Frankie Rose Designs

Motivation

2011-07-22T13:51:00.001+10:00

I think I'm going to stick this photo in my kitchen to stop me attacking the pantry for biscuits and chocolate every night.....

Jennifer Hawkins is soooo gorgeous and I know I will never ever look like that in a bikini but I can dream!!

Well I've been inundated with orders so I'll be signing off from blogging for now but will be back in the new year when I slow things down around here and only release one dress of the month so orders don't get on top of me.

Vintage Sweet Pea Collection

2011-07-21T16:28:00.000+10:00

I'm going to really enjoy creating this collection and using all my beautiful vintage fabrics. I can't wait to get started on them!!

The first dress is the Sweet Violet dress...

This dress is a lot of work but the end result is just amazing and worth all the effort.

I have lots of other styles in my head for this collection and I'm hoping to have a couple more samples ready in the next couple of weeks.

I've also got the most divine one shouldered frill dress that I've had in the works for a while now. It's a bit of a spin on the Blossom dress that was super popular last year and I think this new dress will be just as popular.

Well it's so wet and dreary here that I am going to curl up on the lounge and relax for a few minutes before the evening shenanigans begin!

Day Twenty Six...Close Up

2011-06-27T18:12:00.001+10:00

Back to Frankie's room for today's photo challenge. I have a little white table and chairs in her new room and it's perfect for little tea parties.

I have been hitting my local op shops to find gorgeous mismatched tea cups and saucers, teapots and anything that might be perfect for a tea party.

I am on an op shopping roll at the moment. I found SO many cool things on the weekend including the best vintage sheet find ever!! I dragged Xav along for the expedition on Saturday and he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw just how big the shop was and when I told him he could choose anything he wanted, he thought he had died and gone to heaven (he came away with a pocket sized motorbike book for 50 cents!).

Day Twenty Five...Something Pink

2011-06-27T18:06:00.001+10:00

My children all have 'blankies'. They drive me mad. We can't leave the house or put them to bed without them and most nights we have to race around the house trying to find a missing blankie (or 'Gona' as the two eldest call theirs and 'Barden' is Luca's. Yep very strange names, I know!).

Frankie's is Pink Gona and she thinks she's beautiful. When Pink Gona goes missing Frankie cries her eyes out and whines 'but I love her so much Mummy, Pink Gona is just sooooooooo beautiful'. It's sickening.

If Pink Gona isn't in the car when I pick her up from preschool then queue MAJOR meltdown that lasts until Pink Gona is back in her arms.

Both boys are waaaaaaaaaay worse than her though. Xavier still has his at nearly six and Luca, well Luca is the most obsessed with it. He sucks his to sleep which makes me want to vomit!

It is really cute though seeing them all curled up on the lounge at night with their respective blankies! We are going to frame them when they grow out of them!!

Sneak Peek!

2011-06-24T13:11:00.000+10:00

We're nearly there! Here are a few sneak peeks of Frankie's room....

I'll hopefully be finished next week. I've just got to find some time to paint the room so I can hang all the art and make the quilt!

Day Twenty Four...Animal

2011-06-24T12:56:00.002+10:00

~ Rosie ~

My very first baby. We got Rosie when she was just 5 weeks old. We were living in Cottesloe in Perth and I was homesick so I bought myself a kitten! She has slept with me nearly every night since we got her. She's 12 years old and I absolutely adore her.

Day Twenty Three...Sunflare

2011-06-23T14:35:00.002+10:00

What a glorious day!! The sun is shining and the sky is an amazing blue colour. I've had a friend over for a yummy antipasto lunch and a couple of sneaky wines...you couldn't ask for a more perfect day!

The kids are still snotty and lethargic but not too bad and so it's a lovely easy day for us. Luca has been pottering about with his puppy dog....

and Frankie has been very quiet and trying to beat this cold that she's had for over two weeks now. Poor little thing.

Day Twenty Two...Hands

2011-06-22T16:09:00.003+10:00

We've been busy doing up Frankie's room. I took Frankie and Luca to Ikea today to get stuff like storage, a rug and photo frames and we were there for two hours. I shopped up a storm!

Little hands exploring their new room

We came home and I put everything together and her room is looking fantastic. There is still heaps to do like painting the whole room, making the vintage fabric quilt and finding an old bedside table to do up but it's already looking just how I imagined it would.

We also picked up an old sideboard from my mother in law's house and this will sit in our foyer. It needs a little TLC but I adore it and the spot we've chosen for it couldn't be more perfect.

Back to it!

Day Twenty One...Faceless Self Portrait

2011-06-22T16:05:00.000+10:00

The weather was amazing yesterday afternoon. The sky over my house went black and the wind was roaring through all the trees around the house. The air was icy cold and I couldn't resist standing in the middle of the backyard and taking it all in...

I love winter. It's definitely MY season!

Day Twenty...Bokeh

2011-06-20T15:50:00.000+10:00

Frankie's in her own room now. We still have a lot to do but the bed is up and so is her beautiful chandlier....

I have SO much to do but seem to have absolutely no time at the moment. I'm dying to get stuck into it and finish it off!

Day Nineteen...Orange

2011-06-19T18:42:00.000+10:00

My hair is orange. Really orange at the moment. My highlights are nearly all gone so this is a good reminder to book myself a hair appointment.

I'm not a fan of the colour orange. I think it's because I've never been able to wear the colour. It would clash terribly with my hair!!!

Day Eighteen...Your Shoes

2011-06-19T18:29:00.001+10:00

I'm a girly girl. No doubt about it so it's surprising to me that I don't love shoes. If I could be barefoot 24 hours a day I would.

I don't get excited about the thought of buying shoes, actually I rarely think about them. I have to wear them so I buy them. (Okay I may have a thing for winter boots....and silver shoes but that's about it).

I am very loyal to my shoes and I wear them until they are well and truly dead. I love ballet flats the best...lurve them. They are comfy and easy to shop for. I can shop for a pair of shoes in less than 2 minutes.

In the past I have persisted in wearing ballet flats all through winter. My feet freeze off but I have never even considered buying winter type shoes (except nice winter boots but you can't wear those every day). I always thought I would look stupid in runners with jeans. I think it's because I used to be horrified when watching Seinfeld and seeing him in sneakers and jeans.

Anyway it was raining all last week and my feet froze. The water went straight through my 2 year old ballet flats and I knew it was time to join everyone else in being comfortable and dry! So I introduce you to my first pair of runner style shoes....

I ADORE them. I knew they had to be silver and when I saw these I knew they were coming home with me. I stuck to my usual timeframe for buying shoes (I think I was in and out of the shop in less than 5 minutes) and I haven't taken them off since I bought them.

This shoe shopping business could be fun!!

Day Seventeen...Technology

2011-06-17T13:44:00.000+10:00

This is a very fitting challenge for me today. I am stuck on the lounge cuddling up to a very sick little Luca who has been up all night with a high fever. He was delirious for most of the night and I heard him walking around the house at 1.30am counting up to 12 and then laughing maniacally. Poor little cherub. He's the last to get it this week and I hope it doesn't take him too long to recover.

So while I have been stuck on the lounge I have been working...researching new fabrics, shopping online and responding to emails.

Technology is amazing. My business wouldn't exist without it. I do everything online...shop for fabrics, sell my clothing and respond to queries. It's amazing. Last night for instance I had a big skirt sale on Facebook and so here I was in my pjs in my loungeroom, sipping on a glass of wine and watching Masterchef while selling 17 skirts online (and they sold out within minutes!!). Amazing!

One of my favourite websites and one that I constantly purchase from is Etsy.com....

They have everything you could ever want and you don't have to leave the house! I love nothing more than online shopping...I should do more of it!

Ruffles galore!

2011-06-17T09:26:00.000+10:00

I'm quite partial to a ruffle! I've been searching for ruffle fabric everywhere and finally found a store that fulfils all my ruffling needs! I started off ordering only 3 types of ruffle fabric but I know I'll be back for more....

I know for a fact that Francesca is going to be SO excited when she sees the dresses I plan on creating with all these beautiful fabrics and I'll have to remember to keep a couple for her.

Day Sixteen...Long Exposure

2011-06-16T22:31:00.000+10:00

HA HA HA!!

Yeah right! Can hardly use the functions on my camera so there's no chance in me completing today's challenge!!

Op Shopping Success!

2011-06-16T11:51:00.003+10:00

This morning I decided we had to get out of the house after being cooped up with 3 sick kids since last Friday. Xav went happily off to school so it was just me, Francesca and Luca. After a babycino and a cupcake we headed off to one of our local op shops.

Now this op shop is MASSIVE and Thursdays must be a great day because the shelves were heaving and I could have walked away with a carload of things. The sheet section was overflowing and so I plonked the kids in the toy section and went nuts! I found heaps of floral pillowcases, sheets and doona covers...I could hardly carry them all!!

I now have so many gorgeous floral sheets to make Frankie's new quilt and I can't wait to get started on it.

After my sheet haul we headed off to the bric a brac section and I found the cutest little mouse to put on Frankie's bedside table.

Just realised she's a money box!

After a clean and a new ribbon around her neck she will look divine. The photo doesn't show her colouring really well...her belly, ears and paws are pink and her body is a light brown. Frankie is already in love with her and has named her Little Miss Mousey.

We then headed to the art section so I could find some frames for her bedroom walls. I found this shabby chic type frame (ignore the picture!) and I will find the perfect little piece of art for it.

I could have bought her a little wooden table, a couple of white clothes racks (perfect if I was still doing markets) and a few other things but my arms were already full and the kids were starting to get bored.

Because they were both so well behaved I told them they could choose anything in the shop to buy before we left. Frankie chose a book and Luca chose a soccer ball (no surprise there!).

They have no idea both things only cost $1 but were so excited about getting to choose anything they wanted. I love it!

So today's grand total was exactly $30! Bargain! I'll be back to bore you with some more op shop finds next week....yep I'm obsessed!!!

Day Fifteen...Silhouette

2011-06-15T15:52:00.001+10:00

It's dark and gloomy in my house today. The rain hasn't stopped since the weekend and I have three sick munchkins. Fun fun fun!!

Frankie has been pottering about in between bouts of crying, high fevers and snotty sneezes. Today I found her in my sewing room pretending to be me...

She doesn't want to make clothes when she grows up though, she wants to be a muskateer. She just asked me 5 minutes ago 'Mummy when you were a little girl did you dream of being a muskateer...I do...I want to be a pink one!'

PS: She nearly jumped a mile when she heard the camera go click for this photo. She's not allowed to go anywhere near my sewing machine but sometimes she just can't resist!

Project Frankie's room underway!

2011-06-14T17:49:00.002+10:00

This week is the week I start on Frankie's new room. Luca has been kicked out and the three of them are sleeping in one of the other bedrooms so that he gets used to sleeping with others in the room. So far so good. Frankie and Xav are asleep long before Luca though...he has to get out a few times and run up and down the hall but he's doing quite well.

I've started buying some things for the walls in the new room and so far I've got....

The last one I haven't bought yet but I'm hoping to pick one up on the weekend. The first 3 are postcard size and they will be framed in different coloured frames. I want one of her walls to be filled with photos and art.

We were going to get new carpet but I think I'm going to keep the current cream carpet and just get it cleaned and then I'll have more money to spend on the interiors!

The pink wall that is currently in the room we are moving her into will be painted over this weekend and then the fun can really begin!! Will be back with some before and after photos really soon!

Day Fourteen...Eyes

2011-06-14T17:01:00.001+10:00

There are lots of pairs of big brown eyes in my house! My children were all born with the hugest eyes. My boys have really beautiful dark brown eyes and Francesca has hazel eyes just like mine. They also have ridiculously long lashes...they got those from Leigh not me!

Now you'll have to excuse the dougnut covered faces, the really bad home haircut I gave the one on the left, the pj wearing one in the middle (she's sick so she's loving not having to get dressed today) and the sullen, revolting overtired one on the right!

Would write more but it's been one of those days...

Day Thirteen...Yourself with 13 things

2011-06-13T21:27:00.002+10:00

Hahaha how embarrassing posing with 13 things. My children definitely think I've lost the plot!

Today we had friends over for lunch and I cooked up a curry feast. The weather is amazing this long weekend....really cold, really grey and really snuggly so curry was the perfect lunch! I made all the curry pastes from scratch and there were about 13 spices. Weird!!!

'Mummy what are you doing?!'

A bottle of wine, a fish curry, a chicken curry and rain falling heavily on the roof....I really couldn't have asked for a nicer day!

Day Twelve...Sunset

2011-06-13T09:08:00.001+10:00

It's hard to take a photo of the sunset when there is no sun to be seen! We have had the most divine weather over the long weekend. Cold, grey and rainy and we've enjoyed every minute of it!

Now if I could dream of being somewhere with a gorgeous sunset this is where I'd be...

Back to enjoying this long weekend!

PS: Will double up for the photo challenge one day this week when the sun shows it's face!!

Day Eleven...Something Blue

2011-06-11T10:16:00.001+10:00

I love armchairs. When we build our dream house I'm going to have armchairs in every little nook...all different patterns and colours!

In our house at the moment we only have one armchair. This was always in the nursery as my breastfeeding chair but now that I have no more babies I get to have it in the loungeroom. It used to be white but my house is no place for white furniture...it quickly turns to brown thanks to my 3 grots!

Before

After...the stool got a makeover too!

Well I'm certainly not blue today...the kids have just left for Grandma and Grandpa's house for a sleepover. I'm off carpet, front door and vintage sheet shopping this morning and I'm doing it all by myself while Leigh and our builder work on our backyard. The fun doesn't stop there because we are off to Sake tonight for a divine dinner with some friends and I get a big sleep in tomorrow morning. What a perfect weekend!!

Day Ten...Childhood Memory

2011-06-10T13:07:00.002+10:00

I have tonnes of childhood memories...mostly good but this one thing pops into my mind everytime I take my kids to their swimming lessons.

My two brothers and I started swimming really young like most kids these days. We were all very good swimmers and used to do squad after school a couple of times a week. I remember hating every minute of it. The smell of the chlorine always made my tummy turn and I'd get so nervous. I remember trying every reason under the sun to get out of it.

My brothers and I always remember this one thing....there was a trainer called Graham and he'd walk up and down the side of the pool while we were doing laps. I remember being quite small, maybe 7, and sometimes I'd get tired and have to hold onto the side of the pool. Big mistake! If anyone did that Graham would come over and tread on their fingers!! Can you imagine if they tried that these days?! All three of us remeber this so vividly and we always laugh about it.

My kids have had swimming lessons since they were little (okay not Luca...he is the 3rd child and I couldn't bear getting into a snot infested pool 3rd time around!) and Xavier in particular absolutely adores it and begs to go every week. Frankie hated it at first but she now loves it due to her gorgeous teacher.

Watch those little fingers Frankie!!

Everytime I walk into the pool for their lessons and smell the chlorine my stomach does a little flip and I always think back to when I was little!

Day Nine...Someone You Love

2011-06-09T10:58:00.000+10:00

A daughter is a bundle of firsts that excite and delight, giggles that come from deep inside and are always contagious, everything wonderful and precious and your love for her knows no bounds.

~Barbara Cage~

Treasure hunting

2011-06-08T16:26:00.002+10:00

I started op shopping again the other week. I used to be an avid junk shop shopper before having kids but I haven't had much time to meander through those types of shops and look for little treasures over the past few years.

I've been thinking about the quilt for Frankie's new room and I have my heart set on making her a patchwork quilt for her bed and I want to make it out of old vintage floral sheets. I've been inspired by people's vintage sheet collections on the net lately and so my mission has been to hit the op shops and find me some of my own!

The first time I went looking I came out with only one sheet and it wasn't spectacular but it was the start of my collection! This morning while I had the morning to myself I tried out a new op shop in the next suburb. It was massive! The biggest one I've ever seen and I hit the jackpot!

I came away with 2 pillowcases, 3 sheets and 3 tablecloths for $15! They are all lovely and bright and exactly what I was hoping to find. I'm now completely obsessed and can't stop thinking about my next trip to find some more!

I'm starting to stash my vintage sheet finds in the old meat cabinet that sits in the foyer of our house and I can't tell you how happy it makes me seeing all these gorgeous bright colours when I walk through my front door every day!

Of course I couldn't leave without something for the kids and when I saw these 3 little egg cups I knew my 3 'dippy' egg loving kids would love them!

I plan on visiting Rozelle markets, my old stomping ground for treasures on Saturday so hopefully I'll be back with some more excellent finds!

Day Eight...Bad Habit

2011-06-08T13:31:00.001+10:00

I didn't have to think too long about this one today and I didn't have to go to too much trouble trying to find it all either...introducing my very worst habit straight from my pantry/freezer...

I have the worst sweet tooth ever. Blink and I'll have eaten a whole family size block of chocolate, take me to a dessert buffet and you better get in fast otherwise I'll eat everything! I have to have something sweet after dinner every single night which is a really bad habit.

Chocolate is my most favourite thing. I love icecream, cakes and all the rest but chocolate is my one true love. I'm loving this cold weather because I love nothing more than a big mug of steaming hot chocolate and so every night I jump under my quilt with a big mug and watch bad tv (oops maybe that should have been my bad habit...reality tv!)....it's my favourite and the only relaxing time of the day for me!

Day Seven...Fruit

2011-06-07T12:51:00.001+10:00

I live with 3 little fruit bats. My children adore fruit (thank god because they hate their vegetables!) and so my 3 tiered fruit bowl is always filled to the brim with lovely fresh fruit.

I'm guilty of not eating enough fruit though. I am constantly cutting the kids bowl after bowl of fruit but rarely these days do I eat it. Naughty naughty. I must change that because I used to eat fruit like it was going out of fashion.

I'm stuffing them all with lots of Vitamin C at the moment because it's snot city around here so the more mandarins and oranges I can get into them the better!!

Separated at birth

2011-06-06T20:04:00.001+10:00

How funny...I was talking to my friends this morning who both have baby daughters who look exactly like them. Little mini-me's. They were saying that Frankie is a mini-me of myself but I said I can't see it.

