Forgot to post a picture of this gift I made for Corey's special friend (who is NOT his girlfriend so don't dare say that she is in front of him! lol!). Can you guess what her name is?
I popped it in a little pink gift bag with a mini rolling pin, gingerbread lady cookie cutter, a mini pink spatula, and a butterfly cupcakes cake mix. She seemed delighted with it. I sure enjoyed making it for her! Not very often I get to play with such pretty, girly fabric :)
Thought I'd share some photos from my darling friend Emma's wedding yesterday. Both Em and Scott looked so relaxed and happy. We all had a wonderful time. The bride looked stunning of course.......take a look:
Here's me with my spunky, lovely hubby:
Here's the obligatory "Uni Girls with the Bride photo" :
I just love this photo of Em - isn't the back of her dress beautiful....
The Maid of Honour's bouquet - so striking and gorgeous.
Not a lot of explanation needed about these pics. I'm sure you can see what a happy, joyous occasion it was. Haven't been to a wedding for a while. It was such a delight to share in Em and Scott's special day.
Back with more good stuff soon. Thanks for visiting. Love Anita. xxx
I went to Uni (long ago) with five fantastic women who are my closest friends. We have been having dinner together once a month for the past 11 years or so. While we can't all make it every single month (especially Mel who has been living in Korea) it is always on, and whoever can make it does so. On Sunday we had our annual "Uni Girls Christmas BBQ" which is a festive version of our monthly girls get-together ..........except it's a BBQ instead of a restaurant, and we let husbands and kids come!
The weekend weather here in Melbourne was very wet and windy, so we decided to move the party from Lilydale Lake to our home. As is the custom at these events, everyone brought a dish to share (ie. salad, nibblies, or dessert) and we exchanged presents and watched the kids run riot together. Adding an 8 week old puppy to the mix certainly added to the excitement. Another tradition is the annual group photo. I pop the camera up on the tripod and use the self-timer to take a pic of our group all together. It is amazing to see how our little group of 6 girls has grown over the years. Here is this year's photo (we were missing Mel, Carl and Aleisha, and Scott (Em's soon-to-be hubby) from this years photo :(
Merry Christmas to you and yours my lovely Uni-Girls. MWAH!
It's late; I'm tired; I'm heading for bed, but before I go I wanted to put up a list here of things I want to blog about in the next day or two......a) so I don't forget and b) so I've made a committment to share them with you.
1. The most exciting news, a new member of our family! Canine, not human for those of you who just got over excited. She is gorgeous. Pics coming soon.
2. Garden update. What we're harvesting and how it is all going.
3. Some fantastic book purchases.
4. Op shopping finds.
5. New goodies going into my Etsy store The Making Merry Shop this week.
6. Uni girls Christmas pics.
7. Health update - what's working and what's not......hmmmm
8. A visit from my gorgeous cousin and some pics of her AMAZING patchwork quilt (still in progress).
9. Ummm, I'm sure there's more but I'll get to it tomorrow.
Come and visit again for all this and much more (I think!). Here's a Christmas card I made last year since todays Making Merry Monday has come and gone without any productivity whatsoever. Just as well I've already got a good card stash! Hope you like this one.
Sweet dreams, and I'll see you tomorrow. Love Anita. xxx
Look at what my postie just delivered, all the way from Lisa in Tassie!
It's my handmade Christmas tree ornament and matching card. This ornament is just DIVINE! I love, love, love it!
Isn't that angel just adorable?! And how cute is the snowman on the card with his button ear-muffs?! So much work has gone into making both of these. I will treasure them always and remember the making of a new friend through a swap in "blogland".
Thanks so much Lisa. I posted yours off yesterday, so it should arrive in the next couple of days. While I'm not sure it's as fabulous as your ornament, I hope you like it :)
Can't believe it's my first blog-a-versary today. Yep, I started this blog on August 7th last year. It has become such an integral part of my life. I love that it is like a virtual scrapbook. Often, when I am having a scrapbooking drought, I will still blog about the goings on in our lives. It is so nice to look back at my previous posts and recall all the things that have happened in the last year. There have been highs and lows and lots in between. Sharing my ramblings with everyone out in blog-land sure is cheaper than therapy! lol! And the friendships I have made through this blog have been one of the greatest rewards. Thanks so much to all of you who have shared the last year here with me.
Coincidently, the 7th of August is a significant day for me for a less joyous reason. It is 3 years ago today that I had the allergic reaction to a penicillin injection the sent my health into a downward spiral. From that day onward, the fit, vibrant, athletic young woman I was, disappeared. It has been a struggle every day to stay positive and keep striving for better health.
There have been some improvements over the last six months or so. I need to be careful not to get too carried away and over-do things or I will set my progress back significantly. I have become very philosophical about the whole experience. I now see that perhaps it was the wake-up call I needed in order to slow down and stop rushing through my life at such a frenetic pace.
Despite the struggles my fibromyalgia has brought, it has also been a gift in many ways. I am more present; more available to my children; more grateful than ever for the amazing man I married; I value the good days, and the "little things" so much more. I have stopped fighting this condition, being angry and being a victim. Instead I have started to listen to my body and my soul. I am more aware of the simple joys in my life and I am so very grateful for them.
Thanks so much for being a part of the journey over the past year. Looking forward to the year to come. Love to you all, Anita. xxx
Well I got around to using some of the new "natural" coloured string daisies which my lovely friend Sandie Downey gave me on Friday at Paperific. I thought I'd post them for you to check out today.
In the first one, I was inspired by Sandie's bright, happy style and even challenged myself to use my least favourite colour - orange (Tangerine Tango actually). In spite of it's "orange-ness" I'm pretty happy with this card. It was fun to create. The "stamped" spots below the ricrac were simply made with a sponge dauber and tangerine ink. The orange spots above the ricrac are just 1/2" circles punched out of the same cardstock as the background and adhered with mini glue dots. I coloured the string holding my button in place with a tangerine ink, again using a sponge dauber. The stamp set is from the "curly label punch bundle".
In the second card I did away with the orange and stuck to a classic combo - kraft, blue (bayou) and white. I have had this jumbo white button in my stash for ages and this seemed like the perfect card to use it on. The stamp set I have used is "Lovely Labels".
This card is much more "in my comfort zone". Simple design, symetrical, clean and neat and NOT orange! lol! But I had fun making both these cards. If you'd like to get some of Sandie's super-fun daisies, pop over to her blog for details. I think these natural coloured ones work so well with kraft cardstock - in fact, because they are a neutral colour they would work with any colour scheme. I love 'em! Thanks Sandie.
That's it for today folks. My littlest boy has a nasty tummy bug and needs his Mummy, so I'm outta here for now. See you tomorrow for Making Merry Monday number 5.
Thanks for stopping by today :) Love Anita. xxx
Yep terrific! Even though it was smaller than previous years, even though it took me an hour to get there, even though my buddy Erica had to stay home because of her sick kid :( , even though I was conscious not to blow the bank.......even with all that, it was a super, terrific, fantastic day.
Why was it so great? Because of these gorgeous girls - Jo Mitchell and Sandie Downey.....my cyber-friends who I finally met "in real life".
We chattered away like we lived around to corner from each other, like we have coffee together every other day. We chatted about families and work and craft and lots of stuff that friends chat about. We know about each other because of blogland. I care about these girls. They are both genuine, down-to-earth, warm people - not to mention very talented papercrafters.They have been one of the great gifts that have come from me having this blog. To meet them in person was an absolute delight.....I hope we can get together again soon. It was great to meet Jo's daughter Hayley too....how nice to have a Mum & daughter day out at the papercraft expo. You can read more about their day on Jo's blog - Hayley was quite overwhelmed by what was served up for her lunch! Thanks for taking this photo Hayley. We really appreciate it :)
Sandie brought us along some of here super-cute paper-string daisies. Thanks so much Sandie. I am on a mission to use at least one of them in a creation today! Check back tomorrow to see how I went.
Here are a couple of things that caught my eye yesterday (these were at the stand of "Karen's Scrappin' Kupboard"), but to be honest, I was too busy socialising and shopping to take many photos!
I bought a few Cuttlebug embossing folders.....even though I don't have a Cuttlebug. Sandie suggested buying them and then I would just HAVE to get the Cuttlebug itself! Love her logic! Luckily I have a gift voucher from my LSS to spend (thanks Mum and Dad) so I know what it will be going towards.
So as you can see, it was a fantastic day, mostly because of my beautiful friends. It has definitely stirred up my papercrafting inspiration (which has been AWOL for a while now - LOL!) Hopefully I'll have something to show for it soon. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're having a great weekend.
