Black & white bag swap....

 This is the gorgeous bag Heather made for in the swap http://seriouslycrazy4craft.blogspot.com.au/  I love the fact that the black rose turns into a beautiful brooch.The funny thing is we both chose similar gabrics to make each others bags in.

 Heather also sent me some yummy smelling soaps,anybody who knows me knows I LOVE soaps and to top it of Heather also made me a matching zippered pouch,I take my hat of to anyone who can conquer the dreaded zip! So thankyou Heather I had lots of fun with this swap and love evrything that you made and bought to go with this swap :)

 This is the bag I made for Heather and let me tell you those curves nearly drove me to pulling my hair out! But in the end all turned out right and I was quite pleased with how it finished up.I added some little wooden lady bugs to the front of the bag to give it a little zing.......

I also included a chocolate bar as I thought Heather might be needing one right about the time my parcel arrived on her doorstep.I also included some DMC threads,pretty blak & white ribbons and rose soap to finish of the giving.
Thanks Heather for being my swap partner for this swap,I had lots of fun making and receiving the bags :)

What's been happening here

 I received in the mail this week a be-lated birthday pressie from  Narelle from www.rellsplace.blogspot.com/

 and only now been able to blog about it. Narelle said in her card that birthdays be full of little surprises all through the year and I was certainly pleasently surprised by Narelles thoughtfullness.Thanks Narelle I love everything you sent to me,it feels like my birthday has been year long not just one day this year.

 I also wanted to tease Cheryl with a photo of these two parcels heading her way today......now remember not too much squeezing or sniffing allowed !

I also started on another crochet blanet,love the green,orange and lemon together,I still have a final row of cream to add before I can start beginning to sew them together :)
I've also heard from my black & white bag swap partner that she's received her bag so I'll post photo's over the weekend when the rain finally stops.

FNSI.....what I got up to

 Friday night saw me working on these blocks that have been sitting in a basket for a couple of years,finally deciding to make them into a table runner.I participated in a swap on the craft forum I'm a member of and these are the blocks I received back from my partners in my chosen fabric range "Nostalgia",now to find some backing and finish it off :)

 I also finished of making this bear stitchery up and putting the borders on,this ia heading to a little girls bedroom as soon as I get the back on and stuff it.....you hear that Sarah??? hint....hint....

Now for  sneaky peek of something I've been working on but I can't show you anymore as it'a a surprise.........I've also nearly finished my red and white ripple blanket so hope to have a picture soon of it all done and dusted :)

Update on what I've been working on...

 My red and white ripple blanket is getting bigger.....

I Love how it looks all rolled up,hope to finish this in the next couple of weeks,time permiting with work,uni assignments and everything else inbetween.....

Also found another stitchery from the "Birdie" BOM I was working on last year and waiting to be made up into something so I made it into a mini cushion,another finish for OPAM....I'm on a roll!

What I've been up too....

 I found this lone pinwheel block and decided to make it into a pincushion,the fabric are from a charm pack called "Verna"

 I also found a few small stitcheries while tidying up a basket in my sewing room and made it up into a mini cushion.....not sure where to put this one yet.

 I also realised I hadn't shown you photo's of the fat 1/4's and the extras I sent to Sue in last months fat 1/4 swap......I was running a bit late so to make up for it I sent Sue this journal as a thank you for being so understanding :) Thanks Sue for being my partner,I love this swap!

 These are the fat 1/4's I sent to Sandra,the swap was a diferent colour but we decided between us to swap a colour we needed for a project we're both working on and Sandra requested pale pink or pale purple and I found these yummy pinks and some matching DMC threads to add to her parcel.

 I asked Sandra for red and white....of course LOL,and she sent me these gorgeous fat 1/4's as well as this beautiful red satin ribbon.Thanks Sandra I love them all!

This is a little something I've also been working on with some bits and pieces I had left over from another project,still not sure what it will turn out to be when I'm done with it.....as you can see I'm still loving red and white!
I'll be back later with a photo update on my red and white ripple blanket.....it's grown soooo much!

Red & white alert!!!

 Shez and I had a one on one swap and when we met up last weekend at Mill Rose in Ballan we exchanged our gfts and this beautiful draw-string bag was one of the lovely items that Shez made for me.....aren't I lucky,but wait! there's more ( always wanted to say that lol )

 Shez also made me this gorgeous holder and when opened it reveals these......

 very pretty Babushka dolls all in my favourite red & white.I have been thoroughly spoilt by Shez and I can't thank her enough for these beautiful gifts but the best gift was meeting her in person and finding her to be as beautiful to talk to as she is via her blog or email.Thanks Shez XXXXX

 This is the Rosalie Quinlan doll I made for Shez in our swap,her little basket is full of mini DMC threads ready to pull out and use if needed.Thanks for swapping with me Shez maybe we can do it again another time??

 These two parcels arrived for me last week from my swap partner Cheryl from http://cherylsstitchings.blogspot.com.au/ and even though I emailed her to thank her personally I've been a bit lax in posting a photo of them......I promise they went in my santa sack unmollested this time Cheryl,not even a sniff or a squeeze befell these two......not sure about the next lot though LOL.

These two parcels are now heading Cheryl's way and hopefully should land in her mail box early next week,I've also included an energy boost to the parcel to help Cheryl keep steaming ahead.........

Mill Rose Girls.....

 Finally I can get back to blogging! I've had to change my email addy booo hooo so don't worry if you get directed to stitching barb's email addy  with your comment instead of my normal cupcake one :(
Now onto more pleasent things like my girl's day out at Mill Rose in Ballan....I met these lovely  girls,from right to left me,Christine and Melody (hiding behind Christine) Shez and Sharon and it felt like I was catching up with long lost friends....we didn't stop talking the whole day!!

 We had show and tell on the day and I swooned over Sharon's Swoon quilt,makes me want to make a few cushions up just by using the blocks they are enormous! So yummy and colourful.

 Next she showed us this little number and I fell in love all over agin.....such pretty colours and her stitching is sooooo neat!

 Then Christine showed us what she's been working on......I've always wanted to either make one of these or buy one as I love this design and she's done it all with 30's reprouction fabrics.I know my sister Anne will be enlarging this photo for a better look.....

 Shez also gifted each of us something she's made and mine was this little felt bird OH MY GOODNESS can it get any better than this! love,love,love my little birdie and I'm not waiting for Chrissy to hang him either,he now hangs in my sewing room so I can look at him every day.Thanks Shez :)

I also discovered this restored 1918 tredle singer sewing machine and I thought "SNAP" this is exactly like the one my mum gave me (her mum's) except in better condition LOL it's spurred me on to start looking for someone to restore the one I have sitting in my sewing room and actually start utilising it as a display centre.....
I'm hopeing now my email is back up and running under a new name I can get back to blogging and not wasting my time on twerps who think it's fun to muck around with peoples lives :(
P.S: I'll be back tomorrow with more pic's of our Ballan meet up and the bits and pieces I bought etc....