Marking time

From the last swim on the very last day of March,

to a quick few days with my lovely Aunt and family north in beautiful Newcastle at the beginning of April.

We returned thinking that Winter might have come early on the coast,

which gave me a nudge to start knitting a chunky woollen jumper to ward off the cold, 

and made me want to spend days just hand quilting.

But we got a sensational May instead!

Ready for June? I might be.

Defining ourselves

My friend Sal and I have been working away for the last couple of months organising this little market for our home town of Apollo Bay.

Last year was great fun, and we had such good feedback, we thought we'd do it all again!

Now that it's getting closer, we're getting pretty excited.

And in some terrifying news, a local radio station in Colac wants to interview us. 

Yikes.

It's got me to thinking about who and what The Bay & Beyond Market is.

Sal and I tossed this around too.

Are we craft? Are we art? Are we design?

What's in a name?

The more you think about this, the trickier it gets.

In this age, the word 'craft' seems to have picked up unfortunate associations, even though I love the connection to the Arts & Crafts movement of William Morris and his contemporaries. A movement that came about as a reaction against the mass production of the industrial age, and valued the skills and craftsmanship involved in producing something by hand. 

Nothing wrong with that is there? In fact, it's possibly more relevant now than ever.

But then, what about the idea of referring to ourselves as designers? That carries a certain weight of professionalism about what we do.

What if we don't actually make every single thing by our own hand?

Are we artists too? Or artisans even?

I really hope I don't get asked to define ourselves in that interview!

Oh, and take a look at the fabulous artists/craftspeople/designers/makers that are on board this year over here. And save the date!

Friday, where did you come from?

I know this a common lament around here, but golly, this week has quite simply disappeared.

Perhaps I'm still wafting about in another time zone.

Perhaps it's that there's been a few happenings that have thrown me off.

The most pressing thing on my mind today is our poor Ray-boy.

Somehow, during our walk on the beach yesterday, he broke a toe.

Yep, I don't know how that happened either.

He's on doctor's orders to rest for the next 2 weeks. 

Somehow, I don't think that will be so much a problem!

It is heart wrenching watching the poor dog hobble about on 3 legs, and the stairs have us all holding our breath.

I've been sitting with him, and indulging in a little more cross stitch.

This little pincushion has proven more appropriate than I realised!

A month in the States

Well, it's been a week since we arrived back in the country!

What a holiday.

What a month!

I don't know how to begin to sum up all our travels across the great United States of America.

So, perhaps I'll just say that we found the people to be friendly and polite to a fault, the food was amazingly good, the sights iconic and nothing disappointed!

People have been asking me what was my highlight, and honestly, I cannot pick just one thing.

But, some favourites were New York. Full stop. 

The amazing Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, where it was so great to see what makers and designers from across America are doing. I met the ladies behind one of my favourite US labels, Rebe. And, yes, I did buy a little something. Or two.

Savannah with it's gracious streetscapes and glorious Georgian and Victorian houses.

The people of Savannah were warm and welcoming, and surprised us with their dry wit and sense of humour.

Las Vegas with it's over the top everything. 

San Francisco's roller coaster streets, and roller coaster cable cars. 

And finally, the Pacific Coast Highway, something we really wanted to experience being dwellers of the Great Ocean Road. 

The beautiful holiday town of Carmel by the Sea will stay in my memory, as will the Pacific Coast fogs!

I'm not quite sure I'm ready to be back.

If you'd like to see more, head on over to Instagram and take a look at the whole trip!

California dreaming

Woo hoo!

After what feels like months of planning, a holiday is almost here for us.

We're hopping on a plane and taking off to explore the great big United States of America for a whole month.

I've been cheekily referring to this trip as my long service leave!

I'm pretty organised, there is a little bit of feeling in limbo this week, but I know next week there'll be a flurry of last minute things to be done.

I will be missing my Ray and Tiger. 

Ray will be so well looked after in the luxury of a friend's welcoming home he might just choose to stay on, and our elderly cat will be happy and warm in a sunny cattery nearby.

And because I've decided that next Tuesday will be my last day for a trip to the post office for any orders, I'll be closing the online shop at the end of this Saturday until we get back on deck on July 18.

Bon voyage to us!

Ups and downs

It's been an up and down few days.

On Sunday night we lost our beloved Frankie puss quite suddenly and totally out of the blue.

