So Where To In 2011?

Unlike the blogs I follow, I can't do a Year in Review 2010 with gorgeous pictures of my incredibly delectable home and crafting genius. But that's ok. I've only been blogging for ONE WHOLE MONTH so all you would need to do is read my few previous posts.

However! This time next year will be completely different. I don't have a crystal ball that can tell me all that will happen in 2011, but I have a few ideas of what I would like to achieve. Not resolutions (does anyone REALLY stick to those?) but I do have some goals. If I achieve them then that's great. If not, well I'd have given it my best shot.

So with all the inspiration and ideas and fantastic tutorials that are out there in the blogosphere world, here's to my new life as a blogger for 2011.

And a special THANK YOU to all those lovely bloggers who have inspired to me not only start my own blog, but for giving me the basic tools I need to get going!

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

Robyn x

A Very Merry Aussie Christmas

Greetings!

The cake is finished, the edible tree has been made, presents have been wrapped and now it's time for me sit back and relax and enjoy the Christmas Carols evening.

I would also like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me at Out Of Ours.

Thank you for visiting my brand new blog, and I hope you will come back and visit in the new year.

Best wishes,
Robyn x

Christmas is On!

With only 3 sleeps to go my darling Mr C finally went out and bought our first Aussie barbie as promised for Christmas day. Ok, so it's taken 2 months since our arrival to do it, but now I can ditch that spending-all-day-in-the-kitchen-cooking-Christmas-dinner back-up plan! I didn't really fancy it anyway.

So "What's for Dinner?". With all the pressures of getting the kids sorted in schools, Mr C starting work and trying to make a rental house feel like home, there hasn't been a whole lot of time to prepare for a truly out of this world memorable first Aussie Christmas. So it will just be a small traditional style barbie with far too much meat, copious amounts of salads and a nice big fat cheesecake from the local Cheesecake Shop. And after all the rain we've had it looks like we at least get a sunny 25th!

Roll on Saturday...

Myer's Christmas Window 2010

Hi there!

Every year as a gift to Melbourne City, Myer's Department Store use their display windows to showcase a spectacular moving animation of a selected theme chosen from nursery rhymes, a story, a book, film and even theatre. 2010 is the 55th year they have done this.

Up until it's unveiling at the beginning of November, each years theme is a closely guarded secret. We only saw it at the end of November when we took our UK visitors into the city and it was fantastic! This years theme was "The Nutcracker". The attention to detail is truly amazing and it was extremely well presented.

We're going back into the city on Sunday evening to see all the city lights, so will post those on Monday.

But for now there's plenty organising to do as it's Miss M's Graduation tonight before she ventures off in Feb to join the secondary school life! How did she grow up so quickly?

Robyn x

Christmas Tree Conclusion

Finally, the tree is up! The thing is now every time I look at it I want to take all the decorations down and re-do it. Again. It's only been done twice since Saturday!

This is it. Undecorated of course. Pretty damn tall I think!

So the all tall 9 footer of a tree is nearly touching the roof and thank goodness it's an apex otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get the top section on. Wouldn't be a good look. Now a MUST pre-requisite for any future houses (hopefully there won't be too many of those) is high ceilings, solely to accommodate this thing.

So this was a tree in a hurry and that went for the lights as well. Mr C went off to Bunnings with special instructions  and came home with a string of 180 lights amongst other things. Only THEN did I read on the tinternet that for every foot of tree you should have 100 lights. That makes ours, ooooh, only 720 lights short!! Not a lot then is it?Now I could rush out and buy some more quickly, but after some thought have decided against this. Why? Well, it's only 2 weeks 'til the big day and our tree doesn't normally stay up for very long after New Year's. I'd rather add a few more things in the kids Christmas stockings.

I'll buy some more when the shops are selling them at an even lesser price and I'll have my 900 lights for Christmas 2011.

Still looks a little bare doesn't it?

All the decorations are in silver and/or white. The white "balls" are the tissue paper pom poms I made as well as the star and Christmas tree clay tags. The glass baubles I opened up and filled with a little bit of tinsel, Ikea style. The Star tree topper I bought is top heavy and doesn't stay upright so I had to compromise and find something else to go on top. Also, I don't do tinsel or garlands on the tree. Don't ask my why, it's just one of those things.

Some close up's of what's on there. I still think it needs more and I might add do that to make it look a bit fuller, but it looks better than in the pictures.

Robyn x

Ikea Trip

And so the Christmas tree saga continues.

I didn't pack a lot of decorations from the UK knowing that I wanted to start creating a new look for the tree. 

After looking online what they had to offer and my list duly made, I packed Master T in the car and we set off for our first trip to Ikea in this here lovely country. 

I have to say I was sorely disappointed. I wasn't sure what to expect, but a very small section of the market area was all there was. Having said that, maybe if I had gone weeks earlier it might have been different. Anyway, the had little or nothing left on my list, but I did pick up a few bits. 

On the display trees though, I saw some lovely things, and one particular one caught my eye. I won't say what just yet, but I came home and Googled it (what we do without Google?), and I've had a go. Here's a sneak of what will be going up on the Christmas tree that I have been busy with..

Later!

Robyn x

Our Christmas Tree Story

Hi there!

When Christmas was all over and done with last year, we already knew that by the time it came around this year we would be in sunny wet Australia. Needless to say the Christmas tree and all the decorations were the first boxes that were packed up and ready to be shipped.

We had a fairly new tree (only a couple of years old) which was coned and pre-lit. Having watched many Border Security programmes and knowing what was and was not allowed Down Under, I spent ages painstakingly removing all the cones.

Fast forward many months later when our things arrived from the UK. All but one box was delivered. Yes, our Christmas tree. Why? Apparently there was one lone cone still on it. Huh? I'm sure I checked and double checked that is was all clear!

So, now it's time to go out and start the search for a new one all over again. For a while day we debated on getting a real one. In the end though we settled for another fake. Big, green and, um, 9ft tall. Why? It looked really nice on display in Spotlight and it was marked down to half price - $75!! 

Now all we need is to find somewhere to put and a gazillion ornaments to decorate it with. But I'm working on that, so come back and see what I've done!

'Til next time,

Robyn x