MERRY XMAS..SEE YOU IN 2010 :)

Hi Everyone

We would like to take this last opportunity to wish all of our customers, stallholders, blog readers/commentors and EVERYONE ELSE a VERY VERY MERRY XMAS and a fabulous NEW YEAR.

2009 saw The Handmade Expo change location which has been a very positive and fabulous move + the expansion and inclusion of GOURMET FRESH...can't wait to see what 2010 brings....

Have a good one and see you back on deck on the 20th February.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Facebook...Become a Fan

Hi Everyone

We just wanted to pass on the link to The Handmade Expo fan page on Facebook.

Hope you love being kept up to date with the goings on with the market.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Last market of the year...been and gone :)

Hi Everyone,

Well the last Handmade Expo for 2009 has been and gone and what a hoot... or is that hot!!!!

It started of with a lovely breeze, cloud cover and a gathering of eager customers at the front gate chomping at the bit waiting to come in and start their christmas shopping. So 8:00am the gates opened and in they flooded, one constant stream.... all day - thank you customers - you rock and Merry Christmas.

Our stallholders were extremely eager at 5:30am, the weather was coolish - of course you would start early. Everyone was friendly and organised for the final market of the year... patience is definitely the key so we want to thank everyone for that.... patience.. It has been a pleasure to help you every month sell your fabulous handmade goodies to the customers that keep coming back.. Merry Christmas and you guys rock too.

And last but not least to Dan and Dad who help the stallholders who need a canopy or help with the one's they bring, for putting up the signs and the blowy man to attract the customers to our front gates... Thank you.

So everyone, have a great break and merry christmas and we will see you in 2010 all re-freshed and ready for a new market year on 20th February 2010.

Ho, Ho, Ho...

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam
xxoo

CHECK OUT OUR FULL PAGE :)

Hi Everyone

We are loving the full page which was in the Ipswich Independent this week.

Half is for The Handmade Expo and the other half is for Handmade Heaven.



With only 3 sleeps to go, we are getting excited.

From
Liesa

OMG....ONLY 4 sleeps to go :)

Hi Everyone

We can't believe how quickly the December Handmade Expo has come around...we are super excited to bring you this wonderful local market every single month (apart from January)!

With over 100 stalls of handmade goods + our new and exciting GOURMET FRESH SECTION...WITH OUR FIRST LOCAL LOCKYER VALLEY FARMER joining us with their range of farm grown FRESH produce.

If you haven't finished your xmas shopping, this is the perfect opportunity to pick up a beautiful handmade unique gift...perfect for EVERYBODY.

We want the world to know about The Handmade Expo...please tell EVERYONE that you know...you can forward this blog address (www.thehandmadeexpo.blogspot.com) to your complete email address book, ring all of your friends and tell them to put it in their diary or BLOG about it yourself. LETS KEEP HANDMADE ALIVE.

So, we will see you on Saturday between 8am-2pm at the Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Road, Bundamba. DON"T FORGET THAT IT IS FREE ENTRY AND FREE PARKING..

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam
ps...we have some exciting things happening for customers and stallholders for next year...keep your eyes and ear peeled...VERY EXCITING.

YOU JUST HAVE TO GO!!!

Hi Everyone

ARE YOU BUSY TOMORROW?
WOULD YOU LOVE AN AWESOME HANDMADE MARKET TO GO TO?

WELL.......

You can catch the 3 of us at the Brisstyle market tomorrow.



OMG...we are so excited to be going and helping out at the Bubba Chenille stall, but also catching up with all the wonderful and very talented Brisstyle girls.

Hoping you can all make it to one of the best markets in South East Queensland....

From
Liesa
xoxo

CALLING ALL LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS

Hi Everyone

Do you know of or are you involved with any of the following local community groups:

Dance Groups
Car Clubs
Music Groups
Scouts/Guides
Fitness Clubs
etc, etc, etc

Any community group????

Please email us at thehandmadeexpo@optusnet.com.au...we have an offer for you that you can't refuse!!!!


From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Another FARBULOUS Market...

Hi Everyone.

Well, the day started on a high with The Handmade Expo being mentioned 3 times in the Queensland Times. We were # 3 on the 10 things to do this weekend, an SMS to the editor appeared from PAULA (thanks Paula) + the MS Society that did this months sausage sizzle scored an editorial as well...and from there, we are happy to report that the Handmade Expo was another great success... this was the biggest yet, we were proud to welcome 132 stallholders this month.... IPSWICH'S BIGGEST and BEST MARKET... we are certainly proud of this and we know all our stallholders are too, so a huge thank you to our wonderful, loyal stallholders who stay with us every month... we really appreciate it.

Now, to our customers - we had a fabulous day. We thank you for braving the heat, as it was a scorcher but we thank you for coming every month to support our LOCAL handmadies and the BEST market in town! Plus, we are pretty certain you crossed a lot off your christmas shopping list (we know we did)! With our free entry now and forever that just puts the cherry on top!

We checked out the paper today and found an article on The Handmade Expo...Thanks to the Queensland Times for popping out and talking to us...



Thank you all once again... without your support this would not be the best MARKET to visit once a month at the loveliest, relaxed outdoor venue in town.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam
ps...here are some photos:

THE HANDMADE EXPO - 1 MORE SLEEP!

Only 1 more sleep until the Handmade Expo EVERYONE... Tomorrow the expo will be from 8am to 2pm at the Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Rd, Bundamba. It will be free entry, free parking and what a perfect opportunity to start your Christmas Shopping.

We have over 120 stalls, a record for the Expo, so come along, with sooooo much to choose from you are bound to walk away with some people crossed off your Christmas list.

Coffee will be on hand with a sausage sizzle and don't forget about the cupcakes, fudge and bikkies to tempt you as well.

Don't forget your hats and sunscreen, it is going to be a beautiful warm day... if you see us around, come and say hello. See you tomorrow.

Micky, Liesa & Miriam

AND THE WINNER IS............

Hi Everyone

A big thanks to everyone who entered the GIVEAWAY...We wish EVERYONE could win, but as you know, there can only be 1 winner.

Ok, so the value of the voucher is $44....We are however, going to up it to a $50 voucher.

So, the winner of the $50 Handmade Expo Voucher is:


SIMONE from BEACH VINTAGE

Congrats Simone, please email us at thehandmadeexpo@optusnet.com.au for further details on your voucher.

Thanks again to everyone who entered and thanks for your continued support...

See you all on Saturday

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Bloggette XMAS Party

Hi Bloggettes

Ok, so RSVP was today for the Bloggette XMAS party.

Have you RSVP'd? Would you like to come?

It is being held on Monday 30th November, 11am - 2pm.
It will be out at Laidley (Miriam's House, aka Bubba Chenille) which is approx 30 minutes from Ipswich.

We ask that everyone bring a plate of yummy HANDMADE food and a HANDMADE xmas gift to swap and your swimmers & towel.

Kiddys are welcome but NO BIG BOYS ALLOWED....

We have extended RSVP to the 23rd November, so if you would like to come, perhaps take a sicky from work (just ask us, we have some great excuses up our sleeve..LOL) and head out for a nice day, please email Miriam at bubbachenille@bigpond.com for an address and further info.

Hope you can make it.

from
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

SAUSAGE SIZZLERS NEEDED

Hi Everyone.

Ok, so we are after a Non for Profit organisation to do The Handmade Expo sausage sizzle NEXT MONTH...December 12th.

A GREAT CHANCE TO RAISE SOME FUNDS...

Please email us at thehandmadeexpo@optusnet.com.au for further details if you are able to do this...

Thanks heaps
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

THE GIGGLES CREW - THANK YOU

Hi Everyone

So, we were reading through the Queensland Times Newspaper this morning and found this in the SMS to the Editor Section:

So, a big thanks goes out to Kenn & the Giggles Crew for not only promoting The Handmade Expo, but for also thanking us...We do what we do because we love it, and to find this was just an amazing feeling....



You can find Kenn & Crew at the market next weekend...They will be on the grassed area on the right hand side as you enter the Turf Club. They make and sell button badges with all these cool different sayings and slogans...Something for Everyone, we are sure of that...Also a great little stocking filler coming up to xmas....You can't miss the happy chappy's...If you can't find them, please come and see one of us at the front and we will show you where they are....

Thanks again guys....

See you all next Saturday

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

FREE FREE FREE FREE

Hi Everyone

We are super excited to announce that as at our next market...21st November...Entry into The Handmade Expo will be:


FREE
FREE
FREE

We are proud that we have gotten to the stage with the market that we no longer have to charge an entry fee for our wonderful customers.

So, even more reason to come and enjoy the market every month.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

$41

Hi Everyone

So, we are up to $41...
The voucher winner will be drawn the Thursday before the market..we believe that is the 19th.
So, we really really really want to give away more than a $41 voucher to The Handmade Expo.

Have you:

Blogged it
Facebooked it
Twittered it

We need a comment left on THIS post for it to be valid.

HAPPY BLOGGING, FACEBOOKING, TWITTERING AND COMMENTING.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

$38

Hi Everyone

We are now up to $38...

The amount will increase per BLOGGETTE that comments, not per comment.
I guess we have 2 reasons for this exercise:

1. Increase the followers on the blog that we can keep up to date with the amazing market

2. To give away a HUGE amount in a voucher...

Now...we don't think that $38 is a HUGE amount...we want to give away more than that.

The only way to increase followers is if you BLOG about the giveaway and if they leave a comment on THIS post.
We love it when we get more followers, however, to increase the dollar amount in The Handmade Expo Voucher, they WILL need to leave a comment...

Thanks everyone who has commented and blogged so far and may there be MANY MANY more.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

WANTED!!!!

Hi Everyone...

We are after a couple of things and were wondering if you had them hiding at your house not being used and taking up very needed valuable space or know where we can get one:

1. A room divider..like the one in Handmade Heaven. It is timber and has material in the middle.

2. Mannequins...like the one also in Handmade Heaven

3. Chenille Bedspreads

4. Free standing Hanging racks with arms...

If you can help us out with any of these things, please scoot us an email at thehandamadeexpo@optusnet.com.au with a photo and your price...

Thanks heaps everyone

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

$34

Ok, so we are up to $34...

We want to give away sooooo much more than that...

The more blogettes that comment, the more money in the kitty for the Handmade Expo voucher....

Happy commenting

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

$31

Hi Everyone

Ok, so the voucher total is up to $31...
Come on....You can do better than that...MONEY FOR JAM..

Have you blogged about the giveaway? It will encourage bloggers to comment which will increase the $$$ of the voucher which you...or they...could win.

CLICK HERE to go to the post where you will need to leave a comment.

How cool would it be to have a $100 voucher to spend at the market????

HAPPY COMMENTING...

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

We R having a bloggette party! RU Coming?

Hi Everyone

Ok, so every now and then we meet a fellow blogger, someone who follows us or whom we follow! It's so much fun putting a face to a name.

So Liesa, Micky and Miriam have decided to have a little Christmas bloggette party! No not online, in real life! Yay Cake!

If you are in South East Queensland, you are invited to come to Laidley for lunch and a swim and a prezzie swap and a meetup so to speak!

It will be on Monday 30th November.

All you have to do is bring a plate, bring a prezzie to swap, bring your swimmers and your bright happy face!

Please RSVP by the 16th Nov, either by leaving a comment on one of our blogs or by emailing bubbachenille@bigpond.com and let us know what you are putting on your plate!

Your children are welcome too but no big boys allowed!

Lets all get together....

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

$26

Hi Guys

Ok, so you are up to $26 in the kitty...

We want to give away more than that...so, here are some suggestions to make the voucher bigger in dollar value.
Remember...the more blogettes that comment, the more $ in the kitty for a voucher:

Blog the giveaway (make sure you comment back and let us know that you have done so)
Email your database
Put it in your newsletters
Tell all your friends when you are talking to them...even if they do not live in South East Queensland and are unable to make it to the market, get them to comment anyway, it will increase the amount in the kitty and gives you a chance to win more $.

Have fun...

From
Liesa, Micky, Miriam

$17

Hi Everyone.

Ok, so if you click HERE...you will get the giveaway post.
We are up to $17...
Can't wait to see the bloggettes comments flow...the more bloggettes that comment, the higher the value in the voucher.

How exciting
Happy Commenting

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

WE MADE IT and NOW OUR GIVEAWAY

Hi Everyone.

Can always count on Bloggettes to band together to make something happen.

Our 100th follower is Simone from Beach Vintage. WOOHOO.

Ok...so are you ready? You are probably thinking "hurry up with it"...

For every bloggette that leaves a comment on this post = $1 (so it is not per comment, it is per bloggette)
So..the more bloggettes that comment and follow, the more money.

Now, you are probably thinking what is the deal..Well...There will be 1 Handmade Expo voucher up for grabs....SO, for eg, if there are 100 bloggettes commenting, it will be a $100 voucher.

If you want a second chance in the draw you will need to blog about the giveaway and let us know that you have done so with a second comment.

We have to put a couple of conditions on this though.

You need to be a follower of The Handmade Expo blog to be elligable.
Max 2 comments per person.
Max $1 per bloggette (so if you make 2 comments, it doesnt increase the amount by $2...however, if you blog about it and we get a new follower and comment you get 2 draws into the giveaway + more $ on the voucher)..
The voucher is only valid for our Nov & Dec 2009 markets
You will need to collect the voucher from the front entry table at our Nov or Dec market.

Don't be scared, have fun and comment away

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam
If you are not sure, scoot us an email at thehandmadeexpo@optusnet.com.au

ONE MORE FOLLOWER TO GO

Come on peeps...we are all hanging out...

Thanks to Melissa from In Our Eyes for becoming the 99th Follower.

We need 1 more before we announce a great giveaway.

Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Almost at 100 Followers...

Hi Everyone

Ok, so we are super excited about having 98 peeps interested in what we have to say.

Now, we know that there are a few of you out there who are hiding and haven't come forward yet as a follower....So, here is an incentive.

As soon as we reach 100 followers, we are going to have a giveaway that you can enter..WOOHOO...we heart giveaways.

Happy following.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Amberley State School Fete

Hi Everyone

It is not very often that we post something OUTSIDE of The Handmade Expo, however, we thought we would do it this time.

Amberley State School is a nice little school out at Amberley..west of Ipswich. It is being closed and a new school is being opened at Yamanto.

Anyways, on October 31st, Amberley State School is hosting their last ever school fete there. They have been in contact with us and have asked for donations to sell at a craft stall that they are having.
All money raised from this stall will go to new whitegoods for their new tuckshop.

Donations need to be in the organisers hands by Wednesday 28th October.

If you would like to make a donation, please contact Avrik Hordern at thehorderns@gmail.com or you can call her on 0407728953.

Thanks heaps.

Liesa, Micky & Miriam

October Market...been and gone

Hi Everyone

Well, a big thanks to the 1,000 (approx) customers who came through the door on Saturday...It is you guys that keep the market going...Without you, we would not have happy stallholders every month.

Thanks to all the stallholders and customers who continue to take it upon themselves to promote The Handmade Expo...we really do appreciate you taking the time to do this.

Lets start off with Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes....Unfortunately we did not make the world record this time...but thank you to the 130 (approx) that hung around for this once in a life time event...(apparently it is going to be attempted again at xmas time...so keep your eyes and ears out for that one). We were lucky enough to make it in the QT newspaper today:



This month, we had a competition for our customers..."choose your favourite stallholder to win". Approx 20 stallholders scored at least 1 vote...but with 15 votes and a clear winner was MANDY'S CUPCAKES....Mandy has won her stall free for November...Here is her stall in case you would like to find it next month or missed it this month.


A big congrats to SUE as well (we have emailed you Sue)..Your name was pulled out of the box to be our customer winner...thanks for coming and thanks for taking the time to vote. You have won a $40 Handmade Heaven gift Voucher. Please contact us at thehandmadeexpo@optusnet.com.au to claim your voucher. Thanks everyone for taking the time to vote.

We were lucky to get into the 10 things to do this weekend. NUMBER 1 and a photo...THAT IS SO COOL...Thanks to the Queensland Times for that.

Now, we would like to share some photos of the day with you and see you next month...November 21st...

www.redhotwicks.com.au

Cute as Buttons

Poppin Hot Popcorn

Original Eumundi Birdhouses & Kids Furniture

Jan Moir's Dresses for little Girls

Susan Jane Jewellery

Lilly Cottage

Wyrd Sisters

Real Orchid Jewellery


A good day had by all...
Thanks for tuning in.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

WE LOVE IT...

Hi Everyone

We love being contacted by local newspapers to see if we want to do a story...
Ummmm... YES PLEASE.

So, the guys from La La Loud Events, Di-licious and of course the 3 of us all got together to do this shot.

This was done with the Ipswich Advertiser..a big thanks to them too for being so proactive with local businesses and events.

So, here it is...



From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

A GREAT Giveaway!!!!!!

Hi Everyone,

I am holding a giveaway on my blog so head over there now to enter.. you could win a $30 Handmade Heaven voucher. Don't worry if you are not local as Handmade Heaven will do over the phone / net transaction. The giveaway ends on Monday 19th October, after the next Handmade Expo being on Saturday 17th October....

The main aim to to help promote The Handmade Expo... so get typing and enter - this giveaway is not to be missed!

Good Luck and thank you for helping to promote this wonderful handmade market that we all strive so hard to keep alive.

Micky, Miriam & Liesa

P.S. Don't worry if you aren't local or actually, live in Queensland as blogland is such a big place that you never know who is following your blog - they might be local and want to visit the next Expo.

What are you doing at 9am tomorrow morning?

Hi Everyone.

So, what are you doing at 9am tomorrow morning?
Are you able to head to the Ipswich Showgrounds (Warwick Road) to be in a photo for the Ipswich Advertiser, advertising our market and the World Record of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

If you are free, we would love to see you there.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

DATES FOR 2010

Hi Everyone

We are super duper excited to be able to make our dates available for the first half of 2010.

We have made an executive decision and have decided to NOT do a market in January. We have found that people are still all on holidays, etc and it really doesn't seem feasible for you guys as stallholders, you guys as customers and us as market co-ordinators.

So, here you go:

Saturday 20th February (3rd Saturday of the month)
Saturday 20th March (3rd Saturday of the month)
Saturday 17th April (3rd Saturday of the month)
Saturday 15th May (3rd Saturday of the month)
Saturday 26th June (4th Saturday of the month)

So, mark it in your diaries.

As you are aware, the market is held at the Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Road, Bundamba from 8am - 2pm.
We ideally like to have the 3rd Saturday of the month, but we do have to work with the Turf Club and their racedays, etc..We haven't gone too bad with the first half of the year.

We have booking forms and guidelines on hand to email to you.
You can email us at thehandmadeexpo@optusnet.com.au if you would like to book in to any of these markets.

We look forward to bringing you another fabulous year of markets.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

In Todays Paper

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to share the article that was in todays paper...

See you all on Saturday 17th October, 8am-2pm at the Ipswich Turf CLub.
The World Record Attempt will take place at 1pm...however, there is so much to see and do at The Handmade Expo, you could seriously spend a few hours there....



From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

QUEENSLAND TIMES - TODAY

Hi Everyone..

Just wanted to let you know and keep you up to date with the HEADS, SHOULDERS, KNEES & TOES Guiness World Record Attempt.

We have the Queensland Times Newspaper coming today to do a photo and story.

SUPER DUPER EXCITING.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

ONLY 2 WEEKS AWAY

Hi Everyone.

Ok, so the 3 of us (Micky, Miriam and I) were all sitting around having a chin wag and realised that OMG!!! our next market is only 2 weeks away on Saturday...
Now, the reason that it was 3 weeks between markets and not 4 weeks is because we really have to work within the Turf Club and their racedays...

It will still be an amazing market and we already have 5 new stallholders booked in..over 100 in total including GOURMET FRESH..

Now, there was a small amount of confusion with the fresh fruit and veg side of things...We did have a couple of them booked in and not show, so we apologies for any inconvenience that may have caused, however, it was out of our control. We are trying very hard to bring you our wonderful local farmers...

Well, thats all for now...so spread the word and if you would like some brochures emailed to you to print out to put up at your work, small letterbox drop around your area, bag stuffers, etc, please let us know and we would love to email them to you.

Thanks for tuning in.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam
ps...check out the Handmade Heaven blog for a giveaway

FACEBOOK...HERE WE COME

Hi Everyone

Ok, so after much feedback, we have decided to start our own THE HANDMADE EXPO page on Facebook.
We have added a FAN BOX to our blog (right hand side)...and you can become a fan that way too.

Just another way to promote The Handmade Expo...

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

HEADS, SHOULDERS, KNEES & TOES

Hi Everyone.

Now, we know that you know this little song and dance...We can hear you doing it and singing it right now.

Well, we have some exciting news. You will be able to do this as part of a Guinness World Record attempt next month at our October 17th market.

Lalaloud Events presents the HEAD TO TOE TEMPO. The world record attempt will take place at 1pm. This event is proudly supporting the Ipswich Hospital Foundation, Sunshine Circle.

So, you better put this one in your diary...how cool would it be to say that you were part of a WORLD RECORD?

Don't forget that you will have 120 stalls on offer to shop and browse as well...WHAT A FANTASTIC DAY OUT..

More details to follow over the coming weeks...

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

September market - BEEN AND GONE

Hi Everyone

Ok, so The Handmade Expo has been and gone for another month and what a great day it was. Other than the dreadful wind, the school holidays, Carnival of Flowers, the NRL semi final and the AFL Grand Final to contend with we had nearly 900 people through the gates which we are absolutely over the moon with.

We were so flat out all day that we all forgot to pull out our cameras...If you did take some photos of the day..crowd shots or your stall, please email them to us + also perhaps a "quote" about your day so we can blog YOU.

The majority of stallholders that we spoke to during the day had a great day and great trade.

We also welcomed 120 stallholders, so the Expo is expanding every month which is just fabulous and we really want to grow our Gourmet Fresh section so please, if you know any farmers out there looking to sell their produce please ask them to contact us - they are always welcome.

We welcomed back Farmer Dave with this lamb, and also Mrs K's Cafe & Bakery selling bread and slices. You can find Mrs K's during the week at the Winston Glades Shopping Centre.

Don't forget we have stalls ranging from fabulous cupcakes and coffee to kids clothing, accessories, plants, timber products, jewellery and much more. The next Expo will be held on Saturday 17th October, Ipswich Turf Club from 8am to 2pm with adults $2 and kids free.

October we are welcoming a Guiness World Record challenge which needs your help. A minimum of 1500 people are required to break the World Record of doing "Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes"... if you know how to do this make sure you come to the Expo and be part of the World Record.

Thanks for listening and we would love to hear about your experience at The Handmade Expo so feel free to blog about us. It would also be great if you could blog about the upcoming Expo in October... word of mouth is fabulous and it would be great to have help from everyone in blogland.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

See you all on SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

Ok, so this will be our last post before we see you on Saturday.

Market #2 at the Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Road, Bundamba. The market will run from 8am-2pm with a $2 entry fee for adults and kids, are of course FREE.

We have over 100 handmade stallholders, including GOURMET FRESH. We have quite a few NEWBIE stallholders this month including:

Cheryl - floral arrangements & girls dresses
Amanda - Jewellery & Fabric Sculptures
Soula - Greek Savouries & Sweet
Belinda - Themed Cookies
Leanne - Cuddle Kids Pillowcases
Kathy - Handbags
Kelly - Motif Creations
Joanne - Christening Gowns
Natalie - Bags, Toys & Clothes
Daneve - Brooches, Hair accessories, etc made from recycled green bags
Karen - Girly Bits
Kellie - Nappy Cakes
Annette - Cheese & Gilato

We will have our fabulous regular stallholders on hand for you as well.
We are lucky to have The Ipswich Woodworkers doing the sausage sizzle this month.

Farmer Dave will be attending with his awesome LAMB... We highly recommend a cooler bag!

Thats all from us for now...Thanks for tuning in and we hope to see you on Saturday.
Feel free to pass this onto EVERYONE that you know...

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam
ps..don't forget your hat and sunscreen...it is going to be a fabulous day out.

Hamilton Street Party REVIEW :)

Hi Everyone.

Check out Handmade Heaven & Bubba Chenille for an update of the day...

Fabulous day had by all.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Business Achiever Awards - Update

Hi Everyone..

Ok, so you can go to Handmade Heaven 's blog for an update....
Happy reading...and there are some photos too...

From
Micky, Miriam and Liesa

NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Tonight is the Business of the Year Awards held at the Railway Workshops in Ipswich. Liesa from Handmade Heaven (aka Twin Sister) has been nominated and is up for the best New Business of the Year!

Liesa, we just wanted to wish you all the best, you are so pro-active and passionate about handmade and you are an inspiration. If anyone wants to post their good lucks... here is your chance.

Thank you everyone for your support... not only just for Handmade Heaven but also for the Handmade Expo.

From
Micky & Miriam
xxoo

Only 9 Sleeps to Go.

Hi Everyone

So, our next market is quickly approaching us, with only 9 sleeps to go, we are super busy getting everything set for the day.

Our GOURMET FRESH side of things is growing by the day and we believe will only get bigger...which we are super excited about. We have decided that we are taking eskies from now on...With Farmers Daves meat, cheese, pestos and so much more, we have to keep them cool all day...hint hint to everyone out there...perhaps take a cooler bag!

Our Handmade stallholders are also growing by the day, with enquiry coming in thick and fast...which means new and fabulous stallholders for September + our loyal golden oldies who do wonders every month with us...

So, keep your eyes peeled over the next week or so for updates on the blog and our advertising campaigns and if you see something advertised further afield, please let us know as we are always not aware what is out there....

Thanks for tuning in.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

A new Blog to Follow :)

Hi Everyone

Ok, so Liesa has decided to start a DONWSTAIRS IN THE OLD FLOUR MILL blog.

Click HERE to check it out and become a follower (only if you want to).

It will keep you up to date with the whats what and whos who.

From
Micky, Miriam (and Liesa too)

BRISBANE FESTIVAL - STREET PARTY

Hi Everyone

Ok, so if you are not busy on Sunday, we strongly suggest that you head down to Racecourse Road, Hamilton.

Free live music across four stages, countless food, craft and art market stalls, music and dance workshops and hairstyles that would make Marie Antoinette look like a minimalist, make the Racecourse Road Street Party the ultimate day out, 10 am - 5 pm

We are heading there to help Bubba Chenille on her site (aka Miriam) and also an awesome excuse to catch up with a whole heap of Brisstyle girls too...of which we really only know by blog name...HEY GIRLS!!!!

Without a doubt, It's going to be awesome, We hope to see you there.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

KATE COOK - AUSTRALIAN IDOL - TONIGHT

Hi Everyone,

It's not very often that I get to post on the Handmade Expo blog but when I do I think it is rather important...LOL

Tonight at 6:30pm on Channel 10 on Australian Idol, Kate Cook, our fabulous local talent will be facing elimination along with the other 11 contestants but with her performance last week she will no doubt make the top 10. She will then perform a rock song which will blow our socks off and have us standing up dancing around our loungerooms.

Please help support such great local talent and keep Kate's dream alive by voting for Kate SMS Kate to 191010. Voting lines will open at the beginning of the show and will close tomorrow morning at 3:00am so it is best to vote while the show is on.

Thank you all for your support, I know that Kate appreciates it in helping keep her dream alive - it would be such a shame to send home such great talent so early in the show.

From
Micky, Miriam and Liesa

Handmade Heaven - Twilight Trade Tonight

Hi Everyone...

If you are not busy tonight...why not head on to downstairs in The Old Flour Mill, Brisbane Street, Ipswich.

Handmade Heaven is doing their first Twilight Trade until 7:30pm.

Joining Handmade Heaven is Wyrd Sisters, Stick N Giggle and Yesterdays Collectables.

Why not book a table at Viva Italia for a 2 4 1 dinner deal....

Head on in for some evening retail therapy and say hi to Liesa.

From
Micky, Miriam (and Liesa too).

Liesa has a TV Debut - WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Hi Everyone

We wanted to let you all know that you can see Liesa on "GOOD BUSINESS" on Wednesday night 9:30pm on Briz 31 (a local community station).

We will try and put a copy of the interview on the blog...keep an eye out for that...however, if you do get the Briz 31 station, make sure you tune in.

From
Micky, Miriam (and Liesa too).

Eeeeeek Voting Lines are CLOSED

Hi All,

Voting Lines are closed for Australian Idol. Thanks everyone for your support. Make sure you watch Sunday night on Channel 10 for the live verdict... fingers crossed for Kate.

Thanks

Micky, Liesa & Miriam

KATE COOK - AUSTRALIAN IDOL - GREAT JOB

If anyone watched the top 12 Australian Idol last night there was certainly a whole lot of talent. However, Kate Cook, the last performer of the night was our stand out.. She is a fabulous local (Lowood) girl who is taking her dream to the next level.

So lets help support Kate. Please SMS Kate to 191010 and lets help keep Kate's dream alive... your support would not only see Kate into the top 10 next week but we will be fortunate to see a local gal go ALL the way..

Bring it on Kate!

Thanks

Micky, Liesa & Miriam

WHAT MARKETS DO YOU LOVE?

Hi Everyone

Ok, so we want to know what other markets you love....
We want to add a new section to our blog called "OTHER MARKETS THAT WE LOVE" and we want to share other fabulous markets that around South East Queensland with our avid readers and fans.

So, spread the love and leave a comment and let us know.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

ps we do have certain criteria that will need to be met before we go adding it to our blog.....

Our Next Market

Hi Everyone....

Well, we thought we better get the ball rolling and post about our next market.

It will be on Saturday 26th September from 8am-2pm at the Ipswich Turf Club which on Brisbane Road, Bundamba.

The Sausage sizzle this month will be run by the Ipswich Woodworkers...A not for profit organisation that makes wooden toys for sick children.

We will have over 100 stalls of handmade goodies + GOURMET FRESH which is growing and will grow monthly. Come on down on the 26th September and grab your handmade fix...So much to see, hear, taste and do.

Keep posted for more updates leading up to the market....

Thanks for reading and tuning into our blog...

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Mixtape has arrived in Handmade Heaven

Hi Everyone

We just wanted to let you all know that you can purchase your NEW MIXTAPE from Handmade Heaven. They have arrived.



There are limited copies, so head on in and grab yourself the latest Issue (10).

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

"SPRING TO LIFE" Quilt Show

Hi Everyone.

We wanted to let everyone know about the 2009 Spring Fair which is happening in Ipswich from Monday 14th September to Saturday 19th September. Now, part of this fair will include the "SPRING TO LIFE" Quilt Show.

It is a competition for quilters, family and friends to enter their most loved works that best interpret the theme and visually explore the ideas that link country life with town living.

There are 4 main categories for consideration:
1. Childrens section
2. Most loved/most recent works
3. Un-shown
4. Peoples choice award

The best thing about it is that entry is FREE and you could win a Country Quilt Co. Gift Voucher.

So, you can download a registration form from HERE OR you can go and visit Liesa in Handmade Heaven for a flyer and registration form.

Thanks for reading...keep posted.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Our First Birthday CELEBRATIONS

Hi Everyone

So, Saturday has been and gone with great success. We had a fabulous day.
The day started at 5:30am with stallholders eagerly awaiting the new and fabulous venue of the Ipswich Turf Club. Everything ran super smoothly all day. Mayor Paul Pisasale arrived on time to cut a ribbon and make a speech. River 94.9 was on hand to do live feeds all morning...everything worked out as planned.

The first 500 people who came through the door received a free cupcake. They were adored and loved by everyone who was lucky enough to get one. Unfortunately 800 people missed out....Yes, that's right. We had 1300 people through the door on Saturday. What an amazing response. Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated our first birthday with us. Thanks to all the stallholders, new and previous, for their support in moving to a new and fabulous venue. We have received fabulous feedback about our change. It was a big scary move, but we have done it and we are so glad that we did.

We were super excited to see Jay from Finki come all the way from Melbourne to visit us. She is exactly how we had pictured her...she is gorgeous


Miriam from Bubba Chenille and Jay from Finki with one of our 500 cupcakes.


Liesa, Jay and Micky

Here are some photos...more will follow in a couple of days...but we really wanted to get something up....


Mayor Paul Pisasale cutting the ribbon


Farmer Dave setting up his Lamb Shack




Jenny with her GOURMET FRESH PRODUCE




Had to throw in a few crowd shots.

Our next market is on Saturday 26th September...same time, same place...SEE YOU THERE.

Thanks heaps
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

TODAY PROGRAM...CHALLENGE HAS BEEN MET

Hi Everyone.

So, we are super excited to blog about this.

A challenge was put out there to us to be seen and spoken to at Queens Park, Ipswich where the Today program was. So, Micky & I scooted up there at 7am this morning to BE SEEN AND HEARD (unfortunately Mum aka Bubba Chenille couldnt make it...can you imagine if the 3 of us were there!!!)

Here are some photos.

We have had many phonecall/emails/mentions of us being seen which is SUPER COOL.

Hope you love these:


Liesa and Lisa


Liesa, Shannon from Stick N Giggle, Mayor Paul Pisasale, Stevie, Micky


Liesa and Cam


Stevie and Micky

We hope that everyone who was at Queens Park comes tomorrow and also everyone who saw the signs in AUSTRALIA also comes for a visit.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

ps...thanks for the challenge, it was GR8

See you all on SATURDAY

Hi Everyone.

So, this will be our last post before we see you on Saturday. We are supercalafragalistcexpeealadociously excited (there you go Deb)!! about our first birthday in our new location. We have so much going on that we want to tell the world. We have Mayor Paul Pisasale coming at 8am to cut the ribbon into our new venue...which is exciting in itself...to know that the Mayor is so supportive of our market. We also have FREE CUPCAKES for the first 500 people through the door. RIVER 94.9 radio station will be doing live broadcast in the morning from the Turf Club which is nice of them...we do thank them very much for that.

Now...inside the market, you will find over 100 stalls of handmade goods on offer as well as our new GOURMET FRESH which includes FARMER DAVE. Farmer Dave is a LAMB farmer...he will be selling his fresh lamb as well as sizzling them on the BBQ. They are delicious. Farmer Dave is known for his stint on Big Brother and he was also seen fabulously dancing with the stars.

We have buskers. Dual (Rob and Dave) an acoustic guitar duo, we have Chloe, an amazing solo artist and we have Ella, a violinist. How exciting. Every where you turn, you will hear, see and smell something different.

So, here are the market details:

Saturday 15th August
8am-2pm
Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Road, Bundamba
ENtry $2 adults...kids are free.

See you soon

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

COMPLAINTS, SIGN STEALERS & THE TODAY PROGRAM

Hi Everyone

Ok...so we just had to blog about this....AGAIN. We don't often get frustrated or upset...we normally take it on the chin and move on. 2 things have happened today that have really made the day seem challenging.

Every month we put in the hard yards and hang up our signs around Ipswich. We have 20 of them that we take a couple of hours on the Sunday before the market to put up on poles/trees, etc to let the Ipswich public know that The Handmade Expo is on.

Now, we are trying to run a business and join together to help make Ipswich the most liveable city in the world...bring and sustain a market monthly to this wonderful town of ours.
To the people who have complained to Energex about having our signs on poles...WHY? how does it effect you? Surely you have better things to worry about. You obviously have too much time on your hands to be worried about our signs, may we suggest you stay at home and handmake somethings to fill all your liesurely hours instead of looking for something to whinge about! We find it exciting to see signs around, advertising local events. Ok, so a market is not your cup of tea, thats cool, we get that, you could have rung us and we would have been more than happy to take them down ourselves. You have got what you wanted...ENERGEX have confiscated them from us and destroyed them..2 less signs for us to put up every month, costing us money. Thank you.

Now...to the people who keep STEALING OUR SIGNS...STOP IT!!! Why do you keep doing it? do you use them to write "GARAGE SALE" on the back. You may think that it is just a corflute sign however, these cost us a lot of money to get done. They are worthless to you, so STOP STEALING THEM.

We will offer a reward to any HANDMADE EXPO signs that are found around the place.

Now, we could not close on this note. To a more positive note:

We have been challenged. HOW you might ask? Well, we have been challenged to be seen on the TODAY program. They will be at Queens Park in Ipswich on Friday. We are taking 2 CORFLUTE signs for The Handmade Expo up to the park to flash around and hope to be seen and spoken to on camera. We know it is a long shot, but we are going to give it a go anyway. We never let a challenge slip us by. WISH US LUCK

From
Liesa, Micky & MIriam

GIVING TO A GOOD CAUSE....

Hi Everyone

So, as you would know, we like to donate some of our proceeds to good causes. We have decided that we are going to share it around. There are so many causes that need funding and we want to help as many as we can. So, every month, we will be donating to a different cause.

This month, we have decided to donate to Billy Harris



Like most fifteen year old boys Billy was an enthusiastic, athletic individual who enjoyed hanging out with his mates and playing footy at the West Arana Hills Rugby League Football Club. All this changed when Billy had a bicycle accident which caused serious brain damage even though he was wearing a helmet.

Billy is now in a wheelchair and requires ongoing rehabilitation and care. If not already bad enough, the Harris family suffered another setback earlier this year when Billy’s mother, Leanne, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Leanne is now undergoing chemotherapy on top of the care required for Billy.

We are so happy to donating to this needy cause.

Thanks heaps
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US

Hi Everyone.

So, our first birthday is almost upon us and we wanted to send out a big thanks for all of your wonderful birthday wishes...

Here is a sneak peak of some fabulous advertising for our first birthday: Hope you love it:




Thanks to Renee and Di from Di-licious for wishing us
happy birthday and of course for the scrumptious bicky which we can't wait to sink our teeth into. It looks massive on the blog, maybe big enough to share with 20 people? LOL



We have also just had some very exciting news. Jay from Finki is coming up from Melbourne to see us on our first birthday...we are so excited about this Jay and can't wait to meet you in person.

So, our first birthday is on Saturday 15th August from 8am - 2pm at our new home of The Ipswich Turf Club, Brisbane Road, Bundamba. The main entrance to the Turf Club is off TL Cooney Avenue.

We will have birthday cupcakes for the first 500 people through the door. We have 3 buskers (Ella, Dual and Chloe) putting their hat down, we also have GOURMET FRESH....come one down and meet Farmer Dave from Big Brother and Dancing with the Stars. Dave is selling his most fabulous Lamb (I can vouch for how fabulous it is). AND we can't forget the 100+ handmade stallholders. You will be able to eat, drink, shop and be entertained all in one fabulous venue. TELL THE WORLD and we will see you next Saturday.

So, keep those birthday wishes coming...we hope to do a post next week linking to all the birthday wishes we see on other blogs.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Bubba Chenille is having a SALE SALE SALE

Hi Everyone

We just had to let you know that Bubba Chenille is having a sale... Buy one and get the second 1/2 price... If you head over to the Etsy store to check out all the great items for sale... and shop away.

It starts on 1st August and you would be happy to know that quite a few Brisstylettes are taking part.

So, DO NOT HESITATE. Head on over and grab yourself the deal of the century.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Warwick...been, gone and FABULOUS

Hi Everyone.

We would like to give you a great update on our Warwick market...

The 3 of us left Toowoomba at 5:00am to arrive at the Warwick Indoor Recreation and Aquatic Centre at 6:00am. It was freezing cold, our fingers and toes almost dropped off and we are not being dramatic. We were very lucky to have Cass and Rach from Minnah Designs make up some fabulous beanies for us which we picked up on the Friday night. We could not and would not wait until the Saturday cause we knew what we were in for with the weather. We had been watching it all week and being kept up to date by our stallholders daily.


Cute hey? Not us, the beanies!!!

So, the 3 of us measured out the whole pavilion for the 70 stallholders in 1 hour. This was an amazing effort which kept us very very warm. We opened the doors at 7:30am as promised. It was so great to see some of a regs as well as some newbies.

The morning was amazing. We were averaging 200 customers an hour. It started to slow down a bit in the arvo so Micky and I took the streets with our Handmade Expo corflute signs yelling out to the public that we were on and that they could find us at the WIRAC. We did this while looking at the warm and dressed up trees lining the main street. We had lots of fun doing this and ended up drawing quite a crowd. Now seriously, how dedicated are we? Who else would do something like this??? LOL (lots of laughs for readers who are not up with the jargon)!!!

So, all in all, we ended up with 800 very happy customers through the door.

Here are some photos of our wonderful stallholders:


Our famous cupcake girls


Cute as Buttons of course


Beth Hunter with her warm woolies


Michelle Poole from Vintage Visions


Mr Keeble...We told you that you were officially blogged..loving your beanie.


Jacqui Keeble with her beautiful bags


Melanie with her gourmet choccies.


Our wonderful Minnah Girls (cass and rach)

This is just a small taste of what was available in Warwick and also a very small taste of what will be available at our next market at the Ipswich Turf Club on 15th August.

Thanks to Warwick for inviting us to the Jumpers & Jazz Festival, to the customers who came from all over South East Queensland and of course to all the Stallholders who continue to support The Handmade Expo.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Jumpers and Jazz Festival in Warwick tomorrow !

Tomorrow is the big day when we all head off to Warwick for the annual Jumpers and Jazz festival.
Being invited to bring all our handmadies with us is a real privelidge and we are looking forward to it with excitement and anticipation.
We open at 10 am and have over 70 stalls of lovely handmade goods on offer for you, We finish at 4pm, this will give you a good opportunity to scout around the town also and check out some Jazz and lots of dressed up trees.
Entry is only $2 for adults and kids are free.
Get in early as we have heard there'll be lots and lots of busses full of people coming to town for the day !
Don't forget your hat, scarf, coat, beanie and gloves and anything else that will keep you warm. We are indoors though so that's one good thing, we are in the Aquatic Centre, next to the park at the Toowoomba end of the main st, (Palmerin St if you want to google , or there is a map at the bottom of this blog)

We look forward to seeing you there tomorrow !

Miriam, Liesa and Micky. Come and say Hi ! :)

Check out our FULL PAGE..plus a little bit on Warwick

Hi Everyone.

Check out our amazing FULL PAGE ad in this weeks Ipswich Independent.



We thought we would kick our advertising campaign off early. With our first birthday and GOURMET FRESH, we thought that we would get peoples juices flowing with the excitement of the change.

Hope you like it.

We shard a double spread with Handmade Heaven...this looks pretty amazing as well.

We just need to confirm that there will be food and drink available at our Warwick market on Saturday...lots of hot choccies with marshies will be on the most popular list for sure!.

We got an email from Judy from Mango Wednesday Cermaics and she advised that it was minus 1 in Warwick this morning...brrrrr

See you Saturday..We would say with bells on, but it will be way to cold for that...so lets say with beanies, gloves and scarves on.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Warwick Weather

Hi Everyone

So, we were talking to a couple of locals the other day and they mentioned that "the wind is coming off some snow somewhere!!!!"
OMG!, it is going to be so cold next Saturday....

We have been told to rug up...Beanies, Gloves, Scarves and dress in layers.

We think any chance to wear the above is GREAT.

I can imagine a whole lot of you will be running out next week purchasing some very needed essentials!

Happy shopping.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

Handmade Heaven - A FINALIST

Hi Everyone

We are so proud to announce that Handmade Heaven is a finalist under the New Business category for the 2009 Ipswich News Business Achiever Awards.

Keep your ears and eyes posted for new details....

Congrats Liesa

From
Micky & Miriam (and liesa too)!
:)

Brisstyle Market - TOMORROW

Hi Everyone.

Put your hand up if you love shopping on ETSY and love buying HANDMADE and love buying local?

Pick us!!!

Well, you now have an opportunity to purchase locally handmade goodies from local ETSY sellers. Meet the creators in person.

Here are the details:



So,if you arent busy head on down.

From
Liesa, Micky & Miriam

ps...Dont forget to vote for Handmade Heaven for the Best New Business Achiever Award. Head on over to the blog to see further details