Pause

For the first time in many years I am entering a new year without New Years resolutions. I can't quite believe it. Seriously - this is an absolute first for me, one who is usually focused and goal driven. But I feel very comfortable with this - strangely. As something popped into my head a week ago that will drive 2011 for me. It's a theme for 2011 - one I am keeping close to heart. A theme to encompass my life.

2010 has been a wonderful year for me - I am very thankful to it! The most important event was Justin and I breaking free from freelance or full-time work to focus on Retro Age full-time...well, as full time as you can get with two little sons! It has been an amazing ride getting accustomed to online business and the peaks and troughs - I truly believe we need to experience a complete year of Retro Age to fully understand how this type of retail works completely. That year is up on May 1, 2011, so I'll be doing a lot of evaluation at that time.

I feel truly blessed that Retro Age has become what it has become. And I feel honoured to have so many wonderful customers who visit the site, purchase or simply keep in contact. Truly - fabric lovers are the best people! 2010 has been our biggest year thus far and we have plans already set in motion to make it much, much bigger in 2011. I can't wait!

The business is just a part of our lives. As a family unit - including my special Mum and wonderful uncle 'Dearie' we have had some great times in 2011. There has been sadness about, with my Nan, Maureen, failing in a nursing home. Every now and then her mind comes back to us and she recognises us. Most times, though, she babbles about her own demented life she lives in her own world. We spent our first Christmas without her sitting at the table this year. It was sad and strange as we don't think she will be with us for Christmas, 2011.

2011 will bring big changes for our little family. Our eldest will start at a new school that is within walking distance of us and our youngest will start kindergarten, also within walking distance. It feels nice to settle ourselves into a community - we have bikes to travel everywhere, as we want to continue our sustainable and frugal ethos. 2011 brings us our first hours without children around us - wow, what a change that will make! Time marches on, doesn't it?

I have great excitement for the coming year - I feel it will be such a memorable one! May 2011 bring you what you most need and want in life...blessings and a Happy New Year to all!

xNess

PS. Retro Age Vintage Fabrics returns to normal hours on Monday and we'll start posting all of our holiday orders on Tuesday 4 January when Australia Post reopens.

Please take an online break!

I thought most people would be with their family and friends this Christmas holiday. I stupidly thought most people would take a break from their online lives to enjoy their 'real' lives at a very special time of year. But I have been bombarded with businesses and sales and flogging of sales and products on sale 50% OFF!! and I am totally sad for those people. Why on earth would you want to spend all your lives online when our earth, our own surroundings are so beautiful and special?

Happy New Year to our online peeps - but please don't forget to have an online break!

Merry Christmas to all...and to all, a goodnight!

The time has come when we must say goodbye until we next meet again in January, 2011. We have had another wonderful day with family and friends enjoying food and lovely eggnog (the old recipe has rum and a bottle of scotch in it!), so tonight seems the perfect night to sign off from this blog and spend a wonderful week away from the computer...after all, I sit here most days of the year, why on earth would I want to sit here during Christmas? I'll pop in every now and then and continue to upload fabric, but not much else :). I love the Christmas spirit!

Cheers to a very Merry Christmas to you and yours and may 2011 be a wonderful year for you!

PS. I finally took some b-grade pics of the advent calendar we have in our household - the elves leave something behind the doors (the compartments are quite large) for both boys each day...and each morning the race is on as to who gets to open the little door, as the door sets off a Christmas carol, Santa's sleigh and an elf comes out from the roof door...it's an understatement to say our boys love it!

Merry Christmas!

Burnish the Christmas gold, ye merry folk!

Christmas is a big deal in this household - not because of Santa and his little elves, but because of the beautiful month leading into the actual day. We spend a lot of time together doing special things, put up the tree and decorate the house on December 1st and laugh about the clutter and toy jangling for the month and we also make a lot of time for family and friends (when we're not wrapping fabric!). We also drive around at night having a look at the lights, visit Santa driving around on his fire truck to give the kiddies some lollies and try and go on adventures almost every day. We even have an advent calender made of wood, with little doors we can pop gifts 'from the elves' into each night. Our kids try and beat each other to the calendar every morning - the earliest this year is 5.20am.



One of our annual outings is driving around the local town to have a look at the Christmas lights with Nanny. Daddy and Nanny have some 'travellers', Mum drives and we ooooohhhh and aaaahhhhhh over all of the glittering lights. Lo and behold we found this massive man outside of our town.



I wish this photo conveyed just how big he is - yes, he's made out of painted bales of hay! To give you some perspective I asked some magpies to sit on his head :) We have just got home after two hours of light sight-seeing, with both boys conked out in the back of the car and Nanny and Daddy very giggly indeed.





Christmas is a time for loved ones, compassion for those who need a little extra love at this time of year and it offers the perfect opportunity to remember those who have passed. We are rearing our kids to think about all of this in their lives - to be grateful for what they have, to help those who are in need and to think about others as much as themselves. We want them to remember their childhood Christmas' with as much love and heart-warming memories as we can get into these fast years of kiddie-hood. They are such special, special, special years.

Childhood is the gold in the adult. We need to burnish this gold to make it bright for their future - and for the future of mankind.

Was it a time warp or a time machine?

Can someone please explain to me where today went? I mean, I know it's been and gone and all that...but did it really go that quickly. I am talking blinking quick. Snap-your-fingers quick. One moment we are gearing up for the day (and slightly freaking out at the number of orders, I have to admit) and the next moment I realised it was basically the end of the day and it was time to down tools and relax a little. We're on top of the posting game at the moment - but we're still getting orders, so we'll continue to wrap and post until Wednesday, if required. Phew. Christmas is going to come up really quickly this year...

The only problem is that I am completely running late with all of our international family pressies. I mean, I have them - I am totally organised that way! - but I haven't wrapped and posted them yet. Yes, yes...I can hear you saying "but you're at the post office every day" and that is true...but I have been so focused on business and family that I completely forgot to post the international family Chrissie surprises. Woops. Looks like they'll be heralding in the New Year with Christmas wrapping...ahem...

And on top of everything else I have decided to clean my kitchen top-to-bottom - yes, declutter (more!) and clean every inch of it. It's looking mighty good, if I say so myself...but, gosh, did I have to choose now to do it? Why, oh why, must I do this to myself? Silly me...

Vintage fabrics going up on the website tomorrow - some lookers in this lot, too!

Running out of puff...

We are running out of puff, I have to say. I want to upload all of this fabric on my work table and we just haven't the time - we are spending our time wrapping all of the orders that are coming in before our postage services ends on Monday. But I am going to continue to upload right the way through the festive season, so I promise you they will go up...I just can't be certain of a day!

Family life is changing, too...our school aged boy has now finished school and is being introduced to a new one today (yay!). And our youngster is starting kindy next year, which we're all so excited about. Mind you, it is only five hours a week, but that is enough to whet his appetite for learning and playing and learning and more playing.

Off to cut and pack...hurrah!

1960 masculine 'humour' - Man Magazine

Man - burlesque and bombshell - November 1960

I am no where near the end of these Man magazines I picked up - so I decided to take some more shots this morning. This one is November, 1960. I have also taken shots of the 'cartoon's in the edition and will pop them up later...

I love these vintage shots...perhaps I am over the modern day look and only see beauty in the old?

2010 Christmas trading hours

I have just put our trading dates on our website and thought it best to replicate the information here....

Our last postage/shipping date is on Monday 20 December, 2010 and we'll resume postage/shipping on Tuesday 4 January, 2011. The website will remain open during Christmas and New Years and customers are more than welcome to purchase during this time - however, orders will not be posted until Tuesday 4 January, as noted above. We'll also continue up upload new stock every now and then...more than anything else, though, we are going to enjoy this wonderful time of year and step away from the business to enjoy the company of wonderful friends and family...

Memories

Today I have awoken with some stillness about me. For the first day in a while we're not worried we won't get all of the orders out in time and I am looking to next week and the joy of Christmas. I always remember those of us who are no longer here - especially my wonderful Pop 'The Professor'. My love of old movies was instilled in me by my Nan and Pop - Meet Me in St Louis is one I grew up with and only watched again just recently. I love this Christmas song...it is a special one to me.

Break

Gosh - I am so tired it must be Christmas! The lead up this year has been frantic - we've found ourselves wrapping for hours every day and trying desperately to get other business things done in the arvo. In the end, there is minor defeat but much success...lots of happy customers and orders are still rolling in and lots of new fabric being listed and to go up day-in-day-out over Christmas and the New Year (apart from special days, of course)...but, of course, I have so much fabric to list I never get done what I want to. Oh well - don't stress the small stuff, I say...there is always tomorrow!

We'll be announcing our Christmas trading hours on the website tomorrow, too - and uploading some more iconic and collectable pieces!

Me, us and them - for a change...

Justin and I are always mindful that time is here for the living - and living we do. We try and offer our boys as many differing memories as possible. Looking back on 2010, I think this blog has been too much about fabric (ahem) and I wanted it to be more about our life and times. So, I am popping in a post about us today :)


Our three-year-old Gabriel is enjoying his first real 'Hissmass'. Every time he sees a Christmas 'thing' he yells out 'Hissmass Santa!' He didn't cry on Santa's lap for the annual photo - but he didn't look at him, either :)


Our seven-going-on-30 year old Logan is still Mr Babbleboy and I swear he says a million words a day - but he gives the best 'Fogey hugs and kisses' and makes us laugh minute after minute. His school report this year was amazing - he is tracking two years ahead in three subjects. We can't be prouder of him. But he has to stop growing, I say - I am not ready for a son who can't fit under my arm already :(


'Retro Angel' once again looks over our lives from the lofty heights of our Christmas tree. I love her - she is my favourite Christmas decoration. Home made by a stranger and picked up somewhere I can't remember. But anyone who pops some lace over a polystyrene cup and sticks a 60s dolls head on and then makes her fabric wings and arms/hands is a super ace person to me! However, as the polystyrene cup really doesn't lend itself to sitting atop a tree, she is always on a lean looking rather 'under the weather', as my Mum would say...


We've had a ball in our garden for the first time this year - instead of pretty bushes and such, we have pulled the front and back yard out to create a living, edible garden. We had a massive crop of garlic - the stems on some are thicker than two fingers and I'm looking forward to yummy strawberries and blueberries soon...not to mention our laden plum tree...sweet goodness!


We've had our first chickens this year - well, for me it's the first time, but Justin had them the majority of his childhood in New Zealand. The four girls are gorgeous - I absolutely love having them as...ahem...pets. Cathy Freeman (the fastest of the bunch), Bea (named after the top dog Bea in Prisoner as this chook is top chook), Maryland (what Justin is going to do with her when she's finished laying...he thinks) and Chook (named by the sons - yes, very original!) are the best backyard pets you can have. They love a cuddle and you can scratch them on their backs and under their wings and then they reward you with eating all of the bad things in the garden - and then the good, like all of our tomato bushes. They love their morning Weetbix and milk and rather like a grape or two, too...


There are always surprises in life - like our two cats Percy and Maple enjoying the shady and cool confines of the chicken coop. It seems to be an okay thing with the chooks - the cats can have the upper deck and the chooks love the bottom. If the chooks aren't happy when the cats are in there the whole neighbourhood hears it, I can tell you...and then today they all shared leftover spaghetti bolognese. Who would have thought?

More iconic and collectable vintage fabrics

These are just some of the pieces in my next lot of iconic and collectable vintage fabric upload - there is much more, but there are many photos to choose from. I hope you love the eye candy - 1920s/30s cotton, couture and more barkcloth - not to mention the iconic Pansies by Howard Carter...divine!

Iconic and Collectable vintage fabric - it's begun!

Well - today our Iconic and Collectable vintage fabric extravaganza started! It's something I have been looking forward to for several weeks, but unfortunately the delay in fixing our website navigation bar delayed it's start. So today was the day - the start of wonderful vintage fabrics that are either highly collectable or iconic. I wish you could see what's coming - but I want to keep them a secret :). Today was almost a barkcloth day - and I haven't finished yet - with lots of mid-century barkcloth bolts put up, as well as a darling old ballet cotton.

We are also working on populating our new 'vintage fabrics on trend' category - I have found so much of our fabric that is completely and utterly 'on trend' right now. The fabrics will suit interior decorators, photographers in the media business and peeps who make delightful things to sell to delightful people.

On top of these exciting events, I have decided to reduce my sugar intake. Oh dear. Yes - no more treats or chocolate or the like. I want to see what 'no sugar' does to my system, as I am a classic 'tired in the arvo' person and I am sick of it. I also need to lose...ahem...some weight. So this is day one of no sugar (in coffee, in bread - nothing!) and I am so very tired and have a headache. I think I need a nanna nap. Oh dear.

Beauty and The Storm

Victoria is having a very wet Summer this year - it's hot and humid, too - very tropical weather, actually. It also makes for a fabulous dusk...we had lovely pink and blue hues this evening, but as you can see, the storm clouds were low and never far away....