Down the rabbithole: meet Shar from Mum on the Run

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Hello you gorgeous souls. I'm just thrilled at your wonderful responses to my new 'Down the rabbithole' post series. It gives me no end of pleasure to see so many of my favourite Planetarians meeting each other and striking up new friendships. It's also such fun as I surprise the bloggers by keeping it a secret! That's Strike One for 'Operation blog love', don't you think?! Anyway, this week's featured Planetarian is kind-hearted Shar from Mum on the Run who lives in Perth, Australia.

And I tell you, today is the perfect day to let her shine here as she just gave birth yesterday to her second child, a precious daughter and little sister to big brother, Magoo! I know many of you will rejoice in that news as we've waited so patiently for it ☺.

How I found Shar

I first discovered Shar back in about May 2011 when this very generous person started leaving the most thoughtful and kind comments on my posts. I was quite taken aback. They were always so perceptive and empathetic. And it was right when I needed some comfort as my Dad's last days drew near.

My interest piqued, I clicked over to her blog and started following, pronto. I loved what I saw there.

Here's her fabulous profile photo, capturing her trademark huge grin, vivacity and humour.

And here she is with her husband and gorgeous little Magoo who's now nearly 4.

Shar is one of the most genuine and compassionate bloggers you are ever likely to have the pleasure of finding. 

She has that valuable knack of leaving comments all over Blogland which can lift one's spirits, comfort, amuse and always make you think. Sometimes her comments stay with me for days and have affected how I approach something. Really. She's that good. I swear.

                                                 Source: flickr.com via Jane on Pinterest

For instance, when I posted back here about how "Life has seemed like a runaway train lately with me just clinging on to a back window for dear life as it thunders ahead at full steam", Shar's comment was:

Hey beautiful Jane - let that train go. 

There'll be another one along in no time.

And she was so right! In a flash, my view of the world changed to something more positive. I exhaled. And thanked Shar for her extraordinary insight and way with words.

A friend in need is a friend indeed
 

This saying was written with Shar in mind, I'm convinced. All over Blogland, you'll find her encouraging others and supporting them in their down times. She'll also email you to check in on how you're going, as in the what-life's-really-like-off-the-blog version. 

She cares.

That's why I'm one of her hugest fans.

What Shar's about

So what does Shar like? She's a 'running junkie' and has run the Perth marathon, no less. Mighty impressive, don't you think?

She's a teacher - and a fabulous one at that.

She's very witty - you can read her self-deprecating humour here. And you'll giggle at her report on her first semester as a blogger here!

Here she is with Magoo just 3 weeks ago, making muffins

But best of all, she's a fabulous mother to young Magoo and now his little sister!

Here are the captivating family photos she posted only on Monday, two days ago - the day before her daughter's arrival. Doesn't she look radiant and excited?

I love the profile shot and this precious last moment as a family-of-three captured.

And I bet this little man is beaming today, being a Big Brother!

So, as Shar enjoys being cocooned in her beautiful baby bubble, why don't you pop over to her blog, say hello from me and have a peek around. I know she'd love to hear from you, even though it might take her some time to catch up on her blogging!

Down the rabbithole: meet Iris from irideeen

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Ah! The pixies are sleeping soundly, Mr PB is toiling away at his second job, bless him, and it's Wednesday. So it must be 'Down the rabbithole' time! From your comments, you seem to be enjoying meeting some of our fellow Planetarians which pleases me no end.

This is the photo Iris has on her blog's 'About me' page

Today I'd like to introduce you to one of my dearest friends, Iris from irideeën. I first met Iris in March 2011 when we were both doing Holly Becker's brilliant Blogging Your Way e-course. I discovered her wonderful eye for composition and colour when we posted our course moodboards on Flickr.

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This is hers. *Sigh*.

I fell in love. Swooned, even. Older Planetarians will see why. Doesn't Iris share so many of my tastes?! Here are but some of my highlights of it:

• The blue. And that shade in particular.
• That divinely delicate iris in the top left corner. It was our wedding flower.
• The typography.
• The whimsy of the pretty lace in all its crispness.
• The muted palette.
• The buttons, thread and all that haberdashery goodness. *Double sigh*.
• The stencils.
• The intricate washi tape.
• The sweet butterfly.
• The soft flower.

Oh, I'd better stop now! 

But can you see why I adore moodboards so much? I truly find they can tell me infinitely more about the creator. And with Iris, I wasn't to be disappointed. 

So delighted at finding her, I sent her an email. She replied swiftly. And that, my friends, was the beginning of our beautiful friendship. We discovered we're both Virgoans, lawyers, iris lovers, stationery fiends, mums, admirers of all things pretty and share a love of interior design. 

What's more, she's an incredibly thoughtful, perceptive and intuitive soul. Just my kind of girl! 

Since then, we've kept in regular email contact, commented on each other's blogs prodigiously, exchanged gifts and letters and swapped magazines.

Here's the divine butterfly scarf she gave me for my birthday last year. I adore it - it's incredibly soft, pretty and has proven such a comfort to me whenever I've felt down over the past year. 

But enough about our friendship. Let's look at her blog, irideeën. It has to be one of the most delightfully serene, calming and thoughtfully curated blogs I've ever found when stumbling down Blogland's rabbitholes. 

Iris has an incredible talent for design, styling and discovering fabulous new finds. Each post is a gift, and a joy, to read. Mostly her posts consist of her captivating photographs, often of her home in The Netherlands.

Tea time!

Take this photo, for instance. It shows her dining table set for a family afternoon tea. Can't you just drink it all in?! The serenity, the calm palette, the chandelier, the garlands, the peonies (be still my heart!), the elegant cabinetry, the delicate porcelain tea setting...*Sigh*.

Both as pretty as their namesake!

I loved this post here when she photographed herself in the same spot over a few days, recording the unfurling of these magnificent irises. Just genius.

I want to snuggle up on that bed now!

Her decorating skills make my heart skip a beat. I mean seriously, doesn't this bed just look utterly sumptuous?

Which little girl wouldn't want this room?!

Her young daughter, B, is one lucky little lady to have Iris as her mama, don't you think?

Look at the little birthday hat!

Especially when you're turning 4 and that mama has risen early to set your birthday place!

I adore the whimsy

Her young son, O, also has a fabulous bedroom.

Forget the donkey!

And his frog party must have been a hoot!

The view. The light. The textures. The colours. And those lamps.

But my favourite is her master bedroom. It leaves me speechless. How about you?!

Look at her desk - *sigh*!

Iris is an incredibly gifted photographer. You should peek at her Flickr photos here - but I warn you, you could become lost there for ages!

I hope you've enjoyed gaining an insight into sweet Iris's life. Do pop over to her blog if you feel like a treat. Which photos are your favourites? Or are you like me and find it impossible to choose?! I can't wait to hear your thoughts, as always.

Let's recap: the posts you might have missed last week

Hello you gorgeous 549 Planetarians. I'm so relieved my commenting system is working again after last week's hiccup. Sorry about that! Just in case it caused you to miss my last posts, here are the links again:

Down the rabbithole: meet Mel from Coal Valley View

Have fun meeting my gorgeous friend, and Planetarian, Mel. Her blog is a fabulous read - do have a look and say hello from me!

Blogging 101: choosing your profile photo/avatar

Here I explain how to choose a great photo of yourself to use as your avatar all over the web. Having one which you use consistently everywhere really helps make you stand out and become memorable to other readers.

One year ago...

It's one year since my Dad died - here are my thoughts.

Please come and say hello to me - I've missed you all over the past few days!

Down the rabbithole: meet Mel from Coal Valley View

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My goodness, you're a wonderful band of kind supporters, you Planetarians! Your response to my last post about our financial stress has completely floored me. Thankyou for all your thoughtful and insightful comments. I look forward to responding to them. I can see a number of related posts I'd like to write. Anyway, it being Wednesday, let's pop down another of Blogland's rabbitholes to find another of my favourite Planetarians!

So far, you've met Cécile from France who blogs at Libertylle and Viv from the UK who blogs at Hen's Teeth. Tonight I've chosen a fellow Hobartian who's become one of my dearest friends - the delightful Mel from Coal Valley View.

Here we are, five minutes after meeting each other, back in March 2012

I first found Mel's blog about this time last year. Or rather, Mr PB did, back in the days when he used to read my blog! He found "this really interesting woman who's a mum of 4 littlies, a lawyer, lives in Sydney and is about to move to Hobart - you should contact her!". I did as I was told. What I found at Coal Valley View enchanted me.

At that stage, Mel and her husband ('the Pianoman') had made the huge decision to pack up their life in Sydney with their 4 young children aged 7 ('Miss Fancy'), 5 ('Blue Eyes') and 3 ('Little Buddy' and 'D' - twin boys) and move back to their little farm in Tasmania. Her post here explains why.

Now, that in itself would be a major undertaking for any family. But Mel and the Pianoman don't do things by halves. No sirree. They also decided to delay their return to Hobart by taking the family on a trek through outback Australia first!

They bought a caravan (a 1975 vintage Millard Capri they named 'Matilda'), packed up their belongings, loaded the family and their beloved whippet, Remy, into Matilda and left Sydney on their Big Adventure.

And what an adventure it turned out to be! I was rivetted by Mel's posts. They were incredibly diverse, warm, funny and thoughtful. Here are some of the classic photos from their travels.

Here are the kidlets with Cecil the camel on the way to Broken Hill.

Here they are dashing towards Uluru.

There was plenty of relaxing under the tent.

As well as paddling at Kununurra.

Then it all became a bit hairy when Matilda ran into trouble, causing a slight delay in the itinerary.

Driving through a floodway

But then it all became a lot more *interesting* when they ended up getting stuck between a cyclone and a bushfire! Nothing done by halves, as I said ☺. Thankfully, they survived those dramas intact. This map shows where they went. I still can't believe it!

They then drove onto the ferry, bound for their new life in Tasmania.

This is the view from Mel's house up on the hill overlooking the Coal Valley, just east of Hobart. Isn't it magical? It's a wonderful area to explore with a variety of fabulous vineyards - read here for more info. 

We've had the pleasure of whiling away a few blissful hours at Mel's place, admiring this very view over a crisp sauvignon blanc while our combined 7 children under 8 cavorted around! They struck up instant friendships which was so heartwarming to see. I savoured every minute of our visit. Mel and the Pianoman were the consummate hosts. She and I have so much in common that we scarcely drew breath. There's never enough time for us to catch up properly without being interrupted by the kidlets and the pixies!

And now Mel and the Pianoman have the added delight of the impending birth of their 5th kidlet! 'In for a penny, in for a pound', as my Dad used to say ☺. Our family get-togethers are about to become a whole lot merrier. I can't wait.

So, what do you think about Mel's Big Adventure? Do you think she and the Pianoman were daring to take it on? I do! And what do you think of her view? I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Do drop by her fabulous blog and say hello from me. I know how much she's enjoying this bloggy caper and welcomes new followers. You all know what it's like when you're a blogging newbie - let's share some bloggy love!

Down the rabbithole: meet Viv from Hen's Teeth

Woo hoo! It's Wednesday so it must be 'Down the rabbithole' time. This is the new column I'll post on Wednesdays to introduce you to some of my favourite Planetarians. Last time we met sweet Cécile from Nancy in France who blogs at Libertylle. This time we're hopping across the English Channel to meet one of the kindest bloggers around - Viv from Hen's Teeth.

Here's the fabulous banner on Viv's blog

This is how Viv describes herself on her blog:

My name is Viv and I live smack bang in the middle of England. Here you will find me chattering about places visited, wonderful things that inspire, but mostly about my handmade pieces. All my work is designed by myself and made using the collection of vintage fabrics from Europe and USA, haberdashery and paper ephemera that I have personally collected from many sources, over the years. I am madly, truly and deeply obsessed with my work! 

My mind rarely wanders from thoughts of drawing, designing, how I can collate imagery with the tactile and ultimately make into a decoratively desirable handbag, clutch purse, needlecase, brooch or mixed media collage. All are finished with hand embroidery and buttons, lots of them. I do not have a core collection. I work as inspiration takes me and I am inspired constantly by the beautiful world that surrounds me. 

So, are you intrigued yet?!

I first found Viv when wandering around Flickr. This extraordinary reworking of an old envelope into art captivated me.

Fascinated, I delved further and found Viv's delightful blog. I started following it straightaway and emailed her to congratulate her on her wondrous handiwork. She became a Planetarian and a beautiful friendship started to grow.

I then discovered her charming Etsy shop and fell in love with every single item in it. Head over heels, actually. To see why, let's look at one of the beauties she currently has on offer there.

*Sigh*. Her cross body bag is the bees' knees, don't you think? You can find this pretty one here. This is how she describes it:

This bag unifies all that I am about and wish to create. A collection of wonderful old fabrics, worn and soft with a history, made by someone's hand, brought together with hand stitching and hand embellishment onto new cotton, made into a cross body bag. 

I have embellished with old worn torn patchwork cottons, a piece of old patchwork for a vase and hand embroidered flowers. Finished with a flower appliqué and lots of delicious MoP buttons.

The front base, back, lining and handle are all made from some spotty new cotton.

Here's a close-up look at her extraordinary talent. Look at the intricate embroidered flowers, the complementary fabrics and the overall softness of the magic she's woven. I covet one of these bags!

One of the many amazing things about Viv is that she has had carpal tunnel surgery (something else we have in common) but also suffers badly from fibromyalgia, the poor darling. She's had times when it's been utterly debilitating and has prevented her from working. But most of the time, she somehow manages to work through the pain, such is her passion for creating these bespoke pieces. I am in absolute awe of her.

In September 2010, she posted here about an extraordinary windfall she had received - 320 Liberty fabric samples from the 1920s and 30s! Of course the Liberty lover in me was enchanted by the thought.  Excited, I emailed her for more information about them and told her how much I adored Liberty Tana lawn.

I was thrilled to receive this response:

Dearest Jane

I wonder if you would mind giving me your address, as I have a few snippets to send to you.

Viv xxx

Delighted at the thought of owning some 'snippets', I obliged. Imagine my surprise when this parcel arrived. Hmm, it doesn't look 'snippet' sized, does it?! Imagine my astonishment when I opened it to discover all this...

I couldn't believe my eyes. My heart started racing. Whooping with joy, I opened the handmade card. This is what I saw.

See - she's still calling them 'a few snippets'! But there was more, oh so much more than that. Look.

This exquisite handmade bag is the most divine thing I own. And Viv had made it just for me. After she'd spotted that I'd 'favourited' a similar one in her Etsy shop. She knew I couldn't afford it. So she gave it to me.

Just look at the details! I cherish everything about it - the texture of the fabric, the pretty birdie stamp, the old postmark, the old-fashioned handwriting, the swatches of Liberty fabric, the tiny cross-stitch, the whimsical embroidery, the little buttons, interesting clasp and the soft pink strap. 

And just look at the pretty Liberty floral lining. *Double sigh*.

Oh, and here are my 'few snippets'! 

I was completely gobsmacked. All I had done for her was leave a few comments on her blog which had 655 followers! Why in the world she chose me as a beneficiary of her beauty was beyond me. I thanked her profusely. 

Such is the hugeness of her heart that she replied 'If my little parcel has made you smile, well then that has made my day'. That, sweet Planetarians, captures Viv's essence to a tee. She is so kind, humble, talented and generous. She has a wicked sense of humour which radiates from her posts and always makes me smile. She's also incredibly compassionate. She's one of the first bloggers I contacted after my Dad died. She has been so kind to me.

I soon put her 'few snippets' to work, creating this beauty I posted about here. I emailed this photo to Viv who was so excited to see what I'd done with it. 

Since then, my adoration of Liberty Tana lawn has only deepened, all prompted by Viv's astonishing work with it. I look forward to using it to make some goodies for my upcoming Etsy shop.

Here's one of Viv's posts showing her and her wares at a local market. Can you believe how many divine creations she has on offer there?!

A little while ago, I asked Viv to make me a needlecase. I shared my thoughts on what I'd like to feature on it. The result?

She delivered it in spades, of course! Just seeing it makes my heart sing, let alone using it.

I've opened it up here so you can see all the extraordinary details. *Sigh*.

And here's the inside. She's sewn in two sheets of felt so there's ample room for all my needles. Miss India adores it as much as I do. I suspect it will become a family heirloom ☺.

To finish, this is one of her divine collaged keepsake boxes I have on my wishlist. What do you think of it?

I have only shown you a fraction of Viv's extraordinary work here. It's impossible to do her proper justice. I urge you to visit her blog here and say hello from me. I guarantee you'll find peeking around it and her Etsy shop an absolute pleasure. You may even find yourself purchasing some of her pretties! 

So, do share what you think of Viv's work. Is there anything which catches your eye? Do you think you might get her to make you something? I can't wait to hear your thoughts. Ooh, I love this new column! Don't we have some fabulously talented Planetarians?