My little patch of heaven......

Handmade heaven that is.....

I have just joined all the fabulous Queensland handmadies and rented myself a space at Handmade Heaven.

I'm so happy with my decision to be there.....and I'll tell you why.

I've often been tempted to stock in retailers, but I'm really put off by the equation of having to figure out a wholesale price that makes you a fair profit, so that a retailer can then double it to sell on to the customer.
Of course this is totally viable and common practice. They have overheads to pay....big ones. They have to make a profit too. Only natural.

But it means my customer, the average Joe, would be paying double. That kills me.

So when I heard of how Liesa was planning on running Handmade Heaven a little differently to other retailers, I was eager to learn more. The business structure she's come up with, makes it so affordable for crafters like me to give it a go.

Bottom line...... this means I can stock in a fabulous Queensland retailer and keep my prices the same as I do for my Melbourne markets. That idea sits very well with me....hopefully it does with you too.

shop 11, The Old Flour Mill, Brisbane st, Ipswich.

So do pop by if your in the 'hood and support all the work on display in Handmade heaven. I'll be up there in a few weeks doing all my x-mas shopping too. I can't wait.

If you'd like to see your goodies up there in the sunshine state too, just email Liesa for all the info. Spaces start at only $5....... That's less then a mc value meal!

email: handmadeheaven@optusnet.com.a

Feathers, frocks and gigi's.......

Feathers, frocks and a bet on a horse is what its all about today, in little ol' Melbourne. Celebrating the horse race that stops a nation.

The Melbourne Cup.

For the best part it's about getting pissed and having a day off work. But in honour of the event there really is a standstill in the heart of Melbourne at approx 3.20pm on every cup day. the gun fires, the gates fly open and the gigi's (did any one else call them that)....the horsies.... pelt forward all dressed up in there colors and shiny coats.

My dad was a bit of a bookie and used the spend the year looking forward to the big race. He'd follow the horses, jockeys and trainers in there smaller races, to see how they would fair on the day. I'm not sure it helped, cause really, he'd back the whole field at 50 cents a pop just to cover his bases, but then put the big money on his guess as the sure winners.

We'd all get the color page in the herald/sun of the jockeys jerseys and circle our favourites so that dad could go to the TAB and place our bets. My philosophy was usually 'choose the one that had a pretty name. Funny how often that tactic actually worked for me.

So this year, like many others we don't bother fighting the crowds at the big event. We have a barbie at home with family and friends and all choose a horse.
Hats Optional.

At work on Monday, they hosted a chicken and champagne luncheon for us all. Which was just lovely.
We had a hat parade with various themes to get us motivated toward making a day of it.
I chose the challenge of 'scrap to fantastic' making a hat and or outfit from scrap.

First I chose one of our old work shirts, that were given away when we had our 25 years celebration. Not really of any use with an outdated logo on it.

First I cut off the sleeves and upper back to make it a halter neck.....giving me lots of scraps to play with. My next challenge was to cover the foil transfer on the bust.
So I cut all the little scraps into scales and stitched them around the neckline for a feathery layered effect.

I re sculpted the body of it to make it more of a fitted a-line look. I then used the same scales to make a little flower and feather arrangement for the hat/fascinator.

Sadly I didn't win in my category, ......up against the bigwigs, and they totally did not get how much work went into my transformation.... But I was happy with my end result, that's all that matters.

Hope you all have a super Melbourne cup Day, go easy on the champers.....

Sun, spooks and shopping...

The beautiful sun shone all weekend in Melbourne making it really feel like summer. Hot enough to remind me that I best get some of that winter weight off, if I want to fit into last summers clothes and definitely warm enough to sit on the back step with a sunny boy.

We made the trip over to Healesville to visit the markets at the race course. (formerly Yarra Glen market)
It was huge. I can't believe I hadn't been there before. Lots of foodie stalls, craft, clothes and jewellery, even a band and a little farm for the kiddies. Well worth the drive for a nice day out.

Miss Finki jnr had not one, but two Halloween parties, lucky duck. She has a busier social life than us, that's for sure. On the Friday it was dress ups and games at her friends girl guides club, then off for some trick or treating on the Saturday.
They only came across one anti - halloween person, who made a point of telling the parent in charge that she was very dissapointed that he was encouraging such behaviour! Hmmm......
Next year we'll have to remind him only to knock on the houses that have a pumpkin out.

Lots of lollies and a pussy cat tail = one happy girl.

(pardon the blurry photo's...bundle of cuteness in image one.... aka the terror, got his greasy mitts on my lens.....Thanks mstr Finn!)

some more thrifty finds...

