Some eye candy from Christmas in July

Finally some eye candy from the Xmas in July Gathering from last weekend. First is the stitchery that most of us worked on. Quite a bit of chain stitch and easy enough that I got it finished that night.

Jane and Rosalie had done a lovely job on setting up the hall with all of Rosalie and Leanne's beautiful projects (and Jane and her girls did an exquisite job of decorating with lovely suffolk puff tinsel and Christmas trees - there was even a little Christmas tree near the handbasin in the loo!)

I love Leanne's Merry and Bright wall hanging - so nice to see some contemporary fabric on a Christmas piece. She had also used part of the stitchery to decorate a linen tablecloth and napkins (which could be a good present for MIL if I wasn't so busy doing other things LOL)

Rosalie was just lovely, very down to earth and approachable. I got her to autograph my copy of her book "Gift" but didn't get a photo with her as it felt a bit too much like a crazed fan. I was trying to explain the significance of meeting Rosalie and Leanne to my hubby post-event and the best I could come up with was "it is kind of like you meeting Mark Webber!" LOL

Unfortunately Leanne's poor daughter was quite ill so meeting Leanne will have to wait until some other time!

Blogger is being very frustrating and doing strange things to my photos so I will have to post some photos of finished projects in a separate post.

No exciting stitching this weekend as I have to sew up two pairs of pants ready to put in fly zips at my alterations course on Monday night.

It is Woodpatch Quilters Exhibition day at the Lobie town hall tomorrow so I am looking forward to that!

Keep smiling,

Nell

Lovely Christmas Goodies and a progress report

I had such a good day yesterday. Not only did one of my loveliest customers decide to become a Creative Memories consultant in my team (great $99 business kit offer this month), but I also received a special parcel in the post from my Christmas in July swap partner Val. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful handmade goodies Val sent.

My very special favourite is this needlecase (even has my name on it and in my favourite colour too!)

Unfortunately a little mousie had a nibble on the package in transit so the beautiful handbag that you see in the top photo had a weeny mousie bite taken out of the bottom of it! Luckily I begin an alterations and mending course at WEA next week and hope to be able to mend it invisibly. This little bag is excellent timing as the handle fell off my current bag and I have been looking for a replacement - this one is just the right size for a bottle of water and my purse and keys and even has a phone pocket and leftover room for baby wipes and bandaids and little chocolate treats!

The cherubs were suitably impressed that Val had included a packet of jelly snakes for them (means they will leave my chocolate alone LOL!)

I love the little crazy patch turtle (which we all decided is lovely for the baby) and the teeny tiny little pocket doll (I remember making these pin dollies about a decade ago for a few crafty friends and being frustrated turning those tiny arms and legs so thank you for your patience Val and it is lovely to have one of my very own!) All in all I felt thoroughly spoilt. THANK YOU VERY MUCH VAL!

I am resisting temptation to show you my latest efforts until they are finished (only 1 side of binding left to go which should be knocked over tonight in front of the telly) Let me just say that I am somewhat in love with this latest effort!

I have also started an upcycled effort for Hannah - a long frilly denim skirt from a pair of my old jeans. Hope to have that finished in the next few days and if it goes well will give you a tute on just how I did it. My girlie girl just refuses to wear trousers and is freezing in little short summer skirts and dresses so this is my sneaky attempt to dress her appropriately!

I am two balls away from finishing bubby's shawl. It has become the "magic pudding" of all shawls (but not in a good way!) Seems like no matter how much wool I throw at it I still need more. We are now up to double the recommended amount plus an extra four balls and I am going on a trip sometime today to see if I can get a few balls to do the edging otherwise it will have to be in a different colour! I have included the latest snapshot of the little whippersnapper - apparently I have more than the usual amount of amniotic fluid (the report said "generous but not excessive liquor" which James thinks sounds like the little tike is getting quietly sloshed!) and this is making me seasick! Hoping the morning sickness goes soon!

This weekend is my 20 year Grade 10 reunion and I am disappointed not to be in Sunny Queensland with them all - would have been lovely to see and hear what everyone has done in the last 2 decades and how different our lives are from what we imagined!

This weekend is also the Gathering with Leanne Beasley and Rosalie Quinlan and I sooooooo can't wait for that! Should have lots of yummy stitching to show you next time!

Until then,

Keep smiling,

Nell

A Little Bit of Scrapping

I have somewhat lost my Scrapping Mojo this pregnancy and have been spending a lot more time doing textile/tactile things. This month Creative Memories brought out the most gorgeous range of paper flowers and paper ribbons (all 100% photo safe) so I have been having a play.

They really are yummy and lend themselves well to cards and altered gifts as well. For our unit meeting prizes I filled an altered coffee can with chocolates and also wrapped up a couple of chockie bars. The girls had a choice between these or new product and they chose the chockies!!! I've bought a few cheap cloth journals that I want to tizzy using these flowers and ribbons one day soon.

You may remember in one of my recent posts I mentioned that my Grandfather was quite ill and not expected to return home. Pleased to say that thanks to a wonderful assessor at the Noosa Hospital he is now home and they have got lots of support lined up for him. My grandparents have been inseparable since my Grandmother was 13 years old. In recent years Nanny has become increasingly forgetful and is probably not capable of being home by herself. On the other hand, Grandad's body has been deteriorating. Separately, neither of them works properly, together they are perfect. I just love these two (crazy as they are!) and I am so glad that Grandad is home with his sweetheart.

My sister sent this photo down to me. So glad that she was able to be there for them when I wasn't.

Must go, Hannah has absconded with one of my china teacups and some of the cutlery for a tea party outside!!! The things creative little minds think of while Mummy is blogging!!!

Keep smiling,

Nell

Christmas in July Swap

I have finally finished all of the bits for my Christmas in July swap through Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop. Bundled it up and posted it this week so now waiting to see what I receive back from Val. Two tricky parts to this challenge; my swap partner likes yellow fabric (not an easy colour to find Christmas fabric in!) and I had to give her something beginning with "V" - ended up with Vodka and Crushed Berry sauce but thinking about it afterwards I should have got a packet of violet or viola seeds!

The bag is adapted from Gail Pan's Christmas Block of the Month (I did an extra block with this swap in mind) Not happy about how the bag is a bit skewiff at the top but as a gift bag it is okay!

My friend Yvonne put me onto this ornament pattern by Marg Low - so quick and easy and I've made quite a few now. You can't see it properly but the felt has a glitter effect over it. Pretty kitsch for other projects but should be good on a Christmas tree to catch the light?

So anyway Val, I hope you like it. Now I can concentrate on getting Nessie's quilt finished before her bubby arrives in August (then better think about a quilt for our own bump!)

Last weekend was the end of my camera course (Yay!) and I also had a lovely morning at the Patchwork Apple with Sara, Vicki and Yvonne finishing off our Mystery Indulgences Project (would show you but it is still a "mystery") Sara is just the best teacher so we learnt heaps of neat finishing tricks (and all being Queens of Multi-tasking we girls managed to get plenty of talking and eating chocolate biscuits in between the stitching!) Quilting with Apple Piecers again this weekend so Nell is a happy camper!

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

p.s.blogger is being uncooperative and won't let me move photos so apologies that they are not in order where they should be!

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words...

Toilet training. Need I say more...

Thankfully that was last week. This week we have been wearing "red jocks like Gumpy (my Dad!)" and had two days of 100% success. Keep the fingers crossed that we are on a winning streak.

p.s. the green wool is more luscious dying for a crazy rabbit-and-carrot-kindy hat - more about that as the project unfolds!

Remembering 2 fine women and "The Art of Domesticity"

Today I had a very grey nothing-going-right kind of day. I was already worrying about my Grandfather (in hospital with scepticemia) and feeling like the rain would never stop and my life was one long drudge of sorting out squabbles and picking up after others when I broke a vase. It was a seemingly insignificant, small, lead crystal bud vase but breaking it made me cry (spot the hormonal pregnant woman!) I cried because it was a beautiful gift given to me by two remarkable women who changed the course of my life.

When I was studying Arts at uni I went along with a friend as a volunteer at St David's Limited Hours Children's Centre. It was run out of an old church hall by two women in their 60s. Whole families of children could spend a morning in their care for the pricely sum of $6 while their harassed mums went shopping or got their hair done. Barbara and Linda had an ethos of "giving back" to their community. They adored those children and they carefully and considerately helped their parents (many of whom came from a socio-disadvantaged background)

Barbara and Linda taught me more about working with young children than any textbook or university lecturer ever could. They taught me that quality care isn't about having all the bells and whistles, but about caring, loving, respectful relationships with children and their families. My short volunteer stint turned into a part time job which helped me through uni for the next five years, and led to a career working with young children. When I left they gave me the vase "to remember them by." Since then it has been in constant use; just the right size for a single bloom, something to add a bright and cheery note even in mid winter, and when I look at it I do remember them and silently thank Barbara and Linda for all they have given me.

After my very sad, grey day I was reminded of the delicious prospect of "new" library books and went hunting through the library bag to unearth this treasure.

By page 11 i knew that I had to have this book for my very own. I haven't felt that renewed or validated since discovering Edna Walling (who gave me the confidence to have pride in my higgeldy-piggeldy, favourite-flowers-everywhere, eclectic little garden) If you haven't read it yet, go find a copy NOW. Tonight this book was a feast for a sad soul. I had to read it in the bath until the water got cold (shhh - don't tell the library police!) As someone who comes from a non-crafting family, but has always unashamedly crafted this book held so many "you too?!?" moments. It brought back memories of knitting at my father's football games (to my brother's disgust) and of teaching non-crafting flatmates the basics of crochet.

Jane Brocket says in her introduction: "It took me many years to realise that I was thoroughly domestic, and only grudgingly domesticated. I accept that chores must be accomplished in order to maintain a clean and manageable living environment, but that is where it stops....when there are so many more satisfying domestic arts I can practise"

Here's to creative dreaming and domesticity as opposed to the boringly domestic!

Keep smiling,

Nell

p.s. Hannah came looking for me when I was upset and she said "Mummy, I know what would cheer you up....a cup of tea!" (how very British of her!) so we had a tea-party on the kitchen floor!

p.s.s. Jane Brocket has a blog at http://www.yarnstorm.blogs.com/

A Birthday and a Secret Revealed

Yesterday my sweet baby girl turned 5. Mum sent down a beautiful fur-trimmed Princess Cape and so "Princess Hannah" had a truly magical day. I'm glad that at 5 my little one is still living in fairyland.

Work has begun on the retaining wall and the vacant lot next door. Just the thing to keep a small boy entertained for hours. Hoping he doesn't pick up too much labourer's language LOL!

I have begun work on a shawl in this lovely bamboo/wool blend. It is such a pretty colour; not quite blue and not quite green and kind of old-worldly. The shawl will be for someonevery special. Someone who, at the moment, looks like this:

This little person will complete our family (unless something unexpected happens) There is a tinge of sadness about that - I love babies and could have 8 if money, resources and husband allowed. I am treasuring every moment knowing that this pregnancy will be my last. So now you know why there hasn't been a lot of crafting happening - lots of dreaming of baby clothes, and baby quilts, and softies the baby just has to have, but not a lot of crafting. I have been sicker with this pregnancy than the others - nausea that lasted all day and most of the night but thankfully we are heading out of that now. Hannah is so excited and wants to call the baby "Annabel Rose" which I think is funny if my suspicions of another big boofy boy are right! Dan just wants to see the baby NOW!

We've told grandparents so now it is time to tell friends and family.

Hope you are having an exciting week too,

Keep smiling,

Nell

Hoping to get back into my crafting when I get to our quilting group this weekend.

Keep smiling,

Nell