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.

The Guest Room

We've been here two weeks and the house guests are set to start coming in just over a week. My grannie will be crossing the pond and staying with us for a while... best get that guest room sorted!

This is the glorious view from the guest bedroom. It's a cozy room with pretty views on two sides and a sweet smelling breeze that comes in from the two windows.

As you can see in the last thumbnail it's not all sugar and daisies just yet. Our deck is a mess and there is a pit where our pool should be. No worries, just a few weeks and it'll be looking just dandy.

The Crafty Studio

Finally my crafty goods have been unpacked and most of my stash has found a place to hide. I don't really have a design style... at all... no really, I'm terrible! For me, decorating is more about putting all my stuff in a somewhat hidden but still accessible space. Although I'd love for my crafty space to stay as neat as it is right now, I know that it in a matter of minutes it will become a disaster :)

For the thrifty types out there... The Books - free, used for tearing up. The Lamp - given to us last week, was awful black glass with painted flowers... spray paint did the trick. The Paper Holder - an old LP holder from a second hand store. The Wooden Desk - $7 from the Re-Use Centre.

Bugs, bugs, and more bugs

Yesterday I killed a load of bugs. I'm not normally the type to squish the wee buggers but these were huge mutant types. One of my many victims was a bumblebee that was least 2.5" long, buzzing about my kitchen. There must be something in the air to make everything so darned big here. There were far fewer indoor bugs today... perhaps they can smell death.

Outside is another story.

I'm sure that there is a gang of mosquitoes waiting outside my door. They've had a taste of my red stuff and want more! They are telling their friends and writing blogs about it. The walk to the school bus this morning left me with numerous bites, a swollen finger, and unimaginably itchy spots behind my knees. It's a good thing we're line drying clothes this summer because it looks like we'll need the extra money for bug spray.