The Janelle Wind Collection

What I wore Wednesday...

Remember me? I am back to my usual blogging this week thanks to a change in the weather. Last week with all the rain that we had ALL week, I just wasn't able to take any photos to share with you. I am super excited to be back sharing my What I wore Wednesday outfit once again...

This is what I wore...

(click on photo to see it larger for more detail)

This is a brand new outfit, one that I purchased just last week, from a real shop!

I must confess that I am not a big fan of shopping in the big shopping centres, I always feel very out of place. Being almost 40 I feel so so old going into the shops and being served by girls that really couldn't be bothered with old people like me, and I never quite know if I look OK in what I have chosen and feel silly asking their advice. So I put my brave face on when shopping in Temt last week and despite the lack of interest on the part of the very young girl who grunted at me every now and then, I came home with these two gems.

Dress - Temt (this season)

Jacket - Temt (this season)

Shoes - gifted from a lovely somebody

I am not usually one for wearing strapless dresses, so was happy to grab this little denim jacket that I call my 'Nina' jacket to wear over the top. Those who watch the TV show Offspring will probably know what I am referring to. I LOVE Nina's style and was excited to find a Nina jacket just for me. The dress is really comfortable and I am thrilled with my little retail purchase. I did find it interesting to pay full price though for some clothes when I am so used to OP shop prices too.

Please pop on over to Mardi's blog to see what she is wearing and to follow the links to the other gorgeous girls playing along too. xx Janelle

Thrifty Thursday on Friday...

Yep, I am a day late with my Thrifty Thursday post. It was dark, raining and very overcast yesterday which meant I couldn't photograph my goodies to show you. Thankfully today the weather was smiling down on me and I have taken photos of this week's Op shopping goodness.

First up this week is this vintage magazine holder (I don't know the correct name) for $1 - yep, that's right, it was $1 and my bargain for this week. I love it's vintage goodness...

Also at this same Op shop I found a vintage sheet that I think is pretty (top sheet in the below photo), so it came home with me too, for $1.50 = yay!

The bottom sheet with the aqua daisy type flowers I actually found today, it was more expensive at $4 but I just love it!

I also found a few more books to bring home. These were all 50c each. I love reading so can't wait to dive into these ones too.

Also this week I found a dress that is too big for me, but for some reason I am drawn to it. I think with a few modifications it could be fun. If not, I will donate it back to the Op shop for someone else. I couldn't leave it there, so it came home with me too.

This pretty top also caught my eye. It also needs to be taken in a little but the neckline fits perfectly so I took the risk and purchased this one for $3.50. I think the fabric is really pretty and will work well over jeans I think.

And finally, I was super thrilled to find this next top at the Op shop in town today. I love the colour and the embroidery is gorgeous!! AND it fits me perfectly and was $4 - perfect for me!! I can't wait to team this over some skinny jeans with my cowgirl boots. Love it! The fabric is really soft and comfortable too.

I am really really happy with the goodies that I found while Op shopping this week. I think I have almost found my groove again. I hope you have had some good finds this week too. xx Janelle

What I wore Wednesday...

It's that time of week again, where I share an outfit that I have worn recently. Today I decided I would show you my very simple outfit that I put together using the top I bought from the Op shop last week.

Here is what I wore yesterday afternoon...

Top - Temt from Op shop last week for $3.50

Denim shorts - Also from Temt but purchased new last Christmas

Shoes - gift from a lovely someone

Necklace - from THIS etsy store

Wooden Brooch - Kirbeeart's etsy store HERE

I actually started out my day wearing my new top with my grey Owl print skirt as I headed off to teach my lovely Tuesday ladies, then popped on the shorts for the afternoon of busy Mum activities. I was really comfortable and I just loved wearing my new top AND my very special wooden brooch too.

I purchased this gorgeous brooch called 'Mori Girl' from the lovely Kirbee Lawler's etsy store, 'Kirbeeart' earlier this year and have to say that I just ADORE it. It was so beautifully packaged and of exceptional quality too. I had the pleasure of meeting Kirbee in real life at the National Blythe Meet this year and she is one of the most beautiful people, so kind and she is the most AMAZING artitst too. Kirbee's etsy store not only has brooches, she also sells prints of her stunning art as well. If you have 5 minutes to spare, I highly recommend you pop over to her store HERE for a little look see.

Also, have a read of the description of my brooch - I just love it!!

I hope you are having a good week and are wearing something that makes you feel comfy and good too. Don't forget to pop on over to Mardi's blog to see what she and some other gorgeous girls are wearing too! xx Janelle

I had a little update...

Over the past week or so, I have been stitching as much as I could, busily making more goodies for my etsy store, The Stitched Bluebird. Tonight I uploaded everything that I had finished into my store and was once again humbled and thrilled that I sold out of almost everything within 1/2 an hour.

I made and sold some of these - Blueberry Pie Pinafores...

And some Pink Daisy Chain Blythe dresses...

And a little batch of Navy Floral Pinnie's with matching headbands as well.

At the time of writing this blog post, there was one Navy Floral Pinnie and headband left too - just one, here.

I also sold a 25 sm bundle of gorgeous fabrics from my personal fabric stash as well as a custom made 'Girl Friday' bag made out of some meadowsweet fabric, with coordinates that I love.

A HUGE thank you goes to everyone who stopped by my little store and for those who support me, I am so very very grateful.

I am VERY happy to say that I have designed a gorgeous range of Christmas dresses for Blythe dolls, that I will be working over during the coming weeks. Emily and I will be putting a Christmas look book together too to give you lots of sneak peeks as well. I am VERY excited. I will be sure to give you plenty of warning before the update as well.

I hope to have a few small non Blythe related gift items to pop into my store between now and early Dec as well. I will just have to see how fast I can stitch. Thank you again to everyone who supports me and my etsy store, I am so very grateful... xx Janelle

Thrifty Thursday...

Just a little thrifty goodness to share with you today. I did pop down to my local Op shop a few times this week but only managed to bring home two things. I am pretty thrilled with one of my finds in particular though.

Firstly, after trying on a few different clothing items, I came home with this top, once again from Temt and one that I think will compliment my wardrobe. I love the frills and line of buttons down the front too.

And, my super exciting (to me) find for this week is the most gorgeous, retro looking table cloth. It is made from fabric that I ADORE!!! I am just trying to decide if I should cut it up and make some cushions, and add bits into a vintage quilt or use it as a tablecloth. What do you think? What would you do with it? For $3, I couldn't be happier. I just LOVE it.

(Click on the photos if you would like to see them bigger)

I hope you have had a great Thrifty week too... xx Janelle

Brand new pattern release...

One of the parts of my job that I really love is when I finally get to reveal my latest design with you all. You see, I work away in my tiny studio by myself and often only get to show a select few my work, so the reveal days are always very exciting to me.

Today, I am excited to reveal my very latest pattern release. It is called 'Sassy Sewing Set', and I just love it. I have used the most gorgeous bright, happy fabrics and teamed it with some pretty stitchery on hanky linen to create this very cute sewing set. So what is in this set you might ask? The first part of this pattern is a really cute little stitchers pouch.

This little stitchers pouch is the perfect companion for any stitcher. Featuring stitchery on the front, finished off with my signature frills and tied together with some fabric ties, this pouch is the perfect place to store your stitching supplies. In the bottom pocket, store your rotary cutter, pencils, small stitching project and the top pocket is divided into sections to house packets of needles.

As a companion to the stitchers pouch, I have made a super cute, matching sewing machine cover. I LOVE my sewing machine so so much and even though it barely ever has a cover it on because I am using it all the time, I really wanted to make something to cover it with and to brighten my studio just a little too.

This sewing machine cover is so easily adapted to suit any sewing machine, just by adjusting a few measurements, and tieing it a little differently at the sides.

Not to be forgotten, and so that it looks great from all angles, this sewing machine cover features fun strips all the way to the back as well.

With a little creativity, this sewing machine cover can also be made reversible as well. I haven't taken a photo of the inside of mine however I just used a combination of the remaining fabrics to create a fun pieced lining, therefore making it fully reversible as well.

The lovely Emma from Ballarat Patchwork helped put this gorgeous selection of fabrics together for me to use for my 'Sassy Sewing Set' and has kindly offered to do the same for you. So if you are wanting to make this gorgeous set for your sewing room, or maybe for a stitching friend, give Emma a call. She will be able to put together a kit of fabric and pattern for you.

I know that all of the other gorgeous stores that stock my patterns will also be more than happy to help you as well.

Here is the pattern cover photo of my latest pattern release - 'Sassy Sewing Set'.

Hope this gets you wanting to grab a needle and thread and get stitching!! I can assure you, it is a lot of fun to make... Happy Stitching xx Janelle

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If you have popped over to my blog today to see my 'What I wore Wednesday' post, please scroll down to the post below...

What I Wore Wednesday...

I am proud of myself (hehe), I am actually organised nice and early with my What I wore Wednesday post. You see, I decided I would share some more details about the outfit I wore for Emily's baptism. So here is what I wore on Saturday (and yesterday after a quick wash!)

