Riches Stitches

It's Finished

2011-06-16T16:29:00.000+09:30

Well here it is all finished...

Now I am in the process of making a couple of these shawls and I am about to attempt a special "Nappy Cake" for my sisters baby shower. Will definitely post pictures of that when it is done.

Until next time :o)

Blowing Off The Cobwebs

2011-06-02T12:48:00.000+09:30

Yes, it has been a while. I just can't seem to get into a regular pattern with my blogging and before I know it once again months have gone by.
I have been thoroughly enjoying my SFI app on my iPad and love how I can pick it up and read it wherever I am . It has some great quick dinner ideas and is fantastic for a busy mum like myself who realises at 2.30 in the afternoon while sitting at work "goodness, what am I going to do for dinner tonight?". Speaking about my iPad, I have realised that it has become one of those gadgets that I can't get by without, it is sooo useful. I took it away with me to craft camp last weekend and had loaded my craft project instructions onto it as well as all my scraplifts for card making. The only downside was that when I got there I realised that it only had 20% battery time left and I had forgotten to pack my charger. Fortunately, I found someone who had an iPhone and had brought there charger with them and they were happy to lend it to me so it could charge overnight. My iPad was then happy for the rest of the weekend with constant use. You've got to love how Apple have made there devices with the ability to share chargers, it sure helped me out of a sticky situation.
Yes, once again Craft Camp has come and gone. I managed to have quite a productive weekend.
I made these accordion style card holders....

(tutorial found here).

This lovely Stationery Box including A6 size cards, note cards, gift tags and sticky note holder......

(tutorial found here).

Matching birthday card.......

and two other birthday cards........

I did actually have a list of birthday cards to make but ran out of time (and appropriate paper).

Lastly I made these gorgeous little booties for my sister who is expecting her first baby in August.

The pattern for these is called "Newborn Baby Converse Booties"and was found on Ravelry. I couldn't believe how quick they were to make and will probably make a couple more pairs in a bit bigger size for him as he grows. The black back stitching actually looks a lot straighter in real life.

Next time I post I should have finished the "Wooleater" blanket and will show a photo. I really do enjoy crochet and have been teaching the "Wooleater" blanket at my Friday Craft group and I think the ladies have been having a lot of fun learning how to make it. It really is a challenging pattern to do, especially for those who have not done crochet before or not picked up a hook in a while.
I am now in the process of deciding on the next crochet project and am leaning towards either this pattern or this pattern. I am going to purchase some "Red Heart Supersaver" yarn by Coats & Clark as I love the vibrant colours and it is real value as the balls are 200g. Where do you purchase your yarn from? I have found it quite difficult to get yarn at an affordable price in a large range of colours. The best place I have found so far is Yarn Over (formerly American Yarns).

Until next time :o)

Super Food Ideas for iPad

2011-04-26T00:44:00.000+09:30

Making the most of iPad technology, Super Food Ideas has been redesigned as a unique interactive experience for cooks of all levels.

You'll find exclusive how-to videos for those 'tricky bits' of cooking, while each month food editor Kim Coverdale takes you through making the cover recipe. Hands-on features include the 'Cook Mode' button, letting you expand each step of the recipe as you go, and making cooking with the iPad super-easy.

You can also bookmark your favourite recipes, search the recipe index to quickly find what you need, and of course everything from the print version is also on iPad each month.

I just bought this app for my iPad tonight. It is excellent and is sure to be used in our home a lot. I love how it has three different ways to view the recipes as well as having video instructions.
Until next time :o)

Pinspiration

2011-03-25T21:23:00.001+10:30

I was invited to join Pinterest and finally my application was accepted so I can now start pinning my findings there. This site really is very handy because it means that you can find things that you may have found anywhere on the world wide web and view them anytime from any computer. For me, who uses a few different computers during the day, will be finding this very usefull.
I haven't got very much on my pin board as yet, but I can assure you that that will change.

On another note, I have been very creative myself over the last couple of days, and have put together this little family of Owls.

I created a template then shrank it a couple of times to get the different sizes.
I love how the baby looks like it is sleeping.
I will be making some more of these in the near future and some may make it into my shop.

Until next time :o)

Love Long Weekends

2011-03-14T14:16:00.001+10:30

I don't know about you, but I love myself a long weekend. I think it would be nice if we could have one every week, but then I guess they would probably loose their novelty and specialness.

(Source)

1. I love the Friday night of the long weekend. You know that feeling that you have three glorious days stretched ahead of you to do with what you like.

2. I love the Saturday of the long weekend. Knowing that "tomorrow" isn't the last day of the weekend.

3. I love the Sunday night of the long weekend. Knowing that you get to have another sleep in tomorrow.

4. I love the Monday morning of the long weekend. No Mondayitis and being able to have a lazy morning drinking coffee's and reading blogs. Love, love, love it.

5. I hate the Monday night of the long weekend. Knowing that it is all over and having to wait another 4 weeks or so for another one.

Oh well at least the next long weekend that we here in South Australia have to look forward to is our Easter Weekend with 5 days of doing what we want. The down side to this is that it is actually two long weekends merged into one. Easter and Anzac Day. I guess we take what we can get though right?

Until next time :o)

The Shop is now Stocked

2011-03-07T20:25:00.007+10:30

Have just finished adding the rest of my items to my Made It store.

(these are just a few of the items in my store)

Please come and check them out. If there is something there that you would like in a different colour/style, just contact me and let me know, as I will make to order.

until next time :o)

It's Up and Running

2011-03-03T14:02:00.004+10:30

Just a very quick post to let you know that I have taken the plunge and have officially opened my "made it" store.

I am planning on uploading more items over the next few days. It is quite time consuming as I am still learning.

Until next time :0)

The Newest Hooky Project

2011-02-10T11:50:00.004+10:30

I am currently turning this.......

into this.........

it is call the "Wooleater Blanket" and I found it through Thornberry's blog. I decided to do mine using the colours of the rainbow and white in between. I have already done one round of each colour and now am about to repeat them but I am going to do double rounds from now which I think gives more of a scallop look. Not sure yet how big it will be, will just have to wait and see or until I get sick of it.

I also had fun a couple of weeks ago making up some of these "Box Pouches".....

the tutorial came from here and I found it very simple and easy to follow, especially the part where you insert the zip. If I make some more (which I am planning to do some time soon) I think I would make them just a bit longer so that they can be used as pencil cases. They are currently just a tad short to fit a normal sized pen/pencil into.

I am currently thinking of opening up a shop on madeit.com.au and putting some of my other crafty items in there. I am just a little scared to take that first plunge as I am worried that no one would want to buy my stuff. Guess I won't know until I try it. Will post on here when it finally happens.

Until next time :o)

Happy New Year - 2011

2011-01-08T15:54:00.000+10:30

A new year has begun and after having an extended break from blogging I feel refreshed and ready to get going once again with a fresh new look.

Well what have I been up to in the last 6 months?

I finished up the Ripple Blanket a few months ago. I decided that it was big enough for now and if I want to make it any bigger at a later date, I can just add more rows.

Just before Christmas I won a full fat quarter set of the "Sweet Broderie" fabrics from the lovely Rosalie Quinlan.

(source)

That is 35 delicious fat quarters. I am thinking that I would love to make a quilt with them but am not quite sure yet.

My lovely sister-in-law gave me this pack of assorted buttons for Christmas and they go perfectly with the fabric.

I have also been having fun making a variety of cards and scrapping notebook covers.

I sold these at our Craft stall at Carols Alive. Will definitely be doing more of these in the future as they are lots of fun.

Well until next time

Creative Spaces

2010-06-03T11:48:00.007+09:30

Well, Craft camp was a success as I managed to finish not one but two projects.

The first being the Cinderberry Stitches "Paris Collection" bag....

And the second, turning this.....

into "Kirsty's Granny Shrug". I never liked the first cardigan that I made so frogged it and made this instead. This shrug was so quick and quite simple, even if I did end up having to do it 1 1/2 times. Some things that I would probably do next time is use a drapier (is that even a word) yarn as I used two strands of 8ply Carnival Acrylic which I feel has come out a little stiff. I would also like to apologise for the photo quality.

Well that's it for this week. To see more creativity, visit Creative Spaces at Kirsty's place.

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My Creative Space - Again

2010-04-29T08:57:00.004+09:30

It seems that this is all I am blogging about lately, but at least it keeps me up to date and on track. Although it only seems like yesterday that I last blogged.

I have made more progress on this....

the colours are much more vibrant in real life. It is now at a size where it actually is starting to keep me warm as I am working on it.

I also managed to pick these fabrics out of my stash....

for the "Paris Collection" bag. I am hoping to have them cut out for next week. I am waiting on some Hanky Linen that I ordered from here so that I can do the stitchery part.

Maybe next week I will have something else to share. We will have to wait and see.

You can see some more creativeness over here.

Until next time....

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Today's Creative Space

2010-04-22T08:52:00.007+09:30

Isn't it so tidy. I love having a clean slate ready to start some new creating, and some new creating there will be.

I finished off these........

and really love the colour combinations.

I visited Spotlight to get some more Gingham fabric and ended up getting these as well......

and these......

which I am going to use to make this....

(Source)

I actually won this pattern from Natalie earlier in the year and was waiting for just the right fabric to use with it, and now I believe I found it.

I have found that Spotlight has a great range of 100% cotton fabrics at the moment and it truly is hard to choose. Fortunately I had a voucher for $40 off if you spend $100, which isn't that difficult to do really. So my stash is well stocked at the moment. I am also thinking of making some more crochet edged pillowcases for selling, as they are really quite quick to make and also display the fabrics quite nicely.

You can view some other great Creative Spaces at Kootoyoo. Till next time...

80)

My Creative Space...

2010-04-15T09:07:00.004+09:30

This week I decided to join the long list of those sharing their creative spaces.

As I have been on holidays from my paying job for the last week and a half, I have had a bit of time to spend in my creative space and a few things have been achieved.

Firstly, I have managed to make 17 of these bags for my "Make It Quick" craft camp project kits

Secondly, I have been continuing to work on the Ripple Blanket.

The sad thing about this is that a day and a half ago this was twice the size, but whenever I looked at it I knew that something wasn't quite right. But silly me kept adding more rows anyway. Then I knew that I just had to rip it back because I hated two of the colours that I had put in there, they just kept jumping out at me. So 28 rows had to be ripped back and hopefully now I will be happy with it and be able to continue on.

Thirdly, I am making up some more "Peg Aprons".

The pink and green number on the top is actually for me, because my current peg apron has a big hole in the back from being well used. The rest will be for sale at the Craft stall at my Craft group in a couple of weeks time.

To be inspired by more creative spaces, hop over to here.

Until next time

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HE IS RISEN...

2010-04-03T22:39:00.005+10:30

(SOURCE)

He's risen indeed.

Creative Spaces

2010-03-28T15:54:00.009+10:30

I have been busy on the crafting front of late.

And this is what my Creative space looked like the other day. I loved the way it looked so had to take a photo.

I have finally finished sewing up my samples for the craft camp that is coming up in May and have finally posted them on the blog.

I decided to do a Sewing accessories set that can be made over a weekend, and this is how it turned out.

As you can see I actually made two of everything with different contrasting fabrics so that there will be a choice of either pink or blue.

I am very excited about the whole thing and eager to see what kind of response I get.

Also in the middle of all of this I joined the "On the Edge - Pillowcase Crochet Along" and ended up with this

I love the colours and the textured edge. This will be coming along with me to craft camp in May with my Hexagon blanket.

I am looking forward to seeing what the next little while brings craft wise, and I wonder what will be posted here next. Maybe now I may have some time to play with that new toy that I posted about last time.

80)

A New Toy

2010-03-03T11:05:00.013+10:30

After much research and price checking I finally took the plunge and bought this.......

A Cuttlebug Die cutting and Embossing Machine.

My boys thought it a frivolous purchase but after receiving it and having a try Son No.2 thinks it is pretty cool and has since given it quite a workout (he really enjoys making cards). I have found it to be a great product and it is so easy to use. I have bought a few of the Spellbinders Nestabilites and some embossing folders to use with it.

The machine, embossing folders and Spellbinders Large Scallop Squares were purchased from Scrapboutique as they had a fabulous sale on a few weeks ago, with the Spellbinders Large Scallop Ovals and Spellbinders Large Scallop Circles purchased from ebay. I am thinking of purchasing a set of Baby Face Alphabets from ebay as well as there are some great extra die cuts in this set.

An update from the last post - I have decided to take up the opportunity to teach at the Autumn Caft Camp. I am going to teach a few small projects and am feeling quite excited about the whole thing. I am now in the process of making up the samples. Although I have actually made all these items before, I don't actually have any as a set that matches so that is what I am planning to do.

And finally a picture of my new hooking project....

A lovely large ripple blanket that is such a pleasure to work on. I am just loving picking this up in the evenings while watching TV. I am using the left over soft wool from my hexagon blanket and just buying new colours as I run out. There is no time frame on this project which makes it quite relaxing to work on. I will just keep adding rows until I feel it is big enough.

I also just realized that I forgot to post a picture of the completed crochet basket that I was working on.

I must admit that it took a while to finish as I wasn't sure what to do about the handles. Originally I was going to crochet them, then I though of making them with fabric and attaching them with clasps. But I then found some really cute 1" wide pink grosgrain ribbon that matched perfectly so used that with the clasps. I also found that it was a bit floppy so I inserted a clear plastic gift box which was the perfect size. It is now my new work basket that is great for just chucking thing into.

Well that's about it for now, so until next time
80)

Practice

2010-02-06T11:37:00.007+10:30

Here is a sneak peak of my practice run for the "Wash the Dishes Tea Towel Swap".

Now that my linen tea towel blanks have finally arrived I can get started on them. I hope that my recipients like them.

My final stitchery of the month project arrived yesterday, designed by Lynette Anderson Designs.

I love the fabrics and stitchery design of this one. I was a bit disappointed however on the overall club, as over half the projects I thought were very similar. There are only so many needle books that a person can use. Even though they were all a little different in design, they are still essentially the same thing.

I don't think I will be joining any more "...of the month" clubs for a while as I now have so many projects to start.

On another note, I have been asked to consider teaching at the next CYC Autumn craft camp. I am a little excited and nervous about the whole thing. My main concern is finding the time for planning as well as choosing what I would offer to teach. I am definitely praying about guidance for this. I need to give an answer in a couple of weeks.

Until next time.....

80)

Wash The Dishes, Dry The Dishes, Turn the Dishes Over!

2010-01-27T17:14:00.000+10:30

I have joined another swap (as mentioned in my previous post). I haven't done one of these for a while. This one is called "Wash the Dishes Tea Towel Swap". I just love tea towels, especially pretty handmade ones. I have decided to do embroidery on them using doodle stitching. I had drawn up a couple of doodles and thought this would be a great place to use them. Unfortunately I can't post any pictures until the swap is over, so you will have to be patient.

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Rearranging Complete

2010-01-11T15:32:00.006+10:30

Here are the before and after photos of our creative space.

Before

After

I ended up sorting through my magazines and kept all of my Homespuns but only kept the others that had projects in them that I knew I would use. I actually have a notebook that I had written projects in that I have used or knew that I would use so that made the job a little easier. The plastic crate and green shopping bag that you can see in front of my craft table are FULL of the magazines that I am getting rid of. I am not sure how I am going to move them as they are really heavy.

I am so glad that we finally did this as it feels so much roomier and I can even extend my table out now when I am doing paper crafts.

I put one of my magazines to good use and made some of these fabric buckets. The pattern was in Patchwork and Stitching Vol. 7 No. 3. They were actually called Easter Baskets, but I left off the handles as I thought they may get in the way for what I want to use them for.

The January Stitchery of the month arrived last week and it is by Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly Designs.

I am not sure what I think of this one. I will probably have to admire it for a little while to get used to it.

Finally, I joined a Tea Towel Swap here and am looking forward to creating something for this. I signed up to do 2 towels and am thinking stitching on one and maybe applique or patchwork on the other. I have until the end of March to complete them.

Until next time

80)

Under Construction

2010-01-06T12:20:00.003+10:30

We finally got around to rearranging our Study/Craft room. It is quite difficult when you have to share your creative space with tech geeks, but I think that we have come up with a very good layout that keeps us all happy. I now have the daunting task of culling my craft magazine collection which I started in 2003. Due to the new layout I had to get rid of my bookshelf and downsize to this one (it actually lies across the floor horizontally) so therefore there is not enough room for all of my craft magazines. I have lots of Handmade, Patchwork & Stitching, Australian Country Threads and Homespun. It is so hard working out what to get rid of, even though most of them I don't even look at anymore, I think it is the knowledge of the accumulative cost over the years but I think I need to be ruthless. I will take them along to my craft group when it starts back at the end of January and see if anyone there would like any.

Any way enough procrastinating and more doing. I must say I am looking forward to getting this all sorted and set up how I want it so that I can get to being creative again.

80)

Crafting my Time Away

2009-12-08T11:11:00.015+10:30

Natalie Lymer of Cinerberry Stitches was this months Stitchery of the Month Contributor. She designed a cute little needle book with matching zippered pouch to carry your project and bits and pieces in. This will come in handy when it gets made, for carrying around future stitchery projects. For those wondering about the Stitchery of the Month Club, there is a link over in my sidebar.

I have still been busy making things for to place on the Craft Stall at Carols Alive. I designed and made these little baby bibs that I have backed using towels.

I had a clean out of my linen cupboard and found an abundance of regular sized bath towels that we recived as engagment and wedding gifts (17 years ago). As all members of my family enjoy using bath sheets these towels are all way too small. Some of the more thicker ones I have given to my beautiful sister in law, but the thin ones make great backing fabric for bibs as well as being very good for wiping faces. One towel was used to make all of these so I guess I will be needing to make some more to get rid of the excess.

I received permission from Mellanie Hurlston of Melly & Me to sell the Kokeshi Softies at our Craft Stall so made some more, I will definately be doing these again.

They were so quick to do and I think they look very cute. I really loved picking out colours in the backing fabric to use for the little Kimono and hair ribbons.

I feel it is important to mention that 10% of all sales at the craft stall are going to this charity and also, if you find a pattern that someone has willingly shared on the Internet, you should ask permission before making them to sell. It is their perogative to say yes or no. And by the way, just using a different fabric, doesn't then mean that you can say it is now your design.

Until next time

80)

November Happenings

2009-11-30T08:34:00.009+10:30

Well here we are staring into the eyes of Christmas preparations and wondering how on earth it got here so soon.

This past month has been extremely full so I thought I would just give a quick summary of what has been happening in the world of Riches Stitches.

The start of the month saw this package of loveliness make its way into our letterbox

The November Block of the Month project by Melly & Me which I know I am going to love making when I find some spare minutes ( does anyone know where these can be found?)

I also had the joy of purchasing this wonderful book of inspiration by the lovely Rosalie Quinlan.

There are quite a few pages tagged in here already and once again looking for some spare minutes to attempt them.

We held a craft stall at craft a few weeks ago and I had a few items there to sell. One of which was a peg apron. This was such a hit that I have had a few orders for some more, so have been busy making these. It has been such fun filling orders and then hoping that the recipient will love the colour combinations that I chose.
I will be making more of these to sell at our next craft stall which will be held at the Oakden Carols Alive on the 13th December, with a percentage of sales going to this wonderful organisation.

I also attended the Adelaide Craft & Quilt fair and purchased these beautiful Japanese fabrics

I am looking forward to putting them to good use am thinking that they would look good made into bibs and for applique.

Lastly, I found this great downloadable pattern from Melly and Me and I am hooked.

She is so quick and easy to make and the stitchery is really fun to do. I have colour co-ordinated the stitchery with the backing fabric and I must admit that she looks pretty cute. I am almost finished 3 more and will have to show you pictures next time.

Organising my Thursday

2009-10-29T08:23:00.002+10:30

I have decided to blog a list of what I am planning on doing today.

1. washing (next door as the Washtub Dr. pronounced my 17yr old machine dead on Tuesday).

2. clean bathroom, toilet and ensuite.

3. Sweep and mop floors.

4. start packing for craft camp (it may take the two days to do this).

After reading through this I realised that No.1 should have been blogging and FB.

Let's see how much of this list gets accomplished.

80)

Busy Bee..

2009-10-21T16:51:00.001+10:30

Look what I received a couple of weeks ago........

from one of my favourite designers - Leanne Beasley, and it has some Rosalie Quinlin fabric included to make the table runner. I can't wait to get started on this.

I have been very busy over the last couple of weeks making all of this.........

to sell at craft camp which is now only two weeks away, I still have a few things to add and I am hoping that I will not be all crafted out before I get there. I am planning on taking a few different things to do this time as I am not decided on any particular project.

80)

Spring has Sprung.

2009-10-06T12:36:00.001+10:30

Spring is finally here and this is what has started blooming in my garden......

I just love the look of bright pink and yellow roses. They are sitting on my table next to my laptop so that I can gaze on them often.

It seems this has now become a once a month blog, but at least it is better than nothing. I just can't comprehend how fast the weeks go by and before I know it another month is gone.

What have I been up to this month? Well I finished this bag.....

and started this one.....

I found this pattern in the October Better Homes and Gardens magazine and just loved it on site. Fortunately I even had all the right coloured wool so didn't need to buy any more. The whole thing is done in single crochet (or double if you use USA terms). I am thinking of lining it with one of these......

I am still continuing with this....

As you can see I only have one more block to do but it seems to be the one that is taking the longest. I think I have just gotten bored with it but will not start the next stitchery of the month project until it is finished.

I am on holidays for a week so am hoping to do some extra projects as I am planning to make some items to sell at Craft Camp which is coming up in only 4 weeks time. I think a list is in order so that I can keep on track as at the moment my brain seems to be all over the place and am finding it hard to stay focused on one thing at a time. I am also trying to come up with some new things to sell that craft ladies would want to buy.

Will blog again soon or maybe in another month. See you then.

80)

Hello There!! Missed Me??

2009-09-17T08:21:00.009+09:30

Well it has been a while, a whole month in fact since my last post. I know I say this every time, but where has the month gone? And I was informed last night that there is now less than 100 days till Christmas. Christmas! Already!! We are heading into the last week of school for term 3 and gearing up for the last and most hectic term of the year, the one that goes the fastest (if that is possible). I am totally behind in my Stitchery of the Month as this one arrived a couple of weeks ago...

I'm not so sure about this one. It is definitely more country and not necessarily my style. It may end up being a gift for someone special who's birthday is coming up soon.

I have been busy crocheting another bag which is going to fulfill one of my PIF promises I am thinking of doing another one for my other PIF as well but in colours I know that she likes the best. This patterns is really great for using up those left over balls that aren't quite big enough for a project on their own. Just a few more rows to go and some handles.

Craft camp is coming up again at the end of next month and I posted my form off today. Am totally looking forward to a whole weekend dedicated to crafting and hopefully will come home with something to show for it.

80)

Cosy & Warm

2009-08-06T10:25:00.006+09:30

Even though I am a through and through coffee lover, I don't mind a pot of tea every now and then either. I found this cute Maxwell Williams Teapot at Myer during their stocktake sale for only $4. Well, I couldn't pass up a bargain like that and considering I didn't already have a teapot this size I had to bring it home with me.

Well it made a lovely pot of tea but I found that it needed a cosy. It is a 2 cup pot and by the time I was ready for the second cup, the tea had gone a little on the coolish side.
So.... here is what I whipped up, thanks to my new book "200 Crochet Blocks". I altered the pattern slightly to make a couple of Bobble Blocks into a tea cosy. I just love the way it turned out and it now keeps my teapot cosy and warm.

This also arrived in my letterbox yesterday..........

yes, the next stitchery of the month. Boy these do come around rather quickly and I hate to say it but I am still on last months stitchery so can see me once again getting behind. There just is not enough hours in the day to do everything that has to be done and what I want to get done. Any way I will just keep plodding along and I am sure that they will get done eventually. This month is a mug and spoon bag, very cute indeed.

8o)

Hexagon Lovliness

2009-07-23T11:18:00.000+09:30

Here it is............

Yes it is finally finished at a size of 65" x 40" (165cm x 100cm) and it took me a total of 3 months, not too bad. My sweeties are glad that it is finally finished as they are sick of my bag of wool taking up residence on the couch. I did inform them that I am planning another blanket and they all gave a resounding no, but when it comes to craft projects I am afraid they don't get any say in the matter.

It was my birthday at the beginning of the month and I made my first purchase at Amazon.com. The confirmation order said that the delivery date would be 20th August so couldn't believe it when I got home from work yesterday and found a package in my letterbox and it was these beautiful books..........

I think I will definitely use Amazon again not only for the prompt delivery but their prices really are very good.

I am making good progress on my stitchery of the month with the stitchery part almost done. I am looking forward to finishing off this project and putting it to use.
Lincraft had a 50% off all fabric sale last week and I bought this gorgeous piece of material..........This photo isn't so good. It is actually black with grey embroidery on it and it is quite a sturdy fabric. Some of it was used to make a tote bag, pin cushion and needle book for my beautiful SIL who lives in Melbourne and I think that I am going to use some to make this Buttercup Bag.

Back to reality this week as school holidays are over and everything starts again. I am looking forward to being the Coffee Queen at craft again this term after having a term off to teach, it will be great to be using this wonderful machine again..........

And finally, I would like you to meet Black Beauty.....

This is my brand new Hyundai Getz. I can't believe how we used to manage with only one car. Life has definitely been made a lot easier.

80)

Some More Colour

2009-07-10T14:05:00.005+09:30

This is the new Stitchery of the Month by the lovely Janelle Wind.

I have already started it and I must admit that it is looking very cute. The finished stitcheries are made into a Tea Cosy (which I am in need of) and two pretty coasters which I think I will be a little reluctant to use as I don't think I want any tea staining happening there.

Here is my finished stitchery from last month (I finished it just in time).

I'm really happy with how it turned out and am thinking of using it as a centre piece for a quilt.

I also had a visit to Spotlight last week and purchased these lovelies.....

I just love the spotty fabrics and I found some really nice calico that almost looks a bit like linen. The floral fabric I actually bought a couple of months ago and the spot fabric matches perfectly. I have a project brewing in my mind for these so will wait and see what turns out.

My crochet hexagon blanket is nearing the end and I am hoping to get it finished in the next week or so and will post a final picture soon.

80)

I'm Back and I Received my Very First Blog Award

2009-07-01T19:37:00.004+09:30

Thank you to those who sent kind thoughts regarding my mum. She is doing a lot better now. The Doctors seem to think that she didn't actually have a stroke as her MRI was totally clear. However, she still gets tired really easily, has dizzy spells and at times has trouble remembering what word she wants (totally unlike her usual self).

A thank you goes to Clare who gave me this award:

It made me feel very special.

Clare was the winner of my Blogoversary give away and these are the things that I sent her:

hand made card, fabric, matching fabric basket, thread catcher, covered tape measure, I think that she really liked it. I had a lot of fun putting the things together.

Sarah at Quilt Fabric Delights also posted some new fabrics that arrived at her on line store.

This is called Mezzanine and is a Michael Miller fabric.

I do have a birthday coming very very soon so I think I may take the plunge a buy a fat 1/4 of each as a special gift to myself. I just love the colour combinations of this fabric, pink and green gets me every time.

I may be back later in the week as the next Stitchery of the Month has been sent out and I should be receiving it in the next day or two.

80)

A Bit of a Break

2009-06-20T22:58:00.004+09:30

I am having a bit of a blogging break for a little while as my precious mum had a mild stroke this past week (she is only 61) and I am needing to be 100% available for her and my dear dad.

I will be back soon when things have settled down and hopefully back to some sort of normality.

80)

What's in a Bloggy Name?

2009-06-17T18:05:00.004+09:30

I found a new blog here and thought I would join in.

The blog name I have used is the name that I label my crafts with. It is part my name and also describes what I love doing. It also helps that the words actually rhyme and I think that it sounds good.

80)

They're Finally On Their Way

2009-06-07T17:00:00.009+09:30

The Blogoversary gift(s) are finally on their way, and it is now up to Australia Post. So, Clare and Blossom, watch your letterboxes next week as a little something should be arriving sometime soon.

80)

A Little bit of Colour

2009-06-04T10:28:00.005+09:30

Look what arrived yesterday. The first Stitchery of the Month.

I can't wait to start this. It is so beautiful.

I saw this on Rosalie Quinlan's blog and loved it there and am so glad that it is the very first installment of the Stitchery of the month club.

And I am loving the coloured thread and fabrics that came in the kit.
It reminds me of my hexagon blanket as they are the colours that are being used in that.

Rosalie has also designed a fabric range that will be coming out soon called "Grandmothers Flower Garden" and this stitchery is one of the images on the fabric. I can't wait for it to be release and I can assure you that fat 1/4's of this entire range will be heading for my fabric stash.

The hard part will be choosing which colour way.

80)

Some Progress was Made

2009-06-01T20:47:00.010+09:30

Here I am at craft camp hard at work making my Melly & Me pincushion.

I must admit that I had a lot of frustration making this pattern as there wasn't enough fabric, ricrac or ribbon in the kit so I had to improvise and therefore it took a lot longer to make than planned, but I think that it turned out alright in the end.

As the actual kit didn't have the printed ribbon as was on the original Melly and me items I stamped mine as plain ribbon didn't look quite right to me.

Next I went onto the Leanne Beasley Pincushions and achieved two out of the five. These were really fun to make and I especially enjoyed doing the stitchery.

I also spent some of my time teaching my sister. She actually achieved more than me which was very exciting considering that this was her very first crafting project. She used a pattern that I had written for a s

ewing set and finished all of them with fantastic results. I think that she is a natural and am looking forward to what she will do in the future.

She also managed to finish one of these thread catchers and it looks great.
I was very impressed with her skills. She managed also to design and make a pouch and would have finished that as well except that she didn't have any fabric for binding, so I will spend some time with her in the near future showing her how to do that. I am so excited that she has found out how much fun craft can be. I think that there may be more crafting days in the future.

80)

Two more Sleeps

2009-05-20T10:07:00.003+09:30

I am getting excited about the upcoming weekend away at Craft Camp. I have spent the week getting organised and putting my projects together, it is so much fun. Maybe I will finally catch up on my crafting things. I have honestly felt as though I have been running backwards on that front.

A weekend away without having to worry about answering the ongoing question of "what's for lunch? What's for tea? I'm hungry, what's there to eat?" is one of the best things about it. Even though my sweetheart does organise the food most of the time on weekends, I still feel the pressure of it, not to mention all the little jobs that need doing and therefore interrupt any time that may otherwise be used for crafting or doing something else that I might like. Don't get me wrong I will miss them all a lot, but it is a good kind of missing, one that makes me appreciate and love them all even more when I come back home. I think every wife and mum needs to have a little getaway time every now and then. It can really help put life back into perspective.

Well I had better not forget to pack the camera and hope to post some good photos showing a productive weekend. Part of the time will be spent teaching my sister a thing or two as she is coming along for the very first time. I am hoping that she will love it as much as I do.
80)

Apology- Life Sometimes Gets in the Way.

2009-05-15T20:42:00.003+09:30

I am posting an apology to those lovely ladies who I am owing a Blogoversary gift to. I am flat out at the moment and feel bad that I haven't had time to get your things to you. Please be assured that they are not forgotten and they will arrive in your letterboxes soon. Just think of how excited you will be when that package finally does appear in your box when you least expect it.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T22:40:00.004+09:30

Happy mothers day to all of you celebrating today. I was once again a spoiled girl and had a very special day. My sweetheart and boys gave me these beautiful gifts and am loving them.

A cute little Coffee and Tea set from Ikea (this is actually a children's toy but really there is a little girl living inside me), beautiful chrysanthemums & lilies, Tomb Raider Underworld, latest Homespun magazine and a great laptop stable table which I am using right now. Thank you to my darling sweetheart for spoiling me so much I love you very much.

He started the day by making me french toast and coffee for breakfast before church, then also cooked a BBQ lunch for me (and the rest of the extended family) and took me out for dinner with our boys and his parents and sister and brother in-law. He is just so wonderful I just hope that I can make him just as happy when Fathers day comes around.

Hope you all had a day filled with as much love as mine did.
80)

Pay It Forward - My very First One.

2009-05-07T09:19:00.003+09:30

I have joined my Sister-in-law in doing this and am so glad as I have wanted to do one of these for ages.

