Aaahhh... holidays

'Poison' Ivy and Harriet, the 'H-Bomb'

 

I'm having a little holiday.  Not going anywhere.  Not doing anything special.  Just not doing anything.  Noice.

I must be honest, and admit that today, I did go and do a little stocktake of my skirts to find out how many I need to sew next week.  Probably shouldn't have done that...  The answer is too many.  More than I can sew in a week.  Do you know what that means?  I sold 18 skirts in the two weeks prior to Christmas!  Good-ness me!

And so my holiday is ruined, momentarily, because I realise that I need to restock and I need to start this week if I'm going to hold a full compliment of stock for the 9th January market.  Maybe I'll just take orders until I can rebuild my stock.

So back to my holiday.  I've been relishing the extra time with my littlies, pictured above.  The H-Bomb, at two and a half, has been an absolute gem over Christmas.  She cracks me up all the time with her endless chatter and funny quips.  She doesn't miss a trick.  Poison Ivy, now 6 months, is a little stunner with a huge grin that she dishes out readily.  She loves her big sister and when she starts getting around I'm sure she'll be a little shadow.

Here she is pictured in the beepbeep sling I bought recently.  This is her fave spot at the moment.  She sits up in it and tries to grab everything in arms reach.  She drops off to sleep with the movement and loves being close to mum.  She is such a mummy's girl.

Well, better get back to doing... nothing.  Aaaah... holidays.

Christmas is over for this year... at the Homespun Market anyway!

Our final market for 2009 certainly went off with a bang!

A few hiccups with another function on-site meant that all of our outside stalls had to be shifted to the footpath in front of the hall.  Whilst this was just a temporary measure for the day I think it ended up being quite successful and only added to the atmosphere at the market.

Pity the Council wouldn't agree...

The laneway looked its best with Rocky Gardens, Four Seasons Herbs, Country Hot Potatoes and Lees Orchards showing their wares.

Look at them lined up at Pat's Rocky Gardens stall for that yummy jam and sauce!:

Our inside stalls went off without a hiccup and all looked great.  My photography efforts didn't stretch that far thanks to Poison Ivy and her bad day.  I also missed getting a photo of the little choir that turned up to do some busking and the gorgeous little boy with his violin!  They sounded so awesome!

With the beautiful weather, the great crowd and wonderful offerings from our stalls, we had a lovely day all round.

Thanks so much for your support in 2009.

We re-open on 9th January 2010 in our new format of the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.

Have a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year break!

last market before christmas... don't miss out!

Ok, so I've got a really limited amount of time to write this blog entry about who is going to be at the market this week.  Sorry, no long winded bits about everyones stuff, just the bare basics this week.

Samspiration - felted brooches, toys, beanies, animals

Soewnearth - hand-dyed silk scarves and handmade buttons

Hoot Hoot Hooray - wrap skirts

Kylane Creations - cards, photo albums, hair accessories

inner+child - children's accessories

Robin Cochrane - chunky, beaded jewellery & freshwater pearls

Isis - handbound journals

Nicole dj - flat toys, hair accessories, scarves

Crystal Rivet - sock toys, embroidered buttons

Kathleen Ritson - egyptian cotton sheet sets, neck cushions, cards, Creative Memories solutions

Mary Curran and Janice - hand bags, purses and totes, skirts

Tamar Valley Gourmet Foods - cakes, slices, biscuits, christmas baking, choc coated raspberries

Janine Collins - hand-dyed silk scarves, embellished tees

Tina Pinkard - bags of all descriptions, christmas decorations

Apooki - hair accessories, baby onesies

Lizart - jewellery

Cheryl Medwin - freefrom crochet & knitting

Megan & Genevieve - cupcakes! and soft toys

Little Jenny Wren Dolls - cute dolls and bits

Bubbamia - purses, pencil rolls

Shaz & Mary - knitted items

Rocky Gardens - jams, sauces, preserves

Four Seasons Herbs - potted herbs, organic coffee

Lees Orchards - apples, free-range eggs, veg

Mis'chief by Tuskin - jewellery, hats, brooches, rings

Hot Country Potatoes - lllllunch!

3 Blind Mice - soy wax candles in recycled containers

Baindu Tamba - african hair braiding, jewellery, clothing

Niki - kid's clothing & accessories

Rare - handbags and satchels made from recycled fabrics

Sally Novak - jewellery made from natural findings

Bruno Barcodi - chunky, cool, silver pendants


Wow-wee, 32 stalls!!  Our biggest market ever!

Get your last minute gifts, a cupcake for morning tea, a potato for lunch and your christmas baking at this week's market.  Who wouldn't want to come along!!

Where is it again?  Pilgrim Hall, Paterson St, Launceston (opposite Myer carpark)
And what time? 10am-3pm sharp

PS. We are opening fortnightly in 2010 on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.  Our next market is 9th January 2010.

busy, busy, busy

one weekend... two markets

First it was the Homespun Market on Saturday. 

Where did all of those people come from??!  It was a huge day - 18 inside and 9 outside stalls and lots and lots of patrons.

Then, on Sunday, it was up with (or quite possibly before) the sparrows and off to Hobart for the market.

Another great day!  We were stoked with the awesome antique hat and coat stand that was provided to us and also our position close to the 'secret toilet' come fitting room with a great mirror!

our stall at 'the market' Hobart

We were intrigued with all the amazing chairs and cupboards and so many of those hat stands and secret rooms and cctv and intercoms and gizmos and gadgets in this amazing venue - the Masonic Temple.  We felt very naughty having a little poke around and came away with more questions about the use of the facility than answers.  Very interesting.

our 'point of sale counter' consisted of a little stand that we found right behind our stall that held our carry bags beautifully and we brought down our own trunk as our 'table'












We sold some skirts and had a good look around this lovely market.  It is held on the first Sunday of each month and is run by three amazing ladies.  The halls looked really lovely with good lighting, a free-flowing layout and excellent signage.

I'm now absolutely stuffed but about to get into an order taken from yesterday so that I can get it in the mail tomorrow.

A Handmade Christmas

I took a little 'me time' last weekend after the market and jumped on the plane to Melbourne for a couple of days.  Little H-Bomb stayed behind with Grandma and Grampsie, and Poison Ivy, who is still being breast-fed, came along with me for the ride.

Trips to Melbourne normally encompass a huge amount of shopping, especially the pre-Christmas trip.  But do you know what?  I spent more at the last two Homespun Markets than I did in Melbourne. 

This Christmas is a handmade Christmas.

I am giving the most gorgeous, special and different gifts this year.  Why not pop down to the market and make your Christmas a handmade Christmas too.

This week, you can find:

Soewnearth - beautiful woven silk scarves, hand-dyed woollen tops, very cool handmade buttons and groovy scarf pins

Chocolates in Bloom - give a bunch of chocolates instead of flowers or use Nicole's special boxed treats as a centre for the Christmas table

Cheryl Medwin - Cheryl's own free-form knitting and crochet including cute cards

Bubbamia - cute coin purses and groovy pencil rolls, great gifts!

Kylane Creations - our talented and metamorphic Kylie has her scrapbooked cards, chockies and canvases and now does really cute button hair ties too

inner+child - back again this week with their groovy childrens' accessories

Robin Cochrane - chunky-style beaded jewellery including freshwater pearls

Isis Made - you must see Isis' very awesome hand-bound journals, did I say awesome... awesome!!!

Raewyn Makes - **new** click on the link and have a look at those amazing cards!  go on!

Kathleen Ritson - botanical print cards, egyptian cotton sheets for all size beds, neck cushions, Creative Memories solutions

Mary Curran and Janice - lots and lots of different shaped and styled totes plus cute skirts made with lovely stretch cotton jersey

Lee Harper - welcome back Lee!  Gorgeous handstitched and embroidered things...

Lizart - Really lovely beaded jewellery and handmade rings

Janine Collins - welcome back too!  Hand-dyed silk scarves plus scarves that have been loom-woven by hand, just so nice

Tina Pinkard - shopping bags, table runners, all kinds of fabric and sewn stuff

Apooki - cool fabric button hair things and new appliqued onesies this week

Taritta Butchart - cute little vintage pillowcase dresses

Red Bamboo - yum, yum! Soy candles, soaps, lip balms, bath bombs, oh so decadent!

Waifs and Strays - **new** very practical and very beautiful bags made from vintage fabrics

Rocky Gardens - jams and sauces - you'll just be sick of me saying how yummy they are - so buy some and try for yourself!

Four Seasons Herbs - herbs, herbs and herbs oh and organic coffee beans too!

Niki - very cute, very gorgeous kids clothing and accessories

Chris - **new** finally, something for little boys!  Remember those little, wooden toys you had as a kid.  Real toys they were, not plastic so and so.  Get these right here at the market on Saturday!

Mis'chief by Tuskin - all kinds of handmade bits and pieces by the talented Kellie

Country Fresh Hot Potatoes - mmmmm, lunch!

Axis Design - **new** honey, grown right here in the Tamar Valley

Lees Orchards - apples and free-range eggs and sometimes fresh veg too!

Bruno Barcodi - really beautiful pendants or commission Bruno for your next sculpture

Rare - bags made from reclaimed and recycled materials


We are taking over the Pilgrim Uniting Church property.  We are in three different areas this week and we also have some artwork from the John Calvin School in the gallery too.  We are so worth crossing Paterson Street for!

See you at the Pilgrim Hall on Saturday from 10am to 3pm on the dot.


PS.  If you would like a Hoot Hoot Hooray wrap skirt this week, you will either have to come down to the market hobart, buy one online or wait until next week :)

Stallholder Profile - Red Bamboo Handmade Things

We are soooo lucky this week to have Annie from Red Bamboo Handmade Things at the market!

Annie moved down from sunny, warm Queensland to cold, changable Tassie with her hubby and two cats nearly one year ago.  She was entrenched in the markets up there too with a regular gig at Designers Emporium which is now Boutique Markets.

We first met Annie a few months ago at our September market.  Wow, were we impressed with her gorgeous soaps, lotions, lip balms and soy candles and melts, all beautifully packaged!

I finally came to acquire a couple of Annie's products a few weeks ago and I am hooked!  The scents are amazing!  I've been keeping them with my Christmas present stash in the formal lounge which is closed up most of the time.  I now regularly just pop my head in and take a whiff and mmmmmm! it smells so good!

Annie is back at the market this week with a small range of her wonderful products.  She'll be flanked by a few friends including our favourite journal maker, Isis.

See Annie and friends at the Market this Saturday, 10am-3pm, Pilgrim Hall.

to market, to market

The day is set.  The weather is looking favourable, not too hot, not too cold.  The stallholders are stocked up and ready.  The hall will be looking radiant (and even more so next week - watch this space!).

And the starters for tomorrow are:

Chocolates in Bloom - the place, the only place where you can buy these gorgeous bunches of chocolates.  If you're stuck for a baby shower gift, Nicole has some beautiful things for that too!

littlejomm -  very cool, very hip, very cosmopolitan - as featured this week, groovy kid's tops

Hoot Hoot Hooray - what can I say, the grooviest - it is my stock, so I can be biased!  Cotton drill wrap skirts with a designer print on the front - just a little different

inner+child - really gorgeous little kids things for decorating the bedroom or wearing, including very cute little fairy wing t-shirts

Robin Cochrane - lovely, chunky-style beaded jewellery and freshwater pearls

The Sweet Tooth -  Tasmanian-made lollies, chocolates and fudges

Kathleen Ritson - a large range of neck cushions, Egyptian cotton sheets, botanical themed cards, Creative Memories solutions

Mary Curran and Janice -  our lovely and friendly mum and daughter team have a huge range of totes and bags and comfy cotton jersey skirts too

Tina Pinkard - if you haven't gotten your Christmas Tree Skirt yet, get one from Tina!  She also has bags including very handy shopping bags

Sue Lee-Archer - a range of knitted and sewn items including cute Christmas tree ornaments

Kylane Creations - really lovely scrapbooking themed cards, albums, wall hangings and chocolate!

Lizart - jewellery of all kinds including fine beaded jewellery and rings

Three Little Chickens - cards, bags and oh I can't remember what else Carrie-Ann sent me!  Come and see for yourself!

Vicki Barnes **new**

Samspiration - just beautiful felted bits and bobs including the most divine brooches, children's toys, mobiles, booties and beanies

Emma Kimpton - even though she has moved back to the big smoke, her beautiful cards are still available for a limited time, until sold out!

Taritta Burchart **new**

Niki - gorgeous, gorgeous children's wear.  Beautiful dresses and cute overalls!

Mis'chief by Tuskin - a range of bits and bobs that have been sewn and beaded.  Everything from hats to jewellery and brooches too

Rocky Gardens - you know the speel already and if you're buying the supermarket jam, you are missing out on an amazing eating experience big time!

Four Seasons Herbs - a huge range of potted herbs.  Pot up your own mini herb garden today... or tomorrow actually, a great gift for someone who has everything, or just to improve your own cooking experience!  Ask Tara how...


Do I need to remind you that we are in town.  You're coming in to do your Christmas shopping anyway, so get out of the mall and check out our 22 micro-shops under one roof!

Pilgrim Hall, on Paterson Street, opposite the Myer/Birchalls carpark.  10am-3pm.  Don't miss it!