Thread Den Market Day...

 

Finally I have been afforded a quiet little moment to sit down and relax in my newly arranged lounge room and post about the North Melbourne Market day last Sunday, which was hosted by Thread Den.

The Thread Den girls were so very welcoming and the amazing Lithuanian club was all abuzz with good cheer as another beautiful sunny day was delivered to Melbourne.

The venue was a large maze of rooms, so the market was spread out front and back and upstairs and through the halls.  My stall was in the ballroom which had chandelier lighting and was a perfect atmosphere for selling vintage clothes as well as handmade crafts.

As I am living alone with my son now and am sometimes sewing to 2am- I tend to lose perspective on what I'm actually creating and wonder if people will appreciate the end of my labours.  But what I loved about the market was that people were genuinely encouraging and my toys were well received.  I think it is important to get such positive feedback.

I was particularly thankful when a wide eyed 7 year old exclaimed that this little Monsieur on the left was the most beautiful toy ever.

Cheeky Little Monsters buttons sold consistently over the course of the day but probably not as crazily as I imagined.  I had 2 large suitcases of them and my favorite selection in this lovely 50's basket.  Children really liked them, so I was often selling one button from here or there and it reminded me of my own childhood button fettish, I was obsessed by their shiny sparkling goodness.  I still am obsessed if the truth be known, particularly if they are of the vintage persuasion. I do believe that these buttons will find their place in the future somehow and someday.

I sold some of my collection of vintage clothes as well.  This is my personal collection, so it was wrought with emotional difficulty when the time came to price them.  I found myself telling people when my son had worn a particular item and what we had done that day.  But I know I cannot keep everything forever, so it is wonderful to know that others will appreciate the beauty and elegance of a garment that was designed 30 or 40 years ago and is still going strong. 

For some extraordinarily daft reason I forgot to photograph my handmade shirring dresses, which look like this but were in different fabrics. There was one dress made from lovely light Japanese cotton that had splashes of violet coloured flowers that I wanted to show you.  Ah alas I cannot.  But I think I will go searching for the fabric again because it was incredibly beautiful and quite 50's looking.  When I showed this fabric to my best friend she said that she had actually dreamed of her daughter wearing the very same fabric when she was pregnant!!!!!!!

So there in lies a snippet of my time at the market.  I believe everyone else had a great day as well, but I cannot be sure as I was pretty much bound to my table for the day except for a brief wander around.  I did however love the calendars by Able and Game and the beautiful table set up of  Spin Spin Handmade. 

Any market that combines my two greatest loves- Vintage and Handmade, has found a friend in me. :)

My Place & Yours- On the Shelf...

Have just arrived home from seeing Woody Allen's hilarious new film Whatever Works where the absolutely talented and fabulous Patricia Clarkson completely steals the show.
And I'm sitting at home and thinking what to do now? Thinking....thinking....thinking....when I suddenly discover that Pip from Meet Me At Mikes has gone and got herself a cool Saturday night Meme called:
My Place and Yours....
And todays theme is What's On the Shelf?

So I'm playing along and I think everyone should, just cos its awesome (and she says the word 'totes' which never ceases to amuse me and is in fact a word I hate to love or love to hate).

Here is a shelf....

It is the shelf in Little Jim's room, my friend Macca put it up when he began his apprenticeship as a carpenter.  He really took his time and given the nearby powerpoint, I'm Amazed he didn't electrocute himself. It is also slightly on an angle, yet secure nontheless.

It could be pride? Or a workman's insecurity? But he checks it Every time he's over.

On the Shelf are my original Enid Blyton books my Fairy Godmother gave me as a child.

There is also my beloved copy of Charles Perrault's darkly imagined Little Red Riding Hood which is pictured here with Old Foxy- the squeak toy, who is totes cool.

I have a lovely collection of rubber toys, perhaps I will show them to you sometime.

 

The feature of the shelf is undeniably Train Night-light, he is freaking awesome.

I found him after 10 years of searching from the Lost and Found Market in Collingwood.

The fact he is a Train is important!

My father Jimmy was a diesel engine train driver for over 30 years and my six siblings and I love trains.

We Heart Trains!

Trains are one of the ways we bring our father alive again.

So that is my Little Jim's shelf, photographed stealthily by me while he is sleeping.

For more On the Shelf action be sure to visit Pip.

My Creative Space VI...

 

My Creative Space on this fabulous rainy Thursday in Melbourne is sifting through all my new buttons and op-shop aquisitions and trying to spring clean my sewing space.  My collection of haberdashery is starting to take over my house, really and truly and to be honest I ran out of cupboard space a long time ago and yet I am still collecting..... Here are some of the latest finds.
Some very cute fabric from Leongatha Salvation Army op shop and some amazing leather buttons from a thrift shop in Korumburra.  (So much better than the fake ones made of plastic that were big in the 70s).

While we are on the subject of buttons, check out these lovely ones I received from Tania at Cheeky Little Monsters on the weekend. They are fantastic, but once again I ask myself "where do I store them" because, lets face it, it will take a lifetime of sewing to use them all.

  

Is it just me or are these knitting books Camp or what?  'That Unhurried Look'- surely is because you would not be seen outside your house in jumpers such as these! And what is with the chess champion?

This one is my favourite, I bought it from St Vinnies for my friend John who totally adores 80's woollen jumbers (and he can pull off wearing them too).  I love that it is for men only, which kind of gives it a 'wool porn' feel and raises the question- are the fantastically hideous jumpers enclosed within Only to be viewed by Men?  Or can they Only be Knitted by them????

 

 

Lastly here are some other recent op-shop purchases. This really pretty 70's acrylic knit is too small for me but I have been squeezing into it all the same, because it is awesome. The practical guide to crochet is the sort of book I always dream of finding and finally have. And as for the 80's bikini pattern- well I just could not say no!

So that is really all I am up to today. Once everything is put away (read 'shoved' away), then I can begin the next creative project, I have a few markets coming up so I had best put on my skates as my mother would say :)

Visit Kirsty for more Creative Spaces.

Coveting 1950's Dresses.....

As I am being incredibly lazy at the moment, having neither started a new project or finished off an old one, I thought I would share with you these amazing 50's dresses I have been coveting on Ebay.  They are simply exquisite and flattering in their design- the fitted bodice with full skirt and tulle petticoat, the pin tucks and bows and beautiful fabrics.  I happened upon them whilst looking for inspiration to make vintage style dolls dresses. Now I just imagine wearing them myself and picturing how much more amazing my life would be if I wore a different one each day.  For the last week I have been tucking myself up in bed early with a cup of tea and watching the first season of True Blood, so it may be some time before I have any of my own creative little things for show and tell, until then enjoy these dresses and my new 'Spring look' blog. :)