This Week :: 2 2 . 0 1 . 1 4

The fabric goodness that will be stitched up + made into something more fantabulous this week! A lil teaser shall we say ~ wink!

Sampler Monday :: Moo cards

My first week back at work were busy ordering sampler packs of this + this was the first to arrive.   Its always exciting to get a package in the mail, and better when the contents are a complete surprise! I managed to bust through most of my business cards over the christmas craft show season ~ and thought well i did love the ones i had, but what other styles/options does Moo Cards offer, so instead of choosing blindly, i ordered a free sampler pack! So i think i might change it up a bit + go for a more fancy finished look! Can't wait to receive my next package from Moo!

Cerulean Blue

This week was all about getting back into it, learning a new technique + making sure i did some things of my 2014 Sparky checklist! Mission accomplished ~ ahhhhh. So in my time off over the festive season, i managed to get happily lost in the cyber world...and ended up finding some really top notch stuff!! New techniques, gorgeous sewing patterns + de-licious fabrics that my eyes are   well.. drooling over! (my project list is getting massively exciting!). 

So with my new found bias binding method, i thought i'd try it...as it could work out better than what i have been doing for the last few years! Didn't disappoint! Easy + commonsensical, funny.... it never seemed to cross my mind to do it that way! Anyways Mr 'Honey Box Blue' Humphred Jones looks quite handsome with his Cerulean blue trimmings. What colour is Cerulean you ask? well its royal blue, but i think Cerulean sounds more fancy!  There is one of these Mr's currently in the shop!

Happy Weekending!

Sparky Jones in 2014

Well i've been jotting down all my daydreams + goals for Sparky 2014 in my ideas journal of late. The great thing about taking a vacation ~ is thats when your brain really goes goes into relaxed, creative overload! So i've just been trying to finalize the thoughts into a few key areas, as...well my lists can be awfully long + completely unachievable. 

Now before we go any further...to throw a spanner into the works, i happened to read a very insightful + thought provoking blogpost (on blogging,businessing + life) of Holly Becker's over at Decor8.  (Did i mention that i drool over the interior designs she finds - yum!)  Its a bit of a lengthy read, but well worth it!  Basically its about letting go of perfection, having fun + invigorating action instead of  inspiring a nothingness!

Anyways...i'm still a list writer, but she made my brain think in alternative directions - which is AOK!

So what did i learn about 'building an impeccable business in 2013'??

Well it didn't go so smoothly, nope, i never put 'getting abundantly sick' in the plan.  It got to the point where it was embarrassing, i couldn't even mention it anymore because it was so out of control, and i didn't want peeps thinkings i was.....'one of those'.  I've never been a sickly person...the occasional sinus infection, some tummy issues...so i cut out wheat + dairy and life seemed to be good, but...in the last 6 months, we must have got every bug,cootie, flu + bacteria known to man.   I say 'we' as the babe, Mr + i happily passed things back + forward.  On top of that i had about 2 tooth infections, a root canal on a root canal + a crazy tummy bacteria from all the antibiotics (always take probiotics trust me!).

By December i was worn out, beat up, run down...but a touch slimmer  :: giggle!

So i guess it made me realize that, plans are always meant to be broken (babes are good for that too!), you have to learn to go with the flow a bit more, relax + adapt.  And not sure that being a full-time blogger is for moi...its super hard + kudos to those out there who do! I feel a bit more at home behind the sewing machine than the screen.

Okay so last years list was...pretty amazing ! but with the lessons learned, a lil family to think of, I had to do some  tweaking  + re-adjusting the ol'  Sparky Jones businessing model, here's the adventures i've planned for this year  ::

(some of last years items definitely made it onto this years longer version of the list - wink wink hello nice shoes!) 

So what can you peeps expect ? I will be still 'building an impeccable business' but do it a bit more organically. Adventures are a must, indie-preneur interviews - yes, businessing tips + spectacular ideas - check, and creative stuff to invigorate, motivate + get you off the couch....okay sounds good too! So stop by when you can...there is some scrumptious news coming towards the end of the months - yipPy hooray!!

Handmade Bias Binding

I'm making some royal blue handmade bias binding today, to finish up the last couple of slightly different, just as gorgeous 'Honey Box Blue' Humpred Jones....and that got me to thinking....projects!  I haven't done any projects for a while, however there are many constantly playing around in my noggin.  So perhaps i shall put 'how to make an enormous amount of bias binding, so you'll never run out!' in my notes

snippets of the Merry days 2013.

Well we ended up staying put for the festive season - work schedules, the snowy white stuff + finances kinda of played a part in our decision, and well... i'm pretty sure having a lazy vacation is exactly what our lil family of 3 needed. 

I was in snapshot mania(due to my new found scrumptious settings on my camera!), so i thought i'd share with you, some of my fav's ::

1.   Jammies + naps were high on the agenda. 

2.  I thought i'd start a lil family tradition :: a special christmas ornament for our babe.  This year was a lil woolly sheep, a sweet reminder of her Australian roots.

3.  We spent a lot of time looking out the window!  It was a wildlife extravangza..creatures with antlers, quails, ducks...all the things we have been learning about .. were in the real!

4.   The Mr scored many points for this pressie! A delicious mustard plaid blouse by Teaka Marie.

5.   Bea got the most beautiful book from our bestsies, Emily Winfield Martin's 'Dream Animals'.  Which funny enough was on my list to get for them..Grrrr

6.  Looks like a reindeer mask....but its actually a christmas card - a fantabulously cute find!

Well just tidying up my Sparky 2014 notes + ideas, which i'll be writing about later in the week. ... Its always exciting to share what you dream about...

happy monday

Hello hello lovely peeps, its back to work Monday!...lots of things have been going on, but mostly in my creative brain (mini vacations are great for that!). I'll be sharing a few snapshots of our festive season tomorrow, and later in the week sharing whats in store for Sparky Jones 2014!

Happy New Beginnings!!

Just a quick note (i'm still trying to be on holidays!) Happy New Beginnings friends!!!

I love this part of the year - not because i'm a crazy party animal, nope...i don't think i've seen midnight for a couple of years now (me + my old lady pants) :: giggle...but because i love the 1st of january!!  This means the 'christmas crazies' are officially over ~ YiPpY!  People get back to their normal selves, the stress is over, the eating frenzy has calmed (well kind of) and its the one time of year you can really give yourself a break + have some real time off of what ever it is you do.

To moi, the 1st of January means the slate has been wiped clean...you get a fresh start - you might have messed up a couple of things in 2013...but who cares..its 2014!  So this means you get to make a new exciting list of things you want to accomplish for the year, throw in some new adventures + new crazy goals and tada,  you are completely re-energized and ready to really give life a go...

So i might post a couple of snapshots here + there, but we'll be officially back at work on Monday the 6th January, so

au revoir.... enjoy this time with your families/peeps/pooches + making your new wonderful lists of crazy adventures!