Goals for 2012 ~ An Update

Hello Blog World,

Finally finishing my quilt the other day and ticking it off my goals for 2012 made me realise I should really go back and have a look at them and see if I am on track 4 months later.  So here goes nothing…  Be prepared for a lot incoherent rambling.

Goal 1 was to craft more.
And more specifically complete the following projects

• Finish my quilt
• Gallery Wall for Kitchen –I have the quilt made and bought some frames and have ideas in my mind, does that count??
• Bathroom Organisers
• Finish my Cross-Stitch
• Make a handbag
• Finish my Elephant Drawing and complete 2 other drawings
• Continue to learn crochet and complete and hat for Tiana
• Make a skirt
• Make my clown doll
• Make at least 2 things for my niece’s school raffle
• Make Cards for every birthday and anniversary this year (no buying last minute cards) So Far so good on this but there is still 8 months to go…
• Redo my Kitchen table table and find chairs to suit it
• Redo my book shelf
• Make a meal organiser

Not looking too good so far, but still have 8 months to go.

Goal 2 was Organise and Declutter

Source: the36thavenue.com via Michelle on Pinterest	Source: cathhasablog.blogspot.com.au via Michelle on Pinterest

• My Bathroom
• Kitchen Pantry  Half way there, it is all organised and decluttered, just need to get my vinyl chalkboard labels and jars I want
• My Craft Room
• My Bedroom
• Utilising a daily planner as to not forget about things
• Meal Organising – I haven’t made a meal organiser as such but I have been sitting down and doing up a weekly meal plan and shopping accordingly.

Not too bad there…



Goal 3 was A Healthier Life.

Source: tumblr.com via Adrienne on Pinterest

Specific goals included

• Exercising at least 2-3 times a week
• Minimal junk food ( I am only human and know I have weaknesses, but limit my self to only one or two times a week)
• Drinking at least 2 litres of water a day
• Cooking with fresh ingredients
• Planning meals ahead of time

So this is really going well on paper…except the exercise.  I am eating really healthy except for the occasional treat and drinking lots of water, and I have actually lost 8kg.  It’s not much in the big scheme of things but I am getting there.

Goal 4 was Grow my Blog and make some Friends





I am pretty happy how this is going, I am posting consistently and slowly building followers.  At the end of the day this is just a hobby, it’s my way of expressing myself, I don’t plan to make money from this space nor do I have the time or knowledge for it.  I am just having fun I work full time so I just put in what I can when I can.


Goal 5 was to Spend more time with my family

                                                                 Source: framedart.com via Lisa on Pinterest

I still feel like we’re going through the motions a bit, but we’ve had some great athletic carnivals this year so far, lovely lunches and breakfasts on Sunday and some game playing and jewellery making with my daughter.  So with the time we have I think we’re doing alright.

There you go, my goals in review.   It was a bit of ramble as you have all probably come to expect from me at times.  Did anyone else make goals, plans or resolutions this year?  Have you stuck to them?  If anyone has ideas, tips or tricks to help me stay on track please let me know.  I will be all ears and I promise I wont babble on too much.

Until then Happy Crafting.

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Magnetic Photo Peg

Hello Blog World,

First a bit of a brag about my family life, little Athletics is over for another season and congratulations to my daughter for making the state championships, she didn’t make the state team but she is still a champion in my eye making it that far.  On another note she has made the state team for FUTSAL (Indoor Soccer for people not in the know).  I wish I knew where she got her athleticism from!



Now on to why we are really here, the crafts!!

With all the sporting events and work and drawing classes, there has not been too much time for crafting.  I am still working on my hutch and I am hoping to have that finished on the Easter break, I have also started sewing my quilt together and hope to have that finished this weekend.

What I did manage to sneak in on the weekend before I started piecing my quilt together was a small project I have been wanting to complete.

My magnetic photo peg! You may remember these photo pegs I made for my sister in law’s first market stall last year.




Well I really loved these and I had one left over that I kept for myself.  So it’s been sitting there all naked for the last 4 months, just waiting to be made into something beautiful.



So since I had all my quilt bits out and they are blacks and whites, I thought why not work with the same theme?  Grabbed my paper scraps out, found the perfect paper.  Then had some scraps from my quilt and made my ruffle flower I love so much and hot glued her on.

Ta-da…fully clothed and magnetised photo/document peg!



You can’t really tell, but the pattern on the black paper is silver, so it has just the right amount of bling for me.



And I absolutely adore these flowers made out of fabric scraps, I just can’t stop making them.  This time I popped a big plain black brad in the middle.



Nice side shot, see magnets hot glued to the back.  I also painted the sides black to give a bit of a uniformed look I guess, but not the inside. My daughter Tiana said I should’ve painted that bit too.  What do you guys think?



And here it is in use, cute and practical. Just what every girl needs.  All in all I am very happy with how it turned out.  Simple, cute and practical!

On a side note we had a craft fair last weekend, and I dragged hubby along, I did get some goodies, but have forgotten to take photos, maybe later.  But one thing I didn’t forget to take a photo of is my new mug, exclusively reserved for when I am crafting.



Isn’t she a beauty?? I just couldn’t pass her up when I saw it!

I will be using her a lot this weekend, I have a lot of sewing planned and an announcement on a new card making venture I have just gotten involved with, but more on that later.

Until then Happy Crafting

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I Party Here

Instagram!!

Hello Blog World,

As some of you might know I am pretty slow when it comes to some things, like blogging, pinterest and now my new obsession INSTAGRAM!

I love taking photos and so much want to get better at it but I do tend to take a lot with my Iphone so when I heard of this app I knew I was going to just love it!

So because I have been slack with crafting lately I thought I would share with you some of my instagram photos today! I have been crazily uploading my best shots to show the world and here are a few for you guys.

Sunset at Byron Bay – I am happy to say that this has had no editing!

Red Flower from a tree in my backyard, I used the Kelvin filter on this one

Some seafoam bubbles take down on the gold coast last year, I love the iridescence.

Another beach sunset – this time at Coolangatta

A lonely sunflower we saw on our way home from a country drive one Sunday

This was actually taken this morning at the local oval watching my daughter play athletics

My daughter ready to embrace the ocean on a cold winter’s day!

A lonely bug sitting on a cotton flower, found her while having a picnic last year.

The entrance to the beach at Coolangatta – Don’t you just wish you were there right now?

I just love this one, how the middle of the flower is alive and well and the leaves are just decaying away.

So I am obviously an amateur but I am really enjoy taking photos, especially of things in nature, and it’s been great today uploading these going back over all these wonderful memories.

Well that’s my instagram review. I LOVE it!! I love playing around with the filters, this has become my new obsession. If anyone uses it and you wanna look me up you can go either here or lookup @madmim on your app. If you do let me know I would love to see what photo’s you guys are taking.

Until then happy crafting

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I Party Here

A Masculine Birthday

Hello Blog World,

Today is my beautiful husbands 43rd Birthday. Happy Birthday Bubba!!!

He got spoiled with lots of pressies in bed this morning, a new PC game, a book, socks and boxers, smelly stuff and some hair clippers. We also took him out to a buffet breakfast!

And in keeping with my goals for 2012 I made him a card.

I gathered all my bits and pieces on my messy work desk



Lots of blues for the only boy in our life.

Found this gorgeous sketch from Clean and Simple – Sketch FTL178, I just knew it was perfect when I saw it.




And put it all together. I thought I would give monochrome another try as I wasn’t overly happy with my first try last year.

And because I love bling and 3d I had to put some of that in there.



Needless to say he was very happy with his card, his presents and his breakfast.  We have family coming over this afternoon for cake! So I will be back later with some updates on that.
 
Until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here

Entering this card into the following challenges -
Clean and Simple Stamping FTL178
Crafty Cardmakers – Monochromatic Challenge
Creative Card Crew – Masculine Challenge
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – Favourite Things

A Week Without Blogging!!!

Hello Blog World,

Yes I have been away for a whole week!  I have been around just not posting as I have had nothing to say really.  Work has been busy, life has been busy with school, work, birthdays, valentines day, exercising, cleaning, sporting events etc...  So I thought I would pop in today to firstly congratulate my beautiful daughter on qualifying for the Little Athletics State Championships in 80 metre hurdles, 800 meter and 100 meter runs. She is already a champion in my mind. Check out the gorgeous photo’s my brother in law took at the regional championships.





These were taken at the regional championships last week, where she got 2 bronze medals and qualified for the state championships as mentioned above.



So other than championship qualification we have had soccer tryouts, Valentines day which we didn’t do anything special for as Tiana had athletics training that day, movie night with a girlfriend, I saw The Vow and loved it! Oh and preparing for my husbands birthday.  So I will be back with a card later!

We’ve also had some really hot weather again but it makes for some beautiful sunsets.
So I just had to share with you also a Queensland summer sunset, hopefully it warms all you lovely people having your winter at the moment on the other side of the world.





So beautiful!  Well that’s my week in review, the weekend is here. I have to make a card for hubby and I got a bunnings voucher for Valentines Day (for my American friends, Bunnings is like your lowes hardware store, I think), so I will be off there today to buy my paint and other bibs and bobs for my hutch. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned, until then happy crafting.

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I Party here!

Families are Forever

Hello Blog World,

First I have to say go check out Danielle’s Blog Blissful and Domestic, her blog is about a homemade year, with thrifty hints and lots of handmade goodness.  Her recent post is 25 wearable fashions and she has featured my Retro Ruffle Apron.  How awesome is that?  Now go send her some love!



Now on to me!  Still busy appliqueing (or not appliqueing as the case may be).  Finding it a bit hard with time and motivation to get some good craft on the last couple of weeks.  Time is the biggest factor but also money.  Got some big bills coming up so can’t go and get the paint I need for my hutch and until I finish this hand applique I can’t go any further with my quilt so today I will show you yet another before blogging craft!

This is one of the first things I ever sewed thanks to the help of my sister in law. I saw it at a craft fair and thought it was the cutest thing!



You can see my sewing is a bit off especially on the binding. But I was/am very proud of my first real effort in creating something. And the rules I think should apply to all families

1. Count your blessings
2. Be kind
3. Be honest
4. Forgive and forget
5. Be proud of each other
6. Keep your promises
7. Love one another
8. Comfort each other
9. Bear each others burdens

Simple but something we try and live by each day.
I also thought the people were very cute



And I had lots of fun with the hand appliqueing and hand embroidery on the words. (you think I would have learned my lesson)

The sad thing is this doesn’t really suit my decor anymore. But I want to keep it. Just need to find a new home for it somewhere. Or I could always redo it in suitable colours (there’s a thought).

So there you go another old project revealed. Hopefully I will be back soon with something new but for now check out Danielle’s Blog Blissful and Domestic

Until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here

Teenager Pin Board Re-Do

Hello Blog World,

Still doing a lot of hand sewing but got a bit over it on the weekend and decided to do other things.  So the weekend past was all about my daughter, she swapped rooms and is now in my husband’s office and he is in her old room, it actually worked out well for her it seems a bit more roomier.  Now we get the joy of decorating it.

So first thing a teenage girl needs is a pin board.  She had one but it was pink and made for her when we redecorated her room when she was 7 and still liked pink. Now it’s all about black and purple and other weird teenage stuff! So she took the board down and decided she would re-paint the frame black a while ago, and there were a few bits she missed as you can see.





So I took it off again, got her to go through my material stash and we found this fab purple fabric. I fixed up her paint job and before I covered the board in fabric we decided that some pockets would be helpful for her.



So I grabbed some contrasting material and made two pockets, sewed them on and because she is into skulls (don’t ask) I printed out a colouring page of a skull and appliquéd it onto one of the pockets, then attached to pin board.

Wah Lah one new pin board completed for a teenager!




I also made some cushion covers, so I will be back later with those. Wait to you see her choices, she certainly is unique!

Until then happy crafting        

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