"Do Not Disturb!"

This is "Romeo-Valentino" asleep on his climbing tree!  His back legs sticking out one end & his head at the other end!  Not to mention hi tummy hanging down in the middle!  There is a large hole in the centre of the bit he is asleep on & usually I have a piece of carpet over it so he doesn't fall through.  However this day I had taken the carpet out to clean it.  Before I had finished Ro-Ro" was back on the climbing tree & fast asleep!  I was sorely tempted to tie an elastic belt around him in case he slipped right through the hole!  (Bungy jump anyone?!) He would not have been amused at all!  I was also tempted to hang a sign on his foot!  (I didn't do that, either.  I know my limits!)

He is the 'character' (aka goof-ball) of the family, "Bella" is more 'refined' and doesn't often do stupid things like "Ro-Ro" does!  

By the way, the little pink cushion hanging there, says, "Cutie Patootie", and that is what I have always called him!  "Bella" has one that says, "The Princess Sleeps Here", and she has always been called The Princess!

Me??  I'm the Drama Queen, but have yet get myself a sign!

Okay, that's me for today!  Thanks for visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

"Owl Be Thinking of You!"

 Here are two "owls" I made today!  I found the instructions on www.homelife.com.au 

They are both about 6 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches in height.  I first made the felt owl using scraps of felt I had.  Instead of sewing him/her together, I used my hot glue gun.  Oh boy!  What a mess I got into!  Hot glue everywhere!  I even managed to get some in my hair!  Having long hair  it was a challenge to un-glue myself!  I will hand stitch the next one!  I want to enlarge the pattern & make them about 8 - 12 inches and use them as decorative cushions on my sofa.  You could stitch a piece of ribbon on the back of this and make it into a hanging mobile for kids!  Even put some scented powder inside it!  The possibilities are as endless as your imagination:-)

I lightly stuffed him with two layers of batting.  If you over-stuff him, he looks bloated!

Having accomplished that, I decided I could also make him into a card!  So here she is!

I cut the same pattern but used card instead of felt.  I used my Swiss Dots embossing folder on her wings and added as butterfly & heart to her.  I also changed the eyes on this owl.  This isn't a good photo as it came out too bright.
Okay, thank you for dropping by, {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

Cat's, Flying Pigs and Some Other Stuff!

 These three little pigs flew in from USA last week!  They are "The Pink Squadron" from Penny Black. (2602K)  Lorraine http://papervernissage.blogspot.com has them on her blog and I just had to have some!  Thanks Lorraine!  I stamped a chimney (Good Stamps Stamp Goods) then a few tree tops first.  The on separate card I stamped the 3 pigs, cut them out and put sponge tape under the left & right pigs.  I added some glitter and some dimensional magic on their wings and they were ready for take off!  I love the expressions on their faces!

 The same three pigs in full flight!  I inked up the negative side of an embossing folder then embossed it.  I added the pigs last, with a touch of glitter.

 I just love love love The Cat in the Hat books!  I stamped the three cats (each a separate stamp), typed the words and by chance I found a picture of the real CITH hat!  I cut that out and glued it to the cat with the hearts.  The red hat is from some that a friend gave me some time ago.  This card tickles my sense of humour!  I am hoping to find a stamp of the CITH hat, otherwise I will have to draw it if I want to make any more cards like this.

 This little bird ornament has a story behind it!  In the Boxing Day Sales I found some really cheap Xmas baubles.  This one was one of them.  When I un-packed them one was broken.  Well I wasn't about to throw it away so out came the hot glue gun, some sparkly tinsel stuff the gold Kindyglitz and of course, the bird!  I found a small twig and glued it to the inside of the bauble (you can't see that bit) so it was sticking out.  Then I stuffed the sparkly tinsel stuff inside the hole & clipped the bird onto the twig.  The bird is on a spring so he bounces around when you touch him.  The bird is more sparkly than you can see here.

I liked him so much I have not put him away yet!

 This is one of the cups I made recently.  I buy the cups from the Op Shop and fill them with plaster of Paris.  Then I make the wire bits and insert them into the POP.  When the POP is dry I decorate the top, this one has baby things on it.  The wire bits hold small cards or photo's, or anything you like.  I also hung tiny baby toys on this one.  I just need to find saucers for them then I will sell them. 

This is my door stop for my back door.  It too has a story behind it.  Many years ago I carried this stone (it is really heavy!) for some distance across the sand dunes and then crossed the estuary in a boat and finally got it home!  It was quite an adventure but I just had to have this stone!  It came from a place that is very special to me, a place where I spent most of my childhood.

Fast forward many years & it was time to actually "do" something with it.  I had the urge to decorate it.  I painted it pale pink then glued this tiny cat on to it and then glued the tiny flowers and hearts around the cat. 

So that's me for today!  Hope you have enjoyed your visit!

{{HUGS}} from me to YOU-)

I like the end result!  

What Have I Been Up To Lately?!

 I recently went to the opening of the new Merchant Quarter at my local shopping mall.  They have built new shops, a multi-storey car park and are on the verge of building a 10 storey apartment building on top of the car park.  This very tall fairy was wandering around talking to everyone and had her photo taken by a lot of people!   

 

She was very popular!

 

This was a band called "Tahini Jam" that was playing and they were great!  I really enjoyed their music!

It was a stinking hot day & luckily for them they had shade over them.  There wasn't much shade to sit in but I managed to find a skinny tree that gave me enough shade to keep me from melting!

 ...And then I decorated my bra!  I have been wanting to do this for a long time but just never got around to it.  I saw this idea in an old Somerset Studio magazine I have & was always intrigued by it!
The words ont he yellow ribbon say, "You are my Sunshine!"  I call it my "Mardi-bra!"

 Hanging from the bottom of the bra are four small jingling animal bells!  Two cats, a frog and a penguin!  I hand stitched everything except the flowers.  I hot glued those!  The words on the top of the canvas say, "Mardi-bra", and the words at the bottom say "Busted!"  I attached the bra to a canvas I painted and will hang it on the wall,  but believe it or not I wear the bra when I Belly dance!!  Scares the wits out of my cats who are convinced I have lost my marbles, but as long as I feed them they are okay with whatever I do!

It was heaps of fun to decorate & I am happy with the end result!
Don't 'burn your bra' ladies...
decorate it and hang it on your wall!
Okay that's it for now, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!
{{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

Cats and Flying Pigs!

 "Bella-Rosa" says, "I may not be busy, but I AM cute!".  "Romeo-Valentino (below) didn't even know there was a sign leaning on him!!  "Busy?" he says, "Wot's 'busy'"?!

 And here they  are in very similar poses.  What's that saying about "copyCATS?"!!  And these are my two "helpers"?! 

 Oh my gosh!  Did I get a nice surprise when I went to get the mail today!  This is what I found inside!
These gorgeous treats, "Miss Piggy with her wings, a cute mail-box, some 'tummy yummy's' and a most gorgeous card!!  All from Lorraine over at papervernissage.blogspot.com   PLEASE check out her awesome blog!  Thank you!  And many thanks to you Lorraine for all these wonderful goodies!!
And the cute Miss Piggy tape around the box will be 'saved' too!  Well, you don't throw things like  that in the trash - not in this home!  The tape will be used on some future project I am sure!  I must confess, I have eaten the chocolates and they were d'vine!!  Yumm...I'll reveal my waist measurements next time!  Oh yes, Miss Piggy's head and wings move!  How's that for xtra cute?!  There was a gentle breeze coming in the window and her  head bobbed up and down and her wings began to flutter - she was ready for flight!

 This photo below is "Romeo-Valentino" looking 'choir-boy' innocent, his usual look!  He was rolling all over some craft stuff I had laid out on the bed beside me!  He loves to be right where ever I am, usually on top of what ever I am making!  I have to make sure if I am sewing that he is safe from sharp things such as sewing needles etc.  He is a very inquisitive cat - a typical Sagittarius, like me, always learning!

Okay,  well that's all for now, thanks for visiting!  Hope your day is going well.
{{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)

THE FOLLOWING MORNING...
Picture this, I am sitting at my computer.  cup of tea in hand  and eating my toast (aka breakfast!). I have no idea how I manage to eat my toast drink my tea and navigate the Internet all at once?!  Anyhow that's what I'm doing.
I am clad only in my very sexy pajama's - the ones with pink hippopotamuses all over them - I told you they were sexy!
I am totally engrossed in what's in the computer screen and oblivious to the rest of the world. 
It is only 9.am and is still very quiet outside, no traffic noise yet.  I gradually become aware that I can hear a "ticking" noise like a clock.  Weird.  Really weird because I don't have a clock that 'ticks'.  I have super keen hearing and ticking clocks drive me nuts!
So I'm sitting there trying to figure out what is 'ticking' and I put my tea and toast down and casually look round the room and HOLY MOTHER OF MARY  (and I may have got that wrong because I am not really religious so forgive me if I did!) "Miss Piggy's" head & wings are bobbing up and down for all they're worth....SHE IS HAUNTED!!  ..and she is 'ticking'!!
Hmmm, okay,  yeah, I'm not sure about this and I am waiting for reality and logic kick in and so I hop on over to Lorraine's blog  http://papervernissage.com   (I might have forgot the www bit) to check things out as she is the one who sent me this cutie-pie pig!
Okay, five seconds on Lorraine's blog and all is revealed...Ahhh, yes, I see now, Miss Piggy" is not 'haunted' after all, she is...SOLAR POWERED!!  Mystery solved!
Well I have to say, that's a relief!  Back to my cup of tea & toast & back to normality again.  Thanks Lorraine, the adrenalin rush was great!
The rest of my day has been, well, 'normal'!

Auckland Anniversary Day/Australia Day

Yes!  I celebrate both days because my heart is in both countries! 
As my friend & I sat on a park bench at the Parnell Rose Gardens overlooking Judges Bay, up over the tree-tops came these five tiny planes flying in formation & doing all these amazing twists & turns!
Down went the sandwiches and out came the camera very quickly!  The planes were miles up in the sky which is why the planes look so tiny & far away.  It was amazing watching them & lunch was quickly forgotten for awhile.  The planes were out over the ocean which made a gorgeous backdrop.

 No!  They are not mozzies they really are planes!

In these two photo's the planes were on their way back to the airfield & were a bit closer to us.

 Free entertainment right there in front of us!

 This was one of the sailboats coming into the Waitemata Harbour.  At first we spotted this boat way off in the distance and could tell it was by far the biggest sailboat around.  As it got closer we could see just how big it really was!  In the background is Rangitoto Island (the darker bit of land) and Waiheke Island in the far distance.

 Here she is almost right in the harbour & about to moor somewhere.  That's Mt. Victoria on the North Shore, in the background.

 A view of the Sky Tower in Auckland City.  From the viewing platform you get a 360 view of Auckland and the surrounding suburbs.

 A closer view of the Sky Tower.

 One of the many roses in the Parnell Rose Gardens.  They were not at their best because of the heat & humidity.  I have seen them one December & they were spectacular.  It isn't usually so humid then.

 Another shot of the Sky Tower & the lower part of Auckland City.  JUst to the right of this shot is the Waitemata Harbour which, on this day, was full of boats of all kinds! 

 Another view of the Sky Tower.  If you ever visit Auckland, make sure you visit the Sky Tower, it's worth it to see the view!  You can see both the East & West coasts and beyond.

 Some of the roses in the gardens.  The colours are a bit pale as I didn't have my glasses with me so I couldn't see to change the apperture.

 Not sure which was my fave rose that day as they were all so beautiful - wilted or not!  Mind you, by the time I got home that day, I too was pretty wilted and would not have taken a good photo!!

 From the Parnell Rose Gardens we skipped over the the Auckland Domain.  This is a photo of the Three Muses.  Unfortunately there was no plaque telling you about them.  There was a big (empty) pool in front of them & had it had water in it I would have been sorely tempted to get in - clothes & all!!  It was a very hot/humid day that day.

 I loved all the colours of these plants but had to wait sometime to take the photo's.  Why??  People!  Everywhere!  Not that you would notice by these two pics!  This is part of the Domain.

Thanks for visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to you:-)

Scottish Cultural Festival

 These were some of the pipers at the Scottish Festival I went to recently.  I think this was the Police Band.

 This is my plumber!  I'm used to seeing him in overalls, not a kilt!  He was carrying in the Haggis.

 These four girls were having the most fun of anyone!  This was part of the audience participation.

 They had the biggest smiles on their faces and were great to watch!

 These guys were part of the group piping in the Haggis.

 The lone piper piping in the Haggis.

 The four girls having more fun!

 This lady was tuning her harp & just looked so nice sitting on front of the Calla Lilies.

 Another one of the pipe bands.  There were so many it was hard to keep up!

 I couldn't resist taking this photo of these flame coloured Calla Lilies. 

 And this has nothing to do with the Festival at all!  This is what I bought at one of the Op Shops I frequent.  It has about 36 plastic slide things that you an remove.  I left them in & have my dies in them.  Each set of dies is in a plastic cd folder and fits perfectly in each slot. To remove the plastic slides the rounded pieces of the box come off.   There is also a small drawer on the bottom. 

Thanks for visiting, {{HUGS}} from me to YOU:-)