A Few Randoms

Just a couple of cards and boxes I have been making lately; Thank yous for guest speakers at our upcoming church conference, some ideas for mothers day, 2 of the projects I demonstrated at my last Stampin Up Party and a few random cards and things.

Been playing around a bit with my camera, but haven't ventured past the auto settings. It's quite an intimidating piece of equipment, especially since seeing all the incredible photography skills of some of my fave bloggers (yes I am talking about you, Lou and Helen!)
Ironcially my favourite photos were not taken by me, but my hubby. I love them! Its rare to find any photos of yourself that you like, but these one's are special to me:

1. Because I am not wearing any make up and don't look anywhere near as hideous as I imagined! heehee

2. They are the first real pictures with my new nose stud. (It's kinda hard to see, but its there!!) I love that I got my nose pierced at 28. Have loved nose piercings for years, but now it is more about knowing who I am and letting it show rather than trying to find who I am, which is what it would have been had I done it when I first wanted it at 16.

3. My little girl tends to be a daddy's girl, so a lot of photos are of her and him, which is lovely; I am thrilled she has such a close bond with him and he is an incredible daddy, but it is also nice to see us connecting even more as she grows up. I love being a silly mum, one who gives a 30 second kiss until dad figures out how to work the camera, one who tickles at the last minute and jumps out to say Boo! when my daughter least expects it. I never want to forget to be silly. I think it does kids a whole lot of good.

He did it!

My husband is the sweetest. He has been making calls behind my back, sneaking around and telling porkies to me. How does this make him sweet, you ask?

Well it's all because he was planning something special.

Just for me.

He came in last night with a bunch of white roses and a card that told me to go to the car.

Bring in the yellow bag.

Brace myself

and prepare NOT to feel guilty.

(He knows me so well!)

So I did, and you know what he had done?

He had bought me my camera.

My beautiful, SLR Nikon D60, just the one I wanted. With an extra lense, beautiful case and massive memory card and just in time for a holiday we are taking with friends over Easter.

He is so beautiful. He has such a lovely heart and delights in seeing me happy. I am so blessed. Its not just about the camera, much as I love it. Its about his love for me and the way he went that extra mile to show he cared. Not just the camera, but the flowers and card. So thoughtful. So loving.

So I have gone from blurry, icky phone pics, to beautiful, bright, bold photos that capture my world. I am so estatic.

So here is a little sneak peak of my favourites today. They also highlight a lovely day I had with my good friend Edwina and her daughter, Talei, who is Hannah's favourite friend. We made icing flowers for cupcakes and watched the girls play, and tried to stop them eating all the icing sugar we had to keep sprinkling on the bench. Not very successful! Hannah came home on a sugar high, and crashed without dinner! But it was a lovely day and I am so excited to finally have my camera! I have the loveliest husband. On top of what he did, he actually sat through the whole stamping up catalogue with me as I excitedly pointed out all the products for 2009!

This is a very happy day.

Ok 2 things:

1. I am not so great at organisation and deadlines
2. I have decided that my 'Week of Homemade Goodness' was a business week... hehe

Just been too busy!! Will blog soon! xox

A Week of Homemade Goodness: DAY 5: Mini Journals with Case

So I was inspired to do this project on Saturday night: (my week of homemade goodness hasn't strictly been a week.... hehe) I saw a gorgeous little set of mini books in a case in the latest Creating Keepsakes magazine and it inspired me to make a set. I used an A4 exercise book and cut it into quarters. I then bound 2 of the pieces (the parts that were not cut next to the spine) using a simple pva method (can't remember where i found it- you basically peg the sheets together and smear a layer of pva over the loose edge, creating your own spine. Let dry and add another layer. Easy way to bind handmade books). Covered them all in pretty paper and used an old box, refolded and covered to house them. Problem is the box only holds 3 of the books (my measurements were a little out) Oh well, I still like them. They look pretty on my nightstand and each book has a different theme and title.
Beautiful Girl - A place to journal random snippets of Hannah's daily life; funny things that she has said or done.
Believe - A small journal to record verses, images or random little things God has been showing me
Favourite things - Maybe like a little gratitude journal, where I can record things I am enjoying in life at this time.
Dream - A place to record my goals and dreams for my future

A Week of Homemade Goodness: DAY 4: QUILT TOP

So this isn't a completed project yet, but I am very pleased with my progress. I made 12 of these squares a couple of years ago (I think they are Ohio Star- I can't remember) Anyway I struggled for ages knowing how to set them; (The perfectionist thing again) so they sat in a box under the bed. I am sick of clutter and sick of unfinished business. I've been reading Ecclesiastes lately and it has been speaking to me a lot. I found this verse which has challenged me to complete the loose ends in my life; whether it be a UFO or an unfinished task of any kind, I think that they clutter your mind and take away your ability to venture forward.

The verse is Ecclesiastes 7:8, it says 'The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. ' It has been speaking to me about how many things I begin in zeal but then fail to follow through with patience when the task gets difficult or uninspiring. I am praying for patience to finish the things of value, and wisdom to close or dispose of the things I should never have started.

Its time to declutter and free my spirit and creativity so that I can stay fresh, relevent and moving forward, not just in craft but in life. I am going to try to be wise in what I take on, and only do what I know I will follow through with and what I am meant to be doing.

SO I sewed these squares together and I bought the fabric for the borders, so I can finish it in the coming days. A finished quilt is a good quilt and of more value than a bunch of squares gathering dust under my bed!

A Week of Homemade Goodness: DAY 3: CARDS

Sorry I have posted these all at once; this one is from Thursday. Had a scrapping day at my sisters, so my creativity for the day was just these 3 cards. Made a cute little easter card for Hannah and I want to make a little basket for her so she can have her first real Easter Egg hunt this year. I am looking forward to setting a tradition. Do you guys have any Easter traditions?

A Week of Homemade Goodness: DAY 2: LAZY DAYS SKIRT

I have a small stash of unused fabrics under my bed, and I finally decided to do something with them. This Oliver and S skirt pattern is a complete cynch, even for the novice. I made it last night while hannah was in bed. I have had this fabric for ages and was going to donate it, but have decided to use a little first.

I like the vintage, hippy look of the mismatched fabric and ribbon and I am pleased to have used a 5 year old ufo; a beaded flower that I sewed for no particular reason, has now found a new home as a pocket. I am sure it will be filled with twigs and pebbles and dirt soon enough. It is a bit big for hannah, as I just geussed the measurements but it will be fine for next summer. Can you believe I actually slid it on Hannah's little sleeping body so I could see what it looked like on! It feels so good to use a ufo, even a little one. I am completely inspired to go through my whole box and finish them all off. But I remind myself, baby steps!

A Week of Homemade Goodness: DAY 1: GRATITUDE WRAP

I have decided to start a new project; well actually 7 new projects. For the next week I am gong to handmake something different everyday, whether it be sewing, papercrafting, cooking or something else. I am enjoying a creative breeze that has wafted through our house the last few days and I am allowing myself to go with the flow and try some new techniques. I really like the concept of repurposing or reusing materials and items to help get on top of the clutter of ufos in my house and create things that will make my life easier or more beautiful. So for day 1, I pulled out my sewing machine, which had been on a long sabbatical, and made this gratitude wrap.


This wrap is a Soule Mama pattern, I first saw it on Lou's blog and I have been wanting to make it ever since. It is a basically a quaint little compendium to keep cards, stamps and notepad/pen at your fingertips so you can write cards on the run. I love the concept of being that organised! Bias edging was a new thing for me, but it turned out not too bad although don't look closely at the ties, they are a bit of a mess. Matching threads would have given a nicer finish, but I was too impatient to hunt them down and rethread the machine!

I really enjoyed this little project and it only took a short time after dinner one night. It has been really refreshing to work with something other than paper. I want to keep it in my car so I can write whenever the mood hits, also thought they would be good to have on hand for random acts of kindness, or to leave a note when I visit a friend and they are out. I would like to make a larger design for my Quiet Time, with room for a slimline bible, journal and pen and a devotional book.

Things I love right now

Ok so it has been the longest time since I have been on here, with the fire evac and dad in hospital. It has been a little crazy. Its nice to be back. Whilst everyone has been upgrading lately to a digital slr and have sensational blog photos, I am afraid I have downgraded to my phone camera, so I apologise prefusely for the poor quality of the images I post! My batteries ran flat on my old camera and I haven't been particularly motivated to replace them since Hannah dropped the camera a few months back and semi-broke it. It still works ok but has a fuzzy black line running down some shots, other shots are completely blurry. As I am aiming for an slr I have been reluctant to spend a couple of hundred on a new automatic, as I would rather put it towards my new camera. Hence the bad pics! But, it is better than no pics. So here is my life at the moment and some things that I am loving right now.

1. Hannah has transitioned from a cot to a bed. It is a rocky transition, with her sneaking up many many many times, but it has been quite cute and funny also to hear her little pitter patter as she sneaks out. I have affectionately called this little bed-nook 'Pooh corner' as it is filled with all things pooh. I bought these foam wall images and told Hannah 'look you have some friends to look at when you go to bed' The next morning she came running into our room and said, 'Mummy! Mummy! I looked at my friends!' LOL
2. Soule Mama: I am loving this blog lately; the concept of recycling, repurposing, and leaving small footprints on our planet. I am so tired of the over-consumption and materialism that defines our culture. This blog is a breathe of fresh air and is inspiring me to weave beauty into daily living and parenting.

3. Hannah has a little art box filled with my old stamps and inks and we have started scrapbooking together. She loved it and I love the idea of having an album filled with Hanny-made pages as she grows.

4. Nathan has painted our new deck! It is lovely and clean and I have determined to keep it swept and in order. I am loving these beautiful, sunny, quiet days that keep interspersing the cold and rainy ones. It makes hanging out washing an absolute pleasure.

5. My kitchen is clean, neat and beautified with a splash of red that I injected in the form of new mugs, teatowels and a new plant. I love it!

6. I have a plant. His name is Herb. And he is a basil plant. It is so fun looking after Herb and I have vowed to keep him alive despite my past misfortunes with indoor plants. I forgot that I let him outside last week. He fell off the barbeque and I found him looking a little sad in the grass. But he is looking chirpier after a drink, clip and sincere apology. I figure if I can keep him going for a few months, I will then take on the added responsibility of parsley and chives.

7. Random, cute things Hannah does when she is supposed to be in bed. Like setting piglet up in a high chair with a medicine cup on his nose. 'Mummy, I give piglet panadol' was the reply when asked what she was doing out of bed.

These are just a few things I am enjoying at the moment. I am also loving my sewing machine have ventured out with a little week-long challenge for myself as you will see in the next post.

P.S. I altered the time of this post so my order would be right; sorry if this is confusing, bec; lol I noticed you commented whilst I was blogging what was supposed to be the first blog hehe