Tons of Tutes...

I often wonder why all of you like to read my little blog, I suppose everyone has their own reasons, but looking at my stats tells me a lot of you dig my tutorials.

I really love writing them, and time permitting, I'll be doing lots more of them this year.
If you are new to my blog, have a good poke around, there is a long list of tutorials just over here on the side bar--->
and if you enjoy those, maybe even pop over to my other blog MADE OF CLOTH, which has lots of sewing based ones.

I'm planning on doing a whole series of Easter related projects this month which I hope you'll enjoy.
In the mean time why not visit (or re-visit) one of the 4 easy projects above.

Felt button
Felt Block rattle
Fabric decals
Tossing bean bags

I'm open to suggestions for projects and tutorials and am happy to give them a go if they fit in with the blog.

Thanks for reading
x Cinti

Facebook Clearance Auction - 6th April 8pm

I've been doing some spring cleaning (in Autumn), and have unearthed some more random bits and pieces left from the Caulfield store that I don't wish to stock on Poppet in the Post. The facebook sale I had last year was quite successful, so I've decided to have another one.

This time I'm trying an Auction because a few people commented last time that they weren't quick enough to snaffle up the bargains.
You will get a whole hour to put in your bid, the person at the end with the highest bid wins the item.
I have tried to set some very reasonable reserve prices, I'd rather sell the stuff than have it at home taking up room.

You will probably have to become a liker of the fb page to participate as you need to comment on the photo to win the item. If you are not on facebook it's worth signing up for these prices, or get a friend to bid.

Feel free to browse well before hand so you can decide if there is anything that you are after, and also think about what you are willing to pay, I don't want anyone to get carried away in the heat of the moment.

You can view the stock and prices here. Terms and conditions on the facebook page.

If you have any questions leave a comment here and I'll get back to you asap.

Tell your friends, I need the space...

Emma's Room Revealed...

It's been exactly 2 years since we moved into this house. As you can imagine being eight months pregnant at the time wasn't very conducive to nursery decoration, but soon Emma will turn two, so I set myself a deadline to get her room finished and photographed!

Ta Da! Here it is, as tidy as we could manage, not quite dust free.

Bunting - My Poppet Kit
Little chairs & Lion cushion - thrifted

Wardrobe - Refurbished hand-me-down - tutorial here
Floral shelf - Refurbished op-shop find
Tree painting - By my sister

Emma Heart - Made by Jenni
Floor Cushions - Ikea fabric made by me - tutorial here

We were lucky the chandelier came with the house
Owl artwork - Look at the Wall
Bunny Chi - One Red Robin

I made the rug by hand from thrifted Jumpers and blankets
All the shelving (Ikea) was the leftover shop-fittings from the old store

Bead chasers - thrifted (and in need of a dust)
Artwork below by Madeleine Stamer

Bird mobile - Pattern here

Cradle - thrifted
Crochet teddies - made by me
Tooth - My Poppet pattern

Henny Penny - A cautionary tale...

I found this little book on my thrifting adventure the other day. It's the classic story of Henny Penny, a gullible gal who fate did not end well.
The illustrations by Paul Galdone are delightful, and this book printed in 1968 is in excellent condition. Lucky me! Oh I mean Emma.
Love the typography on this title page.
Henny Penny believes the sky is falling in when an acorn hits her on the head then creates mass hysteria amongst all her bird friends.
Foxy Loxy is no fool and convinces the gullible flock to follow him into his cave, with a great outcome for the foxes, but not so good for the birds.
The moral of the story: Don't believe the hype...and hungry foxes can't be trusted!

ISBN: 0-590-08732-0

Animation Friday - Thrifty Finds

Ok, I admit I have a problem. You'll see me on the next episode of Hoarders crushed under a pile of moth eaten blankets...
After a day of op-shopping with Estelle, even though I went for company and not to buy anything, I came home with 5 blankets.
I think I'm just stockpiling them till the perfect project comes along. Until then they will fill up my already over flowing linen press and feed many generations of silverfish!

Why don't you share your little collection with everyone - with an animated twist of course!
It's really easy. Here are some simple instructions on how to make moving pictures...have a go, you've got all week. Post it to your blog and link here so we can all see. Remember to link back to this post so your other readers can join in to. Feel free to grab a little button for your sidebar

How to take Decent Photos in Low Light

Yesterday we had a photographer come by and take some product shots for a little feature in a print publication. I was a bit concerned about the lack of light at home, especially since it was a particularly gloomy day, but the photographer insisted that because he 'was very clever', the shots would be fine.
He was very nice and super clever, but I suspect the reason for nice bright photos in low light was a fancy camera that he knew how to use and a TRIPOD. (although he did use his flash for the portrait shots)
Not all of us can afford a fancy DSLR with a super duper lens, but if you haven't used your camera on a manual setting now is the time, and a functional tripod can be picked up for $50-$100 and is really worth the investment.

So I'll preface this with: I'm not a professional photographer, everything I have learnt has been from trial and error but this is what works for me.

So the tricks are:
Steady camera (tripod)
Long exposure
Low Aperture value
High ISO speed
Read your camera manual

As an example I took this photo above in a very dark room, 7pm on a rainy night with minimal natural light and no artificial light. I have not edited this photo in any way apart from cropping for composition.

It had a 4 sec exposure which is very long, so to minimise the camera shake I had the camera down on the bench. A tripod is ideal for long exposure times.
The ISO speed was 1600 and the aperture value 7.1

I adjusted these values manually with an Aperture Value (Av) preference setting. This means I set the aperture and the camera decides the speed.

Even if you only have a basic point and shoot digital camera, have a read of your manual, most will allow for some sort of manual setting adjustment.

Ok, have I confused you with Av's and ISOs and gobbledygook? Do yourself a favour and read this excellent explanation of how a camera works, I guarantee that it will never shoot on an auto setting ever again.

So now it's time to have some fun playing with your camera...

And the winner is...

Thanks for all the entries in last weeks giveaway, especially those of you that joined the mailing list and forwarded to friends. It's always hard to get the word out about small businesses and having a supportive community is great!

Congrats to Anna Bartlett for being the winner of the Scruffy dog Shoes Giveaway, a funky pair of shoe will be in the post to you shortly.

---

Thought I'd share these beautiful images of Emma's farm holiday a little while back. Taken by her Aunty Claire who is now looking after 3 tots in Germany as an Au Pair.

Emma keeps talking about the baby cow that sucked her finger...

I'm off to tackle my huge pile of ironing, (no pictures, it's too distressing!)
Toodles...

I ♥ U this much...Japan

Even though I don't consider myself an Artist, or even a designer, when the call came out for donated artworks for this exhibition and charity auction, I was compelled to create something meaningful and hopefully beautiful?
I don't even need to mention how awful the situation in Japan is, it's all been said...and of course monetary donations are desperately required, but there is something visceral about creating an object with your own hands.
Title: I ♥ U this much
Mini quilt with original photograph and embroidery.

This is Emma's doll which was once her Aunts/Uncles and Grandmothers before her, she sleeps with it every night, kisses it incessantly and calls it her little baby. Every handstitch contains a little bit of optimism.
I hope it makes someone happy and raises a few extra dollars for the Red Cross.

Animation Friday - An apple a day...

Have you ever wondered why there are so many apple sayings? Probably because they are so delicious and in this case, cute!

I put little animated eyes on my Apple clip holders, but don't worry, no eyes on the ones I'll send you. Eyes following you around the room would be a little creepy.

Now it's your turn, add some googly eyes to an inanimate object, that's always fun, or just link a series of photos together.
It's really easy. Here are some simple instructions on how to make moving pictures...have a go, you've got all week. Post it to your blog and link here so we can all see. Remember to link back to this post so your other readers can join in to. Feel free to grab a little button for your sidebar

Talkn' Retro ♥

Today I went to spotlight and bought way too much stuff. Supplies I will eventually use, but probably not in the near future...admittedly I had buyers remorse.

So I've decided that the only way to take the edge off the guilt is to create. I sat down this afternoon and made a quilt. It's a simple design because I wanted the fabrics to speak for themselves - They speak RETRO!

Beautiful bold graphics in autumnal colour combos with quite the Scandinavian feel. I'm very pleased with the result. It's available in the shop if retro is your thang!

So tonight I will start a crochet blanket with the stash of yarn I have laying about and maybe I'll go to bed guilt free...

Edit: Just thought I should mention these fabrics are not from Spotlight but from my ever growing vintage fabric stash.

Lost days...

Where does the day go? I've been busy packing orders and photographing new stock, hanging out loads of washing and tidying up the place...and now its nearly 4 o'clock and I've run out of day.
I had this fab post planned about the newest Flea Market finds in the shop, but a couple of savvy customers have already snaffled them up, so now I have nothing left to say. You can see what you missed out on in this facebook photo album.
Oh, there's still this cute Circus Elephant Dinner set available, but don't be surprised if someone snaffles that one up quickly too. I had to pry it out of Emma's hands, she would probably buy it if she knew how to open her piggy bank.

So now I'm off to the post office, then to pick up the afore mentioned toddler from creche...will try to get some dinner sorted then crash on the couch and hope someone brings me a glass of wine...

Was your day any different?

Oh and don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

Sponsored Giveaway - Scruffy Dog Shoes

Last year Leila of Scruffy Dog sent Emma a beautiful pair of red Mary Jane style shoes. You can see them in yesterdays animation post. They are still a little big on her, but she will grow into them soon enough, and I get the feeling that she'll never take them off. Quite the shoe lover my little Em.
It was a very generous gift that warranted more than just a blog post. I contacted Leila to thank her yet again, and to see if she was interested in offering a pair of shoes to one of you super amazing readers out there.

So guess what? The giveaway is one pair of Scruffy Dog Shoes of your choice from their current range.
Cool huh!

The best part is that their designs are just so awesome and so well made, in a rainbow of colours that suit both boys and girls.

Oh, and ScruffyDog also has a fantastic recycling program called GreenNous:

"GreenNous is an initiative founded by the people at ScruffyDog with the aim of doing a little bit for the environment by recycling material that would otherwise likely be discarded. We encourage others to think about how the apparently useless stuff they come across on a daily basis might be reused or put to some good use and then turn those thoughts into action. It's all about green nous: commonsense recycling."

Their sizes range from EU20-38 depending on the style and they have quite a range of stockists throughout Australia.

And here's a little heads up, because they don't openly advertise the fact, you can buy anything on their website, including clearance lines at upto 70% of the RRP by e-mailing them directly. Make sure you tell them My Poppet sent you! There is no shopping cart feature available.

EDIT: Scruffy Dog has offered FREE POSTAGE (within Australia) to customers that mention My Poppet till the 22nd April. Yay! and super Yay!

How to enter the Giveaway...
Head over to the Scruffy Dog website and check out the designs in the gallery and Sale pages and tell me which style/colour you'd like to win.

1. Leave a comment on this blog entry

for bonus entries...

2. Follow us on Twitter. If you are already a follower, tweet about this giveaway—don’t forget to include @mypoppetshop in the tweet please!

3. Subscribe to the My Poppet mailing list here and make sure you click through on the confirmation email.

Name


Email

4. If you are already on the mailing list, there will be another chance to enter in next weeks newsletter.

5. Become a follower of the My Poppet blog

6. Blog about the giveaway!

Please leave a separate comment for each bonus entry...6 chances to win this excellent prize.

GOOD LUCK!

The fine print: competition closes Tuesday 22th March 7pm EST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced on the blog on March 23th. Winner will also be notified via email so please make sure you have e-mail enabled on your comments or leave an e-mail address in your comment. Giveaway is open to Australian residents only. Even though we'd love you to become a 'Liker' of our facebook page, entry is NOT conditional on becoming a 'liker' of the My Poppet Facebook business page. This giveaway is not affiliated with facebook in any way.

Animation Friday - An old favourite...the red shoes

This little red shoe animation was one of my very first, and hit wise, one of the most popular. I've dragged it out of the archives as a little clue to an amazing giveaway I'll be having on the blog next week. You get an extra entry if you can guess what the giveaway will be...

Babushka Baby...

Yesterday, Miss Emma and I had an outing to visit the colourful Pilgrim Lee at her new shop girl gig, Do Re Me* in Elsternwick.
I'd been dying to get her into this sweet smock that I bought online (My Rocking wardrobe), and because it was a little drizzly, this bonnet I made with some awesome vintage knit finished off the ensemble perfectly. Emma quite liked the idea of a dummy pocket!
Pilgrim commented that she looked like a little Russian folk girl, except for the converse of course.
We had sushi for lunch and then a big tantrum that lasted most of the evening...I'm only just recovering from all the excitement.

*Isn't the website fab? Pilgrim designed it, my contribution was that little snippet of floral fabric in the corner.

Blue and Green...

Emma likes to paint...some of it ends up on the paper.

Beret Autumnal...

What does one do when there are dishes to wash and tons of emails to answer? Play with dollies of course...Emma is napping so I thought this was the perfect opportunity for Hettie to show off the new beret I made for her. I love the colour, I matches her eyes (well one set anyway) and really coordinates with this little autumnal ensemble made by Hettie's mummy Narelle.

Getting to Know You : Marie of Les 3 Castafiores

Today I'd love to introduce you to: Marie

Marie writes a delightful blog called Les 3 Castafiores, totally stylish with a French twist. Marie and I have developed somewhat of a pen pal style friendship (via e-mail) after she related to one of my posts about Emma and her tantrums. The tantrum phase has passed (for the most part), but hopefully our friendship will last for a long time to come...

Tell us about yourself? ---- I'm Marie, a French mama living in America. I followed my Porto Rican husband to Boston,MA 4 years ago. I'm working full time and chasing my 2 years old son around the rest of the time And then if after all of that I have some time left for myself I love blogging, yoga and running. Why did you decide to start a blog? ---- Last year, about a month after I turned 30 and my son had turned 1, I was daydreaming about doing something creative for myself while being the least crafty person you've ever met... I had dreams about having a store one day but in the meantime, starting a blog seemed to be the perfect creative window I needed (and it was free !).

What do you most enjoy writing about? ---- Probably comparing France and the US, motherhood and also fashion and kids stuff Most of all, I love reading comments and exchanging with other bloggers.

What does your blog name mean? ----- I grew up with 2 younger sisters, and my dad used to call us 'les 3 Castafiores'. The original Castafiore was a character from the Tintin books we read growing up, she was a very loud and diva-ish Opera singer... I guess my sisters and I were pretty loud and crazy at times :)

Do your friends and family in France read your blog? ---- I hope so :)

How does life in France differ to that in Boston? ---- It's funny because I find people here to be very optimistic and positive but living a somehow intense lifestyle (work all the time, no vacation, no farniente, very competitive etc..), whereas in France life is more relaxed and laid-back but people would complain more easily...

What do you miss the most? ---- obviously my family, especially my sisters, and my friends but then I miss French bakeries in general, cheeses, lots of small French fashion/home decor brands, Europe in general, a more relaxed and laid-back lifestyle, everything seems so intense sometimes in the US. Oh and did I mention the 5 weeks vacation per year ?

What have you embraced about living in Boston? ----- Life here is pretty good and easy, we love the 4 seasons (despite the very snowy winter - beautiful at first, annoying after 3 months), the city is beautiful very European in a way which I love, people are very nice and friendly, everything is so convenient, service is great (especially after 3 years in Paris where service sucks)It’s pretty cold in Boston now, how do you cope? ----- I got a Snuggie, the leopard-print one, my new best friend to watch some reality TV on cold winter nights (mostly when hubby isn't around though, for some reason he doesn't share my love for either of them).

I'm sure Marie could make a Snuggie look good!

I hope you have enjoyed Getting to Know Marie, and as a special treat, she's allowed me to share her Secret Crepe Recipe with you: image

My secret crêpes recipe (ok, not really a secret, but it's a good one I promise)

You need :
250g flour
2 eggs
50cl milk
2 tbs melted butter
oil for the pan
salt
secret ingredient (totally worth it) : zest of an orange

and of course a crêpe pan (stating the obvious, I know)

So it goes like this :
Mix the flour with half of the milk
Add eggs, then melted butter and a pinch of salt
Add the rest of the milk and stir everything together until the pâte is smooth
Cover and let it stand for one hour (step that I always skip due to lack of patience)

Before starting to make the crêpes, add the orange zest
Put a little bit of oil in the pan and then pour a little bit of the liquid into the pan making sure it coats the surface evenly (move the pan in circular motion)
Cook for about 2 min until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with spatula, turn and cook the other side.

Serve hot with a side of melted butter, sugar, jam, honey and nutella and let everybody try their own combo. It's the best ! My fave is melted butter + sugar...trop bon !

Bises xx

Animation Friday - How things change...

I stumbled across these photos as I was tidying some of my files yesterday. They were taken in June last year when Emma was walking but still stumbled occasionally. Now she is climbing onto tables and even out of her cot. How quickly things change, especially when you think you've managed to get everything under control. Ha!

Now it's your turn to have a look at some old photos and give them new life...
It's really easy. Here are some simple instructions on how to make moving pictures...have a go, you've got all week. Post it to your blog and link here so we can all see. Remember to link back to this post so your other readers can join in to. Feel free to grab a little button for your sidebar

Cute overload!

Have you seen these super adorable pants in the shop at the moment? They are very similar to a style that I used to stock at the old store which always walked out the door. The great thing about them, apart from being too cute, is that they are stretchy in every direction, so they are ideal for growing active kidlets!
Oh and did I mention they were only $12 a pair?
Form a queue and get yours here... more designs available soon.

Sweet Paul - Kids Issue

The latest issue of Sweet Paul online magazine is out today. It's a Kids Special with recipes and photography that are so delicious, I was tempted to lick my laptop screen. Also featuring easy craft projects that can be made out of cardboard boxes, Pom Pom easter decorations and even a bread and tomato necklace...