Thursday Happy Mail

Today's Happy Mail is brought to you by The Four Of Us
We did a little private swap of recipes that we regulary use. I can't wait to try the Tuna Mornay!

Back of Envelope decorated by Little Miss M. :) Going straight to the Smash Book!

Wednesday's Happy Mail

Recieved my first letter from my Trinket Penpal, Stephanie!

Very fitting magnetic bookmark considering today is halloween

Stickers, a bookmark and Memo sheets!

Also a postcard from Moldova today. A really really weird looking owl. Of course I collect owl postcards so I love it!

My first postcard from Moldova

Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

I am not, I repeat, am NOT buying another standard green plastic Christmas Tree this year.  When we moved earlier in the year, I threw our old one out (much to hubby's annoyance and insistence that it was quite fine, despite being crushed and pushed up against the wall all year).

THIS year I want to do something different, and I knew what I had in mind - I just needed to find the picture to go with the one in my head; and after trawling through google, here it is-

Found this one on Tumblr - can't find the source I'm sorry.

Now, I highly doubt mine will be quite as pretty, or quite as big, but you get the gist of what I have in mind.  Basically a collection of bare branches, bound together at the bottom, put in a put, with branches strong enough to hold fairylights.  This one has baubles on it too and I hadn't thought of that. Might just see how it looks with fairylights first.  Going for the "less is more" I think, this year.

So my mission between now and Christmas is to hunt out branches that have fallen from trees. It sounds easier than it is really.

What are your plans for decorating this year?

Smash Around The World Project -First Update

Here we go - it's only a handful of things but it's a start~

My name!

Some stamps

Stamps from Russia and Germany

Stamps for the USA

Things from Korea and America

Recieved today from my new south korean penpal

My Morning At The Beach

The forecast for today in Melbourne is quite high, and usually it's not quite so hot down here on the Peninsula as we have the sea breeze which is just beautiful.
On my way to the shops to pick up some ingredients I caught sight of the bay and it was the mots lovely aqua blue colour, and the tide was so far out that you could just about walk to the end of the jetty without getting your knees wet.
So of course I pulled over, unable to resist the water...

A super low tide, you can walk out nearly to the end of the jetty

I'm on a sandbank, looking back towards the shore

How beautiful is the clear water and blue sky!!

Of course I had to wade out and walk about for a while.

Smash Around The World Project

Smash Around The World Project.
 

I'm starting a Smash Book with notes, stamps, snippets, drawings, pictures, cards and items that people from all around the world send me.

I'm also going to have a page where I tear your [first] name from the envelope/letter you send me and stick it in.

I would LOVE to recieve something from you

Drop me a message here, or email me at muishkas@gmail.com

What to send? Well, in the words of K & Company....

"A note, a quote, a thought to jot, a snipping, a clipping, the idea that's caught.  A card, a regard, a tidbit, a smidgen.  A doodle of a poodle, or the feather of a pigeon. It's the smatterings of ordinary, extraodinary life. Messy, and beautiful"

I'll be keeping this blog updated regulary with things I get and people who are participating.

Mail From Russia

My poor mailbox has been a little empty this week :( But today I recieved a postcard from Russia, enclosed in a lovely envelope.

Gorgeous envelope

Awesome postcard of postcards from Russia

SMASH Book - Help?

I now have a mini smash book in my hot little hands.
This is addition to the yellow international normal sized smash book I also have.


The worst thing about having awesome journals, is actually starting them.  You flick through the lovely pages and don't want to 'ruin' anything.

The second worse thing about having awesome journals to use, is deciding on a theme. This, for me, is a terrible cascade of thoughts and ideas and it usually takes me about three weeks or longer just to decide what to do with them (as though the journal I have is the last one on earth and I simply cannot buy another one when this one is finished!)

I saw a video of a girl who had done an A-Z smash book.  Basically you have one double page for each letter, and throughout the year (or however long you like) you just stick stuff in there that you come across on the corresponding page.  I liked that idea.  But the mini smash book doesn't have enough pages for the alphabet, and the normal size smash book has too many.
What to do with the extra pages????

There was a 30 day Smash challenge I saw on facebook, but I'm not one to fill up a journal like this so quickly.  Some of the prompts would take me aaaaaaaaaaages to finish, so I'm not sure I want to lock myself into a challenge like that.
Then I thought, I don't necessarily have to DO the challenge; just write down the prompts on each page. But I'm not /sure/ I want to do that either.

I'd LOVE to have one where I just put ticket stubs of shows I've seen and plane tickets and train tickets and event entries and order of events...but we actually very very rarely GO anywhere like that.

So help me! Throw some ideas at me. What can I do with these Smash Books????

Challenge for November

It's nearly the end of October and I have been pretty good with keeping up with the FMS Photo a Day. Okay, well I need to catch up on two days, but I plan to do that tomorrow.

So what to do for November?
Really, I could do another photo challenge, but I found this tonight and even though I SO can't draw, I thought it might be funny to do and get my creative juices flowing...

OR, I could do a 30 day Smash Book Challenge...


Hrm. What to do?!!!

 

Top 10 Ipod Post

Yop 10 Songs played on your ipod right now

1. Let's Get Married  - Jagged Edge
2. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepson
3. Right Round  - Flo Rida
4. Sexy Can I - Ray J
5.  Beautiful - Snoop Dog
6. Good Feeling - Flo Rida
7. Price Tag - Jessie J
8. Euphoria - Loreen
9. Sexy and I Know it - LMFAO
10.  One More Night - Maroon 5

 

A Pile of Kitties

I have to post a picture of the Postcard recieved from the USA.

"I can say I'm sending a pile of kitties in the mail" she exclaims on the back of the card.
This was a private swap. Thanks Callie :)

A pile of kitties!

People you know. AKA: Friends.

Monday's Mail

Today's postcard is brought to you from Spain.

Doctors

ARGH
Seriously, some doctors just make me want to throw something at them.

Today, at the doctor:

Doctor: (looks at tonsils)  They look fine

Me: I know. But I’m still in a LOT of pain.

Dr: Hm.

Me: Could it be something else?

Dr: Nah. It’s probably still tonsillitis.

Me: Probably?

Dr: Yeh.

Me: But you said they aren’t inflamed

Dr: (shrugs and stares at me)  So, what do you want from me?

Me: Antibiotics I guess. It’s been nearly two weeks now.

Dr: Yeh? Well what ones do you want?

Me: You don’t want to suggest one that might be best?

Dr: (chews on his gum)

Me: I’ll take the Augementum

Dr: (prints out script.) See ya.

Me: (glare)

Eyelashes

After discovering the cost of getting eyelash extensions (and just about passing out) I wondered if I could somehow do them myself.  I've used fake eyelashes before; the ones you just stick on and take off at the end of the day. But I was feeling vain and wanted 'real' ones.  So off I went to Priceline and picked up a set of individual lashes in a kit for around $15.00

After watching a handful of Youtube video's, I was pretty confident that I could do it myself (although I was pretty confident I could bleach my own hair too, and let's not go into that) so off I went to the bathroom mirror...

I tihnk I did a pretty good job for the first time! They are quite even, and honestly it wasn't that difficult.

This morning

Closer up

Not to Panic...

I don't want to panic you, but Christmas is coming.  It's been creeping in quicker this year for some reason and so it's time to get started on my Christmas Gift List.  (Because if I don't have one, I forget what I"ve bought people and end up going overboard.)

Since this year we are on a strict budget, today I did some window shopping.  I had a good look around and took photos of things I thought people might like, along with the price tag.  Now that I'm home, I can make a list and sort out what I'll get them for sure, and also check online to see if I can get a better price than the retail stores are selling for (which is most often the case).

Mum wants this book so I priced it at the store

If you're organised, I think you can save a LOT on gifts.  Retail shops take advantage of the fact that you're probably in a rush and left it to the last minute.

I've now made my list of gifts to get for people, the cost I'm going to pay for it and where I'm going to get it from. Feeling a bit more organised now~!

Fridays Mail

A little bit of happiness arrived in the mail today

Stickers I ordered from Korea.

My first Jetoy Postcard!!!!!

Gorgeous stamps from China

Cute stamp from Finland

Washi Tape?

So I'm beginning to get a small collection now of Washi Tape.  And whilst I use it on occassion in my smash book or journalling, I have no clue what else to do with it.  After looking up pinterest and google today there are a few things I can see myself doing, but I need more ideas.
Anyone?

Here is what I did to the front of my day planner for the rest of this year. Makes a nice change from the boring front cover that it was!!

Washi Taped Day Planner!

SMASH book 30 day Challenge

I'm in the middle of another challenge right now, but I'm posting this for future reference.




1.A few things about yourself

2.Things you are good at

3.I am looking forward to ...

4.Today's playlist

5.Weekend Goals

6.Least favorite words

7.Blog goals

8.In my bag

9.Favorite websites and blogs

10.On my wishlist

11.Date night ideas

12.Weekly rituals

13.DIYs I want to try

14.Things I love about _______

15.On my shopping list

16.Places to see in your town

17.Words that are hard to spell

18.Road trip must-haves

19.Recipes I want to try

20.Celebrity crushes

21.Things to do this Spring

22.Today I saw

23.Guilty pleasures

24.I make lists for

25.Things I'd rather be doing right now

26.Books I'd like to read this year

27.Lessons learned

28.Vacations to take

29.Favorite foods

30.Today's to-do list

Happy Mail for Tuesday!

I have soooo very nearly finished my first Smash book!!  I have a yellow one ready to go, but THEN my friend Sara showed me that she had obtained a mini smash book.

Hola. WHAT???
A MINI SMASH BOOK?

I haven't seen one of those around here, but then I haven't been to the scrapping store in a couple of months.  And so now I'm busting my chops to get over my tonsillitis so I can take a drive and check out if Paper 2 has these new mini Smash Books in stock.

In the meantime, I plan to use my yellow smash book as a photo album for the instagram photos I got printed out.

Today's mail was awesome.  I recieved my instagram photos that I printed off through prinstagram to look like mini polaroids. I recieved my order of a bunch of new postcards with the themes of cartoon cats, little girls and boys and Anne of Green Gables; aaaaaaaaaaaand three new washi tapes!!!
What a happy mail day :)

Washi Tape

Much clearer in RL.

A handful of new postcards to use from Korea

One of the Anne of Green Gables Postcards

Because it's just so funny

• regular people in the shower: wash, rince and repeat
• me in the shower: accepting award
• me in the shower: pretending i'm filming for a shampoo commercial
• me in the shower: pretending i'm on a dinner date
• me in the shower: life problems
• me in the shower: making up a whole dance.
• me in the shower: pretending I am someone famous and everyone thinks I am drop dead gorgeous
• me in the shower: thinking of plot for a fanfic
• me in the shower: singing like I'm on a stage in front of an audience of my adoring fans.

Good Intentions and all that.

I love this post written by WreckThisGirlsblog because she relates in there exactly the same way as I do in relation to getting goals completed.

She started with a yearly diary, planning to do something in it every day, but she says " Would you believe that in 8 months, I've only done 5 pages?"

That sounds like me to a tea. And it frustrates me to no end, yet I keep on doing it! Starting something, moving onto something else, forgetting I started something, leaving something until another time...and then this 'something' is something (yet again) that I find 4 months down the track under a pile of book that I'm cleaning up.  I'll exclaim loudly and carry on how great it is that I've found this 'something', start it up again, and lose it under a pile of books AGAIN for ANOTHER 4 months.

We've all be brought up to "finish what you start".
Right?
It's a theme in animated childrens movies, YA books, and let's not forget parents, teachers and other influential adults in our lives as young people.

But is it REALLY that important that we finish what we start?
I'm beginning to think not.  I mean, unless it's important....like a set of antibiotics to get rid of the flu!
We should be able to pick up anything we like, have a go, and drop it, postpone it, date it, change it or mould it to fit. Right? Right!

So I'm done with feeling ashamed that I don't finish things I start when it comes to art projects, because I KNOW I'm not the only person who does it. And I'm having fun regardless.  Who cares if I get to day 19 of a month project and have only done 3 items? I've done what I WANT to do and what I FEEL like doing and what I was INSPIRED to do. I'll do the rest another time...or not at all!

(In saying this, I AM pleased to say that I have been very good and am up to date with my FMSphotoaday on twitter. Woot!)

Anyway, the point of this post was to say just do what you like when it comes to being creative. 
If something doesn't suit, change it.
If it's not the right time, then do it another day.
If you start something and don't want to do it the next day, then don't!
Let your creative juices take you wherever they will!

I'm First!!!

Recieved confirmation that my Switzerland Postcard arrived this morning, along with a little message to say my postcard was the first they had recieved since joining! Exciting!




"Dear Jasmine!
Thank you for a great postcard! It is the very first one I have received via postcrossing! My baby son and me have assigned a special place on the wall to put up our favourite postcards. Yours is going to the top!
Have a nice day!
Nela & Simão"

Friday's Mail

Today I recieved one postcard from Poland in a private swap. I love the geisha hiding behind the sakura in this postcard.  I also have a letter to post to a special little girl full of goodies.  (The letter that is, not the girl haha)


Now I have to get myself into gear because I have a lot of postcards to send out and catch up on.