softies, softies and more softies

I'm happy to report that I've had a very productive day of sewing today.  Actually my first productive day since being back from holidays at the start of October.  A month is a long time to get back into the swing of things and I'm kinda bummed at myself that it took so long.

But I have two markets (Sister's Market and Daylesford Makers Market) coming up in December, which will be just in time for Christmas present shoppers, so I have to stay on top of my game over the next few weeks to ensure I have enough stock.

While on the subject of stock, I'm excited to share with you that I've just had my first two stockists come on board in the last week.  Little Shop Of in Carnegie and Kids in Berlin in North Melbourne.  It's taken me a while to decide how to proceed with my little hobby of making softies, but I've finally taken the plunge.

If you haven't been into these shops, you really should visit.  That is, of course, if you live in Melbourne.  I managed to snap some photos of Little Shop Of while I was there last weekend to share for those who can't get in to see it.

P.S. Pip over at Meet Me at Mike's is running the annual 'Softies for Mirable' campaign and she's asking for you creative folk out there to try your hand at making a softie to donate.  Make sure you check it out here if you're interested and sign yourself right up!

Euro trash... I mean treasure

So I posted photos last week from my recent trip to Europe, but I failed to share photos of some of the delights I picked up while over there.  Would you like to see? Because I would certainly like to share with you!

pretty clip on earrings from flea market in Paris, oui!

Adorable mushroom trinket box carved from wood from Krakow

And a look-see of the inside of the mushroom box

This fun 'Picon' metal sign - now hanging in our kitchen. From Paris

Gorgeous red lacquered clogs from a clog-maker in Amsterdam

How could I NOT buy a piece of iconic Holland? Salt & Pepper shaker boy & girl, Amsterdam

This quirky wooden puppet on a pulley from Warsaw

Lastly, I've been searching for a fun brolly for some time now. When I spotted (get it) this beauty in a shop in Amsterdam, I squealed

There were more purchases, but I'd hate you to think that I'm bragging.

europe in pictures

Silence?  Did someone say silence? Well, yes. As a matter of fact, it has been a little silent around here lately.  I'm giving no excuses though. Just needed a break from my break!

Speaking of break. Thought I'd share a little (compared to the full library) collection of photos to give you a feel for what we saw in Europe. But just the best bits. Nothing worse than death by slideshow.

The delightful 'Het Grote Avontuur' shop in Amsterdam

some cute cards on display at Het Grote Avontuur in Amsterdam

all the sweet, kitsch, quirky, splendid things in Het Grote Avontuur

the fabric in Het Grote Avontuur was so hard to resist

I amsterdam... in, you guessed it!

beautiful flowers at the Bloemenmarkt (flower market), Amsterdam

anyone for a bike, or 100? Amsterdam

one of the many hundreds of canals, Amsterdam

you can't come to Holland and not see windmills!

or clogs. lots of them.

there's lots of cheese in Holland too. Yummy cheese.

being tourists in Krakow town square, Poland

salt icicles forming from the ceiling in Wieliczka salt mine, Krakow

these stunning chandelier's are made from salt!

my beloved, me and my cool uncle in Zakopane, Poland

did you spot the violinist in the centre of the photo? Old town, Warsaw

some ace stencil art on a wall in old town, Warsaw

the sweet little handmade craft market we stumbled upon in Warsaw

just chillin' on the brick wall surrounding Zamek Krolewski (royal castle), Warsaw

the standard tourist shot with the Eiffel Tower, Paris, of course!

so many stunning gothic buildings in Prague

one of the many cobble-stone laneways in old town Prague

so much detail on all the buildings in Prague

me hanging with Chiko the owl in the royal gardens of Prague castle

Here's a snap-shot of our trip in bullet points:

• day 1 - hotel had overbooked and we had to move to another hotel in Amsterdam
• day 2 - mobile phone stolen from my bag
• rained
• wore soggy sneakers on the overnight train from Prague to Krakow
• arrived a day earlier than when our accommodation was booked in Warsaw (had to find another hotel for the night)
• found out we were staying on the most dangerous train line in Paris. As a result, didn't go out after dark and were confined to watching 50 channels in French for 3 nights in a row.
• rained
• train broke down from paris to amsterdam
• rained
• flight from amsterdam delayed.  the tow-truck which pulls the plane out of terminal broke down and then we missed our "departure timeslot" so we sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half.

But we did have an adventure!

I'm back... and just in time too!

Hello my lovelies.  Oh, how I've missed updating my dear blog.  If you missed it, I have been in Europe for 3 weeks celebrating my entry to the 30's.  Look who's a big girl now!

I got back a week ago but I've had my visiting mother, unpacking, washing, chores, insomnia, returning to work and reintroduction to reality to deal with in the week that we've been back.  As much fun as we had, it is nice to be back in the comforts of my own home, in my own bed, with my own fluffy pillow.  I will be updating in the coming days with lots of delightful photos from the trip. 

But for now, I wanted to say hello (again) and tell you about the great things which are on in Melbourne this weekend.

Last night my beloved and I got ourselves along to ACMI in Federation Square to get a glimpse of the Tim Burton exhibition before it wraps this Sunday.  If you can, I highly recommend going to check this out.  The man is a creative genius, in a quirky, freaky kind of way.  One of my fave movies of all time is Bettlejuice, so it was awesome to see some props and sketches from the movie, plus those of Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland and Batman to name a few other.  Well worth it, but skip the queues and buy tix online.  Really.

I'm so excited about Melbourne's first Finders Keepers market which is on this weekend.  There's 150 super-talented stallholders filling the space of Shed 4 at Docklands for two full days of market madness.  I'm having high tea at midday tomorrow (yum) followed by a trip and sneaky peek at the goodies on offer.  But I have a budget.  I must, otherwise I will be tempted to buy so many delights.

And last but not least, there's the Craft Expo in Carlton.  Since Saturday is pretty much over-scheduled, I'm leaving the Craft Expo for Sunday. 

Talk about weekend DE-lights!

Whatever you're up to, wherever you are, I hope you have a lovely one too.