Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Inspiration

This past Sunday the youth from our church took over Sunday service. It was the most inspiring and uplifting experience. I always knew that the youth at our church were mature and wonderful people, but I had no idea at their passion or how inspiring they could be.

We had three of the youth give mini sermons, one about the importance of giving to the poor (not just financially), one about being a christian in the army (very eye opening), and about how her faith & relationship with God was shaped by the influence & inspiration of her little brother who lost his battle with cancer about 4 years ago. Loads of tears! Wasn't enough tissues in the place.

And lastly the talent! Especially from those we did know could play instruments or even sing so well. We knew that they were nervous, worried about how things were going to go, but you couldn't tell when they were up on stage.

This is defiantly a service that people are going to be talking about for a very long time, and I really think that they have reached the hearts of almost every person who was at service. So proud of you guys! Wish I had taken our camera, but I think that I will remember every minute of the service for a very long time to come, it really touch my heart and lifted my soul.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

My next project

One of the best things about not having a job to go to is the ability to do all those things that you said or would have said 'Maybe one day if I had the time" to. I have the time. On a side note keeping busy keeps you sane. I have done a few projects around the house in the last year, cleaning and reorganising mostly. But also a couple of bigger projects, no-dig-veggie garden and the redecorating of a chest of draws in our bedroom.

I have found the next project that I would like to tackle, it is essentially an art piece. In our home I have two places on two walls that need something. I have an idea for one, I want to create a display of the photo's that myself and my WH (wonderful husband) have taken. For Christmas last year my WH gave me three of my photos that he had printed out and framed, they are currently displayed next to our TV unit. I am not happy with their placement that think they would make a bigger statement if they were displayed, along with photo's that my husband has taken, on the wall across from our front door. In that location they would also make a great first impression as you walk in our front door. The space that the photo's would leave has been perplexing me for awhile now, I look at it every evening when we sit down to watch TV.

I think that I found it, I was doing one of my favourite things this arvo, which is surfing the ETSY website for videos when I came across a how to on a great art work.

You can view the video here.

The thing I really like is that it is sort of killing two birds with one stone. I have been shredding some pruning that I have been doing in the backyard (when it is not raining), but my shredder doesn't take anything bigger than 40mm round. So I am accumulating a pile of 40mm and above branches. They would be prefect to use to create something like this (and they are free!). I also have almost all the supplies.

Yep, defiantly my new project. Will let you know how I am progressing and the end result!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Lets travel through blogs again

Traveling around the world without leaving my couch. Today we are starting with the blog belongs to Ali Edwards. I came across Ali when I was an obsessed reader of Creating Keepsakes Magazine, where she had a regular column 'Studio A'. I enjoyed the column so looked her up online and have loved getting a glimpse into her world, her family & her creativity. Down the side of her blog you will find under the heading 'Observe' 'Creative Links'. And this is where I am beginning our trip.....

Stop 1 52 Projects, originally a blog for creator Jeffrey Yamaguchi to write up projects that he had done or indented to do. Also for those projects to be a starting point for others creativity (pretty cool). The idea went so well 52 Projects became a book (awesome!). Sometimes there is text, sometimes you just a picture (loved Sidewalk Danger).

Stop 2 Hula Seventy, super cool banner! Belongs to Andrea a freelance photographer. Love the pictures she sells on Etsy. As with my blog Andrea uses her blog as a journal of her daily life and the lives of her family. Absolutely love the pictures of the Epic Rainbow Party, yummy cake!

Finally.....
Stop 3 Totally admit I have chosen this blog simply due to the name.....angry chicken....yep....angry chicken. Very cool name and great blog banner too. Angry Chicken is a blog by Amy Karol. She also has an Etsy shop and is a very talented sewer.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Downstairs finds

We are fortunate enough that underneath our house we have a huge storage area, we use it has a laundry, movie room, garden shed, workshop and storage space. Though it does get quite messy (very very messy!), so I every so often I go down and go through the boxes that we have stored down there. I find that I am more likely to get rid of stuff the longer it stays downstairs, I am less attached to the stuff. So I am down stairs looking through boxes and I came across a purple box, inside was just an amazing flood of childhood memories.



I was never a badge collector, each on I got for a reason. Whether it was the necessary badges when I was a Girl Guide, or the House badges from primary school. I spread them out and couldn't believe how many there were! Also found a plastic bag with badges that belong to my husband so I added them to my collection.

I have to do something with these badges to display them in our home. The memories that just hit me as I was going through these badges defiantly deserves to be on display. Even my WH (wonderful husband) had a moment when he saw the badges I found that belonged to him.


I think I know where I would like to make a display, it is just the how that is perplexing me. Frames? On a piece of fabric? Or just hung straight on the wall with clear hooks? I will have to do some more thinking.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

4 Simple Goals

Idea from one of my fav bloggers Elise Flannigan over at Beauitiful Mess.
It is all about setting 4 simple goals to be done for 2011, goals that will make life better and more fun. Elise has listed her goals for 2011 here, I think this is a great idea. I am usually not a goal setting person, I don't usually have the will power to follow through and complete any goals that I do set. But this project sounds like something that is very doable for me.

So after alot of thought here are my......


1. Bake yummyness every week. I love cakes, biscuits, slices etc.....And we spend a lot of money buying these, when I can much cheaper and easily make yummy cakes, slices and biscuits at home. I will still get to eat as much as I want and still save money!

2. Expand the veggie garden. I would love to provide more of our veggie requirements, and gardening is something that I have found very rewarding and mood lifting (especially when I am very down).

3. Create the best recycled t-shirt shop! I have started making journal covers, envirobags, pillows, blankets and others stuff out of old t-shirts, and I am going to start selling them at our local markets and on my own online store on ETSY.

4. Go for a walk everyday & take pictures. Not just for exercise but to get out into the beautiful community that we are lucky enough to live in, also to practise with our DSLR camera (the only way to learn how to use it properly)

Time to begin! Thanks for the great idea Elise!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Build you own cupcake cuteness!

This would have to be one of the most cutest ideas I have ever come across!


The very clever & creative mind behind the blog vol 25 has created this beautiful printable. It is a fantastic idea, I am defiantly going to use this printable to make magnets. And as a craft for my Church's pre-teen girls mentoring group, I think that are absolutely going to love playing and creating their own super cute cupcakes. You can download this great free printable here.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

I don't do mornings.....normally

I am not a morning person, ask anyone. I absolutely hate seeing light when I open my eyes, I don't see why the day time couldn't around alittle later and allow me to sleep alittle longer. Sometimes my reluctance to get out of bed is due to a rather late night the night before, but not the majority of time. I just don't do mornings. I wonder around in a daze, after taking ages to get out of bed in the first place, and I am really not totally switched on till around noon.

Tomorrow I am getting up at some silly time of the morning to travel down to the city to pick up my WH's (wonderful husband) new work ute. Current we have a ute that is about 7 years old, only has two seats and tries its hardest to shake your kidneys out of you when you are driving around even on the newest roads. Don't get me wrong I am extremely grateful that we have had the ute for the last year or so. Especially with us only having one income at the moment, the amount of money we have been able to save on petrol for our car is huge. And the stuff we have been able to carry from point A to point B has been a blessing as well.

I am really not looking forward to getting up tomorrow, really not. But I am looking forward to spending time with my WH. Who usually gets Monday's off but he has two of his employees away so he has had to switch his day off till Thursday until his employees are back, kind of annoying but it happens. My WH is going to drop me off at a shopping centre close to his head office (where he is picking the ute up from) so I can enjoy one of my favourite things to do. Drink hot chocolate (yummy!), usually I would also eat a piece of cake or a muffin at the sometime, but trying to be frugal I am going to be taking some apple cake and a banana muffin that I have already made in a container down with me (cheap? probably. But it saves money, every little bit counts).

Also taking some mags that I already own, but might find a discount store a buy a small sketch book for myself so I can sketch layouts and other ideas that I come across in the mags. I have been meaning to do this for a while, I have been making & selling notebook/journal covers for a little while and I don't have one for myself. So I am going to get a little sketch book, make a cover for it and when people ask what I sell I can show them. Also good advertising when I just get the sketch book out of my bag and use it (always thinking me). Check out my ETSY store (click on the side bar at the top of my blog) I will be adding some more journal/notebook covers in the next two weeks.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

My Blog Travels

I have mentioned in a previous blog post that I love reading other peoples blogs, recently I have been having a look at the blogs that my favourite blog writers love. Thought I would share a few of the cute blogs that I have found.

I started at one of my absolute favourite blogs A Beautiful Mess by Elise Flannigan
Then I found myself at Freckled Nest by Leigh-Ann Keffer
Started in 2003 I loved the blue woodgrain background to her blog (made me want to change my background, again!).
Check out the series called Tiny Drawer Series, simple and gorgeous!
Started in 2008
Check out Holly's Art Journals (loved the autumn journal! Thinking that I might start on of my own)
Start in 2008 OMG! Her creations are so cute! Sooooooooo want one, I have added this blog in my favourites list and will be going back again and again just to see her newest little creatures. So talented.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

On a roll

I love scrapbooking, but I have been in a creative slump. I have made cards and other things for friends & family. But no scrapbooking pages. That was until a month or so ago when I participated in a free hybrid scrapbooking class through Jessica Sprauge, and I created this page.

Once I finished that layout I had the urge to create another, then another, then another and now I have an actual pile of finished layouts waiting for me to put them in an album. Here are some of my recently created layouts.


I am unfortunately running out of photos, I am going to have to print some more photos. Time to get editing!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Oh cute!

I was checking out one of my fav blogs, A Beautiful Mess by Elise Flannigan, she does this great regular blog feature called '10 things I love'. She listed a oh so cute free printable calendar from another blog called Free People.

I have become rather addicted to blogs, not just writing one but reading them. I love sitting down and reading about peoples lives in different countries. I think its because me and my WH (wonderful husband) are yet to travel overseas, hopefully going to change all that next year with our planned trip to New Zealand. Which since we live in Australia isn't all that 'overseas', is practically a domestic flight. But you still need a passport so it is overseas.

Thought I would share some of my most visited blogs;


Monday, August 2, 2010

My new toy

I L-O-V-E photo editing, and creating digital scrapbooking supplies in photoshop. About 3 - 4 years ago my WH (wonderful husband) bought me and graphics tablet for Christmas. For those of you who don't know what a graphics tablet is it is a device that plugs into the USB drive on your computer and allows you to use a pen instead of a mouse. Using a pen with a computer does take alittle getting use to but soon enough (especially with photo editing and drawing) you find it easy and very flexible. My favourite thing was doing finner editing, using a pen gave me load more control.

Last week my graphic tablet died :-( and I needed it to finish some invitations that I was making for my nephews 2nd birthday (which is in a couple of weeks). I have been having trouble with the tablet for a while, it didn't like to two changes in operating systems I have had in the last few years and really didn't seem to compatible with Windows 7, which we upgraded to at the beginning of the year.

So I started to have a look at what was out there to replace my graphics tablet, and I set my heart on the Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet. Wacom was the brand of my old tablet and I was very happy with it. Yesterday we went to a few shops to see who had the best price and my WH bought it for me! HeHeHeHe!
This tablet has both pen & touch capabilities. Meaning that it can work just like a really big version of the touch pad you have on laptops. Except that with a certain number of fingers and motions you can scroll, rotate and zoom (still getting the hang of that).
So far I have found it great for browsing my library of photos and it makes internet surfing interesting. Can't wait to really get into the photo editing with the pen, which is much easier to use than my old tablet, you can even write with it and the writing actually looks like your own hand writing (again something I struggled with with my last tablet).
I am so in love with this tablet! I think I'll go and continue playing.