New Mini Bag design with zip.

After many months of procrastination we finally have a new mini bag design with a zip top. Priced at $65.00 via the website (soon to be added) this is a brilliant addition to our collection. Available in a myriad of fabrics, and with an internal mobile phone pocket, top zipper and back zip pocket... the perfect casual bag.

Beautiful Backpack...

I love this fabric, it's the greatest mix of girlyness, Japanese loveliness and urban funk! Reminds me of Charlie and Lola in a kids illustration sort of way :)

New Fabrics and Styles

Oh my goodness, I have been so busy I've not had time to put anything on the blog for ages... My new day resolution is to change that and be a bit more proactive about blogging! I know I said I'd have the new website up by now, but it's still coming. I also promised new photos by the end of March, but this is looking more like the end of May. However, to give you a taster, here are photos of the new Zip-Up Day Bag and we also now have NEW Zip-Up Mini Bag!!! Kathy has been super busy being good and busy... I've just been busy procrastinating, but sometimes that's what's needed I think!

The Zipper Top



The Back Zip Pocket



The Mobile Phone Pocket



The gorgeous front


Love and Peace
Fat Mumma xxx

Fat Mumma's Bags for sale a the Darebin Kite Festival 2011

The Greens Party have been kind enough to offer us space on their stall at the Darebin Kite Festival on Sunday 27th February. This will also raise a few bucks for the Party.

Fingers crossed the weather holds out. It was glorious today... but looks like it may be raining tomorrow! Ah well... it's good for the garden and I just planted basil and beetroot today, so they will be happy :) My tomato plants are loving this weather too :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xxx

Harvest Textiles Workroom

I am in lust with this place:

http://harvesttextilestudio.blogspot.com/

Every time I open up their blog I literally feel my mouth water!!! I am sooo desperate to do one of the workshops I feel I'm almost about to have an anxiety attack when I see it!!! Wish I had time. It's got to be one of the new years resolutions... get to the Harvest Workroom and do one of their workshops.

I'm sad to miss out on the textiles exhibition.. just couldn't get there... but will keep my eyes peeled for more great stuff to attend. I didn't win the tea towel workshop, but hope to get to one later in the year....

Please Harvest Workroom, don't go away... I promise I'll be there soon :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xxx

Fat Mumma's Nappy Bag Redesign

Today I closed down the nappy bag buying page as we have now officially launched our new nappy bag design. It's going great guns and we hope to have photos and information online by the end of March.

It's been a bit quiet here at the blog over Christmas and January as of course Australia tends to close down for those months... but we have the redesigned nappy bag to show for it as well as the skeleton makings of a new website. We are hoping to make the site easier to update with our latest fabrics.. so keep your eyes peeled!

As we don't have photos of our new bags yet, it is possible to see one at the Esplanade Market on any Sunday of the year.. baring gale force winds and torrential rain! We are there between 10am and 4.30pm.. so come say hello :)

Love and Peace.

Fat Mumma xxxx

Hand Made Christmas Pressies

One of the things about being into hand-made craft is that you become a little over obsessed with using up every little last bit of scrap fabric or paper. That's where this little product came from:



A one off of scrap leftover, but oh so cute!

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xx

Bag a bargain for Christmas

Christmas is rushing at me like a freight train and I've just realised we are almost in December. What with school functions for the kids, fundraisers, dance concerts and markets, it's a crazy, crazy time@!!! But all good fun! No bah humbugging from me at this time of year... I love it! And, because I'm in such a 'love it kind of mood' and want to pass on the Christmas vibe. I'm offering a FREE beach bag, with every backpack ordered online before 15th December!!!

Remember, we are at the Esplanade Market in St Kilda every Sunday between 10am and 4pm if you want to get down and bag a bargain. AND, you get to see our NEW day bags with zips. We are discontinuing the day bags with studs and replacing them with zips... as we've heard you people... you want a zip!!! :) We have finally listened!

One of our enthusiastic customers recently sent me this lovely testimonial about our quilted nappy bags, which I had to share with you all:

"They really are fantastic - I can't imagine why so many people lug around heavy designer bags - and I was almost one of those people. Your bag has the perfect amount of pockets - one for the keys, the drink bottle, the phone, diary, and importantly one for my stuff and one for the kids - so I feel at least that I have a little of my own space! The backpack option - while I don't use it often, has saved the day enough times - including jsut recently having to carry a sick three year old into casualty from the not-very-conviently located carpark."

Naomi also runs her own business which sells these amazing fruit juices, which I will give a huge plug to for Christmas. Infact friends, be warned you may be getting some of these for Christmas! Frou Frou Cordials can be found here: froufroucordials.com.au


Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xxx

Winner of St Kilda Stencil Design Competition

Fat Mumma's is proud to announce their winning entry in to the St Kilda Stencil Design Festival. Keep you eyes peeled around Port Phillip Bay, for this winning entry popping up around the place.

Fat Mumma does Luna Park!

New Daylesford Retailer

Yay, a new retailer in Daylesford!

The girls at Can't Think Straight contacted us recently to order some or our bags for their store. They seem so lovely, and the shop sounds great and such a good fit! I love the ethos of the store concept and hope they do really well :)))

They even have an online shop which has some brilliantly, different and unique gifts and products.

You can find out more about them and shop online at their online store:

www.cantthinkstraight.com.au

Or next time you're in Daylesford pop in and have a look.

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xxx

FAT MUMMA'S 2010 BAG SALE...

Where: Westgarth Books, 77 High Street, Northcote.
When: FRIDAY 22ND OCTOBER 2010
Time: between 10.30am and 9pm

Come and join us for a daytime coffee or an evening glass of wine.

We will be selling off bits of leftover fabrics, kids clothing, sale prices bags and other bits and bobs. You will be sure to pick up a bargain. The great thing is you can also go out for dinner after, to one of the lovely restaurants along the Westgarth Strip... or grab a movie at the cinema. What more could a budding Fat Mumma ask for???? :)

See you there :)

Love and Peace

FAT MUMMA XX

Challenges facing a craft business

One of the challenges of running your own craft business is firstly staying on track and making sure you don't stray in to 'play around land'. That is, when you get a bit tired of making the same product over and over again, you suddenly decide you might make yourself a dress, or a cushion or something equally unsellable! The second is that you often find a great fabric, make it up in to a bag and then decide that you would look better wearing it! Inevitiably, this ends up being the road to not much money land!!!! LOL! Another challenge is not spending all the money you do make on fabrics....
saying that...here are some of our latest and greatest :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma's

Sweatshop Free Labour

Ever wondered what the Fat Mumma's sweatshop looks like? Here a good example of bags on the go in the dining room :))

There is a tiny peak in to the works in progress, including a few 'coffees-in-progress as well :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xxx

Eco-Friendly kids toys.

This great stuff from the UK came to my attention the other day! Having half my family over there still, I thought I'd introduce you to it, as it's gorgeous looking stuff and oh, so eco!

www.thetravellingsouk.com

The model of the business reminds me a lot of what we are trying to do here in Australia with the travelling craft markets, but this idea takes it to a whole new level. It would be great if there was a way of making this kind of thing viable in Australia. Ethikl (www.ethikl.com.au) are trying to do it here, I hope they make it work :)

The cuddly toys (pictured) look cute, feel good and are very reasonably priced – so in this case green doesn’t mean expensive! Most are made from organic cotton and rubber wood from a sustainable source – and where possible made from eco friendly paint or colour. The filling is polyester made of recycled plastic bottles. If you have any UK family or friends, this might be worth a look!!!

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xxx

More Cool Fabrics from Hawaii-Five-O

More of those gorgeous fabrics from Hawaii!

Hey, we will also be doing a special winter Twilight fair at MLC in Kew, Melbourne. It's indoor, which is what we are most excited about!!! :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mummas xx

New bag fabrics

Half of the Fat Mumma's team just returned from Hawaii, where (as hard as they tried) they couldn't stay away from fabric stores!!!!! It drove her family insane... but it did mean there are some brilliant, bright new fabrics on offer to brighten up some dull winter days.

Why not come down the St Kilda market on Sunday's throughout the year to have a browse... or just contact me about any that take your fancy and I'll rustle up a quick bag for you :)))

On a more altruistic note, if you are feeling you need to get rid of some money (donating to a good cause), check out this website: project18.org.au. Beware though, you may need to keep some tissues handy :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xx

Hand Made Market Week

I just wanted to put in a quick reminder that we do have a stall every week at the Esplanade Market in St Kilda, Melbourne. If you are in the area and want to come and touch and feel our products, that's the best place to come. We are always happy to have people come and say hello as it can be a long cold day, especially at this time of year! Come and check out our nappy bags, or take advantage of our great special prices :)

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xx

By the way, I picked up an amazing little 'Peace' badge this week Catriona McLean, who also did this amazing little paper cut illustration which you can buy at her etsy store:

Sometimes there is a need to think of something other than Nappy Bags, and so I have to say how excited I was to meet the childrens' book illustrator Andrew McLean the other day. I think his illustrations are beautiful including this recent release, 'There's a Goat in my Coat" which was written by the now deceased Rosemary Milne.

I'm always really inspired by creatives that have stuck to creating beautiful things and have made a living from them! That's our hope one day :))

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xx

Free Nappy Bag

Did you know we have this great offer where you get a free quilted nappy bag with every vinyl nappy bag you buy? I know, you may say, "Why do I need two nappy bags?" Well let me give you a list of why:

1. Because this is a backpack, so when you are travelling it's really handy.
2. It's unisex and stylish for dad, so that you don't have to make him wear the floral pattern.
3. It's really, really, lightweight, so is great for wearing across the body.
4. You may need to ride your bike with bub, so you can wear this on your back.
5. It's handy for giving to grandma and grandad so they have a spare bag when they are babysitting!

I could go on, but you get the drift :) Basically, it's two nappy bags for the price of one AND you can buy the accessories to match!

Love and Peace

Fat Mumma xx