Eye of the storm!

My beloved Nanna was a great believer in the short break long before they dedicated magazines and newspaper lift-outs to the concept. Not long before she died I took her, at Mum's instigation, for a short break at The Boolarong. This was a bit of a landmark hotel at Mooloolabah - the restaurant made a whole cuisine style out of fresh fruit, put together with lashings of cream, icecream, and synthetic fruit sauces. How bizarre!



This was in the days  (70's) when the greater part of the adult population still regarded fresh fruit and veg as slightly suspicious, suggestively primitive - my other grandmother had a habit of stewing the colour out of any edible vegetation before she would serve it up for human consumption, for example. Nanna, who'd grown up in Western Queensland, and who with my grandfather ate the rather stringy mangoes harvested from their own garden, as well as gooseberries and mulberries, and Queensland nuts (later know as macadamias - hah!), had no such reservations, but it was uncommon to find anywhere commercially serving up fresh fruit until a little more recently.

The short break is allegedly as good as a long break, only less disruptive and less expensive. The dashing Trevor is not good at restful and restorative holidaying I suspect; we only seem to do short breaks, or the one wonderful and exhausting longer trip to see my sister in London last year. What I miss in longevity of holiday he does see is made up for in quality...lovely restaurant dining; long, leisurely buffet brekkies; I'm sent off to the day spa for something wonderfully rejuvenating. It is a treat, and it IS (probably) almost as good as a week's time out.

We spent this week-end just past on one such mini-break, celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary. And it was lovely. The eye in the storm at this time of year - I have almost no market-free week-ends between now and Christmas, and they start to double up in November, so it does get a bit frenetic, if not plain frantic.

New Hilton, Surfers Paradise, 'FIX' bar

Tomorrow I'm taking a group of kids aged 8 upwards in an embellishment workshop at Tammy's 'piece together' sewing studio. She also has some special hand-made items for sale, and the studio itself is worth checking out...maybe some early Christmas shopping, or even gift-vouchers for sessions next year? And set in the Woolloongabba Antiques precinct there are plenty of other interesting retailers to browse, and some superlative lunching or snacking to be had nearby.

Have interesting and productive weeks!

Winter in Brissieland!

This lovely shot, not just of wimcee's market stall but also of the idyllic setting St Augustine's provides, especially in winter, comes courtesy of Bristylette Sandrine. Such was the July BrisStyle indie Designers Market - wonderful weather, green lawns, delightful shoppers, exceptional colleagues, seamless organization  from the volunteer BrisStyle committee.

My next market is my first Billycart Market, a hugely successful hand-made only market from southern states that this year is extending to Queensland. This takes place on July 30th, 9am - 2pm, at northside Sandgate - can't wait!

Also looking forward very much to holding some workshops with the newly opened piece together , a sewing studio, meeting place and retailer in the Woolloongabba Antique Precinct, rubbing shoulders with some of the funkiest stores and swankiest cafes in town...lots of fun to be associated with this venture, and with the creative brains behind it all, the lovely Tammy!



Loving having a few weeks off from the markets to play around with some new fabrics and new ideas. I have just delivered new pouches to Hanasho at West End, and I'll be contributing to their special fundraiser exhibition during the first week of August, so do please visit and support this very worthwhile cause - there will be a great many donated items and all funds raised will got to help the Japanese earthquake victims.

And, finally for this post, a peak at some of the new brooches I'll be dropping into my little cube at Bleeding Heart gallery-gift shop-cafe on Ann Street in the city.

Until next time, 

see you later alligators!

To market, to market...

Two months and one week and a bit since our break-in and I have my replacement camera...it's just neck-and-neck as to whether the a.w.o.l. vehicle comes home before the new laptop arrives. Much techno catch-up in store!

On Saturday morning (9th July) BrisStyle goes back to its Hamilton home with the first day-time indie designers market for the year, in the hall and grounds of St Augustine's church at Hamilton. This is a beautiful venue, especially in the Brissy winter sunshine, and there will be a host of hand-madees lined up to thrill with hand-crafted hotness. Check it out in detail here . 

I have stock with a few very select retailers around town now - Hanasho at West End, Bleeding Heart Gallery in the city, the Collective Store at Wynnum, and now at piece together studio in the antique precinct at Wooloongabba - so while I'm feeling a bit over-stretched at the same time the impetus is there to come up with new fun pieces to take to market. Having a ball with fabrics, putting together new aprons, new cushions, new bags, new children's clothing...!

On Sunday morning wimcee sets up in the white tents of Portside's Boutique Market , on the river, also at Hamilton - also a lovely place to be on a fine winter's day. I have been involved with this market since it's early days in the marquee at Everton Hills and seen it grow into filling a significant role in the market fabric of Brisbane.

So - back to the sewing machine in order to be ready for a busy week-end - hope to see some of your friendly faces at either or both market-places!

Asset-less!

Not really - one only has to reflect for about 2 seconds on the lot of so many locally affected by floods and cyclone, not to mention further away catastrophes this year - but a little robbery at home has left me without my laptop, my camera, and our second set of wheels, which did feel a bit personal at the time and has kept me on my toes for the past 6 weeks chasing up bits and pieces of insurance claims. (Photograph your techno treasures, reader dear, and then keep the photos somewhere other than on your laptop!) Did anyone say: "back up"? One moves on, but it's hard to blog without images, so I'm going to resort to my pinterest boards to liven up this post.

Pinterest is a site for cyber pin boards - collections of images. For someone who makes a full time occupation out of collecting images in hard copy it's one of my favourite down-time past-times to go on a hunt for a new pinboard on pinterest, my own or someone else's. My latest has been 'fibrication' - things crocheted or knitted, for example:

the knitted wedding party from Elizabeth Anne Designs

Check out Pinterest for further collections of images from across the world.

News for wimcee is that I will be joining the wonderful collective of hand-madees again at the BrisStyle indie Designers Market, the first day-time market that they have held for 2011, on July 9th. Get all the details from BrisStyle at BrisStyle on Facebook

One of the beautiful resin necklaces from BrisStyler,  Strat Designs, who will be at the July BiDM.

And immediately following the BiDM, Piece Together will be launched on July 11th, a wonderful initiative from some of Brisbane's super sewers and craftees, which will offer sewing and crafting workshops for all levels as well as a gift shop and gallery space, and embracing the lost arts of handiwork combined with an environmentally friendly ethos. Wimcee will be providing workshops in bag-making and embellishment, but there will be a range of opportunities to learn skills and develop interests at piecetogether 

Insurance front suggests that I may be getting my camera back shortly so hopefully back to more reliable blogging soon. Apologies in the interim!