A day of little surprises!

Well, today has been a bit of a mixed bag! It started in a lovely way, with Kerryanne English of Shabby Art Boutique letting me know she'd popped something special on her blog that might interest me - and lo and behold! There were some GORGEOUS photos of a Cupcake Katie doll that I sent her last week as a 'just becausee' gift! How lovely to see Katie enjoying her new home with Kerryanne - especially the photo of her amongst the faux cupcakes!! I borrowed this photo from Kerryanne to show you!


Doesn't she look right at home? To see more of Katie's adventures pop across to Kerryanne's blog - her roses are GLORIOUS!!

So ... that was a nice way to start the day. Then I did the housework thing by putting a load of washing in. While I was waiting for the washing machine to do its thing, I decided to have a little peek at the Lilly Cottage blog, which Kerryanne had mentioned on her blog. An hour later and I was still happily reading my way through the archives, but decided I'd better hang the washing. Now, it was at about that moment that I heard an ominous 'click'. No, not my brain exploding from thinking, the safety switch on the power box. So, off I went to investigate, my first stop being the laundry to check the second fridge - which was delegated second spot after a few similar incidents! (but the husband feels he MUST have a drinks fridge!!! Sigh!!) Plus, while there I thought again about hanging the washing.

A step out my back door and I didn't know whether to call an electrician, a plumber or Noah to come and rescue me!! Water, water everywhere! The hose from one of the taps to the washing machine had somehow been stretched at an odd angle and was shooting a fairly constant spray of water out - right on to the power point that powers both the fridge and the washing machine! Aha! Gurgle, gurgle!! I thought I'd found the culprit! After some extensive searching (where the heck does one find a spanner/shifter/tap-without-a-tap tightener!!) I found an overly large shifter that did the trick of stopping the water, unplugged said chords from powerpoint and thought that should do the trick.

After leaving soggy footprints up the hallway (I knew there was a good reason to opt for timber over carpet!!) I tried to re-engage the safety switch. Nope. So then I began a process that would have been really funny - had I been watching rather than participating in it!!! I would unplug an appliance and return to the safety switch to try it - thus hoping to work out exactly which appliance was the guilty party. After about a dozen trips back and forth (I didn't realise we had so many power points!! Why can we still never find enough?!?!) everything was unplugged except the computer, which I knew from past experience (the joys of owning an old house!!) was on a separate power board and unaffected and still the safety switch wouldn't 'switch'! So I did what any self-reliant, liberated woman of the new millenium would do - I called Scott!! Who promised to call an electrician for me - since the cordless phone doesn't work without power and a search for an electician had the potential to involve LOTS of calls! He called back soon and said someone would be out later in the afternoon and to just sit tight til then. Well ... what else was I likely to do with no power!!!

However, I took the opportunity (after finally hanging the washing!) to settle down in front of my computer and spent a happy hour - or two!! exploring the Lilly Cottage blog and getting to know Linda and Laura a little better. I've decided my next 'play date' with Lynette will have to include an excursion to Lilly Cottage to see their fabulous goodies in person! So... as a result, I have NOT had a productive day! I couldn't even boil the kettle for a cup of tea to calm my nerves! And the most frustrating part of this sad tale is that when the electrician arrived (thank you Owen, my hero!) he poked at the powerboard, tapped the fuses, switched the safety switch - and the rotten thing stayed on!!! I just don't understand! Owen was as befuddled as I so I felt a little better! He tested all powerpoints and concluded that it was just one of life's little mysteries, before heading off on his merry way! Sigh! At least I 'met' some new cyber friends and enjoyed drooling over lots of 'pretties'!!

In the midst of all of this, I heard the sound of laughter and thought the fairies were making sport of me, until I stepped out the front door and found a very handsome fellow looking down at me.


Isn't he lovely? I forgave him for laughing at me and chose to believe he was laughing at the silliness of life in general and not me personally. There is something about kookaburras that catches my imagination. We don't hear them very often, but just recently, we've had a pair move into the trees around our block and I often hear them chortling away to each other. Scott laughs at me because every time I hear them, I head outside to see if I can see them!! Today, I did! He helped me to remember my sense of humour and to laugh at the funny mental picture I had of myself traipsing back and forth between powerpoints and safety switch!

So ... whatever your day has been like, I hope you can take a leaf out of my kookaburra's book and laugh at the absurdity of life!! There's plenty to laugh at!! Til next time,

CHEERS!
KRIS

Out and about ...

Yes, I've been out and about today, so no sewing done, although I stitched hard last night - more about that later! Today, I caught up with a good friend, Robyn, who I used to get together with once a week to stitch, but life seems to keep interrupting these days and our schedules rarely match. Today, they did, so we hit the road! We headed off to the Danish Dried Flower shop, where we admired their extensive range of dried flowers, beads and other arts and crafts supplies. We then decided we needed lunch to keep our shopping strength up, so ordered some tasty treats. Here's Robyn enjoying lunch.


Fortified once more, we hit the road again to visit Highfields - a growing suburb about 10 minutes north of Toowoomba. Here, we stopped off at the Village Green complex where we visited Herbal Harmonies. Herbal Harmonies is a fabulous little shop that has all sorts of pretty 'smellies', from soaps, hand creams, talcum powders and body sprays to scented candles, flavoured teas and spice mixtures, not to mention a huge range of giftwares. Gleeful rubbing together of hands!! I was on a mission to buy a birthday pressie for my Grandma, who I'll be visiting this weekend in Bundaberg. Mission accomplished! A pretty weekly planner, potpurri hanger and rose scented talc were purchased and are ready to wrap.

We then decided we needed a caffeine boost to sustain our spree, so popped into the Chocolate Cottage Coffee shop - about 20 steps from Herbal Harmonies!! That's the great thing about the Village Green complex, there are five fun-filled shops in a 'village green arrangement, looking out over spectacular valley views from Toowoomba's bit of the Great Dividing Range.

Our caffeine boost then took us to The Quilters' Angel patchwork shop where I bought a couple of lovely hangers and a piece of fabric that will make great pirate pants - you'll just have to wait and see about that one! We then trundled off home, tired, a little lighter of wallet, but happy - plus we had a great time chatting and catching up!

Now to the stitching of last night - combine it with one of my new hangers purchased today and you get ...


This is the prototype of my latest pattern, another Card Kit and the stitchery says, "All things grow with love!" It features some cute yellow timber buttons from my friend Lisa at Button Bliss and will be available for sale - just as soon as I write the instructions!! Groan!! I think next week had better be set aside for instruction writing, as my clever stitching fingers are getting ahead of my instruction-writing.

So, you can see that I have been productive, but taken time to smell (and drink!!) the coffee today - hope you did to! Til next time,

CHEERS!
KRIS

Strawberry fields forever!

Hmmm, perhaps not quite forever, but there are strawberries at our place today, as I worked very hard on the weekend and finished the third of my Tea Party Pals trio of country cloth dolls - Berry Basket Bonnie! I know I say it every time I finish a new pattern prototype, but I think she's my favourite so far! The idea for Bonnie has been percolating in my cauldron of ideas for some time now but wasn't ready to 'be born' until I fell in love with the fabric I've used for her pinafore and then everything else fell into place. Take a peek...


She carries a cute cane basket full of strawberries made from fabric and felt, as well as holding a ripe, plump strawberry in her hand. On her other arm is a swing tag with "Strawberry" stitched on it and in her hair is a strawberry flower. Now I just have to write some more instructions and she can be added to the web site with her Tea Party Pals. They got together for another 'practice' tea party with some of Kerryanne's cupcakes, it was after all a dreary day that needed brightening with good friends and cups of tea!


Aren't they cute? I've had lots of fun designing and making these dolls and hope others enjoy them too.

Well, a designer's work is never done, so I'd best toddle off and write some instructions now - just as soon as I check my notes to see what I did first!!! Til next time,

CHEERS!
KRIS

Hey, hey, Mr Postman!

My poor postie has gone home for a cup of tea and a lie down to let his nerves settle, I think, after two VERY exciting packages arrived in my mailbox today!! You know those Gold Lotto ads where the very excitied 'set for life' winners go rushing out to their mailbox?? Well that was me today!! Tee! Hee! Hee! Oh what goodies I found in that little white box! You see, I'd ordered some mini faux cupcakes from Kerryanne at Shabby Art Boutique and some timber buttons from Lisa at Button Bliss. And after much anticipation, they all arrived today!!

I've drooled over Kerryanne's range of faux cakes for quite some time and finally had the excuse I needed to order some - a display of my Tea Party Pals cloth dolls and patterns is coming up at Quilters' World and Kerryanne's goodies are just perfect to help display Cupcake Katie, Tea Cup Tilly and (in the design process!) Berry Basket Bonnie! Have a look and you'll see what I mean!



You can see Tilly and Katie having a 'practice' tea party! If you haven't checked out Kerryanne's FABULOUS range of goodies at Country To The Core and Shabby Art Boutique yet, you really should - but make sure you put a plastic cover over your keyboard for when you start drooling!!

And buttons, buttons, BUTTONS! I've designed a couple of new stitchery projects to feature Lisa's wonderful laser-cut timber buttons, including the "Love Bears All" hanging featured in an earlier post, and now that these goodies have arrived, I can package up the "Love Bears All" card kits ready for sale and get stitching on the prototypes featuring the cheerful yellow daisies and busy bees below.



Both Kerryanne and Lisa received VERY excited emails this afternoon! Tee! Hee! Hee! Will keep you updated on the display and the new stitchery projects!

I also shook off the last of my "Blah!" mood from earlier in the week and slaved over a hot drawing board today. My ironing board used to be the drawing board, as my sewing desk is too crowded, but I've now claimed the office for my designing, as my beloved 'Geek Boy' works on a notebook computer in the lounge room these days and only uses the office as a dumping ground for anything that doesn't have a home. I'm part way through designing the third of my Tea Party Pals dolls, so watch this space for updates, because the fabric I bought for her outfit is GORGEOUS!! It jumped out and said "Take me home!" Tee! Hee! Hee!

Anyway, I think I might follow the example of the postie and have a cup of tea before hitting the sewing machine - I wonder if he'll recover enough by Monday to take to the postie-mobile again??? Tee! Hee! Hee! Poor postie! Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing! Til next time,

CHEERS!
KRIS

Today I am thankful for ...

FRIENDS!!! I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a day or two where I just feel (in Charlie Brown's words!) "Blah!" You know ... nothing specific has happened, you're not sick, sad, mad, frustrated - you just don't feel good. On those sort of days, I'm particularly thankful for my friends! I have to admit to having a couple of "Blah!" days this week, but thankfully, my two belly dancing buddies, Deb and Lynda, were on hand to have a cuppa, a chat and a giggle to make me feel better.




We all met when we were attending weekly belly dancing classes. (I know - there's a mental picture you could probably have done without! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Then, we started going out for coffee after our class, then lunch, then we started getting together outside of our dance class times and before you know it, we became the Triple Trouble Trio!! We come from different backgrounds, different life paths, yet somehow, we find common ground in the shared outings, cuppas and laughter. The friendship has grown and flourished, so that we now know we can lean on the other two for support. In the language of our belly dancing - we've formed our own tribe! So ... today, I am VERY thankful for my friends! May you be blessed with some good friends, too, and remember to let them know how special they are to you, because they are more precious and rare than diamonds!!

CHEERS!
KRIS