Happy New Year to all my readers

May the New Year bring a bright positive feeling that lasts the whole year. The New Year has begun in other countries. Do you watch as the other parts of the world welcome it in. I’ve done that a couple of times, it’s fun to see how each country brings it in. Not always as we would expect.  We stay home and enjoy it on tv, so much safer and quieter…..lol

I love these vintage pictures, I could spend forever looking through pages of them.

Watch our for those bubbles, they really do tickle the nose.

Even the elves are out enjoying themselves after the Christmas preparations.

Isn’t this a gorgeous picture. No story here, just lovely graphics. Perhaps the New Year baby is thanking the moon for all it’s hard work throughout the year.

Father Time passing the job to the next in line. Keep well everyone and be safe….

Janet’s Tea Shop

I’m sure you’ve heard me mention the tea shop over and over again. Well, that’s because when someone lets you have space in their shop to sell your art pieces, for me it’s important to always let them know how much I appreciate it.

For Christmas this year, I wanted to do something for Janet because she’s just so supportive and inspirational with her enthusiasm. I contacted my friend in Australia, Maria, and commissioned her to design a web template for me. I chose the image from Big Stock Royalty Free Photo’s and Maria got to work creating this beauty of a template.

I got the basics set up for Janet and when she came for dinner the other night I asked her to come and see what I was working on. Of course she’s thinking something doll themed…  I brought up the page and she just look at the page in silence. I thought, oh no, have I made a mistake…. No, it wasn’t that. She was for a moment feeling a bit overwhelmed and told me that others had been telling her she needed to be online. She has no idea how to do that, so I guess I just shocked her by just doing it for her….

After the initial shock, she was fine and now is so excited and has been telling everyone that comes in to check it out. At this point there is some information on there, enough to learn about the shop, but over the next while we’ll be adding pictures and tea information, and a page showing her tea accessories and such.

She has always accepted phone orders, but this way, more people will know about her and the vast selection she carries… If you would like to see the site, please click here… Janet’s Special Teas  There is a menu on “The Teas” page if you’re a tea drinker. She ships all over the world except Australia. The government there doesn’t allow tea to be brought in.

Retro Mummy Fabric Giveaway

Aren’t these wonderful retro fabrics. To earn a chance to win one of two prizes of fat quarters, just pop over to Retro Mummy, leave a comment and post it to your blog… That’s all you have to do..

Boxing Day Sales

Can someone please explain to me why boxing day sales are the place to be. I hear the horror stories, the battle scars are evident everywhere, and talk about the weary warrior after a day of doing battle over a bargain table. It must be the thrill of the hunt….is that it?????

Oh dear, I think I must be from another planet because I can see no logical reason to go through Dec. 26th sales….Maybe I should go and hang out at a mall and watch it, that might give me some insight….

Looks like Betty’s got the right idea…Come prepared to fight and win… Well, have at it kids, I’m laying low and may the best shopper win…

Merry Christmas Everyone

Wishing all my visitors a happy and safe holiday season. Take a minute to remember someone who might be having a tough time and see if you can’t do something to make things a little brighter for them.

The jolly man will be starting his rounds soon….have you been naughty or nice???  It’s never to late to make amends with him….

On the Buses part 2

After we left Christmas Village, we backtracked a little because hubby wanted to head over to a men’s store. We did that but didn’t find what he was after. Since we were so close, I asked to go to Chintz and Company. Amazing decor options in there. To high end cost wise for this kid, but full of inspiration none the less. Lots of ideas to create similar looks and for less if you just think about it long enough.

From there we walked back toward Government St. where we just came from heading for another men’s store. Along the way we found this chalk artist. He was written up in the paper last week, so I was very glad to have been able to stop and see his work.

Aren’t they beautiful. He loves the old masters and you can tell by the quality of his work.

From there we found the men’s shop, and I didn’t mind at all because I was able to pick up pipe cleaners. The best pipe cleaners for your doll fingers are from the tobacconists. Sadly hubby didn’t find the shaving stuff he was after, but we continued on to the Inner Harbour.

I’m sure it has been photographed a million times because it’s such a view. The Parliament buildings form the backdrop, and one of these days we’re going to do the tour and see what our elected officials do all day. The rest of the Harbour plays host to the many boats that come here from all ports of call. In the good weather months there are horse drawn carts to be found, with those beautiful Clydesdales pulling them. There is a hub of activity most of the year.

Across the street from here, is the old and grand old lady and historic Empress Hotel. Francis Rattenbury was the architect that designed the Parliament Buildings, the Empress Hotel and so much more dating back to the late 1800’s. Follow the links to learn more if you like. He was originally from England, travelled extensively and in the end died in England at the hands of his second wife’s lover. A scandal for sure, and interesting reading.

At the Empress there is a display of Christmas trees. They are decorated by the different organizations and businesses. The general public can view them until the3rd of January. Donations are accepted and the money raised goes to Children’s Hospital, more here. I didn’t take pictures of all them, just to many. I did take a picture of one of them that I especially liked. It was decorated by the Papery. It was decorated with scrolls wrapped with ribbon, laser cut 3d decorations and more. It was just simple and pretty. I couldn’t find a website for them, now I’ll just have to go there in person…..

When we left there we hoped on the first bus that came along, no idea where it would take us but we ended up at Hillside Mall. Big shopping area. We went to the food fair to get some lunch, but it was jam packed with people, so we walked a few blocks to a quieter place. From there were headed back to town, went back to Fan Tan Alley to see shops we didn’t see earlier because they weren’t open, stopped in a couple more shops then grabbed a bus home. We walked so much I can’t even tell you how far. When we got home, the arm on hubby’s sunglasses broke so off to Sidney to get them fixed so I brought mine along to, same issue. They would have cost a lot to fix due to the brand name. They are really old now, we’ve had our sunglasses for at least 20 years, (good brand), but we kissed them goodbye and invested in some new ones and that’s our Christmas gifts…. Busy busy day, but lots of fun.

On The Buses

No, I’m not talking about that hilarious British comedy from years ago,  but it was a day of on the buses for us. We bought a day pass for the bus and left early this morning to just spend the day doing whatever came to mind. We have double decker buses as well as hybrid and the regular ones, but we got the double decker into Victoria. We sat at the top right at the front so we could enjoy the view. We were like little kids. The first stop was breakfast, always a treat at one of our BC mainstays, The White Spot. Always a guarantee of good food. Next stop was Chinatown. I’m not sure how other cities in Canada stack up in size or history, but this one is the oldest Chinatown in Canada, established in 1858 when immigrants flooded into BC for the gold rush. These are gates to the town, they are called the Gates of Harmonious Interest. Chinatown also extends to the left of this picture another block to the east.

Hubby had never seen Fan Tan Alley before. There is a little alley way that unless you know where to look, you’ll miss it. It contains some wonderful little shops. You wouldn’t think they do a good business so tucked away in there, but when we came back later in the day, there were people all over this alley and in all the shops. There is a lot of history related to both Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley. There are still parts of the history below the city streets where many things went on that weren’t legal, but doesn’t every village, town and city have those places, and Fan Tan Alley is said to be haunted as are many many places around Victoria. There are no lack of ghost stories and tours to take to learn about all the stories behind them.

A little of the history of Chinatown here…… and Fan Tan Alley here (scroll to the bottom of the page)

 

From Chinatown we headed over to Market Square. Everywhere was very quiet for 10 am, but things got busy later in the day. Probably great for us so we weren’t having to get through the crowds. Market Square is a series of interesting shops of all kinds. From a Vegetarian Restaurant, to a bead shop, metaphysical interests and much more. The courtyard is usually pretty busy, but as luck would have it, I was able to snap a couple of pictures without having to weave in and out of people. The gingerbread house was set up by a local organization The Mustard Seed, who take donations of food for the food bank. And of course, how could I not help to keep Beadworld in business with my small offerings.

The next stop was one of my favourite places. Christmas lovers would overdose in here. You have to walk with your shoulders tight and move slowly. Don’t touch anything that you don’t intend to buy and prepare to be taken away to your childhood. The is “The Christmas Village”. I wasn’t permitted to take pictures inside, you’ll just have to come and see it for yourself… (hint hint, Colleen)… No pressure though…. It’s truly a wonderland, it would take me days to to see it all. There is Christmas there from all parts of the world.

The most special things in here that take me back to my childhood, are the hand blown glass ornaments and the collection of Authentic Nutcrackers. I have a small collection of non authentic ones, I can’t afford the real thing, but I can certainly go and enjoy them every Christmas at the Village. One of things I have always added to my Christmas tree each year, are birds. It’s traditional in Europe to have birds on your tree for good luck, so I keep that tradition alive.

I’ll post the rest of our day tomorrow, so stay tuned…

Squidgey

What the heck is Squidgey, right…. Ahhh, well Squidgey is our new pet. Don’t ask me where the name came from, it just popped into my head and so it is. I think he’s been here longer than the two weeks we’ve known him as there have been tell tale signs. 

Last week I was feeding him peanuts and the neighbours cat came along. Well never let it be said that a cat doesn’t love a good hunt. Squidgey (don’t you just love that name), stands a mere 3 feet from Max and stares him down, as though he’s saying… Try it, just try it…  So Max did. Off they went for a run around the yard. Hilarious. There was no way Max was keeping up, no way. He came back looking dejected and defeated.

The next day, I was feeding Squidgey again and then had to leave and go to a friends for our doll making afternoon. Just half an hour after feeding  Squidgey, there it was, I was driving down the road, almost the end of the street and what do I see, flat on his back like he’s passed out from a night of too much libation. My heart sunk as I saw this furry little creature lying there. I stopped looked and watched to see if there was movement…None!

Off I went and for the whole weekend all I could think of was that I had lost another pet…. Yesterday, I was at a neighbours and the door bell rang. Whose standing outside, (no, not Squidgey), but my hubby. He said I got my Christmas wish and that our little pet was just fine. He was in the back yard snacking on peanuts that we put out for the Stellar’s Jays. Well talk about putting a bounce back in your step. How many hubbies would do something that sweet, I was so happy after that. Today I will pick out the biggest peanuts I can find and wait for Squidgey (the name is growing on you isn’t it) to arrive.

Maybe I’ll get to watch the tug of war between hubby and Squidge. Hubby held onto a peanut a little harder to see how strong and determined the little guy is…and he is…. Yes I know they are part of the rodent family, but in a much prettier form.

In this picture you can see that he let me ever so gently and carefully touch his little foot. He’s used to people, not at all shy. He runs down the length of the yard, comes and gets a peanut or two, runs to the neighbours or just around the corner, quickly digs a hole, hides his treasures and comes racing back for more… Just the funniest thing to see. He buried one of them just a couple of feet from where we were sitting, guess he was running out of steam going back and forth. Cute isn’t he….

Last of the ornaments

I finished off the last of my ornaments for this year. These Merry Maubles by Michelle Munzone are so much fun to make and each one is always different from the next. I made some with sleepy eyes this time. This lot has beads all around the neck, so I didn’t add them to the bottom as suggested in the pattern. Any way you dress them up, they are just the perfect little thing.

They are so darn cute when you see them in person. If you need a fun project and one that can use up all those small bits and pieces of trims, this is one of those.

Now all the bodies I had in a bag waiting for heads and trims, are all done. No more shifting the bag from spot to spot throughout the year waiting to get to them. But of course you know that more will arrive next Christmas, it’s just the way it is when you get obsessed with something.

They’re done…

Elder Elf

Our doll club is having our Christmas dinner and exchange tonight. I finished this little guy last night. I was procrastinating a bit I think because I’ve been so busy over the last few weeks getting things ready for the shop I sell in, that I kind of slacked off a bit and then went into panic mode.

This is a class I did with Peggy Wilson earlier this year, one of our Canadian designers. I can see these done in so many different ways, from young uncontrollable elves, to these little senior ones who are doing their best to pass on the ways and traditions to the younger ones.

The shoes I didn’t do as per the pattern because I just simply didn’t have the time to spend on making them as cute as Peggy’s, so this little man will have to settle for sensible shoes. They are supposed to have this wonderful curl on the toes…but… I also added just a tiny touch of gel to his moustache and beard to keep them in shape, he is stylish after all.

I also wanted to make a staff for him, but again, that didn’t happen. So, I directed his look towards a more woodland type of Elder Elf by giving him a little mushroom bird and tiny tree to take care of. The person who is receiving him, wanted green/brown tones so I think this works. He has brown velvet pants, a brown printed shirt and the rest as you see is green. Here he is and I’m off to wrap him up…

Stop It!!

As I wander through You Tube, of course those of you who know, you never stop in one place. One thing leads to another and another and before you know it, you’re miles away from the starting point.

That’s what happened last night. I was watching something and I drifted off. I saw a reference to Bob Newhart and couldn’t help but check out Bob Newhart. I mean really, this guy is the King of deadpan humour, is he not…

This clip is hilarious. Ever had those moments where you’re obsessing about something, no of course not. Not that you’d admit to anyway. Ever had someone say to you, “would you stop”, “calm down” or other like phrases… No of course not. None of us ever get that over the top. Ever had those moments of “HELP”, because you’re allowing your emotions to run amok.

Have no fear, Doctor Bob is here. Watch this clip and you’ll never feel the same again. Doctor Bob will fix you right up. It’s only 6 minutes so not long and well worth it…Enjoy.

One Magic Christmas

One of my favourites at Christmas. This one stars Mary Steenburgen. Great family story full of big lessons to be learned.

This one has 9 parts to it… Enjoy if you’ve never seen it, and enjoy it again if you have. Just look for the next parts on the You Tube page as you finish each one.