Off and Racing

Today at Lyssy May I am excited to announce that a gorgeous new range of felt hats have arrived just in time for the Winter Racing Carnival Season. The designs are available in a range of stunning colours and designs.

Pictured right is one of the 100% wool felt hand appliqued designs that has been teamed up with a one off Lyssy May bag that features a handknit flap closure and an original 1920's button that I collected in an antique button shop in Hampstead (London) about 6 years ago.

I love collecting little treasures like buttons, buckles and ribbons and squirreling them away for a special project. For me, the best part of design is spending the time on the detail to see what looks just right and works for the overall feel of the handbag. There were 3 buttons in contention for this design and it must have taken at least 30 mins of deep thought until this treasure won out!

Ditch the Slippers for Mum this Year!

Until next Sunday there is an offer on the Lyssy May website to buy 2 bags and get the one of lesser value for half price. This is a great idea to buy a bag for your Mum and one for yourself at the same time. Check out the website for all the details as I'll even wrap them prettily and post them straight to your dear mother for you!

Arian - gorgeous illustrations with heart

One of the most amazing things I love about the internet is the access we now have to the work of artists all over the world. In the maze of talent that is etsy I have discovered one such illustrator, Arian, who creates beautiful work (the print above is my favourite) and I am gradually building a gallery of her prints and postcards on the wall above my register at Lyssy May. In addition to creating her designs, Arian also donates proceeds of her work to some important causes (at the moment she is focusing on supporting the digging of clean wells in Africa).

The Swankiest of Hankies

I am a bit of an old fashioned girl and this definitely extends to my love of the humble hanky.

Not so long ago a new assortment of designs arrived in store and it is always exciting for me to see the mix of fabrics that has been selected by Donna of 4 Corners. Her Mudgee based business exemplifies all that I am striving to promote in my store - handmade Australian brands with an eye for putting a new spin on traditional products. If you are struggling to think of what to send your friends living overseas for a gift - a Swanky Hanky will fit nicely in a card and is cheap as chips to post.

Be sure to visit http://www.4cornersdesigns.com.au/ to find out if they are stocked near you!

Stacks of cardholders

It's always a good day at Lyssy May when I put in some solid time at the machine to complete a decent batch of sewing. This was the case when I finished this stack of oilcloth cardholders this week. I use my own cardholder to house the many loyalty cards I have accumulated from various stores. Actually, 'loyalty' seems to be a very strong word when it comes to my collection of cards - I think my shopping habits could be better described as promiscuous to say the least!

Bonnie Beyond Pluto

One day at Lyssy May some sassy girls arrived in the form of ceramic pendants by 'Bonnie Beyond Pluto'. This fab jewellery is handpainted and glazed in a kiln by Bonnie Hislop - a talented young lass whose designs made a splash at the Southbank Young Designers Market in March. Spying the pendants from a few stalls up I was happy to learn that a little batch of the pendants could make their way to Lyssy May's store. The necklaces they are strung on can be easily slid into a short or long style - the trouble is which one to choose first!

Mixtape - a zine for the craft keen!

One day at Lyssy May I had a lovely packet arrive containing the first two issues of mixtape - 'a zine about making time for the small things'. The newsy pages are full of articles on crafty things and ways to create a sustainable lifestyle - 2 things that mean a lot to Lyssy May. The cover designs are worth the price alone but for a tiny $6 you won't be disappointed with the great reading inside!

Tea by Candlelight

Talented Brisbane local Naomi has created a gorgeous soy candle range under the name Flickerwiks. The candles contain natural ingredients and the 'Vanilla Vibe' in the retro teacup above has an amazing burn time of 38 hours (50% longer than parrafin candles!). Apart from the teacup range she designs fabulous travel tins and melts along along with some other funky looks.

Got knits? (but in a good way)

Today I had a wonderful batch of knitting delivered by a talented local lady who churns out woolen masterpieces like this colourful small throw rug (for those with nana tendancies: aka knee rug). I am thinking 'ideal gift for mother's day' is an appropriate descriptor here, or maybe just ideal for the couch and cocoa at the first sign of a frosty day.

Tickled Pink

One of the most dangerous things in having a shop combined with my work area is that there are lots of things to distract me when I am in the mood for a bit of procrastinating - particularly rearranging displays. Back when I worked from home the distraction was generally Oprah or the Bold and the Beautiful so I guess I have moved up a notch in the relevance to the task at hand (although an average day at Forester Creations has definitely prepared me for the real world of running a fashion house - or not).

So on Tuesday I was halfway through making a bag when I decide that I need to change my window display - and that this must be done straight away, immediately, now. So with my machine still running I dug out the step ladder and got to work.

This week I am in a bit of a pink mood so I have featured some of the fabulous work of Shannon of My Girl in the window. Her gorgeous creations have been a wonderful addition to the range of products at Lyssy May and pictured are some of her modified singlets along with some other pretty items that I stock, like childrens hats and one of my Little Miss designs. I also used a picnic basket to display a new scarf that has just arrived as part of a range by Judy of Toowoomba (more on her scarves in entries to come).

Hmm, I did say its a dangerous thing but working on displays is also one of the best things about working from a shop too...except maybe for the daily dusting.

Voodoo Therapy

I am a big fan of pincushions and have some very treasured ones in my collection. At the moment I am loving using the 'voodoo' style (above) made for me by Sally of djbebe. Its very therapeutic to stab the pins back when the sewing machine isn't in a co-operative mood.

The 3 pictured below are sweet handmade ones created exclusively for my shop. Priced from $12.50 they are a wonderful gift idea not only for someone who sews, but you could also use them to display badges or vintage hat pins.

Sam Mclean

I love the work of Australian designer, Sam Mclean and often have little treasures she has created available in my store, such as this fabulous scarf in chocolates and turquoise. I first read about Sam in Country Style magazine and love her style of mixing fabrics and she also does some fabulous felting work. As well as designing under her own name, Sam also has the label Oopsidaisi and you will always find a selection of her gorgeous hairties on the counter at Lyssy May!

Ask a Kookaburra to Tea

Today a fabulous range of tea towels by Laughing Bird arrived in store. They are a contemporary take on the overseas gift idea of an Australian flaura or fauna tea towel and are screen printed in the Blue Mountains by textile artist, Freedom Wilson. Available in either 100% linen or a cotton/linen blend, they are also a fabulous Mother's Day gift idea as the range of designs will look great in any kitchen. I just can't guarantee that the Kookaburra will do the dishes!