Cardigan - recent Op shop find

Top - Temt (purchased while in South Australia from an outlet store)

Skirt - Op shop purchase

Shoes - gift from someone lovely

Necklace - a very special reminder of South Australia

Flower brooch - gorgeous gift from Kate after teaching at Nowra

Those of you who have been following along with my Thrifty Thursday posts, may remember my skirt from HERE. I mentioned on this post that I was going to cut it shorter, like an A-line skirt. Well the other day while standing in our local bakery, a lady beside me was dressed in a long skirt, top tucked in with a belt and topped with a grey cardigan. I loved her look, so took in as much as I could into my memory and decided that I would leave my skirt long. I am SO glad I saw her, because I love my skirt long and wish I had others like it. It is surprisingly cool and oh so comfortable too.

So, thank you to the lovely lady in the bakery who not only inspired my post but inadvertently helped me put together the perfect outfit for my girls baptism too. Don't forget to pop on over to Mardi's blog to see what she is wearing - and also see the links to all the other gorgeous girls that join in too. xx Janelle

P.S. Please excuse my tired looking face, it was a BIG and wonderful day but by the end of the day, I was tucked up in bed with a head cold. Thankfully I am almost back to normal now...

Apron Strings...

This year has been a HUGE year of stitching for me, but I am sure that by reading my blog you might wonder what I have actually been stitching. Well wonder no longer. I am finally able to share a few more of the projects that I have stitched throughout this year with you. I am SO excited.

Rewind back to May, when I felt like all I was was doing was a whole lot of stitching! One of the stitched projects I worked on was for Homespun magazine. I had to package and send away my project without being able to show you. So imagine my excitement when this morning I picked up a familiar brown package from the Post Office, and inside was the newest issue of Homespun magazine Vol 12.11 - The Food Glorious Food Issue. AND I was even more excited to see that I am a cover girl - yay!!

Over on the right hand side of the cover, you can see part of my project called 'Apron Strings'. I was given the brief to design an apron with a food theme - so by looking at my apron, you might wonder 'what is food themed about your apron?'. Well keep reading and I will explain all...

Here is a photo of me wearing my 'Apron Strings' apron, just before I sent it away, way back in May.

Yes, this looks different to the one on the cover, but I can assure you they are both photos of the same apron.

Here is another photo of my apron, showing the apple pockets on the sides. Every apron needs a pocket I think - and mine has two!

My apron features some of my favourite fabrics, two gorgeous big pleats at the front, and a cute green check fabric finishes it all off perfectly.

AND my apron is fully reversible. So here is a photo of the reverse side of my 'Apron Strings' apron - as seen on the cover of Homespun Magazine.

The reverse side features more of the cute green gingham fabric, teamed with a touch of printed fabrics and finished off with a crisp red and white polka dot.

So there you have my 'Apron Strings' apron - which is really two aprons in one. I love that it is reversible, giving you lots of different options when wearing it. Here is my apron in the pages of Homespun too.

I didn't stop there either. I have also given full instructions to make another apron, this one without the bib part and made with Christmas in mind. Sadly I didn't get to take any photos before I sent it away, so here are some quick snapshots of my Christmas version of 'Apron Strings' in Homespun magazine (being modelled by the Homespun model, not me).

And again, this apron is reversible too. The reverse side features a crisp white teamed with the red and white polka dot. I think it is a lovely, fresh apron to wear at Christmas time.

I am SO very thrilled to finally be able to show you my two 'Apron Strings' aprons. I really love them and I hope you do too.

I have a BRAND NEW pattern to reveal to you too - more of my stitching from this year, so pop back tomorrow for my 'What I wore Wednesday' post and the NEW pattern reveal. xx Janelle

A very special day for our family...

This past Saturday afternoon was a VERY special day for our family, and particularly for our gorgeous girl, Emily.

After several years of Bible studies at school the MUCH anticipated day had arrived. Emily's Baptism. We were all so very excited and extremely proud of Emily and her decision to make a public stand and say that she wants to follow Jesus and be baptised.

Emily decided early on that she wanted to be baptised either at the Lake or the Beach. As the day drew closer we all decided that the Lake would be the perfect place. The weather was wonderful and we found the perfect spot between two magnificent big trees for family and friends to gather and witness this special event.

Our little family of four arrived first, and set some quilts on the ground ready for our very close family and friends to sit and watch as Emily was baptised.

Emily has been very blessed to have lovely, caring teachers and Chaplains throughout her schooling and it was Pr Brian who most recently studied with Emily, who got to know our girl and who baptised her as well. We feel very blessed that Emily can have such amazing role models and influences in her life too. Pr Brian Reed did the most amazing job of Emily's baptism. It was very personal and beautiful service.

Also as part of the service, Emily's favourite teacher spoke to Emily, giving her lovely, kind words of encouragement. To have the three chaplains and her favourite teacher attend meant so much to Emily and to her Father and I as well.

It came time for the baptism, so Emily and Pr Brian headed out into the water. Pr Brian at his 6 foot 3 height, made our girl look even tinier, but we could see from the huge smile on her face, that she was proud and excited for the decision she was making too.

As soon as the baptism was over, we shared a lovely prayer with both Pr Brian and Pr Mel, two of the school chaplains who have studied with Emily. Their geniune care for our girl means so much to our family. We will forever be grateful for their positive influence in her life.

Then, it was hugs all round. From her brother who was beaming with price and her cousins.

We were thrilled that Emily's Oma (Michael's Mother) could be here to celebrate this special day, all the way from Western Australia. She was thrilled to be here too.

Granny and Grandad (my Parents) were also in attendance, also with huge smiles on their faces too.

Of course, her Father and I were beaming with pride as well. We are so proud of Emily for being true to herself, being brave and making such a public stand too.

We gathered everyone in attendance together for a group shot at the end of the baptism. We were so delighted that so many of our family could attend. I think this photo will be very special to Emily throughout her life, knowing that each person there loves and cares for her, and are all proud of her and her life decision to be baptised too.

Afterwards, we headed back to my parents big home to share a yummy afternoon tea together, to chat and spend time with family and close friends. It really was the perfect day and one that will live in my heart forever. xx Janelle

Scrapps Flea Market

Today I want to tell you all about my lovely friend Kate Mason of Scrapps Flea Market. Not only is Kate the most lovely person you could ever hope to meet, she is also the most AMAZING Mixed Media Artist. Kate is also the Mum of 5 stunningly gorgeous children, a wife, a Blythe doll collector and the most generous friend.

Through her blog, Kate shares about her life, loves and her creations too. And through her etsy store she sells originals and prints of her amazing art. I have long been a fan of Kate's and am thrilled to have some of Kate's artwork in my home.

The very first piece of Kate's art was given to me by my wonderful friend Mardi. It is called Soul Sister's and is a piece that I intend to hang in my bedroom to remind me of Mardi, every time of look at it. I just LOVE it.

Then not too long after receiving the above piece of art, I was fortunate enough to purchase one of Kate's original canvases. This one features a bird in a cage and with word 'energy' on it's wing. It is perfect for me and sits just above my computer, to inspire me every day.

Then fast forward to Jasper's birthday this year. After reading Issue 1 of Etzcetera magazine, Jasper saw a print in an article about Kate, and instantly fell in love with it. I too absolutely adored it and knew it would be perfect for my boy. After chatting to Kate, I was super excited to hear that she was releasing it as a print very soon. With Kate's help, I was able to surprise my boy with a framed print, all his very own. He LOVES it and so do I.

Here is my boy on his birthday morning with is framed print, he really does love it so so much.

Fast forward to this week, when the lovely Kate released a new range of gorgeous art. This new range features a few new prints with a brand new theme of Blythe dolls. Kate totally spoiled us once again when she sent my kiddies a gift of her Blythe inspired art. I think their happy faces show how thrilled they were. They just love them.

Here are some close up shots of Kate's amazing Blythe art. For any one looking for a special gift for a Blythe collecting friend, or little person, I can HIGHLY recommend these prints. They are perfection.

Finally, I want to share my favourite print from Kate's latest release. This print is called 'becoming you' and in all honesty, when I first saw this print on Kate's blog it was like she reached into my mind and took my very thoughts and put them to paper on her print. I love this print and the message it sends so much that I have one of my very own, to hang on my studio wall and remind me each day to be brave enough to step forward and be the me I really want to be.

Now, because of Kate's amazing generosity, there are a few opportunities for you to win one of Kate's beautiful prints. Head on over to Kate's blog HERE for a chance to win a print from her. And my Emily is also giving away one of the Blythe themed prints that Kate shared with her, over on her blog HERE.

Thank you Kate for sharing your amazing talents and for creating such amazing art, that we can all bring into our homes and enjoy too. xx Janelle

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Unfortunately, I don't have any Thrifty Thursday post to share today as I wasn't lucky enough to find anything at the Op shop this week. However, Mardi has been very thrifty and created a gorgeous canvas for her kitchen. Head on over to Mardi's blog for all the details. I love it and am so blessed to have such creative friends in my life too. x