Dear 2012

2012, 

you really have been amazing.

I am grateful for everything that came my way,

for our health,

for loving and being loved.

Thank you for the courage to dream big.

 

Why I love where I live #4

Why I love where I live #4.

The stunning views every time we drive over the hill to the city.

The sky, the hills, the country colours,

are quite simply, 

breathtaking.

I hope you are enjoying the final days of 2012.

The anticipation

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Love Letter #3 - Dear Paris

Love Letter #3

Love Letter #2 Dear New York

Love Letter #2.

Love Letter #1 Dear Melbourne

Love Letter #1.

There will be more.

The last of the 2012 markets

{gift packs ready for the markets}

This weekend marks the end of markets for me for the year.

Tomorrow from 6-9pm I will be at the alt.shift market in Palmerston North - 

my first time at this market.  I am really excited, I love Palmy, it's where I went to uni.

On Saturday I will be at the Chrstmas Night Market at the Genesis Centre in Masterton.

I'm looking forward to this one too!

It's nearly the holidays and I love this time of year,

so much busy-ness and festivities!

if I hadn't been there...

It's so true isn't it.

The paths we have chosen,

the paths that chose us,

have led us to here.

I love daydreaming about where else

this path will lead me.

I love to wrap

It's been a while since I shared a photo on how I am packaging up orders.

I don't just do this for the holidays, 

I do it all year round.

Because I love wrapping up pretty packages,

tucking a surprise notecard under the string,

and sending them on to my lovely customers all over the world.

It's Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, 

which means FREE SHIPPING worldwide on all items in my Etsy shop until the end of Monday.

birds, trees, snow and daydreams....

In this part of the countryside, 

everywhere I go,

I see birds.  

I see fields.  

I see wide open sky.

I see rows and rows of gorgeous trees.

And all of this seeing, 

of course,

leads me to daydreaming........

101 woonideeen

I am so thrilled that 'theirs was a love story'

is the typewriter photo used on the 'We've got mail' page 

in the November issue of the gorgeous Dutch magazine 101 woonideeen.  

The wonderful editors even sent me a copy, all the way here to New Zealand.  

Although I couldn' t read it, the pictures are beautiful and the interiors - oh my!  

Thank you 101 woonideeen!

"us"

So today I spent a bit of time blog reading, and ended up at this article 

{found via Kelly Rae Roberts}

I read it twice.

Then sat and thought about it some more.

It is pretty powerful, thinking about the future years and their memories of me.

And realised that yes I do this.

Make excuses not to be in the photo.

Or because I am generally the one taking the photos, 

I am not in them.

And decided, that today, with both kids at home,

we would snap a 'selfie' on the Fuji Instax

{which doesn't scan so well, but you get the idea - 

smooshed faces all together}

So this is 'us'.  

My kids and their Mama, as we were today.

 

the memory makers

 

Every school holidays, I get inspired.  

And most of the time we are too busy for me to fit in any photo creative time.

So yesterday, with the house all to myself, 

I got all of my cameras out, 

and had a play.

So here you have it, another 2013 4x6" Calendar,

for all of you camera lovers out there.

I have called it 'The Memory Makers'.

 

 Available here.

Whimsical Daydreams - 2013 4x6" Calendar

I just couldn't resist creating another calendar for 2013.  

I have the 5x7" Pale Blue Daydreams calendar, 

but felt the year needed a Whimsical Daydreams compilation.  

 This calendar is smaller, each of the 13 pages are 4x6".  

Each photo is a 4x4" square, so when the month is over, 

simply cut the bottom 2" off and you have a perfect 4x4" photo to frame, 

pin to an inspiration board, stick to your fridge.....

 A selection of my favourites, and yours.
Available here.

October

 October, is it really you?

what spring looks like

It looks like pale lemon drops.

she heard it calling and felt her heart soar

a little more summer daydreaming...

A little summer daydreaming....

Just a little daydreaming for a Monday.

First Spring Weekend

 

This past weekend, the first weekend in Spring

we decided it had to be celebrated with an Adventure.

So we set off to the city

soaked up the city buzz,

played at some new playgrounds,

and then explored at the beach.

 

 

Even though it was still a little cold,

{hence the hats, jackets and winter boots} 

they both asked if they could go swimming.

To them, Spring means warm weather 

and warm weather means Summer

and Summer at the beach means swimming.

Soon, I said, oh so soon......

For Grace

This is for Grace.

Because she is, surrounded by LOVE.

From all around the world.

The End of Winter

It seems like not that long ago, 

I was starting my countdown till Spring.

Although the Winter days were long and cold,

The season seems to have gone by quickly.

I almost cannot believe I am sitting here writing 

that today is the last day of Winter.

But I am.

It is.

Pale Blue Daydreams

I know it isn't quite September yet, but since it is finished, 

and it really feels like Spring is in the air,

I wanted to share it.

So here you are, my 2013 calendar.

Each of the 13 pages (a cover and one for each month) is a 5x7" photo like last year, 

but this year I decided to add a small white border around the photos.

I have a few new packaging treats, 

so each will arrive wrapped like a delightful present.

 

This year I want to pass on the support,

so $5 from each 2013 calendar sold

will be donated to the Grace Yeats Trust. 
You can read more about Grace's story here.

I have shared the page over on my own FB page,

hoping that her story will touch hearts and people will "like" the page

and show Grace and her family some love from around the world.

 

I really do love making the calendars.  

They are my way of creating something for my customers,

to whom I am so grateful,

to enjoy throughout the year.

 And these Pale Blue Daydreams,

they are my favourite.

A change

After a year with this laptop skin, 

I decided I was over the green,

it was starting my make me feel dreary, 

and I wanted something fresh to suit my 'it's soon to be spring and summer' mood,

and inspire me to work.

And so I ordered a new cover from Society6, and within a week it was here.

I love it.

Now I feel like working, and even when the sky is grey outside my window, 

I can see blue sky and pink blossoms.

Artful Blogging

The Autumn issue of Artful Blogging is out now,

and oh my, it is full of beautiful photos and amazing articles.

To say I am thrilled to have been asked to participate is an understatement.

Here's how it happened....

 

A few months ago, the lovely editor, Jennifer Jackson Taylor, emailed me 

and asked if I would be interested in being included.

'Wow, yes, of course' I said!

And I was asked to write an article.

um, me, write?  

My first instinct was to say thank you, but no.

Too afraid to write, to be rejected.

But, I realised there comes a point where you have to push your own boundaries.

To try something, and if you fail, well it isn't a failure, but a lesson learnt.

And if you succeed, then that is exhilarating.

So I sat down the next afternoon and wrote.

Basically I wrote about not being a writer, but having a blog, 

and being ok with who you are in this blogging world.

It is titled 'The Daydreaming Girl'

I skim read it back to myself, and emailed it off.  

And was so surprised when I received such a positive, warm response from Jennifer.

 

And so, here we are, the issue is out now,

that is my blossom photo on the cover,

and my article (8 pages!!!!) is nestled in amongst all the other gorgeous, breathtakingly beautiful articles.

This has been a definite highlight of my journey so far.  

August

August marks the beginning of the end of the countdown ~

only one more month of cold until Spring officially begins.

After spending June and July admiring the rows of country trees,

bare against the empty sky, 

I have realised I only have a few weeks left to capture them.

And so my mission now is to add to The Winter Trees,

because soon, these trees will no longer be bare.

So much to love

There is so much in this world to love...

and the first Spring blossoms are high on that list.

I love that for a few weeks mid Winter I get to watch out for them...

the anticipation of knowing that soon...

soon we will see the pink against the blue sky.

And then my heart skips a beat when one morning, magically they have appeared.

Bringing with them is the gorgeousness of the blossom,

and the anticipation that soon, oh so soon,

Spring will be here, and Winter will, once again, be gone.

It seems I have passed on this love to my little loves,

who now excitedly tell me when they have spotted new blossoming trees.

Last week, Annabel suggested we stop to take photos of them.

And that, makes me so very happy.

she decided not to wait for change

Winter is the season I seek change.  

I get restless.

So instead of waiting for it, 

I am going to create it.

Signs of Spring

We are beginning to see signs that Spring is not far away....

and I am loving it.

Blue Sky Boots

How was I ever supposed to resist these?

The perfect winter accessory, especially great on grey dreary days....

blus sky boots.

Everytime I look at these I smile.

And a girl has to have something to smile about in winter, doesn't she?