March OPAM Winners!!

Here I am, reporting from COLD, FOGGY, WET and WINDY Toowoomba! Yep, it's almost wintery weather here on top of our hill, and although the gale force winds just about turn you inside out each time you step out the door, the rain is WONDERFUL! We've already had over three and a half inches (92mm for those who work in metric!) and it's still raining heavily and steadily. Fingers crossed that this is going into our dams, cos this region's water storage levels are below 8% capacity. Keep that rain coming, I say! Not to mention that the cold, wet, overcast weather is just PERFECT for curling up with a cuppa and a good book! Tee! Hee! Hee!

However ... I've dragged myself away from my comfy little nest to let you know who the lucky winners of the end-of-month OPAM draw were for February. There were 579 finishes recorded for February - which I think is pretty impressive for the shortest month of the year - well done to you all! And from the emails some of you sent (thank you for that - it's a GREAT help!!) and from visiting blogs to check sidebar lists, I know some of you have been working on bigger projects that you've made good progress on, so well done to you, too. Let's face it, any time spent stitching is so worthwhile cos it feeds our souls even if it's a little while between finishes and even though some of us are better at STARTING projects than we are at FINISHING them! Tee! Hee! Hee! Thanks too, to my wonderful co-host Peg for her help in blog-hopping to collect finishes. It sure makes the job easier when we're both hopping around! :0)

OK ... drumroll please ... The winners of February's OPAM draw are:

Fiona

Wendy F

Susan In Texas

Congratulations, gals! Not only do you have the satisfaction of crossing some things off your "To Do" list, you will also have a little surprise coming to you once you email me with your snail mail addresses. I would show a photo of the prizes here, but the batteries in my camera have died! DOH!! Note to self ...!! And if you have a spare ten or fifteen minutes, why not make yourself a cuppa and hop around some of the OPAM blogs to see the GORGEOUS projects that peole are creating. It truly is inspirational and we all know how nice it is to have comments left by fellow bloggers when they visit! :0) One of the best parts if being involved in OPAM is that we each have a big, world-wide cheer squad encouragin us in our creative endeavours! :0)

And now ... I think I'm off to make myself a nice hot cup of lavender tea and curl up back in my little nest to read while I listen to the magical sound of rain falling on my roof.

Hope you're enjoying the first days of autumn ... or spring as the case may be! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Food, Friendship & Fabric!!

Yep - FOOD, FRIENDSHIP and FABRIC, what more could a girl ask for to make an week enjoyable and I've been lucky enough to enjoy all three!!

I seem to have eaten out more than I've eaten at home lately ... no wonder I'm looking more and more like my bears!! :0) (Guess I need to dust off the exercise bike ... SIGH!!) Yesterday I caught up with my bestest buddy Lynette for a quick lunch when she made a flying visit to Toowoomba to sign some legal documents and today I met up with another of my local blogging buddies ... The Marvellous Miriam from Bubba Chenille

Now, you may remember me mentioning a couple of posts ago that Marion and Steph at Quilters Angel are holding a "Busting At The Seams" sale from today through to Sunday, so Miriam and I very cannily organised to meet up today for lunch at the Chocolate Cottage (cottage burger and chai latte .... MMMMM!!) to build up our strength before we hit Marion's sale.

Well ... as we've found in the past, Miriam and I had a FABULOUS time chatting, catching up with what we've each been up to, sharing plans for the next few months and just generally enjoying a relaxed chat. Isn't it funny that we never would have met up but for the funny world of blogland and now we LOVE to get together for a chat! :0)

Once we'd done justice to our delicious lunch, we headed over to Quilters Angel where a big sign announced 30% off ALL bolted fabric!!!! Miriam and I read the sign a few times to make sure we weren't reading it wrong!! What a FABULOUS sale! Can you tell that when Marion does something, she doesn't do it by halves! :0) And so we proceeded to enjoy the wonderful, cosy atmosphere of Quilter's Angel as the piles of fabric bolts in our arms grew ... and GREW ... and GREW!!! Tee! Hee! Hee! We meant to get a photo of us both with our pile of bolts, but got so sidetracked choosing fabrics that we forgot! Oops! But I CAN show you what I brought home with me ...

Now, I know it's kind of a funny mix, but you see, they're for several different projects. The greens on the left ... well ... actually, I bought them just cos I fell in love with them! :0) The blues are for two different new designs I have in various stages of production and the three on the end are for a special mission for a friend. And the best bit ... thanks to Marion's Busting At The Seams Sale .. my budget ISN'T ... busting at the seams, that is! Tee! Hee! Hee! Thanks Marion!! And if you're within driving distance of the Village Green at Highfields, you have until Sunday to take advantage of Marion's sale!!

Miriam found some yummy fabrics and pretty rick-rack to take back home with her, so you just know we'll both be kept busy playing with our new pretties now! :0) Thanks for coming for a drive up the hill, Miriam, it was lovely to catch up again! And if you're in search of handmade treasures, pop across to visit Miriam's blog and she'll tell you all about the fabulous Handmade Expo events in Ipswich.

