a little gift for you (I hope)

Hi all did you have a nice Christmas?

I am slowly getting back to work , slowly , slowly.

Over the holidays I have been trying to work out

how to do PDFs as in the new year I am

hoping to offer some new patterns as PDFs as well as paper.

So you are probably wondering why I have a photo

of the crosswords in the paper here.

I love crosswords and wordgames and thought you

may like a crossword too .

I designed a crafty crossword in PDF for you to print out.

It is all craft related so if you would like to print out

extras for your craft group , go for it !

It does have a couple of swear words in the puzzle

so if you can't handle swearing don't download it .

This is my very first attempt at a PDF ~ I hope it works!

I'd love for you to let me know if you download it

and also what you think.

Fingers crossed ~ click HERE not shouting but a little nervous.

this time last year

This time last year my family gathered together

and said goodbye to our Mum .

It feels like so long ago.

It feels like yesterday.

We have all missed her every day since.

Love you Mum xxx

a big ho

Told you there was a big ho here .

Wishing all my readers a fantastic Christmas

please, please travel safely .

I will be back here after Christmas but

then in the New Year I will tell you all

my exciting plans for 2012 weeeeee!

This year has been a great one for my little business

and yes it has been a lot of hard work

but I think I have been given heaps of help

from you and others in the webby world .

Thanks so very much .

If you are looking for me you can find me

most days on facebook come on over

the Christmas tree is up and the kettle's on .

HO HO HO

the point is

Hello there !

I've been making poinsettia brooches and thought

if you had a spare few minutes you might like

to make some too .

First I made a template from cardboard in a sort of

poinsettia petal shape .

Mine is about 1" along the base tapering to the top

and about 3" high .

Trace 6 petals on doubled Christmasy fabric .

Stitch around the sides leaving the base open

for turning through .

Cut around the petal with pinking shears

and trim the point .

Turn right side out and press .

Use a double thread and tacking stitch to join the petals.

Pull the thread to gather the petals into a flower shape.

Use little , teeny stitches to stitch the flower securely .

Add some pretty matching buttons to the centre .

I can hardly call this a tutorial (but I will anyway) these are so easy !

These can be used as brooches , gift toppers or Christmas

 decorations maybe you'd like to wear one in your hair!

I hope you get a chance to make some of these .

Quick coasters

Tick tock Christmas is coming quickly .

I have heaps of quick Christmas ideas if you're interested.

Yes by quick I mean really lazy and hardly any effort.

To get some pretty coasters to match your Christmas

theme just use a gluestick to glue some wrapping

paper to small paper doilies .

Easy enough for the kids to help with and when

they're finished with they can just go

into the recyle bin .

Not the kids the coasters.

be seated

I've been having a bit of a fiddle with place settings

for my family Christmas dinner .

I finally got myself organised and did teeny tiny

stitches on my dyed doily rounds and turned

them all into a very festive runner .

So , so lucky my oilcloth and doily runner

match my button tree .

I am a hopeless cook so it's just as well

the table will look beautiful as it might distract them .

it's all about the money

Every Christmas a chocolate coin is placed under

every plate at the dinner table .

My kids don't think it's "just like magic " anymore

but it really isn't the same Christmas unless I do it .

Last Christmas was a very traumatic one and I was

so distracted I didn't manage to get any coins .

The week or so before Christmas day I had

so many people hunting all the shops for me and

I was even ringing nearby towns looking for them .

This year it's going to be different .

I have so many gold coins they can all eat the

chocolate and maybe I won't have to cook !

Do you have your own little traditions?

Please tell about them , I love hearing nice stories.

on the...

first day of Christmas

my true love sent to me

lots and lots of buttons

so I made a tree .

oh baby

I've been hoarding a stack of baby food jars and

considering my kids are teenagers it seems

I really like to hoard stuff .

In one of the bargain shops the other day I found

battery operated tea lights .

This was very exciting for me because I hate

real candles with a passion .

I can't stand the waxy smell and instead

of relaxing with candles they make me tense waiting

for them to burn my house down .

Anyway blah blah blah I decided to finally

use some of the baby food jars .

I just used some coloured string wrapped around ,

turned on the little lights and popped them in the jars.

I wish you could see these in the dark they look so pretty .

You'll have to take my word for it as the photos don't

do them justice , they are so beautiful

 all twinkling away and

safe too.

winners

Hi everyone from Squiddley !

The winners for the pattern and 3 fat 1/4s is .....

Sally and Posie Patchwork .

The winner for the o/s pattern is ...

Indigo Blue .

Thanks to everyone for entering and could those ladies

please contact me with addresses .

If you are really , really disappointed in not winning

cheer up , the pattern is now in my shop !

fabric and pattern giveaway

To celebrate the launch of Squiddley the very cute alien

at Australian Quilt Market I have decided to have a

fabric and pattern giveaway !

This has nothing to do with me becoming a very slack blogger

and needing feedback on my new design , really it doesn't .

Well yes it does but that's ok .

Unfortunately there is a little catch , sorry

but it would cost me a million dollars to post the fabric

and the pattern overseas so I am going to say

only open to Australian bloggers .

I will have one pattern on it's own for overseas visitors.

So if you are an Aussie and would like 3 fat 1/4s and

a pattern for Squiddley please leave a comment on this post.

If you are a guest from overseas please leave a comment

and just let me know you are far , far away ...

There are two fabric and pattern packs , yay !

Squiddley would make a fantastic Christmas

pressie for a little boy because it's really hard

to find stuff to make for them .

I need to be able to contact you if you win so

please make sure you are reachable.

I will draw the winners on Sunday but if you don't win

you will then be able to find the

 Squiddley pattern in my shop.  

Thanks to F.D Textiles for the great fabric !

P.S. You'd make so happy if you blogged about my new

pattern I'd give you an extra entry !

off to the trade show

Squiddley has left for the Melbourne Trade Show.

I thought he might be lonely so I made him a few brothers .

They were all hanging around as I packed patterns .

There was lots of giggling and mucking about

because they are very naughty monsters.

They waved goodbye

and happily jumped in the box with the patterns

and headed off to Kathryn at F.D. Textiles.

Kathryn is taking them to The Trade Show in Melbourne

this week and they will get to hang out with

gorgeous fabric from Saffron Craig

Twomonkeys Fabric and Umbrella Prints .

If you are going to the Show pop over to

F.D. Textiles on stand 55

 and see if they are behaving .

Maybe you'd even like them in your shop !

wrapping myself in love this Christmas

This year has been a difficult one and as Christmas

draws closer as I have been thinking more and more

about my dear Mum .

I have been hanging on to some of her nighties that she

gave me last year as she wanted

 the sleeves shortened on them.

I never did get to do them for her.

So I have decided to cut them up and make myself

a small quilt out of them as a Christmas present from her.

Yes some of the squares that I have cut

 have tea stains on them.

No I will not be trying to get these small stains out.

Mum will understand xxx

what ! more bunting !

 

I was so pleased to be asked by Kerryanne to

be a part of Simply Christmas again this year .

There is just much going on over at her blog

Shabby Art Boutique .

This is a tutorial that I had over there

and I thought you may like to make some bunting too .

I was lucky enough to find some Christmas tablecloths

in my local op shop but you could sort through

your stash and use up leftover Christmas fabric

to make multi coloured bunting .

I first made a template from cardboard 7" sides x 7.5" top.

Trace around the template on doubled fabric.

Cut out on the lines.

Stitch around the sides using 1/4"

seam allowance leaving the top open.

Trim the pointy bit.

Turn your flag right side out and trim the little

triangles that poke out.

Use a blunt skewer and push the base of your

flag to make your point nice and sharp.

Press all your finished flags.

Make yourself  some binding in a contrasting colour.

The length is determined by how many flags

you would like to make or where

you are going to hang your gorgeous bunting.

I made my binding about 3m long.

For this bunting I cut strips of white fabric about 2.5 " .

Press them in half .

Open them out and fold over and then press the edges

into the centre , press again .

Pin your flags with the open tops inside the binding.

Leave about 60cm at end end for hanging your bunting.

Stitch along the whole length .

Hang your beautiful bunting and enjoy !

Wishing you all a simply beautiful Christmas.

Yes I know I have turned into the slackest blogger

ever in the whole history of blogging .

I'll try and get my act together very soon .

bye bye bunting

My baby girl is turning 14 this week .

We are having a family tea outside on the verandah

and I am going to decorate it with paper doily bunting.

Not too young , not too old , just lovely !

In the olden days when I was in primary school

we use to make these to decorate the classroom .

Paper doily bunting is great for any occasion

birthday , Christmas and markets .

Bunting and doilies = a perfect mix !

simply christmas

Do you want to be really , really organised this Christmas?

If you think you may need a little help hop over

to Kerryannes blog Shabby Art Boutique .

Kerryanne has lists to get you organised and

lots of home cooking and fantastic giveaways.

There are also going to be really simple tutorials including

one from myself today so you know it will be simple !

While you're there check out Kerryannes ebook

The Creative Mumpreneur

Seeya there !

my place and yours

I'm joining Vic and all the others in My Place and Yours.

This week it is my favourite piece of clothing.

Now that I'm really old I'm not that interested in clothes.

If anyone gave me free rein to go anywhere clothes shopping

I would always still end up in Vinnies. 

Racks and racks of all the same clothes that are in the

trendy shops just bore me to tears .

Honestly I would rather poke sticks in my eyes

than to have to try stuff on in those places.

All that being said as the photo above shows

I did have a little flick through my wedding dress collection

this morning looking for something to show you.

I have such a nice assortment just in case I get

married again one day .

I have no plans at all to leave my beautiful husband

but you just can't ever be too prepared .

I'm sorry I couldn't pick just one stunner to show you.

So it looks like I just have to sit this one out

but you can still play , I'm just too comfortable

in my pink crocs and grey trackies to move anywhere.

my place and yours

I was a bit hesitant to join in with my place and yours 

this week as the meme is where I sleep .

I didn't want anyone to feel jealous seeing my

 beautiful and scarily tidy bedroom.

So I visited where Red Dog sleeps .

She gave me a wink and said "just go for it!"

I still wasn't quite sure so I wandered around the yard

and then I made my decision .

Yes I will show you the rest of my gorgeous bedroom .

But when I got there the old cat was asleep on

my unmade bed and I didn't want to disturb him .

I hate to disappoint you but the first photo

is not really my bedroom but I can dream .

Image from here.

Hop over to link up here if you'd like to play along .

our creative space

My creative space is outside this week .

The weather has been gorgeous and I know

very soon it will be far too hot to go outside .

So I have been digging and mulching .

Visiting the gnomes,

waiting impatiently for strawberries

and adding a bit of bling to

The Horny Head as it is fondly known as here .

Are you playing our creative spaces ?