anita meade - simple.creative.life

Making Merry Monday #15

Lots of cards to show you today as I had a bit of a "session" on Friday. Pulled out some lovely "Wintergreen DSP" which is now retired and made up a few cards using the coordinating colours - Soft Sky (retired), Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke and Very Vanilla.

The stamps I've used are : Lovely as a Tree, Many Merry Messages, Circle of Friendship, Winter Post, Baroque Motifs and Short and Sweet. I also made use of my collection of punches, using various sizes of circle as well as the curly label and eyelet border punches. This batch of cards shows how versatile SU! products are and how easy it is to get a coordinated look using their cardstocks, patterned papers, ribbons and inks which all match together perfectly. Too easy! And now my Christmas card stash is up to about 25......a fantastic start on this years "to-make" list for Christmas.

 

       

       

      

 

Thanks for stopping by today. If you have any specific questions about any of these cards, please leave me a comment. Have a very Merry Monday! Love Anita. xxx

A scrapbook page - "Remembering Liv".

I know it is hard to believe, but this morning I did a scrapbook layout. The inspiration for me gathering my thoughts and a picture on a page was my friend Olivia. This Sunday marks one year since she tragically lost her battle with cancer. She has been on my mind even more than usual this week. I thought this layout might help me to process the way I am feeling. So here is to my beautiful friend Olivia Flavell.......

 

Here is what the journaling says....

"This photo has been sitting on the dresser in our family room for a year now. I look at it daily and remember my beautiful friend Olivia. I think about what a vibrant person she was. So much fun! Full of energy, not short of an opinion, super intelligent, and absolutely gorgeous inside and out.

I am so grateful that we met all those years ago at antenatal class. We were both so excited to be pregnant with our first babies. It is a special bond we shared. We went through those hazy early days of motherhood together. We supported each other through tough times, and celebrated with each other through the good times.

When I think of her battle with cancer, the tears begin to flow. She fought it with so much dignity and determination. She was always more concerned with how everyone else was coping, than she was with her own experience.  The strongest memory I have of her illness is how tightly she held on to her family and friends. She didn’t want to leave us and we didn’t want to lose her. She had so much to live for and so much she still wanted do and see. I hope that she is in a beautiful place now, watching down on us all. I know that she would be incredibly proud of the amazing job Jamie is doing with their children.

How I long to hear her voice on the other end of the phone, chatting about kids, and husbands, and work, and everything else under the sun. I think of her every day and I miss her friendship so much. A year on, Liv is still very much on my mind and in my heart.

 

Sleep peacefully my beautiful friend. "

My Creative Space

My creative space today is chaos! My craft room is a cluttered jumbled mess. So today I set out to clear some of the clutter and restore order. But I got distracted......as usual. In my tidying up I came across this gorgeous timber word that I bought at Spotlight recently and decided it needed to be painted then and there. So I set up my scrap paper ON THE FLOOR because there is no room on my desk! I have painted it in my all time favourite colour, a deep, rustic red (this acrylic paint colour is called 'Huckleberry' - don't you love that name?!). While it dries I will continue my tidying before giving this little piece of inspiration a second coat. Next week I hope to show you my craft room in a much more organised state.....one that is conducive to real creativity.

 

More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo. Thanks Kirsty!

Daydreaming....

Unfortunately I am sick AGAIN! What is happening this winter? I know I have the fibromyalgia which magnifies every other health complaint, but I am completely OVER this lingering flu/cold/bug that keeps reigniting! Anyway, whinging done......I have been daydreaming.

While I haven't been up to doing a whole lot for the last couple of days, I have still been blog browsing and scouring my craft magazines (I have quite a hefty collection of these.....{{blush}}) for inspiration. You see I'm fickle. I can't commit to any craft for a long stint exclusively. Just when I have accomplished something in say, knitting, I have the urge to take on a new creative challenge....say, for example, stitcheries. Next it may be drawing, or felting, or spinning alpaca wool! (not really but you get the picture). I am a craft tart! There, I said it. It costs us a fortune but I always come back to my temporarily discarded supplies. Sometimes I return to their original purpose, but sometimes I find new ways to express my artistic side using the bits and pieces in my stash. Here are some of the things that have caught my eye today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I mean, honestly, how can I resist picking up my needle and embroidery threads when I see these gorgeous images?!  Now if I could just find my needles and embroidery threads in the chaos that is my craft room.......hmmm, I'd better get of this computer and clean up a bit. See you when I am feeling a bit better. Thanks for stopping by, Love Anita. xxx

Making Merry Monday # 14

Well, here I am with another late one today :) This week it is the fabulous Holiday Line-up stamp set. I am just in love with these reindeer. Their expressions are priceless. I've used some gorgeous patterned paper from my (ahem.....extensive....ahem) stash for this one along with a scrap of matching satin ribbon. Everything else is by Stampin' Up!

 

My apologies for the less than stellar photo. My Nikon batteries are BOTH flat so I've taken this with my little point-and-shoot.

The image is stamped on watercolour paper with Stazon ink and coloured using my markers and an aquapainter. I've popped a little Crystal Effects on Rudolphs nose to make it "glow" just a little more. The sentiment is from the set "Warm Words". Thanks for dropping in to see this Monday's merry creation. More rambling from me soon :) Love Anita. xxx

Pottering around at home....and loving it!

I am enjoying a new peace after finally accepting that home is where I am supposed to be right now. I am staying on top of the little chores, which is making life more enjoyable for all of us. We know what we are eating for dinner every night according to the menu plan. No ducking out to the supermarket every afternoon to get something for that night, or - worse still - resorting to Macca's because I'm too tired to shop and cook. Pre-planning and pre-shopping has made a huge difference to our stress levels and, dare I say, our general health.

Danny says he is loving the new "domestic goddess" that seems to have taken over my body. He loves having socks and jocks in his drawer, clean clothes in the wardrobe, dinner on the go when he gets home, less general mess around the place, but most of all he loves having a happier, more contented wife. Happy wife, happy life! You know, all along I felt guilty for leaving my nursing job because I thought that Dan was thinking I was just being a lazy slacker. It turns out that he wasn't thinking that at all and that, if it is financially possible, he is more than happy for me to be at home taking care of the house and the family. Communication is a wonderful thing! It has really made such a massive difference to our life for both of us to be comfortable with the current plan and to feel like we are a team, working on the same project - a happy, healthy family.

So as I potter around, going about my daily tasks, I thought I'd take some pictures to share....

Chairs up, waiting for me to vacuum and mop the polished floorboards......

 

First load of washing on the line, soaking up the sun (the second load is in the machine now).....

 

Wandering around the backyard, enjoying this stunning day (it is almost spring!). I've been daydreaming of bringing new life to our garden. It has suffered terribly from the long drought and a long period of neglect as my health took precedence over everything else in our lives. Here is what has survived against the odds......

Beautiful hellebore's:

 

 

and resilient poly-galas (sp?). We have three of these bushes, all thriving......

 

and apparently I can grow daphne! (please excuse the poor quality photo) The flowers aren't huge but I have three daphne bushes, all healthy and loaded with gloriously scented blooms..........

 

And finally, this is the "before" photo of our soon to be created vegie patch. Initially we were going to turn the kid's sandpit into a vegie patch, but then they rediscovered it and have been playing in it to their hearts content lately! So we (by we I mean Danny!lol!) started digging up the "lawn" (read "weeds") next to the sandpit yesterday. We will make it a raised garden bed. One day when the kids really are  over the sandpit, we will take it over and extend the vegie garden, but for now, a small plot will be fine. Notice the lovely big water tank tucked in behind the cubbyhouse? It is FULL to the top! 10,000 glorious litres of water to help our new garden to grow. No doubt I'll have more photos to share as this project progresses......

 

Enjoying this time and this change in perspective. What a truly blessed life I have - not perfect, not always easy, but most definitely blessed.

                   Thanks for stopping by. Love Anita. xxx

Making Merry Monday #13

Here's todays Christmas card - a pretty pink and red combination. I am having fun with my new Winter Post stamp set at the moment.

 

INGREDIENTS:

Stamps: Winter Post, Circle of Friendship

Cardstock - Pink Pirouette

Patterned Paper: Bella Rose

Ink - Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette

Ribbon - Pink gingham

Punches: Eyelet border, 1" circle, Designer Label

Thanks so much for popping in. Have you made any Christmas cards yet? I'm starting to see lots out there in blog-land. Leave me a comment if you have something Christmassy to show-and-tell. Hope your week is wonderful.  Love Anita. xxx

For lovely Laura

    Just a quick post to show you the card I made for my lovely sister-in-law Laura who celebrated her birthday yesterday. We had a fun evening with her and her family last night. Happy Birthday Laura.....hope you enjoyed your day. We love you. Mwah!

 

    The light wasn't great for taking this photo unfortunately, but I think you get the idea. Laura loves all things soft and pink and white and floral. This new stamp set called Great Friend was perfect for her. The butterfly and sentiment have both been stamped in pigment ink, then embossed with 'heat'n'stick powder' and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Very pretty I think!

    I have also been wanting to post a pic of the ripple scarf I crocheted for her.....now that she has it I can! It is made with cotton yarn and will be perfect for those nippy spring mornings coming up as it is not too heavy.

 

I'll be back tomorrow with my Making Merry Monday post so be sure to stop by.

Hope your weekend has been fun. Love Anita. xxx

My creative space #2

I've been creating in the kitchen today. This here is my very first SUCCESSFUL batch of scones! I know everyone says how easy they are, but mine have always turned out like rocks in the past. Not these babies! I used the lemonade scone recipe (don't know why it took me so long to try this out!) and they are perfect. Yum! Might take some over to the lady next door and have a cup of tea. Her hubby is in hospital after having serious surgery this week. She is elderly and can't drive, so she might like a bit of company. Thanks to Kali from Tasmania for the recipe and inspiring photos on her beautiful blog Poppy Lane.

 

 

 

                               Mmmmmmm.....yummy!

           More creative spaces over here......thanks Kirsty. xxx

Seeking simplicity and all its rewards......

    I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately about the things that will make our life more peaceful, less stressful and more fulfilling. I guess it comes from my reluctant realisation that, at this stage, I am not really up to considering a taking job outside of the home or even studying. I am a renowned overachiever in lots of ways. I have always had high expectations of myself. At school I was taught that I could be anything, and "have it all". Sounds wonderful doesn't it. However the years have shown me that it is not possible to "have it all" - the high flying career, the happy family, the fulfilling marriage, a perfect home.....I tried to do it and let me tell you, something had to give. In my case it was my health. After three years of struggling with my health I think that I have finally let go of my need to prove myself as a super woman.

    I have had to be really honest with myself about the things that really matter to me and focus my (limited) energy on those things. The things that matter to me, when all is said and done, are my marriage to Danny and raising our children. My main focus in life has to be those things. This realisation has lead me to the conclusion that my job right now, and for the forseeable future, is to be a "homemaker". I guess it's a more holistic term than "housewife", which implies a sort of trapped domestic servant. A homemaker, on the other hand is someone who takes responsibility for the running of the home, both the domestic duties and the nurturing role.

    Now I don't have a history of being particularly organised. No-one has ever labelled me a "Domestic Goddess", but as I said above, I have been considering the things that would make our life more peaceful, less stressful and more fulfilling. I have been greatly inspired by the blog of Michelle Snape, A Vision Splendid. I've taken on board some of Michelle's tips for bringing harmony to the home. Some of the things I've been doing for the last little while include, meal planning, regular grocery shopping from my meal plan, keeping on top of little daily chores so they don't grow into huge jobs.  I can't tell you what a difference it has made just having the little things done every day, like beds made, bathrooms wiped over, sink cleared, floor swept, and washing and folding up to date. I know, I know.....my Mum has tried to drill this stuff into me for years (sorry for not recognising your wisdom Mum), but it has taken a "light-bulb" moment from someone out there in blogland (thanks Michelle) for me to realise that all this stuff is still relevant to todays' homemaker.

    I've also been following an evening routine to make the mornings less stressful. This includes organising lunches and drinkbottles, putting out our clothes for the next day, pre-packing readers in school bags etc. This has been a huge help in the mornings. I've been getting up a little earlier so that I can have my shower and enjoy quiet cuppa in front of the  computer before the kids get up. All these little things have meant a less stressed Mummy, less yelling in the mornings and happier kids! What a pay-off!

    The areas I am working on next are working out a new budget to manage our money (which has significantly decreased since I stopped working 10 months ago) and decluttering our home of some of the unnecessary "stuff" we have accumulated. I'm also excited to be planning a vegetable garden so that we can produce some of our own food. Now that we have a water tank, this is finally possible.

    So that's where I am at right now. Simplifying our life in order to regain peace, order and fulfillment. So far I feel really empowered and positive about the changes I've made. While I realise that I can't change everything overnight, I need to just chip away at little changes, and in time our lifestyle will have dramatically changed for the better. It has already improved so much.

     (Listening to school readers in the evening with my precious boys)

         Thanks so much for visiting. See you soon, love Anita. xxx