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Window shopping

at Lark...



I'd Give Up My Superfast Internet Card by Able and Game

 Mini Food Boxes by Rice 


 Ruby Short Shorts by Olive's Friend Pop

This new label has inspired me to put together the skirts and little pieces I have been dreaming of making, all layered and vintage inspired one-offs. Probably all for Sienna, LOL.

I also adore the vintage bathing suits by My Sister Pat, but unfortunately I don't swim often enough to justify one (though I was keen on the blue polka dot!)

Dear Abby

 
On Thursday afternoon we had a fun half an hour in the garden with Abby trying on Mon Petit Cherie dresses for me to photograph :)
 This retro flower one in blue, green and red is my fave! Here are the shots from the day, as well as a few more of Sienna in the size 3 dress. 
 
 
 
 
 
 This is one of my friend Kate's rosette clips (Kate is Abby's mum) - so cute! Sienna has one in red and white.
 This face - AWESOME. I love it. She is such a spunk.
 
I love this shot of Sienna, she looks like a girl from a Japanese manga, all leggy and quirky!

She runs

Yesterday I had my friend Kate and her little girl Abby over, and Kell and Jude over as well in the afternoon, which was really nice. Then we all had to go, Kell and I to school pickups, at 3:15. Because of the busy departures and the walk, I am five minutes late for Sienna, and she is nowhere to be seen when I arrive. I find her around the corner with her friend Imogen and Sienna runs away from me. I go back to her classroom and wait a little, as she was still with her (more responsible) friend and I figured her mum would be here soon. So Lisa arrived, with Ben - Imogen's brother - and Imogen came back to the classroom. Sienna trailed behind reluctantly on the hand of the year 2/3 teacher.

OK so none of this is really unusual, but from here we have a situation develop. Sienna and Imogen had caught a small grasshopper yesterday afternoon at our house and made it a two-shoebox 'house'. She had taken it to school and they had done show and tell about it at the end of today. Now we needed to let the grasshopper go so that it could find its own food, and I suggested we choose a school garden to let 'Lucy' the grasshopper go in, Imogen and everyone else agreed. Sienna started reacting and fighting and crying, but we talked about it for ten minutes and explained a lot of reasons why it was necessary before I asked Lisa to put it in the garden. We all watched and helped the grasshopper find a leaf to sit on and made sure it was ok, and I took a couple of photos for Sienna. She ran away.



So after a couple of minutes we all went and split off searching for her. I found her but then she kept running away was down a hill, I followed her and Lisa went back to watch Cedar for me. Imogen and Ben were chasing her, but it was making her run further and further away, so I asked them to take her school bag back to the pram and thank their mum for watching Cedar, that I would be back as quickly as I could. Then I walked down. Sienna had run right across the (large) school oval by now, and then I saw her heading for the boardwalk and hill on the other side of the oval. This hill is actually a back way to our house, so I had to stop her going that way, as I wouldn't be able to follow her and it led to a busy road. So I sprinted as fast as I could, almost caught up with her and she ran again. I called out 'stop' and she actually did - she must have been tired. She cried out 'but it's not fair!', and I said 'I know. You're right, it's not fair.' She crumpled, and then ran and jumped up on me, wrapped her legs around my waist and I carried her back across the oval.

Profuse thanks to Lisa for looking after Cedar and we were off to get Ash from kinder, only ten minutes late after all that. Last night she calls out to me from bed, daddy wouldn't do, and when I get there she says "I miss grasshopper" and sobs her little heart out. I printed her out some of the photos of grasshopper to keep beside her bed. This morning she has made grasshopper a card and a letterbox to put the card in at the garden, in case Lucy isn't there when she delivers the letter.

She has run a lot over the last year, at kinder she just used to run and hide from me but at school it's a bit more of a concern. This was outside of school hours anyway, yesterday's example, but we are working with her to find ways of knowing where to go or what to do when her emotions or senses are overwhelmed. She is not the only kid at school on the Autism spectrum so we are thinking of introducing a 'calm space', perhaps in the class or somewhere useful, so that at least she goes somewhere people know where she is. Especially when this happens during lunch time! Sometimes noone realises she is hiding until she doesn't go back to class. She can always talk it through later, though, so we'll get there!

So, it's today! Let's go!

To do do do

Today I will:
  • Bring in the washing and FOLD IT AND PUT IT AWAY.
  • Photograph Abby for Mon Petit Cherie.
  • Gather maternity photography ideas for shooting (photographically, that is) my belly-shy sister.
  • Try and teach Sienna her spelling words for this week. Which I only found out about this morning and are tested tomorrow. 
  • Email two of my dearest friends (one interstate, one international).
    • Use the new logo I designed on the weekend for cousin-in-law's company to mock up business cards and a letterhead.
    • Email an online shop from whom a t-shirt I bought hasn't arrived yet (and should have!). Am trying to build up a stash of nautical or pirate related t-shirts to stop Ash wearing his anchor rash top everywhere. I could make some, or embellish some, but I decided to start by being more realistic and buying a couple!
    • Take Ash to kinder for the afternoon (walk).
    • Um, make dinner? Maybe?
    • I'm thinking I should add "hope that Cedar sleeps a lot" to this list ;)
    • Ooh and I could also add "blog" and tick that off straight away! I like doing that.
    Scrabble and washing pictures from weheartit.com

    Petite Sienna in Mon Petit Cherie

    A friend from South Australia has launched a boutique children's clothes business called Mon Petit Cherie... here is Sienna in one of the sweet dress designs. Sienna is a size or so too tall for this dress (but is a slim little thing) so she wears it here as a top, layered over long-sleeves and jeans tunic style, with the matching headscarf - very cute! I *believe* prices range from $30 - $40 per dress or set, and the dresses are very well made in lovely fresh cottons.

    I plan on photographing a couple of the smaller dresses before sending the samples back to Cherie, so I will post those soon. I think it's important for us small crafters and mums working from home to support one another, so, if you can, spread the word!

    Mon Petit Cherie have a blog at  www.monpetitcherie.blogspot.com - and you can become a fan on facebook as well.

    We make things

    Sienna makes things out of paper, leaves, fabric and does paintings (this one is from school)...
     

     
    Ash makes pirate ships on wheels out of lego...
    I make art, photos, food and scrapbook pages, like this one for Scrapboxx as this week's challenge layout example (use book paper and a handwritten title - check it out)...

    Cedar makes us smile...
    and Ben makes a good resting and snuggling place when he's playing video games.

    All That Glitters

    Thursday night was a bit of a comedy errors but at the end of the day (um, literally, at the end of the day) I had a really fun night :) OK let me backpedal a touch and explain...
    My cousin Bec is a big fan of Spencer & Rutherford and introduced me to the brand years ago now. I am fascinated and admire them. Bec is a dedicated fan. Passionate, and even a bit intense. In a good way, of course ;) But that's beside the point, really. The POINT is that we had planned to go together to the Spencer & Rutherford Autumn Winter launch at the Armadale boutique tonight. It was going to cut it a bit close, so the plan was for me to meet Bec and Joel there, they would go directly to Armadale from the airport where their flight was due to arrive at 5pm, and Joel would continue on to our place while Bec and I glammed it up a little and soaked in the aesthetics of Spencer & Rutherford.

    However. The best laid plans, and all that. They missed their flight. They got the next one, but still, Bec missed the night. So I went, and listened, looked, photographed and waited for her to land so that we could consult over the phone about which exact bag it was that she was after. Although I asked if it was ok on my way in, I think I might have looked a bit suspicious taking so many photos! But I'm glad I did, I found the night, and the range 'All That Glitters', really inspiring.
    And here's a tangent for you, it made me think about why I would take the photos, other than for the purpose of sharing them here on my blog (which was a valid reason). The truth is that taking photos, even just looking through the lens whether I snap the shot or not, enhances my view of things. It lets me see things in pieces, and appreciate them more that way. This was really true of the Spencer & Rutherford boutique. The bags are so varied in colour and texture, and irresistible even to someone not-really-fashiony like myself. The decor is opulent. The display cupboards are full of trinkets and treasures. I completely love this dragonfly bowl.
    Ooh and Kim, the designer and creative head of S&R, is just so lovely. We had a couple of chats, and while I think I may seem a little bizarre, it was really nice and also very fun, and she was just so down-to-earth. Here is a note I wrote down after her speech about the collection, before I actually spoke to her. "With just a hint of self-consciousness, Kim is open and down to earth, straight-forward and with neither false modesty nor arrogance, a refreshing woman and designer with a warmth and intelligence that has only increased the appeal of her creations - to this girl at least!" I don't know why I turn all chirpy and editorial in style when I take notes, it is kind of strange. But the point is, I liked her :)
    I do think that background and stories, such as the 1920s inspiration, or the first bags with Kim's own fabric design (the Emaline, my favourite), add to the character of an item. This is why vintage is so great, of course, so it's really fun to have some story and being able to fill in the journey a little for a new item as well. Like the new Spencer & Rutherford luggage range which includes a 'weekender' bag, inspired by Bridget Jones and all her talk of 'mini-breaks'. The names of the colour collections are all from the 1920s inspiration and are gorgeous - Glad Rags, Flapper Girl and The Cat's Meow are a few of them.

    Bec got this gorgeously rich and textured bag, Cheryl, which is so beautiful and is from the 'Glad Rags' colour range. And I left the boutique with a green Emaline, my first S&R bag for almost three years, so I feel very indulgent at treating myself!