Weekend Rendezvous ...

Can you believe it!
I had another Oscar-free weekend!
Went 'up the river' with a few girl friends
... partly for my Birthday!
I'd organised a workshop at
Echuca's 'Hobbysew'
making "Bucket Buddies!"
What fun was had!
A huge thank you to Linda for her
guidance, tips, advice & patience!The "Bucket Buddy" is Linda's design
& I believe that they are now going
to run this as one of their Friday workshops!These are our finished products ... Made by ...
Top Row L-R: Sam's Christmas theme
Wendy S's Think Pink!
My Wonderland for Olivia
Front Row L-R: Louey's Pink Delight
Naden's Batik style ... ... they show off of our personalities ...
Sam & I added little handles,
Louey & Wendy S made YoYo's ...
Naden went for a simple collar look!
So thanks for the fun everyone ...
.... I laughed so much this weekend ...
"enJOY the journey" xxx

Thanksgiving Baby

One of my closest, longest friends
had a baby girl yesterday.
(who the nappy cake was for!)
Welcome to the world'Olivia Margaret'
I can hardly wait to give you a cuddle!
She was born on Oscar's half birthday, exactly 1.5 years difference!
Born 4 weeks early due to
pregnancy complications
but arrived safely last night . . .
. . . weighing in at 6lbs 11oz
We won't be able to visit for a little bit as she is in the special care nursery but . . . got some little goodies for her!I've never sworn that any expectant mother I have known was going to have a certain gender baby but with Meags I have said from the start she was having a girl! So lucky for me my gift making was on the right track!
Little boots above &
a bassinet sized mini quilt for now ... a cot sized one to come ...
all in one of my favourite fabric ranges ... oh I love you 'Wonderland'
I had better get all those little stitches hooked in so I can give this one over to the new owner!We had our Thanksgiving turkey on Wed night
... since I have x2 American SIL's it is a regular Celebration on our yearly calendar!
I really missed your pumpkin pie this year Bets
... so I'm putting in my request now for one on Christmas day ... xx

What I've been working on ...

... working on something
I can't quite declare the whole story
as this is a gift & just in case!
... We had a family Wedding a year ago on the 22nd(l-r:my husband,his sister the bride & their other sister
with the bride's x3 nephews)
... the whole gift idea was a struggle
... so this was made in time
for the 1st Anniversary but we
haven't caught up with them as yet!
The Recipe: One layer cake in Camille's
"Simple Abundance" sewn into
half square triangles & then quartered!
Layered with cotton & wool
add another decadent 'Sky' layer of floral
finished with diagonal quilting stitching in red thread
& knotting in all corners
'Earth' Bound with more floral
I hope they like!!?

Miss me?

We went away for the weekend ...
My first "Oscar-free" over night x2!
(That means x2 sleep-ins!Yay!)
I'm not so sure he missed me!??
Here he is having a great time at Rhoma & K Pa's!
(I think my Mum now needs the rest after the weekend!)
& ... how good it is to come home!

Red all around ... & aqua too!

I have spent some time this morning working out
who I have already organised Christmas gifts for
& who I still need to!
I'm giving myself the goal
to make this a "Mostly - Handmade Christmas"
Its the guys that I'm having trouble
thinking of ideas for?
Anyone?

&
Look my Red & Aqua Disappearing Nine Patch Block Swap arrived!
Thankyou Jane!
So excited about this but ....
....I have a few things still to complete
& the gifts list to work on before
I'm going to put this one together ....
It may well turn out to be a 'twenty-ten' project

& .... I've got a couple more R&A swaps in store!
Let me know if you'd like to join in a local Melb one
where we make the blocks in our own time at home,
& then meet once a month to swap them & socialize!

In the Pink ....

Another finished item from my time 'up the river'
Is a girlie version of the cot sized quilt I made for Oscar.Now this is not announcing anything
but you might say a quiet little prayer for us!
boy or girl no matter ...

Soule sought after!

Do you remember back in August
I mentioned about a wonderful blog I check regularly?
Well,
since then I have acquired Amanda's
second book "Handmade Home"
which I adore & will over the years ahead
make many of these great ideas!
I've been slowly changing our 'study'
into a work & play space!
It will be an evolving space . . .
. . working in with current needs!
Well now I'd love to own her first book
........ I've entered a give-away put on by
Rachel of Euphoria
(thanks for the tip off Rachel!)
& she is offering to gift someone
Amanda's book "The Creative Family"You can enter too ....!
I would be so excited to win this!
I've never really won anything!
Edit - Well actually a few years ago I won the Australian section
of a Tupperware Art competition
& my work went on show in NYC & traveled around the USA!
But that wasn't having my named pulled out of a hat kind of thing!
Please Please Please ....
Enjoy your day

Give-Away Draw & Time to Celebrate!

GIVE-AWAY DRAWWOW = 87 entries!
Lots of love sent my way ....
.... so thank you kindly!
1st name drawn - Katherine (blog-less fan!)
Katherine you can choose which gift you
would like to have??
2nd name drawn - Andi
.... so Andi I will have great pleasure
sending you the other gift!
Thanks everyone for 'playing'
Enjoy

A TIME TO CELEBRATEYesterday I helped to host a Baby Shower
for a very dear friend
that I have grown up with.
Neither of us have sisters so
we've kind of been each others!
This little baby that we are eagerly awaiting
is going to be a pre-Christmas baby
so we had a subtle Christmas theme of
'Snowflakes'
Do you like the Nappy Cake I made her?
All great fun!
Happy Birthday
for later this week Meags!

little stitches

Do you like all my little perle stitches?
This quilt was pieced & quilted a while back . . .
Now it is a finished item . . with binding . . .
one result from time spent at 'the river'i am so pleased with this one

Celebrating all good things in small packages!

"I SPY with my little eye something beginning with "P"!
. . . Pencils
. . . . Pear
. . . . Parcel
A little while ago I posted about
a swap I joined: "I Spy" fabric swap!
(Thankyou Care)
Contents of small package No.1
200 4" squares . . .
I'm very excited about receiving these!
How else could you put your hands on so many
different fabrics without buying the whole store!?
I haven't decided yet whether I create a
layout in terms of the alphabet or using the idea of a rainbow?
I need to have a play!

Contents of small package No.2
A few weeks ago I met with a great group of girls
who all blog & are dead-set keen on their quilting!
While chatting I told them all about my goal to make a
King sized Value Quilt . . .
& so Andi & now Rita have both sent me some extra squares
so that I can have as many different fabrics as possible!
"Thankyou Rita" (Red Pepper Quilts) . . . if you haven't seen her work/ blog you must check her out!
Rita is very talented at piecing simple quilt top designs with fabulous fabrics!
Thankyou for always sharing Rita!

Have you joined in for my Give-Away yet?
It ends on Monday!
Small package No.3 = My little Blondie!

Give-Away

Hello . . . I'm back from 10 days away
& now am catching up on washing!
This is my 71st post = my 1st give-away!
Now 1971 was a great year . . . . . I'm obviously not a new born in this pic
so not quite circa 1971 . . .
Its not far off my Birthday so I thought I'd celebrate early!
&
that means that I will do a draw for x2 gifts on Monday 16th 8am!

Every comment ever left so far on my blog
will have x1 entry in for these draws . . .
&/or if you are a follower or become
one then you will have another x2 entries . . .
&/or if you leave a comment on this post
you will also have x2 entries . . .
&/or if you cc me on an email where you tell
some friends about my blog and giveaway
then there's another x2 entries!
&/or you tell people all about it and direct them
to my blog via facebook (make sure you're my friend!)
then there's another x2 entries!
Go for it!
What gifts you say?
The 1st name drawn has the choice
between this patchwork themed bag
Double sided & lined
(23 x 29cm)or
This patch worked Christmas gift bag with 'wonky star' front panel & lining!
(29 x28cm)