Lazy Sundays.............

......are a distant memory in our home.

But that is OK with us.

Being productive whilst the neighbours are chilling out & BBQing

is strangely rewarding & satisfying.

We feel SMUG.

I have made some more origami badges.

Pretty huh?

I really enjoy using Sean Prawn's badge machine-when he lets me.

We screen printed for Anorak all morning and I tiptoed about the house draping screened Tees (& the complementary matching calico carry bags) everywhere whilst ensuring I didn't wake

Freyja Moon - my niece.

She has been diagnosed with the dreaded Swine Flu and was sleeping fitfully on one of our lounges. She is getting better now

- the worst of it is over thankfully!

I hate seeing people I love suffering!!
Who doesn't I s'pose!

(Sean & I are still recovering from our flu - not certain if it was officially of the piggy variety but it was intense!)

Anyways Sean Prawn drew the short straw & is now heat setting everything while I get to sit here blogging!

I was feeling pressured (by my Self) to Blog everyday but am probably only going to once a week-ish or when I have something noteworthy to share.

I really appreciate it that some people visit this Blog.

I'd really appreciate some Comments even if they are just polite constructive criticism (?) if any of you get a chance!

Thanks a million!!!

Quick update....

The Believer

http://www.believermag.com/

(from the reknowned publishers McSweeney) is in stock finally (thanks to the lovely Alice from Ampersand Journal.)

As it is the "Music Edition" it comes with a really exciting CD.

Also a fantastic new Australian Mag called

SPOOK

http://www.spookmag.com/

has arrived & is already selling well - especially considering it is their very first issue! Had great feedback so far too!

The latest issue of the gorgeously crafty

MixTapeZine

http://www.mixtapezine.com/

& also the oft requested back issues of

Wooden Toy Chicas Edition

http://www.woodentoyquarterly.com/

all arrived Friday last!

Hurrah!!!!

Jen is wondering when we decided to turn into a Newsagency

(but we cannot help it if Australia produces such EXQUISITE publications & keep saying yes when we timidly request

to be stockists can we?!)

PLEASE DO FEEL WELCOME TO ASK

for your

complementary $2 ring from the back room

when you pop in to buy your fave magazine from us
(as I always forget to offer them!!)

tweet tweet tweet

How divine is this image? (rhetorical.)

Thanks to the many (read too many) hours we seem to be frittering away on Twitter of late: we recently "met" some very lovely; talented; creative & inspirational humans.

We are very pleased to now "stock" the

FREE MAGAZINE called SOHI.

http://www.sohimagazine.com.au/

The above image graces the cover of the first issue.

Their accompanying website is certainly a site for

sore eyes!!!

(I made a pun! Get it?)

And the Magazine? Ohhhhh it is simply exquisite.

It is about everything you & I are interested in!

We put it in stock yesterday along with the pretty signage

that states "please take one."

One very slight problem - it is perhaps just too lovely & so our Sunday Customers appeared just a tad reluctant to pick one up - maybe in case they were misreading the sign!!

Due to my having almost lost my voice yesterday - noone heard a peep out of me unless they asked me a direct question - I couldn't really offer much of a conversation regarding them

(there was rather a lot of nodding, pointing

& smiling going on!)

Anyways SOHI are numbered by hand - a very Limited Run of 2000 were printed so pop in and grab one whilst they are still available when you are in store to get the latest issue of our beloved

Frankie Magazine!(Latest issue cover above.)

http://www.frankie.com.au/
I am certain you will not regret it!

Trust me!
(Oh....and once you have had the pleasure of perusing this pretty publication - do pop in & tell us what you think of it so we can pass on your feedback to it's clever creators!)

My Sister Jen is a clever clogs.....

My Sister is really quite ridiculous. She is pretty much good at anything she puts her hand to. Often though, she'll discover a new art/craft, perfect it and then move on - bored with it's ease.

This can be frustrating for people like myself but I choose to take full advantage of this rather than be a sooky lala about it!
Fortunately for Blackbird Corner - sewing has always been a constant regardless!!!!
This week Jen has sewn a half dozen one-off gorgeous
blue crepe Party Frocks.
Due to her incredibly low boredom threshold she much prefers to create unique items rather than size ranges of identical items. This means that buying Hex(6) items is a tad like looking for Cinderella's slipper

(you've got to love it & it has to fit you!!)

but her regular Customers definitely find it worth the effort!!!
(Although there has been a few ADHD references made here

& there......lalalalala!)

Anyways once they are gone they are gone so pop in this week & try one on for size why don't you?

Gratitude unspoken.....

Oops - how very rude of me!

I must take a second to sincerely thank my partner Sean Prawn (Anorak)& my Sister Jen (Hex(6)) for really keeping everything rolling along during my extended Pity Party!!!
The shop has been going fantastically over the last month - and that is due almost entirely to their devotion. They are both absolutely integral to Blackbird Corner.

(Jen is battling her own ongoing health "issues" so I appreciate her support immensely!)

Now that I know Jen reads this blog I thought I'd better let her know she is appreciated & that I owe her big time.......
Photos of her lovely new range of Hex(6) frocks next week I promise!!!

