Love is in the air - engagement invitations

Some dear friends in Brisbane are having an engagement party soon and sent out these stunning invitations! Unfortunately we won't be flying up for it but will make it to the wedding later in the year :-)



I have to take some credit for supplying the idea I saw on the fabulous Melbourne blog, Eat Drink Chic :-) But I can't take any credit for creating them! Hannah was lucky enough to have a very patient sister Rachel to make the hearts for her and Phil even joined in on the action by sewing up the felt pouches! Good man :-)



I think you would agree the colours they chose are fabulous, I love the Grey felt with the yellow. Colin Cowie has a saying about a great start to an event is making a big impression within the first 5 minutes of guests arriving but I think it also starts with the invites, don't you. This is sure to be a wonderful celebration!

Childrens Birthday Party themes - Pirates!

The very clever and oh so lovely children's author - Tania McCartney is a bit of a party throwing champion and I had to share her son's Pirate themed birthday party with you! When we have girls we tend to lean towards all things girly - it makes sense... but I thought this was a great theme to share for the boys! (and could be re-invented for girls, "Elizabeth Swan style")

No details are missed from the cool treasure hunt invites - to the decorations and the fabulous themed food!



How cool is that cake!





I hope you enjoy these ideas from Tania, she has more photos on her blog and a whole list of themed birthdays for your viewing pleasure!

Handmade Market wrap up...

Lots of lovely stallholders with beautiful things made yesterday's Handmade Market quite the drool fest. I was pretty restrained and even though I didn't have a stall this time I was still busy for most of the day and only did a spot of shopping right at the end. I purchased a few lovely items from my two biggest LOVES... stationery and fabric!

Some lovely babushka fabric from Retro Mummy (note this is not my market stash :)



A lovely card from the lovely Claire of Schmooks (top picture)

A gorgeous piece of fabric from Third Bird to go towards my 'Australian screen printed fabric' patchwork cover for my big floor cushion.



and last but not least a beautiful card from Poppy Letter Press - of which I would love to have bought her entire range!! I am actually going to frame this one. I saw some beautiful big white frames with white mats at freedom perfect for this size card! Of course it is green and has a botanical theme!!!



See I told you I was restrained!! I now have one month until baby #2 makes an appearance... The next milestone is Shop Handmade opening in approximately two weeks!! How exciting - it is all making this pregnancy whiz past rather fast :-)

Friday favourites - Tartelette

I found this devine blog called Tartelette which features a gazillion amazing recipes and most of them SWEET - which I love.... how divine is this photo - well since Helen is a food photographer/stylist and French Pastry chef - it is no surprise really!!! The images make your mouth water. I quite like whipping out my macro lense to photograph food - especially when it is something I have made etc... Although some of my favourite macro photos I have taken are of fruit! This blog will be going straight to google reader!

{image used with permission}

My Creative Space - Handstamped cards

I always include a handwritten note with my etsy or madeit sales and love this little print from Lena Corwin's book, "Printing by hand". Sadly, I haven't used the book much but it was well worth it and there are many projects on my 'to do' list! This is one pattern of hers I have used over and over though.




I made the stamp from adhesive foam from the $2 shop on a block of wood and used acrylic paints to stamp my cards, not ink. I would probably use two layers of foam next time to make the stamp sit higher off the block! I also used this print on a little bag a while back.



What is everyone else up to today?

Chandeliers #7 - for the nursery

How adorable is this little chandelier to add some bling and class to your nursery :-) Some more amazing photos of Jenny's daughters bedroom here. Another amazing photographer that captures children beautifully! I love the idea of incorporating a birthday cake into the photo shoot - a winning combo I think! (You'll have to check out her site to see what I am talking about!)

{Photo Jenny Collier - used with permission}

Vintage Sewing Patterns

I have such a big bag of 'reject' patterns from my sister's mother-in-law that I inherited. I was going to sell them on e bay or something... It will be a job to do before we move! I of course kept all the cool ones, like these pictured! My sister has a massive bag of rejects also... and she doesn't really sew! Some patterns I kept just because they made me laugh - like the knitting patterns for men - such bad photos! This bottom Butterick pattern is very Jackie O inspired I think!

Dreaming of having my body back

I am really not carrying as big with this baby as I did with Anya but all the same I am looking forward to being back in my normal clothes!!! So I went window shopping on Anthro! I am not really one for patterns and I like to feel comfy.... there is a big lean toward casual here....





and then something for date night somewhere nice....

Patchwork Easter Egg tutorial

There is a very cute tutorial on how to make Patchwork Easter Eggs by Purl Bee. Easily something the kids could help with... even if it is just decorating the fabric before and after! A nice weekend activity and something lovely to make that doesn't involve Chocolate! I thought I would get in early as Easter will be here before we know it! I also got some cute easter cookie cutters to make some biscuits with Anya! We might try and get a bit more creative with icing this time...

My Creative Space - For the love of felt

I LOVE fresh 'new' items in multicoloured bundles, think: pencils, paper, paints and my newly acquired wool felt! I have banned myself from buying new supplies until after we move, after the baby and when I get back into the swing of things.... yada yada.... but I did get a small bundle of 12 new colours in a wool blend to play with! It is a lot thinner than acrylic but I do love natural fibres and feel guilty using the nasty stuff, it's also more expensive of course but that's the reality of using the real deal!



We also made these at playgroup - cupcake wrappers and foam hearts threaded onto wool with those plastic kiddie needles :-) They could make nice little easter garlands in shades of yellow!

Oh and if you are feeling peckish - I have a recipe for some killer biscuits - Greek Almond.... mmmm.... *mouth watering*

More creative spaces here....

Tips for Craft Market Stall Holders

Definitely not an exhaustive list but some food for thought....

• Have business cards and make them easy to find on your stall.

• Professional presentation is always encouraged as stall holders are a reflection on the market you attend! (i.e. iron your tablecloths people)

• Signage is key to people knowing who you are, finding your stall, branding recognition and overall presentation.

• Signage is even more effective when people can see it! Get creative - 'height' is key. Signage on your table gets lost the minute you have a couple of customers stand in front of it.

• *TIP* - Pop up banners are the best for indoors - the Banner shop do a very cheap X banner for $49. These type of banners aren't suited for outdoors - you are better getting a vinyl sign with eyelets so you can attach with a rope or making your own!
  

• Less is more on print material - use one brilliant image with your logo/business name at the top.

• Why not entice shoppers with a bowl of lollies etc.. Make sure it is seasonal, i.e. not likely to melt or a wrapped lolly that can't be smudged all over your product!!

• A very clever marketing tool I saw recently was 'branded' fans in Summer - it was a very HOT day and everyone was walking around advertising for this particular stall holder - SMART! People were driven to the stall to get a fan... and while they were there....

• It is hard competing with fellow stall-holders for business when you have a similar product. Try and think outside the box with the way you display your items. Again, sometimes simplicity is the key...

• Have an emergency box packed with things like, BABY wipes (for you and all that dirty money you are handling), panadol, WATER, snacks, business cars, blue tak, pins for your tablecloth etc...

• A simple notebook & pen can be a great way to capture people's comments, what is your hottest product that day, what have people asked for that you don't have, potential sales to follow up on.

• Be nice to your neighbours and stick to the space you have been allocated.
  

• If you are feeling a little disgruntled with the organisers, it's best not to complain to your neighbours nor customers - the crafting community is very small and there are such things as secret shoppers :-)

• Look interested!!! Looking bored isn't very appealing to customers and please don't bring the paper or a book to read!

• A chair is handy but only on your break or for your helper.

• Everyone loves a friendly stall-holder as long as you let them peruse your stall comfortably - they are more likely to make a purchase if you aren't watching them like a hawk or looking like a desperate 'rabbit in the spotlight - dying for a sale'.

• Most of all have fun, try and visit some other stalls - you never know you could make a few friends and score some fabulous market loot yourself!

I collated this post for the Handmade Market blog ages ago and realised I didn't ever publish it on my own blog - so here it is!

Dessert Bar - Baking and Cake Decorating Suppliers

{image}

After waking from yesterday's sugar coma, I still had sugary goodness on the brain and felt inclined to share a couple of great Australian suppliers I have found on-line. One is Little Betsy Baker who I have blogged about previously and recently I discovered another called Baking Pleasures. They cross-over a little in supplies but do have different things.

Some supplies you can pick up from Baking Pleasures to make your dessert bar shine for any special occasion:



Cupcake wrappers


Stencils




Cookie texture sets


Cupcake toppers - If you want to just ice your cupcake and pop something ready made on top these perfect!

Get inspired for your next birthday party, kitchen tea or baby shower! The boys don't miss out there are all sorts of goodies for them too!

Baby Shower - Ice Cream Buffet

My lovely friend Jordan from Polkadot Prints created this gorgeous Ice Cream Sundae Buffet for her sister's baby shower! Jordan is a talented Graphic Designer/Full-time Mum/all round nice gal - whose lovely designs can now be purchased in her new shop! How good does this look!!!! I personally LOVE the pink bottles of drink :-)



These dessert bars are only going to get more and more popular here in Australia! If you think this looks all too-hard, then you can purchase Jordan's party packages to start with, then all you have to do is buy your sugary loot and off you go! But there is no reason you can't include plenty of healthy fruit and wholesome goodness too!





Jordan includes her supplier information on part two of her baby shower post! Enjoy dreaming up some lovely celebration ideas of your own!

Monday Musings - bake-a-thon

I was in a baking mood over the weekend and made Greek Almond biscuits for the first time (pic below)! They were easy and DELICIOUS! I also made Meringues / Mini Pavlova's! Mmmm

I was feeling quite tired after two big nights of a completely manic shopping frenzy with 30 or so women! Not in person... but on my Grace Designs Facebook page! I had quite a bit of market stock and samples to 'move' - so I held a Facebook - End of Summer Sale! It was not my original idea but was very successful and I am thrilled with the outcome. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the friendly banter and the whole community feel that went on in those few hours - I think everyone else did too. It was meant to be for just two hours on Thurs night but that night we went for 3 and the following night for another 2hrs. PHEW! Lots of paperwork and posting to do now!

I will write a post on the whole experience another time... In the meantime enjoy the Greek Almond Biscuit recipe!



Greek Almond Biscuits

• 3 cups almond meal (375g)
• 1 cup caster sugar (220g)
• 3 drops of almond essence
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup flaked almonds (80g)

1. Pre-heat oven - moderate 180 degrees
2. Combine almond meal, sugar and essence in large bowl. Add add whites and stir until mixtures forms a firm paste.
3. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into the flaked almonds, then roll into 8cm longs (approx size of your pointer finger)
4. Press on the remaining almonds. Shape logs to form crescents.
5. Place on baking-paper-lined oven trays, bake in mod oven for 15 mins or until lightly browned.
6. Cool on trays, makes 25.

Recipe - Women's Weekly: Cafe Cakes

More Fabulous Finds - Doug Up On Bourke

A few more of my favourites from Doug Up On Bourke but a few more in metal this time. This really is my new favourite shop!



I have a thing for cabinets - have you noticed?





Either of these would look cool just inside the doorway of my new place - somewhere to put your keys and mail and telephone!





These are just cool!





Ahhh dreaming of lovely pieces to fill a truck! I enquired about a rough price on cabinets and they got back to me straight away and also recommended I come and look as they have too much to put on the website! *giddy* I have often whinged about Australia's lack of proper vintage / flea market shopping opportunities - but I think these guys have satisfied my cravings.

My Creative Space - one project finishes another begins

I am so pleased with the end result of my cushion! My husband thinks it looks 'expensive' - I don't know who was more proud of me finishing this project, me or him??

My new cushion was the same size as the one behind it (with the lovely Ink & Spindle fabric) but I just pulled some stuffing out of the insert to make it fit my cover!! The original creator of this technique, Dorie from Tumbling blocks was kind enough to send me a link to a envelope pillow tutorial which I ended up using. I also lined the linen with Calico and it is nice and firm now.



Now to concentrate on a few things for my etsy store - these flowers are turning into these bands below! How cute is little Zoe!!! Speaking of headbands - I am having a little sale on Facebook tonight to try and move some Handmade Market stock as I am moving in a few months and having baby number #2 late April etc.... etc... so come along and grab a bargain!!


{image - Amanda Keeys}

More creative spaces here....