Paisley St Claire

Seven Years

This is what I was doing exactly seven years ago:

 

Happy anniversary Mr St Claire. ;)

Suitcases pimped and packed

I'm flying to Tokyo tomorrow morning and I've just finished getting the last minute essentials, you know, new sandals, lip gloss, shoulder bag etc. But I wanted to show you what I did with our suitcases.

I bought these gorgeous sleek suitcases recently and I wanted to make them a little bit distinctive. So I got my hands on some vinyl wall decals and voilà!

It was a bit tricky getting the decals to sit right with the ridges in the cases and I'm not sure how long they'll stay on there but I think they look quite neat. At least there'll be no mistaking our suitcases on the carousel!

Super cute woodland animal decals from Graphic Spaces  and paper plane decals from Verdigris Dye.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos and updates over the next couple of weeks. I've got some cool things on the itinerary including meeting up with Kaori who I interviewed last year. 

Cheers!

Paisley xoxo

A little change

I thought it might be time for Paisley St Claire to get a little refresh. What do you think of the new banner? I hope you like it.

Yoohoo...Hello?...I'm back

Hello! I'm back from my trip to Melbourne. I was so busy before I left that I didn't even have time to tell you about it. It was a lotta business (Fashion Exposed) and a little pleasure. I did manage to squeeze in some time at the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Salvador Dali exhibition (my favourite picture was the one of his wife, below - they were together for 50 years) and catch a tram out to St Kilda. I must say that even though I had a great time, I was glad to back in warm and sunny Brisbane. I'll be travelling again later this month but I'll tell you about that later.

Guest Blogger on Bloesem

 
Hello! to everyone who is visiting from Bloesem. I am very excited to be a guest blogger for Irene while she takes some time with her adorable little baby Kiet.

My name is Jaime and I live in Brisbane, Australia with my husband and two children. I have a fashion accessories label, Jaime Beattie, and also have a little etsy shop with a few different things in there too. I started Paisley St Claire over a year ago and really enjoy sharing the wonderful things to be found on the internet. I decided not to restrict myself to a particular theme on my blog, just that posts should be about things that I genuinely like and I always try to be positive and not write anything which is likely to upset someone. 

I hope you enjoy reading through Paisley St Claire and in particular take some time to check out the amazing Brisbane designers and crafters I featured recently in the posts here and here.

Happy Easter!

Well, we're heading off for a week at our favourite Noosa resort. Yay!  See you in just over a week.

Happy Easter to everyone!

Love Jaime / Paisley St Claire

Do Not Leave Unattended

My contribution to the Do No Leave Unattended Project is finally finished and has been added to the website here.

For those who haven't heard of Do Not Leave Unattended yet, it is basically a project where notebooks are passed around the world, usually between bloggers, and each person contributes something that perhaps cannot be conveyed easily through a blog. This is part of what Judy, the project's organiser, has said,

... unfortunately something our monitors and keyboards don’t permit us to enjoy, is the tactile experience that can go along with the sharing of thoughts, like being the recipient of a letter or card penned by hand, signed by the sender and sealed with whatever wishes the content contains. I’ve really come to appreciate the sense of community our blogging circle continues to cultivate, and with this in mind I started thinking of how we all might collaborate while revealing a little bit more, maybe with subject matter we normally wouldn’t include on our blogs.

I mostly blog about internet finds and things that I'd like to buy. Very rarely do I write about myself. So I decided to step outside my comfort zone and contribute something about my personal life, something special to me. This collage relates to my story but you'll have to check it out here if you want to know more.

Michelle has just finished her entry so check the site in a day or so to see it. There are also details on the DNLU website of how to sign up if you'd like to contribute to a notebook.

A Week of Firsts

I've had a few 'firsts' this week. My eldest child had his first day of school. My littlest had her first haircut. I got my first Tasmanian stockist. And it was the first time wearing this gorgeous hand-cut necklace made by good friend Michelle. You can buy Michelle Freer jewellery from her etsy store here.

First Blogiversary Today!

Its been a whole year since I wrote my first Paisley St Claire post. I had no idea how my blog would turn out and whether anyone would read it. But you do read it and I am so happy about that. Thank you to everyone who is a regular reader, leaves comments or just pops in for a look every now and then.  The blogosphere is an amazing if not a little overwhelming place and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Having said that, I don't underestimate the value of enjoying the 'real' world and so this year I've decided to spend more time offline. Rather than committing to posting daily (Monday to Friday), I plan to post maybe 2 to 3 times a week and only when inspired to do so. I resolve to be more focused and (actively) creative this year so hopefully this will flow through to a more creative and inspiring Paisley St Claire too. 

Also, I love getting comments and hearing your opinions so if you've been lurking please don't be shy - this year, let's chat!

Image: Easy Living Magazine

Merry Christmas!

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas. I'll be back next week sometime - probably in between sessions on the treadmill. The menu we've got lined up is a beauty.

If you're looking for a little special treat, try these White Chocolate Crackles that I saw on the Cook & the Chef. I made them last night and they are divine!

Merry Christmas!

love Paisley (Jaime) xoxo

Super Sleeping Softie Giveaway

A couple of weeks ago I made some little softies to take to the Young Designer's Market. Last night I added the unsold ones to my Etsy shop. There are some more, which I didn't manage to finish in time, that will be added in the next couple of weeks.

There's some little cuddly babushka dolls, stunned bunnies and of course, a couple of my little lions. You can see them here.

And to celebrate my daughter sleeping through the night for the first time (yes, its been almost 2 years since I've had an uninterrupted night's sleep) I'm giving away one of the softies from my etsy shop - you get to choose. To enter, just leave a comment to this post before midnight Sunday 21 December (AEST) telling me which you like the most - to work, rest or play? I think its obvious what I'd like the most.... rest, plenty of rest.

Lucky me!

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be one of the winners of a giveaway by Jhoanna from One Red Robin. And look what arrived for me today... a gorgeous 'cushie' and a limited edition print from her Woodland Park Folk exhibition. The super talented Jhoanna is jetting her way to Hong Kong to take part in a Christmas extravaganza at Hong Kong's APM shopping complex. You can read about her adventures on her blog. Good Luck Jhoanna!

A Sweet Reward

So I had a great day at the Young Designer's Market on Sunday - despite the oppressive heat and humidity. It seems that everyone was heading to Southbank to cool off at the beach. Yesterday, I rewarded myself for sweating it out at the market with this beautiful teacup.

Its the Queen of Hearts teacup from Wedgwood's Harlequin Collection. Its so sweet... and even sweeter that it just been put on sale that day with a 30% discount. What a happy day!

Christmas Puddings

My children's kindy Christmas Party was on the weekend. So I made these little Christmas pudding cupcakes. They are just little chocolate cupcakes with white vanilla icing and glacé cherries arranged to look like holly. So easy... and yummy. I think I'll just make these for every party I'm going to. If anyone would like my recipe for these let me know and I'll post it up.

Happy Birthday to Me!

 
Its my birthday today! So I'm going shopping to buy a dress for my cousin's wedding. I like this Matthew Eager dress. I kind of look like her too - tall with long blond hair. Maybe not the bust - what God blessed me with, breastfeeding took away. Anyway, it will be fun to shop. Ta ta.

100th Post!

Hello! I'm back from my little blogging break. Its amazing how much housework, paid work and other things you can get done when you're not spending most of the morning writing and reading blogs. But, I missed it so much. Every time I found something cool I immediately wanted to share.

I have been working on my Softies for Mirabel entry. I'm a bit late, I know. Its been a while since I've made a soft toy but given my sewing skills I didn't think it would be too difficult. Unfortunately, the little turtle I'm making is turning out to be a bit of a pain in the backside. I battled with his head and then I made 4 left feet (instead of 2 right and 2 left). He is now sitting, in pieces, in my studio. I say he, but he is pink and green so maybe it should be a she. Anyway, perhaps I should have started with something a little easier and less frustrating.

I also decided, after a long time considering it, to set up an etsy boutique. Don't get me wrong, I think etsy is a fabulous idea for bringing artists, craftsters and designers to the market, I'm just overwhelmed sometimes when I see how much competition there is in the bags and accessories section. A few of us were designing bags and accessories before etsy came along and we had a wonderful niche product. Unfortunately, there is now no niche left. So, I figure, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Although, my prices reflect the fact that I have stockists and have to maintain a RRP so they seem higher than some of the other etsy sellers. I'm sure some etsy sellers must be calculating their labor costs at about $5 an hour. Here's my etsy boutique.

I'm also working on a new collection which will be a bespoke collection. So you'll get to choose colours and designs etc. Stay tuned. Here's a sneak peak.

100 posts! Thanks to everyone for reading Paisley St Claire!

Mothers Day Ideas - part four - Coming Soon

I'm deferring my final Mothers Day Ideas post until tomorrow. I have something special planned but I can't do it today. Please check back tomorrow.

My Studio

It is my daughter's first day at kindy (daycare) today. I know most mothers would probably be feel sad but its been over a year since I have had a day to myself, so mostly I'm excited.

I've spent the day in my studio. Actually I've been making a little sheet bag for Chloe to take to kindy. I tried to make it last night (for today) but she kept waking up so I gave up at midnight. Anyway, I thought I should give you a little look at what's in my studio.

My trusty little retro sewing machine is great for samples and little projects.

Some things I've been experimenting with.

Bits and pieces - this is just a fraction of my vintage button collection.

Some stacks of print fabric.

Some new headband samples.

The makings of Chloe's sheet bag, the apple fabric is for the strap. Feels so domestic to show you things I've made for the kids. The 'e' is a little bit dodgy because I was going flat strap on the sewing machine - normally I would hand embroider this, but at midnight I couldn't be bothered.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a few of the things in my studio. I always like to sticky-beak at other peoples workrooms but I must admit I feel a little exposed doing it myself.

Time for a Change

The last couple of days I have been at Springboard ('an Australian mentoriship program designed to enable the country’s most promising furniture, accessories, textiles and homewares designers, to create a competitive edge while they develop their professional career prospects both in Australia and in international markets.') I met some amazing people and learnt a few things.

I'm now inspired to make some changes in relation to my business and in the spirit of change I've redesigned the Paisley St Claire blog banner.  It feels a little too conservative to me but I'll wait and see if it fits the new direction. I hope you like it.

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Today is my precious daughter's 1st birthday. No posts today, I've got to make a pink and purple ladybug birthday cake for tomorrow's party. Here's Chloe with the Care Bear we gave her this morning. She loves it.