Advent Swappers & A Thank You

Hello to all Advent Swappers !!! Have you enjoyed getting to know your partner? I have so many lovely e-mails from people but unfortunately there have been a few bad eggs. I have had 2 swappers in my group that have just disappeared off the face of the earth. Very Very disappointing. I just cannot understand why people would join up to a swap only to let their partner down - and not to mention me......... I have the upmost respect for all of the swap mothers out there - Swaps are a lot of hard work to organise and manage and it makes it much harder and quite unpleasant when we are also dealing with disappointed partners. Luckily the 2 that I have I have been able to match up together and I think that things will be fine now. If you have not sent off your parcel yet please do so ASAP. Your partner needs to receive their parcel ready for the opening of their first parcel on the 1st December.

I have received so many excited e-mails from bloggers that have not only met a new friend but are also going to be very very spoilt this December. I am really loking forward to surfing around all of your blogs and seeing your gifts each day.

This morning I received the most beautiful card from Rachelle over at Quarantine Quilting. Pop on over and take a look at it HERE - It is just so sweet - Thanks Rachelle !!

You may have noticed my little Christmas elf? It is my darling Tommy - He is growing up so fast - Almost 2 years old now !!

Until next time,

HUGS,

So What Have I Been Up To ????? & Angel Gift Received

Sorry I have been absent for the past week or so. Every time I sit down to blog something happens. But finally tonight I have had a chance to sit and chat with you.

I have received my angel parcel but have been unable to thank my angel as they left no name or e-mail address. So if you are reading this little angel. Thanks so much for my goodies. I received a little matching scissor fob, needle book and pin cushion plus a lovely fat quarter and a gorgeous little angel to hang (Which is now hanging over my bed). Thankyou whoever you are. My parcel hasn't arrived yet so I am not able to show you what I have sent.

Talking about angels. Look at Maddie dressed up as a little christmas angel. She is 8 months old now and even though she is still really tiny she is doing so well for a premmie.


I have been doing a little baking - Here is White Chocolate, Raspberry & Macadamia Blondie with some double Chocolate Chip cookies which didn't last very long in this house.........

I have also made a pot of Strawberry Jam - YUMMMM !!!

And of course I have been stitching and designing a few projects including my free pattern to be released on the Among The Gum Trees Blog very soon. Here is a sneak peek......

Until next time,

Hugs,

It's Finished !!!!!!

My project from the Christmas Gathering is now finished and mounted on canvas. I really enjoyed this stitchery and it is in colours that I do not normally use together.

I framed it with some fabric from Rosalie's new range. Have you seen it yet? It is really lovely.

Tomorrow is Melbourne Cup Day - Good Luck to anyone having a little flutter.

HUGS,

Have You Met Toby & Sunday's Ritual

Have you met Toby? We got him when he was about 6 weeks old. He will be 1 this month. He is such a joy to have around.

Don't you just love those big brown eyes - They can get me to do anything !!


Here is Toby's toy box - He loves all of his toys and takes turns as to which is his favourite - It is worse than having a toddler in the house because he scatters them from one end to the other. But it is also very fun because he drops them at your feet ready for you to play with him. He is a precious little soul.

One of my most favourite things to do on a Sunday is to take a wander in the garden with a pair of scissors to cut my weekly posy of flowers for display in my kitchen.

This is this week's selection. The roses are really starting to bloom now and have such beautiful fragrance.

Here is a project that I have ready to start stitching tonight. It is for a "special" blogging friend. I have even cut into my Mary Rose stash for this one - OUCH !!!!

It is the Shabby Cushion designed by another of my dear friends - Jenny of Elefantz.

Also don't forget about the release of another Gum Nut design tomorrow from another of my nutty sisters. It is just beautiful.

HUGS,

The Return of the Mojo and The Gathering..........

I am so pleased that my mojo has returned. I hope that all of those bloggers who left a comment that were looking for theirs have also found them. It didn't say where it had been or even who it had been with but I was just pleased to see it return. Look at the big pile of stitcheries that I have completed. I have also finished my stitchers angel gifts and they are on their way to my angel as we speak.

Today was the Quilted Crow's Christmas Gathering with guest tutors Rosalie Quinlan and Leanne Beasley which just happened to fall on Halloween. The Bloggers were challenged to come along with a Halloween theme by Jo who rather likes "Halloween".

Cathy came along in the spirit of things and brought along her spider friend and also some lovely treats in her cauldron. Sarah, Leanne, Lisa, Christine & Helen were just some of the other bloggers who attended. As usual it was a fun day with a whole lot of eating, chatting and giggling and not a lot of stitching.

Here we are - Cathy, Jo, "Me" & Deidre

Jo with Cathy's spider as a nice head piece.

As mentioned the food was great - especially the yummy sweet stuff - The brownie biscuits were a hit along with the fudge and of course the Rocky Road - And yes Jo did get her mouth around that HUGE piece !! - I do have photographic evidence but I am keeping it for a time when I can use it as a "bribe" - HEHEHE

There were lots of lovely projects. I took many photo's but to cut down the size of this post I thought I would show you the 3 that i have chosen to make. This is a lovely stitching bag from Leanne. I purchased the kit to make it.

"Leonie" from the Quilted Crow designed this lovely Christmas Quilt. I purchased the kit to make this also.

This is the project from Rosalie that I decided to start on the day. It is mounted on a canvas and will be hung on my bedroom wall once it is completed.

This is all that I achieved on the day in 6 hours !!

Jo - showed me her technique for chain stitch - I think I am loving chain stitch !!

And what would the day be without oodles of purchases??? I purchased lots of goodies including 2 kits, rusty bells, perle cottons, punch needle kit, fabric, Rosalie's new book "A Stitch In Time" which she kindly inscribed for me and a few other bits and pieces.

It was a lovely day and was just what I needed !! I am off now to have dinner and then to spend some more time on the stitchery that I started today.

HUGS,

Mutant Fruit Tree, Visitors, Garden Blooms & A Freebie !

The garden this time of the year is bursting with colour and a lot of the new plants that I planted last year have enjoyed the very wet winter and spring we have had and have just flourished.

These daisies have quickly filled their new garden bed.


Our little orchard has also gone crazy. These greengage trees have given us very little fruit in the last 3 years. I hard pruned them 2 seasons ago and have had our hens around their base and this is the result !! Mutant fruit trees bursting with fruit. I have never seen fruit in such abundance in one tree. If you are not sure what they are they are the size of a fairly large plum when fully grown. This tree will never carry this much fruit to maturity - There is just too much of it.

We had some unexpected visitors walking through our garden on Sunday. Mummy duck and her brand new family waddled across and took a dip in our pond.

They had such fun and were so lovely to watch. All ducklings were black expect for one little yellow one. Mum was very proud.

The last few weeks have been so busy and I haven't blogged as much as I would have liked so I thought that I would try to make it up to you with a free stitchery pattern. Click HERE to download it. It is the stitchery that I used on my sewing machine cover that I made for the August Challenge over at Jenny's Blog.

The stitchery says "A Home is built of Peace and Love and not of wood and stone. A place where happiness lives and memories are sewn" How true is that??


Enjoy your week !!

Hugs,

The Show Starts Tomorrow !!!

The Royal Hobart Show starts tomorrow. Today was set up day. Hubby, Sammy & I spent the morning creating the "Mothers Cupboard" site.

We have a lovely Moda Pre-Cut Display.

And lots of accessories.

Wish me luck at my first "real" show.

Hugs,