Mid July

Lucky you.
Quite a bit has happened in the first 3 weeks of this month, so I thought I had better do a post.

Sunday 19th July 2015
I have made another little card similar to the one on the 16th for another lovely lady leaving work.
So many people leaving!

Card Before

Card After
(Flowers - Sonia Showalter Design)

I also made a Curved Gift Box, if you would like the pattern, click here Curved Gift Box

Template

Completed box

My miniature Kowhai tree is in full flower and looks stunning, not many leaves but lots of flowers.

Saturday 18th July 2015
Today I went to a Pink Ribbon Breakfast to help raise money for Breast Cancer. About 60 people in all turned out in appalling weather. A substantial amount of money was raised for a great cause.

As I mentioned the weather was appalling. This event was held at the Point Chevalier Bowling Club. Below are photos of the Bowling Greens under water. On the way home it looked like a mini tornado had been down Maioro Street, with trees down and debris over the roads.

Thursday 16th July 2015
Malcolm and his granddaughter Nikita share their birthdays today.
One will be 4 and one a lot older! Below is the card I made for Malcolm. Malcolm does woodworking and veneering and never seems to have enough clamps. Hence the card. I also put a mini clamp on the inside and bough him 2 proper size clamps as well.

I also had this card below which I embellished to give to a lovely lady who was leaving work. I added some of the machine embroidered flowers and leaves I had made previously.

(Flowers - Sonia Showalter Design)

Wednesday 15th July 2015
This evening the weather was terrible, torrential rain.
The Sky Tower through the rain drops.

Monday 13th July 2015
A beautiful day downtown this photo taken as the sun was setting.

Sunday 12th July 2015
Another frost this morning, but the day is going to be beautiful and clear.
Malcolm's granddaughter Nikita turns 4 later on this week so this evening there was a small family get together for her, as other family members were going to be overseas on the actual day of her birthday.

Nikita and Da

Waiting for the cake

Cake

I made this card for her, I embroidered the Little Mermaid and then attached it to this card I made.

(Urban Threads Design)

Saturday 11th July 2015
OMG what a cold morning, we had the first frost of the winter.
You can just make out the frost on the back lawn and on my car.
The photos really don't show it to well. But believe me it was COLD!

Because there was a frost it was a beautiful morning, this birdie braving the cold (below)

Friday 10th July 2015
Because the weather has been fine and cold, it made for this great photo at the Viaduct.

Dusk at the Viaduct

Thursday 9th July 2015

A freezing cold day today only 4° (39.2° F) not as cold as the South Island though!!
The day is beautiful and you can put up with the cold when the sun is shining.
Leaving work tonight the Sky Tower is Green.

Tuesday 7th July 2015
OMG the weather has been horrendous today.
Absolutely pelting down with rain,along with thunder and lightning.
The city is deserted today, it seems very weird with no people or cars about. Everyone must be at home.
Leaving work tonight the Sky Tower is Blue

Sunday 5th July 2015
Today we had Chaffinch in the Lavender Bush. This is the first time I have seen them in a couple of years.

I have also made another set of Coasters.
(Sonia Showalter Design)

Wednesday 1st July 2015
Some cute photos of Smokey enjoying some warmth from the sheepskin rug and the sun streaming through the bedroom window.
She doesn't look to impressed about having her photo taken!

Led lights on the trees outside the Library in Blockhouse Bay

and also on Armanasco House, this house was built in 1890 by Stefano Armanasco, an Italian who came to NZ in 1885. 

Do you like the look of this? I found this amazing recipe for Raspberry and Liquorice Jam. Click here if you would like the recipe.

Here is the Raspberry and Liquorice Jam on homemade Vanilla Bean and Mascarpone Scones. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

June Update

Who would have thought, June has been and gone in the blink of an eye.
I cannot believe how fast this year is zooming by.
But on the bright side a much more productive month for me, after being so slack in May.
This month I am splitting this into categories as it will be easier than putting dates.

Birds
Malcolm and I made a couple of bird feeders (Malcolm did most of the work, I feed the birds)
This first one below is a bicycle wheel with eight little feeders attached, it sits on a post, and when the birds hop on to the feeders it spins around.

Hey look, I put a video in for you to watch and it has music, so turn up the sound. (This was taken on my time lapse camera)





This second one sits in the tree at the front of the house and it has a Solar Light in the roof, just in case the birdies need to find their way home at night. They love to sit on the roof during the day feeding and fighting!! Those Green Finches are very bolshy.
I am hoping it will used as a nesting box.

Taken during the day (obviously) with a Green Finch on the roof

Taken at night, you can see the lights on in the little windows
(looks quite spooky actually)

A Green Finch getting aggressive with a Sparrow

We have even had a large number of Spotted Doves in the garden.

Crafts
Below are some machine embroidered coasters I made, I think they will make great gifts. (Sonia Showalter Design)

Freestanding Lace Flowers, these can be added to clothing, cards etc. (Sonia Showalter Design)

Below is a hanging lace bird mobile, which I currently have hanging in the Living Room.
It has lights (red) on the wreath at the top.
This is made up of 6 different birds embroidered twice giving 12 birds, they are hung from different lengths of nylon around the wreath to give a spiral effect. (Urban Threads Design)

                      

Now, you have to imagine this mannequin has armies!!

A knitted twist top which I have finally finished knitting.

Auckland Festival of Photography

The festival has been and gone, I did manage to visit a few of these over the 3 weeks this was on.

Silo 6 showed Truth and Fiction by various artists

First up Inner Spaces - Surreal Worlds - Dirk Hanus
Dirk Hanus’ displays follow his fantasies and intuitions completely, as his early works do already. On one side, with the selection of models, rooms and interiors they are dramaturgically very carefully prepared. Otherwise, they live from spontaneous decisions when carried out. If his pictures in their computer edited appearance differ from reality later on, this happens in conviction that curiosities and peculiarities of everyday life and of abundant media-presented events from all regions of the world beat all our imaginations. In terms of sociology, Dirk Hanus shows the world of European middle class in his light and color rooms. The actors are all shown solo in interiors, suggesting a certain loneliness and forsakenness. In spite of a varying body language, the pictured persons remain in seemingly dream-like or cinematic scenes, of which we neither know what has happened before nor what will happen in future. The viewer has to create his or her own story. Thus, these surreal scenes become sources of our real emotions and fantasies.

Next we have Interiors by Maria Kapajeva
The series is a selection of vernacular photographs which were found on the Internet and digitally manipulated afterwards. The final collages demonstrate a collision of two cultures: Russian women in their domestic interiors in the poses they borrow from Western mass media as an exemplification of female sexuality. The series looks at assimilation and possible integration of cultures of post-Soviet territories with the Western values and how these processes reflect in women’s role in the society

Next is Mothers and Daughters by Julia Fullerton-Batten
Julia Fullerton-Batten has created a series of images which challenge the viewer to contemplate the intimate adult relationship between mothers and daughters and the love, struggle and rivalry in their shared lives.

lastly Paramita by Han Jiangang

Paramita, the boat of the other shore, the life of the other shore. This work represents beliefs around the origins of life. For more click here

Next at Britomart was Ticket by Julia Durkin
Over a lifetime as a soccer fan, Julia Durkin has followed "the beautiful game" in several countries - NZ, Cook Islands, Japan, Brazil, UK, Australia. Fans of football come to see this photography, including last year's Brazil World Cup

 and lastly at Atrium on Elliott was the NZIPP Iris Awards 2014
This touring Exhibition showcases the highest scoring photographs from 2014 Awards. Organised by the NZIPP for more than 30 years these annual awards celebrate the excellence of NZ's professional photographers.

and to finish off, some photos from the Viaduct.
First up Sunrise over the Viaduct from Waitemata Plaza

Another night I was leaving work late and the Sky Tower was Red

A glorious Winters day

  

A crisp but beautiful morning this photo below taken from my office window.