The Season for Bows

There is a new kid on the Ella and Kate block. The Big Satin Bow. As a lover of all things bows I am appreciating the fashion for the big bows around this season.



Our new bow is a lovely soft floppy bow. A little more natural looking, like you just tied a ribbon in your hair. Nice for older girls, even mamas! I am quite smitten by this bow and if my hair were just a little bit longer I might try one myself, especially in black.



At the moment the colour range is limited to the basics but if it proves popular, it will be expanded maybe to include uniform colours as well.

So to celebrate the launch, a little giveaway. Leave a comment and I'll let Mr Random Number Generator choose another number.

Picture Perfect

Last weekend I had a photoshoot for the winter range of my website. This week I have been busy updating it with new designs and lots of new colours.

As my girls are getting older I needed to include a new little four year old. Charlotte's mum helps me out with production of the ribbons and her little four year old is the most beautiful child.

I love taking photos but lack in the technical skills. I am can relate to Sarah Jane's comments about hoping for happy accidents.

I love this shot of Kate and Charlotte.



Black is so beautiful against her white hair and fair skin.



Isn't she just gorgeous!

Catching Butterflies

Well, cabbage moths really.





Not as romantic,




but far more practical.

Looking Lovely and Feeling Organised.

Remember the post about my laundry? Well I have admitted defeat, it is no longer a laundry. Rather, it is a workroom where I also wash the clothes . Growing stock, growing production levels and growing mess for my Ella and Kate business have meant any effort of sorting and ironing clothes in that room are pointless. I have had to have a rethink about how I worked the space and have made a few changes.

A trip to Ikea, (after a full day of planning with the catalogue) a few minutes with a drill and my handy husband have resulted in this lovely workspace. Everything at hand, right where I need it.




Still space for all of my lovely handmade gifts.



And, check out how deliciously neat this cupboard looks! Gotta love Ikea for organisation.


Top that off with the fact that my winter range has been finalised and is almost ready for both my website and retailers and boy it feels good!

Three

He is as pleased as punch that he is now three.


He certainly is character! The other day he strode, or should I say galloped, into kinder doning his cowboy hat and that cheeky grin. Of course he was met with applaud and laughter by the teachers....such an introvert.

As far as he was concerned, cake, cousins and candles make a party.





As for me and as per usual, I feel a little sad that my baby is getting even bigger. But I am ever so grateful he came in to our lives. He certainly holds a very special place in our hearts...that boy of ours!

And The Lucky Number Is....

Thank you Mr Random Number Generator

Here are your random numbers:

2

Timestamp: 2009-03-19 10:01:43 UTC

Congratulations Melinda from Hoppo Bumpo, I will contact you soon.

Thank you for all of your lovely comments.

Play Along

If you have little tikes, and they love mail, come play along.

Christie from Pigeon Pair has started a kid's swap.



Go over here for details.

And in other news, tomorrow afternoon I will draw the winner of my blogaversary giveaway. Leave a comment if you haven't already!

And You Think You Know Them

One of my WIPs that I MUST finish this year are the quilts for Ella and Kate's beds. As their doona covers are the same I thought it would be nice to have the quilt covers matching, but different. I started off using the some of the same fabrics in both quilts and then tailoring one quilt in the blue/pink/red direction and the other in the pink/orange/yellow direction.

To me it was obvious that Kate would have the blue/pink/red combo as I have always seen these as her colours. They sit well with her darker hair and lighter skin and match her personality which is a little more direct, and intense than her sister's.

Ella has always looked lovely in soft creamy tones and has more of a spring colourings. These colours also suit her more gentle personality. In my opinion!


Well, clearly they thought different because when I layed out the quilts the other day they both wanted the pink/blue/red. Nothing I could do would convince either of them that the orangey tones were lovely. I am torn. Do I combine the blocks and have all the colours in each quilt or stick to my guns and hope that when they are finished one of them will appreciate the orange/yellow tones. I really would like the quilts to be slightly different as their beds are the same otherwise.

I need your help here folks. What do you think?



Either way, I am going to need more fabric, so it is just as well that Amitie is having one of their grand sales this Friday. I will be making the most of my kiddie-free-time Friday morning and giving the girls a visit.

The Luckiest

Last year I posted about a simple little gift that I made for the girls and for which I was awarded the title the best Mama in the world. Well after this little gift, I felt like the luckiest Mama in the world.

With school starting back we have had information evenings for each of the girl's classes. Each parent sits in their child's chair while the teachers explain about the curriculum and plans for the year. In Ella's class every child had written their parent a note. At Ella's desk was a note and this beautiful arrangement of follage that she had picked at lunch time. All beautifully presented in her own little 'vase'. To top it off she had kept one of her jam drops from morning tea for me to nibble on. How proud was I, especially when the teacher pointed out her creation. "That is Ella" is what I replied.

And honestly, it's Ella through and through! That girl's kindness, thoughfullness and creativity are inspirational. She has the sweetest heart. In almost all of her classes, each year, she has managed to implement some act of kindness that the whole class then adopts. Be it notes of encouragment to classmates, flowers for the teacher or the such. In this world that places such value on material acheivements I feel so privledge to be the parent of this child who places such a value on people.

Loot

Well, The Show was amazing. It was so good to meet and reacquaint with some great bloggers. I love that all of those girls in the Indie Craft section have made a business out of their passion and their wares. It is an inspiration to share.

Living Creatively are doing a wonderful job of changing the face of craft in Australia. Those girls have so much talent and enthusiasm and great style.

One of our favourite parts of the show were the Craft Bars. Dotted through out the show, they were a cool place to chill out and try a little craft. Bec and I loved making the Liberty brooches (actually just fondling through the liberty scraps was probably the best bit...we got in trouble for taking too long to decide!)


And at the Christina Re stand we made this little box.


But even better we were given this beautiful bag to carry it in. Right now that bag is sitting up, looking so pretty in my laundry. Which, by the way, has had a makeover....but that's another post.



This weekend my man is taking his boy to the airshow, a much anticipated boy-thing they have been looking forward. The girls and I might head over to Mathilda's Market and check out the goodies there.

Enjoy your weekend.

I Missed It

Just as I was publishing my last post, it struck me that soon it must be the two year anniversary of when my blog began. When I looked into it, I realised I had missed it.

But I cannot let the date go without a little give away. Lucky you (if you win), I am cleaning out my sewing cupboard this week and I will put together a little package. Who knows what it will contain, probably some ribbon, some buttons, a few bows of course and fabric. We'll see.

Leave a comment, and I will draw a name from a hat or such next week.

Thanks for all the lovely comments, friendship and 'conversations' I have had over the past two years. It has been a blast!

P.S. Delurkers welcomed!

Almost Famous

On top of my list of things to do today was Write a Post! Three weeks without posting, what is going on? Even my mum emailed me this morning and asked the same question.

Well not a whole heap of anything and certainly no sewing, I am sad to say.





We did enjoy a little bit of feeling famous last week. All three of my little birds were in the Herald Sun; Kate was on the front page and Ella and Edward on page 14. We were at the right place at the right time (they needed models for the new Bushfire Appeal wristbands) and the kids were very excited to be celbraties for a couple of days.


I am planning a few more posts in the next week or so, so stay tuned. And, I am off to check out all of the excitement at the Stitches and Craft show this Thursday with my gorgeous friend Bec who is my partner in all-crafty-crimes (and a production machine when it comes to helping me out with my Ella and Kate proucts). We might see some of you there!