Happy Birthday Grandpa Bob!

Hello neglected bloggy friends. I'm sorry I haven't paid you much attention over the last while. the crazy Christmas market scene made way for a shocking start to the year in my homestate and it didn't stop there. It seems our half of the world is topsy turvy at the moment and as I look at the footage from Japan I keep wondering, "WHY?" and I know I am not alone. A decided lack of craftiness happening at my place at present and you can find out why here. It's driving me slightly nutty and I am prowling around the craftroom like a caged lion. I've been whiling away some hours sourcing labels, working on my website which is almost ready and discovering some delicious fabrics with help from this lovely, quilty friend.

Today we joined with my Mum, sister and nephew to celebrate what would have been my Dad's 70th birthday. We had homemade chocolate cake with many candles so the small fry could make some birthday wishes in his honour. How proud he would have been!

I thought I'd do something good today in his honour, too and share our day with you! I have some great plans for the bloggy days ahead...think, make, talk and share days and I'm all ready to go!

Tradition

It is birthday time for the littlest members of Button Central. One of our family traditions is a 'birthday suit', so to speak. Each year I make a special shirt for the Birthday Prince or Princess. Some members of the family have quite convoluted requests but Will and Molly were happy for me to decide. I say these models were Cute as Buttons!

Be Back Soon

Yesterday was a great day at The Handmade Expo. Lots of customers wandering through and my favourite addition to the stallholders - Jeff and his woodfired pizzas! Happily, Micky assures me he will be back next month. The new tractor and train designs rolled out the door so quickly I wasn't organised enough for a photo. I'll try to snap a few this week.

It will be a bit quiet around these parts until the end of the week. We are packing up the buttons and dog and heading to my Mum's place for some country style R & R. It is also my nephew's birthday so we are going to be part of the shenanigans. His Mum has organised a Mad Scientist party which will be a hoot. Happy Birthday Dom, my beautiful godson! May your year ahead be joyful and blessed.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and if you are on school holidays, RELAX!

Planning Your Weekend?

If you've started thinking about what you are going to do this weekend, be sure to set aside some time to take a stroll through the beautiful grounds of St Augustine's Church on Racecourse Rd at Hamilton on Saturday. You will be greeted with a vision of handmade loveliness at the BrisStyle Designers Market. Shop there from 9am - 2pm and then pop into one of the lovely spots on Racecourse Rd for a bite to eat. I have already started shopping for birthdays and Christmas! Cute as Buttons will be inside the hall so stop by and say howdy while you are there.

Missed It By THAT Much.

I suspect the title of this post will reflect my age and the fact that Maxwell Smart was one of my Dad's favourite TV shows. It's also perfect for the snippet of family life I am going to share with you.

Having set the context, let me tell you about my crafting 'miss'. It has become something of a family tradition to have receive a new 'Birthday Suit' to wear on the big day. Of recent years, this is often a request for a new Cute as Buttons design or some sort of Bespoke item. This year, Paddy's plans started out well:

• A red shirt with a desert and a bilby burrowing in a hole.

It moved to this:

• It's night time in the desert, the moon is shining in the sky, there is an owl flying over the hill and the bilby is sitting on the hill nibbling the grass that has grown there because it has just rained.

I was having some concerns about pulling that one off. However, at some point in the negotiations the plans scaled back dramatically to:

• anything you like with wheels and army fabric.

I am not sure if there was some intervention by Mr Button or Nanny or, if my wise little boy just took pity on me and decided I may have bitten off more than I could chew but, I must admit I was relieved not to be coming up with the desert scenario. I decided that a motorbike would do the trick and proceeded to work on it. I eventually produced the Vespa like design in the photo and ignored Mr Button's sniggering everytime I mentioned the Motorbike applique. I really wanted to use some more of the chenille pieces Miriam had given me so I cut the handles and wheels out of a mottled grey chenille which I thought worked well with the army fabric. Sewed, pressed and wrapped, I awaited his reaction.

The morning of the birthday arrived, one of his first selections was the present with the shirt inside. As the paper revealed the gift, a quizzical look appeared on his little face as he smiled and said, "Hmmmm."

Mr Button, sniggering again, asked if he knew what it was. Nanny, always the peacemaker, jumped in and said, "Of course he does Dad. It's a bike, isn't it Paddy?"

Relief all over his face, Paddy ended the conversation by saying, "Yes. It's great, Mum. Just not like any bike I've ever seen in real life."

So, the Vespa hasn't made the Cute as Buttons line up but I am proud to say my boy knows how to react politely when given a present he's not too sure about. He did wear it on the weekend and you can see it in his photo on the previous post. I had a couple of emails about the new design so thought I should explain. Seven weeks after the event I can now talk about the 'miss'. Mr Button, be warned, if I hear anymore sniggering I may not be so evolved.

Great Birthday Gifts

One of the things I love about my Mum is the value she places on our Family History. She preserves things and loves to share them with us and her grandchildren and remember where we came from. We moved around a lot growing up because of my Dad's work. Mum packed many of these things for 10 moves around half of Australia until she and Dad settled in in what is now our Family Home. Amongst her treasures are the pram and truck I was given for my 1st Birthday. They have great life left in them and it gives me great joy to see my Little Buttons playing with these toys which bring back such happy memories for me.

When I shop for the Little Buttons' presents I want to buy things that are like the pram and truck, that will last for 30+ years and still be great toys. We try to cater to their interest at the time but are always happy when the big ticket item is something that doesn't have a trademark symbol on it. These blocks were a 1st Birthday present for Will. They come in a neat little wooden box and are made by a little man on the Sunshine Coast and sold in an excellent local toy store. (Feel free to email me if you want the details.) There are no bells, whistles or colours, but, they are without a doubt one of the best presents we've ever given. I know that they'll be around in 40 years and I can only hope they continue to provide the same level of entertainment and developmentally appropriate play as they've given the Little Buttons.

Our 5 almost 6 year old Button has been spending hours constructing elaborate castles with these blocks and taking photographs to document his work. I'm very proud of his handiwork. His birthday is looming large and I am canvassing present ideas for long lasting gifts that float a 6 year old boy's boat. All opinions gratefully accepted.