The Beautiful Milla

At the recent Mathilda's Market here in Hobart I met a lovely customer who had purchased one of my Reversible Crossover Pinafore Tops for her daughter, after seeing a photo on my Facebook page.

She loved them so much that she purchased another pinafore top in the grey/red pinspot with flower applique for her gorgeous daughter Milla. Here's a picture of Milla wearing the top whilst at the park - so cute!

Samantha has also started her own photography business - MarS Photography. For more information, you can follow her blog and become a fan on Facebook.

Fairy Cupcakes & Anzacs

Today my hubbie spent most of the day in the kitchen - bless him!

He made Fairy Cupcakes by request (Emma & Sophie helped). We all had a go at decorating them

with yummy cream cheese icing & sprinkles.

And some "giant" Anzac biscuits! Lest we forget.

Hope everyone's had a lovely weekend!

On the Menu Tonight

Slow-Cooked Ginger Beef - This is really yummy!

Recipe from a "Fresh" Woolworths Newsletter June 2009

Serves 4-6

You will need:

800g gravy beef

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

500ml beef stock

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

3 bay leaves

1 tbsp crushed ginger

Method:

1. Seal beef in frying pan and then transfer to a slow cooker turned to low.

2. Add onion and flour and mix to coat the meat.

3. Add all other ingredients and salt & pepper to taste. Give the dish a quick stir and pop lid on.

4. Cook for 8hrs in the slow cooker or alternatively cook for 2hrs at 190 degrees Cel. in a heavy based oven proof pot.

5. Serve with potato mash (or a mix of root veges. ie potato & sweet potato), some greens and crusty bread - yum!

PS. I also add some carrot & mushrooms to the dish to bulk it out. I normally set my slow cooker to high and only cook for 4hrs.

Oh & we just had to have some dessert as well. So my hubbie whipped up a yummy Apple & Mixed Berry Crumble with Cream & Ice cream!

Mini Me Designs - Designer Kids Clothing Sale

I recently became a fan of Mini Me Designs on Facebook. The duo of Kylie & Amanda produce beautiful handmade kids giftware and wall art, including canvases, name plaques, one of a kind night lights and other accessories.

The website showcases their lovely range of products and you can also shop online here.

Kylie is currently having a sale on Facebook at the moment selling beautiful children's clothing & footwear at 50-70% off the retail price. Brands include: Minihaha, Papoose, Willow & Finn, Finnigan Finn, Walnut, Ouch, Pure Baby & Marquise.

I am very excited as I purchased a number of items for my girls and can't wait till the parcel arrives next week. The sale is for a limited time only so go and check it out quick before everything is gone!

What a great way to stock up the wardrobe with designer clothing at a fraction of the price!

What DO Women Want?

A question we all ask ourselves regularly - I know I do.

Right now I want my head to clear so I can get back into some sewing for more upcoming events/markets. I have been struck down for a week now with a shocking headache and fuzzy/vague head. I experienced something similar after the birth of my second child and for a full 3mths I was dizzy. The room was constantly spinning and it was terribly difficult to concentrate on anything. At the time it was thought to be hormonal but I never really got a proper answer from anyone.

As for this time around, it may well be a virus that's going around at the moment (I'm hoping) and I'm heading to the GP next week to get it all checked out.

So other than that.... what else do I want? I want more time with my friends & family, I want people to be more accepting of others, I want to enjoy every day, I want good health and more energy and I'm sure there are many more things I could add.

If you would like to enjoy some time out with your mum, sister, girlfriends and help a great cause, then there is a great fundraising event happening next month.

The "What Women Want" - Make-A-Wish Foundation Event is being held on Sunday 2nd May at Moorilla from 2pm to 5pm.

Enjoy an afternoon of Fashion and High Tea. There will be around 50 stalls, displaying fashion, jewellery, accessories, craft, giftware, beauty, children's clothing and more. There will also be a fashion parade showcasing clothing from Ci Simon and Beau Monde. There is also lucky door and raffle prizes to be won. All money raised on the day will be used to grant the wishes of children with life threatening illnesses in Southern Tasmania.

Tickets are $35 each and include a complimentary drink on arrival, high tea, a lucky dip gift and flower. There are no door sales, so tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information and to book tickets just go to the Moorilla website.

I will be there with my Sunday's Child range of children's clothing and accessories along with many other wonderful and creative stall holders. We would love to see you all there.

Attitude is Everything

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles R. Swindoll quotes

What will your attitude be today, tomorrow and beyond?

New Designs

At the recent Mathilda's Market I debuted another couple of new designs. As our internet was down for the 2 days leading up to Mathilda's, I was unable to show them prior to the market, so here they are now.

The new Reversible Crossover Pinafore Top in Grey with Red Spot Applique Flowers. The flowers are securely fused then zig zag stitched and embellished with buttons. The reverse side of the pinafore is the red spot fabric.

For the boys, I have a new applique tee - the "Mini Cars". This is another lovely japanese fabric from Retromummy which is fused onto denim which is then fused and zig zag stitched onto a red tee.

Now that Easter is all but over, I will be busy with some more new items, so stay tuned. Hoping you've all had a lovely, relaxing Easter break with family & friends.

Featured in Mathilda's Market Blog

Photo courtesy of Mathilda's Market blog.

The lovely Anne, Founder & Organiser of Mathilda's Market, clearly fell in love with Hobart - and who could blame her!

She has blogged about her time here and of course the market itself - I even got a mention. Thank you Anne - you are an amazing, energetic woman, who I greatly admire. Keep up the good work.

I look forward to the next Mathilda's here in Hobart, being even bigger & better!