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.

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!

Thought for Thursday

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.

Edith Sitwell

Oh, I do love winter. My week held; a comforting coffee and chat courtesy of Liesa when I popped into Handmade Heaven to drop off some orders. I also bought some of the snuggly flannelette pyjamas she has in the shop for the little buttons and I am predicting a comfy night's sleep for all.

Good food this week was a knockout batch of Apricot Chicken. One of those old favourites that is yummy and delicious on a cold winter's night. Your Mum probably made it for you when you were a wee one.

COAT 1.5kg of chicken pieces in flour.

COMBINE a 405g tin of apricot nectar with a packet of French Onion soup mix in a small saucepan.

STIR until it thickens.

PLACE chicken in a casserole dish.

POUR nectar mixture over chicken.

BAKE in a moderate oven for 1.5hrs.

GARNISH with toasted almonds and fresh green herbs.

Which brings me to tonight. Whilst we don't have a friendly fire to sit beside, Mr Button does have the heater roaring and we are wrapped in blankets and sipping tea as I am working on this post. It is a picture of domestic bliss. Ahh, there really is no place like home!

My Creative Space

I am trying to multi task tonight with my preparations for tomorrow's BiDM and some sweet making for our School Fair on Sunday. In the BiDM corner of the house you will see lots of this:

and a bit of that:

In the School Fair neck of the woods you will see some of this:

and a LOT of that!

Must remember not to mix the two areas up as I am sure people will not take kindly to blobs of caramel fudge on their newly purchased goods! Please note: Mr Button would like to be credited as the maker of the caramel fudge. He has thrown himself into the maelstrom that is our kitchen and is saving the day/putting his shoulder to the wheel/making his wife love him a wee bit more.

Visit the Kirsty the queen of creative spaces here to catch up with lots of other wonderful folk.

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.