Santa's Little Helper...

Christmas Charlie 2009
Originally uploaded by Cheeky Mango

Charlie loves Christmas as much as I do. So, today is the day for Christmas photos to go onto my cards. I think this setup is a bit too white and bland, but I really wanted to get away from the usual santa hat costume. I think I'll try again later in the day. She is very cute anyhow!

Veregated Ginger Flower

Veregated Ginger Flower
Originally uploaded by Cheeky Mango

I have plenty of these plants growing along the side of my place. They are great 'fillers' and the frogs love to hide in them too. They are in flower at the moment, giving off a gently whiff of sweet ginger fragrance..

Current Addiction

Lilly with Bone
Originally uploaded by Cheeky Mango

My latest addiction is to making small stuffed felt toys. I have been chrurning out cute little things like a machine over the last few weeks! I'll have to post more pictures here soon, but in the meantime I'll share this photo of Lilly with her handmade birthday present. I am surprised that she hasn't pulled it apart yet - but I am sure she will soon...

Kawaii Cupcake ATC

Kawaii Cupcake
Originally uploaded by Cheeky Mango

I made this ATC for a Swapbot swap, along with a little kawaii toast slice. They are off to a loving home in Canada. Although I love kawaii, I really don't 'do' much of it, so this was a lot of fun to make. I am also toying with the idea of making some tiny, little stuffies. I think that's what they're called - basically tiny stuffed trinkets made from felt. They are very similar...

Other than this, I am keeping rather busy on the crafting front with sewing, card making and other creative happenings on the go.

Friday's Double Excitement

As a busy working week has drawn to an end I have had some little pieces of personal excitement. I guess that could sound a little saucy, but alas I'm really talking about crafting excitement.

I had a very big week on the ATC front, having several packages completed and sent out to their new homes. As I complete a set I try to photograph or scan them and post the images on my Flick site. Even though it sounds a bit lame, I love seeing my stats going up and receiving comments. I can't tell you how much I love comments... Anyhow, this week, since posting my Elvis image that you saw in my previous post I posted a similar Audrey Hepburn card, 6 ink and pen cupcake cards 12 Christmas cards. All these cards came out pleasingly well and I posted a link onto the Swapbot site. Then I sit back and patiently wait to see how many hits my images get. I am usually over the moon to get a dozen or so, but today I am sure I recorded an all time high of 178! That certainly deserves an exclamation mark if anything does. So to a person who obsesses about their Flickr hit counter that was an awesome daily total!

While still on an 'almost double century' high from my Flickr hit counter, I decided to check up on another of my fabourite sites, Funky Fabrix in Brisbane. Last week I entered their competition to win some lovely hand printed fabric and was over the moon to discover I had actually won! Wow, next I had to decide which colourway I would choose - I went for the white on red, but I am sure either would have been lovely. Next big decision is what to make from my lucky win. I have lots of great ideas going through my mind, but I'm sure my decision will change a few times before the fabric parcel actually hits my postbox.

Elvis Warhol ATC

Elvis Warhol ATC
Originally uploaded by Cheeky Mango

Since actually purchasing Photoshop Elements, rather than continuously downloading a trial version or using an old Version1 (yes, version 1.0), I have been learning a few techniques. My good friend gave me a quick overview of the basics like magic selection tool and such. That was invaluable because these basics, in conjunction with some online tutorials, I can create some pretty cool stuff.

This is my progress on a Swapbot ATC swap. The theme is Warhol style art and I thought that Elvis was a highly suitable subject for this treatment. The colours were fun to choose and I really like the subtle background gradient.

On other things, I have been pretty busy since getting home from holidays and have had a bit of trouble getting back into the swing of work, but I think I'm just about back to normal now. I have done a bit of sewing and made a pretty nifty wall hanging too.

This weekend I am hoping to do a bit of gardening now that the weather is a bit warmer and there is a promise of a bit of rainfall. But, of course it is really easy to make these plans while lounging on the sofa, a bit harder to actually get into! Have a good weekend..

Back to the Real World

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet, I have been away on holidays. Had a cold, windy, but great time on the North Island of New Zealand. Had a fabulous time, travelling by car from Auckland to Wellington via Coromandel Town, Taupo and Napier. Was an eventful trip with unexpected snow causing road closures and therefore some last minute cancellations and itinerary changes. The weather may have been cold, but this Coromandel Town sunset was HOT!

NZ is a lovely country with very friendly people and of course some great knitting supply shops. In fact, when I discovered just how cold the weather was I quickly bought some supplies and got busy with some evening knitting - sad but true.. Two more things to love about New Zealand are:

1. Glohearts - small red heart shaped lollies. They are made in NZ and the taste reminds me of a mild Throatie. I know that is not a very inspiring description, especially of the flavour, but I loved them! I could easily become addicted to these small bags of yumminess.


2. Chocolate/licorice logs. I love both chocolate and licorice, so this was bound to be a winner. The difference with this produce is that the chocolate is encased in the licorice, not the other way around. This gives the choc a nice crunch and stops it from flaking off, as can happen with regular choc coated licorice logs. Sadly, but somehow fortunately, these are not available in Australia. Phew!

Anyhow, since I have been back I have been quite busy. I spent one night in Brisbane before returning home and took the opportunity to buy some Ikea fabric. I bought some beautiful bright pink canvas and made a cool bag. I'll share some photos of this when I get it photographed.