etsy shop love....

I love the You Might Like feature on Etsy. It always brings up things that I would not normally look for.

So it was here that I found Sukanart - and Etsy I must say I LIKE! The little birds are just divine.

creative collective :: january project

Well here it is, my Creative Collective New Year = New Craft project!

I decided to give Embroidery a try. I had been eyeing off the gorgeous designs in this little Etsy store for a while. The January Creative Collective Project gave me the perfect excuse to pick up a needle and thread and get stitching!

I must admit that I really enjoyed the embroidery. I found it totally therapeutic. I initially had planned on only doing the little gnome peeking out from behind the mushroom but enjoyed it so much that I completed the little mushroom house too!

You can see more completed January Projects in the Creative Collect Flickr Group.

I will be doing a wrap up of my favourite projects soon!

pretty pictures :: doily love

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Happy Sunday!

a friendly reminder....

Don't forget to upload the photos of your New Craft to the Creative Collective Flickr Group or the Facebook Page by 31 January 2010!

Can't wait to see what you have all been busy with!

this week i am grateful for.....

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This week I am grateful for managing to get myself organised!

We are celebrating Master N's (belated) 2nd Birthday tomorrow as there was no way I was going to attempt a new baby, Christmas and the 2nd Birthday within two and a half weeks of one another in December!

I made a list and got everything ticked off it! All that is left to do is to make the Rocket Cake and the Fairy Bread!

I will be sure to share pictures of the Buzz Lightyear Extravaganza sometime soon.

To see what else others are grateful for head on over to Maxabella Loves....

Have a great weekend!

my creative space....

A little sneak peak at my Creative Collective January Project which is all about trying a new craft. I will be sure to share the completed project(s) with you very soon!

Are you joining in with the January Project? Not long to go now!

More Creative Spaces here.

wordless wednesday...

Sigh......

More Wordless Wednesday here.....

stylish blogger award....

I recently received this award from the lovely Kate from Another Donkey Design. There are a few things that I need to do in order for me to accept this award.

Firstly I must thank and link back to the person who awarded it to me, thanks Kate!

Then I need to share 7 things about myself..... so here goes...

one :: since becoming a mummy I seem to have lost quite a few of my OCD tendancies and am less organised!
two :: My name is actually Tamara-Lee, yep a hyphenated first name. Must have been trendy in the 80's.
three :: We moved to Darwin in for 12 months in 2008 - they were the hardest 12 months of my life.
four :: I am a HUGE John Farnham fan - don't judge me....
five :: I fancy Bon Jovi too!
six :: I am quite the homebody.
seven :: I love living in Brisbane and will have to be dragged kicking and screaming if we ever had to leave!

Finally I need to pass this fabulous award onto some other great bloggers and contact them and let them know. So here are some VERY fabulous bloggy friends that you should check out...

The gorgeous Cat from Wouldn't It Be Loverly
The very talented Amanda from Calico & Co
The fabulous Angie from Gnomeangel
The lovely Manda from City Kitten Designs
The super crafty Brenda from Hoo are you lookin' at?
The lovely Linda from LuLu FrouFrou
The wonderful Brenda from Mira Narnie
The gorgeous Sarah from One Perfect Day
The super cute Ellie from You, Me & Miss E
The super cool Maxabella from Maxabella Loves

These are all blogs that I love to read, grab a cuppa and head on over to check them out, who knows you might make yourself a new bloggy friend!

etsy shop love....

I have mentioned this gorgeous store once before on the blog, but there is so much eye candy here that it is hard not to mention it again!

Lemon Tree Studio is full of so much crafty goodness!

Check it out, it will bring a smile to your little face!

Happy Monday!

pretty pictures - anyone for tea?

Nothing better than a pretty tea cup to drink your tea from...

Enjoy...

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Happy Sunday!

creative collective :: handmade christmas card swap..

So, I thought I would share with you the four cards I received as part of the Creative Collective Handmade Christmas Card Swap....

I love this card from Kate of Another Donkey Design. Very original and I love the alphabet stamp that she used! Thanks Kate!

This card is super cute from Zoe** - I love the stitching and the super cute decorations on the little tree! Thanks Zoe.

I love the little Santa on this card from Kirsten from Paper by Forget Me Not. Thanks for the gorgeous card Kirsten!

A festive take on the Keep Calm Carry On fad! This card is from Jess** - cute card! Thanks Jess.

Happy Friday!


(**I couldn't find any links for these swappers, please let me know if you are reading this post and I will link them up!)

my creative space....

I have managed to get a little bit of creativity in over the last couple of weeks! Between my Creative Collective New Craft Project, Shop Updates and an upcoming 2nd Birthday Party there have been lots of creative things happening....

Here are a couple of photos of the completed Birthday Invites for Master N's 2nd Birthday Party. He is over the top obsessed with Buzz Lightyear so a Buzz themed party was the only choice!




For more Creative Spaces head over here.

wordless wednesday....

More Wordless Wednesday fun here!

new in store...

Just added some new Heart Punchies to the Made It Store, perfect for your Valentines Day Crafts!

day one - riding solo

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So yesterday was the day that I had been dreading for the last five or so weeks. Why I hear you ask? Well yesterday was the day Husband went back to work and I was home alone with Master N and Baby H. And guess what I lived to tell the tale!

Managed to get more done around and out of the house than I ever thought I would.

Challenge one that I had been most concerned about was Master N's swimming lesson. I must have gone over and over in my head the logistics of firstly, getting out of the house with two kiddies - something that now takes a little longer than with one! Then of course there was the getting Master N undressed and dressed into togs, then getting him out of the pool, getting him dry and getting him dressed all with a 6 week old in tow. Not to mention the numerous negotiations in between, although these seem to be standard with Master N at the moment - I think they call it the Terrible Two's! Well that being said, I managed and with a few encouraging looks of 'we have all been there', from the other Mum's at the pool I figured I wasn't doing too bad! Let's just say that I have no plans to venture out today though!

Got a few things done around the house, changing of sheets - nothing better than starting the week with fresh sheets on the bed, a couple of loads of washing, folding of washing and the vegetables peeled for dinner.

Oh and did I mention that for the first time since we have had Baby H home he decided yesterday was the day that he didn't want to sleep and wanted to be nursed the whole day! Oh the joys!

Can I just say that I am sure that I am no pioneer at any of the above and I know that there are Mum's out there that do these daily chores with a lot more than two little ones - my hat goes off to them!

I also read with interest yesterday this post by Kellie at 74 Lime Lane which linked to this post by Nicole at Planning with Kids. Nicole has some great tips on getting the house clean quickly! I must say that I will be adopting the bathroom caddy idea! I think it is fab! Oh and the dishwasher one - just wondering if I could add a 2 year old to the list!!

So here we are at Day Two - Baby H is in the land of slumber and Master N insisted on watching Shrek - a nice change from Toy Story 1, 2 or 3 I must say! So I must go and get some chores done whilst I have the opportunity!

Have a great Tuesday!


**Oh, on a sidenote I have only just become aware that my bloggy friend Lou from Buttons by Lou Lou has finished up her business. I had been wondering where she had got to but now realise that the day she posted her last post I was preoccupied giving birth! I always enjoyed joining in on her At My House linky post on Mondays - does anyone know if another bloggy friend has taken this over or if there is something similar around?**

etsy shop love.....

Andrea Creates is a gorgeous little Etsy Store that is definetely on my favourites list!

Andrea makes gorgeous little zippered pouches, cute clutches, gorgeous crochet hook organisers (I may have purchased one of these), cute little business card wallets (I may also own one of these too!).

I can definitely vouch for the fantastic customer service and gorgeous products from this little store. Do yourself a favour and check it out!

pretty pictures :: vintage birdcages

I have always had a bit of a thing for Vintage Birdcages - I have to admit that I have a couple around the place! Here are some pretty ones.....

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Happy Sunday!

this week I am grateful for......

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Being Australian :: After the extreme weather events of the last few weeks and especially the horrendous floods this week in my home town of Brisbane, I must say how proud I am to be Australian. The way our Country bands together in a crisis amazes me and I must say that I am proud to be an Aussie. More details on how to donate to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal can be found here.

Fabulous Bloggy Friends :: I know that I have already mentioned the fabulous friends that I have met since joining the world of blogging but I am ever so grateful for all of you who stop by and leave lovely comments!

Little Boys :: Where would we be without little boys! I would be totally lost without my two little ones!

Check out Maxabella Loves to see what everyone else is grateful for.

wordless wednesday...

More Wordless Wednesday fun here

can you help? :: qld flood appeal

I am sure that you are well aware of the devastating floods currently affecting Queensland. The Queensland Government has launched an appeal to help those affected by the recent floods. Many communities have been devastated. Some families have lost everything.

All of us at the Creative Collective have made a Donation to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal to show our support for the victims. You too can help make a difference by donating to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal.

More details on the number of ways to donate can be found here.

etsy shop love....

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Lola's Room Photography is a gorgeous little Etsy Store that I came across that sells divine photographic prints of random pretty things.

The best thing is that most items in the store are currently 50% off! Gotta love a Sale!

Enjoy!

a virtual getaway.....

For those of you in Brisbane right now, you will be feeling my pain. The weather is so miserable and surely we can't possibly get anymore rain. Master N is going mad being locked inside due to toddler unfriendly weather and I must say that Husband and I are starting to go stir crazy......

Here are a few places we would much rather be right now....

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Happy Friday....

creative collective :: christmas card swap wrap up..

I am still waiting for one of my Cards from the Creative Collective Handmade Christmas Card Swap to arrive so I can't share mine with you yet.

In the meantime I thought I would share with you a few of the gorgeous cards that have been received by others and shared in the Creative Collective Flickr Group and the Creative Collective Facebook Page....

Sent by Melinda from Paperklip Designs

Sent by Kate - biggirlssweets (can't find a link to a blog etc, please let me know if you know where I can find one so that I can link to it!)

Sent by Megan from Edan Rose

Sent by Cat from Wouldn't it be Loverly

Sent by Kellie from 74 Lime Lane

This is just a selection of some of the gorgeous cards that were sent for the swap check out more here and here.

Thank you to everyone who participated!