a fond farewell

Tomorrow I will be having a stall at the 'designers emporium market' . It is the last market to be held by 'designers emporium' so please come along and help us farewell what has been a great monthly market. Leasl and Rachael will be investigating further avenues to explore our marketplace in the virtual world....... so stay tuned!

Where: Everton Park Hotel. 101 Flockton St, Everton Park, Brisbane 4053

When: Sunday 1st Feb , 9am - 1pm

lolly cube studs

the calm before the storm..

This photo was taken last Sunday just moments before the flags were pulled down, swimmers ordered out of the water due to lightning and a heavy down pour of rain. I LOVE rain and all the things that it brings, the colour change in the sky, umbrellas, people having to change their plans - it's one of the few things in life that can make us just stop and I love that!

Study Tours have finished until March so I am now catching up on emails, hot toffee and preparing for an upcoming exhibition in early February. I have quite a few things planned for the year and will do my best to document them here.

taking a rest..

sleeping koala at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

kangaroo at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

I haven't been blogging for about 1 week now as I am currently teaching a group of Chinese children who are in Australia on a study tour. We have classes in the mornings and then we go on excursions in the afternoons. As there are 30 children (aged 8-12) you can imagine it is quite full on..lots of fun ...but full on! My intention was to come home each evening and reply to emails, list items on etsy and keep my blog up to date..but I have been so exhausted when I get home that there is no chance of any of that happening. I will basically be out of action until the end of January. I do get Sundays off so may pop in again next week...until then I hope everyone is happy, healthy and enjoying 2009 so far.

JUST. ADD. PAPER.

I LOVE it! I came across these calenders by little brown pen on etsy on Thursday and couldn't resist buying one. The concept is great. You are sent a PDF file and are able to print your own. It was fast, affordable and the designs are lovely. As an added bonus they are having a PROMO at the moment where you get a free calender with any purchase! Little Brown Pen also have a range of printable note cards, gift tags and stationery.

calenders by little brown pen

happy new year...LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. We spent Christmas with my family by the beach and then did a little camping at Girraween National Park before spending a quiet but lovely New Years Eve at home cooking, reminiscing about 2008 and planning for 2009.

my new moleskine diary

(Christmas present from my sweet sweet sister)

The last couple of days have been spent slowly getting back into a routine... which can prove quite challenging when working from home. This year I definitely intend to focus more on getting my life balance a little healthier and living the life I want. This will be my mantra...

LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE

Live What You Love - letterpress print by hijirik

merry christmas..

I love this time of year - wrapping presents, catching up with family & friends, enjoying the summer sky and the hint of a New Year on it's way with exciting possibilities. I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank you all for your support and encouragement over the past year - it really does mean a lot to me.

tagged

Sally from caffeinated prints tagged me over a week ago to share '6 quirky/unimportant things that make me happy', then tag 5 other people to do the same...finally I've had the chance to sit down and write some of the little not so quirky things in life that make me happy..

1. visiting garage sales & op shops with my Mum

2. buying notebooks/sketch books or any other kind of stationary

3. drawing 'my little girl' who still has no name!

4. driving to get our vegies from a local farmer on Saturday mornings

5. eating fried rice cooked by R (it's soooo good!)

6. looking at the moon when it's a crescent and looks like a smiley face

and I choose to tag Lyssymay, Paisley St Claire, LITTLE JANE ST, red bamboo and Trinkets & Roses

a little more...for Sally xx

I took my camera to the market with every intention of trying to capture the day, but I'm happy to say the day captured me! It was such a great atmosphere that I didn't even think to get my camera out. As all the stall holders have shops on etsy.com we had a lot to talk about, for many of us it was also the first time to meet face to face.

a little more...

As you walked into the hall there was a large table set up where our raffle was held. Each of the 30 stall holders added something to the basket of handmade goodies being raffled in order to raise money for the charity Knitting For Brisbane's Needy . This was just the first of many markets BrisStyle plans to have in the future, each time supporting a different local charity.

In the hall & on the stage there were approximately 20 stalls selling bags, jewellery, baby's clothes, quilts, soft toys, bookmarks and much much more. More stalls were out in the courtyard where there was also the sound of the acoustic guitar and the smell of gourmet food enticing people to the market.

4ZzZ broadcast live from the hall in the afternoon as part of their popular and award winning At The Local program which is hosted by BrisStyle member Olivia from Scampsville. If you would like to listen to the program you can listen to their podcasts anytime.

I've always really enjoyed going to markets on weekends and love to also be part of them. This market seemed to have all the special market feelings rolled into one. It was in a fantastic setting, great quality goods for sale, gourmet food, acoustic music, laughter - it just had everything I'd like a market to have as a customer and as a stall holder. I can't wait until the next one and I'll be sure to make time to snap a few photos but for now here a couple of my purchases...

'Rudolf can't take the heat' by Twinkle Star Art

Little purse by Little Mary Moo

the market...

The brisStyle Christmas market at Hamilton Hall was one of the best markets I've been part of. The setting in Hamilton Hall with it's high and ornate ceilings, the atmosphere created by live music in the court yard & happy people combined with the quality of the items for sale made for a lovely way to spend a Saturday. So hats off and a big thank you to Helen from Ruby Red Studios for the weeks and weeks of planning and organising!

Christmas Market

This Saturday I will be taking part in the brisStyle Christmas market at Hamilton Hall, Hamilton. It's going to be a great day with live music, gourmet food and stalls specialising in handmade goodness! More details below:

BrisStyle, a collective of artists, crafters and designers from the Brisbane area who sell their wares on Etsy.com are having their very first market.

The market will specialise in quality handmade goods including handbags, jewellery, funky footwear, babies and children's wear, soft toys, graphic artworks and vintage re-creations to name a few.

The gourmet food stall in the leafy courtyard is catering for the Brisbane summer with cool drinks and traditional Christmas treats while the soothing sounds of the acoustic entertainment will kindle your Christmas Spirit.

So if you are a budding ethical consumer who is looking for gifts that are unique and well-made with a little soul and a lotta style, then The 2008 BrisStyle Christmas Market in Hamilton is the place to shop!

BrisStyle Christmas Markets:

Location: Hamilton Town Hall, Cnr Rossiter + Racecourse Rd, Hamilton Brisbane

Date: Saturday 13th December 2008

Time: 9am - 4pm