If You Dare

OK, I understand this is not in the spirit of being grateful or handmade fabric loveliness. But I'm more than a little cross. Becoming a mother didn't mean I became a brainless twit or did it?

Grateful Day 7

I'm grateful that this chick lives at my house. Her name is Lisa and she was handcrafted by the super talented Made by Maisie. Will lovely dolls, toys and clothes of this nature still be around in the future with the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act)? I admit I don't know very much about all the issues related to CPSIA. There is a cool post here and another here. I hope there is a solution for all the sellers of handmade children's items in the near future.

There is a swing horse that is under my Mum's house. It was built by the builder who built her Mother and Father's house in Wilston in the 1930's out of scraps left over from the house. This horse has been loved and ridden on by three generations and I'm sure there will be future generations who enjoy it just as much. That's true handmade product testing.

Grateful Day 6

I'm grateful to have these pair of shoes. I'm not really a shoe girl - more a handbag one, fancy that. These are my favourite pair of shoes. They are so comfortable and a little funky. So do you live in Brisbane and are looking for a great pair of shoes? Go and check out Children of the Revolution in Adelaide St. Unreal service and such a fab range of great quality, unique comfortable shoes that last (which is great if like me you don't buy many).

Grateful Day 5

I'm grateful that my girls can see materials as one thing and make them into another. Some of you who do know my little etsy shop know I have a love for Pippijoe's Orchard fabric. When I cut this fabric, I try to use every bit I possibly can. I hate throwing away even the smallest bit. The artwork on this fabric is so unique and engaging it seems such a shame for any of it to go to waste. Recently I did have to cut these small strips to fit the pattern square on a bag. Well they were pounced on by Little Moo. I think she has been just waiting to get her hands on some. So with much excitement with her treasured gift she busily set about creating wrist bands with the left overs and good old Velcro. Sweet. Apparently they even have special powers or so says Little Moo. I wonder if that includes getting children to brush their teeth and eat their vegetables?

While the cats away

Ok so the girls were all off to school today, so lucky me was able to hang out with these lads working on a very special project. The skipping boys are from Sprout Design. If you'd like some of these lads too to hang out with you can find them here.

I love the vibrant red in the ink and the happy, smiling faces on the boys. So much fun.

Grateful Day 4

Of course back to school. Grateful I caught their funny, cheesy grins. Missed the noise and the chatter but they caught up on all of that as they came in the door. Happy back to school for all the kids and of course all the Mums and Dads.

Grateful Day 3

This little guy came and sat on my deck this morning. What could be nicer on Australia Day. He was even polite enough to sit there while I went and changed my lens so I could get a closer shot. Happy Australia Day everyone. I am grateful that I live in this great country, with such beautiful wildlife.

Grateful Day 2

Today I was grateful to wake up to a wet, rainy morning. It has been so dry that the grass was crackling. This was what it looked like standing on my front veranda. The rain has stopped now but I do hope there is a little more to come (it makes for good sewing weather).

Ho Hum

School holidays are nearly over. I am not a happy camper when getting all the back to school crapola ready. I really should have home schooled the girls except for the fact that a: I am severely lacking in the patience department b: I do have to earn some money from an outside income c: fabric shopping, hanging out at the library, swimming and the likes doesn't count as a full education. The theory of it all is very cool but I know the reality of my limitations.

I know I should be positive and embrace the back to school thing but I am a little over it all. Honestly there has been over 60 books between them! OMG when are they going to bring in laptops for every child and save the likes of me from impending doom under a pile of brown paper and revolting contact. It's not to much to ask is it? Just think of all the trees. Maybe they could go all retro and go back to using a slate. I did have dreams of being well behaved and neatly decorating all their books but now they will have to be happy with their name printed on them.

I thought I would be clever and use so of the wrapping paper that came in an issue of Frankie for my eldest in year 6 to cover some of her note pads. But oops when I had the books all covered I realised that the pictures may be a little inappropriate for the year six preteen age group as the girls on the wrapping paper all have their nipples drawn in. I can see all the giggles and blushing now. Oh bugger it, I'm sure I'll get called to the principals office if there is a problem. I should except the fact that I'm not clever and trying to be is really a recipe for disaster.

The one true bit of coolness I did find in this whole back to school shmozal is these very, very fab free Aunty Cookie bags tags. Go check them out here.

So as part of my minor grumps I've decided it is time to start my 365 days of grateful. Above is my picture for today. I am utterly grateful that I only have this box left to complete of my torture. I promise the next picture will be something much more interesting.

Yay!

I was lucky enough to have my Organic Teal Seeds purse on the front page the other day. I was very spoilt to have it amongst such great items.

Requests

I love getting custom requests through etsy. The bag above is a library tote that I finished yesterday for a very loyal and super lovely customer. I love working with this customer so much. She is always so polite, kind and supportive. She knows what she likes but leaves me enough creative freedom to work with. The design for the bag above is one that she essentially came up with herself. I am really happy with how it came together.

I have another request that I am working on at the moment but it is a new design and a little bit of secret squirrel business. All I can say that this request has been very special and fingers crossed that it turns out to be just what has been dreamt of.

Great Day Out

On Sunday my eldest daughter Cait and I went off to Southbank for the Baby and Kids market. There was plenty of people out and about and we did a little oohing and ahhing. Fellow BrisStyler Salt Sea Tees had a fab set up. I love these swimmers and next year when the girls are due for new togs, this is the etsy store I will be going to. They are sunsafe, in great colours (good for kid spotting at a busy pool or beach) and have very cool designs on them. After loving Salt Sea Tees we went down through this pleasant crowd:

and found ourselves here:

Mimoo another BrisStyler was at the markets selling her very beautiful baby items. Handmade, fresh and very original. These were the goods to buy. Mimoo certainly was one of the hot stalls to shop at.

So after all the excitement of the markets, Cait and I headed over to the convention centre for the Lifeline bookfest. Oh boy was this fun. We spent hours going through all the books and found some real gems. Above is one of my faves. It is older than I am but very cool. There is even a pattern in here to sew an Alpaca Sweater "this sweater can be made for a man or a woman, and it makes a great golf sweater". I just need to find myself an Alpaca and learn to play golf. Playing golf for me is probably going to be harder than finding an Alpaca because the thought of chasing a little ball around a big green hilly, watery paddock does my head in. Maybe being in Brisbane I could just give the Alpaca sweater a miss.

There were so many people at the bookfest just enjoying the whole shhbang. The best bit was seeing so many bookfesters sitting along the sides of the halls engrosed reading their finds. I so wanted to take a picture but I was afraid I would look like a wee bit of a dill.

Go Outside and Play

I have to confess that we are probably one of the few families that don't own a huge television and a fang dangle gaming console. Not that these are something I don't believe in but they just are something that doesn't figure into our lives. We did however get a new, bigger trampoline for Christmas. It saves my sanity. Yesterday when the cool change came through, I took my camera downstairs and this is the result:

Miss Cait never stops long enough to get a full frame capture (or maybe that's my lack of photography skills)

Little Moo's sticking her tongue to the side is a very important element in her jumps.

A very windswept Miss Tayla.

Love Is....

Love is a morining nap in the sun with your best friend and teddy.

Newbies

These two purses are now in my etsy shop. I finally purchased some fabric from Ink & Spindle. Both of the fabrics are from Hollabee. I do adore the textiles that are being created at Ink & Spindle and I am sure we will see many exciting and original designs come from here. It has been very interesting watching the progress of Ink & Spindle. Pop on over to their blog for a fantastic insight into some extremely talented Australian textile designers.

Little Mary Moo's Place Employee of The Month

Look who snuck up on the table yesterday and made himself a wee bit comfortable. Oscar was just taking a rest from his bobbin wrangling (yes, he does adore chasing bobbins and has been known to slobber all over a newly wound bobbin). Honestly it is very hard to get good help.

Bookfesting

(image taken from here)

Can you feel the excitement!!! I LOVE the Lifeline Bookfest. This is were the girls and I will be heading this weekend. I'm lucky that I have to catch the train to and from because it curtails my minor book addiction. Having to carry them all home limits the amount I actually buy - which is a good thing as I am running out of space for all my books. I can't wait to find for some treasured reads.

Fabulous Fun

Yesterday I took the girls and my Mum to the State Library to see 31 Circus Acts in 30 Minutes. Oh my this was so much fun. It was fast, funny and very entertaining. The performers were all hugely talented and put on such a great show. The performance went so fast and was so great there was no time for boredom or fidgets. Its on till the 25th of January, so don't miss out.

There was heaps of fun activities after woulds at the State Library all with the circus theme. The girls made crowns and took part in a Grand Parade. We also tried our hands at juggling and plate spinning. There was also hula hooping but to maintain my eldests non embarrassing Mum status I left that activity for the kids.

Talking of my eldest, she turns 11 next month. (Oh my the teenage years are around the corner). How can my little one be this old! She originally asked for a sleepover party with 12 friends. OMG, OMG, OMG. I have managed to talk her down to Sunday afternoon tea instead. How I ever did that I don't know. Holly molly I think I would need to take some prescription medicine to deal with a sleepover party. We have however decided to order a cake from the The Cupcake Company. Below is a picture of one of their creations. I'm a crap baker, I've tried and failed on many an occasion. So hand it over to the experts I say.

(Photo from The Cupcake Company blog)

I am going to make a little purse for each of the party attendees. Any ideas of cute, fun, easy to make and of course cool goodies to put inside would be greatly appreciated.

Handmade Fanatic

I think I've created a monster. Above is picture of my youngest who is becoming a wee bit of a handmade snob. While going through her Christmas presents she picked up a headband my Mum (know as Mama to the girls) gave her. She turned around a said "oh good, I think this is a handmade headband Mama gave me". Ha, too funny. This is the same child that at the end of the school year took a bag to school that she had hand sewn and took several orders from the other year ones. Nothing like a little enterprise.

The three girls all think its a bit of a great joke Made by Miffy's flyer that she gave us that said "Mall is a four letter word". The two little girls don't quite understand by my eldest gets a real kick out of it. It's great to see the next generation on handmade makers and consumers.

Very Exciting News

I have been so very fortunate through etsy, BrisStyle and blogging to meet some of the most wonderful people, be given some amazing support and I have been exposed to some great opportunities. One extraordinary opportunity I have been given is from the new website Style Collective. This site is just amazing and I'm sure to spend quite a wee while exploring all the great stuff that is on offer here. The amount of work that would of gone into this would have been phenomenal.

You can read my interview here. You can also find me in the Indie Shopping Directory. You will also find a few other BrisStylers there such as Made by Miffy and Ogekko. There are some other wonderful etsy shops in the directory and well worth the time to explore.

Happy Sunday

“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.” John Lennon

This is what Sundays are for, I hope you all enjoy! How we are going to enjoy our Sunday: go bowling, find something yummy for lunch, print some crazy photos of the holidays, play cards, jump on the trampoline, watch a dvd, skip, catch a bus and maybe eat a little chocolate. Who knows what other adventures will be thrown into the mix.

School Holiday Craft

(Photo from etsy listing)

Well school holidays are rapidly coming to an end. At Little Mary Moo's Place we are slowly coming to the end of fab, fun and limited mess producing craft to keep us occupied on hot and humid days. Well look what I found today in fellow BrisSytlers Trishalan Designs etsy shop. Looks like super fun for the 7 and up. I can't wait to have a go and I even might share with the girls if I'm forced to (with only minor stamping of the feet and tears).

Trish is amazingly talented and an extremely generous and nice person to boot. If you are looking for some crafting inspiration you should check out her website here.

Australian Fabric Loveliness

I still find it quite mind boggling the amount of incredible hand screen printed textiles that come out of Australia. We are definitely spoilt for choice. I adore their originality, design and colour. Below are a few new purses that have found their way to etsy. All of these purses have front panels constructed using Australian hand screen printed textiles.

I am so glad I found this designer. Butter Creative has come up with some fresh funky designs. I love her use of colour and the boldness that is used in her design. You can check out her great blog here.

The two purses above are made using the wonderful Woodland Fabric from of paper and thread. I have been looking and loving this fabric for the longest time. I am so very glad I finally purchased some just after Christmas. The design is so unique and the cotton/linen blend is beautiful to work with. You can check out of paper and thread's blog here.

Last but far from least is Aunty Cookie. I made this purse using some of the eggshell fabric I had in my stash. I had previously used this fabric for market totes and I am kicking myself a little for not realising earlier that it comes up so well in the little purse. You can check out Aunty Cookie's blog here.

Market Pictures

Yay upload success! Below are some pictures of my stall at the fantastic BrisStyle Market. I certainly did learn a lot from this experience. Mum and I had so much fun. I have to extend a huge thank you to everyone who called into my stall, your patronage and kindness was very, very much appreciated.

Blog Referb

Oh my its been over 2 months since I've looked at this poor little blog. My blogging started to fall to the side in my preps for the fantastic Bristyle market. What an absolutely fantastic experience this was. Being my first market I was very nervous but once I was there it all fell into place. The market was held at the beautiful Hamilton Town Hall on the 13th December 2008. All the stalls looked so fantastic and I even managed to do a little Christmas shopping while Mum minded the stall.

I picked up some fab bags for my little girls from Wheresbeckybean, they are so cute and the girls were very excited to open them up on Christmas morning. They make for a little bit of artwork sitting on their door handles.

I was very lucky to have a stall next to the most lovely Nicole from HotToffee. Nicole was so helpful and her jewlery is amazing. I haven't worn earings for many a year but seeing her beautiful designs makes me want to again. It took such a lot of will power to actually give my niece the earings I brought for her birthday and not keep them for myself.

I was lucky enough to get a great stationary set from Twinkle Star Art. My eldest daughter has had such a fantastic time actually writting letters to all her school friends that she is missing.

Embelish was a HUGE hit with the little girls. The adore the hair clips.

I also was picked up some gems from: Ruby Red Studio, Jellignite, Wicked Child Designs , Scampsville and Made By Miffy.

To celbrate the new year, I thought it was time to do a little referb. I shall be back with more when I can upload som pics of all the fun.