Love Anita. xxx
I have had a lovely blog award bestowed on me by my mate Sandie Downey. I am looking forward to meeting Sandie for the first time "in real life" on Friday at Paperific. So looking forward to giving her a "real" hug....she has become a very special cyber friend. Can't wait Sandie!
Here's the blog award Sandie gave me:
Thanks so much Sandie. You've made my day today :)
Sandie has also tagged me this week. It's the "8 things game". I've seen this on a few blogs lately and I always love to have a quick snapshot into fellow bloggers lives.
I have to answer these questions and then tag 8 other bloggers, so here goes.....
8 Things I Look Forward To:
Fun with friends at Paperific on Friday.
Warmer weather!
Seeing my sister and mum in the school holidays.
"Uni girls nite" once a month.
Going on a "date" with my beautiful hubby (only happens a couple of times a year!)
Being fit and healthy again some day soon.
My first cup of coffee in a quiet house after school drop off.
Cuddles on the couch with my boys.
8 Things I Did Yesterday:
School drop off and pick up
Talked to my sister on the phone
Crocheted some pretty flowers
Spent time on the computer blog-hopping and ebaying.
Washing
Cooked some potato and zucchini fritters to have with our fish for tea - yum
Went for a walk
Avoided doing any housework! (apart from a load of washing)
8 Things I wish I could Do:
Pop over to my sister's or my Mum's for coffee at any time (they live 3+ hours away)
Have no financial worries (I wish!)
Be well (I'm working on it!)
Have a job that was a joy to go to every day, and never felt like work
Eat all the yummy things I love and not have to worry about the consequences :)
Be a fantastic singer.
Shop for clothes and have everything look fabulous!
Be more organised.
8 Things Or Shows I've Watched Lately:
Homemade
Ellen
The worlds fastest Indian
Football (Tigers vs West Coast)
Masterchef
Desperate Housewives
Brothers and Sisters
60 minutes
As for tagging some other bloggers, the six ladies I've given the award to above can consider themselves tagged. Anyone else who would like to play along is most welcome (send me a link if you do).
If anyone is heading out to Paperific this Friday and would like to catch up for coffee, shoot me out an email and we'll arrange to meet up. Should be lots of fun - plenty of papercrafting goodness for all!
Finally today, I wanted to share something I popped in the mail for my gorgeous nephews Jack and Cooper on Monday - a cosy crocheted beanie each and a little card from their Aunty Neeta.
Come back and visit again soon for some more crafty fun! Take care and happy Wednesday to you. Love Anita. xxx
This quote, from the Values.com landed in my inbox yesterday, and it really struck a chord with me, so I thought I'd share it. Check out their website and maybe you'd like to subscribe to "Quote of the Day" for your own daily dose of inspiration :)
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“I believe that friends are quiet angels who sit on our shoulders and lift our wings when we forget how to fly.” —Unknown |
| The values we live by are worth more when we pass them on. |
| ©2009 Values.com |
| This Values.com message is one of a daily newsletter from The Foundation for a Better Life bringing you a new inspiring quote every day. The Foundation for a Better Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the values that make a difference in our communities. This week we are featuring quotes related to friendship. We hope you enjoy this daily quote, and if you feel inspired, please Pass it On. |
Today I wanted to share a photo of some very special friends of mine.
From left (back row): Bron, Emma, Mel and myself; (front row) Joylene and Erica.
These are my nursing buddies - the girls I went through uni with. Whilst we were very close in our uni days, our friendship has gone from strength to strength since that time as we ride the bumps of life. We have been having dinner once a month since we graduated 11 years ago. That's how we manage to keep our friendship strong and continue to be important in each other's lives. These girls have indeed been quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) angels who have helped to lift each others wings over the years. We recently enjoyed a catch- up with Mel, who has been living in South Korea with her partner and daughter for the last couple of years. It was fantastic to have all six of us together once more. Our "Girls Nite" was back to it's best! Looking forward to seeing her again soon.
Enjoy your Friday! Looking forward to a fabulous long weekend here in Australia. Yay! It also means that we can sleep in on Saturday morning as the kids don't have basketball and Auskick this weekend. We're hoping to get out into our garden and have a bit of a "blitz". It needs some TLC at the moment.
Hope your weekend is shaping up to be a beauty! Love Anita. xxx
