What i'm up to whilst not blogging...

Ok..well I cant' make my text come up above the photos and can't be bothered retyping! so will let you read at the bottom of the photos what they're all about...enjoy

Would you believe this is INSIDE a mall in Dubai...all the shop fronts form facades of buildings to look like you're outside..and the roof is painted like the sky...with little lights that light up at night like stars!!

My honey and I enjoying the camel ride when we went on our desert safari. Was amazing.

Our 'titanic' experience in an ocean of sand...the majesty of it all...words cannot describe.

THis is the Burj Al Arab...an exclusive hotel inDubai where, apparently, the walls are painted with 24carat gold dust paint...I guess some excesses are beyond words!

Hey all..currently away in Dubai and Singapore...heading to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Bangkok before returning home July 10th...having the MOST amazing time...what a world we live in...God is amazing..when you see His creation in some of it's most 'awesome-ness'...makes you realise how little you really arein the scheme of things...but isn't it wonderful how all our tiny unique lives amount to something? They matter to God, they matter to each other...part of a greater purpose...a Master plan, if you like! All connected and intertwined...enjoy the photos. x

Still no tacky glue :(

My bookmarks displayed on an issue of Somerset Life..haha..what else?!!!

Soo...I have now purchased 4 different types of fabric glue, all saying they're tacky, supertacky or whatever...and they are ALL, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, useless! They all soak into my felt backing for my flowers and dont' dry immediately like Fabric Tack in the US. I think I'll just have to find an online source to purchase from...any suggestions girls?

So I'm back to hot glue...and a little more care! But also, away from the glue...I made some BEAUTIFUL velvet ribbon bookmarks, inspired by an article in Somerset Life (where else?)..by Andrea Singarella...thankyou Andrea...soo beautiful and sooo quick to make! I just used some jewels and trinkets I already had and I think they turned out so well. I'm hosting a clothing/lingerie party next week and think I'll make goodie bags for the girls who come. Its so often all about them coming to spend their money, that I thought I'd give them something...just for coming. So a lovely bookmark in their bag, I think, is on the cards.

See what you think...and please leave a comment :) I love comments!..

bye for now...xx

life before?

I'm wondering, dear bloggers, what I did before the world of blogging embraced me?! (or I embraced it! ;))...I do remember saying, as my daughters wedding approached, "what on earth will consume my days once the wedding's over?"...welllll...I think i've found out! lol...and funny because it was just before Claire's wedding that began blogging, but it was more a journalling type thing...I hadn't truly DISCOVERED the wide world of bloggers out there. Actually, I 'd watched Julie and Julia, which was all about Julie's new blog, and how she was journalling her everyday accomplishments as she challenged herself to make a dish a day, for 365 days (!) from Julia Child's "Mastering the art of French Cooking"...if you haven't seen it, and you're a foodie (and love all things French!!!! - ah, HELLO?!!)...I encourage you to rent the movie!

Anyway, I digress...as I lay wakeful at 4.20am this morning and finally decided to get up, as toss and turn trying to get back to sleep (hmm...i DID have a coffee late last night -the decaf just would NOT go thru the machine - too fine a grind I think!) so had the 'real deal'...hmm..that could be it. Anyways...I decided to get up and go online...browsing the wonderful blogs I've become so inspired by...

and got to thinking...how amazing it's been for me to discover artful/crafting blogs...it's been a real uplifting experience for me to have 'met' all these girls/women...JUST LIKE ME!!...well, not exactly, you understand, we're all uniquely gifted and created to be JUST US...but girls with passion for creativity, that make things 'just because' or even 'because they simply CANNOT NOT make it!!'...they've embraced their creativity and not been shy to share it with the world. Well they may have been shy, but they've overcome that shyness - a little easier to do from behind a computer screen..lol. And I'm so happy to have found kindred spirits online...ones who are emailing and those who I'm following, or simply dropping by their blogs to see what they've been doing...I see this common thread - we're all pretty much family orientated, LOVE crafting, especially the more old-fashioned variety, have a faith in God, and mostly love the making something from nothing addage. Amazing!! There are so many of us out there!! How absolutely awesome is that?? I wish wish wish you were all living nearby so I could drop by for COFFEE (I think I hear it calling!...did i mention I LOVE coffee?..and chocolate...REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!! - can't really get them downunder...but LOVE EM!..)anyway...I digress yet again...so where was I? ...oh yes...how I wish some of you (all of you?!!) lived nearby for 'real' visits and inspiration and encouragement...so we could all oooh and ahhh over each others beautiful work or their latest shabby chic acquistion from some market or other. Having said that, it's better if I come and live near all you cos their ain't no markets here like you have in the US...or France...I went to a lady's blog called ..I think..Tongue in Cheek (if you love all things french, google it to get the right name)...oh and she said how there are around 20 antique markets EVERY WEEKEND within easy travelling distance of the village she lives in. TWENTY!! EVERY WEEK!! aaaghhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to go to France next year!!

So my delightful, beautiful and gorgeous fellow bloggers...I want to thank you for being online. For wearing your lives on your laptops! For sharing yourselves with all of us! I can't wait to see where this journey takes me.
right now it's taking me out of the office to the kitchen to put the espresso machine on!!
ciao bellas...
happy creating/blogging!!! xx

Another type of flower

And of course...more flowers! :) You know...just cos I can!!!

Ahh blurry pic, sorry...it doesnt show it well, but I made a centrepiece from glass and copper foil, encasing a sweet pic of a cherub from some old wrapping paper, with a crown cut out of paper with the words 'crown' on that I found in a magazine...perfect! looks really good " in the flesh!" ;)

I'm loving the cool shades of tealy blue and ice blue of the latest fabric I've bought...and these rolled flowers are really fun...and quick. Tho i'm still having to use hot glue (DID I SAY OOUUUCH!!! will I ever learn!?)...bought some supposedly 'tacky' glue and it just soaked right in! didn't 'tack' at all...we don't have the american Fabric Tack...but thought this would have been good...but no. I'll check out spotlight tomorrow to see what I can find...i the meantime, hot it is...

And a couple more rolled "Rhonna" flowers ;)...the purple ones to the side...luscious!

oooh the webcam!

Well! I just discovered my (new) webcam can be used for other than skyping my darling man when he's overseas! It can take photos right here!! so while my camera is out of action I can still capture my latest craftings right here!...but i have to bring them into my wee office to my computer...ah well..a small price to pay I guess!

Sooo these pics are my latest flowers and cuffs! yes! I've discovered the b-e-a-utiful thing called a 'cuff'! Basically a fabric bracelet, I guess....so I cut/ripped up some old calico from a curtain i've had for a hundred years - well not really, just had 'forever' if you know what I mean! (give or take!) I 'vanilla dyed' some lace (soooo nice! and delicious smelling for now too!- came across the idea in Somerset Life)...and made my first one! And wore it out tonight!!...sadly it was a freezing night and it barely peeked out of my sleeve...ah well...and i've got another ready to sew, but as it's 11pm i'd best not do it now!! Just blogging while the electric blanket on my bed is heating up! Then its off to bed I go!!!

So..here is my first cuff sitting amongst some other paraphenalia by my computer...some bits and bobs...

Trying out the centerpiece...a flower perhaps?...Or something gorgeously ancient looking...an antique 'thing' for putting your scarf thru and holding it together...I know it has it's own sweet name but I can't think of it!! It's very cool and looks like an old coin...I'm thinking this one might make it on permanently...if not onto this one, then the next!...

Cos it does look good, don't you think? Kind of edgy, chunky feminine cuff!! :)

memories...

So...today I was thinking about how time is passing...my mum passed away last August...she was very involved in spinning...it was her passion - spinning, teaching people to spin, maintaining spinning wheels - you name it..the fact that she had 11 (yes ELEVEN!) spinning wheels might say something about that...anyway, I guess we all get our 'craftiness' from her, although we each have a different style and area that we are passionate about. My sister Bernice is mad about felting...weekly sending me emails with fab photos of her latest creation!...very clever with that...and i was thinking about how I was so glad I got to make a 'scrapped' album for mum in 2008...just because. We didn't live near each other - 7 hours to get to her - so didn't get to visit and really just got on with our lives and caught up at Christmas and such...anyway, one day, not long after i'd caught the scrapping bug, I decided to do this family album for mum...so glad I did. She loved it and showed it off to everyone. (and it's pretty basic as was my first project!)...so when we cleaned out her house after the funeral, this one came home with me. Makes me think of her when I look at it now, even tho it's all about us! So...quite nice, tho tinged with sadness. Life I guess...just good to have little reminders that say - just do it! You might not get another shot.

my blog browsing and photoshopping weekend...

Morning happy campers ;) Been playing around with some photos I took when Steve and I went on a weekend away down the coast...i love photographing old things...particularly rusted metal and peeling paint!! and I found some of both on our trip!!...here are a couple... slightly enhanced with Photoshop ( i LOVE Photoshop!) to make the colours POP and make the contrasts stand out....SO cool don't you think??

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What else have I been doing? I've been browsing blogs this past weekend...oh this blogging is so addictive!! what fabulously talented people there are in this world...check out the girls i'm following and you'll see what i mean. This background and header are FREE from a site by a Finnish woman living in the US...check it out...http://blo64rt.blogspot.com/ and her other blog for digital print images to use in your artwork..http://itkupilli.blogspot.com/ some absolutely fantabulous designs there...THANKYOU ITKUPILLI!! Makes it so much fun for this novice to spruce up her blog...and for you to as well! And change it if I want, cos I am a girl who likes change, I must admit...they say change is as good as a rest....speaking of rests....well, not really rests...RETREATS...

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Have you heard of Brave Girls Camp? Oh my goodness...I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to attend one of these artsy/lifechanging/friend making retreats!! Maybe I'll get to one, one day...you just never know. check it out.The brainchild and dream of an inspiring woman called Melody Ross and offered to the world in conjunction with the help of her partner, her sister Kathy Wilkins...checkout their site...NOW...you'll be glad you did.

a few snippets from the site to entice you:

*Artsy, meaningful classes, developed and taught by Melody Ross
*Artfully packaged class kits
*A hand-made Brave Girl Camp journal/sketchbook (for thoughts and ideas)
*A roomy and wonderful hand-made Brave Girl Camp tote-bag
*Almost all class supplies
*A basket to borrow to hold projects in progress while at Brave Girl Camp
*Many other treats and surprises!
*The time of your life if you choose to make it so!

*Gourmet healthy breakfast buffet each morning
*Luscious healthy gourmet lunch each day
*Scrumptious afternoon gourmet snack
*Sit-down formal dinner each night

Wow..amazing...check it out NOW...http://www.bravegirlscamp.com/

ahh..broken camera...sad day

sooo...I was all ready to take some pics of some of my arty bits and pieces...and for some reason the lense got stuck on opening as I turned my camera on! aaghh! took it to the camera shop - and it'll take 3 WEEKS to fix as they have to send everything away...so sad. so, so sad! :(

In that case I got to thinking about what cool pics I have stored on my computer that might be of interest to anyone...and also thinking today how its not long till my darling man is home...three weeks about...he's been away now 5 weeks in the burning sun of Dubai...whilst we wade into winter with over 200mm of rain in one day!! Out of the ordinary I know...but goodness me - this is SUNNY NELSON for goodness sake! We DON'T do rain!!...

anyways...I got to thinking about the great weekend away Steve and I had last summer to Pohara beach in nearby Golden Bay. We were talking one day about what a beautiful region we live in...I mean people come from all over the world to visit Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park....because it's so beautiful! You can SO take for granted where you live...so we thought we'd take a few days and have some 'us' time....so here are some pics from our trip away...

you'll notice I DID manage to photograph old rusting trucks on the side of the road(!)...no mean feat cos that meant Steve ACTUALLY stopped for me to get out and take photos of what he thinks of as old junk!!..(but he liked my pics!)...anyway..all sorts of pics...broken down things at tiny out of the way wharfs...plus a unique and quite well known (tho we'd never been) store at Bainham that has been purposefully kept the same for generations...even the paintwork (what's left of it!) is practically the original...it's SO quaint...and been in the same family since it was built! Amazing...still working and operating as a local store and wee cafe. We had 'devonshire tea'...scones with cream and jam...(and traditionally should have been with tea, tho we had a latte and a long black!!)

so check out some of the more rugged top of the South on the east coast of the South Island, and if you're not from NZ it'll give you a glimpse into the beautiful place I call home...and for you kiwis..enjoy "Godzone"!!

An amazing crevice in the rock just on some property we drove through as we headed south from Farewell Spit...and down the coast...that's me sitting in it :)

..and that's Steve standing in the split rock...amazing

Here's a view of one of the beaches we drove by...couldn't access this one...but we were driving south and stopping at all the beaches we could...driving through inlets in the 4wd...fun..

another beach view...lovely lone Nikau palm tree in the foreground...this is looking back up where we'd driven...looking North

Same view with a little more light!

This is at Wharariki Beach at the very top of the South Island...we'd never been before - it had HUGE sandunes...you had to park at the end of a road then walk 20 minutes across a farm - the owners have kindly given permission for the public to wander across a barely recognisable track...amongst the stock etc...it's a great walk...and these amazing HUGE rock formations are right there on the beach...quite incredible - my photography could not do it justice! Apparently it's a beach with a wicked reputation for having harsh winds...sand always blowing in your face etc...well we struck it on a perfectly calm day (not having known about the winds we thought it was normal!)..anyway...it was fab.

That's Steve wandering along the beach heading south...

Another amazing rock formation along the road..see how it sticks right out over the car! Incredible...I can't imagine what caused them to be formed this way.

Gorgeous splash of colour on the side of the road...apparently growing wild...tho by someone's letterbox.

Some working cray pots (for catching Crayfish/Lobster) on a broken down old bargey thing! I loved getting up close and personal around it taking lots of closeups of old rotting wood and rusting metal bolts etc...great for using in scrapbooking...EXTREMELY vintage looking!!

Cool firebox thingy's (!!) on the outside of an old hut. Quite beautiful design I thought, for a purely functional, practical object. Got some nice close ups of this too ;)

And what about this amazing rusted old truck! Just parked up on the side of the road...not bothering anyone...

NOW! Here's me on a swingbridge...yikes! I HATE them..all that wobbling about as you walk out over the river. And Steve! Oh Steve! He liked to wait till I was in the middle and do a big jump on the outside edge which made the bridge undulate...we were rockin and rollin...I DID NOT like that!! freaky friday!! But here I am...VICTORIOUS!

And here's a shot of the same further away...just so you can see the dark, cold, DEEP water beneath me!!

And there's my darling on the bridge...not a care in the world.

Oops here I am again ...showing off! Practically doing a dance! ;)

And this is the bridge with the 'warning' signs...a 2 person load limit...didn't say how heavy tho I don't think...lucky we are't too big!

And here's the wonderful quaint Bainham store where we stopped to explore and have a cup of coffee at the very retro tables and chairs. Just sitting there on the side of the road like you'd stepped back in time...

There's Steve reading the paper whilst we waited for our 'devonshire teas'...just gorgeous!

Some of the wonderful old signs on the walls...aren't they amazing?! And they're there from when they actually sold those items in the store!! Brunch coats and gingham frocks!! I LOVED IT!

The old petrol pumps outside.

So there ends my little sharing time with you of our holiday last summer...hmm actually, the summer before!! March 09. I remember now cos it was while we were away having 'us' time that Claire got knocked off her scooter by a car and broke her ankle...and no-one could get hold of us cos we were out of cellphone range! But she had good friends around, and her sisters, and at 20 it wasn't so crucial we were there...she did, however, break her ankle dreadfully and ended up getting a plate in it, with 8 screws, and was subsequently home off work for 3 months while she recovered, and learned how to walk on it again, eventually. A year on now and it's pretty good, tho she has to be a bit careful!

Well..ciao for now my friends. It's 1.24am and definitely time this little blogger was tucked up in bed. One good thing (the only one really) about my dearly beloved being way is that I can click away on the computer till all hours and no-one is being neglected!! yay!!

luv jessie x

oooh...look at this...came across these pics of my gorgeous kids when they were all 'much' younger (bearing in mind they are now 16 - 26!!)...

This is Beth, my youngest...she must've been about 3 here...she's 16 now! What a cutie!!

And then there's Claire...maybe about 11 here...she's 20 now and newly married. That's her at the top of my blog on her wedding day in April this year. My beautiful bride. :)

And this is my gorgeous Laura at about age 7 having just finished the Kiwikids Weetbix Tryathlon - she was sooo excited about being in it and did really well...a real little go-getter. She's 18 now!

This one is all my girls with my eldest girl, my darling Emma on the right...about 12 here...now 23! Aren't they too cute , all lined up on the stones in the middle of a nearby river.

And this is my number one son! - my gorgeous Evan - abut 10 or 11 here...now 26! He loved sport, particularly rugby and cricket...he's my eldest and each time I had a lovely sister for him, he would hope for a brother!...but when sister number 4 came, Beth, he said "its alright mum. You can stop trying to have a brother for me now, cos by the time he's old enough to play cricket, I'll be 20!"!!! Soooo cute. He was 10.

And Wow...and here's a photo of me and my sisters when I was maybe 4 or 5...thats me 2nd from left...looking like a tiny little old man!! haha!! SUCH a funny photo of me!! That would've been about 1963 I think!

I must do something creative with all those photos in the wire basket...I put them there some time ago as a reminder to do something with them...but they're still there! ah well...don't suppose they're going anywhere any time soon!

Ooh! I've just been accepted into my first swap!! yay!! SO excited...a 'big fat envelope' swap...international. That'll be exciting...must do some really creative things to put in the envelope. Wonder who i'll get and if we'll become online friends :)

Might go and have a cup of tea...no coffee for me late at night...sigh

More tomorrow...blessu

jessie x