On my desk today.....

Are lots of pretty bags which have all been filled with lavender and tied with ribbon.

My sewing room smells divine. These are all for my first craft market of the year to be held at the City Library next Friday the 4th May. 6pm to 9pm.
Pop by and say hello if you're in town!

Carole x

A little NZ scenery

A couple of weekends ago we took ourselves off camping. It was just an overnight trip and we went to this camp ground at Mangaweka about 100kms north of Palmerston North. It's situated beside the Rangitikei River and is a popular spot in summer for those who like to kayak and canoe.

At this time of the year it is quiet with only a few people passing through or staying over. We were lucky to have such a beautiful weekend.

The campground has toilets, a shower and a small kitchen and lots of places to camp.

Mangaweka is pretty much run down, but it has been known for it's airplane. An old DC3 which served as a cafe for a long time. Now it's just used as an attraction.

But we like to go and enjoy the river. Mr M&M spends time on the river in his kayak and I spend time laying around reading!

Carole x

A wee gift arrives

I'd thought I'd share this with you, a wee swap that arrived in my letter box this last week.

 It was made by the very talented Doreen. You can check out her incredible stitching here.
 
It's so gorgeous and I'm very lucky to have it! Thanks Doreen, it looks perfect on my suit jacket!

Carole x

from my sketch book

Thought you might like to see a couple of my journal pages.
I have been doing an online class called "The Art of Wild Abandonment" with Junelle Hallstrom Jacobsen. You can find her blog here.       

So far I've tried my hand at cupcakes.

And the odd sheep.

She's a very good teacher, even if you can't draw!

Carole x

blackboards

I've been making a few more fabric blackboards to sell.

They are fun to make and I love the little bits of lace that have been added.

You'll find these in my Etsy store shortly :)

Carole x

trouble arrives

Buddy and cobwebs

A cat on a mission.
Could I expect anything less?

Carole x

things I'm missing.....

... warm summer evenings spent on isolated beaches drenched in moonlight...

What are you missing right now?

Carole

Some light-hearted skipping and jumping

Our Easter here was a fabulous one, we had such beautiful weather. And perfect evenings. One night during the weekend we went for a walk along our favorite beach,  Foxton beach. It seemed hundreds of people were doing the same thing. There were people walking dogs, people fishing, jogging, riding horses, flying kites, riding on 4-wheeler buggies. Children with buckets and spades, mothers sitting in deck chairs.

Enjoying life.

The evening was beautiful and mild with a wee hint of a breeze.

And as the sun started to slide beneath the horizon it touched the ripples across the sand and reminded me of the opening shots from the movie 'The English Patient'.

And once we had walked for miles down the beach there were very few people and there was no one to see you if you wanted to be a total idiot!

playing on the beach using a photo booth app on iphone

Hope you all had a great Easter break, what did you get up to?

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Sunday

the perfect mix

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Saturday

lots of lovely laces and trims

Carole x

This week on my desk .... Friday

Easter eggs and cottons

They go together well don't you think?

Have a lovely Easter!

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Thursday

ribbons for embellishments

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Wednesday

wanna be gift tags

Carole x

This week on my desk ... Tuesday

string, stamp and heart brooch

Carole x

This week on my desk...Monday

This week I'm going to bring you a series of images from my desk.

Hope you enjoy them.

lavender bags in the making

Carole x

The moment you've been waiting for!

 I have been simply humbled by the comments that have been left on my blog over the last few weeks. I am sure you have all been way too generous with your kind words!

Every name from every comment has been put into this little fabric bowl for the draw for the lovely linen. (if you made four comments during the month, your name went in four times), I am only sorry that I couldn't give more lovely bundles away in appreciation of your visits.

I have my MIL here staying with us at the moment recouping after an op, and she was given the honour of drawing the name of the winner......

Congratulations Janelle!! Please email me with your postal address and I'll get your lovely linen in the mail to you.

 But I then decided that I would get my MIL to draw two more names and send two lucky blog friends a fabric brooch.....

 Congratulations girls!

Let me have your postal addresses and I'll get your brooches mailed out to you.

Thank you once again so much for visiting and I've had such fun sharing my blogiversary with you!

Carole x