Giveaway win and what I’ve been working on…..

Kim had a giveaway on her blog to celebrate a very special “O” birthday and I was the very lucky girl who won it and look what arrived in my mailbox…… a gorgeous table runner using a mini charm pack, LOve it!! and Kim also included a couple of extras, a pretty charm pack called Soho Chic and a dainty little notebook she picked up in Darwin while holidaying for her birthday, thank you Kim you certainly brightened my week up a lot.

Why don’t you pop over to Kim's blog and check out all the lovely quilts and stitching she’s working on Kim does such lovely work and you wont be disappointed and while you’re there why not wish her a happy birthday for last week

I’ve also been doing a bit of baking today as I wanted to try out the Donna Hay apple and blueberry cake from the book I got for my birthday from Shez……MMmmmmm it looks and tastes delicious just ask my hubby! I’ve also made some pumpkin soup which seems to be popular as Chooky has also been making this. I’ve also been baking a couple of things for my sister Anne, her favourite biscuits “coconut crunch” as well as a date and nut roll so I think I’ll be popping by her place sometime tomorrow with a basket of goodies for her  

In-between all this baking I’ve been putting a few stitches into this stitchery and have plans to continue working on it tonight while vegging out in front of the  TV, I’ll try and pop around a few blogs tomorrow and see what everyone's been up to while celebrating with Chooky this weekend.

Chooky’s Birthday weekend celebrations!!

This weekend will see me joining Chooky at her chook shed to celebrate her 2nd Birthday. I’ve spent some time today tracing out a stitchery I previously made for Shez last year in our one on one swap and always said I’d make myself one so this weekend will see me start on…….

This is a gorgeous wall hanging by Anni Downs but I’ll be making mine as a stitchery I even have all the threads etc… together from when I made Shez’s, talk about itching to start on this one! I’ll also be putting this together…..

After finishing my sister Anne’s blanket last year for Christmas I still had some wool leftover from the project so I thought I’d make her up a matching cushion I just need to put it together which I hope to achieve over this weekend.

I’ll also be attempting to get this dress sewn together for my Tilda swap as well as put the poor doll out of its misery and sew her arms and legs on. Sunday night will tell how much I actually get done but I know one thing I wont be crafting by myself this weekend just pop over to Chooky's blog to join in the fun, I’ll be sipping my latte and eating cake to keep my strength up this weekend and maybe a chip or two LOL hope to see you there 

More Birthday surprises…..

 

Shez  and I are in a Birthday fat 1/4 club and she had asked if she could give me my fat 1/4 at our Mill Rosie meet up and I said sure not suspecting a thing when she surprised me at our Mill Rosie meet up last week with a beautiful birthday gift she’d made for me, I’d seen this sewing case on her blog a little while ago and must admit I was drooling big time over it but now I’m doing the happy dance because it’s mine alllllll mine! I  LOve, Love, LoVe it!! but that’s not all Shez also included with the bag……

Some yummy thread worx thread in a rainbow of pastel colours almost too good to use as well as my Birthday fat 1/4 and two boxes of yummy savoury biscuits, Shez know I’m not a big chocolate eater but I love anything savoury. Thanks Shez as once again you have spoilt me rotten

I borrowed this photo from Shez’s blog I think the smile says it all.

I also received on the day another birthday gift from my lovely friend Christine, a fat 1/4 bag made from Bonnie & Camille fabrics as well as a pkt of cute mushroom pegs, mushroom fat 1/4 and yummy smelling hand cream. Thank you Christine for making my birthday such a happy one

I was also spoilt by another friend Melody with a gorgeous Lynette Anderson fat 1/4, buttons and her book “It’s quilting cats & dogs” I can’t wait to start tracing/cutting out a few of the projects in this book and using the fat 1/4 in some of the projects. Thanks Melody you can never have too many projects on the go is my motto and with friendly enablers like you I’ll never be short of something to work on

Over the next week or so I’ll try and remember to upload some photo’s of my Tassie trip I went on in April for my birthday, I took quite a lot so I’ll try not to overload you with too many all at once.

baking mojo happening here…….

Remember this book I showed you in  previous post saying there were at least two recipes I needed to try my hand at making well my baking mojo kicked in today and the pictures below are the result of it……

 

I made not one spinach and feta tart but two from the one recipe….Are you getting hungry yet?

Number two browned up a bit better and I changed the recipe around as you do and added an extra egg and used fresh spinach instead of frozen and this tart looks a little bit nicer as I realised I still had a few leaves left in the bag so I just added them to the top and hoped for the best The only other thing I’d change next time is not add any rock salt as the ricotta was salty enough without adding anymore but it still tasted yummy. My sister Anne popped around just as I was about to take out the first tart so she got to share a slice with her cup of coffee, nothing beats eating  fresh food straight from the oven with great company.

