Foxy crafters

Yes things are definately looking up. Today I spent the whole day sewing my heart out. It was bliss. Yesterday I found myself in the company of 3 lovely, local, crafty, funny women, and by the end of coffee we had decided to get together regularly.

That's Bianca (her head actually does come with a top, its just that her 5 year old was our photographer), Kirsty, Nikki and me at the front, looking a bit wincy (5 year old photographer). Little Evie in the front and Arlo (note cast) in the back (he is wondering why he is not the photographer).

I am often struck with jealousy when I read blogs of crafty down-southeeners and their joyful mentions of this or that craft gathering, or this or that crafty bloggy friend who lives down the road and has just popped in for coffee and a show and tell, but I need be jealous no longer! This crew is ace! Not only talented, not only fabric addicted (only one addict can truly understand another), not ony juggling 13 kids between us, but completely generous with their skills and knowledge. Ah....its like coming home.

Cheeky faces

My goodness its been a long, long time. I am finally coming out of a completely cursed interlude - involving cyclones, floods, power cuts, car crashes (my fault. minor.), crying on random stranger's shoulder in supermarket carpark (following car crash. so not me.) and general malaise. The absolute worst thing was Arlo broke his little 2 year old leg. It feels so horrible just to write that. It was the smallest, most everyday fall, from standing height, on to carpet. But there you go. Apparently "toddler fractures" are pretty common. he is the bravest, most cheerful, zen-like creature I have ever known - drags his fire-engine red cast around behind him in a bum-shuffle crawl and has not complained once. Not once. He is awe-inspiring.

I have decided that the cursedness is now finished. There shall be no more curses! Yesterday we went out and bought a new king sized bed and mattress. (King!!! Luxury!) I'm not sure why this signifies something but it does. My next stocking will be pretty soon, and I have a full day of sewing (without little helpful fingers) on Wednesday. And tomorrow I get to hang out with new blogland/IRL crafty friends which will be food for the soul I just know it. Happy now. Much much happier.

And I am now finally putting up some happy mangolimer photos from way back. This one is my sister-in-law's sister's son Sebastian modelling his mangolime t-shirt- does that make him my sort of nephew-in-law? I'm gonna claim him anyway as he is so so cute:

And this one is my newest little cousin Zac. He is a wakling (crawling?) advertisement for having 3 kids - we kept forgetting he was there when we stayed with our lovely cousins in Sydney. Of course with his beautiful smile he cannot stay uncuddled for long.

Hmmmm.....clucky.

Many happy returns

On Friday February 11th mangolime turns the ripe old age of 1. Yippee! What a year its been, lots of learning and experimenting and happiness feelings, as well as a dash of stress and juggling-overload. But it feels like so much a part of my life now that I can't imagine not doing it. If that makes sense.

Anyway, to celebrate.

I am going to do a sale of all the current stock in the store - everything that is now up in the shop can be previewed, but won't be on sale till Friday. The sale will last for 3 days, so if you buy anything in that time it will be 25% off. Happy Birthday!

I am also going to do a birthday giveaway/comp for one lucky fan on my facebook page, once we hit 300 fans. If you are already a fan, thanks for that, and can you tell your friends? If not, why not come and join us? If you absolutely hate facebook and refuse to join even though you love mangolime, I get it. Really I do. But maybe you have a friend on facebook who has no scruples (but a fabulous sense of style) and could join for you?

The giveaway will be one of my new skirts, which will also feature in my next stocking (coming up in a couple of weeks). Here is one of them being gloriously twirled by my little friend Audrey, who shared her farmland paradise with us on our recent holiday.

The blurry foot is as a result of ABBA dancing, much of which was done on this holiday. I never realised I knew all the words to Chiquitita.

Harnessing the Virgo within

I had the best day today - a day off from my real job (which I do love) to spend on my mangolime job. The wonder and glory of being able to create 9-5! Loved loved loved it.

I spent most of the day cleaning up though. I decided that only fabric that I love can stay, all other fabric, despite its inherent beauty, must go. So after a big destash on facebook, I am left with only my favourites. The ones that inspire me to create. The survivors have all been disciplined into mini-bolts, an excessively Virgo concept which I embrace entirely. If you'd like a how-to, check here. I need to blog these pics as I can't imagine my space will ever look like this again.

