Craft Retreat Report!

Hmmm, having a sudden flashback to school days when we had to write a report after any class excursion - mind you, those excursions weren't NEARLY as much fun as the weekend's Creative Craft Retreat!! It could have something to do with the fact that as adults, there are fewer rules and more scope for mischief! Tee! Hee! Hee!

This was the second year the Creative Craft Retreat was held and about 40 creative women headed 40 minutes north of Toowoomba to Lake Perseverance on Friday night for a weekend of craft, laughs, craft, food, craft, more laughs, craft, more food!! Now since I didn't have to teach after all, I joined one of the "Do Your Own Thing" tables - sounds very 60's, doesn't it?! I hooked up with my good friend Liz, who I don't get to see very often because she's usually busy running her Scrapbook shop, Scrap 'N' Patch. Here we are ...


We were joined at our table in the corner (Hmmm, don't they usually put the NAUGHTY ones in the corner?!?! Tee! Hee! Hee!) by three scrap booking buddies, Jen, Linda and Amber. Within the first five minutes of setting up, all three of these confirmed chocoholics had produced at least three different types of chocolate - EACH! - and there were roars of laughter as witty banter and good-natured ribbing flew freely! And that was the pattern set for the rest of the weekend!! I had to come home to rest my cheek muscles after laughing all weekend!! Here's our little group of crazies ...


There's me, Amber and Liz up the back and Jen (our pet American - just kidding Jen!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and Linda in the front. Now, I could REALLY tell you some stories ... but we agreed right at the beginning of the retreat that "What happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat!" Tee! Hee! Hee! If I told tales, the other four would hunt me down, so suffice to say we had a LOT of fun and perhaps it was fitting that we were sitting in the corner!!

Now while we were having our laughfest/chocoholics anonymous meeting in the corner, other people were actually doing craft! No, no, we really did get a lot done, but some of the other groups did 'formal', pre-chosen, tutored classes. I've experimented with a little photo collage here to show you what else was going on ... (cross your fingers that it works!!)

Let's see, the first picture is Jen and Linda in action; the other "Do Your Own Thing" table; a mixed table of DYOT and Val Laird (in the middle) teaching a small embroidery class; Leanne, (second from left) who did my bear making class at last year's retreat, taught basic folk art; card making; and well known quilt designer/tutor/inspirational speaker Robyn Ginn teaching her unique (and much easier!) version of needle-turn applique. Whew! So, you can see the hall was just BRIMMING with creativity! Oh! There was also a beading class that weren't sitting at their table when I was taking photos - oops! I meant to go back and forgot - sorry girls!

Now not only did we enjoy a weekend of crafting, we were fed soooooooo well and often that we all waddled out the front door to go home on Sunday!! There was also some free time to enjoy the wonderful bush surroundings of the Lake Perseverance Recreation Centre. Wildflowers and native plants were all starting to show off their finery, so I snapped a couple of pics.


Isn't this wattle a cheerful, bright yellow? And the flowers look like hundreds of little yellow powder puffs!


Grevillias are also flowering their little heads off at the moment! This one looked like a cloud of soft red/burgundy from a distance and caught my eye every time I walked past it on the way to the little girl's room.


And this water feature was in a small courtyard area off the main hall, providing a quiet spot for meditation - or a nanny nap to make up for the late night/early morning bed time! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Now all of this sounds wonderful enough, BUT WAIT, THERE's MORE!! We were also treated to a guest speaker, Debbie Dodds. Debbie is a Chaplain at one of Toowoomba's state high schools and encourages people to see the humorous side of life, even in serious situations. Again, we all had sore cheek muscles by the time Debbie had finished!

And before we all toddled off home, exhausted but happy on Sunday afternoon, there was time for a group snap.


Aren't we a good looking bunch?

So ... you're probably wondering where the photos of everyone's finished projects are. Well,it was like this - there was supposed to be a show and tell session at the end of the day before pack up, but people started to pack up and drift off early, which prompted some table and chair packing to get a head start on the end-of-camp tidy up ... and before we knew it, all craft had been packed away and no photos were taken - DOH! However, one of the projects I worked on was the latest block of Lynette Anderson's Noah's Ark BOM and I attached borders this afternoon, so I can show you that.


I love the rainbow in this and the cow block - ah, lets face it, I'm rather partial to ANY rainbow!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... that's my Craft Retreat Report. I'll be back in the next day or so with a Renovation Report - my beloved Geek Boy is on holidays for three weeks and although we're off to the beach next Monday for two weeks, this week is 'work around the house' week. It started with him attacking the sanding outside ready to paint, but, as usual with older houses, the job has changed a little, so stay tuned for the report!!

And before I sign off, don't forget the give-away to celebrate the completion of my latest pattern, "Angel Bears", a name/birthday sitchery wall hanging. I forgot to put the closing date on the previous post, but you'll have until Sunday night Aussie time to leave a comment so I can announce the winners before I head for the beach. All you have to do is leave a comment on the previous post telling me about your little 'angel' you'd like to make the wall hanging for to go into the draw. And if you mention the give-away on your blog and include a link back to my site, you get an extra entry, just let me know.

Right now, I'm off to contemplate the contents of my pantry and fridge to come up with a culinary masterpiece for dinner ... hmmm ... wonder how GB feels about baked beans on toast! Tee! Hee! Hee! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

GB's My Hero!

Melodramatic Sigh!! "Geek Boy is MY hero!!!" He worked his computer magic on Photoshop and I was able to finish editing the pattern pieces for my Angel Bears Pattern, so it's now ALL PRINTED! YAY! Tossing of streamers! Blowing of whistles! A 21 gun salute! ... OK, so perhaps that's going a LITTLE over the top for the completion of a new pattern, but after the frustration of the computer-delayed printing, I was pretty excited!


I actually clicked on the wrong photos to insert - was going to have a closer-up (there I go inventing terms again!) shot of the wall hangings that I'd put the pretty fuzzy edges on and shrunk so it didn't take forever to upload - but I clicked on the wrong one and then blogger just got carried away, so I let it go!! Tee! Hee! Hee! So you get a peek at my chest of bears in the lounge room, too!!

Now, where was I before making an 'oops' click!?!? Ah yes! So ... you know what a completed new pattern means ... A GIVE AWAY! Now since this pattern is a name/birthday hanger that features a boy or girl angel bear (depending which you choose to stitch!) I think that to be eligible for the give away draw, you have to leave a comment on this post (not the last one, not the next one, THIS post!!) telling me about your little 'angel' that you'd like to make the wall hanging for. Everyone will go into a draw and two lucky commenters will receive a hot-off-the-press copy of 'Angel Bears'. And if you have a blog and mention the give away and include a link back to this post, I'll pop a second entry for you into the draw - just let me know!! So get commenting!!

Now I know you're all wondering how my weekend at the Creative Craft Retreat was, but you'll just have to wait! I took some photos and need to go through them to edit for incriminating chocolate wrapers and chip packets!! Tee! Hee! Hee! So I'll post about that in the next day or so. Right now, though, I think I'm going to curl up with a nice cup of tea and give my stitching fingers and my laugh muscles a rest!! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Frustrations!!

Don't you just HATE it when you start to do something 'simple' and it either takes forever or you can't do it at all?!?! That's the kind of week I've been having! AAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!!! SIGH! I had very good intentions of working my way through a fairly long (probably unrealistic!) list of "Things To Do" this week, top of the list being FINALLY getting my Angel Bears pattern printed. So ... with the title and first sentence of this post ... you've probably guessed - CORRECTLY! - that not only has the list had hardly a dent in it, the pattern STILL isn't printed! Good guess!

You see, I scanned the outlines for the patterns into the trusty (evil-instrument-of-torture!) computer in Photoshop, a program I use heaps to edit photos etc. Well ... I'm not sure WHEN or HOW, but SOMEHOW, a vital setting has been changed (probably during one of those incredibly annoying compulsory Windows upgrades!!) and now the program won't let me do what I want to!! Aaarrrrggghhhh!! I'm sure there's a way around it, but my beloved Geek Boy is at work, so isn't on hand to fix it for me, so the pattern STILL hasn't made it to printing standard yet! SIGH! So, for all of you waiting so patiently for my give-away ... please bear with me while I throw the computer out the window ... I mean ... while I wait patiently for GB to come home to fix the stupid thing! Someone once said to me that a computer is a quick way to do something - as long as you're not in a hurry!! And that's JUST how I'm feeling today! SIGH! Waiting, patiently ....!!!

Adding to my frustration level has been the fact that I'm off tomorrow night for a weekend of stitching at the Creative Craft Retreat at Perseverance Dam (about 30 minutes north of Toowoomba) and as I'll be selling my patterns there, I REALLY wanted to offer this new one that I'm rather excited about. SIGH! I was actually supposed to be teaching at the retreat, but since the minimum sign up number wasn't reached ... I get to go along and do my own thing! So, while I'm a bit disappointed not to be teaching (it's fun helping people produce something they may not have been brave enough to tackle on their own!) I have a LONG and ever-growing list of projects that need attention, so I will certainly use the time wisely. Just think, a whole weekend of stitching and chatting while someone else does all the cooking and cleaning up - BLISS!! Will take some photos and share with you next week.

Of course, I'm also starting to count down to the Stitcher's Dream Day Out at Highfields on Saturday September 20. I had a quick chat with my best bud Lynette and since her schedule has also been a little crazy, she's really looking forward to our day of stitching and chatting, too. Just over a week to go - but who's counting!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And in the meantime, to take my mind of committing computercide (OK, so now I'm inventing my own language too - deal with it!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) I've been stitching the latest block in Lynette Anderson's Noah's Ark BOM. I've got the indigo and violet bows to go on my rainbow, so hopefully I'll get that finished tomorrow. I love the effect that comes from the echoed lines of colour - the rainbow in the cow block looked great!



It has, however, had a strange effect on my brain (No peanuts from the comment gallery, thank you!!!) Each time I pick it up to stitch, I can't help thinking of songs that mention rainbows in the lyrics - I've found quite a few!! 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow', 'Rainbow Connection', 'Sing A Rainbow', 'Coat Of Many Colours' (rainbow is mentioned in the lyrics somewhere, just not the title!) ... There seem to be quite a few - can you think of any others?? There ... now instead of counting sheep as you go to sleep tonight, you can count 'rainbow' songs!!! Tee! Hee! Hee! In the words of that famous philosopher, Kermit the Frog ...



"Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side ...!!" Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Bits & Bobs!

After a rather sluggish week (I was sluggish, not the week itself!!) I've actually managed to 'do a bit' this weekend - and the weekend isn't over! Yesterday, I got myself organised and collected together all of the bits and bobs that I'm hoping to get in the mail tomorrow for my partner in Linda's Bag/Bucket Swap . Here's all the pretties ready to go ...


The bags are all finished, the little fun bits just waiting to be popped into the bag for posting. You can't see it very well, but there's a zip lock bag with a couple of special tea bags in. Here's a closer look ...


I know the photo's pretty fuzzy, but hopefully you can see the teabag labels a bit. They're "Bag Lady" tea bags and each teabag has a cute sketch of a 'bag lady' on one side and a funny saying on the other. This one has the saying of women worldwide when faced with a special social outing "But I have nothing to WEAR!" Tee! Hee! Hee! Hopefully my Swap partner will enjoy all of the goodies and there's two teabags so she can share one with a friend.

And speaking of cuppas with friends ... (how's THAT for a smooth segue-way!!) I caught up with my friend Miss Mary from Fresh Hope yesterday. We don't seem to catch up nearly as often as we'd like, as we both seem to be going full steam ahead in different directions. We enjoyed a yummy lunch in town and - oh dear! - popped into one of the quilt shops in town that I don't get to often, because the parking is a headache. And ... you guessed it ... some fabric followed me home! At least that's the story I told my beloved Geek Boy and it's the one I'm sticking with . Here's my new pretties ...


(Hope you enjoy the peek, cos it took me four or five tries to get blogger to agree to upload this particular picture!!!) While I don't have anything specific in mind to use these for, the brown and cream spotty fabrics will be great for stitchery backgrounds and all of the others will mix and match nicely with the other shabby chic colours I seem to be using a lot at the moment. Still have a few swap items to make so no doubt they'll come in handy somewhere along the track. After all, the same rule applies to fabric as it does to bears - you can never have too much/too many!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

The other thing Miss Mary and I did when we caught up was to set up a photo session to get a nice shot of one of the soon-to-be-released new Fresh Hope Patterns patterns. (No, not stuttering, the range is called 'Fresh Hope Patterns' and this is the latest pattern ... ahhh, you know what I mean!!) It's for a fabulous little boy's quilt and it's called "On The Move" and has been designed and donated to Fresh Hope Patterns by Donna Elkington. Miss Mary was after some interesting props to complement the quilt and knew that I have all sorts of interesting collectibles!! Here's the result ...


Isn't it wonderful and bright? Just what you need for a little boy's room, with all of the cars, trucks, planes, helicopters etc - though I think I'd be replacing the white with blue, knowing how grubby little boys can sometimes be! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So that's how I spent yesterday. Today so far, I've put through several loads of washing and hung same (otherwise you just end up with lots of soggy clothes!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and have been working on the neat copies of the stitchery designs for scanning for the "Angels Bears" pattern. Hmmm ... has ended up being more time-consuming and tedious than anticipated and I've managed to give myself a neck-pain-induced headache (Again! Think it's time to find a chiropractor!!) so I think I'm going to take a break and go have some lunch, perhaps a cup or tea and maybe a kindy kip to get rid of the headache, before attacking the designs again. Still hoping to have the new pattern printed this week, so watch this space for a give away. Hope you're having a great weekend where ever you are and whatever you're doing. Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Friday Again & Flowers!

Wow! How did it get to be Friday again?!?! I'm pretty sure I missed a few days this week - which would explain the lack of posts! And the weather has been unkind to a warmth-loving summer girl, so I think I went into hibernation mode again! SIGH! Can't wait til the warm weather is here to stay! Someone said the other day it will only be a month or two before we're complaining about the heat - nuh, ah!! Not this little black duck!!

So ... as a result of the icky weather and me being a slug, not much has happened on the stitching front this week except a few little finishing touches to the bag swap bits - you'll have to wait another day or so before I get a photo of the whole kit and caboodle I'm sending off. (Note to those who read my questioning of what "kit and caboodle is" - I googled it! Kit is a collection of tools and caboodle is an archaic term for a large group, gathering or gang of people - mystery solved!)

The flowers mentioned in the title arrived on my desk at work yesterday. Now any of you who are married or have partners will know that even if you other half is 'perfect for you', it doesn't make them 'perfect' and there will always be little hiccups, misunderstandings and temper tantrums. Well, we had one of those in our house on Wednesday and this is where GB ended up - again!!



Yep ... back in the dog house! So on Thursday, this is what landed on my desk with a card that said, "With love from the doghouse!"


They are gorgeous, aren't they? I particularly love the red roses and gerberas with the deep purples and bright yellows. SIGH! Well, I couldn't stay mad with him after that, could I? So I sent him a text message to say, "OK, the flowers get you back inside as far as the sofa!!" Tee! Hee! Hee! Can't make it too easy for him!! Nah, all is well. We sorted out the misunderstanding, which was a 'he says' 'she says' kind of deal and we're back on smooching terms. Oops! Too much information for some, perhaps!!

So, that's the sort of week it's been here at the Meares' Madhouse. I'm hoping that I'll be able to motivate myself to knuckle down over the weekend and get a few things done - got the Bag Swap stuff to pack up ready to send off on Monday, need to get stuck into the three sewing bits for the Stitchers Angel and start thinking about the Secret Santa Christmas Swap - oh and try to get my Angel Bears pattern printed and packaged ready for a give-away, and stitch the latest block for Lynette's BOM .... Hmmmm ... getting the feeling that I need a weekend that consists of about 14 days!!! Ah well, will make a list and start at the top to work my way through. And whatever doesn't get done today, will just carry through to tomorrow's list!! I'll get there ... eventually!! Hope you have a fantastic and productive weekend too - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS