Pretty {little} Pouch Swap - Round 2!

The [Pretty Little Pouch Swap] Round 2 will be starting up again very soon but be quick because the swap will be capped at 100 [and there are current;y 200 members!!!]. I won't be signing up this round - or for any swaps for a while in fact because i am currently trying to focus on both the four bees that i a currently in and also some selfish sewing too hehe! I have waaaay too many UFOs to finish at the moment.

Life is always gunna bee a little wonky!!

To celebrate my appallingly horrid week i decided to embrace the wonky-ness of life and made up 4 more wonky stars for my [Aqua and Red Block Bee] quilt...

I have received 4 blocks back from my fellow bee buddies and have made up 5 myself for a total of 9 so far. I am planning to make a few more before i join them all together - i want this to be a HuGe snuggle quilt...possibly hand quilted but still deciding.

I wish my wonky week looked as pretty as these!

...getting a bit down on myself :(

[source]

You know when you try sooooooo hard to do all the things that someone wants you to do...to the point where you're loosing sleep, secretly working around the clock and you can't stop thinking about it every second of every day...only to discover that even though you're trying your little heart out, it's just not good enough for them...you're still not good enough...

What do you do?!?!?

*tear*

SSS Day - Sit and Sew with Sal!!!

 Today Sal [fqnb] and i organised our own private little Sit and Sew Day over at GJ's Discount Fabric's awesome new sewing area! It was heaps of fun and super productive!

I managed to finish Brenda's [justabitfrayed] second QAYG block [i made up the first one yesterday]

Brenda also made a totally awesome Quilt as You Go [video tutorial] that you should totally go and check out!!! It explains the exact way to achieve the above block.

i then went to work on Amelia's [Stitch 'n' Bits] String X blocks...

  

...i had a little bit of fun with Amelia's super looong henna garden strip hehe...

and then put it together, although i had a lot of trouble lining up the white lines [as you can probably already see]

To make the above block i used this [tutorial]

i also took the opportunity to take a photo of the Drunkard's Path quilt i have been raving about!!! Isn't it awesome! This is exactly what i have planned for my Picnic and Fairgrounds fabric except that i will be using a slightly larger border and it will be a fold up picnic rug with a waterproof backing...at least that's the plan at them moment hehe

I also worked on and finished a bag [which i forgot to take a photo of!] and a few more wonky stars for my [Aqua and Red Block Bee] quilt. I have already started receiving some of my blocks back and they look fantastic!! I can't wait to put them all together!!!

Some Seriously hap-hap-HAPPY Mail!!

i have had some pretty awesome trips to the post box lately and i just had to share! I received some US only Picnic and Fairgrounds for my Drunkard's Path quilt from [Jenn] and Leigh plus two more hexie charm packs from my little scrappy charm swap i participated in and they are all just gorgeous!!! [Jenn] also sent some wonderland, swell and some really awesome scraps that i can't wait to use!!!!

Thanks everyone - it was great swapping with you!!!

...what could it be?

What do you think i could possibly have in store for these items i purchased from [etsy] this morning?

I'll give you a hint couple of hints:

1. It's all for Murphy - of course!

2. There are two separate items

3. They'll both be super cute as always hehe

Stay tuned to see what they turn into once i receive the items in the mail!

Meet Murphy!

Meet our gorgeous new dog, Murphy...

[yes he is totally adorable!!!]

Murphy joined our family last Sunday and our lives have been changed ever since. He comes eVeRYwHeRe with us - and i really do mean everywhere. Dropping the kids off to daycare, checking the post box, visits to Nana's, the works!

[zZzZzZzZZzzZzZzZZZzzZzZzz!!!]

Murphy is a 2 year old terrier cross who is fully house trained and just the most placid, loving, adorable dog any family could wish for. We send all of our thanks out to Melissa who chose us to re-home her Murphy to, we feel so privileged to have the opportunity to welcome Murphy into our family and love him for the rest of his days. It is so very obvious that Murphy has always been a well cared for and loved little man and we have Melissa to thank! You're the greatest!!!

[relaxing after 'walking the dog practice' in the backyard]

Since last Sunday we have been taking Murphy for walks down to the park, down to the shops, even a trip to Wallan to visit all our friends. The kids love playing with him out in the backyard and we had lots of fun giving him a bath together too. He has claimed his own armchair in the lounge room and is my computer buddy, always hopping up to sit on my lap.

Things that we love about Murphy:

1. He is always, ALWAYS excited to see you when you get home. Even if you've only gone to take out the garbage hehe

2. He is super affectionate. He loves giving us lots of cuddles and kisses while we're lying on the couch and especially when we get home from work.

3. He is sooooo well behaved. He lets us know when he needs to go to the toilet, he doesn't jump or chew things to bits. He just comes and lies next to you. He comes when you call, he doesn't even need a leash! [although i must admit i do use it to take him to the car when we're parked out front because we are on a very major 6 lane road...it's the overprotective mum in me!]

4. He is so patient with the kids, he follows them around, watches telly with them and keeps them company and they just adore him.

5. He brings us joy and puts a smile on our faces!

6. He is the best hot water bottle ever! He's definitely been keeping my feet warm at night hehe

All in all, he's just awesome! I am nearly finished making him the most adorable little doggy coat for the winter but am having a tonne of trouble with silly bias binding [grrrrrrrrr! I am sorry but bias binding does not properly do curves...full stop!!! ARGH!] but will definitely be posting pics as soon as it's done, and you will most certainly be hearing more about our new baby of the family too hehe.

Some birthday sewing and swap info...

Yesterday morning i made this table runner for my good friend Cassie because it was her birthday at the end of May. I am particularly proud of this table runner because i finally used my newly acquired FMQ skills for the first time!! I took the plunge and free motion quilted around the two flowers pictured. It was a little sketchy but still looked great :)

Also, for your information, the [Make Mine Modern Swap] is currently open for sign-ups until June 24th. In the swap you send fabric, one handmade item and one item for the sewing space - which can also be your handmade item if you choose.

Tomorrow i will have a very exciting introduction for you all [and the reason for my bloggy absence!] so stay tuned!!!

Yes..I am still alive!

...but don't have time to post right now but promise to be back later this arvo with a new blog post :)

Sending love!!!

Time to sew...

This morning i finally managed to get round to making my embroidery hoop clock using this [tutorial] and i am soooo happy with the way it turned out! It took less than an hour [not including glue drying time] to make as well which was fantastic! It's the first of many homey items i am planning to roll out of the sewing studio within the coming weeks!

So much for shelving it!

This morning i decided to have a 'selfish sew day' meaning no swap making AT ALL! As mentioned in my last post, i cut up my Drunkards Path pieces and then thought i might just chop up the Cat in the Hat quilt kit that i [very excitedly] received in the post only yesterday...to make it easier for myself when i wanted to make it later on down the track because i had decided to save it when i had a little more time on my hands...

HA! I got a little bit carried away...before i knew it, it was done!

I wasn't the only one who was excited either!! Both kids have been fighting over who gets it for the remainder of the evening...sigh! The plan is to use my newly acquired FMQ skills to fill each of the feature blocks with different FMQ designs. At the moment my favourite FMQ techniques are pebbling [it's sooooo easy!!!] and echoing, both of which i think will look great on this quilt. I am yet to master stippling but practice makes perfect :)

Cut...sneeze...cut....

So overnight i have come down with an awful head cold! GRRR! Go figure, i work my behind off, and i don't get sick. I have a whole week off and i get a head cold!!! Oh well, there are worse off i suppose. I wasn't going to let this cold get the better of me so this morning i decided to chop into my picnic and fairgrounds...

I had originally planned to cut out a few, rest, come back and cut a few more, rest, etc. etc. But, as always, i got a little far ahead of myself and ended up cutting a lot! I cut 2 Drunkard Path sets from each of the 17 prints i have. I think i will need to cut two more from each print but will wait until i receive the remainder of the American prints before doing so. Overall it was a pretty productive morning!!

Denyse Schmidt = Ultimate Swapping Power [Mwahahahahah!]

So today i got a lovely email from Leigh asking if i would like to swap some DS Quilts [specifically the exclusively Aussie fabrics] for some the the US only prints...of course i said yes! And that made me start to think...i could possibly be onto something!

I popped onto the Flickr group [Craft Room De-Stash (Let's Swap)] to see if anyone might be offering any of the other US prints and they were there! So i organised to swap a fat quarter set of the 10 Aussie prints [as shown above] for four half yards of Denyse Schmidt and 2 wonderland and swell fat quarters!!! Brilliant!

i then immediately went to my stash and have since been pulling out fabrics i don't think i will use to exchange for new ones...and i can see a couple more trips to Spotlight for me too!

On top of that, today i received my Cat in the Hat Quilt Kit that my mum purchased for me from [Logan Patchwork] at the AQC!!! It is sooooo awesome! I will need to shelve it for a little while but have definitely got big plans for it - a SASD project i think!

Quilt planning...

So i now have a fair amount of DS Quilts' Picnic and Fairgrounds and am currently in the process of doing some swapping to get my hands on some of the American range to complete my set. No what to do with it?

[source]

This is similar to what i am thinking. Drunkard's Path. I have seen one that i like a little better than this one. It is square and has a large border and just looks completely fantastic! I just need to decide which print i would like to use for the border and buy a whole lot of it and that's it, i'm set!

Being at home this week, i have had a chance to work on some swap items for the [Placemat Quilt Swap] and the [Charming Mini Quilt Swap] that i am completely in love with the them problem is, i can't actually show you yet :( but stay tuned - they involve hexies, sherbet pips and sunkissed! Today i think i will start work on my [Mug Rug Swap Adventure 2] swap items...loving all this time i have on my hands!!!

Chickenpox ft. hand sewing and High School Musical!

So, as you may have read in my last post, my son has the chickenpox at the moment which means no day care...so i have the week off! YAY! Luckily enough, my son was immunised against the chickenpox so he literally only has a totally of about 20 spots and they have stopped appearing which is brilliant. He is also his usual self, not grumpy or tired so therefore not a very high maintenance patient.

My plans were to spend my week trying to complete as many sewing projects (namely swap related endeavours) as i could while i had the time off...my first day was not so productive, but i have good reason! My craft room has been a total bomb zone for weeks! Yes his is partially my fault but it was also partially caused by the fact that i had two large bookshelves lying across the entire width of the room, making it had to even get to my sewing machine, let alone sort around them!

This ended up giving me a little bit of a mental block so i decided to work on some hand sewing instead. The above hexies are for my [Placemat Quilt Swap] partner and as of this evening are all hand sewn together and ready for piecing and quilting, YAY! Apart from that, Brookie and i spent most of the day snuggled up on the couch watching all three high school musicals hehe.

So tonight when my hubby arrived home from work, he finally placed my shelves in their correct upright positions and fastened them to the wall (this is the reason for why they had been lying down in the first place). I spent a little bit of time filling them with my crafty books and what not, can't wait to do some more sorting and sewing tomorrow!!

i like...

1. wonderland quilt 2. Sherbet Pips Single Girl Cushion Cover 3. Dresden platter 4. Modern Log Cabin Cross Quilt

Picnics, Hexies & Fairgrounds...

Yes it is here in my hot little hands...DS Quilts, Picnics and Fairgrounds!!! I am very stoked. At this stage i only have 7 of the prints but plan to return on Tuesday for the reminder. At first, i was just buying it 'because' but at a sit and sew evening last week i saw the most gorgeous drunkards path quilt and have decided to replicate using this beautiful fabric! It does have a purpose after all...and hopefully i might even have some left over to make a machine pieced hexie quilt! [or i could totally just buy some more!! hehe - shhhhhh! Don't tell the hubby will you!]

On Friday i also received the first of 6 packages of 2.5 inch charm squares that i am expecting to arrive in the coming week and i was soooo excited. This package was from [chloeandme] and it was just the greatest. As well as the 50 squares, the package also included a cute little shroom keyring, some shroom fabrics, some hexies and some larger pieces for fussy cuts...spoilt or what?!

This morning i spent some time in front of the heater making them into hexies - i figure if i baste as i receive them, i will actually do them! i basted all the lighter coloured squares as i am hoping for a light coloured quilt at this stage and have tucked the others away for when i need them.

You may have also noticed that recently i have been a little MIA...both in a posting and sewing sense! Well it's because i have been spending an uber amount of time with the kiddies!

We have been on many picnics...

[bahahahaha! how funny are their faces!!!]

and trips to the playground as well as building forts in the backyard and having snuggle buggles on the couch.

it's been great to do some activities outside of the house because sometimes it is really difficult to find the time in between work and other commitments.

On top of the picnics and what not, my son has just been diagnosed with the chickenpox! GRRRR! So i will be spending a full week at home with him while he recovers. Luckily he has been immunised and only has a total of approx 20 small spots and they're not causing him any grief at all. So it means that i might have some extra sewing time up my sleeve (fingers crossed for a couple of long afternoon naps!! hehe).

Every heart beats true...

On Friday night, the Browns headed to the MCG to watch Melbourne v. Essendon - a cause of great debate in our household. You see I am a long time Melbourne fan and my husband and both children are *HuGE* Bombers Fans...so supportive in fact that they are part of the 'official cheersquad'. This meant that i was the only Melbourne supporter sitting front and center in the Essendon Cheersquad...oh joy!

i was definitely nervous as Melbourne's winning record has not been so great as of late and so therefore i knew the amount of flack i would most certainly cop when we lost...so i kept pretty quite! Because we were sitting in the official cheersquad i was also not allowed to cheer for my team or wear any of my supporter gear...

Heidi spent the entire night jumping from person to person...never including myself! She is such an attention seeker....and Marcel, Emily and Kirstin certainly obliged!

From the beginning of the game it was head to head, goal for goal with a mix of fantastic and particularly average footy...and then the third quarter! Melbourne's performance was outstanding, putting us ahead and in the perfect position to win. By the forth quarter both teams were tired and it looked like Essendon would come back for the win before Melbourne belted out 3 consecutive goals in a matter of minutes, sealing the deal...WE HAD WON!!!! Amazing!

By this stage both of the kids had fallen asleep and thankfully missed the end, Brookie becomes very emotional when 'his boys' don't make it across the line, we waited until we made it to the car before we told him!

Since then, i enjoy breaking out into song, the Melbourne theme song that it, at random intervals throughout the day hehe just for a bit of a stir! All in all it was a great night, spent with lovely people in a family friendly environment. We didn't need to worry about horrible supporters using poor language or making crude comments which made the night even more enjoyable for us all - the cheersquad does not tolerate such things which is brilliant.

'Every heart beats true for the red and the blue!'

May 2011: Crafty Creations and WIP

This month there were a substantial amount more quilt blocks than usual....must bee all those beeeees i'm currently participating in, hehe!

  Quilting Gallery [Quilted Fabric Basket Swap] basket + fold out shopping bag [completed]

 Bags for friend x 2 [completed] - made from [this pattern]

Pouch for [Pretty Little Pouch Swap] Partner [completed]

My [Aqua and Red Block Bee] sample block [completed]

  

[Aqua and Red Block Bee] Blocks for Erin, Sally and Carrie [completed]

 [Scrapbuster Swap] Depression Blocks [WIP]

[Bee Connected] Bee Blocks for Erin [completed]

[Bee Connected] sample block [completed]

Minky Burp Cloth for Erin [completed]

 [Crazy Bento Block Swap] Blocks [WIP]

[Scrappy Mug Rug Swap] Mug Rugs [completed]

[Teeny Weeny PP Bee] Blocks [completed]

 

 [Charming Mini Quilt Swap] items [WIP]