Heat Wave & Sizzling Sewing Machine!

I sure could do with one of these today!! You know how it wasn't really all that long ago that I was complaining about the unseasonably COLD spring we were having here on top of our hill? Well, it must be all that global warming coming into effect, cos we've gone from averaging about 26 degrees last week to mid 30's for the last two days, sitting on 37 degrees Celsius here as I type at 4:30pm!! - that's 98.6F for those playing overseas and VERY unusual for Toowoomba! Even I'M feeling the heat a bit and I'm a self-confessed hot-weather-gal! Have to say, it's the humidity that's making me feel icky and sticky, not the temperature, cos there's storms rolling around the area teasing us with the possibility of rain ... but not following through! RATS!! Still ... it's better BY FAR than being cold!! :0) (No matter what you say, Lilly Linda!!!)

But I'm happy to report that the heat wave hasn't chased away my sewing mojo and I had a VERY productive weekend and start to the week. Firstly, I finished the top of a stacked coin quilt for my Mum's birthday/Christmas gift. Do you remember some charm squares I found at Patchworks Plus a while ago?


Well, the pink ones (I know, I know!! But they weren't ALL pink!!) were transformed into ...


This was my first try at a stacked coin quilt and I confess to making some things up as I went along, but I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out. In fact, I was SO happy with it, that I HAD to order some more charm packs from Sarah ...


... to make another smaller version as a wedding present for Tony, who I work with and who's getting married in January. The Swanky packs (the ones that are THAT colour!!) are the ones I'll use for Tony and Elese's quilt and the others ... well ... they kind of followed me home! :0) OK, so they didn't, but I'm intending to make some Christmas gifties with them, so feel justified in adding to my stash! It's a good story and I'm sticking with it! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And although this quilt top is the only finish I have to share at the moment (well, sort of finish - I'll be chatting to my super quilter Rosalie tomorrow!!) I have also finished the machine stitching on five more projects that now need some hand stitching done, so I'll be able to share photos of those soon - I promise! :0) So, all in all, my sewing machine has been sizzling along with the weather!

But right now, I think I'm going to go make myself an icy cold beverage and sit under the fan for a bit. My fave libation at the moment is a self-made concoction consisting of a splash of Mango Iced Tea syrup, ginger ale to top up the glass (Kirks is the best taste for any Aussies wondering!) and finished with four or five mint-ice cubes. If you've not tried mint ice cubes before, all you have to do is put a couple of handfuls of fresh mint leaves into a heat-proof jug, pour boiling water over them and let them steep for five minutes or so, then strain the liquid (a mint tincture or tea which can be enjoyed hot as a tea and is good for unhappy tummies!!) into ice cube trays and freeze. Actually, you could probably just make up some mint tea bags if you don't have fresh mint taking over your herb garden - like I do! :0) Mint-ice cubes are a must at our place for summer - they even give plain ol' water a bit of a boost! :0) Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh .... I can taste that cold drink now!! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

PS. It's raining - YAY!! Hope it sticks around for a while!! BH! KRIS

Home Is The Sailor Home From Sea!

You know how I've been teasing you by telling you about SOOOOOOOOO many finishes coming out of my sewing room, but not SHOWING you cos they're Secret Squirrel projects? Well, I can now show you one of them, cos it arrived where it was travelling off to.

Now, it was the lovely Kerryanne's birthday last month, but since I was so snowed under at the time, I sent her a cute card and an IOU for her giftie ... which I finished last week and was so excited that I just wanted to borrow Dr Who's Tardis to deliver it STRAIGHT AWAY!!! Are you like that?? Whenever I make/buy a giftie for someone I want to give it to them RIGHT NOW so they can start enjoying it! Well after a quick (remarkably so!!) trip via Australia Post this is what arrived at Kerryanne's door this week ...

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHHH! Me Hearties! Yo, Ho! Yo, Ho! A Pirate's Life For Me!! (Pirates have 'colourful language, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Hmmm ... it seems he was getting into the swing of his piratey character here - a treasure chest, a ship, a pretty mermaid and a bottle of rum ... what more could a buccaneer bear ask for! :0)

Since Kerryanne and her family have recently undertaken a 'sea change' I thought a salty sea-dog ... er ... sea-BEAR ... might be just the ticket for her birthday! He's yet to be named, but Kerryanne tells me he's already being accepted as part of their family and he fits right on in with her sea-side themed decorating. I did warn Kerryanne that bears can be just a WEEEEEEEE bit mischievous and I'm sure he will lead her into many new piratey adventures! Hmmmm ... or will that be KERRYANNE leading the BUCCANEER BEAR on adventures! Tee! Hee! Hee! Can't wait to see the photos ... especially now that Kerryanne's camera is back from it's check-up! (Snicker!!!) So I wish my little beary friend and my bloggy buddy fair winds and following tides. "Drink Up Me Hearties - Yo Ho!"

In other sewing news ... I have been busy in the sewing room, but once again, I can't show you. Not because I was working on surprises this time ... I just forgot to take a photo before I delivered things! Oops! My friend Lynda ended up 'volunteering' to co-ordinate the craft stall for the annual fete at her kids' school, but very little assistance was forthcoming from other parents, so I whipped up a few sets of coasters, made a small herd of clothes peg reindeer and helped add some simple applique to some bag-bags. (No, I'm not stuttering - they're the bags you store your plastic shopping bags in, although I've noticed a decline in our stash since we now mostly remember to take our green bags.) I delivered everything to Lynda today and spent a few hours helping and encouraging her - but yes, forgot to take photos! Ah well ... next time!

And now I'm heading off to pop the kettle on and make a list of the projects I want to work on this weekend, cos we actually have a WHOLE weekend free of plans ... so far! So, I'm hoping to spend quite a lot of time in the sewing room - I may even be able to show you the things that I work on this time! Tee! Hee! Hee! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and find some time to do something just for "YOU". Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Grand Opening Give Away!!

No, no, no ... it's not ME who's having the Grand Opening Give Away ... it's my gorgeous blogging buddy, the very talented Miss Kerryanne over at Shabby Art Boutique!! She's just re-launched her fabulous web-based boutique and as well as all sorts of DELICIOUS treats to buy (Christmas is sneaking up on us after all!!) she is having a Grand Opening Giveaway on her blog, so hop on over to find out the details!!

As well as some wonderful folk/canvas art patterns that are sure to inspire you to pick up a paintbrush, Kerryanne has a range of ready-to-purchase canvas artworks, but the SWEETEST corner of her boutique is reserved for her incredibly realistic faux cakes and sweets. Or as some of Kerryanne's new neighbours like them to be called "Fake Cakes". Tee! Hee! Hee! (you'll have to read Kerryanne's post about her market adventures to understand that!!) Now, in case you haven't yet been introduced to the GORGEOUS goodies that the lovely Kerryanne creates, here is a photo of my own little stash of faux cupcakes I have displayed with some of my pretty china in the lounge room ...

Aren't they SWEET! And that's another of Kerryanne's decorative paintings on a re-vamped vintage tray at the bottom of the photo. Here's a close up of the cuppies ...

Don't they just look good enough to eat!! But the best part ... NO CALORIES! Tee! Hee! Hee! And to coincide with the launch of her new web site, Kerryanne has added some scrumptious new cupcake treats, so you REALLY should pop across for a little look-see.

In the meantime ... suddenly, I feel a little bit peckish, so I think I'm off to put the kettle on and find what treats I might have lurking in my pantry! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

A Couple of Reveals!

Well ... my productive week has just kept rolling right along! While I didn't get much done yesterday due to "After Five" rehearsals, today was a VERY productive day! YAY! As well as catching up a bit more on tackling Mount Laundry, I've almost finished another Secret Squirrel project - but ran out of homespun - don't ya just HATE that!! And I also finished a birthday giftie for one of our nieces ... it's only a couple of months late - OOPS! :0} (sheepish grin!) The good news about that is ... I can SHOW it to you!! After lots of Secret Squirrel stitching, it's nice to be able to share something, so here goes ...

Ta da!! I've stitched some fun, funky, bright ... and sweet ... applique shapes onto a plain white pillow case, along with a big letter "T" for "Taylah". I machine appliqued it so it should stand up to frequent washing a little better - hope she likes it!

Now, the other chore I tackled this morning was to clean up the kitchen COMPLETELY so I could FINALLY take some photos of the finished renovations to show you all - you have all been VERY patient waiting for the final reveal - probably a LOT more patient than I was waiting for it to be finished! :0) Ready???


I feel like there should be a "Tarant-ta-ra" fanfare to herald the unveiling! I'm REALLY happy with how it's all come up! This photo doesn't really show the bench top, but it shows our newly finished floor, the fresh apple green walls, the clean white cupboards and the red dotty curtain I was encouraged by Jenny to get done last month. I wasn't sure originally whether to put a lower curtain up, but after living with curious passers-by peering in the window, I've decided this will be one of the next jobs on the list ... as soon as my Beloved Geek Boy gets around to putting up the brackets for me!!


And here are some of my pretty kitchen collections - including my pretty vintage green-with-folk-art-roses trio painted by the clever and talented Kerryanne and my set of three jugs that look oh-so-pretty holding milk when visitors come to visit for afternoon tea.

Beside the coffee machine is my brand new kitchen plant, given to me last night by a friend when we had her and her fiancee over for dinner. It's a "Kitchen Warming" giftie. Isn't it LUSCIOUS and just the right red to fit in with my kitchen decor!! Thanks Amelia & Matt! Hmmm ... now I just have to manage to keep it alive - my track record with indoor plants is NOT the best, though I really like them! This wall is a bit bare at the moment and I'm not quite sure what I want to do there - I'm thinking of keeping an eye out for a vintage look plate rack or a little shelf unit to display some of my tea cup trios. No rush ... the RIGHT thing will jump out at me one day! :0)

So ... there you go ... that's been my productive weekend and since I've worked SOOOOOOOOO hard ... I think I might see if GB would like to order pizza for dinner! :0) Hope you've all had a great weekend and if it couldn't be productive like mine, then I hope it was restful and relaxing! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Return Of The Sewing Mojo!!

Hmmm ... that sounds a little like a bad "B" grade superhero movie title, doesn't it?! In fact, it was a wonderful thing that happened this week - especially wonderful since my sewing machine and needle and thread were starting to feel neglected after three weeks of nothing stitchy happening. I have to say, I've more than made up for that this week, with four finishes already added to my OPAM sidebar list, plus some progress made on another project. The only problem is ... I can't show you any photos cos they're all ...

... Secret Squirrel projects!!! Sorry about that! One I should be able to share in a week or so, once it's winged its way over the border to wish a special someone a belated Happy Birthday! :0) I can't give sneaky peeks, cos I know she visits my blog and I want to keep her in suspenders! Tee! Hee! Hee! So ... instead, I thought I would show you what followed me home from my Home-away-from-home the other day ...

Aren't they pretty! Now these are for a special project that I'm planning ... but I can't tell you what it is!!! I know, I'm a terrible tease ... but at least I'm showing you my pretty fabrics, right?!?! I just love how fresh these colours look together - perfect for summer, wouldn't you say? And look at those cute little bears on the top two fabrics - hard for a bear-addict like me to go past these. I promise to give you a hint about what these yummy fabrics will become as soon as I can.

Oh ... I thought I'd also share a photo with you that I took at work this week. As most of you know, I work four mornings a week as Admin Assistant at a retirement village and we are VERY spoilt with the beautifully landscaped, spacious grounds and gardens, as well as our panoramic views of much of the surrounding area. It seems that no matter what time of year it is, there is SOMETHING gorgeous to admire in our gardens and for the last few weeks, it has been the showy jacarandas. Being a bit of a colour-freak, these trees always grab my attention and this is the one I see as I walk out of my office ...


Don't you just love the combination of the green, purple and blue?! I really am spoilt working where I do! :0)

And now ... I'm heading back to the sewing room. It really does feel WONDERFUL to be sewing again, and better still, to see some FINISHES happening! Hope you're all planning to enjoy a wonderful, relaxing weekend with some time scheduled just for "YOU". Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS