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Project Life 2012 - Week Five

2012-02-10T14:50:00.002+08:00

Two posts in one day...it must be a miracle!

I thought I'd better get Week 5's Project Life up on the blog, because Week 6 is almost over. What can I say...it's been pretty busy around here (but you can read all about that next week LOL)

This week I've based my pages around a 6 1/2 inch paper pad from Kaisercraft called Bonjour. The elements from this pad made co-ordinating my pages sooooo easy...I will definitely be using this approach again :)

The left hand side of the page...

I've added some inserts this week, the first being a little booklet that Merryn made about our trip to Esperance in January. I had a photo of her making it, so scrapped a mini-layout for the other side of that page protector.

The polka-dots is a piece of artwork Merryn created for me while she was supposed to be cleaning her room...hmmmmmmm.

The right side has some photo collages that I created when printing my photos....I'm loving this way of adding extra photos onto my pages. I know you can use several apps on the iphone to do this, and can also use layered templates in Photoshop, but I tend to forget until I'm actually printing :) I also find it easier!

The "Note to self: I am enough" is a little saying that I find myself repeating quite a lot, so wanted to include it. I've also included a lolly wrapper...I took a photo originally, but like the crispness of the colours in the actual wrapper.

Thought you might like a close-up of my note from Merryn...

...it makes me laugh for many reasons, and is just SO her right now. Such a cheeky little monkey!

How are you going with your Project Life? Again, please leave me a comment so I can come and check it out :)

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Two New and a Re-Do Edition

2012-02-10T14:17:00.000+08:00

Hello Friday!

I'm back to "farming" this week, with two new blocks to show you, and a re-do of a "without white" block. The temperature outside is a blistering 39 degrees, so it's lovely to be sitting in the cool airconditioning, mucking about with fabric today :)

First up, we have Block 47, Homemaker...

...this one had me stumped for a bit, until I read the instructions in fine print at the bottom of the diagram. When in doubt, look for instructions :)

Block number 37 is called Flower Pot...

...and it was so out of square when I finished that I considered remaking it, but went with trimming off the sides instead. I may live to regret that decision when it comes to putting the blocks together :)

When I first decided to "add white" to each block, I envisaged myself just remaking the blocks from scratch. It's becoming apparent, now that I am finishing off a few more blocks and am almost halway to a queen size quilt, that I may run short of Rose Parade fabrics some time in the future. After all, I'm only using a jelly roll of that particular fabric combined with white and spots :)

So I'm going with the more fabric-frugal option and adding just a little bit of white to the existing blocks. What do you think? Can I get away with it?

Have a great Friday...and if you are in Perth...KEEP COOL!

TTFN xxx

Not just one...but two!

2012-02-05T21:20:00.000+08:00

I got on a bit of a roll with my scrapbooking yesterday...I think having December Daily all finished was just what I needed to boost my scrapping mojo a bit :) Having lots of photos printed doesn't hurt either!

I started with some of Riley's 14th birthday shots...

The colours in the detail shot above are much truer to the actual layout. I love the effect of different twines all tied in a bow...they just say "birthday" to me :)

The paper is Basic Grey Lemonade which I've been saving for a long time, and there's lots of stitching on there too.

While I was flicking through the big pile of photos, I came across the one of me on Christmas Eve...

I loved cooking Christmas goodies last year. I let go of the stress and expectation that I usually put myself through, and just went with the flow....it was awesome!

I used Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas papers, to save me packing them up after I completed DD. I'm always amazed how easy it is to use the stuff on my desk...as soon as I pack it away, I tend to forget about it!

Two pages scrapped...wooohoooo!

TTFN xxx

December Daily 2011...the end!

2012-02-04T12:12:00.000+08:00

Something had to give on my desk. The paper and photos and embellishments for December Daily had sat there for way too long, and decision time had come...pack it up or finish it off!

With only a couple of days left to document, and a few spare minutes on my hands, I went with the "finish it off" option :)

You may recall, I hadn't even made the covers for this album (!!!) so that was the first thing to finish...

I usually do a little introduction-type page, but had very few embellishments left, so this is how it ended up.

It's not my favourite page, but it's done ;)

Day 23...

I wanted to include these cute gift tags that were attached to my pressies from Linda and Tracey...far too nice to throw away!
And Day 24, on which there were lots and lots of photos and stories to tell, but I went with just one...

...mainly because I was running out of time, and wanted it DONE! LOL

The Christmas cards I received this year went into a little pocket at the back of the book, secured with washi tape.

This was a new addition to my album this year, mainly because I could fit them in! The number of Christmas cards I receive seems to be dwindling each year...even I didn't send out very many this year, and totally missed sending my Christmas newsletter, which is previously unheard of!

So here it is, all finished and ready to take it's place next to December Daily albums from years passed...

...PHEW!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Clippered Edition

2012-02-03T14:38:00.000+08:00

Feels good to be back on track with my Farmers Wife Friday posts...routine works so well for me :)

First up we have block 44 Gentleman's Fancy...

...which I made in the same colourway as a block that I have to unpick because it has no white (who made up that stupid rule, anyhow? LOL), but this one obviously DOES have white :)

Number 49 is Honeycomb...

...which somehow just isn't really doing it for me? I kept changing fabrics and colours all morning before I finally settled on these ones, but I'm still not loving them. It would seem that I work much better with a house full of kids and not a lot of time, as opposed to a whole, quiet day stretching out before me. Go figure.

I'll leave you with this photo of my precious dog, Clancy. Poor boy was really feeling the heat this week, so I booked him in for a "short allover" style today...he's looking pretty sharp (and so much cooler!)

Gotta love a dog clipper that makes house calls :)

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week Four

2012-02-01T17:43:00.002+08:00

First month down...which is a bit of a relief, really :)

Project Life is an amazing tool for memory keeping...have I mentioned that before? As I look back on the first four weeks, I'm filled with a sense of satisfaction :) I have recorded more family stories in the last four weeks than I did for the entire year in 2011...and that makes me very happy, because I am ALL about the story in scrapbooking :)

So here are my pages...

I didn't use a single item from the PL kit this week. Some weeks are going to be like that I think :)

Instead, I've used bits and pieces from my stash that I LOVE...like American Crafts thickers, and October Afternoon paper, a quote sticker, and various other random things.

My children all went back to school today, and I'm wondering how much harder this project is going to be now that we are back into routine, and I don't spend every waking hour with them...time will tell :)

Thanks so much for looking...and please leave me a comment so I can check out what you've been up to in Week 4 :)

TTFN xxx
P.S. I'm hoping to add a couple of layouts as an insert to this week...just haven't quite made it that far yet!

P.P.S Lots more pages to see over here...

December Daily Days 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

2012-01-29T16:44:00.002+08:00

No, I'm not kidding.

I really do have 10 days to add to my December Daily album.

I know. I can't believe it either. Turns out it really IS a quick little album to put together...either that, or I'm whipping through the pages because I am so tired of the stuff sitting on my desk, and I really need the storage space for my Project Life stuff :) Hmmmmmm.

Anyway, here they are ( and I will forgive you if you can't be bothered looking too closely LOL)

Days 13 and 14...

...whereby we picked up my husband from the airport to start his holidays (and had dinner with our friends on the way to the airport as always!) , and we had our last work meeting of the year.

Days 15 and 16...

...whereby my girls played all day in the pool, and we looked after some other kids for the night while our friends went to their Christmas party.

Day 17...

...complete with extra page protector for additional photos...

...whereby we threw our annual Christmas/birthday party and had Secret Santa gifts and lots of yummy food :)

Day 18...

...whereby we went to the "big" Carols by Candlelight in the city with our friends, complete with Carols songbook :)

Day 19...

...whereby we did some Christmas cooking.

Days 20 and 21...

...whereby we had friends up for a Christmas get-together, and went on our annual Christmas light viewing tour with some other friends.

And finally, (for now, anyway) Day 22...

...whereby I discussed the Christmas lolly buffet that I created, and eventually gave up refilling because the lollies were disappearing so fast LOL!

That's it for now. With just 2 days left to document, I have run out of the white cardstock that I've used throughout the album, so they will have to wait for another day...hopefully tomorrow!

If you've made it this far...thanks for reading!

TTFN xxx

Random Saturday Stitching

2012-01-28T13:56:00.000+08:00

The end of the month is looming...it's the 28th already...and you know what that means...

THE SIDEBAR TO-DO LIST SHOULD BE UNDER CONTROL! LOL

There has been quite a lot of crafting going on around here, which, when you throw school holidays and work into the mix, is a miracle in itself. We'll call it New Years enthusiasm :)

Here's a little progress report of how things are going...

A Family Gathering Quilt

Starting to really take shape now, with the completion of the "Cousins" block. Can you believe I only have the "Caravan" block left to stitch on this quilt?

The borders are going to be a bit trickier than normal...there are hourglass blocks involved...but I'm feeling that the end is almost in my sights :)

My Favourite Things Quilt

I was a little horrified to discover that I was behind in this Stitch-a-long...I had neglected to add the border stripping!

An hour or two of panic sewing got me right up to date though...phew!

The Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt

Ok ok...I admit it. I'm a bit addicted to this one at the moment :) I stayed up until quite late last night cutting two more squares!
Number 69 Practical Orchard

And number 70 Prairie Queen

I must have been feeling in a yellow type of mood? That puts my completed block count up to 35, which DOES NOT include the 12 blocks that I've decided not to use because they don't have white in them (I'll try to remake those over the next few weeks) So technically, I've made 47, which almost puts me in line with the Flickr group girls, and halfway to a Queen size quilt! Hmmmmm..that DOES sound impressive :)

Now to start putting together some December Daily pages :O I know, I know...it's nearly February! Bet you thought I'd ditched that project, didn't you? LOL...the thought has crossed my mind......

What random Saturday stitching are you working on?

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Happy Wife Edition

2012-01-27T13:49:00.000+08:00

Blocks that come together easily, colours that I love, points that match, and making my blocks on a Friday...these things make me a happy wife today :)

First block up is number 61 Northern Lights...

...this block had a good feel about it right from the start. My elder daughter commented on how much she liked the colours when I was cutting out, and I think it was blessed from that moment :)

Number 62 Old Windmill is made from my favourite things, so unless it didn't play nice in the construction phase, it was always going to be a favourite :)

See that turquoise floral in the middle? That's my favourite print from the whole Rose Parade collection :) Team it with red polkadots...my all time favourite thing...and it's definitely love!

Hope you are having a happy Friday. It was supposed to reach 41 degrees here in Perth today, and the fact that it hasn't makes me SUPER happy!

TTFN xxx

A Tea Party

2012-01-25T18:20:00.000+08:00

I've been doing a bit of stitching on A Family Gathering, the quilt project that Linda, Tracey and I are stitching together.

Of course, it's just one of the projects that we are stitching together...they seem to be multiplying lately! We do our monthly Sweetwater Label Crew, we are stitching Our Favourite Things (the quilt from Anni Downs book Some Kind of Wonderful)with a group over here, and we have A Family Gathering, which we are hoping to finish before another new project begins :)We are all doing Project Life too :)

Always good to have lots of projects on the go...don't you think? (remind me of that next time I'm feeling overwhelmed, won't you? LOL)

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week Three

2012-01-24T18:16:00.001+08:00

Another week down!Is it just me, or is this year just flying by?

