Shadow Shot Sunday & Koh Samui

I almost forgot about this weeks Shadow Shot for Hey Harriets Blog! This week I'm posting this pool photo taken in Thailand at Koh Samui. I took it just after breakfast before we stepped out for a bit of snorkelling out at the crystal clear waters of Nangyuan Island (below).

The shadow shot pool photo I took was at our first hotel at Koh Samui. We stayed there for a few nights and was located in the main area of Chaweng street and on the beach. It was a great spot and a real bargain! But seeing as we were earning the ££ and all that when we went, we thought we'd splurge and treat ourselves to a fancy schmancy resort for our last 2 nights. We ended up staying at Sala Samui. I think it is the most luxurious place i've ever stayed at.

It has everything you could ask for in a romantic get away - private beach, two beautiful pools, yummy breakies, relaxing spa treatments, luxurious and earthy outdoor bathrooms and ofcourse totally comfy and spacious rooms complete with massive bed and lounge about day beds!

But what sold me was the private infinity pool in your own villa!! I had always dreamed of staying somewhere where you get your own pool and this place had it. I LOVED it! Ofcourse I had to go skinny dipping - I mean what good is a private pool otherwise :) Here are some piccies that I took of our private pool (our outdoor bathroom looked out on it)!

New Projects & Jumpy Frog

Since returning back to Sydney I have been re-acquainted with my sewing machine!! While in London there were lots of things that I wanted to make but hand stitching was just way too slow so I ended up buying the odd thing now and then (when I couldn't resist or was a much needed necessity/gift!).

But now that I am back home in Sydney with all my appliances (yay cake mixer no more manual stirring and whipping for ages!) I can start on all my little projects. Plus since I am still a Lady of Leisure (read unemployed, looking for a job) I have had a little bit of time to do my little projects!

I've been a busy little bee and have had lots of fun sewing away! Here's some of my little goodies:

I gave my monkeys to my niece and nephew - it is so cute when I see them carrying them around!!

I made that heart bag for myself and then also made another one for my sister-in-law for Chrissie!

I've got loads of friends and relos who are having babies so I started making the diaper/baby wipe pouches for them.

And I keep spotting really cute fabrics that I'm not sure what to do with so I made little tissue holders just so I can use the fabric!!

I just finished off a little zippy bag to hold some more of my loose bits & pieces in my handbag and my sister requested a notebook cover that I just finished yesterday for her!

So you can see that I've been busy and having loads of fun at the same time!

In the end I decided to change my earring shop (previously ppaccessories.etsy.com) and instead open up a brand new shop called JUMPY FROG (http://jumpyfrog.etsy.com) combiningg my earrings and all other bits & bobs!

I've listed a few bits & pieces in there and will be adding more goodies soon - if you have some time please stop by!

Shadow Shot Sunday!

As lots of people mentioned my hot air balloon shot in the previous post was actually a shadow shot too!! But as it's in landscape and the shadow is in the corner not sure how that will fit in with HeyHarriets collages so i've gone ahead and included another shadow shot for this Sunday.

This one was taken at the Colosseum in Rome. Of course on our return we had to go and watch Gladiator!

Cappadocia, Turkey

Highlight for me of our recent Turkey trip has got to be Cappadocia, and it's not just because of the super nice accommodation we stayed at (see this previous post). I loved it because it was quieter, more hassle free (compared to anywhere else in Turkey) and of course the scenery was crazy amazing! Not to mention I took my first ever Hot Air Balloon ride there!

It was a public holiday in Turkey the weekend we arrived so there were quite a few balloons up in the sky. Hot Air Ballooning is the thing to do when you go to Cappadocia it seems. It was a fantastic morning for it and a great start to our holiday. We soared high above the unusual rock formations - it was quite strange looking at it from above as you couldn't really tell how massive they were, except ofcourse when we seemed to sail right next to them (that was very cool) that we could almost touch them. You can see the pictures above are taken from our

In the photo above you can see the rock formation right on the left hand side looks a bit like a camel. This one of a handful of rock formations that looked like animals in the Derwent Valley. Isn't this place amazing!

These types of formations are known as 'fairy chimneys' and were formed as a result of erosion from wind, flood water etc. You can see how big they are compared to the people on the ground. Some of these ones there were hollows in and were used as dwellings. These ones we saw at Pasabagi.

This picture is of the Rose Valley. It reminded me of some of the formations we saw in The States.

And here you can see some of the old houses/dwellings carved into the rocks. This one was taken at Cavusin.

Loved Cappadocia - it was very different to anything else we saw in Turkey. It may have been a tiring journey to get there (about 24hours starting from Croatia - including hanging out at deserted airports at 1am, deserted bus stations at 3am and seriously long bus rides!) but definitely all worth it! Any one going to turkey it is worth the travel out there!!

Shadow Shot Sunday!

I have been very busy lately. Recently got my sewing machine fixed so have been going a little crazy doing lots of little projects. So crazy busy infact that I almost forgot to post my Shadow Shot Sunday photo. But luckily I remembered just in time (I hope!).

I really like this photo - the lighting is so pretty and it is a very cool room. It is actually a room inside a cave hotel! We stayed in this beautiful beautiful cave hotel called Elkep Evi in Cappadoccia, Turkey. I'll post more photos of this incredible and unusual place in the next post but for now check out the hotel here - it was amazing!

I Lovem!

There have been a bunch of little bubbas getting born all around me recently, infact all around Sydney - so much so that the hospitals have even had to turn people away as the birthing suites were all occupied!!

As a result of so many babies coming into this world it has meant that I have spent a huge chunk of time searching on Etsy for little baby pressies. I came across some really cute little blankies - perfect security blankets complete with soft toy and all!! And an added bonus is that the creators of these cute blankies is a real sweetie as well!! Go check them out at http://lovems1.etsy.com [you can click on the photos below for more details of each item]

Pamukkale (& Shadow Shot Sunday)

I've been out of Hey Harriets Shadow Shot Sunday features lately but i'm hoping to get back into it starting with this photo:

It is a photo of my husband and I stopping to admire the view of the White Travertines of Pamukkale in Turkey. We had to take our shoes off to walk up so we wouldn't do any further damage to it. I was actually surprised we were able to walk on it. The white stuff you see everywhere is actually calcium build up and is really hard. You can see the blue pool of water just in front of us - natural thermal springs so nice and warm!

I have this old memory of photos of swimming in these thermal pools - i think maybe having seen photos of it a long time ago but now no swimming is allowed. It seems that alot of the travertines have been damaged due to lack of knowledge in the past and there not having been many rules and regulations of where tourists could visit and also possibly due to construction. If you go to this wiki page you'll see what I mean re the photo of tourists lounging in the pools. The sad bit is I actually saw those same travertines and they are completely dry now - no water in them what so ever. But atleast there are some bits with water still around that we can imagine what it must have been like back in the day.

All these years later it is still quite an amazing spot to visit in a tiny town!

The Way It Should Be Part II - Amalfi Coast

I'm way behind in my blogging as i've been doing our last few stints of travel as we make our way home from London, UK to Sydney, Australia. I'm happy to say we have arrived safe and sound back to our hometown of Sydney where we are enjoying the sunny weather, yummy food and loving the company of our family and friends.

But before I blog anymore about us moving home and what we did on our way back I thought I'd better finish off my 'The Way It Should Be' Posts. My last post was giving you a little bit of insight into the wonderful relaxing two weeks we spent in France and Italy while my brother-in-laws came to visit us in Europe. You can see all the fun we had here in the French Riviera!

But, I thought i'd better finish off the trip with this post and our time in the beautiful Amalfi Coast in Italy!

Positano

Before making our way to the Amalfi Coast we thought we'd spend a day in Rome as my brothers-in-laws had never been there before. Ok, I know, one day in Rome is insane - last time my husband and I went we spent 5 days in Rome alone and there was so much to see but we were on a tight time frame and basking on the beach was high on the agenda! Rome was just as I remembered - bustling with so much wonderful history and culture (plus gelati shops at every corner - mmmmm.....). We did the usual sights and managed to pack in quite a lot into one day but unfortunately with only one day there, shopping was put on hold and I didn't get to peruse all the lovely Italian shops. This time round I managed to get a few lovely night shots of some of the best known sights in Rome, before heading to Naples and Pompei.

