So it's been a REALLY long time.

Remember me?! The one in the tissue paper dress? It feels like I have been gone for yonks, and, well, I have! 2 months! Ridiculous. I have been away with work and spending a bit of time with my family. You know when you just need to switch off for a while? Yeah.

So anyway, here we are at Christmas time. J and I put the tree up last Friday. Gifts are not yet wrapped, and not all are bought yet. It is warm and sunny and I want to go to the beach, but today I am working on getting my store back up and running. It's been too long!

I thought I would share some pictures of my life in the last few weeks - fresh berries (note mulberry stained hands!) from my aunt's orchard; cute new puppies; and our Christmas tree.


Did you notice my red shoes? They're nice aren't they? I bought them in Melbourne. Love!

Handmade gifts: keeping the tradition going

Ever since I was a young girl, I have enjoyed giving my grandparents a handmade Christmas gift. Obviously, when I was young, the creativity stopped at nothing. Painted calendars, handtowels edged with fabric, lavender sachets, markers for the vegetable garden - I loved making them and my grandparents always loved receiving them.

As I have gotten older and busier in my very grown-up life I have let the handmade side slide a little in my gift-giving. Last year I made shortbread, which received rave reviews. But it was kind of cheating in the handmade stakes.

Anyway, this year, they have just purchased an outdoor setting for their backyard. So I found a nice melamine tray and some yummy biccies so they can enjoy their tea outside. But something was missing, and today I have had a brainwave of creativity! I am faaaairly confident they won't come spying and read this post, so here is the handmade component of this year's present: some coasters for their mugs.


The back is non-slip so they can sit on the tray without sliding around. I machine embroidered the teacups, and the middle has a little piece of wadding for heat protection.

I am pretty pleased with them! I hope they like them and enjoy an afternoon tea in the backyard.

Wrapped

I just received these delightful tags from Niki at PetitePaperieShoppe. I ordered the santas, and the sweet little birds were an added bonus! Lovely.

Christmas Decos from Around the World

One of the nicest things about coming home from our holiday was opening the door and seeing our Christmas tree quietly waiting for us. I love putting it up every year and I thought I would share with you some of the special decorations I have bought on my travels around the place.

This lovely lady is a handcrafted wooden piece from Nuremberg, Germany. When Jon found out about my love of Christmas decorations, he bought me this whilst he was there watching the World Cup in 2006.

Then we have this jolly Santa. He is from a huge Paperchase store on Oxford St in London.

This sweet star is all the way from Xian, China. I think it is the cheapest decoration I have ever bought at approximately 25c.

A little nativity scene from La Paz, Bolivia.

The Virgin of Guadalupe, a painted tin decoration from Oaxaca, Mexico.

As you might guess, my tree is a bit of a mish-mash - but a very loveable one!

New Bits and Bobs for Chrissy Pressies!

Well, Christmas in July is almost here!

From 9am Friday the 24th til 10pm Sunday 26th of August, I will be offering 15% off EVERYTHING in my store, and not only that, but if you spend $50 or more, I will give you free shipping! (Aussies - you can have free shipping if you pay by bank deposit!)

Here is a little taste of some new items I have made for NeverEver this week, to fill up my store for the Chrissy celebrations!

1. Matisse the Toy Giraffe, 2. Under the Big Top Bib, 3. Rosy Denim Tie Dress, 4. Chiquita the Little Horse

Click here for the whole list of DUST ladies who are having sales and promotions this weekend!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

As a proud member of the Dust Team, I am taking part in a SUPER HUGE promotion running for the weekend of the 25/26th of July. We are having Christmas in July! Piles and piles of gorgeous, handmade, unique and lovely pieces, with each store involved offering specials, sales and offers for you!

There will be giveaways throughout the weekend, and lots of other special treats... stay tuned for more info!

Here is a selection of handmade loveliness from the ladies of the Dust Team:

Almost here!

Well, tis the season and all that, so I thought I would share my Christmas tree with you. I love Christmas and all the things that come with it - lights in windows, trees groaning with decorations, "Santa Stop Here" signs on front lawns. Here is my tree with a modest amount of pressies under at the moment (more to be wrapped as we speak). Last night the man and I went on a little excursion to check out the streets known for their amazing displays of Christmas lights and cheer. How they find the powerpoints is beyond me, but my goodness there was a lot of light and colour going on! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidson,_New_South_Wales - scroll down to "Culture" to read more about it!

Here are some of my favourite decorations. The green angel on the left is from Ireland; the blue wooden scene from Germany; and the Buckingham palace crown is from, that's right, England!

10 Things to Do on a Rainy Grey Day

1. Make Christmas gift tags. (I made these with a wooden stamp I bought in India.)

2. Bake chocolate chip cookies.

3. Do some sewing. (Iwent a little bananas)

4. Put your pot plants out in the rain for a drink.

5. Look through old photo albums.

6. Partake in some online retail therapy. (This mexican oilcloth address book from lmoss was too good to resist)

7. Gaze out the window at the rain.

8. Do some more sewing. (I got inspired by the Dust Team with more fruity ideas)

9. Eat a warm, wholesome soup for lunch.

10. Update your blog!

My flowers like it better in Sydney

So, in Melbourne I decided to grow foxgloves, seathrift and various other cottage plants. They were lovely, healthy and green but nothing resembling a bloom. Then I moved to Sydney and within a week - hey presto! Flowers on my foxglove and my seathrift (I would post a photo of them too, only a rogue bird was hungry and pecked them off! Grrr).

I couldn't be more pleased and look forward to a garden full of blooms!

In other news, I have been busy sewing some custom orders for buyers, setting up my studio space (will post pictures inthe next few days - it's GREAT!) and buying Christmas presents for my nearest and dearest.

The christmas tree is up, the sewing machine out, and the flowers blooming. The start of a wonderful summer!