copy of Peppermint Magazine for you, while you're in the post office, because he heard you mention it was out & you wanted to grab one!! 

Something to offer for our creative space this Thursday - you can win this pencil roll & retro fabric stack, my contribution to the Handmade Market Hamper - via the Canberra Times!!

Now, back to that gorgeous linen, i'm screen printing up a storm, stay tuned, love Posie  

At My House . . . Il Cucchiaio d’Argento (The Silver Spoon)

Greetings all,

Ok, so I’m coming down with a head cold, itchy eyes, runny nose, ears popping . . . I know, I’ll try out some new recipes I can’t taste & with 4 extra innocent children here to test recipes on . . . I’m in the kitchen. So by 10a.m. I had baked a cake & a dozen muffins, boiled eggs for lunch sandwiches & sifted through a few recipes to test drive. I woke up feeling like I must make pasta today, so I’m focussing on the sauce, as I’m actually rather awesome at making pasta dough.

The Silver Spoon cookbook – well this is one HELL of a cookbook, no wonder every kitchen in Italy is said to have one & it has been a best seller for 50 years. We have the Children’s version & now the mother ship – all 1263 pages, with both a List of Recipes & Index section at the back, it’s just that mammoth. I love the type face, layout, illustrations, colours, colour coding, terms/ glossary, tools, paper . . . even I can follow all this!!

Now the sauces section, there is even a recipe for avocado mayonnaise – I have a child who loves both a dash of mayo & plain avocado sandwiches . . . perfect. Her twins is obsessed with Italian meats so the antipasti section if for her. FYI the Antipasti section is divided into fish, vegetarian, entrees, pastry, pizza etc. Brilliant!!

I picked up this cooking bible yesterday at Borders at the Canberra Centre, along with these beauties . . . who says blog advertising/ word of mouth/ unpaid promotions don’t work – I saw Peppermint Magazine & thought, oh, everyone raves about that, must try; I spied the Sew Darn Cute book & without even opening it, added it to my bundle as I’d seen it on sew many blogs lately. Either that or I’m completely unoriginal??!! Hmmm . . . I have an ace Tshirt which reads “advertising helps me decide” & I giggle whenever I wear it, mainly as I’m so not a victim to advertising. I do have a psych degree as my weapon & when I see an add for Cadbury’s, Coca Cola or McDonalds, I think “fat” not “I want some”. My children are those who never ask for anything, or if they ask & I say no, they cope at the supermarket & might point out that they’ve seen a product on television, but don’t seem to like the mainstream clothes/ food/ gadgets/ magazines their friends go for.
So tonight i'm going to take a break & read the article about Jennie who ReJenErates things, like her most of all as her name is the same as mine . . . then look at Ink&Spindle who i'm about to order from, both in Pepperming magazine . . . then there are so many projects in Sew Darn Cute that i used to do when i was big on hand stitching in the 90s & have wanted to revive!!  I was going to do gorgeous fabric covered tins for the scissors & rulers at my Stitches&Craft Craft Lab sewing classes but Canberra was cancelled & i have all these empty peach & beetroot tins dying to be dressed up.

So I’m going to play the At My House with Buttons by Lou Lou after I wasn’t sure I’d have time to blog today with head cold, work, children, baking, alas play dates keep your children busy too!!
Now off to tidy my studio then run some errands, too cold for the park today, brrrrr, welcome Autumn. Love Posie