Change for Change sake....

Of course, since we blogged last we have undergone an obligatory shuffle about!!

Our lovely Customers are well aware by now, that we love nothing more than moving everything around constantly!

It keeps you on your toes!

This is Dakota. She is a little girl friend of our gorgeous Regular Customer/Friend named Rhomany. (You can see part of Rhomany in the left of the photo - she's rummaging the Sale Basket!)

I'm not ashamed to say that I bribed Dakota to allow me to take her photo by offering her some fruit shaped rings!!

She looks like a little China Doll....

Thanks to a trip to IKEA in Homebush, we have bought a trillion more jars & now have managed to squeeze even more 'trinkets & jewellery that we didn't make' in to the Back Room. This allows us to focus more on Locally Handmade goodness in our Front Room.


We also managed to squeeze a small range of Kuwaii Stationery from Japan into our Tardis of a shop in a more organised way than it was previously displayed! Amazing how much more of it has been selling now our Customers can actually see it!!!!


We also found a more satisfying way to display our growing range of fantastic Magazines.

We have even made little information tabs describing & explaining what each of them is about for you.

Oh & by the way Alice from Ampersand tells me that The Believer is still enroute...soon we'll be stocking a new Australian Mag called SPOOK & also hopefully the latest MixTapeZine too.

Back issues of Wooden Toy Chicas Edition should arrive shortly for those of you who've been asking!!

The new Frankie isn't out till FOREVER!!! (Or the end of this month even!)

And look on the bottom shelf!
Whilst having latest big tidy up - I found a couple of the Paper Doll Sets Local Artist Onnie made for Blackbird!!!
Be fasssst! Not many left!!!

A touch of Bohemia.....

Blackbird Corner is smelling particularly scrumptious of late & that is because we are now the lucky stockists of a range of tantalisingly scented Soy Wax candles from

"A touch of Bohemia."

Handmade by Shana - the gorgeous & talented creator of Shangita Candles - they are selling like hotcakes.

Shana has been a lovely Customer since we opened & we are so pleased to be selling her Locally made wares now!

There has been a few unnerving moments where I was concerned that some Customers were actually going to take a nibble on them because they smell so DELICIOUS!!!

We are in love with her gorgeous creations!
More are due in on Tuesday!!!!

http://www.shangitacandles.com/

Information from her site about why Soy wax:

"Shangita container candles are all made from soy wax.Soy wax is derived from a completely renewable all natural source. Soy wax is not made from petroleum like paraffin candles. They burn cleaner and cooler than paraffin also lasts up to 50% longer and creates less soot. Buying soy wax candles is not only great for the environment it also supports the farming industry and not the oil industry. Soy candle wax spills are easy to clean with hot soapy water where it is difficult to remove paraffin wax from most surfaces."

Keeping busy.......catching up.

Despite my having had "the plague" we have been getting things Done.

With a capital "D".

This is entirely due to Sean Prawn's dogged determination to just keep swimming. I take no credit for anything worthwhile that has been done over the last few weeks. And a lot was done....

We really do try to listen to feedback & suggestions made by our Customers. That is why Anorak now not only prints his unique designs on Tees, Hoodies, Bags, Cards & Badges but now on lovely Linen/Cotton Teatowels too!!


When we were printing these on the weekend I was picturing them hanging in our lovely Customer's kitchens & smiling!!!

If we had a nicer kitchen I'd so have to have kept one of each!!!

But all of our energies are directed to the shop still & our kitchen is a shambles...unworthy!!

This is the second run we've done of these - in just one month -

they've been bought to be gifted for weddings & housewarmings & souvenirs from Newcastle, Australia!

Sorry aout the shine on the packaging in the photos!!

We've been keeping busy!!!! Catching up!!!

Pity Party OVER!!!

So I/we have not Blogged in an eternity.

To be honest, we're not so sure anyone reads our Blog anyways...... But for the two or three of you that I know do pop by quite frequently - I can offer a couple of excuses for my lack of devotion.

Firstly it was my Birthday recently which, irritatingly, always puts me into a pit of lethargy/manicness.

The real reason for my lack of attention is because I have been undergoing treatment for Sun Cancer. (That is why I appear as though I may have the plague - for those of you who have seen me lately you will know what I am referring to!)

I have been holding a Self Pity Party & noone else was invited!!

I'm back now (last day of treatment today & it seems to have been a success & therefore worth the side effects!!!)

Anyways, the point of this Blog is to, again, extol the virtues of Tastie Cupcakes!! Tastie Cupcakes is owned & run by a lovely Newcastle lass called Simone.

Simone is a very very generous human being.

Because my dear friend Jazzua suggested a kind of tagline for her new website, Simone rewarded BOTH OF US with a DOZEN cupcakes EACH!! FREE!!!!!

And they arrived, that's right, on my Birthday!!!!

Hurrah!!!

Tastie Cupcakes take Cupcakes to a new dimension of yum!!!

http://www.tastiecupcakes.com.au/

In honour of the yumminess I just had to make some cupcake cushions!!!! You just know I'm obsessed by cushions!!!