The days of Christmas

I'm going to preempt this post with a confession - I'm not religious.

I respect that others are and that I have in part hijacked their special time of the year and made it my own.
Christmas to me is an opportunity for those I hold nearest and dearest to get together and share time & space with each other - whether it's in person, by card or via a phone call.
We give gifts as a token of our love & respect for each other. Recognising that others are doing the same thing on the same day with perhaps differing agendas however still deserving of our respect because today is the day everyone is thankful - well that's how I see it anyway.

Day 1
Christmas Day at Home

It's mostly about the children -
listening to them count down the days then tell you they can't sleep cause they're too excited,
being woken by their squeals of delight as they discover Santa has been,
watching their delighted faces as they pick through their Santa Sack,
then making them wait to open the presents under the tree!
Never mind Stella had been awake since 5:30 plundering her Santa Sack there was no way she was moving too far from that Christmas Tree.

We all did very well in the present receiving & giving departments

with special moments

shared moments



the perfect amount of thought



and TOO much food!



The girls would've been just as happy to have their brother gift wrapped or not!

and the three of them 
in the same place at the same time 

is all the Christmas we needed

Day Two
Boxing Day at Bicton Baths

This is fast becoming a Bruyn-Lange family tradition.
While the rest of Perth took advantage of the Boxing Day sales we virtually had this part of the river to ourselves.



the cousins came



and a friend



Yesterday I took the girls to a shopping centre and let them loose - they had gift cards and money burning holes in their pockets!

Now we're home enjoying our spoils, 
doing chores, relishing the air conditioned comfort of home & studio 
while anticipating a day at the races, catching up with family & friends, 
shed building, studio organising 
and some serious DVD watching.

PINS

Sometimes we need all the help we can get
and more often than not it's the small gestures of support that make the most difference

I often find parallels within my sewing life & my normal life.
while sewing a couple of silk chiffon outfits for a client 
I was reminded of the importance of pins

I only use them when I have to
and I'd be lost without them

Just like my pins help in tricky situations
I've loyal people I know I can call on in times of need

and as I say thanks to those people 
I'd also like to thank whoever it was that invented the pin 
'cause without them sewing really would be a bitch!

Bounty

I'll admit to winging the whole vege gardener thing

as much as I love being able to wander out the front and pick produce every morning 

it really is a full-time job 

which means anything that makes inside 

is down to luck rather than good management or a green thumb

Life here the past few weeks has helped to fine tune any management skills I might have had...
Dan & I have moved rooms (bitter-sweet) 
air conditioners are in (traumatic) 
furniture has been bought (yay for ebay) workshops are filling for 2010 (emails flying in & out) 
and then there's Christmas - ahhhhhhh!

Once upon a time....

Sometimes the princess in me needs to see the fairy tale from another angle

I always find this fractured look at a timeless tale refreshing so I'm sharing it 'cause I know I can't be the only one....

Once upon a time
in a land far away

a beautiful independent, self-assured princess
happened upon a frog

as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the
shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow
near her castle

the frog hopped into the princess's lap and said
"Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper young prince that I am
and then my sweet,
we can marry
and set up housekeeping
in your castle with my mother
where you can prepare meals,
clean my clothes,
bear my children
and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs
seasoned in white wine and onion cream sauce
she chuckled and thought to herself...

I don't f....ing think so.

Unfortunately I'm unable to credit this to an actual person as it turned up in a forwarded email
however to the author if you're out there
from all of us here
BRAVO
it made my day! 

2010 - Here I Come!

This is what I mean when I say 'sure as eggs' - it took a week from being a tiny seed of a thought in my (tiny) brain to being 500 finished brochures that needed picking up from the printers!

(click to look inside)

I'm thrilled with how the brochure presents
and seems to be working 
 as I'm getting a steady flow of interested people booking classes

I am soooo excited to be able to share what I do with everyone in the comfort of my studio - creating magic behind french doors with morning tea under the Jacaranda & maybe lunch under the Peppermint - 
huh who am I kidding once the girls get started they don't want to stop, not even to eat!
It's been a dream for a very loooong time so when opportunity knocked I grabbed it and now I'm not letting go!
There's still a bit to do before I'm ready however I've already arranged the furniture in my mind (half of which I don't have yet!) 
and there's Christmas to get through but having already proved on numerous occasions that all is possible 
I'm very excited for the 8.1.10!

Dan

He doesn't get a mention much 
but as sure as eggs aren't apples 
I wouldn't be doing this without him

and the girls 
wouldn't get delivered to a feed of slaters every arvo if it wasn't for him.

9

Stella had her 9th birthday
and
all she wanted was a bike

her friends

& family

to share the day.

The Garden

It's nice to be home…

no rest though 
I'm flat out finishing patterns & samples for Aphrodite Concept.
this label is the brain child of two friends who collaborated in the design of leisure wear aimed at the fashion conscious mum
it's especially nice to be able to move away from the cutting table & sewing machine & step into this when I need a moment...

to smell the roses!

This is my Rose
it was a birthday gift from my Mum
There's 4 of us (children) and when each of us turn 40 
she organises for us to receive a rose that was 'invented' the year of our birth.

My Name Is……?!

I'd thought that by now I'd have forgotten my name 
due to all that talking having fried my brain!

Not the case - apart from a niggly dull headache (dehydrated?) 
I'm feeling very excited & extremely enthusiastic about what I'm doing & where I'm going.
April is going to be HUGE!

As each day progressed I quickly got used to the microphone & standing on a stage.

Everyday I had current & x-students call in to say hello 
which assisted with the whole confidence thing and judging by the amount of interest generated 
my workshops at home will fill quickly!

The interest was very encouraging.

I got Dan to take shots of the garments I had made to wear for the Talks 
which I'll briefly explain. 
I have close-up shots of details on my Workshop Images link and will highlight each day so you can easily take a peak.

Day One

This was a skirt which I cut armholes into & made into a Tunic Dress.
I especially liked the gathered/bow/zip detail in the back of the skirt & utilised that in the front of the Tunic. I also printed onto the front & back.
The crop cardy is REinvented from a vintage crochet cardigan which after cutting shorter I machine embroidered a scrap of fabric (left from Day 2 Dress) around the bottom edge and replaced the buttons with 3 different vintage buttons.

Day Two

This was 2 dresses that didn't fit REinvented into one that did.
I attached the front of each dress together and used a contrasting fabric remnant to make sleeves (like my arms covered these days!). On the back I attached 3 'feral flowers' made from the same fabric as the sleeves which I machine embroidered in place.

I have called this my 'French Farm House' Dress however could easily be worn on a Goondiwindi Cattle Station!

Day Three

The Top was a last minute REinvention.

The original top I'd made to go with the skirt looked great hanging 

but not so good on.

This one is difficult to explain simply as it was a tricky design to start - unwearable actually.

I've slashed the sides, removed a back panel & attached a sleeve from another garment around the neck then hoicked the shoulder to one side & pinned it through my bra with Reginas gorgeous button brooch.

The skirt was REinvented from a dress.

After removing the bodice of the dress I attached the bottom of a T-shirt to the top edge, lined it with the lining from another skirt and then machine embroidered a section of the bodice to attach to the bottom edge giving me slightly more length.

What did I learn - well, I need a tan if I'm going to wear those colours!

No really the main lesson was confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction.

The Deep End

This morning feels a bit like the night before Christmas 

when you just have to say to yourself 

'if I haven't got it then it's too late & we'll do without it', 

in the case of what's happening tomorrow 

if I haven't sewn it, ironed it or packed it then it's too late & 

I [probably] wont need it.

The ride so far has been amazing with lots of new experiences 
 radio and newspaper interviews
 not self written press releases 
along with publicity photos 
not taken by Dan 
and the printing of my first 500 brochures advertising the workshops.
Fingers crossed it all translates into fully booked workshops for 2010!

I've made myself 3 outfits to wear over the 3 days  
I'll get shots of me wearing them over the course of the next few days 
however I'll share some close ups.



Excuse me for not elaborating 
I'm off to bed 
need my beauty sleep!

Homage to the Apron

Homage to the Apron

There’s not too many children these days that know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled it carried out the hulls.

The apron was always used to bring in seasonal fruit fallen from the trees & vines.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds!

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron and the men knew it was time to come in to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

I had a dream

I dreamt that I was about to step into the abyss 
clutching my clothing rack as a parachute!

Momentum for the Talks is building daily 
and over the last couple of weeks I've had photos taken every other day for publicity of one sort or another.
I've included some of my preferred options - I'm won't say favourites 
because I'm not a fan of photos taken of myself 
 invariably the person looking back at me 
is not the person that resides in my mind

besides, what I look like isn't what I do.

Still, 'a picture says a thousand words' 
and I am trying to get across an honest impression of myself & what I do

so that anyone who might be interested in embarking on a workshop with me 
will feel more comfortable taking that first step.

I do like this one though 
it reflects me not taking me too seriously 
 a trait that balances me!

I'll be conducting workshops from home the beginning of next year 
which is very exciting.
I have a wonderful user friendly studio 
in a gorgeous garden setting 
with ample parking and no stairs 
it'll be the perfect environment for creating!