all I want for my birthday is....

It was my birthday just last week.....I am pretty low key about my birthday. I think I am really lucky because being right in the middle of July it always falls in the school holidays and my husband is a teacher so potentially we (being the 5 of us) are all at home. Now that used to be the case when the kids were small but now I have 2 teenagers so life is a touch different.
Which brings me to my title......all I want for my birthday is......for us ALL to be together!!!! and this year that meant get up earlyish, do the Byron Bay Lighthouse walk, have lunch, cake and maybe the kids cook dinner.....Now how did we go??

It was fantastic....the weather was amazing...perfect clear blue skies and around 21 degrees which is pretty good for the middle of winter. We sat up the top at the cafe having coffee and snacks and laughing at old memories.....it was just what I imagined. Friends called over in the afternoon with a yummy cake....and more cups of tea.

Then my darling teenager Kare cooked me a delicious roast for dinner....roast chicken, vege's from the garden...it was the BEST ROAST EVER!!!!

And to finish it off Sasha my little one put together a tray of chocolate coated strawberries.....yummo. And Rani was on cleanup duty.

I really did have the BEST day and it was really just so simple....everyone together!!! 

I am a cancerian so am not sure if this is why this is my ideal day being all "family"......what do you think?? What is your ideal birthday happenings? Would love to know....

♥Jo

what a way to start the day...

 When we bought our piece of land 11 years ago it was just an acre of land with a few trees and really, really tall grass. The first job on the very long list was to plant an orchard. I spent my birthday choosing 18 fruit trees that we had decided we could fit in, digging holes, fertilising, mulching and watering....it was the best birthday ever....and I am so grateful now....we have mangoes, bananas, starfruits, mullberries and all the citrus.

Most mornings at this time of the year we have a mix of freshly squeezed orange, mandarin and tangelo juice....it really is amazing...it feels so good and soooo healthy.

My favourite juicer is this old citrus juicer that I picked up from an op shop about 15 years ago for $10 which seemed liked heaps back then...I used to think it wouldn't last that long and was always really careful when I used it but now realise it will probably out live me....and a bonus...no electricity needed.....just muscles.

How do you start your day? 

Love to hear from you ♥ Jo

Elsa Beskow Giveaway...

I just had to share this with you.....this is the best giveaway I have seen for a while. If you have small children or you know some small children or you just love beautifully illustrated books yourself - Elsa Beskow's books would have to rate up the top. Elsa was a Swedish author and illustrator of children's books born in 1874.
This giveaway is for 19 of her books. 


Here is the list of the books to be given away.....


♥The Sun Egg
♥The land of Long Ago
♥Princess Sylvie
♥Children of the Forest
♥The Curious Fish
♥Peter in Blueberry Land
♥Emily and Daisy
♥Pelle's New Suit
♥Around the Year
♥Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip
♥The Flower's Festival
♥Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender
♥Christopher's Harvest Time
♥Peter's Old House
♥Ollie's Ski Trip
♥Peter and Lotta's Adventure
♥Uncle Blue's New Boat
♥Peter and Lotta's Christmas
♥The Tale of the Little, Little Old Woman







It is really simple to enter, just follow the link below to find out how:  


Do It now for your chance to win.....♥ Jo


PS: Do you love Elsa Beskow's books too.....let me know.


http://valariebudayr.typepad.com/jump_into_a_book/2011/07/the-19-book-elsa-beskow-giveaway.html#comment-6a00e54ef83753883301538fb4bc0c970b. 

trip away...some wool...and a craft market...

Just returned from a few days in chilly Sydney.....where I grew up and where almost all of my family live. I love Sydney...I don't miss living there though but I really enjoy my time spent exploring and doing totally different things.

Beautiful big, sandstone homes with stunning leadlight windows......inner city second hand book shops where you have to fight your way through the door and could spend the day browsing and still not see everything......Rozelle Saturday Markets were a highlight for me this trip....very exhilarating....so many fantastic stalls....and boy was it freezing. I really don't know how the stall holders braved it. I have worked at markets on and off for most of my adult life trying to make some money out of my handicrafts but don't think I have experienced that kind of chilliness......I found an old copy of FRANKIE to add to my collection and some warm gloves for my son's ski trip soon. I could have spent up big but my bag for the plane  was already full so had to restrain myself....I guess I should be grateful for that full bag....

I am working on some new scarves at the moment with a yummy, chunky, soft slubby wool similar to a hand spun but not thick and thin like that. Most nights I could be found snuggled up near the heater knitting away. Below is a preview of one in the AUTUMN RAINBOWS colours.

Our local CRAFT MARKET is on again this Saturday at Milk+Honey in Mullumbimby....just near the round about as you come into town....you really can't miss it. Their will be a collection of local artists and crafters displaying their latest and greatest, some coffee, some cake and if you are lucky - some famous pizza...yummo. 

9am until 1ish and the local Mullum Market is on the same day so why not make a day of it???

Would love to hear from you....so please comment away...been to any great markets lately?

♥ Jo

off to Sydney for a few days....

Sasha my 11 year old is a bit of a workaholic....pretty unusual for a child his age I know. His perfect day would be spent driving a bobcat or constructing pathways and asking lots of sensible questions to increase his knowledge and understanding....Luckily he was born into the right family......one of my brothers is a Horticulturalist and the other a Landscaper. When he was little he used to say he wanted to be a "Lambscaper" when he got bigger......so off to Sydney tomorrow we go, so Sash can get his fix of work....Uncle Spotty is the lucky one this time...

Sasha at around 7 

Always constructing something..

We are a little sad today as we say goodbye to our good friends.....my little god daughter (Squirm as my Rani calls her) and her sisters and mum and dad, Michelle and Jason from Paperwings.....back home they go......so it is back to skype conversations that keep dropping out..

And a big, humungous thank you to Jane from Lou and Jane's Handmade Parties ...... Jane has played a huge part in getting me to this stage with her encouragement and knowledge and I really appreciate it. I have a long, long way to go but I would still be at the 'yeh I should start a blog' stage not writing my second post.....

Please feel free to add a comment below and tell me what you are thinking....


Next post will be on the go.... ♥Jo

my very first post.....

I am so excited.....we did it.....Juzzy and me. We worked it out, added things that I didn't even know their names yesterday and changed fonts, colours, put in place my web, etsy shop and facebook page. I am so happy!!!! Can you tell?


Anyway, not sure if anyone will even read this...my very first post. I guess my family and close friends will and in time I might even have a small following....who knows?


So....who am I and what do I do and why the blog??
I am Jo, mum to Kare, Rani and Sasha and owner of Indigo Inspirations. The 'Indigo' part is the part which seems to take up most of my time. I have a shop open three days a week and work from home the rest of the time. The family slot in around it...helping out when they can. I paint wool around them, I roll wool into balls at the dinner table and I knit at the soccer. It is just what I do....oh, and I am lucky that Juzzy does most of the cooking...um.... should I admit that?


My blog is going to be a combination of Indigo, crafty stuff, family, lifestyle...in fact whatever goes on in our little piece of paradise here in Mullumbimby.


Oh yeh....must tell you.......
Last Saturday I had a stall at the Mullumbimby Craft Expo and even made it to the front page of the local Byron Shire News. Here I am with my baby...I mean my 11 year old, Sasha.

If you do happen to read this I would love you to drop by my facebook page and "like" me, subscribe to my blog, subscribe to my newsletter and leave a yummy comment....
Hope to be back really soon xoxox Jo