perfecting bad blogging . . . 'giveaway winners, finally' & a new giveaway!!

Greetings all,

How often do you enter a giveaway on a blog & it takes forever for them draw & announce the winners??  I'm pretty good at making you wait, not for the sponsored giveaways, but my own handmade ones!!  So in my week of imperfections, i'm announcing the winners of giveaways from the weekend, last month & um, August, perfecting bad blogging!!  If you hang in there, there is also a new giveaway too, surprise.
The 3 lucky randomly selected winners of the Wii Ready Set Grover game & furry control cover are . . .

 Sarah from Fig Nut Mum blog, Tas from Little Boozle blog, & Kylie from Mealy & i blog.  Congratulations ladies, please email me your full details for courier delivery!!  Thanks Sesame Street, Wii & One Green Bean for sponsoring.

 Competition was fierce for this handmade prize of craft books, Babushka fabric pencil roll, gift tags & Mollie Makes magazine . . . randomly selected was . . . Claire from ClaireyHewitt blog.  Lock your doors Claire, there are threats of magazine robbers!!  

 I'm also lucky enough to win the odd blog giveaway too, like this feast of crafty goodies from Tania of Imagine Lovely blog (she's a sweetheart!!) 

 I thanked Tania personally but don't you think it's nice to share a pretty handmade win with such fine goodies, in blogland too??

 Then the long-time-ago-giveaway where i promised a prize to the most horrible school sewing teacher experience.  It was hard to beat Pamela with this cracker of an entry . . .

"My home economics teacher hated me. Seriously. But with good reason. I was a total nightmare but not in a naughty way, just totally skill-less... I got all the fabric tangled up and caught in the machine, Mrs S to the rescue!! However, while she was patiently unclogging the machine I inadvertantly stepped on the peddle and sewed her finger. Needless to say from then on whenever I needed to help, she would say "step back away from the machine and put your hands in the air". Oh and a few weeks later I cut a small sliver of skin off my finger with an overlocker and bled all over the table causing a classmate to thow up. Mrs S had lots of vomit and blood to clean up. I was banned from the sewing room.  I got an "A" for theory and a "E" for application.
But it doesn't end there... Cooking class with Mrs S... I set fire to a tea towel, causing a whole school evacuation. Then we had our test, mine looked good, smelled awesome. She took a nice big taste and gave me a mark. However the next day she wasn't at school. A week later she was back and I was INDEFINITELY banned from all forms of practicals, as she had been hospitalised with severe food poisioning.  I became a bit of a legend in my own lunch box for all the wrong reasons and the most likely to "starve to death" in the school year book."
Pamela you been judged the winner of a copy of the Handmade Living book which has sewing & cooking projects, good luck - i'm a bit scared, you only live 50km away from me!!

Finally, i did it again, forgot to cancel my standing order with the newsagent who was able to acquire issues of Mollie Makes magazine just for me.  My my husband bought me a subscription so i have ended up with 2 copies of the latest issue.  For your chance to win a copy, just follow this blog & leave a comment here.  Winner drawn Monday 13th November (i promise).  Good luck!!

 Thanks for being such good sports everyone, love Posie

my creative space 'Sew It Together Sydney' & that IKEA slumber party!!

Greetings all,

On the run, totally.  Have booked the bus to Sydney, looked up the train timetable for the airport, mapped how to get to the car hire place & ordered a ticket for plane ride home to Canberra.  Now madly printing off maps to new-must-visit-craft-stores after i visit my parents in St Ives & swap their birthday gifts for the overseas purchases they brought for my children.  So that's 400km by lunchtime & more happy bulk in my luggage.

After school pick up today & ZumbAtomic (Zumba for children) i can clean the house, make dinner, prepare to not be home for 36 hours leaving handsome soldier with the children in Canberra . . . & consider packing for my trip.  Neatly stacked up i have 15 pre-ordered & autographed copies of Handmade Living (thanks ladies, still not too late to order or pick up on the day) but . . . i have to plan my 3 hours of bus craft, what Sew It Together craft i was intending on doing (besides chatting non stop all day & selling books), toiletries & jammies for the IKEA sleep over girlie slumber party in the bedding department on Friday night . . . OMG, what to wear to these events, in front of the television cameras??

Trying to do things in order of priorities, like organise next week's P&C Athletics Carnival BBQ, pack all the gifts i need for Sydney deliveries, remember the maps i've so carefully printed off . . . argh, my bag will be so heavy, so much for my normal super light luggage efforts!!  This is also a major factor in hiring a car & not dealing with cabs or public transport.

 Please note the darkness in this kitchen-counter-image, yes of course, trying to get bed sheets & towels dry so my husband can just focus on being super-awesome-father . . . why a hex'd week of rain, doom & gloom on my washing before i attempt to leave the house??  WHY??!!

 I don't have to wait much longer . . . it's my first SIT & in my childhood home town of Sydney!!  So glad i know my way around the Eastern Suburbs, North Shore & Balmain to Sydney Uni area where i'm zipping about tomorrow, i ordered the smallest car possible for city parking convenience & a bit of a snub to my regular 8 seater 4WD which screams mother-of-many!!  Having a little holiday from my car too.

So long, farewell, i'll be back soon with a whole TONNE of giggles to share.  Happy creative space day for those who actually created something other than panic, love Posie
PS my big 300th post $200 giveaway . . . last few days, good luck!!
EDIT running along like a mad woman, almost forgot to go & collect my husband from the airport!!  At least we have Sunday together, this was always a him-babysitting-the-children weekend.

where are you sleeping on Friday night, me, i'm sleeping over at IKEA

Greetings all,
Wow, what a way to wrap up the week - the first ever IKEA sleep over party - this Friday night at the Sydney store!!  I've been asked to do PR on the IKEA event, telling/ showing off/ gloating about all the amazing things we girls get up to at a huge sleepover, locked down in Swedish furnishing heaven . . . with dinner, massages, freebies, giggles, movies, breakfast . . . also loving the excuse to get me some new jammies for the event!! 

 Seeing i'm in Sydney for Sew It Together anyway, how brilliant is this opportunity??!!

There will be 50 lucky female flat-pack & Allen key loving ladies enjoying back-to-back chick flicks at this exclusive one-night-only experience (should i mention now i've never seen Grease, Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing or Moulin Rouge??)

 I'll be happily distracted with complimentary pampering treatments & waiter service from handsome men (oh, forgot to mention that to my husband!!)  

For one night only, the bedding department of IKEA will be transformed into a girly heaven, taking much-loved elements from teenage slumber parties & injecting some sophisticated grown up fun into proceedings - sounds like perfection to this mummy of many tween girls.

So that's where i'll be between my Prints Charming sewing session on Friday afternoon & craft mania at Sew It Together on Saturday morning . . . yippee.  Stay tuned for a tonne of photos from my big BIG B I G jam packed weekend away in Sydney, love Posie
PS friendly reminder . . . last few days to enter my lucky 300th post hot pink giveaway or

 . . . grab an autographed copy of Handmade Living.

another Handmade Market success story

Greetings all,

Wow, what a market.  As the fantastic Handmade Market fans know, this event has moved from Albert Hall to the Yarralumla Woolshed to the Kamberra Winery . . . outgrowing all of those venues . . . to the National Convention Centre - which is MASSIVE.  It never disappoints, our gorgeous customers follow us anywhere & everywhere, it's truly appreciated!!   

Thank you to everyone in blogland last week for your encouraging comments & lovely words wishing me success.  I've been lucky enough to do every SINGLE Handmade Market since November 2008, this is only the 10th market event, it's exclusive & selective, it's special company to be in.  I am so appreciative of the journey.  I've done big events & popular markets but none are managed & marketed so perfectly.  Handmade is a FULL ON market - non stop customers, money being waved in the air, EFTPOS running hot & products flying off the tables + customers bursting through the doors before the market is scheduled to start!! 

This weekend's market was extra brilliant, in air conditioned comfort & not a concern for weather (it was windy & did rain).  The stall holders loved the convenience, the customers enjoyed the ease, ambience + thousands went from the Market to the Shop & back to the Market again (Shop Handmade is only 500m away & was incredibly busy all day too). 

All i can say is a huge congratulations & hearty thanks to the Handmade Market team & 3 very busy Shop girls!!

The awesome combination of blogging & markets means . . . meeting people in reality, like the beautiful Terese from Designed to a T & groovy Amanda from Laylaba.  Special shout out to gorgeous Dzintra from Queen of the ArmChair who broke her arm on Wednesday & couldn't attend the market - she really is queen of that armchair right now!!  Also, at this time of year, i find dear friends who have moved back to Canberra on military postings (hello Tina & Corinne).  Even our gorgeous school principal stopped by to say hello, along with dozens of friends.  Many came down from Sydney, up from Melbourne & in from country NSW. 
I didn't have a chance to take snapshots prior to the market commencing & my stall looked raided afterwards so i'll just show some zoom in images & offer up a few tips.

 my business banner - always ensure your stall has signage

 bring as much stock as possible, you can store it under your tables - i emptied most of my bolts for my fabric sale baskets 

 as a handmade creator, i'm also a craft enabler selling fabric covered buttons - displayed in various inexpensive glass vases

 fabric brooches are perfect for those wanting a burst of colour to their ensembles - this divided box is great for presentation

 cards samples show how fabric buttons can mix & match - a cute way to add height to a display

 patchwork pencil rolls laid out in an open French bread basket - a $5 op shop find

 i find products in baskets, containers & cases keeps things tidy - i don't mind the mess, it means the customers have truly searched for their favourites

 screen printed purses sold well again - inexpensive linen lined baskets 

as my darling husband rotated between helping me, taking children to sports, the Farmer's Market, charging my EFTPOS machine, collecting children from parties & sleepovers, the tip . . . he made me the most delicious ham, salad & chilli giant sandwich on fresh bread from Dom's Bakery - packing lunch saves your hard earned market money

handsome soldier is so amazing that he went to Kidson Jewellery (my favourite) & chose this pair of earrings for me from her Zugara collection (with Moyou) & gave them to me in the car as a surprise on the way home, it TOTALLY made my day!!  Thanks Emma, sneaky clever you (& her lovely mechanic husband who is always helping with the heavy lifting + his lovely sister who came down from Newcastle for the event too) love you guys!!
Kudos to jewellery designers who can photograph their products, please excuse my 'cap' prop but it did the job.

It's simply incredible, in just 2.5 years the rate of success, dedication, momentum & small handmade business growth which has been possible via this market, a humble 'market', when market was still a dirty word . . . Handmade has truly changed that + it's permanent retail space in the heart of our nation's capital Shop Handmade & the Handmade Living book.  600+ crafty small businesses are affliated with all this, just brilliant, what an opportunity.  People wonder why i have zero plans to ever go back to work in my field (pharmacology) - how could i, after a decade of full time crafting & mothering, no way!!  I love being my own boss & available for our 4 children & my husband when he's in town. 
So i have 4 months to prepare for the next Handmade Market in June, i can't wait.  Love Posie

Qld Flood Appeal Raffle: autographed copy of Handmade Living, pencil roll & fabric + giveaway

RAFFLE NOW CLOSED, thank you for your amazing generocity & entries, the lucky winner of the raffle is #96 Anna from TillyTom & Sew!Busy!Mama! blogs, Congratulations!!
The sweet winner of the fabric giveaway-thanks-for-entering-runner-up-prize is #45 Bronwyn from Whippet Good blog.  All you had to do was leave a comment & follow, i had to draw this one 5 times as the first 5 people weren't followers of the blog, bad luck.  All the better for my new follower Bronwyn!!  Enjoy ladies, thanks again for kindness, we raised $775 for the Qld Flood Appeal on this blog alone, yippee!!

Greetings all,

Welcome to the Qld Flood Appeal Raffle at the Posie blog . . . my husband lives in Brisbane so this is my little way to help out with fundraising & letting the people in Qld know they're in my thoughts, all the way from Canberra. My God Mother & her husband have lost their fencing business in Brisbane, water is over the roof of the sheds, all the vehicles are gone & they are expecting 3m more of flood water. They employ half a dozen men who won't be able to work for a long time, people have lost their family income too!!

So . . . up for raffle is this autographed copy of Handmade Living (signed by the author, founder & illustrator) along with a pencil roll from one of the dozen projects i have in the book, 8 fat quarters of Amy Butler fabric + i'll toss in a bunch of crafty goodies too.

An inspirational book filled with How To projects from cooking with chocolate to applique.

Autographed by author Tania McCartney, founder Julie Nichols & illustrator . . . Brisbane's own Tina Snerling.  Hi Tina, thinking of you!!

I'm a major contributor to this book, that's me in the orange top!!

Oh, look at these Amy Butler fabrics, just the inspiration for projects in the book, like my fabric fortune cookies??

Or perhaps my fabric vase cuffs, non??

Thank you to Toni from Make it Perfect blog for coordinating this - more auctions & raffles listed there too.

Simple rules, remember this is for charity, the value of this prize is over $150!! 

Donate $5 for one ticket at the official flood appeal website & leave your receipt number with your comment entry (please be honest & do not use the same receipt number at other raffle sites, we will cross reference the numbers) . . .
raffle is open worldwide, i'll throw in free shipping . . .
raffle open NOW until MIDDAY Wednesday 26th January 2011.
The lucky winner will be contacted by email on Thursday 27th. Good luck!!

If you want to enter my auction too, check out the previous post for a handmade patchwork quilt made from stunning Japanese printed fabrics.  

It's a g i v e a w a y too . . .every single raffle ticket entry will go in the draw to win 4 Japanese Fat Quarters of fabric too, like a runner's up prize, remember to follow this blog too.

