A great place for Christmas resources

Christmas is a time to get crafty.  Lisa Vollrath at GoMakeSomething offers some amazing downloads every December.  This is the link to her 6th Annual Original Printable countdown.  Go and take a look for some holiday inspiration

An example of what goodies Lisa has for you

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....

I thought I would share some of my favourite Christmas songs, books and traditions over the next few weeks...First up, this is one of my favourite Christmas songs - I never tire of hearing it.

Button Floozie Christmas Ornament swap

I received my ornaments for the Button Floozies Christmas swap today - yay!    My partner was Jo in Tasmania, Australia.  Jo's blog is here.  I stupidly forgot to take photos of the ornaments I sent to Jo so hopefully she'll put them up when she receives them.  Here are some photos of the ornaments Jo sent.

Excitement - love the thrill a parcel brings....

The lovely card Jo sent

The two ornaments

Not a great photo but this is a lovely little button snowman

A beautifully stitched ornament that has the tiniest buttons on it.

A close up of the snowman - he is gorgeous

Birthdays

Today it is my birthday.  I am  *breathe* 50........and I am actually pleased to be here, at this milestone.  I remember when my mother turned 50 ....she seemed so old.  I feel like a much younger 50 than she was (mind you I think my mother might have been born old).  I am looking forward and setting some goals which will make my 50s happy, healthy and purposeful.


Never one to follow the norm I decided against a party and spent the money, it would have cost me, instead on a long weekend away.  I had a fabulous time with my family including siblings and their children and in one case, grand child. We stayed at Punakaiki on the West Coast (my most favourite of all places in New Zealand) in a wonderful house right on the beach.  It was a wonderful way to recharge the batteries and get ready for the Christmas season.

View from beach - house we stayed in is the two storied house at rear

View north from beach

View south from beach

View from the beach

Another view of the fabulous house we stayed in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After my rejuvenating weekend, I'm looking forward positively to a year ahead where anything is possible.........

Short vacation

Due to an impending birthday.....I am taking a wee blogging break, while I reconcile myself to a new decade....


I'll leave you with one of my favourite sayings on my Pinterest board

Very Pinteresting

I have said it before and I'll say it again - I love Pinterest.  I have found some really fantastic blogs lately through Pinterest.  Today I've been drooling over the beautiful blog Hometown Girl - I entered a giveaway she is running too.  Here is one of the many beautiful pictures from her blog

Some of the other blogs I've discovered recently are......

That's My Letter

Far Far Hill

Rhonna Designs

 These are just a few of the amazing blogs I've discovered through Pinterest

Button Floozie swap

So excited - I received my swap from Lorrie today.  It is a lovely altered tin in autumn colours and full of yummy buttons.  The swap was organised by Laurie at Button Floozies - thanks Lorrie.

There was also a lovely card but I've lost the light now so will add a photo tomorrow.
  The pictures below are of the tin I altered and sent to Lorrie - we don't have Altoids in NZ so I had to improvise!

This was a really fun swap to be involved in and I've 'met' a lovely fellow blogger in Lorrie. 
Laurie at Button Floozies is running a Christmas Ornament swap - there is still time to sign up.  I have!  Really looking forward to it.

Flowers

I've been making flowers lately - there are tutorials all over the web on how to make them.  I like the instructions from here.

I have an idea for how I want to use them and will hopefully have time to complete the project this week

Happy crafting!

Recent makes

I've been dabbling with some canvases lately.  One came together the way I imagined it would but the other one has taken a bit longer to be happier with
.

I was trying to challenge myself to be less conventional in my colours but haven't been happy with the end result so this canvas has been sitting around taunting me for a couple of weeks.  Last night I had the house to myself so I poured myself some wine and had another look at it.

I decided to add some white to the canvas so used a gel pen to highlight some areas which seems to have livened it up a bit.  I'm much happier with the finished picture now.

 

 This canvas below is quite big - I had planned to use it to make a pair of canvases but decided to do this instead.  The heart is pieced together from paper pieces. I've inked and stamped a flower and sewn that on with a button.  

The verse is from my favourite ee cummings poem which is below:

i carry your heart with me by e e cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

                                  i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Seven on Sunday November 6th

I've been watching a bit too much TV lately.....there are some really watchable programmes on our TV right now, not helped by the fact that Sky TV has launched it's new channel Soho.


These are some of the programmes I have been watching recently

Downton Abbey - first class British drama. I can't believe that I didn't see the first series - now rectified of course.  Thank goodness for DVDs.

Game of Thrones - fascinating!  I find that I have to concentrate very hard as there is a LOT going on :)

Peta Mathias in the South of France - fantastic programme.  If I ever win Lotto I am going on one of Peta's cooking school jaunts.  She is fabulous!

Rick Stein in Spain - always like Rick Stein and his tour round Spain is fantastic
(At least if I'm watching people cook I'm not eating....usually)

 The Borgias - wonderfully decadent.  Beautiful costuming and scenery

 Harry's Law - quite quirky, really enjoyable

The X-factor USA - my guilty pleasure!

I do multi-task when watching TV though - folding laundrey, painting, sewing, so I don't feel I'm totally wasting time......
What's your favourite TV show?

Seven on Sunday 29th October

I've had a weekend of eating this weekend - and very little of it was healthy.....it got me thinking about some of my favourite foods like

Chocolate

Cheese

Avocados

Nectarines

Coffee

Roast chick

Strawberries

The only trouble with writing about food is that
a)  it makes you hungry!
b) If you limit the number then you have to leave out food such as rice, pasta, curries, etc etc

Better for my ever expanding waist line that I am only writing about these things though!

Seven on Sunday, on Monday

It is a long weekend in New Zealand so no work today.  I've made a bit of a dent in what I laughingly refer to as 'the garden' - the weed pit would be a better name.  I have sorely neglected the garden over the last few months so I only have myself to blame.  I've been making amends this weekend - thankfully we had great weather - and have cleared one of the garden beds - half done anyway.  I visitied a local garden centre which had a fantastic sale on yestrday, and bought  camellias, a linden tree, a bay and a rosemary. I've planted the camellias this morning and now I am officially knackered!

Seven on Sunday this week - which is actually on Monday is My Seven Favourite (Mainly) Craft Blogs
1. Craftgawker
    Hundreds of crafty ideas
2, Today's Creative Blog
    Lots of inspiration and new blogs to discover
3. Mod Podge Rocks
   Love Mod Podge!
4. Just Something I Made
    Full of amazing ideas from one inspirational lady
5. The Graphics Fairy
   Vintages images for use in your projects
6. Craftberry Bush
   A recent find
7. Whip Up
   Plenty of inspiration for everyone

If you're stopping by leave me a comment and let me know what your favourite blog is for crafty inspiration.

Weekly wisdom

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...

It's about learning how to dance in the rain.

Vivian Greene 

Akaroa, NZ

Seven on Sunday 16th October - MIA

Well I didn't post my Seven on Sunday last night - got tied up watching the rugby






and because it was so exciting completely forgot to blog (Yay All Blacks - so proud of our team)
.....so I'll save that post for next weekend.

I have a busy week ahead planned.  Of course there is work (which unfortunately occupies most of the week ) especially as I didn't win Lotto at the weekend.  Then I have to send away my entry for the Fall in Love with Buttons swap on the Button Floozies blog - I'm swapping with Lorrie from Finding Secret Treasures blog.  I've loved 'meeting' her and discovering her blog. My swap is finished, I just need to post it away.
I have a canvas I am nearly finished making; I have a few more ideas simmering away for more collages which I want to start.
I've been toying with the idea of having a stall at one of our local markets to make some extra Christmas money so I have to finalise my plans for that this week.   
Did I also mention the fridge needs cleaning?  :)

Seven on Sunday October 9th

Here we are again, Sunday.  Last week just sped by.  Its hard to believe that the first week of October is done and dusted already.  Christmas will be here before we know it..  Here are some of the things that I've been thinking about this week

1.  Earthquakes - we've just had another earthquake, a 5.5 magnitude.  Large by a lot of people standards but not by Cantabrians' unfortunately.  Anyway it was a nasty reminder that Mother Nature is still in control. 
2. Mojo - don't want to say it too loud but my mojo appears to be back :)  In the last week I've completed a small canvas and started another one - which I am loving.  I also ideas bubbling away for two more.  Just need to find the time now!
3. Children - do you ever stop worrying about them? I can't imagine a parent ever does
4.  New job - I really need to start looking for something permanent.  There has to be the perfect job for me out there somewhere.
5. Birthdays - I have a significant birthday approaching rapidly and I'm not prepared (mentally) for it at all.
6. Summer - it's on its way.  The days are getting longer and there a is a definite feeling of renewal in the air.  Now if only I could get the grass to stop growing until I get the mower fixed.....
7. Rugby - can't leave it out.  Only two weeks to go and it will all be over.  Come on All Blacks

I've got a busy week ahead.  I still haven't achieved my goal of actually making something I've seen on Pinterest, so I think I am oing to focus on that this week.

Seven on Sunday 2nd October

Sunday night once again - where do the days go?  I have had quite a productive weekend. I've:

• Planted my planters with blue and white pansies and lobellia.  Now just have to wait for them to get established
• Also planted some herb - mint, parsley and coriander; and lettuce
• Planted some flower seeds - nasturtiums - in some pots for the deck;
• Baked a delicious lemon syrup cake
• Washed countless loads of washing (now have to fold them all - my least favourite job)
•  Completed a canvas - the first bit time I've felt creative for a while - I have to do some more to it but it feels good to have made something
• Watched too much TV - rugby world cup and now NRL final
• Still have some beds to make and then it will be a bath and a good book I think :)

Toady's list of seven is "Seven Favourite Movies:  in no particular order  "

(movie poster images here)

                                                   


And yes, I do know there is more than seven......I couldn't bring myself to choose just seven, in fact I could add a few more as well.  I'm also not sure what these movies say about me...hopeless romantic? Definitely, and proud of it :)
What are your favourite 'go to' movies?  What do they say about you?