This, That & The Other!!

You might want to grab a cuppa before you start reading today ... I don't know how long it will take to share all the bits and bobs that I have to share, so you may as well get comfy! Go on ... and perhaps grab yourself a bikkie ... or some chocolate, too! :0) So, now we're comfy and set! Here we go ...

Firstly, as promised, I have a photo of the pretties that followed  me home from Quilters Angel on the weekend when Marion and Steph hosted a fabulous store-wide sale.

Mmmmmmmm!!! Yummy fabrics!! :0) Bit of a mixed bag and none were purchased for a specific project. The blue spot ... well, I've already bought and used two pieces of this cheerful dotty fabric, so thought another length would be a good investment. The yellow ... nice yellows are hard to find, so I tend to grab them when I see them. The other three are all part of my favourite-ever range of fabrics from Moda, "Aviary". I have quite a good stash of this yummy range, but didn't have these ones and since I'm using the Aviary fabrics in both my Butterfly Garden and A Gardeners Journal quilts, these will be handy to mix and match. I really thought I was pretty well behaved considering how many fabrics I WANTED to take home! Tee! Hee! Hee!

OK, on to a belated vege garden report. I've been a bit slack with this, as so many Mondays seem to be icky weather, or I don't get home til after dark to take a photo. So after 10 weeks of growing (I think!! I'm losing track!!) this is what my vege garden looks like ...

We haven't had very much rain, but there have been just enough sprinkly showers to keep the veges happy and the grass growing. The lemon tree's red pot is starting to be camouflaged a bit now. :0) The snowpeas are going ahead in leaps and bounds ...

Don't know if you can see with the late afternoon sun shining on things there, but there are now LOTS of pretty white snowpea flowers and if you look a little closer ...

... the first marigold is flowering cheerfully away. Plus .. I didn't notice until I was editing the photos, but if you look in the top left of the photo, you'll see a snowpea flower and ... the FIRST SNOW PEA!! YAY! Tee! Hee! Hee! Bet most people don't get this excited over snowpeas, right?! :0) But when we flip to the OTHER side of the garden ...

Oh dear! The beans are looking a bit sad, aren't they?! And the marigolds on this side are at a very different stage to the other side, too, thanks to a couple of heavy frosts. SIGH! Not sure whether we'll manage to get any beans off these poor damaged plants, but I'll wait and see how they go. On the up side, to the right of this photo, you can see the cauliflower plants are thriving. THEY were the plants everyone told me would be hit hardest by the frost! Trust me to not have a NORMAL garden! Tee! Hee! Hee!

The last little thing to share is a bit sad. We've had a horrible day here on top of our hill, weather-wise, today. After several lovely sunny and unseasonably warm days (YAY!!) today clouded over quickly and horrible, gusty winds whipped up. (BOO!) When I got home this afternoon, I had a nasty surprise waiting for me in the carport. The lovely old kitchen cupboard that I showed you a while ago that we discovered at a garage sale has been stored in the car port til we can afford to get the stained glass panels replaced, then we plan to restore the cupboard itself. It had one intact, but loose, stained glass door panel and one frosted glass replacement panel ... until the wind got behind it today and knocked it over!!!! Aaaaarrrgghhhh!!!! So with the able assistance of ...

DIY Dog (A.K.A. Wombat the brainless-but-lovable-Border-Collie!) ... I hauled the cupboard upright ... and was greeted with the musical tinkle of broken glass. BUGGER!!

A couple of the stained glass panes were broken and the entire frosted glass panel was broken ... into LOTS of little pieces that I had to clean up! The decorative timber panel on top of the cupboard is now loose, the drawer pulls (old plastic) disintegrated on impact and a couple of the door catches have been bent. SIGH! It will now take a little more work to restore this beauty. Well ... it's on the list!

And after all the picking up of glass and sweeping out in that cold, cold wind, I think I've earned a cup of Rose and French Vanilla tea in front of the heater, after all ... you've had one, right?! :0) And that wasn't quite as longwinded as I thought it might be, so you won't have time for a second cuppa! Tee! Hee! Hee! May all your weather be fair and kind! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

PS. My blogging buddy Julia is back in blogland after a bit of a break, so pop across and welcome her back! She's working on some GORGEOUS quilts!! BH! KRIS

Happy Dancing Over Moon Dance!!

 Hippity ... Hoppity ... Skippity ... Shuffle ... Shuffle ... Bootie Shake!!! Yep, I'm doing my Happy Dance today cos I've FINALLY finished the cot quilt I designed for my nephew ... YAY!!

I know it's been quite a while since I showed you the photo of the top of this quilt all finished and there's some good reasons ... really!! :0) Firstly, I dropped it off to the lovely Quilting Queen, Rosalie who was rather busy at the time, so it was visiting her for a few weeks. Then, by the time I had it back to bind ... I was ambushed by that nasty head cold bug that hung around for a couple of weeks. THEN ... life interfered in general, I've had a few other deadlines and a couple of magazine commissions thrown into the mix ... all in all, "Moon Dance" got put on the backburner. You know how you have projects that really only need a few hours of attention to finish off, but you just can't seem to get motivated? That's where I was at.

I think part of the problem was I'd been told that the quilt was going to be used as a floor rug and after all the hours and weeks of designing, piecing, hand appliquéing and embroidery I'd put into it to make a special cot quilt, it broke my heart a little that it wasn't going to be used for the purpose I'd designed it. I felt like it wasn't going to be respected as much as the work involved deserved. And while I still feel that way a little, I've concluded that this is just one of those risks you take when you put your heart into creating a hand made gift for someone and I just have to let it go. If it is used and loved as a floor rug, as least it's not shoved away in a cupboard.

So ... having worked my way around to this conclusion and finding that I have a way of getting it delivered to my nephew this week, I was motivated enough to get busy yesterday and attach the binding, then spent the night watching James Bond while stitching the binding down, so it was all ready today to take some photos before it gets sent off. Ready for the unveiling??

Ta Da!! Those mischievous little bears are now surrounded by gorgeous quilted stars and swirls thanks to Rosalie once again doing a gorgeous job of machine quilting for me, the checkerboard binding draws all of the colours together and that fabulous giant rickrack border just makes it all pop. So, even though it's been a bit of an epic adventure, it's all done and ready to keep a special little boy cosy. I hope it is loved and appreciated for many years to come and that it reminds my nephew that, even though we may not get to spend much time together as he grows up, due to distance, his Aunty Kris loves him very, very much.

And even though the original quilt is winging off to a new home, I've taken LOTS of photos cos I will be releasing this beary cute quilt as a pattern in the next few weeks. The instructions are already written (Kerryanne WILL be proud of me!!!) and I just have to finalise the requirements list and tweak a few bits of the appliqué outlines and it will be all ready to be launched, so stay tuned if you have a little bear of your own that you want to make a quilt for!

Other than that ... a fairly quiet weekend has been had here at the Meares' Madhouse ... although I DID manage to squeeze in a visit to my home-away-from-home, Quilters Angel where Marion and Steph have had a FANTASTIC three day sale happening over the weekend. Yes ... predictably ... some fabric followed me home and I'll be back soon to show you what was added to my stash ... I forgot to take a photo before I sat down to type this. Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend that included some time spent doing something just for YOU!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

PS. If you're a relatively new blogger (and perhaps even if you've been blogging for a while!) pop on over to visit Chookyblue's blog where she's posted a few things that DO and DON'T work when blogging. It's well worth a read! BH! KRIS

A Fabric Sale & A Birthday!!

OH NO!!! How could I have FORGOTTEN!!! You'd all hate me if I didn't tell you! I'm going to say the magic words that makes all stitchers' hearts dance with glee ...

THERE'S A SUPER SALE AT QUILTERS ANGEL!!!
The lovely Marion and Steph of Quilters' Angel are about to embark on a new adventure and so they have less to pack and move, they're having a SUPER STORE SALE! If you're within driving distance of Highfields, I recommend you scoot along and have a look, cos there are LOTS of goodies at my home-away-from-home! :0) The sale is for three days only ...

