Catching Up!

WHEW! What a busy, busy week it has been, with a whirl of social activities and travelling and BOY am I EXHAUSTED! :0) I have a long list of things that really need to be done this weekend to play catch up after being away last weekend ... but I just don't seem to have the energy, so thought I'd procrastinate by popping a post on to update my blogging buddies on what I've been doing. :0)

Let's see ... we travelled the five hours north to Bargara, near Bundaberg last Saturday to meet up with most of my mad rellies from Mum's side of the family. And it was a REAL hardship to look over our unit's balcony to see this ...

Yep ... hardship indeed! :0) Queensland is back to living up to it's motto of, "Beautiful One Day - Perfect The Next!" And it certainly was perfect weather for a family reunion at the beach. Grandma lives at Bargara, so it was the best spot for us all to meet up. Mum and Dad drove across from Mundubbera, one uncle and aunt and two cousins travelled up from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, two cousins flew in from Western Australia and my brother and his wife flew in from Alice Spring. Now this meant all of Grandma's grandkids but one (who is studying in New Zealand) were on hand, as well as her three great-grandchildren. Here we all are ... you'll have to excuse the colour/lighting ... the perfect sunny day may have been great for a beach visit, but it did make it a bit awkward to get photo lighting right! :0)

It was so much fun to catch up with everyone, especially my WA cousins - I hadn't seen one for nine years and it had been almost three since I'd caught up with the other. And of course the big bonus was getting to catch up with my brother and SIL and my seriously cute nephew! :0) Not that I'm at all biased, of course! :0) There were lots of chats, swims, lunches out and catching up in general to be enjoyed before we headed for home late Tuesday afternoon. I even managed to squeeze in a visit to The Quilters' Shack, where I caught up with Jenny, who was one of our OPAMers last year - Hey Jenny! :0) It was just as well we'd done most of our catching up on Sunday and Monday, though, cos on Tuesday morning we were greeted with this view ...

A bit different to the pretty blues of Saturday when the other pic was taken! :0) So ... no tan for me! :0) It actually showered quite heavily throughout Tuesday, but thankfully, our trip home was rain-free.

Wednesday was back to work to play a bit of catch up for the two days I'd had off (I'm very lucky to have an understanding boss!!). Thursday after work, I made a flying visit to Quilters' Angel to say G'day to Marion and Steph and all the gals beavering away at machine quilting some of the Flood Quilt Drive quilts - can I just say WOW! These quilts are GORGEOUS!! Well done to everyone who has been involved!! Then, I scooted home to throw a few things in an overnight bag to head down the hill to Bris to meet up with my bestest-buddy-since-we-were-nine Lynette. We both got a little gussied ...

Can I just say that ... yes ... Lynette IS quite a bit taller than me, but not THAT much!!! She was wearing heels and I was wearing flats! Just made us look even more like Laurel and Hardy than usual! Tee! Hee! Hee! We then headed into the city to enjoy an evening at the theatre to see "Wicked". Apart from having to hike a fair distance to get to the theatre (the QPAC carpark was damaged in recent flooding and is still under repair, so we had to park at the Conference centre) we had a FABULOUS evening! We both thoroughly enjoyed the show and if you haven't seen it and still have the chance to ... GO AND SEE IT! :0) Jemma Rix who played Elphaba has the MOST amazing voice I've heard in a long time - she just blew us away with "Defying Gravity". And the COSTUMES ..... DROOOOOOL!!! I would have loved to see them up close cos even from the audience (we had pretty good seats so good views of everything) you could see the detailed work in them.

Friday saw Lynette and I enjoy a play date, where we headed off to "Forget-Me-Not Tea Room" for High Tea. We hadn't visited this tea room before, so it was a new adventure ... and a DELICIOUS one at that! Sorry ... too busy gobbling goodies to take a pic! ;0) And when we went to pay for our treats, we were each presented with a pretty beribboned rose bud .... AAAAAAWWWWWW!!! You can guess we'll be heading back there again! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... all in all ... an exhausting week, but a good one of catching up with family and friends. Hopefully the coming week will be a wee bit quieter so I can get some stitching done ... and some instructions written ... GROAN!! Hope you've all had a fabulous week too and that you're managing to find some 'YOU' time this weekend. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

We're Off To See The Wizard!!

Here I am ... popping in ... then popping out again! I know ... I'm worse than the nursery rhyme weasel! Tee! Hee! Hee! We had a fabulous few days away catching up with my mad rellies ... lots of chatting, lots of laughing, lots of photos! :0) Promise to share more when I have time to take a breath, cos no sooner am I home (late last night!) and I'm off again tomorrow after work. Where am I off to this time? Why, I'm ...

"Off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!!"

My bestest-buddy-since-we-were-nine Lynette and I are off to see "Wicked"

The story of what happened BEFORE the famous tornado hit Dorothy's house and took her and Toto the dog on a whirlwind adventure. (sorry ... couldn't resist the bad pun! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Can't wait! The ticket was a Christmas gift from Mum and Dad cos they knew I'd been waiting patiently (or not so patiently!) for "Wicked" to come to Queensland. Thanks Mum and Dad! :0) So I'm leaving my Beloved Geek Boy at home (I believe a pub-meal-with-the-boys was mentioned!) and Lynette and I are off on a girls' night out, followed by a sleep-over and Friday play date ... I may just sleep most of the weekend to catch up! I'm not as young as I used to be, you know! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Hope all of you are having a wonderful week! OPAMers ... not too long til the end of the month, so make sure your finishes lists on your sidebars are up to date ... even if you add more finishes before the end of the month, pop on now what you've already finished just in case you get 'sidetracked' ... or is that just ME?!?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Also, don't forget to check that the finishes tally on your button is in GREEN print ... the OPAM part will stay red, but the bottom slightly smaller writing should be green ... email me if you're having problems making that happen.

To all of our Kiwi neighbours ... our thoughts and prayers are with you right now. The earthquake may not have physically affected your whole country, but it has certainly touched hearts not only all through NZ, but all over the world. Stay safe ... and believe in miracles!!

Til next time ...

"We're off to see the Wizard ...!! :0)

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

PS. A nice short one for you, Chookyblue! Tee! Hee! Hee! BH! KRIS

"Just Because" Surprise!!

Postie Paul has been a busy boy this week delivering squishy parcels to our place ... I LOVE weeks when our postie is busy delivering things that are NOT bills! :0) After the squishy parcels earlier in the week, I didn't think there'd be any more ... I'd been good (for now! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and not ordered any more fabric online, it wasn't my birthday ... But on Wednesday, another squishy parcel was lurking in my mailbox when I collected the mail. It was from my blogging buddy Joy-Belle!! (OK, so, really it's "Joy" with no "Belle" on the end, but somewhere along the line I called her that and it just seems to fit! I think it's cos her name reminds me of Christmas and all those ringing bells. She humours me! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Oh!! What could it be??? I opened the big envelope and inside was the most GAWJUS (as Joy-Belle would say!!) card ... which I forgot to take a photo of! Oops! Inside, Joy said this parcel was "Just for you ... just because!!!" AWWWWWWW!! Isn't she a SWEETIE!!!! :0) 'Just Because' parcels are such a wonderful surprise! Well .. OK ... ALL parcels are wonderful, but not always a surprise! Tee! Hee! Hee! And along with the card I found ...

... two fat quarters of GAWJUS red fabrics!!! DROOL!!! This was an extra-special treat because I had admired these lovely fabrics when Joy-Belle treated herself to some on a recent retail therapy session. :0) I LOVE the deep reds! (This pic actually doesn't do them justice, but it's late at night and the most recent update of PhotoShop has changed my settings and I can't get them back to 'normal' ... GRRRR!!)

Here's a pic of Joy-Belle and I when we met up 'in person' at Marion's "Stitchers' Dream Day Out" the year before last ...

Isn't she a cutie!! :0) We had so much fun that day and just KNEW we were two of a kind ... when we discovered we'd both done more CHATTING than STITCHING! Tee! Hee! Hee! THANK YOU, Joy-Belle for my FABULOUS "Just Because" gift ... I LOVE IT!!! :0)

And now ... I'd better scoot off to bed, cos we're off to Bargara for a long weekend to catch up with a large percentage of my family ... could get noisy, cos I'm the shy, quiet member of the family ... REALLY!!!! :0) That means you'll all have to live without me chattering on to you for a few days, but I promise I'll be back! :0) Ha! Scared you now, haven't I! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Oh ... before I sign off, I need to send a big

CHEERIO!

to the Lovely Lilly Linda who is having to entertain some hospital staff for a few days ... Look after yourself, Linda ... we've got LOTS more play dates to enjoy this year! Tee! Hee! Hee! Hope you're able to head home to your island cottage soon.

OK ... really scooting off now. See you in a few days ... who knows, I might even get a tan! Tee! Hee! Hee! Have a FAB weekend - til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Valentine's Day ... A Day Late!!

Yes, yesterday was the one day a year that no one would blink if they saw a chubby cherub with wings, draped in a toga, running down the street with a bow and arrow! :0) I have to confess that we're not big on celebrating St Valentine's Day in the Meares' Madhouse ... it's not that long after Christmas, not too far in front of my birthday ... and also hits around the time we get the Council rates notice ... OUCH! The budget is NOT happy at this time of year!

 So ... we usually do something smaller ... I might cook a special meal, we might buy each other a packet of our fave lollies ... or we might both forget completely that it IS Valentine's Day! Tee! Hee! Hee! This year, I thought I'd like a little giftie, though, so I followed my blogging buddy Toni when she signed up for a Valentine's Day Swap with Sandy from Cookies and Cream. My partner, Sabine, was quick off the mark - after her SSCS parcel took over six weeks to arrive at its destination, she thought she'd better post early ... and her gift to me has been sitting on my desk ... taunting me with it's pretty red paper for weeks! :0) You all KNOW I'm not good at waiting for surprises, whether I'm giving them or getting them!! But ... I was a GOOD girl (stop giggling Lynda!!!) and I saved my gifts for yesterday. I had a bit of help ...

Annie-Rose Bear held on to the gifties for me to take a photo! :0) And when I finally got to undo that pretty red paper, inside I found ...

A set of six pretty appliqued coasters for the next time I have the gals over for a cuppa! :0) (And do you like how I laid them out for the photo in a heart shape?! Yes ... my Mother thinks I have far too much free time too! Tee! Hee! Hee!) A packet of cute red craft hearts and a sweet ceramic heart that looks like it's been hand-painted. THANK YOU, SABINE!!! I love my Valentine's Day gifties and feel very spoilt!! Thanks to Sandy for organising the swap, too.

And  my gift to Sabine ...

A little project bag made from a piece of fabric I've been waiting to make just the right thing from, with a heart pocket on the front ... perfect for popping embroidery scissors into; a matching tea wallet, a sweet ceramic heart button with roses on it, a cute ballerina bear notepad and a matching pink mini-sharpie pen. Hope you enjoy your gifties, too, Sabine! :0)

Now, when I joined the Valentine's Day swap, I really thought that might be the only giftie I'd get, but I was pleasantly wrong! :0) My Beloved Geek Boy came home yesterday with a sweet bunch of red roses and a mini pack of one of my fave chocolates ...

AAAAAWWWWWW!! Isn't he a SWEETIE!! :0) I think I'll keep him! The red scarf thingy was pulled up around the flowers, so I tied it around the vase to 'Valentine' it up. :0) GB apologised cos the roses only came from a supermarket ... I told him they were flowers, they were pretty and he thought of me ... they were just right! :0) And frankly, some of the prices being charged for roses this year, using the recent flooding and storms as a reason, were a bit rich for our blood!! If I spend $75 I want FABRIC to show for it! Tee! Hee! Hee! (that was one of the price tags seen for a bunch of 6 red roses! EEK!!!)

I also received one more surprise yesterday ... though it isn't REALLY for me! :0) You see, the lovely Sarah of Patchworks Plus has once again donated some yummy sewing related items to the OPAM prize pool!! THANK YOU SARAH!

An Art To Heart pattern book, a Clare's Place quilt pattern, one of Bronwen Hayes' latest cute purse patterns, complete with the purse snap; and a couple of Sultry charm packs. AND ... she's also sent some goodies to Peg to send out! WOW! You gals are spoilt! :0) So you can see that it will be a good idea to stay up to date with your finishes list so you have more chances at the end of the month to win some prizes! Tee! Hee! Hee!

OH! That reminds me ... GB has done the first update of the number of finishes for OPAM that appear on the new button. SOOOOOO ... if the Edit:writing on your OPAM button is now GREEN ... Well done! You've added your button properly!! Did you notice that the number had changed??? We'll see who's observant! :0) If the writing on your OPAM button is still RED ... you've just copied the image, rather than used the link. If you'd like to add it as the link so the total number of finishes listed keeps updating as we go along, check back over the email you received from me or Peg when you signed up ... it has the instructions and if you still can't make that work ... email me and I'll send some pictures for you to follow ... I'm a bit of a visual gal, so I can understand pictures much better than words! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And now ... I'm off to enjoy a quick cup of tea before I think about cooking dinner. Hmmmm ... I have some Valentine's Day chocolates to enjoy, too! :0) Hope your St Valentine's Day was a good one, whether you celebrated it or not! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

EDIT: With the OPAM button, the NUMBERS should now be green rather than red ... the words will always stay red. Sorry for any confusion there!! BH! KRIS

I've Been A Busy Bee!!

Here I am ... having enjoyed a VERY productive weekend! I've been a BUSY BEE! BUZZ! BUZZ!! :0)

 Now, I'm reporting back, as I promised last post, to show you what I've been working on. I showed you some sneaky peeks of my "Pure" projects (by the way, for those who have asked, YES, Marion still has some of these yummy fabrics in store if you want to add some to your stash ... and who wouldn't!!) and the duo of wall hangings is FINISHED! YAY!! I'll have to remember to add them to my sidebar list for OPAM! :0) Ready for the unveiling?? Here goes ...

TA DA! The Pattern will be called "Old Ted" ... as soon as I get my butt into gear and write the instructions!!! :0) ... and will include the instructions for both wall hangings. Here's a closer look ...

This is the larger wall hanging ... it measures 18"x23".

And this is the smaller hanging ... it measures 14"x10".

I'm really happy with how these hangings have come together ... thanks to Marion for nudging me in this direction and Steph for some quilting suggestions! It's always nice to have people to bounce ideas off, isn't it! :0) I'll let you know when this pattern is available for purchase, in case you'd like to make one for your very own self! Hopefully, it won't be too far away. :0)

And speaking of my patterns that are available ... that was one of the other jobs I spent some time on this weekend, adding a couple of patterns that were published in various magazines last year to the pattern catalogue on my web site. The most recently added patterns are:

... Annie-Rose Bear ...

... Blooming Butterflies tote bag and journal cover ...

... and Mabon Bear.

You'll also see (if you 'tag along' through the catalogue! Tee! Hee! Hee!) that the number of downloadable patterns on the web site is gradually growing. As I manage to steal a bit of time here and there, I'm converting them to the downloadable format and my Beloved Geek Boy is working his magic to add them to the web site. Not only are the downloadable patterns a little less to pay, there's no more waiting for the postie to arrive! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... there you go ... that was my "Busy Bee" weekend. And I even managed to fit in a visit to my home-away-from-home (strictly to get binding fabric!! No naughty detours! Tee! Hee! Hee!), enjoyed a cuppa on the Village Green with GB, as well as the usual household chores (which I didn't enjoy, but had to be done!!). All in all, a busy but productive weekend. I hope you've all had a great weekend too. But right now, I think I've earned myself a cup of tea, so I'm off to pop the kettle on! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Celebrate EVERY Day!!

We've all heard the saying "Celebrate Every Day", right? Well today, I decided to take that literally. You see, I had invited my two Dancing Buddies, Lynda and Debbie De over for lunch when our usual Tuesday get-together was interrupted by a juice explosion/sticky uniform dilemma for Deb's daughter ... don't ask!! If you have teenagers, you'll understand! :0) So, last night while doing the weekly grocery shopping, I was wondering what to get for our lunch. Something yummy that didn't take too long to prepare ... cos I didn't want to miss out on too much chatting time while preparing lunch! :0) I finally decided we'd just 'graze' and I'd put together some party-type nibbles ... which led me to thinking ... why not have a PARTY! Hmmm ... no birthdays, no anniversaries, not quite Valentine's Day ... I know ... we'll celebrate ...

"Friendship Friday!"

Perfect!! So this morning after my Beloved Geek Boy had tamed his corner of the lounge for us, so there would be enough chairs (you wouldn't believe how many chairs one husband needs to 'file' his 'stuff'!!!) I popped my Christmas table in the middle of the lounge and ... VOILA! We were ready for a Friday Party!

A pretty tablecloth (one of last weekend's discovered treasures!!) the trio sets Lynda and Deb gave me for my birthday/Christmas gifts, our fave hot beverage sachets, some party fare and we were ready to go! I even printed out some pretty labels for our cups ...

Goth Chick extraordinaire, Debbie De ...

Hippie Chick, Flower Child Lynda ...

Gypsy Chick and Mad Bear Woman ... ME! :0) Or as my father refers to us, the Triple Trouble Trio! I don't know WHAT he's talking about ... REALLY!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

I think the gals thought I was slightly dotty (OK, so they have actuall known that for a while, this just confirmed their opinion! Tee! Hee! Hee!) but they soon got into the spirit of celebrating "Friday" with me and we had a lovely morning of picking at party food, drinking copious amounts of tea/coffee and chatting. Isn't it nice to have friends you can just hang out with? I think celebrating "Friendship Friday" could catch on, what do YOU think?! :0)

I was doing a little happy dance today, too, cos I found a couple of special things in my mailbox ... though the front garden is getting so wild and overgrown from all the rain at the moment that my poor postie must feel like Indiana Jones every time he goes searching for my mailbox! Tee! Hee! Hee! The first fun mailbox find was the latest issue of "Handmade" (Vol. 28 No. 11). Not only is it a fun issue cos it's chock-full of quick projects that take from half an hour to a weekend to make, on page 40 you'll find ...

My "Faith, Hope, Love" shabby chic heart swag! This was such a fun project to make and I hope "Handmade" readers have fun making their version too. It's a fabulous way to use up those little bits of your pretty fabric that are too small for most projects. And they look fabulous back in their place on my kitchen hutch ...

I have a few more projects in issues of "Handmade" in coming months, so will let you know when they're published. It's always so much fun to see my projects in magazines for people to enjoy making! :0)

The other yummy mail to arrive was ...

Some DELICIOUS charm square packs in the "Charlevoix" range. (don't ask me how to pronounce that, my French teacher had a lisp that made life VERY confusing!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) I've been eyeing this range off for a while because the colours are so pretty and the designs so cheerful ... and just right for what I have in mind to decorate my sewing room later in the year. So when the lovely Sarah of Patchworks Plus was having a charm sale ... WEEEEEEEELLLLL ... I just couldn't resist! :0) Thanks for leading me astray again, Sarah! Not that I NEED much leading! Tee! Hee! Hee! I already have a design sketched out for these yummy charm squares, so once I clear the decks a bit, I'll be able to play with them. Back to my usual dilemma ... So many pretty fabrics, so many new design ideas, so little time and play money! Tee! Hee! Hee! I promise to update you as I get to work on them.

In the meantime, I'm off to do a bit more stitching on the project I showed you last post ... no one has guessed what I'm up to yet with my letters! :0) I'll be back to show you the finished projects by the end of the weekend ... I hope! Well ... that's the PLAN ... but you never know what will happen between now and then, so make sure you take a leaf out of the Triple Trouble Trio's book and celebrate EVERYDAY ... even the ordinary ones can be made fun with a bit of imagination! :0) Have a fabulous weekend!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Stitchin' Away!!

I know ... I've been a bit quiet again blog-wise ... though I HAVE managed to hop around to visit some of my blogging buddies in the last few days, so that should count, right?!?! :0) This week's been a bit busy with my boss back from two weeks' holiday and we're playing catch up ... you know how it goes! :0) I HAVE, however, managed to fit in some stitchin' time. I can't show you ... YET! ... but Lavender Lil is FINISHED!! And if I do say so myself ... she is seriously CUTE!! :0) She'll be making her way to "Handmade" for an issue later in the year ... stay tuned and I'll let you know which issue ... as soon as I know, that is! :0)

The other stitching I've been plugging away at has been on a project I started before Christmas that got interrupted by the Christmas stitching. Do you remember this sneaky peek??

Well ... with a bit more stitching ... quite a LOT more stitching in fact! :0) It now looks like this ...

The quilting has been done, I just have to find time to cut the binding to attach ... maybe on the weekend. I've enjoyed working with the yummy "Pure" fabrics ... not my usual colour palette, but fun to challenge myself a bit and work outside my usual square. :0) I've also been doing some stitching on a companion project for this new pattern ...

Gimme a "T"!! Don't you love the chocolate brown with the icy blue? And ...

Gimme an "O"!! Hmmm ... what do you think I'm cooking up??? I'm going to keep you in suspenders a little longer! Tee! Hee! Hee! I promise all will be revealed soon ... I PROMISE! :0)

But right now, my poor tired little eyeballs are starting to droop out of their sockets, so I'm off to keep a date with my pillow ... we seem to have only a passing relationship these days ... we may need counselling! Tee! Hee! Hee! If I didn't have to sleep, I could get so much more done! Ah well ... off I go to climb into my jim-jams. Hope your week is ticking along as productively as mine is! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Saturday Swap Meet - Woo! Hoo!!

For the last few years in Toowoomba, February sees a HUGE Swap Meet/Collectibles Fair held at the showgrounds and it's been getting bigger and BIGGER! Last year, I told you how we'd had to walk for over a kilometre ... just to get from the car park to the fair!! This year we ummed and ahhed about whether we'd go. I say "WE" but it's actually a bit like the "Royal WE" cos my Beloved Geek Boy would happily skip it altogether!!! :0) Last year was HOT!! I mean REEEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLYYYY HOT!!! We baked our little selves and vowed we wouldn't do that again. With our last fortnight of temps hovering around the 30-32C mark (hot for Toowoomba when combined with the icky humidity!!) it didn't look like we'd be heading to the showgrounds, but today dawned cloudy and a little cooler. With a bit of arm-twisting, GB said we'd head out for a look. WOO! HOO! Swap Meet and Collectibles - what's not to like about that!!! :0)

We were ecstatic to find that there were fewer exhibitors this year ... that may sound strange, but it meant we could park in the TOP carpark which didn't involve walking kilometres just to get to the gate - WOO! HOO! We found a park, paid our entry fee and walked in to look down on ...

This was down in the main arena - I couldn't get a very clear shot of the pavilions etc ... too many people to dodge! :0) I'll also add that we didn't go down into the arena cos it was mostly vintage machinery and cars ... which would NOT fit in the hatchback of our little Festiva! (Though Linda will vouch that a cast iron table will!! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

I had a lovely time looking at all the pretties, oohing over lovely china, aahhing over vintage linen, but I was a VERY good girl (by MY standards anyway, though I'm sure my Mother wouldn't agree! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and only bought a few little treasures ...

... a pretty cross-stitched tablecloth on gorgeous ecru linen ... looks so fresh and pretty! I love vintage linens, but especially ones with cross stitch designs in these pretty spring colours. I also bought a couple of pieces of green Depression Glass for my small-but-growing collection and a couple of unusual and harder to find pieces of pink Depression Glass for my bestest-buddy-since-we-were-nine Lynette, who has just started her collection, too. Lynette's pieces are a late birthday gift for her ... from November! :0) She and I have an understanding that we don't just buy each other a gift so it arrives on the day ... we will often take our time to find just the right thing for each other. I think she'll agree it was worth the wait! :0) And here's my little collection in its new home ...

And my Shabby Hearts are back from their photo shoot for an upcoming issue of "Handmade". I've missed the splash of colour there. :0)

Lynette found the little sweets dish on the left and the sandwich plate in the centre for me for Christmas. You can see that my new treasures look just right with them. :0) And you can't have a collection without a bear or two to keep an eye on things, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Aren't the Geisha Girl flowers pretty? I have so much trouble with my Geisha Girl plants ... they grow huge amounts and just when I think I'll trim them back so people can get up our front steps ... they flower and I don't have the heart to chop them back! :0) So if you come to visit ... bring a machete! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Well, that's what I've been up to this Saturday and I'm about to head back into the sewing room to play and listen to the sound of rain on the roof ... the storm is finally breaking and hopefully it will decrease the nasty humidity. So ... what are YOU up to this Saturday??? Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Gone Surfin'!!

WOW! I just realised how long it's been since I popped in to chat to you all ... not sure where the last week has disappeared to! It seems this year is going to fly by in an even quicker blur than last year ... EEK! I'm in TROUBLE! Tee! Hee! Hee!

I do have a really good excuse for being absent for a few days ... well, I'm ALWAYS a little absent, but this time I mean absent from blogland! :0) I've been surfing ... not on the web (way behind with visiting my blogging buddies!!), not at the beach (this podgy body was NOT meant for hangin' ten!!!) ... I've been surfing a CREATIVE WAVE! You know ... one of those lightbulb moments when all of the odd little things you've been mulling over for a while suddenly come together into a clear project? Well, that happened to me this week after weeks of wracking my brain for a project to fit a particular theme for an upcoming issue of "Handmade" magazine ... EUREKA!! I headed for the sewing room ... which is no longer neat! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Here's the creative clutter littering my ironing board at the moment. Some pretty felt, a bit of yummy lace, tape measure to check ... well ... measurements, oddly enough! :0) ... some soft coloured fabric and my rainbow-in-a-box of embroidery threads. Add them all together and you get ...

... a sneaky peek! Tee! Hee! Hee! You didn't REALLY think I was going to show you the finished project, did you??? It's got to stay a Secret Squirrel surprise for a while longer! :0) I CAN tell you that a new Tag Along Teddies teddy has been born ... I'm proud Mama Bear to a little felt cutie whose name is Lavender Lil. And that's all I'm going to tell you for now ... you'll just have to wait til later in the year to see her in all her finished glory. I know ... I'm such a TEASE! :0) But you love me! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Other than playing in the sewing room, I've spent a little bit of time out at Quilters' Angel with Marion and Steph, to see how the quilt drive for the flood victims from our local region is going. Last I heard (there's been another couple of sewing sessions after I chatted to Marion last) there were over 60 tops and finished quilts in the pot! How FANTASTIC is that! Well done to Marion and Steph for the HUGE amount of work and effort they've put into the Quilt Drive (I know all about those after-shop-hours prep sessions they've been having to keep things running along!!) and congrats to all the lovely stitchers who've donated fabric, wadding, quilts, kits and their time to help make this heart-warming initiative possible. I just know that these quilts will mean so much to their eventual new owners.

The other thing that took a bit of my time this week was some behind the scene work on OPAM. If you take a peek at my sidebar, you'll see that I've got the full list of participants up there now, so if you signed up, but your name isn't there, drop me an email and I'll sort it out. Also, if you could check your link to make sure I haven't had a "Space Walk" moment (Mr Squiggle reference for those who grew up in Australia in the 70's! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and that your link works properly. The final sign up tally this year is ...

157!
Woo! Hoo! A few less than last year, but that's OK, cos not only do Peg and I have a few less blogs to hop around at the end of each month, we had a few people last year sign up, but not follow through, so I'm sure that the slightly lower number means all you gals are ready to STITCH and tackle your "To Do" lists with gusto! :0) If you haven't already done so, make sure you pop the OPAM 2011 button on your sidebar with a link back to Peg or me and pop a list on there of your finishes. If you're having any problems with either of those things, just drop me an email and we'll sort it out.

But right now ... I'm grabbin' my figurative surfboard and heading back into the sewing room ...

KOWABUNGA, DUDES!!!

Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS