Lovely mail and other stuff!!!

I've had some really fun mail this week!!! I thought you might like to see what's been arriving here in my patch :o).

First I'll show you my fabric ... I've had my eye on both of these ranges for a while ... particularly the Gypsy Rose ones - I don't know why it took me so long to buy this one cos it's soooo beautiful. I ended up buying them on ebay as I found some great 'package deals'.

The other one is Beach House ... it's gorgeous too ...I haven't decided yet what I'll be making from these ... I'll probably need a bit of time to just 'love them' first .... do you know what I mean LOL?? He he ... I bet you do :o).

I also got these fabulous books ... I ordered them from "Book Depository" last week and I just love them. The quilting one is a fabulous reference with some gorgeous patterns ... I'm trying to do more adventurous quilting and I thought this book might be handy ... loads of patterns and clear instructions. And of course the Tilda one is to die for ..... I LOVE it ..... How cute is this little mouse??!! I can't wait to make some of the gorgeous things in this book!!!

Lastly I received this yesterday from Norway. I was absolutely delighted!! It's a thank-you card from Laila's daughter Stine who recently had her little daughter Emma. I sent over a small gift to welcome her into the world and she sent me this gorgeous photo and card .... so chuffed ... isn't she a gorgeous baby!!!?! You can see more piccies of this adorable little girl at Laila's blog :o)!

Before I go ... here's a look at my new glasses .........Do you like them????? I'm still getting used to them, they're a bit stronger than my other ones ..... I must be getting old LOL!!!

A Trip to the City, and my poor Mum

First I'll tell you about my poor Mum. She tripped over her bedspread last week and landed heavily on her knee, this is the result.... look at her leg!!! OUCH!!! It's not broken ... just very swollen and terribly bruised, and now she's on antibiotics because there's an infection too. Poor Mum has to stay off it - she has to use crutches if she has to get about. I wish poor Mum would come and stay here with us so that I can look after her and spoil her like she deserves - but she won't hear of it.

Poor Mum!!!

After visiting Mum we headed off to the city for a Guitar show - found out when we got there that we're a week early LOL!! Nevermind, we figured we were gonna pay for the parking anyway so we went for a wander. So glad we did :o). Look what I found ...AND it was on SALE!!!! Here's the lid of the box ... so pretty :o) And here it is with the lid up and the cute little drawers open. I couldn't resist it ... it was marked down to less than a 1/3 of the normal price so I just had to buy it ........ didn't I??? Not sure what I'm going to put in it yet but I'll be keeping it in my sewing cubby :o).

Of course no trip to the city would be complete without a visit to here ...Bought a box of 6 but this is all that's left to show you ....... yyyyyyuuuuuummmmmm!!!!!!These will be eaten with our coffee tonight - my mouth is watering just thinking about it LOL.

Think I better go now and put the kettle on he he he.

Happy 82nd Birthday FIL :o) !!

We had a lovely day, despite the weather being a bit dreary, and I'm so pleased to tell you ... we gave FIL his quilt and he loved it :o)!!This is him with my MIL ;o) ... happy smiling faces!! We also managed to get a pic of most of the family ... unfortunately DD2 was at work so she's not in it, and my BIL is taking the photo - so of course he's not in it either !!left to right we have DH's sister Deb, MIL Rowena, Me, neice Kate, FIL Keith, nephew Matthew, DH Darryl and neice Nicole. Looking at that pic I'm thinking it would have been more even if I'd swapped places with Deb ... I look so short!! Hang on ... I AM short LOLOL ..... AND I have heels on!!!!

We decided we simply don't all get together often enough so we're going to remedy that ... all of us are having dinner very soon at the local club, looking forward to it :o).

FIL wasn't the only one to be getting pressies today. Look what my lovely DH bought for me!!!

Isn't it fabulous ... and that cleaning head has a motor too, oooh I just can't wait to use it :o)!!! (Ok, if you didn't notice that the last sentence was simply DRIPPING with sarcasm ... then I'm just saying it wrong ......... Gee thanks Hon!!!)

Must Dash .... I have some cleaning to do, apparently ............... ;o)

Finished!!!!

I can't believe it ... I finished it. This has to be the quickest I've ever made a quilt, talk about a deadline LOL. I started cutting and sewing on Sunday and I just finished putting the last stitches in the binding this morning!!AND I'm actually ahead of time :o)!!! I'm so pleased with this quilt ... I'm really hoping FIL will love it too. It's nice and lightweight due to the bamboo batting (a dream to work with!!!) and the size is just right - about 50" x 50". I made it quilt-as-you-go ... a big timesaver :o).Another BIG bonus is that most of the fabrics were in my stash ... just had to get a bit more for the borders.We'll give it to him on Saturday when the fam come over for a bbq to celebrate his 83rd birthday!!

Yay, another May finish on my OPAM list :o)!!!

Lotsa Stitching!!!

It's my Father-in- law's birthday on Thursday and we were wondering what to get for him. My SIL suggested a throw rug for these cool winter nights ... well, as a quilt-maker I couldn't bring myself to buy one, so with a whole week (lol and a very optimistic attitude) to make it I set about hunting for the fabrics from my stash. I found some gorgeous garden themed Maywoods that I've had squirreled away for a few years ... perfect!! He loves his garden!! Here's what they became ...I didn't realise I had so much of the panelled fabric, so it also became the backing :o).....DH wasn't keen on the fabric I had chosen for the border so I popped out after my quilting class yesterday and got some more ... he's right, I think this will look better than what I had :o).Not a very good piccy - I wish you could see the quilting better, but I've done leaves and vines on the border - I'm enjoying practising my free-motion quilting lately, such fun!!! I'm using the lighter weight bamboo batting and it's just a dream to work with. The family will be coming for lunch on Saturday so I've got loads of time to get it finished LOL. Hope he likes it :o).

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As I mentioned before, I went to a quilting class yesterday - it was loads of fun!! We had a choice of 3 projects to choose from and this is the one I chose ...I've never done a round quilt before, never used a 10 degree ruler either so this was all a fabulous learning experience for me. Our teacher, Jan Phillips , was terrific ... she never missed a beat with us all doing different projects .... we had such fun and I can't wait to take another class!! Here's a pic of some of the girls hard at work ... sorry it's a bit dark. That's Jan in the white shirt in the middle of the pic. And here's me with Jan ...that quilt behind us is another of the projects that we could have chosen to do. And here's my table-topper ... well, half of it LOL.....I've stepped right outside of my usual "box" with these orientals ... and I have to say, I really do like them :o).

What have you been sewing this week???

Such excitement!

Lots of exciting things have happened this week!! First of all ... my DH has a new toy!!! Last Saturday he bought this ....... We're trying to think of a name for her (any ideas??) - at the moment she's just "the girlfriend" he he!I'm already worrying if he even thinks of taking her for a ride lol ... I guess I'll get used to it. He's so happy though, if you could see that face (yes I know it's a bit blurry, sorry bout that) I bet he's grinning from ear to ear!!! There's no way I'm going to rain on his parade :o). The plan is that we'll go for weekend rides out in the country ........... hmmmm, we'll see ;o). First he has to get his open license ..... AND a seat for me - that should give me a bit of time to get my head around it all!!!!!

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I also got some exciting mail this week!!! All the way from NORWAY!! I was the lucky winner of the OPAM draw for April - most of you know the One Project A Month challenge being run by May Britt and Kris (see the cute teddy button on my sidebar) ...... well here's my prize!!! Tilda stuff!!! I'm chuffed to bits, I just LOVE Tilda stuff :o)!!! Look at those cute little buttons ... I can't wait to get started! Thanks so much to May Britt, I love my prize :o), and thank you so much to both Kris and May Britt for all the time and work they put into making this challenge such fun for us all :o)!!

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Now this last bit of excitement might only appeal to a few of you, but I have to tell you, it ALMOST had me doing the happy dance!! Yep, it really did :o).

Do you know what this is????? This my dear bloggy friends is the bottom of my EMPTY ironing basket!!!! This hasn't been seen for a loooooooong time ... and here it is :o)!!

This is just the folded stuff after I'd done 5 hours ironing ... the rest is hanging in the wardrobes. I know it doesn't look like much but boy I'm glad it's done ... if only for another week he he he.

Sometimes it's the little things that can make us happy :o). I'd love to hear what's made you happy this week :o).

Phew ... the week's over :o).

