Teacup Challenge, Lost & Found, New Fabric!!

How's that for a mouthful for my title today! :0) It's one of those 'mish-mash' sort of post days today, so make yourself a cuppa, sit back and see if you can keep up!!

Firstly ... a Teacup Challenge. Last post, I showed you some photos of a few of my pretty china teacups and trio sets, including my imperfect treasure, the hand-painted set with a badly repaired saucer. Well ... while I was chatting to my blogging buddy and fellow arctophile Miss Liz from Teddlywinks Designs, I commented that I had almost as many teacups and trio sets as I do bears in my collection. It turns out, I was speaking a language Miss Liz was familiar with! :0) You see ... it seems that as well as sharing a passion for teddy bears and both of us having design businesses that predominantly feature teddies, we both LOOOOOOOOVE to collect pretty teacups and trio sets! :0) Talk about peas in a pod! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now, Miss Liz has today shared some pretty pics of a few of her china treasures and we thought there might be a few more of you out there who have a passion for pretty tea things, so we're putting out a bit of a low-key kind of challenge ...

 

Show Us Your Teacups!!!

Tee! Hee! Hee! Miss Liz got the ball rolling earlier today with her post HERE and I thought I'd share a couple more pics of MY pretties.

 

These are a couple of pieces from a full tea set that is a bit special to me. It isn't an expensive 'name-brand' set, in fact, it was made in Romania. (Hmmm ... always knew there was a bit of Romany Gypsy in my bloodline somewhere! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Hey ... perhaps it will tell my fortune in the tealeaves ... "I see a tall dark, handsome stranger ..." Tee! Hee! Hee! Sorry ... I digress!! The thing that makes this tea set special is its story. You see, my Mum is NOT at all a "collector" ... in fact ... she uses the word "hoarder" when addressing my penchant for collecting!! :0) But when she saw this set at a garage sale, she immediately thought I would like it ... so she rescued it for me! Aaaaaaawwww!! What a SWEETIE my Mum is! :0)

  

The set has a lovely shape and is decorated with pretty little blue and purple daisy flowers. It is quite fresh and delicate looking and I love it! :0) Oh ... can you see that I did some baking on the weekend while I was procrastinating about writing pattern instructions??? Another thing Miss Liz and I share ... we both HATE the instruction writing phase of designing! Tee! Hee! Hee! On the up side ... we're enjoying yummy Anzac biccies this week! :0)

So ... now it's YOUR turn to play along. Take some photos of your pretty china teacup collection ... maybe you only have a few, or you're like Miss Liz and I and your collection is ever-growing ... just take and post some pics and let Liz and I know so we can pop over for a peek. Now I KNOW there are a few of you out there who collect pretty teacups ... Kerryanne ... Lilly Linda ... Joy-Belle ... Jenny ... so I can't WAIT to start seeing pretty china teacup photos popping up throughout blogland! :0)

******

 

On to the "Lost And Found" in my title. A few years ago, I designed a pattern that I called "A Month Of Sundays" because it consists of four smaller, quick-to-make projects for busy gals who only had Sunday for their 'play' day ... four projects ... most months have four weeks in them ... a Month of Sundays worth of sewing! :0)

  

A pin cushion, bookmark, needlecase and scissors pouch. Now, that needlecase quickly became one of my favourite sewing accessories. It wasn't too big to fit in my sewing pouch, but big enough to fit a good number of pins and needles in there - plus the colours are so darn cheerful! :0) About a year ago, my needlecase mysteriously disappeared. I tore the house apart looking for it ... couldn't find it. I thought it would turn up when I cleaned my sewing room ... couldn't find it. I cleaned out my sewing basket in the lounge room ... couldn't find it. SIGH! I resigned myself to it being one of life's great mysteries ... right up there with: 

•  "Where do all the odd socks go?"
• "Why do men put dirty clothes on TOP of the laundry basket rather than IN it?"
• "What happens in the Bermuda Triangle?"

Imagine my complete SURPRISE today when I popped into the community hall, of the retirement village where I work four mornings a week, to chat with a lovely lady who was tidying the books and magazines in the shared library and suddenly ... I spotted a splash of green, red, blue and yellow amongst the old magazines ...

  

My prodigal needlecase was found!! And inside ...

 

 

... all my favourite needles and some always-in-demand pins!! HOORAY!! There was much rejoicing and an impromptu performance of my Happy Dance. I still have NO idea how it could have made its way between old magazines at work, where I never take my sewing, but my personal theory is that the faeries were playing a trick on me! :0) How lovely to find an old friend!

******

 

Last but not least, Postman Paul left me a parcel today ... a SOFT parcel, if you see what I mean! :0)

 

Ooh! La! La! (she says in her best French accent, a-la "Allo, Allo"!!) You can see I'm still on my French kick! :0) Last week when I enjoyed a play-date with my bestest-buddy-since-we-were-nine Lynette, I spotted an apron that I fell in love with ... unfortunately, I was not so fond of the price tag!! Lynette pointed out that I could make myself a similar apron, which sent me on an internet hunt for Eiffel Tower fabric. The apron I was eyeing off was black with a red Eiffel Tower pocket on the front ... using this exact fabric! So, since I now have red Eiffel Tower fabric (my kitchen is apple green with red accessories) and I happen to have a pre-made black apron in my sewing room cupboard awaiting embelishment ... I will indeed be making my own apron very soon, but I think I shall be a little more creative. :0) And since the fabric was so darn cute, I got a fat quarter of the black version, too. I have no idea what I'll do with it, but it can't hurt to have it on hand, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee! I bought it on Ebay from "Rasberry Hill Fabrics" and was really impressed with how quickly they got it in the mail and on its way.

So there you go ... that's what's happening in the Meares' Madhouse today. Right now, I'm off to make myself a cup of tea before I have to think about what to cook for dinner. I'll look forward to seeing some teacup pics from you all soon! :0) Til next time ...

 

  

"Tea For Two & Two For Tea

Me For You & You For Me!"

 

 

BEAR HUGS!

 

 

CHEERS!

KRIS

 

 

Imperfect Treasure ... Take 2!!

Did you have a proper look at the title for my post yesterday? If so, you will have noticed that it said, "Covergirl & Imperfect Treasure". Now only ONE of you, my keen-eyed blogging buddies, noticed that I had in fact forgotten to write anything about the "Imperfect Treasure". The Lovely Lilly Linda noticed ... I know she's always keeping an eye out for special treasures, so I guess that's why she noticed! :0) So ... I thought today I'd finish that little story.

Now ... those of you who've been popping in to visit me for a while now have probably picked up on the fact that I LOVE pretty china cups. I like ...

... teacups in sets ...

... teacups with bluebirds ...

... I especially love teacups with violets on them! ...

... I love teacups with roses ... yellow, red or pink ...

... I love this cup that has a Court Jester on it, because my nickname for a while was the Court Jester ...

... I ADORE this cup with a thatched cottage on it because I love thatched cottages. In fact, I love teacups so much, that they are displayed all around our home. I have ...

... teacups on shelves. Many of these belonged to my Nan who felt there was nothing that couldn't be fixed by a sit down and a nice cup of tea ... or two or three! :0) Her teacups were the seed for my own ever-growing collection!! There are ...

... teacups with candles in them ...

... and teacups with bears in them. And SOMETIMES, just to be a bit radical ...

... I actually put TEA in my teacups! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now ... this is a rather long-winded way of introducing my story. You see, when I went to take this photo yesterday, my pretty violet trio set was rather dusty ... it had been some time since the dusting faeries had been to visit! :0) So I filled the sink with warm soapy water to wash it up ... and decided to do a few more while I was at it ... not ALL of them, you understand, cos I'd have been there all day! :0) But the few that were beside this set on its shelf. And one of them is one of my 'special' treasures ...

I found this set in a pokey little antique shop in a funny little country town where we stopped to stretch our legs on one of our trips away and I had barely walked in the door when this set caught my eye. My Nan, who started me in my teacup obsession, was a champion grower of gladioli flowers and these gorgeous, vibrant hand-painted beauties reminded me of the walks around the garden I shared with my Nan when I was a child. The owner of the shop looked at me a little strangely when I took it to the counter and pointed out that the saucer was badly cracked and just as badly repaired. I said I didn't care ... it was my new imperfect treasure! :0) In fact ... I rather related to this tea set trio ... it is a little unusual, a little colourful, a little loud  and a little cracked ... just like ME! Tee! Hee! Hee! And it reminded me that while we may not come through life unscathed, we can still bring joy to those around us and serve a special purpose.

So there you have it ... the story of my imperfect treasure. I have many other imperfect treasures ... vintage tablecloths with stains and holes, doilies with odd little marks and bears that are missing some fur, but each and every one brings me pleasure and joy because it tells a story. And do you know ... some of the most fabulous "Imperfect Treasures" that I have are ...

My Friends!!! :0)

And let me tell you, some of them are a little cracked too! Tee! Hee! Hee! But I love them every one and they bring joy to my life just by being part of it. So ... to all my "Imperfect Treasures" ...

THANK YOU!!!

I'm now off to use another of my pretty teacups for the purpose they were intended. I hope you've all had a fabulous week and that your weekend is full of adventures, surprises and maybe even some imperfect treasures!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Covergirl & Imperfect Treasure!!

Hello from the top of my freezing cold hill!! BRRRRR! Yep ... those horrible south-westerlies are STILL blowing a gale and carrying the songs of the penguins to us all the way from the Antarctic tundras! So ... a smart gal stays inside where it's warm and finds a way to occupy herself. Just in case you were wondering ... YES!! ... today I AM a smart gal! Tee! Hee! Hee!

The perfect way to occupy myself seemed to be to curl up with a cuppa and enjoy a little something that landed in my mailbox on Tuesday and I hadn't had time to really enjoy yet ...

... the latest issue of "Handmade" magazine. And do you spy that little bear dressed in purple? You might remember her from this sneaky peek earlier in the year ...

Hmmm ... I wasn't giving much away, was I! :0) Well, now she's a COVER GIRL! I do hope it doesn't go to her head! Tee! Hee! Hee! So, what does she look like up close?

There she is! What a cutie ... if I do say so myself! :0) Also gracing the pages of this issue of "Handmade" are a couple of projects by my blogging buddy Jenny of Elefantz, the lovely Val Laird (who packs a PORT to go on holidays like I do!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and Michelle Ridgeway, who sometimes pops into my blog for a visit ... but I've lost the link to Michelle's blog ... sorry Michelle!! If you're trying to find a way to escape the cold this winter grab a copy and curl up with your favourite hot beverage!! :0)

 

Now, usually when I take a photo of the issue of the mag my projects are in, the original sample has come home from it's photo shoot, but not this time. Oh no! Lil is really taking to the jetsetting lifestyle of a covergirl and is currently swanning about at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair as a special guest of the "Handmade" team at their stand. She's a very social little bear, so if you're at the show, why not stop off at the "Handmade" stand and say G'day to Lavender Lil ... maybe even take your photo with her ... she really WILL think she's a jetsetting, celebrity covergirl, won't she! Tee! Hee! Hee! Here's a photo of her before the fame started to go to her pretty green felt head ...

 

Aahh, yes, I can remember when she was content just to hang out in our front garden in the lavender bush, chatting to the bees and waiting to play tag with the faeries. I wonder how she will adjust to this simple life when she comes home! :0) Then again ... if it's still this cold (3 degrees in my kitchen at 7am and 5 degrees in my office at 8:30am!!!) when she gets home from her jetsetting adventures, Lil may just hibernate happily for the rest of winter ... and I might join her! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week no matter where you are (those gals in parts of the USA who have said you're sweltering, feel free to send some of your excess heat this way!!). Right now, I'm off to enjoy that cup of tea you see in the photos. What sort of tea?? Why ... LAVENDER TEA of course! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Shivering, Sketching & Stitching!!

That's what's been happening here on top of the hill this weekend. BRRRRRR!! It has been nasty cold!! And although the sun is out and we have blue, blue skies ... there is a south-westerly wind blowing that is so icy that it takes your breath away ... well ... I ASSUME it would, cos there's no way I'm going out there to test that theory! Tee! Hee! Hee! I've only ventured out long enough to hang a couple of loads of washing and hope that I can remember to get them in again before they snap-freeze when the sun goes down! :0) Did I mention I HATE winter?! Oh ... I did?!? Well ... forget I mentioned it then! :0)

So ... when it's icky OUTSIDE, what's a gal to do but stay INSIDE and occupy herself. Now, like most of you, I have about six or seven projects on the go at the moment (OK ... lots more than that, but they're the current ones!!), so I should be finishing those, right? (Did you just hear Chookyblue crack the Gardeners Journal whip?! Tee! Hee! Hee!) So of course I ... DIDN'T do that! :0) My designing imagination seems to be working overtime at the moment, so instead of writing instructions or scratching my head over block piecing ...

... out came the trusty sketch book! Oops! Do you see a couple of sneaky peeks there?!?! One little critter is just peeking out from under the cover of my sketch book and the other (which I didn't realise when I took the photo!!) is showing through the sketch book page. Do you see it?? Can you guess what I'm brewing up in my overactive imagination at the moment?!?!? :0) I'll give you a little clue ... they're from two different designs ... told you my imagination was working overtime! :0)

So ... after some sketching, came some stitching ...

A little bit more of a clue about what I'm working on. Yes ... there is a whiff of Christmas there ... I'm finally getting to play with some of these ...

The yummy fabrics in Lynette Anderson's new range, "Scandinvian Christmas" ... which should soon be appearing in quilting shops everywhere. That's all the clues you get ... And now my lips are ZIPPED!! I'm going to keep you in suspenders until these projects are finalised. I CAN tell you that I'm pretty excited about where they're heading and that one of them is a first for me!! Aren't I a big tease?!?! :0)

Now ... the other sewing that has happened recently was actually last weekend, when Mum and I hit her sewing room together. Some of you (those with young children or grandkids) may have seen some of the pics in blogland of Bandana Bibs. Well ... only having dogs and bears in our household, I was at a bit of a loss when my SIL asked me to make a few for my sweet nephew for his birthday.  I had sudden mental pictures of Wild West cowboys with bibs over their shirts so they didn't spill their beans down their front! Tee! Hee! Hee! So the answer of course was to GOOGLE it! What on earth did we do before Google?!?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Problem solvered, free downloadable pattern ... can't remember where I found it though - sorry!! ... and the result is ...

 ... four bandana bibs ready to be sent off to my nephew! They were really simple (PHEW!!) and pretty quick to whip up. The back two are out flat and the front two are velcroed into the shape they will be when worn. I love the fabric I found at my Home-Away-From-Home ...

... especially those kooky dinosaurs! :0) They just made me smile every time I looked at them, so hopefully my nephew will think their pretty cool, too. Four finishes for the OPAM list! :0)

Right now, though, I'm going to go make myself a cuppa, pop a "Midsomer Murders" DVD into the player and work on converting some more of those sketches into stitches. Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend and finding the best way to enjoy your weather today. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Koala Khaos!!!

Here I am, back after our long weekend away and despite all hopes ... it was COLD in Mundubbera as well! SIGH! The only consolation we really had was that it must have been even colder here in Toowoomba and we were missing it! :0) "How cold was it??" I hear you ask ... Perhaps it can best be summed up by Mum's rather spoilt pooch, Sunny ...

Here he is bundled up in his blankie on Mum's bed. See ... spoilt! :0) But cute, so he gets away with it! I might add that he happily stayed bundled up like this for quite some time. Every time he HAD to go outside, he'd shiver and shake for 10 minutes when he came back in. Of course ... some of that may have been a play for sympathy and cuddles ... in which case ... it worked! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So, Tuesday morning back at work, not at all happy with the overcast, foggy, drizzly, nasty day that it was ... I think the weatherman tried to tell me it got up to 13 degrees, but I'm not convinced! It was FREEZING!!! I was met by 'the boys' (I am the only female staff member, so am surrounded by 'boys' with my boss and two grounds/maintenance staff.) who told me they'd seen a koala weave his way across the bottom of our main Village access road, then climb up into a little jacaranda tree. Since it was such awful weather, he was only little, didn't look well and we have quite dense housing developments on two of our boundaries, they were worried that he would end up tangling with someone's dog or wander into traffic. So ... I was set the challenge of finding someone to ask whether he would be OK in his jacaranda perch or not. Hmmm ... who does one ring to report a lost little koala?!?!

Here's the poor little bloke up his jacaranda tree, looking very bedraggled. Now, a friend's hubby happens to work for one of the government departments that deals with natural resources, so I called him to ask advice ... and was put onto someone in the right department ... who said they would contact their "Koala Lady" who would likely then contact me. Hmmm ... I'm often referred to as the "Mad Bear Lady", so I was keen to meet the "Koala Lady" ... a kindred spirit, perhaps! Tee! Hee! Hee! As it turned out, she was a lovely lady who rounded up a couple of helpers to get our little guest out of the jacaranda, as she thought he might be unwell. Usually, they try to leave the koalas alone to find their own way home without interfering, but this little bloke needed a helping hand ...

 

... and some gentle persuasion that coming out of the jacaranda tree was in his best interests! He did NOT want to let go of that final branch and grunted out his displeasure ... they make quite a low, guttural sort of grunt when they are unhappy ... and believe me, he was NOT happy! Tee! Hee! Hee!

But eventually he was in the net before being carefully lowered and ...

 

... bundled into a carry cage. The "Koala Lady" said it was the quickest, easiest relocation she's ever done. Personally, I think the little koala decided that wherever they were likely to take him had to be warmer and drier than his jacaranda perch and gave in ... though not very gracefully! :0)

Here he is ... wet, bedraggled, disgruntled and very little to be out in the big bad world all by himself! Isn't he a cutie!!! The "Koala Lady" said they would take him to a local vet to dry him off and warm him up, but that he would have to be transported about 3 hours to the Sunshine Coast to be treated by a specialist koala vet, as there wasn't anyone locally who had the right training. She said that a koala needs a 5km range of bush to call home and ... as we've seen near our retirement village ... more and more housing developments are going in and the koalas' habitat is going out. I hope our furry little visitor gets well soon and can find a suitable home.

So ... there you go ... a bit of excitement for the week. Otherwise, the icky weather has had me curled up in front of the heater with a book, craft mag or some stitching, so not much progress to show ... though I DID finish a few small projects on the weekend when Mum and I played in her sewing room for a while when my Beloved Geek Boy and Dad went and hit a little white ball around the paddock for a few hours. :0) Will show pics next time. But right now ... I'm off to thaw out my fingers in front of the heater again .... BRRRRRRRRR!!! Hope you're keeping warm and dry if you're in Oz and that you're enjoying some warm summer weather if you're 'up north'. Til next time ...

Watch Out For Drop Bears!!!

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

BRRRRRRR!! I HATE WINTER!!!

OH!!! It is NASTY cold here on top of our hill and I am dreaming of winning the lotto and moving to the tropics!!! Yesterday was not only cold (the temp didn't climb above 6 degrees C!!!) it was also overcast with a sneaky south-westerly wind blowing. I'm sure I heard the singing of penguins carried by the wind from the South Pole!! Overnight the thermometer dropped to around 0 and as I type this it has only crept up to 6 degrees again at 10am, though the sun is out. And it's only the second week of June ... SIGH! It is going to be a LOOOOOOONG winter!

So ... what's a gal to do when it's icky-freeze-your-nose cold and she doesn't want to go too far from the heater? Why ... she finds something to do in front of the heater! :0) Does this give you a hint as to my current pastime??

I made myself a cup of Rose and French Vanilla tea, found some of my FAVOURITE Turkish Delight (no chocolate makes it even better!!) and curled up with a couple of craft mags. The first was the current issue of "Handmade", which is a Christmas in July issue ... even though it's actually the June issue. Hmmm ... perhaps they think people will be getting ready for Christmas in July and so need Christmas crafts in June. Though ... as someone mentioned recently, it's never too early to start getting ready for Christmas! :0) Now, as I turn some pages in this issue, I find ...

... A project from Tag Along Teddies!! Well, fancy that, what a surprise! Tee! Hee! Hee! Actually, it WAS  a bit of a surprise, as I'd sent this project off in about August last year and had never been told when it would be published. The first I knew about it was my gorgeous OPAM Partner-In-Crime Peg emailing to tell me how much she loved my quirky Christmas teds. SURPRISE! Tee! Hee! Hee! Here's a look at the original ...

Don't know if you can see the stitched writing, it says "Beary Merry Kris-Moose!" No ... not ME Kris (though that is applicable I guess!) Kris Kringle ... St Nicholas ... Father Christmas ... SANTA!! :0) I wanted to do something a little different to the usual Christmas cuteness, so ... quirky Kris-Moose bears with antler headbands! :0) It's a fun, quick and simple project to make ... perfect for some cold weather stitching!! Also on my cold-weather reading list ...

... The current issue of "Homespun". In the cover photo, do you see the table runner in the bottom left corner? It is SOOOOOOO cute and features a sweet blue chooky? (Ooooohh ... I bet Chookyblue would love this table runner! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Well, that was designed by the clever-clogs Lynette Anderson and I will be adding it to my list of "Things To Do" ... Once I cross a few more tasks off it, that is ... GROAN!!!!

Soooooo .... THAT'S what a gal does when the weather on top of her hill is nasty-cold! :0) Care to join me?? Both of these issues are in newsagents in Australia now ... overseas blogging buddies will have to check with their local suppliers or contact the magazines. Of course ... both also have LOTS more yummy craft projects for you to add to your "To Do" list too. :0) Oh ... including a pretty project in the "Handmade" by blogging buddy Jenny of Elefantz ... see ... well worth searching for! :0)

Right now, however, I'm off to make myself another cup of tea, nibble on another piece of Turkish Delight (no wonder I'm the same podgy shape as my bears!!!!) and warm up in front of the heater before I throw a few things in a bag to head off for the long weekend. We're off to Mundubbera to visit Mum and Dad ... haven't told the dogs yet that they're not coming, but I'm sure the house-sitter can explain that to them! Tee! Hee! Hee! Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you stay warm, if you're in Oz, enjoy the summer warmth if you're in the northern hemisphere (I'll try not to be too jealous!) and enjoy some time creating and dreaming. Til next time ...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

BEAR HUGS!!

CHEERS!
KRIS

FINALLY ... Some GJ Progress!!

Yes ...  you read correctly ... I've FINALLY made a bit more progress on my Gardener's Journal quilt. Chookyblue has been cracking the whip of late and since I'm already about three months behind, I decided this last weekend was the time to get stuck in and do a bit more. So ... out came everything I'd done so far ...

OK ... spread it all out ... now ... where was I up to?!?!

Let loose with a rotary cutter, ruler and mat ... cut a few bits, mutter quite a lot about 1 1/2 inch squares (must have a word to Anni about that one day!!) ... scratch the ol' head a bit over which bit goes where and which way to press seams (did I mention I'm not REALLY a patchworker??) ... some whirring of the ol' Husky and ...

Et VOILA!! Block E finished. I just love how the little bits of satin stitching add an extra 'something' to the blocks ... even though stitching those apples nearly sent me round the bend ... a short trip in my case some would say! Tee! Hee! Hee! Do you see there's one GREEN apple in amongst the RED? Just like me ... it had to be a little different to the crowd! :0) Now ... I'd really only planned to finish one block ... you know, show Chooky that I'd made some progress, without stressing myself too much with 1 1/2 inch blocks. But ... well ... I had some more squares already cut and it was warm in my sewing room, so ...

... Block F also got put together ... maybe I was wishing I had a nice comfy spot to sit in the sun with a cool drink and a well-behaved puppy-dog. Hmmm ... winter, so not warm ... Sunday was overcast here, so no sun ... cold weather doesn't really lend itself to a cool drink ... two dogs, neither of whom are well-behaved! SIGH! You can see why I just stayed in my sewing room, can't you! :0) So my sewing achievements for the weekend were ...

Not bad, if I do say so myself. The dark blue border around the Resting In The Garden block was actually supposed to be around The Dovecote ... but I had a bit of a 'Spacewalk, Miss Jane!' moment and picked up the wrong block. OOPS! Ah well ... looks OK and I'm sure in the overall quilt it won't matter. So ... thus far, this is what my quilt is looking like ...

I've laid the blocks out in their order, as best I can with the missing bits, and have also laid out the stitcheries for the remaining blocks. I'm still not finished the Garden Show stitchery in the bottom right corner ... I seem to have a bit of a block with that one, for some reason!! Well ... that and too many other projects, new design ideas and deadlines creeping in to crowd my creative space! :0) I really want to get this quilt finished by the end of the year, though, so I'll just keep plodding along.

Hope your weekend was productive, whatever you got up to. OPAM gals ... thanks so much to all of you who emailed Peg and I with your finish tallies for May .. it really is greatly appreciated! I promise I'm slowly working my way through replying to your emails ... it may take a few days, but I'm getting there! :0)  There were 519 finishes for May - WELL DONE EVERYONE!! And I know a few people were like me and plodding along with some longer-term projects ... which is also great. Remember ... it's not really the tallies that count, it's taking the time out from your busy life to do something you enjoy, to stop and count the stitches, as it were! :0)

And now ... I'm off to find something inspiring to cook for dinner ... when I win lotto, I will be employing a cook, I think, so I can just disappear into the sewing room and not have to think about mundain household chores like what to cook for dinner! :0) Enjoy your week !! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Been Busy But Back!!

There's a nice bit of alliteration to distract you from the fact that I've been a bit of a slacko blogger in the last few weeks! :0) How the heck does life get so busy and complicated?!?!?! I feel like I'm a clown in a circus juggling a dozen or so balls and I think they're going to all drop on my head at any moment. Well ... the clown part is pretty accurate, hey! :0)

OK ... so last post I told you I've be back to tell you about an adventure that started with a trip on a jet plane. It was actually last Thursday/Friday/Saturday that I joined my Beloved Geek Boy for a work-related road ... er ... plane ... trip. He had to fly up to Mackay in north QLD for a few days to install some video conferencing equipment and we decided to take advantage of some cheap airfares so I could go along with him ... it's WARM up there, after all! :0) We had hopes (since he'd organised for some of the cabling etc to be done before he got there) that we might even manage to have half a day to ourselves for some fun stuff. Alas ... this didn't happen, but at least I got to go on a couple of plane rides (did I mention that I LOVE to fly?!?!), I got to spend some quiet time in the motel room stitching ... when I wasn't soaking in the spa! Tee! Hee! Hee! And in the last week of Autumn when it was NASTY cold here on top of our hill ... we were wearing t-shirts in 22 degree warmth ... AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! :0)

We DID manage to snatch an hour to ourselves late on Thursday afternoon and quickly decided to scoot out to the harbour/marina for a little look see. We both remember how it was when we were kids (both our families come from the Mackay area and we spent a lot of school holidays here ... just didn't know each other then!!) and it is DEFINITELY classier these days! :0) While most of the shops had closed up for the day, we did enjoy some lovely ocean scenery.

This is the old lighthouse at the harbour ... no longer in use, but protected and preserved as a reminder to Mackay's long maritime history. It's just one of those postcard pictures, isn't it!! :0) And I haven't tweaked the colours or levels at all ... it was just a GORGEOUS day up there in the north!! And my boss wonders why I was threatening to send him a postcard to tell him I was spending winter in Mackay and not coming back til Spring! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Here's one of two tug-boats that was tied up at the wharf while we were there. They always seem so small in pictures, but are really quite big ... as GB pointed out, though ... you usually see them in photos pushing REALLY big tankers or liners around, so they just look small in comparison! :0) See the colour of that water and sky ... GORGEOUS, I tell ya! :0)

Hmmm ... now ... where DID we park our boat?!?! Wouldn't want to be making your way back to your boat after a few drinks at the local tavern ... they all start to look a bit the same! :0) Still ... wouldn't mind if one of them was ours cos there are hundreds of islands, large and small in the Whitsunday region that would be fun to explore ...

This pic isn't the best, cos it was taken out the window of the plane as we were flying home, but it gives you a bit of an idea of those islands.

So ... that was about the extent of our 'fun' time in Mackay (I'm not counting the stitching and spa times cos GB was working! Tee! Hee! Hee!) But I did manage to get him to let me pop into a lovely little French-inspired gift shop we found last time we visited Mackay. I was given 15 minutes on our way to the airport to catch the plane home on Saturday morning ... not really enough time to enjoy all of the pretties, but we women are talented and can make the most of ANY shopping time, no matter HOW limited, right?!?! :0)

I adopted this sweet rosey plate ... just big enough to fit a couple of biccies or a cupcake on, I think! :0) And I also found some yummy orange flavoured tea that will help keep me warm as winter's chills set in.

Now, after our quick trip north, I had to hit the ground running, as we got home just in time for me to arrive late at a choir rehearsal session (we had a concert last Sunday arvo, which I managed NOT to be late for!!), then after grabbing a few fresh groceries, we popped into the hospital to visit GB's Mum, who had been admitted with pneumonia while we were in Mackay. She's now back home and on the mend, thankfully, but we sure did have a busy homecoming ... then it was the end of month OPAM blog-hopping time (Peg will be announcing winners in the next day or so, so stay tuned to her blog!!), back into the working week, playing catch up, coping with major computer issues at work (IT departments ... GRRRRRRR!!!! ), meeting up with the Quilting Angels gals to start work on more care quilts ... PHEW! What a week!! And in all the busy-ness ... I forgot something important!! You see, I came home to find a lovely email from Toni at The Red Boot Quilt Co. to tell me that I had won her pattern giveaway!! WOW! I hardly ever win stuff!! :0) And this arrived on my doorstep this week as a result ...

The giveaway prize was a kit to make Basil and Hettie, two VERY cute fuzzy bears! :0) THANK YOU TONI!!! I know these bears are super sweet, cos I was lucky enough to receive a Christmas bear from Toni last Christmas ... yep, I'm spoilt ... but worth it! Tee! Hee! Hee! Now ... being a fellow designer, Toni KNOWS how long the ol' "To Do" list can get, so she suggested I might like to pop this fabulous kit into the OPAM prize pool ... what a WONDERFUL idea!! So, one of you lucky OPAM gals will be receiving this kit next time I do the prize draw for OPAM. But ... if you can't wait to make yourself one of these cute bears, pop across to Toni's blog, cos she sells a lovely range of patterns ... not only does she make sweet naive softies, she designs GORGEOUS patchwork/applique quilts!!! Your problem will be deciding on just ONE that you love! :0) Thanks again for your generosity, Toni!!

Well ... I think that's about it from me for now. I've caught you up on my 'jet plane' adventure and what I've been up to this week, so I think I shall head off to play in my sewing room. As always, I have seven or eight things on the go!!!! :0) I hope to pop back before the end of the weekend to show you some progress ... but if I don't, you'll know that all my travels and adventures have caught up with me and I've found a warm, quiet corner to curl up for a kindy-kip! Tee! Hee! Hee! Hope your week has been spectacular and that your weekend includes time to dream and create! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS