Getting to Know You: Jessica of SewSet

Today I've interviewed Jessica from Me Sew Crazy, an amazing lady who had a big idea and really made it happen. Jessica has created SewSet, an ever growing on-line sewing directory, aimed at bringing all of the fabulous sewing tutorials and patterns that are spread out over the web onto one site.
As an 'ideas woman' myself, I know how difficult and frustrating it can be to constantly have brainwaves, but never be able to find the time and energy to make them a reality, so I really admire Jessica for getting this project off the ground, and oh so elegantly!
Read on for the full interview...

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Sponsor Profile - Shiny Happy Art

Today I'm interviewing Anna Bartlett of Shiny Happy Art. Anna has been a longtime reader and supporter of the My Poppet blog. I was delighted when she approached me to sponsor the blog, and I thought this would be a great way to get to know her a little better.
I love finding out what makes other creative folk tick, and I'm often interested in how others run their businesses and manage the other aspects of their lives.
Anna's work is very colourful and she has her own unique style. Let's get to know Anna a little better...

 
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Sponsor Profile - Little Eats

I'm really happy to introduce you to Jemma from Little Eats, a website with reviews on the latest and greatest kid-friendly cafes around Melbourne. After having her first child, Jemma didn't want to give up her foodie lifestyle...so Little Eats was born.

Tell me about what inspired you to start little eats?

A passion for food, coffee and cafes, an obsession with eating out and trying all the latest cafes and restaurants, a background in marketing, communications, advertising and writing, and a desire to not return to the corporate world or to put India in childcare.
Being an ideas woman, I was constantly coming up with hair-brained schemes and business ideas, however the Little Eats concept just clicked. There didn’t seem to be much else around, and I thought it would be a great way to combine all my interests, do something for myself, and help other coffee-loving new mums at the same time.
What makes a café a big hit for you?
For me it’s a magical combo of the food, the coffee, the service and the decor, fit-out and overall vibe and feeling of the place. You usually know if a cafe has got “it” just by walking into the place. However for my little ones, a cafe that make great babycino’s complete with marshies, and has a fun new box of toys and books to discover, or crayons and paper on the table then that is a big hit for them.

I think India’s favourite cafe is probably Cubbyhouse Canteen - she loves the park and playground next door, loves the little smiley face babycino’s with two marshies, loves the milk-crate full of dinosaurs and loves the two sweet bubble-blowing sisters who are the owners. Where as my faves are places with fancy-pants coffee, gourmet quality food, and cool interiors from the likes of Six Degrees etc eg: Auction Rooms, The Pint of Milk, Three

Bags Full and Miss Marmalade. Somers General Store is also one of my all-time faves.
Have you always been a ‘foodie’?

Yep sure have! Food, coffee, wine, cooking, dining out and entertaining have always been a big part of my life since I was a little one myself.

My parents are big foodies too, and my Mum is a hostess with the mostess extraordinaire, and they live overseas and are currently eating and drinking their way around Europe (half their luck!). When we were kids we would always do Sunday brunch on Brunswick St (usually pancakes at The Fitz followed by a quick stop off for flowers at Vasette - can you believe they turned 21 this year!), often go out for dinner to all kinds of places all over town, visit lots of wineries and were constantly hosting dinner parties and BBQ’s etc.

Their love for good food definitely rubbed off on me. My husband Van is in the hospitality/wine industry too and his father was a chef. So food is a huge part of our life then and now and now for our kids too. I think little India has been to more cafes and restaurants in her first to years of life than I did in my 10!

How has your dining out experiences changed now that you have kids?

The Little Eats concept has been around pretty much since India was born (she is now 2 1/2), so we have been out and about at cafes A LOT as it is all in the name of research of course! We still eat out heaps just as we did before kids, I guess just the types of places have changed now. We don’t really go out for boozy dinners any more where we would easily drop a few hundred bucks a night. We often go out for dinner somewhere cheap and easy on a Saturday night eg: Binh Minh for Vietnamese in Richmond. We all love pizza too and are big fans of Motorino and Mr Wolf. But mainly we are out on the weekend for brunch and lunch doing reviews for Little Eats or catching up with another family.

You are a mum of two, how do you juggle work and mothering?

India is 2 1/2 and Aurora is 14 months, so they are 17 months apart. Hmmm juggling.... that is the story of my life. I don’t know how I do it... I just do it! I do love being busy though and wouldn’t have it any other way. :) Lots of late nights too!

I notice you travel to Bali a lot, is a little eats Bali on the cards?

Ha ha! Perhaps perhaps...
I wish! I would love to live there and just eat and drink and lie in the sun by the pool working on my laptop all day!

Thanks for doing all the leg work Jemma. It's great having a website like yours where I can check out the best cafes in the area before I head out. You've suggested a heap of places I haven't had a chance to visit, I'll have to make sure they are on the itinerary next time we are out for brunch.

Little Eats has been such a supportive sponsor of My Poppet, so show your support and visit them soon.

Keep up on the latest reviews and giveaway news on the Little Eats facebook page.

Visit the Little Eats website here.

Getting to know you...One Yellow Jumpsuit

Today I'd love to introduce you to Hannah. Hannah shares glimpses of her colourful life with us on her blog one yellow jumpsuit. She totally sucked me in with her super cute contributions to Animation Friday, and I think if I lived in Brisbane we would hang out all the time...
I hope you enjoy my chat with Hannah...(I think I have a little crush on Hannah's sneakers)

Tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Hannah and I'm a stay home mum to two gorgeous girls (Ava and Piper) and one amazing husband (Ash). We live in Brisbane and I love all sorts of craft, but especially sewing clothes for our daughters.

Why did you start writing a blog?
I started my blog simply to document my life for our children. It was just a place where they could look back and see all the things that we did and things that I loved.

Does the name mean anything special?
The name 'one yellow jumpsuit' came from when I was pregnant with our first daughter Ava. At the time we didn't know if she was a girl or a boy and all I could find for her was yellow jumpsuits. Even though they were cute, they weren't quite my thing, so I decided to start making things for her, hence the name one yellow jumpsuit.

Your style is pretty colourful, do you have a background in art or design?
I love colour and have always loved art and design, but I never studied it. Before becoming a Mum, I was a Visual Merchandiser for Freedom (Furniture). I spent 12 years there and I loved every minute of it. I got to play and be creative everyday.

Describe a typical day?
My day usually starts pretty early, as the girls wake up at around 5am. We have breakfast and the girls watch a DVD, today it's The Waybaloo's. Ash then goes off to work at about 7am and the girls and I head off for a walk and a play at the park. We normally get home at about 10am and do some painting or play with the Guinea Pigs. The rest of the day is usually filled with housework, playing with the girls and making lunch etc. I try to squeeze in some craft while the girls draw or play and at about 3pm we start tiding up, feeding the animals (our dogs, Kitchen and Geech and our guinea pigs, mavis and lenore) having baths and I start cooking dinner at about 5pm. The girls go to bed at 7pm and I'm usually not far behind them.

How is your 36 things to do list going?
Slowly. I keep forgetting to update it. The 'going out for ice cream' part keeps getting in the way of the 'lose 24kgs' part. xx

You mentioned about learning to sign at Ava’s school, does she have some hearing difficulties?
Ava hears words a little differently to us. So, signing helps her to communicate and to simplify the words. We use Makaton Signs (which is now called Key Signs) so we only sign the key words in a sentence. It's so much fun to learn and I love watching her little face light up when we sign nursery rhymes. Her favourite is Der Glump. (One of Emma's faves too)

You don’t really mention it in you blog but you do talk about her being in intensive care, is this something you would like to talk about, esp. in regards to your quilts?
Sure. Ava was born with a rare congenital condition called a Diaphragmatic Hernia which means that she had a hole in her diaphragm and all of her intestines were sitting in her left lung cavity. We are actually very lucky to still have her and that was when she spent some time in intensive care.
While Ava was there, she was given a beautiful quilt and it made a really sterile and cold environment feel warm. That quilt meant so much to us that it made sense for me to make some for other families in the same circumstances. I think there are a few quilting clubs that make them, but anyone can do it. I made my quilts 80cm x 80cm and it's best to use a thin wadding. They can have any design on them and you can drop them into any hospital with a Neonatal intensive care unit. I promise they will be loved.

Have you always lived in Brisbane?
I have always lived here. I love it here.

I’ve never been, what makes Brisbane and interesting place to live?
For me, it's just peaceful. I love going into GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art). They always have something fun for kids and my favourite clothing designer (Dogstar) is also here. It's just a really cute city.
(Looks like a trip to Brisbane should be on my list...)

Thanks for sharing Ava's story with us all Hannah, I really love the idea of making some special quilts with my vintage fabrics.
If you are in Melbourne, here is some info about Wrapped in Love, who organise the quilt donations at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.
Please feel free to post the relevant links in your local area in the comments.

Getting to Know You - Jolie from Hey Bambini

The one thing we try to do every weekend as a family is go out to breakfast on a Sunday morning. Mr Man works 6 days a week in a very demanding job so unfortunately for him he doesn't get to spend much time with Emma or I. Breakfast out is a great chance for us to catch up on all the weeks events and enjoy some yummy Hollandaise without worrying about all the dishes. We often love checking out new places, but sometimes it can be a bit hit and miss if the cafes turn out not to be very family friendly.

That's where Jolie of Hey Bambini is a godsend. We met at a networking walk 'n' talk a little while ago and hit it off immediately as out interests are very similar - food, travel and vintage loveliness...Let's get to know her a little better...Tell us about yourself?
I’m Jolie and l run the website “Hey Bambini – Dining out with Baby”. I find and review all the child friendly cafes in Melbourne. My family and l live in Brunswick East and at our place you’ll find my hubby, two children – Oscar (2) and Elliot (6months) and my dog – Jazz.

Why did you decide to create Hey Bambini?
When l first moved to Melbourne l fell in love with the concept of going out for breakfast – the whole routine of finding a cafe – enjoying the food and having a great cup of coffee was something that l really loved to do most weekends. I must admit it’s a favourite past time of waking mid-morning and my hubby and l would mosey on out to have a quiet breakfast together while reading the weekend papers. So when l became pregnant with my first son l was worried that l wouldn’t be able to go out anymore for breakfast, and that my whole lifestyle was going to be turned upside down – (which it was) but l was determined not to let go of the one thing l enjoyed so much. Sure the drinking and the partying can take a back seat and l was prepared to sacrifice that aspect of my life but not my coffee and eggs! I was inspired by my local cafe, Small Block, which is just perfect for families. And l got to thinking surely there must be more than one child friendly cafe in Melbourne and that’s when l started my quest on finding baby friendly cafes. Cute name, how did that come about?
My husband is Italian and l must admit his Italian background has been a huge influence in my life since l met him – he is very passionate about his heritage – we even got married in Italy! So when l was thinking of a name l wanted something catchy and quirky. So l looked through the Italian dictionary for words and names that translate around a child theme. Hey Bambini is of course Italian for “Hey Babies”

Flat white, Cappuccino or latte?
Skinny Latte – no sugar.

When you are not exploring Melbourne for the next café to review, what do you enjoy doing?
I love spending time with my children and we do all sorts of fun stuff like hang out at the Zoo and Museum. l highly recommend getting a yearly family pass as we can come and go as we please, also we are very lucky that we only live a few minutes from each venue. Also Oscar has all the usual stuff like Playgroup, Soccer and Library. When I’m lucky enough to have some “me” time I’m either Op shopping for vintage treasures, my latest fad is vintage Pyrex kitchen ware, I’m slightly obsessed with second-hand goods and books! And I always have a ‘project’ on the go whether it be crocheting a new blanket, sewing stuff for the kids or painting a saved piece of furniture from hard rubbish and when l get a spare moment away from the kids and work I’m working on those. What’s your latest and greatest recommendation?
There are so many great cafes in Melbourne that cater for the kids and some of my favourites that l have visited lately would be my local Small Block, the staff are laid back and Oscar LOVES the gingerbread men and the kids corner, Moby Cafe which is in Torquay which has a FAB playground for the kids and of course Ceres Cafe – they serve some of the best organic food going round.

How do you balance being a mum and running your business?
It’s hard work! But I’m blessed with great in-laws who LOVE taking the kids off my hands if l have work commitments. I try to aim for a few hours each day in the office and try to attend all the networking events I’m invited to. Some days are productive and others not so much – the kids always come first. I try not to turn on the computer on the weekends – l believe that’s family time. My husband is very supportive and he’s a good motivator. He doesn’t mind being dragged around trying different cafes, as long as he gets his short black and big brekky he’s happy.

Would you ever open your own café?
I would LOVE to open a Hey Bambini cafe but l think I’ll have to fight my hubby for it. His dream is to open a wine bar – maybe we could combine the two!

Thanks for sharing Jolie, I think a wine bar with 'All day breakfast' would be a big hit, goodness knows there a days where I could use a stiff drink before 5!

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

Getting to Know You : Cherry Rockette

Welcome to my new semi-regular feature called 'Getting to Know You...' (yes, as in the King and I).
Here I'll be sharing the stories about you, my readers, and hopefully getting to know you a little bit better. I feel so privileged to have met and built relationships with the most awesome and interesting people through my blog and shop, and I thought you might like to meet some of them too.

So today we'll be getting to know: Cherry Rockette
I discovered Cherry's blog and Clothing Label Furious Kingston after she left a comment on my blog a little while ago. I was fascinated by her distinctive style and methodical (yet still creative) design process. The way Cherry goes about producing the Furious Kingston clothing range is in total contrast to my haphazard style, and I always feel like her blog has something to teach me.
Cherry kindly shares sewing tutorials and behind the scenes insight into what's involved producing a range of clothing. I was lucky enough to meet Cherry in a flesh at a market event we were both stall holders at, and let me tell you, she is a Super Stylish gal!
If Furious Kingston isn't enough to keep Cherry busy, she also has an adorable little boy named Kingston, and just for fun skates in a Roller Derby league!

How did you stumble across My Poppet?

I think I saw a snippet in Frankie magazine a while ago and checked out the old B&M store, but then lost the link somewhere along the way. When kid independent found Furious Kingston through etsy mid last year I rediscovered poppet and bookmarked and added it to my rss reader straight away!

Tell us about yourself?

Just a girl in this world with a love of sewing and creating, a passion for thoughtful design and vintage loveliness. Oh and a total addiction to op shopping!

Tell us about your business Furious Kingston?

"Handsome boys clothing in dapper fabrics with a vintage hoodlum influence. Inspired by everything from thirties gangsters to Psychobilly, acid country and bare knuckle boxing. " Overall I try to design hip and funky clothing that boys from one to six want to wear, without resorting to cliché styles of robots and dinosaurs and skulls. Boys care about what they wear too, and they should be encouraged to dress well, as well as be allowed to climb and play in the clothes. Which is why I try to use fabrics with a bit of stretch and lots of knee patches!
Were you formally trained in the fashion industry?

Short answer: kinda. Ha ha. I studied an advance diploma of fashion design at Douglas mawson TAFE in Adelaide back in 1999-2001, but I left before finishing. I was eager to get some real world experience under my belt, so I have spent the last ten years in every role from retail sales through to buying and quality assurance. School of life!

What was your previous professional role?

I left the workforce on maternity leave from a role in quality assurance and offshore production management.

How are you using what you learnt there in your business now?

Management and business skills never go astray, and the care and respect of handmade, quality clothing gives my label an edge over so many cheaply, factory made others.

You have a pretty distinctive personal style, how did that come about?

I think I was just born this way! I have always had a sense of wanting to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. I am not a wallflower! I Tried a hundred different personalities on whilst I was young, and kept the elements that work for me. Raspberry hair suits my skin tone much better than my natural mousy strawberry blonde, and what girl doesn't look good in a cute swing dress and wedges?

Roller derby?

Roller derby was just a great outlet for me to be me. The adrenaline junkie, harder faster addict who revels in the spotlight and wearing ruffle butt panties with pigtails. There's not many places you an do that!

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I found Lara Cameron's blog Kirin notebook over the Christmas of 2005(I think?) and adored it. I remember thinking what a great idea to do when starting up, to just get your work out there and create and hopefully if I was good enough the design would speak for itself.

What do you most enjoy creating?

I hate getting stuck and forcing a design. If I have to force it, it clearly isn't working. But I adore something that resonates as I put it together. From the original spark of an idea through to a photo on Facebook, if I still feel the wow from it throughout, that's what I love.

Do you ever get a chance to make anything for yourself?

Rarely. Usually at the last minute. Hell I was sewing the last stitches on my wedding dress 30mins before walking down the aisle!

He He! Seems none of us sewing gals ever get to make anything for ourselves.
Thank You Cherry for letting all of us get to now you a little bit better...