An "Awesome" Craft

I signed myself up for the "Be Awesome" swap on craftster. The guideline? Just craft one awesome thing for your partner.

I was pretty stumped as to what to make until my partner sent me a message suggesting that I might make something that would provide magical inspiration. I sat myself down and made a list of things that inspire me and soon realized how many ordinary, everyday things were on that list. So, in the end I sent a wee magical house filled with everyday inspirations like ladybugs, stars and Popsicle sticks.

 

 

My partner is away for a few days but her package should be waiting for her when she arrives home. I'm so excited for her to get it. I'm really proud of this wee house and I hope she loves it to bits :)

P.S. For the curious, I did not make the house from scratch. It is a kit, the kind that you buy from a craft shop, that simply snaps together. It was great fun and I totally recommend giving it a try, once you get to the decorating it completely sucks you in.

Everyday Magic

After the difficult year we've just put behind us it sure is a blessing to see such magical things in our new surroundings. Bouquets of four leaf clover, tiny fairy rings, wee frogs eavesdropping on bedtime stories, it all makes sense now. Apparently we actually live at the end of the rainbow.

Now if I could just find that pot-o-gold.

Un-packing Treasures

I'm still unpacking boxes... loads and loads of boxes. I wonder if the unpacking will ever cease. I'm running out of places to stash my stash.

I had a spurt of enthusiasm this morning and tried to tackle more of the office. The huge mound of boxes in the corner yielded a few nifty finds including a collection of old Christmas ornaments.

I really wonder where they've all come from because I don't recall ever having so many and we certainly didn't buy them. Perhaps they are multiplying in their cozy dark hiding places.

Think I'm kidding? It very well could be true! Just look at the bag of baby ornaments I found. Each is about the size of a marble.

The best find of the day? A Chuck Norris Ninja comic book! I wonder if my husband even remembers having this?

Phoenix Rising

Still can't share any awesome crafting *grumble* so I will share a story with a happy ending instead.

For as long as I can remember my mum has loved horses. When I was growing up there wasn't money for much of anything (heck, we didn't even have a phone) never mind money for a filly or riding of any sort. Still, my mum maintained her adoration and would get that dreamy look in her eyes thinking about them. It's the same look some girls get when they talk about shoes and designer clothes. It's the one I get when I think about glitter and collecting old buttons.

For the past couple of years my mum has been going riding and spending time at the stables. She goes to the stable and earns her keep. She shovels poo and does all that horsey stuff that horsey people enjoy. Christ, I'm sure she even does some of the stuff no one in their right mind would want to do because she's so damned horse crazy she'll do anything for the hoofed things.

One day, just a couple of months ago, she excitedly announced that she was buying a horse.

This is the horse she bought.

The lady who owns the stable bought the horse in this condition, brought her to the stables, and named her Phoenix. A month after the above photo was taken Phoenix looked like this...

When my mum showed off photos of her new 'baby' there were a number of comments about her changing colour and that she looked "different". I'll admit to being a bit skeptical myself, but she looked like a sweet thing.

Just a few weeks later and Phoenix went to her first horse show.

My mum had mentioned changing Phoenix's name but she had never heard the story of the mythical bird. As any Harry Potter fan can tell you, the phoenix is beautiful bird which dies in a burst of flames but is reborn again, rising from the ashes. The stable owner just happens to be a Potter fan.

Above is a photo of Phoenix my mum posted today. Just three short months after that first sad snapshot and it seems Phoenix is living up to her name.

Oh Lucky Day

Rolling around on the lawn ticking the kiddo this evening I gathered myself a wee bouquet of four leave clovers. Heck, I started things off by finding a five leaf one!

Nothing fantastically fabulous happened today, and I don't expect that a pot of gold will land on my doorstep, but I do like finding the wee things. They give me a bit of perk :)

A tiny peeping tom

After reading D his bed time story I walked over to turn out the light. Something caught my eye at the window and I found this little fellow staring up at me.

A teeny weeny little green frog sitting on the ledge of a second story window! Perhaps he needed a bedtime story too. He stayed for quite a while but was gone in the morning. I sure do hope he got down safely.

A peek

I've been a busy gal over the past few weeks. Moving in, houseguests, swaps... phew!

I STILL can't really post anything pretty just yet but I will post a sneaky peek of my favourite recently crafted item...

It should have been in the post yesterday but it needed a few last finishing touches. Better late than never *sigh* Heck, I had to talk myself into sending this one :)

A Mid-Summer Night Dream

Hope your summer celebration is as magical as can be :)

Berries!

I'm still plugging away on swap stuff that I can't show off. Add house guests and a fresh load of design work and there's really not a heck of a lot time left over.

I noticed some lovely red spots hovering close to the ground yesterday. Tiny wild strawberries! How lovely is that?

I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the dramatic lighting here. Thanks to the morning sun I didn't even need to crack open photoshop to get this effect.

We'll have to see if we can gather enough for a small batch of jam :)

Morning Dew and Mozzie Bites

I can't really show you any of my crafty goods at the moment because they are for swaps. I know, I know, it hasn't stopped me before. I'm going to try my best to behave and post something else instead.

One of the projects I'm working on at the mo' is all about inspiration and wonder. For me inspiration springs from finding loveliness in little things and making magical the ordinary.  I think that eggbeaters are just about the neatest thing ever invented... I'm sure that given the opportunity they could do just about anything. I'm also rather in love with mossy places. How can there not be magic in those incredible colours and textures? Here are a few mossy landscapes that I took snaps of this morning while getting eaten alive by the mozzie brigade.