Lady Di

Thinking about the Royal Wedding tonight is making me a bit misty eyed about my childhood, I was ten years old when Lady Di married Charles. We didn't care about Charles, we all just loved Di. I clearly remember going to the hairdresser and asking for a 'Lady Di' and the stylist did their best.
The wedding was truly fairy tale, I adored her dress, was upset for her when the commentators said she looked like an 'Unmade Bed' and just thought that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.  I remember the magazines with countless pages dedicated to the wedding, staring in awe at the photographs. It's terribly sad to think that she can't be there with her son today.

I am really looking forward to watching it with my family tonight, it will be interested to see what my non-girly daughters think of it all, they are probably a little too young to really care too much.

Also wondering of course about 'The Frock' .. any predictions about style?

For the Gen X-ers amongst us here are some images from 30 years ago .. 30, can you believe it?

Happy Campers

I'm hoping that everyone had some elements of relaxation and fun over Easter. Mine started off with an exciting jolt when I had this amazing write up published on the wonderful Babyology website.

We journeyed down the incredibly Great Ocean Road to beautiful Wye River where we camped for five nights with three other families. It was stunningly beautiful, cold and muddy, we had great conversation, full tummies, entertainment (by the kids mainly!) mini-dramas and tonnes of laughter.

little bunnies ready to hop off to hunt

Archie with Scout and Geordie up by the river

easter bunny brought Geordie a duck

Asha by the river

reading in the hammock

 daytrip to Apollo Bay a chilly walk on the beach

shoulder ride with Dad

amazing seafood shop i love the squid

they don't call it the GREAT ocean road for nothing

My Favourite Lunch

A new habit I got into last year, when possible, is to head out each week to  lunch on my own. If I get the chance, I head to Mixed Business and in winter I always order the special soup, in summer it's inevitably the lentil salad - I can't not have it. I'm addicted.
The food here is gorgeous and so fresh, the service polite and calm. It's a big bright spacious room and I can find myself a non-squishy corner or pull up a stool in the window and watch the world go by. Fowlers Flowers is next door and has quirky interesting displays and again lovely staff - and they provide sweet rustic little posies for the cafe tables. Add to that the plentiful supply of good new magazines, Green, Country Style, Yen, Frankie etc. and I'm in my happy place.

Do you have a place you like to escape to on your own?

Neat as a Pin

It's school holidays today, the first day, very cold, we woke up to the first single figure temp of the year, but it's such a beautiful day. Only a top of 17 but it's sunny and light winds, just gorgeous. I took the kids to the awesome Quarries Park in Clifton Hill which is never really crowded, and it's easy to strike up a conversation with a fellow harried parent .. and took some quick snaps of Asha wearing my new brooches.

I've been really struggling with glue. Glue is hard. After months of trial and error I finally found a glue which seems to stick. Tight.
So my brooches, hair pins and magnets can finally hit my Dusty Plum store. I've put up some pairs of brooches just now.

Pretty aren't they? Of course available to purchase here.

I Heart Easter

Red with white spots caramel chocolate Easter Eggs. Mmmmm.

We had some good news yesterday, a plot confirmed at a camping ground down by the sea over Easter. I. Cannot. Wait.

Blythe in my Life

Tommy (Tommy Feb6)

Priscilla (TinyHaus custom Lounging Lovely)

Cleo (original 1972 Kenner redhead sidepart)

I first discovered Blythe over five years ago when I stumbled across this blog post - what an introduction - no wonder I fell head over heels. Within weeks I ordered my first doll, Priscilla and on it went. Christina/JamFancy whose livejournal began it all for me is highly respected in the Blythe community, in Australia and overseas, lovely, creative, talented and generous we are all in awe of her work, her tiny perfect stitches and her amazing taste. Her outfits and toys are highly coveted, her art, originals and prints, and her new venture into pottery are amazing, they are quirky and pretty, often with a great sense of humour. You can see her new blog here. Check out this incredible outfit she made and donated as a fundraiser for the 2011 National Blythe meet held recently. 

The Blythe world is such a creative one, around the world people connect online and at group meets, incredible photographers, seamstresses and tailors who work in miniature. People like Leo and our very own Chu do incredibly precise, beautiful work.  You can also get sucked into the magical world of Flickr and incredible photographs and creations by people such as relle* and dollhouses like Georgia's here and here.

I take no responsibility for the addictions created through following the links in this post. :)

Oh Happy Day

One of the first blogs I followed was Melissa from  tiny happy.  Firstly I fell in love with her photography, then her baby shoes. Then her zipper purses, then her embroidery, and her beautiful collection of vintage and Scandinavian fabrics .. and now I'm in love with her very own designed fabric.
This is a new and highly successful venture this clever lady has embarked on and I ams SO thrilled to own some pieces of it which fit perfectly onto my buttons .. what a collaboration!

I've always considered myself craft-impaired, so now that I can play alongside clever crafters with my little buttons I feel like less of a faker intruding into the craft community! Please do have a look at Melissa's beautiful blog, those who know me know my affinity with New Zealand, the landscape, the flora and fauna is just magical and reading her blog makes me yearn to return. 

The tiny happy Hair Ties are available in my Etsy store, I hope that you like them as much I as I do. X

Let's go all the way

Best. Royal. Wedding. Souvenir. Ever. 

I bet they didn't have these for Charles and Di! And if anyone would like to prove me wrong, please do!
These arrived in my letterbox today, a belated birthday present from my friend Anna who I have known since High School and has one of the best senses of humour I've ever come across.
Thanks Anna .. I'll save them for a special celebration on April 29 ... might decorate the letterbox with them :)

Little Red

I can't get this song out of my head.

Introduce Yourself

Hello!!
Welcome to the start of something new! I've been wanting a place to put down my thoughts, share good stuff and chat to people for a while, and finally I've made that happen. I'd love to hear your thoughts comments and opinions but I'll most likely just keep talking regardless even if there is noone here to respond!
Well you know ME .. I'm in that little digitally altered photo to the right .. oh how I love the pencil effect in PhotoBooth .. takes ten years off me! And so pretty!!! It highlights the eyelashes and plumps the cheeks!!
Now there are five other members of my family, so I thought I'd start my blog with an introduction to them.
First, there is my husband, my Bevo. Works long hours, come weekends he is SuperDad and all round great bloke.

@ The Napier, Fitzroy, the site of our first conversation no less!

And then the three little humans we have created since that meeting on the 29th of September, 1996 .. 

@ Delicate Nobby NYE 2010/11 

And last but not least, our little pal Smokey. She's just turned one, and loved to pieces by everyone .. perhaps a little too much by Lulu .. but I digress ..

So here we are. 

Bevo works long hours in Construction Management whilst Project Managing a major renovation on our home while we live in a rental, so so conveniently located opposite the girl's school. I am known (to myself) as the Manager of Domesticity - payer of bills, stomach filler, wiper of noses, taxi driver and form filler outerer. Big Girl, Asha (8) is busy being lovely, swimming and drawing, Middle Child, Lulu Plum (6) is a fan of martial arts, ninjas and surfing, and our Wee Geordie Boy (3) is also a creative genius who is our Audio Tester - checking to see which decibel level our eardrums can withstand whilst being adorable and precocious. 

I'm kept busy at home, but enjoy photography, music and art, and have a newfound love of making button hair ties, earrings, bookmarks and sometime soon, necklaces. 

This is us.