Monday in the making

Firstly, Happy New Year to all of my followers and friends! I pray that this coming year finds you well, happy and full of inspiration...

...It has been a little quiet here, as I spent Christmas (and time beforehand) celebrating with family. It was such a lovely time - catching up with siblings, relatives and little ones that I haven't caught up with in a little while. So special! For us, it means quite a bit of travelling, but it is so worth it.

I tried to provide each of our loved ones with a handmade gift, whether made by me or another crafty person, hence the lead up to Christmas was rather busy. However, a goal for 2013, is to be more organised so that I am not leaving 'gift making' to the last minute. Handmade gifts take longer to create as they are personal and made with love and care - factoring in the time into a busy schedule is challenging, but I feel that this is an important area I can work on next year. A blog post that has inspired me to create more handmade gifts for my loved ones and friends, is one written by Pamela of 'Majorie Handmade'. You can read it here.

As work has finished for a Summer break, I thought that I would squeeze in 'creativity time' over the festive season, however, family time and enjoying the sunshine took over. It was great to have a total break - it refreshes and rejuvenates. Since being back home though, I have reopened my 'Madeit store' and have started the blogging routine once again. I have also started with some plans and designs that I am now itching to get into. Hopefully I can show you some goodies soon!

On my list at the moment:

• Adding some more items to my store and creating some new releases.

I'll see you in the New Year!

Weekend Wonders

Oohh...excitement is mounting...

...holiday time is looming quite quickly. Despite the excitement that it brings, there is a lot to do before we go away for a break. I have been working on family presents. I also have been gathering little goodies together to surprise little ones (and bigger ones) at work.

It was our Bible study group's Christmas breakup yesterday and I made up little pudding truffles as gifts to give to members. I also spent time on the weekend searching for just the right fabric for a special Kriskringle gift...(now to make that one up). Hence, there has been a lot of searching, cooking and wrapping happening this weekend.

There was quite a large craft market in our city today and I enjoyed spending an hour or so looking around, buying some handmade goodies for loved ones. Markets are wonderful places as you get to view lots of lovely items and you are able to talk directly to the creator and designer - so personal! A few of the stall holders noticed that I brought my 'Christmas gift list' along with me and they asked who I was buying for. The ladies on my list were the easiest to find gifts for (or to match them with a Tupsy Turvy Design product), however, it was so difficult to find anything for the guys. The stall holders admitted that they didn't have anything available and that they too, find it difficult to produce items for men. Maybe that can be a goal of mine...

Anyway, I hope that you have a lovely week :)

Friday Thoughts - Christmas Trees No.2

Another decoration that the children have made this week at work were these popstick Christmas trees...

...to be honest, we made them out of wooden 'spatulas' that are a little bigger than popsticks.

The inspiration for this craft idea came from here. I got the children to paint the sticks with green water paint. When it dried, I glued them into triangles with a hot glue gun and the children decorated with sparkly things, stuck on with craft glue. They also stuck a brown rectangle at the base for the 'trunk' of the tree. I tied some gold cord at the top so that it can be hung up.

Have a lovely weekend!

Wonderful Wednesday - Christmas Trees

I am starting to get a little excited...

...I love the festivities of Christmas, in particular the smell of pine trees. We have had a number of 'real' Christmas trees placed along the driveway at work and near the office and library areas. Every time I walk past, I get a delicate whiff of pine. There is nothing like the smell of a real Christmas tree. It takes me back to my childhood, where, in my home town, there was an annual Christmas Tree Festival. Different schools and organisations around town would decorate a tree and prizes were awarded for different categories. I used to love attending this festival, admire the beautifully crafted decorations and find out who were the 'winners' in each category. As soon as you stepped into the room where the festival was held, you would smell the fresh smell of pine. For me, it signalled Christmas. Hence, my inspiration for the week...Christmas Trees...

Christmas Tree Decoration by 'Addicted to Buttons'

I can quite understand this crafter's addiction to buttons. I love the colours and the designs that these little items have and they can add a special embellishment to lots of items. This is a great use of buttons - moulded together to make a tree decoration. I love the uniqueness of this item.

Christmas Tree hair clip by 'Frizzle Tree'

Here is a Christmas tree with a difference! This cleverly worked item is a Christmas tree hairclip made with folds of ribbon with a cute little embellishment on the top. Wonderful for a little girl to wear on the big day.

Christmas Tree Pendant Necklace by 'Lace Metal'

I love the simplicity of this design. Gradually increasing rings on each row, linked together to form the shape of a Christmas tree. It makes a stunning necklace!

Christmas Tree gift tags by 'Jacibean Designs'

Continuing with the circular theme are these gorgeous gift tags. A similar idea, however, instead of rings, circles are used. I particularly like how the green hue is used in every circle, but used in various patterns. I lovely way to jazz up a special gift.

I hope that this inspires you!

Monday in the making

I have been busy making up orders. Here is another one...

I haven't tired of making these necklaces and I plan to make more. This is the last week of taking orders until I close up shop for a little break over Christmas. It will give me a chance to refresh and re-energise so that I can get designing and creating in the New Year. Already I have lots of ideas, I can't wait to spend some time working on them.

In the meantime, I am in production mode, making lots of handmade goodies for family and friends. I hope to share photos of these items soon.

Thanks for viewing :)

Weekend Wonders

I can breathe a big sigh...

...I have now completed my assessment work, therefore, now I can spend some more time focusing on my craft and some ideas for Christmas. Assessment is such a huge part of my work and it is quite time consuming. So, to have it completed is quite a relief.

I did manage to squeeze in some time for craft. I have completed another necklace order and I have been busy designing and stitching a soft, little something for a couple of my favourite little people in my life. I hope to show some sneak peaks soon.

I hope you had a lovely weekend :)