Profile: Shopgirl Red.......

Last week we admitted to the world that we aren't 'Wonder Women' and that we needed some help from some talented, lovely ladies.  Last week we introduced you to Dainy, but this week it's all about Red.  Or Bec, if you prefer?

 

 

 

We gave Red the big 5 questions, and this is what we got:

 

1.  If you could sing one song on Australian Idol, what would it be?

My song would be Me and Bobby McGee. Nana nana nana nana na, he, he, he, my Bobby McGeeeeeeeeee

2.  Do you believe in Bigfoot?

Don't believe in Bigfoot. My partner Jamie has seen the black panther that roams around South Gippsland. There should only be one in each household.

3.   Describe yourself in three words....

I shall go with the first three words that pop into my head . . .  tall, red, blessed

4.  Favourite childhood outfit?

Going by my early childhood photos, it was gumboots and little else. Mum made my clothes in those days. I fondly recall she made me a beautiful velvet skirt for my cousin's wedding. Pity it was brown really, but loved it at the time.

5.   A word you say a lot:

I say 'fabulous' an awful lot.

 

Red and I actually go back a long way, so I could probably tell you lots of interesting things if I wanted to, but I think you should find out for yourself.  One thing I will share with you though, in high school she was obsessed with Michael Jackson, and to this day can still do all the dance moves to 'Thriller'.

 

Thanks Red, it's great to have you on board!

New faces at Mookah Studio......

If you've been in the shop of late, you may have recognised a few new faces behind the counter, so we thought that maybe it's time to introduce them to you.  We both like to think of ourselves as being wonder women at times, but apparently we can't do 'everything' anymore, and have enlisted the help of a few lovely local ladies.

 

We've given each of them a set of five questions to answer to help us all to get to know them a little better, and we will be sharing these with you over the next couple of weeks.

 

Profile: 'Dainy'

 

 

 

1.  What is your best 'pick me-up song?

Of all time - Queen's 'Somebody to Love'

Right Now - Pharrell Williams 'Happy'

 

2.  Sundays are for.......

Blueberry pancakes and imagining

 

3.  What do you think of garden gnomes?

That depends on what they think of me.......

 

4.  You're a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would you be and why?

Duck egg - because until you colour with it, you never know what colour it really is

 

5.  If you were a pizza delivery person how would you benefit from scissors?

Isn't that obvious?

 

A few personality traits we've learnt about Dainy is that she's partial to a dance, she loves running, she always looks effortlessly georgous, and she likes to be organised.

 

Thanks, Dainy!

Dear Blogger

Dear Blogger,

I apologise for my absence of late (pretty much all of 2012), but I do have a good excuse.  No the dog didn't eat my homework, I didn't run over my laptop with the car while reversing out of the driveway, and aliens didn't abduct me.  It was worse.  I've been fighting breast cancer.  Not something you expect to ever happen to you, but especially at age 38 with no family history.

I'm still not ready to discuss the details in such a public forum, but 2013 however, is going to be a completely different year.  My treatment has come to an end, my hair is slowly growing back, and I'm back in the saddle.  Sure, things aren't quite the same as they were before, but that's life and I'm adjusting best I can. 

Thanks for reading my ramblings, however inconsistent they may be.  Thanks for not judging me, or excluding me, and accepting me back into the blogger fold whenever I feel I'm able to participate.

Its February already, where did January go?  Oh yeah, that's right.  Customers just kept on coming into the 'bricks and mortar' store in Inverloch, keeping us rushed off our feet.  Thanks everyone for your support of our little studio, our work, our creations and what we love doing. 

Bring on the rest of 2013!

The good life....

One of the 'pluses' of my role in Mookah is that I get to go on lots of trips to great places for markets and events, and as you may already know, I love a good road trip.  Over the last couple of weeks I got to visit one of my absolute favourite destinations.  It was that relatively small place down below the rest of Australia, that is jam packed with places of absolute beauty and serenity, Tasmania.  It was the first time Mookah has showcased its wares at the Tasmanian Craft Fair at Deloraine, which was a four day event over the Cup weekend, and we also discovered a few Tassie labels that we hope to be stocking at the Mookah Studio real soon.

We had some fantastic, quirky accommodation, staying in this little A-frame house in waterside Port Sorrell, sharing with some stallholder friends.  Isn't it oh so cute?

After the craft fair my market offsider (Mum) and I stayed on for an extra two days of rest and relaxation in the Launceston area, where I took her to see some of my favourite places.  Of course no trip to the Launceston area would be complete without visiting a few wineries in the Tamar Valley, so I took her to a couple of my favourites, being Pipers Brook where we had a leisurely lunch in the sunshine, and Bay of Fires, which has some of my all time favourite wines.

Our other spare day was spent tramping up through Cataract Gorge and visiting my list of 'to see' shops in Launceston.  One I've been to before but wouldn't miss an opportunity to visit is the The Mill - Providore & Gallery, which was just across the road from our accommodation.  This place is full of beautiful locally grown produce and other clothing, gifts and homewares, all focusing on Tassie grown and made. 

Another on the list was eco co, full of beautiful homewares, clothing and gifts.  They even had a beautiful chair recovered in Cloth's Spotcheck fabric, similar to mine!

And last but certainly not least, the shop I've been dying to visit for ages, Cocoon in George St.  I've been following this shop online for ages and it was great to be able to see for myself.  An absolutely beautiful little shop focusing on Australian made/designer labels, right up my alley!

While we were wandering up George St looking for Cocoon, we stumbled across a little pop up shop called 'et la mer' and of course couldn't resist the temptation to check it out.  While there were many beautiful things, the thing that took caught my eye was a display of organic screenprinted cushions from The Spotted Quoll.  I didn't buy any cushions, but I couldn't help myself and had to buy a set of prints to frame and hang on my walls at home.  If you're in Launceston, get in quick and check out this pop up shop!

All in all, another lovely visit to beautiful Tasmania.  May there be many more to come in the future!

My New Favourite Corner

For many years now I've been tossing around in my head what fabrics I should use to reupholster an old favourite chair of mine.  It's not just any chair, it's a beautiful old 'kanga rocker' that I got from my dear old great aunt when she passed away.  The fact that the chair has sentimental value to me has overwhelmed me, leading me to be indecisive and procrastinate.

 

My recent journey has brought lots of things into perspective for me, and suddenly I could see the decision in a new light.  My Aunty May would be happy that I have the chair, I love it and will look after it, and that I am going to recover it in something that I love. 

 

So how could I go past Australian Handprinted fabric?  I have used 2 different fabrics, but have featured Cloth's spotcheck fabric, as I've always loved it, and I am partial to a touch of red, and combined it with some crosshatch.  Isn't she adorable?

This has now become my favourite corner in the house.  A place where I can sit and rock with my feet up on a Mookah floor cushion, and read a book or watch the trees out the window.

 

I will declare though, that I feel a little like a traitor not using one of our own handprinted fabrics.  So to even things up a bit (or make myself feel better) I've picked up another rocker similar to mine which we're going to reupholster in our new Mookah fabric design.  Watch this space for that one!

Maybe we all need a little yellow in our lives?

Never fear, we're still here!

 

We haven't been visiting this little space of late, and when we have it has been quite infrequent.  I'm not apologising, just telling it how it is.  Sometimes there is just more important things going in your life, and when things settle down, you find the desire or time again.

 

We've just returned from a well needed little break in warm, sunny Queensland, and it feels like while we were away recharging our batteries, spring has arrived here in Victoria.  The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was the heavenly smell of spring, and more specifically, the sweet smell of boronia wafting through the breeze.  It brought a smile to my face.

 

Something that also brought a smile to my face while we were on holidays was a shop we saw in Peregian Beach that had in its front window an old ladies bicycle painted yellow all over, with some flowers planted in the front basket.  It just made me feel good inside.  I'm not really a yellow person, but it didn't matter.

 

 

 

So guess what one of the first things we did when we got home this week was?  Visited a recycling yard (junk yard depending on how you look at it) to get ourselves and old ladies bicycle with character, and we found just the one.  Her name is Sally, what do you think?

 

 

 

She was just a little unloved, and a little rusty from sleeping outdoors.  She's had a wash, a rub down, and a few coats of yellow spray paint and she looks lovely again.  The basket of white lobelia will add a nice crisp touch as it prospers under the warmth of the suns rays.

 

So if you're thinking about visiting the Mookah Studio for the first time, just look for the bright yellow bicyle out the front!

 



Friday on the bench....

Today was Friday.  The day that traditionally marks the end of the working week.  Except that we choose to work Tuesday to Saturday, so have another day to go.  So today in the studio we gave ourselves permission to not be 'slaves of production', which is how it can quite often feel in the working studio of a small creative business.

We spent some time taking product photos, chatting with some lovely customers in the shop, and perusing our latest colour swatch samples for our 'Leaves' design that were strewn all over our cutting bench.  Oh, and did I mention that we made time in the arvo for an apple cake slathered in icing with a strong hot brew?

Not a bad Friday at all.  Wonder what Saturday will bring?

Let there be light!

Being a Monday, it's normally a day of rest for us Mookah chicks.  But not today.  Yesterday we decided to commit ourselves to an interstate market.....next weekend!  Crazy I know, but sometimes you need a little crazy in your life.  So it was full steam ahead today marking, cutting, pinning and sewing. 

I can hear you now, "that doesn't look like fabric".  Well it's not.  Just to make things a little more interesting, we decided that it was time we made a few more of our retro inspired rocket lamps to take with us as well.

We have two different sizes, being a table lamp and a floor lamp version, but both of the same style, and all made completely by hand out of aussie hardwood and aussie handprinted fabrics.

I have two of these birch design table lamps in my bedroom and I adore them.  Now I just need a floor lamp for the living room......but how to decide what fabric I want!  The more options there are the harder it gets.  I have to come clean and tell you that there is some help from Mookah Man to make these guys.  Not that us girls couldn't make them of course, just that time is tight this week, and you know how it is, right?

So where are we off to?  Somewhere warm and balmy?  We wish.  Nope, we're off to the capital to the Handmade Market at the National Convention Centre in Canberra where it's supposed to get down to minus 5 degrees on Saturday morning.  Yep, like I said, CRAZY.  Oh, and to top it off, all Gippsland is expected to be in floods this week, making that road trip just a little more interesting.

Hope to see some of you at the market on Saturday or Sunday.

My Creative Space.....

Well I've got to tell you, there wasn't much room in our day today for creativity.  There is now only one sleep to go until the Finders Keepers Market, and we're right up against the time clock to get everything done, ready to pack the car and trailer tomorrow morning.

Us Mookah Chicks like to think we can do everything ourselves, but today we had to call in some help from D2, to help with the building and painting of some of our props.  We were never going to get there on our own.  Thanks, D2.

There was lots of last minute sorting, weighing, folding and tying of our Handprinted Fabric Packs.  Tasks like this ALWAYS take longer than you think they will.

Printing price labels, sticking them onto product tags, and them pinning them to all our items.......one day we might be able to employ a lackey to do these tasks.  No, I actually quite enjoy them, they are part of the buzz of preparing for a big event, I just wish we weren't always so rushed at the end!

Hope to see some of you over the next couple of days at Finders Keepers.

Finders Keepers Market

Royal Exhibition Buildings

Nicholson St

Carlton, Melbourne

Fri 6pm - 10pm

Sat 10am - 5pm

For more 'Our Creative Space', head over here.



What better way to spend a Monday?

With this most amazing run of beautiful weather we are having you would never guess that it's April.  Nothing better than clear blue skies with the sun low in the sky, filtering those rays into the house during the day and then cool crisp nights so that you can snuggle up nicely in bed.

Today we made the most of the weather and planned a picnic lunch to celebrate the leaving of a friend who's been staying with Nicole and family over the last 4-5 months.  We thought of going out somewhere special for lunch, but decided that there was nothing better than a gourmet picnic given the weather and this special place we live in.  Who could ask for a better view than this to dine by?

Eagles Nest - near Inverloch

Gee that Mookah marquee comes in handy sometimes!

What was on the menu?  Chicken and pork terrine, sliced meats, double brie, sun dried tomatoes, olives, dips, fresh bread, homemade relish and onion jam.  Are you salivating yet?  Washed down with one of our favourite Tasmanian 'Bay of Fires' champagnes.  Bliss.

What did you get up to today?

What a weekend ahead!

It's a long weekend this weekend, so we should be sleeping in, relaxing, or going away camping or something.  But no, what are we doing?  Mookah is everywhere this weekend!  As we speak (or I write and you read) Nicole is on a road trip to Canberra with lucky Phil for the 2 day handmade market at Canberra.  Actually, they're probably just about at Gundagai, ready to head to our usual destination, the Gundagai RSL for a drink and dinner!

While Nicole is gallavanting interstate, I will be at the Inverloch market on Saturday amongst the hordes enjoying the Jazz Festival, and on Sunday I will be at Foster Market enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of a country market. 

So who's going to be looking after the Mookah Studio/Shop I hear you ask?  Well, we've had to call in the big guns to help out.  Mum, otherwise known as Marg, Mrs Griffo, or Nan Nan will be looking after the shop, while us girls are out and about being market gypsies.  Thanks Mum.

So if we don't see you somewhere this weekend, have a great long weekend, stay safe on the roads, and have fun!

A few studio shop pics.....

The studio shop has undergone a major reorganisation over the last few days, so i thought it might be nice to share a few snaps with you.



We made up some timber boxes out of local recycled hardwood and hung them on the wall to use for display.  We love our timber, us girls!



On Friday I picked up our new season's stock from Elk and we then spent several hours unpacking the stock, and oohing and aahing over our favrourite pieces.  We also decided to stock some of the Elk clothing range for the first time, which featured charcoals, mustards, silver greys and claret.

Come on in and check out our new season's stock!

Mookah Studio

32 Cashin St

Inverloch 3996



New supplier in the Mookah Studio shop!

Have you heard of Melbourne based accesories label 'Nancybird'?

Thought you might have.  This week we received our first delivery of selected Nancybird products in the studio shop, including handbags, clutches, wallets, coin purses and cushions.

All of the Nancybird range is made from quality materials, with much of the fabric in the range being hand printed locally in Melbourne.  The new collection has a very Australian feel, using raw earthy materials and colours.



We couldn't pass up stocking a few of these cushions in the shop either, they are divine!



Another thing we really like about having a little Nancybird in the shop is the fact that Emily (the lady behind the label) was originally from this area, before her move to Melbourne.



Drop by the studio sometime and have a little looky for yourself! 

Mookah Studio

32 Cashin Street

Inverloch 3996

Tuesday - Saturday

9.30am - 4pm



My Creative Space....

In the studio today it's been all about photos and fabric.  We've been busily taking lots of photos trying to get 'just the right' shots for an ad we're doing in the next issue of Coast Magazine.  Ideas are great, but waiting for just the right the light is was killing me.

We decided that this photo above was our favrourite, and just what we were looking for to complement our other photos.  What do you think?

What about the fabric?  Well we were waiting for this lovely new fabric from Surface Art to arrive for another custom order we have.  It is so lovely that we decided to get some for ourselves.  Interesting that the mustard tones suit Nicole's house perfectly and the blues would match mine.  Mmm.....what to do with it?

For lots more creative spaces, head over here.

A lovely day out.....

Today I did something that I never do.  I took a rare day off work for myself.  Not because I was sick.  Not because I had appointments.  Just because I wanted a day to myself to do what I felt like.

So what did I do?  I'm glad you asked.  I went to Mornington to pick up my friend Carol, and we went to visit another mutual friend, Emma from Y Knot Designs, who has just started a new business venture with her Mum Sarah, called Treehouse Textiles at Merricks, who were having their very first open day today.

Treehouse Textiles offers contemporary textile workshops in a beautiful, modern space set in a natural bushland setting on the Mornington Peninsula.  Emma and Sarah have done a fabulous job of creating a modern but relaxed space for textile creativity, and offer workshops in quilt making, sewing, crochet, applique and other areas.

All their full day workshops include a catered lunch in a beautiful little box, they have a shop offering a range of handmade goodies, and you can just drop in to purchase fabrics and other supplies from their large range of hand selected fabrics from around the world.

From here, Carol and I headed off for a lovely relaxed lunch at T'Gallant winery in Main Ridge under the shade of the trees, while looking over the grapevines that hug the contours of the rolling hills.

  What a great way to spend a day!  Thanks Carol for a lovely day out.

My Creative Space.....

Oh lordy has it been a while since I've joined in with My Creative Space, and shared what's going on in our studio space.  It's not always super exciting and super creative, but sometimes you forget that other people are just interested to know about your creative process and what you get up to on a daily basis.

With Inverloch jumping over the summer period we've been kept pretty busy with all our visitors through the studio/shop door, which is fantastic, but it left little time for creativity, product photos and listing products in our online shop.  So yesterday was all about that for us.  We had a custom order for a boxed floor cushion to complete using our 'Muse' fabric in black on stone cotton/hemp, and then spent some time taking prdouct photos around the garden.

These were the fabric samples we were playing with on the bench to decide the final combination for the boxed cushion.  Decisions, decisions......

It was nice to have the opprotunity to wander the garden, and take in the various vista's while we were choosing locations for product photos. 

We don't know exactly what species of gum this one below is, but it sits in the front yard alongside the driveway and is covered in flowers at the moment that have a beautiful strong honey scent.

Between Nicole and I we've got a few these little wooden bird houses dotted around our gardens, and I love watching the little birds that come and sit on the perches, although I've never seen one go in inside.

There is this patch of grass in the backyard that is a different type to the rest of the lawn, and when you step on it, it smells of peppermint.  Is there such a thing as peppermint grass?

We've recently transplanted quite a few californian poppy seedlings from Mum's garden and this is the first of the colour dazzle.  Hope they survive and the kangaroo's don't get them first!

Next project?  An order for a picnic rug made out of outdoor fabrics.  I'll show you a pic when it's done.

Sunday mornings.......

After a lovely but very unlikely sleep in this morning, I woke to a kind of balmy, but warm, overcast and drizzly morning.  There went the plans to oil the deck.  Perfect excuse to do something a little more fun.

I decided that the little man might quite like to make some lamingtons with me.  I know, I can hear you now, "Are you crazy?"  Given that I don't have lots of energy at the moment to play all our usual games together, I thought this might make a nice change.

Anyway, I am a little partial to a good lamington! 

 Hope you're having a lovely Sunday too.

Don't you love receiving new fabrics?

Don't you love the arrival of new fabrics in the mail?  The anticipation of what will be inside the parcel.  Will they be just as lovely in the flesh as they looked when you purchased them?  Intensity of colour?  Softness of the cloth? 

We received several parcels of fabric in the mail this last week, and I can't decide which is my favourite.  I'm planning a new skirt for myself, but first I have to decide which fabric to use.

The morrocan prints are divine, but I can't go past the green leaf fabric.  Perhaps it's that nature part of me coming out again?



There will be more skirts on the way for this stunning japanese fabric as well.  All we need now is a little time to whip them up!



And last but not least, this lovely Leucadendron fabric in deep red and stone from Ink & Spindle.  It will look right at home amongst our other homewares in the Mookah Studio.

Merry Christmas to all.

New colourways in stock!

It's been a little while coming, but finally we have added a few new colourways to our Leaves and Moose design fabrics.  Both designs have been reprinted onto a lovely soft natural cotton/linen blend basecloth.

We have added the top left and top right colours to our range, which are called Dove Grey and Ocean Mist respectively.  This design is also still available in Rust, Chalk, Slate and Black.

Our popular Moose fabric has been reprinted in 2 new colourways.  The first is Desert Red, which as the name implies, is a very earthy natural shade of red, and much more subdued than the original fire engine red of our previous print, which is now available in very limited stock.

The other new Moose colourway we have been dying to print since the design was completed is Dove Grey.  A personal favourite of ours, which is lovely on it's own or will easily coordinate with other colours in the home.

Now we've just got to find a spare 5 minutes to get some cushions and beanbags made up and listed in our online shop!