Ice Ice, Baby!

Hello to you all out there in blogland! I hope you're having a great week. Another busy one here & I suspect it's going to stay that way as we start the slide down the tail of the year to Christmas. On the "YAY!" Side of things, we received some much-needed rain this week ... About a third of what we need to fill our tanks, but a nice start. We seem to have mostly been on the edge of the storms ... Until today ...when we might have preferred to miss out. 😜 

A couple of nasty hail storms swept across our part of south-east Queensland. Thankfully, we weren't home at the time or my Beloved a Geek Boy's ute would have been rather the worse for wear because it's too big to fit in the shed. My little car was tucked up inside, but got splattered with mud from the force of the rain & ice hitting the dirt driveway at Mach 5.

When we arrived home about an hour after the storms, there were still a lot of chunks of ice this size on the lawn. 😳 They were probably a bit bigger when they fell. Feeling grateful that the worst damage was stripped leaves off the trees lining our driveway & my poor triffid tomatoes took a battering. Ah ... Spring storms combine with 2020. 😜

In other news ... We've run out of month again, so it's time for all good OPAMers to update their sidebar lists & email me their October tally. 😁

And that's about it for me today. It's time to finish my cuppa before I head off to bed. Enjoy the rest of your weekend ... & since it's All Hallows' Eve, watch out for faeries, cos it's one of their moving days. 😉 

Til next time ...

FAERIE BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Friday Freedom!

Hello to all you lovely people out there in blogland! I hope you're having a fantastic week. Mine was a bit muddly ... I'm breaking in a new boss who is (by his own admission!) a "bit of a talker". Hmmm ... THAT'S an understatement! 😜 So everything seemed to take twice as long to accomplish, which left little room for creativity. BUT ... Today is a grey, stormy-feeling kind of day & I have no appointments to fill my Friday day off, so I'm FREE ... To do some sewing & stitching. 😝 These are the pretty fabrics I'm playing with ...

I know ... Not my usual colour palette, but I'm making a new sample for ...

... My "Vintage Diva Backpack" . I think I need to make myself a teal/aqua version of this backpack because it is such a handy size to pop a few necessities in when you're off on a vintage treasures hunt with your bestie ... A backpack means both hands are free to pick up bargains  ... Or fondle fabric if you happen to stumble into a quilting supplies store. 😝 The pattern is available from The Quilters Angel online store HERE  It's a simple, quick, fun project to whip up for yourself ... Or your partner-in-vintage-treasure-hunting-crime. 😂

We've had just under an inch of rain thus week, which means we won't have to buy another load of water -YAY! More fabric money! Tee! Hee! Hee! And with the glowering skies & our resident whip bird calling, there's likely to be some more rain soon, so I'm making myself a cup of Mango tea, popping on my current fave movie "Justice League" & enjoying my Friday stitching freedom. 😊 Whatever you're up to, I hope you enjoy some creative time to relax. Stay safe, stay well, keep stitching & keep smiling! 😊 Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Still Kicking!

Hello, hello! Yes ... I'm still alive & kicking, despite my unplanned absence from my blog. Please excuse my slackness, life has been rather hectic in the last few weeks & my head is spinning trying to keep up. Grown up job has been keeping me hopping & I now have a new boss to break in. 😜 I'm really hoping things settle soon so I get some of my sewing mojo back, because at the moment, it's as AWOL as I have been from blogging. 😝

My creative energies have been channeled into a different direction since the spring weather brought my Beloved Geek Boy & me out of our winter hibernation ... We've been gardening. GB gas been working his way around the garden to install a watering system to make the most efficient use of our precious water & we've been seeing what has survived the drought conditions we've been experiencing & spreading more of those plants around. Still a lot of work to be done ...once we get some desperately needed rain. SIGH! One part of the garden that is thriving, though, isn't actually IN the garden ... It's on our side verandah ...

Here's my little pot of Tuscan tastiness. 😜 Two different varieties of tomatoes, purple basil & oregano. I'm starting to suspect the tomatoes are actually triffids. 😝

And my happy herb corner. I think the mint is plotting to compete with the triffid tomatoes for world domination. Tee! Hee! Hee! I've got mint, lemon balm, parsley, sweet basil & sage growing here & two clumps of chives in the vege garden. We have been enjoying delicious herb-flavoured scrambled eggies for weekend breakfasts. 😉

After doing the OPAM blog hop this month, I think others have been as distracted from sewing as I have been, as September gave us our lowest tally so far for the year. But ... Finishes or not, the goal of OPAM is to get us creating, & many blogs I hopped to showed progress on bugger projects, so well done. 😁 And the winner of the September random prize draw is ...

JUNE W!

Congrats, June! Drop me an email & I'll send your PDF pattern prize. Although I don't have any pics of projects to share at the moment, I do have a sewing related pic ...

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a relaxing sewing play date for a few of our Friday Nutters group. A day of chatting, giggling, munching & a bit of stitching was balm for busy Stitchers. Oh ... & do you see Julie's teddy-in-progress! She was making my "Holly Bear" pattern & picked up a few tips. 😁 The pattern for Holly Bear is available from The Quilters Angel online store HERE.

And that us it from me tonight. I promise to try to get back here a bit sooner next time ... It's almost time for the NEXT OPAM check-in ... EEK! Where is the year going?! Whatever you're up to, please take care of yourself & your loved ones. Keep stitching & keep smiling. 😊 Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

N.W.S.A Project.

Happy Saturday to all of you, my Bloggy buddies from around the world. I hope you've had a fantastic week. Mine has been a bit frustrating. After a busy week at my grown up job, I finally got to enjoy some stitching time yesterday ... Only to discover that I had a N.W.S.A. Project on my hands. If you've been creating for a while (especially if you're a designer) you will have found yourself with one of these. You know, a ...

Not Working Start Again 

... type of project. SIGH! Sometimes, what seems like a good idea on the design sketch just doesn't LOOK right when you start stitching. The colours don't work, or the balance is wrong ... Or you just don't like it. So this was my N.W.S.A. dilemma ...

What was supposed to be a colour-graduating feature is just way too strong against the softer colours of the writing above it. Both elements look great ... Just not together. 😜 So it's back to the beginning to retrace, re-colour & re-think the thread colours. Good thing it's a long weekend here & I have an extra day to 'play'. 😝

And speaking of playing & creating ... OPAM gals ... It's the changeover to another month, so if you haven't already, please update your sidebar tally lists & email me your September tallies to add to our spreadsheet. Even if I don't get the chance to reply to your emails or comment on your blog posts, I love seeing everyone's finished projects each month. There are just so many clever-clogs crafters out there. 😁 If you're looking for some inspiration, make yourself a cuppa & hop your way around the blogs of fellow OPAMers listed in my left sidebar. You'll be amazed at the variety of projects & hopefully, inspired to create more yourself.

As for me ... It's back to the drawing board for a colour re-think. 😜 Enjoy your weekend & if you're traveling, stay safe. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS,

KRIS