Road Trip!

Our market presence has been a little thin on the ground this year due to a combination of family life and breaking my arm earlier in the year. It hasn't healed quite as well as we'd hoped and I'm heading off to the specialist this month to see what we can do next. I've tried to stick to indoor markets and ones where I can take a helper to assist with the lugging and hauling which has been a little tricky with the dodgy arm. I was absolutely delighted to be asked to participate in the Christmas in the Country Art and Craft Show in Gatton last weekend. It ticked all the setting up boxes and was run over three days which was also appealing. I've included a few snaps of the day and some of our new products.

It's been a rough year for the folks in Gatton and the surrounding areas. It was quite moving to listen to stories about how the year unfolded and how it has affected them. When epic and tragic events unfold around us, we feel for those involved but our lives quickly return to normal and their lives are forever changed. It may be something as simple as houses that still have half walls and no carpets, house guests that are still living with them or crops that just couldn't be harvested.

I met a remarkable lady who was a fellow stall holder had lived through a year in which her home had been damaged, her family had been displaced for some time, she'd lost her Mum and the crops which are a huge part of their income had been unable to be harvested or of no sale value. On set up day, Thursday, she produced the most formidable array of gorgeous wares, including Christmas Cakes which were sold out by lunchtime. She was beaming from ear to ear and looked energised and vibrant that night when most of us were stifling yawns and wishing for bed. That day, her husband and 29 cutters had harvested the best crop of onions in memory. She beamed with pride and happiness for her husband and I felt a good part of that pride and happiness, too. I felt quite privileged to listen to her talk and share in the experience in some small way. Aside from the Art and Craft Show, it was a chance to meet some excellent people. If you happen to see produce or goods from the Lockyer Valley when you are filling your shopping baskets and trolleys, buy up big! I hear the crops are top notch this season and I know the support is very appreciated.

Spot On!

Popping in quickly to let you know that Elise Hutton has the sharpest peepers of all the Buttons following the blog. She spotted our new Store tab which links to our website. Elise, you may purchase one of our tees for the grand price of $1! I'll make a special listing for you in the store. Email me with your choice and we'll get the ball rolling.

Did you like playing spotto? I'm going to list some spot bargains in the store over the next few days. I'm calling it market reseach! With changes happening to Facebook, I thought some fun and games might give me an idea of who reads status updates and when they read them. Any tricks to help make sense of the crazy world of Facebook are worth their weight in gold. I am fairly sure 'Lil Red' has eagle eyes and fully expect she'll pop up in the games. She's such an enthusiastic player I would love her to win something!

PS. The photo above will give you a little hint of what to look for in the Store.

Spot the Difference!

Over the weekend, I had the chance to finish off a project I've been working on and also made a change to the Facebook page. It's one of those jobs that's been a monkey on my back for months so I thought it might be nice to have a little game to celebrate. If you are so inclined, pop overhere and see if you can spot the difference. The first person to leave a comment with the correct answer on this post can purchase one of these

or any of our other tees for the grand total of $1. Be sure to leave your contact details on your post so I can get in touch with you and let you know if you are the lucky winner.

The Handmade Expo

After a month away from markets to concentrate on a bit of family time, it was great to head back to Ipswich for The Handmade Expo. I had lots of new designs to promote, a different layout to test and friendly faces to catch up with.

I tested the water with some bright Christmas tees and they were snapped up by organised folk who won't be running around the night before the school concert wondering what the small fry can wear! My made it shop is stocked up at the moment and I will be adding the Christmas tee to it this week, just in case you're one of those organised individuals, too.

At My House

Holiday time at my house. Lego creations that grow day by day. No rush to get out of the PJs. Story sharing. Bouncing on the tramp in between showers. Hide and seek. Trains and dolls. Dog cuddling, chicken feeding. Colouring and drawing. Some friendly first aid on a willing, but, slightly startled patient. Fun, fun, fun!

Now that all the wee ones are tucked up in bed, there's going to be a bit of TV viewing and a lot of appliqué cutting at my house. It's a nice place to be.

Visit here to see what is happening at some other houses in Blogland.

A Bit Too Far?

Not sure where it is coming from, but there is a certain Dame Edna 'ish' feel to some of the things I am playing with at the moment.

I must admit to a healthy, background in Amateur Theatre prior to the arrival of the Little Buttons, so that could also have something to do with it.

Just quietly, I'm a bit worried about where it is all heading...could I be taking it a bit, too, far? You will let me know, won't you?

My Creative Space

This week my creative space is about how a little idea can stay with you and evolve over time. When I was a lass, I had a bit of a thing for Noah's Ark...I worked a few cross stitched pieces and collected lots of plates and embroideries on the theme and as I collected them I always had a notion to use them in a nursery one day. When I was pregnant with my eldest son, I made a Noah's Ark, patchwork, cot, quilt using this little guy to complete the nursery. When the twins came along, the quilt became a wall hanging and my little friend turned up in a canvas.

In a side note, I do hope the twins understand that although they have a very basic, appliquéd animal, blanket (made whilst on compulsory bed rest), it is the mothering equivalent of a patchwork quilt for the firstborn child. I'd hate to think I've created some sort of in utero sibling rivalry requiring hours of counselling. Perhaps I should get started on a couple more quilts just in case.

Recently, he has been revamped, texturised with chenille goodness and modified to be a Cute as Buttons design. I wonder what he'll look like in another seven years? For infinitely more creative doings, pop over and visit Kirsty at Kootooyoo.

BiTM's Night Under the Stars

A fortnight ago, I spent a balmy, winter evening in the wonderful company of the BrisStyle gang in King George Square. As I sit here in multiple layers, wrapped in a blanket and sipping tea, it is a little hard to believe that on that night we were wearing short sleeve tees and I even spotted some shoppers in sundresses and tank tops! It was a gorgeous evening with lots of enthusiastic shoppers who were genuinely excited to discover our handmade treasures beneath the twinkling lights.

At the last BiTM I was part of the Co-Op stall. This time around I decided to set up shop in my own marquee and spread out a little. Nanny Button came with me to help out and she was worth her weight in gold! As the office workers started to make their way through King George Square, the crowds surged and I thought about phoning for reinforcements but we seemed to grow the extra hands required and sailed through the night, footsore but very happy. I did manage to sneak away for a visit to Nan's Garden, Kitty Boo Boo and Mon Petit Poppet. Molly was the lucky recipient of one of Steph's dolls and they haven't parted company since.

You might remember this post about something new I was working on. Well, the Molly Mop Tops were a big success and will now become a standard item in our range. So, Emma from {the handmade amoeba}, please let me know where to send yours as the name you suggested is the one I have chosen! I am also getting ready to post one to the winner of our first, Facebook draw. Best get a wiggle on as it is almost time for another one so sign up if you haven't already done so!

The new, shorter denim skirts with trims and small appliques were also a hit. I have made more summer, denim skirts featuring embroidered butterflies, flowers and cherries for The Handmade Expo's 2nd Birthday next Saturday. I will be letting you know about the birthday special a little later next week. Hopefully next week will see a return to normal programming about here and I will reply to your comments and emails very soon!

My Creative Space

In my creative space this week, there are hair pretties and brooches getting gussied up and ready for the BiTM next Friday in King George Square. Any that don't find homes on Friday night will be joining Deb and I at the launch of The Butterfly Tree market on the Gold Coast on Sunday, August 1. More details about the markets are here and here. The fabulous host of all this creative goodness is Kirsty over at Kootoyoo.

I also have quite a bit of white fluff lurking in my space this week. My Molly girl goes through a great number of pyjama tops because her damp/wet hair drips all over the neck and makes it wet and erky. I've been trying a few ways to prevent this but wasn't totally happy with any of them and decided to make something to do the job. I don't have a catchy name for it so let's call it an After Shower Cap. It's based on the principle of a shower cap but is made from towelling. After the bath just pop it on the hair for half an hour or so and the towelling absorbs most of the moisture. Like a towel, it can just air dry over a door knob or hook. I'm fairly certain I had something like this when I was a wee one but the details are sketchy and I'll have to confer with Nanny Button.

I've added an applique and some binding because we like a bit of girly bath stuff around here. In spite of Mr Button sniggering and asking where I've hidden the sheep, I'm so darn happy with it I think I might make one for myself and then a few more to take to the markets. I'd really like a better name for it and would love some ideas. If your idea is selected then one of the After Shower Caps will make it's way to your house. Just let me know if you want the Molly size or the Mummy size.

My Creative Space

This week marked 100 days of Year 1 for the biggest button. We were asked to dress the centenarians in appropriate attire for the occasion. Whilst Paddy had grand plans for us to sew 100 buttons on a shirt, I managed to sell him on the idea of an appliqued 100 and a bit of legalised graffiti with a 'stain' pen. For clarification on the term 'stain' pen check out this previous post. 'Stain' pens are a highly valued piece of merchandise in the Button household and are currently kept under lock and key for reasons best explained in that post!

My creative space has also been full of lots of these:

in readiness for The Handmade Expo, this weekend, at the Ipswich Turf Club.

Now, if I manage to do something a bit more creative with these:

before Saturday, our new range of Cute as Button tote bags will also be available for purchase. Probably best if I leave things here for the week, the fingers are twitching to get started!

To see the creative worlds of other wonderful folk, pop over to visit Kirsty at Kootoyoo.

Flea Market Finds and Giveaway Time!

We are back from our country jaunt and enjoying a cruisy holiday mode which is a pleasant change from the hurly, burly of the school term. When I checked the blog, I was a wee bit excited to see that we were perched at 99 followers. After a luscious, Sunday lunch in the country, Andrea fromOnstage Entertainment leapt on the keyboard and took us up to 100! Next time you are looking for entertainers for a function, give them a call. I've been hoping to get to that number because it seems that in blogland, a giveaway is the customary way to celebrate this milestone so here is mine:

The prize is:

An item of your choice from the Cute as Buttons range.

Some buttons and trim so you can make and play.

Something special from the BrisStyle BiECO which I will select on Saturday.

All followers are welcome to enter. Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you would like to win from the Cute as Buttons range. The competition will be open until 11am on 11th July. I will find some highly interesting, random,way to select a winner. Chances are it probably will be nowhere near as entertaining as this or this.

Andrea, you win a prize because you were number 100. Kate, you also win a prize because you prompted the joining! Let me know what you would like for your wee ones. I would like to say a great, big THANKS, to all those lovely folk who follow and leave comments. I am chuffed and delighted to have you around.

I'd best tell you about my Flea Market Find for the week. It comes with a bit of a mystery. It is an old travelling trunk which my Mum picked up in her fossicking. It seems to be made of a light wood covered in some sort of heavy canvas. The handles are thick, leather and the second photo is of the label inside the trunk. We'd love to know what the AFC abbreviation on the front represents. I've done a bit of googling but haven't turned up anything concrete so far. If you've got any ideas, please share them as we'd love to know a bit more about Lieutenant C.K. Evans.

For more fossicked treasures, visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures.

THE HANDMADE EXPO - Stallholder of the Month

I had some very exciting news this week. The Handmade Expo Girls chose me as their stallholder of the month. I had a feature on their blog for the week and a stallholder profile in the print ad they ran in the Ipswich papers. It was a lovely way to start the week and I really appreciate the support and interest from Liesa, Micky and Miriam.

I'm still busy preparing things for tomorrow's Handmade Expo. One day I will have nothing to do but sleep the night before a market...alas, it is not the way things will pan out tonight. I am really looking forward to tomorrow's market. I am hoping to take some initial tees with me and I have some little tractors and trains on long sleeve tees for the boys which are hot off the Janome.

Come on down and say hi! There'll be wood fired pizza, great coffee, cupcakes and the usual sausage sizzle to feed the body and a host of crafty, handmade goodness to feed the mind and spirit. I'll be the one with the bags under the eyes!

My Creative Space

This week I have been playing with some more products in our Made for Me range. This range started with a request from Kylie at Buzzi ‘n’ Moo and it has proven to be a very popular addition to the Cute as Buttons line up. The new initial and name tees have also come about thanks to requests from lovely customers!

Some of my newly acquired d’oyleys have been put to good use and Deb’s leftovers are also being given a new life.

I'm still not completely happy with the girl name tees (2nd photo) and am tossing around a few other ideas to help get them right. What do you think?

Pop over here to see the creative space of the wonderfully, crafty, folk at Kirsty’s place.

Flea Market Finds

My Flea Market Finds cost the princely sum of $2 at a school Trash 'n' Treasure market. There has been a great deal of familial debate as to the purpose of the items. Mr Button assumed they were an abstract table ornament of some kind and was surprised to learn they were just resting on the table en route to the sewing room. The 6yr old button thought they were a small clothesline for the dolls.
The female, 2yr old, button thought it was some kind of bubble wand.

The male, 2yr old, button recognised the potential of those clips and proceeded to snap all and sundry whilst making wild, crocodile noises.

Of course, I am sure you've worked out that with a coat or two of white paint, these will make excellent displays for hair ties and hair clips on the Cute as Buttons market table.

For more Flea Market Finds, visit Sophie over here.

Didn't We Have A Lovely Day?

Thank goodness it is a Public Holiday in my neck of the woods today. Yesterday was a wonderful, completely exhausting day and we needed a little bit of recovery in the form of a long weekend. It was the Kids and Pets Big Day Out at the Boutique Markets at Hamilton. Quite literally, every man and their dog was there to join in the fun. Mr Button, the Little Buttons and Nanny Button also came along. The petting zoo was a hit and so were the crazy antics of the balloon, bending man. We were also lucky enough to be beside Marcus the guidedog who was patted and admired often and well by the young and old alike.

Part of the programme for the day was a fashion parade. We tried to prepare the little ones for the event by chatting about what would happen. We practiced walking down the red carpet when no one was watching. We got ready with time to spare so no one was rushed or stressed. We were somewhere in the middle of the pack so they could watch and see what they needed to do. Leasl announced it was our turn. Two of the Little Buttons sashayed their way down the carpet with big smiles, but, the third was nowhere to be found. Will decided to take to his heels and was found in the dressing tent stripping himself to his nappy. It would seem some of us are just not meant to be in the spotlight!

Image: Renee

Happily, we did manage to get some clothes on him a bit later. He even made a brief appearance on the red carpet albeit to kiss one of the canine models. My crew stayed around to help me pack up and thanks to a brief tutorial from Jules of Earthly Jewels, Mr Button has now mastered the art of dismantling a marquee. This is a skill I intend to put to great use. It really was a lovely, happy, day!

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.

Flea Market Finds and Family Time

We've just spent a very happy day at my Mum's place in the country. She is, without doubt, the best Flea Market Finder around town and she had a stash of d'oyleys for me to bring home so that I could wash them and give them a new life on some Cute as Buttons clothes.

I won't be using these for Cute as Buttons but we couldn't pass them up as they were just the kind of thing my Nin used to make out of the nylon ribbon that coathanger covers used to be made from. I think she used a loom of some kind and I remember many and varied versions of the basic pattern being made into lipstick purses, toilet roll covers and of course, d'oyleys just like these. They'll go into my linen cupboard after a little TLC.

There was also a gorgeous, squishy dolly for Miss Molly which I shall have to photograph some other time as Mary the doll was far too busy being loved to pose for a photoshoot!

My Mum and Dad built their house on property that was always passed down to the eldest son in each generation in my Dad's family. Our house was built adjacent to the house block where my great, great grandparents lived and the first photo is of some lillies which bloom around the base of the old tank stand whenever we have some wet weather. I love it that these little flowers lie waiting for just enough moisture to pop up and share their beauty. Not strictly a flea market find but I quite like the shot and it is in keeping with the idea of appreciating and finding new beauty in things that once were!

For more Flea Market Finds, please visit Sophie at Her Library Adventures. Many thanks, Sophie for the chance to join in the fun.

Hello Out There

Hello and welcome to the new followers out there. Hello and THANKS A BUNCH to the old followers who have been patiently awaiting this post. Before I launch into a very image heavy recap of the last couple of weeks, I would love some advice on juggling. No, not the small ball kind (although that would probably win me big Brownie points in the Prep classrooms this week) but,

Blogging/Facebook/Crafting/Marketing/PARENTING/Day Job (ie. odd bits of relief teaching when Mr Button can be home to mind the wee folk)/Finding time to cover grey hair, trainingwith the Mad Exercise

Fiend

Friend, waxing legs,

kind of juggling. Really, how do you do it? All advice gratefully received and happily acknowledged! I've noticed a few of us having this conversation of late so I am eager to hear from the wise women and men who are part of our world.

It's been a busy but delightful couple of weeks, the Mothers Day Boutique market was loads of fun and was made even nicer by a visit from Mr Button and the Little Buttons. The day was quite festive in feel and I really enjoyed myself.

The Handmade Expo in Ipswich was one of those perfectly clear autumn days that remind you just how lucky we are to live in this part of the world. I set up next to Sandra-Ann Millinery and was greatly entertained as the locals selected their exclusive creations for the Ipswich Cup. Micky modelled hers beautifully and I hope I haven't let the cat out of the bag too soon. I stocked up on min nah bottoms for the Littlest Buttons who seem to have grown about 15cm in a matter of weeks. The girls have introduced a new little skirt which is very cute with tights. Molly thought she was it and a bit in her outfit over the weekend.

I have finished some more name towels for orders and am about to start work on another batch tonight. I am working my way through an order for Buzzi 'n Moo. Kylie has asked for a Babushka towel set so that lovely little lady will be making an appearance on towels and I will post some photos of the finished product.

I've been a bit obsessed with kaftan like garments of late, particularly the kind that don't require any ironing so I took a bit of time off from Cute as Buttons sewing and made myself a couple. I was moderately happy with this one:

but, I really think I nailed it with version 2. I know the photos aren't in the least bit helpful in terms of overall look but really, how do you photograph a kaftan nicely?

You can see it in the flesh at the next BiDM which is at St Augustine's on Racecourse Rd at Hamilton on June 5th. I am so happy with it it may just be my market attire on a regular basis. I'm not promising a tutorial but I will pop up a post with some more info about the process a bit later in the week. It is embarrassingly easy compared to some of the other tutorials about the place! I know you said it is easy Steph, so I will eagerly await your next instalment!

Now, as a little reward for reading this far, here is a fast and delicious cake recipe which I made for the Little Buttons afternoon tea. It is a one bowl wonder, which I love, but still moist and light. If you are a gingerbread fan you will really enjoy it. (Note to MEF/aka Deb: I did have one piece but just so I could make sure it tasted alright!)

GOLDEN GINGER SULTANA CAKE

125g softened butter, chopped

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups plain flour

1tspn ground ginger

1 cup golden syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tspn bicarb soda

1/2 cup of sultanas

1/3 cup glace ginger, chopped (I omitted this to prevent small children gagging and complaining)

LINE 20cmx30cm lamington pan with paper

PREHEAT oven to 160C

COMBINE all ingredients except sultanas and glace ginger in medium size bowl

BEAT with electric mixer on low speed to combine

BEAT on medium speed until smooth and changed in colour

STIR in sultanas and chopped ginger

SPREAD into pan and bake for about 55min

COOL on cake rack

SPREAD with cinnamon flavoured icing.

I feel like I have just finished War and Peace so I think I shall stop here and head off for a cup of tea and maybe one more slice of that cake.