I've Been A Busy Bee!!

Here I am ... having enjoyed a VERY productive weekend! I've been a BUSY BEE! BUZZ! BUZZ!! :0)

 Now, I'm reporting back, as I promised last post, to show you what I've been working on. I showed you some sneaky peeks of my "Pure" projects (by the way, for those who have asked, YES, Marion still has some of these yummy fabrics in store if you want to add some to your stash ... and who wouldn't!!) and the duo of wall hangings is FINISHED! YAY!! I'll have to remember to add them to my sidebar list for OPAM! :0) Ready for the unveiling?? Here goes ...

TA DA! The Pattern will be called "Old Ted" ... as soon as I get my butt into gear and write the instructions!!! :0) ... and will include the instructions for both wall hangings. Here's a closer look ...

This is the larger wall hanging ... it measures 18"x23".

And this is the smaller hanging ... it measures 14"x10".

I'm really happy with how these hangings have come together ... thanks to Marion for nudging me in this direction and Steph for some quilting suggestions! It's always nice to have people to bounce ideas off, isn't it! :0) I'll let you know when this pattern is available for purchase, in case you'd like to make one for your very own self! Hopefully, it won't be too far away. :0)

And speaking of my patterns that are available ... that was one of the other jobs I spent some time on this weekend, adding a couple of patterns that were published in various magazines last year to the pattern catalogue on my web site. The most recently added patterns are:

... Annie-Rose Bear ...

... Blooming Butterflies tote bag and journal cover ...

... and Mabon Bear.

You'll also see (if you 'tag along' through the catalogue! Tee! Hee! Hee!) that the number of downloadable patterns on the web site is gradually growing. As I manage to steal a bit of time here and there, I'm converting them to the downloadable format and my Beloved Geek Boy is working his magic to add them to the web site. Not only are the downloadable patterns a little less to pay, there's no more waiting for the postie to arrive! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... there you go ... that was my "Busy Bee" weekend. And I even managed to fit in a visit to my home-away-from-home (strictly to get binding fabric!! No naughty detours! Tee! Hee! Hee!), enjoyed a cuppa on the Village Green with GB, as well as the usual household chores (which I didn't enjoy, but had to be done!!). All in all, a busy but productive weekend. I hope you've all had a great weekend too. But right now, I think I've earned myself a cup of tea, so I'm off to pop the kettle on! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Celebrate EVERY Day!!

We've all heard the saying "Celebrate Every Day", right? Well today, I decided to take that literally. You see, I had invited my two Dancing Buddies, Lynda and Debbie De over for lunch when our usual Tuesday get-together was interrupted by a juice explosion/sticky uniform dilemma for Deb's daughter ... don't ask!! If you have teenagers, you'll understand! :0) So, last night while doing the weekly grocery shopping, I was wondering what to get for our lunch. Something yummy that didn't take too long to prepare ... cos I didn't want to miss out on too much chatting time while preparing lunch! :0) I finally decided we'd just 'graze' and I'd put together some party-type nibbles ... which led me to thinking ... why not have a PARTY! Hmmm ... no birthdays, no anniversaries, not quite Valentine's Day ... I know ... we'll celebrate ...

"Friendship Friday!"

Perfect!! So this morning after my Beloved Geek Boy had tamed his corner of the lounge for us, so there would be enough chairs (you wouldn't believe how many chairs one husband needs to 'file' his 'stuff'!!!) I popped my Christmas table in the middle of the lounge and ... VOILA! We were ready for a Friday Party!

A pretty tablecloth (one of last weekend's discovered treasures!!) the trio sets Lynda and Deb gave me for my birthday/Christmas gifts, our fave hot beverage sachets, some party fare and we were ready to go! I even printed out some pretty labels for our cups ...

Goth Chick extraordinaire, Debbie De ...

Hippie Chick, Flower Child Lynda ...

Gypsy Chick and Mad Bear Woman ... ME! :0) Or as my father refers to us, the Triple Trouble Trio! I don't know WHAT he's talking about ... REALLY!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!

I think the gals thought I was slightly dotty (OK, so they have actuall known that for a while, this just confirmed their opinion! Tee! Hee! Hee!) but they soon got into the spirit of celebrating "Friday" with me and we had a lovely morning of picking at party food, drinking copious amounts of tea/coffee and chatting. Isn't it nice to have friends you can just hang out with? I think celebrating "Friendship Friday" could catch on, what do YOU think?! :0)

I was doing a little happy dance today, too, cos I found a couple of special things in my mailbox ... though the front garden is getting so wild and overgrown from all the rain at the moment that my poor postie must feel like Indiana Jones every time he goes searching for my mailbox! Tee! Hee! Hee! The first fun mailbox find was the latest issue of "Handmade" (Vol. 28 No. 11). Not only is it a fun issue cos it's chock-full of quick projects that take from half an hour to a weekend to make, on page 40 you'll find ...

My "Faith, Hope, Love" shabby chic heart swag! This was such a fun project to make and I hope "Handmade" readers have fun making their version too. It's a fabulous way to use up those little bits of your pretty fabric that are too small for most projects. And they look fabulous back in their place on my kitchen hutch ...

I have a few more projects in issues of "Handmade" in coming months, so will let you know when they're published. It's always so much fun to see my projects in magazines for people to enjoy making! :0)

The other yummy mail to arrive was ...

Some DELICIOUS charm square packs in the "Charlevoix" range. (don't ask me how to pronounce that, my French teacher had a lisp that made life VERY confusing!!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) I've been eyeing this range off for a while because the colours are so pretty and the designs so cheerful ... and just right for what I have in mind to decorate my sewing room later in the year. So when the lovely Sarah of Patchworks Plus was having a charm sale ... WEEEEEEEELLLLL ... I just couldn't resist! :0) Thanks for leading me astray again, Sarah! Not that I NEED much leading! Tee! Hee! Hee! I already have a design sketched out for these yummy charm squares, so once I clear the decks a bit, I'll be able to play with them. Back to my usual dilemma ... So many pretty fabrics, so many new design ideas, so little time and play money! Tee! Hee! Hee! I promise to update you as I get to work on them.

In the meantime, I'm off to do a bit more stitching on the project I showed you last post ... no one has guessed what I'm up to yet with my letters! :0) I'll be back to show you the finished projects by the end of the weekend ... I hope! Well ... that's the PLAN ... but you never know what will happen between now and then, so make sure you take a leaf out of the Triple Trouble Trio's book and celebrate EVERYDAY ... even the ordinary ones can be made fun with a bit of imagination! :0) Have a fabulous weekend!! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Stitchin' Away!!

I know ... I've been a bit quiet again blog-wise ... though I HAVE managed to hop around to visit some of my blogging buddies in the last few days, so that should count, right?!?! :0) This week's been a bit busy with my boss back from two weeks' holiday and we're playing catch up ... you know how it goes! :0) I HAVE, however, managed to fit in some stitchin' time. I can't show you ... YET! ... but Lavender Lil is FINISHED!! And if I do say so myself ... she is seriously CUTE!! :0) She'll be making her way to "Handmade" for an issue later in the year ... stay tuned and I'll let you know which issue ... as soon as I know, that is! :0)

The other stitching I've been plugging away at has been on a project I started before Christmas that got interrupted by the Christmas stitching. Do you remember this sneaky peek??

Well ... with a bit more stitching ... quite a LOT more stitching in fact! :0) It now looks like this ...

The quilting has been done, I just have to find time to cut the binding to attach ... maybe on the weekend. I've enjoyed working with the yummy "Pure" fabrics ... not my usual colour palette, but fun to challenge myself a bit and work outside my usual square. :0) I've also been doing some stitching on a companion project for this new pattern ...

Gimme a "T"!! Don't you love the chocolate brown with the icy blue? And ...

Gimme an "O"!! Hmmm ... what do you think I'm cooking up??? I'm going to keep you in suspenders a little longer! Tee! Hee! Hee! I promise all will be revealed soon ... I PROMISE! :0)

But right now, my poor tired little eyeballs are starting to droop out of their sockets, so I'm off to keep a date with my pillow ... we seem to have only a passing relationship these days ... we may need counselling! Tee! Hee! Hee! If I didn't have to sleep, I could get so much more done! Ah well ... off I go to climb into my jim-jams. Hope your week is ticking along as productively as mine is! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Saturday Swap Meet - Woo! Hoo!!

For the last few years in Toowoomba, February sees a HUGE Swap Meet/Collectibles Fair held at the showgrounds and it's been getting bigger and BIGGER! Last year, I told you how we'd had to walk for over a kilometre ... just to get from the car park to the fair!! This year we ummed and ahhed about whether we'd go. I say "WE" but it's actually a bit like the "Royal WE" cos my Beloved Geek Boy would happily skip it altogether!!! :0) Last year was HOT!! I mean REEEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLYYYY HOT!!! We baked our little selves and vowed we wouldn't do that again. With our last fortnight of temps hovering around the 30-32C mark (hot for Toowoomba when combined with the icky humidity!!) it didn't look like we'd be heading to the showgrounds, but today dawned cloudy and a little cooler. With a bit of arm-twisting, GB said we'd head out for a look. WOO! HOO! Swap Meet and Collectibles - what's not to like about that!!! :0)

We were ecstatic to find that there were fewer exhibitors this year ... that may sound strange, but it meant we could park in the TOP carpark which didn't involve walking kilometres just to get to the gate - WOO! HOO! We found a park, paid our entry fee and walked in to look down on ...

This was down in the main arena - I couldn't get a very clear shot of the pavilions etc ... too many people to dodge! :0) I'll also add that we didn't go down into the arena cos it was mostly vintage machinery and cars ... which would NOT fit in the hatchback of our little Festiva! (Though Linda will vouch that a cast iron table will!! Tee! Hee! Hee!)

I had a lovely time looking at all the pretties, oohing over lovely china, aahhing over vintage linen, but I was a VERY good girl (by MY standards anyway, though I'm sure my Mother wouldn't agree! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and only bought a few little treasures ...

... a pretty cross-stitched tablecloth on gorgeous ecru linen ... looks so fresh and pretty! I love vintage linens, but especially ones with cross stitch designs in these pretty spring colours. I also bought a couple of pieces of green Depression Glass for my small-but-growing collection and a couple of unusual and harder to find pieces of pink Depression Glass for my bestest-buddy-since-we-were-nine Lynette, who has just started her collection, too. Lynette's pieces are a late birthday gift for her ... from November! :0) She and I have an understanding that we don't just buy each other a gift so it arrives on the day ... we will often take our time to find just the right thing for each other. I think she'll agree it was worth the wait! :0) And here's my little collection in its new home ...

And my Shabby Hearts are back from their photo shoot for an upcoming issue of "Handmade". I've missed the splash of colour there. :0)

Lynette found the little sweets dish on the left and the sandwich plate in the centre for me for Christmas. You can see that my new treasures look just right with them. :0) And you can't have a collection without a bear or two to keep an eye on things, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Aren't the Geisha Girl flowers pretty? I have so much trouble with my Geisha Girl plants ... they grow huge amounts and just when I think I'll trim them back so people can get up our front steps ... they flower and I don't have the heart to chop them back! :0) So if you come to visit ... bring a machete! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Well, that's what I've been up to this Saturday and I'm about to head back into the sewing room to play and listen to the sound of rain on the roof ... the storm is finally breaking and hopefully it will decrease the nasty humidity. So ... what are YOU up to this Saturday??? Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Gone Surfin'!!

WOW! I just realised how long it's been since I popped in to chat to you all ... not sure where the last week has disappeared to! It seems this year is going to fly by in an even quicker blur than last year ... EEK! I'm in TROUBLE! Tee! Hee! Hee!

I do have a really good excuse for being absent for a few days ... well, I'm ALWAYS a little absent, but this time I mean absent from blogland! :0) I've been surfing ... not on the web (way behind with visiting my blogging buddies!!), not at the beach (this podgy body was NOT meant for hangin' ten!!!) ... I've been surfing a CREATIVE WAVE! You know ... one of those lightbulb moments when all of the odd little things you've been mulling over for a while suddenly come together into a clear project? Well, that happened to me this week after weeks of wracking my brain for a project to fit a particular theme for an upcoming issue of "Handmade" magazine ... EUREKA!! I headed for the sewing room ... which is no longer neat! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Here's the creative clutter littering my ironing board at the moment. Some pretty felt, a bit of yummy lace, tape measure to check ... well ... measurements, oddly enough! :0) ... some soft coloured fabric and my rainbow-in-a-box of embroidery threads. Add them all together and you get ...

... a sneaky peek! Tee! Hee! Hee! You didn't REALLY think I was going to show you the finished project, did you??? It's got to stay a Secret Squirrel surprise for a while longer! :0) I CAN tell you that a new Tag Along Teddies teddy has been born ... I'm proud Mama Bear to a little felt cutie whose name is Lavender Lil. And that's all I'm going to tell you for now ... you'll just have to wait til later in the year to see her in all her finished glory. I know ... I'm such a TEASE! :0) But you love me! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Other than playing in the sewing room, I've spent a little bit of time out at Quilters' Angel with Marion and Steph, to see how the quilt drive for the flood victims from our local region is going. Last I heard (there's been another couple of sewing sessions after I chatted to Marion last) there were over 60 tops and finished quilts in the pot! How FANTASTIC is that! Well done to Marion and Steph for the HUGE amount of work and effort they've put into the Quilt Drive (I know all about those after-shop-hours prep sessions they've been having to keep things running along!!) and congrats to all the lovely stitchers who've donated fabric, wadding, quilts, kits and their time to help make this heart-warming initiative possible. I just know that these quilts will mean so much to their eventual new owners.

The other thing that took a bit of my time this week was some behind the scene work on OPAM. If you take a peek at my sidebar, you'll see that I've got the full list of participants up there now, so if you signed up, but your name isn't there, drop me an email and I'll sort it out. Also, if you could check your link to make sure I haven't had a "Space Walk" moment (Mr Squiggle reference for those who grew up in Australia in the 70's! Tee! Hee! Hee!) and that your link works properly. The final sign up tally this year is ...

157!
Woo! Hoo! A few less than last year, but that's OK, cos not only do Peg and I have a few less blogs to hop around at the end of each month, we had a few people last year sign up, but not follow through, so I'm sure that the slightly lower number means all you gals are ready to STITCH and tackle your "To Do" lists with gusto! :0) If you haven't already done so, make sure you pop the OPAM 2011 button on your sidebar with a link back to Peg or me and pop a list on there of your finishes. If you're having any problems with either of those things, just drop me an email and we'll sort it out.

But right now ... I'm grabbin' my figurative surfboard and heading back into the sewing room ...

KOWABUNGA, DUDES!!!

Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS