Festoon

Festoon is taking a break

2010-03-11T15:55:00.003+11:00

For a little while now we have been rethinking the Festoon brand and store, and have some new and exciting ideas and visions for the future. We had always planned to do more than just bunting (hence the 'and more' in our store tagline)... and now, with a house move on the horizon and a whole lot of upheaval ahead, it seems like a good time to temporarily close the store, to focus on other things, and clear the decks for a relaunch later in the year.

We've loved 'chatting' to you here and thank you all for your welcome comments along the way - it's always nice to know someone out there is listening!

Look forward to introducing our bigger, brighter, more fabulous products to you later in the year.... but for now, cheerio and good luck in all of your own wonderful endeavours!

Jenny x x x

"Hmm.... I definitely think Festoon Bunting needs to be unraveled!"

Cupcakes and stars

2010-02-25T12:52:00.006+11:00

Festoon has been so busy this past couple of weeks that this poor blog has been sadly neglected... and we're still not out of the woods yet!!! While time for blogging is short, I didn't want to go for much longer without posting something, so here's a little pic of one of our recent customised creations made for a little cupcake fan - her Mum ordered this to go with her hot pink bedroom. I hope she likes it!

Festoon in the media

2010-02-10T19:30:00.004+11:00

We were soooooo excited and proud to see a double-page article on Festoon in the Herald Sun Home Magazine last weekend - whoop whoop!! For those of you who didn't see it, here is a piccie - of course, it's too small for you to read ... I haven't quite worked out how to get it any bigger (help anyone??)... but at least you can see all the gorgeous photos they took!

Bunting for weddings

2010-02-04T09:36:00.008+11:00

One of Tom's lovely preschool teachers, Jess, got married recently in a gorgeous setting down by the waterside, and used simple white fabric bunting to mark out the perimeters of her ceremony. She hired large parasols to attach the bunting to, and it really looked so effective.

Bunting is such an cheap yet beautiful way to create that special wedding ambience and we can do simple white styles such as this - or can come up with something individual to match your personal wedding colours or theme.

Congratulations to the very happy couple!

Mini Bunting from vintage seed labels

2010-01-31T19:34:00.004+11:00

I saw this mini bunting today on the lovely Tea for Joy blog (UK) - isn't it sweet!?

It shows a Cork pen pot from Papermash (£9.95), styled with mini bunting made from vintage seed labels from Burgundy Brocante (from £6.) So simple, yet so lovely - and recycling at its best!

Festoon - a definition

2010-01-30T22:01:00.006+11:00

I was perusing the internet this evening when I happened to fall upon the Martha Stewart Living Radio blog. One of her pre-Christmas posts talked about the definition of the word 'Festoon', and I thought I'd quote a little of what she said here as it really defines why we chose this name for our company in the first place...

"Festoon is most commonly used as a verb meaning “to decorate” in a general sense. But a festoon is technically a specific kind of decoration. You’ve seen those long, chainlike decorations that are suspended from the ceiling, high on the wall, or across a corner. Some blaze a message across them, such as Happy Holiday. They’re all called festoons. It’s kind of like bunting meets a banner.

A festoon can also be an architectural detail, like a chain ornament carved into a wall, as if imitating the other festoon. This festoon is very similar to swag. The primary difference is that swag is always hung with fabric. The Romans hung plenty of swags and festoons in the public square. During the Renaissance, they made a comeback. We’ve unfurled them on any special occasion ever since. Perhaps the real difference between swag and festoon is that festoon began as a festival tradition. Yes, there’s a reason why festival and festoon sound so similar. Both words come from the Latin festa, which was the word for holidays. And what did they do on holidays in ancient times? The one thing that remains that same is a celebratory feast. Yes, feast is also related to festoon, which is fitting, because both are integral parts about being festive..."

I love the word Festoon - knowing that our company name derives from the words 'festival' and 'feast' brings warmth to my soul!!! Let's hope people continue to unfurl swags and festoons on special occasions for many years to come...

Let's ring in the bells for the New Year!

2010-01-17T10:15:00.004+11:00

Festoon has had a long, long Christmas and Summer holiday but is now back in full force for 2010, refreshed and raring to go, with lots of new designs and ideas in the pipeline. We sold so many of our Christmas buntings with their little bells, and had such a lot of positive feedback, that we're going to offer bells on buntings as an add-on option on our shopping cart in the future.

The bells would particularly make a lovely addition to our wedding bunting - can't you just imagine hanging the bunting in an outdoor setting, a gentle breeze making the bunting waft and the little bells jingle?

