things i'm loving 'snow day' & i'm grateful for 'love'

Greetings all,

Oh finally, it's school holidays for Canberra!!  To celebrate the last day of term, my 3 primary schoolers were invited to dress for Snow Day & dress for snow they did!!

Check out the beautiful weather, it was still -1C when we dropped them at school (yes WE, my husband flew in 30 hours early, yesterday afternoon).  He was thrilled to leave warm & sunny Brisbane to arrive just in time for a -6C Canberra night.

 Very Scooby Doo outside in the thick fog.

 I had my leather gloves on & enjoyed the car heating.

 A nice surprise waiting at the post office - my on line orders from my head-cold-shopping - just in time for my husband to see.  As our fabulous post office lady said "you can't exactly hide 3 giant floor cushions & smuggle them into the house like shoes".  I say fabulous as she is equally as excited about my orders of fabric, twine & vintage wax paper stripey straws as i am!!  Ooppss, i ordered 450 straws, my head cold did last a few days, i was delirious & they have been a huge hit with the children.

 Oh why thank you Donna Hay, these DIY brownie & macaron mixes will do nicely as i perch myself on your indulgent floor cushions (FYI cushions reduced from $140 to $69.95 + $9 shipping each now - i've been told we're NOT visiting her General Store when we visit our parents in Sydney) & every order comes with a box of pencils.  I left a little note saying 'if you have any spare pencils, i have 4 big Donna Hay fans who would make good use of them' & da dah, 4 boxes of free pencils were beautifully wrapped up in blue tissue paper with the order.  What a treat!!

 Mmmm . . . for more Things I'm Loving, go visit the lovely Paisley Jade today.
Now to double up this post with I'm Grateful For with Maxabella Loves, as i have one busy weekend (looking at farms, yippee) . . .

 As i mentioned, yay, my husband is home - 2 whole weeks of fun & games with the school holidays.  To celebrate i treated myself to this beautifully embroidered heart by Plushka (hi Katia, gorgeous to see you here in windy, blustery, blizzardy Canberra this week) which will sit nicely with my heart collection (red one by Plushka, linen one by Red Stitch Designs, hi Brenda!!)

 Handsome soldier sent me flowers mid week, i've been pretty run down, exhausted & desperate for some time off the school run & homework judging, what a lovely surprise!!  Oh the joy of sharing the parenting, if only for a couple of weeks. 

What do two lovebirds do after 2 months apart - that's right, turn out the pantry, pull out the fridge & clean behind it + sort out all the bits & pieces which found their way to the top of the fridge.  We were heading to our favourite restaurant Poacher's Pantry for lunch, after a spot of shopping in the city, but handsome soldier felt a bit heady & unwell (no doubt frozen) so we picked up a movie (RED) & enjoyed crusty BBQ chicken & salad rolls, mmmm.  That my friends is how you keep 15 years of marriage alive.  Next we're changing lightglobes!!
Finally back on regular internet speed, yay, blogs here i come.  Love Posie
Thanks for the super encouraging comments on my talk to the high school girls about a career in design . . . they were a mix of nervous & shy, keen & so totally not interested.  I was teamed up with 2 former students who were studying Industrial Design & Engineering, we all had very different angles to discuss from 'the panel'.  They were impressed by different things - famous clients, glossy magazines, published books - each group of girls was completely different.  I did give away surprise prizes to the girls asking the best questions & handed around copies of Handmade Living for them to flick through, something tangible & the teachers loved that too!! 

bling on love . . . my valentine

Greetings all,

Happy Valentine's Day.  Whether you fall for it . . . the pressure to buy a card, jewels, flowers &/ or chocolates, who cares, i'm giving a shout out to my beloved husband!!  He reads my blog, so i post to keep him up to date with my life & our children while he's away.  Also, if you ever thought i made things up or exagerated anything . . . how dumb would i look to him??  My children & real life friends read my blog . . . so i keep it real man!!  They all know how crazy in love i am with my handsome soldier & our children really are great little people. 

There is a Valentine's Day link party with Gifts of Serendipity & Maxabella Loves, where people are flashing their love bling.  Voila, my rings, the half carat diamond says "we were young & modest with a tiny income", my husband chose the design & i still love the style.  I fiddle with my rings, especially when i think about my husband.  He is my teenage love, this is our 14th year of marriage/ 17th Valentine's Day, we've never skipped a beat. 

Some fun divorce statistics, if there is such a thing . . . military families have a 50% divorce rate (married a solider, check); parents with multiples have much higher divorce rate (twins, check); couples who marry under 25 have a higher divorce rate (22 &25, check); for every daughter your rate of divorce increases 8% (3 daughters, check); major life stressors like moving house/ interstate, losing a parent, acts of war (check, check, check) - that puts us at 350% change of divorce.

Why do we laugh off these statistics??  In a word 'communication'.  I am dedicated to my husband, his career & never complain if he's home late or away for months - he's providing for our family; we dated for 3 years & talked endlessly about children, retirement, extended family; we had twins in our mid 20s with energy to burn; & we've never fallen out of love for a second.  We're physical but with months apart, we are forced to talk, write, Skype & dream, when we're together it's like a honeymoon all over again.  All in all, when he's out in a war zone, the last thing i want him worrying about is how i'm coping at home & if i still love him.  He's the strong-silent-broody type, i'm the talker, but he nods & i force him to think deeply "are you happy, what can we work on" & above all, we're always laughing together or at my expense, either way, we have SO much fun!!

The most fascinating of those statistics is the 'for every daughter your rate of divorce increases 8%', even the professor who discovered that from decades of unbias census statistics, has 3 daughters.  It's the principle that people traditionally want sons, so you're more likely to have a larger family (strain on finances, time, energy, marriage) if you have daughters first rather than sons!!  We wanted 4 children, so the fact we had 3 girls first had little to do with that bloody annoying question "are you trying for a boy" - no, just a 4th child!!

 Filled with love in my heart & children who enjoy a bit of tax deductible craft . . . i picked up these beauties from Kikki-K, which kept them busy all day making cards for friends.  I asked the children what love meant to them . . . they came up with beautiful things like "love is family", "i love you", "having someone love me as much as Daddy loves you" ahhhh . . . to unexpected comments like "i know what you & Daddy do at night, can you be quiet".  Gulp.  Love Posie

love hearts are in the air

Greetings all,

Just a little hint at what i'll be adorning my ensemble with on Valentine's Day.  Never one to shy away from a quirky hair accessory or something in the brooch department, i picked up these red heart beauties at Shop Handmade from Plushka.  Katia's work at Plushka Craft is hand sewing & embroidery perfection - she also has a giveaway on her blog this week. 

The giant sparkly bow is from Summer Blossom, i just had to have it & Shop Girl Rachel (my accessory sister) had to have one too, admitting she'd be jealous each time i wore my bow.

 Playing around with love heart balloons, pink cottons & raffia too.  I have some helium left over from a party, i'll see what i can do with these balloons then??

 Wishing you a heart filled crafty Sunday.  I'm head down bottom up sewing for Handmade Market, yikes, next Saturday!!  Love Posie

any excuse to buy little extra luxuries . . .

Greetings all,
I paced my Christmas shopping so evenly & well in advance this year, i feel quite entitled to indulge in a few little luxuries. 

Thank you for asking, my facial/ massage/ eye brow wax went wonderfully, i didn't want to leave!!  Thank Martha from JellyShane for some sober advice, my eyebrows do NOT look like Nike ticks, i'm so sorry you had to go through such an ordeal.  I even managed to wash my new hair do & dry into a cute style today, there is hope!!  & fear not Monet Paisley, my hair is streaky blonde, it just didn't look like it in the photo in my dark lounge + swimming over Summer, it will go even streakier!!  I just don't have time for colour maintenance.

Anyway, sticking to handmade style or handmade-craft-enabling themes in my indulgence . . . i've had a bit of fun.  Check out the Plushka festive bunting for the treadmill, precariously positioned/ pushed out of the way for the Christmas tree. 

Apparently it's quite westie/ redneck to have a treadmill in your living area, but i like to run & watch television, "would you rather me be fatter??"  No, thought not.  When we build our own home, of course, there will not be a treadmill in the lounge, but the Army just wouldn't provide us a house with a wing for the gym!!  Let's move on . . .

 tonight i picked up some Tupperware from a party last week, hopefully my slicing of vegetables for homemade cooking will improve immeasureably, like my spelling!!

 Too cute, had to buy 4 of these handmade Christmas trees for my 4 made-by-me children.

 Can anyone resist a stationery store??  I hit the 3 biggies at the Canberra Centre tonight while my girls were at parties in town, Typo - comedic thrills; Kikki-K - compulsory pieces; Smiggle - cheap cheer.

 More cards, ornaments, ribbon, twine, stamps, books . . . argh!!

