I made my first trip to Australia this week, and saved yesterday as a recovery day. Since I slept fairly well on the plane and got a lot of work done, I took a few moments to go galavanting. The photo above was from a shopping center in Syndey where they have an area for undiscovered designers. I loved the sign and thought the use of the yarn balls was clever. It definitely made the point that these are hand crafted items for sale in this area.

Unfortunately the shopping experience wasn’t as positive as my reaction to the sign. 😦 The first stall I visited featured adorable jewelry. I picked up a bracelet for Maddie and it was over $100. It was made of thread. Like, sewing thread. So, that was a no go. Then I found a woman that made fabric creations and had the cutest little zippered pouches. I picked up three thinking I’d get one for me, for Maddie and for Sophia. Except they were $60. Each. For canvas with a zipper. Seriously, the cost on that item must have been $2.00 max for materials. Now, I totally believe the designer deserves a premium for her design and labor, but come on. If they were priced at $30.00 each, I would have bought 3 for a profit of $84.00. At $60.00 each she sold zero to me for a profit of nada. Zilch. Zip.

And, because Sydney is such a beautiful city, here are are the obligatory shots of the Opera House and the bridge. Enjoy!