My Creative Space

Are you a fan of Moo? Do you know about this fabulous UK business that supplies all manner of business cards and other useful items?

I recently ordered 200 mini cards from Moo and I am so happy with them. I have never had a business card or any fancy way of giving my contact details to potential customers or friends, other than a scruffy piece of paper with my number scrawled on it in texta.

So I'm feeling very grown up. I love the way you can choose so many images. I chose 35 photo's that were used for the 200 I ordered.

When they arrived Charlotte and I had a fun old time looking through them, oohing and ahhing. It's like being given a delicious box of chocolates and not knowing which one to eat first! It also got me thinking that they would be very useful for swing tags.

So today I am going to make the most of Moo's 2 day sale and order some for the bunnies. In the past I have always made my swing tags using illustrations from children's books combined with pretty scrapbook paper. But I do fancy the idea of hole punching a Moo card instead. How is your day today? Are you planning, making, thinking, doing? Or maybe just having a cup of tea like me, while visiting Kirsty's for a sticky beak. Have fun xo

Making rainbows

My nest is a little bit emptier tonight.

Big girl has taken her loveliness back to school.

So tonight I'm thinking of all the things I love about her. Her warm heart, her loving nature. The way she makes me laugh and laugh, the way she she brings out the fun in me.

I love her sense of style, her individuality. I love that we can chat and chat forever and still have something to say. I love her clever mind and her funny obsessions. I love it when she wears her red coat, I love her beautiful brown eyes. I love her plans and dreams and that she shares some of them with me.

I love her sense of colour, I love how she taught herself to crochet in five minutes and made woollen rainbows all through the holidays.

I love the way she cares about family, about feelings. The way she loves her sisters and brother,

how she is the best biggest sister they could have. Even if she does burst the odd balloon.

Of course there are so many more things I love about my big girl, enough for a whole lifetime and beyond. And yes, I'm missing her tonight but my mind and heart are so full & sleepy & happy that it feels like she hasn't gone away at all. Are you thinking about someone you love tonight? I'm off to bed now, sleep tight xo

Fleamarket finds

I'm stuck in bed today sweeties, recovering from being a bit unwell.

To pass the time I'm looking through lots of lovely blogs and trying to cope with five indoor winter kids who are niggly and bored.

My finds are really not mine this week but were discovered by my boys on a recent road trip. Mark & Bill travelled up to a little town near Shepparton to visit James who manages a fruit orchard there. Can you imagine all the fantastic op shops they passed along the way?

They picked up some gorgeous sheets,

and this lovely linen Australiana tablecloth.

I think my favourite find was this pretty apron.

Have you found any lovely treasures this week?

I'm off to Sophie's for a peek,

see you soon

xo

My Creative Space

Hi folks, here we are in the second week of the school holidays and the wintery days are making everything sparkly.

And icy. It's lucky there are no fish in our fish pond...otherwise I would have had to make them little jumpers and mittens.

I have of course, been making some bunnies but more on them in a minute. More importantly I've been thinking creatively about my kids and making sure I spend some special time with all of them during the holidays.

Bill and I met up with my dad to watch the Tigers in a thrilling four point win over Sydney at the weekend. I took my crochet and in between all the excitement managed to do a few rows of my new stripey blanket. No, not yellow and black! (I just noticed the poor Sydney supporter in the background looking a bit miserable..poor thing!)

Back at home I finished two more bunnies. This little pink girl was made for a beautiful new baby called Bess.

I love the name Bess, it's so old fashioned and pretty.

And this little yellow girl you have seen before, but now she is finished and looking for a new home. In the next few weeks I'm hoping to open an online Dandelion shop so she may be one of the first bunnies on the shelf. I'm also thinking of adding a vintage section where you will be able to share in some of the treasures I discover on my thrifting adventures. Watch this space!

How is your week going? Hope you have some sunshine in your wintery day today, see you soon sweeties, I'm off to Kirsty's, xo

Fleamarket Finds

Hi thrillseekers...are you having a happy weekend? Have I shown you this little box/shelf before? I bought it years ago for six dollars at Camberwell Market. It sits in the bathroom at the end of the bath and I just love it.





Talking of loving things I picked up this little sweetie at the Trash & Treasure last week, isn't it cute?

I love the colours and images and the dinky beads. I'm not sure where to put it yet but it will find a good home somewhere in our crazy house.

Now..did I mention I found something super special last week at the Creswick Anglican Church Garage Sale???? Yep, just as we were leaving we walked past a horsetrailer outside the hall and inside was something big & shiny....

..yep, a piano! After telling the old blokes, who were standing around in the frosty morning air having a chat, that it was a funny looking kind of horse (ha ha) I had a closer look. It was hard to see it properly as the horse trailer was narrow but the piano looked beautiful (even sitting on top of some fragrant manure) and in pretty good condition so I asked the million dollar question, 'how much is it?'

The fella who seemed in charge shook his head a couple of times and said questioningly...fifty dollars? I've always wanted a piano and at that price it was a done deal. Excitement! Joy! I only had a handful of gold coins to leave as a deposit and as I handed them over it was all I had to restrain myself from doing a little happy dance! woo hoo! Don't you love a world where you can still buy a piano for a few bob, out of a horse trailer from a nice bloke on a cold old winters day?

Rosie couldn't work out why we couldn't take our new baby home straight away but lovely Mr Ainley kindly dropped it off at our house for an extra fifty a couple of days later.

I love the sound it makes, the daffodils , the gold, the history that I will never know, oh what a gorgeous creature. What a special new part of our family. Ballet & dance concerts at home have a new musical flavour, the kids are loving it and Mark & I are too. And it makes a handy spot for special friends, like Teddy.

Hope you found some extra special treasures this week too,

see you over at Sophies xo

My Creative (Holiday) Space

I wasn't going to play today, it's kind of hectic here at home with all seven of us trying to find our own holiday fun, bumping into each other, dancing, making things, annoying each other, going slightly stir crazy and generally getting in the holiday mood. To shake/split things up a bit I took Lucy & Sunday to Melbourne for a couple of days. As you can see we went to see the Abba Land exhibition, wow! So Much Fun.

What's that over there? Is it Meet Me at Mikes???

It's so handy to stay at Mum's in Fitzroy when we visit the city. Lots of parks, ace shops and pubic transport. We trammed everywhere which was mainly good but not so great in peak hour, squashy! Bit scary for Sunday.

We had hot chocolate & cake at Laurent in the Causeway Lane for morning tea...

..oh boy we had a great time. I like to try and spend time with all the kids, on their own or with another, it gives us all the space to connect and it's easier to focus on them without the whole gang. I can't wait to have some individual time with the other three sweeties too.

Back at home we have been inside alot, it's been raining on and off for three days now and it has been so cold outside. Rosie has been playing with her many toys, dressing up Bunny and playing Mums & Dads with Sunday.


I finished off two bunnies for lovely Alison from Sydney. She is a joy to make bunnies for, always to encouraging and supportive of my work.

I hope the little girls she ordered the bunnies for like their new friends.

We have been moving a few bits of furniture around to accomodate a new exciting item (more on Sunday) and I now have an official desk!! After years of sitting at a small side table on a children's chair I have graduated to a real, grown ups table! Wow.

I haven't quite finished the space yet but it already has a few of my favourite things, photo's of hte kids, my little bear from Jess , a dear little crocheted blanket and some lovely artwork. This one below always gives me a lift if I'm questioning my parenting, or feeling down.



It's a great place to sit and blog, think, dream and be. I also love it as I can see out the window now, even if it is grey and misty I'm also looking at my favourite cammelia bushes that are bursting with buds. Come on sunshine!

So, are you having a creative day? I'm finally of to Kirsty's to have a look. Hope you are doing something you love, see you soon xo

Fleamarket Finds

It's been a bumper week folks, a happy whirl of treasure hunting for Captain Dandelion. I found this stack of Georgette Heyer reprints, which I knew my mum would like, at the good old MS Oppie. I also picked up a copy of The Boy in the Striped Pyjama's by John Boyne, which I finished last night. An interesting and moving book, have you read it? Give me a yell if you'd like to read it and I'll send it on. I'm thinking of doing a second hand book swap soon..what do you think?

That naughty winter light is playing havoc with my photography...this blanket is the most adorable mossy green, much prettier than it looks above. I have a little project in mind for it which I'll show you when I get around to it. I came across this sweet baby blankie on a trip to Trentham this week.

And also this owl embroidery, it came up quite nicely after a soak.

Now I just need to find the right spot to hang it.

I also found this glass mug, I have a collection now, this is the third.




They all have corny/cute messages on the other side.
I'm guessing they are 70's items?

More excitement at the Anglican Trash & Treasure on Friday. Although it was harder to find treasures this time I still came away with a few beauties. This mirror was $2 and is so heavy and solidly made. It reminds me of a mirror in a church, or some place of business. It has a real feel about it, a sense of history and life.

Just think of all the faces it has seen. The reflections of so many people who stopped to pause for a moment.

I am in love with this fire engine red money box too.

My guess is that is was used in a train, bus or tram. See the ridge along the top?

It looks as if it fitted/slotted into something, and could be detached later.

Or maybe it was used at the footy by ticket sellers? I'd love to know.

Anyway, it's ace and Billy seems to have claimed it.

Yesterday the girls and I headed over to Creswick to check out a church garage sale. The lovely men and women couldn't have been more friendly, down to earth and sweet. It was a cold old day and the wind was blowing into the hall but they were so chatty and kind to my girls. One lady told us how she once rode her pony, Dolly, to school in Dean. Rosie thought that was the best thing she'd ever heard. We found a few bits and pieces which I'll show you next week, along with something extra special! I'm so excited about it and can't wait to show you. (When I get it home)

Hope you had a happy week, I'm off to Sophie's for a sticky beak, see you soon sweeties xo