Crazy-Busy, Slacko Checking In!

Sorry, sorry, sorry! Yes ... I know I've been even more absent than usual ... life just seems to be getting in the way at the moment ... I'm sure you know what I mean! :0)

My grown-up job has still had a lot of 'stuff' happening that I'm still wrapping my head around and then someone stole a few weeks and suddenly it was the annual Stitchers Dream Day Out last weekend. I promise to be back soon with a full report and some more pics, but I thought I'd pop in to let you know I'm still alive and give you a quick sneaky peeky into our weekend of fun, friendship and stitching.

The Marvellous Marion and the Stupendous Steph of The Quilters Angel outdid themselves yet again, with all of us feeling very spoilt. The theme was "Ooh, la, la! Paris!" and I have lots of pics ... that I haven't had time to edit properly yet, so will just share a couple.

Tables were decorated and giftie bags were ready to spoil us ... and in the background you can just see that even the chairs got a glamour makeover with black covers and gold and champagne coloured organza ties ... WOOT! WOO! :0)

And this crazy chick came to play, too. :0) My Bestest-Buddy-Since-We-Were-Nine Lynette ... this is her best ... "I'm a good girl, really I am!" look. What do you think ... is it working?! :0) It DOES prove however that at least ONE of us did some stitching in amongst the chatting! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And speaking of CRAZY ... look who else was sitting at our table ... the Fabulous ... and FEATHERY!! ... Fiona! :0) There was some discussion as to whether our table was the "Naughty Table" because I was sitting at it or whether it was Fiona's fault. The jury is still out! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And speaking of Fiona ... she was the winner in this month's OPAM random draw ... I had a giggle when her name came out of the hat! :0) There were 155 finishes recorded in August! Well done to you all! And during our blog hopping, my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg and I also saw lots of good progress on people's long-term projects ... and that deserves a pat on the back too. It's always inspiring to see what everyone else is creating ... I hope you enjoy a little blog hop around some of the OPAMers' blogs sometimes ... and maybe you could leave a few encouarging comments along the way ... we all love positive feedback, right?! :0)

And now I'm off to play catch-up with some more of my grown-up chores that got put on hold over the weekend of fun and stitching ... somehow there are ALWAYS grown-up chores needing to be done, have you noticed that too?! :0) I promise to be back in the next day or so with LOTS of photos of Stitchers Dream Day Out 2016 ... including the GORGEOUS projects ... you've been given lots of warning, Chookyblue!!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Yikes! Where Did That Week Go?!!!

Well ... I'm not sure where the last couple of weeks went, but I think they bypassed me! My holiday is over and I've been back at work this week to a rather lot of sad and unhappy news ... so I was ready for a weekend!!

I have to say that the weather wasn't really playing very nicely, it was grey, overcast and blowing a gale, but my Beloved Geek Boy and I were brave and headed off to the Toowoomba Farmers Market. You see, when we were at the markets a fortnight ago, I'd put in a very special order with Kelly of Zhi Ba Candles. I gave Kelly some of my 'odd' tea cups and a pretty vintage jug to make some of her lovely scented soy candles. So off we toodled to pick them up.

Here's me (with my wind-blown 'dandelion' hair style!!) with Kelly ... and my bag full of goodies! :0) Kelly did a lovely job of filling my vintage pretties with my favourite soy candle ... "Persian Spices". And it was lovely to have a chat with Kelly, too. I can highly recommend her lovely range of candles. :0)

I couldn't resist lighting my vintage candles once I got home ... just to see how they looked. :0) Don't you love that warm glow?!

Pretty teacups, glowing and wafting lovely fragrances make me happy! :0)

This pretty jug was damaged a little inside, but now has a new role to play. Kelly has a range of scents for her candles and I just know I'll be heading back to see her again for refills when my pretty new candles burn down. If you're in the Toowoomba area, you can catch up with Kelly at the fortnightly Toowoomba Farmers Markets, or the monthly Queens Park Markets. I think she does one other market, too, but not sure which one. She also has a Facebook page for you to visit: HERE.

On to other things ... OPAMers ... I'm running a bit behind, but it's the time of month where you need to update your sidebar list of finishes and email your monthly tally through to me or my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg. I'm rather chuffed to be able to add three finishes to my tally this month ... and if instruction writing counted, I'd have a couple more. :0) I'm almost ready to launch a couple of new patterns ... including my mystery Secret Squirrel projects, so stay tuned! :0)

But right now, I'm off to snuggle into my bed with the doona pulled up to combat a chilly night here on our 'hill'. Hopefully it will be warmer and sunny tomorrow for Fathers' Day. A big HAPPY FATHERS' DAY to all the Dads out there ... I'm feeding mine lunch tomorrow ... which is DEFINITELY the way to his heart! Tee! Hee! Hee! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Holiday Girly Day!

A big "G'day!" to everyone in blogland this fine Monday morning. I can be cheerful on a Monday this week cos I'm still on holiday! :0) Mind you ... the time is going so quickly that I just know I'm going to run out of holiday before I do everything I'd been planning. SIGH! Isn't that always the way?!

Although last week seemed to disappear rather quickly, I DID manage to finish two and a half of the three projects that will be included in my new pattern release. It's all still Secret Squirrel at the moment, but I promise to share soon. I'm also about half way through my FAVOURITE (NOT!!) part of the designing process, the writing of instructions. For some reason, if people buy a pattern they don't appreciate just being told to "Fudge It Til It Fits!" Tee! Hee! Hee! More work on that this afternoon ... this morning was for sleeping in, reading a little and a blog catch up. :0)

One of the other things I've managed to do during my holiday was to enjoy a girly road trip with my Mum and her Partner-In-Mischief Marg. I've told you before that Mum coordinates packing Christmas shoe boxes as part of the Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child ... well, when I passed through Laidley a couple of months ago, I spotted a cheap shop that would be a great source of items for the boxes and promised Mum I'd take her for a drive. (Most cheap shops have closed in Toowoomba.)

So last Friday, I gathered up Mum and Marg and off we went. It was a bit of a mini-tour through the Lockyer Valley. :0) We stopped off for morning tea at Cafe Sorella in Forest Hill. After a browse through their lovely and unusual range of giftwares (a pretty scarf came home with me!) we enjoyed a coffee and some delicious cheesecake for me and pecan pie for Mum and Marg. YUMMO! Thus fortified, we hit the road again for Laidley.

My pretty new scarf. It made me think of Monet's gorgeous, dreamy paintings of his garden and water lilies. :0)

Once in Laidley, we visited the cheap shop, a couple of op-shops (second hand shops) and a couple of craft co-operatives. At which point, we decided we were a bit peckish and lunch was in order. I have to say, visitors to Laidley are rather spoilt for choice when it comes to places to eat ... several lovely cafes, as well as a couple of bakeries offered yummy food. Since we were only looking for something light, we chose the pretty "Rustique Rose" tea rooms and florist. OH! It was so PRETTY!!

This is what you see as you walk in the door.

More of the florist side of the shop ... I loved that window frame display cabinet.

And here are my charming road trip companions ... Mum and Marg. You can tell just by looking at them that they get into all sorts of mischief together, can't you?! :0) And people wonder why I end up in mischief!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

After a lovely day out, finding some treasures, stocking up bits for the shoe boxes and enjoying our spinach and fetta scrolls for lunch, we were ready to head home ... but Mum spotted a shoe shop! So of course we HAD to visit it. :0) It was well worth it! Can I tell you, Laidley Shoez had a wonderful range of good quality shoes at great prices ... and they were DIFFERENT to other stores. I get so frustrated that, even shopping in a city as big as Toowoomba, there is little variety to be found in so many things ... all the stores seem to have the same-ol-same-ol choices. So ... after searching all winter for a new pair or red shoes ... a lovely, comfy pair came home from Laidley with me! :0)

And then we really were all shopped out and ready to head home, which we did ... stopping along the way at a fruit barn to stock up on fresh fruit and veg - YUMMO! :0)

So you can see that even though I haven't GONE on holiday, I'm managing to squeeze in some fun stuff during my break. :0) But right now, I think it's time to make myself a cuppa and get back to my pattern instruction writing ... GROAN!! I hope you all had a lovey weekend and that your week is off to a wonderful start ... and may it continue to be wonderful! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Birthdays & Holidays!

Two things we all love, right? Even if we handily forget just how many birthdays we've had! Tee! Hee! Hee! This particular birthday was as close to my heart as my own ...

My Beloved Geek Boy celebrated another year on the 11th and we had a lovely lunch out today with the In-Laws and the Outlaws ... his parents and mine. :0) Delicious food was enjoyed in good company over fantastic views ... though he didn't wear a tie as in the above photo of an earlier birthday celebration! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And ... I'm on HOLIDAY!! WOO! HOO!!!! There have been many happy dances danced, many bootie shakes shaken and many cheeky grins grinned at the half of the Meares' Madhouse who ISN'T on holiday. I know ... I'm not a nice person ... but then, I've never pretended to be! Tee! Hee! Hee! I'm not going anywhere and haven't got big plans, it's just time for a break away from the everyday routine to give myself a chance to recharge the batteries, to sleep in a little, relax a little, sew a LOT ... and write some pattern instructions ... GROAN!! There is a LOOOOOOONG list of things that I want to achieve during this next two weeks ... I'm ever optimistic! :0)

And even though it's not the official first day of my holiday until tomorrow, I've already made a start ... on a Secret Squirrel project, so I can't show you just yet. But ... I CAN tell you it's a little out of my comfort zone, in terms of the type of project it is ... AND the colour. To keep you guessing, I can show you that it will need this ...

Yes, I'm playing with some more of the chalky, painty goodness that comes in a can from the lovely Julianna at Canterbury Blue EZ2 Paint. Do you see that little colour dot to the left of the paint label ... and the name of it? Told you it's not my usual. :0) Add some ageing wax and some clear glass knobs and you'll have ... a SURPRISE! :0) I promise to share pics of the finished project when I can, but for now, it's under wraps.

So ... what have YOU been up to this weekend? Are you painting? Sewing? Gardening? Lazing around? I'd love to hear how you spent your weekend. :0)

Before I head off to enjoy a cup of Moroccan Mint tea before bed ... OPAMers ... There was a tally of  184 finishes for July - WOO! HOO! :0) Well done to you all. My GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg has done the prize draw, so hop across and see if you were the lucky winner. I hope you're all enjoying being part of the OPAM fun ... I know Sweet Peg and I enjoy seeing all your wonderful projects ... those you've finished as well as those long-term projects you're all working on. Such clever clogs crafters you all are. :0)

Right ... that tea is calling my name. :0) Enjoy you week ... I know I will! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

And It's Sunday Again!

How did that happen?? Surely it was just Friday night and I was rubbing my hands together with glee over a weekend. SIGH! :0) Still, I have managed to acheive a bit during that time that's whizzed by ... including some sewing AND ... finally getting a photos of my finished Beetle Boogie Quilt. :0) Wanna see?? Really??? :0) OK!

My Quilting Fairy the Fabulous Fiona has done a MAGNIFICENT job quilting my beetles. I especially love how the echo quilting around them makes them look like they're jiggling along. Can't you just feel the summer sun beaming down as you cruise down to the beach with some funky 60's music playing on the radio while you and your friends sing along loudly? Or maybe that's just my mid-winter wish for a beach break! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now begins the procrastination ... er ... instruction writing phase. :0P Can you tell how excited about that I am?! I've got a couple of weeks off work starting at the end of this week, so guess what I'll be doing during that time. :0)

OPAM gals ... last call for your July finishes ... the blog hopping is just about finished, so email your tally to me or my Gorgeous Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg ASAP. Have you been popping around to visit fellow OPAMers? If you haven't, I can recommend a hop ... you'll see all sorts of gorgeous projects

But right now, I'm heading off to keep a date with my pillow so I'm as ready as possible to cope with Monday ... if anyone is every really ready to cope with Monday. :0) I hope you've all had a relaxing weekend ... and that Monday doesn't throw too many curve balls at you. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS