Celebrate!

Ages ago, like months ago, I joined the Celebrate Banner Swap hosted by Tamy at GA GA for Garlands. My partner was the very talented Susan at Creative Destination. Poor Susan, she drew the short straw with me, not so much with my crafting abilities but my ability to actually get the thing wrapped and posted on time, or even a little late, not months late.

I lost the plot completely, first of all got stumped for inspiration. A banner, I know, should have been able to whip one up reasonably quickly and nicely. But oh no, had to wait for divine inspiration, you know as if I was Michel Angelo or someone and was painting the roof of the Sistine Chapel, not that Susan is not deserving of a piece of work equal to the Sistine Chapel but you know, it was just a banner at the end of the day.

Well anyway to cut a long story short, inspiration eventually came, however it still took me ages to complete and for some bizarre reason even longer to wrap and then to post.

Meanwhile Susan's parcel had arrived in time and sat wrapped in its box gathering dust until such time as she got her swap parcel from me. See I felt way too guilty to open hers!


Until this morning, when she emailed and said she had my parcel and could we open them together, like ready, set, go!!! She in America and me in New Zealand!!!

The Princess was off sick from school so she was my trusty unwrapper assistant. There's always a price to pay for that, like sharing, like me having to share my cool new stuff with her!


Beautifully wrapped in snowy white tissue paper . . .


was the most divine banner ever. Look, how me can you get. Roses, velvet, pearls, velvet ribbon, white frillies, GORGEOUS, CELEBRATE!!!!



It is so me, me , me and the colours are perfect for my green dining walls with my red curtains and accessories. I was going to put it in my bedroom when I first saw it but I think above my desk where I spend a lot of time so that I can glance at it and remind myself to celebrate my beautiful life!


Susan also tucked in some 'extras', velvet millinery leaves, drool, I am fighting The Princess for them, beautiful 'shabby chic' ribbons, an amazing Key Plate scrapbook album to play with and a card she made with a sachet of coffee cleverly tucked into it!

Susan, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, I love it!!!


Here is what I made Susan, mini tussies. Susan has a brown and celery green studio so I tried to stick with that colour scheme. The tussies actually gave me a lot of grief, trying to get them to seal at the back and stick, there was quite a lot of weight with the vintage wall paper on the outside and the insides lined with sheet music.

And then of course you can't do a tussie without filling it so I had to make (mostly), nine little goodies to put in each one!!!


You can't see it here but each letter has glitter outlining it. Got to have a little sparkle!


Bits and bobs I made to fill the tussies . . .


Little heart on the end I blanket stitched and filled with lavender from my garden. It was when stitching it, that I realised my eye sight is not what it used to me and now I wear hobby glasses over top of my contact lenses if doing close up work!!!! And really I am not even that old, truly . . .

So there you have it, Celebrate!!!!

Now, I just want to say that I have been tempted to delete my last post, the "Struggling with Juggling". I was trying to achieve a heap of things in that post, reasons for my erratic blogging and just some observations I had been making about my life, that I was putting out there and trying to be funny about it and didn't pull it off. I think I came across sounded whingey and whiney and discontented and really I am not!!!!

Its true I do struggle with the juggle sometimes but I know I am so very blessed with my life as it is now!!

Thank you for all the lovely comments and support though, blogging is such an amazing world to be part of!

Anyway, I am off to watch something called Army Wives, we have got some great looking new programmes starting like Army Wives, Cashmere Mafia and a new series of an old favourite of mine, The Bachelor!!!! I confess I love it!!! And of course my old fave, Project Runway.

Celebrate!

Rachaelxo