20 May 2009

read all about it, The Chronicle in Canberra

Greetings all, in a neat lead up to Handmade Canberra's UpMarket this Saturday at Albert Hall, the Chronicle did an interview about my sewing business. I'm really pleased with the article, it covered all the basics of what i'm about, handmade, family, fabric, design, passion . . . so if you're in Canberra or our surrounds, please join us at Handmade, don't be shy, come along & say hello at the Posie Stall - i'm outside on the lawns just near the French doors to the balcony. Thanks Julie (Queen of Handmade) & shucks folks, love Posie

15 May 2009

up uP UP & DOWN DOwn down

Greetings all, feeling like i'm on a roller coaster ride at the moment.

Last Sunday's Mother's Day market was lovely, great customers, everyone up beat, my stall was next to Little Angel Little Devil run by Rachel who i adore . . . (UP) made some cash, paid for new children's fancy sneakers (DOWN).
I ran the Mother's Day stall at our primary school which had a Handmade Canberra's UpMarket raffle of goodies & raised a tonne of cash, yippee (UP) but ended up exhausted with a migraine (DOWN)!!
Then Monday was the zone cross country & my 3 girls were all competing for their school, i was one very proud mama on the side of the track with my eldest placing in the final (UP) & promptly falling asleep after an attitude attack in the car on the way home from Mount Stromlo (DOWN).
Recovering from my weekedn migraine, my body has passed the baton to a sinus infection & 10 day course of antibiotics (DOWN DOwn down) & when i was at rock bottom with heat backs on all my aches yesterday, the Chronicle called & asked if they could pop over for a photo shoot & interview (UP but out of puff). That's happening today, i had to postpone them 24 hours or i would be way too hazy & puffy, sure the photo will be average anyway.
Naturally today when i took my husband's morning tea into work, which he made last night, i burst into tears (DOWN) & you know the look your husband gives you when you're crazy crying woman in the car, for no apparent reason. My morning wasn't smooth with the delivery of four children to school on a particularly cold & windy day.
All these great things - newspapers articles, gorgeous husband, clever children & great businesses . . . & i'm struggling this week. Oh, did i only just realise i'm a busy mother & thinking positive isn't a cure for exhaustion??

Tomorrow is the Handmade Show Case at Civic (UP), come & meet us, which is always fun & a fantastic promotion for the big Handmade Canberra's UpMarket the following Saturday . . . oh & a Country Road Sale (UP & down, sale ace, spending all my money, not so ace) then Sunday we have no less than 4 parties all over the ACT, with different combinations of children at each one, some with clashing times. Fun!! Can you hear the circus music as my juggling act on a unicyle goes wrong?? Super Dad will do one drop off & pick up, while i recruit another mother in similar situation to car pool one of my children from her party to the next. It's takes a village!!
After the big super Handmade UpMarket on Saturday 23rd May, i can rest, relax, catch my breath & stick to the on line orders for a while. So that should balance me out. I'll also let you know how the Chronicle article goes & my new hair cut, it's cute!!
But wait, there's more . . . head down tail up, i'm sewing for the next big event in my life . . . on an up uP UP to the sky note . . . i'm going to show at Sydney's Magnolia Square. This is a market which my customers (first in Darwin as that was where we were living at the time when Magnolia started in Victoria) have told me i must go given the opportunity. So now Magnolia is branching out to Sydney, i'm coming too. Sydney is where i was born & raised, i have a fabulous customer base there, friends, family & i'm very much looking forward to doing a fantastic market event - details below & a whole lot more on Magnolia Square later . . . love Posie

07 May 2009

Happy Mother's Day Australia & Mums around the world

Greetings all, my favourite of days, even better than my birthday, is Mother's Day. As cliche as it sounds, i do think some of us were just born to be mothers, be it broad hips or incredible patience, (i tick both categories) but when i think about my children, it makes my stomach butterfly. Sure i have great ones, happy, healthy, funny, sporty & bright. They are easy children to love. I feel so lucky to have 4 of them too, all clones of my favourite person in the world, my husband. I'll blog about my gift later . . . blame Retro Mummy for making it happen, you know when you get a thought into your head (be it a fabric, dress, toy) that you just HAVE to have . . . well my husband considered it an investment in the business, bless him. I'm not normally up for gifts at birthdays. Christmas etc, but this is my 10th Mother's Day so why not & tax deductable at that, yeah for everyone from me to the tax man.
Tomorrow is our school's Mother's Day stall which is always sweet & with my access to wholesalers, we have a fantastic range of goods & my dear husband made 20 bags of rocky road to go with brownies & cookies for the $3 table. We also have a fantastic Handmade Market raffle (thanks Julie & Tania) valued over $100 on offer, includes Handmade apron, badge, bag, goodies from Peggy-Jean, Edna&AliceMay plus Posie - it's who you know ladies!! The money generated from ticket sales has paid for any overheads for the 300 odd gifts we require for the market. Kudos!! It never hurts to ask for donations & bam, every ticket sale is pure profit. Give it a try for any event. Handmade Canberra's UpMarket was a great fit for our school's raffle as it's motherly goodness, cross promotion with the upcomign event & Tania McCartney's new book Beijing Tai Tai, which i can't put down!! Tania is so glam, honest, frank & very funny about her 4 years living in China with 2 young children as the 'wife'. I added an autographed copy of her book to our raffle & can't wait to see who wins so i can talk their ear off about Tania to yet another person. My husband wants to meet Tania & thank her for having to put up with the back of my head as i read & read & read on. FYI, i'm NOT a reader at all, i'm a scientist remember, not into humanities at all, so reading anything more than a magazine or parenting book since university, it's just not heard of, even on holidays for me!!
If you're in Canberra, come along to Glebe Park next to Civic Shopping Centre & join in the fun on Sunday!! There is free entertainment, market stalls (me me me) & a great play ground to boot. Sure my family will come too, help me pack up would be handy . . . 'many hands' . . . Happy Mother's Day, love Posie