Sewing day!!

Today i went for a SUPER LONG drive out to Cranbourne to have a sewing day with [Sally] and i worked on dressing up Heidi's new table and chairs....

I made these gorgeous little floral chair pads! How cute, right?!

I also finished off a tablecloth that i popped on the table when i got home...

Heidi loves them! I also worked on a pew more pegs for the baby shower...not many more to do now :)

Next in the home decor pipeline, i have plans for quilted cushions for the couch...stay tuned!

xxx

Pegged hehe

Today I had something a little different than fabric on my cutting mat...

...scrapbooking paper! [Don't worry all you quilter out there...i used an old blade on my rotary cutter hehe]

I was cutting strips to make these...

...decorated pegs for Ilky's pink and yellow themed baby shower. We are planning to play the peg game, where each person gets 3 pegs and you nominate a word [i.e. 'baby'] that cannot be said at the shower. If you hear someone say that word, you can take a peg from them...the person at the end of the shower with the most pegs wins!

Now we probably could have just used plain pegs...but what's the fun in that?!?!

I have also decided to go into hibernation for the next few weeks because this is what the weather will be looking like...

:'( bring back summer!!!

Party Planning Gone MAD!!

So it's always been a bit of a dream of mine to become an event manager. I love it. The organising, the decorating, cooking, every little bit of it! So i tend to offer to plan a lot of parties and here's what i have coming up [inspiration mosaics included! hehe]...

July: Mothers Group Tea Party [Total  invited guests = 7 adults, 14 kids!!]...Venue: my house

August: Sewing Sleep Over Party [Total invited guests = 10 adults]...Venue: my house

 August: Ilky's Baby Shower [total invited guests = 17 adults]...Venue: Ilky's house

September: Brookie's 6th Birthday Circus Extravaganza! [total invited guest = approx 25 kids + 40 adults]...venue: my house

September: Pinterest Party [total invited guests = approx 20]...Venue: TBA

November: Mum's Black and White Hollywood Glamour 50th Birthday [Total invited guests = 100 adults]...Venue: Restaurant room hire

So there you have it! I have A LOT to do in a small space of time hehe. Thank goodness for iPads right?! I can plan on the go! I have LOTS of invitations to make for both the baby shower, circus party and the 50th, games to plan, decorations to make...i can't wait!!

Pictures taken from [pinterest]

What i *LoVe* about..MEEEE!!

What is it that i love so much about myself?! It's that i'm super impulsive haha! I never really think anything through much...i just get an idea, run with it, and hope for the best! Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes i just get distracted by my next new, fantastic idea! Some people might not like this trait but i think it's a fun, fresh and exciting way to be :)

My newest great idea to redecorate parts of my house [an impulse that returns to me about once every year or two]....i'm loving it already!!!

Today i am feeling quite under the weather and took the day off work...then boredom kicked in! After checking the work emails and completing some work related tasks, this is what i moved onto...

A new tablecloth! I picked up the poplin 'country garden' fabric at spotlight on sale for $5 per meter a few weeks ago and after hemming, popped it on the table with a layer of vinyl on top to keep messy little kiddies from drawing all over it hehe. Something that they just LOVE to do to my tablecloths [which is perhaps why we go through so many?!?!]. I am already watching quite a few mismatched vintage, shabby chairs on ebay which will go perfectly with the new kitchen/dining decor!

I also have some of the poplin and vinyl left over, so i'm thinking that a matching little tablecloth for the kid's drawing table is in order...perhaps even some chair pads too! ...spoilt much?!?!

After a trip to the library, i also finished adding the last of the borders to my DS Kaleidoscope quilt and i couldn't be happier!

I will hopefully find the time to baste it in the coming week or so and then onto the hand quilting! [pardon the dodgy photo!!!]

Tomorrow i plan to go through some of my WIPs/UFOs to decide what i am going to take on holidays with me :D it's time to cross some of them off my list...and finish up the rest of my bee blocks also. I am really keen to purchase this ultra gorgeous mini elna to take with me...

...but we will need to see if funding permits. Part of me wants it because it will be lighter and smaller to carry around, which is better for travel...but most of me just finds it ultra cute!!! Hehe. If not i'll be lugging the rather weighty Giselle all the way with me instead!

Okay now off to dad's for a yummy roast tea!

xxx

Inspiration!

Yes you read right, i have finally mustered up some new quilt inspiration!!! 12 months ago, i didn't even need to think twice because the inspiration was just always there, but since things have gotten a little tough, it's been harder for me to become both inspired and motivated to start something new.

Not anymore!!

See this door....

..plain, boring, normal...[and open because i just nearly burnt down the house while TRYING to make macaroons :S haha]. It's just the inside of my front door, not much to look at right? But there's a curtain rod there :D but no curtain...

Ta-Da! No this isn't my quilt but i do plan to have my own version of this quilt top by [Lorajean's Magazine] hanging there at my front door! It will need to be pulled to the side during the day but i still think it will look super cute, don't you?!

I can't wait to start! I've already asked my dear friend [Lisa] to laser cut me the triangle template and if i wasn't so weary of creating mess, i would be in my sewing studio right now puling fabrics!

I also am trying to come up with some inspiration for this annoyingly blank wall in my huge kitchen/dining space...

I'm thinking some form of large quilt...you'll need to stay tuned for that one!

....touched!!

As some of you may have read, i've been having a pretty S%$^ time of it lately...i don't think so many horrid things have happened in my life in a row, ever. I am pretty sure that when i look back on 2011/2012....well i'm pretty sure i'm going to try not to look back!

*BUT*

The other day i went to check the mail and i had a parcel pick-up slip in the mailbox....INSTANT FREAK OUT! See my husband lost his job a couple of months ago and I couldn't really make rent so my mind went 'oh golly, it's a eviction notice via registered post!!!'...hehe pretty funny when i look back now! So i sweated on it for a minute and then headed on over to the post office to collect. I handed over the slip and the lady handed back a rather large parcel....yes i looked puzzled! What had i bought from ebay lately?!?!?!

I got it home and ripped it right open and in it this is what i found....

All these parcels of fabric wrapped up into one big present!!!! And some little notes wishing me well from my friends over at [Always Bee Learning]. They know how tough things have been for me lately and they sent me some fabric love to cheer me up!!

...yes i cried hehe!

I am just so touched by how generous people can be and how loving and kind and i am just so incredibly blessed to have women like that in my life. I feel so undeserving because i have been a terrible bee buddy, falling so behind!!! I'm sending out a big THANK YOU and lots of return love, you guys made my week - and it came with perfect timing because we had a horrid week and it made everything just so much nicer, nothing could have possibly spoiled my great mood!!

So to wrap up, sending out a very special and honestly heartfelt thank you to...

Michonne
Megan
Kristina
Marci
Hettie
Maddy
Stephanie

You guys are amazing and i really am so lucky to have such caring friends as you!!! Your kindness has made me feel so much more like myself than i have had in a very long while and for that i am truly grateful!

Crochet love...

Today i spent a little time looking up gorgeous crochet patterns for a good friend, and they're just so cute i had to share!...

1. [Earflap Beanie]

2. [Pixie Chin Strap Hat]

3. [Mini Hammock Photo Prop]

4. [Double Pom Pom Hat]

5. [Newborn Hanging Stork Cocoon Photography Prop]

6. [Striped Long Tail Pom Hat]

7. [Little Bambino Hooded Cocoon]

8. [Newborn Baby Bowl Photography Prop]

9. [Little Bambino Button Beanie]

10. [Hammock Nest Photography Prop]

11. [Baby Bear Hat]

12. [Newsboy/Newsgirl Visor Beanie]

...stay tuned because i will have a very special post for you all tomorrow!

Crafty Stitchers Sew Day!

Recently a few of my sewing friends and I got together for a little bit of a sewing holiday [blog post pending hehe], where i managed to work on and almost finish my 4 bee quilts from [this post]. During the retreat we decided to call ourselves the 'Crafty Stitchers' just for a bit of fun and today we organised a Crafty Stitchers Sewing Day because our regular guild meet was cancelled due to the long weekend.

I wasn't as productive as i had hoped to be and after running into a bit of trouble with Heidi's raincoat sleeve i gave it a rest and worked on my knitting for a while...

By the end of the day it was quite a bit longer than it was originally!

After lunch i decided to add the last of the borders onto my Kaleidoscope and Drunkard's Path DS Quilts...

And now they are ready for quilting! I'll be hand quilting the Kaleidoscope quilt [photo still to come] myself using Perle 5 threads and will send the Drunkards Path Picnic Quilt off to be long arm quilted [...because i'm feeling quite lazy on a quilting front hehe...and also partially because i don't really want to aggravate my RSI!]

Tomorrow is a public holiday here [YAY!] so i still have another 2 days to my weekend, seeing as i always have Tuesdays off work :D luckily because i'm still recovering from my girl's night out on Friday! Perhaps i might even get some more of Heidi's coat finished...

[P.S. Thanks to Rachel for the photos!!!]

Italian Day!

On Friday it was Italian Day at my son's primary school and i thought i'd share with you our Italian day craftyness...

We coloured in some canvas shoes in Italian flag colours [here is a tutorial, i used fabric markers and put the shoes in the dryer afterwards...although for safety reasons, i probably don't recommend it. Everything was fine but i watched the dryer the entire time just in case!] and I spent some time bleaching and dying an old pair of Brookie's jeans as well! ...i was inspired by this [tutorial]

I also whipped him up the super cute Italian flag cape!!!

All this teamed with a green top and he was all set to go!

Pinned!

Those if you who [follow me] on [pinterest] would know...i'm a pin addict! I could pin all day long! How many of you actually make what you pin? I am proud to say i have made a couple of items....out of my 2600 pins!!!! Obsessed much?!

Here are some of my recent pins...

[Cherry Vanilla Layer Cake] from [Sprinkle Bakes]

[Hand Tied Memory Quilt] from [Martha Stewart]

[Hair Bow How To] from [Annika Backstrom]

[Woodland Fox Pattern] by [Gingermelon] on [Etsy]

[Sprinkle Sandwich] from [Ohhh...Mhhh...]

[Enamel Bowls of Yarn] by [Coco Rose] on [Flickr]

[Granny Square Blocks] by [i have to say]

[Heart Sugar Cookies] by [Allyson Jane]

Accomplishments....

....yes abandonment again....i am very sorry and i can't guarantee that it wont happen again either, but here's what i've accomplished recently...

Lots of bee blocks....

...I constructed and began hand quilting my wonky stars received from the [Aqua and Red Block Bee]...

....and i also put together the blocks from both my [Sew Australia] drunkards path...

...and kaleidoscope quilts. They both still need to have some borders added before quilting though.

...and my FAVOURITE by far...

...the Swoon Quilt! The top is now all put together and i just need to make up the backing. For the backing i am going to be doing a MEGA swoon block inspired by [Kristy's Mega Swoon Quilt]...Kristy was nice enough to give me the sizes so i didn't need to work it all out for myself :)

I have also been working on this raincoat for my daughter...

As you can see in the photo, i am using [Amy Butler's Little Splashes Hooded Raincoat & Runabout Jacket Pattern]. It has these gorgeous gathered pockets....

....how cute! Hopefully I will be finished by tomorrow night :) I am up to the sleeves!

To coordinate with Heidi's new coat, i also started knitting this little scarf for her...

...the yarn is an amazingly soft [and unfortunately expensive] merino/alpaca/silk blend. I plan to add giant pom poms on the ends!

In other news, i have been doing a few kiddy activities...

...and I also baked this triple layer, gluten free, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting....

...yummmmm!!!!

So i must confess that when i started this post about 30 minutes ago, i was in a pretty lousy mood, but i'd like to thank you for cheering me up with my crafty reflections :)

Sending love! xxx