the buying season, part two...

update... I mostly get my Green & Blacks from the food section of David Jones Department Store, they seem to have a good range most of the time...

the buying season...

At the end of this week I will be making one of two buying trips that I make each year. As you can imagine, these trips are one of the highlights of my job and it's great fun... and a lot of work.

I love that there are so many elements that go into making a buying trip successful. That some of these elements I can control and others I can't.

This post by Alison got me thinking about the hidden aspects of my work. About how the work I do before a trip is integral to the final outcome. I've also been thinking how similar the process is to that of making a piece by hand. It starts with an idea, a pattern of sorts, is informed by many outside influences, the old and the new. Although I have a vision of what the final work might look like, in reality it will probably be quite different... but the threads of the original design will still be evident.

The hidden work begins for me at the beginning of January, thinking about the season that has just passed... about what we did well, about where we can improve. Thinking about colour and form and trends, about what our interpretation of these things might be. Making notes in my little books about desired items, textures and ideas, visual signposts for the journey that will follow.

And on the ground the seen work begins, absorbing the vision of others, putting together orders, making actual selections for the season ahead. Trusting my instincts. Balancing the essentials with an element of surprise. Making sure I find the things I know for certain that we need, the things that our customers expect to see. And all the time watching for the unexpected because it is these pieces that help us create a story that's all our own.

And, if I'm lucky, I'll finish in time to go shopping...

on friday...

Lately I am captivated by the thought of living life slowly, with simplicity and intention. So when this book arrived at the shop yesterday, I couldn't resist!

Skye Gyngell writes so beautifully about cooking with the seasons, her words and recipes are an inspiration. And it's the little details that I love about this book... it's perfect size, the matte finish of the pages, the three ribbon page markers (yes three!), the extraordinary photos and the fact that it looks so wonderful on our dining table with my Shannon Garson bowls...


A year in my kitchen by Skye Gyngell and photography by Jason Lowe is published by Quadrille (isbn184400337x)

six things...

The lovely Liana tagged me to reveal six things not yet mentioned about myself, i was so relieved that it wasn't the weird things meme and that i wouldn't have to discuss the matching pegs...

So here goes (apologies to those of you who already know these things.)

#1 I used to sing in a band, fleetingly, seems like such a long time ago now. I have always loved to sing and one of my greatest childhood experiences was being part of a school choir. Our teacher was so wonderful and she imparted such a love of music to us all, it was a great gift.

#2 On the rare occasions that I am home on my own, I like to listen to my favourite music really really loud. The last time it was Stereolab "Mars Audiac Quintet"

#3 We have a fledgling collection of Dinosaur Designs pieces. I've always been a fan, stamp-boy was convinced after we visited the retrospective together a few years ago.

#4 I'm not a morning person. 3191 makes me wish I was.

#5 Last year I was on the local news in a story about the benefits of counselling for young women with breast cancer. I can't say enough about how counselling sessions helped me to cope with my experiences in the last year. I have learned things that will guide me for the rest of my life.

#6 One of the reasons the blog has been so quiet of late is that we are quite busy toilet training Miss A. It's going very well but I feel like I'm at the potty every five minutes! The big-girl bed is next, our baby is growing up!


You can see that I got some of Liana's wonderful vintage knitting needle bracelets for Christmas, love love wearing these!

Happy weekend friends!

calm...

it's summer!

days stretch into weeks, stretch into months... almost! i've been enjoying an unscheduled break from this space, taking life slowly and relishing the promise of the new year...

taking time for baking & nests for clothes-peg birds...

playing with buttons & making lamingtons (messy, messy)

and do you remember the lime tree?

this is our first harvest...

in slow motion...

Thank-you for all your kind words after my last post. There are lots of things I should write about today, wonderful playdates, lovely mail and melodies... still no baking or bon-bons, maybe tonight. Life is such a precious gift and it feels good to be moving forward to a new year. Wishing you all sweetness and light in this most beautiful of seasons.

the diary of a shopgirl...

I come from a family of shopkeepers and for a long time I was determined not to be one too. Then one day I woke up and it was all I wanted to do. It was as simple as that. Fourteen years ago my family opened a little gift store in an old house with a shop front. Back then our dream was to create a place where people felt comfortable. A place where even if they only had a little to spend, they would find that special something. It would of course be beautifully wrapped. Years later our little shop has grown and changed but I think we have managed to stay true to our vision. Along the way we have made some wonderful friends and hopefully made a few people happy. We have watched children grow and have had the privelege of sharing a little part of peoples lives.


I know a lot is said about the commercialisation of this season. It's certainly the busiest time of the year for us, but it's still a thrill for me to see people taking pleasure in the simple things... writing cards and letters, buying a box for handmade biscuits, choosing an ornament for a favourite teacher, taking the time to travel across town to find the perfect treat for someone they hold dear.

We have worked really hard over the years to build relationships with our suppliers, a mixture of importers and smaller local companies. Selecting a collection of goods for each season is such fun. Of course a great deal of hard work goes in to making it seem effortless, but it's a challenge that I love. And then there's that great moment when it all comes together, when someone gets what we are trying to say and it just works. Those moments are really special.


For me, blogging has primarily been about own my personal journey into motherhood and finding my creativity within that realm. One of the most powerful things about this community is it's the ability to foster connection among people. I spent a lot of time thinking about this post. Revealing things about myself doesn't come easily to me but recently I have found myself wanting to write about my experiences as a shopgirl. This might be a one off post or maybe one day I'll write some more. I guess what it comes down to is that I've realised again how lucky I am to do something that I really love, something that allows me to connect with others on a daily basis. That our little shop still exists is testament to the support of many people over many years, testament to the power of the smallest exchanges. It's something for which I'm incredibly grateful.

inspiration, playgroup...

miss a and i have been having a lovely time at our local playgroup, this week it was our turn to prepare the craft activity...

miss a loves stickers at the moment, so we made red spotty star garlands...


and angels,


that ended up covered in glitter...

inspiration, christmas...

forgive the graininess of these pictures, they are scans of photos that i dug out yesterday as i began considering our decorations for the season...

it's ever so hot here at christmas time so we like to keep it simple...


this is our christmas table from a few years ago, i loved the simplicity of the berries against the white... the garlands are artificial, but are of lovely quality (in just the right red!)

the idea for the cutlery holders came from a then current issue of donna hay magazine... they said "eat drink be merry..."


these little boxes were filled with jocelyn's panforte...


i'm so looking forward to celebrating with my family and to spending time on simple crafting with miss a... one of her favourite activities at the moment is to wrap things up like presents, which of course delights me no end!

and i'm thrilled that it's an overcast and grey day here,

we are going to pretend we live in the northern hemisphere,

for a few hours at least...

delightful...

well saturday was a great day, it was a joy to spend time with such talented and inspiring friends and to make so many new ones... wonderful to meet tiel and leesa and ainslie, thanks so much for stopping by girls!


i was a tiny bit nervous but needn't have worried, everyone was so kind and encouraging :)


this is my little table (complete with bunny trying to make a run for it!)
there are more photos in my show set and here, here, here, here and here...

a big thank-you to everyone who came to see the show and to the umbrella girls for the opportunity to be involved in such a wonderful event xxx

tomorrow...

merry & bright...

so it's getting to that time of year...

the umbrella collective show is just a week away and now that things are coming together, i'm starting to get a bit excited :) if you live in or around brisbane and would like me to send you an invitation, drop me an email to redfeltflower(at)gmail(dot)com and i'll pop one in the post, it's going to be a delightful day...

so i'm starting to think about my christmas crafting schedule and dipping into the december/januarys, definitely making the short list is the cranberry & pistachio white chocolate from the new donna...


notebook also has some sweet styling ideas and is reminding me about making bon bons this year...

but top of the pile is creating your perfect christmas by Antonia Swinson with projects by Sania Pell (isbn1845972554)


some lovely things here including the pattern for the brooch that i used to embellish my summer tote, they used it as a napkin ring that then becomes a gift for guests to wear home... there is a gorgeous table runner on linen that is also making the to-do list (can i just say how much i love linen right now... love it!)

last year i was thinking about "twelve days of christmas" tree ornaments, crazy (i know) but i haven't entirely given up the idea yet, we shall see...

and last but by no means least, "clay paper cloth" is on tomorrow (saturday) at the "numinbah valley school of the arts hall" on the nerang-murwillumbah road... i'm not able to go but miss j will be there with her beautiful work and a few goodies from red felt flower too...

right... think that's everything, happy weekend friends! 

stripey summer tote...

my first bag...
perfect for a quick jaunt, just big enough for a japanese craft book,
might have visit yesasia to celebrate :)

little feet...

i'm sure that when you don't have time for a holiday is really the time you need it the most...

we have just returned from a week at the seaside feeling so restored, there is something is about the sound of the waves as you drift off to sleep, one of my favourite sounds for sure...

watching miss a...


playing in the water and pottering about in the sand...

pure delight...

and the history of love... um, wow!!!

i only ever intended to catch up to the ship of fools but i couldn't put it down, it gave me that desperate to get to the end/don't want it to be over feeling that my favourite books have given me... can't wait for friday!

so the rest of this week is about catching up on everything, i'm playing sugar plum fairy for the next few days and then catching up on preparations for the show...

oh and hoping to squeeze in a visit to our new ikea :)

friday again...

is it really friday already?

wip's for me this week are all about packaging...

i'm thrilled to be taking part in a show in november with some very talented friends, lots to be done but we are taking one step at a time in these parts... posting might be a little sporadic in the next month as i prepare but i'm sure i won't be able to resist popping in to keep you updated with my progress...

happy weekend friends!

you never know what's around the corner...

friday...

i love the sense of possibility that hangs in the air,
the weekend is just a step way...

a new book...

crafting with kids: creative fun for children aged 3-10 by catherine woram with photography by vanessa davies, (ryland, peters & small, isbn1845972511)

there are some really sweet projects in this book, a great "all-in-one place" reference, especially for those of us without a full set of MSkids...
i'm looking forward to working on some of these activities with miss a, it's becoming clear that despite my best intentions, a compromise will have to be reached regarding the pink...
this project has given me some ideas about how that might work...


i also wanted to mention that you can see some of miss j's beautiful festive decorations on page 144 of the latest inside out magazine...

right,
red (and pink) paper is calling me...

p

a present for petite...

familiar refrain...

chasing my tail, so just a quick post...

wrapping is finished and fabric awaits me...

i'm excited about exploring paper again...

just not enough moments in the day,

we really must do something about that :)