Hoo are you lookin' at?

Blogtoberfest day 12

2011-10-12T11:32:00.000+11:00

I've been thinking about different ways I can expand my little handmade business over the past few months, more so since I got sick a few months back. I had all intentions of doing every market I could possibly do leading up to christmas and beyond to try and build things up a little, that just isn't possible with all the physical lifting I needed to do with huge containers of stock and the setting up of tents.

I'm totally in love with the way things work for me at Shop Handmade in Canberra, and what could be better than another shop which works in the same sort of way.......only in Mosman Sydney.

So from today onwards (providing my stock arrived on time) all the lovely people in Mosman will be able to find some Red Stitch Designs goodies on the shelf at in.cube8r.

Now I have two amazing stores to keep stocked, if this doesn't keep me busy nothing will!

Blogtoberfest day11

2011-10-11T18:55:00.001+11:00

Today was clean up day in my work space. It was a disastrous, when I needed to find something I'd have to rummage through bags and containers, It drove me crazy! I wouldn't say that it looks like an amazingly organised sewing space ( one can only dream ) but atleast the desk is clear and I can find things.

I received this cute little fella in the post today! It came from my sister who saw it in a cute shop and thought I'd like it........she was right!

Can you believe christmas is only 10 and a half weeks away!

Thanks for stopping by

Blogtoberfest day 10

2011-10-10T17:05:00.000+11:00

Today was all about the kids going back to school and Toy Soldiers.

It was a race to get these and another few big boxes of goodies completed in time for the post this afternoon. These Toy Soldiers are marching all the way to Shop Handmade.

I am literally exhausted after completing a huge amount of work over the past three days, now I need to have a coffee, browse a few blogs and think about cleaning the huge mess I've somehow created....... I wish I had a cleaning fairy!

Blogtoberfest day 9

2011-10-09T08:57:00.000+11:00

Yep I totally missed a few days of blogtoberfest, but I kid you not I have been sewing like a mad woman for the past few days.........the crazy christmas rush is starting a little early.

I sent a huge box of goodies including these advent calendars off to Shop Handmade on Friday, hopefully they'll arrive safely tomorrow or Tuesday.

I made this one for the boys!

This one for the girls!

And this one is a bit neutral!

The lining on this one looks amazing, the skinny arm belongs to Megan not me!

I'm going to try to get a few more made over the next month, not sure if I'll do the same colours or not. What do you think, should I do a different colour theme?

Even though I have a few things I need to finish off today, I need to devote a few hours to preparations for school tomorrow. I need to do some baking and ironing of uniforms!

Thanks for visiting.

Blogtoberfest day 5

2011-10-05T09:31:00.000+11:00

I'm the type of person who can't sit and do nothing, my hands always need to be busy! So when I'm having a bit of down time watching some TV with the kids this is what happens to my coffee table.....

These little owl friends are waiting for their feet and wings, and I don't know why it is but I always make them in pairs. Probably so they don't get lonely!
Here are some delicious Spinach and Feta Triangles that my son made for us. Super easy and perfect for the kids to make. Only difference between our and the recipe and this one is we added some bacon.........even yummier!

Spinach and Feta Triangles

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

315g frozen spinach - thawed, drained, chopped and squeezed dry

1 teaspoon salt

100g feta cheese, crumbled

125g cottage cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 packet puff pastry

50g unsalted butter, melted

How to

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and slowly cook and stir 5 minutes until tender. Add Spinach and salt and making sure all liquid has evaporated from spinach, stir in feta, cottage cheese and egg. Cook and stir until thickened, 5 - 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 C

Unwrap pastry and lay out on flat surface. Cut each piece into 4, then brush the edges with melted butter. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture on each square. Fold one end of the square over so it forms a triangle, press the edges together. Brush with melted butter then bake for approx 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and crunchy.

Happy Blogtoberfest!

Blogtoberfest day 4

2011-10-04T09:03:00.000+11:00

Well it appears that I've been on another planet ( like some other people I know ) for the past few days because I missed the beginning of Blogtoberfest! Arrrrrrgh! How ever I did a post yesterday which was overloaded with pretty pictures so that might make up for it :)

So here we go.....day 4 and I'm sharing a few pics of some little birds I made last week.

I know I wasn't going to do any markets this year just a bit of online stuff and Shop Handmade, but a gorgeous friend of mine is having an open garden on her property and she wanted to have a few stalls as well. I thought about it for a week or two, had a look at my stock levels which had suffered severely in the past few months due to my time off, then decided that my stall might not be as fully stocked as I'd usually like but it's going to be beautiful!

I hope you are all enjoying the last week of the school holidays, and if you want to meet some lovely bloggers join in with Blogtoberfest.......you'll have a great time!

Thanks for stopping by.

Building houses!

2011-10-03T09:46:00.002+11:00

Building a house can be completely overwhelming at times. You have a bit of an idea whether you've picked the right tiles, colours and trims when you lay them all out on the table, but you aren't completely sure until you see the finished product.

Fortunately when making a house cushion it's a bit easier to change my mind.

I had planned on the pom pom trim for my latest batch of house cushions.......but after attaching them all I had a change of heart. Not so easy to do that on a real house.

This is going to be our indoor cricket pitch, runway, bowling alley, according to the kids.

I think the house cushions look so much better with a pretty little scalloped edge and a twill trim bow.

This is our family room which will include the kitchen, meals and lounge all looking straight through to the formal lounge.

I love watching our new home change a little each week, it's very satisfying to see that the choices made on paper were the right choices.

This is one half of our back veranda, a place where we'll spend many leisurely afternoons.

I'm so please with how things are going with the house, just as I'm so pleased with how my house cushions turned out. I took this picture of them all lined up on Megan's bed head where she already had the little birdy living on a stick ...... watching over her nest.

I know this is a slow process, but I'd rather that so the builders get it right the first time.

A couple of these house cushions have been listed in my madeit store if anyone is looking for a bit of cuteness!

Thanks for stopping by.

Edit: Cusions have just sold, I'll try to get a few more made soon if anyone is interested.

New Baby.

2011-09-27T07:26:00.001+10:00

About a week ago Mark took Megan down to the farm for the day to check the cattle. Later in the day he took her to visit her cousins not knowing that there a few new additions at their house. You can imagine the show Megan put on when she saw a big basket with kittens curled up inside. I think Mark had a moment of weakness because she came home with one.

This is Millie.

We've had her for a week now and she has just turned 7 weeks old.

She gets treated like a real baby, loads of cuddles and totally spoiled. She is one happy cat!!!

Not forgetting Lulu.....she is one pissed off cat!

Just look at that face, I've never seen a cat look so disgusted.

Just wondering if anyone else is having trouble commenting on other blogs. I try and sometimes I have to sign into my google account a number of times to comment, sometimes I can't comment at all.........far out blogger you are driving me mad!

Toy Soldiers

2011-09-25T12:50:00.000+10:00

Here is a new item I've been working on for Shop Handmade. I wasn't going to share them until about Wednesday when I think they'll arrive in Shop, but because I've been super slack with my blogging lately and the fact that I was so excited about how they turned out.....I just had to share.

Toy Soldiers

This is typically a boy thing but I didn't have a five year old boy to take a picture of it with, instead I used my nine year old daughter. As you can tell from the picture it's kind of huge!!

They were a lot of fun to make, the yetti on his head was a bit messy to deal with when cutting but once that was done it was easy.

I always make one to start with, just to make sure I get every thing right and in proportion so I can make changes if needed. Once I have my pattern done it's all systems go.

Did I mention these Toy Soldiers are huge, they stand approximately73cm tall! Perfect for a bit of a cuddle.

So here are the four boys all lined up on Ryan's bed, look out for them in Shop Handmade mid week.

I hope you are all enjoying the school holidays.

Our creative spaces.

2011-09-08T13:59:00.001+10:00

There are a few things I like collecting, anything that's old with a bit of character usually fits the bill. I've been on the hunt for some old bird cages of late, different shapes and sizes as I wanted to put a bit of a display together for my new sewing room.

After watching Renovators the other night when one of the guys doing the panic room hung 2 bright red bird cages as a display in the corner of his room, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I needed to find another cage and yesterday while in Tamworth I found the metal one in a furniture store. It's not a real one but it will work beautifully with what I want to do.

First thing I needed to do is choose a colour. I had planned on a red and had all intentions of buying pot of red paint when I went into the store this morning ......I came out with a pot of half strength Whitsunday Blue.

I really should have been sewing up a few orders instead of doing this, but I was busting to see what it would look like.

Totally in love with it! I think that I might change my game plan next time I decide to paint wire, it's not so easy and very slow going. Next time if I can find the colour I want it'll come out of a spray can.

If you want to see some more creative spaces go here.

Don't forget my Red Stitch Designs giveaway

Red Stitch Designs Giveaway!

2011-09-05T12:01:00.000+10:00

Now that Father's Day is over ( hope you all had a lovely time ) and this week the shops will probably start to stock their shelves with some christmas gear, I thought it was time to have a giveaway! Besides it's my birthday and I feel like it!

I'm giving away these two hanging owls, perfect for your christmas tree or to hang anywhere around the house.

All you have to do to enter is follow Red Stitch Designs on Facebook.......easy peasy!

I'm going to leave this open for 2 weeks, I'll draw a winner on Monday the 19th.

Good Luck!

Flea Market Finds!

2011-09-04T10:32:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I joined in on this one, only because it's been a while since I had something worth while sharing.

You might already know that I have a thing for old suitcase stacks, I might not have the room for them in the current house I'm in but that's not going to stop me.

When a friend and I had a few hours to kill in town the other day, she suggested we go to the tip shop. I didn't take much convincing, I mean who doesn't like to hunt for treasure!

I was so super pleased when I came across another two suitcases to add to my stack, even more pleased that they were red and only $1 each.

For more Flea Market Finds head on over and say hello to Sophie

Too cute!

2011-09-03T10:59:00.000+10:00

I made a couple of owls this morning for a little girl who likes pink and navy, they turned out so sweet I think it would be hard to choose just one!

It's been a huge week with all sorts of things going on around here, I noticed that the bricks have been delivered to our building site which means things are moving there too.

Now I have to get ready for next week because it's going to be massive on the sewing front, it feels as busy as christmas, how does this happen when it's only September?

Hope you all have a gorgeous weekend!

Today is the day!

2011-09-01T07:05:00.000+10:00

It might be the first day of spring but it's also my first day back at Shop Handmade after my time away!

I have posted off a few big parcels of goodies so there should be plenty of stock, some familiar items and a new one. So if you are in Canberra and looking for some lovely handmade goodies please call in and have a look around.......it's the kind of place that you won't leave empty handed or disappointed.

There will be a load of Christmas items posted shortly so keep an eye out for them.

Today I'm working on....

2011-08-30T11:43:00.002+10:00

.... another two advent calendars, this time they are done in more boyish colours as my last two had a girly thing going on.

I love the whole process of making these calendars, they are a bit like piecing a quilt together, the only down fall is they are just as time consuming.

I hope you are all enjoying the the sun shiny days we've been having!

Thanks for stopping by.

Red Stitch Designs is now on Facebook.

Where have I been spending my time.....

2011-08-28T10:54:00.000+10:00

I never thought I'd say this but I've been having a bit of fun on Facebook lately and been a bit slack on the blogging side of things. I found it a great way to see what was going on while I was in hospital, have a bit of fun chatting to friends, I guess the fun is still continuing.......sorry blogger I haven't forgotten you I promise!

Apart from Facebook I have been busy sewing up a storm ready for my return to Shop Handmade this week, so excited to be busy and creative again.

I packed up two huge parcels full of Red Stitch Designs goodness, now working on filling the next few boxes to the brim.

I've been talking to a few marketing friends about some of the bigger upcoming markets, I'd love to attend a few this season because they are so much fun and you meet the most beautiful people, but because I've had a few months off the sewing machine I'm not sure if I can pull off the amount of stock I think I'll need......but I'm sure going to give it a go, If I can't well that's just the way it is!

I'll try and blog a bit more in the future, so sorry about that!

Thanks for stopping by.

My Creative Week.

2011-08-18T10:15:00.001+10:00

I'm having alot of fun sewing and being creative again, and I know these aren't your traditional Christmas colours but I like them, they're a little bit whimsical and fun!

I have so many projects on the go at the moment, things that are bound for Shop Handmade over the next week or so, I have pears half done, owls, cushions, advent calendars, heart ornaments, I also have things on my to do list which might have to wait a while.

Earlier in the week Megan's school was celebrating Book Week and the kids were allowed to dress up as wither villains or superheros. Megan chose to go as one of The Incredibles!

She had so much fun with this character and she was even given an award for her efforts!

I hope you are all have a great week, thanks for stopping by.

Building stock and a house.

2011-08-14T09:08:00.000+10:00

Somehow things got busy around here all of a sudden, I don't mind because I enjoy making gorgeous goodies and having a bit of fun with my sewing machine.

This past week has been spent stitching up a few advent calendars and a half dozen union jack cushions, ready for my return to Shop Handmade as of the 1st of September........so excited!

My pile of cushion tops looked like they'd make great chair covers......that might happen at a later date!

There has also been a huge amount of action with our house in the past few weeks with the pad and slab going down and this week the frame. We were all concerned about the truck being able to get through the ramp so my husband took down the front fence so the truck could drive straight in and not damage anything. We spoke to the builder and told him to go through the fence, not the ramp. What do you think the "no brain" truck driver did?

Being blind and not being able to see that there was no front fence and that trucks had already being using this route ( there were tyre tracks ) he decided to do what we had asked him not to do.

Totally destroyed our ramp, ripped it to pieces and bent one of the big timber posts. As you can imagine it wasn't a happy day!

On the other hand this does make me happy......seeing the frame going up. See the front room where the men are working, that's my sewing room..... woooohoooo!

51 weeks to go!

2011-08-02T16:45:00.000+10:00

Yay how exciting only 51 weeks to go until the London Olympics! I was supposed to share this with you a week ago when the Olympics were 1 year away, I mean it should have only taken me a few hours to complete but I ran out of steam part way into it.........so now I'm celebrating 51 weeks!

I have a style in mind for our new house, a mix of old and new furniture with a few eclectic pieces thrown into the mix.........this cushion fits in perfectly with what I'm after. I love it so much I think I'll make it a Red Stitch Design regular when I'm up and running again.......shouldn't be too much longer.

I just want to give out a huge virtual hug to all of you who have sent me messages of support, they all mean so much and I love and appreciate every single one of them. I knew I had some special people in my life but it took something like breast cancer to realise just how special they all really are.

Love and hugs to everyone!

Dress revamp!

2011-07-20T11:08:00.000+10:00

A friends daughter is making her Holy Communion on Saturday and the little dress she had needed a little something doing to it across the front.

So yesterday I spent the morning relaxing and making these soft little flowers to attach to the front of her dress.

Hope she likes it!

Pretty things.

2011-07-17T11:06:00.000+10:00

Everyone knows I love pretty fabric and while checking out a few blogs this morning I came across a textile designer called Sarah Jane, her designs are so beautiful I just had to share. You can visit her blog here.

Image found here.

I also wanted to share whats left out of the several bunches of flowers I received while in hospital. It's only a few daisies and a couple of carnations but I think they make the sweetest little display.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Vintage Books.

2011-07-13T12:04:00.000+10:00

I'm not in the habit of destroying beautiful old books but I was feeling a bit crafty.

I've seen some beautifully folded books on someone's blog not too long ago, I really wanted to find those images again for a little inspiration but I can't for the life of me remember who it was.......so I got some stamps out insted.

This project is pretty slow going at the moment but I'm really enjoying the creativeness.

When is a ball of string...

2011-07-11T17:58:00.000+10:00

..not a ball of string?

When it becomes a cosy to keep your apple safe!

As you can see the boredom has set in, like who needs a cosy to keep their apple in? I have so many things I want to start I just don't have the physical capacity yet, so turning a ball of string into something cute is about it for now!

I just wanted to say a huge thanks to all the lovely people who have sent messages of encouragement and love, they were all very much appreciated.

I've been out of hospital for a couple of days now and am now ready for the next stage of my recovery....all is going well at this stage so that's good news!

Thanks for stopping by.

Time out!

2011-06-29T16:17:00.001+10:00

I need a bit of time out from sewing, I've even arranged for all my stock to be taken off the shelf at Shop Handmade until further notice. I need to take care of myself for a while. I might not be blogging as often as I have been but I'll make sure to pop in every now and then to let you know how I'm going.

EDIT: I just wanted you to know that I'm not going to stop blogging, I love all my readers and also love to visit them, I'm just not going to be sewing up a storm like I usually do due to health issues, so my blog might be on a slightly different journey for a while.

All messed up!

2011-06-24T06:57:00.000+10:00

Last week I asked the kids to fold the washing for me, don't you love what they did?

Somehow everything is all messed up and there is another huge chapter to my "Time to share" post.

Taking inspiration.

2011-06-21T09:38:00.000+10:00

Last week some time I had a weird dream about how incredibly busy I was with all my Christmas sewing last year and how I vowed to be more prepared this year. I'm thinking it was a message to pull my finger out and squeeze a few Christmas items into my sewing list. I know what you're thinking, she's crazy it's June, who thinks about Christmas in June!

I'm trying to think ahead because I know that our house will almost be finished around this time and my energy is going to be needed else where, packing, cleaning and organising all that stuff we've accumulated over the years, I know that there is going to be limited sewing time!

So because they're so time consuming I made up a few advent calendar bases last week, now all I have to do is come up with a few different colour schemes......some traditional and some a bit whimsical.

I love this little make-up bag I bought Megan last Christmas and I thought I'd take a little inspiration from it for my first calendar. I can't wait to get stuck into it in between orders which are starting to flow again after my short break.

I'd just like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of my lovely blog readers concerning my last post........your kind words mean so much XXX

Time to share.

2011-06-18T10:15:00.000+10:00

Today I'm going to play along with Maxabella and share something rather personal, it's not something I normally use this blog for but it's going to explain my bloggy absence or rather lack of regular blog posts over the past month.

Back in February or March (I can't quite remember as life gets so so busy and things tend to get a little blurred) I noticed a reoccurring pain in my breast and underarm, me being 40 and too busy to check it out thought it was just hormones. I do have an implanon in my arm and I'm thinking yeah that could be something to do with it, maybe I'm one of those unlucky women who are approaching menopause early......really early. Anyway I went on with life, kids, sewing as I would normally but the pesky pain wouldn't go away, infact it was getting worse! I'm no breast specialist so when doing self examination all I could feel was squishy tits and ribs........hmmm then why is it so sore?

It got to the point that sometimes it would keep me awake a night so off to my local GP I went. He recommended an ultrasound, yay, I thought this will sort it out once and for all. I rock up to the clinic on the morning of the ultrasound only to find that someone had taken upon themselves to clean my car and had accidentally thrown out my referral! What a f---- shamozzel this morning turned out to be. I desperately phoned my local GP and begged for another to be faxed through, they weren't impressed and made me wait for hours before they sent it through.

The initial ultrasound found a lesion which needed further investigation so the next step was to have mammograms and more ultrasounds performed in Tamworth. Well they squished my tits flat like pancakes in this direction and that direction, rubbed cold gel and that ultrasound thing hard, really hard to try and see what it was.

After a week or so of waiting I was then asked by the specialist to get a biopsy done. Ok not a problem I can handle this how bad can it be? Let me tell you it wasn't the three core biopsy's they took that was bad it was the anaesthetic........OMG that stuff hurts, especially in a big squishy boob.

Fast forward another week and the results are back and I'm now visiting my specialist to find out what happens next. He babbled off something but in laymen terms it was benign.........but! But what! He wasn't happy with that result, thinking that the biopsy may have missed the mark, it only has to miss the lesion by 1mm and you have a different result. He didn't feel that the results matched what he was looking at on the scans!

So a bit over a week ago nice and early Mark and I headed off to Tamworth so I could have it removed. First thing I had to do was have a "hook wire" put in, it's almost the same as having a biopsy done except they put a fine wire in and leave it sticking out of your breast to show the surgeon exactly where the lesion is. Pleasant! I then travelled down to the private hospital to be admitted for surgery..........5 hours later!

I've got to say this was the easiest bit! because after hopping on that bed and being wheeled in to meet the anaesthetist I don't remember a thing! Next thing I know I was in recovery with Mark having a cup of tea, high as a kite!

So I'm now sporting a 5cm incision across my booby, internal stitches and one hell of a bruise which has now turned a dirty shade of yellow..........and a one week wait for the results!

So here's what I'm so so grateful for.......

The results came back as benign........I just have lumpy tits.
My gorgeous husband......who was with me every step of the way and didn't leave my side.
My kids.......who kept me busy during those weeks of waiting.
My family and friends.....who kept checking up on me to make sure I was ok.

