Handmade for Gifts?

A lovely friend recently had a birthday, and I made her a cute wee gift.  As I handed the pressie over to her I had a sudden moment of panic.  Is it nice to give a homemade gift - or is it considered more worthy if I buy something? 

As the receiver, would you be happier to recieve something someone made for you - or would you rather they spent their time buying you a gift?  Thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tilly xox

Collaborate for a Cause

For those of you who may not have heard yet....there is a new exciting venture happening within the Handmade FB community..its called Collaborate for a Cause....76 Tilly Lane have joined forces with Little Red Child to put together an outfit for Grown Up Girls that will auctioned off with all proceeds going to our Charity of Choice....We have chosen Men's Sheds as we feel that men are often passed over in the charity auctions and we all have fathers, brothers, uncles, sons who we all want to stay healthy both physically and mentally...this is our way of saying "We Care about the Blokes in our Lives" Auction is set to take place in late July......There will be some amazing Collaborations up for grabs so mark the date on your calendar :)

Long time no annoy...

It's been a while! 

We ventured off to Market Girl Markets in Melville (Perth) at the end of May.  Woot, woot - a road trip for Tilly & Lane, and a weekend away  in the big city! 

First stop Ikea - how could we not?!  Then off to Spotlight - what a treat for country hicks!

Our afternoon was spent browsing Fremantle and it's gorgeous shops and buildings, such an eclectic bunch of people, such a fantastic vibe.  Love, love, love Freo.

We were so lucky to be able to go out for a fabulous Indian dinner at Maya in Fremantle with some gorgeous craftisans; Amber from MollydagMade, Julie from Islas Cottage,  Victoria from Brusselsprouts and Tansy from Matsy Designs.  Unfortunately Jo from Joallie Petit was laid up on the couch and couldn't make it - but, there will be a next time!  Or maybe a trip to the desert for our Perth friends?!  (Hint, hint!)

Lane strangle holding Tilly - Just the usual pic for us :)

Finger Bowl?

Amber & Julie

Victoria & Tansy

 

Dinner at Maya - Fremantle

After dinner we grabbed a gorgeously hot drink and wandered back to our 'digs'.

Lane with Bob and The Night Garden.  Stylin' it.  

We decided to stay at a backpackers so we then had more money for shopping - afterall, we only needed somewhere to sleep.  Or not sleep as the case may be!  The room was well, um... perhaps something that should have been able to be rented by the hour.

Around 3am a lovely member of this backpacking community decided it would be a fab idea to listen to his music (Salmonella Dub - who I usually like...) about as loud as he possibly could.  The distortion was fabulous.  After a wee while (like 45 minutes), Lane decided to be brave and head out and ask him to turn it down.  Lovely man was more than happy to :)

Then some lovely peeps decided to have a domestic out on the street.  We watched them for a while out the window.  Nothing like middle of the night entertainment!

The domestic settled down.  Then the street cleaning truck arrived.  After this the overtired giggles started and that was the end of what little sleep - or chance of it we had. 

Musical entertainment at 4am...  Giggles with Flight of The Conchords.

So up we got and out for breakfast.  Eggs Benedict and a Ham & Cheese Croisant the order of the morning.

Then off to Market!  Eeeeeeeeee!

The Market was fabulous, we had a fantastic day - met lots of lovely people, and put faces to names. 

Stayed the night at a lovely friend's house, ate Chinese for tea, a great end to a fantastic weekend.  On the road bright and early on the Monday, and home to our fabulous husbands and childers.

Til next time! 

Tilly.

Another Obsession

Felt flowers are the obsession of the week.  Or month.  Or well, I don't know.  The obsession of now.   When you craft, you find that one thing leads to another, to another and so on.  So at the moment the buttons have been pushed to the side, and the felt is front and centre.

This is my current flavour of the week... Felt Dahlias.  They take a bit of time to make, but I love how real they look.  I have made a couple now, and plan to spend my day making more.  Even the husband person has some great ideas to how they can be worn - seriously!

Tilly

PS:  Excuse the crappy pic, taken on the phone. :)

Myth Busting

I'm back and busting with enthusiasm after a week in the city doing what city slickers do....spending lots of time on freeways and in shops....as well as going to the Zoo and Scitech and parks and beaches...phew..i'm tired just writing it all!!!! So.....My lovely Fam and I just spent a week in the glorious capital City of Western Australia....that is PERTH. A City I love for its relaxed atmosphere and beaches and weather and just about everything......
But..I now have another reason to love it....

I have been lucky enough to meet, on my holiday, 6 of the FB WAHM's. I have been chatting with 3 of them on fb for a few weeks now; Jazz from Little Red Child, Jen from Little Jennie Wren and Miss G, Mother of Monkeys over the Moon. So we decided we would have a get together and talk all things applique, which lasted at least 4 hours, while our children played happily together in Jazz's backyard (yes, Jazz opened up her home to almost complete strangers..what a legend!!) I'm sure we would have yakked for much longer, except my poor hubby had run out of things to do and couldn't drive around the block any longer (clearly he doesn't have the same window shopping gene that I have!!!)

My next lot of fab crafties I met was at The Treasure Hunt Markets, where Anna from Gooseberry Bush Kidz, Tansy from Matsy Designs and Amber from MollyDagMade.
Not only do these lovely girls make fabulous clothing..they are also fabulous themselves.....Friendly and open and inviting...I couldn't have felt more welcome than if I had arrived gifting free chocolate and champagne!!!!

I also couldn't help myself but buy the most fabulous Denim pinafore from GBK...but don't tell anyone or everybody will want one!!!!

And so...to bring my story back around to the actual title of my blog (i think I may have some Billy Connolly Genes)......Not everybody in the WAHM business is a cat.....infact....nearly everybody I have met personally and online has been an outstanding example of goodness.....

Is it luck that I have only met gooduns or is it karma that 76 Tilly Lane has remained untainted by the cat scratch cat world that lurks beneath.....

Whatever it may be...I know that I am looking forward to meeting more of the lovely WA WAHM's in person that I have met online
And the lovely ladies from outer state...maybe one day we will meet at some National Uber Handmade Market
Now there's a thought

Thank you for listening to the ramblings of a slightly mad Social Butterfly
Much Loves
Lane xxx

Cards... New on TL

New to Tilly Lane... Cards!

If you buy something from us specifically for a gift, you can now purchase a card, let us know what you want written on it, and we can send it straight to the recipient for you!

Click our link to view more designs and options, and... There are more on the way!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

We've just finished our toasty hot cross buns for breaky in the house of Tilly, reminisced about when the boy peeps were born and their very early years.  I love seeing their faces light up when we talk about what they were like, and what they did when they were little 'uns.  :)

I'm hoping for a day of tidying up the button room today - hopefully I will find some motivation in there while I'm at it :)  

All the best for your Easter break wherever you may be, treasure your family & friends, and stay safe.

Tilly xox 

Long Time no Blog

Well its been a while since we blogged ...what with so much on and life in general.
We are now coming up to our 6 month Anniversary since we began 76 Tilly Lane on Facebook and we have been overwhelmed with the response and support of so many lovely people out there.
We have also made lots of new friends online both customers and fellow creators.

So what have I learnt on our whirlwind journey so far!!!

1. Copyright is always a big issue in this cat scratch cat world of Handmade.
But what is a copy and what is inspired..that is the question!!!

2. Likers don't equal Sales and yet it seems a competition to have the most likers.
I think its much better to have 100 likers who are genuine than 10,000 who are just trying to promote themselves!!!

3. Shout Outs are a double edged sword!!
Tilly Lane does shout outs for actual things...we don't do it to promote our own page..we don't do it to promote our "friends"pages...we do it so our likers can also share in the love of finding fabulous things!!!

4. Self Promotion is rife!!!
As much as we love it when we see our name on other pages and get shout outs we are not big on self promotion....call us business blockheads if you want but that's just not us...We are in this game for the love of creating things....We also love our fabulous customers for also loving our creations xx

and finally

Be a nice person and nice things happen

Much Loves

Lane xxxxx

Whoa, it's April already...

Where has the time gone?  I guess that is a silly question really, my year has disappeared in a flash of buttons!

Things are busy, busy on the lane.  Yay!

On a sad note, my beloved washing machine has decided (only after a year) that it no longer wishes to drain.  Not having a working washing machine is like losing a dear friend.  Those who know me will know of my complete love for my washing machine.  Unfortunately I do not speak 'Samsung' (according to Lane) and therefore have been having all sorts of accent troubles when dealing with the customer care centre.  In the end I had to get dear husband to talk to them!    :(

Kalgoorlie Fair is this weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing the crafty peeps of Kal and their wares down at the arena.

Enjoy the sunshine while it is still warm!

SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE

Hey All!

Sale on Tilly Lane at the moment, click HERE for bargains galore!

Tilly x

Welcome To The Jungle...

... The jungle that is the handmade trade.  The jungle where ideas are sometimes similar, and are sometimes unfortunately the same.  The jungle where you are first gobsmacked, then angry and then in disbelief.  The jungle where you are now so determined to make your goodies better than anything the jungle has ever seen.  Welcome.   

Inspired by Alice

Well life is exceptionally good here in the Goldlfields of WA....and as we move into Autumn, I realise  OMG my baby is 2 this month.
So.............Not that I don't already have enough to do with my obsession for sewing....I decide that my love of all things wonderlandish and Alice shall be the inspiration for Amelia Janes Birthday.....A Tea Party...Yay....What luck I have some gorgeous highly unfindable Alice material.....I shall make her a party dress just like my last creation (Water Blossoms)....

Best I get off here and start sewing!!!!!!
Love Lane xxx

Kidlets On The Lane... Mini Photoshoot :)

Sherbet Owls Pillowcase Dress

Yesterday we had our first mini photoshoot for 76 Tilly Lane!  The models came from far and wide (not really), and they were fabulous!  They say never to work with children (or animals), but we were definitely lucky with these gorgeous kidlets.

Photos were shot to show the different styles that Lane whips up on her trusty sewing machine.  It is nice to see them on, how they fit, fall and flow.  Everything looked absolutely stunning, the fabric choices she makes are exquisite, and each and every item is made with the utmost care and love.

Have a browse through the shots... Let us know what you think!  You can see the rest of them here: Kidlets On The Lane Photoshoot.


Tilly xxx

 

To Market, To Market...

Aaaaaaah.  The past week or so has been busy with all sorts of goings on!  Lane has been busy networking (a job she does so well!).  We went to market at the 'Boulder Markets' on Sunday.  There were loads of new faces there this month, lots of familiar ones... and a cheeky older gentleman who very nicely came to tell us; 'They are waiting for you two.'  'Oh, who?' We answer.  He grinned and came back with 'The belly dancers!' 

We arrived early and set up our stall - gorgeous as ever even if I do say so!

As always we had a lovely morning chatting to all the lovely people who stopped by, and also to each other!!!

Lane is flat out now with orders for twirly skirts coming out her ears!  I have a few cases to make.  Isn't it funny, the more you have to do, the more you can do. 

More goodies loaded on the shopping site today.  

I hope you all had a lovely lazy weekend.  :)

Tilly x
www.76tillylane.bigcartel.com 

So much going on!!!!

Crikey Dick...could this week be any busier!!!!
A combination of Business and pleasure has had me on the run this week.....
Business wise we have gone all uber professional and Got ourself a website up and running (Mostly done by Tilly cos she's real good at that stuff)....we have ordered labels to sew into our fabric creations and even gone as far as getting business cards printed....as well as sewing up a storm for the upcoming Boulder Markets this Sunday!!!!!
My Twirl skirts are proving ever so slightly popular with 5 on order (I'm thinking no more orders of those till the current ones are done.....hmmmm...Good idea lane!!!)

Also orders for T Shirts and pillowslip dresses so its all go...Loving it :)

On Non business side...Older Boy Child Brodie had an Auskick event yesterday which included a training run with the Freo Dockers (thats Aussie Rules for you non Australian Folks :) )
I'm not sure who was more excited Me or Brodie....No wait Alison Melia was definitely the Most excited...
and why were these mothers of numerous children excited you ask.....PAV!!!!!!!

Yes, thats right Pav...the beautiful captain...tanned tall and muscular...Swoooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Look out paparazzi...the Pavarazzi are in town......I don't think any of the mothers watched their children playing footy...they were too busy taking a million zillion photos of Pav and the rest of his handsome fellow footballers....

Life is Good :)
Lane xxx
Ps...Green shirted child is mine :)

A sneaky peak...

Hello lovelies...

Today was spent in a creative way, the mojo returned!  I have been making rings, bobbies, bookmarks and also made a custom necklace for a lovely lady.  I can go to bed satisfied!  

Market this weekend... Bring it on!  

Tilly xox

PS:  Can any of you out there using 'Big Cartel' let us know what you think?  Ta :)

Lovely News on the Day of Love

Oh what wonderful news we got this morning....Our Darling Friend Kate had her baby this morning.....Maggie Evelyn created by love and born on the Day of Love...What a beautiful memory for her parents....We are off to visit her soon...bearing gifts....A bit like the 3 wise men...only I'm not very wise and I'm definitely not a man..and there is only 2 of us...hmmmmmm....So not really like them at all!!!!!

<3 Lane

The Ramblings of Tilly...

I found a moment of peace in the roses, even though their perfect buds have gone, and they have seen better days.  I was intriuged to see what beauty they did have left.  Just like any ageing, whether it be roses or people, the beauty is still there, it just needs to be looked at in a new way.  The purple flowers (name?) were a fantastic surprise, hidden away under some other plants. 

The childers brought me breakfast in bed this morning.  The delight on their faces was gorgeous!  Two pieces of toast with peanut butter and a biscuit ('For your treat Mum!').  I was so rapt, and oh so proud.  Since then we have had a broken bike and a broken garage door... I'm anxiously waiting for the third...  They are boys.  They go fast.  They are loud.  I wouldn't have them any other way.  My whirlwind boys make me laugh, and sometimes cry, but, they are my life, and my sunshine.

I'm having a 'day off' the buttons and fabric today.  It is nice to just breathe.  

I might even cook dinner.  But, probably not.  A day off should be for all things I think! 

The childers are watching a movie, I hear giggling, I might go join them, I think a good giggle and a snuggle on the couch is in order.

♥ Tilly xxx

Lanes Log Stardate 12th February 2011

My bestie in all things has set up this blog for us to share our thoughts on life, love, buttons and fabrics; Our four favourite things ( not necessarily in that order as they can change on a daily basis!!) She is the clever one...I am the  "I can't do it" one to which she rolls her eyes and does it cos she knows stuff, important stuff

Today I tidied my sewing desk.....I hear you all ooohhh and aahhhhhhhing over that exciting piece of news

Brodie had a sleepover at a friends last night so relative peace has reigned

Brian got home at 7.30 this morning (some interesting patients on his plane last night)

Charley has watched or Play Acted StarWars most of morning...AGAIN!!!

Amelia Jane..precious Princess is sleeping...Phew!!!

Hoping to get My Bohemian Meadow Twirl skirt finished today....

Although the day is already half over

Does somebody know where we can buy more hours in the day?

Bye For Now

Lane xxx

Here we are!

A cosy inside day here in Kalgoorlie today, just perfect for creating!  It is time for me to dust the sewing machine off, and get some serious stitching time in.  The buttons will be left to rest for another day!

We are having a lovely slothy morning in our house, the kids are still pyjama'd, watching telly and grazing their way through a cloudy and chilly (for here, at this time of year) day.  Today is just what everyone needs after a first full week back at school.

Well, I guess I better hop to it!  Hope to catch you all here later on...

Tilly xxx

Don't forget to visit us at:  www.facebook.com/76TillyLane