december 1...advent pockets to fill with love...

morning lovely bloggy friends...


we had a mid week teacher's strike here yesterday & therefore a house full of extra's...

so not all my boxes were ticked- which i'm needing to do each & every day now that we are *in*

the month of our huge {move back} to the beautiful beaches of sydney...


so...after a morning of balance (you know those mornings- & it wasn't the kids!)...

the ever patient, every gorgeous husband took all the kids to school...

& i'm sitting here, with a strong cup of tea...thinking bout filling advent pockets...

not life altering i realise ;) but about all i can manage this morning...one of those mornings people...!

for our three kiddos, age irrelevant, the *advent calendar* is a special lead up to the big day...


they've all gone off to school this morning anticipating the opening of the first advent goodies

this afternoon...


some years we've had little fabric squares on string lines across the windows...


some years we've done the desperate easy quick-it's-the-flippin-first-of-december-store-bought 

chocolate calendar boxes, with the flip open windows...

you know the ones...awful, loud, disney inspired {!!??}...yet do the job...

this year we needed something simple...that could survive a mid-advent flight {home to Australia},

whose daily pockets could be filled with more than chocolate coins...& that was made with love

by me, for them, in the house we have loved in the english countryside, for so long...

so...the squares were cut...the french numbers stamped...the pieces sewn together...


& this morning i am going for a quiet, simple wander to fill those pockets...

english sweets...some little english souvenirs...little reminders of our time here together...

by Christmas day we will be sitting in the sand, drinking smoothies & wondering what the cold

felt like...

so taking this advent calendar home on December 20 & opening one day in Dubai & the

remaining days in the sunshine just makes this year's calendar all the more special...

at this time of year- life can be a tricky balance...

remember the simple things are often the loveliest memories...

~~~~~~~

a shared thought: yesterday an incredibly brave mother from our little school lost her long fight with cancer...


her two beautiful children were blessed to have had her guide them for as long as she could...


today please just take a moment to look at your children...
& to love them that little bit more...


Karen will always be an inspiration in my mind & though there are many tears- her smile is what i will recall each & every time we passed with school bags, scooters & *good morning's*...


thank you for the small *moment* of time in which i knew you Karen- your children will continue to be loved & watched over at school by their many gentle friends...

xoxox

vintage chairs, village markets & a B.B {british bestie}...

our village market- the B.B {british besite} & i are taking you with us this morning...

we want your opinion on this seriously cool rocking vintage chair...

patch-worked by hand- re-stuffed all squishy & perfectly snuggly...

perfect for B.B's bay window...perfect for C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S....

you hearing this Mr.B.B ?

i can assure you your christmas will be full of festive cheer ;) if you bobbed down & picked up this 

piece of patch-worked heaven for her...you listening !?

 

this is the same little stall that had the blue side board last week... {here}

& i know from your emails & comments, that  a few of you would've whipped that in the back of your 

people mover.. 

it's also the same little secret spot that the B.B & i got our french potato baskets from...{here}

man do we need to get her this chair...

anyway- the seeds have been sewn with Mr.BB & all 20 of our fingers are crossed...

maybe a quick "how are you lovely Mr.BB- did we mention it's V & A fabrics" text may nail it?

between this gorgeous chair & my big old country house there was also a *house sale* on this 

morning...

i really just needed a wander with her & a look at old stuff vintage bits this morning...

some time out from the list ticking & the endless at times a little overwheliming planning...

we did good....real good...

a great old typewriter & some wonderful old cotton reels for me...

& a perfect vintage milk bottle that we worked out was over 50 years old and that was produced for

the dairy farm not far from the B.B's folks house- for her...

i love that...the history & connections...

so...another gorgeous crisp wander through my little part of ol'Blighty...

with thoughts of both days on the beach in Australia & days snuggling up with mulled wine & the 

BB on this chair dancing around in my head...

yooohoooo...Mr.BB this is for you...

the BB & i are bringing you back here over the weekend

for the lighting of our village christmas tree

&

a mulled wine or two

you in?

xxx

 

a giveaway - *rocking some creative inspiration*

have you gals fallen in creative lust with the *Mollie Makes* mags?


i am in hook...line & craft sinker...


the Autumn edition is just endless inspiration, page after gorgeous page...

it's not just the projects...the layout of the magazine is right up my alley...it makes me want to create...

a totally healthy drug of choice...

i had a moment to day to just have a quick *squizz*...


& inevitably this leads to a flurry of lists...

things to make...things that inspire...

just so much to want to do...instantly!

if you like to have a million creative pursuits on the go at once...then get your hands on a copy!

and this months edition indulges in two of my fave style crushes...


{kelly doust- author of *The Crafty Minx*}...who i could imagine being great friends with in the real 


world...


{her daughter's name is Olive & i love that name- we're a perfect match!}

& ...the gorgeously stylish blogger {jeanette lunde}


she is just so feminine, simply lovely, joyful & inspiring...

i would be very happy to sit at her table drinking endless tea & staring at her lovely life taking in a

moment of her day...

since falling in love with the world of blogging i'm rarely *rocked* by a creative mag in the flesh...


there are just so many wonderful bloggers out there, that there's no need to keep an eye out for 


new mags to inspire...


{mollie makes} is soo the exception to this rule...

get your hands on a copy- a cup of tea & take a moment for yourself...

be inspired...

i love this autumn edition so much- that i'm picking up another copy for one of you...

just leave a comment on *what rocks your craft boat*...

blogs? mags? books?

be a Miss Sew & So follower & share your inspiration- simple...

on another autumn note

we had our very first open fire last night

gotta love that

i'll get the kiddos to pluck a name at random 

happy tuesday

melissa

xox

ruffly friday pretties...

friday pretties...


a day of all weathers...

will i ever get used to the british weather...?

here is my ruffly lovely bag in autumn mode...

inspiration to spend a snuggly day inside, making a matching one for *sarah*, after coffee with the B.B {british bestie}...

sarah won my ruffly-giveaway...she is a doll & inspires me constantly on her gorgeous blog *Modern Country Style*...oh the houses she takes us through...-get over there!

ballet shoes...mac coat & ruffles...autumn...

i'm gonna show you when i get in my winter boots...i'm still holding out...just...!

so...with a coffee under my mac & a morning waiting for rain...i started ruffling...big time...

see my little *i love mum* note up there on my machine...?

that's been there for longer than i can remember...love those moments...it not ever coming off...

so...ruffles by the yard...french ribbon by the roll...rain trying to fall...pots of tea...sarah's bag...

i love sewing with plain fabrics where the texture really shines through...

it's not about the colours...but the design...the shape...the ruffles...

lined in blue french stripe...simple...timeless...

as i finished...the rain bucketed down...pounding against the windows...

B.U.C.K.E.T.E.D...!

*murphy's law*- lunchtime- chance of rain...school pickup- lashing down...!

so i left my cosy little corner...slurped the last of my tea & dashed past my wellies {!!} into the rain...

leaving a pile of ruffles, cotton, fabric & creative chaos for another day...

i so love sewing in cold rainy weather...listening to BBC radio on my laptop...

i've made lotsa extra ruffles today...ready for some cushion creating...for the change of seasons...

& i've been thinking of ruffly wreathes...& other autumn crafting...

there's some little projects i'm wanting to share..so ladies, get your glue guns loaded...!

this cushion is for my sitting chair...

french typeset...old vintage sacks bought in the french countryside whilst brocante loving with my mama...

we had a couple of weeks together, the summer after we first arrived from the sandy beaches of sydney...

i've been saving these for a rainy day...& here's the start of something lovely...

but...i'll keep this to show you for another day...

another rainy autumn day...

~~~~~~~~~~~

happy friday...hope you weekend is full of some ruffle love...

xox

melissa 

a life made lovely in fabrics & friendships...

 a life made lovely...& going with the flow of the seasons...


autumn has arrived...& i snuggled down over the weekend & created...
i went with the season...


a pot of tea...& a semi-chaotic studio of fabric...music...cotton lace & cushions...
i'd like to paint a picture of serenity...of order...of folded fabric...of quiet creation...

but in reality...
it's more noisy {lovely} kiddos constantly interrupting, the husband on the nearby laptop chatting about the sports arrangements for the weekend & tonights dinner...& the BBC Radio humming along in the background...

& i know i wouldn't have it any other way...
i'm sure it's the only way i can create...
it's the same way i've been doing it for years...

&...it makes me very happy...

i also *work* in a semi-chaotic less than orderly way...

everything is created as i sit down to fill an order...
not the week before...not with drawings done in anticipation of...
all of this i love to do...& i love to do it as i am about to create the piece...

if it's a gift for someone - all i want is a little jumble of thoughts about that person...


their favourite colours...their jobs...a little of their nature...
& i take that & create them a special cushion, or bag...made just for them...

i love to approach each order like this, for me they're fresh...individual...& to be honest...the only way i know how to work...

i plan so much of the rest of our life...
the daily...the monthly...the yearly...
i plan constantly for our busy family of five...
so...i thrive on this instant...spontaneous creativity...

adding to the constant mess lovely creative chaos of my sewing room- i never throw out my offcuts...


i can't bare to bin anything- it's the building of a cushion from all the smaller pieces that makes it so special...
these pieces create the most loved & inspiring cushions...
my friendship cushions...


given by people who want to show their love & friendship for someone in their lives...
& made with so much enjoyment by me...
from french fabrics, british rose linens, vintage finds & cotton laces...

made with kiddos sitting at my feet playing with mini skateboards...
wrapping tiny treasures in my leftover fabrics...
shouting at me from the kitchen whilst learning to make big hearty autumn soup outa leftovers...

& all the while...i wouldn't have it any other way...

a life made lovely...
with fabrics...& friendship...


snuggled against the autumn weather...
a wonderful weekend indulgence amongst the usual loved chaos of my family life...

no organised shelves of cottons...& patterns...
no long modern clean surfaces of space...
just a group of mix-matched vintage desks...thrifted cane chairs...baskets of fabrics & time...

a life made lovely

embracing the chaos

&

creating alongside everyday life

~~~~

...for more lovely days head over here & smile...

friday pretties & hanging out in the english countryside...

friday...yehar...
fresh flowers...
wimbledon...
budweisers...
friday pretties...

nothing like a friday arvo...
kiddos home, friday after school eye tests done...
&
yep...as i thought, i need to get myself into a pair of glasses...
cool glasses i may add...
that's why i took the kiddos- they're pretty cool & VERY opinionated!!

we've done the budweiser/wimbledon match...

love wimbledon...

&

now we are heading out for a walk with the kiddos on the *village green*...

so...my fave day of the week...

&

some *friday pretties*...white stocks, a vintage ladder...& some ruffles in progress...

what do you think of the ruffles?

i'm thinking it's a whole new line of Miss Sew & So goodies...

the whole etsy shop thing is still at the front of my thoughts...

but for tonight...it's wimbledon...family...& friday pretties...

take a moment this weekend to grab a bunch of blooms

to watch the tennis at wimbledon

to hang out with your kiddos

~~~

i'll see ya monday

we have a house full of extra kids this weekend

&

some serious parties to drop them all to

horse riding 

& soccer

...i'm going to take a moment to say g'day to you all that have been visiting here 

in the last week or two...

i'm going to do it in the evening sun with a wine in hand over the weekend...

...enjoy...

xox

*a good life wednesday*...

a good life wednesday...
doing what you love...
when we moved from the sandy beaches of sydney to the english countryside a few years back...
it opened up endless opportunities for our family...
travel & the daily experience of living abroad...& for my husband, the chance to follow a dream & to work on foreign shores were the obvious...
but many other opportunities arose that we hadn't given so much thought to...

friends for one...
this move was for our family- the five of us to have as *our* adventure...
i don't think we'd realised how special new friends would be & will forever continue to be no matter where we all are in the world...

life in the countryside...
we are beach-reared...salty haired...freckled nosed...& at home by the ocean...
i *know* that we didn't realise just how much we'd love the countryside & the changes each season brings...
we have a love for the surrounding farms, produce & animals that we would never have gained living by only the beaches forever...

& finally...a love of working from home for me...
when we finally decided to follow our dream of working & living abroad whilst our kids were young- we still had small children...
they ranged from 2 to 9...& we were still in the early stages of keeping it all going...
a last little one at home & all...
as they grew...& we all grew together with the experience...it opened up a life that allowed me to get back to work...whilst still being there for the kids...always...
in sydney- the hubster had worked seriously loooong hours & was away from home an awful lot- travelling & working into the evenings...
the experience from all he has given over the years- has meant that we are now in a position for him to work less hours but to enjoy the lifestyle we've worked hard for...
this has meant that my years of parenting on my own for vast hours each day has changed dramatically...
we now permanently parent together...side by side...
this coupled with all three kiddos being at school, has meant that our life in the countryside has co-incided with me starting up a successful little business from home...

we feel blessed...
this experience abroad would have been vastly different for us all if i'd gone to work outside the house & the kids spent hours in childcare or alone...
having a dad around the house has been so wonderful...
{god knows how he balances it all- work & home...but he's a seriously cool camper!}
&
opening my own small business has meant that we are all experiencing our daily english life together...
the kids see it as my job...& they give me the time to get orders done & we still do all the other regular stuff together...
we just do it as a big family now...with both of us around for the kiddos...
so all our memories are made together...

...my *good life wednesday*...

...my smelling of life's roses...

my moment to recognise the wonderful *extra's* this move abroad has given to our family

&

...to me...

~~~~~

thanks to my inspirational bloggy friend from *down under*

for the weekly reminder to stop & smell the roses

sarah from A Beach Cottage