More fun in the work room today - Emo/ Funky/ Teenage Rock Princess, not so prissy Butterflies
I woke up this morning at the unseemly time of 5am with an idea for a new button - I LOVE it when that happens. So I am in my workroom, very excited to show you my new Patched Up Heart
Its so cute - 42mm wide
My early thoughts were based on a new way of prepping and painting - hmm what else can I try it out on? I know...Babushka ( Matroyshki) -
Another little happy dance in my kitchen.... then I spied a baby pram, but didn't want to use white....
Lots of fun, a bit messy but I am loving the results so it's worth it.
Have a happy day everyone, don't forget to visit the Button Bliss website, so many yummy new buttons in the What's New section
Lisa
-x-
Victorian school holidays finish finally today and it's back to school for all junior people in our house, and for me on Tuesday. The holidays have been peaceful and pretty boring all round. We didn't go anywhere or do much, just mooched around in Jammies and ate lots of junk food. Sarah has painted, stitched and playdohed, been to the movies to see Toy Story 3 ( yes I cried !) walked the puppy, loved the puppy, dressed the puppy, taught the puppy some impressive ballet steps and generally tormented it. I think the biggest sigh of relief will come from Abby when the kids head out the door today.
With time on my hands these past couple of weeks, I have been doing LOTS of thinking about Button Bliss and where it is headed. We are having a MASSIVE sale right now, clearing some shelves and making way for fresh new ideas ahead What you need to know is a special secret code word to enter in the shopping checkout -
the code word is clearance
And what will that do? Well it will discount your shopping by 40% !
Feel free to tell your friends about it, but they must have that secret code word!
Make sure you check out the What's New page - there are lots and lots of new buttons on there, some things I made up a year ago and completely forgot to add to the site, and some special one-offs like this gorgeous Burgundy Babushka - I planned to make lots of these , but found that the painted etc was way too hard and so she is a one-off princess!
As I clear out cupboards and boxes, I am finding more of these little treasures so keep an eye out for them.I have also added these lovely primitive Night Sky Angels with two dainty hearts.
So, if you feel like making a cuppa and having a wander through the Button Bliss pages, come on over - don't forget the word clearance, and tell your stitching and scrapping friends,
Love to all,
Lisa
Today started out quite normal - I got the kids up, coffee in hand and started the morning drill - "Eat your breakfast, clean your teeth, brush your hair, find your homework, did you clean your teeth?? Go and clean your teeth...."
Allana went to make sure her two mousies were happy, with food and water. She came bawling her eyes out. "They're dead!" She was so upset and sad, decided she must have fed them something bad. You know that feeling as a Mum when your heart just breaks seeing your child so distressed. We sat and cuddled and I promised to bury them somewhere safe, and that we would find a nice little plant to put on top (always fraught with danger given my lack of gardening prowess). I asked her to bring their little cage out to me.
There I sat as the kids got ready, with Allana hiccupping and trying to un-puff her eyes. The little pink cage in front of me with two little furry bodies, with wood chips scattered on them. I thought it just wasn't right to leave them like that til we buried them so I reached in to brush the woodchips away. As I moved them , a little tail kind of ....wiggled. Not much but a movement. I poked gently at the other mouse and the tail moved slightly. I swear I wasn't even breathing ! I picked them up and their little feet wriggled. They were soooooo cold. She had left them in the laundry overnight on cold tiles, and it was below zero here last night.
I didn't want Allana to get her hopes up. I got the wheat heat pack and warmed it up. I sat cupping my hands over them, lying on the heat pack, and little noses stared twitching.
I called Allana and we sat watching her lovely little mousies come back to life, as they warmed up eyes popped open and whiskers wiggled. It was so exciting and happy, and crazy
Allana has gone off to school grinning from ear to ear. Mousies are now safely wrapped in a woollen sock in their cage in a warm spot. They've eaten and walked around, I never thought I'd be so happy to see them running about. So now you may all call me "the mouse whisperer".
Sneak peak at my new Christmas trees. They are bit funky and kooky - just like me!
Hope you are all happy and WARM where ever you are, I'm off to check on those precious little mousies again before I head off to study for a test.
Love to all furry and non-furry friends,
Lisa
x-x-x
Hello everyone, yes it's been ages, I've had my head deep in the study books, learning all about the anatomy and physiology of the human body and learning the basics of personal care- bed making showering, bed bathes.Lots of information to take in, I admit there have been days when I feel completely overwhelmed, but I love the class, the study and the great friends I am making there. It was funny to explain to them what I've been doing with my time til now - no stitchers at all in the group so I think they think I'm a bit loopy making buttons LOL.
