Congratultions Christina!!

Well today is the day folks. My, how the weeks are quickly flying by!

I have just fired up the ol' random number generator, and computer says that the winner of the Beckybean Eco Market Tote is...(drumroll.....):

Christina from A little bird told me.

Congratulations Christina!!! If you could send me your address to blog@beckybean.com I will pop your bag in the mail this week!!!

But never fear folks, if you are not the winner here, you might light to check out Jade's blog (assuming you entered the giveaway for her Eco Market Tote there) as Jade has also announced her winner today.

Hope you've had a happy Monday everyone,

XX
Bec

The exciting, and the not so exciting...

OK, first for the exciting. Discovered that one of our new bags have made it into the top 60 nominations for Eco Friendly Items on the Etsy website. Woo Hoo!!!!


Amongst some really great company there, including FIVE other BrisStyle gals (go REread, Ruby2GoGo, Pedrosprout, Art Decadence and Epheriell). And what's really great is that the bag in question is one of our new coffee sack bags (the "Macchiato").


Nice to see one of the new additions to the range going down well. This bag is made from a coffee sack, a reclaimed upholstery remnant, and recycled buttons.


If you would like to cast your vote for your favourite eco-friendly item you can do so HERE. But no pressure to vote for us - Jade and I are just super happy to have one of our bags nominated.

So yay!!! That was the exciting bit (well, exciting for us anyway).

In other not so exciting news, here is my Watcha Wearing Wednesday pic. Boring as all get-up I'm afraid. And a day late. Again. I was so uninspired by my own hastily thrown together outfit I didn't even bother getting off the phone to take the photo. So yeah, this is multi-tasking in action - something I am notoriously bad at (as this blurry photo reveals).


The top is a very lovely hand-me-down from a very lovely friend in Melbourne. The jeans are my comfy old faithfuls, and the shoes are my new favourites. I'm sure that one day I might actually be wearing something interesting for WWW. Even though Wednesdays are often 'around the house' days, I might just have to frock up just so I am not boring myself stupid while taking my own photo!!!

Ok, and if you're even still reading after that mind-numbing waffle, here's a reward. Head on over to the BrisStyle blog, for your chance to win this.


Or these.


The apron is by the irrepressible Louise from Made by Miffy, and the gorgeous brooches are by the equally gorgeous Chris from Little Chrissy. I highly recommend reading their interviews - bright, interesting, inspiring, and very entertaining. And leave a little comment on the blog post for a chance to win (winner is drawn on 25th April).

And that my friends, is that. Thanks for hanging in there :P

XX
Bec

Procrastination skirt!

Problem: One hanging wall pocket to be made for Kindy (a bit tedious and more work than I'd imagined), combined with one bored toddler who missed her big kindy brother.

Solution: Procrastination skirt! Drag out the scrap box, let said toddler pick out all her 'favourites' and turn them into a skirt to wear when we pick big brother up from Kindy.


Rating: A big A+ for a super fast project, and AA+ for the sweetness of a two year old walking around telling everyone that she made her own skirt (and mum helped).

In other sweet and scrappy news, some of my fabric bookmarks have been featured on the Sew Mama Sew website, along with some great fabric bookmark tutorials.


So if you're a bookworm (or know somehow who is) and you're in the mood to whip up a few bookmarks yourself, then check it out. Very fun, and there's something so nice about a special bookmark (great presents for teachers too!).

And speaking of all things schoolish (hello segue) do you remember the rhyme "ladybird ladybird fly away home..."


Well this gorgeous little ladybird has flown all the way to its new home with me. Yay!!! The gorgeous Lola Ladybird came from Lin at Paper Doll blog, as a Valentine giveaway. And I was the lucky lucky winner! Can you believe it!! If you don't already know that I have a thing for ladybirds, then check out the shoes at the bottom of this post!! And if you haven't visited Lin's beautiful blog I strongly suggest you do - it is full of beauty and creativity, and it is a real joy to spend time there!

Lastly, I have been very honored to have receive a Proximidade Award from Little Chrissy. Chrissy is an amazingly creative crafter who makes gorgeous brooches, jewellery and even lovely little booties! Thank-you Chrissy, I am really chuffed that you thought of me for this.


Proximidade is described as follows:

This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

The only problem with this award is that it is supposed to be passed on to only eight people. And I've no idea how I could possibly narrow down my heaving bloglines AND Google subscriptions to my favourite eight!!!! EEEKKKKK!!! I just can't do it. So can I please just urge you to check out some of the blog links in my blog rolls. Have a peek at a blog you've never read before. You just might find something special :)

Secret Santa Elf Business

Yes, I've been giggling madly and working furiously and basically doing an all round impersonation of what I imagine one of Santa's elves to be like. Which is why I've been absent from blogland lately. But now it has all come together, I'd like to bring your attention to:

THE BIGGEST BLOG GIVEAWAY EVER!!!!!

Yes, there's been good reason for being away folks!

The giveaway is being run by BrisStyle, a Brisbane based Etsy Street team that I belong to. And I have been madly collecting goodies, making lists (don't worry, I've been checking them twice) and doing lots of other associated elfy things :P

Basically, as part of a big pre-Christmas promotional exercise, we at BrisStyle have put together 3 huge gift packs of handmade goodies from 17 of our members. Each pack is valued at over US $100, and is chockers full of great gifts including jewellery, softies, accessories, bags and artworks.

So what are you doing here? Get thee to the BrisStyle blog - you may win something very cool, and you'll make me feel like I've been a good little elf :P

Looking forward to taking off my pointy hat off now, and catching up with everyone around the bloggy traps again!

Cheers,
Bec

Gratefulness

Now this post could be huge. Of course there is always so much to be grateful for. But in the spirit of my last two posts I will try and keep it short(ish) and sweet. Firstly, I am once again grateful for the generous spirit of crafty bloggers, and in particular I want to say a HUGE thank-you to Net from Area Thrifty-One. A little while ago Net ran a giveaway on her blog, and the winner was a friend of mine (Ali) who belongs to BrisStyle, the Brisbane Etsy Street Team that we both belong to. When I mentioned to Net how pleased I was that Ali was the winner, she sent through a little pressie for me with Ali's giveaway pack. Isn't this little brooch just too gorgeous. I've been wearing it at every opportunity this weekend, and so far I've discovered it goes just as well with a plain black bonds t-shirt, as it does with a crisp white blouse. Thank-you so much Net - it is such a lovely and thoughtful gift and I really do adore it :)


In other bloggy gratefulness news, I have been very lucky to be honored with the Love Your Blog award from Ingrid of LottieLuLu, and also from Beccasaurus. The idea of passing the award on is kind of stressing me out though, as I have over (ok, well over) 100 blogs in my bloglines, and I really do love reading them all. I also know that many blogs I read have already received this award, and I'm worried about doubling up.....I know. Neurotic. I'm making steps though. I now accept my neuroticness (is that a word!!!) and I'm no longer neurotic about being neurotic :P So let me just say that if I have commented on your blog, then I can guarantee that I love it.

But I will leave you with some cool linky links, as there are some very sweet things going on in Blogland at the moment, and it would be simply remiss of me not to mention them:

• Amanda of Twinkle Star Art is doing another giveaway for one of her gorgeous children's prints. If you have a little boy, or know of one, who is into automobiles, then get ye to Amanda's blog asap. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. I have seen her prints in person and the quality of them is just superb!
  
  

• If you've been reading the Betty Ninja blog over the past 12 months, you will probably, like me, have been in awe of some of her beautiful viewfinder photographs. Not content to be an awesome quilter, sewer, thrifter, crafter and adventure girl, she also takes amazing photos. And she has finally set up an Etsy shop (lost in the woods - isn't that a lovely name!) selling prints of her work. To celebrate, she is currently hosting a giveaway, where you can win not one but three of her gorgeous prints. I think if I don't win I might have to just buy one of her beautifully etherial photos for myself.
  
  
  
• If you'd like to join in a festival of blogging in October, then you may want to consider participating in Blogtoberfest, hosted by Big Cat's Emporium, which involved a post a day for the month of October. Unfortunately I think I am just a little too sporadic in my postings to commit to something so ambitious, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun. The lovely Flossy-P has even produced a little button for it - how cool is that!

Now I'm truly sorry folks. I know I promised short punchy posts....and I tried...I really did....trust me, this could have been heaps heaps longer :P

Back to the land of the living

Well it really feels like Spring has arrived. Not because of the glorious weather, the buzzing of bees, or the birds that now wake us up at 5am each morning (which my husband hates, and I quite like). But after two weeks of horrid sickness, I now feel well and renewed, and bursting with Springtime energy. I want to clean and make and play and bake and I want to do it all NOW!!!!


I feel like I'm pop pop popping, just like these poppies I bought from the markets on the weekend (I love the way they 'pop' out of their hairy pods, and a gorgeous colourful crepe-like flower unfurls....I also love guessing what colour each flower will be before it 'pops' out. Hey is this why they're called 'POPpies'???)

Anyway, so I've been getting in amongst it, firstly with the cleaning, which I am sadly behind in after weeks of just doing the bare minimum. Then on the weekend I had a huge urge to sew something different. Something not for the shop, not for a gift for someone else, not something for the kids, but something for me. And I didn't want to make something I've already made before. I felt like a challenge.


So I went for another mash-up.


Basically, I took a gorgeous piece of $2.00 Op Shop fabric (stiff white seersucker with blue polka dots) and mashed up two patterns to create a dress. I was hoping for something a bit 'Alice in Wonderlandy' with a 50s edge.


I am pretty happy with it actually.


The two patterns I used were Simplicity 4589 (view A) and Simplicity 3835 (view A - the long dress) and they mashed up pretty easily.


I also made a belt from a vintage buckle I had, and wallah! So next time I'm invited to an Alice in Wonderland tea party, I'm good to go.


Maybe Melanie will provide the crockery!!!

I've also had a couple of nice surprises which brightened up my days during my lapse into lurgydom.



I won a wonderful book on how to make wallets from Cass from Snailblazer.


I especially like the ankle wallet. My son would love this - can't wait to give it a try!!!

And I was very generously given a Brillante Weblog award from Shells (Pixie Kisses).


Thanks so much Shells, you write a lovely blog, and I hope you don't mind if I shirk my obligation and simply pass this award onto anyone who is nice enough to be leaving a comment on this blog. I always check out the blogs of people who comment (you should see my heaving bloglines) and I am constantly inspired and humbled by the creativity and insightfulness of craft bloggers. It is what pushes me to be more creative, more grateful, and to find as much happiness as possible in the little things. Thank-you :)

100th post crafty giveaway bonanza!!!

I've always wanted to get the word 'bonanza' into a post title. And now I have. Yay!

So I am joining many other fine people who are having bloggy milestone giveaways at the moment, and am having one of my own. It's funny that I had decided to have a bloggy break when I realised I was about to do my 100th post. So it seems like a good time to stop and reflect on how much blogging has enriched my life. Or rather, how the blogging community has enriched it. So thank-you to anyone who has ever read one of my posts, or has left me a comment. My little break is not a reflection on my lack of appreciation that's for sure. Ok, enough of the sentimental rambling of an overtired crafter. Onto the good stuff. Here's a lowdown of the loot that will go to the lucky winner of this crafty giveaway bonanza (and if you can just say this in a booming echo voice while you read this it would make me really happy :P).


1. A gorgeous vintage apron.


The detail on this little baby is amazing (unlike my ironing skills which are significantly less than amazing - sorry).


2. Six vintage sewing patterns.


The Simplicity patterns top left and bottom right are a women's size 12. The Simplicity pattern bottom left is a women's size 16. The girls' dresses pattern is a size 6, the toddler patterns are a size 3, and the boys' shirt pattern is a 35" chest (and come on, wouldn't a teenage boy just love to wear a homemade shirt like one of these...he he...) Oh, I haven't thoroughly checked that all patterns are intact but they do seem to be, and I have no reason to believe they aren't.


3. Five vintage knitting patterns and one vintage crochet pattern. Check out the ciggies in some of these shots. The dude is doing the 'casual ciggie' hold, and I think the chick is going for a 'sexy sophistication' look. And I'm not even going to comment on the girl doing the crochet, with her little brother holding her wool, and the older brother looking down with interest...yep, moving on...


4. A pack of vintage sheet fat quarters.


5. Some handmade goodies, including a fabric bookmark,


felt rosette brooch, and felt hair clip.

Now as I may have mentioned once or twice, I am now having a bloggy break. So you will have plenty of time to enter. I will do a random draw to determine the winner on Thursday 14th August. To enter, I am actually going to bully you into participating in some market research for me. No don't worry, I'm not going to ask for your phone numbers and ring you during dinner time to ask you to do a quick survey which will only take five minutes but really will take 40mins. No - what I am asking you to do is just to visit my Etsy shop and tell me in the comments here, which is your favourite item. I have committed to doing a market with BrisStyle at Christmas time, and I really have no idea what I should be focussing my efforts on making. Little bags, big bags, girls' bags, boys' bags, brooches, clips, bookmarks.....if you can just copy and paste the name of the item you like best it would really help me to make some decisions. If you could also tell me why that item is your favourite that would be great - but it's not an entry requirement (I know how time consuming commenting is). And you might win a nice prize :P

Thanks again to everyone who reads these posts (especially those who actually make it all the way to the bottom). Many thanks my friends. Be well. XXX Bec

This is...where I'm going, and where I've beanie...

Oh, and a 100th post giveaway announcement!!!. Did I forget to mention that in the title? Sorry, but I can never resist a bad pun title - and I just couldn't work the giveaway in. I'm actually going to do the giveaway in the next post - but seeing as though this post is the big number 100, it seems right that I should mention it here...Anyway, check my next post (coming about 30mins after this one :P) for more info on this.


I'm bundling a few things up into the free-styling this is...theme this week. And I also want to take the opportunity to say thanks to Angela from Three Buttons for hosting, as I'm pulling out for a while. I may return, but I definitely won't be around for next week's...

So back to explaining this title. Firstly. Where I'm going. Well - away for a little bit. Ok, not really away - I guess what I'm really doing is detoxing. From internet overload. With everything so busy at the moment, I am finding that the time I spend on this blog, on Etsy and Flickr, and reading and commenting on other people's blogs, is just becoming excessive. I need to 'cleanse' my personal operating system (so to speak), so I'm going to try limiting my time on the computer to a bit in the morning, and a bit in the evening for a couple of weeks.


So please excuse my absence - I am hoping I will still be able to keep up with reading my bloglines - but I may just lurk more than usual, so please excuse my lack of commenting. And I won't be updating this space for a bit.....well that is the plan anyway. Let's see if I can actually do it - I mean goodness, it's only two weeks I'm aiming for. I am hoping it will give me a little much needed mental space, and help me to focus on actually 'doing' things, rather than reading or writing about them. I'm also hoping to make a bit of a dint in my fabric stash and pump a few things out. I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but it is so hard to find time. After that, I envisage that I will bounce back into cyberspace pumped and ready to start saying hello again :)


Whew, so the second part of the title. Where I've been. In two words - going mad. Well, not really - just busy. Kids' birthdays, Etsy orders, visiting relatives, and the odd bit of knitting has kept me well and truly out of trouble. Remember the gorgeous yarn I bought ages ago? Well I finally did make that beanie, and as it turns out it was really easy and I LOVE it.


Only problem is that it is a bit small for me. But perfect for Lee, and he loves it. For some reason he has decided to call it his 'genie hat' (I have no idea why). Now I just have to make another one, but with bigger needles, and maybe just a few more rows in the middle.

I've also been making brooches and hair clips for the shop (see images above), as they are little things I can do while multitasking (unlike sitting at a sewing machine).

So bye-bye for just a little while (a whole two weeks - I know, I sound pathetic don't I?). And don't forget to check my very next post (which will be immediately following this one) for the giveaway details. I figured it would be much easier if the giveaway had a post of its own. This post is getting well and truly long enough.

Adios amigos

Bec

Space Rocket art print giveaway

How cool does that title sound? Too cool for a giveaway of my own that's for sure - but if you are interested in winning a Space Rocket art print then head on over to the Twinkle Star Art blog to enter (note: the print will not be this exact print shown here - the one you can win is currently a work in progress, and can be seen on Amanda's blog).

Amanda, of Twinkle Star Art, is an amazing artist and illustrator, and is a member of the two Etsy Street Teams I belong to (BrisStyle and DUST) and she is currently running a competition to win a copy of the latest children's art print she is working on. I can personally vouch for the amazing quality of Amanda's work, and she is a lovely person to boot, so head on over and help her out with some ideas. Submissions close on the 31st of July.

Actually, having said that, I'm going to blast off now (he he he - how could I not throw that in?) to try and scrape the murky depths of my own imagination so that I can attempt to submit an idea of my own for the competition....boy would Lee love a space rocket picture in his room! Zooma Zoom Zoooooooooooommmmmmm!!!!!!

Oh, and for more examples of Amanda's gorgeous work check out her Etsy Shop, Ebay Shop, her Blog, or her Flickr Photostream.

Cheers!!
Bec
xxx

Aprony goodness!

A little while ago I was the very lucky winner of a giveaway being run by Sharon from Iris + Lily, as a celebration of the opening of her new Etsy Shop.

Today, a parcel arrived.


Beautifully wrapped. My son was very excited (as we all are when parcels arrive in the post) and kept asking if it was something for him. A little guiltily, I said "no, I think it's for mummy".


He very helpfully assisted me in unwrapping it anyway. And inside was not just the giveaway apron I had won (although I was already squealing with delight at the sight of it alone, a beautiful package in itself!).


There were two other little apron bundles - again, each tied up so beautifully. That hand is my son pointing out which bundle he thinks is his. By now there were two of us squealing!!!

I can't tell you how absolutely stoked I am by Sharon's amazing generosity. She whipped up two little aprons so my children wouldn't feel left out. Not just any old aprons either - both are matching to mine, with their own screen printed vintage spoons - and the ties are adjustable through the neck and waist so they are super easy to get on and off and can be adjusted to fit just right, while still only having one tie at the back. They even had their own little loops for hanging them up. Just beautiful!

Of course you can guess what came next.....no, not baking....ahem...


PHOTOSHOOT OF COURSE :)


I thought adding a rolling pin as a prop would add to the domestic authenticity of the shot, but I look more like a domestic Tank Girl about to bop someone....hhhhmmmmm.


I've got to admit, I feel way cooler wearing this apron then when I am donning my vintage numbers - much as I love them as well, it's a whole different feel. I actually want to wear this one out!!!!


And have I mentioned the level of detail that has gone into this apron. From the hand screen-printed vintage spoon designs, to little button and ribbon details, and even a hand-embroidered label on the side. How cool is that!

OK, enough pics of me doing my domestic vanity thing. The kids were bouncing up and down waiting for their own go..


Lee decided to play air guitar with his rolling pin.


Kate was waving her whisk madly at me.


And they both wore their aprons for the rest of the day.

OK, make that...we ALL wore our aprons for the rest of the day.

Thank-you so much Sharon for such generous gifts. They are very well loved, and I now know exactly what I will be buying for my friends when their birthdays come around.

XXX
Bec

PS. I know I am ridiculously late with this week's THIS IS post, but I'll do a catch-up later in the week. This post DEFINITELY had to come first :)