Surprise Mail, Kitchen Updates & A Reveal!

Well ... it's been another week of chaos here at the Meares' Madhouse - so what's new, I hear you ask! :0) I'll start with the END of the week, when I was surprised by a lovely parcel in the mail all the way from America. I was a little confused at first (again, what else is new! Tee! Hee! Hee!) cos it wasn't my birthday, I haven't joined any swaps lately ... hmmm ... what could it be and from whom?!?! Well ... the second half of that was easy to answer - Stacia (no blog) is one of the OPAM Challenge participants and was commiserating with me last week when I first shared about our kitchen reno, cos she's been moving and renovating too. I had forgotten she'd asked for my snail mail address. When I opened the card, I found that Stacia had seen a couple of little 'somethings' that made her think of me ... so she bought them for me! Awwwww ... what a sweetie!! Thanks Stacia!! I'll show you my little treasures ...


Isn't this just the cutest little bear you've seen!! I love the sunflower bonnet she's wearing - there's something cheerful about sunflowers. And her cute little dress also has sunflowers on it - she'll be right at home here in our ever-growing Bear Hug (that's what a collection of bears is called - see, you learned something!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) And there's also a fun pattern for a clotheshorse teddy - the pattern includes several versions of her little jacket! What a lovely treat to receive in the mail! You made me smile, Stacia - THANK YOU! :0)

Meanwhile, the recovery from renovations is ongoing ... I've slowly been putting stuff into the new kitchen cupboards, but as I pointed out to someone the other day, the thing I seem to have done most of in my brand new kitchen is ... WASH AND WIPE UP!! Talk about being ripped off! Tee! Hee! Hee! All of my glassware and the little collection of crystal I inherited from my Nan has needed to be washed to get the accumulated kitchen scum and dust off before finding a new home in the renovated kitchen. It's moving along ... slowly ... Here's some of my kitchen pretties ...


This is my collection of green Mexican glass jug and tumblers - so if you come for a visit, I can now offer you a cold drink! :0) But if a hot drink is more to your taste then ...


I can boil my new red kettle to make you a cuppa in my cheerful red dotty mugs! Since there's so much white in the new kitchen, I'm adding red and apple green splashes of colour in accessories. The only things left to do in our new kitchen are the jobs we'll undertake ourselves - as time permits. My Beloved Geek Boy is tiling the splash back as I type this, then we just need to paint the walls, sand and polish the floorboards and our new kitchen will be ready to grace the pages of "Country Homes" magazine! Tee! Hee! Hee! OK, maybe not, but it will look pretty schmicko! :0) Thank you all for your lovely comments - and commiserations!! - while we've been renovating! It's always great to hear what others think of colour/design choices - and to hear other people's stories! :0)

Now to the last part of my title ... a reveal. No, not the kitchen! I've been teasing you with sneaky peeks of my newest quilt design (which is with super-quilter Rosalie in the line up to be quilted!) so I thought I would reward your patience with a peek at the finished quilt top ... ready? Oooohh ... bit nervous again!!


Ta Da!!! Here is my "Fairy Bears & Butterflies" quilt top hanging on Rosalie's design wall. (had a little bit of design wall envy happening and now with Stina's too!!) I'm really pleased with how this design has come together! You're all aware of my love affair with the Aviary range of fabrics and they are just so soft and dreamy, that I thought some dreamy, magical fairy bears were JUST what was needed. And of course, you can't have fairy bears without butterflies - no garden is complete without both! Tee! Hee! Hee! And I've used some more yummy jumbo rick-rack, too. As soon as the quilt is back from Rosalie's I'll be writing up the instructions and releasing the pattern - which you KNOW means there'll be a giveaway, so stay tuned!! Click on the photo if you'd like a bit closer look at the fairy bears - they're too quick in the garden for you to see, so this is your best chance! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And now ... I'm off to pack up some hand stitching to take with me when we head for the beach tomorrow - YAY! We're sharing a cottage with my folks at Burrum Heads again, where my Beloved GB and Dad will amuse the fish by dangling dead shrimps from hooks, Mum and I will soak up the sun, shop, stitch and enjoy coffees, and Wombat and Lilly will race around the beach like mad things, enjoying the sand and surf - all in all, a great way to take a break from Toowoomba's winter chills! The house-sitter is booked, the clothes are clean and waiting to be packed ... so off I go! I'll be back in a week to see what all my blogging buddies have been up to (or maybe I'll pop into blogland via GB's laptop - if he'll share!!) and in the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful week, whatever you have planned. Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

PS. Don't forget to check out Kerryanne's fantastic pattern sale and pop in to see what super July special Marion is offering at Quilters Angel this week - you may just find yourself some wonderful bargains!! BH! KRIS