Let's get to know one another again...

Seeing as I have been away from my blog for almost nine days, I thought I would use the great opportunity from Chic Click to meet some new people around the web, and also remind you who I am...

I am Cathy, the Wandering Woman. We are currently living in my in-laws home, our household is packed up in a crate waiting for the big boat to the USA, and we have three weeks left in England before we move over to Indiana to start a new life in a farm house with 30 acres, a barn with seven cats, a horse, chickens, a University, a sixteen seater van, two kiddos, and our home-grown Springer Spaniel, tabby cat and kitten in tow.

I write my blog to encourage women to be all they can in life, to follow their dreams and to keep their feet firmly on the ground. We all need a little bit of heaven, and a little bit of earth. I wrote more about this in one of my favourite posts Monday Morning Mindfulness - Heaven and Earth.

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Please welcome....Melissa from Wife in Training!!

I am in the superb chaos of house-packing for our move. My dear and new friend Melissa, fellow-blogger extraordinaire, is kindly guest-blogging for me so that you lovely readers have something to read while I am engaged profoundly in moving my family overseas.

Melissa writes a wonderful, funny, fascinating, insightful blog about her life and interests over at Wife in Training. I love her wry sense of humour, the fact that she is really well read, and that she has a unique and poignant interaction with her daily life. Also we have in common...Indiana! She fell in love with the state when living there a few years ago, and is insanely jealous that I am moving there soon.

Melissa is doing something fun for us - a series of responses to one of my Pinterest boards, kind of stream of consciousness, and a great way of getting to know her as well as comparing your response to gorgeous images.

Here is the board. Check back every day for Melissa response to each picture, and go say hi to her over at Wife in Training!

CHA CHA CHA - the art of retro and vintage

I have told you once before about my very talented friend Megan (remember the great photography site!). Well, there is no end to Megan's creativity. When I visited her in London two years ago, I discovered that the living room of their very gorgeous Victorian semi was full of...yes you guessed it...STASH!! Fabric, lampshades, vintage retro finds. I think Megan's husband Hugh is a saint to be not even bothered by the loss of a room in the house to eye candy.

The purpose behind the stash (there always is one of course!) is Megan's online shop which sells the most unique and original retro and vintage finds, including lighting, furniture and clothing. Let me give you a little taste...

An original 1950's Lloyd Loom chair re-upholstered in original Alexander Girard fabric.  Is it not a thing of true beauty?

Megan sources original vintage fabric, and can upholster furniture and lampshades as request. Doesn't this just take you right back to the seventies?

The great thing about Megan's store is that she has taken the hard work out of sourcing vintage. She has a fantastic eye, and you can be guaranteed that anything she has chosen will have that stylish "kick".

I am the proud owner of a vintage wallpaper-covered scrapbook, and address book. Isn't this a great idea! Especially if you are not courageous enough to cover a whole wall in it!


Take a look at her shop and be inspired!

It's official - I'm addicted to bags

It does not happen to me often that I can make something people actually admire. My craft experiences in school were always of the order of "Highly Commended" (in other words, quite nice, but not good enough for a real prize). My mother sent me on a sewing course as a teenager. Unfortunately the project was to make a SUIT out of KNIT fabric. I mean how ridiculous. It was horrible. Once I had finished, I threw it away.

So you can see why I got so excited when I first tried out this bag pattern from Vanessa Christenson, and everyone started commenting on my bag:

Friend: "I love your bag. Where did you buy it?"

Me: (smugly) "I made it."

Friend: (incredulous) "What!"

Me: (faltering slightly, at the fact that my friend couldn't believe I actually made it) "Yes, it turned out well didn't it?"

Friend: (proudly) "If you sold those, I would buy one."

Me: (incredulous) "Really?"

So you see, I have now been encouraged by my stroked ego to make more of the bags that caused a temporary buzz of  fame amongst my social circle. In fact, I have made four in one sitting. I might even open an Esty shop...(one step at a time).

In the meantime I am making them as gifts. This is the one I made for my children's teacher as a goodbye gift.

The pattern was not free, but it has more than made up its value already. You can also buy the flower pattern separately if you have a thing for fabric flowers.

What I love about this bag is that the lining peeps through, and co-ordinates with the flower. It's not too fussy, but just that touch of glamorous.

I shared this on these great linky parties.

Help! I need a girl's birthday gift, now!

This Friday evening I panicked. I suddenly remembered that my daughter had a birthday party to attend the next morning. And we were going out that evening. And I had forgotten to buy a gift.

Yes, in the past, I must confess, I have grabbed the newest looking book off my children's bookshelf and wrapped it. But this party was for my daughter's best friend, and I couldn't get away with something, well, less than the best. Knowing the birthday girl is feminine and loves vintage dresses and hair accessories, I went online and found a great, easy (and free) fabric rosette pattern.

In the morning, I spent twenty minutes over breakfast making the rosettes, and then attached them to one of my daughter's pink headbands. Popped into a pretty gift bag with some tissue paper and sparkly sprinkles, it made a gorgeous, handmade gift (that would have cost a lot of money at an uptown boutique).

So if you have a girl's gift emergency, here is the pattern for the rosettes. If you don't have a headband handy, you could attach them to a hair elastic, or you could sew a little square purse and attach them to that. They make anything fabulous.

I shared this on

         

No matter what happens - use great stationery

One of my greatest weakness is my desire to communicate to the world on beautiful paper. With an expensive ink fountain pen. And preferably an original letterhead design.

I can't walk past a stationery shop. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I discovered Papyrus in the Pacific Place Mall in Seattle. You must remember, America dwellers, that the rest of the world is still discovering stationery.

So, you can imagine that one of my greatest decision, my biggest burdens, in our preparations to emigrate to America has been - what shall I use to notify our change of address?

Should it be a postcard? In fact providence would have it that The Executive Homemaker has free change of address printables this very morning. While these are cute, and probable great for a local move, I didn't think they had the punch, the originality, the clout needed for a final "I'm leaving the country forever".

I had to do some research. I had bought myself a pack of 50 white pressed notecards ready for this project. I needed a printable that inspired me.

What a blessing Google Reader is. I just typed in "printable" and it searched the archives of all my favourite blogs for inspiration. And that is where I found the treasure!

Indiefixx has some gorgeous printable art and it's all free! I chose these two gorgeous little artworks, with birds as the theme. Paste them into word, and plan two cards per A6 postcard note, with a note on the back saying "We're flying away...".

My plan is to have them in my bag to give to family and friends that I see regularly, and pop one into any written correspondence I send. Then I will go through my contact list and post out to anyone left.

Cute, no?

I am looking forward to something else I can design use the Indiefixx art. I am sure there will be some thank you cards coming out of my printer soon...

I am a winner!!

Yes truly I did! Can you believe I got second place in the I Heart Faces photography competition! Thank you Life with Kaishon. I heard it first from you!

Here is the photo. My week is made! Hooray!

Vlijtig was my first blog follow

When I first discovered that blogs were a thing of beauty, I followed Vlijtig. Her fabric baskets were the first tutorial I ever followed. And still she inspires me. I think it was not a coincidence that hers was the first blog of beauty that I discovered. It was like a little Alice door that introduced me to a new world.

Today she has posted a simple tutorial for making gift wrap. This is what I love about her work. So simple, and so beautiful. She makes design accessible to the everyday.

Bet you saw it on

My first feature!

I am super-excited, being a new blogger and all, to be featured on New Nostalgia today. Thanks so much for the encouragement Amy! Be sure to go and see her blog now!

All my comments are gone!

Well I had my first blogging technology hitch today. I deleted one of my sidebar widgets, and suddenly all my comments were gone!! I am bummed to say the least. Anyway, for those of you who have commented so kindly on my blog, I am sorry to have lost your friendly words. Please feel free to comment again, or perhaps say something new if you don't feel like repeating yourself. And those of you who haven't ever commented...now's the time to share the love!

Gifted - a new linky party!

Not only is the end of the school year here, with teacher gifts to think about, but as life gets busier with summer social engagements I keep wishing I had a special stash of handmade gifts to dip into when I need that particular thank you gesture, for a friend or hostess.

What are the best gifts you've made yourself? Do you have a special favourite? Join the linky party below and share your patterns and projects.

Linky Party Instructions


1. Add your post url to the space below and follow the instructions.
2. Add this button to your blog post.



<a href="http://itsawomanslife.blogspot.com/2010/05/gifted-new-linky-party.html"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4650354879_4a749be37e_m.jpg" alt="BWS tips button" width="125" height="125" /></a>

3. Leave a comment!

Have fun!

Not Me! Monday

This morning I did not spend two hours on my computer instead of tidying a bomb-site of a house. I did not proceed to walk down to the tea shop and have cream scones and tea with my husband and mother-in-law. After that, I did not have lunch and then go shopping for food. Oh no, my life definitely does not revolve around eating. And I did not then lie down and have a nap, with the house still looking like a bomb-site. Oh no, not me. And I definitely did not put off exercise, housework, to-do list or anything else constructive, because I am not a procrastinator. No, not me. 

How proud can one be of one's husband?

Ask me and I'll tell you!

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A Morning in the Life of... and a much-needed confession

This is how my life goes most mornings, but as you'll see a little later on in my morning I made a decision.

Woke up and prayed with my family - here (note pink fluffy blankets)

Had crumpets and maple syrup, and fresh Americano coffee for breakfast (made with our special stove-top espresso maker)

Got kids dressed and ready for school
Enjoyed peace and quiet while reading my daily blog feeds

More coffee, shower, clean up kitchen, sit down to my computer. (This is the view from my workspace)

Get hungry.
Decide to make new yoghurt cake recipe my mum sent me.

Just mix everything in one big bowl and put into cake tin or alternatively makes about 24-25 cupcakes.

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 cup sunflower oil

2 cups sugar (I use about 1 1/2 cups)

3 cups self-raising flour

pinch of salt

3 extra large eggs

1 tspn vanilla

mix together with beater until smooth.

180 degrees for about 45 mins  (usually little less) or about 20 mins for cupcakes

Why is it that, no matter how hard I try, I can't manage to make cupcakes without a mess?

Now, with a fresh cupcake (no frosting because I ran out of icing sugar) and a cup of tea, I will tell you the decision I made.

I have been reading a lot of what I would call "creative" blogs for the last few weeks and they are all beautiful. Each might have a different focus, such as parenting, photography, fashion, interior design, craft. I find them inspiring, but I was reminded this morning of something important.

It read the blog Stuff Christians Like. It challenged me to write more.

You may have noticed (and this is the confession) that I have been posting a lot of short posts with pictures and links. This is because I have had serious bloggers block, and did not have anything to say. So in essence I was being lazy. The thing with pictures (very image-heavy blogs) is that they don't take any mental work, or brain-power to appreciate. You look at it, you get inspired, and it's done. Reading a blog, absorbing the ideas and perhaps critiquing them, takes more time, more mental energy. And yet that is the kind of blog I want to write. 

So, my decision is that I will try to step up to the plate on this one. I have had a few weeks of experimenting with my blog, and now I am going to try and make it my very own instead of a clone of other creative blogs. That is dangerous because I might lose all my readers! But I am tired of trying to create something that looks like a thousand others.

Don't worry, I will still post pictures! But I will attempt to get my brain bubbling again and put some thoughts down as well.

Thanks for your patience while my blog personality matures!

Get your Craft On!

If you make things at home (secretly or in public) and would like to feel part of a wider community as well as getting some really exciting ideas, or if you don't make things but wish you could, then every Tuesday Get Your Craft On at todayscreativeblog. Its a great place to see things that real people are making in real time, as well as share what you are making with people who really appreciate it (unlike your family who just pretend to appreciate it!)

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to My Charming Kids blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I definitely did not allow my husband to do all the laundry this weekend without helping him. Not me! I did not neglect to make my son practice his spelling, and he definitely did not get 2 out of 12.

I certainly did not pour double cream on both of my meals today, no Not Me!

And I didn't allow my children to play Wii tonight on a school night, because I was too tired to do other more practical things with them. Not me!

Blogger Stripped Bare

Little Miss Emma tells me its Bloggers Without Makeup day. Read her post about it - I am definitely of the blogging school of thought that embraces honesty rather than perfection. I wonder if I can go one step further and do Bloggers In Pyjamas day. Well lets see what kind of photograph I can come up with.

Here I am in my pink pyjamas.

Its a blogfield out there

There are so many blogs out there, the mind boggles (or bloggles). I spend way to much time wading through the blogosphere (yes that is actually a real word) and I find so much that inspires me. However, most of my browsing happens just by chance. I would love to take a look at the blogs my readers like to look at. So here is a Linky List – please can you add you favourite blog to the list (i.e. the first one you look at every time you log in).

Inspiration from A Totally Normal Woman

I love it when I see a blog designed by a totally normal person just like me, trying to do things I aspire to do, like style and redesign homes with everyday items. Have a look at Pepper Design Blog for projects and style that is within everyone's reach.

I especially like her collection of organising ideas for the Ikea Expedit range of shelving. I can't wait to go buy some!! (When we move to the States that is).