Absent ponderings

Hi!

What is that all I have to say after all this time - I don't write, I don't post - I disappear without so much as a postcard?

Yeah - sorry!

Hopefully some of you have been kept up to date with my ramblings and rovings over at Facebook or Instagram - I haven't dropped off the planet completely I have just been a bit creativity and energy deficient - something I hope to make up for in the coming days/weeks/months. I'm back!

So where have I been?

Well nowhere really just here in a different way - my main excuse, and I don't really have any other good ones, is that I haven't been feeling that well for a lot of the months of January, February and March but don't feel sorry for me - it has been the best kind of unwell. Un-wellness caused by the best kind of joy and blessing. I am delighted to say another little person is growing inside me and was making me delightedly tired and perpetually sea sick. I am now feeling on land and with some spark again as I reach half way in this growing journey - we hope to welcome our little 'beannut' (who is now called that in absence of any better name) in late August.

Here is a little pic that sums up my thoughts. It is an instagram pic I posted a few weeks back when I was tagged by the lovely Heather of  Ollie and Ruby to post up a #hopestagram. A hopestagram is a picture that captures your hopes. Here is my pic and the words that went with it

"My biggest hope this year is that this little person growing inside me is as healthy happy and lovely as their brother to be, that I find somewhere the time to be the best mummy possible to them both, oh and that this day in day out motion sickness feeling goes soon."

Well we are part of the way there. Now my hope is to not leave it so long before I post again.

Happy Australia Day

Happy Australia Day - Find and Dandy style.

I decided to share with you some favourite Aussie themed finds.

I have a thing for souvenir ware - these two are just the tip of the iceberg. This amazing wattle tin recently became mine via a street market in my home town. Lastly we wouldn't be Australian in spirit but for the toughness we develop against the many killer and just down right annoying insects we face daily, I found this book of Australian insects published in 1942 a few months back in a recycle centre.

Here's to all that's green, golden and found in the land down under.

Found Friday

The holiday specials.

I always enjoy myself on my country holidays visiting my family. It is always relaxing and fun. Beyond that though you can't beat a country op-shop.

Here is a little sample of some of my favourite finds while there

Alas being the christmas holidays my op-shopping days were limited, volunteers deserve holidays
more than most, so the haul was less than some other visits but there is always next time!

Found Friday

The first Found Friday for the year and while I have been on an Op-Shop adventure or two and have some treasures to share, most likely next week, I have for the most part been finding myself in nature and among family and friends here is a little insight via 10 shots of where I find myself right now. Happy holidaying, if like me you are lucky enough to still be indulging, or if you have returned to work yeah the weekend has found you again!

Silent Night

I hope you and yours have had a peaceful and happy Christmas we sure have and I am weary with all the cheer and off to bed. Silent night to you all.

Twas the night before Christmas

I totally forgot about this recent find when I posted my Christmassy Found Friday last week - mostly because it was in our bedtime reading spot with all the other little Christmas stories we have been reading lately.

I found this 1979 Golden Book telling of an 1822 story the other week - and well it's fitting I forgot it last Friday as it's much more appropriate to share with you today.

I am away taking in the festive season with my family so may find myself too full of cheer to post for a but so until then and wherever you find yourself this Christmas Eve

Found Friday

This weeks finds are all Christmas related - I haven't found them all this week but gathered then along the way and they are in my once a year bag of goodies. Most of them aren't on display this year - I am down 5 mantle pieces from my last home and last Christmas and as you well know I went all neon this year - see the Neon Christmas here. They will resurface next year and hopefully will find some additional walls and shelves to call home for December. Here is a sneak peek before then,

A little one footed Robin who resided in London when we met (as did I) - he had both feet then. That Christmas with not a lot of cash to spend on presents or posting back home we chose a special decoration for each member of the family - I don't remember now who this was meant to be for but I couldn't part with him so bought another and kept him for my very own.

A vintage Santa tin

Two sweet little Santa cross-stitches - the first must once have been framed at some point and I think I would like to re-frame him before next year.

Lastly - not really xmas but I found these chunky blocks a while ago and couldn't resist - ho ho ho

Toot Toot He's Two

Our little man is two - it's hard to believe even though we've had the party, eaten the cake, sung the song (many times) and opened the presents.

His birthday was this Monday just gone be we got in early for a party last Saturday. There was no other choice for a theme but Thomas the Tank Engine - his favourite by far - but I wanted to avoid the overly merchandised decorations and make it a little more 'dandy'.

I was fortunate to find red, white and blue decorations that I could add a little touch of Thomas to. I made my own 'stickers' with circular printing labels and added these to party hats and bunting and also to the favour bags I bought from Ikea, which are intended as a sweet advent calendar but I saw them and knew straight away what I would do.

I found blue and red shoe sized gift boxes and added the opposite coloured bottle tops for wheels and these formed a party train full of fairy bread, popcorn, lollipops and chips.

The finishing touch was a Thomas cake - I made it based on the traditional Woman's Weekly train cake and several others I found online. I modelled the face from fondant from a tutorial I also found online (happy to share this link if anyone wants it just comment below), it was my first time working with fondant and I was pretty pleased with the results. 

It was a fantastic day and he enjoyed himself very much which was very obvious from the mix of dirt and sugar coating all of him at the end of the day. I was also very grateful to my very generous parents in-law who helped us out with a last minute emergency venue change.

What I am most grateful for though is this little person in my life. He is turning into a little boy very quickly, he has cheek and never-ending energy but also the sweetest of ways and manners and charm. He surprises me every day and makes me feel like celebrating too.

Wishing you a neon bright xmas

I posted this Found Friday back in August. I had found the plastic apple container baubles and they made me think of Christmas. As I mentioned then I had already thought about doing a neon christmas this year inspired by the neon pink ribbons I found attached to trees and fences after a local primary school fun run. That combined with the strong Neon, Natural and Neutral trend that we have seen this year which I also wrote about in February and it was settled - we were having a neon christmas!

As much as I love the traditional christmas colours I am loving this for a bit of Australian summer Christmas brightness. We won't be here for the actual day but there is no reason we can't be festive before then and it is a colour party at our house right now.

I made this 'bauble' garland from cut neon card and jute string. It hangs beautifully against the crisp white walls.

My apple 'baubles' and pink ribbon needed a new branch home so I scoured my local parks after a recent storm and found a lovely selection of branches which I have tied together. I popped them into a street salvaged vintage jar with pebbles topped with lights. Even with all this it just didn't feel christmassy enough then I remembered I had found a bag of tinsel at the Op-shop the other day so made little tinsel nests - festive tree complete.

The same day I found the tinsel at the Op-shop I also found this mini silver tree.  I neon-ed it up with circle cut 'baubles' hole punched through the top and twisted in place. A mini tree would not be complete without a mini present. I think most people who opened it might be disappointed to find it is only full of the neon 'confetti' all that hole punching produced.

The last bit of Christmas bright might be a step too far? I had the idea of making a doily tree for the window, inspired by several I have seen but it had to have a neon twist. To neon it up I splatter painted the paper doilies with fluorescent paint and made a 'tree' in the window. I love it but it is possibly a little too pink for the boys in the house, they do outnumber me 2 to 1 after all. It has received some interesting comments from passers by usually along the lines of 'Pink?!' It really comes into it's own at night though all lit up. I would love to know what you think?

So there it is our neon Christmas - I figure I may never do this again so I went with it - would you do a neon Christmas? Whether you would or not may all your Christmases be bright.

xo
Siobhain

P.S a big thank you to Craig Proudford for the photos (despite his reservations about the pinkness of the tree xo)

I pinned it AND I made it

I have been on pinterest for nearly 2 years now and while I am a self confessed pinaholic I rarely find the time to make the things I pin to make or to take inspiration from. That's the pinning irony isn't it - I'm too busy pinning stuff to make the stuff I pin.

Finally I have done it!

I saw this cute and clever idea for toddlers having their own tree on pinterest earlier this year, here is my felt tree pin originally from the blog johnnyinadress.com

I decided to take inspiration from it and make my own for my little guy. The best thing being when we go on holidays to my parents for Christmas he can take his little tree with him - we will just roll it up.

I didn't follow any instructions but made it up as I went along - happy to share this with anyone who wants to know - it involved making a tree template and printing off outlines of decorations from the internet to also use as templates.

I made it so it is cardboard backed and can be taped or blu-tacked to his door or laid flat on his play table. He has had fun decorating and redecorating it today exclaiming "I made it" each time.

So there you go - I pinned it AND I made it. Now to get to the other thousands of pins - I told you I was addicted.