Helloooo,

Just give me a sec while I clear away the cob webs that seem to have encased themselves around my blog….

It really does feel like a lifetime ago since I was last here.

All those moments I had stored up in my mind to share, sadly replaced one by one by newer moments,

So today seems like a good place to start..

Tuesday on this 29th day of June.

Its cold,  and winter has really settled in for a long visit, we even had snow around the area last week.

Thankfully all is pretty good in my little corner of the world…(beside a few winter sniffles)

I’ve made the local newspaper.., after winning a competition run via http://www.beadingforum.com.au/ . Design quest.

To be honest, I’m still in disbelief ……..but it’s nice to know that someone besides myself thinks that my necklace didn’t “scrub up” too bad .

I also was fortunate enough to be quick ( you have to be quick because everybody wants to participate in this challenge)  enough to get my name down at http://www.blissfulgardenbeads.com for a bracelet challenge using her pretty beads..

And I’ve already a couple of request to buy it.

Craft wise I have quite a few “bits & bob’s” on the go, as always..

But, Yay!,  I finally managed to finish knitting the socks that I started last year,

Just in time to keep the princess’s feet warm.

Mr Wonderful is working hard as usual & has started a building  a new Kitchen sink…

He’s on a little mission to try and spend as little as possible by using recycled material’s, starting with the sink that cost a measly $5.00 from the Junction.

Kids are doing well and tomorrow I am off to the high school to sit amongst the other parents wearing my best ‘Cheshire cat smile’ & applaud as loud as I can as as Shannon and Dan both receive Merit awards….

Holidays start at the end of this week, so that means Lazy day’s and catching up on some UFO’s (which are starting to build up quite quickly).

I have a new “Boss” now at the beading shop.

Gail has already etched her way into my heart and she is such an inspiration to me.  She is  proof  that even through adversity one can still rise above it all  and be truly a good person, also Gail has been deaf since she was 2, but hasn’t let that stop her from doing anything she wanted to.

Her new adventure “GEMS on Keppel” thankfully has included me & I am so happy to be a part of her journey. I think there will be fun times ahead.

Thankfully everyone is well, besides the normal winter sniffles.

I just need to mention the fantastic Lemonade that my Mom makes……….

And bring to your attention Mom that the bottle is empty !

Been given 2 thumbs up by Dan.

My last post mentioned that my son & his family was coming to stay,  this post I am expecting my eldest daughter Cindy & family, on Saturday , Yay, and last weekend we made the trip to See my Grandson Kurt get his New belt in Karate.

I love visit’s.

Ok so this is not getting the kitchen cleaned or the clothes hung out or the floors swept, and I have promised Mr wonderful to have a plate of Jam drops waiting for him when he gets home from work…

Been good catching up.

I’ve been told there’s a “Mini cyclone” heading our way and it should touch down about lunch time tomorrow.

I’ve been warned to prepare, But can one ever be prepared?

Especially when its something your really looking forward too,

How could this dear, sweet, adorable little man be a “mini Cyclone”, I just refuse to believe anything that looks that sweet could be trouble, Surely not, but I am prepared to take the risk to find out.

My son and his family , are coming to spend Easter with me.

I’m so excited…….

I’m loving the idea of having an Easter egg hunt with the boys in the morning, and then a proper Easter Lunch.

“Mmmm I’m thinking Baked chicken and cheesecake for desert.”

Ok…….

The bead desk has been made as child proof as can be….

The Easter bunny has dropped off his supply of little eggs for the hunt.

And Low and behold, I even got the duster out today and Dusted!!

All crafting adventure’s will be put on hold, at least those that involve beads that could become a temptation for sweet little finger’s, at least for a few days..

Perhaps it just might be a good time  to pull out the knitting needles & begin working on the mate to this poor lonely sock that I finished at the end of last winter.

Geez, hope I can remember how I managed to knit this one…..

Or  there’s that quilt I need to finish, a little bit of hand sewing might just be in order (http://beadywitch.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/img_4322.jpg) but guess who couldn’t help themselves when she  put up her  hand up at a recent craft get together and said  “Yay” to starting yet another quilt.

Ahmmmmm!

This one  I figure will teach me how to cut and lay out the blocks, so It will be a learning quilt, and I do love a challenge,  perhaps I might just get to use up some of that material I have been storing for a rainy day!

Kind of like being frugal, well thats what I keep telling myself.

I have already started with the  completion of my first 2 blocks, It was decided that we would use the Easter break to get them both  done, but I had a hankering to get mine done earlier this week.

So  begins another adventure.

Block Number 1:  Sarah’s choice

http://www.quilterscache.com/S/SarahsChoiceBlock.html

Block Number 2:  Memory

http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MemoryABlock.html

Eventually we will have 9 blocks in total………Easy peasy.

Oh and I’ve fallen in Love with Macramé….

Who would have thought it…..

Feels like our Sunny Autumn days are all but numbered here,  seems to get cooler with each passing day, guess it wont be too much longer before I’ll be moaning about how cold it is.

I have had some changes to my work place, the shop was sold & so I now have a new boss, I must admit I was a little bit wary of what would happen to me but it turns out that things may just be Ok. The new owner is a lovely lady who has great plan’s to turn the shop into a place of comfort/friendship and learning and wants me to be a big part of that, so I’m feeling pretty good and excited about what the future holds……

Time for me to go and double check that everything is in order for my visitors tomorrow,

Hope everyone’s Easter is filled with all things good and Yummy….

And to those family members that won’t be with me this Easter…….

I’m loving & missing you all in one xox

Each and everyday I say to myself, today I will  blog….

I then turn the lap top on,

I’ll just check my emails, 

Face book, just to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

Joy, when i discover something new and interesting that I really need to try.

GOOGLE

Blog moment has passed yet again….

But it seems I have surpassed all obstacles to stop on by for an Update of sorts.

Great sporting moment

Daniel team win the cricket final Yet again, 3rd year running………

And what began as a cold foggy morning,

Turned into a picture perfect day.

Dan got scored himself a wicket.

                                 Congratulations boy’s for a job well done..

Miss Shannon’s Dance Troupe at tried out at school for the school Dance spectacular….

“Keep your fingers crossed for them”.

Might mean a trip to the big city for us, and another Adventure.

Adventure

We had a little day trip a few weeks back to a little gold mining town not far from where we Live..

On this particular day the town was having a re enactment of the Revolt of the Gold Miners against the Law establishment.

Sometime the old and New co exists……….at least for a day.

  Of course we had to purchase our Gold License to be able to wander the street’s.

Then we joined in on  the re-enactment of the Goldminer’s Miner’s  revolt.

http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/sofala–culture-and-history-20081121-6dho.html

                              Of course Mr Wonderful watched at a safe distance.

And what I couldn’t do with these 2 old jar’s filled with old broken plates & keys, that I discovered at the Old Sofala Gaol.

Well worth a look.

Only disappointing part of the day was that I had pulled the battery out of my “Good” camera and had forgotten to put it back in before we left. I did have plans capture some old cemetery shots but my “Bag” camera  went flat……….

Can you imagine me without my camera…….  Torture!.

On the bright side we plan to go another day, Camera & Battery intact.

Craft

I may be addicted to……..

To just about anything……

Family

Some very important people in my life played their first game of Tag…

                                 “Wish Grandma had been there to watch”.

                                              And what was in that box???

Some very “Green inspired” Jewellery..

I decided that today Id like to share with you a tutorial on how to make a little Gift box.

And it just so happens that tomorrow is my friend Jennifer’s Birthday lunch, and I need a little box to put her gift in , so I thought that this might a perfect time to share with you a cool little crafty idea and show you how to make a gift box using a Card………

Step 1: Gathering supplies

We will need a card “Duh”, pencil & ruler, scissors and double side sticky tape.

“I purchased my little card from Dave’s discounts a local discount store and I picked a card with no wording inside. Mind you a card with a little verse inside would be nice as well, this would also be a perfect way to use some of those birthday/ xmas  cards we can’t seem to throw away.”

Step 2:  The cutting

We need to cut our card in half, so we have a top and a bottom. On our bottom piece “which would have been our back” we need to take a smidge off the top & side, 1/8 inch will do nicely….

We only do this to the bottom piece so that the top will fit snugly .

Kinda like two peas in pod.

Step 3:  The measuring, cutting and folding.

Using our pencil and ruler, I measured  & marked a  3/4 inch line  on all edges of both pieces.

Then I ran my scissors (without cutting) down each line, that scores the lines and make’s it easier to fold .

Now on the short edge we make our cuts. Use photo as a cutting guide.

In all you should only have 4 cuts on each piece. After cutting our corner’s we then fold along our lines..

                                               Excited yet………I know I was!

Step 4:  The finishing touches.

I then need to cut a little piece of double sided sticky for the 4 corners on each .

At this point, the box should come together very nicely.

Step 5: Place the special gift inside.

Sorry

I can’t show you what’s inside just yet, I don’t want to spoil the surprise…..

But I promise I’ll share on my next visit.

And  before I disappear, remember my cute as a button bead from my last post……….

Well It’s now a ring…

Go & check out what everyone else did with their beautiful little bead’s…

http://www.blissfulgardenbeads.com/2011/03/blissful-garden-bead-ring-challenge.html

Another week bites the dust,

I guess it will be Christmas again before we know it,

Note to myself , perhaps I should start the Christmas  shopping now before the rush.

Nah, can’t be bothered , after all there’s 302 days to go….

Flowering delights…….

It all began on Monday, when the crafties got to together to errrr, Eat, craft.

My initial plan was to work on an embroidery I had started days, month’s ok, perhaps years ago….

But I had a yearning to make some more silk flowers……

Like this one http://beadywitch.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/saturnflower.jpg

So into my sturdy basket (which i found out wasn’t quite as sturdy as I thought, when the bottom started to come apart)I packed all my bits and pieces to make “flowers”, & the above embroidery just in case……….

See that sweet little pink flower “hiding” behind that very scrumptious cake “made By Jennifer” , It is there , behind the ice cream,  that’s what i made at craft, and that was to be the beginning of  my week of ice-cream Flower obsession….

Flowers took over my thoughts…………

I even dreamt about making Roses…..

I’m addicted, & I’ve even discovered a site that shows you how to make Paper roses..

I can see music sheet rose earring’s….

Oooohhhhhhh  I need more days in my week better still a weekend when I don’t have to leave the house.

& imagine my glee when the postman delivered a package containing the cutest little bead…..

As cute as a Button….

This very special flower  bead has come by way of Heather

http://www.blissfulgardenbeads.com/about

On her blog she had a little challenge about making a ring using one of her tiny handmade bead. 

I couldn’t type my name down quick enough,

I am totally in awe of her & her beads, she is just so gifted & I can’t help but fall in love with each and every bead she makes..

I WANT NEED them all….

Take a look I dare you not to drool!

Anyhow back to my very precious bead, it is destined to be turned into a ring that I will wear with pride, time permitting this weekend.

My own little piece of Bliss.

Oh and speaking of ring’s, I made a couple through the week,

Yep…flower rings..

And this one I love…

Can’t guess I love flowers! & Dragonfly’s & Beads.

As for the up & coming weekend,  I have a very special Hens party to attend, where I shall be “helping” a group of 16 ladies make a special beaded necklace.

I think it will be fun, “think” as in HOPE.

In my last post “Gone fishing” I held a giveaway.

Well yesterday it was posted it on its way to Kim…

Hope she like’s it as much as I did…..

Ok, now I’m off to plan the next  flowering escapade……….

P.s

Sending Love, thoughts and prayers  to all those affected by the Christchurch Earthquake in Nz…..xox