A Marine Biologist, maybe?

So, who knew what to tell the School Guidance Officer when asked what career they had in mind in Year 9?

Not me, I vaguely remember something about legal secretary or Occupational therapist, but there may also have been marine biologist tagged on the end!

I have been happily nestled in the ‘artistic’ box since childhood, with a mother who illustrated book covers, was a graphic designer, and built miniature architectural models of new building projects for a living. Our school holidays were filled with ‘still life’ set ups on the dining room table and palettes of watercolors with fresh water at the ready.

When we left home each of were given volumes of ‘scrap books’ showcasing years of our art work, and she was proud of the preschool Potato People as much as our Year 12 submissions. I went on to do a Foundation Degree in Fine Art in Oxford, followed swiftly by a multi-disciplinary degree in World Museology Studies (Archaeology, Art History and Anthropology), when my Art Teacher brazenly told me no one would be pounding my door to have a commission made!

I am however, a true believer in closed and open doors, and I found myself in the incredible world of Museum Studies and I was smitten.

I gobbled up Anthropology books, bought the newest edition of books I already had hoping to know more, and travelled to Albania to excavate and record finds. I joined 3 archaeological units across the UK and dug away at Iron Age settlements with vigor, with freezing fingers, mud covered clothes, and along-side the hairiest and maddest looking people in England. I usually stuck out like a sore thumb, arriving in Zara slacks and my racing red Hunter Wellingtons, and was designated the worst jobs on site.

Inevitably I realized I wasn’t cut out for this muddy caper, and moved back to the Art scene, my fling with Archaeology was over.

I feel head over heels in love with Art History, delving deeply into post World War art, throughout Europe and the USA, intermittently working on Renaissance assignments for credit. But could hardly bear to be parted with the Fauvists, cubists, Neo-Expressionists and the Abstracts. It was there I saw the means by which to gather the disciplines of the degree together and unravel great chunks of cultural history at once.

I buried myself in its layers of psychology and became captivated, I travelled to Paris so that I could see the real masterpieces up close and touch the architecture, and I trained to London as often as I could to attend renowned Exhibitions, simply to walk through great lofty-ceiling rooms with walls covered in history changing art.

Besides the gift of love, and genuine and conscious parenting, I am totally indebted to my parents for the gift of my University Education.

It was in Museology, that I discovered my young adult self, and went on to volunteer in every Art Catalogue library I could find; the thirst was so great that even the monotony of databasing was overlooked. I graduated and began working as the PA to the Director of The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts within days and never looked back.

Well, not until I departed the Dover shores and said G’Day to the Harbour Bridge!

                                                                                  

From Robert & Lisa Sainsbury Collection

1880-81
Edgar Degas
Bronze, fabric
Height: 99.1 cm
Acquired: 1938
UEA 2                    1907
Pablo Picasso
Gouache
62.9 x 46.4 cm
Acquired: 1939
UEA 8

Fast forward 8 years to the dawning of Milly Molly Mandy, with two kiddies in tow and one supportive husband who knew art was literally racing through my veins.

I spent maternity leaves painting, sketching, decorating bedrooms, rearranging furniture and dreaming of projects, and it was not until our youngest (third child) was 2 that I found I could take Milly Molly Mandy where it was organically heading. Which is where I am now.

I have had the privilege of honing my natural talents of drawing and combing color and pattern through fabric. I have discovered that skills I took for granted such as having an eye for design, did not belong to everyone, and it’s really as simple as that.

Working with the sewing machine has been trial and error and I am not technically trained as some of my colleagues, but I do have one of those sickeningly talented Mother’s, who can turn their expert hand to anything, for a tutor.

The trick for me is to hone in one the gifts I have, to experiment only within reach of those natural gifts, and to keep the designs so simple that it comes to life.

I often let the product guide me, and patterns are usually brought to life through just the very inkling of an idea. In keeping it all simple, I will madly sketch to develop a soft toy character, with enlarged features and plenty of detail. I then begin to deconstruct the sketch and simplify it right back to basic outlines and bring a neat, whimsy little creature to life through the texture of fabrics and colours as opposed to the detail of the toy.

In this way, I have been able to create unique products, created at Milly Molly Mandy from conception through to manufacture.

    

I have a casual couple of dearly talented ladies, whom I can call on when large wholesale orders arrive in my inbox, but mostly it is just I who am left to beaver away day and night for my customers, which is only possible because the designs are simple and the passion is strong.

I cannot see an end to this endeavor, and truthfully that possibility startles me, so I will continue in this vein to conceive, create and conquer the world of children’s soft furnishings so long as you will let me!

Warmest wishes,

Shannon xx

How we roll...

I promised myself i would share some of the most poignant and paradoxically, some of the funniest and most carefree moments of my days to brighten our worlds, and yet again the months have slipped past me.

In a haze of lego, dolls with their clothes off and tucked under every chair cushion and behind every drawer, and octonaut gups and their squeaky sea creatures beneath my feet, i have been bashing at the old sewing machine harder each day. Mixing it up with endless hours on social media and constant attention to the website and other selling portals, i have emerged feeling victorious.

Not because, its all sparkling and shining in its brilliance, looking flawless and totally desirable (dreams), but because somehow we all seem to be travelling along well. The family is happy, the hubby is indulging in his mission to conquer all Triathlon and IronMan events and, i get to enjoy these young children from home.

If you have never heard of Milly Molly Mandy and you have stumbled upon a jumbled blog, then here is a brief overview.

In a humble little home on the Central Coast of NSW, a little family who loves to laugh, be silly, get out and about and enjoy authentic friendships, play host to a little business run in a home studio (ahem, the dining room). It is here, that a constantly evolving and seasonal range of children's decor, bedding and soft toys are hand drawn, patterned and then handmade. They deck the walls of a number of online boutiques, our very own website, and they can be found looking totally delicious styled and window dressed on our market stall tables through NSW!

This venture has grown holistically and organically since it began in 2009, and its been very patient with me as i have learned how best to steer it, promote it, glamourise it, style it, and social media the heck out of it...

One of the most beautiful aspects has been the collaborations i have made with some sincerely inspirational and sickeningly talented women who i am now honoured to call friends.
I have learned from, been inspired by, had to pick my jaw up from, swooned over, envied, and felt delighted by these other business women, and would hope to be to someone else one day what they have been to me.  If i were a name dropper i would have taken the time to list Jess from Joyess Images, Sherry from May and Belle, Rachel from Babee Blocks, Kylie from Made by Kale,  Jo from Little Village Handmade somewhere in that blurb, but thankfully i don't name drop.

These women are pursuing lives filled with their talents, they are authentic in the process and kind.

I am blessed to have partnered with some of them and look forward to many years to come in their creative circle.

As far as i am concerned, having been blessed with an artistic savant mother, who was given a scholarship to the National School of Art at age 15, and trained in old school fine art, graphic art and later mastered free hand drafting as an architect, the need to draw and create bubbles up in me like an active volcano on the outskirts of Napal.
However, having a mother who can turn her hand to anything, is not without its challenges. Enough said.

Having studied the three disciplines of Art History, Anthropology and Archaeology i was given the opportunity to work in some of Britain's most exciting Art Galleries and enjoyed every second, even if i was the exceptionally well dressed under dog, with youth on my side and inexperience against me.

Years later i hit the shores of Australia- actually i hit Melbourne in Winter and was decidedly unsure about my plans for the next 12 months! Obviously, i paid an Australian to marry me and bore him three strapping kids, who control our lives, and have me preparing food for them all day and consequently clearing up the residue of those meals for the remainder of the day. I no longer look forward to Fridays as there is no such thing as the weekend, i used to have clothes without dribble and stains on them, and i even wore white linen blazers would you believe it?

And now...
Well, now i get little hands to hold instead of Press Releases and Research Briefs with a deadline.
I read The Gruffalo off by heart instead of Research Articles, and my days are filled with relentless chatter about everything and nothing all at once (not my own chatter).
And while i used to pride myself on my sparkling wit and soiree-worthy anecdotes, i promise myself that stories about tiny humans saying hilarious things is equally as satisfying...if your audience is a pack of overworked and under-slept mothers that is!

Shannon xx

Behind the scenes of Milly Molly Mandy

Headquarters, ahem, i mean my Home, June 2013...

In between, feeding little people snacks, heating bottles of milk, searching for a dummy, checking Facebook, school runs, emails, swimming lesson's, kinder gym, coffee with my girls, updating the website, invoicing, packing orders, post office runs, skyping the family in the UK, watching The Block, stacking the dishwasher, folding laundry, therapy and Hospital clinics in Sydney for my eldest, school events, and a tiny bit of sleep....i am drawing, designing and sewing up the Milly Molly Mandy current 2013 Collection!

In all honesty, i couldn't do this if i didn't LOVE it!

It's amazing how everything has its time and its order, and of course, my kids and husband come first.

Saying that, they are so forgiving of my mistakes as they happen, and give me plenty of chances and unconditional support.

It's been a dream to create a label of my own, offering en-trend nursery and children's decor and gifts, from the depths of my imagination and in fabrics i adore.

The design process is where most of the joy happens, and i cannot lie, after 50-60 productions of a single design i am ready to put it to sleep and move on to the next vision!

So, wouldn't it be nice, i thought to myself, if i let you see where the dream began and how i roll?

First, let me introduce you to the little people who inspire me!

I know, sweet right?

Here is the kind, forgiving husband, AKA Ironman Port Maquarie 2013(!) who encourages, supports, laughs at my new designs, picks up the slack, work terribly hard for us, and plays lego for hours so i can get some sewing done!

And then, there is me. 

 

My two eldest attend the local Montessori Preschool for the first half of the week, which gives me some space to spend time on the machine, and work through orders. But, i do have a little Jonah boy, who is a delight and thankfully plays happily when all set up with activities, he even sorts my buttons into size and colour!

Tools of the trade:

I keep all cards, tags, labels and gorgeous Twine to hand, including our Down That Little Lane cards.

I keep all of my favourite business cards to hand, to refer to colleagues, friends and for re-ordering!

My craft Turntable from Lime Tree Kids hold my pencils, markets, cottons etc!

My Little Village Handmade Pincushion is used every single day!

My magnetic memo board holds new sketches, receipts, and dates to remember!

Where do you store it all?

The current projects, and fabric i am using currently is kept in the big 'studio' spaces, also known as the dining room! This cabinet holds, orders in progress, items that are being made to re stock the website, new designs that are unfolding, and some favourites to keep me smiling and focused on the love of the 'art'. The bilk of the stock is stored in sealed lined plastic crates free of damp, household smells, free from damage and ready to be shipped around Australia. 

Then, there is the Facebook station, i mean, computer! 

Where i can get lost for an hour, having really accomplished nothing except drool, over blogs, interior design websites and collect ideas for my own home.

And finally here is the spot, in which i can over see the state of play amongst the little people, close to the coffee machine, close to my i-tunes playlist, and sew on the machine to my heart's content!

And there you have it, the very humble space in which i get to follow a dream.

Thanks for taking the tour, and now you can picture just where your little item has come to life, and who has lovingly made it for you,

Warmest wishes,

Shannon 

x

SAT JUNE 29th

8am-2pm

Undercover Market ~ Rain, hail or shine!!

It's the perfect time for a brand new, fresh and extremely well promoted and organised Market to hit the Central Coast beaches!
I am so proud and happy to be a part of the Grand Opening market on 29th June, just one week away!
I have long awaited more high quality, high traffic markets on the Coast, and i would love to create amongst my local community.
So, thanks girls!
Here's to a new, fabulous way to spend the last Saturday of EVERY MONTH!

https://www.facebook.com/ShellyBeachMarkets

See you there,
Shannon x

An ode to Mothering just in time for Mother's Day...

What was i even doing with ALL of the TIME i had when i had just one child?
Why was no one lighting a candle beneath my bottom and sending me on my way to do...well, anything, everything!

Now, there are three darling, dear little mittens mooching, messing, moaning and munching around this little home and a lot of STUFF to get done, and a whole lot of NO time to get it done in.
The regret.
It's overwhelming somedays when the exhaustion has washed over me like a salty wave.
I would be a millionaire if i had used ALL of that time i had back then, and i really cannot recall what i was doing with each day...
Lots of walking baby to sleep in the pram, lots of holding baby until they slept. Lots of homemade meals and chef'ing, lots of pyjama mornings (ahem afternoons), lots of cuddles and kisses laying on the sofa, lots of rolling around with them on the floor, and lots of pictures being taken of every single movement and expression baby made....

Oh. That's what i was doing with my time. Loving every second. Committing it to memory. Learning to be the best Mummy i could be. Making mistakes and getting days very wrong.
Waking up to a new day each day. Choosing to be better, stronger, wiser, happier.

Without those days, i could not be the Mum i am today. I have the capacity to do more, because i took the time to learn to do little. I messed up, made up and moved on.
It's not regret.
It's thankfulness for a once in a lifetime season. I am so glad to have practised on my big boy, to have his forgiveness for my trials and tests. Grateful that he adores sharing his days with me even now, 6 years later and that he helps me be the best Mummy i can to his sister and brother.
Having invested ALL of my TIME in that baby, the reward is him.
He is delightful.
I am delighted.
Tired, but delighted.

So to you, who are weary. Whose lists are endless, and days seem short. Embrace the season for what it is, knowing that what has gone before was the preparation for the now, in the event that you are better, wiser, happier.

Not regret, wisdom.

Love to you all,
Shannon x

I am Mother, hear me ROAR!

Are you the type of parent who addresses other children directly if they are out of line or posing a threat to one of yours?

I am.
No apologies for it, either. You do not want to mess with my people.
However, since my children attend a Montessori school, i have seriously toned down my approach, to perfectly friendly, with a hint of scary.

Right now, one of mine is struggling to assert himself with some bigger kids(not older, just a larger body mass) who are not taking his NO, for no. After almost 3 months of a struggle with this, a seriously anxious little boy, stressed parents and confused siblings, my son bit his assailant on the shoulder when he would not heed his no. He is heading for 6 years old.
Damn right, was my first thought.
A biff in the nose would also do, in this situation when he is pestered and attacked to his breaking point.
What do you think of the matter?

On the whole, i am peaceful.
I don't think there is a single right-minded person who wouldn't wish for world peace, harmony and respect for each other. I do.
But if you are going to hassle one of mine, well, that's another story.

Any stories of protective instinct gone a little awry? Do share...

Did you say....?

Anyone else, have funny little word games you play to diffuse moments can that spoil your time together?

At the risk of being told, we may in fact be the only people doing this, i will share it anyway, to me its hilarious. A total stress reliever. A time to bond with my loved ones, in a way no one else is.
It's memory making.
Its goofy.
It's incorrect. In a fanatical world, with abounding rules, its so so incorrect. I love it.



My husband, was really quite disillusioned when he met me, he did believed he was highly literate and spoke correctly. This was incorrect. To my utter, endless joy.
Sadly for him, little hints over the years had not given him an inkling,  much to my delight!

May i enlighten you with some?



'Nano' nap: meaning; an exceedingly brief sleep.
So called because scientifically a nano is a measure of time.
Therefore to go down for one's nano nap is to sleep for a short time as a refresher.
Oh, the merriment, when i discovered that rather than saying 'nanna nap' quickly, my sweet man was instead calling it a Nano nap. You can imagine that kept me going for a long time, until...
Snickering.
When put in context the sentence would read: "For goodness sake, stop snickering at me!"
Meaning: To tease, and chuckle meanly at someone.
You may be forgiven for thinking this referred to a person who is consuming one or more Snickers bars, but you are wrong.
Rather, this was said by my husband for many years under such a mumbled breath that it was not detected until our marriage union was well and truely underway, making it impossible for me to retreat. When i led him, very kindly, to the correct word, 'sniggering', we BOTH enjoyed a number of days of laughing and clutching our bellies while wiping away tears.
What else had this darling man been mis-using for all these decades?

"In the walls".
This is a corker. This phrase lay dormant until our eldest son turned 2 and began to disregard warnings that he would hurt himself if he continued to balance on the footstool, on the stairs, with drumsticks in his hands....
Low and behold, he would come a cropper and have bruises and lumps the size of eggs and the shade of aubergines to show for it when Daddy came home.
"My, you have been in the walls, haven't you son?". You would think that when i referred to his lesions as 'war wounds' that he may have been given significant pause to consider whether 'walls' was perhaps misplaced in this context. No. So ingrained was this phrase that having listened to my explanation of why this is incorrect, through torrents of laughter and a little bit of jeering, he remained adamant for a little longer until hilarity led to his surrender.
Suddenly, "In the WARS" made a lot more sense, but doesn't nearly sum it up. You see, quite often our son does hit the walls and so in our family it will remain, "in the walls".

Another?
"Characture-ture"
This beauty was very recent and the additional impact of this little number was the vehemence with which it was delivered. Let me set the scene...
One Saturday afternoon, on the sofa, kids are all sleeping...time for some adult conversation and weekly catch up.
My husband was keen to share a funny with me and i am poised.
Most of his stories are not altogether amusing for me a) because i have heard them before (or a version with alternate subjects and nouns inserted) and b) because his idea of funny isn't always mine.
This was one of those times.
But amidst the waffle sprang the word that would make my day; 'Character-ture': Meaning; a cartoon over-embellishment of the real article or truth. Also known as 'Caricature'.
"Wait, what did you say honey, character-what?"
"CHARACTER-TURE" he repeats with a loud, slow deliberation as if i were hard of hearing. But the greater effect came from the Afro-American style head jiggle and neck jutting (Ricki Lake-esque) which was highlighting for him that he had once again stumbled across a word that i didn't know!
Then came the silent type of laughing you do when you are trying to get air and stay alive. In the middle of this i tried to correct his faux-pas, and to add to the funny-factor, there was no fight on my hands instead a dawning of truth on his face followed by his own fit of air stealing laughter!

I am sure there will be more of these vocabulary delights, and i am also sure that there are plenty of hooters locked away in my memory which will burst forth randomly so please be advised for further posts.

Merriment to you all

Shan x

Good humour

Living with good humour, has to be one of life's secrets to success.
Especially when your house if full of tiny, little people under 5 years old.
But really, very especially when your husband is one like mine.

Mine is, slow to act, in fact when i met him he was vertically horizontal he was so laid back.
I have spiced him up a little, a lot actually.
More fool me, he began training for Triathlons about 18 months ago.
Being dis-satissfied with this he is about to embark on his first Iron Man in a matter of weeks.
His training schedule has been like something out of the Russian SAS training manual, and naturally it must be done during all weekend hours!
I am very so slightly, over it.

Last night, in those sometimes hilarious conversations you have when just about to fall asleep, i say "Do you think you will actually finish the race?", after he had voiced his concern about the mammoth distances involved.
"Yeah, i will finish, may not be the best time though. " Then there was a tangible moment of male pride surge through the air, and a rumble in his throat.
"Then i will be...an IRON MAN" he rasped.

Good heavens.
Married to an IRON MAN.
Whatever next.

That got me thinking, i, amongst thousands of you, partake in a marathon of child-rearing, with a sewing IRON WOMAN on the side, everyday. Did you get a title and  medal?

So in an attempt to support this crazy man, without actually loosing the plot myself, i think the only thing for it is to give him his title, the respect his is hoping for and wear a little good humour in it all.

God bless the partners and children of imminent IRON MEN everywhere...

Paying it forward

Paying it forward seems to be my theme of the week.
While on the party-gift shopping expedition i mentioned in the previous post, i bumped into a friend, who commiserated with me over the expense of endless birthday invites, but she now has older children than mine, and reassured me this time too shall pass.
Continuing on my way, i stopped for one of my 'holiday coffees' ~these are rare occasions when i get to sit and have a coffee with just one child with me, which to me feels like being on holiday!

In the peripherals of my vision i realised someone was approaching me, in fact they were right behind me and were reaching towards my bag, alarmed, i clutched at my bag, only to hear my friend's soothing voice, say "It's just me, alleviating some of those party pressure moments", as she slipped a gift voucher she had just purchased for me, into my handbag.

As i stood to thank her, hug or and splutter some useless words, wanting no fuss she waved and hurried off, making the moment truly poignant for me, and really in avoiding a display of appreciation from me, she showed herself to be utterly selfless and a real blessing to others. She had acted to bless and not to be blessed.

The same afternoon, a dear friend told me of a teenage boy, no older than 16, hearing from the back of the ice-cream parlour queue that she was short of $5 at a cash only local ice-cream parlour.
The owner, generously said she could return in her own time with the difference, but as she walked out of the doors, the owner, shouted "No worries on the extra this lad has paid for you".
Do you remember, being 15 and every cent being impossibly hard to come by and worth a hang of a lot more than it is now?
Fancy that.

I also read about the 'suspended coffee' initiative in most US capital cities, where you can buy your own coffee and pay for an additional one or more at the same time, which is given to anyone who is homeless, or transient or needs it, at the vendor's discretion.
Imagine that in Sydney or Melbourne...

There is an awful lot of paying it forward happening out there, and probably a hang of a lot more goodness holistically happening all around us than we will ever care to look for, in our hurriedness.
So my mission is to head out on those mammoth grocery shopping outings with 3 kids, or my rampages through fabrics stores, and to be something other than single-minded, maybe to be something resembling socially conscious, kind, aware, on a mission to pay something forward.

Shan x

An aside

There is such a crazy world out there.
And we are right in the thick of it.
For better or for worse, not that i agreed to that.
Here i am designing, creating, manufacturing products from a humble little home, which will be sent out (bought first!) around the country and even the world.
They will be loved, cuddled, and photographed along side many little children its a wonder to me that there is room enough for my growing business in this madly branded, plastic world that we call home.
Oh by the way, we are facing nuclear war...
But there are plenty of coffee dates, morning teas and dreams of house renovations and garden makeovers that i can distract myself with, so not to worry!

As mother of three, I am challenged daily, to juggle what is critical to my businesses, to my children, to my husband and to fit in moments of great humanitarian acts of kindness, naturally of course, don't you? Paying forward a coffee, sympathising with a stanger over an issue that disinterests you, picking up the phone to the high maintenance friend we all have, patience with your toilet-training toddler, letting the person who nipped in front of you take your car spot...
So, whilst walking through a high street store searching for yet another children's party gift, i feel overwhelmingly sad that the act of buying a gift is now so unpleasant.
I contemplated sadly that i never go and purchase new gifts for my children, just because.
I am always counting pennies out of necessity.
I am so disgusted by the volume of gifts, the volume of alarmingly scary dolls, barbies turned vampires, dolls turned into adults, baby toys that cost close to the hundreds of dollars, branding on everything from an eraser to a scooter.

I was just looking for a simple age appropriate gift.
Many hours later, knowing that the recipients' mother would never appreciate handmade, i relented to plastic.

So here i am, thankful again that i can indulge in handmade to my hearts content, that you support me, that you chose one of my fabric designs to give as the birthday gift, baby gift, christmas gift or easter gift that you needed to buy this year, thank you.

As long as my family let me keep on juggling what is important to us, and keep forgiving me when i drop the ball, and as long as you know that i put all that i am into all that i do, then we will be all be just fine.
Korean or no Korea.


Shan x