what makes you smile

Well, what makes me smile is my spring garden...seriously, I do love a white bloom, and I walked out to my garden this afternoon and was overcome with the gorgeous smell of orange blossoms...I seriously wish you could smell it. It's amazing how a smell can have such a positive effect on you. Sometimes life gets overwhelming, and for me that simple sweet smell brought so much happiness, and yes, I did smile,,,a whole lot. I just pottered about clicking with my phone. My land isn't huge, and the garden is not perfect, but I LOVE it, one of my favourite things about my home. I thought I would hang my sewn together squares on the tree to show where I am up to...still to go to the shops and buy a border that matches, and wadding, and backing.lol...I think it will make a perfect throw to lie on or have a picnic on...

ok...well that's it from me...I have a busy day tomorrow and hope you have a good one too...hope you get to smile like I did!

until next time

lots of it

Mandy

xxx 

big plans for this little pile

Well....after hearing about the death yesterday, of a very young beautiful person that was liked by all who knew her, I hit a bit of a downer. I was teary all day and have woken this morning feeling very down. Sometimes you ask yourself WHY?. Sometimes life isn't fair,

So as silent tears fell down my face last night I decided to do something that would take my mind a little off what had happened. Quite a few years back I ordered some Amy Butler fabric from the US. It is so darn expensive here in australia....
I have had it sitting there not doing anything, I recently made this stool frill with some of the greens I bought, but last night I decided that I would make a simple quilt, a colourful quilt, one that would be achievable for me!!!

I quickly went through my fabrics, and came up with this bundle...It's all cut, by scissors, ouch, and sorted and hopefully looks good once it's done.

We are getting a new bigger lounge set for our front room, which currently is only used for the kids to play the playstation in...it's a waste...so this new lounge is going in there once it comes in...we still have to degrout, regrout...(a horribly job!!!), paint, new skirting...my head hurts thinking about it, but it will be wonderful once it's finished, and the new colourful quilt won't match it, but it will make it cosy.

I will show you it once it's done, but it will take me a while...

Ok...well, that;s it for now

Until next time

lots of it

Mandy

xxx

Brown Paper Packages Tied up In String...

 These are a few of my favourite things....
I am missing getting creative...honestly...but I am ok with it. I have had a busy couple of months with my mil getting very ill then passing away and now my mummy had a mini stroke sunday night and my life is consumed with hospital....
She is a little better now, but mix an illness with alzheimers and its a tad stressful...
Anyhoos....
I feel i haven't scrapped or done anything creative for too long...and I miss putting happy things on my blog...so I thought I'd rehash ( is that the right word???!!!) some of my old favs....sorry to bore those of you who have already seen it...

OK...well...here is to getting creative very soon...

Until next time

lots of it

Mandy

xxx

A sad Goodbye

I have been very quiet in the blogging world...
A few weeks ago I had a call from my mother in law. She was talking about how happy she was that ray and i were together and telling me how wonderful hugh, my father in law is...
She spoke about the kids and how happy she was about our little family, well big family...
She spoke of her new reading glasses and how they will be wonderful because she is doing a lot of reading lately...
A week later my husband left for a week to visit his mum in another state..we in sydney, she in adelaide...
A day after he came back from his visit she was in hospital...the next day she was very unwell...
A few days later my mother in law passed away...
She was an artist, a wife, she was a grandmother a mother and adventurer who travelled half way around the world with her young family for a better life...she was caring and thoughtful,
and so much more...
She said goodbye to me on the phone a few weeks ago...
I never knew it would be her last time saying it to me....
goodbye raymond's mum...we'll all miss you...

I can sing a rainbow...

Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed the sumer of colour that was hosted by Kristin, over at twinkle twinkle...thank you so much Kristin...your challenges have pushed me into doing things I woud have never tried, and I have some wonderful art pieces up around my house....


This lasyt week of the challenge was to do a showcase in some form of all the pieces...I am happy to say I have done each of the colours...yay!!!


I thought the easiest way to show you is to just put up mu photos of my work...a quick glimpse of what I have created...some i loved, and some I was just ok with...in any case, I enjoyed each piece I created...

here goes...

BLUE

GREEN

PINK

YELLOW

BROWN

RED

PURPLE

ORANGE

Until next time

lots of it

Mandy

xxx

more than the stars in the sky...orange...

Well...orange is one of my favourite colours to scrap with...I had originally planned to do something totally different, but you know how art goes!!

I ended up doing a faceless me (inspired by all those who have been doing these gorgeous girls)  with my arms spread out ...I would say to my babies I love you more than the blades of grass, I love you more than the sand on the beach, I love you more than the stars in the sky...there are 6 stars in my sky, one for each of my children...this is on a 12 by 10 canvas board...

This week I was over at Esther's blog and she had a little photo of a dandelion...I call them wish flowers as if you blow all the seeds out in one blow you get to make a wish....

the story goes  a little like this...
one day I was sitting out the front on our driveway watching the kids play...when suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see a little movement ...upon closer inspection , there was a little ant carrying a seed from the dandelion just like a little umbrella...I went nuts and quickly got my camera and clicked away...here is my interpretation of it...and the song HIGH HOPES ...you know the ant who could move a rubber tree plant...well...here is my little version of that... My dandelion seed was inspired by a little stamp I once had...tho nowhere near as nice as it....lol...

Thankyou once again to Kristin at summer of colour ... and thanks once again to all who pop on into my blog and say hi, leave a lovely comment, or even stop by for a quick little look...all are greatly appreciated...

oh...I had a great birthday, getting a lovely pandora bracelet, some lovely charms to go on it and some wonderful birthday money to buy some art goodies and other things...some dvds and some comfy jammie pants...gotta love birthdays, oh, and I am FINALLY starting to get better...it's about time really, so thanks to you all for asking after me and wishing me a happy birthday...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CONNOR..he turned 12 on sunday...Harry Potter's birthday!!!lol...

until next time

lots of it

Mandy

xxx