At My House

Whilst Lou from Buttons By Lou Lou is taking a break, I thought I'd still post about what's happening "At My House".

Today I have been working on some new things - yeh!

* Christmas Inspired Applique Tees

* Little Girl's Summer Slip Dresses

* Little Guy Tie Applique Tees

I love this Riley Blake fabric

And this Michael Miller Christmas Fabric will be made into some "Christmas Tree" Applique Tees.

Silent Sunday

Pretty quiet here today.

- lots of ideas for some sewing which I must put into action

- the girls have been playing well together all day

- they spent the afternoon yesterday outside in the lovely sunny weather

- Emma did some very colourful chalk drawings on the driveway

"look at this"

"follow the line to see the drawings"

"I love daddy"

and

what do you think of the robot?

Poppy & The Eiffel Tower

Here are some of my latest applique tees heading to Lily & Cooper for recent orders. Both the Poppy & Eiffel Tower have been very popular designs. I have also sent off several Reversible Crossover Pinafore Tops as well. I hope the new owners enjoy wearing them!

At My House

Image from Buttons By Lou Lou

Well I've just got back from a quick trip to Sydney to attend my Nan's funeral. It was lovely to see some old friends and of course my family who are now spread along the East Coast of Australia. It was of course very sad to farewell my gorgeous Nan who was 95 yrs old, but I can only hope that I have some of her longevity genes!

Yesterday afternoon I attended a "Girls Night In" Cancer Council Fundraising Event with a dozen other party plan businesses. It was a great afternoon and I met some lovely ladies. My WillowBlu bags were well received and hopefully I will have some orders and party bookings coming in this week.

So today is all about getting the house back in some sort of order after leaving it in the capable hands of my husband for 3 days! It's a little bit untidy but on the whole, not too bad. Plus I have some sewing to do to finish off an order and then we're going to the park this afternoon to play with friends after school.

I hope everyone has a lovely day and week in your "part of the woods". To play along visit Buttons By Lou Lou.

My First Stockist

I'm really excited to let everyone know that I have my first stockist.

The lovely Nikki from Lily & Cooper Children's Clothing & Accessories is now stocking my Reversible Crossover Pinafore Tops & Applique Tees. Nikki runs her business via in-home shopping sessions and some local markets. She provides quality well known brands at fantastic prizes and also offers great host rewards.

The range includes: Oobi, Pear & Bear, Flirty Bird, Chitter Chatter and of course Sunday's Child.

Nikki will be in Hobart on the 31st October at the "Girls Night In" Cancer Council Fundraiser being held at The Carlyle Hotel, Main Rd Derwent Park from 1pm to 4pm. I will also be there showcasing the WillowBlu collection of handbags. Hope to see you there.

It's been 11 days since my last post

So sorry to everyone for the "loss in transmission". No excuse really - just busy, busy, busy and it's only going to get busier with Christmas only 9 and a bit weeks away - yikes!

I'm juggling both Sunday's Child and my latest venture WillowBlu at the moment, on top of general mother, cleaner, chef, wife, PA etc. duties (I'm sure you can all relate to that).

I've also been busy with some custom orders and some news products which I hope to have available for sale very soon.

I've just applied for some last minute Christmas markets, so hope to let you all know about where I'll be very soon - so you can fit in some last minute Christmas shopping.

Here's a custom order I recently did for the lovely Jane. I had to hunt down some more of this gorgeous Japanese Atelier Lecien Paris fabric especially for her, but I now have extra in my stash.

Don't forget I still have a SALE on all Long Sleeve Applique Tees for $22 (were $30) - check out my online store!

Thank You xo

image from here

I just read this on Facebook. The person came across it sometime ago but has since lost the link. It certainly expresses the way I and many others feel when our lovely customers support us.

Thanks to all my lovely customers, especially those who have recently purchased from me. xo

"To every single person who makes the choice to buy handmade…
Thank you.

Thank you for choosing to send your money directly to the maker.
Thank you for choosing to buy fair-trade, non-sweatshop goods.
Thank you for valuing the unique.
Thank you for re-investing in the economy by investing in a real person, rather than a corporation.
Thank you for keeping my dream alive.
Thank you for allowing me the freedom to do what I love."

