Struck down by a crab (stick)...

Above: Dekoplus fabric, 1970s

Above: Lucienne Day cafe curtains - UK

Above: Mary White's Coppice - UK

Above: Retro 70s fabric based on Verner Panton's Curves

Above: Verner Panton for Mira X

Can't believe it. Through the whole festive time my stomach has been made of iron and I have fought my way through everything that's been thrown at me...ham, chicken, chocolate (everywhere!), custarts, desserts, vegies...etc etc...

And then tiredness set in and I just. couldn't. cook. one. more. meal.

There was nothing left to do but buy some fish and chips. Who'd have thought it was a bad decision? Not me, not hubbie, not four year old who LOVES fish and chips but rarely gets them in his tum.

Struck down within five minutes. Knew something was array so rushed straight to bed. Dunno why - thought bed might help. Was so sick within 10 mins called the Nurse on Call hotline for the first time ever!! I have to admit...I thought my time had come, as I had never had food poisoning like that...never!

Am on very slow road to recovery. And no - that road will not be including a crab stick for a very long time...

Food candy for your fabricaholics above...

Happy New Year all - may all of your dreams come true in 2008.

Merry Christmas!

Ugh.

Too much ham.
Too many cashew nuts.
Too many freckles from Haighs.
Sore ears from bon bon explosions.
Too much plum pludding.

A wonderful day spent with the people I love.

May your Christmas Day be filled with cheer, laughter, happiness and hugs :)

Merry Christmas!
Vanessa

Looking forward to 'nog night'

1970s woven polyester with slight width stretch...

1970s still cotton larger remnants...

Super cool super graphic 70s print...

1950s lamp barkcloth...sooooo divine....

Counting the days down now - officially three sleeps to go 'til Santa rocks around the world and brings special delight to kiddies when they wake on Christmas Day. The four year old can't wait - we haven't used an advent calendar this year and it's proving to be monotonous reminding the poor boy Santa isn't coming today. Must get advent calendar for next year!

We have a special egg nog night on Christmas Eve. I Googled for a traditional recipe years ago and use one someone added online that is from the Southern states of America and it was her Grandpa's. It has white rum and scotch in it (lots of the latter) and lots of cream etc. We have labelled it the 'drink of the gods' as it's just so divine!! I am making the biggest batch possible this year - 24 servings - even though I can't have even a sip. Well, maybe a sip, but that'll be it for moi until this little baby starts munching on his own :)

I look back at the year - it has been a great one for the business but I can't help but think it could have been better. We relocated and that ruined us timewise for at least two months...and then my pregnancy slowed us down for another couple of months...and then we have a little newborn keeping our time filled with ooooohhhsss, ahs and poops and feeds...

I am still adding fabric slowly onto the website and Etsy - slower than how many news pieces arrive, so that's a worry! We need to sit down and evaluate goals and actions for the business in the New Year - like the Etsy shop...it's going well, but perhaps it would be more popular if we added in uber cool bargains. Like the photos above. They should really be priced accordingly and popped into the website - but, seeing as it's the time of year and...well, I don't know, I just feel like a mighty good bargain - half yards shall be popped into the Etsy store tonight, tomorrow and Sunday...the blue dot one will be the entire yardage we have - 3-4 yards, from memory...

Link to Etsy store is to the left of this post...

Ho, ho, ho...

Addictive doodling...

Oh my goodness...if you love a good doodle while you're on the phone...or just have some time to kill (I'd love some of that) click here...and start moving your mouse!

Enjoy :)

Thinking of New Years...oh my! It'll be 2008!!

Above: 1950s embossed nylon

Above: 1950s dress nylon

Above: 1950s embossed nylon with cute little houses...look closely!

Can you believe New Years is only two weeks away??? I hate it when something creeps up on you...and as Christmas is first in line, that's all I seem to focus on...and then NYW creeps up on you like some type of friendly disease!

I have been Spring cleaning even though it's Summer. It's either 'cos I am very maternal with a little month old boy at my side or because I am strangely enjoying it. I will never repeat that so you'd better save this post....ugh...

It's time to be thinking of New Years resolutions, I suppose. Depends on whether you believe in them or not, but it's as good a time as any to think of ways to be healthier and happier...

Trouble is, haven't thought of specific ones yet...just general stuff...

Hmmm....

Eat less chocolate
Try and suppress cravings for chocolate
Try not to drive to supermarket specifically for Homer Hudson's Chocolate Rock ice cream

Have been having fun all day with our new Flickr account - geez, it's easy! Don't know why I was so scared to touch it!! Easy way to upload photos to display vintage fabrics...so perhaps I'll have to use it as some type of announcement thingie for people who jump on new stock...that's for 2008, but at least I'm thinking of it!

Other than that, the house is decked out with enough Christmas lights in the front garden to give off way tooooo much carbon for our liking...but it looks fab and Number One Son loves it :)

I love twinkling Christmas lights...always takes me back to my childhood....

Closing for Christmas...goals...and being grateful

Above: Trippy psychedelic fabric...cotton, from memory...

Above: Couture fabric, embossed nylon blend

Above: I think this is a Bloomcraft cotton - large scale design

Above: Couture silk, I think - must complete burn test to confirm. VERY op art...vintage 60s.

Above: 70s cotton with a florentine style design...

Above: Very cool modernist thicker fabric - soft furnishing or drapery...

Above: I love 'picture' fabrics - this is a beautiful lake print...cotton...vintage 50s...

Above: Another picture border print of a wagon train - vintage 50s

________________________

Where on earth has 2007 gone???...let alone the past week!

We have been busy with fabric orders and have finally taken a breather to finish our Christmas shopping etc. We are hosting Christmas again this year, so much has to be done for the day. We also have a traditional (and potent!) egg nog night on Christmas Eve...no drinking for me this year, but family dig in while we watch the Carols by Candlelight on Channel 9, then we drive around looking at Chrissie lights...then home, kiddies go to bed and we wrap all the presents...such a special night!

I think it's due to seeing 2007 become a memory - as well as being a Mum for the second time - that I have been mulling over the type of person I am and want to be. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how I've turned out! But there are ways I could improve...mainly taking some time to evaluate life and me and ways I could improve our lifestyle to leave a better place for our children. Thus, I wanted to start the following...

One way I can improve our carbon output/climate impact today: Re-buy green bags to use at the supermarket - set this goal for the next time I pop into the supermarket!

One way I have saved energy today: Have hung all of the washing up on the line

Something to be grateful for today: That I can fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes
Something I can improve on: Spending less time reading blogs and reading Etsy when I could be putting more fabric on Etsy and on the website, not to mention blogging!!! Too addictive...and I have such a compulsive addictive personality!

I have just photographed 20 fabrics to start listing them on the website and Etsy - some are new, some bolts we've had for a while. The photos above feature some of the fabrics...

We're closing down for business from Friday 21 December through to Monday 7 January. And we need the break, I can tell you! It shall also give me some time to get the fabrics in order for next year - I have soooo many fabrics that aren't even booked into our system it's not funny any more!

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones - keep in touch as we'll keep the blog going over the festive period...

Take care of yourselves!
Cheers!

Scrap / remnant packs are here!

If you can believe it - I have decided to get some scrap and remnant packs together and I am tired of being surrounded by boxes of small pieces! Tired, I say! So I set about today to get some packs together with our scraps and remnants, thinking I would put them all together in the same colourway...

By the end of the day I had five completed packs and eight more on the way. I have filled zip lock bags with various pieces and different designs - ranging from tiny squares to half fat quarter size.

Keep an eye on the Etsy store for more packs over the coming days...they must be sold! And they're a bargain, too :) The link to the Etsy store is directly to the left of this post...

Joom - Etsy shop....and a petition for the whales...

I love taking a look around Etsy - it always makes me want to learn how to sew! We recently purchased a Brother sewing machine to get into the creative spirit (we thought this was the most obvious choice seeing as we are surrounded by fabric)...but still haven't found the time for hubbie to teach me how to use it...yes, you read correctly - he knows how to sew!

One of my favourite Etsy shops is Joom. I love those cushions! - and I love those prints! They are such good ideas for Christmas...but too late for us to purchase here in Australia now...alas!

And I'm never one to flog causes and my own personal beliefs onto others...but if you are against the slaughtering of whales, please sign the petition at www.whalesrevenge.com. You never know - you could make a difference :)

Nomey retro fabric - ebay

This one isn't my cup of tea - far too minimalist - but's it's retro nonetheless!

Apia...original?? Highly sought after if it is...

Scandinavian uber cool fabric...

A fab kitsch seagull fabric...

Have a gander at these crackin' retro fabrics! Nomey16 has been around quite a while on ebay and the fabrics are always very, very popular - even to fabric sellers who re-sell them at an exorbidant price! I have seen the fabrics get turned into fab wall art, used in cushions etc etc...and there's a great collection of them up at the moment...so I thought I'd best tell you about them while there's time to bid! Don't forget to check the postage rates for postage outside of the USA...

Funnily enough, we have the original print of this one now in stock - it's a new arrival and quite striking....it's called Cranes...



And we also have an original of this one below in an orange colourway (from memory...and with original tags attached, too)

Some shocking photos of vintage fabric new arrivals...

Beautiful 50's drapery fabric with vases and gold flex...

Sheridan bolt - stored badly so until I unwrap it all I have no idea how good or bad it all is!

Amazing 60's dot drapery/soft furnishing fabric on bolt...

Crappy photo of lovely atomic style sheer fabric - have no idea what era this was produced in...

Fab psychedelic semi sheer poly

Fab atomic block poly border print...has some marks so have to wash this one!

Fab fab fab trees! Grubby so also needs a wash...why don't people store their fabrics correctly - ugh!!!

A whopper of a find - undoubtedly a Sven Fristedt 60' original panel - we have two of these that are slowly being washed and ironed!

Bolt of retro purple and blue fabric...super cool!

Out of the 64 these were the closest to me to take shots of...some of them are true faves, though :) Ya gotta love Sven :)

Getting back into it...and vintage fabric...

A friendly peacock

The giant trout was a hit

I told you the Giant Trout was a hit

Hello all

Yes, I am kind of back. Gabriel has been with us for 12 days now - and, geez, is it easier the second time around! I don't know whether it's him - placid, sleepy, cooey etc etc - or the fact we're so blase with him compared to our first son. Whatever it is we're really enjoying ourselves, getting some decent sleep and now getting back into the swing of vintage fabric things...

Without counting our normal inventory (someday I realllly do have to take some shots of it for you - too much vintage fabric!), since I last booked in, we now have more than 64 new arrivals. Yes, 64 fabrics - just in a couple of weeks. I have booked a lot in to day and shall start to take photos tomorrow...so they are not far away!

I keep on telling myself once I finish the new arrivals I'll get to the old arrivals...when is that day coming, I ask you?????????????

I am mulling over the Etsy store inbetween feeding etc etc. I am thinking of making this our exclusive sale store - ie. sale yardage shall go in there, as will (perhaps) 1/2 to a metre of fabric from some bolts featured on the website. That way it gives buyers a good opportunity for a sale, a bargain price and I can up always upload at a stipulated time to give people an idea of when to look etc etc.

That way the website can be for the rest of our inventory etc etc. Another goal is to clear the sold fabrics out of the website - they are clogging up the system! That should be done in the next week or so...

Until we meet again...here are some classic photos from Melbourne Zoo. We drove to Melbourne today to have a day away from everything...and had a great time with all of the animals. The photos were all taken by our eldest son...he loves being in front and behind the camera!

If I can I'll post some photos of the new arrivals either tonight or tomorrow at the latest - although, they won't be far away from the website or Etsy anyway...

Gabriel

Vanessa asked I share this photo with you as some of you are eager to know of his arrival. We welcomed Gabriel into the world early on Sunday morning, 18 November 2007. He was a healthy nine pounds, one ounce and very eager to arrive! Everyone is over the moon and very well...Vanessa shall be back soon, she says!

Waiting, waiting...what is one to do????

These tags are made from (top to bottom) - 1960's Heals of London fabric and 60's couture fabric...

Special E Helenius Oy fabric - two sets done featuring the green and the yellow of the fabric...

Ye old 70's geometric fabric tags...

Hrumph. I am a tad over everything at the moment. I have been waiting for this baby to arrive for a long time now - ACK! Now eight days overdue and counting. Apart from getting rather impatient (am I? aren't I?) I am also getting very frustrated! I love working and doing new things but I can't seem to move the body nor the brain at the moment...

That being said I have been making little cards out of the offcuts I have. What do you think? Don't know what I will do with them - maybe people would like to buy them, have no idea. I have chosen weird and wonderful fabrics to make them out of, too - always best to be unique, I think.

And I can't wait to start putting my fabrics on to the website and in to the Etsy store - I've decided Etsy is really useful for small remnant pieces.

Anyhoo...off to watch some more HORRID daytime television and a chat with the baby to coax him out!!!