 Ah, today my husband took me to Poacher's Pantry for lunch.  Our little 'last day of school celebration'.  We planned to buy a Christmas ham there, smoked on site, but they only had HUGE ones & we're not having Christmas day with our immediate 40 hungry-ham-loving family members, so we'll settle for a smaller leg from a farmer's market instead.  We did leave with some goodies from the pantry for our parents, like truffle chocolates, marinades, preserves & sauces + freckles, the extra expensive & sugary type which you can only eat slowly!!

Oh, had a great idea this afternoon - to arrive at school early with a disposable camera for our eldest daughter to take shots of her friends on the last day of primary school EVER.  Best. Mum. Ever.  She liked me for a whole half hour after that, then things went back to normal preteen-mummy tension.  I actually said to the teens-in-waiting . . . i hope you're taking notes & you don't bother to be so challenging.  They were on their way to a Friday night party anyway, they'd agree with anything i said!!  Happy weekends, love Posie
EDIT: my husband went back to Poacher's today & picked up a small ham, turkey & more Freckles!!  All is well for Christmas day at our place, table of 6!!

My Creative Space 'markets are a funny thing'

Greetings all,
Well first of all, i have to announce the randomly drawn winner of the G I V E A W A Y from last week's My Creative Space post.  Congratulations Steph from Mon Petit Poppet.  Yippee, couldn't have gone to a sweeter blogger.  You win . . . Oh & the G I V E A W A Y - 2 pairs of Tasmanian Oak knitting needles, 2 sets of fabric hair clips, a dozen fabric covered buttons & 6 fat eighths of amazing Japanese printed fabrics??!! I can only imagine the magic you'll create with these!!

Now with Handmade Market exhaustion, busy work at Shop Handmade (have sold 3 Posie patchwork quilts this month!!), school assignments about year 3 camp + the usual spelling lists times 4 children & throw in the heart ache of losing two soldiers in Afghanistan this week, my nights have been, well, quiet & still.  Thank you all for your emails asking about my husband, no, he wasn't involved, alas, two other families have lost their special soldiers.
Anyway, hard up for an idea of what to do for this week's Creative Space, i thought i'd do a little behind the scenes of a market stall for you. 

 

Hiding behind people's stalls you might find giant Ikea bags with extra stock; small children who are actually fabulous help & company; handmade banners; their shopping - like a 3rd giraffe from Allana C; delicious cup cakes like pARTy cakes (more about Liz's cakes in another post, um, 2 dozen came home with me, hey, i have lots of children - this particular one was a hello gift from Plushka).  We listen & watch to find what makes customers smile/ where they spend their time/ what they chose & their comments (mercifully i don't hear too many "i could make that" which i can assure you, breaks a market designer's heart!!)  But markets are a funny thing, it is Winter & that means knitting season yet i sold dozens more knitting needles in Summer than i did on the weekend??  Look at all those beautiful Sheep's Clothing goodies, Stacey is now in Shop Handmade too!!  Recognise the gorgeous mummy in the last photo, well that is the lovely Ros from Grace Designs!!  With a new baby in her life, Ros hasn't been making much lately but it was great to see so many customers & other stall holders with her hair accessories adorning heads!! 
Happy Creative Spacing everyone, i'm off to steam mop the floors, clean the leather on the lounge (both MIGHTY jobs i assure you) & play with my little shelving units from Freedom.  Why, because i actually love housework, snore i know & we're off to Sydney for the Quilt Show tomorrow, stay tuned for a big post on Sunday.  Enjoy your long weekend, i'd best get sewing!!  Love Posie

so then my husband said to go back to Shop & buy myself a treat . . .

Greetings all,
Ok, i know, i'm a tad pumped about Shop Handmade but it's something i believed in, like Handmade Market, from the first tiny dreamy thought.  I am so incredibly proud to be working in the Shop too - when school goes back, right now i'm busy babysitting the children of Shop owners.  Here are some long shots for you, which i took in the light of day of the Grand Opening.  My goodness, took me an hour to get snaps clear of customers, it was busy all day.  When i walked in there were 4 ladies at the counter with goodies piled high, like a super market check out, only totally glamorous.  These images should give you a better feel of the layout.

My personal shopping (gift from faraway soldier) . . . the Red Stitch Owl i bought last night apparently was for my middle daughter, she eyeballed me in a way that i couldn't argue, so i bought the last one left in store, hiding up in a tree with pink wings; plus a Danielle Kathleen pendant; & Little Slave resin bangle, love love love . . . my husband!!

