Bits & Bobs Today!

Yep ... that's what I have to share with you today ... bits and bobs! Hmmm ... I wonder where that saying came from? Will have to Google it sometime. What on earth did we ever do before Google was so readily on hand to answer all our odd and random questions?!?! And if you talk to my Beloved Geek Boy, he'll tell you I am just chock-full of odd and random questions! Tee! Hee! Hee!

OK ... first I'll let the OPAM gals know ... if you haven't already caught up ... Peg has posted the winners of the very first end-of-month draw for OPAM 2010, so pop on over to see who the lucky duckies were. Thanks to everyone who emailed their list of finishes to Peg or I - this was a HUGE help to us and made the process much easier and less time consuming ... so we had more time to stitch too! :0) We did run into a couple of blogs that didn't have the OPAM button linking back to Peg or I, so if you haven't got round to doing that yet, if you can, it would be appreciated. We also found a couple of blog links we've been given either didn't work, or went to a blog that didn't seem to be active. (To add your links to our spreadsheet, we copied and pasted, so if ours is wrong, it's because that was what we were sent) Half the fun of OPAM is everyone blog-hopping to peek at the projects being created by other clever crafters, so even if you just pop a short post on from time to time with photos of your finishes, that would be great. If you can check your link on both Peg's and my sidebar list, that would be helpful too.

A total of 687 projects were finished in January by OPAMers! WOW!! How's THAT for starting the year off with a bang!! :0) Well done to you all! And well done to all of you who didn't register a finish, but made some good progress on some bigger projects - I know a few of you have been making blocks for swaps or working on long-term larger quilts and since I'm working on my version of "Butterfly Garden" I know that some projects just take a bit longer to tackle. But that's OK, cos remember that enjoying the journey and process of creating something is every bit as important as having a finished project. So keep stitching, gals and we'll see if we can beat that number next month!

And speaking of my "Butterfly Garden" quilt ... I've put all of the mini blocks for block one together to form ... well ... block one, of course! :0) Here it is ...

I'm pretty chuffed with how it's coming together - and my Beloved Geek Boy is happy that I've promised NOT to buy any more fabric to create it - it all has to come from my stash. Hmmm ... shouldn't actually be a problem with that - there certainly isn't a fabric shortage in my sewing room! :0) I've started piecing the mini blocks for block 2, so I'll show you them when they progress a little further.

Now ... even though I'm not supposed to buy anything to make "Butterfly Garden" ... I DID pop into my home-away-from-home Quilters Angel the other day to pick up some pretty verigated Cosmo threads that I had eyed off on my last visit to see Marion and Steph. I had managed to resist temptation that time ... but I finally decided that some new verigated threads would be handy for a couple of projects on my drawing board, so these followed me home ...

Aren't they YUMMY!!! I thought that green and red were likely to be my most used colours, so that's why I started with them ... yes ... STARTED ... because I'm pretty sure I'll be adding to this little collection before too long - they are all just so pretty!! Marion has a great range of colours in the Cosmo threads, so you can stock up ready to stitch! :0) Of course ... she also has LOTS of other yummy fabrics and quilty bits, so it could be just a little dangerous to your budget if you pop in to play in person or online but WHAT a way to GO!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... that's my bits and bobs for today. Now, I'm off to sink into this picture ...

Remember I said I enjoyed browsing through the Lovely Lilly Linda's craft and decorating library? Well ... I came home and promptly ordered my three favourite of the Tilda books from Fishpond - and didn't pay full price for any, thanks to a special offer and some specials! YAY! This is the first one to arrive - Sew Sunny Homestyle and I think I love it best of all! It's not only a great craft book, it makes a GORGEOUS coffee table book. The photos are amazing and you just want to crawl between the pages and live in that house! :0) So I'm off to drool over the pictures and have a cup of lavender tea.

OH!! I almost forgot!!! The photo of my red and green quilt above reminded me! I was one of the lucky winners in Bronwyn Hayes' Australia Day give away! WOO! HOO! Happy Dancing here!! Bronwyn is my favourite designer (yes, even designers have favourite designers!!) so I was pretty chuffed to win one of her yummy patterns. And if you're like me and love Bronwyn's stitchery designs, pop on over to her blog, cos she's very generously sharing some of her kitty cat stitcheries in the next little while. The first one is available now and the kitty is curled up on a cute cane chair, snoozing in the sun - what a life!! Wonder if I can come back for my next life as a kitty! :0)

OK ... well .. NOW I'm off to enjoy my cup of tea and a meander through my new craftt book. Hope you're all having a fabulous week and managing to steal some time just for YOU to sit and stitch ... or drool over a pretty craft book! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS