Crafty goings on.....

Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to be involved in the first annual Westernport Craft Fest.  What a day it was!  A good friend asked me at the last minute, to share a stall with her.  Hence the mad rush on Friday night to get some sort of paper crafting demonstration stall together.

Now Saturday was a fairly blustery day in downtown Hastings and paper crafting in the wind brought along some interesting challenges!  Our stall started off looking all pretty for about five minutes, until gust after gust of that nasty wind rearranged it and sent gift boxes, cards and paper hurtling to the ground.

Teena papercrafting in the wind......DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

As you all know, I dabble in several crafty obsessions.  Most of the time I muddle through, each time learning more and more as I go.  After lunch at Craft Fest, I slipped away to meet some of the other demonstrators.....and I was curious to see what other crafts were on show.  A lot of the ladies were very experienced and had been crafting for many more years than me.......and yes, it showed!  I was seriously impressed by the quality of the many crafts on show.  Just look at the work by Jennifer Lewis pictured below:

Collage quilt by Jennifer Lewis

The lovely Jennifer Lewis and a gorgeous vintage Singer machine

Upon discovering the exquisitely detailed embroidery by Caroline Hill, my mind was taken away to English Cottage Gardens and the days of old....

Embroidery by Caroline Hill

Caroline Hill

I had a lovely chat to Amanda Hart, who makes handmade jewellery and puppets......one of her cute puppets was strolling around next to her, among the crowds during the day...

Amanda Hart

I think the most amazing craft I watched on the day was the ladies from Mt Eliza Lace Group and their lace demonstration. These ladies are just so talented and the work is extremely intricate.  I would imagine a great deal of patience is required. This is something I don't have a lot of, but this only served to make my admiration grow.  Absolutely gorgeous work!

Mt Eliza Lace Group

I could rattle on forever about the lovely people I met on the day........I truly had a great day out and was very humbled by the talented older ladies I met.  Well done to you all  !!

Basket making and soft toys...

The girls from Trinity Craft Group

Westernport Quilters Inc

Thank you to Sandra for her assistance on the day and for squeezing us in after a cancellation.  I look forward to next years event!

Cheers,

Jodie

MPH xx

Huckleberry girls.....

Good morning.... it is going to be a cracker of a day again.  The weather this week has been brilliant...and my pile of washing is now gone, thanks to these sunny Autumn days. Cool evenings, dewy mornings and sunshine, my absolute favourite time of year by far.  To top it all off, Port Phillip bay has been calm and still, so beautiful to look at from our front deck......what a gorgeous place our Peninsula is!!!

So, down to the business at hand.  Last Sunday, I planned a quick visit to the Huckleberry Market at the Peninsula Community theatre in Mornington.  As usual, I headed out the door telling my worse half that I would "be back shortly".  As I made my escape, I am sure I heard him sniggering in the background?  Ok, so I may have stretched the truth a tiny bit.  I really had planned a quick peek around, a quick hello or two, a couple of photos and out the door fairly soon after all that.  Didn't happen.

I love going to any sort of market and if I have the chance, I will amble around them, browsing and oohing and aaahing to my heart's content.  I did have a quick browse around this time, but kept getting caught up with stallholders and before I knew it, a one minute chat had grown to a five or ten minute chat.  Multiply that by at least a half dozen........and bingo! Two and a half hours disappeared in a flash, as my "be back shortly" comment keep rearing its annoying head up in my mind.

Julie from My Sweet Florence

Is it my fault I found such lovely people to chat too?  I think not!  Put two or three girls together and of course there will be talking......especially when we all love the world of crafts and handmade.

Lisa from Rafi and Hannah

Kristy from Two Little Monkeys

Lauren from Love a Rhino

It was great to meet a new maker at this market.....Lauren from Love a Rhino, pictured above.  Lauren had a very cute stall, featuring her decor prints and artwork.

See you all soon, enjoy this gorgeous day!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Miles of smiles for local lasses......

It is days like today when my job here at MPH just makes me smile.  This evening I was driving out to St Andrew's Beach, to drop off some products of mine to a lady I had spoken with on the phone.  After I had arrived at her house, I was lucky enough to be shown around her studio.......which was exuding the most divine aroma of essential oils.  This lady is Judy from Gunbower Creek Olives & Olive Products and she is just so lovely and very, very clever.  She makes all her skin care products in her backyard studio, from organic and natural ingredients.  They are most beautifully packaged and presented.

To say the least, I was thoroughly impressed!  Judy was kind enough to give me some lovely foot balm to try....

Even more exciting.......Judy will be commencing soap making classes in the future.  I am signing up for sure!!  I only use handmade soap at home and have always wanted to make my own......Yippee!  I left Judy's house filled with such inspiration and thrilled that I had found yet another wonderful local business.   I am discovering so many new products that are Peninsula made......we are very fortunate in our little piece of the world to have such a vast array of talented makers.  Stay tuned to read about Judy in a Meet the Maker post soon.

Last week I also met another lovely local lady, Karina Reyne from The Noble Box.  Like Judy, Karina gave me a warm welcome into her home.  The Noble Box is an online gift box store, specialising in eco-friendly, organic, handmade, fair-trade products which look wonderful too.  I love how Karina promotes and supports these types of products.....they are worlds apart from sweat-shop produced, cheap imported goods.  The gift boxes can be ready made selections, or you can choose the "create your own" option.  There are a wide range of products to choose from: children's gifts, stationery, skincare, clothing......just to name a few.  A great option to give a gorgeous gift, which doesn't contribute to destroying our gorgeous planet.

If you are lucky enough to be visiting the Sustainable Living Festival's  The Green Market  at Federation Square this weekend, then keep an eye out for Karina and Judy at their combined stall.  They are promoting locally produced Peninsula products, so pop by and take a look.  The market is running from Friday Feb 17 at 12pm to Sunday Feb 19 at 5pm.  I am hoping to sneak up there on Sunday.....fingers crossed!!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Shop local.....new goodies to share!

My favourite time is when I get photos of new handmade products to share with you all.....it is like Christmas all over again.

I am always amazed at the talented people we are lucky to have right here in this special place, the Mornington Peninsula.

So without further ado..........

We have new stock from Rafi & Hannah, a local business based in Rye.  Lisa puts a lot of time and effort into her products and I think these latest creations are just so cute!  The skirt retails at $24.95 and comes in sizes 1 - 5.  The fully reversible sun hats are made to order and priced at $19.95...contact Lisa via the link above, for details.

New hair accessories for girls from Renee at Precious Child Designs.....these photos are just beautiful.  Happy little girls, gorgeous products.....a winning combination!

The Baby Shower Book  are a lovely idea, for guests to write best wishes in, predict baby names and for friends to write their thoughts......  A lovely keepsake idea!  The books are printed locally in Mornington and are by mum of two, Leonna Flack.

And finally, a few little somethings from me........and my little Designery.  I have a new line of personalised cards, perfect for "age" birthdays for kids, new babies and for older birthdays.......such as the big "50" etc.  They come in 2 sizes......A5 size (15 x 21cm) and A6 size (10.5 x 15cm).  Larger sizes available upon request.  A5 are $9.00 and A6 are $6.00.  Both sizes come with envelopes.

Also new and available are the Applique cards from Designery.  100% recycled card stock base, with layers of linen, paper, buttons and trims.  Machine and hand stitched, with handstamped details.
$7.00 for A6 size, they come with a recycled envelope.  Assorted designs available.

I hope you found something you like here...........?

Jodie
MPH xx

Local homemade delight........

Yesterday I decided to whisk my Mum off for a nice lunch, she is always helping me out in a million different ways....Thanks Mum!..... and deserved a long overdue treat.  Off we headed, down to the main street in Rosebud.......hmmm, where to go??  We ended up driving around aimlessly, not quite sure what we wanted to eat.  I suddenly remembered recently reading about this little place in Rye, tucked away somewhere in the back streets.  OK!  I was now on a mission to find it, not really knowing what is was called, but I had a vague idea of where it was located.  After narrowly escaping the usual Point Nepean Rd traffic jam in Rosebud West, we sneakily detoured up Trueman's Road, hoping for a clear run along Alma Street. Phew!  Yes!  Not too much traffic there!  We made it to Rye and headed up Dundas Street, valiantly driving along, hoping for a glimpse of signage of some sort.  Bingo, a sandwich board!  We followed the signage and directions, until we came across what we had been searching for:  Peninsula Pantry!

This delightful cafe and catering business is in a converted General Store building, tucked away in Wondaree St, Rye.  So nice to find somewhere away from the manic main street of Rye.  Curious and delighted, we headed inside.  Needless to say, the display of cakes, pies and pastries was enough to get our mouths watering......and some delicious salads, quiches and pies were displayed in another area.  Our lovely lunch:  Mum and I shared a cheese & spinach roll and salmon pattie, accompanied by a yummy brown rice tabbouleh and a beetroot and feta salad.  For afternoon tea, we grabbed a vanilla slice and a strawberry/custard muffin........and MUCH later on (lunch was SO filling!) we enjoyed these sweet treats with a cup of tea.  The vanilla slice won me over, crispy pastry and creamy custard.  Seriously good!!

And the added bonus???   All of the products (apart from the breads) are home made on the premises.  No production line goods here........just beautifully made local products, using free range eggs and bacon (Yay!!), only butter is used AND they buy local produce where possible!  For those with dietary restrictions, there are vegetarian and gluten free options too.  Peninsula Pantry is owned and run by Johan and his wife Lia.  It is open everyday from 8-5 except Tuesdays.  www.peninsulapantry.com.au

Do yourself a favour.....!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx