Phew!!!!!

Crazy Busy Days!
But it's all very exciting. Have you checked out the new Tiny & Little magazine? (www.tinyandlittle.com.au/magazine/) Myrtle & Grace were so very thrilled to be invited to share a couple of dress' with you in the autumn feature. And what a feature it turned out to be!!!! We ended up on eight, yes 8
 pages. Words cannot express how grateful Myrtle & Grace for this. Lots of happy dancing had- mostly on the Wiggles wiggly dance mat with the youngest two kiddies, what fun that was. This is how it all happened...
Sunday last at the Fairy Floss Market in the gorgeous St Kilda town hall Ms. Tiny & Little editor chats to Rachael and tells her all about the new magazine and the Autumn feature. "Absolutely, YES!" was my answer when asked if I'd like to send in a photo for the new mag. How exciting, what fun, yippee were all the things going through my mind for the rest of the market. 10 days to magazine launch.
On the way home I called my friend Celeste who is my photographer for times like these. (You can check out her lovely work on her blog at http://www.ourgirlyworld.blogspot.com/) A day is set the very next Tuesday evening in the low sunlight. What a sight it was my 6, Celeste's 5 all trailing in a big line across the road holding hands to the park. Me with the beautiful old Tapestry chair (on loan from Cindy) on my head all the way. It must have looked hilarious to any passers by. The little models were so well behaved except for this one time when miss Emily (mine) decided she had done enough.
Celeste works her magic and takes care of the editing of the photo's and by Thursday her work is done! I don't know how many times I oooohhhhed and aahhhed and sighed out loud while viewing the finished product. So many gorgeous photo's I don't know which ones to send so after chatting with Tiny & Little decided that she can decide and I send them all! 5 days to magazine launch.
I get an email the next day from Tiny & Little telling me that she LOVES them all and is going to do a special feature. 4 days to magazine launch. I spend the weekend bursting at the seams waiting and counting down the days waiting to see our photo's. At least I have the Geelong Fairy Floss market to distract me for at least one of those days. Tuesday day of the launch and I have to be in the car all day I sooo can't wait to see the magazine and get home to some beautiful comments on the Myrtle & Grace Face book page. I STILL haven't seen it and after a bit of fluffing around getting the Internet opened and running properly.....
*****Ohhhhh , Ahhhhhh********* I am blown away! The whole magazine looks just beautiful. and there we are Little ole Myrtle & Grace splashed over the pages. Someone pinch me please. It is amazing and I don not have the words right now to describe my gratitude and apprectation for the opportunity to appear in such a lovely online publication and for my photographer for making herself and her children available for a photo shoot with little notice. I'll finish off with a little sneek peek. xxRach

P.S just in case you hadn't heard Myrtle & Grace has been accepted into the April's  Magnolia Square Malvern town hall 28, 29 30th, so much excitement for one week. This is a massive coup for Myrtle & Grace, now the real hard work begins preparing for a 3 day long event.

A SEEK PEEK

Some market goodies available at Sugar & Spice Children's market tomorrow.

Sunday 9am St Alupius Hall, Victoria st. Ballarat.

A Fresh New Look!

Well I decided that I was time to give Myrtle and Grace a Face lift for 2011.
Just because I can't have one doesn't mean that Myrtle & Grace can't! I don't know that I'd even want one, Grace definitely wouldn't have she chooses to age ...well, gracefully. Myrtle Hmmmm, I reckon the old girl would have jumped at the chance! But that's all besides the point. Doesn't the new banner look FABULOUS! I have Shelly from Lemon Tree Studio on ETSY for that. Yummy banner love from me. I was so anxious that I popped it up on Made it, Etsy and the blog before the rest of the package is even finished. I can't wait to see the rest of the goodies she is designing for me. Market season is certainly back in full swing here with the Sugar and Spice children's being my first for the season this coming weekend the 13th at Saint Alipius Hall, Victoria St Ballarat. Everybody Cross your fingers for me and hope that I can pull of getting ALL of the new branding launched by then! I have also applied for the Sweet Fairy Floss Markets in Geelong and Williamstown and I'd thought I'd Apply to go play in the BIG kids playground in at Mathilda's Market in Melb. Going to Melb for markets is a whole new ball game but I'm hoping that its going to pay off. So keep an eye out for any upcoming market dates and if you can come by and say hi! So bye from me just for now. I've got to have an ADHD week... finishing orders, new stock and accesories for markets, currently no man about the house to help out (that is except for the oddly short vagrant that is spooking the neighbourhood) AND no car. Yes, as my sister pointed out I would have to be the only person in living history that managed to roll a car while stationary! I just simply parket way too close to a soft road side it gave way and well... I found my self feeling like I was inside a washing machine! Nope mr plod no seat belt at the time, but to my defence I was getting out. NO mr plod I promise I had nothing to drink (really I didn't) By the way the blood alcohol test I had to have prooved that. Just Bad and I mean really really super bad; like higher odds than being hit by lighting chances; timing. I'm OK considering the ordeal. The car well thats another story.

What to Blog About?

So here it is folks!
2011 is here and I find myself wondering what I should be blogging about this year. Yes, the funny little things the kids do will probably still get mentioned and yes, the 365 project has fallen on the wayside. So Should I be doing some research and putting together some articles on more serious topics (especially the ones that have been bothering me lately) OR just keep on keeping on with little bits of creative here and there and leave it at that? More Myrtle and Grace freebies and comps maybe? I know some of the more serious topic may put you off all together and when throwing ideas out there one friend said she probably couldn't/ wouldn't read about "that". I have even copped a bit of verbal  flack for blogging about my daughters first Tonic Clonic Seizure, but I felt I had to purge the storm of emotion within at the time. So my bloggy blogger friends which direction? Hmmmm...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WELCOME 2011...
A new year and a new dress. I have been MIA from the blog for a little while but here I am with a brand new dress so share... and so many more to make up. This style has been called Pearl and Emily has insisted on wearing her Ballet shoes for the shots. She even wore them to bed the other night and It wasn't until about 1am that I could finally manage to quietly and gently slip them off her feet without any hint of a protest.

Super Easy Christmas or Party Bunting

SUPER EASY CRAFT!

Ok this bunting is so very super quick and easy. You can used ANY Chritsmas gift wrap or as I've done these paper doilies. If using gift wrap just cut isosolies triangles to the size you require. I like them to be about 20cm long, to get it done even quicker layer the paper to cut multiples out at once. For the doilies cut the top few inches off to create a straight edge. I have used 2 different sized ones and alternated them along the ribbon. Any ribbon can be used and even the metallic curling ribbon runs through the machine fine. Leave yourself a tail of about 30 to 40cm for tying off. layer your doilies or paper under the edge of the ribbon as in the first picture and just straight stitch keeping the ribbon lined up with the edge of the paper. As i'd mentioned I've alternated different size doilies along the way leaving a gap of about 4 cm between each doilie. You don't even need to cut the thread just stitch along the ribbon for an extra 4cm then carefully feed the next doilie or bunting under the ribbon an keep going until you run out. Don't forget to leave a tail at the other end to tie up. It's really cheap to make and super easy to make.You can make this as long or as short as you like and can also be done in birthday wrapping paper or scrapbooking paper. Time this one took me 20 mins and cost-  ribbon $2.50, Doilies 2 packets $4.00 total $6.50 for a super effective decoration.
The last photo is my next little project. I've made heaps before and though for Christmas I 'd make a long string of small tissue paper pompon flowers. This is just the start so I'll pop on another picture once finished. Just as cost effective but a little more time consuming.

Our CHristmas theme this year is...

White & Wood (with a bit of silver for shimmer)

I don't know what it is about decorating the tree that I love so much. You'd think after being a VM for so many years that I'd be over decorating them but happily no. Months of deliberating and discussing with girlfriends what "theme" this year will be searching out those couple of extra special decorations to add in to the collection, I always hear grumblings at how my decoration collection is slowly growing. I don't know why he grumbles because I only have about 1500 items carefully boxed  up in colour order. You know one create for red ,one for yellow, one for green Etc and all the way through the colour spectrum. Doesn't everyone do that? It is in fact about the only thing in this house that is soooo freakishly organised.  I did have a BIG clear out years ago and believe it or not got rid of approximately 4 green garbage bags of baubles that I had used in my line of work. Now I only have to concentrate on my own home, ahhhh. I found some gorgeous little wooden birds at my fave coffee/ gift shop The Upholstery Gallery in Ballarat and decided on the theme, so here it is. I thought the little paper doilies bunting would make a cute addition to the wall (I'll pop on a quick and easy tutorial for how to construct your own doilies or Christmas paper bunting) and from the cover of the Christmas Country Style magazine I'd noticed on the tree they also have little tiny doilies hanging. I happened to have an abundance of these at the moment so I'll also add them on over the weekend. Enjoy the pics I hope you and your family have as much fun and receive as much joy decorating your family's tree as we do. we wish you a merry Christmas.
Warm Wishes, Rach