Sunday Stash - a secret find!

Currently, approximately half of my fabric stash resides on a large wicker chair in the corner of our dining room. This week I made the tough decision to sell the chair (which I love even though I haven't sat in it for months) so I can make space for another bookcase to house all my sewing bits and pieces. I was tidying up last night and came across some more of this lovely orange botanical print. I thought I had run out, so was excited to discover this! Even though it's only a small amount, it's enough to make some pencil cases to match my journals. I can't wait to get started on them!

I love to label

Here are the first items to feature my new 'rabbit & the duck' sew on labels! I'm quite proud of them and very happy with the finished product. These zippered pencil cases have two of my favourite fabrics on the front - the scooter print and the french cloud print - with a nice strong denim on the back. I'm particularly fond of the one in the front with the orange zipper, whether it makes it to the market or not we will see! 

Later today I'm off to do some 'research' at the Sisters Market for my upcoming stall. If I happen to pick up some great handmade Christmas gifts at the same time that will be a bonus. If I happen to make it home without buying a single item for myself that will be a miracle! 

Another rabbit, and more retail therapy

images from made by hank

Oh my! I have just discovered the Made by Hank website, blog and Etsy shop. I am in heaven! I must get myself one of those rabbit clutches!

Thanks to Ash from one blue wren for helping me to discover this gorgeousness! 

A little retail therapy

image from nancybird

Last night after work I hit the shops planning to tick a few more things off my Christmas list. It all started well and I had good intentions, and I did manage to purchase a few gifts (some delicious foodie things for hampers I am putting together), until I spied this gorgeous wallet in Morrison, one of my favourite shops. I've been hunting for a new wallet for awhile, and this one from Nancybird is so soft and lovely, with lots of pockets for all my bits and pieces. I was quite embarrassed getting out my old wallet to pay for this new one, as it's currently bursting at the seams with cards and receipts and what-not. Time for a good clean out I think!  

Good things come in small packages

image from paperama

Yesterday I opened my mailbox to discover not one, not two, but three packages inside for me! One of them contained these cute stickers that I ordered from etsy seller paperama. They are so lovely, it will be hard to see them go. 

The second package contained new sew-on 'rabbit & the duck' labels for my journals and pencil cases. They are different to the labels I was using previously - unfortunately the state of the dollar at the moment meant I had to shop around for something more cost effective. But I love my new labels! They are from fancyweaver, and I could choose whatever font I liked, so I had them made in the same typewriter font I use for my logo. I am going to try them out later this week so will post a photo then.

And last but not least, the third package contained a Christmas present I ordered for a friend of mine, so I won't be able to show that one until after December 25! 

sunday stash: pack your bags

For my next project - travel journal covers made from this great cotton canvas featuring a map of London. This fabric came from superbuzzy. Bon voyage!

I Heart...Winter?

You wouldn't think it was almost Summer in Melbourne at the moment - today we have had rain, hail, gusty winds and temperatures cool enough to warrant having the heater on all day. To get in tune with this out-of-season weather I thought I would put together a few of my favourite Etsy finds this week with a Wintry theme - enjoy!

1. Tubeway armwarmers by gayeabandon

2. Riding jacket by hierapparel

3. Grey flannel tote by christy studio

4. Black White Red scarf by artish

Haby Heaven

originally uploaded by royafroya

This afternoon I took a trip across town to the Birch haberdashery showroom and warehouse. What fun! I wish I had discovered this place earlier - they have all the threads, zips, elastics and other notions I've been buying from Spotlight, with the added bonus of wholesale prices (if you have an ABN). Yippee! I bought myself 400 self cover buttons to keep busy with in the evenings. And a fancy new pair of dressmaking scissors. I feel like a serious craft business woman now!     

One of my favourite things

I am so lucky to be able to go to work everyday and be surrounded by a great team who absolutely love what we do! I received these gorgeous pink peony roses from one of my girls yesterday, as a special thank you for helping her out last week. How sweet! 

OK....as much as I am enjoying the distraction of blogging, I better get back to the sewing machine. There are lots of orders to sew up, plus I'm working on a new card and gift tag range! 

Making and Baking

I spent most of my weekend baking gingerbread cookies and sewing up luggage tags - and here is the result. Goodie bags filled with Christmas cookies for each of the lovely girls I work with, finished with their own personalised tag. I finished a couple of the cookies with a red and white stitched ribbon so you can hang them as a decoration, I did take some photo's but they were snapped in a rush and didn't turn out that great (I was still threading ribbon through the cookies when we were meant to be leaving for our afternoon picnic!). After my sewing machine spat the dummy at having to sew through so much plastic, I ended up having to hand stitch the luggage tags closed. Hand stitch! Although tedious I actually liked the hand stitched ones better. 

PS Sorry girls I couldn't figure out how to blur out your names! Must be all the champagne I had this afternoon!   

She'll be apples

I was over at the lovely blog 1/4 of an inch the other day, which I discovered after travelling all the way to London to catch up on one of my favourite blogs Mon Petit Lapin. Anyhow, before I get too sidetracked (although just by writing this post I already am - I am meant to be working on Christmas gifts for my team to be handed out at a picnic this afternoon!). 

Tamara from 1/4 of an inch is hosting Sunday Stash, which I've decided to join in on. The idea is to share some of my ever growing fabric collection with you. I'm also hoping it will remind me what fabrics I actually have in my stash, and inspire me to start using them! So here is my first choice, these cute apple prints. I seem to have a thing for fabrics with fruit on them, later today I'll show you what has become of my red cherry fabric! 

I just can't help myself...

I've been on yet another fabric spending spree this week. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of this divine Letterhead fabric by Shannon Lamden (aka Aunty Cookie). I think I'm going to team it with this colourful print by Sis Boom. I'm not usually a fan of blue and purple, but somehow this just works for me. Stay tuned for pics of the finished products!

Something in the air

I have this funny superstition that when I see the hot air balloons drifting past my house in the morning (in Melbourne we have a couple of companies that do hot air balloon flights over the city, and our house is under the flight path) I know it is going to be a good day. And today I saw 4 of them, which is a good sign, as I'm about to head off to work early (aiming for a 7.30am start eek!) to rummage through, I mean unpack, all the delicious Christmas stock that has arrived in my store in the past couple of days. I feel like Santa's Helper!  

Thank goodness it was short lived!

Today has been a very productive day for the Rabbit & the Duck!

This morning I dropped off some more notebooks to Nord Living - there had been a rush on them recently and there were only a couple left! I found out that one of my French Cloud journals was bought by a young boy to give to his French teacher - I love hearing stories like this! I can never leave Nord Living empty handed, and came away with these felted chair pads for my recently acquired dining chairs.


Next up was Jack Stock in Richmond, a wholesale haberdashery. Wow is all I can say! Boxes upon boxes of zippers, threads, elastics and other supplies, all at really cheap prices and with helpful staff as well. I stocked up on these zips but am wishing I bought more of the orange ones now, they look so great with my black fabrics, particularly the black scooter. Oh well, just another reason to go back really! I'm considering some elastic at only 11 cents per metre - except that the minimum amount you can buy is 300 metres! I'd still be using it when I'm 80 I think!

A few more errands done and it was off to Scarlet Jones, this is the loveliest shop situated on Auburn Road in Hawthorn. I picked up some gorgeous linen thread which I'm sure will turn up stitched onto one of my journals sometime soon. I never knew it was possible to squish so much into one day!

One of those days

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and motivated - I had a whole day before me to sew and craft and make stuff. Tick some things off the long to do list. I sat down at my sewing machine, but things didn't feel right. I took a shower. Sat back down. Started sewing, but the machine jammed. A quick rethread and I was off again. This time I struggled to sew a straight line. I got up, had some breakfast, came back to the machine. This time I managed a nice straight seam but lost concentration and sewed right across where I wasn't meant to. Unpicked that. Decided to step away from the machine and pin up some new journal covers. Spilled pins everywhere. Pricked my finger a half dozen times.

So, what to do? I thought a spot of gardening might help - all that fresh air and sunshine would surely clear my head. And it was very relaxing for about 30 minutes, until a big fat black spider crawled out from among the long grass I had just put my bare hands inside of.

The only logical thing to do next was bake. Something delicious and comforting. I decided on an apple pie, and apart from a minor mishap with the pastry (I'm still learning how to work with wheat-free pastry dough, a small tip - don't leave it in the fridge and then attempt to roll it out, it is similar to using a rolling pin on a hard rock). I would have shown you a picture of the pie but there was another incident when we cut it. It tasted great though!


And this was my dinner choice - grilled lamb on lentils with a spicy eggplant relish, topped with mint and cucumber yoghurt. Despite all the components to this it really was quite easy and very delicious! After dinner I ran myself a nice bubble bath and am feeling much better. Except that it's almost time to go to bed. Oh well, there is always tomorrow I suppose.

An incentive to get you organised and relaxed this Christmas!

Originally uploaded by Erika von Nadas

I've been writing my Christmas list this week and it's getting longer and longer by the minute! I'm trying hard to get organised early this year as I know things are going to get crazy at work soon and I don't want to be that person doing their Christmas shopping at 2am on Christmas Eve (the shopping centre I work in does 24 hour trade in the lead up to Christmas!).

So to help you with your Christmas planning I've decided to offer a flat rate shipping cost during November for any order placed in my Etsy shop. Buy as much as you like and pay only $5 for postage (regular postage only). Australian customers, you pay $5 AUD - everyone else pays $5 USD. This is a huge saving if you are buying one of my journals!

If there is a journal you've had your eye on, now is the time to buy! I can also sew you up a matching pencil case - email me or pop over to Etsy and send me a 'convo' and we'll talk!

Now back to my list...