Better days...and fabric!

After a horror day yesterday... which started with lumpy milk on my weet-bix and peaked with my huge kitchen light falling right out of my ceiling (in a cloud of plaster dust and electrical wires!)...today didn't have much to live up to. I'm happy to report it was much, much better than yesterday :)

I did a bit of Christmas shopping (yay...I've started), and arrived home to a letterbox stuffed with goodies of the fabric kind...how could that NOT make a girl smile?

This is the personalised Christmas stitchery I showed you the other day...

...but this one has my name on it (even if it didn't, you could probably tell it was mine by the red polkadots LOL). Of course I made a start immediately, using scraps from my Christmas tablerunner charm pack to add some colour. Speaking of the tablerunner, the backing also arrived...

...which is a good thing because Tracey and Linda have almost finished theirs! Some yummy Bliss was also in the parcel...

...I have no idea what I'm going to make with this yet, but am happy just looking at it for now :)

I also added to my newest collection...Charm Square packs.

Sweetwater are releasing some gorgeous fabrics and things lately!

This one was just for fun too...there are some really cute fabrics in this pack! My backing fabric for a Gardeners Journal also came, so I'm going to be a busy stitcher in the next little while.

Then there was this...

...sigh. They are fabric labels, personalised fabric labels for my Christmas gifts....does it get any cuter?

Enough show and tell...my fingers are itching to stitch!

TTFN xxx

The sweetest things...

...can be found on the internet! I'm having lots of fun doing some of my Christmas shopping online this year, but this little gift will have MY name on it...(quite literally, actually)


This is a stitchery...the coloured parts are stitched and appliqued onto the print, which come personalised with your family's name...how cool is that? This project was recently featured over on the Sweetwater blog, along with many other gorgeous Christmas projects. Even better, you can buy a kit for most of the projects in the Sweetwater etsy shop .

I can't wait for my kit to arrive...and I know that I won't be able to wait for Christmas to start stitching!

TTFN xxx

Counting down....

I don't mean to scare you, but have you checked the date today? Only a month until Christmas! And, rather worryingly, not a thing I've done lately has had anything to do with Christmas preparations....eeek!

I've made some little boxes of choc-chip cookies as thank-you gifts...

...and gone to High School Orientation Day with my son, and toured the Perth Mint, and done some entertaining at my house, and designed some Baby Shower invitations (no wait...that's still on my to-do list!), and created a Mermaid costume...

...but not a thing has been ticked off my Christmas to-do list!

Breathe deeply....don't panic :)

How are your Christmas preparations going?

TTFN xxx

The fun part :)

One of my favourite parts of starting a new project is gathering the supplies...don't they look delicious all together?

This tray of yumminess will sit on my desk for the next few days...no doubt making me smile each time I see it...just waiting for the beginning of December when I start the documenting part of my December Daily project.

I made the front page ...

...and also cut all my inside pages. This will probably be as far as I get with this album before December...I've found that I like to embellish each page as the month progresses, rather than just add photos and journaling. Hopefully I'll find time for that in December LOL.

Lots to do today...Merryn has a Pirate/Mermaid/sea creature dress-up day this week, and has informed me that she'd like to go as Rainbow Fish...wish me luck!

TTFN xxx

A start...and a compromise :)

Quite by surprise, I had the urge to play with paper last night (shock! horror!) so I made a little start on my December Daily album...


I always find that the hardest part of making a mini-album is making a start...so many decisions to make! What size should I make it? What colours? What embellishments to carry through the album to tie it all together? Now that these decisions are made, hopefully it will all come together quite quickly. The cover paper is Prima, with embellishments from Everybody Loves Christmas by Echo Park. The "christmas" is actually from the cover of the paper pack...it was the perfect size!

I made the banner using a Stampin' Up stamp (Party this Way), and the shapes were cut by my friend Lisa using her Cricut, then threaded with yellow Divine Twine. The cover is very very bright...but very very me :)

And the compromise? Well, I decided to put off my Christmas decorating until next weekend...I like to decorate on December 1st, but my DH won't be home on that date....but the kids are not hindered by any such tradition...

...they've made a start! I picked up some cute little trees from Spotlight a few weeks ago for the kids bedrooms....they've wanted their own tree for ages, and at $2.50 each, I couldn't resist! It's nearly December, right?

Have a wonderful Sunday!

TTFN xxx

How early is too early?

I'm a traditional sort of girl...

...Christmas tree goes up on December 1st, Christmas cards go out in the first week of December...that sort of thing. I have to admit, though, I am fighting the urge to put up my Christmas decorations early on a daily basis :)

The displays at the shopping centres are not helping at all. I spied this wreath several weeks ago at Myer, but gave in to temptation yesterday...and it makes me very very happy. The bells make the most magical, tinkling sound...just how I imagine Santa's sleigh would sound. Sigh...I love Christmas :)

So...how early is too early to put up the Christmas decorations, do you think? Have you given in to temptation yet?

TTFN xxx

The strategy.

The best way to combat those niggling feelings of Christmas panic?

Get started on the to-do list! The procrastinator in me says that I have plenty of time to get everything done...the realist in me knows how fast the time goes :) So today we made our Christmas card lists (the girls enlisted the help of their class photos to make sure they didn't miss anyone...LOL), we started making some handmade cards, and...amazingly...those little niggling feelings of panic are subsiding...for now, anyway :)

The Christmas tablerunner on my to-do list has also started taking shape...

...using my charm pack of Kate Spain's 12 Days Of Christmas before it gets too cosy in my fabric stash :) My lovely crafting buddies, Linda and Tracey, are also working on one of these. We are all using the same charm pack and the same pattern, but you'll be amazed at how different they are looking already, just by using different base colours! I'll be sure to show you a photo when they're done :)

Thanks for all your lovely comments on the Cross Stitch post yesterday...blog hopping was such fun!

TTFN xxx

The Great Cross Stitch Showcase

WARNING: photo-heavy post ahead :)



Inspired by a gorgeous cross-stitch display by Linen and Raspberry, the enthusiastic-and -always-encouraging -Chookyblue thought it would be a lovely idea for us to pull out our completed cross-stitch pieces, and have a little blog-hop. I couldn't agree more :)

I have to say, it's been a long time since I've put a needle into aida fabric...despite the fact that each year a cross-stitch UFO makes it onto my to-do list :)

I will start by showing you some of my completed pieces.

I completed this sampler in 1999, and it currently hangs in my front entry.

This blurry photo is Lydia's Beatrix Potter alphabet sampler, which hangs in her bedroom. She won't hear of it being moved...

...unlike Riley's Beatrix Potter Colour Sampler, which was removed from his bedroom quite a few years ago. I've done several other pieces over the years, but have given them away...and believe it or not, the photos I have of them are even worse than these ones LOL! Merryn didn't get a Beatrix Potter cross-stitch...3 children left very little time for counting threads!

I've saved the best for last though...

...my very first cross-stitch, completed in high school textiles class, and framed by the very cute boy who lived across the road :) It lives in my walk-in robe...behind a cupboard...and probably will for the rest of it's life.

Since I don't have many completed pieces to show you, I thought I'd do a cross-stitch walk of shame...and show you the ones that are living in my UFO box :)

There's the Christmas stocking done on black (virtually impossible to stitch in anything other than bright sunlight)

...the Home Sweet Home banner, which could be completed in an afternoon or two (if only I would put my mind to it!)

There's the teddy bear sampler, which unfortunately will probably never be completed due to rust stains, and the transparency of the aida cloth...

...and the other teddy bear sampler, due to be completed for my sisters' 18th birthday...

...she has since celebrated her 21st, 30th, 40th and more....hee hee.

There's the charming cottage, stitched on the leftover yellow cloth that featured in my first cross-stitch...eeewwww...

...and the sewing room sampler, which I managed to complete about 10 crosses on before moving on...oh dear.

Then there are the kits...

...which I loved to buy, but never found the inclination to start. There's a bit of a teddy bear theme happening there :)

A cross-stitch Christmas stocking for each of the children would be a lovely addition to our Christmas decorating...

...if only I would make a start!

So there you have it...my cross stitch history in one blog post! Hopefully this will give me a bit of a push to do a few more crosses, especially once I check out everyone elses beautiful work. Head over to visit Chookyblue if you are interested in seeing more...she has the links to everyone who is participating.

Thanks for hanging in this long...and please join in if you have any cross-stitches lurking in your home..we'd all love to see!

TTFN xxx

Garden Show, Vignette and coming soon!

Friday again...sigh. The weeks are zipping by in a blur of activities and events, and I'm starting to wonder how I'm ever going to fit Christmas in! Do you get that feeling sometimes? The end-of-year flurry has well and truly begun...and my thoughts of hand-made gifts under the Christmas tree seem to be disappearing as quickly as the weeks :(

One thing I can tick off my to-do list is this...

...the final block of stitching on my Gardeners Journal quilt! This one has a lot of stitches in it, but would have to be my favourite block of all. For a while back at the beginning, I was wishing that I had done the stitcheries all in red...but picking colours for these girls made me smile the whole time I was stitching! The ginger-haired girl reminds me so much of one of my childhood friends...I thought of her the entire time :)

This is the completed Block I, which is officially due to be completed in November. Now all that's left is to add the borders... since I couldn't resist stitching all the blocks together this morning...and the quilting and binding. I've managed to source my border fabric (thanks to you guys for your help!) so when it gets here I'll show you the completed quilt top...wooohooo!

I'm going to miss stitching this quilt, but my next project may just have arrived in my letterbox this week....

...or maybe I'll work on those Christmas gifts...and Christmas cards....and December Daily album...love to keep my hands busy!

I hope you can pop back here tomorrow...the lovely and ever-persuasive Chookyblue has planned a little online show-and-tell event...

...hope to see you then!

