17th January 2020 Mailer

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Aussie Update by Vicki Avcin

Well the fires continue to burn……..but……. some rain has started to fall in the last day or so and everyone is hoping that the wet stuff will land where the red stuff is. Huge storm in Melbourne over night dumping lots of rain but it hasnt made it to Gippsland where the mega fire is still burning. Some rain too over parts of NSW which has helped in slowing some fires down allowing firefighters to contain and hold them. Today is supposed to see quite a lot of rain come in so now we wait and see if it falls where it is needed most. Rain will be great but it does bring more problems with it. Vegetation has been so dry for so long, the fires will have burnt trees which means trees will fall easily, so very dangerous for crews working to extinguish (mop up and black out) and roads could be affected as well as landslides as there is now no vegetation to hold the soil. Amongst all the problems the Aussie Spirit prevails and weve seen some fantastic art work being put out in dedication to the firefighters, the international crews that have been deployed to assist and the unprecedented loss of wildlife throughout the country. I have put a few of them in todays news.

With Valentines Day coming up today Im promoting two of my designs that would be perfect to give. Both have sentiments suitable for Valentines Day .

cup994726_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup374496_543 by Vicki Avcin

New Hobbies for 2020 by Janice McFarlane

A few weeks ago I wrote about my love for crocheting which I have done for many years and still do, this year I decided I wanted to try something else. I love working with felt in as much as making cute things and sewing, so this year I thought I would like to start needle felting. I have done very basic stuff before but I wanted to do some things more 3d. So I bought a kit which contains 4 cats. White, Ginger Tabby, Grey Tabby, and Siamese, although I think it looks more like my Ragdoll cat Bailey. I thought I would start with the white one as I only needed to work with one colour. Having looked at the instructions and the youtube video, I thought where on earth am I going to start as the instructions werent very good and the video tutorial was speeded up, and because they were working on a white surface it was very difficult to see. However with a little bit of common sense (I think!) and a lot of guess work I finally completed my first 3d project, which even if I say so myself didnt turn out too bad for a beginner. The cats are flat backed as they are designed to be brooches, but I think they are quite large, so I might mount them in small box frames, and once confident enough do a much smaller version as a brooch. As you can see I have now started the shaping for the ginger tabby. I thoroughly enjoy doing it and is very therapeutic. My second new hobby, although I havent started yet is to make animals etc., from Pom Poms, to which I have bought a couple of books. Im sure I will share these once Ive had a go.

cup1021895_905 by Janice McFarlane

cup1022650_905 by Janice McFarlane

Swimming! by Sue Way

Billy loves the water and goes in the sea most days, but he has never liked going out of his depth. However last week he was so engrossed in fetching his ball that he swam for the first time! I was so proud of him. He still didnt seem happy not feeling the ground under his paws though lol Dont forget to check out my Special Offers page! Here are just a couple of my designs that have 25% off at the moment. http://www.craftsuprint.com/sue-way/?r=968387

cup977813_38 by Sue Way

cup970195_38 by Sue Way

New Camera by Tina Fitch

Well I wanted to try it so I bought one! Nikon D500 body with Nikon 200-500 lens. And what a beautiful bit of kit it is.A few more gadgets on this one than my canon but it compliments it very well . When I go to Nellis this March my camera bag will be extra heavy!But I can just imagine all those fantastic shots Im going to get now . I just hope Im allowed to take on board with me as I dont fancy putting all that expensive kit in the hold hahaI did take it out again this week but been to busy to edit the shots so youll have to take my word for itAnyway thats all from me this week take a browse through my designs. They come in all formats for all machine users too

cup967950_596 by Tina Fitch

cup1013842_596 by Tina Fitch

A Sunny .... by Carol Clarke

... Morning after the rain!! I had a lovely morning walk after a rather heavy night of rain. We are so lucky to live in an area surrounded by fields, woods, footpaths and trails and I take full advantage of them whenever I can. This is just a few minutes from my front door and it leads to an area known locally as The Quarries but its proper name is Portland Park. It was owned by the Duke of Portland who donated it to be used as pleasure grounds over 100 years ago and it is still a lovely area to take a stroll. Below are two of my NEWEST A Touch of Elegance Birthday - Flowers, Lace, Butterflies & Pearls Easel Cards. Watch out for more ... Coming Soon! lol

cup1021195_359 by Carol Clarke

cup1021194_359 by Carol Clarke

Cruise ship time by Joan King

Where I live by the beach we usually have around 85 cruise ships per summer season but this year I believe there is even more than that. You can stand on the beach or on the side of the mountain and watch the cruise ships come and go. Frequently there are 2 ships in one day. This is one leaving at the end of the day around 6.00pm. There is usually a lot of noise from the people on shore and quite a good atmosphere.

cup1021667_1716 by Joan King

cup1020250_1716 by Joan King

A beautiful wedding by Anne Lever

My beautiful daughter Megan got married the day before new years eve, to Cameron. The day was perfect for December, 12 degrees and sunny. The wedding was in a small chapel that had been converted into a registry wedding venue. It was a wonderful ceremony, lovely food at the reception, and much alcohol flowing after!

cup1022628_1763 by Anne Lever

cup1021515_1763 by Anne Lever

Time out for travels by Judith Henry

Traveling to the west coast brings us to new destinations that weve never been. We traveled by bus, train, plane and ferries throughout Washington, Oregon and Canada. We hope to return this spring to take in more of Canadas beautiful mountain areas. Again we will travel by train and enjoy the views.

cup1022701_2228 by Judith Henry

cup1021465_2228 by Judith Henry