Merry Christmas from Festoon

2009-12-22T19:29:00.005+11:00

Festoon is taking a little break for Christmas and won't be back until the New Year, so I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and look forward to catching up again in 2010!

x x x Jenny x x x

Handmade Christmas Gift Guide

2009-12-16T10:25:00.003+11:00

I can't believe Christmas Day is only NEXT WEEK - we are too excited for words at our home! Most of our pressies are now wrapped and under the tree, looking gorgeous and proving very tempting for the kids, who can't resist picking them up, shaking, prodding and trying to peer through any gaps in the wrapping.

I'm sure it's the same in all your homes, but for any of you who haven't quite ticked everyone off the gift list yet, I wanted to introduce you to the Handmade Gift Guide - a lovely selection of gorgeous handmade goodies, created by a bundle of handmade designers (including Festoon) with the help of clever graphic design from Nykie from Noo Creative.

You're sure to find some last minute stocking-fillers here!

Japanese double-sided fabrics

2009-12-06T18:03:00.006+11:00

I've recently discovered some gorgeous Japanese double-sided fabrics, perfect for making bunting.

Using these fabrics it's possible to make bunting that can be strung across a room and look nice from every angle, without needing to sew double-thickness... so a less expensive option for the customer as of course we are able to sell them at a much cheaper price.

The fabric is a gorgeous cotton-linen mix, so feels lovely, and the patterns are adorable too.

Here's a sample of one of our new double-sided designs called 'Robots'... at the moment exclusively available on Trifle.

Mega Christmas Giveaway

2009-11-25T09:16:00.005+11:00

Our bunting seems to be appearing everywhere at the moment! In addition to the fab competition being run by Fairy Bread (as mentioned earlier), Festoon is also sponsoring the Mega Christmas Giveaway at Handmade Kids this week. They have two fantastic packs of handmade goodies to give away by Friday - one girl's pack and one boy's pack. The boy's pack includes our gorgeous retro Spaceman bunting and I definitely recommend you head over and enter - all the goodies are divine and would make perfect Christmas presents.

I particularly love this handy notebook from Poppy Bean and Bloss:

Enter to win here and don't delay - entries close at midnight on Friday 27th November!

Our wedding bunting in action

2009-11-24T20:33:00.004+11:00

Just thought I'd share with you a little pic of Festoon's simple white linen wedding bunting in action recently...

P.S. personally I just can't take my eyes off that table of goodies..... yummy!!!!!

Win on Fairy Bread

2009-11-24T17:03:00.005+11:00

Fairy Bread, the wonderful social network dedicated to ideas, advice and inspiration for parties, is running a competition this week to win some of our lovely Christmas bunting. It's simple to enter - all you need to do is to be a follower of this blog (that part you've done already!), join Fairy Bread, and leave a comment on their site saying why you'd like to win one of these elegant Christmas decorations. The competition closes on 6th December, so make your way over to their site now for your chance to win...!

Fantastic Find: Mee a Bee

2009-11-20T13:53:00.004+11:00

OOoooh how I love to swap! Some wonderful friends on Skout Trade Fair have recently been swapping goodies and I've really enjoyed taking part - it's a great way to promote each other's businesses and get some gorgeous handmade creations for free! My latest swap was with Jacqui of Mee a Bee - she makes cute little bags for girls and boys - whimsical and a touch retro - so just my cup of tea. Jacqui is a New Zealander who now lives in Japan with her husband and two little boys, and her creations are stunning - she uses gorgeous Japanese cottons and linens to make her bags, which I totally love. These Japanese fabrics are some of the same ones I use in my bunting, and the quality of them is unrivalled.

It was so hard to choose something from her range of designs, but in the end I chose a reversable messenger bag for Tom - it's adorable - red stripes with gorgeous airplane fabric on one side, then denim and funky cars if you turn it inside out. He is going to LOVE it - he loves collecting treasures when we are out (usually just stones, or shells from the beach) so this will be perfect! I really want to post a piccie of him with it, but have decided to save it for Christmas now that's not too far away - so in the meantime here's a picture of a bag similar to the one Jacqui made me. Check out Mee a Bee's Etsy shop here.

Happy Birthday Bunting

2009-11-16T23:40:00.008+11:00

I just had to show you some pics of some fun 'Happy Birthday' bunting we were recently asked to make for the Green Bean Cafe, a lovely play cafe in Fairy Meadow, Illawarra. They asked us to match the bunting up to their cafe colourscheme, and also wanted three of each letter of the alphabet to slide on and off a second string to display the name of the birthday boy or girl.

This was a bunting unlike any other we have made, especially since the flags were square and not triangular, but it came out really well don't you think?! I hope it will make lots of birthday parties at the cafe just that little bit more special...

Winner time

2009-11-09T21:05:00.004+11:00

Just a quickie to announce the winner of the Nudey!Rudey! Mothers Little Helper organic soothing balm - we only had four entries this time - so I got my hubby and three children to take a name each, throw them all up in the air and the one that landed first was the winner (novel approach, I know!) Well, despite not having the shortest body or arms, the piece of paper thrown up by my middle child William landed first.... and on it was written "Raegan"!

So well done Ms Foldesdy of A Little Bit of Cheek - this soothing balm will be making it's way to you very soon!

Handmade swap - Thula Thula

2009-11-05T10:03:00.007+11:00

I have recently taken part in a handmade swap organised through Skout, and was lucky enough to swap some of my bunting for this GORGEOUS top from the lovely Naomi at Thula Thula.

It's so sweet, even more gorgeous in real life than it looked on the picture on the web, and Tom loves it (sorry it's such a grainy pic... it was taken on my iphone!) It's made from 100% cotton with a lovely ticking stripe pattern and will be so cool for the Summer, plus has a sweet little pocket perfect for Tom's little treasures (stones from our gravel driveway mostly...)

Thula Thula (t'ula) is a Zulu word meaning hush, and Thula Thula is a children's brand focussing on classic styles and cuts from the 30s/40s - all beautifully handmade using traditional techniques in pattern making and sewing by Naomi. I definitely recommend you check out her site for some goodies for your little ones, you will not be disappointed!

Blog Giveaway: Mother's Little Helper soothing balm

2009-11-02T20:35:00.005+11:00

'Mother’s Little Helper' is the environmentally-friendly must-have for nappy bags, handbags and glove boxes, now available from Nudey!Rudey! 97% organic and containing no palm or nut oils, and packaged in a gorgeous and reusable tin, it's a sumptuous and soothing New Zealand-made balm, ideal for quenching dry skin, protecting nappied bottoms and soothing itchy skin on a swelling pregnant belly.

Not only that, but $1NZD from every tin of Mother’s Little Helper is being pledged directly to Catherine Bolt's charity Project18. If you haven't heard about this charity before, take a look at Catherine's blog - you can read all about her incredible mission which involved a move for her entire family, husband and 9 children to Indonesia to raise an orphanage for abandoned children and increasingly vulnerable orang-utans.

I have one of these beautiful, environmentally friendly and socially conscious tins of balm here to give away to one of my followers - just comment below on why you'd like me to send it to you, and we'll draw the winner one week today (Monday 9th November.)

Ooooooh I won!!!

2009-11-02T09:37:00.005+11:00

OOOooooooh I am SO excited, I just had to come on here and gloat a little!!!!!! Remember the Oz Material Girls competition I told you about to win the lovely shabby chic fabric and sewing tin? Well, guess what!!? I just found out I am the winner!!!! I can't believe it.... happyville... I think this fabric will make some beautiful bunting! :-)

What a lovely start to the week...

Trifle - Layers of Lovely

2009-11-01T07:48:00.008+11:00

We are BEYOND excited here at Festoon to have been invited to join the 'layers of lovely' at Trifle.

Trifle is an online shopping experience for the consumer like no other - customers can shop from over 50 hand picked designers from all sectors of the kids products industry – all in the one place. Better still, customers can buy from different designers, from different parts of the world, in different currencies with just one click. As the blurb says, it's a "collaboration of designers, niche companies, handmade artists and amazing start-up companies destined for greatness". So you can see why we are so thrilled to have been asked to join!

Head over to the Trifle blog to see the amazing women (yes, all women!) who make up the 'layers'. You can also join the mailing list on the Trifle website. Plus of course, there's always Twitter!

At the moment Trifle has teamed up with Design Mom for a huge Halloween giveaway - with a prize totalling over $1000 in goodies. This one is just too good to miss! To find out how to ENTER please visit DESIGN MOM BLOG. Here's just one of the prizes included in the huge loot - gorgeous giraffe wall decals from Sticky Tiki:

Fantastic Find: the Oz Material Girls

2009-10-26T16:36:00.005+11:00

The Oz Material Girls are a 'fabriholic' mother/daughter team who started out selling personal items from their own fabric stash. Their hobby quickly turned into a full-blown company selling quilting materials from their online store and also on Ebay. They have heaps of wonderful fabrics and pride themselves on providing their customers with friendly advice, informative communication, super fast delivery of orders, and above all quality products.

