My computer shmomputer just got a new hard drive and we're (fingers crossed) working again! Thank goodness for cloning my hard drive onto an external one - everything was there like it had never disappeared!
I'm going to be a few days, catching up on literally hundreds of emails, updating my website with a few new things, catching up on blogs, and doing that dreaded tax paperwork. Ugh, my least favourite three letter word! So, for now, I'll leave you with some pretty pics of the most gorgeous doll sized vintage tulle prom gown you've ever seen! My sweet friend Tiffany of Shabby Scraps gave me this wonderful little gown when she visited earlier this year. Can you believe she found a vintage doll sized prom gown???!!! I just about flipped when I opened this!!
Hope you're having a great week! And I hope to see you all soon for the REVAMP IT challenge! Click here for more info and join in, there's still plenty of time to get ready for it! (I've had a chance to work on mine, it's coming along nicely!)
Yes, my hard drive has crashed again! Taking Connie's advice, I've booked a computer at my local library and my time runs out in 12 minutes from now - so excuse the typos!
Thought I'd share with you a whole lot of random stuff - basically, whatever I could find on my photobucket photos that I have been meaning to share with you - now it's all here in one post, lol!
I've been making lavender strawberries again :) The ones on the left and below are made from this gorgeous and divine fabric I got in Soho, New York while I was there last year! Remember that fabric, Jenn? Finally, I used some of it!!
And I made some more velvet strawberries - small and large - they're so fun and cute and fiddly to make - I'm so addicted to hand sewing though, so I don't mind stitching on these sweet pearl beads. I'm thinking of making these up as complete kits with a pattern, fabric, beads, stuffing, flowers - (everything) and instructions - is that something you'd be into?
I got to sewing and completing this apron made from a section of my crinlone skirt for a special order, it's on its way soon!
Ok talk about disjointed.... back a while ago my sweet friend Jenn of www.sweeteyecandycreations.typepad.com hosted an art retreat in her home. En Le Jardin. It was so gorgeous! I got to talk to all the girls on Skype, and attended in a little way, as you will see in the 2nd pic below, hee hee!!! (You can read about En Le Jardin on Jenn's blog here) . All those gorgeous ladies were so sweet to include me in the swap and I'll share pics of that when I get them onto my computer, the computer shmomputer that isn't working right now.
Lastly - this pic below that Jenn took of me in Central Park last November won me a camera in our Melbourne newspaper! Woohoo!!! It was the holiday snap of the week in the travel section this past Sunday. (I'm going to be sure to send Jenn a little something for being the photograper, hee hee!!!) Ok so this computer is beeping at me and doing weird things. I'm so annoyed about my home computer, but it was not stable and I knew it could happen any day. Luckily I bought an external hard drive and not only backed up, but cloned my whole hard drive. Phew!!
It's extra annoying because last night I was sorting through photos of Leroy to create a fab photobook while they are 30% off, www.snapfish.com.au (until tomorrow people!!!). Now I can't get the good price :( Wonder if my plug for them will allow me an extension.... snapfish people? Please can I have an extension? The photobook I made of my USA trip was awesome and I can't wait to see how this new one will turn out, when I can actually create it! ha!!!
So I don't know how long I'll be away from the computer - hopefully not too long! I'll be twittering away from my phone though, without actually being able to see what people say to me, lol! www.twitter.com/natashaburns
The little guy lost his first tooth recently - it looks so funny doesn't it! The tooth fairy came and left him some money in a glass of water, some fairy dust and star sparkles, and she even made the water pink! (intentionally, she used pink glitter in that water).
She also left him a note to say he could keep his first tooth as it was really special, and that she'd be taking the rest after this. He didn't really care about how much he got, he was more excited about the pink water, sparkles, fairy dust and note!
But he's really bothered about losing the rest though - yesterday the conversation went:
Leroy: Mummy, I've got something to tell you...
Me: Yes, what is it? (wondering what on earth he had done!)
Leroy: Well, it's boring being a kid, I want to be a grown up!
Me: Oh gosh, when you're grown up it's a lot more boring - you can't play, you have to work, you can't keep all your toys, and you'll wish you were a kid again!
Leroy: Well, I want to keep playing and keep my toys. I mean, I want to be 10 or 12, something like that. I don't want my teeth to fall out. I just want my grown up teeth to be here.
Then he was all sad faced, and started to cry. Oh the poor thing - he was trying to trade away his childhood so he didn't have to go through the process of losing all his baby teeth!
I just cuddled him and told him everyone goes through it, and his teeth won't fall out until they are ready. Plus, he stands to make some good money from the Tooth Fairy with all those teeth, and he could buy toys with that money. It seemed to calm him a little!
