Some pretties

My prettiest pretty of all, the toothless Princess!! She's dressed and ready to go to her best friend Ruchitha's birthday party. As you can see she is wearing her 'high heels'!!!


and just a few more pretty treasures brought home from one of my decluttering trips to the 'op shop'.


I adore these quilted fabric bags that I found stuffed inside a box of yukky fabric! Wonder what they were made for, hankies, stockings . . .?


such beautiful colours,


I am going to sell them in my web store . . . soon . . .


and last but not least, the Princess and I sat in fascination the other night and watched from our grown up room window this plump black bird bathing in our bird bird, he was having a wonderful time splashing about. I wish the photo was clearer but it was early evening and the light was all wrong from where we watching.


ha, ha, that's my bird bath back on as you might guess!!! Love the cherub's cheeky cheeks!

This weekend we are having a stay at home weekend, some house cleaning and just general pottering about and relaxing and maybe even a bit of crafting.

Hope you all have a great weekend

Bye for now
Rachaelxo

Its been a good week . . .

The Princess and I had a play date with each other mid week, we played "lets pretend we are ducks laying eggs"!!!, memory card game, jumping on the trampoline together and we sat at the table and drew. We love to do art together.

One of my budding little artist's pieces is a 'Canday Floss' shop, I love how she spelt 'canday'!!!


Here is my effort, obviously inspired by watching Marie Antoinette again! Not sure about the 'Gorilla' arm pose though!


In my never ending quest for order and simplicity in our home I took a pile more stuff over to our local op shop (thrift shop). The only problem with that is that I am really kidding myself as I keep coming home with more than I have taken.

Some of today's haul, tea cosies, Belgium linen, hand embroidered doily and this fabulous Royal Staffordshire breakfast set, egg cups and toast rack. Just love it, but . . . its for sale!!

GORGEOUS!


This weekend is busy, busy, the Princess has a party tomorrow afternoon and a play date at a little friends house on Sunday morning. Me . . . a little house cleaning and I want to craft! My head is buzzing with ideas and my fingers itching to do something.

Thanks for all your comments about my new 'do'. I really don't like the black though, way too harsh for my skin tone. And for all of you who admired my toe tattoo, it hurt like hell, the tattoo-ist even asked if I really wanted it there because it would hurt a lot. He was right!!!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bye for now
Rachaelxo

Random-ness

Its me again, I know . . . unbelievable, two posts within days of each other, its a new dawn . . .

actually its a new me!!! So much better than the dark horrible place I was in a year ago and a new 'do' to go with the new happy me!!!

The black hair is a big accident, a mix up of hair colour on the shelves, I am supposed to be a nice natural brown not a very dark and harsh NATURAL BLACK!!! Very scary . . . Susan my gem of a hair stylist has tutted tutted for two visits, I wanted to strip it but would cause too much damage to my gorgeous 'tresses' so yesterday she convinced me to have a little light 'perm' to 'soften' the NATURAL BLACK. Less damaging than stripping the colour.

So here you go, here is the new me in my natural glory (clothed!!!) . . . NATURAL BLACK CURLY HAIR!!!!

Its quite ridiculous taking a photo of yourself isn't it!!!



Moving along, very quickly . . .

thrifting finds, gorgeous vintage dressing table set ( for sale on my website if you so desire),


and vintage linens, can never resist . . .


just adore this, breakfast tray cloth with the napkin nattily tucked into the teapot,


love it (for sale on my website if you so desire),


and really, a girl can never have too many vintage linens, so many uses, such has covering up the bleach stain on your favourite jeans!

Do you like my pink toes?? Did that last night in between watching the divine Marie Antoinette movie which was televised on TV, could watch it over and over.

I bought this book from Trade Me recently, its going to be my new winter, while watching TV hobby.


And finally, here is what I sent my swap partners in Dollys Valentines Swap.

Loved putting this together, each lady got a mosaic heart, love banner, wooden peg girl magnets, vintage valentines postcards, scraps and scrapbook paper, key ring with their initial on one side and valentines image on the other, sheet music rose soap, heart candles, heart sparkles and chocolate.

I mass produced the hearts one weekend, made heaps of them, some of which are on my website.


That's it for me, see you in a month or so, nah just kidding, I really miss blogging and must try to be more regular . . . sounds like something else doesn't it???!!!

Off now to load stock on here and here . . .

Bye for now
Rachaelxo

Remember me . . .

I can barely remember me!

but . . . I' m back, been a bit busy, well quite busy in fact . . .

I have got a JOB!!! Outside of the house and my own little business ventures, its one that pays regular money each week, which we so need at the moment (recession!) and its only 15 very flexible hours per week within a school so I get to work around the Princess's needs and her school times. Some of the work is at night time also. The only thing is for the last four weeks the 15 hours have been way more while I have been in training . . .

So I have been quite madly busy, lots of things have temporarily gone out the window while I get used to this new path in my life . . .

However, I did eventually emerge from my garage clean up, here is a 'before' of my future craft studio part . . .


and here is the 'after' of my new craft studio and it works!!! I can find things . . . just need to find some time . . .


Back tracking to February, I did a couple of Valentines Swaps, one of which I organised for family and friends down under!!!

My partner was Babe's Aunty Eileen, she made me this divine cushion, all hand stitched and beaded, I had more photos of my goodies from her and think I have accidentally deleted them. Sorry Aunty Eileen.


I had two partners for Dolly's Valentines Swap. My second partner was Isabella in Tasmania. She does beautiful quilting and sewing and sent me this lovely bag,


inside was a little pouch and a doily and hearts and a cherub that Isabella made on her sewing machine, clever!!!


I won a gift on One World One Heart give way from the fabulously talented Lila in Hawaii. She sent me this wonderful art book and a brooch. Thank you so much Lila, I adore both of them and have enjoyed our emails as well!


It was the Princess's 6th birthday last weekend. I did her a fairy tea party, here is the invite we sent out to the fairy guests,


I set up a fairy tea table in the grown up living room, vintage linens and their own china cup setting, roses (stolen from the absent neighbours!) fairy wands, wings and lots of fairy sparkles scattered around the table.

I served them pink fairy food and poured them pink fairy tea from a vintage china tea pot. Before they sat down to eat they 'crafted' their own fairy crowns at a craft table I had set up in the dining room.


The Princess's cake was a butter cake I made, her fairy godmother Mary Thistle iced it and I decorated it with sprinkles and a ballerina purchased from Heather, I turned her into a fairy ballerina with a pair of glittered wings hot glued gunned onto her back. No burns! The ballerina that is, not the Princess!


Did you notice my Princess's gummy smile? In the last few weeks she has lost her two top teeth . . . did you know the tooth fairy pays out quite well these days!!!

Its now Friday night, I started this post last night! Right now I am sitting here with a nice glass of red wine, Babes is away until Sunday for work, the Princess is in my bed with a pile of Barbies I am going to have to squish myself around when I go to bed.

A lazy relaxing weekend is planned, quite a few crafty projects to complete and cross off my to do list. Its all good here right now . . . .

Will post again over the weekend, promise . . .

Until then, take care

Rachaelxo

I'm behind . . .

I am sure I have used that post title before!!!

Honest to goodness, this life is mad!!!

Mad and crazy at the moment but all very, very good!!!

More on that later . . .

If you think I am behind in blogging, which I am . . . you should see the state of my house . . . actually no you shouldn't!!!

So anyway, I did Dolly's Valentines Swap and ended up with two swap partners. One of them was Linda from Raspberry Roses. Funny thing about Linda, well not funny really, but the interesting thing about Linda is that she was one of the blogs I first visited back in my early days of blogging so it was really nice to be paired with her.

Like, really nice . . . I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I opened her parcel, so much Valentines goodness, and so much time and thought put into what she gave me. I still haven't put it all away as I am getting so much pleasure just from sitting and playing with it all!

Here you go, here is what she sent me, so much stuff and so much of it she made, the ruffled heart "confectionery box" the paper doily "hanky holder", the toile covered "tussy mussie", for all I know Linda probably sewed the apron everything is sitting on, made the millinery covered heart,its all just so pink and pretty and Rosy and ME!!!


The heart "confectionery box" in all its ruffled glory.


The inside, crammed full, tags, fabric strawberry's and lots of little vintage miniatures, bridal couples, ballerinas, doves . . .


Close up of the tags, so cute!!!



Linda even sent the Princess a goody bag, cutest pink bag with a pink sparkly headband, heart shaped hair clips, heart candy, a stamp, a rose pen and a fairy note pad. Can't show you all that because it was whisked away before I could take a photo!

Linda, heartfelt thanks to you for your creativity and overwhelming generosity.

Oh and there was a lavender filled heart, but our NZ Customs took it, they are so heartless!

Oh and I forgot, Linda also sent me lots of mini Snickers Bars, yummy, I almost forgot because they are all gone, all gone in my tummy . . .

As for me, I actually got it together with this swap, I tell you this is MY YEAR!!! I'll show you what I made in one of my in the very near future catch up posts, so much to tell you all . . . so much to do, so little time . . . for blogging . . .

Bye for now, take Care
Rachaelxo

One World - One Heart Giveaway Winners

Well, have you ever seen anything like it! 911 very generous participants in the One World One Heart blog giveaway, that's incredible! Well done and thank you to Lisa who created this wonderful event.

I closed my comments off this morning as it is the 12Th February in this part of the world and used the Random Integer Generator to do the draw for my three flower pins.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

65 361 190

Timestamp: 2009-02-11 21:45:44 UTC

So without further ado . . .


#1 Country Patches Flower Pin goes to . . .




Linda from Somewhere in Time

#2 Strawberries and Spots goes to . . .


Leah from handmade bits and pieces


#3 Red Gingham Berries goes to . . .

Bendetta from Primitive Folk Art by Benedetta

Congratulations ladies and thank you to everyone who took the time to visit my blog and leave such nice comments. All 375 of them!!!

Take Care, bye for now

Rachaelxo

Traffic Stopper

I have been slowing the traffic down in our street as I have had the garage door up all day!

Actually I can't believe I am showing you this photo . . . again . . . totally embarrassing!!!!




Its worse than the last time I showed you a photo of our double car -less - ness garage.

So today I have been a busy little beaver in here, again . . . tidying, sorting, planning, throwing out . . .

a compromise is in the air, one side for one car, one side for me, just have to empty it . . .

bye for now

Rachaelxo