I know I'm a little early but I work tonight and won't be able to post well wishes until Wednesday and I don't want to start the year late - it's bad luck according to my mum. I thought I'd have a finish before the year was over but due to family having time off from work/school I've been spending time with them. I HAVE A FINISH!!!! Last finish of the year is Homespun Elegance Delivering Fleurs!! I'm so happy *happy dance* Here's a picture...

I don't have the buttons and stuff but the stitching is done! Maybe I'll go to my not so LNS on Friday to get the goods!

Well hope everyone has a Fantabulous New Year's! I'll be counting down the new year's with my co-worker and whatever patients are alert enough to join us. I'm off to try to stitch! Hopefully the night at work will be quiet :)

Selling on Ebay

New Years Eve and it is time to start selling again! I am hoping to earn some cash to pay for the kids school books and uniforms which I will soon be forking out for.
I listed a bunch of Cottage Ware. I love it but honestly, I collect about ten different things already and I don't have room for all those!
I am also listing a couple of books. "The Fourth Bear" by Jasper Fforde was hilarious an I look forward to his next book, a continuation of the Thursday Next series.
The other book is by Stephen King, "Lisey's Story." I have read King since I was a kid and especially loved his "Dark Tower" series. The inept way he ended that series plus the patronising letter to his readers has made me dislike the man, but still, this is a very good book.
Happy New Year to everyone in Blogland and Blog on!

All the best in 2007!

 

MADEBYGIRL wants to wish everyone a HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR! I’ll be back soon with more postings. This pretty picture is from the Martha Stewart site, and if you have snow if your area, this is a cool little thing to do in the snow. Find out how they did it here:   Martha Stewart “Living”: Snow Date article

For Santa!

Here is what my Jon and the kids put out for Santa;
Two Cherry Ripes and a Moro on a pink Wedgwood plate.
A mug of milk in a Wedgwood Queens Silver Jubilee china mug.
A pink enamel colander filled with gourmet lettuce for the reindeers.
And a present for Santa from my daughter, Laetia.
Santa must think we are very posh!

Las Vegas Home & Design

MadeByGirl has its first advertisement appearing in the January-February, 2007 issue of Las Vegas Home & Design magazine.  The ad features the Red Hot and Free Love tables and appears in the Think Design section on page 127. Las Vegas Home & Design magazine is a local publication featuring contemporary interior design, home style, furniture and luxury items for the home.  This issue focuses on smart-home technology.

For more information about Las Vegas Home & Design magazine, visit the Greenspun Media Group web site.

Las Vegas Business Press

MadeByGirl was just featured in the December 25th issue of Las Vegas Business Press!  The article was written by Laura Carroll and features a few photos on the full-page spread in a weekly feature called “The Good Life”.  You can read the entire article by going to:

Las Vegas Business Press

Also, if you happen to be in Las Vegas, you can pick up a copy at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce at Hughes Center just off The Strip.

Corner of My Home

Post Christmas sales start today! Target has the same chandeliers I have in our living room for only $35! I want to get one for our bedroom.
Here is a corner of my kitchen. My brother got me the pink scales for my birthday. I use it as a fruit bowl. The green fruit bowl is depression glass.
The mosaic stuck to the tiles is a trivet made of the Meakin pattern I collect.
Wow, the fridge looks messy, must get some order to that!
You can see the christmas baubles I added to my candelabra. I took all my christmas decorations down yesterday as I had had them up since November.

Craft Box & Decluttering

I have made it my aim to have every drawer and cupboard organised by the time the kids start school in February. I am making ok progress considering it is Christmas and the busy time at work. I have given a ton of stuff away to the charity shops!
I found a pretty pink bead organiser in a thrift shop which was way better than the one I had. I took the opportunity to organise my beads and bits by colour and found that they were mostly the three main colours of my last house!

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone is have a great day! So far I'm cranky but I blame it on the lack of sleep I got today, once I get a nap I'll be my cheery self again :)

Instead of singing Christmas songs like everyone else - I found myself singing "This is Halloween" this morning when Kelly told the conceirge in his building happy holidays, he laughed at me when he heard me. I also sang the song that Jack Skellington sang when he told the town about Santi Claws - I love the way he makes his hands. I think Halloween is such a better holiday LOL. Next year I'm going to try and make it the new Christmas and give out my presents then - it may be less stressful too, which could help with my psoriasis. Oh btw the new thing I have is psoriasis - in my scalp of all places! Three weeks ago I thought I just had really bad dandruff. When it started to become so bad that I'd wake up itching I knew I had to go to the doctor and he comfirmed I had psoriasis. Now I'm putting drops in my head every night/morning and washing my hair with smelly grease/tar smelling shampoo *sigh* I just hope this clears up. I told Kelly I wish I had a nice disease. So far what I have makes me feel ugly (I have vitiligo too on my face.)

Anyhoo, enough of that, the last 2 nights at work were HEAVEN!!! I thank God for the wonderful gift :-) I lounged, I played video games, I stitched, I went online LOL Last night was a little busier but not as busy as it usually can get. I had a patient in alcohol withdrawal (such a nice person!) and I stayed in the room while the sedative took effect so the hallucinations would go away. Luckily I had the time to stay or else who knows what could have happened.

I won't post an update pic of DF - I'm close to being done (thanks to my easy work nights) so I'll post a picture when I'm done.

Well that's all for tonight - I'm going to sleep. Hopefully I'll wake up early enough go over to Kelly's in the morning. If I wake up too late I get lazy and never make it out of here on time. I'll try to post more later on. I have gifts to look through and will try to share. Merry Christmas!

Snowman Cupcakes

I’m always looking for interesting things to cook, especially during the Holidays. I like to make things that are different as you know….and even with food, i love something totally different! I found these cute Snowman Cupcakes, and I’m thinking of making them tommorrow. You can make them yourself, the recipe is from the Martha Stewart site below:

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe4000&catid=cat21840&navLevel=

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I just had to add these - Shabbyfufu!

I was browsing my fave web store, Shabbyfufu, to see if there was anything new and I found some gorgeous things! The floor lamp chandelier is stunning! Click on the title above to visit Shabbyfufu.

I love raggy patchwork

Thank goodness for ebay or I would never be able to afford all the lovely quilts and cushions I have bought. I have a huge collection of these, too many really. My husband is always swearing and tossing my cushions across the room saying that "they get in his way" lol!
My favourite is this raggy patchwork quilt in the photo, I have it on the back of my couch.
The cushion pictured is also one of my favourites, I like the combination of chenille, pink and roses.

Dream '50's Style Appliances

Full on day at work, lots of unpacking and marking things down for the post Christmas sales. I have to work tomorrow (Christmas Eve) as well and I am looking forward to it all being over!
I thought I would share some photos of my dream kitchen appliances by "Smeg." They look exactly like the ones made in the 1950's but have modern European technology. They cost a bucket load and I think the marriage would be over if my husband ever came home to these!

An Update

I've been stitching on Delivering Fleurs although I haven't been stitching as much as I would like. I finished reading The Memory's Keeper Daughter and started this other book that's hard to put down called Love and Ghost Letters. I've managed to get totally involved in this book and it's hard to believe that I'm only up to page 70 LOL. Here's a picture of how far I've gotten on DF. I'm almost there just half of the big flower, and other small flower and the cart and I'm done! Then it's back to either Dollhouse or Sampler Farm - I forget which one I worked on last.
I've finally decorated (half-ass though) the house for Christmas, only because I wrapped my gifts and wanted something to put them under. We only have a small tree (Kobe knocked out big one down when he was a puppy and we haven't gotten a big tree since.) Here's my teeny tree - I use to have a teeny nativity set but couldn't find it.
This is my "big" tree with my gifts under it. I'm still missing 2 gifts *sigh* I have to get a GC for my nephew (which I'll do tonight at Duane Reade) and I'm hoping that the Nintendo DS I got for my younger nephew comes in tomorrow (mail came in today and it's still not here.) My gifts are on the small scale this year but I hope they're enjoyed!
Finally, I went to my not so LNS to pick up BC's Yule in it's frame. The turn around time on this one was fast and I'm sort of grateful because I can use it this year as part of my decorations :) I must have not cut all the stray threads so you can see one pretty bad by the Y :( I'm trying not to concentrate on it - other than that everything looks ok.
Now I'm going to sleep since I work tonight and tomorrow night. I've been waking up early again on my days off (430am) and don't think I'll be able to work tonight without taking a nap before work. TTFN! I just realized I got stash in the mail so I'm going to play with that first before taking a nap!

Cleaning the tables…Made easy.

  

In the last few days….I’ve gotten questions like “how do you clean the tables?”   Well, since the tables are all made with leather tops, its very similar to how you’d clean a leather jacket. I have quite a few tips and instructions on the ”Do’s and Don’ts” of cleaning the leather hides as well as the hair on the zebra prints. The only hides i would be extra careful with would be the pigskin/suede. But i don’t use much of those.  On my website’s ‘FAQ’ section you will find the cleaning instructions, but this link will take you straight there :    http://www.madebygirl.com/leathercare.html

The tables are designed to give your living room decor a stylish and sexy look, it may bring out the colors in your sofa, or even just as an ice-breaker during a party. I recommend purchasing tables like these if you are the type of person who is into maintaining your furniture pieces looking great! These beautiful and unique tables are different from anything you will find out there in coffee tables. I guarantee these tables will make a statement in your home or boutique! Plus, a percentage of each table sold will go to Breast Cancer Research or Lied Animal Shelter in NV.  To purchase this style or for a custom piece, visit:  www.MadeByGirl.com

*GOTTA LOVE IT, Happy Holidays!!!

Random Cath Kidston

Off to work today to unpack many boxes of china and glass for the after christmas sale. Of course, if there is anything that catches my eye I will be setting it aside for myself!
This blog for me is an online visual diary of all my favourite things. I adore Cath Kidstons designs and thought I would post some pics I have.
Here she is in her kitchen, isn't it gorgeous?
The biscuit tin is one that I bought recently from Freedom. It is not Cath Kidston but is very much in her style. The pattern is actually called "Nanna" lol!

Pretty In Pink Thrift Shopping

This is the mostly PINK haul I mentioned from a massive thrift shop hunt.
I got four of these oriental paper lanterns. I haven't worked out what to do with these as yet, I will have to think about it.

The pink depression glass bowl was $2 and no chips! The pattern on the Royal Albert saucer is one of my favourites, "Blossom Time." The other saucer is Royal Vale and is lined up with others behind the hotplates.
The large pink plate is old souvenir ware, sometimes called "musk ware." This one commemorates the eruption of a volcano!
I got a few cute christmas decorations - two vintage angels and a crocheted bell.
The white daisy is actually an old Avon perfume brooch from the 1970's. It opens up and there is still creme perfume inside!

Treat your dog this Holiday Season!

Like cool and unique furniture? Ever thought maybe your dog might too??  Well, now here is that perfect doggie bed, that fits right in with your stylish furniture….this is so cute!!  Might buy two for my boxers. I think they would like these! Check out the site:

www.DogBar.com

Fancy, Fancy, Fancy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS DOGGIES!!

I give up!

I woke up early to start quilting my quilt and I have to tell you, quilting something big is no way as easy as quilting something small! I think I'm going to send it out to get done since I don't have off for the machine quilting class that the store is offering. Piecing a quilt I can do, the quilting on my practice piece was easy peasy but I think I need more practice before I try out something big. *sigh* I had such high expectations too, maybe that's the reason I'm so down. Oh well I'm going to clean up and maybe try again later on. In the meantime I'm going to start cutting the fabric for my cousin's quilt. I'm suppose to go to work tonight but I think I'll call out, I'm just not in the mood to go and it's really nice outside so maybe I'll go out and start my Xmas shopping, I need a mental day anyway. Tomorrow it's going to rain and I don't mind being at work. TTFN!

Another Ebay Blowout!

Carters price guide by Alan Carter. These are always great to have and the older editions are collectibles in their own right and worth a fortune. Alan Carter is also a bit of a fox for an old guy, he has the most yummy London accent!
Some Hot pink crystals for the chandeliers, about 20 of them. Those ring connectors are a pain in the bum, I will have to change those.
More birds! About a dozen of them! And pink ones too!
I found my first blue prayer lady on eBay Australia! I am hankering for the other colours now. The pink little girl is a pepper shaker and I thought she would look good with my other ladies :)

The pink crystal prisms are for my chandeliers and candelabras. I have started taking off a lot of the baubles on the candelabra and have just left the aqua ones and of course, my beloved glass birds :) I strung one large and five small crystal prisms together and made about eight of them all up. These have now been added to the bottom arms of the candelabra.
Well after checking my credit card balance this morning (and that put me in a FOUL mood!) this will be my last blowout until the New Year. Without the selling on eBay to balance it all out, I really notice the difference in the old bank account.

Pretty Purple & Pink Lights

Here are some pics of the purple and pink lights I mentioned in my last post. I will be leaving these on after I pack up the rest of my Christmas gear. The colours aren't traditional Christmas colours so I think I can get away with it!
I have started taking photos of the things I will be listing on eBay after Christmas. I am listing this tablecloth pictured. It is gorgeous with lots of roses. It doesn't look quite right with my decor so it must go, alas!
Yesterday I worked and the shops were full on busy. It is also stinking hot here and making everyone very cranky.
After work I was feeling fed up so I went to a couple of shabby chic boutiques to cheer myself up.
The girl in one (whom I happen to know is the owner of the shop) was a right little cow. She didn't make eye contact or acknowledge me in any way. She also spoke on the phone nearly the whole time, even going into the store room for part of the conversation.
If I was so inclined, I could have had a shoplifting field day!
The other store is lovely. They always greet you and are happy to help with any queries. I bought some more bird decorations from them. One is a pink, white and silver peacock.
They are in Ardross and the shop is called "La Belle Maison."

Look what I picked up!

Pretty no? I had it framed just the way Shepherd's Bush had their's framed in regards to the matting, but I think the frame may be different, apparently the old frame was discontinued. I like it but didn't think it would be so big. The picture isn't the greatest but it looks so nice in person - the mats are wonderful. I took another piece to get framed when I picked this one up and I can't wait to see it. I went after work so I was tired and can't even remember what I picked out for matting or frame, I just hope it all matches LOL.

Today was the last day of my quilting class - I'm so sad! I signed up for another class in March. I was wait-listed for another one. I didn't care too much about being wait-listed since I was going to call out from work to go to the class. If I find enough energy I'm going to machine quilt my quilt tonight and try to do the binding and then start on my cousin's quilt. I had another weird night where I slept all day to wake up 12am to go back to sleep at 5am and then wake up again at 9am this morning though I woke up at 7:30! I need some more sleep.

I haven't stitched since that last update, I did buy more stash though when I went to pick up Spooky Spots. I thought I grew out of my Lizzie Kate phase but I saw the 12 Blessings stitch together and got the fabric for it. It looks really nice! When I told Tawny that I had grown out of L*K she told me lots of people have told her the same thing. I wonder if she's losing any money over this? Anyhoo, I want to start on Blessings like right away - I'm going to do it on 32ct over 2 with 1 thread. It should look nice, maybe I'll get creative and change some things around or maybe not. I'm so afraid of changing things, I envy those that can do it.

I'm reading this book and I think it's effecting (affecting?) my mood. It's the Memory Keeper's Daughter, and the family in the book is filled with repressed anger that it makes me feel so unhappy. This book has me re-evaluting my life and thinking if maybe I've made some bad decisions and this is why my life is the way it is, not that I have a crappy life so far life has been good to me. But the family in the book have everything, yet their sad because of a lie kept by the father. I want to stop reading it but it's a really good book so I can't. Maybe after this I'll read some funny chick-lit to make me happy again LOL. Okies TTFN!

First book i ever read…

“Charlotte’s Web” …….is such a classic story. I love this book…and now its a Hollywood film. The movie actually opens today in theatres. But, if you haven’t read the book yet, pls pick it up….it would definately make a great X’mas gift for kids!

Glass Raindrop ornaments….who would have thought!

 

One word came to mind when i saw these, nostalgia!  I remember being a little girl growing up in Anchorage, Alaska…and seeing these frozen droplets of rain hanging from the leafless branches. They looked identical to these ornaments. What a unique idea! I love them!

You can purchase these at: www.SmithandHawken.com

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Fred Flare

Have been feeling down in the dumps today due to very little sleep. I thought I would try and cheer myself up with some pretty pictures from "Fred Flare." What groovy things they have! I can so see myself wearing that Tinkerbell necklace!
You can visit the website by clicking on the title above.
I visited Ikea yesterday afternoon to buy a floor rug for my son's room. It is very cool. Blue stripes with two medieval dragons. I also got a strand of Christmas lights which are purple with little pinkish lights, now reduced to $6.95.
My mum told me today that she felt sorry for my husband having to live with all my girly stuff. I told her that I felt sorry for her living in a beige house, with her beige life and how uninspired she must feel every day!