Looking back over 2007

I wasn't going to do this - sit down and go through 2007 to see everything that had happened. It seemed like an average year for me so why review it? But then i started thinking and the more i thought the more i remember about things that happened or experiences that i had and i realised that i actually do have a lot to look back on for 2007. So here are some of my high lights and low moments....

* My word for 2007 was Choices and boy oh boy did that word have meaning for me.

* I got to see some family that i hadn't seen in nearly 10 years.

* I came across this poem on what it means to wait upon the Lord

* I got a new, very girly, very lovely mobile phone

* I finished my first knitted project

* I went to my first ever craft show

* Stu turned 30

* I lost boy

* I did my first photo shoot

* I went back to school - so to speak

* Bob passed away

* I started sewing

* We got a new gorgeous printer

* We went to a wedding

* We had a visitor from Sunny South Africa

* I got to welcome a new car

* I made my first wall quilt

* South Africa won the Rugby World Cup

* I did my first real canvas and start art journaling

2007 i did a lot of firsts, i learnt a lot, i gave up a lot and i made some big decisions.

Looking forward to 2008 and all that it has to offer me.

Happy 2008

Wow, its difficult to believe that i am having to get ready to go back to work tomorrow. I waited so long for this little break that now that its been i wonder where it has all gone to. I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and are going to have a blessed 2008. These last few days have been a real whirlwind for me. I have made some life altering decisions and although i am not yet ready to share them with you i just wanted to put it out there.

In between Christmas and family and all the other things i seem to have found a lot of time paint and to work on my art journal. Here are two canvas that i painted.

" Home"OK, so this one doesn't have a name yet but it is hanging in my lounge and looks very nice there. Not the normal things that i have been painting but i am pleased with the end result.

Then here are some pages from my art journal. I think they speak for themselves really.

The honesty page on the right has a little hidden pocket in it which i have put my journaling in.

I got lots of cool Christmas gifts but this one is definitely the coolest i have seen in a while..

And then i also bought myself a U Curl. The photo is not the nicest but it gets a good shot of the curls. It really does do what it says it does.

I had hope to get more sewing done than what i did do. I did however manage to make a start on a patchwork tote bag. This is what i have done so far. Hoping to get it finished next weekend.
And finally on the knitting front. I knitted a hat but my camera battery has died on me so i will take a photo later and then i have also made a start on my first pair of socks. These suckers are difficult but a lot of fun. And the magic loop method is so much easier and dpns - at least for me.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

So i was going to wait until Christmas day to share this with everyone but what i wanted to blog about today i couldn't so i thought i would share this with you now. This is my Christmas painting that i did over the weekend. It is hanging above our Christmas tree in the lounge and i am very proud of how it looks. I will have to paint another one for the rest of the year.

As is the time of the year, new years resolutions are all the craze. This year, instead of doing the normal i decided to put a very small different spin on it. Instead of having things that i wanted to start on the first of Jan i have put together a list of goals that i want to achieve in 2008. Some of them i already know i will only be able to achieve in July and December and others will only take a few hours to do. I have put them in my sidebar so i can keep track of it and i am hoping that by the end of next year i will have a very nice list of goals that i can look at and see what i have achieved.

Another section that i have added to my sidebar, for my purposes as well as my faithful visitors, is a tutorial section. These are for tutorials which i have found across the web and amongst many of the blogs that i read. I hope that you enjoy them as much as i am going to and this year (or next year actually) i am going to start early to make my Christmas gifts. Handmade gifts for everyone next year!

The Festive Season

I am sure you all know just how close Christmas is - you don't need me to remind how many shopping days you have left or how many gift wrapping nights lay ahead. This year it has taken a bit of effort to get me into the swing of things. Perhaps its because i don't have children or perhaps i am just getting older. I'm not sure. But i do know that this weekend i have managed to find some of my lost Christmas spirit. I have had some Carols playing in the background. I did a Merry Christmas painting (which will be shown on Christmas day of course) and i have been spending spending spending.

Friday night i popped into Borders before i did my weekly grocery shopping. That afternoon i received a 50% off coupon in my email box and i decided that i should go and see what i could find. I went to my three favourite sections, cooking, crafts and then the magazines. While going through the craft section i found Journal Revolution. I have heard so much about this book that i thought i may as well pick it up. I have had a quick glance through it and so far it really does look good. Then i wondered off to the magazines and what should i find but a pile of Interweave Knits magazines. Now let me just explain that for the past 3 issues i have really been battling to find this thing. Short of ordering it directly from the states i have had to go web hunting to find a copy. The fall magazine i had to resort to buying it off of eBay at some extortionate price but now it looks like my local Borders is going to be selling it. Wohoo, she says while jumping up and down and waving her arms around wildly! It might take a month or so for it to arrive here in the UK but that is OK because i can pick it up at the normal price and i wont have to spend hours searching for it.

I spent a bit of team cleaning out my yarn basket that sits in the lounge on the coffee table. I haven't really picked up any knitting in a little while because i am finding that it is just frustrating me at the moment. So, to help keep my sanity, i put it aside for a little while and when i feel up to it i will take it out and decide what to do from there. Anyways, while i was cleaning it out i found this ball of yarn that picked up ages ago but i don't think i ever shared it. I am planing on using it for my first Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket.
On Sunday i got a really little treat and Stuart bought me Christina Aguilera's new perfume. Love the bottle and love the fragrance!
Apart from my Merry Christmas painting that i finished this weekend i also managed to complete this little canvas. "Sing your own Song". This was a combination of paint, ink, embroidery and felt. A LOT of fun.
Once my little canvas was ready i decided that it had to go up on the wall along with the other newly finished on. I went outside, grabbed OH's greasy hammer, some nails and happily went along hammering them into the wall. To nails downstairs above the Christmas tree and four nails upstairs above my dressing table.
It really adds a bit of me to the walls. I love it and feel so proud of myself for having them up for all to see....well maybe not for all to see but definantly for me to see.

That's it for me today, Hope you all have a lovely few days.