I’m heading off in a bit to watch my nephew Andrew play Seymor in “Little shop of horrors” but I’ll be back to baking after that and the next recipe on my list is the apple and blueberry cake  from the same book so watch this space for more photo’s

Christmas through the year……

I finally managed to buy a frame for this French inspired cross stitch and put it together, so another item ready for the Christmas basket. I’ll be linking up with  Anthea for Christmas through the year, you still have a little time to add your finish if you’d like to join in the fun just click on Anthea's name to take you to her blog to sign up 

Bronwyn Hayes's Swap With Shez!

Shez never ever disappoints when she’s your swap partner look what she made for me in our one on one swap, not one but two gorgeous linen tea towels with beautifully stitched Bronwyn Haye designs on them, way too good to dry the dishes with I think!

Shez does such tiny and neat stitching but wait there’s more and no it’s not a set of steak knives lol…….

Shez also included two matching hand towels to go with the tea towels, how spoilt am I!!! But wait Shez also included……

This beautiful recipe book by Donna hay, I think Shez knows me pretty well by now and knows that I love to cook, I’ve already picked a couple of recipes I’d like to try out…..

I know my hubby wont eat the fetta one but boy I’d love it for a Sunday brunch when he’s off on a bike ride….all mine and not have to share DIVINE! and the salt & pepper prawns has me drooling on the keyboard as I type lol.

Another recipe I will definitely have to have a go at is this scrumptious looking apple & blueberry cake MMmmmmm double drooling now!!

Thanks for my gorgeous gifts Shez but the best thing about our swaps is that I’ve gained such a lovely friend through blogging which to me is priceless.

I also have some more lovely birthday gifts to show everyone that I received on Saturday so I’ll do another post soon with more pictures

Mill Rosie Meet up…..

Saturday saw me and my sister Anne heading off to Ballan for our Mill Rosie Meet up and boy did we have fun, I didn’t get much stitching done but I sure talked a lot LOl.  Above is a group photo of all the lovely lucky dip swap gifts that were made by everyone and by the looks on the recipients faces everyone loved what they received on the day.

The theme for this month was a 3 piece sewing set using any designer/colour etc…. I chose Leanne Beasley’s “Stitcher’s keeper” and included a pin cushion & needle keeper inside with some choccies, pins, needles etc….

Christine picked my number out and by the look on her face I think she was happy with what she got

I was totally besotted with my lucky dip from the very clever Kim, all done in Bonnie and Camille fabrics from a Gail Pan design to me such a combination is a win, win situation you can never go wrong when using either! Thanks Kim I’m still smiling 

But the best part was catching up with all the lovely ladies below, including a few with no bodies LOL…..I also stole a couple of photo’s from a few blogs as I missed taking a lot of photo’s this time as I was sooooo busy chatting and catching up with everyone so I hope the girls will forgive me 

Missed you Sharon! Hope to get the five of us together at the next meet up.

Checking out the patterns?

The girls opening their swap gifts……….

Lunch at the cafe next door MMmmm yummo!

Being photo bombed in these ones and quite a nice one of me and my sister Anne.

As you can see by the photo’s a great day was had by all! I also received some lovely birthday gifts on the day but I’ll blog about them tomorrow as I don’t want to overload you with too many images in one go. I sooooo can’t wait for our next meet up!

FNWF Results and a late birthday thank you!

Friday night saw me start stitching around my red and white Dresden plate in blanket stitch but I had to give up by 8.30 as I felt quite ill and went to bed only to be woken up feeling the desperate urge to be sick which I did continually many times over till I finally fell back into bed for the last time at 5.30 Saturday morning to find oblivion in sleep……… so not much progress to report on my Friday night stitching but very happy to report that today I feel sooooo much better and the promise to myself never to eat Chinese takeaway for lunch when out and about shopping EVER AGAIN!! Lesson well learned!

Now onto more pleasant things and an apology to my dear friend Ondrea who I’ve just realised I never publically thanked for my gorgeous birthday gift in my preparation for Tassie ect…. I did email her when my gift arrived but forgot to add it to my birthday posts so here is my beautiful gift  below from Ondrea…..

A beautiful heart hexie, hat pincushion and paper napkins all in my favourite colour combination of red and white . Thank you Ondrea even now just looking at this picture brings a smile to my face  

I was also given this beautiful bunch of flowers from one of the mum’s at my centre this week whose child I look after, such a totally unexpected surprise I have been totally spoilt this year for my birthday and I want to thank each and everyone of you for making it so special

Now to go and so some blog hopping after I get back from shopping later today and see what everyone else has been up to.