Etsy Shop Open

I have just opened up my etsy shop
again and have put two sweet
Chicago sisters...
they are in American dollars
so at their price they will be a bargain
for my overseas friends...

Charlotte and Betsy
will come packaged to you
in one of my
"royal sister" bags

Now to all my Australian friends
as I'm not sure how to change the price and refund etc
i will give a bonus
of my sally sleeps-a-lot pattern
to any Aussie purchase made...

and you have the added bonus of cheap postage!!!

At this price they will still be a huge discount...

over the next week i will be adding more sale items so please keep
checking out my side bar for my etsy shop
listings...

little black fringe

I'm a tad obsessed with ideas for these
wooden dolls...
and i wish i could do them faster than i can
but they do tend to need time and re-coating
to make them so lovely...
they would be great on top of a birthday cake
but i think they will look just as nice on a little shelf...

as you can see i still like the little black fringe...

and little caplet hood...

and i have added a little "selvedge" dottie trim...

in a range of shades around the bottom...

now it's back to painting and more ideas!!!

Wedding Toppers

Here a a few pictures
of some wedding toppers finished...
My sister will be getting some other wooden shapes
from America
in the next few weeks
so we can trial a few different styles...

they are very cute but do need a lot of work...
my next post i will show everyone the cute
little "girly" versions i have made as well...

And a very big thankyou for all the lovely
comments on the tea set...
Jodie has put some more patterns in her etsy shop
so don't forget to pop over and take a look...

add a little lace

now i did buckle today
and bought a pair of very mass produced
gloves..."best and less" no less
but there was a good reason...
to show everyone how to dress up
your winter woollies...
now i know there is quite a few knitters out there in
blog land...so for those of you who knit...
whip up a pair for winter and add some cream lace...
and for those of you like me who are not quite at the level
of knitting gloves...
buy a pair of hand knitted ones and add some trim..
I'm lucky enough to have a lady in town who knits these type of
gloves with the fingers in them so i will be asking her
to make some like these without fingers...
handmade(and much warmer ones)

and adding some myself...
the more vintage lace the better, i say...

hope this gives everyone a bit of inspiration...

Tea set

I received some fantastic mail this week from
Jodie at RIC RAC
her amazing tea set pattern
and like any totally obsessed crafter
i sat down straight away
and sewing like a mad women...
and I'm glad that i did...

I will be making another cup and saucer
but the weather was so nice
i couldn't help myself
and had to take some pictures right away...
this set will be a mother day present for my mum
and she really likes these colours...
the pattern was easier than i thought
as I'm not the greatest sewer
so anyone that loves this set as much as i do
go to Jodie's etsy shop and grab a pattern
It is really worth it...
Just think of the great colour combinations
you could use...
I am already planning to do another set,
I'm thinking really bold red and white...

suspense is over

Wedding Toppers
yes... did anyone guess???
if you didn't that's OK...
I'm sure it was the last thing you were thinking of...
they are to supply my sisters
wedding cake business
SUGAR RUSH
and as we know wedding are big business
and still as popular as ever...
there will be a few styles
and colour choices...
the hair style on the groom is "trendsetter"
and is in black...
the bride's hair is mid-length "classic" in black

and they both have "cream" detail...

I am part way through a few sets
but I'm still waiting for my order of titanium white to arrive...
so while i wait it gives me lots of time
to re-coat and re-coat with lots of lovely glossy vanish...

I can see myself doing a few
in more "girly" colours and styles
down the track
they are just so cute!!!

suspense

Aren't these little wooden "shapes"
gorgeous....
they are to be transformed into something that
I'm sure you would not be able to guess...
i will let you know that they
are not to be made into something that i normally would do...
the suspense!!!

op shopping

a thrifting we will go...
well i would have liked to have done a tad better
but here are the "finds"
from today...

i managed to find this fabric which is the same as what i have
in burgundy and i have a little project in mine for it
so i think it will work really well...

this slightly dated book but a bargain at $3-00
and a few ideas that are not too bad...

like these lovely stencilled stair...

and a portmans 3/4 length jacket
that is really nice on and has
and fits snugly at the waist and has
front pockets but the flash stuffed the pic
so use you great imagination...

of course buying clothes like this is truly
a conservative move...
yes it was the voice in my head again saying
"now your 40 that would look just LOVELY..."
well if i worked in a office it probably would
but i run a pub in the country for heavens sake...

i can't believe that little voice never tells me
i would look LOVELY in those knee high paisley socks
doc martin boots and "goth" slip with lace trim...
and why is it that if i find anything
like this and put it on i end up
looking like some "bag" lady
ready to pounce and frighten small children and animals...

now if you have the same dilemma
as me and many others pop over to DOTTIEANGEL
you will love her blog...
she struggles with the same ideas...

but i SO wish i could look as cool as her,
in all her vintage goodness...
plus she has a Airstream...Divine...
edit...so sorry the link to Dottieangel
is now working...silly me...

comfy

got to love a well worn
comfy pair of shoes....

i'm hoping to venture out of the house tomorrow
and pop into the werid looking craft, bric a brac shop
and see if they have some new
fabric bundles in...
here's hoping...

i think comfy shoes might
like a stroll...

swirls

i thought i needed a bit of sewing
to easy me back into reality
so a sally sleeps a-lot
helped...
or maybe it's the other way around?
maybe i have had too much reality and
some much missed sewing
is helping me escape...

whatever it is i do like the bold black and white of this one
and will be sending her over to "the little shop"
real soon...
when i was last over delivering
stock the owner said
"it's so amazing how you really "look" like the dolls you make"
well i do take that as a very big compliment...
but i hadn't taken much notice
but now thinking about it
i think i like to do the dolls the way i would love to look
the colours i like, or the hair style i can only dream of
not to mention the perfectly youthful skin...
(that would be a big bonus to have now)
but what it boils down to is
i just love making them...

yes i think it is called escapism..
got to love it!

A bit of a rush

For a bit of a SUGAR RUSH

pop over to my sisters web site
and checkout the new trends for
wedding cakes and cookie favours...
yum...

Want list

As the new season approaches
i have another fashion crisis...
What am i going to wear this season!!!
yes now I'm over 40
i can't really be wearing "that"
i say to myself...
but after a few good late night DVDs
i have decided that
black and a touch of cream
will be my new season wardrobe
yes i still would prefer
those darling outfits
from pride and prejudice
but like that will ever happen...
so after a bit of hunting i found a few items
that are within price range
and sort of not to hard to track down....This is a Sussan's top

this outfit is a bit out of my league
but i liked the colour combo
and is just for inspiration...

this top is from Katie's...
and might look nice on...

but the all-time pic are these shoes
they are from Mather's
and even thou i am truly hopeless
with shoes
(as no shoe fits my feet quite right)
and every season i have to buy one pair
of Colorado's and wear them till they fall apart
i will have to find a pair in store and at least try them on...
i owe it to them to give them a chance!!!

now all i have to do is save up...

adventuring part 2

I really tend to forget
that these beautiful, amazing places
are right at our doorstep...
so for our Monday drive...
(we can't get away on weekends)
we hop in the car and drive, drive, drive...
as we are making our way around several winding dirt tracks...
my husband informs me that "the old blokes"
say that there is a white magpie
that lives around the next bend...
and can you believe our luck
there it is sitting on the fence on the very corner...
as we slow to a stop i whip the camera out
and of course it jumps from it's perch
but still in sight and zoom then snap
we get a pic of the very bird...
it doesn't look like a old bird and we think there must be
a family of them that nest in that very area
that some come out as "white"
still we are certain this is a very rare site...

we get to our destination...
Wallerbadah rock...
the second largest monolithic rock in Australia
Ayres rock being the largest of course...
you can't drive any closer than this as there are locked gates etc...
but it was amazing to see...
and really a stones throw away from home...

so what will our next Leyland adventure be...
well we will have to wait till our next "Monday drive"

now on another exciting note...
Betty jo
just messaged me with great news...
she spotted my "auntycookie" doll
here on CUTEABLE
Amazing i can hardly believe it...
and still in shock that they picked my picture
of her for their site...
a big thankyou to cuteable...

fallen

where to start...
yes i had fallen off the blogging wagon

yes i did have good reasons
and no i really don't need everyone feeling sorry for me
so without further ado
SORRY from the bottom of my heart...

and after absolutely no sewing for nearly a month
i picked myself up
and decided to make something...

over my sewing absents i did get a e-mail from
AUNTYCOOKIE
about a new section she was going
to add to her web site
featuring stuff made from her material...
so back to the drawing board i went
and came up with a new version
of the doll i made last time...

she is very different as all of her attire comes off
even the hoody hat...
she does look rather freaky unrobed thou...

i cut out some "real" socks for her out of a odd sock
i had and her cute little shoes
and apron are in "cookie"fabric...

hopefully this new dolly will spur me onto
many a project
and there will be more sewing happening...

and less
other stuff...

adventuring

last week we decided to get out of town
and just go adventuring for the day...
we called at a great mural that friend and local artist
"Fran" had completed at a nearby town...
Fran and her friend Charlotte do the most
amazing things with tin and iron...
and often have exhibitions in country towns
and in Sydney...
while not a great photo as the weather was overcast
it really is very detailed and amazing up close...

then we drove on...

we decided to take a hike to my husbands brothers
"retreat" and even though we knew roughly the way
it was hard not to get lost...
everything had just grown so much
and it had been a very, very long time
since we have been there...

luckily the river was pretty low
and we were able to get through...

now was it right or left at the piano?
my husband said to get out and look for
tyre marks....yer right!!!
i promptly said
"do i ask the brown snake on the right path
or the black snake on the left"

we decided that we were better of asking
"Skippy"

Maroon and Monsoon

well it was probably just coincidence
but as i checked my e- mail messages
and then my snail mail
two things happened...
one was a great comment
and the next was a wonderful
"cheer me up" gift...
both from the ever thoughtful and sweet curlypops...
so either coincidence or the greater powers to be
i knew i had to get to the machine
and sew, sew, sew...
and create...

so here is the divine "Maroon"
and her uni-corn "Monsoon"

many an adventure they will have...

thanks cam....for everything...

art-uni-type

now as usual I'm a tad stuck with options
for this new funky sister...
as i don't see her as the horse riding sort...
i see her more as the uni-art student type...
and a pony will just not do...
so i tried really hard to do a scooter...
yes a vespa would be appropriate but
that's really beyond me so i though a scooter would be a
cool accessory...
but that's when things just didn't work out...
you see a scooter does not balance like a "hobby horse" does
and no matter how hard i tried
it was by no means going to hold her upright,
even when i tried sewing her arm to the handle bars...
so it's back to the drawing board...

so if any clever bloggers out there can possible think of
an alternative to the "hobby horse"
it would be very much appreciated...

and hopefully we will have some clearer weather in the next
couple of days so i can take a few
better pics....
the flashy inside shots really
doesn't do the poor girl justice...

***and you know a girl likes to look her best***

Great idea

i really don't know where to start ...

I'm on one hand overjoyed that my
very close friend who lives in
bendigo is safe...
the fire got to the end of her street...
but they are all safe and well...
and this is such a relief, i couldn't
bare to loss her or any of her family...
but i feel sick and useless
every time i look at the news...
knowing that it will take so long for the families
who have lost so much to rebuild
and try to have a normal life...

as the pic above suggests
handmade help
is a crown of a idea...great auctions and updates...
and a great place to go and list a item or purchase
something to help the people that need it the most...

make a long with mike

meet me at mikes
are having a felt-a-long...
this month...
and seeing as though i did
felt one of my old jumpers last week...
i thought why not...
and a big thanks to curlypops for passing on the great idea..
there is a flickr group
where you can upload your picks onto...
and the one with the most votes wins a voucher...
i finished the second one tonight
so you have to see both in a "flashy shot"
so hopefully i will have a better "pair" pick
tomorrow and will post it on flickr...
don't know why i though of making
wristlets in 40 degree heat...
but they will be great once winter comes along...

cheery

after really hating the thought of wearing
another black top to work tonight...
i decided at 3 pm that i would whip up
something from the "bright" material i had left
from the bag i had made...
now as a might have mentioned i hate
making myself clothes as they always look
handmade (not in a good way)...
and i did nearly give up with this
number as a tried it on and it looked
all smock toppy...
but back to the machine i when and
added a band around the bust
and threaded through another tie
and yeah!!!
it worked...
i had enough time to make a quick headband
and the guys thought it look very "cheery"
i think that was a complement...
i could get the hang of this clothes making thing yet...

princess ballerina

WOW don't you just LOVE mail

a huge thank you to sarah-jo from ideyspidey
this amazing tu-tu is gorgeous
and "little miss"
thinks she is now a "proper" ballerina...

on the home front...

my sewing room
is in the hottest part of the cottage
and there is no sewing going on for now...

also the kitchen
so there is no cooking happening either
well that's my excuse for take-out tonight
and I'm sticking to it...

on the pub front

business is slow
very slow
i hate to say...
and unless a miracle happens soon...
we can kiss 6 years of hard work goodbye...
and it's not just the recession
it's a combination of lots of things
that are happening to country towns
right across the state...
i could write for hours about it...
but i really can't see the point of whinging...
I'm a bit beyond that point...

by the way please check out sketch
she has the most divine totally amazing
lino print of a vw beetle...
if there is anyone in your family
that loves vw's and
(usually there are some in every family)
her cushion with this print on it is a
absolute must....
check it out now...

20...

Hip Hip Horray
"oldest and dearest"
was 20...the other day

He is now the same age i was when
i had him...
20 years have flown by
and i miss them all...