Merry Christmas

"Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind. " Mary Ellen Chase

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Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends and a family scattered all over the world.   Click the link to Sky Watch Friday and see what bloggers from all over the world are finding in their holiday skies to share this week.  I will be travelling, catching up with friends and family, spending time in the snow and sand. Drop us a line or leave a link to share what you are up to over the holidays. Wishing you all the happiest of times and for everyone travelling, hope your trip is as fun as this little clip.

And in the spirit of keeping it international here is a link to a fun new blog about life down under.  

White Christmas

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more? "Dr. Seuss

click to enlarge a white Christmas on the beach 

Happy Sky Watch Friday! Click the link to see what bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share this week. Over the next few weeks I will be travelling, white sandy beaches to white fields of snow. Looking forward to catching up with family and blogging friends soon.  

This one is for my dad a great lover of music and singing when the mood strikes. For those who prefer a touch of green at Christmas a sneak peek into one of my workshops at My Creative Classroom. 

Not much time left to enter the mega Spellbinders competition. Love that they opened the comp to all kinds of crafters, mixed media card makers and more.

 

Under the Gum Tree

"In the right light at the right time, everything is extraordinary" Aaron rose film director

click to enlarge the down under version of a white christmas

Sparking white gum trees create such a pretty frame for the bright blue skies this time of year. Click the link for Sky Watch Friday to see what other bloggers from all over the world have found in their view of the sky. 

A peek into the culture down under.

Gratitude

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." Brian Tracy

click to enlarge the Myles Standish monument

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family in New England and Happy Sky Watch Friday too.  Click the links to see what other Sky Watch fans have found in their sky to share this week or how about Plimouth Plantation to see how they celebrate the holiday.

Counting down the days and grateful for, old music in new ways, art of all kinds in public places and people who make our world a nicer place to be.   One of my workshops in the My Creative Classroom is on shadowboxes, a nice way of displaying the little things that mean something. This is one of the Collections Elements kits.

 

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach, to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres. Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story?   Their story might have been lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage travel.

 

The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea. With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Waving hello from the tropical paradise of Bermuda, fresh off my first flight in an airplane

What an amazing experience to see the world from high above in the clouds, it is a truly beautiful place. That sensation of being free like a bird to ride the wind was exciting, I can’t wait to do fly again soon.  To think long overland journeys can now be replaced with a adventure in the air, makes me want to sprout wings and travel all the more soon.



Beautiful Little Things

click to enlarge a quiet morning sunrise

"When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody notices, don't be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps." John Lennon
Click the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what 100s of bloggers from all over have found on their horizon to share this week.
Counting down the days to my favorite holiday Thanksgiving, a great time to be reminded of all the little things that make our day, like nature putting on these pretty shows for free.

A peek into a Maya Road shadow box that is part of my workshop on My Creative Classroom, fun and creative ways to display your favorite collections.

The Little Things

click to enlarge the purple jacaranda

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." Desmond Tutu

I liked this quote, it tumbled around for the last few days and seemed to fit well with the jacaranda's coming into flower. First you see the odd pop of purple but in no time at all the whole tree starts to burst out in spring colours.  Happy Sky Watch Friday my friends, click the link to see what 100s of bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share with us this week.

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach, to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres. Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story?   Sadly their story is lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage automobiles.

The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea. With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Mirambeena from Melbourne, the city of trams

The journey to Australia is a long one my friend but what an adventure! I have spent some time in the remote communities to meet the local indigenous artists.  So many fascinating styles and stories and things to learn about this environment. Montsalvat is a new artist community that is being built outside of the city of Melbourne. Lots of fascinating people are pitching in to set aside a beautiful space for artists to learn in a beautiful setting with a real sense of community. ding,ding must run to catch the tram!

 

p.s. thank you to the lovely folks at Collections Elements for their kind sponsorship of chipoard and tissue papers.  

 

"Happiness is a state of mind, it's just according to the way you look at things” Walt Disney

Photography and Sky Watching has become a great exercise in focusing the view finder, finding interesting skys in random moments.  Happy Sky Watch Friday, click the link to see what hundreds of bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share this week.

"Memories are simply moments that refuse to be ordinary" Diane Keaton

click to enlarge a colourful morning sky





Life is full of moments but some stick in the memory banks.  One of the things I like about Sky Watch Friday is appreciating the little everyday moments that are sometimes quiet and simple  or when Mother Nature decides to toss the whole paint box across the sky for us to enjoy. Click the link to see what bloggers from all over have found in their view of the sky to share this week.

Really excited this week that Australian Simply Cards magazine featured my interview with Stacey Caron of Spellbinders. What a treat to talk with a female entrepreneur who enjoys what she is doing and creating a great life for herself.

Seeing the familiar in new ways

"Most of us lead far more meaningful lives than we know. Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently; it is about seeing familiar things in new ways." Rachel Naomi Remen

click to enlarge a quite morning at the beach

Love that idea of looking at things with new eyes.  Happy Sky Watch Friday my friends, click the link to see what bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share this week. 

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach, to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres. Sadly their story is lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage automobiles. Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story?

The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea. With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Konnichiwa from Japan!

Did you recognise me in the pretty kimono?  We have been in Japan for a few weeks now, mother and father are fascinated with the culture and enrolled me in a local school to learn some of the fine arts. Their calligraphy is just as beautiful as their water colour paintings and I practice every day in my sketch journal. You know me and my love of the great outdoors, learning about the industrious silk worms that produce the fibres for the pretty kimonos are fascinating. Sadly it seems our modern world might kill them off with the invention of pesticides which have lots of great properties but some have negative effects on the environment. At school we are working on a petition to the powers that be to do something before it is too late. Oopps there goes another butterfly I want to try and capture the vibrant colours!

 

On the My Creative Classroom web site I teach a workshop on the theme of mail art, how to incoporate letters and postage stamps into decorated envelopes.

“Dance in the fields of infinite possibility" Marianne Williamson

 

click to enlarge a gorgeous morning sky

Early morning walks are a great time of day to appreciate the lighting, gentle breezes and consider possibilities. Not many fields about here but lots of sand to dance in. Check the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what bloggers from all over the world have found in their sky to share this week.

A new mail art creation as featured in my on line workshops at My Creative Classroom.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall

click to enlarge a happy dairy cow with one of the best views on the coast

Back in Australia, where it feels like there are endless blue sky days. Bit tricky for good photos this week. Thought you would enjoy the peek through the trees from a dairy farm. Those cows must be happy with their million dollar views of the coast.  True to form, nature was putting on a bit of show with a local wallaby.

 

 

Click the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what hundreds of bloggers from all over the world have found in their sky to share with us this week.

Working on some fun new creative projects for my upcoming workshop on Mail Art.

Living your life

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste, experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences."Eleanor Roosevelt

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Photos out the plane window can be tricky but oh so much fun with the sights that you might see. Boston harbour turned on a lovely view of a 'tall ship' cruising out into the bay.  Click the link for Sky Watch Friday to see what 100s of bloggers from all over are sharing this week.

 

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach,  to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos  are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres.  Sadly their story is lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage automobiles.  Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story? 
 
The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea.  With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Dearest Charles

Sailing into the spice island of Grenada is a beautiful experience, greeted by all kinds of bright squawking birds, the water is sparking blue and a little breeze to keep the humidity from becoming too stifling.  Mother and father are busy setting up house in a pretty bungalow on the shore.  I have been out exploring, collecting specimens from the beach and gardens that I thought you would like.

 Parts of the region are very French, we have cafe’ au lait for breakfast and croissants but afternoon tea is distinctly British with tiny tea sandwiches.  Tomorrow I am expected to start school with the other expats and mother took this photo of us all together to celebrate.  So for now.... au revior my friend can’t wait to share more news from the other end of the world.

That is my start with the Whatever’s and a reminder on why we scrapbook or journal the stories behind the photos.  Click the links ~ join the fun ~ and remember to tell your story.

Good Morning

click to enlarge a beautiful morning on cape cod

"Life is an opportunity, seize it" Mother Teresa

A walk on the beach can be an adventure, and as they say in Australia, you never know if you never go!  Never know what is around the corner or over the horizon, hopefully all good news for a change. Click the link Sky Watch Friday to see what bloggers from all over have found on their horizon to share with us.

Nothing says 'good morning' like happy mail, a sneak peek into my new workshop at My Creative Classroom on Mail Art, creatively recycling mail that is sure to brighten up any one's mail box.

Pursuit of Happiness

click to enlarge a busy sunset sky

"Some pursue happiness - others create it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pretty much sums up this sunset that got really busy, there were paragliders and birds all competing for the last breezes of the day.  For me any day on the beach is a happy day.
Click the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what other bloggers how found in their view of the sky to share this week.

 

Congratulations to Susan Brown on her 5 year blog anniversary, we are celebrating with a altered spoon project. 

This was a fun project, had the most amazing discovery after starting the golden honey with metallic ink and topcoating with Tattered Angels Rockin on Sunshine Glam, the paint lifted the metallic in the ink and it was a pool of glittering goodness swirling about.

Click the link to Susan's linky party for lots more fun spoon creations. I'd appreciate your votes :)

Think that bee theme inspired me for the weekend, sneak peek at our projects for the upcoming Mail Art workshop on My Creative Classroom.