Good Reads, Knitting, Liberty and Summer Days

Ah January..how I do love long lazy days at home.  I might love them even more this year now that we have aircon (LOL)

It has been a wonderful break.  Lots of knitting! I decided to step out of my comfort zone and embrace colourwork.  I got the Strange Brew book towards the end of last year and I have to say it really is an excellent resource and has made first attempts kind of fool proof.  After a couple of Strange Brew Hats I've been playing with the Fearless Fair Isle Pattern on ravelry.  Colourwork is so great for using up little scraps!  I think I am a bit addicted.

"Fleet" and a Fearless Fair Isle original both out of scraps!

I made "Kind" slippers for Mum and Gubby for Christmas - now I want to knit a couple of pairs in chunky homespun!

I have signed up for two stash busting challenges in an attempt to get wool out of stash.  One runs for a whole year and focusses on using what you have pattern wise too so rest assured that I will be popping in to show you what books I have been knitting out of from time to time.  I have just started a pair of 5 ply socks (Patons Bluebell in a lurid shade of purple - which I am certain would survive a nuclear explosion but is really not enjoyable to knit with) using Ann Budd's fabulous "Getting Started Knitting Socks" book.  I have been knitting socks for quite a while now but I do like that she gives patterns for all different gauges of yarn, perfect for my AKWAK knitting.  There is also some playing with sideways mittens patterns for AKWAK and I am waiting patiently for some non 30 or 40 plus days to finish the sleeve on my Isla cardigan.  Currently I have knitted more than 2000 yards since January 1st.  Even my non-knitting husband was quite surprised by that - he said "Basically you've knitted to the roundabout and back!"

The hot weather and long holidays have also meant lots of reading time.  I started with Clara Parkes "A Stash of One's Own" which was thought provoking and funny and just fab holiday reading.
We've had a few library trips so I have also enjoyed The Tatooist of Auschwitz (beautifully written so as not to be too heavy despite the subject matter), Four Seasons with a Grumpy Goat (a memoir about a tree change in Tasmania - light and funny), The Room on Rue Amelie (sad and beautiful love story set in World War II) and Little Gods (by a Melbourne based author Jenny Ackland - this one was really special, a vivid portrayal of an Aussie childhood - similar style to Tim Winton without being quite so prosey, thoroughly enjoyable)

The heat has really been knocking my garden around - my mornings are filled with buckets and hoses and cursing our terrible irrigation system.  There will be casualties.  The upside is that the heat has attracted common brown butterflies to the hebe.  There has been a kaliedoscope of butterflies for the last 3 weeks.  They are just beautiful!

Last but not least I wanted to show you a special gift I received from 2 lovely friends before Christmas.  They knew I was feeling down about not being on staff at kindy next year and wanted to cheer me up.  I have only ever been gifted one other quilt, made for me when I left Melbourne (leaving another job I adored) by the talented Jenny Grierson.  This second special quilty gift was carefully chosen to include brown shot cotton and..liberty..after a conversation where I had wistfully suggested that I would never have enough liberty to make a quilt.  Such a special gift and I love it so much. Thank you Kirsty and Narelle.  It still makes me smile every day!

So now we have hit that crazy point in the holidays where there is still so much to do and not enough time to do it in.  Before we know it school will be back and we will pick up the thread of our "normal" lives.
Happy last week of holidays to you!
Keep smiling,
Nell

The kids have been delightful this holidays - disappearing into the kitchen to make wonderful creations together!

Something Fierce Feature Paper Blog Hop

Welcome to our Blog Hop for the January feature paper "Something Fierce"  Did you arrive here from Shaunna's Blog ?  I hope you enjoy clicking through all of the links to see everyone's different takes on this versatile paper pack.  The colours in it are fabulous for our Australian Summer photos!

Sticker quotes look great in a stitched circle thin cut.  I have also used leftover cardstock and our numbers thin cuts to do the "12" in the corner.  Thin cuts are a fabulous way of turning scraps into great embellishments.

I just love the bright, clear colours in this pack.  They are easily customised to suit pretty much any photos.  This pack also works exceptionally well with our Carolina and Bluebird cardstock and ink. Don't be put off by the super-cute dinosaurs as you can easily avoid dino-themed pages (simply by turning the paper over!)

The bright primary colours in this pack make it perfect for fun kid's pages.

My cute niece is affectionately known as "T-Rex" so I liked adding the dinosaurs to her page!

This was my take on the Workshop Your Way layout - not a dinosaur in sight.

That is it for me this month - I may confess to being "all scrapped out" - I have just returned from a 3 day scrap retreat with some scrapping buddies and actually completed over 100 pages.  It feels good to be getting those albums up to date!

Now hop on over to Maz at Amazing Creations to see what she has been up to!
Until next time,
Happy scrapping,
Nell

Card Captions Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our first blog hop for the year.
Did you arrive here from Shaunna's Blog?  Whether you are new here or a seasoned scrapper please enjoy hopping along to all of our blogs to see what we've been creating.  We love it when you leave us a comment too!

January's Stamp of the Month is an absolute must have.  I recommend a sentiments stamp like this one for every beginner scrapper/cardmaker.  It is a perfect addition to your "toolbox"

Confession time: I woke up super early this morning and rather than toss and turn got up and played while the rest of the house was asleep.  My daughter shares a bookcase partition with my scrapping room so I had to scrap on a corner of the kitchen table.  I crept in and grabbed a couple of blocks and my black ink and little tool caddy and the "Something Fierce" Workshop Your Way without waking her.
You may notice that all of my examples this month use only black ink and two blocks (a 1" block and a 1x3 1/2" block)  Most of my cutting was done just using my microtip scissors.  I know that this stamp set would work beautifully with any of the papers in our range but I wanted to keep to using Something Fierce.

I think I have mentioned before that I am big on teaching my kids gratitude.  We generally have a basket full of thank you cards easily accessible for them to write thank yous.  My son has recently lamented that "there are only girly cards left"  (meaning too many butterflies and flowers!) so these are to restock the basket.

Don't throw that sticker sheet away until you have thought about the bits that are left - the little zig zag borders are the bit left over after the stickers were removed.

Stamping directly onto the PML cutouts or pre-made journalling dies is a great way to add extra dimension to your work.

This stamp set is not just for sentiments - how cute is that little star?  I have been using "leftovers" from my Craft with Heart subscription as they coordinate perfectly with the feature paper pack for the month.

This one was made especially for a dear brave little girl who has an extended stay in hospital.  Paired with a set of our watercolours and a visual art diary it will be a perfect recovery present.

Sometimes it is great to have a couple of generic cards on hand.  This is perfect for a new job, new house, promotion, graduation, or any job well done!  I love the little dots to make an effective border.

Part of my strategy to get organised this year is to make Birthday cards for my friends and family and put them in a 12 month file under the month of their birthday.  If I mark in my diary the week I need to send cards (and to whom) then it should all work perfectly.  I will have two nieces turning three this year and one of them (Tiana) is sometimes affectionately known as Ti-Rex.

This is part of my strategy to send cards "just because"  All of my really best friends live interstate.  Catch ups are rare so when they do happen I want to be able to send a photo of that moment afterwards just so they know I am missing them!  Can you see the little scraps of cream paper under the dinosaurs? They are bits that are cut away from the sticker carrier sheet so that I can still stick my photo under the dinosaurs.

And I couldn't let you go without pointing out that this stamp set is not just for cardmakers!  Look at that border!? With sentiments like "hello" and "love you" it is also perfect for adding to your layouts.

So what do you think?  Hugely versatile and lots of fun.  The other thing I LOVE about this set is how easy Close To My Heart have made it for you to obtain it.  We have a brand new Seasonal Expression packed full of gorgeous new product.  Choose any of your favourite things up to $82.50 and this stamp is yours for only $8.50.  That is money well spent!

Happy New Year to you.
May your scrapping bring you joy this year!
Now click on this link to Doris' Blog to see what clever ideas she has been creating!
Keep smiling,
Nell

Pondering and Planning..

Ah those lazy days between Christmas and New Years.  I've written before about how much I love them.  This year it feels like the dreaming and planning and reflecting that I usually do around now started way earlier.

On November 25th I felt compelled to write:

"Next year I will:
bake more
make more
write more
get back to taking "real" photos
take pleasure in the simple things
get outside more
go barefoot more
recognise that being me is enough
recognise that being me is more than okay
pick more flowers
smell more roses
do small, sweet things for my children
pick up the phone and call far-away friends more often
send cards for birthdays
send cards for no reason
recognise the good in people
learn to let go of "things"

Next year I plan to be happy just being in the moment.
Life is a gift.
It is messy, extraordinary, and wonderful."

As 2018 draws to a close I realise that although it has been a great year (with lots of terrific family memories and catching up with friends)  mentally it has been a really tough one.  Working long hours in a job that I love, but is rapidly changing to be not quite the right fit, knowing full well that through no fault of my own I wouldn't be there in 2019, and trying hard not to be bitter and twisted about that. I am trying to be kind to myself as I work through change, and trying hard to think positively about the year ahead (as scary as some of it may be)

I have not had a lot of time and energy for my Close to My Heart business for quite some time so I am looking forward to changing that next year and also hoping to be back to sharing ideas regularly here and participating in the Blog Hops.

I am also hopeful that more free time might mean more blog writing.  I miss this creative space and sharing recipes and crafting projects with you all.

Hannah and I both got cookbooks for Christmas so there may be some experimentation this holidays.
There is definitely going to be a whole heap of crafting as I try to get my stash under control! I have been reading "A Stash of One's Own" - fabulous and funny and thought provoking.

It is Indie Giftalong time over on Ravelry and I have thoroughly enjoyed not Opadooing this year - the plan was to make 8 items.  So far I have managed 2 hats (with a third on the needles) and 2 pairs of slippers, and half a pair of socks, and a pair of mitts.  The plan is to finish the Beeswax Hat, and another pair of slippers before midnight on New Years Eve and quickly finish a crocheted wash cloth and that will be my 8.

I did quite a lot of pre-Christmas gift knitting - finishing off a cardi for Tiana, and socks for Grandpa and school hats and mittens for the girls.  My little nephews requested earflap hats while I was home for Christmas so that will become a project for early 2019.

What about you?
What are your plans?
Do you make New Years Resolutions?
Are you big on list making at this time of year?

Where ever you are, who ever you are, I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, and that you are using these quiet days wisely,

Keep smiling,
Nell

p.s. I had planned to pepper this post with photos but the camera and computer have decided not to talk to one another again - THAT will be a major focus for 2019 - getting photos and technology sorted and under control! If you really want to see photos - check out my projects on Ravelry, or my photos on instagram.

Taking Stock October 2018

It has been a while again hasn't it?

I was reminded by two friends quite recently that I do actually have readers here who like to hear from me. If you are lurking maybe you would like to leave me a message in the comments because you know, sometimes, blogging does feel a little like you are shouting into a void.

My friend Jill said she especially missed these "Taking Stock" posts and then Pip over at www.meetmeatmikes.com (who is a way more diligent and creative blogger than I am) obligingly put up her Taking Stock October list, and who am I to fight tradition?

Making : mitt and hat sets out of locally hand-dyed ethical merino (seriously like knitting a cloud)

Cooking : sweet potato chips out of Leah Itsine's "The Nourishing Cook" (thumbs up all around)

Drinking : coffee (but wondering if I could pretend it is Friday night and start on the red wine)

Listening to: the crackle and pop of the fire and Maddie with kids' cartoons on in the background

Reading: "Dancing on Broken Glass" recommended by one of my kindy mums, also "Yarnlandia" by Clara Parkes

Next read: "Frankenstein" as our last Ravelry Goth Reading group hurrah (start and end with Frankenstein)

Wanting: another week of holidays

Looking: at the Better Home and Gardens Christmas Special (a friend and I have a challenge to see who can buy it first each year - but I swear it is getting earlier and earlier and every year it is more disappointing than the last)

Daydreaming: in the garden - I've planted a lot of great stuff this holidays with more to go - the front garden is becoming a reality now - hedging plants in and Dan got water plants for the pond for his birthday. I have willegia and philadelphus and a flowering quince to go in and we have added a mandarin and a cumquat to our orchard.

Deciding: That life is pretty good right now, and that these holidays have been enough to sustain me for the next 9 crazy weeks

Wishing: The next 9 weeks weren't looking so gaga

Enjoying: Having all of my chicks home in the nest - even James has been home for the holidays

Waiting: For the spring weather to properly kick in - I am so cold

Liking: The way my garden looks and smells at this time of year (hello Lilac!)

Wondering: What next year will look like? Will it really be okay? Will I be able to rise to challenges? Can I find change liberating instead of scary?

Loving: Sleep-ins, and baths, and time spent with kiddos

Pondering: How amazing it is to be re-united with my pen friend after 14 years! Yay for a good use of social media!

Considering: those lovely yarn advent calendars I see popping up everywhere - a lot of money but how worth it for the excitement of a mini-skein every day

Buying: nothing - trying to curb spending

Watching:The Hunger Games movies with the two eldest - still seems bizarre to me that our Toy Story and Disney Princess Days are over

Next watch: Outlander season 4 - it has to be coming soon!

Hoping: next year holds more time for old-fashioned letters, long walks, gardening and crafting

Marvelling: at skills I didn't recognise in my children - Maddie's eye for putting a quilt together, Hannah's cake making skills, Dan finding his groove with a great group of friends

Cringing: at the list of jobs that didn't get done on the holidays (hello pantry clean out?)

Needing: faith in my own abilities, and a belief that it will be okay

Questioning: Whether I can maybe get myself into more of a blogging routine

Smelling: woodsmoke, and sweet potatoes cooking

Wearing: jeans, and my boots, and a long sleeve tee (wishing for dress weather)

Following: beautiful knitting projects on instagram

Worrying: about living on a reduced income next year

Noticing: my lilac is in bloom and my veggies are growing before my eyes

Knowing: Summer dress and flip flop weather will be here before I know it

Thinking: I have wonderful friends

Admiring: the delicate style of Alicia Paulson www.rosylittlethings.typepad.com - she puts such beautiful colours and items together, many times I have oohed and ahhed over the photos of her home

Sorting: kids clothes, and clutter

Getting: frustrated at the lack of progress on the decluttering front

Bookmarking: healthy recipes on instagram

Coveting: a yarn advent calendar

Disliking: mean spirited people

Opening: packets of dried fruit and nuts

Giggling: at my children's sense of humour (all different, all developing their own style)

Feeling: optimistic, and terrified, and sad, all in equal measure

Snacking: on so many blueberries and mangoes - cheap and delicious this year

Hearing:birdsong

Mourning: the sudden loss of an acquaintance - a stark reminder not to take life for granted

Missing: my weekly walks with the school mums

Hoping: I can find a sudden passion for housework

Remembering: the fun we had with our secret Pimms group

Looking forward to: more fun with a Close to My Heart friend and her family tomorrow

Hoping: that you and yours are happy and well and enjoying this perfectly imperfect life!

I promise to be back with some crafty photos soon,

Keep smiling,

Nell

xxx

Documented Blog Hop

Ah Documented how I love thee!
Welcome to our Australasian Blog Hop.  Did you arrive here from the crafty goodness of Lauren's Blog?
I hope you will click on each link to the very end and we would love it if you leave a comment (crafters need a bit of encouragement occasionally!)

Now this paper pack is an important one.  It celebrates all of those wonderful things that make life worth documenting - friends, special memories, moments you want to relive.  The sentiments in this one are just so sweet too (especially that Dr Seuss quote which I put with a photo of our recently departed dear old dog and then howled!)

Love, love, love it.  To me it screams album-making in my favourite scrappy, slightly off kilter kind of way and every page I've used it for I love. I hope you love it too!

Oh, and it teams AMAZINGLY with our retiring colour of the year - Bashful - if you are a Bashful fan then don't forget to get it before it is gone this month!

I love the sweet Picture My Life - Love Us cards that go so well with this pack.  That gorgeous green floral is just one little 3x4 card cut in half.  The zip strip at the bottom suits my sassy little girl perfectly!

The chipboard complements worked perfectly for 14th birthday photos - this is pretty much a modified layout from our Seasonal Expressions Catalogue.  Cutting a square into triangles is a great way to get extra mileage out of your feature papers.

This is the layout that we did at our Close to My Heart Convention this year.  I love it! It worked so well with these treasured photos.

Sometimes a little bit of product goes a long way.  This double page only used four 3/4inch strips of feature paper and a few (mostly leftover) compliments! And see what I mean about how beautiful it looks with the Bashful!

The world's quickest card.  Feature paper cut to 1/8th inch shorter than our value card base, a sentiment stamped in black on a scrap of White cardstock, tear the bottom. Add a couple of dots.  Call it done.

And just to prove it is not just for girls - a very quick page for my son's album.  Once again just a strip and a PML card put to good use.

What will you make with Documented?  Hop on over to Doreen's Blog to see what she has created!
Until next time,
Happy scrapping,
Nell

Hitting Reset

Hellooooooooooo?!?
I think this is quite possibly the longest blogging break I have had.  Things got a little hairy there for a while and I just couldn't find a work/life balance.  Thankfully I have an understanding boss who listened when I told her I just couldn't work fulltime.  I have supportive friends who listened to me, and helped me, and my lovely Australasian CTMH blog sisters let me bow out of our Blog hops until I felt ready to come back.

It feels like I have been able to hit "reset" and really get my life back the way I want it.  It has been a bit of a weird rollercoaster but also kind of liberating to really think about what I value and where my priorities are and how to make different parts of my world fit.  I feel like it is kind of crazy that I am still learning things about myself and who I am and who I want to be but I also feel like I have been able to accept some things about myself and let go of some emotional baggage too.

In no particular order I have worked out:
* I love working part-time - having a couple of days to myself to do "mum stuff" and indulge in craft time and gardening is vital to my well-being
* I have accepted that I am a true ludite.  I see technology as a means to an end. I need the skills to be able to do what I want to do, beyond that, I really don't care.  I am happy to opt out of any social media and/or online stuff that doesn't meet my needs.  I have let go of feeling like I need to be good at technology to be an effective teacher.  I am more than someone with computer challenges.
As a family, having some technology free time has been gold.  I love just spending time with my kiddos and my husband without screens.
*"dieting" will never work for me.  I need to make good lifestyle choices, if I lose a few kilos great, but I like food and I need a system that is sustainable for me.  August will be all about tweaking small things in our life to create a healthier us.
* I am totally replaceable.  I love my job, but at the end of the day I am not finding a cure for cancer or solving world peace.  I need to keep my work in perspective.
* Papercrafting gives me pleasure. I love my customers.  I do not want to be the world's best consultant or bust a gut to meet sales targets etc.  At this point in my life I am happy for my papercrafting to be about feeling good and making others feel good.
* Downtime is important to me. Time to knit, spin, garden, read, dream, write, create.  That doesn't make me lazy because when I get the balance right I am a better mother, wife, teacher and friend.

Today was one of my "free" days and I had such an awesome day. A beautiful Winter Swap parcel from a lovely ravelry friend this morning.  My hubby surprised me by calling in to have lunch with me.  I won a voucher for spinning the most yarn in this year's Tour de Fleece.  I picked up some of my favourite candles from one of my favourite local candlemakers.  I bought the latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine to read in the bath.  I ordered the Autumn trees and birches for our front garden. I delivered a small handmade thank you to someone I appreciated. I got totally caught up on our washing! Small things but so satisfying and cheery for a Winter's Day.  I feel like this Winter is just zooming and I am handling it much better than I have in previous years.  I really have only had one day where I felt like crawling into bed and howling.  The jonquils in my front garden are blooming - Spring will come!

Apologies that this is such a bitsy post.  I will be back mid month with our CTMH Documented Feature Paper Pack Blog hop.  Hopefully before then you may even see some crafty doings.

What about you? How do you survive the Winter? Have you got a work/life balance?  What small, simple things make you happy?

A random collection of things that have been making me happy lately:

Celebrating these two amazing people being earthside for 70 years! A glorious few days on a houseboat on the Murray with our UK Ward family.  So special to have all of us together in a truly spectacular part of the world.  I love the connections the cousins all made with each other this time around.  

A quiet moment captured with my girl and her bunny.  We lost our dear old dog recently so this beautiful bunny is helping to heal at the moment.  This is my current favourite photo!

Enjoying family time and the simple joy of a campfire. I loved being "offline" for a few days.

Catching up with dear friends recently has also had the unexpected joy of watching our kids connect.  We had a great day at the Port Winterwonderland - iceskating and lunch and park play with my highschool friend Kirsten and her son.

Presenting at the Ecta conference came with the added bonus of family time - so wonderful to see my Mum and Dad and 97 year old Gubby, and to hang out with my sis and her gorgeous girls.

Knitting that matches what I am wearing! I know it seems silly but one of the reasons I hate Winter most is feeling fat and frumpy and cold.  I took a little shopping trip to my favourite store recently and have been wearing this skirt and brown boots, and tunics and leggings and I feel so much happier about my winter wardrobe in dresses and skirts!

More time spent with friends - Karen and I went to the Age of Elegance costume exhibition at Ayres House and then on to the Impressionists Exhibition.  A gloriously fun afternoon!

Spoilt to spend time with both Lou and Ness just a few weeks apart.  Time spent with friends has certainly made this Winter shorter!

Anyhow, enough rambling,
Keep smiling,
Nell