Now I'm off to sort through tons of toys, while he's at school and can't stop me! Mean mummy!!! But I'll put the decent ones on ebay and make him some cashola to put away for some new little toys. Boy they take up some space don't they?!!!
Welcome! My dear friend Jenn at Sweet Eye Candy Creations is hosting an Ice Cream Social, in honour of it being National Ice Cream Month in the US of A. Apparently, in 1984, Ronald Regan said it was so. I wish our PM would get with the program and name January Ice Cream Month here in Australia! Maybe we should petition him.... oh... sorry! You're still there? Excuse my mind wandering!
So, it's the middle of Winter here. But we happen to be a rather Ice Cream Lovin' family here in the Burns house, so naturally, I happened to have photos I took this past Summer, of ice cream!
The little guy's FAVOURITE thing in Summer (or all year!) is ice cream. For the time being, we can convince him ice cream is really a Summer thing, but it's not going to wash for much longer!
Every single Friday afternoon in Summer, anywhere between 4pm - 7pm, the ice cream guy comes along in his van through my parents' street. Every week, it's two mixed gelati with no coffee or pistacchio for the young guy. One for now, one goes on the freezer door for after dinner. Ah the joys, sugar and brain freeze!
These pics were taken at a stationary "Mr Whippy" van one day - not our regular Friday guy - but who cares? Ice cream or gelati tastes just as good when it comes with twinkly music and a van running on a generator!
My personal fave as a kid was good ole soft serve vanilla in a cone that I remember we used to call "Dairy Queen". I think that's some big multi-national corporation now, so we just call them soft serve cones. My grandfather used to stop by the milk bar (like a small general store) after school, and if I was good, I got a "Dairy Queen" in a single cone. I never was allowed to get the double cone :(
I also loved when Mr Whippy came by and I'm convinced that all the Mr Whippies around the world are the same. They know you are scrounging around for change, after hearing them come up your street. Then they see you running out to them, but they keep on moving, as though they are saying "I know you are there, I see you, but I think you should earn this ice cream and burn it off before you have it". When I saw Eddie Murphy's Delirious, I was convinced he did the Ice Cream Skit because he'd been living in my street!
Even now with the young guy, I've had many sprints down the street, barefoot and cutting my feet (because it's Summer, and there was no time to put on shoes in the mad rush out the door!). I've even got in the car and chased this guy down streets away, because all week we've been waiting for the ice cream van, and we've behaved, and then he has the cheek to just DRIVE PAST?!
For now, my fave ice cream is anything completely and totally indulgent and bad for me - macadamia, cookies n cream... I could go on. But I don't buy them, because I can't stop when I start. So I'll show you the "ice cream" I made last week - a healthier option, made with low fat vanilla yoghurt, blueberries, raspberries and fruit sugar (fructose) ~ all pureed with a stab mixer, poured in a container, frozen and voila! Check out that natural COLOUR!
**A stab mixer is the generic name for a "Bamix" - we can't call them Bamix if the brand is not Bamix so we call them stab mixers - LOL yes, they do sound nasty!**
To leave you with something funny - I found the Ice Cream skit in YouTube
*******WARNING******
VERY rude language!
Don't watch if you have kids around, or you don't want to hear the f-bomb and the sh.. word ~ if that doesn't bother you , then enjoy, because the overall story is absolutely hilarious and really could have been written about our little street here in Australia too!!!
Just popping in for a minute to let you know there's some new faux cupcakes "freshly baked" in some gorgeous new papers and designs, now available in my shop!
Some of these designs were special orders and are not available but there are still plenty more you can choose from. The cupcakes can be found here.
And a new batch of Soy Candles has arrived! This lot burn for twice as long as the first batch. I had the most popular scent made up in 35-40 hour candles, after receiving so many wonderful emails about how delicious they are and how many of you thought Tuberose was the bees knees! You can find them here.
Be sure to come back and visit soon - Jenn is hosing the Ice Cream Social in the next day, so I'll be working on something for that!
And please do come join in on the post below and find something to REVAMP! It doesn't have to be clothing - a hat, shoes, handbag, purse, doll's clothes - they'd all work beautifully too! And you don't have to sew - just glue if you are sewing challenged!
Season 2 of Project Runway Australia started this week and I love it already! We've seen some divine designs and hideous creations, in week one!
And it looks like the new season of US Project Runway starts this weekend (yay, LOVE it just as much as the Aussie one!)
So I thought, why not mark the new season/s of Project Runway Australia and US by creating a challenge....
Take a piece of clothing - either one you have hanging in your wardrobe already - or, as I have done - buy it from the Op Shop/Goodwill/Thrift Store/garage sale - anywhere....
and REVAMP IT!
OR if clothing is not your thing - you could revamp a hat, purse, handbag, shoes, doll's clothes....
To join in the fun you'll need to do the following:
Make sure you take BEFORE PHOTOS
Take DURING PHOTOS
and of course, AFTER PHOTOS
so we can see
what you had to play with with,
where you were taking it,
and what it became!
Create a post on your blog on FRIDAY AUGUST 14th, 2009, showing these pics, and any product suggestions or tips on how you revamped your fabulous garment
Visit my blog and let me know you're up and running and I'll add you to the list of participants on the day.
All participants will go into a draw to win your choice of THREE unframed canvas prints that you can find in my shop/lollishop/etsy !!
If you'd like to join in - feel free to snag this image below and add it to your blog sidebar with a link to this blog post. (click it first to maximise the size)
I'm revamping this vintage nylon nightie.... you'll see it again on August 14th!
We've had a busy two weeks here ~ it's almost the end of the 2 week school holiday break our kids get here at the end of Term 2, and I am almost exhausted from all the kids parties/play centres/parks/plays/shopping centres/Auskick/swimming holiday program/play over at friends/play over at home.
Don't get me wrong, it's fabulous and fun but I'm not kidding when I say every single day we have had something on these holidays!
I'm dying for our Family Movie Night on Saturday where we'll make popcorn and watch a movie "with the lights off Mum" and just stay home!
One bit of very exciting news was that the little guy lost his first tooth! His face now looks so much more grown up. I'm excited and sad at the same time. He's really growing up now!
But for now, let's move onto the subject of this post ~ More Cuff Beauty! I received two more gorgeous stunning cuff bracelets in the mail this past week!
(you can click on each photo to enlarge to see details)
This first cuff is from the beautiful and talented Christine ~ I love the whimsical and vintage look all combined ~ she has fabulous style and an eye for detail like you wouldn't believe. Her jewellery and creations in her shop will have you gasping! (My fave department is her Parlorette Jewelry section)
Thank you so much Christine, you really are amazingly gifted!!!
And as if that wasn't enough - another cuff bracelet arrived from another of my lovely partners, Jessica!
Oh my gosh don't you just love those sweet forget-me-nots with vintage French sequins?!!!
And that lace, oh the colour and combination is SO adorable, sweet, girly and vintage, and get this ~ it's all hand sewn!!!
Isn't it funny how Jessica and I both made cuffs for each other with lace, velvet and forget-me-nots!
Thank you so much Christine and Jessica, I can't wait to wear these!!!
Oh and I should now reveal the cuffs I made for these two girls!! I showed you sneak peaks here and here ~ well here's the reveal - along with the cuff I made for Lori that I showed you a few posts ago.
Cuff Bracelet for Christine ~ I used vintage French ribbon that I got from Heather as the base, and stitched on three vintage bead motifs that were part of my Aunty's dress-making bits and bobs, then I hand beaded those loopy bits along each edge as well as the pearl beads in between.
And for Jessica's cuff bracelet I hand dyed silk velvet fabric with pink food colouring (truly!), stitched it to double thickness and hand sewed on some lovely old lace I bought from Heather ages ago, and added some forget-me-nots, beads and Swarovski crystals.
I held myself up from sending Lori's cuff bracelet when it was ready because I wanted to be able to photograph all three cuff bracelets together, to make sure I made them as unique to each person as I could. So here they are, so happy together :)
I had a blast making these, and I completely love the beautiful ones I received, how lucky am I!
Well, farewell for now! It's late and I have parcels to pack and ship, before tomorrow, when we are heading out for more swimming lessons and an aeroplane museum!
Mr Bird has come along, dressed in his finest... finished with a top hat, of course!
Cup of tea perhaps? Maybe some cherries and more cupcakes?
Queen Bird has the best position in the house - perched above a bed of roses and enormous cream cake!
All that sweetness needs to be washed down with bubbly pink lemonade, fruit and little cucumber sandwiches. I know we're eating in the wrong order, but it is a mad tea party, after all.
Mr Rabbit is waving farewell from the Mad Tea Party Top Hat balloon - he had a lovely time and hopes you did too!!!
Be sure to visit all the other fun and exciting tea parties in blogland ~ starting with our exceptional hostess, Miss Vanessa herself! (Her 2009 Mad Tea Party blog post is here.)
Thanks for stopping by even though I was very late for such an important date!!!
Natasha xo
(Yay, it appears the computer is fixed.... fingers crossed!)
