{your journey starts here - blogtoberfest preface}

Hello! Top of the morning to you.  My goodness I'm feeling a wee bit excited today.  I have to keep reminding myself that it's not October yet.  Not until tomorrow.

However, Blogtoberfest is just around the corner.  So, without further ado may I present to you the 2010 Blogtoberfest button.

It's designed by the very talented and creative Kellie from 74 Lime Lane and I absolutely love it.   Thank you so much Kellie.  I'm so grateful to the creative peeps who help with Blogtoberfest every year.

Kellie is so fabulous that she's actually designed the button in different sizes and with a white or clear background.  So you can decide which button works best for your blog.

To put the button on your blog the first thing you need to do is download the version of the button that you want:

• Go to the Blogtoberfest set in my Flickr account
• Pick the size and style of button that suits you best and click on that image (there's two large and two small versions)
• Click on the actions tab above the photo and select view all sizes
• Download the original size photo and save it to your computer

Ok, now to uploading the button to your blog (these are instructions for blogger, which is all I know):

• Go to the design or layout area of your blog
• Click on the add a gadget tab
• Choose picture and upload the picture from where you saved it on your computer
• In the link section add my blog address http://tinniegirl.blogspot.com so that the button links back to {tinniegirl}

If you happen to be new to {tinniegirl} or Blogtoberfest then pop over to the Blogtoberfest page where you can read all about it.  Essentially though, it's simple.  All you have to do is post daily to your blog in October and you're playing.  

Easy peasy!  You're all set to go.

Last item of business for today. Blogtoberfest couldn't happen without CurlyPops. Once again she'll be the queen of the giveaways.  To get the scoop on giveaways this year pop over to the special page over at CurlyPops.

I'm not going to say too much today about the whole event.  I'll save some special musings for tomorrow.  Do pop by and throw your hat in the ring for the first of my weekly Friday giveaways.  I've got something extra special planned.

OK, let the fun begin.  Are you in?

{it's simple}

Pop by tomorrow, sign your name on the dotted line, pick up a button for your blog and get ready for a month of Blogtoberfest fun.

2 sleeps peeps! 2 sleeps.

{gearing up big time}

Card generator via here

{gratuitous}

If you're a regular reader you know the owners of our house are selling up and Ms L and I are looking for a new place to call home.

The first 'open for inspection' is on today.  So, lots of strangers trapsing through our home.  

I figure never miss an opportunity for a bit of gratuitous self promotion!

{roll with it}

About a week ago Ms L and I made up our minds that we had found our new home, after spotting a gorgeous place in Kyneton on the internet.  6 acres, big, gorgeous house, rumpus room (read really large studio), light and spacious, plenty of trees and birds.  It ticked ALL the boxes.

I was up early today ready to head off for a day trip, and to inspect the property.  The agent rang early this morning and told me that the landlord had chosen a new tenant!

But we had decided.  We had made up our minds that this was the place.  We knew it was the one!

So I did what any self-respecting cautious dreamer would do!  I demanded that the universe provide an explanation!  And here's what I got:

From The Brave Girls Club daily email:
Try for the next 24 hours to say yes to whatever lessons life is handing you...Say yes to a disappointment that you wish would have turned out the way you wanted it to, and say yes to what is going to show up in it's place.  We bring ourselves so much pain and suffering when we resist the flow of life, when we try to paddle upstream...

and from The Daily Om email:
There is a thrill and a power in simply surrendering to the ride and fully feeling the ups and downs of it, letting the curves take you rather than fighting them.

Do you think the universe is trying to tell me something?

*************************************

Have a lovely weekend peeps.  I'm off to the opening of Home is where the Craft Is.

And don't forget, only 7 sleeps now till BLOGTOBERFEST is here.

{just around the corner}

Do you realise that there's only 8 sleeps until BLOGTOBERFEST begins? 8 sleeps peeps!

I have been working away, getting things ready and you are going to be so excited when you see all the goodness I have in store for you.  Oh my goodness, I can't wait to spill the beans.

Firstly, there's the blog button.  It's all ready to go.  Someone super talented and super lovely designed it and I can't wait to show you.  But I'm not going to spoil the surprise.  You'll be able to pick it up here on Sept 30th when the sign up list goes up.

Then of course I'll be having the Friday giveaways every week.  There's 5 Fridays in October this year, so that's 5 giveaways from me.  I've got some absolute beauties planned.  You won't want to miss them. 

My super fabulous crafty-partner-in-crime will be managing the BLOGTOBERFEST giveaway list again this year.  Last year there were around 150 giveaways across the month.  Maybe you'll start planning a BLOGTOBERFEST giveaway of your own.

And then, I've got some seriously super secret squirrel business that I'm dreaming up.  Something for the dreamers and soul searchers amongst us.  I'm not sure if it will happen this year or not.  My gremlins and inner critics are riding me pretty hard on daring to dream of putting myself out there in such a big way.  Stay tuned.

So that's what I'm up to at the moment. Planning and scheming, thinking and dreaming, writing and making, all in preparation for BLOGTOBERFEST.

Who doesn't love a festival?  Will you be joining me this year?

{on weeds}

What is a weed,

but a plant whose virtue

has not yet been discovered

                              Ralph Waldo Emerson

{northern craft bonanza news}

Just a quick announcement for local peeps.

The next Northern Craft Bonanza will be on Thursday 30th September.  I'm hoping after that we can return to regular fortnightly catch ups, but I'll keep you posted.

See you next week.

{the week ahead}

Create your own list here.  

Let me know if you do so I can see what you're up to.

{go on, just admit it}

Affirmations

set of three prints available here*

"Every day when you wake up, ask yourself, 'What do I really, really, really want?'  

You have to say really, really, really, otherwise you won't believe it." 

                                        (Elizabeth Gilbert)

When I find myself thinking about the things that I really want, and I mean passionately, truly want, there's an inner dialogue that rings a warning bell.  It tells me be careful of dreaming too big, wanting too much.  It tells me that it's dangerous to want things so badly it hurts, to wish for my deepest desires.  Oh yes, I'm a cautious dreamer at heart.  I talk about trusting the universe, but I try to keep my hope in check, to not ask for too much, so as not to be disappointed.

As I'm slowly growing into my new skin these limiting beliefs are no longer working for me.  I want to embrace a world of possibility, to lean in and say yes please to opportunity beyond my wildest imaginings, to know that there's more than enough magic if I open myself to the gifts the universe has to offer.

You know what? I really, really, really want to be a successful artist.

There, I said it. 

*******************************************

*'grow', 'shine' and 'surrender' are now available as individual prints in my Etsy shop.  Even better, I've also put them together as a special package - you get the full set of 3 prints for the price of two.

I'm also adding some photos to the shop of framed prints, so you can get an idea of how they look framed.  I'm more than a little bit chuffed with the results.

Have a lovely weekend peeps.  What are you up to?

{i am a painter}

 

Last night I had a dream.  I was talking to a stranger, who asked me what I did for a living.  I said...

I'm a painter.

I woke up this morning and knew that it was true.

More Creative Spaces over here.

{on cake, and it's purpose}

A wonderful friend once said to me 

"what's the use of having cake if you can't eat it?  

Surely cake, in it's very essence, is created to be eaten!"

I think she was right.  

I think from here on in I'm going to have my cake and eat it too!  

How about you?

Ms L's Splendiferously Colourful Marble Cake

{another one of those days...}

... the magical ones, where everything feels like it's unfolding in the best possible kind of way.

It was a fantastic day at the Buninyong Maker's Market on Saturday.  I'm absolutely delighted by the response I'm getting to my artwork, and so excited to be putting my work (read: heart & soul) out there.

There's been so many steps along this journey where I've taken a deep breath and thought to myself "I've arrived".  Saturday was another one, and it sure felt good.

{one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish}

Have you ever been snorkeling?

I think it's the single most magical thing I've ever done.  Especially the very first time.

I hired an underwater camera this time around.  I'm pretty happy with some of the results.

Have a wonderful weekend.  

Maybe I'll see some of you at the Buninyong Maker's Market on Saturday.

{good chores}

Like CurlyPops, today is all about market preparations at the House of Tinniegirl.  

Cutting & sewing, printing & packaging, planning and organising.

I'm sneaking in a little bread baking and an outing to the Northern Craft Bonanza as well.

I wonder what 'chores' others are up to today?   What are you up to?