Weekend Reflections 03

So this weekend has been the busiest in... I can't even remember how long!  We spent most of yesterday gardening our neglected patch of earth and getting it ready for summer - and Noah's first birthday party!

Today, I decided to get started on some trial mince pies, in preparation for giving as Christmas presents.  I'd never made any before today and needed to make sure they taste half decent before inflicting them on others!  See, I've decided this year to attempt making as many gifts as possible, and while all the ideas are there, the time is lacking!

And if that wasn't enough to give my control freak heart palpitations, I've also decided to start making some toddler-safe decorations for our Christmas tree.  Last year we left putting our tree up until a couple of days before Christmas, took it down again pretty soon after, and still managed to lose some decorations to inquisitive toddler fingers. This year, all the images of friend's Christmas trees on facebook is giving me Christmas tree envy and I really want to get it up early, or at least earlier than last year. And in the spirit of handmade, feel that I should really attempt making some when there are great tutorials out there.  My only dilemma is the size of our tree, it's huge, and I love it. So do I go for a minimalist feel - very few decorations, half and half - with fragile decorations on the top half, or go all out and attempt covering my tree in toddler friendly decorations???  I honestly can't see the last option happening, so may have to go for either of the first two.

Thursday Treasures - Finding Art

I have been looking for some images to hang on my wall lately and have come across a myriad of beautiful things... now comes the hard part of narrowing down my favourites.  I thought I might share some of the things I've found along the way...

Something about this one keeps catching my eye, a limited edition hand pulled screen print called Purple Crane by Kate from Alyoisiusspyker.

These are a couple of faves by Emily Martin from The Black Apple. The one on the left is called As Long As I Have You and on the right is Gosling and Cynet.  These prints are gorgeous but I also love the cards and book plates also available from The Black Apple.

And for something a little different, these Retro Poppies are too cute, made with layered papercuts (not the painful type) and available from Crafterall. The Aqua Topography is stunning too.

 

The Plant Life prints by Field and Sea appeal for their pared back simplicity as do the cards, tags, notebooks and jotters also available.

 

And for the kids - or maybe that's just an excuse - I love Meet The Family by Amy Blackwell from  Blackoutwell.  Also love the At Home On The Sea print too.

So I'm still no closer to making any decisions but will be sure to let you know if I do! Special thanks to the artists, for allowing me to share their work, all images belong to the individual artists.

Thursday Treasures - hjrdDesign

This post has been a long time coming!! I did promise it about 3 weeks ago, right before my wonderful father-in-law passed away following a fierce battle with cancer. But, I'm back now and have even more wonderful treasures to share... I just hope I don't give away surprises certain friends may have coming their way on Christmas Day. 

 So, back towards the end of October, I stumbled across hjrdDesign, on Etsy of course! The beauty of these magnetic wallscapes grabbed me straight away, not only are they super cute but also interactive for busy kids fingers.  I think I need a collection of these on my fridge to keep the kids entertained while I cook dinner!

All items are made using upcycled materials, so you'll be sure that you're not getting something that everyone else has.  I also love the interactive aspect of these, for something that can change with your mood!