Melei

Making new dresses look good

2011-08-25T20:06:00.002+10:00

Here my daughter is (in her own special style) modelling a couple of my halterneck dresses in some of the new fabrics that i have bought. I must say she makes them look good.... thank you my gorgeous girl!

If you neeeeeed one of them you can find them (and me) at Mathilda's Market at Moore Park on Saturday. We will be there between 9am-1pm. Hope to see you there :)

Oh forgot to tell you that i have now added size 10 & 12 to my halterneck dresses and my kaftans. I am frequently getting asked to do bigger sizes so i am quite excited about this.

what to do with out of print and hard to find fabrics that you adore?

2011-05-28T14:58:00.000+10:00

One of my all time favourite fabrics is the Bohemian print from Moda's Urban Chicks 1974 collection. When i first started making clothes i made a few dresses in this fabric for sale but then i got a bit stingy with it. Ever since it's just been sitting in my 'do not use for anything' stash - until now. I decided to make a new doona cover for Freya's bed. That way I can look at it every day and it has cleared some space on my fabric shelves. Isn't it the best? My lovely friend who made the last lampshade for Freya just recovered it in this coordinating fabric from the collection. I still have a fair bit and i have a few ideas of what i can make with it. Given my track record it will take a lot of time before i get to it :)

growing up too fast... or not?

2011-03-12T21:33:00.001+11:00

One second my seven year old daughter is all about Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ke$ha and weird dancing. The next, she wants me to make her a figure from Fluffy Gardens!!! Back to my sweet little girl :)

So first she had to pick one character that she liked (I was not going to do all of them which was her first request) - she picked Mr Johnson (panda in the middle).

It really was a family affair with my husband drawing the figure, Freya cutting it out and tracing it on to the felt. I sewed and she stuffed. We are very proud of the finished product :)

What do you think, pretty good huh?

Handmade Market Canberra

2011-02-17T18:32:00.001+11:00

It's time to go to Canberra again :)

I have done the market a few times now and it's definitely at the top of my list of favourite markets. It's always buzzing! I got my lovely daughter to model a couple of my new kaftans as well as a new dress with fabric from Amy Butler's new line Soul Blossoms. I was only allowed to take the pics if she could model the way she wanted - this is her modelling!

Hope to see you there!

i am still here...

2010-12-11T21:34:00.000+11:00

Even though I have been slack with the blog I have been superbusy everywhere else. I did the Canberra Handmade market which was 'just nuts'. So much fun and crazy busy. Again, met loads of lovely people. Both customers and other stall holders.

The next day I had Mathilda's in Lane Cove. Even though it wasn't as busy as last year's Christmas market, it was still a great day.

I am going to be at Bondi tomorrow so hopefully we will have great weather as it is only two weeks until Christmas. I am hoping that people will favour handmade over the crazy busy malls.

I have quite a few things planned (crafty stuff) for the holidays so when I have a spare moment I will share with you all :)

Back soon...

A ridiculous amount of people

2010-11-09T17:01:00.000+11:00

Saturday's market turned out great in the end. It rained for the first 3-4 hours but then the sun came out and with it the crowds. Thank you to my wonderful son who was such a fantastic help. I know he will be checking out the blog later ;)

Didn't bring a camera so I don't have any photos from the day. I did bring the camera on the Sunday though when Liam, Freya and I (hubby was working) went down to Bondi to check out Sculptures by the sea. I just could not believe the amount of people around. I don't love crowds...

We walked for about an hour or so but it was impossible to see all of them as you just had to move with the crowds, no chance to slow down or stop if you saw something you liked. Liam and Freya took turns with the camera when they saw something they liked. Here are a few of them.

Third time lucky!

2010-11-04T20:42:00.006+11:00

This was my third year trying to get in to the Avalon Market and I finally made it! I am thrilled to get in to this yearly event as it's supposed to be pretty crazy. Now the only downer is that it's supposed to rain on Saturday - fingers x 'they' are wrong.

If you live near or in the area you should come and check it out. I think there are close to 300 stalls - with everything you can imagine.

Avalon Market
Saturday 6 November
Old Barrenjoey Road, Avalon Parade and Dunbar Park.

Here are a couple of the things that I will be bringing. Hopefully I will see you there!

Tutorial and comments left on my blog

2010-10-27T21:35:00.012+11:00

If you didn't head over to Shabby Art Boutique to check out my tutorial, never fear. I decided to post it on my blog as well. Thank you to the people that took the time to leave a comment on my blog as well as Kerryanne's. It was very sweet of you and I love getting comments.

Now to the topic of comments. I have recently come to realise that my replies to your comments don't reach you. I am not sure what is happening but if you have left a comment for me in the last couple of months and not received a reply from me, it's not because I didn't reply. I have replied to every comment that has been left for me. I am trying to see if there is something in the settings that I need to change, but I never changed anything and it used to work. If someone has had the same problem please email me and let me know how you solved it.

Button bracelet tutorial
Say it with buttons! I understand that not everyone has these things laying around the house. If you check out http://www.ebay.com.au/ (or .com) and http://www.etsy.com/ and search for button blanks (I used size 24) and link bracelet blanks, you too will be able to make these fab button bracelets at home. After trying a few different glues I have found that hot glue works best (in my opinion).

I realise that I should have had a manicure before my hubby took these photos, so sorry about the monster fingers…

Simply Christmas

2010-10-18T19:30:00.007+11:00

I know I have been rubbish at posting lately, sorry. I have been flat out with markets, children, work, life etc.

I am doing a guest post on Wednesday at Shabby Art Boutique. Kerryanne says "This year I’m going back to basics and preparing for a simple ‘old fashioned Christmas’ and I'm putting the homemade and home baked back into the season."

I decided to jump onboard with a tutorial for an inexpensive Christmas gift - head over on Wednesday to see what it is :)

Ursula the flying unicorn

2010-09-14T21:00:00.009+10:00

My friend's sister has a brand new childrens' book out - Ursula the flying unicorn. It's aimed at children aged 3-8. As I am not a writer i'll let Carmel tell you what it's all about -

"Ursula The Flying Unicorn celebrates every child’s need to dream. It takes the child’s imagination into another world. Think of the fun it would be to have a pet that could help with cooking or gardening and can fly you to any place you like by riding on her magical wings.

Children can easily relate to the characters in this book, simply as they too are involved in various day-to-day activities as those outlined, but with the added joy of having a pet unicorn by their side. Ursula The Flying Unicorn helps the child familiarize the days of the week and also helps to understand the meaning of words used to describe the events of each day."

I have a few of the pages for you to check out below!

The author is Carmel Prasad and as she is brand new she hasn't got a blog or a website yet but you can contact her here and you can also buy her book on ebay.

If you woud like to meet her in person and get a signed copy you should head down to the Bondi Junction Village Market on Saturday (Waverley Council is hosting a "Play Day in the Mall" which will host activities and fun for parents and kids) where she will be selling copies of her book. I will be there as well so come and say hi :)

Thank you Canberra

2010-09-13T21:06:00.005+10:00

Saturday was quite fantastic. I had such a great day at Handmade market in Canberra. The crowds were amazing and people were just so lovely and friendly. Thank you everyone that came by for a chat or bought something (hope your little one loves it) - thanks for making the day so great.

I will definitely be back so I will see you all at the next one in December. I was going to walk around and take pictures of other stalls and chat to stall holders but it was crazy from the beginning so unfortunately I ran out of time. The only pics I have is from my own stall!

Today's photo shoot :)

2010-09-07T20:05:00.013+10:00

Ok, it took a little longer than I anticipated but I am really happy with the result. Here are some photos from our little photo shoot today. My daughter and niece had a ball and looked gorgeous in my new dresses. I will bring them with me to Canberra on Saturday and on Monday I will list them in my shop. (ps. it is THE most gorgeous cotton voile - so soft and wonderful!)

The tiniest little sneak peak

2010-08-13T12:18:00.004+10:00

I know I am very stingy with my sneak peak but hopefully it will make you all the more curious to come back and see the finished product ;)

I haven't been blogging much but have been super busy working on a new something (sneak peak below). I want to say thank you to all the lovely people that i met at Mathilda's last weekend. I had a wonderful time. My gorgeous son was there with me as always and he is such a great help. Thank you Liam!

Thank you to everyone that has been emailing me asking about products (as my shop is painfully empty) I am now going to spend the next couple of days adding things. You can of course still email me regarding sizes etc.

Ok, back to work :)

Same dress - 30 years apart

2010-07-29T20:48:00.006+10:00

When I was about six or seven we had a crafty neighbour/friend that would sometimes make us things. One of my favourites was this dress that she made out of an adult size skirt - she just added some lace and a bit of ribbon and i think, for the sleeves she used a bit of an old curtain! I wore it on my last day of Year 1 and I even remember how I felt back then. I really felt so lovely in my blue dress. I know the quality of the photo makes it look like I was born in the 1920s!

When my mother visited from Sweden at Christmas time she brought the dress with her to give to my daughter. Freya loves it but it's still a little long for her. Spot the difference...

My Canberra trip

2010-06-30T19:33:00.010+10:00

We started off early on Saturday as I was super keen to make it to Shop Handmade. Of course I wanted to check out my stuff, but also all the other goodies that I have seen in photos over the last month. I LOVED the shop, it's so gorgeous, with sooooo many beautiful things. I was quite restrained and just bought two books, handmade chocolate, a pin cushion owl, and a little hat for my daughter but could have bought so much more if my budget had been a little higher. I also had a little chat with the lovely Julie (I was checking out all the goodies and she had a few customers).

After the shop we went on to Cockington Green to see all the little houses from around the world. We also went a couple of laps on the miniature train (freezing with the wind blowing). Then we headed to Parliament House and to my son's joy it was open. It started well when we had to be scanned as if we were getting on a plane to get in (children loved it). Found some gorgeous statues on the roof of Parliament House (two are ours and the other two belong to friends that came to Canberra with us) and an amazing view!

On Sunday it was time for Mathilda's Market (while hubby and daughter went to Questacon) and my son came with me and as always he was a great help and wonderful company. He insisted that I take a photo of the bathroom (at the Hyatt) as he thought it was bigger than our house, lol! Jennie's son (from Posie) took a photo of Jennie and I but I looked so terrible that I decided to use another one instead!

Mathilda's in Canberra

2010-06-16T20:48:00.006+10:00

I am still alive :) I have been struggling with a bad back for a few weeks now but it is starting to get a bit better.

Very excited to be going to Canberra in a week and a half. I have never attended a market there so hopefully it will be great. I am also super excited to be visiting Shop Handmade for the first time. I always oogle over all the photos and oh-ing and ah-ing over all the handmade goodness.

I will be bringing a few new things to the market. I have made kaftans in a few new fabrics and some new tunic dresses and skirts with matching shirts. If you are in or near Canberra please come to Mathilda's market and have a look as I know for a fact that there is going to be heaps of gorgeous things for sale.

rain, rain go away...

2010-05-29T13:23:00.003+10:00

that's all I wanted to say...

Shop Handmade - big YAY!

2010-05-25T19:46:00.008+10:00

I am so super excited! I am now part of Shop Handmade with some of my things debuting the other day. The talented ladies at Shop Handmade (Julie and Rachel) have displayed my things beautifully and it all looks so inviting - Thank you :)

I can't wait to visit in June!

Courtesy of the absolutely lovely, lovely, lovely Jennie from Posie Patchwork, I have some great photos to show you below. Thank you so much Jennie for taking them, I really appreciate it.

I don't just sew...

2010-05-18T19:39:00.004+10:00

I do other things, too. Before I started sewing I used to make cards - for weddings, birthday invitations, Christmas cards (using the customers photos) etc. I have just started to make some cards again but this time I am using some of my illustrations (made on the computer). You may remember, if you have been with me on this blog from the beginning, that I made some babushkas that I had printed on to fabric via Spoonflower. Even though I liked the fabric with its retro look, I was a bit disappointed that the reds had become orange and the overall 'washed out' look. So I decided to print them on to card in the colours that I intended.

Anyway, the reason that I am rambling on about this now is that the lovely Virginia over at Mum/Toddler/Babe is having a one year blog-iversary giveaway - and my cards are in the mix of goodies! Head over to her blog for a chance to win some gorgeous things :)

What a wonderful day!

2010-05-09T18:19:00.007+10:00

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there. Wasn't today just magical with the blue skies and sunshine? Perfect for our barbeque (my darling husband did EVERYTHING).

I was very spoilt today for Mother's Day and my lovely children made me some gorgeous cards.

I was doubly spoilt as today is also my birthday (I am still in the thirty something bracket, hehe) and they made this fabulous card below. Isn't it great?

I hope you too had a great day being suitably spoilt :)

Mathilda's wrap up

2010-05-05T19:45:00.004+10:00

I was going to put a photo of me and my son here but I looked just too...not sure what but not good, lol. Instead here's a pic of my beautiful son, he was such an amazing help on the day. I was having trouble getting a signal for my eftpos machine a few times and when it was declined my son went outside the building with the customer and it worked. He loves helping out and I love getting the help :)

Thank you everyone that came by and said hi, and to everyone that bought something, I hope you love it! This time I didn't have time to walk around to say hi to everyone. I got there really late and was not set up until just before 9am. I managed a quick hello to Katia, Lisa, Rebecca and Wynona before the market started. Then I had Virginia from mum/toddler/babe come by and say hi, which was lovely (I love meeting the people behind the blogs) as well as Sarah for a superquick chat. I hope I haven't missed anyone, it was pretty hectic on the day.

I made just a couple of purchases because i didn't have time to check out all the goodies. We bought two Sweetie Petite doll kits from Lisa and one of them will be going to a good home on Sunday - my son is going to a friend's birthday party.

Mathilda's coming up... busy, busy, busy...

2010-04-26T16:47:00.013+10:00

Just six days to go until Mathilda's and I am busy, busy, busy... with the help of my son, I have made two lists in preparation for Sunday. I am dictating and he is writing furiously :)

This time around I have had help making some of my dresses so I am super excited about being able to bring lots of them to Mathilda's. Sneek peek below..

I have also managed to get just a little bit more of this gorgeous out of print Amy Butler fabric and have made just four dresses (size 2, 3, 4 and 6). I know they are very sought after (sold all of mine VERY quickly and have lots of enquiries about them) so if you want one, make sure you are there early! Here it is...

See you on Sunday!

...better late than never :)

2010-04-14T21:19:00.010+10:00

A bit late but wanted to say thank you to all the wonderful customers and stall holders that I met at Billycart Markets on 27 March. I had a really lovely day and met lots of new people. I particularly want to mention a couple of stall holders that made the day go a lot quicker - firstly I want to mention lovely Cass from Little Blue Chicken - she had gorgeous sets for little boys and girls and was a super friendly neighbour. Then I had my lovely neighbour Meredith next to me from Miss Popsi with beautiful custom made items. A little bit further away was Bec from Little Toot and she bought one of my new kaftans that I was so super excited about. She was kind enough to send me a photo of her absolutely adorable daughter wearing it. How cute is she?

Not to be outdone (hehe) I have included a photo of my daughter wearing hers with one of the other fabrics that I use.

How gorgeous is this...

2010-04-08T18:48:00.002+10:00

I took this photo at Bondi markets a while ago and have been meaning to share it with you - this bird just plonked himself on my son's shoulder.

If you are going to the markets on Sunday come and say hi - i'll be there! Unless the weather is terrible...

and the winner is...

2010-03-26T19:35:00.003+11:00

Congratulations Ros! Please send me an email with your details so that I can pop it in the mail for you. For everyone else, thank you so much for entering - there will be more giveaways :)

Billycart Markets Launch Giveaway!

2010-03-20T19:56:00.008+11:00

Billycart Markets are having their launch market next Saturday. As I am going to be there I thought I would kick it off with a giveaway :)

Edit: Postage is of course also included in the prize + overseas bloggers are more than welcome to enter :)

Red or Blue?

Blue set includes - bracelet, ring and hairties
Red set includes - bracelet, ring and hairflower

It's super easy to enter - I would love for you to leave me a comment telling me what you would love to see at handmade markets AND for an extra entry please just add yourself as a follower to my blog (It will pay off as I will be having more giveaways in the future)

Please let me know if you would like the red or the blue set and also if it is for an adult or a child - so that I can adjust the length.

Don't be shy, I know you are out there reading (or at least I hope so, lol). Start commenting now as the draw will be on Friday 26 March at 7pm (before the market in case you want to pick it up there if you are the winner).

Camera is alive!

2010-03-18T20:01:00.006+11:00

You just don't know how much you miss your camera until you don't have it. All is good now and she's back in my snap happy hands. In the last post I told you I was going to show my purchase from Ivy Designs. Even though my daughter has lots of bags as you can see below (I love bags!)

I couldn't resist this gorgeous bag from Ivy Designs. It is the softest leather with gorgeous print inside. I know my daughter will love it but I have actually hidden it to give her as a present later on, maybe even for her birthday (not sure if I can wait that long, it's in December!).

Mathilda's Market in Paddington

2010-03-09T19:54:00.008+11:00

Ok, even though I didn't have a stall at the market last Saturday I still went for a little peek. I am glad I did as I usually don't have time to walk around and see all the other beautiful stalls. I caught up with a few familiar faces. I took my camera with me but unfortunately it decided not to work so I had to make do with my phone, the photos aren't great. Check out the pics below.

Sarah from Gifts Created was there, we have been at a few markets together now. She had her fabulous new tree displaying all her gorgeous stuff.

Siobhann is another lovely stall holder that I have also been to a few markets with. She has really funky boys stuff. Her label is called Young Rockers. She doesn't have a website but if you want to contact her you can email her here!

After chasing Wynona down at someone else's table we had a bit of a catch up which was nice. I had to get in on the photo action and I also managed to get a photo of Mr Ivy Designs! The only purchase that I did on the day was from Ivy and I will show you as soon as I get my camera working.

Another stall holder without a website that i keep popping into is Alicia. She makes adorable wall art for children. You can contact her here.

I also met someone new (for me anyway) that I had a bit of a chat with, Vanessa from gelati art, who makes lovely decor for boys and girls.

Happy customers!

2010-02-25T19:52:00.009+11:00

I thought i'd show you some happy Melei customers. I'll start off with this handsome guy looking fab in Melei shorts. I met his lovely mother Andrea at Allie's Attic back in December last year. Andrea has an on-line boutique for babies and children. Check out her website and facebook page.

This cutie is the daughter of a great friend of mine in Sweden. She is a perfect little model!

Gorgeous twin boys in the same but different :) and a super cutie rocking a Melei skirt with matching singlet!

click picture to enlarge

If you have bought anything from me I would love to see photos with them in action. Please email me at meleifashion@optusnet.com.au and please let me know if it is ok for me to feature them on the blog or my website. I will never mention names.

New dress in the shop

2010-02-13T15:39:00.003+11:00

Tried to take some photos of one of my new dresses today. My daughter wasn't thrilled so I said that she could just goof around (she normally does anyway, lol) and this is what we got. My little cutie. The dress is in the shop.

Back in action

2010-02-03T20:25:00.004+11:00

Ok, I haven't really been on holiday for this long, just got a little lazy when I got back. Did go to Bondi market on Sunday. Was a good day but super sticky and hot. Most people were at the beach (don't blame them) but there were a few people browsing the market.

I have finally put a few things in my shop (more to be added during the week) and halterneck dresses are on sale at the moment. I only have a handful so if you want one go there now, lol.

Had a wonderful holiday with my family. We went to Tasmania, Gold Coast and Canberra. First one was beautiful, second one was hot and relaxing and the third one was really interesting (Questacon and War Memorial). My family have now gone back to Sweden and -18c! It took my mum 2 hours to dig the car out (she'd been away for 6 weeks).

I will get a few snapshots from the holiday organised in the next couple of days.

Good to be back :)

Still on holiday...back soon :)

2010-01-21T21:07:00.002+11:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-24T19:16:00.006+11:00

This will be short as i have my family over (from a very cold and snowy Sweden) for the holidays. I hope you will have a wonderful Christmas/holiday time with loved ones. As I will have lots to do in the next week or so, I am not sure if I will have time to post again before the new year... so I would love to take the opportunity now and thank all of you who love my stuff. My year has been so wonderful and above expectation - I am loving it!

Thank you very much
Jen xxx

The weekend

2009-12-15T23:15:00.004+11:00

On Saturday I traded at Allie's Attic in Paddington. It seems like not a lot of people knew that we were there and it was a real shame as there were so many wonderful stalls (including mine of course, lol). I guess you can get that with new markets and fingers x that it will pick up in the future. I did feel a little miserable I must admit but the highlight of my day was going home with these two gorgeous pillows/dolls? Aren't they sooooooooooooooo adorable? I got them from the lovely Lisa from The Read Thread and my daughter loves them as much as I do :)

One good thing though is that I had a chance to talk to so many wonderful stallholders and I hope I will see you all again soon.

Sunday was Bondi Markets day and it was amazing. This time I felt it was the real first Christmas shopping day (for me anyway) and had a few repeat customers from last Christmas which was great - I love repeat customers!

My fab new dresses :)

2009-11-29T21:58:00.008+11:00

I road tested my new dresses today. I initially wanted to have some ready for the next Allie's Attic in Paddington on 12 December but I had some ready to come to Bondi with me today. It seemed quite a few people liked them as much as I do! (It's not wrong to love your own stuff is it?)

Here are a few snapshots of some of my newies.

Allie's Attic

2009-11-18T20:39:00.004+11:00

As always I want to start by saying thank you to everyone that came and said hi. I had a great day but it was a little slow at times. The time went a little quicker by having great neighbours to chat to. My immediate neighbour was Sarah from rosebarnett, I would recommend to check our her blog as she has so many fabulous things. I also caught up with another equally talented Sarah from Gifts Created. Love her mushrooms!

This time I didn't take my camera when I walked around checking the other stalls so you will have to make do with photos of my stall :) If I don't see you at Bondi, hopefully I will catch up with some of you at the next Allie's Attic on Saturday 12 December.

And the winner is...

2009-11-11T20:04:00.009+11:00

I know that you all just want to know if you've won (don't scroll down yet) but I first want to say thank you to everyone who left a comment for me. I am really going to take your suggestions on board. In fact, some of them I already have in the pipeline. Apart from the comments left here I also received a few emails (via Allie's Attic Facebook page) and they were of course also in the draw. My son picked the winners and...

Winner of the 1st prize is...

Winner of the 2nd prize is...

Winner of the 3rd prize is...

Congratulations to the winners. For those of you who didn't win please don't despair as I will have more giveaways in the future. Apart from Cori as I already have your email, would patg_au and mum/toddler/babe please email me (meleifashion@optusnet.com.au) so we can arrange the best way of getting the prizes to you.

Allie's Attic Launch Giveaway

2009-11-06T21:20:00.008+11:00

I am thrilled to announce my very first giveaway on my own blog (had one over at Badskirt a while back). This one is in honour of the launch of Allie's Attic. They will have their first market at Hunters Hill on Saturday 14 November. I will be there and would love you to come and say hi.

I have three prizes so the odds of winning something should hopefully be a little better!

Prize one:
2 bracelets
2 rings
2 bobby pins
1 set of hair ties

Value $61

Prize two:

bracelet

hair clip

hair ties

Value $34

Prize three:

hair ties

bobby pin

ring

Value $14

Shipping is of course also included in the prize. All I would love you to do is to leave a comment telling me what you feel is missing in children's clothing at the moment.

The draw will be on Wednesday 11 November at 8pm (sydney time) so that if you come to Allie's Attic I can bring your prize with me :)

Mathilda's wrap up

2009-11-02T20:27:00.007+11:00

Ok, I am going to start by saying thank you to everyone who came by my stall yesterday, I had an amazing morning. From the moment the doors opened to closing time it was full on and a lot of fun (the hall was boiling so that wasn't as great). Blogless Jasperboy Jen came all the way from Melbourne to say hi which was a huge surprise. Thank you so much for your help Jen during the morning, fixing my racks making sure sizes were in their right spots etc - you were great! For those of you who haven't met me you can now see what i look like as well (when i am hot and grinning). I am the blonde one.

My darling husband came along and helped me set up in the morning. Having an extra pair of hands was great and we were done at 8.30am. He took off and i had time to wander around and check out the other stall holders and their wonderful things. I ran into Mel from Skye Rocket Sews and checked out her beautiful Kokeshi dolls. Badskirt Amy was also there with her fab animals. You can see I just want to get in on every photo op!

Here's my new little set up for rings, bracelets etc. I was just so keen to use it. My husband told me it would just get trashed and I of course I knew he was right but I still wanted to give my little bedroom set a go. I was constantly there trying to fix it up but I lost in the end.

Before

After

Thank you again and hopefully I will see some of you at Allie's Attic in two weeks time.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T20:09:00.004+11:00

On Saturday night we went out trick or treating with our children and a couple of friends. They were so super excited about the whole thing. They love dressing up but they also love eating lollies (funny that). We walked around for about 1 1/2 hours and even though they wanted to continue I was pretty exhausted. I also knew I had to go home and finish a few things before Mathilda's market the next day. When we got home they were eating their loot for a little while before going to bed. It's the perfect bedtime snack don't you think ;)

Normally i would get rid of the red eyes in photos but thought it was fitting to leave them this time, lol

My little elf

2009-10-25T17:49:00.002+11:00

This weekend was the big premiere for my son's school musical - The Elves and the Shoemaker. My son was the boss elf and he took his job very seriously. It was his first musical and he loved the whole experience, so of course now he wants to become an actor!

All the children were wonderful and did an amazing job. We saw two of the three performances and loved them both. Our son made three appearances on stage during the show and in both shows we saw, he forgot his hat in the first act. To top it all off he got to take an individual bow at the end of the show - he probably enjoyed that most of all :)

More dresses

2009-10-25T17:31:00.004+11:00

Here are another bunch of photos from the photo shoot last week. My little models are so adorable!

It was a horrible day at Bondi Markets today with the rain pouring down. Packed up early and headed home. I have gotten heaps done this afternoon though for Mathilda's Market next Sunday. At least Mathilda's is indoors :)

Boys Shorts

2009-10-25T17:30:00.001+11:00

Bracelets

2009-10-22T23:00:00.002+11:00

Mathilda's Market

2009-10-20T20:21:00.008+11:00

Mathilda's Market is just around the corner and I thought I'd share some of my stuff with you. I had a quick little photo shoot today with my daughter and my niece. You can see the results below.

I will have some more to show you in the next few days so stay tuned.

The flower and the animals

2009-10-14T21:06:00.003+11:00

I love my two children to bits, but if there was some way we could all live together without them actually having to come into contact with each other - ever - then life would be much easier. To say they're apples and oranges isn't even close. Apples and oranges are at least part of the same food group. My little angels are more like ice-cream and steak. They honestly seem to delight in their conflict with each other. Things like 'Mum, he's putting his foot on my side of the couch' and 'She's touching the door to my room' are delivered with a look of smug satisfaction that says 'I know I'm a whinging little dibber-dobber, but you usually side with whoever comes whining to you, so feel free to punish my brother/sister.'

Anyway, last sunday, they miraculously decided to collaborate on a 'secret craft project' while my husband and I watched the rugby league grand final on tv. Every time I heard a noise from the room where they were working, I found myself tensing in anticipation of the resumption of hostilities that was sure to follow. To my great relief and surprise, the project continued without incident. Finally the door opened, and out they came, smiles on their faces, and not a bruise, cut or scratch to be seen.

This was the fruit of their labours. As you can see below, it was imaginatively titled 'The flower and the animals'. Isn't it beautiful?

It might just be some cardboard and material stuck on butcher's paper to you, but to me it's a symbol of hope that the fragile, hour-long sibling alliance that produced it, could one day grow into something more. Even apples and oranges would be a start...

Melei - One year old-ish

2009-10-12T22:03:00.007+11:00

It's been about a year since i started Melei. I don't have an exact date but it was mid October that i first sold at Bondi Markets. Before then i sold some things to friends' friends. It's been such a fun ride. I really had no expectations but thought i'd give it a go. Even though I have been crazy busy it has definitely been worth it. Here are a few of the things I've made through the year. The cherry and mocca fabrics were two of the first fabrics that I bought and I still love them.

No Bondi this weekend either

2009-10-08T22:52:00.002+11:00

I will have to miss the market again this week. I am getting better so I will definitely be there next week on 18 October (unless it's crazy windy and raining).

I am also trying to get ready for Mathilda's Market and will share some stuff with you soon.

Good night :)

No Bondi this weekend

2009-10-01T20:49:00.002+10:00

Sorry to anyone who said they were coming to see me at Bondi this weekend, but due to my continuing bad back, I won't be able to make it. I'll try and make it for next weekend, but please check back here as it all depends on how my recovery goes.

The shop is empty at the moment, but if there's something in particular you're after, please email me or give me a call.

Hopefully I'll be back on my feet sooner rather than later and will see you then.

HELP!

2009-09-17T19:27:00.006+10:00

I am a bit overwhelmed...with my new purchase of a second hand overlock machine. In the past I have been able to borrow one from a friend from time to time but the thread has always been done already. I caught up with my darling neighbour the other day and she said i could buy her second hand one as she has only used it for about 4 hours. I bought a downloadable manual from the net and here we are. 8!!! pages for the instructions on how to thread the thing (i kid you not, eight pages!). Ok wish me luck. I will time it...

Tadaa...

...and to think that it 'only' took me 32 minutes to do it, lol! After working on the thread tension it was close to an hour. The thread is old and brittle so tomorrow, after buying new thread, I have to do it all again. Hoping to shave 2 minutes off the time, hehe

Freya's room

2009-08-28T14:04:00.012+10:00

Ok, I thought that I should show you the rest of my daughter's room. I just showed you the bed etc before because they were all new then I thought that even though the rest is old, it's new to you. I'll start with the pictures over her bed. When I was little (back in Sweden) I used to collect paper bookmarks. The two angels in the frames are bookmarks that I was given when I was 6-7 years old. Initially I was hunting for a more ornate frame but I think that the plain frame works really well.

This is an old shelf thing that I got from ? I can't remember but it may have been ebay. I just painted it white and put the wooden letters in it (FREYA). I also have a confession to make, I am a bit of a figure geek. I love all sorts of plastic figures, mostly ones of cartoons that I grew up with. The ones displayed here are Barbapapa. I used to watch it as a child so naturally I try to force my taste on to my children :) I also love Smurfs but they are safely tucked away and not on display in any of their rooms. Maybe I should loosen up a bit, lol

Ok, this is just a plain wardrobe that I bought through the Trading Post and painted white in the garage. I will get back to the wardrobe shortly. The little desk was a birthday present a couple of years ago, she loves sitting there pretending to write letters to friends. If you are wondering what the curious little figures are, please see below.

Ok, here is another example of my geeky figure collecting mania. These are called Marsupilami and they are from a cartoon with the same name. Another one that I grew up with. Lucky for me my daughter actually likes what I force on her.

This is a coat rack that I bought from Freedom years ago and I use it for her dress-ups and hats etc. Apart from that I like how it looks it is also really practical as it is easy to tidy up afterwards, they all have a spot to hang. (yes, you are correct in thinking there are four little Telly tubbie figures at the top of the bookshelf - they are velour covered, supercute)

Ok, back to the wardrobe. I would really like to do something with it but not sure what to do. I am thinking of the obvious at this stage, changing the door knobs but I would like to do something more. Please let me know if you have any suggestions and once I am finished doing something I will post a picture.

Back soon :)

Sakura attack!

2009-08-22T20:00:00.026+10:00

I recently bought a bunch of sakura fabric to make some cushions for Freya's bed. Think I went overboard?! She was thrilled though so all is good. Freya was in desperate need for a new bed (remember old bed not that long ago?) and I bought some new lovely white pin tuck bedlinen at the same time. I needed some colour to brighten things up a little and ... here we are.

There are just a few easy steps

Step one: Buy cheap and ugly cushions from Kmart (on sale $2.50)

Step two: Take out the inserts and discard covers, cut in half if you need a smaller cushion

Step three: Get super talented Amy from Badskirt to make custom hippos to match decor

Step four: Get daughter to name said hippos. Blue is Charlie (girl) and black is Sarah

Step five: Get another super talented gal - Alicia from Stockholm Moose - to make a custom lamp.

Step six: Buy a fab bedside table at Bondi Markets to go with the new bed

Step seven: Show your daughter who is delighted but immediately re-arranges the pillows to the end of the bed and declares that she has made "a celebration!"

Alive (but not well)

2009-08-12T18:41:00.003+10:00

I'm bored! I have been in bed for 10 days straight now and it's not over yet. I have a pinched nerve in my back (some people call it a slipped disc) and haven't been able to sit, walk or stand for very long periods of time. I can now sit for about 4-5 minutes without being in absolute agony so I thought i'd let you all know why I have been AWOL. As soon as I am well enough to sit for longer I have several things to share with you so there will be a blog post bonanza here soon.

Take care and spare a minute to feel sorry for me :)

AAAAAARRRRG!

2009-08-02T22:45:00.003+10:00

I just need to scream... Four of the fabrics that I use for my clothes have been discontinued. I knew that since a while back but I didn't think it would be this quick before they were hard to get hold of. Anyway, I have a little bit left and that's it. Once it's gone it's gone. I now have to find new fabrics that I love. I know that is not hard as there are sooooo many gorgeous fabrics out there but the fabric that I just found and totally fell in love with, is sold out everywhere.

Seems like i'm not the only one that loves it :(

The fabric has arrived! Sort of...

2009-07-28T23:15:00.008+10:00

This is the fabric that I was waiting for about a month or so ago. The parcel never turned up but the lovely seller sent me another batch. Both of the fabrics are from Timeless Treasures Bamboo collection. I just love this kind of green together with pink. I also love the little dragonflies on the pink fabric. I made a dress for the market on Sunday and even though it was a pretty bad day in terms of sales (not many shoppers around) it was the first thing i sold while I was still setting up!

And here are a couple of orders going out tomorrow :)

Good night!

I must be in some sort of a twilight zone...

2009-07-24T21:25:00.010+10:00

After the last post and complaining that cooking is not my thing, I have been very energetic with the children in the kitchen. The truth is they absolutely love everything that has to do with cooking, but I always feel so stressed about it. When I get home from work they immediately ask me what's for dinner and I have to get started straight away. The last thing i want to do then is to be teaching them things - it has to be quick and easy with minimal mess.

Yes, some of you are thinking that my approach is rubbish, they can't possibly learn anything if i don't teach them. You are absolutely right! I have come to that realisation as well and have decied to take some time to cook with them. You know, they really prefer cooking compared to some expensive outing so it could be a money saver as well.

Last week we made cupcakes - yes, they were from a packet but it's a start! They couldn't agree if they were to be vanilla or chocolate so we did both and after some serious decorating we have the fantastic results below.

Today when i asked if they wanted to cook dinner they just screamed with happiness (made me feel a bit guilty for not doing it more). I told them it had to be something that they would eat. They decided on Indian chicken with rice and corn on the cob. With a fancy chocolate dessert.

Unfortunately i forgot to take a photo and it looked pretty impressive as well. They used a small rectangular container to shape the rice to create a 'fancy' sort of look. They were so proud of their efforts - and rightly so, it was great! We made chocolate mousse - from scratch! No premade stuff in sight. It was delish! This is the recipe that I followed. (I agree with comments that you can leave sugar out, even though I hadn't made it before I decided to only use half of the sugar. I could have added no sugar and it would have been perfect.)

I have done very little sewing this week, I am so behind on certain things. I think when you just go go go you can't keep it up forever. I'll get back to it though (in about 30 minutes actually) I have to finish a couple of orders.

Vegetarian lasagna, yummmm....

2009-07-15T17:26:00.015+10:00

Ok, I am definitely not one of those fabulous wifes that cook and bake up a storm every day. It's not just because I am not very good at it, I don't like it at all to be honest. In our house it's like groundhog week. Same dishes week after week. My husband and I want to be a bit more adventurous but it's hard when our children just refuse to eat it. If i don't like cooking meal no.1 I certainly don't like cooking a second meal for our children. I think that I have lowered my husband's expectations since we met because even on days when i have given our children leftovers from the proper meal from the night before and I tell him we are having wraps for dinner he says "Great, that is exactly what i feel like tonight anyway". He is so lovely :)

After having told you all this I must share this recipe for this fantastic vegetarian lasagna that i made last night. My in-laws came over for dinner for my son's birthday. We ordered pizza for our children as that is what our son wanted for his birthday dinner. Anyway, back to the lasagna. It's not my recipe, one of my friends came up with it.

First i am going to tempt you with the photos of the various stages then you can get the recipe below, yummm....

after baking in the oven for 45 minutes it looks like this

What you need:

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

herbs - basil, oregano, thyme etc (italian herbs or herbs that you like)

crushed tomatoes 800 grams

lasagna sheets

fresh baby spinach

carrots

grated cheese (I mix mozzarella with normal cheese)

ricotta

chicken stock - I am not actually a vegetarian, I just don't like a lot of meat. If you are a vegetarian you can use vegetable stock

100ml of double lite cream (or you can use the full cream milk)

pine nuts and sunflower seeds

what you do:

cut the onion and brown it in olive oil with garlic and herbs. Then add the crushed tomatoes. Start layering the lasagna with some of the crushed tomatoes followed by sheets - a bit of grated cheese - large layer of baby spinach - ricotta- more sheets - tomato mixture - grated carrots -
more grated cheese - more sheets and the rest of the tomato mixture - grated cheese (your arteries are probably clogging at the thought of all this cheese) - add pine nuts and sunflower seeds to the top - pour 100ml of stock and 100ml of the cream or full cream milk over the lasagna. Bake for 45 minutes in the oven on 200 degrees celcius.

I hope you can follow this but if you can't please don't hesitate to ask as this is one thing that i can really recommend!

Check out my friend's fantastic paintings

2009-07-09T18:14:00.008+10:00

One of my Swedish friends (living in Sydney) makes beautiful childrens' paintings. I have a few samples below but please check out her blog and see for yourself.

Paintings by Charlotta Ward

Don't you just want all of them?

Wow!

2009-07-06T19:37:00.006+10:00

I had an amazing day at Mathilda's Market yesterday. Four hours of fun madness! Even though it was great that the morning was fast and furious it was also a shame as i didn't get time to walk around and chat to other stall holders. I managed a quick hello to Wynona from Ivy Design in the morning before setup and she managed a quick hello at my stall right at the end. Apart from the lovely woman next to me (blogless) I didn't have time to talk to anyone else. As you can see from the photos my fabulous son helped me for the day. He was a champion at putting items in bags and I wouldn't have managed so well without him.

2009-06-25T18:00:00.004+10:00

Still no fabric :( Thank you all though for your encouraging comments. One of the sellers has offered to resend the fabric, but I am not sure if that is right as it's not her fault it went missing in the post. What would you do?

I was going to take a lot of photos at the Bondi Markets last week but of course I forgot to bring my camera. I took one photo on my mobile phone so that you can see my new market canopy. I was super excited to finally have one - I'm in the big leagues now! It also came in handy when it started raining and when I had to pack up early because there were no people left at the market to buy anything, lol. It was nice to pack up my stuff under cover.

I am not going to be at Bondi Markets this Sunday as I am trying to get ready for Mathilda's Market. So much to do and everything always takes longer than I anticipate. Anyone know where I can get my hands on a cheap cloning machine?

I am starting to get worried.

2009-06-18T19:43:00.003+10:00

For the last week or so I was going to show my new fabrics that I have bought but it has not turned up yet. I bought it from USA on 29 May and I am starting to think it is not going to turn up. Should I be worried at this stage? I have bought tons of fabric from the States and the most it has ever been is 2 weeks and now I am a couple of days over that.

I am keeping my fingers x and trying to be the 'glass half full' kind of girl! Feel free to tell me that I have nothing to worry about :)

I am in the middle of pinning. I don't like pinning much and I am trying to get away from it. (staring at keyboard thinking of what else to write, coming up with nothing) Ok, back to pinning...

Public Service Announcement!

2009-06-14T22:29:00.000+10:00

Shock horror! I’ve just found out that Pad Thai contains more fat than a pizza!

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25630150-36398,00.html

Here I was thinking I was being health conscious by ordering my fave Thai dish when I could have been chowing down on some Pizza Hut goodness instead. All this time I thought that Thai people were generally so small and thin due to all the healthy Thai food they ate. Obviously they prefer pizza…

Another not so frequent update

2009-06-08T18:26:00.007+10:00

So i wasn't kidding when i said that i don't post that often but bear with me as i will get better. I'll do a little recap of the last few days. On Friday i was super excited as i bought something that i really should have bought about 6 months ago. A roller cutter + mat and ruler! It is going to make things sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier. Check out the beauty below :)

So did heaps of cutting for no reason! Last Saturday was all about making dresses and this Saturday was all about appliques.

On Sunday I was back at Bondi Markets and I am not sure if it was because of the weather or the long weekend (or a combination) but it was a very successful day! If any of you bought something from me, thank you and I hope you love it!

Today, great day with bbq and friends. Did you have a nice long weekend?

Recycling/Upcycling

2009-06-03T20:17:00.007+10:00

Today one of my work mates gave me four of her old skirts that she no longer uses. Love the fabrics and I am now setting out to make something funky for girls with them. I'll show you when i have made something.

I will warn you though, please don't hold your breath as i am making stuff for Mathilda's Market in July. It's only 4 weeks to go and i am already stressing out - so much to do and so little time!

More than once have i wished that i could just wave a wand and all my ideas will miraculously appear as finished products. Not happend yet...

Ok, i am off to do some cutting but i may be back later tonight :)

Finally done for the evening!

2009-05-31T00:04:00.006+10:00

A couch full of finished dresses...

The cute dress...

Good night :)

Busy day ahead!

2009-05-30T15:00:00.010+10:00

Another day of cramming before the market tomorrow. The day started pretty much the same way that it ended late last night – lots of work! Last night was all about cutting and this morning was all about finishing bracelets and hairclips, as well as sewing. I usually sew when our children have gone to bed so it’s hard to get anything done during the day on a Saturday, as they want to do things! Fun things, crazy things, interesting things etc.

I am not sure how interesting I am today but I did take my daughter to her Jazz dance and here you can see her practicing in front of her mirror.

Yes, if you did pick up on it, her bed is too small for her. We have been trying to get it together and get her a single bed but that has not happened as yet. I have been eyeing this bed from Ivy’s room but what I really want is Ivy’s bookshelf! How adorable is it?

My newest Matryoshka/Babushka/Russian doll fabric from Kokka arrived yesterday, it’s just so cute. Hopefully I will have a cute dress to show you tonight. It will also end up in my shop. Check it out in the next day or so and if you want one, be quick, the last batch flew of the shelves!

Half finished dresses…

Finished hairclips and bracelets…

Ok, off to cram!!!!

(My husband has taken our children to look at horses!)

Traffic and lions

2009-05-26T19:37:00.013+10:00

Yesterday when I was sitting in traffic on my way to work, I was wondering what other people think about when they are caught in traffic. Do they get angry or annoyed or do they perhaps take advantage of the time and have a language CD in the car - repeating "jag vill ha en banan" - "I want a banana" in Swedish. I must admit, i mostly get annoyed. I have to be at work at 8am and if i am not, more often than not, i miss out on a parking spot.

Ok, I see on other people's blogs their fabulous creative spaces. I thought i'd share my not-so-fabulous space below. Pretty impressive, huh! Something to strive for don't you think?

On an unrelated note, have you ever been run over by a 7 year old child? I am not sure if it's something to boast about, but it happened to me yesterday. Let me tell you, they hit a lot harder than you think. If it wasn't for my friend coming to my rescue i would have landed flat on my face.

Before I sign off, I thought I'd share this picture of my daughter and her take on modelling. In case you need help interpreting it - she is a lion! Rawwr!!!

New kid on the block!

2009-05-24T20:13:00.006+10:00

So this should be interesting. Will I get any followers of my brand new blog? The more important question is, will I keep anyone when I only post once a week?

I love stalking other bloggers but have had to have a little convincing about starting my own. When the blogs I follow don’t post for a few days I get withdrawal symptoms.

I always say that I am not a writer – I am a visual person, so don’t be surprised when my posts are mostly photos with a little line of text thrown in.

Ok, I am going to start this off on a high note. Most of you have probably already heard of Spoonflower but I still want to blog about them. How cool is it that you can just send off your designs and then in a few weeks make stuff with your own fabric?

Below is my first attempt. Even though we are inundated with Babushkas, I love them and wanted to have a few fresh faces out there. Some even made it on to my t-shirts for the market today.

I have more designs coming but I will show you when they are finished as I am not yet sure what they are going to look like, I keep changing patterns around daily.

Ok, signing off for today – hope to see you back again!