Cronulla A Hit With The Locals...

Allies Attic had a successful launch in the Sutherland Shire showcasing a large selection of local handmade designers. Local support come far and wide to have a look see at all of our talented designers who also happen to be mums!

Indoors and air conditioned we also had a wonderful craft area for the kids to play whilst mummies shopped. With so many new designers on board I couldn't help myself but to purchase some fantastic items I had been eying off for awhile now on blogs.. (shhhh I must remember to hide that bank statement).

We'll be back in Cronulla in May but in the meantime you can find us at our Mosman Location Easter Long Weekend. Magic in Fairyland will be making a Special Easter Fairy visit and of course there will be a Easter Craft Area. Only two weeks to go until Allies Mosman which also happens to fall on the same day as the monthly Mosman Markets!

ALLIES ATTIC EASTER LONG WEEKEND

10am – 2pm Saturday 3 April 2010
Mosman Art Gallery & Community Centre
Cnr Art Gallery Way & Myahgah Rd, Mosman NSW 2088 - FREE ENTRY

Allies Attic Is Coming To Cronulla!

Allies Attic arrives in the Sutherland Shire this Saturday bursting open with an amazing array of local Australian designers. You'll get to meet the makers direct and purchase items you won't find in retail stores. We search far and wide to give you Sydney's best and just know you'll be delighted with this Saturdays line up!

At Allies you'll find unique handcrafted items made in Australia showcasing everything from beautiful newborn clothing to the more difficult to find boys range. Generic ranges are strictly banned at Allies as is all things boring for baby & kids!

Allies is also a big supporter of local designers supporting local names including Cheeky Chickies, Tippie Toes and Ivy Designs. A favourite with Allies customers is always SummerBlossom and we just know you'll love BebeEtMoi.

Visit Allies this Saturday 10am – 2pm Saturday 20 March 2010
Sharkies - Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club
461 Captain Cook Drive Cronulla NSW 2230
FREE ENTRY & PARKING ON SITE
First 300 Customers Receive a FREE 1/2 Price Voucher to PlayTime Miranda

Decorate Your Nursery With a Designer Touch...

Decorating your child's nursery doesn't have to mean you need to spend the big bucks for a designer touch. Whether you find out the sex of your baby or leave it as a surprise there's so many beautiful ways to help make it as special as your precious little person.

Add the designer touch with inspiration from Sydney designers including BLUCY, aka ex Disney animater who has a devine range of childrens artwork perfect for any nursery. Another faveourite of Allie's is Kaile Boutique Baby Linen who has recently launched a new range of fresh bold colors and The Indigo Elephant with a great range of amazing soft toys available as well as a great range of helpful items for mums!

Before You Were A Mummy You Were You...

"Before you were a Mummy, you were YOU! A woman, a daughter, a friend and so on... You had hopes, dreams and things you liked to do for YOU ... ALONE... "

I read this recently on the new SUNNY MUMMY website. Normally I scan through new sites half reading whilst thinking about a million other things... Its a female trait right, multitasking and all that.. Well this site actually made me STOP and read..

Created by Sydney Mummy, Stacey Sullaphen, Stacey's philosophy is simple.. A sunny mummy is someone who looks after herself so she has something left to give her family.... And although skeptical I have to say Sunny Mummy site is so much more than fluffy peaches and cream!

Sunny Mummy celebrates motherhood and explores the many influences we as woman experience. Stacey has also designed her own simple effective tools to help everyday mums organise their time better!

Whilst Allies Attic is for all things handmade I am a advocate for products to make our lives as mums easier! When I see something I like, I'm like a little girl in a candy store eyes wide open giddy with excitement. Off I've gone to ask Stacey to bring her fabulous products to our Cronulla Market on Sat 20th March and she's agreed! Yay for Allies, we're so pleased to have her and just know everyone will love her as much as we do!!!

In Love With HandMade......

I'm often asked what it is that inspired me to launch Allies.. so many things come to mind including I get to work with such talented people as I go about my day sourcing all the wonderful Sydney designers to create a handmade haven...

Just look at these amazing sketches by Wonderlandia who create a whole new enchanting world within its own! I'm always amazed by creativity and love how the characters are brought alive!

Before the mortgage and Izac I didn't really think twice about how much things cost... sad but true. These days there's a budget that keeps me in line and suddenly everything's accounted for.. so much so that when it comes to household shopping a common question in our household is "do we really need it?".. can't argue with that logic, annoying but true! So whilst most things look beautiful there needs to be more to it to inspire us to part with our money..

Sure there's the everyday items that homebrand is just fine and I'm not ashamed to say it! But then there's special items that by looking at them I can just tell how much hard work, creativity and passion goes into making them..... and that's just the way I like it.. I love to be surrounded by beautiful things that don't cost the earth.. My home is my haven and think it should define our personalities, give us warmth and help capture our memories..

Can I Hear A Kookaburra?

I spoke to a friend recently who told me instead of having a birthday party for her one year old she and her husband decided to pay for the food to feed a refuge of 200 people in the inner city of Sydney.... I left our lunch that day in admiration of how entirely selfless this is. So much so that its inspired me to look at ways Allies Attic can make a difference to the local community.

So here's what I'm thinking.... As our markets are now monthly alternating between Cronulla & Mosman wouldn't it be great to support two local charities in both areas? Our next market day is in Cronulla Sat 20 March and this is where my new charity venture will start.. We've contacted local charity Camp Kookaburra Inc. and set it all up!

Camp Kookaburra supports children and young people, 8 to 16 years old from families affected by mental illness by providing camps and other activities that are fun, healthy positive and safe. Sounds great yes?

I'm open to suggestions on exactly how this will work and would love to hear from you.. A raffle perhaps? A chilren's fashion parade? Who knows... our imaginations the limit...

And of course, if anyone knows of any local charities in the North Shore area, drop me a line.. I'd love to hear about them!

There's A Buzz About Mosman

Up until now I've managed to actually avoid spending money at my own markets.. it was the odd piece here and there but yesterday I just think I managed to tip the scale somewhat and completely blow the budget... it is Izac's birthday around the corner.. yes that's what I kept telling myself as I just couldn't resist!
There was a certain community feel about to our first little Boutique Designer Market in Mosman with lots of mummies chatting away about how beautiful everything was. I also couldn't help but notice all the dad's out and about Saturday morning with their little ones coming down to the markets armed with a milkshake or two!

By the end of the markets my feet ache, I've forgotten to eat lunch (although my hips thank me for this) and I start to think about our next market in Cronulla March 20th. After turning on the computer I see the Sunny Mummy Blog who's just featured Allies Attic. Sunny Mummy who I hear you say?... Up until a few weeks ago I would have been asking the same question. You see, Sunny Mummy is every mums answer to keeping it real and finding the time for you just in case your days get so crazy. Have we so easily forgotten that if the captain goes down the ship can't continue to sail! Mind you that analogy is a Allies Attic special but in essence, Sunny Mummy is spot on in terms of positive affirmations... Created by a Sidney Sider, Stacey inspires her readers to live life and stop wishing away the hours.. Its about kindness, love and caring and all the fuzzy bits in between.. yep the Sunny Mummy bug has caught me too!

So inspired I am to share the love that I'll be playing dress up's with Izac and his new clothes this week. Stay tuned for photos!