Beautiful & Pristine Norway

I was looking through my photos the other day, actually I was meant to be culling them to clear up some space on my computer but as usual got distracted with some of our old travels.

I came across our photos from Norway and remembered what an awesome trip that was. Norway has some really beautiful scenery. Everything looks serene, calm and pristine. Like an untouched land. The houses are cute and very 'Scandinavian' and of course the fjords are amazing! Wide open waterways surrounding many mountains and little towns with scatterings of colourful wooden homes. Totally picturesque!

While we were travelling we got alot of buses from town to town and noticed the cute little mail boxes of the homes in that town. The homes were often spread far apart from each other so I guess it only made sense to have everyones post boxes together in one spot for the postie to drop the mail off! As with the home of Norway each mailbox was painted in fun bright colours - I wonder if they matched their homes??

We also saw on a few stops along way an 'honour' system second hand book shop (or atleast we thing that was what it was) on the side of the street. You can see in the photo collage above all the books were displayed with a little box on the side I assume to put your money in. Very cute and gave the whole town a nice little vibe to it - something about town life that you just can't seem to find in the city.

And that last picture there was a little stall selling deer and whale meat. Which I guess may be common place in some countries but I thought it was a bit unusual!!

We visited many of the areas of the fjord lands but I think my fav was Balestrand. Not sure why, maybe because it was so quiet and felt like we were in our own little place strolling along the water. The Kviknes Hotel was especially picturesque against the pretty backdrop of the water (see pic above).

The photos above were taken of Bergen. The town we flew into and where our Norway trip started. We stayed in the basement of somebodies home and it was nice staying in an actual 'home' rather than a motel or hotel. It was lovely to roam the little lanes and alleys of residential Bergen and squeal with delight over how uber cute all the homes were painted in such pretty colours!

Now, I really mustn't get any more distracted and get back to clearing out some space on my computer instead of day dreaming I was on holidays again!!

Resin Pretties

I've always liked resin jewellery. I've got a few pieces myself that i've picked up along my travels and couldn't resist doing a little search on etsy for 'Resin Jewellery' only to find to my delight lots of pretty resin goodies. I'm still confused over how they make these lovely pieces but am grateful that these wonderful shop owners do and can share their work with us! A few of my favs I spotted while 'window shopping' on etsy!

I love this geeny clour in BuyMyCraps ring plus the additional swirl of black makes it even more intriguing. It's been captured just as the colours mix and I love the look!

I am loving the fiery reds and orange in this bracelet. A definite eye catcher from ChelleV2's shop.

These earrings by Shareen Woodford are so pretty. The lovely frosted green stands out a treat as a the perfect backdrop to the little silver leaf.

I am a sucker for anything summery and cheerful and that is exactly what I thought off when I saw Bobishi's gorgeous lemon coloured ring. Definitely lovely reminders of summer and living in the great outdoors!

These rings from lorenalimonchi are super cute and come in a whole rainbow of colours. I think they would look great with a few on your finger!

What a beauty this bangle is! Velinaglass sure has a wonderful talent! I like how this one is so clean and finished perfectly. She has called it 'Out of Africa' and I think it captures it perfectly.

I found this in Early Bird Creations shop! It's a fantastic little key ring - so i'f you're not a big jewellery wearer you can still treat yourself to some resin pretties with this key ring. I love the matte resin and the lovely soft coordinating colours in this one.

Sugarjewels shop has some lovely pieces but its the colours in this bangle that I love. A stand out green colour with a streaky bits of borwn through it. Love it!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Souks of Marrakesh

I've been absent from the Shadow Shot Sunday meme for some time, but this week I'm making sure I get in in time. The picture i've selected for my re-entry into Hey Harriets SSS is a photo taken in the Souks of Marrakesh, Morocco (above). I love this one as the entire frame lies in a shadow except for the beautiful rays of light coming through the roof highlighting the daily activities of those working the souks.

I couldn't resist adding a few more photos of the souks in a little collage just above. I love the whole souk vibe in Marrakesh. Colourful and lively just like the folks who live there. You can probably gather from the photos that the souks are a bit of a shop-a-holics paradise, and yes I was in Paradise (don't know about my poor hubby though!).

Just outside the souks lie the famous Djemma el Fna. As dusk falls it seems all of Marrakesh gather in this square for some story telling, and good meal. The whole place gets a little smoky as the food stalls start up. It's hard not follow your nose and pick a stall to eat at.

Above are a couple of the food stalls that people plonk themselves at for a good meal! We followed suit and did the same - it was a yummy meal and very inexpensive too! Afterwards we walked around getting completely lost into the atmosphere that is Djemma el Fna.

I Like

I have been eyeing this dress from asos for quite a few months now. If I was in London still earning the pound I wouldn't hesitate to buy, but having come back to Sydney I realise from an aussie point of view things aren't as cheap as they sound when I convert GBP to AUD :( plus being an unemployed 'lady of leisure' means i've got to watch my pennies a little bit more these days!

So i've had my fingers crossed for some time that the price of this will come down even more...but so far no luck. It has remained the same for quite some time. I guess i'll just have to make do with admiring from afar (it looks so cute though!)

Scenic Sunday - Misty Haze

I love this photo and i've actually got this one printed out at home and it looks even better when printed out. The light purple haze is so pretty and you can see in the distance a lovely golden sunkissed mist - it is so pretty.

I took this photo at Richmond Park in London UK. We got up really really early one morning to get a 1hr bus out there just before sunrise so we could spend a morning taking photos. We got some really beautiful pretty photos from there and this is one of my favs!

Happy Scenic Sunday everyone!

Sweet Spool Dollies

I received my spool dolly family in the post the other day and I am so thrilled with them! I can't wait to set up my sewing room and have my little family watch over me as I sew sew sew away.

I must say a great big giant THANKS to Erica Daley for creating my wonderful spool dolly family. It will be a lovely reminder of my family (mum, dad, bro and sis) as I move out of home all over again.

Oh, and that's me in pink and green to the left :)

Baby Change Mats!

I forgot to mention that I have listed some new items in my Jumpy Frog shop! These baby change mats came around as a suggestion from my sister-in-law. She wanted to give handy all in one baby change mats to her friends as gifts but could only find boring black or grey ones and often just a change mat only without any pockets for nappys/wipes.

So out of that was born the Jumpy Frog baby changes mats complete with pockets for diapers and baby wipes. Not only that, it is also lined with waterproof PVC for easy wiping down of any little messes!

That's my cutie pie nephew up there modelling for me!

Here are a few other designs I have in store:

And if you already have a change mat then maybe you'll like one of these handy diaper/baby wipe wallets. They'll fit a few diapers and your baby wipes container so you can pop it in any of your carry bags and never have to scrounge around you bag looking for your diapers and wipes - you'll be able to find your little wallet easily and be the envy of all your mummy friends!

Scenic Sunday - Okavango Delta

Another last minute rush post job just in time for Scenic Sunday (hopefully)!

One of the most serene places i've been too is the Okavango Delta. So beautiful, so quiet - very reflective (after you get over initial fear of being chomped on by hippos and crocs!)

A definite highlight from my Africa trip - i'm glad we added it on to our trip plans last minute - well worth it! I just wish I had extra long arms so we could have taken better pictures of ourselves in our mokoros. Instead I have zillions of photos of lots of other people who I don't really know - oh well!

Scenic Sunday - Cassis

I missed out on Scenic Sunday last week, so I made sure I would remember this week to post something up!!

Here are my photos - they are a photo of the very pretty town of Cassis in France. Gorgeous and cute, with beautiful water views especially the crystal clear water of the massive white cliffs known as the Calanques, which you can see in the picture below. Only silly me forgot my swimmers that day and could only do with admiring it from a boat rather than jumping right in for a swim!

Tush Tush

I recently spoiled myself to an early birthday present!! I'm turning the big 3-0 in just one weeks time and seeing as I am house hunting I thought it would be the perfect excuse to check back on the artwork I had 'hearted' to find myself an early birthday pressie!!

I had been long admiring the wonderful works of Tush Tush and had 'hearted' this beautiful 'dancer' photo above. So when I went back through my fav's I was very disappointed to see that it had sold, but I took this opportunity to have another little looksies around Tush Tush's shop.

I love all her artwork and found myself coveting this beautiful piece entitled 'Rimma' which you can see just below. I 'hearted' it and a few days later purchased it! I can't wait to receive it and even more can't wait to find a house to move into so that I can finally get all my artwork framed and hung up on my walls for all to admire!

Now i'm on the search for a bigger house, with lots more wall space so I have even more of an excuse to revisit Tush Tush's shop :)

Victorian Bushfire Appeal

You will have heard on the news about the bushfires in Victoria, Australia. The facts are devastating - many lives lost, many missing and many left homeless.

It is encouraging to see that the Etsy community has banded together with many sellers donating a percentage of their sales to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal and many others supporting the cause by purchasing such items.

To help out visit the OzBushfireAppeal.etsy.com shop and make a purchase or donate an item to be sold for the cause. You will also find many shops are dedicating items direct in their shops to the Red Cross and you can find these items by doing a search on the tag 'bushfire'

As for me, to help out i've decided to donate 50% of my sales from my PPDesigns shop from today till the end of February, plus have donated some items direct to the OzBushfireAppeal shop. On top of that I couldn't help but buy this cutie from the OzBushFireAppeal shop.

Please take some time to visit these shops and to lend a hand if possible! Thanks for your support!

Scenic Sunday - Monument Valley

A little rush post to get my Scenic Sunday photo in. This week i've picked my photo of Monument Valley. As we drove along flat empty roads for ages it was very exciting to finally start to see Monument Valley in front of us!! We could see it far off in the distance, and ofcourse it still took us a awhile to get up close to enjoy it even more but it was very cool and was just like in all the movies!

50% OFF SALE ON PHOTOS!

I've got a massive clearance on now in my shop. Many of my photos are 50% off and are at or below cost price!! Please help me clear my shop as I have lots of new photos that I would like to list but need to clear some stock first!

Just check out the 50% OFF SALE SECTION of my shop. Here are a few of my goodies to entice you ;)

SET OF 3 4X6 PRINTS WAS $12 NOW $6

WAS $15 NOW $7.50

WAS $10 NOW $5

WAS $10 NOW $5

WAS $25 NOW $12.50


WAS $25 NOW $12.50

Scenic Sunday - Iceland

Rainbow over Iceland

Here is another entry into the Scenic Sunday blog. This time here are few of my photos from Iceland. We visited this beautiful country just before it collapsed financially so when we went everything was still super expensive (including our speeding fine - £265 after a pay immediately discount!), but we enjoyed our scenic drives and sightseeing while eating rye bread and salmon that we picked up from the supermarket for almost every meal.

Scenery in Iceland doesn't disappoint. Even though it rained abit and was at times bitterly cold we still saw the beauty of Iceland. I love landscapes and nature so was a happy little snapper while travelling in and around Rekyjavik. Have a little look at what we experienced!

Jokulsarlon - Iceberg Lagoon.
It was a long drive out but totally worth it.
The first time i've seen icebergs in the flesh.

Iceland is covered in this greeny moss - very soft and spongy.
It looked like we were on another planet


A cute Icelandic Church we drove by on top of a hill

Seljalandsfoss - Massive Waterfall!
Iceland has many waterfalls and this was one of our favs.


The Blue Lagoon
How could we go to Rekyjavik and not take a dip?

Scenic Sunday - Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Here's my first entry to the Scenic Sunday blog. I took this photo while travelling around Croatia. One of the places I desperately wanted to see while in Croatia was the beautiful (and scenic!) Plitvice Lakes. I had seen so many amazing photographs of it and was dying to go there! Not to mention I love waterfalls and this place had a lot of them.

So when planning our trip we decided to fly into Zagreb, hire a car and stop off at Plitvice Lakes before driving down to the Dalmatian Coast. The day we were there it was a little gloomy, overcast and wet but even with all that grey, mist and rain it still managed to look beautiful. In fact all that mist made it seem a little mystical too.

If you ever get a chance to visit Croatia, I highly recommend visiting Plitvice Lakes - the water is crystal clear and an amazing bluey/green colour (actually the water in Croatia is the clearest I think I have ever seen!).

Below are just a couple more photos I took while at Plitvice Lakes, and a few more can be found in my shop.