There are so many other things I'm grateful for but these are the biggies!

It's obvious Ryan didn't want his picture taken, but I still love it.

So the moral of the story is........don't ignore your own health just because life is too busy, it might be that you just have lumpy tits, but it may be something more serious. Either way your own health should be a priority because if you aren't taking care of yourself......how can you care for your family?

For more grateful posts please visit Maxabella.

Owl Mobile

2011-06-07T18:25:00.000+10:00

This is where my little owls have been hanging out......

in a beautifully padded and linen wrapped ring, ready to hang just like you would a mobile.

I'm sending these 4 mobiles to Shop Handmade this week, it's going to be the only place you'll be able to get them for a while as I've put my madeit shop into holiday mode for a while.

Hopefully not for too long, I just need to take a bit of time and get through a few things, so for now I'll use what energy/time I have just for stocking Shop Handmade.

Talk soon

Flea Market Finds!

2011-06-05T10:53:00.000+10:00

I've decided to join in with Sophie and her Flea Market Finds today and share something Orange!

I was at a garage sale a while back and I spied a splash of Orange out the corner of my eye, I love orange so I wasn't going to leave these two Pyrex dishes behind. Even though only one of them has a lid I thought I'd still be able to use the one that doesn't. I scored these juicy Pyrex dishes for only $3.50.

They remind me of my mother every time I use them because back in the 70's she was an orange lover. She still has quite a number of vintage pieces in use throughout her kitchen and pantry, you can see that there is a definite orange theme going on. I remember she had orange curtains in the dining room, she loved those curtains and it seems the donkey did too because when she hung them out to dry after washing our pet donkey Genevieve ate them!

The gorgeous tea towel my dishes are sitting on is a new one which arrived from Yardage Design. Nic had a sale last weekend and I was wanting to get some more fabric for cushions and a chair and a couple more tram roll tea towels. Don't you love the way she wrapped all my goodies!

If you want to see some more treasures head on over to Her library Adventures and take a look.

Working on......

2011-05-31T19:01:00.000+10:00

a new place for my little owls to hang out!

I've been wanting to create a place for my owls to hang out for a while, just wasn't quite sure how to go about it until one night last week when I couldn't sleep ( it was 3am ) and my mind was going over all the things I wish I had the time to make and how I'd go about making.

I have quite a list of things I'd like to try happening in my head at the moment....... I wonder what I'll be adding to that list tomorrow morning at 3am???

Feathered Friends!

2011-05-28T14:02:00.000+10:00

It's no surprise that I love making little birds and owls, they are such fun to make in all sorts of fabrics and colours. I've made a few birds which I thought were my favourite but a few nights ago I made these and I think they are by far my favourite!

They look a bit like husband and wife don't they?

I think after making these little birds I'm going to mix the colours and fabrics more often.......it adds more character I think.

Over the past few days I have found some more machine time, not as much as I wanted but it was better than none at all. As I said in previous posts I been making some little owls again.

Sorry for the picture overload!

I've also been making a few bigger owls again.

Now I'm looking for a bit of a rest for the remainder of the weekend, I have a stressful week ahead and I need to find the energy to get through.

Keep an eye out at Shop Handmade next week because all the goodies in this post and many more will be in store.

Take care.

Looking for more machine time!

2011-05-24T10:57:00.001+10:00

I have some real cute little birds to share with you today. They are currently sitting on a shelf near my sewing machine, so cute!

Each little bird I make has a different personality, a different expression on their face.

I'm having a great time making these but I have to stop for a few days and make up some of my original owls........I thought people were over the whole owl thing but it seems as though I was wrong so I'll have a few new friends to share in the next few days.

On the home front things have been so so busy, I have a calendar full of scribble post it notes in all kinds of places reminding me of all kinds of things. I simply can't believe I haven't forgotten anything yet, maybe I shouldn't have said that I might jinx myself. Here is a quick run down on what's been happening in the last week....

Megan has had her run in the Diocesan Cross Country...... so proud of her for making it to the next level (even if she did run an extra 500m because the Marshall's weren't watching).
Ryan played in the schools Rugby 7's........made it to the grand final, the game was a draw and went into extra time, unfortunately the other team scored a try.
Ryan had his Cross Country and placed well so now we have to move onto zone.
Doctors appointments
Swimming
Rugby Training
Deciding once and for all.....house colours.
A gorgeous friend came to visit for a few days, we shopped, chatted, and went for coffee.
Completed a few pear, owl and bird orders.
Making of some more props for the Eisteddfod.

So as you can see there wasn't much time for my poor old sewing machine last week, I have things on this week too but I'm determined to squeeze in some machine time!

Hope you are all enjoying your week.

Eisteddfod time again!

2011-05-17T17:19:00.000+10:00

It's that time of year again...Eisteddfod. Parents volunteering with costumes, props and practice, it's all good fun for the kids and something which I don't mind helping with when and where I can.

This year Megan is playing a character called Suki in a small play her class is presenting, and on the weekend I had a go at making her her very own kimono. I used a basic dressing gown pattern to get the shape I wanted then made a nice wide stiffened sash. I wanted to go the extra step further and do the big loopy/bow thing on the back but Megan said that it was perfect as it was and no-one was going to see the back anyway!

If I get the time I think I'll do it when she's not looking!

She looks so cute all dressed up. Now all I have to do is figure out how to do the make-up and hair.

Thanks for stopping by.

Two little birdies.

2011-05-15T18:14:00.000+10:00

Today wasn't a very productive day on the sewing front, I was more concerned about getting all the washing and a bit of cooking done before another busy week ahead.

However I did manage snap these pretty pictures of some new birds I made on Saturday night before the sun went down today.

So pretty and perfect for a little girls room.

These two are destined for life in the small town of Coolah.

If you really liked one of these little birds it's no problem to make another......just let me know.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Things I'm loving.

2011-05-14T09:05:00.000+10:00

Today I thought I would play along with Paisley Jade's " Things I'm Loving " and just share a few snippets of things which make me smile.

Firstly is the fact that I actually got some work done yesterday, it's amazing what you can achieve when your husband takes the kids to school and you can get an early start. I really enjoyed making some more little birds for a few orders I need to get done....I made sure to make an extra for Megan's room this time.

I'm loving the fact that there is some action out at our block. These big trenches are for power, water and phone. These two little possums are so excited!

I'm loving the look of my new Home pears!

I love it when I make something for my family ( Lemon butter ) and they totally eat it all in three days. Luckily I have plenty of lemons left and I can make some more!

If you want to join in head on over to Paisley Jade and say hello.

My Creative Space.

2011-05-12T06:00:00.001+10:00

Megan's bunting/banner worked out kinda nice, it was super easy to make and even though the fabric colours are not an exact match to the fabric I'm going to use for the doona cover, it's as close as I'm going to get and because it's way up in the air no one will notice.

I've decided to make the pillow shams and back the doona in gingham........I'm hoping I'll find some on my next trip to Tamworth, because as you can see I only have two little scraps draped over the pillow and it's not even 100% cotton. After that I'll be giving that lamp a makeover, the base will be painted white and I haven't decided what to do with the shade yet........any ideas?

It's so pretty in the morning sun, and so nice to have a change away from the pink and lime she had going on before!

For more creative space head on over to kootoyoo.

Lovely Lemons.

2011-05-11T13:11:00.000+10:00

Last week I was given a huge big bag full of these gorgeous lemons, they are the first thing I smell when I walk in the kitchen of a morning. My dilemma was how do I use that many lemons? I'm not a huge pie maker..... but I'd like to give it a go. I've already used them in a fish dish.....but I still have a huge amount left.

Last night before all the excitement of Master Chef about to start on TV I decided to give my first ever batch of lemon butter a go. My daughter Megan loves lemons, she'd suck on a lemon before she'll eat an orange so I knew she'd love lemon butter smeared all over her morning toast!

To my surprise it was really easy to make, you just have to be prepared to whisk until your arms ache!

Recipe found here.

Bunting for Megan.

2011-05-10T13:06:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I decided that I couldn't stand looking a the mess in the kids bedroom any longer. I went and got a big green garbage bin from outside and wasted no time in filling it with rubbish, useless clutter, broken toys......if it wasn't any good it was destined for the tip. I had a quick tidy of the wardrobes but I need a day with the kids home so I can check sizes.

I was thinking how nice and clean things were looking, wondering how long it would last once they were home, 10 min, 30 min. I thought about some gorgeous fabric I bought well over a year ago, wondering why I never used it like I had intended to in Megan's room. So today I've decided to start with a little bunting using fabric from my stash to match the scallopy looking fabric for the bed.

Megan's going to get a nice surprise when she gets home.

Mothers Day

2011-05-08T07:02:00.001+10:00

Happy Mothers Day to all the gorgeous mummies out there, I hope your day is full of hugs and kisses from some very special little people.

This photo was taken at the wedding last weekend, that's right I chickened out and didn't wear the red dress and I'm so glad I didn't, the outdoor reception was cold! That wasn't on the invitation either!

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

2011-05-06T07:01:00.000+10:00

I think this is the longest I've gone in a long long time without blogging.....SORRY! I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but what I can tell you is that I've had something on or something happened ( like no power ) and I've been unable to catch up.

We've been to Weddings, The Great Nundle Dog Race ( more on that one later ), Megan had a Cross Country event, a trip to Maitland to do our house colours.......totally insane I wasn't prepared for that one! Anyway as you can see it's been busy, so much so that for the first time I've been unable to get an order out on time, I have sent an apology and the goodies will be posted on Monday so I hope that my customer is ok with that.

Because there hasn't been much sewing going on in the past few days I wanted to share this picture of Megan. It's not often that this happens, I'm always taking pictures of her and she pulls a silly pose every time, this time I caught her in the early morning light visiting a calf that was injured over the Easter break at my mother's. I love love love this picture!

I must be off, today because I was so unorganised on Tuesday I have to get a few more sample pots and paint again.......who knew this was going to be so hard!

New red dress.

2011-04-30T13:38:00.000+10:00

Did you all enjoy the big Royal Wedding last night? We all did here. My mind kept going back to 1981 when Charles married Dianna and where I was. I remember that we didn't even own a colour TV back then but our neighbours did, so we all gathered around in their living room to watch the wedding of the century. I also remember mum bought us a packet of Tim Tams as a real special treat for the evening. Isn't it funny the things that stick in your mind.

