BrisStyle Easter Giveaways

We BrisStyle girls are a generous bunch. How would you like some free goodies just in time for Easter? This delightful bunny by Edward and Lily is perfect for your baby, or the young at heart. Hop (boom-boom!) over to her blog right now and add a comment to have a chance to win. It ends on Sunday night, so don't delay.

The next giveaway is from RE-read. If you haven't seen her amazing brooches, take a look and I guarantee you will be smitten. Make a comment on her blog to be in the running for one of her heart brooches.

I trust you realise what a sacrifice I am making by mentioning these fabulous giveaways, because I really want to win them for myself. Good luck!

Fridays can be fun

When can Fridays be fun? When you meet up with a bunch of friends and drive down to the Gold Coast to visit Craftfest. The Gold Coast Convention Centre is enormous and ultra-modern, perfect for a craft convention, and that was good enough for us. All it took was an hour's drive south of Brisbane on the freeway, and we arrived just in time for our first coffee of the day. Oh yes, and a muffin.

With our equilibrium restored, we set our minds to the main task at hand - to see our quilts hanging. We are probably a little biased, but we thought they looked pretty OK.

Muffin Rowlands

Joy Nelson

Rowena Lawson

Robyn Dixon

These are just a few of the quilts on special exhibition by Jems Quilt Sitters from last year's exhibition. This year our 12th anniversary exhibition will be on 25-26 July. For further details, hop over here. Hmmm ... I guess that means I really should start on my quilt!

Back at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, the hall was full of all sorts of tempting treats and we took advantage of our weakened self-control, buying what was only necessary, of course. I found some beautiful Egyptian 100% cotton thread in stunning colours which is suitable for machine quilting as well as everyday sewing. And then I found this irresistible Japanese fabric.

Don't you love the bite out of one of the apples? I had some denim fabric at home just waiting to be paired up with something like this, so of course it somehow found its way into my shopping bag. I've made a start on a dress (size 4) and hope to have it up in my Etsy shop tomorrow.

Or maybe the next day. Tomorrow we Loose Threads girls are gallery hopping. Should be fun!

There is a buzz in our BrisStyle group, as one of our members, Michelle of Pedrosprout is being featured in TWO magazines, Australian Parents (produced by Woolworths), and Peppermint Magazine. Her baby shoes are works of art. Also featured in Peppermint Magazine are some gorgeous bags by BrisStyle members, Bec and Jade of Beckybean. This team of sisters produces the most amazing bags which are a huge hit with all who see them. Yet another BrisStyle girl, artist Eliza, has six of her works of art featured on the covers of sketch books and journals produced by Modofly.

And I haven't even mentioned our upcoming BrisStyle Market in July. More of that later.

Hurry - Fabulous Giveaway

Is there a baby in your life? Then you won't want to miss this incredible giveaway, but hurry, because it ends soon.

The good folks at myMonkeymoo are giving away one myMonkeymoo stroller pad and blanket set in the design of your choice (valued at CDN$133!) to one lucky Bondville reader.

All you need to do is visit the myMonkeymoo website and comment here with your favourite myMonkeymoo design and you will be in the running to win.

Entries close at midnight (AEST) on Friday 28th March 2009. Good luck!

Rules:

1. One comment per person allowed.


2. If you write about the competition on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, you will receive three (3) entries.


3. Please include your email address or a link to your website .


4. This competition is open to entrants worldwide.


5. You must include your favourite myMonkeymoo design in your comment.


6. Entries close 11:59pm AEST, Friday 28th March 2009.

So what are you waiting for? To be fair, you don't really stand a chance, because I am going to win it for my latest (seventh!) grandchild due in July.

Shadow Shot Sunday # 44

We bought one of those new TVs during the week - you know the sort - high definition this, state of the art that, big, shiny, and, worthy of its status, temperamental. I'll spare you the painful details of being home alone and trying to set it up. Suffice to say many tears were shed as it scornfully declared, "Weak or no signal". We also bought a hard drive DVD player and recorder and that frightened the life out of me. Even Mr Fudge had no success when he arrived home.

Then last night the family came over for dinner and our son, being under 35, pressed what I know were the same buttons I had pressed, and in no time we had glorious images flashing across the family room. We put on the Australian Swimming Championships and I swear we had to towel off after each race!

Which reminded me of our daughter and son-in-law's recent wedding reception in Sydney at Bondi Beach. Which reminded me it was Shadow Shot Sunday and I had this image of Mr Fudge and me walking with our granddaughter along the beach promenade towards the reception.

She's trying to do the Peter Pan thing, as you can see by her foot.

To see some really wonderful shadow shots, hop over to Hey Harriet's blog and feast your eyes on some truly imaginative images.

Frenzied Friday

I have been home alone for the past two days, which was the perfect opportunity to get some serious sewing going.

I have fallen in love with Anna Maria Horner's latest collection, Good Folks, and I had enough fabric left to make two more of this popular knot dress, one in a size 3 and the other 6-12 months. The fabric placement is slightly different in the two versions, as I am not a fan of strictly identical dresses on siblings.

If you have two little darlings, or know of two you would love to see wearing these pretty little dresses, pop over to my Etsy shop and snap them up.

BrisStyle Babes turn One

A year ago, twelve very nervous artisans met for the first time at a popular book shop cafe. They had been contacted by a fellow Etsy shop owner, Esther of Green Envy, who was keen to start up a street team. One by one we introduced ourselves, showed some of our wares, and related the story behind our chosen Etsy shop name. The chemistry must have been spot on, because from that first meeting, firm friendships were forged and are still there today.

Over the next twelve months, BrisStyle grew like a new baby. We took our first steps last December with our extremely successful Christmas market. As our reputation spread, our membership swelled until we now boast over 60, with new applications arriving almost on a daily basis. Sadly, our founder Esther returned to her homeland, Holland, but we know she is tickled pink that our little group has grown to what it is today.

And so we arrived at our first birthday last Sunday. A venue had to be chosen which would accommodate the 30 members who wished to attend the celebrations and Melange Restaurant in the beautiful Roma Street Parklands was an easy choice. The committee arranged to meet an hour before the celebrations and as soon as I sat down, the beautiful Helen of Ruby Red Studios handed me a carefully wrapped parcel. "I found this and knew it would be perfect for you, Robyn," was all she would say. I carefully unwrapped it and to my great amusement and delight, out popped this acrylic sign:




I was instructed to carry it around in my bag and whip it out if anyone gives me a hard time! I don't know where Helen finds these little treasures, but she always comes up with delightful little gifts at the most unexpected times. What a friend.

An hour later, we moved on to the bigger table and the celebrations began. Many of the newer members had never met before, but within minutes the table was buzzing with chatter and laughter.




As the girls were passing around some of their latest items available on their Etsy shops, I fell in love with these two packs of hair clips from the very talented team at EmBelIsh and had to buy them for my little granddaughters.



Catherine of Made by Maisie (check out her uber cute dolls) organised a gift swap and so it was time to bring out the bag.

We girls always love surprises, so it was with great anticipation that we took turns in picking out a gift.

When my turn came around, I couldn't believe it. There before me were these gorgeous items from Bel, one half of the EmBelIsh team. I immediately put on my little bird brooch and plan on wearing the pretty little earrings today.

We were all obviously very happy with our gifts.

Bel (l) of EmBelIsh and Bec (r) of Beckybean

(Note the careful product placement of MixTape with our full page advertisement on the back cover.)

Then it was time for a few words from one of our founding members, our den mother Helen (yes, she who gives surprise gifts!).




There was time for a quiet chat before we reluctantly left for home.

I hope you enjoyed joining us in our first birthday celebrations - we can hardly wait for our second!

Shadow Shot Sunday # 43

Question: What do you do when you know Shadow Shot Sunday is here again and the weather has been cloudy all week?

Answer: Of course, you hop on a plane and fly down to Sydney for your daughter's wedding. Mind you, it was cloudy down there as well, but on the wedding day the sun shone through and the reception at Bondi Beach was held in clear, sparkling, summery weather.

As we were leaving the reception in the late afternoon, this young man and his adoring dogs presented me with the perfect shadow shot.




And now if you go to Hey Harriet's blog, you will see some truly beautiful shadow shots.

On the Sunday after the wedding, we met up with the honeymooners at the Art Gallery of NSW to take a look at the Archibald Prize, which had been announced a couple of days beforehand. The winning painting, a striking portrait by Guy Maestri of young blind indigenous singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, would make an excellent Shadow Shot Sunday entry.

Among my favourite entries were these two quite different images:




This is a portrait by Hong Fu of Dame Elizabeth Murcoch (yes, Rupert's mother) who is now over 100 years old and is something of an icon in Australia. This small image doesn't show the incredible detail which makes this portrait a stand-out in the crowd.

And now for something completely different. This double portrait of rock legend Jimmie Barnes was painted by Ben Quilty. The artist used loads of paints on one of the images and applied a blank canvas on top to produce the mirror image. How brave was that?

And finally, another natural entry for Shadow Shot Sunday. Artist Vincent Fantauzzo painted this photo realistic portrait of Brandon Walters, the remarkable young star of the movie Australia.


As well as the Archibald Prize, the gallery simultaneously holds the Wynne and Sulman Prizes. The winning entry in the Wynne Prize was brilliant.



Created by Lionel Bawden, The amorphous ones (the vast colony of our being), consists of countless white colouring-in pencils, glued together, then carved into this remarkable sculpture. Simply stunning

So if you will be in Sydney over the coming weeks, do take a look at Archibald Prize, as well as the Wynne and Sulman Prizes - you won't be disappointed.

A Wedding

Weddings are such joyous occasions - that goes without saying. But when it's your first born who is the bride, well, that's indeed something very special. Sydney had put on some appalling weather leading up to last Thursday, but as if by magic a little window of glorious, sparkling weather arrived and lasted the whole day. By Friday we were back into the clouds and rain, but by then we had the weather we prayed for and day was as it should have been, full of joy, laughter and the odd tear, surrounded by close friends and family.

Mind you, the marriage celebrant at the Registry Office didn't add to the festivities. And no, my daughter and her new husband aren't vertically challenged - the celebrant is freakishly tall and gaunt, with a funereal personality to match ...

... as you can see by his tie choice.



Yes, skull and crossbones. Maybe he was filling in from the Death Certificates Department.

The only sad note was that our Brisbane son, daughter-in-law and children could not make it down to Sydney, as our son had teaching commitments and travelling with four children would have proved too difficult.




The reception was held at the Bondi Icebergs Club and on a day such as this, I doubt there would be a better place in the world to hold a wedding reception.



The food on the buffet table kept coming, much to the delight of the children.



It could even be used as an obstacle course for the rally driver. While the adults mingled ...




... the children were in for a big surprise. The groom's sister had brought along a bag of goodies for each of them. She had gone to incredible lengths to fill the bags with goodies appropriate to each child. For instance, our granddaughter Emily found among her lot a paper doll cut-out book titled Emily and Sophie. She was gobsmacked.




Time for quiet talks ...







... the fathers-in-law ...

... and the groom and his Best Man.

I loved the bar tiles!


Meanwhile, the Dancing Queen showed off her latest Hot Fudge creation, demonstrating its twirling and dancing wearability.

She works cheap, which is an added bonus.

It was time for the speeches ...

The writer,

The retired school principal,

And the retired banker. What a trio - never stuck for words, of course.

And then we had to get the little folk home, as the sugar rush had taken its toll.

So now all three of our children are married and Tony and I are blessed to have two truly wonderful sons-in-law, as well as a beautiful daughter-in-law. And with grandchild number seven due in July (no, not the bride!), what more could we ask for?