A little bit of retail therapy.

It’s going to be a bit hard getting used to the end of the Among the Gumtrees group … and as such, I thought perhaps a little bit of retail therapy was in order – and where better to visit than my local quilt store :o)???
They always have something to please me :o).
They didn’t let me down … look what they were unpacking as I walked in the door …… oh my goodness, my timing was perfick!!!I made all the right “oh no I shouldn’t'” noises, but as you can see, resistance was futile, and this gawjus sewing box came home with me ;o). Oh it’s a super size, just right for my pretty Sue Daley blocks and all the bits and bobs that go with it … It even has little pockets to pop my handy dandy needle threader and needle case in … But that’s not all I bought!! I thought since Rosie has been working so hard lately that she deserved a bit of bling too … and have a look at how these GAWJUS new PINK bobbins were displayed – complete with Easter yummies … There was no way some of these weren’t coming home with me lol. So I bought some for my Rosie in a little box all of their own …
Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments left on the GumTrees blog, we all really appreciate them :o). I'm sure we're going to miss bringing you the Gumtrees goodies, but we're all still here, just in our own 'houses' now and not in two any more. It was a fabulous time and I'll always be glad I was a part of it all, I've made some wonderful lifelong friends and had a blast. And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten my other block in the “Things We Love” BOM, I’ll be bringing you my last stitchery design for it very soon so keep an eye out for that :o). Thanks to all of you for joining us all on the ride :o)!!!!

I’m having another GIVEAWAY :o)!!

You probably know that we Among the Gumtrees ‘Nutters’ are having a massive giveaway!!!

But wait …that’s not all!!!!!!!!

Just for a bit more fun, I’m going to have a “Springtime” giveaway too. So if you’d like to win the pattern for the block I designed - “Good Morning Butterfly” …. then all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. You could make it into a wall-hanging, or a cushion … maybe even the front of a bag :o)!!!

One comment - one entry … easy peasy. Please don’t comment more than once though cos I’ll have to remove any doubles – and I’ll be checking he he ;o).

But if you want more ………

Don’t forget to pop on over to the Among the Gumtrees blog because that’s where we are having our biggest giveaway yet!!! Have you been over to check it out??? You could win these …The WHOLE SET of “Springtime” patterns - the gawjus BOM we designed for Fresh Hope :o)!! Pop on over to the Among the Gumtrees blog for more details on how to enter, and you can also find out over there how you can buy these patterns and many others from Fresh Hope!!

The winner for my giveaway will be drawn on 26th January :o)!!!

Good luck everyone :o)!!!!

My SSCS parcel has finally arrived :o)!!

Oh my goodness, it’s 2011 ….. already!!! I’m not sure I’m done with 2010 yet!!!! Okay so I’ll go with the flow, but honestly, I think the new year has crept up on me, I’ve only just finished the Chrissy leftovers!!!

A new year, a fresh start … resolutions to be made (or not!). Nah, not for me …. I’m not good at sticking to my new year resolutions. Although, I would LOVE to lose a few (make that quite a few) kg/pounds … if I can then great, otherwise, oh well - I’ll just have to embrace my chubbiness LOL. I’d like to wish you all a fabulously happy new year my dear bloggy friends – I hope it brings you many blessings :o). Thank you all for your lovely comments throughout 2010, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you through your emails and blogs, and I look forward to keeping in touch with you all in 2011 too :o).

Well it was a bit late but my SSCS gifties finally arrived this week from Ruth – YAY!!! As you can see from the great big stickers on the envelope, Australian Customs and Quarantine got to see it all before me lol, nevermind, the only thing they took out was some Orange Leaf Tea … sorry Ruth, that didn’t make it to me!!

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I’m guessing Ruth’s wrapping was probably a bit neater than theirs too lol. So here are the gawjus goodies I received – a Christmas wreath tree decoration (that will have to go on next year’s tree) ;o), a handmade bangle bag, 2011 calendar, a pack of 2” African Mosaic fabric squares, some cute Chrissy tissues and some Dove Chocolate … all wrapped up in about a metre (yard) of delish purple batik!!

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Thank you so much Ruth … and thank you too Chookyblue for organising yet another fabulously fun SSCS!!!

I’ve done very little stitching since just before Christmas … so nothing to show you there I’m sorry. I have, however, managed a wee bit of shopping on the net :o). Fat Quarter Shop was having a fabulous special on their books and magazines so I just HAD to jump in a buy some that have been on my shopping list for a while :o) … and … I’m kicking myself now for not buying “100 Blocks Vol. 1” because now I can’t find it anywhere – drat!!

Have you read the new Among the Gumtrees newsletter yet?? Don’t you love the new format :o) – and the new logo too??!!Our very clever Jenny designed and stitched this and I think it’s just gawjus!! We Nutters are all very excited about lots of fun happenings among the branches in 2011, stay tuned to find out more. We’ve also got something up our sleeves for our Brisbane friends too in March ;o)!! Are you wondering what we’re up to LOL??? All will be revealed soon ;o).

