The beginning of 2010 seems so far behind me and yet the year feels like it’s gone so fast. Most of the time I don’t tend to think much about what has gone before, instead I think more about the future, be it near or far. When I came to write this post I was sort of thinking “Um, what has actually happened this year?”

After a bit of thinking (and checking my blog + paper journal) here are some answers to that question, a list of the main stuff (good and bad) that’s happened in my life during 2010.

1. In January my brother and his partner had a baby together, my adorable nephew, Tyler.

2. In February I passed my learner’s drivers license test.I haven’t done much actual driving though. :/ This is probably the most embarrassing fact about me!

3. In March, university began again and the boyfriend and I went and saw Lady Gaga during her New Zealand tour.

4. April saw me turn 22. I spent my day at a theme park, Rainbow’s End, with the boyfriend where we ate hotdogs and ice creams and went on scary rides!

5. In May I accomplished one of my university goals by receiving an A+ for an essay I wrote for sociology.

6. June was kinda sucky and I went through a tough depressive episode.

7. In July the uni semester was over, which meant I had successfully completed my first year! I passed all my courses and did really well. However, it was a sad month because a third cousin of mine was killed in a car accident. He was a year older than me and we played together as children. His mum (my mum’s cousin) is amazing and I really consider her more of an aunt, so it was just a really sad time for all of us.

8. August sadly brought with it two more deaths: a great-aunt of mine, the grandma of my third-cousin, and an old friend of my father’s whom I saw often as a child. Coincidentally I was also taking a course at uni on the sociology of death and dying so I was pretty well swamped by the subject of death for this second half of the year. It was both fascinating and exhausting.

9. September was boring and uneventful, as far as I can remember.

10. In October the boyfriend and I celebrated our one year anniversary together. Also, my parents got a puppy that they named Missy.

11. The beginning of November was exam time and I’m super-pleased to say that although it was horribly stressful, I did actually pass everything! Also, my anniversary gift to Josh was tickets for us to see the The Rocky Horror Show.We also went away for the weekend to Te Aroha.

12. And, finally, this December has really been a month of creativity, working on loads of Christmas gift projects as well as a few other bits and pieces.

So, lovely readers, that’s pretty much been my year. I just want to thank you all for reading, and especially communicating with me here and elsewhere. You’re all just the sweetest! I’ve made so many amazing friends through blogging over the years, right back to my days on UJournal. Here’s to many more years of sharing life and stories with each other.

See you next year! xo

Given

I made a lot of gifts this year and I am so pleased I did. I think there is something so rewarding about making something you know a person with love. And I know I love receiving handmade things, so hopefully my family does too!

Needle Books - pattern by em ay key ee

Pin Cushions

Tote Bags

Charmy Kitty, $3 fabric from Salvation Army. Score!

Crochet Owl Keyrings

Hair Clips

Just a sample of a few. I made 12 all up, I think. The girls loved them.

A Teddy Bear

For my niece, Persia. Her favourite colour is purple.

Recieved

Cake tins, water bottle, bag, two-box set of loose leaf tea bags, sheer Christmas table cloth, comb, photo album, make-up pads, mini clothes-pins with ladybirds on them, blue nail polish, mini sketchbook, pencil sharpener.

Boots from my guy.

Not pictured: crème brûlée set, 6 boxes of glass Christmas ornaments I got on sale, crochet hooks, yarn, French cook book, crochet book.

Finally, here are a few shots from Christmas Day, mostly of the kiddos and during the morning. By the afternoon I was pretty exhausted so photo-taking was at a minimum by then (because I’m pretty much the only one that takes photos around here, haha).

Nephew and brother-in-law.

He was so excited.

My niece was pretty subdued most of the time. She was still half asleep and more interested in a morning drink than tearing off wrapping paper.

But, of course, once her older brother kindly tore the paper off for her, she was very into the gifts!

My eldest nephew (13) and Romeo.

Little Rabbit in the new playhouse! Stay tuned later in the week for a showcase of the playhouse.

Our tough guy! Despite the bag whacking him in the face at least once, he continued, haha.

Persia with the teddy bear I made for her. Details of ‘Purple’, as Persia named her, to come soon.

My niece, Courtney, striking a silly pose. This kid is amazing and so full of energy, love and kindness. Adore her!

My two eldest nephews, recently teenagers! They’re two of the awesomest boys I know, with the best senses of humour.

So, there you have it! The majority of the day captured on film, but you can see more of it here.

Yep, The Aftermath of Christmas is here! What that means is I feel permanently stuffed full of food but I feel obliged to continue having meals in order not to waste leftovers. Especially the sweet stuff. It would seem so sad to let the lemon tart I made go to waste!

Yesterday was great, but I was exhausted for most of the day and felt that it kind of put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment – I was a bit ‘out of it’ with tiredness. The morning was the best part,  because I got to spend it with 3/6 of my nieces and nephews, plus my sisters, brother-in-law and mum (dad had to work unfortunately). My 4-year-old nephew, despite being sick with fevers since the 23rd, had an amazing time and was sooo excited! His reaction of total excitement and appreciation at finding BATTERIES in his stocking was hilarious. My 2-year-old niece, on the other hand, was half asleep and not greatly interested in opening her gifts, though playing with them was fun. She became very animated when she and her brother were finally allowed to go outside to see The Main Gift – the playhouse which my dad built them. She was stunned for a few seconds before running over to it and squealing when she got inside. Her brother said it was “Awesome!!” in an American accent (movies, lol).

Anyway, I shall have a photo post up in the next few days! I’m very excited to share the playhouse – I did some paintings on it, as well the gifts I made for people.

Hi guys, here’s a bit of an early message for ya. I’m definitely going to be MIA from the Internet until after Christmas from now on (except maybe Twitter…), and I imagine most of you will be too, so I thought I’d get in a little bit early with this.

I really hope you all have a wonderful weekend, whether your celebrate Christmas or not. If you’re going to be flat-out busy for a lot of it (this would be me) – let there be some rest, love and much joy amongst all the chaos.

See you after I’m stuffed full of food, love and happiness! xo

Here’s my Marilyn Monroe bag. I love Marilyn and ever since buying myself a Marilyn accessory years ago (I don’t remember what it was), people have been getting me Marilyn things. This particular gift was from my boyfriend during our stay in Te Aroha last month. It was from a local thrift store and cost just $2! I like a bargains and so does he.

So, this is all the junk I keep in my bag. I find it so amusing how most guys leave the house with their wallet, keys, phone and maybe sunglasses. Most women I know leave with a giant toolkit of stuff for Just-In-Case situations!

Anyway, at the top from L-R is my: Iron Fist wallet; Vicks lozenges; make-up bag; and 3D glasses (you buy ‘em nowadays, apparently, and then have to take them each time you see a 3D film…what happened to just letting people borrow some?!).

In the middle from L-R: headphones; Nokia cell; Moleskine notebook (EVERYTHING is in here, especially now that I don’t have my daily planner); grey ink pen (I adore this colour); pad with my name on it that I got when I was about 7 and still haven’t used up; Clinique sunscreen test pot.

On the bottom from L-R are my: keys with owl key ring I made & Eiffel Tower key ring; sun glasses and their carry bag.

Not pictured is my umbrella which is usually in there, too. Often I have a water bottle and occassionaly I dump most of everything out and carry my D-SLR around with me.

I just made this make-up bag today actually, to replace the one that got stolen. It’s reinforced with interfacing and has water resistant lining. I just love the fabric so much! It was the last 2 and a bit metres left, on sale, so I snapped the whole lot up.

Anyway, inside it I keep:
- Clinique Stay Matte sheer pressed powder
- Neutrogena Hand Cream (best stuff ever)
- L.A. Colors lipstick in Petal
- Manicare nail file
- Revlon compact mirror
- Blistex SPF 20 Lip Conditioner
- Blistex SPF 15 Silk & Shine
- Clinique High Impact mascara in black

What’s in your bag? Do you keep anything weird or amusing in there? In my wallet’s coin part I keep an orange guitar pick that I got from a Mars Volta concert.

Another happy, and very warm, Monday! But honestly, if it’s this hot now I am dreading January and February, unless the months are doing a switch and they turn out to be cooler. But in all seriousness, last night at 10pm I was still boiling (and sweating) from the heat and humidity, and it had been like that all day.

Anyway, on to another bunch of good things. There are some fantastic links today so be sure to check ‘em out.

1. Amazing “mid-century modern with a mix of colour and bohemian pop” home in California. I am really loving the vibe of this place, with the mid-century feel but also contemporary touches mixed with the charm of personal objects. I adore viewing homes that really feel like a place you can live in, rather than something just for show.

2. I’ve fallen crazy-in-love with I go  by Katie, the wonderful blog of moccasin designer, Katie. Not only does she share her workshop and stunning designs, but her lovely photography and life as well. I am so, so happy to have stumbled upon her home on the web.

3. Teaching my 2-year-old niece to sing ‘Three Little Monkeys’, complete with hand actions! If her mama allows it, I shall video her singing and share.

4. Free food. This weekend Boyfriend and I were invited to a neighbourhood barbeque at Eden Park (a big sports stadium) which they hold every year for residents of the area. The stadium has recently been renovated because it’s where the 2011 rugby world cup is being held. They served delicious wine & other drinks, plus some yummy burgers and other goodness!

5. Terrariums. At first I was like “Oh meh, small garden in a small glass container, big whoop.” But now I’m all “Oooh, so pretty! What a neat design!” after having seen some of the really cool ones around. This reminds me of when I hated orange, and then decided it was actually awesome based on some of the ways clever people have used it.

6. Making hair clips. Last week I made a whole bunch of hair clips as part of some Christmas presents and it was lots of fun! I’ve made a couple of bows in the past but never stuff like fabric buttons and fabric flowers. I will be sure to share the gifts once Christmas is over, but in the mean time, here a couple of great tutorials to make your own: ribbon bows, fabric button diy & fabric clips.

7. Whitcoulls is a book store chain here in New Zealand and they have a free download for a computer-based ebook reader. I downloaded this program a couple of months ago just for a try and I really like it. You get 5 free books with the download and there is a whole bunch more, particularly under the Classics section. I’m a sucker for a Jane Austen or a bit of Oscar Wilde so it suits me nicely (and they’re free!).

8. My current read, Life’s Too F***ing Short by Janet Street-Porter. The journalist and TV producer/presenter who does not mince her words gives women a fab guide for making the most of life, instead of wasting time. Love her!

9. L.A. Colors make-up brand, available world-wide. Cheap but actually good! My new favourite lipstick is their ‘Petal’ shade. Very natural but gives my lips a slightly deeper colour.

10. Maxi dresses: generally flattering for my shape,cool in the heat, comfortable for around the house as well as out and about! Honestly, without my maxi dresses I would probably not survive summer at all. So, bring on the 70s boho feel!

Please note, this post was written last Monday, but due to unfortunate human error it turns out it was never actually posted. I wasn’t even that tired last Monday…

1. Gingerbread frappuccino. I am a shameless Starbucks addict.
2. Finding new blogs! For example, srslyliz, katieebee, and print&pattern.
3. Successful Christmas shopping, as opposed to aimlessly wandering around perpetually undecided.
4. Couples activities/shared hobbies. They’re all kinds of awesome.
5. Snuggley baby hugs – my baby nephew is very good at these.
6. Rose infused milk chocolate.
7. Toy stores!
8. Finding awesome new websites like pinterest.
9. Sour cream and chives flavouring. I don’t get how some people hate it!
10. Finding a random pair of summer PJs with matryoshka dolls on the shorts!

Stay tuned for a more recent, i.e., written today 10 Good Things post! xo

Follow my blog with bloglovin, I just joined! Now I’m kind of obsessed, haha.

It’s been a couple of weeks since my post introducing our puppy, Missy. She’s doing very well, has put on weight (she was slightly underweight) and isn’t taking quite as long to eat. She’s also learning commands fairly easily and aside from the usual puppy naughtiness (i.e., running off with shoes and trying to play with our geriatric dog who’s very uninterested) she’s wonderfully behaved. She’s got the sweetest nature too! We’re all totally besotted with her, as I’m sure you can imagine. My two-year-old, animal-mad niece especially.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s a bunch of photos I took of her last week while we were playing (she’s grown a wee bit since then).

Her eyes are truly that colour, a wonderful pale steel gray-blue. And her nose is chocolate brown, like a chocolate button, hehe.

Hiding in her basket. Behind her is Teddy, a toy I gave her the day she arrived. She takes Teddy everywhere, including on walks and up the stairs.

She’s also got a chocolate dipped tail!

I love how dog faces wrinkle like that. Omigosh it makes me want to squeak.

This pup is a huge fan of tummy rubs. She flops down at your feet and rolls on her back for a tickle. This is how she greets me each morning, though she is usually also wrapped around my legs!

See that little tongue tip? Yeah, I often spy her sleeping like that, with the tip of her tongue hanging out.

Adore this photo, I just wish her face had been in the light but she was insistent on facing the way she was, lol.