Sliding in sideways...

...with just a couple of hours to spare...

...nothing like leaving things until the last minute...

...we have the September edition of A Gardeners Journal! This happy gardener is not me...can you tell? First of all, I don't like to garden (lots to do with the frog-phobia thing LOL), I am allergic to cats, and my hair is dark...but I did own a white wicker chair a long time ago ;)

So these are the bits you haven't seen for this month...

...joined to the bits you have seen (this is called Block F)...

...which I can now join to Block G!

It sure is growing! I'm over halfway now, so I guess you could say I'm on the downhill slide. Hello October...and Block B :)

TTFN xxx

Braving the elements!

It's not often in Springtime that you'll find me out and about. I'm a bit like a bear who hibernates in Spring rather than Winter, hiding in my cave until all the nasty blossoms and other allergens that trigger my hayfever have disappeared :)

Tuesday saw me dosed up on antihistamines, and braving the elements to take the kids (and my hubby) to the Royal Perth Show...what a great day we had!


We rode on lots of rides, patted piglets, ate pluto pups, watched dogs dancing, and walked and walked and walked! It was a totally different show experience without Riley there...we spent lots less time waiting in line for rides, and much more time looking at animals and such.

I didn't take a lot of photos...FAR too much to do (and a bit tricky between nose blows LOL) ...but I thought these displays were so clever.

Each region in WA create a display to show off what their region has to offer. Most of the exhibits had moving parts, and all were absolutely spectacular!

Hope you are having a wonderful, sneeze-free day

TTFN xxx

Some things are meant to be :)

Yesterday I went to the Old Perth Road Markets in Bassendean, and had a lovely time perusing the stalls and catching up with friends. Most of the shops were open, and I called into the local patchwork shop to buy some fabric to bind my little Cosmo Cricket project that I've been working on. I was just about to walk out the door when I spied this...

A charm pack of the very same fabrics I wished for in my last post! Had it been fat quarters, I probably would have stuck to my budget and left them there...but a charm pack? Very affordable :) I have no idea what I'll make with it yet, but right now I am happy just looking.

Monday is baking day around here, and I tried out some new recipes from this great library find...

I'm loving this cookbook. It's full of basic, yummy cakes...just the kind I like to cook :) Today I attempted my very first sponge cake...it's just waiting on the jam and cream...and some chocolate butterfly cakes, complete with mock chocolate cream. I've never made mock cream before either, but understand it is perfect for freezing...essential when you make 3dozen butterfly cakes!

Better go and clean up my mess...

TTFN xxx

If wishes were horses...

....then beggars would ride.

If I had some money...here's what I'd buy...


I never seem to tire of the red/aqua/olive/pink combo...

...especially for Christmas :)

Then, just for fun...

...cute cute cute...

...and this one for my littlest girl...

...who never tires of Maisy Mouse :)
All images courtesy of http://www.fatquartershop.com/ where, if you have some money...you can buy!

Happy shopping

TTFN xxx

Sewing, airports,books...and other random stuff :)

Random post today...because it's Friday, and it's a bit windy, and my hayfever is WAAAAAY out of control, thus making normal, structured thoughts virtually impossible :)

It's the last day of school term here, and we are about to embark on a new adventure...

...sewing lessons! Lydia has been wanting to learn to sew for a while, so we figure that holidays are the perfect opportunity. She had a first test run last night, and zipped up a rather cute little bag for herself...it's just waiting on some handles. I have no idea what will be next...any ideas?

Dropped my boy at the airport this morning...


...proudly wearing his West Australian State colours, all ready for a big adventure in Adelaide at the National Trampolining Championships. What I would give to be flying out with him right now... :(

Happy mail in my letter box...

...to get me in the Christmas mood (LOL...as if I needed any encouragement!)

And a plan for the weekend...

...Old Perth Road markets are on again this Sunday, and Tomorrows Memories will be open! What could be nicer than scrapping your Sunday away in the TM's classroom (for free!), with the occasional break to pop out and peruse the markets? Not much, I'm thinking. Bookings are essential, so give the shop a call on 92792183 to book your spot.

Enjoy the sunshine

TTFN xxx

The best thing.

What's the best thing about finishing a project?

Playing with new fabrics without the guilt of being surrounded by unfinished projects, of course!

This is Cosmo Cricket Early Bird...prints that were originally released as scrapbooking papers, and are now available as fabric. Makes it all the more fun, don't you think?

Hope you are having a FANTASTIC day... I'm off to find my rotary cutter :)

TTFN xxx

Just in case...

... you need a set of your very own...

...go here.

And you probably could have guessed...mine were in the first shipment LOL!

TTFN xxx

A Frilly Little Secret :)

There is always a certain element of danger in making a gift for someone, especially when the recipient knows what you are planning to make for her.

There's the danger that it won't turn out (and that it will be abandoned into the UFO pile forever)...

or that you'll run out of something vital and can't finish it...

or the most common danger of all...


...that you'll love it so much that you can't bear to give it away :)

I've had this Frilly Dilly bag planned in my head for so long...the fabrics have been in my possession for ages....and with my best friends birthday coming up, I knew it would be the perfect gift for her (she has a major bag obsession LOL).

I just hadn't counted on how lovely the Amy Butler LOVE fabrics would look together...or how hard it would be to gift-wrap it...sigh.

I know, I know... I could make myself one. But then we would be matching, which might just be a bit uncool.

My youngest thought it looked pretty special on her, too :)

Maybe I'll have to be content with making a journal cover out of the scraps...LOL

TTFN xxx

P.S. Love you Fi...are you sure you wouldn't prefer a blue bag? xxx

I've joined!

While playing around with my Gardeners' Journal fabrics this afternoon, I made a very exciting discovery....

...I can join two completed blocks together! My little quilt is starting to grow...now that is what I call progress! Another exciting discovery I made today... (are you managing to contain your excitement?LOL)

...is that with the completion of these two stitcheries, I am officially half finished my blocks! WOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Here's a close up...

This one's called...interestingly enough..."basket of flowers", and the birdfeeder is called "dovecote"...

Where am I finding the time for all this stitching, you may ask? Well, we are counting down till the beginning of the Australian National Gymnastics Championships in Adelaide next week, and that means I am sitting in on lots of additional trampoline training sessions with my son. I sit and I stitch...and I stitch and I sit...and am often surprised how much I can achieve in a single session ! Find time where you can :)

TTFN xxx

Shrinking :)

Turquoise, pumpkin, olive and crisp white...who could resist having a play with that yummy colour combination?

It's been a while since I've used a palette from The Color Room, but when I popped over there for some inspiration I couldn't believe they are up to Palette number 23! The last one I did was in the single digits I think :0

So here is my take on the colours...


It occurred to me this year that Riley's pile of birthday presents is getting smaller and smaller...but costing more and more each year :) Technology doesn't come cheap, does it?

I cut my banners with scallop scissors, and used a Zig writer and Thickers to decorate. The twine is one of my favourite things right now...my friend Lisa is responsible :) and generously gave me some to play with.

I cut the journal block with scallop scissors too. The star stamps are Hero Arts, and paper is Bo Bunny Kitchen Spice Sesame.

This could just be my new favourite colour combination!

TTFN xxx

Cottage Christmas

The Christmas papercrafting goodies have started arriving at Tomorrows Memories! WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It was with much excitement that I took delivery of some of the yummy Cottage Christmas range by Imaginisce to play with :) I created these cards with bulk replication in mind...you can create lots of cards based on these designs quite quickly, without spending a fortune on supplies....and isn't that just what we all need at Christmas time?

The range is so cute, and the addition of teal freshens up the traditional red and green colours of Christmas...teal is such a great colour :)

All of the bits and pieces I've used are available at Tomorrows Memories. While you're there, check out the gorgeous new papers by My Minds Eye called I Believe....I even left a few sheets for you ;)

TTFN xxx

The family that plays together...

...stays together :) Isn't that what they say? :)

When I received my latest Design Team pack from Tomorrows Memories, I knew exactly which photo I would use...it was the perfect match to the very delicious Indie Girl range by Sassafrass Lass. The problem was, I didn't want to just scrap a picture...the desire to tell the story always gets the better of me. So I delved a little deeper, and pulled out the rest of the photos of that day...in particular, the one of me playing mini-golf.


All of a sudden, it wasn't really about that we were playing golf...all I could think about was how reluctant I usually am to leave my house LOL. I'm a homebody at heart, but am finding more and more that if I want to keep up with my family, I have to make an effort to do what they like to do...whether it be mini-golf, or cricket in the park, or roller skating, or bike riding. Sometimes, I even find myself enjoying it :)

I've used papers from Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl, Collections chipboard, thickers and MLS alphas, with a bit of bling thrown in. Tomorrows Memories have the Indie Girl Collection in store...have you seen it in real life yet? YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

TTFN xxx

Vintage Treasure

I had a bit of a clean up in my craft room yesterday...isn't it amazing how fast things get in a mess? One thing led to another, and I found myself looking through storage boxes right at the very back...lots of treasures (and UFO's...gulp) hiding back there. Amongst the half finished cross stitch kits and tapestry wools and teddy bear kits, I found this little treasure which I thought you might like to see...


