1st Birthday wrap up

Our special 1st birthday market has been and gone and I think it is fair to say it was a success.

Happy shoppers, smiley kiddies, busy retailers and lots of fun.
Goodie bags disappeared in under an hour, $264 was raised for SIDS & Kids through our raffle (congrats to Woodend local, Fiona Makin, who won the prize package) and the coffee lady was run dry just after lunch.

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold and visited, retailed and shared in Sugar & Spice's 1st birthday. A huge thanks to our lovely sponsors for the day; Pass-the-Parcel, The Inspired Occasion, Kim Selby Photography and Peekaboo Melbourne Magazine.

What a special way to begin my market life! Thank you

A very happy Miss Spice with some of her market day purchases. 
Her new Miss Ruby May Dolly (she insisted that Ruby Dolly wore her seat belt while shopping) and beanie from Spunkee.

All things nice - Creative Chic

I thought I might give you one last chance to meet one of our 1st Birthday retailers, before this Sunday's market. Don't forget that St Ambrose Hall, Woodend will be open from 9am-1pm this Sunday for lots of gorgeous shopping, kiddy entertainment, yummy cupcakes, 100 free goodie bags and spot door prizes. Can't wait to see you all there!

A Creative Chic personalised card

Our 'All Things Nice' business for today is Creative Chic. Two lovely ladies, Sharon and Janelle who create stunning personalised keepsakes.....


Are you more sugar or spice?

J: Oooh, both.

Janelle and her lovelies

S: Definitely Sugar… I’m a chocoholic!

Sharon and her boys

What inspired you to start your own business?

Individually, we began making pieces as gifts for family and friends.  We would have a regular show ‘n’ tell and then give advice and bounce ideas off each other. Friends started asking us to make gifts more and more. We could see there was a gap in the market for quality personalised keepsakes, so decided to join together. We both had different skill sets and style that we believed would complement one another. 

How did you name your business?

We looked at our product range, what we were designing; and how we viewed those products.  They were all our own “creations” with a “shabby chic” feel to them and were all with the ideal of our items being quality “personalised keepsakes”.

What is your favourite piece from your own range?

J:  That’s tough, I ♥ all our pieces.  Perhaps the digital design element of our range – announcements, invitations etc.

S: The Baby Keepsake boxes for their uniqueness; they make a ‘special’ gift and Name tiles for something ‘a little bit different’.

Keepsake Box

Where else can we check you out? 

Best place to find us is on Facebook.

Thank you Sharon & Janelle, looking forward to seeing your creations in real life on Sunday.

buntyandsars giveaway!

Who doesn't love free stuff???
I confess that I had a small stint during my maternity leave as a 'competition enthusiast'. 
Well this was the official job title I gave to myself.... and it gave me a free pass from Mr Sugar & Spice to spend as much time as I wanted on the laptop, as he thought I was busy with the pursuit of winning things! I had great visions of winning cars, 5 star holidays, games for the kids etc, but what I was awarded with was NOTHING, sweet bloody nothing.

So it gives me great joy today to bring you a wonderfully exciting NEW initiative from Sugar & Spice..... drum rolls please....

Our very first online giveaway!!!!! Yay

buntyandsars character 'Felix' 

Our first online giveaway is bought to you by one of our beautiful retailers - buntyandsars. 
Emily of buntyandsars is this ridiculously talented individual who creates gorgeous things for kids from her own individual illustrations. Interactive colouring books, pencil tins, handcrafted cards, bookmarks and brooches are all beautiful creations that come from her own personal drawing room. You can meet Emily for yourself at our upcoming Ballarat market on Sunday 31 July where she will be retailing.

Emily has bundled up some of her favourite goodies for our giveaway - the Buntyandsars Hair Clipettes Illustrated book and the Finger Monsters Illustrated book. How unique are these two little treasures? 


They allow kiddies to cut and colour their very own hair clips and finger puppets and you can have the chance to win them for yourself. Also included in the prize bundle is a pencil tin and a bundle of textas, because colouring-in is no fun without the colours! All you need to do is visit Emily's blog, check out her gorgeous illustrated range and post a comment below on this blog entry stating what is your favourite buntyandsars product. The winner will be drawn randomly on June 30th. Good luck!!!

Some buntyandsars love ready and waiting for a new home!

http://buntyandsars.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buntyandsars/163017427080144

Peekaboo

We're a little excited today - it is the eve of an exciting event.
Peekaboo Magazine are spreading their wings and growing from one magazine to three, and their new publications launch tomorrow!

If you haven't seen it before Peekaboo is Australia's FREE boutique family lifestyle magazine full of beautiful and inspiring things for you and your munchkins. It is printed quarterly with three versions; Brisbane, Sydney and now Melbourne - which means localised stories.

We are thrilled that our Sunday Woodend market is going to be one of the first places you can get your hands on this gorgeous mag. Yet another reason to come along and join in our 1st birthday fun!

With much regret

It is with much regret that I'm posting tonight to let you know that I'm taking Mornington off Sugar & Spice's destination list - which means I have cancelled both upcoming Mornington markets.

After a mix up with the original venue booking - it has come to light that the hall is not a hireable space. Sadly, the local council has a number of beautiful halls for hire but refuse to hire these out to businesses. Even after much pleading! The church halls that I investigated also had no availabilities for the year. So sadly, we have no hireable spaces available in the area which has led me to this decision. I am incredibly sorry and upset that this is the way it has turned out.

My extreme apologies to all Sugar & Spice friends and retailers who had booked/applied/shown interest in us coming to Mornington - it wasn't meant to be. We hope to see you at our markets in our two existing locations; Woodend and Ballarat.

Glass Ball...

Shopping at Sugar & Spice

This time next week I am predicting :) .....

Sugar & Spice's 1st birthday celebrations will be all wrapped up.

Hundreds (??) of shoppers would have browsed the 28 stalls on offer at Woodend's pretty St Ambrose Hall.

100 free goodie bags and copies of the new Peekaboo Melbourne Magazine would have been snapped up early in the morning. Shoppers would have oohed and ahhed at the gorgeous party goodies on offer from The Inspired Occasion. 

Little munchkins would have smiled and danced to Pass-the-Parcel's music, with balloon creations in hand and their faces all painted. Delicious cupcakes from Sweet Cravings Patisserie would have filled their bellies, while their parents relaxed with a hot, fresh coffee.

Cupcakes by Sweet Craving Patisserie

One lucky visitor would have received a call telling them that they were the winner of the 1st birthday raffle giveaway and the entire prize package would be making it's way to them! SIDS & Kids would be impressed with the money raised and donated to them through the raffle.

Some of the prizes you can win in our 1st Birthday raffle giveaway

Retailers would be happy and pleased to see their gorgeous products and creations leaving the hall and making their way to new homes....

This time next week :)

Behind the news

Do you find joy in what you do?

I most definitely do. After a lengthy career in PR , and a recent 2 year stint on maternity leave, it is so nice to return to using those dormant skills and to acknowledge that yes there is a ticking brain in there that can do wonderful things (aside from changing nappies, mopping the floor and teaching the alphabet). Although these other things bring me so much joy it is nice also to have something aside that is just for me.

My background is in Public Relations - and although this may raise visions of glamorous parties and air kissing, high-heeled women saying 'oh dah-ling that is fabulous'... there is also a more practical side to PR. I have push started a vintage motor car for a photo shoot, while in 3 inch heels and 6 months pregnant. I've wrangled kids and tried to keep them behaved during Today Show weather crosses.  I've been the photographer's flash holder on too many occasions - to ensure they get the best pic. I've written a million and one media releases and cold called nearly every media organisation within Victoria.