The Oz Material Girls are currently celebrating their 5th birthday and have been running lots of giveaways on their blog to celebrate. The current giveaway runs until October 31st and if you enter, you have the chance to win a Shabby Rose Lecien Fabric Gift Pack - some gorgeous shabby rose fabrics and a lovely retro vintage collectable Singer Sewing Machine Tin to store them in. Check here to go to their blog for more details - don't try TOO hard to win though, as my name is already on that prize!

Bunting for market stalls

2009-10-23T13:02:00.007+11:00

We recently made this bunting for Caddie at MillaRuby Designs - she wanted it for her table at Mathilda's Market in Perth on November 8th. Bunting banners work really well for this type of event and we can make them to any specification - just contact us for details.

As a thank you, Caddie very kindly sent me a Pirate Set she had made for Tom - it's lovely and he is going to look so sweet wearing it! Thanks so much Caddie - take a look at what else MillaRuby has to offer here.

Cowboy Bunting

2009-10-23T12:54:00.004+11:00

Lou of Buttons By Lou Lou has sent me this picture of her two little boys having a tea party with the cowboy bunting I sent her alongside them - such a cute picture I thought I'd share it with you!

It's special offer time!

2009-10-19T16:26:00.006+11:00

We have a fantastic offer running at the moment, which I just HAVE to tell you about!

For a limited time, anyone who purchases beautiful bunting from Festoon will receive an LK Photography voucher for an extra DVD of high resolution images of their photos worth $75 - redeemable when you book LK Photography for your next photoshoot.

I would totally recommend using LK Photography if you need some product photos taking, just like I did recently - they were fast, professional, and reliable.

If you're getting married, why not buy some bunting from Festoon for your wedding venue, then use the voucher we'll send you and book LK Photography to take the pics of your big day? Or buy some festive bunting to add to your Christmas decor, and book LK Photography to take some pics of your family to send to relatives overseas?

The voucher is valid until 31st June 2010 and will be sent out with all bunting orders received from now until December 20th.

Fantastic Find: Buttons by Lou Lou

2009-10-18T14:59:00.010+11:00

I was so excited this week when a parcel arrived from the lovely Lou from Buttons at Lou Lou. Inside were some beautiful handmade fabric buttons and accessories I had chosen from her website, and they were even more gorgeous than I expected!

Lou loves fabrics as much as I do - she chooses the most beautiful she can find and then carefully makes them into unique limited edition fabric covered buttons. These fabric covered buttons are then made into a wide range of fun accessories for both children and adults. She has a wonderful range of rings, earrings, necklaces, paperclips, brooches, hairbands... or you can just buy the buttons themselves to use in your own projects. I love this Babushka necklace...

I am definitely visiting her site again before Christmas and recommend you do too - I am sure friends and family would love to receive some of these gorgeous and unique items as gifts and I can certainly vouch for their quality.

Lou also has an Etsy store, and a blog you may like to call in on too.

Thinking about Christmas...

2009-10-15T10:03:00.011+11:00

Can you believe that ten weeks from today it will be Christmas Eve? No, nor could we!!! But it's true, which means we really must all start to think not only about present-buying but also about how we can make our Christmas decor just that little bit more stylish and special this year.

With this in mind Festoon would like to introduce to you our new Christmas Bunting. We have two designs and think they'll be the perfect way to make your Christmas decor stand out from the neighbours'. You could hang this up in your front porch, out on your terrace, over the fireplace - even around your tree - the possibilities are endless. It even comes with a jingly little bell on every second flag - how cute is that!

And, once Christmas is gone, you can pack it up away safely ready to bring out again next year - reusable, eco-friendly, and gorgeous - what more could you ask?

Take a look at our online store for details of purchase.

Fantastic Find: Flobib - Designer Baby Bibs

2009-10-11T17:50:00.007+11:00

One of the lovely designers I have recently met through the networking website Skout Trade Fair is Nikola Barille, mother of Florence and the designer of Flo-bib baby bibs. Nikola's bibs are made in bandana-style using gorgeous fabrics from designers such as Amy Butler and Jacquie Shapiro, as well as from pieces of recycled and vintage materials.

As with so many of the wonderful 'Fantastic Finds' I have featured on this blog, these are not a mass-produced, factory made product - all of Nikola's bibs are made lovingly by hand in Sydney.

Flobib have recently introduced a new line to their website - a stylish 'pocket burper' to sling over your shoulder and catch all those stray dribbley bits that babies create - again made using gorgeous fabrics.Take a look at their website here - if you have a baby I'm sure you will find their products irresistable.

Party shots

2009-10-03T14:11:00.006+10:00

I noticed this week that Kate at Sambellina has some beautiful new pictures on her party blog showing her gorgeous 'Two By Tractor' invitations with some of Festoon's red polkadot bunting in the background. Doesn't it look lovely! I thought I'd include a picture here (of course I got her permission first!)

Check out her other age birthday invitations for 1-5 year olds here.

Jenny at Festoon

2009-09-30T22:30:00.006+10:00

Laura at LK Photography has sent me back the portait she took of me yesterday - here it is!!! Finally you can see what I look like... eeeeeeeek!!! I guess it's always good to put a face to a name.. but then again, I am not so sure......

LK Photography

2009-09-29T20:26:00.006+10:00

You may have noticed that I have been rather quiet for the last week or two... hopefully those of you out there who follow my blog may have noticed a lack of chatter from me lately (or if you haven't then I guess I should be feeling concerned at not having been missed...) Anyway, the lack of blog chat has been for a couple of reasons...

Firstly, we have been incredibly busy with bunting creation, so it's been sew, sew, sew here at Festoon Towers. That's a good thing, right! Secondly, we have been awaiting the free photoshoot we recently won with LK Photography - knowing we had some great piccies about to be taken meant that we felt less inspired to post any of our own shoddy ones!!! This was due to take place early last week, was postponed to Wednesday due to a delay in shipping of our new Christmas fabric, then was again postponed when we awoke that day to bright orange sand-stormy skies! Orange-tinged piccies are sooo not a good look where product shots are concerned, although the sepia tinge looked beautiful...

(LK Photography's pic of the sky that day...)

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the much-awaited photoshoot finally took place today - yipppeeee! The lovely Laura from LK Photography was an absolute star and worked like a trooper to get all the product shots done and even took the time to take a portrait of me as requested by a newspaper shortly running a feature on Festoon (more of that when the feature comes out...)

She is such a pro and so sweet - the allotted time over-ran but she didn't complain, and I would totally recommend her. She does portraits, weddings and commercial shoots and is able to work under even the trickiest of conditions and with the most un-photogenic of models (me!!!)

I can't wait to see the finished pictures...and introduce our lovely Christmas bunting to the website!

Fairy Bread

2009-09-29T08:04:00.002+10:00

I was so happy to see that Fairy Bread have made Festoon Bunting their 'favourite thing' this week. Fairy Bread is a wonderful social network devoted to ideas, advice and inspirations for the perfect children's celebration and we're so glad to be part of it!

We have some winners!!!

2009-09-12T09:22:00.006+10:00

After some thought, it was decided we'd separate the four packs of identitats offered by Tat your Tot in this comp so that we could have four lucky winners instead of just one ... so with that in mind my lovely little Miss 9 drew the following names from the hat:

Mad Cow (Amanda)

Louise Deed

Little Diva

Pretty things Distract Me

You will ALL be receiving your own pack of write-on identitats - helping to keep your children safe when you are out and about. Well done all and thanks a million for all the entries we received!

For those of you who didn't win, don't worry - we are running another giveaway here at Festoon very soon - this time in conjunction with the groovy A Little Bit of Cheek - it's going to be a big one! Watch this space...

Blog giveaway and fantastic find: Tat your Tot

2009-09-04T12:03:00.020+10:00

Tat your Tot is a wonderful website with a really innovative and gorgeous product - personalised identity temporary tattoos or 'Identitats' for kids.

As a parent of three myself, I know how scary it can be to lose your child even for the shortest amount of time in a busy place. Identitats come in all sorts of different designs, and have on them contact and medical details (either already printed or you can write them on yourselves), so if a parent's worst fear should happen and their child goes missing in a crowded place, they can quickly be returned to them.

The great thing about the Identitat concept is that it pleases everyone - kids love nothing better than tattoos so will wear them with pride (I can imagine my little ones not wanting to take them off) and parents can take their children to busy areas safe in the knowledge that they are armed with all the information they need for a speedy return.

And now for the best bit ... Marieke at Tat your Tot has very kindly offered to give away 4 packs of each design of 'Write on tats' to one lucky reader of my blog!!! All you have to do is to tell your friends about the wonderful Tat your Tot site and concept - every tweet, Facebook or blog post mentioning Tat your Tot and this competition will count for one entry each (this includes RTs too!) - comment below once you have spread the word and how many entries you have made, and we will draw the winner one week today (Friday 11th September)!!

Good luck!

xxx Jenny & Marieke xxx

Shabby chic bunting

2009-08-27T20:24:00.005+10:00

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

2009-08-25T12:25:00.006+10:00

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

2009-08-19T21:07:00.008+10:00

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

2009-08-17T07:38:00.004+10:00

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.....

2009-08-15T18:27:00.007+10:00

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

2009-08-14T14:35:00.002+10:00

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

2009-08-09T10:13:00.006+10:00

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...

2009-08-07T13:58:00.011+10:00

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

2009-08-06T20:01:00.002+10:00

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

2009-08-04T13:54:00.007+10:00

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

2009-08-03T22:24:00.009+10:00

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...!

Red polkadots

2009-07-31T10:42:00.005+10:00

I'm just about to pop this bunting into the mail to Kate at Sambellina for her party table at Magnolia Square in Melbourne next weekend... it's a perfect match for her red polkadot tableware and invitations (of which I have some on the way... can't wait!)

Just can't get enough of spots...

Fantastic find: Little Lottie Lou Lou

2009-07-30T18:19:00.006+10:00

It's wonderful how many inspiring people I have come across on my online travels.

Little Lottie Lou Lou is run by Vicki, who set up this boutique online store after selling on Ebay for five years, and offers delightful items for Mother, Baby and Child. I find her store unique because it not only sells new and handmade items, but also preloved and recycled - it's great to be able to find such a range of things in one store for both adults and children and was an inspired idea of Vicki's to put them all up in her own store rather than to-ing and fro-ing through Ebay.

My pick from her site at the moment? This gorgeous top by Minihaha Bebe...

Funky flowers and spots

2009-07-25T12:41:00.006+10:00

I've just made up some custom bunting for a girl's 9th birthday, and I think it's so nice I may introduce this funky spot/flower combination into my range - what do you think?

Nice, bright, modern and girly, but without being at all pink and fluffy (which these 9 year olds invariably hate!) x Actually, wouldn't mind some of this for myself... x

The winner!

2009-07-21T09:00:00.006+10:00

My littlest monkey has just drawn the winner of our prize giveaway out of the hat (errmmmm... kitchen bowl!) for me...... and the lucky winner is Louise at Scamps Eco Boutique!! Well done Louise, some Autumn Shabby Chic bunting will be winging its way to you very soon.

Thanks everyone for your entries and comments, it was lovely to hear all your thoughts.

P.S. Louise - please send me your email address so I can contact you directly. Thank you :-) x

Retro darling

2009-07-19T14:30:00.008+10:00

I know, like me, many of you are lovers of all things retro, so I thought I would introduce you to my lovely sewing machine!

This was passed down to me many years ago, when I first learned to sew, by my grandmother (who was 93 on Monday!) It's an absolute darling - it still works perfectly and although I don't now use it on a regular basis, I still fall back on it in times of trouble. For example, only recently my other (much, much newer!) sewing machine decided to throw a wobbly on me and needed to be taken in for a re-tune, so out came this retro cutie and really did save the day!

I even love looking at the old-fashioned instructions which picture a typical 1950s lady and state "welcome to the growing family of the new synchro-matic stitch regulator sewing machine. Your machine is one of the finest full-size sewing machines made!" - I'm not sure how old it is, to be honest, but it must have been quite the thing in its day, and it's amazing how well it has withstood the test of time.

Katy has recently started to sew, making little bags for herself and her friends, and is using this machine - it really warms the cockles to think that she is using the one her great-grandmother used to sew on all those years ago!

My first blog giveaway!

2009-07-14T20:41:00.007+10:00

Well, I thought it was about time I did my very first BLOG GIVEAWAY (cue expectant drum roll!!)

All you have to do is to take a look at the online shop on my website http://www.festoon.com.au/ and tell me which one of my bunting designs is your favourite, and why. There are plenty to choose from!

If you are drawn from the hat one week from now (that's July 21st!) then you will win that bunting!!! Tra-laaa!! Easy eh!

So head on over to www.festoon.com.au, choose your favourite design and leave a comment here. The winner will be contacted via email so be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you.

Good luck xxx

Mama Loves to Shop

2009-07-14T15:37:00.006+10:00

Ooooh I have come over feeling all 'important' suddenly!!!

I have never been 'interviewed' before but look... there is a little interview with me on Mama Loves to Shop this week!!! I am so excited I just had to let you know!

Autograph, anyone??????? Hee heee.... !

Fantastic find: Little Choopie

2009-07-13T15:15:00.000+10:00

Little Choopie is a small home-based business situated in Melbourne handmaking the MOST gorgeous and original childrens' tshirts and accessories - including hair clips, ponytail holders, rings, necklaces, earrings and head wraps! I have never seen such beautiful accessories for children, and they have just launched a whole load more - Katy is dying for me to buy some for her (she saw them at Mathilda's Market!) and the only problem is - which ones? It truly is impossible to choose!

Little Choopie will make custom orders too - I definitely think this website is a non-negotiable necessity for all of you with little girls!!! PS. And for boys there are fab handmade tshirts too, so you have a great excuse to visit either way!!!

Vive La France!

2009-07-12T19:20:00.007+10:00

I packaged up some red, white and blue bunting today for some French expats in Sydney who are having a Bastille Day party on Tuesday - I wish I was going, it sounded like it was going to be brilliant fun - all that delicious french cuisine and red wine! They were planning to hang the bunting up around their house with fairy lights giving an atmospheric glow - it does sound très chic, n'est pas!?

Fantastic Find - Sambellina

2009-07-10T18:37:00.011+10:00

I have stumbled this week upon Sambellina, a gorgeous new website selling simple, stylish and fun party accessories and stationery for kids parties. They have adorable and unique designs which would truly add a sweet touch to a children's birthday party or any special 'do' and I WISH I had been able to buy the Choo Choo invitations & partyware for Tom's 3rd birthday back in March - he would have loved them and they would have complemented his Choo-choo cake perfectly!

They have packages according to age, theme or pattern, and I love that their patterns include 'bunting' too - just perfect!

Handmade Kids

2009-07-10T18:30:00.003+10:00

OOooh I am very excited that Handmade Kids has made our 'Kimono' bunting one of it's Fabulous Friday Finds today! Handmade Kids is a great site dedicated to unearthing funky handmade items for kids and is full of all kinds of gorgeous & unique handmade products.

Check it out on http://www.handmadekids.com.au/!

Thank you so much, Handmade Kids! x

Something for the boys...

2009-07-08T16:28:00.006+10:00

Here is my idea for the personalised boys' bunting (well, not specifically boys actually - could be anyone!!! It's more just as a contrast to the girly one I posted a couple of days ago...)

I think it's quite sweet - I can do custom bunting anyway, so anything goes really - but it's good to have some specific ranges on the site so people don't have to rely on their imaginations!!!

Must go - off to take my daughter to her first Girl Guides meeting!

x Oooh, and P.S. I am now on Twitter as of today - still don't really understand how that all works but am having fun working it out!!! Join me on there if you can! x

Fantastic find: Sticky Tiki

2009-07-07T13:30:00.005+10:00

Sticky Tiki are a small New Zealand company who make handcrafted fabric wall decals/stickers. They are thoughtfully designed, completely unique, often retro and a little quirky - so just my cup of tea!! As they are made from fabric they won't damage the wall and can easily be repositioned and moved, they are even washable which is a big plus for me, as the children in our home seem to get their sticky fingers everywhere!

I especially love their Dear Deer Tree - seen here:

However Katy has her eye on these gorgeous Babushka dolls - looks like we will definitely be coming back to Sticky Tiki once we get around to decorating her bedroom!

I have actually recently purchased some Babushka doll fabric too - so maybe there will soon be bunting to match!...

Personalised girly bunting

2009-07-07T13:12:00.008+10:00

I have been sewing up some personalised girly bunting this week as a new range for my website - I wasn't happy with the plain black lettering I was using before and I think this shabby pink style is far more gorgeous and unique, do you? It takes longer to sew, but looks so much prettier, so I think it's worth it. Of course the plain black lettering still has its place - it's bolder if it's really crucial for the name to be seen from afar - but this one wins hands down for me! (apologies for the photo quality - I really do need a good camera or someone to help me with my pics...)

Now I need to do something for the boys...

Mathilda's Market

2009-07-05T12:35:00.011+10:00

I am just back from Mathilda's Market here in Sydney - it was GORGEOUS! I took along Katy and her friend Olivia and they too were in seventh heaven - coming home with armfuls of business cards and a soft toy and fabric badge each but wanting more!

There were so many stalls there filled with such creative and beautiful handmade treasures and it was great to see so many of the names I recognise from Skout Trade Fair - Flobib's stall looked wonderful (so busy that I didn't like to interrupt and say hi even though I 'know' Nikola-Jane from Skout!) and was full of their wonderful unique and designer bibs. I also popped in to see the lovely Jacquie's Alfalfa & Mee a bee's stall - they have a range of gorgeous, retro and whimsical bags from Japan for little boys and girls - all even more gorgeous 'in the flesh' than they look online!

Congratulations all on a job fantastically done - I came home having had a lovely wander and with a significantly lighter purse. I did spot a bit of bunting here and there adorning peoples' stands too, which was great - it just shows how this old-fashioned favourite really can decorate and brighten any space!

Fantastic find: Babyjo

2009-07-01T18:49:00.004+10:00

What an adorable site and concept: Babyjo is an Australian owned range of organically grown 100% Bamboo fibre baby clothing, gifts, blankets and more and they have the most gorgeous things I actually almost wish I still had a baby to buy them for (but not quite... three little ones is more than enough and I am quite relishing the fact that we no longer need nappies in our home!)

I had actually never heard of Bamboo until I visited this site, but apparently it's an eco friendly and environmentally sustainable material with the most luxurious feel - like a cross between cashmere and silk - and with softness to rival a baby's bottom! It's great for babies suffering from Eczema and is thermo-regulating so that it keeps them cool in Summer and warm in Winter - how clever is that? I will certainly be recommending Babyjo to friends of mine with babies! (and just look at the gorgeous bubba on their website - ADORABLE!!)

Mathilda's Markets

2009-06-30T19:00:00.003+10:00

I went with Lisa, Tom and Hettie today up to Lollipops Playland in French's Forest to see if they had put up the bunting I made them yet - unfortunately they haven't quite got around to it so we need to go again next week (much to Hettie and Tom's joy - they love it there - and Lisa and I don't mind too much as they do great lattes!)

I am getting so excited about going to look around Mathilda's Market this Sunday in Sydney - I've heard it's the most fabulous niche market offering unique, stylish and fantastically funky handmade baby and kids wares. Take a look at the gallery on their website to see how truly individual and gorgeous the goods are - I can't WAIT, it will be a heavenly place to shop, and one day I hope perhaps to have a stall there too!

Wedding bunting

2009-06-30T09:34:00.000+10:00

I sent out an order of my new floaty linen wedding bunting to Vikki at Aisle Style in Adelaide today - she is doing a photoshoot shortly with an 'outdoor wedding picnic' theme and thinks the bunting will look divine. Bunting is becoming really popular with weddings now - draped between trees in an outdoor or beach setting it gives a really romantic, summer feel.

Aisle Style is a unique outdoor wedding hire and event business - they help coordinate all facets of the wedding ceremony and even help clean up the site afterwards. With the weather gorgeous in Adelaide for most of the year, we can understand why they do a booming business and we are happy that Festoon bunting can be a part of it!

Fantastic Find: Retro Rooms for modern kids

2009-06-28T07:12:00.000+10:00

The delightful Carmen from Retro Rooms for modern kids was kind enough to feature me on her blog recently - and I thought it would be nice to return the favour as she's got a great site and is a girl after my own heart, loving vintage items (especially from the 50’s and 60’s) as much as I do!

She's an interior designer specialising in childrens' spaces and her room designs are gorgeous! I think my cowboy bunting would work perfectly in her cowboy room, and I adore her Paper Doll room - original 1950’s cardboard dolls have been made into wall-art and a red chandelier adds a touch of over-the-top glamour - fantastic!

Business cards

2009-06-25T13:42:00.000+10:00

I got my new business cards from Moo.com today and am pretty happy with them - I just love my retro 1950s lady!

They made me some stickers with her on too - absolutely gorgeous - I can't wait to start sending them out with my orders!

Fantastic find - Prints Charming

2009-06-22T04:50:00.000+10:00

Prints Charming - I love this website, in particular the handprinted fabrics - look at these lovely doves!

I would love to be able to put them onto my bunting somehow...

I notice they even run screen printing classes so perhaps I could learn how to print my own designs... now that would make my bunting truly unique wouldn't it!

Ah, yet more ideas to ponder on for a rainy day...!!!

Party time

2009-06-21T13:50:00.001+10:00

Katy went off to her friend Karen's 10th birthday party today - she had promised Karen I'd make her some bunting so I made her some out of the Alexander Henry 'Starling (violet)' fabric - apparently her favourite colour is purple so it seemed a good bet. She had a disco in her rumpus room and hung up the bunting in pride of place on the rumpus room wall... a happy customer!

P.S. This is the fabric - you can't see it so well on the picture of the bunting!

Waterproof fabrics

2009-06-16T08:24:00.000+10:00

I have bought some of this fantastic Mexican oilcloth from the lovely Susie at I just love that fabric - the ink has been printed on the first coat of pvc (not on to the fabric) and then coated with a second clear layer of pvc -so it's durable and waterproof, you can just wipe it clean. The colours are bold, bright and gorgeous too - I love the pink hibiscus and tutti fruit stripe - they will look great partnered together to make bunting to use out by the pool.

Keep an eye out on my website for the finished product - coming soon!!! Do take a look at Susie's website too - she has stacks of wonderful fabrics for you to swoon over and she has excellent customer service too - truly a fantastic find!