New Listing in my Etsy shop today

Worn singularly or as a set - these gorgeous ivory camellia's are perfect for weddings or special occasions! Know anyone getting married?

Friday favourites - Moda

I'm a bit slow it seems, as I didn't discover Moda's fabulous blog with so many awesome tutorials till recently!!! They even give you printer friendly versions (note to self - "GOLD"). They also have a flickr pool where you can upload your completed Moda projects. There are so many great little online communities for sewers, new and experienced alike. Another is SewMamaSew where you can get the skinny on pattern reviews and help out your fellow sewers! Nice.

In Bloom - Keeping Flowers Fresh

One of the tricks to keeping flowers fresh is buying them as fresh as possible, clean water/vessel and trimming the stems.

1. Just like visiting the farmers market to get the freshest produce available, treat flowers in the same way and try and reduce the storage/handling time they have endured before eventually hitting a vase near you!
   
2. Clean your vases regularly or before use, you can use bleach to kill bacteria but bicarb, Enjo cloth etc.. would be more environmentally friendly.
   
3. Trimming the stems on an angle gives them a bigger chance of water intake and using a florists knife is ultimately better than scissors (large pocket/paring knife might do the trick). Scissors pinch the stems which reduces water intake - but use what you have!
4. A teaspoon of sugar not only helps the medicine go down, but it can help prolong flower life too!

These are all simple things, yet you would be surprised how little care flowers get then everyone whines because they don't last as long! Enjoy your fresh cut flowers for longer.

MACRO Monday

MMMmmm, so proud of Friday afternoon's efforts! I made these from scratch. The pastry tasted soooo good. They are Donna Hay's - Pear and Rhubarb pies. Very sweet! They are on page 160 of the Modern Classics Book 2 if you are interested.

I hope you had a sweet weekend, we did - spent half of it in Canberra the other half in Sydney! Gordon has a conference in town, so I am enjoying a few days with my folks and little (almost bigger than me) brother.

Friday favourites - Swarovski crystals

Mmm, crystals...... Swarovski are lurvely and how fabulous is this cuff (for a mere $610)!!!!!! I would never take it off. I have started using Swarovski's in some of my organza work - they really enhance the quality of a piece. I didn't know they made pearls either, but they do... sure beats the faux pearls I have used in the past. I actually have my Nana's Oroton clutch purse that looks like this cuff but much bigger and sparklier - when I take it out, it is the subject of much bag envy :-) I'll post a photo sometime soon. And I have been on a run of lovely new flower designs too.... more of that soon.

My lastest flower

I spent last night running around to and from the hospital instead of writing and sewing as I had intended. My poor hubby did his leg some damage in a sporting accident in his lunch hour. Thank goodness for lovely neighbours, one of mine came to mind Anya while I went to pick him up last night. Nothing is broken but he is on crutches and has badly bruised some muscle.....in the meantime I wanted to share the flower I made yesterday in Anya's sleep time! It took 1.5hours to make! It's about the size of a mobile phone, fits in the palm of my hand - but pretty don't you think? I think it would make a lovely hairpin, hairband, brooch, velvet ribbon belt accessory etc... It's made from pale pink crystal organza.

Jerry Maguire moment....

I had a bit of a Jerry Maguire moment on the weekend, well... sort of... I didn't scream, "show me the money" or tell my husband he completes me....but I had a big think about why I have my blog!! My reasons have changed over time but the main conclusion I came too was that I love to share information, a bit of what I do and my life. What I don't want my blog to be, is purely about my little enterprises! I thought about what I have to offer and share, apart from the cool photos I find on the net and things I make... Floristry and Event Management are my thing, along with crafting and Motherhood... So apart from my current Macro Monday and Friday Favourite posts I hope to share tips and tricks from my industries and give you a more interesting read. They may only be once a week or fortnightly posts, but quality over quantity don't you think! Ahhh, that feels better!

(The first and last time you will see a Photo of Tom Cruise on my blog!)

MACRO Monday - river grass

Last Sunday we put our explorer caps on and went for an adventure to see some local sights. We discovered Coppins Crossing about half an hour or so out of North West Canberra. These pics are taken at the Molonglo river. Anya learnt to skip stones in the river and LOVED every minute of it. I am holding on tight to her little hands as she loves to jump - even in precarious places! I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Grace Designs now on Madeit.com.au

I decided it was time to appeal to the wider Aussie audience and support our economy by opening a Madeit store! My shop name is Grace Designs. I have only listed a few things to start with... but please drop by if you are happier to shop with the Aussie dollar, although the prices will be similar to my Etsy store! Happy shopping!!
{image - Amanda Keeys Photography}

New in my ETSY shop - Black linen doily headband

New in my Etsy store today, this gorgeous headband with doiley trim, just like Grandma's!

Friday favourites - Kikki K

I think I have mentioned once or twice that I can get lost in Stationery shops as well as material/haberdashery shops... Well Swedish shop - Kikki K is one of my absolute favourites. I love the block colours, the organisational sections and just about EVERYTHING in her shop is my style. I love her Birthday and Anniversary book and have bought many gifts there. They have just launched a monthly magazine: "Learn the latest in trends, how to organise your life, home and office and get lost in the wide world of kikki.K".

Grace Designs on Handmade in Bloom postcard

Recognise any of these images on the new postcard for the next market? Yay - it's my hot pink present topper down the bottom under Vicki's (Rockstars and Royalty) gorgeous gown! I'm thrilled :-)

Childhood wallpaper #2

This is another image from my childhood wallpaper. I love these old 70's images... so Holly Hobby. I am wondering what to do with the remainder of the roll???

Headband winner

Here is a very CUTE photo of Kim's very cute daughter wearing the winning headband, the band seem to suit all ages and sizes! Kim has a lovely blog called, All Things Mum - another sewing mama, nice :-)

Shabby Rosette Brooch

A birthday present for a friend... she is road testing it for me. I have done some of these shabby rosettes on headbands and clips for the markets too. I love the fraying edges.

MACRO Monday

What a happy photo for a Monday morning, bright and cheery. Another photo from my Canberra Botanical Gardens shoot in January. We had a lovely weekend, full of family, rest, fun and creativity. I hope yours was too! I was thrilled to reach double figures in my Etsy store sales too! 10 sales on Etsy - yay :-) It doesn't take much to make me happy.

Friday favourites - Concrete and Honey blog

One of my favourite blogs for beautiful images is Concrete and Honey. The blog is overflowing with lots of lovely white, pastel, french inspired beauty... and I of course am drawn to the gorgeous flowers too. Concrete and Honey has just opened an Etsy store too so pop on over and have a look at her lovely postcards for sale. I blogged about the lovely image - bottom left in the above photo - a while back.

Vintage sewing patterns #3

It's been a while since I posted some of my cool old patterns... here are some more I would love to make... My favourite is the Butterick pattern at the top, the striped dress on the right is practically my bridesmaid dresses. They were V front and back which I love. These hair styles are doing the rounds again now too!

Moda & Amy Butler fabric

Last Friday I went to the Addicted to Fabric bag lady sale! It was 25% off if you are on their mailing list and then the sale continues over the weekend for 20% off all fabrics. How excited was I to get there and grab a bargain. It was still not cheap for 4m of fabric but all for a good cause - my sewing projects!! I had budgeted for it too (which makes our finance minister, aka husband - happy). The Moda fabric up top will be a skirt for me, using the Amy Butler A-line Barcelona skirt pattern and the Amy Butler fabric will be either a few cushions or the beautiful Gum drop pillow! Can't wait to get started.

Grace Designs on Facebook

I thought I may as well make the most of the social networking tools we have available and utilize Facebook! So, come and join me on facebook and become a fan! If you have purchased from Grace Designs you are welcome to do a product review and let other potential customers know how you found your unique piece or post a photo. I look forward to seeing you there :-)

New in my ETSY shop - hair accessories

New headbands in my Etsy store

MACRO Monday - silver ring

I love this ring - I was lucky enough to claim it at a clothes swap a while back... it looks like a Mexican hat on my finger :-) One of my favourite Etsian's is Elizabeth Scott. She makes lovely botanical inspired jewellery - who wouldn't love that combo. I bought a pair of earrings for a friend's 30th last year and she wears them all the time. Lovely stuff!

Friday favourites - Chris Nicholls

My cousin put me onto the amazing work of photographer, Chris Nicholls.... these garments and flowers are pretty darn impressive.... from the fashion series entitled English Rose!!!
{images - Chris Nicholls}

Anna Walker - I love my Mum

How adorable is this!! I love Anna Walker books, so gorgeous - I have often bought them as baby gifts. This limited addition print is from her book, "I Love My Mum" it's called Butterflies. For more details on where to purchase or go to Magnolia Square market this weekend in Sydney.... be sure to visit Posie Patchwork stall if you do and tell Jen I sent you!

A little rose bud...

For my friend's daughter... I've done a few clips like this too for market, cute.

Ziggy - Sock and Glove... getting some love

Ziggy is getting some well deserved love from his owner! Big smooches, all teeth... mmmm