Closing up shop

Things are beginning to wind down for me business wise prior to my holidays. I finished up some books over the weekend, and delivered my final pre-trip order today (thanks Henhouse!). I have put a notice on my website and etsy shop letting people know that I will be away. I'm looking forward to my trip, but I'm also looking forward to coming back and really getting stuck into the business of crafting - new products, maybe an etsy shop/website revamp using the great tips in this article by Suzy Jack - and especially more papercuts, I've been itching to do a few more of those.

But for now, it's so long! I will try to post from Sydney occasionally, but I'm planning to devote a lot of time to socializing, shopping, eating and drinking - so I'm not making any promises....

Sydney surfing...

I've spent part of this afternoon (quite unproductively) surfing the internet and planning my Sydney trip. I found some really cool links and sites - this one called Superfuture has reviews of lots of cool shops and cafes in Sydney, and other cities around the world. The reviews are submitted by readers, so they're totally honest and real. Another cool link I found was on the H&M website - they do all these cool city tours, and Sydney was one of them. Watching two ultra-trendy Sydney-siders strolling around the shops, cafes and clubs on Bondi Beach (above) makes me really look forward to my visit. On the artsy/craftsy side of things, there is also a one-day workshop on making resin jewellery that I'm interested in signing up for. I'm a huge fan of Dinosaur Designs, and would love to learn how to make my own pieces.

Well, between surfing the web, having tea and chocolate cake, surfing the web some more and a lovely phone chat with a friend - the afternoon now seems to be gone. And, maybe it wasn't so unproductive after all!

Now - it's time to get ready to go out to Morris East for dinner. Yum!

Don't let de boo hag ride ya...

I got a wonderful surprise yesterday - a parcel from the lovely Shona containing the planter you see above, as well as a card with one of her prints. The print is called "Don't let de boo hag ride ya" and I think it's really fitting. I have had the boo hag on my back the last little bit, sucking out all my positive energy and replacing it with negativity. Getting the card and parcel reminded me that I need to be more positive - the world isn't conspiring against me, I'm the one making myself miserable.

So, with my new mindset - rid of the boo hag - I went out shopping for the dinner party we had last night and bought some flowers to put in my beautiful new planter. The night was a great success - we enjoyed our friends and a few bottles of wine - as you can see in the "aftermath" photo. Thank you Shona - I love your gift and it came along at just the right time. ( :