New Knot Dress

This is the latest dress made from the shipment of fabrics which arrived last week.  It's the softest of voiles and is for sale in my Etsy shop. 

Show me the Money!

To paraphrase the Jesuit saying, give me a child until she is seven and I will show you a pretty cool soccer star.

It's the first day of the season and our granddaughter faces up against some pretty tough competition in the Under Sevens division.  She's the fashion conscious one in the hat who has cleverly manoeuvred herself into a team with a bunch of gallant men to protect her.  The opposition look as though they mean business - they even have an official uniform, and there are more of them - is that fair?  The chicks look pretty scary, but the boys on the left are shooting admiring glances at the Fashion Princess.  I bet those girls are regretting leaving their hats at home.

Time for a game plan.

Excellent - they are all running in the same direction.

It's going to be a long season.

Material Girl

Do you ever sit waiting for the mail to arrive, hoping that today that anticipated parcel may be there?

 

Today there was indeed a parcel.  I did the dance of joy when these scrumptious Anna Maria Horner voiles from her Little Folks range tumbled out.  Looks as though it's going to be a busy week.

Happy Second Anniversary BrisStyle

Surely it can't be two years since twelve brave little Brisbane Etsy sellers met at the Avid Reader Cafe to form a local support group.  Today, with our membership passing the 130 mark, we are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Committee members from left:  Rebecca, Helen and Samantha

Where else would you rather be on a warm and balmy Saturday than sitting on the front verandah of this heritage listed building?

Lunch of delicious (and plentiful!) wraps, salads and fresh tropical fruit were washed down with chilled apple juice and beautiful coffee.

Helen has the photography technique down to a fine art - look at the expert hand placement.

I had to leave before the gift swap took place, but I am sure there will be many happy faces tonight if previous swaps are anything to go by.

So a hearty congratulations to all BrisStylers, old and new.  We have come a long way and the year ahead looks very exciting, with markets and social events to fill just about every need.

Work in Progress

At long last I have started on a new quilt - well,  a wall hanging to be precise.  It's part of a challenge and this is only a tiny portion of the design.  I would be shot at dawn if I showed any more.

Jems Quilt Sitters will be holding their popular annual exhibition mid-year and I have two quilts to complete in that time.  This wall hanging is part of the Whispers Challenge.  We are divided into groups of five. The first person received a photograph, and was required to create a quilt inspired by the photo. The second person gets to see the first quilt (but not the photo) and makes a quilt inspired by it. The third person gets to see the second quilt… and so on.

I am fourth in the line and have already passed on my quilt to the last participant in our team.  I can hardly wait to see them all together, and to take a look at the original photograph.

More on this and the other quilt which is still in my head later on.

Shadow Shot Sunday - Centrepoint

I was in Sydney last weekend for a school reunion and met up with our daughters on Monday for a girly trip to the city.  This inner city shopping mecca, Centrepoint, has been closed for many months of reconstruction, causing no small amount of withdrawal symptoms among serious shoppers.  It still has a long way to go, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The jury is still out on the patterned glass, but it does make for interesting shadowed reflections of the department store across the road.

Hey Harriet hosts Shadow Shot Sunday and it's always well worth a look.

Colours

I've always been fascinated by colour, so while we were away I took photos of the stunning way Europeans have of putting together such intoxicating colour combinations.

Toilet rolls on display at the Louvre ... classy.

Ties in Venice - Mr Fudge grabbed the one in the middle before I had time to stop him!

Food always captured our attention.

Macaroons ... mmmmmm ...

Even this ancient building in the Roman Forum appeared to be decorated with M & Ms.  I know, I know, but it was late in the day and I was becoming really hungry.

Then there's fashion ...

Our son, now in his thirties, has been terrified of clowns ever since he was a little boy.  No, we didn't dress up in clown suits and scare him in the middle of the night (not that we'd admit to it), so we don't know where the phobia came from. 

This should make his weekend.

Finally, the cars of Paris ...

Venice on a wet afternoon ...

... and the Georgian doors of Dublin - superb.

A Market and a Reunion

It's been quite an eventful weekend and I have only now recovered enough to recall all that has taken place.

Of course, last Saturday we awoke under a cloud of constant rain, not what you want to see when you are about to leave to set up for a market.  We left at the crack of dawn to travel to the other side of the city and the further we travelled, the lighter the rain became, so that by the time we reached Hamilton it had all but stopped raining and the grounds weren’t too bad, all things considered.

I had a brand new banner which as a precaution I had weather-proofed, so at least it arrived unscathed. 

After setting up my stall ...

... it was time to check outside to see how the weather was holding up.

Thankfully the rain had stopped and a good half hour before the markets were due to open, the crowds started to trickle in.

Back in the hall the the stall holders had completed setting up and it all looked wonderful.  Here are a few of the stores:

Beckybean

SM Boutique

Retro Bird

Enticing Icing

Jellygnite

Little Chrissy

And outside Ruby2GoGo was drawing the crowds.

Time for a quiet snack ...

... before some more serious shopping.

Considering the record amounts of rain which have fallen over Brisbane in the past month, we were very fortunate to have a reasonably dry spell during the market hours.  It was a very happy atmosphere - there's something about the BrisStyle markets which puts a smile on everyone's face.

As soon as the markets ended we quickly packed up and, leaving Mr Fudge to his own devices for a couple of days, I took a flight to Sydney for a school reunion the next morning.  I was met at the airport by my best friend from our schooldays and her husband - our two closest and dearest friends.  We were up with the birds the next morning for the trip to our old school.  I had not seen some of the girls in many a year, but once they smiled, we were transported back to our teen years and the day passed all too quickly.

That evening we joined some of the husbands for a meal at an Italian restaurant.  It ended with me holding my best friend's hand while we waited anxiously at the emergency ward of the Royal North Shore Hospital where her husband had been rushed by ambulance.  He is diabetic and we suspected it may have been Hypoglycemia.  As it turned out, his heart and blood tests were fine - it appears that he had a suspected case of Salmonella.  However, all the "evidence" was left back at the restaurant.  We were just grateful that he was well enough to come home with us at 1.00 in the morning.

It was a pretty sobering experience seeing someone you care for lying in such a distressed state, and it certainly brought home that you can't take anything for granted.  Thank goodness he's fine now.

On a happier note, I met up the next day with our two daughters and two grandsons (big sister was at school).  Needless to say, their company was delightful and I was spoilt with high tea in the Queen Victoria Building. Our three year-old grandson really did himself proud sucking the life out of the cakes.

After picking up the new schoolgirl later that afternoon, she asked me to sit for a portrait.

The likeness is uncanny.

BrisStyle Marketeers

It's finally only two sleeps away - the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market.  Just to get you really enthusiastic, here is a sneak preview of a few of the gorgeous items you will be able to buy:

And a few more ...

These are just a few of the creations of the BrisStylers who will be waiting to greet you on Saturday. 

Where?

St Augustine's Church Grounds and Hall
Racecourse Road
Hamilton

When?

9.00am to 2.00pm

For a complete list of participants, please go here.