Anyone know anything about Inkscape?

I have been an Adobe fan for years, but am flirting with the idea of using Inkscape, the open source vector graphics software. Can anyone tell me if they have used it?

Love

Fat Mumma xx

Special Offer for all Blog Readers and Email Subscribers

I have one of the pictured nappy bags left in stock and as I'm in a great mood ('cos the kids have gone back to school)... I thought I would pass on my generosity to those that have been supporting us avidly via twitter, the blog or subscribing to our, as yet unfinished email newsletter! First person to send me an email requesting this bag can have it for a bargain basement price of ONLY $100.00. So, if a friend is currently pregnant and you are looking for a gift... this could be it! Or if you need an upgrade... treat yourself... you know you deserve it!

Barbie, barbie, lets go party....

I couldn't get that crappy Barbie song out of my head as I wandered around the Barbie 50th Anniversary exhibition at Fed Square today. That was annoying, but surprisingly, even with 4 young girls in tow, I quite enjoyed it. It was interesting not only from a fashion designer perspective (which I have to admit never having really thought about there being a fashion designer behind every Barbie outfit!), but also from a visual merchandising view; and a brand marketing point of view. All this, AND it kept the girls entertained for an hour or so.....!!!!

We also did a sock puppet making workshop at Artplay, which was a recycled, craft, creative art-experience, which I feel balanced the materialistic, capitalistic, egotistic, self-indulgence of the Barbie exhibition. I reckon that's as good as 'carbon-neutural'??? Don't you think there should be a 'capitalistic-neutral' facebook group somewhere??? Maybe that should by the by-line for the melbourne craft cartel?????

Also read Betty Jo's blog and realised she is in Handmade in Melbourne too.... beaut!!!!

Love

Fat Mumma xxx

Handmade in Melbourne

Yay, we got in the new Handmade in Melbourne book! We are pretty excited about that... our first book feature! Wow, I almost feel like a proper artisan... even though my day has actually been spent entertaining half-a-dozen children. We did a round of t-shirt stenciling, so I suppose that justifies my artisan day... LOL!!

The discipline of web browsing

I have decided that when updating the blog, I have to give myself no more than 1 hour to get stuck meandering down the pathways and corridors of the internet. It is so rife with beautiful products, stories and creative brilliance that it is soooo hard not to spend all afternoon just looking around.

Today I found this dress: http://www.thegrandsocial.com.au/secret-squirrel/dresses/kimono-dress, which I think is beautiful and wish I had the legs to carry it off! My friend Barbara at klei, would look gorgeous in it.... They are also doing a range of clothing themselves which I am hoping to get down to check out at the Rose Street Market.

News on the market grapevine is that Rose Street will be soon starting a Sunday market too and that the AGM took place at St Kilda yesterday with the election of a new committee. Also the Sisters Market are doing a 'teeny tiny' market on 7th November for all things baby. We will be there in October and December.

By the way, I have to say that the background paintings in my recent youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1sLxOVsd2A) are by my favourite artist Carey Potter who you can find here: http://www.mmorphe.com/careypotter/index.html.

Have a nice day... time to leave the corridors of creativity and go do some sewing!

Love

Fat Mumma xx

School Holidays...

Just got back from the Fun for Kids festival in Warrnambool, which I have to say was fantastic!!! There was a heaps for the kids to do AND loads and load of great craft projects! I particularly liked the make a cupcake biscuit stall, as well as the badge making section. Of course I made my eldest an 'I Love Mum' badge for presentation after she completed the rock-climbing wall!!! Very tongue in cheek of course! She wore it with pride though!!!! :)

I think next year, rather than doing a long day, we might do three days where we go for a few hours and try and check out some of the other great stuff around Warrnambool. I didn't realise there was that much to do around there, but it's actually not a bad place (barring the weather!). The great thing was the festival was all undercover, so there was no need to have to battle the wind and rain! The caravan we stayed in did feel like it was going to lift off in to space at various points... but we managed to return safe and sound!

Only another week to go before school goes back....!!!!!

Love

Fat Mumma xx

Check out the Fun for Kids Festival

Other Handmade Wonders...

I was just reading Betty Jo's linoforestblog and remembered that the Northcote Winter Artisan market was on this weekend. The weather was miserable, but it sounds like there was some beautiful stuff there. Here are some of the links that I followed and loved: Finki
curlypops,Polly Pratt.

I am particularly inspired to try the freezer paper stencilling, but just keep wondering what on earth 'freezer paper' is? Will have to look out for it at the supermarket. I usually use powerpoint slide plastic for my stencils. That way you can wash it and reuse it. Stick it on with masking tape. It's a bit harder to cut through than card or paper, but the fact that you can use it a number of time makes up for it.

I had considered applying for the Northcote market, but just couldn't bring myself to stand out in the freezing cold and then have to come home and give a babysitter my take for the day! There are many times I have actually ended up paying more money out than I have made... can you believe the craziness of PAYING to stand in the freezing cold and wet all day????? Crafting is madness you realise!

Love

Fat Mumma

Being caught up in oneself...

I realise to day, as always, that's it's really very hard to know what's going on in other people's lives. I think the world of blogs and twitter kind of sums it up that we have fleeting comments to each other, and short conversations and often things are missed. In the past week, I have been surprised to hear that friends are getting divorced, that family has lost some of their closest friends, that neighbours have been diagnosed with cancer for a second time and that others are contending with parents who've had strokes. All of these events go on without me even realising. Is this a symptom of our social networking that we learn to communicate only in soundbites.... a friend even got married on the weekend, and I was completely unawares. Someone will have a baby tomorrow and I'll be like... 'wow... I didn't even realise you were pregnant'!

I'm not saying I don't think highly of all of these people, and that I remain close to them in all sorts of ways... but it merely highlights that the larger our social network, the less time we have to spread ourselves around! It's a tough one, as it's fun to have heaps of friends... but does that make me a bad friend to show small bouts of attention to lots of friends, rather than lots of attention to a select few?

The answer of course is, 'I'm doing the best I can'... but I just want all those that are suffering to know... I'm thinking of you!

Love

Fat Mumma xxxx

Feeling inspired...

Here I am deciding to finally make the website more automated. I have placing band-aids on a few things for a while, but have finally decided that I need to revamp it entirely. Of course, to you, the dear reader... you won't notice a thing, but for me, it will mean many hours less web tinkering and hopefully a much faster way of updating our products. To this end, get yourselves signed up for the newsletter as discounts are on there way to all those subscribed!!!!

Spread the word!!!!!

Love

Fat Mumma xxxx

If you had one wish...

Was just reading a profile of someone on twitter that said... "I like to dance to Miley Cyrus and go on vacation". I pictured a scene where someone was granted one wish and that their one wish was to do that all day everyday for the rest of their lives. Wonder if that person would feel the same way about liking it?

This made me ponder on what I liked to do as a teenager and if I had been granted a wish like that what kind of purgatory would I be stuck in? "I like to dance to The Smiths and sit in my room contemplating suicide".... thank god I never got a wish fairy for that one!!!!

On a brighter note, I discovered a new colour today which is called "Cheesy Grin". What a great name for a yellow!

Love

Fat Mumma