Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Last minute market




I had a stall at Old Bus Depot Market last Sunday. It was a last minute decision, but I've been spending up big on supplies lately and needed an injection of funds before the credit card bill arrives. So, 'to market, to market' it was.

And brrrr! It was cold! I've learnt to take my camera when heading out in the early morning in Canberra because there are often marvellous photo opportunites to be had - crystal clear blue skies with hot air balloons near Black Mountain reflected in a tranquil Lake Burley Griffin, for example. Last Sunday was not one of those days.

This was the general feel of last Sunday morning at approximately 7.45 am:


Not very inspiring. Things didn't improve on the way, either:


And ten points if you can guess which famous Canberra landmark is hiding in the fog in this photo below:



Just after I took that photo above, I heard on the radio that it was -3° C. See, I told you - Brrrrrrr!




Even though I was indoors, it was still mighty cold. Fortunately I was wearing my boots bought specifically for attending winter markets in Canberra. They are rated to something like minus 32°C. They aren't pretty but I love them.

This was my first Flibbertigibbet stall on my own (Mama Goose from Goosey Gander is so busy with custom orders at the moment that she has to save her stock for her space at Shop Handmade and the upcoming Handmade in Bloom market on September 11) so my one trestle table seemed a bit lonely (as was I!)




The above photo is dark, but I had to include it to show the little patch of sunlight that I stood in to defrost and tracked for as long as possible as it moved across my stall space.

This one shows my stall a little better:


Despite the chilly start, it turned out to be a beautiful day (as frosty mornings in Canberra usually do, thank goodness!) and was a great market day too. My new styles did very well, people just loved the googly eyed ladybirds (see my previous blog post) and I am busy making more. I'm also making lots of fabric flowers in new colours and patterns - they'll be just the thing to coordinate with Spring and Summer frocks.

I had a lot of fun and I hope to be back at Old Bus Depot Market very soon!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Bugs in my workroom




I was busy making some new styles of buttons the other night and couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. And no wonder ...




Cheeky little things!

Oh, and here's the sneak peek of one of my new ranges that I promised a few posts ago. I went to take a photo and found Miss Diva had taken it upon herself to put some of my pieces to work in the sandpit.


Yes, they are spoons, and no, I haven't had Uri Geller as a houseguest (although his spoon bending abilities would be mighty handy for this particular project)

What on earth are they for? Well, you will have to visit my stall at Handmade in Bloom in September to find out!


Monday, July 5, 2010

One year on

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Yesterday morning found me driving to Black Mountain for the all too rare treat of a child free breakfast with friends. It's just as well I knew Black Mountain was there because the fog was so thick I couldn't actually see Black Mountain, or even the Tower for that matter.

And it was cold. So cold. It reminded me a lot of the first market day for Flibbertigibbet and Goosey Gander, which was at Hall Market 12 months ago today. Just where has that year gone?

Unfortunately Mama Goose and I both forgot to take our cameras on our first market day, but our stall looked a lot like this:




The above photo was actually from our second market at Hall in August. It was just as cold as July from memory, but by then we'd worked out that wearing three pairs of socks each helped a lot. Not quite sufficient for us to have full feeling in our feet, but enough to ward off frostbite. Fortunately we were in a great location and hot chocolate and our favourite 'A Moment on the Lips' cupcakes were in ready supply just a few stalls away to keep our spirits (and core body temperature) up.

Looking at the photo brings back lots of memories. We have certainly come a long way since our very humble beginnings. We've only been using our marquee since the start of this year, but it seems like so long ago that we were at the total mercy of the weather. We've moved on from using bedsheets as tablecloths too - thank goodness, as they were simply awful to iron. It is interesting to look at our initial product ranges and see what has changed and what has remained the same. And I still remember the thrill of my first sale and the slight disbelief that someone else saw value in what I made and was actually prepared to pay money for it - wow!

It's been a fabulous year and a huge learning curve, and we wouldn't still be here without our customers so a big thank you to you all! I am sure the next year will be just as wonderful; I've got big plans for the remainder of July and Mama Goose and I are already working on stock for Handmade in Bloom on Saturday the 11th of September. Ah, September in Canberra - Spring, Handmade Market and Floriade - bliss!