We're missing her dreadfully, and I keep seeing her out of the corner of my eye around the house, like she's not quite ready to leave me yet.

My lovely Aunt, who always has the right words, reminded me that I would remember her fondly every time I sew on a Frankie & Ray label.

So true, and so she will be with me in that little way every day.

A lovely big pile of Liberty fabrics arrived to help me through, and there is solace in some sewing.

Vale Frankie.

Making pictures

What a glorious day it is here on our coast.

Perfect for a little time out from the workroom to take a walk on the beach. Crikey, the water's cold though, don't let the picture fool you.

And that nice little segue leads me to tell you how much I am loving instagram. 

Just being able to whip out my lovely new phone to snap a moment in the day is giving me a great deal of pleasure.

Even my work table looks more interesting! 

I'm there as frankieandray if you'd like to join me. 

And let me know if you're on there as well. 

I love to have a look at your day too.

Distracted

Who would have thought?

I confess to being a little bit of a pooh-pooher about these new fangled smart phone thingies.

Not anymore!

This week saw my 8 year old mobile phone finally die. Poor thing, it'd been struggling for a while.

So, off to the phone shop I went, and home I came with this beauty.

So many things I can do with it!

Facebook, email, the internet, instagram, a scrabble-like game to play with my city friend....and there's probably more I haven't discovered just yet.

Does anyone actually use them as phones?

It's a wonder I'm getting anything else done at all!

(with less than 3 weeks to Finders Keepers, I really must get to work!)

This and that and a few new tricks

I'm feeling like an old dog with new tricks this week!

A friend generously came over this morning with her photo tips and tricks, oh, and a few lights as well.

We looked properly at my little camera, and discovered a few settings I didn't realise I had.

Did I tell you I was a bit lazy when it comes to all things techie?

Hmmm. Lesson learnt? Do take a bit of time to look at your instruction manual....

And, I'm feeling a bit empowered this afternoon!

My other project on the go goes all the way back to here.

I've always admired a good quilt, and I had dinner with another good friend and fantastic quilter on the weekend. 

She inspired me to get going on making a start on my own quilt.

It'll be made from lots and lots of scraps of lovely Liberty of London tana lawn that have been collecting in a special tub in my stash cupboard.

I just needed to start.

And, I figured that the way to start was to decide that each 'block' would be 20cm x 20cm. Any combination goes, and I'll work out how they go together when I get all 144 of them done!

Pucker up

Well, what a grey, wet, cold, drab week we've had!

At least we're past the shortest day today. Over the hump!

Even though I hate the cold, I love Winter food.

This week we've had slow roasted greek style lamb shoulder, pea & ham soup, barley risotto with leeks and lamb shanks, amazing beef, lemon, and parsley pies from our local deli and coffee house, Wickens Providore. 

Tonight I'm going to make a red chicken and pumpkin curry.

Hot chocolate in the afternoons....

Our lemon tree has come good this year after being a bit touch and go since it went in a few years ago.

We've got a bumper crop coming on.

I love their yellow glow in this cold weather.

I pulled out my favourite cookbook for a bit of guidance on what to do with all that fruit.

So far, I've made the best lemon cordial ever.

It's sweet and sour and tangy all at the same time, and perhaps the best words might come from Stephanie herself.

'Lemon cordial is an old-fashioned drink that gains added sophistication if mixed with bruised mint leaves and soda water or a measure of gin and soda. It keeps for months.'

Cheers!

Stephanie Alexander's Lemon Cordial

2kg castor sugar

1 litre water

30g citric acid

30g tartaric acid

juice of 6 lemons, strained

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

Dissolve sugar in water over heat in a stockpot. Add citric and tartaric acids. Stir to ensure that all is completely dissolved. Cool. Stir in juice and zest, and bottle.

Dilute to taste with water, lemonade, soda water or mineral water.

(and don't forget the gin)

Rainy day

It's chucking it down here this morning. Wet, wet, wet!

I'm having a bit of a nostalgia trip back to those dark and gloomy, rainy Winter days of my childhood, when it seemed very special to be stuck inside with all the lights in the house on, the old oil heater burning, and nothing much to do but perhaps drag out a jigsaw puzzle or a board game.

Hot chocolate anyone?

I'm feeling happy to be housebound today.

A fantastic pile of much awaited Liberty of London lawn arrived in the mail while I was away last week.

There it is, just waiting for me to decide which one to use first!

I love how sometimes the one you think you'll like the least is actually the best surprise of all. For me it's that blue and limey yellow floral up there on the left hand corner....

I had a marvellous city break last weekend, I can't believe it's that long ago already!

And, seriously, if you haven't been along to see the Grace Kelly exhibition in the beautiful old city of Bendigo, get yourself along quick smart.

Grace and Jimmy in Rear Window. 

I'd heard stories about there not being a sense of the woman in the dresses on exhibit, but I couldn't disagree more. Nearly every dress was displayed with a photo of it being worn, and there was so much biographical information, I really came away feeling I'd learnt a bit more about this woman's extraordinary life.

And, I'm off on a hunt for my own copy of Rear Window - my personal favourite film of Grace Kelly's, although then there's a need to see To Catch a Thief again....and chase down High Society too.

Happy Friday!

A breather

Hello and greetings from sunny Apollo Bay!

That's me yesterday, posing for the old bloke in the middle of a hilariously bad round of golf.

It's been months since we've been out together on the course, but the good weather demanded at least a few hours out of the house.

Just what I needed after what feels like months of busy market weeks.

I'm making plans for the rest of this week that includes pretty ordinary stuff like giving the house a proper clean, doing a little bit of gardening, and writing an overdue letter to my dearest and favourite Aunt.

It's nice to be taking a little bit of a break.

But, of course, there's always plans for making new stuff happening here too!

I had a last minute frenzy of shirt making before Magnolia Square last week, and the happy result has me waiting for some new gorgeous Liberty fabric to make some more...

In the meantime, I'll be making the most of this sunny Autumn week!

Lifting a lid!

Magnolia Square is drawing closer!

Less than a week to go, and I'm so looking forward to it.

I took a break from the sewing machine this week to do a q&a with Nic MacIsaac, the founder of this lovely pop up event, and if you'd like to take a little peek into my messy creative brain, then you can read the result over here!

Good with the bad

I seem to be having one of those weeks.

There's been a few small irritations.

Last Friday I untidily slipped over on our morning walk, ended up flat on my back in the rain with Ray looking at me strangely, broke my favourite old Birkenstocks, and somehow managed to sprain my foot.

It's not that bad really, just enough to be annoying. And swollen. Still.

And then yesterday, our fancy pants, Italian fridge started playing up.

After some phone calls, and I have to say very helpful advice from the service people, it's now switched off on doctor's orders until Sunday.

This means a trip down and up the stairs to the laundry (and the spare fridge) every time I need something that normally is right there to hand.

On a sore foot.

Oh, dear.

But, to cheer me up, I started work this afternoon on something new.

There's been some work going on behind the scenes, and it's not quite ready just yet.....but here's a little teaser!

And to make everything look brighter we've got lunch with friends to look forward to on Saturday at the fabulous Sunnybrae.

Things aren't so bad after all.

New love

On this valentine's day, I've been spending time with a new love!

I've been avoiding meeting with Pinterest, but once we were introduced, I can't seem to stay away.

For a bit of visual inspiration, enchantment, and a wonderful tool for keeping and organising all those fabulous images, I couldn't think of a more exciting place.

I'm also finding it fascinating to see how recurring themes are popping up in my choice of pictures.

Patchwork, hello there!

Join me if you dare...

The disappearing week

I realise it's only been three days since I was here last, but this week seems to have vanished on me.

I've left all my market preparations until the last minute this week.

It's mostly been more cushions again, including a very enjoyable custom job revamping a sweet little op shop cushion that really was in need of a nearly total makeover to make it suitable for a little girl's birthday present. 

I also found myself very short of some styles of t-shirts, so they've been topped up too.

Still revelling in the amazing colours and images of some gorgeous vintage tea towels.

But, if I'm to be completely honest, I am getting a little bit over sewing on the buttons.

(my goodness, I am going to treat myself to a manicure at the end of this month)

I've also found myself patchwork spotting.

I'm always hugely inspired by Wendy and her gorgeous work.

This beautiful image is from my fave magazine Australian Country Style, and is the work of Maggie and Sparrow.

Delicious.

I'm yearning to quilt, but I'm a bit daunted by how to work with all that fabric on such a large scale.

One day I'm going to overcome my fears and give it a go.

That sounds like a new year's resolution doesn't it? And I didn't think I had any to make this year.

In other things that need attending to around here, number one on my list is a slightly overdue letter to my Aunty. I know she pops in here from time to time for a visit, so if you're reading, my dearest and favourite Aunt, you won't have to wait long, I promise!

ho, ho, ho

It's that time of the year again!

It sneaks up on me every time. Every year I promise myself I won't get caught next year.

(so remind me won't you)

I always think I'm going to have a quiet month, and then before I know it, I'm madly running around ordering fabric and tees, and making a daily dash down to the post office!

Thank goodness for the patience and support of my suppliers. I can sleep easy knowing that everything I need for January is on it's way.

I'm loving the idea of some Frankie & Ray things under people's trees for Christmas. I hope they all bring a smile to the girls they're going to.

These belts are lined up waiting to be packed off first thing on Monday, a couple as presents for others, and a couple as a present to the lovely girl who's made the order. I'm a firm believer in buying yourself something for Christmas!

Ah, December. 

You were supposed to be the lull before the January coastal madness!

No market this weekend, but I'll be back on the road for a final Melbourne fling for 2011 next week!

Sweethearts

The old bloke came home yesterday after his annual pilgrimage to Sale to visit his sister and brother in law.

I kind of like it when he goes away for a few days, although it's sweet when he comes home.

I took the opportunity to get stuck into some serious sewing and I've been crossing things off my list with relish!

With Melbourne Cup day exactly a week away, and the first long weekend (for many!) after Winter, I'm really looking forward to coming back to my local market on Saturday.

Yesterday, my friend Fiona nominated me for the Liebster Award. 

Fiona is a beautiful girl with a great big laugh to match her heart who writes the Naturopathic Health blog. Seriously, if you meet Fiona you'll know that she's the very best advertisement for naturopathy. She positively glows with good health.

And I know she disapproves of my caffeine habits!

Anyway, what is this all about then? 

Liebster is both a word (German for dearest or beloved) and an honour, it is bestowed by those in the early stages of writing a blog (less than 200 followers) upon 3 - 5 bloggers they admire.

When nominated we should:

1. Link back to the blogger who awarded us.

2. Tag 3-5 blogs to receive the award.

3. Inform them of their nomination.

4. Display the Liebster Award image on our blog.

Ok then, so here we go!

My Liebster awards go to (drumroll please)....

The lovely ladies over at Mookah. 

These sisters never fail to make me laugh with their antics! They've made a seachange like me, and they spend their days making damn nice fabric, skirts, cushions and all manner of good things with a coastal feel. We love to swap notes on the seaside life.

My friend Crayon Chick. 

We met years ago when we were dipping our toes into the market life, and now we spend our days covered in bits of fabric fluff, bits of yarn strewn about the house, and spend odd hours in our workrooms. 

Pop over and drool over Michelle's beautiful photography, and her eye for composition and colour.

Another Fiona from Squirt Baby.

I love Fiona. She has a wicked sense of humour, and amazingly beautiful curly blonde hair. She manages to look after her brood and spend time making gorgeous clothes for girls and boys. She's a fellow knitter, and her tension is a joy to behold. Her blog is often funny, sometimes sad, and always inspiring.

The Textured Leaf.

Wendy! Incredibly, I used to work alongside this lovely lady's husband, and we didn't actually get to meet until long after I'd left that job. As soon as we got talking we realised how much we had in common. 

I guarantee you'll be hooked on Wendy's blog, The Textured Leaf, at first read. She manages to let us peer through the window on her busy and sometimes chaotic life full of kids, grandchildren, and lots of sewing. Seriously, this woman has the best touch with a doily, and an inspired eye for recycling fabrics that most of us wouldn't look at twice!

Sweethearts all of you.

Lots of love, Jo.

It's English, hari-hari?

Another day, another Sri Lanka story!

Do let me know when you get bored, won't you?

One of my favourite things about the country was the gorgeously quirky English we found everywhere.

This is just scraping the surface of the funny signs we saw. I think my favourite was the saying on the back of the 3 wheeler tuk-tuk taxi. And, if you look closely, it also says in small writing above the rear lights 'life is nice with a wife'! Can't argue with that.