This is the end....Blogtoberfest day 31.

Beautiful friends, the end....

Image via : here

Ahh nothing like a bit of J.M to help say goodbye, farewell, adios amigos...this is the end.
The end of another great Blogtoberfest.
A month full of blogging, daily adventures in craft, life and love.

It has been lovely to share a little more of me with ye'all and in return to learn a little more about so many of you. I still plan on sitting down with the big list of participants on Tinniegirls blog and making it a point of dropping by every single one. So please keep the list up Ms T, I have some great reading ahead of me.

I have to say, thank you to all the real bloggers I visit every other day. Some blogtober participants, some not...People like Michelle of button tree lane, Thornberry, Cath of Chunky chooky and Cathy of Tinniegirl our hostess with the mostess.

Art Journal page by : Teesha Moore.

By real...I mean, these are woman who talk about heart and soul, share there losses and sorrow, who show themselves in leggings and half made frocks and who are not afraid to just be themselves.

You all remind me that even though we like to share the joy, craft and happiness in our lives, we all relate to each other on a whole different level when we share the other parts of our lives that aren't so candid and glamorous.

You ladies have made me smile, made me cry, inspired me and humbled me.

Through this wonderful journey of Blogtoberfest, each year I grow a little and remember that I am not alone in this big old world.
Most importantly I remember how important it is to keep it real.

Happy end of Blogtoberfest everyone. Didn't it go fast.
Jay xx

First excursion...Blogtoberfest day 30.

On Friday the wee one had his first ever excursion.

When his childcare centre asked if we were coming to the excursion, you could have knocked me over with a feather. What the ! He's only 3. How will you manage twenty under 4's on an excursion, were my thoughts.

I can't even manage one sometimes.
Alas, parents come too. Whew... Yep, he can go .

The excursion was to see a puppet play at the arts center in the city.

Didn't matter where it was really, the most exciting part was catching a train to the city.
Little man has many a time pointed to the city skyline from the car
and said "go there daddy"' So he was hyped about just GOING TO THE CITY.

The train ride there, was mainly a little boy staring out the window
as the city got bigger and bigger and closer and closer.

Once we arrived we headed the the little park near the center for our picnic,

where the sculptural black waves were much more fun then sitting down and eating lunch.

The play all about zoo animals, was just perfect for our groups age and the most exciting recollection of the day from the mouths of babes was... the city is huge (pronounced hooj) and the elephant did a poo on the stage!

Gotta love him.
Jay xx

Skirts to match...Blogtoberfest Day 29.

The rest of the story to go with yesterdays cardi's,

are these new a-line skirts...

Well not super matchy, but tonal and super good looking all together.
Yay, for another step forward in finishing my sewing for the year.

Next I'm working on some awesome dresses and cardi's for November.
Jay xx

One thing ticked off the list...Blogtoberfest day 28.

Finally got round to making up new cardi's in chocolate and forest,

to match the skirts on the way...
Yay for ticking things off the todo list.
Jay xx

Like a moth to a flame...Blogtoberfest day 27.

That's what it looks. Moths hoarding around the light...

But really, it's the final stage of setting resin.

A little heat so they cure just right.

Nearly time for show and tell.
Jay xx

Sunnies so swish...Blogtoberfest day 26.

My latest addition of crafty cool, to add to my bag...

Is this fabbo sun glasses case, by the talented Curlypops.

I have a terrible track record with keeping sunnies in one piece, so here's hoping that my new little pouch keeps them safe n' sound.

Thanks Cam, I luvs them.
Jay xx

I can't show you it's face...Blogtoberfest day 25.

Blurred to protect it's true identity,

But I can tell you, it's awesome, beautiful and shall be revealed soon.

Jay xx

One good thing...Blogtoberfest day 24.

One good thing about this spaz weather, is there are still these random cold days allowing opportunity for one to wear some of the new tights she got in the mail yesterday...

Stripes where the first packet opened,

and I'm not entirely sure I pulled it off... Wee bit witchy poo, But I likes them
and maybe there's a little witch in me anyway, that likes to come out to play.

WARNING: Lots more photo's of brightly colored plus size legs will be on show here... soon!

Jay xx

P.s
For those of you who love stripes and bright colored tights they come from 'We love colors' and they do actually fit a plus size gal. (They have smaller sizes too)
I was a bit worried they wouldn't, as some plus size gals have those wee little curvylicious legs with dainty ankles and all.
I do not.
But they fit anyway...cankles and all... and are plenty tall enough. Yay!

Hung out to dry...Blogtoberfest day 23.

Hasn't the weather been crazy, seems a low topic to present, but really...

I had some washin' and dryin' to do and read the forecast of 14 and showers.
So I ruled today out as wash day, but tomorrow had promise of 27...

Didn't really believe it, but boy oh boy it was a splendid summer day.

So the new skirts got a pre wash and hung out to dry,

An important step to get all the shrinkage out.

Then today again, 16 and showers. Chuck in a couple of thunderstorms for good measure.
I guess that's a typical Melbourne spring. But every year, I forget.
Jay xx

Secret squirrel stuff...Blogtoberfest day 22.

I've been delving back into some beading to stock up at the shop,

which has reminded me how much I love it.

Such a stress free fun way to pass time, so it makes perfect sense that it's an avenue I have chosen to walk down a little further with a new secret squirrel collaboration I'm working on.

I can't tell you much, but I'm very excited about the new range of jewels you'll see here.... soon.
Jay xx

Got me some bunting...Blogtoberfest day 21.

Boy oh boy, I've been hanging out to get me a bunting necklace ever since I saw them on Betty Jo's blog.

So today I made the trip to her new shop for a sticky beak and to grab one of my own.

Gleaners is the exciting new store opened by Liz of Betty Jo fame
and that girl....I tells yah, she's got taste.

Beautiful range of recycled, up cycled, retro and vintage delights,
great displays and of course the friendliest service this side of town.

Putty tat likes my necklace too...

Silly me I had walked past the lane way twice this week not realising it was so close to my work. So if you know Brunswick, or not...it's just around the corner from Spotlight and it's seconds away from the Sydney rd tram. Very easy to get to.

You could make a day of it and come see me at Olive Grove, pop in for some op shopping at Savers, see Liz at Gleaners then dine at any one of the awesome cafes or yummy Turkish restaurants on Sydney rd.

Jay xx

I want to be a hippie... Blogtoberfest day 20.

It's the time of year for school concerts, formals and wrapping it all up.
There is a mixture of happiness and sadness going on, the feelings we both share for the adventures to come and the ones left behind as my little big girl finishes off her last year of primary school.

The play for the end of year concert was 'Dear Prudence'.

A wonderful mix of Beatles songs alongside a story about a boy and a girl.

It was hard to hold back the tears when the preppy's came out to sing and dance, as my thoughts were on my grade sixer and how I'll never see her in another primary school play.
When did my little girl grow up? Seems only yesterday that we dropped her off for her first day, had her first camp and stuck her first piece of artwork on the fridge.

Gosh time flies when you have kids.

Emotions aside, end of year concert was awesome. Every song was played by the school band, every song was sung by the kids...and some of those kids, boy are they gunna be famous. Voices that make your hair stand on end. Amazing.

My baby, well suitably, her class sang revolution and ran about on stage with protest banners,
flares and lots of tie dye tee's.

Sorta reminds me of my 16th...so long ago now.
I had a hippie party and wore flowers in my hair too.
Ahh the old days.

Jay xx

Taking it slow...Blogtoberfest day 19.

Taking it slow and finally using the slow cooker.

We bought this baby last winter and never got around to using it.

It takes being organised enough with ingredients early morning to have a meal on the cook all day and me being organised with food in the fridge is usually not an event that happens often.
I'm more of a hit 5 o'clock, feel hunger, go to shops and buy food to cook sort of gal.

I totally get that if I plan a whole menu for the week, shop for it and be that wee bit more organized I could probably save myself time and money, but food shopping kills me.
It's like torture.

Those brightly lit, humungo stores, where the sour cream is not in the same section as the yogurt and I end up backtracking more then once for things I missed, only after I forget to bring a gold coin so I can secure a trolley to begin the journey. Aughhh...

So at max, I'll shop for three days worth of meals at once.
At least that way the food stays fresh, without opportunity to turn into unidentifiable objects in the bottom fridge drawers.

