This Time on Time

Christmas cards are ready to go

Tickets are booked for my holiday

So this year I thought I would get creative and make my Christmas cards. Took a while to get through the lot but enjoyed making them.  And this time I got there on time!

Here is the sample set I made.

Those who celebrate Thanksgiving, hope you had a good one.

Giving thanks should be something we do daily.  So today I would like to thank you all who drop by and comment or just read. Thanks for your support and care.

Written for:
The Letter T at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday #406
Wordless Wednesday at Create With Joy
Wordless Wednesday


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

New World's Little Garden

New World's Little Garden is fun

The New World chain of New Zealand supermarkets is giving away these little pots and seeds. Usually they give away little toys resembling supermarket items, but this time it's the little pots and seeds.

I think it's a nifty idea. We've got a lot of stuff to grow but so far have planted cress, cherry tomatoes and mint.

Gardening is definitely not one of my passions but I am enjoying this. I think it's a great way to get the young ones interested in gardening.

Here's a picture of the cress. We planted the cherry tomatoes and mint this morning so it will be a few days before we see some activity in those pots.

Written for:
The Letter N at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday #401



Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Last Week

Last week was hectic and stressful

 I simply did not enjoy it.

But looking forward to next week

Let's hope it's a good one.

And sharing this pic from a post few years ago - Street Lamp in Sepia on a rare snowy day in Wellington

Linking to:
Six Word Saturday #399
Letter L at ABC Wednesday



Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

So many Quays

Wellington has a penchant for Quays

There are so many quays in Wellington: Jervois Quay, Customhouse Quay, Waterloo Quay, Thorndon Quay and Lambton Quay.

Today I share some pics of Lambton Quay the main street in Wellington. I took these quite some time ago. Maybe there are a few changes but by and large it still is the same.

iconic Kirkcaldie and Stains no longer exists 

but David Jones is expected to open at Christmas

A couple of fragments this week

Mother's day tomorrow so I spent this morning making my mom a card. She likes perfume so I got her Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue,

I've ordered some art books so looking forward to receiving them. They've been dispatched so should arrive soon.

I guess that's all this week.

Happy Mother's Day to all moms and grandmoms.


Linking to:
The Letter Q at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Friday Fragments #45



Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Pampered Feet

Pampered Feet with a foot spa

My daughter always gifts something awesome for my birthday and Christmas. 2 of the gifts that I really love are the  Foot Spa and Pedicure set.

So this morning I thought I should bring out the spa and pamper my feet. I highly recommend a foot spa. My feet feel refreshed and oh so clean.  

I haven't tried the pedicure set yet, Will have to read the instructions before I attempt it. 

This week I also tried a new painting technique using plastic wrap (better known as Glad wrap here in NZ). Followed this video by Cat Hand. It was fun even though the results weren't as good as Cat's.

with the plastic wrap on 

final result - first try. the colours weren't so vivid as I expected them to be.

final result - second try. could've been better but this was good enough.

In my younger days I would have persisted until I got the perfect picture, but that would have taken a lot of time and effort for what may have been minuscule improvements. But now with a different perspective on things, the definition of perfection changes.

More often than not, imperfect is perfect.

And now I will have to find something to paint on top of this perfect background.

It's been a hectic but peaceful week.

Wishing you all a peaceful week too.

Linking to:
The Letter P at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Friday Fragments #44
Wordless Wednesday at Abracadabra


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Overcast Sky

An overcast sky is a necessity

We've had some great sunny weather lately but early this week we had a very overcast sky.

It's not fun to walk in the cold wind and the rain (and the wind here is cold and very blustery). But an overcast sky is a necessity. Without the rain it would be a very dry Earth.

It was a strange sky. Lots of blue and dark grey side by side. But it looked quite spectacular.

When life seems like an overcast sky, remember that the blue sky exists behind those grey clouds


Linking to:
The Letter O at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday #126 at Abracadabra
Friday Fragments # 43
Sundays In My City


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Some things "N"

Nice new leaves - a pleasant surprise

On Friday as I waited for the bus I noticed some new leaves on an old tree. They've probably been there for sometime but I just noticed them on Friday.  I was really happy to see new leaves growing as I recalled I was quite sad when a whole big branch of the tree was chopped down.

And this morning as I walked around my garden I noticed my Pohutakawa that I thought was dying, had some new leaves. Not many, but some is better than none. Thrilled to see that.

 And now onto the other N things

My painting of the Nanga Parbat - the 9th highest mountain in the world. Something about this mountain endears me to it.

My fragments from the week

Reached a major milestone for my project. Now looking forward to the next new phase.

I finally finished reading I Can See Clearly Now by Wayne Dyer. Interesting and inspirational in parts. It's got me wanting to read the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu.

I love boxes and yesterday while browsing the 2 Dollar shop with a friend, I came across this one that I just had to buy.  I needed a box for all my paints and crafty things and this was perfect.  So I got myself a set of 2.

Hope you had a great week.

Linking to:
The Letter N at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Friday Fragments #42
Wordless Wednesday #125


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Magical Mystical Moon

The moon looked pretty at sunset

More often than not the skies here are cloudy and the moon is hidden.

But this evening we had a clear sky and the moon looked pretty in the sky at sunset.

No matter what phase the moon is in it always look magical and mystical.

I have nearly finished reading I Can See Clearly Now by Dr Wayne Dyer. It's been a very interesting read.

My friend Ruchira Khanna who blogs at Abracadabra has given me a copy of her novel Choices which is next on my to read list. Thanks Ruchira.


Have a magical week.

Linking to:
Letter M at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday #124 at Abracadabra
Friday Fragments #41


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Lively Kites

Missed K so combining with L

I had the kites lined up for K but missed posting.  Kites were on my mind all of the week before and last week.

I knew I had some pictures tucked away for kites but couldn't find them. The Universe obviously wanted me to post on kites so while watching a movie on TV last week, a kite scene turned up.

Little kids playing - from the movie Pearl Harbour (taken from the TV) 

And then I found my my picture. Taken in Gujarat India some years ago

Little shop by the side of a road

And of course I had to paint kites but unfortunately all the paintings came out pretty bad.

Here is a thought I've been having on kites ..
Kites are a bit like life or shall I say life is like a kite
Its destiny lies in the hands of the one who holds its string but it has the free will to dance in the wind whichever way it wants to.

But enough on kites .. hope you all had a happy Easter. In NZ we had a 4 day weekend starting on Good Friday and ending on Monday. So we had 2 short work weeks. And yet it felt like a long week. I guess I had to pack in a lot in 4 days.

The clocks went back an hour today which means that it is now Autumn and Winter will be here soon. The weather has got cooler which is a blessing in some ways as it was a hotter than usual Summer and pretty dry too.

Following up from my previous post,  NZ voted to keep the current flag so no change.  It was quite close 921.876 for change and 1,208,702 to keep the current flag.   

Have a great week.

Linking to:
The Letter L at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Friday Fragments #40



Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Journaling - What's Your Style?

Journaling in so many different ways

When I was little and all through my teens I used to write journals. And I enjoyed writing them at the time. Then one day I took them all and tore them up. I don't regret that. They served their purpose at that time.

Then along came the computer and the written journals  morphed into electronic documents which then morphed into online journals in the form of vision boards and private blogs. But writing takes time and when I started my public blogs,  my private blogs faded into oblivion.

And then I discovered Art Journals and they are so much fun. I try to journal weekly about something that catches my eye or my thoughts.

So here is this week's journal entry

Just do it - you might wonder why I used the scales as part of the journal. Just do it applies to both my children. One acts impulsively and just does it and the other analyses and procrastinates so much that often you have to say Just do it.  Balance is the key - think before you act but don't think too long.

And here is some art work I did some weeks ago - the Japanese Collection.

Frags this week

I am reading Wayne Dyer's "I Cam See Clearly Now"  It's a great book and there is much to learn from it.

Last weekend I had a leaky tap that flooded my kitchen bench and the dining room carpet was soaked. I had the plumber and carpet cleaner in to sort out the mess. The new tap looks shiny and the carpet looks very clean. Thankfully there was nothing more serious than that.

At present New Zealand is voting to change the flag or keep the old one. The new flag is on the left and the current flag is on the right. Let's see what the people will vote for.

The weather has been very erratic. We had 2 very cold days and I had to bring out my winter coats and now it's so hot, I have my fan on.

Time for some ice-cream.

Have a great week.


Linking to:
Letter J at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday #122 at Abracadabra
Friday Fragments #38



Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Ignite Your Soul

Light a candle - Ignite your soul

My friend's hubby's life journey sadly ended early this week. He is free of pain and suffering but my friend has to carry on having lost both her mother and husband 17 days apart.

But letting him go was the kindest and most loving thing she could've done. God never gives us a load we cannot carry and she is a strong and amazing woman. Please pray that she finds that strength, courage and comfort.

I painted this picture in my art journal from a story I wrote some months ago "For I Have Talked With God"

Sometimes the words you write just stick in your mind as these did ...

"And in the darkness someone lights a candle that ignites your soul again and life goes on"

His light went out on Earth but it still shines on the other side. Right now her life is in darkness, but I know his light will ignite her soul again.

picture from my art journal 

Linking to:
The letter I at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday at Abracadabra
Friday Fragments #37


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Guitars

A guitar day at the market

There is always some of entertainment and music at the Saturday market. But somehow last week there were only guitars.

The guitar is not my favourite musical instrument, but I love hearing Santana play. So here is Samba Pa Ti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWO_eojWezg

I finished reading Ruchira Khanna's Voyager's Into The Unknown  Enjoyed the book as it was a nice easy read and it took me back to a time when I visited the Taj Mahal. More than just a story, it has an inspirational theme and brings out some profound life truths. Do read it.

Last week I mentioned that my friend's husband is in hospital.  I don't have an update on that but unfortunately her mother passed away on Monday unexpectedly.  She was a lovely lady, so kind and loving and always smiling . May she be at peace. I also had another aunt pass away last week. Not a great start to 2016 -  3 deaths in the family and my friend's mother the 4th.

There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.

- Mahatma Gandhi

I hope you had a better week than I did.

Linking to:
The Letter G at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday #119 at Abracaabra
Friday Fragments #35


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Fitting in

Feeling tired. Glad it's the weekend.

Quite a busy and hectic week. I'm not complaining as being busy is good. But I'm glad it's the weekend.   I feel a bit drained probably because I haven't been getting enough sleep. It's been so hot that I keep waking up.  I think I've decided I like the cooler weather a whole lot more. Cooler not colder :)

 This morning I thought a lot about my school friend.  She is my soul sister. I must've been picking up on her thoughts as I was thinking I must message her on Facebook. Then she posted an update that her hubby who is very ill has been moved to a nursing home. Please pray for him and send him positive and healing energy.  Thank you,

Some days ago someone said to me that he felt he just didn't fit in and that  he should make an effort to. I often felt that way too when I was little. His words prompted this entry in my art journal:

Why fit in when you were born to stand out 

~ Dr Seuss

Have a fabuloous week.

Linking to:
Letter F at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday #118 at Abracadabra
Friday Fragments #34


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que

Dahlias in my garden

Some days can be too warm

It's been so warm lately. The temperatures have been soaring. Don't get me wrong I am grateful for the sunny warm days but some days are just too warm.

The flowers must truly love he sunshine as the dahlias in my garden look so pretty.

"What a desolate place would be a world without a flower!  

It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome.  

Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of the heavens."  

-  A.J. Balfour 

Fragments this week:

The week did not start off well. My uncle passed away in India peacefully in his sleep.  A truly blessed death for him but a shock for all of us. May he be at peace. 

I finished reading The Celestine Prophecy. I admit that though it's a good read, I enjoyed it more the first time round.

I am now reading Ramayana The Game of Life Book 3 - Stolen Hope. The Ramayana is one of the great historical epics of India and chronicles the life of Lord Rama. The Ramayana is one of my favourites of all time and I never tire of reading it.

The next book on my list to read is Ruchira Khanna's Voyagers Into The Unknown.

I was going to post my painting of a dolphin for the letter D at ABC Wednesday but it didn't turn out so good.  The dolphin was okay, but the water was complete rubbish. I need a lot more practise in painting the ocean.

Have a great week.

Linking to:
The Letter D at ABC Wednesday
Six Word Saturday
Wordless Wednesday #116
Friday Fragments #32


Check out my Daily Thoughts on Pinterest

Tweet

Follow me on
My facebook page Suzy's Ilation
Bloglovin
Pinterest Suzy Que
Google+ Suzy Que