Empty Boxes make my heart beat faster

Is it just me ?

tell me it isnt just me (well it isnt cause i have an Aunt who also loves boxes)

Like a three year old I often love the boxes better than the presents,
I cant seem to help myself i store them under my bed and in my closet.

Clear ones really excite me ! I know i know im a cheap date. Maybe its all that unexplored potential.I love to package things and i have sometimes

 made or bought things just to fit a certain box,Clear boxes are great for pretty presents
filled with  a gift surrounded by shredded tissue , rose petals,pot pourri or confetti they look
good enough to eat.
a simple paper tussie mussie (paper cone) that has been carefully placed in a clear box looks so sweet when filled with tiny treats.
Is that why i love that song little boxes on the hillside little boxes made of ticky tacky.unlike the song but my boxes never ever look the same.No i wasn't joking about the faster heart rate like a Good bargain at the op shop my heart will respond to a great empty box.So come on confess do you have a hidden stash of empty boxes



Above and below prime example a fabric hatbox purchased at the op shop for $2


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My New Crafting Altered Art blog

Pop over and check out my new Altered Arty type blog
Its called The midnight Craft Fairy for the simple reason that
i have always been a midnight crafter,When my four sons were small it was the only
me time i had, Now after recent turmoil in my life i find it hard to sleep at night
so again i have become the midnight crafter at my little oak secretaire,It makes me happy it keeps me

relatively sane,On this blog i will post my forays into the altered art world and swaps i have sent and received,Take a peek let me know what you think.

If motherhood was easy Men could do it !

ME,my mum,my mums mum and my mums mums mum.

Some they say are hugging mothers and some are scolding mothers.Some read stories and bake cookies and some go to soccer and some don't. I guess i am more a hugging mother also a sooky mother and yes i have been a yelling screaming shrew at times mostly id say warranted.I'm definitely a nagging mother,I'm a bribing kind of mother and a silly kind of mother.i have used fairies against my children yes i admit that-the fairies would watch son number two on the school bus and tell me how he behaved, If he came in asking what did the fairies say biting his nails and looking worried well the fairies had told me he mucked up on the bus.If he came in smiling and proud of course the fairies had told how proud they were he was so good.The same dobbing fairies though also left tiny fairy gifts and fairy letters.Santa's beard would get caught in our fireplace screen and once a letter even sailed down the chimney in full view of Alex.The bunny and the tooth fairy always came to our house.But however hard i would try i was not an organized mummy not with four sons and a husband never home , I have two sons with aspergers and one with adhd and one whose IQ was in the genius level.Oh yeah and the one with adhd was epileptic.they were always getting stitches and lumps and bumps and bruises well mainly Timothy was but the others had a share,So come to think of it maybe i had a reason for being disorganized;I was always wrapping presents Xmas eve and racing around cleaning the house before visitors and ending up in tears in my exhaustion at trying to be perfect. ( i have a feeling it was right about then i was that yelling shrewing mother) I didn't always get them to brush there teeth and sometimes they didn't even get their pyjamas on it was just a miracle to read them a story and get them all asleep at once. But i loved them dearly and with all my heart.So if you could say nothing else i kept them all alive albeit slightly damaged and i was a loving mother.I had a loving mother myself who was apt to be always a bit weird a little different but always loving. Although she did bang a mean hairbrush on the fridge when she got angry. She was  a dobber on us to my dad,Sometimes she would say she was going to tell dad and make us sweat all afternoon and then gave us a reprieve.An if it came to a smack from dad it was she who would sneak in with a chocolate after.

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3 of my 4 sons Joel ,Matthew and Timothy (and thats Trouble with a capital T)

And although she sometimes made us eat disgusting stuff like the occasional brussel sprout or worse steak and kidney stew she did make a yummy apple pie and custard, We also had fairies in our garden and sometimes in our house.What i think i am saying is that motherhood is not easy its  not meant to be after all if it was then men could do it hehe .And raising my four boys was soooo NOT easy. But would i swap them -NO never not even for the daughter i wished upon many a star for while pregnant.Would i change them well only a tad  you see Im proud of all of them.  Maybe id make them remember to ring me more often,to judge me less and love me more.to sometimes remember the fairies and the laughter  and all the stories ever after.For my mum who this year for the first mothers day since i was born i will not see . Just remember you are loved and when you think that all you did is forgotten know this that i shall forever remember the times both good and bad happy and sad,that you my mum were there . you have often dragged me from the depths ,of my washing when the kids were small and depression when i thought i had lost it all. I Love you to the moon and back.Happy Mothers day to mothers everywhere but especially to my mum..(caterpillar on a leaf mum)

I miss you Easter Bunny !

Oh it used to be so very sweet

the bunny tracks along the floor

up the wall and out the door,

The excitement of the bunny hunt

out in the garden and up the tree

Easter eggs for lunch and tea !

The early morning wake up call,

the pounding feet along the hall.

The fights about who found what

and look how many eggs he got !

The ones that melted in the heat

or those squashed by errant feet.

The easter hat parades you won

made by me those hats were fun.

Now my Easters  pass so quietly

No bunny comes to visit me,

My babes are all grown to men

But oh boys i remember when

Somebunny loves you forget it never

at Christmas,at  Easter, always ,ever !

Jullie Dodds 2011

Hippity Hoppity Easters on its way !

STAND UP EASTER CARD vintage inspired 3d cut and mica flakes.

Been crafting up a small storm at my small craft desk in my small craft corner of my small bedroom.

Running theme here, Actually I'm very happy as i sit at my oak secretaire and create,I used to have a whole craft room which it hurt to leave.But i have what i need here and i am happy.Everything is at arms reach and my clip it up saves the day so i am lucky.i HAVE EVEN managed to fit my small noticeboard with craft  on it as well as a little chest if drawers which i use for fav craft items swaps and supplies.

Bought this template online you print cut and embellish

Ahh will the real Poppy please stand up\And not on my lounge !
don't be fooled by the Innocent who me expression.
she is a nutter a real nutter and sweet as a poppy/

here is a card i made inspired by a vintage Easter card \it is embellished by stickles and mica flakes.



Atop this slimboy sits whatever treasures make me happy,
A mannequin whose tag proclaims
 Her name is Mary has been a fav of mine.A smaller mannequin
 whose letters proclaim endures,
To remind me that i have endured.
$2 store tin boxes overflowing with french seam binding
 cause that makes me happy and fav swaps.
This little space helps me create and makes me smile,



here is a small noticeboard for fav atc swaps etc
i think i am a master of small spaces

My clip it up is hiding in the corner and atop m,y step ladder
no space wasted here folks.

This vintage oak secretaire is my craft corner
it has many hidey holes and they are used to capacity
all at arms length i love it
when i am finished it closes up and is a neat little secretaire.
just awaiting my next project.

gotta love seam binding vintage and french,The tiny hatbox proclaims blingage on its lid
stick on diamante and pearls lie within.

Easter Decorations -Bunnies are breeding on top of my dining room slimboy.

             the small sitting bunny was made by an english friend met online (thanks Daisy)

vi ntage style feather Easter tree with German decorations/

i collect tiny tin candy container eggs this year i found some vintage style new ones arent they sweet.

I have made a few Easter baskets and some vintage inspired cards,I decorated my vintage style feather tree with tiny German ornaments and vintage Easter picks

Maddie turns 3 and Dora was there !

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 and there and there and well you get the idea Dora the intrepid explorer was everywhere ! On balloons on the cake in the fiesta type atmosphere and in every gift Maddie received and was thrilled with almost,She had a Dora cake and i made the cake bunting my first and so cute,her mum made the cake and it was delicious so said the children as the path was eaten and the grass was licked off fingers.There was fairy bread fit for a princess and pass the parcel .Maddie was happy if a little over awed as one should be on ones third birthday.Ooh and don't tell anyone but there is a boyfriend involved so sweet,There was also pin the mask on dora and balloon lanterns all around.



Cake Bunting-gotta love it



Not every day a god daughter turns 3 if only her gram my friend Desley could have been with us to share it,I'm sure she was looking down smiling as our little girl turned magically from two to three,

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OOh the boyfriend !..

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I shall grow old but i shall never grow up !

I cant part with my vintage toys and books and spinning top and dice collections.They make me happy just to look at them.Like old friends as i suppose they are . What children played with these,now grown old these toys hold the memory of their childhood's in the teeth marks in the baby toys and the dog eared pages of a favourite book.Books that were main present at Xmas and treasure long after puzzle pages done and all the pictures neatly coloured in, Annuals of all kinds "The bairns Budget" Chickadees album. school days annual.The book for boys ,The book for girls.Rupert bear annuals and Mickey Mouse Annuals.Then there is miniature books and card games.Recitation books for lively evenings.There is a jar of jacks or knuckle bones including my own plastic ones (oh how i loved to play jacks) then there are lead jacks and proper bone jacksAnd dont ever forget my huge jar of dice as you can never have too many they are like cats and tassels you cant stop at one..Talking of cats a certain tiny kitten can already climb up these drawers and loves the spinning tops ( I see major trouble ahead !)Then there is a jar of vintage party tin whistles and candle holders etc noise makers and clickers that make you hanker for the simple parties of old with fairy bread and home made cake and pin the tail on the donkey.There's a mache doll given to me by an old friend and spinning tops of all kinds.There is a jar of treasures with vintage flowers etc and buttons by the scoop I love my new buffet and hutch filled with old friends enjoy your visit back to childhood ..

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Trip to China

Well my China that is in my China display cupboard this one has Imagine on its drawer and sits next to my Kitchen.



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 First floor Royal Albert Moonlight roses-
Second floor yet more Moonlight Roses plus
A nao girl with bluebird a gift from my son number two Tim.As well as two bluebird shakers and a vintage cup proclaiming love the giver (and i do thanks Linda)
Third Floor Vintage glassware including Pink depression glass and'
my favourite pink glass compote stand,Open salts and vintage glass Jelly molds. Royal Albert teapot which
every Christmas sprouts its very own tree.Brambly hedge miniature cups.

 

Finally down in the basement we have a set of vintage Maling lustreware sundae cups given to me by a friend.Tiny hummel Angel i found at the op shop and a Winnie the Pooh schilling tea set i just had to have once for no known reason.Also an assortment of memories and odds and ends
That concludes our trip to china. Next stop vintage toys.

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old books old friends

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Full of memories this bookcase

full of old friends that i and others have read

full of odds and ends found and given.

An antique pair of baby shoes, a Fairy catching kit (Professor Dalrymples no less)

some little saying boards from an antique railway carriage.

One proclaims "All the world is Queer,save thee and me and even thee is a little Queer"

From a time when queer didn't mean gay and gay meant happy. Where there were endearing little tomes such  as "Those two and the queer folk" a children's tale.

The William Shakespeare travel set of books from 1867 handy it says to take on your travels.

The enquire within about everything book.Very handy wiill see you from birth to burying, Then theres a girls story with the swastika emblazoned on the side from a time before Hitler when  it was just a symbol of good luck and not fear.
When noddy and big ears weren't accused of anything except friendship and golliwogs were funny little toys and not politically incorrect,Theres a gorgeous butterfly scrap sticker i framed because i couldn't bear to use it,there are so many magazines my other house was in.See memories and they are all good and all there behind the glass of the display cabinet marked believe (and i do).So here is tour number two the bookcase,

 Dear Little baby shoes over 100 years old Mystery ball game with numbered balls and bat
and dont you love the embossed spines of these old books.

Catch a fairy NO problem !

 

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goodness how did Poppy get in

on her antique footstool (she has discerning taste and eats off a slightly chipped chintz plate)

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Cupboard love or shelf dreams

 

okay okay we established that even in a small apartment (unit ,flat) that i am no minimalist.Even i know however in order to have my things and decorate and still maintain some feeling of space i have to be organized and tidy.I love nothing better than decorating arranging rearranging etc and now that all my furniture is in it has been a joy to me.First thing i did was get some wall words you know like big letraset stickers peel and stick .I however am renting so i put these on the drawers below my three display cupboards.The words on each drawer say dream .believe and imagine.I bought these cupboards because they are so versatile wherever i move in the future they can become a china cabinet -a linen press-a bookcase which they are now,They could easily become a wardrobe a pantry a craft cupboard.So o think i did the right thing.There is no linen cupboard here so i have the  linen in my wardrobe this display cupboard means the quilts and white linen and lace and small decorative items can be stored here while looking beautiful.I have put lace along the shelves in the linen one and sweet smelling sachets.i love its its peaceful and calming.

.love the miracle bottle $2 whole dollars.I have some small vintage baby items in here as well.

 

you have to love vintage lace all crisp and white.The love tin houses sewing things,

 Dream wall word

 

 Box of candles bought on sale cant bear to use

A baby romper sits with spare bedcushions/

Spare Quilts and yes a spare kitty who loved the open door she usually just looks in.

.That concludes the linen cupboard tour next up is the bookcase.