NIKKI-SHELL

A party in a fabric store? My idea of heaven!

This afternoon i'm off to celebrate the opening of the new Tessuti Melbourne store. From 2 till 5 there will be drinks and nibbles and discount door prizes.  Maybe i'll see you there?

Ground Floor - 141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Mixtape Zine issue 9

 

Issue 9 of Mixtape Zine is OUT NOW!!!  Justine hand delivered my copy the day she received them from the printer and boy was i in for a treat!!  I've been slowly devouring it, not wanting to read it too quickly, i want to prolong the experience :)

I love the cover designed by Lisa Solomon, i'm lucky enough to have chosen it before i left Mixtape and i own Lisa's original artwork for the PRINCE.

Make sure you check out my Refashionista Challenge article in the zine, i sent $20 to some women who used it to purchase an outfit that is entirely thrifted and refashioned it into something new.

Now i'm off to have a cuppa and read about Craftivism :)

First Melbourne CBD BurdaStyle Club meet!

Last night Tessuti Fabrics hosted the very first Melbourne CBD BurdaStyle Club meet! Ten lovely ladies attended and the night started off quietly as everyone felt a little nervous but once we had introduced ourselves and i asked everyone to do a little show and tell of their most recent, current and future creations the chatter was soon flowing. There were some wonderful creations that included vintage dresses, teddy bear shirts, childrens clothes and handbags.

We did not sew at our first meet, instead we took the opportunity of having Colette and her Mum Silva there and picked their brains. Between them both they knew all the answers to all the questions asked and there were many! We also had the chance to flick through the new arrival of Japanese sewing books and shop at our leisure with a bonus discount. There were nibbles including delicious biscuits from Brunetti and plenty of tea.

Being the first meet we were unsure of what to expect and discussed what we would like from future meets. We talked about tutorials we could do such as how to sew slippery fabrics and sew in zips and more advanced classes that could be organised. We will hopefully have sewing machines set up soon to save people having to bring theirs in with them. We also decided that meeting once a month would give us plenty of time inbetween to create something new for the next show and tell.

Have there been any other BurdaStyle Club meets yet? I'd love to hear how they went and what you have planned for future meets. Maybe you'd even like to show your photos in the BurdaStyle Flickr group?

If you're in Melbourne and would like to attend a future meet please email me at nikkishell@burdastyle.com. Also, there is a possibility i will be hosting a meet at one of the Sydney Tessuti stores in August so if you are interested in attending that please email me.

Bench Monday #4

Parliament Station, Melbourne.  Waiting for my train home :)

See more Bench Monday players here.

Oh and the winner of the surprise parcel is Tanya Holt! chosen randomly with Random.org.  Please email me your address and i will post it out to you Tanya :)

been and gone

Yeah so it was my birthday on Thursday.  I turned 31.  I was playing with fabric working all day at Tessuti then called into Amitie on the way home for Perle 8's.  I received money from my girls and Kev which went towards a new yellow ipod, fabric from work (of course!), a voucher for Amitie from Jus and the BIGGEST pincushion from Fi alongside a cute little pouch.  I was truly spoiled!  I had to leave Amitie early, i was so tired i felt i was becoming delirious!  Words were coming out of my mouth but i couldn't remember what i was saying, just jabbering.  I hope the girls enjoyed my cake :)

Anyway, last year i made a list of 30 things i'd like to do before i turned 31.  I managed very few of those 30 things.  I read it over and realised how many of those things were what i wanted to do at that time then as time went by priorities changed, i changed my mind, other things came up and they were forgotten or pushed to the back of the queue for later (or never).  I have accomplished a lot in this past year, i became an Australian citizen (now i have the right to say "G'day Mate", not that i do!), started practicing yoga (must do more of that), watched my family grow, started a new job, worked hard and learned that i can't do everything i want to do.  Lists were made, prioritizing commitments, needs and wants.  Some things were let go of with a heavy heart, some were a lot easier.  I'm still working on that prioritization thing, it's a hard habit to keep.

My main goals for the next year are the following:

• A lot of changed have happened recently and we'd like to get into that routine we've been craving and allow it to change and grow with us as we change and grow.
• Continue to make Wardrobe Refashion, BurdaStyle and now Tessuti my work priorities.
• Practice yoga regularly, it really does make a difference to my busy life and my busy mind!
• Say 'No' more often, i can't do everything!
• And the most important goal of all.......spend quality time with my family.
• I'd still like to do some of the things on my list such as take a class in pattern making and go on a date with my man (still hasn't happened :( ) but they will happen in time.

Anything else i accomplish is a bonus!

My birthday was also my 4 year blogiversary!  I'm amazed that i have been blogging for so long.  Things have changed a lot in the blogging world since i started, so many blogs, so much inspiration, sometimes a little too much for my mind to absorb but it's great to see what the blogging community has become.  So, to celebrate i have put together a little blogiversary surprise package.  To win just leave a comment and i'll chose a winner on Monday.

Melbourne CBD BurdaStyle Sewing Club

          

FULL FOR MAY 28TH.  EMAIL ME TO BOOK A SPOT AT THE NEXT MEET.

Where?-Tessuti Fabrics, 141 Flinders Lane (near Russell Street). Tel: 9654 4566.  www.Tessuti.com.au

When?-First meet is Thursday May 28^th starting at 6pm and ending at 9pm

 

What to bring....

·         A finished project

·         Details of or ideas for your next project-picture, pattern, fabric ideas etc

·         Your current project if you wish to work on it

·         Your sewing machine if you plan to sew

·         Anything else you would like to show and tell, books, mags, patterns etc.

·         A gold coin donation to go towards tea, coffee and biscuits etc.

 

At this meet we will discuss the following....

·         Upcoming topics

·         Ideas for things we’d like to learn

·         Our next meet

 

You will be able to buy fabrics on the night and will receive a 10% discount on all purchases.

This meeting is limited to 12 spaces, to attend please email me at nikkishell@burdastyle.com to book a spot.

Bench Monday #3

Seems i missed a week or three!  This was taken at the park this afternoon where i met Nancy who was telling me she has been admiring my husbands tattoos while he works ;)  Hi Nancy!

More Bench Monday participants here.

pancakes? pikelets?

Whatever you call them we like them a lot in this house.  Yum!

1 1/2 cups self raising flour (you can use wholemeal or plain)
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of milk

Whisk together then spoon into a hot greased pan.
Serve with fruit, yoghurt, cream, jam, maple syrup, a sprinkle of sugar, whatever takes your fancy!
Enjoy :)

www

• New Kasia skirt made from fabric from my stash
• Thrifted jacket
• Boots i bought back in the UK
• Pashmina bought in Moraira in Spain on a trip with the grandparents in law
• Top (not seen) passed on to me by my neighbour
• Thrifted bag

Find more players here!!

quick update

Phew!  What a few weeks!  First i attended the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show to represent BurdaStyle and Wardrobe Refashion.  It went really well except for me being ill most of the week with an awful cold and THE WORST COUGH.  My voice was husky and as soon as i'd start talking my breath would catch and i'd start coughing all over again.  Not nice when you have to talk all day.

The Reconstruction Zone was a huge hit especially with the kids and we even had some boys in there having fun.

The BurdaStyle stall and fashion show were popular too.  I repeated the same thing many MANY times a day!  Luckily i had the help of my volunteers who without i would surely have not managed.

It was my first time away from my family and it nice to have that break even though i was working and of course i missed them terribly, Kev did a fabulous job of sole parenting.  I did enjoy having a big bed all to myself, i usually share with at least 2 others, sometimes 3!  I caught up with a friend one night who was also in Brisbane for work and we had the biggest slices of cake.  A bunch of us visited the Buddha birth day festival at the weekend and before heading home on Monday we took a trip on the ferry and Fi did some shoe shopping, boy did she have fun ;).  A great time was had and it was nice to get home.

Last week was all about winding down and trying to get back into a routine, although it's hard because it keeps changing.  Hopefully that should all settle down in the coming weeks.  Today we visited Lollipops and the whole family bounced on the bouncy castle and took turns on the slides (i have a friction burn on my elbow from one of them!).  Tomorrow i start my new job at Tessuti!  I'm excited that i get to hang around all that fabric all day, it's like having a work stash that i get to share with customers!  Call in tomorrow and i'd be happy to share it with you.