Frilly dilly bag - after two hours

Two frills done, three to go. I already like the stripe more - it is less 'in your face' now that it is gathered. No more sewing today until after the kids are in bed. But I have until midnight to meet Peg's deadline! Do I turn into a pumpkin if I don't make it Peg?!I found this groovy buckle amongst my junk - I mean, amongst my precious collection of 'things that might come in handy one day'. It matches really well, but might look too much - I'll see! Talk to you again at midnight!

Two precious hours

My enormous thanks to all you lovely girls for your birthday wishes yesterday. I may have left good friends behind when I moved town in January, but have made many more through blogging. It was very special to see message after message in my inbox last night - you all made my day!

This is the other fabric that jumped into my bag yesterday:

I have been wanting to make a more wintery version of the Janelle Wind 'Frilly Dilly' bag that I made recently. The stripe is screaming 'too bright' at me today, & yet yesterday it seemed so right! However, in an attempt to finish something ... ANYTHING! ... for Peg's Finish Five in July Challenge, I am going to make this bag up today, regardless, & hope it turns out alright! I have two hours before I have to collect the kids from school, so here goes ...

They say it's my birthday!

And yet I'm sure my last one wasn't that long ago! I left all my lovely friends behind who would have spoilt me today when I moved in January. So I took 'me, myself & I' for a special treat - a drive to visit Hatched & Patched. It was a beautiful sunshine-y day for driving & Anni's shop was heavenly as always. I spent all my birthday money & then some! 

I treated myself to Anni's newest book, 'Simple Pleasures', just a few more fabrics for my Dear Jane (!), a set of Dear Jane rulers & the essentials to try some needlepunch embroidery. And then there is another little bit of fabric that coerced it's way into my bag - but it is already in the wash & will have to wait for show-and-tell tomorrow. I feel that I have done a particlarly good job in making myself feel special today! Well done me I say! Now, where's that champagne gone?

Nice to see you again, Dear Jane

I am enjoying spending time with my Dear Jane blocks again. I am especially enjoying the appliqued blocks at the moment. Lots of the blocks lately have been foundation pieced, which does my head in after a while!

E1 Aunt Exie's Phlox 

E10 Five & Dime 

H11 Piercing Rays

Kid's art on a cold Saturday afternoon

I have discovered a wonderful children's art blog, Art Projects for Kids, which has the best 'art for artistically challenged parents' instructions! In a new family initiative, (otherwise known as 'mum is feeling guilty that she isn't spending enough quality time with the children' syndrome), I have decided to use this art blog as inspiration on a weekend to spend some creative time with my three munchkins. Today was our inaugural effort. We started off with something simple, using instructions for 'Rousseau Tiger Drawing'. There was much talk along the lines of 'mine is hopeless' ... 'yours is so much better' ... 'this looks weird' ... 'yuck, pass me the eraser quick' etc etc. Followed by philosophical discussion about how there is no one right or perfect way when it comes to art & it's interpretation! Here are the results of a very fun afternoon (& much debating over creative names for each picture):

'Raining Leaves in a Pink Sky'

by Littlest Blossie, age 7

'Jungle Nightscape'

by Boy in the Middle, age 9

'Blue Eyes in the Bushes'

by Eldest Blossie, age 12

And something else that happened while we were out of town ...

I returned to find wonderful mail waiting for me! May Britt & I had arranged a little swap recently. In return for sending her a copy of Australian Homespun, I received these lovelies:

While I assured her I would be happy to receive anything, I did suggest that if she could get her hands on anything Tilda, I would be very, very happy! And so she sent, not one, but multiple pre-printed Tilda stitcheries & possibly the cutest little heart buttons in the world! It was as if my birthday had arrived early, I was so excited. Thank you so much May Britt - I will swap with you anytime!

And the lovely Amanda Brooke also sent me a pattern which I won in her recent giveaway. 

The pattern is newly released by Amanda and is a gorgeous embroidery folder. I especially like the verse she has chosen: 'My garden's alive with butterfly wings, and under the vines the bluebirds sing'.

So no shortage of things to keep me busy this weekend!

ps. Does anyone know of an Australian stockist for Tilda? 

Awww, look what happened while we were out of town

While we were back at the farm in the holidays, we missed seeing the beautiful snow that fell in town (two hours away).This is a reasonably unusual occurrence, and we missed it! Thankfully, a friend took some photos. The school oval (below) was blanketed - anyone for cricket? So to this day, I have still to see the elusive white stuff!

Too much to do, Dear Jane!

What was I thinking when I signed up for Happy In Quilting's 'Finish Five by the end of July Challenge'?! There is now just a week left in July & I have sewn a big, fat nothing - LOL! I took a huge suitcase of quilting back to the farm across the holidays with grand plans, including the three quilt tops I blogged about here, and the suitcase didn't even get opened. Does getting my roses pruned at the farm count Peg? HOWEVER, it is a new week, kids are back at school and perhaps there is room again in life for my grand plans!

I am way, way behind with my Dear Baby Jane blocks, but determined to catch up with the group again. I have done a few of the quicker ones to get myself back into it.

K8 Springbrook Park - foundation pieced.

G8 Justin's Comet - Wimped out completely on this block & pieced it more simply! All those set in seams & eight-pointed join in the centre scared me off!

H13 Farm Fields - they don't get much simpler than this one.

There are some real doozies to be done, including One, Two Buckle my Shoe , Pinwheel Gone Awry and the very scary Battlefield (name says it all really). And Anina is threatening a triangle block for Friday so I'd better get my rear into gear! Have a great week everyone.

A searching question

If you've not found Michelle's blogging Tips & Tricks at Leni & Rose before, do yourself a favour & visit her soon. She has the most fantastic blogging tips every Tuesday. I sent off a request to her a week or two ago for a 'search my blog' element, and genius that she is, she has worked out how to do it. So thanks to Michelle, I now have a searching tool in my sidebar which allows you (& me!) to quickly search back through my blog for anything you fancy. You can have one too - just follow Michelle's simple instructions. Thank you so much Michelle - I could never have worked this out myself.

Birthday blossie

It was my baby blossie's 7th birthday late last week so much excitement at our place! So it's been all dollies, and fairy books, a new outfit, a cool card from her big brother, a cake from her big sister,and new Charlie and Lola DVDs to watch. Her favourite Charlie & Lola episodes are "It is absolutely completely not messy" and "Yes I am, No you're not". How appropriate! Little Blossie shares her birthday with the lovely Rosie & our beautiful friend Georgina who I blogged about here & who continues to fight a brave & most extraordinary fight. Happy birthday gorgeous girls!

Back to my poor neglected blog

We have been back to our little farm for the last ten days where unfortunately there is no longer an internet connection! Ten blissful & busy days of catching up with lots of friends, pruning LOTS of roses, checking on the wheat crop, playing some tennis & generally getting some jobs done that didn't get done when we moved from the farm six months ago.

I realise it is unusual to be living between two properties, and we feel very blessed to be able to do so. Being back at the farm means being back in our 'big' garden. And like an old friend, it welcomed us with open arms! I walked through the entry arch to be greeted by sweet smelling jonquils, blooming away gloriously. Despite months of neglect, they faithfully pop up their heads & declare 'welcome home'!

And there were cheerful pink daisies ... ... orange Chinese Lanterns brighten a spot beneath a bare pear tree ... ... the very last of the roses bloom ...

... before their winter prune ...

... and elegant arum lilies,

flowering unseasonally in mid winter - a gorgeous surprise.I love my garden & can't imagine life without one!

It must be school holidays

Pancake stacks for breakfast!

Oh my! Fabric by the bolt?!

Precious little to report as my 'no time for sewing' phase continues, exacerbated by end of financial year tasks, the start of school holidays & the sudden (and wonderful!) company of three busy children.One solitary little Dear Baby Jane block to show. This is K11 Columbine. I am many blocks behind the progress of the group, but remain determined to catch up again soon!After all, I can't throw in the towel on Dear Baby Jane now - an ENTIRE BOLT (!!!) of Kona Snow arrived during the week for the background. I'd say I'm well & truly committed now! In an attempt to calm the 'sewing withdrawal' jitters, I am leaving bundles of loveliness all about the house so that I can stroke them lovingly as I hustle past on my way to the next should-have-been-done-yesterday task. Desperate times!