Friday Friends, Australian Makers, Willow + Peacock

Happy Friday to you dear readers! What do your collective weekends hold? Weather permitting, we may be heading inland to a national park for some orchid and wild flower spotting - I hope to have some photos to share with you if all goes to plan! 

This week, it's my absolute pleasure to introduce a candle artisan and Australian maker, meet Rachel from Willow+Peacock! 

I do love candles. Especially ones that hold their scent and are natural soy wax in base. I really enjoyed browsing the goodies that Rachel creates and want to share some finds with you now. 

Not sure which scent you will like? I LOVE the idea of the Kitchen Collection Sample Pack of 6 - Hand Poured Natural Soy Wax Scented Heart Melts. These little sweeties come in Apple Pie, Blueberry Cobbler, Chocolate Biscotti, Creme Brulee, Lemon Chiffon and Strawberry Shortcake.

Or perhaps you would prefer a quality cup and saucer candle, with your fragrance choice. The candle is Hand Poured Natural Soy Wax and Rachel doesn't use any additives, palm oil, fillers or colouring in her products.

For those who prefer their candle unscented, you could choose a six pack of Hand Poured Natural Soy Wax Unscented Tealights, which come Gift Boxed.

Dear readers, it is time for you to read The Willow + Peacock Wax Lyrical. I hope you have a lovely weekend, see you all on Sunday for the weekend blog post xx

The Willow + Peacock Wax Lyrical
My name is Rachel, and my family consists of my wonderful fiancée, a cocker spaniel and a terrier mix we adopted to give a second chance at life.  

I started Willow + Peacock after injuring my back as I could no longer hold down a full time role in the corporate world. So one of my creative loves, making candles became my focus. It's really lovely to do something you are passionate about and love every day.  

I know there are many candle makers and suppliers out there, but I am proud to make natural soy candles and melts that don't have all the nasties in them. 

I don't use any paraffin, palm oil/wax, additives, fillers or colouring.  My products go through a vigorous testing phase, before I make them available for sale, because it's important for me to know you will be getting a quality item.   

I also load fragrance to the maximum I can so if you've ever bought a scented candle only to get it home and you can't smell it and think all scented candles are the same and just don't work, give W+P a try, your opinion may just change!

And just to close, I share a random thought - My Favourite piece of equipment? My guillotine. One of the best purchases I've made, it saves me so much time. I used to do all the cutting out for my labels and gift boxes with a pair of scissors. Time consuming and makes your hands ache.

Readers, do you want to see more? Here is how you can connect. 

Buy lovely things on Etsy here: 

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/WillowandPeacock

Become a follower on Facebook here: 

https://www.facebook.com/WillowandPeacock

See what inspires Rachel on Pinterest here: 

http://pinterest.com/willpea

and follow the instagram feed of Rachel here: 

http://instagram.com/willpea

Wishy-Washi - Wednesday Wishes

Washi Tape seems to be suddently all around me, it's strangely addictive to look at all the pretty designs and colours, and I fear a new obsession and collection of said Washi Tape could easily be started!

My online research tells me that Washi means:

wa - meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper, the term is used to describe paper made by hand in the traditional manner. 

Wednesday Wishes today is titled "Wishy-Washi" and is filled with things found by searching Washi on Etsy. Enjoy xo

washi tape bird "saccharine" from titwillo

Washi Decorative Bandages - Pink, Cherries, Polka Dots from Pretty Strips

original mixed media from aussieallsorts

washi-wrapped japanese pencils - set of 5 - springtime sweetness from maoiliosa

Washi tape Mini Spool Floral Bouquet from mechakucha808

Whalesongs, Moody Middleton and Millponds, Craft Swaps, Decadent Liberte and The Good Juice

Hello readers - did you have a good weekend? I have a few things to share with you all today, in fact it is quite a busy blogpost! Today you can read all about Whalesongs, Moody Middleton, Craft Swaps, Decadent Liberte and The Good Juice. Enjoy xo 

Whalesongs

By all accounts, it has been an exceptional whale watching season on the south coast. Our migratory visitors have put on fabulous shows and can often be seen from land, for those more adventurous there are whale tours that will take you out along the coast to get up close and personal with these creatures of the deep. 

One whale tour operator had reported that as at the 1st August 2013, the tally of whales spotted included 435 Humpbacks, 44 Southern Wrights, 2 Minke Whales and 1 Blue Whale. 

I spotted these whales, which I believe are Southern Wright Whales (?) from the Boardwalk Lookout at Middleton Beach. They were not going anywhere in a hurry and were amazing to watch. 

There is a sad report today from Cheynes Beach Caravan Park that two Sperm Whales have beached themselves, one hasn't survived and the second is also not expected to survive for too much longer. Nature is a such a strange thing. 

Moody Middleton and Millponds

The beaches on the south coast are beautiful to say the least, and on the "hunt" for whales, I have been to Middleton Beach a few times lately. From Stormy Skies to Glassy Flat Seas, this really is a gorgeous spot to visit, walk or just sit and think. 

There is second lookout which is a great vantage point for whale watching that is not far from Middleton Beach and looks out over King George Sound. This picture was snapped around sunset, the water was like a millpond.  

Craft Swaps

DUST Team Craft Swaps (for DUST Team Members) are back up and running. 

The latest swap runs from July - September 2013 and there will be Festive Swap opening for sign ups on the 1st October 2013. You can read more about the craft swaps here : Dust Team Craft Swaps.

For the current swap, Ofunneka from C3n2kids is my craft swap partner. Ofunneka tells me that she likes anything bright and her favourite colours are Black, Red and White. Here is a sneaky peek at some of the things I am working on to send in Ofunneka's Craft Swap Parcel. I do hope she likes it! 

 Decadent Liberte 

We went out with a friend for dinner and drinks over the weekend and wound up the night with a cheeky cocktail at Liberte. This is a favourite place for me, I love the cosy atmosphere. Liberte is best described as a European Style Coffee House and Bar. 

The chandeliers are beautiful and the chairs are so very comfortable.

The light fitting in the ladies powder room is just sublime too! 

Its decadent, relaxed and really, just a great place to relax with friends or loved ones. And the cocktails are pretty fine too! Worth a visit if you are in the area. 

The Good Juice

I LOVE Fresh Juices. While waiting for my lunch order at the local Juice bar (must add that I was suffering with an icky head cold), I was reading through a Juice Recipe Book that they had for patrons. There was one recipe in particular that caught my attention. It was a Strawberry, Pink Grapefruit and Orange juice recipe. The intent of this Juice, claimed to be rich in Vitamin C and other good things, is to boost the Immune System and aid recovery from colds and flu. I thought I would give it a try and it did seem to help. Here is the recipe! 

The Good Juice 

Ingredients:

1 Pink Grapefruit

2 Oranges

2 "handfuls" of Strawberries

90ml of Orange Juice

 Method: 
1. Cut grapefruit and oranges into segments, remove peel from fruit.
2. Wash stawberries and chop off the leaves and tops of the strawberries. 
3. Put fruit through a juicer. 
4. Pour into jug and add 90ml of Orange Juice. 
5. Serve and enjoy! 

note: For the 90mls of Orange Juice, I used a good quality bottled Organic Orange Juice that had organic honey added in. 

Readers, that concludes the Sunday Blogpost, I hope you enjoyed reading all about Whalesongs, Moody Middleton, Craft Swaps, Decadent Liberte and The Good Juice. See you all on Wednesday for a new edition of Wednesday Wishes xo

Friday Friends - Local Makers - Tam Made This and Becky Made That

Happy Friday lovely Maddabling readers, I hope this blog post finds you well. 

It has been a very quiet week in the Maddabling household, not much to report at all due to an icky case of winter sniffles. Hoping to get out and about in the sunshine on the weekend, fingers crossed! 

This week it is my very great pleasure to introduce to you two talented local makers - meet Tam  and Becky from Tam Made This and Becky Made That. 

Readers, if there is one thing that Tam and Becky excel at is is sewing. 

They create so many beautiful things from clothing to cushions, bags to balls, soft toys to soft quilts and many things in between! I have found a few pieces that caught my attention and want to share them with you now. 

I feel I may have mentioned before that I ADORE owls and this Little Lady Owl is no exception - how cute is she?

I also love this Happy Birthday Bunting in nice neutral unisex colours to brighten up birthday parties. A party decoration that you can pack away until next time it is needed :) Sounds pretty good to me!

And, I think these cool I-Spy Bags are sure to keep little ones amused!

Dear readers, I will leave you now to read the Tale of Tam Made This and Becky Made That. I hope you enjoy their story - see you all on Sunday for the Sunday Night blog post x 

The Tale of Tam Made This and Becky Made That

Tam and Becky are two busy mumma's who have armloads of small people between us. 

We love to sew, we love to create and most of all we love fabric. 

We started sewing when we had our first children and found a few hours spare during nap times...a few children more (for each of us) and we now have to stitch into the late hours while they sleep. We both get so much satisfaction from creating, playing with fabric, color and design. 

Our little business has grown from selling to friends and family to our own page on Facebook and we now attend the Denmark Markets. With a new logo on the way, it is exciting times for us.  

We do lots of custom order work, if people have a idea, we can usually help them to get the result they want. Personalized cushions are one of our favorite.  

We love making quilts or blankets and also children's clothes. We test out the clothes patterns on our own children.  

We are happy stitching and even happier sharing it with others. 

Dear readers, want to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Become a follower on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/TamMadeThatBeckyMadeThis

and buy lovely things on Etsy here: 

http://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TamAndBecky

Olive Leaf - Wednesday Wishes

Maddabling has been a tad under the weather this week with winter sniffles. Olive Leaf Extract and a good old fashioned fresh juice recipe to boost the immune system seems to be helping to beat those winter woes!
Wednesday Wishes today is inspired by the Olive Leaf. Enjoy xo
P.s. I will blog the juice recipe for you on Sunday :)

olive drab handbag tote with leather from heyBoom 

Linen Olive kimono, false closure with stripes and buttons on the back, obliquely cut from Lamarten

Green Parrot and Butterfly 20x20 or 18x18 or 16x16 or 14x14 Inch Pillow Cover from Soeuralasoeur

Wild Horses Trio - Olive, Green and White from delilahdevine 

Set of 3 Hollywood Cups and Saucers in Olive Green from 

thefoxandthespoon

Wildflowers in our Garden and A Playful Whale

Hello readers! I hope you had the most wonderful of weekends. I didn't get to test a recipe today unfortunately, I will try harder to make sure I test out a new recipe for you all next weekend. This week I present Wildflowers in our Garden and A Playful Whale. Enjoy x

Wildflowers in our Garden

I am starting to wonder if the wildflowers planted in our garden are a little confused as to what season it is - they are all in various stages of budding up or flowering but it isn't yet Spring here. Aren't they just beautiful? It's kind of exciting for us as some are producing flower for the first time, even though they have been planted out in the garden for 1-3 years now 

A Playful Whale
It has been a bumper whale watching season on the South Coast, these majestic creatures are cruising through our waters on their annual migration. We had the pleasure of watching a whale breach today, not just once but several times in a row. There were a couple of pods playing in the waters from the lookout and I have learnt what goes up............

must come down! 

Even though this amazing creature was some way off the shore line, you could hear the loud "thwack" sound as he slammed himself back down into the water. Truly amazing!

I hope you enjoyed these snaps from the weekend that was, being Wildflowers in our Garden and A Playful Whale. See you all on Wednesday for the next edition of Wednesday Wishes xo