Back to the real world.. :)

And here I am, home again...about to upload some pics of my latest (late!) swap!!

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/