Busy Happy Home Weekend

The weekend started off well with a visit to the Patchwork Shop and some lovely new fabrics to play with. Some of my frineds say to me, "Annie, do you need more fabric?" - but I can't really understand this comment, so I just ignore and continue on in my own little fantasy fabric oo-laa-laa world. This beginning led me to a couple of visits to Mr Spotlight on Saturday only to find lots of yummy fabrics on SALE! I couldn't leave them ALL there for someone else, as I have such a lovely big sewing room and plenty of room for new inhabitants! My main focus however was to make another cushion for Breast Cancer Research as I am having a Girls Night In next Saturday night. I decided to use some Dick and Jane.

Once I did this, I was on a roll. I got out my sister's christmas quilt and almost finished that (just need a little more fabric ... really?) and made her a cushion to match. While I was out in the garden taking some photos, I couldn't help noticing all the lovely flowers, so I just took some pictures and raced back inside before I was tempted to get my garden gloves on and change tact.

Thanks to Snippets of a Quilter for the inspiration on the quick piecing of this quilt. The tutorial on her blog gave me the momentum that continued for my whole weekend. Isn't it great when you actually see something that you've done in some sort of completed form. I find such a sense of satisfaction in this ... and my friend Chooky Blue gave me some photo tips and I am thrilled with the result!Oh happy days ...

Girls Night In - Breast Cancer Research

The Principal at our school had a Girls Night In tonight, and I said I would make a cushion to go with her raffel prize. These special little Skipping Girls proved very popular and many tickets were sold.
The lucky winner was our lovely young groovy Art Teacher who had fallen in love with the cushion. What she didn't know, was that if she didn't win, I was going to make one for her anyway as she loved it so much!
A couple of years ago, my mum was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She went through a hard year, but has come through it. My best friend from High School was not so lucky. She was struck with it at a much younger age and fought for several years before the cancer spread to most parts of her body and finally to the lining of her brain, and stole her life away. She left behind a husband and 3 young children. I am going to have a Girls Night In of my own and will make another cushion to raffel to raise money for research.

On a brighter note, I forgot to mention that the headbands are reversable, so if you use 2 different fabrics, you get 2 headbands in one. They are just fantastic. Has anyone tried one yet?

And if you can't tell, I'm just a bit "in love" with my caterpillar at school!I was so thrilled with the comments that I thought I'd show you the whole thing. Unfortunately we have had to interrupt our Life Cycle unit to deal with "Our Bodies" as the Life Ed Van is in town, however we will get back to the Life Cycles all in good time.
The exciting thing is, that when we do, it will be about the Life Cycle of plants! Right up my alley.

Been Busy

I've been making headbands. My lovely young hairdresser got a job in Melbourne and has left me. First time a hairdresser has left me!!! I'm quite at sea about it, so just figured for now, I would make some groovy headbands and let my hair grow. I'm quite enjoying it actually, and of course Miss Sarah chose some fabrics for a couple for her georgous hair. It hadn't occurred to me to make my own, until Ric Rac said "Oh Annie, search on google for a tutorial..." which I did, and found this great site and easy pattern. http://www.kcquilts.com/blog/2006/09/reversible-fabric-headband-tutorial.html

I've decided to make just one more felted basket to use up all my wool I have left over from the winter however I've already caught myself in Spotlight buying just another couple of balls to get the colours right. I can't help myself! Some beautiful camelias from Ric Rac's garden who by the way has MAGNIFICENT flowers. My camelias are all babies, so it was lovely to have some in a vase to enjoy. Nothing nicer than sharing flowers I think. My special friend in Queensland sent me a book voucher for my birthday back in the winter time, and it has taken me awhile to get in on my post, but here it is. I had been eyeing it off in the bookshops for some time, so it was with great glee that I took it up to the counter and said "I'll have this one please". I have been enjoying all the designs and patterns. Oh, and a little bit of tidying up of my fabrics, actually a LOT of a tidy up. Does 7am on Sunday until about 3pm on Sunday sound a lot to you. I'm sure lots of people would not even notice what I had done, but it felt good to me, to sort my unfinished projects into one spot, and group some fabrics together, and toss out a lot of little bits of rubbish from my sewing room floor!!!

A lovely friend from school heard about our Pay it Forward and brought me these lovely Patchwork pieces she had in her cupboard, she said for 20 years! I had helped her with her garden in the holidays and loved doing it, and I was so pleased she had thought about what stories I had been telling her and decided to share these with me, as I didn't expect anything in return. It was nice to see the concept playing out over and over again. It made me think of what I do for others, or rather perhaps don't do! A little glimpse into my day world where we are learning about Life Cycles. I have had an enormous amount of fun with the kids making this Very Hungry Caterpillar. I bought some extra special Eric Carl tissue paper about 5 years ago, and have only just been able to cut into it this year. A bit like fabric really. I am feeling very happy during the day, with him around. I wonder when he is going to turn into a beautiful butterfly?

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

ARGH!!!!! I've been tagged by, Ric Rac , AND Thirties Green ,

Here goes ...

You know how some people don't like talking about themselves much, (some people that is!) or rather, disclosing things about themselves, well that is why it has taken me all week to get to this post. I feel a little tired and need to go to "Sick Bay" for a rest. All that chasing and then being tagged twice at once - oh dear, and it is a cold and windy day, oh dear - shame there is not an S in my name for SOOK!

You know that song in Sound of Music about My favourite Things? Well I have decided to complete this exercise to the tune of that, so if you know it, you will get the gist of it. Unfortunately I am not computer savvy enough to get the fancy letters up (I tried SO hard) and my mind tells me that the music in the background while you are reading this would be good too, but that is well beyond my capablities, so just hum away to your self ... you know the one "Raindrops on Roses and whiskers on kittens...." here goes ...

A is for ANOTHER bit of fabric for my sewing room

N is for NEVER throwing anything out

N is for NOT liking to leave my home. Even for work, holidays shopping anything

I I check the iron is off, I check the door is locked, I check I have my keys. I check that the oven is off at the wall and then I will check ...... again!

E END of the the song here, as it won't fit an E in it, and my name is technically Anne by the way, but I have been called Annie by my family since I was little, and then officially Annie as a grown up, since my first job where I worked in a small office with another Anne and it was very confusing.
We made this Parisian Kitty for Katie Did to welcome her home from her trip to Paris. Check out her photos here.

And the winner is .......

I got my little knitted elephants that my mum made, to help me with the draw. All the names went in my blue biscuit tin, and then, look who popped out....

We were all so excited we had to take some photos out with the chooks!

Ok, ok, we were very excited!! This was a momentous occasion, 50 posts! Thanks so much to all the other people who left comments and were in the draw. I really appreciate the feedback and the comraderie. Send me your address via email Chooky Blue, and I will get your parcel in the post. I hope you enjoy it.

What your Mama says...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anSpBUxsgAU

Have a look at this all you Mums out there. A real hoot. I couldn't help sharing it! Thanks Bren for passing it on.

Oh, and a picture of my cushion I entered in the Chocolate Lollypop competition at Ballarat Patchwork. A prize winner it was not, but I had fun making it, and the entries were quite magnificent. Next challenge, a Dick and Jane Apron.

The Sun has Gone Down

The sun has gone down on our holidays. Tomorrow it is back to routine, and the fast pace returns. How I have enjoyed just being at home these last few days, and doing as I please. I was more than just a little depressed today, and had to spend a good deal of time on my garden seat, pondering the beauty that surrounded me. I get so much pleasure from my garden and enjoy every minute I spend in it. I mowed the lawn today and it looked so nice.

My eldest son was inquisitive as to why I took photos of my plants. They are there for such a short time and I want to enjoy them always. Gardening is such a changing hobby. I go out on inspections every morning to see what's new and what's coming and what has finished until next year.

I am thrilled with this Crab Apple that is a dark red and a lovely shape. I have been admiring them in other people's gardens and then when this one flowered, I knew why I liked it so much...I had chosen one at the nursery for myself. This is the first year it has flowered.

This is my friend Matilda that my Father in Law made me for Christmas last year. She sits beside me when I sit on the garden seat, and I can chat away to her. She is very agreeable!

My 'Cobolt Towers' Echium is MAGNIFICENT! It has about 3 spikes that have come out in flower since the holidays have started, but many many more to come. It has had LOTS of babies this year, so I am happily sharing them with my friends.

I have the smaller one 'Candy Cans' out the front and it has grown quite a lot in size and I am looking forward to it's flowering too!

I think Gardening is like meditation to me. When I am out in my garden I feel very relaxed. I love to chat to my chickens, and relax amongst the beauty of nature.

Another orchid has come into flower .... must I go back to school tomorrow?

It's my 50th Post - Yippee!!

I've been keeping my eye on the number as I knew 50 was coming around pretty soon. I'm back from holidays, and ... I'm back ... and it's my 50th post celebration. Help me celebrate by posting a comment. I'm going to have a GIVEAWAY. I'll be drawing a winner on Friday 12th October; and no, I didn't make a cake to celebrate the occassion. This was part of the 10 for my daughters birthday celebrations the week before last.

We've had a lovely week in Queensland, swimming in the sea and basking in the sun and collecting shells, and eating out, catching busses and exploring a different world to the one we know. It's been a proper holiday, and I feel I've had a real break from routine which is, I guess what holidays are all about.

I did buy myself a new book for the holidays, and I spent a good deal of time reading this and imagining what I could do differently in my space. No doubt I'll run out of time to do anything about organizing craft space as I'll be right back into it all soon enough.

My orchid is still flowering valiantly and I have counted 13 spikes on others which I find just SO exciting. Lots of garden pleasure to come - my next post will be fifty-one!