Rocket Rascals Kids Outfitters & A Seated Craft

Another month has nearly past, and I have been keeping a low profile as I prepare for another creative year. There a few exciting things on the "possible", "highly possible" and "impending" lists at the moment, but I'm not going to be releasing any juicy details until things are set in stone.... watch this space!

And speaking of space, you might be wondering what those child astronauts are doing up there. I am so very pleased to announce a new stockist of the Birdhouse singlets and bibs - the divine Rocket Rascals Kids Outfitters. Owned by the lovely Marcela, Rocket Rascals in Thirroul is absolutely laden with a gorgeous range of kids clothing, shoes, toys, books and accessories, as well as bedroom furnishings and things for mum. Fabulous finds in here, such as Paperwings, (if you haven't seen this yet and you have a girl, please take a deep breath, clink the link and prepare to be smitten). And if you're in the area, you should definitely take advantage of the Rocket Rascals post Xmas sale - I know I did :)

And in other totally unrelated news, I am sooo excited to be receiving a visit later this week from my most wonderful and talented friend from Berlin, (ex-Melbourne) who is back in Australia for a holiday after finishing her first album - you can listen to a couple of the songs pre-release by clicking here: A Seated Craft. Make sure you have the good speakers plugged in, pour yourself a glass or cup of whatever takes your fancy, close your eyes and do it all while any small people are tucked away in bed.

Enjoy your Australia Day, whatever it may entail :)

Happy New Year & a New Boutique

I hope everyone else had as good a Christmas and New Year as I did - lots of friends, family, food and fun, and of course, spending stacks of time with my husband and son. Completely in awe of anyone who blogged over the holiday period, as I was far too busy (lazy) reading books, drinking tea, chatting and generally swanning about!

Saying that, I wasn't completely inactive, and am happy to announce another stockist of the singlets - yey! I don't know about anyone else, but I am constantly amazed at how the universe looks after me, and would like to share this story...

I was spending the morning with a close friend near the beach at Merimbula, (Far South Coast NSW) however due to some very nasty weather, we were forced to leave. We decided on an early lunch, and chose to drive back into the town. As we were coming up to the intersection we were mortified to see that the main street was jammed, and the queue of cars going in to town stretched as far as we could see. After a few minutes of much dismayed huffing and cries of disbelief, we quickly changed lanes and decided to drive to the nearby village of Pambula. On our way up to look at one of the cafe menus, lo and behold, we chanced upon the brand new Eve Boutique full of goodies - are rare sight in those parts! After chatting with the lovely owner Libby, we were to discover that she had only been open ten days, and only decided to embark on this venture four weeks ago! Anyway, cutting a long story short, Libby has become my latest stockist, and is also interested in my friend's handmade jewellery.... it just seemed to me that everything that happened that day pointed us in the direction we needed to go....someone up there is looking after us.

Anyhoo, Libby will be sending me some pics of the shop when she has a chance, which I shall post along with some I'm planning to take of Milhouse Designs. In the meantime - hasn't she got a lovely sticker!

I posted a comment a while ago about an old foot operated Singer I picked up at a local junk market - isn't it a beauty? Still sitting in the shed waiting for some love unfortunately. New Year's resolutions for 2010 include:

1. More exercise (on top of list every year...)

2. Find a house to buy in Thirroul - gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous

3. Try not to come up with too many crazy schemes

4. Find some sort of musical or theatrical pursuit to become involved in

5. Go on more camping trips

There are many more, but I won't bore you... would love to hear other people's resolutions if you get a moment to post something...

Looking forward to another beautiful year.

Milk Thieves

It really must be Christmas, because I can now announce another new stockist! Milk Thieves is Wollongong's newest hidden treasure (upstairs at 157 Crown St in Wollongong - blink and you'll miss the entry). The concept of graphic designer and artist Emma-Lee, the store is a mix of artworks, handmade jewellery, cards, bags accessories, soaps and more, as well as serving as a base for Emma-Lee's graphic design business. More a gallery/shop, the space serves as a venue for independent creative work to be showcased. Thanks Emma-Lee for inviting me to submit some work for this exciting new venture!

Milhouse Designs

The wait is over! I am so very pleased to announce that the Birdhouse boutique range is now available at Milhouse Designs in Mangerton! If you're like me and haven't even started your Christmas shopping yet, drop in and view the range of divine children's wear, toys, gifts, jewellery, accessories and the yummy Perfume and Skincare Company range of lotions and potions - especially the fig and olive fragrance mmmmm... My only regret is forgetting to take the camera when I dropped off the order today, but I will attempt to rectify this in a couple of days. For now here's a snap of the lovely Afri Beads I picked up there for a friend's christmas present. These fairtrade beads are made by the Kind Mothers Program in Uganda, and are handmade from recycled paper - gorgeous!

New stockists

I'm very excited to announce new stockists of the birdhouse range! Next time you're in Manly, you can check out some limited edition pieces in the children's section of the beautiful fashion and homewares boutique Mr and Mrs Smith - that is, if you can get past all the things you'll want to buy for yourself!

As well as a select range of children's clothes, toys and accessories, you'll be sure to find some treasures amongst the designer clothes, handbags, shoes, and exclusive homewares. It's a privilege to be invited to contribute some pieces!

As for the other new stockist... well you're just going to have to wait until the end of the week when the singlets hit the rack to find out!

Congratulations Rene!

A little while ago, I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Rene on holidays in Gerringong. And it gives me great pleasure to be able to congratulate her on her new website and range of activewear for mummies to be. You can find Rene's new range on www.fitformum.com.au. A must for all yummy mummies!

Some new designs

Well this one's not completely new, but I wanted to post it nonetheless. My first experiment with a lino print, and a bit of a challenge to print on to fabric - particularly as I haven' t attached the lino to a block yet, so it's messy work! I've been making these in the larger sizes, (2-6) and they've been best sellers - everyone likes a bicycle maybe? It's been an inspiration to start work on some other lino prints anyway.

Anybody for a jaunt around the harbour or a spot of fishing? I was originally uninterested in developing images that had a "mechanical" rather than natural feel to them, but I have so many requests for boats and cars that I thought I'd give them a shot. That, and the fact that my two year old is now obsessed with anything that moves and makes noise I think provides ample justification...