This collection of lovelies is for my school Mother's Day Raffle . . . i spy Plushka hair tie, Yardage Design tea towel, Prim&Pretty brooch, Look Mama card, Hugs&Kisses candle, Lindsay&Edmunds chocolates, Little Mustard Seeds tea cup, My Indulgence Time soap, Highland Habitat face mist.
ALL this for $100.40 - my point is - gorgeous high end handmade unique products AT market prices, no inflation as the designers/ makers get 100% of the sale of their wares, no store mark up, so you really are supporting micro handmade businesses at Shop Handmade, many of us are mummies working from kitchen tables & home craft rooms!!

Goodness, look at those dressing room curtains, who made them i wonder?? 

The Shop is huge, 140m square, i think these sweeping shots attempt to do it justice for space.  Note wide aisles for prams or customers shopping in groups!!  All welcome!!

Personally love the shelf options at the back of the Shop, so much room for customers to stay & take their time.  Plenty of sales are coming from this area. 

A beautiful morning tea welcome spread was put on for our first Shop customers today.

So if you have products in store, congratulations - you're so clever.  They are beautifully presented & supported by a knowledgable sales team, not to mention posted all over blog land, Canberra Times + lots of great magazines, stay tuned . . . Shop Handmade is my ONLY shopping destination now!!  Love Posie

Happy Easter handmade style from Allie's Attic in Mosman NSW

Greetings all,
I've taken the children to Sydney to see their grandparents for the Easter long weekend.  Just so happens that my parents are in the same area as an Allie's Attic market today, brilliant, what a happy coincidence!!  So for once, i get to be a SHOPPER at a beautiful handmade market & shop i did!!  Must admit, it's like catching up with old friends as many of us blog, email, collaborate & are just in the same market circle.  So Allie put on a lovely show with beautiful hand picked stalls. 
First up, Happy Easter with some gifts from Plushka & Retro Mummy for my children, thanks girls!!

. . . 3 of my children pouring over Giggle Spot Designs & this bunny came home with us . . .

. . . lots of lovely things at Ivy Designs who was busy with people (thus lack of long shots of the stall, where you only saw people) & these necklaces came home with me, hi Wynona!!

I sold some fabric to Bloss Dolls at Handmade last weekend, so happy to become a customer.  I loved the cupcake style one on the left, however, my blue loving eldest girl wanted the turtles, both adorable!!

Summer Blossom is the daughter of Bloss Dolls & talent runs in the genes.  Love Rochelle & her beautiful soft girlie designs.  Even my son wanted a headband, bless him.  So we came home with these two beauties, Babushkas & a Kaffe Fassett print, love love.

Oh, big time fan of Plushka, her embroideries are adorable.  You might remember ALL the beautiful things i bought from Katia at the February Canberra Mathilda's were stolen, so this was my chance to replace some pieces. 

This gorgeous collection came home with us, i think i'll pop the triple set on a shepherd's crook pin as a pretty brooche.  Perfect for when i'm at Shop Handmade don't you think??

Also met Lisa from the Red Thread at Handmade last weekend in Canberra.  Again, my turn to be HER customer at her beautiful stall. 

& these little Sweeties came home with us.  One is called MiMi, like one of my girls & Freedie is not a fox, but a squirrel, however, Lisa was too kind to correct me when i kept telling my son he was an adorable fox!!  Der, there are acorns everywhere.

My favourite, Retro Mummy, busy as always, actually looking pregnant in this shot too!!

Fabric mania, ahhhh . . . some to replace the ones stolen from Mathilda's, no i refuse to get over it!!

Can you believe, Swedish prints with writing, the lot!!  All available at Retro Mummy's Shop, go now, before i take it ALL, or another 30 odd metres!! 

So my 4 had a ball, Allie was fabulous, the stalls looked beautiful, there was balloon making, gifts, fun & great parking (on the other side of Allen Border Oval, no parking tickets for me).  A few stalls are thinking of joining in Handmade Market in Canberra plus Shop Handmade, yes!!  I drove home via the old suspension bridge in North Bridge, love that area!!  It's so pretty, stone pillars & lanterns, i imagine horse drawn carts trotting over it 100 years ago.  There are even old buildings which my grandfather & his brothers built still standing since 1914.  Memories . . . Happy Easter lovely readers, hope you have a great time with family & remember our soldiers serving overseas during our 'holiday' they don't get a break, like my handsome soldier.  Love Posie