Isn't that a joy to behold! I may turn into a Nigella equivalent and rub my hands up and down the little shelves in pleasure.....(as she does in her pantry. I would do that too if I had a pantry. But that's another story.)

Wanna have a closer look?

There is some order to this. The top left shelf is designer cottons, and the one to the right of that is mostly home dec weight - Ikea and my all-time favourite Jessica Jones. Just looking at it makes me happy.

Some more designer cottons and then some of my upcycled vintage fabrics. More of these are on the line. Not quite sure where to put them....oh the trials.

Mmmmmmm......Echino.

But wait. There's more.

More Echino that is. And oh look! Space for even more Echino! How convenient....

Then there's all the solids (linen) and coordinates. To the right of this shelf is the outcast fabric that does not get the royal mini-bolt treatment, silently suffering in their daggy little piles. Poor things. There are other shelves with scraps and notions and patterns and drill and solid cottons, but they don't look like this soI'm not gonna show you. It'd tarnish the image. And we can't have that.

I have also put all my ribbons, self cover button stuff and bias binding in jars:

Shiny. Happy.

So overall it looks a little something like this:

Not quite A Room of One's Own, but good enough for me. And with this view how can I complain?

Thanks for indulging me.

I'm gonna go back to checking on Cyclone Yasi now and sending positive thoughts to the FNQers....

Back!

We are back from our wonderful holiday. It was so so good. 6 weeks and we could have easily kept on going. We went to beaches and forests and saw wildlife. There was yum cha, masala dosa, berry picking and Pellegrini's a plenty. Museums and art galleries and even a folk festival. We splashed in creeks and climbed mountains (one of which was, apparently, not suitable for children but this did not deter us!). We were star struck by Bob Brown in a Hobart cafe. We even survived 2 weeks in a campervan. We went round and round and round on a tram. We were spellbound by a blowhole. Jarrah's Big Wish was fulfilled as we got lost in a proper hedge maze. We crossed NSW, Victoria and Tassie. Best of all we got to hang out with our beautiful family and friends. If we can't have them all living with us, the next best thing is to visit them - each living in their own little Paradise that we get to share. I'd love to put up lots of pics here but I feel irky putting photos of people without their permission, so this one will have to do:

Coming back from holidays is hard. There should be a syndrome name for it. PHD - Post Holiday Depression. But after battling the ants, cockroaches and mould which had overtaken our house with the arrival of the monsoon while we were away, I feel much better. Back to work, back to school, back to life.

And always thinking of the floods and the survivors and the victims. The terror of nature can be heartbreaking.

last minute crafting (aka priorities all wrong)

I should be packing. I should at least be making lists. But I can't stop sewing! Its a disease!
I am inspired by this new use of FOE (fold over elastic) and this stunning new echino print - this is a gift for a friend's daughter down south but I have many more of these in me:

You're just going to have to imagine it ironed, unshadowed and without the dirty cupboard as a background!

And birthday presents for my mum (mum if you are reading this, stop....):

Now this you're going to have to imagine this rotated clockwise! A-line skirt. The fabric is from Maningrida. Hand silk screened on linen.

back applique:

and a bag to match:

and an inner pocket from that (?) Marrimekko rip off recently found at Spotlight (anyone else?). Sorry the bird looks decapitated - its just the angle.

Ok. Feel purged now. Thanks. Better go pack.

Local crafts rule

I love Darwin - I love its personality, culture and sweaty nature. But as a crafty blogger it can sometimes feel really really far away from all the bloggy crafty down south action and funky independent fabric shops. And that's why it was such a treat to meet Bianca Jae at the Mararra craft fair on the weekend. We bought one of her fabulous chalkcloth rollups which has been a hit with both kids ever since:

I have met a handful of lovely local crafters now - in my more Virgo moments I am having dreams of a big (or small) Top End sewing convention thingy for those who sew and blog and sell stuff. A bit like Sew It Together. So we can get technical and talk geeky stuff like fold over elastic and echino furuya and stitch selection and other scintillating topics. Anyone keen?