Lovely things from lovely people

Firstly, I need to confess I've been very slack at posting about some of the beautiful mail I've received over the last couple of months.

You might remember that FOREVER ago, I helped out at the Dear Fii incubator stall at the Brisbane Stitches and Craft show. Which was a fantastic experience. It was so wonderful to finally meet the warm and friendly Fi in person, and I was also lucky enough to be right next door to the wonderful Justine from MixTape Zine, who was also just as lovely in real life as she is on her blog :)

Well shortly after this, I received a lovely package in the mail from Fi, who gave me this incredibly gorgeous zip purse to say thanks for the help!


I tell you, Fi's workmanship is really second to none, and her attention to detail is just amazing. I love the embroidery on this pouch, which blends so seamlessly into the design that at first it seems like part of the fabric until you look closely.


No small wonder then that Fi's designs have been featured in the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens. So if you missed out on her fabulous button bracelet tutorial at the Stitches and Craft show, you can now get all the instructions from the mag!!! Congrats Fi, you really do deserve it :)

Second lovely item in the mail, is the pink love brooch shown in this pic below. It is a stunning Sophie Isabel Designs creation, and the reason I am only posting this now, is that I actually won this brooch shortly after Mother's Day, so I gave the brooch to Mum, and I was so excited about giving it to her that I forgot to take a photo.


So I keep meaning to remember to take my camera round to mum's place each time I go there. And of course I keep forgetting.....then the light bulb finally went on and I tracked down this photo of Sophie's blog. I'm sure you are probably already aware of the most gorgeous brooches Sophie makes (and she happily does custom orders too!!) but I can tell you now that they are even more gorgeous in real life. And most importantly, my mum loves it. Thank-you so much Sophie :)

Lastly, this little bundle of happiness arrived on my doorstep only last week, and was completely unexpected and out of the blue. When I saw the address on the back belonging to Cathy from Tinnie Girl, I was quite perplexed....had I been sleep-shopping on Etsy? (good god can you imagine???:O).


Then I opened the card, and this is what it said:

"Dear Bec, I was lucky enough to come across these vintage button samples and thought you would enjoy them also. Just sharing the love, Cathy XXX"

Talk about brightening up my day. Not only because the buttons (and the piece of fabric she also included were absolutely gorgeous, but just the generosity and thoughtfulness behind the action was so incredibly touching. Thank-you so much! XXX

So what to do after being the recipient of all this lovely blogger generosity? Why, to start planning a giveaway of my own, of course! At the moment, Jade and I are flat-knacker preparing for the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market that is on next Saturday (plug plug!!), but if you check back after that we just may be planning a little double Beckybean giveaway....will say no more for now. And hopefully that will bring my karma up to 'even steven', because receiving is wonderful, but only when it's balanced by the giving :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone,
XX
Bec

PS. I think I will be on TV tonight. Was debating about whether to mention it or not, as I'm getting really scared I'm going to look or sound like a bit of a dork...but ah well. What's a bit of dorkiness between friends eh? If you're in QLD, it's The Great South East at 5.30pm, and there will be other BrisStylers featured too. I don't think it screens in other states though.

Happy Manic Nervous Excited Inspired Grateful....

I think this title pretty much sums me up at the moment. Life really is whizzing along at a spectacular speed, but mostly in a good way. Perfect timing really to receive this lovely Pay It Forward gift from Big Cat on Monday.


The beautiful artwork she made was just the reminder I needed to stop and have a cup of tea (Melbourne Breakfast Tea in fact, which was delightful) and start reading the book that was also included in the package. Thank-you SO much!!!!! It was just the best way to start off the week.


And just a little note to my own Pay It Forward recipients, I have not forgotten you. I have put aside 6 weeks over the Christmas/New Year break which will be dedicated to all things fun and crafty, which includes getting those Pay It Forward gifts finished and posted off :)

And if getting a very special package on a Monday morning was the best way to start a week, then hopefully the Reverse Garbage Renaissance Christmas Exhibition will be the best way to end it.


I am both super excited and super nervous about turning up to the opening on Friday evening to see some of my bags and bookmarks displayed with so many other talented artists. Also looking forward to having an 'adult' and 'kid free' evening - we're even going to grab some Vietnamese afterwards which will be a fabulous way to finish up the night!


So yeah, if you find yourself in Brisbane this Friday and with not much else to do between 6pm and 8pm then come down to Reverse Garbage for the exhibition opening, and check out all the lovely exhibits (two other BrisStyle members - Helen from Ruby2GoGo and Ruby Red Studios, and Ali from Jellygnite will also be exhibiting, as will fellow blogger Sally from djbebe).


Everything being shown will also be for sale, and in fact the whole of Reverse Garbage itself will be open, so you can grab a paper bag and start filling. Go nuts!!!

And of course, don't forget folks, that the BrisStyle Blog Giveaway is still open until this Friday, so if you haven't left a comment, make sure you pop on over for your chance to win some fantastic gift packs, made up of a variety of handmade goods donated by the BrisStyle members.


And speaking of all things BrisStyle, I'm madly sewing away trying to get ready for the BrisStyle Christmas Market on 13th December. It will be my first ever market and I'm SOOOOOO nervous. I still haven't got my signage or display stuff organised. I've been collecting bits and pieces that I think will work for displaying my bags, but I really need to pull out my table and see if it is all going to come together. I'm starting to feel like I'm really running out of time.....eeekkkkkkk!!!!

Well that's it from me. I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date.....with some nappies (which will be off to a new home in the Blue Mountains soon - hopefully Kara will find them useful). And I will have a whole storage tub free to fill up with some other useful junk...I mean...stuff...I mean really useful and uh, necessary items....:P

So last post I was a busy elf, this post I'm the white rabbit. Just wait, by next post I may be the mad hatter...

The generosity of bloggers

Sometimes the generosity of bloggers astounds me. This week I received the most wonderful parcel in the mail from Jess (from Button Beauty), filled with goodies. Not just any old goodies either - but thoughtful, considered gifts, that were just so perfect. And all because the winner of Jess' giveaway had found her via my blog. How is that for generous!!! And as an example of her thoughtfulness, Jess had remembered from a previous post of mine that I loved nasturtiums, especially the way water beads on their leaves, so she included some nasturtium seeds!!! She also gave me three gorgeous pieces of fabric, the most beautifully soft and well made cotton bamboo face washer (it really has to be touched to understand just how soft it is), some lovely fabric covered buttons, and the best vintage sewing book ever. In fact, I spent quite some time showing my husband some of the classic pictures in this, and reading out various parts to him (such as 'I had no idea there were so many types of sleeves, or that there is a sleeve design called 'the leg of mutton'...he he he...).

In fact, the book is such a cracker, that I just have to share some of it here. For example, how cool is this little sewing corner. The holders on the wall are actually straw hats!!!!


My husband says he would be quite happy for me to whip up this cheerleader outfit for myself...ahem...don't think so!!!


Although he wasn't so enthusiastic about me kitting myself out in this nightie :P



There are just so many great pics in this sewing book, and so much great fashion. I LOVE the shirt on the girl on the left, and how cool is her hat!


And lastly, as this IS a sewing book for 'teens', of course it includes the obligatory 'checklist' so you can work out exactly where your wardrobe is lacking, and what items you need to sew for yourself (click on the image for a closer look at what your wardrobe might be missing). Hmmmmm, looks like I need to start sewing myself some 'pants and jeans, from knock-about casual to party-timers....' Guess I'd better get cracking!!!


Thanks again Jess, it really was such a lovely package to receive :)
Cheers, Bec X

Oh, and as an edit to this, I almost forgot to add, that while I was having my bloggy break, I also received a Brilliante Weblog Award from Jess, which I somehow completely missed (which really goes to prove my unworthiness I guess). But can I also say once again Thank-you Jess!!!! And I am hereby passing this award onto anyone who suffers from 'Blogging Guilt' over tags or awards that they have received that they either accidently missed, or haven't gotten around to posting about yet.....please say I'm not the only one????

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts!!!!!

Happy mail day today! First parcel from the postman included these gorgeous Babushka softies from Adds (The Humming Cat) which were part of the EB Softie swap. Thanks so much Adds, they are really gorgeous and so well made. Kate already has one sleeping in her doll's cot.

The second parcel was from the very lovely Florence (Flossie Teacakes), as I was one of the lucky winners of her dishcloth giveaway, and it included a pack of delicious dishcloths, and a sweet little cylinder filled with mini-sparklers, for the kids.


I think that our Customs officers must have felt the cylinder to be a little suspicious, as they had opened the package to check through it. I must admit though, I was quite impressed with the way they re-wrapped the present quite nicely. Thank-you so much Florence - it was such a lovely package.


Even Matt thought the cloths were pretty cool - especially as they were excellent for wiping down our induction cooktop (and he's quite anal about the keeping this shiny black reflective surface gleaming at all times!!)

And on the subject of gifts, I have not only been the receiver of gifts lately, I have also been doing some giving myself.


Yesterday was Mum's birthday, and my sister and I got her an iPod. So of course I had to also knit her an iPod holder. This is a great example of my terrible knitting skills, and I really didn't know what I was doing - but I am actually quite drawn to the idea of a slick, perfect, cutting edge piece of technology being housed in something rustic, imperfect and a bit old-fashioned. I guess I find it somewhat amusing!


I also recently gave this baby quilt/playmat to my sister for her new baby Jett. In fact, it was a few weeks ago that I finished it, but I forgot to take a photo before I gave it to her. So here it is.


Another imperfect object, but made with love, and also with gorgeous japanese fabric purchased from Retro Mummy (Little French Kids fabric on the front and Wizard of Oz, and Gingerbread Man on the back). I have actually also given my mum another bag lately, but again I forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it to her. So I will get around to it...sometime...but until then.....yay for gifts!!!!