Blogging Buddies & Birthday Blessings!!

I know I've been absent from blogland for a week or so and there are good and bad reasons for that, but I thought it best to concentrate on the 'good' and tell you about my Birthday Blessings! Grab a cuppa, we could be here a while, cos I was SPOILT, SPOILT, SPOILT for my birthday!!

Firstly, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by or emailed to wish me a happy birthday! I was so touched that you all took the time - I think I've replied to all of you who aren't 'no reply' bloggers and to those 'no reply' bloggers - THANK YOU!! This blogland that we come to play in is such an amazing place with wonderful people to be met. And for my birthday, two of my bestest blogging buddies made me cry!!! Happy tears, of course!

The first was the gorgeous Lilly Linda whose parcel arrived a couple of days early, but unlike Stina - I wasn't good! I didn't wait to peek at the parcel!! :0) Inside I found ...


Oooooohhh!! A gold parcel!! And inside ...


A GORGEOUS girly bear, complete with lacy, rose-adorned dress and little shoes and a lace-trimmed parasol!! Not to mention the rainbow coloured doily to add to my collection, a super cute little felt cupcake ... to add to my collection! ... and even the gift tag was gorgeous and is currently being displayed! Linda knows me well and picked PERFECTLY GORGEOUS goodies to spoil me for my birthday! Uh oh!! Happy tears - where's the tissues!!! Thank you Lovely Lilly Linda!! The little bear has been named "Rosie" (Sorry Rosey - different spelling!) and she has moved into the spare room. Here she is in her new home ...


Oh - and if you take a closer look at the photo behind Rosie Bear, you might notice a strong resemblance to the photo on my previous post - this one is my Dad when he was just a little tacker!! Cute, wasn't he!! :0)

The next blogging buddy to bless me for my birthday and make me cry (pretty sure she didn't really mean to!!) was the gorgeous Kerryanne. Imagine my excitement when the parcel delivery bloke hurled this box onto my verandah. (really must have a word to him about being a bit gentler!!)


Oooooohh!! Excited Happy Dance happening - oops! Neighbours again complaining about clog-dancing elephant!! And inside the pretty wrapping (I kept the paper and ribbon!!) was ...


Uh oh! MORE happy tears!! (more tissues - think I'm single-handedly keeping the tissue company in business!) Look at the canvas!! Have you ever seen anything more PERFECT!! A patchwork background to match my quilt-in-progress, the CUTEST little painted bear I have EVER seen in a blue dress to match the blue in my shabby cupboard curtains in the sewing room, and a FABULOUS antique sewing machine ... all with my name on!! Not to mention, the cloud of lavender loveliness that met me when I opened the wonderful candle!! Kerryanne says these goodies are for my sewing room make-over that is on the "To Do" list - how PERFECT they will be!! I won't want to ever come out of my sewing room! And let us not forget the FABULOUS card that came with these treats - I'm now on the lookout for a shabby chic frame to pop this cutie into so I can display it! Thank you Kerryanne!! I'm feeling DOUBLY spoilt!!

Now I was already feeling very spoilt by my bloggy buddies ... but there were MORE birthday blessings coming my way! My long-time mate Deb sent this bundle of cuteness my way ...


Look at that little bear!!! Isn't he the SWEETEST!! Not sure if you can fully appreciate it in the photo, but this little bloke is only about two inches tall and has the tiniest little buttons holding his limbs in place! He's joined my miniature bear collection in a shadow box in the lounge room. And look at those Bollywood earrings - aren't they FAB!! I shall be as sparkly as a chandelier every time I wear them! Thanks Deb!! Oh ... TRIPLY spoilt!! But wait ... there's MORE!!

My OPAM Challenge co-host and wonderful blogging buddy May Britt also slipped a little surprise in the mail!! I opened the pretty paper and found ...


A stitching project folder that I had admired on May Britt's blog!!! Isn't it GORGEOUS!! How cute is that little rag doll on the cover stitchery!! May Britt said perhaps it should have been a bear ... but I LOVE this little dolly!! And inside the folder ...


Lots of clever pockets, with clear plastic so you don't have to rummage through EVERY pocket EVERY time you're looking for something - how clever is THAT!! Thank you May Britt!! What a WONDERFUL help this folder will be to me when I head off to a friend's place to stitch!! Oh ... QUADRUPLY spoilt! (Hmmm ... I wonder if I'm now making up words?!?!) But wait ... there's MORE!! Bet you're starting to see why I feel so blessed this birthday!! My friend Miss Mary from Fresh Hope Patterns made a quick stop-off in her busy schedule to spoil me further. What I at first mistook for an Easter egg (same shape when all wrapped up!!) turned out to be ...


The 'sweetest' (get it? ice-cream ... sweet ...oh never mind!) little trinket holder shaped like an ice-cream cone with a strawberry on top and inside were some yummy flavoured teas! Thank you Miss Mary! I was ... hmmm ... OK, run out of words there ... lets just leave it at REALLY spoilt! But wait ... you know the drill! When I visited her a couple of weeks ago, my bestest buddy Lynette gave me my birthday giftie a bit early, cos it was breakable and she didn't want to try to post it.


Lynette has been finding pieces of this Ashdene series for me for birthdays and Christmases for the last few years and this time she presented me with the FABULOUS three tiered cake stand! After all I ate while my parents were here to help celebrate my birthday, I didn't think real cakes were a good idea, so I've stocked this pretty stand with faux cupcakes made by Kerryanne and a couple on the second tier made by Bec. Wow! I'm ready to host some fancy high teas now, aren't I!! Thanks Lynette!!

I know some people dread birthdays, but since I mostly lose track of how old I am, it's just a lovely excuse to celebrate, for me! And I have to say that my blogging buddies, friends and family have certainly made me feel VERY blessed this birthday, not just because they gave me GORGEOUS gifties (though they are soooooooo appreciated and loved!), but because they went out of their way, took time out of busy schedules, and put lots of thought into finding or making gifties that they knew I'd love, to help make my birthday special. And those special friendships are what I consider to be my BIGGEST birthday blessing of all!! Uh oh!! more happy tears ... more tissues!!! Think I'll buy shares in the tissue company!

Now (I know this post is getting long - sorry Chookyblue!! Hope your poor foot is feeling better!) but I just had to share with you one other birthday blessing that I received. My Grandma's birthday is two days before mine and, by some wonderful co-incidence, she was on a two day bus trip that was supposed to stay overnight in a town an hour from Toowoomba. My beloved Geek Boy and I had planned to drive over after he finished work to have dinner with Grandma - but in the end, there was a mix up with the tour's accommodation and they ended up staying right here in Toowoomba overnight instead! Yay! So we met up with Grandma for dinner and her fellow bus-buddies insisted she blow out the candles on a birthday cake while they sang happy birthday to her.


(Not the most flattering photo of me in the background there!!) It took a few goes, but the candles were finally out! Time for a family photo ...


I usually only get to see Grandma a couple of times a year, so it was wonderful that one of the visits this year was for her birthday and so close to mine! She looks pretty good for 86, doesn't she!! Hope I age that well!!

So ... that's how I celebrated my birthday and how some wonderful buddies helped me feel special and very, VERY blessed! Whatever you're up to today, I hope you have friends and family around to make YOU feel special and blessed too! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

A Star (?!?) Is Born!!

Thirty-nine years ago today, Bill and Bev Kippen welcomed a little bundle of {choose most fitting!}(joy, love, laughter, sweetness, cuteness, mischief, trouble, mayhem) into the world - Kristin Margaret Kippen, 7lb 7oz.



I think they are still recovering! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Bear Hugs!

KRIS

Let Me Tell You About My Weekend ...!

Here I am, as promised to tell you about my busy, busy - but fun! - weekend. Hmmm ... this could take a while (sorry Chookyblue!!) so go grab a cuppa and come on back and sit a spell!!

It all started a few months ago when Marion from Quilters Angel asked me to be the guest tutor for her Girls' Getaway Weekend, where it was all about the girls kicking back, relaxing, stitching and not having to think about cooking, cleaning, running after anyone but themselves. Now I put my thinking cap on to come up with a fun, funky, but functional project to share with the Getaway Girls (hmmm .. sounds like an all-girls rock group! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and I've been teasing you all for a while, so FINALLY, the big reveal ... drum roll ....


TA DA!!! These bags are my new pattern, which I'm calling "Girl Stuff", cos the little girly bear in the stitchery is in girl heaven surrounded by some of our favourite things like, coffee, stitching, chocolate, quilting, cake, fabric, tea, lunch, stitching ... not to mention her VERY fashionably chic hat and bag ensemble! Tee! Hee! Hee! The pattern includes a large tote bag with a stitchery pocket to pop your keys, sunglasses, mobile phone etc into, while the "Mini-Me" version of the bag was designed as a mug bag to keep your fave coffee mug/tea cup safe when you run away from home for a day of stitching, but it is also just the right size to be a project bag (just ask Joy!!) with a smaller stitchery pocket with the same cute bear to pop your teabag or scissors into, depending what you use it for. I don't recommend dangling your scissors in your mug of hot water or trying to snip threads with a teabag - cos that would just be silly! Tee! Hee! Hee! Here is a photo of the bags from the back ...


You can see stripped piecing and the yummy fabrics better in this shot - you know I'm not normally a PINK person and I'm not a cat person either, both of which feature in that patterned fabric, but the teapots, shoes, handbags, hats and other girly stuff were just right for this project, so I balanced it up with some of my magic signature colour and ... Robert's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt!

OK ... back to the weekend ...! The girls and Marion all arrived Friday afternoon, but I had my beloved Geek Boy down with a nasty head cold, so stayed home to sympathise and cook him dinner, joining the ladies at the James Byrne Centre at Highfields - one of the most GLORIOUS settings and views you could care to enjoy! - on Saturday morning. Here's the view from our 'classroom' ...


Valley views, magnificent gum trees and LOTS of peace and quiet ... how's that serenity!! (Sorry! Australian movie quote moment!!)

Marion had provided the girls with a wonderful grab bag of goodies ... which I forgot to get a photo of, sorry! And that bag included the kit to make the tote bag version of "Girl Stuff". The kits were in several different colourways, so it was fun to see how they each came up. Now ... some of the girls had WISPs they were working on, but six of them tackled the bag, deciding to make the bag first while I was there to help them get into trouble ... oops! Of course I mean OUT of trouble!! Tee! Hee! Hee! Here are some action shots ...


Here's Kim, furiously machine stitching. That's Marion's Mum to the left and Marion measuring and cutting in the background.


A couple of the ladies working on WISPs.


Tracy concentrating hard as she sews on the rick-rack. (just heard several heads snap up at the mention of 'rick-rack'!!)

And after lots of measuring, stitching, chatting and a couple of 'left-handed' sewing decisions (you had to be there for that one!!) the bags began to emerge.


Here's Kim with her left-handed bag all done and just waiting for the stitchery pocket. She used the same kitty fabric as I did, but with a complementary print from the same range in the yummy aubergine colour. (Marion still has some if you'd like some for your very own self!)


Here's Lyn with her bag - hers is made from the blue and green version of the kitty range (it probably has a real name but I don't know it - sorry!) I LOOOOOOVE the green jumbo rick-rack, think I'll have to get me some to play with!!


And here's Tracy with her pretty shabby chic version of the bag - love that green! Marion also made her own version from my fave fabric range, "Oh Cherry Oh" in funky yellow and red with the sweetest looking cherries on it, but I forgot to take a photo - oops!

Now Joy also started her bag, but began with the stitchery - after highlighting it with her trusty watercolour pencils and it was JUST GORGEOUS!!! Take a look ...


It changes the look completely to something a little softer - got me some pencils and I'm gonna play! The fabric around this stitchery is one of the two Joy's bag will be made from. And Joy was kind enough to give an impromptu demo on using the water colour pencils ...


That's Tracy beside Joy taking notes, cos she had a Libby Richardson bear hug stitchery she wanted to colour! And I just HAD to show you the FABULOUS autumn shaggy quilt Linda put together during the day ...


Here she is modelling her beautiful creation! :0) Do you see those yummy autumn colours?! Made me remember that my shaggy quilt is still waiting for me!! (I haven't forgotten, Peg!!)

So there you have it ... lots of fun stitching and chatting and it was all perfectly finished off with a delicious roast meal prepared by Marion's Mum! Thanks for a fabulous day, Marion and thanks for inviting me to be part of the Girls Getaway!!

So, Sunday was then a major catch up day - that housework won't do itself - worse luck!! And this week is a busy one of comings and goings, so I thought I'd better post all of this now in one hit in case I get completely sidetracked!! So if you're still with me - well done!! You deserve another cuppa, so go make yourself one! Tee! Hee! Hee! "Girl Stuff" will be available in a week or two as a pattern for purchase on my web site ... which of course means there'll be a give-away, so stay tuned! And it's my turn to choose the end-of-month winner for the OPAM Challenge, too, so it's all go here at the Meares' Madhouse!!

Hope you've had a great start to the week and that you're finding some time to stitch. If you've got a couple of minutes, pop across to visit my mad mate Deb who has just joined blogland - and I'll try to get the right link this time, Deb! Oops! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

On My Way To Bed ...!

Yep, that's where I'm heading after a busy weekend! I had intended to post today to tell you all about my participation in the Girls Getaway Weekend, but I'm a tired little teddy bear and can't keep my eyes open. So ... just a quick little post (really, Chookyblue, I promise!) to say a big THANK YOU to the gorgeous Kerryanne of Shabby Art Boutique for giving me a couple of awards - the Sisterhood Award and the Top Ten Fave Blogs Award.




Isn't this one sweet - I loooooooove ladybirds!! (even if it is 'THAT" colour!!)

OK, now I'm supposed to pass these on, but I know that some of the bloggers who I would put in these categories have already received these awards or aren't really into them ... I don't care! Tee! Hee! Hee! I'm going to list 'em and if they'd like to pass them on, that's cool, if not, that's cool too - it's just my chance to acknowledge some of the wonderful, unique, quirky, brave, creative, fun ... etc, etc, etc ... women who I've met since taking up residence in blogland. Thank you to each and every one of you - those in this list and those who aren't - I'm only supposed to list 10, after all, not ALL of the blogs I pop into! Here goes ...

1. The wonderful Kerryanne - of course! - who inspired me to start a blog and has become a fabulous friend.
2. Lilly Linda - about the second blogging buddy I made who has also become a great 'real life' friend.
3. May Britt - who was a good blogging buddy before we decided to co-host our 'little' challenge and has become an even better one.
4. Peg - Super Stitcher extraordinaire! Peg just amazes me with how much stitching she gets done and how many projects she FINISHES! I'm really good at STARTING! :0)
5. Stina - another lovely lady who has become a good friend as we chat back and forth, learning more about each other and each other's countries. Did you know they don't really grow pumpkins in Sweden?!?!
6. Rosey - I've only been popping into Rosey's blog for a little while, but love her sense of humour and quirky take on life.
7. Chookyblue - again, a 'real life' friend now as well as blogging buddy - great lady to share a drink, a great view and a fabric shop fix with! :0)
8. Julia - Another international blogging buddy with a fun sense of humour and an emerging talent for designing.
9. Judy S - In the process of encouraging each other to stitch Lynette Anderson's Noah's Ark BOM, we've become good blogging buddies and she takes the best holiday snaps!
10. Newcomer to blogland is one of my 'real life' buddies, Deb L who I've known for ... hmmmm ... a LOT of years! She's a loyal friend with a warped sense of humour - no wonder we've stayed buds for so long!

And I could keep listing more and more of my blogging buddies, but my poor little eyeballs are now dropping right out of their sockets and this is already longer than I intended (sorry Chookyblue! Had to list ten!!), so I'll sign off. Tune in tomorrow to see my Secret Squirrel projects finally revealed, as well as some photos from the Girls Getaway - we had FUN!! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Mail Surprises, A Bagging & A Sneaky Peek!!

It's one of those days where it's best to stay inside! We may be too far inland to be getting any of the rain from Cyclone Hamish (RATS!!) but BOY!! Are we experiencing some horrible, strong, gale force winds!! Every time I walk out the door, I look like a dandelion as my hair stands on end, then flies around, I do a Marilyn Monroe impersonation with my skirt (without the blond hair and her ... attributes!!) and I have to dodge high-velocity, wind-driven doors, whilst juggling keys and a handbag! All in all ... it's just too hard and I'm staying indoors as much as possible!

But inside can be good! Inside was where I quickly scooted after collecting some fun mail in the last little while! The first package to arrive was from Scottish Nanna. Mary works in a thrift shop and at the end of last year, sent me an email to say a little orphan bear had come into the shop and she thought I would make a good adoptive mother, so she was going to post him along to me. Then, she got sick and has been unwell for a while - but is now on the mend, so pop over and say G'day!! Last week she posted this little bloke to me, complete with a little friend who was holding a note from Mary. I've named them Smudge (bigger bear) and his little mate Joe. They will join the ever-growing population of bears who inhabit our spare room - hope any future guests like bears! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now the second fun mail came from Simone, who is one of our OPAM Challenge participants. After popping into my blog a bit, Simone had a growing suspicion that I like teddy bears! :0) She said she'd found a piece of fabric in her stash with bears on it that she didn't think she would use and sent it to me as a treat!! Aren't I lucky?! Such lovely generous people in blogland!! Here's a photo of my fun mail ...


Simone was a bit worried that there was more of "THAT" colour in the fabric, but I'm going to call it 'rose red' and it will work just fine! Tee! Hee! Hee! Thank you so much Mary and Simone!! What lovely treats to receive in my mail - WAY better than bills!! :0)

Now to part two of my title - a bagging! Now, it probably isn't at all what you think it is!! I've been MAKING BAGS - two this week, to be exact! And you thought I'd be bagging someone out - I'm a GOOD girl, I am!! :0) The first bag I've made was a bit fiddly, but I like the result. It's actually one of the 'green' shopping bags that cost a dollar or so at Coles - except it's navy! Some Irish logic there getting in early for St Patrick's Day! Tee! Hee! Hee! I've found a pretty sunflower-on-navy-background fabric to match and covered the bag to give it a very practical inside and a pretty, decorative outside.


I got the idea from a similar bag someone sent me. This one is going to my Grandma for her birthday next week (two days before mine, so easy to remember!!) I also added a loop and button to keep the bag closed. Now Grandma will look very swish indeed when she hits the supermarket to do her grocery shopping!!

I've also finished another bag, this one is a giftie for one of my favourite residents at work - it's HER birthday this weekend - only the NICEST possible people are born in March ... right Julie?!?! :0) This bag is a made up one using some 'left over' pieces of my pretty new fabric I bought in Bris last week that I just had to find a use for, cos they were so darn pretty! Here's the result ...


Aren't those fabrics just so YUMMY!! I've appliqued a couple of fluttering butterflies on the front and this little bag will be very handy for the birthday girl to slip over the handle of her wheelie-walker to carry her bits and bobs - nice short handle so it doesn't get caught in the wheels! Hope she likes it! And can you see who else hopped into that photo?? It's Floppsie Bunny who came via Lilly Cottage to live with me. I'm pretty sure Lilly Linda has more cute bunnies who need homes if you pop over to visit her!!

And last but not least ... a sneaky peek! I thought I'd show you what I've started to do with my pretty new fabrics that have left me with the scraps to make the bag above.


Here you see the start of a quilt that I think will be a new Tag Along Teddies pattern - if I can manage to write clear instructions for what I'm making up! Tee! Hee! Hee! I just love looking at these colours - it's like capturing spring! Hmmm ... these strips are laid out on the guest bed and it suddenly occurs to me that any unexpected guests are going to have to fight their way past quilts-in-progress, bags, bunnies and bears to get into bed! Tee! Hee! Hee! Will have to clear it before next weekend when Mum and Dad come for a visit to celebrate my birthday with me - WOO! HOO! Can't wait to catch up with Mum and Dad!!

And on that note ... I'm off to keep playing with my pretty fabrics! Hope that whatever you're up to, you're having a great week so far. Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

A Fantastic, Fabulous, Fun-filled Day!

Have you ever experienced days that you would like to somehow save like a computer document to relive it when life gets you down? I had one of those days yesterday! As the title says, I had a FANTASTIC, FABULOUS, FUN-FILLED day, but I left out the best bit cos the title was getting too long ... it was all enjoyed with the best "F" word of all - a FRIEND!

After some careful consultation and juggling of schedules, my best buddy Lynette and I had managed to set Friday aside for a 'play date' day. (Her kids have play dates, so why can't we?! I think adults forget how to 'play' sometimes and take life too seriously!!) So, I headed off down the hill to Brisbane bright and early so we could pack as much into the day as possible, because we had PLANS!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Our first stop of the day (I know you'll be surprised by this!!) was "Patches" at Indooroopilly. Oh they DO have such YUMMY fabrics!! And although I went in with REALLY good intentions of not spending much ... you guessed it! Some fabric followed me home!! (It happened again, Kerryanne!!) No sooner had a walked in the door than I was met with a GORGEOUS collection of fabrics and I wanted ALL of them!! But I did manage to contain myself a little - oh, and Lynette said she'd charge double as my porter if I put one more bolt on the pile she was holding! Tee! Hee! Hee! Here's what followed me home ...


Aren't they just so fresh and SPRING-y! As we go into autumn here in Australia, I'm going to hold onto as much spring as I can!! :0)

After I'd finished doing my budgetary damage at Patches, Lynette and I headed off for High Tea! We were inspired by Joy, who not too long ago enjoyed High Tea with her daughter and her daughter's friend. The place Joy went was a little far afield for our time limit (had to be back to pick up Lynette's kids from school!) so we found somewhere closer - conveniently, it was also at Indooroopilly. It's a place called "Fleet Street", which is the tea shop part of the replica traditional English Pub, The Pig And Whistle, and has been set up to look like a little slice of England, complete with a corridor of cobblestones outside and a GORGEOUS chandelier (that I forgot to take a photo of - DOH!) set into a fabulous ceiling dome decorated with painted clouds. We ordered our High Tea, were given pretty floral plates and then our three tiered plates of deliciousness arrived! Here we are with our yummies!


This isn't the most flattering of photos of me (what was with my fluffy scarecrow hair?!?!) but it gives you a little idea of the lovely setting we were enjoying. And just LOOK at those delicious goodies on our plates!! Want a closer look? We sure did!! :0)


Now, Lilly Linda, Kerryanne and Rosey have all commented recently that the family members of bloggers KNOW that nothing happens - parcels aren't opened and food isn't touched - until photos are taken. Well ... Lynette doesn't live with a blogger so you can see her little hand reaching out to snag her first High Tea treat! Tee! Hee! Hee! We both laughed so hard at this photo!! And YES ... everything in this photo tasted as good as it looks!! Ribbon sandwiches, fresh baked scones, mini caramel tart, lemon curd tart, orange and poppy seed cake, brownie and baklava! MMMMMMMMMMM!! We are SO going back there we've decided!!!

After having morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea in our one sitting, we decided we needed to go for a walk around the shopping centre - such a hardship! :0) And in our browsing, I popped into a newsagent to see if the latest Australia Bear Creations mag was out, cos guess who had a project and profile featured?!! MOI!! And ... YES! They had just-unpacked copies. And after one glimpse of the cover, I nearly embarrassed Lynette by doing my clog-dancing elephant impersonation HAPPY DANCE!! My 'bearbie' is a cover girl!!!!


Nighttime Nara is at the back of this photo in her pretty nightie!! WOO! HOO! My first magazine cover!! Now I know how Liz at Teddlywinks feels!! :0) The instructions on how to make Nara are in the mag, but I wasn't very happy with the photo they used, so I'll show you my close up of Nara before she took a trip to the BC office.


Isn't she a cutie even if I do say so myself!! The name "Nara" comes from the Celtic word for 'contented' and I thought the name was perfect for my little girlie bear who looks QUITE contented curled up with her books and blankie ready for bed in her pretty floral nightie and her bloomers. In the same issue, there was also an artist profile on me with more photos of my 'bearbies'.


This is the start of the profile and while I was excited about seeing the photos of my bearbies in print, Lynette was very excited to see part of her lounge room featured - the photo of the bears in the port (suitcase) are ones I've made for her as gifties and I took the photo last time I visited her - along with other things I'd made her before I had a camera to take photos of them! Tee! Hee! Hee! And the rest of the profile ...


Aren't my bearbies photogenic!! I sound like a proud Mamma Bear, don't I! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... there you have it - my FANTASTIC, FABULOUS, FUN-FILLED day! And now you know why I want to save it!! But the very best part was DEFINITELY that it was all shared with my BEST FRIEND!! Thanks Lynette!!

And after all of the excitement, driving and Happy Dancing yesterday, I'm muddling along in low gear today, but will be hitting the sewing room this arvo to make my Grandma a birthday giftie. Her birthday is two days before mine, which means I have to post it this week - EEK! Why do I always leave these things til the last minute!! Whatever you're doing, I hope you have a FANTASTIC, FABULOUS, FUN-FILLED day too! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Finished At Last!!

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief!! I've finished the sample for part two of my Secret Squirrel project that I will be teaching next weekend (EEK!! Nervous twitching!!) at the Girls' Getaway Weekend hosted by Marian and Steph of Quilters Angel at Highfields. I've had part one of the top secret project finished for quite a while - over a month! - and although I had managed small amounts of progress on part two of the project ... it just never seemed to come together. BUT ... after a couple of busy, feeling-slightly-icky days where there was no stitching, I buried myself in my sewing room this afternoon and finished it ... completely ... except for the instructions!!! (GROAN!!) That will be tomorrow's task, but today, I'm HAPPY DANCING!! Hippity! Hoppity! Shuffle, shuffle! Booty shake!! :0) Oops! Neighbours once more wondering when we adopted a pet elephant and taught it to clog dance! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now ... I can't show you my finished project - which is a bummer, cos I LOVE how it's come up and I want to share!! - but I CAN show you a sneaky peek! Ready???


Does that whet your appetite?!? Cheryl of Polkadots And Rick-Rack will love this as it has both of her favourite things included! I promise I'll show a full reveal photo - of the project, not me!! The world is NOT ready for that! But until after the weekend of March 13, 14 & 15 the ONLY way you'll see more is to join Marian, Steph and I at the Girls' Getaway Weekend! I'm really looking forward to it and my best bud Lynette rang today to say she MAY be able to come too! WOO! HOO! Ummm ... wonder if I should warn Marian?!? NAH!!! Surprises are good for her! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Hope you've had a productive day, too. I'm ALREADY getting emails from OPAM Challenge participants with finishes for March!! WOW! There must be lots of space in sewing cupboards by now with so many projects being finished. Or NOT?!?! :0) Happy stitching and Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

OPAM Challenge Monthly Winner!!

Yes, it's that time of the month again and some of you are probably holding your breath in anticipation of seeing who is this month's winner .... BREATHE!!! Tee! Hee! Hee! Well, after 479 finishes were posted for the short month of February (thanks to everyone who emailed their end-of-month list to May Britt or I!!!) May Britt and I took a quick cruise through the remaining blogs to get the totals, so if you hadn't updated your sidebar list - YOU MISSED OUT! The finishes were fed into the random number generator thingy and the winner is ... posted on May Britt's blog! Tee! Hee! Hee! Pop across and see if it's you or to congratulate the winner. And a big CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who finished even one project - that IS after all the name of our Challenge!!

#####

In other news ... hmmm ... suddenly I feel like Sandra Sully ... without the blond hair, sexy voice or curves! (well-known news reader for overseas visitors who are scratching their heads!!) I made a trip to my little neighbourhood post office last week to post off some goodies. My good mate Raymond was, as always, very helpful and slightly bemused at all the different overseas destinations I post to! Tee! Hee! Hee! Now Kerryanne is always teasing about me having something going with my postie - actually, Raymond isn't my local post office, his little post office is conveniently on my way home, whereas our REAL local post office is in a shopping centre we never go to - shame we can't pick! However, I thought I'd introduce you to my good mate Raymond anyway, since I seem spend quite a lot of time and money in his post office!!

Here he is, in action, weighing my parcels. And one of them took a short trip down the hill to Brisbane to my blogging buddy Joy. Joy sent me a lovely make-up Stitchers Angel giftie, so this was my return giftie to her.


A project bag and heart shaped scissor keep both with Bronwyn Hayes stitcheries on them, cos I know Joy is as addicted to Bronwyn's stitcheries as I am!! Plus a cute little notebook, some handy sharpie pens and a Christmas decoration that I just HAD to send Joy cos it has her name on it! Tee! Hee! Hee! And there was also a selection of hot drink sachets and flavoured teas to give Joy an energy boost and a treat when she's stitching. She says she's already using the little project bag, so that's great! The back of the scissor keep looks like this ...


More of that easy-peasey strip piecing. Still some more parcels winging their way around the world ... you never know WHERE my parcels will turn up next! Tee! Hee! Hee!

But right now, I'm off to cook dinner to keep my beloved Geek Boy from gnawing on the furniture, so til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS