Merry Christmas to All

My little piece of Germany.  The angel I bought in Dresden, the big Nutcracker in an Op Shop in New Farm and the other pieces are also authentic German Christmas decorations.

My Father Christmas collection - the Christmas tree didn't get put up this year but my Santa Claus's got an airing.  Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I look forward to writing more next year.  We are off on a road trip after Christmas - heading towards Sydney & further south into Victoria.  Will post photos when we get back to 'sunny' Queensland.  Will it ever dry out???

Postcards for a new baby

Another baby was born into our family last Saturday.  Couldn't believe it - Mother & baby were home SIX hours after delivery.  Is this normal these days? or is is just this particular hospital?   HofM's cousin is now a Great-grandmother  in her early 60's!  She is sooooooo much older than me - I'm not even a grandmother yet! Made a postcard for each of them, Mother & baby, Grandmother & Great-Grandmother - it was fun. As usual the hardest thing is deciding the fabric & what to do.  Hope they like them! 

Play Day

Yesterday, two friends came over & we had a "Play Day" in between cups of tea & lunch when another friend joined us for a catch up.  We tried out Paper Clay - we rolled it, kneaded it, rolled it out, used stamps on it and cut out shapes with cutters & scissors.  It has to dry overnight, then it can be painted to seal the items.  As you can see I stil have to paint my bits.

Then we used a bleach medium.  Our picture was placed under a sheet of see through plastic, we traced the image with the glue medium, allowed it to dry & then ironed it with a steam iron & the image appeared. Below is the image I used to trace but I think you will be surprised when I finish this.  It is going to be totally different to the original.

You now see the lines I traced - more or less.  watch this space to see what the image becomes!

Around Brisbane and the south-east

Last week we drove to the Gold Coast to collect my brother-in-law, who has macular degeneration & can't get out on his own anymore, so he could stay with us for a couple of days.  On the way down, we followed this boat - it was huge - had a wide load vehicle with it & they both managed to take up both lanes most of the time.  It's under the white over.

We had dinner at Portside (Fresh & Wild Seafood) on Sunday night before our son left for England and the cold.  It poured all day Sunday & it was rather chilly down on the river.  That did not stop us having our Moeven Pick ice-cream before wandering up on the viewing deck to look at the cruise ship that was visiting 'sunny' Brisbane.

This stick insect visited us today.  Haven't seen such a huge one in a long time.

Backyard Update

Give the worms some pumpkin seeds, put the castings on the garden & watch out - you have a pumpkin patch.  HofM delicately tickled a female flower with a male flower & now we have one pumpkin growing.  Hope it does get to maturity & we can actually eat it.

Japanese presents for Christmas

Bought these brooches for the sons's girlfriends from a little shop that sells AUTHENTIC Japanese accessories in Paddington. These were made from advertising pages of the newspaper by a lady in Osaka - they have not been dyed.  Japanese papers must be so much more colourful than ours.

Christmas Presents.

This seemed to be the year for serviette (napkin) holders.  Went mad making them - Christmas ones for family & all purpose ones for the son's girlfriends.  Also made a journal cover for my niece.  All quick & easy.

Inspiration Everywhere

For those of you who live in Brisbane, you may recognize the old Mac & East building. It always brings back memories of boarding school - Saturday mornings, stockings, gloves, hats, uniform & into Mac & East to buy more stockiings (ladders were the bain of my life!)

The pressed metal ceiling is still over the footpath - glad they left that.

Along Tank Street & turn left before the Kurilpa Bridge & there is a really great coffee shop in the entrance to a building that houses loads of lawyers.  The walkway into the building is greally great!