New Years Link Up..

I saw this being promoted on twitter and I thought it would be fun to join in !!

A bad habit I’m going to break:  Spending too much time on my laptop.

A new skill I’d like to learn: I would love take a photography workshop and learn calligraphy.

A person I hope to be more like: Kourtney Kardashian, I love her style and confidence.

A good deed I’m going to do: Volunteer with a community organisation.

A place I’d like to visit: Paris.

A book I’d like to read: Oprah's Biography.

A letter I’m going to write: Continue writing to my pen pals :)

A new food I’d like to try: More Thai and Mexican food.

I’m going to do better at: Doing more of what I love, spending more time outdoors, pursuing my dreams, crafting and creating more with my girlie's.

So fun, I am looking forward to seeing everyone else's responses :) 

Simply Alli 

Are you joining us ???

Resolutions ... Yes or No ???

Do you set New Year resolutions ??

Its almost New Years Eve , that time when people start making resolutions for the coming year.

I have to admit, I like to think of the New year as starting a Fresh. I am not an avid "resolution" setter, more like goal setter for the year ahead..

For me there would be nothing more disappointing than challenging myself to do something, then by the end of January , to have given up..

So goals for the year, is the way forward for me..

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This printable is perfect for goal setting, you can hang it up as a little reminder and tick goals off as you ago..

Knowing that I have a very clear idea of what I’d like to achieve for the year and how to do it, many of my ideas and dreams would remain exactly that. But when I translate those dreams and ideas into actions, suddenly it seems much more achievable...

So let me share my New Year’s Resolution  goals  with you.....

Buy a New camera 

Take more Photos (on my dlsr)

Attend a photography workshop

Continue working on my blog, content, community, tutorials ect ..

Start an overall heath kick , more water, healthy eating, fitness ect ..

So how about you are you a goal setter ??? Or a Resolution Keeper ??

Claire xo

Craft, Create & Inspire Linky party

Hey everyone, How was your Christmas ??? I hope that you all had a great day..

This is the last CCI party of 2013, so lets make it great.

So, whose ready to party? I am so glad you have stopped by to join us!  It’s so much fun to browse through your projects each week with a hot cup of tea and a sneaky chocolate hehehe ...

Featured projects from last week :

Santa Treat Holder ~ The Pin Junkie 
2014 List of Happy Goals ~ Michelle lea Designs 
Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake ~ Something Sweet Winnie's Blog 
DIY Washi Tape Boxes ~ Homey Oh My

Be sure to Grab your Featured Button (html code on right hand sidebar)

Ready to get this weeks party started ???

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• Feel free to link up just about anything. Recipes, Tutorials,  Inspiration, Crafts, Printables 
•  I would {love} for you to follow my blog. Please link to your specific post and not your entire blog.
•  Please add this party to your linky party list.
•  Take a few extra minutes to visit some of the bloggy loveliness that has been linked up.
•  Most importantly: HAVE FUN! 
• Feel free to grab my button from my and spread the linky fun.

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR :) 

6 Pretty Calendar's for 2014

Hey everyone,

There are some really pretty calendars around, here are a few of my favourites..

Pattern & Post card 2014 ~ Stationery Boutique 
Printable Calendar ~ Little Light Prints 
Desk Calendar ~ Pikake Press 
DIY Illustrated printable ~ sevenstar
Wall planner ~ Sam Osborne Store
Geometric Calendar ~Penuatoakprint 

I like the idea of a wall calender , to give you an overall out-look for the year ahead ..

Did you get a calendar for Christmas ??

Thank you for stopping by :)

Claire x

Merry Christmas

These past few days I have been really sick :( I am still not great today.. but I wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas from my home (minus the sickness bug) to yours.

I hope you have a lovely day, filled with love, laughter family and friends ..

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Craft, Create & Inspire Linky Party (Holiday Addition)

How has your week been?   It’s  hard to believe that Christmas is 4 days away.  I have to admit I still have shopping to do and gifts to wrap  !.

So, whose ready to party? I am so glad you have stopped by to join us!  It’s so much fun to browse through your projects each week with a hot cup of tea and a sneaky chocolate hehehe

Featured projects from last week :

Rustic Christmas Card Star ~ The Casual Craftlete
DIY Rustic Wood Ornaments ~ Everyday Miija 
Candy Cane Cake ~ Say It with Cake 
Hexagon Thumbtacks ~ Crafting in The Rain

Be sure to Grab your Featured Button (html code on right hand sidebar)

Ready to get this weeks party started ???

Feel free to link up just about anything. Recipes, Tutorials,  Inspiration, Crafts, Printables

 I would {love} for you to follow my blog.

Please link to your specific post and not your entire blog.

Please add this party to your linky party list.