Thank you for participating & happy generous raffle ticket buying!! Love Posie

EDIT: yes that date has been extended so those of you busy with auctions, once they end, you can enter raffles too to spread the love & spend any out-bid-auction-money!!

welcome 300 followers

Greetings all,

I’m thrilled to find 300+ bloggers out there follow this little blog, welcome & thank you. I only got back into regular blogging & added a follow button this year to keep my nights occupied while my husband was away for 9 months, so glad I did!! I did an ‘about-me’ style post when I hit 200 followers, so to bring the next 100 of you up to date on who I am & what I’m about, here’s a new egocentric babble. I invite you to do a similar post, we all love interviews & sharing, especially in a new year, ‘tis a friendly blog world.

Who Am I?? I’m a housewife; married to my teenage love who is a soldier; we have 4 fabulous children – our eldest daughter is about to start high school, twin girls who are 9 & a boy who is nearly 7. I also work at Shop Handmade Canberra (a dedicated handmade shop front in the city) & do handmade markets. I’m also in the Handmade Living book, with a dozen projects!!

Where Was I 5 Years Ago (2005)?? Just moved from Sydney to live in Darwin (again) on an Army posting; a few years into my patchwork & design business; loving being a mum at home with 4 children (1 in school, 2 in preschool, 1 at home) & sewing around them. We took the children to Singapore, Kakadu & Sydney on holidays that year. I also did my first market stall.

Where Was I 10 Years Ago (2000)?? I was 25, married 3 years, living in Darwin on an Army posting; I was a pharmacologist working full time in the oil industry; our first born had a nanny. We bought our first property & I made my first proper patchwork quilt for my sister who said I should find a way of turning it into a small business. Oprah would call it an “aha moment”. I love Oprah.

Where Will I be in 5 Years (2015)?? Our future is really exciting, we’re looking at land outside Canberra to buy & build a big homestead, start a farm & let our children run free. My husband will probably be in a different job, I’ll be turning 40 & our 4th child will be starting High School!! Our simple life plan is fully solar & wind powered, living off our land & animals.

What’s the 2011 Plan?? Give our eldest space to develop her personality & be there when she needs us; daily Yoga; cut back on carbs & lose weight; keep up stock at Shop Handmade; keep my studio tidy; make patchwork quilts for my children; improve my cooking; be thoroughly prepared for my markets; balance my volunteer work better; use up my fabric & save more $$.

Random Things About Me?? I’ve been bitten by a Funnel Web Spider; I’m terrified of clowns; I love housework; I ran in the Sydney Olympic Torch Relay; I studied 3 years of psychology at Sydney Uni with no desire to be a psychologist; I love maths; I loathe reality television (I’ll watch diet, cooking & decorating though); I always wanted 4 children; I’m a great runner but terrible swimmer!!

Good & Bad of 2010?? We were burgled; we discovered where we want to live; I had my purse & mobile phone stolen in Venice; we went on a second European honeymoon; my mother’s Alzheimer’s is getting ugly; I visited my parents in Sydney a couple of extra trips this year; handsome soldier spent 9 months away; he came home safe from war; we’re not getting a new car; we saved $$!!

So that’s me in words, I love my husband & our children, we have a simple life with big plans. I'm lucky to have a lot of love in my world & don't take it for granted!!  Love Posie

PS if you want to enter some great holiday giveaways, check out the previous posts - an IKEA lifestyle book & Tangled movie tickets - all you have to do is follow this blog, leave comments at each of THOSE posts to enter each of THOSE competitions, good luck!!

a lovely dainty Sunday morning High Tea, ahhhhhh . . .

Greetings all,

Phew, all but ONE pre-Christmas committment is over, relief!!  Well i have 3 patchwork quilt orders but that's different, they're can-do-in-studio-no-make-up-or-high-heels things.  Today was the delicious, delicate & delightful Handmade Living High Tea at Dalton's Books Store. 
Considering this weekend alone i've driven an extra 100km to rescue my husband who broke down off the Federal Highway (ruptured hose, cost $4 to fix) but got splattered in coolant; worked on 3 seperate P&C fundraisers & got covered in BBQ grease at two of them; attended a fancy book launch; Christmas Tree chopping & walked into 3 seperate spider webs; baked & picked flowers; created 2 terrariums; taxied children to birthday parties . . . it was nice to finally do something lady like, calm, quiet . . . a High Tea.

. . . beautiful food . . .  

. . . designer project tables . . . 

. . . lovely people . . .

Rachel - Shop Handmade, Julie - Shop Handmade, Handmade Living & Handmade Market, Tania - author Handmade Living, Tina - illustrator of Handmade Living.

I'm off to shower, after the final windy shift at the hardware store BBQ fundraiser this afternoon my hair is all knotty & i just feel blah, everything aches.  Back on the diet tomorrow; i've got the teacher's gifts sorted; more stock for Shop Handmade & 2 lunch dates with my husband SET IN STONE this week.  Will be lovely as next weekend my twinnies are having a bunch of friends sleep over (kill me now) to watch Gremlins - remember that movie??!! 
Have great weeks, love Posie