Wishing You A Happy New Year!

The start of a new year has me reminiscing about the past year and looking forward to the new one. Lots has been achieved but what’s past is past & now I go forward with a new collection of life’s experiences & great expectations for work, rest, creativity and prosperity.

I hope your 2011 will be prosperous, exciting, fun, happy and accompanied with good health.

I’m looking forward to a great year of blogging too. If you’re reading this please take time to say Hi.

I’ve been busily preparing for The Handmade Show which only a couple of weeks away. The team at THS is offering another Gift Voucher as a door prize prize at the next show which is on Saturday 20th November.

If you live in Melbourne or are visiting here then jot this date in your diary & come to visit us at THS. You could be the winner of this fabulous prize. For more information about how to enter pop over to The Handmade Show blog.

THS has added Twitter to it’s list of social networks so if you’re on Twitter you can catch up with the team & all the goings on with the show.

In the meatime I must get back to my creative work.

It’s a great feeling  knowing there’s a great team of dedicated workers who are using their talents & skills and giving their time to build up a successful show.  The Handmade Show committee members are workers, parents, artists and crafters (mostly a combination of each), yet they give their precious time to help organise and build up a boutique style market … to make a dream become reality; to give an opportunity to the exhibit & sell extraordinary creative works; to offer benefits to the community as a not-for-profit organisation.

 This is not an easy task but it is an exciting one especially when you can see progress. Karen from MooBee Tees (and a committee member) says –

I’m proud to say that our baby is no longer crawling, and is now walking :0)

I must also give a big Thank You  to Karen, Bobbie, Samone, Jade, Kerri and Regina - we’ve still got lots to do but the job that’s been done so far is fabulous.

It’s here again! Time passes by so quickly it’s hard to believe the October show is only one day away.  The Handmade Show committee have been busily organising & promoting the show and processing new applications. I’m looking forward to meeting new stallholders & browsing their creations.

There’s also a fabulous prize to win. Everyone who comes to THS will be given a free entry into the draw to win a $40 Gift Voucher. This is a great giveaway but to be in it to win you need to come to the show.   More Info Here.

Don’t forget – this is an Indoor show so you can Browse through at a leisurely pace, chat with the crafters & artisans, enjoy a drink from the bar …. and enter the giveaway – it’s a free entry plus you receive an extra 2 entries with every purchase. Sounds good to me! You’re sure to have a fabulous time

Of course, EP Designs will be there so come along and say ‘Hi’ to us.

Are you an op shopper?  If so, what is it about op shops that draw you in? These stores are usually overflowing with all kinds of paraphernalia. Stocked full from floor to ceiling there’s sure to be an abundance of stuff to send a spark of interest and keep it zapping like a live wire as you fossick through. What was someone’s one time treasure has become their trash; and now this trash will eventually become someone else’s new treasure.

Op shopping is something you either love to do & can’t resist or you loathe it and avoid it. I wonder how many non-op shoppers have had a change of heart? I don’t have any ‘statistics’ to go by but I’m sure that when most people take their first or second look at an op shop they’re surprised. Even the most adamant of shoppers of new, modern & fashionable trends is sure to become hooked – all it takes is the glimmer of one tiny little trinket or trifle to catch the corner of your eye & lead you to that incredible ‘bargain’ item you just have to have.

Yes, I’ve seen it happen in the op shop – people walking through from the car park just to go to the cafe, their pace getting slower as they glimpse something of interest. Not looking for anything? But they DO find something… or it finds ythem! Can’t go past it- Got to have it. And so begins a new relationship between op shop & shopper. That walk through from the car park to the cafe becomes a daily or weekly ritual.

New items, old items, used or renewed, modern or fashionable, collectors’ delights, antique, vintage, retro, trinkets & frills, cute & sweet, fanciful costumes and classical clothes – it’s all there to be found. 

A bargain find – I needed a jewellery box & this one is in fabulous condition & looks great on my dresser too;  two watches – both in working order of course, and batteries included (I no longer need to keep checking my mobile phone for the time); plus a set of 5 silver bangles (I love bangles & bracelets) - I handed over a $20 bill & received more than enough change  for a cappuccino. Now, I’m not the one who walked from the car park to the cafe – I was hooked years ago – but I have seen it happen.

Have you found any great op shop bargains lately? Please share them with me, I’d love to hear your story.

Eric Grohe creates amazing mural art designed to transform the environment and to endure for generations. He works in cooperation with architects, designers and community representatives to create these masterpieces.  Eric believes that …

his art should involve, challenge and inspire the viewer; not simply adorn, but integrate with its architectural surroundings.

I would love to see this kind of work on some of our drab old buildings in Melbourne’s CBD. Oh how it would lift them, brighten the city and the community.  I would love to see this artwork replace most (or preferably all) the awful grafitti around here. There’s not much more I can say at the moment as I’m in awe of Eric’s magnificent work.  But take a look for yourself at some of his work and see what you think - 

Honoring Every Soul With Loving Service

Before -

After -

Niagara At The Mall

Before -

After -

Enriching A Brewing Heritage

Before -

After -

You can read more about Eric Grohe here. Want to see more of his amazing murals then check them out here.

Every project is a grand adventure,
if passion for the work and inspiration are your guides.

Eric Grohe, excerpt from lecture at
Columbus College of Art and Design

The time has arrived again for the Business Mums Network Blog Awards. The theme for the 2010 awards is -

Blogs by a business mum that tells us about her business.

As usual I leave things until the last minute so I’m now short on time to get nominations in for my blog.

How does this work?

Firstly, click on the Nominate My Blog button at the top of this post. This takes you to the blog awards page where the information is given. You will also find the Terms & Conditions there too. If you’re happy with everything and you’d like to nominate my blog, please scroll down to where you see Click here – this takes you to the nomination page.

You can nominate as many blogs as you like, but you can only nominate each blog once.

What happens next?

The 3-5 blogs with the highest number of nominations will be chosen as finalists.

Prizes are also being given out to those who nominate blogs.

So, if you like what you see on my EP Designs blog please nominate it before the end of today.

… Do you design and hand craft quality products? Do you live in Melbourne and looking for a warm, friendly and exciting place to exhibit & sell your wares?

The Handmade Show could be just for you. This is where we showcase the talents of local artisans and crafters.  Perhaps you would like to join us!

Our focus is on quality handmade products, and we love to exhibit a large range of crafts. We are on the lookout for unique, well made products that are locally made in Melbourne.

As you would know, most markets charge you a fee for holding a stall. The Handmade Show operates a little differently because we (the artists & crafters) run the market ourselves. We are a non-profit group that all share the responsibilities of running The Show, and therefore a donation from each of our stallholders is requested to go back into the general costs of running The Show. A portion of this also goes back into the RSL.

Interested in becoming a stallholder or would like to know more? Please visit The Handmade Show blog to register your interest, and you will be sent an application kit!

After visiting a market recently and seeing lots of gorgeous hand crafted teddy bears, I was prompted to write about my ‘recreated’ bears. Making or recreating Teddy bears is not my usual craft but a few years back I was inspired to dress up a few cute little bears. I’d given them each a name & a little story attached. Here is one of the bears I called Daisy.

DAISY BEAR – A HAPPY  HEART.
Daisy Bear adores her garden. It is her favourite pastime. It’s her passion and she reaps many rewards from her labours. But Daisy is not a selfish bear. She loves to share the fruits of her labour; and many neighbours & friends often find Daisy on their doorstep with an armful of blooms, a pretty bouquet, a basket of fragrant roses, handfuls of spring flowers or a special arrangement of her favourite picks.

Daisy is a special little bear who’s found a home with a special little girl.

Did you miss out on the last Handmade Show?  Here’s your chance to catch up with us because we have another show just around the corner.

Date: Saturday 17th July 2010

Time: 11am – 3.30pm

Place: Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL

95 – 97 Drummond St.
Oakleigh

Come and Join us for a friendly chat and an inspiring day!

All of our stalls are set inside the main hall of this wonderful venue which oozes with old world charm.  In addition to the gorgeous handmade products for sale there is a café, bar and a delightful beer garden which overlooks the local gardens & children’s playground.

A perfect setting for The Handmade Show.

Don’t miss out on the show this time around - see you there!