Anyway onto another wedding today, and I'm so so lucky I had a moment of weakness yesterday at the "Sassy Willa" and bought this pretty red dress, because after a few phone calls back and forth this morning I found out that the wedding is formal......not more on the casual side like we all originally thought. It was not mentioned on the invitation......which made me slightly annoyed.

This dress is totally taking me out of my comfort zone considering 95% of the clothing in my cupboard is charcoal, black, white or some shade of brown. Yep I'm a neutral kind of gal, I only like adding a pop of colour through my accessories......not with the entire outfit!

My Creative Space.

2011-04-28T14:27:00.000+10:00

For today's My Creative Space I wanted to share another little bird I made this morning.

I'm having trouble finding a nest which is big enough and not so fragile to display them in. This little nest in the picture is one that my mother found, it's so sweet, super delicate and made from all sorts of things like horse hair or fur.

I need something a little stronger because the birds will eventually have their legs attached and I don't want everything to get tangled into a huge mess.
I would have liked to make one like this but someone pruned the grape vine before I could get to it, now I'm looking for another option.

Ok onto my very exciting day yesterday! I went across to Tamworth to meet up with Posie! We have never met before only spoke via email and blogs, it was so funny I felt like I'd just caught up with an old friend. She is so lovely and welcoming.....doesn't mind a chat either, truth be told I think I could have talked and laughed with her for many more hours than we did.

For more creative spaces go here.

I'm excited!

2011-04-27T06:50:00.000+10:00

I've been looking forward to today, not because Megan goes back to school...... I enjoy having her home, but because once she does I'm making a quick trip to Tamworth to do something VERY EXCITING! Wooohoooo!

I'll be back later with more.

Easter Saturday Fire!

2011-04-26T08:37:00.000+10:00

We absolutely love travelling down to the farm where I grew up to visit my parents and have a little fun.

There had been a few storms in past months where trees had fallen so there were plenty of logs to create a huge fire.

Had no idea the flames were going to get this high, it was huge and we could feel the heat from across the paddock.

Of course Megan had to be the one to do the fire dance!

There is something about having a fire with family around which we love. It means plenty of marshmallows a bit of a sausage sizzle and sitting and watching the flames well into the night.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend with family and friends.

I'll have more to share later in the week, for now it's back to stitching up pears and getting organised for school tomorrow.

Bye Bye Birdie!

2011-04-21T11:08:00.000+10:00

This was hard. How do you pack such delicate little birds without them being crushed? I did the best I could, tried to pack the tissue around them so they'd keep their shape all for their journey to Shop Handmade ( in store today ).

I didn't have time to make as many as I wanted for the first shipment as we've had visitors for the past three days, which was a nice change I have to say!

I'm planning on a few more after Easter and before Mother's Day.

Have you dropped a few hints for Mother's Day yet? Apart from wanting something fluffy to keep my feet warm all I want is time.........time to sit in front of my sewing machine and maybe sew something for myself, or start on a new quilt ( I have a new fabric stash I'm dying to play with ). There wouldn't be any cleaning up, cooking, washing or refereeing a battle between the kids.......just time for mum! Ahhhhhh I'm already excited!

But for now it's back to reality, a mountain of washing on a rainy day, a house which is desperate need of a vacuum and some pear orders to get started on.

Once all the pears are done it's back to birds.

The lovely Bethany thinks that a yellow bird would look good and I'd have to agree, so I might give it a go when I have time. What colours would you like to see?

Sorry for the picture overload, they are all so cute and I had to share them all.

One can never have enough cuteness around.

Thanks for stopping by.

I love her!

2011-04-18T11:23:00.001+10:00

I had a round three, four and five and this is the end result.....

Isn't she the sweetest little birdy you've ever seen?

I'm so attached to her that I almost don't want to put her in a box and send her to her new home.

But I know where she is going and I know that she'll be treasured and loved by a very special little girl.

Yes this little bird was a custom order, but I am working on a few more all to be posted to Shop Handmade this week. Remember if you want one and you can't make it to Shop Handmade please send me an email.

They will all be lovingly handmade and only $24.95.

I'm more than happy to do custom orders if you have or want a particular colour used......maybe something you've decorated your room with.

That's all I have for today, I'm off to do 6 loads of washing ( how exciting ) finish a few pear orders, and tidy up for visitors tomorrow.

Today I'm grateful for....

2011-04-16T13:47:00.001+10:00

Remember this! Well after the gorgeous Rosalind from Grace Designs asking me if I had gone any further with the little birds I thought that a rainy day like today was the perfect time for round three!

And you know what..........I think I've almost got it the way I want. It's amazing how stepping away from something and trying at a later date actually works!

All I need to do is just tweak my pattern just a little as I'm not completely happy with the shape, but as you can see it's almost there.

I remember I had a big issue with the legs. Truth be told I think I was over thinking them too much, trying too hard to get them like the real thing........I remember it gave me a migraine and that's when I walked away. Since then I have made countless little owls with wire feet/legs so all I had to do was keep it simple like the owls.......it worked and this time the bird can actually stand alone.

So today I'm grateful for time, grateful for the lovely Rosalind who asked me to revisit the birds, and I'm also grateful for gorgeous rainy days.....the kind of days which inspire me to sit and create. Most of all I'm grateful this time there was no sign of a migraine!

If you wan to join in please visit Maxabella Loves.

He was looking at me I swear!

2011-04-13T19:02:00.000+10:00

Well that's my story anyway! Yep last night Jodi and I went to see Keith Urban and it was fantastic!

The first act was just as impressive.........Lady Antebellum.

What can I say......Hot hot hot!

I nearly lost my voice from screaming and singing my was through hours of the best entertainment I've seen in ages.

2011-04-11T17:43:00.000+10:00

While the end of last week was about completing many small orders .......

today was mostly about creating one of my favourites in a few different colours!

I'm totally smitten with the natural on black, it's a nice to change things up a little don't you think!

I'll be sure to take some real nice pictures of them when finished.

Thanks for stopping by.

Flea Market Finds!

2011-04-10T12:05:00.000+10:00

I'm joining in with Sophie's Flea Market Finds this week for the first time in a while. That doesn't mean that I haven't been on the hunt for the ultimate prize/treasure...... I have, life has just been so busy and today I've decided that all the other stuff can wait it's time to have some fun and share a treasure.

I found another vintage suitcase ( like I needed another one ) at a garage sale for only $8. This one caught my eye because of the red trim on the outside, I know it looks a bit old and bashed but I don't care I think it looks fab in the middle of my stack. There was a whole wall of suitcases at the garage sale and I so wished I could have given them all a new home.....but I haven't got any room left and my existing suitcase stack is already quite tall.

Apart from feeding a habit of collecting old and rustic things my suitcase stack also serves as storage. Each and every one of them has something stored in it for safe keeping.
Last christmas I hid all the christmas presents in them........the kids had no idea!

Today my husband and I have been cleaning the timber blinds and windows inside and out.......it's a huge job and one that I hate but it has to be done. I hope your Sunday is much more enjoyable than ours!

Remember to pop on over and say hello to Sophie

Hello!

2011-04-08T17:37:00.000+10:00

Do you like my moustache?

Moustache bunnies delivered to Shop Handmade today.

If you want one and you can't make it into Shop Handmade just email me at redstitchdesigns@bigpond.com

Bye for now.

Bunnies are hopping out the door!

2011-04-06T07:17:00.001+10:00

Lately I've been thinking about bunnies in my sleep, how many I need to do the next day, what colour combinations I need to do, boy or girl, it never stops!

It's all good though because this is what I love doing, making and creating on a daily basis brings me so much joy.....way better than doing ironing and housework. That will all change in about another six to eight months when we move into our new home which happens to be four times the size of the one we're in now. I'll be anal about how my house is presented .......cleaning the floors alone will be like a major work-out!

Here are some of those body parts turned into boy bunnies, all of which will be arriving at Shop Handmade today!

Do you like the big old wing-back chair they are sitting on? I love it! I found it at a garage sale for $90 and I intend to have it covered in some gorgeous upholstery fabric for the new house.......when I can afford it!

While away in Orange last week I couldn't help but add to my fabric stash, I totally love the soft tones of the blues and mocha......could be turned into a quilt some day!

Or maybe the beautiful Autumn tones of these fabrics.....

Either way I think I'm going to have some fun when time permits.

Body Parts.

2011-04-04T11:36:00.000+10:00

Today after a lovely morning coffee with friends I'm playing with these body parts.

I can't believe that Easter is almost upon us, where has the first term of this year gone? Only one more week and we are back to sleep-ins and kids entertainment on a daily basis.......at least there won't be any homework or ironing of uniforms.

P.S. These body parts are being turned into bunnies for Shop Handmade, if you were wanting a bunny please go to my madeit store in the side bar. If you can't find what you are after just send me an email.

Grand final for cricket!

2011-04-03T07:28:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was the cricket grand final and the last of the cricket for this season. We are so proud of Ryan, not only did his team win the under 12's he won the award for most improved.

He loves his cricket......one day he wants to play for Australia.

He always gives the game everything he's got.

I'm hoping that there might be a set of cricket nets built down the back at the new house......we'll have to wait and see.

Now it's time for him to go onto the next seasonal sport......Rugby Union!

Self Covered Buttons!

2011-03-30T06:31:00.002+11:00

I love making these self covered buttons, they are so beautiful and unbelievably easy to do. These pretty buttons were made up for the finishing touch on a few linen draw string bags I made for Shop Handmade over the weekend.

And this is my new favourite linen draw string bag!

These bags should be arriving at Shop Handmade today, so if you are wanting one go in and check them out.

Just in case you were wondering this post was done on Monday...... I'm not home yet, maybe in another few days. Wonder how those kids are going? How many times have they had takeaway? Are their uniforms neat? How is Mark going to do Megan's hair for " Crazy Hair Day" at school?

I need to stop stressing!

Special Order.

2011-03-28T18:26:00.001+11:00

I finished the custom order of Pirate bunnies which I did a trial run on last week.

I love them all, each has it's own personality!

Each of them has a girl too!

My weekend was bit full on, I had loads of orders to finish........I have made a huge dent in my half finished projects and it feels good to have some space on my desk again.

It won't take me long to clutter it all up again, I think I work best when I have a few different things going at once........keeps my mind ticking, and I can switch projects when it suits.

I'm going to take a week off this week ( hence the rush to get everything done ) as my father has an operation tomorrow and I'd like to be there for a bit of support. I'm leaving the kids with Mark so that should result in some messy pony tails for Megan and a few dodgy looking lunch boxes. I don't know why I'm worried about leaving them for a few days, I know things might not be done as would do them but I know they'll survive.

