It's all about ME

If you've ever been curious about what kind of jewellery a jewellery-designer wears, wonder no more - here are just a few (A FEW, mind - remember my aforesaid addictive personality??) of my favourite pieces (that I kept for myself).

This "self-control" bizzo? So over-rated.

I love this pendant. The glass cabachon was handmade for me by the uber-talented Anne Dundas (hi Anne!), lampwork artist extraordinaire. I wrapped it with non-tarnish silver artistic wire using Eni Oken's fab netted cabachon tutorial (hi Eni!). Kind of a collaborative effort, this one :) Anyway, when it was done I realised I'd never be able to part with it. I mean, come ON - it's MY colours!


This ring was the first I made using Eni's woven ring tutorial. I used a lovely pink Peruvian Opal disc. Once again...MY colours...soooooo pretty...I mean, what's a girl to do?


This gorgeous pendant was made using my own design. I wove beautiful semi-precious, 3mm multi-faceted rondelles into the framework, which perfectly framed a piece of Serpentine (New Jade). Top and bottom is faceted Amethyst and the drop at the bottom is a micro-faceted Citrine teardrop. I really love this pendant! Every time I wear it, I get lovely comments. Can't ask for more than that, can you?

This necklace appeals to the romantic side of me that adores vintage jewellery. The brass pendant says "he who holds the key can unlock my heart". Awwwwwwwwww :)

I made this pendant recently, when I realised that I had NOTHING to go with my gorgeous new plum-coloured-bargain-basement-makes-my-butt-look-fab* skirt :) It's Rhodonite, with a non-tarnish silver artistic woven wire bail.

*according to Willie, at least (ah, bless...12 years and he still says stuff like that. Lucky girl eh?).

OK, back to my marathon "Eastenders" session. The only other programme (apart from "Supernatural" - duh!) that I actually make a point of watching. We have 9 episodes to go before we're fully caught up (once again - thank GOD for MySky!).

~A

It's heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

Woot! My Betz White book "Sewing Green" arrived today from Amazon! (So much for the 3-4 week wait - they must've seen my blog post ;).

Spent lunchtime pouring over it - it was soooooo worth the wait! Heaps of "green" info in there to digest, and some great patterns!

Thanks Betz - you're my hero :)

~ A

Bay of Plenty indeed

Yes, the province we live in is well named. Opotiki is situated in the Bay of Plenty (so named by Captain Cook and the "Endeavour" crew when they landed here back in the 18th century). Plenty of pinecones and beachwood...but fish? Not so much.

In preparation for the too-fast-approaching winter, yesterday we went hunting for pinecones (they're great fire-starters) and today we went down to Hawai (a 15 minute drive from Opotiki on State Highway 35) to gather kindling and small logs off the beach. We threw the surfcasting rod in the water in the hopes we'd catch our dinner, but no such luck. Lost 3 lots of bait but the darn fish were too smart for us (or maybe it was the crabs having a laugh at our expense). Either way - we came home fish-less.

Managed a good load of beachwood to stock up for winter though. I do love our log fire in the winter - it's worth the effort!

The day was absolutely perfect, as the photos below show - not a cloud in the sky and lovely and warm. Hard to believe that winter is on it's way. As I snapped these pics, once again I realised how lucky we are to live here.

I still managed to fit in an appointment with a client today, and make up a custom order, update the website again (more to come later in the week) and tackle the mountain of washing that seems to pile up from NOWHERE in this house. Is there anything sweeter than the smell of freshly washed, line-dried sheets? I think not! (There I go, channelling Martha again...!).

Georgia spent the weekend at a friend's house and arrived home, exhausted but happy, this evening. Cammie was a wee bit lost without her, bless him. We got to spend some great one-on-one time with him while she was away though, which is a luxury. He's growing up so fast, hard to believe my baby's five already! He has a passion for writing at the moment, and I'm shocked to see him picking it up so quickly. He's only been at school for 3 weeks and he's writing in his spare time ALOT - his name mostly, but asking us how to spell things and then writing them out. He's our very own "Boy Wonder" :)

Hawai Bay - looking towards Te Kaha and Cape Runaway (further round the coast):


Hawai Bay - (in the other direction). Whale Island in the distance. Amazing to believe we are only a 15 minute drive from home:


Whoops...someone lost a jandal (flip-flop)...


Surfcasting - abit hit and miss at the moment - nice view though eh?


Cammie amuses himself while waiting for a non-existant bite, by writing his name in the sand...


Cammie "walking the plank" (his words!)...

Happiness is...a trailerload of firewood (with a hitch-hiking "pirate" in the corner)...

It's the simple pleasures that make me the happiest. I guess I'm still a small-town girl at heart : )

~ A

Addiction...You Say That Like It's A Bad Thing?

What have I been up to this week? In short - having myself a "Supernatural-fest"! I have kind of an addictive personality - when I find something I like, I go hell for leather until I'm fully immersed (I have no willpower, it's a medical fact. Ask anyone who knows me).

I found this great author and I've been reading her stories all week. Ever heard the term "fan-fiction"? I'd come across it now and then, when trolling thru the net. It's when fans write make-believe episodes/stories/whatever involving the characters on their favourite TV show/movie/whatever. I'd read a few of these, but never been all that impressed to be honest. But then I found Lisa :)

She writes stories for "Supernatural" fans. REALLY GOOD stories. Like, so good that I've been hooked on them all week...reading before work, after work, late into the night/early morning even. I can't get enough - the girl's a genius! I'm actually starting to get the "real" series and her stories confused - they're that good. Can you tell I'm impressed?

I'm currently reading her "Protectorverse" series of stories. First there was "Protectors of the Innocent", followed by "Broken Lands", "Amen" and now I'm reading "Rockabye", the fourth instalment. If you're a SN fan, you will love her stories (even if you're not, they're a great read), so check out the links and get reading! CLICK HERE to go straight to her list of stories - there are heaps!

What else have I been up to? Not much, to be honest, due to the aforementioed new addiction :) I've never read so much for ages - loving it! Managed to make a few new goodies for the website, which I uploaded the other day. Have a few more things to upload this weekend as well, which I hope to get to at some stage. Have even more ideas that I'd like to explore and now that the house is finally finished being painted, I think this weekend could be quite productive (and not with painting, for the first time all month!!). I'm gonna try and remember to take some pics of the house so I can show before/after pics here too (mental note to self...).

Friday's are all about "Supernatural".....beginning at 4pm, when the latest aired episode is available to watch online here (woot!!). The kids know not to bug Mummy when she's sprawled on the bed, watching SN on her laptop :) Geez, I love my kids!

Here's a recent publicity shot of the SN boys (man...what's not to love!?):

Worst part is that I now have to wait till MUCH LATER tonight until Vic can watch as well, and we can de-brief! Just when you think the world is darn near perfect, eh?

What can I say? My husband just doesn't understand :)

~A

Reality Check for the Under-30's

I received this email recently - and I must say, I do feel that it's worth noting!! And yes, I do feel old when I read it...

"If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious! When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning uphill... barefoot... BOTH ways... Yadda, yadda, yadda.

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up,there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of cr*p like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of 30, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a darn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!

There was no email either. We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our butts! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's. If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitch-hike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and muck it all up!

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting either. If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was. It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation videogames with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen - forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on TV. You were screwed when it came to channel surfing cos you had to get off your butt and walk over to the TV to change the channel! There was no Cartoon Network either - you could only get cartoons on Saturday morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove ... imagine that!

You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

Regards,
The Over-30 Crowd"

:) A

Channeling Martha

Good evening ladies (and gents). This evening I shall be channeling Martha (Stewart, no less), and we shall be discussing window cleaning. Yes - you read that right - window cleaning.

Now, to be honest, I hate cleaning windows. It's right up there with ironing on my Most Hated Chores list. Yeuch. Thankless tasks, I detest them both. So, recently when I realised that after our painter had finished waterblasting and painting the exterior of our house, I would have to clean the windows of all the gunk that had been deposited on them over the past few weeks - well, let's just say that the idea did not exactly leave me feeling like a box of fluffies.

My mother in law (who's currently visiting from Scotland for 6 months) mentioned yesterday that perhaps we ought to get up there and clean dem dere windows, now that the house was finished. I put it off yesterday but today there was no escape - she would do the inside, I'd do the outside, simultaneously, so it was all over fairly painlessly (this last part I VERY much doubted). Willie mysteriously disappeared while all this went on....? The boy's no fool.

So, in the course of our conversation, she proceeds to fill me in on how she does her windows. Now, I must mention at this point that the windows in her wee hoose just out of Edinburgh were always SPOTLESS, so I know the woman has a few tips and tricks up her sleeve. Tonight, using said tips and tricks, we spent an hour and 45 mins and cleaned ALL the windows in our 4 bedroom house, inside and out, and they are BLOODY SPARKLING! It's incredible! Seriously. I have to share this with you!

Here's the recipe for success:

1. DITCH all the fancy potions, lotions, cloths and cleaners. At best, they don't work. At worst, they take a whole heap of extra effort.
2. Get a bucket - fill it 1/2 full with warm water.
3. Squeeze a dash of regular dishwashing liquid into the water.
4. Add about 2 capfuls of vinegar (apparently, any kind will do, but we had Malt Vinegar in the cupboard so that's what we used).
5. Use a leather chamois, not a regular dishcloth (which is what I always did).
6. Get some old newspapers ready.
7. Using the ROUGH side of the chamois, saturate the window, including the corners and edges.
8. Squeese excess water out.
9. Using the SMOOTH side of the chamois, go over the window again. This (apparently) polishes the window. I kid you not.
10. Take a sheet of newspaper and scrunch it up. Scrub the whole window with this - it sops up all the water lickety-split and polishes your glass to a - well - "glass-like" shine.
11. Stand back and admire your handiwork - it really looks like there is NO glass in your windows, it's so clear and sparkly!

Now, how hard is that eh? I was honestly gob-smacked at how EASY it was to do (I usually went through a whole bottle of glass-cleaner and a whole heap of kitchen roll, not to mention all the elbow-grease I could muster. And didn't get ANYWHERE NEAR that kinda shine finish!).

You're welcome :)

Apart from cleaning windows, this weekend I gardened. Although I'm not sure you can see where I've been. (I should add "weeding" to my list of Most Hated Chores). I also had a lovely leisurely brunch with Dianne (of Winkels Wooden Toys - shameless plug) at Two Fish Cafe (Church St, Opotiki - hi guys!) on Saturday. Best coffee in town :)

AND I managed to find a pair of jeans that fit - woot woot!! Jeans shopping is usually one of those things that makes me want to take up drinking - I am 5'11" and can never find jeans long enough or that fit well enough around the waist - either the length is fine but the waist is too big, or the legs are too short but they fit well around the waist. See? Painful. Today I tried on 7 pairs and 2 fit. Hence (being the great shopper I am), I bought 'em both. Thus averting another jeans-shopping-experience for another year (possibly more).

Willie was a weeny bit hungover today (read: VERY hungover) after a night out last night, so I even got to drive (his car - I usually don't get to be that lucky) over to Whakatane for our little outing. So - as every "Supernatural" fan knows: "Driver picks the music - shotgun shuts his cakehole". I took my iPod and we listened to, among other things on my playlist, these kiwi classics from Goodshirt and The Feelers:

I'm kinda chillin' out now, after my busy day, so this is what I'm listening to before I have my much-longed-for "early night" (ie: bed before 1am) - one of my all-time favourite songs. "Chisel" rule! (Even though I was 11 when this song was released, I didn't really "discover" it till I was about 17. But it's always gonna be up there on my Top 10 list, along with most everything else Cold Chisel ever released. They were pure magic - OzRock at it's best).

On that note - "Thank you and goodnight!"



~A

Danger Will Robinson!

Geez, what a day. Driving to work, heard on the radio that NZ is on "tsunami alert" (yes, again - man!). An earthquake in Tonga triggered a possible tsunami warning (yawn). So the whole damn country went crazy (again). I guess we know that Civil Defence in this country is working well, so that's one thing. Me? I just went about my business - the calm one while everyone else was in full-on panic mode around me.

By 9.45am the all-clear was given. No tsunami coming. No drama. No biggie really.

Whatever.

What did get me excited was today's Supernatural episode (16 - "On the head of a pin"). Watched it online around 5pm today (darn time zones again). SUCH a good episode! I was almost bouncing off the wall afterwards! My email to Vic began with:

"OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Hey - it was an exciting episode! What can I say?!

Now? After a full-on de-brief with Vic, I'm chillin'. Listening to Our Lady Peace on youtube while I write this. So love this song!

What? Wait? No, sorry - I don't do "waiting"

I ordered my copy of Betz White's "Sewing Green" book today - woot woot! I can't wait for it to arrive :D

I just happened to check out Betz's blog today and saw that the books were off pre-order with Amazon.com, so I went online and voila! They were not only available and ready to ship, but they're on special for US$16.47! Serendipity or what?!

Now I just have to figure out a way to wait the 3-4 weeks that Amazon estimates it will take to arrive in my mailbox here in Opotiki :(

Poo. I hate waiting. I'm an "instant gratification isn't soon enough" kinda gal.

Oh, it's gonna be a long few weeks...


~A

Bead Swap progress, TVNZ, Rove and Michael Buble

Woohoo! Finished my bead swap piece this arvo - what fun! I really enjoyed this one. The theme is "Rainbow" and we had to send 21 beads (3 of each colour of the rainbow) and 20cm of chain to our bead swap buddy. We had to use everything we received BUT we could add more (this is one way I like to challenge myself by NOT adding more beads, just working with what I receive). I lucked out cos Lynne, my BSB (Bead Swap Buddy) sent me just THE BEST beads ever! I've never worked with that type of bead before, but man - inspiration hit me like a sledgehammer THE INSTANT I opened the packet, and then I was off :) But in the interests of saving it for the Big Reveal that we do once everyone's piece has been submitted, you'll need to wait to see it for a couple of weeks. Ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :D

I sent a very nice email to the good folks at TVNZ last night, just politely asking them why they never show promos for Supernatural on TV. And why they show it at the graveyard timeslot of 10.30pm Fridays. I figure that if I'm going to moan about them behind their backs, best I take it straight to the folks themselves and see what they have to say for a change (I'm maturing up nicely). The email I received back was kinda disappointing: They don't promo "off peak" shows. And if they promoted EVERY programme they would never have time to show the programmes themselves. So there. OK, I'll admit - my first reaction was to furiously type back a response to them and point out what they were doing wrong, but you'll be glad to know that I kept my head, realised how pointless that would be, and resigned myself to the fact that they are obviously past caring. Kind of what I'd suspected of them for awhile anyway so, as that Mitre 10 ad says, "no suprises there".

Doing a swift about-face from TVNZ to TV3: Do you watch "Rove"? I just LOVE Rove - never cease to get a full-on belly laugh when I watch. Just too funny! Anyway, Willie and I were watching it last week and we were talking about the last time Michael Buble was on Rove - the funniest interview EVER! I like Michael Buble (I know - strange considering that my favourite bands are Pearl Jam, Counting Crows and the whole Seattle grunge scene of the 90's) but he's got a great voice, and he's soooooo funny! I've seen Rove interview him twice and both times were hysterical! So I went onto YouTube and found the interview - and peeed myself laughing all over again (esp. the bit where he's feeling Rove's pecs!). So, if you missed it (it aired in June '08 apparently), here it is (oh, and I love that a "Supernatural" promo banner appears during the interview - kismet!):



~A

The Drama Gene

Georgia took the hump with us the other day and stormed off to her room (she's abit of a drama queen, bless). About 10 minutes later, I went to check on her and saw this on her door:

Couldn't help but laugh (quietly, of course!) - and then grab the camera :D

~ A

Hair today...gone tomorrow

It struck me recently that I'm abit of a hair-slut. Really. I don't keep the same hair-do for very long. If it's long, I chop it off. If it's short, I grow it. I've had it permed, straightened and coloured over the years. In it's natural form, I have auburn coloured, curly hair. It's a lazy curl though, which means years of frustration. It only curls when it's longer than about an inch or so. Then it forms ringlets. Hence the short hair scenario: When it's short, I can wear it straight without spending hours with the straightening irons on it - yahoo!

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't HATE my curls. I don't love them either, but let's just say that we now have a healthy relationship: the curls do what they want, and I let them. I'm so over straightening my hair, life is too short. If the fringe (or "bangs" as they call them in the US) wants to curl, damn it, do your worst. I'm over it.

I did have fun though, going through the old albums again. I noticed a few things on my pictorial journey, namely:

• I took waaaaay too many photos at the Beerfest in Munich (1997) - and I'm not in ANY of them (go figure)
  
• In a good proportion of the photos taken of me while I was touring Europe in '97, I don't even look like myself - I was very skinny (and 5'11", so I looked almost skeletal), my hair was REALLY long and I had a tan (only time in my life when I did) - none of which I can say about myself now (OK, except that I'm still 5'11")


• In ALL the pics taken at both my 21st's (I had two parties - one in Auckland with my friends and one in Opotiki with my family), I look either drunk or stupid (even though I was sober..to the best of my knowledge?)


• I shouldn't wear shorts. They make my legs look far too long for my body. Seriously NOT a good thing (unless you're a supermodel, which I'm not)


• I have very few photos of myself when I'm pregnant (probably due to the fact that I had my head stuck down a toilet bowl for 9 months - for both pregnancies - due to Hyperemisis - google it, it's nasty)


• I actually DO suit my natural red hair colour. I've been chestnut brown before, but I curiously don't have photo evidence of that (prob'ly as it was short-lived and made me look cruddy). I've never been blonde though....hmmm....?

So, for a little light entertainment, I went through my photos and sorted out some pics to show you of my varying 'do's over the years (try to view these with amusement - I laughed myself stupid over some of them so I'm not shy about it!):

1992 - this is me and my BFF Jules dancing at my 21st birthday party. Note the red lipstick (which I don't do anymore...what was I thinking?!). Despite the stupid pose, you may be able to notice that my hair had been straightened within an inch of it's life that night, by my friend Kate (who was a hairdresser, thank God). I actually realised while looking at this photo that I still have this dress in my wardrobe. Course, I can't fit it anymore. It's a (UK/NZ) size 8 (and it made me feel like Audrey Hepburn). So I decided to keep it. Ah, those were the days.

1994 - much longer here, isn't it? This was taken at my li'l sis, Nic's, 21st party 2 years later. Great pose Dad! And because Nic had dyed her hair red and permed it, we actually LOOK ALIKE in this pic, which is really wierd cos we don't usually :)

2000 - on holiday in NZ from Scotland (Willie's first trip out to NZ). I had a curly bob here. And I look cruddy cos I was 7 weeks pregnant and spent the whole 3 week holiday with my head in either a bag or the toilet bowl. Ugh. (The wee dog is Kasey, my "other sister").

2002 - Georgia was about 2 yrs old on this pic, so that looks right. I decided to get it all chopped off cos I was fed up with the time it was taking me to "sort it" every morning. (I don't do mornings anyway, so not a good combo). At the time it made me feel "hip and trendy". Looking back, I'm not so sure. My cousin Ali took this shot, and it's actually a favourite. Georgia's wee chubby face is too cute!

2009 - taken in my studio, a few months ago. Still unsure as to whether I'll perservere and grow it out or hack it off again and take the easy option. It's so tough being a woman!

Any feedback welcome! I need to make a decision soon - I'm due at the hairdressers any day now...

Thank God that's over with!

Well, what a weekend. We had the kids school gala day on Saturday, which was great fun. Then we spent the rest of the day painting the house (outside -thank God the weather co-operated with us and it was lovely all weekend). Spent today doing the same...am so sore! My arms and shoulders are killing me, and my poor knees...it was my job to paint the base of the house, so I was up and down all bleedin' day. Only managed one coat, so have to go through it all again next weekend with the second coat...oh joy.

Anyway, the kids were brilliant. Granny (my mother-in-law, currently visiting us from Scotland) has had them out on the bikes, out visiting, out at the park - gives them something fun to do while we're busy painting (again). My folks turned up this arvo and while they were talking to us about the painting, they pruned all my standard miniature roses lining the front path (something I've been meaning to do all week but never quite got around to) and Granny cooked us a lovely roast lamb for dinner - beaut!

I went in to tuck Cammie in tonight, and he'd gone all arty on me again...he'd sellotaped a poster to the wall above his bed! I carefully removed it and put it on his wardrobe door instead :) He's a right wee petrol-head (like my whole family, and Willie) so of course, the poster was of the pre-65's racing in Taupo earlier this year :) Here's the poster (which I actually think is very cool, as I'm abit of a petrol-head myself, particularly with the older cars - not so much for F1 and suchlike): Vic sent me the YouTube link for the next new episode of "Supernatural" and now I'm really peeved - Sam!! What the hell?! And is Alastair telling Dean what I think he's telling him?! If so - poor Dean! Oh the drama :) Only 5 more days till it airs...gonna be another long week.

Walls

I hate blank walls. I really do. Whenever I see a blank wall, I have to physically resist the urge to put something on it. I tend to overdo the artwork on the walls in my house (there just never seems to be enough space!), so it's something I really have to concentrate on (minimising the artwork, that is). I mean, less is more, right?

Yeah, well, good luck with that. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. In my case? Definately doesn't.

The other day I went around the house and snapped pics of some of my wall displays. I must say, even though I do quite fancy the minimalist look, I really don't think I'm gonna be able to pull it off.

Here's what I mean:

I picked this up in a great wee gift shop in Ohakune when we were there for our anniversary in February. I love old tin signs like this one. The green wreath is a candle surround I've re-birthed. This hangs in our kitchen.

I love this red wall in my living room. It used to be golden yellow but I painted it red about 6 months ago, to tie in with our red lounge suite. Now we have a chocolate brown leather lounge suite, and this red wall looks even better! Nup. Not changing the colour again. Love the enlarged photos of the kids "through the window" on the wall (which I took myself) and the perspex branch on the red wall (picked up in a cool wee shop in Cuba St, Wellington, NZ) in September 2008. Also love this green vase!! I think it's been in almost every room in the house in the 7 or 8 years that I've had it!

This is the VERY FIRST decent-sized cross-stitch I ever completed. It's a gorgeous Celtic cross I bought in Cardiff, Wales in 1998. It took me about 3 years to complete (and another 2 years before I got around to framing it!). I still love it. It hangs in the hallway now.

I bought this vintage Edinburgh bus blind for my birthday about 2 years ago. I had been given money from various people and I wanted to put it to good use (it cost a small fortune - but was worth it). At the time I bought it, I thought it was one of the buses that used to go past our wee flat in Edinburgh (Scotland), but have since found out that it's more likely a mishmash of several routes. No matter, it's a talking point as it hangs in our living room. Considering my love of colour, I guess it's a weird choice given that it's black and white. But then, I'm a sentimental fool so this is probably why it appeals.

This is my "heart collection" that hangs in the living room, beside the fireplace. I kind of decided that I wanted to have a collection of little somethings on the red wall in the hallway. I wanted crosses initially (it's the Catholic in me?) but Willie is cross-phobic (whatever), so I decided on hearts instead. Only...hearts are usually red and don't really make much of an impact on a red wall. Hmmm. So I re-homed them to this cream coloured wall in the living room instead. I only started collecting them in December. Two of them I got for Christmas (the cream mosaic one and the black tin one). The red clay one at the bottom was an anniversary gift from my parents. The red one with the paua insert was picked up in Raglan in January. The little blue one I bought in a fabric shop in Taupo (it's actually a brooch). The paua one, little square ones and the red clay one (oh, and the red rose one) were bought from "Trash and Treasure" in January, here in Opotiki, direct from the artists. I think I've probably got enough now (read: running out of wall-space).

I love this painting that my friend Sheryl created. We did a craft show in Auckland together a couple of years back and she swapped me this painting for a a pair of earrings (I think I got the better deal here!). It's hanging the wrong way (meant to be landscape, not portrait) but I really wanted to put it against the green wall of the dining room, and there wasn't room to hang it landscape, so here it is...sorry Sheryl!!

This is a collage of photographs I took (or had taken of me) during my trip around Europe in 1997 (hard to believe it was 12 yrs ago). The pics show (left to right): Santorini (Greek Islands - 2 pics), Italian border, Mont St Michel (France), Bridge of Sighs (Venice), Leichtenstein border, Portugal (sunflowers). You probably can't see, but I had "Nicole Kidman" hair in those days. Long, curly and red. Now it's shorter (and much easier to manage - but I do miss my long tresses sometimes...not enough to grow it back though!!). Ah, those were the days...

I have heaps more pics of wall art around the house, but will save them for another day. Tonight (this morning actually - hadn't realised how late it was) I'm all "Supernatural"ed out - watched the new episode online (series 4), then the episode from series 2 that was on TV2 straight afterwards. Time for bed - school gala in a few hours (eek).

~A

Finger on the Pulse

5 things I love right now:

1. The way Cam calls Georgia "Georgie" - cuuuute

2. "Supernatural" - I mean, come on?! What's not to love??

3. Willie letting me sleep in till 10am on a Saturday :) (Love ya babe!)

4. COFFEE (due to lack of sleep, usually) - black, 2 1/2 sugars (what the hell - make it 3) along with raspberry and lemon shortcake (and lots of whipped cream) from The Two Fish Cafe (Church St, Opotiki) - yumbo!

5. YOJ challenges and Bead Swaps - they make me think outside the square (which I love).


5 things I hate right now:

1. This RECESSION (sooooooo over that term). I know that's the PC word for it, but they should really start calling it a DEPRESSION cos that's how it makes me feel.

2. Crosswords - Willie, I know you think it's funny (considering I have such a great command of the English language and can spell a hell of alot better than you) - I DON'T LIKE CROSSWORDS - I just don't get them AT ALL. So stop asking me for the answers. I know it makes you feel superior, but seriously...not cool. You're on your own dude.

3. Waiting for the next episode of Supernatural to screen in the US so I can download it...it's been an AGE..roll on March 13th (thanks to the time zone thing).

4. IXX (radio station) - can't get anything else on the radio at work, and it's so full of COUNTRY MUSIC it just peeves me - there are other genres y'know? IXX management (if you're reading this) - DIVERSIFY YOUR PLAYLIST!!!

5. The way the Police are treated in this country - what is wrong with young people these days?? I was petrified of the Police when I was a kid, but these days kids seem to see a Police uniform and immediately start sassing them and acting out. I'll never understand it.

OK. Rant over. (For now).

As you were.

Gifts and stuff

Gifts...never easy to choose, are they? Recently, I had occasion to make a couple of gifts, and I'm really happy to say, both came out very well (from a crafters perspective) - one of the recipients liked hers and I hope like hell the other recipient likes hers too (she gets it tomorrow, so I'll let you know!).

When we went away to the Chateau Tongariro for our 10th wedding anniversary, a friend looked after the kids for the weekend. To say thanks, I made her a great handbag in her favourite colours, as well as a pair of earrings for both her and her teenage daughter. Here's the handbag - my first pleated bag, which is definately something I'll be doing again! I love the look!

The second gift I only finished tonight. Today is my colleague Susan's birthday, so I made her a lovely picture pendant with her favourite photo of her 2 adorable girls on it. I hope she likes it (she'll get it tomorrow - I had to let the glaze dry!).


Very satisfying - I so love giving custom-made gifts :)

~A

PS: Only 2 more days till the new "Supernatural" episode - bring it on!!

PPS: My ring sizer "magically" re-appeared in my studio this afternoon... Harry Potter strikes again.

Progress..both forwards and backwards

Yeeha! Just finished reading "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris (I know - took me long enough!). I used to be such a prolific reader, but these days I just don't seem to have the time, which is annoying.

The book was great, but totally different to the movie, which was something I hadn't expected. IE: major plot differences! I'll have to go back and watch the movie now, as I love that as well! It was like 2 different but similar stories really. I have the sequel "The Lollipop Shoes" on my bedside table pile as well, so might read that after the Anita Shreve omnibus I started last night. I'm reading "Eden Close" at the moment - so far, not too bad. I'm only about a chapter in though, so reserving judgement for now.

