Beetle Boogy!!

Hello to you all from the top of our frozen 'hill' this cold and blowy Tuesday! BRRRRR!!! Our temps have dropped to below the zero mark the last couple of nights and today we had icy south-westerly winds whistling around at over 35km/h that kept the 'feels like' temperature in the single digits. EEP! Did I mention that I REALLY don't like winter?!!

So with it being such a nasty day outside, you can no doubt guess that I spent the afternoon INSIDE ... in front of the fire, of course. :0) And a productive afternoon it was too, as I've FINALLY finished my Beetle Boogy quilt top ... WOO! HOO!! :0) Wanna take a sneaky peeky??

TA DA! I am pretty chuffed with how it's turned out! And it's got so many things about it that I just LOVE! ... VW Beetles ... hearts .. cheerful batiks ... and rainbows. It makes me SMILE whenever I walk past it. :0) I'm not sure it makes my Beloved Geek Boy smile, though ... since it's currently in the middle of the dining room floor and he has to keep carefully walking around it to get to his lounge chair! Tee! Hee! Hee!

I love the bright batik colours contrasted against the stark black and white elements.

And I LOOOOOOOOOVE the rainbow corner blocks! It took me a while to work out what I needed in the corners to draw everything together and the rainbows have worked out perfectly. In fact ... I think maybe I need to design a quilt with a larger version of this rainbow design ... what do you think?! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So my Beetle Boogy quilt if now ready to be sent off to the Quilting Fairy ... AKA the Fabulous Fiona. :0) She does an AWESOME job of transforming my tops into quilts and seems to have a sixth sense about just what quilting design will bring the quilts to life without overpowering the fabrics, applique or stitcheries ... maybe we should be calling Fiona the Quilt Whisperer! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Has there been some creating happening in your corner of the world? Any projects being finished? For all you OPAM gals out there, it's time to update your sidebar lists with your finishes for the month and email your tally to my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg or me. We love to see what everyone has been up to each month ... there are SOOOOOO many clever clogs creative ladies out there in blogland and it's incredibly inspiring to see all the different projects being finished and/or progressed each month. Have you taken a blog hop through the OPAM participants? If not, why not make yourself a cuppa, grab a sweetie-treatie and cruise through the list on my sidebar. I guarantee you'll enjoy 'chatting' to some like-minded gals, not to mention being amazed and inspired by all the wonderful projects they're making. :0)

Right now, though, it's time to toss another log on the fire and tackle the dinner prep. Creamy chicken and mushroom bake here tonight ... YUMMO! :0) Whatever you're up to this week, I hope there are rainbows to make you smile! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Beetling Along!

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!! It's VERY cold here on top of our 'hill' this weekend, with temperatures dipping towards the zero mark and not climbing much above 10 ... and that's not taking into account the icy gale-force winds ... BRRRRRR!!!

So ... since you all know how much I LOOOOOOVE winter ... NOT!! ... you can imagine that my Beloved Geek Boy and I are hibernating in our living room enjoying the warmth of a roaring fire.  Not only am I enjoying my GB's lovely company ... :0) ... I've been BEETLING along with my VW Beetle quilt. First I added some borders to top and bottom ...

Don't you just love the cheery batik colours? They're definitely brightening up a gloomy winter's weekend. :0) I've also  sewn the hearts for the side borders together, but needed to take a bit of time out to work out what to do with the corners. So it was a good opportunity to stop for a cuppa in front of the fire. :0)

I've now worked out what I want to do, but I discovered that I was all out of EasyFix so I had to make a quick trip to the Quilters Angel to stock up. Now I'm all set ... idea, fabric and EasyFix on hand, so tomorrow ... when they tell me it will be even COLDER - EEK!! ... I'm hoping to get the top completely finished so these cuties can get beetling along to becoming a pattern ready for beetle fans to make their very own version of this fun quilt. :0)

So what are you up to this weekend? Is it cold where you are, or are you enjoying some summer sun? Wherever you are and whatever you're up to, I hope your weekend includes some time to be creative. I promise to be back soon with a beetle update. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Revisiting An Old Friend!

It was grey, gloomy and overcast here on top of our 'hill' again ... we're not REALLY complaining TOO much, as the weather gurus tell us the gloomy weather will bring some good rain this weekend. So we're crossing our fingers and toesies, cos it sure is DRY around here and our tanks are getting low ... it's tricky to type with crossed fingers! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... what's a gal to do on her Friday off when it's cold and gloomy? Well ... a little bit of this ...

... a pretty cented Partylite candle from Sweet Scents By Emma to add a wiff of spring ... and a bit of revisiting an old friend ...

... my sewing mojo poked it's nose out of it's recent hiding place and I've been adding sashing to my VW Beetle quilt that has been languishing for the last few months. I just LOOOOOOOVE beetles. :0) They are such cute and cheery little cars. And I'm really loving the fun batik brights against the clean, stark black and white elements. I'm hoping the promised rain arrives tomorrow ... to fill the tanks, but also so I have a good reason to spend another day at my sewing machine with my old friend! :0)

What are your plans for this weekend? Are you spending time with 'old friends' or getting ready to play with 'new friends'? :0) Whatever you're up to, I hope you have a blast. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Cold Weather Catch Up!

BRRRRRRR!!!! It is well and truly winter here on our 'hill' ... which means this teddy bear is sliding into hibernation mode! :0) Ah ... if only I WAS a bear and had a good excuse for eating myself silly, then sleeping somewhere cosy and warm until spring. :0) Between the cold weather and a dodgy shoulder that objects to me spending too much time on my laptop, I've been a bit absent from blogland/emails for the last couple of weeks ... I'm trying to catch up now ... wish me luck! :0)

There hasn't been a LOT of sewing happening around the Meares' Madhouse, but there has been a LITTLE bit. Firstly, I can now show you my finish from last month ... a 'beary' special bear made for a special friend. A lovely sewing friend treated a group of us to a FABULOUS weekend of being spoilt at Spicers Hidden Vale, where we wore tiaras all weekend and were treated like princesses ... I know ... for those who know me well, imagining me in a tiara kind of boggles the mind! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Well ... as a thank you gift, I made a furry little friend for our Princess B (I'm not telling you what the "B" stands for ... what happens at a Princess Weekend STAYS on the Princess Weekend! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Now our Princess B is a Harley Davidson rider, so I made her ...

... a Bikie Bear! :0) His name is "Spud" and he's wearing jeans with his Harley orange shirt and bandana, as well as his 'leather' jacket with brass buttons and fringed sleeves, which you can't really see in this pic. He's about 22" tall, so just the right size for cuddles. And Princess B LOOOOOOOOOVED him. :0)

Here he is getting a big smooch from his new 'Mummy'. I'm hoping I'll get a photo of him going for a Harley ride. :0)

The only other sewing I've been doing happened yesterday and was more planning, cutting and arranging than actual sewing.

These are some 'left over' fabrics from my "Garden Critters" quilt. I'm thinking it will be a simple, pretty lap size quilt ... but you know how applique somehow makes its way onto most of my quilts. :0)

Apart from that, I've been keeping my head down and trying to stay warm, tucked up whenever possible in the lounge room under my blankie in front of the fire, either reading or doing a bit of hand stitching. And since everything has to be all closed up to keep the nasty westerly winds out, I've been lighting pretty scented candles to make things smell a bit prettier and fresher ...

And they give a lovely sparkle to the room, too. This one is a scented tea light candle sent to me by my Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette's eldest daughter, Emma, who is selling Partylite candles via party plan and on Facebook for pocket money while she's studying at uni. They really are a lovely quality candle ... I'll be placing a few orders to make winter a bit more bearable, I think! :0)

Well, that's about it from this windblown corner of QLD for now. I promise to try not to be as slack ... but it is so tempting just to climb into bed under my doonas and not come out til spring. :0) I hope you're all shuffling along well and that there's more creative stuff happening at your place than there is here. Have a fantastic week! :0) Til next time ...

BRRRRRR! BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Happy Quilts! Happy Friend!!

Hello all! Well, it seems that winter, which had been snoozing for a while giving us a rather pleasant autumn, has been nudged awake here on top of our 'hill'. It is grey, overcast, cold and I've just lit the fire to stop my toesies from freezing. :0) It's the perfect weather to curl up with a cuppa under my blankie and enjoy something exciting that arrived in my mailbox last week.

For the last two years (what a lot of time to invest! I hope everyone appreciates that!!) my blogging buddy and fellow pattern designer, Toni Alexander of The Red Boot Quilt Co. has been working her little butt off on a VERY exciting venture ... her very first book! WOO! HOO! Well, after much hard work, sketching, stitching, angst, worry, burning the midnight oil, editing, re-editing, hair-pulling and nail-chewing ... IT'S HERE!! :0)

"HAPPY QUILTS!" And what a perfect description of Toni's work this is. Toni has a wonderful talent for making quilts and softies that just make you SMILE!! She combines simple piecing techniques with raw edge and blanket stitched applique to create cheerful, quirky, unique quilts that are guaranteed to brighten up the room ...

... and she sent me my very own copy - WOO! HOO!! Toni has designed 10 GORGEOUS kids' quilts (though frankly, I'm thinking that I need a couple of these for my very own self!!) and each is accompanied by matching softies. There are projects suitable for beginner sewers, as well as some that provide a bit more of a challenge for more experienced stitchers and quilters.

There's even a DVD to go with the book ... how cool is that!

There's Toni!! Smiling out at us! :0) And in the acknowledgements column ...

... a lovely mention for our Quilting Fairy, the Fabulous Fiona and yours truly. AAAAAAWWWW SHUCKS!! :0)

This is one of my fave quilts in the book ... those puppies are just so goofy and adorable! :0)

And I'm sure you can guess why I love this one ... One can never have too many teddy bears in one's life! Tee! Hee! Hee! 

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to Toni for creating a GORGEOUS quilting book that is DEFINITELY great value for money. I am so very proud of my clever clogs blogging buddy for all her hard work and creativity! You can purchase a copy HERE and if you pop over to visit Toni's blog HERE, you'll find out a little bit more about her, as well as how you might win some fab prizes to celebrate the launch of "HAPPY QUILTS!"

Right ... kettle's on, book's beside me, blankie is over my lap to keep the toesies warm ... I'm set for the rest of the afternoon! :0) 

OPAM gals ... Sweet Peg and I will be doing our blog hopping in the next day or so, so you'd better make like a frog and get hopping to update your sidebar lists and email your tally of finishes to us. But right now ... "HAPPY QUILTS!" is calling me. :0) Til next time ...

HAPPY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS