Feeling A Bit Blah!

Hello to all of my blogging buddies! I hope you all had an enjoyable & restful Christmas. We caught up with GB's family on Christmas Day & spent Boxing Day with my folks which was nice. 

I had to work one day this week while my boss was going to be out of the office & was then looking forward to five days of sleeping in, watching cricket & some sewing. Well ... After my boss blindsided me with a very attacking rundown of my real or perceived shortcomings for the whole year, I found myself feeling rather BLAH! None of us are perfect & there's always room for improvement, but I just feel like I've had my feet kicked out from under me.

So ... There has been a bit of sleeping in & I have watched some cricket & spent a lot of time reading ... But no sewing. I just haven't had any motivation or inspiration. I know I'll eventually bounce back, but just feeling BLAH for now.

On a positive note, my SSCS partner Steffi sent me an email to tell me that she loves her main gifties.

I made Steffi a set of drawstring bags that she can use to organise her underwear in her bag when she travels (like I do) or she might like to use them to store her creative projects. I loved working with the black & neutral colours & the fabrics were yummy. :0) I also included a copy of my "Sweetly Shabby Christmas" pattern, some pretty fabrics & some embroidery threads. I hope Steffi enjoys playing with her gifts. Santa is still being a bit slow in delivering my parcel from my SSCS partner - he must have worked overtime & worn himself out. :0)

Thank you once again to Chookyblue for hosting this fun swap. :0)

OPAM gals ... We're almost at the end of another month, so if you haven't already updated your sidebar lists & emailed your tally to me or my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg, you'd better hop to it. Good thing I finished a few projects before Christmas & the onset of my "BLAHS".

As 2016 winds down (not quite in the way I'd hoped or planned on, but there you go!) I wish you all a very happy, healthy & enjoyable 2017. Remember not to take your friends & loved ones for granted, spend time doing what you love & makes you happy & take care of yourself. I look forward to continuing to share your creative endeavours in the new year. Thank you to all of you for your support, interest & friendship. You make me feel blessed. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

 

Christmas Wishes!

Wishing all of my lovely blogging buddies a very happy, safe and blessed Christmas. May this special time fill your hearts with the light, warmth and love that came to earth that first Christmas when God gave us the gift of His precious Son Jesus.

Til next time ...

CHRISTMAS BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS xx

 

Nearly Christmas!

G'day to everyone in blogland from summery Queensland! There's actually a nice cool breeze blowing today, but the humidity feels like there are storms brewing. While we could definitely use the rain, we're happy to skip the wild winds & lightning. The cicadas are tuning up & by dusk will be almost deafening. And with everything so dry, we've been getting some visitors to our back garden to enjoy a cool drink ...

There's a flock of these yellow tailed black cockatoos that lives in our area & while we would occasionally get half a dozen or so coming in, we've been getting 30-40 visiting us in the last couple of weeks. They're noisy critters but very polite, taking turns to drink before flying off.

When I haven't been watching cockatoos, I've been doing my usual pre-Christmas present panic. :0) Actually, I haven't done too badly this year, with only one giftie left to finish & only the 'fresh' cooking for Christmas Day left to take care of. All parcels that needed to be posted have arrived safe & sound ... & in time for Christmas - YAY! :0) And that includes my SSCS parcel that winged its way to Germany for my partner Steffi. I can't show you her main giftie as she's being a good girl & keeping it for Christmas Day, but I CAN show you the ornament I made ...

The stitchery is from my "Sweetly Shabby Christmas" pattern & stitched in a lovely red/green Cottage Garden thread before being made up into a mini stocking for Steffi's tree or mantle. Maybe Santa will pop a little surprise into it for her. :0)

My SSCS parcel must still be on Santa's sleigh somewhere. Ah well, it will be a new year's surprise, won't it. :0) Thanks again to the marvellous Chookyblue for hosting the Christmas swap.

And now I'm off to work on that last Christmas giftie. I might get time to pop back before Christmas Day, but in case I don't, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family & friends ... After all, they are the most valuable gifts we can have. :0) Til next time ...

CHRISTMAS BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS

KRIS

 

 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Christmas must not be too far away ... The household Grinch was finally convinced to put up the trees today. :0) Isn't he a Sweetie?! :0) And his reward? Do you see that bulging Santa sack under the tree? :0)

This tree is in the main living area ... Aqua, white & neutrals.

This smaller tree is in the sitting room & its traditional red in there.

There's some frantic last-minute Christmas sewing happening here this weekend to get fifties in Monday's mail. Are you one of those OCD Christmas people who has had gifties bought & wrapped since June? Or are you like me & making a last-minute dash to the finish line?! :0) Whatever you're up to, I hope you're remembering to slot in time with friends & family during this busy part of the year - after all, that's the best giftie of all - TIME! :0) Back to the sewing machine for me ... EEK! :0) Til next time ...

FRANTIC BEAR HUGS!!

CHEERS!

KRIS

 

 

SUCCESS!!

YAY! It published! :0) SUCCESS!!

BEAR HUGS!

Back On The Air -Sort Of!

Hello to all of you out there in blogland! I hope you're all well and not TOO stressed in this crazy-busy part of the year. It seems like every time I turn around we're off to another Christmas event or end of year break up ... I just don't think I can keep up with this wild partying lifestyle! :0)

So ... The saga of the drowned laptop continues! My clever clogs Beloved Geek Boy went scrounging through his pile of computer bits and bobs to put together a desktop computer for me after the sad and accidental drowning of my laptop. All seemed to be coming together ... Until we discovered that the cordless mouse had also left this plane of existence. SIGH! So there had to be a visit paid to the handy Officeworks for a replacement mouse. So now I'm good to go ... Right?!?! Er ... NO!

It seems some of the software is a wee bit lagging in the update arena and it's as slow as a snail on Valium! Seriously ... It's "go-and-make-a-cup-of-tea-then-come-back" slow. It was driving me around the bend! A short drive, some would say. :0) So here I am, back on the trusty iPad trying to learn to use new aps. I am SOOOOOO not a Geek Girl! Tee! Hee! Hee! We'll see how we go.

So ... Last time I dropped in (before the great laptop fiasco!) I told you I was off to the Friday Nighters' Christmas party with a secret Santa giftie in my hot little hand. Well, my Santa-y self didn't stay secret for long cos I needed to take a photo! :0) 

Here is Miss Linda with her lingerie bag ... Though she confessed it will actually be used as a project bag for one of her sewing projects. She was chuffed at it being just the right size, so I was happy it went to a lovely new home. I received a project pouch too ... Of a different variety ... Which I haven't taken a pic of yet - OOPS! :0)

On a non-sewing line, we witnessed something rather special when we enjoyed a barbecue dinner with Mum and Dad while they were house sitting recently. A rather impressive storm dumped on us ... The same storm saw a tornado drop on the little village five minutes from our place, ripping up big old gum trees like they were matchsticks ... Thankfully, it missed our house. So ... Once the rain stopped we headed out onto the verandah and spotted this beauty ...

A double rainbow! It's much softer in the photo than it was in real life ... It was so vibrant that it almost hurt your eyes to look at it. And even though I couldn't get it all in one shot (unless I'd stood on the roof, which seemed inadvisable with lightning still giving the odd flash!) we could see the whole bow of the double rainbow. This was the other end of it ...

Can you see it at the edge of the trees? It really was quite magical ... And it gave us two ends of the rainbow to search for the pot of gold! :0)

That's about it from me for now. I'm hoping to be able to share some more sewing stuff with you after the weekend, when I'm planning to do my usual mad last-minute-giftie-making marathon. :0) you'd think I'd learn to be more organised, right?! NOPE!! :0) Have a fantastic end to your week and amidst the crazy shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, partying and end-of-year madness, I'd encourage you to take some quiet time-out to take a breath, relax and remember the reason for this crazy season ... God's precious gift of His Son. Til next time ...

CHRISTMASSY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

 

 

 

Raindrops Keep Falling On My ... Laptop!!

AAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH! Picture this ... The Queensland summer has kicked in hot and far more humid than we usually experience here on top of our 'hill'. So, with no air conditioning ... Usually my Beloved Geek Boy and me don't go looking for it ... We open up all the doors and windows. Then ... Somehow, when we head off to bed, two windows are left not quite closed. In the middle of the night, an unexpected storm hits, splashing rain through said windows ... And drowning my unsuspecting laptop. SIGH!

I didn't notice until today when I was about to add the last few OPAM finishes that had been emailed to me ... And computer said ... "NO!"

So ... I'll have to wait until GB can put together a desktop computer for me from the various components he hoards ... Why am I imagining a Frankenstein computer?!?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Once I'm fully back on the blogging air I'll share a few pics with you of what I've been sewing ... YES! I've actually been SEWING again. :0)

In the meantime, pop over and visit my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg to see the results of this month's OPAM prize draw. Til next time ... Close your windows! :0)

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

SSCS, Birthday & OPAM!!

SHEESH! It's been a busy ol' week this week. And for the first time in a couple of months, my sewing mojo showed up and coincided with some time at home - YAY! So I've been spending some quality time with my trusy Husky. :0)

First cab/s off the sewing rank were my SSCS gifties ... because ... AS USUAL!!! ... I was running late! What with the Garden Party preparations and a few hiccups in 'real life', November somehow got away from me. I have a theory about that ... my theory is:

From the time January clicks over on the calendar, 

* Someone steals an hour or so out of each of my days; 

* By the end of each week, I'm missing at least a day;

* By the end of each month, I've lost almost a week ... so ...

* By the end of the year, I've lost a MONTH! :0) 

I blame Dr Who and his wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff! Tee! Hee! Hee! I really think I should get that month back ... stick it between November and December and I might just be ready for Christmas ... then again ... as my blogging buddy Kerryanne knows ... I am NOT very good at forward planning and tend to be a last-minute-deadline kind of gal! :0) So an extra month probably wouldn't help me! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Which reminds me ... if you'd LIKE to be an organised Christmas kind of gal ... make sure you pop over to Kerryanne's blog to join in her FANTASTIC ...

But I digress ... !! :0) Back to SSCS ... I my stalked my partner, searched my stash and stitched and sewed like a mad woman last weekend to get the main gift and orni ready to pop in the mail. (I had actually done the hand stitching part of my gifties previously, just hadn't got to make them up!) Wanna see??

Oh! Would you look at that! They're already wrapped! Tee! Hee! Hee! You'll see that I've added clear messages about what can and can't be opened before Christmas! :0) Huge thanks again to Chookyblue for hosting SSCS ... it's the only swap I join in these days because Chooky does an AWESOME job of hosting. :0)

Next sewing project was a special something for lovely Mum for her birthday this week ...

This photo is a couple of years old, but neither of us have changed much and it's one of my faves ... we were laughing at something silly Dad or my Beloved Geek Boy had said. Mum turned 70 on Wednesday ... she sure doesn't look it!! Not only is she the most AWESOME Mum in the universe, she's also my adviser (though I maybe don't take her advice as often as I should!) and my friend. She is an incredibly generous, thoughtful and caring person who often puts other people's needs ahead of her own. I reckon that if I turn out to be HALF the woman my Mum is, I'll be pretty chuffed! :0) So, for my FABULOUS Ma, I made ...

... A little handbag. She has been saying for a while that she wants a pretty, smaller bag to take with her when she goes out but doesn't want to take her day-to-day handbag. This little cutie is about 8"x10" so big enough to fit a water bottle, keys purse and phone and I made the strap a little longer so she can loop it over her head and shoulder to be hands-free. She LOVED it! :0) Always so lovely to hear that the time, thought and effort you've put into a handmade giftie is appreciated. :0)

I also hit the sewing machine to make a Secret Santa giftie for our Friday Nighters' Christmas party tonight ... but I forgot to take a photo ... OOPS! :0) I'll get one tonight of the person who receives it ... PROMISE! :0)

And that means that I have a record (for me!) number of FIVE finishes for November to pop onto my OPAM sidebar list - YAY! OPAMers ... have you updated your sidebar lists and emailed me or my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg?? Well ... get hopping! Because Sweet Peg and I will be doing OUR hopping in the next few days around the blogs.

Right ... I'd better shake my tail feathers and get something wrapped and something cooked for tonight's sewing party ... hmmm ... I suppose I should also trace something so I've got something to STITCH at our stitching night! :0) I hope you've all had a fantastic week and that your weekend is relaxing ... summer has arrived with a vengeance here and our temps will be in the mid to high 30's ... pretty hot for our area on top of the 'hill' ... but the summer people in THIS household are saying "YAY!" Call us crazy, but we wait all year for our summer heat so we can come out of hibernation. :0) I think some more sewing might just be on my agenda to celebrate. Tee! Hee! Hee! Til next time ...

SUMMERY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS