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?