Mailbox Love...

How I love internet shopping! Working full time means that I don't get to see the inside of a shopping centre from one month to the next, so the world wide web is my friend. These things arrived this week... A really fabulous book on interior design, by a very approachable southern belle called Elaine Griffin . Sugar, the way she writes has had me giggling on every page so far! Can't wait till after Christmas to start some interior changes at my house. Thanks again to the Book Depository.

Check out the little cuties from Kyoto General Store, mostly for the kids Christmas stockings. (But not entirely - the stripey thumb tacks and lady bug pegs were just too cute! ::must. resist. japanese. stationery::)

Can't wait to try out this make-your-own decal paper from Tillymin. I have a couple of monogram projects in store for it - will post if they work out. (If not, I'll pretend I haven't got around to it yet...)

At last, my back-ordered M-Cups have arrived. Just in time for the Christmas baking, and from one of my favourite online stores - Hart & Heim. Don't usually buy because the prices are a bit spendy for my budget, but lovely to look at and get ideas from. Love love love...

Last, but not least, some fab cookie cutters from Avon (not quite online, but they still come to my door so I'm happy). I am making those stacked star gingerbread Christmas trees that have appeared everywhere this year as teacher gifts. (Will post them separately soon.)

So even though I was at work all week, the Christmas shopping and preparation was still being done. Three cheers for the www!

P.S. “Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.” Charles Dudley Warner.

Christmas Decorating...

No, not the house yet. Just the blog. What do you think?

The first hint...

As a rule, I don't do any Christmas decorating around the house until the tree goes up on December 1st. This year however, a little tiny hint has appeared early. Can you spot him?

Isn't he the cutest little thing?! As we are hosting the family for Christmas this year, I was hoping to make some place card holders like Tara Dennis made on BH&G a few weeks ago (on p64 of the magazine) from resin birds. I couldn't find any like hers, but did find this little guy. He was a bit garish, so needed a touch up with some craft acrylic (sorry, didn't think to take a 'before'). Then he looked so sweet I couldn't bear to put him in the decoration box, so here he sits. I am resisiting adding anything else until December...::struggle::..a month is not enough! The actual Christmas shopping is done, just waiting for a few things to arrive in the post, but the Christmas crafting is another matter. Drat this 'going to work' business. Can't I just sit and craft until everything is made?? Better get a wriggle on... P.S. "Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

Oren Arnold

Retreat...

Wow! Work was a bit mad last week and I haven't had a chance to mention what an excellent weekend I had at 'Twilight to Twilight' (no, not that Twilight, calm down, no vampires here) scrapbooking retreat. A great bunch of girls, no cooking, cleaning or child care, a space of our own to work and a beautiful rural setting outside Esk - what's not to love?!

This was the view from my workspace...

Mmmmmm. I could have stayed for a week!

I picked up this lovely decanter at the local flea market on the Saturday morning for a grand total of $2.00Score! (I will show off the collection I'm working on soon - this fits in beautifully.) We had a good giggle at the eccentricities of small town living - like the horse blankets for sale in the town's only dress shop and the grumpy proprieter of the antiques place in the main street (where the mounted animal heads freaked us right out). We found an excellent 'cheap shop' called Wayne's World where the aisles were so narrow you had to breathe in to pass someone, but with an amzing array of stuff.

The creativity was quite inspiring, lots of good ideas to borrow, but the relaxation and communication was just as important.

As Colleen Wainwright says, "Sometimes the cure for restlessness is rest. "

Thanks ladies, and roll on next retreat.

Books, books, books...

If you are a book lover and haven't found this site yet, prepare to be amazed! Based in the UK, The Book Depository has a fantatic range, great prices and FREE delivery (yes, even to Australia). You heard correctly - FREE DELIVERY. If there are two words that get my interest, it's those two! While the Dollar is so good against the Pound, go and have a look. My latest acquisition is above, and I also have a new novel put away for myself for Christmas (kinda sad buying your own gift, but that's how we roll around here!). Enjoy!