Little steps back

Even though I am awaiting some not so lovely test results I can feel my change of thought swaying once again to the positive side. On contemplation in recent days/weeks I have realised I have taken on far too much and, if I was to continue going down that same path, I would end up very ill, unhappy and...well, in places I never want to be.

I realised I had been living life far too much for others and not nearly as much for myself. When you're a wife, a parent, a chef, a house-keeper, a business-owner, a worker etc etc life becomes a game of catch-up. Some days are seamless, others aren't. I realised, in amongst all of this whirlwind of life, was little ol me. I had forgotten about me.



I think this is a female thing...the forgetting about you part. I have put myself in the back for a long time and had forgotten how to feed my spirit and my soul. I felt overwhelmed with life as I had forgotten how to feed myself, to build my solid groundwork so that life didn't seem so chaotic. As that groundwork crumbled, so did I.

So I am slowly remembering me again. I love me. Seriously - I do. I have always liked myself - partially as I am an only child and I had to amuse myself day in, day out. I have also achieved a lot in life and recognise that, so I am definitely a proud me. But then I started to do too much and I forgot how much I loved just being with silent with myself.



So in the past weeks we have taken days and days away from business and responsibility. We have escaped as a family to Queenscliffe and to Daylesford. We have laughed and played. I have read and had some wonderful quiet time. I can feel myself growing back again.

I have decided to write a promise list for myself. I wrote my first one yesterday. It's a weekly list to guide me through the week and to remind myself I am completely humand and have limitations within my 'roles' of business owner, wife, Mum, friend, advisor etc etc. Most of all, it is a list simply for me to remind myself to care about me :). I'll revisit the list next Sunday and see how I go...

The photos? Part of our storage area. Yes - here's a glipse of what is ahead for us. None of this is on the website, as yet :) - and, yes, dear readers...this is only about a third of our unloaded stock. Little steps getting this stock up for sale...

Annus horribilis - no more!

Yes - we are here. Kind of. Loitering about. More like rushing about. As lots of our lovely customers know I am now referring to 2008 as our annus horribilis (thanks Queen Elizabeth!) - but now I have named it that I am also saying I think we're over the hump and moving forward.

Illness has stalked us this year, particularly me (gallstones) and now Gabriel - sick for more than seven weeks, but now hopefully on the road to the glorious recovery. It seems like I have talked so much about illness...that's how much it's played a role in our lives this year - and, as many of you know, we are not like that! We are go-getters, determined and quite healthy individuals...

Too tired for a complete update (Gabriel is up again, poor man), so have selected some photos of our life...

Above: The room that gives me solace - our piano room (no piano, it was termed that as it is glassed on two sides and has double brick or something or other) - note vases and such are not displayed as I have been moving stuff around, as usual :). I like sitting in here at night. It's so quiet and snug.

Below: Happy Father's Day from Logan :) His other hand is holding Daddy's - sooo cute...


Below: We are still trying to finish our stocktake. When we moved we had drums and drums of fabric and I stupidly unpacked it all when we got them out of storage. Now the fabric is just stacked. Lots on bolts, but just stacked...

Photo below: Ugh...more stacks...don't ask how much we have not in the website, either - it's embarrassing :)


Below: Our sleeping angel, Gabriel - ill at home, asleep on the couch, being looked after by Nanny...

Below: Gabriel just before getting sick again...loved his food! Now we're back to square one with Weetbix :)

Below: My topsy-turvy life - and my favourite cup and my fave drink, coffee - I feel like this in the morning, I can tell you!

Below: We have toys EVERYWHERE. They are driving me nuts - and we have a playroom for the kids...but that isn't working!


Below: Logan and I backed up a storm and made Mummy and Daddy sleeping in bed...well, that's what I was thinking, anyway. He thought they were two kids lying down on a rug looking at what pictures/shapes the clouds are making...

New arrivals going up soon - I promise!

Vintage fabric gift certificates for the website

It is madness around here at the moment. I have been indoors and away from the fabric as our youngest son has had a very bad virus that lasted for two weeks and now has a heavy chest infection...poor little mite!

I got into an interesting dialogue with a customer today regarding gift certificates/gift vouchers/gift coupons - sheesh...depends on where you live as to what you call them! It got me thinking I really should get my little act together to offer a selection of gift certificate denominations for people who know family or friends who love vintage fabric but who couldn't select something to buy them!

So - I got my little act together in fits and starts and have now got a new category on the website with $15.00, $25.00, $50.00 or $100.00 gift certificates. We can also list a private certificate for you for your nominated amount...easy done :)

Phew - I feel like I've done somthing now - I completed something today!

To view, click here.

The long weekend, the vintage fabric stash and the wardrobe...

We've had such a lovely long weekend here - Australia had ANZAC Day on Friday and all of us stop for a bit to remember those men and women who have fought for us in the decades past. My Grandfather wasn't a fan of ANZAC Day until his latter years as he was only posted to Mataranka in the Northern Territory (Australia) and never really got to see anything of World War II (thank goodness for him)...the downside being, as he wasn't send overseas he wasn't able to get any veteran benefits from the Australian Government. So I remember previous ANZAC Day's with mixed feelings...

Looking back it was meant to be (funny timing and all that), but on Friday we decided to evaluate space in the kid's toy room. It's chockers with toys, number one's computer, toys, toys, toys and everything little ones like to have around them. It had two main furniture components - my Grandparent's 1950's laminex table and my Grandfather's men's wardrobe. We decided to the kids needed more space in there so had to figure out what to do with the wardrobe...I just can't give it away as it has a very strong sentimental attachment, but what does one do with a gorgeous men's wardrobe??? Below are shots of the sides (they swing out to reveal these compartments and the sticker located in the middle...my, what we were like in the 1940s! My Grandparent's moved to Glenlyon Rd in Brunswick when they were married in 1948 and brought their kids up in the community...



Well, I have bits and pieces of fabrics at home so we heaved and pushed and pulled the wardrobe up the hallway, through the kitche, through the dining room, through the piano room and into my workroom...to be filled with fabric offcuts and general pieces that have yet to be offered for sale. These aren't even in our inventory! - so you can imagine just how much we have...

So, one hour later this is what we have...nothing neat and tidy or on bolts as they're not up for sale...but you get the idea! Yes, I am embarrassed to show...but I just had to! You fabric lovers can have a giggle at my expense!




I thought of you on ANZAC Day, Pop...Rest in Peace, Professor :)

Carrying around shoulder weight...day7/30

Can't stop thinking about my bung liver and gallstones rattling around - so set to this morning and cleaned our workbenches (I never do cleaning up unless I have to!). New cutting matt laid out all nice for a new beginning...fingers crossed :)

Better late than never - day 6/30

Lots of fab bloggers are logging a shot of the simple daily life and blogging it. Such a wonderful idea from Soulemama. Even though I'm a little late I'm starting today...


I have had a hard time of it health wise recently. Gallstones confirmed...and now perhaps a damaged liver...and I'm still in my early 30's! So out comes one of the loveliest books ever written...The Art of Happiness - A Handbook for Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C Cutler MD. It's all about how to live a happy life - told by a simple Buddhist monk interwoven with thoughts and direction by Cutler, a western psychologist. I have just finished reading the chapter on happiness vs pleasure and how they are vastly different...so I've put a very important question on my laptop to keep me thinking...

Will it bring me happiness?

What I surround myself with...

I suppose letting the cat out of the bag shouldn't be a bad thing - fact is, I've always been mindful of keeping our personal lives seperate to the business. I suppose it's because I don't fundamentally trust people that I don't surround myself with...where does the fear come from? I don't know - maybe it's due to being a Mother and wanting to protect everyone...

I want to show you some new arrivals to our horde of vintage fabric - but first I also wanted to show you my favourite part of the workroom. It's the corner of my desk. It's the only part of the space that is wholly mine and devoid of vintage fabric! It's very messy but has some personal bits I adore - family photo taken years ago, old toys my Uncle played with, my gorgeous Barsony lamp my partner gave me for my birthday...Arabia, Danish candleholders...signed original Tretchikoff...and a collage I made as well as a pic of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Healing Buddha. Whenever I look in this corner I always feel so grounded - like life it giving me a big hug!