There's something so exciting about entering a room full of antiquities and second hand paraphernalia.
More exciting than the thrill of shopping on sale days in retail land, cause you know when you hit jackpot and find those little gems that come home to be treasured, that they truly are rare gems.

I often have feelings of anxiousness and apprehension as to which way to turn first.

Maybe that woman will get to the tea towels before me.....or what If i skip books to get to the tea towels and then see someone walk past me with 20 little golden books....I'd cry on the inside...oh o.k................ I'd cry on the outside.

So I tend to do a quick skim and then come back to the hot spots for a closer look.

The lovely Beky from Pivx was the little gem that told me about this new place to shop for wonders of old. Well I'm sure it's been there forever but it was new for me. It's the diamond valley antiques and collectibles centre. We got lots of goodies there.

This superdooperly fantastic intercom system, and a vintage microscope still in it's box,

A great cane caddy for my bitses and some more souvenir tea towels for stools and the upcoming apron making for charity sessions...

some great kids books and these naff knitting patterns.
You can't really see the men's vest one, but it's titled masculine knits. Hehehehe...cause you know, if it didn't say masculine the big boys might feel a bit sissy wearing Nana's knitted vests. But now it's all o.k

So funny.

When I was young.....

Yeah o.k......maybe not when I was young.
But back in the good old days when they watched a movie at home, I'm sure it looked a little like this.

We went to a fabulous antique emporium on the weekend and picked up this spiffy projector.
Best of all it had some reels of film in it.

At first I was excited at the beautifully sculptural camera with case included, then I became all the more intrigued, pondering what might be on the film included.

Could it be a happy birthday from days of old, a Hollywood great....or something more sinister like some young lovers late night jaunts....or worse....could it be a travesty, a secret, a murder.... filmed like it was in that gruesome movie with Nicholas cage '8mm'

We had to know!

So home it came.

The machine switched on, it whirred and hummed just like it should. The light shone bright, ready to tell the tale of the little film reels within. But alas, the rubber belt that made the wheel turn was goo. So, so old it had deteriorated into goo.

Determined to unveil the images of old, Mr Finki had an idea!
We had picked up a vintage editing splicer at some garage sale ages ago, for no other purpose than it's vintage geeky appeal.

But being the uber geek that Mr.Finki is...he actually knew what it did and how to work it. So he popped on the reels, plugged it an and wound the handle.

As the picture went flicka...flicka, a yellowed image..... a man, walked on to the screen.
He struggled to carry a large hessian bag that was leaving a trail of something behind as it scraped it's way across the floor. We lent in closer to see if it was, what we thought it was and at that very moment, the bag dropped and out rolled a head....
Do you believe me? Nahhhh...

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is....the movie was a 1922 Hollywood flick called weak end driver. About a man and his motor car. An old model T ford.

So cute to watch.

It's nice to have little bits of history around our house and even nicer that some of it works too.

Right up on High....

Was wandering up on High st on Friday and came across....wonders of wonders....a bead store.

I'm sure I've passed it a million times before, but stupidly, never ventured in.
It's not the most delightful of interiors and there is definitely no sales assistants asking how your days been, but that's sorta appealing in itself.
You can linger longer and take your time touching everything.

They have trays and trays of beads, strands of gems, lots of suede's, leather and tiger tail and some super cheap shop display items behind the counter.

I got some funky beads for a project I'm working on ready for my December markets and at only 10 cents each I could afford a few colors to have a play with.

I also nabbed a display bust for only $8.95.....I've seen them in shop display shops for much more then that, so I was very happy.
I don't usually use conventional display items for my stalls, but the beaded idea I'm working on needs something to set it apart from all the rest, so it was good timing really, that I came across it.

If your in the area and after a bargain, the shops called Bejooled and its at 320 high st, Preston, Vic.

Where's your hoot...........

The lovely Felicity over at Flicketty splits recently posed the thought, "I sometimes wonder where my hoots end up"

I can answer that.....thought I.
As I have had the pleasure of meeting the hoot family and adopting one for me.....

This here is my hoot, she delights in bringing a splash of color and fun to my bedroom and spends her days reclining on plush cushions far far away from little hands.

although little hands sometimes find there way to her abode.

Having seen the absolute adorableness that a hoot can bring to ones home my M.I.L agreed that her home would not be complete without one too.
So meet 'In my gothic garden'


She perches delightfully atop a very funky wicker chair, taunting the many pussy cats that wonder by. She's very at home, indeed.

If you have the pleasure of owning one of the hoot family too, lets start a family tree.....