Until then …………

It has begun!!!

If you’re stuck for ideas for a gift for that special someone this Mother’s Day … we’ll have lots of ideas to help you out on the Among The Gumtrees Blog!!! Pop on over to see Vikki’s gawjus “To Mum With Love” … what a delightful design this is – and it’s free!!! Yep, especially for you :o)!!

Have I mentioned that I don’t like housework????

I bet I have ….. it really is a pain!!! I’ve just finished one of the yukkiest jobs there is. Cleaning the oven. Don’t bother scrolling down cos I didn’t take a piccy …. oh no, I wouldn’t do that to you LOL {{{blechhh}}}. My friend told me that you can actually pay a guy to come out and do it for you ~ that’s all he does, he cleans ovens!!! I have to wonder who on earth would want to do that all day everyday?? Maybe I should start saving now so that he can come and do mine next time ;o)!!! I must admit though, my oven does look lovely now that it’s all sparkly clean. Maybe I’ll just stop cooking he he he, then it won’t get dirty again.

Now that I’ve done that most unpleasant job I can show you what I found in the newsagent the other day …. Nice magazine …. but wait ….. what’s that teeny tiny piccy in the bottom left hand corner (no … NOT the barcode ~ NEXT to the barcode)??? Well it looks like my “Daisy Knot” bag!!!! Hang on, I know it’s hard to see. How’s this…….. He he … yep, that’s my “Daisy Knot” bag :o) *VBG*!!! This pattern was published in Country Threads a couple of years ago (or more???) so it was quite a thrill to see it in a magazine again ~ and on the cover no less :o)!! WooHoo!! Don’t they take gorgeous piccies!!!

Have you been to the Among the Gumtrees blog yet for your free “Where’s the Remote???” pattern??I'd love to hear what you think of it :o). And also don’t forget to pop over to see Vicki as she has a free BOM too - “Flirting with Flowers”, you can find block two, ‘Dancing Daisies’, here.

I’m off to do some stitching now … I think I’ve earned it ;o).

A bit of this and a bit of that :o)

This is something my DH brought home from work the other day … he tore it off his desk calendar cos he thought I’d think it was funny ………. LOL ………… he’s absolutely right, I did ;o)!!!!

I got these in the mail a couple of days ago from the Book Depository (oh I love that site!!!!!!) … I’m in the middle of the latest Elm Creek Quilts book “A Quilter’s Holiday” at the moment so I can’t start reading either one yet, but they look like they’ll be good. I love a good quilty novel :o). Also had a bit of fun in the local op’ shops, my friend Valerie was looking for a pretty cup and saucer for a craft project and while she was browsing I found these ……………I couldn’t resist them, so I bought the pair for just $8!!!! There was LOTS of lovely china, think I’ll be going back for another look very soon ;o).

I’ve tried my hand at something completely different this week and I really enjoyed having a play with something totally unrelated to stitching. Not that I don’t still love my stitching, he he, I ALWAYS love my stitching ~ but it was nice to have a little change ;o). I couldn’t resist the gorgeous little rosebud beads …..and the pretty rosy charms :o).

I have been doing some stitching too, I’ll be able to show you what I’ve been working on very soon …. hope you like it! Here’s a little hint … keep an eye on the Among the Gumtrees blog ;o)!!!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, looks like it’s going to be another (very) warm one here!! I’m off to the shops to get a new bike helmet and jacket tomorrow so that I can go riding with my DH :o) …. how exciting!!!!

Not Fair!!!!

The weekend started out wonderful!!! Poor DD2 has been fighting the dreaded Glandular Fever virus for the past couple of weeks so, seeing as she had missed out on the last week of her school hols (and worked for the first week!) we decided she needed a break. So we took her camping to Brunswick Heads on the Northern NSW coast. We went with another family (her bestie, bestie's brother & girlfriend and bestie's Dad Gary) and even though it was a bit chilly we had a most wonderful relaxing 3 days :o). Here she is fishing the Brunswick River with her friend Lisa ....... BUT ............. unfortunately when she was getting ready for school yesterday morning ... feeling all refreshed and raring to go I might add ...... she slipped while making her bed and dislocated her kneecap!!!!

Now THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!! She's spent the past 2 weeks on the couch hardly able to even speak because of her sore throat and ears, then when she's finally better this happens!!!!

Looking quite forlorn after finding out she'd have to wear this brace (and use crutches) for the next 2 weeks............... And finally with all the lovely pressies she got for being such a brave soldier ;o).........
Gosh, is there anything worse than seeing one of your precious children in such agony ... :o(. God Bless you my darling Bear ... mwah!!!

Here's another little reminder that you can get a freebie Christmas pattern from here!!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your lovely comments about my design, I'm blown away by all your kind words :o). I'd love to answer you all individually but I fear I'd be here all day to do that LOL ... please know though that I'm chuffed to bits that you like it and I can't wait to share the other two stitcheries with you :o)!!! I'll be giving you the other 2 stitchery patterns that go with this one FREE over the next couple of weeks, but only for a limited time :o)!!!!! Here's a sneaky peek of a sleepy little elf for you ;o) ............. Keep a watch on our Among The Gumtrees Blog as there are still lots of freebie Christmas patterns coming your way over the coming weeks!!! We're having such FUN sharing these with you :o)!!!!

Dawn's "Among the Gumtrees" Giveaway

I do hope you're enjoying all the fun we're having "Among the Gumtrees"!!! I wanted to tell you about Dawn's giveaway, look at all these fabulous goodies ......
There's a 'Millies Market Day Bag' pattern by Janelle Wind, 1/2 mt (.45yd) of blue floral fabric, 2 fat quarters 1pink spots, 1 blue allover paisley, 3 skeins of DMC vareigated thread, 1/2 doz vintage wooden pegs, 2mt (1.8yd) of blue ricrac + a few little surprises too!!!
Pop on over to Dawns blog - Dawn Hay Designs and get yourself an entry or 3 :o)!!!!

*$&^#%@ Computers!!!

I'm throwing my hands in the air!! Oh I wish I was computer savvy!!! Don't get me wrong, I can do the stuff I have to do no problem, but when it comes to the real technical stuff ... well not a chance. Fortunately for me my DH is home on holidays at the moment so I'm handing it all over to him. You see we've bought a new 'puter ... but the new one runs on Vista and the old one runs on XP ... the hassle is transferring the (MANY) files over {{{{sigh}}}} - think we need some of this LOL ..........perhaps I should be baking this for my DH to show him how grateful I am that he's tearing his hair out over this instead of me!!!! Bless you my darling .... love you ;o)!!
On a brighter note though .... I want to THANK each and EVERY ONE of you for the comments you've left on my giveaway!!! Oh my goodness you stitchers have just blown me away. I'm so pleased that you're enjoying what my gorgeous Nutter friends and I have been doing, we're having such fun too :o)!! So even though I haven't been able to reply to you all personally ... please know that I'm absolutely chuffed to bits - in fact we all are - by the fabulous response from everyone in blogland :o)!!!

Don't forget the fabulous giveaway over on Vik's blog Sew Useful Designs. Vik is giving away these fabulous prizes ..... EVERYONE knows I'm a HUGE fan of Bronwyn Hayes - oh how I love her work :o)!! Well looky here stitchers ..... Vikki is actually going to giveaway this gorgeous BH pattern "Gingham Girls Carryall"!!!

Oh I want it so bad ..... do you think she'd know if I changed my name and entered under a secret ID???? Perhaps I could call myself 'Ethel Fleabite' lol???? Waddyathink????

But look, there's more .... (no, don't go searching for the ' free steak knives' he he he). You could also receive "Shabby Stitches" by Tracy North - I have this book and it's gorgeous so I know you'll love it too :o)!! AND ... the "Simple Stitches needlecase" pattern by the fabulous Lynette Anderson WITH the house button too!!!

Oh you just HAVE to enter .... go on over there now ;o). Hopefully I'll get my 'puter sorted before my next post.

Talk soon ................

Our "Mid Week Weekend" :o)

My darling husband and I managed to getaway for a couple of days last week - just the two of us to celebrate our 20th anniversary (which was actually a couple of weeks ago). We chose the most gorgeous B&B at Laidly called Branell Homestead . We had the most relaxing time, you can see that on the piccy below, that's my beloved having a quiet read on the lovely breezy verandah .......

There were cows grazing in the paddocks in front of the homestead and these delightful ladies in a chookhouse up the back :o) .........

I couldn't resist taking this arty type piccy of these gorgeous silk roses that were on the dresser, they were scented and they smelt delicious!!!

Here's the brekky hamper that arrived the first morning ... how yummy does that all look??!?! We had muffins, scones, pastries, cereal, croissants, fruit, yoghurt, juice ... there was enough food there for a family of 5 he he he ......

We visited the local shops while we were there and I simply couldn't resist this lovely fridge magnet ... what a lovely sentiment!!!Here's us playing "Tommy Tourist" at the lookout at Laidly ;o) .....

And here's the rest of the trinkets that 'followed me home' he he ... Don't you just love those keys??!!! Irresistable!!!!! We found the little antique iron at a huge antique store in Esk, and I just had to buy some pretty silk roses to remind me of our lovely getaway :o). We also managed to catch up with gorgeous Kris from Tagalong Teddies for lunch at the Chocolate Cottage Cafe in Highfield but I forgot to get a piccy of the 3 of us ..... grrr!! Nevermind, that just means we'll have to go back and do it again he he ... that ok with you Kris???

Don't forget our fabulous "Among the Gumtrees" giveaways!!! Look at the gorgeous goodies our lovely Vicki is offering ..... hmmm, what name can I come up with so that I can enter too he he he??? Don't you love that table mat, Vicki made it herself and it has cinnamon in it so that when you put a warm pot on it it will smell delicious .... how clever is that!!??!
So off you go ... straight over to Vicki's at Tozz's Corner and enter her giveaway!!!!!

Talk soon .......