Come on Down.......

Thank you for commenting this week for the chance to get some of my clear shoe boxes.

Forget the random number search....I like to keep things simple and personal.

So into this small urn went your names for this week's giveaway...

...and it's "COME ON DOWN KELLIE". Your piece of err, parchment was the first to be pulled out. Kellie's blog is Ada and Darcy and I can highly recommend it...there's always something beautiful to see.

Yes, we're nothing if not scientific at Number 10. Nothing but the best here...

Congrats Kellie, email me your details at: toomanyshoes@bigpond.com and I'll get your boxes in the post ASAP.

Saturday at Number 3

MONT and I are heading to "Number 3" again today to get some more work done. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Let's hope the dirt floor in the front room has dried out and there are no more hidden surprises to greet us. I really love the Cottage...I often wonder if I could ever live there again. Maybe not.

Have a terrific weekend...

You Asked for it Alison

I love a bargain, in fact my friend "G" says I'm the "go to" girl if she's ever trying to find something at a good price....Fabric and all things sewing related are no exception.

I love the hunt for something that stops me in my tracks and I've hunted through a lot of remnant bins and tables and rolls of fabric in my time.

Here are some of my favourite shops to find a fabric bargain

GJ's Discount Fabrics in Lygon Street Brunswick is a magnificent shop. The girls really know their stuff and you'd be hard pressed not to find something here that doesn't take your fancy.

Brunswick Fabrics in Sydney Road is also a treasure trove of bargains. You can pick up fabric at $2 a metre here. They had cashmere blend coating for a ridiculous price in great colours too. Good Stuff. Nearby is Hanh Fabrics, just a couple of shops along ...and Unique Fabrics, just across the road.

Rathdowne Remnants has been around for yonks and it's still terrific, although it has moved a few times. Still well worth a look.

...and my all time favourite is not a discount outlet at all, but it is beautiful and well worth a visit. The Cloth Shop in East Ivanhoe has a wonderful selection of gorgeous fabrics and the girls who work there are all sewers and really know their stuff. I often drop in on my way home from work just for a browse and some inspiration. They often have garments made up and displayed around the store. Gorgeous.

There's also the Remnant Warehouse at 10 Cato Street Prahran, (Ph:9510 1121) but I haven't been there for some time so I'm not sure how their stock is at the moment.

...and there's Darn Cheap Fabrics in Burgundy Street Heidelberg and Glen Huntly Road, Glen Huntly

You'll notice that all of these stores are situated on the north east side of town, so I'd be very interested in knowing if there are any others in other areas.

So happy shopping .... hope you find a bargain. If you know of great discount stores that we might all be interested in, let us know.

Taking Me Back to the 70's

This is again from "19", circa 1974...ahh those were the days. Yes even after all these years I still love this stuff.

Even back then I loved being able to sew...and these Magazines gave me inspiration.. I also loved being able to buy a dress pattern for just a dollar or 2, some fabric for not much more (I still do now) and throw a dress together....the patterns are a little more expensive now, but only just, if you know where to shop.

If you like Vogue, Butterick or McCalls patterns and you want to get the latest designs before they make it to our shores, then you can buy online here .

The thing to do though is register with them, then wait for the specials to be emailed to you, that way you can buy a Vogue pattern that may cost you $20 or so dollars here...for just $5 or $6. Remember to factor in the exchange rate too.

I've been buying patterns this way for ages now...McCalls also send you the latest designs for each season...and if you wait a week or two, you can pick them up at a discounted price.

Now for the fabric...if you like to wander through fabric stores and get a few bargains...and you live in Melbourne, I've got some great store locations for you...stand by

Happy shopping...and happy sewing.

I can see clearly now

I thought I'd have a little giveaway today, seeing it's Wednesday...and well, seeing I can.

A little while ago, like a couple of years, I started my own little business. I called it: "Too Many Shoes", because that's exactly what I had! But I couldn't find the darn things

I'd always liked the idea of being able to see exactly which shoes I had. I'd seen the clear boxes around, but they were pretty expensive, so I found a manufacturer right here in Melbourne, made up a design...and voila!

If you would like a boot box, 2 shoe boxes and some boot supports, then leave a comment and on Sunday, I'll put the names in a little jar and draw the winner.

Hope you like them...Good luck

Relief - Cats Win Flag In A Tight One!

For those of you unfamiliar with Australian Rules Football...what does that mean?




It means that my team: The Geelong Football Club, won the Grand Final...it's sort of the equivalent of the Super Bowl in the USA.

Geelong defeated St.Kilda by 2 goals and I can now finally relax. The game was so close and tense I was up and down like a yoyo and couldn't sit and watch it with MONT.

I have watched it since though and thoroughly enjoyed it.

So, football's over for another year...now we're into the Spring Racing Carnival and Cricket season...I much prefer the footy though.

Another Life

I love my Life at Number 10...but Once Upon a Time, I had another life at Number 3

Some years ago when I was moving around with work, I bought a small cottage in a provincial Victorian town...it was pretty awful. No, let me correct that. It was HORRENDOUS! Most of the advice I got was to demolish it and start again because it wasn't livable...Even my Mum, who doesn't mind the odd renovation and a bit of hard work was not enthusiastic. In fact, she was downright miserable regarding my prospects of getting this house to a point where I could live in it, with you know, electricity and running water.

But I had a vision...and not much money and I was determined to make it better. I also did some research into the property and found that it dated back to the 1850's. How could you demolish that?

The ceilings are the shape of an upturned boat...I had them sand blasted to get them back to the original timber. The walls were all pieces of packing boxes and plywood held together with newspaper and old wall paper...I pulled them out, with some help and plastered the place.

The kitchen still has it's little wood stove which I used to cook with and to heat the house. It was fabulous!

I saved like crazy and was eventually able to extend the house, with another bedroom...

...and another living area

I spent quite a few years in my little cottage, and when I moved interstate I didn't have the heart to sell it, so rented it out.

But this past weekend MONT and I had to pay my little cottage a visit because it needs some major work done.

You see, the general way to build a timber house is to lay foundations, then lay the joists and bearers so the floorboards have something to be nailed to...not this house. There are no stumps. The joists and bearers lay directly on the ground with the floorboards on top.

The small bedroom at the front of the house measures around 3.3 metres by 2.6. It was just big enough for a double bed, a small bedside table and a small wardrobe. Unfortunately though, some water has been getting in and the floor in there is now rotten...or should I say, it was rotten. It's now gone and the room is back to it's original state of having a dirt floor....just like the 1850's!

So, what next...maybe pour a concrete floor in there and replace the carpet...not entirely sure yet. Stay tuned.

Glass Art

I picked these up at a store a few weeks back and MONT hung them for me in the loungeroom.

They're a sort of frosted glass with French images painted on them

At least that's what I was told they were. Whatever, I like them and they fit in perfectly above the small, skinny table.

Right, well it's Grand Final day and my team's playing. While I hope they win, whatever the outcome, I'm happy they made it to today.

Prada on the Catwalk

I love fashion and catwalk shows. I've never been one for labels, but designers' parades can give you some great ideas....sometimes it can be like watching movable art. Sometimes, not so much.

These are from Prada's Ready to Wear Spring collection and I do like these tops.

I really like the fabric in this outfit....greys and creams, of course. Not sure I'd be comfy walking down the street in my undies though

I love a bit of bling. When "G" and I are shopping we always stop in our tracks as soon as we see a bit of "bright and shiny"

Ahhhh... gotta love a trapeze top. It hides all manner of little sins. The shorts though...not for my chunky legs.

More bling and more shorts, bermuda I think.

...and ummm... more undies...the top is nice though.

Now, is it just me and my more traditional tastes (read: old fashioned) or does the trend of not hemming things becoming more prevalent? Is it lazy, fashionable, trendy...what? I don't get it, but then, I'm probably not the best person to consult on the most fashionable way of doing things...Let's face it, I'm still looking back at fashion from the 1970's thinking it's still "in"

All images taken from Womens Wear Daily.

Gangster vintage

More fashion from the pages of UK Magazine, 19.

"19" Circa 1974

I love this look. It's the sort of thing you would have no trouble putting together and you could wear it just about anywhere...dinner, work, winter party.

When I first saw these images back in the 70's, I fell in love with calf length pencil skirts, figure hugging knitted tops and berets. I copied the look and even bought a beret and used to wear it every now and then. In fact I've still got a couple and don one on those bad hair days that I seem to have pretty frequently.