See you later in the week!

My Creative Space....What's on the go!

2011-03-23T18:44:00.000+11:00

I just had a look around my sewing table and noticed that I have so many projects on the go and things are starting to get a little cramped in my tiny work space!

I know that I should only work on one thing at a time, but I find that it drives me crazy if I haven't got any hand stitching to do of an evening so I tend to save those jobs later on. This allows me to get stuck into all the other bits and pieces throughout the day when the kids are at school.

Today I stitched up all the ruffles ready for piecing together the draw-string bags.

I have a new favourite.....the linen and dark blue one, it's so pretty!

There is a big basket full of body parts, I just have to stitch some eyes on the heads and I'll be able to shift this lot.

I usually stitch my pears of an evening, it's real easy to stop and drop if needed.......relaxing too!

There's also a bunch of Pirate Bunnies on the go as well as two quilts.........all that should keep me busy for a while!

If you want to see some more creative spaces head on over to kootoyoo and say hello to Kirsty.

Linen Love!

2011-03-22T12:59:00.001+11:00

Most of you already know that I love the natural look of linen, I use it in most of my creations.....I don't see that I'll tire of it ever!

I have a customer interested in a pirate bunny I made about a year ago using felt, this morning I thought I'd try and update it a little using you guessed it........linen!

Ryan might think he's a little too big to have something like this on his bed, but I think I'll leave it there for now just because it's so cute!

I've been busy making some more bird brooches for the lovely Nat at Nest in Tasmania.....oh look! More linen!

I'm off to cut out some draw-string bags this afternoon and put some mileage on my sewing machine. What are you up to?

Another look at the drink bottle covers!

2011-03-20T13:56:00.000+11:00

Unlike the first glimpse of my drink bottle covers here's a much clearer look.

See I didn't forget the boy's!

I've just finished packing this lot up ready for the posting to Shop Handmade in the morning!

Now I need to go and vacuum my house because towelling is so messy to work with when cutting, once it's overlocked it's fine but there is fluff everywhere and it's driving me crazy

Just in case you were wondering, yes I really do own that many drink bottles ( I found 21 to be exact ), they seem to multiply at our house and clutter up my cupboards.......at least when the kids step out with one now it'll look beautiful in it's new cover!

My Creative Space.

2011-03-17T07:18:00.000+11:00

Here is something I've been working on and off for about a week now, I had to walk away from it several times to refresh my mind and calm down.

Here's how it went down.

Round one........too big, too thick, very time consuming.

Round two........too tall, too tight, still very time consuming.

Round three.....Perfect! A much simplified version and a perfect fit for a 750ml drink bottle. I have about 20 of these on the go at the moment, all bright colours for boys and girls. They should be in Shop Handmade next week some time......be sure to call in and check them out!

Sorry about the poor picture!

If you want to see some more creative spaces head on over and say hello to Kirsty at Kootoyoo.

Take care and have a happy day!

This is exciting!

2011-03-15T07:27:00.001+11:00

I've been selling some of my goodies to a really beautiful little shop called Urban Dweller in Samford QLD since they opened in January this year. The lovely Amanda told me that the Courier Mail were going to do an article on the shop and all the handmade items which they specialise in. I was just a little bit excited, I thought that my pears might be seen in the background of one of the pictures..........I certainly didn't expect this!

How amazing is this? If you look at some of the other items you can see a giant pear from Moose & Bird and in the picture below you can see some cushions from Thea & Sami...........she has her linen all through the shop, it's simply beautiful.

Here is a shot ( pinched from Thea's blog ) of the front of the shop......as you can see it's an old church!

Some of the goodies inside the shop, if you look closely you can see some of my pears on a shelf down the left-hand side.

And here is some more of Thea & Sami's work, all beautiful screen printed linens hanging on the ladder.

This is the kind of place I'd like to spend a few hours in but I live a little too far away. So if you are in the area please call in and say hello to the lovely Amanda and Therese.

The Courier Mail has another on-line article which features my pears also, you can see it here.

Hope you all have a great day planned.

Looking for inspiration.

2011-03-13T09:56:00.000+11:00

I'm a total magazine junkie, Home Beautiful, Country Living, Real Living, Belle, House & Garden, all lovely magazines but it's turning into quite an expensive habit I need to be kicking, So I've been spending a bit of time browsing the Internet hoping to find inspiration for out new home.........some of which I'm going to share today!

This bed and it's bedding is so beautiful........definitely something I would love to have in my house!

If this is your picture, so sorry but I lost the link to link back to you!

I'm not so sure if this dining setting will end up in our house but it caught my eye for some reason......maybe it's the eclectic mix which I absolutely love.

Image found here

A cosy family living room, filled with beautiful pieces covered in gorgeous fabrics.

Image found here

This is almost my perfect kitchen, I'll definitely be taking ideas from this image.

Image found here

Outdoor living is something that out family is so looking forward too, we want it to be a place where our family can relax and watch the world go by.

Image found here

So there you have it, just a few of the images which will be inspiring me when it comes time to do all the fun stuff.

Hope you all are having a lovely weekend so far.

Yay I've finished!

2011-03-11T19:00:00.000+11:00

This isn't Megan's quilt I've been working on, this is another smaller one I made out of all the extra fabric.

It makes me smile when I look at it knowing that the other one I'm working is going to be equally as beautiful......just three times the size!

I absolutely love everything about it and I'm going to find it hard parting with it!

I took the advice of some of my lovely readers and made a matching cushion sham, so glad I did because now it's like a complete set when on the bed.

The quilt measures 170cm x 125cm and the cushion sham measures 45cm square.

I'm really excited about doing some more of these, because as you know I plan on having them all over my new house!

I have just listed the quilt and cushion sham in my madeit store so if you're interested go check it out.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend planned, me well it'll be my sixth day straight of sport with the kids. We have had swimming lessons, swimming trials, cricket, rugby training, rugby carnival and tomorrow is cricket. I'll be so glad when lunch time Saturday comes, so looking forward to a rest or some serious sewing and maybe even a bit more blogging. So sorry for the lack of it lately....life suddenly got a little crazy!

Take care

I'm having a navy and red kinda day.

2011-03-05T15:41:00.000+11:00

This quilt thing is starting to take over my house, I currently have not one, not two, but three on the go at the moment......and I've already started collecting fabric for a fourth. I'm thinking it might be time to order an entire roll of blanketing to have on hand not only for quilting but for some other projects I'd like to give a go.

.............................

I would like to be finishing Megan's as it was started first but I'm waiting for some pretty backing fabric to arrive, so after making up some of the blocks for Ryan's quilt a week ago I laid them all out this afternoon and stitched them all together. It's all a bit random at the moment, I'm sure it's going to look much better when I add the extra pieces around the edges.

While Megan and I were in town this morning ( while Ryan was at cricket ) we did a bit of shopping, I was immediately drawn to this cute little outfit by Rhubarb the minute I saw it. See more red and navy.....I've loved these colours together for a while now and as I look around the shops it's clear that they're the colours of the season for the little ones!

These pictures really don't do it justice, the quality is so beautiful.

We found a cute wooden bead necklace to match so now the outfit is almost complete, all we need now is for our new knee length boots to arrive.

I love a bit of retail therapy!

Thanks for stopping by.

Mixed week.

2011-03-04T20:36:00.003+11:00

It's been a bit of a mixed week for me, while I had a few sewing projects ( 8 to be exact ) on the go, I also had mixed emotions about wanting so badly to be excited about the year ahead but found myself feeling guilty for wanting to do so. How can one be happy about their own adventures and happenings when others have problems which you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy? Lets just say that this problem doesn't discriminate, it's simply cruel..........I think you know what I'm talking about. I want to be happy, but I can't, I want to fix things for the ones I love, but I can't. I hope they know that I'm thinking of them, praying for a good outcome and for much happiness in the future.

.......................................................

Here are some gorgeous little boyish bunnies I've been working on, I'm going to make some more for Shop Handmade over the next week so keep an eye out for them in Shop. Remember Easter is almost upon us!

I've also taken the advice of a few of my readers and turned the left over blocks into another quilt with a matching sham. It looks amazing and when I have a nice day with some good light I can take some pretty pictures.

That's all I have for now, I'm off to tuck into some homemade pizza.......don't ya love Friday night!

Gone Fishing!

2011-02-27T08:17:00.000+11:00

Our kids absolutely love an afternoon fishing, they bug their father constantly " let's go fishing Dad, come on let's go". Late yesterday afternoon we went and tried out a new fishing spot, this one is on the Namoi River right on the edge of Manilla at a friends place.

Totally amazing spot to fish from, there were big rocks to sit on, the grass had even been cut for our arrival.

In no time at all ( after Megan settled and stop making too much noise ) we had a bite.

A huge Catfish!

He was a bit slimy, Ryan had a hard time holding onto him!

This is a face only a mother could love!

Even though he was big enough and good enough to eat, we have a bit of a catch and release thing going on.

Moments after the first one was released number two was on the line.

After that things were kinda quiet, I think Megan was making too much noise, she clearly doesn't know the meaning of "shhhh you'll scare the fish". Me, well after throwing in the line for the kids a few times and taking a few pictures it was time to sit back and relax with some hand stitching that I have to get done.

I hope you are all having a great weekend too!

Thanks for stopping by.

Another whole quilt!

2011-02-25T16:51:00.000+11:00

Remember all those bits I unpicked off the huge quilt I was working on for Megan. It turns out that I have enough blocks left to make two shams for Megan's quilt and another whole single bed sized quilt with one square cushion sham! How about that!

I put it all together yesterday afternoon and spent today turning it into a fabric and wadding sandwich, ready for some stippling.

This was the fun bit!

So so pretty don't you think? I can't wait to finish Megan's, it might be a bit more challenging as it's twice the size of this one!

As beautiful as it is I don't really want two quilts made from the same fabric so I think this one might eventually be for sale.

Hope you all have a great weekend planned, I have goodies to complete for Shop Handmade so I'll be busy, busy, busy!

Thanks for visiting.

Perfect morning for working on my quilt!

2011-02-22T13:05:00.002+11:00

Yesterday I had to collect Megan from school early as she wasn't feeling very well, when I spoke to Megan's teacher she suggested that I might want to keep her home today as well. So because we were having a quiet morning and didn't have to go into town ( Mark took Ryan to school ) I took the opportunity to join up the rest of Megan's quilt.

