What I lurve

I am hopelessly in love with so many things at the moment. I have never been so inspired, so full of creative energy. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

So I made a list. As you do!

The list is mainly comprised of pages/people I have met through FB and subsequently blogs, etsy stores, madeit stores, markets... Oh my! It goes on and on and on....

I feel like I have been re-born into this crafty movement. I have turned into a circa 1950s housewife, mother, sewing fanatic and I LOVE it!!

I had a horrible dream last night about packing up my house and having to move interstate. Horrible I tell you! But in reality it's ok because A. I am not moving, and B. Everything I have grown to love is on the internets. Isn't it great??!

So here is The List, not in any particular order, of what is making me so squeekily happy at the moment. Drum roll.....

~ Frilly nappy covers. I know, I know, I am late to the bus stop on that one. But hey, ruffles on a little bum are so cute. Tell me they're not??

~ Fabric. Oh lordy, fabric. Soft and floraly, stripy and bright. You name it. I love the feel of it, the folds when it's fresh out of the envelope in the mail. I keep even the tiniest winciest offcuts. I'm scared my cat will eat one and choke.

~ Dresses for Minky. Am I brave enough to start making them? Refer to above point. Bunting just isn't enough to satisfy my crafty-fabric loving ways at the moment.

~ Crafty blogs. Don't have time to mention them all here but sheesh, there are some rippers. That's another bloggy entry all together.

~ Boys stuff. There just isn't enough of it and I want more!!

~ Vintage childrens book illustrations and cartoons. I am getting some serious inspiration from the past.

(from Sweet Eye Candy Creations)

~ This crazy little blonde thing. AND this dress by Here Kitty Kitty (I can't even put it in the cupboard it's so pretty)

Do I really have to say more??!

Kids v's Design

I'm blogging when I should be putting the washing on the line. I'm blogging when Minky is asleep and I should be having a shower. I'm blogging instead of making a coffee. Oh, hang on that last one IS important, back in a sec....

*sip* Ah that's better!

So much to catch up on, so little time. I keep thinking about all these cool things I am going to write about and how I will become the next really interesting person on blogger. Alas Minky keeps me too busy and I am trying to juggle home, sewing and all that. So for now my interesting-ness will have to stay in my own head and be drip fed to you all one post at a (far in between) time.

One thing that I have been thinking about lately though is kid's rooms. Funny that, since I spend most of my day and night in one. I read an article somewhere, maybe Home Beautiful or the SMH or somewhere about a new kid's store opening up in Sydney around Dank Street. Without going into too much detail it basically put forward the idea that people who have mega-trendy homes need mega-trendy rooms for their little ones so they can keep their bedroom doors open without being embarrassed. Why should you let a children's messy, Dora splattered room spoil the overall aesthetic of your shiny, Eames filled inner city terrace? I had to laugh at the photo of this shop. Honestly it had about 3 things on the shelves, none of which the average toddler would find even moderately interesting. I'd be terrified of letting a 3 year old loose in there in case he/she left muddy footprints on the shiny white polished concrete floors! Most 6 year old girls would rather stare at their own reflection, play with their hair and wonder what to dress Barbie in when she got home than admire the fine lines of the retro-inspired foot stools (something apparently kid's reeeealy need in their bedroom).

So it got me thinking about how our own design ideas filter though to our babies rooms. From the initial stages of planning a 'nursery' right up to teenage rooms (the latter I will not *thank GOD* have to experience for a long while yet).

Having a strong passion for design, colour and interiors didn't sway me to make Minky's room 'fit' with the style of the rest of the house. She is a baby, babies need baby rooms. She didn't need a $3000 cot, Swedish bed linen or wall art that would be more at home in the Tate Modern. She needed a cuddly cot, white just to keep it simple, soft fluffy toys and a comfy chair for me to sit in. I kept it neutral with splashes of bright red and green as we didn't know if bub was a he or a she. And the rest I made myself.

Sure, I had off cuts from Cloth fabric which I turned into cushion covers but I always kept it child friendly. Bright. Soft. Not hard and stark. My baby needed a warm coocoon not a reminder that Mum and Dad were at the forefront of cutting edge 'staarl' and just itching to be featured in the next Vogue Living.

Kiddies need a bedroom that is inviting. So what if they want to splash Barbie from one end to another? Have Bratz dolls curtains and a Dora doona cover? Let them be kids. They don't understand the difference between Bebe Jou and the Wiggles. They just care that little Jack next door gets a Ben 10 sheet set and they are stuck with plain white bamboo-organic-dye-free-fun-free sheets that won't scream bad taste when their bedroom door is left open.

My antidote to all this silliness was to hand make a heap of stuff and recycle things from the shed (shock horror!). I've mentioned the birdy mobile before, and also my cushions. My dear friend crocheted a blankie and I made my first bunting. Minky got thousands of teddy bears when she was born, so they adorn every corner and shelf. There is an old set of drawers that I put in there. They were the first thing I bought when I moved out of home 12 years ago, and now they are hers. I didn't even get time to paint them. Her big designer pieces are a $18 lamp from Ikea and a wardrobe of French clothing her Grandma bought from ozsale.com.au. Other than that my aim was to have a place she would feel safe and happy.

The end result was something that I am proud of because I put MY heart and soul into it for MY daughter. And if it is a mess, well then I guess it does match the rest of the house, and I will keep that door wide open to show the world that I have a baby, and her comfort and enjoyment of her surrounds means more to me than anything else. See how it has evolved below...

So if you really want to integrate your children’s room with the rest of the house, stop and think for a moment. Will it really give them an advanced sense of style at age 3 or just make them feel sad they don't have a fun bedroom they can relate too? Bring on Dora I say.

Minky's first cot photo - I was so proud of this.

And after a few months of settling in, it's much pinker.

Inspiration, where art thou??

I haven't blogged as I am having one of those moments/weeks where I question my ability/inspiration etc etc. Am I good enough to sell? Why can't I come up with any new ideas? I think the FB fraternity were recently calling it 'loosing your sew-jo'. Well I thought I had lost mine.

Until.......(I've never blogged about another business before so please forgive me if I haven't given enough credit)....

Sipping my morning coffee and opening my FB page one of two amazing things happened.

Firstly, somehow, somewhere along the way I have accumulated 200 'likers'! That is 200 individual, special, lovely people who have stopped by my page, looked at my things and said lovely words about them. I honestly feel so totally and utterly undeserving, yet proud and motivated at the same time. What a cool morning this is!

Then, among the last 199 or so visitors to my page was a business that has totally re-ignited my passion. Photos so pretty I got all giddy inside. Images with such delicate, pure beauty I am almost ready to become a florist myself!! I am talking about Velvet Lily Florist who are based in Melbourne. Their Wall Photo gallery contains daily inspirational images of based around wedding photos and floral design. Even if you aren't in the market for a wedding florist (such as my happily-married-self) their exquisite collection of shots are sure to pique your interest.

My dream has always been to provide a snippet of daily inspiration to you, my readers. Wether it be a photo or other tid-bit, I have wanted to keep an online journal that gradually accumulates to be a nice little place for people to visit to be refreshed and inspired. Unfortunately having a new baby means that some days I don’t even get to shower let alone blog, but we will keep that dream in the pipeline!! Velvet Lily have nailed it though.

I have a bit of a secret that I will let you in on. I am a wedding connoisseur. Lover of all things lacy, floral, shiny and happy. The pureness of love and innocence that is reflected in a couples wedding through all those tiny details just sends me over the threshold! Those who know me personally will already be aware of my Royal wedding dress-up last Friday night in which I squeezed myself back into my wedding gown. Every time I go to a wedding I am the first in tears and the one taking photos of every flower, table arrangement, goodie bag there is in sight.

More than that, I think I have a slight obsession with whimsical photography. The way a single image can change my entire day is so powerful. The two I have included here have really touched me in two entirely different ways.

This picture by Three Nails Photography confirms my belief I should have been born in a Jane Austen novel. My life would have been that of picking wild roses, sitting in front of a fireplace doing cross-stich waiting for Mr Darcy to come and sweep me off my feet.

This next one by inspires me in a totally different way. The same way reading Country Style does. Instantly I am whisked off to a fresh country laneway, bright sunshine in my eyes, crisp air filling me up with all things good, wholesome and yummy. Tell me you wouldn't want to be here! (Adrianne Smith Floral & Jennifer Dery photo)

My head is now floating in the clouds surrounded by fluffy David Austen roses, lavender, sweet peas and poppies!

These are the tip of the iceberg! I can't wait for my daily image from these girls to come floating into my FB news feed. Thank you for my first dose. Sew-jo has liftoff!!!

♥

The Handmade Originality Pledge

Something that has been playing on my mind for ages is copyright of handmade products on Facebook.

I've mentioned before about the amazing online community of WAHM's that has sprung up (particularly in QLD for some reason). I spend hours looking at gorgeous things for babies and kids and often think 'oh I could make that'. And there is that line. Do you go and make something because it is easier and cheaper? Do you do it because it gives you more satisfaction than buying it in the first place? Or do you buy it from the person selling it?

I first encountered this when I was looking for a mobile for my daughters room. There was one that I had seen in a shop that was handmade, but it was a few hundred dollars, and there was no way that I would pay that for what it was. I scoured madeit, etsy and the like for something similar but couldn't find anything I liked. There were loads of mobiles, but nothing fitted the look I wanted. So in the end I bought some fabric and made one myself, taking inspiration from both the expensive one I saw in the shop, and also others online. It took a few weeks in between feeding/washing/sleeping with a 4 week old baby but in the end I had personalised it and made it myself and was really proud.

Loads of friends said I should make more and sell them but my conscious has told me not to. It wasn't my idea 100% and I felt that it wouldn't be fair to capitalise on it.

However the creative bug had found me and had to keep sewing. I had seen bunting popping up all over the place and thought it would be easy enough to make. So off to Spotlight I headed. I spent ages trying to perfect the right shape, length, colours etc. to make mine just perfect for Minky's room and when I finished it I was proud as punch. I didn't use a pattern or copy a picture, I just let my basic sewing skills guide me through and in the end came up with my own idea.

Now I am in the process of playing with lots of different embellishments on my bunting and am so proud of all the little bits I have put together. I am really hesitant however to put it on Facebook. What if someone copies me? Sure, I didn't invent bunting but I have put together some cool combinations of things that are all my own idea.

I have also invented a new product that involves singlets. I am not going to say more now, but I have already spoken to friends in marketing about potential copyright, but again, there isn't much I can do, and it will undoubtedly be copied. So do I make this product or not? Who do I go to if it gets stolen?

Go to any markets these days and there are so many bibs, frilly nappy covers, baby singlets with bits on them, softies etc. It is so hard to come up with an original idea.

I have made a few baby singlets and love playing with lacey bits and frills but I don't think I will seriously make them to sell as my major product because there is so much out there that is samesy already. I have a stack of doilies I stumbled upon on ebay ready to put on my frilly singlets, but after a recent trip to my local market saw that there is already sooooo many out there. It isn't worth my time to try and break into that market. I thought I was being original by threading ribbon through the neckline of bonds singlets but within a week I found someone else doing the same thing. I also thought using a particular fabric was also original but saw 3 others the same within a week too. Damn Spotlight is too popular!(Having said that, they are so fun to make that I will use up what I already have but no more after that!!)

It is hard to be creative in a modern, small world. But there is similarity due to popular styles and there is blatantly stealing an idea.

So when I found this today, I had to share it. The Contemporary Handmade Alliance has started a pledge for all crafters to keep it real. I have signed it and am promising to only exhibit my own, original ideas. I hope others follow by example too. It is such a great market that has been created and it should be respected for what it is.

I am proud of my designs. They usually come to me surfing the net looking at fabric websites, but more often than not it is when I am feeding Minky at 2am, in the dark, alone with my thoughts.

True, honest creativity comes from within. ♥

MLL on the move and taking flight!

What an amazing few weeks it has been! Where to start?

I launched my page on Facebook a few weeks ago and was so overwhelmed by the number of people and businesses who liked my page and became followers of My Little Lovebird. The feedback was so positive! Until...... damn Facebook went and screwed with my settings and didn't allow me to do shout-outs to anyone. What does this mean? Well basically I could tag people in my wall posts and status updates but that 'tag/mention' didn't show up on their wall or their news feed. Thus making me look like a big fat snob who didn't return shout-outs from anyone. This is such an integral part of being a small business on FB and the main way I believe, to get new followers. I got myself an IT guru - the lovely Penny Butler who couldn't find the glitch despite all her experience in the field. What a rotten way to end my first week!

All in all, the only solution was to start a brand new page for MLL. I was gutted! All my hard work networking, gaining 'likers' and spreading my page was all being unravelled. Anyways, I started the new page last night and to my absolute joy, the online crafting WAHM community has totally backed me and I am already up to 26 likers again - almost halfway in 15 hours!

I want to thank everyone who has helped me out so far. Honestly, it is such a moral boost to be surrounded by such wonderful women in business.

Oh and on a different note - here is a piccy of my little Minky girl wearing a new creation by me. I am thinking of leaving singlets till next summer though. What do you reckon?? Please excuse the loose threads etc. We are still learning!
♥♥♥

A little look at things to come

Who knew designing a blog could be so much fun - and hard work!!

But..... TA DA!! Here is my blog. Yes it is bright, has lots of patterns and is probably ridiculously hard to read but I LOVE the whimsy of it. And it reflects the fun, beautiful things I am going to be making.

Here is a little taster. This is for Minky girl.

Another New Beginning for Lovebirds!

So I started this blog aaaages ago with the intention of having a place where I could document everything I loved. Since then I have had my beautiful daughter who we shall call Minky (to protect her precious identity). My little Minky has inspired me to start doing all those mothery type crafty things we learned about in school home economics classes. And now I am officially hooked on sewing! And why not sell things I thought. Might even make back some of the money I seem to be spending on fabric (hello parity, hello Amy Butler fabrics from the US!)

I began noticing a trend of cute little pages on Facebook by WAHM's selling handmade baby and kids things. There has also been a rise in markets, like The Butterfly Tree, Mathildas Markets and Finders Keepers. If you know my obsession with design, colour, fabric and stationery then you will appreciate how totally excited this has made me. Anyway, I wanted in on the whole thing.

In January this year, I began making bunting flags for friends and before I knew it, My Little Lovebird was born. Since then I have played around with lots of modern crafty things like baby singlets, birdy mobiles and bought loads of cool fabric. My main focus will be on bunting and singlety bits, but I am thinking of a few other bubba 'accoutrements' too....watch this space!!

So if there is anyone out there reading this, please let me know! It is my intention to not only showcase my items for sale, but also bring some gorgeousness and inspiration into everyday life.

Check back soon for a link to my Etsy and MadeIt stores.

Enjoy!!
xx