Friday July 9, Saturday July 10 and Sunday July 11

I'm on a road trip with my Beloved Geek Boy on Friday, but I can see a Saturday visit will be in order, cos, let's face it ... you can NEVER have TOO MUCH fabric or TOO MANY patterns! :0) So make sure you check it out. And when Marion and Steph's new adventure is a little more finalised ... I'll tell you all about it!

Another thing I forgot to include in my post yesterday was a big ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

My Dad turned ... 60 ... something (Tee! Hee! Hee!) yesterday. Here he is as a little tacker ...

Aaaaaawwwww!!! Isn't he CUTE!!! :0) Look at that curly hair ... why couldn't he have passed THAT on to me instead of the podgy genes?!?! And here he is nursing a very special baby ...

It's not a great photo cos the sun is shining into the left, but this is Dad nursing me. (Told you it was a special baby!! In SOOOOOO many ways! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

My Dad is a pretty laid back, quietly spoken bloke. He doesn't say much, but when he does it's usually worth listening to. He's never completed a university degree, run a business or made heaps of money, he'll never win a Nobel Peace prize or a Pulitzer, but when we were growing up, he was always in the audience at school plays and speech nights, helped me learn my debating speeches and quizzed me before history exams,  he exhibited great patience (and nerves of steel!!) to teach me to drive and ferried me over much of Queensland for various youth group and school events.

He was a bit misty eyed as he walked me down the isle on my wedding day and though he didn't make a long speech on the day, he sent me a letter the following week telling me how proud he was of the woman I had grown up to be and telling me I had chosen a wonderful man to spend my life with. I didn't tell him (and maybe I won't or he'll get a swelled head!!) but a lot of the attributes that I love about my Beloved GB are ones he shares with my Dad!! That letter is one of my great treasures and is tucked away in my Joy Journal for days when I'm feeling a little blue.

Dad has a warped sense of humour ... which I seem to have inherited ... along with the podgy genes!!! And he is easy to track down in a huge crowd, cos all you have to do is listen for his distinctive laugh! Although that laugh has caused a few embarrassing moments over the years (mainly because of some of the things he's been laughing at!!) I think it's a nice way to be recognised and remembered.

The black hair now has as much salt as pepper, the whiskers are DEFINITELY grey when they grow, his hearing isn't as good as it was and it takes him a little longer to get out of his recliner chair in front of the TV (accompanied by all sorts of interesting sound effects!!!) but I'm not going to trade him in, in fact, I just plain wouldn't trade him, cos he's my Dad and I love him to bits!! Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Here he is with Mum in a portrait taken for their 40th wedding anniversary a couple of years ago. They don't scrub up too badly for a couple of old fogies, do they! Tee! Hee! Hee!

OK ... well ... that's more than I had intended to post today, since I'd only chatted to you all yesterday, but I just HAD to tell you about Marion's sale and tell you how blessed I am to have such a wonderful Dad. And now, I'm off to make a myself a nice cup of rose and French vanilla tea to warm up ... it's currently around 8 degrees and overcast ... AGAIN!! I think I'm going to get a calender and start crossing off the days to count down to spring!!! Hope you're all having a fabulous day ... whatever the weather where you are. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Weekend Wrap-Up!

Hmmm ... it's Tuesday already. Did anyone else lose Monday or just me? Oh ... mostly me, huh! :0) I intended to share my weekend update on Monday, really I did ... it obviously passed me by, however, so you'll just have to have a Tuesday update. :0)

Well ... a really good thing that happened on the weekend was ... the sun finally made an appearance!! YAY!! I've decided that either I really AM solar-powered, or I'm reverting to the sun-revering ways of my Celtic ancestors! Tee! Hee! Hee! Suddenly, I had so much more energy and felt rather chirpy and this translated into a productive weekend of stitching.

I finished 'building' the 'No Place Like Home' block for my Stitcher's Journal block for June (oops!) and also got the little wreath stitched and a start on the dog house. And it suddenly occurs to me that I meant to take a photo of said progress and I forgot, so you'll just have to take my word for it! :0) I'll take a photo once I get them pieced into the finished block ... sometime ... hopefully before July!!!

Now, having spent a bit of an epic run stitching the house block, I decided that I really wanted to tackle a quick-to-finish project, so after a bit of thought (and the prerequisite cup of tea!!) I decided to finally tackle a little project I'd been meaning to try since ... ooooohhh ... DECEMBER! Oops! Boy, time flies, doesn't it! Tee! Hee! Hee! It was a little project shared by those nutty Gum Nut gals here which actually led you to here. It was for a tea wallet/pocket. And the tutorial was so easy to follow, so simple and so quick ... that I made FOUR! Tee! Hee! Hee! Here they are ...

Aren't they cute!! I put them beside the tea mug so you could judge the size. I don't know about you, but being a tea-drinker, I often cart teabags around in my handbag and if they get left in there a little TOO long ... well ... let's just say the manufacturers probably didn't make the teabags strong enough to withstand handbag travel!! And you end up with loose tea all through your bag ... and if your bag happens to get damp ... well ... let's just not go there and relive bad experiences! Tee! Hee! Hee! Suffice to say, this little tea wallet should save a LOT of wear and tear on my nerves ... and handbags! :0) Can you guess which one is mine?!?!?! When you open up the tea wallets, they look like this ...

See?! Four individually wrapped teabags, just waiting for a smoko break ... and perhaps a friend to share with! :0) The tea in the cup is my latest discovery by Dilmah ... Rose and French Vanilla. Mmmmmmm!!!! It's blended with a really nice flavoured black tea leaf and is rather delicious. I love to try flavoured black teas!! :0) The lovely Joy-Belle has made a loyalty card version of this handy little wallet, which I think will go on my "To Do" list, as I always seem to be searching for one membership card or another - my latest wallet doesn't have room for loyalty cards ... very annoying!!

OK ... what else did I get up to over the weekend?? Well ... since it was so darn FREEZING, I decided to cook up some winter comfort food ...

Stew and dumplings in the slow cooker. I keep forgetting to use my slow cooker, so I'm trying to remember to use it more as everything always tastes delicious and tender. This was my first attempt at dumplings and I was a little alarmed when they expanded to fill the whole pot ... I could see the headlines in my mind ...

"Toowoomba home destroyed in dumpling explosion!!"

... or perhaps an old-style horror flick ...

"The Dumplings That Ate Toowoomba!"

Hmmm ... not sure that will be a box office hit, but then I didn't get "Pulp Fiction" either, so who knows! :0) But back to the dumplings ... which are cooked after all that time spent chatting! :0)

Dinner is served! Can you see the steam rising from this plate of yumminess?? And I have to use a slight variation on a phrase Chookyblue used to talk about her scone cooking last week ...

I may not be a Master Chef ... but I can sure cook a DELICIOUS beef stew with herb and cheese dumplings!! :0)

I know there's been no garden photo update this week, but I lost Monday and today it was cold, dark and drizzly by the time I got home, so still no photo. I will say, the beans and marigolds are looking just a little sad after a second, bigger frost hit on Sunday. SIGH!! Perhaps it's a good thing that I'm not fond of beans! :0) But my Beloved Geek Boy is, which is why I planted them, so hopefully we'll still manage to get a bean or two from them.

Well, I think that's about all I can share with you today. The only other thing happening around the Meares' Madhouse is something I can't share with you yet ... some Secret Squirrel Christmas stitching is happening for "Handmade" after I received an SOS email from Editor Victoria on Friday. Seems I'm not the only one surprised by how close Christmas is! Tee! Hee! Hee! So, for now, I shall sign off and go sit in front of the heater with my secret stitching. Hope you're all having a great start to your week ... and that you're not missing days already like I am! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS

Some WInners Sunshine Amongst Clouds!

This is what the weather is like here on top of the hill ... AGAIN!!! SIGH! More of the cloud and less of the sun, unfortunately! I am getting VERY tired of our constantly overcast, icky, cold weather to the point where I think perhaps I wouldn't MIND the cold quite so much if only we could have some sunny days. This protracted stretch of cloudy weather (no rain, though, unfortunately!) and chatting to some blogging buddies from the northern hemisphere, has made me realise just how much I take our lovely Aussie weather for granted. Usually, even in winter, the sunny days with blue skies outnumber the grey cloudy ones, especially here in Queensland ... we are, after all, the SUNSHINE state! :0) Though I think I'll have a go at the tourism promoters for false advertising at the moment!! :0)

However ... in a bid to spread some 'sunshine' in the midst of my cloudy climate, I have some end-of-month prize winners to announce for OPAM. This month saw OPAMers finish a whopping great 649 projects!!! How good is THAT!! Well done, gals, give yourselves a clap! Way to go!! :0) And as the gorgeous Peg and I blog-hopped our way around blogland, we were treated to some FABULOUS projects - there are just so many clever-clogs crafters out there! :0)

So ... after the final tally was found, I popped the magic numbers into the random number generator thingy and ... it spat them back out! Tee! Hee! Hee! The three prize winners for June's OPAM draw are:

STINA

DAWN H; and

ANNE-LISE

CONGRATULATIONS, ladies!! I might point out that it was rather fitting that the random number generator happened to pick Stina's number because she recorded a huge 48 finishes for June! WOWSERS!! Well done Stina!! Stina is getting ready for an exhibition and has been teasing us with sneaky peeks for a while - I can't wait to see some photos of her finishes projects. The winners' prizes are all picked out, just waiting for snail mail addresses ...

Lots of goodies! We have one of Gail Pan's pretty patterns that was donated by the lovely Sarah (Thanks Sarah!), a fat quarter and a fat eighth donated by the fabulous Razzy (Thanks Razzy!), some four inch charm squares I found at my home-away-from-home and had put away for a rainy day, plus some pretty and practical notepads I'd also squirreled away and the handy-dandy mini-sharpies that I can't live without and like to share. I especially like the Lynette Anderson notepad at the bottom left that I again found at Quilters Angel ... rainbows always make me smile! So, Stina, Dawn H and Anne-Lise if you'd like to email me with your snail mail addresses, I'll pop down to my local post office next week so my mate Raymond can help me post your gifties out.

And to all of you in OPAM, whether you registered a finish this month or not - WELL DONE!! As well as finishes, I saw lots of progress photos on people's blogs as I hopped around, so even if you didn't register a finish this month, but made some progress on one or more projects, pat yourself on the back, cos taking some time out to relax with a needle in hand and take some steps towards finishing projects is what OPAM is all about!!

And that is just as well, because I had a bit of a slack June, I have to confess. Today, though, with the icky weather encouraging me to stay indoors, I've been stitching away on my June block for the "A Gardener's Journal" Stitch-A-Long. Yes ... I said my JUNE block. SIGH! Chookyblue will be after me with her big whip if I'm not careful! :0) After managing to finish the first two months' blocks on time, I faltered this month after having the blues and then the dreaded head cold led to not much stitching, then - I ran out of month! :0) I've made some progress today, but am still working on the biggest stitchery block ... No Place Like Home ...

As you can see, I've finished 'building' the house, have 'planted' the two tall trees and am now 'building' the fence. :0) Mind you, all of these straight lines are driving me a little batty ... I think it took me almost as long to stitch the roof as it took my Beloved Geek Boy to replace our house roof for real a few years ago! Tee! Hee! Hee! Hoping to get more stitched this weekend, and perhaps even get Woof and the wreath finished too. Will see how I go. Oh ... did you notice I took this photo in my almost-famous vege patch?! :0) More flowers on the peas and the pretty red lemon tree pot in the background ... had to add SOME colour to a grey ol' day! :0)

Whatever you're up to today, I hope been able to find some splashes of colour and that your weekend is filled with stitching and fun. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS