Plastic Bag. Lost and found.

Dear Mr/Mrs Polluter
I believe that you have lost your plastic bag.
Well I found it in my climbing rose. Care to come and get it?
Yours Sincerely
Melanie


This could have been prevented if the perpetrator had only made the responsible decision to buy a bag from one of the many bag makers on Etsy, eBay, made it or Coles for cryin out loud, they sell calico ones! Buy my bags or someone else's, I don't care, just buy a real bag that isn't made of plastic.

P.S This message is most definately not meant for you lovely people who I know would never do such a thing.

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Craft IQ Seems there is a quiz for everything!!!

This is why I don't have an empire like Martha Stewart yet.


Craft IQ

You got 6 out of 10!
You really know your crafts! Your IQ falls in the mid-range, but keep crafting and learning new techniques and you'll be on top soon enough!

Are you up to Martha's standard yet?? Take the quiz here

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Buckeye recipe for Aussies

This is what they should look like

Picture courtesy of All Recipes

Buckeye Balls recipe translated for Aussies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs (Arnotts Marie Biscuits)
1 cup confectioners' sugar (Icing Sugar)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (Cole's choc melt buds worked the best)
2 tablespoons shortening(oil) (I never add it, too lazy)

DIRECTIONS
Combine peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs(Marie biscuits), and confectioners' sugar(Icing sugar) in a bowl or a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Roll teaspoonfuls of peanut butter mixture into balls. About the size of a Large marble Refrigerate until ready to dip in melted chocolate.

In Australia FREEZE THEM until ready to dip
Melt chocolate chips and shortening together in the top of a double boiler until very liquid. Using a tooth pick, dip each ball into chocolate leaving just the very top of the ball exposed. Set on a greased cookie sheet, setting each ball on the peanut butter end. Refrigerate(FREEZE) until the chocolate is firm. They only take about 5-10 mins to thaw here. I use the freezer because they tend to melt way too quick in our Summer which is when I make them.

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Buckeye binge

I suffer from binging. Once a year I make Buckeyes for my husband for our Down under Thanksgiving and once a year I binge so much I am in a sugar coma for days.

For all you peanut butter and chocolate loving Aussies out there you really should try them.

Just remember to replace graham crackers with Marie biscuits unless you know where to get graham crackers, if so please please please tell me where.

I have been working by the way. Very hard actually and I can prove it but just not right now, I am still in a coma

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A door closes. Another one opens.

The Narre Warren Community Craft shop is closing its doors after 21 years.
This is where you would have found me over the last 2 or so years on a Thursday. Knitting, laughing, chatting about what we were making, what charity we were helping next and drinking lots of tea and coffee. We were all volunteers, from all walks of life who valued the community spirit. There just wasn't enough interest in local craft to keep it open in this area so the hard decision was made. The shop had to close.

Now I am completely free of any volunteer duties. Last year I gave up the Newsletter and hand balled it to the lovely Elsie and I stopped making toys for the local kids and I ceased helping out with the local centres admin.( I only lasted a month due to complete utter boredom but hey, volunteers need stimulation too and not the office politics kind. If I am going to have all that garbage then I want to be paid for it :P)

All of the above things I chose to start and I chose to finish except for the craft shop. Like the blog post says though. One door closes and another one opens. I do believe one is opening already. Better things ahead!!

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And the winner is...

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Last Day for Handmade Crafty Giveaway

The winner of these cutesy cupcake and poptart-ish magnets will be drawn tonight so you still have time. 15 hours actually!!! Click on sidebar for link.
Good Luck

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Fantastic Friday - reflections of a working stay at home mum

7:30am

I have reflected this week on where I am going with my business.

Where will I sell my product?

What is my product?

Who am I even?

Well all of those questions are answered in my business plan. Thank goodness. So all I need to do is grab it and reacquaint myself with it.

Today is my designated admin day. I don't have a lot to do because I haven't generated much business which is probably the reason for my reflections. My goal was to generate enough income to support a family of 6 should it all fall to me to do so. There is a real urgency in this task and it wasn't an idea born from me just wanting to play grown up business person stuff.

As I have stated before, we would all starve and be homeless if they were to rely on me now. It has been over a year and complacency and inertia have become my main obstacles.

I would love to hear from people in this situation or people who arnt but just want to tell me to get off my fat arse and work harder or smarter.

note* Whilst this may not seem like a Fantastic Friday it actually is. A day of reflection and re-assessing can ground you and refresh your sense of purpose.

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A little bit alot miffed

Oh hi there. OK, so I am walking down the street to my house and it is the 19th of November and what do you think I saw.... some one, who is working of an entirely different calendar to me, has all of their xmas decorations , tree and lights up..... I don't know why but that bugs me.

I just walked for an hour by the way so everything bugs me. I totally and absolutely hate exercise.

Wish I was more like my friend Aisha who loves exercise and was so fit when I last saw her and clearly doesn't consume the quantity of carbs that I do....must keep walking....... be back later with On My Desk.

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Um can you say 作ってみよう：fil2：株式会社 フジックス?

I just found the most gorgeous Japanese sewing site with free patterns and I'm giddy. This is also my first "blog this" attempt. Yay me

作ってみよう：fil2：株式会社 フジックス

Ok now I do confess, I did think it would show the whole page. I mean it did say Blog this Page.....

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Coffee and a chat...

Hi there. Just dropping in for a quick coffee and a chat. Well that's what a blog really is isnt it, a chat of sorts? I am making drawer freshers at the moment and I keep forgetting to make me some. Do you ever do that? Totally forget that you would really really love it if someone made you one of these things you are making for some one else......
I thought I would try a cupcake shape one since I am cupcake obsessive at the moment. I am starting to resemble a cupcake actually and at 3pm I have TOLD myself that I have to get on the treadmill. GASP, the treadmill isnt an ornament?

I'm not sure what scent I will put in these. The colours make me think Melon or some kind of fruit. Something nice that wont give me a headache. Don't you find some scents are so cheap that you are left with a migraine? Don't worry, I can't have those kinds near me so I have to use good quality fragrant ones or pure oil essence. Preferably pure oil.

I'm on a bit of a "get fit" campaign at the moment. Not just on the outside but the inside. Hence the treadmill. (my inside voice just moaned in objection at the mere mention of the treadmill"

Ill be honest though right, I got on it at 1pm but lasted 10 minutes because of boredom, wanting to lay down and sleep and just not enough will to live if I have to use the darn thing, ever.

OK well I better run ( not literally because if I did I might cark it" and carry on my my list of things I have to do today.

Have a good evening

Ta ta

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My Garden 2008

My Garden 2008
Originally uploaded by nundecreations

I think my pelargonium collection has expanded somewhat, however, just like you can never have too much fabric, you can never have enough of your favourite flower

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Fantastic Friday

More cupcake patty pans than you can poke a stick at

I have been busy:)

Dont forget to enter in for my free giveaway. Come on!!! ITS FREE :)

p.s I tried so hard to make a header today but it was gigantic. oh well. who needs a header anyhow right???.....

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More Pelargonium Love

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I have nothing to say

So I will show you what I saw on the way to my shed today

Yeah, it's tough working in this environment.

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It's Gonna be a Stinker today Melbourne

32degrees Celsius in fact.

Not really that hot I know but consider where I work. A shed with a tin roof...

So, after a nutritious breakfast of coffee and potato chips, which is probably why I am a little bit alot overweight, I set off to get equipment needed from my shed to bring inside to work.

I have been a little grouchy lately and I think I know why

Today I have to go to centrelink to get my daughter on Youth allowance which I have put off for a year. I hate centrelink. I didn't even bother with my son when he turned 16 but my daughter needs it to help pay for her education. Well I need it really since I am paying for it. OK OK, my "enabler" (my new pet name for my husband) is paying for it

We are so lucky in Australia that we get so much assistance(even though it is our own tax money paying for it) so I am going to shush and be grateful because right now my nunde empire is not at the point where I can be totally financially independent. But mark my words, one day I will have the freedom to chose whether I need the assistance available. Oh yes indeed. But until then....

Here is my fence

No reason for the picture except I love the pattern.

See how easily I get distracted

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Trashy Talk

Yes, it is Trash talk Tuesday again and I cant wait to share what
Crafty Daisy is doing with trash. Just brilliant. Check these bags out.

More great work

Trash bags.com.au and for other green ideas
Great Green Goods
More links to tingle your enviromentally aware bone

Green on a budget: A sampler of sustainable products

Busting the plastic bag recycling myth

Events raise awareness about the harm of plastic bags

One question I want to ask, should you even be this far into my blatant enviro naggin blog, is this.

Do you really need that one plastic bag to carry that tiny item home from Coles or any other huge Grocery store? I see people still opt to say YES when asked "would you like a bag for that Sir?"

For one bloody item.........


Shame on you who do that.

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Its an eBay kind of day

Monday is almost over and I have excelled.

House clean, as required by the book of rules and time management for running nunde. Then eBay item pictures taken, scanned, edited and described ....press upload and voila

If you are looking for a bargain I have some old fashioned patterns(new but old) for dolls and bears going out in my 99 cent auction. Mind you, bears never go out of fashion. A few of the links are in my sidebar.

Anyhow. I'm back in my eBay business which I love doing. At least I don't have to rely on my creative mojo to list and sell on eBay. It is because my mojo is lazy that I have to rely on eBay for the time being. Well a girl needs to get new teeth don't ya know and last I heard there was no teeth world.

I curse that ad. I really thought it WAS a new supermarket for false teeth, you just drop in, pick out a movie star set and off you go. Bargain!!

Alas

There is no teeth world

but.....

there is a *&^%^ Toothpaste World

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Fantastic Friday

inside voice says in a Yorkshire accent "Come on Team nunde, put your back into it. Today is admin day and your not gonna get away with fobbing it off another day. I'm on to you ya lazy git, so get off yer big butt and do some work"...

OK OK, sheesh my inside voice is so bossy and sounds a lot like Joyce

Insert Enya "in memory of trees" cd for admin inspiring ear candy.

6 hours later... not done yet, sick of Enya and I have a work induced headache

and I still have to start on my eBay business paperwork.

Looks like it's Pizza for tea

One day, when I have an empire, I will employ people to do admin for me... "OK stop dreaming and back to work.." There's that inside voice again...

I got Mail!

Hey, check out what I got for free with my Print Gocco starter kit that I got in August. Its a freebie and I got it just for registering for my 12 month warranty. Yay for freebies. I love great customer service. They even emailed me to ask how my first print went to which I replied um, I havent gotten to use it yet. Shame on me.

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Trash Talk Tuesday

Tuesdays are now my days to report what people do with trash and trash ideas.
Refashioning, recycling and reusing are the new black and I hope it is here to stay.
If you are a consumer with a conscience then you might find some interesting stuff on my new Tuesday addition. I wont be doing much writing, just providing you with stuff that I found worthy of noting.
Brilliant Bags
Eco-chic a matter of choice
Wearing rubbish has never been such a great idea!
'Green' designer uses recyclable materials in fashion
How to make bag out of wrappers
Green gifts
'Gifts of Green' at Winter 2009 Edition of California Gift Show(R)
An Interesting comparison for school mums regarding the debate between using foil or plastic is here - I found the aluminium difficult to clean after use which then deems it un recyclable so I am sticking with lunch paper for now. It goes straight into my compost, yucky half eaten lunches and all.
I hope these links provide you with some useful information or inspiration.

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