Shabby chic bunting

I am a huge fan of shabby chic - it's a simple style evoking comfort and romance. I love those dreamy, soft floral fabrics you find at Cath Kidston or Laura Ashley - they make me think of cosy English country kitchens with a distressed kitchen table, jugs of wild flowers, and a vintage Aga with something home-cooked and delicious baking in it!

I already had an 'Autumnal shabby chic' bunting in my range, but not only is it no longer Autumn (!) but the fabric for this is now out of print, so it was high time for something new!

I hunted high and low for something that would fit the bill and came up with these lovely coordinating Moda fabrics - the big roses are the epitomy of shabby chic to me. So any of you with a big country kitchen, this is for you - I think it would work beautifully for a country wedding too, don't you?

Mexican oilcloth bunting

I bought some lovely Mexican oilcloth from Susie at I just love that fabric ages ago, and until now haven't got around to sewing with it. However, with the sun shining today I decided that would be my next project - some outdoor bunting that would work perfectly in a poolside environment - practical and waterproof yet bold, bright and gorgeous!

I found the oilcloth really beautiful to sew and cut, but had to leave the stitching on the outside instead of turning the oilcloth inside out to create a neater seam - it does look lovely still though and I'm definitely going to add oilcloth bunting to my website as I think it'd be great for the Aussie outdoors!

Here is the finished product hanging out on my terrace this afternoon (wish I had a pool!!) - double-sided pink hibiscus and tutti fruit stripe bunting - gorgeous!!

Fantastic find: A Little Bit of Cheek

A Little Bit of Cheek is a newly-launched cheeky online store with an attitude - you've just got to check it out! Run by fellow mumpreneur Raegan (Mum of Violet, 2) this groovy store is stocked with clothes, accessories and gifts for funky babies and children up to 14. This is the place to come for something a little different - there seem to be clothes and gifts on this site I have seen nowhere else... and definitely a thing or two for the little groover.

Looking with my own children in mind, I know Katy (9) would absolutely love these 'Best Shorty Shorts' (short & very cool, but not tooooo short) and I can just see William (6) in the stripy skull singlet.

Raegan has done a fantastic job of providing something a little different for us online shoppers, and I think what marks her out from the crowd is that she provides something for a wider age range than many childrens' sites. And who knew you could even buy lullaby renditions from Coldplay? You really do have to visit A Little Bit of Cheek - it's never too early to educate your little rockers!

My Brand Name Baby

I was very happy this morning to find that we have been blogged about on My Brand Name Baby - a U.S site for "moms that wear sweats while their babies wear couture".

How lovely to know that Festoon is now reaching an American audience! You can read their blog on http://www.mybrandnamebaby.com/2009/08/flag-day.html

... and the winner is.....

Here is my middlest bub with the winning entry for my latest bunting giveaway... yes, if you can squint reeeeeally hard you may just be able to work out that written on the paper in William's hand is..... Your Cheeky Monkey! (sorry, pic taken on my phone as camera currently deciding to be awkward, hence v. poor picture quality... well that's my excuse anyway, never was much good with photos!!)

So well done Your Cheeky Monkey (aka the lovely Monique) - some spaceman bunting is going to be on it's way to you very shortly - hope your boys love it! Please just email me your address on jenny@festoon.com.au! xxx

Bunting at Magnolia Square

I'm sorry I seem to have been a bit 'absent' from my blog in the last few days - I have been snowed under trying to get a big order out of the door! I've not quite finished it yet, so must crack on... but just thought I'd quickly post this pic of the lovely Kate from Sambellina at her party stall with my bunting and a pile of delicious-looking cupcakes at Magnolia Square last week...

You can read more about how Kate got on at Magnolia Square in the Sambellina's Party blog - her stand even managed to earn equal runners' up in the Visual Merchandising Award. Well done, Kate!

Fantastic find: Made To Inspire

Made to Inspire was born from a simple yet inspiring beginning, when during a personally difficult time in her life, jewellery designer & engraver Filomena engraved a special ring for herself which read “I CAN DO IT”. This ring signified her desire to be positive, to keep moving forward - a visual, positive affirmation she would see each day.

Many customers and friends noticed the ring and were taken by the message and the idea behind the ring. Slowly orders starting coming in with customers requesting their own messages of inspiration for their piece. Orders came in all forms, languages and styles. From this encouraging response the inspiration for ‘Made to Inspire’ took off. Now a mother and daughter team Filomena and Natalia work side by side creating works to inspire and feed the souls of their customers.

They now create upmarket sterling silver or gold rings, pendants, Alert and ID tags which can be engraved with any message, family names, mottos or sayings. They also have a 'Secrets' collection coming out soon - these pieces will have a special compartment to them which will hold either a little charm or message, for those customers who prefer not to make their message known to everyone.

Truly the perfect keepsake gift for that very special occasion.

100 reached! So it's giveaway time again...

I know, it's actually not been long since my last giveaway, but this one is a special 'extra' one to thank everyone who has added themselves to my Facebook fan page to enable me to get to 100 fans and obtain my very own Festoon URL. I reached 100 within just a couple of days and am so thankful for all the fab support that I decided to giveaway some more bunting as a celebration and a big thank you!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

So.... this time I am going to give away one of these two bunting swags to one of you:

One is a funky retro boys' banner with a spaceman theme, the other is a gorgeous girly design we call 'Girls Play' and they are both 3M long. The fabric used in girls' play is now actually out of print, so this one is the last of it's kind!

To win your bunting, please just let me know which one you would like to win, and why, and please please become a follower of my blog if you're not already. The winner will be drawn out of the hat by my 6 year old this time, one week today (Friday 14th August) I will take a piccie of the draw taking place!

Good luck folks, and don't forget to tell all your friends to enter too!

Facebook fans

I am desperately trying to recruit Facebook fans at the moment - once I get to 100 they will give me a proper business page and url - last time I looked I was somewhere around 83 so please, please everyone, click on my Facebook link at the side of this page and become a fan if you can - it will be much appreciated...

AND I have decided to do another giveaway once I reach the magic 100 - so there's an incentive for you too!

Thanks so much to everyone who is a fan so far - you all rock!!! :-)

x Jenny x

White pompom trim bunting

I have just completed this custom order - it's impossible to tell from this picture but I've used about five different white fabrics - white spot on white, white stripe on white, lace, plain white, and white flowers on white, all edged with white pompom trim.

It was the customer's own design and she wants it to hang in the windows of her childrens' bedroom (I have done two lengths for her) - it was quite fiddly to sew but looks quite pretty.

It would be good for weddings too, don't you think?

Fantastic find: Scamps Eco Boutique

My latest discovery of an online business run by a fellow 'at-home Mum' is Scamps Eco Boutique, owned by mother-of-two Louise. Scamps Eco Boutique is an online store specialising in New Zealand made cloth nappies, wraps and slings, cloth mama pads, natural baby skin care and hand made wooden toys for all ages. Look at this Choc Bubbles Couture All In One Cloth Nappy by Cushie Tushies - how adorable! I almost wish we still needed nappies at our home (but not quite...)

One of New Zealand's first stores to sell cloth nappies on line, there is something here for everyone, all of it natural and eco-friendly, and it's so nice to see some earth friendly alternatives to those mainstream plastic toys too!

I particularly like their beeswax crayons, chunky and non-toxic and by all accounts creating beautiful colour with a lovely scent of honey.

Not only eco-friendly but toddler-tummy-friendly too...!