Beginning to feel a lot like....

The season of wrapping paper, pine needles and large family feasts!!!  Here are some lovely Christmassy finds that I am drooling over at the moment.

Delectable Candy Cane Ornament by MaddyandMe

Festive Chrissy Coasters by DowntheStreet

Gorgeous Tree Earrings by Dalim

Birdy Christmas Cards by MoonMum

PMC Fun!

Yesterday I left the family arguing over the correct amount of cheese to put on a pizza (lunch time banter) and drove to peaceful Tinonee where I took my very first PMC (Precious Metal Clay) workshop!  The lovely Michelle and I were the only students, and Christine Calabria was our knowledgeable and patient teacher.  I've added a few photos for your amusement.  I made a very simple leaf pendant which turned out quite lovely!  Unfortunately I didn't get to take the pendant home with me as it still needed to go in the tumbler etc.

A work in progress...note the Badgers Balm in the background - great stuff!



The finish product...kind of.  Still needs some finishing touches




I got a little distracted by the gorgeous wildlife out the windows :)

If you are thinking of taking a class and you need to get away (and perhaps you live in Australia) do consider coming up to the Artisans Retreat at Tinonee in the Manning Valley.  My goodness it is a beautiful view out of their cafe window!  Also they are just about to open up their accommodation for you to enjoy whilst learning your craft!  Love the setup and Peter and Christine are such lovely peeps.

New Arty Friends!

Well my day at the Port Macquarie Artist Market (normally on the 1st SUNDAY of every month) always leaves me gobsmacked at the wonderful and intriguing talent of my fellow stallholders...seriously, they are all fantastic people who love what they do to the point of obsession - this coming from someone who can't totally relax unless she's surrounded in beads, thread and pliers.

I wanted to feature two of my local artist, the first is Peter and Ros from Wongee Place.  Peter is the master designer who works mainly with copper and brass and takes tonnes of inspiration from the natural world around him.   I bought this cuff bracelet from him a couple of months back...I love the gum leaves!

Visit Peter and Ros either on their blog wongeeplace.blogspot.com or at the Port Macquarie Artist Market on the first Sunday of every month!

The other fabulous artist that I would love to yap on about is Kerryanne English from Woodberry Designs  She has just moved up from Melbourne and misses the shopping (nothing can compare to Melbourne shopping!) but from looking at her lovely blog it looks like she is enjoying decorating her home and checking out the local beaches.  Kerryanne was exhibiting her gorgeous cupcakes at the market this weekend (so very delightful that you want to eat them....but you must not...because they aren't real food!) but next month she will have her paintings for all to drool over - can't wait to see them!

To finish off, here are a couple of images from yesterdays artist market. I asked my husband to take a few photos of the general loveliness, and even though he doesn't like this kind of vague instruction (not as specific as "Take a picture of the left hand side of the building facing north") he still did a good job.  Enjoy!

SALE SALE SALE!!!

I decided that it was time for a nice big long sale, so for the month of November, I'm offering Free Worldwide Shipping on everything in my Etsy shop. Please stop by and have a browse!

Trip Around the World!

Note to all those peeps out there who are contemplating travelling overseas with children...especially teenagers. Make sure you have the stamina, the patience and supplies to see it through to the end! Supplies are important as kids will always underestimate what they should take on the plane. Take Maddy for example. When asked what she was taking to amuse herself, she answered "Well, don't they have movies on the plane?" When told that this may not be enough to entertain for the entire 22 hour flight.. "I'll just sleep I guess." Bahwwwhahahahaha!

I sound like I'm complaining but really I'm not at all! Our trip to the UK was actually quite dreamy! Chris's family were warm and welcoming, my dear special friend Hannah was a delight and put up with us for a whole 4 days (she has stamina!) and the sites and sounds of the Welsh countryside, the Midlands and London were delightful!

Summer come back!!

My new necklace on Etsy is made whilst I was longing for a bit of balmy weather. Here in Australia it is fair to say that winter has been around for long enough. So I hope you enjoy my ode to summer....and if you are experiencing a bit of heat and sunshine...think of me in my ugg boots and trackie-dacks. Toodles!

New addition to Carapace collection!

Just got my print from Carapace in the mail.....I'm in love and am having a inner conflict about where to place it in my house. Surely it's worthy of the main living area and yet it has a wonderful study-ish feel about it which means it would probably end up in my quiet but messy study. Check out Carapace's etsy shop as she is an arty genius....also a wonderfully explosively funny lady!