Under the Sun

Why hello 2012... you crept up on us didn't you?! 
and can it really be true that it is nearly March? eeek!

We have enjoyed such a truly magical and sublime summer that it has been hard to draw ourselves away; growing and changing little people, long days on the beach, picnics, camping holidays, poolside parties, we didn't want it to end. But after our little extended break we're back and storming towards an exciting 2012, that will see some changes to the Sugar & Spice brand.... keep reading :)

This summer has bought home to us just truly how fast children grow! Can you blame us for not wanting to spend every mili-second of this Summer focusing on them and soaking in their little person beauty. The Sugar & Spice babies are growing before our eyes, and this Summer alone, more than we ever thought they could in just a couple of months...

Miss Sweet (Jackie's beauty) 

The girl with the personality as big as the sky turned 4 on Christmas Eve. She has been swimming with her cousins all summer and has finally gained the confidence to jump in, not just into the pool, but into anything the big kids can do! She is taking on new challenges, and leaping head first into kinder and showing an extraordinary amount of confidence that just blows me away. It's stressing me out that she seems to have gone from my cute baby to a big kinder girl in a matter of days! How did this happen?!

Baby Spice (Jackie's little man)

My littlest man, the dimpled cheek cutie, learnt to walk over the Summer. Not long after he was running, climbing, skateboarding (!) and even fielding in an Australia Day backyard cricket match! Where has my little 8 pound newborn gone!? (sob!) I have been behind the camera all summer trying not to miss a single moment, it just seems so fleeting!

Miss Sugar (Sherryn's baby girl)

My baby turned 3 during the summer break and continued to surprise us with her humour and imagination. She learnt how to throw award-winning tantrums, to wrap her Daddy even more around her little finger and to make us smile with her growing grasp of concepts and speech. She learnt how to draw people, complete with the longest legs you have ever seen! She had her first hair cut (oh those beautiful golden curls) and she spent day after day making 'rumballs' in the sand and jumping the shallows of sea.

Master Spice (Sherryn's big boy)

Oh big boy, how much you have changed and thrived since Christmas is mind boggling!? Farewelling your training wheels without ever looking back. Standing up and surfing your first waves and wanting to do it again and again. Starting your first day of Prep and loving it so much that you "want to go Saturdays and Sundays and the next 10,000 days". You are our carefree nudist, who loves any sporting/outdoor activity, yet is such a sponge and facts and figure man that you have integrated into the classroom with such ease. This was your Summer big boy!

Ah and in roll those beautiful, proud Mama tears... 

So back to the markets and bringing our Sugar & Spice handmade love to you. 2012 will see us focusing more on what is important to us and that is bringing you high quality, unique and divine stallholders, lots of publicity, awareness and profiling of our markets and retailers, busy days (we hope) and fun, family-friendly events. 

With this in mind Sugar & Spice will no longer be including Ballarat in our destination list (so sorry Ballarat friends). It has been a tricky decision but we will now keep our focus entirely on the Macedon Ranges and beautiful Woodend. We will hold two exclusive, high quality markets during 2012 (in July & November) with dates and details on how to apply to retail at them to be released very soon (very very soon). 

We appreciate your understanding and support with this new shift with Sugar & Spice and we look forward to working hard and bringing you two unique, handmade events for the year. See you soon!

Sherryn & Jackie x

Swamps, Singing and Smiles

Who takes the photos in your family? I am the designated photo taker here, always behind the camera and rarely in the photos. I have lost count of the number of family photos we have of my hubby and our kids, and I have had a tiny worry in the back of my mind that my children will look back on all of our photos in years to come and worry about where I was for their childhood!

But my worry was erased recently by the lovely Kim from Kim Selby Photography. I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to have a photoshoot with her... perhaps I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Kim had us in hysterics jumping on beds, smiling while standing in swamps and singing on the side of the road. She was unbelievably patient with our IMpatient four and one year old monkeys, and so completely understanding when the kids needed a break or a change of scene... three hours just flew by, and we were left with too many breathtaking photos to choose from.

To anybody looking for an amazing photographer that will capture your family in such a beautiful way; who can simultaneously distract a four year old from an impending tantrum while chasing a one year old that's escaping out the front door, all the while making parents feel totally calm amoungst the chaos AND have the biggest smile about being knee deep in a swamp, Kim Selby is your girl. Kim, we feel so lucky to have had this experience with you and loved it so much we think we should book in once a month for updated wonderful photos!

You can contact Kim and see more more of her amazing work at www.kimselbyphotography.com or on Facebook, and you can also have a chat to her at our market at St Ambrose Hall in Woodend tomorrow!

All Things Nice - Missy Minzy

Why wouldn't you want to buy handmade this Christmas when the products you're buying are put together with love and care and are unique and gorgeous??

We love handmade and one of our new retailers that you will have the pleasure of meeting this Sunday, is Irene from Missy Minzy. Irene hand illustrates, designs and produces Missy Minzy's stand out range. Pop by her stall on Sunday and sift through her whimsical designs yourself :) 

Are you more sugar or spice?

Definitely a bit of mix between the two!

What inspired you to start your own business?

It’s one of the dreams I wanted to achieve in life. The dream unfolded more clearly when I was made redundant from my graphic designing job during the recent global recession. My hubby was the one who encouraged me to put my illustration skills to good use. I then fell pregnant with our first child a few months after that. Most of my hand drawn illustrations were a reflection of every precious moment during the pregnancy. It was and still is a lovely moment looking at all of the illustrations drawn at that time.

How did you name your business?

Minzy is a short abbreviation of my little nick name in the cyberworld - Minnies, I really like the nickname so much that I was considering changing my name to Minzy in real life at one stage.

Irene - the creative force behind Missy Minzy

What is your favourite piece from your own range?

I am loving and enjoy applying my hand drawn illustration onto all possible media.

My current favourite piece is the newly launched product range – Removable Fabric Wall/Décor Stickers. It features some of my hand drawn illustrations. Each of them was hand cut by me individually. Handmade 100%!

Where else can we check you out? 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/MissyMinzy

Blog: http://missyminzy.blogspot.com/

Store:

http://missyminzy.bigcartel.com/

www.madeit.com.au/missyminzy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/missyminzy

We will be at Sugar & Spice Children's Market for the first time this Sunday in Woodend. Our last market for the year will be at the Camberwell Sunday Market on 11st December in Camberwell.

Thanks Irene!!

 

Jump, Jump, Jump!

We've got something fabulous to entertain your little ones at our market on Sunday! Our lovely friends at Jumping Mania will be bringing one of their super fun and super jumpy jumping castles to St Ambrose Hall in Woodend! Bouncing is FREE for the kiddies all market long.

Jumping Mania are the people to go to for Jumping Castle hire. They have 3 castles to choose from: Mickey Mouse, Dora the Explorer and Batman, and all of their castles are cleaned after each use, ensuring your kiddies have a safe and fun experience! 

Check them out on Facebook or call Cveta on 0410 907 908 or email jumpingmania@live.com.au for bookings or further info.

Hope to see you Sunday for some Christmas Fiesta  shopping and fun.
9am - 1pm St Ambrose Hall, Corner of Ambrose & Templeton Streets, Woodend.

Amazing Christmas Fiesta Raffle!

Check out the wonderful items you can win just by purchasing a ticket for our Christmas Fiesta raffle! Tickets can be purchased at our Woodend market next Sunday. Make sure you come and visit us on December 4 at St Ambrose Hall from 9am - 1pm... One lucky winner will win this entire prize package, full of beautiful products from our stallholders!

All proceeds donated to SIDS & Kids.   

 

 

1 more sleep until our last Ballarat market for 2011!

There's plenty of reasons to join us in Ballarat tomorrow...

It will be our biggest market to date, with over 30 stalls of wonderful and unique handmade products!

Our market will be in conjunction with the Baby & Children's Expo, Ballarat, so there's sure to be a wealth of information for parents, plenty of activities for kids, and so much to see and do!



You might like to go exploring with Dora, have a dance with Dorothy
or a laugh with Elmo.



You may also like to enter our fabulous giveaway from Bohemian Secret Photography
(check out the details here).



These gorgeous items are from our Ballarat retailers:
Skirt from Bridie-Jane,
Skirt & Mini-Monster from Silly Milly Moo,
and wall art from Piggywinkles

 Check out our retailers list and start writing your shopping lists, Christmas is only 43 sleeps away! Come find us at Alfred Deakin Place, enter via Camp Street, or Police Lane, or through the Mining Exchange on Lydiard Street.

 We hope to see you there!

All Things Nice - Shady Days

A retailer making an appearance at our final two markets for 2011 is Shady Days. A wonderfully innovative brand that not only has your kids looking stylish but also protects them from the sun's harsh rays... what a great concept.

Shady Days sells clothing and accessories for the 1-6 year age group and their garments take into consideration the recommendations of SunSmart, the Cancer Council of Victoria's internationally recognised skin cancer prevention program. This means their designs ensure high levels of protection for all young children who love to get outside. 

Here is the duo behind Shady Days, Colleen and Laura, to give you some more background on their brand... (thank you ladies)

Are you more sugar or spice?

Colleen - When it comes to sweetness I leave that up to the kids, or my not so infrequent snacks.  As for me, I’m definitely more spice.

Laura – I’m addicted to everything sugary and sweet but am definitely more spice myself.

What inspired you to start your own business?

Colleen - Despite my sun protective efforts for my daughter at a summer day barbeque, she still got too many ‘kisses from the sun’ a.k.a. sunburn.  Mortified, I went shopping for clothing that would cover her up in the sun, unlike the pretty dresses and strappy singlets she had in her wardrobe.  When I went home empty handed I thought I’d found a gap in the market that needed to be filled.  The Shady Days concept offered us a creative outlet in which we worked on a product we really believed in.  It’s even better when we receive affirmation from customers about the designs and the sun-protection concept.

 Laura & Colleen's little people :)

How did you name your business?

We wanted a name that was reflective of our sun protective message and design objectives but that also conveyed the fun and fanciful days that childhood is full of.  It didn’t take us long to settle on Shady Days.

What is your favourite piece from your own range?

Colleen - It’s hard to choose, but the family have been getting out and making the most of the spring sunshine lately in, not surprisingly, Shady Days gear.  I love the rugby top – it covers all the bits prone to sunburn with a collar and long sleeves, it is loose and comfy and easy to whip on and off.  Evey and Hugo wore theirs all weekend and they looked really good on as well!

Laura – I’m partial to our Peace, Love & Mung Beans! hoodie.  It’s been getting a massive workout in our house at the moment because it’s great for spring when the mornings are a bit fresh but the arvos heat up.  It can be worn all day long and protect the kiddies from all the elements we encounter. 

Where else can we check you out?

Our website is www.shadydays.com.au where you can see our full range and check out lots of sun protective information.  You can also check us out on Facebook.

We will be at Sugar & Spice's last two markets for the year. This Sunday in Ballarat and Sunday 4^th December in Woodend.  We’ll also be attending the Piccadilly Market in Geelong on Sunday 20th November and Mathilda’s Market in Caulfield on Sunday 27th November.

You can win a Shady Days kaftan in our Woodend Christmas Fiesta raffle!

Mudpies & Mudcake.

Our friends over at 1000 Homes of Happiness decided to make mudpies this weekend as part of the Playlist and I couldn't wait to join in the muddy fun, it has been a few (!) years since I've baked a mud pie. Miss Sugar however, was not convinced. "But I don't like pies Mum". Hmmm.

So we changed the menu! Cakes are definitely the way to Miss Sugar's heart, and we decided to bake Mudcakes instead. Off she went, hunting through my kitchen cupboards for cake tins and wooden spoons, and then raided her toybox for cake decorations and her chef hat... Mudcakes are serious business.

Over 2 hours later she was still busy creating, squishing mud between her fingers and asking me what I thought the mud would taste like. She would only come inside for dinner when I promised that we could do it all over again tomorrow - of course we can, we have the main ingredient in our backyard!

The thing I love most about the Playlist is that it shows how simple it can be to encourage outdoor play.

And so here is our secret recipe for Delicious Mudcake: (it's really easy)
STEP 1: Get outside!
STEP 2: Get bucket of mud!
STEP 3: Have lots of fun!
STEP 4: Repeat!

Nature.

This weekend I'm thankful for 1000 Homes of Happiness' Playlist for so many reasons.

For getting us out and about on what would be the only decent day of weather this weekend.
For allowing us to explore a place that we would normally just drive past.
For giving us reason to wander this magical place, that is pretty much in our own backyard.
For giving us this 'outdoor' mission and allowing the night-shift-working-Daddy-of-the-house some peaceful sleeping time!
For bringing things like gum nuts, bull ants, beetles, wildflowers, dragonflys and frogs to our Saturday. But most of all for allowing little hands and inquisitive minds to touch, see, hear and feel nature.

Nature - Yippee!