Megan came into the room and set up a drawing station, she is working on some artwork she can sell to her brother and father when they get home. It was so nice and relaxing, no TV just the two of us chatting away for a few hours.
I knew the quilt was too big in the beginning so I reduced the size, even after joining it all up I still think it's too big.......as you can see it's only a few inches off the floor on my queen size bed.......Megan only has a double bed and her bed isn't as high off the ground as mine! I think the quick-un-pick might be getting a workout this afternoon.

I'm really pleased with the way it's all coming together, but I have to say that I'm disappointed that I've cut up way more fabric than I needed to, there is almost enough blocks left over ( after I reduced the size the first time ) to make another small quilt!

P.S. The timber shelf thing on my sewing desk was something I picked up at a garage sale on the weekend for a massive $5. I've already cleaned and sanded it ready for a lick of paint.......when I find the time!

Thanks for stopping by.

Patience!

2011-02-19T18:22:00.000+11:00

I was on my way home after cricket with Ryan this morning when I received a text from Jacki telling of a fantastic garage sale! My eyes widened at the thought of old suitcases, sewing machines and all sorts of goodies. I did buy a few goodies all of which I'll show later but today I want to share these pictures of Megan. She bought two balls of wool for 50c and asked if I could show her again how to knit! I have tried this before but she was lacking in something called patience, so we gave up!

I don't know where she has been hiding her patience, I didn't think she would ever find it but this afternoon it all came together and she has been knitting for hours.

I only spent about five minutes showing her what to do and left her to it, surprisingly she has only dropped a stitch once and that's it!

Thank you patience for finding my daughter, hope you stick around!

Just Listed!

2011-02-18T20:50:00.000+11:00

This week has been one of those weeks where I didn't get much done! Running kids from here to there, running errands for my husband, a trip to Tamworth and not much else!

Today I was feeling guilty for not having made anything for my madeit store for a while, so after the kids were dropped off I made a few more bunnies..........all of which have just been listed in my madeit store.

The patchwork fabric used on these bunnies is one of the sweetest ranges, I found it at my local fabric store.

Wouldn't one of these make the perfect Easter present?

Megan already has two sweet bunnies sitting on her bed.......somehow I don't think I'll be getting those ones back!

I'll have some boy bunnies listed in the next couple of days if you are interested.

Take care and have a lovely weekend.

This thing is HUGE!!!!

2011-02-15T07:07:00.000+11:00

After completing all 132 of my blocks late on Sunday, yesterday afternoon while the kids were at school and there was no chance of them running all over it I laid it out. Oh my this thing is big, was one thing that came to mind, how on earth am I going to quilt something this big was the second, and I think I need to reduce the size of it was third!

I told Therese the teacher running the class last Thursday that Megan had a double bed and it wasn't very high off the ground, I think we may have different ideas on how big it needed to be to go on her bed. I know it's not joined up and you might be saying to yourself that it will shrink in size when joined, but I joined one of the strips just to make sure! And yes it's too big! I have since reduced it by taking one row off the top and another down the side.......it's still big but not so big it'll be dragging on the floor!

Since taking this picture I have also spent a bit of time moving some of the more dominant blocks around to balance it out a bit better.And as you can see this design isn't the same as the original pattern I was going to use, it looked like it might be a bit challenging for my first attempt at a big one......I opted for a simpler block which didn't give me too much of a brain strain!

Thanks for stopping by.

Quilt cutting.

2011-02-12T08:22:00.000+11:00

I finally decided to get myself to that quilting class on Thursday to learn how to cut things out properly.......I probably could have done it all at home but I wouldn't got to spend the day laughing with friends ( Jodi, Kath, Melissa, Therese, Heath and Lil ) and more than likely I would have taken the long road when it came to cutting the thing out, the balance of colour would have been off, and I wouldn't have discovered that my pizza cutter thingy had two blades on it.

I bought it probably 8 months back and thought it was going to be such a time saver.....not! All it did was make mince meat of everything I touched with it, I thought it was me, my technique was all wrong so I always went back to the trusty scissors. When I started to cut some of my squares on Thursday it did it again......very frustrating, I thought the blade was blunt or something. Kath and Therese pulled it apart and discovered there were two blades not the usual one..........so now I have a spare blade what a bonus!!!

Now that I can cut without making mince meat of everything I spent last night cutting out some more pieces of my quilt, so far I've cut out around 450 pieces......another 100 or so to go. Such a long process but I'm going to be one happy camper when it's all done.........I'd love my house to be full of lovely handmade quilts, they make a house a home!

Have a lovely weekend!

My Creative Space......Rabbit Explosion!

2011-02-10T07:05:00.002+11:00

There has been a bit of a rabbit explosion at my house lately! I simply can't help making these cute little creatures, every time I finish one I think of another colour I'd like to see one in so I have to make more!

I don't think I'll be able to stop......I don't think want to stop, not yet anyway!

There will be more bunnies on their way to Shop Handmade next week, some will be travelling to Brisbane and I think I'll keep one for my self, I mean Megan!

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

If you want to see more creative spaces head on over to kootoyoo and say hello.

Black Bird Cushions

2011-02-07T18:22:00.000+11:00

Today was so nice and cool, it was an absolute joy to sit and create something without sweat dripping from my brow.

I made these four little cushions for a special order I've been working on. Loads of fun, I really enjoyed making something I haven't made for a while!

Because these cushions are so small ( 20cm x 20cm ) I had to make the inserts to go in them.

I also made this set of Love pears in red, I was thinking of making a few more for Valentine's Day or any time of year for that matter!

So sorry about the brightness in this picture, I don't know why it is but I can never get a nice picture of anything with red in it! These pears aren't fluro red......it's just my crap photography skills!

Thanks for stopping by.

P.S. The air-con man came and fixed my air-conditioner a short while ago! Woooohooooo!

I love a pretty bag with so many uses!

2011-02-04T10:53:00.001+11:00

Remember way back about a month ago when I was playing around with frills? These are the new creations I was working on............Draw string bags!

I couldn't reveal way back then because I have been waiting on a shipment of self covering buttons so I could add that little extra touch to finish them off!

They are all fully lined in a coordinating fabric, have three rows of frills......all of which were done by hand as I don't have a ruffler. The frills are all sewn in.......you won't see any raw edges on these little beauties!

They are all just the sweetest, so pretty to look at.....yet so useful.

For the first time around I have only made them in with 4 different coordinating colours......I just need to see how they go at Shop Handmade before I dive into full scale production!

If you are interested I'm more than happy to make you one........I am selling them for $39.95 plus a bit of postage.

If you like bright colours or soft and pretty that's not a problem.........I can do either.

I love my draw string bag........I can keep my copy of Handmade Living in it for safe keeping, kind of like a library bag.

Or I can put my favourite pair of shoes in it when I'm travelling.

When my bag isn't in use I just hang it on the door, it looks so pretty and always makes me smile every time I glance across and see it. Ahhhh!

There will be a shipment of these very useful yet pretty draw string bags arriving at Shop Handmade early next week so keep an eye out if you are down that way.

Thanks for stopping by.

Another hot day!

2011-02-01T07:19:00.001+11:00

I don't quite understand the thinking behind the big man sitting behind a desk in his air-conditioned office at Country Energy, why you ask.........because today will be my second day without power! Yes I came home yesterday after dropping the kids off for their first day of school.........I was really looking forward to a quite house, cup of coffee and maybe a bit of sewing. What I got was hot house, no water, no power. Why when they know what temperatures we are dealing with do they do this? It's virtually impossibly to cool the house down once the power comes back on at 4pm, the air is just too hot and it stinks!

So today I'm packing up my bunnies and we're going to find some place nice and cool.

I just thought I'd share these two pictures I took over the weekend.........they are of a Centre Pivot not far from my house..........it looks nice and cool doesn't it?

Imagine running through this giant sprinkler!

Just in case you were wondering........this is one of my husbands pivots!

Have a happy cool day!

Rabbit softie.....take two!

2011-01-30T08:27:00.001+11:00

The past few days have been so hot at my house, the mercury hit a lovely 39 degrees in my living room a few days straight..........the air felt hot to breathe, it was simply disgusting! I didn't feel creative at all!! This time next year will be a different story, I can't wait to be in a house which has insulation and doesn't feel like a hot box!

So yesterday was a nice surprise, it was cool and fresh with a nice breeze........perfect! I instantly felt inspired to make something..........take two on the rabbit softie!

I made just a handful of these rabbits last year, this time around I thought I might use the same pattern.......just change things slightly!

These colours are quite girly but I assure you the next round will be for the little man...........I had an idea in my dreams last night and I'd like to give it a try on the boy rabbits before I reveal, just in case it looks like it has no business being there.

On to a totally different subject, a while back I made 40 of these gorgeous little owls for a lovely lady, they are being used as favours on the tables at a christening today. She has put ribbon and tulle holding sugar almonds on them......here they are all boxed up ready to go! I love it when someone so sweet takes the time to show me things like this............thanks Helena!

Have a lovely Sunday....I'm going to have a coffee then get the kids uniforms ready for tomorrow!

Stylish Bloggers Award

2011-01-28T08:33:00.000+11:00

A few days ago I received this award from the gorgeous Tamara over at One Craftee Mumma! It was such a nice surprise especially when it comes from such a lovely person.

In order to keep this award there are a few things I have to do:

Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
Share 7 things about yourself
Pay it forward to some Stylish bloggers, contact those bloggers and tell them about the award.

So here we go........seven things about me!

I'd rather sew than do the ironing........that's what ironing lady's are for.
I don't like jelly.....the thought of eating it makes me gag.
If I was down to my last dollar I'd spend it on the kids.
When I was twelve I snuck my pony "Freckles" in the house, showed him all around and fed him peppermints..........all while mum was out!
I love collecting old things to put in my house.......I get that one from my mother!
I slipped over in the frost and broke my leg twelve weeks before I got married.......it took 3 months for my leg to heal properly!
I love living in the country, city life just doesn't do it for me!

So here are some blogger which I think deserve this award

http://littletedcanvas.blogspot.com/

My Creative Space.

2011-01-27T08:15:00.003+11:00

This is the fabric I bought last year that was going to be made up into a quilt of some sort for a gift! After my fabric stash clean up on the weekend and re-discovering this little bundle of brightly coloured fabric I decided to put it together.

The square construction was easy, very basic and took no time at all, but because I'm not really a quilter and the thought of stippling all of this quilt frightens me...... I decided to do something different!

I raided my kitchen cupboard and found all the different sized circles I needed, drew circles all over with my magic fabric pen, pinned the fabric down, then stitched along the line of the circles!

I was amazed at how quickly it all came together. I think the only thing that was time consuming on this was hand stitching the binding........all of which was done in the car yesterday on the way to Green Valley Farm ( a three hour drive ).

It was originally intended as a christening gift, but because I became so busy towards the end of last year I didn't have the time to make it up, I had to settle for a bought gift. I think I'll still send it to the mother of the new bub anyway, besides I don't have a baby boy, and have no intentions of having another baby! It'll make a nice surprise anyway, cheer her up............I hear her middle son put her mobile phone in the toaster yesterday and turned it on! It didn't look good!

For more creative spaces head on over and say hello to Kirsty at Kootoyoo.

Starting Fresh!

2011-01-25T09:15:00.001+11:00

After the whole Hugh Hefner episode I felt I needed to start fresh, de-clutter my work area. I had such a mess I didn't know what I had stashed away in bags ( I hadn't even opened ), in baskets under the bed, even in my bedside cupboard...............basically it was driving me insane!!!

I took a deep breath and started one piece of fabric at a time. The big pieces of fabric were all folded neatly and stored in huge baskets, all the smaller pieces ( .5 and 1.5m ) were all put in pigeon holes up on my tallboy, and all the little bits were placed in containers and put away.......any bolts of fabric were put up out of the way instead of beside my bedside cupboard.

It took all day but it feels amazing to have it all done, it makes me smile when I'm sitting at my sewing machine and I look up and see everything so neat and colourful. aaaahhhh!

The fabric up in the top left hand corner was bought months back, it was going to be a gift for a friend who had a baby boy.......well things kinda got real busy towards the end of last year and I had to resort to a bought gift because I simply didn't have the time. Yesterday I decided to make it up into a small quilt.........I should have some pictures later in the week to share so make sure you visit again to check it out.

bye for now

Sometimes things don't always go to plan!

2011-01-23T08:22:00.004+11:00

I had a vision in my head of the rabbit I wanted to create, but it didn't quite turn out as planned!

Now that it is completed I find it hard to look at, it has an old and wise look about it.........it reminds me of Master Shifu all dressed up in his reversible holiday outfit.

Is it the shape of the head that's putting me off? The neck looks kind of weird too, or is it the fact that it looks like a skinned rabbit with it's pasty appearance? If it were green with pointy ears it could be Yoda!

I don't know where I went wrong, but all I can do is put it down to experience ( or lack of ) and try again!

P.S. One skinned rabbit needs a home!

Mr rabbit has just been donated to Hope Softies!

My Creative Space.

2011-01-20T12:48:00.000+11:00

I'm so pleased that My Creative Space hosted by the lovely Kirsty is back......such great fun to join in and see what everyone has been creating.

Although I have some orders I should be working on this morning I decided to experiment on something new. I wanted to keep the sad eye theme going ...........it doesn't mean that I only like sad things, I just like the look of the over-sized eyelid. I wanted this item to be washable ( gentle hand wash not tortured in the machine with everyone's socks and jocks), but I had to come up with some way of putting the eyelid on with no raw edges.

I don't mind the idea of raw edges myself, I like hand stitching to be visible, I think it gives things a more used look, rustic handmade......I don't know, I just like it but if this item eventually has to be washed........there might be more than a few sad eyes!

A few cups of coffee later my new little friend has eyelids and a nose........finally starting to get some personality, don't you think?

Now all I have to do is figure out how to attach it to a body!

For many more Creative Spaces head on over to Kootoyoo and say hello.

New project for 2011

2011-01-19T09:28:00.001+11:00

This year I have many things I would like to accomplish and one of those things on my list is to make Megan a beautiful big patchwork quilt for her new room!

I've been keeping an eye out for some fabric for a while and when I came across this range by Riley Blake I fell in love with the colours.

Not knowing how much fabric I needed to make a decent sized quilt because (I've never done one of these before ) I took a stab in the dark and just ordered a bit of this and a bit more of that.........I ended up with 9 yards in total.

I was so pleased when they arrived in the post and all the colours were as beautiful as they looked on the computer screen.

It all started a few months back while I was having a look around in my local fabric store ( adding to my ever growing stash ) I noticed this quilt on the bench.

This quilt was made by a local lady, she had taken it into the shop for a bit of show and tell. I took a picture of it for later reference, for when I found the perfect fabric.

I've since bought the pattern and I'm almost good to go......though I think I might have to add in few solid colours to break it up a bit.

It hard to concentrate with the kids home through the holidays so I thought I might wait until the kids go back to school so I can go to a class and learn how to do it properly, but it's driving me crazy looking at my new project and not being able to start.

I'm totally inspired by all the quilt blogs out there, these people are so clever and they can whip up a gorgeous quilt in no time at all.......many of these clever people are participating in Quilts for Queensland organised by the lovely Corrie over at Retro Mummy. Well worth a look!

That's all I have time for today,
Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday afternoon.

2011-01-18T08:21:00.005+11:00

After finding ourselves glued to the box for the past week, and after a quick trip to Orange to see my parents, Sunday afternoon we were determined to have some fun and relaxation.

We have a special fishing spot we like to go to on the Namoi River further up in the hills behind Manilla.......it takes about an hour to get there from where we live (which happens to be along the same river ) but it is well worth the trip!

The afternoon was spent splashing, swimming and playing along the waters edge. Ryan found that it was much more relaxing if he sat in the water and waited for the big catch to come along, while Megan built a dam to house a few yabbies! Megan is usually not the type of person you want to take along when you want to go fishing! She is loud, always splashing in the water, throwing rocks trying to make you think that the fish are jumping out of the water, generally the fish clear out when Megan is around! She did do all of the above but after a while she sat in the water on her chair and waited. This time her patients paid off! She was the first one to catch a fish........a Murray Cod. She was so excited, she screamed, jumped and was more than happy to pose for a shot with her big catch!

I wasn't log before my big boy Ryan was in battle with something on the end of his line as well. He was a little annoyed that Megan got the first Murray Cod but was more than happy when he caught the biggest!

Just so you know we released both fish, neither of our catches were big enough for the dinner table.......maybe next time!

Flood Relief at Shop Handmade

2011-01-16T07:19:00.001+11:00

For the month of January myself and a number of other designers at Shop Handmade will be donating 10% of our sales to the Flood Relief Appeal.

The lovely Julie and Rachel have decided to match money raised dollar-for-dollar.

I have never seen such devastation and hope to never see it again! If we all get together and do something, no matter how big or small, we can make a difference in helping to re-build these peoples lives.

I can't think of a better reason to go shopping for something lovely and handmade, can you?

So head on in to Shop and the gorgeous Julie, Rachel and Jennie will be able to let you know which designers are participating in this fabulous cause.

We have friends in Brisbane which have lost everything, their beautiful homes and it's contents. We also have a business in Goondiwindi which came close to going under but thankfully was spared.........some other homes in the outer lying areas weren't so lucky!

We have all been touched in one way or another........so get on board people and participate in some fantastic fundraisers that are happening Flood Relief at Shop Handmade and the QLD Flood Appeal Auctions........Thanks!

Handmade Canberra: Flood Relief at Shop During January

2011-01-15T17:55:00.001+11:00

Thanks to our amazing and generous designers, when you shop at Shop Handmade during January, 10% of a large range of wares will go to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal.

Not only that, the enormously generous Julie and Rachel will match dollar-for-dollar, the donated designer amount, and donate the same amount to the appeal.

Your shopping dollar has always gone 100% to designers at Shop Handmade - and now it will go even further, to aid our friends in Queensland, whose lives have absolutely devastated by the floods.

Come in to Shop and show your support now - or send a local friend in to snaffle some goodies on your behalf. There's never been a greater time to shop at Shop Handmade.

Handmade Canberra: Flood Relief at Shop During January

A pretty house.

2011-01-08T07:49:00.003+11:00

Every little girl needs a house cushion to sit on their bed, apart from looking beautiful and having a garden out in bloom all year round it's great for pretend play!

I love this little cushion.......
and I hope Chloe did too!

Have a lovely weekend!

Time for something with frills!

2011-01-06T20:17:00.004+11:00

I had the urge to make something different today........ something with frills, I wanted it to be pretty yet useful. I decided to stop with all the other goodies I was making ( more stock for Shop Handmade ) and have a trial run!

So far it's looking just as I pictured!

I can't wait to give it a go in some brighter colours!

Pincushions ready for Shop!

2011-01-04T07:41:00.004+11:00

Here's something I haven't made for a while.....colourful owl pincushions.
I had these pincushions and a stack of pears ready for the post yesterday, I'd planned for them to arrive in Shop Handmade Wednesday but I totally forgot that yesterday was a public holiday!

I even took the kids shopping in Tamworth Yesterday, by then I knew it was a public holiday and yes there were many shops which were shut up for the day, but the ones we wanted were open. The kids spent some of their christmas money, Ryan bought a Wii game and Megan bought $2.50 worth of lollies........she is so easily pleased, she had the opportunity to buy a huge range of toys but this is all she wanted. She is a clever little thing because I witnessed her selling a few lollies to her brother for 50c each last night.......she ended up making a profit!
I stocked up on new undies and jocks for the kids, new school socks ( Megan totally trashed every white sock she owns so I had to throw atleast 20 pairs out ), a few pairs of shorts and I found a real pretty top for myself! All I need to do now is get some new school shoes and we are good to go!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-02T08:57:00.005+11:00

I hope you all had a lovely day yesterday, the first day of a new decade.......I hope this one doesn't go as quickly as the last one did!

This year is going to be a big year for us, we have been planning this for a while and now it's finally going to happen.............we are going to build our dream home on 5 acres just on the edge of town.
We've bought and renovated before and that was slightly stressful so I can't imagine how stressful a whole house is going to be!!

Get ready for a few posts about decorating, I'm totally addicted to all the interior magazines and blogs and I'm sure I'll have plenty to share.

The creative front this year is also going to be huge......I've already planned a few things for next christmas and after I finish a couple of orders I'll get into it! Shop Handmade is good for me.......very very good so I'd have to be crazy not to make it my main focus, I'll also do some online sales in my madeit store and possibly a few markets! That should keep me busy enough between picking tiles and paint colours!

I also want to make a few things for the new home, a quilt each for the kids to put in their new rooms and maybe one for myself......that might be pushing it slightly! I have so many decorating ideas I want to get into, covering chairs, window treatments, cushions, bedding and the list goes on.

So here I am slightly excited about the year ahead and what it will bring for our family. What are your plans for the year ahead, I'd love to know?

P.S. I made the little paper houses just before christmas and was going to use them in a special diplay. Next christmas I'll be sure to get it together nice and early!!

Miniature Mushrooms.

2010-12-30T11:21:00.005+11:00

I'm finding it hard to keep the "need to sew" switch turned off. I'm not the kind of person who can sit on a sofa and just watch a movie without doing something with my hands, it drives me totally nuts. By Boxing day I'd had enough, I must have gone atleast 10 days without sewing a single stitch and I was having serious withdrawals! The kids were playing a game and my husband was watching the cricket ( blah! couldn't think of anything worse ) so I decided to make something sweet to go underneath the tree on Megan's bedside table.
These cute miniature mushrooms were alot of fun to make and Megan loves them!

She has a big mushroom stool ( seat ) in her room and when I have the time I'm going to make her some much larger ones off a pattern I purchased from Sarah at Gifts Created.

Having a room filled with fungi sounds weird...........but it's going to look pretty!

A Merry Christmas was had by all.

2010-12-27T09:04:00.006+11:00

For me the best thing about christmas is the look of surprise and total excitement on the kids faces as they discover presents which have appeared under the tree overnight, and the sparkle and joy on their faces as they open each and every one!
This big boy was super impressed when he opened this.........

As was Megan when she opened hers......

I just had to share this picture........this is the kind of picture you get when you interrupt someone for a nice christmas shot who is having the best time ever with her new toys and doesn't want to be bothered. It was all a bit funny I thought.

Santa bought the kids scooters this year so after a massive lunch and a little rest to recover we went and found a bike path....... we only have paddocks and rocks at our house for the kids to scoot up and down on, until our slab is poured that is!

They went up and back trying to do little jumpy skip things on them for quite some time. Megan skipped a little too hard and fell......she got a bit of a sore wrist out of it, so I had to put a bandage on it to fix it all up!

Ryan had a fun time, it was like he had owned a scooter all along and knew exactly how to do little jumps and things.

Overall we had two very happy little kids, Megan could hardly contain her christmas excitement......

and Ryan he's too cool to look as excited as Megan!

The kids also got and iPod each and because I'm technically challenged and have not idea about these things ( it doesn't help when the dick at Harvey Norman sells you the wrong charger ), I told the kids they'll have to wait until I hunt down my little IT expert Sarah, she can sort it all out for us super quick and easy I'm sure! They didn't mind having to wait which is so nice of them, if it were me I'd probably chuck a tantrum! Just kidding!

I hope you all had had a fantastic day filled with laughter, good food and family .......just like ours was!

It's almost time.....

2010-12-23T07:44:00.004+11:00

time for the kids to open their gifts under the tree.
I've been away for the past week with my family, we went to a lovely christening and afterwards my husband came home ( for work) while the kids and I stayed with some special friends. Our friends have kids the same age as Megan and Ryan so they had an absolute cracker of a time, there was daily trips to the pool, camping in the back yard, cricket at the park.......the big boys went to the pictures.... twice! We ate beautiful food as there happened to be a chef in the house.......I even picked up a few tips! We relaxed, crafted, chatted for hours......if it wasn't Christmas and I didn't have a hair appointment today ( booked 2 months ahead ) I would have stayed on another week!

A dose of retail therapy is always good and something I love to do when I go to Goodiwindi, there are only a few small boutiques there and I always find something unique. We turned a 3 1/2 hour drive home into a 7 hour trip because we stopped in both Moree and Narrabri for more therapy.........the shops are simply beautiful this time of year all decked out for the festive season.

So now it's back to reality.......unpacking, washing, ironing, cooking, I even had a flat tyre this morning.....the first one in about 7 years. Mark spotted it on his way out to work and changed it before I was even out of bed........isn't he a darling!

Well I must be off, I have a huge basket of washing waiting to be hung out before the rain appears again......take care and have a lovely day!

Last Custom Order.

2010-12-16T09:00:00.003+11:00

This cute little fella is the last custom order I'm doing for the year! It's getting to the point where it's almost physically impossible to have something made and posted for a safe arrival before Christmas. I have a few things I have to do today and that's it......phew! I can't believe the pace I've been working at for the past few months.......trust me I'll be better prepared for next year!
A few weeks ago I spotted these gorgeous red moose .......so it's out with the reindeer and in with the moose for this year. They are so cute and I think at some stage they might be spray painted white and kept up all year round.

I caved this year and went with the big tree in the corner of the lounge room as opposed to the stick tree I had last year.........which took up very little space! I sat it up on top of a giant trunk and now it almost touches the ceiling, it looks massive and quite dominant in the small room, but the kids love it and that's all that matters!

I told them what colours to put on it and they decorated it all by themselves, they even had the ornaments spread out evenly and not in big clumps! Now we just have to wait for Santa to visit and put some gifts under it.

Rudolf is on his way!

2010-12-14T11:42:00.003+11:00

Where did the time go? Christmas is upon us and I'm so looking forward to spending a bit of time with the kids and not having to worry about homework, sports activities and having to put a bit of spit and polish on the kids every morning as they adorn their uniforms!

I think the kids sometimes have a better social life than their parents. This time of year there are plenty of christmas parties to attend and today Megan was having her class party at school. I wanted to do something special for the kids and I have to admit that I totally copied this idea from Melissa Goodsell over at Day by Day, there is a picture of these scrumptious reindeer treats in her festive blog banner and I fell in love with the idea!
So because we had an end of year school mass last night and we didn't get home til late, the kids and I were up at 10pm cutting, slicing and piping to get these done for school today!

They looked gorgeous as they just kept multiplying and multiplying.......I found it hard not having a little taste, Megan didn't find it hard resisting, she jumped at the chance to accidentally destroy one so it had to be eaten!

So here is the difference between my two kids......one wants all the bells and whistles while the other is content with a bag of corn chips for his class party ( which happens to be at the pool ).

I hope you are all enjoying the end of year festivities!

Thanks for stopping by.

Brown paper as gift wrap!

2010-12-09T12:47:00.003+11:00

This morning I had an idea to make some of my own gift wrap, I'm a total fan of brown paper.......the colouring is just like linen which is my absolute favourite, I wanted white spots and a big ribbon!
These are the goodies I used.......

I started by painting large circles all over the paper. I think that stars and snowflakes would have looked gorgeous......I'll have to find myself a stamp or two for that one!

Then I filled in the spaces with some smaller white circles.

Now I have some pretty gifts under my tree, what I really need to do is start the rest of my chrissy shopping.......so far I've got nothing for the family, although I have a list!

Hope all your Christmas preparations are coming along beautifully.

New Necklace.

2010-12-08T07:06:00.004+11:00

How beautiful is this little package I received in the mail yesterday!

I was on the hunt for a red necklace last week, something different and a little bit special that I could wear alone or mix with a few other necklaces, I thought about Mel over at Little Ted Canvas. Mel has a really gorgeous madeit store called "Loved" and there are some beautiful crochet necklaces......perfect for what I was looking for!
One of these little goodies used to decorate the package has since made it's way to our christmas tree.

I think Mel has done a great job, her crochet is so neat and the colours are stunning. I'm really looking forward to wearing my new necklace........maybe I'll save it for a christening I'm going to in a few weeks.

Stay safe and stay dry.

Big Weekend.

2010-12-07T07:03:00.004+11:00

Yesterday was spent making some more JOY pears and pricing some owls ready for posting to Shop Handmade. I have a huge order to complete today ( 30 owls ) and then I'll get stuck back into more goodies for Shop.
Even though I had another great weekend with the markets I'm totally finished with them for the year, I think Shop Handmade and on-line sales will keep me busy enough for the next few weeks. Actually I'm looking forward to slowing the pace a bit, I'm not going to stop sewing just slow it down...........I'm a bit over the 12 - 14 hour days.

I came home with a big box full of these beautiful Agave's, now I have to find about 15 big pots to put them in and try not to kill them in the process.

I did a big shop yesterday just incase the water goes over the road and we can't get through, all the rivers around us a flooded in a big way ( Peel, Namoi, Mooki ) and there is simply no where esle for the water to go, with more big rain on the way tomorrow who knows what will happen!

Thanks for stopping by

More Fabric Boxes!

2010-12-01T07:04:00.004+11:00

I hope you are all having a lovely week, maybe doing a bit of Chrissy shopping.......I haven't even started yet! I know what I've got to get I just need a day to to and get it then hide it so the kids don't get tempted by shaking and poking the parcels!

Well it's the 1st of December and that means it's time to put up your tree! My kids are going to have to wait until next week for that one, the one and only spot left in this tiny house to put the massive tree is currently taken up by boxes of handmade goodies ready for market......they've been really good about it and they understand.

Ok here are some pictures to share......This was a special order I made for a lovely friend of mine.......I was so pleased with how the colours worked out that I made another set ( with handles ) for the market in Gundy on the weekend.

This was the view out my bedroom window the other day while I was stitching away.

So glad it's all finished because the amount of dust they created was a bit much to handle, and I bet they're glad they are finished because of the pending rain which has now arrived.

Sorry for the lack of blogging over the past few days, the rush is nearly over and then things will return to normal.

A huge congratulations goes out to a friend of mine Bridgette who was announced as one of this years Scrapbooking Memories Masters for 2011. Woooohoooo that deserves a drink I think!

Meet my new little friend!

2010-11-26T09:45:00.004+11:00

Isn't he beautiful, tall and mysterious? This is an owl I couldn't resist purchasing at the Markets last weekend, I gave Megan the money to go over and buy it, she was so excited but not as excited as I was!
He has one of those sensor things in the little bit of wood he's standing on and every time you walk past he turns his head towards you and goes "Hoo Hoo", I love it! Don't go thinking that my house is full of toys on display, it most certainly is not but I had to make an exception for this one just because of the owl thing I have going on.

A few weeks ago I had a real busy week, what I thought had to be my busiest so far! This week I think I've topped that week........I love a handmade Christmas and it looks as though everyone else does too!

I love the idea of being able to put some pretty things I've made on my tree this year..........I think it's going to have to wait another few weeks until the rush is over, then maybe I can make special things just for us!

I must go and put some smiling faces on these little hanging babushka dolls I made yesterday, then I plan on doing the little bird brooches for the rest of the day.

Thanks for stopping by