Its been a while!

Hi there,

I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last post on Vonnie May!

It has been an extremely busy few months and I am only now starting to get back into a routine, and hopefully will be able to continue with the blog and share some of my latest news!

Well, you may recall we decided to make a major life change and downsize our house of 33 years, and move into an apartment by the water. Well, it has actually happened, well sort of :)

We are on our way....we have packed up our house and its up for sale. This was an amazingly emotional roller coaster of a ride! The packing up, sorting through and getting rid of a huge amount of stuff was extremely cathartic, as well as extremely hard! So many mixed emotions we have travelled over the last few months.

But now we have moved into an apartment until our new apartment is finished being built - a bit of a halfway house really. This isn't our final resting place but it is easing us into this new 'apartment life' .....and we love it!

Apartment living is something I thought would take some getting used to, but we have found so many positives to living in an apartment. In future blogs I will try and explain this and update you on the journey we have been on, and continue to travel.

Meanwhile, here are a few pics of some things I have been up to since we last chatted! Hope you stick around - I promise I won't leave my next post for such a long time.

Thanks for stopping by....feel free to leave a comment. x

Packing up all my fabric

Lots of new paint!

Results in a new painting!

Beautiful Clivia from the front yard

Bye Bye Front Deck - I know I will miss you!

A quick trip to Melbourne

My latest best friend....Lucy...isn't she beautiful - we have lots of adventures planned together!

Spotted on one of my rides through Bicentennial park.

Not long now! peering through the construction site!

Freecycle Junkie!

Well the purge continues. And in its wake I have discovered a new obsession....yes I will admit it.......I have become a freecycle junkie!

Freecycle is a global group whose mission is to keep stuff out of landfill.  It's made up of 5,104 groups with 9,399,620 members across the globe. The proviso is that all stuff must be given away for free.

But to me...its like the 'get rid of stuff fairy'.

Simple - as we clear out all the stuff we have been hoarding for the past 34 years - good stuff - stuff that we couldn't sell - but it is just too good to throw away, we post it on www.freecycle.org - we leave it out the front - and just like magic - it disappears!

It has become a bit of a sport in our house - like fishing - we unearth the stuff - throw in the line (post in on free cycle) and wait for the fish to come in!

Here are some pics of stuff that have gone to good homes and are being appreciated again, that otherwise have been taking up space in our house.

This was our 'honeymoon' tent!, we took this tent on our honeymoon 34 years ago. - It was a bit hard to part with this one, but we were so happy when a young couple came to collect it. They were so excited. It brought back some lovely memories.

I'm sure these videos are being enjoyed by some kids somewhere.

Old railway racks - now being renovated . These were a 'hot' item on freecycle - everyone wanted them!

Overall Freecycle is great! - It is such a good feeling to know that stuff you just don't need or want anymore has a new life with someone new who really appreciates it.

A win win all around really!

Thanks for stopping by.

Unearthed treasures

Well we are continuing with project downsize....clearing out the house of 34 years to fit into a brand new apartment....there is so much stuff to get rid off.  Freecycle, Ebay, Vinnies and the local tip are certainly getting a workout.

But once in a while we come across some treasures that we just can't part with. The photo below is a pic of such treasures.  These are melamine plates that were made by the kids, in their kindergarten years. These 'kids' are now in their late 20's early 30's!! These are the treasures you just can't get rid of...but what do you do with them?

Camping break

The pace of life has been extremely fast of late, with the new job, project downsize and everyday life, things have been quite hectic.....to say the least.

So recently we decided enough was enough, packed up our Pod and headed off to the Wollemi National Park to spend a weekend away camping, getting back to basics and just enjoying the great outdoors. We went with our dear friends Fed, Fliss and their Flock,  and had a fantastic time - as we always do, with such great company.

The weather was great, a bit cold for some of the group, (mr fc!), but no-one else seemed to feel it, and thanks to a great fire, great food and lots of laughing and fun we came back home feeling refreshed, and a little sad that the weekend had ended so quickly.

Here are a few shots of the weekend..........we have promised to do it again soon, but for an extra night to really have time to kick back and enjoy!

Time to catch my breath!

It's been a little while since I have had time to sit and blog. My life is hurtling along at an alarming pace at the moment and I really need to take some time to chill! Hence this beautiful picture of the sunrise on Narrawallee Beach!

So what is keeping me busy?

First - I have a new job, that is keeping me very, very busy with something new happening each day. I find my mind is totally absorbed in it at the moment. I know it will settle eventually, but I must admit I am enjoying meeting new people and coming up against new challenges each day.

Second - you may recall we have started 'Project Downsize', and that too is in full swing! We have made a decision about downsizing to an apartment, and have found the perfect place! So now, we are sorting through finances, and cupboards!!!

Unfortunately, not much time left for creative arts, and my art journal and sketchbook are gathering some dust - but I have been able to get out the camera and take a few creative shots.

Thanks for stopping by!

Its in the Stars!

Last week I was sitting at the hairdresser - enjoying some time out and congratulating myself for getting back on track with my diet and exercise regime. I was flicking through a magazine and decided to read up on my stars and this is what I read.......................

Well......blow me down, the next day I received news that I was appointed to a new position at work, that would certainly challenge me, but also give me a greater level of job satisfaction.

............................Plus the diet and exercise comment................

Now, I am usually a bit of a sceptic when it comes to astrology - but.......sometimes you just have to believe.

Thanks for stopping by!

Soggy South Coast!

Last weekend we headed down the South Coast of NSW for a bit of R&R - (that's rest and relaxation) but it turned out to mean Rain and more Rain!  It teamed down!

So what do you do when it rains and rains and cabin fever starts to hit - you take your gummies for a run and play in the puddles!

 We then decided to warm things up a little and went to our favourite Cafe in Ulladulla called 'The Treehouse Connection' - we had lunch there, then went back for dinner!

If you are ever in Ulladulla - this quirky cafe is a must!

Thanks for stopping by!!

More art cards brightening my mailbox!

How lucky am I!!! Here are a few more beautiful art cards from ihanna's art card swap, that I received over the past few days. There was so much care, creativity and love in these cards, they certainly brightened my day!!

Where I could, I have linked back to the artist's blog or site - just another way to 'share the link love' - enjoy!

This  card is from Matthew at the material whirl - its is beautifully collaged and the colour is lovely!

This one is from Tammy at Daisy Yellow - beautiful stitching and lovely coloured papers and fabric.

This one is just lovely from Susan in California. It has beautiful stitching around the edge, and rick rack, and is sort of a 3D card.

This beautiful card is from Jeannine in the US - it includes watercolour and washi tape.

This lovely card is from Dusty in Canada and was done on water colour paper - I loved the Titanic stamp on the other side - thanks Dusty!

This lovely card is from Elizabeth in Scotland. Elizabeth has used lots of Washi tape, postage stamps and even some dymo labelling.

This card is from TJ - I loved the calligraphy on the back which said "Hello beautiful artist - this card is magic and it is impossible for you to have  bad day now" - Love it!!!!

Link Love - go and visit!

There are so many creative and clever people, with wonderful blogs out there, I would like to spread the word so I have joined Daisy Yellow's Link Love.

In future posts I will share links to articles I find interesting, tutorials I love, sketchbook inspiration, art journal ideas, new blogs I find and old ones that I go to regularly.

Here are a few of the blogs I follow, that inspire me. So grab a cuppa, sit a while and get lost in the blogosphere - I always find it a great way to chill!


Art For Happiness
This blog is by my friend Vallie in the UK - she is always an inspiration and always makes me think!

iHanna's Blog - always full of inspirational ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

The Sketchbook - Shari completes a sketch each day - and each one is amazing.

Alisa Burke - A beautifully put together blog - with lots of creative ideas.


I would love to know what you think - so please leave a comment. - Enjoy x