A week today...

This time next week I will be is Osaka, Japan! How exciting as I cannot wait! One of my brothers lives there with his small family and he is getting married at Osaka Castle next Friday. The only sad part is that little mimoo is too little to go with us as it is a short trip of 5 days and I will be away over easter and I was planning to organise a little egg hunt for her.  I will have to make it up to her by bringing back lots of cute Japanese fabric to make her some sweet outfits for winter.  It will be very tough on me to go to these fabric and craft stores to find this fabric but I will have to struggle on just for her....

Found: Great Australian made kids clothing site

Take a look  at this gorgeous kid clothing website called The Clothesline.   They have been featured over at Handmade Kids blog which is a favourite of mine. See a snippet of the Q & A below,  in which I wholeheartedly agree!  (PS how cute are the bubble bags?)

SPREAD THE WORD EVERYONE!!!

What do you hope to achieve in 2009?

We would really love to get the word out about handmade – not just our site but the whole notion of buying handmade. I think it would be great if every kid’s birthday party I go to this year has at least 2 handmade gift received (there’ll always be 1 if I’m there!) and perhaps a number 1 google listing when people search for unique children’s clothing!!!

Newbie blogger

I am very puzzled as I have been having trouble posting to my blog with Australian time and it seems I have finally corrected the problem but all my previous posts date has disappeared!!! arrggh very  puzzling but I guess I will just have to live with it for now, so bare with me!!

mimoo is a treasure!

 Thanks Mee a Bee for the treasury pick! How fun are treasuries as I have never looked at the before. I will make sure to check them out more in the future for fun gift ideas.

Another giveaway that you will love!

The talented Rebecca over at Edward and Lilly is having a easter giveaway! I recently purchased a felt bird and the easter chick from etsy store for niece and sister in law and they are beautifully made and just a really sweet idea. so get in quick a post a comment to win!

Missed mimoo mantra monday

Sorry everyone as I missed mimoo mantra monday as I was not feeling very mantra-ish yesterday. I was feeling a bit like the above photo , due to the below photo!!

Mr mimoo and I went to a great friend of almost 20 years (scary!) wedding just outside of Scone in central NSW. I had anticipated that due to leaving little mimoo behind with her grandparents I had plenty of time for rest and relaxation and to catch up on a few magazines and maybe even start the book I had got out of the library weeks ago and have not opened. BIG mistake, as what I did NOT anticipate was that my other great friends of almost 20 years would also be childless and up for some serious party time..I needed to come back home to a toddler to get some rest - now that is a sentence I never thought I would hear myself say.....

Off out bush

Off to the outback for the weekend minus little mimoo- first time ever! 

Have a great weekend everybody.

Everyone loves a giveaway

The lovely Wynona at Ivy Designs is having a giveaway on her blog so get in quick before it ends as it is a lovely one of a kind handbag, button ring and brooch up for grabs! How cute . fingers crossed I win. In fact, why I am telling more people to enter as it lowers my odds.... oh well I just really love her stuff and want to spread the word

Inspired polka dots

I  hope everyone is checking out the polka dot parade as per my previous posting as mimoo is featured along with many other talented Estians. I love Sweet Ambs and her biscuits!! She is so talented with her creations.

I have just added to my shop my Seeing Spots play mat as I just loved the fabric as soon as it saw it! I have always loved polka dots and after seeing an exhibition by a UK artist, Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern a few years ago I became inspired to use them somehow in a mimoo creation. This is my favourite painting of his as it is just gorgeous in the flesh but after viewing his exhibition you did find yourself 'seeing spots'

Tetrahydrocannabinol by Hirst

Ta da da come join the polka dot parade

Mimoo has been featured in this months polka dot parade come along and join in the fun!

Become a member of Skout Trade Fair

Visit Skout Trade Fair

This site is fantastic place to check out! It has only recently been started by a lady in New Zealand but it is becoming a must have for home based businesses. The forums are great and inspirational to read as you get some great advice by people who have been there before you or just from others that are in the same boat as you. Just love it!

My previous life on flickr

I ran this gauntlet every day

Our local pizza take away shop

The city of London

The 'cheery' tube wait every morning

Forget wasting hours in twitter, I could waste days on flickr. How fun is this site???

End of an Era

I recently found out Ewan Gardams fabric store is closing its store in Adelaide St, Brisbane and relocating to a smaller store in the western suburbs. This has been a Brisbane institution for fabric hunters for decades, I remember going there with Nana when I was little to hunt for fabric for my first communion dress, then later my confirmation dress (I managed to talk my mum into buying me a dress from Sportsgirl!!! shame on me), then for my grade 12 formal dress, and even when I got engaged, I was living overseas and the first thing my mum said after I told her of said engagement, she replid 'As soon as you get back to home we must got to Gardams to look for wedding dress fabric'........  Those times are long gone now but the memories will remain. Thanks Ewam Gardam. xo

Gardams preparing to welcome the Queen and Prince Philip 1954.

mimoo's next press junket

Checkout mimoo on flickr

I have only recently got up to speed on the greatness of flickr and it seems really great fun! ( yes I am slow)

 Check out mimoo's flickr page of the new winter range!

mimoo mantra monday

A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril.

Sir Winston Churchill

British politician (1874 - 1965)

I think this is a great quote to start the week off with and is a very appropriate one for our current economic climate. Tradition is one of the reasons I decided to start mimoo last year as I remember back to when I was a kid, I loved all the handmade things I received from my mum and nanas and that is something I wanted to pass onto little mimoo. I think in these current economic times we need to encourage people to go back to basics and support handmade goods rather than cheap imports and also think about what we are putting in the hands of our kids, who made the toy they are playing with, who made the jeans they will be wearing this winter, what is it made of etc......

What makes you grumpy about selling online?

Non paying customers that's what!!! I mean seriously, why would you purchase something off the internet and just not pay for it and then, even worse completely ignore emails sent to you from the person selling like they do not exist. grrrrrr.... I liken it to physically walking into a shop, and taking goods off a shelf and going to the checkout counter and just standing there and refusing to pay for them and ignoring the sales assistant. ha yes I am prone to drama from time to time. have a good weekend everyone as I am off to the beach. bliss.

You have come a long way mimoo baby

I did a bit of a fabric cupboard clean out this week and I found these 'shorts'! I had a bit of a giggle as these were my first attempt at teaching myself to sew almost 18 months ago at making a pair of boardshorts for my nephew.  Needless to say I decided to abandon ship and start with a smaller project and mimoo just grew from there.

Winter items have arrived at mimoo HQ

I have finally been able to finish off a few winter items for mimoo and list them on Etsy and madeit, so get in fast!

mimoo is a styled baby

mimoo playmats are featured in the new Studio Bambini winter/autumn edition that hit newsagents today!! Sometime ago the lovely ladies at Styledbaby.com.au contacted me about becoming a mimoo stockist and as I really liked their cute website I jumped at the chance!   They have done a great job in styling the advertisement which appears in the magazine.

I wish them every success for the future of their new business. 

mimoo mantra monday

I have decided each monday I will kick start the 'working' mimoo week off with a cute, motivational or inspirational quote, so if you have any favourites that you would like to share with me feel free to post a comment and I can save it for the following monday or even we can start up a monday link!  I have borrowed this quote from another blogger who is also based in Brisbane and she has a lovely shop in the Brisbane Valley called Black + Spiro.

What is your favourite thing about selling online?

My favourite thing about selling online especially on Etsy (shameless plug!) is that you have a much greater audience than selling locally.  In the last few weeks I have sold and packaged off some mimoo products to Germany, Sweden, France and a couple of places in the US, Hawaii, Chicago and Washington DC! 

How fantastic that we can all share our handmade pledge and do our own small bit to try and bring back good quality, handmade goodies into the world and back into the hands of our babies and kids.

BrisStyle 1st anniversary!

mimoo is apart of a lovely Etsy group called BrisStyle and we had a 1st anniversary catch up today and it was great fun and lovely to put a few faces to names and also just to chat about the general ups and downs of running your own 1 (wo)man craft show on Etsy. A lovely BrisStyler Cat from made by maisie who makes the cutest soft dolls I have seen in a long time, organised a 'swap' of our products. I am partial to a lucky dip so was very excited about this and I was thrilled to receive a gorgeous lavender felt bird from the talented edward and lilly

New room for the little (actual) mimoo

After seeing the recent post on one of my favourite blogs, Ivy Designs I have decided to spend a bit of time this week into updating little mimoos' bedroom.  Recently she went into her first (toddler sized) bed, so she is no longer officially a baby (can someone pppplease tell her that!!!), so I think I need to update the room from a calm ' nursery' look to a more functional and fun room.  

So watch this space. 

Inspirational/ dream on sister room below

To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world -Brandi Snyder

I really like this quote and as I have decided to start the week off on a new positive note I think it is very fitting. 

Besides there is nothing worse than following someones blog and all they do is whinge and whine...boring....

ARRRRgghh the terrible twos have arrived!!

Once I started my blog I was all fired up and I could not stop thinking of things to blog about but sadly this 

has turned into this

so needless to say I have been unable to make any mimoo creations of late and I am feeling very very tired, uninspired and just plain worn out... oh and that is my favourite Sephora Paris lipstick she is using as war paint. I told littlemimoo not to worry, as I can easily pick up another one next time I am in Paris...perhaps in my next lifetime.