There have been great successes; wonderful exhibition launches, millions of dollars worth of free publicity generated for my workplace and great relationships established with journalists and photographers.

and then there have been the epic fails!! The launch of a new beaut lighting generator that chose not to work right when every major Melbourne newspaper and TV station were ready and waiting, not to mention the government ministers. Brand new million dollar Planetarium technology that decided to freeze 3 seconds before a live weather cross, and a girl so freaked out by the giant animatronic spider behind her that the photographer just couldn't possibly get a good shot. I can laugh about these now!

To me, seeing a story I generated in the media, brings such a sense of achievement and pride. I love when a journalist purely lifts my words from a media release and pastes it word for word in their article. I love being behind the news - and it is lovely that Sugar & Spice is allowing me to tap into that world again.

The 1st Birthday Market publicity train is chugging along nicely... Articles will appear in Kyneton's Midland Express, the Macedon Ranges Leader, and there will be upcoming listings in Nurture Magazine, Herald Sun and a few other surprises along the way. Stay tuned!

Through the lens...

A picture can tell a thousand words... so I will let these one's do the talking -

We are very lucky at Sugar & Spice to have some amazingly talented photographers involved with our Markets and today I would like you to meet our official Woodend photographer, the very lovely Kim of Kim Selby Photography.

Kim captures all of the gorgeous creations, shoppers and the feel of every Woodend market, through her stunning photography. Her photographic style during her booked sessions is very relaxed, natural and candid. Her aim is to capture the smiles, frowns, laughter, kisses and cuddles - but most importantly your family just being themselves. She shoots exclusively on location and uses natural lights.

Her photography skills have recently been acknowledged, winning 6 silver awards at the Victoria Institute of Professional Photography Awards 2001.  I will let Kim explain in her own words a little bit about herself and her business:

• I am a Mum of two gorgeous boys. With the amount of running around I do after them, I should have a Kate Moss body.
• I love cooking (hmmm perhaps that's why I don't have a Kate Moss body!)
• I adore listening to the sound of the rain on my tin roof at night when I am tucked up in bed, warm next to my husband.
• I love living in Woodend and the Macedon Ranges - gorgeous countryside, fresh air and lovely community.
• My passion is photography, and I feel so lucky being able to capture those special little moments that abound in life everyday.
• I am a proud member of Heartfelt, www.heartfelt.org.au which is a volunteer organisation of child photographers from all over Australia who have come together to form an organisation dedicated to giving the gift of photographic memories to families that have experiences stillbirths, premature and ill infants, terminally ill children and children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units of their local hospitals.

Thanks Kim, we can't wait to see how you capture our 1st birthday celebrations in Woodend.

http://kimselbyphotography.com/

All things nice - 5 Star Baby!

Now my Miss Spice has quite a wardrobe and it is considerably better than mine. Half of her ensemble is made up of beautiful, handcrafted, frocks. I had to giggle when a friend of mine said that maybe she should return to work to fund her baby girl's wardrobe.....so true, so true!

How she ended up with those exquisite goldilocks still astounds me...

Here she is modelling one of her dresses created by our 'All things nice' business for today -
5 Star Baby!

You may know Katie from 5 Star Baby! already - she is a regular on the market scene and has a unique range of creative and beautiful products that I have no doubt you will love. You can come and visit her gorgeous stall at Woodend on Sunday June 5.

A little bit of love,

A little bit of fun,

And lots & lots of cute!

Are you more sugar or spice?

Oh, definitely spice. I eat lots of sugar to compensate!!

What inspired you to start your own business?

Our little 5 star babies of course!!

Our venture began 6 years ago, gorgeous different things were hard to find, and overpriced, so it all began, my sister (who was studying teaching) and I (who was desperate for something other than washing, feeding, baby vomit, and well, you get the idea!!) we would get together in uni holidays and sew our little hearts out. It was chaotic and wonderful. 5 star, baby! Is all my own now, as my sister has gone on to teach full time, but she remains a huge source of inspiration and encouragement in everything that I do.

How did you name your business?

A bit of an inside joke between my sister and I, but let’s just say, between us, we had 4 (and one on the way) babies, and well, we think they are 5 star!!

What is your favourite piece from your own range?

My all time favourite thing is my signature headband. No matter what I have in my range, it always stays. It is a must have item, and you can never be happy with just one!!

Where else can we check you out?

www.5starbaby.com.au

www.facebook.com/5starbaby

Thanks for being a part of 'All things nice' Katie :)

Step by step

What inspires you?

At the moment inspiring me are easy to follow, free web tutorials. Love an e-tutorial that spells out in step by step detail, how to make some sort of craft goody.

Now, I'm not a crafty expert by a long-shot, but I do love getting creative and having a bit of handmade fun.

Three web tutorials that I have called upon lately and were incredibly handy were...

Good old Martha Stewart's web tutorial on how to make tissue paper pom poms. 

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to

I was lucky enough to be given the job of organising a baby shower recently. I have always admired how tissue paper pom poms add an instant touch of class, so got my googling boots on. Martha Stewart's tutorial comes complete with step by step images, so with my $2 shop tissue paper and florist wire I made these pom pom beauties very easily.

Another favourite web tutorial of mine at the moment is Molly Chicken's love bird. A cute little softie project.

http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/02/4th-attempt.html

Ok, so I had to get my sewing-guru Mum to help me with it initially, but I have churned out about 6 love birds on my own since. Quite an achievement for someone who can't thread a bobbin. I didn't bother with the pocket on the front though and added a little rattle bell inside instead. They have been a great little pressie for the newborns in my life and I lovingly refer to them as my 'dodgy chicken rattles'

Finally a great wet weather e-tutorial for the munchkins. Perfect for today's dreary weather. A fun make over for the broken bits and pieces of crayon you have laying around at home. The munchkins and I followed these instructions from Little Melbourne and they had a great time in doing so... so much so, that they have started intentionally breaking crayons so we can do it again :)

http://www.littlemelbourne.com.au/to-do/staying-in/a-make-over-for-crayons.html

Have you found any web tutorials that are worth their weight in gold? 

More fun than a toy shop!

Anyone who drives a car like this just has to ooze fun right? 

I am very excited that Ffyona and the team from Pass-the-Parcel have come on board to 'bring the fun' to our 1st Birthday Woodend Market. Face painting, balloonology, yes that is a technical trade, music and unique toys will be on the agenda for Pass-the-Parcel to celebrate Sugar & Spice turning one!

Based in Kyneton, in the beautiful Macedon Ranges, Pass-the-Parcel have been sharing their fun for over 10 years. Their services include; roving performers, event entertainment, face painting; balloonology, mobile kids parties, craft classes, circus and clown skills lessons, music sessions - the impressive list goes on. 

Headquarters is their cute shop front in Kyneton where they have a strong focus on selling Australian made, green and eco friendly toys.

You can check out Pass-the-Parcel here for more info pass-the-parcel.com.au

Or make sure you pop into St Ambrose Hall on Sunday June 5 to share in some Pass-the-Parcel birthday fun.

Today, Kyneton's Midland Express Newspaper will visit their shop to take a picture to accompany an article about our upcoming 1st Birthday Market, yay!

Just because...

Do you have a friend that helps you just because???

I am lucky to have one such Mama friend in my life. She is always there for a a bit of last minute help, to listen to a rant, to vent to and to share the joys of the little people in our lives.

It's not just me that she is continually doing things for, just because, I see her doing things time and time again for others. She is a gem and I think you will find the beautiful posters and postcards that she has created for our 1st Birthday market just as beautiful as she is. Thank you Jackie...

These 1st Birthday posters and postcards will be finding new homes at shops, kinders, child care centres and schools throughout the Macedon Ranges.