Busy Bee

Does the end of the year always seem to get busy all of a sudden for you? It does for me. I've spent the last week feeling like the momentum is gaining quite a trot already and it's not even December yet!

I had the decadence of a poppet free day today thanks to my fantastic mother in law (Hi Robyn!) so I used it to sew in peace and quiet. Lots of new sun hats to make up for all the hats I sold last weekend. New library bags too. But I am only putting some of the new items on the website as I need to keep some stock for the markets!

I also dropped the dog off at the puppy parlour for her 6-weekly grooming session. Here she is pre-fluffing, then post-fluffing. A great improvement I say! And the hilarious thing is she has taken to riding in the poppet's car seat both with and without the poppet. Our dog is very safety conscious!

In the middle of all my preparations for my remaining two markets for the year, I've also been on the hunt for a new bedroom suite/furniture. I had an idea of my bedroom being all stylish in a black and white colour scheme. That asked for an either black or white bed head. After much hunting, not a decent one to be found in Adelaide. So I compromised. I can do the stylish black and white scheme with a wooden bed, can't I???? Hmmm, it didn't sit quite as well with me but I reasoned that Adelaide had such a shortage of decent beds that I might have to side step just slightly from my original vision.

The requirements for our bed are a) to have a tall, majorly tall bedhead (I'm 5' 11" so for some reason I think my bed head needs to be tall too!), b) can't be upholstered as I have a bald husband who could do some serious sweaty head damage to the noice fabric and c) not be modern but not country bumpkin style either. Clear as mud?!

Anyhoo, the saga is not over. The husband and I have decided that we will put some decent money into this suite and buy something that will last a long time. But you think we can find it??? We want to spend money and we can't find what we want!!!! How crazy is that!?

But in my travels I did come across this gem of a chair, upholstered in a fabric very similar to this one I was drooling over. The fabric is by Warwick Fabrics and is called Chivas in the Onyx colour range. Slightly flocked and very swish! Now to decide whether to cover my chaise lounge in this or give up on the black and white scheme. But I love it so!..........

Market preparations and a new love

Last weekend's market at the Prospect Rd Food, Fashion & Wine Affair was a successful day, albeit a hot one. Sitting at one's market stall in 40 degree heat isn't ideal but I got to meet some lovely people and had a few sales to sweeten the day!

This week ahead is now to be spent preparing for this coming Friday and Saturday 27th and 28th November as I have market stalls at two different markets. See the sidebar over there on the right for further details.

More ribbon purchased for Dancing Rainbow Ribbons. This makes me super happy - an excuse to buy ribbon in rainbow colours is good any day or night.

Speaking of rainbows, I was recently invited to participate in a Rainbow Swap organised by the far away but oh-so-witty Trashalou. I've posted off my parcel and am keen to hear that it has arrived at it's destination. It was so much fun creating the handemade item for the swap but I can't reveal anything until I know my swap partner has opened her parcel.

My highly multi-talented Thursday craft teacher Felicity has generously offered to share her love of crochet with me after I stumbled upon, and fell in love with, the insanely delicious crochet blog Attic 24. If you love crochet or rainbow colours or bright, happy photography, head there immediately!! It's a gorgeous blog written in a lovely friendly style. Just my thang! And I must say it had to take something super special to convince me to crochet as I have always, up to now, been a 'I'm NEVER going to be interested in crochet. NEVER.' kind of gal... Hmm, never say never!!

The flowers below are my first attempts at crochet and I'm rather pleased with the results!! I used a pattern from Attic 24 and found it to be very achievable for a beginner. And of course I had to rush out to the shops and buy cotton yarn to feed this new addiction!

So this weekend I will be desperately trying to ignore this newly acquired skill and amazingly addictive interest in crocheting flowers. Someone take this cotton and hook away from me please so I can get my market stock ready?

Sunset...

A couple of shots from tonight's photo shoot, taken whilst the sun was setting a beautiful pinky-orange...

Things For Which I Am Grateful

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Returning from a Bali holiday with weird lumpy arm-pit virus. Cramming madly trying to prepare for a market that I've had a whole year in which to prepare. Starting the medication process for becoming an egg donor for a gorgeous couple of friends.

Lots of opportunities to choose either the glass half full or the glass half empty view on life. So do I collapse in a giggling heap or a hysterical frenzied one? I've just read a fantastic post which sums up life as a work at home mum hilariously! Check it out!

To get back to that glass half full kind of perspective I thought I would do as Belly Beyond, the author of that great post, has done.... A Things I Am Grateful For post.

• 34 degrees today before another two days of 41 degree forecasts
• How Bamboo/Soya doesn't fray during my beginners crochet attempts like Bamboo/Cotton does
• Our gorgeous emerald green front lawn thanks to subsurface irrigation
• The jacaranda trees in full bloom either side of our yard
• That my daughter will munch on celery as if it is the yummiest thing in the universe!

Anything you are grateful for today?

Ooh La La Part 2!

Here's a copy of the article written about being a crafty mama working from home!
Click on the photo to read.

Ooh La La!

Check out these three crafty chicks on the front cover of our local glossy magazine. We've had a fantastic write up in the magazine outlining how it is possible to be a successful work at home mum running a crafty business.

Left to right: Carolyn Cattrall of Belly Bottom, Kate Du Bois of Red Ted and myself.

Note to self...... deflate hair for next photo shoot so my hair doesn't have a postcode of it's own...

Happy Tangle

A view of my desk yesterday during Dancing Rainbow Ribbon production time!

This week sees Adelaide with temperatures above 35 degree all week. Noice. Not the optimum working conditions in the studio. I'm looking for a split system air-conditioning system to be installed in my studio as soon as possible. Hopefully I can find an installer in a week where I'm sure lots of other Adelaideans will be seeking those services too!

Here a Clip, There a Clip!

I'm in full production mode. Well as much in full production mode as one can be when one is a full time mother to a 'I'm a fairy... I'm a robot... let's play hide and seek' almost four year old.

I go to a felting class each Thursday which has the blessed bonus of a creche for the poppet and a gorgeous teacher who doesn't care if I do my felting craft or cut my toenails! Of course, I left the personal grooming for home and this week I used my time to get my growing collection of hair clippies ready for market.

All colours of the rainbow and using two of my favourite things in the studio. Buttons and scraps!
More bags have been cut out for sewing tonight and tomorrow I'm thinking summer hats...

Back from Bali.... again!

The Silly Gilly family returned today from their second trip to Bali . We had a lovely time over the ten days and I can highly recommend Bali as a wonderful family holiday destination. The Balinese people are so kind, friendly and appreciative of your visit.

Some happy snaps from the holiday...

The beach at Legian was crystal clear and so peaceful.

We were honoured to meet Api (prounounced appy), the most beautiful animal I've ever had the privilege to meet. Api is a 3 year old orangutan... same age as my daughter. I desperately wanted to take her home with me! She was amazingly affectionate and so very much like a human child. Amazing.

And, no, my daughter and I hadn't been dragged through a bush backwards. Our hair looks like that as it was 40 degrees all week and we were sweaty spaghetti heads!!

I'm now feeling very refreshed and ready to tackle some big crafty and non-crafty projects that have been simmering on the back burners whilst my mojo and I didn't want to play together.

* Three markets in November for which I have to get my skates on and churn out Silly Gilly stock;
* Start on the medication side of being an egg donor for my lovely friends in NSW;
* Getting my studio all kitted out, including air conditioning, in preparation for more work hours coming available when my kidlet starts kindy!! and
* Designing more secret squirrel projects for BIG secret plans coming soon........

This week will be kept busy with the catch up one has after being away for a week and a half. I have a Mt Everest of of washing of my very own. And the paperwork never takes a break either! But the crafty mojo is most certainly back. Yeah Baby!!