Shopping woes aside, we planned ahead on school holidays and chose a day where my little big girl would cook for everyone. With interstate rellies over, it ended up being 12 she was cooking for, but it all went smoothly. Dinner was good old silverside, white sauce etc. The works.

But the best part, was the red wine vanilla poached pears, cooked in the slow cooker.

The smell all day was divine and the flavour was melt in your mouth.

Definitely a method of cooking we have taken on board.
quite possibly just for the amazing aromas that fill the house all day.
Yum!

Jay xx

Still on the maxi's...Blogtoberfest day 18.

Maxi skirt week this week.

So after drafting my pattern, it was cut, cut, sew, sew
to get them ready for the shop.

Today's additions are the stripes.

With matching tee's of course!

Can't help myself.

Jay xx

Look Mum, some pink. Blogtoberfest day 17.

I do have a wee aversion to all things pink.
Not sure why, but it is just one of those colors that does not appeal to me.
I love it on others, but just not on me.

So in a sheer act of impulse I got this gorgeous fabric
simply because it had pineapples on it,

and made up a batch of maxi skirts. Soo cute.

Also made black and gray skirts and found I could not put skirts in store that didn't have a matching tops,

So made a few of those too.

And the pink...well this shade of it anyway, it's growing on me.

Jay xx

Something for everyone...Blogtoberfest day 16

The littlest doesn't quite get, that Sundays are about sleeping in.
So at 7am, after half an hour of harassment I figured we may as well get up for the day.

The sun was shining and we had two hours to kill before hubby had to go to work, so we decided to do a quick dash over to our local trash and treasure market.
Today, we actually found something for everyone.

The littlest always finds some form of plane, train or automobile for under a dollar.

Today it was a ship and car.
Hours of fun.

Little miss found part 9 and 10 of a series of books she is reading...

Hubby found an Astro boy bag...

and I got this awesome tin to collect money for your household bills.

I saw it a local bazaar recently for $45 and loved it, but wasn't willing to pay the $$$.

So when it was offered today for $12 I grabbed it.
Was the dearest item for the day, but I loves it.

Happy Sunday to you all,
Jay xx

I tawt I saw a putty tat! ... Blogtoberfest day 15.

New cat,

Loves the new clock from Savers...

and won't stop pouncing on it.

So instead of having it on the table in the craft room waiting to be painted,
It's hanging on the wall safe and sound, till I have time to give it a face lift.
Teal, I'm thinking.

Happy Saturday.
Jay xx

How does one manage one self...Blogtoberfest day 14.

As a small business owner I have only myself to answer to, so early on I learnt that I had to develop some sort of routine to keep everything in check, otherwise I would get consumed by the daily to do lists well before I even got myself out of bed.

So these days my day begins just as it would if I was working for the man.
I'm up and showered early along with the rest of the family getting ready for school and work. After seeing them off I put on the kettle for my morning cuppa.

Lately chai blends have been my tea of choice, but when that's out,

Earl grey is my morning wake up.

From tea and brekky, I move on to emails, blog, facebook.

A little bit of catching up and keeping in touch.
So important to know what's happening in your world and to be a part of it.

Then it's on to the to do list.
To sort out my week and break it down into what is achievable for the day.
I tend to overestimate what I can achieve in one day, but I don't beat myself up if I didn't get it all done.

A great quote I read once, said
'Don't try and do it all in one day, leave some for tomorrow,
cause then you have a reason to jump out of bed in the morning and get going '
Made sense to me.
So I start my days work finishing off yesterdays list, giving me a sense of accomplishment for finishing something, which then gives me the energy to move on to today's list.

From there it's work till 1 then stop for lunch.

I used to work right through, but that would set me up for rushing through things on an empty stomach, which led to mistakes. I would also muck up my eating for the day as I'd end up eating lunch at 4 then be making dinner for everyone at 5.30 and totally not interested in eating it.

So lunch at one it is. Which come rain hail or shine is my time to sit on the veranda and get me some fresh air. 30 minutes to eat and another check in on the computer before I head back to the studio till 5.

After that, it's time to pack up my mess for the day, close the door on the studio and start dinner.

I don't work weekends and I don't work nights and even though I have a preferred daily routine ... sometimes I just go op shopping instead.

It's been over 3 years since I started this work for myself gig and it really has taken me this long to streamline it.

I first tried being there for family all day, then work from 8-pm to the wee hours...that just led to sleeping in and stuffing up my eating and energy levels for the day.

I tried doing 3 days a week, so I could have kids home 2 days, and that just led to me stealing time at nights and on weekends to craft.

Then I tried admitting to myself, that this is my life, this is something I really enjoy and this should be my job.
So I accepted that, quit my day job and I started to treat it as my 9 to 5 and now... It seems to be working.

It is so important, to not kid yourself with these things.

Image via my pinterset board

If you eat, breathe and sleep a certain something, if you wake up and go to sleep each day thinking about it,

I reckon that's a bloody good sign that you need to start living that life.

Image via Pinterest.

I used to work for the man and I often tell friends, I'd be there all day thinking about what I wanted to make when I got home, then I'd get home and be exhausted having worked for the man and couldn't make anything.

Neither working or crafting got the best of me. They both got half of me. The tired and cranky and preoccupied half of me.

So leaving the rat race was the best decision I ever made.

Image via here.

It wasn't easy and it sure took time to work out my routines.
To balance everything and make sure I was making enough to put food on the table each night.
But therein lies the challenge.

It was never meant to be easy, it was just supposed to feel right. To feel as though I was living an authentic life, listening to my heart and following my dreams. I think when you come from that place of absolute honesty, of responding to such a basic instinct, you can't go wrong.

So there you have it.

That's how I manage myself and my day.
No amazing insights, just hard work, a little bit of structure and being honest with myself.

Jay xx

What's a girl to put on her jugs, a follow up... Blogtoberfest day 13

A follow up on yesterdays post about new jug covers.
Something else to put on yer jugz...

Afternoon tea...of course!

Image via my mother-in-laws Pinterest board of 'Naughty Nana's'
Jay xx

What's a girl to put on her jugs...Blogtoberfest day 12

Well, a jug cover of course...

You weren't thinking of any other jugs were you!

With our Aussie summer fast approaching, we welcome the outdoor picnics,
B.B.Q's and the inevitable barrage of insects that come with dining outdoors.
Ti's perfect timing for some doily decor'.

So Mum...the crochet queen, has the stick out and on full speed to whip up an awesome range of jug covers for the shop. Perfect to keep bee's out of your homemade lemonade, crickets out of your pickles and jam's and possibly even just to make your picnics look darn cute.

Love them.
Jay xx

Tweet...Blogtoberfest day 11.

Tweet of the bird, not the social networking thingo.

Lovin' the birdies on my new skirt.

The latest from Polly Pratt designs down at Olive Grove.

I fell in love with the fabric the minute it walked in the door,
and it totally fits in with my not buying anything black.
I am wearing it with black...

But you wait till I get my new tights from 'We love colors'.

image via: we love colors
Plus sizes in an awesome range of prints and colors.

It will be a color explosion.
Thanks for the tip off on that one too Michelle.
Catch yah tomorrow.

Jay xx

Objet D'art... Blogtoberfest day 10

The newest addition to my jewellery box, is this fabbo set of babushka earrings

made by the talented Sue over at Divajools.

I have followed her blog for a while now, drooling over her absolutely amazing silversmith skills and her awesome ability to take tankards, spoons, tins and tray and turn them into delights to behold.

Objet d'art at it's finest.

Boy do I feel special owning a pair.

Jay xx

Wasn't me ... Blogtoberfest day 9.

Today's agenda is a horrid one, ti's my least favorite thing to do...

But how can I craft in a room where every table top is covered,

and how shall we get ready for school tomorrow,
in a room that looks like a bomb has hit it.

Surely wasn't me that did it.

Does that mean I don't have to clean it!

Matter of fact I most definitely gave up on the vicious cycle of attempting to clean whilst holidays were on, round about a week and a half ago!

So today will have to be a day of cleaning and getting ready for school tomorrow, shop girl on Monday, then maybe...just maybe, crafty transmissions will resume on Tuesday.

Hallelujah