Can you tell....

...that my sister used to work in marketing? Jade and I re-opened the Beckybean shop last Monday, and since then I've done nothing. No blog post, no forum postings.... NUDDA! I hadn't even told Matt.

Thank goodness Jade is on the job! Not only that, but she also got one of the bags she made onto the front page of Etsy.


What the?!!!! SUCH a little sister thing to do.....humphhhh.....(can you tell I'm the 'hard-done-by' older sister who struggled as a teenager to be allowed to go out at night with my friends just once a month, then when my little sister gets to the same age she goes out every weekend? Yep, I've got oldest child syndrome. I own it.) Although technically that is me in the photo, so I will tell myself that my super professional modeling skills contributed to the achievement...right?

Ok, so I'm surly AND I'm slack. I've got a meme to do (Lin I will do it this week I promise!!!), I've got things to show and tell (haven't even posted about my wonderful birthday - although, actually Jade did post about that too, so maybe I can skip that one in my desperate attempt to catch up). Oh, and all my Pay-It-Forwards went out last week (only 4 months before the deadline....sorry everyone, I'm sure you all thought I'd forgotten about it my now!) and they should be received any day now, so I'll have some of that to show you soon too!!

Until then, I'll leave you with a picture of what I HAVE been remembering to do. And that is take some time to smell the roses.


Or the 'rosy tea' as Dorothy the Dinosaur would say.

Cheers Bigears,
XX

'Girly girl' sewing

I've been having fun sewing lots of kid stuff lately.


Haven't finished the 'boyish boy' sewing yet, but have completed a couple of 'girly girl' things.


An apron and quilted pot-holder for a niece's 2nd birthday.


She received a gorgeous big wooden kitchen for Christmas from Santa, so I am hoping these might get some use (I also included a rolling pin, some cookie cutters, and a sweet little tin teapot).


A little dress for Kate that I actually cut out while I was away on holidays, but didn't get around to finishing until now. It was a vintage pattern in size two, and was actually meant to be a straight 'A-line' dress. However it seems that the 'size 2' referred to a size 2 giant. Not a wee little two and a half year old. So I decided it just needed a little cinching at the waist. The vintage pink buckle on the belt was one I picked up when shopping with Sherrin in Fitzroy. It's from a gorgeous vintage clothing/accessories shop called Circa. Highly recommended (their collection of buckles, brooches and dress clips was quite delicious)!!

Thank goodness it passed the dancing test!!!

Hope you are having a great start to the year. As of Saturday I will be officially closer to 40 than 30. Eeeekkk!!! How on earth did that happen? And why don't I feel grown up yet?

Thankfully I'm still immature enough to pass for a bit younger....he he....

Hello New Year. Nice to meet you!

The start of a new year is such a lovely time. Full of promise. A clean slate. All that. And yet I still haven't said a bloggy goodbye to 2008 yet. I guess there's really no such thing as a completely clean slate - there will always be something on the 'to do' list to be carried over to the next day. Or the next year, as the case may be.

Christmas present from Matt - phone brooch by Betty Jo. Can't tell you how much I LOVE this.

So goodbye 2008. You were great. You were the year I decided to stop thinking and start doing. I have a great habit of thinking myself out of doing things. And last year I just stopped. And great things happened. I met some truly wonderful people, I had fun making stuff. I did my first market and my first exhibition, and got my first bit of media attention. In addition, I had lots of fun with my family, made some great birthday cakes and yummy treats, and had lots of big extended family get-togethers.

And the ending of the year was no disappointment either. During our Melbourne holiday I was lucky to finally meet Sherrin from Starashan in person, and she was every bit as nice, interesting and lovely to talk to in person as she is online. Thank-you Sherrin, I had such a fabulous time wondering around Fitzroy with you. Very cool that I recognised you by the brooch you were wearing, and that you recognised this gorgeous piece of fabric you sent me so long ago.


I totally love the purse I bought from Meet Me at Mikes (by Haruka)


and really, it was so nice to see Mikes in person, when I have been reading about it for so long.


Our Christmas was a fantastic affair with the Melbourne contingent of the extended family, and we even managed a ride on Puffing Billy on New Year's Day.


The weather could have been a little kinder (it was FREEZING) but it was a lovely day out.


And I was SO glad that it was me who was the designated driver at the New Year's Eve BBQ we attended the night before (even though at the time I was not so happy about it). Somehow I think riding on a stinky steam train in the freezing cold with a hangover might have been a less than smashing experience!

Lastly, I'm leave you my favourite pic of the holidays. Taken on Christmas day. Kate in one of the many dress-up costumes she received, and desperately trying to ride her older cousin's bike.....of course she had to ride it...it had streamers, and it was PINK!!!


Looking forward now to settling into the new year. It will be a whole new world with Lee starting Kindy, BrisStyle really starting to happen, and (hopefully) my sister joining me in my bag making adventures. Whheeeee what fun. Bring it on!