Just a little reminder to the OPAM gals ... there's just three days left to get projects finished for February, so don't forget to update your sidebar lists of finishes and email your lists to Peg or I so we can add them to the trusty spreadsheet.

And now, I think I'm off to play with my new fabrics for a while. Hope your week has been a beauty so far! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Show & Tell!

Ok ... finally there's been some action around the Meares' Madhouse, even with all the socialising we did on the weekend! Both my Beloved Geek Boy and I got stuck in around the house yesterday and finished not only our household chores, but also a couple of special projects.

Before I show you what GB finished on the weekend, I need to remind you of the back-story ... Do you remember me showing you this photo when we renovated our kitchen?

Sadly the pretty plant is no longer with us - a nasty little bug thingy chewed through the stem below the surface and my poor plant went to Plant Heaven. SIGH! I just don't seem to have much luck with indoor plants! However ... I digress!! I commented at the time that this wall looked a little blank and I'd have to find something to jazz it up. So, fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I received my yummy new Tilda books in the mail. You'll remember the event, cos I think my Happy Dancing registered at about 8 on the Richter scale! Tee! Hee! Hee! One of the photos I shared with you was this one ...

And I confessed to having china-display shelf-envy whilst drooling over the pretty display at the top right of the page pictured here. Well ... for Valentine's Day, my usually-not-very-romantic, doesn't-believe-in-overcommercialised-holidays/events GB took himself off to the hardware shop to buy some timber, spent a busy day ensconced in his father's workshop (we don't have a decent shed for him to play in!) and made me this ...

Isn't it FABULOUS!!! I was SOOOOOOOOOOO happy with it ... GB got smothered in smoochies and nearly had his ribs broken with happy hugs! :0) I haven't been able to show you before now, cos he was waiting for the glue to dry on the dowel rods before painting ... then it rained and was bad paint-drying weather ... so Sunday was the first chance he had to paint it a nice glossy white for me to match my face-lifted hutch. I am SO keeping my GB! :0) I even have some extra space up on those top shelves for future additions to my pretty china collection - YAY! Hey Lovely Lilly Linda ... MORE collectibles fairs!! Tee! Hee! Hee! Thank you for a PERFECT Valentine's Day giftie, Sweetie!!

And if you look up between the teapots (I seem to have a bit of a teapot fetish!!) you'll see the project that I finished. It's a little bear from a pattern in the same Tilda book that the china rack photo was in. He's a slightly primitive ... in a pretty way ... bear made to look a bit bedraggled and in need of a cuddle and a bikkie. I imagine he'll find BOTH in my kitchen! :0) Here's a closer look ...

He's not very big, he'd fit inside the teapot. In fact ... I think I will christen him "Teacup"!

So ... there you go ... they're the projects finished in the Meares' Madhouse in the last 24 hours. I also made some progress on a companion project to my shabby patchwork hearts, so stay tuned for a pattern release in the not-too-distant future. And now ... I'm off to cook some dinner before heading off to our After Five Monday night rehearsal - LA, LA, LA, LA, LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

A Social Butterfly!

That's what I've been this weekend so far!! I've been flitting from one play date, to another, one lunch out to another and having oh-so-much fun along the way! :0) It probably would have been better for my WAISTLINE if my socialising had been spread out a little more, but ... you only live once, right, so you may as well enjoy the ride! :0)

OK ... so ... as I said last post, I headed off down the hill to Brisbane bright and early Friday morning to spend the day with my Bestest Buddy Lynette. We had decided to have a bit of a relaxed day, stitching at her place before heading out for lunch. Well ... we DID spend some time at her place and then go to lunch ... we just seemed to skip the 'stitching' part of that plan! :0) You know how it is when friends get together - the chatting rages out of control and before you know it two and a half hours have passed and you've barely scratched the surface of what's been happening with you both since last time you caught up!

Well, we had a delicious lunch at Gardenway, one of our fave destinations as the food is fabulous  ... and FILLING! After chatting and joking with the friendly staff (part of the reason we keep going back!) we waddled into the gift shop for a little look-see. I did buy a set of three tins ... but forgot to take a photo - oops! We then returned to Lynette's place so she could whip something up for her kids' afternoon tea. And this gave her the perfect opportunity to test drive her birthday gift ... her appliquéd apron and tea towels ...

Doesn't she just look like Super Mum, ready to whip up bikkies at a single whisk! Tee! Hee! Hee! Well ... it took a bit more work than a single whisk, but her kids enjoyed freshly baked chocolate slice and were very impressed with her new kitchen fashions. And Lynette loved her apron and tea towels, so that was fabulous. Now I just have to find/make something for her Christmas catch up present! :0)

Then ...this morning saw me heading out to another social gathering - a few of the gals from After Five, the vocal ensemble I joined last year for the theatre restaurant production ... and stayed! ... had been talking about getting together for a 'Girly Outing' for a while. We finally did something about it today and enjoyed a DELICIOUS brunch. But you'll have to take my word for that, as I was too busy enjoying eggs Benedict with bacon and mushrooms to remember to take a photo! :0)

After enjoying a relaxing chat over a final latte, I then scooted home just in time to get a text message from the Lovely Lilly Linda to tell me she and her beloved, Tim, were just a few minutes from our place! YAY!! We enjoyed a relaxed lunch of chicken and salad on fresh bread rolls - prepared by my Beloved Geek Boy!! How spoiled am I to have a domesticated hubby!! :0) and chatted ... and chatted ... and chatted!! :0) Then, fortified with yummy lunch, we headed off to the showgrounds to the Antiques and Collectors Fair.

Ooooooohhhhh!!! The pretties we saw!!! But I was a good girl ... relatively ... and didn't blow the budget too badly, adding to my pretty bottle collection.

As I said I wanted to ... I collected a few more pretty blue bottles and couldn't go past the cute little clear bottle in the front (perfect to pop an incense stick in to make the house smell good!) and the gorgeous green bottle at the back was so pretty and so unusual with it's original glass stopper still in it, that I just HAD to bring it home. And that little yellow stool was a giftie from Linda and Tim that they found in an interesting shop on their way up the hill. Thanks Linda and Tim!! It will get a white coat of paint and be found a special spot to sit. And here are my bottles on the now almost-famous hutch ...

And the best bit was ... I now have TWO blue bottles to give my friend - they aren't in the picture, they've been put somewhere safe so I don't snaffle them for another display somewhere! Tee! Hee! Hee! I shall keep my eye out for a similar green bottle at my next foray to a collectibles fair, but then I think that will be it for this space - I'm trying REALLY hard not to clutter it ... AGAIN! Tee! Hee! Hee! So many treasures, so few flat surfaces to display them! :0)

Now, after traipsing around the collectibles fair, the four of us decided a bit of a caffeine boost was in order, so we hit one of my fave coffee shops - the Angel Cafe. This is what Linda ordered ...

How cute is this chickie!! :0) I think this was a chocolate crunchie gateau  ... or something similar!! And I had ...

A mango and lime torte and a chai latte. Hmmm ... not my best look, perhaps, but you can tell I was having a good time and I guess that's the main thing, right! Although, looking at my multiple chins, perhaps I should stop socialising at coffee shops! Tee! Hee! Hee!

PHEW! So ... there you have my social whirlwind of a start to the weekend ... and there's still SUNDAY to go!!! Probably going to have a quiet day tomorrow to make up for it. But it was so much fun catching up with Lynette and Linda and Tim. I don't make new years' resolutions as such, but decided this year I would MAKE more time to catch up with friends and family, cos they're the ones who make our merry-go-round ride of life worthwhile! I have to say, I'm enjoying putting that sort-of-resolution into practice!! Although ... perhaps I should have added one about losing some weight! :0)

And now ... I'm off to make toast and Vegemite for dinner, cos we have had SOOOOOOOOOO much food today! Tee! Hee! Hee! Hope to do some stitching tomorrow and since quite a few of you showed interest in a pattern for my patchwork shabby chic hearts, I shall start writing some instructions for that, so stay tuned. I hope you're having a fantastic weekend and managing to squeeze in some time to spend with friends and family, as well as a bit of time to spend just on yourself, doing something that makes you smile. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

A Finish - YAY!!

There hasn't been a lot of stitching going on here, for one reason or another, but today I'm VERY happy to share with you my first OPAM finish for February! YAY!! :0) I've been feeling just a little left behind as I see photos of gorgeous projects you clever clogs OPAM gals have been creating, but just haven't been able to get myself motivated. Then, on the weekend, I decided to play around with an idea I'd been toying with for a while. After a slightly longer process than planned, this is what I've finished ...

A swag of pretty patchwork hearts with a reminder of one of my favourite Bible verses ...

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And these three things remain: Faith, Hope and Love ... and the greatest of these is love."

I wanted to make a couple of fabric type accessories to dress up our face-lifted hutch and I raided my pretty-but-too-small-to-be-useful fabric box to find some shabby chic fabric scraps, cut out some 2 inch squares, joined them together, played a bit, fiddled a bit, stitched a bit and ... VOILA! :0) Who said those bits of fabric were too small to be useful! :0) Here's the dressed up hutch ...

I love how the pretty colours look against the white. Mission accomplished ... and a finish to add to my sidebar list. Oh ... yes, Joy ... those TWO blue bottles still look very much at home there, but it's OK, cos I'm off to another Antiques and Collectors Fair this weekend at the showgrounds and I'm sure I can find at least ONE more pretty blue bottle to give my friend! :0)

There may be some more stitching happening tomorrow, as I'm going for a drive down the hill to visit my Bestest Buddy Lynette for a play date. After tossing up what mischief we'd get into ... uh ... I mean ... what creative pastime we would indulge in ...we've decided to spend some time stitching, then go out for something yummy for lunch. As any good blogger would, I shall report back soon! :0)

I hope you're all having a fabulous week and have some fun stuff planned for your weekend. I sure have ... but more about that later! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS