New Blog - Inn French Country

Hi again,

This is the second post of the day I just wanted to let you all know I have started a new blog all about my little cottage and the blog is called Inn French Country.

We have had the house for 5 years now and have spent the last 5 years renovating and had so much fun doing it so I thought I would share with you all what we have done.

I fell in love with this house the first time I seen it. It's a little cottage with stained glass windows it just has this warmth to it when you enter the house.

So please head on over and check it out. Lisa XoXo

Merry Christmas and have A Safe and Happy New Year

I know I am a bit late but I just wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year. Have a wonderful weekend Lisa XoXo

Just finished ornaments

Well I have just finished these 3 ornaments for the christmas tree I still have the other 3 to finish I really love the colours. Let me know what you think. Have a wonderful evening. Lisa XoXo

17 Days to go! Merry Christmas

Just wanted to post a photo of my beautiful children I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. We are on the count down in the house. Have a beautiful day Lisa XoXo

1st December tree trimming

This glass baubles has been filled with English rose petals, they started as table decorations and then we put them on the tree.

This is my new christmas ornament for 2008!

This is the tree complete it really looks better in real life.

Stage one!

stage two!

Hello all, well yesterday was the first of december and we have our christmas tree trimming with our parents and children. Each year My daughter and I put up the tree which takes about an hour then my Husband puts the lights on and then we all as a family with christmas music going decorate the tree. I also cook a beautiful dinner and make fruit mince pies and rum balls for desert. I alway have a beautiful table setting, it's just a beautiful family tradition we have, and Wow the christmas tree this year looks just beautiful I hand make all our ornaments and this year I have a vintage theme for the tree and table. Have a beautiful day everyone. Lisa XoXo

Pay it forward

Hello everyone, this is the first time I have joined in a swap!

I really love this idea, I have join in with bek from beksshabbydreams.

This is based on the movie "Pay It Forward", where acts of kindness are done without expecting anything in return.

Passing it on, hoping that the people that you pay it forward, pay it forward! And so on.

I need to do add a PIF symbol to my blog and a link back to bek of www.beksshabbydreams.blogspot.com.

The first 3 people to visit my blog and leave me a comment saying they would like to be join in will receive a handmade gift from me within 365 days of joining .

You will need to send me an email to confirm your spot.

These 3 visitors must have their own blog, place the PIF logo on their blog and link it back to me.

Then you must be prepared to offer the same, to the first 3 visitors to visit your blog.

Follow the above steps as I have done.

Have a beautifully pink day Lisa XoXo

Christmas Rum Balls

Hi all, well I am counting down the days till our family tree trimming on Monday the 1st December and thought I would share one of my recipes with you that I love to make at Christmas - Rum Balls there are a lot of different recipes out there but I love this one as I don't like to add fruit they are more like a truffle.

1 1/2 packets plain chocolate biscuits I use Scallywags (Gollywogs)

1 Can Nestle Skim sweetened condensed Milk 99% fat free

3 tablespoons desiccated Coconut

1 1/2 tablespoons Rum

Crush biscuits into a fine mix I normally do this in a food processor Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix using a teaspoon shape into small balls and roll in coconut and refrigerate. I have problems keeping up with a supply for the family as soon as a batch is made they are gone! Hope you enjoy

Jenny Loves Benny Handmade Mohair Bears

New Category Jenny Loves Benny Artist Bears I have them in the shop so I thought it was about time to add them to the website. I also have some patterns so you can make them yourself I have just started making Mohair bears over the last couple of months and Love it so much they are all handmade stitched and all handmade you will just fall in love with them. I also have a link that you can go to Jenny's site and check out what she does. Have a beautiful day. Lisa XoXo

Christmas is coming

Well I am getting ready at home to decorate for christmas the tree will not go up till the 1st it must alway go up on the 1st. I thought I would share a photo or 2 of the tree at the shop well one of the tree's I have two I just have to get around to decorating the second one.

Have a beautifully pink day! Lisa XoxO

Some of the things I love

Well I am still at home sick at the moment so I thought I would share some photo's of the things I love and have in my home. Have a beautiful weekend all. Lisa XoXo

Pre Christmas Sales up to 30% off

Hi all

I have been off work and blogging for some time I have not been well, So as I am now back at work I am having sales up until I close for christmas holidays on the 12 December. 30% off all furniture and 20% off everything else in the shop. I won't be opening the shop till the 3rd February next year I have decided to take off the holidays with the kids and we are in the middle of renovations on the house so It will give me more time at home to get that done. It seems since we bought our house 5 years ago we have been doing something to it. So it will be nice to get it all completed.

Hope you all have a beautiful day. Lisa

Pretty and Pink - New shop display

I have been busy doing new displays in the shop well I would really like to be doing my Christmas displays and putting up my new pink Christmas tree in the shop I'm just not sure if It is to early I don't think so as I love Christmas so much. I will attach a couple of photo's of the new display I just love pink and green together, they are my favourite colours. Have a beautifully pink day! Lisa XoXo

School holidays & sewing busy busy!

Well the kids are back at school today and I am back to work tomorrow, but I have no Internet and phone at the shop not sure what the problem is! We have had a very busy school holidays we went to the beach into the city, movies and movie days at home. The weather has been really warm. So today Monday is my day off and I am sitting at home wondering why is it so quiet that's right the kids are back at school.

I spent the weekend at the shop with my husband and kids rearranging the shop to give it a fresh look for spring, I have fairy lights up ready for christmas displays which I am working on for the next couple of weeks I have been busy over the holidays sewing christmas stockings Santa sacks for the kids I am also working on some bags, laundry bags and pretty pillows. So I have been very busy with the kids and sewing I think that is why the holidays seemed to go so quickly, So my daughter informed me this morning on the way to school "mum I only have 8 weeks of school" this year as she is in high school year 10 she get the finish the 28th November.

The attached photo is some lavender bags I have just finished they are like large hag tags made from fabric and filled with lavender and finished off with lace and flowers.

So in the blink of an eye it will be christmas!

have a wonderful day everyone.

Lisa XoXo.

New category - Natasha Burns Prints & Panintings

I have been working on a new category for a couple of days now and with the permission of Natasha I have her prints and paintings in my shop and have had a couple of ad's with her paintings. I have had some customers ask me would I be puting them on the website so I thought I would. I first discovered Natasha about 3 years ago on ebay and just fell in love with all her work. And each year on my birthday I alway buy a new painting. it's a present to myself really with my husbands love. So I hope you love the new category. let me know what you think!

Have a beautiful day. Lisa XoXo

Flowers pearls and glass baubles on My Christmas tree

Since I am so busy this week with Christmas ornaments and hand making decorations I thought I would share with you all what I love to decorate my tree with. I always have flowers all over the tree strands of pearls and glass baubles which I always attach to the tree with a pretty ribbon. My tree at home is green and very very large the shop one is pink I think all girls should have a pink tree. I will attached photos so you can see what I mean. have a beautiful day. Lisa XoXo

Family tree trimming at Christmas

Well for as long as I can remember we have been hand making christmas decorations for our tree and every September I always begin. When my daughter was in grade 1 at school she came home with some christmas craft that she had made at school so that was the year that we sat around the table at that stage I only had 2 children and we made our decorations for the tree, so every year when september rolls around I know christmas for me is getting close I love christmas so much as it is family time we have some christmas traditions the christmas tree must and I mean must go up on the 1st December my daughter and I always put up the tree as it is so large it takes us a couple of hours then my wonderful husband does the lights and every year without fail he does a wonderful job. Then we lay out all the ornaments on our coffee table for the whole family to do the tree in the mean time I have a wonderful dinner cooking I go all out normally a roast of some kind I set the table with all the beautiful plates and glasses put my best table cloth on the table and candles.

Then we decorate the tree and when we are all finished the lights go on! and wow every year it looks just beautiful and that's one of the family things we like to do every year and for the last couple of years I have invited my wonderful family for christmas tree trimming, My husbands parents. It's very special and the kids love to see their grandparents.

Over the next couple of months I will share some more family christmas traditions we do and I will be adding handmade christmas ornaments to the website! I really hope you will love them as much as we do. Have a beautiful day Lisa XoXo

New christmas stock added today

Hello, I thought I would just update you all on my Christmas sewing I have for many years always with my kids handmade decorations for our tree so when finding christmas stock this year for the shop nothing seemed to jump out at me and I wanted something that was unique to Inn Country so about 3 weeks ago I started making chrismas decorations for my shop and as you can imagine it is a slow process as I am the only one sewing so it take time but I think the end product is worth the wait. Let me know what you think, I have added stock today to the website and as we are on the count down to christmas only 99 sleeps to go! wow I better get back to the sewing. have a beautiful day Lisa XoXo

Christmas - I love this time of year

Well christmas will be upon us once again before we know it and I have been working on my christmas ad for country home ideas and also my handmade christmas ornaments and mini chrismtas stocking that I have each year. In the next couple of weeks I will have all christmas stock on the website and slowly build on it in the shop and I handmade all myself and there is only one of me It's a slow process. So I thought I would show you a couple of photo's

Shop displays

Well hello I just thought I would post some new photo's of the shop I am going back to the shop tonight to pull everything apart and totaly rearrange to give it a fresh look. Have a wonderful weekend. Lisa XoXo

This is what has been taking up all my time

One of my things I wanted to do this was to learn how to make artist bears and I will in the future be selling them with my dolls. So for the last 3 weeks I have been taking bear classes and this is my very first bear and she will be sitting on my desk to remind me of what my bears looked like when I first started I have another 4 bears on the go at the moment I can't show you just yet, I am also working on my new blog for my bears and a new website which should be up and running in the next couple of weeks so at the moment I am working around the clock to get a stock up of dolls and bears for the new website you will also be able to see them on the inncountry website and blog I will also have them in the shop for sale in the coming months.

Along with soom new pillows & Cushions that I have been working on for the last month or so, so as you can see I have been super busy. As soon as I have some pillow's & cushions completed I will post them so you can take a look. Have a wonderful Evening Lisa XoXo

Happy Birthday to me

Well I have been very busy the last couple of weeks working on something new for the shop, Yesterday was my birthday the (20th August) I turned 38 and had a really wonderful day I closed the shop for the day and My daughter and I when shopping, we had a really wonderful day. it started out very early as my children love opening presents and they like to do it early so at 6.30am we where all sitting on my bed opening all my presents and wow I was really lucky this year I got a pink ipod and speakers new dvd ps i love you a couple of CD's for the shop and I also received my new laptop which was an early birthday present and that is also pink I will take some photo's of it to show you all it's fantastic much quicker that the other one which I have had for 4 years so that one was then given to my son to use. Hope you all have a beautifully pink day! Lisa XoXo

New addition to my bear Collection

I just wanted to share with you all what arrived in the mail today, I did buy myself a little present my birthday is coming up on the 20th of this Month. Her name is Isabella and she is a shaz bear thanks so much sharron I will treasure her. Have a fantastic Evening Lisa XoXo

Handpainted cupcakes

Hello, I just wanted to show you all what I have been working on this morning in between my customers. Small Doilies with handpainted cupcakes. I love anything with cupcakes and I thought these would like great in the shop with all my other cupcake candles soaps and pictures. . I have only done 4 off these I will be adding them to my website this afternoon they are $4.00 each they come in pink yellow blue and green. They measure 12cm across they are small Doilies. Have a beautiful weekend. Lisa XoXo