Santa sack swap and other photo's

 This is the gogeous santa sack I received from my swap partner Cheryl ( no blog ) doesn't it just make you wish Christmas was here already :) I LOVE IT!! it is soooo me Cheryl!! The two parcles that arrived with it have already been squished,sniffed and shaken and now they safely reside inside my santa sack waiting for December to arrive.....Come on Christmas!!
 Thanks Cheryl,I'll be posting yours off next week after you're back from your holiday,I hope it's turning out to be a lovely time away for you and your family.

 I've also been busy finishing off this blanket I started a little while ago using up the leftover wool from my baby ripple blanket....I love how it's turned out!

 All neatly folded....I just used a 6 treble stitch and one dc stitch for my blue edging as I didn't want it to overpower the effect of the blankets simplicity....

MMmm now what will this extra square turn itno???? I still had enough wool to make up six squares from each colour so thought I'd turn them into a cushion cover,just need to do the back and then this one will be a finish as well.
I'll be back tomorrow with more photo's of a special meeting that took place today so keep a look out for it :)

FNSI results.....

 Remember these squares well two blocks of squares are now sewn together and another two stacks of  squares are ready to be put together and added to this block.....I'm loving how my wool scraps aren't being wasted :) Ths is what I worked on during Friday and into the evening,it's amazing how much you can achieve when you put your mind to it!

 I also wanted to thank Wendy for my lovely Barbara Brackman turnover and reel of ribbon for my birthday.....I'm glad to hear you also liked what I sent for your birthday as well :

These teatowels are hopefully going to turn into my new kitchen curtains....these will look very pretty just above my sink,a nice distraction from the dirty dishes piling up lol :)

Santa sack swap..... a little peek

This little peek is for Cheryl (no blog) my partner in the santa sack swap........I finally found a pattern for her stocking now I just need to stitch it up and start filling it with pressies.I'll post more progress photo's over the next week or so :)

What to do with scraps???

 I started with these which turned into.....

 These which turned into.......

This,my first block for another crocheted baby blanket.I just can't stand waste so thought I'd use up the leftover wool from the ripple blanket in my previous post.
I only have five more blocks to make and then it will be finished,they're coming together quite quickly.....I think three blocks by three will be just the right size for a bub to snuggle under on a cold day :)

First finish for June....

 Remember me showing you this a few weeks ago.....well it's ready to head off to it's new owner.....just have to wait for him to be born first lol.

Here it is all neatly folded waiting to be wrapped up :)
I have some wool leftover from this ripple blanket  and I have to admit I've already started on my next blanket,I can't stand idle hands and it will be something I can work on when watching tv at night.

My never ending Birthday......

 These gorgeous fabrics,lace and thread were given to me by the lovely Vanessa,we caught up for a cuppa and a chat the Friday before as we live real close and have been promising to catch up since we swapped last year in Cathy's fat 1/4 swap but time and other commitments got in the way lol.
I must say it was lovely to sit and chat and find out about each other,our interests,family etc.... I hope it's not another year before we catch up again Vanessa,I'll send you an email and hopefully we can catch up for another cuppa and chat in the next week or so????

 This is another unexpected birthday surprise I received in the mail from Raelene,it's now safely put away with my other reds......Thanks Raelene! I tried emailing you but it kept bouncing back to me,I hope you like what I sent for your birthday :)

And the Birthday goodies just keep on coming.....next was from Sharon who included an extra 2 fat 1/4's with the swap we were partnered in as well as some yummy red thread and spools of ribbons.Thanks Sharon I loved the red and white combo :)

I must admit it was nice recieving all these scrummy goodies as well as meeting up with Vanessa as the past week or so has been very trying with work commitments,studying my butt off & trouble with my car etc......but these unexpected parcels and a catch up with a new friend somehow made everything feel ok :)

Colour swap...what I sent to Shez

 In the colour swap that Lisa was hosting I was given Shez as my swap partner from http://shez-enjoyinglife.blogspot.com/ This is a Christmas candle mat I made using a Cinderberry stitchery and I edged it with polka dot  prairie points as Shez had mentioned in one of  our numerous emails that she loved polka dots :)

 I'd had this stitchery in my stichery folder for a few years now ( can't remember where I sourced it from ) and thought of it as soon as I got Shez for my partner and then decided to make it into a wall hanging using a canvas and my staple gun I received for my birthday this year :)

 I know Shez also loved my journal I had in my giveaway recently and since she wasn't the lucky winner I thought I'd make another and include one just for her :) The stitchery is a Rosalie Quinlan.
Shez and I discovered we both love anything Rosalie :)

 Another Rosalie Quinlan pattern from her book "A stitch in time" I pinking sheared my edging for a ruffled look :)

 I also found this yummy creamy white flurry wool at my local spotlight store and just had to make a scarf for Shez in it :)

 I also discovered in our back and forth emails that Shez loved the fabric range "Bliss" and as I had some scraps leftover from a project I thought I'd make up a drawstring bag for her and filled  it up with some of the goodies below.....

I want to thank Lisa for hosting this fantastic swap,I've really enjoyed making/collecting all these for Shez........the best thing about this swap is I've made a new friend and hopefully when Shez gets back from her overseas trip we'll be meeting up in person for a cuppa and a chat :)

Colour swap.....Thanks Shez for spoiling me!

 These are what Shez made for me in the colour swap.I asked a for red and white colour combination and I got soooo much more! The little mushroom is a pincushion which is now sitting in my sewing room,the front stitchery is a jar cover and I have something special in mind for this and for it to sit on my sewing table so I can admire it when I'm in there.The stitchery hiding behind the mushroom is called a mushroom flip and is already in use with a stitchery project I am taking with me on my girl's weekned away this weekend.The mushroom flip and pincushion are by natalie Lymer of Cinderberry stitches and the jar cover is by Lisa from cubbyhouse crafts.......but wait there's more!

 Shez also included this beautiful shoe bag designed by Michelle Ridgeway....LOVE IT!

Shez also spoilt me by making me not one but two Christmas hand towels....I've been spying on Shez's blog and have long admired her hand towels so  feel very special to receive these in my swap parcel.
The best thing that came out of this swap besides the lovely pressies was I've made another new friend and hopefully in a couple of months Shez and I can catch up with a cuppa and a chat when she's back from her over seas trip.Go visit Shez at http://enjoyinglife.blogspot.com/ you wont be dissapointed,she makes such lovely things :)
I'll be back later with photo's of what I sent to Shez in this swap :)

My Saturday.....

 This is what I was working on Saturday while taking a break from studying.....a very nice way to spend the day :) This journal is going to be my uni placement reflective journal,I decided I wanted something nicer than just any old journal to put my thoughts into.......The good thing about this journal is I used what was in my stash and available in my sewing room.
I love how this journal has turned out,the green ric rac just addds that extra touch to it :)

I also finished making these two face cloths with the leftover chenille wool I made the baby blanket from,this wool is soooo soft to work with.
I can finally add some finishes to my May OPAM list,come back tomorrow and I'll show you some more pictures of what else I've been up to over the last couple of weeks.

Friday Night Sew In results....

This is what I was working on last night for FNSI....another crocheted baby blanket.I love how the colours look together,another one for the gift box when it's finished :)