Yay we made it into Sydney today with the kids, we took the the train in from Rockdale into the centre of the city ad walked from there .
I was very humid and did seem as busy as i remember it being when I was 9 years old ,I guess everything seems alot bigger and busier when you are that age .

Ruby was very excited to be in a different place talking nonstop asking questions Christopher was just happy to be out and about doing something different.


Christopher and Eddie from Iron Maiden

I just had to take a photo of this person walking around the street advertising Utopia records

I was a bit of a metal fanatic when I was a teenager and this particular store was like the holy grail to me, being all the way down in Tasmania the really funny thing, is that I probably wouldn't have been able to find the shop if I had been looking but we were just wandering up this street and there it was I couldn't believe it so we went in for alook even though my music taste had changed dramatically since way back then, it was still great to finally be able to say I had been there.so anyway I wanted to get a photo of Christopher with this person dress up as Eddie ( any metal head worth their salt knows he is Iron maidens figure head for a lack of a better description) as Christopher has somewhat taken over from where I left off in regards to the love of metal

After a wonderful tip off from a Sydney friend we decided to go to the Queen Victoria building to see the enormous Christmas tree there, it was spectacular and is about 3 stories high
well worth going to have a look at, thanks Jen

Stunning Christmas tree at Queen Victoria Building in Central Sydney

We then headed down to Darling Harbor to the Aquarium which is just a 10 minute walk away from where we were Ruby and Christopher taking a break

Ruby Checking out the sharks

The enormous King Neptune built entirely out of Lego blocks, at the Sydney Aquarium

A picture made of lego blocks ,this was huge and covered a whole wall very impressive

When we got home Ruby helped me wrap a couple of Christmas gifts that we bought in the city for the family and Christopher built Lego that he bought from the Lego exhibition at Darling Harbor

Boy taking kids into the City is draining but it was worth it to see how happy the trip had made them and it gave us some time out as a family as we don't get to chance to do it very much
it was a good trip all in all .

Getting to know each other

I had to share these photos of the kids getting to know each other again Ruby met Rebecca when she was 2 and didn't remember her last trip to Sydney and Christopher hadn't yet met any of Allan's family so it was going to be interesting to see how they all got along.
I knew the boys would get along instantly but I wasn't sure about the girl but it turns out I didn't have anything to worry about they all hit it off beautifully

Our new baby

Our new baby

Isn't she the cutest little caravan you have ever seen, she is a circa 1950's Franklin 12 foot caravan.

I have wanted a caravan ever since I was a little girl but unfortunatley my mother hated any kind of camping and just mentioning the word caravan was enough to bring on facial contortions that would turn anyone off mentioning it ever again .

The other side

Yes the caravan needs a bit of a clear and a make over but I am totally in love already and I have got plans for pretty curtains and cushions to make her cosy for when we go off on our little holidays to anywhere we want :)

This is my daddio

Dad has been fantastic, he found our little beauty somewhere in east Devonport and just asked the owner if he wanted to sell it, bless my dad for being so forward lol and since buying it he has been doing little cosmetic jobs on the inside for us and throughly enjoying himself .

Ruby is in da caravan

Christmas Shopping with Dance in my garden

A couple of days ago I went to visit my lovely friend Luisa, she is the brains and the talent behind Dance in my garden, a wonderful home based business where Luisa makes beautiful, perfectly made bunting for any occasion as well at baby bib and washer packs and my favorite the play tepees .tepee made to order

With Christmas almost upon us I decided to pay Luisa a visit to buy one of her beautiful bunting for my cute little niece Isabella that lives in Queensland

this particular bunting is called carnivale, I think from memory and it will look so pretty in Bella bedroom and with the news that bella is going to be a big sister in the not too distant future I think it will be a great excuse to buy another of these beautiful bunting for bubba
no. 2

I also have my eye on a couple of other buntings to pretty up my new 1950's vintage caravan that I will be busy giving a make over to over the summer holiday
I have fallen in love with there 2 buntings and I can't make up my mind which a like best.

Love bunting

so I am thinking I might have to get both and just change them around when I feel like a bit of a change.

Vintage love bunting

And on a completely different note but kind of linked in as much as it is bought to furnish the caravan.

Have a look at this beautiful crochet blanket that I bought the other day on ebay, I have been scouring around etsy and ebay for month looking for something like this and it finally appeared so I just had to have it I think it will look lovely and give a cosy warm feel to our little holiday home .

Beautiful crochet creations

I really love crochet

There really are some seriously talented people out there making art out of crochet when I first saw there photos I couldn't believe that they were made out of recycled shopping bags that had been collected and made into plastic yawn to crochet with.

I recently found on one of my aimless blog searched an arists named Helle Jorgenson
she is the person responsible for all these amazingly beautiful works or art of which she exhibits and sells through galleries and her bigcartel store store


you can see more of her stunning and imaginative creations here at Gooseflesh blog
and you can check out her bigcartel store here

1000 more greetings & other publications in 2010

1000 more greetings - USA

What a lovely surprise to wake up to !
Checking my emails this morning and there was a message from Quayside Publishing in the USA to tell me that my work had been published in their new book 1000 more greeting
How exciting !!

Spoonful zine - Australia

This year has definitely been a good year for being in books for my little cottage business.
I have to just say that without etsy I would not have been found by any of these authors and publishing companies, so thanks etsy !

Handmade living- Australia


Reinventing Letterpress & The Little book of letterpress - UK & USA

Hamilton Christmas market

while I was at the mothers market on the weekend I was approach by a lady asking if I would be interested in having a stall at the next Hamilton Christmas market held at the very beautiful Prospect Villa ,this Saturday the 4th of December from 11am till 4pm.

Of course I was thrilled to be invited and I am now working away to have enough stock to cater for this lovely market I can't wait to see these gardens .

Hamilton can be found 20 minutes drive past New Norfolk along the Lyell highway towards Queenstown, just follow the traffic signs.
There will be lots of beautiful stall to browse around a do some Christmas shopping and there will be face painting and pony rides for the kids and who can forget the magnificent gardens.

So if you aren't busy on Saturday and would like to spend a lovely day in one of Tasmania's most beautiful historical gardens please come along and spend the day with us it promises to be a memorable day.

The Christmas Mothers Market, Home and hosed.

What a fantastic Couple of days I have had at the one off Christmas Mothers market, that was held today and last night in Battery Point Hobart .
thank you to all the incredibly talented stall holders and wonderful customers that came out to support us by purchasing our products and just coming out to have a look and see what is happening in the local handmade community .

my stall at the Market

mmm yummy organic honey and granola

Grandeliers

The Christmas Mothers market

When

Friday 26th November 2010 4pm - 8 pm
Saturday 27 November 2010 9am - 4pm
(fabulous food available all day!)
Where
St George's Church Hall
Cromwell Street
Battery Point

Meet us at the Market!

• Cherish by Bek Burrows
• Dick & Dora
• Miss Haidee
• My Paper Doll
• Oliv
• Ruby Victoria Letterpress
• Simone Pfister
• Verna & Hilda

It's sure looking alot like Christmas

It has been all stations go here with Christmas printing, getting ready for all the upcoming markets that I have been really looking forward to attending especially the Apron Design Market in Launceston at the Seaport,but unfortunately we wont be able to make the trip up to Launceston as we are having to do a short notice trip to Sydney to be with family

we are hoping to make it in time to still have our stall at The Market in Hobart at the Masonic Hall on Sunday so I hope you are all able to make it one or the other or both markets this coming weekend

I am a little bit disappointed about not being able to attend the inaugural apron design market as it is a brand spankin new market with a fantastic range of stall holders that i was really looking forward to meeting I also wont be able to hang all my handmade musical score stars that I have been making for the last couple of days, I think they have worked out pretty well and thought they would look lovely hung around the inside of the gazebo but unfortunately it wasn't to be this time around.

I hope that everyone that involved has a fabulous time and they make heaps of sales on both Friday evening and Saturday

Home life Magazine

Image was borrowed from here

Wow how exciting my Jolly Santa tags have been featured in Home life magazine as part of their Christmas Issue ,s
See! there he is, hanging off the little white tree next to the red star if you would like to take a closer look just follow the link below
Santa tags here on etsy
or here at my
Madeit store

Linocut Prints by me *Narelle Badalassi* at Cube Art and Design

new works on show at cube art and design at the Salamanca art center from today until the 24th of November all works are for sale, there is also some of my older works there including my teacup and teapot series and a collection of my Christmas letterpress Stationery for sale so get down there and have a look and meet the lovely Jemima and Rebecca .

my tea series of prints showcased along side Rebecca Roths beautiful resin jewellery

my Japanese teapot linocut print

Sunday at the badalassi's

Today has been spent mostly outside in the garden with Allan mowing and whipper snippering and Ruby and I cleaned out the back courtyard and we went shopping for some new plants,
I thought it might make me feel like spending some more time out in the yard if I planted
some lovely new flowers and got Ruby in on the act.

We bought a couple of new daisy plants which I love, so simple, beautiful and you can't kill them pretty much, we also got some seed to plant just some easy growing nasturtiums,
some cottage garden mix and a punnet of Gazanias all fast growing
and easy to care for.
I got ruby some kids gardening tools and some very cute little gardening gloves as well as some new ones for me and we were set to get planting.


Last time I tried to get Ruby involved she pulled all the flowers off my strawberry plants so no fruit that time but the plants have really sprung to life again and have lots of lovely flowers so I am hoping to keep them safe from birds and Rubys.

I was surprise how much Ruby got into it really I thought she would get bored pretty fast
with it all but she didn't and wanted to go back out and do some more!
but alas the rain had other plans.
I hope you are all having a lovely Sunday too

Narelle x

Today had been another busy one with running around town picking up paper to print on and picking up flyers for my exhibition next week then back home to start printing again.


With all the Christmas Markets approaching It has been mayhem around here with printing and stocking up on products , but it looks to be all coming together nicely and I am really looking forward all the excitement of meeting all the happy shoppers in Launceston at the inaugural Apron designers market at the seaport and in Hobart at Salamanca market ,The Market and the Eastside Makers market , see the right hand column on this blog for detail about these markets



Today I have also been printing my very first bon voyage type card for a lovely customer from South Australia , I really like how these have turned out,I printed them with lead handset type with a lovely big wooden ampersand piece and some cute little ampersand tags that Bron is planning to tie onto little noodle boxes for the guests.

exciting news!

As some of you might already know I have spent the last couple of weeks juggling Christmas orders and getting my new linocut works finished for my first solo exhibition of original printmaking and letterpress pieces at Cube Art and Design at the Salamanca Art Center.

There is not be an official opening for this exhibition but I would be sooooo happy if you would go take a look and maybe even purchase something from the show.
The show will be able to be see from the 8th of November and will be there till the 22nd of November

In other exhibition news I have been asked by the lovely Becky from the Richies mill, Providore gallery to exhibit some of my printing in their upcoming Christmas show "Feast for your eyes"
opening on the 12th of December so I better get crackin on some new work
take care everyone
Narelle x