Who wants to be Normal anyway

This is it the last half of my house all christmassed up and ready
Plus the little snowmen on sticks signs i did in the little toy wagon.
The close up of my big tree where i have vintage ornaments is to show
off another button fairy.The cupies in the bowl always have santa hats
at Christmas.Even my Royal Albert teapots sprouted trees.During
this busy time of making it all Christmas i would like to say i had the
support of a loving family however this simply is not true.Neil simply
shakes his head and says that NORMAL people only have one tree (what is he trying to say here) Of course he lives in constant fear the cats will now inhale tinsel as
well as glitter.And as to Alex well he ran out front to my visitors yesterday
and as they got out of their car he said
"oh thank god you are here she is obsessive compulsive
about decorating that house i cant stand it any more
everything has to be just sooo perfect"
when my son Joel arrived they sat swapping
mums obsessive stories
It was the only thing they agreed upon all afternoon
wouldn't have been half as bad if they weren't true lol
Anyway who wants to be normal ? (well me sometimes when my obsessing wears me out)

Fabulous Image site

If you want a great site then go to Digital Imagery plus
i have bought some of their fabulous collage sheets before
But visit their Website, if you have not already done so, to take advantage of their Free Vintage Image of the Day and their Free Vintage Collage Sheet of the Week.
i have a link at the side for favouites and here it is as well
http://digitalimageryplus.com/store/home.php

Glitter Tales

Yes its sad for Neil my glitter hating husband
but i am addicted to glitter as you would know.
German glass glitter to be exact.I dream of it i love it
and it makes so much mess its horrendous.But it has magical powers
here are some of my recent swaps for swapbot i did.the button fairies are so much fun,
I came up with the snowman signs myself arent they sweet ?I also like to present things nicely so i made the little button fairy folders to send them in.
the Atc cards were for a tag or letter in a pocket.i did Little boys pockets
hold lots of stuff and even made tiny slingshots,having four sons i cant tell you how
many of them i have confiscated over the years. Also include is alex relaxing on the lounge (a seriously weird child)thats his feet behind his head.
Also i have been making beaded tassels taught me by my old friend Carmen a sweetheart,thanks Carmen.Lastly a Valentines daY TIP IN.
Thats it and i have had hardly an sleep but lots of ideas,too many in fact.
Sometimes i wish i was Normal.

Gifts from people i have never met

Yep i have never met them yet these people are my friends.
First a long overdue thanksyou to my dear friend Kim in the U.S
Kin and i became friends during and after a blog swap for a garland
here is my bluebird garland from Kim and really its nicer than this
i ahve to tie a few back up,Its a long way all the way to Austtralia
and they grew weary in their packaging lol
Thanks Kim ,her son and my son also did their own swap.Alex was thrilled.




next is the Secret Santa swap from my gorgeous partner Linda of Raspberry Roses fame,
this was through the yahoo prettychic group im in been going for a few years we all
chat like old friends.This swap was so lovely and i thankyou from the bottom of my heart
there were vintage xmas baubles that spell out santa in embellishments,pink damask cloth,
pink egg cups and an adorable Robert gordon tea ball and holder in my fav pattern.
Hankies with my initials and a vintage napkin ring engraved with my initials.Tiny sugar hearts
and lavender tea and all things pink and beautiful.You are an angel Linda thanks.

Christmas has Arrived

Okay the tides has come in on the christmas spew (meaning its all clean until the backroom,which is still unfinished) i will post pics of my vintage decs on my roseroom tree tomorrow.so here so far is
this is the little china cabinet top village i adore the little battery operated
lemax moon that glows blue above the village trees.

the tiny snowman tree woth snowmen i made and glass glittered

its on kitchen servery

Bad picture of a cute tree

tiny tree on my bedroom chest

the lidded container i am filling with more pink decs as soon as i find them

in main lounge is my toywagon tree

its just a little tree sits near the front door at the double doors

leading to my rose room

okay here we have my button tree i have lights in it this year no use

trying to show the little buttons but they are there on the ends of the branches
evey year it sits in my hatbox rescued from the local dump years ago.(to the horror of my boys)

next is my christmas village in the daytime

this year only the tiny one and peta your house is in my village

there are people making phone calls polar bears and girls playing hopscotch
stay away my little cats (actually my two cats are angels with my decs)

This is the little cupboard near from my front door

Christmas has spewed it mess all over my house

Yep I have been decorating like a woman possessed,well i am a woman possessed.
My husband and son hate to do any helping as they say im way too fussy.
Well you know if it isnt in the centre or something clashes with something else.
I always say if men had a chance they would be happy in a shack with a mud floor a huge screen Tv and a great stereo system.Unfortunately they have us and therein lies the problem.
Anyway busy busy .
Only the end of November and not only did i make the christmas cards i wrote in addressed and posted them.Drumroll here please,big band and a medal.To get to the title of this post,you bring in the tree and the boxes and bags and you undo all the paper and and and there you have it,Christmas spews all over your house.Well im still mopping it up when i have i will take pics of my Christmas decor.I mean its bad i went out today and i was so disappointed no one broke in and cleaned up.Me i have better stuff to do ,like make fairy doors for a swap im hosting on swapbot.
But tomorrow, tomorrow i want to make my house beautiful and magical (lots of shimmery shred Neil,oh boy he hates shred almost as bad as glitter) what can you do its the magic- that shred is (tinsel strips cant think of their name).

Christmas Mantle

Okay its early i know Its those girls online at prettychic they are such a bad influence.
i am buckling to peer pressure and my friend Cecily is doing hers so what could i do.
I am slowly starting the christmas decor first the mantle,here it is,
Not totally happy with it but its better than last years.That teddy stays out in my back room all year hes my favourite.The basket of fruit was a $3 vinnies bargain the other day so i did the mantle around the basket.Th whole time i was thinking of Cecilys mum Desley my best friend of 20 years who died earlier this year of breast cancer,she bought me the santa on the reindeer and she loved christmas so Desley this Mantle is for you.

Gingerbread men take over

They are not just breeding folks they are moving- i kid you not.
One moment they were happy in their vintage mixing bowl
(neil wasnt as usually our fruit lives there lol)
the next they demanded vintage box accomodation
I ask you where will it end ?Will i wake up to find a gingerbread man
in my bed ,and worse if i did would i like him and get rid of Neil.
The plot thickens (like gingerbread mix) i will keep you updated !

I think God is watching

How could you look at this sky
and not think God is watching..
Its been a stormy afternoon
nice stormy not scary stormy
and then the clouds parted and Neil took this picture
of Heavens window
and just for a moment I felt so calm.

Me and patience are not good friends

WeLL not normally anyhow
my friend Carmen used to teach quilting and beaded tassel making
Now anyone who knows me will say i am creative and imaginative BUT
when the sewing gene was given out it must have been to those who grew taller than 4 feet 10 cause i can cut and glue and even nail BUT
I CANNOT SEW to save my life,my boys no joke were the only scouts in their troop with
their badges glued on.So when Carmen offered to teach me to make a beaded tassel
and i found out that a needle and a thread were involved i was freaking out,
But guess what i love it-oh okay i almost threw it last night when i had to undo a line
and then it got tangled,today i got the hang and really its quite peacefull
here it is in progress,not perfect but im proud.

Tussie Mussie just for me

Shannon made me this perfect tussie all blue and icy for my guest room. I just love them and dont tell her but im making her a Christmas one. Sshhh its a secret



Also i am just in love with my balls (pardon the pun)
I love them all different sizes all china and i put them in a white heart shaped bowl.
I am still loving this room all crisp and white.The perfect home for shannons Tussie.

Happy Halloween

Well happy Halloween
We pumpkinified our house
us Aussies dont as a rule embrace Halloween
but its starting to creep in and last year we were totally unprepared and lollyless when some trick or treaters came.
This year we decorated we bought skeleton bags and filled them all ready,and Alex and i waited and waited and waited
he ate a bag,i ate a bag the cats just werent interested.
Not a single Halloweenie ahh well maybe next year !
Happy Halloween to all my blogging friends.

Its beginning to look a lot like christmas

Well at least to Neils undiminshing horror its snowing glitter in our office.
Well he likes to call if office but we all KNOW its a craft room. Here are my latest things im working on I do have at least a zillion projects on the boil.

And look at all that glass glitter

the frog prince and the pumpkin coach are

for Fairytale inspired swap im hosting on swapbot

they are hang tags the gingerbread man is for a swap too

the snowmen heads are drying
The huge musical ball Is from Vinnies (the goodwill) and was a huge satiny mess
it plays lovely real musicbox music not todays battery crap.
the lady looked at me like i must be desperate and it cost me $1
here is the before and after

i ended up decoupaging then sealing it then rolling in glass glitter

oooh the mess but now its all done i like it and it will live here forever (which is a very very long time) in my christmas collection,

Lanterns for my Christmas table

Every year i have a theme for christmas. One year it may be stars another brown paper to wrap presents. One year about 20 years ago i had seen in American country living tiny walnut shells painted gold- hinged and with tiny charms inside at each place setting, so that year i did the same and they were so sweet.Another year I did mini chocolate boxes at each place.
Well here is this years theme lanterns

I bought them very brightly coloured ,lime green pink and blue

although i loved the bright colours for me i wanted a posher atmosphere.(you may not know but am a very posh person)

so I am using these as my basis for my christmas settings ,
I saw some in a magazine once (and we wonder why husbands must hate those mags) one at each place setting with its tealight burning and

a tag attatched to the handle indicated place names and i instantly loved them.Ever since i havent seen any small enough or cheap enough (okay im posh and cheap) to buy at least 8 and in the end i bought 10 as they were $2 each and i thought now they are cream ,They could be used anytime i want.

What is life without Fairy bread and Glitter

I got my friend Shannon (paintminepink blog see sidebar)
in a Tussie swap and made her this tussie.She loved it thank goodness
My DH was afraid she or the cats will ingest the glass glitter (of which there is much to my delight and his horror)Me I'm willing to risk it I mean whats life without fairy bread and glitter-Right ?
I mean i dont climb mountains or jump out of planes so if glitter is living dangerously then Im in ,just call me Jullie Dangermouse.
P.S
Thats neils evil nemesis below next to the rabbit in the pretty bottle
Ahhh glass glitter gotta love it

25 cent rabbits and Swapbot visitors welcome

Well he had a broken ear but he looked at me.I knew he wanted to come home
and who wouldnt love that face.I know I know he had a broken ear,but i am not
perfect are you Who are we to judge this little waif.25 cents i thought why not
the Easter mantle next year will welcome him.

Also welcome to my swapbot visitors as i joined a blog love swap to share your blog.
My friends will know i am addicted to swapping (NO not husbands) its fun and i love it.
So welcome Tami,Jennifer,Sue,Joanne and Cassie or as they are know on the bot
Tamiknits, Roseylittlethings (love that name !)Suefitz, Joswaps and Coco8199
me im Shabbyjules who else would i be !Anyway welcome to my swapbot friends.

Help my Gingerbread men are breeding !

Well i suppose there must be gingerwomen as well

cause they live in a huge old bowl on my butchers block island

in the kitchen.

And they are breeding

every time i look theres another one,

they are following me home.

Its quite disconcerting really !

lucky im an addict of collections (and chocolate as im very small and very very round like little Miss Pepperpot)

as i could see me being a drug addict or alcoholic so perhaps childrens old toys

and gingerbread men etc are far far safer as addictions go.
But where will it all end hold on is that cinnamon i can smell and ginger..........

My room moving binge

Well a few weeks ago now (and i am still not over the horror) i moved our home office (well neil calls it the ready room i call it the craft room) with our spare room.These are at opposite ends of the house and caused a huge amount of chaos.You see Neil and i were squashed into a small room while the spare room sat in a big space and was just a mess. It made more sense to me to have more room where we spend the most time and have a small sweet guest room.I am very happy with the results.
I still have a few tweaks but am all in all happy the way they have turned out. By the way the a in scrap has now been secured to the wall could have been worse (like the S missing for instance)

Tussie Mussie

Here is the Tussie i made for sweet Linda of Raspberry Roses blog who was my partner in the swapbot swap i hosted and also a member of prettychic yahoo group my online teaparty at anytime day or night.I had such fun making this and i just knew that resin glove that fell off something an age ago would be used one day.She likes pink roses and Victorian and deserves a treat after what this year has thrown at her.

Busy Busy spring time

Hi everyone in my blogging world,I havent been here for a while
i have been busy spring cleaning,here in Australia after a cold winter spring is already hot and now I'm dreading summer.WE already had a bushfire in the valley next to us on the first day of the bushfire season.Why i wonder is it a wildfire in the U.S but a bushfire in Australia.Anyway whatever i got the cleaning bug which is eating into my fun time but still never stop a cleaning spurt when it finally come upon you.
I just finished the noticeboard insert to my fabulous wall cabinet i got off Sue at shabby transitions.I love the printed toile i used for the insert and thanks Alex for the whiteboard that just happened to be almost the right size when i got the idea.
Not that poor Alex stood a chance when his mother was having a creative flash of brilliance.So here is my noticeboard i wanted it for the sweet little tags that i receive as well as make and my friendship hearts.