Cameras

I have a really good digital SLR camera that I use when I take photos unless I want close ups. It is the worst camera for closeups. Mind you I have found that any SLR camera digital or not are shocking for closeups. My mothers little pocket size digital camera does much better. In fact most of the photo's I post on the are from mum's camera. At least with the SLR I can take the photo set on a high mega pixel and then crop it later and still have a good quality image. It's just more hit and miss that way.

Just thought you needed to know that thrilling bit of information on Christmas Eve and to top it off I saw this fly today stuck in an old web. I am guessing he died of shock because the spider is not around and he is not majorly tangled in the web. I just loved the colours on him. Not sure if he is a normal house hold fly as they always look black. The photos really show how hairy they are as well.

One is with a flash and one is without.

Things to be thankful for

1. friends
2. family
3. pets
4. a bed to sleep in
5. food on the table
6. the chance to have travelled
7. religious freedom
8. I have a job
9. my craft skills
10. music
11. computers (sometimes)
12. a roof over my head
13. to learn new things
14. having a patient (though maybe a little frustrated) mother
15. ability to do things for others to make them smile.
16. living in a country that has no war
17. water
18. my niece
19. The Sabbath
20. weekends
21. rain
22. grass in my yard (in some countries grass is rarely seen in the suburbs).
23. Forests
24. Ocean
25. animals
26. laughter
27. health
28. ability to do normal everyday things
29. a good sleep
30. Email

They aren't in any particular order. The challenge now is to see if you can come up with more.

For Ruth

This is for my impatient friend Ruth. It is an album of her daughter which is supposed to be a gift. Normally a gift is meant to be a surprise but considering she has been at me for photo's of it for months and that she was going to be home in Australia for this Christmas and isn't I thought I would give in. :)

Promised

For those of you who were interested I have finally photographed the page of the 1970's craft book that had a string lady to create. Mine is similar but different.

Coincidences just keep happening

Prepare for a long but interesting blog. I will start at the beginning:

• Last week I received Ivy's name as my person to buy a secret Santa gift for. I asked Simon who her close friends were to figure out what to get her.
• I email Sue Le (whom I have already mentioned on this blog as being very creative) and through our emails found out that we had many things in common almost down to the suburb we live in.
• Two days ago I took Sue Le to scraptivate where we started talking to a mutual friend (yes that would be Kelsey). There was a tool we were discussing that I would like to get but it was around $40-$50. Sue Le also mentioned how she was missing certain art things she knew she had but wasn't sure where she had put them.
• Yesterday Simon asked what we should do with 350 CDs that can not be used any more. We thought that decorating the boss' office would be great.
• 6:30 am this morning I rock up at work and Simon is starting to chicken out. We decided that the boss' office was not a good place as there was sun streaming in it left right and centre and we didn't want to blind her so we did the back wall instead.

This is our Santa Clause

This is our snow flake

This is a presant with Simon's artistic tinsel bow

This is the presant again once he realised the CDs cut well

This is Simon putting a star on the tree.

This is the tree

• Later on that morning Sue Le came to my desk with a little gift. It is absolutely gorgeous. The first photo is it altogether but I took it off the ring to get some better photo's. She has decorated each house back and front with the tallest house being around 8cm (2.5 inches)

• Even further into the day I get an email from Sue Le telling me she finally found what she had been looking for and was really happy about it. She said she also found tools that she forgotten she had. I replied telling her that it is great to receive "Xmas Pressies" like that.
• Half way through the afternoon the Secret Santa's started to be handed out. I was standing with Ivy and Sue Le when we were opening ours. Instead of writing Ivy's name I punched out an ivy leaf. She couldn't figure out how Simon knew that was the one for her and then she said "Oh I see it, it's in the corner!" Unknown to me the paper I used actually had Ivy written on it in the corner.
• Sue Le got a lovely blue candle but I think the hit were the bells on top of the box that tinkled. I can see them going into an art piece real soon.
• Ivy was taking her time because she liked the paper so I opened mine and guess what I saw ... the tool kit I had eyed off in the store!
• I spun around to Sue Lea and said "are you my secret Santa!?" As if I didn't know already but once she confirmed I proceeded to hug, tell her off, hug, thank her, and tell her it was way too expensive considering we were only supposed to spend between $5 & $10.
• Apparently it was the tool she found that she had been referring two in her email earlier that day. She didn't realise she had two of them. She also said she got it at Bunnings which is a little cheaper at times than Scraptivate. She also said she couldn't stop laughing when I started emailing her about Ivy. All this was the first contact we had ever had!!!
• It is the best Secret Santa I have ever had. Photo's are below with a small explanation as to what it is but first back to Ivy.
• Because we were standing next to each other she already knew Sue Le was my Santa. When she opened up to find her puppy staring back at her she loved it and looked straight at me. Apparently out of the whole office people there are only two creative people so I was the obvious last choice. I then got to explain that I didn't realise her name was on the wrapping paper and that the leaf in the "TO" is actually and Ivy leaf punch.

Ok so below is the tool. For those not in the know it is the alphabet and numbers. You can use them to indent words into cardboard, wood and all sorts of things. If you go back to the photo of Sue Le's art work (which by the way was the original gift and still given as a deterrent - didn't work too well :) ) you will see the house with the small jigsaw pieces. The word JOY at the top has been done using these.

Once again, thank you soooooo much Su Lea. You are very generous and it is a gift I will treasure forever ... and have lots of fun with.