random bits

Lovely rain the past few days.

Post-exam cheer.

B's favourite shoes.

The garden welcomed the rain too, and revived a little.

Happy.

Wiggle all grown up.

Sophie under the table.

This kid actually begs for homework.

8 months.

Fridge humour. Happy Tuesday everyone!

* Psst -- don't miss out on this giveaway, ending May 5th!

flora

1. Flower fridge magnets by janedean

2. Daisy flower earrings by Linohandmade

3. Lichen hydrangea necklace by Love n Lavish

4. Plate wall hanging by GlassPaperScizzors

5. Queen Anne's lace necklace by The ScrappinCop

6. Rustic garden thank you cards by DawnCorrespondence

7. Dangling charm necklace by Earrings For All

8. Peter Pan collar blouse by d4discus

mini giveaway!

Hee hee... Rebecca is having her own giveaway -- have a looksie here!

collage pins!

Or ornaments. In the shop now :)

birthday fun!

Guess who had a birthday?

Yep, my number one baby :) She was full of excitement on her birthday morning -- I'd organised a little party for her at Build-A-Bear (more on this later)!

Satisfied customers! See more here :)

That evening, she opened all her presents. That one there was from a friend who had been invited, but couldn't show up because she'd fallen sick; another friend had brought the gift along with her. See that wrapping paper? It's Japanese, covered in bears and cats. I was struck by how sweet it was, and decided I'd make something out of it for the girl who had missed out on the party.

There wasn't a lot of it that wasn't folded or crumpled, but I decided to milk it for all it was worth -- hey, Earth Day should be every day right?

So I cut out what I could. And mounted them on thick reclaimed board. 

I embellished them with shiny stars, and made them into pins.

And since I'd gotten started, I made some more.

These ones got bought as party favours.

But I still have these, and I've decided to pop them into the shop. The Panda one has been sold, but the one in the top left corner -- with the (to me) intriguing phrase "days marked with a white stone" -- will go to the first reader who expresses an interest in having it (teeny giveaway here hee hee!).

Then I felt inspired to make these lol. They're crazy collages of multicoloured goodies, little OOAK pieces that could you could wear, or hang, or prop up on a shelf or door. I'll be getting them listed in the shop soon -- happy Wednesday everyone :)

nothing quite like...

... a little ballerina to make one smile :)

Happy week everyone!

are you normal?

Pepper Sneeze, by Flying Mouse 365

O, hahahaaaaa... I'm sorry, I'm just sitting here laughing -- out loud -- to myself, while reading all these people's posts. You see -- weirdo that I am -- I actually get really, really annoyed with myself when I sneeze. I guess it has to do with self-control or being interrupted or something. But anyway, there I was working on something, and I sneezed, three or four times in a row -- which I hate -- and I actually felt compelled to Google, "Do you get really mad when you sneeze?"

And, as to be expected, someone, somewhere in this big, wide world actually thought the same sort of thing (though the top Google results all had to do with people being annoyed when other people sneezed, not themselves). First though, I was amazed, nay fascinated, in fact downright tickled, that there was a site called, Is It Normal? "Are You Normal?" the subhead asks. "Curious how others might perceive your situation? Ask your question today and find out what others think..." O, fascinating, just fascinating!

So then, this was the question I clicked on: "Is it normal to just get absolutely FURIOUS when anyone around me sneezes? I have almost gotten in a fight because of it". O, hahaha... someone who actually feels the same sneeze-induced rage, albeit toward other people (he/she does sound a bit extreme though...)! And then -- o, this was the best part (well, to me, anyway) -- a whole bunch of people who actually bothered to reply! And what replies LOL!!!

For example: "I only get annoyed when the sneeze seems excessively loud. My mom and fiance (they're separate people, not one in the same) get mad at me when I tell them to sneeze quietly. They say they can't help it. Poppycock! I can hold back. They should, too. Stop scream-sneezing". YOU SAID IT, man!

Or: "I get irritated when people sneeze and then keep saying things like, "Whew" and "Oh man" and "That was a big one!" Like I need to give them attention cause they sneezed". I KNOW!!

And what about: "I agree with Satellite, My dad SCREAMS when he sneezes, He goes HACCCHEEWWWW instead of just a normal sneeze but some people are ridiculous sneezers". I TOTALLY get this!!

This one I just love: "OMFG LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Dude, i suddenly remember my grandma used to sneeze really loud like over and over and YES DAMMIT THAT PISSED ME OFF!! And my dad sneezes really loud too plus so does my mom! its because they don't hold their noses when they sneeze. sometimes they startle me!!
I on the other hand always hold my nose cause otherwise its painful for me. and i'm not too loud... but man i had a good laugh at the comments!! THANKS YALL!!"

And: "omg...so funny! I think it is normal to get mad at your family members' sneezes...because I have been dealing with my stupid brother's LOUD ASS AAAAACCCHHHHOOOO!!!!! without even covering his damn nose....my whole damn life. in the next room late at night, when I would give him a ride, at dinner....I hate it. But also, my brother just kinda bugs me. My mom also has a realllllyyyy loud HEP-CHU! sneeze that is very obnoxious....however, I don't think you should get so angry, it's just natural and don't be so high strung over it, mellow out!"

Or perhaps the most clear and concise of all: "F*** it, smack them one". O hahahahahaaaaa!

I'm sorry, I don't know if this just makes me really weird (but Jacqueline, that's not such a bad thing, right? ;)... It seems the original poster was considered "20% normal" hahahaa... So while I didn't get a direct answer to my own question, I did get over how annoyed I was with myself lol! I'm going to go check out the rest of this wonderful site now -- already I see the question "Is it normal that i don't feel alone when I walk into my bedroom?" Wahahahahaaaaa...

fauna

1. Rabbit original painting by Céline ArtGalerie

2. Pillow cover by inourgardentoo

3. Winter Bear brooch by Meghann Rader

4. Porcelain fox face necklace by Made by me me me

5. Reindeer necklace by Liliana Design

6. Horse necklace by By Beep

7. Personalized baby onesie by Simply Sublime Baby

8. Henry's Head print by Sea Lily Studio

Guppies!

I made a whole school of these sweet little fish for a lovely lady in Derbyshire, and decided I really had to add them to the shop!

Batik Guppy...

... and Sun Guppy are two of the fishies in the shop at present (the rosy turquoise one is a third). 

The Guppies were inspired by Ro's drawing of a flying fish (maybe I'll add wings at some point!).

I think they have such friendly smiles. 

These sweet, happy fish would look lovely in a nursery, or on a shelf or sofa -- anywhere really! They would love to listen to you ramble or watch you try to figure out how your computer works.

Guppy photo shoot outtake haha :)

treasury clipping

Animal friends, by Besty, crafter of elegant prints, cards and other handmade goodies. The entire list is here.

1. Giraffe photo by Lori411

2. Forest Festivities greeting cards by Jahna Vashti

3. Sailor Animal Boy softie doll by Bikbik & Roro :)

4. Vintage toy donkey from Bellalulu

5. Bunny cameo necklace by Five Forty

6. Animal magnets by Piping Hot Papers

Monogram bracelets!

I made a whole bunch of these for an order of party favours, and decided to add them to the shop. They're Monogram friendship bracelets!

Each bracelet is one-of-a-kind, and can have an initial or 3-letter monogram spelt out in silver alphabet cubes.

They're a slightly different take on my Name Day bracelets -- sort of petite-r and more delicate. They're sweet little things, perfect as goody bag stuffers, and look lovely stacked! Find them here.

* Psst -- don't miss out on this giveaway, ending April 16th!

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lookie-look

Sometimes one is so fortunate as to meet someone who's not only really creative, but super sweet as well!

Kristin of Carriage Oak Cottage was so kind as to feature me on her blog, and I just had to share her lovely home decor goodies with you as well. Just take a gander at these elegant, rustic beauties! Happy Sunday everyone :)

* Psst -- don't miss out on this giveaway, ending April 16th!

nothing says tropical...

... quite like a parrot -- just look at the colours on this fellow! Did you know that parrots can see parts of the ultraviolet spectrum? This, and other cool animal facts here. All the pictures were taken by Rebecca (except the ones she's in of course); I think she shows promise, yes?

Most tigers have yellow eyes, but white tigers usually have blue -- the same genetics that show up in Ming!

B writes that "In just a hundred years, the world has lost 97% of wild tigers" -- a very sad fact indeed.  I'm glad there are people like her in this new generation who care, and want to do something about it.

* giveaway: Conscious Box subscription! *

* This giveaway is closed; thank you everyone! Congratulations to Libby -- please check your inbox *

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you probably know how much environmental protection and sustainability mean to me. I think most of us have enough of a conscience to care, and want to do our part in protecting our natural environment; after all, our very survival depends on it. That's why I was gratified to learn of Conscious Box, a monthly subscription service that delivers pure, natural products right to your doorstep.

Conscious Box will introduce you to ethical, sustainable products that help lighten your carbon footprint and better show your love for the Earth. You'll receive a variety of unique, practical products every month; discover ethical, purpose-driven businesses; and receive content on daily living tips, exciting monthly themes, and creative ways to use your box. Earn points for leaving feedback and reviews, and buy your favorites at great discounts. Learn more here.

Thanks to Conscious Box, one lucky reader stands to win a 3-month Conscious Box subscription*! 

PLUS they'd also like to offer a 50% off discount for any Conscious Box subscription -- just use the code LOVELIFE.

Here's how to take part in this giveaway!

Mandatory entries

1. Be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect -- just click "Join this site" on the left there and leave a comment letting me know you did :)

2. Head to Conscious Box's FB page and like/share their page. Do leave them a comment saying I sent you :)

Extra entries

(Not mandatory, but you really up your chances! If it says 2 entries, please leave 2 comments)

1. Grab my button (it's over there on the right) for your homepage (please leave me the URL so I can check). Doing this is worth 2 entries.

2. Refer to this blog and this giveaway in a post on your own website (please leave me the URL so I can check). Doing this is worth 2 entries.

This giveaway is sponsored by Conscious Box. This giveaway will end on April 16th 2012 at 12pm EST.

* Currently, Conscious Box only ships within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and overseas to APO addresses, as well as US territories.

The winner will be chosen by Random.org. The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond, or a new winner will be selected. Please be sure your email or email link is in your comment!

Thanks a lot and have fun!