MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A very Merry Christmas to you all, and a prosperous New Year!

Thank you for all your support over the past year. Whether you are celebrating in the sunshine or the snow have a wonderful family time!! xxooxx

SALE!

Tonight 8-10pm (NZ) I'm having a Christmas Sale on Facebook! Most items will be at or below cost price! Sale items will be loaded into a new album on my facebook page around 7pm and sale will start at 8pm so you have a chance to take a look and pick out your goodies. :) From 8-10 it will be first to comment SOLD under a photo AND email me before 10.30pm tonight to confirm, then I'll send you payment details (Direct deposit or Paypal) See you then! :)

WINNER!

A little later than planned, due to Live Aid on TV transporting me back to 1985, but here are the results of the Giveaway! 
 I  let random.org choose the winner...and it chose...Number 5! Which turns out to be...Jenna from Jenna Young Photography Design !
 Congratulations Jenna! I will be in touch soon, you can start thinking about what you would like on your cards...remember any 12 cards and any personalisation. :)


A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who entered, I wish you could all be winners. :) 

500! THANK YOU!

It's time to celebrate! WOOHOOO!
This week my Facebook page hit 500 'likers' (I wish there was a nicer word!) I want to thank every single one of you, especially those that find time to comment on posts, it is very much appreciated, I love the feedback and interaction! Life gets so busy it is easy to skim down our notifications/new posts on Facebook, see something we like but not find the time to comment or hit 'like' because there is just so much else going on at the same time. I know I am guilty of that every single day, so it really does mean a lot when I see you have taken the time to stop, read, and leave a comment.  :)

As a little thank you I'm having a give away. With Christmas fast approaching I thought maybe you would like a set of 12 Christmas Cards, personalized just for you? These can be any of my card designs, and each personalised with whatever you like on the front, "Happy Christmas Grandma", "Seasons Greetings from the Smiths", "Luv ya Snugglebum!" ? You tell me! If you don't celebrate Christmas, don't worry, you can choose from any of my other card designs, and still get a set of any 12 personalised.
SO to enter, just leave a comment here, with your name and email address, or if you prefer email me at fantaildigitalart@yahoo.co.nz.
If you would like a 2nd or 3rd entry, just share this give away on Facebook, Blog, or Twitter and leave me a link in your comment.
 Next Sunday 30th October at 8pm (NZ) I will let random.org pick a winner.
Here are the cards you will get to choose from, I'm working on a couple of new ones so hope they will be ready soon too!

GOOD LUCK! :)  xx

Pre-Writing Skills Printables

I've been having fun this evening making some pages to print and laminate for the girls I look after to try out this week. This sort of thing is great for fine motor skills, pencil control and left to right eye tracking which is so important in preparation for reading.

You can download and print these HERE. then either laminate or slide into plastic page protectors and use white board markers to take the rabbit down the path to the carrots etc.
Some crayons also work, but test them out yourself first, as I have found some just don't wipe off again, and others are very hard to write with on the surface, which is SO frustrating, especially if you are 3 or 4 years old!
If you do use them please let me know, I'd love to hear what you and your children liked/disliked about them!  Thanks. :)

"My First Weather Chart" Free Printable :)

To celebrate having my laptop back, repaired and good as new,(YAY!YAY!YAAAAYYYY!)  I finally finished the "My First Weather Chart" that I was working on a couple of months ago.

This is a simple first weather chart/calendar designed for pre-schoolers. Print, cut, laminate and use with magnetic strips or velcro strips. If you have a Xyron or similar machine to run it through to laminate the front and add magnet to the back, then it's even easier! Any other ideas or ways you think of to use it I'd love to hear! I have included 2 versions of the Seasons page, so you can choose to use "Autumn" or "Fall".

You can download here - My First Weather Chart Please read the TOU file enclosed, for pattern credit and info on use. Feel free to share, but please link to this original post, thank you! :)

Here it is filled in for today - 

I plan to keep mine on the fridge, and use it with the children I look after. 

If you download and use this, please consider sharing a photo of it in use, or drop me an email, I'd love to hear about it. :)

Oooops!

Hellooo....? Is anyone still there?!
HOW can almost 3 months have gone by so quickly?! I knew I had not written a new blog post for a while, not through lack of trying, more through lack of laptop and extra hours in the day, but 3 months?! 
Well, having failed miserably at keeping up with Just a Minute, just pretend you read June July and August ages ago, and here is September!
Just a Minute...September 2011

Reading...  Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex. 

The first half I was really enjoying it, but now I'm just wanting to finish it, maybe as I know I have "The Help" waiting for me at the library!
 Watching... The crazy weather outside today! Big white horses out at sea, wind howling round the house, trees bending and recycling bins blowing down the road! 
 Loving...  My other job, child-minding again. I have a 5 month old 4 days a week, a 16month old 3 days, and 2 sisters aged 2 and 4 one day a week. Wednesdays they are all here, pretty frantic but fun!

 Craving...  My own computer again! The intake fan stopped working on my laptop and it is still not fixed. Sharing one laptop with 2 children who both need it for homework, and one who needs it for school as well is driving me nuts!  

 Learning...  Te Whāriki and how to include examples in the children's daily journals. It's basically the same things as I learnt studying for my NNEB in England, but grouped as 5 'strands' each with several goals, which actually makes it easier to relate them to the children's learning and development. 

 Planning... To combine my Fantail graphic design work with my Childcare and produce more children's artwork, charts, cards and educational items.

 If you have any ideas or things you would like to see, please let me know! Some will be freebies, some for sale, but if you suggest it and I do it you will of course get the download for free.

 My first new item is a Weather Chart, watch out for that one soon, it's almost finished and will be free to Blog and FB readers to print first. :)

Well this is all a little scary....!

I am the featured seller on Craftme.co I knew it was coming, of course, but still a little scary to see it up there for all the world to see! Eeek! ;)

Markets!

 This weekend was the second of a new market at Milford, run by the lovely Annamaria who also organises the Orewa market. You can find more information about both on the Craft Market & Bazaar Orewa & Milford  facebook page.


The weather was dreadful, but that didn't put off the determined shoppers, who were all so cheerful and friendly, even though they were dripping wet and blown sideways! 
The market location, Milford Primary School, has a wonderful outlook, over Lake Pupuke and we were kept entertained by the many windsurfers that were taking advantage of the strong winds. 

My table, shared with my daughter who was selling her handmade hair accessories, bags, hats and scarves to raise funds for an upcoming school trip.

Here is a small selection of the other stalls attending the market this week....

 The talented Lin's Moz-Art table was next to ours and we fell in love with these adorable little bunnies, soft crocheted hats and beautiful clothing!

Claire of Jibba jabba with her gorgeous creations.

Ruth of RJ Photo art had a beautiful display of her wonderful photographic cards books and magnets.

These soft and snuggly bean bags from Beanz for Bubs made me wish I had a little one again!

My wall decals had a lot of interest, and lots of lovely comments!

Just a Minute - May

Just squeezing this in at the end of the month again...how does time go so fast?!

Just a Minute...May 2011


Reading... The Handmade Market Place by Kari Chapin. I have heard several good reviews of this book so decided to order it. There are some great tips and ideas in there.

 Watching... Photoshop tutorials on You Tube, and feeling a bit guilty! ;) Most of the month I try not to watch many videos etc as it uses up our internet, but then at the end of the month, when we roll over to dial up and can use as much as we want, it takes forever for them to load...! Oh for unlimited broadband! :)

 Loving... The chill in the air, that almost 'English' feeling to the weather as Autumn comes along. Sunny days and chilly evenings. Snuggling up under the fleecy throw in an evening to watch TV, and digging out the fluffy BagPuss socks! If only Winter could stay like this, and not get colder and wetter, and colder!

 Craving... Cups of tea and gingernuts!
I'm usually a coffee girl, but since having this cold and cough I've been craving cups of tea. The gingernuts are purely medicinal, of course.


 Learning...  that I need to find time to enjoy other crafts, do more sewing and altered art projects. Recently I've been helping my daughter make some hair scrunchies etc for her to sell to raise funds for a school trip, and I'd forgotten how much I used to love sewing. We are using my faithful sewing machine that I had as a 13th birthday present, it's not a flash computerised thing like you can get now but it does the job, if straight or zigzag is all you are after. The needles seem to have shrunk though, I used to get the cotton through no problems, now I can't even see the eye!

 Planning... My daughters 21st birthday party. Not that I should be, how can she possibly be 21 when I'm only about 28?! It's going to be at home, and everyone has been asked to dress as their favourite childhood character. I can't decide between Florence of Magic Roundabout, or Weed from Bill and Ben. Come to think of it tottering around in a flowerpot trying to serve up food may be a tad akward, so maybe it will have to be Florence!

FREE Printable Colouring card for Mothers Day!

Are you wondering if your children/ partner have remembered the significance of this coming Sunday?!
They might have some amazing surprise planned, or...maybe not!

Just in-case, print off this  FREE Printable Mothers Day Card and set the littlies (or hubby?!) loose with the crayons!

For those of you in parts of the world that are not celebrating Mothers Day this coming Sunday, why not download and save the card so you are prepared for next year?!  Or, even better (and something I try to get away with on 'English Mothers Day'!) announce to the family that you deserve a second one! ;)

Just Click the link above or HERE When the page pops up just click "Click here to start Download" then save to your chosen location ready to print as many as you need!


Have fun, and if you would like to share your creations I would really LOVE to see,  flick me an email at fantaildigitalart@yahoo.co.nz with a photo!  Thank you! 
http://www.mediafire.com/?mw2rbq79bpl1wxp

Just a Minute - April

Time for another 'Just a Minute'

Reading...
'Gentlemen and Player's by Joanne Harris. My sister lent me this at Christmas, so I thought it was about time I gave it a go. I must say I'm not overly impressed yet, but only a few chapters in, so will persevere. 

  Watching...
The year slip away...how can it be almost May?!

Loving... 

The Easter holidays. Having 2 of my children at home and friends visiting  from Australia. 

 My eldest daughter took this photo of one of the Easter ornaments our friends brought us over from Australia, isn't it cute?!

 Craving...
A big bowl of Birds Custard. Nothing like it. YUM!  :)

Learning... Some new tricks in Photoshop CS5 thanks to a friend who has bought it and kindly lets me play with her on her computer.  Sigh.. One day I will upgrade my faithful CS3....I can dream!

 Planning... to keep all my accounts neat and tidy this year! Hmmm, wish me luck!
I have monthly folders for receipts etc, and have drawn up a book to keep all the individual totals in under headings. (Power/phone/petrol etc)
 I attempted this last year, but it didn't exactly happen quite as I meant it to...rummaging through a years worth of receipts, credit-card bills, statements and other paperwork to gather figures was not only time consuming, but about as enjoyable as pulling my toenails out.

If you’d like to do 'just a minute' on your own blog, or already do,  please leave the link in the comments I'd love to see! :)

Road Trip!

For months I'd been meaning to make a trip to Hawkes Bay to visit relatives, so when I was invited to supply the Photographers' Gallery Hawkes Bay with some prints and cards for their shop, I decided I had a good excuse for a road trip!
So it was that on Friday morning I set off, with Stanley (aka top of the range in car stereo system) in the passenger seat.

...and my fancy pants GPS all ready... (see now why I don't have a car radio? Where else would I tuck my printouts?!) 

First stop was for lunch, at a lovely little picnic spot, somewhere between Hamilton and Tirau.

Then onwards, stopping a couple more times along the way. Just outside of Hastings, was the only time I got a bit lost, so Stanley tried to help out. 

I made it to my relatives just in time to be taken out for dinner! Fish and Chips in a place called "Breakers." Yum!

On the Saturday I went to visit the gallery, left my work there and had look around. It really is a lovely place. The cafe has a lovely atmosphere too, and the coffee is well worth popping in for. Best flat white I've had in ages! There were some rather scrummy looking cakes too, but I managed to resist those, not sure how though! 

My cousin showed me around the town, and we had a good look in some of the antique shops, galleries and other crafty shops as well as a stroll along by the sea.

If you aren't familiar with Napier, the town is famous for its Art Deco architecture, which is regarded as being one of the finest collections of Art Deco in the world. Following a devestating earthquake in February 1931 much of the city was destroyed, and as the architectural fashion of the time was Art Deco central Napier is almost entirely built in this style. If you would like to know more read HERE

This bronze sculpture in the town is beautiful. Named "A Wave in Time" it was made by Mark Whyte and is modeled on 'Miss Sheila Williams', the daughter of an architect of the era. She led the "New Napier Week Carnival" in 1933 to celebrate the towns recovery from the earthquake.  

I stayed Saturday night in  Archies Bunker Backpackers, a great little place tucked around a quiet corner. It was very clean and comfortable and at $35 for the night amazing value! 

On Sunday morning I was out early and headed up a path I had spotted, hoping that I would get a good view from the top. Sadly it was so foggy all I got to see were the trees, and the houses at the top, but it was a nice bit of Sunday morning exercise!

  Also on the Sunday I was lucky enough to be able to go along to the "Made it Here" meeting with some wonderful Hawkes Bay members of New Zealand Handmade. After coffee we headed out to wander around some of the lovely galleries and crafty shops in the area. It was so nice to meet some of the people that I 'know' online in real life, to share ideas and discuss our work together.

We found these adorable kiwis outside one of the shops.

When we said our goodbyes, I set off for the drive home.  One last look at Napier beach,

a quick side trip to the Huka Falls View point 

and a brief stop in Tokoroa

Then my next stop was Tirau, where I arrived  ten minutes after the public toilets closed...! I took my mind off the 2 coffees and 500ml bottle of water I had consumed since breakfast by taking some photos around the town 

before heading onwards, to the services at Pokeno. :)

I arrived home at 9.30pm, and slept like a log!