hello 200 followers, here are some random things about me

Greetings all,

I am so lucky to have over 200 followers so i thought i’d share a little more about myself for young players . . . random things which don’t creep up in regular posts. Do join the fun & reveal more about yourself to your readers too, try something similar on your blogs . . . this is me, well a few months back, right now i need a hair cut!!

I’m still in contact with friends from 3y.o. preschool.

It took me 3 goes to get my driver’s license, one test i tried a hill start in neutral, oh yes i did!!

I get butterflies in my stomach when i know it’s my husband calling.

My first job was as a kitchen hand & i have never EVER wanted to be a chef.

I hug our dog & talk to him like he's a real person, not a baby, an adult!!

If i could live anywhere (money, school are no concern) i’d live rural coastal Qld, a beach farm.

I love salads but i really loathe making/ preparing a salad.

I always thought having twins would be so uncool, but they are the best thing ever!!

I’m really jumpy, my husband & children sneak up on me all the time, yes, hilarious guys.

I have never had mother guilt, i’m really confident & enjoyed working full time with my first baby.

My father is my greatest influence in this world, he’s anti feminist, so it tests my tolerance.

I’m competitive about strange things like finding a dress on sale & saving the most money.

I’m not jealous at all - i would never think to go through my husband’s phone or wallet.

I have never had my heart broken, disappointed yes, devestated no.

If i could afford staff, i'd hire a chef first, who would also garden & shop for me!!

I was really naughty at school but got top marks so my parents ignored my detention slips & were glad i had a personality & fun friends.

I was always a tom boy & liked very plain clothes growing up, now i’m more frilly & dressy.

I would love more order in my life but 5 other people keep moving things & i’d rather have them.

I cannot hold a tune, my children beg me not to sing. You’ll never hear me auditioning for anything.
I'm so desperate to meet/ see/ get a glipse of Oprah when she comes to Australia.

I’m glad my parents named me Jennie not Jennifer, i think it’s a neat complete name.

I got full marks for Art in the HSC but did science at Uni to be a forensic scientist (mid 90’s, before CSI was cool).

I loved school but i'm not spiritual, so instead of a bible for chapel, i took a dictionary & looked up interesting words.

I LOVE bedlinen, right now, flannelette is so toasty & warm.

If i went back to Uni to do honours in psych, i’d study sibling rivalry or birth order, it's fascinating.

My last job was the giddy life of an oil baroness, managing the state office & living the high life (dinners, galahs, charity events, operas, car racing).

I sleep with metal hand splints for my carpal tunnel syndrome (hand stitching ruins me).

I appear really laid back & relaxed but i’m tenacious & very determined.

Freakishly at school i was voted ‘most likely to marry a man in uniform’ & my husband was the first soldier i ever met!!

After putting that together i realise i started & ended on two poignant facts – people don’t seem to be able to escape me??!! Preschool pals or when i got my claws into my handsome soldier, tee hee.  I'm not a stalker, hello, i don't even do FaceBook!!

BIG changes in my life to wrap up the year, possibly buying land, our eldest starting high school, husband changing jobs, swapping all the children's bedrooms around, hmmmm . . .

I hope that encourages you to share something about yourselves too, be bold & honest, it’s fun & cheaper than therapy. Love Posie

market hype & last chance to enter the latest G I V E A W A Y

Greetings all,
Elated. Excited. Exhausted.  That sums up my weekend.  Just elated that Handmade Market was such a huge success, despite my lack of sewing lately due to the demand of Shop Handmade & orders, i had such a sparse stall but boy did i have a big fabric sale.  I'm so excited about Christmas, the potential is huge, i'll start sewing in the school holidays, purely for Christmas markets!!  Exhausted as quite frankly, 10 hours of market trade & the set up, pack up, unpack & repack twice - oh yes, TWICE as i had to repack the car this afternoon with all the stock from Gifts Created, Almond Tree Frames, Little Slave & props pinched from the Shop for the Handmade Market . . . coming soon to Shop Handmade . . . The Red Thread - as if i couldn't resist a boy Ooshka for my son which he bought before Mathilda's Market ever started today, i have all Lisa's stock in the car.  Hmmmm . . . can i resist??  Why yes i should as i do have the patterns & bought extra Ooshka faces for my daughters as a school holiday project. 

That is the gorgeous Sashikha from Indigo Elephant, all round fabulous lady.  Two of her elephants found a way home with us, plus a bunch of hair clips, oh & hopefully she'll have stock in Shop Handmade soon too!!  No pressue Sash!! 

More Ooshka faces so i can now make 3 for my daughters.  I always seem to take a billion shots of Lisa's The Red Thread stall each market, i just think it's too adorable.

At Mathilda's Market today . . . Almond Tree Frames, face painting (my son is a German Shepherd), Red Jam (also at Shop Handmade) & my huge condensed sale baskets which were restocked after being demolished at Handmade Market on Saturday, plus the $15 cradle without the stand. 
If you do markets, i can not encourage you enough to do a blog too.  I have the most lovely customers say they read my blog, wish they had found my Revolve finds first & the nicest comment you can ever get "oh, you are just like your blog in real life".  Who has time to be fake anyway??

Alrighty, time to remind my children who i am, different ones have been coming to different markets.  Let's just say my plan to give them $15 to last them all day was a complete underestimate of their ability to eat organic chocolate, fancy cup cakes, buy softies & my favourite . . . present me with a bunch of flowers to say they love me . . . only the cash was from my float??!!  Hmmmmm . . . clever!!

Funny story for you . . . some cool girls came up & oohhed & aahhed about my fabrics & products, then invited me to a market next weekend.  Yippee, more about that later,as i'm not sure i can fit it in around my children's party plans.  Let's just say one bought some cute mini skull fabric & i asked what she was going to make with that particular print & she replied "i'm making pasties to go over the dancers' nipples at my burlesque show".  Whoever said a FQ of fabric isn't big enough for a project never thought of that!! 

Last chance to enter the latest Posie G I V E A W A Y of new Japanese fabric prints!!  Have lovely weeks, i'm back at Shop, clearly this weekend hasn't worn me out enough.  Love Posie
PS Sorry no images from Handmade Market, the fact i don't have time to go to the bathroom during that event clearly shows i don't have time for happy snaps.  Check out the Handmade website for all the goodness.  Actually don't, i look huge!!  I'm off to the treadmill as clearly i have stock to make & weight to lose before the next Handmade Market, i wonder if i could hand stitch while i run, hmmmmm . . .

for the love & support of handmade & markets . . .

Greetings all,

Luckily, for we who like to make money via one of the slowest means possible - handmade - it's now combined with great public demand & the fact market is no longer a four letter word!!  Canberra's Handmade Market & spin off Shop Handmade are massive success stories & i feel quite clever to have believed in both from their inceptions. 
I have, after 10 years in crafty business, sought out speedier ways to make handmade products efficiently & provide a steady income for my family.  These large fabric brooches are simple, fun, colourful, inexpensive yet all add up to a neat bundle of sales.  I think these will be quite fun on my new stand at Saturday's Handmade Market for Spring & Floriade (Canberra's famous flower festival)!!

Now i'm always trying to merchandise my stall effectively & that doesn't have to mean expensive!!  Take this bassinette - for the next market i want to fill this with baby blankets & patchwork quilts.  Cost me $10, imagine finding a lovelier basket or another way to display such products any better??  The cradle (balancing precariously on top of the bassinette in my garage) comes with a stand which won't hog precious table space at a market & i'm filling it with baby clothes!!  Cradle = baby, fill it with baby products, done!!  Cost me $15 & is in such great condition, even the mattress was still in plastic.

Other cool things at Handmade Market include a new range of Riley & Friends badges i made for Tania McCartney's adventure series of books, she's also taking orders for the Handmade Living. book which will be out in December.  Go & say hello to Tania, have a bit of a girl crush on her!!  She'll be the one resisting the helium from the balloons i have surprised her with!!  Let's just say after a long successful market, we can get a little silly at pack up/ exhaustion, i can see a whole lot of laughter come 4p.m.

I've got a cool pile of Yardage Design dessert menu style screen prints to play with.  Look at the gorgeous articoke printed tote bag Nic sent me as a gift, oh, too sweet again, thanks honey!!

So all the lovely things Handmade has brought into my life . . . i've met the most wonderful friends & customers in the world who completely understand a handmade concept!!  I'm so grateful, love it, embrace it & above all, enjoy it!! 
Have lovely weekends, hope you're doing something you love, i'm serving the people!!  Hmmm, that sounds a little saintly, technically i'm just doing 2 big markets this weekend & hope to bring in some cash.  Love Posie

my creative space 'handmade panic'

Greetings all,
It's that time of the quarter, where i start to panic/ pretend i am totally OK with the stock levels i have for the Handmade & Mathilda's Markets, both on this weekend in Canberra.  I do have glazed over panic in my eyes . . . the mums at school are excellent monitors of my work/ life balance - they keep asking how i am (read: Jennie looks shell shocked, distracted & unprepared for this weekend).  I have to be comfortable with what i can achieve & admit, i've done my best with working at Shop Handmade, 4 children & an absent husband all year.  Toss in P&C events i run, insurance claims from the burglary & tax.  Cracks are appearing i assure you!!
I have also been able to procrastinate about sewing for this market, for example, my washing is up to date, the fruit bowl is fresh & full, dishes done, children eating plenty of vegetables for dinner & home baked goodies in their lunch boxes.  Even the floors are clean.  Not vital for a 2-day-before-massive-market-priority, but hey, clean floors always make me feel better.

Proof i have been sewing - a couple of dozen sets of skirts & tops in my new bolts of Japanese prints.  Hmmm, must chop up FQ for the market too.

Today at Shop, Rachel let me hand sew a few dozen penny wheels between serving customers!!  How pretty are these Flower Sugar fabrics from Retro Mummy going to look on headbands & brooches with fabric covered buttons??  Should be doing them now, hmmmm . . .

This little fellow wanted to be close to me last night, so in order to not neglect him, he set up a bed next to my sewing machine.  Oh to be young & stress free & have time for sleep.

On an unrelated topic . . . today i passed a few thousand of these gorgeous National Servicemen . . . fondly called Nashos.  Throughout the 1950's to boost our Army after WW2, Australia had a National Service, then it was reintroduced in 1965 for the Vietnam War.  They looked so proud in their suits, berets & medals.  I saw many big manly hugs in this massive 'reunion' too.  A new memorial in their honour was opened at the War Memorial.  We'll go & have a look in the school holidays (i have one child who can't bring herself to visit the War Memorial without her soldier Daddy).   

On the way home from school i also found time to swing by Revolve to pick up a cradle on a stand ($15 in fantastic condition) as you do with 4 tired children.  I might not have enough stock to actually put in it (children's clothes, or maybe cushions, or perhaps quilts - next market) i also found a cool cabinet which has all the glass & shelves missing, but would look magical lined with fabric with perspex shelves on my market table, oh filled with brooches or hair accessories.  Stay tuned, shall reveal in December.  Oh December, by then i'll have had my husband home for 2 months . . . imagine my productivity!!  Friday I'm at Shop (any Handmade Marketeers, pop by & do say hello, before 3p.m.) then i'm packing the car.  Saturday & Sunday are markets.  Deep breath!! 
Thanks for propping me up with your lovely comments, for less chaotic Creative Spaces check out the list of talent on Kootoyoo.  Love Posie

patchworking my heart out

Greetings all,

Voila, a sneak peek at two quilt tops i'm making for 8y.o. twins.  The mother has gorgeous taste & with her English & Euro heritage, loved the idea of a bohemian classic colourful patchwork for her daughter (Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner are perfection) & a vintage blue/ red combination (hello Cath Kidston) for her son.  I snuck in a little bit of Paris & London to the mix, as they speak French too!!  Each quilt is over 2m square, made from 196 squares, so they'll have these huge quilts for so many purposes throughout their lives.

Just in case i didn't have enough fabric at my finger tips, i went shopping over at Retro Mummy on the weekend & check it out . . . Japanese printed fabic glory!!  Some different colours to add to my bolts & beautiful Parisian scenes - street scape, balloons, patchwork, ahhhhh. 
Check out Corrie's sweet family Retro Mummy blog too, i spy a chocolate giveway on right now!! 

Do pikelets ever disappoint, especially on a rainy post-party afternoon??  What an easy recess filler, only it's too easy to eat half a dozen as you make them. 

Ok, head down bottom up, more sewing for this weekend.  Don't forget to enter the Father's Day fabric GIVEAWAY or Canberra folks - Handmade & Mathilda's Markets are both on this weekend.  Love Posie

Father's Day G I V E A W A Y & some follow up . . .

Greetings all,

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband (Soldier) & proud father of 4 . . . & to both our retired fathers - Grandad (Naval Commander) & Pa (Plumber) who collectively have 23 grandchildren who think they are awesome!! 
I figured now was as good a time as any for a fabric G I V E A W A Y, 3 prizes of 4 fat quarters each up for grabs, mixed up from the Japanese printed bolts in the last post.  Ok, so it's a completely non-fatherly giveaway but hey, don't we mummies do the real heavy lifting in the families??  My darling husband has been around for only 1 or 2 actual Father's Day celebrations in 11 years, such is life in the Army.  I do all the heavy lifting & fabric makes me very happy indeed, it's a beautiful distraction from the daily worries for my children's father!!

As my handsome soldier is bush walking & having a desert picnic with his work mates overseas this Father's Day, we'll wait until he is home to celebrate.  Did you know my husband has only been home for 2 weeks this entire year??  My children really miss him. 
He is not in any of these images (i'll reveal him one day, when he retires maybe??) i just pinched them from the Defence Media Website which is loaded with snaps of our troops + the funerals for our latest fallen soldiers.  Very heart breaking indeed, my thoughts are with their families this weekend.

My husband . . . all he ever wanted to be was a father.  He is a fantastic one, mastering the delicate balance of discipline, patience & repsect with plenty of cuddles, tickles & love.  Needless to say, he is our whole world!!  He just has this incredible sense of responsibility, thus chosing to be a soldier & wanting a large family.  He really makes a difference in this world, with our happy, well adjusted children & helping bring peace to countries in turmoil where women & children don't have choices or rights.  Of course we miss him, but we love him enough to let him do this work.  We love you long time handsome soldier.   

G I V E A W A Y rules are simple, become a fun person who follows this blog & leave a comment here.  Entries close Sunday 12th September (after my double market weekend), 3 uber lucky winners drawn randomly by unbias children.  You don't have to be a mummy or daddy, just a friendly crafty type or gift the giveaway to someone you love.  Feel free to suggest a colour or theme you'd like, don't be shy - there are French, Babushka, Owls, African Animals, Bikes, Story Book - or let me surprise you!! 

 Now for some follow up on other posts lately . . . seems the post on talking about sex to your children proved positive & interesting, a conversation starter if you will.  I got more emails than comments, some of you are a bit too polite for cyber company.  If Father's Day isn't a good enough reason to realise that your children are going to wonder one day how they got here (especially after they understand that mums have the babies in their bellies, but what does daddy have to do with it all??)  I encourage you to be honest, matter of fact & don't be afraid to say "& that's all you need to know for now".

I'm really sorry to hear so many of you have Father's Day stalls at your schools with crap gifts, i think it's such a shame, it's not hard to make a profit to buy/ donate some decent chocolates, marinades & plants!!  Oh & put a raffle together too, sell the tickets as extra profit spinner.  I should hire myself out!! 

 Have a lovely Sunday with your families, we have 2 children's birthday parties on (can you believe it, first one at 9.30a.m. at Lazer Zone then a lunch time home party??)  Yes ladies, i'm taking hand sewing to do in the car, no doubt, hiding from the rain!!  Love Posie

My Creative Space 'happiness is . . . bolts of Japanese prints'

Greetings all,
'tis a late Creative Space . . . I've been running around collecting gifts all week for the school's Father's Day Stall (plants, gourmet sauces, chocolates - i refused to allow crap gifts for people's hard earned $5-10).  Then i had a lovely interuption to my P&C duties to remind myself i have a business too.  18 bolts of Japanese fabric heaven, ahhhh, bring on the Spring & Summer for lovely colourful sewing.

Amazingly enough, it took a whole day before i ripped the plastic off these bolts, oh, so lovely, quality, texture, double gauze, cotton & canvas, each a delight.

With 10 years of professional sewing with designer imported prints like these, i added some fun 60's feel mushroom styles in the mix, just like curtains you'd see in a rumpus room!!  Just fantastic!!

As i make lots of tiny products too (badges, coin purses, applique swatches) i find these small repeat patterns simply glorious.  Do owls ever disappoint??

So as i put my feet up tonight (that is a joke) & reflect on the busy day that is selling Father's Day gifts to over 200 children . . . i'll starting thinking up what i'm going to do with this new bounty of fabric.  I want simple pants & cute skirts as the priority products - for the Handmade Market next Saturday (deep breaths as i'm not ready, keeping stock levels up at Shop Handmade is keeping me busy enough) + the usual gazillion fat quarters i'll take for sale.  Just like last market, with a husband away, 4 children to raise properly, working at Shop & school volunteer work, i've got to be happy with a smaller stocked stall.  Right now that is managable - half the effort = half the stress!!  Watch out for the Christmas Market though, my husband is hinting at taking a couple of months off, oh, imagine my productivity, then again, he's a wonderful distraction??!! 

Have peace, love & happy weekends people, i see a give away on the horizon . . . after Handmade Market please, oh did i mention Mathilda's is also on next week in Canberra, sure, a double, why not, i haven't cracked yet!!  Then i can have a break down & glide into school holidays.  Love Posie