wrapping up Christmas . . . on 'Christmas Eve' Eve

Greetings all,
Today was another super busy day at Shop Handmade & now it's closed for the year.  Big shout out to Rachel & Julie who i love & run the most beautiful Shop in Canberra, no THE WORLD!! 

Last night, in my spare time, i threw a party for a dozen 9 year olds, just a movie kind of thing - we watched Goonies & Gremlins, ah, the 80's!!  Lots of fun, food & Christmas themed party favours, like reindeer food!!  Just to confirm i'm completely nuts, i collected 6 of the party goers on my way home from Shop.  It was actually really lovely, i'm used to having a car load of children & the road kill (mainly kangaroos) on the 25km trip from the city kept them entertained!!

So now it's time to put my feet up (or into a soak) & cruise into Christmas, everything wrapped/ posted/ delivered & purchased, with tonight's Farmer's Market putting the finishing touches on our Christmas long weekend menu.

My last patchwork quilt for the year was collected yesterday, another bohemian style one, truly a favourite colour combination of mine now.

 . . . bad lighting, sorry, i finished at 2a.m. . . .

 clash of colours, patterns & styles in 196 squares of patchworky goodness!!

 Last minute deliveries include a donation of pashimas to HeadsUp, a Breast Cancer charity . . .

 Sue from HeadsUp at Calvery Hospital in Canberra teaches ladies how to style pashminas & silk scarves while dealing with hair loss during chemotherapy.  Love you Sue, you're awesome!!

 Now it's 'Christmas Eve' Eve . . . we might start nibbling on our Handmade Sweet Delights GingerBreadHouse (number 2) . . .

 & decide where to spread the Reindeer Food??

 I have visions of a big family platter of Christmas lunch leftovers on Christmas Night . . .

 so i can enjoy it as much as i do at Poacher's Pantry.

 Tomorrow i'll repot our plants in the Terrariums . . .

 before i collapse on the floor with these reindeer.

So there you have it, we're rolling down the hill into Christmas now.  I'm cracking open the Highland Habitat foot soak now & taking half an hour to myself in the bathroom. 

Hey, don't forget my giveaways - movie tickets to see Tangled & lifestyle books from IKEA.  Love Posie

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

what i don't know about Alligator Snapping Turtles isn't worth knowing . . .

Greetings all,
Now that is a blog post title you don't see every day!!  Let me explain.  I am raising my girls with exposure to . . . a work environment like this with beautiful handmade dolls from Tiny Concept, who keep following me home . . . gorgeous new born babies like Josiah from Grace Designs . . .

we love girlie accessories like Little Slave bangles & lovely potions from Highland Habitat . . .

my girls can run like the wind or at least chase other girls running faster than the wind . . . as seen at yesterday's regional Cross Country where my 3 girls all ran so well, like ladies . . .

Ok, so the boy isn't that into it, bless his 6 year old-ness, not yet eligible to compete in any representational athletics . . . anyway, this is a post about my girls . . .

& biggest princess of them all had to catch up on beauty sleep after all that ferocious exercise . . .

our house is filled with flowers - this lot from my parents who felt sorry for me being alone with 4 children on Mother's Day (sounds like a punishment, actually it's my 8th one without father of said children around to spoil me, but may i refer you back to the previous post, he also sent huge bouquet of flowers this year in his absense) . . . my parents felt even more sorry for me when i said i was mopping the floors in my nightie when the young man delivered the flowers to me early Sunday morning . . . anyway, my point is . . . my girls are growing up in this lovely lady like environment, so tell me why they chose the following topics for this year's Rostrum Speeches . . . Guinness Book of World Records; Alligator Snapping Turtles & da dah Crocodile Jaws.  What??  Why not the origin of fairy tales, who shot Versace or the history of polka dots . . . no, they went for alarmingly boyish butch scary themes.  Or as my husband would say "they'll make great girlfriends".  He thinks that is funny until i remind him a boyfriend would be invovled!!
For the uninitiated, Rostrum is a speech competition when children make 2-3 minute speeches (in round one stage) to go onto state/ territory finals, by which stage they are putting on English accents, making wide eye excitement & pompus hand gestures Bindi Irwin style.  No, i didn't like the girls who did public speaking at school much either.  Just wondering, when given the choice, do your children pick wildly bizarre topics to research??  Or do you surrender, go with their happy choices & learn something??  FYI Did you know crocodiles have the stongest jaws of all animals??  You probably did, yes, 12 times stronger bite than a Great White Shark.  But did you know you can hold their jaws closed with your finger tips??  Crocodiles' jaw opening muscles are so weak, they won't be able to overpower you, even the big 7m salties (see my Darwin NT speak there??)  Why yes!!  Just useful information like when i learned last year while studying 12 different types of horrifying spiders, that Funnel Web Spiders actually can't jump, what a relief!!  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