Also watched "Thomas Kinkade's The Christmas Cottage" on Saturday night. I really enjoyed it, I have to say. I'm a sucker for Christmas movies, so it was a no-brainer for me. I didn't expect it to be such a weepie though (maybe that was just me? I generally find something to cry about in movies like that). And I liked seeing Jared Padalecki in a lead role that was other than Sam in "Supernatural". He did good - one of my weepie moments was one of his scenes with Peter O'Toole. It also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Ed Asner and Chris Elliot. If you like weepie Christmas movies, this one's for you LOL!!!

I've also made progress with my custom orders - hooray! Finally...have really lost my mojo recently, so I've had to force myself to get busy.

AND I finished my Year of Jewellery themed bracelet tonight too - the theme is "Hollywood". So I went all out for the glamour (come on - you know me by now!). Here it is, resplendent with pics of Hollywood's glamourous leading ladies (Liz Taylor, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe - with the centrepiece a "Hollywood" cinema billboard:

On the downside...the kids have been playing in my studio (again). And stuff has gone missing (again). Last week it was my Clover needle felting pen...tonight I went to get my ring sizer and discovered it's nowhere to be found. "Grrrr" doesn't really cover it....I'm livid! Will have to interrogate the kids tomorrow and see if they can remember what they did with it. I just BET they thought the ring sizer was a magic wand...am sending Willie to Placemakers tomorrow to buy a lock for my studio door. Needs must...that's $75 worth of kit down the drain if I can't find them.

Oh and Lent - whoops...I didn't realise it had started! Went to church on Sunday (not a regular thing - Georgia was an alter girl so we were duped into going) and the newsletter proudly pronounced "2nd week of Lent"...oh dear. Well, will give up the chocolate from tomorrow onwards. (Whatever - yes, it's Monday today and we went to church yesterday, so tomorrow is a reasonable start date - yes?). Do you think that I should bother or just try again next year? Vote now!!

On that note...off to update the website.

~A

Bead Swap (status: complete)

Our latest "Beadhive Diva's" bead swap is now complete - woohoo!

The pics are up and we are all patting ourselves on the back :) CLICK HERE to see what we made from the beads sent to us (without adding anything extra, apart from metal beads or seed beads).

Here's mine - the beads I received (handmade by Leanne):

And here's the finished necklace I made with them:

Think I'll load it up on my website this weekend (in between painting etc. That's painting the house, not on canvas, by the way).

What a clever bunch o' kiwi designers! Well done everyone! Special mention to Rhiannon - your first bead swap, sweetie - awesome job! Hope you'll be a regular from now on!

So....who's organising the next one? (I'm in, by the way - as if I needed to say that!).

~ A

Friday night = "Supernatural" - squeeeeeee!

This is for those (both here in NZ and in the US, unbelievably) who haven't watched or heard of TV's "Supernatural" before I started raving on about it.

Yes, I know - I rant quite about this show, I'm the first to admit it. And why not? It's one of the best things on TV (except for the rugby). I've been a tv-addict since I was a kid so I don't say these things lightly. At the moment, there is no other show that I watch with any kind of enthusiasm. Only this one. "Greys Anatomy" has become predictable. "Lost" always leaves me feeling confused and, well, "lost". "Desperate Housewives" is just plain boring these days.

So, in a nutshell, here's what you need to know about SN (keep in mind that each series has a different focus):

Most of series 1 was based around the brothers (Sam and Dean Winchester) trying to find their Dad. Series 2 focuses on killing the YED ("Yellow Eyed Demon" to those in the know). Series 3 revolves around Dean's deal with the Crossroads Demon and Sam trying to get him out of it. Series 4 is still abit of a mystery: Dean's back, but why? What greater purpose has he got to serve? And Sam just keeps spiralling towards the dark side. Each season builds on the existing storyline and now it definately feels like we're building up to something monumental, plot-wise. Apocolypse? A Sam vs Dean showdown? Not sure, but there's a vibe in the air, that's certain.

For episode/plot guides, CLICK HERE and read up on the storylines for all 4 series yourself (thanks to IMDB.com).

Jared Padalecki (Sam) said in a recent interview that during this season (4) Dean explores his "angel deal" and Sam "goes darkside". He definately hinted at a Sam/Dean showdown for the finale. I'm kinda torn as to whether I want to see brother vs brother to be honest, although the storyline hasn't disappointed so far. It would definately make season 5 more interesting. Guess I'll leave it up to Eric Kripke (creator) and his famous "five year plan" and see where he takes us.

So, this all begs the question: why oh why does TVNZ bury this show in a Friday night 10.30pm timeslot on channel 2 then? It just beggars belief! I was thrilled to find another SN devotee recently (hi Vick!). I thought I was the only NZ fan! There seem to be so few of us (thanks largely, I'm guessing, to a total lack of promotion of the show by the bigwigs at TVNZ - and the crappy timeslot).

TVNZ need to wise up. Shortland St features subject matter such as gay love and serial murderers (see Ethan recently and, last year - Joey) - and it screens weeknights at 7pm! I mean, what the...? So it's not the subject matter that's the problem (surely!). And another thing - why is it that we are only just now seeing series 2 of SN when series 4 is currently screening in the US? Even Australia are more up to date than us (sad but true). Mind you, I believe we are about a year behind in both "Eastenders" and "Coro St", so I guess it's not atypical. Come on TVNZ, pull your collective finger out!

So, as a public service to Supernatural, I am showing some SN love here :)

Megan (who's stateside) has kindly uploaded all of series 1, series 2, series 3 and what has screened so far of series 4 (up to episode 10 - CLICK HERE for episode 11, HERE for episodes 12 and 13 and HERE for episode 14 - epidode 15 airs in the US on March 12th) and made them available to all for downloading (free and legal) on her blog. Megan! You're a gem!

If you're watching the current series, are dying to know what happens next and don't want to splash out on the DVD box sets (which I have...they're not cheap, let me tell ya), then download them from Megan. Easy. Free. Legal. Good quality. Or if you want to know what I'm on about, then download a few episodes and be prepared to get hooked...don't say I didn't warn you!

OK, enough raving on from me. Another DARN GOOD reason to watch Supernatural just has to be Sam and Dean themselves (actors Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles). Not only are they incredibly easy on the eye, but the acting is top knotch (so rare to have both in TV). So, if you need more convincing, here it is:

Convinced? :)

I just realised when I posted these pics that the boys are lookin' a little, well...serious. Smouldering, yes. But it kind of makes the show seem abit...well, serious. It is that, for sure. But the comedic aspect is a big part of what makes the show work so well. So, to illustrate what I mean by that, here's a couple of vids of some of the lighter side of the SN story (courtesy of YouTube and all the fans out there!). These episodes are high up there on my favourite comedy episodes of SN:

This clip is from series 3, episode 3 - "Bad Day at Black Rock". Synopsis in a nutshell: The Winchesters are called regarding a robbery of their father's storage unit, and track down the robbers to find the item stolen is a cursed rabbit's foot, which provides great luck until lost, and once lost the previous owner dies within a week. Sam picks up the foot and has great fortune, until it is pickpocketted away by the mercenary Bela. Dean must then get it back before Sam's bad luck gets him killed.

Series 4, episode 6 - "Yellow Fever" - Sam and Dean discover a Colorado small town's darkest secret as a wave of people fall prey to a "ghost sickness" that induces fear, paranoia, and ultimately a fatal heart attack. Sam and Bobby must figure out the cause and cure of the sickness when Dean himself falls prey to it. In this vid, Jensen (Dean) and Jared (Sam) talk about the "Eye of the Tiger" clip that was shown at the end of the episode...worth waiting for!

So, there you go. Consider yourself fairly well informed. It's up to you now. Go forth and tell the multitudes..."Supernatural" rocks!! (And TVNZ programmers, if you're watching - go on, give it a DECENT timeslot! You know it makes sense...).

- A

First day at "Big School"

My wee man turns 5 tomorrow! I have NO IDEA where the last 5 years disappeared to...it seems like yesterday that we were having sleepless nights, starting him on solids (at a little under 3 months old...he was a bottomless pit, even then) and watching him at his christening, almost (but not quite) walking on his own at 12 months old.


Here he is in his uniform for his first day at school today. He has been so excited over the past few weeks, but as soon as I got him into the classroom today, suddenly he was "too cool for school" - all the excitement died and he looked bored stupid...boys eh? Obviously not cool to look excited in front of the other dudes in his class. Sheesh. By the way - we DID brush his hair (both me and the Big Sister) - but he kept mussing it up - said he didn't like it like that (what? Brushed?!).




And here he is with The Big Sister:

Tomorrow's special for two reasons - not just Cammie's 5th birthday, but also (incredibly) the anniversary of my Nanna's death, which was on his 1st birthday. I'll never forget that morning, as long as I live. I like the little conversations I have with you in my head all the time - especially when I'm up late and you're telling me to "get to bed my girl!" - they make me smile :)

I love you and will miss you always.

- A

Cool kiwi stuff

I'm getting good at this catchy title thing eh?! NOT.

Anyway, just thought I'd spread some more kiwi-coolness. This company, Red Rocket, sell very cool NZ-themed t-shirts and suchlike. Noeline at work bought a couple for her son and they sure did make us giggle - especially this one:

It shows 2 hoses, marked as "Hose A" and "Hose B".

Hose A says "Fancy a beer after work?"
Hose B says "No way, Hose A!"

Hahahaaaaaaaa - classic!

Check them out - way more coolness where this came from :)

And, as we're on abit of a kiwi roll here, what about another great vid? This one's Brooke Fraser - "Deciphering Me"...



-A