TTFN xxx

P.S. A special thank you for all your comments and well wishes on my last blog post...you guys are the best!

WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness...so excited!

Check this out!

Can I say it again? WOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

TTFN xxx

Sunday Quilting.

Yesterday a strange thing happened...the kids were playing happily in the pool, DH was pottering in the garden nearby, and I found myself with some uninterrupted quilting time...YIIPPPPEEEEEEE! So I grabbed a bar of chocolate and a cup of tea (or three) and got busy with my tablerunner...remember the peeks from the other day?

I used a pattern called Summer Stars Table Runner from Pieces of Me by Janelle Wind, and like all her patterns, it was straightforward and easy to understand. It must have been a good sewing day for me too, because the quilting didn't involve any reverse sewing (aka unpicking LOL)...which is always a bonus!

I quilted in a combination of in-the-ditch and echo quilting, and actually quite enjoyed it...quilting is not normally my favourite thing to do :)

The backing makes me very happy (polkadots do that for me LOL) ....it's from the Lotus Collection by Amy Butler, and I picked it up at a closing down sale for a bargain price, and used it the exact same day it came through my front door...a miracle for sure!

Now...what to start on next?

TTFN xxx

Memories

Hello hello :)

Here's another LO that I've completed for Tomorrows Memories, featuring a gorgeous diecut ledger paper by Creative Imaginations.

The pink background is velvet paper by Doodlebug...such a lovely feel to it.

The LO is about a gruesome discovery we made a few days after moving into our new house...tadpoles! EEEEEEEWWWW! Where there are tadpoles...there are frogs, and I am deathly afraid of frogs! Merryn kindly took care of the relocation for me :)

This LO is available as a kit from Tomorrows Memories but be quick...there's a limited number, so when they're gone...they're gone!

TTFN xxx

Seaside Collection

I've had the pleasure of playing with some new release Kaisercraft papers and embellishments over the last few days...yes! Scrapbooking stuff! The lovely girls at Tomorrows Memories have given me the inspiration to play with paper once again...and it's been fun :)

These goodies are from the Seaside Collection by Kaisercraft, and will be available from Tomorrows Memories in December...so keep an eye on their blog for news of it's arrival.

The range is a lovely mix of colours, perfect for scrapping all sorts of photos. I started with a LO about Lydia's school assembly this year, which was called "Are we there yet?". I loved that the Escape paper had lots of place names all over it...a great match for my theme.

The range has some great canvas tags and printed tickets, which are great for including the little details...and also adding some texture to your work. I even broke out my eyelets and eyelet setter to attach the tickets...hadn't used an eyelet for the longest time!

I had enough goodies left to make another LO, this time using a favourite photo that I printed a few years back, but had never used...

I've used more papers from the Seaside Collection, and another of the tickets...love them :)

The flower base is a diecut from My Minds Eye Breaking Free Collection. I cut around it, and inked it with red to match my colours a little more closely.

The Seaside Collection will be available from Tomorrows Memories in December...just in time for scrapping your Summer photos.

Have a fabulous Friday

TTFN xxx

P.S. Thanks for all your help with the fabric identification yesterday...I have a couple of hot leads!

I need your help!

I have come to the point in my stitching of A Gardeners Journal that I am planning my borders and bindings...a bit exciting, huh? I have run into a little problem though.

The fabrics I've been using are mostly Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey...but of course, the fabric I'd like to use for my border is not Nicey Jane. And, of course, I have no selvedge left to identify it. Can you help? Do you know who makes the gorgeous olive green polkadot fabric pictured in the block above? If you could help me out, I'd be ever so grateful :)

I could go back to the shop where I purchased the fabric...but it's a long way to go if they don't have any left :(

Thanks in advance!!!

TTFN xxx

P.S. The stitchery above is called "Birds in the Tree"...only one stitchery to go on a Gardeners Journal!

Repurposing...

...is a good thing, especially when it involves quilting fabric :)

Last year when we moved into our house, we found (as you do) that some of our stuff just wasn't required for it's original purpose any more. The TV cabinet which we saved and saved for in our early married years was no longer big enough to house our TV (when did TV's get so BIG?), and the cane basket I bought to hold our cut firewood was no longer necessary...since we no longer have a fireplace.

So I got to thinking...what to do with a cabinet that I can't possibly part with? What about a quilt station? The firewood basket fits perfectly into the TV shaped hole, and is a great place to store some of my completed quilts...and very accessible on a cold Winters night :)

When we cleaned out the video drawers on the weekend (in the lower part of the cabinet), I had a stroke of inspiration...

...fat quarter storage! Ooooh yes...sure beats pulling out plastic tubs to find fabric. I confessed to my DH...the muttered reply being something about my stuff taking over the house...he may have a point LOL.

Speaking of quilting, here's a sneak peek of what I've been working on between Gardeners Journal stitching...

...those gorgeous Cosmo Cricket fabrics have become a project! Hope to show you the finished piece some time soon :)

TTFN xxx