Trevi Fountain at Night - Rome

After stopping at Naples (best Pizza ever) we made our our way further South and stopped in Sorrento for a few days. I wasn't expecting much as the Lonely Planet warns about pretty disappointing beaches. But instead we found it quite cute looking down onto the these lounge chairs set up on all the rocks and piers with the crystal clear water surrounding it. It was so hot but that water was sooo refreshing!!

Sorrento

After spending a few days in Sorrento and doing little day trips out (Pompei was fantastic!) we took the bus along the amazingly gorgeous amalfi coast to plonk ourselves at Positano for a few days of more R&R. How gorgeous is this place with the buildings stacked up on the mountain side overlooking a beautiful coast. Swimming, sun baking and feasting on yummy italian cuisine - it really can't get much better than this!!

View from our balcony - Positano

It had been a few years since we did a lovely relaxing beachy holiday like this and I loved every single bit of it!!

Enjoying the beach at Positano

The Way It Should Be Part I - Cote d'Azur

I recently spent a glorious 2 weeks in France & Italy. My husbands brothers decided to make one more stop to Europe before we headed back to Australia so they joined us on our sun and beach break to *try* and forget about the miserable English weather.

Colourful Windows of Provence

The first week we spent our time driving along the Cote d'Azur. We first picked up our car in Marseille and then did lots of little side trips as we made out way through parts of Provence before hitting the coastal towns and ending our trip in Nice.

Cassis Town

The big names of St Tropez, Cannes and Monaco (unfortunately no celebs spotted) are always on the tip of everyones tongue when you think of the Cote d'Azur (French Riviera) but there are lots of little towns along the way which are just as gorgeous with their sparkling clear blue waters!

Beach on the way to Monaco

We also got to visit so many quaint, cute and very french little villages and stayed in some lovely french guest houses. Staying in the guest houses meant we were privvy to some great local knowledge and checked out Gorges Du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of France) and this beautiful lake Lac St Croix where we found lots of holiday makers out on paddle boats.

Lac St Croix

There is something about France that I never tire of. Each region is very different and the food is to die for, infact i'm yet to have a bad meal over there. I was surprised to realise that this trip to the Cote d'Azur was our 6th visit to France in our 3 years of living in London!! It is actually the country we have most revisited during our time in Europe.

Delicious Berries at the Nice Markets

What did we do while there?? - lots of walking, lots of swimming and lots of eating! This type of living is the way it should be!!

Cute Pottery Store at Gourdon

Shadow Shot Sunday

I'm back from vacation. Had a wonderful time and managed to get rid of my pasty white skin to a nice golden glow!!!

Will post more on the trip and some photos soon but thought i'd better get my Shadow Shot Sunday photo in for Hey Harriets blog as I probably won't have time to blog this coming weekend.

This photo is a shadow of a plant growing just beside the pool of the french guest house we were staying at. I've turned the photo upside down (so the plant shadow looks the right way up) and made some digital enhancements to the photo - I like it better this way - it looks enhanced, but was much too bland before.

Vacation Time!

In case you're wandering, my posts will be less frequent or non existent for a little while as i'll be soaking up (much needed) sun along the Cote d'Azur and then Amalfi Coast.

Will see you all back in a bit with a lovely new tan :)

The Himba Tribe (& Shadow Shot Sunday)

Here's my Shadow Shot Sunday photo for Hey Harriet! Its a different take on 'shadow'. Instead of taking a photo of a shadow I decided to put this photo of a womans arm resting in the shadows and light of the sun.

I really like this photo. I'm not sure why. Maybe because of its beauty in its simplicity.

I took this photo last year when we visited the Himba Tribe people in Namibia. It was a thoroughly interesting visit to meet this group of nomadic people and learn about their life and traditions.

But at the same time it made me think more about the impact this modern world is having on traditions - theirs, mine, yours, ours. Is it for the better or worse and do we really have a choice?

Three different stages of life as revealed by hairstyle and jewellery

Introducing PPAccessories!

I have been dilemmaring for ages as to whether to open a second store for my earrings and I have finally taken the plunge and opened up PPAccessories. I thought this would be a good time as I'm still trying to reduce all my stock before we move!

I've only listed a few items so far but hope to add a new item or two each day and slowly move my earrings from PPDesigns to PPAccessories.

Hope you will have some time to stop by PPAccessories and say hello!!

Jewellery Part III - For Sale [SOLD]

Edit 17/09/08 - All pieces have been sold and are on their way to new and loving homes!!

This is the final part of Jewellery for the Blog Sale, so it could be a long post - prepare yourselves but make sure you reach all the way to the end for the final fantastic deal (swarovski!) :)

Remember if you are interested in buying, more details on how to buy can be found in this post or just email me at ppdesigns.etsy@yahoo.com

Love Heart Necklace - [SOLD]
This is simple and sweet. The chain is 19" with a lobster claw clasp. The pendant is the totally sweet part about it. It looks almost like a ring with faux diamond chips around the band coming to a little heart which has a larger faux diamond on top of the heart. CONDITION: EXCELLENT
PRICE: $8 ~~ SHIPPING: $2 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Two Chunky Wooden Bracelets - [SOLD]
Made from round wooden balls. One in a chocolate brown and one in beige. They are fantastic worn with modern classics or flirty bohemian style clothing. Gives your outfit a clean, natural look to it - chunky but not over the top! CONDITION - EXCELLENT
PRICE FOR BOTH: $4 ~~ SHIPPING: $2 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Two Bugle/Seed Bead Rings - [SOLD]
Pink & Purple Ring - Very sweet little ring made of pink, purple and white seed beads designed with conjoining flowers. This ring has a slightly smaller fit (fits on my ring finer and loser on my pinky. It has a little stretch as the beads are threaded through fishing wire. CONDITION: GOOD (when not on a finger it sits a little squished - ie not a perfect round shape but once on the finger it loses that squished look)

Brown & Gold Ring - This ring has colours of dark brown, gold and even hints of purple. It is great for everyday wear. It is made with wire so can actually expand slightly to fit your finger. Currently has a diameter of 2cm or just short of an inch. CONDITION: EXCELLENT

PRICE FOR BOTH: $2 ~~ SHIPPING: $1 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Light Blue Wire Necklace - [SOLD]
Another simple yet stylish necklaec approx 14" with lobster claw clasp. Sits high on the neck with very pale blue beads which have a little shine so it sparkles in the light. CONDITION: GOOD (the findings have tarnished slightly and the wire shape is not as good as it once was although once on it looks ok)
PRICE: $3 ~~ SHIPPING: $1 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Stars and Flowers Necklace - [SOLD]
This necklace is made from a light blue leather cord with silver coloured charms of flowers threaded onto the the leather. Star shaped and round coloured charms hang from these flowers. All charms have a turquoise coloured centre to match thte leather cord. Each round charm has a slightly different colour to it to give this necklace even more charachter. The leather cord is approx 7.5" and on either side there is a 5" and a 5.5"chain for fastening with a lobster claw clasp. With all the charms this is a slighlty heavier necklace but sits well on the neckline. A multitude of charms make this necklace extra special! CONDITION: EXCELLENT
PRICE: $10 ~~ SHIPPING: $3 (UK); $6 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Wooden Necklace - [SOLD]
A simple natural looking necklace made of wooden beads in various shades of woody colours. It is elastic so can slip over your head easily. CONDITION: GOOD (the elastic in this one is getting a little worn so it is not as tight as it once was)
PRICE: $3 ~~ SHIPPING: $1 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Black Necklace - [SOLD]
This neclakce is made up of small round beads which I think may be hematite but i can't be certain. It has a smooth and shiny sheen to it. Simple for everyday or the office even. The clasp however is a bit old. It is actually the ends of those round crimps but it seems to work and stay on ok but because of this I am classifying this condition as average only, although everything else with it is excellent. CONDITION: AVERAGE
PRICE: $6 ~~ SHIPPING: $2 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Blue & White Dangle Earrings - [SOLD]
I actually made these earrings but I can't list them on etsy as I have already worn them a few times. I can change the ear wires for you to a clean pair though. These earrings are approx 2.7" long from the base of the earwire to the end of the longest strand. It is a two strand earring with blue and clear beads. CONDITION: EXCELLENT
PRICE: $3 ~~ SHIPPING: $2 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Swarovski Crystal Pink Cat Necklace - [SOLD]
This is a genuine swarovski crystal pendant with a 15" brown cotton cord with an additional 2" of rhodium plated chain for fastening. Rodium plated lobster claw clasp. The cat pendant is approx 1" wide and 1" high. Comes with all original packaging, swarovski certificate and the care advice/warranty card. This pink kitty is gorgeous. Sparkles perfectly and has never been worn or taken out for the box (only today to measure the cord)!

I bought it here at the Swarovski store in London. It looks like they have stopped selling this cat though so it is even more rare!! I've even checked the web and can't find any shops selling it. It usually sells for 35GBP (70USD) see here (for the dog pendant as the cat is no longer availabe in stores) but I am selling this for 40USD only. . Great for yourself or as a gift.
CONDITION: EXCELLENT
PRICE: $40 ~~ SHIPPING: $3 (UK); $6 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Well here ends the Jewellery Blog Sale section. Don't forget to email me for any further queries or if you would like to purchase. Remember combined shipping is also available! ppdesigns.etsy@yahoo.com

Don't forget you can always check out what's on sale at the blog sale quickly by checking out the top right hand corner of my blog (or by clicking on the 'blog sale' label on the right hand side bar)

Next up on the Blog Sale will be either more knick knacks or clothing....keep watching :)

Jewellery Part II - For Sale [SOLD]

Edit 15/08/08 - All this pretty jewellery has found a new and loving home!! Thanks!

Here is part two of my Jewellery Blog Sale. A few more pretty items that I couldn't help but buy but stayed hidden in my cupboard (i really do have a terrible habit of doing this!!).

Hope you may find something in here. Remeber check out how to buy in the second half of this post. You may also like to go back & revisit what was in Jewellery Part I aswell (remember i can do combined shipping!)

Seed Bead Goodies!
Acqua Necklace - There are 5 strands to this pretty but simple aqua necklace. It is elastic so can fit over your head and will sit just around your nec. Great for everyday wear and has a litle sparkle to it. CONDITION - EXCELLENT

Green Bracelet - There are 5 strands to this bracelet. A combination of seed and bugle beads joined together by a larger green bead. This one is also elastice. CONDITION - GOOD (the elastic is getting a little worn in this one so it is not as tight as it once was)

PRICE FOR BOTH: $2 ~~ SHIPPING: $1 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Lime Sparkle Ring
This ring is a it bling!! It has a large lime/light green coloured gemlike stone in the middle. Surrounded by lots of tenny little ones around it. There are also 3 little ones just around the side of each band. The ring size is approx 2cm in diameter. It is a bit big for me so this one is up for grabs too! CONDITION - EXCELLENT
PRICE: $3 ~~ SHIPPING: $2 (UK); $3 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Swishy Necklace
Light green beads with a small circle shell type attachments from each link. Silver lobster claw clasp. Approx 15" with addition 2.5" of chain for fastening. This one has a little weight to it. CONDITION - GOOD (missing a circle shell or two on the last link near the clasp - but can't really be noticed).
PRICE: $5 ~~ SHIPPING: $3 (UK); $6 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Rectangles
8 thin cords and a large enamelled rectangle make up this trendy and modern necklace. The cord is approx 16" with an addition 4" of bronze coloured chain for fastening. Lobster claw clasp. The pendant is made up of 3 small rectangles within each other and is approx 1.5" long.
CONDITION - EXCELLENT
PRICE: $5 ~~ SHIPPING $2 (UK); $4 (EVERYWHERE ELSE)

Here ends Part II of the Jewellery bit. I think there will be one more part to come for jewellery so keep watching out. Remember if you are interested in any of my Blog Sale Items just email me at ppdesigns.etsy@yahoo.com!