This is my very first attempt at stitching!

I was in Year 2 at school, and a lovely lady fondly called "Morgy" came in to teach our class to stitch. She was actually one of my good friend's nanny/housekeeper, and such a patient woman :)


Here is the full piece in all it's glory :) Love how I've started and finished with a big knot, right on the front of my fabric...yikes!

So this is where my love of embroidery began...in a classroom in Year 2. Do you still have your first piece of stitching? I'd love to see a pic ;)

TTFN xxx

Classic whites.

I've been doing some creating for Tomorows Memories in the last little while...the shop is so full of beautiful things to play with! Gorgeous Christmas goodies have started arriving, so my first mission was to make some Christmas cards...which fits in well with the Christmas creating that is my obsession :)

I love nothing more than white with metallic silver accents for Christmas ...classic, crisp and understated. My pack contained the most divine embellishments...

...which I based my card around. My photo doesn't do the sparkles justice...the accents are all metallic silver.

I stamped the words with Cotton White Staz-On straight onto the silver paper, embossed the background with my Cuttlebug, and cut the flowers with my Slice.

Gold and white is also a favourite (especially when I run out of silver paper hee hee). This little Chritmas tree is by Dusty Attic...

...Tomorrows Memories have a HUGE display of Dusty Attic chipboard, enough to inspire even the most chipboard-allergic person like me! I painted it white, then Glimmermisted in Pearl...which turned it sort-of cream. So I painted it white again (chipboard is sooooo forgiving) and whitened it up with some Crystallina Kindyglitz...that's better!

Again, I stamped the words with Staz-On, and embossed the musical notes with my Cuttlebug.

I have another set all ready to photograph...this time in traditional red and green, with some aqua thrown in. Best go and catch the afternoon light :)

TTFN xxx

Are you happy?

(source)

TTFN xxx

There's no place like home...

There's been a bit of stitching going on around here lately ;)

When I joined the Stitch-A-Long group back in July, the girls had already been stitching their Gardeners Journal quilts since April....so I was behind from the start :) My plan of attack was (and still is, actually) to complete the current month's block with the other girls, and try to catch up a bit along the way.

The block with the most amount of stitching is called "There's no place like home", so I prepared it, ready for when I had a spare minute....it was June's block. Several hundred spare minutes later and it's complete! It's a bit of a relief, let me tell you!

This section is called Flower Wreath...

...a nice, quick little stitchery that I knocked over in a night...I like blocks like that! Then there is The Dog House...

...another quick one that I stitched while watching Riley at trampoline training.

Then the not-so-quick one...

...stitch stitch stitch...it seemed to go on forever. I put the final stitches in this morning, and ta dah...

Block C is now finished! The good news is that I have only one more block to stitch, and I am all caught up...YAY!

Have a fantastic weekend

TTFN xxx

Book Week 2010

Three children to dress up for Book Week this year, so we had to be a bit more organised than our usual last minute rummage through the dress-up box on the night before :)

Scrapbooking supplies come in very handy around Book Week...cardstock, glue, foam stamps, inks, templates...all vital in costume creation! It was fairly predictable that an Alice In Wonderland character would be chosen...it is a favourite around here. Lydia is one of the Queen's guards...

Then we have a very cute Angelina Ballerina...

... cardstock, elastic and pom-pom trim from the craft stash, and a very cute little white tail at the back made from a white stocking stuffed with craft wadding.

Skulduggery Pleasant was anything but cute...

...but is definitely one of his favourite reads :)

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

TTFN xxx

Beautiful Sunday

* Waking to the sound of laughing children, not an alarm.

* Warm scones with jam for morning tea.

* A spirited game of Scrabble on the back deck.

*Giving gifts to Daddy on Fathers Day...because he's at home, not at work this year :)

* White choc chip cookies ready to pack in lunch boxes through the week (if they last that long!)


* Bike rides in the park.

* Stitching with my girls in the afternoon sunshine.


* Snuggling under a quilt to watch Avatar (again)

* The aroma of baked dinner wafting through the house.

How I love Sundays :)

TTFN xxx