Polly & the Bunny Sisters

I recently got back to bunny business and it's been lovely creating new, sweet, soft bunnies. I decided to make a birthday bunny for Rosie using some pretty red flowery fabric and the usual alpaca wool offcuts.

Jeff gave me a hand.

Rosie loves her new friend and has called her Polly.

At the last Marker's Market a lovely woman called Alison admired a bunny that had already been sold to Annissa from LiliPili . She took my details and emailed me last week to order two bunnies for a friend.

The Bunny Sisters are now finished & ready to leave the Dandelion rabbit warren to head for Sydney (and warmer weather!). I am really happy with how they turned out, they each have a different personality but the same sweet & slightly wistful nature. I hope they get lots of cuddles.

Hope you get lots of cuddles too over the weekend! I'm off to Melbourne for 24 hours of kidfree time. After a long and tiring week I'm feeling pretty worn out so I'm sure it will be good for me. See you soon, xoxo

Market Day

Yesterday's Maker's Market was a blast! Well actually the blasts (of cold air) were thankfully outside - inside the gorgeous Daylesford Town Hall it was warm & toasty and full of atmosphere. Lots of lovely locals & friendly tourists weaved their way through the stalls, stopping, chatting, looking & buying wonderful, handmade treasures.




sorry you are a bit blurry Kate!

I was lucky enough to have Charlotte helping me all day and we enjoyed the company of George & Annissa nearby. Also the amazing 'living statue' who was so captivating (and slightly unnerving for small children!)

I really enjoyed seeing my old market mates as well as meeting some new ones such as the gorgeous guys from Clunes (The Strangler) & other clever creators from Castlemaine & Creswick & Ballarat.

The other bit of excitement was meeting Tania from Myrtle & Eunice and her lovely family. What a surprise!! I had to give her a big hug..hope that didn't freak you out Tania! Also the very wonderful Cam from Curlypops appeared with an adorable apron that I'd asked her to make. A little while back I had spied a 1992 teatowel on her blog and as that was the year Charlotte was born I thought it would be a fun pressie. Cam whipped up a beauty and Charlotte loves it. Thanks so much Cam!

Geoffery Williams, a very talented local singer songwriter played and sang too which added a certain touch of magic to the day.

What a great market it was! Well done to Steph (Doily) & Allison (Lark) who put in so much effort to bring the market to life. It really looked, and was, amazing.

So today I'm tired and still in my pj's. Luckily Mark has taken the kids to Ballarat for some lunch and a play so I'm just mooching around drinking tea and putting off catching up on house stuff. Thanks to everyone for their kind comments on my last post and to all you lovely bloggie friends I am sending lots of Dandelion love xox

To market..to market..!

Hello everyone! Here at Dandelion headquarters it's all hustle & bustle in the lead up to our local maker's market this weekend. My little (very cluttered) sewing room is filled with a whole litter of unfinished bunnies...

...this one...

..& these two.

It's a crazy week here with sickies galore (Rosie has had a Bad Bad Cold and Nasty Asthma which saw her in hospital on Thursday night..poor little chicken). Now Mark & Charlotte both have tonsilitis..not fun. Hence the lack of blogging and the general mayhem around the house. (Well, in all honesty there is ALWAYS general mayhem round these parts.)

I just can't keep up with the house work!! Ahhh!! Anyway, I did manage to clear the table and these beautiful yellow roses really cheered me up.

I do hope you can come along to the Daylesford Maker's Market on Saturday...it should be a lot of fun. It begins at 10 and goes until 3, in the wonderful Daylesford Town Hall. Come along and say hello to me (Beck) & have a cuppa & cake in the Senior Citizens hall next door. Make sure to bring your kids because there will be lots of fun things for them as well. (If you can't make it because you live too far away stay tuned for a market update on Sunday.) Hope you are having a great week x

Happy market day! part one...

Wow! Yesterday's first Daylesford Maker's Market was so much fun...lots of lovely things to look at, friendly people, sunshine, wind, music, kids and colour. The Dandelion bunnies had a fabulous time too and enjoyed meeting new friends and having cuddles. My friend Phillipa had some of her beautiful Daylesford bags on my stall and people also seemed to love Barbara's felt animals, they are so sweet. My mum, who knits the lovely cardigan's and clothes for Dandelion came along and helped in so many ways as did dear Charlotte, aren't I lucky?

Steph from Doilly was jumping up and down with excitement and her stall looked fantastic.

Sunday had fun playing with her friends and getting her face painted.


Lark's stall looked beautiful and Allison said it was one of the most busy market stall's she has had. Isn't her Lark patchwork sign gorgeous?

Matilda fell in love with Sooty. Has Sooty eaten up that carrot yet Matilda?

A highlight of the day was having a visit from my dad, Muzz & his lovely offsider, Margaret. Thanks for coming Muzz!

I thought the market was a great success and that Kate, Allison and Steph did a fantastic job organising it. A great big thanks to them - as with any event there is always alot of work behind the scenes that often doesn't get noticed. I hope there will be more market's in the future, it's a great way to see what other people make and to support other artist/designers/friends. I had so much fun and was buzzing all day until I fell, exhausted, into bed. Phew! x

part 2 to follow soon...

Beck in the Big City

On Friday I had a much needed break in Melbourne. After taking the kids to creche & school I tootled down the highway listening to some soppy music. It's funny how you really look forward to some time on your own and then when you get it... it's just not that easy!! I was feeling a bit emotional and had a little cry. Boo hoo...it has been a hectic and stressful few weeks and I've been feeling a tad worn out lately. Anyway, you'll be glad to hear I did cheer up and didn't look back!! Yayyy! I stayed at Mum's in Fitzroy which is always relaxing & fun. Some high lights of my trip were... purchasing my gorgeous, new camera (remember Rosie demolished my old one?) and...

...sitting with my Mum chatting while she knitted a sweet, green bunny cardigan.

... going out for dinner with the lovely & clever Charlotte

... & eating exquisite gnocchi, the best in Melbourne at Woodstock in North Fitzroy (see Charlotte above in a gnocchi induced trance), roaming around in Boarders with the above mentioned Char. Of course the main highlight was...waking up late on Saturday and not having to do anything for ANYONE! Ha! Also going to Savers and finding an adorable, folk art style children's trolley and then visiting A1 Bakery in Sydney Road & leaving with a stack of delicious Lebanese pizza's and other special delicacies was pretty, damn good. Yum.

Gee it was nice to just blah around without much of a plan and without any dependants. Could I put in a request for another few weeks of this kind of thing? Please? I'm sure I could handle it. Anyway, it was joyous to come home and be cuddled and kissed and to get to sit through several lengthy 'shows'. Singing and dancing extravaganza's are really going off around here. Whew!! Bit of air guitar, a few off the couch jumps etc, lot of fake mike work, heaps of dancing..good stuff from the kids. Welcome home.

So with one week to go to the Maker's Market I'm now hard at it getting the bunnies ready for their first public outing. This little fellow has come along nicely....

as has little Mary Celeste, who is a favourite of mine.

Hope you had a happy weekend, bye for now. x

Yes...they're back!!

Yes the chicken pops are back in town! Rosie, aka the Princess of Grunge, has been waking up at night this week and now I know why! So far she only has a few spots but I guess they could multiply over the next day or so. Let's hope not. So I admit I was feeling a little flat this morning, a bit over tired and teary. I'm ok now and have hopefully adjusted to this new challenge. Because, lets face it, life is challenging and ever changing. Without being too Pollyanna about it I realise it could be worse, chicken pox is not the end of the world. Anyway now I need to try to reschedule hair appointments, negotiate how to get the older two to their school sleepover tonight without infecting the school community, and generally get my head around being house bound for a few days. Phew! Hunch is away on a year 8 camp and is due back tomorrow so that will help. He did mention that gastro has been sweeping through the camp...hmmm. I may need to quarantine him!

To cheer myself up I have been taking photo's outside and enjoying spring.

Handsome Max, he is such a lover boy!

Sunday took this one of me looking wistful (demented?) in our garden.

Despite illness there have been many lovely things happening lately. I am really enjoying sewing and creating and have found it has given me lots of new energy. The more I make the more ideas I seem to have and this is so exciting!! If only I had more time to do everything - but family life is so demanding isn't it? Anyway, I feel like I've carved out a little place for me within the domestic whirl and that feels good. I'm looking forward to the Maker's Market and sharing a stall with lovely Steph. Both Steph and my good friend Allison, from Lark, have written some great things about Dandelion on their blogs recently, how sweet are they?!

Other great things... Billy (6) is loving riding his bike after finally mastering riding without training wheels. He has also started circus class which is excellent and so much fun. Lucy (8) is loving Girl Guides and is getting ready for her dance concert. Sunday (5) is making lots of amazing things at home and at Goanna Kinder, and just loving being with her friends. Rosie (3) is into everything as usual and is so much fun to be around. Charlotte (16) is in the middle of her Drama production which sounds fantastic, I wish I could be there to see it. Char has her L plates now too, wow!!!! My lovely Mum has been here for a couple of days and that's always fun. We always have good chats and she is making some beautiful little knitted clothes for the bunnies. Thanks Mum!

Better skedaddle... bye for now x

ps. comments have been disabled somehow...!!! I can't work out how to change this back....any advice? email me x

Things on the go!

I came across some colourful magnetic letters recently and thought I'd make something with them for the Maker's Market. These keyrings can also become necklaces with an extra chain attached. They were fun to make!

I have lots of bunnies on the go at the moment, all in different states (mainly Victoria!). I love the process of making my bunnies, from an offcut or old jumper to a dear little creature who is ready for cuddles.

Do you like my Jeff Kennett pin cushion?

I've always had a thing for doll's beds and bedding and spent alot of time as a girl putting teddies and dollies to bed. For the Maker's Market I'm also making up some little beds, should be cute!

Before I go I have some sad chook news. Our littlest chooken, Madam, died over the weekend. Yes, Daisy was the culprit. I really cried for Madam and the whole situation because I love the chooks and I love Daisy. The chickens need to be safe so that is the priority at the moment. This week I'm working on a solution and so far it's been ok. The chickens are not free ranging as much and have a few hours in the morning instead. Lets hope this strategy works and then I can also add some much wanted ducks to the menagerie!!

Bye for now! x