in the shadows

Sean is at home today, putting up hooks

& constructing a new kitchen bench.

Doing new house things.

As one does.

Everything is new to us there still, so exciting.

He just took this photo of the shadows cast on our kitchen window by our Beci Orpin Teethy Mobile & the tree outside.

You may find it a strange thing to take a photo of (?) but I don't. This is why I just adore my Sean - because I would've done the same thing were I the one at home today.

Just thought you may like it too.

xxx

uh oh I went shopping....

Recently Sean & I had to brave the crowds & go to a big shopping centre. Anyone who knows us is well aware that this is our idea of hell on earth for many, many reasons.

We do it so rarely that it's always a shock to the system for me.

Because we'd wanted to beat the freeway traffic, we arrived way earlier than the opening time of the only shop we wanted to shop in - IKEA for an expedit shelf for my sewing room.

I made the mistake of actually browsing the shops that were open and was amazed by the genericness (is that even a word??) of the items on the shelves. Despite going in to 4 or 5 "different" franchises it felt as though I'd just been into the one giant store.

Except for one shop (that I won't name) that seemed to be selling mass produced items - um let's just say - "inspired" by the creations of independent designers...calling them blatant copies may be a tad strong....or, you know, not!

I think I understand why people are a bit surprised in our shop now when they find things they've not seen elsewhere!

Wowsers - why do people go to those places?

Anyways, going there certainly justified my most recent purchase!

It's a hand made cushion cover with a complete map of the UK where my Sean hails from! I bought it online - from My Bearded Pigeon who I've been following on Facebook for a while now. Buying handmade online is very justifiable I reckon!

Made from 100% certified organic cotton - the printed fabric is exclusive to My Bearded Pigeon and not available anywhere else in the world! Now that is the kind of shopping that makes my day.

From her blog:

"My Bearded Pigeon is the grown up brand of crafter Cath Young from children's brand chunky chooky. Cath lives with her husband, daughter and big old dog on a few acres on the edge of the small green town of Bellingen on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia....My Bearded Pigeon is a homewares range mixing a love of vintage images and modern organic textiles."

Oh my goodness!

It's even more scrumptious in real life!!

xxx

PS Hope she doesn't mind my blogging about her!

Layer upon layer

Today is my beautiful Sister Jen's Birthday.

So off to "the 'gog" we went. Well Mum & I did at least - Sean had to stay and keep the home fires burning. ie run Blackbird.

We had a scrumptious brunch at the one and only Cafe Dungog then strolled happily along Dowling Street - which is Dungog's "main drag." I was pretty darn impressed to see that some crafty folk had gone nuts wrapping poles & trees with their swish knits.

I thought that you'd like to see,

so I took some snaps to share with you:

Dungog is (in my humble opinion) already one of the most beautiful places in the world, these just added another layer to the lushness. The fresh air always wipes me out though - so I'm not going to have the most productive of afternoons now that I'm home sweet home.

xxx

PS I'm freezing. Are you?

This is why I do this.

Yesterday was a truly delightful day at Blackbird Corner.

We had a steady stream of completely gorgeous & supportive people through our doors all day.

Days like those just really reinforce that we've made the right decision to stick it out here!

We certainly aren't doing this to make our fortune...

We've both worked for massive companies (in what we call our "past lives" hee hee) where we've earned more than triple what we earn now but our souls were being utterly devoured.

It IS immensely satisfying sharing our creations & those of our friends, with people that appreciate Handmade.

Sharing our days with people who are "into" what we are "into" is just a complete luxury.

One of my extremely lovely customers (who is turning 25 on the 25th of June and lives in a home that is number 25 too!) slipped this card under our door this morning to thank me for a lovely visit yesterday!

Needless to say - I welled up.

How nice is that?!

Seriously!!

If this is the "type" of person we "attract" well then ,

I'm a very happy camper!

While I'm here, this cracks me up so I'll share...

On Tuesday at 4pm I decided to join in the discounting fun on Darby Street for the end of the financial year & discount our gorgeous LOMO products. (Fear not we are not stopping selling them-there are just some exciting changes afoot I'm told!)

Anyway, on the right in the above photo is the dodgy sign I made. Sean was mortified by it's "crassness" & complete lack of style. He immediately sat down & designed the one on the left. Then walked in the torrential rain (Wednesday morning was horrific in Newy) to Officeworks to organise it's printing. Of course they couldn't do it immediately (sigh) so he had to walk back there in the afternoon to collect it!

That is dedication.

I am blessed.

xxx

PS I'm not gloating I promise!

Just appreciating what we have.

xx

Take advantage of us.

I have some rather exciting news for you!

As you know, we don't tend to "do" heavy discounting because most of our lovely stock is Handmade.

Well GUESS WHAT!!!

JUST GUESS WHAT'S DISCOUNTED!!!

TRY!!!

Oh I guess you looked at the photo first huh!

You are not hallucinating!!

Because some exciting changes are coming in the new Financial Year for LOMO we are heavily discounting our current stock of

LOMO Products!

That's right!

LOMO Cameras AND LOMO Accessories!

25% off marked prices.

nuts!

And yes. We will still post anywhere in Australia via Express Post with a flat fee of $10.

Email us at blackbirdcorner@yahoo.com.au if you'd like to take advantage of us - oops I mean of this deal.

xxx

PS This feels weird!

Warm feet

oooooooooooh a new crop of My Poppet hot water bottle covers just arrived!

Do we get another one & buy a second hot water bottle

OR

continue to share the one we have already?

hmmmmmm

xxx

PS They really do actually keep your hot water bottle hot!

And they're cosy to touch with your feet instead of that horrid rubbery plasticy stuff!

We're smitten kittens!

Home sick for home!

Our lovely Delilah Devine vintage wallpaper flying ducks

finally have a home!!

And so do we!

Our gorgeous new money boxes arrived from the very lovely

Jayde at Little Paper Lane!

We've sat them together atop our new sideboard in our very white loungeroom. Sorry about the mess but we're still settling in!

I couldn't crop the photo as that would have removed the Jordan Crane Prints that I completely adore!

Inside that old wooden radio shell we have two Speakrboxes.

Playing our music from ipod/iphones out of that casing is just a lovely touch I think!

Can you tell that I'm very very happy in our new home?

xxx

PS Thanks for bearing with us during our move!!

New Home indeed!!

As you may know already, Sean & I moved home last Monday.

We are now blessed to live in our very favourite Newcastle suburb - Cooks Hill!

Very exciting indeed.

We're more than half unpacked already & are just (patiently) waiting for our (lovely) builder to finish creating Sean's new screen printing room now. Once that happens then we can move all of his (boxes & boxes of) stuff out of my (teeny) new workspace and I can settle in too!

Then maybe we can get creating & pour lovely new items into our beloved store!

Luckily our consigners have been most forthcoming with their creations & kept Blackbird full to the brim with scrumptiousness!!

We'd be utterly lost without them.

Do you know who else we'd be all at sea without?

You.

Our lovely Customers who support our passions & whims (& eccentricities).

So many of you are crafters & creative in your own right. I'm constantly enthralled by the things you guys create & think up!

Ideas that I'd never come up with in a million years!

One such extremely clever Customer/fellow creator is Helen from Blossom & Cat

Above is a photo of the gorgeous housewarming gift Helen slipped under our door this morning!! I cannot wait to go home & pop it up on our (shiny new) fridge with the supplied button magnets!!

So very blessed.

xxx