Sunday, November 29, 2009

Happy day


...Yesterday was such a great day

... seeing a wonderful group of creative people coming together in the fabulous Daylesford Town Hall to put on what was definitely the best Daylesford Makers Market yet.



We welcomed new stall holders like the very lovely Rachel from Pictures Eat People, and clever Ziggy (who made these amazing peg dolls above) Kelly & Kate from Dear Prudence, the very talented Laura from pink snowflakes, Manda, Kootoyoo, Ceci Bean, Mim Whimsy from Castlemaine...it's hard to list everyone but I was so impressed with the quality of the stalls. All so individual and inspiring. I love these crowns by Amanda from Wildflower Soul.


The crew from Thaw were there and it was also great to see Geoffrey, George, Milla and their new baby Ella. And of course it was good to be with lovely Kate and Steph, two wonderful local women who I am so proud & lucky to have as friends. Steph, you did an amazing job setting up & organising the market, the feedback from stall holders and customers was fantastic.


So lovely too to meet some gorgeous crafters and bloggers including the very clever Jodie, thanks so much for my keyring (and puff) Jodie, I love it!! Your stall was so amazing, if any of your effalants need to be re housed for ANY REASON whatsoever, please call. And to all the bloggers out there who came along and said hi, thanks so much,, it was lovely to meet you all. Julie, the suffolk puff idea was a real winner!


Great to see Cam aka Curlypops and her sister, lovely chatting to you Cam! Hope we see you again up this way, soon ok??


Charlotte and I had alot of fun at the Dandelion stall, she was such a great help and the best company, thanks so much Char! Who else would run home and get my camera charger for me?



I was so happy too that my nearly all my bunnies (except one) went off to new, loving homes. It is so satisfying when people enjoy what I make, and I loved meeting all the children who popped by too. I got to meet dear little Alice who is the daughter of Sarah, a new friend from my course, thanks for coming along, Sarah. And a special hello to Celeste who has four beautiful sweeties and a lovely blog which I have just discovered.


Talking of sweeties Annissa from Lillypilly was there and it's always lovely to catch up with this beautiful local. Her stall looked gorgeous too and we always have a good old chat and laugh. Hope that glass of wine went down well tonight Annissa, mine sure did!

There were many highlights yesterday, one of which was seeing my dear nieces, Zoe (above) & Gemma (below right). I don't get to see them as much as I would like so it was very special to me that they came along. Boy am I going to miss them when they move to Tassie.



So you can see from all my photo's what a happy day it was. It just goes to show what can happen when people come together, bringing their creativity, sense of fun, colour, some laughs, love and the sense of community that comes from living in this wonderful part of the world. Thanks so much everyone for making it such a great day xo

Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday thoughts

It's been a week of extremes - ups and down and round and rounds. Rain, fog, sun, wind, thunder and blue skies. Phew! I'm obsessed with these wonderful hay bales that sit like butter pats in the fields and paddocks. Their shape is so pleasing, individually and together. They remind me in a way of people, happy and complete on their own but also comfortable & secure enough to sit with their friends, companionably in the quiet of a hot day.


I used to think it was hard to make new friends but it's the work that you put in with them, the care & shared love, fun and respect that makes good friends, not how long you have known each other. All friends, old & new can bring so much joy and happiness into your life.




Driving past the hay bales on the way to Castlemaine (or Mastlecaine as Rosie calls it) I was thinking about life and friends and family. I find the landscape really soothing which for me is one of the best things about country life. It was a good morning, we had some fun and a cup of tea and managed to squeeze in a couple of oppies too. Found some gorgeous chenille blankets and a clock for Rosie.



That night we came to this lovely old building, (which someone told me was once a school in
Glenlyon and brought on a truck to Daylesford,) for a special event.




After being in Girl Guides for almost two years it was time for Lucy to make her Guide promise. She was extremely nervous and I am so proud of her for being brave and finding the strength to get up there in front of everyone to become an official Girl Guide!! How exciting.




I love the way Guides encourages girls to be adventurers, to try something new, to be brave and take responsibility, to care for others and try and do good every day. Aren't these good ideals for us all? The guide leader talked about the sister guides all over the world. This made me think of my blog sisters out there who I have never met but who I love to hear from, and about.These friendships from far away and nearby have really opened up & enhanced my world.




The rain has come down and with it the sweet smell of spring, finally. The days are muted and warm and quiet. I feel like the madness of earlier in the week has subsided and even though the market is tomorrow and I could be feeling overwhelmed and under prepared I am instead quite calm and excited to see all the lovely people and colour.

So looking forward to catching up with new and old mates tomorrow, it's sure to be a memorable and lovely day. See you there sweeties xo



Thursday, November 26, 2009

My Creative Space

Did you wake up in the night to pouring rain and thunder? We did. Boy has there been alot of rain. My vegies will be so happy and the chooks will too, poking and scratching for snails and worms..fun!! But I won't be in the garden much today, more likely sitting above sewing a little, checking my lists, foofing around trying to get organised.


The rain has softened the day, and a week that has had it's tricky moments. Thank you lovely friends for all your supportive comments re 'The Cut'. It's all fine now and I'm also feeling alot better health wise. I really apppreciate your kind and funny comments, it made me feel so much better! it's amazing how many people had 'home haircut' stories. I heard a few about kids who cut other kids hair, at least that hasn't happened yet!!
Today it's about last minute jobs. With the market in two days I still have a few little things to finish such as getting bags and tags ready. I'm loving thiese cheesy wedding cake bags that cost 50c at the opshop.
With a bit of origami paper (also from the oppie!) they look much better and are perfect for hair clips and brooches. You can probably pick up similar bags at Spotlight and they can be covered with anything really, vintage book illustrations, your own drawings/images. A nice simple, cheap idea.


Do you like these blue overalls? They belong to a dear little fellow, who Lucy has called Archie, who will be appearing at the market on Saturday.


Along with a few of his sister friends.




And some birdies.


There are still a couple of skirts that need ric rac...and some bunny mouths to sew on. It's been a busy week here as I had school work to hand in & Mark has reports to do so I haven't had much time to get things ready. But it's all coming together now and I am so looking forward to this Saturday!! The word on the street is that this Daylesford Makers Market will be the best one yet with lots of lovely stalls and wonderful things to buy. Look out for the Lark stall which is always fantastic and lots of other clever locals such as Kate & some lovely Melbourne blow ins. Can't wait to see you, don't be shy, come and say hi to me, and Charlotte! Before I go a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to lovely Steph from Doily. Look for Steph on Saturday and give her a big happy birthday yourself!! For more creative spaces pop over here xo

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Haircut


So there I was yesterday, on the phone to Steph, organising my stall for the Daylesford Makers Market this Saturday. And there was Rosie, quietly cutting Seenor's paper hair (a little toilet roll creature that she recently made).
Chat, chat. Chop, chop.

And that was the moment when Rosie decided
to cut her own hair.
Randomly. Wildly.
Erractically. Very unevenly.

I cried. She cried.
When we both calmed down she told me quietly that we can go to a shop and buy some more hair. We cuddled and talked about not EVER cutting her own hair again.

This little incident really rocked my world yesterday. I know there are people and children out there with much bigger problems and it's silly to be upset by
something like this. And I'm not anymore, it was just a bit of a shock.



Looking at her little fluffy head today with it's mad bits of long and short, and her dear eyes that tell me they love me, all I can feel is how dear and sweet and beautiful she is to me.
How her funny ways make her more special,
& how her adventurous nature leads her into all sorts of mischief.
I can tie up her hair and plaster it with hairspray and make it look ok for the VERY IMPORTANT ballet concert in two weeks. Her brother tells me she did a great job and she looks fantastic. Rosie, you are a rascal, a dynamo, a darling, we love you.
And that's all that matters xo

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday morning


Morning all! Did you have a good weekend?



Today we are just hanging out at home....


Some rooms are tidy..
some are not.

The garden is a good place to be.
Rosie loves to climb the apple tree.


I haven't been feeling so great lately, some stomach thing that won't go away. I seem to be feeling sick all the time. I probably should go to the doctor but haven't got around to it.

And there's a lot going on at the moment too, market, garlic, Bill's birthday coming up, me slipping behind in my school work. The dishwasher is broken, there's no hot water in the kitchen either, Max has a grass seed in his ear and to top it all off Mark is growing a moustache, for Movember. What next????!!!

So you can see...

in all this hustle and bustle

why I need..

a quiet day..


at home xo

Friday, November 20, 2009

My Place & Yours - My Collection(s)


I love this week's meme, MyCollection, hosted by lovely Kate from Foxs Lane. What an interesting theme, Thanks too, to Pip for hosting, I'm loving this weekly fun! I can't wait to see what collections are out there.




When I started to think about what I collect it took me a while to define one thing/group. In the end I realised that I collect collections! I won't try to list them all on this post but here a few of the things I love.

I've always liked old photo's and I adore my group of 'lost people'. Why and how these sweeties ended up in the op shop I'll never know, but the mother in me gathers them up and brings them home to be looked after and loved.





The War boys are so special and they become like great uncles who we've never met. The two little girls with their dear little hair cuts and toys will always be children, they make me smile.




I seem to have collected a few of my own children along the way too. They are my most prized and loved collection. As far as collections go they are the least predictable, most argumentative, definitely the most diverse, the funniest, most loving (and at times the most challenging). An extremely treasured, colourful and ever changing collection.




Ok then there is the dog thing. I've always loved doggies. I've had a few real ones (Ruby, Jem, Toby, Jack, Spud, Gidget and now Max & Daisy). I've also managed to gain quite a few china dogs and assorted other dog paraphernalia. Although I don't actively collect them anymore I still love to look at their sombre expressions and their lovely shapes and colours.



Bed covers, blankets, quilts...yep, I collect them too. Along with an extensive collection of vintage sheets and linen. Probably too many to show today but here a few special ones. The bedspread on top is my favourite find. $5 at Savers and it's the most BEAUTIFUL vintage piece of prettiness I've ever found. Ahh.......



Little weeny cups are fun to collect. They don't take up too much room and are good for storing baby teeth!



I haven't even got to the kitchen where lurks....



...more collections. I'm starting to worry about myself. Is this collecting business healthy?




I haven't even touched on my Daylesford collection, or the box of snow domes out in the shed, or the pet collection, the vintage sewing books, the teddies, the wedding cake toppers, the shells and special rocks, the rubber bands...oh someone stop me!!! ahhh!!
Kate, you asked some great questions of us collectors and I don't know where to start to answer them. I do know thatsome of my collections are ongoing, some will stay as they are, gathering dust, the group of five will be ever precious and are growing every day, and all of them make me happy! I really can't see that there is a limit to collecting, it's seems a very natural hobby.
Collecting quirky bits and looking for specialness in the world are two of the best things in my life.

I hope you have you enjoyed looking through some of my collection. Now I've shown you mine will you show me yours? I'm popping over here for a look xo