Here is how it works:
I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post. I have 365 days to do it in...What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well: you must have a blog (come on girls I know you want to start one. You know who you are) and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (just cut and paste this one if you like!) Ooooo! How exciting!

80)

And the Winner is.......

2009-05-06T19:46:00.003+09:30

Clare's Craftroom

Congratulations Clare. I have sent you an email asking for your snail mail address and hope to post your gift to you early next week.

I would like to send a special treat to the other three who were kind enough to leave a comment for my Blogoversary so thank you very much to Blossom, Lil Sis (no blog) and Teena in Toronto.

Thank you once again for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a small message. It really is a great encouragement to me.

Anonymous Comments

2009-05-03T09:16:00.002+09:30

I just realised that I had one of my settings set so that people who don't have a blog address couldn't leave a comment. I have now changed it so that anyone can leave a comment on posts now. If this is what was stopping you from commenting I am truly sorry and would love to hear from you. Because of this problem I have now changed the final day for my Blogoversary giveaway to Wednesday 6th May. Please leave me a comment letting me know how you found me and just to say hello.

8o)

Blogoversary Gift

2009-05-02T23:09:00.002+09:30

Remember to leave a comment by tommorow night (Sunday) as to how you found my blog, so that you can be in the draw to win my Blogoversary gift.

8o)

Happy Birthday

2009-04-29T21:18:00.005+09:30

Well we celebrated my dear Grandmas 90th birthday over the weekend and had a really lovely time. This is the Blackforest birthday cake that my mum made for her to feed 76 guests.
I made my favorite choc chip cookies. They are very much like short bread and melt in your mouth.
I also made a couple of platters of sushi. These are exactly like the ones that I demonstrated at slipper night. I tell you what, they didn't last very long and I didn't even get to have a taste. They are always a big hit.

Well guess what?.... It is my Blog birthday today so I am going to have a special hand made give away gift. If you are kind enough to leave a comment on this post letting me know how you found me, I will place your names in my crochet hat/bag and draw a winner. You have until Saturday to comment and I will draw a winner on Sunday.

I look forward to hearing from you.

80)

Stitchery of the Month Club

2009-04-23T09:28:00.008+09:30

I have joined another "...of the month club" this one being a Stitchery of the Month.

It doesn't start until June so I have plenty of time to finish the pincushions first. When I saw who was contributing to this one I couldn't help myself but join in. Each month, for nine months I will receive an 'exclusive preview' stitchery-based project kit from one of Australias top designers:

• Cinderberry Stitches
• Gail Pan Designs
• Leanne’s House
• Lynette Anderson Designs
• Melly & Me• Natalie Ross in Stitches
• Red Brolly
• Rosalie Quinlan Designs
• The Janelle Wind Collection
Doesn't reading those names just make you want to join in as well? If you want to join me just click on the link on my side bar and it will take you to Under the Mulberry Tree . com who is running this club.

I have a busy weekend ahead as it is my Grandma's 90th birthday on Sunday. We are giving her an afternoon tea on Saturday with her whole family and some of her friends. It will be great to catch up with some of my family that I haven't seen for quite a while. Especially my brother and sister-in-law from Melbourne who are staying until Tuesday.

Will be back next week.

Blog Visits

2009-04-20T21:44:00.003+09:30

My foot is feeling a lot better, thank you to those who have commented. It is now fine to walk on but is still quite swollen. I bought some nice new shoes & boots but unfortunately can't wear them yet due to my ankle being too fat.

I haven't been up to much this week apart from the continued hexagon blanket that is continuing to grow slowly and I am still really enjoying it.

I have also had fun finding and visiting some new blogs lately. I have met Bloom, Clare's Craftroom, Pepperberry & Co and Threads of Friendship and I am sure that you will enjoy visiting them as well. You may also note that I have placed a count down on my side bar and that there are only 9 days until my 1st Blogaversary. I am planning a give away to mark the occasion so don't forget to come back and see what I have in store. You also would have noticed that I have changed my header. I was able to make it on this fantastic site which I have had a lot of fun visiting.

Well I will be back later in the week.

8o)

Exercise is Dangerous.

2009-04-14T09:22:00.004+09:30

Late yesterday afternoon we decided to walk to the park as a family and play some footy and basketball. Well, I was having a go at doing jump shots (if you know me it was something to behold I am sure) and I landed awkwardly and twisted my ankle. As I landed the basketball came back to me and smacked me in the nose causing it to bleed. I can tell you it must have been a very funny site (although not from my end) and the boys thought it would have been good if we had caught it on video. I was rocking on the ground in excruciating pain and in tears and then had to hobble home two blocks. I now have a sore nose and an ankle that is twice it's normal size and can't put any weight on it. I have had to call in sick to work as I wouldn't be able to get around. I work on the first floor and there are only stairs which I know I can only get up at the moment by crawling. I am hoping that a day home today to rest will be enough for me to be able to put weight on my foot tomorrow and hobble around again.

Maybe I will think twice next time before doing ball activities or just have to be a bit more careful.

8o)

Easter Long Weekend

2009-04-13T12:39:00.010+09:30

I realised that I forgot to post a picture of the last Pin Cushion of the Month.

This one includes the pattern and fabric for a pincushion, needle book and a wristlet. The fabrics are really lovely and the stitcheries are really simple. It also came with a little pink bird pin. This will be added to the pile to take along to craft camp. Speaking of craft camp, the forms are now available and the camp is on the 22 - 24 May. I can't wait and I am sure that it will be here before I know it.

I finished this stitchery.....
I really love how it came out. The colours of green and orange go so well together so now all I need to do is make it into a bottle bottom pincushion.

(29/10/09) edited to add - This stitchery was inspired by the lovely Cinderberry Stitches and it was made into a needle book.

This Easter weekend has been full of relaxation. I have been drinking lots of these...
The boys have been having fun playing with this (Guitar Hero: World Tour for PS3)....
And my sweetheart (aka the easter bunny) gave me these little treats...
And I have been doing some tidying of my craft area and continuing with the Hexagon blanket. So all in all, we have had a very relaxing weekend.

The boys are now on School holidays for 2 weeks although I still have to work my usual days and my sweetheart doesn't get holidays like teachers do. He will be having a very quite time at school over the next 2 weeks with only the admin staff there (most of the time).

8o)

There is a surprise at the end!

2009-04-09T08:56:00.010+09:30

Well progress has been made on the crochet hexagon blanket with the completion of the first row and a half.

I must admit that I find it a struggle to be random about the colours and placement of the hexagons. I am usually quite particular about symmetry and balance and this is a challenge for me, although I must admit that I do like how it is turning out and it is really fun and relaxing to make. Now that the pattern is in my head I can just sit and go without too much thought. I must admit that I have had to print an A4 size photo of Lucy's blanket to work out my colour combinations as I had started to over think them and was getting a little frustrated. It has made it so much easier to just look at her picture and know which one to do next.

Also on the crochet front I made another bag but this time in miniature. This is the perfect size to fit just my purse, phone and keys. I had been given 2 balls of chunky wool for my birthday a couple of years ago but hadn't come across the right kind of project for them. Well this bag was it and 2 balls was just the perfect amount without a single piece left over.

My 11yo little guy decided that it made a better hat than a bag and I must admit it does fit his head pretty good.

I had a go at some book making last week. I was inspired by this post and when I went to Boarders I found that they actually sold Moleskine note books. When I saw the price and how they were made, I realised that I could whip one up myself. So this is totally handmade.

I cut up an exercise book that was left over from my boys last year, found a piece of blue card and sewed them together on the sewing machine. It worked really well and I think that it came up not too bad. Some more of these may be in the making to sell at the next craft camp.

This is one of my WIPs. It is for another one of my Bottle Bottom pincushions.

I used a transfer pen which I have found really useful although it does tend to produce a very thick line to sew on but I think it is not too bad. It certainly makes transferring stitcheries onto fabric a lot easier and the one transfer can be used multiple times.

(image courtesy of this blog).

And lastly I thought I would show you what's on my desk at work.

This may come as a big surprise to a few of you but I must admit that I am a huge fan of Lara Croft and I have most of the Tomb Raider games and both movies. I am a keen Play Station gamer (when I have a spare few minutes) and when you live in a family of all boys you need to do something to fit in.

8o)

More Crochet

2009-04-02T17:54:00.007+10:30

Well here we are again. I have finished my summer crochet bag and have put it to good use already. It holds all the yarn for my hexagon blanket. I had great fun making this bag and especially those flowers that just finish it off.

I was wondering how I was going to keep track of what yarn colour combinations to use for the hexagon blanket, so decided to do a colour chart, there are so many to choose from, I can't wait to start putting them together.Here are a small pile of hexagon centres that I have started. Isn't that a nice pile of sunshine?

The finished flower on my winter crochet bag. These flowers and leaves are so quick and easy to make that they really do become addictive. I had to stop myself from making more.

These are all the crafts that I will be teaching next term for the "One Week Wonders".

This fabric basket thanks to pink penguin turned out great I am definitely going to make more of these for myself. They are the perfect size for fat 1/4's and will look great in my craft cupboard.You will notice that I now have a nice set of matching items with the basket, thread bin, tape measure and little pin cushion.

I also had a fun time making some cards with some new papers that I got.

I have really had a productive week.

8o)

Inspiriation

2009-03-21T15:17:00.007+10:30

What inspires you? Well I find inspiration from all sorts of places. Mainly blogland but also books. I found out that my local library had these great books on their shelves so promptly borrowed them.

After looking through them I have decided that it is going to be very difficult giving them back so have put them on my gift list for 2009. I write this list during the year to help people out with ideas of what to by me for Mothers day, my birthday and Christmas, so am hoping that these will find there way to me on one of these occasions.

The Doodle Stitching book has inspired me to start my own here...
I have stuck pictures of stitcheries that I have seen in blogland and have drawn my own version of them. I have even converted the bottom stitchery into this....

A bottle bottom pincushion with special hand made pins. The pinheads have been made using Shrinky Dinks. These were really fun to make and started out as an experiment that worked out really well.

I went to Spotlight last week as I had a $10 voucher to spend and of course I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that.

I found these gorgeous papers....

and matching stickers...

These stickers are great and I will be using these for sure. I actually bought two lots of these. The second lot are in green and brown only but they looked really fun.

Finally I bought some more socks (little 5-8 yr old) to make a couple more sock monkeys.

I should have a finished product to show you next week as they will need to be finished by next Friday. It is registration day next Friday for next terms craft classes and I am teaching a block called "One Week Wonders". I am going to teach the little bottle top pincushions, bottle bottom pincushions (see picture above), tape measure covers, thread holders, Shrinky Dink pins and Sock Monkeys. It will be a full on term but I am really looking forward to teaching these fun projects.

The crochet is coming along really well with my summer bag almost complete. I will post a picture of that next week as well.

8o)

Crochet Fun

2009-03-10T14:22:00.010+10:30

I am loving this blog at the moment and have been inspired to make some of her tutorials. I have completed this bag...

which was made using my current wool stash, I just need to add the crochet flowers to the handles but can't decide what colour to do them. I have now started another one in summer colours similar to the ones that Lucy has used with wool obtained from our Freebie box at Friday Craft and I am hoping that I have enough.

I also really love her hexagon blanket and have decided to make that next and I purchased this wool for the project but am needing a few more colours.
This wool is really soft and will be so nice to cuddle under. I think the trick is to join them together as you go so that you don't end up with a huge job at the end. I would also really like to make her Granny's Flower Patch blanket with the crochet flowers all over it. I can see these as being special blankets that will be used during winter time while people are sitting in the TV room and trying to keep snugley and warm.

8o)

Where Did February Go?

2009-03-02T16:47:00.004+10:30

I can't believe that a month has gone since I posted last and that I didn't even get to post in the month of February. Now what did I get up to last month? Well, I made a few of these...
and some of these...

and one of these.

I received another one of these

and bought this...

I also will show you a photo of our new family member.

We now have identical twins and mine is the older of the two (it is actually just the model previous) I must admit that I feel very spoilt to now own my very own macbook and it is great not having to wait for someone else to finish on the computer so that I can check my emails and blogs. We really are a very geeky family as we now have a computer each and one spare.

We have been having to get used to a new routine now that school is back and everyone is going to the same place. I must admit that I do feel a little like a taxi driver with all the comings and goings to the school because we only have one car. We try to leave home at 7.50am and I drop everyone off at school at 8.00am, I then drive to my work to start at 8.30am (1/2 hour earlier than last year. Fortunately I have a wonderful boss who is happy for me to work the extra ½ hour each day). I leave work at 3.00pm to pick the kids up and usually have to wait in the busy carpark for 15 minutes for the two boys to come to the car. We drive home and I try to get homework started and dinner ready then I wait for my sweetheart to call me to go back to the school to pick him up, which has been at about 6.00pm (he works a very long day usually without a lunch break). Last week was a bit of a break as we had the use of my In-Laws car as they went to Melbourne for the week, so, Sweetheart drove himself and the boys to school and I only had to make one trip up there to pick the kids up.It feels like my life is a bit of a roller coaster at the moment. My brother and his wife with their two littlies left to live in Melbourne last week and I am going to miss them all a lot. I know that my kids are going to miss their little cousins as they just love them to bits, especially my 11yo.

My craft group just had their first Slipper Night for the year and it was Japanese theme this time. I gave a Sushi making demo and I think that it went really well. I just realised that I should have taken some photos of what I did but I was so busy with thinking about what I had to do that the thought didn't even enter my head.

Until Next Time 8o)

Is It Hot In Here?!

2009-01-30T22:05:00.003+10:30

Just thought I would do a quick post to let you know that we are still alive and trying to survive this awful heat wave that seems to have not end. We have had over 43 degree (Celsius) for the post 4 days and the coolest it is supposed to get next week is 38. Thank goodness for good refrigerated air conditioning. We only got our current air conditioner installed just over a year ago and I don't think that we would be surviving without it. We are all currently camping out in the living room as the bedrooms are unbearable, especially our master bedroom which is upstairs and honestly feels like an oven. Your feet actually get really hot when you stand on the carpet, not to mention when using the ensuite. Hopefully there will be a break in the weather before too long and we can then get some decent sleep.

We had our first week back at Craft today and I was very pleasantly surprised when so many ladies turned up. I thought that no one would really want to come out in this weather. And what surprised me even more was the number of ladies who wanted cappuccinos and hot chocolates. It ended up being a lovely morning, very relaxed as it was registration day so no official craft classes. Just a chance to catch up since Christmas and we will officially start classes next week. I will try and take some photos and show you what is being offered this term.

Well hope you are keeping cool (or warm if you are reading from the other side of the globe) and have a great weekend.

8o)

Australia Day

2009-01-26T20:12:00.003+10:30

Today is our Australia Day holiday and we did absolutely nothing, it was wonderful. Our last little bit of respite before the year well and truly gets underway starting tomorrow. With our oldest going into year 10 (first year of senior school) and heading into the serious side of studies and our youngest going into year 6 (last year of primary school) with more responsibility and preparing for high school. Today I managed to finish another book which has given me a grand total of 3 for the month so far, I just love a good read. Any way I wish all you Aussies a happy Australia Day and I hope that you all enjoy your first week back at school.

8o)

A Horrid Job

2009-01-24T19:19:00.005+10:30

It is back to school on Tuesday for my boys. My sweetheart started his new job at the same school that my boys go to, so next week will be interesting as it will be the first time that they will all be dropped off together. Pick up will be a different matter as my sweetheart finishes 1 1/2 hours later so we will see what works out best. He may try and catch a bus or I think that it would be easier and cheaper for me to just go back and pick him up.

I had to pick up the school stationery last week and it took me 3 nights to finish the horrid job of covering the 26 exercise books with the chosen contact.

I must admit that I did have one big dummy spit and vowed that I would never do this job ever again as I ripped the contact off the book once again because there were too many wrinkles and the contact split. I am surprised that they haven't invented exercise books with contact on them already. Probably will come into existance when my kids are all finished.

8o)

Look What Arrived (at last)

2009-01-23T17:00:00.000+10:30

Yes it is my new camera. I now need to do some experimenting to see
what it can do. I know that as with anything practice makes perfect.

I am also experimenting with a new way of posting. Chooky Blue gave great instructions on how to do it.
8o)

New Treasures

2009-01-16T10:29:00.007+10:30

I am back from our little break and had a great get away (even though the temperature was unbelievably hot 42 deg C) but that is summer in this part of the country and I don't mind it that much especially if one can live in air conditioning.

Well yesterday I went on a little shopping expedition (all on my own) so took advantage of it and headed into Spotlight. Well, I got some bargains. They had quite a lot of their quilting fabrics marked down to $8 and $5 per meter so I chose 1/2 meter of each of these...

When the sales lady scanned them in they were even cheaper again, I wished I had got more but then I thought about it and realised that it was enough for now.

I think my favorite one is this ...

I am going to make a bag with it for my niece for her Mrs. Potato Head.

Then there is this selvage ...

which is almost the cutest thing I have seen. I am going to have to find a use for it.

More projects running through my head and now I want to get stuck into something. I am just not sure what yet.

I can't wait for my new camera to arrive as I am sick of having shocking looking photos on here. Hopefully it will be here next week.

Edited to add:

Look what arrived today...

Yes it is the next Pin Cushion of the Month. This time by Leanne Beasley. This kit is amazing value for money as you get patterns and materials for 5 pincushions. They are all really cute. Am looking forward to making these.

I have decided that I really need to do a craft room clean up. My area is so untidy that it keeps putting me off of starting anything. I think that I need to go through my craft cupboard also and sort some stuff out. It is getting a little bit stuffy in there. I am thinking that some more storage boxes are in order to help with the organizing so may need to make a trip to Ikea.

8o)

Where All Going on A Summer Holiday

2009-01-11T22:35:00.003+10:30

If only for a few days. We will leave tomorrow at about 11 am, drive for about 1 1/2 hours and then arrive here.

Just a short break for a couple of days before having to start back at work and real life starts again.

I will be celebrating my 5th year at my job when I go back which for me is a mile stone. It is the longest time I have been with the same company. Previous to that I had only worked at two other companies and that was for a total of 4 1/2 years before my first son was born. I started my family very early (at 21) but I love the fact that I am still fairly young and can have the energy to have great fun with them. Not to mention the fact that by the time that they leave home my sweetheart and I will still be young enough to enjoy our lives and do the things that we want, like maybe travel o/s.

I didn't really get as much done this holidays craft wise that I would have liked but I have had a really good rest which I think I needed. I am actually looking forward to going back to work.

8o)

Look What I Made!!

2009-01-08T11:30:00.005+10:30

I actually did some craft yesterday and I can't believe that this little sock monkey only took me about 2 1/2 hours to make from start to finish. The most time consuming thing was the hand sewing of all the limbs. I really had fun making it and will definitely be making more especially since I bought a three pack of socks in the first place. I did change a couple of things from the original pattern. I used felt for the eyes instead of buttons and I also used the toe part of the sock for the mouth instead of the heal as I thought it looked better with a bigger fatter face.

8o)

A New Year

2009-01-06T20:41:00.004+10:30

Happy New Year!!!! I know it is already into the first week of 2009 but I have been enjoying a relaxing time just reading and chilling out, catching up with family and just generally have a really nice break.

My sweetheart went back to work today (just for the rest of the week) then he will have another week off before starting a new job. It looks to be a very exciting and interesting year for us. I am in the process of thinking up some ideas for craft project to be taught at Friday Craft this year and have come up with a few, we will be having a meeting in a couple of weeks to get organised so am looking forward to that.

I am thinking of doing some craft this week, however, I am really enjoying my reading at the moment so am not sure if any will get done or not. I know I have got some catching up to do with my pincushions but I am sure that they will get done eventually and there is no need to rush. There is also a craft camp coming in May that I will need some projects for and I think that they would be ideal I will see how I go.

We celebrated my nephews 1st birthday while my brother was home from Army training and also my other brother and sister-in-law (and their two children) were here for Christmas. My Mum and Dad made him a Humpty Dumpty cake with a little bit of help from my sister-in-law and niece. I think it turned out really cute.

You should have seen how careful they were with Humpty's head, it was very fragile as the inside had been blown out. Well my nephew seemed to enjoy his cake, especially the eating part has he ended up with it all over his face and head, it was very cute.

8o)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-25T10:58:00.004+10:30

Happy Christmas everyone. I know that most of you will not be reading this on Christmas Day but my best wishes go to you all anyway. Firstly I would like to show you what my lovely Spirit of Christmas swap partner gave me....

They all blend lovely with our Christmas decorations. I love the coasters and they will be put to good use. I also love the dish cloth with the coffee cup pattern. I had seen these on her blog and hoped one would find its way into my package. Blossom also has such beautiful stitching that is so neat and even and the Santa hanging is lovely and finally the little angel which is so cute is hanging up in the lounge room. Thank you so much blossom your gifts are truly appreciated.

These are the gifts that I sent to her...

The small round one is a pin cushion that has steel wool in the top to sharpen her pins and needles.

And some things for her girls...

These are little post-it note pads and chocolates.

I really had a lot of fun putting this together.

Well we are about ready to go to our families house for lunch so I had better sign off.

Here's hoping you all have a lovely day and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

8o)

What I've been Up To

2008-12-21T17:04:00.001+10:30

Look at what I got a couple of weeks ago....

Yes the next installment for my Pincushion of the Month, and no I haven't made the last one yet but I had decided that I would save them for the holidays as I have 4 weeks off, although the first week is Christmas week so I won't have much time for making things for myself.

We started our Christmas shopping yesterday, yes I did say started, and we got most of it done. I am having difficulty in coming up with something for my sweetheart but I am sure I will think of something. My 11yo son and I are going to be doing the Christmas cooking tomorrow, we are going to make Almond Cresents, Malto Balls and Gingerbread men. I will post photos of the finished products. These are things that are only made at Christmas time so as to make them special and things to look forward to having.

I may not have a chance to post again before Christmas so if not I wish you all a very happy day and would like you to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Last Day of School & a Sick Little Guy

2008-12-11T11:00:00.007+10:30

Yes, today is the official last day of the school year. No more school lunches for the next 6 weeks. Wow six weeks sounds great. I wonder how long until I hear "I'm bored! There's nothing to do!" I actually have 4 of the 6 weeks off myself so it is going to be a great summer break.

My poor little guy (11) is home with a bad case of gastro today and he is terribly upset as he has had to miss out on his last day of school Christmas party, Kris Kringle (Secret Santa) and may even have to miss out on the special graduation event tonight. We are hoping that he may be better by then. He is currently having a really good sleep.

I also thought I would show you a picture of my very first blog prize.

Yes it is a wonderful stitchery from Janet at Wildcraft Farm. I am going to add it to my collection.

Also, do you remember this?

It has now turned into this...

A very cute camera pouch. I quilted it to make it a bit more bump proof, and I really love the way it has turned out. I am actually waiting on a new camera that will fit into it from Fly Buys. It should be here in about 6 weeks (at the end of the holidays).

And here is the Thank you card I made for my 11 yo's class teacher to go with her gift which I had to give her instead of him as he is home in bed.

I gave her the current issue of Handmade magazine, a box of Cadbury Favourites, one of my Needley Bit Stitcheries and a Hand Towel like this one but it has apples on it...

These hand towels are really fun to make and they are great to have on hand as they are a suitable gift for all types of occasions. The Pattern came from Homespun Magazine No.32 Vol.6 No.6. and I have used it a lot. You buy one hand towel and you make it into two because you have to cut it in half. It really is great value for money and they are so handy. I have previously made some for myself and I really do need to do some more.

Christmas Has Come Early

2008-12-05T18:47:00.008+10:30

Look what arrived today...

Well actually it arrived yesterday but I wasn't home so I picked it up from the post office today. All these lovely gifts are from my lovely swap partner Blossom and are now sitting underneath my Christmas tree. I am looking forward to Christmas morning to see what surprises are inside, they all look and feel rather interesting.

Here are the gifts that I sent to her...

And these are for her girls...

I really had a lot of fun putting these together. I can't post photos of the actual gifts until Blossom has unwrapped them so when I find out when she has (probably not until after Christmas) I will show you what I sent. I know that one of the gifts really has her puzzled it is the little round one in the middle. I can't wait for her to see what I sent.

8o)

Can't Believe It's Christmas...

2008-11-28T17:06:00.009+10:30

Another week down and now it is only 28 sleeps till christmas. We will be keeping to the Riches Stitches tradition of putting up our tree and decorations on Monday 1st December we feel that 1 month is long enough for having these things around. Quite a few of the decorations are handmade by me and have become favourites. Up until last year (when we got a new and bigger christmas tree) nearly all of the tree ornaments were handmade. I used to put on christmas bears, which I remember making I think for No.1 sons first christmas and also plain gold and red tartan bows. I must admit that I think it looked pretty nice... I managed to dig up a photo.

Now it is covered with coffee, latte and purple coloured baubles and coffee coloured tinsle. I had thought of making some cappuccino cup ornaments but they were going to be too heavy so still have to think that one through not to mention the amount I would need to make so that it doesn't look tacky. The only "odd" ornaments are the baubles that are for "Our first Christmas" and "Baby's First Christmas", I really like to have a neat and coordinated tree otherwise I think it looks messy. I also made a Christmas tree skirt for the bottom to hide the stand. It is a Bareroots pattern that was in Homespun No. 30 Vol.6 No.4. I think it looks lovely under the tree.

The kids favourite is the advent calendar. This was also from a craft magazine but I can't remember which one it was. I did change it from the original as I didn't like santa on it as we believe that Jesus it the reason for the season. It is hard coming up with new ideas to put in the little stockings each year but I think the last year was a hit with using Cadbury Favourites.

And lastly (for now) is the angel wall hanging that hangs by the front door. For the rest of the year it hangs upstairs in the foyer to our bedroom.

It is kind of sad that we put in a lot of work and effort on these projects and they only get seen for such a short period of time. But I guess thats one of the things that make the season special.

8o)

Spirit of Christmas Swap

2008-11-24T09:52:00.004+10:30

Well I found out who my swap partner is and because she has me also I guess I can tell you. I was given Blossom so am looking forward to sending a special package her way. I really need to get busy with this as it needs to be posted by next week. I found out that she is very fond of purple, mauve, lilac violet lavender as well as pretty greens like sage and pinks. She likes just about anything except orange and yellow (that is fine by me). Like me she is not that fond of prim but likes brights and florals. She also doesn't mind a bit of shabby chic. Well armed with this information I think I should be able to russle up a little something from my stash as it seems that I have a bit of all of those things in there. I have already chosen the things I am going to create and put together so I will quickly do my chores and then maybe I can get started. It is amazing how quickly the housework can get done when there is a carrot dangling at the end of it (ie crafting time). As this is a surprise meant for Christmas I will not be able to post any photos until after Christmas day as Miss Blossom may be checking out my blog. I am truly looking forward to sharing the Spirit of Christmas with you Blossom.

8o)

Love Ikea

2008-11-21T20:59:00.004+10:30

Last Saturday we met up with some great friends at Ikea for breakfast. If you haven't been there for breakfast before you don't know what you are missing out on. We got all of this

tomatoes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast for just $4. A very affordable morning out for the family. We also paid $1.50 for bottomless cup of "real" coffee. We sat talking with our friends for 3 1/2 hours so had quite a few coffees then had a browse through the store. I truly recommend this outing to anyone as it is a value for money day out for the family.

I bought some great Heidi Swapp papers and rub ons at Spotlight a while ago and finally took the plunge and used it to make this thank you card for the lovely lady who co ordinates our Friday Craft group. I think I will have to make another one as it turned our really cute and I absolutely love it.

I also love to decorate the envelopes as well especially on cards that I don't need to post as it covers up those lovely orange post code squares.

8o)

When a Handbag is not a Handbag (but something way more cute)

2008-11-14T17:39:00.005+10:30

Look what arrived in my mail box today....

Isn't it wonderful? I love everything about this kit and the wonderful thing is that there is enough materials to make both the pincushion and the needle case. Notice the needle topper, it has a little house on it and is really cute. This was one of the sneak peeks that made me sign up for the pincushion of the month club in the first place. I can't wait to get making this one and will hopefully have a finished product to show you soon.

I also wanted to show you what I get to play with every Friday morning at craft.....

I love this machine it is so easy to use and is so much fun, it makes me feel as though I am a real barista. I find it a real joy to serve the ladies at craft each week and it is a real privilege to make them cafe style drinks. I honestly enjoy doing this as much as making craft items. I guess it is a craft in itself anyway. I guess that one of the things that God has gifted me with is a passion to serve people and I just love doing things for others. It makes me feel good to know that I can use this gift each week and put my whole self into it.

Hope you all have a great weekend. I am looking forward to hearing from Janet at Wildcraft farm to see who I am partnered with for her "Christmas Spirit" Swap. Entries are now closed.

8o)

Christmas Swap Open

2008-11-11T17:04:00.002+10:30

Janet at Wildcraft Farm has opened the Christmas Swap till the end of the week as she was inundated with response from blogland (over 50 people). Because she can't possibly swap with everyone she is going to be pairing people up, so if you would like to join in, just jump on over to her site and sign yourself up.

8o)

Day After Craft Fair

2008-11-10T16:18:00.008+10:30

I made it to the craft fair yesterday although I didn't really get to stay quite long enough. I was on a bit of a time schedule as I had to be back to help with Cafe Church. I ended up going with my lovely mum which was really great as we haven't been able to spend much time together lately. I only made a few purchases ....

I bought this lovely pattern for a Quilters Pocket from Blue Willow Cottage. I also bought some pretty Ric rac and three lots of cute buttons. I am looking forward to using all of these items. Unfortunately I didn't get to buy any fabric as I ran out of time. I did get to meet the lovely Sarah from Quilt Fabric Delights. It is really quite strange to meet people in real life that you read all about in blogland, you feel as though you have already met before as you have been reading all about their lives over a long (or short) period of time.

On another note, I have joined a one on one Christmas swap with Janet from Wildcraft Farm. She was so busy with life that she didn't get to sign up for the Secret Santa Swap held by Chooky Blue this year so sent a call out for someone to swap with her. As I didn't get to sign up either (I thought about it for too long and left it too late) I volunteered to swap with her. It seems that she had a few responses so she will now be very busy. I am looking forward to sending off some special gifts to her and hope that she likes them.

Dorcas Day & Slipper Night Done and Dusted.

2008-11-08T00:03:00.003+10:30

Well I had Dorcas day today and I made another two teacup purses and a thread bin. I labeled and priced everything and managed to sell just one item which was one of my "Needley Bit" stitcheries. All I can say is that I am a step ahead for next craft camp where they have a craft shop and I may have more success there.

Tonight we had a craft night which is called "Slipper Night". We have "Slipper Night" once a term and each one has a theme. The the idea is to come in your slippers which match the theme. Tonight I ran the cafe and I made Vanilla Slice and Jelly Slice for supper and I think they turned out pretty good.

I am hoping to go to the Adelaide Craft Fair on Sunday so can't wait to see what is there and hopefully will be able to spend a little bit of pocket money there. I will let you know on Monday how it went.

I am guessing that Sara at Quilting Fabric Delights is very busy with the craft fair so has been unable to send our new Pin Cushion of the Month as yet. I can tell you that I am eagerly awaiting the next one and can't wait to see what it is.

8o)

Getting Busy

2008-11-04T15:08:00.003+10:30

I woke up feeling very blah today so I took the day off work. Instead I worked on this...

at least now I have something to sell at Dorcas Day on Friday and with any luck may get a few more bits and pieces done.

8o)

Craft Camp Projects Complete

2008-10-28T12:52:00.011+10:30

Another week since my last post. I do think in my head that I want to post more regularly than just once a week but the days just seem to go too fast.

Well I am back safely from Craft Camp (which I can't believe was a week ago) and managed to complete all of the projects that I took with me except for the Size 1 pyjamas as the pattern that I was using started at size 2. I think that they turned out really well.

The pincushion was quite fun to make. I did however have a few issues with the pattern as it wasn't really clear as to which embroidery stitches to use or give any directions on how to do them. Fortunately I was sitting next to a wonderful lady who is a whizz with a needle and she clearly explained to me how to do the stitches I wasn't too sure about. I wasn't going to do the beading but I think it just finishes it off. I am now ready and looking forward to next months Pin cushion.

I finished another Pencil Roll but I ended up giving it to my 11 yo son to use in his Shoe Box of Love and to be given to Samaritans Purse for Operation Christmas Child. I will make another one for my nephew for his birthday. I am actually thinking of making him one of these as he is going to be a full time kindy boy next year and he might find this more useful.

I am so sorry that this post took so long to put up but I was having a few problems with blogger not loading my photos and realised that I had saved them in the wrong format (won't do that again!).

I am now in the process of putting together a few items for 'Dorcas Day' which is what we call our craft stall day at Friday craft group. It is being held next Friday morning and I am hoping to get a few things together for it this week. As we have to man our own stall I will have to try and juggle myself between my stall and the cafe, I may have to combine them. It is named after a woman in the bible who was known for her fine dressmaking skills. Her story is found here.

Well that is all for now. I am hoping to get a bit done this week and hopefully have something to post later on.

8o)

Treasure Tuesday

2008-10-21T16:55:00.005+10:30

I know that I haven't posted a Treasure Tuesday for a while but I couldn't come up with anything. Not that I don't have many things that I do treasure but I like to post the thing that just springs to mind when I think of it.

Well today I am posting about my 'Fabric Stash'.

My stash is contained in a wardrobe drawer. It is not a very big stash in comparison to some but it is well loved. There are some pieces in here that I haven't found the perfect project for or that I can't bear the thought of cutting. Upon reading some other blogs out there I know that I am not the only one who feels this way. Sometimes I love to pull the drawer out and just sort through them all, just touching them and smelling them is quite therapeutic. I do have another drawer that has some of my plain coloured fabric and a plastic crate that contains my plain calico, wadding and Vlisoline however, I don't classify them in my stash. I must admit that a majority of my stash is made up of fabrics purchased from Spotlights remnant basket. They used to have a basket with plastic bags for $5 filled with fabric remnants and I used to love buying these and bringing them to a home where they would be loved and appreciated. I remember one time I brought the bag home to find that one of the remnants was nearly 2m in length and felt that I had really got a great bargain.

8o)

Merry Christmas Table Runner - Lynette Anderson Designs

2008-10-18T12:15:00.005+10:30

Lynette Anderson wants us to show some of her projects that we have made from a while ago. I made her "Merry Christmas Table Runner" in 2003.

I think I should have ironed it before taking this photo but I am a bit impatient sometimes.

This pattern was in the Christmas in July 2003 issue of Homespun Magazine. I wanted mine to look exactly the same as Lynette's but I couldn't find the bauble buttons that she had on hers, so I made my own using Sculpy clay. I think that this would be one of my favourite patterns that I have made and I think the end result was pretty good. I did leave off the Merry Christmas on the ends as I wanted to be able to use it all year round.

8o)

It's On Its Way

2008-10-17T18:38:00.006+10:30

Here is what I have sent to my Stitchers Angel in Germany, although I had to take out the magazine as it was going to cost a fortune in postage to include it.

There is my Armchair Caddy, Blue Wren Tote Bag, Thread Bin (pattern by Leanne of The Stitching Room), Covered Tape Measure (pattern by Lisa of Spoonful of Sugar) Australiana Print Fat 1/4's and some handmade cards with matching envelopes. I also added some Cadbury Furry Friends Chocolates which aren't in the photo (hopefully they won't be all melted by the time they arrive). I had great fun being involved in this swap and am looking forward to what will arrive in my own mail box sometime soon.

One week till craft camp. I think that I will make the Christmas presents for my nieces and nephews and also I will take my pincushion. I should be able to get these finished. I am so excited.

Jane 8o)

2008-10-11T18:10:00.008+10:30

I have made another baby gift this time for our Youth Pastors wife who had a baby boy on Friday.

There is only one bib but it is reversible.

I also bought some fabric to be made into pyjamas for my nieces and nephews for Christmas. The first fabric on the left has coloured crayons printed on it so thought it would be ideal for some pencil rolls.

I also received my next pincushion project from Pincushion of the Month club.

This one is going to be interesting as there are a few techniques that I haven't done before. The first being a self covered button and the next is beading. I will post a picture of the finished project hopefully before the next one arrives.

8o)

We're Back

2008-10-06T10:59:00.007+10:30

Back from a SA Short Break feeling refreshed. We spent a lovely couple of days here.

South Shores at Normanville.

It was only an hour and a half drive from home so really was a short break. Ideal for those who hate long traveling. The accommodation was really nice as it isn't even a year old and there was so much room. As you can see we enjoyed some really great weather and it was ideal for flying our kite which was a lot of fun.

I have also finished my first pincushion of the month project.

I think it turned out OK but as I had never actually worked with felt before there are a few things that I would have done differently. I think I should have done it all by hand and not used the sewing machine as I couldn't sew an accurate seam. Well I guess you always learn something. I am now looking forward to what the postman should be bringing this week I will also be posting my Stitchers Angel project this week as well.

8o)

On holidays

2008-10-04T14:12:00.003+09:30

I'm currently enjoying a short holiday in Normanville. Will post pictures when I get back soon. 80)

It's Finished

2008-09-28T15:54:00.008+09:30

I finished my Angels Arm Chair Caddy yesterday and I must say that it has turned out better than I hoped. I really like the colour combination that I chose and hopefully she will like it to.

I have also made good headway with my pincushions from "Pincushion of the month club" and they are looking really cute. I am looking forward to collecting these and having a lovely display of different pincushions in my sewing room.

Also thought I would share with you about a Spring Craft camp at Wellington (near Murray Bridge) South Australia that I am going to at the end of October. It is a really great time to get away for a whole weekend (Friday night till Sunday afternoon) of uninterrupted craft time. All meals are provided and are always absolutely delicious and all for the really low cost of $75.00. If you would like any more information or an enrollment form just leave me a comment and I can get one sent to you.

8o)

The Quilting Class is Finished

2008-09-26T21:09:00.005+09:30

Today was the last day of my quilting class and my students did a fantastic job, they all look so different because of the fabrics that they used. The first one is in blue/green fabrics and looks very floral.

This was made by Margaret and she put the applique bees on.

Mary used a feature fabric for her large snowball blocks and the rest of the the fabrics revolved around it to make a very 'girlie' quilt. I think that she did a fantastic job and you would never know that this was her first quilt.

There are still two more quilts to come and I will hopefully get some photos at the beginning of next term.

Have a great weekend.

8o)

A Special Softie for ME?

2008-09-25T17:27:00.005+09:30

This arrived at my house yesterday.

His name is "Stitchy".

He was made by my 14yo son in his Textiles class and I think he did a pretty good job. He had finished his term project, which was a pair of boxer shorts, and had some spare time so decided to whip this up. I would claim him for my own as I really do appreciate the effort that has gone into it but my son really wants to keep him.

Here is a sneak peak at the stitcheries that I have completed for my Stitching Angels Armchair Caddy. I just need to put it all together and I will have completed two of the projects.

As school holidays start next week I will have a bit more time so am hoping to complete all of the required projects and hopefully get my gift sent off to my Angel all the way over in Meldorf, Germany (this is a big clue as to who I have if she ever has a wanders into my blog). I would have loved to have sent lots of little treasures her way during the swap but as postage to Germany is so expensive I am going to have to put everything together in one package. I really do hope that she likes my gifts to her.

I am really looking forward to seeing what comes my way, as I have been looking at other Angels blogs and there is some pretty impressive work being done out there.

Enjoy your Friday, I know that I will as we are looking at a day of 29 deg C. What beautiful spring weather we are having right now.

8o)

Treasure Tuesday

2008-09-23T22:32:00.007+09:30

Book of Faith.

This was my introduction to scrapbooking. I don't think it is too bad considering... I must admit that I have learnt a lot and come a long way since first starting this. I must remember to take some photos of my most recent scrapbooking which was my Mum & Dad's 60th Birthday album.

It is my neices 2nd birthday tomorrow and this is the card that I have made for her.

My 11yo son also made a card for his special cousin who just loves him to bits.

He designed it all himself as well as choosing all of the papers and embelishments I really like it.

Well have a good day and I may catch you all later in the week.

8o)

Treasure Tuesday ......on Wednesday

2008-09-17T20:24:00.008+09:30

Yes I know it is a day late but you know how it is.

Todays treasure is the mothers day gift that my 11yo son made for me.

It is a mothers day card with beautiful words inside and a tissue purse that he stitched himself. I think that he did a brilliant job with the button hole stitch and he said that he really enjoyed making it. His school teacher loves craft and enjoys getting the kids to make things for their parents for mothers and fathers day although she calls them Wonder Woman Day and Super Man day.

I have also made this for my niece for her 2nd birthday.

It is a pencil roll for some pencils that I have to buy still. I am going to make a little bag to put these in with a note book so that she can have something to draw with when they go out.

Have a great rest of the week. I know I will be enjoying our lovely spring weather.

8o)

Post Card with a Difference

2008-09-14T17:12:00.009+09:30

Sarah at QFD has put out a challenge to those of us involved in the Pincushion of the Month Club. She has asked us to post a photo of what she would see if she hand delivered our Pincushion of the Month Club package. I couldn't choose just one so I have put together a montage of a few places.

I love my city (Adelaide) and as a family we love to go camping by the beach so I couldn't go past showing some sunset shots of Moonta Bay and finally a couple of shots of the beautiful Murray River near Murray Bridge in SA as seen from a Houseboat.

Treasure Tuesday

2008-09-09T19:09:00.012+09:30

Todays treasure is an appliance in my home that truly gets a workout everyday.

Yes it is my wonderful Saeco coffee machine. I had this on my Christmas wish list last year as my dream gift thinking that I would never actually own one, then my sweetheart of a husband bought it for me for valentines day. It has been used everyday since then and I love it when my family and friends come over especially for one of my coffees, they are always very welcome.

This is a photo of the apple pie that my 11yo son made yesterday on his day off. He is right into cooking at the moment and loves watching Fast Ed's Fast Food on channel 7 everyday. He actually records them and watches them after school. I must tell you that it tasted really, really yummy, especially with cream and icecream.

80)

Look What Arrived Today

2008-09-08T14:51:00.006+09:30

Firstly I have finished my first Stitchers Angel Project. It is the little tote bag called "Blue Wrens Nest" by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches.

I hope my Angel friend likes it. The colours actually look a bit washed out in the photo as it is a bit more vibrant in colour than this. I think it is pretty cute though and would be happy if my Stitching Angel has made one of these for me.

This also arrived from the postman today. My first installment of Pincushion of the Month from QFD. I can't wait to get started on these.

And these gorgeous fabrics also from QFD. I haven't actually bought any new fabrics for ages so thought I would treat myself. I'm not sure yet what I will make with them but I will know the right project when it comes along.

Hopefully I will be back tomorrow with Treasure Tuesday. See you then.

8o)

Happy Fathers Day

2008-09-07T21:32:00.004+09:30

Happy fathers day. I am posting the cards that were made in my house this fathers day.

This is the card that my 11yo son made for his dad. He also made a special fragrance sachet for the car which he had stitched himself and also a CD with a movie file that he also did at school. My husband really loves getting handmade gifts from his boys as it makes it extra special knowing that they took time and were thinking of him when they made it.

This is the card that I made for my sweetheart telling him that he is a really great dad. I bought him a Precision Screwdriver set, a Gas bottle fuse (safety thingy), Itunes cards, and the good old favourite socks & jocks.

This card I made for my father in law. He got some socks and a polo shirt.

It was also my brother in laws birthday so we celebrated that today as well.

This is the card that I made for him.

I hope that you all spoilt the fathers in your lives and that you had a very special day.

8o)

Spring has Sprung

2008-09-04T09:32:00.008+09:30

Sorry I didn't post a Treasure Tuesday this week, but it kind of got away from me. I have had my 11yo son home sick and have taken advantage of the time at home by being creative. I decided to make some baby gifts for my cousins who have just had babies in the last couple of weeks. One had her second child which was another little girl and the other had her very first baby and had a little boy, they were born only 4 days apart. I made them a bib which is fully reversible and then used the same applique design on a white short sleeve bodysuit (I got the idea from Miss Marzie)

Now I just need to make a couple of baby cards and I can send them off.

These are the Baby Cards that I ended up making.

I also need to make some fathers day cards and a birthday card so I need to get busy.

Hope you are enjoying the nice spring weather.

8o)

Stitchers Angel Project

2008-08-29T17:23:00.007+09:30

I have started my first 'Stitchers Angel' project. I have decided to start with the project posted by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches which is a cute little mini tote for carrying around those small projects on the go. As my 'Angel' (as I have been told) likes greens, reds, browns and neutral colours I have chosen these to do the stitchery. I think that they will look gorgeous.

I am sorry that my photos aren't very good but I can only use the camera on my phone and the lighting isn't very good at the moment, but I think you can get the general idea. I am using natural coloured Osnaberg fabric (which is like a linen) for the stitchery and I will choose the other fabrics when the the stitchery is done as I am not sure just yet as to which ones to use. I am also going to do the Arm chair Caddy using the same threads. I hope that she likes them but I do need to get busy. I will see how much I can get done over the weekend.

Have a good one 8o)

Treasure Tuesday

2008-08-26T21:21:00.007+09:30

It's Treasure Tuesday again. I can't believe how quickly this week has gone by.

This weeks treasure really is one that I am sure a lot of you have and consider to be your most precious. It is my

I also promised that I would post a picture of this "Scribble and Stitch" project designed by Janet of Wildcraft Farms that I completed a few years ago now and relates well to todays treasure -

I have just had a very busy but fantastic weekend spent with my family which is what has inspired this weeks Treasure Tuesday. My parents both are celebrating their 60th birthdays this year so my brothers, sisters and myself decided to throw them a surprise party which we had this last weekend. This is the event that I had been doing my scrapbooking project for. I put together an album for them titled "Our Journey, Our Lives" and did pages that related to them and each of their children. My sisters helped out by doing the pages that related to them. I haven't had a chance to take any photos of the pages yet but will try to do it this week and post them for you to see.

My parents were totally surprised and had no idea that anything was going on. My brother and sister in law and their two children even came over from Melbourne as part of the surprise.

For current projects that I am working on, well, I have decided to have a go at knitting some socks. I have been inspired by various blogs that I have read and so I did a search on Ravelry and found some easy instructions to make socks in the round. I am not sure how long this will be a WIP but hopefully I will finish them not just one but two.

I have also found a pattern for Sock Monkey Softies through Don't Look Now which I am thinking of making for my neices and nephews for christmas.

Well I think that is enough for now as my sweetheart needs to use the laptop and I want to do a few rows of my sock.

8o)

A Quick Hello

2008-08-15T16:24:00.006+09:30

I just received an email from Helen Stubbings from Hugs n Kisses confirming the entrants for the Stitchers Angel Swap. I am so excited about this swap. As I have said before this is the first swap that I have been involved in and I also LOVE surprises. I love giving surprises and getting surprises so this is going to be great. I am also looking forward to see the wonderful patterns the ladies involved will come up with and are so willing to share with us for FREE. I can't wait to see who I am given as a swap partner and hope that they enjoy the things that I send them. I will post clues along the way of what I am making so that you can see what is being done.

Enjoy your weekend 8o)

Treasure Tuesday

2008-08-12T16:49:00.006+09:30

Today is the first installment of Treasure Tuesday. So I thought I would start off with showing you a very special treasure. My Royal Albert Tea Set called "Kentish Rockery".

The Tea set given to me by my Grandma. I think the story goes that my Grandpa actually bought it near the end of world war 2 as a wedding gift for my Grandma with saved up ration stamps. So that is why it is very special to me. She gave it to me because I helped her pack it when she moved house when I was only eight and that meant a lot to her. I think that she knew that I had always liked it. It consists of 6 tea cups and saucers, 6 side plates, 1 cake platter and a sugar bowl & milk jug. It is proudly displayed on the top shelf of my display cabinet which has a cottage theme.

I hope you enjoy a peak at my treasure. 8o)

Knitted Friends

2008-08-09T16:51:00.005+09:30

I know it has been a while since my last post, due to the fact of the time flying by and being busy with life, also I haven't really had anything to post about. But since talking with a friend who has read my blog and has been awaiting eagerly for my next post I thought I had better post something. Well I found this site called Little Cotton Rabbits a while ago and fell in love with the cute little knitted softies this talented lady makes (you should check out her gallery of knitted animals). She also has some free patterns on her site so I had a go at the teeny tiny knitted toys.

I don't think my bear/kitten/lamb (I'm not too sure what it turned into) looks anything like the ones made by little cotton rabbits. I may have to knit some more as I have heard that practice makes perfect. It really was quite quick to make once I got the hang of it and had looked up various instructions on the internet as I couldn't remember how to do a few simple things like making icord.

I found these really cute balls of wool in my mums stash so helped myself to some.

Well I hope that lets you know a little of what I have been up to.

I have decided that my next post will be Treasure Tuesday where I will share a photo of something in my home that I treasure.

Have a great weekend and I hope that you are enjoying the Olympic Games.

8o)

Last Day of Holidays 8{

2008-07-21T14:08:00.004+09:30

Yes today is the last day of school holidays for my boys. As of tomorrow we will be back into the swing of things with having to be up early, getting lunches made and packed, having school diaries signed and all that goes along with being back at school. It is also back to work for me. I could really get used to being a full time stay at home mum again but the need to send my boys to a really good christian private school outweighs that at the moment, and I must admit that I do really enjoy my job and the people that I work with really are very nice to be around.

This week also looks at the start of Friday Craft again and I am doing a stint of teaching this term. I am going to be teaching a table quilt designed by Debbie Mumm called "Honey Bee Table Quilt" and this is my version of it.

I took this photo outside and I think it was a bit windy so it may be a bit hard to see properly. The 4 ladies that I am teaching seem to be excited about the idea of learning to do patchwork and quilting and I hope that I am up for the challenge. I thought that it would be a good quilt to start with as it is just two basic patchwork blocks and they are quite large (12" finished) so shouldn't take too long. We have 10 weeks to get it all finished so will have to post some photos of their finished products.

Well I did get my crochet cardigan finished and no it doesn't fit me so am very disappointed with that. I am now trying to see if I can somehow add to it to make it bigger. It is mainly the arm length that is the problem (this is always my problem with any tops) so will see what I can come up with. As for the WIP quilt, well am still plodding along with that. I did manage to achieve a lot with my scrapbooking however and will post photos of that when it is possible to do so.

Well hope to be in touch again soon,

Regards 8}

Simple Pleasures

2008-07-16T10:34:00.004+09:30

It was my birthday very recently and I received some money from my lovely Grandma so thought that I would put it to good crafting use. I am sure that she would appreciate it as she is an avid crocheter and knitter and was a pretty good seamstress in her day. I bought these yummy DMC No.8 Pearl cottons and also a large selection of crochet hooks so that I now have just about every size you could possibly need and therefore can crochet any project I choose. I am looking forward to using these items.

I have already put the brown pearl thread to use in a secret project that I am working on. I dare not mention too much about it just in case the person it is for happens to read my blog before they receive it.

I managed to finish one more of my applique blocks and actually found that I had 3 more to do so I guess it means I still have 2 left. I may get some more done today.

My cardigan is almost finished. I am up to the neck of the last front piece and then I can put it all together. I am hoping that it will fit properly as it has taken many hours of work and I know that it will be really warm.

TTFN

Stitchers Swap

2008-07-14T17:07:00.002+09:30

I have just signed up for this fantastic swap. As it is the first swap that I have been involved with I am quite excited. It starts on Monday 18th August and goes for seven weeks with a new pattern from a fantastic designer every week. All the details are found here, so if you would like to join in sign up quick.

What I am up to Today

2008-07-14T11:31:00.002+09:30

I started my day with some washing and am praying the rain will hold off until it dries.

Did some tidying up from the weekend and thought about what craft project I will work on today.

I think I will try to finish doing the hand applique on my quilt blocks as I have only got two left.

Then I can think about how I will quilt the fabric squares. It is going to be a queen size quilt cover made with 12" squares. This has been a WIP for about 4 years. I kind of got stuck on it as some of the squares were actually pieced and I decided that I hated them so decided in the end to replace them with plain fabric squares instead. I feel quite keen to finish it now. I find that I get bored with large project so tend to do quick simple ones instead even though I love the finished product with large projects. I guess I just need to realise that some things need to be WIPs and do take some time to complete.

I will let you know the progress of this as it happens. Maybe this blog will be the incentive I need to complete it.

I think I will also work on my scrapbooking project which I will talk about in another post.

Mid Semester Holidays

2008-07-13T14:47:00.002+09:30

I am finally on holidays for a week so am looking forward to spending some time with my boys as well as have some much needed craft catch up time.

I found this great little tutorial here on how to make a mini pin cushion using recycled materials so managed to whip one up.

It only took about 30 minutes which was great. I can see myself making more of these.

I am also working on some crochet which I am hoping to finish during the holidays as well. It is almost complete. Just have to finish the left front and then stitch it together and put on the buttons.

I am quite pleased with how it is turning out considering it is my very first big crochet project using a pattern. I have only ever done granny blankets and some scarves before.

As I am fairly new to the blogging world and I am not sure how many people will read this if any. I have decided that I am going to use this as my own personal record of crafting projects and if people want to read it and see what I am up to that is fine with me.

I will report later in the week with my progress and any other photos of my WIP's and finished items.

Enjoy Life 8)

Rosalie Quinlin Designs

2008-06-23T13:13:00.000+09:30

If you love the work of Rosalie Quinlin head over to her blogg here and you can get a peak at her new book "Gift". She is also running a competition to win a copy.

I love her work. Her dolls have so much character and her bags, well where do I start. I have made two of her bags the first being Omas bag which is great for taking to Craft camp, and I also have made Nellies bag which was very fun to make.