shop handmade canberra - open + pics!

Shop Handmade in Canberra has just opened to the public ...

Last night, the media launch was held for the shop, and boy-o-boy did it look like fun! Click here and here for heaps of party pics!

Thanks so much to all the lovely Canberra people who posted pics on their blogs just hours after the event - superb effort! Here are a few that took my fancy, but follw the links to see HEAPS more ...

Purchases made by the The Shopping Sherpa (thanks Anna-Maria)

The Shopping Sherpa (Anna-Maria) herself! (thanks Posie)

Artichoke Flower Tea Towel and Vintage Tram Roll Menu Tea Towel on display (thanks Posie)

Enjoy your Friday!

see it ...

... any way you can ...

I've just got home after seeing Jersey Boys - it was brilliant - the story, the music, the talent - SUPERB! If you have the chance, go and see it - truly worth it.

new stockist: shop handmade in canberra

Only 2 more sleeps until Shop Handmade opens its doors for the very first time - how lucky are Canberrans!

This box of goodies will be arriving at the store today with a variety of my tea towels and aprons inside ...

I am thrilled to be involved in this exciting new store. As a relative newbie to all of this myself, it's nice to be on a journey with others who are also inspired and enthusiastic about all things handmade. I can't wait to get up to Canberra for a squizz, but in the mean time, I'm looking forward to lots of pics from locals (hint hint)!

friday in the studio

I had a very productive Friday in my little home studio ... this is me in my old Sunbeam apron that I use to print in - I will never throw this apron away - it has been with me from day one ...

Printing vintage tram roll menu tea towels ready for a new stockist ...

I also dropped this big bundle of bolts in to be handprinted with my first yardage designs ... not much longer to wait until I will have my own fabric ... just in time to be launched at Stitches & Craft In Melbourne in 3 weeks time ...

I hope your Friday was productive too. Enjoy the weekend ahead!

we love liam

Liam is a happy bright, charming five year old. He also happens to have a rare neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. He is the son of one of one of my favourite designers and fellow blogger, Lynn Russell of Satsuma Press. They are currently raising money to provide Liam with a fully accessible bathroom in their house this summer. If you can help by donating funds to Liam's Trust or by passing the word along - via email, your blog, twitter. Every bit - small or large - will make a difference. Thank you.
Please check out this blog for more about Liam:
www.weloveliam.blogspot.com
via Poppytalk

my creative space ... sew darn cute!

If I wrote a craft book, I would put a photo like this in the introduction because it really says it all ...

 
I love a good craft project book, and earlier this week I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the newly released Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan (who's in the photo above!) from Penguin (thanks Liesel).

I really like how this one is set out - 30 small projects divided into sections of "pretties" (accessories and clothes); "totables" (all sorts of bags); "nest" (things for the home); "kids stuff" (toys, clothes and quilts); and, "crafties" (cool stuff to help you if you're a crafter - like a crochet hook cozy and a nice needle book).

Anyway, as quite a few of our friends are hatching babies at the moment, I took the opportunity to make something cute. This is my second ever softie, and it's for a girl ....

I used only things from my stash - some lovely natural linen, some Liberty Print, a bit of pink fabric I bought ages ago and some ric rac. It took a bit of experimenting, but I also managed to use the machine to embroider the face. I didn't use buttons (like the one in the book - which you can see on the front cover in the picture above) as this one is for a newborn baby and buttons could be a choking hazard. All up, including choosing the fabric, this project took me one and a half hours. The pattern and instructions were very easy - it was lovely to make something a bit different and a bit cute for a change!

I actually wouldn't mind making one of these too ... I really like the idea of covering buttons and making something interesting with them.

You can find out more about Jenny Ryan, the author of this book, on her website Home Ec.

It's creative space Thursday, so to see what else is being created by clever people around the world, visit Kootoyoo.