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!! 

my weekend, projects & super exciting news about Stitches & Craft

Greetings all,
It's one of those weekends, fellow market crafters will relate to - the final count down to a massive market event.  So it's head down, bottom up at the sewing machine for Handmade Market on Sunday 28th March.  Deep breaths, it's SO exciting & i have fun merchandising ideas which i'll share throughout next week.  The anticipation is palpable, teachers/ mothers/ friends all telling me they can't wait!!

After having an additional child in the mix for a few nights this week, i'm spending tonight with just 3.  Middle girl has gone to a sleepover party with 'Heddles' our favourite Oilily bag & Raffy (her favourite giraffe, actually many giraffes were found in this bag which she packed herself!!)

The birthday girl is animal mad so i made her this pencil roll today!!

Stitches & Craft is coming to Canberra, Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th April (still school holidays for we Canberra folk).  Guess who has a stall in the Incubator & is teaching a couple of different classes in the Craft Lab??  Details, times & sign up available soon, but just a taste of the classes i'm offering . . .
'Handy Purses & Pouch Making' where you'll learn how to make 2 different purses & pouches in gorgeous screen printed & quality fabrics (Kristen Doran, PippiJoe, Cath Kidston, Japanese quirky style . . .)  All materials, zips, tags, pattern, treat & friendly teaching included in the $35 fee (limit to 10 students per class as it's on the sewing machines).
'Penny Wheel Hair Accessories' class will be a hand stitching class up to 20 students, learning how to make sweet penny wheel headbands & hair clips.  All materials are included for $25 where you'll leave with 2 products.  Both classes will have a huge choice of fabrics, colours & styles for their projects, so you make something you'll love to pieces.
Both classes will give you serious crafting confidence & lifetime of quick-simple-lovely gift ideas.  Perhaps a sign saying "no crying in the Craft Lab" will be placed on the wall, as everyone at all skill levels will be able to make these, sans tears & achieve awesomeness.  I am super patient & kind, remember, Army wife with many children & a husband far far away for a long long time.  I have visions of happy banter as everyone learns, shares & loves their sewing projects, a room filled with pretty tins of sewing supplies & gorgeous pin cushions. 

I'm also going to have a special something for my favourite project/ student/ attitude/ enthusiasm/ quirky/ colour combination etc, so someone gets a rosette to wear proudly, for their effort in each class.  I hope to hone my sewing teacher skills by practising with my daughters so they can judge how well i explain things & that my instructions make sense.  I refuse to be a grumpy matronly horror of a teacher who so many of us had to endure at school (even me, the maths/ science geek had to do non elective textiles & design, where i inherited the teacher who hated my older sister so i had no hope, plus, in year 6, i was indeed hopeless at sewing!!)

Let there be chocolate, it's the weekend, it's Lindt & we're well fed crafters!!  Happy weekends everyone, love Posie