Hello Love

It's simple.
I *love* Lucy.

Sneak Peak::December Daily 08

Here's a little sneak peek of a project I'm working on. It's called December Daily 08 and you can get all the scoop over at Ali Edwards.

*In a nutshell : create a daily page for each day of December up until Christmas, or the whole month. Whatever you desire. Any size, any format you want. Then tell your story. Honestly, click over to see all the details as Ali is the master at describing all the detail and giving heaps of inspiring ideas.

It doesn't look like much now but it's coming together really nicely and I'm confident the completed version is going to shine. These were the very first stages of me giving this project a go. If you look at what Ali has created it will make more sense. Check out her December Daily 07 from last year on her sidebar to see the completed album. It's so chock full of goodness.

I'm really having fun with this. Did I already say that? Probably did but I wanted to share more about why I'm excited and totally inspired by this project. I love photos and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this sentiment especially when it comes to family photos. It's what we hopefully pass down generation to generation. A documentation of our lives. I love the history, stories + memories a photo delivers and I have for soo long wanted to get every photo I have organised in some sort of fashion so that when I leave this earth others can enjoy what I have experienced. When we document (journal) along with our photos it's so wonderful to look back and know what was happening during that moment, that day, that special event. Even if it's just a few words it tells so much more of the story. It allows us to connect and share and I think we all find joy in that.

I know I will have a lot more to say about this as it starts to come together more. I'm kind of worried about filling it daily when 1st of December rolls around which is soon but I'm going to push on and let it evolve as the days unfold. Even if it means average, ordinary days because that really is where the best stories come from. Wouldn't you agree? Since the backbone of the book will already be created it I'm looking forward to just adding and having fun instead of being bogged down with trying to get a layout set up.

The icing on the cake. My 13yr old step-daughter was so in awe of what I had started she asked if she could do one. Why of course! Below are a few pages she made using some of her paper stash.

It's not too late to join in! Let me know if you do.

Butterfly Punch Collage

I've been meaning to show this as I finished this quite some time ago. I remember seeing it and knowing it would be a great project. And it was. With the holidays coming up there are a lot of variations you could try. I did this based on this project here by Ali Edwards. I'm a huge fan of her craft. I've also started the December Daily Album which I will share soon. I am really enjoying creating this project. It's been such a great outlet and I get to use paper + pattens which I *love*.

I used paint sample swatches from my local hardware shop. Now I'm not saying you should go out and raid their sample collection but 'ya know if you see a few that might come in handy or you have a stash that's been sitting around collecting dust, by all means, get crafting people.

I didn't have a butterfly punch so I ended up buying this small one for a special thirteen year old, I happen to know, who is "totally" into butterflies and loves the colour blue. I used a basic punch because I didn't allow time to find and purchase a larger, nicer one but this one did the job. I'm on the look out for some good quality, larger punches for future projects.

My largest expense was the shadow box frame which I purchased at our local IKEA. I love IKEA! I didn't even use cardstock (should have, I know!) for the base page to adhere the butterflies to. I didn't have any on hand so I used the sheet that came in the frame and it turned out fine. I did use small foam dots. Hard to see but the butterflies are all slightly raised which gives it a nice effect. I think I could have fit another row & column of butterflies in there as well but it was my first, so next time.

Little "Miss Butterfly" was pleased and that was all I needed to know that it was a success.

A Halloween Wish For You

A very Happy Halloween to all of those partaking in the festivities.

if you are:
trick-or-treating
taking your children trick-or-treating
dressing in costume
handing out treats
getting to see all of the neighbourhood kids in costume
lighting your jack-o-lanterns
munching popcorn, candy corn & caramel apples
listening to spooky music
enjoying your Halloween decorations
hosting a gathering for family & friends or
feeling sick from sugar overload & eating the treats you are suppose to be handing out . . . . .

just know I am a wee bit jealous. It will be quiet here. I doubt we will have any trick-or-treaters but if we do I will be very surprised.

It's the atmosphere of my hometown I miss most. All of the children that fill the streets dressed in the most brilliant of costumes. Many proudly sporting their mother's handmade creations. Oh how I miss you all and all of your cuteness. So on this Halloween eve, I wish you all a night filled with the treats that Halloween brings.

xo

More Pink and a New Crush

{images: Record The Day}

I do, I do! I have a new crush. On the visual delights at Record The Day. I'm smitten and captivated by all these wonderfully, yet small scale visual treats. I want to sit and stare and gaze at them forever and ever. I do!

I really love these collages. I really like the incorporation of the miscellaneous bits and pieces of daily life. The little notes we collect, or pages we tear, the business cards we are handed, the packaging from our favorite shop or the words we jot down. It is done so beautifully here and I'm completely inspired. It's a wonderful way to gather and keep all of the things we dream about and are inspired by.

I have intentionally featured all of them in pink because, well, I simply could not help myself and it is the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Not that that will stop me from splashing pink around. Just saying, you know?

1. estate sale lot 9 Coconut Ice
2. estate sale lot 17 Princess

And if that's not enough for you. Record The Day also has and etsy shop & blog called Lobster & Swan filled with her collection of "estate sale lots," like the two shown above, and other fabulous goodies. So if you want to add some lovely haberdashery to your own collection she's got some wonderful little packages in her shop. I SO want this one and this one! :)

craft recipe: spaghetti box , glue & paper

I love paper. I especially love paper craft. Paper + making something. Even better. Throw in recycle/re-purpose to the mix and now we're talking.

I'm always saving good packaging knowing I can use it for some sort of craft or another. After seeing this paper project at A Little Hut I decided I'd give this little box a new life. I kept it really simple but I think the possibilities are endless. You can make it as simple or detailed as you wish.


I simply cut off the top of the box. This one is a little flimsy so I reinforced the ends, where the box was originally opened, with tape first. Then I cut my paper with a paper cutter and covered the long sides. I covered the ends last, squeezed a little glue just under the edges and held them in place with a clothespin. I thought it would be nice to have a design on the inside so I printed an image from my digital stash and used it for the inside. This would be great for the inside of a drawer or simply on top of your work area as a little catch-all for miscellaneous bits & pieces.

*It's my second post with pink. I didn't plan it that way, promise. I do have another "pink" project to share soon. It is Breast Cancer Awareness month though.

The Lure of Pink

1. Pink for the Cure, 2. Pink Rose, 3. whisper baby pink, 4. New pink wellies for green wellies!, 5. Pink Cabinet, 6. not enough pink, 7. Pink bike, 8. Pink Door


Couldn't resist a little flikr fun. And I love me some pink. I think it's the softness of it that draws me in. I'm not attracted to the hot or dark pink shades. It's the soft, subtle tones that draw me in. Maybe it's the bursting of Spring here that's luring me in but honestly pink lures me in all year long.

I'm dreaming of:

1. A pink, hazy sky to lie under.
2. A pretty pink rose with a soft scent that I wouldn't forget to stop & smell.
3. A yummy, sweet cupcake with butter cream frosting dusted with pink goodness that I could eat whilst under that pink sky.
4. Pink wellies I can go puddle stomping in (Seriously, I would love a pair of these) along the way to smelling the roses, cupcake in hand, underneath the pink sky.
5. A vintage pink dresser to stash all my goodies in. Oh my!
6. A fresh cut pink gerbera to place in my kitchen sill.
7. A pink bicycle to ride through the countryside. Of course, I'd have to wear my pink wellies for stops to stomp along the way. I'd also have a basket to place my fresh cut flowers and my sweet treats I collected from my stop at the local bakers.
8. A pink painted door on the entry of my dream studio. The kind where dreamy delights become a reality. The one I'd come back to after my midday bicycle ride. The one where my pink wellies and pink bike would be parked just outside. The one where I'd retreat to to continue dreaming these dreams.

What's captured your imagination of late and what are you dreaming of?

Trick or Treat with A Fanciful Twist

In order to get the Halloween festivities going and allow everyone to share a bit of their Halloween adventures "The" Party has started and I'm sure you will want to see what everyone else is up to, right? Head on over to Miss Vanessa's of A Fanciful Twist and check the link list of party goers for what I'm sure is chock block full of creative delights for a Halloween's night.

Will you be trick or treating?

Or dressing in costume and dancing the night away?

Perhaps you are like me? A candy giver who loves to pass out the "treats" to those who come in costume.

Whatever your plans are I hope they are filled with all the fun Halloween brings. Halloween is not the big hoop-a-la here in Australia, or at least here in Perth, and I miss my hometown neighbourhood and all the magic that happens there. My step daughter has asked the last few years if she can dress in costume and trick-or-treat. Only problem is that I've not yet experienced anyone participating and it wouldn't serve any purpose to parade around in costume with no treat givers on hand. Maybe this year? We can hope. If not we'll try and create a little Halloween magic to enjoy here. There are no pumpkin patches either(for Halloween that is!) so carving is out of the question. There is no shortage of pumpkin here as it's a huge mainstay of the Aussie diet. We just need to get oursleves out to the country and find ourselves a pumpkin farmer with a pumpkin patch.

If you are doing some pumpkin carving/decorating Jessica of How About Orange created a list of projects for you to try here or maybe make some festive garland created by Lilli Beck.

Make sure you stop by "The Party". I know Miss Vanessa will not disappoint with her amazingly creative and wonderful tales.

{images: my free samples from Dover Publishing}

knitting 101

After talking the talk the past few years about learning to knit, I finally walked the walk. I. Can. Knit. Woohoo! And I’m quite happy thank you very much. It feels like forever that I’ve been admiring everyone else's knitting projects. Every time I gawked over their fabulous creations, I was always feeling that tug, that desire to know how. Well I guess timing is everything because I finally sat myself down and gave it a go.

I’m knitting a scarf. I know. Isn’t that what every beginner starts with? I’ve made plenty of mistakes but I keep on going. I think all of the mistakes will only give it more character. Don’t you agree?

It feels good to learn something I’ve wanted to do for so long. I look forward to learning so much more and tackling another on my list of things to try/learn.

What’s on your list? What “something” new have you learned or tried recently?

when we lead by example