New Year's Resolution: Redefining myself, my brand and my blog.

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I've had various drafts of this post sitting here on blogger, unpublished, for quite some time now. You see, I tend to ramble a lot when I write  and that is completely contrary to the New Year's resolutions I am trying to outline here!

2012 has been a strange year for me. There have been ups and downs, and I feel like I've both accomplished very little and quite a lot at the same time, if that is even possible! Starting this blog and my small business selling handmade goods last August has definitely been a highlight, however I feel as though there is much I need to do this year in terms of redefining myself, my blog and my brand, in order to be successful.

First thing is first,

My Goals For Me:

This year I am moving out of home, starting uni and will be living with my boyfriend for the first time ever (sleepovers every night totally don't count, do they?). All these things are happening all at once (like, this month, eek!) and they are the mark of a completely new chapter in my life. I am completely terrified of what this will bring, and so thought I'd lay down a few resolutions/guidelines to help me through the transition period:

• Be smart with my money - This is important because I have never had bills or rent to pay before, or had to buy my own groceries, and I tend to be a frivolous shopper. I'm hoping to set down a good budget and stick to it throughout 2013.
• Get organised - I am a slob by nature, a mad procrastinator and an absolute stress-head! To get through this year I am going to need a schedule and list for literally everything! I have never had to do so much for myself as I will be doing this year, and to keep up with study, work, my blog and my household I will need to be as organised as possible!
• Be motivated - Typical New Year's Resolution, right? Well, for me, not really! You see, I am currently struggling with my health big time and have battled fatigue all year as a part of my health problems. No diagnosis as yet, but the doctors are thinking lupus, so to be motivated enough to keep up with the lifestyle I will have this year will be a big challenge, and I may have to take baby steps to get there!
• Be myself - This probably sounds kind of silly, but I am someone who has been bullied for most of my life, so having the confidence to be myself, to wear what I want to wear (ahem, vintage!), and do what I want to do is a big thing for me. This year my confidence has absolutely sky rocketed and I'm hoping that I can get to at least 98% happy with who I am by the end of 2013!

This photoshoot is one of the things that has boosted my confidence this year. I'm hoping to model more in 2013, even if only for friends!

My Goals For This Blog

Starting this blog has been one of the best things I've done in 2012, and I'm really hoping that I can make some success out of my writing this year, but to do that there are a few things I need to change, so hopefully these resolutions will lead me to a brighter blogging future in 2013!

• Get focused - When I first started this blog it was supposed to be all about my latest obsession - sewing. It didn't take me long to realise, however, that I do not sew nearly enough to focus a whole blog on the topic, nor do I know enough about it, being a beginner, to write about it in an informative and sophisticated manner. That is why I am working to redefine this blog and what it stands for in 2013. There will be a new layout and a new redefined focus of (broader) DIY, vintage and my soon-to-be-launched etsy shop coming to my blog soon.
• Get organised - Yes, my organisation problems spread to blog-land too! I feel at the moment like I am not nearly as inspired as I could be, nor am I a consistent blogger, and I really feel as though getting organised with my blogging will help to change that. This means jotting down post ideas, having specific focus areas (outlined above), and setting aside a particular day to "work" on my blog, do DIY's, photograph things and write.
• Be social media active and network - This one is simple - in order for my blog and business to thrive, I need to be more connected with social media. This means twitter, facebook, instagram and pinterest. Any others I should add? I also need to be more blog-active - commenting on other blogger's posts instead of just thinking "oh, that's nice!", linking up (although I'm pretty good at that already), sponsoring other blogs, and just generally making friends in the blog world. Since when has a friendly e-mail ever gone astray?

Vintage Bird Girl's guest post on my blog is the one I am most proud of, funnily enough. It is proof , to me, that I put myself out there and tried to make a friend in the blogging world. Leisa was also my first follower on this blog, and gave me the motivation I needed to keep going!

My Goals For My Brand:

Little Foal the brand, as it is now, sells a variety of things. From baby clothes to lavender bags, crochet neclaces to button jewellery. My brand has no focus - it is just a random collection of handmade items, housed in a local craft co-operative's store with a rarely updated facebook page, and that needs to change! There is so much I need to do to get this business properly up and running and to (hopefully) make it successful!

• Get focused - Yep, once again I need to redefine what Little Foal stands for, and if the above is any indication, you might be able to guess the direction I am taking with Little Foal the brand in 2013... Vintage inspired accessories! I will keep on making my crochet necklaces, as well as my yo-yo hair clips, but there will be plenty of new vintage inspired accessories coming out of Little Foal in 2013, many of which will be using vintage materials. My decision to bring focus to my brand and the products I make for it will not limit what I post about on this blog in the slightest - I will still post various DIY projects unrelated to my shop. Nor do I feel as though it is limiting the methods I use to make the products I will sell - in fact, I feel as though by creating a focus area for myself, I am challenging myself to be more creative and try new ways of making pretty accessories. I'm so excited to get this new focus area well and truly underway!
• Launch my Etsy shop - As I mentioned earlier, I am currently selling my products through a local craft co-operative called "The Corner Store". Although I dearly love my fellow co-op members and am passionate about what we do, it is time for me to move on to bigger and better things and use my internet presence to my advantage. Hopefully my Etsy store will be up and running by late February, but due to this massive transition I am about to make, I can't hold any promises!
• Create a designated craft space - EEK! I am so excited about this one! Jake and I will be moving into a two bedroom apartment this month and have struck up the most awesome of deals - I get the spare room and he gets the garage! Mua-ha-ha! (random, evil laugh, but I seriously feel as though I got the carrot and he got the stick here!). The spare room will hopefully present itself as a distraction-free environment for crafting, blogging and uni work - exactly what I need to stay motivated and keep focused! Plus, as an added bonus, I want to fill it to the brim with inspiration to study, craft and bog hard - so prepare for DIY overload once we get settled in! 

Some of the accessories I have made and sold, along with my business card. I am planning on expanding the range of accessories I sell , and launch an etsy shop soon. 

I'm really hoping I can see all of these resolutions through in 2013! I thought long and hard about the most important tasks I have ahead of me and what I need to do to survive this year, and to be completely dedicated to achieving these goals and making this year as perfect and successful as I so desperately want it to be would be just amazing to me. I am a quitter by nature, and rarely see things through even if they are things I enjoy, but I have surprised myself with my blogging and crafting this year, so these resolutions are extra special to me. I think I'll find it hard to do my blogging resolutions until I have gotten over moving and whatnot, but I hope to at least be more focused in what I post, even if I am only posting once a week.

Have you made any New Years Resolutions this year? I would love to hear all about them!

Guest Post: A Few Of My Favourite Things (Vintage Bird Girl)

 

 

 

 

It's an honour to be posting here at Little Foal. Sunae has come a long way in a short period of time, & I for one am looking forward to following her blogging journey.


It's no secret that I love all things vintage....from clothing & accessories, to linen, home wares & furniture. Anything & everything really. I'm not too sure how it all started, but I love the designs & styles of older things. I've been collecting for at least 5 years. I find most things at op shops, & occasionally at vintage stores, & some gets passed onto me too. It's so hard to narrow down my favourite vintage finds as my house is filled with old treasures, but here are some pieces that hold a special place in my heart.

New Zealand deer antlers

My husband & I have always loved deer antlers, but we could never justify spending $200 or more on a set. On a holiday to New Zealand in 2011 we stayed on a farm, & the farmer had a wonderful collection of antlers in his shed. I was admiring his antlers when he asked if I wanted to take some home with me. So we chose two sets of antlers, as I had planned to give one set to my best friend at home. I was so nervous bringing them back to Australia & wondering if customs would allow them through. They gave the all clear to one set, but the other one wasn't as clean, so we had to leave it behind at the airport, much to my friends disappointment! I found a wooden board at an op shop to mount the antlers on, & just needed my Dad's help with his drill. I think this is one of my favourite things because of the happy memories of our time on the farm in our favourite country, as well as the kindness of the farmer. And I feel secretly pleased when I see how much they go for now, knowing I got these for free. You can read more about the antler adventure here.

 

Starburst Clock

 

I'd been searching for an affordable starburst clock for what felt like years. Always checking Ebay & the vintage stores. I discovered this Metamec clock under a pile of other stuff at the Woolloongabba Antique Centre. It was only $40 because the clock mechanism wasn't working, but I knew that could easily be replaced. It felt so good to find something on my vintage wish list, especially when they usually sell for hundreds of dollars.

China Cabinets



These two pieces are very special to me because the large one belonged to my Nana (I remember being fascinated by it as a little girl), & the smaller one was passed onto me by one of my dear friends who is 80 years old & was moving into a nursing home. They hold many precious pieces & they remind me of two lovely women who have a special place in my heart.

 

Tooled bag collection
 

Anyone who reads my blog knows I LOVE accessories. Most of my bags have been found at op shops or occasionally on Ebay. I am especially fond of tooled leather bags. I love the worn leather & the unique designs. They are so sturdy & last forever. These were all purchased at op shops, with the most expensive costing $10.

Mid Century Shelves
 

 

Living in an apartment means I don't have a lot of space for furniture, so when I came across this compact shelving unit at Lifeline I knew it would be the right fit for our home. It cost $25, which is definitely at the higher end of my op shop spending, but these can sell for hundreds of dollars at the vintage stores, so it was a pretty good find.

 

My Jewellery Collection




I've been collecting jewellery since I was a little girl & my collection just keeps on growing. Most of it is found at op shops or gifted to me. The only problem with such a large collection is how to best display it. I use a thrifted spoon rack for long necklaces, a $2 shadow box for special brooches, lots of dishes & containers on my tall boy, & a set of vintage sewing drawers for my beads & bangles.



Vintage Frocks
 

And finally to my beloved frock collection. I've been wearing vintage pretty much all of the time for the last couple of years, & my frock collection has steadily grown over that time. I gravitate towards dresses as I feel most comfortable in them. The majority are op shop finds, & the other great source is Ebay. I think I have somewhere over 50 by now. It's funny though, no matter how many I have I still have days when I feel like I have nothing to wear!


Thanks so much for checking out some of my favourite things. Once you have a passion for vintage the biggest issue is having enough space for your collections. It certainly is addictive, but it's a lot of fun too.

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Thank you so much, Leisa, for guest posting here today - it means so much to me to have such a wonderful blogger as my first guest post!

If you would like to see more of Leisa's wonderful vintage collection, check out her blog at Vintage Bird Girl. Leisa's posts are always so well put together and you will be amazed by all the gorgeous vintage treasures she finds!

Sponsors/Ad swaps!

Via

Hi Guys, how was your Christmas? Mine was absolutely swell! I got spoiled rotten, did a fair bit of spoiling myself, and ate and ate until I couldn't eat anymore! Seeing family and friends that I haven't seen in quite a while also made Christmas pretty special and reminded me of how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life.

Now that the New Year is approaching (oh god, where did time go?!) and my blog is growing, I have decided that I would like to offer advertisement on my blog!

To help me get started on the advertising band-wagon, I would like to offer all of my lovely fellow bloggers who have similar or complimentary blogs to Little Foal the chance to participate in a mass ad swap! If you decide to participate in this ad swap, all you have to do is:

1.  E-mail me at little-foal@hotmail.com expressing interest and including a link to your blog
2. Display my button anywhere on your sidebar (grab box found at the bottom of my blog)
3. Send me the code for your blog's button to display on my sidebar

Aaaand, you're done! Easy, right? Free advertising!

Alternatively, you can contact me at little-foal@hotmail.com to discuss other free advertising options such as guest posts, interviews or anything your imagination comes up with!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Sunae xoxo

DIY Rustic Jewellery Hanger

So, I have been seeing these around  pinterest a lot lately...

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...and with needing good display ideas for The Corner Store, I decided to give it a go!

You will need:

• Large wooden frame
• Chicken wire (I used 5mm bird cage wire, available from the hardware store)
• Sandpaper
• Spray primer (or cheap white spray paint)
• Your choice of colour spray paint
• Staple gun
• Pliers
• Sexy male helper *optional but highly recommended*

 

How to:

1. Remove the middle of the frame (glass, backing and picture if any) and sand back any varnish or paint.

2. Wipe your frame over with a clean, dry cloth to remove dust from sanding. Give it a coat of spray primer (or white paint) and leave to dry for one hour.

3. Once dry, paint your frame with the colour spray paint you chose (I did mine sky blue), then leave it to dry (again) for one hour.

4. Give your frame another coat of paint if needed, letting it dry once again, then use some soft-ish sandpaper to lightly rub back paint for a rustic or shabby chic look. How much you sand it back, or whether you do at all, is entirely up to you.

5. Once you have reached the desired effect with your frame, turn it over and place your chicken wire over the back. Put a brick on one side to stop it rolling up if you have to and hold the other over the edge of your frame, using it as a guide to cut chicken wire to fit the back. I'm too unco to hold the wire flat and cut it at the same time, so this is where having a sexy male helper comes in handy. I used this one:

 

6. Use the staple gun to attach the chicken wire to the back of your frame. Trim off excess wire and use pliers to bend back sharp bits and then you are done!

I know its not the easiest or quickest DIY project (or the safest either, for that matter. I cut myself on a piece of glass and stabbed myself numerous times with sharp wire) but I think it is well worth it! I love my frames. I'm going to donate one to the shop, keep one to use as a message/inspiration board in my sewing room/office and I may sell the rest (if anyone wants them!).

Ahh - bright, rustic DIY goodness!

Merry Christmas!

Via

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are having a safe and happy day with your family and friends, enjoying great food, great company and a good laugh!



Happy Birthday To Me!

Yesterday was my 19th birthday... woah, 19!!! It seems like this last year has just flown by. There is no way that I feel a year older than I did this time last year (if that makes any sense?).

I got spoilt rotten, especially by my amazing boyfriend - just look at the chunk of gold that now lives on my finger!

 

Even though I had to work in the morning, I had a great day topped off by a beautiful dinner with family and friends.

Lately I have been feeling so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people. It's probaly the first time since I was little that I have been so content with who I am and the people I surround myself with. If that is a product of maturing and growing older - bring it on! It feels so good to love the person I am growing to be, and to know that I am surrounded by people who love me for me.

 

Friday's finds...

Finally I have gotten off my lazy butt and gone op shopping and here is what I have to share with all of you:

A good haul, I must say. I'm especially stoked about the sewing pattern. It's in great condition, has all the pieces and I am already looking for the perfect fabric to make myself a dress :)

No, I'm not pregnant, nor am I planning to be just yet - the knitted baby cardigan is for Jake's sister who will be having her baby in March :) They decided not to find out the gender of the baby and it's absolutely killing me having to shop gender-neutral for it! We think it's a boy, but no guarantees there, just combined intuition!

I also bought some picture frames, but they're not quite ready for you to see yet ;)
What have you found on your recent op shopping expeditions? Anything special?


Disclaimer: This post is a day late because I accidentally scheduled it for today instead of yesterday (duh, Sunae!)

Quick life update:

I just totally enrolled into Uni for semester 1, 2013!!!

Woo-hoo!

Tomorrow I will make appointments with some real estates to find a place to live and hopefully by this time next month I'll be a Queenslander! This whole growing-up-and-moving-out thing is just starting to feel real and I can't help but feel nervous and excited about it all! This last year since finishing school has gone too quick. Is this what it feels like to grow up? The years get shorter and life goes faster. I can't wait to begin this next chapter of my life!

Are you embarking on any new endeavours or adventures in 2013?

Lately...

Summer is here and my days are being filled with all my favourite things...

Eating mustache-shaped summer fruits

Christmas light looking/kissing penguins

Scrubbing paint off my hands (okay, not really my favourite, but the DIY the paint is used for definitely is!)

Chilling at the beach and watching this little grommet (my bro) surf :)

What have you been up to lately? I have some great DIY's coming your way soon, and a little more lifestyle posting too since I'm in mega holiday mode already! In the meantime, I am sitting at my computer on a blog following spree. Care to join me? ;)

Molly's Christmas Present - The Finished Product!

Today I finished Molly's Christmas present! Remember how I showed you the top and skirt last week? Well now the dress is done as well and all I have to do of my Christmas sewing is Nan and Mum's hand towels!

I used the criss-cross tunic pattern by Whimsy Couture for the dress and I love the way it turned out! Whimsy Couture have a way with making super hard looking patterns actually be so easy to sew! The tutorials they include in their patterns are great - they have so much detail and nice big pictures to follow so you know you're doing it right. I absolutely love their patterns!

I love that these tunics are reversible and I think the two fabrics I chose for it look perfect together for summer!

My only regret with this present has been listening to mum when she said to use puff paints to draw the edge of the bird on the top I appliqued for Molly. Look at the poor thing!

Puff paints are not easy to use - or at least not if you have unsteady hands! I struggled to make the stream of paint even, and at one stage it wouldn't come out, so I shook it a bit, and that's how I made such a mess of the birdy's beak! Oh well, I guess for the sake of a $2 target shirt and some scrap heat n bond and fabric, it's not going to be too hard to make a new one!

Are you making any of the gifts you're giving this Christmas? If so, what is it that you are making and who is the special person you are giving it to? I'm kind of worried Molly's mum won't like her present or won't appreciate all the thought and hard work I put in to making it. I tried to make it look as professional as I possibly could. There's nothing worse that handmade clothes that look handmade.

Brisbane Adventures with Nan

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of taking my Nan to Brisbane for a PET scan and appointment with a specialist. This made for a great opportunity to spend quality time with Nan and so I was thrilled to have been asked on this all expenses paid trip. She has stage four breast cancer which has moved to her liver and the scan and appointment was to check that the cancer wasn't anywhere else in her body and organise for the diseased part of her liver to be removed. Thankfully, the only cancer is close to the surface of her liver and can easily be removed!

We stayed at the Dianna Plaza Hotel which is a few blocks from The Mater Private Hospital on Wednesday night because she couldn't see the doctor until late Thursday afternoon, after the scan's results had been delivered.

Wednesday afternoon, after Nan's scan, saw us get completely lost on our way to the hotel and although I was frustrated and tense at first (I haven't done much city driving before) it turned out to be the most brilliant part of the trip, because we stumbled upon a slice of heaven...

The Woolloongabba Antique Centre! Via

We didn't have time to stop just then, but seeing all the antique shops in the area, we promised ourselves we'd return after lunch.

Yum Cha at what we thought was the hotel's restaurant followed, then a quick rest for Nan in the hotel room before we returned to heaven on earth itself.

We spent the rest of the afternoon going between antique shops until we came to the massive Woolloongabba Antique Centre where we centred the rest of the afternoon's activities. Nan got tired around 5:30 after a few hours browsing, so I snapped up these little beauties:

And off we went back to the hotel.

Only to return the next day for the whole day!

I spent the whole time in WAC with an ear to ear grin and a yearning for a wallet full of cash as I drunk in the sight of the 50's style diner, the silent movie theatre and the dozens upon dozens of stalls of antiques! We enjoyed lunch and afternoon tea in the diner at WAC and had an absolute ball browsing through the stalls, me trying on frock after frock and squealing with delight at my discoveries and Nan frequently stopping along her trip down memory lane to fill me in on this and that about growing up in the 50's (my favourite era). It was great spending this quality time with Nan and I'm sure it won't take me too long to make it back to Brisbane and the Woolloongabba Antique Centre again!

Why I need a record player

The silent Theatre

What I want to do if I ever get my hands on some vintage suitcases

A WORKING hamburger phone just like off Juno! Sissy nearly died when I showed her this!

Taxidermy animals at Urban Antiques. Te polar bear and the brown bear were absolutely awe-inspiring to see in such a sad but strangely wonderous state!

A closer look at the beautiful vintage ads I bought. There was a whole stall of them at WAC! I picked these out especially to match some fabric I bought aaaagggeeessss ago in Spotlight and plan to make an ottoman out of. They will look great on the walls in the lounge room above it! Little did I know when I picked it, the outfit in the bottom ad was actually Nan's going away outfit when she got married! The ad is from February 1962 and Nan and Grandad got married that May. Knowing this sealed the deal for me - I had to have this ad! 

If you're ever in the Brisbane area - check out Woolloongabba Antique Centre - it is well worth it for all the vintage, kitchsy, antique goodness and the music they play there is just awesome!!