I can now though!!!

Frankie got her preschool photos back today and as soon as I saw this particular photo of her I instantly thought of my 3 year old preschool photo. I remember having this photo taken when I was 3!

My hair is redder than hers (hers used to be much redder but it's getting blonder and blonder) and her nose is a little more upturned than mine but I can finally see me in her.

She is so adorable...she hasn't stopped looking at her little photo album all afternoon and can name all 28 class members....'That's Bronte, she's my best friend', 'That's George, he chases us' and 'THAT's Sebastian, he hits me!!!'.

PS: Oh my god I only just realised that I'm also wearing a striped skivvy under my velour hooded jumper....freaky....

Day Six...From a Low Angle

2011-06-06T14:11:00.000+10:00

This is the sight that greets me every time I walk through my front door....

I love colour. I like to fill my house with as many colours as I can. No beige for me!

I'm starting Frankie's bedroom makeover at the end of this month and it's going to be filled with colour...and I mean every colour under the sun. I'm going to want to move in there when I'm done!

Day Five...From a High Angle

2011-06-05T18:32:00.001+10:00

I've just had a night away from the kids. It was pure bliss!

We stayed in a hotel in the city for my Dad's 70th birthday, had drinks in a fancy bar, dinner in an even fancier restaurant and woke with a very foggy head this morning. My idea of the perfect weekend!

My little monsters were babysat by their Nonna and my biggest baby was apparently the one who asked every 5 minutes if his Mummy and Daddy would be home soon. Big sook!

I must admit seeing his gorgeous little face when we got home did complete our perfect weekend!

Day Four...Something Green

2011-06-04T12:09:00.001+10:00

Saturday morning is dedicated to Xav's soccer match. I love nothing more than going to watch him play. He's a really good player and he absolutely loves every minute of it.

The grass was really green (in parts!) today. It's been raining all week and we weren't sure the game would be on but thank god it was. He needed to get rid of lots of energy this morning and he would have driven us crazy if he didn't get to play. He scored two goals. He was so proud. This was him running back to his groupie after scoring a great one!

PS: Yes I know it's an extremely lame green photo but when you've had 3 hours sleep and you are in the world's grumpiest mood you don't feel like hunting down something green to photograph!!

Day Three....Clouds

2011-06-03T12:46:00.001+10:00

We are enjoying the most beautiful winter's day! The sun is shining, the sky is a beautiful blue and.....there's not a cloud in the sky! Not one single little white puff to be seen.

Frankie's been helping me with the photo challenge, always suggesting different things for me to photograph and I have to say today's photo is thanks to Franks.

She's had a busy morning Miss Francesca....ballet and swimming lessons take up our Friday mornings and she loves nothing better than coming home after swimming and snuggling under a blanket, watching a movie and reading books. Today she found my cloud photo...

Clever chick!

Friday Night Feast

2011-06-03T12:30:00.000+10:00

For years now, I've been cooking a feast every Friday night. For those who read my personal blog you'll be familiar with my Friday Night Feast (or FNF as we now call it!).

We have something completely delicious (and usually disgustingly unhealthy) all washed down with a bottle of champagne. It's the highlight of my week. When you've got 3 kids 5 and under it's the simple things in life you look forward to!

I always spend hours thinking about what I'll make for FNF but this week I didn't have to think for long after seeing this picture on SMH.com.au this morning.....

Fish Tacos

I am salivating just looking at the photo. How absolutely delicious and apart from the battered fish, quite healthy for an FNF!

My kids devour anything in corn tortillas so they are going to go crazy for dinner tonight and so will I!

Day Two...What you wore today

2011-06-02T09:40:00.000+10:00

Bugger. I'm off to the gym today so I have to show you my gym get up. Bad timing!

My runners are oh about 10 years old, my legs could use a bit of sun (and some shape!) and yes I'm wearing odd socks! At least my rug looks pretty!

Day One...Self Portrait

2011-06-01T14:10:00.000+10:00

Of course the self portrait challenge had to be on a day when I am extremely tired!

Even though I'm really tired (thanks to a certain little 3 year old getting in my bed at exactly 3.12am every.single.morning), I am so very happy today! I have lots of things to be smiling about.....my parents are home after 4 weeks overseas and were over today with presents, stories of their travels and yummy treats, the sun is finally shining (not for long I fear!) after days of torrential rain and it's my day off from sewing. I LOVE Wednesdays!!!

Self portraits are difficult. I had this on self timer and the wind was blowing a gale and Frankie was throwing 'pixie dust' over me and had me laughing in most of the shots. I like this one because my eyes are shut and you can't see how bloodshot they really are today!

I think this challenge is going to be fun!

Boys

2011-05-31T15:45:00.000+10:00

Boys are so much fun to dress. I'm really enjoying having another little guy to dress up and I really love making him cute little things to wear.

He loves the hat he's wearing here. He leaves it in the car and always pops it on his head before he jumps out of the car. He is a funny little boy.

My boys appreciate the things I make them and Xav especially is always asking me to make him something. Francesca, on the other hand, can take or leave the things I make and would wear a princess costume every day of her life if I let her. Oh and she also doesn't like what I make because she is scared of pins. The first thing she asks when I get her to try something on is 'Mama does it have pins in it?'. I guess I've stabbed her one too many times!!

Photo Challenge

2011-05-31T13:33:00.000+10:00

I like a good challenge, so on June 1st I'll be starting this.....

Now I have a shocking memory so I'm hoping to remember to do it every day!!

Right back to my macaroons...

Food for a rainy day

2011-05-30T10:59:00.000+10:00

It's a really, really wet day here in Sydney today. I drove Xav and Franks to school in a thunderstorm. Thank god Xav loves walking into school by himself so I didn't have to drag the other two out in the rain...he kissed us all and then jumped out and ran in all by himself. He thinks he is sooooooooo cool walking into school by himself...my big boy of 5!

Anyway so today Luca and I are stuck at home watching the rain pour down. I can't stop thinking about food and these are the sorts of things I like to eat on a grey and stormy day.....

I may, or may not, be eating 95% of what's on this page today!!!!

Have a great Monday!!

Blogging

2011-05-27T12:33:00.000+10:00

I am a blogger from waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. I started my very first blog when we started trying to conceive our first baby, so back in October 2004. I have over 1000 entries in it and it's still going strong today. I'm so pleased and feel very lucky to have everything recorded from when my babies were tiny up until today and I love nothing more than going back and reading over it all.

I want to keep writing in it forever and I want my children to read it when they are older and I want them to read everything...the hard times, the happy times.....everything!

I love my personal blog and even though I've had this 'Frankie Rose' blog for nearly two years I never really used it much for anything other than what's happening in the 'Frankie Rose' world...new products, fabrics etc. I'm feeling creative though at the moment...probably because we are renovating our house and am also obsessed with food so I'm going to use this blog to share with you the things I love and lust after..... with a bit of dribble in between and I don't want to clog up my personal blog with those things so now I've got two!

So time to give this blog a bit of a makeover and I'll be back soon!

A Mother's Prayer for Its Child, by Tina Fey

2011-05-25T17:25:00.001+10:00

Brilliant...I love this!!! Stole it from my friend Ave's blog....

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty. When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer. Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age. Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit. May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait. O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it. And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes. Amen.” ~ Tina Fey

Creating a dream bedroom!

2011-05-20T18:10:00.000+10:00

It's been busy here at the Frankie Rose headquarters! I've had lots of orders to fill and I'm hoping to have my current batch of orders finished by Monday so I can release a few new designs next week. I have so many ideas running around my head and can see lots of beautiful dresses, skirts and jeans for the boys so I will have to get busy so I have something to show you.

In household news.....Luca has graduated to his big boy's bed! Hurray!! The cot is down and he is very happy sleeping in his new bed. He has actually never slept better in his life!

Now that he's no longer in a cot, I'm going to move him in with Xav. Xav and Frankie currently share a room (because I need the 4th bedroom for my sewing studio) but I'm going to put both the boys together and give Frankie her own room as she's really into all her little knick knacks and she needs a place where her big brother's hands can't get into them and ruin it all!

Anyway so now I get to create the most beautiful room for Francesca ... something I've been wanting to do for ages because I just know how much she's going to love having her own space with lots of special girlie things in there and I'm not going to lie, I've always dreamt of creating a beautiful little girls room so I'm super duper excited!!!!

I've been surfing the net for inspiration for both rooms and today I'll share the ideas I'm loving for Frankie's room. Boy's room photos to come when I find more photos that grab me.

We don't have to worry about buying a bed because she is having my old single bed from Mum and Dad's place that is shabby chic and just perfect for the room I have in mind for her but I will be buying everything else. I'm going to try and do most things myself....making wall hangings, making over an old bedside table, make quilt and cushions for bed and try to keep costs down as much as I can so I can splurge on a couple of things like a gorgeous light fitting, chairs and tables, a tea set and a dolls house.

I ADORE this room...that bed frame is amazing!

Loving the cushions on this bed

I'm so making these exact cushions!

I am definitely recreating this for Frankie's ceiling

Love the bright colours

I can't wait to find the perfect, over the top light fitting for the room!

And now for the room I absolutely, positively LOVE.....

I wouldn't change a thing!!

Now if it was up to Francesca to design her own room it would look something like these rooms....

She'd have the Disney Princesses plastered on every wall but I want something that she can grow with and I don't want to have to redo it when she's finished with her Princess phase!

So it will be a busy weekend filled with painting and cleaning out bedrooms for their makeovers. Can't wait! Have a great weekend!

Just released....

2011-04-21T09:47:00.001+10:00

New look!!

2011-03-31T13:33:00.001+11:00

I wanted to give 'Frankie Rose' a makeover this year and finally got around to looking for a new logo.

I had in mind what I wanted and I was going to get one custom made for me but I thought I'd try Etsy first before I went ahead just to see if I could find something premade (i.e. so I could get my little hands on it like right NOW!). I didn't have to look very far...I found the most divine turquoise logo I've ever seen.....

Turquoise is my absolute favourite colour and I just love the vintage wallpaper background. I really adore the font too and let's just say I'm in love with it!

I've now plastered it all over my swing tags, packing stickers and anything else I can manage to get it on. Pretty, pretty, pretty!!!

PS: Thanks to Macii Mackenzie Artistic Imagery & Design!

Bloopers!

2011-03-15T17:51:00.001+11:00

I can't say I enjoy taking photos of all the designs that I make. My children aren't the biggest fans of posing for photos (although Frankie is getting much better!) and I have to bribe them with a lollipop every time I need a photo.

Here are some of the bloopers that don't make it to your screen.....

I must admit I love going through all the photos I take though. Some are just hilarious. Luca is the funniest and can be smiling one minute and then screaming at me the next. Xavier says he's just 'too tired' to get in any photos but I'll have to think of a good bribe for him because I need his help very soon. I'd say out of 50 photos I get about 4 or 5 I can use.

Funny kids.

Back in action

2011-03-12T10:28:00.000+11:00

I've been computerless for nearly 5 weeks! I finally sorted out my computer issues and now have a brand new computer. Thank god. It's hard to run a business without one!

Anyway I'm back into the swing of things and am slowly updating my store with some new items. Here are a few photos of what's in store now......

Life is busy now that Xavi is at school, I barely have a second to myself. Luckily I don't plan on doing many markets (if any) this year because there is no way in hell I'd have time to get enough stock made for a stall. No way at all.

Well I'm supposed to be resting as I'm sick and my husband has taken the three cherubs to the beach to give me some peace and quiet. Movie time for me!

HOT HOT HOT!!

2011-02-05T23:02:00.001+11:00

Ergh!! It's so disgustingly hot that I can't sleep. We spent all day in our friend's pool today and if I had my own pool I think I would be spending the night in there! We need some relief...I don't think I can do another 35+ degree day!

Xavier started school on Thursday and he did beautifully. No tears from any of us and he is really enjoying it.

Can't believe I have to pick up and drop off every single day though. I was exhausted after only doing it for two days! School traffic is horrid and I'm not looking forward to fighting it every day.

Well I've stocked my online store with heaps of new items. I've got the most gorgeous cushions, rompers and twirly skirt on there and it's all looking rather bright and gorgeous in there right now.

I did my last run of Midnight Blossom dresses and as usual they all sold out within a couple of days. I adore that fabric but I just can't look at another Blossom dress so I've retired it. I've got two new navy fabrics which I really love so I might try and get samples of them sewn up soon so I can give you a sneak peek.

I had grand plans of sewing one of every new dress today but it was just too hot...even with the airconditioning so I opted for a day of swimming and relaxing instead but I'll try to get a couple done tomorrow.

Well I'll off to go and stand in front of the fan....far too hot to sleep!

Back to it!

2011-01-30T19:54:00.000+11:00

Only a couple more days until Frankie Rose will be up and running again. I've had the best few weeks off and in only 4 short days I'll be waving Xavier off into the big bad world of Kindergarten. Francesca started preschool last week and if he goes as well as she did then there will be no tears at all! Fingers crossed!

I've been busy coming up with lots of new designs. I'm not going to really call them autumn or winter ranges because most of the dresses I will be making can be worn all year round which is what I look for when I'm buying dresses for my daughter. There will also only be limited numbers of each dress available. I've sourced the most gorgeous fabrics and I'm really excited about my new dresses. I'm playing around with lots of different fabrics this year and two of my dresses mix both knit and cotton fabrics. Here is one of the new designs which should be in store in the next week......

Butterfly 'Poppy' Dress

This little number looks absolutely adorable on and there is also another colourway (navy and red) in a very similar design in the works aswell.

So I've got LOTS planned so stay tuned for more sneak peeks!!

Autumn/Winter Sneak Peek

2011-01-14T16:53:00.000+11:00

I've started thinking about my Autumn/Winter looks recently and have been researching fabrics. My winter looks will be mostly about layering so you can wear the dresses all year around. I will be releasing some long sleeved Fun Days dresses aswell because I must admit Frankie LIVES in her Fun Days dresses. She has one for every day of the week and they always look so sweet on her so I definitely want to do those for winter aswell.

So far I've found 3 fabrics that I think will look just perfect for two of the dresses I have in mind.....

...and there's plenty more where that came from but just thought I'd give you a quick sneak peek!!!

Happy Days

2011-01-11T15:55:00.000+11:00

I'm soooooooooo enjoying my time off!! The days are lovely and long, the kids are so happy that they have their Mummy's attention every single second of the day, we've had lots of playdates with our favourite friends, shopping trips, beach trips and relaxing days at home where we don't have to do anything if we don't want to. I could get used to this!

I've also done a lot of cushion making. In fact I cannot stop making cushions! My lounge is completely covered in them and I don't think I'll be happy until you can't see the lounge anymore. I'm obsessed!!!

I've got some gorgeous boy cushions going up in the store this week.....

They are all so lovely and bright and look just perfect on a little cane chair or on a bed. I can't wait to start doing up my boys room when they move in together in a few months. Their beds will be totally covered in cushions just like my lounge!

I'm also starting on a quilt this week aswell for our bed....

A big king sized quilt....will probably take me ages but it's going to be beautiful! I've chosen pinks, greens and whites for the quilt and hopefully I'll have a photo for you soon.

Ooops fight brewing so I better run. My kids turn lovely and feral after 4!!!

Taking a break

2010-12-28T21:51:00.000+11:00

Wow Christmas is over for another year! It was SO much fun and I'm having such a lovely time away from the sewing machine that I've decided to extend my time off until 1st February 2011. I have a few good reasons....

1. The most important reason of all is my son Xavier. My big boy. He starts school on February 3rd and I want to spend every last minute with him until he is whisked away into the real world. I thought I'd be fine with him heading off to big boy's school but the closer it's getting, the clingier I'm getting and we're going to have fun while I've got him all to myself.

2. I'm really enjoying sewing for me. When it all got crazy around here in November and December, I really started to dread sewing. There was so much to do with so little time and it was becoming such hard work. I want it to be enjoyable again and this is how I've started to take a step toward making it fun again......I made these cushions for our new lounge last week and I just love them.....

And I'm also starting a quilting class soon because I want to fill the house with gorgeous, bright, handmade things and I can't wait to get started!

3. My house desperately needs some love. I'm going to call it my 'new year clean'. I can't think in a house that is chaotic and so I'm going to go nuts. I'm going to organise, throw out and thoroughly clean my house and head into the new year with my house and mind clear.

Really it's all about stop.revive.survive. I need these next few weeks. I'm pretty exhausted and my kids need a Mum who isn't snappy and buggered and that's what they are going to get!

I still have tonnes of designs swimming around in my head and I already have 4 or 5 new dresses that I'm dying to get made up and out there but they can wait....for another few weeks anyway.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-17T18:01:00.000+11:00

Well my very last custom order went out yesterday and I can finally breathe again! November and December were absolutely crazy. I never imagined that I would be pumping out the numbers I have been and I can't say I want to do it ever again! I'm feeling very burnt out and am giving myself a good few weeks off to get over the utter craziness that has been my life for the last couple of months.

Don't get me wrong...I am absolutely rapt with the response to my clothing but trying to work from home whilst looking after 3 kids who are aged 5 and under is really reeeeeeeeally hard! Next year should be easier with Xav off to school and Frankie off to preschool for 2 days so fingers crossed it won't be a repeat of this year.

I am thinking of taking on another assistant aswell so if it gets too much I'll have two people to fall back on. I am also taking a break from doing any kind of market because it's just too much work getting stock ready and keeping up with the custom orders aswell so something has to give and markets it is. I enjoy doing the markets and meeting everyone and I may do one here and there but it won't be a regular thing.

Christmas preparations have begun here and I have done 99.9% of my Christmas shopping online and it has been so much fun! I love getting presents delivered to my door everyday and my dining room table is full of boxes and parcels and I now that I have time on my hands I have to sit down and go through it all. Can't wait!

I made the kids pose for me in front of the tree the other day for our annual Christmas tree photo and after about 50 frames I finally got a good one so I'll end this entry with a happy snap of my three....

Have a fabulous Christmas and I'll see you back here next year with lots of lovely new designs and also some surprises that aren't clothing related!!

Shop 4 Kids

2010-12-01T10:50:00.000+11:00

I've been waiting for the latest Shop 4 Kids magazine to come out as I knew my little 'I Love You' romper would be in there!! It's so exciting to see your work in a magazine...especially when you're just a little home based business. Very fun indeed!

What else has been happening? Well I have far too many orders to handle at the moment so I've had to close my shop to new orders. I have a couple of weeks to get 70 orders out and just typing that makes me nearly hyperventilate! To make matters worse I have another market this Sunday which I have to restock for but god knows when I'll get to that....probably the night before!

In between all my mad sewing I've started doing some christmas craft with the kids. I bought them two reindeers from Lincraft to decorate, thinking I'd get an hours peace, but I couldn't have chosen a messier activity for them to do and I needed to stand there and supervise. Oh well they had a ball and the end product will proudly be displayed on our dining room table.....

Meet Jake and Beautiful Princess Miette....I had no part in naming them and I have NO idea where they both got those names from!

It's POURING here in Sydney this week and I mean pouuuuuuuuuring so we are stuck inside. My youngest Luca has decided that this week he would scream and cry all week so I can't get much done during the day. He had his 18 month needles on Monday and he hasn't been himself since. I remember my other two doing something similar at the same age so I'm on cuddle duty during the day...which is lovely but makes me twitchy because I have 1000 things I could be doing!!!!!

Christmas Markets

2010-11-23T15:28:00.000+11:00

Well not long to go until my first Christmas market...only 5 days to go! I will be at Mathilda's Market in Canberra this Sunday and then at Lane Cove the next Sunday. I am nearly ready but still have about 10 or so dresses to sew, items to tag, think about how I'm going to set up my stall and then pack everything up. Yikes. I can see some very late nights ahead of me.

I can't wait to set my stall up. Everything we've made is so bright and colourful and I'm in love with everything! Dresses, shorts, twirly skirts, rompers and baby boy sets...I've got it all!

I'm so tired this week though. I seem to have insomnia and it takes me hours to get to sleep....which might be a good thing if I'm running behind with the sewing!

Holiday time!!

2010-10-29T07:48:00.000+11:00

I'm off on two hoildays over the next two weeks WOO HOO!!! They couldn't come soon enough!!!

We're off to a farm for an extra long weekend today and then next Sunday we're off to Tropical North Queensland for a week of relaxing (and drinking cocktails!) by the pool. I can't wait.

I'm closing the store on Tuesday 2nd November for a a couple of weeks while I'm away and to try and get some stock together for both Mathilda's Christmas Markets. It's going to be crazy in the lead up to the markets and I'm sure I'll be sewing into the early hours of the morning right up until the first market!

For those who have made an order before the 2nd (and there are a lot of you....I will be working hard for my cocktails by the pool that's for sure!) they will be sent by the end of next week. Lots of my Frankie Fun Days dresses have been purchased and I'm finding them so fun to make. My favourite little Babushka dress has already sold out so I have tonnes of those to get made and I might make one of each for my little Babushka to take away on holidays.

Well I better get packing. See you when I get back!!!

Coming up for breath!

2010-10-19T22:24:00.000+11:00

Wow....it's been over a month since I've been in here...life certainly is busy right now!

I'm nearly at the end of a loooooooooong list of custom orders (over 50 YIKES!) which seems to have taken me forever. I've had to fit sewing in between party organising for Xav's 5th birthday party (which was a huge success but I'll never have 42 kids at a party again!)....

Frankie sprained her knee last week so I've had to carry her everywhere and Luca at 17 months is now into everything so I'm constantly chasing him around. Hectic days in my household! I was desperate to get an order out last week and so I had to sew when my two littlest maniacs were up and about and this is how they entertained themselves.....they set up camp in my sewing room! At least I had company!

To make life even busier I'm attending Mathilda's Market in both Sydney and Canberra so as soon as I clear all my current orders I'll get stuck into some stock. There will be lots of late nights for me and I will only have about 3 weeks to get myself organised because in a couple of weeks we are off to Palm Cove for a week of relaxation and lots and lots of cocktails! I can't wait and a holiday is long overdue.

On Thursday I will be releasing my Christmas dress and will be taking orders for them for delivery in December. It's red and white with little lace straps and I think it's really cute.

Well it's rather late so that's it from me.....my cosy bed is calling!

Blossom Dresses

2010-09-16T16:39:00.000+10:00

My Blossom dresses have been SO popular!

I've sold out of 3 of them and only wish the fabrics hadn't been discontinued. Oh well I'll just have to find some more gorgeous fabrics for these pretty little dresses!

I've already found one and as soon as I saw it I just knew it had to be made into a Blossom dress. It's possibly the prettiest fabric I've ever laid eyes on and even more stunning in real life....

'Secret Garden'

Perfect spring fabric! I should be getting many, many yards of it in post any day now so I'm hoping to have this one in my shop next week.

I have so many customs to do so I'm a bit behind in releasing the Heather, Francesca and Leilani dresses but I hope to have all styles in my shop by mid October.

A sneak peek and a new member of the Frankie Rose team!

2010-09-06T17:48:00.000+10:00

Here is a sneak peek of a new dress due out in October!

The 'Party Frock'

I can't resist a gorgeous navy fabric and as soon as I saw this particular fabric I knew I had to work with it! It's true love! Love, love, LOVE it! Can't wait to show you the finished product!

Now onto some more Frankie Rose news....I have had to get another person in to help me get through all the orders that have come in over the last month....far too many for little ole me to handle so I'm very excited to have my Mum join me! She has helped out in the past with market items like our gorgeous little lounge pants but I will be needing her to a lot more now!

I've learnt everything I know from my Mum who is an amazing sewer and I have already kept her busy.....these gorgeous new rompers are thanks to her and I can't wait to see the other 20 or so she is working on right now! What would I do without her!

Well back to my 3 sick kids....the fun never stops!!

More for the boys!

2010-08-26T16:50:00.000+10:00

I've been a busy girl this week. I have orders coming out my ears and my favourites have been the bermuda shorts. I'm loving sewing for the boys and LOVE the latest pairs of shorts that have just hit my store.

My beautiful boys braved the cold Sydney winds this afternoon so I could get a few shots of the dinosaur and surboard shorts in action (and they are both even harder to get shots of than Frankie and I thought that couldn't be possible...I could never be a childrens photographer ARRGGHH!!).

Well just a quick one today. I have a few more orders to get through tonight so I have tomorrow free to start getting ready for Miss Frankie's 3rd birthday party on Saturday! Princess party here we come!

Brand new online shop!

2010-08-12T09:45:00.000+10:00

I am SO excited about my brand new online shop! I've been thinking about a new website for a while now and I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out. It was so much fun setting it up and making it look exactly how I wanted. Frankie posed for the most beautiful photo and I couldn't resist using it for the main photo on both my website and now here on my blog. I could stare at her little face all day long!

Who would know though by looking at this photo that only 3 minutes later she had a major meltdown and cried for a good hour about nothing in particular! That's my girl!

I've uploaded some brand new Blossom dresses into the new shop and they seem to be a hit. The Cherry Blossom dress has already sold out in a size 3 and I have a couple of smaller sizes left but it looks like this dress is really popular.

I desperately need to find more of this fabric so I will definitely be going on a fabric hunt this weekend to try and track some down!

This week is filled with custom orders and I want to get some more dresses and shorts onto my website but my littlest babe has been struck down with gastro (my biggest babe passed it onto him) so I don't think I'm going to have a huge amount of time to sew.

Well I'm off to make 'Muffins that taste like doughnuts' before I sit down to cut out some more dresses....I need the sugar hit after being up all night with a sick baby!

Getting ready for summer!

2010-08-05T12:38:00.000+10:00

Here's a taste of what will be hitting my shop in the next couple of weeks.....

Lots and lots of dresses in beautiful, bright fabrics and cool little bermuda shorts for the boys.

Bermuda Shorts!

2010-07-31T18:25:00.000+10:00

I am so excited about my newest creation....bermuda shorts for the boys!!

I made them up as I went and I am SO pleased with the end result. I knew I wanted a slim fitting pair of shorts....they look much cooler and funkier when they aren't too bulky and I also wanted some contrast so I added contrasting pockets, waistband and at the very last minute contrasting cuffs aswell. Love them!

Xavier, my 4 year old, was delighted with them and road tested them for me and I'm happy to say they stood up to the trampoline, some somersaulting on the grass and lots of running around. He wouldn't take them off so I know little boys everywhere are going to love them.

Aswell as the check material (which also comes in blue and red) I've ordered some dinosaur, surfboard and truck fabric and I know they are going to look perfect made up into these shorts. I can't wait to get started on more of them. My boys will be living in them this summer!

PS: I will do matching singlets and tshirts for those who like a matching top!

More frills!

2010-07-19T15:30:00.001+10:00

Hmmm...I think I'm totally obsessed with frills at the moment. Everytime a new dress design pops into my head it includes frills! I've just completed my fifth summer design - another pretty little dress and I think I'm in love!

The 'Blossom' dress is a simple, pretty frilly summer dress. The fabrics I will be using for this design are all gorgeous florals and butterflies.

The 'Blossom' Dress - August 2010 release

It's about 12 degrees here today and Francesca wouldn't take it off after our little photo shoot so that's a good sign....she definitely gives it the tick of approval!

I'm waiting on some boy fabric which should arrive later this week so instead of lots of dress sneak peeks I should have a sneak peek of some boy stuff next week. I can't wait to get the boy stuff started.....my little fellas must be feeling a bit left out!

Rainbow Ruffle Romper

2010-07-11T17:00:00.001+10:00

I've been working on a little something for the tiny people and I wish I had made these when my little girl was a baby....

Rainbow Ruffle Romper

I ADORE this little romper. It is so so pretty and perfect for those gorgeous warm summer days that I'm looking forward to in a few months time. It has a snap on the crotch to make nappy changes easy and little tie straps. Ignore the ribbon straps in the photo - they are going to be replaced with fabric straps (the same as the ruffle) because the ribbons are far too slippery and kept falling off my little model's shoulders.

I have another romper to add to my collection aswell (with a frill around the neck) and that one will also be available from early August.

Hope you've had a great weekend!!

Summer 2010

2010-07-08T21:59:00.000+10:00

I am loving working on my new summer line for 2010. Everything is bright and pretty and I've got so many ideas swirling through my head. Here are three more summer dressses that I will have available from August....

'Chloe'

'Francesca'

'Leilani'

I don't have a favourite...I love all of them! The 'Chloe' dress is bright and pretty, the 'Francesca' dress is flowy and dreamy and the 'Leilani' is bright and spunky. I have the most amazing fabrics for these dresses - pinks, blues, purples, oranges...I can't wait to share more photos of these pretty little dresses!

I am also trying to source some boys fabric for some cool shorts and summer pants. I have a few ideas but I'm just trying to find the perfect fabric. My son Xavier isn't impressed that Frankie gets to try on all these new dresses and is dying to get in front of the camera and work his stuff!

Sneak Peek - Heather Halter

2010-06-29T16:27:00.000+10:00

I have received nearly all my summer fabric in the mail and I can't believe how gorgeous everything is! More beautiful than I imagined and so today I got stuck into one of my new summer dresses.

I just think this dress is so so pretty and I loved making something summery (even though it's one of the most freezing days we've had in a while here in Sydney!). I am going to be releasing my summer range in August so I'm going to be busy sewing up a storm over the next few weeks. I am not booking into any markets over the next couple of months so I can concentrate on getting some lovely summer dresses made for when the nice weather makes its return.

Well short and sweet....the 13 month old teething monster has found me so better run and cuddle the poor grumpy bugger.

Shabby Flower Headbands

2010-06-17T16:24:00.000+10:00

I struggle a lot when it comes to doing Frankie's hair. She has the most glorious hair but most of the time you'd never know it because I quickly put it up in a messy bun so that my ears don't burst from her screaming 'Don't brush it Mummy'!!!!

Anyway I've been thinking about accessories to go with my summer line of dresses and straight away I thought of pretty little floral headbands. I researched all different types of flowers, knowing that I wanted to make fabric flowers and in the end settled on a shabby little flower. So pretty and exactly my style!

I love them and they are going to look just divine teamed with all the lovely dresses I have planned for summer! These will be available in my Made It store in about 2 weeks.

***

So I'm getting ready for Mathilda's Market in Canberra on the 27th and I'm pretty organised (which is very rare for me!). For this market I have made lots and lots of different one of a kind dresses. There is lots of colour and prettiness and I can't wait to show everything off!

One of the styles of dresses I will be taking with me is the 'Lulu' dress. It's longer than the tunic and really really sweet.

I love dressing it up with boots and I can imagine in summer it will look just as gorgeous with little sandals or ballet flats (and of course my new Shabby Flower headband!).

Will be back soon with some more photos of some of the stock I will be taking with me to Canberra!

Multi tasking at it's best!

2010-06-08T14:11:00.000+10:00

Luca is still sick...this time with the flu. Great timing as this week I have quite a few orders to get out. Lucky I am the world's best multi tasker!

I managed to get a whole heap of beautiful Halter and Rosie dresses made for Little Yon Yon while nursing Luca on my lap while I sewed! I don't think I've put him down for 2 days straight so I'm amazed at how well I've done. Poor boy has had a rough trot lately and it just happens to be when I'm really busy....oh well...that's what you get when you work from home I guess.

More photos on Facebook

Frankie gave the new order of dresses the thumbs up today and chose her favourite (which happened to be mine aswell). This green fabric is just stunning in real life - the photos don't do it justice at all....

Right I'm off to cut out some Smocks, Tunics and Stripes skirts for Mathilda's Market in Canberra at the end of June. I've also got some gorgeous little girl's pants being made right now to take with me to the markets in the cutest girly fabrics. I'll post some photos of them when they are done.

Lots of fabric...no time...

2010-06-02T16:12:00.000+10:00

I'm getting slightly annoyed!

I have had so many fabric deliveries over the past couple of weeks. Beautiful, beautiful new fabrics and I want to get stuck into them.....except I can't.

My youngest son, Luca, is rather high maintenance. I can't sew, eat, go to the toilet, walk out of the room without him losing it. To say he is addicted to me is an understatement. He is the youngest of 3 and at only 1 years old, rules the roost. I've never had such a clingy baby.

Maybe when he walks life will get easier and he'll be happier and more independent and I will be able to get a few things done around here. While he was napping today I got a couple of Lulu tunics made but that's about it. I had planned on getting a whole heap done but instead spent my time with a screaming baby on my hip! Here a few new Lulu's that have hit my Made It store recently....

Lots more to come....when I get the time!!!

Denim & Dolls Lulu Tunic

2010-05-24T16:30:00.001+10:00

It's been rainy and cold here in Sydney and I've had a house full of sick people....sick kids, sick husband and I've been knocked over with a head cold aswell. It hasn't been fun.

The only good thing about sick kids is that they are relatively quiet. My usually hypo children have been rather subdued and have only wanted to lay on the lounge under quilts and watch movies while they sniffle away. This is perfect for me because I've been able to get some sewing done. I've ploughed through nearly all my custom orders with only one or 2 left which is amazing as I'm usually a couple of weeks behind with customs so I'm feeling very pleased with myself.

I've also started on some new Lulu tunics which seem to be really popular. I found some lovely soft denim and the cutest patterned fabric over the weekend so the new Lulu tunics will have a denim body and gorgeous colourful cotton sleeves. I think they are really cute and I know Francesca will have one or two of these in her winter wardrobe this year.....

I love clothes that you can just slip over their heads and the Lulu is perfect. Slip it over a long sleeved top and leggings and you're off! Easy and no screaming from anybody!

I will be making a whole heap of these tunics to take with me to Mathilda's Market in Canberra at the end of June.

Summer dress fabric no. 2 - check!

2010-05-18T17:48:00.000+10:00

So I've found beautiful Japanese fabric for my new summer dress number 1 and I'm really excited about that but I've also now found the most divine fabric for new summer dress number 2 and I can't believe how absolutely beautiful it is!

The fabric is by my new favourite fabric designer Anna Maria Horner and I'm in love with it. It's vibrant and fun and I can't stop staring at it! Seriously I think I've been gazing at the photos for an hour dreaming of all my new creations.

In other exciting news....I've been thinking about my summer wardrobe (we can't let the kids have all the fun!) and I've decided to release some summer skirts in adult sizes. They will be just gorgeous and I've had so many requests for clothes in adult sizes that I think this will be the perfect starting point!

Right....back to staring at that gorgeous fabric....

Facebook Garage Sale!

2010-05-16T13:30:00.001+10:00

Head on over to my Facebook page tonight at 7.30pm for a Garage Sale. I'm clearing my store to make way for some beautiful new items in brand new fabrics.

You will find Dotty Dresses, Twirly skirts, Peasant tops, Tunics, Boys Lounge Pants and Smocks hugely discounted so don't miss out on a bargain!!

See you there!

Sneak Peek - Fabric Summer 2010

2010-05-12T08:16:00.000+10:00

I have been trawling the internet trying to find fabric that I think will be perfect for one of my summer dresses this year. I had something particular in mind and was determined to find it and I just did!

One of my dresses this year will be a beautiful flowy, soft summer dress that will be perfect for the Australian summer. I can imagine little girls running around with their dresses flowing softly behind them. I wanted something really pretty and feminine and soft.

This is Japanese Double Gauze and it's the softest of the soft. I adore everything Japanese and this is just beautiful.

The dresses will come in beautiful patterns and plain coloured double gauze aswell. So pretty!!

I've also finalised two other summer dresses and am just trying to find the fabric for one of the dresses....think hawaii for this one and I'll have a sneak peek for you soon!

I'm so excited!!!

2010-05-08T14:33:00.001+10:00

I got a wonderful surprise when I logged onto one of my online fabric stores this morning and found that my absolute most favourite fabric was back in stock after several months of not being able to find a scrap of it anywhere. I think this dress is my all time favourite....

I have had so many requests for this particular dress and have had to tell people I just can't make it because the fabric is nowhere to be found. Not anymore! I snapped up every last yard of fabric they had and now I will be swimming in it! Yay!!

I am starting to plan my summer collection and I can't wait to start on my first couple of dresses. I've found some really pretty fabrics and I have a couple of dresses in my head that I think you are going to love. I am also going to work hard to have some fabulous things for the boys aswell. I am struggling to find anything original for my 2 boys and so they aren't going to miss out this summer!

Right back to my custom orders. Just a reminder that for all those who are waiting on a custom order that the waiting time for customs at the moment is 2 - 3 weeks.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Mothers Day tomorrow!

New stock

2010-05-03T15:33:00.000+10:00

Thanks to everyone who came and visited me at Mathilda's Market yesterday. It was a fun day and because my Mum came with me I could go and do a bit of shopping aswell! Dangerous!

Anyway just a quickie - I've just stocked my Made It Store with some new stock so go and check it out! Lots of new boys pants, skirts, dotty dresses and smocks! Have fun!!!

I'm still here....

2010-04-23T16:49:00.000+10:00

I've had my head down and backside up filling orders and trying to get stock together for Mathilda's Market on the 2nd May in Sydney. So far I have 9 things ready - NINE! I have a very, very long week of sewing ahead of me I think!

My Made It store will look a little bare over the next week so if you feel the need to shop head on over to Little Yon Yon and Monkeytail & Wellington . They have some gorgeous Frankie Rose items stocked in their online shops so check them out and see if anything takes your fancy. I also have a new stockist coming on board in the next couple of weeks so stayed tuned for some news.

Well back to it....I also have my baby boy's 1st birthday party the day before the markets so not only will I be sewing all week but I'll also be organising his little cowboy themed party. Arrgghhh! What a week!!!!

New stock hitting my Made It store!

2010-04-09T17:47:00.001+10:00

LOTS more to come.....

'Stripes' winter skirt

2010-04-05T14:43:00.001+10:00

I've got another skirt for you.....

My new 'Stripes' winter skirt is a lovely little skirt. It has a snug corduroy waist and then lovely stripey designer cotton fabric falling from the waistband.

It's a also a good twirler....Francesca tried it out for everyone and it will come in lots and lots of bright and beautiful colours. I am working on some matching long sleeved tops to go with both the 'Patches' and the 'Stripes' skirts and the tops will have a matching appliqued shape on the front. Will make a very cute outfit.

Back to it!!

Some winter lovelies....

2010-03-24T16:32:00.000+11:00

I'm excited to show you two new items from Frankie Rose!

The first is a gorgeous little peasant top. Made from 100% designer cotton fabric this top has long sleeves, is elasticised at the wrists and has a cute little velvet bow on the neckline.

Bow Peasant Top

Perfect with jeans or leggings and will be available in the most beautiful fabrics. Watch out for these in my Made It shop in a couple of weeks.

Next is a lovely little dress. This dress is also made from 100% designer cotton fabric and has a cute little denim and button flower on the bottom.

Dotty Dress

These dresses are made from gorgeous dotted fabric that will come in an array of colours....black and white, green and white, red and pink and lots of other gorgeous combinations. These dresses are perfect for layering - tights, long sleeved tops and little boots or ballet flats - too cute!! Available in my shop in a couple of weeks time.

Remember I'm away for the next 5 days so if you have any questions just send me an email and I'll answer any queries when I get back. Have fun!!

Patches Twirly skirts are now available!

2010-03-18T18:01:00.000+11:00

I've just added some 'Patches' skirts to my Made It shop!

Every skirt is unique so you'll have a one of a kind piece!

You nearly didn't get this one though.....

This one is my favourite. I love love LOVE it. I'm having problems parting with it but it must be done!

Hope you love them!

SORRY GUYS THERE'S ONLY ONE LEFT NOW - I WILL RESTOCK THE STORE NEXT WEEK WITH MORE! IN THE MEANTIME IF YOU WANT ONE CUSTOM MADE JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH THE SIZE AND COLOUR AND I'LL GET STARTED ON IT!

'Patches' Twirly skirt

2010-03-12T15:33:00.000+11:00

Check out the very first Frankie Rose skirt 'Patches'! I am loving this skirt - it's perfect for little girls who love to twirl.....I've got one of those!!

I can't wait to play around with all the different fabric combinations - I've got some beautiful fabrics on their way to me and I can just imagine how gorgeous these skirts are going to be.

I should have a few in my Made It store next week!

End of summer sale!

2010-03-09T07:27:00.000+11:00

Visit my Made It store for my big end of summer sale where you'll find 20% off all 'Rosie' dresses!

I have also listed a few smocks and will keep updating today with new stock. Watch out for some brand new halters and some winter tunic tops aswell.

Next week I will have some sneak peaks of my new winter line.....3 new skirts, another winter dress and a new peasant top will all be part of my winter stock. I can't wait to get started on them!

I also have something new for the little babies out there...can't wait to show you!

PS: Oooh visit the Mathilda's website blog and you'll see a photo of my smocks in their Sydney wrap up entry!!!

Mathilda's Market - Sydney

2010-03-06T17:12:00.001+11:00

Wow! Another market under my belt and what a busy one!

The fun started right on 9am and by 11am I had nearly sold out of all my tunics. People were after mostly winter items this time and so the tunics and smocks were popular. All my favourite dresses sold quickly and again there wasn't much in the way of boy's items so the boys pants were really popular. I also had some little girl's pants this time aswell and people seemed to love those too.

My stall looked so pretty and very well stocked - I didn't realise I had made so much stuff!!

I don't have any markets planned in the next couple of months and I must admit I'm very happy about that. I can now get right into my winter line and bring out some brand new designs for you.

Come back and visit me on Tuesday as there might be some news on a summer sale.....I'm running out of room and need some space for my winter dresses so some of the summer dresses have to go!!!

Almost ready....

2010-03-05T13:16:00.001+11:00

Well not really!! For some reason I cannot get organised this week. Everything keeps going wrong. Last night my sewing machine decided it would start to eat the needle so I went through about 6 needles in 10 minutes. After a mini nervous breakdown I decided to go to bed and face it in the morning. Thank god it's working today or I would be in big trouble!

I have one more Navy Love Garden dress to sew, some black tunics to make and then some last minute things like price tagging, thinking about how I'm going to set up my stall and some other odds and ends.

I also wanted to get a few more smock dresses made today but that's just not going to happen. I have a few so we'll see how they go and then if they're popular I'll get started on some more next week......

Right off to feed the troops and then hit my sewing room....that's if I can get through the door - it looks as though a bomb has gone off in there!

See you tomorrow at Mathilda's Market in Sydney!!! I am right next to the biscuit stall which will not be good for my diet!!!

PS: I must apologise for my poorly stocked Made It shop. Hopefully next week I'll have lots of things listed on there. I'll let you know when it's done!

The Smock

2010-02-28T16:28:00.000+11:00

I finally got around to some sewing this weekend! I gave myself the week off after the hectic one before Mathilda's in Brisbane and now I have heaps to do. At least I have one of my winter dresses sorted now!

I love this smock dress. It's going to be great in Autumn with a pair of sandals or ballet flats and then for winter you can layer it up with tights and boots. Frankie was not in the mood to have her photo taken today so the photos are very average but you'll get the drift...

I will be bringing a whole heap of these smocks along to Mathilda's Market in Paddington next weekend....maybe minus one or two...must keep a couple for Francesca I think!

I am also working on a little corduroy dress but I have been procrastinating so hopefully I'll have a photo or two for you tomorrow.

Off to buy some supplies for a pizza night. Yum pizza and red wine - the perfect way to end the weekend!

Mathilda's Market - Brisbane

2010-02-22T13:33:00.000+11:00

I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and visited me at Mathilda's Market on Saturday. It was a great day!

The morning was so busy and it was great meeting everyone and hearing everybody's feedback on the dresses, tunics and pants. The boy's pants were a hit as there weren't many things for the poor old boys.

As expected my favourite fabric - the gorgeous navy floral fabric was the big winner of the day and I sold out of them within the first couple of hours. Another big hit were the black tunics - I wasn't sure if black would be popular but they sold out aswell. I will definitely stock up on those for the Sydney market. I will also be bringing along my 2 new winter dresses to Mathilda's in Sydney and I hope to have a sneak peek for you before the week is over.

During the quiet times I took the opportunity to have a walk around the markets and did my own bit of shopping. I could have spent a fortune but I was a good girl and came away with only one present per child.

I was also lucky enough to be next to Melinda from Retro Bird who had the most gorgeous stall full of beautiful goodies and she was just hilarious. We had a fun day and kept each other entertained when things got a bit quiet. We also did a dress swap and I came away with the most gorgeous red and white dress for Miss Frankie - I will have to a post a photo of her in it when she's in the mood.

For those who missed out on the dresses they were after, contact me (email address to the right) and I can put you down on the waiting list. I am just waiting on another fabric order which should be turning up in a few days and then I can get started on custom orders.

I will also be updating my Made It store at some stage this week. I probably won't get to it today but I'll try and get to it as soon as I can.

Right, now I have to get ready for Mathilda's Market in Sydney....it's going to be another fun day and my poor feet won't be so tired because this one only goes form 9am - 1pm - thank god!!!!

Have a good week!

Coming along to Brisbane with me....

2010-02-16T16:29:00.001+11:00

Photos as promised! These are just a few of the gorgeous dresses, pants and shorts making their way up with me to Mathilda's Market in Brisbane this weekend....

Back to it!!

Sewing my little fingers off!

2010-02-15T15:55:00.000+11:00

I'm still here just very VERY busy trying to get enough dresses, tunics and pants made so I have enough stock for the markets.

The family has been sick so in between looking after them and myself it's been a total mad house around here!

I will definitely be back tomorrow with photos of some of the dresses and tunics I will be bringing along with me to the Brisbane Mathilda's Market. I just have to add the finishing touches to them and get some decent photos and I'll be back!

I thought I'd have enough time to put some halters and tunics up for sale in my Made It shop but I will get to that after the market rush has finished.

Baby crying - better run.....see you tomorrow with lots of pretty photos!!

The halter is here!

2010-01-30T15:16:00.000+11:00

My big shipment of fabric arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to get started on the halter dresses with all the new stunning fabric!

I love the finished product - it's so girly and pretty and Frankie won't stop twirling around in the lovely pink one I made for her.

Here is Frankie modelling a new fabric I found - the colours are gorgeous and I love the splash of aqua coming from the front panel...

The Halter

That's enough sewing today....I'm off to get ready for a girls night out....my head will be sore tomorrow so maybe I've done all the sewing I'm going to do this weekend!!

PS: Thank you to Zozobugbaby for the brilliant Halter pattern!!!!

Mathilda's Market

2010-01-28T16:22:00.000+11:00

As you would have seen from my Facebook updates, I'm off to Mathilda's Market in both Brisbane (February 20th) and Sydney (6th March) so as you can imagine I am running around like a maniac trying to get everything done so I have enough stock to take with me!

I'm expecting a HUGE shipment of some beautiful new fabric from the US any day now and I can't wait to get started on some more 'Rosie' dresses, 'Love Garden' dresses and my new halter dress. Stay tuned for photos.

I ordered some really cool boy's fabric in early December which went missing in the mail. I was SO upset because I had some great stuff in that order and everyday since it went missing I had been checking the mail in the faint hope that it would surface from wherever it was hiding. I gave up hope this week because it had been a good 6 weeks but today I got the surprise of my life - the missing parcel had gone on the scenic route to my house and arrived today! YAY!!! I will get straight onto the boys pants and shorts for those who had ordered them and will now have a whole heap of boy's items for the markets. Perfect timing!

This week I have been madly working on the 'Lulu' tunic and I must admit I absolutely adore it. I still have a whole heap to make but I made a good start this week. Sorry about the dark photos - it's grey and gloomy here and I couldn't get any good shots....

I hope to have a few in every size ready for the markets so I better get busy.

I will back over the weekend with some photos of my new halter dress. Let's hope the fabric arrives tomorrow because I'm running out of time!

Girly girl dresses

2010-01-13T17:41:00.000+11:00

I've got some gorgeous girly girl dresses in my Made It shop at the moment. I adore the really pretty girly ones and I have a lot of these cut out and ready to sew!

In the next couple of weeks my Made It shop will be full of brand new stock - Rosie dresses in new fabrics, boys shorts and pants, Lulu tunics, hairclips, a brand new summer dress and I'm hoping to get a sneak peak of my new pinafore dress up here soon aswell.

As always it's busy, busy, busy here so stay tuned for news on lots of beautiful new clothes!!

Sneak Peek - 'Lulu' Tunic

2010-01-05T21:40:00.000+11:00

I'm excited to give you a sneaky look at one of my upcoming winter looks!

Meet 'Lulu'.....

'Lulu'... a perfect tunic for all seasons

This gorgeous little tunic is made from a linen/cotton blend with 100% designer cotton fabric on the sleeves. It's a work in progress and needs to be tweaked but I'm really happy with it so far!! I've got some beautiful colours to mix and match with so I can't wait to get started on them.

I can just see Frankie in winter in one of these tunics....teamed with jeans and a long sleeved top....so sweet!

Stay tuned for more looks....I also have a winter dress in mind for the girls and some cute winter pants for the boys....just have to find some time!!

PS: Excuse my model's unkempt appearance....trying to get Frankie to do her hair or wear pants is my biggest challenge at the moment!!

Time for the boys

2009-12-15T14:13:00.001+11:00

I've just stocked the Made It shop with some gorgeous pants for the boys. They look great with a singlet or tshirt and are so comfortable.

Here is the smallest member of the family modelling the new range of baby pants....

Luca showing off the new pants AND his new sitting skills!

I can make these pants in all sizes so if you would like a pair for your bigger boys just let me know. I will have some bigger sizes for sale in the shop shortly.

Love Garden

2009-12-03T17:30:00.000+11:00

The Love Garden range is now in my Made It shop! There are limited dresses available but if the one you like isn't in the size you want just let me know and I will put you on the waiting list for it.

I honestly don't have a favourite - I love them all and Miss Francesca will be getting one in every single fabric because I can't decide on just one!!

Beautiful butterflies

2009-11-27T16:47:00.001+11:00

This lovely little dress is for Chloe's sister, Emily over in America. It's so bright and summery and the colours are just beautiful.

I will be back next week with my new range of 'Love Garden' dresses. I will be loading up my Made It shop with lots of dresses in different fabric and sizes so stay tuned.

Also all Christmas orders will be sent out next week so I will send you an email when I'm about to post it off to you.

Oh and before I forget....head on over to my Facebook page where you will find a photo gallery of lots of the different dresses that I have made.

Have a great weekend!

'Rosie' in Aqua

2009-11-24T12:11:00.000+11:00

This dress is being sent to America to a little girl called Chloe. I think she is going to look gorgeous in this little aqua number.

Pop on over to my Made It shop, there is also a size 3 - 4 for sale in this beautiful fabric. I just love it and it's on my must have list for Frankie!

Orders...

2009-11-09T15:34:00.000+11:00

A few photos of some orders going out this week...

I will be doing an entry later in the week with photos of all the fabric I have so that it's all in one place. I will name the fabric so it's easier to order aswell. Remember if you don't see anything you like for your dress, just let me know the colours and patterns you would like your dress to be in and I'll put something together for you.

Sneak Peek - 'Love Garden'

2009-11-08T10:25:00.000+11:00

I'm excited to show you a sneak peek of my latest dress 'Love Garden'.

The 'Love Garden' dress is a pillowcase style dress with thin straps that tie at the back. The fabric will once again be 100% designer cotton but will not have a constrasting trim...it doesn't need anything taking away from the gorgeousness of the fabric! I can't wait for you to see the fabric these dresses will come in....seriously divine.

Love Garden in Blue

As soon as I saw the navy blue fabric in my last entry I knew it was to be the first in my 'Love Garden' collection.

New stock will be ready next month so stayed tuned!

'Love'

2009-11-05T16:40:00.000+11:00

Oooh I think I'm in love!!!

Today saw another parcel arrive in the mail and I have been waiting for this particular delivery because I ordered some fabric that I just knew would be utterly divine.

The blue fabric is by Amy Butler and it's one of the newest additions to her collection. I LOVE it which is very fitting because the collection it comes from is called 'Love'. Francesca will definitely be getting a 'Rosie' dress in this material.

I have also stocked up on the Patty Young fabric (pink flowers) because it seems to be a favourite. I thought I'd mix it up a bit with a few different trims so everyone's dress is a bit different.

I am expecting 4 more parcels so stay tuned for more delicious fabric!

Hair bows!

2009-11-03T15:28:00.000+11:00

I've finally taken some photos of the matching hair bows that I have been working on. They look so sweet teamed with a Rosie dress. I've got matching colours for all dresses so when you are ordering a dress let me know if you would like a hair bow aswell and I can match a colour up for you.

My new fabric orders are slowly arriving and I get so excited every time I open a parcel! Yesterday's parcel contained the following fabric and I think I now have some new favourites.

The red material is DIVINE and will look perfect with the blue trim! I have the perfect little person in mind for this dress and if I have any leftovers I might make Frankie a dress for Christmas day.

Off to put the air conditioner on - it's something like 37 degrees here today and I'm not enjoying it at all!

Cutest little baby dresses

2009-10-29T10:50:00.000+11:00

I've just finished an order for Matisse who is 3 months old. The finished dresses are possibly the cutest little things I have ever seen!

Size 000

Size 00

These little dresses come with bloomers in a matching colour. Can't wait to see photos of her in them!

Boy stuff

Here is the lovely little Luca modelling some of my new boy pants. They look adorable with a little white singlet.

I do have bigger sizes but Xavier is flat out refusing to pose for me! Little bugger! Hopefully I will be back later with some photos.