In the Pink

My weeks holiday is nearly over and I haven't done any of the things that I had planned. Just working on my stitcheries, going for lots of walks with my fur babies and spending precious time with miss M.

I started a new little project after my store manager asked if I could make something to donate to the raffle we are having at work to raise money for NBCF.


I had a stitchery in mind. Part of Bronwyn Hayes BOM Songbirds but not sure how to finish it.

I remembered that I had a little hanger from a sale. It still had the price on it......$4......quite a steal. I wish I could remember where I bought it. So it just needed borders and I did very minimum quilting.

I am going to have to make another one just for me because I love how it turned out.  I hope whoever wins the raffle loves it too.
 

The BIG one......

Yep, Marilyn, Lorraine and I went to the Brisbane Quilt Show today and I have voted it the best show in the last few years. I didn't take my camera because I thought no photography was allowed......big, big mistake and I missed out on being able to show you some absolutely breathtaking quilts....oh well, next time I will know better.

The shop stalls this year were brilliant and I spent up a huge storm so I will show you some of the fabulous goodies that I just couldn't live without!

These scarf jewels were everywhere this year and Lorraine and Marilyn bought themselves some ready made ones for $15 ea but there was too much choice so I could not decide. Luckily I found these bits & pieces to make my own for a fraction of the cost.

Odds and ends I found here and there. Little pincushions, scissors and some little ornaments that I am going to make scissor fobs out of.

At last.....I have found some washi tape

A few things that are not easy to find. Get them when you see them.

I got a couple of these patterns for baby wool blankets. It was really difficult to make a decision about which ones to buy as there were monkeys, pandas, teddies and rabbits.  I eventually picked this one and I also got one called birds on a wire.  so cute!

some good christmas fabrics for my stash

I am not a huge fan of quilted bags but this one caught my eye and I bought the pattern 

I found some little decorative flowers and tiny buttons for my "Betsy's Closet Applique" project box.

As we were walking around the stalls, we came across a machine by Sizzex called Big Shots.  I thought it was a Scrapbooking die cutting machine but turns out it is also for cutting fabric very much like the Accuquilt but a bit cheaper. I succumbed and took advantage of the show special.  So now I have a die cutter that will cut me 2 1/2 inch strips, squares, rectangles and triangles (not sure what size)

There is more but let me surprise you later when I have made a start on some of my new projects.
Thanks for coming over and visiting.

Have you entered my give-away??? There is still time, click here to enter.

Another Birthday for the year

Today is my hubby's birthday. It was a low key affair as most of the family are away at work.  Miss M came over to have dinner with us.

I started to let hubby open his present and then realised I forgot to take a photo of how lovely it looked sitting on the side table all day!  oh well....a quick snap while he looks at the cufflinks I bought him.

Hubby L-O-V-E-S oysters 'au naturel' so I bought him a dozen Tassie Oysters to enjoy as a pre dinner treat.

Not my thing though and Miss M is not too keen either so he gets to eat the whole lot and he scoffed them all up in a jiffy.

Then I cooked some salmon fillets with a veggie medley sprinkled with lemon zest.

 We are putting off dessert until the weekend when the boys will be here to share some birthday cake with dad.  He didn't go without cake though.  I was up till midnight last night making this carrot cake for him to take into the office today.  It was easy to make and devinely yummy but I had to wait ages for it to cool down before I frosted it.

for the recipe sourced at taste.com.au

 

Love him lots and lots and know he had a nice day.

 

The Week that was - 41

Back to it after a week's break from blogging and I have really done quite a bit of sewing.  As you may already know, I received plenty of parcels last week which really was quite exciting as there was lots of fabric to drool over and gadgets to make extra special quilts.  I am having a week and a bit holiday starting on Tuesday so it could just be that I get to try some of them.  You might wonder why my mini break doesn't start from the weekend. Simply  just too much to get done at work before I take a break.

I finished the Bric~a~Brac block 1a &b and now I am waiting for block 2 to arrive.  I finished block 6 of Edwardian House

Block 2 of Betsey's Closet

Block 7 of Farmyard Frolics

and......the stitchery of block 1a for Tail Feathers........what a beautiful project this is.

I wasn't very happy with the stitching at first and didn't like how my satin stitch scallops on the tree looked so pulled them all out and started again only to realise (once finished) that the scallops should only have been one thread! Well it is staying like that now.

This week also saw me post about my Give-Away. There is still time to enter.....click here to read about it and take part!

And the icing on top of my week was picking miss M up from the airport in the wee early hours of Sunday morning.  Her plane was delayed by nearly an hour, so it was quarter to three by the time we got home and into our own beds.  I was so excited to see her come through the arrival gates my stomach lurched so much, I thought I was going to wet my pants :O  Two months felt like two years to me and I am so relieved and thankful that she is home safe and sound with stories and photos to share.

 Link in to WIP Wednesday to see more

80 Followers....this deserves a GIVE AWAY

Here it is.....the promised GIVE AWAY!

I thought about doing this when I reached 60 followers but then I just zoomed up to 80.  I just love the fact that 80 followers are interested enough to read my blog and I am especially thankful to those that leave such kind and inspirational comments. It is your support that keeps me working so hard at completing all those projects.

 To Thank You, I am putting together a little give-away. All you have to do to be in the draw, is   follow me and then leave a comment on this post.

 There is  a tube of  "Love & Happiness" hand cream from Innoxa, a special edition of Homespun magazine with 9 quilt patterns and pull out pattern sheet,  2 embroidery skeins and 4  swatches of fabric.

PLUS......I will be including a little surprise for the winner as well!


For another chance..... get someone to follow me and mention your name in their comment, I will pop you in the draw for a second chance.

Good Luck!! (Prize drawn on 31 October 2012)
 

It feels like Christmas around here

Firstly, I am back to my old self and feeling much better.  Thank you to everyone who sent comments to my last few posts.  I became backed up with comments to reply to so I am sending one BIG THANK YOU for your interest and lovely comments. Now to my latest post......

Back in late August, I sat at my computer all day reading blogs and entering the Blog Hop that was on at the time.  I didn't think of it as a waste of my time because I had so much fun reading about crafters from all over the world.  I showed you the buttons that came from South Africa and this last week I received more parcels.

That's right, I was lucky enough to win two prizes. I have been following Kelli's blog, Seriously..I think it needs stitches, for awhile now and I love her approach to life and crafting. Part of the prize was a gift voucher from the Fat Quarter shop in Texas and since I wanted to spend it wisely, I went through every page of the online shop and saved whatever took my fancy into my checkout basket. After  many hours of swooning and choosing, I had about $200 worth of fabrics in my basket......oh-oh!

I eventually culled a few and decided to "go for it" and get the rest.  They have arrived.

  This one is a Dear Stella fat quarter bundle called "Bukhara".

And this one is "Just Believe" for Marcus Brothers fabrics.

This one is Little Monkeys for Blend Fabrics

I got as few other fat quarters but I was most excited to receive this one......

Thank you Kelli......I had so much fun at the FQS!

Kelli also sent me some fat quarters from her stash, so I better start deciding how to use all this yumminess!

........But wait, there is more.......the parcels kept coming..

My new BOM arrived....Tail Feathers

The piping tool arrived from Sue Cleveland so I can finish off my Teddy Bear Tea Party quilt.....so if I am  MIA, it is because I am working hard or maybe just swooning over my goodies.....LOL

I am extra, extra excited today as miss M is on her way back from Europe and will arrive in the early hours of Sunday morning.  No wonder my spririts are lifted xxx

 
Keep an eye out for my "80 followers Acheived" GIVE AWAY.......coming soon to Bit 'n Bobs

YAWN!!

I haven't been around for a few days and I am afraid I am just here to say I am taking another week off.

I don't know why but I am so fatigued and need a little time to myself.

 Will be back shortly with details on my give-away.
 

Marshmallow Memory - Tuesday Treasure

A few weeks ago, I was reading a blog and was struck by a memory which led to a moment of panic because I couldn't remember the last time I had seen something which means a lot to me.

 My dad was not one for buying gifts on his own and I can only remember him ever doing so about twice in my life. Once was when I was nine years old and he had to go to Cape Town on business. He was only gone a couple of days but he brought back something each for me and mum.

  My surprise was a glass jar filled with marshmallows and tied with a pink ribbon. The marshmallows didn't last long as you can imagine but the glass jar has survived many house moves and even an overseas move.

  It has spent most of its time filled with cotton wool balls on my dressing table and at one time served as a display for seashells. That decorating phase ended a while ago and I could not remember where my jar was. I spent the whole day looking for it and found it in a cupboard, empty and forlorn, so when I was next out, I bought some brand new ribbon and a packet of marshmallows and restored it to it's original glory. Wonder how long these marshmallows will last? Probably not long, but the memory will last forever.

  Linking in to Tuesday Treasure at Melody's The House on the Side of the Hill

The Week that was - 39

Week 39 has passed really quickly and even though I know I had a good week in the creation station, I am a little behind with my stitcheries.

 First though, I have to show you these exquisite roses I received from Hubby because it was our 26th wedding anniversary.  He also took me to a really swish restaurant for a delicious dinner.

 Aren't they beautiful?....the most perfect roses ever.

 I also received a little surprise this week.  During Blog Hop week, earlier this month, I won some buttons from Incomparable Buttons . There were 60 winners drawn and when I saw my name was one of them, an involuntary squeal passed my lips.  I was delighted that mine were these little flowers.

 I mentioned that I was busy in the creation station and had my ninth finish for the year.  My challenge to myself is 12 finishes for 2012.  I posted my finish here and here and here is another photo for good measure

I am still waiting for a few parcels to arrive. One of those is the piping tool from Sue Cleveland and until I get my hands on that hot little item, Teddy Bear Tea Party is still sitting idle.

And to prove that I have really been stitching away, here is a progress peek on Bric-a-Brac, block 1 a&b and Edwardian House, block 5.

I also have a few new followers this week.....hello and welcome to you all.  I am so glad you have taken the time to visit with me at Bits 'n Bobs.

Because I am so excited by this, I am putting together a give-away package so stay tuned this week for the launch.