Life is not …………..

I was away for few days, enjoying some rest at a place I love, a pretty, little  and very green village located by the sea , though my mind and soul were very worried and concerned about the situation in my country .

 Anyway, I turned on my laptop this evening to catch up with the blogs I follow and always enjoy reading and  I saw, on my computer screen, so many beautiful, heartwarming and inspiring pictures of beautiful people , happy , young people and children, nice families spending time together , sharing photos of their lovely crafts, beautiful  flowers , gardens, warm houses, towns, travels and family  life, and what came to my mind  is the word ‘LOVE’.

 ‘LOVE’ for our family and friends, our favourite occupations, creations, warm family life and homes .

YES, ‘LOVE’ is actually in the air , all around us and this is what  counts in our life .

 Life is not what they want to make us believe: millions of numbers on papers , money, loans, debts ,  banks, worrying about finances, fear  and uncertainty. 

Life can’t be about misery and worrying most of the time. Life can’t be  negativity and lack of hope .

 There is so much beauty and love around us , in so many little things that cost nothing, but give us the greatest pleasures , pleasures and happiness that no money can buy!

 I hope you like the pictures I'm sharing with you today, of a day spent in the countryside , on the beach , among beautiful flowers and watching an amazing sunset and a 'new moon' and Venus on the summer , night sky.

My love to all of you dear readers , 

Till next time, 

Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Decorating for summer : Beach Huts!!

It’s already the mid of summer and  I feel the happy urge to add more and more summery touches to my little house. Today I’ll share with you some ideas about how to decorate your place using a theme I love : beach huts!

1. A wall scene

If you have a guest room or a room for your children that you would like to transform using  a beach hut theme , that’s how you can do it.

STEP 1: Use paper tape to create a huge stencil of a beach cabin on the wall .

It is not difficult to make, but you should be careful with  measuring  the length of both the vertical ,the horizontal lines and the diagonal ones you will use for the roof. If the measurement is accurate, then the final outcome will be a success.

It’s a pity I can’t show you the process in detail , but I made this cabin few years ago and I have no photos of the making .

STEP 2: Paint the inner part of your ‘stencil’ using the colours of your choice. I suppose navy blue and sky blue , plus a bit of black and red or orange are the most  suitable colours for this project.

STEP 3: When the paint is dry , carefully remove the paper tape.  This is ‘the time of truth’ for your little creation! If your measurements are OK, the final outcome will be a success.

STEP 4:  To make the cabin more realistic, you can add details using pieces of wood to create a frame for the door of the hut and the window. You can also make a ‘fence’, to complete the scene you have created , on the side of the cabin.  

STEP 5: Use little decorative touches on the wall to give ‘depth’ to the scene.

 I used some self adhesive flying birds for the background and hung a bunting with stripes  at the foreground.

 This  way you can transform, an otherwise uninteresting room, into a beach scene , where your family and guests will enjoy spending time in!

2. Cabins on canvas

If you feel like overdoing it  a bit with the beach cabin theme, why don’t  you make some tiny cabins using balsa wood, pieces of fabric and some acrylic paint.

Cut out cabins in different shapes and then start adding detail, using paint , string, pieces of fabric and whatever else you may like, to make your huts more realistic.

When you are ready, stick them on a rectangular,framed canvas, in a row.

You can also add some pieces of wood to create a little fence on either side of the row.

Finally, hung your make on the wall and admire it!

3. Cabins on pebbles

Paint tiny beach huts on a nice, flat pebble. Add some colour and texture using a fabric bunting. You can paint a nice summery background for your huts, if you like.

Place the pebble on a little table or a mantelpiece and let your guests admire your talent!

4. Napkin rings

An easy but impressive make that will bring the breeze of the coast to your dining table, are these napkin rings made of small pieces of balsa wood , fabric, paint and string.

Use the fabric to make beach huts, boats , hearts , bunting etc. and stick them on the balsa wood. You can paint them, instead, if you prefer that. Then, make a small hole on the top and pass some string through it. This will be the ring for the napkin.

You can invite your guests to take the rings at home to remind them of a lovely summer day spend at your house.

I hope I have inspired you dear readers to make something similar for you and I’m sure you will be happy with the outcome.

Enjoy the summer days and nights that lie ahead and think positive .There are things we can change and others that we can’t, so take life as it comes and carry on!

My love to you all!

Tina xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tomorrow will be a new day!

Today is the first day of holidays for me as the school closed for summer.

This has been a very creative school year with lots of activities and new beginnings and I feel happy and fulfilled that I am here today, thinking back to the nine months of school work , the moments we spent with my students and colleagues and what each one and all together accomplished . 

 For us teachers, the love that we give and receive from students and the happy smiles on their faces, is a big reward for all the hardships we may go through. Teaching is a really wonderful occupation and I’m glad to be a teacher!

 But this post is not, unfortunately, about teaching, holidays and fun……..

It is about the hard times that my country and people are going through right now.

It is about tomorrow, about the future of our lives. 

I’m trying to envisage this future but things are so perplexed today that I can’t do anything else than just wait and see what happens.

 I have been spending the last few days in front of the TV, waiting for some good news and hoping that an end will be put to this agony, but things seem to go from bad to worse and our lives are in a way at a pause mode.
No plans for trips, buys and carefree holidays right now. We have to be very careful with the money we spend, as banks are closed and will remain closed until the referendum is over.

What will the next day be like? Nobody seems to know.

I suppose that we will make a new, but quite painful beginning  and  the years to come won’t be easy at all  for the people who will have to adjust their lives to the demands of a new reality, whatever that may be…………

 I was thinking of all these, dear readers, few days ago, driving in the motorway and my thoughts were dark, when I suddenly saw this in the horizon.

 And I thought ‘mother Nature is always here, omnipresent, to offer its soothing beauty and peacefulness in times of worry and uncertainty’. Is this an omen?

  I think it is a sign for us, not to forget that it is not all about money. We live in beautiful country and we have to be positive and hope for a glorious rainbow to appear at the end of the dark and ominous tunnel. We will just have to look for it inside us, take courage, and be grateful for what we have.

I believe that tomorrow willl finally be a 'new day'..............

Till next time, 

Tina xxx