Just Dandy

I found this range of fabrics during my online noodlings and it was instant attraction. It was the tiny daisy pattern which drew my eye initially, but then saw the rest of the range and loved them also.

This range is called Just Dandy and is by Josephine Kimberling .. the title also appeals as it reminds me of one of my all time favourite bands.

I decided to try something new and make up some gift sets of five and three at special prices along with my usual single large hair ties. Don't forget that I am always happy to gift wrap and include a notecard when posting directly to your gift recipient, great for last minute gift ideas.

Also note the new super strong large chocolate brown hair ties I'm using on these, which are adult sized and perfect for thicker hair.

and for the Dandy Warhols fans a little Tuesday Tune :)

The Last of the Autumn Sun

It's only a few days until winter arrives. This autumn has been unpredictable as only Melbourne can be, bitterly cold days of 10 or 11 shocking us all into our woolly jumpers and beanies, now next week when it is officially winter, there looks like days and days of 18!! Well .. we deserve it.

I've been suffering these last few days with horrendously agonising tooth pain .. finally worked out a good combination of drugs and have crawled back into the world, just as the sun came out, it was beautiful to feel almost normal for a little while.

We are lucky to live near a beautiful park, and it's great for bike riding, bbqs, climbing trees and playing on the equipment. We met friends today and had a little explore, loving the autumn landscape.

And a quick ride home. Lovely. I hope that your Saturday has been relaxing and fun. XX Jo

Unintentional Planking

Well it's Friday (Friday, Gotta get down on Friday) .. so it's all about relaxing and having a laugh.

Lulu crawled out of bed and up to the kitchen bench yesterday morning still half asleep - she stays up reading furtively often past when the adults are slumbering - and midway through her cereal collapsed onto the stools. Seeing this of course I thought 'Why is she planking?' .. and reached for my iPhone. Lulu why are you planking? What's planking? Oh, don't worry.

OK I cheated a little. I asked her to raise up her arms for the photo, but this is how I actually found her.  Still kind of funny :)

New and Improved

Happy Hump Day everyone!

I've been working on ways to improve my products and have just made a batch of new brooch/necklaces with the fabulous new combined clasps I've finally sourced!!  The covered button is 3.8 cm in size and features both a brooch clip and a bail for wearing as a necklace. . 

The new batch of nine all feature the fabulous amazing and wonderful (can you tell I love it?) Liberty of London quality cotton lawn in amazing modern florals (and one amazing ribbon design) and will come with a fine memory wire choker in either silver or black with the super cool magnetic clasp. 

Without any further ado ...  here they are, you can *click* on the photo to view larger and see the gorgeous detail in the fabric. 

As worn by ... me!

and Asha's duffle coat.

Available in my Etsy store @ only $12 per set. 

Lovely Little Ladies

After an agonising two month wait (damn you Canada Post!) my stunningly beautiful new Parisian rag doll, Grace arrived this past week, unwearied by her travels, beautiful and stylish as can be.

Grace was made by Jen Dawson of Little Ladies.  She held an online auction to raise money in honour of a mutual friend of ours' daughter who was undergoing treatment for leukemia, to raise money for cancer research.  I was the lucky highest bidder and am also extremely pleased to say that the 'real' Grace for whom the doll has been named, has come through her treatment strongly and is doing really really well!

Geordie was as excited as I was and helped me to (carefully) rip into the package when it finally arrived this week .. he announced that she was 'beautiful' and I happily agreed, and even allowed him to plant a welcoming kiss on her.  Jen also has an Etsy store and for Melbourne Peeps she has four dolls for sale in an upcoming 'Pop Up Shop' in June, you can read all about it here and see some absolutely brilliant photos of more of her dolls. So so wonderful, I cannot recommend them highly enough!

Kissy Face

Kiss for Grace

How was that Mum? 

So she's here and she is currently having a sleepover in Asha's room .. I am a kind mum and happy to share the Grace love with her, though it is clear that she is MINE MINE MINE and only on loan!!! 

One last pic to show off her cuteness again. I hope that everyone had a relaxing and fun weekend, I did!

The Etsy of Awesomeness

It's easy to get lost in the maze of awesomeness that is etsy. It's very very easy to spend all your paypal balance that you've made making things yourself on etsy. Whoops!

Just thought I'd share some of my favourites with you .. so that you can share my etsy addiction.

Loose Lips Sink Ships (art print) by Kirbee Lawler

(I own this print .. I love it SO much)

Best EVER Alphabet Wall Decals by Chocovenyl

Personalised Name Plates on Vintage Crockery by Ninainvorm

This embroidered moth is dedicated to my friend Mishelle .. so amazing and by MisterFinch

and last but not least .. who needs a SQUID PILLOW .. *i do!* by Olof's Daughters

I would love to see links to your favourites in my replies here .. I'm always open to new etsy buying opportunities!!! 

Boy Meets Iguana

We love the Melbourne Zoo. 

Second Breakfast

Today must be my lucky day. TWO breakfasts in bed.
My husband brought me poached eggs with roquette, tomato, chutney and sour dough toast. So good, he is the King of the Goog.
Off he went to our 'other house' to do some banging and destruction (we are living in a rental while we renovate our home) and I could hear clattering in the kitchen.

I was blissfully reading Sunday papers in bed while the children watched TV when in came Miss 8 with ..

.. Second Breakfast!!

Now this is a rare treat, but not one I'm going to knock back. Could I squeeze it into my already satisfied tum? You bet I could.  

A lovely thin perfectly cooked pancake complete with (extremely expensive) sliced bananas and genuine maple syrup. What a girl. 

She's always liked to cook and can make pancakes from scratch and she's also learning more specific skills (such as knife skills) at her school now that she is in Grade Three and taking part in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden programme. 

And it was deeee-licious :)

So Hip

I'm late to this one .. as usual. Just proves I ain't no hipster, even though I live in Northcote, and they're even eating in my favourite cafe (see Tofu Salad scene) blogged last month on here!

Good for a laugh on a cold wet Saturday :)

Winter Blues

I've decided to jazz up my winter wardrobe this year. Yes, call me crazy, but this year I'm adding INK BLUE to my ensembles. WOOT! My usual winter wardrobe reflects my feelings about sub zero mornings and short dark days .. I wear black and grey. That is all. But this year I'll be adding dark blue. Call me crazy.
So with that on my mind I've been making navy and ink and blue hair ties for my Etsy store.

The Truth Fairy

This is one of my favourite Tooth Fairy notes EVER. Lulu is six, and cute as a button .. when her front teeth became wobbly at the end of last year I made her vow not to wobble them as I dreaded them falling out and her going through the 'awkward' stage of gaps and sschthhhs and gorey half grown fangs.
Finally her second front tooth fell out a few weeks ago and she bravely brought it in to show me .. 'You're not going to like this mum!' she said with a sly grin as she walked toward me, tiny little peg between her fingers!

She wrote a note and put it under her pillow with the tooth attached. As is our way .. the tooth fairy 'was busy' that night and forgot to swing by, the following night she did in fact 'remember' and we were then able to see the most awesome note that Lulu Plum left for her.

Dear tooth Fairy

My MuMMy wiLL FRick Out!

I Lost my tooth It is my Last frunt

tooth. I bet you 

know how I Lost it?

IT was with the rimot. Love

from Lulu.

I <3 ninja's

Danger do not keep this tooth

Why do you take the teeth?

Answer

here

Then a charming drawing with the message

'from me'

of one stick figure stabbing another stick figure with a huge sword.

The Stick Victim is lying in a pool of blood. 

So there it is. That's my girl. Such a little sweetie huh? Yes she was chewing on the 'remote' when the tooth came out, for those of you who are confuzzled by that bit. 

And here SHE is. Toothless. Dressed and styled by me for a photo for my hair tie business .. 

and then again in her more 'natural state'

as a tiger 

and as BatCat from Charlie and Lola. 

There's only one Lulu Plum I tell ya!

Take Five

Does anyone else remember Take Five? It was a sometimes musical video interlude before the 7pm ABC television news. There was a time when they used to play this song. I would literally hang out by the TV each night in my jarmies in the hope that they would play a good song. I wasn't so much allowed to watch television as a child but my father always watched the ABC news so it was my big opportunity .. and I was obsessed with music, head over heels by the age of ten. Difficult.
They didn't always play 'Take Five' and when they did, it wasn't always a good song, but sometimes, just sometimes, they would play this. And this was my favourite by far.

I went crazy for U2 and bought Boy and October and Under a Blood Red Sky and as soon as they headed to the USA they became something else. I saw an ad in a magazine last week and it was 'Paul and Ali Hewson' doing an advertisement for Louis Vuitton luggage. It knocked my sox off. Blech.