Coming Soon...

A sneaky peek at what will be added to the BabyBird range in early 2010.

Hats:

Little Monsters:

What A Find!

Every now and then I do an op shop run to look for fun stuff and maybe some funky fabric to upcycle into shorts. Yesterday I did quite well. I found an Actil and Star Wars (!) doona cover, a couple of pillowcases and a linen 'Birds of Australia' teatowel - they have all been soaked and washed and will be turned into shorts. I also found a single fold out mattress. I made a smashing new cover for it and the dogs are happy with their new bed (it fits perfectly inside the crate).

But this is what I got really excited about. A bit too excited, you might say...

The entire collection of the Sesame Street Library, published in 1979 (before I was born!). The characters are completely old school. There are characters in there that I had completely forgotten about (remember Barkly?). And guess what? Not a trace of Elmo. After some googling, I discovered he first appeared in 1985. So there you go. I remember Big Bird being the popular one when I used to watch it. How times have changed.

Anyway, I bought the books because I (a) love Sesame St and (b) I love vintage and (c) I assumed they would be in pretty poor condition, so I could make gift tags out of the pages. Well, to my suprise the books are in almost perfect nick. Not a torn or scribbled on page. The covers have some age marks, but that's all. It was also pointed out to me that the series has recently sold on ebay for quite a princely sum. So these books will remain intact. I will put them away and pass them onto my kids when they are old enough to know how valuable they are...

Don't Panic!

It's not too late! I'm still taking orders for Christmas (and judging by the flurry I've received over the last few days, there is some last minute shopping going on). So, in a spot of shameless self-promotion, here are some Christmas ideas from my Madeit Store:

Christmas-themed singlets - $10

Shorts and Singlet Sets - $28

Era Singlets - $15




Era Shorts - $15




Newborn Gift Packs - $28




Personalised Singlets - $13




Tees For Kids - $17




Tees For Women - $22




Custom Collars For Pooches - from $16



Merry Christmas!

Tis The Season...

... To neglect my blog. Sorry blog. So much going on though, I'm sure you understand.

We had our first Christmas Party on the weekend. Just a little get together with our very good friends (who are also our neighbours). It's so special to have such great friends just over the fence. Another added bonus is they have two daughters, their first is only a month younger than Ollie and their second is only 3 months younger than Ed. We've been able to go through pregnancy, birth and all the little milestones that come after - together, it's so nice to share something so important with someone who completely understands.

We shared yummy food, like this icecream cake that I *cough* made for the kids *cough*

We opened presents with the kids...

We drank a lot of syrupy sweet Limoncello that had been brewing away in my kitchen for a month or so.

And then, after the kids were sleeping peacefully....

We Wii'd! We Wii Wii Wii'd all the way home :) It was a great night.

Christmas: Gotta love the food.

I love flicking through magazines and drooling over the gorgeous photos of food that compliment the recipes. Baking is my absolute favourite though. I was in the mood for some baking this morning, so we whipped up some gingerbread men (well, gingerbread snails, hedgehogs and squirrels).

I've also made around 3 litres of Limoncello to have with my neighbour when we have our little Christmas party. Noni grated up all the lemon zest, I added a bottle of vodka to it and it has been sitting for a few weeks. This morning we added another bottle of vodka and a litre of sugar syrup. Mmmmm... can't wait to get happy with a couple of glasses really soon.

News News News

I have two exciting pieces of news today...

1. BabyBird has been offered a stall at the stunning Boutique Markets at Portside Wharf in January. Yay! I am very excited, it's such a beautiful market, with a strong focus on all things lovely and handmade.

2. BabyBird now makes shorts for boys in up to a size 6! Previously, they were only available in 00-3, but I had so many mums frustrated with the lack of boys clothes in larger sizes. So I hunted around and found a larger shorts pattern (patterns for boys shorts in size 4-6 are so elusive!), customised it and have started sewing away.

In other news, Ollie has become obsessed with all things Santa this Christmas. It's the first one where he is actually starting to understand what goes on, so while they're asleep today, I am attempting to sew him a little Santa softie. Wish me luck!

Party Wrap Up

So now that I have a minute, I thought I would tell you all about my first BabyBird Clothing Party. It was touch and go for a while there, I probably jumped in and organised it way too quickly, but in typical fashion (and being part of the now-now-now generation) that's what I did. In hindsight, it's not a great time of year for short notice, but I was lucky enough to have six lovely women come along.

At first I thought the number was too small and that things would be awkward and weird, when in fact, it was probably the perfect number to have! The day turned out to be 34 degrees, so I decided against holding it on my back deck and set up my tables and racks in the air conditioned loungeroom instead.

When all my guests started arriving, I was a tad nervous - I always feel a bit nervous about putting all my stock on display. It's like opening up a big part of my heart for people to see, which is a bit scary. Anyhow, I shouldn't have worried, because of course, everything was fine! The clothes were well-received and everyone was kind enough to buy something and it was more successful than I had hoped.

My biggest consideration was pressure - I absolutely hate being pressured into buy something, which is why I avoid Tupperware Parties like the plague. So I gave a brief and very relaxed introduction about what was for sale and then I went to make tea, letting everyone browse in peace. Later I spent some time chatting to everyone one-on-one, which was lovely too.

Huge, huge thanks to those who came along to support me and made my first party a success!

xx

New Fancypants

Oh how I love new knickers. A week ago, I ordered a pair of Norma Jeans from Miss Fancypants on Madeit. They arrived within two days (!) and oh my goodness, they are the best ever. I'd been eyeing off her swimmers for a while, but when I saw the Norma Jeans I just had to have them. The fantastic photoshoot sold me:

Now, I'm not 15 anymore, I've had two children and I did not bounce back from my baby making like Angelina Jolie, but I'm also not ready for grandma knickers, so the Norma Jeans are perfect. They are high waisted, with cute little legs and are so, so adorable. The sizing is great and they don't cut you off around the most unflattering part of your hips. I wore them to bed the other night and they were very comfortable. Next on my list is the Lucille Pin Up 2 Piece. Just gorgeous.

Ah, the challenges...

I am currently sewing up a storm for my BabyBird Party on Sunday, which is a challenge in itself. Well, this week it's being made even more difficult by my darling angel Eddie, who decided that he might attempt to cut four teeth at once. Yes, four teeth. True to form, he isn't taking the whole thing too badly, but his usual sleep times have been cut short - which means more stops to make snacks/play with/cuddle/amuse. This in turn means that Ollie has to join in and results in very little sewing getting done.

Oh well, these are the days of my life.


PS More info about the party can be found here.

PPS I have a big announcement that will be made at the party, which I will then share with everyone else next week.

More Madeit Gift Ideas

It's coming. The carols are playing in the shops, my mailbox is overflowing with junk, school kids are starting to pour out onto the streets and I can't find a carpark by 10am at our local Westfield. So how about we rebel against the jammed shopping centres this Christmas and do our shopping in peace and quiet (preferrably in our jammies with a cuppa). Here are a few more gift ideas from the ever-lovely Madeit.

Oooh, check out this vintage style sunvisor by gravityaccessories:

This fabulous Owl print by Lino Creative





A summery girls skirt by Lillipilli Lane




A funky handbag by Violet Clothing





Super cool wall decals by Vinyl Wall Design

Happy shopping!

PS. Please don't forget that I am having my first ever BabyBird Clothing Party this Sunday. All details can be found here.

xx

Hodge Podge

My blog posts are often a mish mash of things, aren't they? Sorry about that, but it's a true reflection of my days, I'm often attempting to do six things at once. One thing that often puzzles people is the fact that I make both dog collars and kids clothes. 'How bizarre!' they say. 'What an odd combination!' they exclaim. But I really don't think it's strange. Our dogs came along before our children and I like them to have funky collars, then when the boys were born, I enjoyed making things for them to wear too. As a child, I thought the best part of Barbie was her wardrobe and I loved dressing her up too. Can anyone see the pattern forming?

Last week, the lovely Cindy from Rocstar contacted me to order some collars and leads for her stall at the Boutique Markets at Portside Wharf. I've finished the order and had to share the fact that it's my first order to go out with the new labels. Yay! If you're in Brisbane, pop into the Boutique Markets and check out the Rocstar Stall, Cindy makes a lot of very cool dog clothing. You will also find Love Stamp, Miss Haidee and Little Diva there, amoung the many other incredible stalls.




Just to add to the hodge podge - I made some bunting for Eddie's room this morning. It's my first attempt, next on the list is some Christmas bunting.

And, because my sewing table is already way too cluttered, I thought I'd show you where I do my cutting out - I think I could have a worse office.

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Party Time!

I am very excited to announce my first ever BabyBird Party!

Where: Geebung, Brisbane (near Chermside).
When: 29th November
Time: 9.30am

What is it?!
Well, I will be holding something very similar to a mini-market on my back deck. There will be morning tea and an opportunity to browse through the BabyBird range at your leisure. There will be some specials and new items just for party goers - and no pressure. If you wish to bring your children along - please do so, my house is kid friendly.

RSVP: Please email me (katiebird1@optusnet.com.au) before the 27th of November to let me know you will be attending, and I'll send you my address and directions. Please feel free to pass this invitation onto any friends or family that you think may be interested.

Thanks so much for all your support, I look forward to meeting you.

A Few Little Things

Woah, busy times here right now in the lead up to Christmas. So I have a few little things to share with you. Firstly, there is a BabyBird Clothing Party in the making. It will be held within the next couple of weeks and I will have some specials and new bits just for my party goers. So watch this space Brisbanites...

Now, due to the unexpected success of the Christmas Shorts at Mathilda's, I have unfortunately sold out and was unable to get more fabric. So sad, because it was so gorgeous. But, I have a little bit left that I have used for some singlets and just added to my madeit store.

But wait, there's more! I found some more gorgeous Christmas fabric on the weekend, so all is not lost! It's a really lovely aqua blue and features little Santas, so is perfect for boys and girls. So I've added those new sets to my madeit store, along with a couple of other new singlets. And, as a special little Christmas Bonus, I'm offering free postage on the 'Ho Ho Ho' Shorts and Singlet sets until Christmas.

Peace out.

It's the little things...

My new tags arrived today. I'm so excited and can't wait to sew them onto my clothes and collars. Almost like a signature on a painting.

If anyone is interested, I ordered them through Worldwide Label. They were fantastic, communcative, lovely sellers and I would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.