Happy New Year!!!!

Well I can't believe it is nearly 2009!!!! Where did that year go my friends.... Well as always, at least I am not unpredictable, I have had a bit of a clean up and change around in my studio room...I must tell you it looks prettier then these photos but I now have a little packaging station with all my vintage ribbons and such in gorgeous old bakery bags under the little desk... This old wardrobe (was my Nanna's) I have stripped and painted chalk USA and it was in my hall...I am going to put a little glass shelf half way up so I have more room for other little boxes to keep my special things in... I have a new gorgeous book rack that my dear friend Angela gave me for Christmas and her sweet and talented hubby made it...Unbelievable!!!!!!! The book I have on there is a book my sister gave me for Christmas and it is Space by Shannon Fricke....She was the amazing stylist that was here when they photographed my house for the magazine!!!! I will enjoy reading it.... Many, many exciting changes ahead...My head is on fast forward at the moment and it is so hot here I feel like I am melting....I want to wish you all a wonderful HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! and I know 2009 is going to be FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!
PS Please go and have a look at my daughter's blog she just gave it a make-over and is really excited about it!!!!!!

Nice to be HOME!!!!

Well I can't believe it is over for another year!!! We had a lovely 4 days at the coast after a bit of a bumpy day on Monday with our accommodation being double booked and there were no other apartments where we usually stay so luckily for us the only other place they had on there books was this gorgeous 3 bedroom apartment right on our favourite bike path and 50 metres from the beach....JUST AMAZING and at no extra charge - Merry Christmas too us!!!!! As we have lots of wonderful american friends, we heard that they open some of their presents on Christmas Eve so this year we decided that the kids opened there present from us on Christmas Eve and it was lovely as it was just the 4 of us at that stage.....My 2 sisters and brother and my sister-in-law and her hubby joined us Christmas day and stayed Christmas night which was a lot of fun. Present opening early in the morning, preparations for lunch and people arriving, big swim in the pool after lunch, chatting to other family members then a game of cricket to end our day (dedicated to Ian)....a light tea and pudding of course (my nanna's recipe and it is soooooooooo nice) and then a game of up words to end the night.....very, very exhausted!!!! I hope you all had wonderful day.....

Thank you and Merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. ~Augusta E. Rundel

I love this saying and I think it captures Christmas how I see it...I have had such a special day today...My dear friend Angela and her daughter came for morning tea... Kirstie and I made the table pretty and we chatted and giggled and I was sad for them to go. Then just after they left my dearest friend in the world who lives in another state phoned and I chatted with her for an hour and I just felt so content.... We are leaving tomorrow for a few days away, catching up with family and having a little break before another wonderful, busy year starts... So I wanted to say I hope everyone has a TRULY MAGICAL Christmas and to thank you all for making blog land a truly wondrous place....

Another year of work is over !!!!

Well I posted off my last order on Wednesday which I must tell you was a relief...It is very hot here now in my little cottage and I always find it hard to concentrate on soldering over Summer.... Just thought I would show you a couple of images of my studio room on the day of the photo shoot as I am sure over summer I will change things around as I always do....Really want to get more organised this year and I might even paint my little floor if time permits.... Chalk USA of course....My dear hubby made me these gorgeous little doors about a month ago...It is Chalk USA on one side and the original light blue that I love on the other side.... We rubbed it with a little milk paint in the places where there was no paint at all !!!!! I so love them and will try and take some better photos of them soon.... It is just a normal old door cut in half and then we have taken the top panels out and replaced them with glass... Made a Christmas cake on Wednesday but it is a little dry so might try again...I am going to make some ginger cookies and shortbread cookies today and hopefully one of my puddings from my Nanna's recipe....

The end of another chapter!!!!

Well my sweet little boy graduated from Year 7 last night... It was a wonderful night..We had the best time and for once I didn't cry which is always a bonus...At one stage of the night all the graduating students gave their family a red rose and of course a big kiss and hug but I sucked the tears back...As I am still fighting this terrible flu I fought through it and even got up for a dance of the time warp and the YMCA at the end.... I am so proud of the gorgeous boy he is, he got his report card today and that made me cry (lol)... This is part of the comment his teacher wrote about him "

........he has a true sense of wonder about the world and I hope this curiosity and thirst for learning stay with him for many years to come.......

To me that says it all.. Andrew will start High school in late January and a new journey will begin.....I am one very blessed mummy!!!!!!!

A few Christmas photos

Well just a quick note !!!! Thought I should share a couple of photos with you guys...!!!! Hope you like them....Still fighting this flu, trying to finish off orders and Christmas is coming so fast...Andrew and Kirstie are at the High school today...It is Andrew's orientation day and Kirstie is volunteering!!! and then my precious little man's graduation tonight!!!! Will take some photos of them!!!! Love to you all!!!!!!

Christmas is coming!!!!

Well I have been fighting the flu this week and haven't really done anything I was suppose to but we have started to decorate which is always lovely...Kirstie took this photo on her mobile phone of her and her brother... Kirstie is on Summer break now and my little boy has only one week left till he finishes primary school....He has his graduation on Tuesday night which will be lovely..... Will try and post some photos of my Christmas decorations over the weekend.....

Dreams really do come true!!!!

Well I am really sorry to my blog friends for being a little side tracked lately but yesterday one of my dreams of a life time come true..About 2 months ago I had an email from the deputy editor of a gorgeous Australian publication called Country Style magazine....ask me weather I would like to have my little cottage be featured in an upcoming edition...I absolutely adore this magazine and I can admit I actually danced and screamed around my house I was so excited...I just couldn't believe it, my tiny little cottage in Country Style magazine!!!! Well yesterday was the photo shoot and it was such an amazing and joyful day for me.... except for the fact I had to have my photo taken!!!! Jared and Shannon were just so lovely, it was such a wonderful relaxed day and Claire who is writing the article was like an instant friend!!!! Anyway I am so behind with work that I think I will be working very hard all weekend to get on top of some of my orders but it was definitely all worth it......Not sure what edition yet but it will be early in 2009.....I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this photo!!!

I take so many photos of my charms and I must say it isn't an easy task to get them to look pretty but I love this photo....What do you think?????

Kirstie's room

Well I thought I would share a few images from Kirstie's room. She has an amazing eye for design and detail. I especially love her painting....One of my all time favourites !!!!!!!!

Letters, Words and Number

Very early morning photo but thought I would quickly drop by as I have been pretty slack with my posts lately....Bought these gorgeous chrome initials the other day to put as inspiration in my studio room... As I think you know I love words, letters and even numbers in my decorating....Kirstie has the word books on her dressing table and that looks really cool as well.... Will try and take some photos in there over the weekend.... Need to work really hard over the next 3 weeks so I can have time off over Summer...

Why do you have a ladder in your lounge room????

I am constantly asked by people why do you have a ladder in your lounge room????? and basically I say WHY NOT!!!!! I so love this old apple picking ladder, it is huge and so full of character. I also have a larger old mirror on my sideboard now made from a gorgeous old frame.... Anyway I had the electrician here for most of the day yesterday putting up new light fittings and we are finished except for a bit of a problem in the kitchen, which is annoying but he is a wonderful electrician that actually cares about his clients which is so lovely!!!! Loads and Loads of work to do, I am so very behind....

Road Trip

Well Kirstie (photos we took on her mobile phone) and I took a road trip yesterday to Brisbane (the big city LOL!!!) to pick up some light fittings for the house... We had a lovely time with the music blasting and singing and chatting and getting lost and of course having a nice hot chocolate and cake at a little cafe. While poor Andrew and Geoff finished the pailings on the front fence. I have spent a few more hours today painting my front doors and just doing some house work.... Definitely not enough hours in the day at the moment.... Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!!!!

Old Bowls!!!!

Well look at this gorgeous old ironstone bowl, isn't it amazing. I love all the discolouring and perfect little cracks in the surface that comes from age... I bought this pear a few weeks ago at Lily-G and doesn't it just suit it perfectly. Quote for this week.....

All that we see or seem
is but a dream within a dream

Edgar Allen Poe

The front of my little cottage

Well I have waited 16 years for a picket fence and it is finally happening. It looks so nice and then I want to get some little iron gates of some description we have been looking for old ones that would suit for so long but as yet no luck... I have photos of these very special roses in my front garden that were cuttings from my Nannas garden so extremely special to me....and in the second last photo there is a playful little bee finding some sweet nectar....I have also started to paint the 3 lots of double doors across the front of the house as they were dark reddish brown, very yucky...Not sure what I will put on the verandah as far as furniture yet.... Any ideas are more then welcome and I am still on the look out for some nice light fittings as well. Heaps and heaps of work on at the moment and I am sorry that I haven't been posting as much.... Take care and have a great rest of your week,,,, Will have some photos of my new lounge room mirror and bedroom in the next few days....

Pretty Roses!!!!

Wow aren't these roses gorgeous!!!!! Picked them up from my favourite rose farm on Saturday to brighten up my house a little... I have them in an old glass jar, placed inside a lovely big white bowl sitting on a very old green chair against a white door....It is really hard to take a photo as there is too much sunlight coming through the door but it looks very nice.... I have changed my tiny little wee cottage around a lot over the last few weekends and so want to take some photos to share but nothing is turning out how I want it to.... My little off-white picket fence is started and it look so cute....I love it...!!!! I promise to get some more photos of my house up soon.... Lots and lots of orders keeping me a very busy girl....

A lovely quote

Well it is late Saturday night here and I have spent the day doing some jobs around the house...I am painting my 3 sets of french doors across the front of the house chalk USA and they look so much nicer. This is by far my most favourite colour....Will put some photos up when I am finished... Here is a wonderful quote that we should all live by...... Kirstie found it and we are going to draw it on her big inspiration chalk board....

"For beautiful eyes look for the good in others; for beautiful lips speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone" Audrey Hepburn.......

My amazing BOY!!!! 12 TODAY!!!!!!!

Well my baby boy turned 12 today - WOW!!!! the years have just flown by...Every day he teaches me a little more about what life is really all about.. I am so proud of him... He is one bright cookie that isn't afraid to speak his mind and have in depth conversions with anyone and everyone. He is very protective of me and his sister and if we are ever sad or upset he is the first one by our sides...I love you sweet boy.... Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Break

Well this is the last week of school term and it has been an extremely busy one so I am going to take some time off with the kids and finish off some orders I have had sitting here for awhile... This year is just skipping past so fast and I must say I am not at all prepared for the Christmas rush.... Anyway a few new quotes for the week... Take care my friends...

Friends -
surround yourself with people who believe you can.....Dan Zadra

Share -
Somewhere someone is looking for exactly what you have to offer. Louise Hay

Shine
Remember when you were at your best? Now be there again -
William Patterson

Very Busy Girl

Work, work, work and more work sorry I haven't blogged in a little while....Here are a couple of nice sayings....

To dream of the person you like to be is to waste the person you are...
Anon

Think of all the beauty that's still left in and around you and be happy - Ann Frank

A true friend is the best possession.
Anon

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough
Rabindranath Tagore

Some pursue happiness, others create it....Anon

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!!!

Spring is here - Yipee!!!!!!!!

Well I can't believe it is September already WOW!!!! Spring is finally on its way after a pretty cold winter... I have a lot of orders on the go but yesterday I decided I needed to do a bit of a big clean of my studio room and mop floors etc etc.... It feels much nicer today and hopefully I will keep on top of it...I have taken some photos of my studio which I have in my new banner...What do you think...??????I took this cupboard that was really dark out that has been driving me a little batty ....I really need some more storage though but it will have to do for awhile.... Can't wait to start to make my garden look a little nicer too, might need some help from Angela with that as I must say I am not a green thumb at all... and she is simple AMAZING....She is coming to work with me this morning which I always look forward too...Well 80 little charms await soldering!!! Oh my!!!!!!!