oh how i love shoes

I love shoes.
I really love shoes.
I love boots too......I have a very special pair of red boots, they are superb.
These are my new shoes.
They are green.
They have a wedge heel.
They are soft and comfortable yet stylish.
I love them.
Did I say that I love shoes???

new skirt

The latest BOB & MABEL skirt.......Black skirt with retro front panel.
Sizes 8 - 16 $95.

make over and over and over

Thursday night was Mum's night at Little Miss Blondie's kinder. It was a night full of fun and great activities for us to enjoy together. She did my nails, we did craft activities, painted together, read stories, danced and she did my make-up. Boy, did she do my make up! As you can see in the photo she does not have a "light touch" and I was by far the most made up of all the Mums. I wore my make-up proudly all evening and after getting home we did a quick photo shoot before it was washed off and reapplied "my style". I had to go out afterwards and wasn't too keen on displaying my daughters creative talents in public...

op shop treasures

I am hopeless when it comes to blogging lately. I have a mountain of excuses all of which are pathetic.
I'd love to say that I picked these treasures up the other day but truth be told it was weeks and weeks ago but I am still excited about them. After a visit to the trusty Chiro I popped in to an oppy nearby that can be trusted to have some great things. I love these cups and saucers and thought to myself that they looked familiar, thinking that maybe we had something similar when I was young. When I got home I realised I have the matching milk jug, doubley excited and very pleased with myself.

Twilight

It has been so long since I last wrote, I have been in the Twilight zone. For those of you who have read the books I'm sure you understand. I realise that I am a bit slow to get into them but honestly couldn't see what the hype was about and didn't think that i'd enjoy reading about vampires. How wrong could I have been??? In the last 10 days I have read the 4 books, watched the film, read Midnight Sun and have googled Twilight and watched the trailers for the films too many times to admit. I am so completely and utterly taken with Edward as well as Jacob and am struggling to get through the day (or an hour) without thinking of them. It is so consuming and from today I am promising myself to get a grip and get on with things........
Is there any other Twilighters who feel the same?

Daylesford

After the event and the lead up to the Open Studio last week I am in dire need of some relaxation. In an hour or so I am heading to Daylesford with 6 girlfriends for some R & R, well thats what we hoped for last time. 18 months ago we went and well, it was a little crazy. Too many Mums who hadn't been out for a while, too much drinking , too much singstar and weird hiphop/rap dancing whilst very intoxicated.......... I am hoping for a little more culture this time after all I am a grown up woman!
p.s. The appalling dancing was done by me and hopefully there will not be a repeat of it.

This morning I realised that there is only 10 days until our OPEN STUDIO..............my heart started beating wildly, my head is pounding all of a sudden but that still hasn't moved me from the computer. I am still in my pj's, the kids are still in their pj's and the toy bomb has already exploded throughout the house.
The lovely Katie (5 Star, baby!) and I are holding an Open Studio next Friday and Saturday in Ocean Grove to show off our new wares and to launch our label together Plain Frocking Jane. We have been working like crazy to get ready for it and although I knew it was approaching us soon, I am now feeling a little stressed. School holidays is not the best time to be sewing......

Latest sewing effort

I've had my parents and my almost 90 year old Nan visiting for the past week therefore have been very slack on the sewing front. We have had Grandparents day at Kinder and the primary school concert and now the visitors are gone its time to work.
This is my latest creation inspired by the spring blossoms.

Hot off the press

A new BOB & MABEL skirt hot off the press. I'm loving it, hope you do too!

Plain Frocking Jane - 10

This is it, I'm up to 10 of my fave things and although I could go on for another month its time for something else. My Number 10 has to be the creation of Plain Frocking Jane. I'm loving our new name and of course my new business partner and beautiful friend Katie (5 star, baby!). We see each other so regularly and have such similar interests that it was a natural progression to work together. I'm completely loving our 1 1/2 days together in her studio creating gorgeous clothing and accessories. Our ideas blend together so well and its great to have the encouragement and extra motivation to keep it all going, even with the littlies around our feet. The chocolate bullets and coffee help with that too!!!

My garden - 9

Before the sewing bug really hit me a few years ago I was mad about my garden. Unfortunately I now just don't have the time it requires to keep it looking fab but instead every few months go crazy weeding. This weekend I have just mainly tidied up the front yard in preparation for my parents and Nan's (Mabel) arrival. I know Dad will tackle the craziness of the back yard for me, he cannot stand to see a weed in sight!!!

The beach and the dog - 8

Going along with my favourite things, living in Ocean Grove I just can't go past the beach. It is the most beautiful beach with great views to the Barwon Heads bluff and in the opposite direction towards the Point Lonsdale lighthouse. Walking along the beach this morning by myself with Rueben the dog was yet another reminder of how lucky I am to live here. Such a nice way to start the weekend.

Pin cushion - 7

A pin cushion I know is a weird thing to add to my favourite things, but this is no ordinary pin cushion. My Granny (the same Granny whose cupboard I treasure) made this for me when I was a teenager. She had had a stroke a few years before and was attenting a seniors craft group where this was created. My sister also has one that she uses still. It is not the most beautiful, trendy, or well put together but it gets used daily and I will not replace it until it falls to pieces.

Paul Kelly - 6

I have more than one man in my life, my husband and Paul Kelly! I love him like crazy, there are other musicians/bands that I like alot but no one compares to PK. The book in the photo is one I bought my husband years ago but have now taken over ownership. It sits on my cutting table in my studio and I pick it up most days and often lose myself reading the lyrics of his songs.
This is my fave at the moment
There was a man on the radio talking about the young people
Said we should listen to the young people, said they're a victim of conspiracy
The young people, Jesus! What's that supposed to mean?
I never did one damn good thing 'til I was over thirty
I'm gunna get up in the morning, chug-a-lug a coffee
Get on my bike and ride away
Find me a beach with a nice little break and I'm gunna catch wave after wave after wave
Until there's nothing on my mind

Mr Jack of all Trades - 5

Mr Jack of all Trades isn't really No. 5 on the list after Grannie's cupboard, the shorts and the red vinyl lounge! He in fact with the children is No.1, but in honour of his birthday yesterday he is featured again.
He is the ultimate Jack of all Trades, ex policeman, diving & sea kayak instructor, commando/army guy, carpenter, First Aid instructor and now teacher of carpentry. He is madly passionate about everything he does and rarely goes into things half-hearted. He is the youngest of 12 children and has always had to fight to get any attention which would explain his outgoing personality. He is loving, caring, funny, quick witted, honest, intense, moody and most of all he is a great Daddy to our 3 children.

Red Vinyl Couch - 4

Over the last few years I have been having a lounge dilemma! Many moons ago, after a shopping trip Mr Jack of all Trades and I arrived home with a sofa bed with an Aztec print in blue and red....... I completely loved it and thought it would never go out of fashion, how very wrong of me! And, how wrong it was of us to leave it in our loungeroom for all to see for way too many years.
The dilemma was not just the ugly sofa bed but what to replace it with. Do I buy a new one or hunt on ebay for a super retro one. The decision was made for me when lovely Mr Jack arrived home after helping his Mother clean up his late Aunties farmhouse. I literally squealed with delight, jumped up and down and almost wet my pants....(true!) when we unloaded this! It is so perfect and exactly what I would have chosen if I'd seen it on ebay.
It is Number 4 of my favourite things.

A few of my favourite things 3

This gorgeous old cupboard was my Grannies. As a child I don't remember ever noticing it, it wasn't until I was an adult that I fell in love with it. I love everything about it, the colour, the cracked and peeling paint and the little drawers but mostly I love that it was Grannies. It is called "Grannie's cupboard" in our house. Not a day goes by that I don't stop to look at its worn beauty and think of my beautiful Granny that is no longer with us.

A few of my favourite things 2

Day 2 of my favourite things..... and today it would have to be these gorgeous organic shorts with car trim that are hot off the press from Plain Frocking Jane.
Plain Frocking Jane is a new joint venture between myself and the wonderful Katie at 5 Star,baby! http://www.5starbaby.blogspot.com/
We are officially launching PFJ in October so watch this space!

A few of my favourite things

Over the next week or two I have decided to be a super organised blogger, not so much the slacko that I have been in the past. I am starting with a blog a day about my favourite things.
Number 1 would have to be my husband and children. Hubby, the Mr Jack of all trades and Miss Freckles (7), Miss Blondie (5) and Mr Chinky (2). They are my everything, that says it all really. I love that no matter what you do or sometimes don't do these special little creatures think you are "the bestest Mum in the whole entire world" or so Miss Blondie told me today.

computer issues......

I love computers, well more importantly I love the internet. I actually hate computers, they come with so many problems that I am utterly clueless about. Our computer has just come back from the doctors after being there for a week. I had the trusty laptop but of course it wasn't exactly playing the game and wouldn't let me do anything to my blog.....ahhhhh.
So, with the return of the computer I thought I would be blogging away but NO. It was returned with virtually no programs left on it and all our files gone (they were backed up so no need to panic). The problem being we now need to load them all back on which is proving time consuming.....
That is my complaint for the day and now I will be off to spend the rest of the day juggling Mr Chinky and the sewing machine.

Birthday pressies

Apart from all the normal household things to do this week I have been making presents for my children's friends. It is one of those times of the year where we have had party after party, hence the sewing of skirts, bunting and bag tags. Have a look and see what you think.

Ladie's skirts

These skirts are in the post on their way to Maryborough. I made one of the vintage panel skirts for my lovely friend Cint, she wore it to work and "hey presto" an order from a work collegue for 2 skirts. You've gotta love that!

I had grand plans for today. My workroom was going to be buzzing with activity, skirts galore cut out, sewn together and completed......... Unfortunately the dreaded cold is back again, will it ever go away? So after a trip to the chemist I am hoping that the activity will kick into gear soon. The mind is inspired and ready to go, the body not so!

BOB & MABEL CHILDREN'S CLOTHING

I have finally mastered loading photos onto my blog, very easy now that I have changed them all to jpeg files!!!
I am in the middle of crazy birthday party time. Its the time of the year where one or all of my children are attending birthday parties galore. This time it is Miss Middle who has 3 parties in 2 weeks, so I am busy doing last minute sewing projects for gifts. As I am running out of time I am coming up with fabulous ideas that I now don't have time to get done. I am at my most creative when I am too busy to follow through with what seems to be at the time a great idea. I must do some quick sketches so I don't forget!!!

Red dress

Gorgeous summer dress with contrasting waist tie, bottom frill and sleeves
Sizes to fit 6-9 months, 1, 2 and 3
$37.50

Girls denim skirt

Girls denim skirt with retro floral underskirt
1 only
Size 8
$35

Girls skirt

Girls skirt with retro fabric frill and belt

1 only

Size 6
$35

Wrap skirt

BOB & MABEL new wrap skirt. Available at Seababes from September, sizes 3 - 7.

Seababes, Shop 3, 41 Hitchcock Ave, Barwon Heads. Ph: 03 5254 1444

treasures

Cint

So much for getting into this blogging thing and regularly updating. Its been a while but over the next week endeavour to add photos of BOB & MABEL clothing and bags.
I haven't been able to sew for the past few weeks as its been school holidays. Its almost impossible to get anything done with the munchkins around.

Yeah, my first blog. I have not the slightest clue about what I'm doing with this and have 3 hungry children pestering me to feed them, so will try to post this and finish it off later.