It's been a non stop week!! I seem to have been constantly on the go, which isn't such a bad thing because it's actually been a very productive week too, I've managed to get LOADS of stitching done :o)!!! I'm half way through another quilt at the moment ... no name for it just yet. I'm using fabrics from the Allspice Tapestry range from Moda - they're probably a couple of years old - yes, that's how long it's taken me to get around to using them LOL. They're coming together so nicely I don't understand why it took me so long to use them!!! Just a sneaky peek for now ... and the bit you're peeking at doesn't even have much 'Allspice' in it at all.

I was invited to join Mary and the girls at "The Sewing Basket" at 122 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba last Wednesday as their guest as they were having their very first "Club meeting" since the opening of the new store. What a lovely morning it was. There were lots of very friendly ladies there for the meeting and the staff there - Mary, Cath and all the staff made me feel so welcome. I got to show them some of my new patterns and a few of my quilts. I can't believe I forgot to take some piccies while I was there - next time :o). All of the Club members were given one of these cute pens and notebooks and because I was their guest for the day I was presented with these gorgeous flowers ...... wasn't that just lovely!! I was chuffed to bits :o). I had a wonderful time, so thanks again to all the staff there - just in case they read this :o)!! The shop is looking just fabulous so if you're visiting the Sunshine Coast make sure you pop in to see the girls at The Sewing Basket and tell them I said Hi :o)!!!

I also got a lovely surprise from my DD1 in London today. I arrived home to find a gorgeous bunch of flowers waiting for me ........ they were from Tahlia and Luke for Mother's day ... it certainly put a huge smile on my face. I know she reads my blog so if you'll just indulge me for a second .......Thank you my darling daughter ... and thank you too dear Lukey :o). Love you both to bits!!!!! ... now I'll wipe the little (happy) tear away [[sigh]] ... missing them soooo much!!!

I'll finish off with a bit of kitty love ... this is my Sophie sitting in the beanbag watching TV ... isn't she the cutest kitty you ever saw LOL?????

Yippee!!!

First I just have to tell you .... I WON!!!!! I'm so excited!!! I won the Tilda stitchery and buttons in May Britt's and Kris' OPAM draw for April!! I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself for having a few finishes when my effort in March seemed to be so dismal (yes nothing ... see my sidebar!!) and no this is just the icing on the cake. I mentioned to May Britt that I was pleased to bits to win Tilda stuff because it's not so easy to find down here in Australia ... I think I shall be the envy of many friends LOL!!! Thanks so much May Britt and Kris ... the two of them put so much work into making this challenge so much fun for us all ... AND it gives me the kick in the behind to get myself moving to finish projects instead of flitting from one to another :o).

Speaking of finishes ..... it's only JUST into May and look what I've got to show you!!! This first pic is another of my Diamonds and Braids quilt ... gosh, that's the 3rd of these I've made :o)!!! I had hoped to finish it for the April OPAM list but I didn't quite make it. I made it in pastels this time - fabrics from Moda 'Aviary' ... aren't they just gorgeous!!? They were simply a delight to work with too.

This is another of my patterns - "4x4 Tablerunner" ... I needed a sample of this one as the original has a mark on it and I didn't want to send it out to stores like that.My DH really likes this one ... always a good sign ;o). The original is all in country colours so this one is completely different.

I went to the Tamborine Craft Extravaganza on Friday with my quilting group ... we had such a lovely day. Loads of fabulous hand crafted items to be drooled over :o). A part of the profits went to help the Rural Fire Brigade ... and after what happened in Victoria recently I'm sure you'd all agree that's a very deserving cause. I didn't buy much ... but I did find this wonderful little shelf unit for my rulers ......

Isn't it just fabulous!!?!!?! It has lots of little slots on the top shelf for all my quilting rulers!! My DH was sweet enough to hang it for me this morning so I've spent my time re-arranging everything on (or should I say "off" lol) my cutting table. It's wonderful, I don't have all my rulers at the back of the table any longer so I have so much more room :o)!!!

I probably should have taken a "before" shot so that you could have seen the clutter (MESS!!!!) I had before he he he ..... you'll just have to use your imagination LOL.

I'm off now, it's a lovely day and DH and I are taking the push-bikes and going for a ride ... enjoy the rest of the long weekend!!!