social commentary Sunday . . . 'do you share your hopes & dreams, outloud??'

Greetings all,

As you can probably tell, i don't suffer from lack of confidence, ditto for my children.  Like them, i was filled with hopes & dreams, the world was my oyster, perhaps more than our fair share of compliments, but . . . why not??  I was chatting away to some unsuspecting listener about our plans to buy 100 acres, build a homestead & start a farm . . . she said "but what if it doesn't happen??  Oh, gosh, i'm pretty focused on it actually happening, but if it doesn't, well, what is the harm in dreaming for it anyway, or telling the world about my hopes & dreams??  It's my life anyway, is it going to affect yours??  

My world view is pretty much 'bigger picture', i have a bunch of children to raise, elderly parents & a husband who goes to war, my farm dream is nice, it's in a safe happy place in my heart & it's a beautifully positive family experience we really want.  Not to mention budget/ affordable & clean/ healthy/ simple living.  What a lovely place to retire to. 

Do you ever take your children somewhere that feels SO RIGHT??  We know this is the best decision - our children never stop running, they want farm animals & lots of space.  We pulled up at the farm block we're interested in & they all leapt out of the car & started running up the hill, like it was so familiar & natural.

 These photos are all of the one & only property we looked at, 100 acres & a bonus, huge hill - i wasn't sure if my husband wanted flat or hilly, he loves the hill!!  There is a fantastic flat spot for a house, pool & pony, yay!!

 Huge windbreak & 2 dams, this property is broken into 2 paddocks.

 I really love this part of Australia, i really want to live out here.

 When my husband said he saw turtles, i never thought we'd get the children back in the car!!

 We plan on going 100% solar but with power there, we could put electricity back into the grid.  I keep saying "we're not greenies, or environ-mental, it's simple budget sense".

 Each time we stopped (every few hundred metres) the children would hop back in the car with all their enthusiastic plans for tree houses, animals & quad bikes.

 It was so windy, i did a wonderful impersonation of the Queen with my scarf over my head to protect my ears & wave to my subjects.

 I think we'll be putting in some wind power too??

 Whether we buy this block, or another in the 'hood, we like this area & it feels so right.  Thing is, with another 18 months of my husband living interstate & overseas, we're just not ready to buy right now.

 It's fun dreaming, planning & i'm pretty sure we'll put our money where our mouth is & buy a farm in the next 6-12 months so i can start planting, getting the homestead drafted & all those fun approvals for the barn & pool through council. 

 As for the car trip - we let them come with jammie tops on under their overcoats, with jeans & gum boots over the top.  Look at my middle daughter's hair all blown apart!!  A few toys, fruit & books made for a calm journey.  We will need a more economical car though, it will be a whole lot of driving (well twice as far as i'm doing now).

So, do you dare to share??  Do you keep things to yourself until they are absolutely, positively, penned in, definitely, set in stone going to happen??  I don't exactly wear my heart on my sleeve, but i am so surprised when things don't go right, but i have no shame in hoping & dreaming outloud!!  Love Posie

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!! 

a career in design, presented by a scientist

Greetings all,

Wow, tomorrow i'm part of the Experts on Tap at my daughter's high school - to chat about my industry, design, to impressionable & wide eyed year 10 students who no doubt have hopes & dreams of fame & fortune.  I have no fear of public speaking but have warned the vocation teachers that my qualifications are in the sciences, i made up my own handmade sewing & design business from scratch in the last millenium.  Please don't let them ask me which courses to enrol in at university or college or tafe or life!!
I am sure the accountants talking about accounting & doctors talking about doctoring all had clear paths to their careers.  How do i talk about a career i moulded around the fact i had to create an job around a bunch of small children, at home, without help, moving interstate every couple of years, i couldn't do weekend markets & it was before the internet was in everyone's home/ phone/ workplace??  I know, i made it happen, somehow.  I guess i'll twist it around to a discussion point on how to move with the times, be flexible & constantly developing, embracing technology & accepting your family situation.  OMG, i can hear myself saying "it was so much harder back in my day" & pull up a rocking chair!!  The world of 'commercial design' has changed, mums sewing at home & small scale handmade cottage industry has made a come back (500 years after it started)!!

I really want to emphasise a basis of natural creativity, finding your own style, niche even & building on it.  I am spatial so made all my own patterns for everything, saves risk of copyright or . . . copying!!  Hope there is an lawyer there to chat about intellectual property & how someone can crush your dreams by stealing your unprotected idea.  You also have to have a good dose of confidence, you are kind of showing your heart & soul to the world with what you create.  You have to keep going forward all the time. 

 Keeping overheads down - i didn't start buying bolts until a few years into my business when i truly knew my style & what my customers would like.  It's tempting to take out a loan & buy up big, but i say "selling out is a good thing, your clients will be hungry for your next range".  Do small product runs, be exclusive & special.

 Make, make, make - your own gifts, products for yourself & samples for sale to get a feel for what the market is after.  Craft is no longer a dirty word, handmade is now cherished & small boutiques are really cutting into major department store sales these days.  Keep fine tuning your skills & tweaking product ranges.  Be careful to use words like "unique" or "original" unless you really mean "one off".  If you're making dozens of the same thing, make each one slightly different - be it fabric, a small ribbon detail or size.

 You're spoilt for choice these days for places to sell your products - etsy, MadeIt, eBay, FaceBook - all offer low cost/ low investment on line shops.  Not to mention the endless stream of gorgeous handmade/ craft markets out there, for stall fee.  Advertising - social media of blogs, FB etc are brilliant marketing tools.  I believe THE designer should be able to present the best PR for their own business, especially for those "you are YOUR product" businesses.  If not, there are plenty of fabulous companies who can help.

Getting into magazines/ published is such a thrill, once you're on their 'call out' list, it's the best glossy magazine free advertising you can get (free = cost to send them the products).
So as i put my 'key messages' together in my mind & worry about what to wear . . . i mean . . . what i should tell these girls, who might be overwhelmed at the thought of being 15 years old & ever confident about anything, versus those who diss me & insist they'll be the next Sass&Bide, i think i'll approach them from the good old Q&A session.  I'll do an introduction about how/ when/ why i started to my journey to where i am now, where i want to go & then ask them what they want to know & how to grasp opportunities, if a mentor might help & who to trust or include in their business.  I'm all about 'love what you do' but it has to pay the bills & be realistic about covering costs - or should i leave them dreaming?? 

I have to do this 4 times for 30 minutes to 4 seperate groups.  Should i take props??  If i feel i'm losing them, should i let slip my daughter in lowly year 7 was the cool one putting up the super popular "You're Awesome" posters to gain some street cred??  Wish me luck, teenagers are lovely & keen to learn that this is one career built on a lot of hard work, long hours & a dash of failure, aren't they??  Love Posie

the new fashion . . . "Nina Style"

Greetings all,

I was discussing fashion & how my children dress, with a client.  I've never had an issue with dressing my 'tweens', all that awful gear with vampire slasher, studs, sequins, rips or slogans - don't get me started on black, well my guys don't like it (yay).  I explained how my children love layers, colours, accessories & their own twist on style, my client said "oh, Nina Style".  I knew exactly what she meant - Dr Nina Proudman from Offspring, that quirky obstetrician on television, she knows her whimsical style & wears it well.  Also helps that actor Asher Keddie is rather pretty, slim & has a complexion which suits any colour, texture & style!!   

When i was a young girl, i would wear jeans, Tshirt, Converse then hope & pray no one noticed me.  I wasn't shy, just not fashion confident, accessory-less & my mummy, she wore 'house dresses'. . . say no more!!  I loved fashion & lived in the pages of Vogue & Cosmo, but it wasn't until i was an adult i actually got into it.  

I might not have a great figure anymore, but i do like good quality & classic styling.  I don't mind investing in good clothes for my 4 children either, especially the 3 girls who can share (of course they will continue to love sharing clothes when they are teenagers) & so much can be handed down to their little brother (jeans, Tshirts, the odd jacket & shoes).

I rarely buy anything full price, case in point: Seed beanie $22.50; Country Road Jeans $20; Seed scarf $15; Esprit denim vest $15; Country Road top $12.50; Country Road boots $55 - see, all seriously reduced from RRP, as you know, "another 25% off reduced prices" is my bat signal to go shopping.

 On Sunday afternoon i had to duck out to get milk & this is what girl child number 3 just threw together.  Nina likes a bit of cropped denim & vests, always layer, it's the rules!!

 I picked up these denim pieces from Esprit on the weekend - went in to get middle daughter a new puffy Winter coat & . . . i came out with a new Winter puffy coat . . . + denim vest, denim jacket & 4 Tshirts, anyway, this super cute denim jacket with capped sleeves was $22.50, are you kidding me??  That's 25% of the original price!!

 While google'ing images of Nina's style, i was so sad to read Don Hany (mmmm Dr Chris Havel) is listed as "past cast member" noooo, does that mean he's never coming back??  Also, that episode where her sister was getting rid of all her owls because they were unsexy, whhhhhaaattt??

 Ooppss, accidentally found an image of Dr Chris.

 Nina's family style.

Lots more images of Nina here - what is with a television character having it's own FaceBook page??  Anyway, i don't understand FB, this just confirms it.
We're still at school this week in Canberra, Friday is Snow Day - a plain clothes day where you come in your snow gear (hello, that is normal plain clothes in Winter!!)  I'll be sure to post what my guys wear to school to rock their style on Friday!!  Love Posie

social commentary Sunday . . . 'did you ever discuss who was going to raise your children??'

Greetings all,

Ever since a new fabulous mother at school gave my lifestyle the label "invested in husband's career" I have been thinking . . . we never really had the conversation about who was going to raise our children.  I had our first baby straight out of Uni, just after our 2nd wedding anniversary.  Handsome soldier went off to war & i was left home holding the baby, like it was 1915.  I had new degrees & a new baby in a new city, so i found an ace job & an even acer Nanny.  I just said to my husband "i'm a full time oil barroness, the Nanny is a retired Paediatric Nurse, i'm expressing milk, brilliant".  Yes, i had to speak fast & to the point, we got one short phone call every 2 weeks. 

When i officially retired from the real world, the next day i had twins.  I was a 26y.o. mother of 3 little girls, doing fist pumps in the air as i really only ever wanted to be a stay at home mummy.  Who knew??  Not me until it happened.  I know our life is different - my husband's job is in 4-5 year blocks, he can't just leave; it comes with reduced rent housing so we've never had to worry about our own mortgage; he has been deployed to war 5 times in 12 years + we move interstate every couple of years.  It was a no brainer i would be the full time/ at home/ dedicated parent/ constant/ primary care giver, we had 4 babies in 4.5 years.  Also from the experience of our nieces & nephews - i knew the real deal of parenting was high school & NOT just the baby stage, thus never planning to go back to work in the real world when all the children were in school (3 years ago).       

 Image of our children "raising themselves".

So i wonder, for normal families, who don't constantly move, have helpful extended family near by, can easily change jobs & actually want to use their university education . . . did you ever discuss or plan who was going to stay home to raise your children??  Has the plan changed, evolved, backflipped??  I have said this before - i have the right personality & patience to be at home with a bunch of children.  I love my own company & sewing, baking & gardening, doing craft & making play dough was perfection to me.  No cabin fever here & i was completely satisfied with happy babies = career greatness.  Our children were very easy, they could raise themselves. 

I'm driven & determined, but don't need a job title/ status to prove it.  Watching Beyonce's Girls Rule the World video this morning, my son said "girls rule the world, there is one in every family, they are the boss".  See, job satisfaction, i'm raising a boy who knows his career ceiling is under the strongest, most capable woman.
Watching Marley & Me last night (half watching, i was hand sewing) I heard Jennifer Aniston's character say "i've given up so much of who i am" & other lines about the huge sacrifice she made to be at home with her children.  Look, whatever, she's not raising my children, each to their own attitude.  I do wonder if i don't feel like this 'massive sacrifice' as i had my children young, before a career could be established or we didn't actually set out in our lives with a plan: baby 1 in 1999, work 2 years, baby 2 in 2001, work 2 years . . . as the story went "twins in 2001 & retirement".  We also had no idea where the Army would take us - how many wars + we're in our 6th house, 9th school & 3rd city.  It was a very different world when we married in 1997, we were young & while not entirely clueless, we are flexible & open to what may be.  Also in Jennifer Aniston's character's defence, she did say "this is so much better than the plan" kicking a ball around in the garden. 

 Still facinates me - how lifestyles are made up.  I can see that yes, i've invested in my husband's career but not in the having-his-commanding-officer-over-for-dinner-parties kind of way, hoping for promotion.  I still feel like a complete member of society, until i listen to the news & it's all about child care places/ rebates & getting women back in the workforce - who is waving the flag for those of us who are housewives/ stay at home mummies & absolutely loving it??  We are all doing what is best for our family.  Love Posie
PS sorry about lack of visits in blogland, i'm on 1915 internet speed & have a migraine, icky!!  Don't feel too sorry for me, my husband is home in 5 days, for 2 weeks, yahoo!!

i'm grateful for 'commissions & custom design'

Greetings all,
The highlight to my week has been this sweet custom design cubby curtain order, commissioned by one of my favourite customers.  Her son Thomas has a little cubby area in his wardrobe - imagine a Hamptons Style home with lots of pitched roofing - leaving funny angled spaces in wardorbes & cupboards, perfect hidey holes for little ones. 

So i fashioned a curtain from some subtle laundry stripe fabric in soft red, added blue cowboy fabric lettering - blanket stitched in red & to match the Cath Kidston cowboy bag which hangs in the walk through robe - i added the matching fabric at the bottom of the curtain (the weight helps the curtain hang perfectly).  

 I really did have to contain myself from going into additional detail with stitching & ribbons, pom poms & fringing even, i mean it says KEEP OUT, i had to keep it butch . . .

 i did coordinate a top ribbon in red, white & blue . . .

 & sneak in some blue ric rac with zig zag stitch to the bottom.

 I made a faux door handle in the shape of a sheriff star . . .

 & Western/ Cowboys = cactus . . .

 what is not to love about cactus, such a weird shaped plant??

I just knew exactly what i was going to create from the moment i saw the space & listened to the brief.  I also love a client who says "i trust you" so fresh in my mind, i made it over night & delivered it the following day.  Not only did i gain bonus squeals of delight & kisses, i was handed a bottle of champagne with the words "beautiful things should be celebrated with champagne".  What a sweetheart!!  I've since had images sent of Thomas sleeping in his cubby house & how the curtain looks from a few different angles, glee!!
There is also a little side story . . . you have to use 3 passwords to get into Thomas's cubby.  To maintain his security, i won't blurt them out here.  However, Thomas has a baby sister, who can't say the passwords, so my eldest daughter & i devised a plan for her - we made some laminated cards with the passwords on them.  They were a huge success!!  I just got an SMS saying mummy & daddy have to use these password cards too - the new proceedure is to slide them under the curtain & wait to be granted access, ADORABLE!! 

Just makes my heart sing that i can create something which can make a family so happy & truly add to their play time creativity & sibling bonding.  Have to say, being told by someone who lives in a particularly stylish home filled with divine furnishings & collectable art, that i've created "the most gorgeous thing they've ever seen" just fills me with pride.  I think we all have a soft spot for the deliciously gorgeous things we have handmade for our children.     

 Finally - the giveaway parcels are done up & ready for shipping, congratulations again you lucky 6 ladies!!

So Maxabella Loves, that's what i'm grateful for this week, the most appreciative clients & their wonderful custom design ideas & dreams which they commission & trust me to create.  Have gorgeous weekends everyone, why not build a cubby house??  The blanket-over-the-dining-table-chairs never fails.  Love Posie

things i'm loving 'stories out of school'

Greetings all,

Things I'm Loving with Paisley Jade this Friday . . . stories out of school.  My girls went on a school excursion to the Botanic Gardens mid week, escourted by their lovely relief teacher who came out of retirement for a few days to teach at her beloved school (she taught my eldest daughter 3 years ago, she's a once-in-a-lifetime amazing, much loved teacher).  I'm sure she said to her husband "a few days with year 4, how hard could it be??" 

Well . . . let's just say, excursion group one, supervised by this gorgeous teacher, included one of my twins . . . they were about to set off on their tour of the gardens when one boy had the inexplicable urge to stick his finger in a hole - right in place of a missing screw in a steel railing . . . & it got stuck, hard, like call-the-fire brigade STUCK HARD.  He explained that he saw a 'one armed man' & was distracted.  You just can't make this stuff up can you?? 

Sure enough the Fire Rescue Truck came, all sirens blazing & tested out their new bolt cutters (no 'jaws of life' required, much to the disappointment of the group) & cut him free.  He even got the hunk of metal rail to take home to show his parents.  Apparently he's very embarrassed & his family are not allowed to talk about it, yet.  He's not even 'that boy' in the class, these crazy things just happen.  I've had the fire brigade remove my front door as a small child locked me out, i've also almost had to call them as one of my children got her head stuck in a fence at a swimming pool - they keep me on my toes.

As for that wonderful teacher, she's officially back in retirement after today, leaving with the words to the boy in year 4 "i've taught for a very long time, met a lot of children, but i'll never ever forget you". 

Have great weekends everyone, keep an eye on your children, love Posie