Kindrawares!

Kindrawares, the little shop I own with my sister Lisa in Coolamon, NSW is going great guns!  We've had such a great time over the last 14 months since we opened.  Everyone who visits loves our quirky, colourful little shop!!  Check us out on Facebook!  We have lots of beautiful gifts and handmade goodies from all over Australia and the world!

Shop Website

The website for our new shop "kindrawares" is now up and running.  It has some photos of the stock in the shop but we haven't monetised the website yet as that costs quite a bit of money!

If you see anything you would like to purchase either on the website or Facebook, then all you need to do is call or email and we'll help you out!

Where Does the Time Go!!!!

I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last blog post!!!  I've been rather busy for those 3 months so I'll explain what I've been up to!

At the end of August I came up with a hair-brain idea to open my own little giftware/homewares/handmade shop in my closest town Coolamon.  I put the idea past my sister Lisa who thought it was a fab idea but only if she could come in on the venture!  So here we are 3 months down the track with our own little business together!

We've been open 3 weeks now and the response has been phenomenal with so many people coming in to have a look and buy things.  There have been lots of positive comments about how pretty the shop looks and "it's just what Coolamon needed" comments!

You can "like" us on Facebook to check out all the photos of our stock and the hard work we've put in getting the shop ready.  We are having a website built at the moment, but we're not sure when it will be up and running.  I designed the logo with the help of a graphic designer.  All I knew was I wanted red, aqua and white as the colour scheme, and then I thought about 2 little birds who would represent Lisa and I as family like the birds from the Partridge family tv show!

This is a photo of our opening night window - we had a champagne and nibblies opening for our friends and family, and also other business owners in Coolamon.  The old "Speedwell" bike belongs to my mother-in-law who rode it to school everyday back in the 1950's.  It's in original condition (rusty!!!) but it still had air in it's tyres when I pulled it out of the back shed!

The "dandelion" lights are from IKEA and we get about half a dozen comments everyday we're open about them - they're a real talking point!  The local "Men's Shed" made the pigeonhole shelving for us, the oval table was a $40 Vinnies find which I painted, and the old meat safe in the back corner had been sitting in a shed on the farm for the last 50 years with junk in it.  I pressure-washed it and re-gauzed the sides and door, but basically left it in original condition.

It's a really beautiful shop to walk into with it's amazing pressed metal ceiling, timber floor, and one wall is all mini-orb corrugated iron!  We've stocked it with beautiful things from all over the world as well as Australia.  We've sourced handmade jewellery from Australian artists, beautiful porcelain bowls from the USA, timber jewellery and homewares from Germany, and our Aunty Jenny Newbound has supplied us with some of her amazing artwork.

We pride ourselves on the fact that nothing in the shop (other than Aunty Jenny's paintings) is over $50 and we're going to try very hard to keep it that way!!  Anyway, Lisa and I are having a lot of fun so far and we hope to continue having fun!!

Family Reunion

A few weeks ago my sister Lisa and I went to a family reunion on my dad's side. The last reunion was in September 1999, a few months before our dad passed away. Both Lisa and I decided that Dad would've wanted us to attend this latest reunion even though we'd probably know hardly anyone there.

It was true!! We only knew a handful of people but we got to meet a lot of dad's first cousins who we'd heard about over the years but had never met them. We had a really nice time in the end.

As kids Lisa and I would always get mixed up by long lost relatives because they all thought that we looked so much alike! There is two years difference in our age with Lisa being the oldest and me being about five inches taller! I guess it didn't help when mum dressed us in exactly the same handmade clothes - the only difference being the colour of the material!!

Here are the two photos taken of us at the reunion - what do you think? Alike or not?

Lisa

Me

Google is a Wonderful Thing!

Have you ever "googled" your name to see what results would be revealed?

Well a few years ago I googled my maiden surname which is Newbound. I discovered that during the Depression years of the 1930's the Imperial Glass Co. in the USA manufactured a beautiful double candle holder in a pattern they called "Newbound".

After some more research I found a really pretty pink pair in the USA which I bought for my sister for her birthday. I've always wanted a set for myself but never got around to looking again. They came in light green, pink, cobalt blue, light blue, amber, milk glass, clear and steigel green (my favourite). Not sure why they were called "Newbound", but my guess is they were named after their designer.

2 months ago I googled Newbound again and discovered that not only was there candle holders in the Newbound pattern but there was also a lovely fruit bowl to match. I found a beautiful 3 piece set in cobalt blue on eBay, so I decided to buy it. It arrived yesterday and I must say they really are very special!

40 + 2 Weeks!

I turned 40 two weeks ago while we were on holidays. Everyone keeps asking me what it's like being 40 - I can honestly say that it feels no different to being 39! I've still got a wonky knee and a shot back, but I don't feel any different in myself. I just think that my kids are lucky that they've got a "young" mum who can still keep up with them physically and mentally. I know what is in fashion, I know most of the music they listen to and the movies they watch. So, instead of groaning that I'm 40 I'm very appreciative that I'm still here and healthy!!!

Lisa gave me this lovely pendant - it's just perfect!

Christmas with Family

We had a lovely, relaxing Christmas at Lisa's house this year. As you know from her blog, she lives at the beach which is very beautiful. We all had fun swimming, surfing, snorkelling, fishing and kayaking for the 4 days that we were there. Ryan and Emma love to catch up with their only cousins on my side of the family. I only took a couple of photo's while there, so here is our Christmas lunch in Lisa's back yard!

Getting Fit for Summer

Here is my new best friend for the next few weeks and months - my push bike! I've finally got her out of the dusty shed and went for a ride this morning. It was a very relaxing (slow!) one around our little village. I haven't really done any meaningful exercise all winter and now it's almost half way through Spring!

Lisa and I have discussed participating in the Red Cross Murray Marathon this year, but we're still undecided. I thought I should make a bit of a start at some fitness in case we do decide to participate. The race is on between Christmas and New Year every year which is bad timing for us farmers who may not be finished harvesting by then.

It's the 40th anniversary of the race and because I'll be turning 40 in January, we thought it would be a perfect way to celebrate. I'll keep you posted on what we decide.

Thanks Sis!

I've had a few issues today trying to publish posts on Blogger.  I made a mercy phone call to my big  sister, Lisa to help sort it out.  I'm glad she's been blogging for a while now and can tell me what I'm doing wrong.  Here she is doing her thing on our recent holiday to Merimbula together.