Melly & me

Count Mad Cow

About a week ago we found out that we had been accepted to be a part of this....

We also found out that due to postage time we had only about a week to make up our goodies and get them to the US to make deadline!!! 

We had told the organisers that if accepted we would make a Freya, Sangsang and Acute doll and would also decide on a 4th toy as the requirements were to send 4.  So we madly went about making the toys and with no time left realised we had not come up with a 4th!!!  It had to fit the "Fairy, Folk or Fable" theme and since we felt none of our other toys fit this theme we had intended to come up with a new design. 

Sitting in Melly's new studio yesterday we were trying to decide how on earth we were going to come up with something in time.  It is a public holiday here tomorrow so we had to get to the post office today!!!  Looking about the room our eyes fell onto a Mad Cow sitting on Melly's sofa and the decision was made!!!  Why make something new when you can in a fraction of the time adapt something already made???!!!  So let me introduce the new and improved "Count Mad Cow"

His wings are made of stuffed black leather and his bell just completes the picture!  He makes us laugh so much and we can just imagine his lispy voice!!  Rosie x x

Space, glorious space!

It is done!!  It is finished!!!  I have my studio!!!!

It was a fantastic weekend sorting out all of my sewing gear from it's various homes around my house and placing it all into its new home!!  I LOVE my new studio and am already feeling completely at home in it!  It has a really peaceful feel and I think it has become my favourite room in the house!!  (OK, maybe I am going a bit far, but do you get the idea that I LOVE MY NEW STUDIO!!!)

On Sunday I did my first sewing in the new studio as I needed to make a couple of new cushions to brighten up the room...

They were made just in time for the photo shoot to share with you before  the room becomes an organised mess!

The cushions are for on the new sofa bed that is now my stuffing/hand sewing home.  Of course this will have to double as an actual bed when guests come to stay - there had to be a catch, didn't there??!!

The walls in this room were already pink and aqua as it was, in a past life, Baby Floss' nursery.  I love pink and aqua together so much so I decided to stick with it and work with it!  A pink sofa is always fun - thanks Ikea!

And off to the more practical side of the room..... here is my new best friend in the form of shelving that Rosie told me I just had to get.  She was right - it is perfect for holding everything!!

And it is conveniently located next to my desk so that I can grab things as they are needed!  It is such a smooth way to work compared to going from this room to that to grab a scrap of fabric etc and I actually know where everything is - woo-hoo!

And then the corner that I am not too keen on.  Handy but ugly.... yes, that is an old TV set sitting in the corner.  I will admit I don't mind the odd Oprah fix while stuffing.  It kind of ruins the feel of the room but hey, it is in there so I thought I ought to show it! 

As you can see I do have a couple of prints gracing my wall but I am in need of more wall decoration.  I would like this wall to be full of inspiration to look at as I work....I will need to work on that.  I have a birthday coming up so I think I know what to ask for.  Don't you wish you could buy Etsy gift vouchers???

Hope you have enjoyed the tour of my new studio - it may be the last glimpse of it in such a lovely state!!  Now I need to get back into it and do some more work............ =)  =)  =)

Melly.

3 fat elephants

  Last week we got a nice surprise in the mail.  One of those parcels that you are not expecting which bring you so much joy and excitement - what could it be?????  The anticipation was well rewarded when we found inside a selection of new Japanese fat quarters from Lynn at Patchwork on Central Park!!  These new fabrics have just arrived in store and Lynn though we might like to have a bit of a play!  She knows us too well!!

As soon as I saw the first two fabrics all I could think of was Phoebe and so decided I had to make a new version for in Lynn's  store.  Isn't she cute?

And of course, as is my sickness, I cannot only make one toy at a time so I decided to make a few more heffalumps at the same time.  Little floss kept singing the "Three fat elephants balancing" song as I worked and now I just cannot get it out of my head!  So I decided for their photo shop they should do a bit of balancing - although I wasn't clever enough to get them on that piece of string.

These three little fellas are now for sale in our etsy store and until they find new homes will grace my new studio. 

I have returned from Ikea this afternoon where I have purchased the necessary furniture and boxes to move the toys out and my studio in - WOO-HOO!!!  The next few days will definitely be spent with allen key in hand and hopefully not too much hair puling.  But it will be well worth it!!!!  I cant wait to get the room all set up and will hope to share some photos with you next week of my progress.  May the floss be with you!   Melly.

Swap received!!!

Yesterday the mail man brought me a beautiful package all the way from France!!!  Yayie contacted us to say that she would not take part in the swap this year as her partner did not send her a package in last year's swap.  Of course, we had to contact Yayie and offer to send her a package this year to make up for the one she missed out on.  No need for a return package as she had already sent one last year.  Yayie would not hear of it though and insisted on sending a package to us.  We organised a magazine swap at the same time which was really fun!  Here is the beautiful package that found it's way from over the sea!

Some fabulous reading for over the weekend, some yummy french nougat to eat while reading, some delicious scraps that I have never seen before to add into my next quilt block and the most beautiful stitchery pattern from her good friend Claudine.  I wanted to give you a close up of this pattern as it truly is beautiful!  I hope to find some time to stitch it one day!

Thank you so much Yayie for such a beautiful package!!!  I love it all and cant wait to look through those magazines!!

There have been so many more emails about what a great time you are all having with your swaps!!  It is so exciting to hear of the generosity and sisterhood that comes from being a part or a worldwide swap!  Thank you to all of you for enjoying it so much and making it such a successful swap!  Melly.

Studio Excitement

It has been 2 years now that I have been designing as a business and have been using my sewing machine most days of the week..... It has been 2 years now that my husband has been saying "I wish we could eat on the dining table!!"  Hmmmm, has it been 2 years that my sewing machine, cutting board, current projects, stuffing, sketches, pins, threads and other sewing paraphernalia has been taking up the whole dining table????!!!  Goodness me, I think is has!!! 

I have finally decided that the flossies do not need a whole room to house their toys, they can easily transfer that mess to their bedrooms while I make a much more pretty mess in my new studio!  Yes, there will be no more mad clean up of my current sewing project before hubby gets home from work, no mad rush to clear the dining table and stuff all of my sewing gear into some unseeable corner when we have guests, no need for a dining room vacuum every day due to threads galore.....ahhhhhhh.....I will have my own lockable, messy studio!  I am sooooo excited.

I know that it will be very untidy in no time but at this stage, before it is a reality, I like to imagine my picture book perfect studio which I can show you photos of to the sounds of "WOW, how do you keep it so clean??" and "How beautiful and inspiring!!"  So while in my fantasy land I have been buying up a few goodies to decorate my new haven!  Here are a few cuties I picked up while at the "Stitches and Craft Show" a few weeks ago.

For a minute I tried to pretend that I was buying these toys for my kiddies, but I knew in myself that they were for me in my new studio!  Aren't they all gorgeous?  The doll comes from AK Traditions and is just the most divine thing I have ever seen!  I am sure that these new friends will bring me lots of inspiration as I look at them each day.  I know I have said it already, but I really am just so excited!  It is the first time ever that I will have a room all to myself, to decorate as I like and to fill with whatever I wish - a true Melly hangout where I can do what I love surrounded by things that I love!  Yay!! 

Now, while I go on about my studio excitement I know you are all saying "yeah, that's great, but what about the giveaway?"  So I suppose I should stop my ramblings and get down to business!  Today we decided to draw 4 winners to each select one of the three new patterns as their prize.  So with the help of our random number generator the lucky winners are....... Kate, Jacquie, Paula (April 1 11:07pm) and Jenny (April 01 05:59pm). CONGRATS!!!! Please email us girls and let us know your choice of pattern and snail mail addresses!

Thank you all for your beautiful comments on the new designs as well as for the emails you have been sending about your great swap experiences - it sounds like there have been some really amazing swap packages being received.  I can't wait to receive mine!  Melly.

Done..... at last!

Hey everybody!!!  Good news, the patterns are written!!!!  I cannot tell you what a relief this news is!!  I had left my pattern writing too long and had too many to write at once, but they are finished!! Woo-Hoo!  I feel like a new woman with a clean slate this morning.

In usual Melly & me style, pattern releases mean giveaways!  So we would love for your to leave us a comment on this post to be in the running for a copy of our new patterns: Fido, Bambino and Meadow.

As for me, I am going to enjoy a few days of being a regular SAHM!!!  Just catching up on things around the house and enjoying the Flossies......only after I send off my swap package today, of course!  I hope you have all gotten your swap packages in the post and that a few of you are already enjoying your beautiful new scraps!!!

Enjoy your week and make sure you leave a comment to be in the running for our giveaway!!  we will announce the winners on Saturday! May the floss be with you!!  Melly & Rosie.