MooBeeTees

Hoop Art - New to MooBeeTees!

2011-11-05T20:36:00.000+11:00

We are very excited to bring Hoop Art to our customers!

After getting a little bit frustrated that the lovely applique work I was creating for tee shirts was being grown out of and then thrown away, I have decided to put my pictures on the wall instead!

This means that hopefully it might last a little bit longer and in some cases be passed on to siblings or kept as a special momento. MooBeeGran will be working with me on these whimsical pieces of art. At the moment she is creating some fabulous insects for me to turn into 'speciman' hoops - I can't wait to show you!

Here are our first two OOAK hoops - these are available for sale in either our Madeit or Etsy shops (whichever you prefer):

4" Owl in a Tree

4" Whimsical Trees

When in doubt, go back to the beginning...

2011-11-01T21:55:00.001+11:00

And back to the beginning I went!

I have always had a love of buttons and it was always my intention to use buttons in some way, shape or form in everything I made. Somewhere along the line I seemed to fall off that path and headed into a craft wilderness where there was nary a button to be seen.

Fortunately for me there have always been button suppliers out there who have tried to lure me back to the straight and narrow (you know who you are). Whether it be on Etsy or MadeIt or whilst attending the odd Craft Fair or two, the siren call of the button has called me back.

And now I'm back for good.

I am looking at my button muse with new eyes and, fortunately for me, MooBeeGran is joining me on this buttony journey. Between the two of us we plan to bring buttons back into the home in ways that may not always seem obvious, but bring them back we shall!

The first of our buttony goodness is of course in the shape of the humble bookmark:

Next are our new personalised initials:

After that...well I know what I'm doing and it involves hoops, but the rest of you will have to wait just a little bit longer!

Buttons watch out! I have a hot glue gun and I'm not afraid to use it!!

20% OFF EVERYTHING SALE NOW ON!!!!

2011-10-02T14:05:00.001+11:00

We're having a 20% OFF EVERYTHING SALE in our Madeit shop at the moment. It will be on for a short time only, so don't miss out on some of our crazy handemade bargains!

Need something for Christmas - pick it up now!

Present for a new born - check out our hand knitted teddies!!

All prices are already reduced, so just pop them in your cart and check them out :0)

We need lots of space for new items chock full of handmade goodness!!

Have fun!!!

Exciting Market News!!

2011-09-24T16:22:00.000+10:00

The Handmade Show is moving! How exciting!!

Here's a copy of what is currently apopearing on the market's blog:

But still warm, cosy & inviting!

We are moving to a brighter home that is bigger, but still as lovely as ever. Same atmosphere, same great feeling, New Location!

The Handmade Show now includes more artisans & crafters for you to enjoy - A delight for any lover of handmade.

Did you know it’s also THS’s First Birthday?

There’s lots to celebrate so come along and join us at…

St. Anthony’s Parish Hall

Cnr Grange & Neerim Rds Carnegie 3163

Sat 15th October

Sat 19th November

Sat 10th December

10.30 am – 3.30pm

I know MooBeeTees will be there with bells on :0)

MooBeeTees Destash - Our new Craftumi Store

2011-09-24T16:12:00.002+10:00

It's been a little while between posts, but a lot has been going on in the world of MooBeeTees! One of the developments is that we have opened a Craftumi store to help us destash - our craft spaces need a little bit of clearing out. Here's a taste of what is currently starring in store:

So if you are wanting to add to your own supplies or are looking to try something new, you might be able to grab yourself a bargain at MooBeeTees Destash :0)

Bluebirds of Happiness...

2011-08-05T20:43:00.000+10:00

You may have noticed that I have a bit of a fondness for Bluebirds (You hadn't? Check out my logo!). So I decided to devote this weeks 'must haves' to some crafters who share my love of the blue winged bird and have created little crafty tributes to them. I hope you like them as much as I do :0)

Father's Day is Coming...

2011-07-15T18:22:00.001+10:00

I know it's still a little way off, but how cool is this gift box! I think it would be great for the kids to make (with a bit of adult help) and Dad can continue to use it after Father's Day has gone by!

You have to love a simple, eco, kid friendly, use again gift box!

Lovely Little Buttons...

2011-07-13T18:31:00.001+10:00

As a child there was nothing I liked more than watching my mum sew...or knit... or teak the bookshelves...or garden...or teak the cupboard...or crochet...or teak something that wasn't able to run away... (you get the 1970's vibe going here!).

Well, there was actually one thing I liked more and that was playing with all of the buttons she seemed to have around the place. Between my mum and my nan we seemed to have a button emporium right in our living room.

There were so many things to do with them:

You could count them (always good for the kiddies learning to count)
They could be grouped - colour, shape, flatback or shank, four holes or two
I remember using them as plates for my dolls
They could be flipped - heads or tails

and

You could sew them on things! Who would have thought!!

There were so many things to do with them, but I mainly just loved them because I new every old button had a story and every new button had a story in the waiting. Now I have my own collection of buttons and I still sort them into groups (that could have just been an indication of early OCD) depending on how I feel - at the moment it's size for the wooden buttons and colour for the plastic. I still think about the story that each one is going to have when I afix it to something.

Buttons, you have to love them :0)

Pedal Power...

2011-07-12T21:21:00.000+10:00

Like most of the world (well, I'm sure most of the world is watching), I am absolutely glued to the TV watching Le Tour de France. Whilst it means I do look a little bleary eyed in the morning (on average 10pm - 1am), I'm loving cycling around France from my lounge, looking at the country side. It's like a dynamic postcard that keeps surprising me everytime we turn a corner.

So keeping in tune with le tour, today's crafting wonders are inspired by all things franco-cycle!

Attack of the Crochet Robots!

2011-06-04T17:53:00.000+10:00

Trawling through YouTube yet again, I came across this neat little clip that was put together for a University project. Crochet from a different angle - I hope you enjoy :0)

And The Winner Is...

2011-05-31T13:11:00.000+10:00

KAYLIE!!

Kaylie is the happy winner of our Giveaway. She will receive a $25 gift voucher to spend at MooBeeTees in the next six months - YAY!!

Thank you all for your considered feedback on what we should keep making and what we should stop bothering with. Here are the results:

Funnily enough there were a few items that voided each other, although I think we all agree with the Poncho's. As lovely and cuddly as they are, they're not moving and we get the hint :0)

I think our amigurumi crocheted/knitted toys are a stayer, along with our hats (keep in mind northern hemispherians, it's winter down south!!). We are also thinking of introducing some fun accessories - great for gifts, stocking stuffers, party presents and teachers (you can probably also throw in granny :0)

We will probably be making less in the clothing line, as there are so many fabulous clothing crafters out there, but, having said that, if the moment takes me who knows what I will create. We're also thinking of popping some little 'kits' together - something for the kiddies to make themselves. I'll think a bit more about this one and let you know when it happens.

So once again, thanks for all of your feedback and keep an eye on what we do next, as you never know what you might find ;0)

Beautiful Places to Shop for Handmade (in Melbourne)

2011-05-30T18:29:00.002+10:00

I have been stumbling over a lot of very lovely places to shop lately - both online, and brick and morter. The thing I like most about them is that they provide a way to bring handmade to the general public. They also help to promote those who have moved on from 'handmade' to what I like to call 'grown up handmade' - items that still retain the original handmade integrity intended, but can now afford their makers an income that allows them to work at it full time.

When we grow up, that's what we want to have happen to us!!

Take a little look at some of these fabulous Melbourne based (other States to follow) shopping experiences and enjoy :0)

Hard to Find

The Little Shop of Handmade

Meet Me At Mikes

The Handmade Show

Markit Market

The Arts Centre market (Southbank)

What other handmade markets or specialy shops would you like to add to the list?

Here are some that have been mentioned by our readers:

Do Re Me

skism

in.cube8r gallery

It's GIVEAWAY Time...

2011-05-22T20:05:00.002+10:00

This Giveaway is now Closed :0)
Giveaway!!

Did I mention that we're having a giveaway??

Thank you to everyone who took part in the poll that was held on our Facebook page. Although the Octopus was a one vote winner, we have decided to go with response number two which was a gift voucher (but if you want an octopus we'll make one available!!)

It's easy and open to all MooBeeTees followers world-wide.

All you need to do is this:

1. Visit MooBeeTees and tell us what you want to see us make more of,

and

2. What you want us to stop making :0)

That's it - two entries into the giveaway right there.

If you would like more entries you can also do the following:

3. Follow our Blog (although that might encourage us to write more!)

4. Follow us on Twitter (moobeetees - it's not tricky!)

5. Retweet/Tweet about our giveaway on twitter (it's only one extra entry, but it will mean great karma points for helping us out!)

There's another three entries!

Make sure you post each of your entries seperately in the comments below and don't to forget to include your email address at least once.

The winner will be selected randomly using www.random.org.

The giveaway will finish at 5:00pm, 30 May 2011 AEST.

Good Luck!

Wool from a Cow - too Funny!!

2011-05-12T18:26:00.000+10:00

A little bit of levity for a Thursday evening!

Did you know that wool comes from a cow???

Moooo?

64 Crayons - How I Lost My Colour Mojo...

2011-05-07T21:12:00.003+10:00

I love colour and spend a lot of the time trying to either match colours or create a complete contrast. I also used to think I was quite good at identifying different colours - well I did, up until about five minutes ago!

KyliesCollections

I never used to hesitate in distinguishing my magenta's from my cerise, or my ocean foam's from my sea blue.

In fact I still can't quite understand why when you walk through the centre of Melbourne everybody wears black (including myself). I don't believe for a second it's a reflection on our weather, or that we all think we need to look thinner - but it does strike you as rather odd. I like to think it's so that when you walk through our outrageously beautiful gardens we just give good background for all the colourful plants :0)

BubbleLane

Anyway, back to my recent colour failure. I attempted to correctly name 64 Crayolla Crayons. I thought, how hard can it be? It's even mutiple choice. I'll romp it in.

15 minutes later, I sit here like a blank canvas, devoid of the colour I hold so dear. I made 45 errors in naming the 64 crayons.

45. Horrifying.

LittleDetails

To help me get my colour back, I now need you to undertake the same 'test' I took. I want to know if it's just me, or that naming the colour of crayons does actually need you to take a Masters in Interior Design.

Help...

Click here to take Colour Test.

Good Luck and let me know how you go!!

Easter Lovlies - Top 5 Easter Picks

2011-04-24T09:31:00.000+10:00

I find that the major holidays are an opportunity to really let crafty people play their 'A' game.

If you have a look through MadeIt or Etsy, you are surrounded by themed holiday items; some traditional, others way out there! However all of them are great fun!!

Thanks to the talented crafters on MadeIt, here are my Top 5 Easter Picks for this year :0)

gorgieporgie

Chantal Vincent Art

erin dove accessories

plushka

Little Spunky Monkey

A Little Bit of Cuteness to Brighten Your Day!

2011-04-19T07:30:00.001+10:00

Nothing makes me smile more than a little bit of 'cute'. So here are some quick cuties to give your day a bit of fun and happinesss :0)

Enjoy!

Why it's Important to Support Handmade

2011-04-17T10:12:00.001+10:00

How did you spend your Saturday?

I spent mine in the Oakleigh RSL, at a wonderful indoor boutique art and craft market called The Handmade Show. Of all the markets in the world this one means the most to me.

Why, I hear you ask?

It means a lot because it is coordinated by stallholders for stallholders - in particular Creations by Bobbie Mac (Bobbie), EP Designs (Elena), Vintage Sew & So (Kerri), Red Letter Studio (Samone) and moi. Our aim is to create a small, sustainable market that stallholders enjoy being a part of and that brings the collective talents of the art/craft world to the suburban public.

It is a great market to dip your toe in the craft market waters - give it a go, as they say - and have an opportunity to talk to other stallholders and increase your confidence. It's also a lovely market for more experienced stallholders to share their talents. We try to keep our stall fees very low to make it as worthwhile as possible for everyone involved. We also want our stallholders to make sales and increase their exposure - of course ;0)

But we can't do it without your help. Whether you be a stallholder or a shopper WE NEED YOU!

In order to keep the interest up, we need you to help support our show and ultimately support the handmade community. That means visiting us on market days, letting friends know that we are on, maybe even buying an item or two. It is hard work bringing handmade to the community and many markets find it hard to sustain the momentum needed to do it - we are all mums, workers, crafters, artists, domestic goddesses, girlfriends, etc - so we do what we do because we love it.

But, we do need your help. The next time you see an ad for a craft market, take a couple of hours out of your day and go and visit it. Whether it be at a school, a church hall or a large town hall, someone has put the effort in to share this with you, so support Handmade and help us all.

For more information on The Handmade Show click here.

Some Time Away - Bells Beach

2011-04-14T18:16:00.000+10:00

The kids and I took a couple of days away at the start of the week and we headed down to The Van. Fortunately we had a lovely day Monday (before the rain) and managed to get some time in down at the famous Bells Beach. Preparations are well underway for the annual easter surf competition held at Bells, but we were lucky enough to still be able to get down on to the beach to watch some of the locals, and the not so locals, surfing.

Whilst there the kids spent some time chasing waves at the edge of the water - it was lovely to be away from anything that plugged into the television and just watch the kids running around like geese enjoying themselves.

Here's my little photo essay on our adventure :0)

Picturesque Bells Beach

Happy feet on the soothing sands :0)

Ah, happy children walking together...

...imagination running away ...

...I'm sure he is trying to save his sister...

...all's well that ends well :0)

The only problem with a lovely walk along Bells Beach? Getting back to the car!!

Lots of fun was had by all! What are you all doing on the school holidays?

My New Obsession: Crochet!

2011-04-10T09:37:00.000+10:00

As many of you who follow me on Facebook would know, I have recently started to learn to crochet.

MooBeeGran is a crocheter/knitter of world standards (in my humble opinion) and she has taken on the role of mentor and guru. Whilst not the white-knuckle job she had when teaching me to drive, I'm sure as I take on more challenging projects, she may wish she'd outsourced the whole job.

Not happy to start with a granny square, I decided to head straight for a small Amigurumi project. I posted a picture of my initial shape on facebook and asked you to guess what it might be:

There were lots of fabulous guesses, including:

A pin cushion
A little pink easter egg octopus
The tummy of a new MooBeeAnimal (close)
An owl (correct species)
An easter bunny
A mouse
A pink elephant
A bunyip
A pink galah (the closest yet)
A thumb warmer (my personal favourite!).

I was excited that you had become involved in my new obsession! However I think the time has come to reveal what my small pink blob hast evolved in to. So as they do in all of those TV make-over shows, here is the slow reveal:

Drum roll please...

Yes! It's a small pink Amigurumi bird!! So much fun to make and so quick! I have the lovely Tara, owner of Mamachee, to thank for her Fat Birdy pattern - so easy for a first timer to follow! I would recommend her fabulous patterns to everyone :0)

I have enjoyed my first foray into crocheting so much that I have already started my next Fat Birdy (I'm now consolidating my skills!). Here's a little sneak preview:

So, much love and thanks to MooBeeGran for her help, to all of you fabulous followers for your interest and to whomever it was that decided that a stick with a hook on the end and some wool could be so much fun!!

A Few of My Favourites...

2011-03-31T18:48:00.000+11:00

I thought I'd share a few of my Etsy favourites with you today. There's so much loveliness in the market place that this is only a hint of what I have marked (and spend quite a bit of time drooling over!).

I hope that you find something to get your own creative juices flowing :0)

Enjoy!

I Love an Airline with a Sense of Humour :0)

2011-03-29T18:30:00.000+11:00

I heard about this and then I saw it. Gosh I love Kiwi's and their sense of humour!!!

"I'm Not a Raffle Ticket Seller's Bottom"

2011-03-26T19:16:00.000+11:00

Yep. That's my sad, yet somewhat profound judgement on the hour I spent today trying to sell raffle ticket's at the local shopping mall for my son's Scout Group.

It was awful.

As I am not a uniformed member of the Scout Group, Centre Management did not want me roaming the floor, trying to force shoppers into buying tickets. I could only smile from behind my 'Community Stand' and hope that this would be enough to entice harried shoppers over to view the delights on offer from winning the Monster raffle. Heck, I could even give you a bit of information on joining the Scout Group if you were brave enough to approach me.

It was a lonely hour.

Without the ability to approach people as they passed by and ~~con~~ encourage them to take part, it was akin to cutting my tongue out. I was without my mojo. I would happily approach shoppers with a cheeky grin and ask them if they would like to win 2nd prize. "2nd prize", they would ask, "What about first prize?"

And there it was. My perfect entry to have a conversation with them about the raffle and how there was of course a 1st prize, and how there chance to win would be increased if they perhaps bought more than one ticket. Who could say no?

But there I was, not allowed to approach anyone. Merely a one-sided, 'come hither' look across a crowded shopping centre. Not really enough to entice anyone over for a second look.

It did, however, give me an opportunity to think about how to encourage people to buy our MooBeeTee's items when we can't approach them, they can't touch our items (online that is) and they won't potentially ask any questions. How do I stop them hurrying past our shop pages and take the time to understand how lovely our items are, and the effort we have taken to make them for everyone.

I thought it might be useful to share any hints or tips you might have for your fellow e-shopkeepers. How do you entice customers to your shop to spend some time with you? Do you use free shipping? Do you have freebies? What hint can you share?

(For the record I sold three raffle tickets, all to people who I knew. I told them I'd cry if they didn't buy something - sound familiar to anyone????)

Relay for Life - get involved!!

2011-03-25T16:41:00.000+11:00

How about this for an 'almost instant' blog post!! I have just got back from picking up MooBee from school. Today was special as all of the children were participating in a pre Relay for Life Walk. The team walk is Saturday (26/03), but to get all of the kids involved the school oval is used as the walking track and the kids rotate walking all day.

Each child made a daffodil to put around the track in memory of or supporting a friend or family member who has cancer. MooBee popped a message to her Grandad on it - he suffers from Skin Cancer and she is always concerned when she sees he has a 'sore head' from spots being removed.

The children were also asked to wear yellow - they looked very bright and beautiful on what has been a very grey day. When I arrived the walk was finishing up, but MooBee ran over and asked me to walk the last few laps with her. She put her little hand in mine and said, "Come on mum let's walk for a cancer cure'. Bless.

In the end the children raised $800.00 to contribute to their school team's total.

If you would like to help Beaumaris North Primary School raise some more funds, please click here to donate.

This is only the second time the children have been involved - I think next year I'll take a leaf out of their book and take part in the big walk. You never know how it might help :0)

Today is my Birthday...

2011-03-22T22:45:00.000+11:00

...and I was rather curious to see who I share this rather wonderful date with. So I googled famous birthdays and here are my Top 5! To keep the crafty side of things going, I then entered their names into the Etsy search to see what I would come up with. See for yourself who and what March 22nd has given the world!

Reese Witherspoon

Marcel Marceau

Stephen Sondheim

William Shatner

Andrew Lloyd Webber