Take a few extra minutes to visit some of the bloggy goodness that has been linked up.

Most importantly: HAVE FUN! Feel free to grab my button from my and spread the linky fun.

Feature Friday with Kaitlyn @ isavirtue

Today marks #2 in my mini series featuring bloggers and/or shop owner posts in hope to introduce some new "eye candy" and inspiration. Please join me to welcome Kaitlyn @isavirtue

What Inspires You ??

I am inspired by so many things! Colours, typography and artwork. When I don't visit a gallery for an extended period of time, I feel lackadaisical and uninspired. A day at a gallery can enliven me and reinvigorate me to continue creating.

Share an interesting fact about yourself :

I have ideaesthesia (also known as synaesthesia) so most of the time I don't really question the way I put text, colours and papers together. To me the letter "S" is red, and the month of "February" is green simply because it conceptually *feels* right to me. I craft the same way - I just do things because they feel right, and they make my heart at ease. 

Synaesthesia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

List a few favourite past times : 

Crafting! My love of creating and handmade stationery was developed in my youth. As a young girl I was often of the mindset "Why buy it when you can make it!" (Which may also be interpreted as "I only get a dollar for allowance each week so I guess I'll have to make it!" I also began letter-writing at the tender age of nine. My best friend moved to the other side of the country so we wrote letters and decorated envelopes for each other. As you can tell, I'm still a fan of both of these past times today!

What's your favourite Movie ??

My favourite movie is the Thomas Crown Affair (newer version). It's sexy, intriguing, and depicts the story of a man who cleverly steals a valuable piece of artwork from a museum. It's one of those films you have to watch a few times in order to catch all the clues and subtle references. It features Renee Russo and Pierce Brosnan and at one point somebody may or may not throw an original Rembrandt painting in a fire!

What is your prized Possession ?

This is a difficult one. It always makes me think of the question "What would you grab if your house was on fire?" Well, my answer would probably be a bathrobe in order to cover up and keep warm. So instead I'll tell you about my favourite piece of art. It's called "Doll Un" and it's a shadow box fortune doll created by artist Lara Scarr using collage, embroidery, lace and paint. She has an innocent charm...until you look closer at the frightening imagery she is made up of.

Lara Scarr Link: http://larascarr.carbonmade.com

Doll Un Link: http://www.escapeintolife.com/artist-watch/lara-scarr

What would you like to learn to do ??

I have taught myself so many techniques in the past year or two including book binding, knitting, embroidery, sewing and needle felting. But what I really want to learn is calligraphy. I did try once and was disappointed when I didn't immediately excel at it...so I'll have to revisit that at some point in the future!

Visit Kaitlyn here : 

blog: http://blog.isavirtue.net

shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/isavirtue

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isavirtue 

twitter: https://twitter.com/isavirtue

Thank you Kaitlyn, for being part of this series :) (All images and products you can find in kaitlyns cute shop, stop by and check it out ) 

:: Thought For Thursday

Just as you get into the flow of blogging and feeling like you are on top of your to-do list. Life happens and throws things off balance ..

My baby girl has been sick for almost a week, there have been consistent nights of no sleep and hours in the morning of "wideawakness" at hours that you should be in dreamland , resulting in 1 tired mommy with constant headache, throw in a mix of Consultant appointments and  school concerts , not getting home til 10pm two nights in a row...

My blogging schedule kinda took a back seat so todays post is totally unplanned and I am enjoying a morning off , baby girl is now well and is at nursery until lunch , husband is a work and the other 3 girls are at school, its last day before the school holidays, I am glad these cold mornings are no fun..

So here is my thought for Thursday....

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I am hoping to make some time this holiday to make these ...

Eclairs ~ Americas test Kitchen 

Sugar Cookies ~ I can teach my child 

Vanilla Cupcakes ~ Bakegirl

Carrot Cake Cheesecake ~ Sifting Focus 

Claire xo

Project Life Tuesday ..

Another week gone by, another project life spread :)

This spread is made using the "Midnight" collection, which is perfect for adding pops of colours hear and there..

I embellished using Amy Tangerine stickers and Die Cuts ..

This was a fun week too and it included a rare photos of my girlies all together !!

I am looking forward to starting a fresh, Project Life in January !!! I think I have a good system going that works for me , will you be changing how you Project Life next year ??

The Mom Creative 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate ...

This weekend was the perfect excuse to make home made hot chocolate. It turned out yummy !! so I thought I would share the simple recipe ...

It leaves the house smelling good too !!!!

You Will Need 

• 1/3 cup of Cocoa Powder 
• 1 Pint of Milk
• Handful of Chocolate Chips
• 3-4 Candy Canes Crushed (1 for serving)
• Pinch of salt 

Method 

Place cocoa in a medium none-stick  saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk until cocoa has dissolved. Add chocolate chips and crushed peppermint; simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and peppermint have melted. And the mixture has thickened.

Add salt.  

Use a sieve and a measuring jug to pour the mixture into. Then use the jug to pour the hot chocolate into mugs. serve each with a Candy cane.

Me and the girls liked to dip our candy canes into the hot chocolate ... yummy :)

Now all you need to do is watch a Christmas Movie and your all set !!

Claire xo

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Craft, Create & Inspire Linky Party #10

 

How has your week been?   It’s  hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away.  I’ve started some shopping but still a lot to do !.

So, whose ready to party? I am so glad you have stopped by to join us!  It’s so much fun to browse through your projects each week. 

 

 

Featured Projects from last week :)

 

 

One, Peppermint Hot Chocolate in a Jar @ Sewlicious Home Décor

Two, Pretty Gift Wrapping Ideas @ The Casual Craftlete

Three, Christmas Mini Cakes @ Say it with Cake

 

Be sure to Grab your Featured Button (html code on right hand sidebar)

 

 

Ready to get this weeks party started ???

 

 

 

Feel free to link up just about anything. Recipes, Tutorials,  Inspiration, Crafts, Printables

 I would {love} for you to follow my blog.

Please link to your specific post and not your entire blog.

Please add this party to your linky party list.

Take a few extra minutes to visit some of the bloggy goodness that has been linked up.

Most importantly: HAVE FUN! Feel free to grab my button from my and spread the linky fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Gift Tags ...

So last week I shared with you some Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas, this week I am going to share some ideas for Gift Tags ..

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 I hope that this little round up has inspired you to add a little cute touch onto your gifts ..

Happy Friday 

Claire xo



DIY Glitter Canvas

Today I am sharing this fun and quick Canvas tutorial ..

What you will need .

• Canvas (if your in the UK check out The Works)
• Mod Podge
• Glitter , colour of your choice
• Paint brush
• Pencil



How to ...

Draw or use a stencil of your chosen image onto the canvas



Use the paint brush to apply glue onto your drawn image , apply it generously.

Sprinkle on glitter.

Continue until your image is completely cover in glitter, leave to dry for at least 3-4 hours ..

 Once it has completely dried tip the loose glitter off .

You now need to seal the glitter, I re-coated with Mod Podge , but you could use hair spray ..

 

Finished, Hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)

Claire













Project Life Tuesday Week 6

Oh how the weeks seem to be passing by so quickly !!!!

I love nothing more than sitting at my dinning room table each Sunday for an hour and working on my Project Life Spread.. There is something so therapeutic about the whole process ..

Here is my spread ...

One thing I have learnt with PL, there is no right or wrong, just go with what's inspiring you at that moment ..

Even though my spread looks different each week in terms of colour and core kits used, there are a few things which I have tried to keep in each spread .

• 2 4x6 photos
• 4 smaller photos which I cut down depending on the card I am going to put it on .
• I stitch on at least 2 of the cards.
• I try to mirror the embellishments I use on one side onto the other..

So how about you, do you follow a theme each week ??? or do you go with what's inspiring you at the time ?? I would love to know :)

The Mom Creative









Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas ....

For me one of the fun things about the holidays or celebrations is wrapping gifts.

I am trying to be a bit more organised this year and wrap as I buy, using this gift list has been a real help too :)

The element of excitement and surprise to key to wrapping :) and a little extra thought is always welcomed ..

So to help you with some gift wrapping inspiration, here are some of my favourite ideas ..

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Do you have a colour scheme for your wrapping , traditional or modern ??

I think I am going with teal and black this year ..

Have you started wrapping your gifts yet ??

Claire x 



Craft, Create & Inspire Linky party #9

A little later than I had planned :( I have had some technical issues with google chrome, which is still not sorted , so I am using the windows 8 google ..

Welcome to my new look !!!!

CCI, linky is a party where you can link up your Crafts, Decor, Printables, Projects ect..

Share some inspiration and to be inspired .

A Huge!!! thank you to everyone who stopped by last week to make last weeks  party so fun !! I loved visiting your posts and reading all your sweet comments :)

Excited to be hosting this week again with Kelly @ The Little Things

Here are my featured projects from last week

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And here are Kelly's features

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So, let get this party started !!!!

How to join in ..

• You can link up as many projects as you like 

• I would love for you to follow my Blog 

• It would be great if you could help me spread the word about this new linky party, tweet, FB and tell your friends !!

This party will be open until next Saturday ..

4 Featured projects from the linky will be pinned onto the  Craft, Create & Inspire pinterest board !!!!! 

 Have fun !!