What a lovely Christmas!!!

I hope you all had a super wonderful Christmas. Ours was just fabulous. The only thing missing was our DD1 Tahlia and her boyfriend Luke, they are still on the other side of the world. BUT, we got a phone call from them on Christmas morning - we were over the moon. It was so lovely to hear her voice on such a special day :o). I can't wait 'til they visit in February!!! DS Ross and his gorgeous fiance Alicia came over in the morning too. Within minutes it was wrapping paper and pressies everywhere ... loads of laughs, they are all still just big kids - bless ;o).I finished the bag for my MIL just in time!! I put the last stitches in on Christmas Eve afternoon ... the same with a couple of little toiletries bags that I made for Alicia and my SIL Cheryl. Phew ... I was cutting it fine ;o) LOL I always do. Here's the bag for MIL ... the stitchery on this one is by Bronwyn Hayes, it matched the fabrics perfectly (I love her stitcheries!!!) but the bag is a JoyPatch design, it's called "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and you can find the pattern with the original stitchery on it here :o). I'm pleased to say that my MIL loved the bag :o)!!!I finally got to unwrap my pressies from Dawn (my partner in Janet's Christmas swap), and Maria in UK,who was my 'mortal' in Helen's Stitcher's Angel Swap. This is what Dawn sent me, an armchair caddy and a matching pincushion ... aren't they gorgeous, the stitching is so neat - thanks so much Dawn, I love them :o)!!!! Thanks also to Janet for organising this last minute swap ... it was such fun :o)!!! And this is what Maria sent from UK ... gorgeous Kaffe Fasset fabrics!!! I love them Maria ... you really are a sweety!! Can't wait til 2010 ;o)!!!!! I also got a lovely gift from Julia - she let me open it early after she read my last blog post ... so of course I didn't need to be told twice ... and this is what I got!! I just love it, it's now hanging with my Christmas quilt in the loungeroom :o). Thanks so much Julie!!!The morning was spent with my side of the family, then we went off to DHs family for lunch ... what a magnificent spread, and everything was so festive. We had great fun ... the guys all had Chrissy ties to wear and the girls all had flashing brooches!!! Here's DH and me in our finery ... lol you can see the tie well enough but the brooch is a bit harder to spot!!I ate so much I thought I'd burst!!! ...... this is just what we had AFTER dessert!!!!!!

We went home for a quick nap then it was back to my brother's for tea. Everybody loved their pressies, and we got some great stuff too :o). Today we've just stayed at home and been totally lazy!! I'm having such fun reading about everyone's Christmas Day :o) - I hope everything went well for everyone and that Santa was good to you :o).

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the tutorial ... I'm working on it and will be posting it very soon :o).

Take care,

Hugs,

Joy :o)

Christmas pressies ... 'to' and 'from' :o).

I'm having a great December!!! Look what arrived in the mail for me from Norway!!!This was from Laila, my Secret Angel. Thanks so much Laila ........ I've never done a Tilda stitchery before, it's absolutely gorgeous, I can't wait to start it :o)!!!!!

I've been busy making some rather last minute gifts for Christmas. The first one I finished just the other night and it's a little make-up bag for my Mum ...I can't believe I've even put a zip in it!!! After all of those zipper pouches I've made I think you can see I'm no longer "zipperphobic" :o)!!! I love the fabrics in this and Mum loves red so I'm hoping she'll be pleased with it. I've filled it with nail polishes and nail care products for her for Christmas.

I've also been busy finishing the stitchery to go on the pocket of the bag for my MIL.... Now I just have to make the bag LOL. That's today's job!!! I've done all of this with the help of my little friend Olly ....... here he is overseeing my work LOL. He's so cute :o).

I'm off to make a bag ....................

Hugs,

Joy :o)

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas .....laaaaaa la la la laaa.....

I got a lovely surprise in the mail!!!

Maria (who was my secret Stitchers Angel partner in Helen's recent swap) has sent me a Christmas gift ..... all the way from UK!!!!! Thank you so much Maria for putting such a big smile on my face!!! I'm being very good and I haven't opened it - I have the best intentions of keeping it until Christmas Day ... but I make no promises he he he. Honestly, there's never any pressies under the tree for me before Christmas because I'm a "sneaky peeker"!!! Can't help it ... ;o).

I've taken some piccies of some of the older handmade deccies on our tree ..... this one has the date on it so it's easy to see when I made this one...It was a project I made when I joined a local cross-stitch club. This next one always gives me a giggle. DD2 made this one in 2nd grade - she's 15 (almost 16) now so it's a real sentimental favourite of mine :o) ...She's so cute!!! Here's another cross-stitch one, probably about 11 or 12 years old too ... I think it was a kit (???)... starting to look a bit shabby around the edges [sigh]...I've been running around the shops (figure of speech of course - I don't run anywhere LOL!!!) looking for a gift for my MIL ... can't find anything ... so I've decided to make her a bag. I've sorted through my stash and found some really cute fabrics and I'll do this Bronwyn Hayes (love her work!!!) stitchery to go on the pocket...................I'll show you when it's finished.

That's all from me for now ... I'm off to battle the crowds and do more shopping today!!! Wish me luck he he he....

Take care ..........

Hugs,
Joy :o)

Always something to make me smile :o)

Some days things don't seem to go quite as planned. Nothing really bad has happened, I shouldn't be complaining at all, and I'm not really. They were all just niggly little things to put a spanner in the works.

First thing happened early this morning when DD2 was getting ready for school and couldn't find part of her uniform (??). Not a big deal but definitely a nuisance. Problem was solved without too much fuss - good thing I'd already had my first cup of coffee [phew]. Next, as I'm printing up some patterns for orders I got yesterday, I realise that the first run of printing I did for my newest pattern "Ric Rac and Roses" has gone out with a page missing!!! Eeeeek!! I phone shops, email/phone people who've bought/won patterns. All missing pages are now on their way to where they belong [again ... phew] - problem solved. THEN ... this is the 3rd and hopefully the last for the day ;o) ....... we brought home our tiles for the kitchen walls and they were 5cm larger than quoted so they don't fit under the power points and will be a pain in the proverbial to fit!!! So I got on the phone to our friendly tile shop lady and she says she will have the tiler man cut them back for us so they will fit :o). Another problem solved .... just didn't want to deal with all of that in one morning!! Topped up with another coffee :o).

Then ........... my day got brighter. The mailman brought me a present!!! I'm smiling. In fact I'm smiling from ear to ear!!! Look what I got :oD!!!
It's the last package from my Stitcher's Angel!! And it's filled with LOTS of goodies :o).I haven't made one of May's bags but I just love it!! And didn't this one turn out beautifully!! I mentioned last time about my Angel's fabulous stitching ... teeny tiny perfectly even stitches. Very clever lady. But there's more ...
She also sent me a stitchery, a "Troll" pencil - a most adorable pin cushion (don't hink I can put pins in that dear little hedgehog ;o), must watch my aim!!!) .... and lastly ...
... lots of lovely fabrics!!! There are some lables, some wonderful Noah's Ark fabrics for my BOM from here and of course some Angel fabrics. I'm feeling very lucky - I just love all my pressies, and now the waiting is over - I know who my secret Angel is ... thank you so much Laila - you really are an Angel :o).

Take care,

Joy :o)

YAY!!! It's here!!!

After what seemed like ages and ages ... it's here or should I say "she's" here ;o). I have received my buddie for the Stitcher's Angel swap!!! WooHoo!!! I can't wait to start stitching now that I know the colours she likes :o). I wonder who has me??? Don't forget to visit here to get the first of your free patterns each week for 7 weeks, even if you're not doing the swap!!! I got the first one this morning by Helen Stubbings from Hugs and Kisses and it's just gorgeous!


Had a busy weekend hunting for the new cooktop and oven ... found what we are after, DH is picking them up today, bless. Now we have to get the kitchen cabinets re-made to fit them [[sigh]]. Think the bbq is looking pretty appealing about now ;o). I'm sure it will all look wonderful when it's finished :o).


Ta daaa .......... I finished my stitchery cushion. I think it's very "Spring-like" and I'm hoping it will help to chase away the winter chills - tee hee!!! I'm sooooo not a Winter person, I've really had enough now, and I'll be very pleased to see the mercury rise ;o). I've called this pattern "In My Garden" and it should be available on the website this week if I can get my guys to put it on for me!!!

.................AND ... I've finished the latest of Lynette Anderson's stitcherys for her free BOM!!! I'm really pleased with them.

That's about all from me for now, going to do some more on Brooke's quilt - it's really coming along now so I'm eager to keep the flow going - before I get distracted again ;o)!!
Take care,
Joy :o)