The Days Stretch Out Before Me

I love this time of year. Lazy days lying around watching DVD's, eating leftovers, rearranging the house, dreaming and making plans for the year ahead.



Xmas was lovely. A wonderful few days of family, food and low-key celebration.


We were meant to take a little trip up the highway to Canberra but the car had different plans for us. So we are here, mostly staying at home in our PJ's all day, taking it easy.


I've been baking. I bought a copy of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day after reading about it on Kitty's Kaboodle. I was a little bit hesitant when I saw that it didn't have many pictures in it. I like a visual guide to the end result. This book is amazing though. Instant fabulous results. All I want to do is make batches of bread. So I bake.


I didn't plan to have a holiday from the computer but it's been nice to unplug and focus on other things.

So, back to the clearing and rearranging I go. I'm making space for 2010 to arrive.

It's All Good Here

The house is decorated

The stockings and lights are up

The fig and honey damper is made

The presents are wrapped

And the festive season is upon me.

Merry, merry Christmas to you all.

I hope wherever you are, and however you celebrate
that your day is filled with warmth, laughter and love.

Is It Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas?

I seemed to have missed the bus. I find myself sitting here at work this afternoon pondering how it got to be the 23rd December and how I am so completely unprepared for that fact. I've managed to amass the required Christmas presents and have managed a delivery of some Magic Reindeer Dust for some special little people in my life. That however, is about it.

There is no Christmas tree, there are no Christmas baked goods waiting to be wrapped in cellophane and distributed to neighbours and friends. I'm not even sure if we have enough wrapping paper to cover us.

I believe there are two options before me:

• Go home, run a hot bath and start planning for Christmas 2010. Oh, the visions I have of hand made ornaments, gorgeous jars of cookie ingredients, fresh baked loaves of damper and a house full of festive cheer.

OR

• Get out of this office, get myself to the shops for the supplies I need, get going on some Christmas baking, decorate the Croton with Christmas cheer and drag my Christmas spirit, kicking and screaming, from whatever recess it's hiding in.

Stay tuned for an outcome tomorrow.

Anatomically Correct

Found this beauty in my coffee.

I heart anatomically correct serendipitous coffee art.

I Heart Painting

My Directorial Debut

Better By The Bucket

In 1997 I wrote a 'Life List', things I wanted to achieve in my lifetime. On this list I wrote bring Ben & Jerry's to Australia. Imagine my joy today when I saw a Ben & Jerry's truck and discovered that you can now purchase the best ice-cream in the whole wide world right here in Melbourne. Check out the Aussie website for the scoop (oh, I know, I couldn't resist).

I once drove from Michigan, across Canada, to Vermont so I could visit the home of Ben & Jerry's.

See what you can manifest if you really try!

Come One, Come All

The Northern Craft Bonanza is all set to go.

Starting Thursday 14th January 2010 we'll be getting together fortnightly from 7pm to 9pm ish at Chair 14, 167 Darebin Rd, Thornbury (near the corner of Victoria Rd). Down the back on the comfy couch area. BYO hand held project and cash to buy yourself sustenance.

Tell your friends, bring your friends, bring yourself. There's no cost and you don't need to RSVP. Just see how you feel on the day and come right along. I'd love to see you. (and don't worry I'll remind you again in the new year)

As well as relaxed fortnightly crafting and chatting, I thought we might try and tackle a group project at some stage and maybe even get a collective blog happening.

Let's get through Christmas first though. Right?

Flippin' Out

I am one very lucky lady. I have to tell you I've been struck by an obsessive, love-at-first-site, must-own-one craziness ever since I got wind of the Flip Mino HD Camcorders. I've never had any interest in owning a video camera or shooting video until I saw one of these and for some reason I just WANTED ONE!

So I got in touch with Flip and they kindly offered me the opportunity to give one a test drive for a few weeks. How cool is that?

Stay tuned, or BEWARE!!! Self-indulgent, poorly filmed videos can't be far away.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

I don't know about you, but I'm already starting to think about new year. I tend to start reflecting around mid-December and often brew thoughts and ideas right through to mid-January before I really feel that I'm done with the process of letting go of one year and moving to the next.

Looking back to the immediate past, the Made n' Thornbury market on Saturday was lots of fun. I was in fabulous company and had a wonderful day catching up with friends, fellow makers and bloggers, and meeting some new peeps.

Do you know that the Thornbury Craft Bonanza is now 18 months old? I didn't even realise it myself. That's definitely been a highlight for this year. Having regular time with other crafty folk is so good for the soul. I've had lots of requests throughout the year from people who'd like to join the group. So, by popular demand (doesn't that sound great) the Thornbury Craft Bonanza is going to become a fortnightly Thursday evening craft group open to all. I'll do a separate post with all the details in the next few days. I'm just firming up a location and time.

I've already decided on my word or theme for next year. 2010 is my year to SHINE!


I have a lot of trouble recognising the unique gifts that I bring to the world. I spend lots of wasted time holding back while I watch other people step forward. Next year I'm going to step forward and really own my place in the world. I'm going to ignite my passion and my gifts and I'm going to share them. I love what Kelly Rae Roberts wrote yesterday about being courageous and authentic. It was exactly what I need to read. There is enough room in this world for each and every one of us, and sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to turn off all the noise and just listen to your own inner whispers.

A couple of things that I'm already really looking forward to next year:

• The new and improved Northern Craft Bonanza. Like I said, stay tuned for all the details.
• Launching a new blog that I've been working on for months. It's about a subject very close to my heart.
• Attending the inaugural Sew It Together - Australian Craft Blog Convention in May 2010. If you haven't signed up yet, head on over.
  
• My trip to An Artful Journey. Only 8 weeks till I head off. I am so, so, so, so excited.
• Taking all the ideas, plans and dreams that I've been carrying around most of my life and continuing to take step after step to making them real.

Are you looking back, looking forward at the moment? What do you see?

A big heartfelt thanks to Kylie and Chrissy who encouraged me

not to give up and to push forward with this painting.
I actually really love it now.
(See Cam, I told you it wasn't quite finished)

In The Nick Of Time

I'm back. Just in time to say come and visit me tomorrow at the Made n' Thornbury Market. I'll be selling original collages and 'Messages from the Universe' affirmation packs. Not that many though. I haven't had any time to make anything, but it's such a lovely day out that I decided I'd go along anyway. Lucky for me I'm sharing my stall with the fabulous Betty Jo, so it doesn't matter that I don't have that much stock.

Do you know it's only 8 more working days till I get to have a holiday. I am so excited by the prospect of leisurely days crafting and catching up with friends, lying around the house watching movies, staying in my PJ's till dinner time, cooking, eating, reading, resting. That's all I need. A little bit of time out from this crazy fast world.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. If you're in the vicinity of Thornbury tomorrow, pop in and visit us.

A Conspiracy, No?

I've had an idea for an IPhone cover in my head for ages. I knew I'd need to get some specialist expertise for the project so I asked my trusty crafty-partner-in-crime to help me bring the idea to life.

The end product is sadly just a wee bit too small for my IPhone. Suspiciously, it fits CurlyPop's phone perfectly.

Hmmn, has SuperPops led me astray? Does she have an evil twin leading the inexperienced seamstress through hours of sewing only to make goodies for her own benefit. Watch out for DarkPops I tell you. You never know when she might turn up at your place disguised as a friendly superhero.

Now, I'm not really here. I'll be back on Thursday.

She Can't Be Far Away

Did you love to ride the see-saw when you were a kid? Did you love that feeling of rising and falling, rising and falling? Do you remember the impossibility of trying to balance a see-saw with someone who was much bigger or smaller than you?

My life is the see-saw at the moment. Work is the bigger of the two riders, resting heavily on the ground and refusing to budge.

I'm going to ground for a few days. As Kenny Rogers said "you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run".

I can't run away, but I can fold. Work wins this round. I'll be back around the 10th December, just in time (hopefully, fingers crossed) to get ready for Made n' Thornbury market on Saturday 12th December.

See you soon.