Week 3 was all about quilts and back-to-work, books and movies :)

This week I tried to add a few more everyday bits and pieces, like tickets from the movies...

...and a supermarket receipt tucked into the long journaler under Pre Fly Out Day Prep , which documents the rituals that we go through the day before my husband flies out to work. These are the things that I think will be interesting in years to come...how much a packet of cigarettes costs (yep, he's a smoker) and how I give him a haircut before he flies off into the desert heat (he works in the hottest place in Australia, poor thing!)

Other things of interest...
*I used a mix of papers from the PL Turquoise kit, as well as bits and pieces from my own stash. I'm finding that I'm much happier with the pages when I make them "my own".

* I created a photo collage of my sons' paintball bruises using an app called DIPTIC on my iphone (thanks Linda...it's AWESOME!)

* The book cover of Brisingr which my son is currently reading was printed from the net, but could just as easily been an actual photo.

*I printed all my photos at home this week...I couldn't fit photo printing on my to-do list when we were doing the groceries, and it's been so so hot here in Perth that I couldn't be bothered making a special trip :)

* I'm planning to add a smaller page protector in the middle of this double page, but haven't quite made it that far yet!

So...how is your Week 3 coming along? Have you settled into the PL journey yet, or are you struggling to find your groove? And could you pretty please leave me a comment so I can come and take a peek at yours?

TTFN xxx

P.S. If you want to check out some awesome Week 3 pages, check out here...

Determined.

2012-01-21T19:17:00.001+08:00

Determined to make more cards this year.

Determined to use my stamps and inks (especially the ones in mint condition!)

Determined to cross things off my to-do list in a timely fashion.

Determined to use up some of my paper stash.

Determined to try different techniques and learn new things.

Determined to have handmade cards ready to give to my loved ones.

Determined to fit crafting into my busy life.

Determined not to ever sit through another Alvin and the Chipmunks movie for the rest of my life...OK that was a bit random :) but oh so true!

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday- The With A BANG Edition!

2012-01-20T14:59:00.001+08:00

Hello hello...and happy Farmers Wife Friday to you!

Yes...Farmers Wife Friday is back with a bang! Today I have four blocks to show you :)

This new found enthusiasm is due to a few things...having a Friday that I don't have to work (YAY!), the heat (too hot for housework, that's for sure) and to my friend Hope, who received the FW book for Christmas, and has been pumping out blocks at an inspiring rate! Her blocks are just lovely...she's using some Rose Parade fabrics (like mine) but her colour combinations are much more striking...check out her blog if you get a chance ;)

Onto the blocks...and a very random selection they are, too. We have number 111, Wrench...

...which is the very last block in the book. It looked easy, so I went with that!

Block number 81 Snowball...

...ditto on the easy :)
Block 33 is Farmers Puzzle...

...because that is one I missed when my printer wasn't printing, and it had a few different templates that I didn't have. And finally, Block 4 Basket Weave...

...yes, I have made this one before, but with no white. I vaguely remember deciding to add white to each and every block late last year, so unpicked the original and added white. I'll be doing this to a few blocks...unless, of course, I cahnge my mind again! (sooooo wish I wouldn't keep doing that LOL)

Thanks for visiting, and have a great weekend

TTFN xxx

P.S. Sorry about the photo quality on the last two blocks...not sure what happened there?

Project Life 2012 - Week Two

2012-01-17T18:49:00.000+08:00

Week Two of Project Life...another busy week in our house! There were friends and swimming, fly in day and cyclone warnings, suicide attempts and nocturnal attacks :)

And then there was capturing the little snippets of life that I'd like to remember forever and ever...

I've extended myself a little bit too...notice the two photo collages, complete with titles? Tricky tricky :) I also learned how to print a screen shot from my iphone. Like I said yesterday...baby steps.

(just in case you can't read the journaling, the suicide attempt was by our favourite fish, Boggle, and the nocturnal attack was Merryn scratching her ecsema, but she was convinced that something had come into her bedroom at night ...we concluded that it was a particularly vicious mosquito with a bandsaw type stinger on the end of it's nose LOL)

I've added some elements from October Afternoons' Sidewalks range, and some turquoise and yellow polkadots from Echo Parks Dots and Stripes, because as you know, everything is better with polkadots!

Have a great day!

TTFN

Pinwheels

2012-01-16T15:54:00.000+08:00

Extend.
It's one little word that I can apply to almost every area of my life, but today I've applied it to my cardmaking. Yes...very occasionally I do make cards :)

Today I stamped, and even used some never-been-out-of-their-wrapping stamps! Now that IS extending myself!

The pinwheels are from a set from Stampin' Up called Sweets for the Sweet, and they are so cute!

I haven't recreated the wheel here (I never do, truth be told), but I have used Perfect Pearls for the accents, which is also extending myself a bit LOL....baby steps, right?

Today I have also rediscovered the technique of hand colouring my stamps, so I'm off to play a bit more...who knows what adventurous new thing I might try! Bahahahahahahaha!

TTFN xxx

Sunday Show and Tell

2012-01-15T18:46:00.000+08:00

I have a little something to show you today. Something I am very proud of. I'm a bit excited :)

After a very very long absence from the blog, I can finally show you, in it's completed form, my A Gardeners Journal quilt! WOOOHOOOOOOOOO!

Can you tell I'm a bit excited? LOL

I stitched this quilt as part of the Stitch-a-long group organised by Chookyblue
In fact, it was Chooky who encouraged me to locate my book and get stitching...she can be pretty persuasive :) I stitched it in fairly good time, but the top sat at the quilters for almost a whole year :( I received the quilted top just before Christmas, and procrastinated until yesterday, when my dear friend Fiona sat with me at my kitchen table, and wouldn't let me leave until the binding was stitched down :)

The quilting is divine...

...as you can see by looking at it from the back. Such gorgeous texture. Such bright happy colours. Such glorious completion. Sigh.

I even got a bit inspired with my quilt label...

...I'm usually so anxious to move a finished quilt out of my craft room that I whack any old label on, but it was so hot in Perth today that I used it as a good excuse to turn the airconditioner on :)

So there you have it...another COMPLETED project for January! Love that :)

TTFN xxx

Kicking off a new year!

2012-01-11T20:46:00.000+08:00

A new year of Sweetwater Label Crew stitching has officially begun :)

Linda, Tracey and I had a little catchup earlier in the week, and completed (yes, I DID say completed!) our 2012 journals, our first project for the year. I used Sweetwater's Sunkissed fabric, Linda used Sweetwater's Reunion and Tracey used Figtree's Strawberry Fields...don't they look so different!

I added the small personalised label to the back, and have already started making notes for Project Life in the notebook....gotta love a practical AND pretty project :)

Another tick off the to-do list...WOOOHOOOOOO!

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week One

2012-01-10T14:49:00.000+08:00

It's going to take me a while to get into the groove of this Project Life thing...I can tell :)

I agonised over photo selection, photo placement, embellishments, colours, papers, what story to tell, and basically anything else I could think of LOL...oh my, I am good at overthinking things!

I eventually gave myself a good talking to, pulled myself together, put all the bits in, did my journaling and turned the page in my album.

It could be a good thing that I go back to my paid job tomorrow...LOL...much less time to overthink when I am running around like a crazy person!

The first week of anything is always the hardest, right?

TTFN xxx

One Little Word 2012

2012-01-09T18:24:00.000+08:00

One Little Word. It's an amazing concept devised by Ali Edwards several years ago. On a basic level, you choose a word at the beginning of each new year...a word to live with, to inspire, to lead, and to reflect upon during the year.

I have found, over the last couple of years that I have chosen a word, that it has been a powerful tool in my life. My little word can pop into my mind under many different circumstances, and can be a driving force to help me achieve my goals, to help me make decisions, and to guide me.

This year, after much thought, I have chosen the word extend.

I hope to extend myself in many areas of my life...to reach beyond my comfort zone and expand my horizons a little more.

With this little word foremost in my mind when I felt the urge to bake yesterday morning, I reached beyond my usual tried-and-true recipes to this gorgeous new cookbook that I received for Christmas...

Oh my, it is a lovely publication! Take a peek inside...

The styling is amazing! I love the retro images, the old advertisements, the memories that some of the recipes evoke...showing my age now, aren't I? LOL

It is simply divine.

I decided to make some Chocolate Mousse Puffs...much like a chocolate version of profiteroles, with a white chocolate mousse filling. This involved a few techniques that I've never attempted before, and much more fiddling around than I normally get involved in :)

At one stage I had two sets of electric beaters going! The filling used not only cream cheese, but white chocolate melts AND thickened cream...imagine the calories!

They looked quite untidy...not uniform at all...but OH MY GOODNESS the taste!

I think they may just be the yummiest thing I have ever baked. Seriously good.

So that's my one little word for 2012. I hope to use it well...and also hope that it's not my waistline that does the extending! LOL

TTFN xxx

My Favourite Things...Edition 2

2012-01-08T19:38:00.000+08:00

It's amazing how effective the technique of list making is for me. Just the action of making a list makes me feel so much more in control of things, but when I get to actually tick something off that list? Ahead of schedule? Now THAT makes me way beyond happy :)

See that rather long 'TO DO LIST' for January over there in my sidebar? Today, for the first time this year, I can tick something off! WOOOHOOOO!

Presenting, Edition 2 of "My Favourite Things", from the book Some Kind of Wonderful by Anni Downs, that I am stitching along with a fabulous group over here... (wow, that's a long introduction LOL)and my ABSOLUTE favourite things, chocolates!

Daisies too...

...which, truthfully, are not my favourite flower, but for the sake of simpicity and completion, we shall pretend they are :)

And with that, I am up-to-date with that particular project for another month! They will fly by this year, I just know it :)

Have a wonderful Sunday evening, and thank you for visiting.

TTFN xxx

Project Life...the beginning.

2012-01-07T21:13:00.000+08:00

Project Life ...these two little words seem to be popping up all over the place lately :) Lots of scrapbookers (and non-scrapbookers, too) from all over the world have jumped on board, and it really is exciting to imagine my own album by the end of the year, bulging with memories and photos and stories of my very ordinary life.

(If you're not sure what I'm talking about, a quick Google search will provide you with loads of information, or visit Becky Higgins'blog here.
)

So here is my front page...

I'm using the Turquoise kit, but found myself making some changes to the pieces as I was putting this page together...adding some polkadots here , some floral paper there :) It just wouldn't be my album if there were no polkadots, would it? The photos are by Sharon Manning, from our photoshoot in 2011 (and by coincidence, Sharon is doing Project Life in the digital turquoise kit...I'll be keeping an eye on that one, for sure!)

As we head towards the end of "Week one" and our first double page spread, I find myself wondering how it will all come together...have I taken enough photos? Will I be able to keep up? Will I be able to find enough interesting stuff to fill two whole pages every week? How will I keep my photo printing up-to-date? (I struggle with this one...printed off 340 photos this afternoon so I could clear some space on my camera memory cards LOL) Will I like the process? The finished product?

Hmmmm...maybe I'm overthinking it just a bit!

If you are doing Project Life this year, could you pretty please leave me a comment so I can take a peek? Ta :)

TTFN xxx

Sweetwater Label Crew - The Year in Review

2012-01-05T14:50:00.001+08:00

One of the highlights of 2011 for me was getting together with Tracey and Linda to make our Sweetwater Label Crew project each month.

I love the anticipation of the labels arriving (especially when the sneak peeks pop up on the Sweetwater blog!), I love selecting the fabrics, I love the satisfaction of making (usually) simple projects, I love getting together with the girls for a night of fun and laughs, and I love having a little stash of handmade goodies ready to giftwrap...it's all good :)

I thought it would be fun to do a little re-cap of the projects,since we are about to start work on the first one for 2012, and I have finally learnt how to make a photo collage :)

Here's to another year of Label Crew fun times!

TTFN xxx

Family Tree

2012-01-04T20:34:00.000+08:00

It feels like an awfully long time since I showed you a block from my "A Family Gathering" quilt. Truth be told, I got a little stuck on the block called Family Tree and it disappeared for a little while into the "too hard" basket that sits on the side of my desk :) Awful place, that basket....some items never emerge from there!

First let me show you my version...

...and here is the version from the book by Anni Downs...

I was never going to stitch my actual Family Tree...the branches would be all over the place! (my family is quite complicated, to say the least!) I couldn't decide what I was going to stitch instead, though.

After a few months of pondering (these things take time) I used a design that I created for my 38 Squares stitchery project a couple of years back...the tyre swing hanging from a big old tree :)

Of course, the original stitchery only measured one inch square, so I had lots of room to add cute details to this larger version, like birdie beaks and silver chain and the verse, which is one of my favourites :)

Now that this project has made it out of that dreaded "too hard" basket, I have some catching up to do!

Happy stitching

TTFN xxx

There's something about January....

2012-01-04T12:12:00.000+08:00

...that makes me feel like decluttering....finishing up old projects and starting new ones...making lists...making changes...simplifying.

We arrived home from our summer holiday in beautiful Esperance last night, and I am so excited to start my New Year! A week of long walks on the beach, time spent with my family, afternoon drinks with new friends and lots of chillout time have refreshed my mind and spirit, and I'm ready to launch into another busy year!

The long trip between Perth and Esperance gave me lots of time to reflect on what I'd like to achieve in 2012...in my personal life, travel, crafty projects...and how my one little word for 2012 will help me to reach these goals (more on that later).

There's lots to get excited about this year!

TTFN xxx

P.S. Did you see the bird flying in the photo above? I only noticed it when I uploaded this morning...how cool!

One from the road :)

2011-12-31T14:43:00.002+08:00

Just popping in to wish you all peace, prosperity and lots of good times in 2012!

I'm enjoying an unexpected holiday and will be back to normal blogging very soon.

So all the best for the New Year and I'll be home before you know it!

Until then...

TTFN xxx

December Daily Days 10, 11 and 12

2011-12-20T17:07:00.000+08:00

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

Another 3 days of December completed, and since I only document up to the 24th of December, that makes me about halfway! WOOHOOOOO!

Day 10 was another night of fun and friendship with our "3 of Us" get-together, this month at my house. I can't say I got much sewing done, but Tracey and Linda both completed their Sweetwater Label Crew Christmas banner.

For the record though....

...mine is now finished and adding some festive cheer to my kitchen cabinet :)

Day 11 was the end of a very busy week, and after some morning shopping and a Netball wind-up party, we dragged out a mattress and some pillows, and relaxed with a DVD.

On Day 12 I documented my new sparkly baubles :)

Hope you are having a great day...not many sleeps to go!

TTFN xxx

December Daily Days 7 , 8 and 9

2011-12-19T17:50:00.000+08:00

You could be forgiven for thinking I had abandoned my December Daily album...and I'm almost ashamed to admit that the thought had crossed my mind :) December has been crazy-busy around here (as it probably has been at your house too!)and I really haven't had the time or the energy to keep things as up-to-date as I would like.

However, thankfully, I have been keeping up with my photo taking (well, almost) so I'm hoping to catch up in the next couple of days.

Wish me luck.

Day 7 included a visit to the K-Mart Wishing Tree...

...I kept the brochure to explain what it's all about.

I'm hoping to make placing a gift under the tree an annual tradition, and documenting it can serve as a gentle reminder for next year.

Day 8 is Lydia's Senior Book Award Assembly...the photos I took weren't great, but that's all a part of life, isn't it?

Day 9 was a catch-up day for me (and a day off...YAY!), and a chance to get some presents wrapped and under our Christmas Tree.

Still lots of days to document...better get into it!

TTFN xxx

Thought for the day...Christmas Edition

2011-12-15T18:22:00.004+08:00

This is about where I'm at right now...LOL

I've officially started my Christmas holidays this afternoon, so I'm hoping to "get my Christmas on" in the next couple of days. Christmas wrapping, Christmas posting, Christmas entertaining, Christmas baking, Christmas menu planning....oh, and I probably should think about those Christmas cards...oops!

How are you tracking with your Christmas preparations?

TTFN xxx

Twinkle

2011-12-12T21:36:00.000+08:00

Sometimes it really is the smallest things that bring the most pleasure :)

I love looking at all the Christmas ideas floating around blogland, in magazines and on Pinterest, and this year I had convinced myself that I would decorate our Christmas tree entirely in white. Can you imagine it? Heavenly :)

Trouble is, as soon as the tree decorations came out, I was reminded a) how much I love traditional red and green and b) how many memories are tied up in my childrens hand made artwork that always adorns our tree. I realised that a designer-look tree might be some years away yet :)

I had some leftover gold twinkle baubles from another project, so put them to work on the tiny little tree that sits on the bookcase just outside my bedroom door. I attached them with white satin ribbons, added some white accessories, and VOILA!

For the bargain price of 90 cents,I have a white Christmas tree all of my very own :) ...the whole pack of coloured baubles only cost me $2.80.

Love an extra bit of Christmas twinkle.

TTFN xxx

December Daily Days 5 and 6

2011-12-09T17:25:00.000+08:00

More December days documented :)

I was hoping to catch up with my album today, but got caught up with my gift wrapping instead...just a little more present shopping to do and I can start thinking about the food....which is the fun bit!

Day 6 is a little story about a new advent activity we are doing this year.

I gift wrapped all of our Christmas books (and added a couple to make enough) and put a number on each of them, thinking that we would count down with a book each night...simple, right?

Well, no actually, because I wasn't here on the 1st night (I was at a meeting) and the whole concept of counting down...which you would think my kids would have well-and-truly down pat by now...got kind of mixed up. I didn't cotton on to this until Day 4 , when I went looking for Book 21 and came across Book 24. And Book 1. And a couple of other numbers that didn't make sense LOL. The last few nights we've tried to get a new system going, but I relented and made new numbered stars this morning :)

Never leave the 7 year old in charge of the advents!

Day 7 was a rainy, stormy day and I unexpectedly came home from work early. The photo is the park across the road from our house. The "lake" only appears after long periods of rain, and the ducks from the other lakes in the park all flock to the "new" lake. Watching the rain and the ducks, in an unexpected little pocket of time all to myself, was the highlight of my day :)

That's all for now...

TTFN xxx

December Daily Days 3 and 4

2011-12-07T18:18:00.001+08:00

A couple more pages to show you today... still not quite managing to keep up :) Maybe tomorrow?

Day 3 saw my hubby and I off to his work Christmas party at Ascot Racecourse. I think the highlight of the day was watching him stagger in the door quite a few hours after me...the kids thought it was hilarious that Daddy got a bit tipsy! Tis the season...LOL!

Day 4 was our local Carols by Candlelight...

...have to say it was a little disappointing, so I chose not to journal too much. We are hoping to attend the BIG Carols in Perth City a bit closer to Christmas, so there is more caroling in our future :)

Have a great day, and thanks so much for visiting! If you are doing December Daily this year, please leave a comment so I can take a peek at yours ;)

TTFN xxx

December Daily... Days 1 and 2.

2011-12-06T18:01:00.000+08:00

I thought it was about time I started sharing some of my December Daily pages...not that I'm up-to-date or anything like that LOL...but I have made a start :)

Day 1 was all about the Advent Calendars...as always on December 1. (I ended up changing the design of my filler pages from the one I showed you earlier)

The card in the middle contains lots of journaling about my thoughts on Christmas so far...not really for public viewing, but recorded. It's a bit of a joke, actually, since on December 1st I was feeling anything BUT calm.

I'm hoping to focus on just one story each day, whether it be Christmas related or not, so Day 2 is all about Merryn discovering her first wobbly tooth.

I love recording these little snippets of daily life, which makes me think I'm going to LOVE Project Life :)

That's it so far. I've printed out some more photos for the next few days of pages, and have been writing my journaling each night, so check back again soon!

TTFN xx

EXCITING!

2011-12-05T20:18:00.002+08:00

There are so so many things I should be blogging about today....like Farmers Wife Friday blocks, or advent calendars that we are working through each day (there are a few LOL), or completed blocks from A Family Gathering, or even 4 days worth of December Daily pages...but my exciting news of the day is THIS...

...WOOOHOOOOOOOOO! After months of waiting, and anticipating, and more waiting, my Project Life kit for 2012 arrived on my doorstep this morning! WOOOHOOOOOO!

Please excuse my lack of hair product/makeup/jewellery etc LOL..I was just out of the shower when my doorbell rang, and I HAD to stop everything to open my parcels.

My husband was on hand to take the photo, and casually mentioned that he wished that something he bought me could cause as much excitement!

Excited? Oooooh yes...VERY excited!

Are you doing Project Life next year?

TTFN xxx

December Daily...a start!

2011-11-29T14:10:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning faced with that horrible question...which direction do I run in first? It's almost December, my to-do list is out of control, the diary is filling up fast, and I'm feeling the time slipping away!

I pondered the situation over some chocolate and a cup of tea (as you do), and decided that I had to

a) breathe
b) write a new list and
c) pick one thing off that list and make a start!

I picked the one thing that was bothering me the most (after choosing to ignore the laundry) and that thing was December Daily. I always do December Daily. It wouldn't be December without December Daily. But without a cover, or a theme, or a size, or even a clue how I was going to attack it this year, December Daily was looking a bit grim.

I went to the stash...

...and found some old 8x8 page protectors that needed using up. I based the size of the album on that! I thought I was going to do a classic white album this year...but the red polkadots took over :) They do that a lot.

So with the cover started...it's just paper at the moment, no chipboard yet...I started some interior pages. Just the basics, but a start, nevertheless.

Simple, but workable.

And all of a sudden, the panic is starting to subside.

Thank goodness...it's not even December yet!

TTFN xxx

Bliss...the Photo Shoot!

2011-11-27T17:09:00.000+08:00

A photo shoot can only mean one thing...

...my Bliss quilt is officially finished! WOOOHOOOOOOOO!

I may or may not have gone a little crazy on the photos....

...and my neighbours (and several passers-by) may or may not think I have lost my mind :)

But I really don't care...it's not every day that you finish a quilt :)

And by finish, I mean it even has a quilt label! I cheated a bit, and made it out of some leftover pieces from the quilt...ties it in to the front, don't you think?

This quilt is just for me, despite the many attempts by my girls to claim it as their own. For now, it will sit on my bed...or my lounge chair...or wherever I can look at it the best :)

Sigh...I love my Bliss quilt.

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Friendship Edition

2011-11-25T13:40:00.000+08:00

Hello, Happy Thanksgiving (for those of you who celebrate) and welcome to another edition of Farmers Wife Friday!

I am thrilled to announce that my printer is now fixed (thank you Leisa xxx) and I am back to normal programming...and even on time this week :)

My blocks this week are all about Friendship, which seems sort of appropriate on Thanksgiving, because I am so so thankful for my friends...my in-real-life friends, my childhood friends, my oldest and dearest friends, my blogging friends, my online friends. You enrich my life in so many ways, and I would be lost without you!

So without further ado, we have Block 39, Friendship...

...as you can see, I'm going with the same-print/different colourway thing again this week :)

Block 40 is called Friendship Block...

The two of them together (with a tease of the quilting pattern on my Bliss quilt...it's yummy!)

I have quite a nice little stack of blocks now...I could look at them all day, really :)

But NO...there is binding to be sewn on...dreaded binding...blah! Have I mentioned before how much I dislike sewing binding on? Especially on really hot days. Anyhoo...back to it...

TTFN xxx

Polka-dottie :)

2011-11-24T20:59:00.001+08:00

It could be that my polkadot radar is on very high alert lately...or maybe I've been in the shops a little more than usual (it is nearly Christmas, after all)...but I'm finding it almost impossible to come home from shopping without a new addition to my polkadot collection!

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I spied this classic water jug in Myer recently...

...even better, it's part of a whole collection of polkadot loveliness! There are dinner plates and dessert plates, cups and saucers and teapots, in purple and red and green and yellow...sigh :)

Then there's the oversized teacup and saucer plant pot...

...oh so cute! I found it at my local Thingz store :)

And I can never leave Typo without a bag in my hand :) They have all sorts of polkadots happening, from i-Pad sleeves to mushrooms to giftwrap to paper lanterns. Heaven.

A little something to note: these polkadottie goodies were taken outside for photographic purposes only :) My husband has forbidden me from extending the polkadot theme into his outdoor domain...I wonder why? LOL

TTFN xxx

Simple mathematics :)

2011-11-22T21:18:00.001+08:00

You know what I'm thinking?

Moda + Christmas = FUN!

Go here for details.

There's always something new and exciting to keep our fingers busy, isn't there?

TTFN xxx

Some More of My Favourite Things :)

2011-11-21T20:25:00.002+08:00

There is probably nothing more addictive for me than working on a new project (other than chocolate, of course!)

The colours and patterns are all new, and there is still that little buzz of excitement I get when I pull them out of my work basket :)

Of course, all this "playing with new things" means that my other projects can be a little neglected.

Luckily, our Stitch-a-Long group has a work plan...a plan of attack. This means that, now that my blue jeans and my suitcase blocks are complete, I have to put this little project away until the end of December...

...which can only be a good thing for my to-do list :)

TTFN xxx

A Day in the Hills.

2011-11-20T21:01:00.000+08:00

Lots to love about today :)

I picked up my two quilts...A Gardeners Journal and Bliss...from the quilters, and am thrilled with them! I'll be sure to show you when the binding and quilt labels go on.

The quilter lives quite a long way from my house, so I took the family (plus an extra child) with me, along with a picnic lunch and my camera...

We found some waterfalls, had a little nature walk and paddled our feet in crisp, clear streams.

We climbed trees, in spite of wearing pretty dresses :) ...and were thankful that Daddy was there to help us down!

We found the most awesome fish, and divine roses, and inspiring gardens, thanks to some quick texting to a friend with local knowledge (thanks E!)

We drank iced chocolates, laughed lots, and explored another part of our beautiful city.

Lots to love about a lazy Sunday!

TTFN xxx

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Re-do Edition

2011-11-20T08:59:00.000+08:00

I've been mucking around with my Farmers Wife blocks since...well...Friday :) It's been one of those little exercises in frustration rather than joy this week, where points didn't want to match up and colours didn't look right.

I started off doing Block 27 Darting Birds. The colours looked great, but after putting the 52 pieces together, I realized that some of the points weren't so great. That was Friday, and other more exciting things beckoned (like shopping at IKEA, and having a crafty catchup with Linda and Tracey) so my blocks were abandoned.

Saturday dawned, and I started off with Block 50 Honey's Choice...

I was inspired by Kristyne over at Pretty By Hand with my colour choices...she's been making a couple of blocks with the same pattern in different colourways, and they look awesome! I had to add a piece of Rose Parade in the centre, just to tie in with the rest of my blocks :)

I showed my blocks to the girls on Friday night, and they agreed that my blocks-with-white were MUCH nicer than my blocks-without-white. So rather than persevere with my Darting Birds (which still didn't want to play nice!)I remade Block 29 Economy...

This one is MUCH MUCH nicer than the original...which even Linda suggested that I bin!

I probably should try to make a few catch-up blocks during the week, but time is a bit limited...and the quilter rang last night to tell me that she has finished , not one, but TWO quilts for me! WOOHOOOOOO...I see some binding in my future :)

TTFN xxx

About Christmas cards...

2011-11-15T17:00:00.000+08:00

I've made a little start on my Christmas cards...and I'm feeling pretty happy about that :) I actually considered not making them at all this year, but my sense of tradition took over once more (such a sucker for tradition!)

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I usually make a couple of different types of cards for Christmas...a newsletter card for friends and relatives in far-off places (usually with a photo enclosed) , and a normal card for those that are close by. I started with the newsletter card...

Making the sample is probably the hardest part...so many decisions! After that, it's easy to create a production line, crank up the printer, and whip them out. Sounds easy, huh?

So, what I really want to know is...do you send out Christmas cards? Do you wait until you receive a card from someone before you send them one back? And do you continue to send people cards, even if they never ever send you one? Burning questions, I know...would love to hear your thoughts :)

TTFN xxx

Pretty potholders

2011-11-14T18:37:00.001+08:00

My desk was in need of a tidy...badly in need of a tidy. It was getting to the point where I couldn't find my double-sided tape. Or my scissors. Or my sewing machine :)

So rather than just shift unfinished projects around (as I normally do), I decided this morning to go for a finish...and my eyes landed on a
Label Crew project that has been taking up desk space for months!

I started these potholders a few months back at a "3 Of US" crafty evening, and they have occupied a space on my desk ever since.

That happens quite a lot around here :)

They are designed as a gift set, complete with banner, which is rather cute. I'm thinking they might make a nice Christmas gift for a teacher, wrapped with some other kitchen-type goodies, like tea towels. Or jams. Or utensils.

Or not :)

They do match my teapot quite nicely, don't they? hee hee

TTFN xxx

A lovely distraction :)

2011-11-13T16:46:00.000+08:00

There are so many things I should have been doing today...boring things like mopping floors and doing laundry...but I chose to play with my Some Kind of Wonderful quilt instead :)

I didn't plan for it to take all day, but cutting little 1 1/2 inch squares of each and every fabric took some time (what a shame!)

And there was a little embroidery to finish off too. I decided to go with blanket stitch for this quilt for a couple of reasons...I love the texture, I love matching thread colours, and I can do it neatly (unlike needleturn, which I am not so good at!)

I've thrown some blue fabric in there, because I really want my blue jean block (coming up next) to have blue jeans :)

Just a couple more blocks to go, and I've done the first row...which is due to be finished by the end of December. Love that feeling of being up-to-date...at least with one of my projects, anyway :)

The funny thing about housework...it will still be there tomorrow :)

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday

2011-11-11T22:00:00.000+08:00

Here they are...and on time this week!

First up is Block 48 Homeward Bound...

...I'm still out of sequence due to printer problems, but grateful that I can still make blocks with the templates I have :)

Block 46 is called Hill & Valley...

...a rather strange looking block, don't you think?

You may also notice that I'm back to using white background fabrics again. I've always said the ones with white are my favourites, and I'm now thinking maybe I should use white in all my blocks...LOL...what do you think? Maybe I should lay them all out and have another look? The indecision that I'm experiencing with this quilt is slowly doing my head in!

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for visiting :)

TTFN xxx

Bb is for Baby

2011-11-09T21:20:00.000+08:00

A simple card to show you today...

...a precious little boy is the newest member of the Temple clan, so I decided to stop procrastinating and pull out some paper to make him a card :) I also pulled out dozens of soft toys, searching for the perfect prop for my photo...but it seems that all of the blue teddy bears are long gone, so Little Bear it had to be!

I used random bits and pieces from my stash to create this one...even some papers from my scraps box! The houndstooth checked paper reminded me that I have a Cuttlebug embossing folder in the same design, which I used to add some texture to the background, and I based the colours on the sticker in the centre.

Too easy...but perfect crafting for a Wednesday afternoon :)

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday...The Monday Edition

2011-11-07T19:27:00.000+08:00

I'm a bit all-over-the-place
with my Farmers Wife blocks this week...what, with all the excitement of the Bliss quilt top completion, and the start of my Some Kind of Wonderful quilt, the Farmers Wife blocks just didn't get a look-in :)

But here they are...better late than never, huh?

We have Block 41, Friendship Star...

...made with two prints, because I'm still a bit short on those blocks. Very easy piecing on this one...love that!

Then we have Block 28 Duck and Ducklings...

...which, despite the ridiculous amount of small pieces, came together quite nicely (must be all the piecing practice I had with the Bliss quilt).

My block numbers are all out of whack too. I've been having some issues with my printer here at home and can't seem to print any more templates...so I have to find blocks that use the ones I've already printed :)

Happy Monday

TTFN xxx

The Call of the Colours

2011-11-06T16:00:00.001+08:00

I am weak. I have no will power. No....it's true....don't try to stick up for me :) I swore that I would not start on another quilt until at least one of my other quilts was officially ticked off my to-do list.

These little boxes of mine are very hard to resist though...

Is there anything more fun than picking threads for a new project? Especially when you have yummy new fabrics to match them to.

...and a Stitch-a-long group who have already started, and tease me every day with their fabric selections and completed blocks!

So today, in a moment of weakness, I gave in. I pulled apart that gorgeous bundle of fabric. I pulled threads from those boxes of colourful goodness.

I traced, and I vlisofixed, and I rotary cut, and I created blocks all ready to stitch when next I sit in front of the TV to watch something.

It's naughty.....but it feels oh so good :)

And let's be honest here...(most of) those other quilts are very very close to finishing. Right?

I'm almost convinced :)

TTFN xxx

Bliss.

2011-11-05T18:27:00.000+08:00

I'm so excited today! Look what I put the borders on this morning....

...yes, it's my Bliss quilt! It couldn't not be gorgeous...the fabric is Bliss by Bonnie and Camille, and there is nothing not to love about it. Aqua, red, pink and green. Sigh...it's delicious.

I used a pattern called All in the Family from Camilles' book, Simplify. It seemed appropriate :) The quilt used a jelly roll, and a white-on-white print from my stash....I didn't want to buy anything specifically for this quilt :) (except for the borders, that is)

My goal was to make a quilt without embroidery - a pieced quilt that could be quilted with an all-over pattern. It was fun, and so much quicker than a quilt with hand stitching! I dropped it off to the quilter this afternoon, so it should be home again before we know it!

My unfinished quilt count is dropping quickly...and that is something to get VERY excited about, because it means I can start another one :)

Hope you are having a great weekend...what's going on at your house?

TTFN xxx

Love...in kit form :)

2011-11-03T19:52:00.001+08:00

Sometimes on a weeknight, I really feel like playing with my craft supplies...but don't have the creative energy to actually design something myself :) Do you ever feel that way?

Enter the Tomorrows Memories "A Cardmakers Tea Party" class kit...designed by Tracey, and made by me :)

I absolutely love attending the classes, but find it can be a bit tricky for me to get there. These cards are from a class I missed last month...aren't they lovely?

I played with my Cuttlebug, used some punches, stamped a little...all the while knowing that the finished product was going to be awesome, because Tracey is the most awesome-est cardmaker I know :)

Love a bit of mid-week crafting...don't you?

TTFN xxx

More spooky fun!

2011-11-02T18:43:00.000+08:00

Forget your traditional Christmas gingerbread house...

...and bring on the haunted house!

I found this Hanted House gingerbread kit in my local supermarket while doing my grocery shopping last week...the things you can buy these days! The box promised it contained "everything required" to create our very own spooky house, and quite surprisingly, it did :)

Little white sugar ghosts, pumpkin gumballs, candy corn (I would have bought the kit just for this alone!), and ready-to-pipe icing in bright orange and black...as well as sprinkles and jelly beans, and the gingerbread house parts.

How cool is that? I let go on my perfectionist tendencies, and let the kids go berserk :) which explains why the roof has two different patterns. It was very easy to put together (unlike Christmas gingerbread house kits we've made in the past)...the key is the moulded plastic tray. We piped some icing into the recesses on the base, sat the house panels in, and voila! A spooky Halloween Haunted House! The kids had a ball creating it, and for the bargain price of $12, is definitely a Halloween activity I can recommend :)

And alittle more spookiness...

...I've never seen my girl look scarier!

TTFN xxx

Grandparents

2011-11-01T17:26:00.001+08:00

I'm running a little late in showing you my October block for my "A Family Gathering" quilt, but here it is...

It's called Grandparents, and aren't they just the cutest? As usual, I love all the little details, like Grandpa's reindeer tie...

...and the silver closure on Grandma's purse :)

When Linda, Tracey and I (the Three of Us) started this quilt, it seemed like it would take forever. The months are flying by so fast this year, that we are getting closer and closer...only 3 or 4 more blocks to go!

One thing is for certain, this quilt is certainly going to be bright :)

Hope you are having a great week. A big hello to those of you who have started following my blog recently...it's great to have you here! Please feel free to leave me a comment so I can visit you back :)

TTFN xxx

Seven

2011-10-30T17:00:00.000+08:00

It's almost the end of another month, and once again the "scrapbook layout" total on my to-do list is at...well...zero :)

When the scrapping mojo is low, I usually look to The Color Room for some colour inspiration...and look at the gorgeous colours this week!

They looked a bit tricky, but the photos on top of my photo pile matched exactly...what are the chances?

Merryn's 7th birthday party shots contained ALL the colours! So I kept the layout very simple, because I wanted to put lots of the photos onto it...the way my scrapping has been going lately, this may be the only time they make an appearance!LOL

Some detail shots...

...and a bit of bling. The polkadot paper is, of course, my must-use-on-every-layout paper...Dots and Stripes by Echo Park, and the embellishments are just bits and pieces from my stash.

So now the layout total stands at one. Woohooo???

Hee hee hee

TTFN xxx

BOO to You...times two!

2011-10-29T08:01:00.000+08:00

Halloween is not a really big deal here in my little part of the world. I guess you could say it's an optional celebration...you can dress up and go trick-or-treating if you'd like to, but no-one is going to hold it against you if you don't :)

As a family, we usually play it by ear. If the kids are keen on the day, we have enough props and costumes in our dress-up box to assemble some acceptable attire, and enough goodies in our pantry to cater for the little ghoulies that come knocking on our door :)

This year, though, we have been invited to several Halloween parties between us, which is good enough reason for me to whip out the sewing machine to create my Label Crew project for this month.

Lydia had a party last night, so I made up this bag for her to take. She was very impressed...it took less than an hour to construct, and was just big enough to carry her essentials.

Of course, Merryn then requested that I make her a bag as well...

...not the same, but not so different either. I was a bit limited in my fabric choices...orange doesn't take centre stage in my fabric stash, that's for sure :)

Do you celebrate Halloween at your house?

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday- The I HAVE A PLAN Edition

2011-10-28T17:29:00.000+08:00

When I started making Farmers Wife blocks a few months back, I thought I could just go along happily, throwing fabrics together and hoping for the best. And for a while, that was working for me :)

But then the real me, the organised me, the me that likes to have things just right, sort of took over, and started panicking that maybe this quilt just wasn't going to work...that maybe I needed a plan. So I laid all my blocks out, and did a bit of rearranging here and there, and came up with one :)

What if...I make one pile of blocks that have a predominantly white background, and another pile of blocks that have NO white? Then, when I put the blocks together, I alternate between the piles, creating a pattern? Ooooh yes, I like patterns! I'll probably sash the blocks in a plain white too, because I really really like white.

And with that...I have a plan! And not only a plan, but a shortage of blocks with NO white :( So that's what I made this week :)

Block number 34 Flock...

...and Block number 35, Flower Basket.

I used ricrac as the basket handle again, to try and start tieing in with other blocks I've made already.

Can I also add here....it was really REALLY good to make a couple of blocks with less than 20 pieces. Just sayin'.

We have a long weekend here in Perth due to CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) so I'm already in weekend mode...

TTFN xxx

Thought for the day...

2011-10-24T19:50:00.002+08:00

I'm going to have to call it a good day then...

...if only for these reasons :) I will NOT base my assessment of the day on tears and tantrums, grocery shopping (bleh!), on the jealousy I feel when I think of my husband cuddling my gorgeous nieces and nephews on the other side of the country, or out of control hayfever, or my constantly growing pile of ironing. It shall not be based on to-do lists with NOTHING crossed off them, or the pile of dinner dishes sitting in the sink, or thoughts of work tomorrow.

Nope. These things don't count.

Hope you are able to call yours a good one too...the criteria isn't too hard to fit LOL

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Quick-unpick Edition

2011-10-21T14:39:00.000+08:00

Ohhhh yes...there was an awful lot of reverse sewing involved in bringing you this weeks edition of Farmers Wife Friday! Seams didn't want to match up, I kept sewing the wrong pieces to each other... at one stage I even sewed a whole row on back to front! Duh! One thing though...at least I was alone in the house, so no one had to listen to my...umm...not-so-very-nice words :)

Here they are...

Block number 26 Cut Glass Dish. 51 pieces in a 6 1/2 inch square. No wonder I said the odd bad word or two :)

Block 25 Cups and Saucers. I thought I liked the colours in this one. Now it's all sewn together...not so much.

As I've said before, they can't all
be my favourites. I think I'll go back to sewing my Bliss quilt for now...it's sooooo much easier :)

TTFN xxx

No postpak required :)

2011-10-20T22:14:00.001+08:00

Blessings come in many forms, and I can honestly say that my mother-in-law is one of mine :)

When her birthday rolls around each year, I'm always at a loss at what to send her. There is no point sending her a gift that has no purpose...she is the most practical woman I have ever met. Forget ornamental. Forget decorative. Forget pretty. Ma likes practical...something she can use. Which is all very well until you have to place the item into a Postpak to send from one side of Australia to the other...then things get a bit more difficult :)

This year, to celebrate a milestone birthday, I decided to make her a gift that (hopefully) she will find useful...an embroidered doily.

I chose fabrics to match the birthday bag I made several months ago (remember the Sweetwater Label Crew one?), so that my children could pop some handmade gifts/cards/drawings in there as well :)

I used a pattern by Leanne Beasley called Butterflies and Blossom...I really like the jumbo ricrac edging! A name label leftover from another Label Crew project for the back of the doily finished the back off perfectly.

This little gift won't have to travel by Postpak though...my husband is going to personally deliver it to her when he arrives on her doorstep late tonight after a long long day of travelling :) Happy Birthday Ma!

TTFN xxx

Stitching and Sewing...but no Scrapping :)

2011-10-16T17:50:00.000+08:00

My fingers have been working at a frantic pace over the last few days, in a classic case of me leaving things to the last minute :)

I've known all year (all decade,actually LOL) that my Mother-in-law was having a "special" birthday this year, but in typical fashion, have left it until the week before to prepare her gift...why oh why do I do this to myself?

Just a few more stitches and the embroidery part will be done...then I can start on the construction. Luckily it's just a small part of her pressie :) I'll show you a proper photo after she receives it on Thursday.

My sewing machine has been purring along, doing what it does best...

...how I missed it! Working on this Bliss quilt is a nice diversion from other more pressing things, like ironing (almost up to the roof!), house cleaning and quilting that other quilt (whose name we shall not mention LOL).

Procrastinating is, after all, one of the things I do best :)

What have you been up to this weekend?

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Comeback Edition :)

2011-10-14T21:58:00.000+08:00

I may have missed a week on my Farmers Wife Friday posts...quite accidentally, I assure you :) Life got a tad busy for a while there, and while I usually catch up before another edition is due, this week...well, it just didn't happen!

My favourite sewing machine is back in da house which made stitching my blocks much easier. This one is Evening Star Block 31...

...a nice easy block to ease me back into it :)

Block 32 is called Farmers Daughter...

...and that's the last of the stars for a while. I am yet to stitch Blocks 25-28, so still have a bit of catching up to do.

Have a fantastic weekend!

TTFN xxx

Thought for the day...

2011-10-13T20:05:00.001+08:00

source
via here

Love this...especially since pinterest is the only creative thing going on in my life right now LOL!
The good news? My sewing machine is ready to collect from the repair shop, and I have the next few days off work...bring on the crafting!

TTFN xxx

P.S. A few of you have noticed that I haven't updated my To-Do List in the sidebar for the month of October...is it really October? LOL...I'm onto it!

Milk, cookies and a brand new bike!

2011-10-10T16:36:00.001+08:00

I know it's only October, but thoughts of Christmas are starting to enter my head...which is probably a good thing, since I always seem to be running around like a mad woman, come December :)

One of the recent Label Crew projects was a Christmas themed mug rug, which is perfect for putting out Santa's treats on Christmas Eve.

Mind you, by the time he gets to our house, Santa is usually ready for a beer and some rum balls :)
I used fabrics from Sweetwaters' Countdown to Christmas range for this little project, and am now all inspired to cut into it a bit more!

Some of you may remember from last year that our family collects a "mode of transport" Santa each Christmas...we have Santa in a plane, in a hot air balloon, on a reindeer etc etc...and I was starting to worry that we may have exhausted Santa's transport possibilities :) Imagine our delight when we came across this in the Myer Christmas Shop...

...and before the beginning of December! Very happy with that...one less thing off my last-minute Christmas-frenzied shopping list, and the kids think he is adorable. I almost can't wait to start decorating for Christmas again...hee hee, I did say almost :)

Have you started thinking about Christmas yet? Or are you still in denial that it's less than eleven weeks away? LOL

Have a great day

TTFN xxx

I'm that friend :)

2011-10-08T20:42:00.001+08:00

If ever a stamp set was made for me, it's this one...

...called Eat Chocolate, by Stampin' Up. I really must pull out my stamp collection more often LOL...I have some really nice ones :)

Hope you're having a great weekend. Mine so far has been all about spending time with special friends...how lovely is that?

TTFN xxx

Stamp Collecting

2011-10-06T17:35:00.000+08:00

It's not something I intentionally set out to do...you could say it has happened more by accident :)

There's no denying it though...my collection is definitely growing.

Probably the most embarrassing thing about this stamp collection of mine is that most of my stamps are in pristine condition..ie NEVER BEEN USED. I'm not really that into stamping... I just love buying stamps.

I felt a bit brave over the weekend just passed, and assembled some of my stamps for a little play.

It took me a ridiculous amount of time to make this card...so much so that I decided to make another one in different colours :)

All of a sudden, my card stash has grown by two, and I'm thinking...maybe that wasn't so hard? Maybe I could get some momentum going on this card-making thing?

Or not. LOL

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Double Take...with sewing included!

2011-10-03T17:30:00.000+08:00

Yes...you read it correctly :)

After some major sewing withdrawals, I got serious in my hunt for the missing foot pedal for my "spare" sewing machine...then I had to find the instruction manual...and then buy a 1/4 inch foot to fit this machine. Then, and only then, did I attempt to sew my Farmers Wife blocks :)

It's kind of cute, don't you think? This sewing machine has an embroidery attachment, and I used it lots when my children were small. For a while there, Pooh Bear was on everything they wore :) Then I branched out and bought more computer memory cards for it...hours and hours of embroidery fun was had, but I had never used it to actually construct anything.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and while it will never be my beloved Janome, it got the job done!

First up, the blocks I showed you in pieces a couple of posts ago....all sewn together this time. Block 23, Country Farm...

...and Block 24, Country Path.

I've cheated a bit with last Fridays blocks, and skipped over to Blocks 29 and 30...they had much simpler construction (and far fewer pieces) and Pooh Bear is not quite as co-operative on seam matching as my usual sewing machine.

Block number 29, Economy, turned out very very busy...

...not sure I like it, but I'll see how it looks when I lay out the blocks next time :)

And Block 30, End of Day...

...which I love. So glad I added some extra polkadots into the mix :)
That's Farmers Wife up-to-date for now...phew!

Have an awesome day...and thanks for visiting.

TTFN xxx

Thought for the day...

2011-09-29T21:43:00.001+08:00

...and boy, do I know some good places to shop :)

TTFN xx

P.S. Why is it that the urge to sew is greatest when your sewing machine is in the repair shop? A very strange phenomenon... :)

P.P.S. Looking like it might be another no-sew Farmers Wife Friday tomorrow...unless I can find the foot pedal for my "other" sewing machine LOL. Wish me luck!

P.P.P.S. Image from here via here

Farmers Wife Friday - The No Sew Edition :)

2011-09-27T17:44:00.000+08:00

So you could probably be forgiven for thinking that I have totally lost the plot LOL...but here's the thing.

I don't like being behind...thus the Farmers Wife Friday post on a Tuesday :) The rate that the days are going by lately, Friday will be here again before I know it, and I'd have a double lot of blocks to prepare...and that would not be good :)

And my sewing machine is broken...thus the no-sew blocks :) The shock of being almost finished on my Little Bluebirds quilt (yep, really!) was enough to send my poor Janome into meltdown, and it is now at the repair shop for at least for the next 2 weeks (the repair guy has gone to Switzerland to a training course...just my luck!)

So here are my Farmers Wife blocks for last Friday, minus the sewing :)

This one is called Country Farm, and is block number 23. I thought I'd get a bit adventurous and throw some different coloured polkadots into the mix...hello orange and green!

Block 24 is Country Path...

...and looks like it's going to be lots of fun to construct (said with some degree of sarcasm!)

My sweet daughter has kindly offered to loan me her sewing machine, and I do have another machine of my own that I could pull out of mothballs, so we'll see how I go...watch this space for the next Farmers Wife Friday instalment! It may even happen on Friday this week :)

TTFN xxx

A new kind of Saturday

2011-09-24T13:55:00.003+08:00

Six years ago, I made a phone call that would change my (and my family's) life.

We had just moved from a small country town to a capital city, and a whole new world of possibilities were opened up to us. My just-turned-eight year old, who had spent his entire life scaring the neighbours with his antics on his swing set, and tumbling and cartwheeling and jumping on his trampoline, dreamed of doing gymnastics. Almost as soon as the plane landed in Perth, I made the call and enrolled him in a boys gymnastics class.

He was a natural. Before long, he was training for several sessions each week, and loving every minute of it. By the end of that first year, he competed at his first Western Australia State Championships...and won the gold medal.

And many more followed. By the time he was ten, he decided to change to trampolining, and again, many more medals followed. State Championships, National Titles...he competed in them all with lots of success, and with the kind of determination and good sportsmanship that would make any parent proud.

Each and every week, in every season, in school holidays, even over Christmas, he trained and trained and trained some more. Sometimes i wondered how he kept motivated. Sometimes I wondered how I kept sane LOL.

This week, he decided not to train any more...to move on from his trampolining and pursue some other interests. I refuse to let him say that he "quit", because after all the years of commitment and hard work, he is anything but a quitter :)

Today...for the first time in as long as I can remember...my entire family slept in on a Saturday morning. We got up late, did some housework, the kids did all their homework for the weekend. And now, at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon, the entire weekend is open before us :) No training. No competitions. No commitments.

I could definitely get used to this :)

TTFN xxx

Just so you know...

2011-09-22T18:42:00.001+08:00

LOL!

Seriously though...just so you know...I am really really busy with work this week, and won't be doing my usual Farmers Wife Friday post. Hoping for a quiet weekend to have a play with fabric again :)

See you soon

TTFN xxx

P.S image from here via here

The pins are in...

2011-09-18T14:05:00.000+08:00

...and I am procrastinating...again!

If procrastinating were an Olympic sport, I would be a Gold medallist for sure :)

I'd like to say that now the pins are in that this Little Bluebirds quilt of mine will be finished soon....but we all know that probably will not be the case LOL. After all, my very-first-ever quilt still had pins holding the binding on for many many years after I started it. It was on our bed for many many years with the pins still in...and probably still would be to this day, except it was ruined in a flood of water from a broken pipe that swept through our house one night :) And we ALL know how long the pins were in my Farmers Daughter quilt that I finally finished a few short weeks ago.

More than once I've considered handing it over to the professional quilter, but I'm still waiting on my Gardeners Journal quilt to come home from her house...and it's been there since before Christmas! This one would be a "custom job" too...which would mean lots and lots of money for a relatively simple quilting job.

So...now it's up to me.

The pins are in...

...let the quilting begin!

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Storm In A Teacup Edition

2011-09-16T11:55:00.000+08:00

I don't mind admitting it...this weeks blocks for my Farmers Wife Friday sewing had me a little bit freaked out.

Sooooo many little pieces in Block number 22 ...44 in total...and every single one of them a triangle.

I started with Block number 21 Contrary Wife to get the piecing mojo happening...

...and it came together quite quickly and easily :) Seams matching. Pleasing colour combination. Cute :)

Enter Block 22...Corn & Beans. My youngest will tell you that anything involving corn and beans would have to be bad :)

Truthfully? It wasn't so bad. I didn't have to pull out the seam ripper (well, maybe just the once!) and I'm quite happy with the way the points matched up.

Maybe it was just a storm in a teacup, after all :)

Have a wonderful weekend

TTFN xxx

The inevitable spots.

2011-09-14T07:23:00.000+08:00

The colour palette may be a little more subdued than my usual choices on my latest layout, but try as I might, I can't seem to avoid using spots :)

This layout started as an entry in the cybercrop at Scrapsidaisy a couple of weeks ago, but went astray from the criteria...so it ended up being just for fun :)

I've used some older bits and pieces on this one...some ledger paper from Basic Grey, Prima Jack & Jill along with some Say It In Studs bling and AC Thickers.

Thanks so much for visiting...

TTFN xxx

Tales of Red and Aqua :)

2011-09-12T13:58:00.000+08:00

I have a thing for red and aqua...perhaps I've told you about it before? :)
Red and aqua make my heart sing in a way that no other colours do...especially when that red has polkadots!

Now, today started out like any ordinary Monday, but went downhill fairly quickly from there. Nothing, but nothing, was going as I had planned, and the day was looking pretty much like a write-off. I had a very bad case of the blahs. My husband walked in the front door, asking if I was expecting a parcel? A parcel! The blahs started rising instantly...

...not only was it a parcel of red-and-aqua loveliness, but it was a parcel that I had all but written off as lost/missing in the postal system...hooray!

You want a closer look? You know you do.....

Even better again... I purchased this red-and-aqua loveliness with a voucher that two of my dearest friends gave me for my birthday, so it will always be lovely, even if I ever get over my red-and-aqua phase (heaven forbid!)

With the blahs lifting, and my ironing basket empty, I decided a little scrapping was in order...

...this line of paper from Kaisercraft called Miss Nelly is so very very me, so I scrapped my thoughts on turning 40 :)

I kid you not, this page came together in record time! I find these colours so easy to work with...but this is my last sheet of red Dots and Stripes...a re-order may have to be organised! The diecut paper was so perfect that I added very little to it.

The IKEA catalogue was also in my letterbox today,so I sat down with my lunch for a squizz, and LOOK LOOK LOOK!!!

A bargain priced, perfect sized, red polkadot lounge! I've had quotes to cover my old lounge in red polkadots, but the cost was WAY out of my price range. Can you imagine how excited I am to find an IKEA one? YIIIPPPEEEEE!!!

The blahs have now been well and truly banished, and I am about to put the quilting pins into another red-and-aqua project that I've been working on for several...um...years. Can you guess what?

Hope your day is filled with colours that make you happy!

TTFN xxx

Need a mojo kickstart?

2011-09-11T14:27:00.004+08:00

Then perhaps a beautiful kit from Tomorrows Memories could be the answer :)

Designed by the talented Mel Connell, this kit contains a whole range of co-ordinated products to get your mojo started, and best of all, the girls at Tomorrows Memories can ship practically anywhere!

Pop over here for details.

TTFN xxx

Saturday Catch-Up

2011-09-10T18:11:00.000+08:00

A little bit of stitching has been going on around here...it really saves my sanity some days, to be able to sit quietly for a minute or two and pass some thread through some fabric...sounds crazy, huh?

Anyhoo...my September block for A Family Gathering is called Dad's Shed for obvious reasons :)

Cute little silver tools bring a smile to my face, even if nothing else in the shed does LOL...I'm not really into tools so much :)

My girls both had friends over after netball today, so while they played with my scrap paper and die-cutting machines, I put my Farmers Wife blocks together...giggling girls are such fun to listen to :)

Block number 19 is called Checkerboard...

and block number 20 is an old favourite, Churn Dash...

A bit of a stripey theme going on today :) It's not every block that I can use the stripes, so I try to incorporate them when I can. I can't quite believe I've done 20 blocks on this project already...the weeks are flying!

Have a great weekend

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday...The Choices Edition

2011-09-09T19:45:00.001+08:00

So...today it was a choice... Farmers Wife Friday (not really work LOL...but anyway....) vs kids school sports carnival.

The winner (and rightly so) was the sports carnival! Hopefully the weekend will see me catching up on a couple of blocks ;)

Until then...

TTFN xxx

Circa 1971

2011-09-06T16:26:00.001+08:00

Have you all recovered from the surprise yesterday? I hope so, because wait...there's more!

Challenge number 2 from the Cybercrop over at Scrapsidaisy on the weekend was to create a layout about a father figure (which tied in nicely to Fathers Day on Sunday). While I was switching things around in my house the other day, I came across this photo tucked away behind something else in a photo frame.

It used to hang in our house many years ago...it's my husband with his Dad. A perfect photo for the challenge, don't you think?

I used a single piece of Echo Park paper called Fancy Floral from the "For the Record" collection pack, and kept the embellishments fairly simple. The real challenge came when I attempted the second part of the challenge...to create a card with the leftovers!

Since I only had one sheet of the paper (which I used), I had to resort to what was left in the paper pack "For the Record". I mimicked the look of the diecut label in the layout by adding a sticker...but had to use different colours as I had none of the originals left :)

I still have a couple of the challenges to go...but work is not leaving me with much time to complete them. Might have to pull another late night tonight :)

TTFN xxx

P.S Thank you so much to those of you who have left me such lovely comments lately...I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, and love finding new blogs to visit xxx

I hope you're sitting down...

2011-09-05T09:27:00.000+08:00

....because on the weekend, I actually did some scrapbooking! Remember when I used to scrapbook every day? Wow...that seems like a long time ago now :)

The lovely girls over at Scrapsidaisy held a Cyber Crop over the weekend, and I decided to play along, just to see if a challenge or two could get some scrapping mojo happening!

I started with Challenge number 2, which was to use a song title.

To be honest, I really really wanted to scrap one of my photos from our Sharon Manning photoshoot, so
choosing the title was easy :) Here's a detail shot...

The sticker is Miss Nelly by Kaisercraft...and I bought the whole sheet just to get it! I've highlighted some of the details with Smooch accent ink, Tim Holtz Distress Stickles and some Kaiser pearls. The paper is my favourite Echo Park Dots and Stripes...just the one sheet, cut through and flipped so I could use both sides.

Challenge number 5 involved pre-choosing a letter and a number, with each being a code for what you had to use on your layout. My challenge was to use 3 photos and brads.

More polkadots from Echo Park Dots and Stripes...love love love them! Can you tell? The tree border strip is from Echo Parks' Country Drive, along with some American Craft Thickers for the title.

It's not too late to play along...the challenges are open until Wednesday night, and there are prizes up for grabs ;) I still have a couple of layouts I'm working on...the ironing will have to wait!

TTFN xxx

Down to five...

2011-09-04T13:33:00.001+08:00

...and what an awesome feeling that is!

So, without further ado...here it is...

You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to finish this Tis the Season quilt. It's shameful, really. I have major issues with completion, that's for sure.

You'd think that when I'd finished quilting, those last few steps of putting on the binding and hand-stitching it in place, putting on the quilt label (which was already made, in this case!) and sewing in the threads would happen fairly quickly...but no :(

I put it off, and put it off, and then put it off some more. Finally, after giving myself a firm talking-to late last night, I stitched until my eyes were giving out, and put the final stitches in.

What a relief.

Thank you to every single one of you who have left me lovely and encouraging comments while I've been working on this quilt, especially those who have been stitching along with me in the Stitch-a-long group
...I really appreciate your support!

I wonder how long my unfinished quilt list number will stay at 5?

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday - The Book Week Edition

2011-09-02T12:15:00.001+08:00

I always approach the kids' annual Book Week parade with a range of emotions :)

On the one hand, they love to dress up, and it can be fun to pull a costume together (when it all goes to plan, that is!) On the other hand, it can be a bit stressful when one of the kids can't decide who they want to dress up as, and the parade gets closer and closer, and a decision doesn't.

Merryn's was a bit of a no-brainer...

...thanks to this gorgeous ladybird outfit that she received for her birthday this year (thanks Aunty Leisa!). I knew that Eric Carle had written a book about a ladybird, so a visit to the library was in order to check it out. I thought it was "The Very Lazy Ladybird", but bad-tempered was also a pretty good fit...LOL

Lydia's costume...not so easy. Every suggestion she came up with was an animal...and fur can be a bit tricky to acheive, especially with a limited time frame! So we visited some op shops, and came home inspired!

Little Red Riding Hood's granny! I whipped up the night cap at 7am this morning, and managed to break my 1/4 inch foot in the process...which will teach me for being too lazy to swap it :)

So a visit to my local sewing shop, and I was ready for Farmers Wife Friday!

I laid out all my blocks to get a feel for what colours I might use...

...and decided on an aqua infusion :) Block number 18 is called Century of Progress, and came together quite nicely. I love how, if you look closely, you can see a square in the centre.

Block number 17 is Cats and Mice, and left me feeling a little...overwhelmed?

There are 29 seperate pieces in this block! I was thinking that was quite a lot, until I flicked over the book pages a little...Block 22 has 51 pieces...EEEEEEEKKKK!

Now I'm feeling just a little scared :)

Happy Friday to you!

TTFN xxx

Thought for the day...

2011-08-31T21:17:00.000+08:00

via pinterest

Too many days of mediocre...time to be amazing!

It's the first day of Spring here tomorrow, which is always a good time for making changes...Spring cleaning...taking time to enjoy the sunshine!

Bring it on :)

TTFN xxx

Sumo wrestling and lawn bowling :)

2011-08-29T18:43:00.001+08:00

You know you've had a busy weekend when all you want to do on Monday is sit about on the lounge and recover :) We seem to have had a run on birthday parties lately, and our weekend was filled with lots of fun celebrations!

Saturday night saw the family facing off in a sumo wrestling match...

...how funny are these sumo suits? Watching my husband jump around doing somersaults had us all in fits of laughter, and I think Riley may have been the overall winner, judging by this photo, anyway :) Thanks Jo, for such a wonderful idea to celebrate your 40th! We had a ball!

Sunday saw us up bright and early to drop Lydia to an ice-skating birthday party, and then we all ventured onto the next one...

...a leisurely afternoon of lawn bowling to celebrate Andy's 40th :) It was a perfect afternoon for it...

...the kids had a wonderful time, catching up with friends, sipping on "fire-engines" and eating icy poles, while the adults BBQ-ed and drank champagne...such a hard life!

I wonder if all that exercise made up for the slices of birthday cake we ate? Hmmmm...probably not.

Have a great Monday

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday -The Spring Edition

2011-08-26T11:59:00.000+08:00

Today definitely has the feel of Spring about it...the sun is shining, the birds are singing, my husband is out mowing the lawn, and my nose has an itch that just won't go away! Yep, Spring is definitely in the air.

A couple more Farmers Wife blocks to show you today. First up is number 15 Buzzards Roost...

...a rather strange name for a block, but it came up rather fresh and pretty, don't you think?

Number 16 is called Calico Puzzle, and I'd ask that you not look too closely at where the points meet on this one :)

I unpicked, and then unpicked some more, and got to the point where it sorta wasn't fun anymore...so I stopped and called it good. The stripes were a bit of a risky choice, but I think they look ok? Ah well, the blocks can't all be my favourites, can they!

Have an awesome weekend...ours is filled with sport and birthday parties, so I might not be around too much. I'll be out enjoying the early Spring sunshine (with my antihistamines close at hand).

TTFN xxx

Fourteen

2011-08-25T18:16:00.000+08:00

The day that he has been waiting for has finally arrived, complete with the gift that he has been wishing and hoping and praying for...

I couldn't be more proud of my boy...although I'm sure he didn't feel quite the same way when I was stalking him with my camera at the bus stop this morning in my dressing gown and slippers LOL. Soooo worth it for this shot, though!

Happy birthday my precious boy xxx

TTFN xxx

One chubby little polkadot house :)

2011-08-22T12:12:00.002+08:00

I'm playing catch-up with Sweetwater Label Crew projects at the moment...they seem to pile up pretty quickly just lately (which is probably because the months are flying by so very fast!)

I remember my friend Tracey squealing with delight when this pattern was released...which is sort of funny when you consider that is exactly how I felt when trying to follow the pattern...

...except mine was more like a scream of anguish! For something so cute and chubby, the pattern was difficult to work out...ridiculously difficult, actually :)

Perhaps I just wasn't in the zone? Anyhoo, we will forgive this little house for causing so much grief...but only because it has such cute red polkadots :)

How cute does it look in it's new home on my desk?

Speaking of new homes, my Tis the Season quilt is trying very hard to make it into the "finished quilt basket"...

...I got busy and pinned, ordered some more fabric online for the binding (I always seem to forget to order enough to bind!) and started the quilting, only to run out of thread! Off to the quilt shop for some more...before my motivation deserts me LOL

TTFN xxx

Mum's Kitchen

2011-08-21T15:27:00.000+08:00

Just a quick catchup on my A Family Gathering quilt progress today...

This block is called Mum's Kitchen, and on the official "3 Of Us Stitching Schedule" is meant to be stitched in September LOL. However, the block for this month needs some alterations...Linda, Tracey and I all agree that it doesn't really match with the overall feel of the quilt, but I still haven't decided what I'm going to put there instead. Sounds like one for the too-hard basket for now!

Thanks so much for visiting, and have a fantastic Sunday afternoon :)

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday- The Late Edition

2011-08-20T16:56:00.002+08:00

Some days are just destined to be late days. You're late getting out of bed....late getting to where you need to be....late picking up kids....late late late.

You can stress about it...OR you can shrug your shoulders, plant that smile on your face, make your apologies, and just accept that today is going to be a late day :) like I'm doing today.

Sort of fitting, then, on this very late day that I'm having, that my Farmers Wife blocks for this week are also a bit late :) I spent my day yesterday having a very relaxing day making cards at A Cardmakers Tea Party at Tomorrows Memories with Tracey. If you'd like a peek at what we made, pop over to her blog :)

So, getting back to Farmers Wife, we have Block 14 Butterfly at the Crossroads...

....I'm finding that the blocks with one Rose Parade fabric and solid white are my favourites :)

And Block 13 Buckwheat...

... how appropriate that this one was number 13, as it almost did my head in! Just couldn't seem to get the pattern sorted in my mind? I'm really glad I'm not making an entire quilt based on this block, that's for sure :)

Hope you're having a great weekend so far. I'm very relieved to be home, and not expected to be anywhere for the rest of the day...no more lateness for me!

TTFN xxx

Wishful thinking :)

2011-08-18T22:03:00.000+08:00

See this quilt label? Notice the completion date? Now that's what you call wishful thinking :)

The blocks on my Tis the Season quilt are all done...YAY! I've stitched the quilt label, which is sort of unheard of for me...to be so organised, and ahead of schedule, even!

The borders are on...

...and I'm all set to pin and quilt. Now...to find the motivation to do that :)

Wooohoooooo...I can feel a finish coming on!

TTFN xxx

Just because...

2011-08-15T16:59:00.001+08:00

There's an old saying that goes something like when you're on a good thing, stick with it. I have to ask myself sometimes when this little polkadot obsession of mine is going to end, but as the saying goes, I'll just stick with it for now :) After all, it has made me pull out my scrapping stuff again, so it's all good, right? LOL

A funny thing I've noticed...when I'm not scrapbooking, I don't take the time to think about the little things that make up my life, the little things that make me happy....things like fresh roses on my kitchen table. Each week I buy some just for me, just because they make me happy. My favourites are white, followed closely by yellow.

This week I bought red, just because they were so stunning. My cheeky husband was away at the time, and asked me if I had attacked them with white correction fluid, to make them polkadotty LOL...he knows me so well :)

I've mixed up the patterned paper a bit here...some Echo Park, October Afternoon and a little Prima. I inked the doily with my Sepia inkpad, before attaching the alphas and adding some Kindyglitz sparkle to match the Prima chipboard.

It's so windy and rainy here in Perth today...I'm off to snuggle under a blanket and do a bit of stitching :)

TTFN xxx

Bumps in the Road

2011-08-13T13:55:00.001+08:00

Had I known that all it would take was some polkadot paper to get my paper mojo flowing, I would have bought some ages ago :) Of course, it didn't hurt that I have a big stack of beautiful photos all calling out to be scrapped (thank you Sharon )and a favourite colour palette from The Color Room to play along with, either :)

So...here it is...a scrapbook page!

I wrote the journaling a couple of months back, so it was easy to bring a few simple elements together and get it down on a page. If you click on the photo, you should be able to read the words ;)

Simple, with the focus on the words and the photos. Yep...that's the way I do it!

And can I just say...it felt good to be doing it again LOL

I've used bits and pieces mainly from Echo Park...Dots and Stripes, and Little Boy Collections, with some ribbon, brads and Basic Grey alphas as well.

Thanks for looking, and Happy Saturday!

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday- The Tangled Edition

2011-08-12T13:32:00.000+08:00

I have one of my little chickies off school today...poor little girl woke up crying and complaining of headaches, so we thought it best that she spend the day resting on the lounge. It wasn't long before she requested a movie...

(photo source)
...have you seen Tangled? It is her absolute favourite right now, watched over and over again. I have to admit, I've watched it more than once myself :) We love the story, the animation is wonderful, and there are a couple of very clever one-liners that make me laugh every single time :) A fantastic family movie.

While she was watching, I snuck out my Farmers Wife fabrics and made a couple of little blocks...I don't think she even noticed!

The theme this week seemed to be "broken". First up is Broken Dishes...

...otherwise known as Block 11, and Broken Sugar Bowl, which is Block number 12.

My pile is growing bigger...

...AND I have less than 100 blocks to go :) LOL

Have a wonderful weekend!

TTFN xxx

A new career?

2011-08-10T16:47:00.001+08:00

(image source)via pinterest

Does this mean that I should be a professional chocolate taster? Hmmmm....I could do that!LOL

TTFN xxx

Seeing spots!

2011-08-09T20:06:00.001+08:00

It's been a long time since I felt the urge to scrapbook.

If you had told me this time last year that I would go for months and months without creating a page, I would have shaken my head in disbelief.

Just lately, though, I have felt some stories spinning around in my head that I would love to document, and on the weekend I even pulled out some papers...just to get the feel of it again (slowly slowly LOL).

Something was missing, though...

...my paper stash has a disturbing absence of polkadots! And these days, I can't seem to make anything without polkadots! You can imagine my joy when an online search revealed whole collections of them...WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
And now that my postie has made his delivery, I really have no excuses left...do I?

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday-The Sunday Edition ;)

2011-08-07T13:53:00.000+08:00
So they're a little bit addictive, these 6 inch squares of fabric :) I'd heard that around blogland, and knew if I wasn't careful I'd get sucked in too....I'm fairly easily sucked in as a general rule LOL

After an extended morning of running around doing the usual Saturday stuff...trampoline training, haircuts, fruit market shopping, netball, birthday parties...I felt like I needed a little "me time". And playing around with little pieces of fabric is a great way to spend the time, don't you think?

This is what I ended up with...

...possibly my favourite block so far? It's called Box, and I love love love that yellow floral fabric :)

Number 10 is called Bowtie, for obvious reasons...
...any block that has that red polkadot fabric always makes me smile.

There you go...addiction confirmed :)

TTFN xxx

He caught me...

2011-08-06T16:44:00.001+08:00
...as he does every year :)

I've been celebrating my husbands birthday with him for 19 years now, but somehow the "older woman" jokes just never get stale...according to him, anyway :)So it's always a good thing when August rolls around, and he catches up to me in age.

Such a momentous event as turning 40 deserved a hand-made card...

...if only due to guilt, because both of my girls made him a card, and were wondering why I hadn't done the same. Someone should really explain to these kids about missing mojo LOL

So Happy 40th Birthday to you, my honey...can't wait to celebrate with you when you fly home to me!

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday-The Happy Days Edition

2011-08-05T12:00:00.004+08:00
Did you ever watch Happy Days as a kid? It was one of my favourite shows...each weekday afternoon at 5:00pm I'd snuggle into a lounge chair, ready for my dose of 1950's idealised family life...so far removed from my actual life :)
photo source
I always pictured myself as Joanie...the little sister who was never grown up enough to do anything that Richie and his friends got up to...and if you ask my own sister, I was probably just as annoying LOL

So...why all the Happy Days memories, you may ask? Well, when I hit "play" on my CD player this morning in preparation for my morning Farmers Wife stitching, the CD started skipping...then the second disc started skipping, and then the third. In desperation, I hit the play button on the cassette deck, and what should start playing? The Everly Brothers. Nothing says "Happy Days" like the Everly Brothers...do you remember them? Bye Bye Love. Love Is Strange. Walk Right Back. Crying In The Rain. Classics, every single one of them :)

So it was with this soundtrack that I constructed my Farmers Wife blocks this week...

Birds In The Air...hmmm...lots of itty bitty pieces in this one. Just as well I was chilled out and happily immersed in my thoughts of Potsie, Ralph Malph and the Fonz!

Bouquet...totally the wrong colours in this photo, and all the tweaking in Photoshop just wouldn't make it better :) Try to imagine the stripes in bright pink, and the aqua as a nice fresh shade...as opposed to the muted colours you see on your screen :)

Now, what I really want to know now is...what song screams Happy Days
to you? Or better yet...what's your favourite Everly Brothers song?
Humour me :)

TTFN xxx

Hot off the ironing board!

2011-08-03T17:16:00.001+08:00
Thought I'd better get busy this afternoon and finish off last months A Family Gathering blocks...these are hot off the ironing board!

But first, a progress shot....

...this little quilt of mine is certainly growing in size, and I have to admit, growing on me a little bit more too :)

This block is called Pool Party, and what's not to love about a pool party? Especially when you have red polkadot bikinis :)

This one's called Fishing...quite a sensible name for such a block, don't you think?

Loving the metallic silver fishing reel, and his oh-so-cute reindeer t-shirt.

Now I'd better get myself in the correct month, and start stitching before it disappears on me again!

TTFN xxx

Seven candles too!

2011-07-31T15:53:00.001+08:00
It's one of those happy coincidences in life :)

Each year, the Donna Hay Kids Edition is released just before Merryn's birthday, giving me just the right amount of inspiration to get off my butt and start party planning. It usually has a party cake that grabs Merryn's attention too...and this year was no exception!

Have you had a peek inside this years edition yet? You'll immediately see where the inspiration behind this cake came from, although I went with mauve and pink to match the cute polkadot candles that I found.

Such inspiring themes for parties, great ideas for cakes and party food...or even just some great new recipes to try.

This year, Merryn chose to have her party at a venue, with all the food provided. I felt a bit cheated...making party food is one of life's pleasures for me, especially for little girl parties...but she had a ball playing with her friends. One thing for sure though...I'm not missing the cleaning up part!

Off to have a cuppa and enjoy a slice of the leftover cake...the recipe called for a whole kilo of dark chocolate, so perhaps I should be heading for a power-walk after that :)

TTFN xxx

Some Kind of Wonderful

2011-07-30T17:57:00.000+08:00
With the completion date looming for our Tis The Season Stitch-a-long project, the ever encouraging Chookyblue
got busy and organised a new project for us...isn't she wonderful?

I was most excited when my book arrived on Friday, and even more excited that my yummy Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree is going to be the perfect range to make it!

I ordered my copy through Hatched and Patched in Bathurst, and requested (ever so politely) that the author and shop owner, Anni Downs, sign it for me :)

I am a long-time fan of Anni's work, and have stitched several of her quilts and many of her projects over the years...so excited to have my very own signed copy of this beautiful book!

The Stitch-a-long group will be making the "My Favourite Things" quilt, which has all sorts of cute blocks...shoes, rainbows, umbrellas, ice-creams, teacups...it is soooooo adorable!

The book has lots of other projects too...which might be just the thing to keep me occupied until Chooky gives the go-ahead for us to start on the quilt!

Love a new project to dream about :)

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife Friday

2011-07-29T13:44:00.000+08:00
It's a fact. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that you want (or need) to get done :)

It's also a fact that you have to make time to do the stuff that you love...even if it means NOT doing stuff that really should be done, like laundry :)

And that is what Farmers Wife Friday is all about...taking a little bit of time each week to play with yummy fabric and cute little blocks. Am I making a queen size quilt like the one in the book...who knows? Will I have enough fabric in my jelly roll to make all the blocks...who cares? Will all the colours eventually gel together? No idea :)

Because you know what? It's really not about the finished quilt at all, for me. It's all about piecing a couple of little 6 inch blocks every now and then. Just for fun. And my colour choices are made, just because I like the look of them together...not based on some grand plan for my finished quilt.
This weeks blocks are called Bat Wing and Big Dipper, and are numbers 5 and 6 in the Farmers Wife Sampler Quilt book. Cute, huh?

TTFN xxx