One Cheeky Monkey

This little fellow has only had a couple of market outings to date but every time he heads out, he's snapped up quick smart! Will is our cheeky monkey. He's the one who has found mischief, had a blast and escaped long before you've even realised what he's been up to! I like the azure shirt as often the options for boys tend to be the standard navy/white and red (which I am also quite fond of!). It's just nice to offer some variety for the little fellas. I also get a buzz out of using textured fabrics like chenille and buttons and other embellishments as it is a great way to encourage descriptive language in the smalls eg. The monkey has rough/fluffy/furry hair. His nose is shiny and round. Once an Early Childhood Teacher, always an Early Childhood Teacher!

I've quite recently made a girly version of this for Molly. She has a fetching ric rac bow on the side of her head! I'm not sure how well she'll go but it suits my girl down to the ground. I like to team Will's shirt with a pair of brown shorts from Nan's Garden. I'm also keeping my eye on the goodies from Miriam at Mimmis and Bubba Chenille so I can snap up a pair of shorts in a chocolate chenille.

Handmade Heaven is closing down while Liesa awaits the birth of her new bub. It will be reopening online shortly and our Monkey mate will be one of the new designs available in the online store. Our remaining stock in Handmade Heaven has been reduced to 50% to make way for fresh new designs. Snap up a bargain over here. Lots of other goodies also on sale.

Market Wrap Up

Oh my, it was a cold and frosty start to The Handmade Expo, yesterday! I am sure that readers from the southern parts are scoffing at the notion and thinking I should toughen up, but, it was so cold, the clever Kellie Christie was wearing gloves when she stopped by to say 'Hi' and I lost count of the number of buttons I dropped because my fingers couldn't hold onto them. Like most Queensland, winter days, it soon became gorgeous and sunny. As the sun came up, the visitors arrived and enjoyed the sights and smells of the Expo.

It was great to catch up with some of my new facebook likers in person and I really appreciated the feedback on the new designs and fabrics. Steph's bunting was oohed and aahed at appreciatively and served as a nifty little distraction for the toddlers while the Mummys shopped. You really must make some more of these, Steph. I'll have to take orders soon!

Mandy and Susan, the Little Buttons gobbled their Gingerbread Pops with great glee and Mr Button would like to congratulate Debbie of Fudge du Ciel on another sterling batch of fudge.

After a day of cuddling, playing, baking and tidying Button central is almost ready for the week ahead. I'll be popping up to visit Liesa in Handmade Heaven to drop off some orders and to restock the Cute as Buttons corner later in the week.

My brain is already ticking with ideas for the BiTM which is not too far away and when the amazing Deb from Denim by Deborah recovers from her weekend of walking we'll have some other exciting market news to share. After walking 96km in 29hrs, we'd better give her until Thursday to recover and we'll tell all then!

The One That Got Away

Image: Renee

As I was browsing through Renee's photos from the Boutique Markets fashion parade, I spied something familiar in the background of one of the dog shots.

Just behind the the dog leads, at the start of the carpet, you will see the elusive blonde haired and blue eyed model who went to extreme lengths to avoid strutting his stuff. He was caught on camera as he made a fleeting appearance in pursuit of a smooch with a dog. I thought I'd pop this one up so you could see the complete set of Little Buttons.

Thanks to Miriam from Bubba Chenille for his pants. He quite fancied himself. He just wasn't prepared to be fancied by the rest of the world!

If you're looking for us tomorrow you will find us in Ipswich helping Liesa celebrate Handmade Heaven's first birthday. Cute as Buttons has been a part of this heavenly venture since day one and we are delighted to celebrate her success. She has some great giveaways and specials to help celebrate and online shopping is most welcome.

Heaven Sent

Handmade Heaven has now been restocked with lots of lovely Cute as Buttons goodies. Our girl singlets are stocked to size 4 and boys to size 2. If there is interest in any big, boy singlets, we'd love to know - just leave a comment at the end of the post. Lots of tees to choose from in sizes 000, 00, 0, 2 and 4.

We have a great range of sizes in the the Christmas shirts and if you see a colour combination in another size and want to order it to suit your Little Button, just let Liesa know and she will pass the information on to us.

Mr Button had to throw his shoulder to the wheel last night and spent a therapeutic couple of hours tying gingham strips to a coathanger to help make our Christmas Hair Tie Display. He wants to know if this qualifies him as a Handmadie - Micky, what is your decision? I must say, he did quite a nice job and once I banned him from using the scissors, things went swimmingly! I'm not sure he'll be rushing back to repeat the effort so it may be a one off original!

More goodies crossed off the Christmas List after my time visiting the shop. Liesa and her Mum have made a Christmas Nook to make your treasure hunting even more fun! Look how many beautiful Christmas things were hiding there today! Christmas shopping made easy at Handmade Heaven, Old Flour Mill, Brisbane Rd, Ipswich.

Wonderland and Heaven

Some of our mask making playthings.

Last Friday the little Buttons and I took a trip to Ipswich to put some new stock in Handmade Heaven. We had a lovely time visiting Liesa and checking out her new treasures some of which made their way to Chez Button! If you are heading to Ipswich, take advantage of our Handmade Heaven special - all the Cute as Buttons long sleeve tees are $15 and at that price, it is a great idea to stock up for next winter.

Once we'd sorted out our business, we wandered over to the Ipswich Art Gallery to check out their I wish I lived in Wonderland exhibit. This interactive artwork is by Rose Skinner and is created from toys, candy, coloured sugar and household furniture. It is a riot of colour and is a bit like a real life Spot That book. We looked, touched, laughed, crawled, rolled, hid and talked our way through Wonderland and finished off by making our own pieces of art from feathers, masks, tulle, paddle pop sticks and straws. The Ipswich Art Gallery has an excellent school holiday program. Their Children's Gallery is the first gallery in Australia, dedicated to children, and is a great way to expose the small fry to the joys of creative arts.

Straight to the Precious Things Cupboard

Howdy, Strangers. I've been absent a bit this week due to school holiday merriment. We've been up to our armpits in playdough, duplo and little people (of the Fisher Price variety). In my spare time I've also had a bit of catch up sewing to get on with so I've had to spell the blog for a few days.

Thanks for your enquiries regarding Mr Button's recovery. Both families are well and enjoying the Autumn weather. Your kind words have been appreciated. We've also appreciated some super posts by our blogging friends who've made us feel loved and honoured. Thanks to Rachael from Boutique Markets, Micky from Handmadies and Liesa from Handmade Heaven. Pop over and see what these lovely ladies have to say. It is gratifying to know that you like what we do.

Tonight's title is a very bad take on a classic line from the iconic film, The Castle. In the Kerrigan's home, anything of note went straight to the poolroom. We Buttons do not have a poolroom, but, we do have a Precious Things Cupboard. Said cupboard is a silky oak sideboard on which reside a number of beautiful things which are precious for all sorts of reasons. The oil lamp my Dad used to do his homework by, figurines given to us to celebrate our babies' births and candles in bowls I've found in odd places and lots of other treasures. It often is home to a beautiful drawing, a playdough sculpture or an intricate lego construction. We have a very fluid definition of precious and at the moment, it is also the home of my new cordless mouse!

Now, I am sure that the wonder of a cordless mouse is not a new thing for many of you but it is a thing of wonder and rare beauty to me. I cannot believe how much easier this natty little gadget has made my life. It would seem I have made a reasonable amount of fuss about this new addition to our home, as during a quick tidy up, my 51/2 year old button decided the most fitting place for this little critter was right on top of the Precious Things Cupboard. Looks right at home, doesn't he?

Thought for Thursday

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

This is one of those quotes that I like to have around the place because it helps me to focus and reminds me of the power in our thoughts. Ten years ago, my life was quite different. I was happy, well loved and successful but it was not full of the bliss that I now experience everyday. It is good to remember that life is ever changing - so dream big!

I believe that Rachael and Leasl from the Boutique Markets exemplify this quote beautifully. Less than two years ago they established a small boutique market in Brisbane's north. They had a vision to create a unique, boutique market, shopping experience and carefully collected retailers who supported this vision and whose wares enhanced the exclusive atmosphere and creative vibe of their dream. When the market outgrew it's original venue, these girls took a brave step and the final Designers Emporium market was put to bed in February this year. They maintained interest in the market and continued to build their following through their ever changing blog as they hunted for a new, improved location to match the markets they imagined. Wow! Did they ever succeed. The relaunched Boutique Markets will debut this Sunday at Portside, Hamilton and we are delighted to be part of the crazy, creative crew of retailers that you will find in this gorgeous location. The markets run from 8am to 1pm and the venue is perfect for a lazy stroll through the markets and a yummy, Sunday brunch.

We'd love you to come and visit. We are looking forward to catching up with old friends from the Designers Emporium and meeting lots of new ones, too! We have recently sourced a new supplier for our tees and are excited to be able to offer a neat, puff sleeve, fitted, girls tee as well as our standard tee. We think our designs look cuter than ever on these tees and we'd love to hear what you think.

A big thanks to Liesa from The Handmade Expo because our followers now number in the twenties! We feel very loved!

We're in Heaven

Thanks everyone for the get well wishes.  Blogging gives me nice warm fuzzies - I love the little feeling of surprise that your comments give me.  I also get a real buzz when I discover a new follower so thanks for joining us.  I have had a little bit of a break for tea and sympathy and now I am back, deep in the throes of a busy week.  There are so many wonderful things to share with you and I am not sure where to start so I'll begin at the beginning, as they say!

Monday was a lovely home day for the buttons and I.  While the baby buttons slept and our 5 year old button played with his Dad, I was busy selecting items to take to Handmade Heaven which is the first and to date, the exclusive stockist of Cute as Buttons!  I think Sharon and I spoke to each other about six different times throughout the day, trying to make decisions.  I sometimes wonder if we should get a CB radio and save on the phone bills.  

Handmade Heaven is the baby of the lovely Liesa from The Handmade Expo. She has approached this as meticulously as she does all things and it is a pleasure to be a part of it.  I popped up to Ipswich with the two little buttons after the school drop off on Tuesday morning to set up our corner of Heaven.  It looked a treat and with the lovely pink and chocolate colour scheme in the shop, it feels like you are walking into a box of delectable chocolates.  As with all good chocolate boxes, the problem is knowing which one to choose first.  I have already begun to covet some items in the shop and will be making my way there for the opening on the 16 June to make some purchases of my own.  Best get some more sewing underway to fund my little excursion!

We wish Liesa every success in her new venture and hope that you will take the opportunity to visit her in her little piece of Heaven; Shop 11, The Old Flour Mill, 231 Brisbane St, Ipswich.

We have even more good news this week so pop back and check out the rest of our excitement.