Xmas Stocking Swap

Yay my lovely Xmas Stocking arrived in the mail today.  The very talented Anita from http://anitameade.typepad.com/ created this for me along with a  handcrafted card, gorgeous hand-stamped gift tags & some very yummy choccies that didn't make it to the photo shoot!

Thanks Anita. I really love it!

Home Sweet Home!!

Well since I last posted (which has been awhile), I have spent nearly 2 weeks in Vietnam, travelling from Saigon up to Hanoi.  Myself & my three lovely friends Jo, Di & Desrae head off somewhere different each year & this year we chose Vietnam & had such a great time with lots of adventures along the way. 

This photo was taken on the way to Halong Bay.  Unfortunately the rice husks were being burnt so it was rather smoky & hazey the day we went.  Nevertheless we still had an awesome time.  We got to kayak along the way as well as visit some amazing caves & eat lots of yummy food!

Now all we have to do is decide where to go next year!

Woo Hoo Off to Indonesia Tonight

Wow we're finally off again.  Back to Bandung which is two hours from Jakarta (longer if we get caught in traffic jams)!  We were there in March.  Myself, hubby Evan & Mike went.  We are the same team again this time.  After seeing the need for another van for Jesita School we came back and raised $3,000 which we will be taking with us to buy a good second hand van.  Thanks to all who supported us in this venture!

I can't wait to get back there and see what's happened since our last visit.  The biggest miracle on our last visit was my husband's healing from depression, diabetes, high cholesterol & chronic indigestion!  He now has energy and is a different person.  God is so good!

See you all in two weeks!

Joolz

Vintage Mohair Coat & Stoles

I was lucky to find this lovely old coat at an Op Shop for only $2.  It's a mixture of mohair & cotton so I'm thinking I'll be able to make some lovely bears out of it.  The stoles aren't real fur but should also make up some cute bears or the tops of some chenille Xmas Stockings!

I also found a cute li'l brown suitcase but I'm hiding it for now.  Will show my stash of them at a later date!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Vintage Style Cards...

These are the sweet cards I made today at our local scrapbooking shop.  I needed a bit of inspiration to get back into cardmaking so hopefully this will get me going again!

Old Style Bear Dress from Vintage & Antique Laces

I just thought I would show you the sweet little bear dress I have just finished!  I've patchworked the front with lots of divine old laces, some from old wedding dresses & even some old curtaining fabric.  I even made a rosette using old lace, tulle & organza with a bit of bling in the centre. 

Just need to find the right bear for it now!

I hope you're all having a lovely week!

My Furry Friend

No it's not a bear this time but my rather large cat.

In the top photo had he just caught a mouse and had it hanging out of his mouth!  In the other photo he made a bed for himself in my sewing room amongst my chenille bedspreads.  He's some sort of seal point and has rusty stripes and ears when it's cold weather.

He weighs over 6 kilos and is really tall.   He really does look like a lion at times (especially when he snarls), other times he's just a wuss puss!