Burlap Wreath Tutorial

Yesterday in my christmas craft  post I said I'd give you a little tutorial on how to make one of these pretty burlap Advent wreaths:
So firstly, pop Mr Buble's christmas album on and pour yourself some festive bubbles!

Cut 3 x 1m length strips of burlap and wrap the entire foam ring, fastening with small nails. (nails hold better than pins)

Cut approximately 80 squares (12 x 12cm)

Fold them in half

and half again

place nail through all folds and into foam ring

The nails should be spaced about 1 inch apart.

Fill the wreath up, leaving a gap for the bow.

Nail/pin bow in place.

Then using two natural coloured burlap squares, as above, plump up the bow loops.

Plump up the bow loops.

Fill in the gaps with more red squares.

Nail in a small ribbon/loop at the back for hanging.

and

Voila!

Merry Christmas

With Love

Liv xo

Christmas Craft

Sorry I've been MIA for sooo long. I have had a busy couple of weeks and unfortunately my little blog has suffered.
So it's time to catch up (FYI: if you don't like rambling blondes then get the hell out of here, I won't judge you!).

ok. To say I loveeeee Christmas is a pathetic understatement. 'Less is more' is my decorating mantra, except when it comes to Christmas. In fact, I get butterflies when I see Christmas trees in stores in late September, I get giddy at the sight of twinkling lights and don't get me started when I hear christmas carols.
Christmas is such a special time, a time to celebrate with family, a time for giving and most especially, a time to give thanks to God and reflect on Jesus' birth and life.

I've begun my Christmas preparations early this year again. I have given two 'christmas decorating' talks, hosted a wreath workshop and have another 3 workshops lined up for this coming week.
I had the first workshop last friday and it was so much fun, here is a pic of two of my girls with their  Advent wreaths.

Pop back later this week and I will post a whole tutorial on how to make them!

Two more wreaths I made as demonstrations for the talks I gave:

(my fav!)

Last weekend the kids begged to put the tree up but I held off for fear of my hubby thinking I'd gone completely mad, so we made a recycled timber tree for our garden instead. Two actually.

Buz and I made this one out of off cuts we had from our reno. We didn't even use paint, all the timber was this colour, Cool huh! 

Can't wait to put it into the ground and drape twinkling white lights on it!

and Jimmy made this one, inspired bya tree in the latest House & Garden mag.

But this weekend the kids won the battle. I tried desperately to convince them otherwise (wink wink).

Michael Buble sang to us as we hung the decorations, set up the nativity and tangled (and untangled) the lights.

I love whilst the three biggies fought for the top branch and their favourite decoration, Bear was content with a 12 month old candy cane he found in the box! puke. 

By the time Dec 25th comes around we usually find Joseph up in the rafters doing some carpentry and a sheep or two on the roof. Mary has been known to wear the crib as a sun hat....but hey, he is only two, he'll get the message eventually. 

Buzzy also made this tiny paper tree:

...and Jimmy this very welcoming sign! (any tips on tactful removal?)  

I keep chanting my mantra "less is more" but it never sticks at Christmas.

(remember to come back for the wreath tutorial tomorrow)

With love

Liv xo

                                                                           

Suck in undies or rogue undies?

I was listening to my mum and her two sisters talking all things pantyhose ("stockings" for Gen Y) the other day, and it went something like this: "Oh no, I can't get into those anymore...... they're too tight.....I can't get them over this...... and me that......the suck in bit at the top rolls down.....it doesn't suck in anything.....they push my stomach up.....I just don't bother with them".
It was quite the topic, and it got me thinking about my own (unmentionable pair) of suck in undies. I bought them for my cousins wedding last year. Miss Myer promised me the 'bike-leg-tummy-suck' variety would shave off two sizes of thigh and tummy pud, so I bought a pair, ok two pairs. But the truth is, they did nothing but ride up my (ahem....crack), and by the time canapés were served I had so much lycra in the abyss I almost sent in a search party to retrieve it.
How on earth does a woman with any self respect,  walk the room, eat canapés, and make small chat whilst harbouring the room's biggest secret?
I bet a few of you are nodding your heads??  And I bet you've tried the sly hand sweep across your bot in an effort to pull them out (didn't work hey, never does). I bet you also tried the trick with no hands, the squat and sidle. If you're lucky, sometimes they dislodge and you're as right as rain until you take a big swig of champers and forget to take baby steps, then you're back to square one.
I'm telling you, it's false advertising, don't buy them.
It's Spring Carnival time ladies, embrace your curves, treat them to some sexy, well fitting underwear and by a dress size up!

With love and experience,
Liv xo

Switcharoo: the mundane to the magic!

Eighteen months ago my Dad did a building job for a Chinese man, whose hobby was his garden. According to Dad, he had more pots than one could care to count in his suburban backyard, and one day he said, "Mike, I not have room for all dis pants, take dis one, exotic one. Bery rare, bery bootiful."

Dad took it to be polite, but it didn't look "bery bootiful", it looked more like a cheap cactus in a cheap plastic pot with a few weeds. Needless to say it has spent the last 18 months around the back near the clothesline, tucked under a gardenia.

Then last week whilst hanging out my 1 millionth load, I spotted some buds shooting from it. 

This is her today. Bery exotic and bery bootiful. 

Anyone know her botanical name ??

I think it's time I weed the little lady and pop her in a fancier pot?!?!

Hope you have an exotic weekend.

Much Love,

Liv x

Carcoar Spring Fair

We headed off early on Saturday to my Aunty and Uncle's in Carcoar (not far from Orange, NSW).
But first we made a breaky stop at The golden Arches, where we bumped into the only copper in NSW driving a Porche...needless to say, we asked for a turn!

Back to Carcoar... It is an old historic country town spilling over with character and charm.
What is nice about a small Spring Fair as apposed to a city/big Fair is that you can get close to the action without the crowds and it feels much more intimate and uncontrived.
We watched the usual woodchopping, sheep shearing, cattle dogs and draft horses, but this year it was so much more exciting as I watched it through the eyes of a two year old. I witnessed the excitement in his step, I felt the excitement in the clench of his hands, the saw the excitement in his bulging eyes and I heard the excitement in his shrill. It was gorgeous to watch.
The biggies were more into side show alley and the 2 rides on offer, and as for my parents, sister and brother inlaw and ourselves, it was the beautiful village in all of its Spring glory that stole our hearts.

This is My Aunty & Uncles home. It is everything I have dreamed of: HIGH pressed metal ceilings,

wrap around verandah, chunky timber sideboards, gorgeous vignettes in every room, but most of all, full of welcoming happy faces, tasty food & flowers galore!

A few other pretty corners of Carcoar.

Check out that roo on the ridge. It was a perfect evening.

Other fun things:

Quaint shops, mason jar milkshakes, warm eggs, and chalkboards!

The Spring Show

- If these eggs won 'the biggest' of the show, and someone else's 'biggest' are those behind, imagine how huge they are against 'normal sized' eggs. OUCH. Poor mother hen.

-Loved this cake category: 'Best Packet Cake'!

The tourists

The explorers. This old rail was built in 1886.

Our Digs. 

An old convent attached to this beautiful church, perched high on a hill. 

I was a little freaked out by a few ghost stories I heard at dinner the night before so I dragged Paul to the loo with me at 2am (he thought I was pathetic! Tough.)

....and we finished off with Bear getting a vomiting bug which has now run through all of us except daddy over the past 6 days. 

This weekend get away seems like a distant memory.  

Thanks Jo & John for your hospitality. We had a great weekend.

Liv xo