A Spot Of Light Reading!

I know ... two posts in two days! Be still my beating heart! :0) I just thought I'd pop in quickly to recommend a bit of light reading to you all.

A little while ago, my blogging buddy and fellow craft designer, Jenny Reynolds from Elefantz invited me to be her featured designer in the November issue of her e-mag "Elefantz Home". I was rather chuffed, I have to say! :0) And the exciting bit is ... the November issue is now available ... YAY!!

This is a special "Girls, Girls, Girls" issue with lots of pretty, girly projects to stitch, as well as  ...

... a chance for you to find out some things about me that you may not already know ... does that sound nice and mysterious?! :0) I had a lot of fun answering the list of questions Jen sent me ... and since you all know I CAN'T manage to write a little bit when I can write a lot ... Tee! Hee! Hee! ... poor Jen's eyeballs were probably bleeding by the time she worked her way through it all! :0) 

I was fortunate enough to get to catch up with Jen in 'real life' last year when my Beloved Geek Boy and I were holidaying up north and Jen fed us a yummy home made soup lunch ...

We had a lovely time chatting away ... poor GB just nodded and smiled and ate his soup! Tee! Hee! Hee! If you'd like to add some of Jen's designs to your "To Do" list and take a peek at the feature on yours truly, you can get a copy of the November issue of "Elefantz Home" for your very own self by going HERE. You might want to make yourself a cuppa and get comfy first, though! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Whatever you're up to this week, I hope you enjoy the last day of the month of October tomorrow ... watch out for all the faeries who are about tomorrow on All Hallows' Eve ... it's one of their travelling days, you know! :0) OPAM gals ... have you emailed Sweet Peg or me and updated your sidebar list?? Don't forget! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Christmas Peek!

Lots of storms rumbling around the top of our 'hill' today, and although there's been lots of whippy wind and a few brief showers, so far it's "All talk no action". :0) Not that I'm looking to have wild storms ... but a good bit of rain would be welcome, as everything is so very dry.

So ... what's a gal to do on a dreary, overcast afternoon? Head to the sewing room of course! :0) And I'm pretty happy to report that I'm ALMOST finished a new Christmas pattern sample. Wanna take a sneaky peeky?

Some stitching, some appliqué, some perle thread-quilting and some yummy Christmas fabrics. I've used some of Lynette Anderson's cute Christmas range "Candy Cane Angel". I got my pretties at my "Home-Away-From-Home", but for those not lucky enough to be near the Quilters Angel, Lynette still has some fabric bundles listed on her website HERE.

Tonight I'll be settling back in front of a DVD or two to stitch the binding down ... and add a few other little bits of "BLING" to my Christmas hanger. Then will come the task of writing the instructions ... BLECH!! I'll also be designing a companion project before the pattern for this project is ready to release. I keep telling myself it will be ready for Christmas ... but 'Self' has not said WHICH Christmas! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Hope you're all having a great week so far and that there's some stitching in your schedule. OPAM gals ... don't forget ... it's almost THAT time of the month again when my Sweet Partner-In-Crime, Sweet Peg, and I start collecting finish tallies, so update those sidebar lists and email one of us with your total. But right now ... I'm off to play Polly. I bet you guessed that's what I was going to say! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Computers ... GGRRRRRRRR!!

Wasted almost an hour of potential sewing time this morning arguing with my iPhone about updates, passwords, accounts, user names and other techo stuff!!!! AAAAAARRRGGHHHH!!! I don't think I'm cut out to live in this technological age!!! I'm going to boil the non-password-protected kettle and have a calming cup of tea before I go and play with fabric. Hope your weekend is off to a less frustrating start! Til next time ...

PaSSw0RD PrR0T3CT3d BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

It's Not Easy Being Green ... Or Purple!!

That's got you wondering, hasn't it?! :0) Truth be told, this post is just a bit of random catching up ... it suddenly occurred to me that it has been a week since I popped in to say g'day to my blogging buddies, so I'd better let you know I'm still here ... I'm still here! Tee! Hee! Hee! So ... what have I been up to this week?

The highlight of my week was a bit impromptu, which involved some quick rescheduling. My Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette rang to see if I wanted to go to the Craft Show in Brisbane, as she had Friday off this week. Hmmm ... play date with my bestest-buddy ... HECK YEAH!! :0) So off we went  adventuring.

Now I must start by saying that I was being VERY good ... hadn't bought ANYTHING ... until Lynette wanted to return to a stand to get a couple of little Christmas kits ... and it was right next to Wacky Jacky's GORGEOUS range of batik fabrics in every colour, shade and style you can think of ... UH OH!! :0)

I was still FAIRLY good ... only two yummy pieces of green batik fabric came home with me. In fact ... I spent more for the ticket to get into the show and parking than I did AT the show!!

So after doing the rounds ... and a repeat trip back to the stalls that most grabbed our attention, Lynette and I decided we still had some time up our sleeves ... so we went off to explore a little and found ourselves at one of our fave antique shops in Sherwood ... FANCY THAT! Tee! Hee! Hee! Now, it just happened to start bucketing down rain as we arrived so we HAD to take refuge in the shop for an hour or so! At least ... that's what we told the husbands! Tee! Hee! Hee!

There were lots of treasures to enjoy peeking at ... its one of those shops where you have to open all the cupboards and drawers cos there are items stashed everywhere. Once again, I was FAIRLY good ... it was one of those fortnights where the bills had taken most of the play money so really, I HAD to be good! :0) But I did manage to find some sweet new treasures to bring home ...

The set of four green glasses followed me home. I'm not sure that they are actual Depression Glass, which Lynette and I both collect, but they were the same green tone and I liked the frosted stripe on the bottom of them. As it turns out, they look very nice when displayed with my find from a few weeks ago ...

Here's a closer look at one of my new glasses and the little jug. I'm pretty sure it IS Depression Glass, but I'd not seen anything like it before ... it has a herringbone type pattern etched into it, which ends with some flowers and an arch sort of pattern begin ... it's a bit challenging to get a good photo to show it up. It's also frosted, so goes nicely with the new glasses.

Apart from adventuring with Lynette, my week included quite a bit of stitching and some machine sewing ... some I can't share cos they're Secret Squirrel projects, but I can say that I have finished the top of the purple stacked coin quilt I've been working on ...

There's a bit of a saga with this quilt ... when I agreed to make it for Mum's friend, the agreement was just for the stacked coin quilt ... no hand stitching/appliqué. When I told my darling Mum that the quilt was to be plain her comment was ... "Oh ... really? It would look so much nicer with just a little bit of appliqué." SIGH! So I added a couple of butterflies to the top border. Mum's response? "Oh ... it still looks a little bare, don't you think? Maybe you could add a few more butterflies! SIGH!!!!!! I love my Mum, really I do!! Even if she was determined to create more work for me!  :0)  Stop sniggering Toni and Marion!! This photo shows the butterflies in place, just not stitched around ... I've since finished the blanket stitching, just haven't managed to get a decent photo. This will give you an idea of how it turned out, though. So it's now ready to be put into the capable and clever hands of my favourite quilter ... the Fabulous Fiona. :0) We're hoping to catch up for a play date this week, so I shall hand it over then.

Well ... I think that's about it from me ... except to tell you that Marion and Steph have released a few more details about Girls' Stitch In in March ... hop over to their blog to see who the designers will be, the theme and dates. Let me just say ... we're going to have a MERRY time! :0) If you want to come and play with up, you'd better book quickly ... places are limited and I know they've already started to be booked. And now ... I'm off to play Polly and do a bit more Secret Squirrel Stitching ... or maybe I should say ... Secret SANTA Stitching! :0) Hope your weekend has been a blast and that your week if FANTASTIC!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Christmas Denial!!!

I am in complete denial about how close Christmas is creeping ... I'm not certain that I'm ready for LAST Christmas yet! :0) In fact ... if one more person cheerfully (why are people always cheerful about telling you something you probably don't want to know?! ) says to me, "It'll be Christmas before you know it, not long now!" I may just commit an indictable offence! :0)

So why am I actually mentioning the impending holiday season if I'm in denial? Well ... once again I've signed up to be part of Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap ... SSCS for short ...

Being somewhat (OK ... VERY!!) time-poor, as I know many of you are, too, I made the decision a couple of years ago to only do one swap a year, and since the lovely Chookyblue is the bestest ever swap mama, I picked SSCS. Plus, when I first joined blogland's fun, this was the first swap I ever took part in, so it's a bit of a sentimental fave, too ... or was that 'semi-mental' fave, as a family friend says. :0)

Whichever seems most appropriate ... thanks for once again hosting SSCS, Chooky ...  know you're a busy, busy lady, so your time and effort is appreciated. Hmmm ... who will be sending me a Christmas surprise this year? Will my partner like her gift? I've already made a bit of a start on my main giftie ... bit of a shock for the queen of procrastination, I know! :0)

Righto ... the clock has just ticked over to tomorrow ... which now means it's today, but I thought I had a 'today' yesterday!! Oh I'm so confused! I think that's a sign that it's time to keep an appointment with my neglected pillow! Tee! Hee! Hee! Hope you're all having a lovely start to your weekend and that you manage to find time to be creative ... I have! :0) Til next time ...

SLEEPY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Long Weekend & OPAM Winners

It's a long weekend here and I'm rather happy to say, my Beloved Geek Boy and I have spent the entire weekend at home ... AAAAH ... BLISS! :0) Life has just been so hectic in the last month or so that a couple of weekends at home is just what the doctor ordered.

I had BIG plans for the sewing I was going to get done this weekend and when I was at my Home-Away-From-Home on Friday for our Quilting Angels gathering, I stocked up on some yummy fabric to help me on my way. I had two specific projects in mind to work on this weekend, the first being a stacked coin quilt for my Mum's neighbour's daughter. Did you follow that?! :0) She saw the quilt I made earlier this year for Mum's friend who is undergoing cancer treatment ...

The last update I heard on Pauline's condition (the sweet blond lady and quilt recipient) was that the treatment was going well enough that she should be able to take a hoped-for trip to the UK soon, so that's good news, though she's not out of the woods.

So ... Mum's friend said her daughter's favourite colours are purple and yellow. Hmmm ... I struggle a bit with yellow, so suggested I just run with the purple theme. After getting the nod, these are the fabrics I stocked up on this week to get started ...

Some yummy batiks and a nice strong, royal purple for the sashings. I've also added a few other purples to this pile, after I took the photo, that I had in my stash left over from where I made this ...

My favourite skirt! It is just so comfy to wear ... which is why I bought some fabric to make another one ... my second batch of stocking up this week. :0)

Some yummy, warm browns. I absolutely fell in love with the range the top row of fabrics comes from ... 'Eclectic Elements' by Tim Holtz that arrived at Quilters Angel this week. They are in various sepia/brown/black shades and have a bit of a steampunk/industrial feel about them. It's quite a big range, so lots more fabrics to choose from ... I had to limit myself or the budget would have squealed! Tee! Hee! Hee! They'd be perfect for making quilts for teenage boys and men ... or patchwork skirts for some gals who aren't pink, frilly frou-frou gals! :0) I am going to team them with some warm chocolate and malt toned batiks to bring out the rich colours. Hmm ... doesn't that just make you want to rush out and find a chocolate flavoured malted milkshake ... or is that just me?! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So my plan for the weekend was to get both of these projects done. Hmmm ... yes ... well ... the best laid plans of mice and men etc!!! After realising I had a couple of deadlines looming to put together some bits and bobs for two lovely friends publishing e-zines, I have spent quite a lot of the weekend on the computer. And while I was going, decided to finally get myself organised and add a long-overdue pattern to my website ...

"Life Is Good" ... the bag set I designed for Girls' Stitch In in march this year is finally up on my website. It's been available from Quilters Angel since March, but somehow adding it to the website kept getting moved down my list of jobs ... Oops! The pattern includes instructions for the large tote bag pictured ... it's 19"x18 1/2" so you can fit a LOT of stitching stuff in there to run away for a retreat! :0) ... a large drawstring pouch, a tiny drawstring pouch and two sizes of snap-closure phone/glasses cases. All have garden themed stitcheries and the stitchery panel on the front of the tote bag says,

"Bees buzz, birds sing, butterflies flutter on rainbow wings ... Life is good!"

When I designed it, I thought of my absolute DREAM spot to sit and stitch ... a gorgeous cottage garden with birds, bees, butterflies, flowers, a comfy chair, a cup of tea, some stitching ... and of course some stitching friends would complete the picture! :0) This pattern is available as a paper pattern or as a downloadable PDF format. I hope you all enjoy stitching it ... I sure did! :0)

And of course the other thing that has taken some of my stitching time this weekend was finishing off the round-up for OPAM for September. Sweet Peg and I ... as always!! ... have been blown away by the GORGEOUS projects you clever-clogs gals have been creating with needle, thread, knitting needles, crochet hooks and wool. It is always amazing to see the variety of projects people are working on. Thanks to those gals who emailed Sweet Peg or me ... it's much appreciated and enables us to get back to our own stitching a bit quicker ... in theory! Tee! Hee! Hee! The final tally for September was ...

368 Finishes!

WOW!! Well done everyone who finished some projects on their "To Do" list. And even if you didn't actually have finishes to add, but made some good progress on some long-term projects ... congratulations to you too. OPAM really isn't about who has the biggest tally, it's about taking some time out from your busy day-to-day schedule to enjoy some 'time out' being creative, whether you use needle and thread, sewing machine, knitting needles or crochet hook. Being creative feeds our soul, calms our mind and recharges the batteries ... so we can keep being the busy gals we all are. :0) OK ... this month's random draw winners are ...

SHEZ

&

KATHERINE McW

Congrats, gals! Please email your snail mail addresses to me and I'll pop a little something in the mail for you soon.

OK ... that's enough from me for today ... sewing time's a-wastin'! Whatever you've been up to this weekend, I hope you've managed to grab at least a little time to yourself to be creative and recharge your batteries. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS