Australia Day! - It's fairly special to me!

Today 23 years ago I arrived on Australian soil!

(yep little ole me!)

i was 19

it was a Thursday

i flew united airlines

i sat next to a good looking guitarist

i had no idea what lay ahead of me

but i was eager to find out

i found out much later, my mum cried all the way home from the airport

(a 5 hour drive)

i vividly remember the 80's style frock I wore, i wanted to rip it off the minute I stepped out of the Sydney terminal

it was 39 degrees

i'd never experienced anything like it in my life!

i caught the bus to central station

and waited at the pub for the train north

it was one of those rickety old trains with the seats that flip over

i watched with innocent eyes as we trundled along through graffitied suburbs that would become comfortably familiar

i remember thinking the train was full of weirdo's

only to find the train terminated at my stop and all the weirdo's got off the train with me!

(of course they would! what was I thinking?)

i caught a taxi to my destination

the view made me think I'd died and gone to heaven

i shared a 2 bedroom unit with 4 kiwi lads

i slept on the couch

and got a job in the first week

the rest is history I guess

and I've NEVER looked back

i always reflect on Australia Day

and think of the girl i used to be and what ive become

pre children i celebrated like the rest of them

a few beers, a few prawns on the barbie and a hangover the following morning!

Today though, I finished a cushion I started ages ago

 I also hung out a few vintage sheets

organised some haberdashery

neatly stacked clean vintage sheets

photographed a dress i finished last weekend

picked a bucket of ripe nectarines from our tree

cut out 3 flowing tunic tops from these pretty fabrics

re-arranged my very own shadow board

and generally just fluffed around

i did very little housework

and cooked a simple meal

It was the perfect way to spend Australia Day!

Hope you all celebrated in what ever style suited you!

Dee x

What's in store for 2012?

Well Hello Peeps!

It's been a while ha!

I have kind of lost my "mojo" at present AND I haven't been looking for it either!

My days have been consumed with entertaining, negotiating and mediating the 3 kidlets.

Child 1 has a part time job working in a cafe so I run her in and out of town.

Child 2 & 3 have had week long blocks of swimming lessons and so I have been running back and forth to the next town for those!

Hubby is flat out at the bike shop and so we barely get a glimpse of him.

Rellies are currently in town so we have been squeezing in "catch up" time.

We have filled in the rest of the time with swims at the river, sleep-overs, play dates, movies, and the usual housework hoo haa!

The "Make it, Bake it, Grow it" markets are back in town tomorrow and I have booked another stall so I have been trying to update my stock and get it all pretty and ready to go!

Quite frankly, I am feeling rather exhausted!

I have managed to sneak in a tiny weeny smidgen of op-shopping and have found a few vintage sheets/fabrics for the stash ...

L to R

1. pretty blue retro floral cotton sheet

2. funky retro brown and orange patchwork cotton sheet

3. gorgeous blue batik fabric

4. lovely floral patterned bark cloth

5. another funky brown and tan patchwork cotton sheet

6. pretty pink and yellow floral cotton sheet

I also picked up this cute az pattern on etsy for a fiver

I have great plans for this baby!!! 

One thing I have been dilema-tizing over though is how I am going to fit everything I want to achieve into this year!

My children are all over the show this year ... one at high school, another at primary and my baby starts 4 year old kinder.

After much thought I have decided to give away "custom" orders and concentrate on finishing the pile of half sewn/half cut garments I have been meaning to get around to finishing!

I've decided to sell everything on "etsy" ONLY and once I have sewn a garment I can upload it and "voila"

it will be ready to ship!

I will be making a variety of styles and sizes - something for everyone, but it will take a bit of pressure off and I can do it all in "MY" time!

I hope this wont put any of you off, I just need to make it work for me and my family!

This year is going to be a pearler I can feel it!

Well petals hope your all well and happy

chat soon

Dee

x



Dreams can come true ............

For most of my motherhood years I have been wanting to start a wee venture! 

One specifically for ME.

 I have seriously needed a creative outlet

(bookkeeping for our own business in the bicycle industry has been a learning curve, a challenge and rewarding but

NOT

creative enough for this crafty girl)

and sewing has always been a hobby of mine.

(a sort of escapism, if you please)

Initially I thought I would try the local markets and had been part of the "committee"

that started our local

"make it bake it grow it"

 market which took off in Winter 2009.

Then I discovered etsy!

I knew the path I wanted to take straight away.

Being the "not-so-dandy-at-the-techno-stuff"  kind of chick I struggled to get it off the ground. 

(In fact I procrastinated for months) 

It took me MANY hours late at night trying, trialling, researching, googling, you tube tutorial-ing, asking, begging and borrowing to learn how to navigate my way through, behind and around this whole social media, online craft world that I knew jack squat about!

Boy have I learnt a lot!!!

(and I have no way in hell mastered it - YET!)
But I'm giving it my best shot!

In between squirrelling away in front of the computer screen,

 passing on my executive role *ahem* as a director/administrator/gofer/floater,

 taxiing my 3 kids to their various activities and running a household 

I have managed to launch this teeny-tiny-slow-but-steady home based business called

where I sew garments for lovely lass's who want something a wee bit different.
(In my spare time of course)

I get to create.

It gives me an excuse to op shop for fabric

(not that I ever needed one)
Infact I op shop even more than I used too!

I can do this from home.

In my own time.

Exactly how I want it.

And
it truly feeds my soul

more than I could have ever imagined

and because of this

I have met some amazingly talented, stylish, hilarious, crafty, thrifty, kind and giving souls here in blogland!
You are all truly amaze-a-mondo!!
So, I have no idea where this venture will take me in 2012 but I know one thing for sure I will be sticking around!
So here's to a bright, prosperous and fun-filled 2012!

enjoy
Dee x

(A little of some of the things I have made since going "online")

xox