♥

SALE SALE SALE!!

Well I'm slightly late with my "Birthday Sale", but better late than never.

Head on over to my online store and check out the "On Sale" section, where you'll find all Boys & Girls Long Sleeve Tees on sale for only $22 each (were $30). I also have 2 Reversible Crossover Pinafore Tops on sale for $38 (were $48). All these items are "Ready to Ship"

Pick yourself up a bargain for Christmas or even plan ahead for next winter. Please help me clear out my stock in time for Summer!

Please let all your friends know about my sale too. Thanks so much.

Quick Update

Due to a bit of confusion, I am sorry to say that I will NOT be appearing at this Saturday's Barn Market.

There is only limited space available and the organisers like to give everyone a fair go at having a stall with them, which I totally understand.

This comes less than a week after finding out that Mathilda's Market has cancelled their scheduled "Christmas Market" on 6th November here in Hobart. The July market was very slow and most of the stallholders only just broke even. This was mainly due (in my opinion) to the high stallholder fee of $200. They also advised me that at this stage they have no plans to return to Hobart in 2011.

At this stage I have no markets booked for the remainder of the year, however if that changes I will let you all now. Don't forget that you can still order anytime from my online shop and I always welcome custom orders, so let me know if I can help you out with a special Christmas gift.

Hope everyone has a fabulous week.

WillowBlu is Coming!

I am very excited to be starting up a new venture! It is brand new to Tasmania and is sure to appeal to just about every woman.

WillowBlu is a label of Stylish, Celebrity Inspired Leather Handbags without the Designer Price Tag! You can view the collection on the website.

All our handbags are made with meticulous attention to detail & are crafted from top quality Australian & Italian leather. Each bag is fully lined with leather trim and comes in its own protective dustcover.

Our range includes: tote bags, hobo bags, shoulder bags, messenger/satchel bags, nappy bags, clutches and purses.

The collection has something for every taste and budget and we want women to know they don't have to lose money to GAIN style!

We also have some "Party Exclusive" bags which are very limited edition and only available for purchase at a WillowBlu party. These bags are not displayed or available for sale on the website.

I am introducing the range at my launch party on Sunday 26th September (which is also my birthday). For anyone in Hobart you are more than welcome to come along or host a viewing of the collection in your own home. If you do host your own party, you will receive 10% of sales towards the purchase of your choice of bag from the collection. Should you have sales of 10 or more bags at your party, you will receive your very own WillowBlu bag for FREE!

The collection will also be on display at 2 upcoming events:

WillowBlu at Bosso and Boo

Sunday 17th October @ 2pm

Bosso & Boo - Restaurant & Club-Lounge Bar

38 Waterloo Crescent, Battery Point

Come along with your girlfriends & enjoy and glass of wine & nibbles whilst browsing the WillowBlu collection. Orders can be taken & parties booked on the day.

Girls Night In - Cancer Council Fundraising Event

Sunday 31st October - 1pm to 4pm

The Carlyle Hotel,

232 Main Road, Derwent Park

$10 entry fee going to The Cancer Council of Tasmania, plus there will be a lucky door prize & raffle. There will be a great selection of party plans and other businesses to shop with on the day. Come along & shop the afternoon away, whilst supporting a great cause! WillowBlu is also donating a "Cleo" clutch, which one lucky shopper will win. Orders can be taken & parties booked on the day.

I am so excited to be bringing this collection of gorgeous handbags to Tasmania and I know that you'll love them as much as I do. Feel free to take a look at the website, come along to one of the upcoming events I'll be displaying at or get in touch with me if you'd like to host your very own "WillowBlu" party.

You can also become a fan of "WillowBlu" on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news and new bags arriving soon.

Sweet Envy

Emma & I popped into a lovely new shop in North Hobart yesterday called "Sweet Envy, where we indulged in a little cupcake goodness.

Whilst I meant to take photos of our lovely cakes, they were devoured all too quickly - but they were yummy!

Here's a photo taken from their website of the "Lemon Delicious" cupcake which Emma had. Isn't it gorgeous!

They have a gorgeous window display of wedding cakes and they also sell biscuits, cupcakes, ice cream, old fashioned candy and have a wonderful range of cakes, slices & pastry items to have with your tea or coffee.

"Sweet Envy" are located at 341 Elizabeth St, North Hobart. You can also visit their website to see lots of photos of their yummy creations.

Sunday Happy Sunday!

Well I had a great day today spent with friends having a lovely BBQ picnic at the Waterworks Reserve. We are so lucky to live in this city, where you can go from the mountains, to the beaches and the countryside within about 10mins!

I wanted to share with you a picture of our friends lunch - Dukka Crusted Salmon, Pink Eye Potatoes, Roasted Beetroot Salad with walnuts & fetta - yum!

And this is what we had for lunch - well Andrew did anyway. I had bbq chicken with salad & fresh bread roll. Our lovely friends did however share their yummy dessert of "Brownie Style" Chocolate Cake with Toblerone Mousse and Cream.

But it was more about catching up with friends, having a good chat and some laughs and letting the kids run around and explore.

Oh and to top off a great day, when I came home from lunch, I checked the Sunday's Child Facebook Page to find that we had over 100 likers - "107" to be exact (actually it's already at 116 as I write this). So as promised I am now offering FREE postage on all Australian orders for the entire week - finishing midnight on Sunday 19th September. I have also finished uploading all girls & boys short sleeve tees and have more items to include tomorrow, so visit my online store to see what's new.

Thanks to everyone for joining me on Facebook and for inviting your friends as well. Please let everyone know about my free postage offer so that they can take advantage of it too.

I hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend and let's hope that we get some more lovely spring weather this week for the 2nd half of our school holidays.

A Nifty Gadget

I recently had a lesson on "demystifying" my overlocker at Easy Sew Sewing Centre in Elizabeth St. Whilst I was there I realised I needed this little gadget. It's a needle threader, which is very handy, but what I especially like is that on the opposite end to the threader is a small hole which allows you to hold a needle in place whilst you change it.

Unlike a sewing machine, an overlocker has a lot more parts which are accessible due to having to open it up & thread the upper & lower loopers. If you drop the needle then it can be a bugger to get it out again. I also bought a pair of tweezers which makes it easier getting the threads in and around and thru etc etc.

The threader was only $9.50 and well worth it, so it won't break the bank, but will make life whilst sewing just a tiny bit easier.

My Creative Space ....

I have been creative today, but it's taken me until now to post about it. I finished another 5 Red Pinspot Fabric Knotty Necklaces earlier today and I am very happy with my latest addition to the Sunday's Child Range - Girls Flat Front A-Line Denim Skirt.

The skirt has an elasticated waist at the back with a flat front and a lovely A-line shape. I like the simplicity of the skirt & especially love it made up in denim. Denim is so versatile and it goes with everything. I have also added a bow detail made from the offcut. I might also do some with fabric covered buttons for the detail. What do yo think? (Sorry about the photos, I've taken them in the evening light, which is not the best.)

The A-Line Denim Skirt is available in Sizes 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 at $28 each.

For more fabulous creative spaces head over to Kootoyoo.

My Beautiful Girls

They are growing up so fast! These photos were taken on Sunday whilst enjoying Fathers' Day on the Hobart Waterfront.

Aren't they gorgeous!

FREE Postage Offer

Just letting all my lovely followers know that I'm offering FREE postage on all purchases for one week, once I reach "100 likers" on Facebook.

So head on over and join Sunday's Child on Facebook and don't forget to let all your friends know. Thanks so much.

At My House - Spring & School Holidays

Well today marks the first day of school holidays here in Tassie. I don't mind school holidays as it means more sleep-ins and lazy days and not so many rushing out the door because "we're running late" days.

I haven't got anything specific planned, although I have had a request from Emma to visit Seaworld! - I told her we'll have to put that on the list for next year.

We might visit the museum, go to the park, go shopping, head to an indoor play centre if the weather is bad, visit friends and have some over to our place and I'm sure other things that I can't think of at the moment.

Oh yes and I'm keen to start making some skirts & dresses to add to my online store, so stay tuned!

Here are some lovely blooms that were given to me by a friend last Friday (before the rain). They have filled the kitchen/lounge room with a beautiful fragrance. Let's hope we get lots of sunny days these school holidays.

What's going on at your house today? To join in go here.

This is Dad Life!

This made me laugh the minute I started watching it. Thanks to Corrie from Retromummy for posting it on her blog. It's best if you view it on YouTube as you can't see the full width of the video here on my blog - sorry!

Happy Fathers' Day

Well we've had a lovely day, despite the dreary, wet weather. We all had a sleep in thanks to getting home at 12:30am this morning from a friend's 40th birthday bash in Margate - the girls are such party animals, dancing into the night with the live band!

We headed off to lunch with my mum, at Fish Frenzy for some delicious fish & chips. Then we wandered over to the newly re-furbished Mures for some yummy ice cream and coffee. I just had to order the Choc Royale Sundae - complete with chocolate & vanilla ice cream, cream, wafers & meringues! No dinner for me tonight.

We've then spent the afternoon on the lounge in front of the tv, just relaxing and taking it easy.

I hope all the dad's out there have been spoilt today and know that you are very much loved and appreciated!

I'm also remembering my dad today, who sadly didn't get to meet his grand daughters, as he passed away nearly 7 years ago, when I was 6 months pregnant with Emma & just before my 30th birthday.

What a tumoltous time that was for all of us, and Andrew was definitely my rock! Dad was ever the optimist, he genuinely thought he would beat his illness but sadly it wasn't to be. He was always smiling and so generous of his time to others. He was my hero and it's so sad that he is not with us now.

He was a school teacher and was always teaching my brother and I throughout our lives, instilling life's lessons, wisdom and bit of advice along the way. I remember not long after he had died, thinking how was I going to finish the renovations on our house, as he had been such a help but I was reminded that when he was faced with a challenge dad would just say "it's just another problem to be solved" - that was dad, there was nothing that couldn't be solved, fixed or overcome.

I am without any decent photos of dad, as we didn't have a digital camera back then, so I've had to take a photo of a photo, until I can scan some for better quality.

Here we are on my wedding day, he was so proud and I was so excited to have my father walk me down the aisle.

Up until the morning of the wedding, I didn't think dad would make it as he was admitted to hospital the Wednesday before the big day. We had rehearsed with my brother walking me down the aisle, but on the day dad arrived with an oxygen tank in tow, and was able to be by my side. He was only able to attend the reception up until entree and then had to return to hospital - not before taking a few bottles of red back for the nurses. That was my dad, he was always thinking of others and finding the good things in every situation.

He didn't get to experience the ride to the church in the wedding car - a classic silver Jaguar which I had organised especially for him, or the beautiful dinner at Moorilla. So on Fathers' Day of the same year as our wedding, I took dad back to Moorilla for a surprise lunch and then as we were leaving we were met in the car park by the owner of the Jaguar who took us on a lovely afternoon drive around Hobart. I will never forget the look on dad's face when he turned around and saw the Jaguar - he was so surprised and excited, and he even got a bit teary.

So Happy Fathers' Day Dad - love you and miss you heaps! xo

Winter Barn Market

Today's wet weather has reminded me of the weather we experienced at the recent "Christmas in Winter" Barn Market.

The Friday evening was so wet & windy that the outside stalls were cancelled - probably just as well too! So I spent a quiet, warm night indoors with pizza, red wine and good friends. However the weather did not dampen the spirits of the stallholders or the many customers who came out to celebrate this special event, as apparently it was a very busy and hugely successful evening.

Fortunately the weather improved dramatically on the Saturday with only a small shower when I was first setting up, and then the sun came out along with all the people.

I enjoyed a lovely day next to Pili Pala Pieces, Jasmine Rose & What Katie Did Next, was visited by some regular & new customers alike and also took some custom orders as well.

I was well and truly exhausted by the end of it as I had spent the week at a new job, plus preparing for the market along with juggling kids & being driven around the whole week by my mum, as we didn't have a car (still don't ... but that's another story!).

But I had a great day as did the other stallholders and once again Helen, Miriam, Dean & Jade did a fantastic job in making it all happen - thanks guys!

The next Barn Market (and the last for 2010) is on Saturday 9th October from 10am to 3pm - see you then.