I have also been very busy with the newest member of the household - hold your breath, cause she's adorable....
Say hello to Miss Abby! She is mostly poodle with a little bit of Foxy thrown in for fun. She is 12 weeks old now, just gorgeous and fun. she is also spoilt rotten, a big sookie-la-la if I won't pick her up for a cuddle, and has our entire family wrapped around her fat fluffy paws. Right now she is asleep on my feet, she thinks she is a slipper. The kids are learning fast that having a pup is much like having an 18 month old in the house, if you have something special put it up high or she will get it.
I have also been painting and designing and have several new projects on the table - some very pretty stitchings heading your way soon.
In the mean time, here are some little angel babies, snoozing in their jammies. They are large feature buttons -8 cm long, and would be great for stitching a special baby keepsake or for scrapbooking.
Already in the What's New section of the Button Bliss Website.
I hope everyone is happy and well, where ever you are in the world.
Happy Stitching friends,
Lisa
xxx
Up bright and early today we were, with a busy day ahead.
The older kids had walked to school and I was dropping Miss 5 off, mentally checking through all that I needed to fit into the next few hours.. buttons to be posted, a book to be collected, photocopying and pattern covers to be ordered and a study date with a nursey friend.
Our school has a 'drive-through' drop off point at the very front of the school. It fits 3 or 4 cars at the most and at 8.45 it is prime real estate. Building works around the school means there is virtually no parking and every mother is in a queue heading for the coveted drop off.I pull up, at the very front of the Drop Off, a colourful line of 15 or so cars waiting behind. I got out and helped Miss 5 with her back pack and book bag, the "Corncob starts with C" item for the sharing table, kissed her gorgeous little face and let her walk inside. I got back in the car and .....
SOMEONE had stolen the steering wheel ! Little giggles threatened as I realised I had got into the backseat of the car and shut the door. Large giggles of hysteria started when I found that I had, as a conscientious mother, flicked the child locks on the rear doors, and was now STUCK in the back seat.
I own a very small car, which is normally perfect for me, but not an ideal size for me to squeeze my ample backside through between the front seats. LOL There was me, in peak school drop off, butt in the air, nose squished against the windscreen as I tried to get my legs to clamber through, avoiding the gear stick and trying to not break off the rear view mirror. Halfway across, puffing and panting and wondering how I find myself in these situations, giggles turned into snorts as I imagined the view all the Mums behind were getting.
Finally seated in front of my steering wheel, I started the car and gracefully pulled out of the Drop zone - and tried to find some composure for the rest of the morning.
On Monday I think we will walk!
Look what I just pulled out of my laser machine **Happy Dance**
Yippee
Hello everyone, I hope the Easter Bunny came hippity-hopping up your drive this Sunday - I am one of the rare women who don't actually like chocolate much, so I have been watching my kids and hubby spin out on a sugar high....
I have been very busy lately and have some lovely new buttons to show you.
I had a go at seed packets last year but they were too formal, but I love this new whimsical look. My maiden name was Wilson so I thought it should make it into Button Bliss folklore somewhere!
I also made very cute balloons
These will be sold as a set of three and would be great in scrapbooking. Of course I will be making blue tomorrow and also thought some silver, gold... awww lets just do the whole rainbow!
Speaking of Rainbows , here is my Rainbow Tree
I found this little poem online somewhere a few years ago and just loved it. This tree is fun to stitch and looks great, and as I am a bit of a button freak, it is perfect to pop lots of colours and sizes all over - I have been in a swirly mood.
Last post I told you about a friend of mine who has started her own blog wickedlydivinecreations, this lady is into anything and everything creative including painting on canvas. I had seen some of her work and I have always wanted to have a go at my own painting, just to see if I could.
So here is my own painting - swirly of course. I am very proud of it, it now hangs in my lounge room and makes me feel happy whenever I look at it.
It's fairly big, approx 1.4m across, lots of colours, the grass is the word love written over and over in 5 shades of green.
School holidays are still here, four kids, two cats, two mice, one borrowed dog and a partridge in a ....- no wait that's a different holiday isn't it? Okay scratch the bird and you have a good idea of the craziness in our home right now.
My eldest child Jack turns 16 tomorrow which makes me feel old, but my 5 yr old Sarah still climbs into bed in the middle of the night which makes me feel like a young Mum (tired too!)
Hope all is well in your own little crazy home,
Love and hugs to all
Lisa
Hi there everyone. This week, I have managed to pull all the tendons out of a knuckle ( well actually I did it 4 weeks ago, it just took this long for me to get some treatment) My ring finger and middle finger are now very firmly taped together with a splint, and I am told it will be 8 wks to heal properly. I'm not sure I will last that long, but we shall see. It's a good excuse to make the kids put the washing on the line and help cook dinner
Yesterday my computer presented a new problem. As many of you know last year we have to replace my work computer when our third blessing dropped a cup of hot chocolate into it. Thankfully I had saved all my button files to my brand new external hard drive and I managed to keep working. My external hard drive has become the hall cupboard, full of every file. photo and recipe, and probably a tennis racquet or two. It means that should our computer ever die again, all the files are safely tucked away in my external hard drive.
Yesterday I turned on my computer and found a little message - " External hard drive is corrupted and unreadable" ... MMMMMmmmmmm not a good sign. After alot of googling, ph calls and tears I have discovered that these little pieces of machinery can CRASH , all on their lonesome. I guess that means I need to backup my backup?
Anyhow today I have been steered toward a recovery program and it is valiantly trying to recover over 500 button designs, stitchery patterns and newborn baby photos (sigh). I have fingers, toes and eyeballs crossed that it works.
My last post was very brief, about my friends son Ben who had fractured two vertebrate in his neck
.
Ben is home now, with a neck brace on, finding new and interesting ways to torment his mother. Hiding her mobile ph and ringing it, and seeing how long it takes to find it, locking all the doors when she goes outside... he is 16 and (shhh don't tell him I said) enjoying being with his Mum. We are all immensely grateful for his recovery, lack of lasting injury (some numbness in his hands is all that remains) and sense of humour. As scary as it looked 7 days ago, this morning when I saw Ben he had just rolled out of bed, refused hotcross buns and was plotting devious ways to keep his Mum on her toes.
A lovely girl who started as a customer, but who has become a friend has just launched her own blog, http://wickedlydivinecreations.blogspot.com/
She designs unique dolls , with an Elfin flair. This gorgeous little one is Danae the Rose Elf, named after Shelley's divine little baby girl.
I will have patterns available on my site soon, please pop over and visit her site, More dolls are on there way, and Shelley has a great talent for creating unique and unusual dolls that are just a work of art. ( well done Shelley!!)
Thats the weeks round up, I have not cut buttons as my naughty hard drive won't co-operate, I have been to school and learned all about the axial skeleton (that's your skull and spine), Life in the Young household is great, even if the 13 yr old is yelling at the 5 yr old as I type.
Have a lovely week, I'll let you all know when the computer is behaving properly!
x-x Lisa
I have a confession to make... I'm a thief.
Yes I am sorry to everyone who believed in me , but there you go, a THIEF!
It's not my fault really. Sometimes there is just so much going on, and the kids are yelling and I get distracted, and before you know it, there I am in Aldi, nicking off with some poor, unsuspecting persons trolley.
Life in the Young household has been crazy, challenging, overwhelming and just plain out-of-control. I have been sitting in a bit of a puddle lately, then today, I went to the supermarket, with a friend who has no car. I only needed one thing, she needed lots, so we got a trolley and away we went, she pushing her trolley and me meandering behind.
Perhaps I haven't set the scene well enough as I also had Sarah (5yrs) with me, dressed in black and pink mini-dress, topped with ugg boots, a fairy tutu, a tiara and plastic handcuffs. LOLOLOLOL
So somewhere between aisle 3 and 4 I found myself pushing a trolley. I took it past the frozen goods section, had a wander through dairy and found myself face to face with my friend. WHO WAS ALSO PUSHING A TROLLEY !!!
We chatted a bit about the grapes and slowly... E..V..E..R.. so slowly it dawned on me that if she had the trolley, I should not be holding on to handlebars.
At this point it all went down hill (I do realise we were only on a slight rise to begin with) as I snorted with giggles and said "OMG I think I've stolen someones trolley" I swear, friend and I were standing there trying not to pee our pants, when the nicest backpackers one row over started to look a little... well.....puzzled ...!
In between snorts of laughter and very red cheeks I call out "Is this your trolley" I think they thought I was a bit do-lally as they watched me remove my yogurt from their trolley and stand doubled over with giggles, and beetroot red cheeks behind my now catatonic friend.
Such a funny and giggly time has definitely put a bit off a spring in my step, after all, if I can make a total idiot of myself in the supermarket, anything else thrown my way is just FLOSS!
Home I came and for some weird reason I feel invigorated ( it could be the extra oxygen to the brain?) I have been on the phone to my stitching friend extraordinaire and we have been cooking up some very special projects for 2010.
Stay tuned people... the best is yet to be.....
XXXXX
Lisa
So far we are having a very exciting week... hubby is home for a weeks holiday, Australia day on Tuesday (and I cooked a lamb roast Yummo!) On Wednesday I had my very first day back at school.
I am nervous and excited to tell you all I am going to study Nursing....... Now before you all panic too much, Button Bliss is still here and going strong, but I have wanted to study for a long time and finally I can ! I will be studying part time (two days a week) and will still have time to create and design as well.
That's the plan. I have been working very hard over the Christmas break to try and build up my stocks, and I am very much trying to just go with the flow, not worry too much. I did get a bit of a tummy churning fright when all of my text books arrived. A towering stack of information and I am painfully aware that I know absolutely none of it.
The book I am most excited about is a COLOURING BOOK .. hmm now I need to go shopping for textas and pencils and stationary. Yay!
Today was my baby's first day at big school.She has been wearing her uniform for the past 3 days, so eager to get in the doors. She was up, fed, washed and ready with two piggy tails and her little cotton bobby sox at 7.05am this morning.
She walked through the classroom door as if she owned the place, confidant little missy. She sat next to a little girl called Mabel who is now her new best friend, it only takes a couple of hours to find your best-est ever friend when you are 5 yrs old. Today and tomorrow the Preps finish at 1pm which she wasn't very impressed with. She really wants to be an all day girl- that's next week.
As for me, there were no tears. Even though it is bittersweet waving your last blessing off, she is sooo ready to be there, and after 15 years of stay at home Mummying, I am ready to have a little "me" time :-)
Hope you are all happy in your little worlds,
Lisa
-x-
brand new seahorses to start the weekend... been lying awake half the night dreaming up this design... aren't they cuties!
Santa has been, the presents unwrapped, far too much yummy food eaten, perhaps a glass or two of wine has been drunk, and many "Merry Christmas"es have been said to family and friends. We have swum, snoozed and eaten some more. The kids are waterlogged and happy, the cats are EXTREMELY well fed and happy, the dishwasher is groaning and begging for a reprieve. The tree looks a little worse for wear, now that Sarah has eaten all the candy canes, and everyone is content.
Ten years ago, I had my first child about to start school, with two littler ones still at home, I had never painted anything or pieced anything. I never dreamt I would be stitching at all let alone designing. And yet here we are, with an extra little person in our midst (** happy sigh!!**) a workroom bursting at the seams with bugs and butterflies, owls and angels. My baby boy who was just embarking on his school life is now 15. Yep, 15 and every bit the broody, moody technology driven stereotype you see on TV. My girls are growing up, far too fast and I am slamming my feet on the floor trying to find the brake pedal.
What the next ten years will hold is a mystery, but I hope they will be peaceful, filled with joy and love (and just a few more buttons).
Hugs to all, I hope you all have continue to enjoy a safe and happy holiday break. Big new plans are heading this way next year so stay tuned.....
Love,
Lisa
hello everyone!
We in the Young household have an obsession. It dominates many conversations, dreams and fantasies. Even Miss 5 has been known to join in. In fact, she is the one most obsessed.
We are..... Masterchef Groupies!
There. I've said it. Cat's out of the bag, you all know now! Food is very very important. We talk about ingredients, and sauces, pastries and fillings. Sarah is totally devoted to Julie (winner of Australian Masterchef), but thinks Poh had some good ideas too. Didn't think much of the pigs head, but the all time winner, subject of much discussion, planning and daydreaming was the Croquembouche. Delicate little choux pastry puffs, filled with pastry cream, dipped in hot toffee and arranged in a tower.
So yesterday, my two youngest girls and I created our own masterpiece.
It has been a long time since I made toffee, and it took longer than I thought, filling those little puffs was an adventure, but the girls faces when the tower was complete was just priceless. We had no burnt fingers as I decided a carving fork could be used to dip the puffs in boiling hot toffee. Only one puff didn't make it so I figured it wasn't a bad effort. The photo was taken before we drizzled it with a chocolate sauce. Grandparents arrived and we devoured it with vanilla icecream.
The verdict, I must say was, the anticipation was better than the actual eating of the croquembouche, but we had lots of fun. With the Masterchef cookbook in-house, I believe the next culinary adventure is going to be salt and pepper calamari. YAY!
I have also been busy designing and painting and stitching. Here is a little teaser for you all. Button Club Members will be receiving them as a little post Christmas treat, and everyone else will need to wait til mid January.
Hope you are all ready for the big red dude to squish his way down the chimney. As Sarah keeps telling me FOUR MORE SLEEPS TIL SANTA!!
Hugs
-x-
Lisa
check out my new little owlies, in all sorts of colours. They kinda make a Christmas tree :-)
It started off bright and early! So early in fact that the sun was struggling to join us. I was woken by a sweet little angel child, face droopy from sleep , not more than 2 inches away from my face. "MUM!! I want number 15!" she says. Huh? It took a while for the cogs to turn, more urging, pushing and poking from Sarah, but I dragged my body out from my snuggy bed to find the Advent Calendar. "I can do it myself" " I need help" "don't do it all" .. yep that's how I like to start my day off!
As our oldest two treasures are already on holidays it takes a mammoth effort and no small amount of threats to get treasure no.3 (DD 11) to rise and shine. She then shared her displeasure with me for an hour before stomping out the door. "Have a beautiful day sweet pea". I didn't think!
Get Sarah dressed for her last ever day of kindergarten, argue over whether she really needs to wear the tiara again (she wins), Away we go, pull into the carpark, NO kinder bag, home we go. Return to kinder amid tears that she has missed the party (she did not), that we didn't find her most beautiful shoes (apparently the shoes she was wearing were "not very, very beautiful") Deliver her to the class room, race home to put the washing on the line.
ARRGGHHH who left a tissue in their pocket? The grass under my Clothesline now has a fresh white flakey seaonal flair. Sweep the floor, lose the keys, find the keys and back to kinder for the parent concert and general thankyous etc etc.....
The highlight of which was when the person responsible for buying flowers for the three women who have been the teachers this year arrived with two bouquets, and forgot to acknowledge the second assistant entirely. You know, sometimes you just should do the job yourself if you want it done right! Kisses goodbye to much loved teachers and more tears, woeful faces and declarations of undying love for Callum and Tannith!Home again, in time for a crisis call from a friend in need. More tears, and I (because I'm a nice person) brought her two little children home with me so she could have some time to herself.
Spent the next two hours referree-ing between a 3 yr old and two 5 yr olds over whose turn it is to push the putton on the Wiggles music book, who gets the red cup and who gets the blue one, who can be the Mum and who can be the pet dolphin (???) and providing jam sandwiches to all who desired them.
Kids go home,
I try to get some work done on my website but - UH-OH They've changed every way of adding new products. My head hurts. I can't make sense of it. I can't absorb new information. I'm an old dog, and I LIKE my old tricks. I don't want new ones. Write frantic emails to the support forum begging for help. Cry and yell at computer. Cry and yell at kids. Cry and yell at Cats (they cared not!)
Think I will go and sit on the pool step to cool off and calm down.
HA! I have left the solar heating vent open for two days , and the pool is hot. Not just warm .... sticky, uncomfortable, unpleasant, 45 degrees hot. Nothing refreshing there.
We pack the car and head off to the primary school end of year concert. It started at 5.30 out on the dusty oval in the blazing sun, singing started at 7pm and by 9pm I was ready to kill someone. It was hot and sticky, kind of like my pool, if my pool also contained 400 other sweaty sticky people.
Parents who started off at 5.30pm as patient as Mother Theresa were growling and swatting their little blessings by the end. Adults who had sat quietly to watch their own children's performance, for some reason didn't feel the need to express the same courtesy to other classes.
Yes it was tedious. Two whole hours of watching groups of kids wave tinsel in the air.
I am all for Silent Night and Away in A Manger, but in a school with 14 classes, each with an act, it was a lessen in love and patience. Of course the littlest one wanted to go play on the monkey bars (not allowed during the concert) so she was pretty feral, with a family size bag of potato chips and a bottle of coke to keep her occupied/happy - it did not work.
Finally after several flower presentations, speeches which could not be heard over the PA system and too many people all crammed into a hot dusty mess, we headed home.
All I wanted was a cup of tea and some breathing space. Peace , quiet, a shower! Some peanut butter toast and my lovely warm bed.
Lucky a day only lasts a day, then we can wipe the slate clean again and move on.
Today is going much better.
I dare you all to not smile at this cranky puss
Mum of 4, happiest with a new idea in my head and a palette of paint or pretty threads to make it happen
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