New Year, New Blog???

Well here we are in 2011, can you believe it? The years just seem to fly by so quickly these days, and I am sure with kids getting older and more involved in extra activities it will only feel like they are getting shorter and shorter. So, obviously I was not true to my word about blogging more, so I am hopeful that this being a new year, that my blog will become a New Blog too, and will get the love and attention I have always wanted it to have but have just always found something more time consuming to do instead of it!

So I will give you a bit of a wrap up for for the year, as so many bloggers out there are doing it and I am really quite enjoying going back through the year and reminiscing with everyone out there in the blogosphere what the year was all about.

So here goes:

January

Started to make my Oilcloth Lunch Sacks which to date I think I am approaching my 200th Lunch Sack so they have definitely proved to be very popular.

February

Made these reversible jackets for the girls, which I have now started selling as well. Can't remember for the life of me what was going on back then other than by looking at photos and they aren't giving away much either. I do know that I was suffering from PND at this time and was medicated and seeing a shrink so it wasn't the greatest time in my year that is for sure. Feeling so much better now though and really hated calling it PND, because I feel it had nothing to do with India herself, but was more a situational depression, being stuck in Adelaide with no family and friends for support and having a third child was a whole new kettle of fish, and finding out that I was pregnant with number 4 did not fill me with the greatest of happiness in that state of mind. ( In hindsight it was absolutely the most wonderful thing and Willow is just the light of my life), but anyway we will move on to times in the year!

March

India turned 1!!! She is just so beautiful and those eyes and eyelashes just make you melt!

Did a few the Goodwood Mums and Bubs Market and created a few new products in the EanRose Line up.

April

Participated in a Pincushion swap, Above is what I made to send to my partner, and of course I have never taken a pic of what I received because I am slack but it was a very cute Pear and I use it every day. Tried to get a good photo of everyone together but as you can see from above that is a very hard thing to do! Took Stellsy to see the Gruffalo at the Dunstan Playhouse and see loved it, I really enjoy taking her to these sorts of things, she is at the perfect age now, to have the concentration to sit still for the whole time.

May

May produced a buddy little artist who even got her artwork featured on the Kindy Newsletter. Very Proud! I also participated in the Urban Home Goods Swap and the second pic is what I received - a Beautiful Sewing Machine Cover and some other goodies, I made my partner the Apron and the little fabric scrap bin, I was really happy with how the apron turned out and my partner seemed to like it too so all in all it was a great swap. At Brown Owls I learnt a new craft - Kanzashi Flowers, these were a lot of fun, and one day I plan on making some more. May was also spent at the beach taking lots of walks but rugged up as it was pretty cold, and Stella and Oscar have really started to become great little friends.

June

June saw Oscar turn 3! He is such a lovely little boy and keeps thrilling us everyday with everything that comes out of that little brain - he is happy to recite the Alphabet not only forwards but backwards also without any hesitation and his comedic timing is just superb! Also In June I had a market at the Gallery One at Mitcham Open Day, this was very successful and I got lots of great feedback on my wares.

July

I did my first Mathilda's Market and it was fantastic, had heaps of sales and heaps of follow up, they are quite an expensive outlay but totally worth it! July was also when I used the girls as models for my jackets and as you can see from these photos they got pretty sick of it after a while - it is so hard to take good photos so that they represent your stock in the best possible light - other than using a professional photographer which is a little out of my budget at the moment. The belly shot is me at 32 weeks and Stella took this pic which I thought was not too bad. Went and watched the Twilight Marathon on the eve of Eclipse being released, it was quite good to see them back to back like that, but being at the movies for over 6 hours by yourself with hundreds of twihard teenie boopers was not all that cool. And another swap took place, this time the Pillow Talk Swap number 3, this was the cushion that I sent to my partner whose name was Linnea, hence the stitching on the front (this is also her fab photo which I have borrowed from her flickr - hope you don't mind if you are reading this Linnea), I received this very funky Cathedral Window Cushion from Megan at Lucy and Norman (again this is Megan's phot), I always drool over what she creates so I was super excited when I saw her name on the envelope!

August

Well of course August was the greatest month of all as this little princess entered our lives! Willow Evie Kay was born 2 weeks early (never gone early before!) and she weighed in at a very healthy 4.455kg or 9 pound 13. Other than that excitement , I had a birthday and now am 33 years old - god that sounds so old, where has my youth gone?? Mum came and stayed - she was meant to be here for the birth so that she could look after the other 3 kids, but seen as though Willow decided to arrive 2 weeks early Mum wasn't here yet, so all the kids came with us and sat in the waiting room while Willow was born and then straight after they were in the delivery suite with us, so it really was a family affair!

September

Stella turned 5 and we had a Rainbow themed party for her, which is when I made the biggest Rainbow cake possible! Mum also celebrated her birthday with us and I made Pineapple Cupcakes which were really yummy. Stella also graduated kindy and we will miss her fabulous Kindy teachers, we will however be seeing them soon when Oscar starts at Kindy in February.

I participated in yet another swap - this time the Urban Home Goods Swap #2 and this is the Sewing Machine Cover that I made for my partner, it is fully reversible and had lots of yummy Orange fabrics on the inside which she said were her favourite, I also made her some bunting in alot of the same fabrics, but of course I never took a photo of that! Stella went to "Kinderchefs" in the school holidays and made an Apple, Zucchini and Chocolate Muffin with a Cream Cheese, honey and beet root juice icing,(take note of the stools that she is sitting on in the pic as you will see a make over I did on them in the next months news. And once again trying to get a good picture of the kids proved near impossible!

October

October - Stella started School! Can't believe I am the mother of a School Girl! Seems like just a moment ago she was born.

Did a make over on the previously mentioned Bar Stools, so now they are very kid friendly with there Oilcloth Covers.

I decided to go back to being a red-head and PK had 4 weeks of work and grew some facial hair! And our 3 beautiful girls just got bigger and more stunning by the day. (And so did Oz, but I don't have any pics of him to post this month!)

Think I had a market or two in October as well.

November

In November I got a new baby - Rory. She is my brand spanking new Bernina 440QE Aurora (hence the Rory), I have been wanting this little baby since last year when I went to a class and almost everyone had one, but she is an expensive lass so I had to wait a bit longer. I have had one lesson on her and I am learning new things every time I use her, can't wait to do some big jobs on her.

Stella got her first award at school and had to go up in front of the school at assembly, she was pretty proud of herself which was awesome. She also had her dancing concert - hence all the heavy eye makeup in that photo, I didn't actually get any photos of her in costume which is a bugger, must have had too many things swirling around in my head at the time. And I got her to do some more modelling for me of some new Jackets and this is one of the funniest looks I had to share it with you all!

Attended another Mathilda's Market which was another successful day for EdanRose!

December

December consisted of more Markets, Family visiting and Christmas. Did a Christmas Card swap and the pic is of the cards that I made. (haven't taken pics of the ones I received - still waiting on one). I also completed the Pillow Talk Swap 4 and though it is a crappy photo taken very late at night due to being on a deadline, I was quite happy with the outcome based on my partners taste. I received a gorgeous cushion in greys and yellows, which of course I have not yet taken a photo of, so that will have to be for a post at a later date.

So, 2010 started out crappy and ended up pretty bloody good, I have a lovely husband, 4 absolutely to die for kids, friends, family and loads of things to be grateful for. Of course nothing is ever perfect and things could always be better but, you have to make do with what you have and find the bright side in every situation. And look at my beautiful baby girl Willow, she was by far the absolute best thing to come out of 2010.

Wow, I can't believe the size of this post - guess it makes up for the slack blogging all the rest of the year. I will be back in the next couple of days to post all I want to achieve in the next year ( like the idea of having them written down so it might make me ore accountable for them), and also I have a Sponsored give-away to announce very soon too, so that is super exciting!!! And it is a fantastic prize, and you only have to leave a comment so make sure you stop back again soon. Until then, thanks for sharing the year that was with me.

Megs xxxxxxx