Bubbles, balloons and a bit of chafing...

The BrisStyle Indie Mother and Child Market was heaps of fun. And my faerie wanderings were also lots of fun. A crackin' day. Happy kids. Lots and lots of lovely handmade goodies. What else could one ask for on an Autumnal Saturday in Brisneyland!!

 

So I wandered, I blew bubbles at happy toddlers who waved their arms in the air, gave balloons to kids who were sometimes torn between wanting one and not wanting to be approached by a grown-up who looked like they'd got caught in the fairy floss machine; and generally chatted, gave out flyers, and made sure everyone knew about all the extra special things happening on the day (my kids LOVED the badge/pocket mirror making by Red Seed Studio, and the colouring-in competition).

I must also say that the face-painters who were there on the day (Wowee Creations - I can't not give them a plug, I was so impressed with their work) were just fantastic. Having a school-age kid myself I have been witness to a lot of very very average face-painting, so was super-happy to see the amazing professional designs that were being pumped out on the day.

I even indulged myself with some pretty stars!!!

And of course it would be so wrong for the kids to have mum dress up for the day and not dress up themselves. So I made Kate a matching fairy dress-up and Lee donned his 'King' costume, and we all hammed it up as we paraded around the market, trailing a stream of rainbow bubbles in our wake. So much fun! 

And surely no mother and child market is complete without a snow cone. I must say, at the end of the day (when the chafing from the wings and the pinching of my shoes was becoming more difficult to ignore) the sour grape snow cone was a yummy and welcome relief.

For more pics of all the amazing stalls and general market pics, visit the BrisStyle blog for their market wrap-up post. And a fairy good day to you all :)

...and I will wander everywhere...

 

Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough briar,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,

 I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
 

             

  I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits, I'll be gone; 

My queen and all her elves come here anon! 

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Fairy, Scene I

Yes, only seven days until I go a-wandering. As a Faerie. As you do!

I'm currently putting together a costume for the BrisStyle Indie Mother and Child market (next Saturday 8 May). I won't have a stall, but I will be there as the wandering BrisStyle Faerie, handing out balloons, flyers, blowing bubbles, and taking care of the colouring-in table (if you're bringing kiddies make sure you get them to enter the colouring-in competition - there's $25.00 Etsy Vouchers to be won!!!).

I will also be making sure everyone knows about the face-painting, the fairy-floss, the badge-making, the snow-cones, and all other fun that is to be had by children. After all, this market is just as much about the kids as it is about the mums!
And hey, it's a hard gig - dressing up as a faerie and poncing about all day. But I'm doin' it for the kiddies. No really. I am. Ahem..

I will also have a little sprite come and help me for an hour on the day. I consider her my 'faerie in training'. She has already announced herself as the 'Faerie Bubbleblower'. Of course I have made her a  woodland faerie head wreath to match my own.

They are super fun to make - if you want to give it a try I suggest you check out this great 'floral head wreath tutorial', or follow these 'head wreath' instructions. However although I did check these out I actually did mine kinda different. In a 'no rules' freeform kinda fashion just using what I already had around. Because being a faerie is all about embracing the random chaotic-ness of nature and creativity. And well, I'm just not that good at following rules anyway...

....oh,  and when I grow up, I want to live in this lady's world. If you're not sure whether you can be bothered clicking the link to check it out let me whet your appetite with a sneak peak of just one of her stunning creations (which has provided me with the inspiration for the making of my own faerie costume....on a much smaller scale and budget obviously :)

I'll be back to post an update of the finished costume. Until then, be well human mortals...

Starry starry night

Well I hope it is a nice starry and balmy Brisbane night tomorrow night, as BrisStyle will be holding its first Twilight market in King George Square in the city!!

I've decided to play it low key and just have a little spot in the Co-op tent, so hopefully I'll get to have a bit of a meander around and soak up all the twinkly atmosphere as I do a wee spot of shopping myself.

The media seems to have really got behind this event, and we've managed to get mentions in some awesome online sites such as Frankie, Yen and Four Thousand. And yours truly also managed to get her mug into the City News with the fabulous Helen (market organiser extraordinaire) as we posed with the Lord Mayor of Brisbane to promote the event.





I think our grins were those of delirium as I was sweating like the preverbial pig and feeling almost light-headed after spending forever setting up a 'pretend' market stall in the middle of King George Square in the middle of the day - sun beating down and surrounded by concrete. "I'm melting! I'm melting!"

So if you're in Brisbane and looking for something to do tomorrow night pop down and say hi - there'll be live jazz, outdoor restaurant eating, and of course all the usual BrisStyle handmade goodness. With added twinkly ambiance :)

Kaleidoscope

 

I've been so enjoying working with bursts of colour at the moment.

Made with collectable vintage fabrics combined with organic hemp canvas and reclaimed textiles, these colour-saturated shoulder bags will be available at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market on Saturday March 6 in Hamilton, Brisbane. 

 

I must admit I will be a little sad to see them go. My colourful friends. I have enjoyed having you hang about the place...

Clickety click

Playing with my new camera and the fun Poladroid program. I love how Poladroid makes even the most mundane photos look all nostalgic and interesting. Also love the cool noises it makes, and the way you can 'shake' your polaroid to make it 'develop' faster. I know. Nerd. Eh, might as well own it.

This little series of photos pretty much sums up what's been happening so far this year (minus the kid spews and phlegm hacking....I thoughtfully chose to not take photos of those cheerful events).

One would like to think this photo describes a bit of lazing on the grass in the sun. Well no. Just me trying out my new camera and hoping I didn't get bitten by ants while sitting there.

 

After tripping over these superheroes I decided to take a photo before doing my 'nana at the kids for leaving their toys all over the floor. They look to me like they're having a 'dance off' - breakdance style.

 Went to the GOMA recently to see the The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Highly recommended. Even Kate loved it!

Don't miss the interactive stuff for kids (and adults!) at the GOMA. It's awesome. 

 Nothing like a workout at the gym to bring on a big cold beer craving. Yep, it's all about healthy living round here...

PS. For anyone who's interested, my new camera is this gorgeous thing:

The Olympus PEN E-P2

It is a digital SLR that is not much bigger than a point and shoot and the shape is based on the traditional rangefinder. Retro goodness with modern capability. I love it!

 

And now in crafty news...

 I am finally starting to prep for the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market in March. It's rushing up waaaayy too quickly. But isn't it always the case?

So I finally finished some little snap purses.

 

I also have a few bags waiting to be put together (note to self - must get out and buy magnetic snaps....I  can SOOOO see myself finishing these the night before the market).

 

It's all vintage fabrics in this particular run of shoulder bags - had an urge to get stuck into the collectables this time. I think I've had many of them long enough now that it didn't hurt too much to cut into them ;)

You can check out the work of the many talented BrisStyle members who will be participating in the Autumn BrisStyle market here. I am sure it will be a hoot, as usual. If you do come down make sure you stop and say hi. Friendly faces and happy people are the best part of being involved in markets :)

Rockin' the 80s & the dress that didn't quit...

Yep, this story starts here, at my 1989 debutante, with 'determined not to smile' pose from me as I endured getting my photo taken. But the story is not about me. It's about 'The Dress'.

Back in 1989, when my friend's mum offered to make my deb dress for me (thank-you Sheila!! And hi Kath :)), I did not head to the one and only sewing shop in town to look for patterns (Bargain Box - are they still around????). Oh no. I went straight to VHS and found my muse in the ever classy and totally classic 'Spaceballs The Movie'. Yep. Here is a picture of the dress that was the inspiration,

and for those may have forgotten the genius that was Spaceballs, here's the great scene where Princess Vespa turns Rambo because someone 'shot her hair'. Gold.







And this what my friend's mum, bless her, had to work with. I gave her the video and said "um...yeah....a dress like that. Please."

So during our Wooli holiday we went to our friend's 40th party. The theme was 1980s Prom. I was lucky that Mum had kept this dress, and I was even luckier that I still fit into it - woo hoo! And now, with the small knowledge I have about sewing, I realise was an amazingly awesome job Sheila did! Even having a close look at the dress, I've now realised that the whole thing was made with a standard sewing machine - no overlocker in evidence! And the finishing is just superb. So much hand-sewing. Amazing!!! Even though I was obviously very thankful to Sheila at the time I think it is a bit of a shame that it has taken me over 20 years to fully appreciate just how lucky I was and how much time must have gone into making the dress.

What is an 80s party without Blue Lagoons. The first ever alcoholic drink I bought in a club. Mmmmm...

Anyway, I definitely appreciated it this time round when I donned my pfouffy meringue-like dress with the V waist and faux-corset, for the 80s party. In fact, not only did I get to feel like a trashy princess (because hey, what's the point of dressing '80s' if you can't trash it up a bit), but apparently I was able to fulfill the '80s Madonna fantasy' that my husband never knew he had. Ha!


I'd like to say that he also fulfilled the 80s bogan fantasty that I never knew I had either, but frankly, that would be a lie...he he....Although I must admit the tight jeans, chucks and aviators were disturbingly appealing...

Lee was of course pumped to be able to go as a transformer - a vintage 80s one of course :P

And Kate looked ridiculously gorgeous with her crimped hair and flashdance outfit!

So I guess there's not much more to say other than 'thanks Sheila' for making the dress, and 'thanks mum', for saving it all these years. I honestly never imagined having the opportunity (or desire) to wear it again, but boy was it fun. And here is a 'before' and 'after' pic of how the dress has stood up over time.

I guess I'll put it back into the trunk now, because who knows - in another 15 years maybe Kate will want to wear it to her debutante....now that would be hellafunny!!!!!

Caffeinated musings

 my Saturday afternoon energy boost

"He was my cream, and I was his coffee -
And when you poured us together, it was something."
~Josephine Baker

Matt makes awesome coffee. He also makes an awesome husband, and last night we sat out on the deck and toasted each other with good red wine and earnest and enthusiastic discussion of the future. 

Things are a-changin'. And they're all good :)

Plastic Girl, you are ace!

I have been a huge fan of Liana Kabel (aka Plastic Girl) since I discovered her work a few years ago. Some people's husbands buy them Tiffany jewellery. My husband buys me Liana Kabel jewellery. Because for starters, her designs are simply gorgeous. They are original and bright and happy, and they are environmentally friendly (think recycled tupperware, vintage knitting needles and reclaimed buttons, sometimes combined with silver for a high-end finish). They are also very recognisable as her work, as she has her own identifiable style, and I like that too. And she is a Brisbane girl. A very nice one as well!

Late last year I was lucky enough to win one of the most generous giveaways going around, when I won the following bounty of amazing Liana Kabel pieces (including a sweet Paperboat Press ceramic Christmas bird decoration).

The necklace was immediately donned that night for my husband's work Christmas party and I felt proud that in a sea of mass-produced adornments I was rocking jewellery that was unique and interesting, with soul and a story.

If you haven't checked out Liana's website then I suggest you put a bit of time aside and have a nice cup of tea and a browse. She has just recently revamped her Etsy shop so lots of lovely new goodies there, and there is also a Big Cartel shop where you can buy in Aussie dollars to (which I will be perusing shortly as I still have my voucher to spend and I certainly do not plan to waste it!).

Well I did mention in a previous post last year that I was probably going to go all fangirl over this and I guess I have. But I'm sure you can see why.

Thank-you Liana - I use the lovely goodies you sent to me all the time, and get so many lovely comments about them.

xxx

Headless no more

The last couple of years I have been mostly a headless wonder on this blog. Now I've decided that a new year should beget new things, and my new bloggy thing will be to cease lopping my own head off all the time. No more chop for me. Of course that's not entirely true, as I have in my new profile pic effectively chopped my whole body off instead.

Oh well, at least it's a change, and a change is as good as a holiday and all that. Probably not as good as my recent beachside Wooli holiday (sucking in views like this every day is pretty hard to beat). But good enough.