1000

 

It all started on the 20th May 2009.......

This little space was started from some prompting from a family member that lived on distant shores......

Who would have thought then , that I would have had 1000 blog posts worth of stuff to say.....

I have shared some of my favourite recipes,
some favourite books I have read,
some of the fun stuff we have done as a family,
I have shared lots of my creations.
and REinventions
I have even begun to be brave and show more of myself in front of the camera ...eeeek.

I have met some great people and been sent some lovely pressies through this little space.

It is not taking the world by storm but it has been a place to help me focus on the good and the things I am grateful for....

My family have become used to me turning life into a blog post.

So 1, 2, 3, 4 of my other family members have made appearances.

Did I think I would have much to say or share when I started...definitely not...

I have gone from doing it for someone else to now I do it for me.....I don't get most other social media but I love this spot .....so ....

 I am going to keep tapping away ...because if nothing else is gained .....I have a priceless record of family life for us right now and a little insight into how I viewed the world from where I sit.

Huge thanks for those that pop by and say hello ,you just add to the fun of it all......

December 22 { Thankful #22}

{ Blog 25 days of being Thankful..... this as a way of staying focused on the good , happy and pleasing moments....

it's a way of acknowledging all that we take for granted, all that we sometimes overlook as we let busyness take over.}

Today I am thankful for....

Really lovely friends who I have met in "blogland"

One such person is Michelle from Midge and Judy

I just loved following along  a few months ago as she and her family took themselves and their caravan for a 3 month driving holiday around half of Australia...(unfortunately not the best half..LOL)

She took some amazing snaps of their adventures and made some amazing memories as a family....

Well today when I arrived home to a full letterbox...lots of Christmas cards from far away friends,

a magazine subscription and a PARCEL!

Who doesn't love a parcel?

Michelle had sent me a my very own Yarn Bombing kit!

Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk.

In my kit was ..... 

now to find an unsuspecting public place to brighten up!!!!

Also this beautifully made yarn bomb bag complete with yarn......

Even though Perth wasn't on the itinerary  this souvenir table linen was repurposed into my very own Yarn Bomb bag....

Perfect for having at the ready should the need arrive to "pretty" somewhere up...

There is even a little fancy doily pocket inside for my needles or hooks.....

Go and check out Michelle's Yarn Bombing fun that she had here.....

While you are their check out her other beautiful creations she cleverly whips up.

More Yarn fun here .

Thanks Michelle.....I squealed with delight.

Bunting Arrival

At the end of "blogtoberfest" I found out that I had won a giveaway......

it arrived today.....

This beautiful mini bunting all the way from 

York,

United Kingdom

courtesy of 

Our Green Pea Pod.

Thanks it is so lovely.

My Cheeky Response

A while back a blogging friend also a "real life friend" put out a cheeky ask for some quilt blocks to be made for her birthday quilt....

I have been so lagging in keeping up my promise of a "block" to add to the request.

Sunday's are a busy day for us as a family but I have managed to sneak a couple of hours in the afternoon to finish this task......

Hopefully it will fit the request and become a nice part of the finished product.

Fabric Buying

Flower Power Hot Pink

I am not a big buyer of fabric online...I don't think I have enough know- how  to select fabrics without touching  and feeling it.

I am not that up on my designer names and much prefer to thrift a bargain.

But I do snoop around online just in case I get brave and lash out on a purchase.

Beach Vintage have opened a new online retail site and they have a whole bunch of beautiful fabrics just like the above one.....

So if you are braver than me and love to buy fabric ,go online and check them out.

I {heart} buttons {Blogtoberfest 18}

I have been a button collector for a while.....

I have jars on shelves sorted into colours......

I have made heirloom pieces using my mum's vintage crafting and added her vintage buttons.....

I have larger jars of buttons on yet more shelves....

I have my nan's and mum's button collections in a tin......

While out and about on our getaway I spotted this clever button creation......

If you have a love or fascination for buttons as well you should pop over and check out

Bonkers about Buttons.

Always a button fix to be had there.

1st Bunting {Blogtoberfest 11}

The bunting swap is in motion......

My first piece of bunting arrived in the mail......

all the way from Wales......

From this lovely lady.....

She was also one of the recipients of a piece of my bunting..

Eagerly awaiting the remaining 4 pieces that should be arriving.

My Creative Space {Blogtoberfest 6}

I signed up for this bunting swap.......

I have completed my end of the deal and they are off into the post......

Their destinations included...

Victoria and South Australia {Australia}

United Kingdom and Switzerland....

and lastly to New South Wales {Australia}

I have good word that this one has reached it's new owner already.

Just wish I had been daring enough to sign up for more because I had such fun making these.....

although I will be sad when these vintage sheets of mine come to an end.

More creative spaces here.

Why? {Blogtoberfest 5}

I began blogging almost 2.5 years ago......not being very technically minded and also not at all into "social media" the suggestion to start a blog was laughable.

But becasue the suggestion came from my little sister who was living on the other side of the country and then some I gave it a fleeting thought.

How , where do I start, what would I write about, did I have time?????

I was convinced to give it ago as my sister encouraged me to share recipes and general day to day living so that she could still feel apart of our lives  and she could share in some of the gems that she remembers our  mum doing, that I now apparently was doing.......hehehehe  !!!

Well now as of this past weekend my little sister is now living  just 10kms away with her beautiful family and I can see her so much more in real that I don't have the same reason to blog......

but something happened and that is that I love to blog....I think my children love the reading the  blog, I think my hubbie even enjoys this little space (secretly)

It has become a place to record some snippets of our family life, snippets of my creative life and we all enjoy peeking back and seeing all the "stuff " that fills our days....

So even though my sister may not need to check in here all that often now I will keep tapping away and keep recording the ordinary and some times mundane goings on in this little family of ours.

Hey I have also met some neat people that have some cool things going on so that has been fun too.

Blogtoberfest

I'm joining in for "Blogtoberfest" this year.....

Hoping not to bore you with my DAILY blogging. 

Home of Blogtoberfest is here.

Blackboard messages

After spotting this great idea here the other day....

and knowing that I had a roll of needed blackboard contact sitting waiting for the perfect project...

I set to work ...

Firstly I had to find my fridge face under the myriad of photos, magnets and special items.....

The kids made use of it yesterday and today it holds the start of a shopping list.

When I need to change the space for something else it simply peels off!

My Creative Space

I have had a crazy busy week at work...all fun stuff but things that are all extra and above my normal duties.....but at home I have had a little time to be creative....not as much as I would have liked but still a little...

I have been making these journal covers for a while now but took a little inspiration from a friend and Incorporated some new looks.

Lots of other creative spaces over here.

Something for baby

A sneak peep at some more sewing I have finished this weekend....

A present for a new baby boy of a blogging friend.

{hope she hasn't got time to do any blog reading}.

The wild and wet weather has been very good for sitting behind the sewing machine......in between  tending to all the wants and needs of a family and hanging out at church of course!

 

Braiding fun

I don't know about you but I always have a bag full of something that needs to be dropped off at the op shop.....

In my travels around the net I am always on the look out for great upcycling ideas.

I found a great tutorial here....

Re-purposing: Tshirts into 5-strand-braided-headbands

This sounded like my kind of thing to try and seeing as I always have that bag of goodies to donate and a daughter that has a beautiful head of hair that always needs taming...it was perfect.

These two were made using the 2 inch strips...

She was not sure that she was in need of a green one but I was on a roll....next to cut up a purple one for her...this time I will try the narrower strips to braid.

More mail goodness

I have shared of my love for special snail mail before.

This is my latest special snail mail package......

The very talented Alison from Tweed Thoughts sent me these beautifully handcrafted goodies.

An egg cosy,

bookmark,

buttons and a piece of Harris tweed to play around with.

I love the thought of it coming all the way around the world to little 'ol me.

Alison lives in 

Outer Hebrides of Scotland....

Thank you for the lovely gift I am so pleased with my little piece of "Tweedness".

I Got Mail

One of my favourite things is snail mail....today I got some...the fun and exciting kind...not the bill kind.....

I won a giveaway over at Jennie's Blog...go visit with her she has some fun things jammed into her part of the world.

Anyway the giveaway......

She sent me some really cute paper bags, twine and stickers that would just add a funky little touch to any gift.....

My favourite part of surprise packages is not always the actual gift ( although it ranks high up there) it is the way it is all packaged up ...with such care and offering such intrigue even if you know what is inside it.

Thanks  heaps Jennie for the gift ...I love it!

Post of the month

Joining in today with my  Post of the Month

Best Post

Linking up with 

Happy Homemaker UK 

today for Post of the Month Club.

Check out some of the things people are doing right around the world right here

Geocaching

A couple of weeks ago a real life friend, Christie who has a fantastic blog Childhood 101 asked me to write a guest post on our experience with Geocaching. She is currently running a series of posts on outdoor fun ideas for families.

Hey I was pretty excited to "write " for someone elses blog... it was published while I was away.....you can see the published post over here.

We managed just two cache finds while on our overseas holiday this week. A bit hard to indulge too much when travelling with "non converted geocachers"!

A gift

A few weeks back I won a blog giveaway....it arrived all the way from the USA today.....

It is so pretty and I have just the little girl to gift it too for her birthday.

Go check out  Courtenay, Flannery and Molly at

threesisterz..etsy.com

Thank you it is  gorgeous.